Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Technology Innovation in Shaping the Student Learning Experience in Higher Education

The role of technology innovation as the driving force in today’s learning environment cannot be under-emphasized. It is now changing the way in which learning and teaching occur in higher education. Over the years, preparing students for the world of work from higher education has been a difficult task. With the majority of students venturing into the world of work without work experience to help them understand and develop the skills to succeed in business is perturbing. Hence, for academic institutions charged with the responsibility to equip and develop students in the knowledge economy, technological innovations hold the key to several possibilities such as distance learning and sophisticated learning management tools and systems. Amongst the sophisticated learning management systems and tools is the use of business simulation which assists students to grasp, understand and apply theories in the real business world. Furthermore, these tools help them to develop the soft skills that are difficult to nurture during lectures. This paper, therefore, examines the role of technology in shaping the development of business and practical skills of the student’s transition from the university into the world of work. This study adopted a mixed method approach. Primary data were collected from MBA and MSc students who participated in the use of the business simulation tool on their perception over ten semesters. This was aimed at explaining the development of business skills using the business simulation technology. The preliminary results show a positive relationship between business simulation game participation and improvement of both hard and soft business skills of students such as; high quality learning, development of critical thinking, decision making, teamwork and analytical skill.
Structure and function of metal-independent CAZy family 6 glycosyltransferase from Bacteroides ovatus

Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are an enzyme superfamily responsible for the synthesis of glyconjugates by transferring the sugar moiety from an active donor to a specific acceptor, usually a protein or a polysaccharide. The glyconjugates, such as glycolipids and glycoproteins, play vital roles in physical maintenance of tissue structures, immune recognition and other biological activities. Understanding their catalytic mechanisms is therefore critical. There are two kinds of reaction defined based on the stereochemistry of the product carbohydrate moiety compared to the donor: retaining and inverting. Whilst the mechanism of inverting GTs is well-known, the catalytic process of retaining GTs is as yet unclear. Glycosyltransferase family 6 (GT6), according to the Carbohydrate Active Enzyme (CAZy) database, is a retaining GT family which catalyses the transfer of α-galactose (α-Gal) or α-N-acetyl-galactosamine (α-GalNAc) to the 3-OH group of a β-linked Gal or GalNAc in an acceptor substrate. Most GT6s from vertebrates require a metal ion for their activity. The metal ion-dependence is linked to the AspXaaAsp (DXD) motif which is conserved among these enzymes. However, analysing sequences of GT6s from bacteria showed that the DXD motif was substituted by an AsnXaaAsn (NXN) sequence. One of two CAZy family 6 glycosyltransferases, BoGT6a from Bacteroides ovatus, which catalyses the transfer of GalNAc from UDP-GalNAc to the saccharide acceptor and UDP-GalNAc hydrolysis, was kinetically and structurally studied. This enzyme is fully active in the absence of metal ions. The structure of BoGT6a is strikingly similar to its mammalian homologues such as GTA, GTB and α-1,3-galactosyltransferase, but it has a shorter N-terminal region and a NXN motif instead of a DXD motif. This suggests that the substitution of the DXD motif with the NXN may affect the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme. The structure of the enzyme in complex with its acceptor molecule 2’-fucosyllactose was obtained at 3.0 A. Comparison of the X-ray crystallographic structures of BoGT6a in its native and acceptor bound forms demonstrated the conformational changes of the enzyme associated with acceptor binding. It also elucidated the impact of acceptor binding on enzyme conformation and the structural relationship between the enzyme and its homologues. Structural snapshots of the BoGT6a Glu192Gln (E192Q) mutant processing its donor UDP-GalNAc were also obtained. The interactions between the enzyme and the donor provide an insight into the mechanistic role of the NXN motif and nearby amino acid residues in BoGT6a’s metal-independent activity. Moreover, the high flexibility of the enzyme conformation when it interacts with the ligands provides a general picture of how the enzyme processes UDP-GalNAc. Together, these structures illustrate how a significant divergence in catalytic properties can be accommodated by minor structural adjustments, and propose a role for the NXN motif, which replaces the DXD motif in the metal independent glycosyltransferases.
Analysis of VH–D–JH gene transcripts in B cells infiltrating the salivary glands and lymph node tissues of patients with Sjögren's syndrome

Objective. In patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS), B lymphocytes have been found to infiltrate salivary glands, resulting in sialadenitis and keratoconjunctivitis. The disease is frequently associated with benign and neoplastic lymphoproliferation. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether clonal B cell expansion takes place in lymphocytic infiltrations of salivary glands under (auto- [? ]) antigen stimulation, by analyzing in more detail the variable part (V H -D-J H ) of the immunoglobulin heavy chain genes expressed in these B cells. Methods. Biopsies of the labial salivary glands and lymph nodes were performed on 2 female patients with SS. The Ig gene rearrangements in these tissues were amplified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using specific primers. Results. A total of 94 V H -D-J H transcripts were cloned and sequenced. Our data suggest a polyclonal origin of the B cell infiltrates. In 92 of the transcripts, V H genes were modified by somatic mutation. Further analysis showed counterselection for replacement mutations within the framework regions, suggesting that those B cells were stimulated and selected for functional expression of a surface Ig. In labial salivary glands from both patients, clonally related B cells became evident. Members of 1 particular clone were found in both the lip and lymph node material. Conclusion. These data provide evidence, on the nucleotide sequence level, that an antigen-triggered clonal B cell expansion takes place in the salivary glands of patients with SS who do not have histologic evidence of developing lymphoma. It may be speculated that those B cell clones expand during disease progression, resulting in lymphomagenesis.
A Survey of Attitudes, Anxiety Status, and Protective Behaviors of the University Students During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Turkey

A new coronavirus disease began on 31 December 2019 in Wuhan/China and has caused a global outbreak in only a few months resulting in millions being infected. In conjunction with its’ physical side effects, this outbreak also has a tremendous impact on psychology health. This study aims to assess the spread and frequency of protective behaviors, emotional and anxiety status among the Turkish population using a rapid survey during the COVID-19 outbreak. An online questionnaire was administered to 3,040 respondents between the ages of 18–30. This cross-sectional study was conducted from Apr 2 to Apr 8, 2020. While questions related to the outbreak were created by members of our neuroscience department, the Turkish version of the Abbreviated Beck Anxiety Inventory was included in our survey to measure anxiety status. Pearson correlation coefficient was used for statistical analysis. We found that 90% of respondents report washing hands more frequently since the outbreak while %50 wear protective gloves. Respondents were more fearful of their relatives catching the coronavirus disease than they were of themselves catching it. In response to the question, “What are your emotions about the coronavirus? ”, 38% responded with “worried”. There was a significant correlation between anxiety status and consumption information from the media about COVID-19. Individual early protection behaviors might slow transmission of the outbreak. Our results showed that the behavior of the participants has changed in predictable ways during the COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding how emotional responses such as fear and anxiety status vary and the specific factors that mediate it may help with the design of outbreak control strategies.
The AGN–galaxy–halo connection: the distribution of AGN host halo masses to z = 2.5

It is widely reported, based on clustering measurements of observed active galactic nucleus (AGN) samples, that AGNs reside in similar mass host dark matter haloes across the bulk of cosmic time, with log $\mathcal {M}/\mathcal {M}_{\odot }\sim 12.5\! -\! 13.0$ to z ∼ 2.5. We show that this is due in part to the AGN fraction in galaxies rising with increasing stellar mass, combined with AGN observational selection effects that exacerbate this trend. Here, we use AGN specific accretion rate distribution functions determined as a function of stellar mass and redshift for star-forming and quiescent galaxies separately, combined with the latest galaxy–halo connection models, to determine the parent and subhalo mass distribution function of AGNs to various observational limits. We find that while the median (sub)halo mass of AGNs, $\approx 10^{12}\mathcal {M}_{\odot }$, is fairly constant with luminosity, specific accretion rate, and redshift, the full halo mass distribution function is broad, spanning several orders of magnitude. We show that widely used methods to infer a typical dark matter halo mass based on an observed AGN clustering amplitude can result in biased, systematically high host halo masses. While the AGN satellite fraction rises with increasing parent halo mass, we find that the central galaxy is often not an AGN. Our results elucidate the physical causes for the apparent uniformity of AGN host haloes across cosmic time and underscore the importance of accounting for AGN selection biases when interpreting observational AGN clustering results. We further show that AGN clustering is most easily interpreted in terms of the relative bias to galaxy samples, not from absolute bias measurements alone.
The distribution of tree species in steepheads of the Apalachicola River Bluffs, Florida'

KWIT, C. (Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803), M. W. SCHWARTZ (Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis CA 95616), W. J. PLATT (Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803), and J. P. GEAGHAN (Department of Experimental Statistics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803). The distribution of tree species in steepheads of the Apalachicola River Bluffs, Florida. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 125:309-318. 1998. -Steephead ravine forests of the Apalachicola River Bluffs region of northern Florida contain tree species that are widespread in the Southeastern Coastal Plain and species that are highly endemic, such as the Florida yew, Taxusfloridana. We sampled woody vegetation in three ravine systems within the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (Liberty Co., Florida). We used transects randomly located along north-facing and south-facing slopes, as well as transects along north-facing slopes that contained adult individuals of T. floridana. Slope position (lower slope, midslope, and upper slope) greatly affected important species composition and densities. In contrast, aspect of steepheads had little influence on the densities of most species. American beech (Fagus grandifolia), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), and a number of evergreen understory species were more abundant along north-facing slopes containing T. floridana than along random north-facing slopes. North-facing slopes containing T. floridana, with their characteristic mesic midslope areas, represent a unique subset of north-facing slopes along steepheads of the Apalachicola River Bluffs. The discontinuous distribution of such north-facing slopes within ravine systems potentially results in a discontinuous distribution of T. floridana.
Comparative evaluation of physico-chemical attributes of different portions of C. moschata and C. maxima species of pumpkin

Present study was conducted to evaluate the various physico-chemical attributes of different portion of ripe pumpkin. Ripe pumpkin comes under the category of underutilized fruits and is cultivated all over the World. Ripe pumpkin also called as lal kaddu in India is considered as good source of phyto-chemicals such as carotenoids, vitamins and minerals. For analysis of quality attributes of different portions (flesh, brains/fluffy portion and peel) of ripe fruits, two species of pumpkin viz. C. moschata Duchesne ex Poiret and C. maxima Duchesne were selected. Among different species of pumpkin, highest ascorbic acid and titratable acidity were found in flesh portion of C. maxima and minimum titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and beta carotene were obtained in peel portion of C. moschata. Brains/fluffy portion of C. maxima species was found with highest amount of beta carotene and total fiber among all portions of both the species. However, peel portion of C. maxima showed highest values for total soluble solids, total phenols and fiber among all portions of both species of ripe pumpkin. Thus, ripe pumpkin of C. maxima species was found with better quality attributes in comparison of C. moschata.
The tilt effect in DOAS observations

Abstract. Experience of differential atmospheric absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) shows that a spectral shift between measurement spectra and reference spectra is frequently required in order to achieve optimal fit results, while the straightforward calculation of the optical density proves inferior. The shift is often attributed to temporal instabilities of the instrument but implicitly solved the problem of the tilt effect discussed/explained in this paper. Spectral positions of Fraunhofer and molecular absorption lines are systematically shifted for different measurement geometries due to an overall slope – or tilt – of the intensity spectrum. The phenomenon has become known as the tilt effect for limb satellite observations, where it is corrected for in a first-order approximation, whereas the remaining community is less aware of its cause and consequences. It is caused by the measurement process, because atmospheric absorption and convolution in the spectrometer do not commute. Highly resolved spectral structures in the spectrum will first be modified by absorption and scattering processes in the atmosphere before they are recorded with a spectrometer, which convolves them with a specific instrument function. In the DOAS spectral evaluation process, however, the polynomial (or other function used for this purpose) accounting for broadband absorption is applied after the convolution is performed. In this paper, we derive that changing the order of the two modifications of the spectra leads to different results. Assuming typical geometries for the observations of scattered sunlight and a spectral resolution of 0.6 nm, this effect can be interpreted as a spectral shift of up to 1.5 pm, which is confirmed in the actual analysis of the ground-based measurements of scattered sunlight as well as in numerical radiative transfer simulations. If no spectral shift is allowed by the fitting routine, residual structures of up to 2.5 × 10−3 peak-to-peak are observed. Thus, this effect needs to be considered for DOAS applications aiming at an rms of the residual of 10−3 and below.
Sequence capture as a tool to understand the genomic basis for adaptation in angiosperm and gymnosperm trees

Forest trees represent a unique group of organisms combined with ecological and economic importance. Owing to their random mating system and widespread geographical distribution, they harbor abundance genetic variation both within and among populations. Despite their importance, research in forest trees has been underrepresented majorly due to their large and complex genome and scarce funding. However, recent climate change and other associated problems such as insect outbreaks, diseases and stress related damages have urged scientists to focus more on trees. Furthermore, the advent in high-throughput sequencing technologies have allowed trees to be sequenced and used as reference genome, which provided deeper understanding between genotype and environment. Whole genome sequencing is still not possible for organisms having large genomes including most tree species, and it is still not feasible economically for population genomic studies which require sequencing hundreds of samples. To get around this problem, genomic reduction is required. Sequence capture has been one of the genomic reduction techniques enabled studying the subset of the DNA of interest. In this paper, our primary goal is to outline challenges, provide guidance about the utility of sequence capture in trees, and to leverage such data in genome-wide association analyses to find the genetic variants that underlie complex, adaptive traits in spruce and pine, as well as poplar. Results of this research will facilitate bridging the genomic information gap between trees and other organisms. Moreover, it will provide better understanding how genetic variation governs phenotype in trees, which will facilitate both marker assisted selection for improved traits as well as provide guidance to determine forest management strategies for reforestation to mitigate the effects of climate change. General Audience Abstract Forests are under extensive threat including increased demand in wood consumption, climate changes and associated diseases and stress related damages. Up until very recently, researches in trees have been relatively slower owing to their large and complex genomes. However, this has dramatically changed mainly due to the advancement in sequencing technology. There have been more and more studies performed identifying novel genes that are responsible for improved characteristics. In this study, we provided guidance about how to better utilize sequencing technology and identified genes that are potentially related with adaptation in trees.
Fatigue Behavior of an Advanced Melt-Infiltrated SiC/SiC Composite with Environmental Barrier Coating at 1200 deg C in Air and in Steam

Advanced aerospace applications such as aircraft turbine engine components, hypersonic flight vehicles, and spacecraft reentry thermal protection systems require structural materials that have superior long-term mechanical properties under high temperature, high pressure, and varying environmental factors, such as moisture. Because of their low density, high strength and fracture toughness at high temperatures SiC fiberreinforced SiC matrix composites are being evaluated for aircraft engine hot-section components. In these applications the composites will be subjected to various types of mechanical loadings at elevated temperatures in oxidizing environments. Because their constituents are intrinsically oxidation-prone, the most significant problem hindering SiC/SiC composites is oxidation embrittlement. Typically the embrittlement occurs once oxygen enters through the matrix cracks and reacts with the fibers and the fiber coatings. The degradation of fibers and fiber coatings is generally accelerated in the presence of moisture. Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBC) were developed specifically to address degradation of CMCs due to oxidation by protecting the composite surface from the oxidizing environment. Before ceramic matrix composites with EBCs can be used in aerospace applications, their structural integrity and long-term environmental durability must be assured. A thorough understanding of the mechanical behavior of the candidate CMC with EBC at relevant service temperatures is critical to design with and life prediction for these materials. Tension-tension fatigue performance of a SiC/SiC composite with an EBC was investigated at 1200°C in laboratory air and in steam. The composite has a melt-infiltrated (MI) matrix consolidated by combining CVI-SiC with
Seasonal and diel patterns of abundance and activity of viruses in the Red Sea

Significance The role of viruses in shaping microbial communities in the marine photic zone has been studied extensively in recent years. However, temporal patterns of abundance and activity of highly abundant viral groups and its relation to host abundance are still mostly unconstrained. By tracking changes in rank abundance patterns, we report evidence for seasonal succession in key viral groups alongside a persistence and low transcriptional activity of a large bank population. In addition, we show that high virion abundance does not necessarily translate to high host infection levels, suggesting the coexistence of a diverse repertoire of diel activity and life history traits, even within viral taxonomic groups. Our results highlight the diversity of viral life strategies in the ocean. Virus–microbe interactions have been studied in great molecular details for many years in cultured model systems, yielding a plethora of knowledge on how viruses use and manipulate host machinery. Since the advent of molecular techniques and high-throughput sequencing, methods such as cooccurrence, nucleotide composition, and other statistical frameworks have been widely used to infer virus–microbe interactions, overcoming the limitations of culturing methods. However, their accuracy and relevance is still debatable as cooccurrence does not necessarily mean interaction. Here we introduce an ecological perspective of marine viral communities and potential interaction with their hosts, using analyses that make no prior assumptions on specific virus–host pairs. By size fractionating water samples into free viruses and microbes (i.e., also viruses inside or attached to their hosts) and looking at how viral group abundance changes over time along both fractions, we show that the viral community is undergoing a change in rank abundance across seasons, suggesting a seasonal succession of viruses in the Red Sea. We use abundance patterns in the different size fractions to classify viral clusters, indicating potential diverse interactions with their hosts and potential differences in life history traits between major viral groups. Finally, we show hourly resolved variations of intracellular abundance of similar viral groups, which might indicate differences in their infection cycles or metabolic capacities.
Perfect Symmetries

While empirical symmetries relate situations, theoretical symmetries relate models of a theory we use to represent them. An empirical symmetry is perfect if and only if any two situations it relates share all intrinsic properties. Sometimes one can use a theory to explain an empirical symmetry by showing how it follows from a corresponding theoretical symmetry. The theory then reveals a perfect symmetry. I say what this involves and why it matters, beginning with a puzzle that is resolved by the subsequent analysis. I conclude by pointing to applications and implications of the ideas developed earlier in the paper. 1. Introduction2. Is Faraday in the Same Boat as Galileo? 3. Empirical Symmetries4. Theoretical Symmetries5. Explaining Empirical Symmetries6. Conclusion Appendix A Appendix B Introduction Is Faraday in the Same Boat as Galileo? Empirical Symmetries Theoretical Symmetries Explaining Empirical Symmetries Conclusion Appendix A Appendix B