Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Students’ Speaking Performance in a Speaking Classroom Environment Viewed from the Students’ Satisfaction and Their Motivation

This study reports on an investigationinto students’speaking performance viewed from their satisfaction in a speaking classroom dealing with the material used as part of the classroom environment, and the lecturer as a facilitator of the classroom environment also from their motivation. This quantitative research was conducted on 50 studentsin the 2nd semester who enroll the speaking class during the academic year 2018-2019 of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya. The simple random sampling used to determine the participants. Data were analyzed quantitatively by Pearson correlation. The results indicate the students have have high motivation in the speaking classroom, they also satisfied with the materials and the instructor in the speaking classroom. However, correlation analysis indicated that there is no significantcorrelation between the students speaking performance with the students’ satisfaction and the students’ motivation. Limitation of the study are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.
At the syntax-discourse interface: Verb phrase ellipsis interpretation in context

Abstract:A central question of language comprehension concerns the interaction between linguistic form and broader representations of discourse in the interpretation of context-sensitive expressions. This interaction is instantiated in the interpretation of verb phrase ellipsis (VPE), where previous work has shown that the linguistic antecedent and the broader context are both considered in resolution. Using a novel experimental paradigm, we investigated VPE interpretation in discourses where the antecedent and the broader context make different information available for inclusion in the interpretation of the ellipsis site. Our results point to a complex interaction between linguistic antecedents and the broader discourse context in interpretation, putting considerable constraints on the set of possible models for VPE resolution. This work contributes to a better understanding of both the connections between and the boundaries separating linguistic structure and mental models of discourse contexts.
Morphology, genetics and Wolbachia endosymbionts support distinctiveness of Monochamus sartor sartor and M. s. urussovii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Monochamus sartor sartor from Central European mountain ranges and M. s. urussovii from the Eurasian boreal zone are subspecies whose taxonomic statuses have been questioned. This sawyer beetle is a natural element of spruce forests but is considered to be a timber pest in spruce plantations. In this study, different sets of data (morphology, genetics and ecology) were used to verify the taxonomic status of M. sartor across its entire range. Morphologically, not only both subspecies but also European and Asian populations of M. s. urussovii were found to be distinct. Genetic data also showed that both subspecies have distinct mitochondrial haplogroups; however, divergence between them is very weak (of ca. 1%), suggesting they split very recently, possibly at the end of the Pleistocene glaciations. Species delimitation methods gave discordant results, either rejecting the species status of M. s. sartor and M. s. urussovii (Poisson tree processes) or confirming them as distinct taxa (the multispecies coalescent model for species validation). Host plant preferences also partially differentiate the subspecies, as M. s. urussovii has a broader diet than the generally monophagous, spruce-dependent M. s. sartor. Moreover, each subspecies is infected by different strains of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia, which could be one of the factors causing their genetic isolation, regardless of geographic isolation. Aside from broadening the basic knowledge on the taxonomy and genetics of Monochamus sartor, this study shows that any research on these sawyers needs to consider their separate phylogenetic lineages, as do any plans for population management or conservation.
An Evaluation of Zoom and Microsoft Teams Video Conferencing Software with Network Packet Loss and Latency

Video conferencing is an increasingly important form of communication, but there are few studies on how network quality affects new conferencing services. We studied Zoom and Microsoft Teams, video conferencing tools targeted towards businesses. Our user study had users rate their experiences during simulated normal conversation with network latencies and packet drop. Our study found that the network conditions did not significantly change user ratings, but Zoom had higher ratings than Microsoft Teams overall. Analysis of our benchmarking results showed that although network traffic for both services varied with network conditions, Zoom had a more constant bitrate than Teams which aligned with the responses received in the user study.
Impact of land use on bicycle usage: A big data-based spatial approach to inform transport planning

Bicycling is an alternative of urban transport mode, which is significantly influenced by land use. This paper makes an effort to quantify the magnitude and direction of the impact. We first develop a theoretical framework to establish links between land use and bicycle usage. Then, trip data is crawled from Mobike, one of the largest newly emerging, free-floating bike sharing operators in Shenzhen (China), for a total of more than 7.8 million records over 191 consecutive days. And bicycling frequency, travel duration, and riding distance are obtained to be proxies of bicycle usage. Land-use characteristics regarding bicycling are comprehensively indicated by a set of standardized variables including three dimensions, land-use type, land-use mix, land-use connections, and 12 concrete indices. Panel spatial model is applied to quantify the associations at the district level with socioeconomics controlled. Results show that the percentage of green land has a remarkable impact on bicycle usage outcomes and land-use mix is positively associated with bicycling frequency. Density of intersections contributes to longer trip duration. Bicycle lane is a positive facilitator on workdays, while the number of stations is positively related to bicycle usage, especially frequency and distance. These findings provide insight into land use-transport interaction and could be of value to policymakers, planers and practitioners for transport planning while incorporating bicycling-friendly principles.
Non-stationary teleconnection between the Pacific Ocean and Arctic sea ice

13 Over the last 40 years observations show a teleconnection between summertime Pacific 14 Ocean sea-surface temperatures and September Arctic sea-ice extent. However, the short 15 satellite observation record has made it difficult to further examine this relationship. Here, 16 we use 30 fully-coupled general circulation models (GCMs) participating in Phase 5 of the 17 Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project to assess the ability of GCMs to simulate this 18 teleconnection and analyze its stationarity over longer timescales. GCMs can temporarily 19 simulate the teleconnection in continuous 40-year segments, but not over longer, centennial 20 timescales. Each GCM exhibits considerable teleconnection variability on multidecadal 21 timescales. Further analysis shows the teleconnection depends on an equally non-stationary 22 atmospheric bridge from the subequatorial Pacific Ocean to the upper Arctic troposphere. 23 These findings indicate the modulation of Arctic sea ice loss by subequatorial Pacific Ocean 24 variability is not fixed in time, undermining the assumption of teleconnection stationarity 25 as defined by the satellite record. 26 Plain Language Summary 27 Understanding the processes leading to Arctic sea ice change remains a central goal in cli28 mate science. These changes affect not only weather and climate, but also local ecosystems, 29 indigenous populations, and socio-economic activities in the region. Recent studies have 30 shown that during the summer months, the Pacific Ocean influences Arctic sea ice. Such a 31 relationship suggests that this region of the Pacific Ocean may be a key source of predictabil32 ity for Arctic sea ice, especially for the summer minimum. However, our understanding of 33 this relationship is derived from a short observational record, which makes it difficult to 34 study how this relationship evolves over time. To overcome this limitation, we use long 35 simulations from 30 different global climate models. We show that models are able to sim36 ulate this relationship, but the relationship changes considerably over time. This suggests 37 the observed link between the Pacific Ocean and Arctic sea ice may change in the coming 38 decades; therefore, caution should be applied when forecasting or reconstructing Arctic sea 39 ice and assuming that this relationship is constant in time. 40
BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSE TO RENAL DENERVATION IS CORRELATED WITH BASELINE BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY: A PATIENT-LEVEL META-ANALYSIS Short title: Blood Pressure Variability and Renal Denervation

Background: Sympathetic tone is one of the main determinants of blood pressure (BP) variability and treatment-resistant hypertension (rHT). The aim of our study was to assess changes in BP variability after renal (RDN). Additionally, on an exploratory basis, we investigated whether baseline BP variability predicted the BP changes after RDN. Methods: We analyzed 24-h BP recordings obtained at baseline and 6 months after RDN in 167 rHT patients (40 % women; age, 56.7 years; mean 24-h BP, 152/90 mmHg) recruited at 11 expert centers. Blood pressure variability was assessed by weighted standard deviation (SDiw), average real variability (ARV), coefficient of variation (CV) and variability independent of the mean (VIM). Results: Mean office and 24-h BP fell by 15.4/6.6 mmHg and 5.5/3.7 mmHg, respectively (P<0.001). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, systolic /diastolic SDiw and VIM for 24-h systolic/diastolic BP decreased by 1.16/0.63 mmHg (P≤ 0.01) and 0.85/0.43 mmHg (P≤ 0.05), respectively, whereas no significant changes in ARV or CV occurred. Furthermore, baseline SDiw (P=0.0006), ARV (P=0.012) and VIM (P=0.04) predicted the decrease in 24-h diastolic but not 24-h systolic BP after RDN. Conclusions: RDN was associated with a decrease in BP variability independent of the BP level, suggesting that responders may derive benefits from the reduction in BP variability as well. Furthermore, baseline diastolic BP variability estimates significantly correlated with mean diastolic BP decrease after RDN. If confirmed in
The relationship between stock returns, asymmetry, and volatility in international stock markets: An empirical analysis

We empirically investigate the relationship between expected stock returns and volatility in the twelve EMU countries as well as five major out of EMU international stock markets. The sample period starts from December 1992 until December 2007 i.e. up to the recent financial crisis. Empirical results in the literature are mixed with regard to the sign and significance of the mean – variance tradeoff. Based on parametric GARCH in mean models we find a weak relationship between expected returns and volatility for most of the markets. However, using a flexible semiparametric specification for the conditional variance, we unravel significant evidence of a negative relationship in almost all markets. Furthermore, we investigate a related issue, the asymmetric reaction of volatility to positive and negative shocks in stock returns confirming a negative asymmetry in all markets. JEL codes: F300, F500, G110, G100
Rapidgrain size coarseningat sandstone/ conglomerate transition: similar expression in Himalayanmodern rivers and Pliocenemolasse deposits

Radical grain size changes between two main units of a sedimentary megacycle in a foreland basin are commonly interpreted to result from changes in tectonic activity or climate in the adjacent mountain range. In central Nepal, the Cenozoic Siwalik molasse deposits exposed in the frontal Himalayan folds are characterized by such a radical grain size transition. Locally gravel deposits completely replace sands in vertical succession over approximately a hundred metres, the median grain size (D50) displaying a sharp increase by a factor of ca. 100. Such a rapid gravel-sand transition (GST) is also observed in present-day river channels about 8–20 km downstream from the outlet of the Siwalik Range. The passage from gravel-bed channel reaches (proximal alluvial fans) to sand-bed channel reaches (distal alluvial fans) occurs within a few kilometres on the Gangetic Plain in central Nepal, and the D50 ratio between the two types of channels equals ca. 100. We propose that the dramatic and remarkably similar increase in grain size observed in the Neogene Siwalik series and along modern rivers in the Gangetic foreland basin, results from a similar hydraulic process, i.e. a grain sorting process during the selective deposition of the sediment load. The sudden appearance of gravels in the upper Siwalik series would be related to the crossing of this sorting transition during progressive southward migration of the gravel front, in response to continuous Himalayan orogen construction. And as a consequence, the GST would be diachronous by nature. This study demonstrates that an abrupt change in grain size does not necessarily relate to a change in tectonic or climatic forcing, but can simply arise from internal adjustment of the piedmont rivers to the deposition and run out of coarse bedload. It illustrates, in addition, the genesis of quartz-rich conglomerates in the Himalayan foreland through gravel selective deposition associated with differential weathering, abrasion processes and sediment recycling during thrust wedge advance and shortening of the foreland basin.
1 WILL GENETIC TEST RESULTS BE MONETIZED IN LIFE INSURANCE ? By

If life insurers may not use genetic test results in underwriting, they may face adverse selection. It is sometimes claimed that applicants will choose abnormally high sums insured as a form of financial gamble, possibly financed by life settlement companies. The latter possibility is given credence by the recent experience of ‘stranger-originated life insurance’ (STOLI) in the USA. We examine these claims, and find them unconvincing for four reasons. First, apparently high mortality implies surprisingly high probabilities of surviving for decades, so the gamble faces long odds. Second, life settlement companies would have to adopt a different business model, involving much longer time horizons. Third, STOLI is being effectively dealt with by the US courts. Fourth, the gamble would be predicated upon a deep understanding of the genetic epidemiology, which is evolving, subject to uncertain biases, and cannot predict the emergence of effective treatments.
Haptic Feedback for Training and Development

This paper investigates the uses of haptic feedback for training and development purposes through a literature review spanning research and development between 1928 and 2020. The main focuses are on applications of haptic devices and stimuli in promoting attention, education, training, and rehabilitation. This work presents the culmination of Rose Ridder’s Cognitive Science Degree at Swarthmore College under the guidance of Cognitive Science and Psychology Professor Frank Durgin.
Did U.S. Politicians Expect the China Shock?

Information sets, expectations, and preferences of politicians are fundamental, but unobserved determinants of their policy choices. Employing repeated votes in the US House of Representatives on China’s normal trade relations (NTR) status during the two decades straddling China’s World Trade Organization (WTO) accession, we apply a moment inequality approach designed to deliver consistent estimates under weak informational assumptions on the information sets of members of Congress. This methodology offers a robust way to test hypotheses about what information politicians have at the time of their decision and to estimate the weight that constituents, ideology, and other factors have in policy making and voting. (JEL D72, D78, D83, D84, F14, P33)
Finance and Inequality: A Tale of Two Tails

We estimate the effects that the different financial deregulations in the U.S. have had on the country’s income distribution. We find that the different reforms have moved inequality in drastically different directions. On the one hand, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the removal of intraand inter-state branching restrictions and the elimination of state-varying rates ceilings decreased inequality, as they mostly enhanced the incomes of workers in the lower tail of the income distribution. On the other hand, the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999 substantially increased inequality, as it mostly and by large amounts– increased the incomes of workers in the upper tail of the distribution. To explore the mechanisms underlying the different effects, we also examine the responses within and across individuals in different age groups, and compare finance vs non-finance workers. Our findings indicated that models based solely on capital skill complementarities (CSC) are insufficient because they would imply similar responses to all reforms. We construct a model that emphasize the endogenous changes in the heterogeneous access (and choices) of households’ financial products. The model naturally explains how the different deregulations impacted the opposite tails of the income distribution by capturing the changes in the financial markets available to households of different incomes and characteristics. ∗ Preliminary and Incomplete. Contact information: Alexander Ludwig: Ludwig@safe.uni-frankfurt.de. Alexander Monge-Naranjo: Alexander.MongeNaranjo@ stls.frb. org. Ctirad Slav́ık: ctirad.slavik@cerge-ei.cz. Faisal Sohail: faisal.sohail@unimelb.edu. au. All views and opinions expressed here are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis or the Federal Reserve System. Alexander Ludwig acknowledges financial support by the Research Center SAFE, funded by the State of Hessen initiative for research LOEWE. Ctirad Slav́ık acknowledges financial support of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, grant number 17-27676S, as well as the support of the Charles University, PRIMUS project Primus/HUM/37.
Modelling the influence of ion channel distributions in cardiac arrhythmias

Understanding cardiac electrophysiology in general and the role of ion channels in particular, is a problem of practical significance. Limitations on experimental investigations have necessitated the development of theoretical and computer models. In this thesis, a theoretical perspective informed by published experimental observations and computer modelling tools is adopted. Myocyte organisation and distribution of ion channels in the cardiac ventricular tissue greatly influence its mechanical and electrical behaviour. Computer simulations of these systems are computationally-expensive, nontrivial and limit model based investigations. A novel algorithm that substantially reduces the computational expenses under specific conditions is developed. The integration of multiple models to reproduce the cardiac behaviour across spatial and temporal scales, introduces non-trivial computing and the mathematical issues. Using an analytic approach that partially resolves these issues, novel models of the passive cardiac-muscle-tissue, extracellular excitation-propagation and stability of the tissue are developed. A rational approach to model deformation of cellular aggregations is presented together with relevant proofs. A remarkable relationship, that the minimisation of local mean angular distortion and Dirichlet energy are identical (up to a measure) is presented. It is anticipated that the results presented in this thesis will initiate further investigation to expand the proposed models and increase understanding the dynamics and control of the heart.
Diapycnal diffusivity and transport of matter in the open ocean estimated from underway acoustic profiling and microstructure profiling

Accompanying to a large scale tracer release experiment (GUTRE) at the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) off West Africa, microstructure measurements have been performed during two cruises to independently estimate diapycnal diffusion and fluxes of matter across the OMZ's upper limit. The vessel mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers have been used in this context to get underway estimates of finescale shear and allow to infer diapycnal diffusivity K indirectly. In this way the regional integral K for the depth range of OMZ upper half and tracer location (150m to 400m) has been determined to K = 1.2*10^{-5} +- 0.2*10^{-5} m^2/s. This is a slightly higher value than expected for these latitudes and probably is caused by bottom topographic influence. The influx of oxygen brought by zonal jets and then diapycnally transferred to the OMZ has been estimated as 1.7 +- 0.2 mmol/m^3/a and thus is deemed to resupply a substantial part of the oxygen consumption in the upper half of the OMZ.
Differences among Severe Cases of Sars-CoV-2, Influenza, and Other Respiratory Viral Infections in Pediatric Patients: Symptoms, Outcomes and Preexisting Comorbidities

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies focusing on pediatric patients hospitalized with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been limited to small case series. We aimed to evaluate the characteristics of a large population of pediatric patients with severe COVID-19 and compare them with patients with severe cases of influenza and other respiratory viruses (ORV). METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of Brazilian data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance Information System, gathered from January 1st to July 14th, 2020. The sample included 4,784 patients (2,570 with confirmed COVID-19, 659 with influenza, 1,555 with ORV). Outcome measures included clinical features, preexisting comorbidities, pediatric intensive care unit admissions, need for ventilatory support, and death. RESULTS: Compared with the influenza and ORV groups, the COVID-19 group had a higher proportion of newborns and adolescents, as well as lower frequencies of fever, cough, dyspnea, respiratory distress, and desaturation. Although use of invasive ventilatory support was similar among groups, death rate was highest for COVID-19 (15.2% vs. 4.5% vs. 3.2%, p<0.001), with death risk more than three times the other groups (adjusted OR=3.7 [95% CI 2.5-5.6]). The presence of two or more comorbidities further increased this risk (OR=4.8 [95% CI 3.5-6.6]). Preexisting comorbidities were reported in 986 patients with severe COVID-19 (38%). Mortality rate among COVID-19 patients was significantly higher for almost all comorbidities reported. CONCLUSION: Severe COVID-19 had a higher mortality rate than other viral respiratory illnesses, despite the lower frequency of fever, cough, dyspnea, respiratory distress, and desaturation. Death risk was strongly associated with preexisting comorbidities.