Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the Effectiveness of Teacher Professional Development in an Authentic Learning Environment as Part of a Whole-School Initiative for School Improvement

This paper reports a case study of one school which used teacher action research as part of a school-wide initiative to improve the classroom learning environment. At this school, a total of 35 senior secondary teachers were involved in the study over a three-year period. Each of these teachers selected one or two classes and used feedback data, gathered from their students, to make improvements to the classroom learning environment utilising an action research process. The study involved a mixed-methods approach that included questionnaire responses, document analysis and interviews. A total of 628 student responses from 55 classes were collected for analysis over the three years. The paper examines first, how an action research activity, at the whole-school level, contributed to school improvement efforts over a three-year period. The paper also reports how one teacher involved in the action research activity used student feedback to guide improvements in her secondary classroom. Finally, the paper examines the use of student feedback reports as one form of data used to monitor the effectiveness of school-wide initiatives. The findings indicate, firstly, that a whole-school approach to teacher professional development contributes to building a school culture that values continuous learning and which encourages teachers to trial strategies consistent with a whole-school focus on teaching and learning. Secondly, teacher action research using student feedback provides an authentic learning experience that gives teachers the opportunity to monitor, reflect and act to improve what they do in the classroom.
Changing Levels of Spousal Education and Labor Force Supply

The purpose of this paper is to describe the labor force behavior of married couples where the woman is more educated than her husband, as well as study how this relates to breadwinner status. We see that the fraction of couples where the wife is more educated than the husband is increasing over the time studied, and that labor force participation rates of women more educated than their husbands increase as well. Next, I study female breadwinner status by education level of the spouses by replicating Winkler, McBride and Andrews, 1 and extending their work using the SIPP Gold Standard Completed Data and the SIPP Synthetic Beta (SSB). This helps us create a more complete picture of the interaction of household and labor market dynamics.
Advanced AudioBIFS: virtual acoustics modeling in MPEG-4 scene description

We present the virtual acoustics modeling framework that is a part of the MPEG-4 standard. A scene description language called the binary format for scenes (BIFS) is defined within MPEG-4 for making multimedia presentations that include various types of audio and visual data. BIFS also provides means for creating three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds or scenes, where visual and sound objects can be positioned and given temporal behavior. Local interaction between the user and the scene can be added to MPEG-4 applications. Typically the user can navigate in a 3-D scene so that it is viewed from different positions. In case that there are sound source objects in a scene, the sounds may be spatialized so that they are heard coming from the positions defined for them. A subset of BIFS, called the advanced AudioBIFS aims at enhanced modeling of 3-D sound environments. In this framework, sounds can be given positions, and also the virtual environment where they appear can be associated with acoustic properties that allow modeling of phenomena such as air absorption, Doppler effect, sound reflections, and reverberation. These features can be used for adding room acoustic effects to sound in the MPEG-4 terminal, and for creating immersive 3-D audiovisual scenes.
Pea LATE BLOOMER1 Is a GIGANTEA Ortholog with Roles in Photoperiodic Flowering, Deetiolation, and Transcriptional Regulation of Circadian Clock Gene Homologs1[W][OA]

Genes controlling the transition to flowering have been studied in several species, including Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice (Oryza sativa), but have not yet received much attention in legumes. Here, we describe a new allelic series of late-flowering, photoperiod-insensitive mutants in the pea (Pisum sativum) LATE BLOOMER1 (LATE1) gene and show that LATE1 is an ortholog of Arabidopsis GIGANTEA. Mutants display defects in phytochrome B-dependent deetiolation under red light and in the diurnal regulation of pea homologs of several Arabidopsis circadian clock genes, including TIMING OF CAB1, EARLY FLOWERING4, and CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1/LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL. LATE1 itself shows strongly rhythmic expression with a small but distinct acute peak following dark-to-light transfer. Mutations in LATE1 prevent the induction of a FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) homolog FTL in long days but cause only minor alteration to the rhythmic expression pattern of the only known group Ia CONSTANS homolog COLa. The late-flowering phenotype of late1 mutants can be completely rescued by grafting to the wild type, but this rescue is not associated with a significant increase in FTL transcript level in shoot apices. Genetic interactions of late1 with the photoperiod-insensitive, early-flowering sterile nodes (sn) mutant and impairment of the LATE1 diurnal expression rhythm in sn plants suggest that SN may also affect the circadian clock. These results show that several functions of Arabidopsis GIGANTEA are conserved in its pea ortholog and demonstrate that genetic pathways for photoperiodic flowering are likely to be conserved between these two species. They also suggest that in addition to its role in the floral transition, LATE1 also acts throughout reproductive development.
Regimes de endividamento, fragilidade financeira e dinâmica da atividade produtiva

It is developed a post-keynesian dynamic macromodel of utilization and growth of productive capacity, in which the supply of credit-money is endogenous and firms' debt position is explicitly modeled. The interest rate is set by banks as a markup over the base rate, which is exogenously determined by the monetary authority. Over time, the banking markup varies in response to changes in the level of economic activity, which is measured by the utilization of productive capacity. In turn, firms' debt position varies according to the rates of profit, capital accumulation and interest. Regarding dynamics, it is shown the possibility of relating the stability properties of a system having the interest rate and the debt position by firms as state variables to the type of minskyan regime hedge, speculative or Ponzi which prevails among firms.
ELEMENTAL CYCLES: A Status Report on Human or Natural Dominance

▪ Abstract The modern technological society mobilizes and uses a very large number of materials. These substances are derived from rocks, sediments, and other natural repositories, and most undergo transformation prior to use. A large fraction of the materials is eventually returned to the environment. Natural processes do the same but not necessarily with the same suite of materials. For purposes of better understanding industrial development and potential environmental impact, it is important to know, even approximately, the elemental cycles of all materials potentially useful for modern technology. In this review, we examine and summarize cycle information for 77 of the first 92 elements in the periodic table. Mobilization calculations demonstrate that human activities likely dominate or strongly perturb the cycles of most of the elements other than the alkalis, alkali earths, and halogens. We propose that this pattern is ultimately related to the aqueous solubilities of the predominant chemical forms .
Secure consensus control for multiagent systems with attacks and communication delays

This paper addresses the consensus problem for nonlinear multi-agent systems suffering from attacks and communication delays. The network studied in this paper consists of two types of agents, namely, loyal agents and attack agents. The loyal agents update their states based on delayed state information exchanged with their neighbors. Meanwhile, the attack agents can strategically send messages with wrong values, or collude with other attack agents to disrupt the correct operation of the system. We design a novel delay robust secure consensus U+0028 DRSC U+0029 algorithm according to the neighboring nodes U+02BC delayed information. Convergence analysis of the system under the protocol designed is provided by using Lyapunov-Krasovskii stability theory and Barbalat-like argument approach. Finally, an example and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Leadership Development in Business Schools: An Agenda for Change

There is surprisingly little evaluation of business school or, for that matter, company leadership development efforts. What evidence exists suggests that business schools have not been particularly effective, overall, in their leadership development activities. In part this is because leadership development has been used more for fund raising than to guide either the curriculum or affect the faculty evaluation process. If business schools are going to take the mission of leadership development seriously, a number of changes are necessary.
Poly-Silicon Based Latching RF MEMS Switch

A latching RF MEMS switch has been fabricated in a multi-user polysilicon surface micromachining process. The switch uses 5 V, 35 mA thermal actuation for < 500 mus to toggle between states and a compliant bistable latching mechanism to hold the state in the absence of applied bias. The switch, including probe pads, measures 1 mm2 and has <0.4 dB insertion loss, >25 dB return loss, and >75 dB isolation at 1 GHz. The switch has potential applications in low duty-cycle, low power RF tuning and switching applications.
Gliotransmission: Beyond Black-and-White

Astrocytes are highly complex cells with many emerging putative roles in brain function. Of these, gliotransmission (active information transfer from glia to neurons) has probably the widest implications on our understanding of how the brain works: do astrocytes really contribute to information processing within the neural circuitry? “Positive evidence” for this stems from work of multiple laboratories reporting many examples of modulatory chemical signaling from astrocytes to neurons in the timeframe of hundreds of milliseconds to several minutes. This signaling involves, but is not limited to, Ca2+-dependent vesicular transmitter release, and results in a variety of regulatory effects at synapses in many circuits that are abolished by preventing Ca2+ elevations or blocking exocytosis selectively in astrocytes. In striking contradiction, methodologically advanced studies by a few laboratories produced “negative evidence,” triggering a heated debate on the actual existence and properties of gliotransmission. In this context, a skeptics' camp arose, eager to dismiss the whole positive evidence based on a number of assumptions behind the negative data, such as the following: (1) deleting a single Ca2+ release pathway (IP3R2) removes all the sources for Ca2+-dependent gliotransmission; (2) stimulating a transgenically expressed Gq-GPCR (MrgA1) mimics the physiological Ca2+ signaling underlying gliotransmitter release; (3) age-dependent downregulation of an endogenous GPCR (mGluR5) questions gliotransmitter release in adulthood; and (4) failure by transcriptome analysis to detect vGluts or canonical synaptic SNAREs in astrocytes proves inexistence/functional irrelevance of vesicular gliotransmitter release. We here discuss how the above assumptions are likely wrong and oversimplistic. In light of the most recent literature, we argue that gliotransmission is a more complex phenomenon than originally thought, possibly consisting of multiple forms and signaling processes, whose correct study and understanding require more sophisticated tools and finer scientific experiments than done until today. Under this perspective, the opposing camps can be reconciled and the field moved forward. Along the path, a more cautious mindset and an attitude to open discussion and mutual respect between opponent laboratories will be good companions. Dual Perspectives Companion Paper: Multiple Lines of Evidence Indicate That Gliotransmission Does Not Occur under Physiological Conditions, by Todd A. Fiacco and Ken D. McCarthy
Public Management and Network Specificity: Effects of colleges’ ties with professional organizations on graduates’ labour market success and satisfaction

Abstract Research on managerial networking in the public sector reports positive effects of network activity on performance. However, little is known about which network relations influence different aspects of performance. We argue that for specific organizational goals, organizations should direct their networking activities towards specific types of organizations. We explore how different types of network relations of Dutch colleges for nursing studies affect the performance of these colleges. We analyse the effect of ties with professional organizations on: (1) graduates’ program satisfaction, (2) graduates’ wages and (3) graduates’ employment (n = 1,484 graduates). Multilevel analyses show that colleges’ ties with professional organizations positively affect graduates’ wages and employment.
The Soviet Economic Decline

Soviet growth from 1960 to 1989 was the worst in the world after we control for investment and human capital; the relative performance worsens over time. There is some evidence that the burden of defense spending modestly contributed to the Soviet debacle. The declining Soviet growth rate from 1950 to 1987 can be accounted for by a declining marginal product of capital with a constant rate of growth of total factor productivity. The Soviet reliance on extensive growth (rising capital-to-output ratios) was no greater than that of market economies, such as Japan and the Republic of Korea, but a low elasticity of substitution between capital and labor implied especially acute diminishing returns to capital compared with the case in market economies. Copyright 1995 by Oxford University Press.
Identification and Characterization of Two Members of a Novel Class of the Interleukin-1 Receptor (IL-1R) Family

Two novel members of the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) family, identified by homology searches of human genomic sequence data bases, are described. The genes have been named according to their structural features: TIGIRR-1(three immunoglobulin domain-containing IL-1receptor-related) and TIGIRR-2. TIGIRR-2 has recently been identified as causing mental retardation when mutated (Carrie, A., Jun, L., Bienvenu, T., Vinet, M. C., McDonell, N., Couvert, P., Zemni, R., Cardona, A., Van Buggenhout, G., Frints, S., Hamel, B., Moraine, C., Ropers, H. H., Strom, T., Howell, G. R., Whittaker, A., Ross, M. T., Kahn, A., Fryns, J. P., Beldjord, C., Marynen, P., and Chelly, J. (1999)Nat. Genet. 23, 25–31) and calledIL1RAPL, a name we will also use henceforth. Neither receptor alone was able to mediate transcriptional activation of NF-κB in response to IL-1α, IL-1β, or IL-18. In order to begin to elucidate the function of these and other orphan IL-1R family members, we have developed a functional assay utilizing a panel of chimeric receptors containing the extracellular and transmembrane domains of either type I IL-1R or IL-1R accessory protein (AcP) coupled to the cytoplasmic domains of all family members. Coexpression of each IL-1R chimera with each AcP chimera and an NF-κB-responsive reporter demonstrated that the cytoplasmic domains could be classified as IL-1R-like, AcP-like, or neither. Any IL-1R-like cytoplasmic domain could cooperate with any AcP-like cytoplasmic domain. The TIGIRR-1 and IL1RAPL cytoplasmic domains, however, were unable to signal as either IL-1R-like or AcP-like components, suggesting that they function as a new class of receptors within this family.
Corporate funding of the arts in a turbulent environment

Focusing on funding in culture and the arts, the author identifies a distinctive logic of company support for nonprofit organizations. Business giving is increasingly disciplined around company objectives, giving levels are driven by pretax earnings, and giving decisions are the province of managers who draw advice less from the arts community or public agencies than from other companies. At best, turbulence in government funding has modest effect on corporate support. In turn, change in corporate support has little impact on public backing. The separate logics of corporate and government support imply separate and distinctive long-term development strategies for nonprofit organizations.
MEASURING MERCURIAN CRATERS TO DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF MERCURY ’ S TARGET SURFACE

In this study measuring the morphologies of fresh impact craters on Mercury, I worked with my mentor to identify the diameter of transition at which Mercurian craters cease to be simple structures and become complex. Our principle objective was to use the transition diameter to gain a better understanding of the target cohesiveness of Mercury’s surface. Findings in previous research derived transition diameters, which first suggested that Mercury’s surface is very hard/cohesive (Pike, 1981) but later indicated Mercury’s surface is nominal, similar to the Moon and Earth (Pike, 1988). We used newly obtained topographic data from MESSENGER (Mercury, Surface, Space, Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging) to measure the craters and wanted to know what conclusions up-to-date information draws about Mercury’s surface strength. To gain some perspective, we also compared our measurements of the Mercurian craters to those of Lunar craters we found in our project last semester. Results of this study determined that the target cohesiveness of Mercury is the same globally, regardless of surface age. In addition, our measurements produced a transition diameter that leads us to infer Mercury’s is close to an average target.
IL-2R Signaling Is Essential for Functional Maturation of Regulatory T Cells during Thymic Development

CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are an independent cell lineage, and their developmental progression during thymic development depends on IL-2R signaling. However, the role of IL-2R signaling during thymic Treg development remains only partially understood. The current study assessed the contribution of IL-2 to the expansion and functional programming of developing Tregs. In the absence of IL-2Rβ signaling, predominantly CD4+ CD25− Foxp3lo T cells were found, and these cells exhibited somewhat lower expression of the proliferative marker Ki67. These immature Tregs, which represent products of failed development, were also found in normal mice and were characterized by markedly lower expression of several Treg functional molecules. Therefore, IL-2R is required for the progression, functional programming, and expansion of Tregs during thymic development. An IL-2R–signaling mutant that lowers STAT5 activation readily supported Treg functional programming, but Treg proliferation remained somewhat impaired. The requirement for IL-2 during thymic Treg expansion was best illustrated in mixed chimeras where the Tregs with mutant IL-2Rs were forced to compete with wild-type Tregs during their development. Tregs with impaired IL-2R signaling were more prevalent in the thymus than spleen in these competitive experiments. The general effectiveness of mutant IL-2Rs to support thymic Treg development is partially accounted for by a heightened capacity of thymic Tregs to respond to IL-2. Overall, our data support a model in which limiting IL-2R signaling is amplified by thymic Tregs to readily support their development and functional programming, whereas these same conditions are not sufficient to support peripheral Treg homeostasis.
Insurance and Incentives for Innovation in Medical Care

Economists have frequently pointed to the distorting effects of health insurance as a major contributor to rapidly increasing health costs. Relatively little is known, however, about the influence of changing medical technology on expenditures. If increases in expenditures are in part the result of development of costly but worthwhile new technologies (a common view among noneconomists), failure to take account of this may lead to over-statement of the distortive effects of insurance. On the other hand some observers have questioned whether the benefits derived from expensive medical innovations always exceed the costs [18]. Others have suggested that resources devoted to the development of very expensive technologies might be better used for other kinds of medical research [16; 3]. In light of these arguments, it appears that the relationships between medical insurance and technological change may be quite important. If the extent of insurance coverage influences the rate and direction of technological change in medicine, then the long run welfare effects of insurance are more complex than current models [5; 6] allow. It is sometimes argued informally that such an influence existsthat the presence of insurance biases the system toward innovations that expand capabilities while increasing expenditures, and away from those that reduce costs [15; 20]. Such a hypothesis has, however, never been developed as an implication of a formal economic model. ' Even the term bias in the argument is unclear; it appears to be used in a normative sense, but it has not been explained clearly why such a bias, if it exists, leads to welfare losses. Even if it is true, for example, that the presence of insurance leads to the adoption of a more costly mix of medical innovations than would otherwise occur, this is not obviously undesirable. To facilitate the purchase of costly but beneficial medical care is the purpose of insurance. This paper defines bias in technological change in a normative sense. It employs a simple model of insurance and profit maximizing innovators, and develops sufficient
Stages Of Discovery And Entrepreneurship

In an attempt at a systematic theory of entrepreneurship, this paper connects various literatures, from economics and business. In economics, there are many notions of entrepreneurship, some of which seem to contradict each other. For example, there are notions of entrepreneurship as an equilibrating and as a disequilibrating force. In this paper, these differences are connected with the issue of exploitation and exploration from the business literature. The question is how one can explore while maintaining exploitation. For this, a cycle of discovery has been proposed, with stages of equilibration and disequilibration which build on each other, in process where exploitation leads to exploration. It is proposed that different notions of entrepreneurship can be associated with different stages of that cycle. In this way, different types of entrepreneurship complement each other in an ongoing process of discovery.