Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of classroom autonomy, staff collegiality, and administrative support on teachers' job satisfaction

Title of Document: THE EFFECTS OF CLASSROOM AUTONOMY, STAFF COLLEGIALITY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ON TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION Austin Lasseter, Philosophiae Doctor, 2013 Directed by: Professor Jennifer King Rice Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership The purpose of my dissertation was to determine which job-related factors are most likely to explain teachers’ sense of satisfaction with their current job. Based on previous research (Fairchild et al., 2012; Lee, Dedrick, & Smith, 1991; Perie & Baker, 1997), I hypothesized that teachers’ perceptions of classroom autonomy, staff collegiality, and administrative support would have a greater impact on teachers’ job satisfaction than demographic characteristics of either teachers or schools. My study used a dataset of 19,130 teachers in 2,420 schools drawn from the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). The study employed a two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) technique. I modeled the key constructs at both the individual and collective levels by conceptualizing autonomy, collegiality, and support as individual teachers’ perceptions and as the average of all teachers’ perceptions in the school. My dissertation found that individual teachers’ perceptions of classroom autonomy, staff collegiality, and administrative support had a greater impact on teachers’ job satisfaction than demographic characteristics of schools and teachers. In addition, my study found that schoolwide perceptions of classroom autonomy, staff collegiality, and administrative support had a significant effect on teachers’ job satisfaction over and above the effects of individual teachers’ perceptions. The study found significant negative effects on job satisfaction for teachers working in Catholic schools and for teachers working in schools where poverty was perceived to be a school-wide problem. Based on my findings, I recommend that policy makers who are concerned about addressing low levels of job satisfaction among teachers should begin by improving factors related to classroom autonomy, staff collegiality, and administrative support, since these are likely to have a meaningful impact. I also recommend that future research should employ a narrow definition of the outcome focusing on teachers’ satisfaction with their job rather than their satisfaction with teaching in general. THE EFFECTS OF CLASSROOM AUTONOMY, STAFF COLLEGIALITY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ON TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION
Measuring the angular emission of optical vortex beams from integrated devices

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) represents an additional degree of freedom of a light beam, to be added to the standard ones (e.g. polarization, wavelength) [1-2]. Previously, we have demonstrated an integrated device for OAM generation, in which the Whispering Gallery mode (WGM) of the micro-ring resonator to a propagating OAM mode by using an angular grating embedded within the resonator structure [3]. This integrated approach allows compact device footprint and OAM mode order selectivity with injection wavelength, which is highly desirable for telecommunications systems. To bring OAM closer to actual system implementations, several groups around the world are working on the development of optical fibres for propagation of multiplexed OAM modes. In order to achieve efficient coupling between OAM beams and OAM fibres, it is important to obtain the information of the divergence angle of the OAM beams which should be compatible with the N.A. of the fibres. In this work, we use Fourier image inspection [4] of the emission of the device to analyse the divergence angles of the OAM beams, as shown in Fig.1.
Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery: the Middle East experience.

BACKGROUND The application of uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for both minor and major thoracic procedures is gaining widespread use across the globe. Believing its advantages, both in superb surgical results and less morbidity, our center has the privilege to be one of the first centers in the Middle East to introduce this surgical technique into our standard practice. This study presents our initial experience using this technique in 192 procedures and demonstrates the results of postoperative pain level in a sample of 90 patients. METHODS In a retrospective study of prospectively collected data, 192 uniportal VATS procedures were analyzed between November 2013 and June 2016. The level of early post-operative pain (postoperative days 1-4) was analyzed in the first 90 cases between November 2013 and March 2015. Uniportal technique was used for a wide array of procedures: blebectomies, pleurectomies, wedge resections, anatomical major lung resections, mediastinal tumors, empyema drainage and decortications. RESULTS The mean age of patients was 49.6 years, and 72 patients were females (37%). Thirty-five (18.2%) patients underwent anatomical resections with conversion to thoracotomy in three patients (8%). Six (3%) patients had air leak >4 days. The average chest drain duration was 3.25 days. The average length of stay was 4.2 days. Postoperative pain level was low in the first 4 days following the surgery and 30 days mortality was 0%. CONCLUSIONS Uniportal VATS surgery is a safe and established technique with a minimal invasive thoracic surgery. Excellent results with minimal morbidity, short hospital stay and low postoperative pain are amongst its strong points. Thoracic surgeons experienced in thoracic surgical approaches can safely perform uniportal VATS.
Dual routes to cognitive flexibility: learning and response-conflict resolution in the dimensional change card sort task.

Cognitive control, the ability to align our actions with goals or context, is largely absent in children under four. How then are preschoolers able to tailor their behavior to best match the situation? Learning may provide an alternative route to context-sensitive responding. This study investigated this hypothesis in the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), a classic test of cognitive control that most under-fours fail. A training intervention based on learning theoretic principles proved highly effective: Three-year-olds who learned about DCCS rules and game contexts in a card-labeling task, subsequently transferred this knowledge to sorting in the DCCS, passing at more than 3 times the rate of controls (N = 47). This surprising finding reveals much about the nature of the developing mind.
Surface-Active Agents from Two Bacillus Species

Two Bacillus species were studied which produced bioemulsifiers; however, they were distinctly different compounds. Bacillus sp. strain IAF 343 produced unusually high yields of extracellular biosurfactant when grown on a medium containing only water-soluble substrates. The yield of 1 g/liter was appreciably better than those of most of the biosurfactants reported previously. This neutral lipid product, unlike most lipid biosurfactants, had significant emulsifying properties. It did not appreciably lower the surface tension of water. On the same medium, Bacillus cereus IAF 346 produced a more conventional polysaccharide bioemulsifier, but it also produced a monoglyceride biosurfactant. The bioemulsifier contained substantial amounts of glucosamine and originated as part of the capsule layer. The monoglyceride lowered the surface tension of water to 28 mN/m. It formed a strong association with the polysaccharide, and it was necessary to use ultrafiltration to effect complete separation. The removal of the monoglyceride caused the polysaccharide to precipitate. It is suggested that earlier reports of biopolymers which both stabilized emulsions and lowered surface tension were actually similar aggregates of lipid and bioemulsifier.
Antibacterial And Antifungal Effect Of Some Natural Extracts And Their Potential Use As Photosensitizers

One of the threats on the health sector is the appearance of multi antibiotic resistant microorganisms. Thus, this occurs because of using natural and synthetic antimicrobial agents in excessive doses. Now, many scientists all around the world are performing research on natural extracts that have antimicrobial activity using photodynamic therapy (PDT) which involves light activation. The aim of this study, however, is to evaluate the effect of photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy using extracts from Pomegranate (Punica granatum), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), and Nigella or black cumin oil (Nigella sativa) against two gram-positive and two gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) respectively; and three different fungi (Aspergillus niger, Mucor sp., and Rhizopus sp.), using agar well diffusion method. The prepared methanolic extracts presented absorption between 300 and –900 nm wavelengths. The maximum activity of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) was against Staphylococcus aureus in total darkness with 52.5 ± 2.5 mm inhibition zone diameter. Also, the most sensitive fungi was Mucor sp. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) extract was with 31.0 ± 1.0 mm inhibition zone diameters. The results showed that there was an inhibitory effect of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) extracts against most of the tested species.
Hepatitis C Viremia Increases the Association With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Hepatitis B and C Endemic Area: An Epidemiological Link With Virological Implication

OBJECTIVES:There is growing evidence with regard to the association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the mutual link and related virological implication have not been fully clarified. The impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on the epidemiological link remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the link between T2DM and viral hepatitis infections, especially HCV infection. It also aimed to analyze the associated virological characteristics and implication.METHODS:Cross-sectional analysis of a computer-sampling survey among 10,975 participants (aged 40–65 yr) was performed in an area endemic for HBV and HCV infections in Taiwan. Outcome measures included prevalence of T2DM among different groups of viral hepatitis infection, and comparison of related biochemical and virological profiles.RESULTS:Of 10,975 participants studied, 9,932 eligible participants were analyzed. The prevalence of T2DM, seropositivity for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and HCV antibodies (anti-HCV), and HCV viremia was 12.5%, 13.1%, 6.5%, and 4.8%, respectively. Prevalence of HCV viremia showed significant difference between T2DM and non-T2DM subjects (6.9% vs 4.5%, P < 0.001), whereas anti-HCV seropositivity showed borderline significance (7.8% vs 6.3%, P = 0.047). There was no HCV genotype-specific difference between HCV genotype 1 and 2 in the association with T2DM. On the other side, the prevalence of HBsAg (+) did not differ between T2DM and non-T2DM subjects (12.5% vs 13.9%, P = 0.19). The prevalence of T2DM among HCV viremic subjects (18.0%, 86/478) was significantly higher than HBsAg (+) subjects (11.4%, 155/1,363, P = 0.001) and those negative for both viral hepatitis markers (12.5%, 997/8,004, P = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that HCV viremia was the leading significant factor associated with T2DM, followed by male gender, hypertension, body mass index, and age.CONCLUSIONS:HBV infection did not increase the association with T2DM. A significant mutual link between T2DM and HCV viremia existed in this HBV/HCV endemic area. There was no HCV genotype-specific difference between HCV genotype 1 and 2 in the association with T2DM.
Young adult drug use and delinquency: childhood antecedents and adolescent mediators.

OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were (1) to examine the childhood, early adolescent, and late adolescent predictors of young adult drug use and delinquency; and (2) to explore the effects of drug use on delinquent behavior. METHOD Data were gathered during the course of a 20-year longitudinal study of children representative of the Northeast. Data were gathered on childhood aggression, early and late adolescent drug use and delinquency, and young adult drug use and delinquency. RESULTS Overall, the results were consistent with our proposed model. Childhood aggression had an adverse effect on young adult drug use and female deviant behavior. Drug use and delinquency during early and late adolescence served as the mediator between childhood aggression and young adult drug use. Moreover, adolescent drug use was associated with later delinquency. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicated that childhood aggression was related to both young adult drug use and delinquency. Second, there was stability of drug use and delinquency between early adolescence and young adulthood. Third, drug use during early adolescence had an impact on delinquency not only in early adolescence, but also in late adolescence and young adulthood.
Now one is Russian, now one is not: Ethnic attitudes and categorization effects in the Russian Federation.

We studied implicit and explicit ethnic attitudes and ethnic evaluations in Russia, where ethnic prejudice and violence are on the rise. Undergraduate sociology students (N = 54) judged 100 faces, varying in facial physiognomy (Eurocentric to Afrocentric) and skin tone (light to dark), and completed implicit and explicit ethnic attitude measures. Participants used skin tone when evaluating faces as Russian or non-Russian, and relied on facial physiognomy for finer distinctions among lighter faces. Implicit ethnic attitudes moderated the effects of skin tone and facial physiognomy on ethnic typicality judgments. Explicit and implicit attitudes were very pro-Russian with negative explicit attitudes expressed towards some ethnic groups. Implicit and explicit attitudes towards non-Russian groups were largely independent. This research has important implications for contemporary ethnic relationships in Russia, where being categorized as “non-Russian” has serious life-threatening consequences. It also has implications for models of social categorization: It addresses how variability in two dimensions (skin tone and facial physiognomy) and pre-existing implicit attitudes affect ethnic categorization judgments.
Levels of Blood Glucose in Animals Try Wistar White Mix (Rattus Norvegicus) Dined by Green Beans of Sari Bean Packaging

Functional food is food that is naturally or through a process that is beneficial to health. One functional food is a green bean juice packaging beverage that can reduce blood glucose levels. High fiber content, low glycemic index and flavonoids, and polyphenols in green beans (Phaseolus radiatus L) can reduce glucose levels in the blood. This study used experimental animals 7 tails. All experimental animals were given packaged mung bean juice 2 times a day for 9 days by means of a round. The mean results of an examination of blood glucose levels in white rat experimental animals before giving packaged green bean juice drinks was 85 mg dl, while the average results of an examination of blood glucose levels in experimental rats after administration of packaged green bean juice were 75 mg/dl. The results of the Paired T-test statistical test obtained p = 0,000 <α = 0.05. Packaged green bean juice can reduce blood glucose levels in animals testing white rats.
CA549 and TPS Patterns in the Diagnosis and Staging of Patients with Breast Carcinoma

This study compares the clinical value of the breast cancer tumour markers CA549 and TPS, and their tandem use when one or both markers indicate abnormality. For 144 patients presenting with active disease, 33 were classified as Stage I, 37 as Stage II, 40 as Stage III and 34 as Stage TV. For these patients the sensitivity of CA549 using a cut-off of 10 U/ml was 27%, 32%, 42% and 79%, respectively. The sensitivity of TPS for each stage using a cut-off of 100 U/l was 12%, 22%, 28% and 73%, respectively. At these cut-off levels, 36%, 46%, 63% and 91% of patients, respectively, have either CA549 or TPS or both markers raised. For 161 patients with diagnosed benign breast disease, the specificity of marker levels was 96% for CA549, 88% for TPS and 84% for tandem use. CA549 is shown to be superior to TPS and this was confirmed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis using variable threshold levels, with the areas under the curves for all stages combined being 0.74 ± 0.03 (1SD) and 0.66 ± 0.03, respectively. The corresponding area under the curve for tandem use (0.75 ± 0.03) is marginally greater than for either individual marker, although the difference with respect to CA549 is statistically insignificant.
Inhibitors of the Influenza A Virus M2 Proton Channel Discovered Using a High-Throughput Yeast Growth Restoration Assay

The M2 proton channel of the influenza A virus is the target of the anti-influenza drugs amantadine and rimantadine. The effectiveness of these drugs has been dramatically limited by the rapid spread of drug resistant mutations, mainly at sites S31N, V27A and L26F in the pore of the channel. Despite progress in designing inhibitors of V27A and L26F M2, there are currently no drugs targeting these mutated channels in clinical trials. Progress in developing new drugs has been hampered by the lack of a robust assay with sufficient throughput for discovery of new active chemotypes among chemical libraries and sufficient sensitivity to provide the SAR data essential for their improvement and development as drugs. In this study we adapted a yeast growth restoration assay, in which expression of the M2 channel inhibits yeast growth and exposure to an M2 channel inhibitor restores growth, into a robust and sensitive high-throughput screen for M2 channel inhibitors. A screen of over 250,000 pure chemicals and semi-purified fractions from natural extracts identified 21 active compounds comprising amantadine, rimantadine, 13 related adamantanes and 6 non-adamantanes. Of the non-adamantanes, hexamethylene amiloride and a triazine derivative represented new M2 inhibitory chemotypes that also showed antiviral activity in a plaque reduction assay. Of particular interest is the fact that the triazine derivative was not sufficiently potent for detection as an inhibitor in the traditional two electrode voltage clamp assay for M2 channel activity, but its discovery in the yeast assay led to testing of analogues of which one was as potent as amantadine.
Trends in regional anaesthesia for caesarean section in a Nigerian tertiary health centre.

BACKGROUND Most caesarean sections were previously performed under general anaesthesia but there has been an increasing trend worldwide in the use of regional anaesthesia as the preferred method of anaesthesia for caesarean delivery. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the trend of practice of regional anaesthesia for caesarean section in a tertiary hospital in South-western part of Nigeria. METHODS The obstetric operating room records at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria were reviewed for a twenty-year period: January 1986 to December 2005. The anaesthetic techniques for caesarean section and the level of training of the attending anaesthetist were noted. RESULTS A total of 1,785 patients were delivered by caesarean section during the twenty-year period . Most patients [1578(88.4%)] had caesarean section under general anaesthesia while 207(11.6%) had regional anaesthesia. Subarachnoid block accounted for 89(5%) of the patients and 118(6.6%) had the caesarean section under epidural block. One hundred and ten (21.5%) of the regional techniques were in the first quarter of the 20-year period. This figure fell to eight (2%) in the second quarter; zero in the third quarter and rose to 82(13.7%) in the last quarter demonstrating an increasing trend of regional technique for caesarean section. Majority of the epidural blocks were conducted by nurse-anaesthetists while the subarachnoid blocks were administered by anaesthetists. CONCLUSION There is an overall low practice or usage of regional anaesthetic for caesarean section. A trend towards increasing administration of regional technique for caesarean section is demonstrated. A dedicated period for hand on the job workshop in regional blocks may enhance early and prompt acquisition of relevant skills in regional anaesthesia for caesarean delivery.
A comparison between track-structure, condensed-history Monte Carlo simulations and MIRD cellular S-values

The S-value is a standard measure in cellular dosimetry. S-values are calculated by applying analytical methods or by Monte Carlo simulation. In Monte Carlo simulation, particles are either tracked individually event-by-event or close events are condensed and processed collectively in different steps. Both of these methods have been employed for estimation of cellular S-values, but there is no consistency between the published results. In the present paper, we used the Geant4-DNA track-structure physics model as the reference to estimate the cellular S-values. We compared the results with the corresponding values obtained from the following three condensed-history physics models of Geant4: Penelope, Livermore and standard. The geometry and source were exactly the same in all the simulations. We utilized mono-energetic electrons with an initial kinetic energy in the range 1–700 keV as the source of radiation. We also compared our results with the MIRD S-values. We first drew an overall comparison between different data series and then compared the dependence of results on the energy of particles and the size of scoring compartments. The overall comparison indicated a very good linear correlation (R2 > 91%) and small bias (3%) between the results of the track-structure model and the condensed-history physics model. The bias between MIRD and the results of Monte Carlo track-structure simulation was considerable (−8%). However, the point-by-point comparison revealed differences of up to 28% between the condensed-history and the track-structure MC codes for self-absorption S-values in the 10–50 keV energy range. For the cross-absorption S-values, the difference was up to 34%. In this energy range, the difference between the MIRD S-values and the Geant4-DNA results was up to 68%. Our findings suggest that the consistency/inconsistency of the results obtained with different MC simulations depends on the size of the scoring volumes, the energy of the particles, the step-size in electron tracking and the energy cutoff used in the MC codes.
Time-evolution phenomena of electrical tree partial discharges in Magnesia, Silica and Alumina epoxy nanocomposites

Resistance to electrical tree-induced degradation is one of the common ways of characterising solid dielectrics. This paper presents experimentally obtained distinct time-evolution patterns of electrical tree partial discharges (PDs) in epoxy nanocomposites of Magnesia, Silica and Alumina. Plots of the electrical tree PD magnitudes recorded every second from inception to complete failure show that the PD magnitudes in the nanodielectric epoxy are generally smaller than in neat epoxy. Furthermore the PD magnitudes and phase-resolved-patterns (PDPRP) in the nanodielectric epoxy evolve through distinct classes as the trees propagate to complete failure. The experimental findings confirm existing knowledge and give new insights into the understanding of electrical treeing phenomena in nanodielectrics.