Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Politics of childcare policy beyond the left–right scale: Post‐industrialisation, transformation of party systems and welfare state restructuring

Childcare policy has become an integral part of social and economic policy in post-industrial democracies. This article explores how the transformation of party systems structures the politics of childcare policy. It reveals that political parties contend with each other over childcare and female employment policy on the social-value dimension as well as the redistributive dimension. Assuming that different party policies have distinct impacts on public childcare policy, it is hypothesised in this article that a government's policy position – composed of the governing parties' policy positions – affects changes in public spending for childcare services. Through an analysis of the pooled time-series and cross-section data of 18 advanced industrialised countries from 1980 until 2005 using multivariate regression methods, it is revealed that a government's redistributive left–right policy position interacts with its social liberal–conservative policy position, and that a left–liberal government raises its budget for childcare services while a left–conservative government does not.
Financial intermediation and economic growth: the post-liberalization Indian experience

The paper is concerned with the relationship between economic growth and financial intermediation, in particular stock market development, in post-liberalization India. It identifies three possible relationships: (a) the relationship between growth of manufacturing and growth of the stock market; (b) the relationship between growth of the stock market and growth of traditional financial intermediaries like banks; (c) the relationship between the growth of the primary stock market and that of the secondary stock market. These three relationships are empirically tested using Indian data. While the growth of turnover in the stock market is found to be positively correlated with the change in the growth of manufacturing and the growth of sales of new shares is found to positively affect the secondary market, evidence on the relationship between sales of new shares and traditional banking activities is mixed. The primary stock market is found to crowd out bank deposits, but crowd in bank credit.
T-maze Forced Alternation and Left-right Discrimination Tasks for Assessing Working and Reference Memory in Mice

Forced alternation and left-right discrimination tasks using the T-maze have been widely used to assess working and reference memory, respectively, in rodents. In our laboratory, we evaluated the two types of memory in more than 30 strains of genetically engineered mice using the automated version of this apparatus. Here, we present the modified T-maze apparatus operated by a computer with a video-tracking system and our protocols in a movie format. The T-maze apparatus consists of runways partitioned off by sliding doors that can automatically open downward, each with a start box, a T-shaped alley, two boxes with automatic pellet dispensers at one side of the box, and two L-shaped alleys. Each L-shaped alley is connected to the start box so that mice can return to the start box, which excludes the effects of experimenter handling on mouse behavior. This apparatus also has an advantage that in vivo microdialysis, in vivo electrophysiology, and optogenetics techniques can be performed during T-maze performance because the doors are designed to go down into the floor. In this movie article, we describe T-maze tasks using the automated apparatus and the T-maze performance of α-CaMKII+/- mice, which are reported to show working memory deficits in the eight-arm radial maze task. Our data indicated that α-CaMKII+/- mice showed a working memory deficit, but no impairment of reference memory, and are consistent with previous findings using the eight-arm radial maze task, which supports the validity of our protocol. In addition, our data indicate that mutants tended to exhibit reversal learning deficits, suggesting that α-CaMKII deficiency causes reduced behavioral flexibility. Thus, the T-maze test using the modified automatic apparatus is useful for assessing working and reference memory and behavioral flexibility in mice.
Regular Education and Special Education Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion

ii Inclusion of special education students in the regular education setting is a very complex and interesting topic in education. Often times it is at the center of debate amongst administrators, teachers, and parents. Each person has their own ideas and attitudes about what is best for all children. Multiple research studies have revealed that there are many different factors for positive and negative teacher attitudes. and opinions toward inclusion. The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze middle school regular education and special education teacher attitudes and opinions on inclusion. The three part survey used for this study was developed by the researchers specifically for this study. The survey consisted of demographic information, 26 Likert scale items and one comment section. The surveys were distributed to all special education and regular education teachers in one middle school in the south central Wisconsin during the Spring of2008. Results of the survey were tabulated with frequencies and percentages for each response reported. iii The results of this study indicated the positive and negative attitudes and opinions of special education teachers and regular education teachers about inclusion. The results revealed some significant difference in attitudes and opinions reported by regular education and special education teachers. This study also looked at differences in attitudes and opinions of teachers in regards to the student's specific disability. The results of this study also identified possible factors behind the teacher attitudes on inclusion. After this study was completed and the data was analyzed the following recommendations were made: First, complete future research studies with a larger sample size such one entire school district or multiple middle schools in the surrounding areas. Second, additional collaboration and planning time should be provided for teachers to develop strategies and curriculum to meet student needs. Third, the administration needs to increase support and provide ongoing staff development. Fourth, the administration should also provide additional resources such as materials and staffing to help build successful inclusion classrooms. Fifth, additional research studies should focus on specific disabilities and the effects of the different disabilities on inclusive classrooms. Lastly, in order to determine the factors behind teacher attitudes, perception questions should be added to the survey and teacher interviews should be conducted. iv Aclmowledgements I would like thank my husband Ryan for all of his support, love, and encouragement throughout this journey. He has helped me to believe in myself and …
GIS and Spatial Analytical Problems

Abstract Increasingly, methods of spatial analysis are being integrated within geographical information systems. As this integration occurs, it is important to ensure that, (i) users of GIS recognize the limitations of spatial analysis, (ii) researchers continue to work on removing the existing impediments to accurate spatial analysis, and (iii) developers of GIS consider these limitations. In this article we discuss eight general impediments that arise in spatial analyses that span a diverse range of substantive applications. Geographical information systems offer not only the opportunity to integrate various methods of spatial analysis, but also the chance to learn more about the underlying impediments.
Sectoral Effects of Monetary Policy in India

Every economy comprises of different sectors with divergent characteristics. These different sectors respond heterogeneously to identical unanticipated macroeconomic stimuli. Using a Vector Autoregression model this study finds that the impact of a monetary policy shock at the sectoral level is heterogeneous with manufacturing being the most responsive. The sectors such as Manufacturing, Mining and Quarrying, Construction and Trade are the fastest to respond. The differential sectoral effects depend upon factors such as capital intensity, interest sensitivity, export-orientation, production planning strategies among others. The sectors also differ in terms of the most effective channel of monetary transmission. The interest rate channel has emerged as the most efficient channel of the monetary policy transmission in most of the sectors followed by the credit channel. Therefore, the heterogeneous sectoral responses indicate the need for a more sector-specific monetary policy. JEL Classification: E50, E52, E58, O53
Cortical control of adaptation and sensory relay mode in the thalamus

Significance Given the mismatch between the nervous system's limited computational capability and the immense information content of the sensory environment, the brain must selectively focus attention on relevant stimulus aspects. “Sensory gating” describes the filtering of relevant sensory cues from irrelevant or redundant stimuli. One such filter may involve cortical control of sensory relay through the thalamus. Using optogenetics to turn on specific cortical input to the thalamus, we investigated how the brain actively controls and gates the information that reaches higher stages of processing in the cortex. We found that this pathway, conserved across most mammalian sensory systems, serves as an effective top-down controller of thalamic gating of dynamic patterns of sensory input. A major synaptic input to the thalamus originates from neurons in cortical layer 6 (L6); however, the function of this cortico–thalamic pathway during sensory processing is not well understood. In the mouse whisker system, we found that optogenetic stimulation of L6 in vivo results in a mixture of hyperpolarization and depolarization in the thalamic target neurons. The hyperpolarization was transient, and for longer L6 activation (>200 ms), thalamic neurons reached a depolarized resting membrane potential which affected key features of thalamic sensory processing. Most importantly, L6 stimulation reduced the adaptation of thalamic responses to repetitive whisker stimulation, thereby allowing thalamic neurons to relay higher frequencies of sensory input. Furthermore, L6 controlled the thalamic response mode by shifting thalamo–cortical transmission from bursting to single spiking. Analysis of intracellular sensory responses suggests that L6 impacts these thalamic properties by controlling the resting membrane potential and the availability of the transient calcium current IT, a hallmark of thalamic excitability. In summary, L6 input to the thalamus can shape both the overall gain and the temporal dynamics of sensory responses that reach the cortex.
Information Quality and Long‐Run Risk: Asset Pricing Implications

I study the asset pricing implications of the quality of public information about persistent productivity shocks in a general equilibrium model with Kreps-Porteus preferences. Low information quality is associated with a high equity premium, a low volatility of consumption growth, and a low volatility of the risk-free interest rate. The relationship between information quality and the equity premium differs from that in endowment economies. My calibration improves substantially upon the Bansal-Yaron model in terms of the moments of the wealth-consumption ratio and the return on aggregate wealth. Copyright (c) 2010 the American Finance Association.
Individual and Community Aspects of Women's Status and Fertility in Rural Bangladesh

This paper examines the relationship between women's status and fertility in two regions of rural Bangladesh. Based on individual and household-level survey data, women's status is measured through four constructs. The covariates of these four aspects of women's status vary considerably and confirm the view that women's status is conceptually and operationally complex. For all aspects, however, variation between villages accounts for the largest share of explainable variance. Proxy measures of status do not provide uniform relationships with all facets of status. Further, the paper shows that women's status is an important determinant of fertility; of the variance in total children ever born that can be explained by factors other than age, nearly 30 per cent is due to direct measures of women's status; this is as much as can be explained by all other socio-economic variables combined. Thus, models of fertility that rely solely on proxy measures of women's status will be underspecified. In addition, measur.
CLARIFICATION OF THE SOCIAL COSTS OF GAMBLING

As U.S. states and countries around the world consider legalizing casino gambling, the social costs of gambling continue to be hotly debated. This paper examines the social cost issue from a welfare economics perspective, and discusses the 2005 paper by Thompson and Schwer, published in this Journal. Their article exhibits a number of problems common in gambling research, including a flawed conception of social costs and a variety of measurement errors. For example, Thompson and Schwer count many costs borne by individuals as “social costs. ” In addition, many of their cost estimates appear to be arbitrary. As a result, the Thompson and Schwer social cost estimate is likely a serious overstatement of the actual costs.
Transgenic, Fluorescent Leishmania mexicana Allow Direct Analysis of the Proteome of Intracellular Amastigotes*S

Investigating the proteome of intracellular pathogens is often hampered by inadequate methodologies to purify the pathogen free of host cell material. This has also precluded direct proteome analysis of the intracellular, amastigote form of Leishmania spp. , protozoan parasites that cause a spectrum of diseases that affect some 12 million patients worldwide. Here a method is presented that combines classic, isopycnic density centrifugation with fluorescent particle sorting for purification by exploiting transgenic, fluorescent parasites to allow direct proteome analysis of the purified organisms. By this approach the proteome of intracellular Leishmania mexicana amastigotes was compared with that of extracellular promastigotes that are transmitted by insect vectors. In total, 509 different proteins were identified by mass spectrometry and database search. This number corresponds to ∼6% of gene products predicted from the reference genome of Leishmania major. Intracellular amastigotes synthesized significantly more proteins with basic pI and showed a greater abundance of enzymes of fatty acid catabolism, which may reflect their living in acidic habitats and metabolic adaptation to nutrient availability, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses of the genes corresponding to the protein data sets produced clear evidence for skewed codon usage and translational bias in these organisms. Moreover analysis of the subset of genes whose products were more abundant in amastigotes revealed characteristic sequence motifs in 3′-untranslated regions that have been linked to translational control elements. This suggests that proteome data sets may be used to identify regulatory elements in mRNAs. Last but not least, at 6% coverage the proteome identified all vaccine antigens tested to date. Thus, the present data set provides a valuable resource for selection of candidate vaccine antigens.
Human identification with EEG signals in different emotional states

This paper investigates human identification using EEG signals. It has been shown that Electroencephalogram (EEG) can be used as a trait for biometric systems. Previous studies have reported proper channels and features in resting states and mental tasks. However, since EEG signal is sensitive to emotion, the stability of reported features during emotional states is not well verified. Our goal is to investigate channels and features which have stable results regardless of emotional states. To this end, three experiments were designed: ‘training’ and ‘testing’ an identification system with 1) mixture of emotional states; 2) the same specific emotional states; 3) different emotional states. 1728 features were extracted which later construct the feature vector of each subject and then Support Vector Machine (SVM) was used to classify the subjects. After selecting 5 best features, the Correct Classification Rate (CCR) is in the range of 88% to 99% for 3 experiments. Moreover, we found that features extracted from Gamma frequency band in Left-Posterior quarter of the brain have more stable and reliable information for human identification, regardless of emotional states, comparing to other features.
Health status, behavior, and care of lesbian and bisexual women in Israel.

INTRODUCTION Lesbian and bisexual women (LBs) have unique health needs compared with heterosexual women (HW). AIM This study aimed to associate the health status of LB, their health behavior, disclosure of sexual orientation (SO), and avoidance of health care with that of HW. METHODS Participants in this cross-sectional study completed anonymous questionnaires, which were distributed in Internet sites and public venues in Israel, comparing health behaviors and outcomes between LB and HW. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Health outcomes included subjective health status, general practitioner or gynecologist visit in the last 6 months, and satisfaction from the Israeli healthcare system. RESULTS In 2012, 681 (34.4%) lesbians, 242 (13.5%) bisexual women, and 937 (52.1%) HW completed the questionnaire. In comparison with HW, LBs were more commonly single, used drugs/alcohol, smoked, experienced eating disorders, and reported an earlier sexual debut. In comparison with all women, lesbians performed less physical activities and were more satisfied with their body weight, whereas bisexuals had riskier sexual behavior and reported more verbal/physical abuse. LB reported more emergency room visits, more visits to psychiatrists, yet underwent Pap smears less frequently compared with HW. In a multivariate analysis, lesbians had fewer gynecologists' visits and were less satisfied with the healthcare system than HW, whereas bisexuals visited their general practitioner or gynecologist less frequently and were less satisfied with the primary healthcare system. Lesbians were more likely to disclose their SO with their doctors than bisexuals and were satisfied with the disclosure. Nondisclosure of SO was correlated with poor subjective health status. The interaction between being bisexual and nondisclosure of SO was strong. CONCLUSIONS LB utilized health care less frequently than HW, resulting in unmet medical needs. SO disclosure was associated with better healthcare utilization and health outcomes, especially among bisexuals. Providers should be trained about LB's unique health needs and improve their communication skills to encourage SO disclosure.
Morphological characterization of liposome suspensions by stereological analysis of freeze‐fracture replicas from spray‐frozen samples

A method for size distribution analysis of liposome suspensions is described. Spray‐freezing was used in order to avoid cryoprotectants and fixatives. Light scattering showed that, depending on their composition, liposomes can be modified by the spraying procedure. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine liposome suspensions display large modifications of light scattering upon spraying. The commonly used unilamellar phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine (1:4) liposomes, with or without cholesterol, are, however, only slightly affected by the spraying procedure.
Molecular isolation and analysis of the erect wing locus in Drosophila melanogaster

The molecular study of the erect wing (ewg) locus was initiated by isolating DNA in the 1A8-1B1 interval of the X chromosome. Previous developmental genetic analyses of the mutant alleles at the ewg locus have demonstrated that the wild-type ewg product is essential during embryogenesis and is required postembryonically at least for the development of the indirect flight muscle. To define the ewg-encoding DNA, chromosomal breakpoints that genetically flank the ewg locus were used. P-element-mediated transformation followed by subsequent rescue of the ewg-lethal alleles has defined a 11.5-kilobase genomic fragment as encoding the ewg locus. Northern blot analysis of transcription from this DNA has revealed a complex pattern of transcription with respect to both size and developmental profile. Tissue distribution of putative ewg transcription was examined by in situ hybridization to 6- to 14-h-old embryonic sections. These sections revealed that the expression of putative ewg messages is limited to the central nervous system-derived structures and not observed within the mesoderm during this developmental stage.
Co-operation or Co-presence? The Comforting Ideal of Community in a Master Planned Estate

Given the long and well-documented decline in the existence and relevance of place-dependent urban community, we explore the use of an idealised version of community of place in the marketing and implementation of a new suburban master planned estate (MPE) in Australia. In a social policy environment where strong communities of place are idealised, we find residents lack the resources or inclination to devote to the establishment of civic norms or durable social networks within the boundaries of the development and, for the most part, they are content to leave the establishment of the symbols of community to the property developer. It is the idea, rather than the reality, of community that is important, but in order to generate that idea, the developer needs to go to some lengths to create an ‘illusion’, or ‘sense’ of strong local community in the estate through marketing, the creation of nostalgic physical reminders, and selected community interventions such as cyclical events and celebrations. These all play an important role in the establishment of subjective ontological security for residents; to the benefit of both resident and developer.
Relational Quality: Managing Trust in Corporate Alliances

The management literature has often argued that "trust" plays a key role in economic exchanges, particularly when one or another party is subject to the risk of opportunistic behaviour and incomplete monitoring, or when problems due to moral hazard or asymmetric information arise. These conditions are almost always present in the case of corporate alliances and joint ventures. We propose that one aspect of trust, what we call "relational quality", is fundamental to the maintenance of good working conditions in two-party alliances where past experience and the shadow of the future play important roles. Relying on a growing body of theory and a number of case studies, we develop a framework for thinking about trust in dynamic and practical terms. We conclude that a reservoir of relational quality exists in any such relationship, and that the level of trust implied in such a reservoir will not only influence whether and how future conflicts are resolved, but also is itself affected by the positive (or negative) resolution of such conflicts. Finally, we identify three elements that contribute to the relational quality reservoir in alliances: 1) the initial conditions surrounding the alliance formation; 2) the cumulative experience of the parties with each others' behaviours as the alliance unfolds; and 3) the impact that external events or behaviours outside the alliance's context have on the perceptions and attitudes the parties have about each other's trustworthiness. We conclude with some recommendations for more effective management of corporate alliances.