Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Causes of Poverty Cultural vs. Structural: Can There Be a Synthesis?

There are many competing theories about the causes of poverty in the United States with mountains of empirical evidence to justify support for each. The debate among theorists and policymakers is primarily divided between advocates who support cultural/behavioral arguments and those who support structural/economic arguments. This debate tends to manifest itself across political party lines with republicans supporting the cultural/behavioral thesis and democrats looking more to structural causes. The passage of the "behavioral" focused Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (1996) and its possible strengthening by the Bush Administration and its congressional allies calls for further examination of the relationship between cultural/behavioral and structural causes of poverty. This paper will briefly examine the theoretical arguments behind these competing views followed by an analysis to determine the empirical relevancy of each. It should be noted that the exploration of this topic began with the intention of making an argument for the fusion of these perspectives into a single empirically validated theory; one that would build upon Orlando Patterson's (2000) theoretical model on the interaction between cultural models, structural environments and behavioral outcomes. In close similarity to Patterson (2000), my thesis is that cultural and/or behavioral variables are only relevant to the degree that historical structural factors condition the environment in which groups of varying economic and social advantage operate in and react to. More specifically, behavioral variables (e.g., teen pregnancy, divorce, crime) should not merely be viewed as static behavioral dysfunctions exclusive to certain groups, but as proxies for cultural mechanisms that are always at play in all social groups and in all contexts. These two perspectives should not be viewed as dichotomous, but interrelated and more or less relatively valid depending on the context. While Patterson argues for a dynamic integration of variables (a position I agree with), the ordinary least squares (OLS) analyses can at best reveal the relative relationships of the various independent variables to poverty; the results of which may provide a useful framework for a truly integrated and multiplicative model or perhaps a two-stage model with structural level variables conditioning the environment in which cultural/behavioral adaptations develop. However, the empirical tests that will be reviewed shortly demonstrate little support for the inclusion of cultural/behavioral variable into a larger structural model, but this failure is not without caveats. Based on several time series regression models using aggregated national level data for the years 1947 through 2002, an integrated model could not be constructed using
Effect of Massage Therapy on Vital Signs and GCS Scores of ICU Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Unalleviated complications related to hospitalization, including stress, anxiety, and pain, can easily influence different structures, like the neural system, by enhancing the stimulation of sympathetic nervous pathways and causing unstable vital signs and deterioration in the level of consciousness. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of massage therapy by family members on vital signs and Glasgow Coma Scale Score (GCS) of patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Patients and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at the ICU of the Shariati Hospital during 2012; 45 ICU patients and 45 family members in the experimental group and the same number of patients and family members in the control group were consecutively selected . The data collection instrument consisted of two parts. The first part included demographic data (age, marital status and Body Mass Index) and the second part included a checklist to record the patient’s vital signs (systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respiratory rate (RR), pulse rate (PR)) and GCS. All measurements were done at the same time in both groups before the intervention (full body massage therapy), and 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, and 4 hours after intervention. The patients were provided with a 60-minute full body massage The massage protocol included static, surface tension, stretching, superficial lymph unload, transverse friction, and myofacial releasing techniques. Results: Significant differences were observed between experimental and control groups in the SBP at 1 hour, SBP 2 hours, and SBP 3 hours, and also in GCS at 1 hour to GCS at 4 hours (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed a significant difference between experimental and control groups in SBP at all time points (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Massage via family members had several positive effects on the patients’ clinical conditions, and therefore, it should be recognized as one of the most important clinical considerations in hospitalized patients.
PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND TEMPERAMENTAL FEARFULNESS AS INDICES OF RISK FOR ANXIETY DURING PRESCHOOL

The current study was designed to examine neurophysiological processes of performance monitoring that have been suggested as a mechanism of risk for the development of anxiety in early childhood. Children who were putatively at risk for anxiety problems based on early temperamental fearfulness were compared with low-fear children. In addition, two aspects of feedback were examined as possible modulators of response monitoring: social and nonsocial feedback. Forty children were tested using a modified flanker paradigm when they were 4.5 years of age. Accuracy and reaction time measures were assessed along with affective behaviors during the laboratory visit and event-related potentials linked with performance monitoring. Results suggested that two performance monitoring event-related potentials, the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) were present in children at age 41⁄2, much earlier than has been seen in previous research. Although ERN and Pe amplitudes did not differ for high-fear and low-fear children, the distribution of the ERN in high-fear children was more frontal than for low-fear children. This type of distribution is in line with previous theories suggesting that at-risk children show adult-like ERN earlier than children who are not at risk. In contrast, Pe amplitudes were more posterior for highfear than for low-fear children. In addition, ERN was related to observed and parent-reported behaviors indicating better behavioral control only for low-fear children. Feedback condition was unrelated to fear status, parent-reported temperament, and observed behaviors. Overall, results suggest that the ERN and Pe are present much earlier in development than previously thought. Findings are presented in the framework of individual differences in performance monitoring and depicting early risk for disorder. Several avenues for future research are implicated, including the need to disentangle heterogeneous facets of risk and the development of response monitoring throughout childhood.
Adolescents at Risk of Delinquency. The Role of Parental Control, Trust, and Disclosure

ABSTRACT This study investigates the role of parental control, trust, and disclosure as protective factors on individual and peer-group delinquency in a sample of 1420 Italian high school students aged from 14 to18 (Mage = 15.59, SDage = 1.17), representative of the adolescent student population in Rimini (57.3% males and 42.7% females). A cluster analysis identified different patterns of parental monitoring, associated with different levels of involvement in individual and group delinquency during adolescence. The results showed parental trust, control, and adolescent disclosure to be inversely associated with violent behaviors. Our results challenge the assumption that greater parental control can reduce preadolescents’ antisocial behavior.
Reengineering High-throughput Molecular Datasets for Scalable Clustering Using MapReduce

We propose a linear clustering approach for large datasets of molecular geometries produced by high-throughput molecular dynamics simulations (e.g., protein folding and protein-ligand docking simulations). To this scope, we transform each three-dimensional (3D) molecular conformation into a single point in the 3D space reducing the space complexity while still encoding the molecular similarities and geometries. We assign an identifier to each single 3D point mapping a docked ligand, generate a tree from the whole space, and apply a tree-based clustering on the reduced conformation space that identifies most dense hyperspaces. We adapt our method for MapReduce and implement it in Hadoop. The load-balancing, fault-tolerance, and scalability in MapReduce allows screening of very large conformation datasets not approachable with traditional clustering methods. We analyze results for datasets with different concentrations of optimal solutions, and draw conclusions about the limitations and usability of our method. The advantages of this approach make it attractive for complex applications in real-world high-throughput molecular simulations.
The economic well-being of never-and ever-married single mother families: A cross-national comparison

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the effect of marital status on economic well-being by comparing the economic situation of never-and ever-married single mother families in the U.S. and three other Western industrialized countries, Australia, Canadaand France. Data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) are used to describe the contribution of employment, public transfer, and child support income, as well as demographic variables, to the poverty status of these two family types. The findings from this study indicate that across the four countries never-married mother families had higher rates of poverty than families headed by an ever-married single mother. The findings are discussed within the context of what might be learned for addressing the economic risks faced by single mother families in the United States.
TweetCaT: a tool for building Twitter corpora of smaller languages

This paper presents TweetCaT, an open-source Python tool for building Twitter corpora that was designed for smaller languages. Using the Twitter search API and a set of seed terms, the tool identifies users tweeting in the language of interest together with their friends and followers. By running the tool for 235 days we tested it on the task of collecting two monitor corpora, one for Croatian and Serbian and the other for Slovene, thus also creating new and valuable resources for these languages. A post-processing step on the collected corpus is also described, which filters out users that tweet predominantly in a foreign language thus further cleans the collected corpora. Finally, an experiment on discriminating between Croatian and Serbian Twitter users is reported.
Frequency of inducible clindamycin resistance among gram-positive cocci in a tertiary hospital, Tehran, Iran

Background and Objectives: Accurate designation of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the infecting microorganisms is an important crucial factor in making appropriate therapeutic decisions. Macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin B antibiotics are in a family, reserved as an alternative approach in treatment of resistant Gram positive cocci. Amongst them, clindamycin has been considered as the preferred agent due to its excellent pharmacokinetic properties. The inducible resistance to clindamycin in Gram positive staphylococci and streptococci cannot be recognized by routine broth or agar based susceptibility tests and D-zone testing is necessary. This study is conducted to evaluate the frequency of inducible clindamycin resistance in Gram positive cocci. Materials and Methods: Using traditional culture methods, 487 isolates of staphylococcus and β-hemolytic streptococcus were evaluated. If they were resistant to erythromycin and sensitive to clindamycin in primary antibiotic susceptibility testing by Kirby-Bauer method, they were subjected to D-zone testing to detect possible inducible clindamycin resistance. Results: Thirty three out of 172 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and 50 out of 277 isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were subjected for D-zone testing. Among them 13/33 and 28/50 showed inducible clindamycin resistance, respectively. There was no significant difference in inducible clindamycin resistance regarding to methicillin susceptibility pattern. Positive D-test was observed in 17.39 and 13.33% of Group B streptococci and Streptococcus spp. , respectively. Conclusion: Considerable number of isolates showed inducible clindamycin resistance in our study which falsely would be reported susceptible if D-zone testing was not performed. Thus, performing D-Zone testing is necessary to avoid misleading results which may cause treatment failure.
The Effect of Orem Self-care Model with a Focus on Systematic Medicine Usage on the Hypertension of the Elderly

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most common diseases in the elderly. Systematic use of medicine due to the polypharmacy phenomenon can be effective in controlling hypertension in the elderly. Therefore, self-care in systematic use of medicine of this group is crucial. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Orem Self-care Model with a focus on systematic medicine usage, on the elderly infected by hypertension. Method: The present study is a quasi-experimental study in eldely in Tehran in 2015. The data collection was conducted using a barometer that is calibered and blood pressure was controlled by researcher. Sixty patients were selected using non-randomly and available method from elderly clinic in Taleghani hospital. After the pre-test, 4 training sessions were conducted based on the need assessment and using the Orem Model. Then, the post-tests were performed one and three months after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 21 Software, and Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. Results: According to the Chi-square test, the samples of the two groups were identical in terms of demographic variables (P <0.05). After the intervention in the test group, there was a significant statistical difference in the self-care ability and control of hypertension of the elderly (P=0/000); while, the difference was not significant in the control group (P=0/53). Conclusion: The results show that the application of Orem Self-care Model with a focus on systematic medicine usage is efficient on the elderly affected by hypertension. It is suggested that Orem Self-care Model with a focus on systematic medicine usage, to be considered for other diseases.
Relationship of CDX2 Loss with Molecular Features and Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: The homeodomain transcription factor CDX2 is a relatively specific immunohistochemical marker for gastrointestinal carcinoma. However, no study has comprehensively examined the relationship between CDX2 expression in colon cancer and clinical, pathologic, prognostic, and molecular features, including microsatellite instability and CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP). Experimental Design: Utilizing 621 colorectal cancers with clinical outcome and molecular data, CDX2 loss was detected in 183 (29%) tumors by immunohistochemistry. Results: In multivariate logistic regression analysis, CDX2 loss was associated with female gender [odds ratio (OR), 3.32; P < 0.0001], CIMP-high (OR, 4.42; P = 0.0003), high tumor grade (OR, 2.69; P = 0.0085), stage IV disease (OR, 2.03; P = 0.019), and inversely with LINE-1 hypomethylation (for a 30% decline; OR, 0.33; P = 0.0031), p53 expression (OR, 0.55; P = 0.011), and β-catenin activation (OR, 0.60; P = 0.037), but not with body mass index, tumor location, microsatellite instability, BRAF, KRAS, PIK3CA, p21, or cyclooxygenase-2. CDX2 loss was not independently associated with patient survival. However, the prognostic effect of CDX2 loss seemed to differ according to family history of colorectal cancer (Pinteraction = 0.0094). CDX2 loss was associated with high overall mortality (multivariate hazard ratio, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.28-4.51) among patients with a family history of colorectal cancer; no such association was present (multivariate hazard ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.66-1.41) among patients without a family history of colorectal cancer. Conclusions: CDX2 loss in colorectal cancer is independently associated with female gender, CIMP-high, high-level LINE-1 methylation, high tumor grade, and advanced stage. CDX2 loss may be associated with poor prognosis among patients with a family history of colorectal cancer.
Diagnostic Performance of Thyroglobulin Value in Indeterminate Range in Fine Needle Aspiration Washout Fluid from Lymph Nodes of Thyroid Cancer

Purpose The purpose was to compare the frequency of metastatic and nonmetastatic lymph nodes diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology (FNAC) and thyroglobulin concentration from fine needle aspiration biopsy washout fluid (FNAB-Tg) in an indeterminate range (0.2-100 ng/mL), and to evaluate the most appropriate threshold value of FNAB-Tg in an indeterminate range. Materials and Methods We performed ultrasound-guided FNAB and FNAB-Tg in suspicious metastatic cervical lymph nodes of papillary thyroid carcinoma and performed surgery. Ninety-five lymph nodes with indeterminate values of FNAB-Tg ranging from 0.2-100 ng/mL in ninety-two patients were included in this study. The diagnostic performances in multiple Tg levels (0.7, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, 50.0) were evaluated to compare with FNAB cytology using sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy with area under the curve (AUC) analysis. Results Forty-two were metastatic lymph nodes and fifty three were nonmetastatic lymph nodes. FNAB-Tg ranged from 0.22 to 90.9 ng/mL in metastatic lymph nodes (mean; 34.3±33.3 ng/mL) and 0.20 to 56.7 ng/mL in nonmetastatic lymph nodes (mean; 4.9±11.1 ng/mL) (p<0.001). The most excellent diagnostic performance was displayed in 5 ng/mL of FNAB-Tg with AUC of 0.76, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, 69.0, 83.0, and 76.8, respectively. However, there was no significant difference from 10 ng/mL FNAB. Conclusion We ascertained that 5 ng/mL yielded the most excellent diagnostic performance among FNAB-Tg levels in the present setting with a large series with the indeterminate range (0.2-100 ng/mL) of FNAB-Tg values. These results need additional confirmation under different laboratory conditions.
Empirical Evidence On Corporate R & D Investment , Risk and Security Returns

Some scholars argue there is under-investment in corporate R&D; however, Jensen (1993) argues some R&D projects are not profitable and investors often overlook that fact. Consistent with this latter argument, we find large-size firms which acquire technologies from external sources or which significantly increase their R&D expenditures experience subsequent negative three-yearlong abnormal stock returns on the magnitude of 74 and 56 basis-points per month, respectively. The large-size technology-acquirers experience also an increase in their cost of equity on the magnitude of 21 basis-points per month due to an increase in their systematic risk. We find no robust evidence of significant event-induced abnormal returns or systematic risk changes for the small-size sample firms. The large-size sample firms generate relatively much larger cash flows (i.e., have significantly greater over-investment discretion) and have significantly larger (over-) valuation multiples than the small-size firms. Evidently, investors initially underestimate the (perhaps desperation-induced) risk-increasing over-investment in R&D by some large-size firms. JEL classifications: G14; G31; O32
LONG‐RUN RISKS IN THE TERM STRUCTURE OF INTEREST RATES: ESTIMATION

This paper specifies and estimates a long run risks model with inflation by using the nominal term structure data in the United States from 1953 to 2006. The negative correlation between expected inflation and expected consumption growth in conjunction with the Epstein-Zin (1989) recursive preferences generates an upward sloping yield curve and fits the yield curve data better than the alternative specifications. However, the variations of the forward looking components of consumption growth and inflation in the estimated model are much smaller than implied by calibrated parameter values in the previous literature. An extended model with time varying volatilities alleviates this problem. In the extended model, estimated long run risks and volatilities, especially for inflation, are in line with survey data and the estimated inflation volatility explains a significant portion of the time variation of term premium.
Area-Level Socioeconomic Status and Incidence of Abnormal Glucose Metabolism

OBJECTIVE To examine the role of area-level socioeconomic status (SES) on the development of abnormal glucose metabolism (AGM) using national, population-based data. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study is a national, population-based, longitudinal study of adults aged ≥25 years. A sample of 4,572 people provided complete baseline (1999 to 2000) and 5-year follow-up (2004 to 2005) data relevant for these analyses. Incident AGM was assessed using fasting plasma glucose and 2-h plasma glucose from oral glucose tolerance tests, and demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral data were collected by interview and questionnaire. Area SES was defined using the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the relationship between area SES and incident AGM, with adjustment for covariates and correction for cluster design effects. RESULTS Area SES predicted the development of AGM, after adjustment for age, sex, and individual SES. People living in areas with the most disadvantage were significantly more likely to develop AGM, compared with those living in the least deprived areas (odds ratio 1.53; 95% CI 1.07–2.18). Health behaviors (in particular, physical activity) and central adiposity appeared to partially mediate this relationship. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that characteristics of the physical, social, and economic aspects of local areas influence diabetes risk. Future research should focus on identifying the aspects of local environment that are associated with diabetes risk and how they might be modified.