Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactive Visualizations on Large and Small Displays: The Interrelation of Display Size, Information Space, and Scale

In controlled experiments on the relation of display size (i.e., the number of pixels) and the usability of visualizations, the size of the information space can either be kept constant or varied relative to display size. Both experimental approaches have limitations. If the information space is kept constant then the scale ratio between an overview of the entire information space and the lowest zoom level varies, which can impact performance; if the information space is varied then the scale ratio is kept constant, but performance cannot be directly compared. In other words, display size, information space, and scale ratio are interrelated variables. We investigate this relation in two experiments with interfaces that implement classic information visualization techniques-focus+context, overview+detail, and zooming-for multi-scale navigation in maps. Display size varied between 0.17, 1.5, and 13.8 megapixels. Information space varied relative to display size in one experiment and was constant in the other. Results suggest that for tasks where users navigate targets that are visible at all map scales the interfaces do not benefit from a large display: With a constant map size, a larger display does not improve performance with the interfaces; with map size varied relative to display size, participants found interfaces harder to use with a larger display and task completion times decrease only when they are normalized to compensate for the increase in map size. The two experimental approaches show different interaction effects between display size and interface. In particular, focus+context performs relatively worse at a large display size with variable map size, and relatively worse at a small display size with a fixed map size. Based on a theoretical analysis of the interaction with the visualization techniques, we examine individual task actions empirically so as to understand the relative impact of display size and scale ratio on the visualization techniques' performance and to discuss differences between the two experimental approaches.
Neuroanatomical Correlates of Human Reasoning

One of the important questions cognitive theories of reasoning must address is whether logical reasoning is inherently sentential or spatial. A sentential model would exploit nonspatial (linguistic) properties of representations whereas a spatial model would exploit spatial properties of representations. In general terms, the linguistic hypothesis predicts that the language processing regions underwrite human reasoning processes, and the spatial hypothesis suggests that the neural structures for perception and motor control contribute the basic representational building blocks used for high-level logical and linguistic reasoning. We carried out a 15O H2O PET imaging study to address this issue. Twelve normal volunteers performed three types of deductive reasoning tasks (categorical syllogisms, three-term spatial relational items, and three-term nonspatial relational items) while their regional cerebral blood flow pattern was recorded using 15O H2O PET imaging. In the control condition subjects semantically comprehended sets of three sentences. In the deductive reasoning conditions subjects determined whether the third sentence was entailed by the first two sentences. The areas of activation in each reasoning condition were confined to the left hemisphere and were similar to each other and to activation reported in previous studies. They included the left inferior frontal gyrus (Brodmann areas 45, 47), a portion of the left middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann area 46), the left middle temporal gyrus (Brodmann areas 21, 22), a region of the left lateral inferior temporal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus (Brodmann areas 22, 37), and a portion of the left cingulate gyrus (Brodmann areas 32, 24). There was no significant right- hemisphere or parietal activation. These results are consistent with previous neuroimaging studies and raise questions about the level of involvement of classic spatial regions in reasoning about linguistically presented spatial relations.
The afterglow of the short/intermediate-duration gamma-ray burst GRB 000301C: A jet at z = 2:04 ?;??;???

We present Ulysses and NEAR data from the detection of the short or intermediate duration (2 s) gamma-ray burst GRB000301C (2000 March 1.41 UT). The gamma-ray burst (GRB) was localised by the Inter Planetary Network (IPN) and RXTE to an area of 50 arcmin^2. A fading optical counterpart was subsequently discovered with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) about 42h after the burst. The GRB lies at the border between the long-soft and the short-hard classes of GRBs. If GRB000301C belongs to the latter class, this would be the first detection of an afterglow to a short-hard burst. We present UBRI and JHK photometry from the time of the discovery until 11 days after the burst. Finally, we present spectroscopic observations of the optical afterglow obtained with the ESO VLT Antu telescope 4 and 5 days after the burst. The optical light curve is consistent with being achromatic from 2 to 11 days after the burst and exhibits a break. A broken power-law fit yields a shallow pre-break decay power-law slope of a_1=-0.72+-0.06, a break time of t_b=4.39+-0.26 days after the burst, and a post-break slope of a_2=-2.29+-0.17, which is best explained by a sideways expanding jet in an ambient medium of constant mean density. In the optical spectrum we find absorption features that are consistent with FeII, CIV, CII, SiII and Ly-a at a redshift of 2.0404+-0.0008. We find evidence for a curved shape of the spectral energy distribution of the observed afterglow. It is best fitted with a power-law spectral distribution with index b ~ -0.7 reddened by an SMC-like extinction law with A_V~0.1 mag. Based on the Ly-a absorption line we estimate the HI column density to be log(N(HI))=21.2+-0.5. This is the first direct indication of a connection between GRB host galaxies and Damped Ly-a Absorbers.
Two-Component Signal Transduction Systems of Pathogenic Bacteria As Targets for Antimicrobial Therapy: An Overview

The bacterial communities in a wide range of environmental niches sense and respond to numerous external stimuli for their survival. Primarily, a source they require to follow up this communication is the two-component signal transduction system (TCS), which typically comprises a sensor Histidine kinase for receiving external input signals and a response regulator that conveys a proper change in the bacterial cell physiology. For numerous reasons, TCSs have ascended as convincing targets for antibacterial drug design. Several studies have shown that TCSs are essential for the coordinated expression of virulence factors and, in some cases, for bacterial viability and growth. It has also been reported that the expression of antibiotic resistance determinants may be regulated by some TCSs. In addition, as a mode of signal transduction, phosphorylation of histidine in bacteria differs from normal serine/threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation in higher eukaryotes. Several studies have shown the molecular mechanisms by which TCSs regulate virulence and antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. In this review, we list some of the characteristics of the bacterial TCSs and their involvement in virulence and antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, this review lists and discusses inhibitors that have been reported to target TCSs in pathogenic bacteria.
Can We Make Computers Laugh at Talks?

Considering the importance of public speech skills, a system which makes a prediction on where audiences laugh in a talk can be helpful to a person who prepares for a talk. We investigated a possibility that a state-of-the-art humor recognition system can be used in detecting sentences inducing laughters in talks. In this study, we used TED talks and laughters in the talks as data. Our results showed that the state-of-the-art system needs to be improved in order to be used in a practical application. In addition, our analysis showed that classifying humorous sentences in talks is very challenging due to close distance between humorous and non-humorous sentences.
Adaptive Asynchronous CCI Cancellation: Selection of the Regularization Parameter for Regularized Semi-Blind Technique

A asynchronous interference cancellation problem is addressed when training and working data intervals are available containing the desired signal and arbitrary overlapping interference. A regularized non-iterative semi-blind estimation of the antenna array coefficients is considered, which employs the autocorrelation matrix estimation as a weighted sum of the autocorrelation matrices estimated over the training and working data intervals. On-line selection of the regularization parameter is proposed. A simple switched selection algorithm is developed based on the constant modulus criterion. It is shown by means of simulations in TDMA and OFDM environments that the adaptive regularization parameter allows significant performance improvement compared to any fixed regularization parameter in a wide range of the asynchronous interference scenario parameters
Counterfactuality in counterintuitive religious concepts

In sketching a preliminary scientific theory of religion, Atran & Norenzayan (A&N) generally agree with cognitive scientists of religion in the factors that coalesce to form religion. At times they misrepresent, however, the notion of “counterintuitive” concepts as they apply to religious concepts, confusing counterintuitive with counterfactual, category mistakes, and logical contradiction.
Experimenting on Theories

The Argument This paper sets out a framework for understanding how the scientific community constructs computer simulation as an epistemically and pragmatically useful methodology. The framework is based on comparisons between simulation and the loosely-defined categories of “theoretical work” and “experimental work. ” Within that framework, the epistemological adequacy of simulation arises from its role as a mathematical manipulation of a complex, abstract theoretical model. To establish that adequacy demands a detailed “theoretical” grasp of the internal structure of the computer program. Simultaneously, the pragmatic usefulness of simulation arises from its role as a “virtual laboratory. ” That role is made possible by black-boxing the internal structure of the program, such that the scientist can interact with the computer in an intuitive, “experimental” manner. Thus simulation is rendered authoritative, opening up encoded theories to a novel, “experimental” type of manipulation.
Analytical Dimensions in the Comparison of Social Organizations

The paper focuses on differences in the way social situations are defined in different cultures and societies. It develops and illustrates some dimensions for comparing social systems in this respect, viz: their inventory of statuses, the repertoires of persons, and the cultural ways in which occasions are distinguished. Some contrasting types of society are compared on these dimensions; and the problem is raised as to the epistemological character of such types, and the importance of the variable of scale. The dual nature of social organization as an organization both of people and of tasks is emphasized.
The Influence of Texting Language on Grammar and Executive Functions in Primary School Children

When sending text messages on their mobile phone to friends, children often use a special type of register, which is called textese. This register allows the omission of words and the use of textisms: instances of non-standard written language such as 4ever (forever). Previous studies have shown that textese has a positive effect on children’s literacy abilities. In addition, it is possible that children’s grammar system is affected by textese as well, as grammar rules are often transgressed in this register. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of textese influences children’s grammar performance, and whether this effect is specific to grammar or language in general. Additionally, studies have not yet investigated the influence of textese on children’s cognitive abilities. Consequently, the secondary aim of this study was to find out whether textese affects children’s executive functions. To investigate this, 55 children between 10 and 13 years old were tested on a receptive vocabulary and grammar performance (sentence repetition) task and various tasks measuring executive functioning. In addition, text messages were elicited and the number of omissions and textisms in children’s messages were calculated. Regression analyses showed that omissions were a significant predictor of children’s grammar performance after various other variables were controlled for: the more words children omitted in their text messages, the better their performance on the grammar task. Although textisms correlated (marginally) significantly with vocabulary, grammar and selective attention scores and omissions marginally significantly with vocabulary scores, no other significant effects were obtained for measures of textese in the regression analyses: neither for the language outcomes, nor for the executive function tasks. Hence, our results show that textese is positively related to children’s grammar performance. On the other hand, use of textese does not affect—positively nor negatively—children’s executive functions.
Meditation buffers medical student compassion from the deleterious effects of depression

Abstract Increasing data suggest that for medical school students the stress of academic and psychological demands can impair social emotions that are a core aspect of compassion and ultimately physician competence. Few interventions have proven successful for enhancing physician compassion in ways that persist in the face of suffering and that enable sustained caretaker well-being. To address this issue, the current study was designed to (1) investigate the feasibility of cognitively-based compassion training (CBCT) for second-year medical students, and (2) test whether CBCT decreases depression, enhances compassion, and improves daily functioning in medical students. Compared to the wait-list group, students randomized to CBCT reported increased compassion, and decreased loneliness and depression. Changes in compassion were most robust in individuals reporting high levels of depression at baseline, suggesting that CBCT may benefit those most in need by breaking the link between personal suffering and a concomitant drop in compassion.
Dihydroxydocosahexaenoic acids of the neuroprotectin D family: synthesis, structure, and inhibition of human 5-lipoxygenase Published, JLR Papers in Press, August 9, 2006.

During aerobic oxidation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), soybean lipoxygenase (sLOX) has been shown to form 7,17(S)-dihydro(pero)xydocosahexaenoic acid [7,17(S)-diH(P)DHA] along with its previously described positional isomer, 10,17(S)-dihydro(pero)xydocosahexa-4Z,7Z,11E,13Z,15E,19Z-enoic acid. 7,17(S)-diH(P)DHA was also obtained via sLOX-catalyzed oxidation of either 17(S)-hydroperoxydocosahexaenoic acid [17(S)-HPDHA] or 17(S)-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid [17(S)-HDHA]. The structures of the products were elucidated by normal-phase, reverse-phase, and chiral-phase HPLC analyses and by ultraviolet, NMR, and tandem mass spectroscopy and GC-MS. 7,17(S)-diH(P)DHA was shown to have 4Z,8E,10Z,13Z,15E,19Z geometry of the double bonds. In addition, a compound apparently identical to the sLOX-derived 7,17(S)-diH(P)DHA was produced by another enzyme, potato tuber LOX, in the reactions of oxygenation of either 17(S)-HPDHA or 17(S)-HDHA. All of the dihydroxydocosahexaenoic acids (diHDHAs) formed by either of the enzymes were clearly produced through double lipoxygenation of the corresponding substrate. 7,17(S)-diHDHA inhibited human recombinant 5-lipoxygenase in the reaction of arachidonic acid (AA) oxidation. In standard conditions with 100 μM AA as substrate, the IC50 value for 7,17(S)-diHDHA was found to be 7 μM, whereas IC50 for 10,17(S)-DiHDHA was 15 μM. Similar inhibition by the diHDHAs was observed with sLOX, a quintessential 15LOX, although the strongest inhibition was produced by 10,17(S)-diHDHA (IC50 = 4 μM). Inhibition of sLOX by 7,17(S)-diHDHA was slightly less potent, with an IC50 value of 9 μM. These findings suggest that 7,17(S)-diHDHA along with its 10,17(S) counterpart might have anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, which could be exerted, at least in part, through direct inhibition of 5LOX and 15LOX.
Planar cell polarity signaling in craniofacial development

Out of the several signaling pathways controlling craniofacial development, the role of planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling is relatively poorly understood. This pathway, originally identified as a mechanism to maintain cell polarity within the epithelial cells of the Drosophila wing, has been linked to the proper development of a wide variety of tissues in vertebrates and invertebrates. While many of the pathway members are conserved, it appears that some of the members of the pathway act in a tissue-specific manner. Here, we discuss the role of this pathway in vertebrate craniofacial development, highlighting cranial neural crest migration, skull and palate formation and the role of non-traditional modulators of PCP signaling within this developmental process.
Spermophilus xanthoprymnus (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Abstract Spermophilus xanthoprymnus (Bennett, 1835), the Asia Minor ground squirrel, is a group-living, diurnal, obligately hibernating marmotine squirrel. It inhabits the steppes and alpine meadows throughout central lowland and eastern highland Anatolia and adjacent Armenia and northwestern Iran. Its preferred elevation appears to range from about 800 to 2,900 m. The species displays sexual dimorphism in size, with adult males being considerably larger than adult females and exhibits geographic variation in body size. It is presently listed as “Near Threatened” on the 2009 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species because of large-scale agricultural activities that result in habitat destruction and fragmentation.
Tightening Up : Social Mobility in Russia , 1988-2000 1

We compare the pattern of intergenerational social mobility late in Soviet-era Russia with data collected recently. We find evidence of a strong vertical hierarchy in the Russian occupational structure both during and after the Soviet era. Gender-typing shaped men’s and women’s occupational opportunities in Russia, but origins affected men and women similarly. Social mobility decreased slightly in Russia following the demise of communism. More importantly, as the transformation took hold, upward mobility became less frequent and downward mobility more frequent while social origins became a more salient factor in sorting workers into privileged and impoverished positions. Skilled manual employment has been replaced by lower-skill, lower-wage jobs in retailing and personal services, and, to a lesser degree, opportunities for self-employment. A comparison of cohorts makes clear that the change reflects the political and economic transition underway, not the demographic replacement of retiring cohorts by younger ones. In the field of mobility research, post-Soviet Russia is a rare case of a society that has become more closed in a short time. Russian specialists will take note that social mobility, like wages, has exhibited dramatic change in response to new institutional arrangements. But while growing wage inequality has affected all segments of society; mobility changes fell disproportionately on those who had been upwardly mobile during the Soviet era.
Performance evaluation of Kvazaar HEVC intra encoder on Xeon Phi many-core processor

This paper analyzes parallel scalability and coding speed of our open-source Kvazaar HEVC intra encoder on Intel Xeon Phi 61-core coprocessor that supports up to four hardware threads per core. The evaluated parallelization schemes of Kvazaar are 1) Wavefront Parallel Processing (WPP); and 2) tiles, both accelerated with picture-level parallel processing. With WPP, the C implementation of Kvazaar high-quality preset achieves an average speedup of 1.3 and a bit rate gain of 0.7% over the respective implementation of x265. Using tiles makes Kvazaar 1.4 times faster than x265 but at a cost of 0.3% bit rate loss. When high-speed presets are used, the speedup of Kvazaar increases to 1.4 with WPP and to 1.9 with tiles. Moreover, the respective coding efficiency of Kvazaar rises to 11.2% and 10.3%. Kvazaar also scales almost linearly to the number of cores in the processor. Even if the peak coding speed of Kvazaar on Xeon Phi is lower than that on the Intel 8-core i7 processor, our parallel scalability results promise excellent speed for Kvazaar on massively parallel processors equipped with more powerful cores.
Relationship between working memory capacity and contingent involuntary orienting

Individual differences in working memory capacity are related to the ability to control attention; where less working memory capacity is associated with less attentional control. A well-known demonstration of attentional control is contingent involuntary orienting (Folk, Remington, & Johnston, 1992), which is the finding that visuospatial attention is captured by a salient peripheral cue, but only if the cue is featurally similar to the target of search and not if the cue is featurally dissimilar. This control of attention and ability to resist shifting attention towards an irrelevant visual cue is believed to be moderated by attentional settings for target-specific features. This study establishes that working memory capacity is related to contingent involuntary orienting of attention. Lower working memory capacity was associated with larger stimulus-driven cueing effects at short cue-to-target onset asynchronies, than at longer asynchronies, suggesting working memory capacity was associated with the ability to control covert orienting of attention at early processing stages.
The Home Schooling Mother-Teacher: Toward a Theory of Social Integration

tional-Organization-of-Women sense, mind you, but feminists nonetheless. Whereas the standard dictionary definition of feminism is "the doctrine advocating the same social, political, and economic rights for women as for men" (Wordsmyth English Dictionary, 1999), I believe that an appropriate definition of feminism-as operative for the home schooling mother-would read "the doctrine advocating the same social, political, and economic rights for home schooling mother-teachers as for the public and/or private educational system. " As a group, home schooling mother-teachers are passionate about the education of their children,