Regularity of weak solutions to rate-independent systems in one-dimension

We show that under some appropriate assumptions, every weak solution (e.g. energetic solution) to a given rate-independent system is of class SBV, or has fi�nite jumps, or is even piecewise C1. Our assumption is essentially imposed on the energy functional, but not convexity is required

BV solutions constructed by epsilon-neighborhood method

We study a certain class of weak solutions to rate-independent systems, which is constructed by using the local minimality in a small neighborhood of order $\varepsilon$ and then taking the limit $\varepsilon \to 0$. We show that the resulting solution satisfies both the weak local stability and the new energy-dissipation balance, similarly to the BV solutions constructed by vanishing viscosity introduced recently by Mielke, Rossi and Savar\'e

Another construction of BV solutions to rate-independent systems

We study one kind of weak solutions to rate-independent systems, which is constructed by using the local minimality in a small neighborhood of order ε and then taking the limit ε → 0. We show that the resulting solution satisfies both the weak local stability and the new energy-dissipation balance, similarly to the BV solutions constructed by vanishing viscosity introduced recently by Mielke, Rossi and Savare

Trends in the education sector from 1993 - 98

Vietnam has achieved remarkably high rates of school enrollment and has maintained good social indicators (infant and under-five mortality rates, life expectancy, fertility rate, child nutrition, and access to basic services) compared to other countries with similar low income per capita. The author documents and analyzes changes in enrollment and education finance in Vietnam from 1993-98. Enrollment rates increased substantially, but the increases were not equally spread across different income groups, regions, gender, and ethnic groups. The higher the level of education, the larger the gap in school enrollment among different socioeconomic groups. Although school fees were no longer compulsory at the primary level, households paid for many other school-related items, such as books, uniforms, private tutors, lunch, and transportation. These costs are a significant financial burden on the poor. On the other hand, there is considerable variation in public spending per student across regions that, when coupled with variation in enrollment rates across regions, resulted in a not pro-poor public spending pattern, although public spending on primary education was neutral in 1998. Finally, the author investigates whether rates of return to education in the private wage sector changed in the 1990s. She concludes that returns to schooling increased substantially between 1992-93 and 1997-98, especially at the upper secondary education and university levels.Public Health Promotion,Teaching and Learning,Curriculum&Instruction,Primary Education,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Primary Education,Gender and Education,Teaching and Learning,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Curriculum&Instruction

A New Trend in Pronunciation Teaching

English pronunciation training helps learners speak more clearly and communicate more smoothly. Online pronunciation learning, which helps connect teachers and students from all parts of the world, has been well-supported by the rapid development of technology. However, teachers need to apply appropriate pedagogical methods to ensure the effectiveness of online pronunciation instruction. This paper overviews specific strategies which could be employed for teaching English pronunciation in a video-based virtual classroom

Spatial Associations of Liver Disease Rates with Socioeconomic and Health Risk Factors in Georgia

According to the CDC Cancer Statistics Report in 2020, Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct is the 6th leading cancer in both USA and the State of Georgia ranked by Rates of Cancer Death. Aflatoxin-containing foods, alcohol consumption, smoking, overeating, and other risky behaviors are among the factors linked to liver diseases. They have also been related to the socioeconomic status (SES) of individuals. The behaviors and SES of individuals are affected by the socioeconomic characteristics of the communities where they live. However, the relationships between the rates of liver diseases and community-level socioeconomic factors are not well studied. The objective of this project is to examine the spatial associations of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases with socioeconomic factors, including income, education level, and social vulnerability index (SVI), at county-level in Georgia using GIS (Geographic Information System) and statistical analyses. GIS is used to map and compare the spatial patterns in rates of alcoholic and chronic liver diseases and socioeconomic factors by counties. GIS-based hot spot analysis is used to identify the spatial clusters of the rates of liver diseases. Statistical analyses, especially correlation analysis, are used to quantify and compare the associations of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases with each of the studied socioeconomic factors. This study is expected to reveal the spatial patterns and hot spots of the rates of both alcoholic and chronic liver diseases and their associations with socioeconomic factors across counties in Georgia. It will contribute to a better understanding of the associations of liver diseases with socioeconomic factors and provide useful information for health policy making

The Effects of English Pronunciation Instruction on Listening Skills among Vietnamese Learners

Listening has been a neglected skill in both second language research and teaching practice (Khaghaninejad & Maleki, 2015; Nowrouzi, Tam, Zareian & Nimehchisalem, 2015) and recent research has shown that second language (L2) listening difficulties might relate to phonological problems besides syntactic and lexical knowledge (e.g., Suristro, 2018). There have been some empirical studies examining the effects of phonetic instruction on perceptual skills showing promising results (e.g., Aliaga-Garcia & Mora, 2009; Linebaugh & Roche, 2013). This study contributes to this area with a focus on investigating the impacts of English pronunciation instruction on listening skills among Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, targeting the four English phonemes: word-final stop consonants /t/-/d/, the lax high front vowel /ɪ/ and the tense high front vowel /i/. Particularly, it examines whether pronunciation instruction would have effects on (a) students’ abilities to listen to and distinguish target phonemes, and (b) students’ abilities to listen to and dictate monosyllabic words containing the target sounds. To examine the effects of mere explicit pronunciation instruction on perception, the study excluded perceptual training from the treatment. Sixteen Vietnamese learners were recruited to join the study, divided into two groups: an experimental group (n=10) and a control group (n=6). Only the experimental group received a five-hour online phonetic instruction emphasizing the four English target phonemes and other distractors. A pre-test and a post-test in listening skills measured the difference between and within groups. In addition, a post-instructional survey was administered to collect qualitative data in an attempt to explain the study results. Non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon rank sum and Wilcoxon signed rank tests) were used to analyze the quantitative data. The study results revealed that there was no difference in listening performance between the two groups, and within each group, which might suggest unclear impact of pronunciation instruction on perceptual skills. Perceptual training, which has often been used in research on pronunciation instruction, is discussed and suggestions for future research are made

Regularity of weak solutions to rate-independent systems in one-dimension

We show that under some appropriate assumptions, every weak solution (e.g. energetic solution) to a given rate-independent system is of class SBV, or has fi�nite jumps, or is even piecewise C1. Our assumption is essentially imposed on the energy functional, but not convexity is required