Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calculating Comparable Statistics From Incomparable Surveys, With an Application to Poverty in India

Applied economists are often interested in studying trends in economic indicators such as inequality or poverty; however, comparisons over time can be made impossible by changes in data collection methodology. We describe an easily implemented procedure, based on inverse probability weighting, that allows recovery of comparability of estimated parameters identified implicitly by a moment condition. The validity of the procedure requires the existence of a set of auxiliary variables whose reports are not affected by the different survey design and whose relationship with the main variable of interest is stable over time. We analyze the asymptotic properties of the estimator when data belong to a stratified and clustered survey. The main empirical motivation of the article is provided by a recent controversy regarding the extent of poverty reduction in India in the 1990s. Due to changes in the expenditure questionnaire adopted for data collection in the 1999–2000 round of the Indian National Sample Survey, poverty is likely to be understated relative to previous rounds. We use previous waves of the same survey to provide evidence supporting the plausibility of the identifying assumptions and conclude that most, but not all, of the very large reduction in poverty implied by the official figures appears to be real, not a statistical artifact.
Life Satisfaction of Chinese Grandmothers: The Impact of Grandparenting Role Changes

This article examines the impact of grandparenting role changes on life satisfaction among Chinese grandmothers in Hong Kong. Study participants included 166 grandmothers whose youngest grandchildren were older than 12 years. The grandmothers were recruited from elderly service users in different geographic areas in Hong Kong. Trained research assistants conducted face-to-face interviews using standardized scales. It was found that a reduced advisory role for grandmothers had a negative impact on their life satisfaction after controlling for their demographic characteristics, social support, and health status. Implications for policies on intergenerational program and future research in a Chinese context are discussed.
Prevalence and recurrence of urinary tract and genital infections among adults with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus in the general population: a longitudinal cohort study

Background: This study estimated the prevalence, recurrence, and predisposing factors of self-reported urinary tract infections (UTIs) and genital infections among adults with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: In the US Study to Help Improve Early evaluation and management of risk factors Leading to Diabetes (SHIELD) 2008 survey, respondents reported how many times in the past 12 months they had a UTI or genital infection. T2DM respondents were compared with respondents who did not have diabetes (No DM). T2DM respondents who reported 3 or more infections were classified as having recurrent infections and were compared with T2DM respondents who reported 1-2 infections (non-recurrent infections) and those without infections. Results: The prevalence rate of UTI was 184.4/1000 for T2DM and 127.8/1000 for No DM among women (p <0.001), and 50.9/1000 for T2DM and 33.9/1000 for No DM among men (p = 0.02). Odds of experiencing a UTI were 1.5 times higher among T2DM respondents than No DM respondents. For T2DM respondents with UTI, 23% reported recurrent UTIs, largely among women. Predictors of recurrent UTIs compared with no UTIs in women were overactive bladder, kidney problems, atherosclerosis, and COPD. Among men, the prevalence rate of balanitis was 41.8/1000 for T2DM and 19.2/1000 for No DM (p <0.01). Prevalence rate of vaginitis was 172.6/1000 for T2DM and 125.0/1000 for No DM (p <0.01). Odds of vaginitis were 1.9 and balanitis were 2.3 times higher among T2DM than no DM respondents. Among T2DM women with vaginitis, 30% reported recurrent vaginitis. Lower education, receiving oral anti-diabetic drugs plus insulin, and atherosclerosis predicted recurrent vaginitis compared with non-recurrent vaginitis. Conclusions: UTIs and genital infections were more prevalent with T2DM than among respondents without diabetes. Recurrent infections occur in approximately 23%-30% of adults. Select characteristics may assist in identifying those likely to have self-reported recurrent infections.
Does Loyalty Make Customers Blind? The Impact of Relationship Quality on Channel Members' Attributions and Behaviors Following Negative Critical Incidents

Purpose: Although the consequences of attributions triggered by negative critical incidents (NCI) are well documented, determinants of the attribution process itself received considerably less attention. The purpose of this article is to yield further insights regarding attribution processes by investigating the potential buffering effect of relationship quality on the attributions made by channel members following NCI and on their subsequent behaviors. Methodology/Approach: Data used to assess the proposed model was collected from 171 independent retailers and analyzed through PLS path modeling procedures. Findings: Results demonstrate that relationship quality bias channel members' appraisals following NCI by motivating attributions, and ultimately behaviors, which promote relationship preservation. Research Implications: Results confirm the validity of the reverse attributional hypothesis holding that the quality of a relationship shape the attributions made by its participants following NCI in a way that is beneficial to relationship preservation. Practical Implications: The present study advocates that suppliers should nurture relationship quality, categorize their customer portfolio based on the nature of exchange relationships, and implement strategies aiming at influencing attribution processes. Originality/Value/Contribution: This article fills a gap in the marketing literature by investigating not only the consequences but also the antecedents of attributions made by channel members following NCI. Its main contribution lies in the examination and validation of a buffering effect of relationship quality on channel members' attributions regarding NCI.
Pramipexole: new use for an old drug – the potential use of pramipexole in the treatment of restless legs syndrome

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by paraesthesias–dysesthesias and motor restlessness worsening at rest–in the evening, with at least temporary relief by activity. Its etiology is unknown, though it could be secondary to various conditions. It is well known, however, that dopamine plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of RLS, as dopaminergic agonists achieve marked improvement. Pramipexole is a nonergoline compound with selectivity for D3 dopamine receptors. This drug is very effective in the treatment of idiopathic and secondary RLS and in treatment-resistant patients, as shown by double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in adults. In children, studies are much more limited, and RLS is often misdiagnosed as “growing pain” or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pramipexole has been successful in open studies, eliminating clinical symptoms. This medication has the advantage of being free of the frequently encountered problems seen with ergot derivatives. The side-effects are limited, particularly at the dosages usually prescribed for RLS treatment: They are much lower than in Parkinson’s disease, and inappropriate sleepiness and sleep attacks, particularly while driving, or compulsive behavior have not been seen. Compared with the adverse reactions of levodopa, including tolerance, rebound, and augmentation phenomena in RLS, which led to usage of dopamine agonists as first line of treatment for RLS, pramipexole has had one of the best profiles. Augmentation can still be noted with the drug, but after longer usage time compared with many other dopamine agonists. Although excessive daytime sleepiness has been noted, sleep attacks have not been encountered in RLS patients treated with pramipexole.
Scalable video coding based video transmission in MRMC networks: A cross-layer design perspective

In this paper, we discuss the cross-layer network resource allocation scheme for video services in multi-radio multichannel (MRMC) networks. Since video services include a large amount of traffic to transmit, compared with single-radio singlechannel (SRSC) networks, MRMC networks could provide more network resource to support the large video traffic. However, MRMC networks also require more delicate cross-layer resource allocation scheme since more resource is included. In this paper, we consider the scenario that video services are encoded with scalable video coding (SVC), and each one has its own rate demand and quality level requirement. According to the various rate and quality characteristics, we jointly allocate resource in MRMC networks for these video services. We formulate a cross-layer optimization problem with joint consideration of radio assignment, channel allocation, flow routing and time scheduling according to various characteristics of services. The objective is designed as network utility maximization in order to obtain fair resource allocation. Based on the formulation, we compare the performance of the proposed scheme under SRSC networks and MRMC networks. Numerical results show that video services can be served with more resource in MRMC networks and gain higher utility than in SRSC networks. Moreover, we compare the proposed scheme which concerns various characteristics of services with conventional throughput maximization scheme. Simulation results also demonstrate that the proposed scheme performs better than conventional schemes in MRMC networks in terms of network utility.
Mandatory trialling of support services by international students: what they choose and how they reflect

This paper evaluates a strategy to promote the uptake of support services by international students (ISs) at an Australian university. As part of their assessment, ISs completed a so-called ‘University Service Reflection Task’ (USRT) in a core first-year course. To complete the USRT, all ISs accessed one support service (e.g. language consultation, study skills workshop, careers guidance), then submitted a written reflection about the experience. Using responses to a questionnaire by 155 participants, the researchers investigated which services ISs attended for the USRT and patterns of prior attendance. Students' perspectives were explored by analysing 73 reflective essays. The results showed that two-thirds of the students participated in a service for the first time in order to complete the USRT and favoured services that had closest application to their coursework. Students expressed positive feelings about their experiences and reported learning gains, particularly in the areas of study skills and development of academic language.
Old and New Riddles on Concept Sharing

We ask whether social interaction demands sharing social concepts. We illustrate our point by depicting possible situations that emerge when two individuals play chess. We formalize our hypothesis in First Order Logic and we show that the very idea of sharing social concepts poses an interesting challenge both from the standpoint of knowledge representation and of philosophical conceptual analysis. By endorsing a minimal notion of interaction, we conclude that sharing social concepts is not necessary for social interaction. Then, we relate our view to Wittgenstein’s and Kripke’s “Rule-following Considerations”.
Plasma Levels of microRNA-145 Are Associated with Severity of Coronary Artery Disease

Background and Objective MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be associated with various physiological and pathological conditions, including inflammation and cardiovascular disease, but little is known about their relationship with the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and disease severity. Methods A total of 195 consecutive subjects who underwent coronary angiography for chest pain evaluation were enrolled in this study. In CAD patients severity of coronary lesions was assessed by the number of diseased vessels and the Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac surgery score (SYNTAX score). Plasma levels of miRNA-145 were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction test, and logarithmic transformation of miRNA-145 levels (Ln_miRNA-145) was used for analyses due to its skewed distribution. Results Of the 195 total subjects 167 patients were diagnosed as having CAD. Ln_miRNA-145 was significantly lower in CAD patients compared with the non-CAD group (-6.11±0.92 vs. -5.06±1.25; p <0.001). In multivariable linear regression analyses CAD was significantly associated with lower Ln_miRNA-145 (Estimate, -0.50; standard error (SE), 0.11; p <0.0001). Furthermore, among CAD patients, three-vessel disease, higher SYNTAX scores and STEMI were significantly associated with lower Ln_miRNA-145 ([Estimate, -0.40; SE, 0.07; p <0.0001]; [Estimate, -0.02, SE, 0.10; p = 0.005] and [Estimate, -0.35, SE, 0.10; p <0.001] respectively). Conclusions Lower plasma levels of miRNA-145 were significantly associated with the presence as well as severity of CAD. As a potential biomarker for CAD, plasma miRNA-145 may be useful in predicting CAD and its severity in patients presenting with chest pain.
Cognitive Performance as a Predictor of Functional Capacity in Schizophrenia

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness characterized by cognitive deficits as well as vocational impairment and interpersonal difficulties. This study examined the link between Continues Performance and everyday living skills. Methodes: Sample was 20 Schizophrenia (11 male and 9 female) selected using convenience sampling among individual with Schizophrenia diagnostic and 20 (10 male and 10 female) were matched with them as control group considering sex, age, marriage and education . Instruments were used in this study include: UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment Test (UPSA) and Continues Performance Test (CPT). Results: MANOVA showed a significant main effect for five domain of UPSA and four domain of UPSA. CPT predicted UPSA in schizophrenia. Conclusions: Individuals with schizophrenia would perform significantly worse in everyday living skills and on CPT. In fact poorer performance in CPT predicted basic skills performance in schizophrenia. This will help to determine what specifically needs to be targeted in rehabilitation of cognitive symptoms for those with schizophrenia, and that may reveal remediation in functional capacity as well. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015. v6n2s1p141
Hypermethylation of p16 and DAPK promoter gene regions in patients with non-invasive urinary bladder cancer

Introduction The aim of the study was to examine the frequency of methylation status in promoter regions of p16 and DAPK genes in patients with non-invasive bladder cancer. Material and methods Forty-two patients (92.9% men, 73.8% smokers, 71.4% T1G1, 19.1% T1G2, 9.5% T1G3) and 36 healthy controls were studied. Isolation of genomic DNA from blood serum and methylation-specific PCR (MSP) were applied. Methylation status – methylated and unmethylated promoter regions of p16 and DAPK genes were analysed. Results Seventeen out of 42 patients (40.5%) had the methylated p16 gene, while methylation of the DAPK gene was seen in 27 of 42 cases (64.3%). In 12 patients (28.6%) both analysed genes were methylated. A statistically significant (p = 0.046) higher frequency of DAPK gene methylation (71.4%) was observed in patients with lower grade (G1) bladder cancer. Conclusions Detection of the aberrant hypermethylation of DAPK and p16 genes in blood DNA from non-invasive bladder cancer patients might offer an effective means for earlier auxiliary diagnosis of the malignancy.
fMRI Studies of Stroop Tasks Reveal Unique Roles of Anterior and Posterior Brain Systems in Attentional Selection

The brain's attentional system identifies and selects information that is task-relevant while ignoring information that is task-irrelevant. In two experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the effects of varying task-relevant information compared to task-irrelevant information. In the first experiment, we compared patterns of activation as attentional demands were increased for two Stroop tasks that differed in the task-relevant information, but not the task-irrelevant information: a color-word task and a spatial-word task. Distinct subdivisions of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the precuneus became activated for each task, indicating differential sensitivity of these regions to task-relevant information (e.g., spatial information vs. color). In the second experiment, we compared patterns of activation with increased attentional demands for two Stroop tasks that differed in task-irrelevant information, but not task-relevant information: a color-word task and color-object task. Little differentiation in activation for dorsolateral prefrontal and precuneus regions was observed, indicating a relative insensitivity of these regions to task-irrelevant information. However, we observed a differentiation in the pattern of activity for posterior regions. There were unique areas of activation in parietal regions for the color-word task and in occipito-temporal regions for the color-object task. No increase in activation was observed in regions responsible for processing the perceptual attribute of color. The results of this second experiment indicate that attentional selection in tasks such as the Stroop task, which contain multiple potential sources of relevant information (e.g., the word vs. its ink color), acts more by modulating the processing of task-irrelevant information than by modulating processing of task-relevant information.
Measurement of Academic Self-Concept in College Students

The construct validity of the Academic Self-Concept Scale (Reynolds, in press) as a measure of an academic facet of general self-concept in college students was examined. Subjects were 589 undergraduate students from three colleges. Convergent validity was demonstrated in the form of correlations between the academic self-concept measure and subjects' grade point average (GPA), and scores on measures of general self-concept and locus of control. A multiple regression analysis of the Academic Self-Concept Scale produced a multiple correlation of . 59 with GPA and general self-concept. Discriminant validity was shown via low correlations between academic self-concept and measures of mental ability and social desirability. As expected, differences in academic self-concept between year levels in college were also found. Factor analysis of the Academic Self-Concept Scale and subsequent oblique rotation resulted in seven interpretable factors. The results of this investigation lend support for the construct vali.
Responsibility Inferences and Intergenerational Obligations to Parents and Stepparents: Are Step/Children Less Obligated When Older Adults Are at Fault for Their Problems?

Beliefs about intergenerational obligations to assist older adults are known to be influenced by contextual variables such as the type of kin relationship (i.e., stepparent, parent) between older and younger adults. One contextual variable that has not been studied is the degree to which older individuals are seen as culpable for their problems. If older kin are perceived to be at fault for their problems, are they seen as less deserving of help than if they are not to blame? Do judgments about being at fault for problems affect beliefs about helping parents differently than beliefs about helping stepparents? A random national sample of 229 men and 274 women responded to vignettes about an older parent or stepparent who needed help managing diabetes, which was presented as either the consequence of the older adult's actions or as an inherited illness. Respondents were asked about younger family members' obligations to help older adults, how much help younger adults and public agencies should provide, and how much older adults were responsible for themselves. The effects of older adults' marital status and sex of both adults also were examined. Obligations to stepparents were less than obligations to parents. The amount of help respondents thought should be provided was moderated by older adults' marital status. Obligations and aid to parents and stepparents generally were not affected by the older adults' culpability for the problems.
Restricted expression of chromatin remodeling associated factor Chd3 during tooth root development.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The tooth root is one of the critical parts to maintain tooth function; however, the molecular mechanisms of root development remain unknown. We aimed to identify specific factors for root morphogenesis using a newly developed experimental system. MATERIAL AND METHODS Tentative cementoblasts and periodontal ligament cells from mouse mandibular molars were isolated using laser capture microdissection. More than 500 cementoblasts and periodontal ligament cells were separately captured. After RNA extraction and amplification, mRNA expression in isolated cementoblasts was compared with that of periodontal ligament cells by cDNA microarray analysis. Then, putative cementoblast-specific genes were subjected to in situ hybridization analysis to confirm the results in mouse mandible. RESULTS Approximately 2000 genes were differentially expressed between these tissues. Among those genes, zinc finger helicase (ZFH), also termed chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 3 (Chd3), was one of the highly expressed transcripts in tentative cementoblasts. In situ hybridization revealed that ZFH/Chd3 was strongly expressed in Hertwig's epithelial root sheath rather than in cementum. Moreover, its expression disappeared when root formation was advanced in the first molar. In contrast, Chd3 was continuously expressed in dental epithelial cells of the cervical loop, in which root extension is never terminated. CONCLUSION These results suggest that ZFH/Chd3 might play an important role in tooth root development and subsequent cementogenesis.
HYENA: Hierarchical Type Classification for Entity Names

Inferring lexical type labels for entity mentions in texts is an important asset for NLP tasks like semantic role labeling and named entity disambiguation (NED). Prior work has focused on flat and relatively small type systems where most entities belong to exactly one type. This paper addresses very fine-grained types organized in a hierarchical taxonomy, with several hundreds of types at different levels. We present HYENA for multi-label hierarchical classification. HYENA exploits gazetteer features and accounts for the joint evidence for types at different levels. Experiments and an extrinsic study on NED demonstrate the practical viability of HYENA.
Lensing of 21cm Absorption "Halos" of $z\sim$20-30 First Galaxies

Extended 21cm absorption regions (dubbed ``21cm absorption halos'') around first galaxies at $z\sim 30$ are likely the first distinctive structures accessible to radio observations. Though the radio array capable of detecting and resolving them must have $\sim 200$ km$^2$ total collecting area, given the great impact of such detections to the understanding of the reionization process and cosmology, such radio survey would be extremely profitable. As an example, we point out a potentially useful byproduct of such survey. The resolved 21cm absorption ``halos'', likely close to spherical, can serve as (almost) ideal sources for measuring the {\it cosmic shear} and mapping the matter distribution to $z\sim 30$. We investigate the expected lensing signal and consider a variety of noise contributions on the shear measurement. We find that S/N $\sim 1$ can be achieved for individual ``halos''. Given millions of 21cm absorption ``halos'' across the sky, the total S/N will be comparable to traditional shear measurement of $\sim$$10^9$ galaxies at $z\sim 1$.