Computers have been used for language teaching ever since the 1960's.Learning a second language is a challenging endeavor, and, for decades now, proponents of computer assisted language learning (CALL) have declared that help is on the horison. We investigate the suitability of deploying speech technology in computer based systems that can be used to teach foreign language skills. In this case,...

OBJECTIVES To assess the preference for the development of a Health Call Centre and the perceived needs of patients in Hong Kong. DESIGN Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey. SETTING Two general out-patient clinics from health facilities in a geographical region in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS Patients aged 18 years or above were recruited for the study, which was conducted between Janu...

The catch/throw mechanism is a programming construct for non-local exit. In the practical programming, this mechanism plays an important role when programmers handle exceptional situations. In this paper we give a constructive formalization which captures the mechanism in the proofs-as-programs notion. We introduce a modi ed version of LJ equipped with inference rules corresponding to the opera...

In this paper we present an algorithm for the valuation and optimal operation of natural gas storage facilities. Real options theory is used to derive nonlinear partial-integro-differential equations (PIDEs) for the valuation and optimal operating strategies. The equations are designed to incorporate a wide class of spot price models that can exhibit the same time-dependent, mean-reverting dyna...

BACKGROUND Emergency Medical Care is an important component of health care system. Unfortunately it is however, ignored in many low income countries. We assessed the availability and quality of facility-based emergency medical care in the government health care system at district level in a low income country - Pakistan. METHODS We did a quantitative pilot study of a convenience sample of 22 ...

BACKGROUND It is important to assess access to diagnostic mammography because of the high likelihood of breast cancer among women who need diagnostic evaluation. We studied access to diagnostic mammography in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. METHODS We identified facilities that provide diagnostic mammography in nine counties in Northern California. We tried to schedule a diagnostic mammog...

PURPOSE This study had two goals: (a) to assess the validity of the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) staffing data by comparing them to staffing measures from audited Medicaid Cost Reports and (b) to identify systematic differences between facilities that over-report or underreport staffing in the OSCAR. DESIGN AND METHODS We merged the 2002 Texas Nursing Facility Cost Report...

With the developments of new technologies appearing very quickly, the attention has been focused more on technology than learning. English centers and institutes have mostly been busy accommodating new programs and technologies and hence have not spent enough time to evaluate the CALL programs and technologies employed to find their affordances and limitations. The present study was an attempt ...

The term " 24-Hour Knowledge Factory " connotes a globally distributed work environment in which members of the global team work on a project around the clock; each member of the team works the normal workday hours that pertain to his or her time zone. At the end of such a workday, a fellow team member located in a different time zone continues the same task. This creates the shift-style workfo...