Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Translating intercultural experiences into pedagogic insights: shifts in language teachers’ perceptions of English as a language for intercultural communication

Abstract These days, many pre-service and in-service language English language teachers now complete at least part of their professional training overseas. There is, thus, an important question concerning the impact of intercultural encounters on teachers’ perspectives towards the English language and the teaching of English. This paper reports on a study of how a small group of in-service teachers interpreted their experiences of intercultural communication in the UK whilst completing an MA TESOL degree, illuminating the nature of teachers’ perceptions of language and culture and how teachers translated insights derived from reflection on experience into pedagogic insights for the teaching of English as a global language. The findings reveal that participants’ views shifted away from highly normative conceptions of English language use as they recognised the variability and fluidity of communication in real-life intercultural encounters. Based on critical moments in their communication experiences, teachers articulate the importance of broadening their own learners’ perspectives on diversity within the English language and helping them develop cognitive and attitudinal tools to interact appropriately with diverse others. The paper contributes to understanding of the facilitative potential of teachers’ reflections on their own experiences of linguistic and cultural diversity in coming to formulate pedagogical ideals and concrete methodological possibilities.
Fabrication by Spin-Coating and Optical Characterization of Poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) Thin Films

The optical characteristics of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) thin films obtained by spin-coating of polymer blend in tetrahydrofuran were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry, spectrophotometry, and atomic force microscopy. Film thickness can be broadly varied by changing the polymer concentration.The film thickness dependence on PSAN concentration shows a non-linear behavior that can be explained by a concentration-dependent viscosity. According to previously proposed models, prepared solutions are close to the concentrated solution regime. Films show a broad transparency range and refractive index independent of film thickness. The refractive index values range from 1.55 to 1.6 in the visible range. Thermal treatment revealed good stability of the films up to 220 °C and a progressive deterioration for larger temperatures, with evident damage at 300 °C. UV-induced photodegradation was observed and results showed a progressive decrease of transmittance in the range between 200 and 300 nm but PSAN thin films show no changes when exposed to light from a solar illuminator. These investigations indicate that PSAN is an excellent candidate for thin film polymer-based optical uses like interference coatings or encapsulation of solar cells.
Dataficação da vida

Este artigo discute a dataficação da vida na atual fase de desenvolvimento da cultura digital a partir de três eixos: relações sociais, conhecimento e natureza. A dataficação se dá no rastreamento das relações sociais mediadas por plataformas digitais e como “requisição” do mundo sob a forma de dados operacionalizáveis em dois amplos domínios: a natureza e o conhecimento. A primeira forma de requisição é produzida pela retirada de minério e energia para a produção de equipamentos e para alimentar a captura, o tratamento, a circulação de dados. A segunda é a tradução do mundo em dados, gerando uma algocracia epistocrática que pode decidir sobre o conhecimento e a gestão da coisa pública. Relacionando a dataficação da vida como os quatro bios aristotélicos e com a comunicação a partir do seu modo de existência, podemos concluir que ela não pode ser reduzida nem a toda a esfera da comunicação, nem ser identificada a um bios midiático. A dataficação da vida está na base da comunicação contemporânea e é transversal aos quatro bios.
EM Estimation for Zero- and k-Inflated Poisson Regression Model

Count data with excessive zeros are ubiquitous in healthcare, medical, and scientific studies. There are numerous articles that show how to fit Poisson and other models which account for the excessive zeros. However, in many situations, besides zero, the frequency of another count k tends to be higher in the data. The zero- and k-inflated Poisson distribution model (ZkIP) is appropriate in such situations The ZkIP distribution essentially is a mixture distribution of Poisson and degenerate distributions at points zero and k. In this article, we study the fundamental properties of this mixture distribution. Using stochastic representation, we provide details for obtaining parameter estimates of the ZkIP regression model using the Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm for a given data. We derive the standard errors of the EM estimates by computing the complete, missing, and observed data information matrices. We present the analysis of two real-life data using the methods outlined in the paper.
‘Grey’ exclusions matter: mapping illegal exclusionary practices and the implications for children with disabilities in England and Australia

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Wiley in Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs on 24/08/2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12539 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.
Antimicrobial Effect of Electrospun Nanofibers Loaded with Silver Nanoparticles: Influence of Ag Incorporation Method

The antimicrobial bioactivity of silver nanoparticles is well known, and they can be used widely in many applications, becoming especially important in the biomedical industry. On the other hand, the electrospun nanofibers possess properties that can enhance silver nanoparticle applicability. However, silver nanoparticle bioactivity differs depending on the loading of silver ions into electrospun nanofibers. This review is aimed at comparing different silver incorporation methods into electrospun nanofibers and their antimicrobial activity, discussing each procedure’s limitations, and presenting the most promising one. This review showed that the preferred techniques for incorporating silver nanoparticles were direct blending and ultraviolet irradiation methods due to their simplicity and efficient results. Besides, polyacrylonitrile nanofibers (PAN) have been the most reported system loaded with silver nanoparticles. Finally, independently of the technique used, silver nanoparticle-loaded nanofibers show high antimicrobial activity in all cases.
Pinocembrin Protects Cardiomyocytes Against Isoproterenol-Induced Hypertrophy

Cardiac hypertrophy is characterized by an increase in myocardial cell volume and extracellular matrix production. Persistent cardiac hypertrophy can cause dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and even death. Pinocembrin (5,7-dihydroxyflavanone) is a type of flavonoid, extracted from propolis, that has antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and anticancer properties. The results of the present study showed that pretreatment of isoproterenol (ISO)-treated H9c2 cardiomyocytes with pinocembrin reduced the messenger RNA levels of hypertrophic markers, including atrial natriuretic factor and βeta-myosin heavy chain, and inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, and interferon-γ, and also inhibited p65 phosphorylation and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) translocation. In addition, the activity of IκBα, an inhibitor of NF-κB, was increased while that of caspase-3 was reduced under these conditions. These results indicate that pinocembrin may inhibit ISO-induced myocardial hypertrophy by attenuating the NF-κB signaling pathway.
Reconsidering domestication from a process archaeology perspective

ABSTRACT Process philosophy offers a metaphysical foundation for domestication studies. This grounding is especially important given the European colonialist origin of ‘domestication’ as a term and 19th century cultural project. We explore the potential of process archaeology for deep-time investigation of domestication relationships, drawing attention to the variable pace of domestication as an ongoing process within and across taxa; the nature of domestication ‘syndromes’ and ‘pathways’ as general hypotheses about process; the importance of cooperation as well as competition among humans and other organisms; the significance of non-human agency; and the ubiquity of hybrid communities that resist the simple wild/domestic dichotomy.
Effects of Organic Additives on Chemical, Microbiological and Plant Pathogen Suppressive Properties of Aerated Municipal Waste Compost Teas

The aim of the present study was to characterize the physical-chemical and microbiological features of aerated compost teas (CTs) extracted with dechlorinated tap water and with two different additives, molasses and whey, in increasing doses. Plant pathogen suppression properties of CTs were also taken into account. Total nitrogen in CTs increased with rising doses of the additives used. In spite of this, nitrogen and mineral element contributions were limited but complementary for plant mineral nutrition. Although total heavy metal contents in CTs were low, an increase of their bioavailable forms (ionic and chelated forms, presence in microorganisms) should be taken into account. In addition, the distribution on soil of acid and/or chelating products by CTs could increase the bioavailability of heavy metals, especially in the case of several annual distribution cycles and of medium–long term treatments. Additives modulated the structure and composition of microbial communities and CTs, exhibiting a broad spectrum of suppressive properties against plant pathogens, especially when they were used in a raw form.
A highly efficient cloth facemask design

Abstract Wearing masks and face coverings helps reduce transmission of respiratory diseases. Much prior research on mask filtration efficiency has focused on fabric type, with less consideration given to mask design and shape. Here, we present evidence that increasing the mouth-mask separation distance engenders an increase in the mask-fabric filtration efficiency toward expiratory aerosols emitted via vocalization, which we attribute to a decrease in the expiratory jet velocity and expansion of the breath-mask contact area. We further assess the performance of a new reusable cloth facemask design, originally made for, but not exclusive to, professional singers and having a large mouth-mask separation distance. With proper fitting, these masks achieve overall filtering efficiencies of >93% for both exhaled expiratory aerosols >0.5 microns in diameter from singing and speaking and for inhaled ambient aerosols, better than surgical masks and approaching N95 respirators. Air exchange between the mask deadspace and the ambient environment limits the extent of CO2 buildup and in inhaled air and maintains O2 levels near ambient. The mask design also provides for less inhibited mouth and jaw movement and lower relative humidity, suggesting it may provide a more palatable, high-efficiency alternative to medical-grade masks for the public. Copyright © 2021 American Association for Aerosol Research
Describe Me If You Can! Characterized Instance-Level Human Parsing

Several computer vision applications such as person search or online fashion rely on human description. The use of instance-level human parsing (HP) is therefore relevant since it localizes semantic attributes and body parts within a person. But how to characterize these attributes? To our knowledge, only some single-HP datasets describe attributes with some color, size and/or pattern characteristics. There is a lack of dataset for multi-HP in the wild with such characteristics. In this article, we propose the dataset CCIHP based on the multi-HP dataset CIHP, with 20 new labels covering these 3 kinds of characteristics. 1 In addition, we propose HPTR, a new bottom-up multi-task method based on transformers as a fast and scalable baseline. It is the fastest method of multi-HP state of the art while having precision comparable to the most precise bottom-up method. We hope this will encourage research for fast and accurate methods of precise human descriptions.1CCIHP is available on https://kalisteo.cea. fr/index.php/free-resources/
Haze Pollution Levels, Spatial Spillover Influence, and Impacts of the Digital Economy: Empirical Evidence from China

With the development of digital technologies such as the Internet and digital industries such as e-commerce, the digital economy has become a new form of economic and social development, which has brought forth a new perspective for environmental governance, energy conservation, and emission reduction. Based on data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2018, this study applies the space and threshold models to empirically examine the digital economy’s influence on haze pollution and its spatial spillover. Furthermore, it investigates the spatial diffusion effect of regional digital economic development and haze pollution by constructing a spatial weight matrix. Subsequently, an instrumental variable robustness test is performed. Results indicate the following: (1) Haze pollution has spatial spillover effects and high emission aggregation characteristics, with haze pollution in neighbouring provinces significantly aggravating pollution levels in the focal province. (2) China’s digital economy has positively impacted haze pollution, with digital economic development having a significant effect (i.e., most prominent in eastern China) on reducing haze pollution. (3) Changing the energy structure and supporting innovation can restrain haze pollution, and the digital economy can reduce the path mechanism of haze pollution through the mediating effect of an advanced industrial structure. It shows a non-linear characteristic that the influence of haze reduction continues to weaken. Thus, policymakers should include the digital economy as a mechanism for ecologically sustainable development in haze pollution control.
Bayesian Acyclic Network Based Environmental Footprint Risk Assessment System for Oil and Gas Industry

The oil and gas industry is the eighth largest in the world. Its market size is expected to grow from USD 4.6 trillion in 2020 to USD 5.9 trillion in 2021, and in 2025 it will reach USD 7.4 trillion. The oil and gas industry is the backbone of today’s economy, and it is difficult to imagine that the share of the industry’s influence in world economy could decrease soon. Oil and gas production and supply chains pose significant environmental risks. Various methods are used to assess the risks of the industry's impact on the environment. In most cases, they are labor-intensive and non-interactive, which reduces the effectiveness of scenario testing. The article dealt with a new approach for analyzing different hazard risk scenarios based on Bayesian acyclic networks, looking at the supply chain as a socio-technical system, the sustainability of which is determined by the systemic impact on three pillars - business, society and environment. This article focuses on the environmental component. The article aims at introduction the audience, i.e., investors, business leaders and territorial development policy planners, the use of the method for assessing the systemic environmental risks of supply chains in the oil and gas industry.
Victimization in bullying and cyberbullying and organized physical activity: The mediating effect of physical self-concept in adolescents

ABSTRACT Being a victim of bullying or cyberbullying can be linked to participating less in physical activity. Considering that physical self-concept can play an important role in the relationship between both constructs, this study aims to analyse the mediating effect of physical self-concept between victimization/cybervictimization and physical activity, considering the moderating effect of gender. A total of 870 schoolchildren aged 12 to 19 from southern Spain participated in this explanatory cross-sectional study. We studied the variables of victimization, cyber-victimization, physical self-concept and organized physical activity through self-reports, and analysed the moderated mediation using the Process macro. Negative relationship was found between physical activity and both victimization and cybervictimization, and this association was mediated by physical self-concept. In turn, moderating analyses showed that physical self-concept had a stronger relationship on physical activity in boys. In conclusion, a positive physical self-concept can mediate in victims of bullying or cyberbullying opting not to participate in physical activities, especially in boys.
A Compromise between Global and Local: Glocal Identity and Its Effects on Pragmatic Development

ABSTRACT The concept of glocal identity has captured researchers’ imagination particularly in the last two decades and has been examined in relation with language learning. However, no study has yet touched upon pragmatic development in the target language under the effects of glocal identity. This longitudinal case study examined the development of glocal identity and its effects on students’ target language pragmatic development. The participants were 10 international students receiving preparatory education at a Turkish Teaching Center. The data were collected through instructor’s and researcher’s unstructured observation notes, participants’ self-reflection notes and their answers to open-ended questions. The results of the conventional content analysis indicated that the participants experienced increasing awareness of their local identities, adapted to their global identities and formed a glocal identity during their language learning experience. They also went through a three-stage pragmatic development during which reflections of their glocal identities were observed.
Constructing Romania’s foreign policy and security role in its eastern neighbourhood: the cases of Moldova and Ukraine

ABSTRACT Acknowledging the changes that have occurred over the past years in the geopolitical milieu of Eastern Europe, this paper looks at how Romania frames its foreign policy and security role towards its eastern neighbours, as reflected in the country’s official discourse. This study shows how Romania’s external behaviour has been impacted at the discursive level by membership in NATO and the EU. While it finds that a congruence between public discourse and external actions generally exits in the case of Moldova, this is only partial in relation to Ukraine. The paper employs discourse and content analyses to identify the main narratives employed by Romania vis-à-vis the two eastern neighbours over a ten-year timeframe, 2009–2019, and examines whether the country’s official discourse has been followed by concrete foreign policy actions.
Delayed initiation of radiation therapy is associated with inferior outcomes for breast cancer patients with hormone receptor-negative tumors after breast-conserving surgery.

Background To investigate whether the interval between adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) completion and postoperative radiation therapy initiation (ICR) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) affects ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) or survival. Methods All women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and underwent BCS between 2005 and 2014 were included. In total, 1,472 patients underwent adjuvant CT followed by postoperative radiation therapy (RT) (CT+), whereas 402 patients received postoperative RT alone (CT-). Analyses were stratified by ICR and the interval between surgery and the initiation of postoperative RT (ISR) in these two cohorts. The cutoff points for treatment delay were 47 days in the CT+ cohort and 69 days in the CT- cohort. IBTR, local-regional failure (LRF), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were assessed through Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine the prognostic factors of survival outcomes. Results The median follow-up duration was 56 months. There was an association between a delay in ICR and an increase in IBTR in the CT+ group (P=0.014 for intervals ≤47 vs. >47 days). This association was confirmed by multivariate analyses [hazard ratio (HR) of 2.766; P=0.046] in the hormone receptor-negative subgroup. The 5-year cumulative incidence rates of IBTR were 1.3% and 3.3% (≤47 vs. >47 days, respectively) in the CT+ cohort. For patients in the CT- cohort, a longer delay of initiation of postoperative RT (≤69 vs. >69 days) significantly decreased DFS (HR of 6.430; P=0.002). The 5-year cumulative incidence rates of disease recurrence were 3.0% for RT starting ≤69 days after surgery and 12.6% for RT starting >69 days after surgery. Conclusions A high IBTR rate was related to an ICR beyond 47 days. Delay of RT after CT or surgery among patients who undergo BCS should be avoided, especially among patients in the hormone receptor-negative subgroup.
Main Physical Features, Echocardiographic and Renal Ultrasonographic Findings of Turner Syndrome in 107 Pediatric Patients

Turner syndrome (TS) is one of the most common malformation syndromes in females. A total number of 107 TS patients, diagnosed between 2000 and 2018, were evaluated for their phenotypic features, and cardiac and renal findings. The mean age of patients at admission was 10.08 ± 4.9 years (range, newborn to 18 years). Four different karyotype groups were encountered, and the most common findings in all groups were short stature, followed by cubitus valgus. Echocardiographic findings of 85 patients were available among which 63 (n = 63/85, 74.1%) were found to be normal. The most common cardiac anomaly was left ventricular outflow tract/aortic arch pathology detected in 9 patients (n = 9/22, 40.9%). Renal malformations were detected in 15 patients (n = 15/84, 17.9%) by renal ultrasonography, and horseshoe kidney was the most common renal malformation, followed by left multicystic dysplastic kidney. There was no significant difference in the frequency of renal malformation and cardiac anomalies among the 4different karyotype groups (χ2 exact test, p > 0.05). Compared with the literature, the frequency of renal anomalies was detected at a lower rate. Karyotype analysis should be carried out in all female patients with short stature, even if there are no associated phenotypic findings suggestive of TS. Since cardiac anomalies are frequently seen in TS patients and they represent a common cause of mortality, echocardiography should be carried out as soon as the definite diagnosis is established. Renal anomalies may be less frequent than cardiac anomalies; however, evaluation of TS patients with renal ultrasonography should be done at the time of diagnosis. Although renal ultrasonography can be used as the initial renal screening in TS patients, it may underestimate the frequency of renal malformation; hence, further management may be required.