Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual silence in the language portrait: analysing young people’s representations of their linguistic repertoires

ABSTRACT While the language portrait (LP) is a visual research method that can make visible speakers’ multilingualism, this article considers how and why speakers may use the LP to make elements of their linguistic repertoire invisible. Analysing the portraits created by three primary school students in Luxembourg, I explore why these young people omitted different linguistic resources in the visual representation of their linguistic repertoire. Combining subject-based perspectives on multilingualism grounded in the lived experience of language with scholarship on silence and visual silence, instances of such erasures are explored in light of their formal, content and functional dimensions. More specifically, I analyse how visual silence can function as a strategy to align the LP with how speakers understand their linguistic repertoire and sense of self, and explore visual silence as a subversive act of resistance against curricular languages at school. The conclusion highlights the affordances of the LP as a visual, creative method that can support subject-based approaches to multilingualism and offers speakers a potentially empowering way to visually and discursively affirm their linguistic repertoire, with visual silence constituting an intentional strategy within this process of representation.
Leader selection in Italian parties. Intraparty democracy in weak organisations, 1946–2020

This study is an analysis of the methods Italian parties used to select their leaders from 1946 to 2020. Using an extended database originally based on the Comparative Study of Party Leaders (Cospal) project and collected through a content analysis of the statutes, the study deals with three topics. First, the individual requirements for candidacy are examined; second, the different types of selectorates are reported; third, a cursory test of the conformity between statutes’ provisions and actual leader selections is proposed. The analyses show that both candidacy requirements and se-lectorates have become more inclusive through time; that the diffusion of inclusive—and cumbersome—selectorates has been followed by the adoption of alternative quick methods of selection based on some type of party council to be used under pressure; and that there is a large overlapping between formal and actual selectorates. A result of this work is a quantification so far unavailable of intraparty democracy in Italy on a long period.
Evolutionary Algorithms Applied to Antennas and Propagation: A Review of State of the Art

A review of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) with applications to antenna and propagation problems is presented. EAs have emerged as viable candidates for global optimization problems and have been attracting the attention of the research community interested in solving real-world engineering problems, as evidenced by the fact that very large number of antenna design problems have been addressed in the literature in recent years by using EAs. In this paper, our primary focus is on Genetic Algorithms (GAs), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Differential Evolution (DE), though we also briefly review other recently introduced nature-inspired algorithms. An overview of case examples optimized by each family of algorithms is included in the paper.
Shear Strength of a Cemented Paste Backfill Submitted to High Confining Pressure

Deep mining operations require special measures in order to keep safe and economic aspects. After mine ore is extracted, voids are created and need to be filled with high-strength, low-cost materials. Cemented Paste Backfill (CPB) has recently become one of the main alternatives in filling stopes. Although numerous papers have mentioned the magnitudes of the strength of this material, its behavior under high confining pressures is still not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge regarding the CPB behavior. Triaxial compression tests were performed using a Hoek Cell and Load Frame System under high confining pressures. Samples with two different binder contents were used in order to obtain the CPB strength improvement. Besides the self-weight consolidation curing method, samples were subjected to a different curing method that simulated a zero gravity condition (rotating wheel) in the first curing day to compare their mixture properties. The results suggested that both curing method and binder content have influenced the geomechanical properties of Cemented Paste Backfill. By increasing the curing time, the CPB shear strength has increased slightly, whereas specimens with higher binder content presented a significant increase in shear strength values.
Analysis of Approaches of Monitoring, Intrusion Detection and Identification of Network Attacks

Ensuring the security of cloud data, computing and applications is an urgent task. The main methods of web-application development and existing ways to improve information security at all stages of product development are considered. The main characteristics of cloud computing providers are described. It also compares different types of infrastructures and cloud computing providers and analyzes modern tools for process automation. The work includes an analysis of modern software development methodologies, as well as an analysis of data providers to ensure the protection of information in their use.
Prevention of acute graft-vs.-host disease by targeting glycolysis and mTOR pathways in activated T cells

Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a common life-threatening complication that can occur following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This occurs if donor T cells recognize the host as foreign. During acute GvHD (aGVHD), activated T cells utilize glycolysis as the main source of energy generation. Therefore, inhibition of T cell glycolysis is a potential treatment strategy for aGVHD. In the present study, the effects of the combination of the glycolysis inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) and the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin (RAPA) on a mode of aGVHD were explored. In vitro mixed lymphocyte culture model was established by using splenocytes from C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice as responder and inactivated splenocytes from BALB/c (H-2d) mice as stimulator. In this model, 3-BrPA treatment (0-100 µmol/l) was found to suppress cell viability, increase cell apoptosis and reduce IFN-γ secretion, in a concentration-dependent manner. 3-BrPA treatment (0-100 µmol/l) was found to suppress cell viability, increase cell apoptosis and reduce IFN-γ secretion, in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, combined treatment with 3-BrPA (0-100 µmol/l) alongside RAPA (20 µmol/l) exhibited synergistic effects on inhibiting cell viability and IFN-γ production, compared with those following either treatment alone. An aGVHD model was established by injection of bone marrow cells and spleen cells from the donor-C57BL/6(H-2b) mice to the receptor-BALB/c(H-2d) mice which were underwent total body irradiation first. In the aGVHD model, 3-BrPA (10 mg/kg/day), RAPA (2.5 and 5 mg/kg/day) and both in combination (5 and 2.5 mg/kg/day for 3-BrPA and RAPA, respectively) were all found to alleviate the damage caused by aGVHD, in addition to prolonging the survival time of mice with acute GvHD. In particular, the combined 3-BrPA and RAPA treatment resulted in the highest median survival time among all groups tested. In addition, the effects induced by combined 3-BrPA and RAPA treatment were found to be comparable to those in the 5 mg/kg/day RAPA group but superior to the 3-BrPA group with regards to the cumulative survival profile, GvHD score and lung histological score. The 3-BrPA and RAPA combination group also exhibited the lowest IFN-γ levels among all groups. Therefore, the combination of inhibiting both glycolysis and mTOR activity is a promising strategy for acute GvHD prevention.
Determinants of FDI inflows to West Africa: Prospects for regional development and globalization

Abstract This paper examines the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow into West Africa. FDI is regarded as the central engine for growth. Such inflows are not often satisfactory, both in terms of their volume and in terms of their sectoral distribution, particularly in developing countries. The study carried out a unit root test using the Im-Pesaran-shin (IPS) method, which revealed that four out of many variables were stationary at first difference, while other variables were stationary at level. Consequently, the Kao co-integration test methodology was used to analyze the long-run relationship. Thus, the regression analysis was carried out using the Panel ARDL method in an equation with a 50-year observation period. Concerning the remaining seven equations with shorter time series observations, the Pooled OLS estimation method was used to analyze the factors determining the inflow of FDI. The results indicate that financial development has a negative effect on FDI flows (and hence on globalization processes) in West Africa, while trade openness, institutional composite index and control of corruption have positive effects on FDI and hence increase globalization tendency. Based on these findings, the study recommends, among other things, that the authorities in West African countries vigorously pursue trade liberalization policy as an effort to globalize the region through FDI inflows. The study examined the macroeconomic determinants on FDI alongside institutional and socio-political determinants that are difficult to study in the case of West Africa as a region. The use of a composite institutional quality index, which combines multiple indicators of institutional quality, is another novelty of this research. Another unique contribution of the study is the use of the Africa Infrastructure Development Index (AIDI), which serves as a composite infrastructure index, as an explanatory variable.
Influence of Shod and Barefoot Running on the In Vivo Kinematics of the First Metatarsophalangeal Joint

The biomechanics of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) is affected by different shoe conditions. In the biomechanical research field, traditional skin marker motion capture cannot easily acquire the in vivo joint kinematics of the first MTPJ in shoes. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the differences of the first MTPJ’s six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) kinematics between shod and barefoot running by using a high-speed dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS). In total, 15 healthy male runners were recruited. Computed tomography scans were taken from each participant’s right foot for the construction of 3D models and local coordinate systems. Radiographic images were acquired at 100 Hz while the participants ran at a speed of 3 m/s ± 5% in shod and barefoot conditions along an elevated runway, and 6DOF kinematics of the first MTPJ were calculated by 3D–2D registration. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare the kinematic characteristics of the first MTPJ 6DOF kinematics during the stance phase between shod and barefoot conditions. Compared with barefoot, wearing shoes showed significant changes (p < 0.05): 1) the first MTPJ moved less inferior at 50% but moved less superior at 90 and 100% of the stance phase; 2) the peak medial, posterior, and superior translation of the first MTPJ significantly decreased in the shod condition; 3) the extension angle of the first MTPJ was larger at 30–60% but smaller at 90 and 100% of the stance phase; 4) the maximum extension angle and flexion/extension range of motion of the first MTPJ were reduced; and 5) the minimum extension and adduction angle of the first MTPJ was increased in the shod condition. On the basis of the high-speed DFIS, the aforementioned results indicated that wearing shoes limited the first MTPJ flexion and extension movement and increased the adduction angle, suggesting that shoes may affect the propulsion of the first MTPJ and increase the risk of hallux valgus.
Review on Lyophilization of Anti-biotics

The process of Lyophilization is carried out in pharmaceutical solutions inorder to produce an acceptable and stable product has been a practice employed to manufacture many marketed injectable formulations. Lyophilization which is based on the principle of sublimation of ice is a process of removal of water by, conversion of ice directly from solid to vapour without passing through a liquid phase. It includes the processes like freezing, sublimation and desorption. The present marketed formulation is taking more amount of time to get lyophilized and is facing problem of cake integrity during transport and upon prolonged storage. So the present work is designed to formulate a lyophilized Piperacillin tazobactam powder for injection, with decreased lyophilization time, increased stability and make the product more economical. Thus, the important objective of this research is to formulate a stable lyophilized formulation with desired characteristics, by combining with different excipients
Toward Ubiquitous Sensing and Localization With Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

In future cellular systems, wireless localization and sensing functions will be built-in for specific applications, e.g., navigation, transportation, and healthcare, and to support flexible and seamless connectivity. Driven by this trend, the need for fine-resolution sensing solutions and centimeter-level localization accuracy arises, while the accuracy of current wireless systems is limited by the quality of the propagation environment. Recently, with the development of new materials, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) provide an opportunity to reshape and control the electromagnetic characteristics of the environment, which can be utilized to improve the performance of wireless sensing and localization. In this tutorial, we will first review the background and motivation for utilizing wireless signals for sensing and localization. Next, we will introduce how to incorporate RIS into applications of sensing and localization, including key challenges and enabling techniques, and then, some case studies will be presented. Finally, future research directions will also be discussed.
Rheological behaviour and antibacterial activities of MWCNTs/ lyotropic liquid crystals based nanocolloids

ABSTRACT Nanocolloids are prepared via doping of 0.015 mg and 0.030 mg multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the lyotropic phases of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)/glycerol (2:98, 5:95, 10:90 and 20:80 wt%/wt%). Nanocolloids are characterised by polarising optical microscopy (POM) for structural confirmations. No phase change has been observed in any sample with MWCNTs doping concentrations. Non-doped lyotropic phases and nanocolloids are studied for static and dynamic rheology, frequency sweep and thixotropic behaviour. Shear rheology infers about the shear thinning to Newtonian till 10:90 CPC/glycerol concentration and shear thickening to Newtonian for 20:80 wt%:wt% system. The studied systems follow the nematodynamic concept. The frequency sweep test infers that lyotropic mesophases and nanocolloids exhibit viscoelastic behaviour. Further, the thixotropic measurements infer the weak gel nature of mesophases and nanocolloids. Lyotropic phases and nanocolloids show strong inhibition properties against the gram-negative Escherichia Coli (E. Coli.) bacteria. Lyotropic phases and nanocolloids can be used in microbial and lubrication applications. The unique antibacterial properties of these systems make them suitable for use in medical and pharmaceutical devices to prevent the spread of infection. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
OFFSET ELIMINATION USING RECEDING HORIZONT CONTROLLERS: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

An offset free control is one that drives the controlled outputs to their desired targets at steady state. In the linear model predictive control (MPC) framework, the elimination of steady state offset may seem a little obscure, since the closed loop optimization tends to hide the integral action. Theoretically, implementing a well posed optimization problem and having unbiased prediction in steady state are sufficient conditions to eliminate offset output. However, these basic conditions are not always achieved in practical applications. This paper presents a detailed practical analysis of the existing strategies to eliminate offset when linear models with moderated uncertainties are controlled. In addition, these strategies are used for a Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) control with nonlinear dynamic, in order to evaluate the formulations in a more realistic process.
CAPMIG: Coherence-Aware Block Placement and Migration in Multiretention STT-RAM Caches

In recent years, the increased working set size of applications craves more memory demand in terms of large-sized last-level caches (LLCs). To fulfill this, one of the promising technology is STTRAM. However, high write energy and write latency make it challenging to adopt it on a wide scale. Multiretention STTRAM caches have been considered an improvisation over standard STTRAM caches by reducing their retention time which reduces the write latency. Here, we have to negotiate with a refresh operation by applying various refresh management techniques. However, its retention period consumes significant refresh energy in the periodic refresh. In this article, we take help from the coherence protocol and decide the best retention type for each block. A block loaded on a write access is likely to get more writes in the future and is therefore loaded in the lowest retention time region. Similarly, instruction blocks are loaded in the highest retention time region. This helps in reducing the number of refreshes incurred by the blocks. During runtime, the blocks may change their access patterns, requiring a change in their retention region. This article also proposes a migration policy to relocate the blocks to appropriate regions during runtime. Identification of zero data value blocks and not refreshing them is an additional augmentation to our proposal. The experimental result using full system simulation shows a good reduction in the number of refreshes and energy consumption over the baseline designs.
Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957 (Monogenea, Gyrodactylidae) spreads further – a consequence of rainbow trout farming in Northern Russia

The monogenean freshwater parasite Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957 is endemic to Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) east of the Baltic Sea, but has spread outside this area via transport and stocking of fish. In Norway and Russia, infections with G. salaris have had catastrophic consequences for many salmon populations. The parasite is also common on farmed rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) where it can persist in low numbers and without clinical signs. The transport and movement of infected rainbow trout is an important factor in the spreading of G. salaris in Europe. Due to increasing interest in establishing rainbow trout farms in White Sea drainages in Murmansky Oblast, Russia, and the potential subsequent unintentional spreading of G. salaris , parasitological examinations of salmonids were carried out. Farmed rainbow trout (n = 48) and Atlantic salmon (n = 375) from River Tuloma and farmed rainbow trout from Lake Imandra (n = 10), were examined in the period from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, environmental DNA monitoring was conducted for the detection of G. salaris in 2018. Gyrodactylus specimens were first detected in 2015 on Atlantic salmon from the tributary River Pak. Specimens obtained from Atlantic salmon in River Tuloma and from rainbow trout in River Tuloma and Lake Imandra the following years were confirmed to be G. salaris by sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS rDNA) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI). All specimens carried the same COI sequence, which was identical to a strain (GenBank Accession number AF479750) frequently found on farmed rainbow trout. The prevalence varied, but reached 100% in some samples. Maximum intensity observed was 899, but intensities were generally lower than intensities expected to lead to mortalities. There was good correspondence between eDNA monitoring and conventional methods. The results indicate that G. salaris has spread to River Tuloma via transport of live rainbow trout.
‘Doing’ digital transformation: theorising the practitioner voice

ABSTRACT The objective of this theory-building research is to explore the defining characteristics of ‘doing’ Digital Transformation (DT) and present a holistic account of the practitioner practices that characterise ‘doing’ DT. For the purposes of this research ‘doing’ DT is defined as leveraging digital technologies to significantly alter an organisational design in order to enhance customer engagement. To fulfil this objective, we select 16 key informants (digital transformation leaders) based on their organisational perspective (Business or IT) and role (Strategic or Operational), which facilitates hearing 4 types of practitioner voices. Following an inductive open coding approach, 348 excerpts were coded, leading to the emergence of 95 concepts, which were further grouped into 14 categories. In this paper, we focus our write-up on the six most frequently occurring categories that are shaped by all four key informant groups (practitioner voices). This paper is unique in providing a holistic categorisation of the defining characteristics of ‘doing’ DT, while also providing 24 ‘Practitioner Priorities’. These ‘Practitioner Priorities’ sharpens the focus of academia and practice, highlighting the ‘role of people’, ‘role of data’ and ‘role of technology’ when ‘doing’ DT.
Multiscale Modeling of Polymers: Leveraging Reaction Kinetics for Structure Morphology and Property Prediction

Quantum mechanics (QM) simulation has become a reliable tool for the prediction of structures, chemical mechanisms, and reaction energetics for fundamental reaction steps. Employing automated QM tools, we can identify key reaction steps and their kinetics involved in polymer synthesis and matrix-crosslinking. The information obtained from QM, is often overlooked, but is critical in building realistic polymer systems and condensed phase morphologies. There are numerous amine and epoxy monomers in use today for composites, adhesives and coatings. In this study we have screened the key reaction barriers of amine/epoxy/accelerant combinations yielding 252 reactive barriers. Utilizing a subset of these with crosslinking tools that are chemically agnostic; we can generate physically meaningful morphologies and efficiently study the properties of crosslinked polymer systems. In this presentation, we will review the large scale simulation of reactive barriers and discuss the key trends observed. In addition, the connection to physical properties will be reviewed. This presentation will highlight builders, QM and MD simulation workflows, and prediction of properties and data analysis, that provide insight into existing epoxy/amine materials as well provide avenues for developing new chemistries with desired processing performance properties.
Existence and global exponential stability of periodic solution for Cohen-Grossberg neural networks model with piecewise constant argument

In this paper, we introduce a Cohen-Grossberg neural networks model with piecewise alter-nately advanced and retarded argument. Some suﬃcient conditions are established for the existence and global exponential stability of periodic solutions. The approaches are based on employing Brouwer’s ﬁxed-point theorem and an integral inequality of Gronwall type with deviating argument. The criteria given are easily veriﬁable, possess many adjustable parameters, and depend on piecewise constant argument deviations, which provide ﬂex-ibility for the design and analysis of Cohen-Grossberg neural networks model. Several numerical examples and simulations are also given to show the feasibility and eﬀectiveness of our results.