Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution, Emotions, and Emotional Disorders What Emotions Are What Different Emotions Exist?

Emotions research is now routinely grounded in evolution, but explicit evolutionary analyses of emotions remain rare. This article considers the implications of natural selection for several classic questions about emotions and emotional disorders. Emotions are special modes of operation shaped by natural selection. They adjust multiple response parameters in ways that have increased fitness in adaptively challenging situations that recurred over the course of evolution. They are valenced because selection shapes special processes for situations that have influenced fitness in the past. In situations that decrease fitness, negative emotions are useful and positive emotions are harmful. Selection has partially differentiated subtypes of emotions from generic precursor states to deal with specialized situations. This has resulted in untidy emotions that blur into each other on dozens of dimensions, rendering the quest for simple categorically distinct emotions futile. Selection has shaped flexible mechanisms that control the expression of emotions on the basis of an individual's appraisal of the meaning of events for his or her ability to reach personal goals. The prevalence of emotional disorders can be attributed to several evolutionary factors. H appenstance events can shift the subsequent history of life. If ancestors of the hippopotamus had not browsed vegetation in ever-deeper water 50 million years ago, there would be no whales today (Gin-gerich, Raza, Arif, Anwar, & Zhou, 1994). While such events are rarely predictable, they can be reliably explained by Charles Darwin's and Alfred Russel Wallace's great idea, natural selection. Four-legged whale ancestors that could swim better underwater had more offspring; over thousands of generations, their descendants gradually became superb aquatic athletes. Happenstance occurs in intellectual evolution as well. After finishing The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (Darwin, 1871), Darwin realized that materials he had long collected on emotions could be organized to refute Charles Bell's earlier claim that the elaborate mus-culature of the human face was evidence of Divine design. He quickly wrote The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (Darwin, 1872/1965), emphasizing the phy-logenetic consistency of emotional expressions from animals to humans. The book is, as advertised, about expression , and it says little about the selective forces that produced emotions, leaving a persisting anti-Darwinian legacy for emotions research (Fridlund, 1992). However, Darwin clearly recognized that evolution shaped not only the physical characteristics of an organism but also its mental processes and behavioral repertoires. The knowledge that natural selection shaped the …
Use of image analysis to predict the sound absorption coefficient of bituminous mixtures

Sound absorption coefficients of bituminous mixtures are predicted owing to image analysis. A three-parameter semi-phenomenological model, well adapted to porous road materials, is used. Three geometrical parameters: porosity, resistivity and tortuosity, are estimated. Image analysis on high-quality digital photographs allows one to obtain porosity and pore-size distribution. A specific relation is assumed to express tortuosity in function of porosity. This relation has been already used in previous papers for granular media and porous asphalts. It is shown that the obtained pore-size distribution is close to a log-normal distribution so by using log-normal distribution properties, resistivity is then determined. The predicted parameters are compared to direct measurements. The proposed methodology is tested on three bituminous mixtures commonly used for quiet roads.
Sources of Diversity in a Grassland Metacommunity: Quantifying the Contribution of Dispersal to Species Richness

Metacommunity theory suggests a potentially important role for dispersal in diversity maintenance at local, as well as regional, scales. In addition, propagule addition experiments have shown that dispersal often limits local diversity. However, actual dispersal rates into local communities and the contribution of immigrants to observed local diversity are poorly known. We present a new approach that partitions the diversity of a target community into dispersal‐maintained and dispersal‐independent components. Specifically, we quantify distances through space and time to the nearest potential seed source for naturally occurring recruits in target communities by using hierarchical data on species pools (local, site, region, and seed bank). Using this “recruit tag” approach, we found that dispersal contributed 29%–57% of the seedling diversity in perennial grasslands with different successional histories. However, both dispersal and seedling mortality remained remarkably constant, in absolute terms, over succession. The considerable loss of diversity over secondary succession (66%), therefore, could be understood only by considering how these processes interact with the decreasing disturbance rate (i.e., frequency of gaps) in later‐successional sites. We conclude that a metacommunity perspective is relevant and necessary to understand the diversity and community assembly of this study system.
SECOND-GENERATION SULFONYLUREAS PRESERVE INHIBITION OF MITOCHONDRIAL PERMEABILITY TRANSITION BY THE MITOCHONDRIAL K+ATP OPENER NICORANDIL IN EXPERIMENTAL MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Openers of K+ATP channels protect the myocardium from I/R injury. Sulfonylureas are known as potent blockers of KATP channels. We investigated whether 1) mitochondrial permeability transition pore may be involved in the protection afforded by the mitoK+ATP opener nicorandil and 2) whether sulfonylureas may prevent this beneficial effect. Anesthetized New Zealand White rabbits underwent 30 min of coronary artery occlusion, followed by 60 (isolated mitochondria) or 240 min (infarct size) of reperfusion. They received an administration of either saline (control) or nicorandil (0.5 mg kg−1, i.v.) 15 min before ischemia. Each control and nicorandil group was divided in four subgroups pretreated by either saline, glibenclamide (Glib; 1 mg kg−1), gliclazide (Glic; 1 mg kg−1), or glimepiride (Glim; 5 &mgr;g kg−1) 10 min before this. Infarct size was assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Mitochondria were isolated from the area at risk for further assessment of the calcium retention capacity. Glibenclamide (35 ± 8), but neither Glic (61 ± 9) nor Glim (48 ± 7), reversed the improvement in calcium retention capacity due to nicorandil (58 ± 10 vs. 27 ± 8 nmoles CaCl2 mg−1 proteins in control). Infarct size reduction by nicorandil (32% ± 6% vs. 65% ± 6% of area at risk) was abolished by Glib (55 ± 5) but not by Glic (37 ± 3) or Glim (31 ± 5). These data suggest that 1) the protective effect of nicorandil involves the inhibition of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and 2) that unlike Glib, second-generation sulfonylureas preserve this cardioprotection.ABBREVIATIONS-AN-area of necrosis; AR-area at risk; BP-blood pressure; Glib-glibenclamide, Glic-gliclazide; Glim-glimepiride; HR-heart rate; LV-left ventricle; MBP-mean BP; mitoK+ATP-mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel; mPTP-mitochondrial permeability transition pore; SUR-sulfonylurea receptor
Bandit Approaches to Preference Learning Problems with Multiple Populations

In this paper we study an extension of the stochastic multi-armed bandit (MAB) framework, where in each round a player can play multiple actions and receive a stochastic reward which depends on the actions played. This problem is motivated by applications in recommendation problems where there are multiple populations of users and hence no single choice might be good for the entire population. We specifically look at bandit problems where we are allowed to make two choices in each round. We provide algorithms for this problem in both the noiseless and noisy case. Our algorithms are computationally efficient and have provable sample complexity guarantees. In the process of establishing sample complexity guarantees for our algorithms, we establish new results regarding the Nystr{\"o}m method which can be of independent interest. We supplement our theoretical results with experimental comparisons.
The Relationship Between Productivity and Species Richness

▪ Abstract Recent overviews have suggested that the relationship between species richness and productivity (rate of conversion of resources to biomass per unit area per unit time) is unimodal (hump-shaped). Most agree that productivity affects species richness at large scales, but unanimity is less regarding underlying mechanisms. Recent studies have examined the possibility that variation in species richness within communities may influence productivity, leading to an exploration of the relative effect of alterations in species number per se as contrasted to the addition of productive species. Reviews of the literature concerning deserts, boreal forests, tropical forests, lakes, and wetlands lead to the conclusion that extant data are insufficient to conclusively resolve the relationship between diversity and productivity, or that patterns are variable with mechanisms equally varied and complex. A more comprehensive survey of the ecological literature uncovered approximately 200 relationships, of which 3.
1 NOTE This vignette is based on: “accuracy: Tools for Accurate and Reliable Statistical Computing ” by

Social science data are often subject to measurement error, and nearly all methods of statistical computing can yield inaccurate results under some combinations of data and model specification. This is an issue of practical concern – since our previous work and that of others, demonstrates that published analyses are affected with surprising frequency [Altman et al., 2003, 2005, McCullough and Vinod, 1999, Altman and McDonald, 2002, 2003]. Unfortunately, most practitioners ignore even routine numerical issues in statistical computing. This is in contrast to some scientific and engineering disciplines, which require assessments of the accuracy of both data and results.1 A simple example (below), using generated data, shows how numeric issues can affect even seemingly simple calculations. Consider the calculation of a variable’s dispersion: In R, the function sd returns the ‘sample standard deviation’, but does not provide an option to return the ‘population standard deviation’. 2 The three functions below compute this quantity. The first two functions are direct implementations of textbook formulas, and the third simply adjusts the results of the sd function. For example, publication in any of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics journals requires that
Adaptive feature-spatial representation for Mean-shift tracker

Mean-shift tracker plays an important role in computer vision applications due to its efficiency in mode seeking. By encoding the spatial information appropriately, the robustness of tracking could be greatly enhanced. However, to account for the deformation and other sources of variation of the tracking object, the spatial configuration should not be fixed apriori and it is more suitable to be adapted online. To this end, this paper presents a novel method to formulate an adaptive feature-spatial representation (FSR) for mean-shift tracking. By encoding blocking features of the tracking object with a set of adaptively weighted and spatially distributed tunable kernels, the object variations, like deformations and partial occlusions, can be handled appropriately. Extensive experiments under various conditions clearly demonstrate the obvious advantage of our approach compared to the classical mean-shift trackers.
Interband casade thermophotovoltaic devices with Type-II superlattice absorbers of ∼0.4 eV bandgap

We present studies of two- and three-stage interband cascade thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrates. The absorbers were composed of InAs-GaSb-Al0.8In0. 2Sb-GaSb superlattices. The thin layers of AlInSb inserted into the superlattice enable the devices to have a relatively short cutoff wavelength of 3.0 μm at room temperature. In addition, the absorber lengths of the cascade stages were varied across the structure in order to achieve better photocurrent matching between stages. The devices' photovoltaic properties were investigated with both a broadband blackbody source, and a mid-infrared laser with an emission wavelength within kbT of the absorber bandgap. We observe that the three-stage devices can achieve higher values of output power than the two-stage devices, despite a certain mismatch of photocurrent between the stages. In addition, these three-stage devices are able to achieve values of open-circuit voltage comparable to widerbandgap GaSb-based TPV devices at significantly lower values of the short-circuit current density.
Enhancement of cube texture in Ni by the addition of W or Mo

The development of cube texture after heavy cold rolling (∼95%) and annealing has been studied in pure Ni, Ni–5 at% W and Ni–5 at% Mo alloys. The two Ni alloys develop a much sharper cube texture compared to pure Ni, thus indicating the beneficial effect of W or Mo addition. W and Mo enhance the cube texture intensity in Ni by decreasing the volume fraction of the rotated cube grains. The impact of W and Mo addition is seen from a very early stage of recrystallization, where rotated cube grains form in pure Ni as opposed to sharp cube-oriented grains in the two Ni alloys. The results negate the widely perceived theory of ‘detrimental effect of impurities’ on the development of cube texture.
Alternatives to project-specific consent for access to personal information for health research: what is the opinion of the Canadian public?

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine public opinion on alternatives to project-specific consent for use of their personal information for health research. DESIGN The authors conducted a fixed-response random-digit dialed telephone survey of 1,230 adults across Canada. MEASUREMENTS We measured attitudes toward privacy and health research; trust in different institutions to keep information confidential; and consent choice for research use of one's own health information involving medical record review, automated abstraction of information from the electronic medical record, and linking education or income with health data. RESULTS Support was strong for both health research and privacy protection. Studying communicable diseases and quality of health care had greatest support (85% to 89%). Trust was highest for data institutes, university researchers, hospitals, and disease foundations (78% to 80%). Four percent of respondents thought information from their paper medical record should not be used at all for research, 32% thought permission should be obtained for each use, 29% supported broad consent, 24% supported notification and opt out, and 11% felt no need for notification or consent. Opinions were more polarized for automated abstraction of data from the electronic medical record. Respondents were more willing to link education with health data than income. CONCLUSIONS Most of the public supported alternatives to study-specific consent, but few supported use without any notification or consent. Consent choices for research use of one's health information should be documented in the medical record. The challenge remains how best to elicit those choices and ensure that they are up-to-date.
Neuroprotective Action of Halogenated Derivatives of L-Phenylalanine

Background and Purpose— The aromatic amino acid L-Phenylalanine (L-Phe) significantly and reversibly depresses excitatory glutamatergic synaptic transmission (GST) via a unique set of presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. Therefore, we hypothesized that endogenous derivatives of L-Phe, which display potent antiglutamatergic activity, may safely and efficaciously protect the brain during conditions characterized by overactivation of glutamate receptors. Methods— We tested this hypothesis in vitro with a combination of patch-clamp and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) analyses in rat cultured neurons exposed to simulated ischemia, and in vivo using a rat model of experimental stroke caused by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Results— 3,5-diiodo-l-tyrosine (DIT) and 3,5-dibromo-l-tyrosine (DBrT), endogenous halogenated derivatives of L-Phe, attenuated GST by similar mechanisms as L-Phe, but with greater potency. For example, the IC50s for DIT and DBrT to depress the frequency of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)/kainate receptor-mediated mEPSCs were 104.6±14.1 μmol/L and 127.5±13.3 μmol/L, respectively. Depression of GST by DIT and DBrT persisted during energy deprivation. Furthermore, DBrT significantly reduced LDH release in neuronal cultures exposed to oxygen glucose deprivation. In rats subjected to transient MCAO, DBrT decreased the brain infarct volume and neurological deficit score to 52.7±14.1% and 57.1±12.0% of control values, respectively. DBrT neither altered atrioventricular nodal and intraventricular conduction in isolated heart, nor heart rate and blood pressure in vivo. Conclusion— DBrT, an endogenous halogenated derivative of L-Phe, shows promise as a representative of a novel class of neuroprotective agents by exerting significant neuroprotection in both in vitro and in vivo models of brain ischemia.
DNA binding by the KP repressor protein inhibits P‐element transposase activity in vitro

P elements are a family of mobile DNA elements found in Drosophila. P‐element transposition is tightly regulated, and P‐element‐encoded repressor proteins are responsible for inhibiting transposition in vivo. To investigate the molecular mechanisms by which one of these repressors, the KP protein, inhibits transposition, a variety of mutant KP proteins were prepared and tested for their biochemical activities. The repressor activities of the wild‐type and mutant KP proteins were tested in vitro using several different assays for P‐element transposase activity. These studies indicate that the site‐specific DNA‐binding activity of the KP protein is essential for repressing transposase activity. The DNA‐binding domain of the KP repressor protein is also shared with the transposase protein and resides in the N‐terminal 88 amino acids. Within this region, there is a C2HC putative metal‐binding motif that is required for site‐specific DNA binding. In vitro the KP protein inhibits transposition by competing with the transposase enzyme for DNA‐binding sites near the P‐element termini.
Isolated left main coronary artery stenosis: long term follow up in 106 patients after surgery

Objective: To analyse the long term prognosis in patients with isolated stenoses of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) following surgical revascularisation. Patients: 106 patients (71 men and 35 women, mean age 61 years) were operated on between 1982 and 1998. Before surgery, 103 patients presented with angina pectoris and only 10 had a history of myocardial infarction. Their mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 62%. Stenoses were localised on the LMCA ostium in 19 patients, a subgroup characterised by a high proportion of women (68%). Three patients presented with chronic LMCA occlusion. Forty six patients were operated on as an emergency. The mean (SD) number of grafts per patient was 2.0 (0.5), and only one patient had no left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery bypass. Bypass of the LAD using the internal thoracic artery was performed in 88 cases. Results: Early postoperative mortality was 4.7% and the five year survival was 86.8%. Late mortality occurred in nine cases, and in three of these it was linked to a coronary condition. Of the 92 long term survivors, 81.5% were totally symptom-free and 77% of those of working age were able to resume work. The postoperative outcome of patients with isolated ostial LMCA stenosis did not differ significantly from that of the other patients. Conclusions: The postoperative prognosis of isolated LMCA stenosis appears good in terms of mortality and symptoms.
Structured Adaptive Control for Solving LMIs

Abstract Numerical problems such as finding eigenvalues, singular value decomposition, linear programming, are traditionally solved with algorithms that can be interpreted as discrete-time processes. One can also find in the literature continuous-time methods for these same problems where solutions are the equilibrium points to which converge stable differential equations. The paper exposes one such continuous-time method for solving linear matrix inequalities. The proposed differential equations are those of an adaptive control feedback loop on an LTI system. The adaptive law is passivity-based with additional structural constraints of two types. The first constraint imposes the gain to be block-diagonal at all times. It can be interpreted as a decentralized control structure. The second constraint is only required asymptotically. It for example reads as requiring the feedback gain to be symmetric when time goes to infinity. Point-wise global stability is proved with quadratic Lyapunov functions. Results are illustrated on LMIs related to an H ∞ norm computation problem. Solutions to the LMIs are obtained by simulations in Simulink.
Robust Selectivity for Faces in the Human Amygdala in the Absence of Expressions

There is a well-established posterior network of cortical regions that plays a central role in face processing and that has been investigated extensively. In contrast, although responsive to faces, the amygdala is not considered a core face-selective region, and its face selectivity has never been a topic of systematic research in human neuroimaging studies. Here, we conducted a large-scale group analysis of fMRI data from 215 participants. We replicated the posterior network observed in prior studies but found equally robust and reliable responses to faces in the amygdala. These responses were detectable in most individual participants, but they were also highly sensitive to the initial statistical threshold and habituated more rapidly than the responses in posterior face-selective regions. A multivariate analysis showed that the pattern of responses to faces across voxels in the amygdala had high reliability over time. Finally, functional connectivity analyses showed stronger coupling between the amygdala and posterior face-selective regions during the perception of faces than during the perception of control visual categories. These findings suggest that the amygdala should be considered a core face-selective region.