Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN COMMUNITY GROUPS: SOCIAL CAPITAL, EDUCATION AND EQUALITY

Vocational education can mitigate class and ethnicity divisions by providing access to career opportunities to individuals across the socio-economic spectrum. Social and educational disadvantages reinforce each other, however, which maintains unequal access to training. This paper proposes that local-level community organisations provide an intervention point into this cycle of exclusion. It argues that linking vocational training projects with local-level community organisations enables them to draw on the existing social capital of these organisations, yielding more successful training for their members by facilitating access to training through targeted practical support; by underpinning relevant and effective guidance; and by providing role-models and mentors. Finally, it draws on primary international research to show that the training advantages that local-level organisations can provide are valued by employers and vocational training practitioners, confirming the potential benefit of such interventions.
Coding Method for Parallel Iterative Linear Solver

Computationally intensive distributed and parallel computing is often bottlenecked by a small set of slow workers known as stragglers. In this paper, we utilize the emerging idea of "coded computation" to design a novel error-correcting-code inspired technique for solving linear inverse problems under specific iterative methods in a parallelized implementation affected by stragglers. Example applications include inverse problems in machine learning on graphs, such as personalized PageRank and sampling on graphs. We provably show that our coded-computation technique can reduce the mean-squared error under a computational deadline constraint. In fact, the ratio of mean-squared error of replication-based and coded techniques diverges to infinity as the deadline increases. Our experiments for personalized PageRank performed on real systems and real social networks show that this ratio can be as large as $10^4$. Further, unlike coded-computation techniques proposed thus far, our strategy combines outputs of all workers, including the stragglers, to produce more accurate estimates at the computational deadline. This also ensures that the accuracy degrades "gracefully" in the event that the number of stragglers is large.
Making or Breaking Kosovo: Applications of Dispersed State Control

In this article, I make a case for a dispersed state control model as an alternative to the territorial and hierarchical principles of the Weberian state. Rather than allocating governance powers in terms of territory, dispersed state controls are based on a functional principle, in which governance is allocated to various subunits by issue area or function. This examination is informed by recent debates in international relations theory on contractual and imperial network models of control, as well as work on non-territorial autonomy in the fields of nationalism and ethnic conflict. I examine the practical application of a dispersed control model in the context of the governance structure proposed for Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. I conclude with an overview of the advantages of creative designs for states that move beyond territory and hierarchy, to deal with complex demographic and governing realities in regions such as the Balkans.
Regulatory Changes, Market Integration and Spill-Over Effects in the Chinese A, B and Hong Kong Equity Markets

We document the changes in dynamic stochastic structure of the various industrial sectors of the Chinese A, B and the Hong Kong share markets. We utilize a robustly estimated vector error correction model with multivariate generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroscedasticity (VECM-MV-GARCH) model to test for possible cointegrating vectors between the market segmentations pre and post deregulation of the Chinese B share market. Our results suggest that before deregulation there is weak evidence of cointegration between the A and B share markets. However, post deregulation the situation changes and the segments appear to be significantly cointegrated. MV-GARCH results suggest that the conditional correlations of market/sector shocks also increase significantly over the sample period.
Influence of tidal‐range change and sediment compaction on Holocene relative sea‐level change in New Jersey, USA

We investigated the effect of tidal‐range change and sediment compaction on reconstructions of Holocene relative sea level (RSL) in New Jersey, USA. We updated a published sea‐level database to generate 50 sea‐level index points and ten limiting dates that define continuously rising RSL in New Jersey during the Holocene. There is scatter among the index points, particularly those older than 7 ka. A numerical model estimated that paleotidal range was relatively constant during the mid and late Holocene, but rapidly increased between 9 and 8 ka, leading to an underestimation of RSL by ∼0.5 m. We adjusted the sea‐level index points using the paleotidal model prior to assessing the influence of compaction on organic samples with clastic deposits above and below (an intercalated sea‐level index point). We found a significant relationship (p = 0.01) with the thickness of the overburden (r = 0.85). We altered the altitude of intercalated index points using this simple stratigraphic relationship, which reduced vertical scatter in sea‐level reconstructions. We conclude that RSL rose at an average rate of 4 mm a−1 from 10 ka to 6 ka, 2 mm a−1 from 6 ka to 2 ka, and 1.3 mm a−1 from 2 ka to AD 1900. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
After the “Master Theory”: Downs, Schattschneider, and the Rebirth of Policy-Focused Analysis

Drawing on the pioneering work of Anthony Downs, political scientists have tended to characterize American politics as a game among undifferentiated competitors, played out largely through elections, with outcomes reflecting how formal rules translate election results into legislative votes. In this perspective, voters, campaigns, elections, and the ideological distribution of legislators merit extensive scrutiny. Other features of the political environment—most notably, the policies these legislators help create and the interest groups that struggle over these policies—are deemed largely peripheral. However, contemporary politics often looks very different than the world described by Downs. Instead, it more closely resembles the world depicted by E. E. Schattschneider—a world in which policy and groups loom large, the influence of voters is highly conditional, and the key struggle is not over gaining office but over reshaping governance. Over the last twenty years, a growing body of scholarship has emerged that advances this corrective vision—an approach we call “policy-focused political science. ” In this framework, politics is centrally about the exercise of government authority for particular substantive purposes. Such exercises of authority create the “terrain” for political struggle, profoundly shaping both individual and group political behavior. More important, because policies can be so consequential, they also serve as the “prize” for many of the most enduring political players, especially organized interest groups. The payoffs of a policy-focused perspective include a more accurate portrayal of the institutional environment of modern politics, an appreciation for the fundamental importance of organized groups, a better understanding of the dynamics of policy change, and a more accurate mapping of interests, strategies, and influence. These benefits are illustrated through brief examinations of two of the biggest changes in American politics over the last generation: asymmetric partisan polarization and the growing concentration of income at the top.
Improving the Quality of End-of-Life Care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Parents' Priorities and Recommendations

OBJECTIVE. Despite recognition that dying children and their families have unique palliative care needs, there has been little empirical inquiry of parent perspectives to improve the quality of end-of-life care and communication. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the priorities and recommendations for end-of-life care and communication from the parents' perspective. METHODS. This was a qualitative study based on parental responses to open-ended questions on anonymous, self-administered questionnaires, conducted at 3 pediatric ICUs in Boston, Massachusetts. Fifty-six parents whose children had died in PICUs after withdrawal of life support participated in this study. We measured parent-identified priorities for end-of-life care and communication. RESULTS. Parents identified 6 priorities for pediatric end-of-life care including honest and complete information, ready access to staff, communication and care coordination, emotional expression and support by staff, preservation of the integrity of the parent-child relationship, and faith. CONCLUSIONS. Parental priorities and recommendations offer simple yet compelling guidance to improve pediatric end-of-life clinical practice and research.
English discourse markers in mediatised political interviews

The present case study takes a discourse-pragmatic approach to some of the most frequently used discourse markers (henceforth DMs) in spoken English: I mean, of course, oh, well, I think and you know. The point of departure in this research is a set of discourse-pragmatic relations and functions, such as conversation management, thematic control, concession, elaboration, reformulation, ventriloquizing, and marking evidentiality. After looking at which DMs signal these relations and functions in our corpora, we identify a set of English DMs whose members display markedly different pragmatic behaviours across various subgenres of spoken English such as naturally-occurring conversations and mediatised political interviews. We examine their use in a corpus of political interviews broadcast in English by the BBC and CNN between 2003 and 2011, and compare our results with previous research, performed on the basis of spontaneous, everyday conversations. Our paper has a threefold goal: (1) to present examples of the various discourse-organizing roles and strategic uses of the DMs; (2) to discuss the differences between the selected English DMs’ functions across different subgenres of spoken English discourse; and (3) to answer whether or not the uses of the selected discourse markers differ across the various discourse types/genres (spoken English vs. different types of political interviews).
COMPARATIVE HABITABILITY OF TRANSITING EXOPLANETS

Exoplanet habitability is traditionally assessed by comparing a planet’s semimajor axis to the location of its host star’s “habitable zone,” the shell around a star for which Earth-like planets can possess liquid surface water. The Kepler space telescope has discovered numerous planet candidates near the habitable zone, and many more are expected from missions such as K2, TESS, and PLATO. These candidates often require significant follow-up observations for validation, so prioritizing planets for habitability from transit data has become an important aspect of the search for life in the universe. We propose a method to compare transiting planets for their potential to support life based on transit data, stellar properties and previously reported limits on planetary emitted flux. For a planet in radiative equilibrium, the emitted flux increases with eccentricity, but decreases with albedo. As these parameters are often unconstrained, there is an “eccentricity-albedo degeneracy” for the habitability of transiting exoplanets. Our method mitigates this degeneracy, includes a penalty for large-radius planets, uses terrestrial mass–radius relationships, and, when available, constraints on eccentricity to compute a number we call the “habitability index for transiting exoplanets” that represents the relative probability that an exoplanet could support liquid surface water. We calculate it for Kepler objects of interest and find that planets that receive between 60% and 90% of the Earth’s incident radiation, assuming circular orbits, are most likely to be habitable. Finally, we make predictions for the upcoming TESS and James Webb Space Telescope missions.
Anticorruption campaigns and the determinants of corruption in Europe

Several studies shows that corruption is a persistent phenomenon and that many anticorruption campaigns failed in the past. After a review of the literature of the determinants of the dynamic of corruption, our paper investigates the phenomenon of persisting corruption in Italy and in other countries. Econometric estimates, using statistics on crimes against the public administration at a provincial level, show that corruption campaign 'Clean Hands' started in Italy in 1990 has been effective to fight corruption. The main conclusion of our work is that anticorruption campaigns have permanent effects if they intervene at the same time on economic, political and cultural factors.
Has privatization of state-owned enterprises in Iran led to improved performance?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of organizational change and privatization on the performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) using the data from Iranian firms during the period 1998-2006, and to test whether privatization leads to improved performance. Design/methodology/approach – The performance of these firms before and after privatization was examined. Pooled regression models were employed to assess the effect of privatization on performance indicators. Findings – The results show that privatization has not had a positive effect on the profitability of the firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange; rather, the effect has been negative. Moreover, the results reveal that privatization of these firms has had no effect on their sales effectiveness and efficiency; instead, the debts and risks of these firms has increased. Further, ownership reform is needed to remedy the situation. Research limitations/implications – The paper focuses on the effect of privatization on firm pe.
The microbiome in asthma

Purpose of review Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous disease with strong genetic and environmental components that manifests within a variety of clinical features and diverse patterns of immune responses. Asthma prevalence has dramatically increased over the last decade in Westernized societies, thereby suggesting a key function of environmental factors in disease promotion and development. Recent findings ‘Early-life’ microbial exposure and bacterial colonization are crucial for the maturation and the education of the immune system. The commensal flora is also critical in order to maintain immune homeostasis at the mucosal surfaces and may consequently play an important function in allergic disease development. Recent evidence demonstrates that asthma influences and is also impacted by the composition and function of the human intestinal and respiratory microbiome. Summary In this review, we summarize the most recent findings on how asthma development is connected with respiratory and intestinal microbial dysbiosis. We highlight and discuss recent research that reveals the existence of a ‘gut–lung’ microbial axis and its impact on asthma development. We also analyze how ‘early-life’ microbial exposure affects the immune response and the consequences for asthma development.
Determinants of Financial Distress in Large Financial Institutions: Evidence from U.S. Bank Holding Companies

type="main" xml:id="coep12105-abs-0001"> We investigate determinants of financial distress in large financial institutions based on the Distance-to-Default and Z-Scores measures. Using data of U.S. bank holding companies (BHCs), we find that the housing price index is a consistently significant factor across all BHCs and the non-performing loan ratio is the most powerful indicator for financial distress. Short-term wholesale funding is also a reliable default risk indicator. We additionally find that all the three regulatory capital requirements are very important for controlling default risk, particularly in the post-crisis period. (JEL C53, G14, G21, G28)
Alcohol tolerance and nicotine cross‐tolerance in adolescent mice

The present experiment was designed to evaluate the development of tolerance to alcohol and cross‐tolerance to nicotine in adolescent mice. C57BL/6J mice (30–40 days old) were injected IP with alcohol (2.5 g/kg) for 4 consecutive days. A control group received four saline injections. On the test day, all subjects received an alcohol injection. Tolerance to alcohol's hypothermic effect was observed. Mice (male and female) exposed to alcohol for the 4 previous days showed less hypothermic response to an alcohol challenge than animals injected for 4 days with saline and then challenged with alcohol. Tolerance to alcohol's motor incoordinating effects and differences in blood alcohol concentrations were not observed. Thirty days following alcohol treatment, the same mice received a single nicotine injection (1 mg/kg) to assess cross‐tolerance. Nicotine's effect on locomotor activity (open field test) and rectal temperature varied as a function of prior adolescent alcohol exposure and gender. Specifically, female mice who had been exposed to alcohol administrations were more resistant to nicotine's effect on locomotion and temperature than saline‐treated animals. In summary, these data demonstrate that adolescent mice develop tolerance to some, but not all, alcohol‐induced responses, and that female mice are cross‐tolerant to nicotine's effects on temperature and activity.
The exploratory war-distorted Destination Life Cycle

The theoretical impact of a large conventional modern war upon a tourist destination is considered within the context of destination life-cycle dynamics. When the resultant war-distorted curve is compared against Butler's S-curve, a demand deficit is apparent in the early phases of the model. After about 30 years, the conversion of battle sites into attractions, and the return of veterans as visitors, results in a demand surplus. This ‘war dividend’ then continues for an indefinite period into the future. The proposed model is accompanied by a series of relevant corollaries that take into account magnitude, as well as spatial and temporal variations in the possible war scenarios. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Function of conserved domains of hnRNP A1 and other hnRNP A/B proteins.

hnRNP A1 is a pre‐mRNA binding protein that antagonizes the alternative splicing activity of splicing factors SF2/ASF or SC35, causing activation of distal 5′ splice sites. The structural requirements for hnRNP A1 function were determined by mutagenesis of recombinant human hnRNP A1. Two conserved Phe residues in the RNP‐1 submotif of each of two RNA recognition motifs appear to be involved in specific RNA‐protein interactions and are essential for modulating alternative splicing. These residues are not required for general pre‐mRNA binding or RNA annealing activity. The C‐terminal Gly‐rich domain is necessary for alternative splicing activity, for stable RNA binding and for optimal RNA annealing activity. hnRNP A1B, which is an alternatively spliced isoform of hnRNP A1 with a longer Gly‐rich domain, binds more strongly to pre‐mRNA but has only limited alternative splicing activity. In contrast, hnRNP A2 and B1, which have 68% amino acid identity with hnRNP A1, bind more weakly to pre‐mRNA and have stronger splice site switching activities than hnRNP A1. We propose that specific combinations of antagonistic hnRNP A/B and SR proteins are involved in regulating alternative splicing of distinct subsets of cellular premRNAs.
Governance and the Financial Crisis

Should boards of financial firms be blamed for the financial crisis' Using a large sample of data on nonfinancial and financial firms for the period 1996-2007, I document that the governance of financial firms is, on average, not obviously worse than in nonfinancial firms. Even the issue of executive compensation is not as clear cut as suggested by the media. I also document that bank directors earned significantly less compensation than their counterparts in nonfinancial firms and banks receiving bailout money had boards that were more independent than in other banks. I discuss implications of these findings.
A meta-analysis of FDI and environmental regulations

Abstract Previous authors have been unable to agree on whether environmental regulations hinder foreign direct investment (FDI). The empirical evidence in this domain remains inconclusive because of the contrasting results observed in the literature, owing to the differing characteristics of the data sets and models used in previous studies. The present study carries out a meta-analysis on a sample of published and unpublished papers on the so-called pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) in order to investigate whether certain aspects of research design affect the presented findings. The paper offers explanations for the mixed findings reported in the literature by suggesting that certain aspects of research design are crucial to explaining their significance. The PHH is more likely to be supported by studies that define FDI as the establishment of new plants and those that use government spending as a proxy for the strictness of environmental regulations. Moreover, focusing investigations on pollution-intensive industries or developing countries hardly increases the likelihood of achieving results that support the PHH.
Occupant classification for smart airbag using Bayesian filtering

Occupant classification is essential for developing a smart airbag system that can intelligently decide to either turn off or deploy according to the type of the occupants. This paper presents a probabilistic approach to recognize the occupant type from a video sequence. Instead of assuming that the frames are mutually independent, we take the relation between two consecutive frames into consideration. Thus, the problem of occupant classification is formulated by introducing the Bayesian filtering which imposes both transition and measurement terms for the inference of the occupant class. For evaluating measurement term, the higher-order Tchebichef moments of edge maps is computed and then an Adaboost learning algorithm is applied to select a set of discriminative moments as the features. For incorporating the temporal coherence, a finite state machine is used to model the transition probabilities among the occupant classes. Finally, the occupant type is estimated by maximizing the posterior probability. Experimental results for several videos with illumination variation are provided to validate the proposed approach.