Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification and estimation of the effects of school quality on the achievement of Italian students

The aim of this paper is to assess the causal effect of school quality on students’ acquisition of skills during the academic year. I exploit information at individual and school level obtained by integrating the data from the second wave of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2003) with the administrative data on schools from the archive Sistema Integrato Segreterie Scolastiche Italiane (SISSI). The rich dataset allows to overcome the issue of nonrandom selection of students into schools of different quality. A general statistical procedure is used to allow for latent ‘outcome’ and ‘treatment’ variables—variation of skills and quality, respectively. The results confirm the main findings of literature, i.e. school quality, as measured by the usual observable characteristics of schools—like class size or, equivalently, student/teacher ratio, does not matter once we control for individual endowment, family background and peer characteristics. Nevertheless, I provide evidence that schools have multiple dimensions of quality and there is some indication of an impact arising from teachers, whose effectiveness in promoting education seem to be explained by their type of job contract in terms of tenure.
The Consequences of False Memories for Food Preferences and Choices

False memories, or memories for events that never occurred, have been documented in the real world and in the laboratory. In the real world, false memories involving trauma and abuse have resulted in real-life consequences. In the laboratory, researchers have just begun to study the consequences of false memories. We review this laboratory-based work and show how false memories for food-related experiences (e.g., becoming ill after eating egg salad) can lead to attitudinal and behavioral consequences (e.g., lowered self-reported preference for and decreased consumption of egg salad).
Application of Single-Electron Transistor to Biomolecule and Ion Sensors

The detection and quantification of chemical and biological species are the key technology in many areas of healthcare and life sciences. Field-effect transistors (FETs) are sophisticated devices used for the label-free and real-time detection of charged species. Nanowire channels were used for highly sensitive detections of target ion or biomolecule in FET sensors, however, even significantly higher detection sensitivity is required in FET sensors, especially when the target species are dilute in concentration. Since the high detection sensitivity of nanowire FET sensors is due to the suppression of the carrier percolation effect through the channel, the channel width has to be decreased, leading to the decrease in the transconductance (gm). Therefore, gm should be increased while keeping channel width narrow to obtain higher sensitivity. Single-electron transistors (SETs) are a promising candidate for achieving higher detection sensitivity due to the Coulomb oscillations. However, no reports of an SET-based ion sensor or biosensor existed, probably because of the difficulty of the room-temperature operation of SETs. Recently, room-temperature SET operations were carried out using a Si multiple-island channel structure. This review introduces the mechanism of ultra-sensitive detection of ions and biomolecules based on an SET sensor and the experimental results.
Discriminative models for robust image classification

A variety of real-world tasks involve the classification of images into pre-determined categories. Designing image classification algorithms that exhibit robustness to acquisition noise and image distortions, particularly when the available training data are insufficient to learn accurate models, is a significant challenge. This dissertation explores the development of discriminative models for robust image classification that exploit underlying signal structure, via probabilistic graphical models and sparse signal representations. Probabilistic graphical models are widely used in many applications to approximate high-dimensional data in a reduced complexity set-up. Learning graphical structures to approximate probability distributions is an area of active research. Recent work has focused on learning graphs in a discriminative manner with the goal of minimizing classification error. In the first part of the dissertation, we develop a discriminative learning framework that exploits the complementary yet correlated information offered by multiple representations (or projections) of a given signal/image. Specifically, we propose a discriminative tree-based scheme for feature fusion by explicitly learning the conditional correlations among such multiple projections in an iterative manner. Experiments reveal the robustness of the resulting graphical model classifier to training insufficiency.
Elicitation of the Acoustic Change Complex to Long-Duration Speech Stimuli in Four-Month-Old Infants

The acoustic change complex (ACC) is an auditory-evoked potential elicited to changes within an ongoing stimulus that indicates discrimination at the level of the auditory cortex. Only a few studies to date have attempted to record ACCs in young infants. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the elicitation of ACCs to long-duration speech stimuli in English-learning 4-month-old infants. ACCs were elicited to consonant contrasts made up of two concatenated speech tokens. The stimuli included native dental-dental /dada/ and dental-labial /daba/ contrasts and a nonnative Hindi dental-retroflex /daDa/ contrast. Each consonant-vowel speech token was 410 ms in duration. Slow cortical responses were recorded to the onset of the stimulus and to the acoustic change from /da/ to either /ba/ or /Da/ within the stimulus with significantly prolonged latencies compared with adults. ACCs were reliably elicited for all stimulus conditions with more robust morphology compared with our previous findings using stimuli that were shorter in duration. The P1 amplitudes elicited to the acoustic change in /daba/ and /daDa/ were significantly larger compared to /dada/ supporting that the brain discriminated between the speech tokens. These findings provide further evidence for the use of ACCs as an index of discrimination ability.
Effect of PhÃ©nobarbitaland Other Liver Monooxygenase Modifiers on Dimethylnitrosamine-induced Alkylation of Rat Liver Macromolecules1

The effects of phÃ©nobarbital(PB) and other liver monooxygenase modifiers on dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced alkylation of rat liver DNA and protein were investigated at different carcin ogen doses. In rats given single injections of radioactively labeled DMN, pretreatment with PB (80 mg/kg body weight, adminis tered for 5 days) resulted in a small but significant decrease in the formation of 7-methylguanine and O6-methylguanine per mole of guanine in liver DNA associated with a decrease in the 06/N7methylguanine ratio. The specific radioactivity of liver protein was also lowered in PB-pretreated rats. The degree of PB interference was independent of DMN dose within a carcinogen dose range of 0.5 u.g to 10 mg/kg body weight. In parallel experiments, the effects of pretreatment with PB, Aroclor 1254, pregnenolone16a-carbonitrile, butylated hydroxytoluene, /3-naphthoflavone, and ethanol on DMN-induced alkylation of liver DNA were studied at a DMN dose of 5 //g/kg body weight. In general, pretreatment with these modifiers of liver monooxygenase resulted in a de crease in specific alkylation of DNA and in the ratio of 7-methyl guanine to guanine. If, however, 7-methylguanine levels were related to total liver DNA, these differences in DNA alkylation between controls and pretreated rats became substantially smaller, partially being negligible, since these inducers led to an increase in relative liver weight with concomitant increase in the content of liver DNA. Thus, when expressed per total liver, no significant changes in the overall extent of metabolic activation of DMN were evident. These findings are not consistent with the results of in vitro studies on DMN metabolism in microsomal systems which favored the hypothesis that changes in the me tabolism of hepatocarcinogens are responsible for the reduction of liver tumor response in animals treated simultaneously with inducers of the liver monooxygenase system and hepatocarcin ogens. Our findings suggest that these effects might rather be related to drug-mediated changes on the cellular level.
MULTIPLE IMPUTATION OF MISSING BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION (BAC) VALUES IN FARS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has undertaken several approaches to remedy the problem of missing blood alcohol test results in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The approach currently in use employs a linear discriminant model that estimates the probability that a driver or nonoccupant has a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in grams per deciliter (g/dl) of 0.00, 0.01 to 0.09, or 0.10 and greater. The estimates are generated only for drivers and nonoccupants (pedestrians, pedalcyclists) for whom alcohol test results were not reported. The proposed methodology extends the current model by simulating specific values of BAC across the full range of possible values rather than estimating probabilities. By imputing ten values of BAC for each missing value, valid statistical inferences like variance, confidence intervals and deviation tests can be drawn. The estimation of discrete values also facilitates analysis by nonstandard boundaries of alcohol involvement (e.g., 0.08+).
Methods in Discourse Variation Analysis: Reflections on the Way Forward

This paper demonstrates the need for a uniform model of discourse variation analysis which is equipped to capture the complex nature of discourse variation and change whilst also ensuring generalizability. A review of the literature shows that the current heterogeneity in corpus construction, data quantification and theorizing of discourse variables impedes reliability and intersubjectivity. Suggestions are offered to achieve comparability, and a case is made for a consistent integration of pragmatic function as a factor group in the analysis. The extension of the variationist paradigm to the level of discourse is discussed, and the need for a definition of discourse variables which caters for their flexibility and multifunctionality is demonstrated. It is argued that some methodological consistency is required in variationist discourse analysis in order to advance towards a holistic description of patterns in language variation and change which spans all components of the grammar, and to systematically explore how discourse features are used and manipulated to create social identities.
Associations between dietary patterns and hypertension among Korean adults: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2010)

The objective of this study is to identify the dietary patterns associated with the risk of hypertensions among Korean adults using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2008-2010). This study analyzes data from 11,883 subjects who participated in the health and nutrition survey, aging from 20 to 64 years. We performed factor analysis based on the weekly mean intake frequencies of 36 food groups to identify major dietary patterns. We identified three major dietary patterns in both sexes, namely "traditional", "western" and "dairy and carbohydrate" patterns. Participants in the highest quartile of western pattern scores had significantly higher blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels than those in the lowest quartile. Although not statistically significant, a trend (P for trend = 0.0732) toward a positive association between the western dietary pattern and hypertension risk was observed after adjustments for age, sex, education, income, body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity, and energy intake. The dairy and carbohydrate pattern was inversely related with BMI and blood pressures and positively associated with serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. After adjusting the age, sex, education, income, BMI, smoking, physical activity and energy intake, the dairy and carbohydrate pattern showed inverse associations with hypertension prevalence (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.55-0.75; P for trend < 0.0001). Intakes of fiber, sodium, and antioxidant vitamins were significantly higher in the top quartile for the traditional pattern than in the lowest quartile for the traditional pattern (P for trend < 0.0001). Intakes of fiber (P for trend < 0.0001), calcium (P for trend < 0.0001), retinol (P for trend = 0.0164), vitamin B1 (P for trend = 0.001), vitamin B2 (P for trend < 0.0001), niacin (P for trend = 0.0025), and vitamin C (P for trend < 0.0001) were significantly increased across quartiles for the dairy and carbohydrate pattern whereas sodium (P for trend < 0.0001) intake was decreased for this pattern. In conclusion, the dairy and carbohydrate pattern may be associated with a reduced risk of hypertension whereas the western pattern may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension among Korean adults.
Pain Symptoms in Fibromyalgia Patients with and without Provoked Vulvodynia

Objective. The aim of the study was to compare the pain symptoms of fibromyalgia patients exhibiting (FMS+PVD) and not exhibiting (FMS) comorbidity with provoked vulvodynia. Study Design. The case control study was performed in 39 patients who had been diagnosed with FMS and accepted to undergo gynaecological examination and in 36 healthy women (C). All patients completed standardized questionnaires for pain intensity, pain area, and psychological functioning. The gynaecological examination included vulvar pain pressure reactivity (Q-tip), pelvic tone assessment (Kegel manoeuver), and a semistructured interview collecting detailed information about pelvic symptoms and sexual function. Results. FMS+PVD patients displayed a higher number of associated symptoms than FMS patients. The vulvar excitability was significantly higher in FMS+PVD than in FMS and in both groups than in Controls. Half of FMS+PVD patients were positive to Kegel manoeuver and displayed higher scores in widespread pain intensity, STAI-Y2, and CESD levels than Kegel negative patients. Conclusions. The study reveals that increased vulvar pain excitability may occur in FMS patients independently of the presence of coital pain. Results suggest that coital pain develops in patients with higher FMS symptoms severity due to the cooperative effects of peripheral and central sensitization mechanisms.
STATIC AND DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE SHELLS

The objective of this work is to provide a reliable numerical model using the finite element method (FEM) for the static and dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) shells. For this purpose two independently computer programs based on plasticity and viscoplasticity theories are developed. The well known degenerated shell element is used for the static analysis up to failure load, while 3D brick elements are used for the dynamic application. The implicit Newmark scheme with predictor and corrector phases is used for time integration of the nonlinear system of equations. Two benchmark examples analyzed by others are solved with the present numerical model and results are compared with those obtained by other authors. The present numerical model is able to reproduce the path failure, collapse loads and failure mechanism within an acceptable level of accuracy.
Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer in Japanese women: trends in incidence, characteristics, and prognosis.

BACKGROUND The incidence of breast cancer in Japanese women has doubled in all age groups over the past two decades. PATIENTS AND METHODS We examined the characteristics of the tumors treated in three time periods between 1982 and 2010. Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and HER2 status were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Correlation of hormone receptor levels with clinicopathological factors and prognosis was analyzed in ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer in two age groups (≤50 years versus >50 years). RESULTS The frequency of ER-positive breast cancer in women aged 50 years or younger increased greatly over the interval studied (1982-1991: 52.5%, 1992-2001: 72.6%, 2002-2010: 87.1%, P < 0.0001). The frequency of ER-positive tumors also significantly increased in women over 50 years of age (1982-1991: 69.4%, 1992-2001: 73.3%, 2002-2010: 78.6%, P = 0.029). In ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, tumor grade was negatively correlated with expression levels of ER and PgR. Prognosis for patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative disease significantly improved over time, due to advances in adjuvant therapies. CONCLUSION It is necessary to establish risk factors, both genetic and environmental, capable of predicting the risk of ER-positive breast cancer and thus enable the efficient selection of candidates for hormone receptor-targeted chemoprevention.
Accessing the new earnings survey panel dataset : efficient techniques and applications

The New Earnings Survey Panel Dataset is one of the largest datasets of its kind in the world. Its size and confidentiality restrictions present considerable difficulties for analysis using standard econometric packages. This thesis presents a number of methods for accessing the information held within the panel relatively efficiently, based upon the use of cross-product matrices and on data compression techniques. These methods allow, for the first time, the panel aspect of the dataset to be used in analysis. The techniques described here are then employed to produce an overview of changes in the UK labour market from 1975 to 1990 and detailed estimates of male and female earnings over a fourteen year period. These are the first panel estimates on the dataset. The estimates indicate the importance of allowing the parameters of any labour market model to vary over time, which is significant as panel estimators typically impose structural stability on the coefficients. Some preliminary estimates of the male-female wage gap indicate that both heterogeneity and variation over time have an important part to play in accounting for the differences in wages.
Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups

While coups drive a majority of regime changes and are responsible for the overthrow of many democratic governments, there has been very little empirical work on the subject. Seizing Power develops a new theory of coup dynamics and outcomes, drawing on 300 hours of interviews with coup participants and an original dataset of 471 coup attempts worldwide from 1950 to 2000. Naunihal Singh delivers a concise and empirical evaluation, arguing that understanding the dynamics of military factions is essential to predicting the success or failure of coups. Singh draws on an aspect of game theory known as a coordination game to explain coup dynamics. He finds a strong correlation between successful coups and the ability of military actors to project control and the inevitability of success. Examining Ghana's multiple coups and the 1991 coup attempt in the USSR, Singh shows how military actors project an image of impending victory that is often more powerful than the reality on the ground. In his close analysis of ten coups in Ghana from 1967 to 1981, Singh identifies three distinct points of coup origination: coups from top military officers, coups from the middle ranks, and mutinous coups from low-level soldiers.
Development of a biomimetic eardrum for acoustic sensing

The desert locust (schistocerca gregaria) has ears integrating sound reception, impedance transformation and frequency discrimination in a single passive membrane. The anatomy and frequency dependent response of these ears to acoustic input have been extensively studied before. This is the inspiration for the development of a new acoustic sensor with integrated mechanical filtering. We have worked on a new micro-fabrication process based on conformal deposition of Parylene on silicon which was used to make membranes with similar variations in tension, thickness and mass density as the tympanal membrane of the locust. Mapped vibration measurements show similarities in the behaviour of the artificial membrane with the biological original, showing the potential of the approach for future energy efficient passive mechanical filtering approaches.
GPS ) approach and the origin of Ashkenazic Jews –

Responding to an enquiry concerning the geographic population structure (GPS) approach and the origin of Ashkenazic Jews – a reply to Flegontov et al. Abstract Recently, we investigated the geographical origins of Ashkenazic Jews (AJs) and their native language Yiddish by applying a biogeographical tool, the Geographic Population Structure (GPS), to a cohort of 367 exclusively Yiddish-speaking and multilingual AJs genotyped on the Genochip microarray. GPS localized most AJs along major ancient trade routes in northeastern Turkey adjacent to primeval villages with names that may be derived from the word " Ashkenaz. " These findings were compatible with the hypothesis of an Irano-Turko-Slavic origin for AJs and a Slavic origin for Yiddish and at odds with the Rhineland hypothesis advocating a German origin of both. Our approach has been recently adopted by Flegontov et al. (2016a) to trace the origin of the Siberian Ket people and their language. Recently, Flegontov et al. (2016b) have raised several questions concerning the accuracy of the Genochip microarray and GPS, specifically in relation to AJs and Yiddish. Although many of these issues have been addressed in our previous papers, we take this opportunity to clarify the principles of the GPS approach, review the recent biogeographical and ancient DNA findings regarding AJs, and comment on the origin of Yiddish.
Cold CO Gas in Protoplanetary Disks

In a disk around DM Tau, previous observation of 13CO (J = 2-1 and 1-0 transitions) derived a 13CO gas temperature of ~13-20 K, which is lower than the sublimation temperature of CO (20 K). We argue that the existence of such cold CO can be explained by a vertical mixing of disk material. As the gas is transported from a warm layer to a cold layer, CO is depleted onto dust grains with a timescale of ~103 yr. Because of the steep temperature gradient in the vertical direction, an observable amount of CO is still in the gas phase when the fluid parcel reaches the layer of ~13 K. Apparent temperature of CO decreases as the maximum grain size increases from micron to millimeter size.
Cardiovascular Benefits of GLP-1-BasedTherapies in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: Effects on Endothelial and Vascular Dysfunction beyond Glycemic Control

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a progressive multisystemic disease accompanied by vascular dysfunction and a tremendous increase in cardiovascular mortality. Numerous adipose-tissue-derived factors and beta cell dysfunction contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk in patients with T2DM. Nowadays, numerous pharmacological interventions are available to lower blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Beside more or less comparable glucose lowering efficacy, some of them have shown limited or probably even unfavorable effects on the cardiovascular system and overall mortality. Recently, incretin-based therapies (GLP-1 receptor agonists and DPP-IV inhibitors) have been introduced in the treatment of T2DM. Beside the effects of GLP-1 on insulin secretion, glucagon secretion, and gastrointestinal motility, recent studies suggested a couple of direct cardiovascular effects of GLP-1-based therapies. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview about the current knowledge of direct GLP-1 effects on endothelial and vascular function and potential consequences on the cardiovascular outcome in patients with T2DM treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists or DPP-IV inhibitors.