Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efforts to Recycle the Tofu Waste Through Learning Project Based Entrepreneurship

Our research to apply learning project based entrepreneurship to high school students. The research method is weak experiment. The sample used in this study were 1 class taken using cluster random sampling. The instrument used in this study was the assessment of student performance. The results of the analysis show that the project learning based entrepreneurship can recycle tofu waste into a new product and students are able to carry out entrepreneurial activities. In addition, students' creativity in finding tofu waste processing is good enough by making products that are aesthetically and economically valuable.
Balancing Complex Social and Technical Aspects of Design: Exposing Engineering Students to Homelessness Issues

This paper describes the development and implementation of a classroom experience involving problem-based and project-based learning with community engagement in an engineering design context. While most User-Centered Design courses ask students to critically analyze and synthesize user needs, particularly of users who they see as “not like them”, our version is unique in having students wrestle with concepts of power, privilege, and oppression alongside developing prototypes that address sociotechnical aspects of engineering design that are rarely discussed in engineering courses. The course project described in this paper was developed to integrate issues of homelessness with engineering design. To achieve this goal, we partnered with a local non-profit organization that provides access to safe, mobile showers for our unhoused neighbors. Considering the context and needs of people who experience homelessness, students built solar water heater prototypes that integrated with the mobile shower units of our partners. Our goal with this course is to demonstrate to students that technical solutions are often insufficient for solving sociotechnical problems. In this case, the partnership with the non-profit organization was critical to conveying to students that engineering alone cannot solve homelessness.
Contradictions and strengths in activity systems: Enhancing insights into human activity in IS adoption research

Activity Theory is increasingly employed in Information Systems research because of its ability to provide insights into the outcomes of human‐technology interaction. At the heart of the modern Activity Theory is the principle of contradictions; contradictions are considered to be the driving force behind the transformation of tool‐mediated human activities within organizations and communities. The study examined the facilitated adoption of Accounting Information Systems by microenterprises in a low‐income community in South Africa. Using the study, this paper demonstrates the potential and value of leveraging both strengths and contradictions in activity systems. Although identifying and resolving contradictions is crucial to the development of human activity, in the context of this research a limitation was identified. In studying relationships between the elements of an activity or between activities, researchers using Activity Theory do not generally highlight the strong relationships. The inclusion of strengths in the analysis of activity systems is a feature that could be utilised by Activity Theorists where there is a need to assess the viability of the activity under examination. Though the paper emphasises a theoretical contribution, the study itself had a practical contribution based on the use of Activity Theory as a Participatory Action Research to empower the subjects (entrepreneurs) within the community.
Efecto de ácidos húmicos, micorrizas y quitosano en indicadores del crecimiento de dos cultivares de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Reyes-Pérez, J. J., E. A. Enríquez-Acosta, M. Á. Ramírez-Arrebato, A. T. Rodríguez-Pedroso y A. Falcón-Rodríguez. 2020. Efecto de ácidos húmicos, micorrizas y quitosano en indicadores del crecimiento de dos cultivares de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Terra Latinoamericana Número Especial 38-3: 653-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.28940/terra.v38i3. 671 Recibido / Received: octubre / October 26, 2019. Aceptado / Accepted: enero / January 12, 2020. Publicado en / Published in Terra Latinoamericana 38: 653-666. Efecto de ácidos húmicos, micorrizas y quitosano en indicadores del crecimiento de dos cultivares de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Effect of humic acids, mycorrhiza, and chitosan on growth indicators of two tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
Silent Speech Interface Using Ultrasonic Doppler Sonar

SUMMARY Some non-acoustic modalities have the ability to reveal certain speech attributes that can be used for synthesizing speech signals without acoustic signals. This study validated the use of ultrasonic Doppler frequency shifts caused by facial movements to implement a silent speech interface system. A 40kHz ultrasonic beam is incident to a speaker’s mouth region. The features derived from the demodulated received signals were used to estimate the speech parameters. A nonlinear regression approach was employed in this estimation where the relationship between ultrasonic features and corresponding speech is represented by deep neural networks (DNN). In this study, we investigated the discrepancies between the ultrasonic signals of audible and silent speech to validate the possibility for totally silent communication. Since reference speech signals are not available in silently mouthed ultrasonic signals, a nearest-neighbor search and alignment method was proposed, wherein alignment was achieved by determining the optimal pair of ultrasonic and audible features in the sense of a minimum mean square error criterion. The experimental results showed that the performance of the ultrasonic Doppler-based method was superior to that of EMG-based speech estimation, and was comparable to an image-based method.
The Militarization of a Public Debate: A Discourse-Theoretical Analysis of the Construction of War and Peace in Public Debates Surrounding the Books of Three Turkish Military Commanders on the “1974 Cyprus Peace Operation”

This article focuses on a particular type of public debates, namely those that are related to war, and that thus have the potential to disrupt and damage democracy. More specifically, using Laclau and Mouffe’s (1985) discourse theory, we analyse the construction of war and peace in the public debates surrounding the books of three Turkish military commanders who fought in the Cypriot 1974 war, and who documented their experiences in a book: Muzaffer Sever (2012), Ali Ihsan Gurcan (2013) and Haluk Ustugen (2015). In this article, we first organise an extensive discourse-theoretical re-reading of the literature on war and peace, which supports the construction of a theoretical model of war and peace discourses. While war discourses arguably have five nodal points (Enemy-Self dichotomy; army as war assemblage; destruction and death; legitimations and aims of war; spatially and temporally restricted arena of intensified reality), we distinguish between two types of peace discourses: the photo-negativistic articulation of peace and the autonomous articulation of peace. The former’s nodal points are the inverse of those of the war discourse, while the latter’s nodal points are social harmony, economic equity and social justice; and the desire for, and the desirability of, peace. This theoretical model is then deployed to structure a discourse-theoretical analysis of the public debates surrounding the three books. Here we firstly show the dominance of the war discourse (and its nodal points), which raises questions about the democratic desirability of these types of public debates. Secondly, our analysis also shows two significant nuances to this critical evaluation, as the public debates also provide space for dislocations of the war discourse and contain references to peace discourses (even though these are limited and often qualified).
Effects of dietary red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) on growth performance, blood profile, ileal morphology, and oxidative status in weaned pigs challenged with Escherichia coli K88+

Abstract: A total of 28 piglets weaned at 21 d of age (6.94 ± 0.28 kg of body weight) were assigned to one of four dietary treatments for 14 d: (1) negative control (NC; a corn–wheat–soybean meal diet), (2) positive control [PC; NC + 0.025% antimicrobial growth promoter (AGP)], (3) ROD2 [2% red-osier dogwood (ROD)], and (4) ROD4 (4% ROD). All pigs were orally inoculated with Escherichia coli K88+ on day 8. The pre-planned orthogonal test was performed to compare (1) NC vs. PC and (2) NC vs. ROD. The inclusion of ROD in a nursery diet increased (P < 0.05) superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and decreased (P < 0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in the serum. Moreover, pigs fed with ROD diets had shallower (P < 0.05) crypt depth and higher (P < 0.05) villus height to crypt depth ratio than those fed the NC diet. Dietary AGP supplementation reduced (P < 0.05) the MDA concentration in the ileum and serum at 24 h after challenge, and improved (P < 0.01) the SOD activities in the serum. In conclusion, the inclusion of ROD in a nursery diet enhanced the antioxidative defense system and intestinal morphology, showing comparable effects with AGP supplementation.
A Multimodal Facial Emotion Recognition Framework through the Fusion of Speech with Visible and Infrared Images

The exigency of emotion recognition is pushing the envelope for meticulous strategies of discerning actual emotions through the use of superior multimodal techniques. This work presents a multimodal automatic emotion recognition (AER) framework capable of differentiating between expressed emotions with high accuracy. The contribution involves implementing an ensemble-based approach for the AER through the fusion of visible images and infrared (IR) images with speech. The framework is implemented in two layers, where the first layer detects emotions using single modalities while the second layer combines the modalities and classifies emotions. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have been used for feature extraction and classification. A hybrid fusion approach comprising early (feature-level) and late (decision-level) fusion, was applied to combine the features and the decisions at different stages. The output of the CNN trained with voice samples of the RAVDESS database was combined with the image classifier’s output using decision-level fusion to obtain the final decision. An accuracy of 86.36% and similar recall (0.86), precision (0.88), and f-measure (0.87) scores were obtained. A comparison with contemporary work endorsed the competitiveness of the framework with the rationale for exclusivity in attaining this accuracy in wild backgrounds and light-invariant conditions.
Beamforming Phased Array Antenna toward Indoor Positioning Applications

Indoor positioning systems based on radio wave have drawn a lot of research interest over the last few decades. One of the positioning methods, Angle of Arrival, locating object based on the relative angle of object to the reference points, requires a directional antenna in order to improve the accuracy of indoor positioning system. From this situation, an eight-port phased array antenna using reflection type phase shifter is designed. The input power is split to each antenna through eight-port Wilkinson power divider with insertion loss of about 11 dB and isolation of about 20 dB. To extract more accurate position, the main beam of phased array antenna can be steered smoothly by a design 18 of a continuous and full 360° reflection type phase shifter with low insertion loss variation. Microstrip patch antennas are used as elements in phased array antenna. The steering of main beam is presented by radiation patterns of phased array antenna, measured in anechoic chamber from (cid:1) 45 to 45° with step 5°. The measurement result shows that the main beam direction is quite close to the desired direction in simulation. In most case, the side lobe level is less than the main lobe about 10 dB.
Biallelic mutations in the TOGARAM1 gene cause a novel primary ciliopathy

Background Dysfunction in non-motile cilia is associated with a broad spectrum of developmental disorders characterised by clinical heterogeneity. While over 100 genes have been associated with primary ciliopathies, with wide phenotypic overlap, some patients still lack a molecular diagnosis. Objective To investigate and functionally characterise the molecular cause of a malformation disorder observed in two sibling fetuses characterised by microphthalmia, cleft lip and palate, and brain anomalies. Methods A trio-based whole exome sequencing (WES) strategy was used to identify candidate variants in the TOGARAM1 gene. In silico, in vitro and in vivo (Caenorhabditis elegans) studies were carried out to explore the impact of mutations on protein structure and function, and relevant biological processes. Results TOGARAM1 encodes a member of the Crescerin1 family of proteins regulating microtubule dynamics. Its orthologue in C. elegans, che-12, is expressed in a subset of sensory neurons and localises in the dendritic cilium where it is required for chemosensation. Nematode lines harbouring the corresponding missense variant in TOGARAM1 were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Although chemotaxis ability on a NaCl gradient was not affected, che-12 point mutants displayed impaired lipophilic dye uptake, with shorter and altered cilia in sensory neurons. Finally, in vitro analysis of microtubule polymerisation in the presence of wild-type or mutant TOG2 domain revealed a faster polymerisation associated with the mutant protein, suggesting aberrant tubulin binding. Conclusions Our data are in favour of a causative role of TOGARAM1 variants in the pathogenesis of this novel disorder, connecting this gene with primary ciliopathy.
Evaluation of the mitodepressive effect, chromosomal aberrations and nuclear abnormalities induced by urea fertilization in the meristematic tissues of Allium cepa L.

ABSTRACT Urea is one of the most commonly used nitrogen fertilizers in Romania. The cytogenetic objectives of this experience were the evaluation of the effects of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induced by the action of urea applied in different concentrations (100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 ppm) for 72 h on the meristematic tissues of Allium cepa L. , a species very commonly used in cytotoxicity tests. The statistical analysis of the obtained results indicates that with the increase in urea concentration, mitotic activity is inhibited, while the chromosomal aberration rate in the cells in mitosis as well as the frequency of nuclear abnormalities in the interphase cells increases. From this point of view, the main chromosomal aberrations identified were stickiness, laggards and C-mitosis, while nuclear abnormalities were the appearance of a large number of binuclear and multinucleated cells, some with ghost nuclei. In addition, at concentrations of over 1000 ppm and especially at 10,000 and 20,000 ppm urea the presence of cells with one or more micronuclei (even with nine micronuclei) was signalled, indicating a strong clastogenic potential of urea. The results suggest caution in the use of urea, by applying small concentrations, within the environmental limits, for the protection of the environment, but also of humans and animals. The concentrations we recommend to reduce the risk of pollution are between 100 and 500 ppm urea. However, further investigation is needed to confirm these findings.
Enhanced Unsupervised Graph Embedding via Hierarchical Graph Convolution Network

Graph embedding aims to learn the low-dimensional representation of nodes in the network, which has been paid more and more attention in many graph-based tasks recently. Graph Convolution Network (GCN) is a typical deep semisupervised graph embedding model, which can acquire node representation from the complex network. However, GCN usually needs to use a lot of labeled data and additional expressive features in the graph embedding learning process, so the model cannot be effectively applied to undirected graphs with only network structure information. In this paper, we propose a novel unsupervised graph embedding method via hierarchical graph convolution network (HGCN). Firstly, HGCN builds the initial node embedding and pseudo-labels for the undirected graphs, and then further uses GCNs to learn the node embedding and update labels, finally combines HGCN output representation with the initial embedding to get the graph embedding. Furthermore, we improve the model to match the different undirected networks according to the number of network node label types. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that our proposed HGCN and HGCN can significantly enhance the performance of the node classification task.
COVID-19 around the world and the Chinese strategy to cope with SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2, a zoonotic virus, emerged in China causes Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Senior citizens and people with co-infections, genetic diseases, immune-compromised states, and cardiovascular diseases are at higher risk. There is no approved vaccine or drug available to treat COVID-19, although a few antivirals, interferon, and other drugs have reduced viral load in infected patients. However, these drugs have not been significantly effective in European countries. More than 40 different strains of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in various parts of the world; they might have adapted themselves to the environmental conditions and have become resistant to therapeutic strategies. Many developed and developing countries are facing shortages of surgical masks and other protection tools. So far, the strategies developed by Chinese authorities have efficiently mitigated the SARS-CoV-2 transmission and limited mortality rate to less than 4%, with more than 78,000 people recovered from COVID-19. This review article highlights the pandemic conditions in different parts of the world, as well as possible reasons behind minimal COVID-19 infections and the high mortality rates. It will discuss information about China’s strategies to cope with SARS-CoV-2 which can help other countries to mitigate viral spread and infection.
Exogenous gibberellic acid does not induce early flowering in mungbeans [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek.]

Gibberellic acid (GA) is an important phyto-hormone mediating plant growth. In present study, we evaluated the impact of GA treatment on morphological, phenological and molecular aspects of five mungbean genotypes. GA treatment caused a significant increase in plant height and branch angle in most of the genotypes. However, there was no impact of GA treatment on days to first anthesis, days to 50% flowering and pod length. Genotypes SML-859 and EC-48 revealed no change in their plant height and branch angle respectively upon GA treatment, suggestive of their probable GA insensitivity. Expression of flowering associated gene- VrSOC1 remained unaffected by GA treatment, validating thereby that exogenously supplied GA does not induce early flowering in mungbeans.
Designing and Validating the Literacy Curriculum Model Based on the Criteria of PIRLS in the Elementary Course of the Educational System of Iran

: The purpose of this study was to design and validate the reading literacy curriculum model based on the criteria of progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in the elementary course of the Iranian educational system. To this end, PIRLS test criteria have been used to explain and design the dimensions of the curriculum according to the elements of the Akker curriculum. The present research is qualitative in which an attempt has been made to develop a desirable model by adopting a systematic approach in the field of curriculum design and using valid national and international resources and documents. Some features of this model include indigenousness, attention to audience characteristics, scientificity, simplicity, novelty, and active approach to teaching and learning. The opinions of 31 experts in the field of curriculum planning and Persian language teaching were used to validate the proposed model, and these people highly approved the desired model. However, the application of this model requires attention to issues such as having a systemic approach to reading education, bilingualism, professional training of teachers, and attention to content and resources and facilities.
A Method for Monitoring Lubrication Conditions of Journal Bearings in a Diesel Engine Based on Contact Potential

Wear of the journal bearings in a diesel engine is usually caused by asperity contact. Increased contact potential is caused by the asperity contact between the journal bearing and the shell. This paper analyzes the relationship between the contact potential and asperity contact and presents a method based on contact potential to monitor the bearing wear caused by asperity contact. A thermo-elastic hydrodynamic lubrication (THL) model of the journal bearing on the test bench was established and was verified by measuring its axis orbit. The asperity contact proportion was calculated based on this THL model, and its relationship with the measured contact potential was determined. The main contribution of this paper is to present a new method for monitoring the lubrication conditions of journal bearings in a diesel engine based on contact potential. The results showed that (a) when the minimum oil film thickness was less than 5 μm, asperity contact occurred between the bearing shell and the journal, which led to a sharp increase in contact pressure and a rapid increase in friction power consumption. Further, (b) there was a positive correlation between contact potential and asperity contact. The contact potential was greater than 0.75 mv when asperity contact occurred. These results proved that asperity contact could be accurately monitored using the contact potential, and the feasibility of using the contact potential to monitor the lubrication condition of a bearing was verified.
MiR-3121-3p promotes tumor invasion and metastasis by suppressing Rap1GAP in papillary thyroid cancer in vitro

Background Rap1GAP is a tumor suppressor and is downregulated in human malignancies including papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). The mechanism of its suppression in PTC remains unclear. Methods Bioinformatic analyses were carried out to evaluate clinical significance and to predict upstream miRNA bindings of Rap1GAP. Three PTC cell lines, TPC-1, B-CPAP, and K1, were employed for functional verification and further experiments. We used dual-luciferase reporter gene assay to confirm the miRNA binding prediction, Western blotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to explore miRNA and Rap1GAP regulation, Transwell and wound healing assays to compare cell migration and invasion after protein knockout or overexpression, and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay to evaluate cell proliferation. Results Rap1GAP expression was suppressed in thyroid cancer compared to adjacent normal tissues and was a potential diagnostic marker of PTC. Rap1GAP suppression was correlated to younger age, advanced T stage, N stage, extrathyroidal extension, BRAF-like tumors, and higher risk of recurrence. Combined analysis of bioinformatic prediction and dual-luciferase assay revealed binding between miR-3121-3p with 3'UTR of Rap1GAP promoter. MiR-3121-3p promoted cell migration, invasion, and proliferation via inhibiting Rap1GAP and thus upregulating MAPK pathway. Overexpression and knockdown of Rap1GAP could counteract the influence on cell migration and invasion carried out by miR-3121-3p mimic and inhibitor, respectively. Rap1GAP partially impaired the effect of miR-3121-3p in cell growth in the CCK-8 assay. Conclusions Rap1GAP expression is suppressed in PTC and is a potential diagnostic marker. Its upstream regulator, miR-3121-3p, affects tumor metastasis and proliferation via regulating Rap1GAP expression. MAPK signaling pathway may be involved in this effect.