Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pragmatic competence and interpreter-mediated police investigative interviews

ABSTRACT This article investigates discourse markers in interpreter-mediated police investigative interviews. Drawing on Goffman’s participation framework and Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance Theory, I show how pragmatic alterations of discourse markers in interpreters’ renditions impact on contemporary police interviewing techniques and procedures. The discussion draws on analysis of authentic interpreter-mediated interviews and sheds light on the ways in which interpreting can disempower the interviewee as a result of substantive pragmatic interference. The article builds on earlier discussions about the interpreter’s purported invisibility in legal interpreting and considers the role played by discourse markers in creating the illusion of an invisible mediator. I conclude that effectiveness of interrogation is affected by the extent to which interpreters and officers understand interpreters’ pragmatic competence and call for greater attention to its development in police and interpreter training, and recognition in Codes of Practice.
Nationalized incumbents and regional challengers

The African party literature, especially research prescribing to the long-dominant ethnic voting thesis, has asserted that African party systems exhibit low levels of party nationalization. However, systematic research on nationalization across parties and party systems is still lacking. This study argues that the prospects for building nationalized parties vary substantially between incumbent and opposition parties. Incumbent parties, with their access to state resources, have been successful in creating nationwide operations, even in countries where geographical factors have been unfavorable and where ethnic fractionalization is high. The analysis utilizes a new data set of disaggregated election results for 26 African countries to calculate nationalization scores for 77 parties and study the correlates of party nationalization. The results show that factors like ethnic fractionalization, the size of the geographical area, and urbanization affect party nationalization, but only in the case of opposition parties. Incumbent parties, on the other hand, generally remain nationalized despite unfavorable structural conditions.
The Applicability of Familism to Diverse Ethnic Groups: A Preliminary Study

The author examined the extent to which familism, which is generally regarded as a Hispanic cultural value, is applicable to other ethnic groups as well. An ethnically diverse sample of 318 Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black young adults completed measures of attitudinal familism, collectivism, and interdependence. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the scoring algorithm for the familism measure fit the data well, both overall and across ethnic groups. The author conducted analyses to ascertain (a) differences in the factor structure of familism, (b) mean differences in endorsement of familism, and (c) differences in associations of familism with collectivism and interdependence between Hispanics and the other ethnic groups. Few significant or noteworthy differences emerged in any of these analyses, suggesting that familism may be applicable to and may operate similarly within diverse ethnic groups. The author discussed findings in terms of convergence between familism and other collectivist and interdependent value orientations.
Do new ways of work mean new ways of work- nonwork interface? Using a demands-resources approach for understanding satisfaction with work and nonwork life among location independent and traditional workers.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) become more advanced and more accessible which leads to new ways of work. A rather new phenomenon is that of location independent workers (LIWs), who are enabled by these technologies to work while traveling the world. New ways of working assumingly lead to changes in the work-nonwork interface. This study takes a demands and resources approach to examine antecedents of satisfaction with work and nonwork life among LIWs and compares them to a group of traditional workers. Ninety-four LIWs and 68 traditional workers responded to a self-report questionnaire assessing their work-related experiences (job control, task quality ambiguity, task completion ambiguity), recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, control during leisure time), ICT usage, and satisfaction with their work and nonwork life. LIWs showed higher levels of satisfaction with their work life, job control, and control during leisure time as well as feeling less ambiguous about the quality of their work than the comparison group. Hierarchical regression analyses showed different models explaining work and nonwork satisfaction for the two groups. For LIWs job control and control during leisure time predicted satisfaction with work life, while job control and relaxation were predictors for satisfaction for the comparison group. When explaining satisfaction with nonwork life, control during leisure time was a predictor among LIWs, whereas relaxation was a predictor among members of the comparison group. This study emphasizes that people differ in their work and nonwork experiences and how these experiences are related due to their way of working. (Less)
Playing towards success: Reducing math anxiety through play-based learning approaches

1 Acknowledgements 2 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.0 Research Context 1.1 Research Problem 1.2 Purpose of this Study 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Background of the Researcher 1.5 Overview of this Study 5 6 7 8 9 10 Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.0 Introduction 2.1 Math anxiety 2.1.1 What is math anxiety? 2.1.2 Causes of math anxiety 2.1.3 Implications of math anxious teachers for learning 2.1.4 Implications of math anxious students for learning 2.1.5 Addressing math anxiety 2.2 Play-based learning 2.2.1 What is play-based learning? 2.2.2 Benefits of play-based learning 2.2.3 Play-based leaning and traditional teaching models 2.2. 4 Play-based leaning in practice 2.3 Conclusion 11 12 12 13 14 16 16 18 18 20 21 22 23 Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.0 Introduction 3.1 Research approach & procedures 3.2 Instruments of data collection 3.3 Participants 3.3.1 Sampling criteria 3.3.2 Sampling procedures/recruitment 3.3.3 Participant biographies 3.4 Data analysis 3.5 Ethical review procedures 3.6 Methodological limitations and strengths 25 25 26 27 28 29 31 31 32 33 PLAYING TOWARDS SUCCESS 4 3.6. 1 Limitations 3.6. 2 Strengths 3.7 Conclusion & preview of what is next 33 34 35 Chapter 4: Research Findings and Discussion 4.0 Introduction 4.1 Teachers discuss the benefits of play-based learning approaches through the shortcomings of more conventional methods 4.2 Play-based learning engages students and then leads to achievement 4.2.1 Student choice is important to building engagement 4.2.2 Teachers believed that social and mental well-being developed through playbased learning leads to academic success 4.2.3 Math anxious students are disengaged with math 4.3 Math anxiety stems from traditional approaches to teaching 4.4 Play-based learning models prevent/ remedy math anxiety 4.4.1 Math anxiety can be prevented with careful lesson planning and collaboration 4.4.2 Curriculum expectations should not hinder the use of play-based approaches 4.4.3 Assessment practices focus on process instead of outcomes 4.5 Parents are hesitant about accepting play-based learning models 4.5. 1 “Play” is not associated with sophisticated learning 4.5. 2 Transparency of teaching practices addresses challenges posed by parents 4.6 Conclusion 36 38
Stress-Strain Behavior of Cementitious Materials with Different Sizes

The size dependence of flexural properties of cement mortar and concrete beams is investigated. Bazant's size effect law and modified size effect law by Kim and Eo give a very good fit to the flexural strength of both cement mortar and concrete. As observed in the test results, a strong size effect in flexural strength is found in cement mortar than in concrete. A modification has been suggested to Li's equation for describing the stress-strain curve of cement mortar and concrete by incorporating two different correction factors, the factors contained in the modified equation being established empirically as a function of specimen size. A comparison of the predictions of this equation with test data generated in this study shows good agreement.
The effects of planning conditions on Chinese primary school ESL pupils’ narrative writing / Ma Fei Fan

The present study investigates how 78 pupils from a Chinese primary school in the state of Selangor performed differently in their second language writing under different planning conditions in terms of the language complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF). Besides, the study also aims to examine the pupils’ perceptions of their own performance under different planning conditions and how these perceptions are related to their performance. Drawing from Kellogg’s (1996) model as the theoretical framework, this study also seeks to describe how pupils perform their narrative writing task mentally. The pupils were divided into three planning condition groups:1) pre-task planning, 2) on-line planning and 3) no planning groups. A variety of data collection methods had been employed in order to obtain pupils’ data. These methods include the collection of pupils’ written task and pupils’ planning sheets, questionnaire surveys and interview. The results of the study reveal that pupils’ performance was not significantly affected by the planning conditions except for the effect of pre-task planning on pupils’ written fluency. The results discovered from the present study differ greatly from many of the previous studies which were mainly carried out on adult writers. The present study also discovers that pupils’ perceptions partially influence their performance. The reasons of such contradictions are discussed in the discussion section in this article. Keywords: second language writing, complexity, accuracy, fluency, Kellogg’s (1996) model.
Mycophenolate mofetil versus Rapamycin in Han: SPRD rats with Polycystic Kidney Disease.

OBJECTIVE We aimed to explore the effect of Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on loss of renal function and cyst progression compared to rapamycin in Han: SPRD rats. We also sought to assess whether the effect of combination therapy of MMF plus rapamycin was better than that of monotherapy. METHODS Sixty heterozygous (Cy/+) and littermate control (+/+) male Han: SPRD rats were weaned at 4 weeks of age, then divided into four groups randomly to receive different treatments by intragastric administration for 2 months: vehicle-treated group as control, MMF-treated group (20mg/kg/day), rapamycin-treated group (2mg/kg/day), and MMF+Rapa- treated group (MMF 20mg/kg/day plus Rapamycin 2mg/kg/day). RESULLS: After 2 months of treatment, rapamycin caused a 22 % decrease in body weight in comparison to the control group, whereas MMF had no significant effect on weight gain. The steady increase of BUN in Cy/+ rats was reduced by 15% in MMF-treated Cy/+ rats. However, rapamycin and combination therapy reduced BUN by 42% and 43%, respectively. CCr was 0.93+/-0.11ml/min in vehicle-treated Cy/+ rats, 1.67+/-0.23 ml/min in MMF-treated Cy/+ rats (P<0.05), 1.72+/-0.44 ml/min and 1.83+/-0.21 ml/min in rapamycin- and MMF+Rapa-treated Cy/+ rats, respectively (.P<0.01). Cyst volume density was 57.1 % in vehicle-treated Cy/+ rats, 45.2% in MMF-treated Cy/+ rats (P<0.05), 32.9% and 37.7% in rapamycin- and MMF+Rapa-treated Cy/+ rats, respectively (P<0.01). MMF markedly ameliorated interstitial inflammation and fibrosis. Rapamycin showed a similar effect on interstitial inflammation and fibrosis, but to a lesser degree. CONCLUSION MMF is more tolerable than rapamycin and can retard deterioration of renal function in Han: SPRD rats, though its effect is weaker than that of rapamycin. Combination therapy does not exert more favorable effect than monotherapy.
A Neuroeconomic Study of Social Observability and Personal Responsibility in Decision Making : An fMRI Experiment

ing away from responsibility factor allows us to simplify the MMR model laid out in section 2. The value of the outcome x to the subject and counterfactual outcome y to the “other” can now be written as: V (x, y) = u(x) + G ( x y ) [5] for i=0,1 where G is the function relevant in the private and G in the social environments. Using simplified version of MMR our hypotheses for the BOLD signal in the reward system can be stated as:
Is Residual Income Really Uninformative About Stock Returns ?

Prior research found that Residual Income (RI) is, at best, minimally informative about stock returns relative to Earnings, despite strong support for RI in theory and among practitioners. We examine three possible explanations for this puzzle. First, the empirical literature ignores some salient feature of practice or theory. Second, the market does not fully impound all of the information from residual income into current returns. Third, the theory abstracts away some real world feature captured in prior empirical results. We find that while the incremental contribution of RI to earnings is modest in explaining current returns, conditioning on whether or not RI increased or decreased affects the relationship between earnings and returns. Further, the market only partially impounds the information in residual income into current returns. A strategy of going long on firms with the greatest increase in RI and short on firms with the greatest decrease in RI generates significant positive excess returns that persist after controlling for risk factors. Our results are consistent with the first two explanations above. Specifically, benchmarking earnings versus the cost of capital is an important feature of how accountants interpret residual income; incorporating this feature of residual income increases the information content of earnings. Furthermore, our results on future returns indicate that tests of the association of changes in RI with current returns present only a partial picture of the usefulness of RI. We would like to thank Tim Baldenius for his comments. We appreciate research assistance from Columbia Business School. All errors are our own. Please contact Sudhakar Balachandran at svb34@columbia.edu or Partha Mohanram at pm2128@columbia.edu with questions and comments.
Production and Perception of Vocalic Sequences in Mexican Spanish

This dissertation investigates variation in the production and perception of vocalic sequences in Mexican Spanish, with an emphasis on the relationship between this variation and the occurrence of exceptional hiatuses. The dissertation aims to demonstrate that: (i) The phonetic variation responsible for the occurrence of exceptional hiatuses is present in all Spanish varieties, including highly diphthongizing varieties (like Mexican Spanish). (ii) The phonetic variation leading to the production of exceptional hiatuses is rooted in patterns of articulation. (iii) Variation in the production of diphthongs, hiatuses and exceptional hiatuses is related to variation in their perception. Three studies were conducted to test these goals. The studies used a variety of experimental and statistical techniques (including duration and formant normalization procedures, electromagnetic articulography, discriminant analysis, signal detection measures, and AX perception tasks) to provide and evaluate acoustic (Chapter 3), articulation (Chapter 4) and perception
Academically Gifted Undergraduate Students: Their Preferred Teaching Strategies.

Much attention is being paid to the students who give evidence of high achievement capability in specific academic fields. This interest includes choosing sufficient teaching strategies that suit their characteristics. However, this study aims at identifying what teaching strategies are preferred by academically gifted students in Princess Rahma University College/Al-balqa Applied University. A validated scale, covered four dimensions, was developed to measure preferred teaching strategies. The four dimensions were Presentations, Accommodations for Individual Differences, Critical Thinking Strategies, and Creative Thinking Strategies. The study sample consisted of 66 students who were academically gifted. Results revealed that the highest teaching strategies preferred by the students that were related to Creative Thinking dimension followed by Critical Thinking Strategies, the lowest preferred teaching strategy was Presentations. The study urges instructors, who have academically gifted students in their classes, to carefully employ appropriate teaching strategies that meet their needs and increase their potentials.
Investigating Interviewer Falsifications – A Quasi-experimental Design

This paper discusses the strengths and limitations of experimentally-orientated research in sociology. In principal, results from experiments cannot be generalized. Nevertheless they allow controlling for certain conditions that are impossible to measure during a survey. This paper gives an example: It presents findings from a quasi-experimental research on interviewer falsifications. Interviewers conducted real standardized interviews and subsequently falsified corresponding interviews in the lab. This enables a comparison of real and falsified survey data. Our research design has the limitation that there is no proof that actual falsifiers in an actual survey fieldwork environment would have falsified interviews in the same way as did the participants of our study. However, only this quasi-experimental approach allows us to know for sure which interviews are falsified.
Assessing the identity of Black Indians in Louisiana: a quantitative and qualitative analysis

This study shows the existence of Black Indians in Louisiana and investigates whether differences exist between Black Indians who are members of officially recognized tribes and those who do not have any type of recognition. This study examined if a relationship exist between tribal recognition and ethnic identity, subjective well-being, and social support. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative data. The sample consisted of 60 participants. 30 were from recognized tribal groups and 30 were from non-recognized tribal communities. The study specifically examined variables related to the perceptions of Black Indians in Louisiana to see if this group perceives themselves to be Black, Indian, or both. The independent variable included demographic characteristics and tribal designation. The dependent variables were ethnic identity, subjective well-being and social support. Results showed that Black Indians in recognized groups had higher levels of Native American identity when compared to their levels of African American identity (p< .01). There were no significant differences in the levels of Native American identity when compared with the African American identity among the non-recognized samples (p< .342). Differences did emerge with respect to income, age, and tribal designation. Results indicated that those Black Indians in recognized tribes were significantly more likely to be younger with higher annual incomes than those Black Indians in nonrecognized groups (p < .01). There were no significant differences between the two groups for the variables social support and subjective well-being. Findings imply that “race”, as a social construct, is designed by arbitrary categories that are inconsistent with ethnic heritage or cultural identity development.
Prevalence of Polypharmacy and Drug Interaction Among Hospitalized Patients: Opportunities and Responsabilities in Pharmaceutical Care

Goal: Polypharmacy and drug-related problems (DRPs) have been shown to prevail in hospitalized patients. We evaluated the prevalence of polypharmacy; and investigated relationship between polypharmacy and: symptoms of DRPs, number of drugs and OTC, index of cumulative morbidity, length of exposure to polypharmacy and the number of days of hospital stay among hospitalized patients. Methodology: A study was performed in Pharmacies „Eufarm Edal“ Tuzla from 2010 to 2011. Polypharmacy was defined as using ≥ 3 drugs. The total study sample of 226 examiners were interviewed with special constructed questionnaires about DRPs. Experimental study group consisted of hospital patients with polypharmacy (n=166) and control group hospital patients without polypharmacy (n=60). Mann-Whitney test was used to test for significant self-reported symptom differences between groups and cross sectional subgroups, t- test and χ2- test for age, gender and treatment data in hospital. Results: The prevalence of polypharmacy was 74% among 226 hospitalized patients. The vulnerable age subgroup of hospitalized patients was men and hospitalized patients aged from 46 to 50 years (not geriatric patients). The prevalence of index of cumulative morbidity was 65%. The most common exposures varied by patient age and by hospital type, with various antibiotics, antidepressants, analgesics, sedatives, antihypertensives, flixotide, ranitidine and others. The prevalence of exposure to OTC and self- treatment was 80%. The prevalence of symptoms of drug-related problems were significantly differed among patients of experimental in relationship of control study group patients (P<0.001). Conclusion: In addition to helping to resolve the above mentioned issues, the results from this study could provide baseline information quantifying the problem of drug- related problems among hospitalized patients receiving polypharmacy and contribute to the formulation and implementation of risk management strategies for pharmacists and physicians in primary care health.
Can markers detect contract cheating? Results from a pilot study

Abstract Contract cheating is the purchasing of custom-made university assignments with the intention of submitting them. Websites providing contract cheating services often claim this form of cheating is undetectable, and no published research has examined this claim. This paper documents a pilot study where markers were paid to mark a mixture of real student work and contract cheating assignments, to establish their accuracy at detecting contract cheating. Seven experienced markers individually blind marked the same bundle of 20 second-year psychology assignments, which included 6 that were purchased from contract cheating websites. Sensitivity analyses showed markers detected contract cheating 62% of the time. Specificity analyses showed markers correctly identified real student work 96% of the time. Our results contrast with contract cheating sites’ claims that contract cheating is undetectable. However, they should be taken with caution as they are from one course unit in one discipline.