Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychopathological risks in children with migrant parents

In Western societies many immigrants live in difficult social and working conditions. Together with other factors, this state of affairs represents a risk for the well being of their children. This article will consider the principle risk factors for child psychopathology and/or distress, with a distinction between temporary and permanent factors and with a peculiar attention to the interplay between risk and protective factors. Risk factors can be ordered in cultural, social, familiar/parental and individual factors. Some of these are general risk factors, applying to child and adolescent psychopathology and distress independently from the status of immigrants’ offspring (among them there are some risk factors related to poor social conditions, independently from being an immigrant or a low-social-class Western citizen). Other factors are specific of migration, some of them being related to: a) different ways of immigrated families to situate themselves within the host society (assimilation, separation, integration, marginality); b) cultural/familiar attitudes in child’s nurture and education; c) the family role of women as well as factors specific of the pregnancy period in immigrants; d) the ability of the school system to enhance and support children’s abilities to integrate within the new society; e) the political/bureaucratic facilitation/impediment to the regularization of VISA, with the consequent effect on the sense of identity/rejection within/from the host society. In conclusion, the programs for monitoring immigrants’ living and health conditions should also include: the assessment of parental skills, the dynamic indicators of risk and protection indexes, the assessment of living conditions and social school environment, with a careful attention to those early signs of discomfort that might precede possible later onset of psychopathology and/or social distress.
The Kindergarten Rule of Sustainable Growth

The relationship between economic growth and the environment is not well understood: we have only limited understanding of the basic science involved and very limited data. Because of these difficulties it is especially important to develop a series of relatively simple theoretical models that generate stark predictions. This paper presents one such model where societies implement the Kindergarten rule of sustainable growth. ' Following the Kindergarten rule means implementing zero emission technologies in either finite time or asymptotically. The underlying simplicity of the model allows us to provide new predictions linking the path of environmental quality to pollutant characteristics (stocks vs. flows; toxics vs. irritants) and primitives of the economic system. It also provides a novel Environmental Catch-up Hypothesis.
Enterprise Education in Schools and the role of Competency Frameworks

Purpose – The period 2002-2010 has seen significant growth in enterprise education in schools in England, accompanied by the growth of guidelines and frameworks to provide educational and assessment structures. This paper intends to explore the questions: What does “enterprise” mean in the context of 14-19 education? What is the purpose and contribution of competence frameworks and related structures for the learning and assessment of enterprise education? How effective are they? and How might enterprise education frameworks evolve in response to changes in the post- recessionary economic, employment and educational landscape? Design/methodology/approach – The paper conducts a critical review of competency frameworks introduced in England to assist with enterprise education primarily for the 14-19 age group. These are compared on the basis of their educational purpose and rationale (“why? ”), their content (“what skills and knowledge they include”), and the approaches to teaching, learning and assessment they recommend (“how? ”). Findings – The analysis discusses the following questions to reflect on the progress and direction of enterprise education: How broadly or narrowly should enterprise be defined? How useful is the term? Are the skills and related knowledge and attributes too broad or too soft? ; and Is there too much emphasis on assessable outcomes, rather than on how enterprising learning takes place? Practical implications – The paper contributes to the development of enterprise education for researchers, policymakers and practitioners in schools at an important point in the economic, educational and political cycle. Originality/value – Enterprise education in schools requires critique of and reflection on what has been achieved, together with consideration of its future purpose, value, orientation and nature. There is a concern that the “delivery” of enterprise education takes place in ways which are not “enterprising” forms of learning, and that assessment drives the curriculum. Changes to definitions, frameworks and pedagogy are needed to clarify its future educational role.
E-Government in the Caribbean Nations

Abstract E-government is a global phenomenon, whereby government authorities provide various services online to citizens, businesses, and employees. This study provides an overview of the current state of e-government in the Caribbean. The methodology employed is a web site content analysis using a theoretical framework based on the Siau and Long (2005) e-government stages model. This analysis focuses specifically on member states of the Caribbean Community also called Caricom, which is a trade agreement encompassing several of the territories in the region. This study examines the level of maturity of e-government in the Caribbean. Our analysis indicates that e-government among Caricom member-countries is established and poised for continued growth.
Operator-Dependent Reproducibility of Size Measurements of Small Phantoms and Lung Nodules Examined With Low-Dose Thin-Section Computed Tomography

Objective:We sought to assess the reproducibility of size measurements of small lung nodules examined with low-dose thin-section computed tomography (LDTSCT). Materials and Methods:Three radiologists measured volume with a semiautomatic tool and diameters manually of 20 (equivalent diameter range, 5.3–11 mm) phantom nodules and 37 (mean diameter range, 5–8.5 mm) lung nodules in subjects undergoing LDTSCT. Results:In phantoms, the worst 95% limits of agreement (95% LA) for volume were −3.0% and 3.0% within operator and −3.1% and 2.8% between operators. The coefficient of repeatability (CR) for diameter ranged between 0.51 and 0.67 mm within operator and the 95% LA were from −0.71 to 0.71 mm between operators. In nodules, the worst intraoperator 95% LA for volume were −14.4% and 17.6% within operator and −13.1% and 14.2% between operators. The CR for diameter ranged between 0.48 and 0.73 mm within operator and the 95% LA were from −1.16 to 1.16 mm between operators. Conclusion:Operator-dependent variability of size measurements of small nodules examined with LDTSCT is not negligible and should be considered in lung cancer-screening studies.
The impact of HIV on Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteraemia in a South African population

Objectives:To determine the impact of HIV infection on Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteraemia in adults and children by analysing the prevalence and clinical features of such diseases and determining the prevalent serotypes/serogroups and susceptibility patterns of isolates. Design:Patients were identified prospectively from January to October 1996. Setting:Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto, a tertiary referral hospital treating adults and children, in an urban district near Johannesburg, South Africa. Patients and methods:All patients with S. pneumoniae isolated from blood culture by the Microbiology Department, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital were studied. Clinical and microbiological features were recorded. Results:A total of 178 patients with S. pneumoniae were investigated as part of the study; 49 were aged < 13 years. HIV seroinfection was present in 25 (51%) children and 58 (45%) adults. The incidence of S. pneumoniae bacteraemia was 36.9-fold increased in HIV-seropositive children and 8.2-fold increased in HIV-seropositive adults compared with HIV-seronegative individuals. Both adult and paediatric HIV-seropositive patients with S. pneumoniae bacteraemia were significantly younger than HIV-seronegative patients. Pneumonia was a significantly more common presentation in HIV-seropositive children, otherwise the spectrum of disease and outcome were similar in HIV-seronegative and positive groups. Serotype 1 S. pneumoniae isolates were significantly less common in HIV-infected individuals (both adults and children). Resistance to penicillin was increased in S. pneumoniae isolates from HIV-infected patients (significant in adults). Patients with penicillin-resistant isolates did not have a poorer outcome. The potential coverage of serotypes/serogroups included in the proposed nine-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine was 88% in HIV-seronegative children and 83% in HIV-seropositive children. The potential coverage of the currently available 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine for adults was 98.2 and 100% for HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected adults, respectively. Conclusion:The burden of bacteraemia due to S. pneumoniae in HIV-seropositive individuals admitted to our hospital is considerable. Differences in the S. pneumoniae serotypes/serogroups in HIV-infected patients have been demonstrated with resultant differences in antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Excellent potential for vaccine coverage was demonstrated for both HIV-seronegative and HIV-seropositive individuals. Further studies are necessary to test the clinical efficacy of pneumococcal vaccination of HIV-seropositive adults and children as a potential preventative measure against this prevalent disease.
Vomiting After Adenotonsillectomy in Children: A Comparison of Ondansetron, Dimenhydrinate, and Placebo

We compared the effectiveness of ondansetron, dimenhydrinate, and placebo for the prevention of postoperative vomiting in children after adenotonsillectomy.In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, 74 children, 2-10 yr of age scheduled for adenotonsillectomy as outpatients were given a single IV dose of ondansetron (0.1 mg/kg, n = 26), dimenhydrinate (0.5 mg/kg, n = 25), or placebo (saline, n = 23) at induction of anesthesia. The incidence of retching and vomiting (POV) and side effects observed 24 h after surgery were recorded. Demographic data were similar among the three groups. The 24-h incidence of POV was 42%, 79%, and 82% in the ondansetron, dimenhydrinate, and placebo groups, respectively (ondansetron compared with dimenhydrinate [P < 0.02] or placebo [P < 0.01]). The study was stopped after two children vomited large volumes of bloody fluid 9 and 22 h after surgery without previous signs of occult bleeding. Both children had received ondansetron. We conclude that ondansetron is superior to dimenhydrinate or placebo for the prevention of POV after adenotonsillectomy in children. Antiemetics may mask the signs of bleeding after adenotonsillectomy. Implications: IV ondansetron (0.1 mg/kg) is more effective than both dimenhydrinate and placebo in preventing vomiting after adenotonsillectomy in healthy children. However, antiemetics may also mask the presence of blood in the stomach by preventing vomiting, and this should be appreciated when adenotonsillectomy is performed on an outpatient basis. (Anesth Analg 1998;86:496-500)
Psychoeducation for relapse prevention in bipolar disorder: a systematic review of efficacy in randomized controlled trials

Previous reviews have concluded that interventions including psychoeducation are effective in preventing relapse in bipolar disorder, but the efficacy of psychoeducation itself has not been systematically reviewed. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of psychoeducation for bipolar disorder in preventing relapse and other outcomes, and to identify factors that relate to clinical outcomes.
Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus: All that glitters isn't gold?

With the silver anniversary of deep brain stimulation (DBS) behind us, this would seem to be a good juncture to consider its successes and unanswered questions. Bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation has changed the clinical perspective of several thousand Parkinson's disease (PD) patients worldwide. A recent reappraisal animates the field with strong arguments in favor of an anticipation of the stereotactic approach in patients with as little as 5 to 6 years of disease history if they manifest motor complications. From what was once a no‐choice option, STN‐DBS is now becoming more and more attractive to neurologists dealing with movement disorders. Despite the development of new pharmacological treatment and renewed rehabilitation programs able to modify the severity of drug‐related complications, a resurgence of stimulation therapy reminiscent of an old era of medicine with an attendant blinkered mindset has emerged. Yet, the DBS‐mediated effects are modest on critical aspects such as gait impairment and extremely variable depending on the clinical phenotype and individual clinical profile. Hence, the indication for DBS should become more, and not less, individually tailored. Those physicians considering deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a therapeutic option need to evaluate results beyond short‐term quality of life, giving the correct weight to the direct and indirect costs over the longer term as well as to life prognosis. Unequivocal recourse to early‐stimulation surgery necessitates investigations not limited to a mere comparative assessment versus drug‐mediated benefits, but instead showing evidence of a clear degree of disease‐modifying effect or a rescue of basal ganglia plasticity. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Validation of bone marrow derived dendritic cells as an appropriate model to study tumor-mediated suppression of DC maturation through STAT3 hyperactivation.

PURPOSE Tumors can escape immune eradication by harnessing dendritic cell (DC) maturation. However, DC types used as in vitro models to study tumor-mediated immunosuppression possess fundamental variability that could influence research outcomes. Therefore, we assessed the behavior of two distinct murine DC models upon exposure to tumor-conditioned medium of B16.F10 melanoma (B16-CM). METHODS Using primary bone-marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) or immortalized DC2.4 cell line, we evaluated the level of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation by Western blot as a molecular parameter. We also examined the surface expression of co-stimulatory molecules on DCs by flow cytometry as a phenotypic parameter. RESULTS Our results revealed critical discrepancies between the two models in response to tumor-conditioned medium. While conditioned medium was able to induce STAT3 phosphorylation in BMDCs, it did not significantly induce STAT3 phosphorylation in DC2.4 cell line. Moreover, only in BMDCs, the expression of CD86 and CD40 was remarkably downregulated by B16-CM and was not totally recovered after LPS stimulation. In contrast, DC2.4 cells did not show any signs of harnessed maturation upon exposure to B16-CM. CONCLUSIONS In order to study the effect of tumor-mediated immunosuppression on DC maturation in vitro via tumor-induction of STAT3 activation, primary BMDCs are more reliable as a model than DC2.4.
Welfare Implications of Regional Asymmetries in a Monetary Union

This paper calculates welfare costs of nominal rigidities in a currency union (calibrated to the EMU) that is characterized by a rich array of regional asymmetries. I employ a two-country DSGE model that features optimizing agents, monopolistic price setting, sectoral heterogeneity, and government debt dynamics and find that these costs are virtually identical for all members of the union. The driving factor behind this result is economic integration in the Eurozone (in the form of trade openness and highly correlated technological processes), which almost compensates for idiosyncratic regional shocks and causes national and Euro-wide inflations to move together. The findings are robust to the inclusion of distortionary taxes, government indebtedness, and non-traded goods.
The Triumph of Conservative Globalism: The Political Economy of the AKP Era

The Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP), following its third successive electoral victory appears to be far more entrenched than its earlier center-right counterparts in Turkish politics. This article highlights the key political economy fundamentals that have rendered the AKP experience unique within the Turkish context. Accordingly, strong economic performance in context of “regulatory neo-liberalism” helped by a favorable global liquidity environment in the early parts of the decade was a key contributor to the party's continued electoral success. The party also made effective use of a variety of formal and informal redistributive mechanisms, which is referred as “controlled neo-populism” in this article, to enlarge its electoral coalition. Furthermore, the fact that Turkey did not suffer a typical old-style economic crisis in the context of the global turmoil of 2008–2009 was important for the AKP's electoral fortunes. Concomitantly, the AKP government was quite effective in managing the global financial crisis politically and it took advantage of its assertive “new” foreign policy approach. Finally, this study argues that the AKP also benefited from the fragmented opposition.
Macroeconomic shocks and the forward yield curve: how important is monetary policy?

The associations between macroeconomic fluctuations and the yield curve tend to be explained by the reactions of the monetary authority. This paper evaluates how macroeconomics shocks affect the forward yield curve for domestic and foreign debt markets in Venezuela, where monetary policy is not the main source of macroeconomic fluctuations. As previous results in the literature, macroeconomic shocks affect more strongly the short end of the yield curve in the expected direction. Overall, supply shocks explain most of the variability of long-term yields, spread and volatility. Nonetheless, short-term yield movements can be associated with general monetary conditions of the economy and not necessarily with monetary policy actions.
On the Role of Amenities in Models of Migration and Regional Development

"The role of location-specific amenities in human migration decisions, and subsequently regional development, is explored. A framework is developed which motivates a new assessment of existing alternative models of regional development, indicating the need for additional modeling efforts which focus upon amenities as critical elements in such analyses. The approach hinges upon the notion that amenity values are capitalized into wages, rents, or other local prices. This process of capitalization enables researchers to explore the implicit value that society places upon amenities, which can then be used in assessing future regional-development trends in a more comprehensive manner. "
The Role of Collaboration in Achieving Corporate Social Responsibility Objectives

Managers are encouraged to develop deeper, collaborative relationships with NGOs as they execute their CSR strategies, and they have benefited from guidance to date that has focused on the dyadic relationships between a single firm and a single NGO. However, corporate relationships in CSR can include broader collaborations with both other firms and multiple NGOs. This article provides a framework for examining a range of collaboration opportunities and provides managers guidance for matching CSR strategies with the goals of the firm. The framework focuses on specific strategies that firms can employ to help ensure that returns from investments in CSR are maximized.
Diabetes, kidney disease and anaemia: time to tackle a troublesome triad?

Both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type II diabetes mellitus (DM) are increasing in frequency among Western populations and both are potent risk factors for the development of anaemia. The presence of CKD and diabetes together represent the most important aetiopathogenic combination for the development of anaemia. New evidence has highlighted some of the underlying mechanisms which make diabetic patients more susceptible to dyserythropoiesis, particularly once they have developed concomitant CKD. In addition, recent publications from large‐scale epidemiological studies have highlighted the impact of anaemia on diabetic patients. The purpose of this review was to focus on the pathophysiology and impact of anaemia in DM.
Investigation of Genetic Relationships Among Taiwan Black Pigs and Other Pig Breeds in Taiwan Based on Microsatellite Markers

The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic relationships between Taiwan black pigs (TBP) and other pig breeds by means of 15 fluorescent-labeled microsatellite markers. DNA from a total of 299 TBP from eight private farms and 234 purebred pigs representing six breeds and one synthetic line was used. Among the 15 microsatellite loci, polymorphism information content (PIC) values were all above 0.500; the numbers of observed alleles were all greater than the numbers of effective alleles (10.1 vs. 4.3 in averages). But 13 of the 15 microsatellite markers significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE); moreover, 13 of the 15 tested populations also deviated from the HWE. The inbreeding coefficient (FIS) indicated that two TBP populations (TBP-3 and TBP-4) had heterozygote deficiency (P < 0.01). The pair-wise FST, representing the genetic diversity between the two populations, ranged from 0.0332 to 0.3809. Meishan and Taoyuan breeds with black hair were previously considered closely related to TBP; however, the result of genetic relationship refuted this assumption. In conclusion, TBP is more similar to the European than Chinese breeds, and further investigations will need to clarify it more accurately.