Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From Legal Doctrine to Social Transformation? Comparing U.S. Voting Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Fair Housing Legislation1

In 1964–68, the U.S. Congress enacted comprehensive legislation prohibiting discrimination in employment (1964 Civil Rights Act), voting (1965 Voting Rights Act), and housing (1968 Fair Housing Act). A half-century later, most scholars concur that voting rights was by far the most successful, fair housing was a general failure, and Title VII fell somewhere in between. Explanations of civil rights effectiveness in political sociology that emphasize state-internal resources and capacities, policy entrepreneurship, and/or the degree of white resentment cannot explain this specific outcome hierarchy. Pertinent to President Trump’s policies, the authors propose an alternative hypothesis grounded in the sociology of law: the comparative effectiveness of civil rights policies is best explained by the extent to which each policy incorporated a “group-centered effects” (GCE) statutory and enforcement framework. Focusing on systemic group disadvantage rather than individual harm, discriminatory consequences rather than discriminatory intent, and substantive group results over individual justice, GCE offers an alternative theoretical framework for analyzing comparative civil rights outcomes.
Why the salience of social divisions matters in party systems: Testing the interactive hypothesis in South Africa

Scholars have long argued social diversity, and electoral institutions interactively shape party systems: diversity has little effect on the effective number of parties (ENP) in single member plurality (SMP) systems but increases ENP in proportional ones. We argue instead that where diversity is salient enough to generate demand for parties, it also hinders strategic coordination, preventing SMP rules from reducing the number of parties and producing a correlation between diversity and ENP. In contrast, non-salient forms of diversity have little impact regardless of institutional rules. We test this intuition using data from South Africa’s municipal mixed-member system and explore its highly salient racial cleavage and less salient ethnic one. We find racial diversity correlates with ENP in SMP systems while ethnic diversity correlates with ENP in neither SMP nor proportional representation systems. Our study contributes to mounting evidence questioning the interactive hypothesis and points to the importance of the salience of social divisions in shaping party systems.
Pesticide Application among Farmers in the Catchment of Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme of Ghana: Health Implications

Pesticide use in modern day agriculture has increased tremendously. Pesticides are used to control pests and weeds, as well as protect crops from postharvest losses; however, their effects on humans and the environment cannot be overstated. This study examined pesticide acquisition, handling, and use among 120 farmers within the catchment of a small urban irrigation scheme. Also, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among selected farmers through which further data was collected to augment that of the survey. Twelve types of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, were found in use in the study areas. Three main sources of information about pesticides were identified, 43.3% from extension officers, 39.2% from agrochemical dealers, and 10% from colleague farmers. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the respondents purchased the pesticides from agrochemical shops. Out of 74 farmers who were observed spraying pesticides on their farms, only 25.7% wore dresses that covered their whole body but without goggles. About sixty-seven percent (66.7%) of the farmers whose chemical got finished left the containers on their farms or threw them into the bushes around. The frequency of application was influenced by affordability and size of farm, among others. The study recommended that training of farmers on pesticide handling and use should be intensified.
Comparison of cellular accumulation and cytotoxicity of cisplatin with that of tetraplatin and amminedibutyratodichloro(cyclohexylamine)platinum(IV) (JM221) in human ovarian carcinoma cell lines.

We have compared the cellular accumulation and cytotoxicity of three platinum compounds in a panel of five human ovarian carcinoma cell lines. The cell lines, which were established from both untreated and pretreated patients, showed a wide range in sensitivity to cisplatin and other platinum drugs. The panel consisted of two sensitive (41M, CH1), one in vivo acquired resistant (PXN/94) with moderate sensitivity, and two intrinsically resistant (SKOV-3, HX/62) cell lines. The cisplatin 2-h concentration of drug required to inhibit cell growth by 50% compared with vehicle treated control cells (IC50 values) for these cell lines were in the following order: CH1 < 41M < PXN/94 < SKOV-3 < HX/62. None of the cell lines showed saturation of platinum accumulation (per mg protein) at 2 h after exposure to cisplatin concentrations of up to 500 microM. The highest cellular platinum accumulation was observed in the sensitive 41M cell line which was established from an untreated patient. The lowest accumulation was found in the intrinsically resistant HX/62 cell line. The rate of platinum accumulation at an equimolar concentration of cisplatin was 41M > SKOV-3 > CH1 > PXN/94 > HX/62. The relationship between drug accumulation and cytotoxicity was evaluated by comparing 2-h IC50 values with platinum accumulation following exposure to both equimolar and equitoxic doses of the agent. The results suggest that reduced drug accumulation may play a partial role in the mechanism of intrinsic resistance to cisplatin in one cell line (SKOV-3) and a major role in another (HX/62), where reduced accumulation is attributable to reduced uptake rather than enhanced efflux. Decreased drug accumulation may also contribute significantly to the lower sensitivity of the PXN/94 cell line to cisplatin. Interestingly, both the PXN/94 and the sensitive CH1 cell lines, which were established from patients pretreated with platinum drugs, showed reduced drug accumulation relative to the 41M cell line. Cellular accumulation of tetraplatin and JM221 [(ammine)dibutyratodichloro(cyclohexylamine)platinum(IV)], a novel platinum(IV) dicarboxylate complex exhibiting enhanced cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin, was also examined. Comparison with platinum accumulation from cisplatin suggests that the increased cytotoxicity of tetraplatin and JM221 may be related to their increased accumulation. Significantly both agents are more lipophilic than cisplatin, which may account partially for their improved uptake in cisplatin resistant cells.
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Is Involved in Sodium and Water Homeostasis in Humans

In previous studies with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) we have observed that this peptide modulates fluid intake and increases renal sodium excretion in healthy volunteers and in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. The effect of GLP-1 on thirst, water intake and on osmoregulation has, however, not been examined in detail in humans. Methods: Seventeen healthy male subjects were enrolled in two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. In study part A, 8 volunteers participated in a protocol with an intravenous salt load of 26.7 ± 0.9 g comparing the effect of an infusion of GLP-1 (1.5 pmol/kg × min) to isotonic saline (placebo). Sodium excretion and water intake were measured. In part B, 9 volunteers were challenged with an oral salt load of 27.7 ± 0.5 g; sodium excretion and water intake were determined comparing an infusion of GLP-1 (1.5 pmol/kg × min) to isotonic saline (placebo). In part C, intestinal biopsies along the gastrointestinal tract were obtained from 14 healthy subjects. Expression of human GLP-1 receptor mRNA was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: In study part A, an increase in renal sodium excretion was demonstrated: FeNa rose from 1.6 ± 0.3 (placebo) to 2.7 ± 0.2% (GLP-1; p = 0.0005). There was no difference in water consumption between the two treatments: 1,291 ± 69 (saline) vs. 1,228 ± 74 ml (GLP-1; p = 0.49). In part B, an oral salt challenge of 27.7 ± 0.5 g led to an increased renal excretion of sodium during GLP-1: FeNa increased from 1.6 ± 0.2% (placebo) to 2.0 ± 0.2% (GLP-1; p = 0.012). In contrast to part A, oral water intake was reduced by 36% under GLP-1 treatment: 1,848 ± 331 ml (placebo) vs. 1,181 ± 177 ml (GLP-1; p = 0.0414). Three subjects in part B did not finish treatment with GLP-1 because of diarrhea. Human GLP-1 receptor mRNA expression was highest in the proximal human small intestine compared to terminal ileum and colon (p < 0.02). Conclusions: GLP-1 acts on renal tissue reducing sodium absorption, probably via similar sodium transporters, which also may be localized in the gastrointestinal tract. This hypothesis needs to be confirmed by further studies.
Performance of Orthogonal Matching Pursuit for Multiple Measurement Vectors

In this paper, we consider orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm for multiple measurement vectors (MMV) problem. The robustness of OMPMMV is studied under general perturbations---when the measurement vectors as well as the sensing matrix are incorporated with additive noise. The main result shows that although exact recovery of the sparse solutions is unrealistic in noisy scenario, recovery of the support set of the solutions is guaranteed under suitable conditions. Specifically, a sufficient condition is derived that guarantees exact recovery of the sparse solutions in noiseless scenario.
Memorable Audiovisual Narratives Synchronize Sensory and Supramodal Neural Responses

Abstract Our brains integrate information across sensory modalities to generate perceptual experiences and form memories. However, it is difficult to determine the conditions under which multisensory stimulation will benefit or hinder the retrieval of everyday experiences. We hypothesized that the determining factor is the reliability of information processing during stimulus presentation, which can be measured through intersubject correlation of stimulus-evoked activity. We therefore presented biographical auditory narratives and visual animations to 72 human subjects visually, auditorily, or combined, while neural activity was recorded using electroencephalography. Memory for the narrated information, contained in the auditory stream, was tested 3 weeks later. While the visual stimulus alone led to no meaningful retrieval, this related stimulus improved memory when it was combined with the story, even when it was temporally incongruent with the audio. Further, individuals with better subsequent memory elicited neural responses during encoding that were more correlated with their peers. Surprisingly, portions of this predictive synchronized activity were present regardless of the sensory modality of the stimulus. These data suggest that the strength of sensory and supramodal activity is predictive of memory performance after 3 weeks, and that neural synchrony may explain the mnemonic benefit of the functionally uninformative visual context observed for these real-world stimuli.
Scalable detection of statistically significant communities and hierarchies, using message passing for modularity

Significance Most work on community detection does not address the issue of statistical significance, and many algorithms are prone to overfitting. We address this using tools from statistical physics. Rather than trying to find the partition of a network that maximizes the modularity, our approach seeks the consensus of many high-modularity partitions. We do this with a scalable message-passing algorithm, derived by treating the modularity as a Hamiltonian and applying the cavity method. We show analytically that our algorithm succeeds all the way down to the detectability transition in the stochastic block model; it also performs well on real-world networks. It also provides a principled method for determining the number of groups or hierarchies of communities and subcommunities. Modularity is a popular measure of community structure. However, maximizing the modularity can lead to many competing partitions, with almost the same modularity, that are poorly correlated with each other. It can also produce illusory ‘‘communities’’ in random graphs where none exist. We address this problem by using the modularity as a Hamiltonian at finite temperature and using an efficient belief propagation algorithm to obtain the consensus of many partitions with high modularity, rather than looking for a single partition that maximizes it. We show analytically and numerically that the proposed algorithm works all of the way down to the detectability transition in networks generated by the stochastic block model. It also performs well on real-world networks, revealing large communities in some networks where previous work has claimed no communities exist. Finally we show that by applying our algorithm recursively, subdividing communities until no statistically significant subcommunities can be found, we can detect hierarchical structure in real-world networks more efficiently than previous methods.
Can neural networks be easily interpreted in software cost estimation?

Software development effort estimation with the aid of neural networks has generally been viewed with skepticism by a majority of the software cost estimation community. Although, neural networks have shown their strengths in solving complex problems, their shortcoming of being 'black boxes' models has prevented them from being accepted as a common practice for cost estimation. In this paper, we study the interpretation of cost estimation models based on a backpropagation three layer perceptron network. Our proposed idea comprises mainly of the use of a method that maps this neural network to a fuzzy rule based system. Consequently, if the obtained fuzzy rules are easily interpreted, the neural network will also be easy to interpret. Our case study is based on the COCOMO'81 dataset.
Insulin Resistance Is Associated With Higher Intramyocellular Triglycerides in Type I but Not Type II Myocytes Concomitant With Higher Ceramide Content

OBJECTIVE We tested the primary hypotheses that sphingolipid and diacylglycerol (DAG) content is higher within insulin-resistant muscle and that the association between intramyocellular triglycerides (IMTG) and insulin resistance is muscle fiber type specific. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A nested case-control analysis was conducted in 22 obese (BMI >30 kg/m2) women who were classified as insulin-resistant (IR; n = 12) or insulin-sensitive (IS; n = 10), determined by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (>30% greater in IS compared with IR, P < 0.01). Sphingolipid and DAG content was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Fiber type–specific IMTG content was histologically determined. Gene expression was determined by quantitative PCR. RESULTS Total (555 ± 53 vs. 293 ± 54 pmol/mg protein, P = 0.004), saturated (361 ± 29 vs. 179 ± 34 pmol/mg protein, P = 0.001), and unsaturated (198 ± 29 vs. 114 ± 21 pmol/mg protein, P = 0.034) ceramides were higher in IR compared with IS. DAG concentrations, however, were similar. IMTG content within type I myocytes, but not type II myocytes, was higher in IR compared with IS subjects (P = 0.005). Insulin sensitivity was negatively correlated with IMTG within type I myocytes (R = −0.51, P = 0.026), but not with IMTG within type II myocytes. The proportion of type I myocytes was lower (41 vs. 59%, P < 0.01) in IR subjects. Several genes involved in lipid droplet and fatty acid metabolism were differentially expressed in IR compared with IS subjects. CONCLUSIONS Human skeletal muscle insulin resistance is related to greater IMTG content in type I but not type II myocytes, to greater ceramide content, and to alterations in gene expression associated with lipid metabolism.
Distributions and Relations: A Hybrid Account

There is a deep divide among political philosophers of an egalitarian stripe. On the one hand, there are so-called distributive egalitarians, who hold that equality obtains within a political community when each of its members enjoys an equal share of the community’s resources. On the other hand, there are so-called social egalitarians, who instead hold that equality obtains within a political community when each of its members stands in certain relations to other members of the community, such as non-domination and lack of oppression. In this article, we have three aims. Our first aim is to cast doubt on the helpfulness of characterizing the debate in this way. Our second aim is to reconstruct this debate in alternative and more precise terms, so that disagreements between advocates of either side are easier to evaluate. Our third aim is to advance a hybrid account that integrates element from both views.
Comparison of Surgically Induced Astigmatisms after Clear Corneal Incisions of Different Sizes

Purpose This study was performed to assess efficiency and stability of astigmatic change by incision size after cataract surgery. Methods This work was designed as a retrospective, comparative, nonrandomized interventional study. A total of 121 cases of cataract surgery were reviewed in 98 patients performed by one surgeon at the Oregon Eye Institute in Eugene, OR, USA with 3-year follow-ups. All procedures were performed with the temporal approach of self-sealing incisions. The serial change in surgically induced astigmatisms were examined in all cases of three groups: Group A, cartridge injection of a foldable IOL through a 2.5 mm self-sealing incision; Group B, cartridge injection of a foldable IOL through a 3.0 mm self-sealing incision; Group C, cartridge injection of a foldable IOL through a 3.5 mm self-sealing incision. Keratometric data were obtained reoperatively, and 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 24 months and 36 months postoperatively. Polar value analysis was performed to calculate the surgically induced astigmatism. Results The astigmatic change decreased over time in Group B (P<0.05). The other groups tended to remain in induced astigmatism. All groups showed anticlockwise torque at 3 weeks following surgery. Group B showed a decrease in deviation, but the other groups showed increases in their torque value at postoperative 12 months (P<0.05). Conclusions The 3.0 mm incision size correlated with the least surgically induced astigmatism.
THE LOCALIZATION BY ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF HELA CELL SURFACE ENZYMES SPLITTING ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE

Cultures of normally proliferating Hela cells have been examined in thin sections by electron microscopy following glutaraldehyde fixation, staining in Wachstein and Meisel's adenosine triphosphate containing medium, postosmication, and embedding in an epoxy resin. The cells were stained in suspension in order to ensure uniform accessibility to reagents. Discrete localization of the enzyme reaction product (lead phosphate) was found at the plasma membranes of about half the cells, but nowhere else. It appeared in the form of an intensely electron-opaque deposit lying close against the outer surface of the cells and varying in amount from a chain of small particles to a dense band about 30 mµ in width. This opaque reaction product was present over microvilli when absent elsewhere on a cell, was heaviest where microvilli and processes were profuse, and was minimal or lacking where cell surfaces were smooth. These observations are discussed in relation to both the idea that surface enzyme activity varies with the physiological phase of individual cells in a population, and the problem of how such enzyme activity becomes manifest at a given site on a morphologically changing membrane system.
Organisational Factors Induce Prolonged Emergency Department Length of Stay in Elderly Patients – A Retrospective Cohort Study

Study objective To assess the association of patient and organisational factors with emergency department length of stay (ED-LOS) in elderly ED patients (226565 years old) and in younger patients (<65 years old). Methods A retrospective cohort study of internal medicine patients visiting the emergency department between September 1st 2010 and August 31st 2011 was performed. All emergency department visits by internal medicine patients 226565 years old and a random sample of internal medicine patients <65 years old were included. Organisational factors were defined as non-medical factors. ED-LOS is defined as the time between ED arrival and ED discharge or admission. Prolonged ED-LOS is defined as ≥75th percentile of ED-LOS in the study population, which was 208 minutes. Results Data on 1782 emergency department visits by elderly patients and 597 emergency department visits by younger patients were analysed. Prolonged ED-LOS in elderly patients was associated with three organisational factors: >1 consultation during the emergency department visit (odds ratio (OR) 3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.3–4.3), a higher number of diagnostic tests (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.16–1.33) and evaluation by a medical student or non-trainee resident compared with a medical specialist (OR 4.2, 95% CI 2.0–8.8 and OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4–3.9). In younger patients, prolonged ED-LOS was associated with >1 consultation (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.4–4.6). Factors associated with shorter ED-LOS were arrival during nights or weekends as well as a high urgency level in elderly patients and self-referral in younger patients. Conclusion Organisational factors, such as a higher number of consultations and tests in the emergency department and a lower seniority of the physician, were the main aspects associated with prolonged ED-LOS in elderly patients. Optimisation of the organisation and coordination of emergency care is important to accommodate the needs of the continuously growing number of elderly patients in a better way.
Redefining Learning: Kolb's Theory of Learning Styles with Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

This study attempts to bridge David Kolb’s theory of Learning Styles Howard with Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences to overcome criticisms to both. The necessity to sequentially achieve Kolb's four learning stages (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation) and their respective preferred combinations are discussed as an onset. Succeeding that is an analysis of Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences which claims intelligence to be one of eight types of independent arenas of competence, all independent of each other (linguistic. analytical, musical, bodily, interpersonal and intrapersonal, spatial and naturalist). Both theories suffer from certain drawbacks. For instance, Kolb’s theory has sufficient empirical support but lacks scientific backing while Gardner's theory is bereft of empirical support but founded on clinical research on central nervous system. Utilizing a combination of both theories the study examines possibilities to improve quality of education, training and pedagogical advice. The purpose of this study is to examine both theories in detail so as to isolate unique concepts both scientifically accurate and empirically compelling with the intent to formulate a compound theory through active use of pragmatism and quality control. The paper further presents a real life model to overcome impediments faced by the two theories and proposes revisions in learning techniques to facilitate absorption of knowledge and synthetization of information in general educational practice at both amateur and professional level.