Intelligibility and degree of accentedness are interrelated aspects of non-native speech. Previous research suggests that foreign accentedness is influenced by phonetic distance measures [7]. These distance measures may also influence the intelligibility of individual words. In the present study we further investigate the relationship between the intelligibility of nativeand Mandarin-accented E...

In this paper we revisit mediumto long-run exchange rate determination, focusing on the role of international investment positions. To do so, we develop a new econometric framework accounting for conditional long-run homogeneity in heterogeneous dynamic panel data models. In particular, in our model the long-run relationship between effective exchange rates and domestic as well as weighted fore...

The main purpose of this paper is to verify the effectiveness of the bivariate Component GARCH-in-mean (GARCHM) model and analyze the interactions and risk premium of equity markets by exploring the shortand long-run volatility components on both the Taiwanese and Japanese equity markets. We show that unexpected shocks of volatility will in general influence the fluctuations of both equity and ...

Behind the somewhat pompous name of this paper hides a much more modest aim. It is an attempt at clarifying one of the major problem areas found in the field of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), specifically the use of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). The aim of CALL is to produce tools aiding the acquisition of foreign languages and, long-term, to produce full-fledged, virtual, mu...

Multilingual lexical resources provide information about linguistic relation of words in-between languages. On the other hand, huge document collections like the World Wide Web provide statistical information about the distribution and co-occurrence of words in almost all languages. In this paper, we present a tool that was designed to combine the information from both resources in order to sup...

We report quantitative relations between corruption level and economic factors, such as country wealth and foreign investment per capita, which are characterized by a power law spanning multiple scales of wealth and investment per capita. These relations hold for diverse countries, and also remain stable over different time periods. We also observe a negative correlation between level of corrup...

We report an unusual case of pyogenic, hepatic abscess caused by fish bone penetration of the duodenum in a 68-year-old woman. The fish bone had migrated into the liver through the duodenal wall. The patient was initially admitted to our emergency room with abdominal pain, fever, and asthenia. A contrastenhanced abdominal coputed tomography (CT) scan showed a hepatic abscess in relation with a ...

With few exceptions, the empirical literature on foreign direct investment (FDI) continues to be gender-blind. This paper contributes to filling this gap by assessing the importance of gender inequality in education as a determinant of FDI. We estimate a standard gravity model on bilateral FDI flows which is augmented by educational variables, including different measures of gender inequality i...

The European legislation set the new hygiene standards in food chain with the purpose to ensure high levels of public health protection in relation to food production. In order to guarantee excellent hygiene standards in food chain, particular attention must be paid to the presence of foreign matter, like light solid impurities of mineral, vegetable or animal origin. The light filth test is a s...

The creation of the Customs Union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 2010 resulted in changes not only in trade between Member States but also with third countries. The introduction of a uniform tariff, a common customs code, standardization of health, veterinary and phytosanitary requirements as well as unification of quality standards in relation to goods imported from third countries ...