Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three Laws of Behavior: Allocation, Induction, and Covariance

At the beginning of the 20th century, research on behavior depended on the concept of stimulus-response bonds. With the invention of operant behavior, Skinner (1938) pointed the way to a new formulation that transcends discrete events and contiguity—to what has been called a “molar” view. Three developments in the 1960s moved behavior analysis further in that direction: (a) the matching law (Herrnstein, 1961); (b) the “misbehavior” of organisms (Breland & Breland, 1961) or induction (Segal, 1972); and (c) contingency defined as covariance (Rescorla, 1967). These developments lead to three laws of behavior: (a) the Law of Allocation; (b) the Law of Induction; and (c) the Law of Covariance. Time allocation results from competition among activities for the limited time available. Induction of activities by phylogenetically important events (PIE) results from natural selection operating during phylogeny. Like stimulus control, induction modulates the rates of activities. Covariance replaces contiguity and explains acquisition of inducing signals and induced operant activities—that is, conditional inducers and conditionally induced activities. These 3 laws explain virtually all we know about behavior. Some examples illustrate the superiority of this framework over the older molecular view.
Stability and breakup of liquid threads and annular layers in a corrugated tube

We study the stability and breakup behavior of an axisymmetric liquid thread which is surrounded by another viscous fluid layer through a long wave approximation. The two fluids are immiscible and confined in a concentrically placed cylindrical tube. The effect of the tube wall corrugation is taken into account in the model, which allows the access of the interaction between the wall shape and the thread interfacial dynamics. The linearized system is studied by the Floquet theory due to the presence of non-constant coefficients in the equation and the spectrum is computed numerically via the Fourier-Floquet-Hill method. The resulting features agree qualitatively with those obtained based on a lubrication model in the thin annulus limit, where the short-wave disturbances that would be stabilizing owing to the capillarity in the absence of wall corrugation, can excite some unstable long waves. Those results from the linear theory are also confirmed numerically by the direct numerical simulation on the evolution equations. Meanwhile, a transition on the dominant modes from the one for a tube without corrugation to the one with wall shape included is found. Finally the drop formation is shown in the nonlinear regime when the pinch off of the core thread is obtained. The annular film drainage regime is also approached slowly along with pinching when the tube wall is close to the thread interface. In addition, our results demonstrate the possibility to suppress pinching, depending on the averaged annular layer thickness and the variation in tube radius.
The model of tenure choice in life cycle of Poles – empirical analysis

We analyse tenure choice determinants of Poles for the years 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 on EU-SILC data, distinguishing between co-residence with the parents, renting at market rates and owning a house. The average marginal effects obtained from multinomial logistic regressions allows us to conclude that ownership is strongly connected to the family status, but this relationship weakens over time. Unmarried people without children but with better incomes become increasingly more likely to be homeowners. Thus, ownership is not anymore a main domain of conventional families. Moreover, renting becomes an option to become independent for those who cannot afford to buy a house. But it is rather a temporary solution, because renting is more costly than buying a house with a mortgage. We also find evidence of the gender gap in homeownership, as women are more likely to be owners, and less likely to co-reside with their parents than men. Along the evolution of the housing finance system, growing wages make ownership more likely. We observe that the choices are more free in densely populated regions, where the rental market develops. In this part of the paper explain the data that we use, present the empirical results and discuss them.
Forward tracking of complex trajectories with non-Standard N-Trailers of non-minimum-phase kinematics avoiding a jackknife effect

ABSTRACT It is a common conviction that forward motion control of tractor-trailer vehicles is a substantially simpler problem relative to reversing with trailers. This opinion may be misleading when considering the N-trailer vehicles moving forward with positive hitching offsets when a guidance point is located on a trailer. Due to the non-minimum-phase nature of vehicle kinematics, closing a feedback from a trailer posture can lead to the jackknife effect in this case. So far, there has been no solution to this problem for the N-trailers admitting trajectories of a varying curvature. To fill this gap, we propose a scalable and modular control strategy applicable to the N-trailer vehicles equipped solely with off-axle interconnections. The concept relies on a transformation of the control problem posed for the non-minimum-phase kinematics into a corresponding problem formulated for a virtual vehicle of minimum-phase kinematics, which can be solved by using the recently proposed cascade-like controller.
The Prevalence of Symptoms and Signs of Temporomandibular Disorders among a Group of Young Adult Jordanian Population

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint in 18 years old Jordanian population and to establish a baseline data for comparison with other studies. Methods: A group of young adult Jordanians presented to Officer Election Committee for Mu’tah Military University in 2004 were included in this study. A questionnaire was designed to assess the anamnestic and clinical dysfunction indices according to Helkimo. The anamnestic examination was based on the reported symptoms. While the clinical examination was based on maximum mandibular opening, protrusive and lateral movements, auscultation of temporomandibular joint and palpation of joint and muscles of mastication. Data were collected, tabulated, and analysed using Chi-square test and Correlation coefficients tests. Results: A total of 5,312 Jordanians (3,871 males, 1,441 females) were examined. There were no significant differences between males and females either in reported symptoms or clinical signs. Whilst about 63% reported no symptoms (Ai 0), 21.5% reported mild, and severe symptoms (Ai I) and (Ai II). Similarly, 31.2% showed no signs of dysfunction (Di 0); 47.9% had mild signs (Di I); 17.1% showed moderate signs (Di II); and 3.8% showed severe signs of dysfunction (Di III). There were low but significant correlations between Anamnestic index score (Ai) and the recorded signs (Di) as well as the clinical dysfunction score. Conclusion: The data obtained from the physical examination and questionnaire identified a high prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in 18-year-old Jordanians. Further studies are required to evaluate the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in older age groups among Jordanian population.
A non‐stationary spatial model for temperature interpolation applied to the state of Rio de Janeiro

We propose a model for spatial and temporal interpolation and prediction for a set of monthly minimum temperature measurements from 37 stations in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1961 to 2010. The model is based on a hierarchical specification where data are modelled with a regression structure for the mean and a non‐stationary spatial representation for the spatially structured noise term. The regression term is also allowed to contain spatial dependence through coefficients and its covariates. A novel structure is assumed for the spatial non‐stationarity, based on a generalization of a currently proposed convolution of stationary models. It allows more flexibility in the model specification and automatically selects the number of model components. This model provides superior performance when compared with two special cases: one stationary, and one non‐stationary, provided by a sum of locally stationary processes. The results show a growth in the spread of temperature, with largely urbanized, warmest areas growing warmer, and largely forested, coolest areas growing cooler.
Chinese a Nti鄄 Cancer a Ssociation

Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP)/ATP鄄 binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) is an ATP鄄 binding cassette (ABC) transporter identified as a molecular cause of multidrug resistance (MDR) in diverse cancer cells. BCRP physiologically functions as a part of a self鄄 defense mechanism for the organism; it enhances elimination of toxic xenobiotic substances and harmful agents in the gut and biliary tract, as well as through the blood鄄 brain, placental, and possibly blood鄄 testis barriers. BCRP recognizes and transports numerous anticancer drugs including conventional chemotherapeutic and targeted small therapeutic molecules relatively new in clinical use. Thus, BCRP expression in cancer cells directly causes MDR by active efflux of anticancer drugs. Because BCRP is also known to be a stem cell marker, its expression in cancer cells could be a manifestation of metabolic and signaling pathways that confer multiple mechanisms of drug resistance, self鄄 renewal (stemness), and invasiveness (aggressiveness), and thereby impart a poor prognosis. Therefore, blocking BCRP鄄 mediated active efflux may provide a therapeutic benefit for cancers. Delineating the precise molecular mechanisms for BCRP gene expression may lead to identification of a novel molecular target to modulate BCRP鄄 mediated MDR. Current evidence suggests that BCRP gene transcription is regulated by a number of trans鄄 acting elements including hypoxia inducible factor 1琢 , estrogen receptor, and peroxisome proliferator鄄 activated receptor. Furthermore, alternative promoter usage, demethylation of the BCRP promoter, and histone modification are likely associated with drug鄄 induced BCRP overexpression in cancer cells. Finally, PI3K/AKT signaling may play a critical role in modulating BCRP function under a variety of conditions. These biological events seem involved in a complicated manner. Untangling the events would be an essential first step to developing a method to modulate BCRP function to aid patients with cancer. This review will present a synopsis of the impact of BCRP鄄 mediated MDR in cancer cells, and the molecular mechanisms of acquired MDR currently postulated in a variety of human cancers.
Topological valley transport of plate-mode waves in a homogenous thin plate with periodic stubbed surface

The study for exotic topological effects of sound has attracted uprising interests in fundamental physics and practical applications. Based on the concept of valley pseudospin, we demonstrate the topological valley transport of plate-mode waves in a homogenous thin plate with periodic stubbed surface, where a deterministic two-fold Dirac degeneracy is form by two plate modes. We show that the topological property can be controlled by the height of stubs deposited on the plate. By adjusting the relative heights of adjacent stubs, the valley vortex chirality and band inversion are induced, giving rise to a phononic analog of valley Hall phase transition. We further numerically demonstrate the valley states of plate-mode waves with robust topological protection. Our results provide a new route to design unconventional elastic topological insulators and will significantly broaden its practical application in the engineering field.
Task Agnostic Continual Learning Using Online Variational Bayes

Catastrophic forgetting is the notorious vulnerability of neural networks to the change of the data distribution while learning. This phenomenon has long been considered a major obstacle for allowing the use of learning agents in realistic continual learning settings. A large body of continual learning research assumes that task boundaries are known during training. However, research for scenarios in which task boundaries are unknown during training has been lacking. In this paper we present, for the first time, a method for preventing catastrophic forgetting (BGD) for scenarios with task boundaries that are unknown during training --- task-agnostic continual learning. Code of our algorithm is available at this https URL.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

Do game design elements like badges have one, ﬁ xed motivational e ﬀ ect or can they have several di ﬀ erent? Self-Determination Theory suggests that people situationally appraise the functional signi ﬁ cance or psychological meaning of a given stimulus, which can result in di ﬀ erent motivational states, but there is little empirical work observing actual functionalisations of game design elements. We therefore conducted a qualitative in-the-wild diary and interview study with 81 university students who reported on their experiences with badges on two popular gami ﬁ ed online learning platforms, Khan Academy and Codecademy . Participants functionalised badges in nine distinct ways that only partially align with prior theory. Functionalisations shaped experience and motivation and prompted function-aligned behaviour. Badge design details fostered but did not determine di ﬀ erent functionalisations, while no user or context characteristics were identi ﬁ ed that reliably linked to particular functionalisations. We conclude that future research may need to conceptualise game design elements in a more di ﬀ erentiated way to capture what aspects support di ﬀ erent motivational functions.
Uncertainties in simulated El Niño–Southern Oscillation arising from internal climate variability

Significant uncertainties exist in El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) simulations. To investigate the source of these uncertainties, previous studies have primarily focused on the model itself; however, internal climate variability (ICV) as a source of uncertainty has not been sufficiently explored to date. Using the Community Earth System Model–Last Millennium Ensemble (CESM–LME) modeling project and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), an investigation into uncertainties in simulated ENSO arising from ICV is performed. Results show that external forcing can significantly increase the uncertainties arising from ICV when the simulation length is greater than ~40 years. In addition, the spread in ENSO amplitude arising from ICV accounts for 50% of the total spread within the CMIP5 historical simulations. Finally, the impact of ICV on ENSO varies considerably with simulation length and stabilizes at the threshold of 300–400 years.
Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials

Background: Mentha longifolia L. (Lamiaceae) leaves have been traditionally implemented in the treatment of minor sore throat and minor mouth or throat irritation by the indigenous people of Iraq, although the compounds responsible for the medicinal properties have not been identified. In the present study, an antimicrobial compound was isolated and characterized, and its biological activity was assessed. Methods: The compound was isolated and characterized from the extracted essential oil using different spectral techniques: TLC, FTIR spectra and HPLC. Antimicrobial activity of the compound was assessed using both disc diffusion and microdilution method in 96 multi-well microtiter plates. Results: A known compound was isolated from the essential oil of the plant and was identified as (-) menthol. The isolated compound was investigated for its antimicrobial activity against seven selected pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the yeast Candida albicans. Menthol at different concentrations (1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:20) was active against all tested bacteria except for P. aeruginosa, and the highest inhibitory effect was observed against S. mutans (zone of inhibition: 25.3 mm) using the disc diffusion method. Minimal inhibitory concentration MIC values ranged from 15.6–125.0 μg/ml, and the most promising results were observed against S. aureus and S. mutans (MIC 15.6 μg/ml) while, S. faecalis, S. pyogenis and L. acidophilus ranked next (MIC 31.2 μg/ml). Furthermore, menthol achieved considerable antifungal activity against the yeast C. albicans (zone of inhibition range: 7.1–18.5 mm; MIC: 125.0). Conclusion: The isolation of an antimicrobial compound from M. longifolia leaves validates the use of this plant in the treatment of minor sore throat and minor mouth or throat irritation. Background Many infectious diseases are known to be treatedwith herbal remedies throughout the history of mankind. Even today, plant materials continue to play a major role in primary health care as therapeutic remedies in many developing countries. Plants still continue to be almost the exclusive source of drugs for the majority of the world's population. The World Health Organization reported that 80% of the worlds population rely chiefly on traditional medicine and a major part of the traditional therapies involve the use of plant extracts or their active constituents [1]. Mentha longifolia L. (common name: wild mint or horse mint) member of the large mint family Lamiaceae, is a fast-growing, perennial herb which can reach up to 1.5 m high in favourable conditions. M. longifolia is an
The Fixed Volatility Bootstrap for a Class of Arch(q) Models

The ‘fixed regressor’ – or ‘fixed design’ – bootstrap is usually considered in the context of classic regression, or conditional mean (autoregressive) models, see for example, Gonçalves and Kilian, 2004). We consider here inference for a general class of (non)linear ARCH models of order q, based on a ‘Fixed Volatility’ bootstrap. In the Fixed Volatility bootstrap, the lagged variables in the conditional variance equation are kept fixed at their values in the original series, while the bootstrap innovations are, as is standard, resampled with replacement from the estimated residuals based on quasi maximum likelihood estimation. We derive a full asymptotic theory to establish validity for the Fixed Volatility bootstrap applied to Wald statistics for general restrictions on the parameters. A key feature of the Fixed Volatility bootstrap is that the bootstrap sample, conditional on the original data, is an independent sequence. Inspection of the proof of bootstrap validity reveals that such conditional independence simplifies the asymptotic analysis considerably. In contrast to other bootstrap methods, one does not have to take into account the conditional dependence structure of the bootstrap process itself. We also investigate the finite sample performance of the Fixed Volatility bootstrap by means of a small scale Monte Carlo experiment. We find evidence that for small sample sizes, the Fixed Volatility bootstrap test is superior to the asymptotic test, and to the recursive bootstrap‐based test. For large samples, both bootstrap schemes and the asymptotic test share properties, as expected from the asymptotic theory. Its appealing theoretical properties, together with its good finite sample performance, suggest that the proposed Fixed Volatility bootstrap may be an important tool for the analysis of the bootstrap in more general volatility models.
Heterologous prime-boost vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BNT162b2 mRNA

Administration of a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Vaxzevria(R), AstraZeneca) is associated with a certain risk for vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia. Therefore, several countries have recommended replacing the second dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 with an mRNA-based vaccine as a precautionary measure, although data on safety and efficacy of such heterologous prime-boost regimen are sparse. Therefore, vaccinees, who had received a heterologous vaccination using ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 as prime and BNT162b2 (Comirnaty(R), BioNTech-Pfizer) mRNA as boost vaccination were offered SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing to quantify their vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody response. The results were compared to cohorts of healthcare workers or volunteers, who received homologous BNT162b2 or homologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination regimens, respectively. A striking increase of vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody activity was observed in 229 vaccinees that received a BNT162b2 boost 9 to 12 weeks after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 prime. In our cohort comprising over 480 individuals, the heterologous vaccination scheme induced significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers than homologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and even than homologous BNT162b2 vaccination. This proves that a single dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 prime vaccination is sufficient to achieve high neutralizing antibody levels predicting immune protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection, and may even increase vaccine efficacy offering an alternative in a setting of vaccine shortage.
Exploring the Benefits and Challenges of Using Laptop Computers in Higher Education Classrooms: A Formative Analysis

Because of decreased prices, increased convenience, and wireless access, an increasing number of college and university students are using laptop computers in their classrooms. This recent trend has forced instructors to address the educational consequences of using these mobile devices. The purpose of the current study was to analyze and assess beneficial and challenging laptop behaviours in higher education classrooms. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 177 undergraduate university students (89 males, 88 females). Key benefits observed include note-taking activities, in-class laptop-based academic tasks, collaboration, increased focus, improved organization and efficiency, and addressing special needs. Key challenges noted include other student’s distracting laptop behaviours, instant messaging, surfing the web, playing games, watching movies, and decreased focus. Nearly three-quarters of the students claimed that laptops were useful in supporting their academic experience. Twice as many benefits were reported compared to challenges. It is speculated that the integration of meaningful laptop activities is a critical determinant of benefits and challenges experienced in higher education classrooms.