Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dorsal Medial Prefrontal Cortex Responds Preferentially to Social Interactions during Natural Viewing

Humans display a strong tendency to make spontaneous inferences concerning the thoughts and intentions of others. Although this ability relies upon the concerted effort of multiple brain regions, the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) is most closely associated with the ability to reason about other people's mental states and form impressions of their character. Here, we investigated this region's putative social category preference using fMRI as 34 participants engaged in uninstructed viewing of a complex naturalistic stimulus. Using a data-driven “reverse correlation” approach, we characterize the DMPFC's stimulus response profile from ongoing neural responses to a dynamic movie stimulus. Results of this analysis demonstrate that the DMPFC's response profile is dominated by the presence of scenes involving social interactions between characters. Subsequent content analysis of video clips created from this response profile confirmed this finding. In contrast, regions of the inferotemporal and parietal cortex were selectively tuned to faces and actions, both features that often covary with social interaction but may be difficult to disentangle using standard event-related approaches. Together, these findings suggest that the DMPFC is finely tuned for processing social interaction above other categories and that this preference is maintained during unrestricted viewing of complex natural stimuli such as movies. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recently, studies have brought into question whether the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), a region long associated with social cognition, is specialized for the processing of social information. We examine the response profile of this region during natural viewing of a reasonably naturalistic stimulus (i.e., a Hollywood movie) using a data-driven reverse correlation technique. Our findings demonstrate that, during natural viewing, the DMPFC is strongly tuned to the social features of the stimulus above other categories. Moreover, this response differs from other areas with previously well characterized response profiles such as the lateral and medial fusiform gyrus. These findings suggest that this region's dominant function in everyday situations is to support reasoning about the thoughts and intentions of conspecifics.
News Media Coverage of Crime and Violent Drug Crime: A Case for Cause or Catalyst?

Abstract Evidence about the relationship between exposure to media violence and criminal activity remains mixed. While some scholars argue that exposure to violent media content "triggers" crime and aggression, others contend that media may influence crime, but only as a source of information about techniques and styles, not as a motivation for crime. This debate has critical implications for criminal justice academics as calls for policy are regularly made on the basis of research in this area. This article contributes to this literature by presenting detailed empirical evidence of how media coverage of violent crimes affects homicides perpetrated by drug traffickers in Mexico, and their crime style. With an empirical model that addresses possible bidirectionalities between drug homicides and media coverage, we tracked 32,199 homicides, their stylistic characteristics, and their coverage by the press. Our results show that when media covers drug homicides it influences the probability that other criminals use similar styles of crimes, but it does not change overall rates of homicidal activity. This is evidence against the "trigger" hypothesis, and in favor of “copycat” effects.
Scheduling a batching machine

textabstractWe study the problem of scheduling a chain-reentrant shop, in which each job goes for its processing first to a machine called the primary machine, then to a number of other machines in a fixed sequence, and finally back to the primary machine for its last operation. The problem is to schedule the jobs so as to minimize the makespan. This problem is unary NP-hard for a general number of machines. We focus in particular on the two-machine case that is also at least binary NP-hard. We prove some properties that identify a specific class of optimal schedules, and then use these properties in designing an approximation algorithm and a branch-and-bound type optimization algorithm. The approximation algorithm, of which we present three versions, has a worst-case performance guarantee of f32 along with an excellent empirical performance. The optimization algorithm solves large instances quickly. Finally, we identify a few well solvable special cases and present a pseudo-polynomial algorithm for the case in which the first and the last operations of any job (on the primary machine) are identical.
Multisensory Integration and Child Neurodevelopment

A considerable number of cognitive processes depend on the integration of multisensory information. The brain integrates this information, providing a complete representation of our surrounding world and giving us the ability to react optimally to the environment. Infancy is a period of great changes in brain structure and function that are reflected by the increase of processing capacities of the developing child. However, it is unclear if the optimal use of multisensory information is present early in childhood or develops only later, with experience. The first part of this review has focused on the typical development of multisensory integration (MSI). We have described the two hypotheses on the developmental process of MSI in neurotypical infants and children, and have introduced MSI and its neuroanatomic correlates. The second section has discussed the neurodevelopmental trajectory of MSI in cognitively-challenged infants and children. A few studies have brought to light various difficulties to integrate sensory information in children with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Consequently, we have exposed certain possible neurophysiological relationships between MSI deficits and neurodevelopmental disorders, especially dyslexia and attention deficit disorder with/without hyperactivity.
Evidence for a Double Dissociation of Articulatory Rehearsal and Non-Articulatory Maintenance of Phonological Information in Human Verbal Working Memory

Objective: Recent functional neuroimaging studies have provided evidence that human verbal working memory is represented by two complementary neural systems, a left lateralized premotor-parietal network implementing articulatory rehearsal and a presumably phylogenetically older bilateral anterior-prefrontal/inferior-parietal network subserving non-articulatory maintenance of phonological information. In order to corroborate these findings from functional neuroimaging, we performed a targeted behavioural study in patients with very selective and circumscribed brain lesions to key regions suggested to support these different subcomponents of human verbal working memory. Methods: Within a sample of over 500 neurological patients assessed with high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging, we identified 2 patients with corresponding brain lesions, one with an isolated lesion to Broca’s area and the other with a selective lesion bilaterally to the anterior middle frontal gyrus. These 2 patients as well as groups of age-matched healthy controls performed two circuit-specific verbal working memory tasks. In this way, we systematically assessed the hypothesized selective behavioural effects of these brain lesions on the different subcomponents of verbal working memory in terms of a double dissociation. Results: Confirming prior findings, the lesion to Broca’s area led to reduced performance under articulatory rehearsal, whereas the non-articulatory maintenance of phonological information was unimpaired. Conversely, the bifrontopolar brain lesion was associated with impaired non-articulatory phonological working memory, whereas performance under articulatory rehearsal was unaffected. Conclusion: The present experimental neuropsychological study in patients with specific and circumscribed brain lesions confirms the hypothesized double dissociation of two complementary brain systems underlying verbal working memory in humans. In particular, the results demonstrate the functional relevance of the anterior prefrontal cortex for non-articulatory maintenance of phonological information and, in this way, provide further support for the evolutionary-based functional-neuroanatomical model of human working memory.
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: A multi-class deep learning framework with modified k-sparse autoencoder classification

Successful, timely diagnosis of neuropsychiatry diseases is key to management. Research efforts in the area of diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease have used various aspects of computer-aided multi-class diagnosis approaches with varied degrees of success. However, there is still need for more efficient and reliable approaches to successful diagnosis of the disease. This research used deep learning framework with modified k-sparse autoencoder (oKSA) classification to locate neutrally degenerated areas of the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), low amyloid beta 1-42 imaging in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of amyloid; each with a sample of 150 images. Results show a correlation between computational demarcation of infected regions and the images. Degeneration in the studied areas was evidenced by high phosphorylated t-/p-tau levels in CSF, regional fluorodeoxyglucose PET, and the presence of atrophy patterns. The use of σKSA algorithm in boosting classification helped to improve the classifier performance. The KSA method with deep learning framework is used for the first time to produce accurate results in diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Resolution Enhancement in Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor Based on Waveguide Coupled Mode by Combining a Bimetallic Approach

In this study, we present and demonstrate a new route to a great enhancement in resolution of surface plasmon resonance sensors. Basically, our approach combines a waveguide coupled plasmonic mode and a kind of Au/Ag bimetallic enhancement concept. Theoretical modeling was carried out by solving Fresnel equations for the multilayer stack of prism/Ag inner-metal layer/dielectric waveguide/Au outer-metal layer. The inner Ag layer couples incident light to a guided wave and makes more fields effectively concentrated on the outer Au surface. A substantial enhancement in resolution was experimentally verified for the model stack using a ZnS-SiO2 waveguide layer.
Abundances of Red Giants in the Andromeda II Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

We have obtained spectra for 50 candidate red giants in Andromeda II, a dwarf spheroidal companion of M31, using the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on the Keck II Telescope. After eliminating background galaxies and Galactic foreground stars, we are left with a sample of 42 red giants for which membership in Andromeda II can be established unambiguously from radial velocities. Line indexes measured on the Lick/IDS system are combined with VI photometry obtained with the Keck II and Palomar 5 m telescopes to investigate the age and metallicity distribution of these stars. Based on a comparison of the measured line indexes with those of Lick/IDS standard stars in globular and open clusters, we derive a mean metallicity of ⟨[Fe/H]⟩ = -1.47 ± 0.19 dex. This confirms the earlier conclusion, based on Thuan-Gunn gr photometry, that Andromeda II obeys the familiar relation between mean stellar metallicity and galaxy luminosity. There is also evidence for a dispersion in metallicity of σ([Fe/H]) = 0.35 ± 0.10 dex, based on the scatter in the measured Mg b line indexes and the observed width of the galaxy's giant branch. We note that, while existing observations of Local Group dwarf galaxies indicate that their mean metallicity depends rather sensitively on total luminosity, the internal spread in metallicity appears to be relatively independent of galaxy luminosity. Our spectroscopic sample contains one carbon star. We measure MI ≃-3.8 for this star, which places it below the tip of the red giant branch and suggests a common origin with the CH stars found in the Galactic halo. Although this carbon star alone does not provide evidence of an intermediate-age component in Andromeda II, two other stars in our spectroscopic sample have MI ≃-4.7 and -4.5. Membership in Andromeda II is unambiguous in both cases, indicating that these stars fall along an extended asymptotic giant branch and pointing to the presence of a modest intermediate-age population in this galaxy.
On the Semantic Labeling of Hand-drawn Sketches

We propose a preliminary study for the application of Computational Linguistics techniques such as the Semantic Role Labeling of natural languages (SRL) to the case of sketch understanding. The idea of our approach originates from a psychological experiment where two groups of students were asked to produce and then recognize hand-drawn sketches, respectively. The paper presents a procedure to apply Semantic Role Labeling to the case of hand-drawn sketches and provides an example of application. This study seeks to enrich the body of research related to sketch understanding and reasoning.
Opposite Influence of Light and Blindness on Pituitary–Gonadal Function

Some environmental factors may influence the pituitary–gonadal function. Among these, light plays an important role in animals and in humans. The effect of light on the endocrine system is mediated by the pineal gland, through the modulation of melatonin secretion. In fact, melatonin secretion is stimulated by darkness and suppressed by light, thus its circadian rhythm peaks at night. Light plays a favorable action on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis likely inhibiting melatonin secretion, while the exogenous melatonin administration does not seem to impair the hormonal secretions of this axis. The basal and rhythmic pituitary–gonadal hormone secretions are regulated by a central clock gene and some independent clock genes in the peripheral tissues. Light is able to induce the expression of some of these genes, thus playing an important role in regulating the hormonal secretions of pituitary–gonadal axis and the sexual and reproductive function in animals and humans. The lack of light stimulus in blind subjects induces increase in plasma melatonin concentrations with a free-running rhythm of secretion, which impairs the hormonal secretions of pituitary–gonadal axis, causing disorders of reproductive processes in both sexes.
Child School Enrollment Decisions, Perceptions and Experiences of Conflict in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

Abstract We analyze rural household children’s school enrollment decisions in a post-conflict setting in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh. The innovation of the paper lies in the fact that we employ information about current subjective perceptions regarding the possibility of violence in the future and past actual experiences of violence to explain household economic decision-making. Preferences are endogenous in line with behavioral economics. Regression results show that heightened subjective perceptions of future violence and past actual experiences of conflict can increase child enrollment.
Strategies of entrepreneurship : Understanding industrial entrepreneurship and structural change in northwest Tanzania

This study addresses the problem of entrepreneurial activity in an environment of institutional change. The focus is on industrial entrepreneurs in northwest Tanzania. Like many other African countries, Tanzania is today undergoing a process of structural transformation. Significant changes are introduced in the formal institutional framework. The aim of these changes is to create an "enabling environment" for enterprising activities, and thereby also to affect the informal institutional framework, and society as a whole. In this process, entrepreneurs are expected to play an important role as "agents of change". The author discusses if, and how, this expectation may be fulfilled. Focus is on the entrepreneurs' industrial venturing activities - on how they identify and obtain the resources needed, and how problems are dealt with along the way. Strategies for resource acquisition and for handling an uncertain business environment are analyzed, and set within a framework of both formal and informal institutional change. In the analysis of the entrepreneurs' strategies, the issue of "trust" becomes central. In interpreting this issue and other aspects of the entrepreneurial process, neo-institutionalist conceptions of social change are combined with sociological theory. The social embeddedness of the entrepreneurs' activities is stressed, and conflicts that arise from handling family support obligations while maintaining sound business practices are discussed. Finally, the study discusses the possible implications of the entrepreneurs' strategies for the transformation of Tanzania's economic and social life.
Fault modeling and analysis of short defects in CMOS based reversible circuits

paper presents a SPICE based analysis of reversible circuits affected by the short defects: the gate oxide defect and the source-drain defect. The simulations are performed using realistic transistor models (the BSIM4 model) and take into account the resistive nature of the gate oxide and the source drain shorts. We aim at determining dependence between the short's resistance and the output voltage. Furthermore, we analyze the timing characteristics of reversible circuits affected by such faults. The goal is to develop logic and delay fault models for CMOS based reversible gates. This way, Boolean test strategies and logic level fault tolerant mechanisms and strategies can be devised for reversible circuits.
Point Cloud Based Approach to Stem Width Extraction of Sorghum

A revolution in the field of genomics has produced vast amounts of data and furthered our understanding of the genotypephenotype map, but is currently constrained by manually intensive or limited phenotype data collection. We propose an algorithm to estimate stem width, a key characteristic used for biomass potential evaluation, from 3D point cloud data collected by a robot equipped with a depth sensor in a single pass in a standard field. The algorithm applies a two step alignment to register point clouds in different frames, a Frangi filter to identify stemlike objects in the point cloud and an orientation based filter to segment out and refine individual stems for width estimation. Individually, detected stems which are split due to occlusions are merged and then registered with previously found stems in previous camera frames in order to track temporally. We then refine the estimates to produce an accurate histogram of width estimates per plot. Since the plants in each plot are genetically identical, distributions of the stem width per plot can be useful in identifying genetically superior sorghum for biofuels.
Trajectories of social activities from middle age to old age and late-life disability: a 36-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES to examine the association between 34-year trajectories of social activity, from middle age to old age and late-life disability. METHODS data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey (LNU) and the Swedish Panel Study of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD) were used. LNU data from 1968, 1981, 1991 and 2000 were merged with SWEOLD data from 1992, 2002 and 2004 to create a longitudinal data set with five observation periods. Trajectories of social activities covered 1968-2002, and late-life disability was measured in 2004. The sample consisted of 729 individuals aged 33-61 at baseline (1968), who participated in at least four observation periods and who were free from mobility limitations at baseline. Four trajectories of social activity were identified and used as predictors of late-life disability. RESULTS reporting low/medium levels of social activity from mid-life to old age was the most common trajectory group. Persons reporting continuously low/medium or decreasing levels of social activity had higher odds ratios for late-life disability (OR = 2.33 and OR = 2.15, respectively) compared with those having continuously high levels of activity, even when adjusting for age, sex and mobility limitations, and excluding persons with baseline mobility limitations. CONCLUSIONS results suggest that the disability risk associated with social activities is related to recent levels of activity, but also that risk may accumulate over time, as indicated by the higher disability risk associated with the continuously low/medium level social activity trajectory.
Impaired Inflammatory Responses in Murine Lrrk2-Knockdown Brain Microglia

LRRK2, a Parkinson's disease associated gene, is highly expressed in microglia in addition to neurons; however, its function in microglia has not been evaluated. Using Lrrk2 knockdown (Lrrk2-KD) murine microglia prepared by lentiviral-mediated transfer of Lrrk2-specific small inhibitory hairpin RNA (shRNA), we found that Lrrk2 deficiency attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mRNA and/or protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and stimulation of NF-κB-responsive luciferase reporter activity was also decreased in Lrrk2-KD cells. Interestingly, the decrease in NF-κB transcriptional activity measured by luciferase assays appeared to reflect increased binding of the inhibitory NF-κB homodimer, p50/p50, to DNA. In LPS-responsive HEK293T cells, overexpression of the human LRRK2 pathologic, kinase-active mutant G2019S increased basal and LPS-induced levels of phosphorylated p38 and JNK, whereas wild-type and other pathologic (R1441C and G2385R) or artificial kinase-dead (D1994A) LRRK2 mutants either enhanced or did not change basal and LPS-induced p38 and JNK phosphorylation levels. However, wild-type LRRK2 and all LRRK2 mutant variants equally enhanced NF-κB transcriptional activity. Taken together, these results suggest that LRRK2 is a positive regulator of inflammation in murine microglia, and LRRK2 mutations may alter the microenvironment of the brain to favor neuroinflammation.
Vygotsky's philosophy: Constructivism and its criticisms examined

Criticisms have recently been voiced of constructivism, the leading metaphor of human learning since the 1970s. Inspired by inconsistencies in interpretations of constructivism in current literature, we examine the underlying epistemological beliefs of popular constructivist theories and their criticisms. We find that popular constructivist claims and criticisms, instead of being based on contrasting philosophical ideas, are similarly grounded on the dualist separatism of the human mind and the external world. We then present our interpretation of Vygotsky’s historical-dialectical-monist philosophy, through discussions of Vygotskyan concepts including social environment of learning, the role of language, and individual consciousness. The paper concludes that confusions about Vygotsky’s theory often arise from concepts taken literally and from the lack of appreciation of the general philosophical orientation underpinning his works. Constructivism, criticisms, Vygotsky’s philosophy, historical-dialectical-monism, paradigmatic philosophy