Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring connections between the in-field and on-campus components of a preservice teacher education program: a student perspective

This paper discusses the preservice teacher education practicum experience from the perspective of preservice teachers at a regional Australian university. It locates the practicum in the broader context of work integrated learning and associated principles of good practice. The paper argues that there are some perceived disconnections between the in-field and on–campus components of the teacher education program as well as an endorsement of some aspects of the practicum experience in closing the theory-practice gap. Our research adds to international debate about the balance between theory and practice and contributes a much needed student perspective on these issues. The paper concludes with suggestions on ways to improve the quality of the practicum.
Herd Behavior in Efficient Financial Markets

Rational herd behavior and informationally efficient security prices have long been considered to be mutually exclusive but for exceptional cases. In this paper we describe conditions on the underlying information structure that are necessary and sufficient for informational herding. Employing a standard sequential security trading model, we argue that people may be subject to herding if and only if there is sufficient amount of noise and, loosely, their information leads them to believe that extreme outcomes are more likely than moderate ones. We then show that herding has a significant effect on prices: prices can move substantially during herding and they become more volatile than if there were no herding. Furthermore, herding can be persistent and can affect the process of learning. We also characterize conditions for contrarian behavior. Our analysis suggests that herding (and contrarian behavior) may be more pervasive than was originally thought. Hence, the paper provides a new perspective on herding in financial markets with efficient prices
Input Filtering in Syntactic Acquisition: Answers From Language Change Modeling

We use historical change to explore whether children filter their input for language learning. Although others (e.g., Rohde & Plaut, 1999) have proposed filtering based on string length, we explore two types of filters that assume richer linguistic structure. One presupposes that linguistic utterances are structurally highly ambiguous and focuses learning on unambiguous data (Dresher, 1999; Fodor, 1998b; Lightfoot, 1999). The second claims that children learn only from matrix clauses (Lightfoot, 1991), defining simplicity in a structural manner. We assume that certain language changes occur via mismatches during acquisition. This allows us to use patterns of change to demonstrate that filtering restrictions are necessary to model language learning. Viewing language change as a result of mismatches during learning thus constrains the learning algorithm itself.
FACTOR AUGMENTED AUTOREGRESSIVE DISTRIBUTED LAG MODELS

This paper proposes a factor augmented autoregressive distributed lag (FADL) framework for analyzing the dynamic effects of common and idiosyncratic shocks. We first estimate the common shocks from a large panel of data with a strong factor structure. Impulse responses are then obtained from an autoregression, augmented with a distributed lag of the estimated common shocks. The approach has three distinctive features. First, identification restrictions, especially those based on recursive or block recursive ordering, are very easy to impose. Second, the dynamic response to the common shocks can be constructed for variables not necessarily in the panel. Third, the restrictions imposed by the factor model can be tested. The relation to other identification schemes used in the FAVAR literature is discussed. The methodology is used to study the effects of monetary policy and news shocks. JEL Classification: C32, E17
Consistent calculations for solids modeling

Algorithms for computer graphics or solids modeling must often infer the structure of geometrical objects from numerical data. Unavoidable errors (due to limited precision) affect the calculations from which these data are produced and may thus affect topological information so derived. Ambiguities or even contradictions may result from inferences made from an object's representation. To resolve these ambiguities for arbitrary polyhedral objects, we introduce a minimum feature size and a face thickness and show how to convert any object description into a form which insures topological immunity to numerical perturbations. The minimum feature size depends on the object's overall dimensions and on its placement in space. The face thickness depends on how well a face's vertices conform to its computed plane.
ApoE−/− PGC-1α−/− Mice Display Reduced IL-18 Levels and Do Not Develop Enhanced Atherosclerosis

Background Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that evolves from the interaction of activated endothelial cells, macrophages, lymphocytes and modified lipoproteins (LDLs). In the last years many molecules with crucial metabolic functions have been shown to prevent important steps in the progression of atherogenesis, including peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) and the class III histone deacetylase (HDAC) SIRT1. The PPARγ coactivator 1 alpha (Ppargc1a or PGC-1α) was identified as an important transcriptional cofactor of PPARγ and is activated by SIRT1. The aim of this study was to analyze total PGC-1α deficiency in an atherosclerotic mouse model. Methodology/Principal Findings To investigate if total PGC-1α deficiency affects atherosclerosis, we compared ApoE−/− PGC-1α−/− and ApoE−/− PGC-1α+/+ mice kept on a high cholesterol diet. Despite having more macrophages and a higher ICAM-1 expression in plaques, ApoE−/− PGC-1α−/− did not display more or larger atherosclerotic plaques than their ApoE−/− PGC-1α+/+ littermates. In line with the previously published phenotype of PGC-1α−/− mice, ApoE−/− PGC-1α−/− mice had marked reduced body, liver and epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) weight. VLDL/LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride contents were also reduced. Aortic expression of PPARα and PPARγ, two crucial regulators for adipocyte differentitation and glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as the expression of some PPAR target genes was significantly reduced in ApoE−/− PGC-1α−/− mice. Importantly, the epididymal WAT and aortic expression of IL-18 and IL-18 plasma levels, a pro-atherosclerotic cytokine, was markedly reduced in ApoE−/− PGC-1α−/− mice. Conclusions/Significance ApoE−/− PGC-1α−/− mice, similar as PGC-1α−/− mice exhibit markedly reduced total body and visceral fat weight. Since inflammation of visceral fat is a crucial trigger of atherogenesis, decreased visceral fat in PGC-1α-deficient mice may explain why these mice do not develop enhanced atherosclerosis.
Strong Society, Smart State: The Rise of Public Opinion in China's Japan Policy

List of FiguresList of TablesAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Public Opinion in Chinese Foreign Policy2. Forgetting and Remembering the Past: China's Relations with Japan, 1949-19993. The Origins of Public Mobilization4. Responding to Public Opinion5. A Potent Populism6. The Rebirth of the Propaganda StateConclusionAppendicesNotesBibliographyIndex
Recommendations concerning the new U.S. National Institutes of Health initiative to balance the sex of cells and animals in preclinical research

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced last May that steps will be taken to address the over‐reliance on male cells and animals in preclinical research. To further address this announcement, in September 2014, scientists with varying perspectives came together at Georgetown University to discuss the following questions. (1) What metrics should the NIH use to assess tangible progress on policy changes designed to address the over‐reliance on male cells and animals in preclinical research? (2) How effective can education be in reducing the over‐reliance on male cells and animals in preclinical research and what educational initiatives sponsored by the NIH would most likely effect change? (3) What criteria should the NIH use to determine rigorously defined exceptions to the future proposal requirement of a balance of male and female cells and animals in preclinical studies? (4) What additional strategies in addition to proposal requirements should NIH use to reduce the overreliance of male cells and animals in preclinical research? The resulting consensus presented herein includes input from researchers not only from diverse disciplines of basic and translational science including biology, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, neuroscience, cardiology, endocrinology, nephrology, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology, but also from recognized experts in publishing, industry, advocacy, science policy, clinical medicine, and population health. We offer our recommendations to aid the NIH as it selects, implements, monitors, and optimizes strategies to correct the over‐reliance on male cells and animals in preclinical research. —Sandberg, K. , Umans, J. G. , Georgetown Consensus Conference Work Group. Recommendations concerning the new U.S. National Institutes of Health initiative to balance the sex of cells and animals in preclinical research. FASEB J. 29, 1646‐1652 (2015). www.fasebj. org
Growing multiplex networks

We propose a modeling framework for growing multiplexes where a node can belong to different networks. We define new measures for multiplexes and we identify a number of relevant ingredients for modeling their evolution such as the coupling between the different layers and the distribution of node arrival times. The topology of the multiplex changes significantly in the different cases under consideration, with effects of the arrival time of nodes on the degree distribution, average shortest path length, and interdependence.
Digit symbol substitution test score and hyperhomocysteinemia in older adults

AbstractMounting evidence shows that hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for cognitive decline. This study enrolled subjects with normal serum levels of B12 and folate and performed thorough neuropsychological assessments to illuminate the independent role of homocysteine on cognitive functions.Participants between ages 50 and 85 were enrolled with Modified Hachinski ischemic score of <4, adequate visual and auditory acuity to allow neuropsychological testing, and good general health. Subjects with cognitive impairment resulting from secondary causes were excluded. Each of the participants completed evaluations of general intellectual function, including the Mini-Mental State Examination, Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument, Clinical Dementia Rating, and a battery of neuropsychological assessments.This study enrolled 225 subjects (90 subjects younger than 65 years and 135 subjects aged 65 years or older). The sex proportion was similar between the 2 age groups. Years of education were significantly fewer in the elderly (7.49 ± 5.40 years) than in the young (9.76 ± 4.39 years, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in body mass index or levels of vitamin B12 and folate between the 2 age groups. Homocysteine levels were significantly higher in the elderly group compared to the younger group (10.8 ± 2.7 vs. 9.5 ± 2.5 &mgr;mol/L, respectively, P = 0.0006). After adjusting for age, sex, and education, only the Digit Symbol Substitution (DSS) score was significantly lower in subjects with hyperhomocysteinemia (homocysteine >12 &mgr;mol/L) than those with homocysteine ⩽12 &mgr;mol/L in the elderly group (DSS score: 7.1 ± 2.7 and 9.0 ± 3.0, respectively, beta = −1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −2.8∼−0.5, P = 0.001) and borderline significance was noted in the combined age group (beta = −1.1, 95% CI = −2.1∼−0.1, P = 0.04). We did not find an association between hyperhomocysteinemia and other neuropsychological assessments.This is the first study to demonstrate a significant association between hyperhomocysteinemia (>12 &mgr;mol/L) and low DSS score, suggesting that DSS score may be an independent marker of cognitive impairment in response to hyperhomocysteinemia, especially in the elderly. Further replication studies with larger cohorts are needed to confirm our results.
Restructuring in the Canadian Economy: A Survey of Firms

Towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the Canadian economy experienced a number of structural changes. These included free trade agreements (both the FTA and NAFTA), significant technological advances, deregulation in many sectors of the economy, the arrival of large, U.S.-based retailers, and the introduction of the GST. The restructuring associated with these developments may partly explain the rather lacklustre performance of output and employment growth in the first half of the 1990s. The Survey The connection between corporate restructuring and employment is difficult to assess analytically. It is, however, useful to ask companies directly about their experiences. For this reason, the Bank's regional offices conducted a survey of 140 companies to ascertain whether restructuring had been more intensive in the 1990s than in the 1980s, and how this affected employment at the firm level. The broad results of the survey are clear—the degree of restructuring was greater in the 1990s than in the 1980s (Table 1). Restructuring included operational as well as workforce adjustments, and the most common form of restructuring was investing in new technology (Table 3). When companies were asked why they restructured, the most common response was the availability of new technology. Competition has also influenced firms to restructure. This factor was cited second after the affordability of new technology (Table 4). Employment Effects The results indicate that many firms did reduce staff as part of their restructuring efforts. Reasons for the reductions included competitive pressures and investment in new technology (Table 6). The survey also attempted to gauge the amount of “churning” or change in the composition of the workforce. The change identified most frequently, especially in the 1990s, was the need for more highly skilled workers. Companies required employees to be adaptable and to change career paths more frequently. This is consistent with the growing investment in new technology. Outlook Companies that had weathered the shocks of the 1980s and 1990s were optimistic. Indeed, the recent performance of the economy would suggest that some of the negative impacts of restructuring are now over. Productivity did pick up in the late 1990s, and it is likely that further gains from restructuring are still to come.
Higher education policy in the EU, an institutional account

This research examines the development of the EU higher education policy under the theoretical lenses of historical institutionalism. Starting from the assumption that institutions matter, this thesis follows the evolution of higher education policy in the EU premises from its emergence in the early 1970s to date. Unfolding in four phases, this case study focuses on the institutional parameters of the policy and the polity context in order to explain the critical factors that shaped the policy outcomes and the scope of higher education. In a story development full of unanticipated consequences and normative building, this thesis critically examines the relation between the levels of governance to assess their impact on the policy outcome. The main finding is that higher education has been developed as a `market-supporting' policy. The human capital role of higher education has been the main attribute identified in the EU level. As such, higher education gradually evolved from being a policy field aimed at battling unemployment to becoming one of the driving forces behind the knowledge driven society. At the same time higher education moved from the doldrums of EU competence and activity to the centre of policy action to become a policy example of applying the new modes of EU governance. In between the formal EU settings and the Bologna process, institutions and actors have withheld the idea that academic and professional mobility, recognition, comparability are the main areas for the future European workforce.
What Do Unions Do To CEO Compensation ?

In this paper we estimate the relation between union presence and CEO compensation, using a unique panel of publicly listed US firms for the period 1992-2001. We find that, on average, union presence: 1) is significantly associated with lower levels of total CEO compensation; 2) affects the mix of CEO compensation by providing higher levels of pay but much lower stock option values; 3) lowers dispersion of CEO compensation across firms; and 4) does not significantly reduce the performance sensitivity of CEO compensation as compared to non-union firms. JEL Classification: J33, J51
Estimates for denominators of Pade approximants and applications to Diophantine equations (13rit174)

The hypergeometric method of Thue and Siegel is a technique in Diophantine approximation that has proved to be widely applicable in number theory, ranging from classical results in Diophantine analysis (Thue and Thue–Mahler equations, unit equations) to much more analytic problems (gaps between k-free numbers). Despite being quite an old subject, the basic machinery underlying the approach (typically non-Archimedean valuations of off-diagonal Pade approximants) is not particularly well understood asymptotically.
FINANCIAL CONDITION INDEX AND INTEREST RATE SETTINGS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

In the last thirty years, there has been a widespread move towards financial liberalisation, both within and across national borders. This economic development brought researchers to investigate the link between asset prices, inflation and the conduct of monetary policy. Starting from the seminal work of Alchian and Klein (1973) it is often argued that the forward-looking nature of asset prices makes them good proxies for the information left out of conventional inflation measures. It is also widely accepted that asset price inflation developments are closely associated with general inflation trends. This paper investigates the role of asset prices in the conduct of monetary policy in United States, Canada, Euro Area and United Kingdom. It has two focal points. First, we construct Financial Condition Indexes for four countries using the Kalman Filter algorithm. This methodology allows us to capture the changes of the weights associated with each financial variable in explaining the output gap over time. Second, we proceed by estimating forward-looking Taylor rules augmented for FCI. Our results suggest that the Financial Condition Index enter positively and statistically significant into the FED, Bank of England and Bank of Canada interest rate setting. This gives a positive view for the use of the FCI as an important short term indicator to guide the conduct of monetary policy in three out of four countries analyzed.
Making development work : legislative reform for institutional transformation and good governance

Preface: Good Governance and the Role of Law in Economic Development I.F. I. Shihata. 1. Building Sound National Legal Frameworks for Development and Social Change A. Seidman, et al. 2. International Economic Organizations and the Modern Law and Development Movement A. Perry. 3. Legal System Reform and Private Development in Developing Countries D. Webb. 4. An Asian Perspective on Legal Modernization B. Metzger. 5. Reforming Legal Systems in Developing and Transitional Countries C.W. Gray. 6. Legislative Reform in Transition Economies: Western Transplants -- A Short-Cut to Social Market Economy Status T.W. Walde, J.L. Gunderson. 7. Regulatory Reform in the Energy Industry of Post-Soviet Countries T.W. Walde, C. von Hirschhausen. 8. Concept for Legal Counselling in Transformation States R. Knieper, M. Boguslavski. 9. A Pragmatic Approach to Legislative Theory for Developing Countries B.Z. Tamanaha. 10. Legislative Methodology: Some Lessons from the Truth-in-Lending Act E.L. Rubin. 11. The Applicability of Law and Economics to Law and Development: The Case of Financial Law J.P. Trachtman. 12. Some Cultural and Legal Issues of the Property Law Reform in Poland B. Puchalska. 13. Using Reason and Experience to Draft Country-Specific Laws A. Seidman, R.B. Seidman. 14. The Way Forward A. Seidman, et al. Index.
Comparison of Efficacy of Cefoperazone/Sulbactam and Imipenem/Cilastatin for Treatment of Acinetobacter Bacteremia

Multiple antibiotic reisistance threatens successful treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii infections worldwide. Increasing interest in the well-known activity of sulbactam against the genus Acinetobacter has been aroused. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes for patients with Acinetobacter bacteremia treated with cefoperazone/sulbactam versus imipenem/cilastatin. Forty-seven patients with Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia were analyzed through a retrospective review of their medical records for antibiotic therapy and clinical outcome. Thirty-five patients were treated with cefoperazone/sulbactam, and twelve patients with imipenem/cilastatin. The percentage of favorable response after 72 hours was not statistically different between cefoperazone/ sulbactam group and imipenem/ cilastatin group. The mortality rate was not statistically different, too. Cefoperazone/sulbactam was found to be as useful as imipenem/cilastatin for treating patients with Acinetobacter bacteremia.
The Local and Referred Pain From Myofascial Trigger Points in the Temporalis Muscle Contributes to Pain Profile in Chronic Tension-type Headache

ObjectiveTo assess the local and referred pain areas and pain characteristics evoked from temporalis muscle trigger points (TrPs) in chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). MethodsThirty CTTH patients and 30 age and sex-matched controls were studied. A headache diary was kept for 4 weeks to substantiate the diagnosis and record the pain history. Both temporalis muscles were examined for the presence of myofascial TrPs in a blinded fashion. The local and referred pain intensities, referred pain pattern, and pressure pain threshold were recorded. ResultsReferred pain was evoked in 87% and 54% on the dominant and nondominant sides in CTTH patients, which was significantly higher (P<0.001) than in controls (10% vs. 17%, respectively). Referred pain spread to the temple ipsilateral to the stimulated muscle in both patients and controls, with additional referral behind the eyes in most patients, but none in controls. CTTH patients reported a higher local [visual analog scale (VAS): 5.6±1.2 right side, 5.3±1.4 left side] and referred pain (VAS: 4.7±2 right side, 3.5±2.8 left side) intensity than healthy controls (VAS: 0.8±0.7 right side, 0.7±0.7 left side for local pain; and 0.3±0.2 right side, 0.4±0.3 left side for referred pain) in both temporalis muscles (both, P<0.001). The local and referred pain areas were larger in patients than in controls (P<0.001). Twenty-three out of 30 CTTH patients (77%) had active TrPs in the temporalis muscle leading to their usual headache (17 patients on the right side; 12 on the left side, whereas 6 with bilateral active TrPs). CTTH patients with active TrPs in either right or left temporalis muscle showed longer headache duration than those with latent TrPs (P=0.004). CTTH patients showed significantly (P<0.001) lower pressure pain threshold (1.1±0.2 right side, 1.2±0.3 left side) as compared with controls (2.5±0.5 right side, 2.6±0.4 left side). ConclusionsIn CTTH patients, the evoked local and referred pain from active TrPs in the temporalis muscle and its sensory characteristics shared similar patterns as their habitual headache pain. Local and referred pain from active TrPs in the temporalis muscles may constitute one of the sources contributing to the pain profile of CTTH.