Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Order of Magnitude Reasoning in Modeling Moral Decision-Making

We present a cognitive model of moral decision-making, MoralDM, which models psychological findings about utilitarian and deontological modes of reasoning. Current theories of moral decision-making extend beyond pure utilitarian models by relying strongly on contextual factors that vary with culture. In MoralDM, the impacts of secular versus sacred values are modeled via qualitative reasoning, using an order of magnitude representation. We present a simplified version of ROM(R) (Dague, 1993) and discuss how it can be used to capture people’s degree of quantity sensitivity. MoralDM uses a combination of first-principles reasoning and analogical reasoning to determine consequences and utilities of moral judgments. A natural language system is used to produce formal representations for the system from psychological stimuli, to reduce tailorability. We compare MoralDM against psychological results in moral decision-making tasks and show that its performance improves with experience.
Political-Economic Integration, Industrial Pollution and Human Health

Bridging multiple areas of sociology, the author tests hypotheses derived from foreign investment dependence theory, ecologically unequal exchange theory and world society theory in analyses of industrial organic water pollution in less-developed countries, 1980—2000. Using panel data from a variety of sources, the author proposes three hypotheses: (1) industrial organic water pollution intensity is positively associated with foreign investment in manufacturing; (2) industrial organic water pollution intensity is positively associated with overall export intensity; and (3) industrial organic water pollution intensity is negatively associated with the presence of environmental international non-governmental organizations. Further analyses investigate the impact of organic water pollution on infant mortality rates in less-developed countries. In general, findings for Prais—Winsten regression analyses with panel-corrected standard errors and generalized least squares panel regression analyses of less-developed countries confirm the tested hypotheses, and indicate that industrial organic water pollution intensity does indeed contribute to infant mortality, net of the effects of economic development, fertility rates, health expenditures and other relevant factors.
Non-clinical studies required for new drug development - Part I: early in silico and in vitro studies, new target discovery and validation, proof of principles and robustness of animal studies

This review presents a historical overview of drug discovery and the non-clinical stages of the drug development process, from initial target identification and validation, through in silico assays and high throughput screening (HTS), identification of leader molecules and their optimization, the selection of a candidate substance for clinical development, and the use of animal models during the early studies of proof-of-concept (or principle). This report also discusses the relevance of validated and predictive animal models selection, as well as the correct use of animal tests concerning the experimental design, execution and interpretation, which affect the reproducibility, quality and reliability of non-clinical studies necessary to translate to and support clinical studies. Collectively, improving these aspects will certainly contribute to the robustness of both scientific publications and the translation of new substances to clinical development.
PATERNITY‐PARASITISM TRADE‐OFFS: A MODEL AND TEST OF HOST‐PARASITE COOPERATION IN AN AVIAN CONSPECIFIC BROOD PARASITE

Abstract Efforts to evaluate the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of conspecific brood parasitism in birds and other animals have focused on the fitness costs of parasitism to hosts and fitness benefits to parasites. However, it has been speculated recently that, in species with biparental care, host males might cooperate with parasitic females by allowing access to the host nest in exchange for copulations. We develop a cost‐benefit model to explore the conditions under which such host‐parasite cooperation might occur. When the brood parasite does not have a nest of her own, the only benefit to the host male is siring some of the parasitic eggs (quasi‐parasitism). Cooperation with the parasite is favored when the ratio of host male paternity of his own eggs relative to his paternity of parasitic eggs exceeds the cost of parasitism. When the brood parasite has a nest of her own, a host male can gain additional, potentially more important benefits by siring the high‐value, low‐cost eggs laid by the parasite in her own nest. Under these conditions, host males should be even more likely to accept parasitic eggs in return for copulations with the parasitic female. We tested these predictions for American coots (Fulica americana), a species with a high frequency of conspecific brood parasitism. Multilocus DNA profiling indicated that host males did not sire any of the parasitic eggs laid in host nests, nor did they sire eggs laid by the parasite in her own nest. We used field estimates of the model parameters from a four‐year study of coots to predict the minimum levels of paternity required for the costs of parasitism to be offset by the benefits of mating with brood parasites. Observed levels of paternity were significantly lower than those predicted under a variety of assumptions, and we reject the hypothesis that host males cooperated with parasitic females. Our model clarifies the specific costs and benefits that influence host‐parasite cooperation and, more generally, yields precise predictions about expected levels of host male paternity. These predictions will enable a more rigorous assessment of field studies designed to test adaptive hypotheses of host‐parasite cooperation.
The Impact of Contact Type on Web Survey Response Rates

Dans cet article, les AA. s'interessent a la methodologie d'enquete par questionnaire utilisant Internet et les mails comme contact avec les enquetes. Les AA. comparent ici les methodes d'approches postales et telephoniques a l'approche electronique, et analysent les taux de reponses par mails. Il ressort ici que les techniques eprouvees et efficaces d'approches postales et telephoniques ne correspondent pas aux utlisateurs de mails et de spams, et remettent en question la validite des enquetes electroniques
The TUM Approach to the MediaEval Music Emotion Task Using Generic Affective Audio Features

This paper describes the TUM approach for the MediaEval Emotion in Music task which consists of non-prototypical music retrieved from the web, annotated by crowdsourcing. We use Support Vector Machines and BLSTM recurrent neural networks for static and dynamic arousal and valence regression. A generic set of acoustic features is used that has been proven eective for aect prediction across multiple domains. In the result, the best models explain 64 and 48 % of the annotations’ variance for arousal and valence in the static case, and an average Kendall’s tau with the songs’ emotion contour of . 18 and . 12 is achieved in the dynamic case.
Mechanisms of Cardiac Fibrosis in Hypertension

Changes in the composition of cardiac tissue develop in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (ie, hypertensive heart disease) and lead to structural remodeling of the myocardium. One of these changes is related to the disruption of the equilibrium between the synthesis and degradation of collagen types I and III molecules, which results in an excessive accumulation of collagen types I and III fibers within the myocardium. Myocardial fibrosis is the consequence of a number of pathologic processes mediated by mechanical, neurohormonal, and cytokine routes. The clinical relevance of fibrosis is that it may contribute to heart failure and other cardiac complications in patients with hypertensive heart disease. This brief review focuses on the mechanisms of hypertensive myocardial fibrosis.
Multilingual named entity extraction and translation from text and speech

Named entities (NE), the noun or noun phrases referring to persons, locations and organizations, are among the most information-bearing linguistic structures. Extracting and translating named entities benefits many natural language processing problems such as cross-lingual information retrieval, cross-lingual question answering and machine translation. In this theisis we propose an efficient and effective framework to extract and translate NEs from text and speech. We adopt the hidden Markov model (HMM) as a baseline NE extraction system, and investigate its performance in multiple language pairs with varying amounts of training data. We expand the baseline text NE tagger with a context-based NE extraction model, which aims to detect and correct NE recognition errors from automatic speech recognition hypotheses. We also adapt the broadcast stews trained NE tagger for meeting transcripts. We develop several language-independent features to capture phonetic and semantic similarity measures between source and target NE pairs. We incorporate these features to solve various NE translation problems presented in different language pairs (Chinese to English, Arabic to English and Hindi to English), with varying resources (parallel and non-parallel corpora as well as the World Wide Web) and different input data streams (text and speech). We also propose a cluster-specific name transliteration framework. By grouping names from similar origins into one cluster and training cluster-specific transliteration and language models, we manage to dramatically reduce the name transliteration error rates.
Psychology of the Menstrual Cycle

IN MANY primitive cultures menstruation has been ascribed to the cycles of the moon or tides. It has, moreover, been thought of as a dangerous condition requiring various taboos. Frazer in his ‘Golden Bough’ cites countless restrictions imposed upon the menstruating woman for the protection both of herself and the community. Even today there are cautions observed during the menstrual period which are directly descended from these earlier superstitions. The prohibition of bathing—originally intended to protect the local stream, used in common by the whole tribe, from contamination by menstrual blood—is a good example of such survival. In this sphere as elsewhere, however, knowledge gradually replaces superstition and physiology and psychology elbow out lunar myths and tribal taboos. It is now well known that sex hormones follow a definite pattern in the menstrual cycle. While estrogen gradually increases with the ripening of the follicle and sharply drops off after the ovum is released, progesterone begins.
Following Display Rules in Good or Bad Faith?: Customer Orientation as a Moderator of the Display Rule-Emotional Labor Relationship

Organizational display rules (e.g., “service with a smile”) have had mixed relationships with employee emotional labor—either in the form of “bad faith” surface acting (suppressing or faking expressions) or “good faith” deep acting (modifying inner feelings). We draw on the motivational perspective of emotional labor to argue that individual differences in customer orientation will directly and indirectly relate to these acting strategies in response to display rules. With a survey of more than 500 working adults in customer contact positions, and controlling for affective disposition, we find that customer orientation directly increases “good faith” acting while it moderates the relationship of display rules with “bad faith” acting.
Using systematic reviews and evidence-based software engineering with masters students

Context: The problem of teaching research skills to masters students. In particular, improving their literature reviews, assessing them and providing good feedback. Objectives: To introduce systematic reviews and evidence-based software engineering (EBSE) guidance into our teaching, provide an experience report and empirical data, and investigate the results. Methods: A systematic review requirement was introduced into the students' assessed work. The format of the assessment brief (also provided in this paper) was influenced by previous research on EBSE work with students. Qualitative and quantitative data was generated, and statistical analysis investigated the students' performance across the different elements of the systematic review. Results: Most students could do a systematic review and more useful feedback could be given. The assessment brief deviated from the normal EBSE guidelines in order to address previous difficulties. This modification was successful. Differences were found in student marks for different elements of the systematic reviews, with a large effect size for differing scores between 'search' and 'criteria', and 'search' and 'evaluation'. Conclusions: Introducing systematic reviews and EBSE guidance can improve students' literature handing skills and support improved feedback. The EBSE guidance should be modified for students and novice researchers to incorporate the process of developing a well-defined research question. Further work should investigate the differing performance across different elements of the systematic review.
Device-circuit co-design for high performance level shifter by limiting quasi-saturation effects in advanced DeMOS transistors

This paper presents a device-circuit co-design methodology for a DeMOS 5V GHz-speed high voltage level shifter. The limiting quasi-saturation effect is addressed by a codesign methodology. The co-design methodology is applied to the STI-DeMOS in a calibrated setup using experimental data. As a result, a 15% improvement in the speed is achieved for a high-performance level shifter circuit.
The molecular characterization of a depurinated trial DNA sample can be a model to understand the reliability of the results in forensic genetics

The role of DNA damage in PCR processivity/fidelity is a relevant topic in molecular investigation of aged/forensic samples. In order to reproduce one of the most common lesions occurring in postmortem tissues, a new protocol based on aqueous hydrolysis of the DNA was developed in vitro. Twenty‐five forensic laboratories were then provided with 3.0 μg of a trial sample (TS) exhibiting, in mean, the loss of 1 base of 20, and a molecular weight below 300 bp. Each participating laboratory could freely choose any combination of methods, leading to the quantification and to the definition of the STR profile of the TS, through the documentation of each step of the analytical approaches selected. The results of the TS quantification by qPCR showed significant differences in the amount of DNA recorded by the participating laboratories using different commercial kits. These data show that only DNA quantification “relative” to the used kit (probe) is possible, being the “absolute” amount of DNA inversely related to the length of the target region (r2 = 0.891). In addition, our results indicate that the absence of a shared stable and certified reference quantitative standard is also likely involved. STR profiling was carried out selecting five different commercial kits and amplifying the TS for a total number of 212 multiplex PCRs, thus representing an interesting overview of the different analytical protocols used by the participating laboratories. Nine laboratories decided to characterize the TS using a single kit, with a number of amplifications varying from 2 to 12, obtaining only partial STR profiles. Most of the participants determined partial or full profiles using a combination of two or more kits, and a number of amplifications varying from 2 to 27. The performance of each laboratory was described in terms of number of correctly characterized loci, dropped‐out markers, unreliable genotypes, and incorrect results. The incidence of unreliable and incorrect genotypes was found to be higher for participants carrying out a limited number of amplifications, insufficient to define the correct genotypes from damaged DNA samples such as the TS. Finally, from a dataset containing about 4500 amplicons, the frequency of PCR artifacts (allele dropout, allele drop‐in, and allelic imbalance) was calculated for each kit showing that the new chemistry of the kits is not able to overcome the concern of template‐related factors. The results of this collaborative exercise emphasize the advantages of using a standardized degraded DNA sample in the definition of which analytical parameters are critical for the outcome of the STR profiles.
A Systematic Scan for 7-colourings of the Grid

We study the mixing time of a systematic scan Markov chain for sampling from the uniform distribution on proper 7-colourings of a finite rectangular sub-grid of the infinite square lattice, the grid. A systematic scan Markov chain cycles through finite-size subsets of vertices in a deterministic order and updates the colours assigned to the vertices of each subset. The systematic scan Markov chain that we present cycles through subsets consisting of 2×2 sub-grids and updates the colours assigned to the vertices using a procedure known as heat-bath. We give a computer-assisted proof that this systematic scan Markov chain mixes in O(log n) scans, where n is the size of the rectangular sub-grid. We make use of a heuristic to compute required couplings of colourings of 2×2 sub-grids. This is the first time the mixing time of a systematic scan Markov chain on the grid has been shown to mix for less than 8 colours. We also give partial results that underline the challenges of proving rapid mixing of a systematic scan Markov chain for sampling 6-colourings of the grid by considering 2×3 and 3×3 sub-grids.
Hierarchical Structure from Motion from Endoscopic Video

We present a hierarchical approach to structure from motion. This approach uses the notion of frame distance, which we define to be the median image displacement of tracked features. Image pairs with a high frame distance are used to initialise reconstruction, as they are expected to have significant associated camera motion and, therefore, give strong geometric constraints on the reconstruction. Additional frames are then added with progressively smaller frame distances to create denser reconstructions. We demonstrate this technique on endoscopic video, where there is a mix of rapid camera motion and periods where the camera is nearly stationary.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Lytic Siphoviridae Bacteriophage Infecting Several Serovars of Salmonella enterica

ABSTRACT The bacteriophage 100268_sal2 was isolated from water buffalo feces in southern Italy, exhibiting lytic activity against several subspecies of Salmonella enterica. This bacteriophage belongs to the Siphoviridae family and has a 125,114-bp double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) genome containing 188 coding sequences (CDSs).
Hemoglobin A1c and fasting plasma glucose levels as predictors of retinopathy at 10 years: the French DESIR study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the predictive values of hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) for retinopathy 10 years after the baseline examination. METHODS Seven hundred men and women from the DESIR (Data From an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome) Study underwent evaluation for retinopathy using a nonmydriatic digital camera. During the preceding 9 years, 235 had diabetes mellitus (treated or FPG level of ≥126 mg/dL at least once), 227 had an impaired FPG level (110-125 mg/dL) at least once, and 238 always had glucose levels within reference limits (<110 mg/dL). RESULTS Compared with those without retinopathy, the 44 participants with retinopathy at 10 years had higher baseline mean (SD) levels of FPG (130 [49] vs 106 [22] mg/dL) and HbA(1c) (6.4% [1.6%] vs 5.7% [0.7%]) (both, P < .001). The frequency of retinopathy at 10 years, standardized according to the distribution of glycemia across the entire DESIR population, was 3.6%. In our population, FPG levels of 108 and 116 mg/dL had positive predictive values of 8.4% and 14.0%, respectively, for retinopathy at 10 years; HbA(1c) levels of 6.0% and 6.5% had positive predictive values of 6.0% and 14.8%, respectively. After 10 years of follow-up, retinopathy was equally frequent in participants with impaired FPG levels and in those who became diabetic during the study (8.6% and 6.7%, respectively), lower than in those with diabetes at baseline (13.9%). CONCLUSION Because the positive predictive values for retinopathy increase sharply from 108 mg/dL for FPG and from 6.0% for HbA(1c) levels, these thresholds are proposed to identify those at risk of retinopathy 10 years later.
Segregated Classrooms, Integrated Intent: How One School Responded to the Challenge of Developing Positive Interethnic Relations

Children who feel unsafe in school because of threats of violence or verbal abuse based on race, ethnicity, or language cannot focus on the learning and achievement goals that the U.S. educational system has placed before us in the form of national standards. A primary need for some schools is to create a safe and secure environment and to ensure that children and adults of different backgrounds feel respected. Yet this raises an interesting question: Can schools be vehicles for improving race relations? In this article, I draw on a case study of 1 elementary school, Cornell,1 to examine this question in depth. Many would answer that, given historical inequities such as segregation and tracking, schools are unlikely places for improvements in race or ethnic relations to take place. On the other hand, schools do create cultures and norms of their own that may deviate in some ways from the national culture, and in this sense they represent a potential site for change in race relations, at least locally.
A large scale experiment: wages and educational expansion in France

We evaluate the wage impact of the strong and rapid increase in schooling levels experienced by the cohorts born after WWII in France. In order to identify the causal effect of education, we exploit the fact that the small group of people graduating from elite education (Grandes Ecoles) remained stable, while the rest of the system experienced tremendous transformation. This provides a well defined control group. Using large scale labor force surveys for the 1990's, we find that the cohorts that received more education have a lower wage gap, relative to Grandes Ecoles. We show that such a large scale experiment measures a social return to schooling even in the presence of signaling, whereas strategies based on quasi-experiments are not necessarily robust to signaling. Our instrumental variable estimation finds returns to schooling very similar to the rest of the literature, which is a strong case against the signaling hypothesis.