Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does the middle class have rights to the city? Contingent rights and the struggle to inhabit Stuyvesant Town, New York1

From the housing project's inception, New York's Stuyvesant Town has been an unlikely site for struggles over inhabitance and social justice. Robert Moses used a public–private partnership to displace residents of the Gashouse district for the initially whites-only affordable housing project. Assisted by local rent-stabilisation legislation, Stuyvesant Town persisted as an affordable housing option until the early 2000s, when the new owners began converting the properties to market-rate rentals. An unlikely coalition of residents mobilised to block the sale, and by the late 2000s rent controls were re-established. This case links significant themes regarding social justice and housing including rent stabilisation, community activism, and neoliberal marketisation. We evaluate the utility of the right to the city perspective for understanding middle-class struggles in the context of housing financialisation. We argue that Lefebvre's right to the city applies to the Stuyvesant Town context, although the movement to protect affordable housing was led by middle-income residents who are not the traditional working-class agents associated with his concept. While remaining sympathetic to recent critiques over the vulgarisation of Lefebvre's principles, we argue that a focus on spatially contingent rights can transcend both a limited ‘politics of turf’ and empty ‘rights talk’ to create space for broadly empowered and inclusive communities.
‘Heaven starts at your parents’ feet’: adolescent bowing to parents and associated spiritual attitudes

In a quantitative survey of religious attitudes and practices in a multi‐religious sample of 369 school pupils aged between 13 and 15 in London, the practice of bowing to parents was found widespread in 22% of adolescents spanning several religious affiliations and ethnicities – especially Buddhists, Hindus and those of Indian, African and ‘Other Asian’ ethnicity. Whether an adolescent bowed correlated significantly with spiritual attitudes such as wanting to abstain from alcohol, hearing religious stories, being inspired by religious festivals and liking the idea of seeing God in everything. Findings suggest bowing to parents can have religious significance on all three levels of Jackson’s Interpretive Approach and therefore cannot be regarded as a ‘cultural accretion’ of religion. Study of bowing to parents could form a unifying exercise in shared values for study of religion in the plural classroom and facilitate community cohesion in certain religious membership groups.
Gender Role Models . . . who needs 'em?!

This article examines the use of socialization theory in social workers' considerations of child development. The author analyses assessments of lesbians and gay men who applied to foster or adopt children, in order to demonstrate social workers' reliance upon `gender role models'. Drawing upon feminist work, the article goes on to critique socialization theory, before outlining versions of `gender' found in discourse theory and ethnomethodology. Using these methodologies, the author proposes that gender role theory does not describe a child development `need', but rather constructs a particular account that is limited and conservative. The article considers the implications of this reliance upon socialization theory for lesbian and gay foster care and adoption, and instead proposes that social work should develop less restrictive accounts of gender and sexuality.
Fast QRS Detection with an Optimized Knowledge-Based Method: Evaluation on 11 Standard ECG Databases

The current state-of-the-art in automatic QRS detection methods show high robustness and almost negligible error rates. In return, the methods are usually based on machine-learning approaches that require sufficient computational resources. However, simple-fast methods can also achieve high detection rates. There is a need to develop numerically efficient algorithms to accommodate the new trend towards battery-driven ECG devices and to analyze long-term recorded signals in a time-efficient manner. A typical QRS detection method has been reduced to a basic approach consisting of two moving averages that are calibrated by a knowledge base using only two parameters. In contrast to high-accuracy methods, the proposed method can be easily implemented in a digital filter design.
A NEW POLITICAL SYSTEM MODEL: SEMI‐PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT

This article aims at defining the concept of “semi-presidential government” and detailing the diversity of its practices. There are in fact three types of semi-presidential regimes: the president can be a mere figurehead, or he may be all-powerful or again he can share his power with parliament. Using four parameters — the content of the constitution, tradition and circumstances, the composition of the parliamentary majority and the position of the president in relation to the majority — the author seeks to explain why similar constitutions are applied in a radically different manner.
What organic and Fair Trade labels do not tell us: towards a place‐based understanding of certification

Certified organic and Fair Trade food products are making their way into the mainstream among Western consumers and, as such, are increasingly viewed as sustainable and preferable alternatives to the conventional food system, with its many negative social and environmental externalities. Two case studies discussed in this paper indicate, however, that operationalizing the goals for organic and Fair Trade food via certification can be a complex and difficult process. Specifically, the implementation of certification creates a disconnect between expectations raised by labels and the ‘lived experience’ of small farmers. In the case of small farmers in Mexico growing certified organic tomatoes and herbs, certification exacerbated socio-economic inequality and disrupted local social norms by creating a hyperfocus on surveillance. In the case of small farmers in the Dominican Republic growing Fair Trade bananas, the certification process prioritized the demands of the market to such a degree that the farmers were largely unaware that they were participating in anything ‘alternative’, and it simultaneously reinforced socio-economic inequalities within the communities. These findings suggest that if the appeal of certified labels rests on the integrity of what the label represents to consumers, then such consumer movements would benefit from a more robust analysis of how certification intersects with and affects local spaces, cultures and communities at the point of production.
Making Environmental Communications Meaningful to Female Adolescents

Past efforts in studying environmental communication tend to focus on Western samples. This article investigates factors that are important in predicting female adolescents' environmental behavior in Hong Kong. Data from a survey conducted with a sample of 3,035 female adolescents show that environmental concern was the top predictor of environmental behavior, followed by perceived environmental responsibility, perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior, and perceived seriousness of environmental problems. It is surprising that environmental attitude was found to be the least important predictor of environmental behavior in the female adolescents of Hong Kong. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Comparison of Proposed Modified and Original Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Scores in Predicting ICU Mortality: A Prospective, Observational, Follow-Up Study

Background. The sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score has been recommended to triage critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to compare the performance of our proposed MSOFA and original SOFA scores in predicting ICU mortality. Methods. This prospective observational study was conducted on 250 patients admitted to the ICU. Both tools scores were calculated at the beginning, 24 hours of ICU admission, and 48 hours of ICU admission. Diagnostic odds ratio and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to compare the two scores. Results. MSOFA and SOFA predicted mortality similarly with an area under the ROC curve of 0.837, 0.992, and 0.977 for MSOFA 1, MSOFA 2, and MSOFA 3, respectively, and 0.857, 0.988, and 0.988 for SOFA 1, SOFA 2, and SOFA 3, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of MSOFA 1 in cut-off point 8 were 82.9% and 68.4%, respectively, MSOFA 2 in cut-off point 9.5 were 94.7% and 97.1%, respectively, and MSOFA 3 in cut-off point of 9.3 were 97.4% and 93.1%, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between the MSOFA 1 and the SOFA 1 (r: 0.942), 24 hours (r: 0.972), and 48 hours (r: 0.960). Conclusion. The proposed MSOFA and the SOFA scores had high diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for predicting mortality.
Effects of Rote, Context, Keyword, and Context/Keyword Methods on Retention of Vocabulary in EFL Classrooms

In the present study, the effects of rote rehearsal, context, keyword, andcontext/keyword methods on immediate and long-term retention of English as a foreign language(EFL) vocabulary in natural classroom settings was examined. 8 intact 9th-grade EFL classes were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 learning conditions: rote rehearsal, context, keyword, and context/keyword condition. Cued recall was assessed either immediately or after a 1-week delay. Results showed that the context/keyword method produced superior recall to any of the other 3 methods after 1 week, suggesting a very promising educational value for this method.
Combining Satellite Remote Sensing Data with the FAO-56 Dual Approach for Water Use Mapping In Irrigated Wheat Fields of a Semi-Arid Region

The aim of this study was to combine the FAO-56 dual approach and remotely-sensed data for mapping water use (ETc) in irrigated wheat crops of a semi-arid region. The method is based on the relationships established between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and crop biophysical variables such as basal crop coefficient, cover fraction and soil evaporation. A time series of high spatial resolution SPOT and Landsat images acquired during the 2002/2003 agricultural season has been used to generate the profiles of NDVI in each pixel that have been related to crop biophysical parameters which were used in conjunction with FAO-56 dual source approach. The obtained results showed that the spatial distribution of seasonal ETc varied between 200 and 450 mm depending to sowing date and the development of the vegetation. The validation of spatial results showed that the ETc estimated by FAO-56 corresponded well with actual ET measured by eddy covariance system over test sites of wheat, especially when soil evaporation and plant water stress are not encountered.
Platelet Aggregation in Whole Blood - Studies with a Platelet Counting Technique - Methodological Aspects and Some Applications

Summary We describe a method for measuring platelet aggregation in whole blood by single platelet counting. The importance of a low stirring speed (100 rpm) to obtain agonist-specific aggregation is stressed. Despite this low stirring speed, the sensitivity to agonists equals that of the turbidometric technique in platelet-rich plasma. The optimal concentration of formaldehyde for fixing the aggregates, the effects of storage times and anticoagulant are studied. Applicability to the study of platelet function inhibitors or of inherited platelet function disorders is illustrated. It is concluded that this technique, used under the appropriate conditions, combines the advantage of measuring platelet aggregation in a more physiologtc environment with the advantages of the turbidometric technique such as high sensitivity.
Combinatorics for the East Model

We study the number of configurations in the East model of statistical physics. This may be pictured as sites in a line. The site at zero is always occupied. The site at i>0 can only be changed if site i-1 is occupied. If at most n occupied sites are permitted, we establish upper and lower bounds of the form 2n2n! c^n where c<1 for the number of possible configurations.
Track-to-Track Fusion With Asynchronous Sensors Using Information Matrix Fusion for Surround Environment Perception

Driver-assistance systems and automated driving applications in the future will require reliable and flexible surround environment perception. Sensor data fusion is typically used to increase reliability and the observable field of view. In this paper, a novel approach to track-to-track fusion in a high-level sensor data fusion architecture for automotive surround environment perception using information matrix fusion (IMF) is presented. It is shown that IMF produces the same good accuracy in state estimation as a low-level centralized Kalman filter, which is widely known to be the most accurate method of fusion. Additionally, as opposed to state-of-the-art track-to-track fusion algorithms, the presented approach guarantees a globally maintained track over time as an object passes in and out of the field of view of several sensors, as required in surround environment perception. As opposed to the often-used cascaded Kalman filter for track-to-track fusion, it is shown that the IMF algorithm has a smaller error and maintains consistency in the state estimation. The proposed approach using IMF is compared with other track-to-track fusion algorithms in simulation and is shown to perform well using real sensor data in a prototype vehicle with a 12-sensor configuration for surround environment perception in highly automated driving applications.
Migration and Demographic Change

Academics have viewed migration from many different perspectives. This paper asks what is new about how migration impacts on population change and inversely how does population change produce new migration outcomes. Three features are singled out. First, the significance of structuring forces such as international recruitment agencies and social networks are identified as very important in shaping the impact of migration on host populations. Second, it is noted that population mobility challenges traditional patterns of care provision across the life course. Third, the changing significance of contextual factors (space, place, and household environments) has transformed the impact of migration on population change. The paper also explores how new datasets and new research methods can offer novel insights of the relation between population mobility and demographic change. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gestational exposure to mercury leads to persistent changes in T-cell phenotype and function in adult DBF1 mice

Previously, we showed that in utero exposure to mercury induced phenotypic changes in fetal immune cells. Here, we sought to determine whether the effects of in utero exposure on immune cells persisted in the adult. After overnight breeding to DBA/1 males, pregnant BALB/c dams were given either mercuric chloride in drinking water at 10 mg/L ad libitum for the duration of gestation or plain water. At the time of parturition, all dams were placed on regular drinking water. The pups (DBF1) were weaned and thymic and splenic tissues were harvested at 10 wk-of-age to assess T-cell phenotypes and function. Significant changes in the CD4/CD8 subsets in the thymus and spleen among mercury-exposed male and female mice were not observed. However, there was a significant reduction in splenic CD4+CD25+ cells in mercury-exposed female, but not in male, mice. ConA-stimulated splenocytes from mercury-exposed mice showed significant increases in proliferative responses relative to cells from control mice, regardless of sex. Cytokine secretion was also modulated in the mercury-exposed mice. In particular, the production of IL-4 and IFN by ConA-stimulated splenocytes from mercury-exposed male and female mice was significantly increased, while IL-2 and IL-10 levels were unaffected. The results of our study revealed that exposure of the developing immune system to relatively low levels of inorganic mercury could lead to persistent alterations in adult immune cell phenotypes and functions. These changes could pose a relevant health risk, if they contribute to impaired responses to pathogens and/or an increased risk for the development of atopy, asthma or possibly autoimmune diseases.
On test data volume reduction for multiple scan chain designs

We consider issues related to the reduction of scan test data in designs with multiple scan chains. We propose a metric that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of procedures for reducing the scan data volume. The metric compares the achieved compression to the compression which is intrinsic to the use of multiple scan chains. We also propose a procedure for modifying a given test set so as to achieve reductions in test data volume assuming a combinational decompressor circuit.
Consumption and Portfolio Choice over the Life Cycle

This article solves a realistically calibrated life cycle model of consumption and portfolio choice with non-tradable labor income and borrowing constraints. Since labor income substitutes for riskless asset holdings, the optimal share invested in equities is roughly decreasing over life. We compute a measure of the importance of human capital for investment behavior. We find that ignoring labor income generates large utility costs, while the cost of ignoring only its risk is an order of magnitude smaller, except when we allow for a disastrous labor income shock. Moreover, we study the implications of introducing endogenous borrowing constraints in this incomplete-markets setting. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
Social Cues and Impression Formation in CMC

Social consequences of communication technology are based on widespread assumptions regarding effects of restricted capacity of mediated communication. Consequences are examined mostly in studies comparing face-to-face communication with various forms of mediated communication, confounding the availability of cues with other characteristics of media. Present research examines effects of restricted capacity to convey social cues independent of other differences between media. Assumptions are that limited capacity to convey social cues has negative consequences for the reduction of ambiguity and positivity of impressions, and limited capacity has particular social consequences. The first part of this assumption is confirmed in 3 studies. However, consequences of this limitation to convey social cues are less straightforward. The effect of limited capacity on the selecting of collaboration partners depends on the social identity of the parties involved.
Life–history trade–offs and ecological dynamics in the evolution of longevity

Longevity is a life–history trait that is shaped by natural selection. An unexplored consequence is how selection on this trait affects diversity and diversification in species assemblages. Motivated by the diverse rockfish (Sebastes) assemblage in the North Pacific, the effects of trade–offs in longevity against competitive ability are explored. A competition model is developed and used to explore the potential for species diversification and coexistence. Invasion analyses highlight that life–history trait trade–offs in longevity can mitigate the effects of competitive ability and favour the coexistence of a finite number of species. Our results have implications for niche differentiation, limiting similarity and assembly dynamics in multispecies interactions.
The Dynamics of Scapegoating in Small Groups

An analysis is made of the proposition that the scapegoat role emerges in small groups to unconsciously allow other members to distance themselves from the anxiety and threat aroused by the intrapsychic and interpersonal conflict displaced onto the scapegoat. The analysis concentrates on describing the scapegoating process in small groups, the underlying dynamics, and the consequences for a group. Researchable propositions derivable from the dynamics of the scapegoating process are presented
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Cloud Condensation Nuclei in Pristine Tropical Rainforest Air of Amazonia: Size-resolved Measurements and Modeling of Atmospheric Aerosol Composition and Ccn Activity

Atmospheric aerosol particles serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are key elements of the hydrological cycle and climate. We have measured and characterized CCN at water vapor supersaturations in the range of S=0.10–0.82% in pristine tropical rainforest air during the AMAZE-08 campaign in central Amazonia. The effective hygroscopicity parameters describing the influence of chemical composition on the CCN activity of aerosol particles varied in the range of κ≈0.1–0.4 (0.16±0.06 arithmetic mean and standard deviation). The overall median value of κ≈0.15 was by a factor of two lower than the values typically observed for continental aerosols in other regions of the world. Aitken mode particles were less hygroscopic than accumulation mode particles (κ≈0.1 at D≈50 nm; κ≈0.2 at D≈200 nm), which is in agreement with earlier hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility ana-lyzer (H-TDMA) studies. The CCN measurement results are consistent with aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) data, showing that the organic mass fraction (f org) was on average as high as ∼90% in the Aitken mode (D≤100 nm) and decreased with increasing particle diameter in the accumulation mode (∼80% at D≈200 nm). The κ values exhibited a negative linear correlation with f org (R 2 =0.81), and extrapolation yielded the following effective hygroscopicity parameters for organic and inorganic particle components: κ org ≈0.1 which can be regarded as the effective hygroscopicity of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and κ inorg ≈0.6 which is characteristic for ammonium sulfate and related salts. Both the size dependence and the temporal variability of effective particle hygroscopicity could be parameterized as a function of AMS-based organic and inorganic mass fractions (κ p =κ org ×f org +κ inorg ×f inorg). The CCN number concentrations predicted with κ p were in fair agreement with the measurement results (∼20% average deviation). The median CCN number concentrations at S=0.
Nitrogen fertilization challenges the climate benefit of cellulosic biofuels

Cellulosic biofuels are intended to improve future energy and climate security. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is commonly recommended to stimulate yields but can increase losses of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) and other forms of reactive N, including nitrate. We measured soil N2O emissions and nitrate leaching along a switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) high resolution N-fertilizer gradient for three years post-establishment. Results revealed an exponential increase in annual N2O emissions that each year became stronger (R2 > 0.9, P < 0.001) and deviated further from the fixed percentage assumed for IPCC Tier 1 emission factors. Concomitantly, switchgrass yields became less responsive each year to N fertilizer. Nitrate leaching (and calculated indirect N2O emissions) also increased exponentially in response to N inputs, but neither methane (CH4) uptake nor soil organic carbon changed detectably. Overall, N fertilizer inputs at rates greater than crop need curtailed the climate benefit of ethanol production almost two-fold, from a maximum mitigation capacity of −5.71 ± 0.22 Mg CO2e ha−1 yr−1 in switchgrass fertilized at 56 kg N ha−1 to only −2.97 ± 0.18 Mg CO2e ha−1 yr−1 in switchgrass fertilized at 196 kg N ha−1. Minimizing N fertilizer use will be an important strategy for fully realizing the climate benefits of cellulosic biofuel production.