Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dynamic Field Theory and Embodied Cognitive Dynamics

The goal of this chapter is to explain some of the core concepts of Dynamic Field Theory (DFT) and how this theory provides a formal framework for thinking about embodied cognitive dynamics. The DFT is now 15 years old. In 1993, Gregor Schoner and his colleagues published a proceedings paper presenting a theory of how eye movements are planned, including their neural bases (Kopecz, Engels, & Schoner, 1993). Since that time, DFT has been extended to a range of topics including the planning of reaching movements (Bastian, Riehle, Erlhagen, & Schoner, 1998; Bastian, Schoner, & Riehle, 2003; Erlhagen & Schoner, 2002), the development of motor planning (Thelen & Smith, 1994), the perception of motion (Hock, Schoner, & Giese, 2003; Jancke, Erlhagen, Schoner, & Dinse, 2004), the processes that underlie habituation in infancy (Schoner & Thelen, 2006), the control of autonomous robots (Bicho, Mallet, & Schoner, 2000; Steinhage & Schoner, 1998), the processes that underlie visuo-spatial cognition and spatial language (Lipinski, Spencer, & Samuelson, in press; Spencer, Simmering, Schutte, & Schoner, 2007), the development of visuo-spatial cognition (Simmering, Schutte, & Spencer, 2008), the processes that underlie visual working memory and change detection (Johnson, Spencer, & Schoner, 2006), the fast learning of object labels and other aspects of word learning (Faubel & Schoner, in press; Samuelson, Schutte, & Horst, 2008), and the development of executive function (Buss & Spencer, 2008). Despite the extensive application of DFT, discussion at the conference from whence this edited volume emerged suggested that aspects of DFT are poorly understood. Pockets of researchers are familiar with one model or another, but there is little consensus regarding the broader theoretical concepts that underlie this theory. One barrier to understanding is that there have been relatively few reviews of DFT pitched squarely at the central concepts. The present chapter takes up this charge. We begin with some context, describing the milieu in which the theory emerged and the problems it was initially designed to tackle. In particular, we focus on a central problem in cognitive science: how do cognitive systems interface with real-time sensori-motor systems? That is, how can real-time cognitive dynamics be embodied. We discuss our answer to this question within DFT where we use neural dynamics and stable “peaks” of activation as the basic unit of cognition. Peaks can be continuously coupled to sensori-motor systems in real time. But peaks move far beyond a basic feed-forward picture, allowing for a host of cognitive properties that “come for free” in this theoretical framework. We highlight these properties, and also show how peaks provide critical links to two other central challenges in cognitive and developmental science: the integration of processes over multiple time scales and the origin of behavioral flexibility.
Forecasting the Fragility of the Banking and Insurance Sector

This paper considers the issue of forecasting financial fragility of banks and insurances using a panel data set of performance indicators, namely distance-to-default, taking unobserved common factors into account. We show that common factors are important in the performance of banks and insurances, analyze the influences of a number of observable factors on banking and insurance performance, and evaluate the forecasts from our model. We find that taking unobserved common factors into account reduces the the root mean square forecasts error of firm specific forecasts by up to 11% and of system forecasts by up to 29% relative to a model based only on observed variables. Estimates of the factor loadings suggest that the correlation of financial institutions has been relatively stable over the forecast period.
Learning to Rank 3 D Features

Representation of three dimensional objects using a set of oriented point pair features has been shown to be effective for object recognition and pose estimation. Combined with an efficient voting scheme on a generalized Hough space, existing approaches achieve good recognition accuracy and fast operation. However, the performance of these approaches degrades when the objects are (self-)similar or exhibit degeneracies, such as large planar surfaces which are very common in both man made and natural shapes, or due to heavy object and background clutter. We propose a max-margin learning framework to identify discriminative features on the surface of three dimensional objects. Our algorithm selects and ranks features according to their importance for the specified task, which leads to improved accuracy and reduced computational cost. In addition, we analyze various grouping and optimization strategies to learn the discriminative pair features. We present extensive synthetic and real experiments demonstrating the improved results.
EU Committees as Influential Policymakers

Part 1 Non-comitology cases: the Environment Policy Review Group and the General Consultative Forum the Waste Management Committee the Scientific Committee for Food the Auronautics Task Force and the industry interface the Monetary Committee. Part 2 Comitology cases: the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health the Standing Committee for Food Stuffs the Eco-Label Regulatory Committee the Article 19 Committee - the regulation of the environmental management and audit scheme the GMO Committee on transgenic maize - alien corn, or the transgenic procedural maze. Part 3 Grand committees: the Committee of the Regions - an atypical influential committee? the Economic and Social Committee conclusion - are EU committees influential?
The role of planning, support, and maternal and infant factors in women's return to work after maternity leave

Workforce participation by mothers - particularly those with young children - is not a new phenomenon. In countries such as the US and Australia, an increase in maternal employment has been evident since the 1960s, although other countries, such as the Netherlands and Spain, did not follow suit until the 1990s (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2007). The benefits from women being employed are broad, as employment is related to improvements in their mental health, physical health, financial resources and social supports (Gjerdingen, McGovern, Bekker, Lundberg, and Willemsen, 2001; Lee and Powers, 2002; Rout, Cooper, and Kerslake, 1997; Schnittker, 2007). Additionally, employers benefit from women returning to work after maternity leave. The costs of replacing an employee are quite high (Davidson, Timo, and Wang, 2010; Tracey and Hinkin, 2008), with estimates of turnover costs ranging from 29% to 46% (Bernthal and Wellins, 2001). Moreover, the costs cited in the literature often do not consider the indirect costs of employee turnover, such as those associated with the initial inefficiency of a new employee, which, when estimated to be approximately 80% of the total cost (Phillips, 1990), far outweighs the direct costs of replacing an employee (Davidson et al., 2010; Phillips, 1990; Scholss, Flanagan, Culler, and Wright, 2009).
Laughter detection based on the fusion of local binary patterns, spectral and prosodic features

Today, great focus has been placed on context-aware human-machine interaction, where systems are aware not only of the surrounding environment, but also about the mental/affective state of the user. Such knowledge can allow for the interaction to become more human-like. To this end, automatic discrimination between laughter and speech has emerged as an interesting, yet challenging problem. Typically, audio-or video-based methods have been proposed in the literature; humans, however, are known to integrate both sensory modalities during conversation and/or interaction. As such, this paper explores the fusion of support vector machine classifiers trained on local binary pattern (LBP) video features, as well as speech spectral and prosodic features as a way of improving laughter detection performance. Experimental results on the publicly-available MAHNOB Laughter database show that the proposed audio-visual fusion scheme can achieve a laughter detection accuracy of 93.3%, thus outperforming systems trained on audio or visual features alone.
Response to reviewers ’ comments : MS : 2028440611291453 Immunohistochemical and other prognostic factors in B cell non Hodgkin lymphoma patients , Kampala , Uganda

Lynnette K Tumwine (tumwinelynnette@yahoo.com) Claudio Agostinelli (claudioagostinelli@gmail.com) Cristina Campidelli (cristinacampidelli@gmail.com) Emmanuel Othieno (othienoemma@yahoo.com) Henry R Wabinga (hwabinga@med.mak.ac.ug) Simona Righi (pileri@aosp.bo.it) Brunangelo Falini (faliniem@unipg.it) Pier Paolo Piccaluga (pierpaolo.piccaluga@unibo.it) Wilson Byarugaba (wbyarugaba@yahoo.co.uk) Stefano A Pileri (pileri@aosp.bo.it)
The Economic Costs of Pavement Deterioration

This paper investigates the relationship between different highway pavement conditions and their effect on vehicle operating costs based from a variety of research sources. The study reviews different measurements that classify deteriorating pavement conditions, compares the associated cost estimates, and illustrates examples of how these assumptions translate into impacts on the economy. The principle finding of the research is that pavement conditions directly affect vehicle operating costs and that including these assumptions in asset management analysis enables a broader evaluation of the effect infrastructure preservation has on the economy.
Neuronal and Cardiovascular Potassium Channels as Therapeutic Drug Targets

Potassium (K+) channels, with their diversity, often tissue-defined distribution, and critical role in controlling cellular excitability, have long held promise of being important drug targets for the treatment of dysrhythmias in the heart and abnormal neuronal activity within the brain. With the exception of drugs that target one particular class, ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels, very few selective K+ channel activators or inhibitors are currently licensed for clinical use in cardiovascular and neurological disease. Here we review what a range of human genetic disorders have told us about the role of specific K+ channel subunits, explore the potential of activators and inhibitors of specific channel populations as a therapeutic strategy, and discuss possible reasons for the difficulty in designing clinically relevant K+ channel modulators.
Quantitative lineage analysis of the frog's nervous system. I. Lineages of Rohon-Beard neurons and primary motoneurons

After injection of horseradish peroxidase into single blastomeres in Xenopus embryos at 2- to 512-cell stages, all of the descendants could be traced and counted at tailbud stages. Progenitors of Rohon-Beard neurons and of primary spinal motoneurons were identified, and all neurons of each type that originated from individual progenitors were counted. From these data were derived the geometric mean of the number (N) of Rohon-Beard neurons (or primary motoneurons) that descended from a single progenitor at each generation from the first to ninth, the mean number of progenitors of each generation, and the probability that, following mitosis, daughter cells continue in the Rohon-Beard (or primary motoneuron) lineages (the continuation probability). On a log- log plot a straight line fitted to the N values intercepts the abscissa at the 13th generation for Rohon-Beard progenitors and the 16th generation for primary motoneuron progenitors. This indicates the number of generations before the entire set of each type of neuron is finally produced. The Rohon-Beard neurons and primary motoneurons each originated from a separate group of progenitors at the 9th generation (512-cell stage), but those progenitors gave rise to mesodermal, endodermal, and ectodermal cells in addition to neurons. Nevertheless, the continuation probability significantly greater than 0.5 shows that there is a bias toward recruitment of progenitors into lineages leading to production of those two types of neurons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Entropy Generation in Magnetohydrodynamic Mixed Convection Flow over an Inclined Stretching Sheet

This research focuses on entropy generation rate per unit volume in magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection boundary layer flow of a viscous fluid over an inclined stretching sheet. Analysis has been performed in the presence of viscous dissipation and non-isothermal boundary conditions. The governing boundary layer equations are transformed into ordinary differential equations by an appropriate similarity transformation. The transformed coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations are then solved numerically by a shooting technique along with the Runge-Kutta method. Expressions for entropy generation (Ns) and Bejan number (Be) in the form of dimensionless variables are also obtained. Impact of various physical parameters on the quantities of interest is seen.
Effects of the Antibiotics Gentamicin on the Postembryonic Development of Chrysomya putoria (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Abstract We evaluate the effects the antibiotic Gentamicin on the development of Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1818). Third-generation, first-instar larvae were reared in a climatic chamber on 60 g of homogenate + agar 65% and were treated with three concentrations of Gentamicin: 4.44 mg/ml, 13.33 mg/ml, and 66.66 mg/ml. The control consisted of distilled water. The relationships between mean body mass of mature larvae (measured after diet abandonment, in batches of five individuals), duration of larval and pupal stages, and overall duration of development were analyzed. The actual sex ratio was compared against the expected using the chi square. None of the parameters measured differed significantly among the four treatments, with one exception: when Gentamicin concentration was 13.33 mg/ml, larval viability differed significantly from the control. All larvae from all treatments were considered normal. We conclude that the antibiotic did not significantly alter the development of C. putoria (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae).
Genetic background of supernumerary teeth

Supernumerary teeth (ST) are odontostomatologic anomaly characterized by as the existence excessive number of teeth in relation to the normal dental formula. This condition is commonly seen with several congenital genetic disorders such as Gardner′s syndrome, cleidocranial dysostosis and cleft lip and palate. Less common syndromes that are associated with ST are; Fabry Disease, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, Nance-Horan syndrome, Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome and Trico-Rhino-Phalangeal syndrome. ST can be an important component of a distinctive disorder and an important clue for early diagnosis. Certainly early detecting the abnormalities gives us to make correct management of the patient and also it is important for making well-informed decisions about long-term medical care and treatment. In this review, the genetic syndromes that are related with ST were discussed.
Gravitational microlensing of quasar broad‐line regions at large optical depths

Recent estimates of the scale of structures at the heart of quasars suggest that the regions responsible for the broad-line emission are smaller than previously thought. With this revision of scale, the broad-line region is amenable to the influence of gravitational microlensing. This study investigates the influence on microlensing at high optical depth on a number of current models of the broad-line region (BLR). It is found that the BLR can be significantly magnified by the action of microlensing, although the degree of magnification is dependent upon the spatial and kinematic structure of the BLR. Furthermore, while there is a correlation between the microlensing fluctuations of the continuum source and the BLR, there is substantial scatter about this relation, revealing that broad-band photometric monitoring is not necessarily a guide to microlensing of the BLR. The results of this study demonstrate that the spatial and kinematic structure within the BLR may be determined via spectroscopic monitoring of microlensed quasars.
The Blue-Collar Brain

Much effort has gone into elucidating control of the body by the brain, less so the role of the body in controlling the brain. This essay develops the idea that the brain does a great deal of work in the service of behavior that is controlled by the body, a blue-collar role compared to the white-collar control exercised by the body. The argument that supports a blue-collar role for the brain is also consistent with recent discoveries clarifying the white-collar role of synergies across the body’s tensegrity structure, and the evidence of critical phenomena in brain and behavior.
Designing Agent Controllers using Discrete-Event Markov

This paper describes the use of discrete-event Markov decision process models to design robust agent controllers in complex stochastic domains. Unlike discrete-time models, where actions are assumed to take unit time, discrete-event models allow state transitions to take random time. Discrete-event models also provide a convenient form of temporal abstraction: the agent observes and controls the system only at decision epochs. The paper summarizes case studies using discrete-event models in two challenging application domains: mobile robot navigation and manufacturing. The two domains also serve to highlight the diierence between probabilistic models, where dynamic programming can be applied, and simulation models, where reinforcement learning methods are more appropriate.
Outcome of R-CHOP or CHOP Regimen for Germinal Center and Nongerminal Center Subtypes of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of Chinese Patients

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) can be molecularly subtyped as either germinal center B-cell (GCB) or non-GCB. The role of rituximab(R) in these two groups remains unclear. We studied 204 patients with de novo DLBCL (107 treated with first-line CHOP; 97 treated with first-line R-CHOP), patients being stratified into GCB and non-GCB on the basis of BCL-6, CD10, and MUM1 protein expression. The relationships between clinical characteristics, survival data, and immunophenotype (IHC) were studied. The 5-year overall survival (OS) in the CHOP and R-CHOP groups was 50.4% and 66.6% (P = 0.031), respectively. GCB patients had a better 5-year OS than non-GCB patients whether treated with CHOP or not (65.0% versus 40.9%; P = 0.011). In contrast, there is no difference in the 5-year OS for the GCB and non-GCB with R-CHOP (76.5% versus 61.3%; P = 0.141). In non-GCB subtype, additional rituximab improved survival better than CHOP (61.3% versus 40.9%; P = 0.0303). These results indicated that addition of rituximab to standard chemotherapy eliminates the prognostic value of IHC-defined GCB and non-GCB phenotypes in DLBCL by improving the prognostic value of non-GCB subtype of DLBCL.
BUENAS PRÁCTICAS ORGANIZATIVAS PARA LA INTEGRACIÓN DE LAS TIC EN EL SISTEMA EDUCATIVO EXTREMEÑO

T he present paper tries to release some organizational Good Practices for the integration of the ICT's carried out by the Education System in Extremadura. For this, in a first moment, a theoretical review about the concept of Good Practices has been done, establishing some indicators which permit us identify Good Practices regarding the application of the ICT within Primary and Secondary schools, and specially pointing out the indicators that refer to organizational aspects in the educational establishments and classrooms. Secondly, the politics for the integration of New Technologies conducted by Junta de Extremadura are analyzed, emphasizing the figure of the ICT Coordinator as a quality measure, as well as the technological tools for school management and controlling the classes. Finally, we present the results obtained from several interviews that were made to different members of the school community, all in a broader investigation where diverse case studies of Primary and Secondary schools considered as Good Practices with ICT were effectuated.
A unified framework for reviewer reputation estimation in online review systems

Individuals and organizations widely use product reviews for their decision making. But most of the review systems pay less attention on verifying the identity of reviewers and the content of reviews. This leads to the presence of uninformative, biased or even false information. Also some people attempt to control the system by opinion spamming such as writing fake reviews to promote or demote some target products. If reviewer reputation can be measured, the consumers can find reviews that reflect genuine user experiences and opinions, depending on the reviews from reputed reviewers. This paper presents a reputation model devised to measure reviewer reputation in online review systems based on the source credibility which is defined as expertise and trustworthiness. Our experimental results show that the proposed reputation model is effective in measuring reputation. The model outperforms existing methods in measuring the reputation of reviewers. The model is simple and applicable to most of the online review systems.
Mexico imports U.S. recession but shows financial strength

The National Bureau of Economic Research tells us that after a decade-long expansion, the U.S. economy peaked and fell into recession beginning March 2001. Mexico has similarly slipped into recession: Its index of coincident economic activity peaked in August and September 2000; a global index of economic activity in Mexico peaked in October 2000; gross domestic product fell 1.6 percent between fourth quarter 2000 and fourth quarter 2001; and employment declined by 382,000 jobs over the same four quarters. The recession is a U.S. import, with the U.S. manufacturing downturn having particularly serious implications for Mexican industrial production, especially the important maquiladora operations centered in the north. However, good news comes with the bad. Mexico shows no signs of slipping into a financial crisis such as those that accompanied the country’s other four economic downturns during the past 30 years. In place of a peso crisis, this downturn has so far been marked by a strong peso, declining inflation and falling interest rates. This article examines the sources of Mexico’s recession and the broader improvements in Mexico’s financial health that have limited the downturn’s damage to that of a garden-variety recession.
TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE INFOSEC CERTIFICATION METHODOLOGY

Accreditors want to know what vulnerabilities will exist if they decide to turn on a system. TCSEC evaluations address products, not systems. Not only the hardware and software of a system are of concern; the accreditor needs to view these components in relation to the environment in which they operate and in relation to the system’s mission and the threats to it. This paper proposes an informal but comprehensive certification approach that can provide the accreditor with the necessary information. First, we discuss the identification of assumptions and assertions that reflect system INFOSEC requirements. Second, we propose the definition of an assurance strategy to integrate security engineering and system engineering. The assurance strategy initally documents the set of assumptions and assertions derived from the requirements. It is elaborated and refined throughout the development, yielding the assurance argument, delivered with the system, which provides the primary technical basis for the certification decision. With the assurance strategy in place, certification of the trusted system can become an audit of the development process.