Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are there really no evolutionarily stable strategies in the iterated prisoner's dilemma?

The evolutionary form of the iterated prisoner's dilemma (IPD) is a repeated game where players strategically choose whether to cooperate with or exploit opponents and reproduce in proportion to game success. It has been widely used to study the evolution of cooperation among selfish agents. In the past 15 years, researchers proved over a series of papers that there is no evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) in the IPD when players maintain long-term relationships. This makes it difficult to make predictions about what strategies can actually persist as prevalent in a population over time. Here, we show that this no ESS finding may be a mathematical technicality, relying on implausible players who are "too perfect" in that their probability of cooperating on any move is arbitrarily close to either 0 or 1. Specifically, in the no ESS proof, all strategies were allowed, meaning that after a strategy X experiences any history H, X cooperates with an unrestricted probability p (X, H) where 0< or =p (X, H)< or =1. Here, we restrict strategies to the set S in which X is a member of S [corrected] if after any H, X cooperates with a restricted probability p (X, H) where e< or =p (X, H)< or =1-e and 0<e<1/2. The variables e and 1-e may be thought of as the biological limits to how perfect (pure) a strategy can be. In S, we first prove that an ESS must be a Nash equilibrium and boundary strategy of S where a boundary strategy has allowable probabilities of cooperating of e or 1-e after any history. We then prove that X is an ESS in S if and only if X is a Nash equilibrium in the set consisting of only S's boundary strategies. Thus, in searching for ESSs in S, we only need to consider what happens when boundary strategies interact with one another. This greatly simplifies the search for ESSs. Using these results, we finally show that when e is sufficiently small, exactly three one-move memory ESSs exist in S: [1] Pavlov-e which generally cooperates (i.e. cooperates with maximum probability 1-e) after both players either simultaneously cooperated or simultaneously defected; otherwise, Pavlov-e generally defects (i.e. cooperates with minimum probability e). [2] Grudge-e which generally cooperates after both players simultaneously cooperated; otherwise, Grudge-e generally defects. [3] ALLD-e which generally defects after all histories.
NF‐κB: roles and regulation in different CD4+ T‐cell subsets

The nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) family of transcription factors plays important roles in various biological processes including apoptosis, stress response, immunity, and inflammation. NF‐κB signaling is involved in both immune cell development and function, and it is critical in modulation of the immune response through the transcriptional regulation of cytokine and chemokine expression. An area of great interest in T‐cell‐mediated adaptive immunity is the ability of naive CD4+ T cells generated in the thymus to differentiate into various subsets including T‐helper 1 (Th1), Th2, Th17, Th9, follicular helper T (Tfh), Th22, and regulatory T (Treg) cells, upon encountering different pathogens and microenvironments. In this review, we discuss the role of NF‐κB pathway in the development and functional divergence of the different helper T‐cell subsets as well as in regulatory T cells.
Real-Time Train Wheel Condition Monitoring by Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

Wheel defects on trains, such as flat wheels and out-of-roundness, inevitably jeopardize the safety of railway operations. Regular visual inspection and checking by experienced workers are the commonly adopted practice to identify wheel defects. However, the defects may not be spotted in time. Therefore, an automatic, remote-sensing, reliable, and accurate monitoring system for wheel condition is always desirable. The paper describes a real-time system to monitor wheel defects based on fiber Bragg grating sensors. Track strain response upon wheel-rail interaction is measured and processed to generate a condition index which directly reflects the wheel condition. This approach is verified by extensive field test, and the preliminary results show that this electromagnetic-immune system provides an effective alternative for wheel defects detection. The system significantly increases the efficiency of maintenance management and reduces the cost for defects detection, and more importantly, avoids derailment timely.
Case-control study of dietary pattern and other risk factors for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND The rates of gastric cancer reported from Ardabil Province of Iran, are among the highest in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for gastric cancer in Ardabil Province. METHODS This case-control study was conducted on 128 adults with mean age of 56.5 ± 12.8 yr old in Ardebil City, Iran in 2010 - 2011. Forty-two people with gastric cancer and 86 healthy people were recruited. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Fasting blood samples were taken for measurement of IgG and IgA indices against Helicobacter pylori infection. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square and Independent sample t-test. RESULTS Diet and H. pylori infection indices had the significant relationship with gastric cancer (P<0.05). Among dietary patterns, drinking hot tea, low intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, and unsaturated fat were the most significant risk factors (P<0.05). In gastric cancer patients, the levels of serum IgG and IgA as indicator of H. pylori infection were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the healthy subjects (IgG 37.7 ± 29.3 vs. 16.9 ± 11.1 U/ml and IgA 50.5 ± 44.7 vs. 22.9 ± 15.8 U/ml). No significant relationship was observed between tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption with gastric cancer. CONCLUSION Dietary pattern especially drinking hot tea and low consumption of unsaturated fat, fresh vegetables, and fruits, as well as H. pylori infection were the most important risk factors in gastric cancer patients.
Dinâmica folicular por ultra-sonografía em novilhas pré-púberes da raça Gir (Study of follicular dynamic by real-time ultrasound inprepuberal Gir heifers)

The objective of this research was contribute to knowledge of reproduction physiology in the Gir breed, by ultrasound study of follicular dynamic in prepubertal heifers. Follicular growth was monitored in 13 heifers during 42 consecutively days. A process of successive anovulatory follicular waves was identiffied, with each wave showing a dominant follicle and a variable number of other smaller in size (subordinates). The waves were variables in length, for purposes of analysis, they were classified in three categories as follows: waves of class 1 length (CO1: ≤12 days), class 2 (CO2: 13-16 days) and class 3 (CO3: ≥17 days). Forty-nine waves were thus analyzed: 6 CO1 (12.2%), 31 CO2 (63.3%) and 12 CO3 (24.5%). Differences among length of waves were observed, even between those from the same female. In the CO1 class the mean maximum diameter of the dominant follicle was (P<0.05) shorter (9.4±0.3 mm) than CO2 (10.4±0.2 mm) and CO3 (11.6±0.4 mm). The plateau and rates of growing and atresia of follicles were not different (P>0.05) between CO classes. Similar characteristics on subordinate follicles were not different (P>0.05) among CO classes.
Loqs-PD and R2D2 define independent pathways for RISC generation in Drosophila

In Drosophila, siRNAs are classified as endo- or exo-siRNAs based on their origin. Both are processed from double-stranded RNA precursors by Dcr-2 and then loaded into the Argonaute protein Ago2. While exo-siRNAs serve to defend the cell against viruses, endo-siRNAs restrict the spread of selfish DNA in somatic cells, analogous to piRNAs in the germ line. Endo- and exo-siRNAs display a differential requirement for double-stranded RNA binding domain proteins (dsRBPs): R2D2 is needed to load exo-siRNAs into Ago2 while the PD isoform of Loquacious (Loqs-PD) stimulates Dcr-2 during the nucleolytic processing of hairpin-derived endo-siRNAs. In cell culture assays, R2D2 antagonizes Loqs-PD in endo-siRNA silencing and Loqs-PD is an inhibitor of RNA interference. Loqs-PD can interact via the C-terminus unique to this isoform with the DExH/D-helicase domain of Drosophila Dcr-2, where binding of R2D2 has also been localized. Separation of the two pathways is not complete; rather, the dicing and Ago2-loading steps appear uncoupled, analogous to the corresponding steps in miRNA biogenesis. Analysis of deep sequencing data further demonstrates that in r2d2 mutant flies, siRNAs can be loaded into Ago2 but not all siRNA classes are equally proficient for this. Thus, the canonical Ago2-RISC loading complex can be bypassed under certain circumstances.
The Geometry of Speed Limiting Resources in Physical Models of Computation

We study the maximum speed of quantum computation and how it is affected by limitations on physical resources. We show how the resulting concepts generalize to a broader class of physical models of computation within dynamical systems and introduce a specific algebraic structure representing these speed limits. We derive a family of quantum speed limit results in resource-constrained quantum systems with pure states and a finite dimensional state space, by using a geometric method based on right invariant action functionals on SU(N). We show that when the action functional is bi-invariant, the minimum time for implementing any quantum gate using a potentially time-dependent Hamiltonian is equal to the minimum time when using a constant Hamiltonian, thus constant Hamiltonians are time optimal for these constraints. We give an explicit formula for the time in these cases, in terms of the resource constraint. We show how our method produces a rich family of speed limit results, of which the generalized Margolus–Levitin theorem and the Mandelstam–Tamm inequality are special cases. We discuss the broader context of geometric approaches to speed limits in physical computation, including the way geometric approaches to quantum speed limits are a model for physical speed limits to computation arising from a limited resource.
Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica Are Protected against Acetic Acid, but Not Hydrochloric Acid, by Hypertonicity

ABSTRACT Chapman et al. (B. Chapman, N. Jensen, T Ross, and M. B. Cole, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:5165-5172, 2006) demonstrated that an increased NaCl concentration prolongs survival of Escherichia coli O157 SERL 2 in a broth model simulating the aqueous phase of a food dressing or sauce containing acetic acid. We examined the responses of five other E. coli strains and four Salmonella enterica strains to increasing concentrations of NaCl under conditions of lethal acidity and observed that the average “lag” time prior to inactivation decreases in the presence of hydrochloric acid but not in the presence of acetic acid. For E. coli in the presence of acetic acid, the lag time increased with increasing NaCl concentrations up to 2 to 4% at pH 4.0, up to 4 to 6% at pH 3.8, and up to 4 to 7% (wt/wt of water) NaCl at pH 3.6. Salmonella was inactivated more rapidly by combined acetic acid and NaCl stresses than E. coli, but increasing NaCl concentrations still decreased the lag time prior to inactivation in the presence of acetic acid; at pH 4.0 up to 1 to 4% NaCl was protective, and at pH 3.8 up to 1 to 2% NaCl delayed the onset of inactivation. Sublethal injury kinetics suggest that this complex response is a balance between the lethal effects of acetic acid, against which NaCl is apparently protective, and the lethal effects of the NaCl itself. Compared against 3% NaCl, 10% (wt/wt of water) sucrose with 0.5% NaCl (which has similar osmotic potential) was found to be equally protective against adverse acetic acid conditions. We propose that hypertonicity may directly affect the rate of diffusion of acetic acid into cells and hence cell survival.
Progress on Static Probabilistic Timing Analysis for Systems with Random Cache Replacement Policies

I. Original Problem Statement Real-time systems such as those deployed in space, aerospace, automotive and railway applications require guarantees that the probability of the system failing to meet its timing constraints is below an acceptable threshold (e.g. a failure rate of less than 10−9 per hour). Advances in hardware technology and the large gap between processor and memory speeds, bridged by the use of cache, make it difficult to provide such guarantees without significant over-provisioning of hardware resources. The use of deterministic cache replacement policies means that pathological worst-case behaviours need to be accounted for, even when in practice they may have a vanishingly small probability of actually occurring. The use of cache with random replacement policies [3] can negate the effects of pathological worst-case behaviours while still achieving efficient average-case performance, hence providing a way of increasing guaranteed performance in hard real-time systems. The timing behaviour of programs running on a processor with a random cache replacement policy can be determined using Static Probabilistic Timing Analysis (SPTA). SPTA computes an upper bound on the probabilistic Worst-Case Execution Time (pWCET) in terms of an exceedence function, which gives the probability, as a function of all possible values for an execution time budget x, that the execution time of the program will not exceed that budget on any single run. SPTA [5] requires a probability function that can be used to compute an estimate of the probability of a cache hit for each memory access. This probability function is valid if it provides a lower bound on the probability of a cache hit. As shown last year at RTSOPS 2013 [4], the only valid cache-hit probability known by then is given as follows:
Knowing when we don't know: Introspective classification for mission-critical decision making

Classification precision and recall have been widely adopted by roboticists as canonical metrics to quantify the performance of learning algorithms. This paper advocates that for robotics applications, which often involve mission-critical decision making, good performance according to these standard metrics is desirable but insufficient to appropriately characterise system performance. We introduce and motivate the importance of a classifier's introspective capacity: the ability to mitigate potentially overconfident classifications by an appropriate assessment of how qualified the system is to make a judgement on the current test datum. We provide an intuition as to how this introspective capacity can be achieved and systematically investigate it in a selection of classification frameworks commonly used in robotics: support vector machines, LogitBoost classifiers and Gaussian Process classifiers (GPCs). Our experiments demonstrate that for common robotics tasks a framework such as a GPC exhibits a superior introspective capacity while maintaining commensurate classification performance to more popular, alternative approaches.
A comparison of background correction methods for two-colour microarrays

MOTIVATION Microarray data must be background corrected to remove the effects of non-specific binding or spatial heterogeneity across the array, but this practice typically causes other problems such as negative corrected intensities and high variability of low intensity log-ratios. Different estimators of background, and various model-based processing methods, are compared in this study in search of the best option for differential expression analyses of small microarray experiments. RESULTS Using data where some independent truth in gene expression is known, eight different background correction alternatives are compared, in terms of precision and bias of the resulting gene expression measures, and in terms of their ability to detect differentially expressed genes as judged by two popular algorithms, SAM and limma eBayes. A new background processing method (normexp) is introduced which is based on a convolution model. The model-based correction methods are shown to be markedly superior to the usual practice of subtracting local background estimates. Methods which stabilize the variances of the log-ratios along the intensity range perform the best. The normexp+offset method is found to give the lowest false discovery rate overall, followed by morph and vsn. Like vsn, normexp is applicable to most types of two-colour microarray data. AVAILABILITY The background correction methods compared in this article are available in the R package limma (Smyth, 2005) from http://www.bioconductor. org. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available from http://bioinf.wehi. edu.au/resources/webReferences.html.
Shared HLA Class II in Six Autoimmune Diseases in Latin America: A Meta-Analysis

The prevalence and genetic susceptibility of autoimmune diseases (ADs) may vary depending on latitudinal gradient and ethnicity. The aims of this study were to identify common human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II alleles that contribute to susceptibility to six ADs in Latin Americans through a meta-analysis and to review additional clinical, immunological, and genetic characteristics of those ADs sharing HLA alleles. DRB1∗03:01 (OR: 4.04; 95%CI: 1.41–11.53) was found to be a risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). DRB1∗04:05 (OR: 4.64; 95%CI: 2.14–10.05) influences autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and T1D; DRB1∗04:01 (OR: 3.86; 95%CI: 2.32–6.42) is a susceptibility factor for RA and T1D. Opposite associations were found between multiple sclerosis (MS) and T1D. DQB1∗06:02 and DRB1∗15 alleles were risk factors for MS but protective factors for T1D. Likewise, DQB1∗06:03 allele was a risk factor for AIH but a protective one for T1D. Several common autoantibodies and clinical associations as well as additional shared genes have been reported in these ADs, which are reviewed herein. These results indicate that in Latin Americans ADs share major loci and immune characteristics.
Unrelated Helpers in a Primitively Eusocial Wasp: Is Helping Tailored Towards Direct Fitness?

The paper wasp Polistes dominulus is unique among the social insects in that nearly one-third of co-foundresses are completely unrelated to the dominant individual whose offspring they help to rear and yet reproductive skew is high. These unrelated subordinates stand to gain direct fitness through nest inheritance, raising the question of whether their behaviour is adaptively tailored towards maximizing inheritance prospects. Unusually, in this species, a wealth of theory and empirical data allows us to predict how unrelated subordinates should behave. Based on these predictions, here we compare helping in subordinates that are unrelated or related to the dominant wasp across an extensive range of field-based behavioural contexts. We find no differences in foraging effort, defense behaviour, aggression or inheritance rank between unrelated helpers and their related counterparts. Our study provides no evidence, across a number of behavioural scenarios, that the behaviour of unrelated subordinates is adaptively modified to promote direct fitness interests.
Real Effects of the Sovereign Debt Crisis in Europe: Evidence from Syndicated Loans

This paper shows that the sovereign debt crisis and the resulting credit crunch in the periphery of the Eurozone lead to negative real effects for borrowing firms. Using a hand matched sample of loan information from Dealscan and accounting information from Amadeus, we show that firms with a higher exposure to banks affected by the sovereign debt crisis become financially constrained during the crisis. As a result, these firms have significantly lower employment growth, capital expenditures, and sales growth rates. We show that our results are not driven by country or industry-specific macroeconomic shocks or a change in the demand for credit of borrowing firms. Thus, the high interdependence of bank and sovereign health and the resulting credit crunch is one important contributor to the severe economic downturn in the southern European countries during the sovereign debt crisis.
Spatio-temporal structure of the urban thermal environment in Beijing based on an empirical orthogonal function

ABSTRACT An understanding of the spatio-temporal structure of the urban thermal environment (UTE) is important for determining the formation mechanism of the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) was applied in this study to analyse the spatio-temporal characteristics and trends of the UTE in summer in the Beijing metropolitan area using temperature data obtained from meteorological observatories between 1978 and 2010. The overall summer temperature had a three-step distribution from southwest to northeast cross the Beijing metropolitan area, with a dual-core high-temperature region in the central city and the Capital International Airport.
The critical regulator of embryonic hematopoiesis, SCL, is vital in the adult for megakaryopoiesis, erythropoiesis, and lineage choice in CFU-S12

Gene targeting studies have shown that the transcription factor SCL is critically important for embryonic hematopoiesis, but the early lethality of SCL null mice has precluded the genetic analysis of its function in the adult. We have now generated a conditional knockout of SCL by using Cre/Lox technology and an IFN-inducible Cre transgenic mouse. Deletion of SCL in adult mice perturbed megakaryopoiesis and erythropoiesis with the loss of early progenitor cells in both lineages. This led to a blunted response to the hematopoietic stress induced by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, with a persistently low platelet count and hematocrit compared with controls. In contrast, progenitors of granulocyte and macrophage lineages were not affected, even in the setting of stress. Immature progenitor cells (day 12 colony-forming unit spleen) with multilineage capacity were still present in the SCL null bone marrow, but these progenitors had lost the capacity to generate erythroid and megakaryocyte cells, and colonies were composed of only myeloid cells. These results suggest that SCL is critical for megakaryopoiesis and erythropoiesis, but is dispensable for production of myeloid cells during adult hematopoiesis.
Predictors of Perceived Control Among African American Women in Detroit: Exploring Empowerment as a Multilevel Construct

Efforts to enhance empowerment toward the aim of improved health require an understanding of factors that contribute to perceived control at multiple levels, as a dimension of empowerment. In this article, the authors examine hypothesized predictors of perceived control at multiple levels among urban, African American women. Variables that predict perceived control include greater participation in change-related action; level of activity within respondents’ most important organizations; and attempts made by those organizations to influence public officials, businesses, and other groups. Results suggest that (1) perceived control is a context-specific, multilevel construct; (2) citizen participation is an important factor in control and influence at multiple levels; and (3) organizations that are involved within neighborhoods and in the broader community can help to increase control and influence at multiple levels in marginalized communities. Implications for health education practice and research are discussed.
Ferrite coupled-line circulator with reduced length

A method to design a circulator based on a ferrite coupled line (FCL) with reduced length is presented. This is achieved by appropriate matching networks. Using ferrite perturbation theory, we derive closed-form expressions for the required matching impedances and the resulting bandwidth of the matched device. Based on this analysis, a realistic design for a stripline FCL circulator is obtained, whose length is shorted by a factor of three. A microstrip FCL circulator with only half of the optimum length is designed and fabricated. Both simulation data and measurement results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of a circulator based on an FCL with reduced length.