Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring problem-based learning's impact on pre-service teachers' mathematics pedagogical content knowledge

Current educational reforms and initiatives are addressing numeracy outcomes for school-age students as a response to concerns regarding their mathematical achievements. In Australia, the Ministerial Council on Education stated, numeracy remains one of the cornerstones of schooling for young Australians (2008). Ultimately, the responsibility for attending to these educational priorities is placed with teachers. Existing literature suggests that student achievement is directly impacted by 'effective teaching' and that effective teaching begins with effective teacher preparation. To address these issues, this pilot study investigated the impact of problem-based (PBL) learning, in a tertiary mathematics education course, on pre-service teachers' mathematics pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and forms the basis for a larger, subsequent study. To measure pre-service teachers' mathematics PCK, a Mathematics Pedagogical Content Knowledge Instrument was developed. The instrument was delivered pre-semester and post-semester to a control group (n=15) who received traditional, 'lecture-based' instruction, and a treatment group (n=15) who were instructed using the problem-based learning approach. The data were analysed using a paired samples t-test to compare the pre-semester and post-semester means from both cohorts. The findings indicate the treatment group made larger gains in their PCK when compared to the gains in PCK development of the control group. In teaching terms, the findings suggest an intervention such as problem-based learning may enhance the development of pre-service teachers' PCK when compared to using a traditional teaching approach.
The current university focus: an emphasis on providing customer service over engagement?

III DETAILED SYNOPSIS . IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . VI LIST OF TABLES . X LIST OF FIGURES . XI LIST OF ACRONYMS . XII 1 PREAMBLE: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH . XIII 1.1 MY EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEY . XIII 1.1.1 Disciplinary . xiv 1.1.2 Interdisciplinary . xvi 1.1. 3 Multidisciplinary . xvii 1.1. 4 Explaining interdisciplinary research . xviii 1.2 APPLICATION OF MY RESEARCH AND APPROACH . XIX 1.2.1 The document’s structure . xx 1.2.2 A problem-­‐focused interdisciplinary approach . xxi 2 THE FOCUS OF THIS RESEARCH . 1 2.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM . 1 2.2 PURPOSE OF THE TWO RESEARCH PHASES . 8 2.3 STRUCTURE OF THE REMAINING DOCUMENT . 9 3 APPROACHES TO INCREASING STUDENT RETENTION (PHASE ONE RESEARCH) . 10 3.1 MAINSTREAM THEORETICAL STUDENT RETENTION MODELS . 10 3.1.1 Tinto’s student integration theory (1975) . 10 3.1.2 Bean’s (1981) Student Attrition Model . 12 3.1. 3 Bean and Metzner’s (1985) student attrition theory . 16 3.1. 4 Pascarella’s (1985) causal campus and organizational model . 16 3.2 STUDENT SATISFACTION . 18 3.2.1 Student satisfaction is driving university approaches . 19 3.2.2 Students’ perceptions of the university . 19 4 EMPHASIZING CUSTOMER SERVICES . 22 4.1 STUDENT INPUT VARIABLES . 23 4.1.1 Student entry point (High School vs. College) . 23 4.1.2 Student age composition . 26 4.1. 3 Support of significant others . 28 4.1. 4 Adapting to university . 30 4.2 ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES . 31 4.2.1 On-­‐campus vs. off-­‐campus . 31 4.2.2 Proximity of permanent home to university . 33 4.2.3 Faculty interactions . 34 4.2. 4 Academic environment and integration . 35 4.2. 5 Social integration . 37
Screening for lung cancer: The US studies

Efforts in lung cancer screening with chest X‐ray (CXR) and sputum cytology in the 1970s and 1980s were negative. In the ensuing decade, the early lung cancer action project (ELCAP), and the Mayo screening study showed the promise of low‐dose CT. These and other studies led to the National lung screening study (NLST), which showed definitively that low‐dose spiral computed tomography had a measurable impact on mortality and could be justified as a tool for lung cancer screening. This review examines the results of past and recent studies of lung cancer screening. J. Surg. Oncol. 2013 108:275–279. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
RIKSBANK WORKING PAPER SERIES 236 Risk Premiums and Macro-economic Dynamics in a Heterogeneous Agent Model

We analyze nancial risk premiums and real economic dynamics in a DSGE model with three types of agents shareholders, bondholders and workers that di¤er in participation in the capital market and in attitude towards risk and intertemporal substitution. Aggregate productivity and distribution risks are transferred across these agents via the bond market and via an e¢ cient labor contract. The result is a combination of volatile returns to capital and a highly cyclical consumption process for the shareholders, which are two important ingredients for generating high and countercyclical risk premiums. These risk premiums are consistent with a strong propagation mechanism through an elastic supply of labor, rigid real wages and a countercyclical labor share. Based on the empirical estimates for the two sources of real macroeconomic risk, the model generates signi cant and plausible time variation in both bond and equity risk premiums. Interestingly, the single largest jump in both the risk premium and the price of risk is observed during the current recession. JEL codes: E32, E44, G12 We would like to thank our discussants Gianni Amisano, Michel Juillard, Christos Koulovatianos and Xavier Ragot, as well as participants at the conferences on Computing in Economics and Finance (University Paris-Sorbonne), "Towards an Integrated Macro-Finance Framework for Monetary Policy Analysis" (National Bank of Belgium), "New Developments in DSGE Models" (University of Nottingham), "Theories and Methods in Macroeconomics" (BETA, Université de Strasbourg) and seminars at the Bundesbank, Erasmus University Rotterdam, European Central Bank and Ghent University. The views expressed herein are solely the responsibility of the authors and should not be interpreted as reecting the views of the Executive Board of Sveriges Riksbank, Bank of Canada, or the National Bank of Belgium. yCorresponding author: Ferre De Graeve (ferre.de.graeve@riksbank.se), Research Department, Sveriges Riksbank, SE 103 37 Stockholm, Sweden. a Sveriges Riksbank, b National Bank of Belgium, c Bank of Canada, d University of Luxembourg.
Trip Travel-Time Reliability: Issues and Proposed Solutions

The estimation of path or trip travel-time reliability is critical to any advanced traveler information system. The state-of-practice procedures for estimating path travel-time reliability assume that travel times follow a normal distribution and that segment travel times are independent (i.e., trip variance is a summation of segment variances). The present study analyzes Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) data from San Antonio, Texas, and simulated data to demonstrate through goodness-of-fit tests that a log-normal travel-time distribution is valid only under steady-state conditions, whereas a normal distribution is not valid. In the present article, the authors propose five methods for the estimation of path travel-time variance from its component segment travel-time variances. The analysis demonstrates that computing the trip travel-time coefficient of variation as the conditional expectation over all realizations of roadway segments provides estimates within 70% of trip travel-time variance for both uncongested and congested conditions.
Local existence of polynomial decay solutions to the Boltzmann equation for soft potentials

The existence of classical solutions to the Cauchy problem for the Boltzmann equation without angular cutoff has been extensively studied in the framework when the solution has Maxwellian decay in the velocity variable, cf. [6, 8] and the references therein. In this paper, we prove local existence of solutions with polynomial decay in the velocity variable for the Boltzmann equation with soft potential. In the proof, the singular change of variables between post- and pre-collision velocities plays an important role, as well as the regular one introduced in the celebrated cancelation lemma by Alexandre–Desvillettes–Villani–Wennberg [Entropy dissipation and long-range interactions, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 152 (2000) 327–355].
The impact of board of directors and ownershipcharacteristics on earnings management of publiclylisted firms in Vietnam

This study investigates the extent whether board of directors and ownership characteristics are related to earnings management in Vietnamese context. Based on sample of 570 non financial listed firms from 2010 to 2014, I find a non-linear association between state ownership and earnings management. Furthermore, firms with higher proportion of foreign ownership are more likely to constrain the manipulative practices exercised by managers. Additional test on interaction between corporate governance and leverage indicate CEO holding the position of chairman is more likely to distort financial reports in a highly geared firm. Higher managerial ownership marginally reduces earnings manipulation in firms subject to considerate debt level. On the other hand, board with higher percentage of non-executive directors and concentrated ownership might not have any effect on earnings management. The association between board size and earnings management is inconclusive due to the fact that the constraining effect of board size on earnings management is only evident in the model with discretionary accruals rather than accruals quality. Finally, I do not find that the revision of corporate governance code in 2012 improves board monitoring function.
Nucleotide-Dependent Interaction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hsp90 with the Cochaperone Proteins Sti1, Cpr6, and Sba1

ABSTRACT The ATP-dependent molecular chaperone Hsp90 and partner cochaperone proteins are required for the folding and activity of diverse cellular client proteins, including steroid hormone receptors and multiple oncogenic kinases. Hsp90 undergoes nucleotide-dependent conformational changes, but little is known about how these changes are coupled to client protein activation. In order to clarify how nucleotides affect Hsp90 interactions with cochaperone proteins, we monitored assembly of wild-type and mutant Hsp90 with Sti1, Sba1, and Cpr6 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell extracts. Wild-type Hsp90 bound Sti1 in a nucleotide-independent manner, while Sba1 and Cpr6 specifically and independently interacted with Hsp90 in the presence of the nonhydrolyzable analog of ATP, AMP-PNP. Alterations in Hsp90 residues that contribute to ATP binding or hydrolysis prevented or altered Sba1 and Cpr6 interaction; additional alterations affected the specificity of Cpr6 interaction. Some mutant forms of Hsp90 also displayed reduced Sti1 interaction in the presence of a nucleotide. These studies indicate that cycling of Hsp90 between the nucleotide-free, open conformation and the ATP-bound, closed conformation is influenced by residues both within and outside the N-terminal ATPase domain and that these conformational changes have dramatic effects on interaction with cochaperone proteins.
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor promotes proliferation of neuroglioma cells by up-regulation of cyclins PCNA and Ki-67.

OBJECTIVE We wished to test whether glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) stimulates proliferation of gliomas by up-regulating expression of nuclear cyclins PCNA and Ki37. MATERIALS AND METHODS As a model, we tested rat C6 glioma cell line exposed to basal conditions, vehicle control, or exogenous GDNF at different concentrations (0-90 µg/L) or different times (0-72 hours). Cell proliferation was quantified by MTT test, cell cycle by flow cytometry and propidium iodide staining, expression of PCNA and Ki67 by intracellular antibody staining and flow cytometry. RESULTS We first observed that cell proliferation was most stimulated by GDNF at concentration of 70 µg/L and incubation time of 48 hours. Using this concentration and incubation time, we next documented that GDNF increased the percentage of cells in the S phase (47.98% vs. 32.57% in basal cells; p < 0.05), while not affecting the percentage of cells in G0/G1 or G2/M phases. Finally, we demonstrated that expression of both PCNA and Ki67 was significantly increased in cells exposed to GDNF. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that GDNF stimulates proliferation of glioma cells by up-regulating expression of cyclins PCNA and Ki-67.
Complex cooperative breeders: Using infant care costs to explain variability in callitrichine social and reproductive behavior

The influence of ecology on social behavior and mating strategies is one of the central questions in behavioral ecology and primatology. Callitrichines are New World primates that exhibit high behavioral variability, which is widely acknowledged, but not always systematically researched. Here, I examine the hypothesis that differences in the cost of infant care among genera help explain variation in reproductive traits. I present an integrative approach to generate and evaluate predictions from this hypothesis. I first identify callitrichine traits that vary minimally and traits that are more flexible (e.g., have greater variance or norm of reaction), including the number of males that mate with a breeding female, mechanisms of male reproductive competition, number of natal young retained, and the extent of female reproductive suppression. I outline how these more labile traits should vary along a continuum of infant care costs according to individual reproductive strategies. At one end of the spectrum, I predict that groups with higher infant care costs will show multiple adult males mating and providing infant care, high subordinate female reproductive suppression, few natal individuals delaying dispersal, and increased reproductive output by the dominant female –with opposite predictions under low infant costs. I derive an estimate of the differences in ecological and physiological infant care costs that suggest an order of ascending costs in the wild: Cebuella, Callithrix, Mico, Callimico, Saguinus, and Leontopithecus. I examine the literature on each genus for the most variable traits and evaluate a) where they fall along the continuum of infant care costs according to their reproductive strategies, and b) whether these costs correspond to the ecophysiological estimates of infant care costs. I conclude that infant care costs can provide a unifying explanation for the most variable reproductive traits among callitrichine genera. The approach presented can be used to generate predictions and motivate researchers to unravel complexity in callitrichine social and reproductive behavior. Am. J. Primatol. 78:372–387, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Glucokinase and NIDDM: A Candidate Gene That Paid Off

Glucokinase, the major enzyme that phosphorylates glucose upon entry into liver and islet β-cells, has been considered a prime candidate for inherited defects predisposing to NIDDM. Now that the human gene has been isolated, this question has been addressed directly. Polymorphic markers flanking the gene were identified. These markers (microsatellites) are composed of variable numbers of dinucleotide repeats that vary in size, resulting in different alleles. Variably sized alleles can be typed rapidly from genomic DNA of individuals by the PCR. Studies of inheritance of glucokinase genes have revealed significant linkage in families with early-onset NIDDM, or MODY, and mutations have been identified within the coding region of the gene in some families. These studies are extremely encouraging, as they indicate that genes can be identified even in this heterogeneous genetic disorder. This study considers the phenotypes that result from glucokinase defects and the relationship of MODY to NIDDM, and it estimates the role of glucokinase defects in NIDDM in general.
Determinants of abandoned housing projects in Malaysia

The issues of abandoned housing projects are not new in Malaysia. Without proper measures to tackle, they will continue to haunt home buyers. This study examines responses of 328 customers obtained by means of self-administered questionnaires. Four variables namely lack of justice and equity, methods of computing and pricing, nature of contract and lack of legal and governance were used as variables. The results indicated that all the hypothesized relationships are supported. Of these, the nature of contract was found to be the main cause of the problem. The results contributes to the scanty empirical research in this area. It also benefits managers of Islamic banks to address issues that are affecting abandoned housing projects in Malaysia.
DIABETIC STUDIES The Review of Therapy for Obesity Based on Gastrointestinal Hormones

It has long been known that peptide hormones from the gastrointestinal tract have significant impact on the regulation of nutrient metabolism. Among these hormones, incretins have been found to increase insulin secretion, and thus incretin-based therapies have emerged as new modalities for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In contrast to other antidiabetic treatments, these agents have a positive outcome profile on body weight. Worldwide there are 500 million obese people, and 3 million are dying every year from obesityrelated diseases. Recently, incretin-based therapy was proposed for the treatment of obesity. Currently two different incretin therapies are widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: 1) the GLP-1 receptor agonists which cause significant and sustained weight loss in overweight patients, and 2) dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors being weight neutral. These findings have led to a greater interest in the physiology of intestinal peptides with potential weightreducing properties. This review discusses the effects of the incretin-based therapies in obesity, and provides an overview of intestinal peptides with promising effects as potential new treatments for obesity.
Cross-Functional Integration in the Supply Chain: Construct Development and the Impact of Workplace Behaviors

Practitioners and scholars have suggested cross-functional integration (CFI) as a defining concept in the field of supply chain management. Moreover, a substantial body of literature has developed around demonstrating CFI’s impact on key supply chain outcomes. Yet the field has no consistent definition or measure of the CFI concept, undermining the theoretical and empirical implications that can be drawn from research on this important topic. This study advances research in the area of CFI by developing (1) a comprehensive definition that synthesizes previous supply chain research to clearly specify CFI’s conceptual domain and underlying dimensions and (2) a valid set of scale items that measure the conceptual domain outlined by this definition. A systematic process of construct development is employed to achieve these goals. The result is a comprehensive definition and valid measure for CFI that provides a common foundation for extending theoretical understanding of integration’s antecedents and consequences within supply chain management.
Church Attendance and Alcohol Consumption Level: Reasons for not Drinking Alcohol among College Students

This paper explores the relationship between church attendance (religiosity) and reasons for not drinking alcohol among undergraduate college student in historically black university. The data for this study was based on a selfadministered survey of 188 student volunteers from various classes from a 4-year historically black university in Southwest Georgia. The findings indicate that church attendance and the number of alcoholic beverages consumed are not independent but strongly related. Analysis of the data suggests that those who attend church regularly tend to drink fewer alcoholic beverages than those who attend church less regularly.
Folding of a donor–acceptor polyrotaxane by using noncovalent bonding interactions

Mechanically interlocked compounds, such as bistable catenanes and bistable rotaxanes, have been used to bring about actuation in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and molecular electronic devices (MEDs). The elaboration of the structural features of such rotaxanes into macromolecular materials might allow the utilization of molecular motion to impact their bulk properties. We report here the synthesis and characterization of polymers that contain π electron-donating 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) units encircled by cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+), a π electron-accepting tetracationic cyclophane, synthesized by using the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The polyrotaxanes adopt a well defined “folded” secondary structure by virtue of the judicious design of two DNP-containing monomers with different binding affinities for CBPQT4+. This efficient approach to the preparation of polyrotaxanes, taken alongside the initial investigations of their chemical properties, sets the stage for the preparation of a previously undescribed class of macromolecular architectures.
Trends in health-related behavioral risk factors among pregnant women in the United States: 2001-2009.

BACKGROUND Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy often predispose women to multiple risks including adverse pregnancy outcomes and impaired health status for mothers. This study assessed the trends in the prevalence of health-related behavioral risk factors over time among U.S. pregnant women. METHODS Data from 22,604 pregnant women aged 18-44 years who participated in the 2001-2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed to assess the trends in the prevalence of behavioral risk factors. Correlates of having individual or clustering healthy behaviors were also assessed among 2295 pregnant women in the 2009 survey. RESULTS From 2001 to 2009, among pregnant women, the age-adjusted prevalence of engaging in leisure-time exercise and receiving influenza vaccination increased significantly (p<0.05 for linear trends); the prevalence of any alcohol consumption decreased marginally (p=0.065 for linear trend); and the prevalence of binge drinking, smoking, and consuming fruits and vegetables ≥5 times/day varied little. Over the 9 years, the percentages of pregnant women who reported having all four healthy behaviors (i.e., not currently smoking, no alcohol consumption, engaging in leisure-time exercise, and receiving influenza vaccination) increased linearly from 7.3% in 2001 to 21.2% in 2009 (p<0.001). Sociodemographic characteristics, perceived health status, and health-care availability were differentially associated with certain individual or clustered healthy behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Increased efforts emphasizing multiple health-related behavioral risk factors including reducing alcohol use, binge drinking, and smoking and improving fruit and vegetable consumption during pregnancy are needed.