Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Use of Technology in Early Childhood Classrooms: An Investigation of Teachers’ Attitudes

Exploring early childhood teachers’ attitudes towards technology use is critical to define the characteristics of their teaching practices. Negative attitudes may hinder their use, while positive attitudes increase the effectiveness of their use of technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate early childhood teachers’ attitudes related to technology use in Turkey. This study employed a survey research design where the aim was to reach a large group of participants to examine early teachers’ attitudes toward using technology in teaching young children. The participants were 217 early childhood teachers working in public schools in a southeastern city. They were given a questionnaire containing items exploring their attitudes related to technology use in early childhood education. Factor and frequency analyses and other descriptive statistics techniques were utilized to analyze the data. Findings indicated that the participants in general hold positive attitudes toward using technology in teaching young children.
A microscopic and macroscopic study of aging collagen on its molecular structure, mechanical properties, and cellular response

During aging, collagen structure changes, detrimentally affecting tissues' biophysical and biomechanical properties due to an accumulation of advanced glycation end‐products (AGEs). In this investigation, we conducted a parallel study of microscopic and macroscopic properties of differentaged collagens from newborn to 2‐yr‐old rats, to examine the effect of aging on fibrillogenesis, mechanical and contractile properties of reconstituted hydrogels from these collagens seeded with or without fibroblasts. In addition to fibrillogenesis of collagen under the conventional conditions, some fibrillogenesis was conducted alongside a 12‐T magnetic field, and gelation rate and AGE content were measured. A nondestructive indentation technique and optical coherence tomography were used to determine the elastic modulus and dimensional changes, respectively. It was revealed that in comparison to younger specimens, older collagens exhibited higher viscosity, faster gelation rates, and a higher AGE‐specific fluorescence. Exceptionally, only young collagens formed highly aligned fibrils under magnetic fields. The youngest collagen demonstrated a higher elastic modulus and contraction in comparison to the older collagen. We conclude that aging changes collagen monomer structure, which considerably affects the fibrillogenesis process, the architecture of the resulting collagen fibers and the global network, and the macroscopic properties of the formed constructs. —Wilson, S. L. , Guilbert, M. , Sulé‐Suso, J., Torbet, J., Jeannesson, P., Sockalingum, G. D. , Yang, Y. A microscopic and macroscopic study of aging collagen on its molecular structure, mechanical properties, and cellular response. FASEB J. 28, 14–25 (2014). www.fasebj. org
Improving learning of computational thinking using computational creativity exercises in a college CSI computer science course for engineers

Promoting computational thinking is a priority in CS education and other STEM and non-STEM disciplines. Our innovative, NSF-funded IC2Think project blends computational and creative thinking. In Spring 2013, we deployed Computational Creativity Exercises (CCE) designed to engage creative competencies (Surrounding, Capturing, Challenging and Broadening) in an introductory CSI course for engineering students. We compared this CCE implementation semester (80 students, 95% completing 3 or 4 CCEs) to the Fall 2013 semester of the same course (55 students) without CCEs. CCE implementation students had significantly higher scores on a CS concepts and skills knowledge test (F(1, 132) = 7.72, p <; 01, partial Eta2 = . 055; M=7.47 to M=6.13; 13 items) and significantly higher self-efficacy for applying CS knowledge in their field (F(1, 153) = 12.22, p <; . 01, partial Eta2 = . 074; M=70.64 to M=61.47; 100-point scale). CCE implementation students had significantly higher study time (t(1, 136) = 2.08, p = . 04; M=3.88 to M=3.29; 7-point scale) and significantly lower lack of regulation, which measures difficulties with studying (t(1, 136) = 2.82, p = . 006; M=2.80 to M=3.21; 5-point scale). The addition of computational creativity exercises to CS courses may improve computational thinking and learning of CS knowledge and skills.
Predictors of Korean Elderly People's Self-rated Health Status and Moderating Effects of Socio-Economic Position

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore how health and health behavior factors moderate the relation between socio-economic position(SEP) and Korean elderly people’s self-rated health status. The data sources are from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging(2008). The analysis sample consists of 4,040 cases. Analysis of the results shows that health characteristics such as ADL, MMSE, geriatric depression, and pain are significant predictors of self-rated health status. In addition, exercise and drinking alcohol also prove to be factors influencing self-rated health status. Health factor such as MMSE and health behavior factors such as drinking alcohol served as moderators of the influences of SEP on one’s self-rated health status. For example, higher MMSE provides a slight increase to the positive relationship between SEP and self-rated health status. In addition, those who responded yes to drinking alcohol, compared to those who responded no, provides an increase to the positive relationship between SEP and one’s self-rated health status. Key words: socio-economic position(SEP), self-rated health status, moderating effects
Co-Ethnic Network, Social Class, and Heritage Language Maintenance Among Chinese Immigrant Families

This ethnographic study investigated heritage language maintenance among two distinct groups of Chinese immigrant families (Mandarin and Fujianese) from the social network perspective. The results indicated that a co-ethnic network could be a double-edged sword, which works differently on children from different social classes. While the Mandarin children benefited from a strong co-ethnic network in resisting pressures for language assimilation, the Fujianese children shifted to English collectively as a way to survive in the U.S. society.
Organisms Composing an Experimental Coral Reef Community from Mo'orea, French Polynesia, Exhibit Taxon-Specific Net Production: Net Calcification Ratios

Current research on coral reefs seeks to link the responses to anthropogenic stressors (such as global warming and ocean acidification [OA]) among differing functional levels of biological organization. While experimental studies have identified ex situ taxon-specific responses to OA and global warming, isolating and connecting these effects in situ at the community-level has proved difficult. The difficulties arise from the large number of naturally varying parameters affecting corals reefs, such as light intensity and seawater residence time that affect net community production and calcification. To control variation in seawater residence time and allow light intensity to vary naturally, experimental outer reef (17-m depth) benthic communities composed of calcified algae, corals, and reef pavement were constructed in large outdoor flumes in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Net community production (P), net community calcification (G), the ratio of P/G (P/Gratio), and slope of P regressed on G (P/Gslope) were calculated for the communities, and concurrently for the constituent members under the same temperature, light, and flow conditions. P and G, for both the communities and constituent members, were correlated positively with light intensity, whereas P/Gratio and P/Gslope were unaffected by light intensity. P/Gratios and P/Gslopes exhibited values that were specific to each community member. These results suggest that the P/Gratio and P/Gslope may be unaffected by natural variability in light intensity and could serve as useful metrics to relate responses at the taxon and community level, which is an important step in assessing the effects of environmental changes on coral reefs.
Criminal Justice Education, Employment Destinations, and Graduate Satisfaction

Abstract The article addresses the lack of sound empirical research both overseas and especially in Australia on the outcomes of criminal justice education. The very limited research on graduate outcomes is potentially problematic at a time when governments are increasingly calling for program accountability and evaluation in higher education. The article reports on an empirical study of one criminology/criminal justice program that investigated the employment destinations of graduates. Principal components analysis and regression analyses were used to explore graduate satisfaction with their degree. There was evidence that educational outcomes were important considerations when alumni evaluated their degree. However, findings indicated that satisfaction varied considerably between occupational groups and was influenced by employment experiences and perceived ‘success’ in the workforce. The article addresses various themes emerging from the findings and identifies the need for further research across other programs on the outcomes of criminal justice education and graduate destinations.
AMYLOIDOSIS IN MALAYSIAN ABORIGINES (ORANG ASLI)

&NA; Material from 334 consecutive autopsies on Orang Asli subjects performed in the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur between May 1967 and June 1978 was examined for amyloidosis. Nine positive cases were found, all in patients above 40 years of age, giving an age‐corrected incidence of about 9%. In 6 cases, amyloidosis was probably secondary to tuberculosis. The remaining 3 cases exhibited a pericollagenous distribution characteristic of primary amyloidosis. Involvement of the heart and lungs was prominent. However, there were considerable similarities in the distribution and staining properties of the amyloid in the 2 groups. Though both the heart and kidney were frequently affected, the kidney was the most common organ to give rise to clinical symptoms. Infection probably plays a major contributory role in amyloidosis in the Orang Asli.
Effect of renal function on whole blood and fibrin clot formation in atrial fibrillation patients on warfarin

Abstract Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) brings a risk of thrombosis, requiring oral coagulation, and is associated with renal impairment. The two processes may be linked, as altered fibrin clot structure is present in end-stage renal failure. We hypothesised that progressively deteriorating renal function is linked to altered whole blood and fibrin clot properties and fibrinolysis. Methods: Thrombogenesis and fibrinolysis in 200 warfarinised AF patients was assessed by thromboelastography (TEG), a micro-plate assay (MPA) and the international normalized ratio (INR). Renal function was determined by creatinine clearance and two versions of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results: Two TEG indices independently reflecting thrombogenesis were linked to creatinine clearance (p < 0.01), whilst a third, reflecting clot strength, was linked to the eGFR (p < 0.001). MPA indices of thrombogenesis and clot density (p < 0.001), and an index of fibrinolysis (p < 0.001) were linked to the eGFR. The time for 50% of the fibrin clot to lyse was linked to creatinine clearance (p = 0.001). The INR was unrelated to any renal function index, and the CHA2DS2VASc score was unrelated to any index. Conclusion: In warfarinised AF patients, renal function is linked to whole blood clot and fibrin clot formation, structure and dissolution, but has no effect on the INR. Key messages Despite oral anticoagulation, patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) still suffer from stroke and venous thromboembolism. The effect of renal function in warfarinised patients with AF is unknown and may account for excess thrombosis and/or haemorrhage. Using two different laboratory methods, our data point to an effect of renal function on clot structure and function that is independent of an effect of warfarin.
CHANGING ATTITUDES OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO OLD PEOPLE

The Psychology of Aging course at the University of Oregon focuses on experiential techniques of learning. In the first class each student is matched with an older person (over 60) who acts as a “consultant” to the student during the term. The student and consultant attend each class session together, and meet for at least one hour per week outside the classroom. Classes are structured to foster interpersonal discussion and small group interaction. A 17‐item semantic differential attitudinal measure was completed by 30 students and 22 consultants enrolled in the course during the first and last class meetings. Items consisted of positive and negative adjective responses to the object, “old people”, and “young people”. Positive changes in attitudes about old people were found for almost all pairs of items including: beautiful versus ugly, sensitive versus insensitive, active versus passive, successful versus unsuccessful, and negative versus positive. T tests run on the pre‐ and posttest attitudinal means .
Did Securitization Lead to Lax Screening ? Evidence From Subprime Loans 2001-2006 ∗

Theories of financial intermediation suggest that securitization, the act of converting illiquid loans into liquid securities, could reduce the incentives of financial intermediaries to screen borrowers. We empirically examine this question using a unique dataset on securitized subprime mortgage loan contracts in the United States. We exploit a specific rule of thumb in the lending market to generate an exogenous variation in ease of securitization and compare the composition and performance of lenders’ portfolios around the ad-hoc threshold. Conditional on being securitized, the portfolio that is more likely to be securitized defaults by around 20% more than a similar risk profile group with a lower probability of securitization. Crucially, these two portfolios have similar observable risk characteristics and loan terms. Since our findings are conditional on securitization, we conduct additional analyses to address selection on the part of borrowers, lenders, or investors as explanations. Our results suggest that securitization does adversely affect the screening incentives of lenders.
Is there a relationship between major depression and both objectively assessed and perceived demands and control?

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore whether the association between depression and work characteristics (demands and control) is free from the subjective bias of employees. This study examined the relation between psychosocial work characteristics (job demands and job control) and major depression in 343 participants employed in three occupational sectors in Germany. Participants were divided into a case group and a mentally healthy control group. Since depression itself may bias the reporting of work characteristics were assessed twice: (a) objectively, by job analysis experts and (b) by employees' self-reports. Major depression was assessed according to DSM-IV criteria using an international standard clinical interview. The results showed that objective demand but not control was significantly associated with major depression. Employees who had suffered an incidence of depression had higher objective job demands than those in the control group. Self-rated job demands partially mediated the relationship between objective demands and depression. Additionally, employees in the case group perceived significantly less job control than those classed as mentally healthy. The results indicate that high job demands were associated with major depression, a finding that cannot be better explained by distorted response behaviour due to the depression. However, objectively assessed job control was not found to be related to depression.
Scaffolding, analysis and materials: Contributing factors in an unexpected finding of advanced infant/toddler pretend play?

As part of a longitudinal study, infant/toddler pretend play development and maternal play modelling were investigated in dyadic context. A total of 21 children were videotaped in monthly play sessions with their mothers, from age 8 to 17 months. Child and mother pretend play frequencies and levels were measured using Brown’s Pretend Play Observation Scale. Child IQ assessments at 5 years (Stanford–Binet IV) indicated average to high ability levels (M = 122.62). Descriptive analyses showed that children’s levels of pretend development were markedly in advance of age-typical expectations. With a previous analysis showing no specific associations between play levels and IQ, intensive maternal scaffolding, data analysis approaches and use of abstract play materials are proposed as possible contributory factors to the children’s advanced pretend play development.
Improving Schools through Networks: A New Approach to Urban School Reform

Research suggests that decentralized management reforms have produced changes in classroom practice and higher student achievement in some schools. However, many schools simply do not have the capacity to improve on their own. A few school districts are experimenting with a new approach to school reform—school networks—that relies on collaboration between schools. This article draws on data from an evaluation of the Annenberg Challenge in Los Angeles, a reform effort that experimented with school networks as a vehicle for improving schools. As a theoretical framework, the authors applied Lawler's (1991) high-involvement model, which suggests that in order for an organization's improvement efforts to be successful, resources must be decentralized, and stakeholders must be actively collaborating on the reform process. The authors found that when school networks created structures that decentralized power and distributed organizational resources throughout the network, they also enhanced school capacity for reform.
Interference-Mitigated ZigBee-Based Advanced Metering Infrastructure

An interference-mitigated ZigBee-based advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution, namely IMM2ZM, has been developed for high-traffics smart metering (SM). The IMM2ZM incorporates multiradios multichannels network architecture and features an interference mitigation design by using multiobjective optimization. To evaluate the performance of the network due to interference, the channel-swapping time (Tcs) has been investigated. Analysis shows that when the sensitivity (PRχ) is less than -12 dBm, Tcs increases tremendously. Evaluation shows that there are significant improvements in the performance of the application-layer transmission rate (σ) and the average delay (D). The improvement figures are σ > ~300% and D > 70% in a 10-floor building, σ > ~280 % and D > 65% in a 20-floor building, and σ > ~270% and D > 56% in a 30-floor building. Further analysis reveals that IMM2ZM results in typically less than 0.43 s delay for a 30-floor building under interference. This performance fulfills the latency requirement of less than 0.5 s for SMs in the USA (Magazine of Department of Energy Communications, USA, 2010). The IMM2ZM provides a high-traffics interference-mitigated ZigBee AMI solution.
Classification of normal toric varieties over a valuation ring of rank one

Normal toric varieties over a field or a discrete valuation ring are classified by rational polyhedral fans. We generalize this classification to normal toric varieties over an arbitrary valuation ring of rank one. The proof is based on a generalization of Sumihiro's theorem to this non-noetherian setting. These toric varieties play an important role for tropicalizations.
Paradigms of Knowledge and Instruction

The theme of this essay is that there are only three core instructional paradigms and that within the framework of these paradigms, only five types of knowledge can be acquired. The instructional paradigms (behavior, development, and apprenticeship) are defined by how novices are distinguished from experts and by the nature of the mechanism of transformation (from novice to expert). The knowledge typology is derived from contemporary cognitive science and from the precognitive experimental paradigms of learning. The types of knowledge are: declarative (verbal learning), procedural (skill learning), conceptual (concept attainment), analogical (one-trial learning), and logical (problem solving.) A number of examples are provided, including the contents of a journal issue. This classification system clarifies the theoretical history of research projects, reveals commonalities that underlie different terminologies, helps resolve controversies, and provides guidelines for educational research that will advance the field.
Gender Differences in Responses to Discrepancies in Desired Level of Sexual Intimacy

Summary The purpose of the current study was to compare reports of discrepancies in the desired level of sexual intimacy in which a man was the reluctant dating partner and those in which a woman was the reluctant dating partner. To obtain information about this type of dating interaction, 139 male and 159 female unmarried heterosexual students completed the Sexual Situation Questionnaire (O'Sullivan & Byers, 1993), which provided information about a situation in which they or their partner refused a sexual advance. A higher percentage of respondents reported having had a disagreement characterized by a reluctant female than a reluctant male in the year preceding the study. However, few differences were noted in the descriptions of male-reluctant and female-reluctant disagreements, suggesting that men and women share a common script. Differences of these descriptions typically constituted actor-observer differences, rather that differences between the two types of disagreement interactions. Implications f.
Anesthesia for surgery related to craniosynostosis: a review. Part 1

The management of children with craniosynostosis is multidisciplinary and has evolved significantly over the past five decades. The treatment is primarily surgical. The anesthetic challenges continue to be the management of massive blood transfusion and prolonged anesthesia in small children, often further complicated by syndrome‐specific issues. This two‐part review aims to provide an overview of the anesthetic considerations for these children. This first part describes the syndromes associated with craniosynostosis, the provision of services in the UK, surgical techniques, preoperative issues, and the induction and maintenance of anesthesia. The second part of this review will explore hemorrhage control, the use of blood products, metabolic disturbance, and postoperative issues.