Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Euro between national and European identity

We miss the significance of the advent of the Euro for European political, economic, and social order if we ignore its identity dimension. Money has always been a symbolic marker in nation-building efforts and is strongly related to collective national identities. This article makes two interrelated causal claims. On the one hand, the introduction of Euro bills and coins has already begun to affect Euroland citizens' identification with the EU and Europe in general. The Euro makes Europe real and reifies it as a political order, since it provides a visible link from Brussels to the daily lives of the citizens. On the other hand, existing collective identities pertaining to the nation- state explain to a large degree how comfortable people feel using and dealing with the Euro. The variation in attitudes between the Italian enthusiasm for the Euro, the German ambivalence about it, and the widespread British opposition can be accounted for by the differences in collective understandings and identification patterns with the nation-state and Europe. In sum, the causal arrows from the Euro to collective identities run both ways.
(Bandit) Convex Optimization with Biased Noisy Gradient Oracles

Algorithms for bandit convex optimization and online learning often rely on constructing noisy gradient estimates, which are then used in appropriately adjusted first-order algorithms, replacing actual gradients. Depending on the properties of the function to be optimized and the nature of “noise” in the bandit feedback, the bias and variance of gradient estimates exhibit various tradeoffs. In this paper we propose a novel framework that replaces the specific gradient estimation methods with an abstract oracle. With the help of the new framework we unify previous works, reproducing their results in a clean and concise fashion, while, perhaps more importantly, the framework also allows us to formally show that to achieve the optimal root-n rate either the algorithms that use existing gradient estimators, or the proof techniques used to analyze them have to go beyond what exists today.
African American Teaching in the South: 1940–1960

Researchers depict African American teachers in the South during segregation alternately as either victims of oppressive circumstances or as caring role models. These disparate portraits fail to reconcile the relationship of each depiction to the other. This article addresses this omission by providing a historiography of African American teaching between 1940 and 1960, with supplementary data from Georgia. Results indicate that African American teachers in the South worked in dismal, unfair, discriminatory positions, but did not allow themselves to become victims of their environments. Rather, they viewed themselves as trained professionals who embraced a series of ideas about how to teach African American children that were consistent with their professional discussions and their understanding of the African American community.
Effects of Losartan in Women With Hypertension and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: Results From the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint Reduction in Hypertension Study

Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and outcomes in women. These posthoc analyses from the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study evaluated losartan- versus atenolol-based therapy on the primary composite end point of cardiovascular death, stroke, and myocardial infarction and other end points in 4963 women. Fewer events occurred in women versus men. Women in the losartan group had significant reductions in the primary end point (215 [18.2 per 1000 patient-years] versus 261 [22.5 per 1000 patient-years]; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.82 [95% CI: 0.68 to 0.98]; P=0.031), stroke (109 versus 154; HR: 0.71 [95% CI: 0.55 to 0.90]; P=0.005), total mortality (HR: 0.77 [95% CI: 0.63 to 0.95]; P=0.014), and new-onset diabetes (HR: 0.75 [95% CI: 0.59 to 0.94]; P=0.015) versus the atenolol group, with no between-treatment difference for myocardial infarction (HR: 1.02 [95% CI: 0.74 to 1.39]; P=0.925), cardiovascular mortality (HR: 0.86 [95% CI: 0.64 to 1.14]; P=0.282), or hospitalization for heart failure (HR: 0.94 [95% CI: 0.68 to 1.28]; P=0.677). More women in the losartan group required hospitalization for angina (HR: 1.70 [95% CI: 1.16 to 2.51]; P=0.007). Risk reductions for the primary composite end point, stroke, total mortality, and new-onset diabetes were significantly greater with losartan- versus atenolol-based treatment in women with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy in the LIFE study. The risk reductions for losartan, along with the tests for the interaction of treatment and gender, indicated that the treatment effect was consistent in men and women for all of the end points tested, with the exception of hospitalization for angina.
Normal changes in orbital volume during childhood.

OBJECT The aim of this study was to construct a model of changes in orbital volume that occur throughout childhood from the age of 1 month to 15 years, which could be used for comparative studies of disease states affecting orbital growth. METHODS Using the procedure of segmentation on magnetic resonance images obtained in 67 healthy children, orbital volume was measured and plotted against age. During the first few months of life left orbital volume is on average 15 cm3 in male and 13 cm3 in female infants; these volumes increase to 26 cm3 and 24 cm3, respectively, by the time the child reaches 15 years of age. During the first few months of life right orbital volume is on average 16 cm3 in male and 13 cm3 in female infants; these volumes increase to 27 cm3 and 25 cm3, respectively, by the time the child is 15 years old. This represents an overall increase in orbital volume by a factor of 1.7 in boys and 1.8 in girls. By the time the child has reached 5 years of age, the orbital volume for both right and left sides has reached on average 77% of the volume seen at 15 years in both sexes. The differences between the two sides are not statistically significant for either sex. The change in orbital volume that is associated with age in general displays a linear pattern. Throughout childhood, orbital volumes are larger in boys than in girls, but share a similar growth pattern. The difference between the two sexes tends toward statistical significance during the first 5 years of life (left orbit p = 0.1, right orbit p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS During early childhood, orbital volume increases in a linear fashion, achieving a significant proportion of its final growth by the time the child is 5 years old.
Randomised controlled trial of recombinant human growth hormone in prepubertal and pubertal renal transplant recipients

AIMS To evaluate the efficacy (height velocity (HV), change in height standard deviation score (ΔHSDS)), and safety (glomerular filtration rate (GFR), incidence of rejection, and calcium and glucose metabolism) of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment after renal transplantation. DESIGN A two year randomised controlled trial. SUBJECTS Fifteen prepubertal and seven pubertal children: mean (SD) age, 13.0 (2.6) and 15.2 (2.4) years, respectively; mean (SD) GFR, 51 (30) and 48 (17) ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively. Six prepubertal and three pubertal children were controls during the first year; all received rhGH in the second year. RESULTS In the first year, mean (SE) HV and ΔHSDS in the prepubertal treated group increased compared with controls: 8.1 (0.9) v 3.7 (0.6) cm/year and 0.6 (0.1)v −0.3 (0.2), respectively. In the pubertal treated group, mean (SE) HV and ΔHSDS were also greater: 10.1 (0.6)v 3.9 (1.3) cm/year and 0.6 (0.1) v −0.1 (0.2), respectively. Comparing all treated and control children, there was no significant change in GFR: treated group, mean (SE) 9.9 (5.4) ml/min/1.73 m2 v control group, −1.6 (7.6) ml/min/1.73 m2. There were also no differences in the incidence of rejection in the first year: eight episodes in 13 patients v five episodes in nine patients, respectively. Phosphate, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and fasting insulin concentrations rose during the first year of treatment, but not thereafter. In the second year of treatment, HV remained above baseline. CONCLUSION Treatment with rhGH improves growth in prepubertal and pubertal children with renal transplants, with no significant change in GFR or the incidence of rejection. Phosphate, ALP, PTH, and insulin increased during the first year of treatment.
Reciprocal intraglomerular excitation and intra‐ and interglomerular lateral inhibition between mouse olfactory bulb mitral cells

How patterns of odour‐evoked glomerular activity are transformed into patterns of mitral cell action potentials (APs) in the olfactory bulb is determined by the functional connectivity of the cell populations in the bulb. We have used paired whole‐cell voltage recordings from olfactory bulb slices to compare the functional connectivity of mitral cells to the known anatomy of the mitral cell network. Both inhibitory and excitatory coupling were observed between pairs of mitral cells. Inhibitory coupling was seen as an increased frequency of small, asynchronous GABAergic IPSPs following APs in the presynaptic cell. Excitatory coupling was short in latency, beginning about 1.3 ms after the presynaptic AP and was mediated by both NMDA and AMPA receptors. Mitral cell pairs were coupled by excitation if and only if their apical dendrites terminated in the same glomerulus. The excitatory coupling between mitral cells resembles conventional fast synaptic transmission in its time course, amplitude and latency, despite the absence of evidence for anatomically defined synapses between mitral cells.
Learning to use the Internet and online social media: What is the effectiveness of home-based intervention for youth with complex communication needs?

Youth with complex communication needs (CCN) face increased barriers to their social participation due to limited communication abilities and opportunities. Youth today use the internet as a social tool and youth with CCN may also benefit from internet use to increase their social participation. Five youth between the ages of 10–18 with CCN who are unable to use speech for everyday communication and require augmentative and alternative communication were provided with assistive technology and a tailored 1:1 intervention at home to learn to use the internet for connecting with others. Pre and post assessments measured changes in performance on internet use goals, social networks, loneliness and self-concept. Multiple measures were used to examine the impact of internet use for social networking on a range of outcomes and to gather emerging evidence in this area. Results showed that the intervention was effective in increasing performance and satisfaction with goals for increasing internet use to connect with others and for increasing the number of online communication partners. There was no significant change in loneliness or self-concept. This study shows that the internet may be a viable tool in increasing the social participation of youth with CCN. However, some youth and their families required intensive support and technical assistance to gain confidence in internet use and in use for social purposes.
The impact of facecards on patients' knowledge, satisfaction, trust, and agreement with hospital physicians: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Simple interventions such as facecards can improve patients' knowledge of names and roles of hospital physicians, but the effect on other aspects of the patient-physician relationship is not clear. OBJECTIVE To pilot an intervention to improve familiarity with physicians and assess its potential to improve patients' satisfaction, trust, and agreement with physicians. DESIGN Cluster randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of physician facecards. Physician facecards included pictures of physicians and descriptions of their roles. We performed structured interviews of randomly selected patients to assess outcomes. SETTING One of 2 similar hospitalist units and 1 of 2 teaching-service units in a large teaching hospital were randomly selected to implement the intervention. MEASUREMENTS Satisfaction with physician communication and overall hospital care was assessed using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. Trust and agreement were each assessed through instruments used in prior research. RESULTS Overall, 138 patients completed interviews, with no differences in age, sex, or race between those receiving facecards and those not. More patients who received facecards correctly identified ≥1 hospital physician (89.1% vs 51.1%; P < 0.01) and their role (67.4% vs 16.3%; P < 0.01) than patients who had not received facecards. Patients had high baseline levels of satisfaction, trust, and agreement with hospital physicians, and we found no significant differences with the use of facecards. CONCLUSIONS Physician facecards improved patients' knowledge of the names and roles of hospital physicians. Larger studies are needed to assess the impact on satisfaction, trust, and agreement with physicians.
On the Physical Mechanism of NBTI in Silicon Oxynitride p-MOSFETs: Can Differences in Insulator Processing Conditions Resolve the Interface Trap Generation versus Hole Trapping Controversy?

Negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) is studied in plasma (PNO) and thermal (TNO) Si-oxynitride devices having varying EOT. Threshold voltage shift (DeltaVT) and its field (EOX), temperature (T) and time (t) dependencies obtained from no-delay on-the-fly linear drain current (IDLIN) measurements are carefully compared to that obtained from charge pumping (CP). It is shown that thin and thick PNO and thin TNO devices show very similar NBTI behavior, which can primarily be attributed to generation of interface traps (DeltaNIT). Thicker TNO devices show different NBTI behavior, and can be attributed to additional contribution from hole trapping (DeltaNh) in pre-existing bulk traps. A physics based model is developed to explain the experimental results.
Early Life Stress and the Anxious Brain : : Neural Structure and Function Underlying the Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Anxiety in Adulthood

Childhood maltreatment (CM), particularly emotional abuse (EA) and emotional neglect (EN), is a significant risk factor for the development of excessive anxiety in adulthood. However, the neurobiological mechanisms which underlie the relationship between CM and later development of anxiety are poorly understood. The purpose of this investigation is to delineate brain structure/function in adulthood which underlies the relationship between childhood EA/EN and adult anxiety. One-hundred eighty-two (n=182) adults with normal to clinical levels of anxiety underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while completing a facial emotion processing task. CM history was assessed using the EA and EN subscale scores from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory. Gray matter volumes and functional activation and connectivity during emotion- processing trials targeted towards angry vs. happy and fearful vs. happy faces were examined. Mediation analyses were used to identify brain function/structure accounting for the relationship between self-reported childhood emotional abuse/neglect and anxiety symptoms in adulthood. Increasing activation in the insula and amygdala mediated the relationship between childhood EA/EN and anxiety, respectively. Decreasing activation and smaller gray matter volumes in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex mediated the relationship between childhood EN and anxiety. Decreasing connectivity between anterior insula and dorsal prefrontal seed regions with posterior medial (posterior cingulate/precuneus) and sensory/motor (precentral/postcentral gyri) cortices mediated the relationship between childhood EA/EN and anxiety symptoms. All functional effects were significant after controlling for symptoms of depression and gray matter volumes. A structural/functional interaction effect was found in the left amygdala such that the mediation effect of left amygdala activation on the relationship between EN and anxiety symptoms was strongest for those with the smallest gray matter volumes. This study provides initial evidence for a neuroetiological mechanism linking childhood emotional maltreatment to anxiety in adulthood through a potentiation of limbic and an attenuation of prefrontal responses to socioemotional threat cues. Findings from this investigation could be used in the initial construction of hypothesized neurodevelopmental models which relate early distal risk factors to endogenous brain changes that serve to predispose individuals to developing anxiety disorders as adults
Aggression and Violent Behavior Reliability , validity , and prevalence of partner violence measured by the con fl ict tactics scales in male-dominant nations

a r t i c l e i n f o This article evaluates whether use of the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) with women in male-dominant nations results in reliable and valid data. Tabulation of ten published studies in male-dominant nations found a median alpha coefficient of reliability of . 86. For university students in the 32 nation International Dating Violence Study, the median alpha for women is . 82 and . 78 for males. Similar alpha coefficients were found regardless of the national level of male-dominance. Validity was measured by estimating the sensitivity of the CTS in eliciting data on perpetration of physical assault, by evaluating the degree to which assaults reported by the women were acts of self-defense, and by construct validity analyses to test the hypothesis that being a victim of physical assault as measured by the CTS is associated with physical injury, depressive symptoms, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. The hypothesized relationships were found regardless of the degree of male dominance in a nation. The results support continued use of the CTS to investigate PV in the lives of women worldwide. The discussion suggests that the effort to combat violence against women could be enhanced by using the full CTS to provide data on perpetration by women as well as victimization of women.
GABA Regulates Dendritic Growth by Stabilizing Lamellipodia in Newly Generated Interneurons of the Olfactory Bulb

The initial formation and growth of dendrites is a critical step leading to the integration of newly generated neurons into postnatal functional networks. However, the cellular mechanisms and extracellular signals regulating this process remain mostly unknown. By directly observing newborn neurons derived from the subventricular zone in culture as well as in olfactory bulb slices, we show that ambient GABA acting through GABAA receptors is essential for the temporal stability of lamellipodial protrusions in dendritic growth cones but did not interfere with filopodia dynamics. Furthermore, we provide direct evidence that ambient GABA is required for the proper initiation and elongation of dendrites by promoting the rapid stabilization of new dendritic segments after their extension. The effects of GABA on the initial formation of dendrites depend on depolarization and Ca2+ influx and are associated with a higher stability of microtubules. Together, our results indicate that ambient GABA is a key regulator of dendritic initiation in postnatally generated olfactory interneurons and offer a mechanism by which this neurotransmitter drives early dendritic growth.
Beyond rescaling: reintegrating the `national' as a dimension of scalar relations

Among scholars of globalization and neoliberalism, there has been a marked turn away from the national as a relevant scale in today's world, with researchers arguing that the national is being `rescaled' to local, regional and global scales. This paper argues that we need to move beyond this rescaling argument to recognize that the national still is relevant in contemporary political economy. Seeing the national not as a discrete scale but as a dimension of political economic practice is an alternative analytical approach that treats the national as constitutively implicated in other scaled activities. Distinctions between one scale and another are not so clear. This approach enhances our understanding of contemporary patterns and processes because, instead of focusing on one set of scales or another, analysis can reveal relations among multiple scales. This approach also moves us beyond the historical periodization posited in the rescaling literature. Instead of providing descriptions of contemporary change in which the dominant national is giving way to a messier configuration of global and local scales, the idea of scales-as-dimensions offers a way of analysing scalar relations more generally. This can then be used in both contemporary and historical analysis. The rescaling argument treats the national largely as residual, which serves to draw our attention away from complex scalar practices without offering a truly different way of thinking about scalar relations.
Cost-effectiveness of inhaled nitric oxide in the treatment of neonatal respiratory failure in the United States.

OBJECTIVE Two recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported that inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) decreased the incidence of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or death in term and near-term newborns with hypoxic respiratory failure. Our objective was to estimate the cost-effectiveness ratio of iNO in this population. METHODS We studied 1000 simulation cohorts (n = 483 for each cohort) of term/near-term newborns with hypoxemic respiratory failure. We conducted our study following US Public Health Service Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine guidelines, adopting the US societal perspective. We constructed a decision tree reflecting iNO use, subsequent ECMO use, death, and long-term neurologic and respiratory morbidity in survivors, as determined from the combined outcomes of the 2 RCTs (n = 483). We estimated costs on the basis of length-of-stay data for the initial episode of care from 1 of the RCTs, unit costs from administrative data sets, and current pricing for iNO. We ran a Monte Carlo simulation to generate estimates of differences in costs and effects at 1 year, along with the stochastic uncertainty around these estimates. We expressed effects as quality-adjusted survival, assuming quality of life = 1 with no comorbidity, 0.7 with 1 comorbidity, and 0.49 (0.7 x 0.7) with 2 comorbidities. We constructed a base case, in which iNO was initiated at tertiary care ECMO centers (mimicking the RCTs) and a Public Health Service Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine reference case, in which iNO was initiated at the local hospital before transfer (mimicking real-world practice). We exposed our assumptions to a sensitivity analysis. RESULTS Direct application of the trial results (base case) suggested that iNO was both more effective and cheaper (cost savings of 1880 dollars per case despite acquisition costs of 5150 dollars, predominantly as a result of decreased need for ECMO), with 84.6% probability that the cost-effectiveness ratio was better than 100,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year. Under the reference case, iNO was also more effective (though slightly less so) and was even cheaper (cost savings of 4400 dollars per case), with 71.6% probability that iNO was cheaper and more effective and 91.6% probability that the cost effectiveness ratio was better than 100,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year. Sensitivity analyses showed these estimates to be sensitive to patient selection and the price of iNO but insensitive to assumptions regarding quality of life. CONCLUSIONS From a US societal perspective, iNO has a favorable cost-effectiveness profile when initiated either at ECMO centers or at local hospitals in term/near-term neonates with hypoxemic respiratory failure.