Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self-efficacy and Anxiety within an EFL Context

The role of affective factors in the educational process had been disregarded until a considerable amount of recent research revealed results concerning the influence of emotions on teacher and student performance. This study aimed to investigate the level of self-efficacy and its relation with anxiety among university students within an EFL context at the Department of English Language Teaching, at a state university. Demographic variables of the students;namely, age and parents’ educational background were included in the study to analyze their relation to their levels of self-efficacy and anxiety. The study was conducted in the fall semester of the academic year of 2014-2015. The participants are 150 first year students of English Language Department. The data were obtained through the English as a Foreign Language Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (EFL-SEQ) and Trait Anxiety Scale. The analysis of the questionnaires showed that there was a significant relationship between students’ self-efficacy and anxiety level. Keywords: Self-efficacy, EFL, Anxiety
National Centre of Competence in Research Financial Valuation and Risk Management Working Paper No . 870 Inferring Volatility Dynamics and Risk Premia from the S & P 500 and VIX Markets

This paper provides a thorough analysis of the empirical performance of affine jump-diffusion models to jointly represent the values of the S&P 500 and VIX indices, and options on both markets with wide ranges of maturities and moneynesses. Based on the affine relationship of the VIX squared with respect to the latent factors, we extend the Fourier Cosine Expansion to efficiently price VIX derivatives. Using efficient filtering methods, we investigate the behavior of the latent processes as well as the out-of-sample performance of sub-models depending on which products and markets are considered in the in-sample estimation procedure. We find that a stochastic central tendency improves significantly the representation of the tails of the returns’ distribution and the term structure of the smiles of volatility in both the S&P 500 and VIX markets. Furthermore, jumps in volatility help reproduce the change of regime in the VIX derivatives market during the crisis and the tail of the variance risk-neutral distribution. We analyze the information contents of the S&P 500 and VIX markets and argue that they provide complementary information to estimate jumps, therefore calibrating models to only one market is not sufficient to price options on the other market. Finally, we investigate the risk premia of each factor and find that the positive equity risk premium is mainly determined by its continuous part, whereas the variance risk premium is only slightly negative and mainly affected by its jump part.
Academic Researchers' Absorptive Capacity Influence on Collaborative Technologies Acceptance for Research Purpose: Pilot Study

A wide variety of Collaborative Technologies (CT) emerged to facilitate the collaboration among peers. Despite the extensive literature of CT adoption in various contexts, a massive lack exists in CT adoption by academic researchers. Consequently, this study concerns the CT adoption by academic researchers. The study investigates how academic researchers’ Absorptive Capacity (ACAP) impacts the acceptance of CT for research purpose. The authors have extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain how academic researchers’ ACAP of CT impacts the academic researchers’ Behavioral Intention (BI) to accept those technologies for researching purpose. The extended model was empirically evaluated using a survey data collected from 72 researchers in the academic fields from a leading university in Malaysia. The quantitative analysis indicated that the researchers’ differences represented by ACAP influence their behavioral intention towards CT acceptance. Except insignificant impacts of ACAP for understanding and ACAP for assimilating dimensions on Perceived Usefulness (PU), and ACAP for applying on Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU).
AN EXPERIMENTAL MULTI-FREQUENCY SYSTEM FOR STUDYING DOSIMETRY AND ACUTE EFFECTS ON CELL AND NUCLEAR MORPHOLOGY IN RAT TISSUES

Simultaneous exposure to multiple electromagnetic signals with widely difiering carrier frequencies is a reality of daily life, but its possible efiects on health are unknown. In this study, we exposed rats to non-thermal levels of 900 and 2450MHz TEM-mode radiation, applied individually or simultaneously, and we obtained estimates of 1g mean SAR (speciflc absorption rate) in various tissues using a numerical model of the rat and flnite-difierence time- domain software. The experimental system comprised a GTEM (gigahertz TEM) chamber connected to two vector signal generators, a signal mixer and amplifler, a directional coupler, a spectrum analyzer and a power meter. Tissue sections from rats sacriflced 24h after exposure, and from negative controls and positive controls exposed to gamma radiation, were stained with haematoxylin-eosin for evaluation of general cell morphology and with DAPI (4', 6- diamidino-2-phenylindole) for evaluation of apoptosis. Lesions, tissue destruction and apoptosis were only observed in positive controls. The results for rats exposed to either frequency, or to both simultaneously, were similar to those of unexposed negative controls. It remains to determine whether chronic exposure is similarly innocuous.
Recent advances in the determination of biogenic amines in food samples by 1 ( U ) HPLC 2 3

8 9 The determination of biogenic amines (BAs) in food products stirs up an increasing 10 interest because of the implications in toxicological and food quality issues. Apart from 11 these aspects, in the last years, the relevance of BAs because of some organoleptic 12 and descriptive concerns has been pointed out by several researchers. This overview 13 aims at revising recent advances in the determination of BAs in food samples based on 14 liquid chromatography. In particular, papers published in the last five years have been 15 commented. Special attention has been paid in the great possibilities of ultra-high 16 performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Regarding 17 applications, apart from the determination of BAs in a wide range of food matrices, 18 novel lines of research focused on the characterization, classification and 19 authentication of food products based on chemometrics have also been discussed. 20 21 22
Capacity of Fractographic Analysis for Load-Time History Reconstruction and Fatigue Crack Growth Rate Estimation for the 2024-T3 Aluminium Alloy

Capacity of Fractographic Analysis for Load-Time History Reconstruction and Fatigue Crack Growth Rate Estimation for the 2024-T3 Aluminium Alloy The subject of the paper is the considerations for the feasibility of load time history reconstruction on the basis of microfracture analysis for a failed component made of 2024-T3 aluminium alloy that operates under variable amplitude loading. For this goal three different variable amplitude load sequences with single and multiple overloads and underloads were applied to investigate crack growth rate and to examine the images of fatigue striations on the fracture surface of a component. These loads are employed when simulating the fatigue crack behaviour in aeronautical alloys. Microfracture analysis was also used either for learning the interaction of variable amplitude loading for crack growth rate in 2024-T3 alloy or for establishing the relation between surface crack and crack depth growth.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) A supersymmetric model for lattice fermions

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A Prediction Method of Historical Timber Buildings’ Vibrations Induced by Traffic Loads and Its Validation

A prediction method in the frequency domain is proposed for predicting the vibrations of historical timber building induced by traffic loads. The modal parameters of a structure are identified using a double-confirmation analysis method based on the autospectrum. Then, the vibration responses of the building are calculated using a limited number of measurement records by inputting the calculated vibration information for the foundation of the updated building model. The proposed method is used to predict the vibrations of the Buddhist sutra depositary at Yangzhou Zhunti Temple. Comparing the results shows that the vibration responses of a structure under traffic loads can be effectively predicted in the relevant frequency bands.
Enhancement of yield and nutritional value of soybean sprouts by persimmon fruit powder

Large amount of soybean sprouts has been produced for human consumption in Korea for a long time. Various techniques and production methods have been implied to enhance the quality and yield of soybean sprouts. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of persimmon fruit powder treatment on yield and nutritional value of soybean sprouts. The sprout yield was increased by 16% with the addition of 5% (w/v) persimmon fruit powder during seed soaking. Vitamin C and polyphenol content were significantly (p<0.05) increased. Similarly, essential as well as total amino acid content were also enhanced. However, the moisture content and DPPH radical scavenging potential of soybean sprout were not significantly affected. On the other hand, the mineral elements especially potassium and calcium content were reduced with the application of persimmon fruit powder. The results of the present study suggest that addition of persimmon fruit powder could improve the yield, vitamin C and amino acid content, and antioxidant potential of soybean sprouts. Key words: Persimmon fruit powder, nutritional value, soybean sprout, yield.
PRESENCE OF SITUATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL MODELS IN MEXICAN MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL: AN INITIAL CATEGORIZATION AND QUANTIFICATION

Problem solving and, since recently, mathematical modeling are of a crucial importance in processes of learning and teaching school mathematics. Both processes are greatly influenced by the ways mathematics textbooks treat problem solving and mathematical modeling. Main objective of this documental research was to determinate basic features and quantify presence of situational and mathematical models in 480 problem formulations proposed by authors of Mexican of 29 mathematics textbooks for middle school (IX grade). The results show that students are not informed about (1) the differences between situational and mathematical models and (2) their role and importance in learning and practice of mathematical modeling. In addition, in many examples, complete or incomplete mathematical models are inserted into situational models (drawing or photograph). Finally, three selected problems with different visual complements were given to 43 students in order to explore which type of drawings (situational, mathematical or mixed) students carry out when asked to make them. Students’ performances were analyzed and compared with the common images (drawings and/or photographs) provided by mathematics textbooks to complement problems formulations.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE EFFECTIVE TIME CONSUMPTION, WOOD RECOVERY AND FEEDING SPEED WHEN MANUFACTURING LUMBER USING A FBO-02 CUT MOBILE BANDSAW

In this study the efficiency of a FBO-02 CUT mobile sawmill is analyzed in terms of effective time consumption for sawing, recovery rate and feeding speed for five wood species. Following a work measurement study, we found that, in given conditions, a wood recovery as high as 66 % may be obtained. Also, the wood recovery rate may be satisfactory expressed as a function of the log volume. The feeding speed was mostly affected by the moisture content, lumber thickness and lumber width while the effective time consumption for sawing one log was mostly affected by number of cuts, log length and log volume. On the other hand, wood species, lumber length and lumber width were the most significant independent variables when trying to explain the effective time consumption for sawing each lumber piece. The presented results may be helpful in various applications such as operational planning and costing, technology and work methods improvement.
Foreign Direct Investment, Productivity, Demand for Skilled Labour and Wage Inequality: An Analysis of Uruguay

This work analyses the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on productivity, the demand for skilled labour and wage inequality of the Uruguayan Manufacturing firms for the period 1997-2005. Firstly, we estimate the effects of FDI on productivity, relative wages and relative employment of skilled workers, through conventional pooled OLS. Then, we estimate quantile regressions, which reveal that consistently with firm heterogeneity, the response to foreign ownership is not homogenous, but varies over the conditional distribution of each dependent variable. Nevertheless, since we cannot attribute causality from the previous correlations we use discrete treatment effect techniques for analyzing causality. Our preliminary results seem to indicate that FDI is associated with higher productivity and an increased demand for skilled labour. Furthermore, though average wages are higher in foreign owned firms, the wage gap between skilled and unskilled workers is higher in foreign owned firms than in domestic ones. Then, it follows that promoting foreign investment enhances productivity. On the other hand, due to the higher demand for skilled workers policies such as training of workers would be conductive to further productivity improvements, while other social policies could help to mitigate wage inequality effects.
Exploring Pre-Colonial Resource Control of Individual Sami Households

In order to understand the use and control of resources by indigenous households and bands, information on territorial division is crucial. However, although indigenous resource use has been quantified in several studies, such information has usually been lacking. A unique map provides this kind of information for the Swedish Sami. Drawn by Jonas Persson Gedda in 1671, before the Swedish state started to interfere with Sami territorial division, it shows the borders of 37 household territories. We have combined the geographical information from Gedda’s map with historical sources and modern land survey data to quantify the resources controlled by each household and relate them to taxation. Three crucial resources are identified: alpine heath together with subalpine birch forest, pine-dominated forests, and fishing waters. Only the fishing resource showed any correlation to taxation, which underlines its importance as the main subsistence mode, at least for the forest Sami. Mountain Sami, who lived primarily on reindeer husbandry, controlled abundant alpine heath and subalpine birch forests that were used as summer pastures, but virtually no pine-dominated forests with winter pastures. The necessary winterpastures were located in the territories of the forest Sami, who controlled extensive pine-dominated forests and who were able to combine reindeer herding and wild reindeer hunting.
ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OF POINT CLOUDS GEO-REFERENCING IN SURVEYING AND DOCUMENTATION OF HISTORICAL COMPLEXES

Abstract. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) technique is widely used for documentation and preservation of historical sites by for example creating three-dimensional (3-D) digital models or vectorial sketches. In consequence, a complex, complete, detail and accurate documentation of historical structure is created. It is very crucial when it comes about modern digital culture. If we acquire TLS data of once particular structure usually we do it in local coordinate system of scanner. Nevertheless when measurements are conducted for complex of several historical buildings or monuments (i.e. castle ruins, building of narrow streets of the Old Towns), the registration of point clouds into a common, global coordinate system is one of the critical steps in TLS data processing. Then we have integrate data with different accuracy level. Inner accuracy of local coordinate system (scanner system) is usually thrice higher than for global coordinate systems measurement. The paper describes the geometric quality of the direct georeferencing in post-processing, considering surveying points. Then, an analysis of factors affecting registration accuracy is proposed. Finally, an improvement of direct georeferencing technique is presented and examined. Furthermore, registered data and chosen orientation methods have been compared to each other.
First principles calculation of phonon dispersion, thermodynamic properties and B 1-to-B 2 phase transition of lighter alkali hydrides

The phonon dispersions of LiD, LiH and NaH for B 1 and B 2 phases are computed using density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT) with both local density (LDA) and generalized gradient (GGA) approximations. It is found from the phonon dispersion curves that the B 2 phase is unstable at low pressure for all the systems considered. From the vibrational free energy, the coefficient of the linear thermal expansion, the heat capacity and the vibrational entropy as a function of temperature at zero pressure are calculated within the framework of the quasiharmonic approximation. Very good agreement is found for these properties except in the case of the GGA at high temperature. The equation of states for NaH B 1 and B 2 phases at 300 K and the B 1-to-B 2 phase transition pressure are in excellent agreement with experimental results. The equation of state for the LiH B 1 phase agrees well with experiments and recent theoretical calculations. The estimated B 1-to-B 2 phase transition pressure (308 GPa) is also in good agreement with other theoretical calculations.
Solid-phase microextraction based sampling techniques for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) comprise a large diversity of species that are emitted into the atmosphere from both biogenic and anthropogenic sources. These species play a key role in atmospheric photochemistry, due to their high reactivity with atmospheric oxidants, and in the formation and growth of secondary organic aerosols. The trace levels usually found in ambient air and the enormous heterogeneity of VOC sources and emissions around the Earth call for the development of novel analytical methodologies and portable devices, which provide reduced analytical steps and allow the measurement of these compounds at virtually any spatial location. The main goal of this doctoral thesis was to develop further and apply solid-phase microextraction (SPME) based analytical methods for the sampling and analysis of VOCs in the atmosphere. The SPME techniques used included conventional SPME fibers, needle trap microextraction (NTME) devices and a novel SPME Arrow system. Portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed for the fast on-site measurement of atmospheric volatiles. Field measurements were performed at the Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR II) in Hyytiälä, Finland. Dynamic SPME collection combined with portable GC-MS allowed the rapid on-site measurement of the most abundant compounds present in the sampling site atmosphere with minimal analytical steps. The potential of NTME and portable GC-MS for the field measurement of biogenic and anthropogenic organic volatiles was also demonstrated, and the method developed was applied to clarify the effect of snow pack on the concentration of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the air. SPME and portable GC-MS were used for the characterization of BVOCs emitted from chambers installed at the forest soil. A novel SPME Arrow system was also successfully characterized and employed for the sampling of atmospheric VOCs. The results demonstrated the great potential and versatility of SPME-based sampling techniques combined with portable GC-MS for the rapid on-site sampling and analysis of VOCs in the atmosphere.
Cloning and expression analysis of a LFY homologous gene in Chinese jujube ( Ziziphus jujube Mill.)

LEAFY (LFY) homologous genes are necessary for the transition from vegetative to reproductive development in flowering plants. The full-length cDNA of a LFY homolog was successfully isolated from floral buds of Chinese Jujube ( Ziziphus jujube Mill.) by degenerate reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), and Blastn analysis. The LFY homologous gene was denominated as ZjLFY and deposited at the GenBank under accession JN165097. The full-length cDNA sequence of ZjLFY was 1517 bp in length and contained a completed open reading frame (ORF) of 1209 bp encoding 576 amino acids. Amino acid sequence comparison revealed that the ZjLFY had two variable regions and two conserved regions. At the amino acid level, the ZjLFY showed high similarity ranging from 57.5 to 82.9% with other LFY homologous members. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed strong expression of ZjLFY in floral buds, but weak expression in fruit-bearing shoots, vegetative shoots, stems, mature leaves and axillary buds, suggesting that the ZjLFY played a role in both vegetative and reproductive development in Chinese jujube.
TELOMERIC HETEROCHROMATIN, SEEDS AND MEIOTIC CHARACTERISTICS IN TWO TRICEPIRO LINES

Al cruzar un triticale hexaploide (2n=6x=42) y un trigopiro octoploide (2n=8x=56) se obtuvo, en 1972, un hibrido denominado tricepiro. Entre las lineas que se lograron estan tricepiro Don Rene INTA que posee semillas arrugadas y FA-L2 con semillas lisas. El contenido de heterocromatina de los cromosomas de centeno en otros hibridos intergenericos ha sido relacionado con la rugosidad y peso de las semillas, asi como con la presencia de anormalidades meioticas. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar, en ambas lineas mencionadas anteriormente, el porcentaje promedio de heterocromatina presente en los cromosomas de centeno y relacionar este valor con caracteristicas de la meiosis y de las semillas. Confirmamos que las dos lineas tienen el mismo numero cromosomico (2n=42) y el mismo numero de cromosomas de centeno (14). Encontramos que ambas presentan un apareamiento completo de los cromosomas hasta diacinesis tardia, pero difieren en el porcentaje de celulas con univalentes fuera de la placa ecuatorial en Metafase I (Don Rene 42,.85 % y FA-L2 14,00 %). Ademas, ambas lineas difieren en el Indice Meiotico (Don Rene 66,47 % y FA-L2 87,90 %) y en el peso de las semillas (Don Rene 0,029 ± 0,000 g y FA-L2 0,038 ± 0,001 g). El analisis de las bandas C, hecho en metafases mitoticas, indico que el porcentaje promedio del contenido de heterocromatina presente en los cromosomas de centeno, no difiere significativamente entre las dos lineas. Contrariamente a nuestras expectativas, el comportamiento meiotico y las caracteristicas de las semillas no mostraron relacion con el porcentaje de heterocromatina presente en los cromosomas de centeno de las lineas hibridas estudiadas