Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FLAMES spectroscopy of red giant branch stars in the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy

Context. The ages of individual red giant branch stars can range from 1 Gyr old to the age of the Universe, and it is believed that the abundances of most chemical elements in their photospheres remain unchanged with time (those that are not affected by the first dredge-up). This means that they trace the interstellar medium in the galaxy at the time the star formed, and hence the chemical enrichment history of the galaxy. Aims. Colour–magnitude diagram analysis has shown the Carina dwarf spheroidal to have had an unusually episodic star formation history and this is expected to be reflected in the abundances of different chemical elements. Methods. We use the VLT-FLAMES multi-fibre spectrograph in high-resolution mode (R ≈ 20 000) to measure the abundances of several chemical elements, including Fe, Mg, Ca and Ba, in a sample of 35 individual Red Giant Branch stars in the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy. We also combine these abundances with photometry to derive age estimates for these stars. This allows us to determine which of two distinct star formation episodes the stars in our sample belong to, and thus to define the relationship between star formation and chemical enrichment during these two episodes. Results. As is expected from the star formation history, Carina contains two distinct populations of Red Giant Branch stars: one old ( 10 Gyr), which we have found to be metal-poor ([Fe/H] < −1.5), and α-rich ([Mg/Fe] > 0); the other intermediate age (≈2–6 Gyr), which we have found to have a metallicity range (−1.8 < [Fe/H] < −1.2) with a large spread in [α/Fe] abundance, going from extremely low values ([Mg/Fe] < −0.3) to the same mean values as the older population (〈[Mg/Fe]〉 ∼ 0.3). Conclusions. We show that the chemical enrichment history of the Carina dwarf spheroidal was different for each star formation episode. The earliest was short (∼2–3 Gyr) and resulted in the rapid chemical enrichment of the whole galaxy to [Fe/H] ∼ −1.5 with both SNe II and SNe Ia contributions. The subsequent episode occured after a gap of ∼3–4 Gyr, forming ∼70% of the stars in the Carina dSph, but it appears to have resulted in relatively little evolution in either [Fe/H] or [α/Fe].
Identifying and assessing ecotourism visitor impacts at eight protected areas in Costa Rica and Belize

Protected area visitation is an important component of ecotourism, and as such, must be sustainable. However, protected area visitation may degrade natural resources, particularly in areas of concentrated visitor activities like trails and recreation sites. This is an important concern in ecotourism destinations such as Belize and Costa Rica, because they actively promote ecotourism and emphasize the pristine qualities of their natural resources. Research on visitor impacts to protected areas has many potential applications in protected area management, though it has not been widely applied in Central and South America. This study targeted this deficiency through manager interviews and evaluations of alternative impact assessment procedures at eight protected areas in Belize and Costa Rica. Impact assessment procedures included qualitative condition class systems, ratings systems, and measurement-based systems applied to trails and recreation sites. The resulting data characterize manager perceptions of impact problems, document trail and recreation site impacts, and provide examples of inexpensive, efficient and effective rapid impact assessment procedures. Interview subjects reported a variety of impacts affecting trails, recreation sites, wildlife, water, attraction features and other resources. Standardized assessment procedures were developed and applied to record trail and recreation site impacts. Impacts affecting the study areas included trail proliferation, erosion and widening, muddiness on trails, vegetation cover loss, soil and root exposure, and tree damage on recreation sites. The findings also illustrate the types of assessment data yielded by several alternative methods and demonstrate their utility to protected area managers. The need for additional rapid assessment procedures for wildlife, water, attraction feature and other resource impacts was also identified.
Students ’ experiences of using new media in higher education

The present study explored university students’ experiences of using new media in their academic life at the University of Edinburgh. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with postgraduate students and their teachers at this university. It was found that new media students mainly use for learning are academic search engines, electronic resources and antiplagiarism software. These media help students learn and do research more easily, but they also pose challenges, such as causing distractions from learning. One major implication of the findings is that how students are influenced by new media depends on how they use the media in learning. This study also suggests that future research in this field should aim at developing a deeper understanding of students’ reading difficulties in the digital learning environment. Keywords—higher education; new media; university students; learning experiences; digital learning environment
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION ON BEEF AND CHEVON IN NAVRONGO, KASSENA NANKANA DISTRICT OF UPPER EAST REGION IN GHANA

The study was to determine the source, distribution and the level of contamination in Chevon (goat meat) and beef processed by butchers in slaughter house and open market, considering various body regions such as the neck and thigh during the period of April to June 2010 in Navrongo in the Kassena Nankana. A total of 20 samples of meat were sampled from the open market and slaughter house. Ten (10) samples of Chevon from the neck and thigh were collected. Same sample were collected for beef. Bacteriological analysis of the samples such as total and faecal coliform; total viable bacteria counts and salmonella counts were determined using multiple tube fermentation method and standard plate count method respectively. The mean TVBC per gram of goat meat sample from the neck and thigh were 1.58×10 7 and 3.62×10 7 respectively for the goat
How do I create my living theory of accountability as a lecturer in teacher education

In this paper I outline my thinking to date as I pursue my doctoral studies. I describe the context within which I work and the reasons for my research and I offer an account of my reflections on how and why I have come to the position where I feel the need to and the rightness of theorising and conceptualising my practice as a Senior Lecturer in Education. I describe how I have, through an MA dissertation (Renowden, 2006), and will, through a PhD thesis, offer an account of my living theories of practice as I explain how and why I hold myself accountable for my working life. I will show how, through these acts of accountability, and others, I am coming to create my living educational theories of practice and work towards the development of an epistemology of accountability. (Author's abstract)
Modeling task interference caused by traffic noise: results from a perception experiment

This work compares experimental and simulation results on task interference, caused by exposure to combined traffic noise. On the one hand, a perception experiment was performed, conducted in a realistic setting resembling an at-home situation. Subjects were instructed to read, while being exposed to a combination of road and railway traffic noise. The number of train pass-by events, the distance to the railway track and the emergence of train events above the background noise was varied among subjects. After completion of the reading task, the subjects had to evaluate their perceived disturbance due to passing trains and to report how many trains they noticed. On the other hand, a computational model of auditory attention was used to determine the number of train pass-by events that subjects would notice, solely based on the acoustic stimuli used in the perception experiment. Using an optimized function that simulates the reading activity of the subjects, the model was able to replicate trends found in the empirical results, and estimated the number of noticed train events quite well.
Changing by asking the patient A qualitative study on introduction of Value-based healthcare at a Swedish hospital

Value-based healthcare (VBHC) is a concept which describes a new way to manage hospitals and puts focus on the patient value. The goal is to achieve as much of this patient value as possible for the cost of healthcare. Recently several hospitals in Sweden have started working with the concept, but little is known about the effects on Swedish healthcare practices and patients caused by the implementation and how the concept translates to practice for healthcare professionals. In this qualitative study, the data has been collected by conducting interviews with 20 respondents, including hospital employees of varying professions and two consultants involved in the pilot stages of implementation, along with two observations. Using the grounded theory approach, the data has been coded systematically in order to conduct our analysis. By analyzing the data through the lens of translation and identity creation we found that there are some differences among the respondents regarding the understanding of the VBHC concept and what it means within the context of the hospital. The local contexts’ of the patient group, and their different circumstances lead patient groups into translating VBHC differently and this caused practices themselves to vary. However, by changing practices and listening to the patient perspective, there was a change of mindset among the professionals, an effect on the role of the patient, as well as the relationships between professionals and patients. This study has contributed to the lack of research on the process of introducing Value-based healthcare and given some new insight on important factors to consider when introducing VBHC.
An Integrated Inventory Model with Controllable Lead time and Setup Cost Reduction for Defective and Non-Defective Items

In this paper, the study deals with the lead time a nd setup reduction problem in the vendorpurchaser integrated inventory model. The cost of c apital (i.e., opportunity cost) is one of the key factors in making the inventory and investment decisions. Lead time is an important element in any inventory system. The proposed model is presents an integrated inventory model with controllable lead time with setup cost r eduction for defective and non defective items under investment for quality improvement. In this analysis, the proposed model, we assumed that the setup cost and process quality is logarithmic function. Setup cost reduction for defective and non defective items, is the main focus for the proposed model. The objective of the proposed model is to minimize the total cost of both the vendor-purchaser. The mathematical model is derived to investigate th e effects to the optimal decisions when investment strategies in setup cost reductions are adopted. This paper attempts to determine optimal order quantity, lead time, process quality and setup cost reduction for production system such that the total cost is minimized. A so lution p0rocedure is developed to find the optimal solution and numerical examples are present ed to illustrate the results of the proposed models.
Associations of positive personality characteristics with psychophysiological response to stressors: literature review

Positive personality characteristics (e.g. hardiness) are important predictors of lower stress. However, it is not clear how positive personality characteristics affect physiological response to stressors. The purpose of this study is to review the existing evidence about how different positive personality characteristics, such as optimism, affect physiological response to psychosocial and physiological stressors in humans. Systemic analysis of empirical articles published 1996-2016 in PubMed, Sciencedirect, Medline, Health sources databases was performed. A search was conducted in abstracts of articles by keywords: stressor* AND physiolog* AND respon* AND trait*. Results revealed that positive personal characteristics, such as hardiness, self-esteem, social affiliation, ego resiliency, altruism, straightforwardness, optimism and spirituality predicted better response to psychosocial stressors. Altruism and straightforwardness predicted better response to physiological stressors. Optimism, psychological, emotional and social well-being does not predict better response to physiological stressors whereas hardiness, self-esteem, social affiliation, ego resiliency, altruism, straightforwardness, optimism and spirituality predict better response to psychosocial stressors. Altruism and straightforwardness predict a better response to physiological stressors unlike social, emotional, psychological well-being and optimism. Further research is needed to confirm importance of the specified positive personal characteristics for physiological and psychological response to different types of stressors. © 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy. org.UK
From Arctic to Antarctic: Is There any Remaining Role for PlateletFunction Testing to Tailor Therapy after Coronary Stent Implantation?

The recently reported ANTARCTIC trial [1] is an open-label, blinded endpoint-adjudication, randomised controlled superiority study from 35 centres in France testing the role of tailored antiplatelet therapy among 877 elderly patients (41% women and 28% diabetics) over the age of 75 years (~20% over 85) with either ST elevation or non-ST elevation acute myocardial infarction undergoing coronary stenting.
Chapter 7 Splenic sympathetic innervation participates in the immunomodulation of DSS-induced colitis

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Eco-Labelling, the State and Consumer Confidence

Trustworthy eco-labels provide consumers with valuable information on environmentally friendly products and thus promote green consumerism. But what makes an eco-label trustworthy and what can government do to increase consumer confidence? The scant existing literature seems to argue that low governmental involvement increases confidence. According to this, government should just provide the basic legal framework for eco-labelling and leave the rest to non-governmental organizations. However, the empirical underpinning of this recommendation is insufficient. This paper analyses consumer confidence in different organic food labelling regimes with varying degrees of governmental involvement. Using unique and detailed survey data from USA, United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden, the analysis shows that confidence is highest in countries with substantial state involvement. This suggests that governments can increase green consumerism through active and substantial involvement in eco-labelling.
Modeling Root Water Uptake in Hydrological and Climate Models.

Abstract From 30 September to 2 October 1999 a workshop was held in Gif–sur–Yvette, France, with the central objective to develop a research strategy for the next 3–5 years, aiming at a systematic description of root functioning, rooting depth, and root distribution for modeling root water uptake from local and regional to global scales. The goal was to link more closely the weather prediction and climate and hydrological models with ecological and plant physiological information in order to improve the understanding of the impact that root functioning has on the hydrological cycle at various scales. The major outcome of the workshop was a number of recommendations, detailed at the end of this paper, on root water uptake parameterization and modeling and on collection of root and soil hydraulic data.
Biomechanical and Thermographic Analysis in the Transtibial Prosthesis Socket - Stump Interface

The study deals with the problem of a biomechanical solution for human locomotion after amputation of a lower limb. With unsuitably designed sockets for transtibial prostheses interaction between the socket and the stump occurs, leading to increased friction and subsequent surface damage to the soft tissue. This damage is manifested in local increases in the temperature of the affected area. With individual types of transtibial prostheses, sites which can be loaded and which cannot be loaded are defined. On the basis of a study of the anterior side of the stump three loadable and two non-loadable areas were monitored using a thermal imaging camera and a pressure sensor. Methods of measuring individual values were proposed for the purpose of sensing temperature and pressure. For sensing the surface temperature of the selected areas on the stump a thermal imaging FLIR SC-660 camera (Wilsonville, Oregon, USA) was used. The working of pressure on the sockets of transtibial prostheses were sensed using a Tactilus pressure sensor from the company Sensor Products Inc. (Madison, New Jersey, USA). In the submitted work 11 stumps were non-invasively monitored without interrupting the integrity of the skin. On the basis of the proposed method of assessing the distribution of temperature it was determined that in the case of a suitably made prosthesis no significant change of temperature occurs in any of the monitored areas. The results obtained by the temperature and pressure measurement were statistically processed.
Moving toward a Comprehensive Assessment System: A Framework for Considering Interim Assessments.

Local assessment systems are being marketed as formative, benchmark, predictive, and a host of other terms. Many so-called formative assessments are not at all similar to the types of assessments and strategies studied by Black and Wiliam (1998) but instead are interim assessments. In this article, we clarify the definition and uses of interim assessments and argue that they can be an important piece of a comprehensive assessment system that includes formative, interim, and summative assessments. Interim assessments are given on a larger scale than formative assessments, have less flexibility, and are aggregated to the school or district level to help inform policy. Interim assessments are driven by their purpose, which fall into the categories of instructional, evaluative, or predictive. Our intent is to provide a specific definition for these “interim assessments” and to develop a framework that district and state leaders can use to evaluate these systems for purchase or development. The discussion lays out some concerns with the current state of these assessments as well as hopes for future directions and suggestions for further research.
Predicting New Product Success or Failure: A Comparison of U.S. and U.K. Practices

We propose a model that allows managers to assess new product development (NPD) projects, combined with the anticipated strategy, prior to introduction and to estimate a probability of success. This model allows for an evaluation and prioritization of resource commitments. A test of this model that compares companies within the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (U.K.) is provided.
Variation of Carbon Sequestration in Halocnemum strobilaceum and Soil under Livestock Grazing (Case Study: Salt Lands of Golestan Province, Iran)

Background: Grazing intensity has a major effect on soil and biomass organic carbon storage (C). Various plants and ecosytems with deiffernt charactristices have their unique responses to the grazing. Recognizing the effects of grazing intensity on C in various envrionments dominated by Halocnemum strobilaceum, such as Incheboron salt land of Golestan province, helps plannig the grazing startegies. Materials and Methods: Three grazing sites, viz. heavy grazing (in vicinity of resting point), moderate grazing (at a distance of 650 meters from resting point) and light grazing (at a distance of 2050 meters from resting point) were selceted. Sampling of soil and H. strobilaceum species was carried out with systematicrandom method in Nov. 2012. In this regard, fifteen plants along the five 100 meters transects (with distance of 30m) were randomly selected and underground and abovegrond organs were extracted. The amount of biomass C was determined by combustion method. Also, soil sampling with five repetation was carried out in two depths (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm) and the amount of stored C was determined by Walkly and Black method. Results: The sum of underground and aboveground biomass C in light grazing site was more than the heavy and moderate grazing sites, which were about 1.17, 1.07 and 0.567 ton/hectare respectively. The amount of soil C for the mentioned sites were 162.56, 137,39 and 80.76 ton/hectare, respectively. Besides, the depth 020 cm in all sites had a higher C. The soil C comprised more than 99 percent of ecosystem total stored C (biomas and soil C) in each site. In terms of total ecosystem C, the heavy and moderate grazing site had about 84.37 and 32.20 ton/hectare less C compred to light grazing site. Conclusions: From a management perspective, it is concluded that light grazing intesity in saltalnd region can lead to maintenance of C in high level and grazing systems should avoid high stocking rates because it may adversely affect soil C. Heavy grazing has more negative effects on C compared to moderate grazing. Both soil and biomass respond similarly to different grazing intensities. The soil, especially first depth as the main resourcse of C, should be protected from detrioration to prevent C decling. In view point of C sequestration, it is suggested to plan grazing intesity in light level and protect the soil of rangelands.
Prevalence and Multiplex PCR for Enterotoxin Genes of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Subclinical Mastitis and Kareish Cheese

Aim: Staphylococcus aureus was categorized as a contagious pathogen incriminated in subclinical mastitis as well as in dairy products. From public health view, this organism causing food poisoning outbreaks via contamination of food products with its toxins. These studies highlight the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus among subclinical mastitic cases as well as cheese samples and the dominant enterotoxigenic genes.Methodology: Examination of 100 samples (50 from subclinical mastitis, and 50 kareish cheese) from Sadat city, Menoufia province.Results and interpretation: Bacteriological culturing on selective and specific medium revealed that 26.7% and 30% in subclinical mastitis and kareish cheese respectively were due to S. aureus. Furthermore, multiplex PCR proved to be efficient technique for detection of different enterotoxins genes. The sea, seb and see genes were the most prevalent genes among the tested S. aureus isolates. Although, no detection of sec and sed genes were observed.Conclusion: It can be concluded that molecular characterization of S. aureus and its enterotoxins genes will be beneficial in designing control and preventive measures of S. aureus infection in human and animals.