Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sincere, Deceitful, and Ironic Communicative Acts and the Role of the Theory of Mind in Childhood

The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship among age, first- and second-order Theory of Mind and the increasing ability of children to understand and produce different kinds of communicative acts – sincere, ironic, and deceitful communicative acts – expressed through linguistic and extralinguistic expressive means. To communicate means to modify an interlocutor’s mental states (Grice, 1989), and pragmatics studies the inferential processes that are necessary to fill the gap, which often exists in human communication, between the literal meaning of a speaker’s utterance and what the speaker intends to communicate to the interlocutor. We administered brief video-clip stories showing different kinds of pragmatic phenomena – sincere, ironic, and deceitful communicative acts - and first- and second-order ToM tasks, to 120 children, ranging in age from 3 to 8 years. The results showed the existence of a trend of difficulty in children’s ability to deal with both linguistic and extralinguistic pragmatic tasks, from the simplest to the most difficult: sincere, deceitful, and ironic communicative acts. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that age plays a significant role in explaining children’s performance on each pragmatic task. Furthermore, the hierarchical regression analysis revealed that first-order ToM has a causal role in explaining children’s performance in handling sincere and deceitful speech acts, but not irony. We did not detect any specific role for second-order ToM. Finally, ToM only partially explains the observed increasing trend of difficulty in children’s pragmatic performance: the variance in pragmatic performance explained by ToM increases between sincere and deceitful communicative acts, but not between deceit and irony. The role of inferential ability in explaining the improvement in children’s performance across the pragmatic tasks investigated is discussed.
Visually Reasoning about System and Resource Behavior

Understanding how software utilizes resources is an important software engineering task. Existing software comprehension approaches rarely consider how resource utilization affects system behavior. We present Perfume, a general-purpose tool to help developers understand how resource utilization impacts their systems' control flow. Perfume is broadly applicable, as it is configurable to parse a wide variety of execution log formats and applies to all resource types that can be represented numerically. Perfume mines temporal properties that hold over the logged executions and represents system behavior in a resource finite state automaton that satisfies the mined properties. Perfume's interactive interface allows the developers to understand system behavior and to formulate and test hypotheses about system executions. A controlled experiment with 40 students shows that Perfume effectively supports understanding and debugging tasks. Students using Perfume answered 8.3% more questions correctly than those using execution logs alone and did so 15.5% more quickly. Perfume is open source and deployed at http://perfume.cs. umass.edu/.
Ternatin and improved synthetic variants kill cancer cells by targeting the elongation factor-1A ternary complex

Cyclic peptide natural products have evolved to exploit diverse protein targets, many of which control essential cellular processes. Inspired by a series of cyclic peptides with partially elucidated structures, we designed synthetic variants of ternatin, a cytotoxic and anti-adipogenic natural product whose molecular mode of action was unknown. The new ternatin variants are cytotoxic toward cancer cells, with up to 500-fold greater potency than ternatin itself. Using a ternatin photo-affinity probe, we identify the translation elongation factor-1A ternary complex (eEF1A·GTP·aminoacyl-tRNA) as a specific target and demonstrate competitive binding by the unrelated natural products, didemnin and cytotrienin. Mutations in domain III of eEF1A prevent ternatin binding and confer resistance to its cytotoxic effects, implicating the adjacent hydrophobic surface as a functional hot spot for eEF1A modulation. We conclude that the eukaryotic elongation factor-1A and its ternary complex with GTP and aminoacyl-tRNA are common targets for the evolution of cytotoxic natural products. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.10222. 001
Entropy functions and determinant inequalities

In this paper, we show that the characterisation of all determinant inequalities for n × n positive definite matrices is equivalent to determining the smallest closed and convex cone containing all entropy functions induced by n scalar jointly Gaussian random variables. We have obtained inner and outer bounds on the cone by using representable functions and entropic functions. In particular, these bounds are tight and explicit for n ≤ 3, implying that determinant inequalities for 3 × 3 positive definite matrices are completely characterized by Shannon-type information inequalities.
Critical Period for Activity-Dependent Synapse Elimination in Developing Cerebellum

Synapse elimination is considered to be the final step in neural circuit formation, by causing refinement of redundant connections formed at earlier developmental stages. The developmental loss of climbing fiber innervation from cerebellar Purkinje cells is an example of such synapse elimination. It has been suggested that NMDA receptors are involved in the elimination of climbing fiber synapses. In the present study, we probed the NMDA receptor-dependent period of climbing fiber synapse elimination by using daily intraperitoneal injections of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. We found that blockade of NMDA receptors during postnatal day 15 (P15) and P16, but not before or after this period, resulted in a higher incidence of multiple climbing fiber innervation and caused a mild but persistent loss of motor coordination. Neither basic synaptic functions nor cerebellar morphology were affected by this manipulation. Chronic local application of MK-801 to the cerebellum during P15 and P16 also yielded a higher incidence of multiple climbing fiber innervation. During P15–P16, large NMDA receptor-mediated EPSCs were detected at the mossy fiber–granule cell synapse, but not at the parallel fiber–Purkinje cell or climbing fiber–Purkinje cell synapse. It is therefore likely that the NMDA receptors located at the mossy fiber–granule cell synapse mediate signals leading to the elimination of surplus climbing fibers. These results suggest that an NMDA receptor-dependent phase of climbing fiber synapse elimination lasts 2 d at most. During this phase, the final refinement of climbing fiber synapses occurs, and disruption of this process leads to permanent impairment of cerebellar function.
The impact of climate change and adaptation on food production in low-income countries: Evidence from the Nile Basin, Ethiopia

"Growing consensus in the scientific community indicates that higher temperatures and changing precipitation levels resulting from climate change will depress crop yields in many countries over the coming decades. This is particularly true in low-income countries, where adaptive capacity is low. Many African countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change because their economies largely depend on climate-sensitive agricultural production. This brief is based on a study that used household survey data to analyze the impact of climate change on food production in the Nile Basin of Ethiopia. The study also examined the factors influencing adaptation and the implications of various adaptation strategies for farm productivity. " from text
Resilient Function based Sequence Generator-RFSG

The main focus of this paper is to apply suitable combiner function for cryptographic use which possesses multiple cryptographic properties such as balanced, correlation immune and high algebraic degree. Resilient function which is the generalization of correlation immune Boolean function is thus considered. In this paper we presents RFSG, a new sequence generator which uses (q, m+1, m, 1) resilient function over GF(2 2 ) as a combiner function and linear feedback shift registers. The feedback polynomials with large number of taps increase the computational complexity of cipher and polynomials with low taps allow the fast correlation attack and distinguishing attack to recover the initial state. In the light of these constraints the feedback polynomials of eight taps are considered. These polynomials are primitive polynomials having period of maximal length. RFSG uses a key and initialization vector of 64 bits, and produces one bit of key stream per iteration. The internal state of generator is 128-bits and its period is (2 128 1). RFSG has good cryptographic properties and guaranteed randomness. Its security is analyzed with respect to strict avalanche criteria and fast correlation attack and found to be invulnerable to these attacks. Software and hardware implementation complexities have also been placed briefly, making these suitable candidates for realization of higher throughputs.
An integrated on-board laser range sensing system for on-the-way city and road modelling

Precise realistic models of outdoor environments such as cities and roads are useful for various applications. However, for a high level of detail, and a large size of environment to be digitized, one has to face the issues of quantity of information to be acquired, processed and stored, and of overall processing time. We present in this paper an integrated on-board laser range sensing system addressing this need: it is designed to perform city and road geometric modelling as it moves. It is based on a laser range sensor mounted on a vehicle whose position is known trough GPS-INS localization; it produces raw 3D range data and performs specific modelling for cities and features extraction for roads.
Proposed framework for data mining in e-learning: The case of open e-class

Web-based learning environments are extensively used nowadays. These environments maintain and produce vast amounts of data. Such vastness lead to the application of data mining techniques so as to further improve usability and qualify e-learning platform courses content. This paper proposes a platform dependant framework for recording, processing and analyzing data from Learning Management Systems (LMS). Its purpose and functionality is to facilitate instructors towards achievement of course efficiency. In depth, the improvements of course content are based on feedback information from data mining techniques over LMS data. In addition, a case study is discussed and an automated data mining tool, under development, is presented.
A Middleware for Control over Networks

Our thesis is that a well-designed software architectural framework and middleware are critical for the widespread deployment and proliferation of networked control systems. We develop a list of key requirements for such middleware, and present Etherware, a message oriented component middleware for networked control. We describe the application models supported, and illustrate these vis-á-vis a vehicular control testbed. We conclude with experiments that demonstrate the support for system management and evolution in Etherware.
A comparison of iteratively reweighted least squares and Kalman Filter with EM in measurement error covariance estimation

An unknown measurement error covariance in a stochastic dynamical system is to be estimated from measurements. A least squares approach is implemented by extending the iteratively reweighted least squares (IRLS) technique to handle system dynamics over a time window. The performance of this method, in terms of convergence rate and error, is compared to the standard Kalman Filter Expectation-Maximization (KFEM) approach via simulations of a single moving target with known stochastic dynamics tracked by two sensor measurements. We demonstrate that the extended IRLS outperforms KFEM in estimation accuracy. It also has a slightly better convergence rate at most epochs under any of a more uncertain, less uncertain, or re-estimated prior for the KFEM method.
Search Frictions and Wage Dispersion

We propose a way to measure the contribution of search frictions to the level of wage dispersion observed in the data. Using the data from the 1979 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth we find that the variance of match qualities between workers and employers accounts for about 6% of the variance of log wages. Our method relies on a minimal set of assumptions, the main among them being that match quality is constant over the duration of a job. We show that this assumption can be verified empirically and is supported by the data.
Location management in distributed mobile environments

Location management is an important problem in distributed mobile computing. Location management consists of location updates, searches and search-updates. An update occurs when a mobile host changes location. A search occurs when a mobile host needs to be located. A search-update occurs after a successful search. Various strategies can be designed for search, update and search-update. Static location management uses one combination of search, update and search-update strategies throughout the execution. Simulations were carried out to evaluate the performance of different static strategies for various communication and mobility patterns. Simulation results indicate that performing search-updates significantly reduces the message overhead of location management. <<ETX>>
The ACE theorem for querying the web of data

Inspired by the CAP theorem, we identify three desirable properties when querying the Web of Data: Alignment (results up-to-date with sources), Coverage (results covering available remote sources), and Efficiency (bounded resources). In this short paper, we show that no system querying the Web can meet all three ACE properties, but instead must make practical trade-offs that we outline.
A Wealth Based Explanation for Earnings Conservatism

This study extends research on earnings conservatism – the degree to which the accounting system recognizes bad news regarding future cash flows in a more timely manner than good news – by arguing that heterogeneous executives' risk attitudes will influence the degree of conservatism. Prior research has demonstrated that differences in earnings conservatism are mainly the result of differences in institutional factors (Basu (1997) and Ball et al. (2000a)). We hypothesize that more risk-averse managers, who demand a risk premium that offsets the effects of the variance in their compensation, will report more conservative earnings. Earnings conservatism will temper expectations among stakeholders about the future cash flows to be distributed thereby diminishing the likelihood of disappointing outcomes and potential litigation or threats for executives of being fired. The more risk-averse manager would be more inclined to reduce such conflicts, since they will have a destabilizing effect on his future compensation. The empirical results for a sample of Dutch companies over the period of 1983 to 1995 confirm our hypothesis: more risk-averse managers report earnings more conservatively than do less risk-averse managers. JEL classification: G14, G38, M41.
Named entity linking in microblog posts using graph-based centrality scoring

Microblogging platforms have emerged as large collections of short documents, which have been growing in term of size and volume. In fact, providing an effective way to add semantics to this form of communication present a significant research challenge because his noisy and inconsistency nature. Named Entity Linking (NEL) is a subtask of information extraction that aims to ground entity mentions to their corresponding node in a Knowledge Base (KB), which requires a disambiguation step, because many resources can be matched to the same entity that lead to synonymy and polysemy problems. To overcome such problems especially in the context of short text, we present a robust system for automatically extract named entities, disambiguating and linking them to knowledge base resources, based on graph centrality algorithm and Linked Open Data (LOD) paradigm. Also, we evaluate our system using a real Twitter dataset [1] and comparing it with a public tool to show his effectiveness.
Preconditioning to comply with the Irrepresentable Condition

Preconditioning is a technique from numerical linear algebra that can accelerate algorithms to solve systems of equations. In this paper, we demonstrate how preconditioning can circumvent a stringent assumption for sign consistency in sparse linear regression. Given $X \in R^{n \times p}$ and $Y \in R^n$ that satisfy the standard regression equation, this paper demonstrates that even if the design matrix $X$ does not satisfy the irrepresentable condition for the Lasso, the design matrix $F X$ often does, where $F \in R^{n\times n}$ is a preconditioning matrix defined in this paper. By computing the Lasso on $(F X, F Y)$, instead of on $(X, Y)$, the necessary assumptions on $X$ become much less stringent. Our preconditioner $F$ ensures that the singular values of the design matrix are either zero or one. When $n\ge p$, the columns of $F X$ are orthogonal and the preconditioner always circumvents the stringent assumptions. When $p\ge n$, $F$ projects the design matrix onto the Stiefel manifold; the rows of $F X$ are orthogonal. We give both theoretical results and simulation results to show that, in the high dimensional case, the preconditioner helps to circumvent the stringent assumptions, improving the statistical performance of a broad class of model selection techniques in linear regression. Simulation results are particularly promising.
Students School Burnout Inventory: Development, Validation, and Reliability of Scale

Background: Over the past several decades the concept of burnout has been an important topic for the domain of education and psychology. One of the challenges regarding burnout is to develop an effective instrument, which considers cultural differences into account. By reviewing literature, we can figure out that there are some burnout instruments, which most of them are just for teachers, counselors, and workers. Despite the important effects of burnout among students, there is no instrument that assesses high school student burnout specifically. The aim of this study is to develop an instrument for high school students, which is valid, reliable, and suitable for Iranian culture. Methods: The population is taken from students of the public high school of Basht, Kohkiloie va Boier Admad, Iran. Using multistage random sampling method, 443 students were selected from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade of Basht high schools. Results: Exploratory factor analysis results showed that 16 indicators loaded on 4 factors. The amount of total variance explained was 50.18%. Similarly, 1st and 2nd order confirmatory factor analysis results demonstrated that the model was well fit since fit indices such as GFI, CFI, AGFI, and IFI were greater than 0.90 and RMSEA was lower than 0.05. The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was 0.83. Conclusions: In sum, we can say that our scale, which has 4 components has not only a good validity but also a great reliability.
Explore First, Exploit Next: The True Shape of Regret in Bandit Problems

We revisit lower bounds on the regret in the case of multi-armed bandit problems. We obtain non-asymptotic, distribution-dependent bounds and provide straightforward proofs based only on well-known properties of Kullback-Leibler divergences. These bounds show in particular that in an initial phase the regret grows almost linearly, and that the well-known logarithmic growth of the regret only holds in a final phase. The proof techniques come to the essence of the information-theoretic arguments used and they are deprived of all unnecessary complications.
Rapidly transported organelles containing membrane and cytoskeletal components: their relation to axonal growth

We have examined the movements, composition, and cellular origin of phase-dense varicosities in cultures of chick sympathetic and sensory neurons. These organelles are variable in diameter (typically between 0.2 and 2 microns) and undergo saltatory movements both towards and away from the neuronal cell body. Their mean velocities vary inversely with the size of the organelle and are greater in the retrograde than the anterograde direction. Organelles stain with the lipophilic dye 1, 1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-indocarbocyanine and with antibodies to cytoskeletal components. In cultures double-stained with antibodies to alpha-tubulin and 70-kD neurofilament protein (NF-L), approximately 40% of the organelles stain for tubulin, 30% stain for NF- L, 10% stain for both tubulin and NF-L, and 40% show no staining with either antibody. The association of cytoskeletal proteins with the organelles shows that these proteins are able to move by a form of rapid axonal transport. Under most culture conditions the predominant direction of movement is towards the cell body, suggesting that the organelles are produced at or near the growth cone. Retrograde movements continue in culture medium lacking protein or high molecular mass components and increase under conditions in which the advance of the growth cone is arrested. There is a fourfold increase in the number of organelles moving retrogradely in neurites that encounter a substratum-associated barrier to elongation; retrograde movements increase similarly in cultures exposed to cytochalasin at levels known to block growth cone advance. No previously described organelle shows behavior coordinated with axonal growth in this way. We propose that the organelles contain membrane and cytoskeletal components that have been delivered to the growth cone, by slow or fast anterograde transport, in excess of the amounts required to synthesize more axon. In view of their rapid mobility and variable contents, we suggest that they be called "neuronal parcels. "
Tachyon: Tandem Execution for Efficient Live Patch Testing

The vast number of security incidents are caused by exploits against vulnerabilities for which a patch is already available, but that users simply did not install. Patch installation is often delayed because patches must be tested manually to make sure they do not introduce problems, especially at the enterprise level. In this paper we propose a new tandem execution approach for automated patch testing. Our approach is based on a patch execution consistency model which maintains that a patch is safe to apply if the executions of the pre and post-patch program only differ on attack inputs. Tandem execution runs both pre and post-patch programs simultaneously in order to check for execution consistency. We have implemented our techniques in TACHYON, a system for online patch testing in Linux. TACHYON is able to automatically check and verify patches without source access.