El impacto de la doble revisión en la destreza escrita de estudiantes de EFL. Aspectos globales y locales

In response to the theoretical claims considering the beneficial effects of peer review on EFL learners’ writing development, this study compares two groups of participants to determine whether the most advantageous effects of peer review can be found in giving or receiving feedback. At two proficiency levels (high vs. low), 122 female EFL learners studying in high-intermediate levels were divided into two groups of givers (participants who only give feedback) and receivers (participants who receive feedback). Three training sessions were held and the results showed that givers improved more significantly than receivers, and almost equally in both global and local aspects of writing, regardless of their proficiency level.Este estudio tiene como objetivo comparar dos grupos de participantes para determinar si el efecto beneficioso consiste en dar o recibir comentarios evaluativos. Con este objetivo fueron seleccionados dos grupos en dos niveles diferentes, de 122 estudiantes femeninas y divididas en dos grupos: receptor (participantes que solamente dieron comentarios evaluativos) y evaluador (participantes que solamente recibieron comentarios evaluativos). Se celebraron tres sesiones de entrenamiento/prueba y los datos, sin considerar su nivel de competencia, indicaban que los evaluadores disfrutaban de una habilidad más significativa en la destreza de escritura comparando con los receptores

Effect of Carob Supplement on Spermogram Parameters and Sexual Function of Infertile Men Referred to the Infertility Center, Hamadan, Iran, 2019: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The purpose of this study is comparison of carob with placebo in the treatment of male infertility. Materials and methods: This study was performed as a clinical trial with two-group pretest-posttest design. Each group consisted of 30 members. The first group received 1.5 grams of carob per day, and the second group received placebo treatments. Treatment lasted for 12 weeks. Semen analysis as well as testosterone, prolactin, (LH), (FSH) and (TSH) were performed before and after drug treatment in two groups. Sexual function was assessed in the groups in two stages before and after the intervention using the standard International Index of Erectile Function. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SPSS 16. Results: The participants’ mean age was 34.83 ±6.22 in the placebo and 33.67 ±5.82 years in the Carob group. The results showed in the carob group compared to the placebo group, the rate of normal sperm counts increased by 17% and also the normal level of testosterone was 40% higher than the abnormal levels of the placebo group and these differences were statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: It is recommended to use carob supplements to improve spermogram parameters and male sex hormones

Oral medications including clomiphene citrate or aromatase inhibitors with gonadotropins for controlled ovarian stimulation in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation

We thank:• Richard Kirubakaran, Cochrane South Asia, Prof. BV Moses Centre for Evidence-Informed Health Care and Health Policy, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India;• Marian Showell, Information Specialist for the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group;• Editorial team of the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group for their support and assistancePeer reviewedPublisher PD

Essays On Health Economics

This dissertation consists of three essays in Health Economics relating to the recent challenges in the U.S. The first essay studies the impact of retirement on subsequent health and investigates the mediation effect of social network in the relationship between retirement and health. Findings reveal that retirement adversely impacts physical and mental health outcomes and a considerable portion of these effects are explained by social network changes post-retirement. In particular, shrinkage in the size of social network post-retirement deteriorates physical health and increases depression in retirees. In the second essay, we assess the differential effect of social distancing on the daily growth rate of COVID-19 infections in the US counties by considering the spatial pattern of COVID-19 spread. We also conduct a comparative analysis of the effect on urban versus rural counties, as well as low versus high socially vulnerable counties. Our analysis illustrates that a high level of social distancing compliance is needed in urban counties and in socially vulnerable areas to achieve the largest impact at curve flattening, whereas moderate-compliance is enough in reaching the peak marginal impact in rural regions and counties with low social vulnerability. In the third essay, by combining multiple data sources, we investigate how racial disparities in access to healthcare contribute to the disparity in COVID-19 infections and mortality in black versus white sub-groups. The multilevel analysis demonstrates that a higher probability of having health insurance significantly reduces disparity in COVID-19 mortality in black sub-group while it has no impact on the disparity in whites.Doctor of PhilosophyThis dissertation uses various quantitative methods to investigate policy-relevant questions regarding the recent challenges in the U.S. economy. In the first chapter, we explore how the physical and mental health of individuals changes by retirement. The results show that retirement decreases physical health while increases depression and anxiety. We also analyze how social network changes after retirement might cause changes in the health of retirees. We find that retirees may experience worse physical and mental health than non-retirees due to losing some of their relationships after retirement. In particular, the loss of contacts increases depression and deteriorates general health. In the second chapter, we investigate how compliance with social distancing within a typical county and its neighbor counties can reduce the spread of COVID-19. We examine this question for urban versus rural counties in the US and socially vulnerable versus socially not vulnerable counties. We find a high compliance level of social distancing is needed in urban counties and in socially vulnerable areas to reach the highest impact at slowing down the COVID-19 virus spread. In the third chapter, we examine whether healthcare access inequalities (e.g., having health insurance) increase the risk of COVID-19 infections and mortality for black communities. Our results show that having health insurance decreases COVID-19 mortality in communities of color but not whites

Generalized Hydraulic Calculation Method for Axial Flow of Non-Newtonian Fluids in Eccentric Annuli

Summary The flow of non-Newtonian fluids through eccentric annuii is prevalent during drilling and cementing operations of directional and horizontal wells. The flow pattern in an eccentric annulus can differ greatly from that in a concentric annulus, and this difference affects both the pressure drop and the flow rate at which the laminar-turbulent transition occurs. Errors resulting from ignoring the effect of eccentricity on frictional pressure drop and equivalent circulating density can lead to formation fracture or well-control problems in some situations. In this paper, a new method is presented for calculating pressure losses in eccentric annuli. The method is based on an effective diameter that accounts for the effects of both conduit geometry and fluid rheology. Predictions of the method are compared with an extensive set of data for drilling fluids obtained from a large-scale flow loop. The results demonstrate that the new method is capable of reliably predicting the pressure drop of most drilling fluids in both laminar and turbulent flow regimes for eccentric annular geometries of practical interest.</jats:p