Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voice Matters: How Can a School Listen to Student Voice in School Governance?

This manuscript critically examines the role of student participation in the governance of educational institutions, with a particular focus on the current state of civic education in Hong Kong. The analysis brings to the fore the shortcomings and limited breadth of the existing curriculum programme, spotlighting the imperative need for reform. The manuscript underscores the significance of amplifying students' voices in decision-making processes, stressing the creation of platforms that encourage and facilitate their expression of opinions. The paper presents a suite of potential enhancements that schools could implement to bolster student involvement. These include liberalizing regulations, instituting student councils, and providing more avenues for direct student feedback. The global movement towards greater student agency is duly noted, acknowledging the challenges that schools still face in this transition. However, this paper posits that the active engagement of students in school governance serves as not only a tool for developing their future civic skills, but also an effective strategy for surmounting the obstacles inherent to civic education. In summary, this manuscript accentuates the crucial role of student voice in shaping civic education and cultivating a more inclusive school environment.
A Novel CNN Model for Classification of Chinese Historical Calligraphy Styles in Regular Script Font

Chinese calligraphy, revered globally for its therapeutic and mindfulness benefits, encompasses styles such as regular (Kai Shu), running (Xing Shu), official (Li Shu), and cursive (Cao Shu) scripts. Beginners often start with the regular script, advancing to more intricate styles like cursive. Each style, marked by unique historical calligraphy contributions, requires learners to discern distinct nuances. The integration of AI in calligraphy analysis, collection, recognition, and classification is pivotal. This study introduces an innovative convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture, pioneering the application of CNN in the classification of Chinese calligraphy. Focusing on the four principal calligraphy styles from the Tang dynasty (690–907 A.D.), this research spotlights the era when the traditional regular script font (Kai Shu) was refined. A comprehensive dataset of 8282 samples from these calligraphers, representing the zenith of regular style, was compiled for CNN training and testing. The model distinguishes personal styles for classification, showing superior performance over existing networks. Achieving 89.5–96.2% accuracy in calligraphy classification, our approach underscores the significance of CNN in the categorization of both font and artistic styles. This research paves the way for advanced studies in Chinese calligraphy and its cultural implications.
Implementation of the Parallel Algorithm of the Cross Power Spectral Density of Random Signals

Power spectral density (PSD) is an effective way to analyze random signals. However, it is a time-consuming calculation when it deals with a rapidly growing massive data by using the serial Matlab circumstances. Though a parallel computing toolbox is involved in Matlab 2004, it is too expensive to be wildly used. According to an algorithm of PSD, a parallel algorithm of cross power spectral density (PACPSD), which was implemented using the Master-Slave parallel programming model with the support of Linux clusters and MPI ， was proposed here based on the theory of Welch algorithm. The experiment results reveal that PACPSD can achieve the same accuracy as the function cpsd in Matlab do, and greatly reduce the operation cost.
Spontaneous rupture on natural fractures and seismic radiation during hydraulic fracturing treatments

We extend spontaneous rupture models in earthquake source studies to analyze fluid injection problems. We perform these analyses on a 2‐D fracture network model with a propagating hydraulic fracture (HF) and three sets of natural fractures (NFs). We find that it is difficult for NFs that are either parallel or perpendicular to the HF to slip because of little resolved shear stress on them in the prestress field. Shear failure of optimally oriented NFs depends on frictional parameters, such as the critical slip distance in slip‐weakening laws. Slip of NFs near the tips of the HF may affect HF opening. Nonsmooth fracture opening generates isolated spiky seismic signals, while unstable frictional slip radiates strong and continuous seismic signals with long‐duration coda waves. These results suggest microseismicity may be primarily generated by unstable frictional slip on NFs with some contribution from nonsmooth opening motions on HFs and/or NFs.
Comparison of efficacy of intercostal nerve block versus peritract infiltration with 0.25% bupivacaine in percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A prospective randomized clinical trial

Introduction: Postoperative pain following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) adds to the morbidity of patients requiring additional analgesia. Various modalities of pain control techniques, such as intercostal nerve block (ICNB) and peritract infiltration (PTI), are being studied for better pain management. This study compares the efficacy of ICNB with PTI for postoperative pain management. Methods: A double-blinded, prospective, randomized control study was conducted, in which 0.25% bupivacaine, either ICNB or PTI, was given at the puncture site at the end of PCNL. The primary outcome was a comparison of postoperative pain score measured with resting Visual analogue Scale (r-VAS) and dynamic VAS (D-VAS) recorded at 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 10 h, 12 h, 24 h, and at discharge. Injection ketorolac was given as rescue analgesia. Secondary outcomes include time to first rescue analgesia and total analgesic requirement (TAR). Results: Sixty patients were randomized into two equal groups with 63.3% male and 36.6% female, with a mean age of 37.25 ± 13.09 years. In Group ICNB, 24 (40%) and 6 (10%) patients and in Group PTI, 21 (35%) and 9 (15%) patients underwent standard and mini PCNL, respectively, in each group. All cases were PCNL doen in prone position. The mean R-VAS and D-VAS scores at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h were similar in both groups. The mean TAR was 56.84 ± 0.33. 00 mg and 55.54 ± 0.29. 64 mg of injection ketorolac in Group ICNB and PTI, respectively (P < 0.894). The time to first rescue analgesic demand were 7.11 ± 4.898 h and 6.25 ± 3.354 h (P < 0.527). Both the groups were comparable in terms of length of hospital stay, stone clearance rate, and complication rate. Conclusion: The ICNB was as efficacious as PTI for postoperative pain control with 0.25% bupivacaine following PCNL.
Post-Harvest and Sensory Quality Performance of Open Pollinated Cauliflower Cultivars for Mid-season at Dang District of Nepal

The study was conducted at Tulsipur, Dang, Nepal for two years (2021 and 2022 A.D.) to assess the postharvest quality performance of open pollinated (OP) cauliflower curd. Five OP cauliflower cultivars viz. Kathmandu Local, Khumal Jyapu, Agheni, Terai-1 and Terai-2 (seed sourced from Nepal Agriculture Research Council, Khumaltar, Lalitpur) were replicated four times in Randomized Complete Block Design. Freshly harvested curds from respective plots were considered in postharvest and sensory study. Maximum curd dry matter (15.91%) and Vitamin C content (37.94 mg/100 gm) was recorded in Khumal Jyapu whereas, maximum leaf dry matter (12.53%) and TSS (7.1830Brix) were recorded in Aghani. The color score (8.913) and overall appearance score (7.908) were maximum in Khumal Jyapu. The curd compactness score (7.475) and overall acceptance score (8.133) were recorded maximum in Aghani. The lowest physiological loss in curd weight with jacket leaves (8.193%) was recorded in Khumal Jyapu after 3 days after harvesting (DAH) whereas; the lowest physiological loss in curd weight recorded in Aghani were 13.47%, 19.32%% and 25.06% at 5, 7 and 9 DAH respectively. Similarly, the lowest physiological loss in curd weight without jacket leaves recorded in Khumal Jyapu were 10.45%, 14.82%, 22.83% and 29.77% at 3, 5, 7 and 9 DAH respectively. The lowest spoilage losses of curd along with and without jacket leaves recorded in Aghani were 33.27% and 38.77% respectively. Considering the economically important postharvest attributes Khumal Jyapu and Aghani were found to be the suitable mid-season cultivars in Dang condition.
Review: Fitoremidiasi Limbah Logam Berat dengan Tumbuhan Akar Wangi (Vetiveria zizanioides L)

Fitoremediasi adalah teknologi pembersihan, penghilangan atau pengurangan polutan berbahaya, seperti logam berat, pestisida, dan senyawa organik beracun dalam tanah atau air dengan menggunakan bantuan tanaman (hiperaccumulator plant). Tanaman akar wangi atau vetiver merupakan tanaman dari famili Gramineae (rumput-rumputan) yang masih satu famili dengan serai wangi (citronella) dan serai dapur (lemon grass). Kelebihan tanaman ini adalah kemampuannya untuk menyerap bahan bahan racun berbahaya (B3) dan logam berat yang mungkin terbawa dalam sampah dan meresap ke dalam tanah. Disamping itu akar dari tanaman ini memberikan bau aroma khas yang juga dapat dimanfaatkan untuk bahan baku industri aromaterapi (Kastaman dkk, 2007). Vetiver pun memiliki kemampuan untuk mengolah polutan dan pencemar air, misalnya limbah dari pabrik, lindi atau air dari pembuangan sampah, maupun air dari bisnis pencucian mobil yang banyak mengandung zat-zat kimia. Penggunaan akar wangi sebagai fitoremidiasi terhadap logam cadmium (Cd) telah berhasil dilakukan oleh Patandungan dkk. , (2012). Data ini membuka peluang untuk fitoremidiasi logam berat yang lain seperti timbal (Pb), merkuri (Hg), seng (Zn), Kromium (Cr) dan logam berat lain. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.23960/aec.v3. i2.2018. p139-147
Simultaneous Docking of Antiviral Drugs and Cyanine Dyes with Proteins Using Multiple Ligand Approach

The protein-based nanosystems for targeted drug delivery of a wide array of substances, ranging from small drugs and therapeutic proteins to nucleic acids and genes, attract increasing attention due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability, extraordinary binding capacity for different ligands, accessibility from natural sources, effective drug protection and gentle encapsulation conditions. Due to the multitude of binding pockets and functional groups on the protein surface, these nanocarriers seem to be highly efficient multifunctional nanotheranostic systems that could incorporate both a therapeutic drug and a visualizing agent. This integration serves multiple purposes, including the regulation of drug release, monitoring the alterations at the target site in response to treatment, and offering crucial insights into the efficacy of the intervention in its early stages. The development of these advanced nanosystems necessitates a thorough comprehension of the potential interactions within these intricate systems. In the present study we assessed the potential of six trimethine and seven pentamethine cyanine dyes to serve as visualizing agents in the drug-protein-dye systems which include functionally significant proteins (cytochrome c, serum albumin, lysozyme and insulin and four antiviral drugs, viz. favipiravir, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. The ternary systems with the highest dye-protein surface shape complementarity were established for all groups of the examined cyanine dyes. The influence of the cyanine dye structure on the stability of the drug-protein-dye complexes was assessed. The obtained results indicate that the dye-protein affinity is not solely dependent on the length of the polymethine chain. It was found that the most prospective drug delivery systems containing the trimethines and pentamethines as visualizing agents are AK5-6-, AK5-8- and AK3-11-drug-albumin complexes.
Specific molecular markers in ice cores provide large-scale patterns in biomass burning

PAGES news • Vol 18 • No 2 • August 2010 Sc ie nc e H ig hl ig ht s: P al eo fir e Pairing high-resolution charcoal records with landscape models helps overcome an important limitation common to paleorecords: patterns of past change can be reconstructed, but the causal mechanisms responsible are difficult to determine. Ecological modeling offers the distinct advantage of being able to isolate the interactive influences of climate, vegetation and/or human activity on fire regimes. Statistically comparing simulation output with reconstructed fire history then helps to evaluate competing hypotheses explaining past fire-regime dynamics. Brubaker et al. (2009) employed this approach to suggest that the impact of shifting vegetation was more influential on regional fire regimes in Alaska than the direct effects of climate change. Specifically, in a statistical comparison of charcoal-inferred and simulated fire regimes, a reconstructed increase in fire frequency at ca. 5.5 cal ka BP only matched simulations that combined the addition of highly-flammable black spruce with the fire-dampening effects of decreased temperature or increased precipitation. Data-model comparisons are also instructive when evaluating human impacts on past fire regimes. Using a dynamic landscape vegetation model, Colombaroli et al. (in review) found that ignition frequency overrode climatic influences in determining area burned near the treeline in the Swiss Alps. Thus, an increase in the impact of fire on treeline vegetation during the last 4 ka was attributed to Bronze Age land-use intensification.
Criteria of selecting appropriate Delay Analysis Methods (DAM) for mega construction projects

Nowadays, one of the major sources of issues in the construction sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the Extension of time (EOT) claims, which is so hard to resolve. Authors and practitioners have started trials in numerous academic studies to show how to properly deploy Delay Analysis Methods (or "DAMs") and to give practitioners executive guidelines to support them with proper analyses and claim resolution. The awareness of the use of these methods is essential to realize their restrictions and capacity to fit in with various project circumstances and to select appropriate delay analysis methods. The main objective of this research is to provide a guide for the selection of appropriate DAM by defining a list of important criteria that have the most preference in choosing the effective method. These criteria will be rated by collecting feedback from experts in the MENA region through questionnaires. The survey was conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the abundance of multinational firms working on mega construction projects with multicultural backgrounds and diversity of expertise in addition to the availability of carrying out interviews when needed and the widespread adoption of standard international construction contracts. Then, the possibility of ranking is calculated by using the Relative Importance Index (RII). This ranking will be considered as an important tool for the proper selection of convenient delay analysis methods. Ultimately this paper will facilitate the selection of appropriate DAM by Delay analyst through investigating project circumstances by mapping it with current ranked criteria.
Numerical and experimental study of roll-to-plate hot embossing process of optical microstructures

This paper presents a roll-to-plate hot embossing process (R2PHEP) for precision manufacturing of optical microstructures on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) surface. The viscoelasticity of PMMA at embossing temperature is described by the General Maxwell model. The finite element numerical simulations of R2PHEP are carried out to optimize the process parameters, including mold temperature, roller radial displacement, and mold feed rate. The optimized parameters are used in the R2PHEP to fabricate the desired optical microstructures. The results show that R2PHEP is capable of precision manufacturing of complex and high precision optical microstructures on PMMA surfaces, making it a promising technology for efficient preparation of optical microstructure components.
Research on Micro-Turbine Operating State Characterization Based on Bearing Vibration Signals Analysis

An air flow-driven micro-turbine, widely used in air-condition control systems in aircraft cabins, train coaches, etc., exhibits complex vibration behaviors under stable or unstable inlet flow conditions, and especially has a certain correlation with speeds. In this paper, the vibration responses of the micro-turbine undergoing stable and unstable inlet flows measured on a test rig are analyzed and compared by using different signal processing methods, which include time and frequency domain methods, and statistical and nonlinear methods. First, the test rig system of the airflow-driven micro-turbine, the instrument system and four typical experimental cases are introduced. Then the measured vibration signals are analyzed and compared by time domain characteristic parameters (peak-to-peak value, RMS value and kurtosis value), statistical parameters (auto-correlation and BDS), and amplitude spectra in the frequency domain, statistic spectrum indicators (SSI) based on Welch's periodogram of power spectra, and the spectra of selected IMF components based on Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT). In particular, some nonlinear feature analyzing methods, including Pseudo-Poincare mapping diagrams and Lempel-Ziv(LZ) complexity, are also used for analyzing measured vibration responses. The obtained results using the above multiple methods are compared and show that, when the inlet flow of the turbine fluctuates significantly, the nonlinear characteristics of the turbine bearings are significantly higher than those of the relatively stable inlet flow and speed conditions. Under these circumstances, commonly used time-frequency analysis methods cannot characterize the different speed operating state of the turbine, and LZ-Complexity and other nonlinear characterization methods should be used to better understand the characteristics of different speeds under unstable conditions.This study provides references for the aerodynamic stability monitoring of the micro-turbine and its design improvement.
Practical manual on geographical indications for ACP countries

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) is a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the European Union (EU). Its mission is to advance food and nutritional security, increase prosperity and encourage sound natural resource management in ACP countries. It provides access to information and knowledge, facilitates policy dialogue and strengthens the capacity of agricultural and rural development institutions and communities. CTA operates under the framework of the Cotonou Agreement and is funded by the EU.
Design and Simulation of a Triple Absorber Layer Perovskite Solar Cell for High Conversion Efficiency

This paper presents a comprehensive simulation study on the influence of a triple absorber layer configuration in a perovskite-based solar cell using the SCAPS-1D software, under AM1.5 illumination. The simulated structure comprises a Cesium Tin-Germanium Triiodide (CsSn0.5Ge0.5I3) absorber layer sandwiched between Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) and Cu2O layers. The main objective of this study is to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) by optimizing the thicknesses of each layer. To validate our simulation results, we compare them with experimental data obtained from existing literature, and we observe a satisfactory agreement between the two. Our findings reveal that the maximum PCE of 28% can be achieved by utilizing specific thickness values for each layer. Specifically, the optimal thicknesses are determined to be 20 nm for the IGZO layer, 200 nm for the Cu2O layer, and 700 nm for the perovskite layer. These optimized thickness values lead to a significant improvement in the PCE of the solar cell, reaching 29%. This achievement highlights the effectiveness of our proposed triple absorber layer configuration and demonstrates its potential to enhance the overall performance of the perovskite-based solar cell. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the optimization of the absorber layer configuration in perovskite solar cells, leading to improved power conversion efficiency.
MAX2: An ReRAM-Based Neural Network Accelerator That Maximizes Data Reuse and Area Utilization

Although recent advances in resistive random access memory (ReRAM)-based accelerator designs for deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) offer energy-efficiency improvements over CMOS-based accelerators, they have a large number of energy consuming data transactions. In this paper, we propose MAX<sup>2</sup>, a multi-tile ReRAM accelerator framework for supporting multiple CNN topologies, that maximizes on-chip data reuse and reduces on-chip bandwidth to minimize energy consumption due to data movement. Building upon the fact that a large filter can be built with a stack of smaller (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3\times 3$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) filters, we design every tile with nine processing elements (PEs). Each PE consists of multiple ReRAM subarrays to compute the dot product. The PEs operate in a systolic fashion, thereby maximizing input feature map reuse and minimizing interconnection cost. MAX<sup>2</sup> chooses the data size granularity in the systolic array in conjunction with weight duplication to achieve very high area utilization without requiring additional peripheral circuits. We provide a detailed energy and area breakdown of each component at the PE level, tile level, and system level. The system-level evaluation in 32-nm node on several VGG-network benchmarks shows that the MAX<sup>2</sup> can improve computation efficiency (TOPs/s/mm<sup>2</sup>) by <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2.5\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> and energy efficiency (TOPs/s/W) by <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$5.2\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> compared with a state-of-the-art ReRAM-based accelerator.
Region-Specific and Pregnancy-Enhanced Vasodilator Effects of Hydrogen Sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a cardiovascular signaling molecule that causes vasodilation in vascular smooth muscle cells, but its mechanism is unclear. We examined how H2S affects mesenteric and uterine arteries without endothelium in nonpregnant and pregnant rats and the underlying mechanisms. H2S donors GYY4137 and NaHS relaxed uterine arteries more than mesenteric arteries in both pregnant and nonpregnant rats. GYY4137 and NaHS caused greater relaxation in the uterine artery of pregnant versus nonpregnant rats. High extracellular K+ abolished NaHS relaxation in pregnant uterine arteries, indicating potassium channel involvement. NaHS relaxation was unaffected by voltage-gated potassium channel blockers, reduced by ATP-sensitive potassium channel blockers, and abolished by calcium-activated potassium (BKCa) channel blockers. Thiol-reductant dithiothreitol also prevented NaHS relaxation. Thus, H2S has region-specific and pregnancy-enhanced vasodilator effects in the uterine arteries, mainly mediated by BKCa channels and sulfhydration.