Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sociolinguistic variation and pragmatic ability: a look at learners

Research in second-language acquisition has evolved from the study of the learner's errors in the target language to an approach emphasizing the constantly changing nature of the learner's increasing ability, comparable to children's stages of first-language development. Both of these approaches have focused on the acquisition of linguistic competence — that is, the ability to combine strings of sounds so as to produce meaningful utterances. More recently it has been recognized, however, that the learner must come to know not only how to put words together in grammatical ways, but also how to use the language appropriately so as to effectively communicate with the speakers of the language being acquired. Verbal behavior is, after all, social behavior and therefore subject to the same conditions that influence other forms of social interaction. When we refer to language use, we mean among other things that, like all speakers, the learner uses language to perform speech acts. That is, whenever he says something he is also stating, declaring, arguing, promising, criticizing, complaining or performing one or more of the countless possible speech acts one can perform. Using language appropriately, then, involves knowing in what ways one may convey the intent to perform a given act, as well as how to choose a strategy that fits the social context: the time, place, the topic of conversation and the relationship between the speaker and hearer. It is the purpose of this study to examine the ways in which adult learners perform two speech acts, the request and the suggestion, with particular attention to the way their language is sensitive to aspects of the relationship between speaker and hearer. Specifically, we are looking at the variation of the level of deference conveyed by these speakers as a function of the age and sex of the addressee. We have chosen to look at the effect of the above variables, which anthropologists, sociologists and linguists view as being associated with varying degrees of status and familiarity, in light of some recent work which has
Is Acute Exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) Related to Viral Infection Associated with Subsequent Mortality or Exacerbation Rate?

Background: There is a growing interest in better defining risk factors associated with increased susceptibility to exacerbation in patients with COPD. Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine whether identification of a respiratory virus during a severe acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) increases the risk of subsequent exacerbations and mortality during a one-year followup. Methods: Secondary analysis of 86 COPD patients admitted for AECOPD between June 2007 and December 2008 at Geneva’s University Hospital who were followed up for 1 year. Fifty-one percent of index AECOPD were related to viral infection. Rate of AECOPD, time to next AECOPD, and all-cause mortality were compared between patients with vs without viral index AECOPD. Results: Eighty-one cases were included in this secondary follow-up analysis. Mean exacerbation rate was 1.9 AECOPD per person-year for patients with viral index AECOPD vs 4.0 AECOPD per person year for those with non-viral index AECOPD. Incidence rate ratio (IRR) for subsequent AECOPD during one year follow up was lower for patients with viral index AECOPD (IRR 0.57; [CI 95% 0.39-0.84]), after controlling for previous exacerbations, and was strongly associated with the number of exacerbations in the year preceding the index AECOPD. During the one-year follow-up period, 16 patients (19%) died. In a Cox regression model, patients with a proven viral infection did not have a higher mortality (HR 0.56 [CI 95% 0.20 -1.58]). Conclusion: Viral AECOPD was not associated with a higher rate of subsequent exacerbations or mortality during the following year.
The Effect of C-Terminal Helix on the Stability of FF Domain Studied by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

To investigate the effect of C-terminal helix on the stability of the FF domain, we studied the native domain FF3-71 from human HYPA/FBP11 and the truncated version FF3-60 with C-terminal helix being deleted by molecular dynamics simulations with GROMACS package and GROMOS 43A1 force field. The results indicated that the structures of truncated version FF3-60 were evident different from those of native partner FF3-71. Compared with FF3-71, the FF3-60 lost some native contacts and exhibited some similar structural characters to those of intermediate state. The C-terminal helix played a major role in stabilizing the FF3-71 domain. To a certain degree, the FF domain had a tendency to form an intermediate state without the C-terminal helix. In our knowledge, this was the first study to examine the role of C-terminal helix of FF domain in detail by molecular dynamics simulations, which was useful to understand the three-state folding mechanism of the small FF domain.
The Patterns of Consonantal Acquisition and Change in Chipewyan (Dëne Sųłiné)1

This report is on the acquisition of Chipewyan (Dëne Sųłiné) consonants, which consist of a rich inventory of obstruents, including three laryngeal series and four homorganic sets of affricates and fricatives. Data from a longitudinal study and other acquisition data are analyzed with the assumption that a small inventory of simple sounds undergoes a process of successive bifurcation maintaining optimal opposition. The findings include, among others, (i ) the stop first bifurcates based on [spread glottis] (e.g., [d] vs. [th]) before developing into a ternary system based first on [spread glottis] and [tense] (e.g., [d], [t*], [th]), then eventually on [spread glottis] and [constricted glottis] where [voice] remains redundant (e.g., [t/d], [t’], [th]); (ii ) the stop bifurcates first into a stop and an affricate, from which a fricative emerges; and (iii ) the analogous changes observed in morphophonemic alternations, patterns of historical change, and degeneration are explained in terms of patterns of phonological acquisition.
Revisiting Brain Reserve Hypothesis in Frontotemporal Dementia: Evidence from a Brain Perfusion Study

Background: Literature data on Alzheimer’s disease suggest that years of schooling and occupational level are associated with a reserve mechanism. No data on patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are available yet. Objective: To evaluate the impact of education, occupation, and midlife leisure activities on brain reserve in bvFTD. Methods: Fifty-four bvFTD patients entered the study and underwent neuropsychological and behavioral assessment, including the FTD-modified Clinical Dementia Rating for FTD (FTD-modified CDR), and SPECT imaging. We tested for the linear correlation of educational and occupational level, and midlife leisure activities with regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), controlling for demographic variables (age and gender) and for cognitive performance (FTD-modified CDR) (statistical parametric mapping). Results: A significant relationship between higher educational and occupational attainments and lower rCBF in medial frontal cortex and dorsolateral frontal cortex, bilaterally, was found (p < 0.005). When midlife leisure activities were considered, no correlation was found. The correlation between a reserve index, accounting for both educational and occupational level, and rCBF showed the same pattern of hypoperfusion. Conclusions: This study suggests that education and occupation act as proxies for reserve capacity in bvFTD. These lifestyle attainments may counteract the onset of this genetic-based disease in at-risk individuals.
A Computer-Based Educational Intervention to Address Potential Negative Effects of Internet Pornography

To assess the impact of a computer-based educational intervention to counteract negative effects of Internet pornography, 150 undergraduate males were randomly assigned to view violent and degrading pornography, with or without an educational intervention, or to a no pornography and no intervention control condition. Participants responded to dependent measures assessing rape myth acceptance, attraction to sexual aggression, and evaluations of sexually explicit materials. Contrary to expectations, no negative effects of exposure to pornography were observed on any dependent measures. Exposure to the educational intervention, however, decreasedattraction to sexual aggression and resulted in participants becoming more sensitive to and rejecting of violence in pornography. Results indicate that exposure to violent and degrading pornography, in combination with an educational intervention that addresses the themes that characterize such material, may be effective in reducing positive reactions to depictions of sexual violence.
[Environmental and biological monitoring of occupational exposure to perchloroethylene in dry cleaning shops].

Occupational exposure to perchloroethylene (PCE) was studied in a total of 106 workers in 78 dry cleaning shops in the province of Pavia, Northern, Italy. Environmental monitoring was performed by personal passive sampling. The median time weighted average (TWA) level of PCE was 57 mg/m3, i.e., about 30% of the current Threshold Limit Value (TLV) proposed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). However, in 12 workers exposure exceeded this limit. Biological monitoring was performed via measurement of urinary trichloroacetic acid (TCA), i.e. the exposure index currently used in Italy, and urinary excretion of unmodified perchloroethylene (PCE-U) in samples collected at the end of the half-shift. Median levels of TCA and PCE were 1.03 mg/l and 17.7 micrograms/l respectively. The correlation coefficient between environmental TWA concentrations of perchloroethylene and PCE-U was 0.755 (0.809 after logarithmic transformation), compared to 0.660 for TCA values. The subjects were then classified as "low exposed" and "heavily exposed" according to whether personal exposure was lower or higher than 57 mg/m3, the median TWA value of the whole group. PCE-U levels were significantly correlated to exposure in both subgroups whereas TCA was correlated only in the "heavily exposed subjects", but not in those with lower exposure. The results of the study show that in the majority of dry cleaning shops exposure to PCE was well below the current occupational limits. Nevertheless surveillance of dry cleaners is recommended as nearly 10% of the workers exceeded the environmental and biological limits. Urinary excretion of unmodified PCE appears to be a very reliable indicator for biological monitoring of PCE exposure in dry cleaning and is also significantly correlated to exposure at low levels. The estimated biological equivalent exposure level (BEEL) for PCE-U, corresponding to the current TLV-TWA proposed by the ACGIH, is 55 micrograms/l. Urinary TCA seems to be less suitable for assessment of individual exposure to perchloroethylene in dry cleaners as it is poorly representative of exposure to low levels of the solvent, which is a very common occurrence in this occupational group nowadays.
A Cochrane Review of Superficial Heat or Cold for Low Back Pain

Study Design. Cochrane systematic review. Objective. To assess the effects of superficial heat and cold therapy for low back pain in adults. Summary of Background Data. Heat and cold are commonly used in the treatment of low back pain. Methods. We searched electronic databases from inception to October 2005. Two authors independently assessed inclusion, methodologic quality, and extracted data, using the criteria recommended by the Cochrane Back Review Group. Results. Nine trials involving 1,117 participants were included. In two trials of 258 participants with a mix of acute and subacute low back pain, heat wrap therapy significantly reduced pain after 5 days (weighted mean difference [WMD], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68–1.45, scale range, 0–5) compared with oral placebo. One trial of 90 participants with acute low back pain found that a heated blanket significantly decreased pain immediately after application (WMD, −32.20; 95% CI, −38.69 to −25.71; scale range, 0–100). One trial of 100 participants with a mix of acute and subacute low back pain examined the additional effects of adding exercise to heat wrap and found that it reduced pain after 7 days. Conclusions. The evidence base to support the common practice of superficial heat and cold for low back pain is limited, and there is a need for future higher-quality randomized controlled trials. There is moderate evidence in a small number of trials that heat wrap therapy provides a small short-term reduction in pain and disability in a population with a mix of acute and subacute low back pain, and that the addition of exercise further reduces pain and improves function. There is insufficient evidence to evaluate the effects of cold for low back pain and conflicting evidence for any differences between heat and cold for low back pain.
A database for fine grained activity detection of cooking activities

While activity recognition is a current focus of research the challenging problem of fine-grained activity recognition is largely overlooked. We thus propose a novel database of 65 cooking activities, continuously recorded in a realistic setting. Activities are distinguished by fine-grained body motions that have low inter-class variability and high intra-class variability due to diverse subjects and ingredients. We benchmark two approaches on our dataset, one based on articulated pose tracks and the second using holistic video features. While the holistic approach outperforms the pose-based approach, our evaluation suggests that fine-grained activities are more difficult to detect and the body model can help in those cases. Providing high-resolution videos as well as an intermediate pose representation we hope to foster research in fine-grained activity recognition.
The Dynamics of Institutionalization: Transformation Processes in Norwegian Fisheries

The article was written with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Grant No. 91-16567A and Norwegian Research Council Grant No. 1301-500.136. For helpful comments and suggestions, I wish to thank Richard Apostle, Hans Kristian Hernes, Svein Jentoft, Eva Munk-Madsen, Leigh Mazany, Knut H. Mikalsen, Arthur L. Stinchcombe, and two anonymous ASQ reviewers. This article considers the fundamental paradox of new institutional theories of organizations: How can actors change institutions if their actions, intentions, and, rationality are all conditioned by the very institution they wish to change? I argue that the problem of institutional change can be solved if institutions are seen as nested systems, that is, interconnected, multilevel systems in which each action-level or arena simultaneously is a framework for action and a product of action. This is demonstrated in an analysis of institutional change processes affecting the rise and fall of a specific institutional form, the mandated sales organization (MSO), in Norwegian fisheries. After a brief discussion of the problem of institutional change, I describe how the MSO form was shaped in processes that themselves were structured by institutions. I then show how the interconnection between the practical and political levels of action through feedback loops can shed light on the cumulative character of the MSO reform. Lastly, I discuss the interaction between practices, interests, and ideas in the process that led to the downfall of the MSO form. -
Gender Effects in Decoding Nonverbal Cues

This article summarizes results of 7S studies that reported accuracy for males and females at decoding nonverbal communication. The following attributes of the studies were coded: year, sample size, age of judges, sex of stimulus person(s), age of stimulus person(s), and the medium and channel of communication (e.g., photos of facial expressions, filtered speech). These attributes were examined in relation to three outcome indices: direction of effect, effect size (in SD units), and significance level. Results showed that more studies showed female advantage than would occur by chance, the average effect was of moderate magnitude and was significantly larger than zero, and more studies reached a conventional level of significance than would be expected by chance. The gender effect for visual-plus-auditory studies was significantly larger than for visual-only and auditory-only studies. The magnitude of the gender effect did not vary reliably with sample size, age of judges, sex of stimulus person(s), or age of stimulus person(s). The study of people's ability to judge the meanings of nonverbal cues of emotion has a long history in social psychology, dating to the second decade of this century. The first question asked was whether people could recognize nonverbally expressed emotions at all, and this was followed by the search for correlates of judging ability. Gender was one of the first attributes of judges to be examined in relation to judging ability. Gender has not always been an important variable in psychological research. In the study of nonverbal communication, however, gender was considered important from the start, because of the predictions that could be made based on gender role stereotypes and folk beliefs about "woman's intuition. " Researchers of nonverbal communication have clearly felt that the comparison of males' and females' performances is theoretically
Does Television Viewing Relate to Engagement in Protective Action Against Crime?

As a theory of media effects, cultivation suggests that television viewing influences beliefs and opinions about the real world. As a model of social influence, the theory of reasoned action focuses on predicting behaviors based on salient beliefs and attitudes. This study attempts to elaborate cultivation theory by using a theory of reasoned action perspective to determine if heavy television viewing influences not only beliefs and attitudes about violence in society but also intentions to take and actual engagement in protective action. Findings indicated that amount of television viewing directly influenced prevalence estimates of violence in society as well as intentions to take protective measures and indirectly affected mean world attitude and protection behaviors through its effects on their preceding variables. Implications for conceptualization and measurement of cultivation variables as well as the process through which television impacts behavior are discussed.
A Simple Dynamic Model of Social Factors in Group Brainstorming

The interactions between individuals in a group setting are a natural areafor the application of dynamic systems modeling. Groups gathered togetherfor the purpose of generating ideas are particularly suitable for a dynamic systems approach because each individual 's rate of idea production provides a natural time-varying measure of performnce. This article presents a dynamic model (differential equations) of group idea production designed to describe the effects that group members exert on each other's rates ofprocessing. Two of the most important factors influencing group idea-generation performance, the processes of production blocking and performance matching, are explicitly included in the model. The model is related to the existing literature on the "productivity gap" observed in brainstorning groups. One version of the model explicitly includes the cognitive processes of idea generation, working memory, and output. These types of models should aid theoretical development and the assessment of the role of social and cognitive factors in both conventional and electronic brainstorming.
The rural non-farm economy in India: a review of the literature

This literature review was conducted as part of a policy-oriented research programme that aims to inform the development of pro-poor policy on the rural non-farm economy (RNFE). This literature review represents the first phase of the India work. The literature reviewed largely assesses the national significance of the RNFE based on the decennial Census and NSS employment data, which include workforce and enterprise data. It is argued that the RNFE is grossly underestimated because of a failure to capture the diversity of rural employment and misrepresentation of female labour.
Is It Feasible to Offer Library and Information Management Higher Education in Swaziland?

Abstract This paper discusses a study that investigated the feasibility of providing Library and Information Management (LIM) higher education in Swaziland. The study centred on two major concerns / problems facing the country with respect to LIM higher education. The first concern is the dependence by the country on foreign schools to acquire higher education and training, and secondly, the required funding to import such education and training into the country. Also highlighted were issues of the relevance of the imported higher education and training to the country, and the major concerns of the government concerning funding for higher education and training in other countries. The study targeted five population groups as follows: prospective entrants to the LIM profession, existing and practicing LIM personnel, job advertisements for LIM personnel, existing and potential employers of LIM personnel, and training institutions likely to host LIM higher education and training. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained using survey questionnaires, interviews, content analysis and observation. Questionnaires gathered data from prospective entrants to the profession of LIM and existing employees / personnel in the profession. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with current and potential employers in the government and major LIM service organizations. The content analysis of newspaper advertisements was done on two local dailies covering a period of four years (2005-2008) to assess the job market in Library and Information Management. Observations were carried out in two higher education institutions to check whether or not they were capable of hosting LIM higher education. The results revealed that prospective entrants, personnel, employers and the training institutions were in support of higher education in LIM within the country. The content analysis of job advertisements produced low results, which suggests low feasibility, but only if the expectation is that job advertisements for a profession would run every day in a local newspaper. Employers in LIM insisted on the availability of jobs in the local market and highlighted several positive indicators of a growing market in this profession. We conclude the paper with recommendations for hosting education, stakeholder participation, balanced relevance and tracer studies.
Introspection in Problem Solving

Problem solving research has encountered an impasse. Since the seminal work of Newell und Simon (1972) researchers do not seem to have made much theoretical progress (Batchelder and Alexander, 2012; Ohlsson, 2012). In this paper we argue that one factor that is holding back the field is the widespread rejection of introspection among cognitive scientists. We review evidence that introspection improves problem solving performance, sometimes dramatically. Several studies suggest that self-observation, self-monitoring, and self-reflection play a key role in developing problem solving strategies. We argue that studying these introspective processes will require researchers to systematically ask subjects to introspect. However, we document that cognitive science textbooks dismiss introspection and as a consequence introspective methods are not used in problem solving research, even when it would be appropriate. We conclude that research on problem solving would benefit from embracing introspection rather than dismissing it.