Streaming video for parental involvement education

The purpose of this project is to develop a way of communication between school and parents. It aims to help parents to be more involved in their children\u27s education. One of the main aspects and focus of this project is the analysis of the use of streaming video

The Relationships among Senior High School Teacher Perceptions on Professional Learning Community, Self-efficacy, School Type, and Gender

Teacher’s professional learning community (TPLC) and self-efficacy(SE) are considered to enhance student learning in various dimensions. Teacher perceived PLC and SE might be influenced by school contexts and teachers’ demographic factors. This study investigated the relationships between teacher’s professional learning community (PLC), self-efficacy (SE), school type, and gender in Taiwan context. The findings are expected to provide valuable information in this field and to enhance understanding of PLC and self-efficacy in different cultural contexts. Descriptive statistics, t-test, product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis were applied to analyze the data. The findings indicated that a significant difference was found between public school teachers and private school teachers in two PLC dimensions, core element and human and social resources, and in one SE dimesnion, classroom management. Another significant differences were found between male teachers and female teachers in three SE dimensions, teaching strategy, classroom management, and student involvement. However, no significant differences was found between both in PLC dimesnions. Moreover, perceived PLC and SE were positive correlated. Perceived PLC could predict perceived SE. These results suggested that PLC appears to play a role in teachers’ reported levels of SE and provided initial evidence that the variation between schools in PLC may be explained by the SE. Keywords: Gender, school type, self-efficacy, professional learning community, senior high school teacher

Explaining Constitutional Review in New Democracies: The Case of Taiwan

This paper extends the empirical analysis of the determinants of judicial behavior by considering the Taiwanese case. Taiwan is a particularly interesting case because the establishment and development of constitutional review corresponds to a political transition from an authoritarian regime dominated by one party to an emerging democracy. We test the attitudinal hypothesis by making use of a new dataset of ninety-seven decisions issued by the Taiwanese constitutional court in the period between 1988 and 2008. The attitudinal hypothesis is that the Taiwanese constitutional judges respond to party interests, either because their preferences coincide with the appointer or because they want to exhibit loyalty to the appointer. Our econometric analysis does not provide strong evidence for the attitudinal hypothesis. However, we provide an explanation. Faced with a transition from a one-party political regime to a democracy, the Taiwanese Grand Justices needed to assert their independence from the other branches of government and gain credibility, thus dissenting more often, periodically and individually voting against the interests of the dominant party

Explaining Constitutional Review in New Democracies: The Case of Taiwan

This paper extends the empirical analysis of the determinants of judicial behavior by considering the Taiwanese case. Taiwan is a particularly interesting case because the establishment and development of constitutional review corresponds to a political transition from an authoritarian regime dominated by one party to an emerging democracy. We test the attitudinal hypothesis by making use of a new dataset of ninety-seven decisions issued by the Taiwanese constitutional court in the period between 1988 and 2008. The attitudinal hypothesis is that the Taiwanese constitutional judges respond to party interests, either because their preferences coincide with the appointer or because they want to exhibit loyalty to the appointer. Our econometric analysis does not provide strong evidence for the attitudinal hypothesis. However, we provide an explanation. Faced with a transition from a one-party political regime to a democracy, the Taiwanese Grand Justices needed to assert their independence from the other branches of government and gain credibility, thus dissenting more often, periodically and individually voting against the interests of the dominant party

Explaining Constitutional Review in New Democracies: The Case of Taiwan

This paper extends the empirical analysis of the determinants of judicial behavior by considering the Taiwanese case. Taiwan is a particularly interesting case because the establishment and development of constitutional review corresponds to a political transition from an authoritarian regime dominated by one party to an emerging democracy. We test the attitudinal hypothesis by making use of a new dataset of ninety-seven decisions issued by the Taiwanese constitutional court in the period between 1988 and 2008. The attitudinal hypothesis is that the Taiwanese constitutional judges respond to party interests, either because their preferences coincide with the appointer or because they want to exhibit loyalty to the appointer. Our econometric analysis does not provide strong evidence for the attitudinal hypothesis. However, we provide an explanation. Faced with a transition from a one-party political regime to a democracy, the Taiwanese Grand Justices needed to assert their independence from the other branches of government and gain credibility, thus dissenting more often, periodically and individually voting against the interests of the dominant party

Judicial Ideal Points in New Democracies: The Case of Taiwan

This paper extends the empirical analysis of the determinants of judicial behavior by estimating the ideal points for the Justices of the Taiwanese Constitutional Court from 1988-2009. Taiwan presents a particularly interesting case because the establishment and development of constitutional review corresponds to the country \u27s political transition from an authoritarian regime to an emerging democracy. The estimated ideal points allow us to focus on political coalitions in the Judicial Yuan based on presidential appointments. We did not find any strong evidence of such coalitions. Our empirical results indicated that, with the exception of a handful of Justices, most of them have moderate estimated ideal points. In the context of the Taiwanese Constitutional Court, our results also confirm the previous econometric analysis that largely rejected the attitudinal hypothesis, which predicted that Justices would respond to their appointers\u27 party interests

Attenuation of Brain Nitrostative and Oxidative Damage by Brain Cooling during Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury

The aim of the present study was to ascertain whether brain cooling causes attenuation of traumatic brain injury by reducing brain nitrostative and oxidative damage. Brain cooling was accomplished by infusion of 5 mL of 4°C saline over 5 minutes via the external jugular vein. Immediately after the onset of traumatic brain injury, rats were randomized into two groups and given 37°C or 4°C normal saline. Another group of rats were used as sham operated controls. Behavioral and biochemical assessments were conducted on 72 hours after brain injury or sham operation. As compared to those of the sham-operated controls, the 37°C saline-treated brain injured animals displayed motor deficits, higher cerebral contusion volume and incidence, higher oxidative damage (e.g., lower values of cerebral superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, but higher values of cerebral malondialdehyde), and higher nitrostative damage (e.g., higher values of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and 3-nitrotyrosine). All the motor deficits and brain nitrostative and oxidative damage were significantly reduced by retrograde perfusion of 4°C saline via the jugular vein. Our data suggest that brain cooling may improve the outcomes of traumatic brain injury in rats by reducing brain nitrostative and oxidative damage

Substance P scavenger enhances antioxidant defenses and prevents prothrombotic effects on the rat lung after acute exposure to oil smoke

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Airborne particulate matter, from cooking oil, smoking, engine exhaust and other sources, is associated with the development of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. In order to explore the cellular and molecular events following exposure of rats to lard oil smoke, we measured the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), substance P, cellular adhesion molecules, and thrombosis in relation to inhibitors of substance P, the NK-1 receptor, and antioxidants.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Rats were exposed to oil smoke for 120 min with or without 20 min pretreatment with lovastatin (substance P scavenger), L733060 (NK-1 receptor antagonist), vitamin E (antioxidant) or catechins (antioxidant). The levels of substance P and ROS were measured. Histological studies observed ROS damage in the form of HEL adducts. The prothrombotic effects of oil smoke exposure were measured by experimental induction of thrombosis in vivo.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Oil smoke exposure significantly increased substance P levels, ROS levels, ROS damage (HEL adduct levels), and the size of experimentally induced thrombi. The pretreatments reduced all of these effects of oil smoke exposure; at many time points the reductions were statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We established a connection between oil smoke exposure and thrombosis which involves substance P and its receptor, the NK-1 receptor, and ROS. This study helps establish a mechanistic explanation of how airborne particulate matter can increase the risk of cardiovascular illness.</p