Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theory of mind in nonhuman primates

Since the BBS article in which Premack and Woodruff (1978) asked “Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind? ,” it has been repeatedly claimed that there is observational and experimental evidence that apes have mental state concepts, such as “want” and “know. ” Unlike research on the development of theory of mind in childhood, however, no substantial progress has been made through this work with nonhuman primates. A survey of empirical studies of imitation, self-recognition, social relationships, deception, role-taking, and perspective-taking suggests that in every case where nonhuman primate behavior has been interpreted as a sign of theory of mind, it could instead have occurred by chance or as a product of nonmentalistic processes such as associative learning or inferences based on nonmental categories. Arguments to the effect that, in spite of this, the theory of mind hypothesis should be accepted because it is more parsimonious than alternatives or because it is supported by convergent evidence are not compelling. Such arguments are based on unsupportable assumptions about the role of parsimony in science and either ignore the requirement that convergent evidence proceed from independent assumptions, or fail to show that it supports the theory of mind hypothesis over nonmentalist alternatives. Progress in research on theory of mind requires experimental procedures that can distinguish the theory of mind hypothesis from nonmentalist alternatives. A procedure that may have this potential is proposed. It uses conditional discrimination training and transfer tests to determine whether chimpanzees have the concept “see. ” Commentators are invited to identify flaws in the procedure and to suggest alternatives.
Switching spatial scale reveals dominance-dependent social foraging tactics in a wild primate

When foraging in a social group, individuals are faced with the choice of sampling their environment directly or exploiting the discoveries of others. The evolutionary dynamics of this trade-off have been explored mathematically through the producer-scrounger game, which has highlighted socially exploitative behaviours as a major potential cost of group living. However, our understanding of the tight interplay that can exist between social dominance and scrounging behaviour is limited. To date, only two theoretical studies have explored this relationship systematically, demonstrating that because scrounging requires joining a competitor at a resource, it should become exclusive to high-ranking individuals when resources are monopolisable. In this study, we explore the predictions of this model through observations of the natural social foraging behaviour of a wild population of chacma baboons (Papio ursinus). We collected data through over 800 h of focal follows of 101 adults and juveniles across two troops over two 3-month periods. By recording over 7,900 social foraging decisions at two spatial scales we show that, when resources are large and economically indefensible, the joining behaviour required for scrounging can occur across all social ranks. When, in contrast, dominant individuals can aggressively appropriate a resource, such joining behaviour becomes increasingly difficult to employ with decreasing social rank because adult individuals can only join others lower ranking than themselves. Our study supports theoretical predictions and highlights potentially important individual constraints on the ability of individuals of low social rank to use social information, driven by competition with dominant conspecifics over monopolisable resources.
Adaptive self-tuning MTPA vector controller for IPMSM drive system

This paper presents an adaptive self-tuning maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) vector controller for an interior permanent-magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) drive system. The control scheme consists of a synchronous frame decoupling current controller, MTPA torque controller, and adaptive parameter estimator. The estimator is applied to the q-axis current dynamics as the d-axis inductance can be assumed to be constant without loss of accuracy. Since the q-axis current dynamics is being disturbed by the magnet's back-EMF voltage, the proposed estimator is combined with a robust active-state decoupling scheme to ensure unbiased parameter estimate. The robust decoupling scheme is realized by estimating the magnet's flux linkage by a simple adaptation algorithm based on the steepest descent method. The system's model is greatly simplified when the robust decoupling scheme is combined with the q-axis current dynamics. Relying on the simplified model, a natural adaptive observer is used to estimate the q-axis current. Unknown motor parameters are estimated by minimizing the state estimation error using an iterative gradient algorithm offered by the affine projection. The estimated parameters are used for the self-tuning control. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the validity and usefulness of the online parameter estimation and control loop tuning technique
Abdominal aortic aneurysms, or a relatively large diameter of non-aneurysmal aortas, increase total and cardiovascular mortality: the Tromsø study.

BACKGROUND In a population-based study in Tromsø, Norway, the authors assessed whether an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) or the maximal infrarenal aortic diameter in a non-aneurismal aorta influence total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. METHODS A total of 6640 men and women, aged 25-84 years, were included in a 10-year mortality follow-up: 345 subjects with a diagnosed AAA and 6295 subjects with a non-aneurismal aorta. Non-aneurismal aortic diameter and prevalent AAAs were categorized into seven groups. RESULTS In subjects without an AAA, an aortic diameter > or =30 mm increased age- and sex-adjusted total mortality [mortality rate ratio (MRR) = 3.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.77-7.89] and CVD mortality (MRR = 9.24, 95% CI 4.07-20.97) compared with subjects with aortic diameter of 21-23 mm. An AAA at screening was strongly associated with deaths from aortic aneurysm and was associated with total (MRR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.31-1.96) and CVD mortality (MRR = 2.41, 95% CI 1.81-3.21). This was not explained by deaths due to an AAA. Adjustments for CVD risk factors could fully explain the increased total, but not CVD mortality in subjects with an AAA. CONCLUSIONS An AAA increases total and CVD mortality. In the large majority of subjects with a non-aneurysmal aorta, the diameter does not influence total or CVD mortality. However, in individuals with a maximal diameter >26 mm (2% of the population), a positive relationship is found.
The Relational Advantages of Intermediation

This paper provides a novel explanation for the use of supply chain intermediaries. We find that even in the absence of the well-known transactional and informational advantages of mediation, intermediaries improve supply chain performance. In particular, intermediaries facilitate responsive adaptation of the buyers' supplier base to their changing needs while simultaneously ensuring that suppliers behave as if they had long-term sourcing commitments from buying firms. In the face of changing buyer needs, an intermediary that sources on behalf of multiple buyers can responsively change the composition of future business committed to a supplier such that a sufficient level of business comes from the buyer(s) that most prefer this supplier. On the other hand, direct buyers that source only for themselves must provide all their committed business to a supplier from their own sourcing needs, even if they no longer prefer this supplier. Unlike existing theories of intermediation, our theory better explains the observed phenomenon that although transactional barriers and information asymmetries have steadily decreased, the use of intermediaries has soared, even among large companies such as Walmart. This paper was accepted by Martin Lariviere, operations management.
Brg1 modulates enhancer activation in mesoderm lineage commitment

The interplay between different levels of gene regulation in modulating developmental transcriptional programs, such as histone modifications and chromatin remodeling, is not well understood. Here, we show that the chromatin remodeling factor Brg1 is required for enhancer activation in mesoderm induction. In an embryonic stem cell-based directed differentiation assay, the absence of Brg1 results in a failure of cardiomyocyte differentiation and broad deregulation of lineage-specific gene expression during mesoderm induction. We find that Brg1 co-localizes with H3K27ac at distal enhancers and is required for robust H3K27 acetylation at distal enhancers that are activated during mesoderm induction. Brg1 is also required to maintain Polycomb-mediated repression of non-mesodermal developmental regulators, suggesting cooperativity between Brg1 and Polycomb complexes. Thus, Brg1 is essential for modulating active and repressive chromatin states during mesoderm lineage commitment, in particular the activation of developmentally important enhancers. These findings demonstrate interplay between chromatin remodeling complexes and histone modifications that, together, ensure robust and broad gene regulation during crucial lineage commitment decisions. SUMMARY: The chromatin remodeling factor Brg1 is essential for mesoderm induction and, by modulating active and repressive chromatin states, is involved in promoting the activation of dynamic enhancers.
Adaptive cognitive rehabilitation interventions based on serious games for children with ADHD using biofeedback techniques: assessment and evaluation

Attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders within the child population today. The number of developments in the area of Serious Games and Biofeedback targeting these children has increased recently. Nevertheless there is no specific methodology for evaluating these interventions. The object of this article is to establish a common core of minimum criteria for carrying out validation experiments of this kind. These protocol guidelines are aimed at the evaluation of cognitive rehabilitation activities for children with ADHD. The key point in this methodology is that it takes into account the inclusion of biofeedback and Serious Games techniques within the intervention program. The proposed methodology was specifically designed for researchers in computer science, who need to evaluate each study setting specifically, so as to determine the most suitable validation protocol for each case.
Constructing a Degree-Constrained Low Delay Application Layer Multicast Tree

Application layer multicast is probably the most efficient scheme to sustain the group communication for delay sensitive applications in Internet due to its rapid deployment. However, the problem of building a degree-constrained minimum delay application layer multicast tree is proven to be NP-hard. In this paper, we investigate this optimization problem and propose a distributed protocol to explore the method of constructing distribution tree based on members' relative position in underlying network, which utilizes physical network topology information to assist the optimizing of delivery tree through employing proximity aware technique for overlay network. Evaluation results show our scheme achieves efficiency as well as may support real time applications effectively.
A 256kb 6T self-tuning SRAM with extended 0.38V–1.2V operating range using multiple read/write assists and VMIN tracking canary sensors

A closed loop self-tuning 256kb 6T SRAM with 0.38V-1.2V extended operating range using combined read and write assists and canary-based VMIN tracking is presented. 337X and 4.3X power reductions are achieved using multiple assists and VMIN tracking, respectively; combining both saves 1444X in active power and 12.4X in leakage at the 0.38V.
SLiMFinder: A Probabilistic Method for Identifying Over-Represented, Convergently Evolved, Short Linear Motifs in Proteins

Background Short linear motifs (SLiMs) in proteins are functional microdomains of fundamental importance in many biological systems. SLiMs typically consist of a 3 to 10 amino acid stretch of the primary protein sequence, of which as few as two sites may be important for activity, making identification of novel SLiMs extremely difficult. In particular, it can be very difficult to distinguish a randomly recurring “motif” from a truly over-represented one. Incorporating ambiguous amino acid positions and/or variable-length wildcard spacers between defined residues further complicates the matter. Methodology/Principal Findings In this paper we present two algorithms. SLiMBuild identifies convergently evolved, short motifs in a dataset of proteins. Motifs are built by combining dimers into longer patterns, retaining only those motifs occurring in a sufficient number of unrelated proteins. Motifs with fixed amino acid positions are identified and then combined to incorporate amino acid ambiguity and variable-length wildcard spacers. The algorithm is computationally efficient compared to alternatives, particularly when datasets include homologous proteins, and provides great flexibility in the nature of motifs returned. The SLiMChance algorithm estimates the probability of returned motifs arising by chance, correcting for the size and composition of the dataset, and assigns a significance value to each motif. These algorithms are implemented in a software package, SLiMFinder. SLiMFinder default settings identify known SLiMs with 100% specificity, and have a low false discovery rate on random test data. Conclusions/Significance The efficiency of SLiMBuild and low false discovery rate of SLiMChance make SLiMFinder highly suited to high throughput motif discovery and individual high quality analyses alike. Examples of such analyses on real biological data, and how SLiMFinder results can help direct future discoveries, are provided. SLiMFinder is freely available for download under a GNU license from http://bioinformatics.ucd. ie/shields/software/slimfinder/.
Imatinib and beyond in gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A radiologist's perspective.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to review the decade-long experience with imatinib and other molecular targeted agents in the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). CONCLUSION Tremendous progress has been made in the medical management of GIST since the inception of imatinib, and imaging has played a key role in understanding the typical and atypical responses of GIST to molecular targeted therapies.
Risk factors for Hodgkin's disease by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status: prior infection by EBV and other agents

A UK population-based case–control study of Hodgkin’s disease (HD) in young adults (16–24 years) included 118 cases and 237 controls matched on year of birth, gender and county of residence. The majority (103) of the cases were classified by Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) status (EBV present in Reed–Stenberg cells), with 19 being EBV-positive. Analyses using conditional logistic regression are presented of subject reports of prior infectious disease (infectious mononucleosis (IM), chicken pox, measles, mumps, pertussis and rubella). In these analyses HD cases are compared with matched controls, EBV-positive cases and EBV-negative cases are compared separately with their controls and formal tests of differences of association by EBV status are applied. A prior history of IM was positively associated with HD (odds ratio (OR) = 2.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10–5.33) and with EBV-positive HD (OR = 9.16, 95% CI = 1.07–78.31) and the difference between EBV-positive and EBV-negative HD was statistically significant (P = 0.013). The remaining infectious illnesses (combined) were negatively associated with HD, EBV-positive HD and EBV-negative HD (in the total series, for ≥2 episodes compared with ≤1, OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.25–0.83). These results support previous evidence that early exposure to infection protects against HD and that IM increases subsequent risk; the comparisons of EBV-positive and EBV-negative HD are new and generate hypotheses for further study.
Calculating hand configurations for precision and pinch grasps

Usually, grasp planning can be split into two phases. In the first phase one tries to find a set of contacts that allow for stable grasping of an object. In the second phase a feasible hand pose that realizes the grasp with a given hand is calculated. While this point is important for a practical grasp planning system, it has either been considered trivial or been solved by crude heuristics in most cases. Here we present an approach for calculating the hand and finger pose for a given grasp. The problem is formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem and then solved using optimization techniques. The method is applied to two different grasp types: the well known precision grasp and the pinch grasp which is preferred by men when grasping small objects.
Incentives for Effort in Crowdsourcing Using the Peer Truth Serum

Crowdsourcing is widely proposed as a method to solve a large variety of judgment tasks, such as classifying website content, peer grading in online courses, or collecting real-world data. As the data reported by workers cannot be verified, there is a tendency to report random data without actually solving the task. This can be countered by making the reward for an answer depend on its consistency with answers given by other workers, an approach called peer consistency. However, it is obvious that the best strategy in such schemes is for all workers to report the same answer without solving the task. Dasgupta and Ghosh [2013] show that, in some cases, exerting high effort can be encouraged in the highest-paying equilibrium. In this article, we present a general mechanism that implements this idea and is applicable to most crowdsourcing settings. Furthermore, we experimentally test the novel mechanism, and validate its theoretical properties.
Using surface envelopes for discrimination of molecular models

Shape information about macromolecules is increasingly available but is difficult to use in modeling efforts. We demonstrate that shape information alone can often distinguish structural models of biological macromolecules. By using a data structure called a surface envelope (SE) to represent the shape of the molecule, we propose a method that generates a fitness score for the shape of a particular molecular model. This score correlates well with root mean squared deviation (RMSD) of the model to the known test structures and can be used to filter models in decoy sets. The scoring method requires both alignment of the model to the SE in three‐dimensional space and assessment of the degree to which atoms in the model fill the SE. Alignment combines a hybrid algorithm using principal components and a previously published iterated closest point algorithm. We test our method against models generated from random atom perturbation from crystal structures, published decoy sets used in structure prediction, and models created from the trajectories of atoms in molecular modeling runs. We also test our alignment algorithm against experimental electron microscopic data from rice dwarf virus. The alignment performance is reliable, and we show a high correlation between model RMSD and score function. This correlation is stronger for molecular models with greater oblong character (as measured by the ratio of largest to smallest principal component).
Motion reconstruction using moments analysis

This work presents a method for motion reconstruction. The approach is based on image moments and the bsp-tree data structure. We use invariant properties of these moments to construct a bsp-tree and determine a set of ellipses that approximates the object's shape in each frame. These ellipsoidal structures are matched, which allow us to track the object. Motion is represented by the geometric transformations between the sets of ellipses and stored in the hierarchical structure. Motion reconstruction is done by interpolating these transformations.
Persistence Characteristics of Australian Rainfall Anomalies

Using 79 years (1913‐1991) of Australian monthly precipitation data we examined the nature of the persistence of rainfall anomalies. Analyses were performed for four climate regions covering the country, as well as for the entire Australian continent. We show that rainfall over these regions has high temporal variability and that annual rainfall amounts over all five sectors vary in phase and are, with the exception of the north-west region, significantly correlated with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). These relationships were particularly strong during the spring season. It is demonstrated that Australian rainfall exhibits statistically significant persistence on monthly, seasonal, and (to a limited extent) annual time-scales, up to lags of 3 months and one season and 1 year. The persistence showed strong seasonal dependence, with each of the five regions showing memory out to 4 or 5 months from winter and spring. Many aspects of climate in the Australasian region are known to have undergone considerable changes about 1950. We show this to be true for persistence also; its characteristics identified for the entire record were present during the 1951‐1980 period, but virtually disappeared in the previous 30-year period. Much of the seasonal distribution of rainfall persistence on monthly time-scales, particularly in the east, is due to the influence of the SOI. However, most of the persistence identified in winter and spring in the north-west is independent of the ENSO phenomenon. Rainfall anomalies following extreme ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ months, seasons and years (lowest and highest two deciles) persisted more than would be expected by chance. For monthly extreme events this was more marked in the winter semester for the ‘wet events’, except in the south-east region. In general, less persistence was found for the extreme seasons. Although the persistence of dry years was less than would have been expected by chance, the wet years appear to display persistence. 1997 by the Royal Meteorological Society. Int. J. Climatol. 17: 597‐613, 1997.
Fast Single- and Cross-Show Speaker Diarization Using Binary Key Speaker Modeling

Speaker diarization has become a key process within other speech processing systems which take advantage of single-speaker speech signals. Furthermore, finding recurrent speakers among a set of audio recordings, known as cross-show diarization, is gaining attention in the last years. Current state-of-the-art-systems provide good performance, but usually at the cost of long processing times. This limitation may make current systems not suitable for real-life applications. In this line, the speaker diarization approach based on binary key modeling provides a very fast yet accurate alternative. In this paper, we present the last improvements applied in binary key speaker diarization with the aim of further speeding up the process and improving performance. In addition, we propose a novel method for cross-show speaker diarization based on binary keys. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed improvements for single-show speaker diarization, both in terms of speed and performance, obtaining a real-time factor of 0.0354xRT and a 16.8% relative improvement in performance. Furthermore, our proposed cross-show approach provides very competitive performance, just slightly worse than its single-show diarization counterpart, and exhibits a real time factor of 0.04xRT.