Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Shadow of the Family: Historical Roots of Social Capital in Europe

This study provides new evidence on the impact of historic household formation patterns on present day levels of social capital (SC). We distinguish effects on bonding and bridging social capital, of which only the latter is beneficial for a society as a whole. Our results challenge the view that large household size in the past per se was responsible for institutional drawbacks of contemporary societies restricting social capital. We unveil the true processes lying behind the idea that prevalence of nuclear households fostered institutional development, testing three mechanisms through which household size may influence social capital: (a) family size in terms of the number of household members; (b) the strength of loyalty bonds within the family, and (c) generational and gendered power hierarchies within the family. Our hypotheses are explored on the basis of 26 European countries covered by the Life in Transition Survey (LiTs) in 2010. The contrast between Western and Eastern European countries in the LiTs provides a controlled environment that is free from the potentially confounding influence of European colonialism. We generate a new historical database using historical census data for 429 sub-national regions in 5 West European and 21 East European countries. Individual responses from the LiTs are attributed to the sub-national region in which the respondent lives. We find that power relations within the family have more essential consequences for contemporary values and attitudes than nuclearity/extendedness dimension. Within-family hierarchies revealed to be the strongest predictor of social capital today, indicating lower levels of bridging SC and higher level of corruption in form of monetary transfers or exchange of favors. We suggest that within-family hierarchies in the past might have affected the contemporary level of SC provoking a longstanding commitment to authority within the society. This evidence is illustrated by the significant positive correlation between the historical index of within-family hierarchy and autocracy preference as measured on LiTs data. Societal commitment to authority rooted in historical family pattern might have prevented generalized trust formation and fostered vertical patron-client relations, favoritism and corruption. Our results may drive further research from concentrating on family extendedness (nuclearity) as a predictor of the current state of modernization towards using more meaningful indicators of within-family hierarchies.
Communication of Monetary Policy in Unconventional Times

Monetary policy communication is particularly important during unconventional times because high uncertainty about the economy, the introduction of new policy tools and possible limits to the central bank’s toolkit could hamper the predictability of policy actions. We study how monetary policy communication should and has worked under such circumstances. Our main results relate to announcements of asset purchase programmes and the use of forward guidance. We show that announcements of asset purchase programmes have lowered market uncertainty, particularly when accompanied by a contextual release of implementation details such as the envisaged size of the programme. We also show that forward guidance reduces uncertainty more effectively when it is state‐contingent or when it provides guidance about a long horizon than when it is open‐ended or covers only a short horizon, and that the credibility of forward guidance is strengthened if the central bank also has embarked on an asset purchase programme. JEL Classification: E43, E52, E58
Unravelling the Functional Diversity of the Soil Microbial Community of Chinese Fir Plantations of Different Densities

The structure and function of forest ecosystems are directly or indirectly affected by their stand density. However, what effect the density of Chinese fir plantations has on the functional diversity of the soil microbial community remains unclear. The microbial metabolic functional diversity of soils sampled at the topsoil (0–20 cm) of 35-year-old Chinese fir plantations of five initial densities (D1: 1667 stems∙hm−2, D2: 3333 stems∙hm−2, D3: 5000 stems∙hm−2, D4: 6667 stems∙hm−2, and D5: 10,000 stems∙hm−2) was studied by using Biolog ECO technology. The results showed that the soil pH, oxidizable organic carbon (SOOC), available N (AN), available P (AP), and available K (AK) contents all showed a gradual increase from D1 to D4 and a decrease from D4 to D5, while the number of culturable bacteria and total microorganisms, the average well color development (AWCD) values for the single carbon substrate and six types of carbon sources used by the microbial community, as well as the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’), Pielou evenness index (J), and McIntosh Diversity Index (U), were the opposite, suggesting that low-densities favored C and N mineralization and the nutrient cycle. The density of Chinese fir plantations had a significant effect on the use of carbohydrates, amino acids, carboxylic acids, and phenolic acids by the soil microbial community, but it had no significant effect on the use of polymers (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that carbohydrates, polymers, and phenolic acids were sensitive carbon sources that caused differences in the metabolic functions of soil microbial communities in Chinese fir plantations. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that physicochemical factors have a significant influence on the metabolic function of soil microbial communities (RDA1 and RDA2 explained >85% variance). The changes in density affected the soil physicochemical properties, the composition, and the metabolic functional diversity of microbial communities in Chinese fir plantations, which is certainly useful for the stand density regulation of Chinese fir plantations.
Get a grip: slippage-robust and glint-free gaze estimation for real-time pervasive head-mounted eye tracking

A key assumption conventionally made by flexible head-mounted eye-tracking systems is often invalid: The eye center does not remain stationary w.r. t. the eye camera due to slippage. For instance, eye-tracker slippage might happen due to head acceleration or explicit adjustments by the user. As a result, gaze estimation accuracy can be significantly reduced. In this work, we propose Grip, a novel gaze estimation method capable of instantaneously compensating for eye-tracker slippage without additional hardware requirements such as glints or stereo eye camera setups. Grip was evaluated using previously collected data from a large scale unconstrained pervasive eye-tracking study. Our results indicate significant slippage compensation potential, decreasing average participant median angular offset by more than 43% w.r. t. a non-slippage-robust gaze estimation method. A reference implementation of Grip was integrated into EyeRecToo, an open-source hardware-agnostic eye-tracking software, thus making it readily accessible for multiple eye trackers (Available at: www.ti.uni-tuebingen.de/perception).
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Paper 25 October 2016 Mali Food Security Policy Research Program FARM FAMILY EFFECTS OF IMPROVED SORGHUM VARIETIES IN MALI : A MULTIVALUED TREATMENT APPROACH By

Motivation Given the important role that women play in African agriculture, the persistent “gender gap” in crop productivity entails considerable social and economic costs. Past research conducted in West Africa has attributed the gap to inefficient allocation of resources among family members within households. In many farming systems of West Africa, including dryland cereals production in the Sudanian Savanna of Mali, crops are produced by extended family farms on multiple plots managed by different members. In Mali, encouraging productivity growth through promoting the use of chemical fertilizer is a national policy priority. In a recent analysis, we tested the “gender gap” by comparing rates of fertilizer use and crop yields. In contrast to previous studies, we are able to control for land quality by introducing soil nutrient measurements (Smale et al. 2017).
The Use of a Computer-Based Reading Rate Development Program on Pre-University Intermediate Level ESL Learners' Reading Speeds.

Improving L2 learners reading fluency has been identified by leading L2 reading researchers as an important aspect of L2 reading instruction (Grabe, 2004, 2009; Nation, 2009). A number of studies have been conducted on the use of paper-based fluency development methods on ESL and EFL students reading speeds and showed positive results (Al-Homoud & Schmitt, 2009; Bell, 2001; Chang, 2010; Chung & Nation, 2006; Chung, 2010; Gorsuch & Taguchi, 2008, 2010; Iwahori, 2008; Macalister, 2008, 2010; Taguchi & Gorsuch, 2002; Taguchi, Takayasu-Maass & Gorsuch, 2004). The study presented in this article investigated the use of a computer-based reading rate development program on five intermediate-level ESL students’ reading speeds. Results of the study showed that as a group, students increased their reading speeds on average 40 words per minute (wpm) and made a total percentage increase of 42.8% in reading speeds. Additionally, survey and interview data showed that students perceived gains in motivation toward reading and gains in other areas of language development. The results provide educators and students with the knowledge that computer-based reading rate development programs have the potential to help improve reading speeds and indicate that more research needs to be conducted into the use of computer-based reading rate development programs.
Geographically Overlapping Real Estate Assets, Liquidity Spillovers, and Liquidity Multiplier Effects

When liquidity providers for one asset obtain information from other asset prices, this may magnify the (upward or downward) comovement of asset liquidity. It also may yield an illiquidity multiplier. We empirically test the magnitude of this illiquidity multiplier for a sample of U.S. equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) using spatial autoregressive models. We find significant liquidity spillovers among REITs with geographically overlapping real estate holdings. Our findings suggest that the multiplier effect impacts neighboring REITs through cross-asset learning about firm fundamentals. This effect is stronger during market turmoil, after the Decimalization (a source of exogenous variation), and for REITs headquartered in MSAs with less information asymmetry.
Gender- and Age-Specific Differences in the Association of Hyperuricemia and Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective Both hyperuricemia and hypertension have important clinical implications, but their relationship in terms of gender and age is still a matter of debate. In this study, we aimed to explore gender- and age-specific differences in this association between hyperuricemia and hypertension in a Chinese population. Methods A total of 78596 ostensibly healthy subjects (47781 men and 30815 women) were recruited. The association between hyperuricemia and hypertension was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression, and the analyses were stratified by gender and age. Results Overall prevalence of hypertension and hyperuricemia was significantly higher in males than in females. Increasing trends of hypertension prevalence in both genders as well as hyperuricemia prevalence in females were found along with aging. However, males showed a reduced trend in hyperuricemia prevalence with aging. Higher hypertension and hyperuricemia prevalence was found in young and middle-aged men than in women, but not in elderly people older than 70 years. Significantly increased risk of hypertension from hyperuricemia was found only in men with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.131 (P < 0.01), especially in the middle-aged male participants. However, such significant results were not found in women. Similarly, hyperuricemia was also an independent risk factor of increased systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in males, but not in females. Conclusion We observed significantly higher overall prevalence of hyperuricemia and hypertension in men than in women. Men with hyperuricemia (particularly in middle age) had a significantly increased susceptibility of hypertension, while this significant association was not observed in women.
Addiction to Video Games: A Case Study on the Effectiveness of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy on a Teenage Addict Struggling with Low Self-Esteem and Aggression Issues

The present case study focused on a 14 years old teenager who struggled with addiction to computer games and subsequent issues of aggression and social withdrawal. Drawing from theories on addiction, self-esteem, and mentalization, we focused the connection of addiction to low self-esteem and poor mental representations. In addition, we examined the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy on treating addiction improving levels of self-esteem and alleviating aggressive behaviour over a course of two and a half years. Indeed, the use of a combination of three projective tests, namely the Thematic Apperception Test, the Kinetic Family Drawing, the Family Apperception Test and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale helped us determine our patient’s emotional state and lack of self-esteem at the beginning of therapy. The same tests were administered at the end of the therapeutic sessions and the results are discussed in relation to the progress of the patient over the course of the therapy.
Comment Diaconis and Lehmann 3 Two Caveats The robustness properties discussed

Sandy Zabell gives us a good feel for Student and his times. We supplement this with later developments showing that Student’s intuitive test is optimal in various senses (with some serious caveats). We also show how Fisher’s and Hotelling’s geometric interpretation of Student’s test percolates to a wide variety of statistical applications. These developments bring the historical record up to the present.
Coherent structures in the magnetotail triggered by counterstreaming electron beams

We describe wave observations carried out on board Galileo during the crossing of a flux rope in the Earth magnetotail. Waveform observations give evidence for transient electrostatic structures. Numerical simulations of the evolution of counterstreaming electron beams with a core of hotter ions have been performed with parameters consistent with Galileo observations during the flux rope crossing. A strongly unstable mode, with a zero real part of the frequency is found to develop and to lead to the generation of coherent electrostatic structures with velocities between ±υt, the electron thermal velocity. The characteristics of the simulated structures are shown to be similar to those observed in the magnetotail.
Credit Risk Modeling under Conditional Volatility

The accuracy of measuring credit risk directly decides on the interest on credit, which has to be paid when raising a credit, and the amount of capital to keep in reserve by a firm. The structural credit risk model proposed by Merton (1974) lays the groundwork for the assessment of a firm's credit risk by its default probability. Doubtlessly, the volatility of the firm's equity represents the most sensitive parameter influencing the default probability. By combining the Merton approach with conditional volatility models, we empirically examine in this article that the specification of conditional volatility affects the probability of default and therefor the credit rating. More precisely, we show on German stock market data that financial market data properties (i.e. asymmetric response of conditional volatility to return shocks and long-range dependencies within the conditional volatility) may not be neglected within the computation of credit risk. Moreover, the influence on the default probability by the type of conditional distribution is pointed out.
Nd and Sr Isotopic Signatures of Mesozoic Granitoids in South Korea

Mesozoic granitic plutons in the Korean peninsula have ƒÃNd values ranging from -14.9 to +0.4 and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios from 0 . 704 to 0.717 (ƒÃSr=-2.5•`183.7). The Nd and Sr isotopic variations in the granitic rocks are inversely correlated and are clearly divided into two distinct groups namely: a mantle type as in the Mesozoic Kyongsang basin and a crust type as in the Precambrian terranes, based on geologic and geographic differences. Cretaceous granitic rocks in the Kyongsang sedimentary basin have ƒÃNd of -4.4 to +0.4 and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.704 to 0.706 (ƒÃSr=-2.5•`33.5), indicating derivatives of the mantle source. While, andesitic rocks in the basin have Nd-Sr isotopic compositions (EM=-12.6•`-0.8, (87Sr/86Sr)i=0.705•`0.707, ƒÃSr= 9.4•`38.9) similar with those of the Cretaceous plutonic rocks, implying cogenetic sources of the magma. On the other hand, Jurassic plutons from outside of the basin, including some Cretaceous granites in the Okchon geosynclinal zone, have much lower ƒÃNd of -21.0 to -13.6 and higher initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.711 to 0.717 (ƒÃSr= 97.3•`183.7) than the Cretaceous plutons in the Kyongsang basin, which suggests a significant crustal assimilation or contamination of the granitic magma. The two stage model ages of the Cretaceous and Jurassic granite plutons were calculated to be 0.5 to 1.1 Ga and 1.6 to 2.2 Ga, respectively. This data suggests that the source materials of these Mesozoic plutons in the Korean peninsula have evolved considerably since mid Proterozoic times.
Superstar Earners and Market Size : Evidence from the Roll-Out of TV ∗

This paper exploits a historic natural experiment to test a leading explanation for top income growth, the superstar theory. The superstar theory attributes rising top incomes to expanding market reach. The theory can be tested during a drastic expansion in market reach that occurred in entertainment during the roll-out of TV in the mid-twentieth century. At the time, TV stations predominantly broadcast shows that were filmed locally live. Exogenous variation in the local deployment of TV filming allows me to identify the effect on the entertainer wage distribution by comparing local labor markets differentially exposed to local TV show filming. I analyze newly collected data on local entertainer labor markets and find that markets where a TV station is launched experience a sharp increase in income concentration at the top of the distribution. Wages of stars grow nearly 20% in response to a fourfold increase in market reach. A distinctive pattern of wage changes allows me to distinguish the superstar model from alternative explanations. Growth of top pay occurs simultaneously with widening income differences at the top, a decline in middle-income jobs, an increase in low-paid jobs and a fall in total entertainer employment. Labor market institutions that might mediate top income growth have little impact on the magnitude of superstar effects. Only employer monopsony power dampens growth of top wages significantly.
Infant Health, Cognitive Performance, and Earnings: Evidence from Inception of the Welfare State in Sweden

Abstract We identify earnings impacts of exposure to an infant health intervention in Sweden, using individual-linked administrative data to trace potential mechanisms. Leveraging quasi-random variation in eligibility, we estimate that exposure was associated with higher test scores in primary school for boys and girls. However, only girls were more likely to score in the top quintile. Subsequent gains, in secondary schooling, employment, and earnings, are restricted to girls. We show that the differential gains for women accrued from both skills and opportunities.
Brexit Uncertainty and Trade Disintegration

We estimate the uncertainty effects of preferential trade disagreements. Increases in the probability of Britain’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) reduce bilateral export values and trade participation. These effects are increasing in trade policy risk across products. We estimate that at the average disagreement tariff of 4.5% the increase in the probability of Brexit after the referendum lowered EU–UK bilateral export values between 11–20%. Neither the EU or UK exporters believed a trade war was likely.
Young people’s news orientations and uses of traditional and new media for news

Abstract This article reports on Flemish college students’ news orientations and their uses of traditional and new media for news within a public service media environment. We used five homogeneous focus groups that covered variation in news media use. The analysis of the focus groups revealed major differences in news behaviors and attitudes between participants who mainly depended on traditional media for news, and those who also went online for news. While a growing body of research reports on young people’s increasing use of online media for news, particularly among those that are most disengaged with traditional news media, our findings indicated that only the most eager news-users were motivated to gather information online. Additionally, we found that traditional media, in particular national quality papers and the Flemish public service newscast, were still the main reference points for public affairs information among our participants.
How do Children of Mixed Partnerships Fare in the UK ? Understanding the Implications for Children of Parental Ethnic Homogamy and Heterogamy

Many claims are made about the significance of interethnic partnerships for individuals and for society. The traditional assimilation thesis theorised interethnic partnerships as the endpoint of assimilation. Such partnerships continue to be seen as a ‘barometer’ of the openness of society, and have spawned extensive analysis investigating their patterns, trends and determinants. But we know little about the outcomes of children of such partnerships. In the UK, the increase in the self-defined ‘mixed’ population is often celebrated. But there has been little quantitative sociological analysis that has investigated the circumstances of the children of mixed ethnicity partnerships. Using two large-scale UK data sets covering a similar period, this paper brings a focus on how children of mixed unions are faring and brings to bear complementary analytical strategies to evaluate the positives and negatives that marriage across ethnic boundaries has been posited to bring.
Benchmarking OncodriveFML in comparison with other tools to detect putative driver elements

Two main problems hinder the comparison of the performance of OncodriveFML with other methods aimed at detecting cancer driver genomic features. First, the lack of a gold standard of experimentally validated driver and non-driver features determines the use of catalogs of driver elements curated from the literature by experts. This problem becomes specially acute in the case of non-coding drivers (see below). Second, some methods to detect drivers (as is often the case in bioinformatics) are difficult to run either because the most up-to-date code is unavailable or due to lack of documentation and maintenance. In this document, we describe the paths we have taken to overcome these two difficulties and the results of the comparison of the performance of OncodriveFML and other tools designed to detect driver genomic elements.