cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Inter-organizational Integration among Public Sector Organizations of Oromia Regional State
Creators: name: Olani, Dereje
Publisher: name: African Journal of Leadership and Development
Year: 2021

description: Nowadays, giant forces such as resource scarcity, technological changes, population growth and increasing demand for quality services force organizations to collaborate. This study, thus, aims to assess the practice of inter-organizational integration among the public sectors of Oromia National Regional State. Mixed design and probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling techniques were used. Employees at Oromia Regional State especially regional bureau level employees were the participants of the study. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Based on some characteristics and important nature of public sectors about 8 bureaus were selected purposefully since they are expected to provide a more robust and reliable data. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather first hand data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze and discuss the findings. The finding of the study showed that there was moderate but inadequate practice of inter-organizational integration as the result of constraints such as poor resource sharing, failure to set significant goal and shared learning and so forth. A correlation analysis indicated that resource and setting significant goal have strong positive relationship with inter-organizational integration in the study area. The study implies that there was poor institutionalization of inter-organizational integration among the public sectors. Hence, institutionalizing inter-organizational integration would help to solve complex public problems.
description: African Journal of Leadership and Development, Vol. 6 No. 2 (2021): Organizational Leadership and Perfromance
Hubble Space Telescope proper motion (HSTPROMO) catalogs of Galactic globular clusters. IV. Kinematic profiles and average masses of blue straggler stars
Creators: name: Baldwin, A. T.
name: Watkins, L. L.
name: van der Marel, R. P.
name: Bianchini, P.
name: Bellini, A.
name: Anderson, J.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We make use of the Hubble Space Telescope proper-motion catalogs derived by Bellini et al. (2014) to produce the first radial velocity-dispersion profiles sigma(R) for blue straggler stars (BSSs) in Galactic globular clusters (GCs), as well as the first dynamical estimates for the average mass of the entire BSS population. We show that BSSs typically have lower velocity dispersions than stars with mass equal to the main-sequence turnoff mass, as one would expect for a more massive population of stars. Since GCs are expected to experience some degree of energy equipartition, we use the relation sigma~M^-eta, where eta is related to the degree of energy equipartition, along with our velocity-dispersion profiles to estimate BSS masses. We estimate eta as a function of cluster relaxation from recent Monte Carlo cluster simulations by Bianchini et al. (2016b) and then derive an average mass ratio M_BSS /M_MSTO=1.50+/-0.14 and an average mass M_BSS=1.22+/-0.12 M_Sun from 598 BSSs across 19 GCs. The final error bars include any systematic errors that are random between different clusters, but not any potential biases inherent to our methodology. Our results are in good agreement with the average mass of M_BSS=1.22+/-0.06 M_Sun for the 35 BSSs in Galactic GCs in the literature with properties that have allowed individual mass determination.
description: 12 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ
A Constraint-Handling Technique for Genetic Algorithms using a Violation Factor
Creators: name: Chehouri, Adam
name: Younes, Rafic
name: Perron, Jean
name: Ilinca, Adrian
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
subject: Optimization and Control (math.OC)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: Over the years, several meta-heuristic algorithms were proposed and are now emerging as common methods for constrained optimization problems. Among them, genetic algorithms (GA's) shine as popular evolutionary algorithms (EA's) in engineering optimization. Most engineering design problems are difficult to resolve with conventional optimization algorithms because they are highly nonlinear and contain constraints. In order to handle these constraints, the most common technique is to apply penalty functions. The major drawback is that they require tuning of parameters, which can be very challenging. In this paper, we present a constraint-handling technique for GA's solely using the violation factor, called VCH (Violation Constraint-Handling) method. Several benchmark problems from the literature are examined. The VCH technique was able to provide a consistent performance and match results from other GA-based techniques.
Calculated WIMP signals at the ANDES laboratory: comparison with northern and southern located dark matter detectors
Creators: name: Civitarese, O.
name: Fushimi, K. J.
name: Mosquera, M. E.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMP) are possible components of the Universe's Dark Matter. The detection of WIMP is signalled by the recoil of the atomic nuclei which form a detector. CoGeNT at the Soudan Underground Laboratory (SUL) and DAMA at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) have reported data on annual modulation of signals attributed to WIMP. Both experiments are located in laboratories of the northern hemisphere. Dark matter detectors are planned to operate (or already operate) in laboratories of the southern hemisphere, like SABRE at Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) in Australia, and DM-ICE in the South Pole. In this work we have analysed the dependence of diurnal and annual modulation of signals, pertaining to the detection of WIMP, on the coordinates of the laboratory, for experiments which may be performed in the planned new underground facility ANDES (Agua Negra Deep Experimental Site), to be built in San Juan, Argentina. We made predictions for NaI and Ge-type detectors placed in ANDES, to compare with DAMA, CoGeNT, SABRE and DM-ICE arrays, and found that the diurnal modulation of the signals, at the site of ANDES, is amplified at its maximum value, both for NaI (Ge)-type detectors, while the annual modulation remains unaffected by the change in coordinates from north to south.
description: 16 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication into Journal of physics G
Low-energy electron-irradiation effect on transport properties of graphene field effect transistor
Creators: name: Giubileo, F.
name: Di Bartolomeo, A.
name: Martucciello, N.
name: Romeo, F.
name: Iemmo, L.
name: Romano, P.
name: Passacantando, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We study the effects of low-energy electron beam irradiation up to 10 keV on graphene based field effect transistors. We fabricate metallic bilayer electrodes to contact mono- and bi-layer graphene flakes on SiO$_2$, obtaining specific contact resistivity $ρ_c \simeq 19 kΩμm^2$ and carrier mobility as high as 4000 cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$. By using a highly doped p-Si/SiO$_2$ substrate as back gate, we analyze the transport properties of the device and the dependence on the pressure and on the electron bombardment. We demonstrate that low energy irradiation is detrimental on the transistor current capability, resulting in an increase of the contact resistance and a reduction of the carrier mobility even at electron doses as low as 30 $e^-/nm^2$. We also show that the irradiated devices recover by returning to their pristine state after few repeated electrical measurements.
description: 10 pages, 5 figures
Towards Fluid Instabilities of Stationary Non-Killing Horizons
Creators: name: Fischetti, Sebastian
name: Way, Benson
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Flowing black holes are asymptotically locally AdS spacetimes that are stationary but have non-Killing horizons. Holographically, they are dual to a steady-state heat flow in the boundary field theory. We investigate the stability of these black holes in the limit in which they are well-described by the relativistic conformal Navier-Stokes equations. More precisely, we study the quasi-normal modes of the linearized ideal fluid equations. Though we find no unstable modes, there are an infinite number at finite transverse momentum which are arbitrarily long-lived. This suggests the possibility that either non-modal effects or nonlinear interactions between these modes can give rise to new types of gravitational instabilities.
description: 28+4 pages, 9 figures
The Effects of Leadership Styles on Organizational Performance: A Survey of Selected Federal Civil Service Institutions in Ethiopia
Creators: name: Belayneh, Berhanu
Publisher: name: African Journal of Leadership and Development
Year: 2022

description: This study aimed to examine the effects of leadership styles on organization performance of Ethiopian Civil Service Institutions at federal level. The study employed quantitative research method with correlational design. The respondents of this study were 400 middle and lower level managers, experts, and employees from six federal public organizations and selected using simple random and proportional sampling. Participants were informed of the objectives of the study and assured of the confidentiality of the research. The reliability test showed that all variables scored above 0.7 Cronbach alpha coefficients. Percentage, mean, standard deviations, Pearson and Spearman rho correlations, multiple regression and MANOVA were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that leadership styles predict 49.1 percent of organizational performance, both transformational and transactional leadership styles strongly and positively correlated with organizational performance while laissez-faire leadership style is negatively correlated. It is concluded that leadership style has effects on organizational performance, and leaders who exercised both transformational and transactional leadership styles attained more organizational performance than leaders who practiced laissez-faire leadership style. Thus, leaders in civil service sector need training as well as education developing executive leadership package. Moreover, the research calls for leaders to use combined leadership styles to ensure high organizational performance. The findings of the study add to limited but growing body of research on civil service sector leadership and organizational performance.
description: African Journal of Leadership and Development, Vol. 7 No. 1 (2022): Strategic Leadership
On the stabilisation height of fibre surfaces in $S^3$
Creators: name: Baader, Sebastian
name: Misev, Filip
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Geometric Topology (math.GT)
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: The stabilisation height of a fibre surface in the 3-sphere is the minimal number of Hopf plumbing operations needed to attain a stable fibre surface from the initial surface. We show that families of fibre surfaces related by iterated Stallings twists have unbounded stabilisation height.
description: 9 pages
Interactive simulations for quantum key distribution
Creators: name: Kohnle, Antje
name: Rizzoli, Aluna
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Physics Education (physics.ed-ph)
subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Secure communication protocols are becoming increasingly important, e.g. for internet-based communication. Quantum key distribution allows two parties, commonly called Alice and Bob, to generate a secret sequence of 0s and 1s called a key that is only known to themselves. Classically, Alice and Bob could never be certain that their communication was not compromised by a malicious eavesdropper. Quantum mechanics however makes secure communication possible. The fundamental principle of quantum mechanics that taking a measurement perturbs the system (unless the measurement is compatible with the quantum state) also applies to an eavesdropper. Using appropriate protocols to create the key, Alice and Bob can detect the presence of an eavesdropper by errors in their measurements. As part of the QuVis Quantum Mechanics Visualization Project, we have developed a suite of four interactive simulations that demonstrate the basic principles of three different quantum key distribution protocols. The simulations use either polarized photons or spin 1/2 particles as physical realizations. The simulations and accompanying activities are freely available for use online or download, and run on a wide range of devices including tablets and PCs. Evaluation with students over three years was used to refine the simulations and activities. Preliminary studies show that the refined simulations and activities help students learn the basic principles of QKD at both the introductory and advanced undergraduate levels.
description: 21 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, submitted to the American Journal of Physics
Complex Bosonic Many-body Models: Overview of the Small Field Parabolic Flow
Creators: name: Balaban, Tadeusz
name: Feldman, Joel
name: Knörrer, Horst
name: Trubowitz, Eugene
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: 82B28, 81T08, 81T17

description: This paper is a contribution to a program to see symmetry breaking in a weakly interacting many Boson system on a three dimensional lattice at low temperature. It provides an overview of our analysis of the "small field" approximation to the "parabolic flow" which exhibits the formation of a "Mexican hat" potential well.
description: 36 pages
Horizon Quantum Mechanics of Generalized Uncertainty Principle Black Holes
Creators: name: Manfredi, Luciano
name: Mureika, Jonas
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: General Physics (physics.gen-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We study the Horizon Wavefunction (HWF) description of a generalized uncertainty principle inspired metric that admits sub-Planckian black holes, where the black hole mass $m$ is replaced by $M = m\left( 1 + \fracβ{2} \frac{M_{\rm Pl}^2}{m^2} \right)$. Considering the case of a wave-packet shaped by a Gaussian distribution, we compute the HWF and the probability ${\cal {P}}_{BH}$ that the source is a (quantum) black hole, i.e., that it lies within its horizon radius. The case $β<0$ is qualitatively similar to the standard Schwarzschild case, and the general shape of ${\cal {P}}_{BH}$ is maintained when decreasing the free parameter, but shifted to reduce the probability for the particle to be a black hole accordingly. The probability grows with increasing mass slowly for more negative $β$, and drops to 0 for a minimum mass value. The scenario differs in significantly for increasing $β>0$, where a minimum in ${\cal {P}}_{BH}$ is encountered, thus meaning that every particle has some probability of decaying to a black hole. Furthermore, for sufficiently large $β$ we find that every particle is a quantum black hole, in agreement with the intuitive effect of increasing $β$, which creates larger $M$ and $R_{H}$ terms. This is likely due to a "dimensional reduction" feature of the model, where the black hole characteristics for sub-Planckian black holes mimic those in $(1+1)$-dimensions and the horizon size grows as $R_H \sim M^{-1}$.
description: 15 pages, 6 color figures
Vector-boson fusion Higgs production at N$^3$LO in QCD
Creators: name: Dreyer, Frédéric A.
name: Karlberg, Alexander
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We calculate the next-to-next-to-next-to-leading-order (N$^3$LO) QCD corrections to inclusive vector-boson fusion (VBF) Higgs production at proton colliders, in the limit in which there is no colour exchange between the hadronic systems associated with the two colliding protons. We also provide differential cross sections for the Higgs transverse momentum and rapidity distributions. We find that the corrections are at the 1-2 permille level, well within the scale-uncertainty of the next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) calculation. The associated scale-uncertainty of the N$^3$LO calculation is typically found to be below the 2 permille level. We also consider theoretical uncertainties due to missing higher order parton distribution functions, and provide an estimate of their importance.
description: 5 pages, 4 figures
The last refuge of mixed wino-Higgsino dark matter
Creators: name: Beneke, Martin
name: Bharucha, Aoife
name: Hryczuk, Andrzej
name: Recksiegel, Stefan
name: Ruiz-Femenia, Pedro
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We delineate the allowed parameter and mass range for a wino-like dark matter particle containing some Higgsino admixture in the MSSM by analysing the constraints from diffuse gamma-rays from the dwarf spheroidal galaxies, galactic cosmic rays, direct detection and cosmic microwave background anisotropies. A complete calculation of the Sommerfeld effect for the mixed-neutralino case is performed. We find that the combination of direct and indirect searches poses significant restrictions on the thermally produced wino-Higgsino dark matter with correct relic density. For $μ>0$ nearly the entire parameter space considered is excluded, while for $μ<0$ a substantial region is still allowed, provided conservative assumptions on astrophysical uncertainties are adopted.
description: 30 pages, 11 figures
Embracing Data Science
Creators: name: Loy, Adam
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Other Statistics (stat.OT)
subject: General Literature (cs.GL)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Statistics is running the risk of appearing irrelevant to today's undergraduate students. Today's undergraduate students are familiar with data science projects and they judge statistics against what they have seen. Statistics, especially at the introductory level, should take inspiration from data science so that the discipline is not seen as somehow lesser than data science. This article provides a brief overview of data science, outlines ideas for how introductory courses could take inspiration from data science, and provides a reference to materials for developing stand-alone data science courses.
description: 9 pages, 1 figure
Massive Double White Dwarfs and the AM CVn Birthrate
Creators: name: Kilic, Mukremin
name: Brown, Warren R.
name: Heinke, Craig O.
name: Gianninas, A.
name: Benni, P.
name: Agueros, M. A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present Chandra and Swift X-ray observations of four extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarfs with massive companions. We place stringent limits on X-ray emission from all four systems, indicating that neutron star companions are extremely unlikely and that the companions are almost certainly white dwarfs. Given the observed orbital periods and radial velocity amplitudes, the total masses of these binaries are greater than 1.02 to 1.39 Msun. The extreme mass ratios between the two components make it unlikely that these binary white dwarfs will merge and explode as Type Ia or underluminous supernovae. Instead, they will likely go through stable mass transfer through an accretion disk and turn into interacting AM CVn. Along with three previously known systems, we identify two of our targets, J0811 and J2132, as systems that will definitely undergo stable mass transfer. In addition, we use the binary white dwarf sample from the ELM Survey to constrain the inspiral rate of systems with extreme mass ratios. This rate, 0.00017/year, is consistent with the AM CVn space density estimated from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Hence, stable mass transfer double white dwarf progenitors can account for the entire AM CVn population in the Galaxy.
description: MNRAS, in press
Competency Based Human Resource Management Practices in the Public Enterprises of Ethiopia: The Case of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
Creators: name: Kebede, Wondiye
name: Bushira, Eden
Publisher: name: African Journal of Leadership and Development
Year: 2022

description: In accordance with the FDRE Government Employees Proclamation No. 1067/2010 and 1097/2011, the Federal Civil Service Commission has been mandated with formulating and implementing a competency framework across all civil service organizations in the nation. To support this effort, the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has identified 12 local organizations that have reported formulating and implementing a Competence Framework. However, only two public enterprises (CBE and EAL) have been found to be applying CB-HRM. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine and draw on local experience of CB-HRM practices from CBE and extract lessons that could be transferred and benefit the country-wide effort of developing and implementing CB-HRM in Ethiopia. To achieve this purpose, a mixed research approach was employed, and primary data were collected from 307 CBE officers and 47 leader respondents who were selected using a random sampling technique. The samples were taken using Solvin’s formula. Data were also collected through questioners, FGD, and semi-structured interview methods, and the required analyses were made accordingly. The study found that the key stepping stone to begin the CB-HRM system in CBE was the bank's elastic vision and the recognition of an incompetent HRM system to carry out the vision within the stipulated time frame. As a result, CBE developed and implemented a CB-HRM system in 2011 with the help of an international consultancy firm from Germany. The system was installed in three phases: preparation, development, and implementation, and it took about ten years to finalize the system in CBE. The system is reviewed every two and a half years, and the third round of revision has been concluded. The external consulting firm's role ceased after the second phase, and the system is currently fully owned by CBE's in-house force. Almost all actors of the bank participated in the process of developing and implementing CB-HRM. CBE has developed three types of competency frameworks: core, leadership, and technical, and the system was integrated with the 'Oracle banking system.' Different communication strategies were employed at three different stages of CB-HRM. However, there was a problem in maintaining balance among the three stages, and communication was predominantly held at the implementation stage. The study identified the key success factors and challenges faced during CB-HRM introduction in CBE and its implications for the civil service sector, along with recommendations for the bank.
description: African Journal of Leadership and Development, Vol. 7 No. 1 (2022): Strategic Leadership
A search for X-ray reprocessing echoes in the power spectral density functions of AGN
Creators: name: Emmanoulopoulos, D.
name: Papadakis, I. E.
name: Epitropakis, A.
name: Pecháček, T.
name: Dovčiak, M.
name: McHardy, I. M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: J.2
subject: 85-02

description: We present the results of a detailed study of the X-ray power spectra density (PSD) functions of twelve X-ray bright AGN, using almost all the archival XMM-Newton data. The total net exposure of the EPIC-pn light curves is larger than 350 ks in all cases (and exceeds 1 Ms in the case of 1H 0707-497). In a physical scenario in which X-ray reflection occurs in the inner part of the accretion disc of AGN, the X-ray reflection component should be a filtered echo of the X-ray continuum signal and should be equal to the convolution of the primary emission with the response function of the disc. Our primary objective is to search for these reflection features in the 5-7 keV (iron line) and 0.5-1 keV (soft) bands, where the X-ray reflection fraction is expected to be dominant. We fit to the observed periodograms two models: a simple bending power law model (BPL) and a BPL model convolved with the transfer function of the accretion disc assuming the lamp-post geometry and X-ray reflection from a homogeneous disc. We do not find any significant features in the best-fitting BPL model residuals either in individual PSDs in the iron band, soft and full band (0.3-10 keV) or in the average PSD residuals of the brightest and more variable sources (with similar black hole mass estimates). The typical amplitude of the soft and full-band residuals is around 3-5 per cent. It is possible that the expected general relativistic effects are not detected because they are intrinsically lower than the uncertainty of the current PSDs, even in the strong relativistic case in which X-ray reflection occurs on a disc around a fast rotating black hole having an X-ray source very close above it. However, we could place strong constrains to the X-ray reflection geometry with the current data sets if we knew in advance the intrinsic shape of the X-ray PSDs, particularly its high frequency slope.
description: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. The paper is 15 pages long and contains 7 figures and 6 tables
Pathways of Water, Heat and Light to Novel Renewable Energy Sources
Creators: name: Monaghan, Scott
name: Lin, Jun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: green hydrogen
subject: energy harvesting
subject: sustainable energy
subject: h2020
subject: EU funded
subject: sustainable renewable energy
subject: solar energy
subject: photoelectrochemical water splitting
subject: hydrogen production
subject: solar simulator
subject: Faradaic and Solar-To-Hydrogen
subject: solar photoelectrode
subject: Solar thermal
subject: Minzu University of China

description: This presentation was delivered by FreeHydroCells researcher Dr. Scott Monaghan (Ailbe Ó Manacháin) on 20th March 2024 to a delegation of 30 students and their supervisors from the Minzu University of China. The purpose of their visit was to gain insights into the cutting-edge scientific advancements being made at the Institute, particularly in collaboration with UCC’s School of Chemistry, Tyndall National Institute, and external European partners, aimed at accelerating the transition to renewable energy.

Dr. Ó Manacháin’s presentation underscored the vast potential of readily available and affordable renewable energy sources such as water, waste heat, and sunlight. He elucidated on how scientists are exploring these resources through innovative methodologies at UCC to propel advancements in renewable energy technologies.

Read more on this presentation: FreeHydroCells featured to visiting student delegation - Free Hydro Cells
The local spiral structure of the Milky Way
Creators: name: Xu, Ye
name: Reid, Mark
name: Dame, Thomas
name: Menten, Karl
name: Sakai, Nobuyuki
name: Li, Jingjing
name: Brunthaler, Andreas
name: Moscadelli, Luca
name: Zhang, Bo
name: Zheng, Xingwu
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The nature of the spiral structure of the Milky Way has long been debated. Only in the last decade have astronomers been able to accurately measure distances to a substantial number of high-mass star-forming regions, the classic tracers of spiral structure in galaxies. We report distance measurements at radio wavelengths using the Very Long Baseline Array for eight regions of massive star formation near the Local spiral arm of the Milky Way. Combined with previous measurements, these observations reveal that the Local Arm is larger than previously thought, and both its pitch angle and star formation rate are comparable to those of the Galaxy's major spiral arms, such as Sagittarius and Perseus. Toward the constellation Cygnus, sources in the Local Arm extend for a great distance along our line of sight and roughly along the solar orbit. Because of this orientation, these sources cluster both on the sky and in velocity to form the complex and long enigmatic Cygnus X region. We also identify a spur that branches between the Local and Sagittarius spiral arms.
description: 17 pages, 11 figures, published by Science Advances
An Agronomic and Economic Analysis of Annual Ryegrass Management Practices in North-Texas Soybean Production
Creators: name: Flowers, Henry
name: Lopez, Jose A.
name: Drake, David
name: Jones, Curtis
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Agricultural Finance
subject: Crop Production/Industries
subject: Farm Management
subject: Cover crop
subject: Forage
subject: Grazing
subject: Hay
subject: No-till soybean

description: An analysis of the effect of ryegrass cover crop on no-till soybean yield, grain density, and height; and profitability of harvesting ryegrass for forage. Annual ryegrass is a cool-season annual bunchgrass, which due to its high palatability and digestibility is valuable for forage. Grazing cover crops is economically viable when the returns offset establishment costs without reducing crop yields. Six ryegrass management practices prior to planting soybean were evaluated: volunteer ryegrass as a cover crop, ryegrass forage harvested for hay, ryegrass forage grazing simulation, and three different herbicides applications that vary in timing (December, February, and March application). All forage and cover crop plots were terminated with Glyphosate or Paraquat two weeks prior to planting soybeans. There were no statistical differences in soybean yields, soybean height, and soybean grain density between annual ryegrass cover cropping and herbicide treatments. The results also indicated that ryegrass forage can produce up to 2,741 kg ha-1 of dry matter that if sold as hay can generate a profit between $230 and $244 ha-1 . Similarly, if land is leased for grazing, ryegrass could generate a profit of $63 ha-1 if its dry matter production is 1,006.70 kg.
On the Power of Simple Reductions for the Maximum Independent Set Problem
Creators: name: Strash, Darren
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Data Structures and Algorithms (cs.DS)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: F.2.2; G.2.2

description: Reductions---rules that reduce input size while maintaining the ability to compute an optimal solution---are critical for developing efficient maximum independent set algorithms in both theory and practice. While several simple reductions have previously been shown to make small domain-specific instances tractable in practice, it was only recently shown that advanced reductions (in a measure-and-conquer approach) can be used to solve real-world networks on millions of vertices [Akiba and Iwata, TCS 2016]. In this paper we compare these state-of-the-art reductions against a small suite of simple reductions, and come to two conclusions: just two simple reductions---vertex folding and isolated vertex removal---are sufficient for many real-world instances, and further, the power of the advanced rules comes largely from their initial application (i.e., kernelization), and not their repeated application during branch-and-bound. As a part of our comparison, we give the first experimental evaluation of a reduction based on maximum critical independent sets, and show it is highly effective in practice for medium-sized networks.
description: 13 pages; 1 figure; 3 tables; Appeared at the 22nd International Conference on Computing and Combinatorics (COCOON 2016)
Standard Model vacuum decay with gravity
Creators: name: Rajantie, Arttu
name: Stopyra, Stephen
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a calculation of the decay rate of the electroweak vacuum, fully including all gravitational effects and a possible non-minimal Higgs-curvature coupling $ξ$, and using the three-loop Standard Model effective potential. Without a non-minimal coupling, we find that the effect of the gravitational backreaction is small and less significant than previous calculations suggested. The gravitational effects are smallest, and almost completely suppressed, near the conformal value $ξ=1/6$ of the non-minimal coupling. Moving $ξ$ away from this value in either direction universally suppresses the decay rate.
description: 23 pages, 7 figures
Modeling sRNA-regulated Plasmid Maintenance
Creators: name: Gong, Chen Chris
name: Klumpp, Stefan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph)
subject: Cell Behavior (q-bio.CB)
subject: Molecular Networks (q-bio.MN)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: We study a theoretical model for the toxin-antitoxin (hok/sok) mechanism for plasmid maintenance in bacteria. Toxin-antitoxin systems enforce the maintenance of a plasmid through post-segregational killing of cells that have lost the plasmid. Key to their function is the tight regulation of expression of a protein toxin by an sRNA antitoxin. Here, we focus on the nonlinear nature of the regulatory circuit dynamics of the toxin-antitoxin mechanism. The mechanism relies on a transient increase in protein concentration rather than on the steady state of the genetic circuit. Through a systematic analysis of the parameter dependence of this transient increase, we confirm some known design features of this system and identify new ones: for an efficient toxin-antitoxin mechanism, the synthesis rate of the toxin's mRNA template should be lower that of the sRNA antitoxin, the mRNA template should be more stable than the sRNA antitoxin, and the mRNA-sRNA complex should be more stable than the sRNA antitoxin. Moreover, a short half-life of the protein toxin is also beneficial to the function of the toxin-antitoxin system. In addition, we study a therapeutic scenario in which a competitor mRNA is introduced to sequester the sRNA antitoxin, causing the toxic protein to be expressed.
description: 25 pages, 8 figures
Pre-clinical to clinical transition: Perception of third year medical students
Creators: name: Caimi, Edoardo
name: Citro, Gianmaria
name: Oldani, Silvia
name: Vinci, Valeriano
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: Background: The first clinical rotation is of paramount importance for medical students as it provides them with invaluable hands-on experience, allowing them to bridge the gap between theory and practice while cultivating essential skills and instilling a deep sense of responsibility in their journey towards becoming compassionate and competent healthcare providers.

 Objective: Our study aims to examine the perception of medical students at Humanitas University during their transition from pre-clinical to clinical studies, exploring their feelings and providing strategies for improvement.

 Methods: The study is based on the collection and analysis of quantitative data using a 5-point Likert-scale survey. The survey included five main domains associated with the transition: professional socialization, workload, patient contact, knowledge, knowledge application and skills, and learning and education.

 Results: Most students experienced stress during their transition, with 74% reporting high levels of stress. The majority of students agreed that a general introduction to clinical placement would make the transition easier, with a mean score of 4.7. The students also reported that they needed time to adjust to the new environment, with 64% stating that the introduction they received for clinical activities was satisfactory. In addition, 67% felt that the first weeks were difficult, and only 39% thought that their transition went smoothly.

 Conclusion: Overall, the study suggests that strategies to improve the transition process, such as implementing a more comprehensive introduction to clinical placement, should be considered to support medical students during this challenging period.
Embedding co-created trauma-informed self-care and advocacy learning for medical students: Our experiences of cross-institutional collaboration
Creators: name: Nolan, Helen
name: Potter, Jennifer
name: Teng, Rhea
name: Vagwala, Meghana
name: Khokhar, Aishah
name: Sugita, Erica
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: The burden of mental health issues and pre-existing trauma amongst healthcare professions students is increasingly recognised. Trauma-informed (TI) practice recognises trauma prevalence, prevents retraumatisation, and promotes self-care and inclusion. While recognition of the need for trauma-informed approaches is emerging in both healthcare and healthcare education, integration of approaches in student wellbeing remains lacking. We identified a need for student-facing learning resources at both our institutions and undertook a cross-institution, student-staff co-creation collaborative project to create a student-centered learning package for trauma-informed self-care and advocacy. This workshop will introduce participants to these concepts and share experiences of collaborative co-creation of learning resources in this area.
 We will enable participants to consider how these approaches can be adapted for application in their own contexts, with emphasis on inclusion and harnessing and embedding student voice.
Growth mindset and academic achievement in first semester Caribbean medical students
Creators: name: Tarron Kayalackakom
name: Robinson, Raymond
name: Simisola Afolabi
name: Mukiri Gikunda
name: Augustine, Ashlyn
name: Soberay, Kristen
name: Muwanguzi, Eria
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: Carol Dweck established the twin ideas of the fixed and the growth mindset (Dweck, C.S. 2006). Many medical schools have begun to recognize the importance of recruiting culturally and ethnically diverse medical students to optimally cater to increasingly diverse patient populations (Saha et al, 2008). Student affordances and accessibility often hinder diversity in medical schools. Caribbean medical schools have some of the highest ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and academic diversity among medical schools. Given this diversity, extrapolating results from non-Caribbean medical schools can be challenging. We investigated growth mindset in this diverse population since it has been shown to have important consequences for motivation and achievement and has yet to be described (Calo et al, 2019).
On the Electron Agyrotropy during Rapid Asymmetric Magnetic Island Coalescence in Presence of a Guide Field
Creators: name: Cazzola, Emanuele
name: Innocenti, Maria Elena
name: Goldman, Martin V.
name: Newman, David L.
name: Markidis, Stefano
name: Lapenta, Giovanni
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Space Physics (physics.space-ph)
subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present an analysis of the properties of the electron velocity distribution during island coalescence in asymmetric reconnection with and without guide field. In a previous study, three main domains were identified, in the case without guide field, as X-, D- and M-regions featuring different reconnection evolutions {Cazzola et al. 2015). These regions are also identified here in the case with guide field. We study the departure from isotropic and gyrotropic behavior by means of different robust detection algorithms proposed in the literature. While in the case without guide field these metrics show an overall agreement, when the guide field is present a discrepancy in the agyrotropy within some relevant regions is observed, such as at the separatrices and inside magnetic islands. Moreover, in light of the new observations from the Multiscale MagnetoSpheric mission, an analysis of the electron velocity phase-space in these domains is presented.
description: Accepted for publication in GRL
Is numerical literacy an issue for students entering MBBS/MPAS undergraduate courses?
Creators: name: Rainford, Helen
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: Background

 Academic staff had raised concerns around numeracy skills of the students in the early years of the MBBS and MPAS courses. A literature review demonstrated that other institutions including the Nuffield Foundation had noted a decline in numeracy skills of young people entering university.

 In response to these concerns, the primary care curriculum team, within the School of Medicine at UCLan, integrated a medical mathematics lecture into the new Year 1 primary care placement teaching week. To reinforce the learning, the students then were required to complete an asynchronous learning tool in the form of a maths workbook on their e-portfolio.

 Summary of work

 67 workbooks (25%) of the cohort were reviewed, each question marked and raw data collated into a spreadsheet. As students are in a learning environment, it was decided that some leeway for simple mistakes should be given and so it was decided that a score of 90% (requiring 40 of the 44 questions to be answered correctly) would demonstrate an acceptable mathematics ability.

 Summary of Results

 24/67 students (36%) demonstrated below acceptable mathematical ability.
 If extrapolated to the rest of the year of 265 students, it would mean 95 have below what would be considered acceptable mathematical ability.

 Discussion and Conclusion

 It is of concern that approximately a third of workbooks reviewed demonstrated poor performance of numerical ability. Reflecting on these results, the literature and the issues highlighted by academic staff, there is the strong potential that numerical literacy is an issue that the school, especially in phase one, needs to address. Being numerically literate is not just about successful completion of the course but is essential for safe future clinical practice and an important life skill outside the clinical environment.

 The school is now going to look at how we can formally assess numerical literacy and put resources into place to improve mathematics ability amongst the students. Along with this we will look to incorporate the workbook into our current software which will auto-mark all the workbooks to improve the data and synchronise the results with the students’ ongoing assessments.
The impact of dental training of dental students on remote islands in Japan
Creators: name: Oto, Takayuki
name: Kamada, Yumiko
name: Iwashita, Yoichiro
name: Sakuta, Tetsuya
name: Matsumoto, Yuko
name: Yoshida, Reiko
name: Shino, Kumiko
name: Taguchi, Norihiro
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: This study examined the change in perception of dental care on remote Japanese islands among 5th-year dentistry students in Kagoshima Prefecture after 3-4 days of practical training. Before training, students recognized both benefits (like abundant nature) and challenges (like a broad scope of dental treatment) of practicing on these islands. Post-training, more challenges emerged, such as the distance from the mainland and closed communities, while perceived benefits decreased. However, a newfound eagerness to contribute to the broader community was noted. The study suggests that short-term training may highlight the negative aspects due to students not fully integrating into the island communities. It recommends longer training periods or easier integration methods for community healthcare training. The findings can be applicable to other healthcare professions. Training on remote islands indicated a positive inclination to serve the community.
Developing a logbook of interprofessional education in a community setting in low-middle income countries to encourage self-reflection: Educational design research
Creators: name: Fatikhu Y Asmara
name: Versluis, Marco
name: Dewi, Dian P
name: Afifah, Diana N
name: Diemers, Agnes
name: Reinders, Jan Jaap
name: Kristina, Tri Nur
name: Scherpbier, Nynke
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: Background: Implementing self-reflection in IPE in a community setting in LMIC is encouraged because of the lack of direct supervision. A logbook can be used as an instrument to reflect students’ learning experiences, including achievements, problems, and solutions. However, it has been implemented mostly in hospital-based and single professions.
 Objectives: This study aims to develop and validate a logbook as an instrument for self-reflection on IPE in the community setting in LMICs.
 Design: An educational design research
 Setting: Implementation of IPE in a community setting.
 Participants: 30 students and instructors
 Methods: We explored important elements for a logbook based on the evaluation of last year’s IPE program and conducted a literature review on experiential learning theory, reflective practice, and self-reflection, giving feedback, and IPE competencies (phase 1: analysis and exploration). We developed a logbook and evaluated it for instructors and students by asking them to complete an open-ended questionnaire and giving suggestions (phase 2: design and construction). Then implementing the logbook in a pilot-test which asked participants to describe their experience in using the logbook by completing a questionnaire (phase 3: evaluation and reflection).
 Results: The logbook consisted of four sections: introduction, IPE competencies, instruction to complete the logbook, self-reflection, and one attachment of guidance in giving feedback. Shared decision-making was added as one of the IPE competencies. Both students and instructors perceived that the logbook was good (mean: 4.30; SD: + 0.41 and 4.35; SD: + 0.44), and there was no difference in perception between students and instructors (p = 0.527) as well as among students based on disciplines (p = 0.719) and among instructors based on instructors’ characteristics (disciplines, working experiences, and experiences of being IPE instructors) with p = 0.096, 0.713, and 0.548 respectively.
 Conclusion: The logbook was feasible as an instrument for reflective practice.