Affirmative Action Research Articles

AI-Driven Comprehensive SERS-LFIA System: Improving Virus Automated Diagnostics Through SERS Image Recognition and Deep Learning

Highly infectious and pathogenic viruses seriously threaten global public health, underscoring the need for rapid and accurate diagnostic methods to effectively manage and control outbreaks. In this study, we developed a comprehensive Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering–Lateral Flow Immunoassay (SERS-LFIA) detection system that integrates SERS scanning imaging with artificial intelligence (AI)-based result discrimination. This system was based on an ultra-sensitive SERS-LFIA strip with SiO2-Au NSs as the immunoprobe (with a theoretical limit of detection (LOD) of 1.8 pg/mL). On this basis, a negative–positive discrimination method combining SERS scanning imaging with a deep learning model (ResNet-18) was developed to analyze probe distribution patterns near the T line. The proposed machine learning method significantly reduced the interference of abnormal signals and achieved reliable detection at concentrations as low as 2.5 pg/mL, which was close to the theoretical Raman LOD. The accuracy of the proposed ResNet-18 image recognition model was 100% for the training set and 94.52% for the testing set, respectively. In summary, the proposed SERS-LFIA detection system that integrates detection, scanning, imaging, and AI automated result determination can achieve the simplification of detection process, elimination of the need for specialized personnel, reduction in test time, and improvement of diagnostic reliability, which exhibits great clinical potential and offers a robust technical foundation for detecting other highly pathogenic viruses, providing a versatile and highly sensitive detection method adaptable for future pandemic prevention.

Radical implementation of holistic review for general surgery residency recruitment: an institutional 4-year review and lessons learned

Purpose The AAMC has promoted holistic review as a best practice in residency recruitment. The goal is to create an alternate set of metrics to evaluate applicants, while looking beyond scores at more meaningful attributes that align with program values to diversify the pool of candidates interviewed and selected (Holistic Review.” AAMC, www.aamc.org/services/member-capacity-building/holistic-review.;Jones et al. in Acad Med 96:176–181, 2021). Currently, there is no standardized set of rules or metrics mandated by the AAMC or ACGME to guide residency programs in this process. Our aim was to evaluate how the implementation of holistic review affected the diversity (race, gender, ethnicity, and geographic origin) of applicants selected for interview and match at our institution.MethodsWe examined the application cycles between 2017 and 2021 to determine whether changes in the recruitment process influenced the diversity of interviewed and matched applicants after holistic review was implemented. Changes included implementing structured interviews in 2019 and semi-structured interviews, redacted/blinded screening, and a revised scoring rubric in 2020. Tracked variables included pre-interview scores, interview scores, and match status stratified by sex, minority status, URiM status, and degree type (MD vs. DO) within application years.ResultsRecruitment changes resulted in a higher percentage of URiM applicants being invited for interview, an increase in the proportion of matched female applicants, and interview invites to applicants applying from more diverse regions and states after holistic review was implemented. A notable challenge to holistic review implementation included significant additional time required in the application review process.ConclusionImplementation of holistic review demonstrated increased minority, URiM and geographic diversity of applicants interviewed. We maintained and increased proportions of URiM and minority residents in our program respectively. Future implementation strategies should continue to update branding and marketing to highlight program growth and strengths, increase workforce to screen, interview and select applicants and continue to mitigate bias— particularly in the rank list meeting. In the era following a ban on affirmative action, holistic review strategies, including blinded screening, may allow continued diversification of the surgical workforce in ways that look beyond race.

Supreme Court Impacts in Public Health Law: 2024-2025.

After dispensing major precedents affecting the public's health in each of its prior three terms, the 2024-2025 term of the US Supreme Court was arguably less impactful amid several unanimous decisions preserving existing jurisprudence (at least in part). However, this is an understatement. While the Court issued key decisions arguably favorable to communal health this prior year it also denied minors access to medical procedures sought by their doctors, diminished diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in employment, allowed states to deny health providers access to Medicaid because they also provided abortions, disallowed rural hospitals from collecting specific costs for treating low-income patients, and provided a "script" of sorts for executive control of federal health advisory committees.

The imperial examination and the college entrance examination from the perspective of affirmative action: assistance to disadvantaged examinees in China

Affirmative action in China’s selective examinations arises from the pursuit of educational equity and recognition of challenges faced by disadvantaged examinees. Selective examinations, exemplified by the imperial examination (Keju) and the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao), serve as mechanisms for social mobility. This study employs historical and policy research methods, integrating theoretical analysis with historical investigation. By integrating historical and modern contexts, the research explores how affirmative action measures have been supporting disadvantaged examinees, hoping to provide the international community with a broader understanding of over a millennium of China’s efforts to support vulnerable examinees in the examination system. Affirmative action in the imperial examination is characterized by its long duration and limited effectiveness. In the case of the Gaokao, affirmative action plays a positive role, but there is a lack of precise identification of disadvantaged candidate groups. Therefore, efforts should continue across multiple dimensions, including institutional guarantees, policy support, and resource assistance, to promote fairness in examinations and safeguard educational equity.

RIGHTS, LIBERALISM, MULTICULTURALISM

In my study, I deal with different positions regarding rights, liberalism and multiculturalism. For my investigation, I shall analyse the following studies:-Will Kymlicka’s Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights and Multicultural Odysseys. Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity.-Chandran Kukathas’ Cultural Toleration and The Liberal Archipelago: A Theory of Diversity and Freedom,-Doriane L. Coleman’s Individualizing Justice through Multiculturalism: The Liberalsʼ Dilemma, and-Brian Barry’s Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism.In Kymlicka’s liberal theory of group rights, the acknowledgement of rights to groups is to be interpreted as an extension and development of the liberal tradition. Multinational states must face problems resulting from the presence of different cultural groups and from the relations between the majority and the minorities living in the state. A multinational state ought to guarantee equality between its members: group rights are the instrument to put limitations on the political space of the majority.Kukathas considers the state as being exclusively an aggregation between groups: the state has therefore no authority of intervention in the groups. Since liberalism is toleration, the rules, traditions, and habits which exist in the different groups ought, in the opinion of Kukathas, to be tolerated, even though these rules, traditions and habits are oppressive, intolerant and illiberal for the members of the group itself.The analysis of Coleman introduces us to the questions connected to the cultural defences and to the problems that the strategy of the cultural defences represents for the American and not only for the American tribunals: the question is whether a pluralistic interpretation of the law is to be accepted, as those who plead for the cultural defences maintain, or whether a pluralistic interpretation of the law is to be refused. The analysis of Coleman gives us highly valuable elements to understand the problems represented by some interpretations of multiculturalism for the equal protection clause of the US Constitution and for the citizens’ equality before the law.Barry accepts as forms of group rights exclusively affirmative actions. In Barry’s view, rights may be conceded to groups exclusively for economic reasons: disadvantaged sectors of the people of a country may receive specific rights in the case that these rights can eliminate the economic difficulties in which these sectors of people live. These rights ought to be suppressed, though, when the economic difficulties disappear. Barry considers the concession of cultural group rights as a danger to the equality of the citizens in a country: individual rights may never be sacrificed to group rights.

WOMEN'S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN THE GERINDRA PARTY FACTION OF THE CENTRAL JAVA LEGISLATURE: AN ANALYSIS OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICIES AND THE OBSTACLES FACED

Women face challenges to enter the realm of power as long as the concept of power continues to be associated with masculine traits. The phenomenon of limited space for women in political party structures cannot be interpreted simply as a quantitative issue of the number of representation, but rather a manifestation of more fundamental power relations in the Indonesian political system. This research uses a qualitative approach with descriptive research methods to seek deeper information about affirmative action, political representation and the politics of presence, as well as the obstacles and constraints of women in the Gerindra Party Faction Central Java. The results shows that Gerindra Party has implemented a number of policies and strategic steps that encourage women to be active in politics. However, although Gerindra Party provides equal opportunities for women, there are still challenges that need to be overcome. While there are still challenges that need to be overcome, the party’s efforts should be applauded as part of a broader struggle to create a system of gender equality in.

Affirmative Action Bans, Individual Bias, and Systematic Inequality

This paper examines the relationship between affirmative action bans and racial attitudes, with a particular focus on state-level actions, such as California's Proposition 209 and recent Supreme Court rulings, including Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023). These legal and political shifts have reshaped the racial landscape in higher education, particularly affecting underrepresented minority (URM) populations. Drawing on psychological and sociological frameworks, this paper elaborates on the relationships among implicit bias, racial inequality, institutional structures, and race-specific social policies such as affirmative action. Novel interdisciplinary approaches consider historical, economic, socio-psychological, and structural factors. Gaps in existing research specify the need for a more comprehensive link between individual micro-level psychological processes and macro-level policies and structures. By addressing these gaps, the paper aims to contribute to the broader conversation on the consequences of affirmative action bans and propose pathways for future research incorporating implicit racial attitudes and education policy.

EDUCATING IN INEQUALITY

This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic vulnerability and access to basic education in Brazil, with a particular emphasis on the regional provision of psychopedagogical services. Grounded in the assumption that education is inherently non-neutral, the article positions psychopedagogy as a central clinical-educational field responsible for listening, intervening, and reimagining life trajectories. The findings reveal glaring regional disparities, indicating the urgent need for revised public policies, context-sensitive investments, and targeted affirmative actions. “In every region of Brazil, a unique way of learning pulses. But to truly hear these ways, more than methods are required: we need poetry, presence, and ethics.”

O FENÔMENO “BRANQUITUDE” E SUAS RESSONÂNCIAS SOBRE A RELAÇÃO ENTRE O NEGRO E O TRABALHO NO BRASIL

The trajectory of non-white groups in Brazil, from the colonial period and slavery to the present day, despite current labor laws, is marked by resistance and the fight against prejudice and exclusion. These groups demonstrate a tireless capacity to resist and transform reality, even in the face of the explicit consequences that manifest themselves in racial inequalities, both in educational contexts and in the labor market. To understand this dynamic, it is essential to analyze the historical formation of Brazilian society, addressing the place occupied by whites and blacks and the complex interactions between these groups. Brazil's social structure is based on values ​​that associate whiteness with progress and civilization, while the non-white population is relegated to a position of marginalization. These values, rooted in scientific and eugenic ideas from the 19th century, perpetuate exclusion. In order to build a more just and egalitarian society, the Brazilian State has adopted reparation measures, such as the valorization of Afro and indigenous culture, the implementation of affirmative action policies and laws that combat discrimination and racism. This article, written in the form of a theoretical essay, reveals, through the discussion of concepts such as “whiteness”, “blackness”, “racism”, “racial democracy”, “quilombamento” and others, how black people have been deprived of the right to be free, dignified and autonomous citizens in Brazil; victimized by structural racism that places them in a condition of subordination in relation to white citizens; leading them to occupy positions of lesser value from school (educational process) to employment (job market).

Anti-caste, equity-focused trans activism and the fight for horizontal reservations in India

Abstract In this article, I explore how caste-oppressed Dalit and Bahujan trans and gender-variant people in India are organizing for equity and distributive justice by raising the demand for horizontal reservations. Through sustained, equity-centred activism, they are laying legitimate claims on just redistribution by insisting that the Indian state make caste central in imagining and devising affirmative action policies for the most impacted, multiply marginalized, and historically oppressed Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, and caste-oppressed Muslim trans and intersex people. Through protests, demonstrations, judicial activism, public statements, press releases, signature campaigns, media appearances – and through organizing efforts centred around redistribution – caste-oppressed trans activists have been demanding that the Indian state implement reservation policies to actively enable the continuation of life, sustenance, and prosperity of not just upper caste trans people belonging to the middle classes but also Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, and caste-oppressed Muslim trans and intersex people who are structurally immiserated and are also primarily working class and lack generational wealth. I observe that anti-caste, equity-focused activism and organizing, prominently led by caste-oppressed Dalit and Bahujan trans and gender-variant people, is putting pressure on the Indian state to provide multiply marginalized trans and intersex people with life-sustaining and life-enhancing opportunities. And by doing so, they are also resisting caste-denialism – as well as the tokenization of trans lives – prominent within upper caste and upper and middle class queer and trans activist spaces in India today.

An anger-based framework for understanding terrorism-driven "shifts to the right": How and why Islamist-focused threats produce narrow changes in political preferences.

Terrorism represents one of the most commonly studied types of threat in the social and political psychology literature. Of particular note, many studies (along with national polls) have shown that the threat of Islamist fundamentalism increases the appeal of conservativism. However, there are some important-and unresolved-questions regarding these threat-driven "shifts to the right." Our primary focus was on the role of emotion. Are these conservative shifts due to the activation of fear, as long assumed by researchers in this area? Or might other emotions, such as anger, play the more central role? We also sought additional clarity on the relative breadth of these ideological shifts. When such threats are salient, is their impact relatively narrow, that is, constrained to political preferences specifically linked to terrorism? Or do these effects generalize to relatively distal political preferences, such as those related to abortion or affirmative action? This article proposes and tests an integrative model stipulating that (a) anger plays the primary role in driving these shifts and that (b) these anger-driven shifts are relatively narrow. Across three experiments, two of which were preregistered (total N = 2,395), we found strong support for both predictions. We discuss the implications of these findings for several well-known models in the social and political psychology literature. Our work also considers contrasts between the dynamics triggered by these acts of terrorism and their relation to other threats, including environmental disasters as well as mass shootings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Safeguards or Symbolism? The Enforcement Crisis of Women’s and Children’s Rights in India

Protection and empowerment of women and children remain at the forefront of the Indian Constitution framework by giving equality, justice, and dignity to the relationships and marginalized families. Despite an established Constitutional and legislative framework, the reality of lived experiences manifests systemic indifference and persistent socio-legal disparities. While the Indian Constitution enshrines provisions such as equality, prohibits exploitation, child labor, and affirmative actions for the empowerment of women and children, bureaucratic inefficiencies, cultural and institutional barriers hinder its effectiveness. The paper critically explores the disconnect between constitutional ideas and their limited realization through legislative safeguards. Additionally, the study considers whether the provisions effectively address children’s and women's vulnerabilities, and whether the intended purpose amounts to results. The paper uses a mixed-methods approach by combining doctrinal analysis with empirical research to assess whether rights-based safeguards for women and children are adequate. The paper comprehensively discusses the statutory law, the government reports, the NCRB, the NFHS data, and real-world case scenarios to explore the real-world implementation effectively. The Findings reveal stark disparities between legal mandates and their ground-level enforcement, including a 4% increase in violence against women and overwhelming judicial backlogs (95% case pendency). While judicial activism has expanded, these protection failures, such as inadequate victim support, infrastructure, and gender-insensitive law, undermine its efficiency. The paper underscores collaborative multidimensional reforms from all stakeholders, such as judicial capacity building, accountability, and targeted grassroots-level programmes to combat these challenges. The research indicates that going from constitutional commitments to social action entails legal reform and conscious and transformational change to protect the rights of women and children in India.

Civil rights lawyering and the reconstruction of law and literature

ABSTRACT Interrogating the place of race in law and literature has newfound urgency in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision striking race-based affirmative action in university admissions and a renewal of the “canon wars” in U.S. politics and academia. Amidst this turbulence, legal scholars have published landmark articles unmasking the racist intellectual history of several doctrinal fields. Their critiques inform this essay, which charts a counter-genealogy of law and literature’s growth as a field grounded not mainly in academic work but civil rights praxis. The essay first summarises the traditional narrative of law and literature’s emergence as an interdiscipline, close reading canonical texts that craft a genealogy of elite white men building the field. Next, the essay presents a narrative of the field centralising the work of civil rights lawyers from Reconstruction to the civil rights era. Turning to this alternative archive highlights Black lawyers’ role in constructing the field, including through theorising about interdisciplinarity and re-forming literary genres to promote racial justice. The essay ultimately encourages law and literature scholars to consider how an exclusionary intellectual history of the field has shaped their research and how a more inclusive intellectual history can revitalise the interdiscipline.

What Indirect Affirmative Action Can Do

Affirmative action is under pressure in the United States. At the moment, affirmative action is both legally prohibited and politically ill advised. For an egalitarian, this is not good news. What to do? This paper aims to show that indirect affirmative action can be useful for the egalitarian. It does so in two steps. First, it explains what indirect affirmative action is. Providing a paradigm-based definition, it argues that an intention to disproportionately benefit a minority is not a necessary, but a paradigmatic, condition of indirect affirmative action. Second, it shows that (i) indirect affirmative action survives prominent objections to affirmative action, (ii) reasons of equality of opportunity and integration give us reason to pursue indirect affirmative action, and (iii) in a politically inegalitarian climate like the current one in the US, indirect affirmative action is particularly strategically useful vis-á-vis direct affirmative action for the egalitarian, and it provides a preliminary case for why it is sometimes permissible to pursue indirect affirmative action as a form of egalitarian gamesmanship.

Session 19. Oral Presentation for: Small steps, big impact: advancing gender diversity in Queensland’s oil and gas industry

Presented on 28 May 2025: Session 19 The Queensland oil and gas sector grapples with an enduring challenge: a lack of gender diversity. Historically a male-dominated industry, outdated norms hinder efforts to attract a diverse talent pool. While large scale policy shifts and corporate mandates may eventually steer the ship, waiting for such monumental movements risks inertia. Meaningful change can also be achieved through small acts of inclusion – the everyday decisions, conversations and choices made within immediate spheres of influence. These seemingly modest gestures can create momentum, shifting the dial towards a more inclusive, equitable industry. In this context, Queensland Women of Wells (QWOW) emerged – a grassroots, volunteer organisation and network advocating for diversity and equity through everyday acts of inclusive leadership. Collaborating across organisational boundaries, QWOW creates safe spaces where women connect, learn, and empower one another, thus working towards an industry where women feel seen, secure and fully equipped to contribute to their careers, teams and the future of the energy sector. QWOW’s focus is on practical steps and responses from the annual survey of the experience of women in the industry, conducted since 2023, provide crucial data to guide affirmative action. Two-thirds of women have felt unsafe at work; three-quarters have encountered discrimination. Yet, remarkably, 91% of respondents maintain faith in the sector, recommending it as a career for other women. This paper delves into QWOW’s journey, survey findings and actionable recommendations for everyone, demonstrating that small acts of inclusion yield immediate impact. To access the Oral Presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Affirmative Action and Gender Parity in Higher Education: A Critical Analysis of Ghana's Legal Framework

Affirmative Action and Gender Parity in Higher Education: A Critical Analysis of Ghana's Legal Framework

KEBIJAKAN AKSES PENDIDIKAN MELALUI SISTEM PENERIMAAN MURID BARU (SPMB) KABUPATEN WONOGIRI 2025

In an effort to achieve equitable access to education, the government has established the New Student Admission System (SPMB) policy. However, the policy still faces a number of challenges, such as manipulation of domicile data to bypass the zoning system, disparities in the number and quality of learning groups, inequalities in school quality, and the public’s limited understanding of the available admission pathways. This paper aims to contribute to the improvement of the SPMB system for the 2025/2026 academic year, with a particular focus on its implementation in Wonogiri Regency. The method employed is a descriptive policy analysis using a qualitative approach, supported by data triangulation and stakeholder participation.Findings from previous SPMB implementation in Wonogiri indicate that high-performing schools tend to be oversubscribed, while schools in peripheral areas suffer from low enrollment. This condition highlights the need for adjustments to the zoning system that go beyond geographic distance to include factors such as school capacity, facilities, and the socio-economic context of the community. This article presents a critical review of the 2025 SPMB implementation, focusing on: 1) zoning adjustments based on population distribution maps and school capacity; 2) the use of a digital system with geo-tagging for domicile data verification; and 3) strengthening affirmative action and scholarships for students from underprivileged families.

Improving Equity Within the Holistic Admission Process Through Race-Neutral Holistic Review: A Before and After Cross-Sectional Study.

The US Physical therapist (PT) workforce lacks racial and ethnic diversity, which may contribute to health disparities. Holistic review (HR) admission methods may improve workforce diversity by evaluating applicants' academic metrics, experiences, and personal attributes. Holistic review processes must adapt following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling prohibiting race-based admission criteria. Holistic review criteria are program-specific and align with institutional and programmatic goals. While HR is shown to improve student body diversity, most PT education programs heavily emphasize academic metrics, which may disadvantage racial and ethnic minority (REM) applicants from acceptance. This study examines the racial and ethnic distributions of PT education program applicants and matriculants before and after implementing a race-neutral HR rubric where academics and experiences were equally weighted. The sample included 848 qualified applicants to a PT education program in 2 consecutive admission cycles. This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed the racial and ethnic distributions of qualified applicants ranked by verbal Graduate Record Exam (vGRE) and HR rubric scores. Chi-square tests assessed differences in racial and ethnic frequencies between qualified applicants Invited to Interview (ITI) or waitlisted for interview and differences between matriculating cohorts. There was a statistically significant difference in the frequencies of White/non-Hispanic applicants who were ITI versus waitlisted for interview when ranked by verbal GRE, with White/non-Hispanic applicants more represented in the ITI pool. There were no differences in the racial and ethnic frequencies of applicants who were ITI versus waitlisted for interview after HR implementation, and no differences were found between matriculated cohorts. Race-neutral HR promotes equitable admissions and reduces bias against REM applicants. Although REM representation increased in the matriculated cohort, adjustments to HR weighting may further enhance diversity. These findings support the broader use of race-neutral HR in PT admissions after the affirmative action ban.

The Protective Role of the Reasonable Accommodation Principle in the Dismissal of Employees with Disabilities in South Africa

South Africa’s current labour law aims to redress the apartheid government’s discriminatory system, including the discrimination against people with disabilities. In South Africa, many persons with disabilities still suffer the indignity of unfair dismissals due to their disability, despite their constitutional rights to equality and fair labour practices. However, the right not to be unfairly dismissed, enshrined in the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, must also be considered within the practical realities of the employers’ operational needs. This is broadly known as the principle of reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation ensures that persons with disabilities are properly accommodated in the workplace and safeguarded against arbitrary dismissals because of their disability. It further provides an opportunity for these employees to carry out their normal duties, in accordance with their job requirements, with minimal challenges. However, if reasonable accommodation measures are exhausted and dismissal becomes inevitable, dismissal must comply with the requirement of fairness. The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (EEA), augmented with the Code of Good Practice on Employment of Persons with Disabilities, establishes the principle and measures of reasonable accommodation. This ensures barriers faced by employees with disabilities are reduced or eliminated, thus minimising the chances of dismissals. However, the protective role of reasonable accommodation, as evident from judicial interpretation, requires legislative and policy development to meet the needs of persons with disabilities fully. This paper explores the role of reasonable accommodation in protecting employees with disabilities from dismissals by primarily focusing on the EEA and relevant case law.

PERAN PEREMPUAN DALAM PENGEMBANGAN SAWIT BERKELANJUTAN DALAM BIDANG PENDIDIKAN

This study aims to examine the strategic role of women in the development of sustainable palm oil through education from the perspective of constitutional law. Using a normative juridical approach, the research analyzes constitutional guarantees and legal instruments that affirm women's rights to education and equal participation in sustainable development. The analysis is based on primary legal materials such as legislation, secondary materials including academic journals, and tertiary sources like legal dictionaries. The findings show that although women significantly contribute to the palm oil sector, their access to education, training, and decision-making positions remains limited due to structural and cultural barriers. The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, along with CEDAW, mandates the state to ensure non-discriminatory access to education and active participation in development. However, current sectoral regulations have yet to fully integrate gender equality, particularly in human resource development. The study concludes that the state must adopt affirmative actions such as training quotas for women, gender-based institutional incentives, and mainstreaming gender perspectives in vocational education curricula. These efforts are essential to positioning women not only as beneficiaries but also as key actors in inclusive and sustainable palm oil development aligned with constitutional justice.