Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Experiential Avoidance and Rumination on Depression among College Students

The article reports the results of three studies that compare the effects of experiential avoidance and rumination on depression among college students. Study 1 (N = 748) evaluated the cross-sectional association among rumination, experiential avoidance, and depression. Study 2 (N = 887) was a replication of Study 1. In Study 3, a subsample of 72 females was drawn from the larger sample of Study 1. In this prospective, longitudinal study, it was estimated whether rumination and experiential avoidance at Time 1 (the beginning of the semester) predicted depression symptoms 8 to 12 weeks later. When these constructs were measured crosssectionally in Studies 1 and 2, an interaction effect was found between avoidance and rumination; avoidance was only associated with depression symptoms when rumination was high. No interaction was found in the longitudinal study. Neither rumination nor experiential avoidance predicted depression symptoms at Time 2 when depression symptoms at Time 1 were entered as a covariate. These results are discussed with reference to future directions in comparing different dimensions of coping as they relate to depression. During the last few decades, substantial research has been conducted in an effort to identify predictors of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and to understand the etiology of the disorder. At least one goal of this research was to design preventative interventions and effective treatments for the disorder. The growing literature on coping mechanisms has been an important resource for this research. The construct of “coping” can be defined as the ways in which a person responds to stressors (Skinner, Edge, Altman, & Sherwood, 2003). There is widespread consensus that certain cop
Towards Deep Symbolic Reinforcement Learning

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) brings the power of deep neural networks to bear on the generic task of trial-and-error learning, and its effectiveness has been convincingly demonstrated on tasks such as Atari video games and the game of Go. However, contemporary DRL systems inherit a number of shortcomings from the current generation of deep learning techniques. For example, they require very large datasets to work effectively, entailing that they are slow to learn even when such datasets are available. Moreover, they lack the ability to reason on an abstract level, which makes it difficult to implement high-level cognitive functions such as transfer learning, analogical reasoning, and hypothesis-based reasoning. Finally, their operation is largely opaque to humans, rendering them unsuitable for domains in which verifiability is important. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end reinforcement learning architecture comprising a neural back end and a symbolic front end with the potential to overcome each of these shortcomings. As proof-of-concept, we present a preliminary implementation of the architecture and apply it to several variants of a simple video game. We show that the resulting system -- though just a prototype -- learns effectively, and, by acquiring a set of symbolic rules that are easily comprehensible to humans, dramatically outperforms a conventional, fully neural DRL system on a stochastic variant of the game.
Friedman’s Theory of Corporate Social Responsibility

Milton Friedman's theory about the social responsibilities of business is an extremely important and influential position. Almost everyone who writes on the topic writes at least partly in reaction to Friedman. Friedman's position was first stated in Capitalism and Freedom1 A substantially different version is presented in his later essay "Social Responsibility of Business. "2 The first formulation (which I will refer to as Fl) says that the one and only obligation of business is to maximize its profits while engaging in "open and free competition without deception or fraud. "3 The second formulation (which I will refer to as F2) says that business executives4 are obligated to follow the wishes of shareholders (which will generally be to make as much money as possible) while obeying the laws and the "ethical customs" of the society. Maximizing profits while engaging in "open and free competition without deception or fraud" is not the same as maximizing profits while obeying the laws and ethical customs of one's society. Acts which involve fraud or deception or which do not constitute open and free competition are not necessarily contrary to a society's laws or ethical customs. Further, the laws or ethical customs of a society might prohibit certain actions which are permitted by the injunction to engage in "open and free competition without deception or fraud. " Certain corporate actions permitted by Fl are not permitted by F2 and vice versa.
A hierarchical decision system for human behavioral recognition

The paper proposes a hierarchical decision system for human behavioral recognition in which the input data are classified using a multi-stage decision model. The hierarchical decision system is designed for personal security applications. The personal security concerns the early detection of critical person's conditions to prevent or to minimize certain risks for the health state or other issues related by the personal or public safety, within a smart environment or smart home.
Partial Order Reduction Assisted Parallel Model-Checking

Partial order reduction helps improve the performance of a (sequential) model-checker by eliminating the interleaving of independent actions. In this paper, we show how to combine partial order reduction and parallel distributed model-checking. We point out that an appropriate partial order reduction algorithm is to be chosen to avoid sequentializing an otherwise parallelizable activity. We propose such an algorithm and show that our algorithm can reduce the number of states generated and limit unnecessary communication between network nodes. We discuss the implementation of these ideas as well as preliminary experimental results.
Evaluating the Role of Collaboration Scripts as Group Guiding Tools in Activities of Educational Robotics: Conclusions from Three Case Studies

Although educational robotics (ER) is considered an innovative and engaging technology for teaching and learning, certain studies emphasize the lack of a coherent and well elaborated pedagogical framework for its implementation. This work contributes toward the development of such a framework by presenting evidence from three case studies implementing ER activities in the school context. The objective has been to explore the impact of various collaboration scripts when used as tools to guide students' groupwork during the ER activity. ER activities have been conducted in three secondary education schools (one lower and two higher) employing the TAPPS, Jigsaw and “Send a problem” collaboration techniques and assigning specific roles to students. Key results (based on observation, students' questionnaire and interviews) include the following: (a) combining the Jigsaw and “Send a problem” scripts had the greatest impact on increasing students' interest and active participation; (b) students' subjective impression of improved learning was generated by structured collaboration, (c) students reported improved understanding of programming structures already known from other contexts, (d) the motive “help my group learn based on my expertise” was rated higher by students. Overall, this study presents and discusses field evidence that contribute to an improved pedagogical framework of in-school ER activities.
Free‐flow electrophoresis for top‐down proteomics by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

High‐efficiency prefractionation of complex protein mixtures is critical for top‐down proteomics, i.e., the analysis of intact proteins by MS. Free‐flow electrophoresis (FFE) can be used for IEF to separate proteins within a pH gradient according to their pIs. In an FFE system, this separation is performed entirely in the liquid phase, without the need for particulate chromatographic media, gels, or membranes. Herein, we demonstrated the compatibility of IEF‐FFE with ESI‐Fourier transform ICR MS (ESI‐FTICR‐MS) for top‐down experiments. We demonstrated that IEF‐FFE of intact proteins were highly reproducible between FFE instruments, between laboratories, and between analyses. Applying native (0.2% hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose) IEF‐FFE to an enzyme resulted in no decrease in enzyme activity; applying either native or denaturing (8 M urea) IEF‐FFE to a four‐protein mixture with different pIs resulted in isolation of each protein into separate fractions in a 96‐well plate. After desalting, each protein was sequenced by top‐down MS/MS. As an application of this technique, chicken erythrocyte histone H2A‐IV and its major modified forms were enriched by IEF‐FFE. Top‐down analysis revealed Lys‐5 to be a major acetylation site, in addition to N‐terminal acetylation.
Neuroergonomics: Opportunities and challenges of merging cognitive neuroscience with cognitive ergonomics

As with any merger of previously unrelated scientific disciplines, the usefulness of combining cognitive neuroscience and cognitive ergonomics to create the new field of 'neuroergonomics' depends on the significance of the research subjects that could not be addressed if the two fields remained separated. Situations characterized by a scarcity of overt operator behaviour and performance represent one driving force for combining the two fields. In those situations, neurobiological indices of cognitive processes and capacities may emerge as the main, or even exclusive, source of information about the operator's cognitive status and activities. This information is needed, for example, to support adaptive aiding and dynamic function allocation in the context of human-automation cooperation. The utilization of research approaches and measurements more typical of cognitive neuroscience will benefit the field of cognitive ergonomics to the extent that multidimensional psychological constructs (such as situation awareness and mental workload) are reduced to their underlying cognitive operations which are more isomorphic with activity changes in brain regions, circuits and distributed neuronal systems. The transformation of these constructs and paradigms will, in turn, enable cognitive ergonomics to contribute to progress in the field of cognitive neuroscience.
Borderline Personality Disorder: Content and Formal Analysis of the Rorschach

In questo studio sono stati confrontati venti pazienti con diagnosi DSM-III-R di disturbo borderline di personalite, con un numero eguale di nevrotici (soggetti con disturbi somatoformi o ansiosi secondo il DSM-III-R) e di psicotici (pazienti con diangosi DSM-III-R di schizofrenia o disturbo delirante). I pazienti non-differivano in forma statisticamente significativa per ete media. Tutti i soggetti sono stati sottoposti al test di Rorschach, ed i protocolli sono stati valutati con il sistema di Exner per quanto concerne l’analisi strutturale e con analisi contenutistica. Per quanto riguarda quest’ultima sono state valutate le seguenti scale: scale di barriera e penetrazione di Fisher and Cleveland (1958); scala di ostilite (Elizur, 1949); scala di ansiete (Elizur, 1949); scala di dipendenza (De Vos, 1952); scala di depressione (Endicott, 1972; Endicott & Jortner, 1966); scala di sospettosite (Endicott, 1972; Endicott, Jortner, & Abramoff, 1969), scala delle difese di Lerner (Lerner & Lerner, 1980). Per q.
Spirituality and Religiousness Among American Jews

In this article we examine the association between spirituality and religiousness for Jews in the United States. Using data from the most recent National Jewish Population Survey of 2000–2001, a large national sample, we examined the extent to which these two concepts correlate. In addition, we compared the relative importance of sociodemographic factors, stressors, and Jewish contextual factors in predicting spirituality and religiousness. We found that spirituality and religiousness correlated, but modestly; some variables were predictive of both concepts (less education, younger age, experienced anti-Semitism in last year, ethnic identity, social identity), some of being highly spiritual only (female, not living in the Northeast), and others of being highly religious only (being married, having a child at home, living in the Northeast, not living in the West, and Jewish background). The differences in sociodemographic characteristics and Jewish background suggest that family life (marriage, having children at home), knowledge about Judaism, and living in a geographic area where there is a high population of Jews are conducive to religiousness as a framework for meaning. Jewish contextual factors were salient for both spiritual and religious pathways.
ELISA test to detect Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgG

A new ELISA test (Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgG, Vircell, Spain) to detect Chlamydophila pneuoniae IgG was evaluated. The micro‐immunofluorescence (MIF) test was used as reference method. Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydophila psittaci elementary bodies were also assayed. Two hundred and sixteen sera were included in the study: 66 from patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (Panel 1), 68 from adults with pneumonia (Panel 2), 44 from healthy adults (Panel 3) and 38 from patients with a sexuality transmitted disease by C. trachomatis (Panel 4). In Panel 1, 51 sera (77%) had antibody titres between 32 and 128; 4 out of 15 sera with IgG titres <32 were positive by ELISA test and 2 sera with 32 IgG titres were uncertain by ELISA; the remaining 60 sera were correctly classified, giving a 91% concordance between the techniques. In Panel 2, 55 sera (81%) had IgG titres between 32 and 512; 2 out of 13 sera with IgG titres <32 were positive by ELISA and 2 sera with 32 titres were uncertain by ELISA; the remaining 64 sera were correctly classified, giving a 97% concordance. In Panel 3, 22 sera (50%) had IgG titres between 32 and 64; only 1 out of 22 sera with IgG titres <32 was positive by ELISA, giving a 97% concordance between the techniques. In Panel 4, there were 24 (63%) negative, 10 (26%) uncertain and 4 (10%) positive results by ELISA, giving an 86% concordance. The C. pneumoniae ELISA test demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 85% specificity. The IgG ELISA test demonstrated a good concordance with the MIF test without the drawbacks associated with the latter assay. We conclude that the ELISA test could be an alternative to the MIF test.
A FPGA IEEE-754-2008 decimal64 Floating-Point adder/subtractor

This paper describes the FPGA implementation of a Decimal Floating Point (DFP) adder/subtractor. The design performs addition and subtraction on 64-bit operands that use the IEEE 754-2008 decimal encoding of DFP numbers and is based on a fully pipelined circuit. The design presents a novel hardware for pre-signal generation stage and an enhanced version of previously published leading zero stage. The design can operate at a frequency of 200 MHZ on a Virtex-5 with a latency of 8 cycles. The presented DFP adder/subtractor supports operations on the decimal64 format and it is easily extendable for the decimal128 format. To our knowledge, this is the first hardware FPGA design for adding and subtracting IEEE 754-2008 using decimal64 encoding.
Building a Lightweight Semantic Model for Unsupervised Information Extraction on Short Listings

Short listings such as classified ads or product listings abound on the web. If a computer can reliably extract information from them, it will greatly benefit a variety of applications. Short listings are, however, challenging to process due to their informal styles. In this paper, we present an unsupervised information extraction system for short listings. Given a corpus of listings, the system builds a semantic model that represents typical objects and their attributes in the domain of the corpus, and then uses the model to extract information. Two key features in the system are a semantic parser that extracts objects and their attributes and a listing-focused clustering module that helps group together extracted tokens of same type. Our evaluation shows that the semantic model learned by these two modules is effective across multiple domains.
Bacterial lipopolysaccharide regulates nociceptin expression in sensory neurons

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is an opioid‐related peptide that is markedly up‐regulated in sensory neurons in vivo following peripheral inflammation and plays a key role in pain physiology. To identify substances that up‐regulate N/OFQ expression in sensory neurons, we carried out an in vitro screen using purified adult mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and identified the potent proinflammatory agent bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a very effective inducer of N/OFQ. The robust response of these neurons to LPS enabled us to identify the components of a putative neuronal LPS receptor complex. In contrast to the immune system, where the functional LPS receptor complex is composed of CD‐14 together with either MD‐2 and TLR4 on myeloid cells or the homologous receptors MD‐1 and RP105 on mature B cells, DRG neurons express the unusual combination of CD‐14, TLR4, and MD‐1. Blocking antibodies against TLR4 and MD‐1 prevented induction of N/OFQ by LPS, and, in immunoprecipitation experiments, MD‐1 coprecipitated with TLR4. Our findings suggest that LPS regulates N/OFN expression in sensory neurons via a novel combination of LPS receptor components and demonstrate for the first time a direct action of a key initiator of innate immune responses on neurons. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Deploying Development to Counter Terrorism: Post-9/11 Transformation of U.S. Foreign Aid to Africa

Abstract: Since September 11, 2001, the aid component of American foreign policy toward Africa has undergone a significant evolution: U.S. security has come to rival development as an increasingly explicit rationale. Development programming and project implementation now contain a security dimension that is underpinned by Pentagon strategists working through AFRICOM as much as by USAID officers partnering with the State Department. This article argues that given the potential of terrorism for undermining development in Africa itself, soft counterterrorism should be envisioned as a strategic developmental defense activity. Making use of unpublished country risk assessments and the author's participant observation during USAID field mission consultancies in the Sahel, as well as the scholarly literature and relevant policy documents of the Bush and Obama administrations, this article explores the new agenda and grassroots dynamics of development projects as tools for terrorism prevention. It contends that policy and institutional responses to 9/11 have resulted in a greater convergence of operational goals among U.S. government agencies that in the past, at least according to publicly stated goals, had pursued distinctly different missions in Africa. Normative implications of this change are mixed. Because of differing expectations with respect to separation of powers, African public opinion, paradoxically, may be more sympathetic to U.S. military engagement with civilians for developmental purposes than American public opinion is.
Semisupervised Discriminant Analysis for Hyperspectral Imagery With Block-Sparse Graph

In this letter, a semisupervised block-sparse graph is proposed for discriminant analysis of hyperspectral imagery. To overcome the difficulty of not having enough training samples in the previously developed block-sparse graph approach, unlabeled samples are selected to participate in graph construction. Both sparse and collaborative representations are used for unlabeled sample selection. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed semisupervised block-sparse graph can significantly outperform the supervised version with limited training samples. The sparse and collaborative representation-based selection methods perform comparably with the collaborative version requiring much lower computational cost.
Music’s Representation in Early Childhood Education Journals

In this review of literature, the author explored the representation of music in early childhood education researcher and practitioner journal articles. Thirty-eight pertinent journal articles were identified in a keyword search for “music” in eight journals. The search was limited to a 5-year period, 2005–2010. Article summaries were categorized into seven themes: extramusical benefits, music strategies, musical parenting, musical practices at home, musical lives of children, musical practices at school, and integration. The majority of articles reviewed addressed extramusical benefits of music instruction in early childhood classrooms. Implications of the literature review are discussed and suggestions for adding to this literature are shared.
Aerial colour image segmentation by Karhunen-Loeve transform

The Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT) is used to perform region-based segmentation of aerial colour images from colour and texture features. A region-based segmentation method is developed in the KL colour image representation space and KLT is extended to texture analysis by local linear transform (LLT). An algorithm to merge colour and texture segmentation is presented in order to improve results.
Enhancing Technical Q&A Forums with CiteHistory

Software engineers often use Q&A forums like Stack Overflow and MSDN to ask and answer technical questions. Through a survey study and web browser log analysis, we find that both askers and answerers of technical forum questions typically conduct extensive online research before composing their posts. The inclusion of links to these research materials is beneficial to the forum participants, though post authors do not always include such citations. Based on these findings, we developed CiteHistory, a browser plugin that simplifies the process of including relevant search queries and URLs as bibliographic supplements to forum posts, and supports information re-finding for post authors. We discuss the results of a two-week deployment of CiteHistory with professional software engineers, which demonstrated that CiteHistory increased reference inclusion in posts, and offered auxiliary benefits as a personal research tracker.