bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does Using Core Quadrants Lead to More Teacher Self-Efficacy and Less Perceived Problem Behaviour?
Authors: Batstra Laura , De Vries Wietske , Thoutenhoofd Ernst 
Published: March 2024

PURPOSE. The number of childhood psychiatric classifications and treatments have risen rapidly in Western countries over recent decades. Since child behaviour often arises as a problem in schools, it seems important to find ways to help teachers successfully engage with pupils whose behaviours they experience as challenging. The present study attempts to shift special education teachers’ focus from challenging pupil behaviour, or pupil mental disorder, to teachers’ self-efficacy and less negative perception of pupil behaviour.
METHODS. Ofman’s core quadrant model was used to engage teachers in reflecting on their own key competences, and relate them to possible pitfalls, challenges and aversions in their teaching. The professional development intervention entailed three subsequent team meetings, each lasting two and a half hours. Forty-seven teachers undertook the training, of which half (the control group) were initially put on a waiting list. Via quantitative questionnaires at three different time-points and qualitative post-intervention interviews with teachers involved, we analysed the influence of the intervention on teachers’ perceptions of problem behaviour and the grip they experienced on pupil behaviour (via a measure of self-efficacy). In the interviews, room was also made for reporting other outcomes of the training intervention.
RESULTS. Neither quantitative nor qualitative data analysis revealed an effect of the intervention on self-efficacy or perceived pupil behaviour. The interview data suggest that teachers ascribe pupil behaviour they cannot control to factors outside themselves, primarily child mental disorder.
CONCLUSION. Core quadrant training does not seem to alter how teachers engage with challenging pupil behaviour, nor does it help to reduce disorder thinking in special education. Our findings flag up the importance of better educating teachers about disorder thinking on the one hand, while on the other hand seeking ways to reduce the likelihood that teachers run out of pedagogical options, and instead further build up a sense of self-efficacy.

Points of Interest:

Childhood diagnostic classifications are on the rise in recent decades.
Teachers often suggest diagnostic investigations of pupils, because they believe this will explain difficult behaviour or academic underperformance.
A training aimed to shift the focus from disorder within a child to teacher’s own key competences, pitfalls, challenges and aversions, failed to change self-efficacy, behaviour perception and disorder thinking in teachers.
To reduce disorder thinking in schools, simply educating teachers about what disorders are not and cannot explain, might be more effective than training programs, like studied in the present research.
Altering reality – sensory tactics to manage wildlife and conserve threatened species
Authors: Price Catherine J. , Bytheway Jenna P. , Finnerty Patrick B. , Grant Laura S. , Masani Shani , Orlando Cristian Gabriel , Parker Finn C. G. , Possell Malcolm , McArthur Clare , Banks Peter B. 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT
Animals interact with their worlds using sensory information (sounds, smells, sights) that is perceived differently by each species. This sensory information and how it is interpreted underpins most behaviours, but especially foraging decisions. Creating sensory misinformation, that is uninformative or unrewarding cues, is a new approach with applications for managing wildlife and conserving threatened species across a range of global contexts. Here we discuss recent research that demonstrates the power of strategically deploying olfactory misinformation to reduce predation on birds by predators, consumption of vulnerable seedlings by herbivores, and seeds by rodents as well as how multimodal misinformation may work. Single and multimodal sensory tactics can alter foraging decisions by both herbivores and predators, with profound consequences for the survival of prey and plants. There remains much to understand regarding sensory perception and learning but results to date suggest there are enormous opportunities to harness innovative sensory tactics in the future to improve many conservation and wildlife management scenarios.
The Influence of E-banking on the Financial Performance of Kenyan Commercial Banks
Authors: Mwakera Justus Mwandoe , Riwo-Abudho Marcella , Abudho Silas Onyango 
Published: March 2024

Aims: The mobile and internet revolution has influenced creation and delivery of financial services leading to more innovative ways of linking customers and partners. Electronic Banking (e-banking) has opened up a new channel of banking resulting in new capabilities for banks as intermediaries. The research questions that the study sought to answer include, the role of mobile banking on the financial performance in Kenyan commercial banks, the effect of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) on the financial performance of Kenyan commercial banks.
Study Design: The research adopted descriptive design with quantitative data approaches.
Place and Duration of Study: The target population was made up of 24 Kenyan Commercial Banks in the North Coast region of Kenya with a total of 240 employees. These banks are top tier lead brands listed in the stock exchange in the banking sector in Kenya between December 2022 and July 2023.
Methodology: Strata of top management (section heads), middle managers (branch managers and super agents) and operational employees (lower cadre employees & credit officers) provided 72 respondents. Both secondary and primary data sources were used with the self-administered questionnaires containing both open and closed ended questions. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression on a model of Y = 1.518+ 0.438 X1 + 0.136 X2 + ε.
Results: The correlation of the independent variables and the dependent variable was high and positive at 0.697 and 0.573 for mobile banking and Electronic Funds Transfer on financial performance respectively. The value of the adjusted R squared was found to be 0.654. The value of F-statistic was found to be 44.919 and it p-value 0.000. The regression coefficient of mobile banking was found to be 0.438 with a t-statistic value of 6.126.
The regression coefficient of EFT was found to be 0.136 with a t-statistic value of 6.182.
Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between mobile banking, EFT and financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. M-banking has significantly reduced operational costs while EFT has increased the number of daily transactions. The study established that the popularity of m-banking has is due to the intensity of technology penetration of mobile phones to bank customers which has resulted in the number of customers registering for m-banking services to increase in the last five years. Commercial banks have also experienced increased ROA and growth in market share with adoption of e-banking.
Effects of Structural Variation on the Photocatalytic Performance of Hydrothermally Synthesized BiVO4
Authors: Yu J. , Kudo A. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractHighly crystalline monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 powders are synthesized from aqueous Bi(NO3)3 and NH4VO3 solutions over a wide range of pH by a hydrothermal process. BiVO4 powders with various morphologies, surface textures, and grain shapes are selectively synthesized by adjusting the pH. The dependence of the Raman peak position and intensity on the synthesis conditions indicates that the symmetry distortions in the local structure of the synthesized BiVO4 are affected by the preparation conditions. These variations in the local structure result in the modification of the electronic structure of BiVO4, which results in a blue‐shift in the UV‐vis absorption spectrum of hydrothermally synthesized BiVO4 in comparison with a well‐crystallized sample prepared by homogeneous coprecipitation. The photocatalytic activities for O2 evolution from an aqueous AgNO3 solution under visible‐light irradiation are strongly dependent on the pH used in the synthesis. The differences in the photocatalytic activities between BiVO4 samples prepared under various conditions is attributed to the degree of structural distortion, leading to differences in the mobility of photogenerated holes formed in the valence band, which consists of Bi 6s and O 2p orbitals.
Shape Change and Color Gamut in Gold Nanorods, Dumbbells, and Dog Bones
Authors: Xu X. , Cortie M. B. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractIt is shown here that deviations from a prolate ellipsoidal shape have a significant effect on the optical properties of gold nanorods. Transitions from rods to ‘dumbbell'‐ or ‘phi'‐shaped particles lead to a shift in the longitudinal plasmon peak in the blue and red directions, respectively. Development of ‘dog‐bone' shapes leads to a red‐shift and to the development of a third peak. A broad and flexible color gamut can be obtained.
Fabrication of Organized Porphyrin‐Nanotube‐Attached Heat‐Sensitive Polyelectrolyte Capsules
Authors: Sadasivan S. , Köhler K. , Sukhorukov G. B. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractA facile method of connecting fluorescent meso‐tetrakis(4‐sulfonatophenyl)porphine tetranion nanotubes to polyelectrolyte capsules is developed. Heat‐sensitive robust polyelectrolyte capsules consisting of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and poly(styrene sulfonate) multilayers have been fabricated using the conventional layer‐by‐layer technique. Supramolecular aggregation of porphyrin monomers to nanotubes is induced in the microenvironment of the capsules by sequential addition of salt and acid. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy images reveal satellite‐like structures consisting of a central capsule core with porphyrin nanotubes emerging radially from the capsule walls. The growth and the distribution of the porphyrin units have been monitored by UV‐vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Changing the temperature alters the dimensions and the arrangement of the nanotubes on the capsule walls. Such an attachment of porphyrin tubes onto robust functional capsules should help in developing an artificial light‐harvesting system.
The transition from water continuous to oil continuous flow pattern
Authors: Chakrabarti D. P. , Das G. , Das P. K. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe present study attempts to develop an objective flow pattern indicator to identify phase inversion during liquid‐liquid two‐phase flow through a horizontal pipe. A novel optical probe has been used for this purpose. The probability density function (PDF) analysis and the wavelet multiresolution technique have been adopted to detect the shift of phase continuity. Further attempts have been made to understand the interfacial configurations when oil is the predominant phase in the flow passage. Since little can be revealed through visualization or photography related techniques under such conditions, the information obtained from the probe signals at low phase flow rates has been exploited for this purpose. In addition, a sampling technique has been devised to verify the distribution as obtained from the probe signals. The ambivalent range between the oil‐dispersed and the water‐dispersed regime has been observed to be in close agreement to the empirical and analytical equations available in literature. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
A Mixed Model‐Based Variance Estimator for Marginal Model Analyses of Cluster Randomized Trials
Authors: Braun Thomas M. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractGeneralized estimating equations (GEE) are used in the analysis of cluster randomized trials (CRTs) because: 1) the resulting intervention effect estimate has the desired marginal or population‐averaged interpretation, and 2) most statistical packages contain programs for GEE. However, GEE tends to underestimate the standard error of the intervention effect estimate in CRTs. In contrast, penalized quasi‐likelihood (PQL) estimates the standard error of the intervention effect in CRTs much better than GEE but is used less frequently because: 1) it generates an intervention effect estimate with a conditional, or cluster‐specific, interpretation, and 2) PQL is not a part of most statistical packages. We propose taking the variance estimator from PQL and re‐expressing it as a sandwich‐type estimator that could be easily incorporated into existing GEE packages, thereby making GEE useful for the analysis of CRTs. Using numerical examples and data from an actual CRT, we compare the performance of this variance estimator to others proposed in the literature, and we find that our variance estimator performs as well as or better than its competitors. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Stepwise Gatekeeping Procedures in Clinical Trial Applications
Authors: Dmitrienko Alex , Tamhane Ajit C. , Wang Xin , Chen Xun 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThis paper discusses multiple testing problems in which families of null hypotheses are tested in a sequential manner and each family serves as a gatekeeper for the subsequent families. Gatekeeping testing strategies of this type arise frequently in clinical trials with multiple objectives, e.g., multiple endpoints and/or multiple dose‐control comparisons. It is demonstrated in this paper that the parallel gatekeeping procedure of Dmitrienko, Offen and Westfall (2003) admits a simple stepwise representation (n null hypotheses can be tested in n steps rather than 2n steps required in the closed procedure). The stepwise representation considerably simplifies the implementation of gatekeeping procedures in practice and provides an important insight into the nature of gatekeeping inferences. The derived stepwise gatekeeping procedure is illustrated using clinical trial examples. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Confidence Intervals of Effect Size for Paired Studies
Authors: Wu Jianrong , Jiang Guoyong 
Published: September 2006

AbstractTo construct a confidence interval of effect size in paired studies, we propose four approximate methods – Wald method, variance‐stabilizing transformation method, and signed and modified signed log‐likelihood ratio methods. We compare these methods using simulation to determine those that have good performance in terms of coverage probability. In particular, simulations show that the modified signed log‐likelihood ratio method produces a confidence interval with a nearly exact coverage probability and highly accurate and symmetric error probabilities even for very small samples. We apply the methods to data from an iron deficiency anemia study. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The Reaction of Hydrogen Atoms with Methionine Residues: A Model of Reductive Radical Stress Causing Tandem Protein–Lipid Damage
Authors: Ferreri Carla , Manco Immacolata , Faraone‐Mennella M. Rosaria , Torreggiani Armida , Tamba Maurizio , Manara Sonia , Chatgilialoglu Chryssostomos 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe occurrence of tandem damage, due to reductive radical stress involving proteins and lipids, is shown by using a biomimetic model. It is made of unsaturated lipid vesicle suspensions in phosphate buffer in the presence of methionine, either as a single amino acid or as part of a protein such as RNase A, which contains four methionine residues. The radical process starts with the formation of H. atoms by reaction of solvated electrons with dihydrogen phosphate anions, which selectively attack the thioether function of methionine. The modification of methionine to α‐aminobutyric acid is accompanied by the formation of thiyl radicals, which in turn cause the isomerization of the cis fatty acid residues to the trans isomers. The relationship between methionine modification and lipid damage and some details of the reductive radical stress obtained by proteomic analysis of irradiated RNase A are presented.
Structure‐Function Analysis of the Soluble Glycoprotein, sGP, of Ebola Virus
Authors: Falzarano Darryl , Krokhin Oleg , Wahl‐Jensen Victoria , Seebach Jochen , Wolf Kristin , Schnittler Hans‐Joachim , Feldmann Heinz 
Published: September 2006

AbstractIn addition to the transmembrane protein, GP1,2, the Ebola virus glycoprotein gene encodes the soluble glycoproteins sGP and Δ‐peptide. Two more soluble proteins, GP1 and GP1,2ΔTM, are generated from GP1,2 as a result of disulfide‐bond instability and proteolytic cleavage, respectively, and are shed from the surface of infected cells. The sGP glycoprotein is secreted as a disulfide‐linked homodimer, but there have been conflicting reports on whether it is arranged in a parallel or antiparallel orientation. Off‐line HPLC‐MALDI‐TOF MS (MS/MS) was used to identify the arrangement of all disulfide bonds and simultaneously determine site‐specific information regarding N‐glycosylation. Our data prove that sGP is a parallel homodimer that contains C53–C53’ and C306–C306’ disulfide bonds, and although there are six predicted N‐linked carbohydrate sites, only five are consistently glycosylated. The disulfide bond arrangement was confirmed by using cysteine to glycine mutations at amino acid positions 53 and 306. The mutants had a reduced ability to rescue the barrier function of TNF‐α‐treated endothelial cells—a function previously reported for sGP. This indicates that these disulfide bonds are critical for the proposed anti‐inflammatory function of sGP.
Efficient Charge Injection from the S2 Photoexcited State of Special‐Pair Mimic Porphyrin Assemblies Anchored on a Titanium‐Modified ITO Anode
Authors: Morisue Mitsuhiko , Haruta Noriko , Kalita Dipak , Kobuke Yoshiaki 
Published: September 2006

AbstractA novel surface fabrication methodology has been accomplished, aimed at efficient anodic photocurrent generation by a photoexcited porphyrin on an ITO (indium–tin oxide) electrode. The ITO electrode was submitted to a surface sol–gel process with titanium n‐butoxide in order to deposit a titanium monolayer. Subsequently, porphyrins were assembled as monolayers on the titanium‐treated ITO surface via phosphonate, isophthalate, and thiolate groups. Slipped‐cofacial porphyrin dimers, the so‐called artificial special pair at the photoreaction center, were organized through imidazolyl‐to‐zinc complementary coordination of imidazolylporphyrinatozinc(II) units, which were covalently immobilized by ring‐closing olefin metathesis of allyl side chains. The modified surfaces were analyzed by means of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoirradiation of the porphyrin dimer generated a large anodic photocurrent in aqueous electrolyte solution containing hydroquinone as an electron sacrificer, due to the small reorganization energy of the dimer. The use of different linker groups led to significant differences in the efficiencies of anodic photocurrent generation. The apparent flat‐band potentials evaluated from the photocurrent properties at various pH values and under biased conditions imply that the band structure of the ITO electrode is modified by the anchoring species. The quantum yield for the anodic photocurrent generation by photoexcitation at the Soret band is increased to 15 %, a surprisingly high value without a redox cascade structure on the ITO electrode surface, while excitation at the Q band is not so significant. Extensive exploration of the photocurrent properties has revealed that hot injection of the photoexcited electron from the S2 level into the conduction band of the ITO electrode takes place before internal conversion to the S1* state, through the strong electronic communication of the phosphonyl anchor with the sol–gel‐modified ITO surface.
Therapeutic role of lymph node resection in endometrioid corpus cancer
Authors: Chan John K. , Cheung Michael K. , Huh Warner K. , Osann Kathryn , Husain Amreen , Teng Nelson N. , Kapp Daniel S. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractBACKGROUND.The purpose of the current study was to determine the potential therapeutic role of lymphadenectomy in women with endometrioid corpus cancer.METHODS.Demographic and clinicopathologic information were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program between 1988–2001. Data were analyzed using Kaplan‐Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression.RESULTS.In all, 12,333 women (median age, 64) underwent surgical staging with lymph node assessment, including 9,009, 1,211, 1,223, and 890 with Stage I‐IV disease. Over the time intervals 1988–1992, 1993–1997, and 1998–2001, the percentage of patients undergoing lymph node staging increased from 22.6%, 29.6%, to 40.9% (P < .001). In the intermediate/high‐risk patients (Stage IB, Grade 3; Stage IC and II‐IV, all grades), a more extensive lymph node resection (1, 2–5, 6–10, 11–20, and >20) was associated with improved 5‐year disease‐specific survivals across all 5 groups at 75.3%, 81.5%, 84.1%, 85.3%, and 86.8%, respectively (P < .001). For Stage IIIC‐IV patients with nodal disease, the extent of node resection significantly improved the survival from 51.0%, 53.0%, 53.0%, 60.0%, to 72.0%, (P < .001). However, no significant benefit of lymph node resection in low‐risk patients could be demonstrated (Stage IA, all grades; Stage IB, Grades 1 and 2 disease; P = .23). In multivariate analysis, a more extensive node resection remained a significant prognostic factor for improved survival in intermediate/high‐risk patients after adjusting for other factors including age, year of diagnosis, stage, grade, adjuvant radiotherapy, and the presence of positive nodes (P < .001).CONCLUSIONS.The findings of the current study suggest that the extent of lymph node resection improves the survival of women with intermediate/high‐risk endometrioid uterine cancer. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Predictors of invasion in patients with core‐needle biopsy‐diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ and recommendations for a selective approach to sentinel lymph node biopsy in ductal carcinoma in situ
Authors: Huo Lei , Sneige Nour , Hunt Kelly K. , Albarracin Constance T. , Lopez Adriana , Resetkova Erika 
Published: September 2006

AbstractBACKGROUNDAmong patients with core‐needle biopsy (CNB)‐diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the guidelines for the selection of patients to undergo sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy are not well defined, and many patients with no invasion undergo an unnecessary SLN biopsy. The objective of this study was to identify the predictors of invasion in patients with CNB‐diagnosed DCIS and, thus, to help determine the most appropriate candidates for SLN biopsy.METHODSThe authors retrospectively evaluated 200 consecutive patients with CNB‐diagnosed DCIS who underwent final excision at their institution between May 1, 2002 and June 30, 2005. Demographic data, the size and type of lesion on imaging studies, histologic features of DCIS on CNB, the number of cores taken, and the number of cores involved by DCIS were correlated with invasion on excision and SLN biopsy outcome.RESULTSForty‐one of 200 patients (21%) had invasive carcinoma diagnosed on final excision. Parameters that correlated with invasion were a mass lesion, lesion size >1.5 cm, high nuclear grade, and the presence of lobular cancerization on CNB. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to predict invasion. At the time of breast surgery, 103 of 200 patients (52%) underwent SLN biopsy, and 34 had invasion diagnosed on final excision. Three patients had 1 positive SLN each.CONCLUSIONSA mass lesion, lesion size >1.5 cm, and the presence of lobular cancerization on CNB were significant, independent predictors of invasion in patients with DCIS. The authors recommended the inclusion of these predictors in the guidelines for selecting patients for SLN biopsy to reduce the number of unnecessary procedures. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.