This study investigates relationships between global oral proficiency ratings and measures of grammatical competence in the acquisition of Korean as a second language. Data were collected on the linguistic abilities of learners’ at 1+ to 4 on the ILR scale, focusing on perception and production in phonology, morphology, syntax, lexis and collocation. The results show that (i) most of the tasks ...

This paper investigates algebraic objects equipped with an operator, such as operated monoids, algebras etc. Various free object functors in these contexts are explicitly constructed. For whose operator satisfies a set $\Phi$ of relations (usually called polynomial identities (aka. OPIs)), Guo defined objects, $\Phi$-algebras, via universal algebra. Free $\Phi$-algebras over studied details. A ...

Unsustainable exploitation of wild animals is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and to millions of people depending on wild meat for food and income. The international conservation and development community has committed to implementing plans for sustainable use of natural resources and has requested development of monitoring systems of bushmeat offtake and trade. Although offtake mon...

PURPOSE To assess safety and efficacy of EGP-437 (dexamethasone phosphate 40 mg/mL [DP]) in dry eye patients. METHODS The study employed a prospective, single-center, double-masked design utilizing a Controlled Adverse Environment (CAE). Patients (n = 103) with confirmed signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome were randomized into 1 of 3 iontophoresis treatment groups: 7.5 mA-min at 2.5 mA (DP...

DEVS (Discrete Event Systems Specification) models are widely employed for simulation-based performance evaluation of discrete event systems. Performance modeling of such a system requires a pruning of a set of components, or objects, within the system in its subset which are eventually transformed into simulation models. Such modeling is objective-driven in that simulation models may be abstra...

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum graminicola is one of the major diseases of sorghum. The locus for disease resistance in sorghum [Sorghum biocolor (L.) Moench] accession G73 was found to segregate as a simple recessive trait in a cross to susceptible cultivar HC136. In order to identify molecular markers linked to the locus for disease resistance, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) an...

Perimeters are commercially available instruments for measuring various attributes of the visual field in a clinical setting. They have several advantages over traditional lab-based systems for conducting vision experiments, including built-in gaze tracking and calibration, polished appearance, and attributes to increase participant comfort. Prior to this work, there was no standard to control ...

This paper addresses the scalability of symbolic planning under uncertainty with factored states and actions. Our first contribution is a symbolic implementation of Modified Policy Iteration (MPI) for factored actions that views policy evaluation as policy-constrained value iteration (VI). Unfortunately, a naı̈ve approach to enforce policy constraints can lead to large memory requirements, somet...

In addition to fight-or-flight, humans dem onstrate tending and befriending responses to stress? responses underpinned by the hormone oxytocin, by opi oids, and by dopaminergic pathways. A working model of affiliation under stress suggests that oxytocin may be a biomarker of social distress that accompanies gaps or problems with social relationships and that may provide an impetus for affiliati...