Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Game Theory of Mind

This paper introduces a model of ‘theory of mind’, namely, how we represent the intentions and goals of others to optimise our mutual interactions. We draw on ideas from optimum control and game theory to provide a ‘game theory of mind’. First, we consider the representations of goals in terms of value functions that are prescribed by utility or rewards. Critically, the joint value functions and ensuing behaviour are optimised recursively, under the assumption that I represent your value function, your representation of mine, your representation of my representation of yours, and so on ad infinitum. However, if we assume that the degree of recursion is bounded, then players need to estimate the opponent's degree of recursion (i.e., sophistication) to respond optimally. This induces a problem of inferring the opponent's sophistication, given behavioural exchanges. We show it is possible to deduce whether players make inferences about each other and quantify their sophistication on the basis of choices in sequential games. This rests on comparing generative models of choices with, and without, inference. Model comparison is demonstrated using simulated and real data from a ‘stag-hunt’. Finally, we note that exactly the same sophisticated behaviour can be achieved by optimising the utility function itself (through prosocial utility), producing unsophisticated but apparently altruistic agents. This may be relevant ethologically in hierarchal game theory and coevolution.
Detection of Odorous Compounds in Breath

Previous studies have demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan play a major role in oral malodor. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that other compounds found in mouth air can also contribute to halitosis. Mouth air of 40 healthy volunteers and 40 persons with halitosis was analyzed and compared by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, two sulfur monitors, and organoleptically. Nearly 700 different compounds were detected. Hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide, di- and trisulfide were increased in persons with breath odor. These compounds were all significantly correlated with the organoleptic score. We concluded that hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and, to a much lesser extent, dimethyl sulfide, di- and trisulfide can contribute to oral malodor. The role of other compounds, such as amines and organic acids, seems insignificant.
Presynaptic depression of synaptic transmission mediated by activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors in rat neocortex

Conventional intracellular recordings were obtained from layer II-III neurons in adult rat neocortical brain slices. Excitatory and inhibitory (I) postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) were evoked prior to and during bath application of agonists and antagonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). In the presence of the selective mGluR agonist 1S,3R-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3- dicarboxylic acid (1S,3R-ACPD; 5– 200 microM), both excitatory and inhibitory components of the evoked PSPs were reversibly reduced. PSPs were significantly, but less effectively, decreased by L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid. Exposure to putative mGluR antagonists, alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine or L- 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid, did not inhibit the 1S,3R-ACPD- mediated effect. In the presence of 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione and D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid, 1S,3R-ACPD reversibly depressed directly evoked neocortical IPSPs; however, quisqualic acid (1–10 microM) did not mimic this effect. Analysis of spontaneous PSPs and paired-pulse facilitation indicated a presynaptic locus of action for 1S,3R-ACPD at mGluRs. These findings indicate that a specific mGluR subtype(s) may modulate both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the adult rat neocortex via a presynaptic reduction of transmitter release.
Efficacy of field treatments to reduce body core temperature in hyperthermic subjects.

PURPOSE To contrast the effects of three postcooling techniques in reducing body core temperature (Tc) in exercise-induced hyperthermic participants on the cessation of exercise. METHODS Eleven healthy active male volunteers were cooled during a 40-min period using three different methods: ice packs to the neck, axillae, and groin (ICE); water spray and fan (FAN); and 2 L of chilled (20 degrees C) intravenous saline administered during a 20-min period (IV). Rate of decrease in Tc, cardiovascular responses, and any incidence of reported adverse effects were investigated. Trials were presented in a counterbalanced order with the volunteers' body core temperature being elevated to 40.0 degrees C on three occasions via an intermittent walk-run (2 min at 6 km x h and 4 min at 10 km x h) protocol conducted within a climate-controlled chamber (34.2 +/- 0.5 degrees C and 62.3 +/- 3.1% relative humidity). RESULTS Rate of Tc reduction during the first 20 min of cooling was greater for FAN compared with ICE (0.09 +/- 0.02 degrees C.min vs 0.07 +/- 0.02 degrees C.min, P < 0.05), whereas IV did not differ with the other trials (0.08 +/- 0.01 degrees C.min, P > 0.05). Three participants complained of numbness or paresthesia in their arm or hand during administration of the chilled saline, although these symptoms resolved within 5 min of ceasing the infusion. CONCLUSIONS All three cooling techniques reduced Tc and would be suitable for first aid application in a field setting during transportation to adequate medical facilities. Chilled IV saline did not produce any contraindications, providing a suitable alternative for Tc cooling.
Utility of a Commercial Nonstructural Protein 1 Antigen Capture Kit as a Dengue Virus Diagnostic Tool

ABSTRACT Annually, over 2.5 billion people are at risk for infection with dengue virus (DENV), while between 50 and 100 million people contract the infection. There is an urgent need for alternative diagnostic tools that can detect DENV during acute infection. Recent studies have shown that DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is detectable in the blood as early as the onset of symptoms and persists well into the convalescent phase of the infection. We evaluated the utility of the Bio-Rad Platelia DENV NS1 antigen capture kit in combination with real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and an IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA) for refining a new algorithm for the diagnosis of acute- or convalescent-phase DENV infection with a single clinical sample. We tested the Bio-Rad kit with three panels of sera. These panels were designed to evaluate the sensitivities of the NS1 kit for (i) early-convalescent-phase samples, (ii) acute-phase samples with false-negative PCR results, and (iii) IgM-negative convalescent-phase samples from patients with confirmed secondary DENV infections. Results show that NS1 can be detected in 22% of serum samples collected more than 10 days after the onset of illness and in 22% of samples that did not elicit an IgM response. Additionally, NS1 was detected in 37% of the tested acute-phase samples with false-negative PCR results, suggesting that NS1 detection may be valuable in increasing the sensitivity of current acute-phase diagnostics. These results will improve diagnosis with a single acute-phase or early-convalescent-phase sample for disease surveillance and clinical diagnosis.
Collective Psychological Ownership and Intergroup Relations

Whereas much social psychological research has studied the in-group and out-group implications of social categorization and collective identity (“we”), little research has examined the nature and relevance of collective psychological ownership (“ours”) for intergroup relations. We make a case for considering collective psychological ownership as an important source of intergroup tensions. We do so by integrating theory and research from various social sciences, and we draw out implications for future social psychological research on intergroup relations. We discuss collective psychological ownership in relation to the psychology of possessions, marking behavior, intergroup threats, outgroup exclusion, and in-group responsibility. We suggest that the social psychological processes discussed apply to a range of ownership objects (territory, buildings, cultural artifacts) and various intergroup settings, including international, national, and local contexts, and in organizations and communities. We conclude by providing directions for future research in different intergroup contexts.
Semiconductor Laser Power Enhancement by Control of Gain and Power Profiles

We present theoretical calculations investigating the output power limitations of GaAs-based semiconductor lasers and the experimental results showing significant improvement of output power. To understand the influence of power limitation mechanisms, semiconductor laser with standard and unfolded cavity designs is studied. Our analysis reveals that an unfolded cavity laser enables more homogeneous longitudinal gain and intracavity optical intensity with reduced levels as compared with the standard cavity. Hence, an unfolded laser has theoretically lower power penalties induced by linear and nonlinear effects. For a 5.7-mm long laser cavity with 100-μm wide aperture, the experimental results demonstrate 21-W output from standard cavity whereas the unfolded cavity design achieves 33-W at 920 nm, which is >55% enhancement of the output, confirming the prediction of the theoretical calculations. The method represents a major step toward understanding semiconductor laser power limitations and realizing higher power output by control of longitudinal gain and power profiles.
The IFCASL Corpus of French and German Non-native and Native Read Speech

The IFCASL corpus is a French-German bilingual phonetic learner corpus designed, recorded and annotated in a project on individualized feedback in computer-assisted spoken language learning. The motivation for setting up this corpus was that there is no phonetically annotated and segmented corpus for this language pair of comparable of size and coverage. In contrast to most learner corpora, the IFCASL corpus incorporate data for a language pair in both directions, i.e. in our case French learners of German, and German learners of French. In addition, the corpus is complemented by two sub-corpora of native speech by the same speakers. The corpus provides spoken data by about 100 speakers with comparable productions, annotated and segmented on the word and the phone level, with more than 50% manually corrected data. The paper reports on inter-annotator agreement and the optimization of the acoustic models for forced speech-text alignment in exercises for computer-assisted pronunciation training. Example studies based on the corpus data with a phonetic focus include topics such as the realization of /h/ and glottal stop, final devoicing of obstruents, vowel quantity and quality, pitch range, and tempo.
Experiences in Identification of Partial Discharge Patterns in Large Hydrogenerators

Some researchers' experience of CVG EDELCA, in the identification of patterns of partial discharges (PD) in the large capacity hydroelectric generators of the Hydroelectric Power Stations Guri, Macagua and Caruachi of Venezuela are shown. For patterns identification of PD visual inspections, measurements of on-line and off-line partial discharges, measurements of acoustic vibrations in the core and frame of stator and register of concentration of ozone were carried out. Along with these results, some recognition of patterns in the Laboratory of Electromagnetic Rehearsals of Generation (LEMM) of the CIAP was carried out. As the slot discharges are directly related to the mechanical play of the bars of coil inside the slot, simulations in finite elements method (FEM) were performed to evaluate and determine the action of the electromagnetic forces of 120 Hz on the bars of the winding inside of the slots of the stator for different load conditions
Globalisation of researcher mobility within the UK Higher Education: explaining the presence of overseas academics in the UK academia

ABSTRACT In this paper, we argue that the power structure that lies within the UK elite universities dictates a division of labour through which the inflows of overseas academics into the UK academic labour markets are skewed towards these elite academic institutions where they are employed primarily in research-only posts. These posts, are less valued and are difficult to fill by UK academics. This explains the over-concentration non-UK academics within these posts and suggests that it is not a coincidence, but a result of a division of labour in which they are ‘used’ as a replacement labour.
Competency to Stand Trial: A Systematic Evaluation and Validation of the GCCT, MacCAT-CA, and ECST as Competency Measures

Competency to stand trial cases constitute the largest percentage of forensic referrals for clinical psychologists. Furthermore, research suggests that the use of forensic measures facilitates the decisions of competency made by forensic examiners. This study investigated the construct validity of three competency measures: (a) the GCCT-MSH, (b) the MacCAT-CA, and (c) the ECST with 100 adult males incarcerated at the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, TX. Construct validity was investigated via the use of a multitrait-multimethod research design for the three-prong conceptualization of the Dusky standard. Results indicated that current competency measures do an adequate job of assessing for factual understanding, but lack construct validity for two prongs: rational understanding and the ability to consult with counsel. In addition, the atypical presentation scales of the both GCCT and the ECST performed well at screening individuals for feigning. Finally, prediction of competency from clinical variables was also investigated. Psychotic symptoms and overall impairment were the strongest predictors of incompetency.
A novel model to study the biological effects of red wine at the molecular level

Several food items of plant origin, and in particular red wine, have been reported to protect from cardiovascular disease (CVD) development, thanks to their polyphenol components. Polyphenols undergo complex metabolic transformation during digestion and intestinal absorption. Here we report a novel model to study the effects of complex food matrices, applied to red wine, on gene expression in cultured primary human endothelial cells that takes into account the polyphenol metabolic transformation. Red wine was administered to human volunteers acting as ‘bio-reactors’. Serum (RWS) obtained after 40 min was utilized to enrich endothelial cell culture media. The expression of specific genes involved in cell adhesion (vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) and monocytes chemoattractant protein (MCP-1)) and fibrinolysis (tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 (PAI-2)) was considered as a molecular marker of cell function and related to the effects of RWS. The gene expression profile determined by RWS incubation was significantly different from that observed after the addition of red wine. Data obtained by this approach indicate the importance of taking into account the complex metabolic transformation of polyphenols that occurs during absorption when studying their effect on human health.
İlkokul Birinci Sınıf Öğretmenlerinin 4+4+4 Eğitim Sistemi ve Bu Sistem Sonrasında İlkokula Başlayan Öğrencilerin Hazır Bulunuşlukları Hakkındaki Görüşleri

The purpose of this research is to investigate first grade teachers’ opinions about 4+4+4 education system and school readiness of first grade students at elementary schools. Twenty first grade teachers working for elementary schools in Samsun province participated in this study. Participants were recruited using maximum diversity sampling procedure. Data were collected by using semistructured interviews and analyzed with content analysis technique. Findings of the study suggested that teachers have different notions about the education system, some believe that the infrastructure required for transforming to this education system does not exist and this infrastructure shortage manifests itself in various ways; children who start disadvantageously, such as not having preschool education or starting school at an earlier age, suffer from a series of issues in terms of physical, cognitive, social and emotional readiness of children and they fail to display skills material for learning how to read and write
Comparison of superficial surgical site infection following use of diathermy and scalpel for making skin incision in inguinal hernioplasty.

BACKGROUND The method of making surgical incision remains a complex problem. Although controversial, the use of diathermy instead of scalpel for skin incision and underlying tissue dissection is gradually gaining wide acceptance. This is due to the observation that no change in wound complication rate or postoperative pain is reported with the use ofDiathermy. However, the fear ofexcessive scarring and poor wound healing has curtailed its widespread use for skin incision. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study is to compare superficial surgical site infection (SSSI) in diathermy and scalpel skin incision in inguinal hernioplasty. STUDY DESIGN Quasi experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Study was conducted at Surgical Unit II, Holy Family Hospital. Rawalpindi from 1st Jan. 2008 to 30th September 2008. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 80 patients who presented with inguinal hernias were included in the study. Patients were divided in two groups. Group1: In 40 patients skin incision was made with Diathermy, Group 2: The other 40 had skin incision with scalpel. RESULTS The mean age of patients in the intervention group (Group 1) was 50 years while in the control group (Group 2) it was 46 years. 48% patients in Group 1 and 55% in the Group 2 had indirect inguinal hernias. SSSI was noted in 12.5% cases in Group 1 whereas in Group 2 it was 17.5% but this difference was not found to be statistically significant (p value=0.378). CONCLUSION The use of diathermy for making skin incisions is as safe as scalpel and there is no significant difference amongst both regarding wound infection.
Preservation of spermatogenesis in spinal cord injured rats with exogenous testosterone. Relationship with serum testosterone levels and cellular localization of cAMP responsive element modulator.

UNLABELLED The current experiment examined the effects of exogenous testosterone (T) on spermatogenesis in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their relationship with the cellular distribution of a cyclic AMP-responsive element modulator (CREM) in testicular cells. Implantation of T-filled Silastic capsules (TCs, 1-20 cm) resulted in dose-dependent, biphasic changes in testicular T levels and spermatogenesis in SCI rats. However, dose responsiveness of spermatogenesis to exogenous T in SCI rats differed from that in sham control rats. Specifically, implantation of 2-cm TCs enhanced the effects of SCI on spermatogenesis, resulting in total regression of the seminiferous epithelium. Although 3-cm TCs maintained complete spermatogenesis in sham control rats, this regimen failed to support complete spermatogenesis in SCI rats. Although complete spermatogenesis was maintained in SCI rats given 5-20-cm TC implants, various abnormalities persisted. Cellular distribution of CREM remained normal in SCI rats but was altered in those SCI rats that received 3- or 5-cm TC implants. Such effects were associated with reduced CREM proteins in testicular tissues. These results were consistent with altered cAMP signaling and its regulation in testicular cells after SCI and provided possible mechanistic explanations for the effects of SCI on spermatogenesis. CONCLUSION SCI resulted in changes in the responsiveness of spermatogenesis to exogenous T. These effects were associated with altered cAMP/CREM signaling in testicular cells. Further studies, including a study of the relationship between serum T levels and normalcy of sperm functions and the role of neural-endocrine interactions in mediating the effects of SCI on spermatogenesis and sperm function, are needed so that therapeutic regimens can be designed for clinical use.
Flowers in the desert: the impact of policy on basic skills provision in the workplace

In this paper we argue that learning in the workplace can bring considerable benefits for learners and employers. It draws on data from in‐depth interviews and secondary sources from eight sites of work‐based learning as part of wider research into the effects of five national policy mechanisms within the Learning and Skills Sector. We also have evidence of the positive effects of policy initiatives, in this case, Skills for Life, Union Learning Representatives and Employer Training Pilots, and of legislation such as the Care Standards Act. However, initiative‐based resources cannot substitute for longer‐term, more secure funding. We have found what may be described as ‘flowers in the desert’—provision that grows, develops and blossoms quickly with the injection of funding, but which is very susceptible to changes in resourcing and, like flowers in the desert, can wither as quickly as it grew. We conclude by arguing that initiatives and exhortation are unlikely on their own to ensure that the full benefits of learning in the workplace are realized. There is, therefore, a need both for more sustained funding from government and employers and for greater regulation, such as the ‘licence to practise’ approach taken in the Health and Social Care professions.
Rapid and Reliable HPLC Method for the Determination of Vitamin C in Pharmaceutical Samples

Purpose: To develop and validate an accurate, sensitive and reproducible high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the quantitation of vitamin C in pharmaceutical samples. Method: The drug and the standard were eluted from Superspher RP-18 (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 10 μm particle size) at 20 0 C. The mobile phase was prepared by carefully adding acetic acid (500 ml) to 1.5g of 1-hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt and mixing well (pH 2.6). The flow rate was 0.7 mL min -1 . UV detector, set at 280 nm, was used to monitor the effluent. Results: Each analysis required no longer than 4 min. The limit of quantitation was 1.95 μg mL -1 . Recovery (%) for different concentrations ranged from 99.58 to 101.93. Conclusion : The simplicity of this low-cost, rapid technique and its high specificity to ascorbic acid, even in the presence of a variety of excipients, demonstrate that this HPLC method would be particularly suitable for the determination of ascorbic acid in the investigated preparations as well as other similar pharmaceutical/veterinary formulations without prior sample preparation.
The Geographies of Disability: Reflections on the Development of a Sub-Discipline

Geographers’ interest in the subject of disability has traditionally been confined to particular parts of the discipline, and usually been of marginal interest to most academics. This has mirrored a broader antipathy to the study of disability in the social sciences although, in recent years, geographical scholarship about space, place and disability has proliferated. In this review article, we outline and assess the significance of this trend, and we comment on the importance of theoretical and methodological developments in the sub-discipline. In doing so, we anticipate the ways in which studies of geography and disability are likely to evolve.