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An Exploration of a Possible Connection Between Cosmic Rays and Terrestrial Hail Production
No full textAdvancing Explainability in Multi-Label Classification for Tomato Disease Detection Using Machine Learning Interpretability Techniques
Full text linkPlant diseases pose a significant threat to global food security, affecting crop yield, quality, and overall agricultural productivity. Traditionally, diagnosing plant diseases has relied on timeconsuming visual inspections by experts, which can often lead to errors. With the rapid growth of technology, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) have opened new possibilities for automating this process. One of the most promising technologies for plant disease diagnosis is Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), which have proven effective in image classification tasks. Plant leaves, often exhibiting symptoms such as discoloration and irregular textures, serve as key indicators for disease detection. By processing large datasets of leaf images, CNNs can automate disease diagnosis without the need for manual inspection, offering faster and potentially more accurate results. Despite their strong performance, CNNs are often criticized as black box models due to the lack of transparency in their decision-making processes. In high-stakes fields like agriculture, where farmers and agronomists must rely on the predictions of these models, this opacity can hinder trust in their outputs. To address this issue, machine learning interpretability techniques, known as Explainable AI (XAI) has emerged as a solution, providing insights into how these models make predictions and which features of the input data most influence their decisions. This research aims to combine CNNs with XAI techniques to enhance transparency in plant disease diagnosis. Specifically, we focus on tomato leaf diseases, where the plant may suffer from multiple diseases simultaneously. Unlike traditional multiclass classification, which labels diseases as individual categories, multilabel classification allows for the identification of iv multiple diseases in a single leaf. This multilabel approach, coupled with XAI, allows agricultural specialists to better understand the model\u27s decision-making process and increases trust in automated disease detection systems. Our findings show that incorporating XAI techniques, such as Grad-CAM, intergraded gradients, and LIME, significantly improves model interpretability, making it easier for practitioners to identify the underlying symptoms of plant diseases. This study not only contributes to the field of plant disease detection but also offers a novel perspective on improving AI transparency in real-world agricultural applications. With a training accuracy of 96.88% for EfficientNetB7, 93.75% for EfficientNetB0, and 87.50% for ResNet50, our proposed models outperform earlier research on the same dataset, demonstrating a notable increase in accuracy over previous models. Additionally, we implemented three explainable AI techniques to enhance the transparency and trustworthiness of our models, ensuring that their decisions are interpretable and reliable
How do Elementary Induction Teachers Perceive Video Coaching as a Job-Embedded Professional Development Strategy?
Full text linkThis qualitative narrative case study examines the perceptions of elementary school induction teachers on video coaching as a job-embedded professional development strategy. The research was conducted with 12 induction teachers from an urban school district in Georgia, utilizing questionnaires, focus groups, and individual interviews. Nine teachers participated in focus groups, and four in individual interviews. Initially, teachers expressed negative views about video coaching, primarily due to discomfort with being recorded. However, over time, increased self-reflection and structured mentor feedback led to a positive shift in perceptions. Teachers reported heightened self-awareness, instructional improvements, and a stronger emotional connection to their teaching practices. The findings highlight video coaching’s potential to enhance professional growth, improve instructional effectiveness, and support teacher retention. This study provides valuable insights for the design of induction programs, emphasizing reflective practices and the critical role of mentor guidance in supporting early-career educators
Chair Leaders—Strategies for Success
Full text linkSuccessful and effective Department Chairs can positively impact faculty, staff, and students through enacting specific and practical strategies in the essential areas of personnel, communication, budget, instruction, culture, and change and to help them further develop their leadership abilities. This work is based on a review of the literature and conversations among mentors and mentees participating in one institution’s group mentoring program. This review and qualitative process reaffirms that most Chairs are inexperienced and ill-prepared for the myriad roles and responsibilities Chairs are expected to fulfill and need professional mentoring and guidance in enhancing their leadership skills. Chairs need to understand
the essential character traits they must demonstrate and the actions they should take to be effective and successful. These include modeling integrity, building trust, ensuring transparency, listening to understand, delegating tasks, emphasizing student learning, being an advocate, pursuing personal learning opportunities, being fair and equitable, exhibiting courage, facilitating change, and ensuring everyone feels they belong. In addition to managing financial, space, and human resources, Chairs need to realize the pivotal importance of consistently strengthening relationships. Chairs should emphasize nurturing a positive departmental culture to increase job satisfaction for faculty and staff. Chairs need to maintain personal teaching, research, and service contributions while never losing focus on their primary role of serving others
Episode 3 - Friend or Foe of Liberty Part 1
Full text linkMain Question(s):
How Does Lafayette’s Ideology conflict with his actions in the French Revolution?
Episode Description:
Lafayette returns to France, but can he balance his revolutionary ideals with the realities of a crumbling monarchy? In this episode, we dive into the early days of the French Revolution, exploring Lafayette’s role as a liberal leader, a mediator, and ultimately, a controversial figure.
We break down the growing tensions in France—the economic crisis, the Estates General, and the storming of the Bastille—before turning to Lafayette’s leadership of the National Guard and his attempts to maintain order amid chaos. But was he truly a champion of liberty, or was he too caught between the monarchy and the revolutionaries to take a definitive stand
Episode 6 - Fame and Infamy Part 2
Full text linkMain Question(s):
What was Lafayette’s role in abolition and with the oppressed in France?
What did Lafayette’s trip to America look like?
Episode Description: In the second part of Fame and Infamy, we dive into Lafayette’s complex views on abolition and his famous return to America. Was he truly an abolitionist, or was his gradual approach just another form of self-serving posturing? We examine his involvement in the Society of the Friends of the Blacks, his controversial plantation experiment, and the broader implications of his stance on slavery.
Then, we fast forward to his triumphant return to the United States in 1824—a rockstar-level tour that saw parades, fistfights over who would introduce him, and the renaming of towns in his honor. Why did Americans idolize Lafayette so intensely, and could such a phenomenon happen today?
Join us for this lively discussion as we analyze Lafayette’s enduring legacy, his contradictions, and the historical hype that made him America’s favorite Frenchman
Road to Mack Miller Park Pt. 2
No full textPodLink: https://rss.com/podcasts/soulvibrant/1732760/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1GU486L1KM
Description: Continue down my aligned path with me, As I continue to learn about Mack Miller Park and its historical connection to my life. I would never have guessed the journey I would take to platform this history. I received a crash course on forgiveness, healing and the power of learning Black History.
Creator, Editor, & Host: Andriana H. (aka. Lady AC)
Podcast musical intro produced by : Leem Lizzy @leemlizzy
Musical highlight artists:
Oren Major
Social- @oren.major
Shae Universe
Social- @shaeunivers
3DDP Engineering Design Intervention Impacts on Student Perceptions, Attitudes, and Interest towards Engineering
Full text linkThe study, “3DDP Engineering Design Intervention Impacts on Student Perceptions, Attitudes, and Interest Towards Engineering” explored the impact of a culturally responsive, semi-formal 3D printing (3DDP) intervention on middle school students\u27 perceptions, attitudes, and interest in engineering. The intervention aimed to broaden access to engineering education by providing formative experiences outside traditional classroom settings within the regular school day. A multifaceted approach was employed, utilizing quantitative analysis of assessments and surveys, qualitative analysis of written responses, follow-up interviews, and student-produced artifacts. The intervention functioned as a student-driven engineering club, integrating culturally relevant themes and hands-on activities spanning diverse engineering domains. Results indicate no significant overall changes in student perceptions of engineering, though a notable increase in portrayals related to educational aspects of engineering emerged post-intervention. While statistical analysis did not reveal widespread shifts in attitudes towards engineering, qualitative data highlighted nuanced changes, including a broadened perception of engineering and sustained interest in engineering careers. Student interviews provided additional context, emphasizing the program\u27s engaging nature and its success in igniting genuine interest in design and engineering. Although the intervention lacked elements such as teamwork activities and longer session durations, it demonstrated potential for engaging underrepresented groups in STEM. Future programs could benefit from incorporating these elements to enhance learning depth and engagement, striving for inclusivity and scalability to achieve the goal of STEM for all
Viewers\u27 Attitudes Towards Analytical and Traditional Commentary Styles in baseball Broadcasts: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Full text linkThis study investigates the attitudes of college and non-college athletes on analytical and traditional commentary styles during baseball broadcasts. The attitudes tested were satisfaction and likelihood to watch again (retention). The experiment had two data collection sessions for the athletes and non-athletes where they were exposed to either analytical or traditional commentary. The exposure came through the reading of a fictional scrip based on each style and then the participants were asked to answer questions to test their satisfaction and retention. Through a comprehensive analysis, including independent sample t-tests and two-way ANOVA, the findings revealed a significant main effect for athlete status on both satisfaction and retention. However, commentary style alone did not have a significant impact on either variable. The absence of a significant interaction between athlete status and commentary style on satisfaction and retention scores indicates that the relationship between athlete status and these variables is not moderated by a specific type of commentary. Overall, the study added to the understanding of factors shaping audience satisfaction and retention in baseball broadcasts
Check the Rhyme y’all; Life as a Shorty Shouldn’t be so Rough: How hip-hop songs can be used as pedagogical tools to teach grammar/culture and ease comprehension in a French as a Second Language Classroom
Full text linkLanguage learning can be stressful endeavour for students. To address this, educators of foreign languages often search for new and exciting pedagogical tools that will enable them to reach their learners in meaningful ways. Since both hip-hop music and culture are omnipresent throughout contemporary society in many facets, some teachers are incorporating elements of this ever-expanding and integral part of global pop culture into their lesson plans. This study explores the unique educational approach that is known as a Hip-Hop Based Education (HHBE); one where rap music and lyrics can be integrated into classroom instruction and learning. After first introducing and exploring how hip-hop is put to use in classes across several subject disciplines, this paper discusses and analyses several examples where lyrics from rap songs were included as a teaching method into introductory to advanced-level courses where French is the target language. The findings of this research aim to demonstrate the pedagogical effectiveness of incorporating a little bit of hip-hop into second-language curricula as a means in which to teach students and aid comprehension in grammar and culture en français