Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moving beyond language(s): a case study on a newcomer’s translanguaging practices

Abstract Numerous scholars have investigated translanguaging in students with a migration background by examining the deployment of their linguistic repertoire. By contrast, few studies have adopted a social semiotic perspective on translanguaging. Similarly, studies on newcomers in this field are scarce. Newcomers, especially those to the trilingual education system in Luxembourg, face significant language challenges. The present paper explores the ways in which Portuguese-speaking Harry combined the resources of his semiotic repertoire in science and French lessons in Year 4, and discusses different combinations of resources. Findings based on field notes and video-recordings of classroom activities show that the eleven-year-old engaged in learning by activating his prior knowledge and deploying his semiotic repertoire in resourceful ways. He mobilised features of five languages, coordinated linguistic, paralinguistic and extralinguistic resources, and aligned his resources to those of his peers. Furthermore, he reproduced the semiotic combinations of peers as well as the translanguaging practices in class. We show that a newcomer orchestrates his semiotic resources in complex ways to communicate, make meaning and engage in learning processes. Further research into the deployment of the semiotic repertoire at school is needed.
The impact of an instruction to improve L2 learners’ academic conference abstract writing in multidisciplinary programmes

Abstract Writing successful academic conference abstracts is essential for PhD students to enable them to access world-class conferences for the presentation of their research. However, these students often face both discourse-structure and linguistic difficulties in writing their conference abstracts. This study evaluates the impact of genre, process, elicitation and guided learning instruction on students’ performance in academic conference abstract writing. Participants are multidisciplinary L2 PhD students at a Sino-British university. The first dataset used for the impact evaluation comprises post-intervention written abstracts collected from 10 focal students. To evaluate the instruction, a scoring descriptor instrument adapted from the university’s academic writing assessment rubric is used to grade the abstracts’ move-structure, and linguistic features of cohesion, hedging, passive, and present simple. Trends in the scores are analysed statistically. The second dataset consists of students’ questionnaire-elicited experiences of the instruction. Findings show improvements in post-intervention abstracts’ move-structures and linguistic features, which suggests pedagogical effectiveness. Questionnaire responses also display positive perceptions of the pedagogy. Due to the impact of disciplinary genre materials, disciplinary discrepancy is more evident in linguistic structures than in move structures. Writer characteristics also appear to gravitate towards a discipline-centric writing ethos due to the impact of disciplinary-genre materials and the desire to enhance the abstract’s selection chances. Thus, there is potential for language-feature functions, process writing, exact-genre materials and interactive learning process pedagogies to mediate learning and improvement in disciplinary L2 writing.
Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Indian Cultivated Pea (Pisum sativum l.) by Using SRAP Markers

Pea is one of the most important com-mercially cultivated legume crops of the world. It is among the four important cultivated legumes next to soybean, groundnut and beans. While various molecular marker techniques have been used to characterize the pea germplasm, this study is the first one to evaluate the potential of SRAP markers at inferring genetic diversity among Indian cultivated pea genotypes. A total of 109 bands were generated by 19 SRAP pri-mers with 12 pea varieties, of which 90 bands were polymorphic (84.41%). The PIC value ranged from 0.249–0.848 with an average of 0.696. A dendrogram generated through UPGMA cluster analysis for SRAP markers separated all the varieties into two main clusters. Cluster-I & cluster-II consist of three and eight varieties re-spectively, whereas, other one variety AP-03 was out of group. AP-01 was most diverse among three or comes in out group, which is 43% similar whereas, AP-03 was the most diverse among all 12 pea varieties. A two-dimensional plot gener-ated from principal co-ordinate analysis of SRAP data also supported the clustering pattern of dendrogram. This study indicated the presence of high genetic diversity among pea varieties, which could be used for developing core collec-tions of pea germplasm for breeding and germplasm management purposes.
Financial liability stress tests: an approach based on the use of a rating migration matrix

Abstract The article addresses the issue of stress testing based on the probability of bankruptcy and a rating migration matrix. The analysis is conducted on a sample of listed companies in Poland in the years 1998–2016, and the forecasts are made for the years 2016–2018. Particular attention is paid to how the variable on which rating migration matrices are developed is defined. Stress tests are carried out on variables derived from rating migration matrices and economic indicators. The study provides information on the methodology for stress testing.
Elucidating structure–property relationships in imidazolium-based halide ionic liquids: crystal structures and thermal behavior

Abstract A set of imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs), 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride (1), 1,3-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-imidazolium chloride (2), and 1-butyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazolium bromide (3), has been synthesized and their structural and thermal behavior studied. Organic halides are well-known IL formers with imidazolium halides being the most prominent ones. Functionalization of the imidazolium cation by enhancing its hydrogen bonding capacity, i.e. through introduction of –OH groups or by diminishing it, i.e. through substitution of the ring hydrogen atoms by methyl groups is expected to change the inter-ionic interactions. Consequently, the solid-state structures of 1–3 have been characterized with means of single X-ray diffraction to shed light on preferential inter-ionic interactions for obtaining valuable information on anti-crystal engineering, i.e. designing ion combinations that favor a low melting point and exhibit a low tendency for crystallization. The study reveals that endowing IL forming ions with an enhanced hydrogen bonding capacity leads to a depression in melting points and kinetically hinders crystallization. This study provides hints towards new design concepts for IL design, similar to the common strategy of employing conformationally flexible ions.
Effect of pruning on the biomass yield of 20 accessions of tree species

The performance of 20 tree accessions when pruned was evaluated during five years, for which a randomized block design with eight repetitions was used. The edible, ligneous and total biomass, as well as the bromatological composition and number of regrowths were determined. In the rainy season L. macrophylla CIAT-17240 and L. leucocephala CIAT-17498 showed a better performance, regarding biomass yield (3,02 and 3,15 kg DM/tree as average). The number of regrowths varied between 7 and 24 and the best result was observed in L. leucocephala CIAT-17498 (24 regrowths per plant). Nevertheless, in the dry season the edible biomass production fluctuated between 0,10 and 1,25 kg DM/tree, and L. leucocephala CIAT-17498 stood out again. A performance similar to that of the rainy season was observed in the other indicators. The best results regarding edible biomass production were concluded to be found in the rainy season; L. leucocephala CIAT-17498 stood out in this indicator and in the number of regrowths for both seasons. The dry matter, crude fiber and crude protein contents of the edible biomass of the plants, had little variation due to the effect of the season within the same species, a trend that was also observed for minerals. The accessions proved to be an important alternative for feeding ruminants, because of their high contents of crude protein.
Seasonal Changes in the Content of Photosynthetic Pigments of Dominant Macrophytes in the Bardača Fishpond Area

Abstract In this paper, changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments during the vegetation season in the leaves of Phragmites communis Trin. , Salvinia natans (L.) All. , Trapa natans L. and Utricularia vulgaris L. in the area of Bardača fishpond (Sinjak pond) were monitored. Physical and chemical characteristics of water are defined in order to determine their association with the content of photosynthetic pigments. The obtained results indicate the specificity in the content of photosynthetic pigments between aquatic macrophytes and significant variations during the vegetation season. The maximum content of pigments was determined in the leaves of the emerged species, while the minimum content was measured in the submerged and floating leaves. The investigated macrophytic species showed a similar trend in the total chlorophyll content during the vegetation period; with two maximums recorded – May and September, while the minimum values were recorded with the senescence process (October). Total chlorophyll and carotenoids were in a negative correlation with temperature, pH, saturation, water transparency and orthophosphate content in water. On the other hand, they were in a positive correlation with the content of nitrates in water. The correlation analysis of the physical and chemical parameters of water quality and the concentration of macrophytes photosynthetic pigments showed a significant influence of certain abiotic factors on the photosynthetic pigments’ content in the leaves of Phragmites communis Trin. , Salvinia natans (L.) All. , Trapa natans L. and Utricularia vulgaris L.
Perennial Grasses as a Substrate for Bioethanol Production

Abstract One of the possible choices as a biomass for lignocellulosic bioethanol production are different perennial grasses. Cultivating this type of biomass has many advantages in terms of natural diversity and landscape protection. In this study, mixture of red clover and timothy grass was used as a feedstock to investigate its potential as a substrate for bioethanol production. Traditional three step bioethanol production process was used in combination with NED pretreatment. The results show at all pretreatment temperatures similar glucose concentrations and hydrolysis efficiencies, which varied from 4.3 to 5.1 g/l and 15.2 % to 17.7 %, respectively. The ethanol yield, on the other hand, decreased as the pretreatment temperature increased. However, the mass balance revealed that when using this kind of feedstock, 3.3-4.0 g ethanol could be produced from 100 g of biomass. The overall efficiency and yield of the process was lower than expected due to pretreatment, which might not have been suitable for soft biomass.
Polyphenol content and antioxidant activities of Prunus padus L. and Prunus serotina L. leaves: Electrochemical and spectrophotometric approach and their antimicrobial properties

Abstract The aim of the study was to compare the content of selected phytochemicals as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of the leaves of Prunus padus L. and Prunus serotina L. , as there is very little research on this subject in the literature. Therefore, it is used to deepen knowledge on this subject. In addition, an electrochemical test was also carried out, which was not yet available for the above plants. Antibacterial studies have also been deepened to include the analysis of new strains of bacteria and fungi, which has not been studied earlier. The water extracts of P. padus using the utra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) system showed a higher content of both phenolic acids and flavonols (651.77b ± 18.12 mg/100 g dw for acids and 3.85b ± 0.08 mg/100 g dw for flavonols, respectively). Ferulic and p-coumaric acids were the dominant polyphenols in leaves. Extracts from P. padus showed higher activity against DPPH radical, which was 6.62b ± 0.06 mg TE/1 g dw, as well as higher antioxidant capacity, measured using 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) cation radical (37.39b ± 3.81 mg TE/g dw). The higher antioxidant potential of P. padus was confirmed based on the oxidizing potentials of electroactive compounds present in them. Stronger inhibition against Enterococcus faecium and Klebsiella pneumoniae was found for P. padus, whereas P. serotina extract was more potent against Enterococcus faecium bacterium. It has been shown that P. padus can be an attractive raw material with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that can be used on a much wider scale in food technology than its current application.
Hybrid machine learning hydrological model for flood forecast purpose

Abstract Machine learning-based data-driven models have achieved great success since their invention. Nowadays, the artificial neural network (ANN)-based machine learning methods have made great progress than ever before, such as the deep learning and reinforcement learning, etc. In this study, we coupled the ANN with the K-nearest neighbor method to propose a novel hybrid machine learning (HML) hydrological model for flood forecast purpose. The advantage of the proposed model over traditional neural network models is that it can predict discharge continuously without accuracy loss owed to its specially designed model structure. In order to overcome the local minimum issue of the traditional neural network training, a genetic algorithm and Levenberg–Marquardt-based multi-objective training method was also proposed. Real-world applications of the HML hydrological model indicated its satisfactory performance and reliable stability, which enlightened the possibility of further applications of the HML hydrological model in flood forecast problems.
Thermal equation of state of post-aragonite CaCO3-Pmmn

Abstract Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is one of the most abundant carbonates on Earth’s surface and transports carbon to Earth’s interior via subduction. Although some petrological observations support the preservation of CaCO3 in cold slabs to lower mantle depths, the geophysical properties and stability of CaCO3 at these depths are not known, due in part to complicated polymorphic phase transitions and lack of constraints on thermodynamic properties. Here we measured thermal equation of state of CaCO3-Pmmn, the stable polymorph of CaCO3 through much of the lower mantle, using synchrotron X‑ray diffraction in a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell up to 75 GPa and 2200 K. The room-temperature compression data for CaCO3-Pmmn are fit with third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, yielding KT0 = 146.7 (±1.9) GPa and K0 = 3.4(±0.1) with V0 fixed to the value determined by ab initio calculation, 97.76 Å3. High-temperature compression data are consistent with zero-pressure thermal expansion αT = a0 + a1T with a0 = 4.3(±0.3)×10-5 K-1, a1 = 0.8(±0.2)×10-8 K-2, temperature derivative of the bulk modulus (∂KT/∂T)P = –0.021(±0.001) GPa/K; the Grüneisen parameter γ0 = 1.94(±0.02), and the volume independent constant q = 1.9(±0.3) at a fixed Debye temperature θ0 = 631 K predicted via ab initio calculation. Using these newly determined thermodynamic parameters, the density and bulk sound velocity of CaCO3-Pmmn and (Ca,Mg)-carbonate-bearing eclogite are quantitatively modeled from 30 to 80 GPa along a cold slab geotherm. With the assumption that carbonates are homogeneously mixed into the slab, the results indicate the presence of carbonates in the subducted slab is unlikely to be detected by seismic observations, and the buoyancy provided by carbonates has a negligible effect on slab dynamics.
Distribution of cyclopoid copepods in different subterranean habitats (southern Poland)

Abstract The majority of Polish studies on freshwater cyclopoids focused on surface water fauna. There are relatively few data on copepods of subterranean waters. Thus, in our research, copepods were collected from 37 different, mostly groundwater-dependent habitats (i.e. caves, springs, wells, interstitial and overhead environments) over a period of five years between 2005 and 2010. A total of 22 species belonging to eight genera were found. Some species, previously not recorded or known only from a few sites in Poland, proved to be a frequent component of subterranean communities.
Suppression of Inflammatory Cytokines Expression with Bitter Melon (Momordica Charantia) in TNBS-instigated Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract Background and Objective This study was aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of Momordica charantia (MCh), along with a standard drug prednisolone, in a rat model of colitis induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Methods After the induction of the experimental colitis, the animals were treated with MCh (4 g/kg/day) for 14 consecutive days by intragastric gavage. The colonic tissue expression levels of C-C motif chemokine ligand 17 (CCL-17), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-23, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), were determined at both mRNA and protein levels to estimate the effect of MCh. Besides, colonic specimens were analyzed histopathologically after staining with hematoxylin and eosin. Results The body weights from TNBS-instigated colitis rats were found to be significantly lower than untreated animals. Also, the IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, Il-23, TNF-α, CCL-17, and NF-kB mRNA and protein levels were increased significantly from 1.86-4.91-fold and 1.46-5.50-fold, respectively, in the TNBS-instigated colitis group as compared to the control. Both the MCh and prednisolone treatment significantly reduced the bodyweight loss. It also restored the induced colonic tissue levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α to normal levels seen in untreated animals. These results were also supported with the histochemical staining of the colonic tissues from both control and treated animals. Conclusion The presented data strongly suggests that MCh has the anti-inflammatory effect that might be modulated through vitamin D metabolism. It is the right candidate for the treatment of UC as an alternative and complementary therapeutics.
Novel Stacked Modular Open Raceway Ponds for Microalgae Biomass Cultivation in Biogas Plants: Preliminary Design and Modelling

Abstract Microalgae hold great potential as a source for renewable energy due to their high photosynthetic efficiency, high growth rates and independence from fertile agricultural lands. However, large-scale cultivation systems of microalgae biomass are still not economically viable mainly due to the difficulties with maintaining optimum growth conditions of microalgae in open pond systems and high costs of biomass cultivation and harvesting. Here we propose the Novel Stacked Modular Open Raceway Ponds (SMORPs) system for microalgae biomass cultivation to be integrated in biogas production plant. The proposed technological solution will eliminate the drawbacks of current microalgae cultivation technologies, mainly, will reduce the land use, improve lighting conditions and reduce the cost of cultivation as a result of the application of waste products from biogas production, i.e. anaerobic digestion effluent and flue gas. In this study we propose the initial design of the SMORP concept and a microalgae biomass kinetic model as a simple approach to screen microalgae strains potentially applicable for large-scale ponds. The developed tool is also useful to evaluate the potential benefit of additional artificial LED light sources and to assess the maximum biomass growth rate with minimal light intensity.
Survival of Unexploited Bobcats in Southern Illinois

Knowledge of survival rates is integral to understanding factors influencing population dynamics. Although bobcat (Lynx rufus) survival has been quantified throughout most of its range, few studies exist of unexploited populations and of populations in areas of high road and human density. Therefore, we estimated annual and seasonal survival rates and cause-specific mortality for 75 bobcats (39 F, 36 M) in southern Illinois during 1995-2000. Annual survival rates (M = 0.823, F = 0.857) were similar between sexes (P = 0.580). Seasonal survival rates ranged from 0.869 to 0.948 and were similar among seasons and sexes (P= 0.412). Pooled estimates of annual and seasonal survival ranged from 0.839 to 0.938 and were among the highest reported for bobcats. When seasonal mortality agents occurred for both sexes, rates of seasonal cause-specific mortality ranged from 0.016 to 0.081 and did not differ between sexes (P≥0.317). Most mortalities were human-caused, and vehicle-caused mortality rates were the highest reported for bobcats. Although current human influence is not severely limiting bobcat populations in southern Illinois, we predict that continued human expansion into rural areas may adversely affect bobcats.
Potential of Chlorella Species as Feedstock for Bioenergy Production: A Review

Abstract Selection of appropriate microalgae strain for cultivation is essential for overall success of large-scale biomass production under particular environmental and climate conditions. In addition to fast growth rate and biomass productivity, the species ability to grow in wastewater must also be considered to increase the economic feasibility of microalgae for bioenergy purposes. Furthermore, the content of bioactive compounds in a strain must be taken into account to further increase the viability by integration of biorefinery concept. Chlorella spp. are among the most studied microalgal species. The present review attempts to unfold the potential of species of the genus Chlorella for bioenergy production integrating applicability for wastewater treatment and production of high added-value compounds. Several key features potentially make Chlorella spp. highly beneficial for bioenergy production. Fast growth rate, low nutritional requirements, low sensitivity to contamination, adaptation to fluctuating environments, ability to grow in photoautotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic conditions make Chlorella spp. highly useful for outdoor cultivation coupled with wastewater treatment. Chlorella is a source of multiple bioactive compounds. Most promising high-value products are chlorophylls, lutein, β-carotene and lipids. Here we demonstrate that although many Chlorella spp. show similar characteristics, some substantial differences in growth and response to environmental factors exist.
Image Restoration by Learning Morphological Opening-Closing Network

Abstract Mathematical morphology is a powerful tool for image processing tasks. The main difficulty in designing mathematical morphological algorithm is deciding the order of operators/filters and the corresponding structuring elements (SEs). In this work, we develop morphological network composed of alternate sequences of dilation and erosion layers, which depending on learned SEs, may form opening or closing layers. These layers in the right order along with linear combination (of their outputs) are useful in extracting image features and processing them. Structuring elements in the network are learned by back-propagation method guided by minimization of the loss function. Efficacy of the proposed network is established by applying it to two interesting image restoration problems, namely de-raining and de-hazing. Results are comparable to that of many state-of-the-art algorithms for most of the images. It is also worth mentioning that the number of network parameters to handle is much less than that of popular convolutional neural network for similar tasks. The source code can be found here https://github.com/ranjanZ/Mophological-Opening-Closing-Net