Web-based CALL Process Writing Tools Website: A Usability Study

Many English as a Second Language (ESL) learners need help writing. Learners prefer to get as much feedback and guidance with their writing as possible. However, teachers are overwhelmed and often do not focus on errors that do not interrupt communication. Web-based Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) tools can provide learners with additional feedback and scaffolding. These tools can empower adult learners, allowing them to create and check their own work. A website was developed, on WIX, to provide Web-based automated e-learning, or CALL, writing tools to supplement adult learners to engage in each stage of the writing process. The purpose of this usability study was to evaluate the navigation and satisfaction of content presentation of the site. Qualitative and quantitative data collection included a pre-questionnaire for collecting demographic information; three think-aloud interview rounds, each with 6 to 7 participants; a retrospective post-survey. Revisions were made after each iteration based on the result and following Nielsen’s Severity Rating for Usability Problems to guide the selection of issues to address. The results of the study revealed a favorable reception of the website and its contents. Future revision and improvements in presentation and content for this project could further improve this project

EFFECTS OF AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PAYMENT POLICIES ON AGRICULTURAL TRADE

In many OECD countries, including the U.S., interest in developing agri-environmental payment programs is currently strong. In the future, the inclusion of an agri-environmental payment program into the WTO's "green box" could be more easily challenged by WTO member countries on the basis that it has more than "minimal" trade-distorting impacts on production. The goal of this paper is to conduct an ex ante analysis of the trade impacts of stylized examples of agri-environmental payment programs that have been proposed for implementation in the near future. To simulate the production and trade impacts of these programs, we use a partial equilibrium model of the U.S. agricultural sector in a sensitivity analysis across a range of design options for agri-environmental payments. For the three agri-environmental payment scenarios evaluated, the maximum change in exports ranges from a 7 percent decrease (wheat) to a 1 percent increase (soybeans). We do not expect the programs that decrease U.S. production, which would tend to have an upward pressure on world commodity prices, to be challenged before the WTO.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Comparison of community structure of mangrove and riprap rock habitats along urban coastlines of south Florida

Globally, mangrove ecosystems have substantially declined, largely a result of human impacts. Mangroves provide a number of ecosystem services such as shoreline stabilization and nursery habitat for fish species. As declines continue, many of these ecosystem services are lost or altered. The need for shoreline stabilization has become increasingly apparent when chronic erosion wear away coastlines once mangroves are removed. Limestone boulders called riprap have been employed to offset continued erosion associated with mangrove clearing. In urban coastal areas adjacent to Biscayne Bay, Florida, as much as 80 percent of mangroves have been lost. More recently, riprap has been used in conjunction with mangroves to restore wetlands throughout the Bay. This riprap-mangrove habitat provides structure for marine organisms to colonize. However, fish assemblages and benthic composition could vary between this hybridized habitat and natural mangrove systems. Comparisons of fish and benthic community structure were made, to determine if abundance, species richness, and overall diversity differed between the two habitat types. Visual census and benthic quadrat surveys were conducted in vi mangrove and mangrove-riprap sites within two regions of Biscayne Bay. Total fish abundance was greater in mangroves, but the effect of habitat type on species richness varied between regions. The community structure of fishes and benthic composition differed significantly between mangroves and riprap habitats. Because species composition is so distinct, it is likely that the two communities do no function in the same manner. In areas with cleared shorelines, it may be important to consider the function of added anthropogenic structure for ecological communities

Alien Registration- Peters, Joseph A. (Limington, York County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/3256/thumbnail.jp