Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study of the Impact of Participating in the edTPA Process on the Assessment Practices of Novice Teachers

Oregon student achievement continues to linger in the bottom of state rankings for assessment scores and graduation rates. Recent literature suggests that formative assessment and feedback are the most effective practices for improving student outcomes. Oregon has adopted the educative teacher performance assessment, or the edTPA which measures, among other abilities, teacher use of assessment practices. This mixed methods study explores the impact of the edTPA on the development of assessment practices of novice teachers by collecting data in two phases: an online survey and a one-on-one interview. The sample included 41 graduates of Oregon educator preparation programs from 2016, 2017, and 2018, and seven of the survey participants also participated in a follow-up interview. Through the data analysis four themes emerged: 1) novice teachers perceive that completing the edTPA had little to no impact on their current assessment practices, 2) novice teachers perceive that the edTPA was a waste of time or hindered the learning process for preservice teachers, 3) novice teachers did learn assessment practices, but from other sources, and 4) novice teachers interviewed for this study self-report the use best practices in assessment. The findings of this study indicate implications for pre-service teachers, educator preparation programs, and policymakers in Oregon and the need to further explore how to support the development of pre-service teachers’ assessment practices and effective implementation of the edTPA.
Developing an Interest in STEM Careers Through Integrated STEM Experiences

ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. DEDICATION . III GRANT INFORMATION . IV CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 PROBLEM STATEMENT . 1 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS . 2 METHODS OVERVIEW . 3 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS . 3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 4 OVERVIEW . 4 INTEREST DEVELOPMENT . 4 ASSESSING STEM INTEREST . 7 STEM LEARNING EXPERIENCES . 9 SUMMARY . 13 CHAPTER 3: METHODS . 15 OVERVIEW . 15 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY . 15 PARTICIPANTS . 16 DATA COLLECTION . 16 Student interviews. 16 vi Student surveys. 17 Student work samples. 17 Teacher observation journal. 17 DATA ANALYSIS . 18 Student work samples. 18 Student survey data. 18 Additional student post-survey. 18 Student interviews. 19 Teacher observation journal. 19 SUMMARY . 19 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS . 21 OVERVIEW . 21 SUMMARY . 43 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS . 44 OVERVIEW . 44 DISCUSSION . 44 LIMITATIONS . 48 REFERENCES . 50 APPENDIX A: STUDENT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS . 54 APPENDIX B: STEM-CIS . 55 APPENDIX C: OPEN-ENDED STUDENT SURVEY . 56
Clinical Efficacy of Norcantharidin Combined with Conventional Chemotherapy Treating Postoperative Gastric Cancer

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of chemotherapy combined with norcantharidin on the treatment of postoperative gastric cancer patients.Methods Eighty-two cases of postoperative gastric cancer(stageⅡ-Ⅲ) patients who received treatment in Chaoyang Hospital of Huainan from July in 2005 to July in 2008 were randomly(using radnal software) divided into two groups,including 41 cases of chemotherapy group,41 cases of combined group.The 1-year,2-year,3-year survival rate and recurrence rate after operation were observed.Results 3-year survival rate of the combination group was higher(58.5% vs 36.5%) and the recurrence rate was lower(26.8% vs 48.7%) than the chemotherapy group with statistically significant difference(χ2 = 3.96,4.20,P 0.05). Conclusion Chemotherapy combined with cantharidin for treatment of postoperative gastric cancer can contribute to reduce the recurrence and improve the survival rate.
Critical realism, dialectics, and qualitative research methods

Critical realism has been an important advance in social science methodology because it develops a qualitative theory of causality which avoids some of the pitfalls of empiricist theories of causality. But while there has been ample work exploring the relationship between critical realism and qualitative research methods there has been noticeably less work exploring the relationship between dialectical critical realism and qualitative research methods. This seems strange especially since the founder of the philosophy of critical realism, Roy Bhaskar, employs and develops a range of dialectical concepts in his later work in order to extend the main tenets of critical realism. The aim of this paper is to draw on Bhaskar's later work, as well as Marxism, to reorient a critical realist methodology towards a dialectical approach for qualitative research. In particular, the paper demonstrates how dialectical critical realism can begin to provide answers to three common criticisms made against original critical realist methodology: that the qualitative theory of causal powers and structures developed by critical realists is problematic; that critical realist methodology contains values which prove damaging to empirical research; and that critical realists often have difficulties in researching everyday qualitative dilemmas that people face in their daily lives.
Emotional Problems

Subsequent to a stroke the patient begins a process of recovery which encompasses coping with physical, cognitive, emotional and social problems. In addition to the problems faced by the stroke patient are the difficulties of the individual who becomes the caregiver. In many cases this is the spouse, but the role can fall to the patient’s parents, children or siblings. Just as the degree of severity of impairment can vary, so also does the level of required care differ proportionally. In providing for the needs of the patient impacted by stroke we must take into account the needs of the patient’s caregiver, a crucial part of the patient’s support system. It is a rule of Systems Theory that if you change any part of a system, you have altered the entire system. Therefore, as a member of a family system, the stroke patient’s changes have an impact on all the other members of the family. It is clearly the case that we can only provide optimally for the patient by considering all aspects of care which affect the patient’s situation. In this article we will outline a number of changes which occur as sequelae to stroke, the impact of these on the patient’s affective and cognitive states, and the effect of these changes on the patient’s family system. Beyond this, we will address current methods for evaluating these changes with the purpose of developing treatment interventions which address the needs of both patients and care givers. Central to the process of assisting the patient and those who provide care is developing an understanding of the nature of the stroke in its varied presentations. Once the patient’s condi-
Men in communal roles. The influence of gender incongruent role models on gender stereotypes and occupational aspirations of kindergarten children in Northern Norway

Research in the past has looked extensively at gender segregation in the work force, where men and women are “divided” into bigger domains of work based on traditional gender roles attributed to them (Watt, 2008; Tellhed, Bäckström & Björklund, 2016). These two domains are STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Beede et al., 2011) and HEED: health care, elementary education, and domestic functions (Croft et al., 2015). Where many studies have examined the difficulties experienced by women participating in STEM or agentic professions, a much lower amount of research focuses on the barriers men face when entering HEED or communal roles (Croft et al., 2016). In order to further understand how gender disparity in labour develops, we turned to Norwegian kindergartens. This study investigated whether children (N = 149; 78 boys, 71 girls; Mage = 66.6 months, range = 54-83 months) who attended kindergartens with both male and female staff held more gender egalitarian views and aspirations than those who attended kindergartens with female staff only. We also looked at the roles that male kindergarten teachers play as role models. In reporting gender stereotypes of occupations, there were no significant preferences for either communal or agentic occupations as the children mainly reported that both genders could work in most occupations. Moderation analyses showed no significant effect of the gender of the kindergarten teachers on the children’s stereotypes, but there was a significant relationship between the boys’ internalised traits and willingness to work in communal occupations. These results are discussed in light of the Norwegian Action Plan aiming to increase the number of male kindergarten teachers in Norway.
自閉症スペクトラム指数 (AQ) 日本語版の標準化

Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, and Clubley (2001) constructed brief, self-administered instruments named the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), for measuring the degree to which an adult with normal intelligence has the traits associated with the autistic spectrum. In this paper, we report on a Japanese version of this new instrument. Three groups of Japanese subjects were assessed. Group 1 (n=57) consisted of adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA). The other two groups were control groups. Subjects of Group 2 (n=194) were normal adults and those of Group 3 (n=1050) were students selected from five Universities in Tokyo and Chiba. The adults with AS/HFA had a mean AQ score of 37.9 (SD=5.31), which was significantly higher than the two control groups (Group 2: X=18.5, SD=6.21, and Group 3: X=20.7, SD=6.388). While eighty-eight percent of the adults with AS/HFA scored more than 33 points, only 3% of subjects in the two control groups indicated those points. Among the controls, males scored slightly but significantly higher than females. The reliability of the AQ in both test-retest and inter-rater measures were significantly high.
Atherosclerosis: a life changing phenomenon

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. Because high plasma concentrations of cholesterol, in particular those of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, are one of the principal risk factors for atherosclerosis, the process of atherogenesis has been considered by many to consist largely of the accumulation of lipids within the artery wall; however, it is much more than that. The lesions of atherosclerosis occur principally in large and medium-sized elastic and muscular arteries and can lead to ischemia of the heart, brain, or extremities, resulting in infarction. They may be present throughout a person’s lifetime. Among patients with established cardiovascular disease, mortality is lower among those who participate in an exercise program than among those who do not. Furthermore, recent studies have reported positive lipid-lowering effects from estrogen and/or progestogen in postmenopausal women but there are still conflicting reports on the use of these agents in dyslipidaemia and in females at risk for CHD. In addition to lowering lipid levels, these antihyperlipidaemic The new therapeutic options available to clinicians treating dyslipidaemia in the last decade have enabled effective treatment for many atherosclerotic process.
Erythropoietin Measurement by EIA

An optimal level of circulating red blood cells or hemoglobin for oxygen transport is under the hormonal control of erythropoietin (EPO). The importance of EPO in anemia and polycythemia has been demonstrated. Historically, EPO determination has been costly and time consuming. It has become increasingly evident, however, that the knowledge of a patient's EPO levels would be valuable in the diagnosis and treatment of erythropoietic disorders. The purpose of this project was to conduct an independent clinical trial study of an EPO enzymelinked immunoassay (ElA) marketed by JCL ClinicalResearch. When this study was compared to the reference method of analysis, the polycythemic mouse bioassay, a high level of correlation was demonstrated. A separate comparison study of values obtained with EPO kits of different manufactured lots demonstrated acceptable correlation and reproducibility between samples from healthy and anemic groups of individuals. Reproducibility data demonstrate statistical similarity between the means from multiple analysis of a single sample with kits of different lots. An acceptable level of between-day precision and sensitivity was obtained from samples with low, normal, and elevated EPO values. This study demonstrates the EPO-EIA to have a level of sensitivity and reproducibility necessary for clinical laboratory determination of EPO.
A Clinical Observation on Acupuncture for 30 Cases of Sciatica

Objective To observe the relation between pain threshold and therapeutic effect of acupuncture for sciatica,and analyze the feasibility of taking pain threshold as a standard for quantizing the therapeutic effect of sciatica.Methods Totally 90 cases of sciatica were randomly and equally divided into 3 groups.Warm needling was used in warm needling group,while Nimesulide in western medicine group and Anisodamine in acupoint injection group respectively.Pain threshold was observed before and after treatment.Results Warm needling group was superior to other groups in therapeutic effect and pain threshold(P0.01). Conclusion Acupuncture can increase pain threshold and relieve clinical symptoms for sciatica.
Analyzing the impact of BYOD in secondary school English classrooms

There is limited research on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs. This study explored the impact of a BYOD program on secondary school students’ engagement, learning process, and learning performance in English classrooms. Five grade 9 English classes (n = 80) from a suburban high school, with students between the ages of 13 and 16 years old, participated in the study. A mixed-methods design was used, with quantitative and qualitative data collected from four surveys administered throughout the course. The results indicated that students were positive about the impact of the overall BYOD program. Students reported that computer use positively-impacted engagement, but also asserted that computer use resulted in some distraction. Students indicated that the learning process improved in a BYOD setting, with contributing factors including increased accessibility, understanding, communication, management, collaboration, and feedback. Some students noted that several technical issues impeded their learning process. Finally, students reported that computers enhanced learning performance, including student productivity, the overall quality of student work, and student writing. Future research should explore the impact of specific teaching and learning strategies in a BYOD program on students’ engagement, learning process, and learning performance in K-12 classrooms in a broader range of subject areas.
Ward@trecvid 2016

In this year’s competition [1], we made three changes based on last year’s system [2]. The first change was using original videos instead of resized videos. The second change was training the code books under separated cameras. The final change was performing inner vector normalization after feature encoding. In the cross validation, some of the proposed changes had impact on the detection and together made the fusion more accurate. However, in the competition, this year’s submission was inferior to the last year’s submission. We investigated the submission and found that it was caused by using the original videos, which was proposed for the intention of increasing the motion saliency in the features. As a consequence, we will not use the original videos to extract features for the next round.
Vulnerable suspects in police interviews: Exploring current practice in England and Wales

Mentally disordered individuals are increasingly coming into contact with the police. The current study explored investigative interview practice with mentally disordered suspects to examine how they respond, and the impact this has on the level of information obtained. Transcripts of interviews conducted with vulnerable and non-vulnerable suspects (N = 66) were analysed using a specially designed coding framework. Results highlighted that best practice is generally not being adhered to regarding questioning techniques (for example, the use of open questions). Furthermore, while police officers altered their communication to suit the needs of the vulnerable suspect, they were also more likely to use minimisation tactics. Mentally disordered suspects sought more clarification for open questions and provided more information to closed questions. They also demonstrated higher levels of vulnerability (suggestibility and compliance) when compared to their non-vulnerable counterparts. Implications regarding interviewing methods for this vulnerable group are discussed.
Children with a Parent in Prison England and Wales: A Hidden Population of Young Carers

ABSTRACT There are over 200, 000 children in the UK who are affected by parental imprisonment [Barnardo’s, 2014. Children affected by parental imprisonment. http://www.barnardos. org.uk/what_we_do/our_work/children_of_prisoners. htm]. Children with a parent in prison are expected to engage in a great deal of physical and emotional caring to support their family, work which often has a negative impact on their own physical and emotional well-being as well as their academic achievement. In this paper, the caring experiences of children with a parent in prison are explored using Dani and De Haan’s [2007. Structural inequalities and inclusive Institutions. In A. Dani, & A. De Haan (Eds.), Inclusive states: Social policy and structural inequalities (pp. 3–38). Washington, DC: The World Bank] model of structural inequality to argue that the stigma and isolation experienced by children with a parent in prison is the consequence of a lack of political will to acknowledge the needs of a highly vulnerable group of children. It is contended that extending the eligibility criteria for young carers to include this group of children would significantly help to raise awareness, reduce stigma and offer effective support, thereby creating a more inclusive state. Whilst there is recognition of substantial deficits in the support offered to young carers, nevertheless, as a community, young carers are perceived more positively by society, meaning they have more constructive regard and fewer barriers to services than currently experienced by children with a parent in prison.
COMPARISON OF TIMI, PURSUIT AND GRACE RISK SCORES IN PATIENTS PRESENTING EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT WITH NON-ST-ELEVATION ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME

Objectives Risk stratification for patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) is a difficult challenge for physicians. This study was to compare, the prognostic value of three clinical risk scores, the GRACE, PURSUIT and TIMI score in NSTE-ACS patients. Methods Pub Med was systematically searched for the TIMI, PURSUIT and GRACE risk score studies, especially the UA/NSTEMI studies. 8 eligible studies with 25 247 people were formally appraised. The GRACE scores, PURSUIT scores and TIMI score were subsequently divided into low, intermediate and high equivalent strata to facilitate comparison. The study endpoint was cardiac event in hospital, at short term (30-days) and over longer term (360-day) follow-up. χ2 test and Wilcoxon (Gehan) Statistic were used for statistical analysis where appropriate. Results In-hospital cardiac event rates in all risk scores were of no statistically significant difference. At 30-day follow-up, in low risk group, TIMI performs better than the other two risk scores (TIMI vs PURSUIT, p<0.001; TIMI vs GRACE, p < 0.001; TIMI > PURSUIT, GRACE in event rate); in intermediate group, TIMI performs than the others again (TIMI vs PURSUIT, p<0.001; TIMI vs GRACE p < 0.001; TIMI > PURSUIT, GRACE in event rate); but in the high risk group, PURSUIT performs best (TIMI vs PURSUIT, p=0.023; PURSUIT vs GRACE, p=0.005; PURSUIT>TIMI, GRACE in event rate). At 1-year follow-up, there is no statistical significance among each low risk group; TIMI and PURSUIT performs better in the intermediate group (PURSUIT vs GRACE, p=0.0091; TIMI vs GRACE, p=0.009; PURSUIT, TIMI>GRACE in event rate), but in the high risk group, PURSUIT and GRACE performs better (TIMI vs PURSUIT, p=0.012; TIMI vs GRACE, p < 0.001; GRACE > PURSUIT>TIMI). Conclusions In NSTE-ACS population, TIMI risk score can be widely applied. At 30-day PURSUIT are better than others in the high-risk group. GRACE is superior at long term follow-up in high risk group.
Motivation for professional studies in psychology: An exploratory study

This study explored students’ motivations in seeking admission to qualify as professional psychologists. Utilising a multiple-case study approach, we interviewed seven participants with a record of persistence in re-applying for admission to study towards a professional Master’s qualification in psychology. Findings derived from the thematic analysis indicated that the participants were driven by a keen interest and passion for psychological practice and a desire to serve the broader population. Intrinsic motivation explained their persistence in seeking admission for graduate study training in order to achieve professional qualifications in psychology.
Imperatives of Career Management and its Effect on Employee Performance

Career management through corporate education is imperative to the survival of any organization due to the rapid changes in the global economy where business is knowledge-driven. Corporate education emphasizes management strategies and mechanisms for management control, co-ordination, communication, monitoring, learning and adjustment. It is expected that for these processes to be effective, organizational structures must become less hierarchical and more open to information and employee involvement at all levels to enhance adaptive strategies that require very flexible management processes. Eighty respondents participated in the study conducted through the exploratory research design using secondary and primary data. Result of the analysis of data showed strong positive correlation between career management and employee performance. The study was not however exhaustive due to some limitations. Therefore, further study could examine the relationship between career management and management failure at SMEs levels. Among others, it was suggested that vocational education should be given proper attention so as to prepare people for entrepreneurship ventures which hold the key to economic development in this century and beyond.
Business Cycle Transmission from the Us to Germany - a Structural Factor Approach

This paper investigates the transmission of US macroeconomic shocks to Germany by employing a large-dimensional structural dynamic factor model. This framework allows us to investigate many transmission channels simultaneously, including 'new' channels like stock markets, foreign direct investment, bank lending and the confidence channel. We find that US shocks affect the US and Germany largely symmetrically. Trade and monetary policy reactions to strong price effects seem to be most relevant; financial markets may have become more important over time. The speed of transmission does not seem to have increased. Negative domestic influences apparently more than compensated positive US influences in the German economy between 1995 and 2000, but the US recession in 2001 seemed mainly responsible for the German slump.