Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF EXPLICIT VS. IMPLICIT RECAST AS CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON VOCABULARY LEARNING OF IRANIAN SEMINARY STUDENTS

Teaching vocabulary learning skills is time consuming, the problem cannot be solved easily though. As a result, students are mostly dependent on their teachers and the methodology the teachers use among which recast as corrective feedback seem to be a fruitful technique. The goal of this study, accordingly, was to see if there were any significant differences among the effect of explicit vs. implicit recast as corrective feedback on vocabulary learning of Iranian seminary EFL learners. The participants under study were 45 Iranian seminary intermediate level EFL students studying English at Islamic Propagation Office, Isfahan, Iran chosen non-randomly among over 100 seminary EFL learners. Besides the general English placement test (QPT), the vocabulary pre-test was run to check the students’ vocabulary knowledge (designed and validated by Nation, (1983)). After the completion of five teaching sessions for the 3 groups of participants, the same Vocabulary size test (VS) used as the pre-test was used as the post-test to check students’ vocabulary achievement in the three groups. Finally the Motivational Questionnaire was run to see if there was any significant difference in motivation for vocabulary learning of the control group and the experimental groups. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and paired sample t-tests in order to accept or reject the formulated hypotheses using SPSS software version 16. It was found that the formulated hypotheses for the study in hand could be safely rejected.
Chapter 17 The Use of DioWasp in Enhancing Listening Skill among Lower Primary School Pupils

Listening skill has always been regarded as one of the fundamental skills among the four language skills. This is evident as the process of listening and acquiring the sounds occurs first when young children imitate to produce the language through the imitation process. In this paper, we describe the effect of using 3D model in the form of diorama and Technology using WhatsApp as an audio-visual tool in enhancing the pupils’ listening skill through interactive learning. The data of the study was collected from 73 pupils studying in 3 different Malaysian government primary schools. Mixed Methods Research Design was used in this study. Pre and Post Test, questionnaire and observation checklist were used as data collection tool to determine the pupils’ progress in the listening skill. The findings of this study indicated that the pupils were able to differentiate and recognize the direction when navigating to different locations in the school through interactive learning which incorporates the use of ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) and hands-on activity. As a result, the pupils were able to give responses by moving around the school based on the direction given. The results also proved that the pupils were able to learn effectively as they showed great enthusiasm and high commitment throughout the activities. As a conclusion, this innovation gives positive impacts to the pupils as it applies the Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences which focuses on visual-spatial intelligence to capture the pupils’ interest in learning the language. This innovation is also closely related to the society as it promotes contextual learning in which pupils learn about direction and places through the use of technology and tangible object. Therefore, it has high reliability and validity as it allows the interpretation that interactive learning tools such as the diorama and WhatsApp facilitate the pupils to improve their listening skill based on the acquired problem-solving skill in real-life situation.
Well-Being Science for Teaching and the General Public

Research on well-being has exploded in recent years to more than 55,000 relevant publications annually, making it difficult for psychologists—including key communicators such as textbook authors—to stay current with this field. Moreover, well-being is a daily concern among policymakers and members of the general public. Well-being science is relevant to the lives of students—illustrating the diverse methods used in the behavioral sciences, presenting highly replicated findings, and demonstrating the diversity of individuals and cultures. Therefore, in this article, we present eight major findings that teachers and authors should seriously consider in their coverage of this field. These topics include processes such as adaptation, influences such as income, the benefits of well-being, and cultural and societal diversity in well-being and its causes. We also examine how much these topics were covered in 15 of the most popular introductory psychology textbooks. Although some topics such as social relationships and well-being were discussed in nearly all textbooks, others were less frequently covered, including the validity of self-reported well-being, the effects of spending on happiness, and the impact of culture and society on well-being. We aim to ensure more complete coverage of this important area in psychology courses.
Studies on the Accelerated Aging Characteristics of Paper Records by Gaseous Air Pollutants

Paper records were generally degraded by some factors from atmospheric environments, like temperature, relative humidity or air pollutants. In this study, the degradation behavior of paper records by single or mixed gases of , , HCHO and TVOC was evaluated. The mechanical, optical and chemical properties of 4 kinds of paper (acid and neutral-based printing paper, traditional Hanji, and filter paper) were directly and indirectly affected by gaseous harmful materials. The brightness and value in all papers were slightly increased by accelerated aging under gaseous HCHO and TVOCs, but highly decreased by conditions under gases and . The optical properties of paper records were most vulnerable in acid-based paper and high stable in filter paper and traditional Hanji by air pollutant degradation. The aging treatments under mixed gas pollutants including resulted in decrease of physical, mechanical and optical properties of paper, so it was supposed that the concentration of gas would be strictly controlled for optimum indoor air quality management in domestic storage centers for paper records.
Related Party Transactions and Audit Fees: Evidence from China

This paper investigates the effect of related-party transactions (RPTs) on audit fees in China. RPTs may violate the arm’s-length assumption of regular market-based transactions, impairing the representational faithfulness and verifiability of accounting data and, as a consequence, increase clients’ auditor-assessed business risk. The presence and magnitude of such transactions are therefore likely to increase audit fees. On the other hand, audit fees could be lower for firms with RPTs because auditors face less difficulty in verifying them, as opposed to third-party transactions. We first consider the effect of RPTs on audit fees, and document relatively high audit fees associated with RPTs. This lends support to the conjecture that RPTs are seen as increasing audit risk. We then extend this baseline case by considering the effects on audit fees of different classes of RPTs, of the different parties involved in RPTs and, finally, of the interaction between product-market competition and RPTs. We first document a negative (positive) association between RPTs involving sales and purchase of goods and services (RPTs related to intercorporate loans). We also find that audit fees are relatively high for RPTs involving loans and capital transfers when listed parents transact with their subsidiaries. Finally, we find that audit fees are relatively low for RPTs within competitive industries.
Code placement in hardware/software co-synthesis to improve performance and reduce cost

This paper introduces an algorithm for code placement in cache, and maps it to memory using a second algorithm. The target architecture is a multiprocessor system with IS' level cache and a common main memory. These algorithms guarantee that as many instruction codewords as possible of the high priority tasks remain in cache all of the time so that other tasks do not overwrite them. This method improves the overall performance, and might result in cheaper systems if more powerful processors are not needed. Amount of memory increase necessary to facilitate this scheme is in the order of 13%. The average percentage of highest priority tasks always in memory can vary from 3% to 100% depending upon how many tasks (and their sizes) are allocated to each processor.
International Journal of Instruction

Preparing students for the real challenges in life is one of the most important goals in education. Constructivism is an approach that uses real-life experiences to construct knowledge. Problem-Based Learning (PBL), for almost five decades now, has been the most innovative constructivist pedagogy used worldwide. However, with the rising popularity, there is a need to revisit empirical studies regarding PBL to serve as a guide and basis for designing new studies, making institutional policies, and evaluating educational curricula. This need has led the researchers to do a meta-analysis to analyse the effectiveness of PBL on secondary students’ achievement in different scientific disciplines. Following the set of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 studies in Eurasia, Africa, and America conducted from 2016 to 2020 have qualified for this study. Six of which focused on JHS (n = 1047) and five on SHS (n = 375). Studies were obtained from various meta-search engines including Google, ERIC, and JSTOR. Further, the researchers used Harzing’s Publish and Perish software to exhaust the search process. Sample size, mean, and standard deviation were analysed using the Comprehensive MetaAnalysis version 3 to determine the effect sizes (Hedge’s g) and the results of moderator analysis, forest plot, funnel plot, and Begg-Mazumdar test. Findings have shown that PBL, as an approach to teaching science, had a large and positive effect (ES = .871) on the achievement of secondary students. However, grade levels and various scientific disciplines did not influence students’ learning achievement. The conduct of more studies on the different factors affecting PBL implementation and specific effects of PBL on various student domains is recommended to facilitate comparative educational research in the future.
Characterization and Deactivation Study of Mixed Vanadium and Potassium Oxide Supported on Microemulsion-Mediated Titania Nanoparticles as Catalyst in Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Abstract The influence of potassium addition to the vanadia supported on the microemulsion-mediated TiO2 nanoparticles in propane oxidative dehydrogenation was studied. Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that the addition of potassium caused enhanced dispersion of vanadia species on the support surface. Also, potassium existence affects the H2 temperature programmed reduction maximum reduction temperature and shifted it to 520°C, which was in accordance with its lesser catalytic activity. Nevertheless, a propylene selectivity enhancement was observed by potassium addition. In spite of the fact that the catalytic performance loss was not severe in vanadia-supported TiO2 anatase, potassium addition led to improve the catalyst lifetime. After deactivation test, potassium-containing vanadia catalyst possessed lower surface area loss (i.e. from 52 to 49 m2 g−1). Average crystallite size of potassium-containing vanadia catalyst exhibited lower decrease than that of potassium-free vanadia catalyst after deactivation test. According to Raman spectra, deactivation phenomena had influenced the population of vanadia species so that monovanadates decreased and polyvanadates increased.
Mass balance of emerging organic micropollutants in a small wastewater treatment plant

Emerging organic micropollutants are compounds measured in water in μg/l or ng/l which may have long-term negative effects on both wildlife and humans. The purpose of this work was to perform a mass balance of emerging organic micropollutants on activated sludge tank and on secondary settling tank in a small wastewater treatment plant in the Municipality of Rome. The analytes monitored in this work were: Estrone (E1), 17β-Estradiol (E2) and 17αEthinylestradiol (EE2) for steroid hormones, 4-Nonylphenol (4-NP) and Bisphenol A (BPA) for substituted Phenols and Alkylphenols, Amphetamine (AM), Methamphetamine (MET), Benzoylecgonine (BEG) and 11-nor-Δ9-THC9carboxy (THC-COOH) for drugs of abuse. Mass balance on activated sludge tank showed that the emerging organic micropollutants removed were BPA (59%), EE2 (34%), AM (56%) and THCCOOH (35%). The processes occurring in the secondary settling tank were able to reduce 4-NP (26%), BPA (74%), E1 (82%), EE2 (93%), AM (44%), MET (80%), BEG (72%) and THC-COOH (39%). The residual amount of each substance was distributed between the effluent, the return sludge line and the excess sludge. Since the removal of emerging organic micropollutants was partial, the conventional wastewater treatment plant is not able to completely break down these substances. Accordingly, these compounds are found in water body potentially active and dangerous to wildlife and humans.
Business Process Management Tools As A Measure Of Customer-Centric Maturity

In application of business process management (BPM) tools in European commercial sectors, this paper examines current maturity of customer centricity construct (CC). CC is observed as an emerging dimension of competition and as a potential strategic management direction for the future of business. Processes are one of the key components of transformation in the CC roadmap. Particular departments are more customer orientated than others, and processes, customer-centric expertise, and approach can be built and utilized starting from them. Positive items within a current business process that only involve minor modification could be the basis for that. 18 case studies are used to assess the mapping of an operational definition of CC with value aims of BPM. The evidence of movement on the customer-centric roadmap is found. BPM in European telecommunications, banking, utility and retail sector supports roadmap towards customer-centricity in process view, process alignment and process optimization. However, the movement is partial and not flawless, as BPM hasn’t been inquired for supporting many of customer-centric dimensions.
Species Transport Mechanisms Governing Crossover and Capacity Loss in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

Species Transport Mechanisms Governing Crossover and Capacity Loss in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries Ertan Agar E. Caglan Kumbur, Ph.D., Advisor Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are an emerging energy storage technology that offers unique advantages for grid-scale energy storage due to their flexible design and decoupled power/energy feature. Despite their popularity, a series of technical challenges hinder their widespread implementation. Among these, capacity loss (i.e., loss of energy storage capability) due to the undesired species crossover across the membrane has been identified as the key issue limiting the longevity of these systems. This issue is primarily governed by the properties of the membrane and can be mitigated by using proper membrane architectures with desired features. Presently, identifying proper membrane architectures for VRFB systems is hampered by the lack of a fundamental understanding of the nature of species transport mechanisms and how they are related to the membrane properties and key operating conditions. This Ph.D. study seeks to address this critical challenge by exploring the fundamental mechanisms responsible for species transport within the membrane. The overall objective of this dissertation study is to establish a fundamental understanding of the multi-ionic transport in VRFB membranes by investigating the ionic transport mechanisms responsible for crossover, and utilize this understanding to reveal the role of membrane properties and operating conditions on the capacity loss. To achieve these goals, a combined experimental and computational study was designed. An experimentally validated, 2-D, transient VRFB model that can track the vanadium
A Cross-sectional Assessment of Knowledge of ASHA Workers

Recognizing the importance of health in the process of economic and social development and to improve the quality of life of its citizens, the Government of India launched the National Rural mission seeks to improve rural health care delivery system [1]. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in India is 40/1000 live births (SRS 2013), while in rural area it is 51[2]. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in our country is 167/ 100000 live births (2011-13) [3]. These data show poor condition of the maternal & child health in India.
Sustainability KPIs for Integrated Reporting

Integrated reporting shows a panoramic view of the firm’s status. IIRC’s framework is principles-based, it does not provide specific key performance indicators (KPIs) for integrated thinking and reporting. Through empirical analyses of all listed firms in 34 countries, our study provides the first evidence that value added information is actually useful for evaluating the firm’s financial stability and sustainability. We focus on firms that have survived for more than 100 years and that have already achieve sustainability. We find two distinguishing facts; the value added distributed to stakeholders other than shareholders is significantly larger and the stability of profitability is significantly higher in sustainable firms. These two KPIs are equivalent to the two interrelated aspects of value under the IIRC framework. We therefore propose the value added distribution and the stability of profitability as a sustainability KPIs for integrated reporting.
On the Design of Complex EM Devices and Systems Through the System-by-Design Paradigm: A Framework for Dealing With the Computational Complexity

The system-by-design (SbD) is an emerging engineering framework for the optimization-driven design of complex electromagnetic (EM) devices and systems. More specifically, the computational complexity of the design problem at hand is addressed by means of a suitable selection and integration of functional blocks comprising problem-dependent and computationally efficient modeling and analysis tools as well as reliable prediction and optimization strategies. Due to the suitable reformulation of the problem at hand as an optimization one, the profitable minimum-size coding of the degrees of freedom (DoFs), and the “smart” replacement of expensive full-wave (FW) simulators with proper surrogate models (SMs), which yield fast yet accurate predictions starting from minimum size/reduced CPU-costs training sets, a favorable “environment” for optimal exploitation of the features of global optimization tools in sampling wide/complex/nonlinear solution spaces is built. This research summary is then aimed at: 1) providing a comprehensive description of the SbD framework and of its pillar concepts and strategies; 2) giving useful guidelines for its successful customization and application to different EM design problems characterized by different levels of computational complexity; and 3) envisaging future trends and advances in this fascinating and high-interest (because of its relevant and topical industrial and commercial implications) topic. Representative benchmarks concerned with the synthesis of complex EM systems are presented to highlight advantages and potentialities as well as current limitations of the SbD paradigm.
ANTIBACTERIAL AND WOUND HEALING PROPERTIES OF THYMOL (THYMUS VULGARIS OIL) AND ITS APPLICATION IN A NOVEL WOUND DRESSING

Background: In developing new products for skin care and wound treatment, biocompatibility plays a major role in the choice of ingredients. Thymol, an essential oil extracted from thyme plant, exhibits outstanding antibacterial properties, but more importantly, it proves to be much more compatible to skin cells in comparison to some conventionally used antibiotic drugs and chemicals. Objective: The aim of the study was the use of thymol as an antibacterial and wound healing promoting agent in development of a novel wound dressing. Methods: The antibacterial properties of thymol before and after application in the dressing were analyzed by MIC and Disk Diffusion methods respectively. To ensure biocompatibility, MTT assay was used to assess the effect of thymol on skin fibroblast cells. In addition, effects of thymol on dressing’s structure and its mechanical properties were studied by SEM and tensile strength tests respectively. Results: MIC investigation showed that thymol is capable of halting bacterial growth in concentrations as low as 156ppmdepending on the bacterial strain. Assessment of the product containing thymol by Disk diffusion method proved that the essential oil would retain its effectiveness when incorporated in the final product. Investigation of thymol’s biocompatibility by MTT assay resulted in a rather unexpected outcome, thymol increased fibroblast cell growth significantly, but the exact amount could not be calculated due thymol’s interference with the test material (MTT). Furthermore, increasing the concentration of thymol in the dressing increased its porosity and elongation on stress, but reduced its pore size and maximum stress. Conclusion: The observed data backed the original claim of antibacterial and wound healing properties, but also showed that incorporating thymol into the dressing increases its elasticity and porosity, but reduces its mechanical strength.
Joint Echo Cancellation and Noise Suppression based on Cascaded Magnitude and Complex Mask Estimation

Acoustic echo and background noise can seriously degrade the intelligibility of speech. In practice, echo and noise suppression are usually treated as two separated tasks and can be removed with various digital signal processing (DSP) and deep learning techniques. In this paper, we propose a new cascaded model, magnitude and complex temporal convolutional neural network (MC-TCN), to jointly perform acoustic echo cancellation and noise suppression with the help of adaptive filters. The MC-TCN cascades two separation cores, which are used to extract robust magnitude spectra feature and to enhance magnitude and phase simultaneously. Experimental results reveal that the proposed method can achieve superior performance by removing both echo and noise in real-time. In terms of DECMOS, the subjective test shows our method achieves a mean score of 4.41 and outperforms the INTERSPEECH2021 AEC-Challenge baseline by 0.54.
Monotone solutions for mean field games master equations: continuous state space and common noise

Abstract We present the notion of monotone solution of mean field games master equations in the case of a continuous state space. We establish the existence, uniqueness and stability of such solutions under standard assumptions. This notion allows us to work with solutions which are merely continuous in the measure argument, in the case of first order master equations. We study several structures of common noises, in particular ones in which common jumps (or aggregate shocks) can happen randomly, and ones in which the correlation of randomness is carried by an additional parameter.