Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Intradistrict Resource Allocation and its Implications for Equity: A Case Study

Financial and human capital resources play a vital role in the ability of a school to fulfill its mission of educating students. Access to these resources varies and this variation is often due to districts' allocation of resources among schools. Research on equity often disregards this concern and focuses attention on differences among district-wide revenue sources. My dissertation explores the implications for equity of intradistrict resource allocation through an examination of school disparities and district practices in a midsized urban school district. First, I establish a comprehensive equity framework which joins together principles of adequacy and vertical equity. Then, using financial, personnel, student enrollment/ demographic, and student achievement and behavior data from the Allentown, Pennsylvania School District (ASD), I employ a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to ascertain how resources are directed to schools in accordance with the comprehensive equity framework. I describe resource allocation using horizontal equity statistics and I provide context by evaluating the relationship between student outcomes and attending a particular school. Subsequently, I test: adequacy, looking at school outcomes for the entire student population and various subgroups with higher needs; vertical equity, identifying how inputs are allocated differentially based on schools' characteristics and demographics; and, comprehensive equity, a construct incorporating both adequacy and vertical equity designed to measure the justness of the district's approach to resource allocation. I also measure the portion of resource allocation in unexplained by vertical and comprehensive equity and conduct a simulation of weighted student funding. Qualitative analysis, comprised of interviews with district administrative personnel at the central office and in schools provides context and the rationale for district resource allocation policies. Overall findings uncover a misalignment between school-level student needs and resources in the ASD. Results are strongest when considering human capital resources, including teacher effectiveness and teacher efficacy. Based on my findings, I conclude that the ASD does not achieve comprehensive equity in school year 2009-2010. This case study provides a window into equal educational opportunity within school districts and offers a template for districts seeking to determine the extent to which they are serving students equitably. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Richard M. Ingersoll This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/536
What Drives Cost Efficiency of Banks in China?

This study uses stochastic frontier analysis to examine the factors that influenced cost efficiency of banks in China from 2005 to 2013. The results indicate that policy variables, such as the reserve requirement ratio, the interest rate spread and open market operations by the People's Bank of China, are effective in improving the cost efficiency of banks, but shadow banking variables may reduce cost efficiency. Among the various bank types, city commercial banks appear to be the most efficient and foreign banks are the least efficient. The present study suggests that policy-makers can have a positive influence on bank cost efficiency by adjusting macro policy variables on different types of banks and by requiring more information on the shadow banking activities to improve monitoring.
Inbound tourism and long-run economic growth

There is an upsurge of literature investigating the relationship between inbound tourism expansion and economic growth with special emphasis on developing countries. Some countries – such as Spain and Italy – can be taken as examples of demonstrating such a successful trajectory. This paper provides an empirical investigation of the evolution of the Spanish and Italian economies and their respective tourism sectors from the 1950s and 1960s, respectively. This research is theoretically based on the literature on demand-based growth and the methodology adopted is that of the integration, cointegration and multivariate Granger causality tests. The results show the influencing role of inbound tourism for both economies.
Clinical and familial correlates of tardive dyskinesia in India and Israel.

BACKGROUND Antipsychotic drugs are widely used for the treatment of psychosis, especially schizophrenia. Their long-term use can result at times in serious side-effects such as Tardive Dyskinesia (TD). Since over 80% of schizophrenia sufferers (lifetime prevalence 1%) receive long-term antipsychotic drug treatment, the extent of the problem is potentially large. Increasing age is the most consistently demonstrated risk factor for TD. AIMS To assess effect of different clinical factors and demographic variables in India and Israel and sib pair concordance of Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) in India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN The study was conducted simultaneously among Indian and Israeli subjects: ascertainment was family-based in India and hospital-based in Israel. METHODS AND MATERIAL In India the instruments used were: Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), and Simpson Angus Scale (SAS). The last three instruments were also used in Israel. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Regression analysis and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS TD symptoms were present in 40.4% of 151 Israeli subjects and 28.7% of 334 Indian subjects. While age at onset and total scores on PANSS were significant predictors of TD in both the samples, lower scores on the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), diagnostic sub-group and male gender were significant predictors among Indians. There was no concordance of TD symptoms among 33 affected sib-pairs from India.
AN EXPLORATION OF STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF THE FINANCIAL AID APPEAL PROCESS FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL AID ISSUES

In this study, we report findings from a sample of students at a traditionally African American public institution in the South on a key retention issue – appealing denial of financial aid. We present background which suggests that the financial aid area is in a period of uncertainty where “good” information may be difficult for students to find. Our findings suggest that the students in our sample were relatively successful in their appeals but that they did not appear to fully realize the influence of college services in helping them to attain the results.
Risk of Dementia in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients Compared with Hemodialysis Patients

♦ Background: Compared with similarly aged controls, patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment and more rapid cognitive decline, which is not explained by traditional risk factors alone. Since previous small studies suggest an association of cognitive impairment with dialysis modality, we compared incident dementia among patients initiating hemodialysis (HD) vs peritoneal dialysis (PD) in a large national cohort. ♦ Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of incident dialysis patients in the United States from 2006 to 2008 with no diagnosis of dementia prior to beginning dialysis. We evaluated the effect of initial dialysis modality on incidence of dementia, diagnosed by Medicare claims data, adjusted for baseline demographic and clinical data from the USRDS registry. ♦ Results: Our analysis included 121,623 patients, of whom 8,663 initiated dialysis on PD. The mean age of our cohort was 69.2 years. Patients who initiated PD had a lower cumulative incidence of dementia than those who initiated HD (1.0% vs 2.7%, 2.5% vs 5.3%, and 3.9% vs 7.3% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively). The risk of dementia for patients who started on PD was lower compared with those who started on HD, with a hazard ratio (HR) = 0.46 [0.41, 0.53], in an unadjusted model and HR 0.74 [0.64, 0.86] in a matched model. ♦ Conclusions: Dialysis modality is associated with incident dementia in a cohort of older ESRD patients. This finding warrants further investigation of the effect of dialysis modality on cognitive function and evaluation for possible mechanisms.
Signatures of Positive Selection in Genes Associated with Human Skin Pigmentation as Revealed from Analyses of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

Phenotypic variation between human populations in skin pigmentation correlates with latitude at the continental level. A large number of hypotheses involving genetic adaptation have been proposed to explain human variation in skin colour, but only limited genetic evidence for positive selection has been presented. To shed light on the evolutionary genetic history of human variation in skin colour we inspected 118 genes associated with skin pigmentation in the Perlegen dataset, studying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and analyzed 55 genes in detail. We identified eight genes that are associated with the melanin pathway (SLC45A2, OCA2, TYRP1, DCT, KITLG, EGFR, DRD2 and PPARD) and presented significant differences in genetic variation between Europeans, Africans and Asians. In six of these genes we detected, by means of the EHH test, variability patterns that are compatible with the hypothesis of local positive selection in Europeans (OCA2, TYRP1 and KITLG) and in Asians (OCA2, DCT, KITLG, EGFR and DRD2), whereas signals were scarce in Africans (DCT, EGFR and DRD2). Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation between genotypic variation in four pigmentation candidate genes and phenotypic variation of skin colour in 51 worldwide human populations was revealed. Overall, our data also suggest that light skin colour is the derived state and is of independent origin in Europeans and Asians, whereas dark skin color seems of unique origin, reflecting the ancestral state in humans.
Fiscal policy in an enlarged EU

This paper analyzes the implications for acceding countries of the existing EU fiscal framework, focusing on three main issues. First, the 3% ceiling on the budget deficit does not leave sufficient room to acceding countries to run counter-cyclical policies during downturns. This is due to the much higher rate of potential output growth and volatility of rates of growth in acceding countries. Second, accession countries have much higher public investments-to-GDP ratios than current EU members. Therefore, current budgetary ceilings are much more stringent for acceding countries than for current EU members. Some form of ? golden rule? seems appropriate and consistent with the main goal of convergence and cohesion among EU countries. Third, the procedures associated to the implementation of EU fiscal rules are subject to political influence. As most acceding countries are small and relatively poor countries, they risk to become members of a ? second league? of the EU. JEL classifications: E62, E63, H50, H62, P35
Increased eosinophil infiltration and degranulation in colonic tissue from patients with collagenous colitis

OBJECTIVE:Eosinophils infiltrate the colonic mucosa of patients with collagenous colitis (CC), although the pathogenetic implications are unknown, including whether these eosinophils are activated and degranulate in situ. We examined eosinophil infiltration and degranulation in the intestines of patients with CC by immunofluorescence for eosinophil granule major basic protein (MBP). METHODS:We used both conventional histology (hematoxylin and eosin) and indirect MBP immunofluorescence histochemistry on colon biopsy specimens from patients with CC (n = 21) and from healthy controls (n = 9). Scoring of histological features was performed on hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections on a 0 to 3 scale. Eosinophil infiltration and degranulation, as quantified by extracellular MBP staining, were scored in each specimen on a 0 to 4 scale.RESULTS:The inflammatory infiltrate of the lamina propria, the thickness of the collagen band, the numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes, and degree of epithelial cell damage were all significantly increased in patients with CC as compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Scores for both eosinophil infiltration and degranulation were also significantly higher in the CC group compared to controls (p < 0.0001). The degree of infiltrating eosinophils by hematoxylin and eosin was correlated with eosinophil infiltration and degranulation by MBP immunostaining; however, no other correlations were found between eosinophil infiltration or degranulation by immunofluorescence and any of the histological parameters measured in the CC group.CONCLUSIONS:Eosinophil infiltration and degranulation are increased in the colonic mucosa of patients with CC compared to healthy controls. Eosinophils and their cytotoxic granule proteins could be involved in the pathogenesis of CC. Further studies will be necessary to elucidate the mechanisms of eosinophil activation in CC.
Decadal climate prediction: an update from the trenches

This paper provides an update on research in the relatively new and fast-moving field of decadal climate prediction, and addresses the use of decadal climate predictions not only for potential users of such information but also for improving our understanding of processes in the climate system. External forcing influences the predictions throughout, but their contributions to predictive skill become dominant after most of the improved skill from initialization with observations vanishes after about 6–9 years. Recent multimodel results suggest that there is relatively more decadal predictive skill in the North Atlantic, western Pacific, and Indian Oceans than in other regions of the world oceans. Aspects of decadal variability of SSTs, like the mid-1970s shift in the Pacific, the mid-1990s shift in the northern North Atlantic and western Pacific, and the early-2000s hiatus, are better represented in initialized hindcasts compared to uninitialized simulations. There is evidence of higher skill in initialize.
A systematic review of pragmatic language interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder

There is a need for evidence based interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to limit the life-long, psychosocial impact of pragmatic language impairments. This systematic review identified 22 studies reporting on 20 pragmatic language interventions for children with ASD aged 0–18 years. The characteristics of each study, components of the interventions, and the methodological quality of each study were reviewed. Meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of 15 interventions. Results revealed some promising approaches, indicating that active inclusion of the child and parent in the intervention was a significant mediator of intervention effect. Participant age, therapy setting or modality were not significant mediators between the interventions and measures of pragmatic language. The long-term effects of these interventions and the generalisation of learning to new contexts is largely unknown. Implications for clinical practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Effects of speech and print feedback on spelling performance of a child with cerebral palsy using a speech generating device

Purpose. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of three feedback conditions, using a speech-generating device, on spelling performance of Tom, an 11-year-old boy with cerebral palsy and complex communication needs. Method. Tom was taught to spell 12 words under three feedback conditions. In the SPEECH condition, he received only speech feedback from the device and in the PRINT condition he received only the orthographic feedback on the display of the device. In the SPEECH – PRINT condition, Tom received both speech output and orthographic feedback. An adapted alternating treatment design was used to investigate the effects of the three-feedback conditions. To strengthen the reliability and increase the internal validity of the findings, an intrasubject direct replication was carried out using the same procedure, but teaching 12 different spelling words to Tom. Results. Tom reached criterion with the PRINT feedback condition first, followed by SPEECH and SPEECH – PRINT conditions simultaneously for the first 12 words, and the same order for the second set of 12 words. Conclusions. Overall, the PRINT condition was most efficient for Tom. The results are discussed in terms of evidence for learning style preferences within spelling instruction for a child with complex communication needs. Furthermore, the implications for targeting intervention to optimise spelling achievement amongst this group are considered.
Food consumption in urban China: an empirical analysis

This paper examines consumption patterns of urban households in China using aggregated household consumption data. A demand system comprising six commodities (rice,pork,vegetables,fish,eggs and fruits) is estimated using a two-stage budgeting procedure which incorporates an almost ideal deamnd system (AIDS) in each stage, Elasticity estimates from the system are plausible and consistent with other relevant studies. Results from this study strengthen the evidence of the emergence of a large Chinese market for non-stable food. The study provides rationale and basis for additional research into Chinese food consumption, especially processed food.
The Impact of School Resources on Student Performance: A Study of Private Schools in the United Kingdom

This article reports the results of an empirical study of the impact of school inputs on pupils' performance in private (independent) schools in the United Kingdom, using a new school-level panel dataset constructed from information provided by the Independent Schools Information Service. The authors show a consistent negative relationship between the pupil-teacher ratio at a school and the examination results achieved by pupils aged 18, controlling for the pupils' performance in examinations two years earlier. The results are noteworthy in comparison with results of studies for the state sector, relatively few of which have found a consistent and statistically significant effect of the pupil-teacher ratio.
A high association with cone dystrophy in Fundus albipunctatus caused by mutations of the RDH5 gene.

PURPOSE To analyze the RDH5 gene in patients with fundus albipunctatus with and without cone dystrophy and to determine whether the disease is stationary or progressive and whether the cone dystrophy is a part of fundus albipunctatus or a separate disease. METHODS Fourteen patients from 12 separate Japanese families with fundus albipunctatus were examined. Six of the patients from 6 families also had a cone dystrophy. Genomic DNA was extracted from leukocytes of the peripheral blood, and exons 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the RDH5 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and were directly sequenced. A complete ophthalmic examination was performed including best-corrected visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, indirect ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, and electroretinography. RESULTS In all the patients, either a homozygous mutation or compound heterozygous mutations in the RDH5 gene were identified. The identified mutations were nucleotide position (nt) 103 G to A (Gly35Ser), nt 319 G to C (Gly107Arg), nt 394 G to A (Val132Met), nt 719 G insertion (frame shift), nt 839 G to A (Arg280His), nt 841 T to C (Tyr281His), and nt 928 C to GAAG (Leu310 to GluVal). All these mutations except the Arg280His were new. The nt 928 C to GAAG mutation was detected in patients with and without cone dystrophy. Cone dystrophy was most frequently seen in patients over 40 years old. CONCLUSIONS Fundus albipunctatus either with or without cone dystrophy is caused by mutations of the RDH5 gene. Cone dystrophy is frequently observed in elderly patients with fundus albipunctatus. The conclusion was reached that the mutations of the RDH5 gene caused a progressive cone dystrophy as well as night blindness.
Trapped within the city: integrating demography, time since isolation and population‐specific traits to assess the genetic effects of urbanization

Urbanization is a severe form of habitat fragmentation that can cause many species to be locally extirpated and many others to become trapped and isolated within an urban matrix. The role of drift in reducing genetic diversity and increasing genetic differentiation is well recognized in urban populations. However, explicit incorporation and analysis of the demographic and temporal factors promoting drift in urban environments are poorly studied. Here, we genotyped 15 microsatellites in 320 fire salamanders from the historical city of Oviedo (Est. 8th century) to assess the effects of time since isolation, demographic history (historical effective population size; Ne) and patch size on genetic diversity, population structure and contemporary Ne. Our results indicate that urban populations of fire salamanders are highly differentiated, most likely due to the recent Ne declines, as calculated in coalescence analyses, concomitant with the urban development of Oviedo. However, urbanization only caused a small loss of genetic diversity. Regression modelling showed that patch size was positively associated with contemporary Ne, while we found only moderate support for the effects of demographic history when excluding populations with unresolved history. This highlights the interplay between different factors in determining current genetic diversity and structure. Overall, the results of our study on urban populations of fire salamanders provide some of the very first insights into the mechanisms affecting changes in genetic diversity and population differentiation via drift in urban environments, a crucial subject in a world where increasing urbanization is forecasted.
Political Accountability and the Room to Maneuver

Many studies of the room to maneuver make no provision for popular evaluation of policy. They assert rather than demonstrate popular satisfaction with policy choices and macroeconomic outcomes. The authors present a framework that explicitly models channels for popular preferences to influence policies and outcomes. Results for economic policy making in Britain do not support the room to maneuver thesis. In the authors' sample (1981 to 1997), the British government was responsive to changes in political evaluations, and its policy choices effectively fed back into popular evaluations of government policy. However, this accountability mechanism worked outside the real economy. Shifts in popular evaluations induced changes in policy but had no impact on inflation and economic growth. Government capacity to shape macroeconomic outcomes was limited, and popular influence over economic policy was ineffectual. This form of accountability probably existed because British citizens had difficulty gauging the real impacts of their government's policies.
Saving the Woodpeckers

This article investigates if higher levels of social capital, better governance structures, and a more ambitious conservation policy are positively linked to the ability of states to address biodiversity loss. Serving this purpose is a data set containing estimates of woodpecker diversity in 20 European countries. These data are argued to be a more valid indicator of biodiversity than most other available cross-national measures of environmental quality. A seemingly unrelated regression analysis reveals that none of the indicators are linked to higher levels of woodpecker diversity, which in turn leads to the conclusion that present institutions, environmental policies, and social structures have negligible effects on biodiversity compared to long-term landscape transformations.