Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating Students' Satisfaction with eLearning Courses: The Effect of Learning Environment and Social Presence

Student demand and budget shortages have influenced the need for land–grant institutions to offer online courses. Research has identified that online courses broaden the reach of land–grant institutions to students who may not have access to campus. Literature indicated student satisfaction in online courses should be routinely assessed in order to potentially improve online course delivery. This study was framed with the motivational needs theory and social presence theory. The purpose of this study was to measure students’ perceptions of the learning environment, social presence, and satisfaction in online courses. An electronic survey was implemented using the Tailored Design Method to collect the data. Learning environment was correlated with social presence, and learning environment and social presence were significant effects on students’ satisfaction p < . 05. Learning environment and social presence accounted for 26% of the variance in students’ satisfaction with eLearning courses. Including social media tools in eLearning courses, may assist students enhance their social presence in the respective course. Designing types of assignments that involve collaboration among students, and instituting authentic learning experiences that align with student interests, will improve students’ social presence, the learning environment and student satisfaction in eLearning courses.
Transient involvement of endothelin in hypertrophic remodeling of small arteries

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the capacity of norepinephrine (NE) to induce hypertrophic remodeling of small arteries in rats, and to determine the involvement of endothelin (ET) to initiate and maintain it. Design and results: Treatment with NE (2.5 μ g/kg per min) for 14 or 28 days produced a similar inward hypertrophic remodeling, characterized by a smaller lumen, but increased media thickness and cross-sectional area. Arterial stiffness was reduced. Histological evaluation confirmed the hypertrophic nature of remodeling. Concomitant administration of LU135252 (ET-receptor antagonist) for the first 14 days of NE administration prevented the development of hypertrophy, without altering arterial mechanics. Treatment with the same antagonist from day 14 to day 28 of NE or angiotensin II (Ang II) treatment failed to regress established vascular hypertrophy. In contrast, normalization of arterial structure was observed with prazosin, an α-adrenergic blocker. Endothelin content in small mesenteric arteries showed a transient elevation following chronic NE administration. Conclusions: Increased circulating NE levels are associated with hypertrophic remodeling of small arteries, in which ET plays an initiating role. However, the maintenance of vascular hypertrophy is ET-independent, either in the presence of augmented circulating levels of NE or Ang II. Thus, early rather than late treatment with ET-receptor antagonists may be a preferable approach to limit small artery-mediated end-organ damage in cardiovascular diseases.
The Quality of Business Ethics Journals

With growth in the quantity of business ethics journals in recent years, assessments of journal quality are helpful to ethics researchers and administrators, as researchers consider available publication venues, and administrators consider the value of faculty research. The few published evaluations of business ethics journals have predominantly utilized two methods of journal quality determination: citation analysis and surveys of active researchers. This study employs a novel method to assess business ethics journals: 83 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) business schools provided their internally developed journal lists (IDJ lists) that were used to evaluate faculty research, and the submitted lists were then analyzed for the presence and assessment of business ethics journals. This analysis yielded a ranking of 24 business-ethics-centric (BEC) journals, and this ranking reflects the collective judgments of AACSB business school faculties. The results of this study are pragmatic in that the journal evaluation data employed metrics actually used by business schools to determine the quality of business ethics journals. These findings also provide additional impetus for the recognition of business ethics as a distinct business discipline and business ethics research as a unique field of scholarly endeavor. While studies of business ethics may be influential when they are published in non-BEC journals, such studies may be more powerfully impactful when published in BEC journals.
Contributions of HRM throughout the stages of environmental management: methodological triangulation applied to companies in Brazil

The purpose of this research is to analyze the contribution of human resources management throughout the evolutionary stages of environmental management in Brazilian companies. A theoretical framework concerning environmental management and its evolution and the ‘greening’ of the functional and competitive dimensions of human resource management were developed. A methodological triangulation was developed in two complimentary phases. In the first phase, data were collected from 94 Brazilian companies with ISO 14001 certification. The data collected were analyzed and processed using statistical techniques. The conclusions of the first phase supported the second phase of this empirical research. The second phase consisted of a study of multiple cases in four Brazilian companies. The results show evidence of the first known empirical study of contributions of human resource dimensions throughout the stages of environmental management in Brazilian manufacturing companies.
Stoma complications: a literature overview

Stoma formation is a commonly performed procedure in colorectal surgery as a part of operations performed for malignant‐ and inflammatory bowel disease. Stoma formation is a simple, but not trivial, undertaking. When performed badly, it can leave the patients with a legacy of complications such as leakage, prolapse, parastomal hernia and retraction. Various studies have reported a complication rate of 21–70%. We performed a literature search using the Medline, Ovid and Google scholar database for all the articles published between January 1980 and December 2008. The search terms used were colostomy, ileostomy, stoma, parastomal hernia, stenosis, prolapse, necrosis and complications. The following article summarizes the common complications associated with stomas.
Isolation of Phyllosilicate–Iron Redox Cycling Microorganisms from an Illite–Smectite Rich Hydromorphic Soil

The biogeochemistry of phyllosilicate–Fe redox cycling was studied in a Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) dominated redoximorphic soil from Shovelers Sink, a small glacial depression near Madison, WI. The clay size fraction of Shovelers Sink soil accounts for 16% of the dry weight of the soil, yet contributes 74% of total Fe. The dominant mineral in the clay size fraction is mixed layer illite–smectite, and in contrast to many other soils and sediments, Fe(III) oxides are present in low abundance. We examined the Fe biogeochemistry of Shovelers Sink soils, estimated the abundance of Fe redox cycling microorganisms, and isolated in pure culture representative phyllosilicate–Fe oxidizing and reducing organisms. The abundance of phyllosilicate–Fe reducing and oxidizing organisms was low compared to culturable aerobic heterotrophs. Both direct isolation and dilution-to-extinction approaches using structural Fe(II) in Bancroft biotite as a Fe(II) source, and O2 as the electron acceptor, resulted in recovery of common rhizosphere organisms including Bradyrhizobium spp. and strains of Cupriavidus necator and Ralstonia solanacearum. In addition to oxidizing biotite and soluble Fe(II) with O2, each of these isolates was able to oxidize Fe(II) in reduced NAu-2 smectite with NO3- as the electron acceptor. Oxidized NAu-2 smectite or amorphous Fe(III) oxide served as electron acceptors for enrichment and isolation of Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms, resulting in recovery of a strain related to Geobacter toluenoxydans. The ability of the recovered microorganisms to cycle phyllosilicate–Fe was verified in an experiment with native Shovelers Sink clay. This study confirms that Fe in the native Shovelers Sink clay is readily available for microbial redox transformation and can be cycled by the Fe(III)-reducing and Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms recovered from the soil.
Cliometrics and Time Series Econometrics: Some Theory and Applications

The paper discusses a range of modern time series methods that have become popular in the past 20 years and considers their usefulness for cliometrics research both in theory and via a range of applications. Issues such as, spurious regression, unit roots, cointegration, persistence, causality, structural time series methods, including time varying parameter models, are introduced as are the estimation and testing implications that they involve. Applications include a discussion of the timing and potential causes of the British Industrial Revolution, income 'convergence' and the long-run behaviour of English real wages 1264-1913. Finally some new and potentially useful developments are discussed including the mildly explosive processes; graphical modelling and long memory. Copyright © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Challenges of Classroom Management to Effective Teacher Socialization: A Study of Beginning English Teachers

English language teaching in Pakistan has been experiencing a period of rapid and multiple reforms in different areas including professional socialization of English teachers. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between classroom management skill and effective socialization process of beginning English teachers during the initial four years of their service. Classroom management was identified with classroom discipline, subject matter, and teaching methods. Effective socialization has been interpreted as the criterion through which the success of the organization’s socialization programs and individuals is evaluated. The survey method was used for generating the desired data. A sample was chosen carefully from the colleges located in Punjab province and federal capital Islamabad. A detailed questionnaire comprising three main sections was used for data collection. The collected data, from 295 respondents, was examined through descriptive analysis and then computed for interpretation with linear regression analysis to test study hypothesis. The hypothesis was accepted, which assumed a significant positive relationship between effective socialization (DV) and classroom management skill (IV). Many socialization challenges were found related to beginning teachers’ classroom management and teaching skill, and workplace professional development. Finally, the study has suggested that introducing mentoring and cost-effective professional development models can improve classroom management skills. There is a need to focus on workplace learning programs with a mind-shift from traditional theoretical lectures/ workshops to real life practices. It is hoped that findings of this research would help in developing strategies for the forthcoming socialization and professional challenges in the perspective of English language teaching reforms in Pakistan.
Consumption and uncertainty: a panel analysis in Italian Regions

This work tests precautionary saving theory in Italian regions, examining the relationship between consumption growth and income uncertainty in a panel of five-year averages in the period 1981 to 2000. The analysis used two different measures for income uncertainty. The first is a naive measure given by the variance of GDP growth rates while the second is a more sophisticated one obtained by computing the conditional variance by means of the expectation of GDP growth. This expectation is obtained by using the best ARMA process for each region. The results obtained confirm the importance of the precautionary saving motive in consumption decisions.
Agrupamento de documentos eletrônicos por meio de Sintagmas Nominais

Com o desenvolvimento tecnologico a informacao passou a ter um papel fundamental em nossas vidas. A forma como a informacao e recuperada, tratada e representada passa a ter enorme importância, assim como o tempo necessario para obte-la. A classificacao das informacoes e, na maioria das vezes, feita por processos manuais que exigem muito esforco por parte de bibliotecarios e pesquisadores. A proposta deste trabalho e descrever as atividades experimentais realizadas com base nos sintagmas nominais para a analise, classificacao e agrupamento de documentos eletronicos de forma automatica. Por meio de tecnicas de agrupamento adotadas em similaridades de documentos, a pesquisa verifica os beneficios alcancados com a distribuicao dos trabalhos de cada grupo. Como parâmetro para a realizacao das buscas e proposto a utilizacao de um corpus formado por aproximadamente 12.000 resumos de estudos academicos, que serao submetidos a experimentos e analise.
The Stock Market Reaction to Investment Announcements: The Case of Individual Capital Expenditure Projects

In this paper we provide novel evidence about the market reaction to capital expenditure announcements in the UK using a sample of nearly 500 disclosures made between 1989 and 1991. First, we show that the market reaction to joint venture announcements is significantly positive, whilst similar announcements from individual companies do not elicit any response. Second, we find that the market reaction to single company investments is positively related to the size of the expenditure, but only for projects which immediately generate cash. Finally, we report that the variability in the market response to announcements which follow large cash inflows is significantly lower than the variability in investors' reactions to announcements which are not preceded by such inflows. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1999.
Examining the influence of service quality on customer satisfaction and patronage intentions in convenience store industry

This paper explores perceptions of service quality in the small retail business context. Specifically, the study applies the extant SERVQUAL models (Parasuraman et al., 1988; Dabholkar et al., 1996) in a convenience store (c-store) context. The study examines the reliability and validity of the service quality measure in a c-store context and, additionally, models the implication of perceived service quality on customer satisfaction and patronage intentions in c-store context. Additionally, this study examines which dimensions of service quality are most important in c-store context. The results suggest that perceived service quality positively influences customer satisfaction and patronage intentions in the convenience store industry. Further, availability of merchandise and courtesy are strongest determinants of patronage intentions and customer satisfaction. The study offers prescriptive and descriptive insights for c-store operators.
Early contacts between T lymphocytes and activating surfaces

Cells continually probe their environment to adapt their behaviour. A current challenge is to determine how they analyse nearby surfaces and how they process information to take decisions. We addressed this problem by monitoring human T lymphocyte attachment to surfaces coated with activating anti-CD3 or control anti-HLA antibodies. Interference reflection microscopy allowed us to monitor cell-to-surface apposition with a few nanometre vertical resolution during the first minutes following contact. We found that (i) when a cell fell on a surface, contact extension was preceded by a lag of several tens of seconds. (ii) During this lag, vertical membrane undulations seemed to generate transient contacts with underlying surfaces. (iii) After the lag period, the contact area started increasing linearly with a rate of about 1.5 µm2 s − 1 on activating surfaces and about 0.2 µm2 s − 1 on control surfaces. (iv) Concomitantly with lateral surface extension, the apparent distance between cell membranes and surfaces steadily decreased. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the cell decision to spread rapidly on activating surfaces resulted from the integration of information yielded by transient contacts with these surfaces generated by membrane undulations during a period of about 1 min.
Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SqCC) of the Breast

Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) of the breast is a rare tumor that presents a unique biologic behavior. Thus, it challenges the justification for routine axillary dissection and adjuvant therapy. A MEDLINE search of all reported cases of primary SqCC of the breast was performed. Data on lymph node status, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status, and surgical and adjuvant treatment modalities were collected. We add three cases from our own experience. SqCC has several unique biologic characteristics; it is associated with a lower rate of lymph node metastasis at presentation (22% vs. 40–60% for infiltrating ductal carcinoma [IDC]) and a significant rate of distant metastasis without lymph node involvement. ER and PR receptor levels are usually very low. Because lymph node involvement plays a lesser prognostic and therapeutic role in this disease, we propose a more selective approach (i.e., sentinel node biopsy). The issue of adjuvant treatment remains unresolved, owing to lack of data. Surgical and medical treatment of SqCC of the breast should be tailored to fit its distinct biologic characteristics. The 5-fluorouracil–doxorubicin–cisplatin combination may be warranted in lieu of the combinations used for IDC.
Vaccine against Human Hepatitis B Virus Prepared from Antigen Derived from Human Hepatoma Cells in Culture

Abstract Vaccine against human hepatitis B was prepared using antigen derived from hepatitis B carrier hepatoma cells grown in the interstices of a Diaflo hollow filter unit. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) produced by these cells was purified by immune affinity chromatography, digestion with DNase and pepsin, and Sephadex G-150 separation. The Formalin-treated antigen was formulated in 20-μg dose on alum adjuvant with thimerosal added as a preservative. This cell culture vaccine was as potent as human plasma-derived vaccine as measured in a mouse potency assay. The vaccine proved safe in tests in chimpanzees and in human subjects who were in late stages of cancer of the central nervous system and who were receiving therapy for their condition. None of five subjects who received the vaccine developed untoward clinical reactions. Two of the subjects who received all three doses of vaccine developed antibody against HBsAg. Three persons, two given only the primary doses and one who was given all three doses but was lost to follow-up, demonstrated no response. The slow and relatively low antibody responses to the vaccine were similar to those in other immunosuppressed persons who were given vaccine of human plasma origin.
Public Choice and Economic Aid

A major development in the analysis of government economic policies in the developed countries has been the rise of the public choice school. The essence of this approach is the application of the same basic assumptions that are used in the study of consumers and producers to political decision makers. In the public choice approach, decision makers in the public sector are assumed to be trying to maximize their personal benefits similarly to consumers and firms. Imputing utility maximizing behavior to public sector decision makers does not automatically lead to the conclusion that they will not act in the general interest; rather, whether they do or not becomes a question of the system of rewards and constraints they face. As Adam Smith demonstrated for firms, self-interested parties will act in the general interest if properly constrained and rewarded. However, the public choice approach does imply that public sector decision makers will act in the general interest only if the constraints and incentives on their behavior make serving the general interest also in their interest. It would appear that development economics, which is highly concerned with government policies, could benefit from the application of the public choice perspective. This article attempts to do this with respect to the effectiveness of economic aid in promoting economic growth. There is an extensive literature that discusses theoretically the effectiveness of aid and a more modest literature that attempts to estimate empirically the impact of aid on growth. The literature was recently surveyed by R. Riddell. ' He surveys the views of the major proponents and critics of aid. Marxist critics of aid reject the market and the notion of a neutral state pursuing the general interest. There seem to be no studies of aid that adopt the public choice approach, which both accepts the efficiencies of the market as an instrument for economic growth and also assumes government officials are utility
The Performance of Characteristics-Based Indices

This paper analyses a set of characteristics-based indices that, it has been argued, outperform market cap-weighted indices. We analyse the performance of an exhaustive list of these indices and show that i) the outperformance over value-weighted indices may be negative over long time periods, and ii) there is no significant outperformance over equal-weighted indices. An analysis of the style and sector exposures of characteristics-based indices reveals a significant value tilt. When this tilt is properly adjusted for, the abnormal returns of these indices decrease considerably. Moreover, it is straightforward to construct portfolios with higher Sharpe ratios than characteristics-based indices through factor or sector tilts.
Adiponectin and leptin concentrations may aid in discriminating disease forms in children and adolescents with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE The incidence of pediatric type 2 diabetes has recently seen an alarming increase. To improve our understanding of pediatric type 2 diabetes and identify markers that discriminate these subjects from those with type 1 diabetes, we performed a multivariant analysis associating serum adiponectin and leptin levels with anthropometrical parameters and disease state. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Samples from children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (n = 41) and type 2 diabetes (n = 17) and from nondiabetic individuals of similar age from the general population (n = 43) were investigated. An analysis included the parameters of matching for BMI and Tanner stage. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves were established to assess these analytes' association with disease. RESULTS Contrary to studies of adult type 1 diabetes, adiponectin levels in our pediatric type 1 diabetic subjects (10.2 microg/ml [95% CI 8.6-11.7]) did not differ from those of healthy control subjects (10.6 microg/ml [9.2-12.0]; P = NS). Children with type 2 diabetes (5.5 microg/ml [4.8-6.2]) had significantly lower adiponectin levels than both of those groups. Conversely, type 2 diabetic subjects showed marked elevations in serum leptin concentrations (24.3 ng/ml [17.1-31.5]) compared with healthy control subjects (2.7 ng/ml [1.3-4.1]; P < 0.001) and type 1 diabetic subjects (5.1 ng/ml [3.5-6.7]; P < 0.001). Importantly, each of the properties ascribed to pediatric type 2 diabetes was present when the comparison was restricted to healthy children or type 1 diabetic patients whose BMI was >85th percentile or who had Tanner stage 4 and 5. The evaluation of adiponectin-to-leptin ratios revealed a striking difference between children with type 1 diabetes (6.3 [3.8-8.8]) and type 2 diabetes (0.3 [0.2-0.5]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In pediatric diabetes, where diagnosis of disease is often difficult, these studies suggest that the adiponectin-to-leptin ratio may provide additional help in the discrimination between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.