Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting L 2 Writing Proficiency Using Linguistic Complexity Measures : A Corpus-Based Study

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether second language writings at different proficiency levels can be distinguished using automatic indices of linguistic complexity. For this study, 35 linguistic measures in 234 essays selected from the Yonsei English Learner Corpus were analyzed in order to identify the best indicators of L2 writing proficiency among the three categories: text length, lexical complexity, and syntactic complexity. The key to this study is the use of computational tools, the L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer and the Lexical Complexity Analyzer, which measure different linguistic features of the target language, and a robust statistical method, discriminant function analysis. Results showed that automatic computational tools indicated different uses of linguistic features across L2 writers’ proficiency levels. Specifically, more proficient writers produced longer texts, used more diverse vocabulary, and showed the ability to write more words per sentence and more complex nominalizations. These findings can offer a window to understanding the linguistic features that distinguish L2 writing proficiency levels and to the possibility of using the new computational tools for analyzing L2 learner corpus data.
0 Bank Behavior and Social Capital

This paper examines the performance and policies of banks located in high social capital areas. Results show that higher levels of social capital are associated with safer, more profitable, yet less capitalized banks. Additionally, banks in areas with higher social capital display lower likelihoods of default and failure, yet higher likelihoods of receiving capital under the TARP Capital Purchase Program. Examining the relationship between social capital and bank/consumer relations, we find that banks in higher social capital areas pay more interest and charge fewer fees on deposits, and charge lower rates and fees on loans. The results suggest that banks located in higher social capital areas take actions that promote trust and therefore enable working relationships that have productive benefits for both banks and consumers.
Adolescents’ Perceptions of “Cheating” in Gaming and Educational Settings

Background. Given the widespread popularity of video gameplay among adolescents, it is important to understand the relationship between video gameplay and adolescent behaviors in various contexts. Aim. This exploratory study aimed to explore adolescent gamers use of player guides and cheat codes during video gameplay in order to understand how they reason about the relationship between cheating in video games and cheating in academic settings. Method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents in order to gain in-depth insight into participants’ perspectives on video gameplay and their perceptions of cheating in video games and academic settings. Interview data was coded and qualitatively analyzed to identify patterns and key emergent themes. Results. Findings from this exploratory study highlight seemingly contradictory views on cheating among adolescents. On the one hand, participants viewed player guides, cheat codes, and other forms of gameplay resources as simply part of the overall gaming experience. They did not view this type of assistance as cheating. On the other hand, participants viewed unsanctioned assistance and taking others’ ideas as their own as cheating within academic settings. Conclusion. As findings from this study suggest, understanding how student navigate video gameplay may provide much needed insight into providing effective supports and tools in academic contexts. Findings from this research can inform the development of more effective approaches to address cheating in academic settings, including the integration of study guides, student-created aids and guides and additional materials as part of an effective support system.
The Effect of SFAS 141 and 142 on the Market for Corporate Control

We investigate the effects of accounting rule changes that eliminate the pooling method (SFAS 141) and goodwill amortization (SFAS 142) on the form of acquisition financing and on a firm’s takeover probability. The primary requirement to qualify for the pooling method is structuring the transaction as a stock-for-stock exchange. We find that before the new accounting rules, target firms’ step-up value is positively associated with the probability of using stock-for-stock as against partial stock financing. After the new rules, this association decreases significantly and is indistinguishable from zero. These results suggest that in the pre SFAS 141 period, greater use of stock-for-stock exchanges for target firms with larger step-up values was motivated by the favorable effect of the pooling method on the reported income of the acquirer, and this motivation to use stock-for-stock exchanges goes away with the elimination of the pooling method. The new rules also resulted in a greater decrease in takeover probability for firms with larger step-up values than for firms with smaller step-up values, presumably due to the elimination of the pooling method. When the step-up value of a firm is composed primarily of goodwill, the above effect is attenuated, consistent with the elimination of goodwill amortization. Overall, the study uses a natural experiment to provide a novel finding that accounting methods have significant effects on the form of acquisition financing and on takeover probability. We appreciate the helpful comments of Jarrad Harford, Bob Holthausen, and workshop participants at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, London Business School, London School of Economics, State University of New York at Buffalo, and the University of Houston.
Patterns of Use in Public Squares of the City of London

0 Abstract This paper analyses how patterns of space use of public squares can be determined by the morphological properties of the urban grid in which public spaces are embedded. Twelve public squares in the City of London were analysed using the space syntax methodology and the principle of natural movement. This paper demonstrates that patterns of space use is a function of the configuration of the urban grid, expressed by the correlation between the number and integration values of axial lines that interface with the public space and the number of static people within the space.
' perceptions of author ’ s gender : A myth or a truth ?

Gender plays a crucial role in the lives of human beings. From the moment of birth, the two genders are taught to follow different codes of behaviour that are compatible with the societal roles stipulated for each gender. Many linguists and sociolinguistics believe that because male and female have different life experiences, the way the two genders speak and write will differ. The question of identifying such differences has exercised linguistic researchers for decades. The studies of difference in the language used by males and females have mainly focused on phonological and lexical differences in their spoken medium and informal writing such as student essays, personal letters and electronic messaging. The language used in novels, plays and poetry seems to be an area which so far has not been thoroughly elucidated. This paper explores and examines the general beliefs whether professional authors, particularly literary writers, could perceive and identify any linguistic differences in Arab male and female novelists' style of writing. Ten Arabic-speaking Jordanian writers, five males and five females, are asked to express their opinions with regard to such difference. The results are in conformity with the findings of international gender studies, thus providing further support to the claim that the difference between male and female styles of writing is more of a truth than a myth.
The role of dexmedetomidine in the prevention of postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients

Bily B, Artemiou P, Sabol F, Bilecova-Rabajdova M, Kolarcik P, Torok P. The role of dexmedetomidine in the prevention of postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients. Cardiology Lett. 2015;24(6):435–444 Abstract. Objective: Post cardiac surgery delirium is a severe complication. Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective shorter-acting intravenous alpha-2-agonist and has a protective effect on specific organs including the heart, brain, kidney and lungs. It was hypothesized that perioperative administration of dexmedetomidine would decrease the incidence of the postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients. Methods: This paper represents a prospective non-randomized clinical observational study. It is a single center study realized in a tertiary level of care facility from April 2013 to February 2014. Two consecutive groups of 250 consecutive patients took part in the study. Group A was the control group and group B was the dexmedetomidine group. In group B, the patients received perioperative dexmedetomidine sedation. The main aim of the measures was to observe the incidence of delirium and to identify any predictors of delirium and to compare the two groups based on the delirium incidence. Results: The incidence of the delirium was 5.2% in the dexmedetomidine group vs. 20.8% in control group (p=0.001). Predictors of delirium in the dexmedetomidine group were age (p=0.001, 95% CI 1.068-1.271), higher EuroSCORE II value (p=0.035, 95% CI 1.007-1.198), longer CPB time (p=0.018, 95% CI 1.271-13.443), sufentanil dose > 0.15mg (p=0.014, 95% CI 5.394-3.403) and valve combined operations (p=0.036, 95% CI 4.420-1.099). In multivariate analysis only age (p=0.001, 95% CI 1.067-1.303) was a predictor. Comparing the groups together predictors of delirium were age (p=0.001, 95% CI 1.062-1.137), EuroSCORE II value (p=0.001, 95% CI 1.076-1.246), CPB time (p=0.001, 95% CI 1.004-1.015), ACC time (p=0.004, 95% CI 1.003-1.016), sufentanil dose (p=0.010, 95% CI 16.649-61.867), CABG (p=0.015, 95% CI 1.157-3.791). Conclusion: Perioperative sedation with dexmedetomidine significantly decreases the incidence of postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery and perioperative strategies should continue be developed, in order to further decrease the incidence of the postoperative delirium. Perioperative sedation with dexmedetomidine should be considered in every patient scheduled for cardiac surgery. Tab. 5, Ref. 30, Online full text (Free, PDF) www.cardiology. sk
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS Statistics in Brief October 1996 Parents ' Reports of School Practices to Involve Families Contact :

Kathryn Chandler, NCES An extensive literature documents the relationship between parent involvement in education and children's learning and school performance (e.g., Baker & Stevenson, 1986; Coleman et al., 1966; Dave, 1963; Epstein, 1983; Epstein & McPartland, 1979; Marjoribanks, 1979; McDill & Rigsby, 1973). For example, parent involvement in children's education has been linked to children's achievement (Baker & Stevenson, 1986; Keith et al., 1986; Teale, 1984), academic standing (Zill & Nord, 1994), and grade repetition (Zill & Nord, 1994). Given the importance of parent involvement, there are increasing efforts to find ways to help parents become more involved in their children's education.
on Perceptual-Motor Calibration to Changes in Action Capabilities 1 2

17 Perceptual-motor calibration has been described as a mapping between perception and action, 18 which is relevant to distinguish possible from impossible opportunities for action. To avoid 19 movement errors, it is relevant to rapidly calibrate to immediate changes in capabilities and 20 therefore this study sought to explain in what conditions calibration is most efficient. A 21 systematic search of seven databases was conducted to identify literature concerning changes in 22 calibration in response to changes in action capabilities. Twenty-three papers satisfied the 23 inclusion criteria. Data revealed that calibration occurs rapidly if there is a good match between 24 the task that requires calibration and the sources of perceptual-motor information available for 25 exploration (e.g. when exploring maximal braking capabilities by experiencing braking). 26 Calibration can take more time when the perceptual-motor information that is available is less 27 relevant. The current study identified a number of limitations in the field of perceptual-motor 28 research. Most notably, the mean participant age in the included studies was between 18 and 33 29 years of age, limiting the generalizability of the results to other age groups. Also, due to 30 inconsistent terminology used in the field of perceptual-motor research, we argue that 31 investigating calibration in older cohorts should be a focus of future research because of the 32 possible implications of impaired calibration in an ageing society. 33 34
Determination of Factors Affecting Capital Structure of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises in India

The present paper is an attempt to investigate the critical factors that affect the capital structure of forty Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India. The research study was performed from five year plan 2011 to five year plan 2017. Four different economic sectors (Information Technology, Infrastructure and Automobile) have been considered for the present research. The study examines the effect of factors under study on the capital structure across all given sectors. The management environment was found to relate to all types of capital structure performance. Panel Data regression analysis was performed by applying Statistical package STATA. It reveals that firm size has been emerged as major determinant that affects capital structure of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises under study. The present results indicate that the MSMEs with sound liquidity positions, exercising the practice of paying high dividends and fall under high tax brackets do not largely depend upon debt financing. The conclusions of this study confirm asset structure came out as the least influenced factor that affect capital structure of MSMEs.
POST-ACQUISITION INTEGRATION AS A CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR TO EFFECTIVE M & A

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are ranked among the most important ways of company growth. Company growth through M&A is considered very flexible and reliably controllable and eventually the outcomes of M&A are easily measurable. Formalized and properly structured management practices aimed at M&A have been developed almost to perfection over past several decades. On the other hand prevailing part of M&A which have been executed over past years have not generated expected results. Such a contradiction gave rise to a research question which concerns causal analysis of M&A failures. One of key reasons for M&A failures is underestimating post-acquisition integration process (PAIP). Companies usually place emphasis on pre-acquisition stage of M&A when potential synergic effects are identified and financial benefits of M&A calculated. PAIP is usually believed to come into effect almost spontaneously without heavy interference of company management. The goal of this paper is making critical evaluation of theoretical findings which refer to PAIP, demonstration of effective PAIP management in industrial practice and preparation of the set of guidelines for effective running PAIP. As research methods questionnaire survey as well as controlled interviews with industry managers were conducted.
Policies on Bruises in Pre-Mobile Children : Why we need improved standards for policy making

This review of the 91 English children’s services departments with specific policies on bruising in premobile children found a major disjuncture between research evidence and its interpretation in guidance. Many policies require all pre-mobile children found with a bruise to be seen urgently by a paediatrician and in some all bruised children are subject of a formal child protection investigation regardless of the explanations for the bruise or the views of front-line practitioners. However, the research on bruises in pre-mobile children on which these policies were based was found to be limited and contradictory and did not fully support the guidance given. National guidance given by the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence and many policies state that bruising in premobile children is suggestive of physical abuse because accidental bruising is uncommon despite the only longitudinal study of bruising showing 27% of pre-mobile children were bruised over an average of 7.6 weekly observations. The paper calls for an urgent review of these policies and guidance and improved standards for policy making.
Spatial Histogram Kernel Map PCA FV Visual Vocabulary ( K-means ) Vlad SVMVisual Vocabulary ( GMM ) BP / PA SVM SVM Score fusion a ) BoW encoding b ) FV encoding c )

Fingerprint-based biometric systems have experienced a large development in the last years. Despite their many advantages, they are still vulnerable to presentation attacks (PAs). Therefore, the task of determining whether a sample stems from a live subject (i.e., bona fide) or from an artificial replica is a mandatory issue which has received a lot of attention recently. Nowadays, when the materials for the fabrication of the Presentation Attack Instruments (PAIs) have been used to train the PA Detection (PAD) methods, the PAIs can be successfully identified. However, current PAD methods still face difficulties detecting PAIs built from unknown materials or captured using other sensors. Based on that fact, we propose a new PAD technique based on three image representation approaches combining local and global information of the fingerprint. By transforming these representations into a common feature space, we can correctly discriminate bona fide from attack presentations in the aforementioned scenarios. The experimental evaluation of our proposal over the LivDet 2011 to 2015 databases, yielded error rates outperforming the top state-of-the-art results by up to 50% in the most challenging scenarios. In addition, the best configuration achieved the best results in the LivDet 2019 competition (overall accuracy of 96.17%).
A Conceptual Study on User Identification and Verification Process using Face Recognition Technique

The rapid growth of information and communication technology resulted in abundant data and information growth in every field with the necessity for high data security. Face recognition is one of the types of unique biometrics measure related to human characteristics, which can be used for identification or authentication purpose as individual’s claimed identity. Face recognition system acquired great scope for the past few years in image processing for the security purposes including identification and verification process, due to its applications in various domains like crime detection, banking, and defense. Based on face data acquisition, face recognition techniques can be broadly classified into three types as intensity images using local binary pattern, video sequences using training videos and 3D information using 3D feature extraction. This paper discusses different face recognition algorithms and analyses it uses its advantages and disadvantages. This paper also compares and discusses how these techniques can be used for various identification and verification system in various fields and attempts to disclose state of the art of face recognition technology
Political and Ideological Commitments: A Systemic Functional Linguistic and Critical Discourse Analysis of President Buhari’s Inaugural Speech

The combined application of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) principles in some modern studies has gone beyond the boundaries of fictional discourse / text. It has witnessed an increasing interest in real-life discourse /text such as newspapers / magazines articles, court verdicts, and presidential and/or political speeches. This new linguistic-discursive trend is substantiated by the fact that the real-life and non-fictional texts/discourses are often ideologically loaded. Therefore, analyzing such speeches would enable to scrutinize, unearth, and reveal their hidden ideologies. It is against this backdrop that this article aims at shedding the SFL projectors’ light on the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaugural speech, by adopting CDA theory as the backbone. The analysis focuses on mood, epistemic and deontic modality choices, as well as recoverable references through personal pronouns used throughout the political discourse under consideration. The study has demonstrated how political leaders' discourses unearth a sort of harmony with ideologies that tally and commensurate the domestic, sub-regional and international realities. Furthermore, it provides sufficient evidence that the grammar of speech is not merely a combinational tool of creating correct constructions, but a method of structuring information and transferring ideology.
Torbangun Leaves ( Coleus amboinicus Lour ) Powder Capsules Supplementation Improve Lipid Profile and Blood Pressure in Me n with Hypercholesterolemia Niken

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of torbangun leaves powder capsules supplementation on lipid profile and blood pressure in men with hypercholesterol. This study was a single blind randomized control trial design with 26 male subjects. The inclusion criterias for subject were adults (age 25-55 years), blood total cholesterol levels ≥200 mg/dl, and signed the informed consent. Subjects were divided into two groups of one intervention (torbangun capsules) and one control (amylum) group. The intervention of 750 mg/day torbangun powder for the intervention group and 300 mg/day amylum for control group were administered for 28 days. The analysis of lipid profile results showed that the trygliseride, LDL, and HDL were not significantly affected by the torbangun intervention but it significantly decreased the total cholesterol level. The supplementation of torbangun capsules also decreased the sistolic blood pressure significantly, but not in diastolic pressure.
Prior Knowledge Mapping on Teacher Candidates for Reproductive System Material in UNSRI

History Articles: Received : January 2019 Accepted : March 2019 Published : April 2019 This study aimed to map Prior knowledge that is owned by science teacher candidate from FKIP’s (Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan) undergraduate students Unsri. The sample in this study was science teacher candidates from undergraduate students in the Chemical Education Study Program of FKIP Unsri (n = 71). The instrument used in this study was a multiple choice question in the form of a three-tier test. Questions were developed based on learning objectives and the results of previous research studies on similar topics. The results of this study indicate that there is a tendency for FKIP Unsri science teacher students to have misconceptions and high lack of knowledge still. Questions that showed a high misconception are found in the topic of menstruation and pregnancy. A high percentage of lack of knowledge is shown in the topic of gametogenesis. While understanding the most top concepts can be seen in the topic of the reproductive organs. The findings of this study can be used as an illustration to determine the planning steps for learning activities so that they can help minimize misconceptions that occur after the learning process takes place.