Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Discrepancies in Rater Judgement on National-Level Oral Examination Tasks

The oral examination is an important component of the high-stakes ‘O’ Level examination in Singapore taken by 16-17 year olds whose first language may or may not be English. In spite of this, there has been sparse research into the examination. This paper reports findings of an exploratory study which attempted to determine whether there were any discrepancies in rater judgements and thereafter, explore the nature and scope of the discrepancies identified. Four audio recordings were obtained from a simulated oral examination of four candidates conducted by a trained ‘O’ Level oral examiner. Seven other trained ‘O’ Level oral examiners were asked to rate the recordings individually and provide concurrent verbal reports. Questionnaires were also given to the raters for data triangulation after the verbalization. The data were analysed through Verbal Protocol Analysis and descriptive statistics. Rater discrepancies detected in the scores were qualitatively determined to be due to four differences: emphases on factors assessed, constructs of oral proficiency, rater interpretations and approaches in assessment. These findings provide valuable insights into raters’ perceptions of the construct of speaking and offer implications for rater training and the development of rating scales.
Characterization of a MexAB-OprM efflux system necessary for productive metabolism of Pseudomonas azelaica HBP1 on 2-hydroxybiphenyl

Pseudomonas azelaica HBP1 is one of the few bacteria known to completely mineralize the biocide and toxic compound 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP), but the mechanisms of its tolerance to the toxicity are unknown. By transposon mutant analysis and screening for absence of growth on water saturating concentrations of 2-HBP (2.7 mM) we preferentially found insertions in three genes with high homology to the mexA, mexB, and oprM efflux system. Mutants could grow at 2-HBP concentrations below 100 μM but at lower growth rates than the wild-type. Exposure of the wild-type to increasing 2-HBP concentrations resulted in acute cell growth arrest and loss of membrane potential, to which the cells adapt after a few hours. By using ethidium bromide (EB) as proxy we could show that the mutants are unable to expel EB effectively. Inclusion of a 2-HBP reporter plasmid revealed that the wild-type combines efflux with metabolism at all 2-HBP concentrations, whereas the mutants cannot remove the compound and arrest metabolism at concentrations above 24 μM. The analysis thus showed the importance of the MexAB-OprM system for productive metabolism of 2-HBP.
DECISION MAKING SELF-ESTEEM AND DECISION MAKING STYLES OF TURKISH TENNIS REFEREES

The aim of this study is to examine the decision making self-esteem and decision making styles of the tennis referees. The working group is constituted of 130 tennis referees, 47 of them are female and 87 are male. For this study Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire I-II (MDMQ) is used. Cronbach Alpha Reliability Coefficient of the Questionnaire is found to be . 73. For the analysis of the data Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test are used. A significant difference could not be found between the tennis referee’s decision making self-esteem and lower dimension of decision making styles with respect to their educational status, gender, referee ratings and umpiring periods (p>0.05). It has been observed that as the selfesteem levels of the referees increase, their vigilant decision making levels also increase, while procrastinating, buck-passing and panicking decision making levels decrease. A meaningful relation has been found between the ages of the referees and panic decision making styles. It has been detected that the older the referees are, they panic less during decision making. A significant relation has been observed between the tennis playing time and abstaining decision making styles. It has been confirmed that the buck-passing decision making style is more common among referees who played tennis for longer periods.
Bridging between orthodox western higher educational practices and an African sociocultural context

The cultural validity of a psychological or educational theory is a function of its sensitizing and heuristic power for a given task addressed by a given community. African universities have inherited from the West a number of institutionalized arrangements for learning that tend to decontextualize the learning process by extracting learners from everyday life. The challenge of adapting university education to the needs and aspirations of an African, postcolonial state is approached in this paper from a theoretical perspective on situated learning and participatory appropriation. A pedagogical rationale is advanced for student project‐based learning, as affording students unique opportunities to test formal theories against reality; preparing them for practical challenges in the world of work; and inviting them to confront indigenous interpretations of experience. In addition, some projects incorporate a dimension of community service that facilitates public appraisal of universities as engaged and valuable resources for the wider society.
To ‘dump’ or not to ‘dump’: Changing, supporting or distracting behavior

The way we manage our personal information varies considerably between users. An exploratory study was conducted to investigate the decision making process when storing new items and in particular their dumping behavior, which we define as putting in some unclassified/partially classified storage. It was found that users ‘dump’ when unsure where to store, do not have the time to decide where to store, or not want to lose sight of data - these all have an impact on future retrieval. Understanding this behavior suggests design opportunities to support users, raising awareness of previously encountered but dumped information.
Testing current mode two-input logic gates

This paper focuses on the production testing of current mode logic gates using the 45nm technology. Two-input elementary gates are studied assuming five faults per transistor. It is shown that two different implementations of the same logic function might result in different minimum test sets depending on the transistor level architecture. In addition, in MCML gates, it is observed that the detection of faults in the upper PMOS load transistors is time dependent and that the test vectors that detect faults in the logic network also detect faults in the load transistors as well as the tail NMOS transistor.
Community Service and Political Identity Development in Adolescence

This article addresses the interconnection of political socialization and identity development. We begin with Erikson's work, which identified the development of political commitment in adolescence as a key aspect of identity formation. We then seek to shed light on the social processes through which youth become engaged in political activities and issues. We discuss the influences of family and peers as well as participation in community service and other civic activities. The development of social responsibility and agency, and an understanding of the complexity of social issues are considered as important facets of political commitment. Data from a case study of Black urban adolescents who participated in a year-long service learning program are used to illustrate our perspective. We conclude that social-historical context, instantiated in social relationships and actions, plays a pivotal role in the process and shape of political socialization and identity formation.
A generalized method for the derivation of non-linear state-space models from circuit schematics

Digital emulation of analog circuits for musical audio processing, like synthesizers, guitar effect pedals, or vintage amplifiers, is an ongoing research topic. David Yeh proposed to use the nodal DK method to derive a non-linear state-space system from a circuit schematic in a very systematic way. However, this approach has some drawbacks and limitations, especially with respect to the modeling of individual circuit elements. Therefore, in this paper, we present an alternative that is more flexible than the nodal DK method and hopefully allows for easier integration of almost arbitrary element models. This flexibility and generality in our opinion outweighs the relatively small cost associated with it in terms of increased matrix sizes. We therefore believe the proposed method to be a useful tool for circuit simulation.
Indirect minority influence: Evidence for leniency in source evaluation and counterargumentation.

In-group minorities instigate indirect change because of their distinctiveness, the unexpectedness of their position, and their common identity with their targets. Preliminary study (N = 408) uncovered links among a set of attitudes and revealed participants were unaware of the relationship between some attitudes despite significant correlation and proximity in multidimensional space. Study I (N = 222) advocated a ban of homosexual soldiers attributed to majority, in-group, or out-group minority sources. No direct influence was evident. When credited to an in-group minority, the message influenced attitudes toward gun control, which were linked to the focal beliefs. Relative to other sources, the in-group minority was more positively evaluated, and its message less strongly counterargued (both p <.05). Study 2 (N = 78) reversed direct and indirect attitude objects and replicated these results. Study 3 (N = 66) examined majority influence and revealed direct, but not indirect, majority influence when participants' membership group was threatened.
Board Up the Windows: The Interactive Effects of Hurricane-Induced Job Stress and Perceived Resources on Work Outcomes

The authors conducted five studies to examine the interactive effects of hurricane-induced job stress and perceived resources on job satisfaction, job tension, and work effort. The authors hypothesized that heightened hurricane-induced job stress would increase adverse reactions for those with fewer perceived resources. Conversely, the authors expected higher levels of perceived resources to neutralize these effects. Results support the hypothesis across studies. Interestingly, job satisfaction improved for those with high levels of perceived resources as hurricane-induced job stress increased in two studies. The authors discuss theoretical implications for traumatic and general stress research, as well as practice, and provide directions for future research.
The Stil protein regulates centrosome integrity and mitosis through suppression of Chfr

Stil (Sil, SCL/TAL1 interrupting locus) is a cytosolic and centrosomal protein expressed in proliferating cells that is required for mouse and zebrafish neural development and is mutated in familial microcephaly. Recently the Drosophila melanogaster ortholog of Stil was found to be important for centriole duplication. Consistent with this finding, we report here that mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking Stil are characterized by slow growth, low mitotic index and absence of clear centrosomes. We hypothesized that Stil regulates mitosis through the tumor suppressor Chfr, an E3 ligase that blocks mitotic entry in response to mitotic stress. Mouse fibroblasts lacking Stil by genomic or RNA interference approaches, as well as E9.5 Stil−/− embryos, express high levels of the Chfr protein and reduced levels of the Chfr substrate Plk1. Exogenous expression of Stil, knockdown of Chfr or overexpression of Plk1 reverse the abnormal mitotic phenotypes of fibroblasts lacking Stil. We further demonstrate that Stil increases Chfr auto-ubiquitination and reduces its protein stability. Thus, Stil is required for centrosome organization, entry into mitosis and cell proliferation, and these functions are at least partially mediated by Chfr and its targets. This is the first identification of a negative regulator of the Chfr mitotic checkpoint.
The Police and Weapons Offenses

To control violence committed among strangers in public locations, police departments have increasingly turned to tactics of "directed patrol" focused on particular dangerous places or activities. Arguably, a suitable focus for directed patrol is illegal carrying or possession of weapons in public locations. Questions arise concerning the methods of weapons enforcement, the effectiveness of such a focus, and its administrative feasibility. Preliminary results of em pirical investigations into police practices with respect to weapons enforcement reveal that weapons arrests typically occur as a by-product of other enforcement activities and that the most important factor determining aggregate levels of weapons arrests is the general proactivity of the police department. Further, some empirical results suggest that police departments can shift to proactive strategies—and increase the level of weapons arrests—without dramatically changing the demographic characteristics of those arrested. Crucial unanswered questions include the effectiveness of such a strategy in reducing violent crime and the adminis trative means of changing police strategies against weapons offenses.
Japanese Beginning Teachers' Perceptions of Their Preparation and Professional Development

The perceptions of first, second and third year Japanese beginning teachers about their initial preparation and induction into primary and secondary teaching are investigated. The complete population of 657 primary and lower secondary beginning teachers of Hiroshima prefecture were asked to rate the extent to which their initial training had developed their knowledge, skills and attitudes for teaching. Replies were received from 304 teachers (46% of the population). Analysis of mean ratings shows that higher ratings are associated with both nature and length of professional experience. Issues for initial teacher education are discussed and implications are explored for teacher education reform to promote professional development of teachers.
Factors considered important at the end of life by patients, family, physicians, and other care providers.

CONTEXT A clear understanding of what patients, families, and health care practitioners view as important at the end of life is integral to the success of improving care of dying patients. Empirical evidence defining such factors, however, is lacking. OBJECTIVE To determine the factors considered important at the end of life by patients, their families, physicians, and other care providers. DESIGN AND SETTING Cross-sectional, stratified random national survey conducted in March-August 1999. PARTICIPANTS Seriously ill patients (n = 340), recently bereaved family (n = 332), physicians (n = 361), and other care providers (nurses, social workers, chaplains, and hospice volunteers; n = 429). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Importance of 44 attributes of quality at the end of life (5-point scale) and rankings of 9 major attributes, compared in the 4 groups. RESULTS Twenty-six items consistently were rated as being important (>70% responding that item is important) across all 4 groups, including pain and symptom management, preparation for death, achieving a sense of completion, decisions about treatment preferences, and being treated as a "whole person. " Eight items received strong importance ratings from patients but less from physicians (P<.001), including being mentally aware, having funeral arrangements planned, not being a burden, helping others, and coming to peace with God. Ten items had broad variation within as well as among the 4 groups, including decisions about life-sustaining treatments, dying at home, and talking about the meaning of death. Participants ranked freedom from pain most important and dying at home least important among 9 major attributes. CONCLUSIONS Although pain and symptom management, communication with one's physician, preparation for death, and the opportunity to achieve a sense of completion are important to most, other factors important to quality at the end of life differ by role and by individual. Efforts to evaluate and improve patients' and families' experiences at the end of life must account for diverse perceptions of quality. JAMA. 2000;284:2476-2482.
A Bayesian approach to determine the average shape of the slip-rate function and the rupture velocity using near-field phases: the 2003 Mw6.6 Bam earthquake example

SUMMARY Slip-rate function and the rupture velocity are two important parameters that are critical in understanding the physics of earthquakes. When conventional objective functions are used, the slip-rate function is not well resolved from seismic data. Here, we propose a new method to obtain the slip-rate function by utilizing the near-field phases recorded near the fault rupture. First we illustrate the sensitivity of near-field phases to the moment accumulation and modify the objective function in order to take advantage of this sensitivity. By utilizing near-field P waves along with S pulses on the near-source records and using a Bayesian approach, we show that we can constrain the average slip-rate function as well as the average rupture velocity for a strike-slip earthquake. As a case example, we apply this technique to the record of the 2003, Mw6.6 Bam Earthquake. Our results indicate an asymmetric slip-rate function, with acceleration duration of about 0.4s, and deceleration duration of 1.4s. The slip-rate function obtained from kinematic modelling of the 2003 Bam earthquake is consistent with those predicted by dynamic rupture simulations. The rupture velocity is about 82–90 per cent of the shear wave velocity, implying a sub-Rayleigh rupture velocity close to the Rayleigh wave speed. In future cases where abundant near-source strong-motion data exist and slip is well constrained, the method described in this study can be applied to obtain the variation of the slip-rate function along the fault which would improve our understanding of earthquake rupture physics.
Stormwater quality calibration by SWMM : a case study in Northern Spain

This article presents an application of the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) in order to predict the pollution in rainy weather in a combined sewer system catchment in Santander, Spain. Suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) were measured at the exit of the catchment and these parameters were used for the calibration and validation of the model. The process of hydraulic and quality calibration is described and the values of the adjusted parameters are presented, comparing them with those obtained from other studies. The calibrated model simulated accurately the hydrograph’s shape and the time of presentation of the peak flows. The accuracy of adjustment of the volume was 96%. As for the quality validation, the accuracy of adjustment among the total simulated loads of SS, COD and TKN, and those measured at the end of the rainfall events were 93, 95 and 78% respectively, confirming the accurate confirming the relative accuracy of the model in the prediction mode. The phenomenon of the first flush was analysed, and it was determined that 65, 57 and 54% of the polluting loads of COD, SS and TKN respectively, were swept along by the first 30% of the volume in the rainfall events used for the calibration of the model.
A Bibliometric Analysis of School Psychology International 1995—2007

The present study examined all articles published in School Psychology International from 1995 to 2007 to obtain data relevant to seven research questions: (1) which nations contributed articles to SPI? (2) how many SPI manuscripts involved multi-author (and multi-national) collaboration? (3) which institutions were the most prolific contributors to SPI? (4) what is the self-citation rate in SPI? (5) how often does SPI cite other major school psychology journals? (6) which first authors or editors were most frequently cited in SPI? (7) which books were the most frequently cited in SPI? Results indicate that the journal is broad in scope, interdisciplinary and truly international with respect to its contributors. Moreover, a substantial number of its contributions involve authors from two or more nations. In these regards, SPI is unique and, in our opinion, uniquely important for the international community of school psychologists.
Comparative electrophysiology of pyramidal and sparsely spiny stellate neurons of the neocortex.

Slices of sensorimotor and anterior cingulate cortex from guinea pigs were maintained in vitro and bathed in a normal physiological medium. Electrophysiological properties of neurons were assessed with intracellular recording techniques. Some neurons were identified morphologically by intracellular injection of the fluorescent dye Lucifer yellow CH. Three distinct neuronal classes of electrophysiological behavior were observed; these were termed regular spiking, bursting, and fast spiking. The physiological properties of neurons from sensorimotor and anterior cingulate areas did not differ significantly. Regular-spiking cells were characterized by action potentials with a mean duration of 0.80 ms at one-half amplitude, a ratio of maximum rate of spike rise to maximum rate of fall of 4.12, and a prominent afterhyperpolarization following a train of spikes. The primary slope of initial spike frequency versus injected current intensity was 241 Hz/nA. During prolonged suprathreshold current pulses the frequency of firing adapted strongly. When local synaptic pathways were activated, all cells were transiently excited and then strongly inhibited. Bursting cells were distinguished by their ability to generate endogenous, all-or-none bursts of three to five action potentials. Their properties were otherwise very similar to regular-spiking cells. The ability to generate a burst was eliminated when the membrane was depolarized to near the firing threshold with tonic current. By contrast, hyperpolarization of regular-spiking (i.e., nonbursting) cells did not uncover latent bursting tendencies. The action potentials of fast-spiking cells were much briefer (mean of 0.32 ms) than those of the other cell types. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Phonological naming therapy in jargon aphasia: Positive but paradoxical effects

This article is a single-case investigation of phonological naming therapy. The individual involved had fluent jargon speech, with neologisms, verbal paraphasias, and paragrammatisms. The jargon was underpinned by a severe anomia. Content words were rarely accessed either in spontaneous speech or naming. Single word investigations highlighted some preserved skills. Auditory comprehension, at least for concrete words, was relatively intact and although nonwords could not be repeated, words could, and at a level which was far superior to naming. The patient also had some ability to respond to phonological cues. These results suggested that phonological representations were preserved and that there were some intact semantic abilities. It seemed that the naming disorder was primarily due to an inability to access phonology from semantics. Therapy took a phonological approach. The patient was encouraged to reflect upon the syllabic structure and first phoneme of pictured targets. Subsequently, she was required to use this partial phonological knowledge as a self-cue. It was hypothesized that this therapy might equip the subject with a self-cuing naming strategy. Posttherapy investigations of naming demonstrated dramatic improvements, which generalized to untreated items. However, there was little evidence that these were due to a self cuing strategy. Performance on phonological judgment and discrimination assessments, which required conscious phonological reflection, was unchanged, and there were no signs that the patient was self-cuing during naming. Reasons for these paradoxical results are discussed. (JINS, 1998, 4, 675–686.)