Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High School Mathematics Teachers' Levels of Achieving Technology Integration and In-class Reflections: The Case of Mathematica

The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of high school mathematics teachers in achieving mathematics instruction via computer algebra systems and the reflections of these practices in the classroom. Three high school mathematics teachers employed at different types of school participated in the study. In the beginning of this qualitative analysis, the researchers provided the teachers with in-service training titled Computer-assisted Mathematics Instruction Workshop regarding the integration of the Mathematica software which is a computer algebra system in learning-teaching environments. The participating teachers then conducted computer-assisted mathematics instruction activities in their classroom via the Mathematica software regarding the graphs of quadratic equations (parabola). Semi-structured interview and observation forms were used as data collection tools in the study. The data were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. As a result of evaluation, it was found that before the Computer-Assisted Mathematics Instruction Workshop, the participants either never implemented technology integration or implemented it on the elementary level which is replacement. After the workshop, it was observed that the teachers achieved the technology integration in classroom implementations on the level of transformation and the top level of amplification and showed improvements in this matter. In the observations made after the workshop, it was seen that the teachers generally employed a student-oriented education approach and encouraged students to facilitate their own learning and make their own inferences utilizing computers and worksheets. It was observed that this situation led to changes in classroom routines and contributed to students' acquisition of deeper comprehension by their own efforts. Additionally, it was understood that the students or the teachers did not have any difficulty in using the computer-assisted mathematics instruction materials prepared in Mathematica.
Effect of dexamethasone on incidence of headache after spinal anesthesia in cesarean section. A single blind randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of dexamethasone in reducing the incidence of headache. METHODS This randomized controlled trial was carried out in 160 cesarean patients with physical conditions-1 and emergency-1 at 22-Bahman Hospital, Iran between March 2010 and March 2011. Patients were randomly divided into sample and control groups. The women were studied for incidence of headache in the first 24 hours and the first week after spinal anesthesia. The mean severity of the headache was evaluated on a quantitative scale using the visual analog scale (VAS). Data were gathered and analyzed using the SPSS software Version 11.5, descriptive statistical test, Chi-square, and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS The incidence of post-dural puncture headache was observed in 2.5% of the sample group and 12.5% of the control group in the first 24 hours after surgery (p=0.016); and 11.3% in the sample group and 32.5% in the control group in the first week after surgery (p=0.001). CONCLUSION The findings of this research illustrate that intravenous dexamethasone reduces the incidence of post-dural puncture headache in the first 24 hours and the first week after spinal anesthesia in cesarean section patients.
“Hurst-Kolomogorov Dynamics and Uncertainty”

There are several links with the previous presentation. To start with, I would say that I fully adopt the "non-equation" that Harry Lins presented, and, because I want to be honest, I would say that I have some problem with the very title of this workshop, and I would be happier if instead of "non-stationarity" was the word "non-static". Non-static frequency analysis and water management. I'll explain in a minute my thoughts about this. At the same time, I wish to say that I feel proud and honored that I am part of this very important workshop, and I thank the organizers for inviting me.
Microglial KCa 3 . 1 Channels as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer ’ s Disease

There exists an urgent need for new target discovery to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, recent clinical trials based on antiAβ and anti-inflammatory strategies have yielded disappointing results. To expedite new drug discovery, we propose reposition targets which have been previously pursued by both industry and academia for indications other than AD. One such target is the calcium-activated potassium channel KCa3.1 (KCNN4), which in the brain is primarily expressed in microglia and is significantly upregulated when microglia are activated. We here review the existing evidence supporting that KCa3.1 inhibition could block microglial neurotoxicity without affecting their neuroprotective phagocytosis activity and without being broadly immunosuppressive. The anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of KCa3.1 blockade would be suitable for treating AD as well as cerebrovascular and traumatic brain injuries, two well-known risk factors contributing to the dementia in AD patients presenting with mixed pathologies. Importantly, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of several KCa3.1 blockers are well known, and a KCa3.1 blocker has been proven safe in clinical trials. It is therefore promising to reposition old or new KCa3.1 blockers for AD preclinical and clinical trials.
Are Sufficient Statistics Necessary? Nonparametric Measurement of Deadweight Loss from Unemployment Insurance

Central to the welfare analysis of income transfer programs is the deadweight loss associated with possible reforms. To aid analytical tractability, its measurement typically requires specifying a simplified model of behavior. We employ a complementary “decomposition” approach that compares the behavioral and mechanical components of a policy’s total impact on the government budget to study the deadweight loss of two unemployment insurance policies. Experimental and quasi-experimental estimates using state administrative data show that increasing the weekly benefit is more efficient (with a fiscal externality of 53 cents per dollar of mechanical transferred income) than reducing the program’s implicit earnings tax.
Modelling of Halal Warehouse Adoption Using Partial Least Squares (PLS)

Halal warehouse is part of the Halal supply chain services which is offered by Halal logistic providers to meet the demand from Halal industry. However, according to the Halal warehouse service providers, the adoption rate of their service among Halal manufacturers in Malaysia is very low compared to the total number of Halal certified manufacturers. By adopting the Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) framework, this study investigated what are the determining factors for Halal manufacturers to adopt Halal warehousing services. Data was gathered from 140 participants in the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS 2013). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach was used to test the relationship between research model constructs. The findings show that awareness and top management attitude are positively related but complexity and supplier availability was negatively related for adoption decision of Halal warehouse. The findings provided useful information for a better understanding regarding determinants to the adoption of Halal warehouse. Halal providers and government agencies related to the Halal industry should be more aggressive in promoting Halal services to increase the awareness so that it would be adopted by Halal manufacturers in Malaysia. Suggestions for future research are also included.
Assessment of stock structure among gray whales utilizing feeding grounds in the Eastern North Pacific

Although the majority of Eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray whales spend their summers feeding in the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi Seas, a small number of individuals, referred to as the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG), feed in waters between northern California and southeastern Alaska during summer and fall. Many individuals identified within this southern feeding area demonstrate intra‐ and inter‐seasonal fidelity to the region, suggesting that structure could be present among ENP gray whales utilizing different areas for feeding. Little is known, however, about patterns of site fidelity of individuals feeding in northern waters. We utilized samples collected from individual gray whales within both southern (n=100) and northern (n=106) feeding areas to assess possible stock structure using both mtDNA control region sequences and 8 microsatellite markers. Significant mtDNA differentiation was found when the subset of samples representing individuals (n=71) sighted over two or more years within the seasonal range of the PCFG were compared to the combined set of samples collected from the northern feeding area(s) (FST=0.01, p=0.005; Fisher’s exact test, p=0.008) as well as when the PCFG samples were compared to only those samples which were collected off Chukotka, Russia (n=71, FST=0.01, p=0.012; Fisher’s exact test, p=0.030). No significant differences were found for any of the comparisons utilizing microsatellites. These results indicate that structure is present among gray whales utilizing different feeding areas and suggest that matrilineal fidelity plays a role in creating such structure. The lack of differentiation detected using nuclear markers (χ2 test, p=0.636, PCFG versus northern; p=0.753, PCFG versus Chukotka) suggests that individuals from different feeding areas may interbreed. These results are important in evaluating the management of the ENP gray whale population, especially in light of the Makah Tribe’s proposal to resume whaling in an area of the Washington coast utilized by both feeding and migrating whales. Although the proposed hunt is designed to target whales migrating to/from the northern feeding grounds, the possibility of taking a PCFG whale cannot be eliminated. Increasing our understanding of recruitment into this group is needed to assess potential impacts of a hunt.
Dispersive characteristics analysis of lossy microstrip with 4-component 2-D CFDFD Method

A compact 2-D full-wave finite difference frequency domain Method (2-D CFDFD) with the surface impedance boundary condition (SIBC) is employed to analyze the dispersion characteristics of lossy microstrip structure. Only four transverse field components are involved, the SIBC can also be easily implemented. Propagation constant can be obtained as solution of eigen value problem at a given frequency, and the effects of the key parameters on attenuation constant are presented.
Changes in weight and body composition in women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer.

PURPOSE This study aimed to identify predictors of changes in weight and body composition among women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Data were from 49 women age 40-54 receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. Weight, height, and body composition measurements from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning were completed at baseline (within 1 month of beginning chemotherapy) and 12 months. Caloric intake was assessed from food diaries at baseline, 6 and 12 months, and physical activity was measured by questionnaire at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. RESULTS Baseline body mass index (BMI) was inversely associated with gains in weight (P = .01) and fat mass in torso (P = .006). Women of normal weight gained an average of 4.3 pounds and increased fat mass in torso and arms. Overweight women lost 3.0 pounds, and obese women lost 4.1 pounds, and neither group increased body fat. Decreased physical activity was associated with weight gain (P = .047). Additional predictors of increased fat mass in torso were younger age (P = .023) and treatment with tamoxifen (P = .015). Predictors of loss of bone mineral content included older age (P = .004) and treatment with aromatase inhibitor (P = .024), whereas treatment with bisphosphonate prevented bone loss (P < .0001). CONCLUSION Women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer who are of normal weight at the time of breast cancer diagnosis are more likely to gain weight and body fat during the following year than overweight or obese women.
Do Political Risks Harm Development of Oil Fields?

We examine the impact of political risks and financial development on investments in the petroleum industry utilizing a unique dataset of investments in individual oil and gas fields around the world. We find that the expected time to investment is shorter in countries that are politically stable, have solid property rights protection and more developed financial systems. Political risks have the strongest impact on multinational companies, whereas financial development matters only for domestic national oil companies. At the company level we find that expected time to investment is shorter for companies with higher valuation and lower debt. Moreover, companies are more likely to invest in countries where they invested recently and less likely to invest in countries where their competitors invested recently.
CEO Narcissism and Corporate Tax Sheltering Kari

We examine the effect of CEO narcissism on an especially aggressive form of corporate tax avoidance: tax sheltering. Narcissism is a multifaceted personality trait associated with a sense of superiority and a propensity to engage in questionable behavior. Narcissists feel that they are above the law and are aggressive in pursuing what they believe is theirs. Narcissists also possess heightened motivations to pursue rewards or desirable outcomes while only being weakly motivated to avoid negative outcomes. Consistent with these behavioral tendencies of narcissistic individuals, we document statistically and economically significant effects of CEO narcissism on the likelihood that the CEO’s firm engages in corporate tax shelters. Our study contributes to the literature by documenting a mechanism through which the individual personality characteristics of the CEO can affect firm-level tax policies.
Expression of the monocarboxylate transporter MCT2 by rat brain glia

The nucleotide sequence of the rat monocarboxylate transporter MCT2 was determined from brain‐derived cDNA. A polyclonal antibody was raised in chickens against the carboxyl terminal end of the deduced amino acid sequence and affinity purified. The MCT2 antibody identified a 46‐kDa band on immunoblots and labeled kidney, skeletal muscle, and stomach consistent with the reported cellular expression for this transporter. Light microscopic immunocytochemistry indicated that the MCT2 transporter was abundant in glial limiting membranes, ependymocytes, and neuropil, particularly in the lacunosum molecular layer of hippocampus and the molecular layer of cerebellum. Labeled astrocytes were commonly observed in white matter. The distribution of this transporter differed in several respects from that previously reported for MCT1. MCT2 was abundantly distributed in astrocyte foot processes and was usually not detected in other cells of the cerebrovasculature, including vascular smooth muscle cells, pericytes, and endothelium. In addition, the granular layer of cerebellum, which showed little MCT1 labeling, exhibited MCT2 labeling of cellular processes in the neuropil surrounding the granule and Purkinje cells. The results lend support to the concept that astrocytes play a significant role in cerebral energy metabolism by transporting lactate and other monocarboxylates. GLIA 22:272–281, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nutrient Metabolism Combinations of Indigestible Carbohydrates Affect Short-Chain Fatty Acid Formation in the Hindgut of Rats 1

The fermentability and pattern of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) formed in the hindgut of rats given various combinations of dietary fibers (DF) and resistant starch (RS) were investigated. Highly fermentable indigestible carbohydrates, i.e., guar gum (GG), pectin (Pec) and high amylose cornstarch (HAS), and a DF with a relatively high resistance to fermentation, i.e., wheat bran (WB), were included. The substrates were studied individually or as mixtures (GG Pec, GG WB and HAS WB, 1:1, wt/wt indigestible carbohydrate basis) at a total concentration of 100 g indigestible carbohydrates/kg diet and fed to rats for 13 d. Rats fed Pec had a high proportion of acetic acid in the cecum (76 2% of total SCFA), whereas those fed GG had the highest proportion of propionic acid (31 4%, P 0.0005). Rats fed GG and Pec had low proportions of butyric acid (6 1 and 10 1%, respectively), whereas those fed both had a higher proportion of butyric acid (15 3%, P 0.05). Consequently, the cecal butyric acid pool was twice as high in rats fed the GG Pec mixture (44 9 mol) as in those fed the individual components (19 2 and 21 3 mol, respectively, P 0.05). Rats fed HAS with WB had a greater fecal excretion of SCFA (184 19 mol/d) than those fed the individual components (77 10 and 116 12 mol/d in rats fed HAS and WB, respectively P 0.05), suggesting that incorporation of WB delayed the site of fermentation of HAS to the distal part of the hindgut. In conclusion, the combination of indigestible carbohydrates may affect both SCFA patterns and the site of SCFA release in the rat hindgut. J. Nutr. 132: 3098–3104,
Bacterial populations on teat ends of dairy cows housed in free stalls and bedded with either sand or sawdust.

The main objectives of the experiment were: 1) to compare bacterial populations of mastitis-causing organisms on the teats of lactating dairy cattle housed on sand and sawdust bedding and, 2) to examine the relationship between bacterial counts present in the 2 bedding types with those on teat ends. Sixteen lactating Holstein cows were housed on either sand or sawdust-bedded free stalls using a crossover design with 3 wk per bedding type. Bedding samples were collected on d 0 (prior to animals lying on the bedding), 1, 2, and 6. Teat ends were sampled prior to the morning milking on d 1, 2, and 6. All samples were analyzed to determine coliform, Klebsiella spp. , and Streptococcus spp. populations. There were 2 times more coliforms and 6 times more Klebsiella bacteria on teat ends of cows housed on sawdust compared with those housed on sand. In contrast, there were 10 times more Streptococcus spp. bacteria on teat ends of cows when housed on sand compared with sawdust. In both sawdust and sand bedding, coliforms, Klebsiella and Streptococcus counts increased over each experimental week, although patterns varied with bedding and bacteria type. Bacterial counts on teat ends were correlated with bacterial counts in sawdust (r = 0.47, 0.69, and 0.60 for coliforms, Klebsiella spp., and streptococci, respectively) and in sand (r = 0.35 for coliforms and r = 0.40 for Klebsiella spp.). In conclusion, coliforms and Klebsiella spp. on teat ends were more numerous when cows were housed on sawdust bedding, but Streptococcus spp. were more numerous on teat ends of cows housed on sand.
IL‐13 induces expression of CD36 in human monocytes through PPARγ activation

The class B scavenger receptor CD36 is a component of the pattern recognition receptors on monocytes that recognizes a variety of molecules. CD36 expression in monocytes depends on exposure to soluble mediators. We demonstrate here that CD36 expression is induced in human monocytes following exposure to IL‐13, a Th2 cytokine, via the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)γ pathway. Induction of CD36 protein was paralleled by an increase in CD36 mRNA. The PPARγ pathway was demonstrated using transfection of a PPARγ expression plasmid into the murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7, expressing very low levels of PPARγ, and in peritoneal macrophages from PPARγ‐conditional null mice. We also show that CD36 induction by IL‐13 via PPARγ is dependent on phospholipase A2 activation and that IL‐13 induces the production of endogenous 15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2, an endogenous PPARγ ligand, and its nuclear localization in human monocytes. Finally, we demonstrate that CD36 and PPARγ are involved in IL‐13‐mediated phagocytosis of Plasmodium falciparum‐parasitized erythrocytes. These results reveal a novel role for PPARγ in the alternative activation of monocytes by IL‐13, suggesting that endogenous PPARγ ligands, produced by phospholipase A2 activation, could contribute to the biochemical and cellular functions of CD36.
The Causality Issue in the Financial Openness and Economic Growth Nexus: Empirical Evidence from Selected Emerging Countries: 1975-2011

This paper investigates empirically the causal relationship between capital account liberalization and economic growth using the Toda and Yamamotoâ€™s approach for selected emerging countries during the period 1975-2011. The evidence seems to be supportive of a causality running from capital account liberalization to economic growth. This causality is found to be unidirectional in general with exception of Malaysia and South Korea where the causality in the other direction is also significant. Moreover this causality is found to be running through boosting capital accumulation rather than efficiency. This is particularly true in Malaysia and South Korea especially when we use the Chinn and Itoâ€™s financial openness index. All these findings relative to causality also seem to be corroborated by the generalized variance decomposition approach and especially in the case of Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
Circular Economy (CE): A Framework towards Sustainable Low Carbon Development in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia

Under the Malaysia’s National Key Economic Area (NKEA), Pengerang is set to become the largest regional petroleum refinery and trading hub in South East Asia and will be the focus centre in Asia and globally. This paper relates the basic theory of CE with Pengerang’s background, which is in the construction phase towards becoming the centre of integrated petrochemical refinery industry in Johor, Malaysia. CE in the petrochemical industry in Pengerang is briefly exposed in terms of overall constitutional framework, industrial management, energy cycle usage, and wastewater and sludge treatment. This paper outlines the reviews of current movements for Circular Economy (CE) based on the work of literature gathered in 2000 till 2017, its definitions, current best practices, and policy framework towards its implementation especially in highly industrialised petrochemical refinery industries in Europe and China. These mechanisms of CE are then synthesised and implementation framework for CE in Pengerang is produced. Despite this early investigation and literature exposure of CE in Pengerang, there is a need for further specific research to be conducted extensively, to acquire more understanding especially in the context of potential implementations, stakeholders’ involvement and awareness towards low carbon development in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia via CE implementation.
A Statewide Assessment of Mercury Dynamics in North Carolina Water Bodies and Fish

Abstract Mercury contamination of aquatic systems has received much attention recently because of potential health effects on humans and wildlife. Although the factors affecting mercury deposition, its conversion to biologically active methylmercury, and its bioaccumulation in aquatic systems have been identified, equivocal results for particular species and systems have hampered policy making. Our study addresses this problem through a comprehensive, statewide synthesis of the available data on fish mercury contamination in North Carolina and the environmental factors associated with methylmercury formation and transport through aquatic food webs. Using data collected by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and others, we examined the relationships between a suite of biotic and abiotic factors and tissue mercury concentrations in fish from North Carolina water bodies. Multivariate tests were conducted to create predictive models rel.