Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Dislike on Accuracy and Bias in Person Perception

The present work explores how accuracy and bias in person perception change with the level of liking that the perceiver holds toward the target person. Specifically, we studied whether dislike affects (a) the social desirability of judgments (positivity bias), (b) the extent to which the target is described like an average person (normative accuracy), and (c) the extent to which the judgment reflects the given target’s characteristics in particular (distinctive accuracy). Eighty-four participants watched four target persons on video, after receiving bogus feedback on how positively or negatively those targets had supposedly evaluated them. The participants reciprocated negative bogus evaluations showing a marked decrease in reported liking for the respective target. Most important, dislike was consistently associated with lower positivity bias, greater normative accuracy, and lower distinctive accuracy across two validation measures (i.e., self-reports and informant reports of target persons).
Anchoring the self in the neural monitoring of visceral signals : how heartbeat-evoked responses encode the self

The self has been hypothesized to be anchored in the neural monitoring of visceral signals; yet experimental evidence is scarce. The goal of this thesis was to address this question, by testing whether we could find a link between heart-brain coupling and the self. We operationalized the concept of self by defining two self-dimensions: the experiential “I” and the introspective “Me”. We showed in a first magnetoencephalography (MEG) experiment, that the self-relatedness of spontaneous thoughts was encoded in the amplitude of heartbeat-evoked responses (HERs), in midline regions of the default-network. HERs in the posterior cingulate cortex / ventral precuneus encoded the “I” dimension, whereas the “Me” dimension was associated with HERs in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). In addition, these results were specific to each self-dimension.In a second study, we extended these results using intracranial recordings and new analyses of the MEG data. Here, HER amplitude co-varied with the self-relatedness of spontaneous thoughts, at the single trial level. Moreover, an analysis of the right anterior insula showed that HERs in this region were also associated with the “I”. A third study aimed at testing these results in the context of oriented thoughts, in an imagination task. We found that HER amplitude in medial motor regions (anterior precuneus, mid-cingulate and supplementary motor area), and vmPFC, varied depending on whether the self or a friend was being imagined. Cardiac signals could contribute to a body-centered reference frame, to which the brain would refer to in order to tag thoughts as being self-related. This could be a mechanism for implementing the self.
Line reduction in reversible circuits using KFDDs

Reversible computing has been theoretically shown to be an efficient approach over conventional computing. This is due to the property of virtually zero power dissipation in reversible circuits. A major concern in reversible circuits is the number of circuit lines which corresponds with qubits. Qubits are a limited resource. There are various reversible logic synthesis algorithms which require a significant number of additional constant lines. In this paper we explore the line reduction problem using a synthesis approach based on decision diagrams. We have added a sub-circuit for a positive Davio node structure to the existing node structures given in [1] with a shared node ordering in OKFDDs. OKFDDs are a combination of OBDDs and OFDDs, thus exhibiting the advantages of both. Our approach shows that the number of circuit lines and quantum cost can be reduced using OKFDDs with our new sub-circuit and shared node ordering.
Unrepressed unconscious and unsaid in addictive symptomatology

The aim of this work is to understand, from a developmental-relational perspective, the emotional nature of addictive symptoms. Many studies have shown that addictions are linked to traumatic emotions that, once activated, could cause a feeling of emotional confusion that in the most severe cases could be connected to the fear that the Self might disintegrate. Before understanding the relationship between dissociation and addictions, it is essential to distinguish disintegration (désagrégation, in the language of Pierre Janet) and dissociation. Indeed, if the disintegration is a structural and pathological condition of the personality caused by early and chronic emotional traumatic memories, the dissociation is a defensive reaction to a stress: this reaction can be normal (flexible and adequate) or pathological (rigid and inadequate). Thus, addictive behaviours could be associated to a dissociative reaction in individuals with a structural dissociation of the personality (désagrégation). This disintegration would be linked to traumatic emotions: unconscious and unsymbolised emotions. On the unconscious nature of these emotions, the author of this paper underlines the role of the unrepressed unconscious, which in addicts would seem to be impaired.
Intra-community spatial variability of particulate matter size distributions in Southern California/Los Angeles

Abstract. Ultrafine particle (UFP) number concentrations vary significantly on small spatial and temporal scales due to their short atmospheric lifetimes and multiplicity of sources. To determine UFP exposure gradients within a community, simultaneous particle number concentration measurements at a network of sites are necessary. Concurrent particle number size distribution measurements aid in identifying UFP sources, while providing data to investigate local scale effects of both photochemical and physical processes on UFP. From April to December 2007, we monitored particle number size distributions at 13 sites within 350 m–11 km of each other in the vicinity of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach using Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers (SMPS). Typically, three SMPS units were simultaneously deployed and rotated among sites at 1–2 week intervals. Total particle number concentration measurements were conducted continuously at all sites. Seasonal and diurnal number size distribution patterns are complex, highly dependent on local meteorology, nearby PM sources, and times of day, and cannot be generalized over the study area nor inferred from one or two sampling locations. Spatial variation in particle number size distributions was assessed by calculating the coefficient of divergence (COD) and correlation coefficients ( r ) between site pairs. Results show an overall inverse relationship between particle size and CODs, implying that number concentrations of smaller particles (
External validation of nomograms for predicting cancer-specific mortality in penile cancer patients treated with definitive surgery

Using a population-based cancer registry, Thuret et al. developed 3 nomograms for estimating cancer-specific mortality in men with penile squamous cell carcinoma. In the initial cohort, only 23.0% of the patients were treated with inguinal lymphadenectomy and had pN stage. To generalize the prediction models in clinical practice, we evaluated the performance of the 3 nomograms in a series of penile cancer patients who were treated with definitive surgery. Clinicopathologic information was obtained from 160 M0 penile cancer patients who underwent primary tumor excision and regional lymphadenectomy between 1990 and 2008. The predicted probabilities of cancer-specific mortality were calculated from 3 nomograms that were based on different disease stage definitions and tumor grade. Discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness were assessed to compare model performance. The discrimination ability was similar in nomograms using the TNM classification or American Joint Committee on Cancer staging (Harrell's concordance index = 0.817 and 0.832, respectively), whereas it was inferior for the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results staging (Harrell's concordance index = 0.728). Better agreement with the observed cancer-specific mortality was shown for the model consisting of TNM classification and tumor grade, which also achieved favorable clinical net benefit, with a threshold probability in the range of 0 to 42%. The nomogram consisting of TNM classification and tumor grading was shown to have better performance for predicting cancer-specific mortality in penile cancer patients who underwent definitive surgery. Our data support the integration of this model in decision-making and trial design.
Ensemble inference in terms of empirical orthogonal functions

SUMMARY Many geophysical problems involve inverting data in order to obtain meaningful descriptions of the Earth‘s interior. One of the basic characteristics of these inverse problems is their non-uniqueness. Since computation power has increased enormously in the last few years, it has become possible to deal with this non-uniqueness by generating and selecting a number of models that all fit the data up to a certain tolerance. In this way a solution space with acceptable models is created. The remaining task is then to infer the common robust properties of all the models in the ensemble. In this paper these properties are determined using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. This analysis provides a method to search for subspaces in the solution space (ensemble) that correspond to the patterns of minimum variability. In order to show the effectiveness of this method, two synthetic tests are presented. To verify the applicability of the analysis in geophysical inverse problems, the method is applied to an ensemble generated by a Monte Carlo search technique which inverts group-velocity dispersion data produced by using vertical-component, long-period synthetic seismograms of the fundamental Rayleigh mode. The result shows that EOF analysis successfully determines the well-constrained parts of the models and in effect reduces the variability present in the original ensemble while still recovering the earth model used to generate the synthetic seismograms. Finally, an application of the method to examine the contrast in upper-mantle S-wave velocity across the Tornquist-Tesseyre Zone is presented, indicating a significant change in S-wave velocity in the upper mantle beneath this zone bordering the East European Platform and Tectonic Europe, and a significantly thicker crust beneath the East European Platform.
Botnet Judo: Fighting Spam with Itself

We have traditionally viewed spam from the receiver’s point of view: mail servers assaulted by a barrage of spam from which we must pick out a handful of legitimate messages. In this paper we describe a system for better filtering spam by exploiting the vantage point of the spammer. By instantiating and monitoring botnet hosts in a controlled environment, we are able to monitor new spam as it is created, and consequently infer the underlying template used to generate polymorphic e-mail messages. We demonstrate this approach on mail traces from a range of modern botnets and show that we can automatically filter such spam precisely and with virtually no false positives.
Antibiotic Sensitivity Patterns and Molecular Typing of Shigella sonnei Strains Using ERIC-PCR

Abstract Background Shigella sonnei is considered as a major cause of diarrheal disease in both developing and developed countries. Iran is one of the endemic areas of shigellosis. The present study was undertaken to investigate the antibiotic susceptibility and genetic relatedness of S. sonnei strains isolated from pediatric patients in Tehran, Iran. Methods The study included all S. sonnei strains isolated from pediatric patients with diarrhea admitted to several hospitals in Tehran, Iran, during 2008-2010. Shigella spp. strains were recovered from patients using standard microbiological methods. S. sonnei strains were further studied by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC) - PCR analysis. Results Eighty nine Shigella isolates were isolated. S. sonnei was themost prevalent Shigella species (60.7%) followed by, S. flexneri (31.5%). Eleven antimicrobial resistance patterns (R1-R11) were identified among S. sonnei isolates. The majority of the strains were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and streptomycin. All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, ceftizoxime and chloramphenicol. All strains were typable by ERIC-PCR. Five ERIC-PCR patterns (E1-E5) were found among S. sonnei isolates; however the half of the isolates was clustered in E4 pattern. Conclusion The antibiotic resistance rates are increasing among S. sonnei strains. Moreover, a predominant clone or limited clones of S. sonnei were responsible for shigellosis caused by this Shigella species in pediatric patients in Tehran, Iran.
Multi-output Learning for Camera Relocalization

We address the problem of estimating the pose of a cam- era relative to a known 3D scene from a single RGB-D frame. We formulate this problem as inversion of the generative rendering procedure, i.e., we want to find the camera pose corresponding to a rendering of the 3D scene model that is most similar with the observed input. This is a non-convex optimization problem with many local optima. We propose a hybrid discriminative-generative learning architecture that consists of: (i) a set of M predictors which generate M camera pose hypotheses, and (ii) a 'selector' or 'aggregator' that infers the best pose from the multiple pose hypotheses based on a similarity function. We are interested in predictors that not only produce good hypotheses but also hypotheses that are different from each other. Thus, we propose and study methods for learning 'marginally relevant' predictors, and compare their performance when used with different selection procedures. We evaluate our method on a recently released 3D reconstruction dataset with challenging camera poses, and scene variability. Experiments show that our method learns to make multiple predictions that are marginally relevant and can effectively select an accurate prediction. Furthermore, our method outperforms the state-of-the-art discriminative approach for camera relocalization.
LOG-SINE EVALUATIONS OF MAHLER MEASURES

Abstract We provide evaluations of several recently studied higher and multiple Mahler measures using log-sine integrals. This is complemented with an analysis of generating functions and identities for log-sine integrals which allows the evaluations to be expressed in terms of zeta values or more general polylogarithmic terms. The machinery developed is then applied to evaluation of further families of multiple Mahler measures.
‘Embrace the masculine; attenuate the feminine’ – gender, identity work and entrepreneurial legitimation in the nascent context

Abstract This article critically analyses how gender bias impacts upon women’s efforts to legitimate nascent ventures. Given the importance of founder identity as a proxy for entrepreneurial legitimacy at nascency, we explore the identity work women undertake when seeking to claim legitimacy for their emerging ventures in a prevailing context of masculinity. In so doing, we challenge taken for granted norms pertaining to legitimacy and question the basis upon which that knowledge is claimed. In effect, debates regarding entrepreneurial legitimacy are presented as gender neutral yet, entrepreneurship is a gender biased activity. Thus, we argue it is essential to recognize how gendered assumptions impinge upon the quest for legitimacy. To illustrate our analysis, we use retrospective and real time empirical evidence evaluating legitimating strategies as they unfold, our findings reveal tensions between feminine identities such as ‘wife’ and ‘mother’ and those of the prototypical entrepreneur. This dissonance prompted women to undertake specific forms of identity work to bridge the gap between femininity, legitimacy and entrepreneurship. We conclude by arguing that the pursuit of entrepreneurial legitimacy during nascency is a gendered process which disadvantages women and has the potential to negatively impact upon the future prospects of their fledgling ventures.
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Upregulates the Dendritic Translation Machinery in Long-Term Potentiation by Controlling the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Pathway

Protein synthesis is required for persistent forms of synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP). A key regulator of LTP-related protein synthesis is mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which is thought to modulate translational capacity by facilitating the synthesis of particular components of the protein synthesis machinery. Recently, extracellularly regulated kinase (ERK) also was shown to mediate plasticity-related translation, an effect that may involve regulation of the mTOR pathway. We studied the interaction between the mTOR and ERK pathways in hippocampal LTP induced at CA3–CA1 synapses by high-frequency synaptic stimulation (HFS). Within minutes after HFS, the expression of multiple translational proteins, the synthesis of which is under the control of mTOR, increased in area CA1 stratum radiatum. This upregulation was detected in pyramidal cell dendrites and was blocked by inhibitors of the ERK pathway. In addition, ERK mediated the stimulation of mTOR by HFS. The possibility that ERK regulates mTOR by acting at a component further upstream in the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)–mTOR pathway was tested by probing the phosphorylation of p90-S6 kinase, phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1), and Akt. ERK inhibitors blocked HFS-induced phosphorylation of all three proteins at sites implicated in the regulation of mTOR. Moreover, a component of basal and HFS-induced ERK activity depended on PI3K, indicating that mTOR-mediated protein synthesis in LTP requires coincident and mutually dependent activity in the PI3K and ERK pathways. The role of ERK in regulating PDK1 and Akt, with their extensive effects on cellular function, has important implications for the coordinated response of the neuron to LTP-inducing stimulation.
Fostering Personal Meaning and Self-relevance: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Internalization

ABSTRACT Central to self-determination theory (SDT) is the notion that autonomously motivated learning relates to greater learning benefits. While learners' intrinsic motivation has received substantial attention, learners also display volitional learning when they come to endorse the personal meaning or self-relevance of the learning task. In Part I of this review, we discuss how the process of internalization, in addition to intrinsic motivation, constitutes an important growth process. In Part II, we indicate how autonomy-supportive teaching and the provision of a rationale are critical to fostering internalization, and we review past empirical studies. Further, we propose an emerging model to explain when provided rationales foster perceived self-relevance and promote the process of internalization, thereby, considering both critical features of the rationale itself and the broader context in which the rationale becomes embedded. In Part III, the process of internalization is discussed in relation to the concepts of utility value and instrumentality.
What is the cost of weak determinism?

We analyze the fundamental performance impact of enforcing a fixed order of synchronization operations to achieve weak deterministic execution. Our analysis is in three parts, performed on a real system using the SPLASH-2 and PAR-SEC benchmarks. First, we quantify the impact of various sources of nondeterminism on execution of data-race-free programs. We find that thread synchronization is the prevalent source of nondeterminism, sometimes affecting program output. Second, we divorce the implementation overhead of a system imposing a specific synchronization order from the impact of enforcing this order. We show that this fundamental cost of determinism is small (slowdown of 4% on average and 32% in the worst case) and we identify application characteristics responsible for this cost. Finally, we evaluate this cost under perturbed execution conditions. We find that demanding determinism when threads face such conditions can cause almost 2× slowdown.
Radio and Infrared Selected Optically Invisible Sources in the Boötes NDWFS

We have combined data from the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey in Boötes and the Spitzer Space Telescope to determine basic properties for 16 optically “invisible” MIPS 24 μm and 35 optically invisible radio sources (OIMSs and OIRSs, respectively), including their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and luminosities. Most OIMSs possess steep power-law SEDs over λrest = 1–10 μ m , indicating the presence of obscured AGNs in agreement with Spitzer spectroscopy. These objects are extremely luminous at rest-frame near- and mid-IR [ν Lν(5 μ m) ≈ 1038–1039 W], consistent with accretion near the Eddington limit and further implying that they host buried QSOs. The majority of the IRAC-detected OIRSs have flat 3.6-24 μm SEDs, implying comparable emission from stellar photospheres and hot AGN-illuminated dust. This may reflect relatively small amounts of dust close to the central engine or current low mass accretion rates. A small subset of OIRSs appear to be starburst-dominated with photometric redshifts from 1.0 to 4.5. The OIMSs and OIRSs with significant starburst components have similar LK and stellar masses (M* ≈ 1011 M☉) assuming minimal AGN contribution. Roughly half of the OIRSs are not detected by Spitzer IRAC or MIPS. These are most likely z≳ 2 radio galaxies. The IRAC-detected OIRSs are more likely than OIMSs to appear nonpointlike in the 3.6 and 4.5 μm images, suggesting that interactions play a role in triggering their activity. The AGN-powered OIMSs may represent submillimeter galaxies making the transition from starburst to accretion dominance in their evolution to current-epoch massive ellipticals.
Metabolic Context Regulates Distinct Hypothalamic Transcriptional Responses to Antiaging Interventions

The hypothalamus is an essential relay in the neural circuitry underlying energy metabolism that needs to continually adapt to changes in the energetic environment. The neuroendocrine control of food intake and energy expenditure is associated with, and likely dependent upon, hypothalamic plasticity. Severe disturbances in energy metabolism, such as those that occur in obesity, are therefore likely to be associated with disruption of hypothalamic transcriptomic plasticity. In this paper, we investigated the effects of two well-characterized antiaging interventions, caloric restriction and voluntary wheel running, in two distinct physiological paradigms, that is, diabetic (db/db) and nondiabetic wild-type (C57/Bl/6) animals to investigate the contextual sensitivity of hypothalamic transcriptomic responses. We found that, both quantitatively and qualitatively, caloric restriction and physical exercise were associated with distinct transcriptional signatures that differed significantly between diabetic and non-diabetic mice. This suggests that challenges to metabolic homeostasis regulate distinct hypothalamic gene sets in diabetic and non-diabetic animals. A greater understanding of how genetic background contributes to hypothalamic response mechanisms could pave the way for the development of more nuanced therapeutics for the treatment of metabolic disorders that occur in diverse physiological backgrounds.