Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining Teacher Beliefs about Diverse Students Through Transformative Learning: The Common Beliefs Survey and the Disorienting Dilemma

Title of Dissertation: EXAMINING TEACHER BELIEFS ABOUT DIVERSE STUDENTS THROUGH TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING: THE COMMON BELIEFS SURVEY AND THE DISORIENTING DILEMMA DeAnna Duncan Grand, Doctor of Education, 2011 Dissertation directed by: Associate Professor John O‘Flahavan College of Education As the diversity of America‘s public school students grows, current and future teachers must be prepared to meet the needs of students who are increasingly different from them ethnically, racially and socio-economically. Research indicates that one of the ways to impact teachers‘ instructional practices with these and other students is to address problematic teacher beliefs and assumptions around these dimensions. Using the Southern Poverty Law Center‘s Teaching Diverse Students Initiative‘s Common Beliefs Survey, this research study explores Mezirow‘s Transformation Theory as a possibility for addressing these often problematic teacher beliefs. Specifically, the study looks at the research question: What was the nature of Common Beliefs Survey users‘ disorienting dilemmas (CBS)? The disorienting dilemma is the first step in perspective transformation as outlined in Mezirow‘s Transformation Theory. The study‘s participants included teacher educators and graduate and undergraduate education students. Overall, the study affirmed that disorienting dilemmas varied among individuals in terms of intensity; are often emotional in nature; and users‘ attributes were main contributors to experiencing disorienting dilemmas. The study also indicated that the CBS content helped trigger disorienting dilemmas among most of the study‘s participants by providing opportunities to reflect on their beliefs and assumptions and by providing information that challenged existing information or knowledge they had.
MET inhibition in tumor cells by PHA665752 impairs homologous recombination repair of DNA double strand breaks

Abnormal activation of cellular DNA repair pathways by deregulated signaling of receptor tyrosine kinase systems has broad implications for both cancer biology and treatment. Recent studies suggest a potential link between DNA repair and aberrant activation of the hepatocyte growth factor receptor Mesenchymal‐Epithelial Transition (MET), an oncogene that is overexpressed in numerous types of human tumors and considered a prime target in clinical oncology. Using the homologous recombination (HR) direct‐repeat direct‐repeat green fluorescent protein ((DR)‐GFP) system, we show that MET inhibition in tumor cells with deregulated MET activity by the small molecule PHA665752 significantly impairs in a dose‐dependent manner HR. Using cells that express MET‐mutated variants that respond differentially to PHA665752, we confirm that the observed HR inhibition is indeed MET‐dependent. Furthermore, our data also suggest that decline in HR‐dependent DNA repair activity is not a secondary effect due to cell cycle alterations caused by PHA665752. Mechanistically, we show that MET inhibition affects the formation of the RAD51‐BRCA2 complex, which is crucial for error‐free HR repair of double strand DNA lesions, presumably via downregulation and impaired translocation of RAD51 into the nucleus. Taken together, these findings assist to further support the role of MET in the cellular DNA damage response and highlight the potential future benefit of MET inhibitors for the sensitization of tumor cells to DNA damaging agents.
Study on atmospheric visibility variations and the impacts of meteorological parameters using high temporal resolution data: an application of Environmental Internet of Things in China

Atmospheric visibility degradation in China is an important environmental issue because it has been demonstrated to be associated with air pollution. One-year of high temporal resolution visibility data and meteorological parameters including precipitation, relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), and wind direction (WD) during June 2011–May 2012 were obtained at Long-term Urban Ecosystems Observation and Research Station in Xiamen (Xiamen LUEORS) by means of Environmental Internet of Things (EIoT) technology. The visibility and meteorological data were analyzed to study the temporal variation of atmospheric visibility and its relationship with meteorological parameters in this region. Optimal empirical regression models were also developed to predict visibility based on meteorological parameters. The annual average visibility during the study period is 8969 m, with 63.2% of the total measurements less than 10 km. ‘Bad’ visibility (i.e., visibility < 10 km) is prone to occur in late winter to early spring. Visibility exhibited a distinct diurnal variation with the minimum of 6508 m at 6:00 Local Time (LT) and the maximum of 11,378 m at 13:00 LT. Visibility is higher in summer (11,410 m) and autumn (10,589 m) than in winter (7070 m) and spring (6807 m), with the highest (12,141 m) and lowest (5376 m) value occurred in August and February, respectively. During hazy, foggy, and rainy periods, the average visibilities were 5020 m, 1044 m, and 3967 m, respectively, much lower than those during normal period (15,970 m). Precipitation decreased the frequency of ‘good’ visibility (i.e., visibility ≥ 10 km) by 1.4% and increased the frequency of ‘extremely bad’ visibility (i.e., visibility < 2 km) by 1.5% during the year. Visibility was mostly below 10 km when the 10-min precipitation was larger than 0.6 mm. No significant correlation exists between visibility change and precipitation. For RH ≥ 80%, over 90% of the visibilities are below 10 km. The average visibility is below 8 km for RH ≥ 70%. For WS < 1.0 m/s, over 80% of the visibilities are below 10 km. When WS < 2.0 m/s, the average visibility is below 9 km. Visibility is negatively correlated with RH and positively correlated with WS, with the annual correlation coefficients of –0.507 and 0.494, respectively. It is prone to have ‘bad’ visibility when the wind is blowing from west and northwest. An optimal empirical multiple regression model based on meteorological parameters can moderately simulate the visibility. The results provide new knowledge for better understanding the characteristics of visibility and its relationship with meteorological parameters, based on which a statistical model for predicting the visibility in this region was developed.
Cyclosporine Therapy for Kidney Transplant: What is New for an Old-Fashioned Therapy?

Calcineurin inhibitors have been the mainstay of immunosuppression for the last decades and nowadays still remain as relevant drugs in the setting of solid organ transplantation. Nevertheless, the balance between excess of immunosuppression with cyclosporine (leading to increased risk of metabolic complications, nephrotoxicity or cancer), or its insufficiency (with augmented risk of rejection), is even so a challenge in the clinical practice. The aim of this paper is to review the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evolution of this landmark drug. We also discuss what could we expect on this CNI drug in this decade.
The effects of intensive care unit staffing on patient outcomes following microvascular free flap reconstruction of the head and neck: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To determine if the implementation of the closed intensive care unit (ICU) at our institution altered clinical outcomes in patients who had undergone microvascular free flap reconstruction of the head and neck by the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Service. DESIGN Retrospective medical chart review. SETTING A single tertiary medical center. PATIENTS The open ICU cohort had 52 flaps performed on 50 patients, and the closed ICU cohort had 52 flaps performed on 52 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Fifty-two free flap reconstructions of head and neck defects were performed on 50 patients who were admitted to an open ICU. The length of stay (LOS) in the ICU and hospital and incidence of complications were compared with those of 52 patients who underwent 52 free flap reconstructions and were admitted to a closed ICU over a separate period. RESULTS The mean length of stay in the ICU was 44 and 45 hours in the open and closed ICU cohorts, respectively (P = .90). The incidence of surgical and medical complications was similar in the open and closed ICU cohorts (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS There does not appear to be a significant difference in patient outcome between open and closed ICU care in our study.
Fertility Transition in Zimbabwe: Determinants of Contraceptive Use and Method Choice

This study estimates the determinants of current contraceptive method choice that account for demand and supply factors in Zimbabwe. Data were obtained from the 1988-89 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey and a World Bank survey of community services available. Analysis is based on a continuous time model of life cycle fertility that was developed by Newman (1988). The empirical model is different from Montgomerys (1988) specifications in that fertility intentions are treated as an observed endogenous variable that is conditioned by births and deaths. None of the quality of care measures the distance variable and the presence of public transportation variable significantly predicted contraceptive method choice. Significant factors affecting contraceptive method choice (CMC) included age and urban residence wifes education after grade 6 and residence in cities on communal land or on commercial farms. In a model controlling for background variables only access to a ZNFPC clinic was associated with significantly lower fertility. Child mortality was significantly affected by womens education beyond 6 years access to sanitation and urban residence. Mens schooling had weaker effects. The interaction of education beyond 7 years for women aged 15-25 years had a negative effect on deaths. Intentions to space and to stop childbearing were affected the strongest by the number of living children. Contraceptive use was largely determined by fertility intentions as a demand variable. After controlling for intentions modern contraceptive use was more likely among women aged under 35 years women with greater schooling women with more family assets and urban women. The presence of community-based distribution (CBD) significantly increased modern use. Family planning messages also determined use. Policy should focus on education but not at the expense of IEC and CBD.
Comparative study of keloid formation in humans and laboratory animals.

BACKGROUND Keloids are common lesions arising from sites of a previous trauma, and are distinguishable from scars by the presence of continuous growth over the borders of the original injury. The objective of this article is to improve methods for studying keloids using experimental animal models, which may help to promote wound-healing research and to attain suitable management of keloids. MATERIAL/METHODS This study consisted of two parts: animal and tissue culture experiments. Experimentally induced wounds in animal models were used to investigate keloid formation. Tissue cultures of cells in a conditioned medium were used to compare the growth rates of fibroblasts obtained from normal skin and wounds of experimental animals or from normal human skin and keloids. RESULTS Since keloids are common in humans, hypertrophic scars rather than keloids were observed in animal skin wounds. Data from the tissue culture study demonstrated an increase in fibroblasts cells in human keloid cultures, but not in animal wound cultures. CONCLUSIONS Studying keloids in experimental animals may be more efficient, cheaper, and more practical than to study them in humans. Furthermore, the use of tissue culture is a suitable medium in which to study keloid cell behavior in order to understand the mechanisms leading to the formation of keloids and to attain appropriate, effective management.
Strategic Considerations, the Pecking Order Hypothesis, and Market Reactions to Equity Financing

Abstract Myers and Majluf (1984) showed that in a world of asymmetric information, managers of overvalued firms issue equity, while managers of undervalued firms use cash, if available. This paper shows that, in a multiperiod world, managers of undervalued firms may find it optimal to issue stock, even though cash is available. Consequently, the market does not interpret all announcements of equity issues as signals of firm overvaluation. The paper also generates predictions regarding the effect of information asymmetry and investment opportunities on i) dividend policy, and ii) the cross-sectional distribution of market reactions when an equity issue is announced.
Building on the Strengths of Indigenous Knowledge to Promote Sustainable Development in Crisis Conditions from the Community Level: The Case of Palestine

Abstract This study began focused on the use of traditional knowledge in promoting sustainable development in crisis conditions. Presented the question: How have successful community- level sustainable development efforts undertaken under crisis conditions drawn upon indigenous knowledge to achieve positive outcomes? The study is a cross case analysis. The three cases addressed in this study have explained some of the ways that indigenous knowledge has played significant positive roles in promoting sustainable development for communities living under crisis conditions in Palestine. Indigenous knowledge community based patterns indicated significant focus on strengths of local culture, social cohesion, the integration process, and special advantages for policy implementation from the community level as key components of sustainable development in crisis conditions. This study especially focuses on efforts to implement sustainable development in crisis conditions. As the World Commission on Environment and .
Tourism as Catalyst for Quality of Life in Transitioning Subsistence Marketplaces

Tourism is a potential catalyst for transforming subsistence marketplaces, and the quality of life (QOL) for people who live in them. The authors share findings from a study on tourism development in Ha Long, Vietnam, a community transitioning from central economic planning and a focus on heavy and extractive industries, to one that is increasingly dominated by tourism and the industries, goods and services that support it. The authors used multiple methods to gain insights into QOL in Ha Long; those methods included site observations, depth interviews and data collection via an instrument designed and developed by the authors that quantifies perceptions of the evolution of residents’ well-being, including anticipated QOL. Findings indicate that a large majority of citizen-stakeholders in Ha Long generally feel life-quality has improved because of policy changes and subsequent tourism development. Concern is growing, however, that some environmental and societal degradation has accompanied positive economic outcomes. Marketing and policy implications, and opportunities for further research are discussed – not only for Ha Long, but for other actual or hopeful transitioning subsistence marketplaces whose leaders see tourism as a catalyst from economic hardship and subsistence-living toward enhanced QOL.
Superoxide Mediates Sympathoexcitation in Heart Failure: Roles of Angiotensin II and NAD(P)H Oxidase

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is often associated with excitation of the sympathetic nervous system. This event is thought to be a negative predictor of survival in CHF. Sympathoexcitation and central angiotensin II (Ang II) have been causally linked. Recent studies have shown that NAD(P)H oxidase–derived reactive oxidant species (ROS) are important mediators of Ang II signaling. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that central Ang II activates sympathetic outflow by stimulation of NAD(P)H oxidase and ROS in the CHF state. CHF was induced in male New Zealand White rabbits by chronic ventricular tachycardia. Using radio telemetry of arterial pressure and intracerebroventricular infusions, experiments were performed in the conscious state. Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was recorded as a direct measure of sympathetic outflow. Intracerebroventricular Ang II significantly increased RSNA in sham (131.5±13.3% of control) and CHF (193.6±11.9% of control) rabbits. The increase in CHF rabbits was significantly greater than in sham rabbits (P<0.01). These responses were abolished by intracerebroventricular losartan, tempol, or apocynin. Resting RSNA was significantly reduced by intracerebroventricular losartan, tempol, or apocynin in CHF rabbits but not in sham rabbits. Intracerebroventricular administration of the superoxide dismutase inhibitor diethyldithio-carbamic acid increased RSNA significantly more in sham compared with CHF rabbits. NADPH-dependent superoxide anion production in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) was increased by 2.9-fold in CHF rabbits compared with sham rabbits. Finally, increases in the RVLM mRNA and protein expression of Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor and subunits of NAD(P)H oxidase (p40phox, p47phox, and gp91phox) were demonstrated in CHF rabbits. These data demonstrate intense radical stress in autonomic areas of the brain in experimental CHF and provide evidence for a tight relationship between Ang II and ROS as contributors to sympathoexcitation in CHF.
The Climatic Signature of Incised River Meanders

Messy Mountain Meandering Predicting the influence of climate on landscapes is sometimes straightforward; for example, river deposits might grow with increased rainfall because erosion rates and sediment transport increase. However, long-term tectonic processes complicate the geomorphic signatures of more gradual climate-related phenomena that reconfigure landscapes. By correlating a decades-long record of typhoon rainfall in Japan with digital elevation models, Stark et al. (p. 1497) show that climate directly influences the extent of river meandering. When expanded to a larger region of the western North Pacific, this analysis revealed a strong climatic imprint on the landscape of humid mountainous areas. The region-wide analysis also revealed that underlying bedrock strength, as opposed to tectonic uplift, acts as a secondary control. Typhoon frequency and bedrock strength influence river meandering in mountain environments. Climate controls landscape evolution, but quantitative signatures of climatic drivers have yet to be found in topography on a broad scale. Here we describe how a topographic signature of typhoon rainfall is recorded in the meandering of incising mountain rivers in the western North Pacific. Spatially averaged river sinuosity generated from digital elevation data peaks in the typhoon-dominated subtropics, where extreme rainfall and flood events are common, and decreases toward the equatorial tropics and mid-latitudes, where such extremes are rare. Once climatic trends are removed, the primary control on sinuosity is rock weakness. Our results indicate that the weakness of bedrock channel walls and their weakening by heavy rainfall together modulate rates of meander propagation and sinuosity development in incising rivers.
The Role of Institutional Investors in Curbing Corporate Short-Termism

Institutional investors are the majority owners of most publicly traded companies but allow activist hedge funds with smaller positions to push through corporate changes. The author offers various reasons why institutional investors may be reluctant to actively participate in proxy fights but then suggests several practical forms of investor engagement that support long-term value creation. So, in future campaigns by hedge funds, institutional investors should actively participate to ensure that the outcome promotes long-term growth instead of temporary price spurts. Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and accepted by Executive Editor Robert Litterman.
Economics of Bt cotton in India

Since the introduction of Bt cotton in India, there has been a serious debate going on its impact on cost, returns and productivity. Andhra Pradesh continue to be the largest cultivator of Bt cotton in India and it occupies third position among Indian cotton growing states both in terms of area as well as outturn. In this context, it would be appropriate to analyze the output and efficiency of inputs used in cotton cultivation in Andhra Pradesh state of India. The study is based on a sample survey of selected farmer households in cotton cultivating villages in Andhra Pradesh of India. The study used Multi-stage stratified random sampling method to select the respondents from among the farm households. A detailed structured questionnaire was used to conduct face-to-face interviews with the farmer households. The sample households among the cotton cultivating households who have cultivated non-Bt cotton during last year or last two years have been taken up to study the impact of the presence of technology. In order to ensure the accuracy of the data related to the previous year, care is taken in selection of farm households, those households who have maintained records. The data on input and output variables like cost of seed, cost of labor, cost of irrigation, cost of fertilizers, cost of pesticides and capital used for the both years were collected for the study. To overcome the conceptual problems in quantifying the impact of technology at two points of time, the value of inputs used and output produced was estimated at constant prices based on survey year’s price. Also, it is considered the two periods used for the comparison are normal in terms of agro-climatic variables. The Cobb-Douglas production and decomposition analysis techniques were used to estimate the influence of factors and Bt technology on output change. The results of the estimated production functions reveal that seeds and fertilizer is the most important input to which output is highly responsive in both Bt and non-Bt cotton crop situations. The output elasticity of pesticide is higher in non-Bt cotton cultivation than that in Bt cotton cultivation. The decomposition revealed that the net impact of Bt technology alone is estimated to have increased the output by 10.88%. The adoption of Bt technology enabled the farmers to save inputs significantly. And the value of extra output produced per acre with adoption of Bt technology. Key words: Bt technology, Bt cotton, decomposition of output change, non Bt cotton production function, resource use efficiency, input and output.
Time-Varying Distributions and Dynamic Hedging with Foreign Currency Futures

Abstract Most research on hedging has disregarded both the long-run cointegrating relationship between financial assets and the dynamic nature of the distributions of the assets. This study argues that neglecting these affects the hedging performance of the existing models and proposes an alternative model that accounts for both of them. Using a bivariate error correction model with a GARCH error structure, the risk-minimizing futures hedge ratios for several currencies are estimated. Both within-sample comparisons and out-of-sample comparisons reveal that the proposed model provides greater risk reduction than the conventional models. Furthermore, a dynamic hedging strategy is proposed in which the potential risk reduction is more than enough to offset the transactions costs for most investors.
Regeneration of Common Pool Resources

In this article we present the results of a hybrid experimental game which was constructed by combining the Voluntary Contribution Mechanism of the Public Goods Game with the Trust Game. The new model was used to capture regeneration of Common Pool Resources (CPRs) by community members through voluntary actions, without any binding contract or monitoring. The experiment was conducted with rural subjects from Sagar and Bali Islands of the Indian Sundarbans. The results show that in contradiction to the theoretical predictions, there was high degree of voluntary contribution towards generation of common group funds (representing the CPR) and moderately high return (representing refraining from over-exploitation of the CPR) in the trust game.