Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GROUND TRUTH EVENTS FROM REGIONAL SEISMIC NETWORKS IN NORTHEASTERN AFRICA

Determining accurate seismic locations with representative uncertainty estimates is of fundamental importance to ground-based nuclear explosion monitoring. In this project, we are developing a catalog of reference events (ground truth) in the northeast African area of interest where reference event coverage is exceptionally poor due to the limited station coverage by historic networks. We will provide accurately defined hypocenters within a range of ground truth (GT) levels (i.e., GT2, GT5, GT10), origin times, and focal mechanisms for several tens of earthquakes with magnitudes > 3 in northeastern Africa. The catalog will enable the seismic monitoring community to enhance their operational capability to monitor for nuclear tests in North Africa and the Middle East by increasing their ability to accurately locate and identify seismic events in these regions. The ground truth events for northeastern Africa are being collected using state-of-the-art event location methods applied to broadband seismic data from regional networks in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, as well as to broadband data from primary and auxiliary International Monitoring System (IMS) stations in the region. The ground truth catalog is being assembled by (1) determining origin time, focal mechanism and hypocenters with accuracies of 10 km or better (GT 10) for many events that lie within close proximity of recording stations or else are well recorded teleseismically; (2) using these events to construct regional travel-time correction surfaces using a Bayesian kriging technique, and (3) using the travel-time correction surfaces to obtain origin times and epicenters for numerous other events. Robust estimates of the uncertainties in the locations and origin times will also be determined. Preliminary event locations for many M>4 events in East Africa have been obtained using P and S arrival times recorded by the Tanzania Broadband Seismic Experiment. This experiment consisted of 20 broadband seismic stations deployed across Tanzania in 1994 and 1995. From P and S arrival times, epicentral locations can be constrained to within 2-3 km and focal depths to within 5 km at the 1-sigma error level. Focal mechanisms for these events will be obtained using regional and teleseismic data from permanent stations, and the hypocentral locations will be refined by modeling local/regional waveforms from the Tanzania Broadband Seismic Experiment. 361 24th Seismic Research Review – Nuclear Explosion Monitoring: Innovation and Integration
7-Hydroxy Frullanolide Ameliorates Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Injury through Modification of iNOS and Nrf2 Genes

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the principal cause of premature death. Protecting myocardium from ischemia is the main focus of intense research. 7-hydroxy frullanolide (7-HF) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent, showing its efficacy in different acute and chronic inflammatory disorders such as atherosclerosis, suggesting it can be a potential cardioprotective agent. For the induction of MI, Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 5) were administered isoproterenol (ISO) 85 mg/kg s.c at 24 h intervals for two days. The potential cardioprotective effect of 7-HF and its mechanisms were explored by in vivo and in vitro methods. 7-HF significantly prevented the extent of myocardial injury by decreasing the infarct size, preserving the histology of myocardial tissue, and reducing the release of cardiac biomarkers. Further, 7-HF increased the mRNA expression of cardioprotective gene Nrf2 and reduced the mRNA expression of iNOS. 7-HF also improved cardiac function by decreasing the cardiac workload through its negative chronotropic and negative ionotropic effect, as well as by reducing peripheral vascular resistance due to the inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels and the release of calcium from intracellular calcium stores. In conclusion, 7-HF showed cardioprotective effects in the MI model, which might be due to modulating the expression of iNOS and Nrf2 genes as well as improving cardiac functions.
Detecting Molecular Folding from Noise Measurements

Detecting conformational transitions in molecular systems is key to understanding biological processes. Here, we investigate the force variance in single-molecule pulling experiments as an indicator of molecular folding transitions. We consider cases where Brownian force fluctuations are large, masking the force rips and jumps characteristics of conformational transitions. We compare unfolding and folding data for DNA hairpin systems of loop sizes 4, 8, and 20 and the 110-amino acid protein barnase, finding conditions that facilitate the detection of folding events at low forces where the signal-to-noise ratio is low. In particular, we discuss the role of temperature as a useful parameter to improve the detection of folding transitions in entropically driven processes where folding forces are temperature independent. The force variance approach might be extended to detect the elusive intermediate states in RNA and protein folding.
The Fusion of Talent Management and Knowledge Management: An Odd Couple or Happy Nuptial

The purpose of this paper is twofold, firstly, to explore the factors that affect the retention of knowledge workers in South African higher education institutions; secondly, to show how talent management can benefit knowledge management practices. The mixed-methods design was employed to collect and analyse the quantitative and qualitative data. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 347 respondents from three South African universities. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data from 277 participants. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyse the quantitative data, while the qualitative data was analysed using NVivo (version 12.0). The quantitative and qualitative findings confirmed that work-life balance, promotion and employer-employee relationship positively impact the retention of knowledge workers in South African higher education institutions. This study provides a deeper understanding of how universities could leverage employee promotion, employer-employee relationship and work-life balance to retain knowledge workers in the competitive business environment. The study demonstrates that factors of talent management such as promotion, employer-employee relationship and work-life balance, are viable tools for retaining knowledge workers to position higher education institutions at the cutting edge. These factors can benefit knowledge management practices. The study expands on the limited research on employee retention strategies, talent management and knowledge management.
The Invasion of Galinsoga quadriradiata into High Elevations Is Shaped by Variation in AMF Communities

Mountain ranges have been previously suggested to act as natural barriers to plant invasion due to extreme environmental conditions. However, how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) affect invasion into these systems has been less explored. Here, we investigated how changes in AMF communities affect the performance of Galinsoga quadriradiata in mountain ranges. We performed a greenhouse experiment to study the impact of inoculations of AMF from different elevations on the performance and reproduction of invaders and how competition with native plants changes the effects of invader–AMF interactions. We found strong evidence for a nuanced role of AMF associations in the invasion trajectory of G. quadriradiata, with facilitative effects at low elevations and inhibitory effects at high elevations. Galinsoga quadriradiata performed best when grown with inoculum collected from the same elevation but performed worst when grown with inoculum collected from beyond its currently invaded range, suggesting that AMF communities can help deter invasion at high elevations. Finally, the invasive plants grown alone experienced negative effects from AMF, while those grown in competition experienced positive effects, regardless of the AMF source. This suggests that G. quadriradiata lowers its partnerships with AMF in stressful environments unless native plants are present, in which case it overpowers native plants to obtain AMF support during invasion. Finally, our results indicate that invader–AMF interactions can inhibit invasive range expansion at high elevations, and biotic interactions, in addition to harsh environmental conditions, make high-elevation mountain ranges natural barriers against continued invasion.
Influence of resin infiltration pretreatment on the microleakage under orthodontic bracket (an in vitro study)

OBJECTIVES: In order to assess the changes in tooth orthodontic adhesive interface microleakage after applying a caries resin penetrated to the sound enamel tooth surface in different storage media. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 human maxillary first premolars (orthodontic extraction) were collected by random separation of the teeth into two equal groups. The control group was classified into three subgroups (n = 10) (control in deionized water, control in milk, and control in energy drink), while the experimental one (treated with ICON) was categorized into three subgroups (n = 10) (ICON in deionized water, ICON in milk, and ICON in energy drink) incubation phase lasted three weeks in total. RESULTS: A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) yielded a significant difference between all experimental subgroups (ICON in deionized water, ICON in milk, and ICON in energy drink) and control subgroups (control in deionized water, control in milk, and control in energy drink). The control group in the energy drink subgroup had the highest mean microleakage value when compared to the other subgroups, whereas the resin-infiltrated group in deionized water had the lowest mean value. According to the results of the T-test, ICON pre-treatment tooth samples had significantly lower mean values of microleakage than non-ICON tooth samples. CONCLUSIONS: The adhesive system (control group) revealed that a resin infiltrate on a sound enamel surface prior to orthodontic bracket bonding reduced bracket tooth interface microleakage in all examined samples. The ICON-infiltrated surface was discovered to provide a secondary preventive strategy against white spot lesion development by reducing microleakage under brackets.
When Teaching Hurts: Exploring the Secondary Traumatic Stress Experiences of Early-Career SBAE Teachers

Sources of satisfaction, stress, and burnout are all-too-familiar to school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers. Yet, the current literature related to SBAE stress has not addressed the overwhelming existence of trauma in our greater society. Teacher wellbeing can be compromised when students share their own adversities and traumatic experiences, thus producing secondary traumatic stress (STS). To lay a foundation for inquiry, we used the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) survey and scale to quantify and draw attention to STS. In this study, we found early-career SBAE teachers (n = 49) in Oregon experienced moderate levels of STS along with STS being a significant positive predictor of burnout. Given our findings, we urge scholars and practitioners to recognize the implications student trauma has on the lives of teachers. Students carry invisible wounds to the SBAE classroom, which inextricably transfers to the teachers caring for them. Secondary exposure to trauma is salient to the experiences of teachers. Left unattended to, STS could result in severe implications for the individual as well as the profession.
Acoustic and Visual Monitoring for Marine Mammals at the Southern California Off-Shore Range (SCORE)

Abstract : The goal of this project is to advance acoustic techniques for assessing marine mammal populations. There is a requirement for marine mammal density data within areas of frequent naval operations. The Southern California Off-Shore Range (SCORE) is a region where naval operations are frequently conducted and where marine mammals are seasonally abundant (Figure 1). Acoustic techniques may provide an efficient and accurate method for assessing marine mammal populations in areas of naval interest such as within SCORE.
Investigating the impacts of a preservice agriculture teacher recruitment program using Kirkpatrick’s program evaluation model

Although post-secondary school agricultural education degree programs strive to meet the need of supplying agriculture teachers, the gap between teacher demand and supply continues to exist. The Teach Ag Campaign is a joint effort of the agricultural education profession to recruit and retain agricultural educators and encourage students to pursue a career in teaching agriculture. Given the systematic program evaluation of the effects of Teach Ag Campaign efforts on agriculture teacher supply is lacking, this study investigated the outcomes and effectiveness of a preservice agriculture teacher recruitment program using Kirkpatrick’s program evaluation framework. The results indicated that the design and implementation of the Agricultural Education Institute (AEI) effectively met the needs of program participants, and the program positively affected participants’ knowledge, attitude, and aspiration regarding a career teaching agriculture. In addition, the findings demonstrated that the AEI contributes to producing agriculture teachers who support Florida's school-based agricultural education programs. Based on the results of this study, recommendations for practice in terms of participant recruitment, program design, implementation, and future research were proposed.
Learning from Sports Entrepreneurs-Development of a conceptual framework for entrepreneurial risk-handling

The research takes a descriptive and exploratory approach in understanding how the risk experience of top athletes shapes sports entrepreneurs’ risk-handling strategies. In particular, the purpose of this study is to advance the theoretical knowledge of entrepreneurial risk-handling by studying risk-handling strategies developed and applied by sports entrepreneurs and putting them into a conceptual framework of entrepreneurial risk-handling that can be used by any entrepreneur and for future research. Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with active sports entrepreneurs who can draw on a successful career as a top athlete and are active entrepreneurs in different sectors. The analysis allowed understanding how individuals developed fundamental risk-handling strategies already in the athletes' career. The findings show how these strategies are then applied in the second career as a sports entrepreneur to handle risky situations in the uncertain world of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the study gives a strong indication of how much all entrepreneurs can learn from sports entrepreneurs and their risk handling strategies. This led to the construction of a first conceptual framework of entrepreneurial risk-handling. Lastly, theoretical and practical implications were delineated.
Revolutionizing Agrotechnology: Meeting Global Food Demand through Sustainable and Precision Farming Innovations

Indonesia's status as the world's fourth most populous country underscores the importance of its contribution to global food security. However, this important role comes with a series of challenges that are exacerbated by changing climate dynamics, decreasing arable land, and the inherent inefficiencies of traditional farming techniques. Balancing the need to increase productivity with the imperative to preserve the environment is a formidable challenge that necessitates a paradigm shift in agricultural practices. However, these benefits are accompanied by barriers such as knowledge gaps, financial constraints, and infrastructure limitations, which need to be effectively addressed to utilise the full potential of these technologies. This research underscores the need for a holistic and context-sensitive approach. Effective knowledge dissemination, customised financing mechanisms, improved infrastructure, and supportive policy frameworks are essential to foster the adoption and implementation of innovative practices. In addition, the research highlights the importance of collaboration among various stakeholders, including farmers, policymakers, researchers and industry players, to collectively address challenges and capitalise on opportunities. The implications of this research extend beyond the borders of Indonesia. The findings provide insights that resonate with other developing countries facing similar challenges in agricultural transformation. By bridging knowledge gaps, promoting equitable access to technology, and fostering an enabling policy environment, countries can unlock the potential of the agrotechnology revolution to meet global food needs while maintaining the ecological balance of our planet. As the world grapples with the challenges of food security in an era of climate change, this research contributes valuable knowledge to build a more sustainable and resilient future for agriculture and humanity.
Slender elastic swimmers : kinematics, dynamics, and robotic applications

Fish present a natural source of inspiration for the design of high-performance underwater robots. Conventionally, fish-like robotic systems consist of a chain of rigid links connected by a series of rigid actuators. Devices of this nature have demonstrated impressive speeds and maneuverability, but from a practical perspective, their mechanical complexity can make them expensive to build and prone to failure. One possible solution is to replace the mechanical body of the swimmer with a passive elastic element. In this scenario, the robot uses a single actuator, housed within a rigid forebody, to generate a fish-like propagating wave along a flexible trailing tail. A number of groups have explored this approach, but so far, these devices have demonstrated relatively limited performance. Here, we study the kinematics and dynamics of elastic swimmers and apply the results of this process to guide the design and testing of a high-performance passive robotic swimmer. We begin the investigation with a first-principles approach. We use analytical models of fish hydrodynamics to characterize the kinematics of efficient propulsion in swimming animals. Armed with the insight developed through this process, we construct a numerical model of a passive elastic swimming sheet. Through the application of optimization methods, we demonstrate that the sheet can achieve 70-80% of the efficiency of an equivalent swimmer with actuators along its entire body. Based on this, we design, build, and test a passive elastic swimming robot which uses a novel inertia-based actuation system. Experiments with the robot show that it can achieve a top speed of 1m/s (3.17 body lengths/s) and a peak turning rate of 515 deg/s, among the highest reported to date, while swimming at efficiencies comparable to those of fully actuated systems. Thesis Supervisor: Anette E. Hosoi Title: Professor
Long-term disgust habituation with limited generalisation in care home workers

Countless workers handle bodily effluvia and body envelope violations every working day, and consequentially face deeply unpleasant levels of disgust. Understanding if and how they adapt can help inform policies to improve worker satisfaction and reduce staff turnover. So far, limited evidence exist that self-reported disgust is reduced (or lower to begin with) among those employed in high-disgust environments. However, it is unclear if this is due to demand effects or translates into real behavioural changes. Here, we tested healthcare assistants (N=32) employed in UK care homes and a control sample (N=50). We replicated reduced self-reported pathogen disgust sensitivity in healthcare workers compared to controls. We also found it negatively correlated with career duration, suggesting long-term habituation. Furthermore, we found that healthcare assistants showed no behavioural disgust avoidance on a web-based preferential looking task (equivalent to eye tracking). Surprisingly, this extended to disgust elicitors found outside care homes, suggesting generalisation of disgust habituation. While we found no difference between bodily effluvia (core disgust) and body envelope violations (gore disgust), generalisation did not extend to other domains: self-reported sexual and moral disgust sensitivity were not different between healthcare assistants and the control group, nor was there a correlation with career duration. In sum, our work confirms that people in high-frequency disgust employment are less sensitive to pathogen disgust. Crucially, we provide preliminary evidence that this is due to a process of long-term habituation with generalisation to disgust-elicitors within the pathogen domain, but not beyond it.
Pre-Service Teachers: An Analysis of Reading Instruction in High Needs Districts Dual Language Classrooms.

Pre-service teachers need opportunities to apply theory and connect to best practices as they teach in classroom settings be it, whole or small group. For many pre-service teachers often times their experience is limited to simply watching instruction or working with small groups of students (Pryor & Kuhn, 2004). The student teaching experience is a critical component of the teacher preparation program. Through the use of the English Language Learner Classroom Observation Instrument (ELLCOI), and researcher observation the hope is that these will aid in bringing to light the instructional activities used by pre-service teachers during reading instruction with ELLs. This study explores how pre- service bilingual teachers connect theory into practice by examining their instruction in the following categories: Instructional Practices, Interactive Teaching, English-Language Development, and Content Specific to Reading as listed in The English Language Learner Classroom Observation Instrument (ELLCOI) developed by Haager, Gersten, Baker, and Graves (2003). To capture these instructional events video tape recordings of eight South Texas pre-service teachers were taken during a reading language arts lesson in order to observe instruction in high need districts’ dual language/bilingual classrooms. Data were compiled to capture the nature and quality of instruction on key essential elements, as well as reading instructional practices specific to the teaching/learning process in the dual language classroom. The findings portray the results of the ELLCOI with bilingual/ESL pre- service teachers and how they make sense of their instructional practices as a means to instruction in one-way dual language public school classrooms
HAWC Study of the Very-high-energy γ-Ray Spectrum of HAWC J1844−034

Recently, the region surrounding eHWC J1842−035 has been studied extensively by γ-ray observatories due to its extended emission reaching up to a few hundred TeV and potential as a hadronic accelerator. In this work, we use 1910 days of cumulative data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory to carry out a dedicated systematic source search of the eHWC J1842−035 region. During the search, we found three sources in the region, namely, HAWC J1844−034, HAWC J1843−032, and HAWC J1846−025. We have identified HAWC J1844−034 as the extended source that emits photons with energies up to 175 TeV. We compute the spectrum for HAWC J1844−034, and by comparing with the observational results from other experiments, we have identified HESS J1843−033, LHAASO J1843−0338, and TASG J1844−038 as very-high-energy γ-ray sources with a matching origin. Also, we present and use the multiwavelength data to fit the hadronic and leptonic particle spectra. We have identified four pulsar candidates in the nearby region in which PSR J1844−0346 is found to be the most likely candidate due to its proximity to HAWC J1844−034 and the computed energy budget. We have also found SNR G28.6−0.1 as a potential counterpart source of HAWC J1844−034 for which both leptonic and hadronic scenarios are feasible.