Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promoting Student Empowerment through Autonomy Supportive Practices: Examining the Influence of Professional Development for Primary Grade Teachers

Adult practices and school systems disempower students when they stifle student voice and choice and focus on punishment rather than restorative practices. When teachers use autonomy supports in their classrooms, they promote student empowerment. The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice (DIP) was to create, implement and assess professional development (PD) designed to positively influence teachers’ orientations toward supporting student autonomy. This dissertation presents a quasi-experimental study utilizing an experimental and comparison group of teachers from two different elementary schools. Both groups participated in PD. PD was designed for the experimental group to study student empowerment through autonomy supports and restorative practices. Teachers in the comparison group participated in sessions centered on positive behavior supports. The Problems in Schools (PIS) questionnaire was administered as a pre-and postPD survey, and was also used as a follow-up survey six months later for the experimental group. Qualitative data were collected from the experimental group through open-ended questions embedded in the postand follow-up surveys. Quantitative analysis indicated that after teachers participated in the empowerment PD, their support of controlling behaviors decreased but their endorsements of autonomy supports did not increase. This could be due to the prior work the experimental school had done with character education, autonomy, belonging, and competence. Qualitative analysis indicated that teachers described themselves as responding to the experimental PD by implementing more opportunities for student voice and choice and offering more restorative responses to student misbehaviors.
A facile, versatile approach to hydroxyl-anchored metal oxides with high Cr(VI) adsorption performance in water treatment

In this study, a facile and versatile urea-assisted approach was proposed to synthesize Chinese rose-like NiO, pinecone-like ZnO and sponge-like CoO adsorbents. The presence of urea during syntheses endowed these adsorbents with high concentration of surface hydroxyl groups, which was estimated as 1.83, 1.32 and 4.19 mmol [OH−] g−1 for NiO, ZnO and CoO adsorbents, respectively. These surface hydroxyl groups would facilitate the adsorption of Cr(vi) species (e.g. HCrO4−, Cr2O72− and CrO42−) from wastewater by exchanging with hydroxyl protons or hydroxide ions, and hence result in extremely high maximum adsorbed amounts of Cr(vi), being 2974, 14 256 and 408 mg g−1 for NiO, ZnO and CoO adsorbents in the pH range of 5.02–5.66 at 298 K, respectively. More strikingly, the maximum adsorbed amounts of Cr(vi) would be greatly enhanced as the adsorbing temperature is increased, and even amount to 23 411 mg g−1 for ZnO adsorbents at 323 K. Based on the kinetics and equilibrium studies of adsorptive removal of Cr(vi) from wastewater, our synthetic route will greatly improve the adsorptivity of the as-synthesized metal-oxide adsorbents, and hence it will shed new light on the development of high-performance adsorbents.
Dairy Consumption and Risk of Stroke: A Systematic Review and Updated Dose–Response Meta‐Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

Background A higher milk consumption may be associated with a lower stroke risk. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review and dose–response meta‐analysis of milk and other dairy products in relation to stroke risk. Methods and Results Through a systematic literature search, prospective cohort studies of dairy foods and incident stroke in stroke‐free adults were identified. Random‐effects meta‐analyses with summarized dose–response data were performed, taking into account sources of heterogeneity, and spline models were used to systematically investigate nonlinearity of the associations. We included 18 studies with 8 to 26 years of follow‐up that included 762 414 individuals and 29 943 stroke events. An increment of 200 g of daily milk intake was associated with a 7% lower risk of stroke (relative risk 0.93; 95% CI 0.88–0.98; P=0.004; I2=86%). Relative risks were 0.82 (95% CI 0.75–0.90) in East Asian and 0.98 (95% CI 0.95–1.01) in Western countries (median intakes 38 and 266 g/day, respectively) with less but still considerable heterogeneity within the continents. Cheese intake was marginally inversely associated with stroke risk (relative risk 0.97; 95% CI 0.94–1.01 per 40 g/day). Risk reductions were maximal around 125 g/day for milk and from 25 g/day onwards for cheese. Based on a limited number of studies, high‐fat milk was directly associated with stroke risk. No associations were found for yogurt, butter, or total dairy. Conclusions Milk and cheese consumption were inversely associated with stroke risk. Results should be placed in the context of the observed heterogeneity. Future epidemiological studies should provide more details about dairy types, including fat content. In addition, the role of dairy in Asian populations deserves further attention.
Carriage of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Cohort of Infants in Southern Israel: Risk Factors and Molecular Features

ABSTRACT There are few data about the epidemiology of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) among children in Israel. This study was intended to identify risk factors for CA-MRSA colonization in healthy infants, to characterize the molecular features of colonizing organisms, and to determine whether they are responsible for health care-associated (HA) infections. Nasal cultures and demographic details were collected from a cohort of healthy infants at 5 visits between the ages of 2 and 12 months. Clinical characteristics of pediatric MRSA bloodstream infections (2001 to 2006) and wound cultures collected over 6 months were also studied. Clonal structure was evaluated by multilocus sequence typing. Isolates were studied for the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type and for the presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes. MRSA was cultured at least once from 45 of 659 infants (346 Jewish and 313 Bedouin infants). Forty of 45 (89%) isolates were from Bedouin infants. Twenty-nine of 45 (64.4%) belonged to a new clonal complex, designated CC913, that carries SCCmec IV but not the PVL genes. CC913 was also isolated from 9/14 blood cultures and 7/8 wounds. All CC913 infections occurred in Bedouin children, and all but two were HA. In conclusion, Bedouin origin was the main risk factor for carriage of CA-MRSA. CC913 was dominant both in healthy carriers and as a cause of pediatric HA-MRSA bloodstream infections.
Information and credit cycles : Causes and consequences of financial instability

This thesis consists of an introductory chapter and three self-contained essays that apply insights from the microeconomic theory of corporate finance in a macroeconomic setting in order to explain and understand various market failures that were at the roots of the global financial crisis of 2007–2009. In particular, I study various forms of incomplete information in the credit market, and their implications on financial stability and on business cycles in the aggregate economy. I also seek to understand how monetary and macroprudential policies can be used to maintain financial stability, and how these two policies interact. In the first essay, I set up and analyse a New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model where the financing of investments is affected by a double moral hazard problem. I then solve for jointly Ramseyoptimal monetary and macroprudential policies. In the main contribution of this essay, I find that the optimal policy can achieve an efficient allocation if the social planner can conduct both monetary and macroprudential policy. Using monetary policy alone is not enough: in this case a short-run policy trade-off between stabilising inflation and output gap arises. The second contribution is a systematic assessment of the performance of simple policy rules in comparison with the optimal policy. When policy follows simple rules instead of the Ramsey-optimal policy, the source of fluctuations is relevant for the choice of the appropriate policy mix. I find that following a monetary policy rule that reacts to asset prices performs well in stabilising cyclical fluctuations. A separate macroprudential policy rule, in the form of countercyclical bank capital regulation, is useful in counteracting shocks that arise from the financial sector itself. However, it can be counterproductive in mitigating the impacts of shocks that arise from the real sector but affect the financial sector. In the second essay, I study the link between house prices, lending standards, and aggregate over-investment in housing. I develop an overlapping ge-
Tyrosine phosphorylation of glycoproteins in the adult and developing rat brain

The tyrosine phosphorylation of glycoproteins in the adult and developing rat brain was investigated. Immunoblotting with anti‐tyr(P) antibodies identified a glycoprotein with an apparent Mr of 180,000 (GP180) as the major tyrosine‐phosphorylated protein in the concanavalin A (con A)‐binding fraction prepared from forebrain homogenates. This glycoprotein had the same electrophoretic mobility as the postysynaptic density (PSD)‐associated glycoprotein PSD‐GP180. Tyrosine‐phosphorylated GP180 was enriched 24‐fold in isolated PSDs relative tohomogenates. Digestion with endoglycosidase F/N‐glycosidase F demonstrated that GP180 present in total homogenates and PSD‐GP180 present in total homogenates and PSD‐GP180 present in isolated PSDs contained similar amounts of N‐linked oligosaccharide suggesting that they are the same glycoprotein. The tyrosine phosphorylation of GP180 in homogenates varied between brain regions with the highest levels occurring in cortical areas and the amygdala and low or undetectable amounts being present in hindbrain regions. Incubation of homogenates with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) resulted in the tyrosine phosphorylation of GP180 in all regions examined except the cerebellum and identified a second con A‐binding glycoprotein, GP110, which was phosphorylated on tyrosine. GP180 was not phosphorylated on tyrosine following the incubation of cerebellar homogenate, synaptic membranes, or PSDs with ATP. Tyr(P)‐GP180 was not detected prior to the onset of synaptogenesis, increased in parallel with the formation of synapses during the first 4 weeks of postnatal development of the frontal cortex and hippocampus, and then decreased 50–60% to adult levels. The results suggest that GP180 corresponds to the PSD glycoprotein PSD‐GP180 and are consistent with a role for this glycoprotein in synaptic development and signal transduction at the synapse. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association of Rhizobium Strains with Roots of Trifolium repens

Two techniques were used to assess the binding of rhizobia to clover roots: indirect counting after radiolabeling the bacteria and direct counting by using phase-contrast microscopy. Microscopic observations revealed a large variability in the number of bacteria associated with individual root hairs. This variability made unbiased counting by microscopy difficult. Systematic examination of all visible root hairs and “blind” counting of coded strains and treatments were adopted to minimize observer bias. The validity of the radiolabeling method was also examined in some detail. The reproducibility of results from this method was satisfactory. However, drawbacks of this method included its lack of sensitivity and its failure to distinguish between bacteria attached to mature root hairs, emerging root hairs, and undifferentiated epidermal cells. The method also failed to distinguish between individual bacteria and any aggregates that may be present. The ability of a number of chosen mutant strains of Rhizobium trifolii and their corresponding parent strains, as well as a number of nonhomologous strains, to bind to clover roots was assessed by using both of these methods. Our results gave no indication of specificity of R. trifolii binding to clover roots. 2-Deoxy-d-glucose did not appear to have a major inhibitory effect on the attachment of rhizobia to the host root, which suggests that lectin cross-bridging is not an obligatory step in the initiation of infection even though it may occur under some conditions. The presence or absence of the symbiotic plasmid was not correlated with bacterial adherence to the host plant root. Since host specificity functions are carried on this plasmid, our results suggest that binding of rhizobia to the legume root is not the basis of host specificity.
Structural Basis for Promutagenicity of 8-Halogenated Guanine*

Background: 8-Halogenated guanine is a promutagenic lesion that promotes insertion of guanine opposite the lesion during DNA replication. Results: 8-Bromoguanine forms Hoogsteen base pairing with G and Watson-Crick base pairing with C in the active site of polβ. Conclusion: 8-Bromoguanine is well accommodated in the nascent base pair binding pocket of polβ. Significance: Our structural studies provide insights into potential G to C mutations. 8-Halogenated guanine (haloG), a major DNA adduct formed by reactive halogen species during inflammation, is a promutagenic lesion that promotes misincorporation of G opposite the lesion by various DNA polymerases. Currently, the structural basis for such misincorporation is unknown. To gain insights into the mechanism of misincorporation across haloG by polymerase, we determined seven x-ray structures of human DNA polymerase β (polβ) bound to DNA bearing 8-bromoguanine (BrG). We determined two pre-catalytic ternary complex structures of polβ with an incoming nonhydrolyzable dGTP or dCTP analog paired with templating BrG. We also determined five binary complex structures of polβ in complex with DNA containing BrG·C/T at post-insertion and post-extension sites. In the BrG·dGTP ternary structure, BrG adopts syn conformation and forms Hoogsteen base pairing with the incoming dGTP analog. In the BrG·dCTP ternary structure, BrG adopts anti conformation and forms Watson-Crick base pairing with the incoming dCTP analog. In addition, our polβ binary post-extension structures show Hoogsteen BrG·G base pair and Watson-Crick BrG·C base pair. Taken together, the first structures of haloG-containing DNA bound to a protein indicate that both BrG·G and BrG·C base pairs are accommodated in the active site of polβ. Our structures suggest that Hoogsteen-type base pairing between G and C8-modified G could be accommodated in the active site of a DNA polymerase, promoting G to C mutation.
A Pharmacokinetic Model of the Intracellular Dosimetry of Inhaled Nickel

The potential associations between exposure to nickel compounds and cancer have been evaluated in both animal and epidemiological studies of occupationally exposed workers. The results of the epidemiological studies suggest that not all nickel compounds are equally carcinogenic, an observation supported by the animal bioassay results. Given the complexity and the differences in the modes of uptake of different forms of nickel by cells and the subsequent delivery of nickel to the nucleus, it would be expected that some forms of nickel would be more potent than others. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model would be useful in estimating the cellular exposure to nickel resulting from inhalation of the different forms of nickel. To this end, a preliminary model of a tracheobronchial epithelial cell was developed to describe the differences in the extracellular and intracellular kinetics of the different classes of nickel compounds. Data available in the published literature were used to define the initial model parameters. The resulting cellular dosimetry model was able to describe kinetic data on three forms of nickel (soluble chloride and insoluble sulfide and subsulfide). This preliminary model development effort has identified critical data gaps that could be filled by additional research. The ultimate goal will be to integrate a refined cellular dosimetry model with published lung deposition/clearance and systemic distribution/clearance models for nickel. The use of such an integrated PBPK model would allow for more biologically based risk estimates for the inhalation of the different nickel compounds, as well as mixtures of these compounds.
Discharge against Medical Advice

An audit of surgical patients who requested discharge against medical advice over a 5 year period (July 1996–July 2001) at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital showed that 78 patients (66 males and 12 females) were involved. The age range was 3 days to 85 years (mean 37.86 years). The 21–40 age group was the most involved. Trauma in general accounted for the most common clinical condition that caused a patient to discharge against medical advice (64 or 82%), while fracture involving the long bones was the most common condition (37 or 47.4%). The plausible reasons for this practice have been outlined including measures that may help to reduce discharge against medical advice in a developing country.
Performance of CMOS With Si pMOS and Asymmetric InP/InGaAs nMOS for Analog Circuit Applications

We propose a novel hybrid CMOS comprising a Si-channel pMOSFET and an asymmetric InP/InGaAs nMOSFET in the nanometer regime for analog applications. The performance of such a CMOS is evaluated in terms of voltage gain and gain-bandwidth (GBW) product at two different channel lengths (L<sub>g</sub>), 50 and 30 nm, using extensive device simulations. Our investigations reveal that the maximum gain of the hybrid CMOS inverter is improved by 37.5% and 92.1% for asymmetric In<sub>0.75</sub>Ga<sub>0.25</sub>As nMOS devices with InP drain at L<sub>g</sub> = 30 nm for W<sub>p</sub>/W<sub>n</sub> = 3 and 8, respectively, as compared with an equally sized Si inverter having W<sub>p</sub>/W<sub>n</sub> = 3. In addition, GBW product of hybrid CMOS (HAS3) comprising asymmetric In<sub>0.75</sub>Ga<sub>0.25</sub>As nMOSFET with InP source and Si pMOSFET is increased by 148.1% and 260.4% at L<sub>g</sub> = 30 and 50 nm, respectively, for W<sub>p</sub>/W<sub>n</sub> = 3, compared with its Si counterpart. Furthermore, the HAS3 device yields the highest GBW peak, unity current gain frequency, and maximum oscillation frequency as compared with other hybrid and Si CMOS devices at L<sub>g</sub> = 30 and 50 nm.
Interaction Trial between Artemether‐Lumefantrine (Riamet®) and Quinine in Healthy Subjects

Forty‐two healthy Caucasian subjects were randomized in a double‐blind, parallel three‐group study (14 subjects per group) to investigate potential electrocardiographic and pharmacokinetic interactions between the antimalarials artemether‐lumefantrine (six‐dose regimen of Riamet® over3 days) and quinine (2‐h intravenous infusion of 10 mg/kg body weight, not exceeding 600 mg in total, 2 h after the last dose of Riamet®). The study medications were all safe and well tolerated after all treatments. Neither the pharmacokinetics of lumefantrine nor the pharmacokinetics of quinine was influenced by the presence of the other drug. Plasma levels of artemether and dihydroartemisinin appeared to be lower following the combined treatment Riamet® + quinine, but this was not considered to be clinically relevant. Riamet® alone had no effect on QTc interval. Infusion of quinine alone caused a transient prolongation of QTc interval, which was consistent with the known cardiotoxicity of quinine, with this effect being slightly but significantly greater when quinine was infused after Riamet®. It would thus appear that the inherent risk of QTc prolongation of IV quinine was enhanced by prior administration of Riamet®. However, these occasional QTc prolongations, which were small in magnitude and not correlated with plasma concentrations of any of the compounds, were not considered to be of clinical importance. In conclusion, overlapping therapy with artemether‐lumefantrine and IV quinine in the treatment of patients with complicated or multidrug‐resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria may result in a modest increased risk of QTc prolongation, but this is far outweighed by the potential therapeutic benefit.
Study of aerodynamic characteristics in hard disk drives by numerical simulation

The behavior of the air flow inside a hard disk drive is evaluated by a three-dimensional unsteady-flow analysis technique called large eddy simulation (LES). The simulation shows that the fluctuation of the aerodynamic force is strongly correlated with the amplitude of the disk vibration, which causes positioning error of the read/write head. It also shows that the power loss caused by the friction of the air on the disks, which accounts for most of the power consumption of hard disk drives at a high-speed revolution, can be qualitatively predicted.
Dietary transformation during social development : a case study of China

The observed fast increasing obesity rate and related health problems in urban China can be attributed to changing patterns of both diet and physical activity. This thesis focuses on the transformation of at-home dietary patterns and examines this against the background of concomitantly happening rapid social development. “Dietary pattern” is defined by six broad food groups. The three key aspects of social development discussed are the urbanisation process, the ageing population and supermarket revolution. “Community” is taken as the unit of analysis which is distinct from the extant studies that investigate individual, household or provincial level food choice. Thus, the impacts of both economic and social-transforming factors that underlie at-home diet decisions are examined through the food choice of communities. A Linearised Almost Ideal Demand System (LAIDS) model with a standard Tobit structure is adopted to capture the effects of social changes on at-home food choice, and Bayesian approach is followed in the estimation of the quantities of interest. Based on the estimated results, the ageing population and supermarket penetration are projected to their potential levels in 2050 urban China to investigate the potential impacts of their changes on diet. Findings confirm the differences in food demand between city and town areas. Contrary to the extant evidence, population ageing exhibits a significant negative effect on expenditure share of grains and a significant positive effect on that of less-commonly-eaten animal products. Such inconsistency could result from the interaction term between senior proportion and dietary knowledge included in the estimated demand model and the differently defined food groups. Supermarket penetration does not necessarily increase the expenditure share on snacks and drinks, and this fact also tends to be in contrary to most extant findings. This indicates that supermarket penetration may be linked to an overall lifestyle shift trend which does not necessarily have to be “unhealthy” in terms of its diet component for the overall community. The scenarios of 2050 with projected levels of supermarket penetration and population ageing are augmented by dietary knowledge. Estimates from augmented scenarios confirm the potential health outcomes of diet knowledge on food choice. With the goal of promoting vegetable and fruit consumption and reducing oil and sugar intake in the context of 2050 urban China, the scenario of increasing the convenience of modernised wet markets relative to supermarkets plus improving dietary knowledge could be the optimal choice.