Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An early bone tool industry from the Middle Stone Age at Blombos Cave, South Africa: implications for the origins of modern human behaviour, symbolism and language.

Twenty-eight bone tools were recovered in situ from ca. 70 ka year old Middle Stone Age levels at Blombos Cave between 1992 and 2000. These tools are securely provenienced and are the largest collection to come from a single African Middle Stone Age site. Detailed analyses show that tool production methods follow a sequence of deliberate technical choices starting with blank production, the use of various shaping methods and the final finishing of the artefact to produce "awls" and "projectile points". Tool production processes in the Middle Stone Age at Blombos Cave conform to generally accepted descriptions of "formal" techniques of bone tool manufacture. Comparisons with similar bone tools from the Later Stone Age at Blombos Cave, other Cape sites and ethnographic collections show that although shaping methods are different, the planning and execution of bone tool manufacture in the Middle Stone Age is consistent with that in the late Holocene. The bone tool collection from Blombos Cave is remarkable because bone tools are rarely found in African Middle or Later Stone Age sites before ca. 25 ka. Scarcity of early bone tools is cited as one strand of evidence supporting models for nonmodern behaviour linked to a lack of modern technological or cognitive capacity before ca. 50 ka. Bone artefacts are a regular feature in European sites after ca. 40 ka, are closely associated with the arrival of anatomically modern humans and are a key behavioural marker of the Upper Palaeolithic "symbolic explosion" linked to the evolution of modern behaviour. Taken together with recent finds from Klasies River, Katanda and other African Middle Stone Age sites the Blombos Cave evidence for formal bone working, deliberate engraving on ochre, production of finely made bifacial points and sophisticated subsistence strategies is turning the tide in favour of models positing behavioural modernity in Africa at a time far earlier than previously accepted.
Risk Perception and Adoption of Joint Versus Individual Liability: The Case of Selected Tribes in Tanzania

Perceive risk is an important factor that influences the adoption intention. Perceived risk associated with the use of microfinance institutions lending model may adversely affect borrowers. Researchers had applied the concept of perceived risk with Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to measure the use of information technology, but overlooked the use of TAM on microfinance institutions lending models. This study integrates TAM with the adoption of joint vs. individual liability. To address these challenges, a study was conducted from four ethnic groups namely, Gogo, Zaramo, Chagga and Kinga borrowed from PRIDE (T) and FINCA (T). Questionnaires were used to collect information. The Structural Equation Modeling was used to perform the analysis.
Traffic safety behaviour among young people in different residential settings: the use of seat belts, bicycle helmets, and reflectors by young people in Sweden

This study examines if, and how, the size of the community in which people live may contribute to explaining differences in traffic safety behaviour (self-reported behaviour regarding the use of seat belts, bicycle helmets and reflectors) among young people in Sweden. The study is based on a Swedish nationwide traffic safety survey with a net sample of 2854 respondents aged 16–25. Ordered logit regressions were performed, and place of residence is shown to have an impact on traffic safety behaviour. The results are presented and discussed in relation to risk exposure and traffic safety facilities in different settings. The implications of the study are considered, and the importance of investigating the way in which young people see traffic safety behaviour is emphasised.
Inhibitory effects of glycitein on hydrogen peroxide induced cell damage by scavenging reactive oxygen species and inhibiting c-Jun N-terminal kinase

The present study investigated the cytoprotective properties of glycitein, a metabolite formed by the transformation of glycitin by intestinal microflora, against oxidative stress. Glycitein was found to scavenge intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, and thereby preventing lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Glycitein inhibited apoptosis of Chinese hamster lung fibroblast (V79-4) cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via radical scavenging activity. Glycitein abrogated the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) induced by H2O2 treatment and inhibited DNA binding activity of activator protein-1 (AP-1), a downstream transcription factor of JNK. Taken together, these findings suggest that glycitein protected H2O2 induced cell death in V79-4 cells by inhibiting ROS generation and JNK activation.
Subjective memory complaint only relates to verbal episodic memory performance in mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND A cognitive concern from the patient, informant, or clinician is required for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI); however, the cognitive and neuroanatomical correlates of complaint are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE We assessed how self-complaint relates to cognitive and neuroimaging measures in older adults with MCI. METHOD MCI participants were drawn from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and dichotomized into two groups based on the presence of self-reported memory complaint (no complaint n = 191, 77 ± 7 years; complaint n = 206, 73 ± 8 years). Cognitive outcomes included episodic memory, executive functioning, information processing speed, and language. Imaging outcomes included regional lobar volumes (frontal, parietal, temporal, cingulate) and specific medial temporal lobe structures (hippocampal volume, entorhinal cortex thickness, parahippocampal gyrus thickness). RESULTS Linear regressions, adjusting for age, gender, race, education, Mini-Mental State Examination score, mood, and apolipoprotein E4 status, found that cognitive complaint related to immediate (β = -1.07, p < 0.001) and delayed episodic memory performances assessed on a serial list learning task (β = -1.06, p = 0.001) but no other cognitive measures or neuroimaging markers. CONCLUSIONS Self-reported memory concern was unrelated to structural neuroimaging markers of atrophy and measures of information processing speed, executive functioning, or language. In contrast, subjective memory complaint related to objective verbal episodic learning performance. Future research is warranted to better understand the relation between cognitive complaint and surrogate markers of abnormal brain aging, including Alzheimer's disease, across the cognitive aging spectrum.
User-centered perspectives for automotive augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) in automobiles has the potential to significantly alter the driver's user experience. Prototypes developed in academia and industry demonstrate a range of applications from advanced driver assist systems to location-based information services. A user-centered process for creating and evaluating designs for AR displays in automobiles helps to explore what collaborative role AR should serve between the technologies of the automobile and the driver. In particular, we consider the nature of this role along three important perspectives: understanding human perception, understanding distraction and understanding human behavior. We argue that AR applications should focus solely on tasks that involve the immediate local driving environment and not secondary task spaces to minimize driver distraction. Consistent depth cues should be supported by the technology to aid proper distance judgement. Driving aids supporting situation awareness should be designed with knowledge of current and future states of road users, while focusing on specific problems. Designs must also take into account behavioral phenomena such as risk compensation, inattentional blindness and an over-reliance on augmented technology in driving decisions.
Is peacebuilding donor-driven? Inside the dynamics and impacts of funding peace

The field of peacebuilding and development has engaged in vital discussions on ethical reflective practice, critical pedagogy, and ongoing concerns (Lederach 1997; Miall et al. 2011) about what I have begun to call ‘donor-driven peace’. Key issues have concerned top-down approaches, increasing militarisation of aid, development and peacebuilding policy, and differing priorities between donors and civil society actors. The US Institute of Peace (USIP), the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AFP) and others have led conversations among scholars and practitioners on the need for an ongoing conversation between donors and implementers regarding the objectives, values and ontology of peacebuilding and development interventions; these dialogues have also focused on monitoring and evaluation to ensure donor objectives are met. Lederach (1997) captured the inherent tension between the requirements of funders and the complexities of peacebuilding some time ago when he observed, ‘Peacebuilding is about generating adaptive and dynamic processes. Some aspects of peacebuilding — for example, training projects and the development of manuals — do fit well within the “project” approach. For the most part, however, and certainly in the case of funding and evaluation, project-oriented thinking may well limit rather than facilitate peacebuilding. ’
Blepharospasm and orofacial‐cervical dystonia: Clinical and pharmacological findings in 100 patients

We evaluated prospectively 100 patients, the largest reported series, with blepharospasm and orofacial‐cervical dystonia, or Meige syndrome. The mean age at onset was 51.7 years, and 81% presented between the ages of 40 and 70. Women outnumbered men three to two. Blepharospasm was the initial symptom in 58 patients, but only 23 had involuntary movements localized to the orbicularis oculi. Sixty‐one patients had the complete syndrome, blepharospasm and oromandibular dystonia, and 60 had neck or generalized dystonia in addition to the orofacial movements. Twenty‐one patients with spasmodic dysphonia were included; in 12 of these patients, spasmodic dysphonia was part of the complete (Meige) syndrome, and 16 of these patients had neck or generalized dystonia or essential tremor. An organic cause of Meige syndrome is supported by a high correlation with essential tremor and other movement disorders and by positive family history in some patients. Response to medication was inconsistent, but 69% of patient trials resulted in some improvement; in 22% the benefit was marked and persistent. Tetrabenazine, lithium, and trihexyphenidyl were most useful for the treatment of oromandibular dystonia, and clonazepam was useful in some patients with blepharospasm.
Ocean acidification affects competition for space: projections of community structure using cellular automata

Historical ecological datasets from a coastal marine community of crustose coralline algae (CCA) enabled the documentation of ecological changes in this community over 30 years in the Northeast Pacific. Data on competitive interactions obtained from field surveys showed concordance between the 1980s and 2013, yet also revealed a reduction in how strongly species interact. Here, we extend these empirical findings with a cellular automaton model to forecast ecological dynamics. Our model suggests the emergence of a new dominant competitor in a global change scenario, with a reduced role of herbivory pressure, or trophic control, in regulating competition among CCA. Ocean acidification, due to its energetic demands, may now instead play this role in mediating competitive interactions and thereby promote species diversity within this guild.
Full-wave-based location system method evaluation

Evaluation of received signal strength (RSS)-based indoor location system is presented. The proposed method starts from the field amplitude decay law in free-space conditions, but also taking into account the near-field terms for those cases where the distance between transmitter and receiver does not meet far-field conditions. The proposed method is tested in a real indoor scenario, being the field level measured at different positions. The recorded field data are used to evaluate the method accuracy when determining the position of the RF transmitter. Practical considerations of a location system implementation using a ZigBee-based sensor network are finally discussed.
Factors related to duration of postpartum amenorrhoea among USA women with prolonged lactation

Summary Duration of postpartum amenorrhoea (PPA) was compared among women who breast-fed For ≥ 6 months (breast-feeding group) Or ≤ 3 Months (formula-feeding group) and was found to be significantly shorter among the latter. associations between maternal factors and duration of PPA were examined. within the formula-feeding group, the only variable associated with duration of PPA was duration of breast-feeding. among breast-feeding mothers who resumed menstruation after 3 months postpartum, duration of PPA was positively associated with parity and negatively associated with maternal body mass index (bmi) at 3 months postpartum. Among breastfeeding mothers who resumed menstruation after 6 months, duration of PPA was positively associated with parity, pregnancy weight gain, number of night feeds and milk volume at 6 months, and negatively associated with maternal age and bmi at 6 months postpartum. These results indicate that maternal anthropometric status is related to duration of PPA, even in a relatively well-nourished population of lactating women.
Endothermic force generation, temperature‐jump experiments and effects of increased [MgADP] in rabbit psoas muscle fibres

We studied, by experiment and by kinetic modelling, the characteristics of the force increase on heating (endothermic force) in muscle. Experiments were done on maximally Ca2+‐activated, permeabilized, single fibres (length ∼2 mm; sarcomere length, 2.5 μm) from rabbit psoas muscle; [MgATP] was 4.6 mm, pH 7.1 and ionic strength was 200 mm. A small‐amplitude (∼3°C) rapid laser temperature‐jump (0.2 ms T‐jump) at 8–9°C induced a tension rise to a new steady state and it consisted of two (fast and slow) exponential components. The T‐jump‐induced tension rise became slower as [MgADP] was increased, with half‐maximal effect at 0.5 mm[MgADP]; the pre‐ and post‐T‐jump tension increased ∼20% with 4 mm added [MgADP]. As determined by the tension change to small, rapid length steps (<1.4%L0 complete in <0.5 ms), the increase of force by [MgADP] was not associated with a concomitant increase of stiffness; the quick tension recovery after length steps (Huxley–Simmons phase 2) was slower with added MgADP. In steady‐state experiments, the tension was larger at higher temperatures and the plot of tension versus reciprocal absolute temperature was sigmoidal, with a half‐maximal tension at 10–12°C; the relation with added 4 mm MgADP was shifted upwards on the tension axis and towards lower temperatures. The potentiation of tension with 4 mm added MgADP was 20–25% at low temperatures (∼5–10°C), but ∼10% at the physiological temperatures (∼30°C). The shortening velocity was decreased with increased [MgADP] at low and high temperatures. The sigmoidal relation between tension and reciprocal temperature, and the basic effects of increased [MgADP] on endothermic force, can be qualitatively simulated using a five‐step kinetic scheme for the crossbridge/A‐MATPase cycle where the force generating conformational change occurs in a reversible step before the release of inorganic phosphate (Pi), it is temperature sensitive (Q10 of ∼4) and the release of MgADP occurs by a subsequent, slower, two‐step mechanism. Modelling shows that the sigmoidal relation between force and reciprocal temperature arises from conversion of preforce‐generating (A‐M.ADP.Pi) states to force‐bearing (A‐M.ADP) states as the temperature is raised. A tension response to a simulated T‐jump consists of three (one fast and two slow) components, but, by combining the two slow components, they could be reduced to two; their relative amplitudes vary with temperature. The model can qualitatively simulate features of the tension responses induced by large‐T‐jumps from low starting temperatures, and those induced by small‐T‐jumps from different starting temperatures and, also, the interactive effects of Pi and temperature on force in muscle fibres.
Diagnosing dermatomycosis in general practice.

BACKGROUND Diagnosing dermatomycosis from a clinical image is not always easy. Microscopy of a potassium hydroxide preparation (KOH-test) and culturing are seldomly used in general practice. Cyanoacrylate surface skin scraping (CSSS) is a new diagnostic tool that may be useful and simple. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of signs and symptoms, the KOH-test and the CSSS, in patients with erythematosquamous skin lesions, using the culture as the gold standard. Our goal is to formulate an optimal algorithm for the diagnosis of mycosis, based on one or more of these tests and including both optimal accuracy and costs. METHODS Scales from 148 consecutive general practice patients were tested using a KOH-test, CSSS and culture. Clinical data were collected using a questionnaire. RESULTS Twenty-six (18%) positive fungal cultures were identified. The sensitivity of the clinical diagnosis was 81% and its specificity 45%; for the KOH-test, these figures were 12 and 93% respectively; and for the CSSS, 62 and 88%, respectively. The positive predictive value of the clinical diagnosis was 24% and the negative predictive value 92%; for the KOH-test these figures were 25 and 83%, respectively, and for the CSSS, 52 and 92%, respectively. Determining CSSS in all patients proved to be the most accurate policy (accuracy = 83%). The likelihood ratio of CSSS in all patients was 5.17 for a positive test result and 0.43 for a negative test result. An approach in which CSSS is obtained in only those patients whom the physician considers by clinical examination to have dermatomycosis, with no testing in other patients, results in positive and negative likelihood ratios of 4.69 and 0.56, respectively. Such a policy would result in an overall sensitivity of 50%, a specificity of 89%, a positive predictive value of 50% and a negative predictive value of 89%. DISCUSSION The clinical picture of dermatomycosis is not very reliable. The combination of a clinical judgement if this is negative and an additional CSSS in the case of a positive clinical judgement provides us with the best cost-benefit ratio, if both diagnostic accuracy and logistic considerations are taken into consideration.
LS-Draughts - A Draughts Learning System based on genetic algorithms, neural network and temporal differences

The objective of this paper is the proposal of a learning system - the LS-Draughts - which aims at using genetic algorithms (GAs) to automatically generate a concise and efficient set of features which are relevant in representing the game board states and for optimizing the training of a draught player agent. This agent consists of an Artificial Neural Network whose weights are updated by the temporal differences (TD) reinforcement learning methods. The NET-FEATUREMAP mapping is used to represent a game board state in the Network input. The network output corresponds to a real number (prediction) that indicates to what extent the input state is favorable to the agent. The agent is trained by self-play coupled with a cloning technique. The minimax algorithm is used to choose the best action to be executed considering the current game board state. Such a learning process is close to that proposed by Mark Lynch (NeuroDraughts). However, the LS-Draughts expands the NeuroDraughts as it automatically generates an effective and concise set of features to be used in the NET-FEATUREMAP mapping, whereas the latter uses a fixed and manually defined set of features. A tournament was promoted between the best player obtained by the LS-Draughts and the best available player of the NeuroDraughts. The tournament was won by the player of the LS-Draughts, which confirms that the GAs can be an important tool for improving the general performance of automatic players.
Combining a chimeric antigen receptor and a conventional T‐cell receptor to generate T cells expressing two additional receptors (TETARs) for a multi‐hit immunotherapy of melanoma

The adoptive transfer of engineered T cells represents an important approach in immunotherapy of melanoma. However, relapse of the tumor can occur due to immune‐escape mechanisms developed by the tumor cells, for example antigen loss, downregulation of the major histocompatibility complex presentation machinery and defects in antigen processing. To counteract these mechanisms, we combined a T‐cell receptor and a chimeric antigen receptor, specific for different common melanoma antigens, gp100 (PMEL) and MCSP (HMW‐MAA), to generate functional CD8+ T cells expressing two additional receptors (TETARs) by electroporation of receptor‐encoding mRNA. These TETARs produced cytokines and were lytic upon recognition of each of their cognate antigens, while no reciprocal inhibition of the receptors occurred. When stimulated with target cells, which express both antigens, an enhanced effect was suggested. The confirmation that chimeric antigen receptors and T‐cell receptors can be functionally combined opens up new avenues in cancer immunotherapy, and the generation of TETARs helps by‐passing major mechanisms by which tumor cells escape immune recognition.
Summer dormancy in perennial temperate grasses.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Dormancy has been extensively studied in plants which experience severe winter conditions but much less so in perennial herbaceous plants that must survive summer drought. This paper reviews the current knowledge on summer dormancy in both native and cultivated perennial temperate grasses originating from the Mediterranean Basin, and presents a unified terminology to describe this trait. SCOPE Under severe drought, it is difficult to separate the responses by which plants avoid and tolerate dehydration from those associated with the expression of summer dormancy. Consequently, this type of endogenous (endo-) dormancy can be tested only in plants that are not subjected to moisture deficit. Summer dormancy can be defined by four criteria, one of which is considered optional: (1) reduction or cessation of leaf production and expansion; (2) senescence of mature foliage; (3) dehydration of surviving organs; and (4, optional) formation of resting organs. The proposed terminology recognizes two levels of summer dormancy: (a) complete dormancy, when cessation of growth is associated with full senescence of foliage and induced dehydration of leaf bases; and (b) incomplete dormancy, when leaf growth is partially inhibited and is associated with moderate levels of foliage senescence. Summer dormancy is expressed under increasing photoperiod and temperature. It is under hormonal control and usually associated with flowering and a reduction in metabolic activity in meristematic tissues. Dehydration tolerance and dormancy are independent phenomena and differ from the adaptations of resurrection plants. CONCLUSIONS Summer dormancy has been correlated with superior survival after severe and repeated summer drought in a large range of perennial grasses. In the face of increasing aridity, this trait could be used in the development of cultivars that are able to meet agronomic and environmental goals. It is therefore important to have a better understanding of the genetic and environmental control of summer dormancy.