Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Individual Students' Perceptions of Instructional Quality: An Investigation of their Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, and Relations to Educational Outcomes

Students' perceptions of instructional quality are among the most important criteria for evaluating teaching effectiveness. The present study evaluates different latent variable modeling approaches (confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling, and bifactor modeling), which are used to describe these individual perceptions with respect to their factor structure, measurement invariance, and the relations to selected educational outcomes (achievement, self-concept, and motivation in mathematics). On the basis of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 large-scale data sets of Australia, Canada, and the USA (N = 26,746 students), we find support for the distinction between three factors of individual students' perceptions and full measurement invariance across countries for all modeling approaches. In this regard, bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling outperformed alternative approaches with respect to model fit. Our findings reveal significant relations to the educational outcomes. This study synthesizes different modeling approaches of individual students' perceptions of instructional quality and provides insights into the nature of these perceptions from an individual differences perspective. Implications for the measurement and modeling of individually perceived instructional quality are discussed.
Concentrating the dark matter in galaxy clusters through tidal stripping of baryonically compressed galactic halos

Gravitational lensing observations of massive X-ray clusters imply a steep characteristic density profile marked by a central concentration of dark matter. The observed mass fraction within a projected radius of 150 kpc is twice that found in state-of-the-art dark matter simulations of the standard Λ cold dark matter cosmology. A central baryon enhancement that could explain this discrepancy is not observed, leaving a major puzzle. We propose a solution based on the merger histories of clusters. A significant fraction of the final dark matter content of a cluster halo originates within galaxy-sized haloes, in which gas can cool and compress the dark matter core to high densities. The subsequent tidal stripping of this compressed dark matter occurs in denser regions that are closer to the centre of the cluster halo. Eventually, the originally cooled gas must be dispersed into the intracluster medium through feedback, for consistency with observations that do not find central baryon enhancements in clusters. Still, the early adiabatic compression of the galactic dark matter leaves a net effect on the cluster. Using a simple model for this process, we show that the central cluster profile is substantially modified, potentially explaining the observed discrepancy.
Subjective quality of vision before and after cataract surgery.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of cataract surgery on subjective quality of vision. METHODS The Quality of Vision (QoV) questionnaire (Italian translation) was completed before and 3 months after cataract surgery in 4 groups of patients recruited from September through December 2010: first eye with ocular comorbidity, first eye without ocular comorbidity, second eye with ocular comorbidity, and second eye without ocular comorbidity. The questionnaire measures 3 aspects of quality of vision: frequency, severity, and bothersome nature of symptoms. The Lens Opacities Classification System (LOCS) III was used for cataract grading. Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were performed to compare QoV scores within and between groups. Spearman rank correlations (rs) were calculated to investigate the correlation between LOCS III and QoV symptoms. RESULTS Two hundred twelve patients (mean [SD] age, 74.2 [8.7] years) were recruited, and 212 eyes were included in the study. Improvements in QoV scores were found in all 4 groups (P < .05). There were no statistically significant (P > .05) differences among the 4 groups in the improvement in QoV scores or in the preoperative or postoperative scores. Blurred vision was correlated with posterior subcapsular cataract (rs = 0.420, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS Cataract in one or both eyes causes a similar loss in subjective quality of vision, which is also irrespective of the presence of ocular comorbidity. Posterior subcapsular cataract causes the specific symptom "blurred vision. " Cataract surgery resulted in a large and comparable improvement in subjective quality of vision, regardless of ocular comorbidity and first or second eye surgery.
The influence model: a tractable representation for the dynamics of networked Markov chains

In this thesis we introduce and analyze the influence model, a particular but tractable mathematical representation of random, dynamical interactions on networks. Specifically, an influence model consists of a network of nodes, each with a status that evolves over time. The evolution of the status at a node is according to an internal Markov chain, but with transition probabilities that depend not only on the current status of that node, but also on the statuses of the neighboring nodes. Thus, interactions among the nodes occur probabilistically, starting when a change of status at one node alters the transition probabilities of its neighbors, which then alter those of their neighbors, and so on. More technically, the influence model is a discrete-time Markov process whose state space is the tensor product of the statuses of all the local Markov chains. We show that certain aspects of the dynamics of the influence model can be studied through the influence matrix, a reduced-order matrix whose dimension is the sum rather than the product of the local chain dimensions. We explore the eigenstructure of the influence matrix and explicitly describe how it is related to that of the full-order transition matrix. From the influence matrix, we also obtain the influence graph, which allows the recurrent states of the influence model to be found by graph-theoretic analysis on the reduced-order graph. A nested hierarchy of higher-order influence matrices, obtained from Kronecker powers of the first-order influence matrix, is exposed. Calculations on these matrices allow us to obtain progressively more elaborate statistics of the model at the expense of progressively greater computational burden. As a particular application of the influence model, we analyze the "to link or not to link" dilemma. Suppose that a node is either in a 'healthy' or 'failed' status. Given that connecting to the network makes its status dependent on those of its neighbors, is it worthwhile for a node to connect to the network at all? If so, which nodes should it connect to in order to maximize the 'healthy' time? We formulate these questions in the framework of the influence model, and obtain answers within this framework. Finally, we outline potential areas for future research.
Patterns of visual loss associated with pituitary macroadenomas.

PURPOSE To describe the patterns of visual loss associated with pituitary macroadenomas compressing the anterior visual pathway. METHOD A prospective survey of 29 patients with pituitary macroadenomas who presented to the neurosurgical unit at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne. Selected patients had histologically verified pituitary macroadenomas, and visual defects (acuity, colour and/or field loss) consistent with anterior visual pathway compression. RESULTS All patients had visual field defects detected on perimetry, and the majority were asymmetrical. Bitemporal defects were most common but field defects ranged from monocular defects to generalised constriction. Four patients (13.8%) did not report visual symptoms, and of those who had symptoms, blurred vision was the most common complaint. Ninety-six per cent of eyes had field loss, 56% had decreased colour vision, 46% had decreased acuity, 31% had optic disc pallor, and 2% had an ophthalmoplegia. CONCLUSIONS Patients with visual pathway compression by pituitary macroadenomas may be asymptomatic despite having field defects. Perimetry is the most sensitive method of identifying compression, followed by colour vision, visual acuity, then the presence of optic atrophy. Automated static threshold perimetry appears to show early field defects better than manual kinetic perimetry. All patients with pituitary macroadenomas should have thorough ophthalmological examinations, including perimetry to document visual deficits secondary to compression.
Proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal IgG deposits recurs in the allograft.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Proliferative GN with monoclonal IgG deposits (PGNMID) is a newly described entity resembling immune complex GN. Its potential to recur in the allograft is undefined. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS The first cases of recurrent PGNMID in the allograft are reported. RESULTS The cohort includes four Caucasians (3 women, 1 man) with a mean age 58.5 years. No patient had M spike or hematologic malignancy. Recurrence was first documented by biopsy at a mean of 3.8 months posttransplant for indications of renal insufficiency in four patients, proteinuria in three patients, and microhematuria in three patients. Monoclonal IgG deposits (3 IgG3κ and 1 IgG3λ) in the transplants had identical heavy- and light-chain isotypes as in the native kidneys. In two patients, a pattern of endocapillary GN was identified in the native and transplant biopsies, whereas two patients with membranoproliferative GN in the native kidney developed endocapillary or mesangial GN in the transplant. Recurrence was treated with combined high-dose prednisone plus rituximab (n = 3) or plus cyclophosphamide (n = 1). After a mean posttransplant follow-up of 43 months, all four patients achieved reduction in proteinuria and three had reduction in creatinine. Repeat biopsies showed reduced histologic activity after treatment. CONCLUSIONS PGNMID can recur in the transplant despite the absence of a serum M spike. Recurrence is heralded by proteinuria, hematuria, and allograft dysfunction and manifests diverse histologic patterns. Although the pathogenesis remains unknown, early immunosuppressive therapy appears to stabilize the course.
Consumers' attributions and brand evaluations in product-harm crises : the role of implicit theories of personality

This study aims to examine the moderating role of implicit theories of personality in the relationship between corporate recovery strategy (i.e., support versus stonewalling) and consumers' attributions (and brand evaluations). It is suggested that consumers' implicit theories about the fixedness/malleability of personality can affect consumers' attributions and brand evaluations during a product-harm crisis. In addition, corporate image (i.e., strong versus weak) can moderate the influence of the role of implicit theories of personality. Two experiments were conducted to examine the proposed hypotheses. Results of Experiment 1 show that consumers who endorse entity theory (i.e., entity theorists) are likely to attribute crisis as more internal, stable, and controllable, particularly when they do not have any prior knowledge about the firm. The entity theorists would have more negative brand evaluations than incremental theorists (who endorse incremental theory), when “support” strategy was used by the firm. Results of Experiment 2 show that entity theorists are prone to have more external (internal) and unstable (stable) attributions toward a firm with a strong (weak) corporate image. Furthermore, entity theorists would provide more positive brand evaluations than incremental theorists when “stonewalling” strategy was used by a firm with strong corporate image, but not when “support” strategy was used by a firm with weak corporate image. Managerial implications are provided to managers with regard to product-harm crisis and recovery strategies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identifying Students With Specific Learning Disabilities: School Psychologists’ Acceptability of the Discrepancy Model Versus Response to Intervention

A national sample of 496 practicing school psychologists and members of the National Association of School Psychologists were surveyed to assess levels of acceptability for the IQ-achievement (IQ-A) discrepancy model and the Response to Intervention (RTI) model as part of the identification process for students with specific learning disabilities. Significantly higher levels of acceptability were found for the RTI model. As levels of exposure to the RTI model increased, acceptability ratings for the RTI model increased and ratings for the IQ-A discrepancy model decreased. Variations in acceptability ratings for the RTI model were also found to occur in relation to school psychologists’ school setting. Specifically, school psychologists employed at middle and high schools demonstrated lower levels of acceptability for the RTI model compared with those employed at elementary and multiple settings. Implications of the study for practice and future research, as well as limitations, are discussed.
Action Semantics Modulate Action Prediction

Previous studies have demonstrated that action prediction involves an internal action simulation that runs time-locked to the real action. The present study replicates and extends these findings by indicating a real-time simulation process (Graf et al., 2007), which can be differentiated from a similarity-based evaluation of internal action representations. Moreover, results showed that action semantics modulate action prediction accuracy. The semantic effect was specified by the processing of action verbs and concrete nouns (Experiment 1) and, more specifically, by the dynamics described by action verbs (Experiment 2) and the speed described by the verbs (e.g., “to catch” vs. “to grasp” vs. “to stretch”; Experiment 3). These results propose a linkage between action simulation and action semantics as two yet unrelated domains, a view that coincides with a recent notion of a close link between motor processes and the understanding of action language.
Researching thinking skills strategies in a primary school: challenging technical-rationalist orthodoxies of learning?

Abstract Relatively few studies have attempted to understand the beliefs young pupils have about the mind and learning. This collaborative action research study set out to explore the impact of a thinking skills pedagogy upon a sample of primary school children's learning and beliefs about learning over a period of 18 months. It was found that young children were capable of substantiating beliefs with evidence and reasonable argument – one indicator of intellectual autonomy. Furthermore, over time, children were able to articulate an increasingly constructivist model of mind and learning. However, the findings also suggest that, for some children, intellectual autonomy may have been hindered by current United Kingdom curriculum and assessment policy; a technical-rationalist, competitive, transmission model of education still persisted in the perceptions of some children with regard to perceived classroom expectations. Throughout the discussion, the author grounds the action research project in philosophical theory to explore the extent to which a philosophical schism is creating this tension and impeding revision in education. As a means of resolving this tension, the potential of constructivist and sociocultural views of learning is also discussed.
Speech Perception after Early-Life Otitis Media with Fluctuating Hearing Loss

The present study examined the effect of early-life otitis media and its associated fluctuating hearing loss on categorical speech perception in 7-year-old Dutch children. The middle ear status of these children had been followed prospectively in their first 2 years of life. Identification and discrimination of speech sounds differing in place of articulation were tested at school age and outcomes were significantly related to otitis media-related hearing loss. Results revealed that phoneme identification and discrimination were affected by early-life hearing loss. It is not otitis media per se, but rather the relative severity of hearing loss resulting from early-life otitis media which is related to poorer categorical speech perception abilities in school-age children.
Influence of selenophene on the properties of semi-random polymers and their blends with PC61BM

In an effort to broaden the absorption of conjugated polymers, atomistic bandgap control was applied to the semi-random polymer architecture. Here, we report the physical properties of semi-random polyselenophenes as compared to analogous polythiophenes. In order to examine the effect of the selenium heteroatom on the optical properties of the polymers, UV–vis spectra were studied and it was found that all polyselenophenes exhibit lower bandgaps and higher absorption coefficients in thin films. Further, differential scanning calorimetry and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction results indicate that semi-random polyselenophenes are semicrystalline polymers and their (100) interchain distances are shorter than in the case of semi-random polythiophenes, which may be responsible for higher absorption coefficients. To probe the effect of the selenium heteroatom on the nano-organization of these polymers and their blends with PC61BM, thin films were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM images show a segregation between more densely packed areas from less densely packed areas in the pristine polymer films, which is more pronounced for polyselenophenes than for polythiophenes. The blends of polyselenophenes with PC61BM do not show the well-defined segregation observed for the polythiophene analogues. However, the broadened and extended absorption of semi-random polyselenophenes translates into an extended photocurrent response in the photovoltaic devices, as evidenced by external quantum efficiency measurements.
Age Differences in Neural Activity during Slot Machine Gambling: An fMRI Study

This study aimed to assess the potential association between age-related prefrontal brain changes and slot machine gambling, an activity that has become increasingly popular among older adults. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess healthy older and younger adults whilst playing a slot machine. Results revealed that the older group over-recruited several bilateral and contralateral brain structures relative to the younger group. Specifically, older adults exhibited increased neural activation in the superior prefrontal cortex and left orbitofrontal cortex, indicating greater reliance on these structures. These results suggest a compensatory mechanism, by which older adults recruit a greater number of neural networks from both hemispheres to complete the same gambling task as their younger peers. The broader implications of these findings are discussed in relation to theories of neurocognitive and degenerative change that occurs in late adulthood.
An optimized flow cytometry protocol for analysis of angiogenic monocytes and endothelial progenitor cells in peripheral blood

Circulating adult CD34+VEGFR2+ endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been shown to differentiate into endothelial cells, thus contributing to vascular homeostasis. Furthermore, a subset of circulating CD14+ monocytes coexpresses CD16 together with the angiopoietin receptor Tie2 and has been functionally implicated in tumor angiogenesis. However, clinically applicable protocols for flow cytometric quantification of EPCs and Tie2+ monocytes in peripheral blood and a consensus on reference values remain elusive. The number of Tie2+CD14+CD16mid angiogenic monocytes and CD34+VEGFR2+CD45low/− EPCs was assessed in the peripheral venous blood of patients with stable coronary artery disease by three‐color flow cytometry using specific monoclonal antibodies conjugated to PerCP, PE, PE‐Cy7, APC, and APC‐Cy7. Scatter multigating with exclusion of dead cells was performed to dissect complex mononuclear cell populations. This analysis was further refined by matching bright fluorochromes (PE‐Cy7, PE, APC) with dimly expressed markers (CD34, VEGFR2, Tie2), by automatic compensation for minimizing fluorescence spillover and by using fluorescence‐minus‐one (FMO) controls to determine positive/negative boundaries. Presuming a Gaussian distribution, we obtained average values (mean ± SD) of 1.45 ± 1.29% for Tie2+CD14+CD16mid monocytes (n = 11, range: 0.12–3.64%) and 0.019 ± 0.013% for CD34+VEGFR2+CD45low/− EPCs (n = 17, range: 0.003–0.042%). The intra‐ and inter‐assay variability was 1.6% and 4.5%, respectively. We have optimized a fast and sensitive assay for the flow cytometric quantification of circulating angiogenic monocytes and EPCs in cardiovascular medicine. This protocol may represent a basis for standardized analysis and monitoring of these cell subsets to define their normal range and prognostic/diagnostic value in clinical use. © 2009 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Nonlinear inverse reconstruction for real‐time MRI of the human heart using undersampled radial FLASH

A previously proposed nonlinear inverse reconstruction for autocalibrated parallel imaging simultaneously estimates coil sensitivities and image content. This work exploits this property for real‐time MRI, where coil sensitivities need to be dynamically adapted to the conditions generated by moving objects. The development comprises (i) an extension of the nonlinear inverse algorithm to non‐Cartesian k‐space encodings, (ii) its implementation on a graphical processing unit to reduce reconstruction times, and (iii) the use of a convolution‐based iteration, which considerably simplifies the graphical processing unit implementation compared to a gridding technique. The method is validated for real‐time MRI of the human heart at 3 T using radio frequency‐spoiled radial FLASH (pulse repetition time/echo time = 2.0/1.3 ms, flip angle 8°). The results demonstrate artifact‐free reconstructions from only 65–85 spokes, with 256 oversampled data points. Acquisition times of 130–170 ms resulted in 29–38 frames per second for sliding window reconstructions (factor 5). While offline reconstructions required 1–2 sec, real‐time applications with modified parameters and slightly lower image quality were achieved within 90 ms per graphical processing unit. Magn Reson Med 63:1456–1462, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.