Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Competitive Co-evolutionary Robotics: from Theory to Practice

Dario Floreano? , Stefano Nol ? , Francesco Mondada? Laboratory of Microcomputing Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne fName.Surnameg@ep . ch ? Department of Neural Systems and Arti cial Life National Research Council, Viale Marx 15, Roma, Italy stefano@kant.irmkant. rm.cnr. it Abstract It is argued that competitive co-evolution is a viable methodology for developing truly autonomous and intelligent machines capable of setting their own goals in order to face new and continuously changing challenges. The paper starts giving an introduction to the dynamics of competitive co-evolutionary systems and reviews their relevance from a computational perspective. The method is then applied to two mobile robots, a predator and a prey, which quickly and autonomously develop e cient chase and evasion strategies. The results are then explained and put in a longterm framework resorting to a visualization of the Red Queen e ect on the tness landscape. Finally, comparative data on di erent selection criteria are used to indicate that co-evolution does not optimize \intuitive" objective criteria. 1. Competitive Co-Evolution In a competitive co-evolutionary system the survival probability of a species is a ected by the behavior of the other species. In the simplest scenario of only two competing species, such as a predator and a prey or a parasite and a host, the performance of each individual is tightly related to the performance of the competitor both on the ontogenetic and on the evolutionary time scale. Changes in one lineage might a ect the selection pressure on the other lineage and, if the other lineage also responds with counter-adaptive features, the system might give rise to what biologists call a \a co-evolutionary arms race" (Dawkins and Krebs, 1979). Within the framework of arti cial evolution, the reciprocal e ects of changes by one species on the selection pressure of the other species introduce novel complexities with respect to the case of a single species evolved in a static environment. In the latter case ( gure 1, left), there is a unique relationship between the traits of organisms and its reproduction success, and evolution is often seen as a force driving the population towards combinations of traits that maximize reproduction success (Goldberg, 1989). Instead, in competitive co-evolution evol.coevol. surface.eps 83 27 mm Trait Space P(reproduction) I
Polyculturalism and attitudes toward Muslim Americans.

Polyculturalism is the belief that different racial and ethnic groups, both historically and contemporarily, have interacted, exchanged ideas, and influenced each other’s cultures. Endorsement of polyculturalism involves viewing cultures as dynamic and constantly changing, as well as deeply connected to each other through different racial and ethnic groups’ interactions and shared histories. Our past work in diverse samples in the U.S. has found that endorsement of polyculturalism is associated with less support for social inequality, more positive attitudes toward diversity, and lower racial/ethnic-, gender-, and sexual identity-based prejudice. Given heightened levels of prejudice faced by Muslim Americans in the U.S. currently, we aimed to explore in the current investigation whether polyculturalism can help us understand attitudes toward Muslim Americans. We found with both community adults across the U.S. (via craigslist; Study 1) and undergraduates at a university in the Northeastern U.S. (Study 2) that endorsement of polyculturalism was associated with less negative and more positive intergroup and policy attitudes as well as behavioral intentions toward Muslim Americans. These associations persisted when controlling for potentially confounding sociodemographic variables, such as age, gender, nativity, and race/ethnicity (both studies), as well as other established predictors of intergroup attitudes, including social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism (Study 2). Consistent with past studies, these results suggest endorsement of polyculturalism is associated with more positive attitudes toward Muslim Americans in addition to other intergroup attitudes. Studying polyculturalism may be important for us to understand and improve intergroup attitudes and dynamics in an increasingly globalized, diverse world.
An Investigation in to whether a correlation exists between an individual's socioeconomic status and levels of dropout from physical activity

Physical activity is essential to an individual’s health, and it is of concern within Northern Ireland that many are not meeting the recommended daily levels of activity laid out by the World Health Organisation (2011). As a result many are not gaining the health benefits that correspond to partaking in physical activity regularly. The issue of socioeconomic status is often discussed in research into physical activity, and it has been suggested that socioeconomic status can affect the sporting participation of an individual. This study was completed in order to determine if a positive correlation exists between a pupil’s socioeconomic status and their levels of dropout from physical activity. The study sample for this investigation included 115 subjects, 58 males and 57 females. The subjects consisted of Primary 6 pupils, aged 9-10 years old. The pupils attend five primary schools across Northern Ireland, in a range of rural and urban environments. A pupil questionnaire was used to collect the data for both variables. Parental occupation was used as a gauge of the average household income which in turn was used to determine socioeconomic status. The pupils were also asked to complete a questionnaire on their current participation in physical activities, and the activities they have dropped out of. The results showed no correlation present between socioeconomic status and dropout from physical activity. It is the aim of the author to highlight the need for equal opportunities to be presented to individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds in the hope that participation in physical activity will increase, thereby decreasing dropout levels. In turn this will have health benefits as more individuals will be achieving the recommended levels of daily physical activity.
Spectral Analysis of Synchronization in Mobile Networks

We here analyze a system consisting of agents moving in a two-dimensional space that interact with other agents if they are within a finite range. Considering the motion and the interaction of the agents, the system can be understood as a network with a time-dependent topology. Dynamically, the agents are assumed to be identical oscillators, and the system will eventually reach a state of complete synchronization. In a previous work, we have shown that two qualitatively different mechanisms leading to synchronization in such mobile networks exist, namely global synchronization and local synchronization, depending on the parameters that characterize the oscillatory dynamics and the motion of the agents (1). In this contribution we show that the spectral pattern differs between the two synchronization mechanisms. For global synchronization the spectrum is flat, which means that all eigenmodes contribute identically. For local synchronization, instead, the synchronization dynamics is determined mostly by the eigenmodes whose eigenvalues are close to zero. This result suggests that the global synchronization mechanism achieves fast synchronization by efficiently using the fast decaying eigenmodes (larger eigenvalues).
Neutrinos from Stored Muons ( ν STORM ) : Expression of Interest Executive summary

The νSTORM facility has been designed to deliver beams of ν e and ν µ from the decay of a stored µ ± beam with a central momentum of 3.8 GeV/c and a momentum spread of 10% [1]. The facility is unique in that it will: • Serve the future long-and short-baseline neutrino-oscillation programmes by providing definitive measurements of ν e N and ν µ N scattering cross sections with percent-level precision; • Allow searches for sterile neutrinos of exquisite sensitivity to be carried out; and • Constitute the essential first step in the incremental development of muon accelerators as a powerful new technique for particle physics. The race to discover CP-invariance violation in the lepton sector and to determine the neutrino mass-hierarchy has begun with the recent discovery that θ 13 = 0 [2–6]. The measured value of θ 13 is large (sin 2 2θ 13 ∼ 0.1) so measurements of oscillation probabilities with uncertainties at the percent level are required. For the next generation of long-baseline experiments to reach the requisite precision requires that the ν e N and the ν µ N cross sections are known precisely for neutrino energies (E ν) in the range 0.5 < E ν < 3 GeV. At νSTORM, the flavour composition of the beam and the neutrino-energy spectrum are both precisely known. The storage-ring instrumentation combined with measurements at a near detector will allow the neutrino flux to be determined to a precision of 1% or better. νSTORM is therefore unique as it makes it possible to measure the ν e N and the ν µ N cross sections with a precision 1% over the required neutrino-energy range. A number of results have been reported that can be interpreted as hints for oscillations involving sterile neutrinos [7–17] (for a recent review see [18]). Taken together, these hints warrant a systematically different and definitive search for sterile neutrinos. A magnetised iron neutrino detector at a distance of 1 500 m from the storage ring combined with a near detector, identical but with a fiducial mass one tenth that of the far detector, placed at 20–50 m, will allow searches for active/sterile neutrino oscillations in both the appearance and disappearance channels. Simulations of the ν e → ν µ appearance channel show that the presently allowed region can be excluded at the 10σ level while in the ν e disappearance channel, νSTORM has …
Referral Programs and Customer Value.

Abstract Referral programs have become a popular way to acquire customers. Yet there is no evidence to date that customers acquired through such programs are more valuable than other customers. The authors address this gap and investigate the extent to which referred customers are more profitable and more loyal. Tracking approximately 10,000 customers of a leading German bank for almost three years, the authors find that referred customers (1) have a higher contribution margin, though this difference erodes over time; (2) have a higher retention rate, and this difference persists over time; and (3) are more valuable in both the short and the long run. The average value of a referred customer is at least 16% higher than that of a nonreferred customer with similar demographics and time of acquisition. However, the size of the value differential varies across customer segments; therefore, firms should use a selective approach for their referral programs.
Vocal warm-up and breathing training for teachers: randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of two speech therapy interventions, vocal warm-up and breathing training, focusing on teachers’ voice quality. METHODS A single-blind, randomized, parallel clinical trial was conducted. The research included 31 20 to 60-year old teachers from a public school in Salvador, BA, Northeasatern Brazil, with minimum workloads of 20 hours a week, who have or have not reported having vocal alterations. The exclusion criteria were the following: being a smoker, excessive alcohol consumption, receiving additional speech therapy assistance while taking part in the study, being affected by upper respiratory tract infections, professional use of the voice in another activity, neurological disorders, and history of cardiopulmonary pathologies. The subjects were distributed through simple randomization in groups vocal warm-up (n = 14) and breathing training (n = 17). The teachers’ voice quality was subjectively evaluated through the Voice Handicap Index (Índice de Desvantagem Vocal, in the Brazilian version) and computerized voice analysis (average fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, noise, and glottal-to-noise excitation ratio) by speech therapists. RESULTS Before the interventions, the groups were similar regarding sociodemographic characteristics, teaching activities, and vocal quality. The variations before and after the intervention in self-assessment and acoustic voice indicators have not significantly differed between the groups. In the comparison between groups before and after the six-week interventions, significant reductions in the Voice Handicap Index of subjects in both groups were observed, as wells as reduced average fundamental frequencies in the vocal warm-up group and increased shimmer in the breathing training group. Subjects from the vocal warm-up group reported speaking more easily and having their voices more improved in a general way as compared to the breathing training group. CONCLUSIONS Both interventions were similar regarding their effects on the teachers’ voice quality. However, each contribution has individually contributed to improve the teachers’ voice quality, especially the vocal warm-up.
Spasticity after stroke: Physiology, assessment and treatment

Abstract Background: Spasticity following a stroke occurs in about 30% of patients. The mechanisms underlying this disorder, however, are not well understood. Method: This review aims to define spasticity, describe hypotheses explaining its development after a stroke, give an overview of related neuroimaging studies as well as a description of the most common scales used to quantify the degree of spasticity and finally explore which treatments are currently being used to treat this disorder. Results: The lack of consensus is highlighted on the basis of spasticity and the associated absence of guidelines for treatment, use of drugs and rehabilitation programmes. Conclusions: Future studies require controlled protocols to determine the efficiency of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for spasticity. Neuroimaging may help predict the occurrence of spasticity and could provide insight into its neurological basis.
Uniform random number generators for supercomputers

We consider the requirements for uniform pseudo-random number generators on modern vector and parallel supercomputers, consider the pros and cons of various classes of methods, and outline what is currently available. We propose a class of random number generators which have good statistical properties and can be implemented eciently on vector processors and parallel machines. A good method for initialization of these generators is described, and an implementation on a Fujitsu VP 2200/10 vector processor is discussed.
Characteristics of Breastfeeding Practices Among US Mothers

OBJECTIVES. Although much has been published about breastfeeding rates, little is known about how breastfeeding is practiced in the United States. We describe the distributions and characteristics of practices related to common advice about breastfeeding during the infant's first year of life. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS. Participants in the 2005–2007 Infant Feeding Practices Study II received monthly questionnaires during their infants’ first year of life. Among breastfeeding respondents, we investigated patterns and trends in types of breastfeeding (supplementing with formula or not, and at the breast or not) and maternal report of infant feeding behaviors corresponding to common breastfeeding advice on frequency, duration, and intervals of feedings. RESULTS. More than half of the breastfeeding mothers fed their infants nothing other than breast milk until 4 months of age. Formula supplementation declined from 42% at 1 month to 15% at 1 year; adding other foods/liquids increasingly surpassed supplementing with formula beginning at 5 months of age. Six percent of the mothers reported that the only breast milk the infant was fed was expressed, rather than at the breast. Frequency of breast milk feedings per day declined from 8 at 1 month to 3.5 at 1 year. Reported feeding durations of <20 minutes increased from 46% at 1 month to 88% at 1 year. Feeding from both breasts per feeding decreased 15% over the infant's first year (from 69% to 59%). Longest interfeeding intervals more than doubled over the year. CONCLUSIONS. Exclusive breastfeeding was common up to 4 but not to 6 months of age. Breastfeeding with only expressed milk was rare. Considerable variation existed in maternal report of practices that correspond to common breastfeeding advice. More research is needed to better understand how these variations relate to breastfeeding outcomes and the role of common breastfeeding advice in infant feeding decisions.
Discriminating Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) From Major Depression and Refining Diagnostic Criteria for BPD.

Investigators have sought to clarify the Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) category by comparing it with other personality disorders (e.g., Clarkin, widiger, Frances, Hurt, & Gilmore, 1983; Zanarini, Gunderson, Grankenburg, & Chauncey, 1990), schizophrenia (see review by Siever & Gunderson, 1978), and major depression (see review by Gunderson & Phillips, 1991). The current study investigated the discriminative validity of the DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) borderline criteria and qualitative differences in depression between borderlines (BPD) and patients diagnosed with major depressive episode (MDE). The 100 subjects were inpatients (n=94) and outpatients (n=6), assigned to one of three groups according to diagnosis. Subjects were diagnosed as borderline without major depression (BPD, n=23), depressed borderline (BPD/MDE, n=36), or non-borderline depressed (MDE, n=41) by structured interview with the Personality Disorder Examination (Loranger, Susman, Oldham, & Russakoff, 1987) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM--III—R (Spitzer, Williams, Gibbon, & First, 1990). Qualitative differences in depression were assessed by the Clinical Interview for Depression (Paykel, 1985). Conditional probabilities analysis, chi-square, and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze differences between the groups.
The Self-confidence and Performance of Young Learners in an EFL Environment: A Self-worth Perspective

The goal of the current paper is to provide empirical evidence to support the idea that praising students on their academic achievements is detrimental to the progress and self-confidence of those who have experienced failure under the same conditions. Based on the results of an experiment using crossword puzzle tests, which included puzzles that induced failure by being impossible to complete, and feedback from a sample of 74 young learners of English, the researcher argues that a combination of the experience of failure on behalf of the students and success-oriented praise from the teacher caused a lack of significant academic improvement and a salient decline in subjects’ confidence to complete future tasks. Furthermore, such praise did not bring about any significant increase in the self-confidence of those students who were able to complete the puzzles successfully. Drawing upon previous studies related to Covington’s (1992) Self-worth Theory, and achievement motivation literature (e.g., Dweck, 2006), the author concludes that for teachers of English in an English as a foreign language (EFL) environment, it is essential that praise for students be a reflection of their efforts, not of their ability to produce the correct answer.
H3K79 methylation: a new conserved mark that accompanies H4 hyperacetylation prior to histone-to-protamine transition in Drosophila and rat

ABSTRACT During spermiogenesis, haploid spermatids undergo extensive chromatin remodeling events in which histones are successively replaced by more basic protamines to generate highly compacted chromatin. Here we show for the first time that H3K79 methylation is a conserved feature preceding the histone-to-protamine transition in Drosophila melanogaster and rat. During Drosophila spermatogenesis, the Dot1-like methyltransferase Grappa (Gpp) is primarily expressed in canoe stage nuclei. The corresponding H3K79 methylation is a histone modification that precedes the histone-to-protamine transition and correlates with histone H4 hyperacetylation. When acetylation was inhibited in cultured Drosophila testes, nuclei were smaller and chromatin was compact, Gpp was little synthesized, H3K79 methylation was strongly reduced, and protamines were not synthesized. The Gpp isoform Gpp-D has a unique C-terminus, and Gpp is essential for full fertility. In rat, H3K79 methylation also correlates with H4 hyperacetylation but not with active RNA polymerase II, which might point towards a conserved function in chromatin remodeling during the histone-to-protamine transition in both Drosophila and rat.
Micromagnetic modeling of magnetization switching driven by spin-polarized current in magnetic tunnel junctions

This paper presents results of micromagnetic simulations of magnetization switching driven by spin-polarized current in magnetic tunnel junctions. For the studied structures, and for all the simulated currents, the switching occurs via nucleation process. A complete study of how a misalignment of the applied field and nonidealities in the shape of the sample affect the switching behavior has also been performed. The main results are as follows: (a) The switching mechanism does not change qualitatively by introducing a misalignment and (b) In contrast, the switching mechanism changes qualitatively when a nonideal shape is introduced. Lastly, simulations that include the effects of a 77K thermal bath are presented; these indicate that the switching times are shorter than for zero temperature simulations (sometimes also less than 50%).
TEST QUALITY AND ERROR DIAGNOSIS USING A REGION-BASED MODEL

OF THE THESIS Test Quality and Error Diagnosis using a Region-Based Model by Anand Lloyd D’Souza Thesis Director: Professor Michael Hsiao The quality of a given test set can be established by evaluating its coverage of all possible defects such as stuck faults, bridging faults, multiple stuck faults, gate connection errors, etc. These requirements arise from the quality demands of the complex design and manufacturing process of the present day. Techniques to estimate the quality of a test set in terms of its coverage of arbitrary defects for sequential circuits are presented. The region based model is used to rapidly estimate arbitrary defect coverage because it is independent of specific, physical fault models. The model accounts for the locality of errors and is based on a 3-value, non-enumerative analysis technique. It overcomes the potentially explosive computational requirements associated with considering all possible defects by implicitly evaluating multiple faults (of all types) simultaneously. The activity level and observability level of the test set are used in characterizing the coverage of defects which are vector-dependent. Results of comparisons between different test sets, the compacted test set and two test sets with same fault coverage are presented. We have also studied the variation of defect coverage in full scan sequential circuits by comparing the full scan test set of a circuit with its sequential counterpart. During the very large scale intergration design process, functional mismatches between a given specification and the final implementation can occur. Error diagnosis is