Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating Language Learning Context Influence: An Approach to Iranian EFL Students’ Critical Thinking Ability

Investigating to which extent language learning context affect Iranian EFL students’ critical thinking, this study was conducted to clarify the relationship between the variables. To achieve this purpose 90 EFL students in upper intermediate level of Payamnoor University selected, and equally divided to two groups of 45 person, the experimental group (n=45) with modern context of language learning by a web 2.0 environment on the internet and control group (n=45) with traditional context of language learning in regular classes. Sandra Lee M.C. Kay’s Researching Second Language Classroom book, published in 2008, was given to the both groups during 10 session of 120 minutes of study as a material. Pretest/posttest assessments and statistical package of social science (SPSS) t-test analyzed procedures clarified that experimental group’s language learner have a stronger critical thinking ability than control group ones. Confirming positive relation between language learning context and critical thinking ability of EFL learners, the results also show a strong willing of students to use modern, technological, more accessible, and new ways of learning.
Sp 1 downregulates proinflammatory cytokine ‐ induced catabolic gene expression in nucleus pulposus cells

During the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), stimulate the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of intervertebral discs via the activity of catabolic enzymes including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), disintegrins and metalloproteinases with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTSs), and cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2). The transcriptional promoters of the human catabolic enzymes MMPs, ADAMTS, Cox2 and Syndecan 4 contain at least one specificity protein‐1 (Sp1) transcription factor‐binding site. The present study investigated the role of Sp1 in the regulation of the mRNA and protein expression of the aforementioned catabolic enzyme genes in nucleus pulposus cells, using reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, transfection and RNA interference. The data demonstrated that Sp1 transcription factor protein expression is induced by TNF‐α and interleukin‐1β. Specific inhibitors of Sp1 DNA binding to its GC-rich consensus site, WP631 and mithramycin A, partially suppressed TNF-α‐induced catabolic enzyme expression and activity. Genetic inhibition of Sp1 by small interfering RNA‐mediated Sp1 knockdown partially inhibited catabolic enzyme induction by TNF‐α. In addition, Sp1 transcription factor inhibitors decreased the activity of MMP3, ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 promoters. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed functional Sp1 binding sites at ‐577/‐567 bp within the ADAMTS4 promoter and ‐718/‐708 bp within the ADAMTS5 promoter. These results provide pharmacological and genetic evidence of the importance of Sp1 in catabolic enzyme gene regulation during TNF-α stimulation. Thus, Sp1 may represent an effective target in reducing intervertebral disc-associated ECM loss.
Economic Integration , Sectoral Adjustments and Natural Groupings in East Asia

Although East Asian countries were relatively inactive in signing free trade agreements (FTAs) until the end of 1990s, a number of FTAs involving East Asian countries have been signed since the turn of the century. Because sectoral interests can exert significant influence on policy negotiations, the sectoral results would be particularly important for political economy considerations. The objective of this study is to compare welfare gains and sectoral adjustments resulting from various FTA scenarios in East Asia using a dynamic global computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The RCA rankings of commodities with various FTA scenarios and those with the global trade liberalization are correlated to examine how “natural” each grouping would be. The results suggest that the ASEAN+3 FTA, with relatively large welfare gains and small structural adjustments, could be a facilitating intermediate step towards global free trade. The smaller FTAs, such as the ASEANChina, ASEAN-Japan and ASEAN-Korea FTAs, would result in large structural adjustments for ASEAN countries. JEL classification codes: F13, F15
The experiences of postgraduate psychology students regarding the development of multicultural competence

This study investigated the experiences of postgraduate psychology students regarding their multicultural competence development (MCCD). King and Baxter Magolda’s multidimensional framework for the development of intercultural maturity, comprising cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions served as theoretical grounding. A qualitative, case study design was employed, using thematic analysis to analyse focus group data. It was found MCCD takes place across the lifespan and in various contexts. Methods to overcome obstacles to MCCD were identified, as well as the participants’ positions of MCCD. Lastly, educational experiences that promote MCCD are discussed.
Low Spatial Resolution Face Recognition Based on Compressive Sensing

In order to effectively increase robust to recognize low spatial resolution face, this paper tried to take compressive sensing(CS). Firstly, all train face images or their corresponding feature vectors were taken to form sparse representation matrix. Secondly, test face's sparse coefficients were estimated by convex optimization. Lastly, the test face was decided as the class with minimum residuals. Two face databases (AT&T and AR) were employed to evaluate the performance of some CS algorithms such as SRC, RSC and CRC. The experiments showed that compared with PCA and FLD, the CS algorithms increased recognition rate for low resolution.
Singular optics and topological photonics

For centuries, singularities in wave fields have been a mainstay of interest in multiple areas of physics, ranging from plasma physics and fluid dynamics to atmospheric physics to optics and photonics [1]. In optics, energy and momentum flow around singularities in the interference field can twist to form vortices, which carry angular momentum [2–4]. Singular Optics is the branch of physics that encompasses studies of structured light with localized and extended singularities, such as optical vortices in scalar optical fields and polarization singularities in vector fields [2,5,6]. It has been pioneered by the publication of a seminal paper of J F Nye and M V Berry ''Dislocations in wave trains'' in 1974 [7], and has recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Magnifying the Early Episodes of Star Formation: Super Star Clusters at Cosmological Distances

We study the spectrophotometric properties of a highly magnified ( ) pair of stellar systems identified at z = 3.2222 behind the Hubble Frontier Field galaxy cluster MACS J0416. Five multiple images (out of six) have been spectroscopically confirmed by means of VLT/MUSE and VLT/X-Shooter observations. Each image includes two faint ( ), young ( Myr), low-mass ( ), low-metallicity (12 + Log(O/H) ≃ 7.7, or 1/10 solar), and compact (30 pc effective radius) stellar systems separated by pc after correcting for lensing amplification. We measured several rest-frame ultraviolet and optical narrow ( km s−1) high-ionization lines. These features may be the signature of very hot ( K) stars within dense stellar clusters, whose dynamical mass is likely dominated by the stellar component. Remarkably, the ultraviolet metal lines are not accompanied by Lyα emission (e.g., C iv/Lyα ), despite the fact that the Lyα line flux is expected to be 150 times brighter (inferred from the Hβ flux). A spatially offset, strongly magnified ( ) Lyα emission with a spatial extent kpc2 is instead identified 2 kpc away from the system. The origin of such a faint emission could be the result of fluorescent Lyα induced by a transverse leakage of ionizing radiation emerging from the stellar systems and/or may be associated with an underlying and barely detected object (with de-lensed). This is the first confirmed metal-line emitter at such low-luminosity and redshift without Lyα emission—suggesting that, at least in some cases, a non-uniform covering factor of the neutral gas might hamper the Lyα detection.
Working Paper 2010 | 50 Commodity Prices : Structural factors , Financial Markets and Non-linear Dynamics

Up to the financial slump of the second quarter of 2008 commodity prices grew fast for several consecutive years in a highly volatile context. Recent commodity fluctuations have raised both policy concerns and a prolific academic debate. This paper offers a coherent theoretical and empirical framework aimed at improving our knowledge of those elements driving commodity prices in the long run once the so-called process of “financialization of commodities” is incorporated into the analysis. To this end, we employ a smooth transition vector autoregressive model which is suitable for testing the hypothesis derived from a heterogeneous agent model in the commodity markets. The empirical methodology allows us to distinguish among those variables that influence prices in the long run –obtaining in this way an “equilibrium” or “fundamental” price; and the mechanisms that generate, strengthen and eventually correct short run deviations with respect to that equilibrium. The results suggest that high discrepancies between spot and fundamental prices tend to be corrected relatively fast, while small misalignments tend to persist over time without any endogenous correcting force taking place. JEL Classification Numbers: C32, D84, Q11. We are especially grateful to Eric Santor for his insightful comments as discussant in the Workshop “Commodity prices: drivers and economic impacts” organized by Bank of England and European Central Bank (London, February 2009). We also want to thank to Jason Henderson of the Federal Reserve Board of Kansas and staff members of the Research Department for their comments during the Conference “Farming, Finance and the Global Marketplace” (Kansas City, June 8-9, 2010). We thank to José Fanelli, Gustavo Cañonero, Federico Traverso, Horacio Aguirre, Agusto Mercadier and Fernando Toledo for helpful comments and discussion. We are indebted with Mariano Sardi and Emilio Blanco for their helpful research assistance. We are responsible for remaining errors. ∗∗ The opinions in this work are an exclusive responsibility of his authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Central Bank of Argentina. The Working Papers Series from BCRA is composed by papers published with the intention of stimulating the academic debate and of receiving comments. Papers cannot be referenced without the authorization of their authors.
Carbon sequestration : Science and practicality

Tropical grasslands are environmental resources that play a critical role in the water resources of large areas of the tropics, and offer other environmental benefits such as carbon offsets. Introduced pastures of African grasses on the eastern plains of Colombia accumulate large amounts of C in the soil. Net aerial primary productivity (NAPP) is 33.3–33.5 t DM/ ha/yr in well-managed pastures of introduced grasses without either an associated legume or N fertiliser. NPP below ground is only slightly less. Replacing lowly productive native pastures is a massive intervention and C accumulates because of the increase in NPP. This accumulation will continue until a new equilibrium is reached. In Africa, introducing a legume component is a possibility for increasing both production and C storage, but there are few examples. African grasses sown in Australia are generally different from those in South America and legume technology has received general adoption in Australia. In Brazil, the widespread pasture degradation can be reversed by a rotation of several crops followed by a pasture phase, with
eu FIXED POINT THEOREMS IN THE STUDY OF OPERATOR EQUATIONS IN ORDERED BANACH SPACES

In this paper, we shall study completely continuous maps which leave a cone invariant in an ordered Banach space. A generalisation of some results of Krasnosel’skii and Amann, where the map are supposed to be monotone, will be given. AMS Subject Classification: 47H11, 58C40, 47H10
Technology shape, distance to frontier, or frontier shift? Modeling the determinants of TFP growth

We investigate the determinants of TFP growth of Italian manufacturing firms. Using stochastic frontier techniques, we consider three approaches to take into account the influence of external factors, i.e., the determinants of growth. First, external factors may affect the shape of the technology. Second, they may influence the distance from the frontier. Third, in a novel approach, the external factors influence the technological progress, that is the shift of the frontier. Using a sample of manufacturing firms in 1998-2003, we find that the exports, technological investments and spillovers, public infrastructures, and banking efficiency all have a positive effect on TFP growth. We also find that the first model best fits the data.
Ca 2 + influx pathways linked to Ca 2 + store depletion and cell signalling

L'élévation de la concentration calcique cytoplasmique est un élément central de la signalisation cellulaire. L'entrée de calcium du milieu extérieur dans le cytosol est un processus essentiel qui assure la pérennité des signaux calciques en permettant le remplissage des stocks calciques intracellulaires situés principalement dans le réticulum endoplasmique (RE). Dans les cellules non excitables, deux différents types d'influx prédominent, l'un activé par la vidange du RE le SOCE (Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry) l'autre activé par des seconds messagers indépendamment du remplissage des stocks calciques le RACE (Receptor-Activated Ca2+ Entry). Dans un premier temps nous avons étudié le processus de remplissage du RE qui accompagne l'influx SOCE ainsi que l'implication de la protéine STIM1 (Stromal Interaction Molecule 1) nouvellement identifiée comme essentielle dans ce processus. Dans un second projet, les différents modes d'entrée calcique (RACE et SOCE) présents dans les cellules endothéliales ont été étudiés. JOUSSET, Hélène. Ca2+ influx pathways linked to Ca2+ store depletion and cell signalling. Thèse de doctorat : Univ. Genève, 2007, no. Sc. 3928 URN : urn:nbn:ch:unige-6363 DOI : 10.13097/archive-ouverte/unige:636
Electrical and dielectric properties of water

Water is one of the most important substances on planet. It’s constituted by hydrogen and oxygen elements, both of great importance chemistry and fundamental to human life. Although there are many studies about your physical and chemical properties in the scientific literature, much can be studied yet about this substance. In this study we report the electrical and dielectric properties of the water in liquid phase, such as impedance, dielectric permittivity and dipole moment as a function of frequency (1-20 k Hz ) in the temperature range between 288 and 314 K. The impedance and dielectric permittivity measurements were carried out in experimental apparatus equipped with an impedance analyzer. In addition, a capacitive system of parallel plate was and entire experiment was shielded to minimize electromagnetic interference effects (noise), and connected to the grounding of the laboratory electrical network. The dipole moment values were estimated applying the Kirkwood’s theory based on the definition of Onsager’s local field for polar liquids.
Conditions for establishment of a key restoration species, Lupinus elegans Kunth, in a Mexican temperate forest

Seedling establishment is essential to ensure the persistence of most plant populations. When the establishment of early successional species is hampered, the regeneration dynamics of plant communities may be altered, thus becoming an obstacle for ecological restoration practice. This is the case of Lupinus elegans (Fabaceae), a pioneer leguminous shrub of temperate forests that facilitates the establishment of other plant species. In this experiment, L. elegans seeds were planted in the same density within a landscape of abandoned agricultural fi elds, to determine site characteristics that favor the establishment of this species. By analyzing classifi cation trees, the variables that explain L. elegans establishment were determined, before and after herbivory by Zygogeo- mus trichopus, an endemic gopher known as tuza de Nahuatzen, that prevented establishment of this species by 40%. The results showed that S-SW and SW-W orientations, a soil density > 0.8047 g/cm 3 , a vegetation cover 11.5° favored
Contribution to the Study, Design and Analysis of a System to Provide QoS for Virtual Networking

English: Virtualization is one of the long term solutions to face Internet ossification problem which is unable to support new services due to the lack of coordination between different Internet Service Providers. By allowing several heterogeneous networks to share a physical substrate, virtualization provides flexibility, diversity and promises security and increased manageability. In this thesis a flexible and technology independent system is presented including the required mechanisms and modules inside the network management system block to manage independently virtual networks resources. The system allows providing quality of service and traffic engineering to different traffic classes within a virtual network. An evaluation of the system is done through a set of models each one regarding a different module used, Virtual Network Control, Virtual Network Reconfiguration, Call Access Control, Background Monitoring System and Dynamic Resource Allocation, to prove that their role is needed to make the system provide the qualities mentioned. Some general recommendations are given about the system, and specifically when squatting occurs evaluating whether the use of the Squatting Kicking Model is suitable for the proposed system. Finally conclusions and future work are commented concluding the content of the present thesis.
GROUND TRUTH DATA IN INDIA AND CHINA FROM DENSE LOCAL NETWORKS AND CALIBRATION EXPERIMENTS

Obtaining and interpreting qualified, regional geologic and geophysical data from countries such as India and China has been an important scientific and technical goal for many years. To aid in this effort, the U.S. Geological Survey has been building relationships with comparable government organizations throughout Asia. Here we present preliminary results from this interaction in the form of ground truth and crustal structure information for India and China. We have successfully developed a cooperative program with Indian scientists over the past several years. During that time, delegations from Indian geophysical laboratories have made multiple visits to Menlo Park, CA, bringing with them new seismic data and crustal structure information. We have been very pleased to achieve such unprecedented access to data and their interpretation. During the most recent visit, shallow seismic refraction data from NE India (Kutch region), near the epicenter of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake and in close proximity to the Indian nuclear test site, were processed and interpreted. Another highlight of this cooperation has been the release of aftershock data. This data has relocated hypocenters determined from 18 local seismic stations and were obtained during a visit to India. We continue our ongoing program of collecting crustal structure and ground truth information from China as well. This effort has likewise been a great success as delegations from many organizations within China have shared data and offered cooperation over the years. We are currently reprocessing data from a 1000-km-long seismic refraction profile centered at 36° N and 104° E. There are 9 borehole chemical shots on this profile, each with 3000-4000 kg charges. The resulting P-wave and S-wave arrivals are excellent. The large borehole explosions will likely have been recorded at seismic monitoring sites, and will serve as valuable ground truth events. In addition, we are working with Chinese seismic network catalog data that provide excellent ground truth seismic events. 24th Seismic Research Review – Nuclear Explosion Monitoring: Innovation and Integration
Personality: Blessing or Curse? The Entrepreneur’s Path from Personal to Leadership Competencies

Abstract This paper is based on a study which investigates the relevance of management competencies in Austrian organizations, focusing on start-ups. The study as well as the existing literature confirms that personal competencies such as ambition, selfconfidence or assertiveness are perceived as more important by start-ups than by established companies. However, further results of the paper show that especially leadership competencies play a major role in developing a growing start-up whereas personal competencies fade into the background and can even have a negative impact on turnover growth. In general, the paper discusses special characteristics of competence classes for start-ups and examines differences and similarities in comparison to established companies. As it has already been indicated, the evidence leads to different and surprising considerations for entrepreneurs and growing start-ups.
Towards Resilient Offshore Wind Farms

This paper proposes using a performance-based engineering (PBE) approach to quantify the reliability of offshore wind turbines (OWT), for use in a larger assessment of wind farm resilience. The concept of resilience provides a useful framework for considering an OWT as a system that is comprised of both structural and mechanical components and to extrapolate these risks across a farm. An implementation based on the financial consequence of failure is used here, this allows failure states to be defined that combine analytical structural failure scenarios with empirical mechanical equipment failure rates within a unified calculation of material losses. The loss associated with the failure of each component is used to estimate the total annual loss for a case study farm. Results are presented in the form of a case study and indicate that failure of the structure may have an impact on the overall failure profile of the farm. This method provides a simple estimate of robustness for the farm, which is a component of any resilience assessment. It also provides a foundation from which a more detailed assessment of resilience, including adaptability and recovery, will be developed.
terapéuticos por empleo de los animales de compañía en el cuidado de salud de las personas mayores * Therapeutic Profit by Companion Animals Employment in Health Care of Older People Benefícios terapêuticos do uso

Objective: This article evaluated the compatibility of human-companion animal relationships, which were explored from the perspective of emotional and psychological benefits of companion animals. The main aims were to develop a measure of pet attachment that reflects psychologists’ use of the attachment concept, and to see if pet ownership or attachment added to the health variance explained by known predictors. Method: Community-older adults (n=267) gave information by interview using structured questionnaire. Multiple regressions were then conducted to examine the possible predictive role of health habits, human social supports, pet ownership, and owners’ attachment to the pet, on health and well-being. Results: This study confirm the results of therapeutic profit by companion animals’ employment in health care of older people, which can make a difference to the health status levels. Conclusion: The aging process involves new demands for services, benefits and attention that constitute challenges for governments and society.