Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring Interaction between Student Teachers During the Student Teaching Experience

The purpose of this study was to explore social interaction between student teachers during the student teaching experience. This descriptive study consisted of 22 student teachers from the spring 2007 semester at Texas A&M University. Data were collected immediately following conclusion of the 12– week internship at a regularly scheduled face–to–face meeting. It was concluded that every student teacher interacted with a peer during the experience. However, they interacted with only a small percentage of their peers on a weekly basis and they did not interact at all with a large portion of their peers. Student teachers most frequently used either the telephone or face–to–face opportunities to interact. The majority also frequently used email and text messages to interact. Facebook, MySpace, and instant messaging were used very little. Depending on the purpose, student teachers interacted with different small networks of three to five peers. Different student teachers emerged as key players or opinion leaders, depending on the reason for interaction. This exploratory study yielded a considerable number of questions for further inquiry.
Global Integration in Primary Equity Markets: The Role of U.S. Banks and U.S. Investors

We examine the costs and benefits of the global integration of IPO markets associated with the diffusion of U.S. underwriting methods in the 1990s. Bookbuilding is becoming increasingly popular outside the U.S. and typically costs twice as much as a fixed-price offer. However, on its own bookbuilding only leads to lower underpricing when conducted by U.S. banks and/or targeted at U.S. investors. For most issuers, the gains associated with lower underpricing outweighed the additional costs associated with hiring U.S. banks or marketing in the U.S. This suggests a quality/price trade-off contrasting with the findings of Chen and Ritter [Journal of Finance], particularly since non-U.S. issuers raising USS20m-80m also typically pay a 7% spread when U.S. banks and investors are involved.
Perfusion of the skin of the buttocks in paraplegic and tetraplegic patients, and in healthy subjects after a short and long load

In patients with spinal cord injuries (n=8) and healthy controls (n=8) the hyperaemic response in the buttock skin after sitting on a hard surface was studied using a laser Doppler perfusion imager. They sat for three minutes (short load), or 15 minutes (long load). An exponential mathematical function was used to compare the mean perfusion during the observed interval. The results showed that preloading perfusion is significantly higher among patients than healthy subjects. In both groups, the microcirculation of the skin increased significantly after loading, and peak perfusion was significantly lower after the short load. The mean perfusion was higher among the patients after both loadings, which suggests that there was stronger ischaemic provocation. The main outcome was that there was a dose-response relation between duration of loading and intensity of reactive hyperaemia, and that patients with spinal cord injuries have greater perfusion before and after loading than healthy controls.
Social Insecurities and Fear of Crime: A Cross-National Study on the Impact of Welfare State Policies on Crime-related Anxieties

This article assesses the association between national welfare state regimes and public insecurities about crime across Europe. A multi-level analysis of respondents in 23 countries sampled in the 2004-05 European Social Survey finds a strong relationship between insecurities about crime and national levels of social expenditure and decommodification of social welfare policy. Some social protection measures are more strongly associated with national levels of fear of crime than others, especially public non-monetary support for children and families that strengthens the individual’s capacity to cope with problems on their own. We conclude with the idea that state-level social protections may buffer the development of widespread fear of crime by increasing self-efficacy and thereby mitigating various social and economic fears.
On tests of the conditional relationship between beta and returns

The Pettengill et al. (1995) test of the conditional relationship between beta and returns has recently become widely used. This article shows that there is a large bias in that test. The test is almost guaranteed to be satisfied, regardless of the model that generates expected returns. In particular, even if the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is not true and expected returns and beta are unrelated, the test will detect statistically significant results of the size that they report in line with their hypothesis. The reason for the bias is that the ex post selection criterion used to partition data automatically generates coefficient values that the test interprets as being evidence in favour of the CAPM.
Angiotensinogen 235T Allele “Dosage” Is Associated With Blood Pressure Phenotypes

Abstract—The genetic mechanisms underlying interindividual blood pressure variation among humans may reflect, at least in part, clustering of functional gene variants belonging to complex blood pressure control systems. In this study, we investigated the association of specific functional gene variants of the renin-angiotensin system, ACE (I/D) and angiotensinogen (M/T) genes, with blood pressure phenotypes (systolic, mean, diastolic, and pulse pressure), in an ethnically mixed urban population in Brazil. Individuals (n=1421) were randomly selected from the general population of the Vitoria City Metropolitan area. Neither gender, age, smoking status, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, or diabetes was associated with ACE or AGT polymorphism in univariate analysis. No association was found between ACE variants and blood pressure phenotypes. However, a statistically significant association was revealed between the AGT 235T variant and all blood pressure phenotypes, consistent with an additive/codominant mode of action even after adjustment for age and gender (P <0.01). Genotypic analysis contemplating both ACE and AGT variants in the same model did not show any significant interaction between both genetic polymorphisms. In addition, the AGT 235T allele was significantly associated with hypertension in a recessive model, which remained as an independent risk factor for hypertension even after adjustment for age, gender, and ethnicity (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.70). Taken together, these data indicate a linear relation between AGT 235T allele number (“dosage”) and blood pressure in an ethnically mixed urban population and confirmed its role as an independent risk factor for hypertension for men and women when in homozygosity.
A comparative analysis of best human resource management practices in the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to comparatively analyse the best human resource management (HRM) practices in the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga. Design/methodology/approach – This study examined best HRM practices used by the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga by using self-administered questionnaires. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 73 hotels in Samoa and 66 hotels in Tonga. Out of the 73 self-administered questionnaires that were distributed in Samoa, 58 usable questionnaires were returned resulting in a response rate of 79 per cent. In the case of Tonga, out of the 66 self-administered questionnaires were distributed, 51 usable questionnaires were returned resulting in a response rate of 77 per cent. Findings – The findings of this study show that there are 28 best HRM practices in Samoa and 15 best HRM practices in Tonga. This study also found that best HRM practices differ based on differences in internal and external environmental factors present in different geographical.
Latin-American Consensus Conference on Helicobacter pylori infection

Luiz Gonzaga Vaz Coelho, M.D., Rau ́l León-Barúa, M.D., Eamonn M. M. Quigley, M.D., F.R. C.P., F.A. C.P., F.A. C.G. , and representatives of the Latin-American National Gastroenterological Societies affiliated with the Inter-American Association of Gastroenterology (AIGE) Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Digestive Surgery Unit, University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Department of Medicine and “Alexander von Humboldt” Tropical Medicine Institute, Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University, Lima, Peru; and Department of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
Developing the Understanding and Practice of Inclusion in Higher Education for International Students with Disabilities/Additional Needs: A Whole Schooling Approach.

In this paper we present research on inclusion in higher education using a whole schooling philosophy. We seek insight into the perspectives of international students with disabilities/additional needs, three of whom from this particular research group are from non- English speaking backgrounds and attending the same university in Melbourne, Australia. In this paper we used voice relational methodology to analyse these students’ experiences of inclusive practice. These experiences provide the basis for our discussion of fundamental differences among various kinds of inclusive practice and cultures, resulting in a typology including support systems and experiences from staff and disability liaison personnel. In doing so, we aim to inform policy and models for best practice to maximise the educational experiences of international students with disabilities and additional needs, and indeed, of all students. Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings for lecturers, teachers, support staff and policy makers in implementing strategic and successful inclusion for international students with a disability/additional needs in a higher education context.
Semiparametric modeling of conditional skewness of nancial returns

In this paper we propose a exible method to model conditional skewness as a function of past standardized returns. This method adapts partially nonparametric model introduced by Engle & Ng (1993, The Journal of Finance 48, 1749{1778) to investigate news impact curve of volatility. The proposed model is estimated and analyzed on series of daily returns on major stock indices. We nd that past returns may impact skewness in a way that signicantly diers from those considered in the literature dealing with parametric conditional skewness modeling. We also conduct a Monte Carlo study to examine how well our estimation procedure identies parameters of the model. Furthermore, using simulated data we show that direct models of skewness dynamics proposed in the literature can not capture skewness dynamics found in our empirical study.
Untangling the Effects of Overexploration and Overexploitation on Organizational Performance: The Moderating Role of Environmental Dynamism†

Because a firm's optimal knowledge search behavior is determined by unique firm and industry conditions, organizational performance should be contingent on the degree to which a firm's actual level of knowledge search deviates from the optimal level. It is thus hypothesized that deviation from the optimal search, in the form of either overexploitation or overexploration, is detrimental to organizational performance. Furthermore, the negative effect of search deviation on organizational performance varies with environmental dynamism; that is, overexploitation is expected to become more harmful, whereas overexploration becomes less so with an increase in environmental dynamism. The empirical analyses yield results consistent with these arguments. Implications for research and practice are correspondingly discussed.
Disposition effect and gender

Investors seem to hold on to their losing stocks to a greater extent than they hold on to their winning stocks. This well-documented behavioural regularity is termed disposition effect (Shefrin and Statman, 1985). We set an experiment to replicate results from a previous study of the disposition effect (Weber and Camerer, 1998) and further show that a subject's gender may interfere with the effect's detection.
A New Heuristic Optimization Algorithm: Harmony Search

Many optimization problems in various fields have been solved using diverse optimization al gorithms. Traditional optimization techniques such as linear programming (LP), non-linear programming (NLP), and dynamic program ming (DP) have had major roles in solving these problems. However, their drawbacks generate demand for other types of algorithms, such as heuristic optimization approaches (simulated annealing, tabu search, and evolutionary algo rithms). However, there are still some possibili ties of devising new heuristic algorithms based on analogies with natural or artificial phenom ena. A new heuristic algorithm, mimicking the improvisation of music players, has been devel oped and named Harmony Search (HS). The performance of the algorithm is illustrated with a traveling salesman problem (TSP), a specific academic optimization problem, and a least-cost pipe network design problem.
An overestimated relationship? Violent political unrest and tourism foreign direct investment in the Middle East

Although the tourism industry is increasingly globalising, empirical research on the accompanying foreign direct investment (FDI) is surprisingly lacking. Furthermore, the nexus of political risk, violent political unrest and tourism FDI has been relatively neglected. Using Egypt as a heuristic case study and adopting a qualitative methodology, this paper explores the question of how political risk and violent political unrest influence tourism FDI. Surprisingly, the results are not able to corroborate a clear relationship between the two. In contrast, these results indicate that the role of stability and security for tourism FDI in developing countries has largely been overestimated in the past. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Meeting at the crossroads?: Exploring the linkages between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction

Adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction both focus on society-risk dynamics. However, each field does so through different actors and institutions, and with different time horizons, policy frameworks and patterns in mind. Recently, dialogue between the adaptation and disaster risk-reduction communities has focused on creating stronger links between the two by putting greater effort into learning from each other and collaborating conceptually and practically. In part, this common interest has come from a simultaneous recognition that risk reduction requires a far more holistic approach than has previously been applied. Both adaptation and disaster risk reduction require the same underlying aims, namely, to reduce vulnerability and create sustainable and flexible long-term strategies to reduce the risk of adverse impacts. However, neither is able to address these single-handedly. In both adaptation and disaster risk reduction, there is an implicit acknowledgement that risk is part of everyday life, and thus social development plays a vital role. An outstanding question for these communities to address is whether a convergence of the two tracks is desirable. Furthermore, if such a convergence were to occur, what forms would it take and what outcomes could be expected.
Farmers’ markets’ locavore challenge: The potential of local food production for newly emerged farmers’ markets in Czechia

Abstract The shift toward post-productivist agricultural production in developed countries in recent decades has brought a growing focus on local sustainability and quality food production. This trend has been reflected in the development of a variety of alternative food networks and short food supply chain initiatives. In Czechia, the local and good-quality movement has been significantly represented by the boom in farmers’ markets during the past 2 years. The aim of this paper is to examine the actual potential of the Czech agricultural sector to supply the recently developed network of farmers’ markets. Even though these markets are generally considered to offer farmers better revenues than selling their products to big processors and retail companies, many Czech farmers’ market managers face a lack of potential vendors for their markets. Therefore, we ask if there are producers and self-processors of goods typically sold on farmers’ markets of the appropriate size and legal form in suitable locations in relation to the areas of the biggest demand. The quantitative approach applied was based on the national statistical data on the agricultural sector. It was used to develop a set of indicators which have been displayed in maps and further examined. The results show a high theoretical potential of the Czech agricultural sector to supply farmers’ markets because there are relatively many small farmers producing products sellable on farmers’ markets. In the Czech context, where the tradition of running independent businesses was interrupted by the country's communist past, the lack of experience with private entrepreneurship and marketing among farmers seems to be the main obstacle to broader involvement of farmers on farmers’ markets.
Voluntary Listing Requirements and Corporate Performance: The Case of the Dey Report and Canadian Firms

We investigate the determinants and consequences of compliance with the Dey Committee recommendations encouraging greater board independence in Canada. Companies that acted on this recommendation appear to have done so to improve their performance and not for cosmetic purposes. Poorly performing firms that modified their boards experienced a greater increase in performance compared to those that did not. Overall, it appears that the primary function of the Dey Report was to refocus firms' attention on the quality of board monitoring, particularly those with poor relative performance.
Spirituality, religiosity, spiritual pain, and quality of life among Latin American patients with advanced cancer (LAAdCa): A multicenter study.

246 Background: The associations between spirituality (S), religiosity (R), spiritual pain (SP), symptom, coping and quality of life (QOL) have not been well characterized in LAAdCa. The main purpose of this Multicenter study was to analyze these associations. METHODS We interviewed 325 LAAdCa at a Palliative Care clinic in Chile, Guatemala, and USA. They completed FICA (S/R assessment), ESAS-FS (including SP), PSWQ (Worry), B-COPE and B-R-COPE (coping), FACIT-sp-ex (Spiritual Well-being). RESULTS Median age 58 (range: 19-85), 60% women, 62% Catholic, 30% Christian not Catholics, and 2% with no religion. 97% of LAAdCa considered themselves spiritual and 89% religious, median 7(IQR: 5-10) and 7(5-9) respectively. Median Importance of S/R in life (score 0 = none, 10 = very important) was 10 (IQR:8-10). The frequency and associations among the importance of S/R and different items were: helps them to cope with their illness (98%, r = 0.73; p < 0.0001), is a source of strength and comfort (99%, r = 0.79; p < 0.0001), and has a positive effect in physical symptoms (81%, r = 0.40; p < 0.0001), emotional symptoms (84%, r = 0.42, p < 0.0001), and helps to their caregivers to cope with pts' illness (100%, r = 0.66, p < 0.0001). 60% of LAAdCa reported that their S/R needs had not been supported by the medical team. 24% had received pastoral attention inside the hospital. 162/311 (52%) of LAAdCa reported spiritual pain (median 6; IQR: 5-8). Spiritual pain significantly correlated with worse pain (p = 0.02), fatigue (p = 0.0002), depression (p < 0.0001), anxiety (p < 0.0001), Financial distress (p < 0.0001), worry (p < 0.001), behavioral disengagement (p = 0.01), FACIT-sp-Ex (p = 0.0002), negative religious coping strategies (p < 0.0001), caregiver's SP (p = 0.02), caregiver's depression (p < 0.0001), caregiver's anxiety (p = 0.0007), and worse caregiver's QOL (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Majority of LAAdCa considered themselves spiritual and religious. S/R help to deal with their illness and correlates with less emotional distress, positive coping strategies and QOL. Still more than 50% LAAdCa reported SP and their S/R needs are not totally supported by the medical team. More research is needed.
Foot structure and footwear prescription in diabetes mellitus

Foot structure abnormalities such as foot deformity and limited joint mobility are common and well established components of the diabetic foot which are associated with increased levels of mechanical stress on the foot and the development of ulcers. Our understanding of foot structure abnormality in diabetes has improved recently, mainly through the findings from in vivo imaging studies. Several examples will be discussed in this review. A limited understanding, however, still exists about several aspects related to the assessment, etiology, and consequences of change in foot structure in diabetes. Knowledge on these matters is needed if we are to better deal with the implications of foot structure change in diabetes.
Using Choice Experiments to Find Double Jeopardy Patterns

Double jeopardy is one of the most important empirical patterns of consumer brand purchase behaviour. It asserts that large brands benefit from having more consumers who are also generally more loyal. Traditional methods for detecting double jeopardy patterns in consumer purchasing behaviour rely heavily on the availability of panel data. Although alternative methods have been proposed, these too require large quantities of data, making them costly to implement for many managers and researchers. This study proposes a new method for detecting double jeopardy patterns that requires only small samples of data. Using the instant coffee market in the US to test this new method, it is shown that repeated discrete choice experiments can produce proximate measures to those used as inputs to double jeopardy calculations. This approach gives researchers an economical and easy method to test whether a market conforms to double jeopardy, allowing them to keep managers informed about the properties of consumer purchase behaviour in their markets.
Socio-cultural factors and transnational entrepreneurship

This article addresses theoretical and empirical issues concerning the emergent field of transnational entrepreneurship. We discuss issues regarding the antecedents of transnational entrepreneurship focusing specifically on the socio-cultural factors affecting this phenomenon in the Spanish context. Entrepreneurship, ethnic and transnational entrepreneurship literature is combined with institutional approach to explain what and how different socio-cultural factors influence the emergence and development of transnational entrepreneurship in Catalonia (in the north-east of Spain). We do this by looking at four case studies of transnational entrepreneurs with different ethnicity (Ecuadorian, Latin American; Moroccan, North African; Chinese, Asian; and Romanian, Eastern European). Important differences between socio-cultural factors that affect the emergence of transnational entrepreneurship (role models, immigrants’ entrepreneurial attitudes) and those that facilitate the development of transnational entrepreneurial activities (transnational networks and immigrants’ perceptions of the culture and opportunities of the host society) are found.
A Simple Competitive Model with Production and Storage

We study a rational expectations partial equilibrium model of a market for a single storable commodity whose output each period is a function of previous period effort on production and a realization of a shock that affects equally all producers. The final demand is non-random and depends only on each period's price. Risk-neutral producers make production and storage decisions based on forecasts of future price distributions. Existence of equilibrium is proved, and for the case of i.i. d. shocks several comparative statics results are established as well as the existence and stability of a unique stationary distribution.