Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Asymmetrical “President-in-Power” Effect

When political polarization is high, it may be assumed that citizens will trust the government more when the chief executive shares their own political views. However, evidence is accumulating that important asymmetries may exist between liberals and conservatives (or Democrats and Republicans). We hypothesized that an asymmetry may exist when it comes to individuals’ willingness to trust the government when it is led by the “other side. ” In an extensive analysis of several major datasets (including ANES and GSS) over a period of five decades, we find that in the United States, conservatives trust the government more than liberals when the president in office shares their own ideology. Furthermore, liberals are more willing to grant legitimacy to democratic governments led by conservatives than vice versa. A similar asymmetry applies to Republicans compared with Democrats. We discuss implications of this asymmetrical “president-in-power” effect for democratic functioning.
From nation-state to market: The transformations of religion in the global era, as illustrated by Islam

ABSTRACT This article has three parts. The first analyses how notions of the market and of marketisation have been literally and metaphorically applied to the study of religion. The article argues in favour of thinking consumption as the circulation and exchange of symbols rather than goods, and therefore reintegrates economic phenomena into the fold of history and socio-anthropology. The second part argues that the major transformations of the last half-century are best understood as the shift from a national-statist religious regime to a market regime cast against the backdrop of globalisation. The rise of consumerism as a social and cultural ethos, the spread of neoliberal and managerial ideologies, are the key processes which underlie a major reconfiguration of societies and cultures on a global scale. The third part argues that the important mutations occurring within Islam – as illustrated by Indonesian Islam – demonstrates the heuristic potential of the suggested approach.
Splitting algorithms for fast relay selection: Generalizations, analysis, and a unified view

Relay selection for cooperative communications promises significant performance improvements, and is, therefore, attracting considerable attention. While several criteria have been proposed for selecting one or more relays, distributed mechanisms that perform the selection have received relatively less attention. In this paper, we develop a novel, yet simple, asymptotic analysis of a splitting-based multiple access selection algorithm to find the single best relay. The analysis leads to simpler and alternate expressions for the average number of slots required to find the best user. By introducing a new `contention load¿ parameter, the analysis shows that the parameter settings used in the existing literature can be improved upon. New and simple bounds are also derived. Furthermore, we propose a new algorithm that addresses the general problem of selecting the best Q ¿ 1 relays, and analyze and optimize it. Even for a large number of relays, the scalable algorithm selects the best two relays within 4.406 slots and the best three within 6.491 slots, on average. We also propose a new and simple scheme for the practically relevant case of discrete metrics. Altogether, our results develop a unifying perspective about the general problem of distributed selection in cooperative systems and several other multi-node systems.
A Novel Hierarchical Bayesian Approach for Sparse Semisupervised Hyperspectral Unmixing

In this paper the problem of semisupervised hyper spectral unmixing is considered. More specifically, the unmixing process is formulated as a linear regression problem, where the abundance's physical constraints are taken into account. Based on this formulation, a novel hierarchical Bayesian model is proposed and suitable priors are selected for the model parameters such that, on the one hand, they ensure the nonnegativity of the abundances, while on the other hand they favor sparse solutions for the abundances' vector. Performing Bayesian inference based on the proposed hierarchical Bayesian model, a new low-complexity iterative method is derived, and its connection with Gibbs sampling and variational Bayesian inference is highlighted. Experimental results on both synthetic and real hyperspectral data illustrate that the proposed method converges fast, favors sparsity in the abun dances' vector, and offers improved estimation accuracy compared to other related methods.
Empirical evaluation of professional traineeships for young people up to 30 years of age

Abstract In this article, we evaluate ‘Professional traineeships for young people up to 30 years’, an active labour market policy measure implemented in the Czech Republic. Professional traineeships were one of the possibilities for suitable offer to young people within Youth Guarantee in the Czech Republic in 2014 and 2015. First, we conducted a process evaluation (document analysis and interviews) to uncover the design and implementation aspects of the program. Next, we followed the counterfactual impact evaluation approach towards the estimate of returns to unemployment (competing risk analysis) based on individual administration data from public employment services. We have found that professional traineeships were successful in attracting the interest of both young people and employers. Mainly young people with middle and high level education have entered the program. Most of them have been provided with on-the-job subsidies in the private sector. When considering the impact of the program on the unemployment of participants and a control group, it was shown that after two years, the measure was effective only for young people with long pre-program Employment Office registration. When we consider the reasons for leaving Employment Office registration, the measure seems to be more effective, since many young people in the control group left the Employment Office register in favour of options that were outside of the labour market.
Risk Factors Contributing to Type 2 Diabetes and Recent Advances in the Treatment and Prevention

Type 2 diabetes is a serious and common chronic disease resulting from a complex inheritance-environment interaction along with other risk factors such as obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Type 2 diabetes and its complications constitute a major worldwide public health problem, affecting almost all populations in both developed and developing countries with high rates of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has been increasing exponentially, and a high prevalence rate has been observed in developing countries and in populations undergoing “westernization” or modernization. Multiple risk factors of diabetes, delayed diagnosis until micro- and macro-vascular complications arise, life-threatening complications, failure of the current therapies, and financial costs for the treatment of this disease, make it necessary to develop new efficient therapy strategies and appropriate prevention measures for the control of type 2 diabetes. Herein, we summarize our current understanding about the epidemiology of type 2 diabetes, the roles of genes, lifestyle and other factors contributing to rapid increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes. The core aims are to bring forward the new therapy strategies and cost-effective intervention trials of type 2 diabetes.
Situation, personality and performance: An exploration of moderators and mediators

Interactionist theories link individuals’ work performance to both situational and personality factors. However, while prior research finds support for the direct effects of both employees’ situational experiences and their personality on performance, empirical support for their interactional effects is lacking. This article first examines how supervisory support influences employees’ self-concept and in-role performance. Second, it investigates how perceived organisational support (POS) moderates the effects of supervisory support on employee self-concept and how employee self-concept mediates the relationship between supervisory support and employee in-role performance. Using a sample of 215 professional employees drawn from knowledge-intensive organisations in New Zealand, findings suggest that supervisory support relates positively to employees’ self-concept. Moreover, this relationship is strengthened when POS is stronger. The study also finds employee self-concept plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between supervisory support and employee in-role performance. These findings and their implications for research and practice are discussed.
Training of ultra-fast speech comprehension induces functional reorganization of the central-visual system in late-blind humans

Individuals suffering from vision loss of a peripheral origin may learn to understand spoken language at a rate of up to about 22 syllables (syl) per seconds (s)—exceeding by far the maximum performance level of untrained listeners (ca. 8 syl/s). Previous findings indicate the central-visual system to contribute to the processing of accelerated speech in blind subjects. As an extension, the present training study addresses the issue whether acquisition of ultra-fast (18 syl/s) speech perception skills induces de novo central-visual hemodynamic activation in late-blind participants. Furthermore, we asked to what extent subjects with normal or residual vision can improve understanding of accelerated verbal utterances by means of specific training measures. To these ends, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed while subjects were listening to forward and reversed sentence utterances of moderately fast and ultra-fast syllable rates (8 or 18 syl/s) prior to and after a training period of ca. 6 months. Four of six participants showed—independently from residual visual functions—considerable enhancement of ultra-fast speech perception (about 70% points correctly repeated words) whereas behavioral performance did not change in the two remaining participants. Only subjects with very low visual acuity displayed training-induced hemodynamic activation of the central-visual system. By contrast, participants with moderately impaired or even normal visual acuity showed, instead, increased right-hemispheric frontal or bilateral anterior temporal lobe responses after training. All subjects with significant training effects displayed a concomitant increase of hemodynamic activation of left-hemispheric SMA. In spite of similar behavioral performance, trained “experts” appear to use distinct strategies of ultra-fast speech processing depending on whether the occipital cortex is still deployed for visual processing.
Client Experiences of Trauma-Informed Care in Social Service Agencies

Abstract This paper describes a qualitative study of individual client interviews (n = 26) from four social service agencies to understand how clients experience trauma-informed care services and implementation challenges. We used the Fallot and Harris framework to explore client experiences of the five core concepts of trauma-informed care (safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment) using semi-structured interview questions with each client. The four agencies consisted of: refugees (n = 4), substance abuse (n = 8), older adults (n = 12), and maternal/child health (n = 2), and the agencies varied in size, service goals, and clientele. The results of the study suggest that clients’ experience of these concepts was shaped by the actions of other clients, and these experiences were either mitigated or hindered by actions of the agency employees. Agency policies either supported or enhanced their experiences as well. The results also suggest that it was challenging for agencies to provide for all of the trauma-informed care (TIC) concepts at the same time. We discuss the implications of these findings for social service delivery in a range of agency types. Future research should examine the effects of trauma-informed policies on client experiences of each TIC domain.
Fiber Pathways of Attention Subnetworks Revealed with Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) and Probabilistic Tractography

It has been widely accepted that attention can be divided into three subnetworks - alerting, orienting and executive control (EC), and the subnetworks of attention are linked to distinct brain regions. However, the association between specific white matter fibers and the subnetworks of attention is not clear enough. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the white matter connectivity related to the performance of attention was assessed by attention network test (ANT) in 85 healthy adolescents. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and probabilistic diffusion tractography analysis demonstrated that cerebellothalamic tract was involved in alerting, while orienting depended upon the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). In addition, EC was under the control of anterior corona radiata (ACR). Our findings suggest that different fiber pathways are involved in the three distinct subnetworks of attention. The current study will yield more precise information about the structural substrates of attention function and may aid the efforts to understand the neurophysiology of several attention disorders.
The evaluation of the relation between dynamic hip screw positions and its failure in unstable femur fractures

ABSTRACT In this study, effects of the Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) positions on its failure are investigated in unstable femur fracture using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The failures of DHS were emphasised in the latest several case studies. In order to create 3D computerised models, the unstable femur fractures were generated in the trochanteric region of the femur obtained from Computerised Tomography Images. The DHS model in 3D CAD form was placed in nine different positions into the fractured femur. Two different Tip-Apex distances (TAD) (20 and 25 mm) were used for each DHS positions. In the FEA, muscles and body forces were applied to the femur according to the maximum value based on regular walking. The best position and TAD value were determined according to the von Mises stresses calculated on the DHS. The FEA calculation showed that the minimum stress value was obtained on the DHS placed in the middle and superior regions of femur head. Higher TAD value (25 mm) were decrease the von Mises stresses of the DHS. In conclusion, the calculated results suggest that the best DHS position is in the spherical centre of the femur head considering the failures of both femur and DHS together.
Traffic signal coordination: a measure to reduce the environmental impact of urban road traffic?

Coordinated traffic lights that implement green waves along major arterial roads are an increasingly used traffic management strategy for reducing travel times in urban context. The potential positive effect of this measure on emissions is often called upon as an additional support for its introduction. Although a smoother traffic flow will generally lead to lower air pollutant emissions, it will not necessarily lead to lower noise emissions. Because of the challenges associated with measuring the emissions caused by a stream of vehicles, up to now, little scientific research has been spent on the effects of synchronized traffic lights on emissions. This paper presents the results of a computational study on the effects of traffic signal coordination on vehicle emissions along an arterial road. The methodology consists of coupling a microscopic traffic simulation model with state-of-the-art models for instantaneous emission of noise, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. The influence of traffic intensity, signal timing and signal coordination parameters is investigated through the simulation of a wide range of scenarios. The introduction of a green wave was found to reduce air pollutant emissions by up to 40% in the most favorable conditions, depending on traffic flow and signal timing settings. Sound pressure levels were generally found to decrease near the traffic signals, but to increase in between intersections.
Person-job fit and proactive career behaviour: A dynamic approach

ABSTRACT This two-wave study among 637 employees explores how individuals’ perceived demands-abilities fit may change over time by virtue of career initiative (i.e., the proactive management of one’s career and professional development). Using a parallel growth model, we found that (between-person) career initiative was related to (between-person) perceived demands-abilities fit. In addition, increases in (within-person) career initiative over time were associated with increases in (within-person) perceived demands-abilities fit over time. The findings furthermore indicate that such improvements in perceived demands-abilities fit occur among those who change jobs as well as among those who stay in their current job. Comparing individuals who had switched jobs between wave 1 and wave 2 to those who had not, we found that turnover was i) preceded by lower levels of perceived demands-abilities fit; ii) accompanied by an increase in the level of career initiative; and iii) associated with greater improvement in perceived demands-abilities fit. This study advances our understanding of temporal dynamism in person-job fit and the findings support the idea that by employing a proactive approach towards their career, individuals can both attain and enhance the alignment between their abilities and the demands of their job.
Language use as a reflection of socialization in online communities

In this paper we investigate the connection between language and community membership of long time community participants through computational modeling techniques. We report on findings from an analysis of language usage within a popular online discussion forum with participation of thousands of users spanning multiple years. We find community norms of long time participants that are characterized by forum specific jargon and a style that is highly informal and shows familiarity with specific other participants and high emotional involvement in the discussion. We also find quantitative evidence of persistent shifts in language usage towards these norms across users over the course of the first year of community participation. Our observed patterns suggests language stabilization after 8 or 9 months of participation.
Predictive survival markers in patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Among patients with resected non-small cell lung carcinoma, about 50% will present a tumor recurrence. Thus, it would be of major importance to be able to predict and try to prevent these relapses by an active chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. In an attempt to answer this question, the tumors of 227 patients with a surgically resected non-small cell lung carcinoma were evaluated as follows: tumors were classified as squamous cell carcinoma (n = 132) or adenocarcinoma (n = 95), and tumor differentiation was evaluated for each type. Then, all tumors were classified in respect to their pathological TNM staging (WHO) and screened by immunohistochemistry for the detection of the expression of the following antigens: Bcl-2, A+B+H blood group antigens, c-erb-b2, p53, and Pan-Ras antigens. Furthermore, adenocarcinomas were screened for the presence of point mutations in Ki-Ras codons 1-31. Finally, the patient blood group was defined, and patient survival was analyzed using nonparametric tests and proportional hazard Cox models. Using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, disease pathological TNM staging was shown to be a strong predictive factor of survival for both squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma experienced fewer relapses than those with adenocarcinoma (42% versus 63%; P = 0.0002) and had a significantly better survival. All evaluated antigens were more often present in squamous cell carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma except for Pan-Ras (three times more frequent in adenocarcinoma). In patients with squamous cell carcinoma, only tumor staging had a significant prognosis value (P = 0.01). In patients with lung adenocarcinoma, a well-differentiated tumor (P = 0.009) as well as a positive Bcl-2 staining (P = 0.009) and an A+B+H antigen tumor staining (P = 0.024) were associated with a better survival. In contrast, patients with a stage I or II disease and a p53-positive tumor staining and patients with the O blood group (P = 0.01) had a shorter survival. Interestingly, no relation with patient survival was related to c-erb-b2 and Pan-Ras staining. Finally, 12 point mutations were found out of 81 tumors (15%) evaluated for Ki-Ras codons 1-31; they involved codon 12 but also 8, 14, and 15 without any relationship to survival. In respect to lung adenocarcinoma, using Cox proportional hazard models stratified on tumor staging, the following markers were shown to be related to survival: (a) Independent markers of longer survival (ie., high histological degree of tumor differentiation and positive Bcl-2 and A+B+H blood group antigen expression by tumor cells); and (b) Independent markers of shorter survival (i.e., O blood group for all patients and p53 tumor staining in patients with stage I and II diseases). This study suggests that, in patients who undergo surgery for lung adenocarcinoma, the presence or absence of these criteria could be used to define a subset of patients who may benefit from a more specific follow-up.
Circular Permutation in the Ω-Loop of TEM-1 β-Lactamase Results in Improved Activity and Altered Substrate Specificity

Generating diverse protein libraries that contain improved variants at a sufficiently high frequency is critical for improving the properties of proteins using directed evolution. Many studies have illustrated how random mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, DNA shuffling and similar approaches are effective diversity generating methods for directed evolution. Very few studies have explored random circular permutation, the intramolecular relocation of the N- and C-termini of a protein, as a diversity-generating step for directed evolution. We subjected a library of random circular permutations of TEM-1 β-lactamase to selections on increasing concentrations of a variety of β-lactam antibiotics including cefotaxime. We identified two circularly permuted variants that conferred elevated resistance to cefotaxime but decreased resistance to other antibiotics. These variants were circularly permuted in the Ω-loop proximal to the active site. Remarkably, one variant was circularly permuted such that the key catalytic residue Glu166 was located at the N-terminus of the mature protein.