Participation acts and communication strategies in academic classroom discussions: a case study of students in the master of arts program in applied linguistics at Prince of Songkla University

Thesis (M.A.Applied Linguistics)--Prince of Songkla University, 200

Impacts of Positioning, Power, and Resistance on EFL Learners’ Identity Construction through Classroom Interaction: A Perspective from Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis

In this study, we explored how positioning, power, and resistance might have possible impacts on learners’ identity construction. We conducted this study in a 6-month language and culture program from August 2018 to January 2019 involving one teacher and 24 English major undergraduate students at a public university in Thailand. Using Kumaravadivelu’s (1999) Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis (CCDA) as an analytical framework and Braun and Clarke\u27s (2006) thematic analysis approach to analysing data , we found three themes that illustrate how participants demonstrated positioning, power, and resistance: (a) learners’ choice of code as passive resistance, (b) circulating power in interaction and struggles of power, and (c) multiple positioning in classroom interactions. The findings suggest classroom context serves as a learning space to shape the contours of learners’ identity positioning and dynamics of power negotiation. This study contributes to the growing research on language learners’ identity in classroom interactions from a CCDA perspective. It suggests that EFL teaching should incorporate learner identity as an explicit goal that serves as an interpretive frame for learners’ on-going academic growth as English users within and beyond classroom contexts

Insights from Niche Markets: Explainable and Predictive Values of Consumption Tendency on Credit Risks

The rapid development of FinTech drives the growing popularity of digital payment transactions. This phenomenon, especially given the increasing number of offline and online transactions being recorded in a real-time manner, offers great opportunities for financial service platforms to track consumers’ consumption tendencies and dynamically monitor and evaluate their creditworthiness. In our recent research, we first theorized the value of category-level consumption tendency based on the self-regulatory theory and employed econometric methods to empirically test the relationship between category-level consumption tendency and credit behavior. Then, we proposed a Deep Hierarchical Partial Attention-based Model (DHPAM) to predict credit default risk with full employment of product category features. We provided strong experimental evidence to show that the proposed DHPAM outperforms the state-of-the-art machine learning models. This paper, based on theories, empirical analyses, and a prediction model, offers comprehensive and practical guidance on the optimal utilization of consumption information in credit risk management

Ultraviolet photon-counting single-pixel imaging

We demonstrate photon-counting single-pixel imaging in the ultraviolet region. Toward this target, we develop a high-performance compact single-photon detector based on a 4H-SiC single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), where a tailored readout circuit with active hold-off time is designed to restrain detector noise and operate the SPAD in free-running mode. We use structured illumination to reconstruct 192$\times$192 compressed images at a 4 fps frame rate. To show the superior capability of ultraviolet characteristics, we use our single-pixel imaging system to identify and distinguish different transparent objects under low-intensity irradiation, and image ultraviolet light sources. The results provide a practical solution for general ultraviolet imaging applications.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Applied Physics Letter

The valproate mediates radio-bidirectional regulation through RFWD3-dependent ubiquitination on Rad51

Ionizing radiation (IR) can induce DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in tumor cells during radiotherapy (RT), but the efficiency of RT is limited because of the toxicity to normal cells. Locating an adjuvant treatment to alleviate damage in normal cells while sensitizing tumor cells to IR has attracted much attention. Here, using the 7,12-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene (DMBA)-induced malignant transformed MCF10A cells, we found that valproate (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), radiosensitized transformed cells while alleviated IR-induced damage in normal cells at a safe dose (0.5 mM). We further demonstrated the decrease of homologous recombination (HR)-associated Rad51 in the transformed cells was related to the increase of its ubiquitination regulated by E3 ligase RFWD3 for the radiosensitization, which was opposite to normal cells, indicating that RFWD3-dependent ubiquitination on Rad51 was involved in the VPA-mediated radio-bidirectional effect. Through DMBA-transformed breast cancer rat model, VPA at 200 mg/kg radiosensitized tumor tissue cells by increasing RFWD3 and inhibited Rad51, while radioprotected normal tissue cells by decreasing RFWD3 and enhanced Rad51. In addition, we found high-level Rad51 was associated with tumorigenesis and poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. Our findings uncovered RFWD3-dependent Rad51 ubiquitination was the novel mechanism of VPA-mediated radio-bidirectional effect, VPA is a potential adjuvant treatment for tumor RT

Transcriptome sequencing of Verticillium dahliae from a cotton farm reveals positive correlation between virulence and tolerance of sugar-induced hyperosmosis

Verticillium dahliae causes disease symptoms in its host plants; however, due to its rapid variability, V. dahliae is difficult to control. To analyze the reason for this pathogenic differentiation, 22 V. dahliae strains with different virulence were isolated from a cotton farm. The genetic diversity of cotton varieties make cotton cultivars have different Verticillium wilt resistance, so the Xinluzao 7 (susceptible to V. dahliae), Zhongmian 35 (tolerant), and Xinluzao 33 (resistant) were used to investigate the pathogenicity of the strains in a green house. Vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) assays, Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) PCR, and pathogenicity analysis showed that SHZ-4, SHZ-5, and SHZ-9 had close kinship and significantly different pathogenicity. Transcriptome sequencing of the three strains identified 19 of 146 unigenes in SHZ-4_vs_ SHZ-5, SHZ-5_vs_ SHZ-9, and SHZ-4_vs_ SHZ-9. In these unigenes, three proteinase and four polysaccharide degrading hydrolases were found to be associated with the pathogenicity. However, due to a number of differentially expressed genes in the transport, these unigenes not only played a role in nutrition absorption but might also contribute to the resistance of sugar-induced hyperosmosis. Moreover, the tolerance ability was positively related to the pathogenicity of V. dahliae. This resistance to sugar-induced hyperosmosis might help V. dahliae to access the nutrition of the host. The pathogenicity of V. dahliae correlated with the resistance of sugar-induced-hyperosmosis, which provides clues for the cultivation of V. dahliae resistant varieties

Carrier localization and electronic phase separation in a doped spin-orbit driven Mott phase in Sr3(Ir1-xRux)2O7

Interest in many strongly spin-orbit coupled 5d-transition metal oxide insulators stems from mapping their electronic structures to a J=1/2 Mott phase. One of the hopes is to establish their Mott parent states and explore these systems' potential of realizing novel electronic states upon carrier doping. However, once doped, little is understood regarding the role of their reduced Coulomb interaction U relative to their strongly correlated 3d-electron cousins. Here we show that, upon hole-doping a candidate J=1/2 Mott insulator, carriers remain localized within a nanoscale phase separated ground state. A percolative metal-insulator transition occurs with interplay between localized and itinerant regions, stabilizing an antiferromagnetic metallic phase beyond the critical region. Our results demonstrate a surprising parallel between doped 5d- and 3d-electron Mott systems and suggest either through the near degeneracy of nearby electronic phases or direct carrier localization that U is essential to the carrier response of this doped spin-orbit Mott insulator.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures in main text, 4 figures in supplemental tex

Construction and validation of a nomogram of risk factors for new-onset atrial fibrillation in advanced lung cancer patients after non-surgical therapy

ObjectiveRisk factors of new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) in advanced lung cancer patients are not well defined. We aim to construct and validate a nomogram model between NOAF and advanced lung cancer.MethodsWe retrospectively enrolled 19484 patients with Stage III-IV lung cancer undergoing first-line antitumor therapy in Shanghai Chest Hospital between January 2016 and December 2020 (15837 in training set, and 3647 in testing set). Patients with pre-existing AF, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy were excluded. Logistic regression analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to identify predictors of NOAF, and nomogram model was constructed and validated.ResultsA total of 1089 patients were included in this study (807 in the training set, and 282 in the testing set). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, c-reactive protein, centric pulmonary carcinoma, and pericardial effusion were independent risk factors, the last two of which were important independent risk factors as confirmed by PSM analysis. Nomogram included independent risk factors of age, c-reactive protein, centric pulmonary carcinoma, and pericardial effusion. The AUC was 0.716 (95% CI 0.661–0.770) and further evaluation of this model showed that the C-index was 0.716, while the bias-corrected C-index after internal validation was 0.748 in the training set. The calibration curves presented good concordance between the predicted and actual outcomes.ConclusionCentric pulmonary carcinoma and pericardial effusion were important independent risk factors for NOAF besides common ones in advanced lung cancer patients. Furthermore, the new nomogram model contributed to the prediction of NOAF