Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gestural and symbolic development among apes and humans: support for a multimodal theory of language evolution

What are the implications of similarities and differences in the gestural and symbolic development of apes and humans? This focused review uses as a starting point our recent study that provided evidence that gesture supported the symbolic development of a chimpanzee, a bonobo, and a human child reared in language-enriched environments at comparable stages of communicative development. These three species constitute a complete clade, species possessing a common immediate ancestor. Communicative behaviors observed among all species in a clade are likely to have been present in the common ancestor. Similarities in the form and function of many gestures produced by the chimpanzee, bonobo, and human child suggest that shared non-verbal skills may underlie shared symbolic capacities. Indeed, an ontogenetic sequence from gesture to symbol was present across the clade but more pronounced in child than ape. Multimodal expressions of communicative intent (e.g., vocalization plus persistence or eye-contact) were normative for the child, but less common for the apes. These findings suggest that increasing multimodal expression of communicative intent may have supported the emergence of language among the ancestors of humans. Therefore, this focused review includes new studies, since our 2013 article, that support a multimodal theory of language evolution.
Molecular and clinical significance of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2 /bFGF) in malignancies of solid and hematological cancers for personalized therapies

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is essential for normal and cancer biology. Mammalian FGF family members participate in multiple signaling pathways by binding to heparan sulfate and FGF receptors (FGFR) with varying affinities. FGF2 is the prototype member of the FGF family and interacts with its receptor to mediate receptor dimerization, phosphorylation, and activation of signaling pathways, such as Ras-MAPK and PI3K pathways. Excessive mitogenic signaling through the FGF/FGFR axis may induce carcinogenic effects by promoting cancer progression and increasing the angiogenic potential, which can lead to metastatic tumor phenotypes. Dysregulated FGF/FGFR signaling is associated with aggressive cancer phenotypes, enhanced chemotherapy resistance and poor clinical outcomes. In vitro experimental settings have indicated that extracellular FGF2 affects proliferation, drug sensitivity, and apoptosis of cancer cells. Therapeutically targeting FGF2 and FGFR has been extensively assessed in multiple preclinical studies and numerous drugs and treatment options have been tested in clinical trials. Diagnostic assays are used to quantify FGF2, FGFRs, and downstream signaling molecules to better select a target patient population for higher efficacy of cancer therapies. This review focuses on the prognostic significance of FGF2 in cancer with emphasis on therapeutic intervention strategies for solid and hematological malignancies.
Formation Control for High-Order Linear Time-Invariant Multiagent Systems With Time Delays

Formation control problems for high-order linear time-invariant multiagent systems with time delays are investigated. First, a general time-varying formation control protocol is proposed. Then, based on consensus approaches, necessary and sufficient conditions for multiagent systems to achieve a given time-varying formation are presented. An explicit expression of the time-varying formation reference function is also given. It is shown that the motion modes of the formation reference can be specified. Furthermore, necessary and sufficient conditions for formation feasibility are proposed. An approach to expand the feasible formation set and an algorithm to design the protocol for multiagent systems to achieve time-varying formations are provided, respectively. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate theoretical results.
Synergistic control of oscillations in the NFk B signalling pathway

In previous work, we studied the behaviour of a model of part of the NF-kB signalling pathway. The model displayed oscillations that varied both in number, amplitude and frequency when its parameters were varied. Sensitivity analysis showed that just nine of the 64 reaction parameters were mainly responsible for the control of the oscillations when these parameters were varied individually. However, the control of the properties of any complex system is distributed, and, as many of these reactions are highly non-linear, we expect that their interactions will be too. Pairwise modulation of these nine parameters gives a search space some 50 times smaller (81 against 4096) than that required for the pairwise modulation of all 64 reactions, and this permitted their study (which would otherwise have been effectively intractable). Strikingly synergistic effects were observed, in which the effect of one of the parameters was strongly (and even qualitatively) dependent on the values of another parameter. Regions of parameter space could be found in which the amplitude, but not the frequency (timing), of oscillations varied, and vice versa. Such modelling will permit the design and performance of experiments aimed at disentangling the role of the dynamics of oscillations, rather than simply their amplitude, in determining cell fate. Overall, the analyses reveal a level of complexity in these dynamic models that is not apparent from study of their individual parameters alone and point to the value of manipulating multiple elements of complex networks to achieve desired physiological effects.
Patch Based Image Completion for Compression Application

A new technique for the filling-in of missing blocks in wireless transmission of block based compressed images is proposed. By intentionally (and automatically) dropping image blocks and using filling-in approach, the performance of the compression ratio can be improved. The approach removes only partial regions in the image and generates a smaller image of same size as the original. This provides the condensed description of an image. Intuitively, the approach at decoder side restores large dropped regions utilizing the correlations between image patches. Thus, patch manipulation technique enhances the compression ratio of still images by recovering the damaged portions of an image.
EPISTEMIC FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FAILURE OF NASH EQUILIBRIUM †

Strategic choice data from five classic 2×2 laboratory games is augmented by eliciting subjects’ preferences over outcomes, firstand second-order beliefs over strategies, and beliefs about opponents’ rationality. Using a theorem by Aumann & Brandenburger (Econometrica v.63(5) pp.1161–1180), the measured epistemic variables identify why subjects fail to play Nash equilibria in certain games. In several games, subjects are unable to guess accurately their opponent’s preferences; thus, they fail to agree on the game being played. In such a situation, a complete-information equilibrium concept cannot apply; Bayesian equilibrium must be used. The elicited data are also used to examine the underlying assumptions of several alternative behavioral models, such as the Level-k model and models of other-regarding preferences.
Low distortion digital pulse width modulation for audio class-D amplifier

A pulse width modulation scheme for a high fidelity digital audio amplifier is presented. The uniform PWM is used to utilize the over sampling technology, but the UPWM causes harmonic distortion. The harmonic distortion components at the PWM output are estimated using the derivatives of the input signal and cancelled at the input of the delta-sigma modulator. The output signal of the delta-sigma modulator is coarsely quantized with shaped noise and fed to the pulse width modulator. A simulation result for a dual tone test is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
International Journal of Information Management the Role of the Quality of Shared Information in Interorganizational Systems Use

This study develops and tests a three-stage model that examines the role of the quality of shared information in interorganizational systems (IOS) use. The model provides a more inclusive method of measuring quality of shared information in IOS use through a re-examination of the impact of top management support and IT infrastructure capability, and by assessing the mediating effect of operational supply chain performance on the relationship between quality of shared information and overall firm performance. Our results suggest that the impact of the quality of shared information in IOS use on overall firm performance starts with top management support and IT infrastructure capability, and that these success factors positively impact the quality of shared information in IOS use. Moreover, our results indicate that the quality of shared information positively impacts operational supply chain performance, which, in turn, leads to improvements in overall firm performance. Overall, our results highlight the importance of high quality of shared information in IOS use.
Immersiveness and Physiological Arousal within Panoramic Video-Based Virtual Reality

In this paper, we discuss findings from a study that used panoramic video-based virtual environments (PVVEs) to induce self-reported anger. The study assessed "immersiveness" and physiological correlates of anger arousal (i.e., heart rate, blood pressure, galvanic skin response [GSR], respiration, and skin temperature). Results indicate that over time, panoramic video-based virtual scenarios can be, at the very least, physiologically arousing. Further, it can be affirmed from the results that hypnotizability, as defined by the applied measures, interacts with group on physiological arousal measures. Hence, physiological arousal appeared to be moderated by participant hypnotizability and absorption levels.
Correlated atomic force and transmission electron microscopy of nanotubular structures in pulmonary surfactant.

Pulmonary surfactant stabilizes the lung by reducing surface tension at the air-water interface of the alveoli. Surfactant is present in the lung in a number of morphological forms, including tubular myelin (TM). TM is composed of unusual 40 x 40 nm square elongated proteolipid tubes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed on polymer-embedded Lowicryl and London Resin-White (LR-White) unstained thin sections. AFM was used in imaging regions of the sections where TM was detected by transmission electron microscopy (EM) of corresponding stained sections. Tapping- and contact-mode AFM imaging of the unstained sections containing TM indicated a highly heterogeneous surface topography with height variations ranging from 10 to 100 nm. In tapping-mode AFM, tubular myelin was seen as hemispherical protrusions of 30-70 nm in diameter, with vertical dimensions of 5-8 nm. In contact-mode AFM and with phase imaging using a sharper (>10 nm nominal radius) probe, square open-ended tubes which resembled typical electron micrographs of such regions were observed. The cross-hatch structures observed inside the tubes using EM were not observed using AFM, although certain multilobe structures and topographic heterogeneity were detected inside some tubes. Other regions of multilamellar bodies and some regions where such bilayer lamella appear to fuse with the tubes were found in association with TM using AFM. EM of acetone-delipidated tubes in LR-White revealed rectangular tubular cores containing cross-hatched structures, presumably protein skeletons. AFM surface topography of these regions showed hollow depressions at positions at which the protein was anticipated instead of the protrusions seen in the lipid-containing sections. Gold-labeled antibody to surfactant protein A was found associated somewhat randomly within the regions containing the protein skeletons. The topography of the gold particles was observed as sharp peaks in contact-mode AFM. This study suggests a method for unambiguous detection of three-dimensional nanotubes present in low abundance in a biological macromolecular complex. Only limited detection of proteins and lipids in surfaces of embedded tubular myelin was possible. EM and AFM imaging of such unusual biological structures may suggest unique lipid-protein associations and arrangements in three dimensions.
Application of Wavelet Energy Feature in Facial Expression Recognition

This paper proposes a high performance facial expression recognition method based on wavelet energy feature (WEF). As wavelet energy feature can discriminate the texture of expression images, it is used in facial expression recognition for the first time. Fisher's linear discriminants (FLD) can describe the details of the image, so we combine FLD with WEF. WEF is added to the image first, and then FLD is used to feature extraction. Finally, we use the Nearest-Neighbor rule to classify the seven expressions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, normal, sadness, surprise) of JAFFE. The very high recognition rate obtained in experiments shows the effect of the proposed method.
Modeling the Health Benefits of Carbon Emissions Reductions in China 1

Air pollution from the use of fossil fuel has been recognized to be a cause of serious health problems in China. The use of fossil fuel also produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas thought to be a major contributor to global climate change. In earlier work, we examined the economic effects of limiting CO2 emissions in China through the use of a carbon tax. In this paper we make a first attempt at estimating the local health benefits of such a tax. We employ a dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the Chinese economy, into which we have integrated a sub-model that enables us to capture health effects of burning fossil fuel. Although preliminary, our estimates indicate that a carbon tax that reduces carbon emissions from our base case by 10% in each year could also reduce premature deaths by 7-8% per year. Effects on other health related measures, such as cases of chronic bronchitis, asthma, and hospital emergency room visits, are similar. 1 This work was supported by the Harvard University Committee on the Environment’s China Project with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Gordon Hughes and Kseniya Lvovsky of the World Bank generously shared data and estimates from their work on the health costs of fuel use. We cooperated with Li Shantong and Zhai Fan of the Development Research Center of China’s State Council in preparing data for the model. Karen Fisher-Vanden and Gernot Wagner also contributed to this project.
Measure the Functional Size of a Mobile App: Using the COSMIC Functional Size Measurement Method

This paper describes a way the COSMIC measurement method could be applied to measure the functional size of mobile apps. Mobile apps are a fairly new type of software applications that are installed on mobile devices, usually a smartphone or a tablet. There are some important differences between traditional software applications and mobile apps, and these differences are the reason that a measurer has to make a number of assumptions and choices when doing the measurement. In this paper, these assumptions and choices are explained and the authors propose a way future COSMIC measurements of mobile apps could be carried out. In addition, an 'approximate' method is proposed that can be used to size mobile apps in a fast and accurate way.
Issues in the mapping of two diseases

Recently, there has been increased interest in the geographical modelling of two or more diseases. In this article, we consider a number of issues relating to such an endeavour including the standardization process and the comparison of univariate and bivariate disease mapping models. A principle motivation for the examination of two or more diseases is to discover similarities or dissimilarities in the geographical distribution of risk. In this article, we propose a proportional mortality approach to give clues to areas of similarity and dissimilarity. A secondary aim of bivariate modelling is to ‘borrow strength’ between diseases in order to provide better estimates of risk in each area. We will illustrate various modelling strategies using incidence data from 1996 to 2000 on lung and bladder cancer in Washington state.
The configurable and high-performance architecture design of 2D in-place IDWT in JPEG2000

A multi-level 2D-IDWT's architecture with high performance and memory efficiency is proposed. The proposed architecture is composed of two 1D-IDWT cores and one single rearrangement register. Both the 1D-IDWT cores take only one multiplier delay in their critical path at the throughput rate of one-input/one-output. The single register, rather than traditional 1.5N transposing memory, is used to complete rearrangement task. The pipeline architecture of 2D-IDWT takes only one multiplier in the critical path. Moreover,the proposed architecture reduces 27% on-chip memory(only need 2N for 53-IDWT and 4N for 97-IDWT) by utilizing the proposed alternate scanning method and decreases 20% off-chip memory by applying the proposed memory map strategy without any performance loss.
Clinical Decision Support Using OLAP With Data Mining

The healthcare industry collects huge amounts of data which, unfortunately, are not turned into useful information for effective decision making. Decision support systems (DSS) can now use advanced technologies such as On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) and data mining to deliver advanced capabilities. This paper presents a prototype clinical decision support system which combines the strengths of both OLAP and data mining. It provides a rich knowledge environment which is not achievable by using OLAP or data mining alone.
The Role Of and Experience From Policy Targets in National and International Government

Climate Strategies aims to assist governments in solving the collective action problem of climate change. Sponsors include departments from European governments and other stakeholders. This paper was produced as part of a wider project investigating international support for domestic climate policies. All papers are available at www.climatestrategies. org About Climate Strategies Climate Strategies aims to assist governments in solving the collective action problem of climate change. It connects leading applied research on international climate change issues to the policy process and to public debate, raising the quality and coherence of advice provided on policy formation. Its programmes convene international groups of experts to provide rigorous, fact-based and independent assessment on international climate change policy. To effectively communicate insights into climate change policy, Climate Strategies works with decision-makers in governments and business, particularly, but not restricted to, the countries of the European Union and EU institutions.
Experimental design and analysis of JND test on coded image/video

The visual Just-Noticeable-Difference (JND) metric is characterized by the detectable minimum amount of two visual stimuli. Conducting the subjective JND test is a labor-intensive task. In this work, we present a novel interactive method in performing the visual JND test on compressed image/video. JND has been used to enhance perceptual visual quality in the context of image/video compression. Given a set of coding parameters, a JND test is designed to determine the distinguishable quality level against a reference image/video, which is called the anchor. The JND metric can be used to save coding bitrates by exploiting the special characteristics of the human visual system. The proposed JND test is conducted using a binary-forced choice, which is often adopted to discriminate the difference in perception in a psychophysical experiment. The assessors are asked to compare coded image/video pairs and determine whether they are of the same quality or not. A bisection procedure is designed to find the JND locations so as to reduce the required number of comparisons over a wide range of bitrates. We will demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed JND test, report experimental results on the image and video JND tests.
Automatic Veri(cid:12)cation of Functions with Accumulating Parameters

Proof by mathematical induction plays a crucial role in the veri(cid:12)cation of program transformations. This paper focuses on the automatic veri(cid:12)cation of transformations which introduce accumulating parameters. Such veri(cid:12)cation e(cid:11)orts typically require a generalization step. In earlier papers we presented a technique for automating the generalization step by analysing failed proof attempts. Through empirical testing a natural generalization and extension of the basic technique emerged. Here we describe our extended generalization technique together with some promising experimental results.
Assigning Tasks to Workers by Referring to Their Schedules in Mobile Crowdsourcing

This paper focuses on task assignments to workers in mobile crowdsoucing systems. The current method does not work so well since it considers only workers who are ready to work at the time of optimization. Our method handles workers' day-long schedules, creates a `time-extended' worker-task graph that expresses the relationships between workers and tasks over a time period and finds the best set of worker-task-time triples. Our evaluation using real world visiting logs shows it increases the rate of assigned tasks by more than 8.2% compared with a state-of-the-art assignment method.
A G ] 2 4 Ju n 20 06 Twisting Derived Equivalences

We introduce a new method for “twisting” relative equivalences of derived categories of sheaves on two spaces over the same base. The first aspect of this is that the derived categories of sheaves on the spaces are twisted. They become derived categories of sheaves on gerbes living over spaces that are locally (on the base) isomorphic to the original spaces. Secondly, this is done in a compatible way so that the equivalence is maintained. We apply this method by proving the conjectures of Donagi and Pantev on dualities between gerbes on genus-one fibrations and comment on other applications to families of higher genus curves. We also include a related conjecture in Mirror Symmetry. This represents a modified version of my May 2006 thesis for the University of Pennsylvania. The only addition is the subsection titled ’Alternative Method’.
A Time-Sensitive Path Selection Algorithm for Connectionless Network

The performance of a computer network is mostly affected by heavy traffic. The upcoming networks are more sensitive to time. Especially in multimedia networks, time is an important factor. So, efficient mechanisms are needed to improve the performance of the network. Connectionless network uses multiple paths to send the packets and achieves higher bandwidth. But, Connection-oriented network uses the same/single path to send all the packets. In this paper, we have proposed an algorithm to send all the packets through i-paths instead of multiple paths. Here, i-paths denote intelligent paths. Our algorithm thinks differently and generates intelligent paths. As the time factor directly affects throughput, a time-sensitive path selection algorithm is need of the hour. The outcome of this paper gives better solutions to save time and to reduce congestion.