Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moderating Effect of Homeschooling on Retention and Academic Achievement of STEM Majors at a Private, Faith-Based, Liberal Arts College

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . iv DEDICATION . vi LIST OF TABLES . xvii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . xxi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xxii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION . 1 Nature of the Problem and Rationale . 1 Purpose of the Study . 4 Research Questions and Hypotheses . 7 Delimitations, Limitations, and Assumptions . 12 Definitions of Terms . 13 CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE . 16 STEM in the U.S. . 16 Defining STEM . 16 The Need for STEM Studies . 18 STEM Education Studies . 21 The STEM Pipeline. 22 Retention Rates in STEM Programs by Gender and Ethnicity . 23 viii Factors That Affect Retention in STEM Majors . 25 Preparation Prior to Entrance . 26 Grades . 27 Undergraduate Research . 29 Interactions . 31 Active Learning . 32 Combination of Factors. 33 What Homeschooling Is . 34 Definition of Homeschool. 35 Focus and Style of Homeschooling . 36 A Brief Review of the History of Homeschooling . 37 Historical Perspectives . 37 The Reemergence of Homeschooling . 37 Overview of Homeschooling in the United States . 38 Number of Homeschoolers . 38 Demographics of Homeschoolers . 39 Family Income/Location. 39 Race. 39 Parents/Parent Education. 40 Reasons for Homeschooling . 40 ix Findings of Homeschool Studies . 42 General Information Regarding Homeschool Studies . 42 Homeschoolers and Socialization . 43 Kindergarten to Grade 12 Socialization . 43 Collegiate Socialization . 43 General Review of Academic Success of Homeschoolers . 45 Kindergarten to Grade 12 Academic Achievement. 47 Collegiate Achievement of Homeschoolers . 52 Perceptions of Homeschoolers at the Collegiate Level . 57 Inferences and Limitations from Previous Studies on Academic Achievement . 59 Inferences . 59 Limitations . 60 Retention at Postsecondary Institutions . 63 Postsecondary Retention in the U.S. . 63 Theories of Retention . 65 Tinto’s Theory of Retention. 67 Background for the Theory . 67 Summary of Analogy to Van Gennep’s Work . 67 Summary of Aspects of Integration . 69 Validity of Tinto’s Model . 74 x Revising Tinto’s Model . 74 Restricted Use of Tinto’s Theory . 76 College Retention of Homeschooled Students . 78 Transition of Homeschoolers to College . 78 Retention of Homeschoolers in College . 80 Retention and School Type Studies Without Tinto’s Model . 83 Intersection of STEM Studies, Academic Achievement, and Retention . 85 Interpretative Summary . 88 Gap in the Literature . 89 How This Study Adds to the Current State of Knowledge . 90 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY . 91 Overview and Restatement of Purpose . 91 Research Objectives . 92 Preliminary Procedures . 97 Setting . 97 Data Source . 97 Matching Process . 99 Variables . 101 Dependent Variables . 101 Independent Variables . 102 xi Data Checking . 103 Analysis of the Data . 103 Data Screening . 103 CHAPTER IV – RESULTS . 106 Restatement of Purpose. 106 Accessing the Data . 106 Cleaning and Screening the Data . 107 Descriptive Statistics . 1
Eye movements while reading biased homographs: Effects of prior encounter and biasing context on reducing the subordinate bias effect

Readers experience processing difficulties when reading biased homographs preceded by subordinate-biasing contexts. Attempts to overcome this processing deficit have often failed to reduce the subordinate bias effect (SBE). In the present studies, we examined the processing of biased homographs preceded by single-sentence, subordinate-biasing contexts, and varied whether this preceding context contained a prior instance of the homograph or a control word/phrase. Having previously encountered the homograph earlier in the sentence reduced the SBE for the subsequent encounter, whereas simply instantiating the subordinate meaning produced processing difficulty. We compared these reductions in reading times to differences in processing time between dominant-biased repeated and nonrepeated conditions in order to verify that the reductions observed in the subordinate cases did not simply reflect a general repetition benefit. Our results indicate that a strong, subordinate-biasing context can interact during lexical access to overcome the activation from meaning frequency and reduce the SBE during reading.
Economic evaluation of osteoarthritis treatment in Europe

Osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of disability. Among the available treatments, NSAIDs are the most common. The present paper reviews economic studies conducted in the last five years on the treatment of osteoarthritis in Europe. The majority focus on NSAID therapy, mainly comparing COX2-specific inhibitors against COX non-specific inhibitors. The reviewed studies estimate healthcare costs only. The final results indicate that, owing to the lower incidence of adverse events, COX2-specific inhibitors should now dominate over traditional NSAIDs. However, the differences found in the methods used to measure costs suggest that results should be interpreted with caution. To estimate costs, authors used diverse values that were not always consistent with the studies’ perspective. Furthermore, many did not report resource consumption patterns, making comparisons among the studies difficult, as economic results are influenced by the price/charging policies of different countries. Economic evaluations have the potential to affect health policy by assisting the ranking and prioritisation obligations of decision makers. In this context, it is important to meet strict methodological guidelines.
Molecular testing for mutations in improving the fine-needle aspiration diagnosis of thyroid nodules.

CONTEXT Thyroid nodules are common in adults, but only a small fraction of them are malignant. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) with cytological evaluation is the most reliable tool for cancer diagnosis in thyroid nodules. However, 10-40% of nodules are diagnosed as indeterminate by cytology, making it difficult to optimally manage these patients. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to establish the feasibility and role of testing for tumor-specific mutations in improving the FNA diagnosis of thyroid nodules. DESIGN The prospective study included 470 FNA samples of thyroid nodules from 328 patients. At the time of aspiration, a small portion of the material was collected and tested for BRAF, RAS, RET/PTC, and PAX8/PPARgamma mutations. The mutational status was correlated with cytology and either surgical pathology diagnosis or follow-up (mean, 34 months). RESULTS A sufficient amount of nucleic acids were isolated in 98% of samples. Thirty-two mutations were found, including 18 BRAF, eight RAS, five RET/PTC, and one PAX8/PPARgamma. The presence of any mutation was a strong indicator of cancer because 31 (97%) of mutation-positive nodules had a malignant diagnosis after surgery. A combination of cytology and molecular testing showed significant improvement in the diagnostic accuracy and allowed better prediction of malignancy in the nodules with indeterminate cytology. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that molecular testing of thyroid nodules for a panel of mutations can be effectively performed in a clinical setting. It enhances the accuracy of FNA cytology and is of particular value for thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology.
Does life history predict past and current connectivity for rocky intertidal invertebrates across a marine biogeographic barrier?

The southeast Australian coast potentially includes a complex biogeographic barrier, largely lacking exposed rocky shore that may limit the dispersal of rocky intertidal taxa and contribute to the maintenance of two biogeographic regions. Surprisingly, within the 300‐km barrier region, several species considered exposed rocky shore specialists occurred within sheltered sites. We analysed COI sequence variation for 10 rocky intertidal invertebrate species, with a range of life histories, to test the hypotheses that larval type and habitat specificity are strong predictors of gene flow between biogeographic regions. Our data revealed that the southeast corner of Australia includes a strong barrier to gene flow for six of eight species with planktonic larvae, and a coalescence analysis of sequence differentiation (IM model) suggests that a barrier has existed since the Pleistocene. In contrast, two direct developers were not affected by the barrier. Our comparative approach and data from earlier studies (reviewed here) do not support the hypothesis that larval type predicts gene flow across this barrier, instead we found that the ability to utilize sheltered habitat provides a clearer explanation of the phylogeographic break. Indeed, the species that displayed little or no evidence of a phylogeographic break across the barrier each displayed unexpectedly relaxed habitat specificity.
Effects of repeated cocaine on medial prefrontal cortical GABAB receptor modulation of neurotransmission in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system

Increased excitatory output from medial prefrontal cortex is an important component in the development of cocaine sensitization. Activation of GABAergic systems in the prefrontal cortex can decrease glutamatergic activity. A recent study suggested that sensitization might be associated with a decrease in GABAB receptor responsiveness in the medial prefrontal cortex. Therefore, the present study examined whether repeated exposure to cocaine‐modified neurochemical changes in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system induced by infusion of baclofen into the medial prefrontal cortex. In vivo microdialysis studies were conducted to monitor dopamine, glutamate and GABA levels in the medial prefrontal cortex and glutamate levels in the ipsilateral nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area during the infusion of baclofen into medial prefrontal cortex. Baclofen minimally affected glutamate levels in the medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens or ventral tegmental area of control animals, but dose‐dependently increased glutamate levels in each of these regions in animals sensitized to cocaine. This effect was not the result of changes in GABAB receptor‐mediated modulation of dopamine or GABA in the medial prefrontal cortex. The data suggest that alterations in GABAB receptor modulation of medial prefrontal cortical excitatory output may play an important role in the development of sensitization to cocaine.
HEMERA Couples the Proteolysis and Transcriptional Activity of PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORs in Arabidopsis Photomorphogenesis

HEMERA couples the degradation and transcriptional activity of PIFs to tightly control hypocotyl growth during Arabidopsis photomorphogenesis. Phytochromes (phys) are red and far-red photoreceptors that control plant development and growth by promoting the proteolysis of a family of antagonistically acting basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, the PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORs (PIFs). We have previously shown that the degradation of PIF1 and PIF3 requires HEMERA (HMR). However, the biochemical function of HMR and the mechanism by which it mediates PIF degradation remain unclear. Here, we provide genetic evidence that HMR acts upstream of PIFs in regulating hypocotyl growth. Surprisingly, genome-wide analysis of HMR- and PIF-dependent genes reveals that HMR is also required for the transactivation of a subset of PIF direct-target genes. We show that HMR interacts with all PIFs. The HMR-PIF interaction is mediated mainly by HMR’s N-terminal half and PIFs’ conserved active-phytochrome B binding motif. In addition, HMR possesses an acidic nine-amino-acid transcriptional activation domain (9aaTAD) and a loss-of-function mutation in this 9aaTAD impairs the expression of PIF target genes and the destruction of PIF1 and PIF3. Together, these in vivo results support a regulatory mechanism for PIFs in which HMR is a transcriptional coactivator binding directly to PIFs and the 9aaTAD of HMR couples the degradation of PIF1 and PIF3 with the transactivation of PIF target genes.
Peer Effects in Consumption Among Chinese Rural Households

ABSTRACT This article attempts to identify peer effects in household consumption in rural China using the Chinese Household Finance Survey (CHFS) 2011 data. In addition to the selection effect, reflection problem and correlated effect, we address the actual peer problem via the matching method in identifying the peer effect. It is found that as peer household’s consumption expenditure increases by 1%, the household’s consumption would increase by 0.24%. It is also found that richer households are more susceptible to peer pressure in consumption decisions. Finally, household is more sensitive to changes in the consumption of poorer peers, relative to their richer peers.
Choosing and designing knowledge assessments: Experience at a new medical school

Background: Curriculum developers have a wide choice of assessment methods in all aspects of medical education including the specific area of medical knowledge. When selecting the appropriate tool, there is an increasing literature to provide a robust evidence base for developments or decisions. Aim: As a new medical school, we wished to select the most appropriate method for knowledge assessment. Methods: This article describes how a new medical school came to choose progress testing as its only method of summative assessment of undergraduate medical knowledge. Results: The rationale, implementation, development and performance of the assessment are described. The position after the first cohort of students qualified is evaluated. Conclusion: Progress testing has worked well in a new school. Opportunities for further study and development exist. It is to be hoped that our experiences and evidence will assist and inform others as they consider developments for their own schools.
Understanding the Momentum Risk Premium: An In-Depth Journey Through Trend-Following Strategies

Momentum risk premium is one of the most important alternative risk premia. Since it is considered a market anomaly, it is not always well understood. Many publications on this topic are therefore based on backtesting and empirical results. However, some academic studies have developed a theoretical framework that allows us to understand the behavior of such strategies. In this paper, we extend the model of Bruder and Gaussel (2011) to the multivariate case. We can find the main properties found in academic literature, and obtain new theoretical findings on the momentum risk premium. In particular, we revisit the payoff of trend-following strategies, and analyze the impact of the asset universe on the risk/return profile. We also compare empirical stylized facts with the theoretical results obtained from our model. Finally, we study the hedging properties of trend-following strategies.
A comparison of methods to quantify the in-season training load of professional soccer players.

PURPOSE To compare various measures of training load (TL) derived from physiological (heart rate [HR]), perceptual (rating of perceived exertion [RPE]), and physical (global positioning system [GPS] and accelerometer) data during in-season field-based training for professional soccer. METHODS Fifteen professional male soccer players (age 24.9 ± 5.4 y, body mass 77.6 ± 7.5 kg, height 181.1 ± 6.9 cm) were assessed in-season across 97 individual training sessions. Measures of external TL (total distance [TD], the volume of low-speed activity [LSA; <14.4 km/h], high-speed running [HSR; >14.4 km/h], very high-speed running [VHSR; >19.8 km/h], and player load), HR and session-RPE (sRPE) scores were recorded. Internal TL scores (HR-based and sRPE-based) were calculated, and their relationships with measures of external TL were quantified using Pearson product-moment correlations. RESULTS Physical measures of TD, LSA volume, and player load provided large, significant (r = .71-.84; P < .01) correlations with the HR-based and sRPE-based methods. Volume of HSR and VHSR provided moderate to large, significant (r = .40-.67; P < .01) correlations with measures of internal TL. CONCLUSIONS While the volume of HSR and VHSR provided significant relationships with internal TL, physical-performance measures of TD, LSA volume, and player load appear to be more acceptable indicators of external TL, due to the greater magnitude of their correlations with measures of internal TL.
Generic Sorting of Raft Lipids into Secretory Vesicles in Yeast

Previous work has showed that ergosterol and sphingolipids become sorted to secretory vesicles immunoisolated using a chimeric, artificial raft membrane protein as bait. In this study, we have extended this analysis to three populations of secretory vesicles isolated using natural yeast plasma membrane (PM) proteins: Pma1p, Mid2p and Gap1*p as baits. We compared the lipidomes of the immunoisolated vesicles with each other and with the lipidomes of the donor compartment, the trans‐Golgi network, and the acceptor compartment, the PM, using a quantitative mass spectrometry approach that provided a complete lipid overview of the yeast late secretory pathway. We could show that vesicles captured with different baits carry the same cargo and have almost identical lipid compositions; being highly enriched in ergosterol and sphingolipids. This finding indicates that lipid raft sorting is a generic feature of vesicles carrying PM cargo and suggests a common lipid‐based mechanism for their formation.
Adverse reactions and alleged allergy to local anesthetics: Analysis of 331 patients

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of true local anesthetic (LA) allergy among patients referred for suspected hypersensitivity and to describe the main characteristics of adverse drug reactions (ADR) induced by LA in our population. We retrospectively analyzed the medical files of patients referred to the Department of Dermatovenereology, University Hospital Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia, for the investigation of LA hypersensitivity in the period between January 2000 and December 2012. A total of 331 patients underwent skin testing and, in cases of negative results, subcutaneous exposition to LA. In patients with suspected delayed reaction, patch test was performed. Altogether, 331 patients reported 419 independent ADR occurring during 346 procedures. Most commonly, patients reported having only one ADR, but 41 (12.4%) of them had two reactions, 14 (4.2%) had three, five (1.5%) had four and in one patient (0.3%) five ADR to LA were observed. The majority of reactions occurred during dental procedures when most commonly lidocaine and articaine were used. Local reactions were reported in 44 patients, whereas 490 general symptoms occurred during 375 independent ADR in 287 patients. The most common symptoms were cardiovascular system reactions in 89 patients (18.2%). Allergic reaction was detected in three patients (0.91%). One patient showed immediate‐type reaction to bupivacaine and two patients had a delayed‐type reaction to lidocaine. Adverse reactions to LA are common and are mostly due to their pharmacological properties and drug combinations or psychogenic origin. Allergic accidents to LA are rare.
Effect of clinical context on simulator-based assessment of blood pressure taking – A pilot randomized study

Background: Blood pressure measurement is an essential clinical skill that can readily be assessed in objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). While the use of simulators can enhance test validity and reliability, the given clinical context may also affect student performance. Aims: To investigate the impact of variations in clinical context on blood pressure measurement in a simulator-based OSCE. Method: We randomized 162 first-year medical students into four groups that received different lead-in statements before measuring blood pressure on a manikin simulator. These statements described hypothetical patients with different likelihoods of having systemic hypertension. Results: The lead-in that described the highest likelihood of hypertension was associated with significantly higher reported readings and lower accuracy. The lead-in that suggested normality yielded the best performance. Conclusion: Student performance in simulator-based OSCE may be affected by the clinical context provided. However, we argue that construct validity should be viewed in light of the application of a test, in that patients may also present with different cues and likelihoods of having hypertension. Variations in construct design should be further explored to enhance the training and assessment of clinical competence that reflects the unpredictability encountered in daily clinical practice.
Comparative Study of the Accuracy for OpenFOAM Solvers

This paper presents numerical results of comparing the accuracy for some OpenFOAM solvers. The comparison was made for the problem of inviscid compressible flow around a cone at zero angle of attack. The results obtained with the help of various OpenFOAM solvers are compared with the known numerical solution of the problem with the variation of cone angle and flow velocity. The results of the study can be useful when choosing a solver for solving applied CFD problems.
Flash Flood Forecasting: An Ingredients-Based Methodology

Abstract An approach to forecasting the potential for flash flood-producing storms is developed, using the notion of basic ingredients. Heavy precipitation is the result of sustained high rainfall rates. In turn, high rainfall rates involve the rapid ascent of air containing substantial water vapor and also depend on the precipitation efficiency. The duration of an event is associated with its speed of movement and the size of the system causing the event along the direction of system movement. This leads naturally to a consideration of the meteorological processes by which these basic ingredients are brought together. A description of those processes and of the types of heavy precipitation-producing storms suggests some of the variety of ways in which heavy precipitation occurs. Since the right mixture of these ingredients can be found in a wide variety of synoptic and mesoscale situations, it is necessary to know which of the ingredients is critical in any given case. By knowing which of the ingredients.
What does the ALSFRS-R really measure? A longitudinal and survival analysis of functional dimension subscores in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Introduction ALS functional rating scale (revised) (ALSFRS-R) is the most widely used functional rating system in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, heterogeneity in ALSFRS-R progression renders analysis challenging. We have explored the characteristics of total ALSFRS-R, and ALSFRS-R subscores in longitudinal and survival models, to determine whether subscore analysis enhances the precision of the instrument. Methods All cases with ALSFRS-R scores on the Irish ALS register were included. ALSFRS-R subscores were defined for bulbar, motor and respiratory domains. Longitudinal models were used to visualise fitted total ALSFRS-R and ALSFRS-R subscore progression. In addition, the prognostic value of convenience and computed ALSFRS-R slope and subscore slopes were compared. Results 407 incident cases were identified with a complete ALSFRS-R measure. 233 (57%) patients were male, and 125 (31%) had bulbar-onset disease. ALSFRS-R bulbar and motor subscore slopes provided a better fit in prognostic models when combined over the total ALSFRS-R slope. Longitudinal analysis revealed that the ALSFRS-R motor subscore deteriorated earlier in spinal-onset disease over bulbar-onset disease, while in bulbar-onset disease the ALSFRS-R bulbar subscore deteriorated earlier and faster than in spinal-onset disease. Discussion Our analysis builds on previous knowledge of ALSFRS-R subscores. Decline in ALSFRS-R motor subscores in patients with spinal-onset disease, and decline in ALSFRS-R bulbar subscores in patients with bulbar-onset disease, may predate reported disease onset dates. Respiratory subscores were not prognostically informative after adjustment for bulbar and motor subscores. These results provide robust evidence that the ALSFRS-R should not be reported as a single combined score, but rather as domain specific subscores.