Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Contributes to Word Learning and Story Retelling of Arabic-speaking Children? Investigation of an E-book Reading Intervention

ABSTRACT Learning words in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and story retelling was tested using an e-book with dictionary. One hundred and sixty-three Arabic-speaking kindergartners were randomly divided into 5 groups. The experimental groups read the e-book with a dictionary: (1) with a dynamic illustration and a request to vocalize the word; (2) with a dynamic illustration without a request to vocalize the word; (3) with a static illustration and a request to vocalize the word; (4) with a static illustration without a request for vocalization. The control group read the book without a dictionary. Receptive and expressive meaning of the e-book’s words and story retelling skills were tested pre- and post-intervention. Children who read the e-book with a dictionary with dynamic presentation of target words and repeated vocalization of the words showed improvement in target words meaning and story retelling. Children with a lower initial level progressed more. Educational implications are discussed.
Computing 3D Phase-Type Holograms Based on Deep Learning Method

Computer holography is a technology that use a mathematical model of optical holography to generate digital holograms. It has wide and promising applications in various areas, especially holographic display. However, traditional computational algorithms for generation of phase-type holograms based on iterative optimization have a built-in tradeoff between the calculating speed and accuracy, which severely limits the performance of computational holograms in advanced applications. Recently, several deep learning based computational methods for generating holograms have gained more and more attention. In this paper, a convolutional neural network for generation of multi-plane holograms and its training strategy is proposed using a multi-plane iterative angular spectrum algorithm (ASM). The well-trained network indicates an excellent ability to generate phase-only holograms for multi-plane input images and to reconstruct correct images in the corresponding depth plane. Numerical simulations and optical reconstructions show that the accuracy of this method is almost the same with traditional iterative methods but the computational time decreases dramatically. The result images show a high quality through analysis of the image performance indicators, e.g., peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity (SSIM) and contrast ratio. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through experimental investigations.
tert-Butyl Bis(4′-(Hexyloxy)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)carbamate

New donor building blocks, i.e., triarylamino derivatives, are of great interest for the production of organic photovoltaic materials. In this communication, bis(4′-(hexyloxy)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)amine was synthesized in a two-step process via hydrolysis of its tert-butyl carbamate derivative. tert-Butyl bis(4′-(hexyloxy)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)carbamate was obtained by Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of tert-butyl bis(4-bromophenyl)carbamate and (4-(hexyloxy)phenyl)boronic acid in the presence of tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0). The structure of newly synthesized compounds was established by means of elemental analysis, high resolution mass-spectrometry, 1H, 13C-NMR, IR and UV spectroscopy and mass-spectrometry.
Comparing soil profiles of adjacent forest stands with contrasting tree densities: lichen woodlands vs. black spruce–feathermoss stands in the continuous boreal forest

Abstract: We studied mature and adjacent open lichen–spruce woodlands (LWs) and closed-canopy spruce–feathermoss stands (FMs) growing under similar edaphic conditions in the continuous boreal forest zone in Quebec (Canada). A total of six pairs of stands were investigated by profile sampling. Stem density, basal area, and biomass were about four times greater in FMs than in LWs on an area basis. In the humus layer, total stocks of C and N and of exchangeable K, Ca, Mg, Al, and Na were 1.4–2.3 times larger in FM than in LW soils. The first 30 cm and the first metre of mineral soils in LWs and FMs displayed similar available nutrient pools except for total C stocks, which were more than twice as large in FM as in LW soils in these soil layers. For the whole profile, total stocks of C and N and stocks of exchangeable Ca and Mg were 1.3–2.6 times larger in FM than in LW soils. These results highlight the low intrinsic fertility of LW soils, primarily due to the humus layer, but also the importance of the biological control of C, N, and mineral nutrients in these boreal soils.
A review of big data analytics on customer complaints in the electricity industry

Fulfilling customer satisfaction gives significant impact to any business including in the electricity industry. The key to achieving customer satisfaction is by providing them the best quality services at fair and reasonable costs. Customer complaints must be managed professionally and appropriately, and be leveraged to improve the quality of services and operational efficiency. In this regard, identifying the root cause of the problems becomes paramount in improving customer service for future improvement. The accumulated customer complaints generate massive data which can be fully utilised by using big data analytics. The purpose of this paper is to determine frequent customer complaint regarding electricity issue and review various methods of big data analytics that have been used to identify valuable insights within the data and to analyse the pattern that can be useful to find solutions to the problem, thus improving the electricity industry services especially in terms of complaint management. On the basis of a study of the different researches, different techniques of machine learning have been used because of its accuracy and in finding a pattern to solve the relevant electrical problem such as predicting power demand, managing power loads, and enhancing strategic planning.
Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, Behavioral Response to a Record-Breaking Flood Event in Pensacola Bay, Florida

Common bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, can suffer health complications from prolonged freshwater exposure; however, little is known about how dolphins behaviorally respond to flood events. We investigated whether dolphins mitigated their freshwater exposure by moving south towards the estuary mouth and/or towards deeper areas with higher salinities in response to a record-breaking flood in Pensacola Bay, Florida. In total, 144 dolphin groups observed during 45 population dynamic surveys were analyzed across two flood-impacted sampling sessions and their respective seasonal control sessions. Kernel density estimates demonstrated southern movement towards the estuary mouth during flood-impacted sessions, but this distribution change was limited. Species distribution models showed that dolphins did not move to deeper areas after the flood and dolphin distribution was not substantially altered by flood-induced salinity changes. The estuary system exhibits strongly stratified waters with broad salinity ranges even during the flood. Dolphins may have mitigated the severity of freshwater exposure by capitalizing on these stratified areas as they continued to use habitat affected by the flood. A lack of avoidance of low salinity could result in this dolphin population being at greater risk for health problems, which should be considered in future population management and conservation.
Studies on CL-20/HMX (2:1) Cocrystal: A New Preparation Method and Structural and Thermokinetic Analysis

A new preparation method for CL-20/HMX (2:1) cocrystal has been established at the laboratory level that is amenable for scale up. Solvent evaporation from a saturated solution of the stoichiometric mixture in the presence of a high boiling antisolvent, comparatively a very efficient and cheaper method, yielded pure cocrystals. Cocrystals were well characterized by spectroscopic, thermoanalytical tools, X-ray diffraction, and microscopic techniques. A correlation of percentage of cocrystal formation with evaporation rate has been obtained through quantitative analysis using Raman spectrometry. An evaporation rate of <1 mL/min consistently produced pure cocrystal confirmed by Raman and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Thermokinetic analysis suggests the cocrystal to be more stable than CL-20 with an energy of activation of 65 kcal/mol, higher than CL-20 but inferior to HMX. Significant augmentation in the values of k and A over CL-20 justified a faster decomposition rate. Enhanced insensitivity toward fr.
Recognition of crevasses with high‐resolution digital elevation models: Application of geomorphometric modeling and texture analysis

Crevasses—cracks in glaciers and ice sheets—pose a danger to polar researchers and glaciologists. We compare the capabilities of two techniques—geomorphometric modeling and texture analysis—to recognize open and hidden crevasses using high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from images collected by an unmanned aerial system (UAS). The first technique includes derivation of local morphometric variables; the second includes calculation of the Haralick texture features. The study area is represented by the first 30 km of a sledge route between the Progress and Vostok polar stations, East Antarctica. The UAS survey was performed by a Geoscan 201 Geodesy UAS. For the sledge route area, DEMs with resolutions of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 m were generated. Models of 12 morphometric variables and 11 texture features were derived from the DEMs. In terms of crevasse recognition, the most informative morphometric variable and texture feature was horizontal curvature and inverse difference moment, respectively. In most cases, derivation and mapping of these variables allow one to recognize crevasses wider than 3 m; narrower crevasses can be recognized for lengths from 500 m. For crevasse recognition, the geomorphometric modeling and the Haralick texture analysis can complement each other.
AI-enabled Enterprise Information Systems for Manufacturing

ABSTRACT This paper considers Enterprise Information Systems functional architecture and carries out review of AI applications integrated in Customer Relationship Management, Supply Chain Management, Inventory and logistics, Production Planning and Scheduling, Finance and accounting, Product Lifecycle Management and Human Resources, with special attention to the manufacturing enterprises. Enhanced capabilities are identified and proposed as AI services. AI-enablement implements improved decision-making or automation by using Machine Learning models or logic-based systems. It is a process of the enterprise transformation leading to the convergence of the four major disruptive technologies, namely Industrial Internet of Things, Agent-based Distributed Systems, Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
Microenvironnement médullaire et résistance des LAM FLT3-ITD aux inhibiteurs de tyrosine kinase : Rôle pivot du récepteur TAM AXL

La duplication interne en tandem au sein du gene du Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) est l’une des mutations les plus frequemment observees dans les leucemies aigues myeloblastiques (LAM). Elle est correlee a un mauvais pronostic. Des inhibiteurs de tyrosine kinase anti-FLT3 (FLT3-ITK) sont en cours de developpement mais les premiers essais cliniques ont ete decevants. Les remissions sont de courte duree, et si une clairance leucemique sanguine est observee, la LAM persiste au sein de la moelle osseuse. Dans ce travail, nous avons demontre que les cytokines activatrices de STAT5, telles que l’interleukine-3 et la thrombopoietine, et les basses pressions en oxygene, telles que celles observees au sein de la niche hematopoietique augmentent l’expression et l’activite du recepteur tyrosine kinase AXL qui protege les cellules de LAM FLT3-ITD de l’apoptose induite par le FLT3-ITK quizartinib (AC220). Nous avons demontre dans un modele murin que les cellules de LAM FLT3-ITD « knock-down » pour AXL sont plus sensibles au quizartinib, et que cette difference se revele specifiquement dans un modele de prise de greffe hematopoietique. La combinaison de strategies inhibitrices du FLT3-ITD et d’AXL permettra d’ameliorer l’efficacite des FLT3-ITK en atteignant la fraction de cellules responsable des rechutes, nichee dans son microenvironnement. A l’issue, nous avons demontre que le gilteritinib (ASP2215), double FLT3/AXL-ITK est plus efficace que le quizartinib pour atteindre ces cellules leucemiques medullaires. Enfin, nous avons demontre que la combinaison d’un anticorps monoclonal anti-AXL avec un FLT3-ITK ou de la cytarabine etait une strategie therapeutique prometteuse dans les LAM FLT3-ITD ou sauvage.
Characterization of Sulfur-Compounds as Chemotaxonomic Markers in the Essential Oils of Allium Species by Solvent-Free Microwave Extraction and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Abstract Allium species were examined to authenticate the chemotaxonomic controversy about these plants by analyzing their extracted compound profiles. Essential oils of various species were isolated using conventional hydro-distillation and solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME). A comparison of the isolation procedures was performed. The presence of sulfur compounds in the Allium genus is a prominent characteristic for their medicinal uses. These components were characterized using two-way hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). The variation of sulfur-compounds was performed by qualitative analysis of Allium species by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). 2,4-Dimethyl-5,6-dithia-2,7-nonadienal, 4,6-diethyl-1,2,3,5-tetrathiolane, and 5,7-diethyl-1,2,3,4,6-pentathiepane were revealed as potential chemotaxonomic markers for all of the Alliums examined in this study. These markers may be used to provide improved systematics for other Allium species.
Objectifying clinical gait assessment: using a single-point wearable sensor to quantify the spatiotemporal gait metrics of people with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Background Wearable accelerometer-containing devices have become a mainstay in clinical studies which attempt to classify the gait patterns in various diseases. A gait profile for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) has not been developed, and no study has validated a simple wearable system for the clinical assessment of gait in lumbar stenosis. This study identifies the changes to gait patterns that occur in LSS to create a preliminary disease-specific gait profile. In addition, this study compares a chest-based wearable sensor, the MetaMotionC© device and inertial measurement unit python script (MMC/IMUPY) system, against a reference-standard, videography, to preliminarily assess its accuracy in measuring the gait features of patients with LSS. Methods We conduct a cross-sectional observational study examining the walking patterns of 25 LSS patients and 33 healthy controls. To construct a preliminary disease-specific gait profile for LSS, the gait patterns of the 25 LSS patients and 25 healthy controls with similar ages were compared. To assess the accuracy of the MMC/IMUPY system in measuring the gait features of patients with LSS, its results were compared with videography for the 21 LSS and 33 healthy controls whose walking bouts exceeded 30 m. Results Patients suffering from LSS walked significantly slower, with shorter, less frequent steps and higher asymmetry compared to healthy controls. The MMC/IMUPY system had >90% agreement with videography for all spatiotemporal gait metrics that both methods could measure. Conclusions The MMC/IMUPY system is a simple and feasible system for the construction of a preliminary disease-specific gait profile for LSS. Before clinical application in everyday living conditions is possible, further studies involving the construction of a more detailed disease-specific gait profile for LSS by disease severity, and the validation of the MMC/IMUPY system in the home environment, are required.
‘Roleplaying as two straight bros going to a game’: LGBTQ2S+ spectators’ experiences at NHL arenas

ABSTRACT While significant attention has been paid to the experiences of queer athletes and sport participants, comparatively little work has explored queer sport fans’ leisure experiences in sport stadiums. Focusing on professional men’s hockey fandom, this empirical study asks: what are the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) spectators at National Hockey League games in Canada? Interviews with 24 diversely identified queer spectators reveal significant variation in experiences, from positive to neutral to negative, and a welcome lack of virulent or aggressive homophobia and transphobia. Most queer spectators perceive the arena space as heteronormative, which often results in feelings of non-belonging. Using de Certeau’s theorisation of tactics, this paper explores how queer spectators modify their behaviour – including minimising and maximising queer visibility – to smoothly navigate the heteronormative arena space. This paper contributes to understandings of homophobia and queer belonging in leisure spaces.
Optimal control of a turbocharged direct injection diesel engine by direct method optimization

This work studies the effect and performance of an optimal control strategy on engine fuel efficiency and pollutant emissions. An accurate mean value control-oriented engine model has been developed and experimental validation on a wide range of operating conditions was carried out. A direct optimization method based on Euler’s collocation scheme is used in combination with the above model in order to address the optimal control of the engine. This optimization method provides the optimal trajectories of engine controls (fueling rate, exhaust gas recirculation valve position, variable turbine geometry position and start of injection) to reproduce a predefined route (speed trajectory including variable road grade), minimizing fuel consumption with limited N O x emissions and a low soot stamp. This optimization procedure is performed for a set of different N O x emission limits in order to analyze the trade-off between optimal fuel consumption and minimum emissions. Optimal control strategies are validated in an engine test bench and compared against engine factory calibration. Experimental results show that significant improvements in both fuel efficiency and emissions reduction can be achieved with optimal control strategy. Fuel savings at about 4% and less than half of the factory N O x emissions were measured in the actual engine, while soot generation was still low. Experimental results and optimal control trajectories are thoroughly analyzed, identifying the different strategies that allowed those performance improvements.
Optimization of process parameters inend milling of Al-4032 based metal matrix composite using TGRA

ABSTRACT The Al-4032/SiC metal matrix composites are quite useful for low density, high corrosion resistance and improved mechanical properties. Usually, 2–8% SiC reinforcement has been researched for various industrial applications. Progressive increase in the reinforcement (SiC) composition in the Al-4032 matrix causes reduction in ductility and increase in brittleness. This paper presents the research on machining aspects of the Al-4032 with 3% SiC reinforcement. Work has been carried out to study the response of cutting speed (CS), feed rate (FR) and depth of cut (DOC) upon the material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR). The experiments have been done on the Computer Numeric Control (CNC) vertical machine centre. The machining (end milling) experiments have been conducted following the Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array. For attempting the bi-objective optimisation (i.e. maximisation of MRR and minimisation of the surface roughness), Taguchi’s grey relational analysis (TGRA) has been implemented using equal weightage to both the response parameters (W1 = W2 = 0.5). The model so obtained has been tested through ANOVA to discover the statistically significant elements. The CS (52.40%) appears to make the largest percentage contribution to the composite response, followed by the FR (26.60%), and the DOC (19.45%).
Applying the ‘Uncertainty-Strategy-Actions’ Model in the Export Strategy Analysis of PJSC Gazprom in the European Gas Market

The study tested the ‘uncertainty-strategy-actions’ model by K.P. Coyne and S. Subramaniam, which the authors proposed earlier as a theoretical basis for analyzing the export strategy of the Russian company PJSC Gazprom in the European gas market. The conclusion was as follows: the company will act as a balancing supplier in the European market in the medium term, maintaining a stable level of exports and diversifying supplies along three routes, and in the long term, the unified Eurasian gas transmission system created within the framework of the company’s forming strategy will become an energy ‘bridge’ between the markets of Europe and Asia.
How Do Language Learning, Teaching, and Transnational Experiences (Re)shape an EFLer’s Identities? A Critical Ethnographic Narrative

Using critical ethnographic narrative as a tool and language socialization as the theoretical stance, the article analyzes excerpts of a language teacher’s life experience and presents findings to join the existing literature. The article indicates that (a) transnational teacher identities develop in a multiple-identity system including identities as an L2 learner, teacher, user, critical thinker, and global citizen; (b) the identity development is not completely staged, but instead recurring; (c) the emergence, formation, and development of the identity system requires translanguaging, transcultural, and transnational capitals, which are accrued through socializing experiences; and (d) critical thinking and intellectual agency work as stimuli to sustain the identity development. The article contributes to the existing literature by presenting a conceptual framework in studying language teacher identities. This article ends up with some advocacy that identity as a pedagogy and tool may provide teacher educators with something innovative and helpful to conduct research in the field.
Not all biodiversity richspots are climate refugia

Abstract. Anthropogenic climate change is increasingly threatening biodiversity on a global scale. Richspots of biodiversity, regions with exceptionally high endemism and/or number of species, are a top priority for nature conservation. Terrestrial studies have hypothesised that richspots occur in places where long-term climate change was dampened relative to other regions. Here we tested whether biodiversity richspots are likely to provide refugia for organisms during anthropogenic climate change. We assess the spatial distribution of both historic (absolute temperature change and climate change velocities) and projected climate change in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine richspots. The results suggest that although terrestrial and freshwater richspots have been and will be somewhat less affected than other areas, they are not excluded from the impacts of global warming. Their characteristic biota is expected to witness similar forcing as other areas, including range shifts and elevated risk of extinction. Marine richspots have warmed even more, have higher climate velocities and are projected to experience higher future warming than non-richspot areas. Our findings emphasise the urgency of protecting a comprehensive and representative network of biodiversity-rich areas that accommodate species range shifts under climate change.