Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Examination of Teachers' Writing Self-Efficacy, First-Grade Students' Attitudes and Self-Efficacy in Writing, and Students' Writing Behaviors

AN EXAMINATION OF TEACHERS’ WRITING SELF-EFFICACY, FIRST-GRADE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND SELF-EFFICACY IN WRITING, AND STUDENTS’ WRITING BEHAVIORS Julie Bridget Mary Dashiell Old Dominion University, 2014 Dissertation Chair: Dr. Angela Eckhoff Teachers’ self-efficacy has been demonstrated to be an important construct linked to teacher competence (Goddard, Hoy, & Woolfolk Hoy, 2000; Graham & Perin, 2007). However, little is known about how teachers think about writing, particularly as it relates to their writing instruction and to writing tasks they assign to their young students. The purpose of this multiple methods inquiry was to explore teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and orientations about writing and to examine if these factors were connected to their writing instruction. This study also aimed to examine if students’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards writing are connected to their classroom writing behaviors. Data was collected from two first-grade teachers and 42 first-grade students in a suburban elementary school. The results indicated that both teachers had high self-efficacies for teaching writing, employed a combined teaching approach using process and traditional instruction, and assigned writing tasks were in line with their self-efficacy beliefs and orientations. Analysis of the data revealed that 90% of the students had positive attitudes towards writing in their elementary classrooms and the students’ classroom writing behaviors were consistent with their reported survey responses. Data analysis also revealed that numerous factors (e.g. motivation, environment) contribute to the complex task of teaching writing to young students and that these factors are seemingly connected to students’ writing self-efficacy and their classroom writing behaviors.
Small Group Process and Outcome Research Highlights: A 25-Year Perspective

ABSTRACT We summarize major research findings from the past 25 years within the larger evolution of group psychotherapy. Small group process findings are highlighted from a group-as-a-whole, interpersonal relation, subgroup, individual member characteristics, and leader perspective. Special emphasis is given to cohesion and the significant correlation between cohesion and outcome. We note that group therapy is an empirically well-supported treatment for a large number of psychiatric disorders and describe evidence supporting the outcome of various theoretical orientations. Key studies showing outcome equivalence for group and individual therapy are reviewed, followed by a high-level summary of group therapy’s efficacy research for depression, bipolar, social phobia, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating, substance-related, trauma-related, HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, chronic pain, schizophrenia, and borderline personality. We conclude with the promise of recent advances for moving the field forward over the next 25 years.
Restriction and Correspondence-based Translation

Kaplan et al. (1989) present a framework for translation based on the description and correspondence concepts of Lexical-Functional Grammar (Kaplan and Bresnan, 1982). Certain phenomena, in particular the head-switching of adverbs and verbs, seem to be problematic for that approach. In this paper we suggest that these difficulties are more properly considered as the result of defective monolingual analyses. We propose a new description-language operator, restriction, to permit a succinct formal encoding of the informal intuition that semantic units sometimes correspond to subsets of functional information. This operator, in conjunction with an additional recursion provided by a description-by-analysis rule, is the basis of a more adequate account of head-switching that preserves the advantages of correspondence-based translation.
Perspective on Sleep and Aging

There is a strong body of data directly interrelating sleep problems with mood disorders. There is a growing data base directly associating sleep disorders with attention and memory problems. Motor disorders, especially involving the dopaminergic system, may produce sleep problems, including a possible association between disordered sleep and nocturnal falls. Sleep disorders may be causal conditions for metabolic diseases and increased risk for morbidity and mortality. Sleep and health are directly interrelated. To further probe these issues, especially as related to the aging process, investigators need to utilize tools and concepts from genomics and epigenetics, proteomics, metabolomics, any future …omics, molecular neuroimaging, and cognitive neuroscience.
The importance of the size of the social network and residential proximity in the reception of informal care in the European Union

ABSTRACT This paper explores which factors affect the reception of informal care among those dependent people aged 65 and over in Europe, starting from the so-called Behavioural Model of Health Service Use introduced by Andersen. The data employed are drawn from the fourth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement. The final sample consists of a total of 17,284 older dependent people of which 4529 (26.2%) received informal care. The main novelty is the incorporation of different characteristics of the social network of the individual (presence of children, size and residential proximity) among the factors that enable the reception of informal care. In particular the two latter aspects are combined in one sole indicator of distance to the social network. In addition to ‘traditional factors’ like age or degree of dependency, all the characteristics of the social network are found to influence the likelihood of receiving informal care. This reveals the need for taking into consideration the role played by social networks when governments design care programmes, especially in the current scenario of rising demand for care.
Functional imaging reveals rapid reorganization of cortical activity after parietal inactivation in monkeys

Impairments of spatial awareness and decision making occur frequently as a consequence of parietal lesions. Here we used event-related functional MRI (fMRI) in monkeys to investigate rapid reorganization of spatial networks during reversible pharmacological inactivation of the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), which plays a role in the selection of eye movement targets. We measured fMRI activity in control and inactivation sessions while monkeys performed memory saccades to either instructed or autonomously chosen spatial locations. Inactivation caused a reduction of contralesional choices. Inactivation effects on fMRI activity were anatomically and functionally specific and mainly consisted of: (i) activity reduction in the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus (temporal parietal occipital area) for single contralesional targets, especially in the inactivated hemisphere; and (ii) activity increase accompanying contralesional choices between bilateral targets in several frontal and parieto-temporal areas in both hemispheres. There was no overactivation for ipsilesional targets or choices in the intact hemisphere. Task-specific effects of LIP inactivation on blood oxygen level-dependent activity in the temporal parietal occipital area underline the importance of the superior temporal sulcus for spatial processing. Furthermore, our results agree only partially with the influential interhemispheric competition model of spatial neglect and suggest an additional component of interhemispheric cooperation in the compensation of neglect deficits.
Finite element analyses of uniform current density electrodes for radio-frequency cardiac ablation

The high current density at the edge of a metal electrode causes hot spots, which can lead to charring or blood coagulation formation during radio-frequency (RP) cardiac ablation. We used finite element analysis to predict the current density distribution created by several electrode designs for RF ablation. The numerical results demonstrated that there were hot spots at the edge of the conventional tip electrode and the insulating catheter. By modifying the shape of the edge of the 5-mm tip electrode, we could significantly reduce the high current density at the electrode-insulator interface. We also studied the current density distribution produced by a cylindrically shaped electrode. We modified the shape of a cylindrical electrode by recessing the edge and filled in a coating material so that the overall structure was still cylindrical. We analyzed the effects of depth of recess and the electrical conductivity of the added material. The results show that more uniform current density can be accomplished by recessing the electrode, adding a curvature to the electrode, and by coating the electrode with a resistive material.
Spectral Integration of Dynamic Cues in the Perception of Syllable-Initial Stops

Abstract The present experiments examine the potential role of auditory spectral integration and spectral center of gravity (COG) effects in the perception of initial formant transitions in the syllables [da]-[ga] and [tha]-[kha]. Of interest is whether the place distinction for stops in these syllables can be cued by a ‘virtual F3 transition’ in which the percept of a frequency transition is produced by a dynamically changing COG. Listeners perceived the virtual F3 transitions comparably with actual F3 transitions although the former were less salient a cue. However, in a separate experiment, static ‘virtual F3 bursts’ were not as effective as actual F3 bursts in cueing the alveolar-velar place distinction. These results indicate that virtual F3 transitions can provide phonetic information to the perceptual system and that auditory spectral integration (completed by the central auditory system) may play a significant role in speech perception.
Social modulation of sickness behavior and its neuroendocrine basis

Author(s): Soares Castro Lopes, Patricia | Advisor(s): Bentley, George E | Abstract: When animals are suffering from an infection, they frequently exhibit symptoms such as reductions in activity, reductions in food and water intake, reductions in libido and in social interactions. Adoption of these "sickness behaviors" is thought to promote immune function by reducing energy expenditure in activities that are not essential for recovery from the infection and investing this energy in mounting an immune response. In other words, during disease, since the body has limited resources, these need to be traded-off between investment in immunity and investment in other activities. My dissertation work was focused on exploiting this trade-off idea by examining how different social contexts affect the expression of sickness behaviors in birds. Social modulation of sickness behaviors should be especially relevant when animals have an opportunity to reproduce. Hence, my work focused as well on how immune challenges affect the reproductive system and how the social environment can determine the extent to which animals invest in reproduction while sick. Finally, it was my purpose to understand whether alterations in sickness behaviors due to social context impact the immune response in ways that are costly for animals.The work in this dissertation emphasizes the plasticity of the sickness behavior response. Here, I demonstrate that birds are able to adjust the expression of sickness behaviors when subjected to social circumstances that promote other adaptive opportunities. While the reproductive system is extensively shut down during an immune challenge, I demonstrate that this effect is reversed within 30 minutes of presentation of a potential mate. In addition, my work indicates that the social modulation of sickness behaviors comes at the cost of reduced immune defenses. In a world where infectious diseases represent one of the major causes of death, an increased understanding of the way behavior during infection is impacted by the social environment and the costs this might carry might promote better guidelines on how to proceed with infected animals (including humans). As well, a deeper knowledge of the endocrine and immune factors mediating this response has the potential to lead to better tools to treat infections. On the other hand, the results in here alert for the reality that our ability to detect sick animals might be obscured by social context, reducing our chances of controlling the spread of infectious diseases (such as the avian flu). With the added knowledge from this work, I expect that sickness behavior might be used as a new tool for learning about motivation underlying social behaviors.
Production of Multiple Transgenic Yucatan Miniature Pigs Expressing Human Complement Regulatory Factors, Human CD55, CD59, and H-Transferase Genes

The present study was conducted to generate transgenic pigs coexpressing human CD55, CD59, and H-transferase (HT) using an IRES-mediated polycistronic vector. The study focused on hyperacute rejection (HAR) when considering clinical xenotransplantation as an alternative source for human organ transplants. In total, 35 transgenic cloned piglets were produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and were confirmed for genomic integration of the transgenes from umbilical cord samples by PCR analysis. Eighteen swine umbilical vein endothelial cells (SUVEC) were isolated from umbilical cord veins freshly obtained from the piglets. We observed a higher expression of transgenes in the transgenic SUVEC (Tg SUVEC) compared with the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Among these genes, HT and hCD59 were expressed at a higher level in the tested Tg organs compared with non-Tg control organs, but there was no difference in hCD55 expression between them. The transgenes in various organs of the Tg clones revealed organ-specific and spatial expression patterns. Using from 0 to 50% human serum solutions, we performed human complement-mediated cytolysis assays. The results showed that, overall, the Tg SUVEC tested had greater survival rates than did the non-Tg SUVEC, and the Tg SUVEC with higher HT expression levels tended to have more down-regulated α-Gal epitope expression, resulting in greater protection against cytotoxicity. By contrast, several Tg SUVEC with low CD55 expression exhibited a decreased resistance response to cytolysis. These results indicated that the levels of HT expression were inversely correlated with the levels of α-Gal epitope expression and that the combined expression of hCD55, hCD59, and HT proteins in SUVECs markedly enhances a protective response to human serum-mediated cytolysis. Taken together, these results suggest that combining a polycistronic vector system with SCNT methods provides a fast and efficient alternative for the generation of transgenic large animals with multiple genetic modifications.
HIV-1 gp120 Induces Expression of IL-6 through a Nuclear Factor-Kappa B-Dependent Mechanism: Suppression by gp120 Specific Small Interfering RNA

In addition to its role in virus entry, HIV-1 gp120 has also been implicated in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. However, the mechanism(s) responsible for gp120-mediated neuroinflammation remain undefined. In view of increased levels of IL-6 in HIV-positive individuals with neurological manifestations, we sought to address whether gp120 is involved in IL-6 over-expression in astrocytes. Transfection of a human astrocyte cell line with a plasmid encoding gp120 resulted in increased expression of IL-6 at the levels of mRNA and protein by 51.3±2.1 and 11.6±2.2 fold respectively; this effect of gp120 on IL-6 expression was also demonstrated using primary human fetal astrocytes. A similar effect on IL-6 expression was observed when primary astrocytes were treated with gp120 protein derived from different strains of X4 and R5 tropic HIV-1. The induction of IL-6 could be abrogated by use of gp120-specific siRNA. Furthermore, this study showed that the NF-κB pathway is involved in gp120-mediated IL-6 over-expression, as IKK-2 and IKKβ inhibitors inhibited IL-6 expression by 56.5% and 60.8%, respectively. These results were also confirmed through the use of NF-κB specific siRNA. We also showed that gp120 could increase the phosphorylation of IκBα. Furthermore, gp120 transfection in the SVGA cells increased translocation of NF-κB from cytoplasm to nucleus. These results demonstrate that HIV-1 gp120-mediated over-expression of IL-6 in astrocytes is one mechanism responsible for neuroinflammation in HIV-infected individuals and this is mediated by the NF-κB pathway.
Blood antioxidant profile and lipid peroxides in dairy cows with clinical mastitis.

Aim: To evaluate blood antioxidant profile and lipid peroxides in dairy cows with clinical mastitis. Materials and Methods: Twelve cases of clinical mastitis in cross-bred cows were selected based on physical examination of udder and milk, California Mastitis Test (CMT), Somatic Cell Count (SCC) and confirmation by bacteriological examination 5 of milk and requisite biochemical tests. Twelve lactating cows showing negative CMT reaction and SCC <2x10 cells/ml were considered as healthy control. Antioxidant parameters measured in blood were superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration. Erythrocytic lipid peroxidation (LPO) was measured in terms of malondialdehyde (MDA) production. Results: Significant (P<0.05) decrease in blood SOD and catalase activities, GSH concentration and an increase in erythrocytic lipid peroxides was observed in cows with clinical mastitis. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is a compromise in antioxidant defense of the body in dairy cows with clinical mastitis resulting in oxidative damage, therefore, necessitate the use of antioxidants and other protective compounds along with conventional therapy for mastitis control.
MOTIVATED COGNITION IN CRIMINAL LAW JUDGMENTS: EXPERIMENTAL ILLUSTRATIONS, LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS, AND A PATHWAY TO REMEDIES

This dissertation applies the psychological theory of motivated cognition to explain and address the ways in which people make judgments in two charged areas of criminal law: the use of “harm” as a dividing line between law and morality, and the suppression of “tainted” evidence obtained through illegal means. Legal decision makers in high stakes criminal justice contexts—be they lay jurors or professional judges—are committed to following the law. What happens, however, when people’s intuitions about the “right” outcome in a case clash with the requirements of a legal rule? I suggest that decision makers in such situations will neither relinquish their own sense of justice, nor blatantly flout the law. Instead, they will less-than-consciously engage in the motivated construal of “facts” to achieve their desired punishment outcomes ostensibly within the terms of the given legal doctrine. However, the factors that drive people’s own justice intuitions may be legally irrelevant or impermissible to consider, leading to the erosion of fundamental constitutional and rule of law values. The dissertation proceeds as follows: Chapters I-III provide overviews of the theory of motivated reasoning, previous literature investigating this phenomenon in legal contexts, and the goals of the present research. Chapter IV then presents three experimental studies that use a hypothetical legal constraint based on the harm principle to investigate how punishment goals can motivate judgments about harm. I show that when people are told that a finding of harm is required to criminalize certain offensive conduct, they will impute harm to scenarios in which harm is not otherwise reported. I analyze the psychological and constitutional implications of the findings, and consider their relevance to real legal decision making by jurors, voters, lawyers, and judges.
A novel statistical chinese language model and its application in pinyin-to-character conversion

In this paper, we present a novel Chinese language model, and study its applications, in particular in Chinese pinyin-to-character conversion. In the new model, each word is associated with supporting context constructed by mining the frequent sets of nearby phrases and their distances to the word. Such information was usually overlooked in previous n-gram model and its variants. We apply the model to Chinese pinyin-to-character conversion and find that it offers a better solution to Chinese input. The model has lower perplexity in our evaluation and higher prediction accuracy than the state-of-the-art n-gram Markov model for Chinese language.
Survey of Auto Seat Design Recommendations for Improved Comfort

Seat design recommendations from a large body of literature are reviewed. Emphasis is given to fit parameters related to anthropometric measurements, feel parameters, including pressure distribution and vapor permeability, and support parameters defined with respect to seated posture. Particular attention is given to appropriate lumbar support configurations. A discussion of the limitations of the basis for current design recommendations points to the need for future study of postures and spine contours selected by drivers. A comprehensive bibliography of related literature is provided in the appendix.
The Fermi surface and f-valence electron count of UPt3

Combining old and new de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) and magnetoresistance data, we arrive at a detailed picture of the Fermi surface of the heavy fermion superconductor UPt3. Our work was partially motivated by a new proposal that two 5f valence electrons per formula unit in UPt3 are localized by correlation effects—agreement with previous dHvA measurements of the Fermi surface was invoked in its support. Comprehensive comparison with our new observations shows that this ‘partially localized’ model fails to predict the existence of a major sheet of the Fermi surface, and is therefore less compatible with experiment than the originally proposed ‘fully itinerant’ model of the electronic structure of UPt3. In support of this conclusion, we offer a more complete analysis of the fully itinerant band structure calculation, where we find a number of previously unrecognized extremal orbits on the Fermi surface.
Intra-Industry Effects of Information Security Breaches on Firm Performance

Instances of information security breaches are wide ranging, and can affect companies of different industries and sizes. We investigate the impact of publicly announced information security breaches of public organizations on their competitors that are comparable in size and operate in the same industry. This is called intra-industry information transfer, and has not been subject to extensive research in IS. We use matched-sampling methodology to measure the difference in firm performance using financial ratios, and interpret the results using paired samples t and Wilcoxon matched pair tests. Our results present a departure from intuition regarding the efficacy of security breaches on firm performance even though we do find an instance of information transfer.