Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Racial micropolitical literacy: Examining the sociopolitical realities of teachers of color co-constructing student transformational resistance

Abstract In connection with the historical legacy and imaginations of youth of Color advocating for more just and equitable futures, I consider the complex political terrain through which teachers of Color cultivate students’ agency for social change within the narrow confines of schooling institutions. In this article, I conceptualize racial micropolitical literacy to analyze how teachers identify context-specific reproductions of whiteness and interlocking systems of oppression while learning to politically confront, navigate, and transform race and power through daily, embodied, and interactional practices. Through video recordings, ethnographic field notes, and interview data, I apply this framework to document the day-to-day practices of an Asian American teacher co-constructing student transformational resistance within a southeast Los Angeles, California public middle school. My analysis reveals that the teacher: (1) used critical artifacts to reconstruct carceral conditions of schooling into communal learning spaces of solidarity and activism, (2) engaged students in everyday dialogue about racism, power, and just possibilities, and (3) subverted scripted curricula by drawing on students and his own counternarratives as resources for sociopolitical learning. These practices were improvisationally leveraged on the day of a US national student-led walkout to expand multiple opportunities for politically marginalized Latinx students to organize collective action against gun violence. Offering a more intergenerational and intersectional lens of resistance and social change, I provide implications for eradicating oppressive schooling conditions that constrain the potential of students and teachers of Color as movement-makers and civic leaders in daily classroom life.
Low-Dose Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol as Beneficial Treatment for Aged APP/PS1 Mice

Studies on the effective and safe therapeutic dosage of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been sparse due to the concern about THC’s psychotropic activity. The present study focused on demonstrating the beneficial effect of low-dose THC treatment in preclinical AD models. The effect of THC on amyloid-β (Aβ) production was examined in N2a/AβPPswe cells. An in vivo study was conducted in aged APP/PS1 transgenic mice that received an intraperitoneal injection of THC at 0.02 and 0.2 mg/kg every other day for three months. The in vitro study showed that THC inhibited Aβ aggregation within a safe dose range. Results of the radial arm water maze (RAWM) test demonstrated that treatment with 0.02 and 0.2 mg/kg of THC for three months significantly improved the spatial learning performance of aged APP/PS1 mice in a dose-dependent manner. Results of protein analyses revealed that low-dose THC treatment significantly decreased the expression of Aβ oligomers, phospho-tau and total tau, and increased the expression of Aβ monomers and phospho-GSK-3β (Ser9) in the THC-treated brain tissues. In conclusion, treatment with THC at 0.2 and 0.02 mg/kg improved the spatial learning of aged APP/PS1 mice, suggesting low-dose THC is a safe and effective treatment for AD.
Effects of Physiological Signals in Different Types of Multimodal Sentiment Estimation

Multimodal sentiment analysis has become a focus of research in recent years. However, most studies of multimodal sentiment analysis have considered only signals that are observable by humans, such as linguistic, audio and visual information, whereas the contribution of the multimodal fusion of such signals with unobservable signals, i.e., physiological signals, has not been comprehensively explored. In this study, we aim to investigate effects of physiological signals in multimodal sentiment analysis by evaluating all of the fusion models for different types of sentiment estimation in naturalistic human-agent interaction settings. Our results suggest that physiological features are effective in the unimodal model and that the fusion of linguistic representations with physiological features provides the best results for estimating self-sentiment labels as annotated by the users themselves. In contrast, the tensor fusion of linguistic representations with audiovisual features is effective for estimating sentiment labels as annotated by a third party in regression tasks, which can be derived from the corresponding signals that are observable by humans. A detailed analysis of the self-sentiment estimation results suggests that different modalities play different roles in sentiment estimation, and corresponding implications are discussed.
The Creation of Long Distance Directional Plasma Discharges via the Exploding Wire Technique

This thesis describes the work completed to create long distance directional discharge using the exploding wire technique. A historical literature review gives the previous works completed on exploding wires dating back to 1780. The review also gives the current understanding of the exploding wire phenomena. The design and construction of a test set to create long distance exploding wires is outlined. A capacitor bank, high voltage switch, charging circuit, hand earths design and construction methods are given. The measurement of the impulse and charging voltage and current is explored and solutions found. Design and construction of a Rogowski Coil and associated circuitry is outlined. Development of software made for reconstruction of rogowski signals is outlined. Results of testing of different wire explosions is given. It is found that if the charge voltage of the capacitors is to high the wire explodes to fast to remove all charge from the capacitors. If the charge is too low the wire may not have enough energy to explode. Conditions for maximum energy discharged by a plasma shrouded exploding wire are found for varying wire diameters and lengths up to 10m.
Android Malware Detection Based on Functional Classification

SUMMARY Android operating system occupies a high share in the mobile terminal market. It promotes the rapid development of Android applications (apps). However, the emergence of Android malware greatly en-dangers the security of Android smartphone users. Existing research works have proposed a lot of methods for Android malware detection, but they did not make the utilization of apps’ functional category information so that the strong similarity between benign apps in the same functional category is ignored. In this paper, we propose an Android malware detection scheme based on the functional classiﬁcation. The benign apps in the same functional category are more similar to each other, so we can use less features to detect malware and improve the detection accuracy in the same functional category. The aim of our scheme is to provide an automatic application functional classiﬁcation method with high accuracy. We design an Android application functional classiﬁcation method inspired by the hyper-link induced topic search (HITS) algorithm. Using the results of automatic classiﬁcation, we further design a malware detection method based on app similarity in the same functional category. We use benign apps from the Google Play Store and use malware apps from the Drebin malware set to evaluate our scheme. The experimental results show that our method can e ﬀ ectively improve the accuracy of malware detection.
Sweet Immunity Aspects during Levan Oligosaccharide-Mediated Priming in Rocket against Botrytis cinerea

New strategies are required for crop protection against biotic stress. Naturally derived molecules, including carbohydrates such as fructans, can be used in priming or defense stimulation. Rocket (Eruca sativa) is an important leafy vegetable and a good source of antioxidants. Here, we tested the efficacy of fructan-induced immunity in the Botrytis cinerea pathosystem. Different fructan types of plant and microbial origin were considered and changes in sugar dynamics were analyzed. Immune resistance increased significantly after priming with natural and sulfated levan oligosaccharides (LOS). No clear positive effects were observed for fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), inulin or branched-type fructans. Only sulfated LOS induced a direct ROS burst, typical for elicitors, while LOS behaved as a genuine priming compound. Total leaf sugar levels increased significantly both after LOS priming and subsequent infection. Intriguingly, apoplastic sugar levels temporarily increased after LOS priming but not after infection. We followed LOS and small soluble sugar dynamics in the apoplast as a function of time and found a temporal peak in small soluble sugar levels. Although similar dynamics were also found with inulin-type FOS, increased Glc and FOS levels may benefit B. cinerea. During LOS priming, LOS- and/or Glc-dependent signaling may induce downstream sweet immunity responses.
PRESENCE OF AN ENDANGERED ENDEMIC PRIMATE IN AN EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE IN THE EASTERN PLAINS OF COLOMBIA

Plecturocebus ornatus is an endemic vulnerable species due to its population decline and its restricted range within the Eastern Plains of Colombia. This region is affected by deforestation as a result of legal and illegal economic activities. The aim of this work was to analyze the presence and abundance of P. ornatus during a period of urban and livestock production expansion (1986-2019) in Villavicencio, Colombia. This municipality is the most affected by land-use changes associated with regional economic development and represents 3.4 % of P. ornatus distribution’s area. The analysis was performed using satellite images Landsat 4 and 8, with V-Late in ArcGIS 10.5 to describe landscape structure, and P. ornatus occurrence records, obtained through field observations and the Global Biological Information Facility. Densities were calculated for each fragment based on total individuals observed by transect. A generalized lineal model was used to evaluate the effects of patch-scale, landscape-scale and other variables on P. ornatus abundance. By 1986 the rural and peri-urban areas of Villavicencio were already a transformed landscape. During the analyzed period, landscape was predominantly made up of disconnected linear fragments with a secondary humid forest cover. Around 82.1 % of the fragments with P. ornatus records are threatened by urbanization and only 50 % are in protected areas. Densities varied from 0.00 to 7.26 ind/ha (0.00–726.82 ind/km2). Abundance of P. ornatus was highly influenced by landscape-scale variables related with landscape connectivity, as well as fragment area and number of other primate species. Therefore, the implementation of restoration measures that increase landscape connectivity and habitat availability is proposed, as well as more control over environmental land-use planning, to contribute to the conservation of P. ornatus in urban areas.
Numerical Investigations of Pumpkin Balloon Deployment Stability

The application of geometric and materially non-linear finite element analysis techniques to the NASA Ultra Long Duration Balloon (ULDB) Program has been driven by the need to understand and overcome deployment problems that have shadowed the chosen #pumpkin’ design. Tensys have been involved in this effort since 2004, alongside parallel investigations into material characterization, fabrication techniques and a program of model and prototype testing. The S-cleft, a stable but asymmetric geometric anomaly that develops during the ascent and pressurization, has been recently identified as the principal design problem. This is a different instability to the overall geometric issues previously identified both numerically and physically. As for these problems, the likely solution to the S-cleft requires the minimization of excess material in the lobes of the pumpkin design. Achieving this will test the structural performance of the film to its limits and make full use of the strain arresting feature of the much stiffer tendons. A full numerical model that takes account of the non-linear visco-elastic response of the film is required to properly judge these design issues over the whole duration of a flight. Stress concentrations must be considered, along with the influence of shape change though film creep on the maintenance of stability. This paper summarizes the numerical paths that have been followed en route to the current situation, and details the implementation of the latest visco-elastic formulation. A foundation is set for ‘whole flight’ analyses of balloon stresses and stability.
Metrology of tissue pathology using optical self-healing

In this work, we study the self-healing properties of the space-time (ST) light sheet upon interaction with a partially transparent object, namely a microtissue array of biological samples. In particular, we study the response of the ST light sheet upon encountering biological tissues that have been graded as normal (benign), malignant, and malignant tumor stage III. We find a differential response that can be leveraged for characterization of the tissue specimens. Specifically, the ST light sheet is observed to more completely reconstruct upon traversing the normal tissue compared to the malignant specimens. We believe that this is the first report exploring the potential of self-healing as a metric for tissue characterization.
Changing expectations related to digitalisation and socialisation in higher education. Horizon scanning of pre- and post-COVID-19 discourses

ABSTRACT Based on related academic and semi-academic discourse, this paper aims to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on important actors and their expectations in the higher education (HE) sector. As open organisations, higher education institutions (HEIs) are influenced and shaped by different stakeholders’ numerous and often controversial demands. While HEIs strive to meet key actors’ needs, these expectations have a determinative role in the future of HEIs. Therefore, the future-oriented horizon scanning method was used for mapping the explicit demands of actors and for analysing alterations in expectations due to the pandemic. The horizon scanning showed that one of the most pressing expectations of HEIs in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) was digitalisation even before the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, the awaited digitalisation in HE was realised within a few weeks, and it affected all actors. The tangible daily experience of the digital mode of education changed the priorities and expectations of the actors. In addition, this unexpected situation brought to the surface HEIs’ hidden potentials, resources and responsibilities. Although the role of digitalisation in the future of HE is clearly manifested, the impacts of social restrictions as well as the effects of the digitalisation of learning and life in general were perceived primarily in the field of socialisation. As a result, the need for socialisation has increased. The article highlights the dynamic interconnection between digitalisation and socialisation, and the changing expectations and voices of stakeholders, which should be considered when HEIs choose their future paths in the post-COVID-19 era.
Large area co‐plated bifacial n‐PERT cells with polysilicon passivating contacts on both sides

In this work, we show the integration of polysilicon‐based passivating contacts in plated bifacial n‐type PERT (passivated emitter and rear totally diffused) solar cells. We show the viability of n‐PERT cells using two‐side passivating contacts with two‐side plated nickel/silver metallization. Compared with commercially available “TOPCon” cells with rear side passivated contacts only, n‐PERT cells with both side passivated contacts should enable the exploitation of the full potential of passivated contacts. We show that both n‐poly and p‐poly were applied and co‐plated successfully on both sides of n‐PERT solar cells. Considering the potential parasitic absorption losses on the front side of the device originating from p‐poly, we applied selective p‐poly by patterning. We compared two patterning methods for front side polysilicon: the masking and etch approach using inkjet printing and a simple and cost‐effective patterning method using UV laser oxidation. A best efficiency of 22.7% has been achieved with these cells so far on large area (244.3 cm2) n‐type Cz, with a potential efficiency above 24%. Some of these co‐plated bifacial cells have been processed into one‐cell laminates using smart wire interconnection (SWCT) technology. These have passed thermal cycling (TC) tests as defined in IEC61215.
Predicting the Colouration between Binaural Signals

Although the difference between the fast Fourier transforms of two audio signals is often used as a basic measure of predicting perceived colouration, these signal measures do not provide information on how relevant the results are from a perceptual point of view. This paper presents a perceptually motivated loudness calculation for predicting the colouration between binaural signals which incorporates equal loudness frequency contouring, relative subjective loudness weighting, cochlea frequency modelling, and an iterative normalisation of input signals. The validation compares the presented model to three other colouration calculations in two ways: using test signals designed to evaluate specific elements of the model, and against the results of a listening test on degraded binaural audio signals. Results demonstrate the presented model is appropriate for predicting the colouration between binaural signals.
The impact of levamisole and alcohol on white matter microstructure in adult chronic cocaine users

Previous brain imaging studies with chronic cocaine users (CU) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) mostly focused on fractional anisotropy to investigate white matter (WM) integrity. However, a quantitative interpretation of fractional anisotropy (FA) alterations is often impeded by the inherent limitations of the underlying tensor model. A more fine‐grained measure of WM alterations could be achieved by measuring fibre density (FD). This study investigates this novel DTI metric comparing 23 chronic CU and 32 healthy subjects. Quantitative hair analysis was used to determine intensity of cocaine and levamisole exposure—a cocaine adulterant with putative WM neurotoxicity. We first assessed the impact of cocaine use, levamisole exposure and alcohol use on group differences in WM integrity. Compared with healthy controls, all models revealed cortical reductions of FA and FD in CU. At the within‐patient group level, we found that alcohol use and levamisole exposure exhibited regionally different FA and FD alterations than cocaine use. We found mostly negative correlations of tract‐based WM associated with levamisole and weekly alcohol use. Specifically, levamisole exposure was linked with stronger WM reductions in the corpus callosum than alcohol use. Cocaine use duration correlated negatively with FA and FD in some regions. Yet, most of these correlations did not survive a correction for multiple testing. Our results suggest that chronic cocaine use, levamisole exposure and alcohol use were all linked to significant WM impairments in CU. We conclude that FD could be a sensitive marker to detect the impact of the use of multiple substances on WM integrity in cocaine but also other substance use disorders.
SI ATRP for the Surface Modifications of Optically Transparent Paper Films Made by TEMPO-Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibers

Applications of cellulose nanofibers currently match the demands of biodegradable and renewable constituent biocomposites. In this study, we studied the process of preparing TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNs). These nano-sized cellulose fibers (ca. 11 nm) can be fabricated to high transmittance and optically transparent paper (OP) films. Then the OP films can be facilely immobilized initiating sites for the subsequent surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI ATRP). We investigated SI ATRP with styrene (St) kinetics and monitored chemical structure changes of the OP surfaces. The obtained OP-g-PSt significantly led to enhance thermal stability and alter the OP surface with hydrophobic compared to that of pristine OP film. Characterization was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and water contact angle (WCA) measurements.
Intrinsic Security: A Robust Framework for Cloud-Native Network Slicing via a Proactive Defense Paradigm

Opening-up sharing has prompted the multi-tenancy architecture, whereby different vendors (including outsourcees) work together with network operators to form a vibrant service ecosystem, resulting in several advantages as well as risks. In particular, the static nature of existing architectures in network functions virtualization-based (NFV-based) clouds facilitate hacking. Thus, much attention has been focused on determining how to avoid the uncontrollable cloud security induced by complex production relations and non-trustworthy software/hardware sources when the two sets of security risks intersect. In this article, we investigate latent persistent threats against cloud environments and determine a high degree of complementarity and consistency between the NFV-based cloud environment and the dynamic defense concept. More specifically, new NFV-based cloud features provide an effective implementation for dynamic defense, while the generalized robustness of dynamic defense theory allows for high security gains. Intrinsic cloud security (iCS) is then proposed to align NFV-based clouds, mimicking defense and the moving target defense (MTD) paradigm to implement a seamless integration and symbiosis evolution between security and NFV-based clouds. We quantify the impact on system overhead to account for efficiency and cost issues. The simulation analysis demonstrates that the enhanced mode is able to consistently obtain a more beneficial and stable defense compared with the counterparts.
Effective Biocontrol of Rice Blast through Dipping Transplants and Foliar Applications

Rice (Oryza sativa) is an increasingly popular food in Africa. As much as 30% of yields are lost due to blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. Several commercial biopesticides of Bacillus subtilis, Trichoderma asperellum, and Serratia sp. strains were evaluated under field conditions for their effects against rice blast and yield at one site in Kenya and three sites in Tanzania in 2020 and 2021. Each biopesticide was applied as a dipping treatment at transplanting, post-transplanting foliar spraying, or both. Using biopesticides not only achieved blast control but also increased grain yield, particularly in low-production regions in Tanzania, with a yield increase of >100%. For higher-production sites with low disease pressure, the yield increase through biopesticides over the untreated control was limited, although significant disease suppression was achieved. Dipping alone was sufficient to suppress disease and improve yield unless disease pressure was high. The differences among the three biopesticides varied with site/year but generally were small. Improved yield using biopesticides is unlikely to result solely from reduced blast development, but also from improved plant development. The present study suggests that these commercial biopesticides should be applied in rice production, particularly in subsistence farming.