Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Job satisfaction, commitment, and teaching status among alternatively certified career and technical education teachers

Much research has been done concerning alternative teacher preparation programs, most often comparing teachers who have completed alternative route programs with those completing 4-year baccalaureate teacher preparation programs. Variables studied in that research include retention and a wide range of factors that have the potential to influence it, including job satisfaction and commitment to both school and the teaching profession. The results of those studies are mixed, and little of the research is specific to Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to compare participants in two university-based alternative CTE teacher preparation programs (an in-service program and a pre-service program) on teaching status, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and professional commitment. In addition to preparation program, four other independent variables that have been shown to affect the dependent variables were included: age, teaching tenure, non-teaching occupational experience, and the socioeconomic status (SES) of the school. A total of 37 individuals who had completed the pre-service program and 66 who had completed the in-service program during the same 3-year period participated in this mail survey. A series of oneway analyses of variance and chi square analyses revealed no significant differences on any of the four dependent variables by preparation program, age, teaching tenure, or nonteaching occupational experience. School SES was significantly and positively related to job satisfaction. There were, however, no significant differences in professional commitment, organizational commitment, or teaching status based upon school SES. Retention levels among study participants were extremely high, with about 88% still teaching. These findings suggest that in high quality university-based teacher preparation programs, pre-service and in-service approaches function equivalently in terms their effects upon the independent variables studied. However, there were differences across the two groups of teachers in terms of age and teaching tenure, suggesting that these preparation approaches may serve different types of teachers. The findings of this study may help to guide both teacher preparation practices and preparation research. INDEX WORDS: Teacher preparation, Alternative certification, Job satisfaction, Professional commitment, Organizational commitment, Teacher retention, Socioeconomic status, Tenure, Occupational experience, Age, Career and technical education JOB SATISFACTION, COMMITMENT, AND TEACHING STATUS AMONG ALTERNATIVELY CERTIFIED CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS
Infection risk in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: susceptibility factors and preventive strategies

Infection is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Bacterial infections are most frequent, followed by viral and fungal infections. The impaired cellular and humoral immune functions seen in patients with SLE are predisposing conditions, whilst disease activity, prednisone doses over 7.5–10 mg/day, high doses of methylprednisolone or cyclophosphamide are well-recognised risk factors for infection. The first six months after rituximab treatment and the use of more than three courses are also associated with an increased susceptibility for infection. It has not been established whether belimumab, azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil increase the risk of serious infections. Most vaccines are effective and safe in SLE patients, although vaccination should be avoided during periods of active disease. Live virus vaccines are contraindicated for immunosuppressed patients. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are universally recommended. Tuberculosis prophylaxis should be considered in selected cases. Therefore, it is advisable not to exceed doses of 5 mg/day of prednisone in chronic treatment. Methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide should be used in low-dose regimens. Antimalarials have a well-known protective role against infection, in addition to other beneficial properties, thus, hydroxychloroquine is recommended for all SLE patients where no contraindication exists.
Supporting active reading on pen and touch-operated tabletops

With the proliferation and sophistication of digital reading devices, new means to support the task of active reading (AR) have emerged. In this paper, we investigate the use of pen-and-touch-operated tabletops for performing essential processes of AR such as annotating, smooth navigation and rapid searching. We present an application to support these processes and then report on a user study designed to compare the suitability of our setup for three typical tasks against the use of paper media and Adobe Acrobat on a regular desktop PC. From this evaluation, we found out that pen and touch tabletops can successfully combine the advantages of paper and digital devices without their disadvantages. We however also learn from observations and participant feedback that there are still a number of hardware and software limitations that impede the user experience and hence need to be addressed in future systems.
Hair cortisol levels, psychological stress and psychopathological symptoms as predictors of postpartum depression

Postpartum depression affects a huge number of women and has detrimental consequences. Knowing the factors associated with postpartum depression during pregnancy can help its prevention. Although there is evidence surrounding behavioral or psychological predictors of postpartum depression, there is a lack of evidence of biological forecasters. The aim of this study was to analyze the sociodemographic, obstetric, and psychological variables along with hair cortisol levels during the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy that could predict postpartum depression symptoms. A sample of 44 pregnant women was assessed during 3 trimesters of pregnancy and the postpartum period using psychological questionnaires and hair cortisol levels. Participants were divided into 2 groups: a group with postpartum depression symptoms and a group with no postpartum depression symptoms. Results showed significant positive differences between groups in the first trimester regarding the Somatization subscale of the SCL-90-R (p < .05). In the second trimester, significant differences were found in the Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and GSI subscales (p < .05). In the third trimester significant differences between both groups were found regarding pregnancy-specific stress. We found significant positive differences between groups regarding hair cortisol levels in the first and the third trimester. Hair cortisol levels could predict 21.7% of the variance of postpartum depression symptoms. In conclusion, our study provided evidence that psychopathological symptoms, pregnancy-specific stress, and hair cortisol levels can predict postpartum depression symptoms at different time-points during pregnancy. These findings can be applied in future studies and improve maternal care in clinical settings.
Zinc transporters that regulate vacuolar zinc storage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

All cells regulate their intracellular zinc levels. In yeast, zinc uptake is mediated by Zrt1p and Zrt2p, which belong to the ZIP family of metal transporters. Under zinc limitation, ZRT1 and ZRT2 transcription is induced by the Zap1p transcriptional activator. We describe here a new component of zinc homeostasis, vacuolar zinc storage, that is also regulated by Zap1p. Zinc‐replete cells accumulate zinc in the vacuole via the Zrc1p and Cot1p transporters. Our results indicate that another zinc transporter, Zrt3p, mobilizes this stored zinc in zinc‐limited cells. ZRT3 is a Zap1p‐regulated gene whose transcription increases in low zinc. Zrt3p is also a member of the ZIP family and it localizes to the vacuolar membrane. The effects of ZRT3 mutation and overexpression on cell growth, cellular zinc accumulation and intracellular labile zinc pools are all consistent with its proposed role. Furthermore, we demonstrate that zrt3 mutants inefficiently mobilize stored zinc to offset deficiency. Thus, our studies define a system of zinc influx and efflux transporters in the vacuole that play important roles in zinc homeostasis.
Mitogenic action(s) of fluoride on osteoblast line cells: Determinants of the response In Vitro

Clinically effective (osteogenic) concentrations of fluoride (5–30 μM) also have direct effects on skeletal tissues in vitro, to increase bone formation and osteoblast line cell proliferation. The effect on cell proliferation was specific for bone cells, modulated by systemic skeletal effectors, and dependent on (a) the [Pi] in the medium, (b) the presence of a bone cell mitogen, and (c) mitogen‐responsive osteoprogenitor cells. Together, these data indicate that fluoride increases bone formation in vitro by increasing osteoprogenitor cell proliferation and that fluoride increases osteoprogenitor cell proliferation by enhancing the activity of bone cell mitogens.
A New Wheelchair Ergometer Designed as an Admittance-Controlled Haptic Robot

Wheelchair ergometers aim to simulate the propulsion of a wheelchair in a controlled laboratory setup. One drawback of current ergometers is that the simulated wheelchair is always modeled as a simple unidimensional mass and friction, which do not allow a correct simulation of turning maneuvers. In this paper, we present a new design for a wheelchair ergometer based on haptic robotics. This ergometer allows us to simulate any linear or nonlinear model of the wheelchair-user system in real time, including models that implement turning maneuvers. The presented prototype was validated experimentally. The rear wheels of the ergometer match the rear wheels' velocities of the simulated wheelchair with a root-mean-square error of 0.9 %. Therefore, the ergometer's accuracy is mainly bounded by the accuracy of the wheelchair-user model, which means that future improvements of the wheelchair-user model will be directly reflected by the ergometer. The conditions for stability were also evaluated. A minimal simulated mass of 18 kg and a minimal simulated moment of inertia of 1 kg ·m2 are needed. These requirements are encountered by any wheelchair-user combination.
Efficiency Analysis of Conventional vs. Islamic Microfinance: An Appraisal for Sustainability in Pakistan

Microfinance has emerged as an impressive tool for poverty alleviation in global developing economies of all of the continents. Critiques have questioned some of the features of conventional system of microfinance which gave room to Islamic mod of micro-financing (IMF) to the poor. But sustainability of Islamic microfinance is questioned by pyramids of microfinance proponents. Therefore, this study has been devised to compare the efficiency of the conventional vs IMF institutions in Pakistan. A non-parametric approach i.e. Data Envelopment Analysis was rendered to gauge the efficiency of the target institutions. In this regard, panel data of 9 Conventional microfinance institutions and 3 IMF institutions were used spanning over a period of 4 years i.e. 2008 to 2011. The results revealed that 2 out of 3 IMF institution and 2 out of 9 conventional MFIs were found on efficient frontier. Therefore, the sustainability of IMF institutions can be rated as high in Pakistan and this mod of financing should be encouraged by policy makers.
Intersubject Variability in Functional Neuroanatomy of Silent Verb Generation: Assessment by a New Activation Detection Algorithm Based on Amplitude and Size Information

We present an experimental evaluation of a new algorithm for the detection of activated areas in brain functional maps. The new algorithm, named HMSD, is based on a hierarchical multiscale description of the difference image in terms of connected objects. Size and magnitude of each object are simultaneously tested with respect to a bidimensional frequency distribution derived using Monte-Carlo simulations under the null hypothesis. In the present work. HMSD was applied to the analysis of a silent verb generation PET activation protocol conducted in six right-handed subjects. Applied to single-subject data. HMSD reveals activation located in the left inferior frontal gyrus in three subjects (two in the pars opercularis, one in the pars triangularis), and in the pars opercularis of the right inferior frontal gyrus in one case, the latter being combined to a crossed cerebellar activation. Overall, single-case results were consistent with the analyses of stereotactically averaged data. Despite a 2D implentation. HMSD detection performances of averaged data were better than that obtained with the 2D version of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and comparable to that of the 3D version of SPM.
The role of the dorsal thalamus in visual processing and object selection: a case of an attentional system in amphibians

In amphibians, the midbrain tectum is regarded as the visual centre for object recognition but the functional role of forebrain centres in visual information processing is less clear. In order to address this question, the dorsal thalamus was lesioned in the salamander Plethodon shermani, and the effects on orienting behaviour or on visual processing in the tectum were investigated. In a two‐alternative‐choice task, the average number of orienting responses toward one of two competing prey or simple configural stimuli was significantly decreased in lesioned animals compared to that of controls and sham‐lesioned animals. When stimuli were presented during recording from tectal neurons, the number of spikes on presentation of a stimulus in the excitatory receptive field and a second salient stimulus in the surround was significantly reduced in controls and sham‐lesioned salamanders compared to single presentation of the stimulus in the excitatory receptive field, while this inhibitory effect on the number of spikes of tectal neurons was absent in thalamus‐lesioned animals. In amphibians, the dorsal thalamus is part of the second visual pathway which extends from the tectum via the thalamus to the telencephalon. A feedback loop to the tectum is assumed to modulate visual processing in the tectum and to ensure orienting behaviour toward visual objects. It is concluded that the tectum–thalamus–telencephalon pathway contributes to the recognition and evaluation of objects and enables spatial attention in object selection. This attentional system in amphibians resembles that found in mammals and illustrates the essential role of attention for goal‐directed visuomotor action.
Specific Roles of Methylcobamide:Coenzyme M Methyltransferase Isozymes in Metabolism of Methanol and Methylamines in Methanosarcina barkeri

An immunochemical approach was employed as a direct test for functional activities of isozymes of methylcobamide:coenzyme M methyltransferase (MT2-M and MT2-A) in the metabolic pathways of methane formation from: methanol, acetate, monomethylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine. Specific removal of the MT2 isozymes from buffer soluble cell extracts of Methanosarcina barkeri was accomplished by use of immobilized, affinity-purified, ovine polyclonal antibodies. Extracts of methanol-grown cells depleted of MT2-M lost entirely the ability to carry out conversion of methanol to 2-(methylthio)ethanesulfonate (methyl-CoM). Methanol:CoM methyl transfer activity was completely restored by addition of purified MT2-M, but no activity was recovered by addition of MT2-A. In contrast, the activity of trimethylamine-grown cell extracts to convert monomethylamine and dimethylamine to methyl-CoM was lost almost entirely by immunosorptive removal of MT2-A. Addition of purified MT2-A, but not MT2-M, to the MT2-A-depleted extract fully reconstituted methyl-CoM formation from both mono- and dimethylamine. Interestingly, in extracts resolved of MT2-A, trimethylamine-dependent methylation of coenzyme M was observed at approximately 20% of the rate of controls not treated with antibody. Furthermore, both isozymes were effective in full restoration of trimethylamine conversion. Tests indicated that neither of the two MT2 isozymes are involved in methane formation from acetate. The results establish that MT2-A plays a specific role in metabolism of methylated amine substrates, whereas, MT2-M functions in methane formation from trimethylamine and methanol.
Elementary properties of ordered abelian groups

Introduction. A complete classification of abelian groups by their elementary properties (i.e. properties that can be formalized in the lower predicate calculus) was given by Szmielew [9]. No such attempt, however, has so far been made with respect to ordered groups. In the present paper the classification by elementary properties will be carried out for all archimedean ordered abelian groups and, moreover, for a certain more general class of groups which we shall call regularly ordered. Simultaneously, necessary and sufficient conditions will be established for two such groups to be elementarily equivalent, i.e. to have all their elementary properties in common (see Theorem 4.7). By a complete classification of a class of groups we mean its partition into disjoint subclasses in such a way that two groups belong to one subclass if, and only if, they are elementarily equivalent. This goal will be attained by setting up a series of (finite or infinite) complete systems of axioms, each system defining a certain subclass of ordered abelian groups. The notation and terminology of [8] will be used throughout. In particular, the concept of model-completeness introduced in [8] and [7] will be applied. A novelty feature of the present paper is that the method based on model-completeness will be combined with what we shall call "adjunction of new relations. " To illustrate the usefulness of the method, we shall also apply it to give new simplified proofs of some theorems by Langford and Tarski on the completeness of certain systems of axioms referring to ordered sets. This will constitute an additional result of the paper (see ? 2). 1. Preliminaries, terminology and notation. The concept of an ordered set can be formalized in the lower predicate calculus by means of the following system of axioms based on a binary relation of "equivalence," E(x, y), (read: "x is equivalent to y") and a binary relation of "order," Q(x, y) (read: "x is less than, or equivalent to, y"):
Clinical and immunological response of infants and children to administration of low-temperature adapted respiratory syncytial virus.

Thirty-nine infants and children 6 months to 13 years of age received live 26°C grown respiratory syncytical (RS) virus (strain A2) by the oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal route. RS virus was recovered from 22 individuals and 17 of these showed a significant rise in CF and/or plaque reduction serum antibody. Twelve of those from whom virus was recovered and an additional three from whom virus was not recovered showed a threefold or greater rise of RS nasal neutralizing activity. Thus 26 of the total showed some evidence of having been infected with the ES strain. The rate of infection was significantly greater in infants and children under 2 years of age than in older children. Infection in individuals older than 8 months of age was asymptomatic. Three infants infected with the vaccine strain had relatively minor respiratory tract illness. The findings from this study indicate that the low-temperature adapted virus retains a low level of virulence which is expressed only in individuals undergoing primary infection. Nonetheless, these studies have shown that it is possible to induce local and systemic immune responses to RS virus by means other than fully virulent natural infection.
Impaired insulin-dependent glucose metabolism in granulosa-lutein cells from anovulatory women with polycystic ovaries.

BACKGROUND Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia are well-recognized characteristics of anovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) but, paradoxically, steroidogenesis by PCOS granulosa cells remains responsive to insulin. The hypothesis to be tested in this study is that insulin resistance in the ovary is confined to the metabolic effects of insulin (i.e. glucose uptake and metabolism), whereas the steroidogenic action of insulin remains intact. METHODS Granulosa-lutein cells were obtained during IVF cycles from seven women with normal ovaries, six ovulatory women with PCO (ovPCO) and seven anovulatory women with PCO (anovPCO). Mean body mass index was in the normal range in all three groups. Granulosa-lutein cells were cultured with insulin (1, 10, 100 and 1000 ng/ml) and LH (1, 2.5 and 5 ng/ml). Media were sampled at 24 and 48 h and analysed for glucose uptake, lactate production and (48 h only) progesterone production. RESULTS Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by cells from anovPCO was attenuated at higher doses of insulin (100 and 1000 ng/ml) compared with that by cells from either ovPCO (P=0.02) or controls (P=0.02). Insulin and LH stimulated lactate production in a dose-dependent manner, but insulin-dependent lactate production was markedly impaired in granulosa-lutein cells from anovPCO compared with either normal (P=0.002) or ovPCO (P<0.0001). By contrast, there was no difference in insulin-stimulated progesterone production between granulosa-lutein cells from the three ovarian types. CONCLUSIONS Granulosa-lutein cells from women with anovPCOS are relatively resistant to the effects of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and utilization compared with those from normal and ovPCO, whilst maintaining normal steroidogenic output in response to physiological doses of insulin. These studies support the probability of a post-receptor, signalling pathway-specific impairment of insulin action in PCOS.
In pursuit of postsecondary equity: Evaluating the Washington State Achievers Program

Jesse Y. Nelson IN PURSUIT OF POSTSECONDARY EQUITY: EVALUATING THE WASHINGTON STATE ACHIEVERS PROGRAM Conventional wisdom suggests postsecondary education is fundamental to sustaining economic growth, maintaining a democratic polity, and insuring individual quality of life. Opportunities to pursue postsecondary education, however, are not distributed equitably. Of most notable concern, in institutions of higher learning, is the under-representation of first-generation college students, students of color, students from low-income homes, and immigrant students. This study examined the Washington State Achievers (WSA) Program, a guaranteed scholarship program serving those traditionally underrepresented in higher education. The driving questions for this study were: How did a guaranteed funding program influence postsecondary enrollment among those populations traditionally underrepresented in higher education? And, did guaranteed grant aid influence the type of postsecondary institution in which underserved students enrolled? The former question spoke to issues of college access, while the latter spoke to college choice. High school students from five high schools, in one urban Washington state district, were surveyed about their family and educational backgrounds, social networks, and participation in the WSA program. A follow-up survey was administered the fall after high school graduation, at which time students were asked if and where they were enrolled in postsecondary coursework. Responses to the surveys were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression models to evaluate how the WSA program influenced