Perceptions of Levels of Preparedness of Alternatively Licensed Career and Technical Education Teachers in the State of Ohio

Background: Levels of preparedness of alternatively licensed career and technical education teachers were measured using a Likert-type scale across four tasks of a performance-based assessment as part of an induction program in the state of Ohio. Purpose: The purpose of this research study addresses the paucity of research that deals with licensure in the field of career and technical education for alternatively licensed teachers who completed a performance-based assessment. Method: Demographic data and levels of preparedness were analyzed quantitatively and effect sizes were reported. Qualitative data in the form of anecdotal evidence were also analyzed for themes. Discussion: Results of the study indicated levels of preparedness were not significantly different among selected demographic variables. However, further analysis of the data determined that alternatively licensed career and technical teachers perceived themselves to be less prepared on various tasks of the RESA and specified lower perceived levels of preparedness on all four sub-scales. Conclusion: The study established baseline data regarding levels of perceived preparedness to communicate to stakeholders in education which tasks alternatively licensed career and technical education teachers perceived themselves to be most prepared to complete

THY-1 Cell Surface Protein and Human Cytomegalovirus Infection

This research project is to investigate the role of a cell surface protein, THY-1, as an entry mediator for Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. Previous research suggested that HCMV attaches to THY-1 on the host cell surface through virus encoded glycoprotein gB. The glycoproteins are located on the surface of virus particles thus initiating entry and infection. The specific question is to determine if the presence of a soluble form of THY-1 protein (sTHY-1) during the onset of infection would impair HCMV infectivity, based on the hypothesis that sTHY-1 would interrupt the interaction between the infectious virion and the target cells by competing with authentic cell surface THY-1 for binding to gB. The experimental approach is to prepare a plasmid encoding sTHY-1, to introduce it into mammalian cells by transfection to express the protein, to purify the sTHY-1, and to test the purified protein using Western blot and blocking of infection assays. HCMV is a herpes virus transmitted through saliva, urine, or other body fluids. Congenital HCMV occurs when HCMV is passed from a pregnant mother to her fetus. Many people encounter HCMV in their lifetime and according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 50 to 80 percent of adults who are 40 or older are infected with HCMV. For individuals with a healthy immune system, HCMV produces mild illness, and for immunocompromised individuals, HCMV has a high rate of reactivation and can cause serious disease

A Threshold Analysis of the Short-Term Capital Structure and Firm Performance Nexus in Nigeria

The focus of the research is to examine the relationship between short term capital structure and firm performance and to identify the presence of a safe short term debt-equity threshold in this regard. Consequently, the study utilized the Panel threshold regression estimation technique using complete data from listed manufacturing firms in the Nigerian Stock Exchange for 2018-2022. The data analytics used for the study includes descriptive statistics, the correlation analysis and finally, the threshold regression. Our results identified the presence of a threshold effect for the effect of short term debt to equity ratio (STDEQTY) on ROA indicator of financial performance but not for TOBINQ. In the threshold, where STDEQTY threshold ≥ 3.45%, the coefficient (λ1) is -28.73 and thus the result suggests that points beyond this level may be most risky and should be avoided. In this regard, it is important to for manufacturing firms to adjust their STDEQTY ratios much lower than the identified threshold to move from the region of negative returns on assets. Furthermore, the study identified the presence of a threshold effect for the effect of TDEQTY on ROA indicator of financial performance but not for TOBINQ. The study concludes that manufacturing firms in Nigeria indeed engage considerable debt obligations for their operations and have a high appetite for debt financing. However, while this ordinary makes the firms less debt averse, it is recommended that managers reduce the extent of their debt obligations. In addition, the efficiency, under-development and high market imperfections has not made it easy for firms to seek equity financing and hence the strong reliance on debt. Hence, Regulatory Authorities need to focus on implementing policies to improve the efficiency of the equity markets.&nbsp

Patterns of genome size variation in snapping shrimp

Although crustaceans vary extensively in genome size, little is known about how genome size may affect the ecology and evolution of species in this diverse group, in part due to the lack of large genome size datasets. Here we investigate interspecific, intraspecific, and intracolony variation in genome size in 39 species of Synalpheus shrimps, representing one of the largest genome size datasets for a single genus within crustaceans. We find that genome size ranges approximately 4-fold across Synalpheus with little phylogenetic signal, and is not related to body size. In a subset of these species, genome size is related to chromosome size, but not to chromosome number, suggesting that despite large genomes, these species are not polyploid. Interestingly, there appears to be 35% intraspecific genome size variation in Synalpheus idios among geographic regions, and up to 30% variation in Synalpheus duffyi genome size within the same colony

Applications of the Adversary Method in Quantum Query Algorithms

In the thesis, we use a recently developed tight characterisation of quantum query complexity, the adversary bound, to develop new quantum algorithms and lower bounds. Our results are as follows: * We develop a new technique for the construction of quantum algorithms: learning graphs. * We use learning graphs to improve quantum query complexity of the triangle detection and the $k$-distinctness problems. * We prove tight lower bounds for the $k$-sum and the triangle sum problems. * We construct quantum algorithms for some subgraph-finding problems that are optimal in terms of query, time and space complexities. * We develop a generalisation of quantum walks that connects electrical properties of a graph and its quantum hitting time. We use it to construct a time-efficient quantum algorithm for 3-distinctness.Comment: PhD Thesis, 169 page

The Evolution of Bat Vestibular Systems in the Face of Potential Antagonistic Selection Pressures for Flight and Echolocation

PMCID: PMC3634842This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Evaluation of the influence of kyphosis and scoliosis on intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs

Although thoracic vertebral malformations with kyphosis and scoliosis are often considered incidental findings on diagnostic imaging studies of screw-tailed brachycephalic breeds, they have been suggested to interfere with spinal biomechanics and intervertebral disc degeneration. It is however unknown if an abnormal spinal curvature also predisposes dogs to develop clinically relevant intervertebral disc herniations. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the occurrence of thoracic vertebral malformations, kyphosis or scoliosis would be associated with a higher prevalence of cervical or thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs

Validation of differential gene expression algorithms: Application comparing fold-change estimation to hypothesis testing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sustained research on the problem of determining which genes are differentially expressed on the basis of microarray data has yielded a plethora of statistical algorithms, each justified by theory, simulation, or ad hoc validation and yet differing in practical results from equally justified algorithms. Recently, a concordance method that measures agreement among gene lists have been introduced to assess various aspects of differential gene expression detection. This method has the advantage of basing its assessment solely on the results of real data analyses, but as it requires examining gene lists of given sizes, it may be unstable.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two methodologies for assessing predictive error are described: a cross-validation method and a posterior predictive method. As a nonparametric method of estimating prediction error from observed expression levels, cross validation provides an empirical approach to assessing algorithms for detecting differential gene expression that is fully justified for large numbers of biological replicates. Because it leverages the knowledge that only a small portion of genes are differentially expressed, the posterior predictive method is expected to provide more reliable estimates of algorithm performance, allaying concerns about limited biological replication. In practice, the posterior predictive method can assess when its approximations are valid and when they are inaccurate. Under conditions in which its approximations are valid, it corroborates the results of cross validation. Both comparison methodologies are applicable to both single-channel and dual-channel microarrays. For the data sets considered, estimating prediction error by cross validation demonstrates that empirical Bayes methods based on hierarchical models tend to outperform algorithms based on selecting genes by their fold changes or by non-hierarchical model-selection criteria. (The latter two approaches have comparable performance.) The posterior predictive assessment corroborates these findings.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Algorithms for detecting differential gene expression may be compared by estimating each algorithm's error in predicting expression ratios, whether such ratios are defined across microarray channels or between two independent groups.</p> <p>According to two distinct estimators of prediction error, algorithms using hierarchical models outperform the other algorithms of the study. The fact that fold-change shrinkage performed as well as conventional model selection criteria calls for investigating algorithms that combine the strengths of significance testing and fold-change estimation.</p