Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Appendices to : “ Does Competition among Public Schools Benefit Students and Taxpayers ?

Each issue of the American Economic Review includes a paragraph describing the " Policy on Data Availability: " " …to publish papers only if the data used in the analysis are clearly and precisely documented and are readily available to any researcher for purposes of replication. " Despite repeated requests over several years, Hoxby has not provided the data used to generate the results in her published paper (Hoxby, 2000). She has, however, provided a corrected data set (Hoxby, 2004a) to the National Center of Educational Statistics, which will distribute it to researchers with licenses for the confidential version of the National Educational Longitudinal Survey. I refer to these data throughout as the " Hoxby/NCES data. " Hoxby (2004c) notes several differences between the data used in her paper and the corrected Hoxby/NCES data. First, where she originally used MSA codes from the School District Data Book (SDDB) to assign school districts to metropolitan areas, she now uses the Common Core of Data (CCD), with a few manual corrections, for this purpose. Second, " [t]he published version of the paper showed a version of the first stage regression that was outdated. The paper went through multiple revisions and Table 2 evidently was not updated so that it corresponded exactly with Tables 3+. " As I document in the main text, the actual first stage regression is substantially different than that indicated in the published paper. Hoxby constructs her new district-MSA crosswalk from the Common Core of Data agency files, using a field on these files that indicates the MSA in which each district is located. Unfortunately, there are substantial errors in this field. Many of these come from a small number of MSAs whose boundaries have changed over time; the CCD often contains ii obsolete MSA codes for districts in these areas. 1 One example is the " Kansas City, MO-KS MSA, " which was coded 3760 in 1990 but had been divided into separate Missouri (code 3760) and Kansas (code 3755) components in 1983. Even the 1991-92 CCD, the most recent used for Hoxby's crosswalk, reports the obsolete 3755 code for 19 districts. Hoxby corrects six of these in Johnson County, Kansas, but retains the incorrect code for 13 districts in other counties. 2 Another common occurrence is a metropolitan district for which the CCD is simply missing an MSA code. One such district is the Collier County School …
Successful intelligence and giftedness: an empirical study

The aim of our research is to look into the diversity withing gifted and tanlented students. This is important to better undertand their complexity and thus offer a more apropiate educational programs. There are rather few empirical works which attempt to identify high abilities profiles (giftedness and talent) that actually exist beyond the theoretical level. The present work intends to single out the different patterns or profiles resulting from the combination of the successful intelligence abilities (analytical, synthetic and practical), as defined by Stenberg. A total of 431 students from the Region of Murcia participated in this study. These students performed the Aurora Battery tasks (Chart, Grigorenko, & Sternberg, 2008), designed to measure the analytical, practical and creative intelligence. Analytically gifted students (n=27), practically gifted (n=33) and creatively gifted (n= 34) were identifyed, taking as criteria scores equal to or higher than 120 IQ on each intelligence. Different Q-factor analyses were carried out for the three groups of students, in such a way that students were grouped according to their similarities. A total of 10 profiles showing how successful intelligence abilities are combined were obtained, something that has made possible to support the theory put forward by Sternberg (2000): the analytical, practical and creative talent profiles, as well as the resulting combinations, the analytical-practical, analytical-creative, practical-creative profiles, along with the consummate balance talent (high performance in the three types of intelligence).
What Factors are Responsible for Higher Prevalence of HIV Infection among Urban Women than Rural Women in Tanzania?

Background Tanzania is the country hit the hardest by the HIV epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. The present study was carried out to examine the factors of HIV infection among women who lived in an urban area in Tanzania. Methods The Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey (2011–12) data was used. The sample size for urban and rural women who had been tested for HIV and ever had sex was 2227 and 6210 respectively. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. Results The present study found that rural women were significantly less likely to be HIV-infected compared to urban women (OR = 0.612, p<0.00). About 10% urban women were HIV-infected whereas 5.8% women in rural areas were HIV positive. Women who had more than five sex partners were significantly four times more likely to be HIV-infected as compared to women who had one sex partner (OR = 4.49, p<0.00). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that less-educated women, women belonging to poor or poorer quintile, women spending nights outside and women having more than one sex partner were significantly more likely to have HIV infection among urban women as compared to rural women. There is an urgent need for a short and effective program to control the HIV epidemic in urban areas of Tanzania especially for less-educated urban women.
Design of multi-path network topology for contingency cellular network

When stricken by a large-scale disaster, the efficiency of disaster response operation is very critical to lifesaving. However, communication systems, such as cellular networks, usually crashed due to various causes making coordination among disorganized disaster responders extremely difficult. Unfortunately, rapid deployment of many existing emergency communication systems relies on a good transportation system, which is usually not available in a catastrophic natural disaster. We propose a Contingency Cellular Network (CCN) for emergency communication by connecting disconnected base stations together using wireless links to construct a multi-hop contingency cellular network. CCN can support existing mobile phone users with reduced capability. Such a system can support a large number of disaster responders and victims in the early hours of a catastrophic natural disaster, thus save many lives. The paper addresses the multi-path network topology design problem of CCN. In which, selected nodes will have multiple path to reach the core network, and thus, have higher resiliency against link failure. The problem is proven NP Hard. Therefore, we design an efficient heuristic algorithm (LBDK) to solve the problem when it is needed in urgent. Finally, we evaluated the proposed algorithms by simulation. A significant improvement in resiliency by using multi-path topology is reached.
Principal change leadership competencies and teacher attitudes toward change: the mediating effects of teacher change beliefs

Abstract This study investigates the relationship between Principal Change Leadership Competencies, Teacher Change Beliefs and Teacher Attitudes toward Change. A total of 936 teachers from 47 High Performing Secondary Schools in Malaysia completed the survey. Structural equation modelling was applied to test the models. Firstly, the results showed that Principal Change Leadership Competencies was significantly related to Teacher Change Beliefs and implied that if school principals equipped themselves with sufficient Principal Change Leadership Competencies, Teacher Change Beliefs can certainly be enhanced. Secondly, Teacher Change Beliefs was significantly related to Teacher Attitudes toward Change whereby the stronger the Teacher Change Beliefs, the greater the enhancement of Teacher Attitudes toward Change. Thirdly, Teacher Change Beliefs was indeed a total mediator in the relationship of Principal Change Leadership Competencies and Teacher Attitudes toward Change. Put simply, via Teacher Change Beliefs, the impact of Principal Change Leadership Competencies on Teacher Attitudes toward Change was relatively strong as Teacher Change Beliefs greatly facilitated the influence of Principal Change Leadership Competencies on Teacher Attitudes toward Change. Thus, in-depth enhancing Teacher Change Beliefs is one of the effective ways to increase the likelihood of teachers to embrace change. Fourthly, Principal Change Leadership Competencies was more influential than teachers’ self-influence in enhancing Teacher Attitudes toward Change. Therefore, concerted effort must be given to prioritize the continuous development of principal change leadership in effective change management. The study encourages a fresh look at change leadership development and ultimately alters the traditional approach of school principals in managing change.
THE EVOLUTION OF FUNGI

Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants. The evolutionary origin of fungi is important in determining the phylogenetic relationships between fungi, animals, and plants, and in questioning a previous view of the origin of life, which stated that photosynthetic organisms were the first to evolve since they were utilized by heterotrophs as a food source. The key evidence in support of a fungi-animalia clade includes analysis of protein sequences biosynthetic pathways, cytochrome systems, mitochondrial genetic material, biochemical and structural cellular features, glycoproteins, mode of nutrition, and storage of nutritive materials. The hypothesis that fungi evolved from algae, the ancestor of photosynthetic plants is not well supported, The hypothesis that fungi evolved independently of both plants and animals is also not supported.
Evidence of the Internalization of Animal Caliciviruses via the Roots of Growing Strawberry Plants and Dissemination to the Fruit

ABSTRACT Human norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of foodborne disease in the United States, and epidemiological studies have shown that fresh produce is one of the major vehicles for the transmission of human NoV. However, the mechanisms of norovirus contamination and persistence in fresh produce are poorly understood. The objective of this study is to determine whether human NoV surrogates, murine norovirus (MNV-1) and Tulane virus (TV), can attach and become internalized and disseminated in strawberries grown in soil. The soil of growing strawberry plants was inoculated with MNV-1 and TV at a level of 108 PFU/plant. Leaves and berries were harvested over a 14-day period, and the viral titer was determined by plaque assay. Over the course of the study, 31.6% of the strawberries contained internalized MNV-1, with an average titer of 0.81 ± 0.33 log10 PFU/g. In comparison, 37.5% of strawberries were positive for infectious TV, with an average titer of 1.83 ± 0.22 log10 PFU/g. A higher percentage (78.7%) of strawberries were positive for TV RNA, with an average titer of 3.15 ± 0.51 log10 RNA copies/g as determined by real-time reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). In contrast, no or little virus internalization and dissemination were detected when TV was inoculated into bell peppers grown in soil. Collectively, these data demonstrate (i) virally contaminated soils can lead to the internalization of virus via plant roots and subsequent dissemination to the leaf and fruit portions of growing strawberry plants and (ii) the magnitude of internalization is dependent on the type of virus and plant.
A Nature Language: An Agenda to Catalog, Save, and Recover Patterns of Human–Nature Interaction

Abstract We as a species are losing rich and diverse forms of interaction with nature: the awe, for example, of encountering an animal in the wild or a slug underfoot, of sleeping under the night sky, or of even seeing the night sky in our urban settings. The loss is happening quickly (in terms of decades) and potentially impoverishing us as a species, physically and psychologically. Toward addressing this problem, we propose a new research agenda that is focused on generating what we are calling a Nature Language—a way of speaking about patterns of interactions between humans and nature and their wide range of instantiations, and the meaningful, deep, and often joyful feelings that they engender. Many of these patterns presumably emerged during the course of our evolutionary history. In this article, we share some of our initial thinking about a nature language so as to initiate dialog with the ecopsychology community. If a nature language project proves successful, it will allow people to speak more rea.
“I am resting but rest less well with you.” The moderating effect of anxious attachment style on alpha power during EEG resting state in a social context

We took EEG recordings to measure task-free resting-state cortical brain activity in 35 participants under two conditions, alone (A) or together (T). We also investigated whether psychological attachment styles shape human cortical activity differently in these two settings. The results indicate that social context matters and that participants' cortical activity is moderated by the anxious, but not avoidant attachment style. We found enhanced alpha, beta and theta band activity in the T rather than the A resting-state condition, which was more pronounced in posterior brain regions. We further found a positive correlation between anxious attachment style and enhanced alpha power in the T vs. A condition over frontal and parietal scalp regions. There was no significant correlation between the absolute powers registered in the other two frequency bands and the participants' anxious attachment style.
Executive Dysfunction in Autism and Asperger's Disorder: A Meta-analytic Review of Cognitive Planning

appeared promising, the entire article was then reviewed to verify whether it contained the necessary information for coding. Inclusion/exclusion criteria. To be included in the meta-analytic review, studies must have met the following inclusion criteria: (1) dissertation theses and studies published in refereed journals between 1985 and August 2011 were included in the review (the cutoff of 1985 was chosen, as the first empirical investigation of executive 56 functioning in autism was published in 1985 (i.e., Rumsey, 1985); (2) included a sample of study participants diagnosed with autism and/or Asperger’s disorder without comorbid diagnoses; (3) study sample diagnosed according to either DSM or ICD criteria; (4) included a comparison/control group; (5) the comparison group was matched to the ASD group by either mental age or intelligence quotient; (6) study sample included only children aged 18 years or younger; (7) use of one or more measures that explicitly assesses planning as an executive function; (8) included statistical information required to conduct the meta-analysis (e.g., means, standard deviations, sample size, etc.); and (9) be in English. Unpublished studies and studies of adults were not included. After completing the literature search and reviewing each available study for inclusion criteria, 33 studies were identified to be included in the present study.
Trustworthiness of Peers in P2P Overlay Networks

In peer-to-peer (P2P) overlay networks, a group of multiple peers have to cooperate with each other. P2P systems are in nature scalable distributed systems, where there is no centralized coordinator. It is difficult for each peer to communicate with every other peer. An acquaintance peer of a peer is another peer with which the peer can directly communicate. Each peer has to obtain access and location information on resources through communicating with acquaintances. It is critical to discuss how each peer can trust an acquaintance since acquaintances may have obsolete information. There are subjective (direct) and objective (indirect) types of trustworthiness of a peer on an acquaintance. A peer obtains the subjective trustworthiness on an acquaintance through directly communicating with the acquaintance. Here, the more number of satisfiable replies a source peer receives from a acquaintance, the larger subjective trustworthiness on the acquaintance the source peer has. On the other hand, a peer obtains the objective trustworthiness on a target acquaintance through collecting subjective trustworthiness on the target acquaintance from other peers. Here, the subjective and objective types of trustworthiness on an acquaintance might be different. That is, other peers have different trustworthiness opinions on the target acquaintance. A peer decides on which type of trustworthiness to be taken based on the confidence. The confidence of a peer shows how much the peer is confident of its own trustworthiness opinion, i.e. subjective trustworthiness on the acquaintance. If a peer is confident of the trustworthiness opinion, i.e. the confidence is larger, the peer takes the subjective trustworthiness on the target acquaintance. Otherwise, the peer takes the objective trustworthiness.
CHALLENGES OF TEACHING ONLINE IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT: PERCEPTIONS, ATTITUDES AND STRATEGIES OF E-TUTORS

This study is investigating the role of the online tutor in a multicultural environment. The result is a grounded theory which aims to increase the quality of online tutoring at University. By using the open qualitative approach of the Grounded Theory (GT) methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1994) within a field where little previous research has been undertaken the study sought to sample a wide range of experiences and views. Microscopic analysis centred on semi-structured interviews with both students and tutors of an online Masters programme at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), interviews with e-learning experts from LJMU and other institutions and a focus-group with staff involved in e-learning projects at LJMU. Throughout theoretical sampling, the method of constant comparison and a circular research process, approximately 400 codes and categories were created which formed the basis for the emergent grounded theory. Within GT the process of data collection and analyses are closely connected which each other (Strauss & Corbin, 1998); analysis of initially collected data got constantly compared with following findings on different levels of abstraction until an explanation of the investigated phenomena emerged. Findings provide insights into perception and explanations of the situation of instructors at University who have to teach in a pure online environment. A theory emerged which details basically 1 central category: quality online teaching in a multicultural environment, 5 categorical aspects: awareness, workload, conditions, experiences, and perceptions as well as well as 4 subcategorical aspects: Institution, subject, stakeholders, and course design. Those categories and their relations to each other outline concepts which may help to better understand the situations of online tutors at University. As an additional outcome of the analysis a set of codes and categories have been created which may help to better manage and support effective online tutoring in an international environment at University by providing tasks, challenges and suggestions for improvement. In addition barriers have been uncovered which may hinder online tutors to realise identified suggestions for improvement. Based on these findings, a guideline for online tutors who have to teach in an international environment has been developed. Research results offer moreover a profound basis for ongoing discussion and issues worth pursuing in the future by providing guides to action.
The proper motion and changing jet morphology of Cygnus X-3

We present analysis of 25 years' worth of archival VLA, VLBA and EVN observations of the X-ray binary Cygnus X-3. From this, we deduce the source proper motion, allowing us to predict the location of the central binary system at any given time. However, the line of sight is too scatter-broadened for us to measure a parallactic distance to the source. The measured proper motion allows us to constrain the three-dimensional space velocity of the system, implying a minimum peculiar velocity of 9 km/s. Reinterpreting VLBI images from the literature using accurate core positions shows the jet orientation to vary with time, implying that the jets are oriented close to the line of sight and are likely to be precessing.
Human Resources Management, Citizenship Behavior, and Turnover Intention in the Portuguese Public Administration

ABSTRACT Framed by a social exchange perspective, this study address the issue of whether positive employees’ perceptions about human resource management practices influence positive attitudes and behaviour. We hypothesize that human resource management practices (HRMP) have a significant negative effect on intention to voluntary leave the organization and a positive effect on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), and that OCB could mediate the relationship between HRMP and turnover intention. A sample of 165 employees from the Portuguese public administration participated in the study. Data was analysed through descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and hypotheses were tested using single and multiple linear regressions. Results indicate that HRMP is positively associated with OCB, but only internal communication practice is highly valued by Portuguese public employees and successfully predicts OCB. HRMP also show a positive association with turnover intention but only celebration and recognition practices are predictors of turnover intention. Contrary to our hypothesis OCB did not acted as mediator between HRMP and turnover intention. Some suggestions on managerial human resource practices were proposed as well as some main questions raised in the Portuguese public administration context.
Dimethylfumarate inhibits CXCL10 via haem oxygenase-1 in airway smooth muscle

CXCL10 stimulates mast cell infiltration into airway smooth muscle bundles and, thus, activate cytokine secretion and airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) proliferation. Dimethylfumarate (DMF) reduces cytokine secretion by lymphocytes and ASMC proliferation through haem oxygenase (HO)-1. Therefore, we investigated the potency of DMF to inhibit tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-&agr;- and interferon (IFN)-&ggr;-induced CXCL10 secretion by human ASMCs. Human primary ASMCs were pre-incubated with DMF and/or fluticasone and/or glutathione ethylester before cells were stimulated with IFN-&ggr; and/or TNF-&agr;. DMF inhibited CXCL10 secretion and increased HO-1 levels, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibition reduced DMF-dependent HO-1 expression. The DMF effect on CXCL10 secretion was abrogated by pre-treatment with HO-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA). Glutathione supplementation reversed all DMF effects on CXCL10 secretion and p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Importantly, combining DMF with fluticasone further reduced CXCL10 secretion. In addition, DMF inhibited IFN-&ggr;-induced CXCL10 secretion. This effect was compensated by glutathione supplementation or by pre-treatment with HO-1 siRNA. In addition, DMF reduced TNF-&agr;-induced granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) secretion but had no effect on INF-&ggr;-induced G-CSF secretion. In human primary ASMCs, DMF inhibits CXCL10 secretion by reducing the cellular glutathione level and by activation of p38 MAPK and HO-1. Therefore, DMF may reduce airway inflammation in asthma by a glucocorticoid-independent pathway.