Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Five critiques of the open educational resources movement

This paper will review existing literature on Open Educational Resources (OER). It is intended to examine and critique the theories which underpin the promotion of OER in higher education, not provide guidance on their implementation. (1) I will introduce the concepts of positive and negative liberty to suggest an under-theorisation of the term ‘open’. (2) OER literature will be shown to endorse a two-tiered system, in which the institution is both maintained and disaggregated. (3) I will highlight a diminishing of the role of pedagogy within the OER vision and the promotion of a learner-centred model for education. (4) This stance will be aligned with humanistic assumptions of unproblematic self-direction and autonomy. (5) I will discuss the extent to which the OER movement aligns itself with economically orientated models of the university. I offer these critiques as a framework for the OER movement to develop as a theoretically rigorous area of scholarship.
Stability of the Positive Mood Effect on Creativity When Task Switching, Practice Effect, and Test Item Differences are Taken into Consideration

Although experimentally induced positive mood can generally last for 20 min and the induced mood is conducive to creative performance, it is still unclear whether the facilitation effect is stable during these 20 min. Two studies were conducted to examine this issue while controlling for the impacts of task switching, practice effect, and test item differences. In Study 1, participants (N = 42) were randomly assigned to positive, negative, and neutral mood conditions. After watching a short video clip, participants answered four items of the Alternate Uses Test (AUT) in 20 min, with 5 min allotted for each item. Creative performance during each 5-min period was scored in terms of fluency and flexibility. Separate repeated-measures analyses of variances on these creativity scores showed that positive mood consistently enhanced performance over 20 min. Study 2 further eliminated the effects of test item differences and test order. Participants (N = 131) underwent the same mood induction procedure and answered the same four items of the AUT, except that these items were presented in four different sequences in accordance with the Latin square design. Consistent with the findings in Study 1, Study 2 showed that the facilitation effect of positive mood lasted for 20 min when the interference of task switching, practice effect, and test item differences were minimized. This finding not only sheds light on the debate regarding the stability of experimentally induced positive mood effect, but also contributes to the body of empirical evidence that future studies may use to examine the positive mood effect over a relatively long period of time.
Modelling the blocking behavior of multicast Clos networks

This paper considers three-stage switching networks able to support multicast traffic, i.e. connections in which one inlet is connected to more than one output at the same time. The nonblocking conditions for this network are studied under the assumption of absence of any optimized routing of the connections inside the structure (the so-called strict-sense nonblocking networks). An analytical model is developed here that provides not only the nonblocking conditions of three-stage multicast networks, but also the evaluation of the blocking probability when such conditions are not satisfied. Unlike previous well-known approaches, our model takes into account the correlation between occupancy events in links belonging to different interstage patterns. The results being found also provide a more stringent condition of network nonblocking for multicast traffic which disproves some of the claimed results recently published in the technical literature.
The emerging patterns of power in corporate governance – Back to the future in improving corporate decision making

Social institutions are experiencing change in their patterns of power as they are re‐aligned to an increasingly complex world and the onset of the new information economy. Attention has been drawn particularly to the need to improve corporate governance as a means to enhance corporate accountability and improve corporate performance. This paper consequently explores the distribution of corporate power and the processes that can foster higher quality decision making and actions by boards. The paper investigates the fundamental difference between the exercise of leadership, management and political power within an organization and, particularly, the responsibility and power relationships between an organization and its board. The authors assert that if the patterns of power are well understood then some things can be said about the patterns that are likely to emerge and what structures might be more effective than others. The paper concludes by arguing that the manner and style of corporate governance could benefit from some further refinement.
Ingestion of Casein in a Milk Matrix Modulates Dietary Protein Digestion and Absorption Kinetics but Does Not Modulate Postprandial Muscle Protein Synthesis in Older Men.

BACKGROUND The slow digestion and amino acid absorption kinetics of isolated micellar casein have been held responsible for its relatively lower postprandial muscle protein synthetic response compared with rapidly digested proteins such as isolated whey. However, casein is normally consumed within a milk matrix. We hypothesized that protein digestion and absorption kinetics and the subsequent muscle protein synthetic response after micellar casein ingestion are modulated by the milk matrix. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a milk matrix on casein protein digestion and absorption kinetics and postprandial muscle protein synthesis in older men. METHODS In a parallel-group design, 32 healthy older men (aged 71 ± 1 y) received a primed continuous infusion of L-[ring-(2)H5]-phenylalanine, L-[ring-3,5-(2)H2]-tyrosine, and L-[1-(13)C]-leucine, and ingested 25 g intrinsically L-[1-(13)C]-phenylalanine and L-[1-(13)C]-leucine labeled casein dissolved in bovine milk serum (Cas+Serum) or water (Cas). Plasma samples and muscle biopsies were collected in the postabsorptive state and for 300 min in the postprandial period to examine whole-body and skeletal muscle protein metabolism. RESULTS Casein ingestion increased plasma leucine and phenylalanine concentrations and L-[1-(13)C]-phenylalanine enrichments, with a more rapid rise after Cas vs. Cas+Serum. Nonetheless, dietary protein-derived phenylalanine availability did not differ between Cas+Serum (47 ± 2%, mean ± SEM) and Cas (46 ± 3%) when assessed over the 300-min postprandial period (P = 0.80). The milk matrix did not modulate postprandial myofibrillar protein synthesis rates from 0 to 120 min (0.038 ± 0.005 vs. 0.031 ± 0.007%/h) or from 120 to 300 min (0.052 ± 0.004 vs. 0.067 ± 0.005%/h) after Cas+Serum vs. Cas. Similarly, no treatment differences in muscle protein-bound L-[1-(13)C]-phenylalanine enrichments were observed at 120 min (0.003 ± 0.001 vs. 0.002 ± 0.001) or 300 min (0.015 ± 0.002 vs. 0.016 ± 0.002 mole percent excess) after Cas+Serum vs. Cas. CONCLUSIONS Casein ingestion in a milk matrix delays protein digestion and absorption but does not modulate postprandial muscle protein synthesis when compared to the ingestion of micellar casein only in healthy older men. This trial was registered at Nederlands Trial Register as NTR4429.
Pharmacist-led medication review in patients over 65: a randomized, controlled trial in primary care.

BACKGROUND regular medication review has been recommended for those over 75 and those on multiple drug therapy. Pharmacists are a potential source of assistance in reviewing medication. Evidence of the benefits of this process is needed. OBJECTIVE to study the effect of medication review led by a pharmacist on resolution of pharmaceutical care issues, medicine costs, use of health and social services and health-related quality of life. DESIGN randomized, controlled trial. SETTING general medical practices in the Grampian region of Scotland. SUBJECTS patients aged at least 65 years, with at least two chronic disease states who were taking at least four prescribed medicines regularly. METHODS pharmacists reviewed the drug therapy of 332 patients, using information obtained from the practice computer, medical records and patient interviews. In 168 patients, a pharmaceutical care plan was then drawn up and implemented. The 164 control patients continued to receive normal care. All outcome measures were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. RESULTS all patients had at least two pharmaceutical care issues at baseline. Half of these were identified from the prescription record, the rest from notes and patient interview. Of all the issues, 21% were resolved by information found in notes and 8.5% by patient interview. General practitioners agreed with 96% of all care issues documented on the care plans in the intervention group. At the time of follow-up, 70% of the remaining care issues had been resolved in the intervention group, while only 14% had been resolved in the control group. There were no changes in medicine costs or health-related quality of life in either group. There were small increases in contacts with health-care professionals and slightly fewer hospital admissions among the intervention group than the control group. CONCLUSIONS pharmacist-led medication review has the capacity to identify and resolve pharmaceutical care issues and may have some impact on the use of other health services.
"Husband and Wife Do It Together": Sex/Gender Allocation of Labor among the Qhawqhat Lahu of Lancang, Southwest China

In this article, I explore both the diversity and commonality of human labor organization in response to sex difference through an ethnographic study of the sex/gender allocation of labor among the Qhawqhat Lahu of Lancang, China. I argue that the principle of "unity," rather than the more commonly discussed "division," predominantly governs the gendered allocation of labor in Qhawqhat. I demonstrate that the Lahu ideal of gender unity, combined with their practical pursuit of optimal use of household laborers, foster an extraordinarily high degree of joint gender roles in child rearing, as well as in reproductive and productive activities in general. I also show that such an extreme sociocultural system minimizes (although it does not entirely negate) the impact of sex differences. This study may shed some light on the diversity and commonality of human labor organization in response to sex difference by bringing into dialogue more recent approaches to the issue and earlier studies of the "sexual division of labor. " [sex/gender allocation of labor, sexual division of labor, anthropology of work, Lahu, China]
The Effects of Incentive System and Cognitive Orientation on Teams' Performance

ABSTRACT: Organizations are adopting team-based structures to promote cooperation and coordination of actions and, thus, enhance performance (Libby and Thorne 2009; Chenhall 2008). However, team-based structures do not automatically improve performance. The economics literature suggests that working in teams may impair performance because of the potential conflict between individual and group incentives. In contrast, the organizational behavior literature argues that working in teams may enhance performance via members' collectivist cognitive orientation. This paper analyzes how both the economic incentive system and the team's predominant (individualist or collectivist) cognitive orientation affect team performance. We conduct an experiment with postgraduate students. Our results show that enhanced team performance is positively related to both individual economic incentives and predominately collectivist orientation in the team, and that the effectiveness of any incentive system design seems to be relat.
Perceptions of the Trend of Collaborative Publications: Results from a Survey of Criminal Justice and Criminology Department Chairs

Department heads are unique academic positions which can bridge the worlds of faculty and administration. As such, they are sometimes in the unique position where their perceptions and experiences can have real-world impact in the realm of assessing a colleague’s work, tweaking departmental policies of promotion and advancement, and mentoring. While faculty members of all levels have opinions of collaboration, department heads are the leaders who can actually act upon those perceptions, yet these perceptions have not been examined. This study addresses this gap in a survey of Criminal Justice and Criminology department heads (n = 73). The survey varied authorship order, journal prestige, medium of journal, and also examined co-author prestige. In addition, 12 years of 20 criminal justice journals were coded for solo-authored publications. Results demonstrated differential publication trends between top tier and lower tiered journals, and that department heads attributed these trends as a combination of increasing social research networks and more pragmatic concerns. Of particular interest, is the differential value respondents placed on solo-authored work and collaborative work even when taking into consideration prestige of the journal.
Solid intentions: An archival ethnography of corporate architecture and organizational remembering

Research on organizational spaces has not considered the importance of collective memory for the process of investing meaning in corporate architecture. Employing an archival ethnography approach, practices of organizational remembering emerge as a way to shape the meanings associated with architectural designs. While the role of monuments and museums are well established in studies of collective memory, this research extends the concept of spatiality to the practices of organizational remembering that focus on a wider selection of corporate architecture. By analyzing the historical shift from colonial to modernist architecture for banks and retailers in Ghana and Nigeria in the 1950s and 1960s on the basis of documents and photographs from three different companies, this article shows how archival sources can be used to untangle the ways in which companies seek to ascribe meaning to their architectural output. Buildings allude to the past and the future in a range of complex ways that can be interpreted more fully by reference to the archival sources and the historical context of their creation. Social remembering has the potential to explain why and how buildings have meaning, while archival ethnography offers a new research approach to investigate changing organizational practices.
The Futures of the City Region

(Received in revised form October 2008) THE ASCENDANCE OF THE CITY REGION Urban space is so replete with descriptions that Pandora’s jar could not contain them. Like in the Greek myth of Pandora, the plethora of urban spatial descriptions is almost a curse on those who attempt comprehensive understanding. Today, the debates surrounding regional questions are more complex than ever in many dimensions. They are multidisciplinary and multi-scalar, and the phenomena under analysis are themselves more complex, as evidenced by an abundance of empirical and theoretical research in the last decades. National planners are anticipating the growth of connected networks of metropolitan areas or ‘megaregions’ in America 2050 (DEWAR and EPSTEIN, 2007) and in Europe the reach of urban areas is conceived as spreading from city centres to the remote countryside across ‘city-region’ territories (RAVETZ, 2000). Urbanization, in this sense, is both an empirical and an imagined/discursive question. The focus of this special issue is whether and how the ‘city region’ constitutes a new departure in urbanization, and if so what are the key elements of that difference. Contributors have been invited to situate and debate these questions through the analysis of social and economic conditions and/or the governance narratives in the spatial contexts
The importance of the socioeconomic status of countries for mental disorders in old age: development of an epidemiological transition model

The prevalence of a disorder is a function of the incidence of the disorder and the duration of the illness (which may remit spontaneously, by treatment or death). The socioeconomic status of societies may influence the incidence and duration of mental illnesses in old age by influencing life expectancy and availability of appropriate healthcare services and treatments (Suh and Shah, 2001). The relationship between a proxy measure of the socioeconomic status (per capita gross national domestic product (GDP)) and (i) the life expectancy, (ii) child mortality rates and (iii) proxy measures of the quality and quantity of available healthcare services (the proportion of GDP spent on health, per capita expenditure on health and child mortality rates) was examined. The WHO website (www.who.int/countries/en/) provided data on these variables for 191 of the 192 countries for the year 2002. The inter-correlations between all the measured variables were examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Because of highly significant inter-correlations between all these variables, multiple linear regression analysis, with the Enter method, was undertaken with per capita GDP as the dependent variable, and all the variables that were significantly correlated with per capita GDP on univariate analysis as the independent variables.
Leading learning through Assessment for Learning?

The article examines the origins and purposes of assessment for learning (AfL) within the National Curriculum Assessment context in England. As a part of the Primary Strategy, AfL became part of the government's drive to improve standards through measuring school outcomes. The authors describe their investigation into teachers' understandings of AfL, how AfL has influenced teaching, learning and assessment in the intervening six years and whether it has established a presence as part of teaching pedagogy.
Technological Diversification

Economies at early stages of development are often shaken by abrupt changes in growth rates, whereas in advanced economies growth rates tend to be relatively stable. To explain this pattern, we propose a theory of technological diversification. Production makes use of different input varieties, which are subject to imperfectly correlated shocks. Technological progress takes the form of an increase in the number of varieties, raising average productivity. In addition, the expansion in the number of varieties in our model provides diversification benefits against variety-specific shocks and it can hence lower the volatility of output growth. Technological complexity evolves endogenously in response to profit incentives. The decline in volatility thus arises as a by-product of firms' incentives to increase profits and is hence a likely outcome of the development process. We quantitatively asses the predictions of the model in light of the empirical evidence and find that for reasonable parameter values, the model can generate a decline in volatility with the level of development comparable to that in the data.
Media Use and Participatory Democracy in South Korea

Analyzing data from a telephone survey of South Korean respondents, this study explored facilitating and inhibiting effects of mass media use on political participation. It was hypothesized that the facilitating or inhibiting effect is dependent on the specific types of content presented by the media. Consistent with previous findings from the United States, our data supported the idea that news media use plays an important role in motivating participatory behaviors. Contrary to this procivic role, however, we found that viewing entertainment television programs may undermine such behaviors. This study also examined in detail the mechanism through which the media may have effects on different forms of political participation.
Mapping a pedagogy for special educational needs

Recent curriculum initiatives, such as the National Literacy and Numeracy Hours, assume the validity of a broadly common curriculum for all pupils. This article synthesises a review which set out to subject that assumption to critical scrutiny, addressing the ensuing question: can differences between learners (by particular special educational needs [SEN] group) be identified and systematically linked with learners' needs for differential teaching? Generic teaching effectiveness studies have assumed that what works with most pupils would also work for all pupils. However, little direct evidence for this position has been presented in the areas of learning difficulties which are covered in this review. Similarly, some papers by SEN specialists make calls, which were also mostly unsubstantiated by empirical evidence, for what the authors call, the 'unique differences' position. This rejects distinctive SEN teaching strategies and accepts that there are common pedagogic principles which are relevant to the u.
Teletubby Tales: Popular Culture in the Early Years Language and Literacy Curriculum

The aim of the study reported in this article was to explore the potential that popular culture has for motivating young children to engage in literacy and oracy practices in the early years. Pre-school settings and schools regularly fail to take account of children's popular cultural interests in their development of curriculum content. Literacy practices in most nurseries and schools are located within dominant cultural discourses and in the case of many industrialised societies, this means that the curriculum usually reflects the cultural norms of white middle-class communities. In an attempt to disrupt these dominant discourses, literacy activities related to the television programme Teletubbies were introduced into two nurseries in England. Data were gathered using field notes, photographs and interviews. The article discusses how the incorporation of popular cultural texts into the curriculum provided motivation and excitement for many children, some of whom were not usually willing members of the ‘literacy club’.
Pharmacodynamics of combined estrogen-progestin oral contraceptives: 1. Effects on metabolism

ABSTRACT Introduction: The risk-benefit profile of any pharmacologic agent must be evaluated against risks connected with the events to be avoided. This is especially true in the case of hormonal contraception, not intended to combat a disease. Over the six decades during which their use has progressively expanded, the risk-benefit profile of combined oral contraceptives (COC) has substantially changed, with new combinations, dosages and mode of administration appearing on the market. Area covered: In a series of articles, recent information on the complex issue of COC risks and benefits will be reviewed in the hope of providing an updated picture. The present article reviews metabolic changes occurring during use of modern combinations of estrogens (ethinyl estradiol, estradiol, estradiol valerate and estetrol) and new progestins (desogestrel, gestodene, dienogest, drospirenone, nomegestrol acetate), often compared to classic compounds, such as levonorgestrel. Three categories of metabolic effects in healthy women are detailed: on carbohydrates, lipid and bone mineral content. Expert commentary: Overall, the picture is reassuring: the new generations of progestins are basically devoid of androgenic, estrogenic or glucocorticoid related side-effects. This should result in an improved safety profile, although past history teaches us that that large comparative and surveillance studies are required before firm conclusions can be drawn. At any rate, available evidence indicates that metabolic effects of third and fourth generation progestins, especially when they are combined with natural estrogens, are minimal and, if used in healthy women, should not cause concern.