Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A managerial perspective on institutions' administration readiness to diffuse blended learning in higher education: Concept and evidence

Abstract There has been rapid development in Blended Learning (BL) diffusion and prior studies mainly focused on issues related to students and lecturers in improving teaching and learning outcomes, but very few studies focused on institution’s readiness and diffusion issues. Thus, there is need for institutional-based research to guide universities, colleges, and polytechnics to strategically diffuse BL. Accordingly, this study develops a model to investigate the variables and associated factors that influence institutions' administration readiness to diffuse BL initiatives based on Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) theory and institutional BL adoption framework that comprises of mature implementation stage of BL. Quantitative research approach was employed and data was collected using online survey questionnaire from 223 e-learning administrators/managers in Malaysia universities, colleges, and polytechnics. Next, Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was employed for data analysis. Results indicate that institutional structure, resource support, technology infrastructure, management strategies, and ethical considerations are key variables that positively predict administration readiness to diffuse BL initiatives in higher education. Additional results from Importance Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) in PLS-SEM suggest that institutional structure has the strongest effect on administrators’ readiness to diffuse BL and is also the most important variable that influences BL diffusion in institutions. Theoretically, findings from this study provide insights on how institutions’ administration perception and acceptance of BL approach can be enhanced. Practically, the developed model can be employed as a readiness tool to assess institutions current state in implementing BL environment and further provides a road map for future improvement.
The preliminary clinical results of the treatment for advanced pancreatic carcinoma by high intensity focused ultrasound

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect and safety of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of advanced pancreatic carcinoma. Methods 21 cases of advanced pancreatic carcinoma were treated by FEP BY01 pyrotherapier (HIFU). Results After HIFU, abdominal pain was relieved in 88% of patients (15/17), ultrasonic echo of carcinoma tissue was enhanced in all patients, the bloodstream decreased significantly or disappeared, the tumor size and CT value had no significant change, PET examination showed that carcinoma was inactivated effectively, although the tumor size as evaluated by CT scan did not experience a shrinkage. There were no complications such as skin burns、pancreatic fistula、bleeding、 pancreatitis and perforation during the process. The mean survival time of the patients after HIFU was 7 6 months. Conclusion HIFU as a new local treatment effects a satisfactory palliation for patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma.
Leadership Practices of Principals of Colleges of Education and Their Influence on Job Satisfaction of Tutors in Ghana

The role of Principals in colleges of education are very central to the success of these colleges. Based on a study with 184 tutors and eight (8) college principals who were sampled using proportionate stratified sampling, simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques, this study assesses the impact of leadership practices of Principals on job satisfaction levels of tutors in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The study showed that the most adopted leadership practice among the Principals was inspire a shared vision, with challenge the process being the least adopted practice. Besides, among the leadership practices, there was only a moderately positive correlation between inspire a shared vision leadership practice and job satisfaction levels. This means that increasing the level of adoption of this leadership practice will increase the job satisfaction levels of tutors. The study recommends that policy makers in collaboration with the Human Resource Department of the colleges should organize programmes that will equip Principals to inspire a shared vision.
Nature of Qualitative Research

Current paper is an overview of qualitative research. It starts with discussing meaning of research and links it with a framework of experiential learning. Complexity of socio-political environment can be captured with methodologies appropriate to capture dynamism and intricacy of human life. Qualitative research is a process of capturing lived-in experiences of individuals, groups, and society. It is an umbrella concept which involves variety of methods of data collection such as interviews, observations, focused group discussions, projective tools, drawings, narratives, biographies, videos, and anything which helps to understand world of participants. Researcher is an instrument of data collection and plays a crucial role in collecting data. Main steps and key characteristics of qualitative research are covered in this paper. Reader would develop appreciation for methodiness in qualitative research. Quality of qualitative research is explained referring to aspects related to rigor, worthiness of topic in interpretivist research. This paper presents challenges of qualitative research in terms of thinking of qualitative research, doing of qualitative research, and trustworthiness.
Student perceptions of teaching effectiveness and learning achievement: A comparative examination of online and hybrid course delivery format

ABSTRACT Although a good deal of research has been published that compares the effectiveness of communication courses delivered in face-to-face and online formats, much less is known about the comparative effectiveness of fully online versus hybrid (a.k.a. blended, mixed mode) courses. Thus, this research project examined student perceptions of teaching effectiveness and learning achievement efficacy in online and hybrid basic communication courses. This two-part study assessed student perceptions (N = 136) about halfway through the semester and again after finishing the course (N = 156). The examination revealed several key conclusions. First, technology constraints must be overcome pedagogically for students to feel prepared in terms of course content comprehension, as well as formal speech construction and delivery. Second, when students enroll in hybrid courses unaware of the technology-enhanced delivery format, they may perceive an expectancy violation that reduces their motivation to attend to the material. Finally, although students value the opportunity to take fully online and hybrid courses, they desire more interaction with both peers and instructor in courses conducted fully online.
An Exploratory Study of the Views of Supervision Strategies by Community Corrections Probationers in China

Offenders’ attitudes toward supervision models are critical for the success of supervision practices in community corrections. It is surprising, however, that there is a general lack of research on offenders’ attitudes toward supervision models or strategies in community corrections. Using a sample of 351 offenders serving community corrections in City W, China, the current study found that the majority of the respondents positively perceived rehabilitation supervision and the environmental supervision strategies. The punishment supervision strategy was supported by the respondents but with a lower degree, relative to the support for other supervision strategies. Institutional factors were the most important predictors of the offenders’ attitudes.
Parasocial relationships with disliked television characters, depressive symptoms, and loneliness among older adults

ABSTRACT This study considered how older adults’ parasocial relationships with disliked television characters predict depressive symptoms and loneliness, as well as how attachment styles and real-life romantic relationship quality moderate these associations. Adults aged 55 and older reported on their most disliked television character and romantic relationship functioning in a self-administered survey, and hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test the data. Results revealed that older adults with low attachment avoidance and low-quality romantic relationships demonstrated the largest increases in their depressive symptoms and loneliness as their antagonistic parasocial relationships increased in intensity. Applied implications of these findings are considered, such as alternative outlets to which older adults with low attachment avoidance and low-quality romantic relationships might turn (e.g. community volunteering, relationships with children, grandchildren, and friends) if their romantic and parasocial relationships are not conducive to fostering mental well-being.
An Evaluation of Successful Program Completions across Types of Problem-Solving Courts

Abstract Variations of problem-solving court programs have been created to address a wide variety of offense-related problems, such as drug addiction, mental health, domestic violence, homelessness, and many others. Yet there is little knowledge as to whether this model is equally effective across these many versions of the model. This study uses data from the 2012 Census of Problem-Solving Courts to assess whether there is variation in the proportion of successful program completions across program types. Additionally, this study examined what program-level characteristics are associated with increased successful program completions. The findings of this study suggest that, while there is some variation in program success across program types, there is also substantial variation within types of programs. That is, not one type of problem-solving court program is more effective than any other. The results of this study also found that the programs that offer a larger variety of services are likely to have higher levels of successful program completions. Future research should follow these preliminary findings by examining variations in other outcomes measures of success.
A Multiprocess Item Response Model for Not-Reached Items due to Time Limits and Quitting

So far, modeling approaches for not-reached items have considered one single underlying process. However, missing values at the end of a test can occur for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, examinees may not reach the end of a test due to time limits and lack of working speed. On the other hand, examinees may not attempt all items and quit responding due to, for example, fatigue or lack of motivation. We use response times retrieved from computerized testing to distinguish missing data due to lack of speed from missingness due to quitting. On the basis of this information, we present a new model that allows to disentangle and simultaneously model different missing data mechanisms underlying not-reached items. The model (a) supports a more fine-grained understanding of the processes underlying not-reached items and (b) allows to disentangle different sources describing test performance. In a simulation study, we evaluate estimation of the proposed model. In an empirical study, we show what insights can be gained regarding test-taking behavior using this model.
UTILIZING AN ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: MAIN STRATEGIES AND ENABLERS

Teknoloji butunlesme surecine odaklanilmasi teknolojinin ogretim icin kullanilmasina yonelik stratejileri ve ilgili faktorleri anlamaya yonelik farkli bir bakis acisi ve katki saglayabilir. Bu calismanin amaci bir bilgisayar ogretmeninin cevrimici ogrenme ortamini nasil kullandigini anlamaya calismak ve olasi stratejiler ile kullanma surecine katki saglayan olanaklari ortaya cikartmaktir. Nitel arastirma paradigmasi benimsenen calismada amacsal ornekleme yontemi kullanilmistir. Calismanin amaci dogrultusunda bir bilgisayar ogretmeni orneklem hedefi olarak belirlenmistir. Calismanin ana bulgusu ogretmenin cevrimici ogrenme ortamini ogretim surecinin on-calismalari ve ogretim surecini desteklemek icin kullandigini gostermektedir. Kullanim surecinde, aktiviteler, gosterimler, tartisma ortami, icerik aciklamalari ve degerlendirmeler siklikla kullanilmistir. Cevrimici ogrenme ortaminin kullanmasi ogretmene ogrencileri ile bireysel ilgilenebilmesini adina zaman kazandirmis, ogrencilerin derslere karsi ilgisini arttirmis ve ogrencilere farkli bir bilgi kaynagi sunmasina katki saglamistir. Ogretmene gore ogrencileri kendi ogrenme sorumluluklarinin, bilginin baska kaynaklardan da edinilebileceklerinin farkina varmislardir. Ogrenciler daha aktif bir sekilde ders sureclerine katilim saglamaya baslamislardir.
Prosodic cues in second-language speech processing: A visual world eye-tracking study

Listeners interpret cues in speech processing immediately rather than waiting until the end of a sentence. In particular, prosodic cues in auditory speech processing can aid listeners in building information structure and contrast sets. Native speakers even use this information in combination with syntactic and semantic information to build mental representations predictively. Research on second-language (L2) learners suggests that learners have difficulty integrating linguistic information across various domains, likely subject to L2 proficiency levels. The current study investigated eye-movement behavior of native speakers of English and Chinese learners of English in their use of contrastive intonational cues to restrict the set of upcoming referents in a visual world paradigm. Both native speakers and learners used contrastive pitch accent to restrict the set of referents. Whereas native speakers anticipated the upcoming set of referents, this was less clear in the L2 learners. This suggests that learners are able to integrate information across multiple domains to build information structure in the L2 but may not do so predictively. Prosodic processing was not affected by proficiency or working memory in the L2 speakers.
Effective Connectivity Between Broca’s Area and Amygdala as a Mechanism of Top-Down Control in Worry

Individuals higher in trait worry exhibit increased activation in Broca’s area during inhibitory processing tasks. To identify whether such activity represents an adaptive mechanism supporting top-down control, we investigated functional and effective connectivity of Broca’s area during a task of inhibitory control. Functional MRI data obtained from 106 participants performing an emotion-word Stroop task were examined using psychophysiological interaction and Granger causality (GC) analyses. Findings revealed greater directed connectivity from Broca’s area to amygdala in the presence of emotional distraction. Furthermore, a predictive relationship was observed between worry and the asymmetry in effective connectivity; worriers exhibited greater directed connectivity from Broca’s area to amygdala. When performing the task, worriers with greater GC directional asymmetry were more accurate than worriers with less asymmetry. Present findings indicate that individuals with elevated trait worry use a mechanism of top-down control in which communication from Broca’s area to amygdala fosters successful compensation for interference effects.
Does telephone testing of long-term memory retention and forgetting influence performance in young and older adults? An examination using the Crimes Test

Measuring memory over long delays requires multiple sessions, often administered remotely (e.g. by telephone) to maximise convenience and participant access. However, the efficacy of testing delayed memory via telephone has not previously been examined. We administered the Crimes Test to young and older adults, with a one-week delay test, either in person or over the telephone. Testing via telephone had no detrimental effect, indicating this to be an appropriate method of examining delayed episodic memory.
Structural Language and Nonverbal Ability Profiles in Monolingual and Bilingual Children with ASD

Le diagnostic de Trouble du Spectre Autistique (TSA) prevoit une specification pour toutes les occurrences de trouble du langage et/ou deficience intellectuelle. En ce qui concerne les troubles du langage, plusieurs etudes ont montre que chez les enfants avec TSA il existe un sous-groupe d’enfants qui manifestent des troubles severes du langage structurel, en morphosyntaxe et phonologie (TSA-TL) similaires a ceux rencontres chez les enfants avec Trouble Specifique du Langage (TSL), alors que le reste des enfants presentent des habilites langagieres dans la norme (TSA-LN), comme les enfants a developpement typique (DT). Concernant les deficits cognitifs, les etudes actuelles qui ont une large population ont mis en evidence que pres d’un tiers des individus appartenant au spectre presentent une deficience intellectuelle.
Practices of learning, earning and intimacy in women's drinking biographies

4 Declaration 5 Copyright Statement 6 Acknowledgements 7 Chapter 1 8 A first sip Introduction 8 From moderation to intoxication? 9 Responding to gaps and deficiencies in existing approaches 11 Research questions 13 Key contributions 14 An outline of the thesis 17 Chapter 2 22 Understanding the role of alcohol in women’s lives Introduction 22 Establishing the context 22 Researching drinking as a socio-cultural practice 31 Researching women and alcohol 34 Theoretical perspectives and resources 44 Conclusion 49 Chapter 3 50 Researching women’s relationships to alcohol Introduction 50 Research Questions 50 Constructing drinking biographies 51 Key terms and concepts 58 Sampling and recruitment 64 Ethical reflections 70 Analysis 71 Conclusion 73 Chapter 4 75 Learning to drink Introduction 75 Narrating family histories around alcohol 77 Alcohol in the transition from childhood to adulthood 86 Reand un-learning to drink in adulthood and later life 99 Conclusion 110
Efficacy of Superovulation and Intrauterine Insemination in the Treatment of Infertility

Background Induction of superovulation with gonadotropins and intrauterine insemination are frequently used to treat infertility. We conducted a large, randomized, controlled clinical trial of these treatments. Methods We studied 932 couples in which the woman had no identifiable infertility factor and the man had motile sperm. The couples were randomly assigned to receive intracervical insemination, intrauterine insemination, superovulation and intracervical insemination, or superovulation and intrauterine insemination. Treatment continued for four cycles unless pregnancy was achieved. Results The 231 couples in the group treated with superovulation and intrauterine insemination had a higher rate of pregnancy (33 percent) than the 234 couples in the intrauterine-insemination group (18 percent), the 234 couples in the group treated with superovulation and intracervical insemination (19 percent), or the 233 couples in the intracervical-insemination group (10 percent). Stratified, discrete-time Cox proporti.
Effects of the Food Web Casting on College Student’s Viewing Happiness and Attitude Towards Obesity

Due tothe popularity of personal web-casting ‘Food Web Casting’ program, the present study aims to examine its effects on real life. The study conducted a survey with Korean college students. Results from a survey of 256 participants showed that first, the most salient reason for watching ‘Food Web Casting’ was gratification for killing time and gratifications for food entertainment, information, vicarious, and para social interaction are followed. Second, vicarious gratification, killing time gratification, and vicarious gourmandism gratification had a positive effect on Food Wed Casting programs viewing time, while it is not found for effects of gratifications for information and pro-social interaction. Third, it is found that Food Wed Casting programs viewing had effects on viewing happiness and negative perception of fat people. However, it did not have an effect on frequency of food delivery service. Based on these findings,implication, limitations, and topics for future research are discussed. ☞ keyword : Food Web Casting Programs, viewing motivations, viewing happiness, negative perception of fat people
Urban Media Studies| Practicing Urban Media Studies: An Interview With Will Straw

In this interview, Simone Tosoni and Seija Ridell discuss with Will Straw, professor of urban media studies at McGill University, Canada, his views of this subject area. Professorships that would explicitly focus on the intersection of media studies and urban studies are rare internationally, Straw’s position being one of them. The interview sheds light on how urban media studies came about and were institutionalized at McGill University, how Straw practices urban media studies in his own teaching, and how he sees the future of this “interdiscipline. ” The second part of the interview addresses two of Straw’s main research topics and their relation to urban media studies: his studies on scenes and the night. Will Straw is James McGill Professor of Urban Media Studies in the Department of Art History and Communications Studies at McGill University. He is the author of Cyanide and Sin: Visualizing Crime in ’50s America (Andrew Roth Gallery, 2006) and coeditor of several volumes including Circulation and the City: Essays on Urban Culture (with Alexandra Boutros), Formes Urbaines (with Anouk Belanger and Annie Gerin), and The Oxford Handbook to Canadian Cinema (with Janine Marchessault). He has published widely on popular culture of all kinds and is the author of more than 150 articles on music, cinema, and urban culture.
The challenges of beginning teacher induction: a collective case study

ABSTRACT The induction of beginning teachers is an imperative process in enculturating teachers to their new careers and helping them overcome the hurdles in the early years of teaching and the registration processes teachers undergo. Although induction practices in Australia have become more common in recent years, the data shows there is still much work to do. The current article presents a collective case study of six induction programs, which sought to ascertain the nature of beginning teacher induction in the independent school sector in NSW. Although difficult to generalise across the entire schooling sector, it is likely that the cases selected provide a snapshot of the variety and inconsistency of induction programs in independent schools across the state. The implications of the findings are significant in that they support structured induction of beginning teachers that may require bureaucratic oversight to ensure that beginning teachers have the best opportunity to become highly qualified career professionals.
Rectal trauma in adults

Rectal trauma is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality and generally affects young males due to its aetiology of violent crime and vehicular collision. Historically, management has followed principles derived from military practice, with faecal diversion, pre-sacral drainage and distal washout being mandatory. Civilian trauma studies examining management of colon and rectum injuries from the early 1950s identified major differences in the level of energy transfer between civilian and military wounds, given that the vast majority are penetrating in nature. This led to a re-evaluation of the necessity for these interventions for all rectal injuries. Current management depends on whether the injury is intra- or extraperitoneal, with those above the peritoneal reflection being readily accessible and amenable to treatment as for colon injury. Extraperitoneal injuries remain difficult to access and direct repair is usually impossible; the mainstay of treatment in most instances remains faecal diversion. The role of pre-sacral drainage and distal washout remains contentious in the realms of civilian rectal injury but retains a place in battlefield or other high-energy transfer rectal injuries where aggressive early management reduces septic complications. This article reviews the historical and current evidence for the management of both civilian and military extraperitoneal rectal injuries.