Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contributory Role of Pre-task Planning in Improving Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing of Argumentative Essays: The Case of Accuracy and Complexity

Generally , Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is an approach which places a high premium on the utilization of tasks as fundamental units of planning language instruction in L2 writing classroom. Accordingly, the present study sought to investigate the extent to which pre-task planning can influence the accuracy and complexity of the sentence structures in the argumentative essays written by male and female Iranian EFL learners with an intermediate proficiency level. As such, a Quick Oxford Proficiency Test (Q.O.P.T) was administered to a population of intermediate students learning English in a language institute in Isfahan. Based on their scores, two intermediate samples, 25 each, were randomly selected and labeled as control and experimental groups. While learners in the control group received writing instruction by a product based approach, the learners in the treatment sample were taught by a task based approach focusing on pre-task planning. At the end of the treatment, a full term, the analysis of the data obtained from the essays written by the participants revealed that pre-task planning improved the accuracy and complexity of the structures in the essays written by both male and female learners in the treatment group compared with those in the control group. Additionally, the results indicated that there was a meaningful interaction between pre-task planning and gender.
Measuring the Natural Rate of Interest: A Note on Transitory Shocks

We present evidence that the natural rate of interest is buffeted by both permanent and transitory shocks. We establish this result by estimating a benchmark model with Bayesian methods and loose priors on the unobserved drivers of the natural rate. When subject to transitory shocks, the median estimate for the U.S. economy is more procyclical, displays a less marked secular decline, and is therefore higher following the Great Recession than most estimates in the literature.
An Analysis of the Multi-Cultural Characteristics of the Pre-Service Teachers in Terms of the Values They Have

In this study, it was aimed to analyze the multi-cultural characteristics of the pre-service teachers and the values they have in terms of various variables, to determine the relationship between these values. Descriptive survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. The population of the study consisted of the pre-service teachers studying in different departments in the Faculty of Education, İbrahim Çeçen University of Ağrı in 2017-2018 academic years. The sample of the study consisted of 341 pre-service teachers selected with random sampling method. According to the results obtained from the study, it was determined that the value preferences of the pre-service teachers and their multicultural personality characteristics showed a significant difference in terms of gender, undergraduate program, educational background of the mother, having social media account and daily internet use variables; however, there was not a significant difference in terms of family structure, the place s/he grew up, educational background of the father and monthly income variables. The abstract does not include information about which groups are favored for the difference in the variables and in which sub-dimensions, but detailed information is given in the following sections of the study.
Wages and International Factors’ Mobility

The labor wage is the result of market variables and institutional settings of a country. In an open economy the determination of the market wage rate may be further affected by the extent of international mobility of both factors of production, labor and capital. Labor mobility is represented by migration in and out of a country, while capital mobility relates mostly to the extent of foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows and inflows. Migrants may represent an addition to the native labor force of a country and, in some cases, play a substitute role with respect to incumbent workers. FDI, in particular of the greenfield category, represents either a supplement to or a reduction of the domestic capital and, by and large, changes the opportunity set of a firm’s CEO with respect to the corresponding company operating in a closed economy. International factor mobility and domestic market variables, such as unemployment and productivity, interact in the wage setting process. In this paper, we derive a theoretical wage equation following the above premises, and perform pooled mean group estimates of its parameters on panel data for a group of 13 European countries with quarterly time observation over the period 1996-2007. We find that capital outflows have a robust negative effect on the wage rate. The effects of migration inflows, on the other hand, are not so clear-cut, as they can be nullor negative depending on the sample of countries considered.
Pre-Disposing Factors Contributing to the Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections (IPI) among the HIV/AIDS Patients in Bungoma County, Kenya

The role of HIV infection on the pathognomomic of HIV infections is not clearly understood. The aim of the current study was to determine the epidemiology of IPI and predisposing factors among HIV/AIDS patients in Bungoma County Hospital. This study was a cross-sectional study on 240 HIV(+ve) and 60 HIV(-ve) individuals. Stool samples were observed for intestinal parasites. Differences in prevalence and intensity of parasites were analyzed using Pearson Chi-square test. Factors causing observed differences in the prevalence and intensity of the parasites were analyzed using Chi-square test to identify significant factors responsible for observed prevalence. Significantly (χ2 = 23.764, df = 1, p = 0.002) higher prevalence of IPI occurred among HIV/AIDS patients (33.4%) compared to in HIV-ve patients (19.3%). Protozoan and helminthic parasites were the main parasites identified. Age, levels of education, income levels, smoking and drinking habits as well as dietary habits contributed significantly (p < 0.05 to increased prevalence of Intestinal parasitic infection among the HIV/AIDS patients. The study demonstrate that infection with HIV exacerbate intestinal parasitic infections (IPI). It is recommended that routine examination of stool samples for parasites would significantly benefit HIV infected and uninfected individuals by contributing to reduce morbidity.
Fauxvea: Crowdsourcing Gaze Estimates for Visualization Analysis Tasks

We present the design and evaluation of a method for estimating gazes during the analysis of static visualizations using crowdsourcing. Understanding gaze patterns is helpful for evaluating visualizations and user behaviors, but traditional eye-tracking studies require specialized hardware and local users. To avoid these constraints, we created a method called Fauxvea, which crowdsources visualization tasks on the Web and estimates gaze fixations through cursor interactions without eye-tracking hardware. We ran experiments to evaluate how gaze estimates from our method compare with eye-tracking data. First, we evaluated crowdsourced estimates for three common types of information visualizations and basic visualization tasks using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). In another, we reproduced findings from a previous eye-tracking study on tree layouts using our method on MTurk. Results from these experiments show that fixation estimates using Fauxvea are qualitatively and quantitatively similar to eye tracking on the same stimulus-task pairs. These findings suggest that crowdsourcing visual analysis tasks with static information visualizations could be a viable alternative to traditional eye-tracking studies for visualization research
Serum Holotranscobalamin as a Marker of Vitamin B 12 ( i . e . , Cobalamin ) Status Effective : May 1 , 2018

PLEASE NOTE: Contracts exclude from coverage, among other things, services or procedures that are considered investigational or cosmetic. Providers may bill members for services or procedures that are considered investigational or cosmetic. Providers are encouraged to inform members before rendering such services that the members are likely to be financially responsible for the cost of these services.
Hydraulic conductivity traits predict growth rates and adult stature of 40 Asian tropical tree species better than wood density

1. Stem xylem characteristics have a great impact on growth and adult stature of trees because of their role in mechanical support, long‐distance water transport and whole‐plant carbon allocation. Yet, despite the potential causal link between xylem traits and plant growth/adult stature, most studies have tried to link wood density, an indirect but easy to measure proxy for wood properties, to tree growth and size.
Thermal spin pumping and magnon-phonon-mediated spin-Seebeck effect

The spin-Seebeck effect (SSE) in ferromagnetic metals and insulators has been investigated systematically by means of the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE) in paramagnetic metals. The SSE generates a spin voltage as a result of a temperature gradient in a ferromagnet, which injects a spin current into an attached paramagnetic metal. In the paramagnet, this spin current is converted into an electric field due to the ISHE, enabling the electric detection of the SSE. The observation of the SSE is performed in longitudinal and transverse configurations consisting of a ferromagnet/paramagnet hybrid structure, where thermally generated spin currents flowing parallel and perpendicular to the temperature gradient are detected, respectively. Our results explain the SSE in terms of a two-step process: (1) the temperature gradient creates a non-equilibrium state in the ferromagnet governed by both magnon and phonon propagations and (2) the non-equilibrium between magnons in the ferromagnet and electrons in the paramagnet at the contact interface leads to “thermal spin pumping” and the ISHE signal. The non-equilibrium state of metallic magnets (e.g., Ni81Fe19) under a temperature gradient is governed mainly by the phonons in the sample and the substrate, while in insulating magnets (e.g., Y3Fe5O12), both magnon and phonon propagations appear to be important. The phonon-mediated non-equilibrium that drives the thermal spin pumping is confirmed also by temperature-dependent measurements, giving rise to a giant enhancement of the SSE signals at low temperatures.
Vegetation cover change detection and assessment in arid environment using multi-temporal remote sensing images and ecosystem management approach

Abstract. Vegetation cover (VC) change detection is essential for a better understanding of the interactions and interrelationships between humans and their ecosystem. Remote sensing (RS) technology is one of the most beneficial tools to study spatial and temporal changes of VC. A case study has been conducted in the agro-ecosystem (AE) of Al-Kharj, in the center of Saudi Arabia. Characteristics and dynamics of total VC changes during a period of 26 years (1987–2013) were investigated. A multi-temporal set of images was processed using Landsat images from Landsat4 TM 1987, Landsat7 ETM+2000, and Landsat8 to investigate the drivers responsible for the total VC pattern and changes, which are linked to both natural and social processes. The analyses of the three satellite images concluded that the surface area of the total VC increased by 107.4 % between 1987 and 2000 and decreased by 27.5 % between years 2000 and 2013. The field study, review of secondary data, and community problem diagnosis using the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method suggested that the drivers for this change are the deterioration and salinization of both soil and water resources. Ground truth data indicated that the deteriorated soils in the eastern part of the Al-Kharj AE are frequently subjected to sand dune encroachment, while the southwestern part is frequently subjected to soil and groundwater salinization. The groundwater in the western part of the ecosystem is highly saline, with a salinity ≥ 6 dS m−1. The ecosystem management approach applied in this study can be used to alike AE worldwide.
ExoMol line list – XXI. Nitric Oxide (NO)

Line lists for the X 2 Π electronic ground state for the parent isotopologue of nitric oxide ( 14 N 16 O) and five other major isotopologues ( 14 N 17 O, 14 N 18 O, 15 N 16 O, 15 N 17 O and 15 N 18 O) are presented. The line lists are constructed using empirical energy levels (and line positions) and high-level ab initio intensities. The energy levels were obtained using a combination of two approaches, from an effective Hamiltonian and from solving the rovibronic Schrodinger equation variationally. The effective Hamiltonian model was obtained through a fit to the experimental line positions of NO available in the literature for all six isotopologues using the programs SPFIT and SPCAT. The variational model was built through a least squares fit of the ab initio potential and spin-orbit curves to the experimentally derived energies and experimental line positions of the main isotopologue only using the DUO program. The ab initio potential energy, spin-orbit and dipole moment curves (PEC, SOC and DMC) are computed using high-level ab initio methods and the MARVEL method is used to obtain energies of NO from experimental transition frequencies. The line lists are constructed for each isotopologue based on the use of the most accurate energy levels and the ab initio DMC. Each line list covers a wavenumber range from 0 to 40 000 cm -1 with approximately 22 000 rovibronic states and 2.3-2.6 million transitions extending to J max = 184.5 and ν max = 51. Partition functions are also calculated up to a temperature of 5000 K. The calculated absorption line intensities at 296 K using these line lists show excellent agreement with those included in the HITRAN and HITEMP data bases. The computed NO line lists are the most comprehensive to date, covering a wider wavenumber and temperature range compared to both the HITRAN and HITEMP data bases. These line lists are also more accurate than those used in HITEMP. The full line lists are available from the CDS http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr and ExoMol www.exomol. com data bases; data will also be available from CDMS http://www.cdms. de.
∊ Eridani: an active K dwarf and a planet hosting star?. The variability of its large-scale magnetic field topology

The young K-dwarf Eridani is an example of a young active planet hosting star that has shown over long-term monitoring of its chromospheric emission to exhibit cyclic magnetic activity. In this paper, we investigate how Eridani's large-scale magnetic field geometry evolves over the timescale of its S-index cycle using spectropolarimetric observations and the technique of Zeeman-Doppler imaging. Our observations comprise six epochs secured over a time period of nearly seven years, with each almost yearly observational epoch showing a dramatic change in the large-scale magnetic field topology, with no stable regions. The poloidal field varies from strongly dipolar to mono-polar and the toroidal field is non-existent to begin with and then emerges to dominate the magnetic field energy before disappearing and re-emerging again. A potential cycle is detected in the poloidal field, but further observations are needed to confirm this.
Acousto-optic Spectrum Analyzer - The New Type of Optoelectronic Device

The new optoelectronic system combining calcium molybdate collinear acousto-optic cell and positive electronic feedback is proposed and examined both experimentally and theoretically. The feedback signal is formed at the cell output due to the optical heterodyning effect with the use of an unconventional regime of collinear cell operation. It is shown that the feedback circuit parameters enable controlling spectral characteristics of the acousto-optic cell, resulting in enhancing the maximal spectral resolution and the accuracy of optical wavelength determination. This system may be treated as the optical radiation spectrum analyzer, as the spectrum of electric signal in the feedback circuit is related with the light spectrum on the
Outcomes of complete versus targeted approaches to endoscopic sinus surgery

Background—Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) was historically predicated on targeted widening of narrow anatomic structures that caused post-obstructive persistent sinus inflammation. It is now clear that chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a multi-factorial disease with subsets of patients which may require a more extensive surgical approach. This study compares quality-of-life (QOL) and disease severity outcomes after FESS based on the extent of surgical intervention.
Patent Policy and American Innovation after eBay: An Empirical Examination

Abstract The 2006 Supreme Court ruling in eBay vs. MercExchange removed the presumption of injunctive relief from infringement and marked a sea change in U.S. patent policy. Subsequent legal and policy changes reduced the costs of challenging patent validity and narrowed the scope of patentable subject matter. Proponents of these changes argue that they have made the U.S. patent system more equitable, particularly for sectors such as information technology, where patent ownership is fragmented and innovation highly cumulative. Opponents suggest the same reforms have weakened intellectual property rights and curtailed innovation. After reviewing the legal background and relevant economic theory, we examine patenting, R&D spending, venture capital investment and productivity growth in the wake of the eBay decision. Overall, we find no evidence that changes in patent policy have harmed the American innovation system.
Preference for locality is affected by the prefix/suffix asymmetry

Previous research indicates that learners have a strong bias in favor of locality when learning co-occurrence restrictions in an artificial language (Finley 2011, 2015; McMullin & Hansson 2014; McMullin 2016). This preference for locality has been found even for consonant harmony patterns, which are often nonlocal in natural languages (McMullin & Hansson 2014, Finley 2015, McMullin 2016). For instance, McMullin and Hansson (2014) found that learners in an artificial language learning experiment generalized a nonlocal sibilant harmony pattern to local contexts, but not vice versa. However, it is not the case that learners always prefer locality when learning cooccurrence restrictions. Endress and Mehler (2010) found that adult learners were better at learning dependencies between two consonants, C1 and C2, when they were at the
Electron magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

Electron magnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) turbulence is studied in two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) systems. Results in 2D are particularly noteworthy. Energy dissipation rates are found to be independent of the diffusion coefficients. The energy spectrum follows a k−5/3 law for kde>1 and k−7/3 for kde<1, which is consistent with a local spectral energy transfer independent of the linear wave properties, contrary to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, where the Alfven effect dominates the transfer dynamics. In 3D spectral properties are similar to those in 2D.
Neuroimaging of text comprehension: Where are we now?

The study of discourse comprehension processes and pragmatics using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) is a rather recent, but exciting development. Based on prior reviews (Ferstl 2007; Ferstl et al. 2008), the chapter revisits the question of whether neuroimaging studies can inform psycholinguistic theory. Empirical studies on inference processes, situation model building, and the comprehension of non-literal and pragmatic language (e.g., metaphors, irony, verbal humour) are summarized. The issues of particular interest are whether we can now further specify the functions of the brain areas involved in discourse comprehension. It is concluded that there is converging evidence for a role of the parieto-medial cortex for situation model updating, for the dorso-medial prefrontal cortex during non-automatic inference processes, and for the anterior temporal lobes as heteromodal integration areas for verbal material. In contrast, the right hemisphere is clearly important for discourse comprehension, but the specific roles of right sided brain areas still need to be delineated. Finally, neuroscientific research has led psycholinguistics to an appreciation of social and emotional aspects of communication, including Theory-of-Mind.
Dynamic Compensation Under Uncertainty Shocks and Limited Commitment

Abstract This article studies dynamic compensation and risk management under cash-flow volatility shocks. The optimal contract depends critically on firms’ ability to make good on promised future payments to managers. When volatility is low, firms with full commitment ability implement high pay–performance sensitivity to motivate effort from managers, and they impose large penalties on the arrival of volatility shocks to incentivize prudent risk management. In contrast, firms with limited commitment may allow excessive risk taking in exchange for low pay–performance sensitivity. When volatility becomes high, firms with full commitment defer compensation more, whereas firms with limited commitment must expedite payments.
Evaluation of Inflammatory Markers in Pregnant Women at Risk, for the Prediction of Preeclampsia

Abstract Introduction: A low degree of inflammation has been associated with complications in pregnancies, including preeclampsia (PE). The aim of our study was to determine the serum values of high sensitivity C Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy in pregnant women with risk factors for the development of PE, and to evaluate their relevance for the prediction of this disorder. Material and methods: We performed a prospective longitudinal study on 120 pregnant women, who were divided based on the pregnancy evolution, into two groups: group I - 26 pregnant women who developed preeclampsia and group II - 94 pregnant women with physiological evolution of pregnancy. Results: Our study has shown an increase in serum levels of hs-CRP and IL-6 in the first and second trimester of pregnancy in patients from group I, significant values being revealed only in the second trimester of pregnancy. The predictive power of the selected inflammatory markers was significant only for values of hs-CRP in the second trimester of pregnancy, while the association with IL-6 increased the prediction. Conclusions: Increased values of hs-CRP and IL-6 in the second trimester of pregnancy are associated with higher risk for preeclampsia, however the study provided only a modest efficiency of the prediction capacity.
Online and Phone Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities

This article reviews the existing literature on the potential advantages and drawbacks of therapy that is conducted when the clinician and client are not sitting in the same room. Specifically, forms of psychotherapy that are conducted via the telephone, e-mail, and video chat are addressed. As different researchers have reported contradictory findings on this topic, and the laws and policies that govern these types of therapy interactions are still being developed, it is suggested that clinicians use extra caution when providing treatment through these media.