Individual Race Research Articles

Hearing vocalizer race from voiced laughter sounds

Previous experiments testing whether an individual's race can be identified from speech sounds have produced inconsistent results. Current work examined this question using spontaneous laughter sounds to help isolate voice quality from dialect effects. In Experiment 1, six laughs from each of six black and six white vocalizers were edited to create 72 bouts of three to four contiguous bursts. These bouts were then further edited to create 72 single bursts. Fourteen undergraduate participants heard both sets of laughs in separate blocks. Sounds were presented twice on each trial and categorized as “Black” or “White.” Mean percentage-correct was 61.1 (SD = 10.1) with multi-burst versions, and 55.8 (SD = 12.7) with single bursts. Both outcomes were statistically higher than chance performance in t-test comparisons. Experiment 2 tested 12 new listeners in a balanced, same-different design with paired, bout-length stimuli from same- or different-race vocalizers. There were 120 stimuli in all, combining 5 laughs from each of 5 laughers of each race. Mean d' was 0.92 (SD = 0.44), which was statistically different from chance. Taken together, these experiments suggest modest, but reliable sensitivity to vocalizer race from voice-quality alone.

Inter-observer agreement on subjects' race and race-informative characteristics.

Health and socioeconomic disparities tend to be experienced along racial and ethnic lines, but investigators are not sure how individuals are assigned to groups, or how consistent this process is. To address these issues, 1,919 orthodontic patient records were examined by at least two observers who estimated each individual's race and the characteristics that influenced each estimate. Agreement regarding race is high for African and European Americans, but not as high for Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans. The indicator observers most often agreed upon as important in estimating group membership is name, especially for Asian and Hispanic Americans. The observers, who were almost all European American, most often agreed that skin color is an important indicator of race only when they also agreed the subject was European American. This suggests that in a diverse community, light skin color is associated with a particular group, while a range of darker shades can be associated with members of any other group. This research supports comparable studies showing that race estimations in medical records are likely reliable for African and European Americans, but are less so for other groups. Further, these results show that skin color is not consistently the primary indicator of an individual's race, but that other characteristics such as facial features add significant information.

Residential Racial Composition, Spatial Access to Care, and Breast Cancer Mortality among Women in Georgia

We explored the association between neighborhood residential racial composition and breast cancer mortality among Black and White breast cancer patients in Georgia and whether spatial access to cancer care mediates this association. Participants included 15,256 women living in 15 metropolitan statistical areas in Georgia who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1999 and 2003. Residential racial composition was operationalized as the percent of Black residents in the census tract. We used gravity-based modeling methods to ascertain spatial access to oncology care. Multilevel Cox proportional hazards models and mediation analyses were used to test associations. Black women were 1.5 times more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. Residential racial composition had a small but significant association with breast cancer mortality (hazard ratios [HRs] = 1.04-1.08 per 10% increase in the percent of Black tract residents). Individual race did not moderate this relationship, and spatial access to care did not mediate it. Residential racial composition may be part of the socioenvironmental milieu that produces increased breast cancer mortality among Black women. However, there is a lack of evidence that spatial access to oncology care mediates these processes.

Relationship between starting and finishing position in short track speed skating races

Races in short track speed skating represent head-to-head competitions performed during multiple series (the rank but not the time qualifying for the next round are important), where strategic aspects are thought to play an important role for success. This study examined the relationship between starting and finishing position performed in six short track ice speed skating events (3 European Championships, 3 World Championships) over a four year period (321 female and 386 male individual races finished). Associations were analyzed for effects of race distance (500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m, and 3000 m) and qualifying round (preliminaries, heats, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final). Kendall's tau-b rank-correlation revealed that regardless of athletes’ sex, the size of correlation between starting and finishing position decreases with race distance, which was highest and positive in the 500 m races (women: τ=0.28, P<0.001; men: τ=0.29, P<0.001), lowest in the 1500 m races (women: τ=0.06, P>0.05; men: τ=0.10, P<0.01), and negative in the 3000 m races (women: τ= − 0.19, P>0.05; men: τ= − 0.18, P>0.05). This finding suggests a shift in pacing strategy, with skaters reducing their effort to initially skate in a front position as race distance increased (e.g., in order to conserve some energetic ressources for an end spurt). Furthermore, the size of correlation increases with qualifying round, which was lowest in the preliminaries (women: τ= − 0.02, P>0.05; men: τ=0.07, P>0.05) and highest in the finals (women: τ=0.34, P<0.001; men: τ=0.31, P<0.001). This finding suggests that skaters force their effort to initially skate in a front position as level of qualifying round increases.

New Approaches to Estimating National Rates of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease

National infectious disease incidence rates are often estimated by standardizing locally derived rates using national-level age and race distributions. Data on other factors potentially associated with incidence are often not available in the form of patient-level covariates. Including characteristics of patients' area of residence may improve the accuracy of national estimates. The authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Active Bacterial Core Surveillance program (2004-2005), adjusted for census-based variables, to estimate the national incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The authors tested Poisson and negative binomial models in a cross-validation procedure to select variables best predicting the incidence of IPD in each county. Including census-level information on race and educational attainment improved the fit of both Poisson and negative binomial models beyond that achieved by adjusting for other census variables or by adjusting for an individual's race and age alone. The Poisson model with census-based predictors led to a national estimate of IPD of 16.0 cases per 100,000 persons as compared with 13.5 per 100,000 persons using an individual's age and race alone. Accuracy of, and confidence intervals for, these estimates can only be determined by obtaining data from other randomly selected US counties. However, incorporating census-derived characteristics should be considered when estimating national incidence of IPD and other diseases.

Assessing genetic resistance to spot blotch, Stagonospora nodorum blotch and tan spot in wheat from Nepal

Fungal leaf spot diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Nepal cause significant yield reduction. Although field testing has identified a few partially resistant cultivars, most wheat grown in Nepal lacks adequate resistance to leaf spot diseases. During 2009–2010, 116 local and commercial spring wheat cultivars and advanced breeding lines were selected from multi-year field experiments in Nepal and evaluated for seedling resistance to three leaf spot diseases: spot blotch, Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) and tan spot races 1 and 5 (two of the most prevalent races) in the growth chambers at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA. The wheat cultivars and lines were artificially inoculated with individual pathogens or races at the two-leaf stage and disease reactions were evaluated 6 to 10 days after inoculation (DAI). Results indicated that 30%, 31%, 19% and 10% of the tested wheat cultivars and lines were resistant to spot blotch, SNB, tan spot races 1 and 5, respectively. Six advanced breeding lines (SW89-5422, BL 2127 = DANIAL88/HLB30//NL297, BL 3033, FILIN/IRENA/5/CNDO/R143//ENTE/MEXI-2/3/AE. SQUA (TAUS)/4WEAVER, GAN/AE.SQUARROSA (236)//DOY1/AE.SQUARROSA(447)/3/MAIZ/4/INQALAB91, Mayoor//TK SN1081/Ae. Squarrosa (222)/3/FCT, were resistant to spot blotch, SNB and tan spot race 1. Similarly, two wheat cultivars Chirya 3 and Chirya 7 were resistant to spot blotch, and tan spot races 1 and 5. The resistant wheat lines identified in this study represent potentially useful and untapped sources of resistance to multiple leaf spot diseases and should be utilized in wheat breeding programs in Nepal in order to develop wheat cultivars with broad-spectrum resistance.

Association of Selenium Status and Blood Glutathione Concentrations in Blacks and Whites

Selenium deficiency has been linked with increased cancer risk and, in some studies, selenium supplementation was protective against certain cancers. Previous studies have suggested that selenium chemoprevention may involve reduced oxidative stress through enhanced glutathione (GSH). Our objectives were to examine the relationships between selenium and GSH in the blood and the modifying effects of race and sex in free-living adults and individuals supplemented with selenium. Plasma selenium concentrations and free and bound GSH concentrations and γ-glutamyl cysteine ligase (GCL) activity in the blood were measured in 336 healthy adults (161 Blacks, 175 Whites). Plasma selenium and blood GSH were also measured in 36 healthy men from our previously conducted placebo-controlled trial of selenium-enriched yeast (247 μg/day for 9 mo). In free-living adults, selenium concentrations were associated with increased blood GSH concentration and GCL activity (P < 0.05). Further, selenium was significantly higher in Whites than in Blacks (P < 0.01). After 9 mo of supplementation, plasma selenium increased 114% in Whites and 50% in Blacks (P < 0.05), and blood GSH increased 35% in Whites (P < 0.05) but was unchanged in Blacks. These results indicate a direct association between selenium and GSH in the blood of both free-living and selenium-supplemented individuals, with race being an important modifying factor.

Eco-Apartheid: Linking Environmental Health to Educational Outcomes

Background/ContextThe issue of how to achieve a racially diverse student population has become increasingly challenging since a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court split decision endorsed the importance of creating diverse schools, while simultaneously limiting the assignment to public schools based on an individual student's race or ethnicity. The article examines innovative efforts at achieving racial integration in Berkeley, California, as well as other district efforts in New York City, to curtail the dangers associated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in school building materials and develop plans to remediate contaminated school buildings.Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of StudyIn this article, the author draws on the disciplines of environmental sociology, critical race theory, and social epidemiology to examine the relationship between school desegregation, environmental inequality, structural racialization, and health and educational outcomes. The author proposes a conceptual framework for linking environmental health to educational outcomes that considers the dynamic social processes through which social and environmental inequalities—and associated health and educational disparities—are produced, reproduced, and transformed.SettingBerkeley Unified School District has achieved substantial integration in a city where neighborhoods are polarized by racial-ethnic, socioeconomic status, and environmental inequality. Moreover, the Berkeley integration plan was upheld in 2009 by the state appellate court, a decision that the California Supreme Court allowed to stand. As a result, the Berkeley Unified School District's plan to maintain diversity could serve as a national model for other public schools that are seeking constitutionally sound desegregation programs.Research DesignUsing empirical evidence from the published literature, as well as the author's own practical experience conducting community-based participatory research in Berkeley, the author applies the eco-apartheid conceptual framework to the city of Berkeley.Conclusions/RecommendationsThe eco-apartheid framework provides a useful model for theory building in the study of environmental health and educational equity. Moreover, the author recommends that theories of racial and educational inequality in general would benefit from a more serious consideration of the role that environmental inequalities play in structuring the relationship between health and educational inequality. Additionally, the author highlights the ways in which existing research on desegregation remains in need of theoretical strength and methodological rigor with respect to environmental inequality.

Tournament Chasing NASCAR Style: Driver Incentives in Stock Car Racing's Playoff Season

This paper applies tournament theory to NASCAR racing's playoff season, the Chase for the Cup. The consequences of a mixed tournament with the top 10 and lower-ranked drivers racing simultaneously are explored and tested. Using individual driver and race data, we empirically show that Chase races experience more accidents. In the lead up to the Chase, the relative position of drivers to the leader in terms of rank is more important in predicting accidents than the absolute position in terms of points. Once the Chase begins, contrary to tournament theory, the increase in accidents is spread across the subsets of drivers, and occurs without regard to the relative position of the drivers to the leaders of each subgroup.

Stretched Thin: Poor Families, Welfare Work, and Welfare Reform. By Sandra Morgen, Joan Acker, and Jill Weigt. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2010. Pp. 256. $59.95 (cloth); $22.95 (paper).

<i>Stretched Thin: Poor Families, Welfare Work, and Welfare Reform</i>. By Sandra Morgen, Joan Acker, and Jill Weigt. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2010. Pp. 256. $59.95 (cloth); $22.95 (paper).

The 2010 Midterm Elections: An Overview

This paper addresses three key questions related to the midterm elections of 2010: What happened? Why? And what difference does it make? Republicans made historic gains in the U.S. House and in state elections while making strong gains in the U.S. Senate. They benefited from an economic and issue environment that strongly favored them; in the House they also benefited from the overexposure of Democrats. Republican Senate gains were limited partly because Democrats were not overexposed there and partly due to factors specific to individual races, particularly candidate quality. A number of key demographics moved against Democrats, and the elections were marked by the emergence of a new popular movement in the form of the Tea Party which helped mobilize Republicans and conservative independents. The election results are best understood as a repudiation of Democratic rule, though a simple economic explanation is not sufficient. The long-term importance of the 2010 elections will depend on the interaction of important contingencies with the underlying alignment of the electorate, the character of which remains uncertain.

NASCAR-related philanthropy and the distilled spirits sponsor category

The National Association for Stock Car Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) has a long history with its roots in distilled spirits. While NASCAR has a long association with beer sponsors, distilled spirits sponsors were unwelcome until 2004. Since then, a number of spirits brands have sponsored the NASCAR federation, driver teams and individual races. NASCAR requires its sponsoring spirits brands dedicate 20% of their budgets to promoting responsible alcohol use. However, how does NASCAR’s corporate charitable foundation look when subjected to the same standard required of its spirits sponsors? The NASCAR Foundation’s philanthropic giving relative to alcohol programmes is examined for the first two years of distilled spirits sponsorships. This research concludes that The NASCAR Foundation does not meet the standard it requires of its sponsoring partners.

Racism and the Empathy for Pain on Our Skin

Empathy is a critical function regulating human social life. In particular, empathy for pain is a source of deep emotional feelings and a strong trigger of pro-social behavior. We investigated the existence of a racial bias in the emotional reaction to other people's pain and its link with implicit racist biases. Measuring participants’ physiological arousal, we found that Caucasian observers reacted to pain suffered by African people significantly less than to pain of Caucasian people. The reduced reaction to the pain of African individuals was also correlated with the observers’ individual implicit race bias. The role of others’ race in moderating empathic reactions is a crucial clue for understanding to what extent social interactions, and possibly integration, may be influenced by deeply rooted automatic and uncontrollable responses.

피부색상과 복합 특징을 이용한 유해영상 인식

유해영상 검출에서 정확하게 피부 색상 영역을 획득하는 것은 매우 중요하다. 그러나 기존의 방법들은 서로 다른 인종, 조명, 화장, 사용된 카메라 등과 같은 여러 원인으로 인해 피부 색상 추출에 여전히 문제를 가지고 있으며, 사전에 미리 정해진 피부 색상 분포 모델을 이용하여 영상에서 피부 영역을 검출한다. 이러한 문제를 해결하기 위해 본 논문에서는 눈 주변 영역에서 샘플을 추출하여 입력 영상에 최적으로 적합된 피부 색상 분포 모델을 생성하여 피부 영역을 강건하게 분할하고, 분할된 피부 영역에서 성인 영상을 대표할 수 있는 특징을 추출한 후, 분할된 피부 영역이 나체의 몸체를 포함하고 있는지를 뉴럴 네트워크 다층 퍼셉트론을 통해 여러 대표적인 특징들을 통합하면서 추론하는 새로운 방법을 제안하다. 본 논문의 실험에서는 피부 색상 영역 분할과 성인영상 검출의 두 가지 성능 측면에서 제안한 방법의 성능이 기존의 방법에 비해 보다 우수함을 보인다. 본 논문에서 제안한 강건한 유해영상검출 기법은 얼굴 검출, 성인영상 필터링 등과 같은 관련된 여러 응용 분야에서 유용하게 활용될 것이라 기대된다. Extracting skin color is significant in adult image detection. However, conventional methods still have essential problems in extracting skin color. That is, colors of human skins are basically not the same because of individual skin difference or difference races. Moreover, skin regions of images may not have identical color due to makeup, different cameras used, etc. Therefore, most of the existing methods use predefined skin color models. To resolve these problems, in this paper, we propose a new adult image detection method that robustly segments skin areas with an input image-adapted skin color distribution model, and verifies if the segmented skin regions contain naked bodies by fusing several representative features through a neural network scheme. Experimental results show that our method outperforms others through various experiments. We expect that the suggested method will be useful in many applications such as face detection and objectionable image filtering.

The Need for a Philosophy of Education (1934)

Perhaps the greatest need of and for a philosophy of education to-day is the urgent need that exists for making clear in idea and effective in practice the social character of its end and that the criterion of value of school practices is social. The aim of education is development of individuals to the utmost of their potentialities. But this statement as such leaves unanswered the question of the measure of the development to be desired and worked for. A society of free individuals in which all, in doing each his own work, contribute to the liberation and enrichment of the lives of others is the only environment for the normal growth to full stature. An environment in which some are limited will always in reaction create conditions that prevent the full development even of those who fancy they enjoy complete freedom for unhindered growth. There are two outstanding reasons why in existing world conditions a philosophy of education must make the social aim of education the central article in its creed. The world is being rapidly industrialized. Individual groups, tribes and races, once living completely untouched by the economic regime of modern capitalistic industry, now find almost every phase of their lives affected by its expansion. The principle of a report of the Geneva Commission based on a study of conditions of life of mine-Natives in South Africa holds good of peoples all over the world, “The investment of Western capital in African industries has made the Native dependent upon the demand of the world markets for the products of his labor and the resources of his continent.” In a world that has so largely engaged in a mad, often brutal, race for material gain by means of ruthless competition

KEBIJAKAN PEMERINTAH DALAM UPAYA MELESTARIKAN NILAI-NILAI PANCASILA DI ERA REFORMASI

Pancasila is the philosophy, the Indonesian state ideology, which means that the Pancasila as a source of inspiration and source of solutions to the nation's problems. In a development in the reform era of pure values contained in Pancasila termaknai not in the life of nation and state. This is what lies behind the author to see how government policies in an effort to preserve the values of Pancasila in the reform era. The results obtained that the translation of Pancasila, which can be used as guidance in the life of nation and state are necessary in the current reform era. Pancasila seems to have been completely forgotten by the various groups in society, although formally. Therefore the government should act in accordance with the values of Pancasila itself Every precepts of Pancasila should be internalized and implemented, government policies should be in accordance with the application of the principles of Pancasila. Does the government have to be firm and fast in ensuring its citizens carry out this first principle of religious life in peace without any confusion in the run his religion from interference deviant teachings, whether the government has made regulations in which the moral attitude of humanity based on the absence of interest groups , whether the government has been able to overcome all understand class, ethnicity, tribe, race, religion or class of individuals that can not be sharpened into conflict and hostility, but it makes a difference who becomes a force for unity of this nation, whether the people led by the wise men in making decisions together unutuk public interest. And lastly whether the government is providing justice for every citizen in the form of welfare, security, assistance, subsidies, and a chance to live without any distinction of rights.

Dismissal with Prejudice? Race and Politics in Personal Bankruptcy

We exploit the random assignment of judges in personal bankruptcy proceedings to test whether race and politics bias judges granting debt discharges in chapter 13 (reorganization) and chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy proceedings. To do so, we have collected a random sample of 9,526 bankruptcy petitions. As race is not reported on court documents directly, we use information on name and zip code to calculate a Bayesian-likelihood estimate of individual debtors' race. Controlling for debtors' demographics and financial situation, results show that white judges are 21% more likely to dismiss the chapter 13 petition of an African American debtor relative to a white debtor. In chapter 13, judges have the most discretion and debtors actually appear in front of the judge at a confirmation hearing. We do not find significant effects for chapter 7 cases. Bankruptcy judges who were appointed by a Republican president are less debtor-friendly than those appointed by a Democrat.

Estimation of genetic parameters for racing speed at different distances in young and adult Spanish Trotter horses using the random regression model

A total of 71 522 records (from 3154 horses) with the times per kilometre (TPK), recorded in Spanish Trotter horses (individual races) from racing performances held from 1991 to 2007, were available for this study. The TPK values for the different age groups (young and adult horses) and different distances (1600-2700 m) were considered as different traits, and a bi character random regression model (RRM) was applied to estimate the (co)variance components throughout the trajectory of age groups and distances. The following effects were considered as fixed: the combination of hippodrome-date of race (404 levels); sex of the animals (3 levels); type of start (2 levels) and a fixed regression of Legendre polynomials (order 2). Those considered as random effects were the random regression Legendre polynomial (order 1) for animals (9201 animals in the pedigree); the individual environment permanent (3154 animals with data) and the driver (n = 957 levels). The residual variance was considered as heterogeneous with two classes (ages). The heritability estimated by distance ranged from 0.12 to 0.34, with a different trajectory for the two age groups. Within each age group, the genetic correlations between adjacent distances were high (>0.90), but decreased when the differences between them were over 400 metres for both age groups. The genetic correlations for the same distance across the age groups ranged from 0.47 to 0.78. Accordingly, the analysed trait (TPK) can be considered as positive genetic correlated but as different traits along the trajectory of distance and age. Therefore, some re-ranking should be expected in the breeding value of the horses at different characteristics of the racing. The use of RRM is recommended because it allows us to estimate the breeding value along the whole trajectory of race competition.

Ventricular Arrhythmias during Race Recovery in Standardbred Racehorses and Associations with Autonomic Activity

A lack of information on normal heart rhythm at maximal effort hampers investigation of poor performance and sudden death in Standardbred racing. To characterize rhythm variations during scheduled racing in clinically normal Standardbred horses. Two hundred and eighty-eight Standardbred horses competing in 40 scheduled races at a Southern Ontario racetrack. Observational study, convenience sampling: Heart rhythm was monitored by ECG from harnessing to postrace recovery and assessed visually and by examining heart rate intervals. Rhythm variations were used as response variables in multivariate analysis of race records detailing signalment, race, and race outcome. Monitoring involved 345 individual horse or race events. Occasional, isolated premature cycles, only, occurred during the race. Postrace, sudden cardiac slowing (punctuated deceleration [PD]) appeared in 42 events (12.2%). Only premature ventricular complexes were exhibited in 40 events postrace (11.6%), whereas 55 (15.9%) exhibited complex ventricular arrhythmias (CVA) including torsades-like polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, 34.5% of these being closely associated with PD (odds ratio = 8). Predispositions to CVA were found for horses parked at the 1/2 mile (odds ratio = 3), and trotters breaking in the stretch (odds ratio = 38). Horses spontaneously reverted to sinus rhythm and no sudden death events were encountered. Arrhythmias occur frequently in racing Standardbreds during cardiac deceleration, often associated with sudden, rapid increases in vagal tone. Circumstances imposing unusual demand and racing at the trot appear to predispose. Findings provide insight into possible mechanisms of sudden death.

과천.부산경남 경마공원의 통합경주자료를 이용한 더러브렛 경주마의 유전능력 평가

Haman Country OfficeABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to examine the suitability of genetic evaluation models using the integrated racing records collected from Gwacheon and BusanGyeongnam racetracks. Results obtained are summarized as follows: In the short-distance races of 1,400 meters and less the records of finishing time at Gwacheon racetrack was superior, whereas, in the races of 1,800 meters and more it was superior in the records from BusanGyeongnam racetrack. The effects of contemporary groups accounted for 42.7~70.2% of the total variation, and the effects of the individual race considering racing classes was the biggest in all racing distances. Heritabilities and repeatabilities for the finishing time were estimated in the range of 0.153-0.238 and 0.401-0.498, respectively. Correlation coefficients between the breeding values estimated from the integrated records and the breeding values estimated from records of Gwacheon and Busan-Gyeongnam were 0.907 and 0.803, and coefficients of rank correlations were 0.891 and 0.846, respectively. The correlation coefficients between sire's annual earning of the integrated records and Gwacheon and BusanGyeongnam racetracks records were 0.943 and 0.886, and coefficients of rank correlations were 0.938 and 0.853, respectively. Also, the correlation coefficient of sire's annual earning between Gwacheon and BusanGyeongnam racetracks was 0.742. The results of this analysis indicate that the genetic evaluation using the integrated racing records are reliable when the racing records from BusanGyeongnam racetracks are stabilized and more data are accumulated.(Key words : Finished time, Contemporary group, Heritability, Repeatability, Breeding value)