Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“I Wish I Had Known the Truth Sooner”: Middle School Teacher Candidates’ Sexuality Education Experiences

Abstract While many general education classroom teachers encounter issues of sexuality in the middle school classroom, few teacher candidates feel prepared to address them. One source of information for teacher candidates is the role modeling provided by their own teachers when they were elementary and secondary students. In this study, 107 teacher candidates enrolled in a middle level preparation course completed five stem sentences describing their experience of being educated about sexuality when they were younger. The results revealed that 69% of the teacher candidates described poor role modeling. Most commonly, these teacher candidates detailed wanting “more” from their teachers—more depth and breadth, more honesty, and more commitment to providing sexuality information. They indicated that they would have liked to have teachers who were more comfortable with the subject matter and who covered topics such as love and relationships. Without preparation to address these topics, teacher candidates may have the impression that sexuality education is intimidating and uncomfortable and can be handled by a book, video, or outside consultant. Because of the likelihood that non-health teachers will be required to address sexuality, teacher preparation programs need to provide opportunities for teacher candidates to develop confidence and competence relative to sexuality education.
Feasibility and acceptability of offering rapid HIV tests to patients registering with primary care in London (UK): a pilot study

Objective: To assess the acceptability and feasibility of offering rapid HIV tests to patients registering with primary care in London, UK. Methods: All Anglophone and Francophone patients aged between 18 and 55 years attending a large inner city general practice in London for a new patient health check were recruited. All eligible patients were offered a rapid HIV test on oral fluid and asked to participate in a qualitative interview. The uptake of rapid HIV testing among participants was measured and semistructured interviews were carried out focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of testing for HIV in primary care. Results: 111 people attended the health check, of whom 85 were eligible, 47 took part in the study and 20 completed qualitative interviews. Nearly half of eligible participants (38/85, 45%) accepted a rapid HIV test. The main reason for accepting a test was because it was offered as “part of a check up”. As a combined group, black African and black Caribbean patients were more likely to test in the study compared with patients from other ethnic backgrounds (p = 0.014). Participants in the qualitative interviews felt that having rapid HIV tests available in general practice was acceptable but expressed concerns about support for the newly diagnosed. Conclusions: Offering patients a rapid HIV test in primary care is feasible and could be an effective means to increase testing rates in this setting. A larger descriptive study or pragmatic trial is needed to determine whether this strategy could increase timely diagnosis and reduce the proportion of undiagnosed HIV infections in the UK.
Developing speaking skills of adult learners in private universities in Bangladesh: problems and solutions

The globalisation of English and a growing demand for good English-speaking skills in the job market in particular have been placing a greater emphasis on the teaching of English speaking skills in Bangladesh. The private universities emphasise developing English skills. It seems that students of public and private universities have the same level of proficiency when they start but, at the end of four years of study, the students of private universities have acquired a higher level of proficiency in English. With observation, document analysis and a series of interviews with teachers who are teaching English language in these private universities, this study investigates how these private universities are helping the students to develop English language skills. It explores teachers' perceptions of the problems students encounter while speaking English and the factors that help these learners to develop their speaking skills.
A PU.1 Suppressive Target Gene, Metallothionein 1G, Inhibits Retinoic Acid-Induced NB4 Cell Differentiation

We recently revealed that myeloid master regulator SPI1/PU.1 directly represses metallothionein (MT) 1G through its epigenetic activity of PU.1, but the functions of MT1G in myeloid differentiation remain unknown. To clarify this, we established MT1G-overexpressing acute promyelocytic leukemia NB4 (NB4MTOE) cells, and investigated whether MT1G functionally contributes to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-induced NB4 cell differentiation. Real-time PCR analyses demonstrated that the inductions of CD11b and CD11c and reductions in myeloperoxidase and c-myc by ATRA were significantly attenuated in NB4MTOE cells. Morphological examination revealed that the percentages of differentiated cells induced by ATRA were reduced in NB4MTOE cells. Since G1 arrest is a hallmark of ATRA-induced NB4 cell differentiation, we observed a decrease in G1 accumulation, as well as decreases in p21WAF1/CIP1 and cyclin D1 inductions, by ATRA in NB4MTOE cells. Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction assays revealed that the proportions of NBT-positive cells were decreased in NB4MTOE cells in the presence of ATRA. Microarray analyses showed that the changes in expression of several myeloid differentiation-related genes (GATA2, azurocidin 1, pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1, matrix metallopeptidase -8, S100 calcium-binding protein A12, neutrophil cytosolic factor 2 and oncostatin M) induced by ATRA were disturbed in NB4MTOE cells. Collectively, overexpression of MT1G inhibits the proper differentiation of myeloid cells.
Principals as Leaders in a Culture of Change

1 The more that large scale, sustainable educational reform becomes the agenda, the more that leadership becomes the key. In this article I will argue that 'the principal as instructional leader' has been a valuable, but too narrow a solution. Instead, the instructional focus must be embedded in a more comprehensive and fundamental set of characteristics which I call 'the principal as leader in a culture of change'. I will also argue that to achieve the latter we must address the even deeper matter of 'leadership and sustainability'. The emphasis on the principal as instructional leader has been a valuable first step in increasing student learning. For example, Newmann, King and Youngs (2000) found that 'school capacity' is the critical variable in affecting instructional quality and corresponding student achievement. At the heart of school capacity was principal leadership that focussed on the development of teachers' knowledge and skills, professional community, program coherence, and technical resources. This same model has been extended to the work of entire districts in achieving large scale turnaround in literacy and numeracy. Some of the core strategies for developing the role of the principal as instructional leader are well described by Fink and Resnick (2001). They discuss five mutually reinforcing sets of strategic activities that they have used including: nested learning communities, principal institutes, leadership for instruction, peer learning and individual coaching. The effect is to develop large numbers of principals as instructional leaders, which in turn, serve to increase literacy and mathematics. Despite these impressive results, they do not represent deep or lasting reforms. Indeed, one can improve literacy and numeracy scores in the short run, while the moral and working conditions 2 of teachers deteriorates over the mid to long run. To accomplish lasting reform we need fundamental transformation in the learning cultures of schools and of the teaching profession itself. In brief, the role of the principal as instructional leader is too narrow a concept to carry the freight of the kinds of reforms that will create the schools we need for the future. Principal as Leader in a Culture of Change We are now beginning to discover that leaders who have deeper and more lasting impact provide more comprehensive leadership than focussing just on higher standards. Collins' (2001) study Good to Great examined 11 businesses that had a minimum of 15 years of sustained economic performance. Collins identified the Level 5 Executive …
Ideation High Performers: A Study of Motivational Factors

As innovation today is one of the keys to success for firms, creativity among employees becomes an important asset and the understanding about what motivates employees in ideation is consequently of high interest. This article addresses differences in motivation among high and low performers in ideation and contributes to existing theory by enhancing the understanding about what characterizes motivation among ideation high performers. The empirical data used in the article is based on a study performed at a multinational consumer goods company with headquarter in Sweden, surveying employees’ performance, motivation, and their preferences toward collaboration and competition. Among the key findings is the possible combination of collaboration and competition mechanisms as a motivating means in firms’ ideation management.
Treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia in Down syndrome

Abstract Despite improvements in the prognosis of acute myelogenous leukemia in patients with Down syndrome, the prognosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia (DS-ALL) in these patients is still poorer than that of ALL in the general population. We compared treatment results between 4 patients with DS-ALL and 16 non-Down syndrome patients with ALL (NDS-ALL). Four patients with DS-ALL treated with TCCSG protocols achieved complete remission by the end of the induction phase. During the high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) phase, the dosage of MTX was reduced from 3 to 2 g/m2 after the syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion developed in the first patient. All DS-ALL patients had severe mucositis and a longer period of anorexia than NDS-ALL patients, even after dose reductions, resulting in a longer HD-MTX phase in DS-ALL patients than in NDS-ALL patients. The mean dosages of 6-MP and MTX during the maintenance phase were significantly lower in DS-ALL patients than in NDS-ALL patients (6-MP 22.1 ± 9.9 mg/m2 and MTX 16.1 ± 4.5 mg/m2 vs. 6-MP 43.5 ± 23.1 mg/m2 and MTX 25.2 ± 8.8 mg/m2, respectively). All DS-ALL patients have been in complete remission for a median of 10 years 0 month (range: 8 years 10 months-14 years 1 month) as of January 1, 2017. DS-ALL patients may receive the same treatment protocol as that for NDS-ALL patients with adequate care and few modifications, and this strategy may result in the expansion of treatment protocols suitable for DS-ALL patients in the future.
Protective Effects of Flavanol-Rich Dark Chocolate on Endothelial Function and Wave Reflection During Acute Hyperglycemia

Nitric oxide plays a pivotal role in regulating vascular tone. Different studies show endothelial function is impaired during hyperglycemia. Dark chocolate increases flow-mediated dilation in healthy and hypertensive subjects with and without glucose intolerance; however, the effect of pretreatment with dark chocolate on endothelial function and other vascular responses to hyperglycemia has not been examined. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of flavanol-rich dark chocolate administration on (1) flow-mediated dilation and wave reflections; (2) blood pressure, endothelin-1 and oxidative stress, before and after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Twelve healthy volunteers (5 males, 28.2±2.7 years) randomly received either 100 g/d dark chocolate or flavanol-free white chocolate for 3 days. After 7 days washout period, volunteers were switched to the other treatment. Flow-mediated dilation, stiffness index, reflection index, peak-to–peak time, blood pressure, endothelin-1 and 8-iso-PGF2&agr; were evaluated after each treatment phase and OGTT. Compared with white chocolate, dark chocolate ingestion improved flow-mediated dilation (P=0.03), wave reflections, endothelin-1 and 8-iso-PGF2&agr; (P<0.05). After white chocolate ingestion, flow-mediated dilation was reduced after OGTT from 7.88±0.68 to 6.07±0.76 (P=0.027), 6.74±0.51 (P=0.046) at 1 and 2 h after the glucose load, respectively. Similarly, after white chocolate but not after dark chocolate, wave reflections, blood pressure, and endothelin-1 and 8-iso-PGF2&agr; increased after OGTT. OGTT causes acute, transient impairment of endothelial function and oxidative stress, which is attenuated by flavanol-rich dark chocolate. These results suggest cocoa flavanols may contribute to vascular health by reducing the postprandial impairment of arterial function associated with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
MR imaging of the brain in lymphomatoid granulomatosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Clinical diagnosis of lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LG) of the brain, in patients without skin or chest lesions, usually is difficult because of the nonspecific neurologic manifestations, laboratory data, and CT appearance. Our aim was to characterize the MR appearance of LG of the brain. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the MR images in four patients (35 to 72 years old) with histologically confirmed LG of the brain. RESULTS On T2-weighted images, we noted diffuse hyperintense lesions in the cerebral white matter bilaterally (n = 3), in the brain stem and cerebellar hemisphere (n = 1), and patchy hyperintense lesions the brain stem (n = 2). On contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images, we observed multiple punctate or linear enhancements residing along the perivascular space (n = 4), nodular enhancements (n = 2), ringlike enhancements (n = 1), and a large, enhanced mass (n = 1). All patients had multifocal lesions. CONCLUSION Although the MR appearance of LG of the brain varies, multiple punctate or linear enhancements that reside along the perivascular space suggest LG.
The impact of social support on work-to-family and family-to-work conflict: An analysis on the female primary school teachers of Bangladesh

Employed women usually face work-family conflict, as they need to maintain both the work and family responsibilities. In Bangladesh, a large number of educated women are employed as female teachers in the primary education sector. Like any other sector, these primary school teachers are also expected to have a significant amount of work-family conflict. Literature review suggests that social support, i.e. support from supervisor, co-worker, spouse, and family members can significantly reduce two types of work-family conflict; (a) work-to-family conflict and (b) family-to-work conflict. Based on this background the current study initiated to investigate how social support from supervisor, co-workers, life partner, and family members is associated with work–family conflicts in N = 90 female primary school teachers. A structured questionnaire was used as a mean primary source of data collection. Results revealed that spouse support and family support was negatively related with family-work conflict, though no negative relation were found between supervisor support and work-family conflict, and co-worker support and work-family conflict.
The Theater of Ethnography: The Reconstruction of Ethnography Into Theater With Emancipatory Potential

This article discusses the reflexive and educational use of theater constructed from verbatim ethnographic account work undertaken in health settings. In particular, the potential of the ethnodrama process to provide emancipatory opportunities and insights for both health informants and health professionals is described in relation to two ethnographic performance projects involving persons with schizophrenia and persons who are alcohol dependent.
Selective disruption of high sensitivity heat activation but not capsaicin activation of TRPV1 channels by pore turret mutations

The capsaicin receptor transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV)1 is a highly heat-sensitive ion channel. Although chemical activation and heat activation of TRPV1 elicit similar pungent, painful sensation, the molecular mechanism underlying synergistic activation remains mysterious. In particular, where the temperature sensor is located and whether heat and capsaicin share a common activation pathway are debated. To address these fundamental issues, we searched for channel mutations that selectively affected one form of activation. We found that deletion of the first 10 amino acids of the pore turret significantly reduced the heat response amplitude and shifted the heat activation threshold, whereas capsaicin activation remained unchanged. Removing larger portions of the turret disrupted channel function. Introducing an artificial sequence to replace the deleted region restored sensitive capsaicin activation in these nonfunctional channels. The heat activation, however, remained significantly impaired, with the current exhibiting diminishing heat sensitivity to a level indistinguishable from that of a voltage-gated potassium channel, Kv7.4. Our results demonstrate that heat and capsaicin activation of TRPV1 are structurally and mechanistically distinct processes, and the pore turret is an indispensible channel structure involved in the heat activation process but is not part of the capsaicin activation pathway. Synergistic effect of heat and capsaicin on TRPV1 activation may originate from convergence of the two pathways on a common activation gate.
THE COEXISTENCE OF THYMIC CARCINOMA AND MULTIPLE GRANULOMAS IN A TURKISH CHILD

Thymic carcinoma, which is a thymic epithelial neoplasm with obvious cytologic atypia, is a rare neoplasm. The authors report on a 10-year-old boy who presented with respiratory distress due to bulky anterior mediastinal mass. Histological and immunohistochemical studies confirmed a lymphoepithelioma-like pattern thymic carcinoma. In addition, evaluation of the specimen showed foci of caseation and multiple granulomas with extensive central necrosis within the thymic tissue. The child received chemotherapy, followed by surgery and radiotherapy. To rule out difficulties of tuberculosis he also received antituberculosis therapy. Two years after cessation of treatment, he is still in remission for thymic carcinoma.
Performance Evaluation of Industrial Land Policy in China

Rapid industrialization, as one of the main driving forces promoting sustainable economic growth, has increased the area of industrial land use significantly. Industrial land use manifests that the competition between it and other kinds of land use is growing. During the last decade in China, many targeted industrial land use policies have been enacted to stimulate appropriate industrial land use and to promote healthy economic development. However, it is difficult for scholars and governments of rapidly developing countries to judge and evaluate the performance of such policies. Based on statistical data gathered over almost 10 years and an idea called “industrial land equivalent” (ILE), this paper analyzes the contribution made by the implementation of industrial land use policy to economic development, using a Cobb-Douglas production function by which to quantify the influence of land institutions and land regulation systems. The result of the study shows that factors, such as industrial land, labor and capital, all play an important role in GDP growth. Additionally, it is found that industrial land institutions and regulation systems have a strongly positive influence on economic development. It was also found that the influence of policy in eastern China is greater than that in the west and that repeated, short-term land regulation has a negative effect on the economy. Therefore, it is profoundly important for the Chinese economy that a stable and durable industrial land use policy be maintained as the industrial center migrates to the Midwest. The research philosophy and method offered by this paper have great significance for the quantitative evaluation of policy performance.
Varieties of creditor protection: insolvency law reform and credit expansion in developed market economies

We examine the relationship between creditor protection, law reform and credit expansion using longitudinal data for four OECD countries between 1970 and 2005. By decomposing the different elements of creditor protection, we show that civil law countries (France and Germany) have developed a high level of protection for creditors in the form of controls over the management of debtor firms, while common law countries (UK and USA) have arrived at a high degree of protection in relation to secured creditors' contractual rights over firms' assets. Using panel causality tests and dynamic panel data modelling, we show that laws strengthening creditors' control over debtor firms in these four countries had a long-term positive effect on the expansion of private credit, while reforms increasing secured creditors' rights had a negative effect. We explore the implications of our findings for legal origin theory and the varieties of capitalism approach.
Twenty years of P-splines

P-splines first appeared in the limelight twenty years ago. Since then they have become popular in applications and in theoretical work. The combination of a rich B-spline basis and a simple difference penalty lends itself well to a variety of generalizations, because it is based on regression. In effect, P-splines allow the building of a “backbone” for the “mixing and matching” of a variety of additive smooth structure components, while inviting all sorts of extensions: varying-coefficient effects, signal (functional) regressors, two-dimensional surfaces, non-normal responses, quantile (expectile) modelling, among others. Strong connections with mixed models and Bayesian analysis have been established. We give an overview of many of the central developments during the first two decades of P-splines.
Interoceptive Deficits, Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury, and Suicide Attempts Among Women with Eating Disorders

People with eating disorders (EDs) have an elevated risk for both nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide compared to the general population. This study tests two theoretically derived models examining interoceptive deficits as a risk factor for NSSI, and examining interoceptive deficits, NSSI, fearlessness about death, and pain tolerance as risk factors for suicide. Ninety-six adult, treatment-seeking women with EDs completed self-report questionnaires at a single time point. Interoceptive deficits were significantly associated with NSSI, and NSSI was in turn associated with both pain tolerance and fearlessness about death. Further, pain tolerance was in turn associated with past suicide attempts, although fearlessness about death was not associated with suicide attempts. Interoceptive deficits had a direct association with fearlessness about death but not pain tolerance. Results regarding the relation between interoceptive deficits and suicide attempts were mixed, yet overall suggest that interoceptive deficits are related to suicide attempts largely indirectly, through the effects of mediating variables such as NSSI, fearlessness about death, and pain tolerance. Results suggest that interoceptive deficits and pain tolerance merit further investigation as potential risk factors for fatal and nonfatal self-harm among individuals with EDs.