Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relationship between Teachers' Knowledge and Beliefs about Science and Inquiry and Their Classroom Practices.

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between teachers' attitudes toward science, knowledge and beliefs about inquiry, and science classroom teaching practices. Specifically, the study addressed three questions: What are teachers’ beliefs and knowledge about inquiry? What are teachers’ teaching related classroom practices? Do teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about inquiry relate to their science classroom practices? The sample consisted of 34 teachers drawn randomly from schools in the city of Lebanon. To answer the first question, teachers responded to two questionnaires: Views of Science Inquiry which gauged teachers’ views about science and how science is conducted and Attitudes and Beliefs about the Nature of and the Teaching of Science which measured teacher's attitudes and beliefs about the nature of and the teaching of science. To answer the second question, classroom observations documented actual teaching practices. Results from the questionnaires and the observation were used to construct individual teacher’s profiles which were used to identify relationships between teachers’ beliefs, knowledge, and teaching practices. Results showed that most teachers had restricted views of nature of science and unfavorable beliefs and attitudes about inquiry. Moreover, no consistent relationships between teachers’ beliefs, views of nature of science, and classroom practices were found.
Technology Timing of IPOs and Venture Capital Incubation

This paper investigates whether industry technological changes affect the timing of venture capital-backed IPOs. Venture capitalists (VCs) shorten incubation periods and take portfolio companies public when the industry exhibits high levels of technological change. This technology timing of IPOs reflects the VCs' efforts to raise future capital. In particular, during periods of greater technological change, VCs that conduct IPOs after shorter incubation periods obtain more subsequent funding. However, portfolio companies with shorter incubation periods earn fewer patents, are less likely to survive, and experience worse stock returns after their IPOs. These findings provide new insights into VCs' strategic exit decisions due to changes in the technological environment, as well as how their decisions affect the post-exit performance of their portfolio companies.
On the CAPM Approach to the Estimation of A Public Utility's Cost of Equity Capital

IN RECENT YEARS the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) has been used in several public utility rate cases to measure the cost of equity capital. In actual application, the cost of equity capital is frequently estimated as the annualized 90 day Treasury Bill rate plus a risk premium. The risk premium is obtained as the product of the average annual excess rate of return on a value weighted index of NYSE stocks (where the average is taken over a long period of time) and an estimate of the utility's NYSE beta. Underlying this procedure is the assumption that risk premiums are strictly proportional to NYSE betas. However, this assumption is inconsistent with the academic empirical literature on CAPM. This literature supports a (non-proportional) linear relationship between risk premiums and NYSE betas with a positive intercept. Other empirical studies suggest that, in addition to betas, risk premiums are influenced by dividend yields and systematic skewness. Evidence presented in this literature is consistent with the predictions of CAPM models that account for margin restrictions on the borrowing of investors, divergent borrowing and lending rates, the existence of risky assets (such as bonds, residential real estate, unincorporated businesses, and human capital) that are not included in the value weighted NYSE stock index, taxes and skewness preference. The version of the CAPM that should be employed in estimating a public utility's cost of equity capital cannot be conclusively demonstrated by theoretical arguments. A positive theory of the valuation of risking assets should not be judged upon the realism of its assumptions but rather on the accuracy of its predictions. The relationship between risk premiums and betas that is used to estimate the cost of equity capital should therefore be estimated econometrically rather than specified a priori. Section 2 compares the predictions of alternative versions of the CAPM. The assertion that risk premiums are proportional to NYSE betas is shown to result in a downward (upward) biased prediction of the cost of equity capital for a public utility having a NYSE beta that is less (greater) than unity, a dividend yield higher (lower) than the yield on the value weighted NYSE stock index, and/or a systematic skewness that exceeds (is less than) its beta. Section 3 discusses problems that arise in implementing CAPM approaches and presents possible solutions. Section 4 describes econometric procedures for
Under-diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder in A bedford CMHT.

BACKGROUND bipolar disorder is frequently misdiagnosed or diagnosed late. Misdiagnosis of Bipolar Disorder can have serious implications for prognosis and treatment of this condition. METHOD patients in a Community Mental Health Team were systematically screened for Bipolar Disorder. RESULTS There was a substantial increase in the number of bipolar patients diagnosed in the Community Mental Health Team. DISCUSSION the frequent misdiagnosis of Bipolar II disorder frequently leads to the treatment of these patients with anti-depressants only.This leads to the possibility of patients becoming elated in mood, or going into mixed states, which can lead to increased suicidality. CONCLUSION appropriate diagnosis of bipolar II disorder requires skills at present found in secondary care. Such patients should therefore be referred to secondary care. Both Primary and Secondary care should be more aware of this diagnosis and its consequences.
Image risks of servitization in collaborative service deliveries

Although servitization is seen as a potential process for reputable goods manufacturers to expand their business, it also involves risks to company image. External partners, such as suppliers and third parties, have played an increasing role in manufacturing firms' service business, but their image effects are poorly understood. This paper discusses the image risks of servitization in manufacturing companies, particularly when they operate collaboratively with third parties. An embedded case study was conducted in two units of a case company in the engineering industry. The results revealed that a good company image plays a key role in customers' selection of service providers, but this image is strongly influenced by third-party performance during service delivery. As a key contribution, this study suggests that third-party image risks are strategic issues that can direct and guide the servitization process at the level of strategy, operations, and company identity.
VFR Travelers: How long are they staying?

The Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment of travelers is a substantial segment of tourism in many destinations around the world. However, relative to its size, research has been lacking, commencing only around 20 years ago, and gaining momentum only this century. Research into VFR traveler profiles and characteristics has been limited, and some of what has been found conflicts with other findings. One such conflict relates to travelers� length of stay. While some research indicates that VFR travel is associated with long length of stay, other research indicates that it is associated with short-break tourism. The purpose of this research was to examine the length of stay for VFR travelers compared with non-VFR travelers at three contrasting destinations in Australia. Although the average length of stay varied among destinations, there was no significant difference between VFR and non-VFR travelers at each destination. That is, in this study VFR travel was not found to be associated with either short or long stay at the three destinations considered. However, length of stay was longer the more popular the destination was with tourists. As such, it is concluded that VFR travelers stay at more attractive destinations longer than at less attractive destinations, but not at any significantly different level to non-VFRs.
Price Dispersion and Loss Leader Pricing: Evidence from the Online Book Industry

In this paper, we develop a theoretical model to analyze the pricing strategies of competing retailers with asymmetric cross-selling capabilities when product demand changes. Our results suggest that retailers with better opportunities for cross-selling have higher incentives to adopt loss-leader pricing on high-demand products than retailers with low cross-selling capabilities. As a result, price dispersion of a product across retailers rises when its demand increases. The predictions of our model are consistent with the empirical evidence from the online book retailing industry. Using product breadth as a proxy for cross-selling capability, we find that retailers with high cross-selling capabilities reduce prices on best sellers more aggressively than retailers with low cross-selling capabilities. As a result, price dispersion increases when a book makes it to the best-seller list, and the increase is mainly driven by the difference in pricing behavior between retailers with different cross-selling capabilities. Our empirical results are robust against a number of alternative explanations.
Exploring the nature of stakeholder collaboration: a case study of marine turtle tourism in the Ningaloo region, Western Australia

This paper explores the nature of stakeholder collaboration as a practical issue in the case of turtle tourism in the Ningaloo region of Western Australia. While there is a wealth of literature that explores the theory and conceptual ideas of collaboration in tourism planning, there is a need to explore these theories in applied situations. In this case study, key stakeholders of the Ningaloo Turtle Advisory Group were identified using snowballing methods and the nature of collaboration between stakeholders was investigated through an examination of workshop dialogue and action research. A framework for exploring the nature of collaboration was developed based on Bramwell and Sharman's (1999) [Collaboration in local tourism policy making. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), 392–415] criteria for measuring collaborative approaches and Mandell's (1999) [The impact of collaborative efforts: Changing the face of public policy through networks and network structures. Policy Studies Review, 16, 4–17] continuum of collaboration. This research confirms that the success of collaboration relies on building partnerships and trust, recognizing interdependence, generating a collective vision and objectives and commitment among stakeholders within a structured process. The appointment of an external convenor also played an important role in facilitating the process, while a programme coordinator was essential for implementing the objectives generated by stakeholders.
How useful are the forecasts of intergovernmental agencies? The IMF and OECD versus the consensus

This study compares the accuracy and information content of economic forecasts for G7 countries made in the 1990s by the OECD and IMF. The benchmarks for comparison are the average forecasts of private sector economists published by Consensus Economics. With few exceptions, the private sector forecasts are less biased and more accurate in terms of mean absolute error and root mean square error. Formal tests show these differences are statistically significant for forecasts of real growth and production, less so for forecasts of inflation and unemployment. Overall, there appears little information in the OECD and IMF forecasts that could be used to reduce significantly the error in the private sector forecasts.
Factors associated with time to colposcopy after abnormal Pap testing in HIV-infected women.

BACKGROUND HIV-infected women are at increased risk for cervical dysplasia and require timely follow-up after an abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) test. METHODS This retrospective cohort study assessed the proportion of HIV-infected women with colposcopic evaluation after an abnormal Pap test. Time to colposcopy within 12 months after an abnormal Pap test was assessed with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard modeling in a diverse cohort of HIV-infected women between October 1, 2003, and September 30, 2007. RESULTS One hundred seventy-seven subjects had an abnormal Pap test: 22 high-grade intraepithelial lesion (HSIL; 12%), 120 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL; 68%), and 35 atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, human papillomavirus positive (20%). One hundred twenty (68%) had follow-up colposcopy by 1 year. Decreased time to follow-up was associated with being married (HR 3.5, 95% CI 1.9-6.2), high school graduate or higher education level (HR 1.7, CI 1.2-2.6), HSIL Pap results (HR 2.8, CI 1.3-6.2), Pap testing performed by HIV nurse practitioner versus gynecology clinic (HR 1.7, 1.1-2.7), and CD4 count ≥500 cells/mm(3) (HR 1.8, CI 1.2-2.8), after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and LSIL Pap result. Private insurance was associated with decreased time to colposcopy in unadjusted, but not multivariate analysis. Drug use was not associated with time to follow-up colposcopy. CONCLUSIONS Almost one third of HIV-infected women did not have a follow-up colposcopy by 12 months after an abnormal Pap test. Since HIV-infected women are at particularly high risk for cervical cancer, these results are unacceptably poor. Identification of the barriers to appropriate follow-up and targeted interventions are necessary to improve timely follow-up for cytologic abnormalities in this high-risk population.
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis: Marijuana Puts Patients in Hot Water

Objective: This paper describes a case of cannabinoid hyperemesis, a curious, emerging condition associated with long-term cannabis abuse. The authors wish to facilitate its recognition and management by clinicians. Conclusions: Cannabinoid hyperemesis is a cluster of symptoms characterized by chronic cannabis abuse, cyclical vomiting and compulsive bathing behaviours. The condition can be missed unless an adequate history is taken of illicit drug ingestion. It can be confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The treatment consists of supportive measures in the acute phase, followed by complete abstinence from cannabis.
Bettors Love Skewness, Not Risk, at the Horse Track

Studies of horse race betting have empirically established a long shot anomaly; that is, low‐probabiliy, high‐variance bets (long shots) provide low mean returns and high‐probability, lowvariance bets provide relatively high mean returns. Because bettors willingly accept low‐return, high‐variance bets, researchers conclude that bettors are risk lovers. In this study, we show that the data are at least as consistent with risk aversion as they are with risk loving when one explicitly considers the skewness of bet returns. Because the variance and skewness of bet returns are highly correlated, bettors may appear to prefer variance when it is skewness that they crave.
Critiques and extension of strategic international human resource management framework for dragon multinationals

This paper aims at critiquing several existing strategic international human resource management frameworks and discusses their inadequacy to apply directly to emerging multinational companies, especially those generated from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. To complement the existing strategic international human resource management frameworks, key variables relevant to emerging economies are identified and an extended model with reference to emerging multinational companies is developed with several research propositions. It is believed that the proposed model would better capture the current development of multinationals in transition, and alert emerging international managers to address several people management challenges in the global context.
HVDC Connection of Offshore Wind Farms to the Transmission System

This paper presents a technical and economic analysis to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of grid connecting offshore wind farms through a dc link. A first case, concerning a 100-MW wind farm, is thoroughly investigated and cases of larger wind farms (200 and 500 MW) are presented. Three different transmission solutions are compared: 150-kV ac, 400-kV ac, and high-voltage dc based on voltage sourced converters (VSC-HVDC). After a brief overview of the features of these connection solutions, the related operational aspects are evaluated. An economic assessment compares the dc connection option to the ac alternatives, taking into account the investment, operation, and maintenance costs, and the negative valorization of losses and energy not supplied. Economic assessment includes sensitivity analyses of parameters, which could impact the 100-MW wind farm: distance, component costs, dc converter reliability, and dc converter losses
Incremental Protection and Efficient Political Choice between Tariffs and Quotas

This paper offers a new political economy explanation for the increasing use in recent years of quotas instead of, or in combination with, tariffs as a form of trade protection. The authors show that, under domestic monopoly, the comparative efficiency of tariffs and quotas in achieving political objectives will vary depending on the nature of the market and the level of protection. At high levels of protection, quotas can become more politically efficient than tariffs. They also show that, at low levels of protection, a price equivalent quota may not exist.
Social Class, Sector Employment, and Gender as Party Cleavages in the Scandinavian Countries: A Comparative Longitudinal Study, 1970–95

This article studies the changing impact of social class, sector employment, and gender with regard to party choice in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, from the 1970s to the 1990s, using election survey data. Political parties in the three countries are grouped into four party groups: left socialist, social democratic, centrist, and rightist parties. Class voting has declined in all three countries. The focus on the four party groups shows that differences between the wage-earner classes have declined for the social democratic and rightist party groups. By contrast, ‘class voting’ has increased for the left socialist parties, which increasingly have concentrated their support among the new middle class. Sector employment became an important party cleavage in all three countries in the 1990s. The impact of sector was generally largest in Denmark and Norway in the 1980s and 1990s. The sector cleavage also follows the left–right division of parties to a greater degree than previously. Sector differences in voting behaviour are most pronounced with regard to voting for the left socialist and the rightist parties. Gender differences in voting behaviour have increased and changed character in all three countries. In the 1970s, men supported the socialist parties to a greater extent than women; in the 1990s men supported the rightist parties to a greater extent than women in all three countries, whereas women supported the left socialist parties and (in Sweden) the Green Party to a greater degree than men. The effects of gender are generally reduced when sector employment is introduced into the multivariate analysis, indicating that the different sector employment of men and of women explains part of the gender gap in voting behaviour.
α-Actinin 4 Potentiates Nuclear Factor κ-Light-chain-enhancer of Activated B-cell (NF-κB) Activity in Podocytes Independent of Its Cytoplasmic Actin Binding Function*

Background: ACTN4 is an actin-binding protein and is associated with kidney diseases. Results: Nuclear ACTN4 interacts with NF-κB and is recruited to NF-κB-targeted promoters to potentiate its transcription activity. Conclusion: ACTN4 coactivates NF-κB activity independently of its cytoplasmic activity in cultured human podocytes. Significance: Nuclear ACTN4 may play an important role in glomerular function. Glomerular podocytes are highly specialized terminally differentiated cells that act as a filtration barrier in the kidney. Mutations in the actin-binding protein, α-actinin 4 (ACTN4), are linked to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a chronic kidney disease characterized by proteinuria. Aberrant activation of NF-κB pathway in podocytes is implicated in glomerular diseases including proteinuria. We demonstrate here that stable knockdown of ACTN4 in podocytes significantly reduces TNFα-mediated induction of NF-κB target genes, including IL-1β and NPHS1, and activation of an NF-κB-driven reporter without interfering with p65 nuclear translocation. Overexpression of ACTN4 and an actin binding-defective variant increases the reporter activity. In contrast, an FSGS-linked ACTN4 mutant, K255E, which has increased actin binding activity and is predominantly cytoplasmic, fails to potentiate NF-κB activity. Mechanistically, IκBα blocks the association of ACTN4 and p65 in the cytosol. In response to TNFα, both NF-κB subunits p65 and p50 translocate to the nucleus, where they bind and recruit ACTN4 to their targeted promoters, IL-1β and IL-8. Taken together, our data identify ACTN4 as a novel coactivator for NF-κB transcription factors in podocytes. Importantly, this nuclear function of ACTN4 is independent of its actin binding activity in the cytoplasm.
Positive psychological determinants of treatment adherence among primary care patients

Background Patient adherence to medical treatment recommendations can affect disease prognosis, and may be beneficially or deleteriously influenced by psychological factors. Aim We examined the relationships between both adaptive and maladaptive psychological factors and treatment adherence among a sample of primary care patients. Methods One hundred and one rural, primary care patients completed the Life Orientation Test-Revised, Trait Hope Scale, Future Orientation Scale, NEO-FFI Personality Inventory (measuring positive and negative affect), and Medical Outcomes Study General Adherence Scale. Findings In independent models, positive affect, optimism, hope, and future orientation were beneficially associated with treatment adherence, whereas pessimism and negative affect were negatively related to adherence. In multivariate models, only negative affect, optimism and hope remained significant and, in a comparative model, trait hope was most robustly associated with treatment adherence. Implications Therapeutically, addressing negative emotions and expectancies, while simultaneously bolstering motivational and goal-directed attributes, may improve adherence to treatment regimens.
On Money and Motivation: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis of Financial Incentives for College Achievement

Programs linking college aid to academic achievement could work either by lowering the cost of college or by inducing additional student effort. I examine the PROMISE program in West Virginia, which offers free tuition to students who maintain a minimum GPA and course load. Using administrative data, I exploit discontinuities in the eligibility formula and the timing of implementation to estimate causal effects. I find robust and significant impacts on key academic outcomes. Impacts are concentrated around the annual requirements for scholarship renewal, suggesting that the program works via incentives for academic achievement, not simply by relaxing financial constraints.