Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of climate on tree health evaluated by defoliation in the ICP level I network (Romania)

Abstract: Defoliation is the main parameter for assessing tree crown conditions, and is the result of cumulative interactions among different types of stressors, including climate, air pollution, pests and diseases, and management systems. Here, we evaluated a long-term data series (1992-2013) provided by the ICP-Forests Level I monitoring network (16 × 16 km) in Romania. Specifically, we investigated how climate influences defoliation at different spatial and temporal levels using statistical analyses. Using periodic climatic data (mean temperature and precipitation) derived from a daily grid dataset (ROCADA) with a resolution of 0.1 × 0.1° (10 × 10 km), we quantified how climatic parameters were correlated with defoliation, which was expressed as the mean tree defoliation per plot (DEF), and the proportion of damaged trees (crown defoliation > 25% - fDEF). The cross-correlation (Spearman r) between defoliation indicators and temperature was positive and relatively constant over time for all broadleaves and conifers, combined and separately, except for Fagus sylvatica (European beech), which had a negative cross-correlation coefficient. The correlation obtained for precipitation was similar to that obtained for temperature; however, this relationship was negative (except, again, for beech). The temporal influence of temperature on defoliation was much lower than that of precipitation, which had the greatest influence in dry regions (south and southeast Romania), especially for Quercus species. Furthermore, precipitation had a positive influence in moderate climate regions for conifers that were situated outside their natural distribution ranges. For beech and conifers situated at the upper altitudinal limits, temperature was negatively correlated with defoliation, i.e., temperature had a positive influence on health status.
Piezoelectric Response to Coherent Longitudinal and Transverse Acoustic Phonons in a Semiconductor Schottky Diode

We study the generation of microwave electronic signals by pumping a (311) GaAs Schottky diode with compressive and shear acoustic phonons, generated by femtosecond optical excitation of an Al _lm transducer and mode conversion at the Al-GaAs interface. They propagate through the substrate and arrive at the Schottky device on the opposite surface, where they induce a microwave electronic signal. The arrival time, amplitude and polarity of the signals depend on the phonon mode. A theoretical analysis is made of the polarity of the experimental signals. This includes the piezoelectric and deformation potential mechanisms of electron-phonon interaction in a Schottky contact and shows that the piezoelectric mechanism is dominant for both transverse and longitudinal modes with frequencies below 250 GHz and 70 GHz respectively.
The Effect of Teaching Picture-books on Elementary EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning

Regarding the attractiveness of picture books, this study examined the effects of teaching picture books on vocabulary learning of 40 Iranian elementary students. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups of 20; one experimental and one control. Then, their knowledge of vocabulary was assessed through administering a researcher-made vocabulary pre-test. After that, the researchers started to teach the experimental group through teaching picture-book of Starters Word List Picture Book. The words were taught to the students and they were required to match each word with its picture. The control group was instructed through their school textbook (Prospect One). The words were taught without their pictures; the words were read and simultaneously the students were wanted to repeat them and write their Persian equivalents. After the instruction ended, a vocabulary post-test was given to determine the effects of the treatment on the students’ vocabulary learning. The results of paired and independent samples t-tests indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group on the postThe Effect of Teaching Picture-books on Elementary EFL Learners’ Vocabulary 248 JELTL (Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics), 3(3), 2018 test. It was also revealed that teaching through picture books resulted in better vocabulary learning.
Reaching the U.S. Cell Phone Generation Comparison of Cell Phone Survey Results with an Ongoing Landline Telephone Survey

Noncoverage rates in U.S. landline-based telephone samples due to cell phone only households (i.e., households with no landline but accessible by cell phone) and the corresponding potential for bias in estimates from surveys that sample only from landline frames are growing issues. Building on some of the few published studies that focus on this problem, a study was conducted in three states (Georgia, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania) as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the world's largest ongoing public health telephone survey, to evaluate the effectiveness of conducting the BRFSS interview with a sample drawn from dedicated cell phone telephone exchanges and mixed-use (landline and cell phone) exchanges. Approximately 600 interviews were conducted in each of two groups: cell phone only adults (n = 572) and adults with both a landline and a cell phone (n = 592). Making comparisons with data from the ongoing, landline-based BRFSS survey, we report on response rates, demographic characteristics of respondents, key survey estimates of health conditions and risk behaviors, and survey costs. The methods used in this study have wide application for other U.S. telephone surveys.
DETERMINING MATRIC STRESS WITH THE MODIFIED CAM CLAY ENERGY RELATIONSHIP

The stress generated by matric suction, or matric stress, was determined at points along the stress path with an analytical and experimental procedure based on the modified Cam clay energy relationship. Matric stress was found to be approximately constant at large strain for constant water content triaxial compression tests. Matric stress was included in both shear and volume relationships in a critical–state soil model that employed the modified Cam clay yield function. Shear was modeled with a constant matric stress. Slope of the normal compression and recompression lines was adjusted for matric stress using a state function that expressed matric stress as a function of void ratio and degree of saturation. Predictions generated by the model for deviator stress and axial, lateral, and volumetric strain showed satisfactory agreement with data obtained from triaxial tests conducted on samples containing a range of void ratios and water contents.
Modeling Farm Management Modernization: Case Study of Japanese Rice Farming Corporations

While conventional family-owned and family-operated farms remain the most common structure, the number of Japanese agricultural corporations has increased in recent years as a result of changing policies. Some of them are possibly starting to adopt modern corporate management practices to remain viable in a more competitive environment. However, changes in the business structure have not always been accompanied by changes in farm management practices. This study represents a theoretical and empirical investigation into farm modernization practices to provide perspective and recommendations to enhance farm business. Various aspects of farm modernization were considered, including temporal, economic and functional modernization. Critical elements of farm modernization were examined using a structural equation model of surveys, wherein questionnaires were delivered to 2,260 agricultural corporations across Japan in 2014 and 2016, generating 669 usable responses from rice farming corporations. Overall, these corporations demonstrated moderate degrees of modernization, indicating that they have not yet completely transitioned from conventional management styles to modern corporate management and that the farm-household complex system still exists for many of them. It was also found that farm modernization is significantly affected by both production and business management systems, although it was unclear whether a farmer’s managerial capabilities were critical for farm modernization. The findings of this study indicate that current farming corporations may benefit from incorporating additional modernization practices. The analytical framework and results will help farmers to better understand their management practices and can be used to provide ideas for policy development to promote competitive farm businesses.
Employability Skills Performance Score for Fresh Engineering Graduates in Malaysian Industry

This paper presents a method to evaluate the performance score based on employability skills for new engineers using NSW - Normalised Skill Weight. NSW is calculated from data collected from 337 employers of engineering industries in Kelang Valley, Malaysia. A questionnaire constructed to collect employers’ perspectives regarding the level of requirement for each employability skills based on their needs. Twelve types of businesses related to engineering field engaged in the survey. In an earlier publication, in EDUCON2011, the authors have presented the employability skills for an entry-level engineer as seen by Malaysian employers. The finding shows the rank of skills according to the level of requirement and there are weight differences among the skills required by the industries. The result of analysis offers a suggestion for employers and undergraduates to calculate employability skills score based on the Normalised Skill Weight performed by engineering graduates. Furthermore, employers, who need to evaluate the quality of engineering graduates during interviews, might find this approach as key performance score for the assessment process to select new engineers.
The Oligopolistic Gatekeeper: The US Accounting Profession

=468761 (last visited 20 Aug. 2005). Ettredge, M. and Greenberg, R. (1990), ‘Determinants of Fee Cutting on Initial Audit Engagements’, 28 J. Accounting Res. 198. FASB (2004), Statement No. 123(r), Share-Based Payment (16 Dec.). Francis, J. and Ke, B. (2003), ‘Disclosure of Fees Paid to Auditors and the Market Valuation of Earnings Surprises’, available at http://www.ssrn. com/ abstract=487463 (last visited 20 Aug. 2005). =487463 (last visited 20 Aug. 2005). Frank, R. and Solomon, D. (2003), ‘Deloitte Touche Cancels Plans to Split Off its Consulting Arm’, 31 Mar., at C10. Frankel, R.M. , Johnson, M.F. and Nelson, K.K. (2002a), ‘The Relation Between Auditors’ Fees for Non-Audit Services and Earnings Quality’, MIT Sloan Working Paper No. 4330-02. —— (2002b), ‘The Relation between Auditors’ Fees for Non-audit Services and Earnings Management’, 77 Accounting Rev. 71. GAO (1996), The Accounting Profession Major Issues: Progress and Concerns,
A Socially Inclusive Teaching Strategy for Transforming the Teaching of English First Additional Language.

This paper explores ways of including indigenous knowledge systems in the teaching of English First Additional Language (EFAL). The aim is to use a socially inclusive teaching strategy in such a manner that the imbalances that past oppressive regimes brought into the teaching and learning of a second language, EFAL in this case, is challenged and possibly reversed. A desperate need for basic educational resources understandably warrants the promotion of a culture that is conducive to learning. Lacking resources are not limited to teacher knowledge, as can be gleaned from schools situated in rural settings. Undesirable cultures and conditions not conducive to learning prevail at the expense of hope and socially just educational practices. Indigenous knowledge systems and community cultural wealth, embedded in rural settings, are often underplayed and ignored. However, if incorporated in the teaching and learning process, they can create a familiar learning environment. In this paper, a socially inclusive teaching strategy was found to be helpful in ensuring the sustenance of transformation of learning while simultaneously contributing to the transformation of teaching English first additional language. This transformative charter of the paper warrants the framing of critical emancipatory research (CER) while adapting participatory action research principles to engage those affected by the problem and to determine solutions captured through meetings, workshops, document analysis, focus groups discussions and observations. The conversations were audio- and videotaped for the purpose of data analysis at the later stage. The reflections that permeate the analytic, interpretive and educative phases of CER, discourses that were subjected to van Dijk’s socio-cognitive critical discourse analysis, were found to be very helpful. Research findings confirm the two-way relationship between the availability of educational resources and learner attainment.
Death Penalty: The Political Foundations of the Global Trend Towards Abolition

The death penalty is like no other punishment. Its continued existence in many countries of the world creates political tensions within these countries and between governments of retentionist and abolitionist countries. After the Second World War, more and more countries have abolished the death penalty. This article argues that the major determinants of this global trend towards abolition are political, a claim which receives support in a quantitative cross-national analysis from 1950 to 2002. Democracy, democratisation, international political pressure on retentionist countries and peer group effects in relatively abolitionist regions all raise the likelihood of abolition. There is also a partisan effect, as abolition becomes more likely if the chief executive’s party is left wing-oriented. Cultural, social and economic determinants receive only limited support. The global trend towards abolition will go on if democracy continues to spread around the world and abolitionist countries stand by their commitment to press for abolition all over the world.
Factors affecting the performance of caring behaviors in Taiwanese nursing students: a qualitative study.

Care is an important nursing concept. Nursing education should focus on cultivating students’ performance of caring behaviors to maintain the patient care that is a hallmark of this profession and guard the health of patients. Nursing teachers must understand the factors related to the performance of caring behaviors in students. This knowledge can serve as a reference for the development and teaching strategy of a nursing program. This qualitative study aimed at understanding the factors affecting the performance of caring behaviors by nursing students. This qualitative study was conducted at a science and technology university inNorthern Taiwan. Convenience sampling was used to collect 40 reflective journals from 20 nursing students at the five-year junior college as the study data. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. This study found two themes related to caring behaviors in nursing students: perception of nursing students and inter-subjectivity with patients. The beliefs and perceptions of students are closely linked to their performance of caring behaviors. Greater awareness in nursing students will improve their performance of caring behaviors (e.g., the concept of nursing care, ability to care, empowerment, learning by imitation and inter-subjectivity with patients). Results of this study could serve as a reference for program design and clinical practicum instruction for nursing education, to improve caring behaviors in students.
ALMA observations of RCW 120 Fragmentation at 0.01 pc scale

Context. Little is known about how high-mass stars form. Around 30% of the young high-mass stars in the Galaxy are observed at the edges of ionized (H II) regions. Therefore these are places of choice to study the earliest stages of high-mass star formation, especially toward the most massive condensations. High spatial resolution observations in the millimeter range might reveal how these stars form and how they assemble their mass. Aims. We want to study the fragmentation process down to the 0.01 pc scale in the most massive condensation (1700 M⊙) observed at the southwestern edge of the H ii region RCW 120 where the most massive Herschel cores (~124 M⊙ in average) could form high-mass stars. Methods. Using ALMA 3 mm continuum observations toward the densest and most massive millimetric condensation (Condensation 1) of RCW 120, we used the getimages and getsources algorithms to extract the sources detected with ALMA and obtained their physical parameters. The fragmentation of the Herschel cores is discussed through their Jeans mass to understand the properties of these future stars. Results. We extracted 18 fragments from the ALMA continuum observation at 3 mm toward eight cores detected with Herschel, whose mass and deconvolved size range from 2 M⊙ to 32 M⊙ and from 1.6 mpc to 28.8 mpc, respectively. The low degree of fragmen- tation observed regarding thermal Jeans fragmentation suggests that the observed fragmentation is inconsistent with ideal gravitational fragmentation and other ingredients such as turbulence or magnetic fields should be added to explain this inconsistency. Finally, the range of the mass of the fragments indicates that the densest condensation of RCW 120 is a favorable place for the formation of high-mass stars with the presence of a probable UCH ii region associated with the 27 M⊙ Fragment 1 of Core 2.
Ecology and Health : A Study Among Tribals of Ladakh

In most parts of India, Multiple therapy systems and a diversity of health behaviour patterns co-exist and Ladakh is no exception. The status, growth and evaluation of co-existing therapy systems have been influenced by cultural ideology, ecology, political patronage, changing social institutions, disenchantment with and romanticization of values represented by therapy systems (or their supporters). In the present paper an attempt has been made to describe the ways in which a common Ladakhi thinks about medicine and how these perceptions effect the utilization of alternative therapy systems. This paper examines the alternative resources and treatments utilized by various population groups in Ladakh. The study reveals a multiple therapy systems. The multiple dimensions of health care are described in terms of medical behaviour of health sector and the practioners, and health care strategies employed by the patient. Medical pluralism may be defined as the synchronic existence in a society of more than one medicine sytem grounded in different principles or based on different world views. In the Indian context the important components of medical pluralism are allopathy, ayurvada, homeopathy, and unani. In the Ladakhi context components of medical pluralism are allopathy or bio-medicine, shamanism (Locally known as Lhawaism), lamaism, and scholarly amchi medicine. Among Ladakhis, choice of therapy depends on illness specific patterns of resort.
Post-Newtonian models of binary neutron stars

Using an energy variational method, we calculate quasiequilibrium configurations of binary neutron stars modeled as compressible triaxial ellipsoids obeying a polytropic equation of state. Our energy functional includes terms both for the internal hydrodynamics of the stars and for the external orbital motion. We add the leading post-Newtonian ! PN" corrections to the internal and gravitational energies of the stars, and adopt hybrid orbital terms which are fully relativistic in the test-mass limit and always accurate to PN order. The total energy functional is varied to find quasiequilibrium sequences for both corotating and irrotational binaries in circular orbits. We examine how the orbital frequency at the innermost stable circular orbit depends on the polytropic index n and the compactness parameter GM/Rc 2 . We find that, for a given GM/Rc 2 , the innermost stable circular orbit along an irrotational sequence is about 17% larger than the innermost secularly stable circular orbit along the corotating sequence when n! 0.5, and 20% larger when n! 1. We also examine the dependence of the maximum neutron star mass on the orbital frequency and find that, if PN tidal effects can be neglected, the maximum equilibrium mass increases as the orbital separation decreases. # S0556-2821! 97" 00518-3$
HOW WELL DOES COMPREHENSIVE INCOME MEASURE FUTURE FIRM PERFORMANCE COMPARED TO NET INCOME? EVIDENCE FROM TURKISH LISTED FIRMS

The financial performance of the firms is one of the major concerns for the users of financial statements. Accounting standard setting bodies have encouraged firms to report comprehensive income which is believed to have much more value relevant information than traditional net income. The objective of this paper is to assess the usefulness of comprehensive income and net income in explaining future firm performance. Based on a sample that includes 102 non-financial firms, the empirical analysis indicates that there are advantages of reporting comprehensive income in predicting corporate financial performance. According to the empirical evidences, net income is better than comprehensive income in predicting future net income and operating income, while comprehensive income is better than net income in predicting future return on assets and return on equity.
The National Reading Panel’s Meta‐Analysis of Phonics Instruction: Another Point of View

The purpose of this article is to provide an alternative interpretation of the National Reading Panel’s meta‐analysis on phonics instruction. The NRP based its conclusion that phonics instruction was superior to other approaches on the interpretation of mean effect d statistics reported in its meta‐analysis. In addition to looking at these d’s, we computed and interpreted the mean effect correlations (r’s) and r‐squares that corresponded to the reported d’s. Our conclusions were different from those reported by the NRP. Instead of phonics approaches being superior to nonphonics approaches (as indicated when statistically significant d’s are the only criterion considered), we argue that the advantages of phonics instruction relative to nonphonics instruction have not been demonstrated clearly (as indicated when practical significance r’s and r‐squares are considered).
SICK BUILDING SYMPTOMS AMONG CHILDREN IN PRIVATE PRE-SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA: ASSOCIATION OF DIFFERENT VENTILATION STRATEGIES

The health issues among pupils in pre-schools becomes the popular obsession since they are more vulnerable and some indoor environmental quality (IEQ) would be the reason affecting them. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in buildings is one of the most important factors affecting the physical development of children. The early education is compulsory and escalated numbers of 4-6 years children has boosted the numbers of private preschool in Malaysia. Frequently it is operate in premises that have been fully refurbished, whether in housing schemes, commercial buildings or institutional buildings. This has invited the questions on the building capability to provide a good environment to the children during the learning activities. Poor indoor air has become a wide-spread problem with serious effects on children health and their performance. This research focuses on identifying occupant satisfaction towards IEQ in selected refurbished pre-school or kindergarten buildings. The broad aim of this paper is to determine SBS among pupils in refurbished private pre-schools with different ventilation strategies and it association with indoor air quality (IAQ) performance. A few parameters have invited several health symptoms to the children and it this is importance of taking into consideration to the owner and policymaker before refurbishing any building into pre-school.