Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Celebrity Politicians: Popular Culture and Political Representation

Considerable political and media attention has focused on the phenomenon of the ‘celebrity politician’. As this article illustrates, there are two main variants of the phenomenon. The first is the elected politician or candidate who uses elements of ‘celebrityhood’ to establish their claim to represent a group or cause. The second is the celebrity—the star of popular culture—who uses their popularity to speak for popular opinion. Both examples have been seen by critics to debase liberal democratic political representation. This article challenges this critique and argues that the celebrity politician is consistent with a coherent account of political representation. This does not mean that all examples of the celebrity politician are to be seen as legitimate, but that the representative claim has to be analysed more carefully and discriminatingly than the critics typically suppose.
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease: Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Patients in a Specialized Eye Hospital in Turkey

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate clinical and demographic features of Vogt-Kayanagi-Harada disease (VKH) disease in Turkish patients and compare them with previously published data. Methods: Demographic and clinical features of 32 patients diagnosed as VKH in a tertiary referral center were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The mean age at presentation was 33.6 ± 10.4 years. Seventy-five percent of the patients were female and 62.5% of the patients presented during the last 2 years. The disease was complete in 31.2%, incomplete in 50%, and probable in 18.8% of the patients. The clinical course was acute in 50%, chronic recurrent in 34.4%, and chronic in 15.6%. The most common findings were bilateral serous retinal detachment ± papillitis in acute cases and retinal pigment epithelial changes of the macula in chronic cases. Conclusions: Although rare in Turkey, VKH disease seems to have increased during the last few years. The disease is incomplete and acute in half of the patients and has a quite good visual prognosis.
Towards integrated microplanning of language and iconic gesture for multimodal output

When talking about spatial domains, humans frequently accompany their explanations with iconic gestures to depict what they are referring to. For example, when giving directions, it is common to see people making gestures that indicate the shape of buildings, or outline a route to be taken by the listener, and these gestures are essential to the understanding of the directions. Based on results from an ongoing study on language and gesture in direction-giving, we propose a framework to analyze such gestural images into semantic units (image description features), and to link these units to morphological features (hand shape, trajectory, etc.). This feature-based framework allows us to generate novel iconic gestures for embodied conversational agents, without drawing on a lexicon of canned gestures. We present an integrated microplanner that derives the form of both coordinated natural language and iconic gesture directly from given communicative goals, and serves as input to the speech and gesture realization engine in our NUMACK project.
Challenges of Obtaining Informed Consent in Emergency Ward: A Qualitative Study in One Iranian Hospital

Background and Objective: Regarding the fact that emergency ward has unique characteristics, whose uniqueness affects informed consent processes by creating specific challenges. Hence, it seems necessary to identify the process and challenges of informed consent in the emergency ward through a qualitative study to understand actual patients’ and health care providers’ experiences, beliefs, values, and feelings about the informed consent in the emergency ward. Through such studies, new insight can be gained on the process of informed consent and its challenges with the hope that the resulting knowledge will enable the promotion of ethical, legal as well as effective health services to the patients in the emergency ward. Method: In this qualitative study, research field was one of the emergency wards of educational and public hospitals in Iran. Field work and participant observation were carried out for 515 hours from June 2014 to March 2016. Also, conversations and semi-structured interviews based on the observations were conducted. The participants of the study were nurses and physicians working in the emergency ward, as well as patients and their attendants who were involved in the process of obtaining informed consent. Results: Three main categories were extracted from the data: a sense of frustration; reverse protection; and culture of paternalism in consent process. Conclusion: Findings of this study can be utilized in correcting the structures and processes of obtaining informed consent together with promotion of patients' ethical and legal care in emergency ward. In this way, the approaches in consent process will be changed from paternalistic approach to patient-centered care which concomitantly protects patient’s autonomy.
Retrospective Survey of Parental Marital Relations and Child Reproductive Development

Belsky, Steinberg, and Draper (1991) predicted that early childhood stress or conflict in the family environment would be associated with childhood behavioural symptoms, early puberty, and early, less discriminate reproductive behaviour. A cross-sectional self-report survey of childhood family life and adolescent development was carried out with 357 university students aged 18 to 24 from Toronto, Canada. In women, earlier menarche was associated with more parental marital conflict in early childhood (birth to age 7), more parental marital unhappiness throughout childhood (birth to age 11), more independence from mother or father in late childhood (age 8 to 11), less anxiousness or internalising symptoms (anxiousness/depression) in late childhood (age 8 to 11), earlier age at dating men, and more boyfriends. In men, earlier spermarche was associated with father absence (birth to before spermarche), more stress in quality of family life, parental marital unhappiness, and parental marital conflict in early childhood (birth to age 7), more independence from mother or father in late childhood (age 8 to 11), earlier age at dating women, more girlfriends, and earlier age at sexual intercourse. These ndings are generally consistent with the Belsky et al. (1991) view that childhood psychosocial stresses affect puberty and reproductive life history, though they do not preclude alternative accounts.
Short‐ and long‐term functional plasticity of white matter induced by oligodendrocyte depolarization in the hippocampus

Plastic changes in white matter have received considerable attention in relation to normal cognitive function and learning. Oligodendrocytes and myelin, which constitute the white matter in the central nervous system, can respond to neuronal activity with prolonged depolarization of membrane potential and/or an increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Depolarization of oligodendrocytes increases the conduction velocity of an action potential along axons myelinated by the depolarized oligodendrocytes, indicating that white matter shows functional plasticity, as well as structural plasticity. However, the properties and mechanism of oligodendrocyte depolarization‐induced functional plastic changes in white matter are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the functional plasticity of white matter in the hippocampus using mice with oligodendrocytes expressing channelrhodopsin‐2. Using extracellular recordings of compound action potentials at the alveus of the hippocampus, we demonstrated that light‐evoked depolarization of oligodendrocytes induced early‐ and late‐onset facilitation of axonal conduction that was dependent on the magnitude of oligodendrocyte depolarization; the former lasted for approximately 10 min, whereas the latter continued for up to 3 h. Using whole‐cell recordings from CA1 pyramidal cells and recordings of antidromic action potentials, we found that the early‐onset short‐lasting component included the synchronization of action potentials. Moreover, pharmacological analysis demonstrated that the activation of Ba2+‐sensitive K+ channels was involved in early‐ and late‐onset facilitation, whereas 4‐aminopyridine‐sensitive K+ channels were only involved in the early‐onset component. These results demonstrate that oligodendrocyte depolarization induces short‐ and long‐term functional plastic changes in the white matter of the hippocampus and plays active roles in brain functions. GLIA 2014;62:1299–1312
Indigenous Women College Students’ Perspectives on College, Work, and Family

Native American and First Nations (herein collectively referred to as Indigenous) women college students are faced with the challenge of balancing their cultural imperatives and the demands of the dominant Western culture in family, school, and work/employment roles. In order to explore these women’s experiences and perspectives, this study analyzed unstructured qualitative interviews of 11 Native American and 9 First Nations female college students. The themes that resulted from the hermeneutic analysis were (a) honoring Indigenous culture and community, (b) living in two worlds, (c) pursuing individual fulfillment and goals, and (d) acknowledging the importance and influence of family.
An effic ient k-means clustering algorithm

In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for performing k-means clustering. It organizes all the patterns in a k-d tree structure such that one can find all the patterns which are closest to a given prototype efficiently. The main intuition behind our approach is as follows. All the prototypes are potential candidates for the closest prototype at the root level. However, for the children of the root node, we may be able to prune the candidate set by using simple geometrical constraints. This approach can be applied recursively until the size of the candidate set is one for each node. Our experimental results demonstrate that our scheme can improve the computational speed of the direct k-means algorithm by an order to two orders of magnitude in the total number of distance calculations and the overall time of computation.
Release Kinetics of Papaverine Hydrochloride from Tablets with Different Excipients

Abstract The influence of excipients on the disintegration times of tablets and the release of papaverine hydrochloride (PAP) from tablets were studied. Ten different formulations of tablets with PAP were prepared by direct powder compression. Different binders, disintegrants, fillers, and lubricants were used as excipients. The release of PAP was carried out in the paddle apparatus using 0.1 N HCl as a dissolution medium. The results of the disintegration times of tablets showed that six formulations can be classified as fast dissolving tablets (FDT). FDT formulations contained Avicel PH 101, Avicel PH 102, mannitol, (3-lactose, PVP K 10, gelatinized starch (CPharmGel), Prosolv Easy Tab, Prosolv SMCC 90, magnesium stearate, and the addition of disintegrants such as AcDiSol and Kollidon CL. Drug release kinetics were estimated by the zero- and first-order, Higuchi release rate, and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. Two formulations of the tablets containing PVP (K10) (10%), CPharmGel (10% and 25%), and Prosolv Easy Tab (44% and 60%) without the addition of a disintegrant were well-fitted to the kinetics models such as the Higuchi and zero-order, which are suitable for controlled- or sustained-release.
The Impact of External Contexts on Alliance Governance in Biotech–Pharmaceutical Firm Alliances

The interest in strategic alliances has increased over the years, especially in high tech global industries such as biotechnology, as firms seek to gain access to needed resources, expertise, and knowledge for developing and commercializing new products and technologies. The governance structure of these alliances, which is an important consideration in understanding alliance formation and performance, is influenced by both external and internal contexts of the alliance partners. However, evidence from prior research has been inconclusive regarding the impact of external contexts on alliance governance selection. To better understand this impact, we simultaneously examine three key partner external contexts - international, technological, and social contexts, and their influence on biotechnology-pharmaceutical alliance governance structure selection. Using a sample of 389 alliances formed during the six-year period 1995 through 2000, we find that the international context, specifically national cultural distance between alliance partners, and the social context, specifically credibility of the biotechnology partner in the alliance network, influence governance structure selection. We offer implications of our findings for theory, future research, and management practice.
Patterns and Factors of High School Dropout Risks of Racial and Linguistic Groups

This study examined the dropout trajectories of racial and linguistic minority students and explored the effects of students' contextual factors on their high school dropout risks. Our motivation was to identify the dropout patterns of Black, Hispanic, and Hispanic English language learner (ELL) students, who have comparatively high dropout rates, and to suggest ways to promote high school completion. We employed a survival analysis using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The results showed that the 3 minority groups displayed significantly higher dropout risks than the White group. The overall pattern of dropout risks increased over time, with the dropout rates of the Black students high in the 1st and 2nd years of high school and the highest dropout rates for Hispanic ELL students in their senior year. A gender difference was found among the students, with male students having higher dropout risks than female students. It was also found that students' positive relationships with their teachers were associated with lower dropout risks.
A Realist View of Aging, Mortality, and Future Longevity

Differences in methodology and philosophy have led scientists analyzing the same mortality data to arrive at very different conclusions about the behavior of mortality trajectories, the nature of aging, and the future of human longevity. This note describes the authors'views on these issues, which taken together can be termed a "realist" position. In this view, life expectancy is unlikely to exceed an average of 85 years absent significant advances in the control of aging. We identify a number of myths that have been attached to our work: 1) Reaching an average life expectancy of 85 years is a pessimistic outlook for human longevity, 2) Species possess an intrinsic mortality schedule that cannot be modified by human intervention, 3) Realist scenarios of the future course of human longevity are based on notions of biological determinism, 4) Realists assert that there is an age beyond which there can be no survivors, 5) Hypothesized biological barriers to longer life spans have been scientifically studied and refuted, and 6) Realists claim that life expectancy at birth cannot exceed 85 years. In dispelling these myths, we hope to provide a more accurate representation of our school of biodemographic thought. Copyright 2007 The Population Council, Inc.
Detection of vapN in Rhodococcus equi isolates cultured from humans

Rhodococcus equi can cause severe infections in people, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The R. equi virulence plasmids (vap) encoding vapA and vapB are linked to development of infections in domestic animals. Recently, a novel virulence plasmid, vapN, was identified in isolates cultured from cattle, but its prevalence or significance in human R. equi infections has not been extensively studied. To determine the prevalence of vapN in a diverse collection of human-derived isolates from different countries, 65 R. equi isolates collected by various institutions from 1984 to 2002 were screened for the presence of vapN and other virulence plasmids through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using redesigned primer sets. Of the isolates that carried plasmids, 43% (16/37) were vapN-positive and fewer were vapB or vapA-positive (30 and 16%, respectively). This is the first report of vapN carriage in R. equi isolated from human infections. One isolate (H-30) carried vapN but did not amplify the conjugal plasmid transfer gene traA associated with carriage of vap, which could be explained by sequence variation within the traA gene. Another isolate (H-55) amplified traA, but did not amplify vapA, B, or N (traA+ vapABN-) with previously described primer sets or those developed for this study. The H-55 traA sequence had 98% identity to traA sequences in vapA plasmids, which suggests that it may carry a variant of previously characterized virulence plasmids or a novel virulence plasmid. Carriage of vapN in R. equi isolates derived from people is not uncommon and more research is needed to determine its significance in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of human R. equi infections.
Patellofemoral Articulating Osteochondral (Kissing) Lesion Treated with Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation: A Case Report

Introduction: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is an effective treatment for chondral defects of the knee; however, its use in kissing lesions is less well documented. Case Report: A 23-year-old female with a kissing lesion of the patellofemoral compartment on magnetic resonance imaging underwent two-stage ACI to her medial patella (20 mm × 22 mm) and medial trochlea (27 mm × 18 mm). At 1-year follow-up, the patient had returned to all activities with near-complete resolution of symptoms and substantial improvement in clinical outcome scores. Conclusion: Patients with kissing lesions of the knee can be treated successfully with ACI performed to multiple sites.
A Comparative Profile of Violent Clients of Prostitute Women

To be effective and meaningful, offender profiles must be based on empirical comparisons of offenders and non-offenders' characteristics. Prostitute women have the highest homicide victimization rate of any population of women ever studied. Violent crimes against prostitutes tend to be difficult to solve and involve low clearance rates, which underline the need for accurate and actionable offender profiles. We conducted a matched case-control study in which we compared clients who assaulted, raped, and/or killed prostitute women with clients arrested for patronizing prostitutes in the same jurisdictions and time periods. We identified client perpetrators of cleared (solved) prostitute homicides, assaults, and rapes in a national search of US media sources. Controls were men arrested for patronizing in the same time period and jurisdictions in which a case encountered his victim(s). We matched 5 randomly selected controls to each perpetrator. There were 118 cases with suitable controls. Violent clients usually picked up their victims in the same areas where police arrested clients for patronizing. Cleared violent crimes against prostitutes involved long periods of time between the perpetrator’s (first) attack and his arrest (e.g., a median of almost 7 months for prostitute killers). The matched case-control analysis showed that violent clients and controls were similar in terms of age and distance between their residences and victim encounter/arrest locations. However, violent clients were less likely than controls to be white, be underweight or severely/morbidly obese, and drive cars (as opposed to other types of motorized vehicles). Violent clients were also much more likely to have a criminal history of violent, rape, and property offenses, and substantially less likely to have a criminal history of miscellaneous other (non-violent, non-property, non-sex, non-patronizing) offenses than controls. Men with a criminal history of violent and/or rape offenses comprise a pool that would include 40% of prostitute killers (47% of serial prostitute killers). In addition, meaningful proportions of clients arrested for patronizing in two jurisdictions had less money in their possession than the price they had agreed to pay for sex or carried weapons at the time of arrest, suggesting the potential for violence in clients’ interactions with prostitutes.
Non-native pronunciation variation modeling using an indirect data driven method

In this paper, we propose a pronunciation variation modeling method for improving the performance of a non-native automatic speech recognition (ASR) system that does not degrade the performance of a native ASR system. The proposed method is based on an indirect data-driven approach, where pronunciation variability is investigated from the training speech data, and variant rules are subsequently derived and applied to compensate for variability in the ASR pronunciation dictionary. To this end, native utterances are first recognized by using a phoneme recognizer, and then the variant phoneme patterns of native speech are obtained by aligning the recognized and reference phonetic sequences. The reference sequences are transcribed by using each of canonical, knowledge-based, and hand-labeled methods. Similar to non-native speech, the variant phoneme patterns of non-native speech can also be obtained by recognizing non-native utterances and comparing the recognized phoneme sequences and reference phonetic transcriptions. Finally, variant rules are derived from native and non-native variant phoneme patterns using decision trees and applied to the adaptation of a dictionary for non-native and native ASR systems. In this paper, Korean spoken by Chinese native speakers is considered as the non-native speech. It is shown from non-native ASR experiments that an ASR system using the dictionary constructed by the proposed pronunciation variation modeling method can relatively reduce the average word error rate (WER) by 18.5% when compared to the baseline ASR system using a canonical transcribed dictionary. In addition, the WER of a native ASR system using the proposed dictionary is also relatively reduced by 1.1%, as compared to the baseline native ASR system with a canonical constructed dictionary.
Abjection and Self-Identity: Towards a Revised Account of Purity and Impurity

Kristeva describes abjection as ‘the repugnance, the retching that thrusts me to the side and turns me away from defilement, sewage, and muck’. Her account of the ‘abject’ has received a great deal of attention since the 1980s, in part due to high demand for theoretical attention to themes of purity and impurity, which remain important in contemporary society. Yet Kristeva herself has noted that ‘my investigation into abjection, violence and horror … picks up on a certain vacuum’, and other scholars have agreed that there is need for further work on what Campkin has described as an ‘under theorized’ topic. This article will begin by exploring the central line of criticism that has been made of Kristeva's concept of abjection, before then considering an attempt by Goodnow to address these concerns through a re-reading of Kristeva. Goodnow's re-reading of Kristeva, together with some conceptual clarifications from Hegel, will point the way towards a more precise account of purity and impurity. I shall contend that Kristeva's work on social abjection sometimes hits upon a pattern, which greater conceptual precision will be able to revise into a new social theory of when and why themes of purity and impurity are invoked in Western societies. It will be argued that impure phenomena are those in which heterogeneity is seen to disturb a qualitative homogeneity, taken to be basic; pure phenomena are those understood to be all-of-a-piece and as a result identical with their essence.