Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Race and Cumulative Discrimination in the Prosecution of Criminal Defendants

Most research investigates the effect of a defendant’s race on severity of imposed legal sanction at only one of several decision points that comprise the criminal justice system. This myopic focus on what can be termed episodic discrimination is problematic because racial discrimination evinced at one decision point may be amplified, negated, or even reversed at other decision points. Here we synthesize estimates of a defendant’s race on the severity of imposed legal sanction at each of the decision points encountered by a defendant as he or she progresses through the criminal justice system. Although initial results show that the effect of race on severity of outcome depends on the specific decision point analyzed, a synthesis of these race estimates in a meta-analysis reveals that the odds of receiving a severe sanction is approximately 42% higher for a Black defendant even after controlling for prior record and other legal and extralegal variables. Thus, although the influence of a defendant’s race on the severity of sanction is statistically discernible at just two of the eight criminal justice decision points, a substantive cumulative racial discriminatory effect is evident when all the individual decision points are considered in their totality.
Antisocial acts in reality programming on television

This study poses two questions about the portrayals of aggressive behavior on non‐fictional television programs. First, to what extent do the patterns of antisocial activity in televised non‐fictional programming correspond to patterns in the real world? These patterns were assessed by comparing the patterns of criminal acts, as well as the demographics of the perpetrators and victims. Second, what is the meaning of the antisocial activity? An answer to this question is constructed through an analysis of contextual variables of consequences, reward/punishments, intention, and style. The data base for the analysis contains 2126 antisocial acts found in a composite week of 65.5 hours of non‐fiction television programming. The patterns of antisocial activity presented in non‐fictional television were not found to correspond well with patterns in the real world. Also, contextual patterns (low rates of punishment, high rates of absence of negative consequences, high prevalence of intentions) would increase the.
Study of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose for production of fuel ethanol by the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process

The biochemical conversion of cellulosic biomass to ethanol, a promising alternative fuel, can be carried out efficiently and economically using the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process. The SSF integrates the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose, catalyzed by the synergistic action of cellulase and β‐glucosidase, with the fermentative synthesis of ethanol. Because the enzymatic step determines the ethanol. Because the enzymatic step determines the availability of glucose to the ethanologenic fermentation, the kinetic of cellulose hydrolysis by cellulase and β‐glucosidase and the susceptibility of the two enzymes to inhibition by hydrolysis and fermentation products are of significant importance to the SSF performance and were investigated under realistic SSF conditions. A previously developed SSF mathematical model was used to conceptualize the depolymerization of cellulose. The model was regressed to the collected data to determine the values of the enzyme parameters and was found to satisfactorily predict the kinetics of cellulose hydrolysis. Cellobiose and glucose were identified as the strongest inhibitors of cellulase and β‐glucosidase, respectively. Experimental and modeling results are presented in light of the impact of enzymatic hydrolysis on fuel ethanol production. © 1993 Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Compositional shifts in Costa Rican forests due to climate‐driven species migrations

Species are predicted to shift their distributions upslope or poleward in response to global warming. This prediction is supported by a growing number of studies documenting species migrations in temperate systems but remains poorly tested for tropical species, and especially for tropical plant species. We analyzed changes in tree species composition in a network of 10 annually censused 1‐ha plots spanning an altitudinal gradient of 70–2800 m elevation in Costa Rica. Specifically, we combined plot data with herbarium records (accessed through GBIF) to test if the plots' community temperature scores (CTS, average thermal mean of constituent species weighted by basal area) have increased over the past decade as is predicted by climate‐driven species migrations. In addition, we quantified the contributions of stem growth, recruitment, and mortality to the observed patterns. Supporting our a priori hypothesis of upward species migrations, we found that there have been consistent directional shifts in the composition of the plots, such that the relative abundance of lowland species, and hence CTS, increased in 90% of plots. The rate of the observed compositional shifts corresponds to a mean thermal migration rate (TMR) of 0.0065 °C yr−1 (95% CI = 0.0005–0.0132 °C yr−1). While the overall TMR is slower than predicted based on concurrent regional warming of 0.0167 °C yr−1, migrations were on pace with warming in 4 of the 10 plots. The observed shifts in composition were driven primarily by mortality events (i.e., the disproportionate death of highland vs. lowland species), suggesting that individuals of many tropical tree species will not be able to tolerate future warming and thus their persistence in the face of climate change will depend on successful migrations. Unfortunately, in Costa Rica and elsewhere, land area inevitably decreases at higher elevations; hence, even species that are able to migrate successfully will face heightened risks of extinction.
Efficacy of a classical antiobesity Unani pharmacopial formulation (Safoof-e-Muhazzil) in systolic and diastolic blood pressure: A randomized, open-labeled, controlled clinical study

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a Unani formulation in hypertension. A total of 90 patients with total cholesterol level of more than 220 mg/dl with associated conditions were included in this study. A total of 30 patients having a mean systolic blood pressure (BP) of 133.86 mmHg comprising Group A received Unani formulation Safoof-e-Muhazzil (SM) in its classical powder form in the dose of 5 g twice a day orally. Group B comprising of 30 patients with a mean systolic BP of 133.13 mmHg received same drug, but in compressed tablet form in the same dosage, whereas, 30 patients comprising Group C with a mean systolic BP of 129.45 mmHg, received Atorvastatin 10 mg as a standard control. Patients were evaluated on each follow-up at 2nd, 4th and 6th week. The mean systolic BP in Group A and B before treatment was 133.86 ± 3.028 mmHg and 133.13 ± 2.852 mmHg, which significantly decreased to 119.33 ± 1.922 mmHg (P < 0.001) and 119 ± 1.760 mmHg (P < 0.001) respectively. In the control Group C before treatment BP was 129.45 ± 2.499 mmHg and after treatment it significantly decreased to 124.34 ± 1.794 mmHg (P < 0.01). The percentage change after treatment was 10.85%, 10.61% and 3.94% respectively in each group. Mean diastolic BP in Group A and B before treatment was 85.06 ± 2.11 mmHg and 84.56 ± 1.5 mmHg, which significantly decreased to 79.06 ± 1.56 mmHg (P < 0.001) and 79.96 ± 1.15 mmHg (P < 0.001) respectively, BP before treatment in Group C was 83.23 ± 1.588 mmHg, which was decreased to 124.34 ± 1.794 mmHg (P < 0.01). The study results indicate that the test drug was quite effective in reducing both systolic as well as diastolic BP.
Self-adaptive event recognition for intelligent transport management

Intelligent transport management involves the use of voluminous amounts of uncertain sensor data to identify and effectively manage issues of congestion and quality of service. In particular, urban traffic has been in the eye of the storm for many years now and gathers increasing interest as cities become bigger, crowded, and “smart”. In this work we tackle the issue of uncertainty in transportation systems stream reporting. The variety of existing data sources opens new opportunities for testing the validity of sensor reports and self-adapting the recognition of complex events as a result. We report on the use of a logic-based event reasoning tool to identify regions of uncertainty within a stream and demonstrate our method with a real-world use-case from the city of Dublin. Our empirical analysis shows the feasibility of the approach when dealing with voluminous and highly uncertain streams.
The emergence of eating disorders: an exploratory study

Inspired by ‘Grounded Theory’ we investigated the way patients themselves view the emergence of their eating disorders. Subjects were 125 female patients, between 18 and 24 years of age (AN, n=22; BN, n=65; EDNOS, n=38), from an eating disorder outpatient unit in Goteborg, Sweden. The interviewees' responses were analysed using the following dimensions: (1) age of onset, (2) why the disordered eating behaviour started and (3) what I did at the time. The stated mean age of onset was 16 years of age and significantly higher for AN (17.3 years) than for BN (15.5 years) and EDNOS (15.8 years) patients. Interpersonal and weight-related problems were reported to be the most common cause, independent of diagnosis and dieting or dieting/purging was the most commonly reported response. A combination of interpersonal and weight-related problems, together with dieting behaviour, constitutes the main risk factor for the emergence of eating disorders according to patients' own views. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Therapeutic relowering of the serum sodium in a patient after excessive correction of hyponatremia.

BACKGROUND Inappropriate correction of chronic hyponatremia could lead to major neuropathological sequelae. In man, the risk of brain myelinolysis increases strikingly when correction of the serum sodium exceeds 10-15 mEq/l/24 h. No treatment is actually available for this iatrogenic brain injury. However, recent experimental data showed that rapid reinduction of the hyponatremia greatly reduces the incidence of brain damage and death in case of serum sodium overshooting. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We tested this rescue manoeuver in a 71-year-old woman with nausea, confusion and severe (SNa 106 mEq/l) chronic hyponatremia related to thiazides. It was associated with hypokalemia (SK: 3.2 mEq/l). RESULTS Treatment with isotonic saline produced inappropriately high SNa correction level of +21 mEq/l after the first 24 h. After initial improvement, the neurological status deteriorated after 72 h. Rapid reinduction of the hyponatremia was then ordered. Administration of hypotonic fluids (by oral and i.v. route) combined with dDAVP induced a prompt decline in the SNa (-16 mEq/l/14 h) with a final gradient of correction of deltaSNa +9 mEq/l. This manoeuver was well tolerated without untoward effects. The natremia then progressively normalized and the patient completely recovered without neurological sequelae. CONCLUSION Hypotonic fluids may be safely administered to decrease the natremia after excessive correction of hyponatremia for potential prevention of myelinolysis.
Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Implicit Age and Race Bias

Research has shown that mindfulness can positively affect peoples’ lives in a number of ways, including relying less on previously established associations. We focused on the impact of mindfulness on implicit age and racial bias as measured by implicit association tests (IATs). Participants listened to either a mindfulness or a control audio and then completed the race and age IATs. Mindfulness meditation caused an increase in state mindfulness and a decrease in implicit race and age bias. Analyses using the Quad Model showed that this reduction was due to weaker automatically activated associations on the IATs.
Toward whole-body loco-manipulation: Experimental results on multi-contact interaction with the Walk-Man robot

In this paper a quasi-static framework for optimally controlling the contact force distribution is experimentally verified with the full-size compliant humanoid robot Walk-Man. The proposed approach is general enough to cope with multi-contact scenarios, i.e. robot-environment interactions occurring on feet and hands, up to the more general case of whole-body loco-manipulation, in which the robot is in contact with the environment also with the internal limbs, with a consequent loss of contact force controllability. Experimental tests were conducted with the Walk-Man robot (i) standing on flat terrain, (ii) standing on uneven terrain and (iii) interacting with the environment with both feet and a hand touching a vertical wall. Moreover, the influence of unmodeled weight on the robot, and the combination with a higher priority Cartesian tasks are shown. Results are presented also in the attached video.
Prefrontal Control and Internet Addiction: A Theoretical Model and Review of Neuropsychological and Neuroimaging Findings

Most people use the Internet as a functional tool to perform their personal goals in everyday-life such as making airline or hotel reservations. However, some individuals suffer from a loss of control over their Internet use resulting in personal distress, symptoms of psychological dependence, and diverse negative consequences. This phenomenon is often referred to as Internet addiction. Only Internet Gaming Disorder has been included in the appendix of the DSM-5, but it has already been argued that Internet addiction could also comprise problematic use of other applications with cybersex, online relations, shopping, and information search being Internet facets at risk for developing an addictive behavior. Neuropsychological investigations have pointed out that certain prefrontal functions in particular executive control functions are related to symptoms of Internet addiction, which is in line with recent theoretical models on the development and maintenance of the addictive use of the Internet. Control processes are particularly reduced when individuals with Internet addiction are confronted with Internet-related cues representing their first choice use. For example, processing Internet-related cues interferes with working memory performance and decision making. Consistent with this, results from functional neuroimaging and other neuropsychological studies demonstrate that cue-reactivity, craving, and decision making are important concepts for understanding Internet addiction. The findings on reductions in executive control are consistent with other behavioral addictions, such as pathological gambling. They also emphasize the classification of the phenomenon as an addiction, because there are also several similarities with findings in substance dependency. The neuropsychological and neuroimaging results have important clinical impact, as one therapy goal should enhance control over the Internet use by modifying specific cognitions and Internet use expectancies.
Sociology that Really Matters: European Academy of Sociology, First Annual Lecture, 26 October 2001, Swedish Cultural Center

The diversity of sociology can be captured with the help of four ideal types. First is cameral or informative sociology: that which produces data and analyses oriented towards decision-makers. Second is critical sociology, which identifies the defects of society and proposes remedies for them. Third is sociology which aims to arouse emotions by describing social phenomena in a vivid fashion: it can be characterized as expressive. A fourth type, the cognitive type, sees the explanation of puzzling social phenomena as its objective. The four orientations characterize contemporary as well as classical sociology but are not equally valuable. Tocqueville, Weber, or Durkheim illustrate the fourth type, but various factors today have caused the other three to expand at its expense. As a consequence of this diversity within sociology and the trend away from the cognitive type, scepticism about the discipline has grown in recent years
Dimensions of Norm-Referenced Compulsory School Grades and their Relative Importance for the Prediction of Upper Secondary School Grades

Irrespective of the grading system, grades are the most valid instrument for predicting educational success. Previous studies have shown that criterion-referenced compulsory school grades are multidimensional, reflecting subject-specific dimensions and a common grade dimension, both of which contribute to the predictive validity of grades. This suggests that in addition to knowledge and skills, grades reflect other aspects which might have importance for the prediction of educational success. The purpose of this study was to investigate, using structured equation modeling, whether norm-referenced compulsory school grades display similar patterns of dimensionality and predictive validity to criterion-referenced grades. Possible differences due to gender and parents' education were considered. Participants were 3855 students born in 1972. The results showed that norm-referenced grades are multidimensional, and that both the subject-specific and common grade dimensions contribute to predicting educational success. In the common grade dimension, girls and students with higher educational backgrounds were favored.
Functional myotube formation from adult rat satellite cells in a defined serum‐free system

This manuscript describes the development of a culture system whereby mature contracting myotubes were formed from adult rat derived satellite cells. Satellite cells, extracted from the Tibialis Anterior of adult rats, were grown in defined serum‐free growth and differentiation media, on a nonbiological substrate, N‐1[3‐trimethoxysilyl propyl] diethylenetriamine. Myotubes were evaluated morphologically and immunocytochemically, using MyHC specific antibodies, as well as functionally using patch clamp electrophysiology to measure ion channel activity. Results indicated the establishment of the rapid expression of adult myosin isoforms that contrasts to their slow development in embryonic cultures. This culture system has applications in the understanding and treatment of age‐related muscle myopathy, muscular dystrophy, and for skeletal muscle engineering by providing a more relevant phenotype for both in vitro and in vivo applications. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 31:997–1003, 2015
An end-to-end QoS framework for IEEE 802.16 and ad-hoc integrated networks

Current mobile users are often equipped with several network interfaces, which may be of different access technologies. Each access technology has specific characteristics in terms of coverage area and technical characteristics (bandwidth, QoS, etc.) and provides diverse commercial opportunities for the operators. It seems likely that these various technologies have to coexist and, from then, solutions of integration and interoperability will be necessary to deal with the technological diversity. We consider in this paper the WiMAX and ad-hoc integrated networks. A user who needs to establish a high reliable service prefers to use WiMAX network and another who needs to transmit Best Effort traffic with high rate but delay tolerant prefers to connect ad-hoc network that is assumed to have access to Internet. We aim through this combination to locally extend the coverage of WiMAX cell and to study the stability of involved nodes, in particular, gateway nodes. Under stability condition, our main result is characterization of the end-to-end throughput and delay using the rate balance equation and a G/G/1 queueing model. Through numerical results, we demonstrate the utility and efficiency of our approach.
A Delphi Survey of Best Practice Occupational Therapy for Parkinson's Disease in the United Kingdom

This study was designed to determine the character of best occupational therapy practice for Parkinson's disease in the United Kingdom. Two hundred and forty-two occupational therapists treating people with Parkinson's disease were sent a Delphi survey containing statements about best practice and asked to indicate their level of agreement with each statement. The second survey contained the same list of statements, with group levels of agreement from the first round for each statement. The respondents re-rated their answers and gave their opinion on the efficacy of various interventions. One hundred and fifty occupational therapists (62%) completed both rounds. Ninety-nine per cent of the respondents agreed that Parkinson's disease required lifelong provision of occupational therapy, within multidisciplinary teams, and that the social and psychological aspects of the disease were as important as the physical ones. The occupational therapists had confidence in many techniques for achieving physical, social and psychological goals. However, 40% of the respondents could not rate the efficacy of social and psychological techniques owing to a lack of knowledge. There was a high level of consensus nationally on the character of best practice occupational therapy for Parkinson's disease. The survey highlighted a need for more postgraduate training, especially in psychological techniques.
Ecological studies of relation between hospital policies on neonatal vitamin K administration and subsequent occurrence of childhood cancer

Abstract Objective: To investigate the possible link between neonatal administration of intramuscular vitamin K and childhood cancer. Design: Ecological studies comparing incidence of cancer in groups of children classified by the vitamin K policy in operation at their hospital of birth. Setting: Selected large maternity units in England, Scotland, and Wales. Subjects: Children born in these units in varying periods between 1966 and 1991. Main outcome measures: Cancer occurring among these children before age 15 years identified by using the National Registry of Childhood Tumours. Ratios of observed to expected numbers of these conditions calculated for hospitals where the policy was to give all babies intramuscular vitamin K (non-selective) and where the policy was to use this treatment only for a selected minority of babies at increased risk of vitamin K deficiency bleeding (selective). Results: These ratios were calculated for children born in 94 hospitals with varying vitamin K policies. A raised risk was occasionally associated with vitamin K, but the overall results were not significant, and there was no evidence to support the previously suggested doubling of the risk of childhood cancer. Conclusions: On the basis of the results reported here it is unlikely that there is a greatly increased risk of childhood cancer attributable to intramuscular vitamin K given to newborns, if indeed there is any. Key messages Intramuscular vitamin K given to babies is known to be effective in the prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding but it has been suggested that these preparations, or one of their constituents, may increase the risk of childhood cancer Most studies have not shown a significant association between childhood cancer and vitamin K but are unable to exclude the possibility that its use increases the risk of childhood cancer by up to 10% Intramuscular vitamin K has been given to “high risk” babies as part of all the various prophylaxis policies in the United Kingdom; this should continue As a small risk cannot at present be excluded it seems prudent to recommend a policy of giving intramuscular vitamin K only to those babies at particularly high risk and giving it orally to others It is essential that a record should be made of whether or not vitamin K is given and of the preparation, route of administration, and dose