Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sparse Persistent RNNs: Squeezing Large Recurrent Networks On-Chip

Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) are powerful tools for solving sequence-based problems, but their efficacy and execution time are dependent on the size of the network. Following recent work in simplifying these networks with model pruning and a novel mapping of work onto GPUs, we design an efficient implementation for sparse RNNs. We investigate several optimizations and tradeoffs: Lamport timestamps, wide memory loads, and a bank-aware weight layout. With these optimizations, we achieve speedups of over 6x over the next best algorithm for a hidden layer of size 2304, batch size of 4, and a density of 30%. Further, our technique allows for models of over 5x the size to fit on a GPU for a speedup of 2x, enabling larger networks to help advance the state-of-the-art. We perform case studies on NMT and speech recognition tasks in the appendix, accelerating their recurrent layers by up to 3x.
Optimal Human Being: An Integrated Multi-level Perspective

Contents: Part I: Introduction. What Is Optimal Human Being? Hierarchies and Levels of Analysis: Locating Behavior in the Physical World and Seeking Integration Between the Human Sciences. Focusing on the Personality Level: Comprehensive Models of Personality. Part II: Four Levels of Analysis Within Personality Theory. The Universal Human Organism: Species-Typical Human Nature. Personality Traits and Individual Differences: The Meaning of Variability. Goals and Intentions: The Method of Self-Organization. The Self-Homunculus: Fictional but Functional. Part III: Two Higher Levels of Analysis Relevant to Personality Theory. Social and Group Interaction: Game and Role Theory Perspectives. The Emergence of Culture: Memes, Genes, and Other Themes. Part IV: Towards Integration. Optimal Human Being and Optimal Human Science: Summary Prescriptions.
Downscaling Geostationary Land Surface Temperature Imagery for Urban Analysis

Although Earth observation data have been used in urban thermal applications extensively, these studies are often limited by the choices made in data selection, i.e., either using data with high spatial and low temporal resolution, or data with high temporal and low spatial resolution. The challenge of advancing the low spatial (3-5 km) resolution of geostationary land surface temperature (LST) images to 1 km-while maintaining the excellent temporal resolution of 15 min-is approached in this letter. The downscaling was performed using different advanced regression algorithms, such as support vector regression machines, neural networks, and regression trees, and its performance was improved using gradient boosting. The methodologies were tested on Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) SEVIRI LST images over an area of 19 600 km2 centered in Athens, Greece. The output 1-km downscaled LST images were assessed against coincident LST maps derived from the thermal infrared imagery of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, and the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer. The results showed that support vector machines coupled with gradient boosting proved to be a robust high-performance methodology reaching correlation coefficients from 0.69 to 0.81 when compared with the other satellite-derived LST maps.
Justifications and Rationalizations for the Civil Commitment of Sex Offenders

In response to rising community concern about the release of convicted child sex offenders, most states of Australia have enacted legislation to use civil commitment proceedings to extend detention and supervision after the expiry of the original sentences. This article considers the arguments for and against this form of legislation. The arguments in favour of the civil commitment of sex offenders are for further treatment so as to decrease the likelihood of child sex assaults once the offender is released, in order to prevent child sex offences during the period of extended detention, and because previous sentences are seen to be inadequate according to current community standards. We then consider the arguments against preventative detention, which include abandoning the presumption of innocence with regard to future offences and the high probability of detaining some offenders who will not reoffend because of the unreliability of risk assessment. We express our concerns about laws that overthrow longstanding legal principles and pass much of the responsibility for decisions regarding commitment from courts to psychiatrists. Despite the unsatisfactory nature of these laws and the cumbersome procedure required to administer them, the political reality is that these laws are unlikely to ever be repealed. Hence we also consider how the laws should be applied.
How User Innovations Become Commercial Products: A Theoretical Investigation and Case Study

In this paper we model the pathways commonly traversed as user innovations are transformed into commercial products. First, one or more users recognize a new set of design possibilities and begin to innovate. They then join into communities, motivated by the increased efficiency of collective innovation. User-manufacturers then emerge, using high variable cost/low-capital production methods. Finally, as user innovation slows, the market stabilizes enough for high-capital, low variable cost manufacturing to enter. We test the model against the history of the rodeo kayak industry and find it supported. We discuss implications for "dominant design" theory and for innovation practice.
Protein Interaction Networks Reveal Novel Autism Risk Genes within GWAS Statistical Noise

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) thus far met limited success in the identification of common risk variants, consistent with the notion that variants with small individual effects cannot be detected individually in single SNP analysis. To further capture disease risk gene information from ASD association studies, we applied a network-based strategy to the Autism Genome Project (AGP) and the Autism Genetics Resource Exchange GWAS datasets, combining family-based association data with Human Protein-Protein interaction (PPI) data. Our analysis showed that autism-associated proteins at higher than conventional levels of significance (P<0.1) directly interact more than random expectation and are involved in a limited number of interconnected biological processes, indicating that they are functionally related. The functionally coherent networks generated by this approach contain ASD-relevant disease biology, as demonstrated by an improved positive predictive value and sensitivity in retrieving known ASD candidate genes relative to the top associated genes from either GWAS, as well as a higher gene overlap between the two ASD datasets. Analysis of the intersection between the networks obtained from the two ASD GWAS and six unrelated disease datasets identified fourteen genes exclusively present in the ASD networks. These are mostly novel genes involved in abnormal nervous system phenotypes in animal models, and in fundamental biological processes previously implicated in ASD, such as axon guidance, cell adhesion or cytoskeleton organization. Overall, our results highlighted novel susceptibility genes previously hidden within GWAS statistical “noise” that warrant further analysis for causal variants.
Differential Reward Learning for Self and Others Predicts Self-Reported Altruism

In social environments, decisions not only determine rewards for oneself but also for others. However, individual differences in pro-social behaviors have been typically studied through self-report. We developed a decision-making paradigm in which participants chose from card decks with differing rewards for themselves and charity; some decks gave similar rewards to both, while others gave higher rewards for one or the other. We used a reinforcement-learning model that estimated each participant's relative weighting of self versus charity reward. As shown both in choices and model parameters, individuals who showed relatively better learning of rewards for charity – compared to themselves – were more likely to engage in pro-social behavior outside of a laboratory setting indicated by self-report. Overall rates of reward learning, however, did not predict individual differences in pro-social tendencies. These results support the idea that biases toward learning about social rewards are associated with one's altruistic tendencies.
Duloxetine-induced hypomania: case report and brief review of the literature on SNRIs-induced mood switching

Abstract Manic switching during antidepressant treatment has been reported with every class of antidepressant drugs. Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) have been increasingly used for the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression and are well tolerated and sufficiently effective because of their dual mechanism of action. A case of duloxetine-induced hypomania in a non-bipolar patient is presented, and a brief review of all cases of SNRIs’ induced mania and hypomania has been carried out. The available data suggest that SNRIs, especially venlafaxine, can induce mood switching in patients with bipolar depression and in certain patients with unipolar depression, but the potential of duloxetine and milnacipran to induce manic or hypomanic symptoms cannot be disregarded. Switching appears to be dose-related and treatment initiation with lower doses and upward titration when needed may be preferable in selected cases and may help minimizing the risk of mood switching.
Exploring the Digital Divide in an Australian Regional City: a case study of Albury

Abstract The ‘digital divide’ is generally considered to be the gap between people who have access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and those who do not, and an issue of significant social justice. This paper presents findings from research that explored the digital divide within the regional city of Albury. The study focused on assessing whether there was a digital divide; identifying strategies to address any divide; and developing a methodology that could be used to explore the digital divide in other contexts. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a telephone survey of city residents. Findings demonstrated that a digital divide existed in that there were differences in computer access in relation to income and different locations within the city, and for access to the Internet by age, education and income levels. Overall, the patterns indicated that those with lower education and income and the elderly reported lower levels of access to ICT. Drawing on the research findings we suggest some practical ways of addressing the digital divide that could be applied to other similar locations where a digital divide exists, such as providing technical support and training, improved access to and awareness of ICT services, and facilitating access to ICT services such as the provision of appropriate hardware and software for disadvantaged groups. Our view is that the mixed-method approach we employed provided helpful, reliable information at reasonable cost and could be considered by other researchers and local governments.
Targeted disruption of growth hormone receptor interferes with the beneficial actions of calorie restriction

Reduced intake of nutrients [calorie restriction (CR)] extends longevity in organisms ranging from yeast to mammals. Mutations affecting somatotropic, insulin, or homologous signaling pathways can increase life span in worms, flies, and mice, and there is considerable evidence that reduced secretion of insulin-like growth factor I and insulin are among the mechanisms that mediate the effects of CR on aging and longevity in mammals. In the present study, mice with targeted disruption of the growth hormone (GH) receptor [GH receptor/GH-binding protein knockout (GHRKO) mice] and their normal siblings were fed ad libitum (AL) or subjected to 30% CR starting at 2 months of age. In normal females and males, CR produced the expected increases in overall, average, median, and maximal life span. Longevity of normal mice subjected to CR resembles that of GHRKO animals fed AL. In sharp contrast to its effects in normal mice, CR failed to increase overall, median, or average life span in GHRKO mice and increased maximal life span only in females. In a separate group of animals, CR for 1 year improved insulin sensitivity in normal mice but failed to further enhance the remarkable insulin sensitivity in GHRKO mutants. These data imply that somatotropic signaling is critically important not only in the control of aging and longevity under conditions of unlimited food supply but also in mediating the effects of CR on life span. The present findings also support the notion that enhanced sensitivity to insulin plays a prominent role in the actions of CR and GH resistance on longevity.
The effect of deprivation on food cravings and eating behavior in restrained and unrestrained eaters.

OBJECTIVE The relation between being deprived of a food and intake and craving for that food was investigated in restrained and unrestrained eaters. METHOD For 1 week, 103 female undergraduate students were assigned to be chocolate deprived, vanilla deprived, or nondeprived. Only chocolate deprivation was expected to elicit cravings, as chocolate is not easily substituted, whereas vanilla is. RESULTS The main effect of chocolate deprivation on consumption was qualified by an interaction with restraint. Chocolate-deprived restrained eaters consumed more chocolate food than did any other group. Restrained eaters experienced more food cravings than did unrestrained eaters and were more likely to eat the craved food. Moreover, restrained eaters deprived of chocolate spent the least time doing an anagram task before a "taste-rating task" in which they expected that chocolate foods might be available. CONCLUSION Converging measures of craving indicate that deprivation causes craving and overeating, but primarily in restrained eaters.
Acute and Chronic Effect of Acoustic and Visual Cues on Gait Training in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized, Controlled Study

In this randomized controlled study we analyse and compare the acute and chronic effects of visual and acoustic cues on gait performance in Parkinson's Disease (PD). We enrolled 46 patients with idiopathic PD who were assigned to 3 different modalities of gait training: (1) use of acoustic cues, (2) use of visual cues, or (3) overground training without cues. All patients were tested with kinematic analysis of gait at baseline (T0), at the end of the 4-week rehabilitation programme (T1), and 3 months later (T2). Regarding the acute effect, acoustic cues increased stride length and stride duration, while visual cues reduced the number of strides and normalized the stride/stance distribution but also reduced gait speed. As regards the chronic effect of cues, we recorded an improvement in some gait parameters in all 3 groups of patients: all 3 types of training improved gait speed; visual cues also normalized the stance/swing ratio, acoustic cues reduced the number of strides and increased stride length, and overground training improved stride length. The changes were not retained at T2 in any of the experimental groups. Our findings support and characterize the usefulness of cueing strategies in the rehabilitation of gait in PD.
Critical Thinking and Self-Directed Learning in Adult Education: An Analysis of Responsibility and Control Issues

Two dominant theoretical frameworks in adult education are critical thinking and self-directed learning. This article is an analysis of the fundamental premises of these constructs in an attempt to link these two frameworks in a more integrative and explanatory view of adult education than is possible through each individual concept. The article argues that responsibility and control issues are fundamental to both critical thinking and self-directed learning. The discussion is intended to contribute to our understanding of the premises and essence of adult learning and education, and to stimulate further reflection on critical thinking and self-directed learning.
Lyapunov-Based Approach to Multiagent Systems With Switching Jointly Connected Interconnection

This note addresses a coordination problem of a multiagent system with jointly connected interconnection topologies. Neighbor-based rules are adopted to realize local control strategies for these continuous-time autonomous agents described by double integrators. Although the interagent connection structures vary over time and related graphs may not be connected, a sufficient condition to make all the agents converge to a common value is given for the problem by a proposed Lyapunov-based approach and related space decomposition technique
Why do Post-Secondary Students Seek Counselling?

The purpose of this study is to document reasons that Canadian postsecondary students seek counselling and to report counsellor ratings of the severity and complexity of presenting concerns. For over three academic years, counsellors at a large Canadian university completed a Presenting Issues Form on all clients (N = 2,943) following the initial session. The most frequent presenting issues were (a) relationship concerns, (b) anxiety/stress, (c) depression/grief, (d) academic, and (e) career. Global severity ratings indicated high degrees of distress. The severity of presenting concerns has implications for program development, policy development, and professional development of counsellors working in postsecondary institutions.
Magnetic stimulation coil and circuit design

A detailed analysis of the membrane voltage rise commensurate with the electrical charging circuit of a typical magnetic stimulator is presented. The analysis shows how the membrane voltage is linked to the energy, reluctance, and resonant frequency of the electrical charging circuit. There is an optimum resonant frequency for any nerve membrane depending on its capacitive time constant. The analysis also shows why a larger membrane voltage will be registered on the second phase of a biphasic pulse excitation. Typical constraints on three key quantities voltage, current, and silicone controlled rectifier (SCR) switching time dictate key components such as capacitance, inductance, and choice of turns.
Neutralino reconstruction in supersymmetry with long-lived staus

We consider a supergravity scenario, with universal scalar and gaugino masses at high scale, with a right-chiral neutrino superfield included in the spectrum. Such a scenario can have the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) dominated by the right sneutrino and a stau as the next-to lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP). Since decays of all particles into the LSP are suppressed by the neutrino Yukawa coupling, the signal of supersymmetry consists of charged tracks of stable particles in the muon chamber. We demonstrate how a neutralino decaying into a tau and the stau NLSP can be fully reconstructed over substantial areas in the supergravity parameter space. We also suggest event selection criteria for eliminating backgrounds, including combinatorial ones, and use a new method for the extraction of the mass of the stau NLSP, using its three-momentum as obtained from the curvature of the charged track.
Analytical model for real time, noninvasive estimation of blood glucose level

The paper presents an analytical model to estimate blood glucose level from measurements made non-invasively and in real time by an antenna strapped to a patient's wrist. Some promising success has been shown by the RIT ETA Lab research group that an antenna's resonant frequency can track, in real time, changes in glucose concentration. Based on an in-vitro study of blood samples of diabetic patients, the paper presents a modified Cole-Cole model that incorporates a factor to represent the change in glucose level. A calibration technique using the input impedance technique is discussed and the results show a good estimation as compared to the glucose meter readings. An alternate calibration methodology has been developed that is based on the shift in the antenna resonant frequency using an equivalent circuit model containing a shunt capacitor to represent the shift in resonant frequency with changing glucose levels. Work under progress is the optimization of the technique with a larger sample of patients.
The Underlying Message in LD Intervention Research: Findings from Research Syntheses

This article summarizes the critical findings of recent research syntheses funded by the Office of Special Education Programs and the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The syntheses examined research on higher-order processing and problem-solving, reading comprehension, written expression, and grouping practices associated with improved outcomes in reading for students with learning disabilities. Common principles of instruction are identified across the syntheses. These principles are summarized and illustrated with research-based exemplars of best practice.
The Secret to Happiness: Feeling Good or Feeling Right?

Which emotional experiences should people pursue to optimize happiness? According to traditional subjective well-being research, the more pleasant emotions we experience, the happier we are. According to Aristotle, the more we experience the emotions we want to experience, the happier we are. We tested both predictions in a cross-cultural sample of 2,324 participants from 8 countries around the world. We assessed experienced emotions, desired emotions, and indices of well-being and depressive symptoms. Across cultures, happier people were those who more often experienced emotions they wanted to experience, whether these were pleasant (e.g., love) or unpleasant (e.g., hatred). This pattern applied even to people who wanted to feel less pleasant or more unpleasant emotions than they actually felt. Controlling for differences in experienced and desired emotions left the pattern unchanged. These findings suggest that happiness involves experiencing emotions that feel right, whether they feel good or not.
Root system distribution and yield of 'Conilon' coffee propagated by seeds or cuttings

Abstract –The objective of this work was to evaluate the root system distribution and the yield of 'Conilon' coffee ( Coffea canephora ) propagated by seeds or cuttings. The experiment was carried out with 2x1 m spacing, in an Oxisol with sandy clay loam texture. A randomized complete block design was used, following a 2x9x6 factorial arrangement, with two propagation methods (seeds and cuttings), nine sampling spacings (0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.75, and 0.90 m between rows, and 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 between plants within rows), six soil depths (0.10–0.20, 0.20–0.30, 0.30–0.40, 0.40–0.50, and 0.50–0.60 m), and six replicates. Soil cores (27 cm 3 )with roots were taken from 12 experimental units, 146 months after planting. The surface area of the root system and root diameter, length, and volume were assessed for 13 years and, then, correlated with grain yield. The highest fine root concentration occurred at the superficial soil layers. The variables used to characterize the root system did not differ between propagation methods. Moreover, no differences were observed for net photosynthetic CO