Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recognizing variable spatial environments: the theory of cognitive prism

xv Acknowledgements xvii 1 An introduction 1 1.1 The aim . 4 1.2 How can we recognize variable spatial environments? 4 1.3 Interdisciplinary perspectives . 6 1.3. 1 Neurology . 6 1.3. 2 Cognitive psychology . 7 1.3. 3 Psycho-linguistics . 8 1.3. 4 Formal spatial ontologies . 8 1.3. 5 Computational modelling . 9 1.4 The assumption and the criteria . 10 1.5 Results and contributions . 12 1.6 The organization of this thesis . 13 2 The state of the art 15 2.1 Psychological spaces . 15 2.2 Object recognition (Figural spatial cognition) . 16 2.2.1 Object recognition at the preferred category . 17 2.2.2 Gestalt grouping laws . 19 2.2.3 View-dependent vs. view-independent models . 20 2.3 Cognitive maps, frames, and other schemata . 24 2.3. 1 The existence of the represented world of MSR . 25 2.3. 2 The partial hierarchical structure of the MSR . 25 2.3. 3 Cognitive reference points in the MSR . 27
Necessary and Sufficient Consensus Conditions of Descriptor Multi-agent Systems

For descriptor multi-agent systems with fixed topology and agents described by general descriptor linear time-invariant systems, necessary and sufficient conditions of consensusability with respect to a set of admissible consensus protocols are proposed using the tools of algebra, graph and descriptor linear system theory. The consensusability conditions depend on both the structure properties of each agent's dynamics and the topology within the descriptor multi-agent systems. Designing an output feedback control law can guarantee that the studied descriptor multi-agent system is consensusable with respect to a given admissible set. A provided example indicates the applicability of the proposed approach.
Associations between Active Commuting to School and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Spanish School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

Active commuting (walking or cycling) to school has been positively associated with improved fitness among adolescents. However, current evidence lacks information on whether this association persists in children. The aim of this study was to examine the association of active commuting to school with different fitness parameters in Spanish school-aged children. A total of 494 children (229 girls) from five primary schools in Granada and Jaén (Spain), aged between eight and 11 years, participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants completed the Assessing Levels of Physical Activity (ALPHA) fitness test battery and answered a self-reported questionnaire regarding the weekly travel mode to school. Active commuting to school was significantly associated with higher levels of speed-agility in boys (p = 0.048) and muscle strength of the lower body muscular fitness in girls (p = 0.016). However, there were no significant associations between active commuting to school and cardiorespiratory fitness and upper body muscular fitness. Our findings suggest that active commuting to school was associated with higher levels of both speed-agility and lower body muscular fitness in boys and girls, respectively. Future studies should confirm whether increasing active commuting to school increases speed-agility and muscle strength of the lower body.
Switch to Glutamate Receptor 2-Lacking AMPA Receptors Increases Neuronal Excitability in Hypothalamus and Sympathetic Drive in Hypertension

Glutamatergic synaptic input in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) plays a critical role in regulating sympathetic outflow in hypertension. GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are permeable to Ca2+, and their currents show unique inward rectification. However, little is known about changes in the AMPAR composition and its functional significance in hypertension. In this study, we found that AMPAR-mediated EPSCs (AMPAR-EPSCs) of retrogradely labeled spinally projecting PVN neurons exhibited a linear current–voltage relationship in Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats. However, AMPAR-EPSCs of labeled PVN neurons in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) displayed inward rectification at positive holding potentials, which were not altered by lowering blood pressure with celiac ganglionectomy. Blocking GluR2-lacking AMPARs with 1-naphthyl acetyl spermine (NAS) caused a greater reduction in the AMPAR-EPSC amplitude and firing activity of PVN neurons in SHR than in WKY rats. Furthermore, blocking NMDA receptors and inhibition of calpain or calcineurin abolished inward rectification of AMPAR-EPSCs of PVN neurons in SHR. The GluR2 protein level was significantly less in the plasma membrane but greater in the cytosolic vesicle fraction in SHR than in WKY rats. In addition, microinjection of NAS into the PVN decreased blood pressure and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity in SHR but not in WKY rats. Our study reveals that increased GluR2-lacking AMPAR activity of PVN neurons results from GluR2 internalization through NMDA receptor–calpain–calcineurin signaling in hypertension. This phenotype switch in synaptic AMPARs contributes to increased excitability of PVN presympathetic neurons and sympathetic vasomotor tone in hypertension.
New meaning in the message: Noncoding RNAs and their role in retinal development

Recent studies have indicated that non‐protein‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs) may play prominent and diverse roles in the development of the nervous system. These ncRNAs are now known to perform a broad range of cellular functions, and in particular appear to be prominent players in the regulation of transcription and translation. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the role of ncRNAs in vertebrate retinal development. Noncoding RNAs that are known or suspected to play a functional role in the specification and maturation of retinal cell subtypes include miRNAs, long noncoding opposite‐strand transcripts (OSTs), and other long ncRNAs such as Tug1 and RNCR2. Though the mechanism of action of most of these ncRNAs is still largely unclear, it is likely that these molecules represent a major, and thus far largely unappreciated, component of the molecular machinery involved in retinal cell fate specification. Developmental Dynamics 238:2103–2114, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Capturing the speed of music in our heads: Developing methods for measuring the tempo of musical imagery

The experience of imagining music is a common phenomenon. Musicians use mental rehearsal to help them memorize and prepare for performances, and even non-musicians regularly experience “earworms”, i.e., having a tune stuck in one’s head on repeat. Voluntarily imagined music is highly accurate in terms of pitch, rhythm, and timbre and recruits brain regions that are remarkably similar to those recruited in perceiving music. In terms of tempo, it has been found that even non-musicians can sing familiar pop songs very close to the original recorded tempo. This implies that the tempo of imagery is quite accurate, as participants must generate an image of a song before singing it aloud. However, this has not been previously tested in such a way that the imagery remains purely imagined, without becoming a sound production task. As such, the first aim of the present study is to test the accuracy of tempo judgments for purely imagined songs. The second aim is to explore the influence of individual differences on these tempo judgments, including previous musical training, musical engagement, general auditory imagery abilities, and familiarity with the stimuli. We utilized three methods of measuring each participant’s memory for the tempo of 12 familiar pop songs: 1) tapping to the beat of each song whilst imagining the song (hereafter Imagery (motor) task), 2) adjusting the speed of a click track to the beat of each song, again whilst imagining (hereafter Imagery (non-motor) task), and 3) adjusting the speed of each song whilst hearing the actual songs aloud (hereafter Perceived Music task). It was hypothesized that participants would perform most accurately in the Perceived Music condition””where all musical cues were present, but that motor engagement with musical imagery (in the Imagery (motor) task) would also improve performance, in line with previous literature. Significant differences were found in performance between all three tasks, such that performance on the Perceived Music task was significantly more accurate than in the Imagery tasks, and performance in the Imagery (motor) task was significantly more accurate than in the Imagery (non-motor) task. Performance in the Imagery tasks was also influenced by individual differences in musical training and/or engagement, whilst performance on the Perceived Music task was only influenced by previous familiarity with the musical stimuli. The results of the study help to inform us as to precisely how accurately tempo is preserved within musical imagery, and how this is modulated by other factors such as musical training and familiarity. The findings also have implications within the domain of mental music rehearsal. Keywords: musical imagery, tempo, musical memory
Measuring resilience with the brief Resilience Scale: Factor Structure, Reliability and Validity of the Dutch Version of the BRS (BRSnl)

Introduction. Because of the evolving use of the positive psychology construct resilience in different professional fields, a questionnaire had to be validated that measures resilience. The aim of the current study was to develop a questionnaire that measures the capacity of humans to bounce back from adversity in a reliable and valid way. Method. Data of 104 participants and seven questionnaires were used. The participants completed a digital questionnaire. The data were analyzed with factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results. Factor analysis showed the most evidence for a one-factor solution for the BRSnl. Cronbach’s alpha was . 73. Vigor, recreation, impact of work on physical complaints and mental distress were moderately correlated with resilience. Work engagement, need for recovery, health and physical complaints were found to be weakly correlated with resilience. Most hypotheses could be confirmed. Multiple regression analysis showed that the used model explained about 26% of the variance in resilience. Discussion and conclusion. Results suggest that the BRSnl is a valid and reliable measurement instrument. A rephrasing of the first item is recommended. Additional research is essential to discover all facets which have influence on resilience.
Dinamika Bentuk-bentuk Sapaan Sebagai Refleksi Sikap Berbahasa Masyarakat Indonesia

Greetings are one of the tangible proofs of human communications. One greets someone else because of the need to communicate. In this communication, the relationship between the two people communicating influences the choice of greeting forms. The selection of a greeting is assumed to be closely related to the language attitudes and perspectives of the speaker in positioning himself against the hearer. During its development, the use of greetings has shown a quite interesting dynamics. This comprises the development of greeting use, shift of greeting reference, and changes in the acts of greeting. This paper aims to describe the term of addressing used by the society, analiyzing manner and logic structure of the term of addressing, also the actualization and the dynamics of the usage of the term of addressing. Furthermore, to obtain varied data the author determines a population consisting of a number of groups, especially university students. This is with the assumption that in addition to their age level where they are highly productive in using greetings, it is also possible that they have example forms of greetings and acts of greeting. Using speech act theory in sociolinguistics approach data was achieved with observation method in questioner and cards of data. The result of classification was analized with introspection, comparation, and equal-referential method which is formed in formal and informal description. From a number of semi-closed questionnaires listing questions about attitudes and selections of greeting the author obtains some results. These are a mapping of common greeting forms used by people in general, the background of common greeting forms used by people, and the actualization as well as dynamics of the use of greeting forms in Indonesian speech society.
Pay for Performance in the Public Sector—Benefits and (Hidden) Costs

Current reforms in the public sector are characterized by the introduction of businesslike incentive structures, in particular the introduction of “pay for performance” schemes in public institutions. However, the public sector has some specific characteristics, which might restrict the naive adoption of pay for performance. Our article analyzes whether the impact of pay for performance on performance is bound to conditions, and if this is the case, under which conditions pay for performance has a positive or a negative effect on performance. We explore this contingency in a meta-analytic review of previous experimental studies on the effects of pay for performance on performance. We further show why pay for performance sometimes negatively affects personal efforts. With an experimental vignette study we demonstrate (a) that motivation is likely to be a key influence on the effect of performance-related pay on performance, and (b) that pay for performance is generally more costly as it appears because it almost always produces hidden costs of rewards. Our findings help to explain the modest success of pay for performance in the public sector.
Opposing Roles of Wnt Inhibitors IGFBP-4 and Dkk1 in Cardiac Ischemia by Differential Targeting of LRP5/6 and &bgr;-catenin

Background: Myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, triggering irreversible myocardial cell damage and heart failure. The role of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6) as coreceptors of the Wnt/&bgr;-catenin pathway in the adult heart remain unknown. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 and dickkopf-related protein 1 (Dkk1) are 2 secreted LRP5/6 binding proteins that play a crucial role in heart development through preventing Wnt/&bgr;-catenin pathway activation. However, their roles in the adult heart remain unexplored. Methods: To understand the role of LRP5/6 and &bgr;-catenin in the adult heart, we constructed conditional cardiomyocyte-specific LRP5/6 and &bgr;-catenin knockout mice and induced surgical myocardial infarction. We also directly injected recombinant proteins of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 and Dkk1 into the heart immediately following myocardial infarction to further examine the mechanisms through which these proteins regulate LRP5/6 and &bgr;-catenin. Results: Deletion of LRP5/6 promoted cardiac ischemic insults. Conversely, deficiency of &bgr;-catenin, a downstream target of LRP5/6, was beneficial in ischemic injury. It is interesting to note that although both insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 and Dkk1 are secreted Wnt/&bgr;-catenin pathway inhibitors, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 protected the ischemic heart by inhibiting &bgr;-catenin, whereas Dkk1 enhanced the injury response mainly through inducing LRP5/6 endocytosis and degradation. Conclusions: Our findings reveal previously unidentified dual roles of LRP5/6 involved in the cardiomyocyte response to ischemic injury. These findings suggest new therapeutic strategies in ischemic heart disease by fine-tuning LRP5/6 and &bgr;-catenin signaling within the Wnt/&bgr;-catenin pathway.
Relating Brain Structures To Open-Ended Descriptions Of Cognition

Finding correspondences between mental processes and brain structures is a central goal in cognitive neuroscience. Neuroimaging provides brain-activity maps associated with cognitive task, however each study explores only a handful of mental processes. Here we use literature mining to bridge results across studies, establishing a bidirectional mapping between brain and mind. Our goal is to work on an open-ended set of terms describing cognitive processes. Moreover we introduce a validation framework using information retrieval met-rics to ensure the accuracy of such correspondences, with a clear focus on relative frequencies, ignored in previous studies , to capture the relative importance of cognitive concepts. We show that this approach enables open-ended encoding and decoding.
Adaptive Component Management in Bifrost

This paper describes the adaptive component migration facility in the Bifrost LocationIndependent Computing System. Our design allows mobile clients to selectively invoke application component functionality locally or remotely in order to improve user response time. This decision is carried out dynamically by the Bifrost runtime system using a decisionmaking process that incorporates a variety of issues affecting the migration decision, including client and server resources, component size, the size of the data associated with the component, and network characteristics. We examine two options that extend the semantics of component invocation methods as provided by the underlying distributed systems technology (DCOM): Function call re-direction and API wrappers. We present the detailed design of this system, and report performance results. The adaptive functionality provided by Bifrost resulted in a minimum 29% reduction in response time for mobile client devices over a default DCOM-based implementation.
Feast and Famine: regulation of black hole growth in low-redshift galaxies

We analyse the observed distribution of Eddington ratios (L/L Edd ) as a function of supermassive black hole mass for a large sample of nearby galaxies drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We demonstrate that there are two distinct regimes of black hole growth in nearby galaxies. The first is associated with galaxies with significant star formation [M * /star formation rate (SFR) ∼ a Hubble time] in their central kiloparsec regions, and is characterized by a broad lognormal distribution of accretion rates peaked at a few per cent of the Eddington limit. In this regime, the Eddington ratio distribution is independent of the mass of the black hole and shows little dependence on the central stellar population of the galaxy. The second regime is associated with galaxies with old central stellar populations (M */ SFR » a Hubble time), and is characterized by a power-law distribution function of Eddington ratios. In this regime, the time-averaged mass accretion rate on to black holes is proportional to the mass of stars in the galaxy bulge, with a constant of proportionality that depends on the mean stellar age of the stars. This result is once again independent of black hole mass. We show that both the slope of the power law and the decrease in the accretion rate on to black holes in old galaxies are consistent with population synthesis model predictions of the decline in stellar mass loss rates as a function of mean stellar age. Our results lead to a very simple picture of black hole growth in the local Universe. If the supply of cold gas in a galaxy bulge is plentiful, the black hole regulates its own growth at a rate that does not further depend on the properties of the interstellar medium. Once the gas runs out, black hole growth is regulated by the rate at which evolved stars lose their mass.
Balancing Privacy and Utility in Cross-Company Defect Prediction

Background: Cross-company defect prediction (CCDP) is a field of study where an organization lacking enough local data can use data from other organizations for building defect predictors. To support CCDP, data must be shared. Such shared data must be privatized, but that privatization could severely damage the utility of the data. Aim: To enable effective defect prediction from shared data while preserving privacy. Method: We explore privatization algorithms that maintain class boundaries in a dataset. CLIFF is an instance pruner that deletes irrelevant examples. MORPH is a data mutator that moves the data a random distance, taking care not to cross class boundaries. CLIFF+MORPH are tested in a CCDP study among 10 defect datasets from the PROMISE data repository. Results: We find: 1) The CLIFFed+MORPHed algorithms provide more privacy than the state-of-the-art privacy algorithms; 2) in terms of utility measured by defect prediction, we find that CLIFF+MORPH performs significantly better. Conclusions: For the OO defect data studied here, data can be privatized and shared without a significant degradation in utility. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published result where privatization does not compromise defect prediction.
Serum Peptide Profiling using MALDI Mass Spectrometry

Blood represents a convenient diagnostic specimen for clinical analysis. Serum metabolites and peptides have the potential to serve as reliable indicators of progression from a normal to a diseased state. However, the presence of salts, lipids and high concentrations of protein in blood serum can adversely affect its mass spectrometric profiling, as all of these moieties can hinder the ionisation and detection of diagnostic biomarkers. Several pre‐fractionation strategies using chromatographic adsorbents have been employed to desalt samples and remove abundant proteins such as albumin and immunoglobulin. As an alternative to multi‐stage fractionation chromatography, we describe in this practical review the adaptation and validation of a simple and fast solid‐phase extraction technique using ZipTips. The protocol allows for the purification and concentration of peptides in a few, mostly automated steps, prior to spectral biomarker pattern diagnostics using MALDI MS and MS/MS. It has the added advantages of being suitable for use in a high‐throughput and potentially clinical environment, only requiring a few microlitres of serum. We have evaluated, optimised, and standardised a number of analytical parameters ranging from serum storage and handling to automated peptide extraction, crystallisation, spectral acquisition, and signal processing. Using standardised protocols the average CV of serum profiles within‐ and between‐run replicates has been evaluated and found to be around 10 % based on the variability of all detected peaks (more than 100 peaks per profile). The results show that this easy and fast method of using ZipTips, tested over a whole year, is more reproducible and more suitable for serum profile screening than magnetic bead‐based methodologies which show higher variability and higher rates of rejected, low‐quality spectra upon applying strict data quality control filters.
An automatic prosody labeling method for Mandarin speech

A new model-based automatic prosody labeling method for Mandarin speech is proposed. It first introduces four models to describe the relationships of the prosody tags to be labeled, the prosodic features of the speech signals, and the linguistic features of the associated texts. It then employs a sequential optimization procedure to estimate parameters of these four models and find all prosody tags. Experimental results on the Sinica Tree-Bank corpus showed that most prosody tags labeled were meaningful and the estimated parameters of these four models matched well with our a priori knowledge about Mandarin prosody.
Affect and Group Attachments 1 Affect and Group Attachments: The Role of Shared Responsibility

This paper theorizes the role of shared responsibility in the development of affective group attachments, interweaving ideas from social exchange and social identity theories. The main arguments are that (1) people engaged in task interaction experience positive or negative emotions from those interactions; (2) tasks that promote more sense of shared responsibility across members lead people to attribute their individual emotions to groups or organizations; and (3) group attributions of own emotions are the basis for stronger or weaker group attachments. The paper suggests that social categorization and structural interdependence promote group attachments by producing task interactions that have positive emotional effects on those involved. Affect and Group Attachments 3