Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Policy Report Giving Child and Youth Development Knowledge Away a Publication of the Society for Research in Child Development Article Begins on Page 3 Using Scientific Knowledge to Inform Preschool Assessment: Making the Case for " Empirical Validity "

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 crystallized the concern for accountability in education. National testing was mandated as a way to improve the " broken " educational system. Publicly funded early education programs were not spared from such testing. While the positive effects of high-quality early education on children's later school achievement is well demonstrated, too many early care and educational settings in the United States are of minimal or poor quality. Accountability is clearly important for increasing the quality of our early childhood programs, however, it is not yet evident how best to formulate a standard of accountability that reflects the body of knowledge we have gained concerning how young children learn. In this report, we propose two major thrusts designed to bring about a more scientifically informed accountability system: reconceptualizing the ways in which we think about the validity of our test instruments, and reconceptualizing markers of development from products of learning (performance standards) to processes of learning. We introduce the term " empirical validity " to draw attention to the fact that assessments should be built on current empirical work in the various developmental domains. This report focuses on the domains of language and literacy, two areas of major concern for the Federal Head Start program and for which there is an abundance of current research. This body of knowledge provides many examples illustrating how an emphasis on process rather than product can be vital for improving the quality of education. For example, although vocabulary is centrally important and psychometrically adequate tests of early vocabulary exist, these tests do not measure essential aspects of word learning that have been identified as predictive of later language and reading success in early language learning literature. Our case study of language and literacy illustrates how today's developmental science offers a new knowledge that can be strategically incorporated in assessments for empirically valid testing of children's competencies. The same argument for " empirically valid " and evidence-based assessments applies to other domains of cognitive growth and to socio-emotional development. The future of preschool assessment would be well served by attention to primary research that focuses on the processes of learning. In this report, we also suggest that one possible avenue for progress in assessment would center on integrative and dynamic assessment techniques that would comprehensively capture the nature of children's learning, minimize validity concerns related to context and culture, …
Prior Knowledge and New Product and Service Introductions by Entrepreneurial Firms: The Mediating Role of Technological Innovation

Most research on new product and service development by entrepreneurial firms takes an individual‐level, prelaunch perspective or firm‐level postlaunch perspective. Our study examines two components of the new product and service introduction process: how entrepreneurs' prior knowledge underpins (1) firm technological innovation prior to the introduction of new products and services (prelaunch) and (2) postlaunch viability of those new products and services. Our findings, based on a series of analyses of data from 158 entrepreneurial firms, show that formal technological innovation fully mediates the relation between prior knowledge and the introduction of viable new products and services.
The relevance of transnational policy networks: some examples from the European Commission and the Bretton Woods institutions

Transnational policy networks are an attractive subject for both Development Studies and International Relations if we are interested in the consequences of globalisation on public policy-making. Both within North-South relations and within European Union politics these networks have recently been identified as a typical outcome of current transformations, thereby challenging the dominant state-centric perspective of international politics. This article focuses on the confrontation between approaches that propose these networks as a new governance instrument and a more critical and analytical perspective. Departing from a theoretical model which analyses transnational policy networks as inter-organisational resource exchanges, the illustrations focus on international secretariats such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission since these organisations play a core role within most transnational policy networks. The article argues that these networks are only relevant in very specific empirical conditions. Thus, their use as a new governance arrangement will be limited.
The role of the formin gene fhod-1 in C. elegans embryonic morphogenesis

During the second half of embryogenesis, the ellipsoidal Caenorhabditis elegans embryo elongates into a long, thin worm. This elongation requires a highly organized cytoskeleton composed of actin microfilaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments throughout the epidermis of the embryo. This architecture allows the embryonic epidermal cells to undergo a smooth muscle-like actin/myosin-based contraction that is redundantly controlled by LET- 502/Rho kinase and MEL-11/myosin phosphatase in one pathway and FEM-2/PP2c phosphatase and PAK-1/p21-activated kinase in a parallel pathway(s). Although actin microfilaments surround the embryo, the force for contraction is generated mainly in the lateral (seam) epidermal cells whose actin microfilaments appear qualitatively different from those in their dorsal/ventral neighbors. We have identified FHOD-1, a formin family actin nucleator, which acts in the lateral epidermis. fhod-1 mutants show microfilament defects in the embryonic lateral epidermal cells and FHOD-1 protein is detected only in those cells. fhod-1 genetic interactions with let-502, mel-11, fem-2 and pak-1 indicate that fhod-1 preferentially regulates those microfilaments acting with let-502 and mel-11, and in parallel to fem-2 and pak-1. Thus, FHOD-1 may contribute to the qualitative differences in microfilaments found in the contractile lateral epidermal cells and their non-contractile dorsal and ventral neighbors. Different microfilament populations may be involved in the different contractile pathways.
Bayesian Networks and Boundedly Rational Expectations

I present a framework for analyzing decision makers with an imperfect understanding of their environment's correlation structure. The framework borrows the tool of "Bayesian networks", which is ubiquitous in statistics and artificial intelligence. In the model, a decision maker faces an objective multivariate probability distribution (his own action is one of the random variables). He is characterized by a directed acyclic graph over the set of random variables. His subjective belief filters the objective distribution through the graph via the factorization formula for Bayesian networks. This representation of the relation between objective and subjective distributions enables us to capture a variety of systematic departures from rational expectations, such as excessively coarse subjective models, reverse causality, missing variables, and various attribution errors. Optimal choices in this model is fundamentally an equilibrium notion, because the decision maker's own long-run behaviour may affect his perception (via his distorted beliefs) of the consequences of his own actions. Accordingly, I define a "personal equilibrium" notion of optimal choices. A few stylized macroeconomic illustrations of this framework are presented. In particular, I formalize the intuition that an incorrect causal interpretation of the debt-output correlation may lead to sub-optimal fiscal policy, and I translate Sargent's (1999) argument that a mis-specified Phillips curve can cause a central banker to implement above-optimal inflation.
Performance Factors of Ct Scanners Reply to Dr. Shabason Et Al. from the Authors Methodological Advantages and Disadvantages of Xe" Ct Cbf

To the Editor: We read with interest the recent article by Meyer et al. on the estimation of local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) from sequential transmission computed tomography (CT) during inhalation of stable xenon gas. There are a number of points we wish to raise concerning the methodology of the assertions made in the paper. We are somewhat puzzled by a number of statements concerning the performance factors of CT scanners. Many of these points could be easily resolved if data were quoted relative to an accepted protocol such as the one recommended by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). The radiation dose at the center of the scan is stated to be approximately one rad. Although this value is in reasonable agreement with one set of published data, it differs significantly from others and is to some degree misleading since the entrance dosages are much higher (~ 4 rads) than the midline dose.If the proposed procedure requires approximately 10 scans at each level (3 baseline and 5 to 8 enhanced), the radiation dose to a large portion of the slice would be in the range of 30-40 rads. The discussion of the relative signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the EMI 1010 relative to third and fourth generation CT scanners is at best unclear. We are unable to determine whether the same physical conditions applied when the EMI 1010 was compared to the GE8800. The SNR for the EMI 1010 was quoted as being 97.1 for the iodine solution (H = 39.8 yielding a standard deviation (SD) of approximately 0.4) and a SNR of 37.4 for the vivo measurements (with a SD * 1). The SNR for the GE8800 scanner was 9.4 where H was 4.2 yielding a SD of * 0.4. The standard deviation would not be expected to vary significantly over a limited range of the Hounsfield Scale, therefore, the ratio should be calculated for similar degree of enhancement. In addition, the comparison should be made when the x-ray technique is adjusted to yield comparable radiation dosages. Since the relative spatial resolution of the scanners is of importance in regards to tissue specificity some mention of this performance factor would also be appropriate.
Effectiveness of disease-specific cognitive–behavioural therapy on depression, anxiety, quality of life and the clinical course of disease in adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease: study protocol of a multicentre randomised controlled trial (HAPPY-IBD)

Introduction Adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) show a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety, compared to youth with other chronic diseases. The inflammation-depression hypothesis might explain this association, and implies that treating depression can decrease intestinal inflammation and improve disease course. The present multicentre randomised controlled trial aims to test the effectiveness of an IBD-specific cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) protocol in reducing symptoms of subclinical depression and anxiety, while improving quality of life and disease course in adolescents with IBD. Methods and analysis Adolescents with IBD (10–20 years) from 7 hospitals undergo screening (online questionnaires) for symptoms of depression and anxiety. Those with elevated scores of depression (Child Depression Inventory (CDI) ≥13 or Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) II ≥14) and/or anxiety (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders: boys ≥26, girls ≥30) receive a psychiatric interview. Patients meeting criteria for depressive/anxiety disorders are referred for psychotherapy outside the trial. Patients with elevated (subclinical) symptoms are randomly assigned to medical care-as-usual (CAU; n=50) or CAU plus IBD-specific CBT (n=50). Main outcomes: (1) reduction in depressive and/or anxiety symptoms after 3 months and (2) sustained remission for 12 months. Secondary outcomes: quality of life, psychosocial functioning, treatment adherence. In addition, we will assess inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and whole blood RNA expression profiles. For analysis, multilevel linear models and generalised estimating equations will be used. Ethics and dissemination The Medical Ethics Committee of the Erasmus MC approved this study. If we prove that this CBT improves emotional well-being as well as disease course, implementation is recommended. Trial registration number NCT02265588.
Bargaining and Conflict with Incomplete Information

This paper studies bargaining and conflict under incomplete information, provides an overview and a critical account of the literature on the topic and contributes with original research. We first revise models of mechanism design and sequential bargaining that take confrontation as final. Conflict and inefficiencies are to be expected in these models whenever parties have optimistic prospects on the outcome of the all-out conflict. After examining the causes and reasons for this optimism, we move to the analysis of the recent literature that considers the existence of limited confrontations that allow bargaining to resume. In the presence of private information, these limited conflicts convey information and thus become a bargaining instrument. The paper closes with a discussion on the related empirical literature, the challenges that it faces and some potential avenues for further research.
Tolerance to Cd of soybean (Glycine max) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal and saprobe fungi

The application of Cd inhibited the development of mycelia of the saprobe fungi Fusarium concolor and Trichoderma koningii and the hyphal length of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus mosseae and G. deserticola in vitro. The application to soil of 25 and 50 mg l–1 of Cd decreased the shoot dry weight, the percentage of AM root length colonization and the succinate dehydrogenase activity of AM mycelia of soybean (Glycine max L.) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.), respectively. However, G. deserticola increased the shoot dry weight of eucalyptus, compared with non AM inoculated control, in presence of 50 mg l–1 of Cd. When 50 mg l–1 of Cd was applied, T. koningii increased the effect of G. deserticola on shoot dry weight of eucalyptus. There was higher Cd accumulation in the plants when this metal was applied at low doses, and the AM and saprobe fungi increased the accumulation of
On Optimal Linear Filtering of Speech for Near-End Listening Enhancement

In this letter the focus is on linear filtering of speech before degradation due to additive background noise. The goal is to design the filter such that the speech intelligibility index (SII) is maximized when the speech is played back in a known noisy environment. Moreover, a power constraint is taken into account to prevent uncomfortable playback levels and deal with loudspeaker constraints. Previous methods use linear approximations of the SII in order to find a closed-form solution. However, as we show, these linear approximations introduce errors in low SNR regions and are therefore suboptimal. In this work we propose a nonlinear approximation of the SII which is accurate for all SNRs. Experiments show large intelligibility improvements with the proposed method over the unprocessed noisy speech and better performance than one state-of-the art method.
Extremal problems on shadows and hypercuts in simplicial complexes

Let $F$ be an $n$-vertex forest. We say that an edge $e\notin F$ is in the shadow of $F$ if $F\cup\{e\}$ contains a cycle. It is easy to see that if $F$ is "almost a tree", that is, it has $n-2$ edges, then at least $\lfloor\frac{n^2}{4}\rfloor$ edges are in its shadow and this is tight. Equivalently, the largest number of edges an $n$-vertex cut can have is $\lfloor\frac{n^2}{4}\rfloor$. These notions have natural analogs in higher $d$-dimensional simplicial complexes, graphs being the case $d=1$. The results in dimension $d>1$ turn out to be remarkably different from the case in graphs. In particular the corresponding bounds depend on the underlying field of coefficients. We find the (tight) analogous theorems for $d=2$. We construct $2$-dimensional "$\mathbb Q$-almost-hypertrees" (defined below) with an empty shadow. We also show that the shadow of an "$\mathbb F_2$-almost-hypertree" cannot be empty, and its least possible density is $\Theta(\frac{1}{n})$. In addition we construct very large hyperforests with a shadow that is empty over every field. For $d\ge 4$ even, we construct $d$-dimensional $\mathbb{F} _2$-almost-hypertree whose shadow has density $o_n(1)$. Finally, we mention several intriguing open questions.
A Meta-Analysis of Beta- Convergence

The topic of convergence is at the heart of a wide-ranging debate in the growth literature. Empirical studies of convergence differ widely in their theoretical backgrounds, empirical specifications and in their treatment of cross-sectional heterogeneity. Despite these differences, a rate of convergence of about 2% has been found under a variety of different conditions, resulting in the widespread belief that the rate of convergence is a natural constant. We use meta-analysis to investigate whether there is substance to the ‘myth’ of the legendary 2% convergence rate, and to assess several unresolved issues of interpretation and estimation. Our dataset contains approximately 600 estimates taken from a random sample of empirical growth studies published in peer-reviewed journals. We show that publication bias does not interfere with the analysis, and that it is misleading to speak of a natural convergence rate, since estimates of different growth regressions come from different populations. We find that correcting for the bias resulting from unobserved heterogeneity in technology levels leads to higher estimates of the rate of convergence. We also find that correcting for endogeneity in the explanatory variables has a substantial effect on the estimates, and that measures of financial and fiscal development are important determinants of long-run differences in per-capita income levels.
Localization of kainate receptors to the presynaptic active zone of the rod photoreceptor in primate retina

Visual information is encoded at the photoreceptor synapse by modulation of the tonic release of glutamate from one or more electron-dense ribbons. This release is highest in the dark, when photoreceptors are depolarized, and decreases in grades when photoreceptors hyperpolarize with increasing light. Functional diversity between neurons postsynaptic at the synaptic ribbon arises in part from differential expression of both metabotropic (G-protein-gated) and ionotropic (ligand-gated) glutamate receptor. In the brain, different subunits also modulate the presynaptic active zone. In hippocampus, ionotropic kainate receptors localize to the presynaptic membrane of glutamatergic axon terminals and facilitate depolarization of the synapse (e.g. Lauri et al., 2001). Such facilitation may be helpful in the retina, where consistent depolarization of the photoreceptor axon terminal is necessary to maintain glutamate release in the dark. We investigated whether such a mechanism could be present in primate retina by using electron microscopy to examine the localization of the kainate subunits GluR6/7 at the rod axon terminal, where only a single ribbon synapse mediates glutamate release. We scored 54 rod axon terminals whose postsynaptic space contained one or more GluR6/7-labeled processes and traced these processes through serial sections to determine their identity. Of 68 labeled processes, 63% originated from narrow “fingers” of cytoplasm extending from the presynaptic axon terminal into the postsynaptic cleft. Each rod terminal typically inserts 4–6 presynaptic fingers, and we scored several instances where multiple fingers contained label. Such consistency suggests that each presynaptic finger expresses GluR6/7. The physiological properties of kainate receptors and the geometry of the rod axon terminal suggest that presynaptic GluR6/7 could provide a steady inward current to maintain consistent depolarization of the rod synapse in the long intervals between photons in the dark.
Mixed Nodule Infection in Sinorhizobium meliloti–Medicago sativa Symbiosis Suggest the Presence of Cheating Behavior

In the symbiosis between rhizobia and legumes, host plants can form symbiotic root nodules with multiple rhizobial strains, potentially showing different symbiotic performances in nitrogen fixation. Here, we investigated the presence of mixed nodules, containing rhizobia with different degrees of mutualisms, and evaluate their relative fitness in the Sinorhizobium meliloti–Medicago sativa model symbiosis. We used three S. meliloti strains, the mutualist strains Rm1021 and BL225C and the non-mutualist AK83. We performed competition experiments involving both in vitro and in vivo symbiotic assays with M. sativa host plants. We show the occurrence of a high number (from 27 to 100%) of mixed nodules with no negative effect on both nitrogen fixation and plant growth. The estimation of the relative fitness as non-mutualist/mutualist ratios in single nodules shows that in some nodules the non-mutualist strain efficiently colonized root nodules along with the mutualist ones. In conclusion, we can support the hypothesis that in S. meliloti–M. sativa symbiosis mixed nodules are formed and allow non-mutualist or less-mutualist bacterial partners to be less or not sanctioned by the host plant, hence allowing a potential form of cheating behavior to be present in the nitrogen fixing symbiosis.
Should We Really Use Post-Hoc Tests Based on Mean-Ranks?

The statistical comparison of multiple algorithms over multiple data sets is fundamental in machine learning. This is typically carried out by the Friedman test. When the Friedman test rejects the null hypothesis, multiple comparisons are carried out to establish which are the significant differences among algorithms. The multiple comparisons are usually performed using the mean-ranks test. The aim of this technical note is to discuss the inconsistencies of the mean-ranks post-hoc test with the goal of discouraging its use in machine learning as well as in medicine, psychology, etc. We show that the outcome of the mean-ranks test depends on the pool of algorithms originally included in the experiment. In other words, the outcome of the comparison between algorithms A and B depends also on the performance of the other algorithms included in the original experiment. This can lead to paradoxical situations. For instance the difference between A and B could be declared significant if the pool comprises algorithms C, D, E and not significant if the pool comprises algorithms F, G, H. To overcome these issues, we suggest instead to perform the multiple comparison using a test whose outcome only depends on the two algorithms being compared, such as the sign-test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.