Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Teachers’ perceptions on the effectiveness of the Oxford Online Placement Test at King Abdulaziz University

English language placements tests are an essential component of preparatory year programmes (PYPs) as they serve to place students in an English course adequate to their level of proficiency. The aim of the study is to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), as seen by teachers in the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The investigation explores teachers’ views on the OOPT, on the ELI modules and on factors affecting students’ test performance. It is framed by Messick’s (1989) unified view of validity, which informed both the data analysis and the interpretation of the findings. The study comprised three data collection stages: Stage 1: face-to face interviews, Stage 2: the questionnaire and Stage 3: telephone interviews. The majority of the questionnaire and interview respondents were unfamiliar with the OOPT, however, those who were familiar with the test, agreed that it was an effective tool and generally placed students in the correct level. However, some teachers felt that the content of the OOPT was not relevant to Saudi students. Educational background, computer literacy and socio-economic status emerged as factors influencing achievement in the OOPT and ELI modules, according to teachers. Teachers also agreed that students specialising in the Sciences generally performed better compared to those specialising in the Arts. With regards to the ELI modules, the majority of teachers felt that the courses were too short and that students who were placed in higher levels because of their OOPT scores were generally more proficient than those who had progressed through the ELI modules. Implications for theory and practice are drawn from the findings as well as recommendations for the ELI and for future research.
It's not all in your car: functional and structural correlates of exceptional driving skills in professional racers

Driving is a complex behavior that requires the integration of multiple cognitive functions. While many studies have investigated brain activity related to driving simulation under distinct conditions, little is known about the brain morphological and functional architecture in professional competitive driving, which requires exceptional motor and navigational skills. Here, 11 professional racing-car drivers and 11 “naïve” volunteers underwent both structural and functional brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Subjects were presented with short movies depicting a Formula One car racing in four different official circuits. Brain activity was assessed in terms of regional response, using an Inter-Subject Correlation (ISC) approach, and regional interactions by mean of functional connectivity. In addition, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to identify specific structural differences between the two groups and potential interactions with functional differences detected by the ISC analysis. Relative to non-experienced drivers, professional drivers showed a more consistent recruitment of motor control and spatial navigation devoted areas, including premotor/motor cortex, striatum, anterior, and posterior cingulate cortex and retrosplenial cortex, precuneus, middle temporal cortex, and parahippocampus. Moreover, some of these brain regions, including the retrosplenial cortex, also had an increased gray matter density in professional car drivers. Furthermore, the retrosplenial cortex, which has been previously associated with the storage of observer-independent spatial maps, revealed a specific correlation with the individual driver's success in official competitions. These findings indicate that the brain functional and structural organization in highly trained racing-car drivers differs from that of subjects with an ordinary driving experience, suggesting that specific anatomo-functional changes may subtend the attainment of exceptional driving performance.
Cooperative spectrum management in cognitive Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

In recent years, Cognitive Radio (CR) technology has received significant attention from the research community as it enables on-demand spectrum utilization, based on the requests of the end-users. An interesting application area of CR technology is Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). In such networks, several innovative services and applications based on inter-vehicular communication have strict requirements in terms of bandwidth and delay, which might not be guaranteed by a fixed spectrum allocation paradigm. In this paper, we propose two key contributions pertaining to CR-VANETs: (i) an experimental study of the spectrum availability and sensing accuracy in a moving vehicle and (ii) a collaborative spectrum management framework (called Cog-V2V), which allows the vehicles to share spectrum information, and to detect spectrum opportunities in the licensed band. As part of this framework, we design a collaborative sensing and decision algorithm, enabling the vehicles to share spectrum information and to know in advance the spectrum availability at future locations along their motion paths. The simulation results, produced through a novel integrated simulation platform for CR networks, reveal significant improvements of Cog-V2V in sensing accuracy and pair-wise communication performance compared to classical fixed spectrum approaches.
Azithromycin and Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Salmonella Bloodstream Infections in Cambodian Adults

Background Salmonella enterica is a frequent cause of bloodstream infection (BSI) in Asia but few data are available from Cambodia. We describe Salmonella BSI isolates recovered from patients presenting at Sihanouk Hospital Centre of Hope, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (July 2007–December 2010). Methodology Blood was cultured as part of a microbiological prospective surveillance study. Identification of Salmonella isolates was performed by conventional methods and serotyping. Antibiotic susceptibilities were assessed using disk diffusion, MicroScan and E-test macromethod. Clonal relationships were assessed by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis; PCR and sequencing for detection of mutations in Gyrase and Topoisomerase IV and presence of qnr genes. Principal Findings Seventy-two Salmonella isolates grew from 58 patients (mean age 34.2 years, range 8–71). Twenty isolates were identified as Salmonella Typhi, 2 as Salmonella Paratyphi A, 37 as Salmonella Choleraesuis and 13 as other non-typhoid Salmonella spp. Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was present in 21 of 24 (87.5%) patients with S. Choleraesuis BSI. Five patients (8.7%) had at least one recurrent infection, all with S. Choleraesuis; five patients died. Overall, multi drug resistance (i.e., co-resistance to ampicillin, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim and chloramphenicol) was high (42/59 isolates, 71.2%). S. Typhi displayed high rates of decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility (18/20 isolates, 90.0%), while azithromycin resistance was very common in S. Choleraesuis (17/24 isolates, 70.8%). Two S. Choleraesuis isolates were extended spectrum beta-lactamase producer. Conclusions and Significance Resistance rates in Salmonella spp. in Cambodia are alarming, in particular for azithromycin and ciprofloxacin. This warrants nationwide surveillance and revision of treatment guidelines.
Biogeographic patterns in the cartilaginous fauna (Pisces: Elasmobranchii and Holocephali) in the southeast Pacific Ocean

The abundance and species richness of the cartilaginous fish community of the continental shelf and slope off central Chile is described, based on fishery-independent trawl tows made in 2006 and 2007. A total of 194,705 specimens comprising 20 species (9 sharks, 10 skates, 1 chimaera) were caught at depths of 100–500 m along a 1,000 km transect between 29.5°S and 39°S. Sample site locations were grouped to represent eight geographical zones within this latitudinal range. Species richness fluctuated from 1 to 6 species per zone. There was no significant latitudinal trend for sharks, but skates showed an increased species richness with latitude. Standardised catch per unit effort (CPUE) increased with increasing depth for sharks, but not for skates, but the observed trend for increasing CPUE with latitude was not significant for either sharks or skates. A change in community composition occurred along the depth gradient with the skates, Psammobatis rudis, Zearaja chilensis and Dipturus trachyderma dominating communities between 100 and 300 m, but small-sized, deep-water dogfishes, such as Centroscyllium spp. dominated the catch between 300 and 500 m. Cluster and ordination analysis identified one widespread assemblage, grouping 58% of sites, and three shallow-water assemblages. Assemblages with low diversity (coldspots) coincided with highly productive fishing grounds for demersal crustaceans and bony fishes. The community distribution suggested that the differences between assemblages may be due to compensatory changes in mesopredator species abundance, as a consequence of continuous and unselective species removal. Distribution patterns and the quantitative assessment of sharks, skates and chimaeras presented here complement extant biogeographic knowledge and further the understanding of deep-water ecosystem dynamics in relation to fishing activity in the south-east Pacific Ocean.
The Blazar Main Sequence

We propose a sequence (the blazar main sequence: BMS) that links the two main components of the blazar class, namely, flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and BL Lac objects, and yields all their distinctive features in a correlated way. In this view, both types of sources are centered on a supermassive Kerr hole close to maximal spin and observed pole-on. However, the FSRQs are energized by accretion at rates ~ 1-10, and are dominated by disk components (thermal and electrodynamic jetlike components) that provide outputs in excess of L ~ 1046 ergs s-1. On the other hand, accretion levels ≪ 1 are enough to energize BL Lac objects; here the radiation is highly nonthermal, and the power is partly provided by the rotational energy of the central Kerr hole, with the latter and the disk together sustaining a typical L ~ 1044 ergs s-1 for several gigayears. If so, we expect the BL Lac objects to show quite different evolutionary signatures from the FSRQs, and in particular, number counts close to the Euclidean shape, or flatter if the sources make a transition to a BL Lac from an FSRQ mode. In addition, for lower along the BMS, we expect the large-scale electric fields to be less screened out and to accelerate fewer particles to higher energies radiating at higher frequencies; so in moving from FSRQs to BL Lac objects, these nonthermal radiations will peak at frequencies inversely correlated with the disk output. For the BL Lac objects, such a dependence implies increased scatter when one tries a correlation with the total output. At its endpoint, the BMS suggests widespread objects that are radiatively silent but still efficient in accelerating cosmic rays to ultrahigh energies.
Cytochrome-b haplotypes suggest an undescribed Peromyscus species from the Yukon

Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845) and Peromyscus keeni Merriam, 1897 are two species of deer mouse currently recognized in the Yukon. Phylogenetic analyses (Kimura two-parameter and maximum parsimony) of cytochrome-b sequences (560 base pairs) from deer mouse specimens (n = 4) collected near Haines Junction, Yukon, re- sulted in a monophyletic clade genetically distant from the two currently recognized species. We suggest that the Haines Junction specimens may represent a previously undescribed peromyscine species. Peromyscus arcticus is an available name. Resume´ : Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845) et Peromyscus keeni Merriam, 1897 sont deux especes de souris a` pattes blanches actuellement reconnues au Yukon. Des analyses phylogenetiques (distance a deux parametres de Kimura et parcimonie maximale) des sequences du cytochrome-b de specimens (n = 4) de souris a pattes blanches recoltes presd e Haines Junction, Yukon, on revelel'existence d'un clade monophyletique a distance genetique egale des deux especes ac- tuellement reconnues. Nous croyons que les specimens de Haines Junction representent peut-etre une espece encore inedite de peromyscines. Peromyscus arcticus est un nom disponsible pour cett espece. (Traduit par la Redaction)
A Novel Key Management Scheme Supporting Network Dynamic Update in Wireless Sensor Network

With the development of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology, it has been adopted in a wide variety of applications such as the health care system and so on. Yet, there are still some problems need to be addressed, one of which is the security issue. A lot of schemes from different points of view were proposed to ensure the security in WSNs, however, most of them are proposed for static networks while it is less to consider the situation for the security of the dynamic topology update. Our paper is a novel key management scheme for the dynamic WSNs. The security authentication and random key distribution were initialized in the network deployment phase. During the network stable phase, in order to ensure the real-time update security for the network topology, our scheme proposed a dynamic updated key based on the AVL tree. Simulation result shows that this program can ensure the WSN’s dynamic security as well as achieve the energy efficiency goal.
Job search methods in times of crisis: native and immigrant strategies in Spain

This paper uses Spanish Labor Force Survey data for the period 2005 to 2010 to examine the use of job search methods and the intensity of the job search strategies of unemployed natives and immigrants. We focus on the determinants of the job search methods and search effort. Additionally, we examine the impact of the methods selected and of the search intensity on the job-finding probabilities of native and immigrant groups in a period that covers the transition from economic growth to crisis. Our findings suggest that, irrespective of the job search methods adopted, the probability of employment is higher among immigrants than it is among natives. However, this gap is closed following the onset of the current crisis in 2008. We find that most job search methods have a positive impact on the probability of finding a job, with the exception of registration at a public employment office. Search effort (measured as the number of methods adopted) seems to matter in finding work.
Amygdala Response to Emotional Stimuli without Awareness: Facts and Interpretations

Over the past two decades, evidence has accumulated that the human amygdala exerts some of its functions also when the observer is not aware of the content, or even presence, of the triggering emotional stimulus. Nevertheless, there is as of yet no consensus on the limits and conditions that affect the extent of amygdala’s response without focused attention or awareness. Here we review past and recent studies on this subject, examining neuroimaging literature on healthy participants as well as brain-damaged patients, and we comment on their strengths and limits. We propose a theoretical distinction between processes involved in attentional unawareness, wherein the stimulus is potentially accessible to enter visual awareness but fails to do so because attention is diverted, and in sensory unawareness, wherein the stimulus fails to enter awareness because its normal processing in the visual cortex is suppressed. We argue this distinction, along with data sampling amygdala responses with high temporal resolution, helps to appreciate the multiplicity of functional and anatomical mechanisms centered on the amygdala and supporting its role in non-conscious emotion processing. Separate, but interacting, networks relay visual information to the amygdala exploiting different computational properties of subcortical and cortical routes, thereby supporting amygdala functions at different stages of emotion processing. This view reconciles some apparent contradictions in the literature, as well as seemingly contrasting proposals, such as the dual stage and the dual route model. We conclude that evidence in favor of the amygdala response without awareness is solid, albeit this response originates from different functional mechanisms and is driven by more complex neural networks than commonly assumed. Acknowledging the complexity of such mechanisms can foster new insights on the varieties of amygdala functions without awareness and their impact on human behavior.
The economic effects of Facebook

Social media permeates many aspects of our lives, including how we connect with others, where we get our news and how we spend our time. Yet, we know little about the economic effects for users. In 2017, we ran a large field experiment with over 1765 individuals to document the value of Facebook to users and its causal effect on news, well-being and daily activities. Participants reveal how much they value one week of Facebook usage and are then randomly assigned to a validated Facebook restriction or normal use. One week of Facebook is worth $67. Those who are off Facebook for one week reduce news consumption, are less likely to recognize politically-skewed news stories, report being less depressed and engage in healthier activities. These results are strongest for men. Our results further suggest that, after the restriction, Facebook’s value increases, consistent with information loss or that using Facebook may be addictive.
Labor market policies in an equilibrium matching model with heterogeneous agents and on-the-job search

This dissertation quantitatively evaluates selected labor market policies in a search-matching model with skill heterogeneity where high-skilled workers can take temporary jobs with skill requirements below their skill levels. The joint posterior distribution of structural parameters of the theoretical model is obtained conditional on the data on labor markets histories of the NLSY79 respondents. The information on AFQT scores of individuals and the skill requirements of occupations is utilized to identify the skill levels of workers and complexity levels of jobs in the job-worker matches realized in the data. The model and the data are used to simulate the posterior distributions of impacts of labor market policies on the endogenous variables of interest to a policy-maker, including unemployment rates, durations and wages of lowand high-skilled workers. In particular, the effects of the following policies are analyzed: increase in proportion of high-skilled workers, subsidies for employing or hiring highand low-skilled workers and increase in unemployment income. Abstract Approved: Thesis SupervisorApproved: Thesis Supervisor Title and Department
Optimal control model for reproducing human rising movements from chair and its effectiveness verification

We have formulated an optimal control model that reproduces human rising movements from a chair. The model switches its dynamics at the time (switching time) when its body moves away from the chair, and optimizes its criterion function composed of three kinds of energy costs, a center-of-gravity cost, and an input cost. We clarify its fundamental performance in rising from a chair and discuss factors indispensable for reproducing the same rising movements from a chair as humans. Consequently, the following results were obtained: (1) experimentally measured rising movements from the chair were successfully reproduced by appropriately adjusting the switching time and the weight for the input cost; (2) there existed the optimum input weight value with respect to each switching time. These results suggest that the proposed model is effective as a model of the human rising mechanism from a chair and that the switching time and input weight can be factors involved strongly in human rising movements from a chair.
Dephosphorylation and mitochondrial translocation of cofilin sensitizes human leukemia cells to cerulenin-induced apoptosis via the ROCK1/Akt/JNK signaling pathway

In this study, we determined that cerulenin, a natural product inhibitor of fatty acid synthase, induces mitochondrial injury and apoptosis in human leukemia cells through the mitochondrial translocation of cofilin. Only dephosphorylated cofilin could translocate to mitochondria during cerulenin-induced apoptosis. Disruption of the ROCK1/Akt/JNK signaling pathway plays a critical role in the cerulenin-mediated dephosphorylation and mitochondrial translocation of cofilin and apoptosis. In vivo studies demonstrated that cerulenin-mediated inhibition of tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model of leukemia was associated with mitochondrial translocation of cofilin and apoptosis. These data are consistent with a hierarchical model in which induction of apoptosis by cerulenin primarily results from activation of ROCK1, inactivation of Akt, and activation of JNK. This leads to the dephosphorylation and mitochondrial translocation of cofilin and culminates with cytochrome c release, caspase activation, and apoptosis. Our study has revealed a novel role of cofilin in the regulation of mitochondrial injury and apoptosis and suggests that cerulenin is a potential drug for the treatment of leukemia.
OF RELATED LITERATURE ON LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND THEIR

This study attempts to identify factors that determine farmers’ decision to use certain land management practices aimed at achieving sustainable development – terracing and manure application in Tole District of Oromia National Regional State in Ethiopia. Primary data for the study were collected through household questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions, key informants interviews and personal observations while secondary data were collected from relevant local authority reports and records. The findings of the research showed that the district is experiencing increasing land degradation. Gullies and rills are common features rendering some areas out of use. Binary regression model results reveal that educational status of farmers and their access to extension services have significant positive impact on farmers’ use of both terracing and manure. Age of farmers and livestock holding have significant positive influence on manure application, but not on terracing. Access to credit also has significant negative influence on terracing. Other remaining factors such as farmers’ perception on land degradation on their own farmland, farm size and number of economically active household members are found not to have significant influence on both terracing and manure application. The study concludes that in making interventions in land management, there should be active participation of local stakeholders, primarily the farmers. This helps to integrate indigenous land management practices and the new techniques and enhance easy adoption and sustainable use of effective introduced practices.