Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Criteria for successfully recruiting online peer-tutors in foreign languages

Informal discussions with final-year undergraduates majoring in French as a foreign language in a Malaysian public university revealed that they lacked confidence in their language proficiency. We believed that they needed some form of recognition and therefore developed a model of online peer-tutoring. In this study, nine final-year learners were selected to become online peer-tutors for 18 second-year learners. This article explains the selection procedure and the peer-tutoring model implemented in a reading and writing course. It also reviews the selection criteria based on the analysis of the peer-tutors' performances during the tutoring. The data consists of the results from online participation monitoring, self-reflective questionnaires and surveys. The findings were congruent with current research on peer-tutoring and validated the selection criteria (i.e., quantity of messages, quality of contributions, linguistic proficiency and accuracy of objectives). The peer-tutoring model was well received and benefited all participants. Its implementation revealed some traits in the tutor-tutee relationship specific to the Malaysian context.
Anomalous Switching Curves in a dc SQUID Phase Qubit

We have observed anomalous switching curves (s-curves) in a dc SQUID phase qubit. The SQUID has two Al/AlOx/Al Josephson junctions in a 1.5 nH loop. One junction as a phase qubit and the other acts as a detector junction. The qubit junction area is 2 μm2, the critical current is 0.08 μA and the junction has an added low-loss SiNx shunting capacitor. The 1.37 μA detector junction is isolated from the bias leads by an on-chip inductor-capacitor (LC) network with a 130 MHz cut-off. We measure the state of the system at 20 mK by sending a short current pulse to the device and monitoring whether it switches to the voltage state. The s-curves for the ground state (0) and excited state (1) look much as expected. However, unlike previous results on phase qubits, when the device is pumped to a superposition state, the resulting s-curve is not a weighted sum of the s-curves for the 0 and 1 state. Instead, the s-curve appears to shift to lower pulse current with increasing amplitude to be in the 1 state. We examine this behavior and discuss implications for measurement of quantum superposition states in this system.
Religion and Politics in Africa: The Future of “The Secular”

This essay discusses the continued importance that religion holds in African life, not only in terms of numbers of believers, but also regarding the varieties of religious experience and its links with politics and the “public sphere(s)”. Coinciding with the wave of democratization and economic liberalization efforts since about 1990, a notable growth of the public presence of religion and its political referents in Africa has been witnessed; alongside “development”, religion will remain a hot issue in the future political trajectory of the continent. Its renewed presence in public spheres has also led to new understandings of what religion means and how it figures into both “world-making” and identity politics. This will prolong the challenges associated with the role and status of religion in the “secular state model” found in most African countries. Can these states, while “besieged” by believers, maintain neutrality among diverse worldviews, and if so, how? The paper discusses these issues in a general manner with reference to African examples, some taken from fieldwork by the author, and makes a philosophical argument for the development of a new kind of “secular state” that can respect the religious commitments of African populations.
Danger Zone Entrepreneurs: The Importance of Resilience and Self–Efficacy for Entrepreneurial Intentions

Little is known about the drivers of entrepreneurial decisions during war. We empirically examine the effects of perceived danger, entrepreneurial self–efficacy, and resilience on entrepreneurial intentions in adverse conditions with primary survey data from Afghanistan. Our findings suggest that perceived danger is negatively related to an individual's entrepreneurial intentions, but marginally less so among highly resilient individuals. Our findings also suggest that even under conditions of war, individuals develop entrepreneurial intentions if they are able to grow from adversity (resilience) and believe in their entrepreneurial abilities (entrepreneurial self–efficacy). Practical implications for role modeling and entrepreneurship training are then discussed.
A Direct Measurement of the Geomagnetic Cutoff for Cosmic Rays at Space Station Latitudes

We report new measurements of the vertical geomagnetic cutoff for cosmic rays with rigidities from ~500 to 1700 MV, made using data from the MAST instrument on SAMPEX. A total of ~10,000 nuclei were used to measure the latitude cutoff in nineteen separate rigidity intervals. These results show that cosmic rays and solar particles can penetrate several degrees lower in latitude than would be estimated from commonly used relations for the geomagnetic cutoff, which has implications for the radiation exposure expected on the Space Station. An excellent fit to our measured cutoffs is given by the relation Rc = 15.062cos4 (Λ) - 0.363 GV, where Rc is the geomagnetic cutoff in rigidity, and λ is the invariant latitude. We suggest that this relation is useful over invariant latitudes from Λ = 0° to 64°, corresponding to rigidity cutoffs from ~0.2 to 15 GV.
Perception of Physical Activity Participation of Chinese Female Graduate Students: A Case Study

Purpose: Chinese female international students (CFIS) have been identified as one of the least physically active groups in the United States. In an effort to better understand this situation, this study's purpose was to examine CFIS in American higher education in terms of the meaning they assigned to physical activity and facilitators and barriers they experienced with regard to physical activity participation. Method: Twenty CFIS from a university in the Northwest region of the United States were recruited and interviewed. All of the interviews were conducted in Mandarin Chinese and translated and transcribed into English. The 1-on-1 semistructured interviews lasted between 45 min and 60 min each. Data were analyzed by NVivo8. Results: In terms of meaning, physical activity provided the participants with a break from their academic work, allowed them some alone time, and taught them a process for accomplishing other things in their lives. Major facilitators included social influences, ample available resources, their changing perceptions of femininity, and the need to improve or maintain health. Barriers included a lack of time, low self-efficacy, limited social support, cultural barriers, and a lack of “how-to” information. Conclusions: Understanding the physical activity experiences of CFIS is an important step in the process of promoting their long-term health and well-being. It may behoove universities with growing Chinese international student populations to add more cross-cultural content into their curriculums and fitness programs, increase awareness of cultural differences on campus, and increase accessibility to information in an effort to remove physical activity participation barriers experienced by CFIS.
A Socialization Perspective on Selected Consumer Characteristics of the Elderly.

This study examines the effects of selected antecedent variables and communication processes on the consumer behavior of the elderly. The socialization perspective is suggested as a conceptual framework for the study of elderly consumer behavior, with specific theories used as bases for formulating hypotheses. The study results suggest that the mass media and the family may be instrumental in reinforcing or developing traditional sex-role stereotypes among the elderly, whereas consumer education may help them filter puffery in advertisements. Age, sex and health were also related to various aspects of consumer behavior.
Eye tracker data quality: what it is and how to measure it

Data quality is essential to the validity of research results and to the quality of gaze interaction. We argue that the lack of standard measures for eye data quality makes several aspects of manufacturing and using eye trackers, as well as researching eye movements and vision, more difficult than necessary. Uncertainty regarding the comparability of research results is a considerable impediment to progress in the field. In this paper, we illustrate why data quality matters and review previous work on how eye data quality has been measured and reported. The goal is to achieve a common understanding of what data quality is and how it can be defined, measured, evaluated, and reported.
THE IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES INVOLVED IN ANXIETY DISORDERS

The etiology of anxiety disorders remains incompletely understood. Clear evidence for a genetic component has been proposed; however, there is also an increasing focus on environmental factors and the interaction between these and the genetic components that may mediate (anxiety) disorder pathogenesis. No single gene or genetic component has been explicitly identified as being involved in the development of anxiety disorders. This is most likely due to a number of reasons, which include, for example, the heterogeneity of anxiety disorders, the contribution of environmental factors and methodological limitations (e.g. small sample size) of research studies. Until now, genetic association studies usually focused on one particular psychiatric disorder at a time. However, with the difficulty in identifying susceptibility genes and/or loci in heterogeneous disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder and other conditions in the anxiety spectrum, it is perhaps timely to consider multivariate genetics and epidemiological studies in a number of disorders sharing a core characteristic – such as anxiety. In addition to genetic underpinnings, a number of environmental variables have also been identified as risk factors for pathological anxiety, including adverse life events like childhood physical and sexual abuse. The hypothesis for this project is that a pre-existing genetic vulnerability (or genetic risk) interacts with the impact of adverse life events to result in the development of one or more anxiety disorder(s). Considering phenotypic overlap amongst the anxiety disorders, it is likely that diverse networks of genes and/ or interacting pathways are responsible for the phenotypic manifestations observed. Sprague Dawley rats exhibiting behaviours indicative of anxiety in the context of environmental stressors (maternal separation and restraint stress) were used as model for the identification of novel susceptibility genes for anxiety disorders in humans. The striatum has previously been implicated as a candidate in the brain architecture of anxiety pathogenicity, and is also a site exhibiting a high degree of synaptic plasticity. The synaptic plasticity pathway was investigated using the dorsal striatum of the rat brain and several genes were identified to be aberrantly expressed in “anxious” rats relative to controls (Mmp9, Bdnf, Ntf4, Egr2, Egr4, Grm2 and Arc). Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

Research on child sexual abuse often focuses on offenders, particularly on explanations of the etiology and maintenance of their abusive behavior. A recent study by Smallbone and Wortley suggests, however, that research should also focus on the situation in which the sexual abuse occurs. This article employs the situational crime prevention (SCP) framework that they used to study child sexual abusers in Queensland to study patterns of abuse by Catholic priests. Results from the study on the nature and scope of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests support the assertions by Smallbone and Wortley that there is a situational component to sexually abusive behavior. The discussion outlines the steps taken by the Catholic Church as well as other SCP techniques that could be employed to create safe environments.
Physiological Bases for Functional Recovery

From the Departments of Neurology and of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Program in NeuroRehabilitation, Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Address correspondence to: Marc H. Schieber, M.D., Ph.D., University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Box 605, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, (716) 275-6395, fax (716) 244-4617. Introduction
Speculation Without Oil Stockpiling as a Signature: A Dynamic Perspective

According to the standard analysis of commodity prices, stockpiling is a necessary signature of speculation. This paper develops an approach suggesting that speculation may temporarily push crude oil prices above the level justified by physical-market fundamentals, without necessarily resulting in a significant increase in oil inventories. Looking beyond debate on the value of oil-demand price-elasticity, showing a demand curve makes sense only if we consider a fixed time horizon (e.g. short-run). The scenario of oil demand slowly but continuously adjusting to a price fuelled by speculation implies that price elasticity of demand is an increasing function of the time horizon considered. Short- and long-run elasticities can then be used to calibrate this function. A very low very-short-run price elasticity suggests that an exogenously-driven rise in crude oil price has a very slight impact on demand in the very short run and therefore, with supply constant, leads to a minimal increase in inventories. This interpretation differs from the traditional view, according to which storage of just a few barrels is enough to raise prices when elasticity is very low. We present several analytical and numerical illustrations (with oil-demand adjustment following Gompertz, logistic and exponential paths). The role that speculation may have played in recent movements in oil prices is also discussed.
Common sequence variations in ABCG8 are related to plant sterol metabolism in healthy volunteers Published, JLR Papers in Press, November 1, 2004. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M400210-JLR200

Polymorphisms in the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters ABCG5 and ABCG8 are related to plasma plant sterol concentrations. It is not known whether these polymorphisms are also associated with variations in serum plant sterol concentrations during interventions affecting plant sterol metabolism. We therefore decided to study changes in serum plant sterol concentrations with ABCG5/G8 polymorphisms after consumption of plant stanol esters, which decrease plasma plant sterol concentrations. Cholesterol-standardized serum campesterol and sitosterol concentrations were significantly associated with the ABCG8 T400K genotype, as were changes in serum plant sterol concentrations after consumption of plant stanols. The reduction of −57.1 ± 38.3 102 × μmol/mmol cholesterol for sitosterol in TT subjects was significantly greater compared with the −36.0 ± 18.7 reduction in subjects with the TK genotype (P = 0.021) and the −16.9 ± 13.0 reduction in subjects with the KK genotype (P = 0.047). Changes in serum campesterol concentrations showed a comparable association. No association with serum LDL cholesterol was found. Genetic variation in ABCG8 not only explains cross-sectional differences in serum plant sterol concentrations but also determines a subject's responsiveness to changes in serum plant sterols during interventions known to affect plant sterol metabolism.
A study on relationship between earnings management and operating cash flows management: Evidence from Tehran Stock Exchange

Article history: Received January 10, 2013 Received in revised format 10 April 2013 Accepted 12 May 2013 Available online May 14 2013 This study investigates the impact of earnings management on operating cash flows management over the period 2004-2011 using the information of 119 firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Results indicate that there is a meaningful relationship between earnings management and operating cash flows management. In other words, earnings management creates and shapes operating cash flows management. In addition, after controlling for the loss reporting, firm size and firm's financial risk, the results show that there was a relationship between loss reporting and firm size with the cash flows management. When firms report loss, then operating cash flows increases. Finally, operating cash flows decreases when firm size increases. However, our survey does not provide any evidence to believe there is any relationship between financial risk and cash flows management. © 2013 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dialogic Inquiry: Towards a Socio-cultural Practice and Theory of Education

Conventions of transcription Introduction Part I. Establishing the Theoretical Framework: 1. The complementary contributions of Halliday and Vygotsky to a 'language-based theory of learning' 2. In search of knowledge 3. Discourse and knowing in the classroom Part II. Discourse, Learning, and Teaching: 4. Text, talk, and inquiry: schooling as semiotic apprenticeship 5. Putting a tool to different uses: a reevalution of the IRF sequence 6. From guessing to predicting: progressive discourse in the learning and teaching of science 7. Using the tool-kit of discourse in the activity of learning and teaching 8. Making meaning with text: a genetic approach to the mediating role of writing Part III. Learning and Teaching in the ZPD: 9. On learning with and from our students 10. The zone of proximal development and its implications for learning and teaching Appendices References Indexes.
The Museum as a Restorative Environment

Museums seem to be ideal environments for a restorative experience. A collection of objects both aesthetic and fascinating would seem appropriate for aiding the recovery of directed attention, and perhaps for reflection as well. Yet, according to anecdotal reports, museums often seem tedious and tiring. The authors explore this apparent paradox both theoretically, in the context of attention restoration theory, and empirically. Study 1, a content analysis of material generated by focus groups for a Getty Foundation study, yielded categories remarkably consistent with the theorized components. For Study 2, 124 museum visitors completed surveys on restorative aspects of their visit. As with Study 1, results point to the restorative potential of the museum, but suggest that those who are already comfortable in museums are more likely to receive this benefit.
Mathematics education and gender : a position paper White Paper WP 2 Deliverable

Seven teams of researchers have been jointly working since the autumn of 2005 in order to better understand issues concerning differences of achievement of boys and girls in mathematics and to propose solutions for promoting equality between them. As stated in the project: " The overall goal of the project is to deepen understanding on the factors that require attention in order to reduce the gender difference in mathematics and the emerging digital divide to the benefit of girls. This goal is multidimensional as it is of socio-political and pedagogic nature ". We seek ways to enhance equal opportunities between men and women in achievement and performance in the domain concerned. For that, we have not chosen to study micro-level parameters or levels of attainment in mathematics, but rather " To investigate into the issue(s) of teaching / learning under the scope of socio-cultural context and/or educational policy and practice perspective. The emphasis in PREMA is on the interaction between " teaching and learning " as a socio-pedagogical process ". Unlike the majority of projects concerned with gender difference in performance of mathematics where measured is mainly achievement in mathematics, PREMA has taken a more proactive approach in that the scope is not to determine that there is underachievement in mathematics performance in girls but to identify socio-cultural causes –both internal and external to the teaching practices, the effects of which are apparent in many sectors ranging from education to the economy. On the other hand PREMA is aiming to provide tangible outputs towards the solution of the problem under discussion. At the methodological level the project is innovative in that its development is based on an iterative process of reflecting on the issue of girls underperformance in mathematics. Involved in that process is a range of actors –teachers, students, experts, educational decision makers, and researchers, who in the frame of the project set up a Network, the members of which come together at the project's scheduled conference. The project's research design is based on qualitative methods with the direct involvement of practitioners. 4 In the architecture of the project, it has been decided, in particular, to start by conducting an " in-depth review into the literature and to lead a comparative analysis of the legislative frameworks for education and training (for mathematics) across the Member States ». This white paper devotes itself to the task of studying the issue …
Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Open Access Radial Dyssynchrony Assessed by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Relation to Left Ventricular Function, Myocardial Scarring and Qrs Duration in Patients with Heart Failure

Background: Intuitively, cardiac dyssynchrony is the inevitable result of myocardial injury. We hypothezised that radial dyssynchrony reflects left ventricular remodeling, myocardial scarring, QRS duration and impaired LV function and that, accordingly, it is detectable in all patients with heart failure.
Societal Attitude Towards Homosexuality

Where has the sexual revolution taken us? Do falling marriage rates mean that people are eschewing traditional pair-bonded heterosexual unions in favor of a kaleidoscope of casual sexual affairs with a wide variety of heterosexual and homosexual ‘partners’? In particular, has homosexuality — regarded as loathsome through much of history — come to be widely practiced and to be received with tolerance, if not with approbation, by the broader community? Homosexuality refers to attraction or sexual behavior between people of the same sex, and/or to a sexual orientation. As an orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affection, or romantic attractions primarily to" people of the same sex; "it also refers to an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them. " Homosexuality, bisexuality, and heterosexuality together make up the three main categories of sexual orientation and are part of the heterosexual-homosexual continuum. The number of people identifying as homosexual — and the proportion having homosexual experiences — are quantities which have been difficult for researchers to estimate reliably. Many recent studies indicate a prevalence of 2% to 13% of the population. A 2006 study suggested that 20% of the population anonymously reported some homosexual feelings, few of them identifying as homosexual. The prevalence of male homosexual orientation may vary over time and across societies in part because of variations in fertility rate or family size.