Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of Chinese EFL learners on communication difficulties and communicative strategies in use in the Australian context

This paper reports on the results of an investigation into the perceptions held by a group of Chinese EFL learners, who currently studying in Australian tertiary institutions, on communication difficulties and communicative strategies they have employed in Australian academic and casual contexts. The aim of the study is to present a Chinese perspective of the issue being investigated. In particular, the significance of teaching communicative strategies to Chinese learners of English is proposed.
Organic and inorganic compositions of marine aerosols from East Asia: Seasonal variations of water-soluble dicarboxylic acids, major ions, total carbon and nitrogen, and stable C and N isotopic composition

Atmospheric particles were collected for 1 year (2001–2002) at a site Gosan on Jeju Island, South Korea. The samples were analyzed for water-soluble dicarboxylic acids and related compounds using a capillary GC and GC/MS. Total carbon and nitrogen contents, as well as their stable isotopic ratios, were also determined using elemental analyzer (EA) and EA/IR/MS, respectively. Elemental and isotopic analyses were also performed after the HCl fume treatment of aerosol samples. The results demonstrate that calcium carbonate of dust origin was not a significant component, except for a few dust event samples. Carbonates most likely reacted with acidic species (such as H2SO4, HNO3 and organic acids) in the atmosphere during a long-range transport, and did not contribute to the total aerosol carbon, except for few strong dust episodes that occurred in spring. This study also demonstrates that nitrate and ammonium largely contribute to aerosol nitrogen, and organic nitrogen is a minor component in the Asian aerosols. Acidic aerosols enriched with sulfate likely adsorb NH3 gas that is emitted from soils in Asia whereas mineral dust particles containing carbonate may adsorb HNO3 and volatile organic acids. Homologous series of dicarboxylic acids (C2–C12) including unsaturated structures as well as ketocarboxylic acids (C2–C9) were detected in the aerosol samples with oxalic (C2) acid being the most abundant species followed by malonic (C3) or succinic (C4) acids. Total concentrations of diacids (130–2070 ng m) are one or two orders ofmagnitude greater than those reported for remote marine aerosols in the North Pacific, but are equivalent to those reported for urban aerosols. Very high concentrations of dusts (up to 880 mg m) and watersoluble dicarboxylic acids were often observed in early spring. However, their correlation ðr 1⁄4 0:27Þ is not strong throughout the campaign.Although bothmineral dusts and diacids are derived from the Asian continent, they originate from different sources and source regions. Diacids are probably emitted from urban sources in East Asia and produced by secondary photochemical oxidation of their precursors, whereas dusts are derived from the arid interior regions. This study provides evidence for photochemical production of water-soluble organic acids in East Asia and the western North Pacific rim.
PRELIMINARY STUDY OF RUBBER WOOD CHIPS GASIFICATION IN A BUBBLING FLUIDISED-BED REACTOR : EFFECT OF AIR TO FUEL RATIO

In cement industry, direct combustion of biomass in cement kilns has led to lowered overall efficiency due to the high moisture content (hence low heating value of biomass) and solid particulates compared to those of conventional fuels, i.e. heavy fuel oil or coal. The gasification of biomass to produce synthesis gas fed into cement kilns is a promising alternative to replace the use of fossil fuels without deteriorating kiln performance. Synthesis gas can be readily fed into kilns without the need of complicated gas treatment systems. In order to understand the behaviour of biomass undergoing gasification conditions, a lab-scale atmospheric bubbling fluidized-bed gasifier was constructed in the study. The system was designed to enable the fuel feed rate of up to 100 kg hr and allow feedstocks to be used at the particle size as received, e.g. wood chip with approximate length of 3 cm. Preliminary tests using rubber wood chips were carried out to investigate the effects of air to fuel ratio on the composition of the compositions of the final gas products (CO, H2, CH4, CO2, C2H2, C2H4 and C2H6) and their heating values. The temperature and pressure along the height of the gasifier were also monitored accordingly. From the experiments, ER was varied between 0.2 and 0.4 by fixing the air mass flow rate at 62.8 kg/h. The optimum ER was found at 0.26, which yielded the lower heating value(LHV) and the higher heating value(HHV) were shown 4.6 MJ/Nm and 4.92 MJ/Nm, respectively. The findings from this study were thought to help understand the gasification behaviour under industrialsimulated gasification conditions, as well as to be highly useful for the operation and development of pilotand commercialscale gasifiers.
Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Reducing Postmenopausal Hypertension

This study was conducted to determine the effect of laser acupuncture on postmenopausal hypertension. Sixty post menopausal women participated in this study. They complained from high blood pressure (diagnosed by gynecologist/ physician). They were chosen from Sayed Galal AlAzhar University Hospital in Cairo. Their ages were ranged from 50 to 65 years old and their blood pressure ranged from 140\90 mmHg to 170\105mmHg. They were divided randomly into two groups equal in number, group (A) was treated by antihypertensive drug (Captopril -25 mg twice daily) only while group (B) was treated by antihypertensive drug (Captopril-25 mg twice daily) and laser acupuncture sessions for three acupuncture points, 4 minutes for each point, the session duration was 12 minutes, day after day, for six weeks. The study was conducted from 10 January to 15 July 2011. Hypertension was evaluated by the sphygmomanometer instrument before and after the program for both groups. The obtained results showed a statistically significant decrease (P<0.01) in blood pressure in both groups, when both groups were compared together, a statistically significant decrease (P<0.01) in blood pressure was found in group (B) than group (A). So that, it could be concluded that the laser acupuncture was very effective adjunct method in reducing hypertension in postmenopausal women.
The structure of the mucous membrane of the human duodenum with aging

Features of the duodenal mucosa structure in aging were studied. Investigations were carried out on the basis of aspiration biopsy materials taken from 30 elderly (60-74 years) and 9 senile persons. The duodenal mucosa in persons aged 20-26 years was studied as controls. No gastrointestinal disorders were recorded in the anamnesis of all the persons under study. It is established that with advancing age in the duodenal mucosa atrophy processes start to develop. The number of goblet cells in the crypts and on the villi decreases. The function of Paneth's cells and that of duodenal glands weakens. The epithelium still retains considerable mitotic and amitotic activities, however, possibilities for replacing the rapidly wearing out epithelium of villi in old age are limited.
Misallocation and Capital Market Integration: Evidence from India

We show that foreign capital liberalization reduces capital misallocation and increases aggregate productivity for affected industries in India. The staggered liberalization of access to foreign capital across disaggregated industries allows us to identify changes in firms' input wedges, overcoming major challenges in the measurement of the effects of changing misallocation. Liberalization increases capital overall. For domestic firms with initially high marginal revenue products of capital (MRPK), liberalization increases revenues by 23%, physical capital by 53%, wage bills by 28%, and reduces MRPK by 33% relative to low MRPK firms. The effects of liberalization are largest in areas with less developed local banking sectors, indicating that inefficiencies in that sector may cause misallocation. Finally, we propose an assumption under which a novel method exploiting natural experiments can be used to bound the effect of changes in misallocation on treated industries' aggregate productivity. These industries' Solow residual increases by 3–16%.
Environmental factors as predictors of epibenthic assemblage biomass in the St. Lawrence system

The distribution of epibenthic invertebrate biomass in relation to environmental factors was examined in the St. Lawrence system. Biomass estimates for epibenthos sampled yearly for 9 years on 102 suspended collectors (navigation buoys), were related to environmental data from the literature (surface water temperature, water salinity, water transparency, current velocity, chlorophyll a and primary production) using a weighted multiple linear regression analysis. Regression models were generated for total biomass and the biomass of the single dominant sessile species: Mytilus edulis, Semibalanus balanoides, Balanus crenatus, Obelia longissima and Hiatella arctica. Water temperature and water transparency, as well as some biogeographic groups of buoys represented by dummy variables, collectively explained 90.6% of the variance in total biomass. Water temperature, water transparency, biogeographic groups and, to a lesser degree, primary production, were the variables having a significant influence on the biomass of individual species. The lognormal weighted multiple regression model explained up to 84.5% of the variance in M. edulis biomass data and 67.9, 70.0, 71.6 and 38.9%, respectively, of the variance in S. balanoides, O. longissima, B. crenatus and H. arctica biomass data. The need to consider simultaneous biological and environmental sampling at the relevant temporal and spatial scales to model large marine coastal ecosystems is discussed. 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Factors Related to User Ratings and User Downloads of Mobile Apps for Maternal and Infant Health: Cross-Sectional Study

Background Mobile health apps related to maternal and infant health (MIH) are prevalent and frequently used. Some of these apps are extremely popular and have been downloaded over 5 million times. However, the understanding of user behavior and user adoption of these apps based on consumer preferences for different app features and categories is limited. Objective This study aimed to examine the relationship between MIH app characteristics and users’ perceived satisfaction and intent to use. Methods The associations between app characteristics, ratings, and downloads were assessed in a sample of MIH apps designed to provide health education or decision-making support to pregnant women or parents and caregivers of infants. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the relationship between app characteristics and user ratings, and ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between app characteristics and user downloads. Results The analyses of user ratings and downloads included 421 and 213 apps, respectively. The average user rating was 3.79 out of 5. Compared with the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store was associated with high user ratings (beta=.33; P=.005). Apps with higher standardized user ratings (beta=.80; P<.001), in-app purchases (beta=1.12; P=.002), and in-app advertisements (beta=.64; P=.02) were more frequently downloaded. Having a health care organization developer as part of the development team was neither associated with user ratings (beta=−.20; P=.06) nor downloads (beta=−.14; P=.63). Conclusions A majority of MIH apps are developed by non–health care organizations, which could raise concern about the accuracy and trustworthiness of in-app information. These findings could benefit app developers in designing better apps and could help inform marketing and development strategies. Further work is needed to evaluate the clinical accuracy of information provided within the apps.
How to Increase Male Fertility with Selenium-09-17-2009

With male infertility on the rise – contributing to as much as 40% to 50% of infertility cases worldwide – many couples have started to wonder how to increase male fertility naturally. Not only that—according to a review from the Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 2% of all men also have inferior sperm parameters (like low sperm count, poor sperm motility and other abnormal sperm characteristics) that can contribute to the growing male infertility problem.And because there are natural ways to treat male factor infertility, in this article, we’ll look at Selenium, one of the most important minerals for healthy sperm. Here we'll also share natural ways on how to make sperm stronger for pregnancy, which you'll find helpful especially if you and your partner are trying to conceive.But before discussing Selenium for fertility, let's first have a look at male factor infertility.
Morphometric Analysis of Human Second Cervical Vertebrae (Axis)

Possessing an odontoid process and unique superior articular facets, the axis vertebra morphometry significantly differs from morphometry of other cervical vertebrae. The fractures of axis, especially its dens, are very common and surgeries highly risky. Knowledge of the axis dimensions is essential not only for preclinical studies, diagnosis of spinal cord diseases, planning of the surgeries but also for correct selection and insertion of surgical instruments or vertebral implants design. Many quantitative studies of the second cervical vertebra have been performed, yet still lacking the area parameters determination and precision of three-dimension in vivo measurement. Vertebral dimensions are reported to vary among populations, although there are very little studies examining Caucasian specimen. This study aims to provide three-dimensional in vivo morphometric analysis of the axis vertebra as well as comparison to the previous studies. The clinically relevant vertebral dimensions were measured on the threedimensional model reconstruction of CT scans providing high accuracy. Five human second cervical vertebrae were investigated (Caucasian males) and linear, area and angular dimensions were measured. The data on vertebral body dimensions were best fitting Doherty and Naderi measurement. The vertebra body anterior height was established to be 26.2 mm and the posterior height 21.4 mm. The dens parameters were similar to those presented by Doherty. Doherty also reported large variation in the dens sagittal angle which was observed in the present study as well. The dens height was determined to be 17.8 mm which is significantly greater compared to the previous studies. The smallest height among specimens was reported to be 17.0 mm. The smallest anteroposterior or transverse diameter of the dens measured was the upper depth, 9.4 mm. The smallest and biggest areas of dens were measured to be 79.0 mm2 and 121.6 mm2. The superior articular facet area with mean value 211.2 mm2 was observed to be significantly bigger than the inferior area, 141.2 mm2. The mean sagittal angle of the inferior facet area was assessed to be 42.1° and the mean frontal angle of the superior articular facet 69.3°. The parameters of articular facets measured by Xu correspond to the present study. Due to the vertebral body enlargement in the inferior part of vertebra, the spinal canal superior depth,18.0 mm, was observed to be bigger than its inferior depth, 16.2 mm. In case of the spinal canal depth, Sengul measured values considerably greater than other studies. However, Singla, Gosavi and Xu presented the parameters very similar to the present study. Spinal canal width was measured to be 24.4 mm supporting the measurement done by Sengul which is 24.7 mm. The measured vertebral dimensions can be used either for development of instrumentation, preclinical planning of surgeries, implant design or as the reference values for evaluation and diagnosis of various clinical conditions.
E-Learning to Improve Suicide Prevention Practice Skills Among Undergraduate Psychology Students: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Despite increasing evidence of the effectiveness of digital learning solutions in higher vocational education, including the training of allied health professionals, the impact of Web-based training on the development of practical skills in psychiatry and psychology, in general, and in suicide prevention, specifically, remains largely understudied. Objective This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of an electronic learning (e-learning) module on the adherence to suicide prevention guidelines, knowledge of practical skills, and provider’s confidence to have a conversation about suicidal behavior with undergraduate psychology students. Methods The e-learning module, comprising video recordings of therapist-patient interactions, was designed with the aim of transferring knowledge about suicide prevention guideline recommendations. The program’s effects on guideline adherence, self-evaluated knowledge, and provider’s confidence were assessed using online questionnaires before the program (baseline and at 1 month [T1] and 3 months after baseline). The eligible third- and fourth-year undergraduate psychology students were randomly allocated to the e-learning (n=211) or to a waitlist control condition (n=187), with access to the intervention after T1. Results Overall, the students evaluated e-learning in a fairly positive manner. The intention-to-treat analysis showed that the students in the intervention condition (n=211) reported higher levels of self-evaluated knowledge, provider’s confidence, and guideline adherence than those in the waitlist control condition (n=187) after receiving the e-learning module (all P values<.001). When comparing the scores at the 1- and 3-month follow-up, after both groups had received access to the e-learning module, the completers-only analysis showed that the levels of knowledge, guideline adherence, and confidence remained constant (all P values>.05) within the intervention group, whereas a significant improvement was observed in the waitlist control group (all P values<.05). Conclusions An e-learning intervention on suicide prevention could be an effective first step toward improved knowledge of clinical skills. The learning outcomes of a stand-alone module were found to be similar to those of a training that combined e-learning with a face-to-face training, with the advantages of flexibility and low costs.
AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY OF MANAGERS’ PERCEPTION OF THE COMPLEXITY OF SALES ENVIRONMENT IN SELECTED FIRMS IN GOMBAK-SELANGOR MALAYSIA

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to explore perception of group of managers on the complexity of contemporary sales environment in Gombak, Selangor. This was to understand how the managers went about conducting business in such environment, and to highlight the critical success factors in sales management. The study focussed on the nature and constituents of the sales environment and its influence on the sales performance. Design/method/approach – The study adopted case study design where managers of the selected companies were involved in semi-standard face-to-face interview to collect data on their perception of the sales environment. The interviews were voice recorded and later transcribed for analysis. Thematic and conversation analysis techniques were used to identify the key themes for further consideration and discussion. Findings – This study found out that the managers’ perceptions varied on constituents of sales environment depending on their business location, the manager’s nationality, the products the business dealt in and the industry of the firms. In addition, the managers agreed that sales environment impacts on sales and influences sales management decisions. Research limitations/implication – This study was limited to a narrow geographical scope, few selected small-scale firms dealing in consumer goods. It was a cross-sectional study. It generated practical business issues that modern managers especially those engaged in consumer goods can pay attention to for the betterment of the business sales. Practical implications – The sales environment determines the business decisions and operations. The extent of influence of each of the components of the sales environment varies. However, the bottom line is that the firm manager needs to have total awareness of the business environment in general and that of sales in particular. This is because the business decisions depend on the business the firm deals in and/or sales environment. Originality/value – The study enables small-scale business managers to gain insight into the intricacies and dynamics of the sales management.
The Network Dilemma

ntroduces and studies the Network Dilemma, which embeds a social dilemma within rmation game. The game models the voluntary provision of a costly public good that -excludable within an endogenously formed network of agents. In this environment, m networks are star networks that exhibit ex-post payoff inequality between the ic good provider and peripheral players. In a laboratory experiment, we observe f equilibrium behavior in the repeated simultaneous game, despite the coordination ed by the ex-ante homogeneous subjects. In a sequential version of the Network observe high levels of efficient non-subgame perfect equilibrium behavior, where the volunteers” to provide the public good. Using a diagnostic treatment we find that ehavioral uncertainty, and not other-regarding preferences, is the main motivating d voluntary public good provision observed in the Network Dilemma. twork formation, Volunteer’s dilemma, experimental economics, coor-
Different Approaches for Remaining Fatigue Life Estimation of Critical Members in Railway Bridges

Rail authorities all over the world are paying attractive attentions to evaluate the remaining fatigue lives of riveted railway bridges since most of these bridges are currently reaching the ends of their theoretical fatigue lives. This paper proposes three different approaches to evaluate remaining fatigue life of an existing riveted railway bridge. First proposed approach is based on combination of measured stress histories, Miner’s rule and partially known Wöhler curve. The second approach mainly consists of measured stress histories, recently developed sequential law and fully known Wöhler curve. The both mentioned approaches are specially based on evaluation of primary stresses and code provided fatigue curve. Therefore, proposed third approach is anchored in secondary (local) stresses, sequential law and experimental Wöhler curve. Finally the obtained fatigue lives are compared. Thus, it has been concluded that the second approach is more advisable for general use and third approach has been recommended for detail studies.