Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Can Psychology Contribute to the Free Will Debate

Are people free and morally responsible? Or are their actions determined, i.e. inevitable outcomes of the past conditions and the laws of nature? These seem fairly straightforward questions, but it is important to distinguish 3 different dimensions of the free will debate: a descriptive project, a substantive project, and a prescriptive project. In this chapter, I’ll consider how psychology can contribute to each project in turn. First, I should say a bit more about the projects. The goal of the descriptive project is to determine the character of folk intuitions surrounding agency and responsibility. By uncovering the folk intuitions, one hopes to be able to sketch out the folk theory that underlies these intuitions. Of particular interest for the free will debate is whether the folk notions of choice and moral responsibility are consistent with determinism. Incompatibilists maintain that our conceptions of free will and moral responsibility are at odds with determinism. Compatibilists deny this and insist that our notions of free will and moral responsibility are consistent with determinism. The goal of the substantive project is then to determine whether the folk views are correct. Given the folk concepts and the way the world is, does free will exist? Are people morally responsible? Libertarians maintain that we do have indeterminist free will (e.g. Kane 1996, O’Connor 1995, Campbell 1957). Eliminativists about free will maintain that free will doesn’t exist. The best known version of this view is ‘hard determinism’, according to which we lack free will because determinism is true. However, many free will eliminativists maintain that even if determinism is false, we still lack the kind of indeterminist choice that is required by the folk notion (e.g. Pereboom 2001, Sommers 2005, Strawson 1986). On this view, our notion of free choice is incompatible with the facts, regardless of whether determinism is true or false.
Verifying global convergence for a digital phase-locked loop

We present a verification of a digital phase-locked loop (PLL) using the SpaceEx hybrid-systems tool. In particular, we establish global convergence - from any initial state the PLL eventually reaches a state of phase and frequency lock. Having shown that the PLL converges to a small region, traditional methods of circuit analysis based on linear-systems theory can be used to characterize the response of the PLL when in lock. The majority of the verification involves modeling each component of the PLL with piece-wise linear differential inclusions. We show how non-linear transfer functions, quantization error, and other non-idealities can be included in such a model. A limitation of piece-wise linear inclusions is that the linear coefficients for each component must take on fixed values. For real designs, ranges will be specified for these components. We show how a key step of the verification can be generalized to handle interval values for the linear coefficients by using an SMT solver.
No More Excuses - Personality Traits and Academic Dishonesty in Online Courses

Academic dishonesty is a disturbing issue in higher education that has been worsening over the years, especially with the appearance of the internet and the e-learning education. This new technology exposes students to the opportunity of using online bank exams and term papers and increases their tendency to cheat. This study investigates student academic dishonesty in the context of traditional and distance-learning courses in higher education. Data from 1,365 students enrolled in academic institutes in the U.S.A and Israel were surveyed to assess their personality and their willingness to commit various acts of academic misconduct. The findings indicate that in both countries dishonest behaviors are greater in face-to-face courses than in online courses. In addition, both American and Israeli students identified with the personality trait of Agreeableness showed a negative correlation with academic dishonesty. Furthermore, Israeli students identified with the personality traits of Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability demonstrated a negative correlation with academic dishonesty. In contrast, the personality trait of Extraversion among American students was found in a positive correlation with academic misconduct. Implications for further research are discussed.
Probabilistic Stable Functions on Discrete Cones are Power Series

We study the category Cstabm of measurable cones and measurable stable functions---a denotational model of an higher-order language with continuous probabilities and full recursion [7]. We look at Cstabm as a model for discrete probabilities, by showing the existence of a cartesian closed, full and faithful functor which embeds probabilistic coherence spaces---a fully abstract denotational model of an higher language with full recursion and discrete probabilities [8]---into Cstabm. The proof is based on a generalization of Bernstein's theorem from real analysis allowing to see stable functions between discrete cones as generalized power series.
Involvement of P2X7 receptors in the regulation of neurotransmitter release in the rat hippocampus

Although originally cloned from rat brain, the P2X7 receptor has only recently been localized in neurones, and functional responses mediated by these neuronal P2X7 receptors (P2X7R) are largely unknown. Here we studied the effect of P2X7R activation on the release of neurotransmitters from superfused rat hippocampal slices. ATP (1–30 mm) and other ATP analogues elicited concentration‐dependent [3H]GABA outflow, with the following rank order of potency: benzoylbenzoylATP (BzATP) > ATP > ADP. PPADS, the non‐selective P2‐receptor antagonist (3–30 µm), Brilliant blue G (1–100 nm) the P2X7‐selective antagonist and Zn2+ (0.1–30 µm) inhibited, whereas lack of Mg2+ potentiated the response by ATP. In situ hybridization revealed that P2X7R mRNA is expressed in the neurones of the cell body layers in the hippocampus. P2X7R immunoreactivity was found in excitatory synaptic terminals in CA1 and CA3 region targeting the dendrites of pyramidal cells and parvalbumin labelled structures. ATP (3–30 µm) and BzATP (0.6–6 µm) elicited concentration‐dependent [14C]glutamate efflux, and blockade of the kainate receptor‐mediated transmission by CNQX (10–100 µm) and gadolinium (100 µm), decreased ATP evoked [3H]GABA efflux. The Na+ channel blocker TTX (1 µm), low temperature (12°C), and the GABA uptake blocker nipecotic acid (1 mm) prevented ATP‐induced [3H]GABA efflux. Brilliant blue G and PPADS also reduced electrical field stimulation‐induced [3H]GABA efflux. In conclusion, P2X7Rs are localized to the excitatory terminals in the hippocampus, and their activation regulates the release of glutamate and GABA from themselves and from their target cells.
The follower count fallacy: detecting Twitter users with manipulated follower count

Online Social Networks (OSN) are increasingly being used as platform for an effective communication, to engage with other users, and to create a social worth via number of likes, followers and shares. Such metrics and crowd-sourced ratings give the OSN user a sense of social reputation which she tries to maintain and boost to be more influential. Users artificially bolster their social reputation via black-market web services. In this work, we identify users which manipulate their projected follower count using an unsupervised local neighborhood detection method. We identify a neighborhood of the user based on a robust set of features which reflect user similarity in terms of the expected follower count. We show that follower count estimation using our method has 84.2% accuracy with a low error rate. In addition, we estimate the follower count of the user under suspicion by finding its neighborhood drawn from a large random sample of Twitter. We show that our method is highly tolerant to synthetic manipulation of followers. Using the deviation of predicted follower count from the displayed count, we are also able to detect customers with a high precision of 98.62%.
On the Properties of Non-Media Digital Watermarking: A Review of State of the Art Techniques

Over the last 25 years, there has been much work on multimedia digital watermarking. In this domain, the primary limitation to watermark strength has been in its visibility. For multimedia watermarks, invisibility is defined in human terms (that is, in terms of human sensory limitations). In this paper, we review recent developments in the non-media applications of data watermarking, which have emerged over the last decade as an exciting new sub-domain. Since by definition, the intended receiver should be able to detect the watermark, we have to redefine invisibility in an acceptable way that is often application-specific and thus cannot be easily generalized. In particular, this is true when the data is not intended to be directly consumed by humans. For example, a loose definition of robustness might be in terms of the resilience of a watermark against normal host data operations, and of invisibility as resilience of the data interpretation against change introduced by the watermark. In this paper, we classify the data in terms of data mining rules on complex types of data such as time-series, symbolic sequences, data streams, and so forth. We emphasize the challenges involved in non-media watermarking in terms of common watermarking properties, including invisibility, capacity, robustness, and security. With the aid of a few examples of watermarking applications, we demonstrate these distinctions and we look at the latest research in this regard to make our argument clear and more meaningful. As the last aim, we look at the new challenges of digital watermarking that have arisen with the evolution of big data.
Persistent facial pain conditions

Persistent facial pains, especially temporoman-dibular disorders (TMD), are common conditions. As dentists are responsible for the treat-ment of most of these disorders, up-to date knowledge on the latest advances in the field is essential for successful diagnosis and management. The review covers TMD, and different neuropathic or putative neuropathic facial pains such as persistent idiopathic facial pain and atypical odontalgia, trigeminal neuralgia and painful posttraumatic trigeminal neuropathy. The article presents an overview of TMD pain as a biopsychosocial condition, its prevalence, clinical features, consequences, central and peripheral mechanisms, diagnostic criteria (DC/TMD)
An Application-Driven Modular IoT Architecture

Building upon the advancements in the recent years, a new paradigm in technology has emerged in Internet of Things (IoT). IoT has allowed for communication with the surrounding environment through a multitude of sensors and actuators, yet operating on limited energy. Several researchers have presented IoT architectures for respective applications, often challenged by requiring major updates for adoption to a different application. Further, this comes with several uncertainties such as type of computational device required at the edge, mode of wireless connectivity required, methods to obtain power efficiency, and not ensuring rapid deployment. This paper starts with providing a horizontal overview of each layer in IoT architecture and options for different applications. Then it presents a broad application-driven modular architecture, which can be easily customized for rapid deployment. This paper presents the diverse hardware used in several IoT layers such as sensors, embedded processors, wireless transceivers, internet gateway, and application management cloud server. Later, this paper presents implementation results for diverse applications including healthcare, structural health monitoring, agriculture, and indoor tour guide systems. It is hoped that this research will assist the potential user to easily choose IoT hardware and software as it pertains to their respective needs.
Evaluating Conflict Dynamics

Interest in processes has become increasingly pronounced in international conflict research in recent years, especially how these processes unfold across time “dynamics”. We focus in particular on “stage conceptions” of dynamics: processes that unfold over a series of sequential, and possibly recurrent, stages. We suggest that stage conceptions have two key properties: plurisectality and conditional covariate effects. We propose a novel econometric application to quantitatively assess claims regarding stage conceptions of dynamics: survival modeling. Specifically, we use multistate models to examine how a process evolves through its individual stages, and also whether covariate effects differ across these stages. We use Huth and Allee’s territorial dispute data to demonstrate the importance of conceptualizing conflict as a dynamic process, as well as empirically modeling it as such. We show democracy has different effects on dispute resolution, depending on the dispute’s stage, but that these different effects disappear after time passes.
Minimally Invasive Treatment Protocol for Closed Pilon Fractures

Introduction: high-energy injuries of distal tibia are usually associated with serious bony and soft tissues complications. Surgical options include biologic or open, internal or external fixation and primary arthrodesis with a lot of available fixation tools with no one treatment method has demonstrated superiority over others. Material & Methods: from January 2007 to December 2010, 72 patients with closed pilon fractures managed by minimally invasive techniques according to a suggested protocol in the Al-Razi orthopedic hospital in Kuwait. Protocol is designed to choose minimally invasive treatment option depends on: 1) regional classification of soft tissue injuries, 2) grade of soft tissue injury & 3) degree of bony comminution. Results: the mean follow up period was 34 months (range: 24–48 months). According to Tornetta clinical scoring system 35 (48.5%) patients were assessed as excellent, 29 patients with good results (40.5%), 5 patients (7%) assumed fair results and 3 patients (4%) had poor results. Using Teeny & Wiss radiologic scoring system, 43 patients (59.5%) achieved excellent results, 24 patients (33.5%) achieved good results, 4 patients (5.5%) with fair results and only one patient (1.5%) with poor result. Conclusion: The designed protocol of minimally invasive treatment for closed pilon fractures provides the treating surgeon a variety of treatment options aiming to decrease the high rate of soft tissues and bony complications reported with these complex injuries.The unfavorable results will be decreased more if this protocol is combined with soft tissues stretching rehabilitation program and weight bearing is postponed until bony union become evident both clinically and radiologically.
Impact of Living Environment on 2-Year Mortality in Elderly Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

Background Studies on risk factors of mortality in elderly patients with hemodialysis usually focus on comorbidities, nutrition, and inflammation. Discussion on the correlation between living environment and mortality of these patients is limited. Methods A total of 256 elderly hemodialysis patients participated in this 2-year prospective observational study. The subjects were divided into 2 subgroups based on whether they were living in Taipei Basin (n = 63) or not (n = 193). Demographic, hematological, nutritional, inflammatory, biochemical, and dialysis-related data were obtained for cross-sectional analysis. Causes of death and mortality rates were also analyzed for each subgroup. Results Patients in the basin group had a higher incidence of combined protein-energy wasting and inflammation than those in the around basin group. At the end of the 2-year follow-up, 68 patients had died. Univariate binary logistic regression analysis revealed that a very advanced age, basin group, serum albumin levels, serum creatinine levels, non-anuria, and the complications of stroke and CAD were associated with 2-year mortality. Meanwhile, log high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were not associated with 2-year mortality. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that basin group, serum albumin levels, and the complications of stroke and CAD were significant risk factors for 2-year mortality in these patients. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that factors such as living in the Taipei Basin with higher air pollutant levels in elderly hemodialysis patients is associated with protein-energy wasting and inflammation, as well as 2-year mortality. These findings suggest that among this population, living environment is as important as comorbidities and nutrition. Furthermore, air pollution should be getting more attention especially in the overcrowding Basin topography.
On a Class of Supereulerian Digraphs

The 2-sum of two digraphs and , denoted , is the digraph obtained from the disjoint union of and by identifying an arc in with an arc in . A digraph D is supereulerian if D contains a spanning eulerian subdigraph. It has been noted that the 2-sum of two supereulerian (or even hamiltonian) digraphs may not be supereulerian. We obtain several sufficient conditions on and for to be supereulerian. In particular, we show that if and are symmetrically connected or partially symmetric, then is supereulerian.
Synapsin I and Synapsin II regulate neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult mice

Adult neurogenesis is emerging as an important player in brain functions and homeostasis, while impaired or altered adult neurogenesis has been associated with a number of neuropsychiatric diseases, such as depression and epilepsy. Here we investigated the possibility that synapsins (Syns) I and II, beyond their known functions in developing and mature neurons, also play a role in adult neurogenesis. We performed a systematic evaluation of the distinct stages of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Syn I and Syn II knockout (KO) mice, before (2-months-old) and after (6-months-old) the appearance of the epileptic phenotype. We found that Syns I and II play an important role in the regulation of adult neurogenesis. In juvenile mice, Syn II deletion was associated with a specific decrease in the proliferation of neuronal progenitors, whereas Syn I deletion impaired the survival of newborn neurons. These defects were reverted after the appearance of the epileptic phenotype, with Syn I KO and Syn II KO mice exhibiting significant increases in survival and proliferation, respectively. Interestingly, long-term potentiation dependent on newborn neurons was present in both juvenile Syn mutants while, at later ages, it was only preserved in Syn II KO mice that also displayed an increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This study suggests that Syns I and II play a role in adult neurogenesis and the defects in neurogenesis associated with Syn deletion may contribute to the alterations of cognitive functions observed in Syn-deficient mice.
Control functions for a radially operated three-terminal VSC-HVDC system: The SA.CO.I. HVDC case

The EU FP7 BEST PATHS research project is investigating in one of its Demos the possible refurbishment of the three-terminal HVDC link “SA.CO.I.2” (300 MW) between Sardinia, Corsica and the continental grid. The present paper proposes a dedicated control solution, based on the “voltage margin method”, for the future SA.CO.I.3 assuming the adoption of Voltage Source Converters “VSC” with a bipolar configuration and a 600 MW transmission capacity. The three-terminal VSC-HVDC SA.CO.I.3 has been modelled together with a “horizon year 2030” representation of the interconnected AC systems in the DigSILENT PowerFactory® software. The simulation of electromechanical transients in Sardinia demonstrated that the proposed control solution is able to exploit the VSC technical potentialities with advantage, in particular, for the insular Sardinian/Corsican frequency stability.
Exploiting Typical Values to Accelerate Deep Learning

To deliver the hardware computation power advances needed to support deep learning innovations, identifying deep learning properties that designers could potentially exploit is invaluable. This article articulates our strategy and overviews several value properties of deep learning models that we identified and some of our hardware designs that exploit them to reduce computation, and on- and off-chip storage and communication.
Kinetic estimated glomerular filtration rate as a predictor of successful continuous renal replacement therapy discontinuation

No standardized criteria for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) discontinuation have been established. Kinetic estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a newly developed estimation method based on dynamic changes of serum creatinine expected to reflect the true GFR. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive role of kinetic eGFR for CRRT discontinuation.
SmartFix: Indoor Locating Optimization Algorithm for Energy-Constrained Wearable Devices

Indoor localization technology based on Wi-Fi has long been a hot research topic in the past decade. Despite numerous solutions, new challenges have arisen along with the trend of smart home and wearable computing. For example, power efficiency needs to be significantly improved for resource-constrained wearable devices, such as smart watch and wristband. For a Wi-Fi-based locating system, most of the energy consumption can be attributed to real-time radio scan; however, simply reducing radio data collection will cause a serious loss of locating accuracy because of unstable Wi-Fi signals. In this paper, we present SmartFix, an optimization algorithm for indoor locating based on Wi-Fi RSS. SmartFix utilizes user motion features, extracts characteristic value from history trajectory, and corrects deviation caused by unstable Wi-Fi signals. We implemented a prototype of SmartFix both on Moto 360 2nd-generation Smartwatch and on HTC One Smartphone. We conducted experiments both in a large open area and in an office hall. Experiment results demonstrate that average locating error is less than 2 meters for more than 80% cases, and energy consumption is only 30% of Wi-Fi fingerprinting method under the same experiment circumstances.
Classification of user states with physiological signals: On-line generic features vs. specialized feature sets

For on-line classification of user states such as emotions or stress levels, we present a new, generic, and efficient physiological feature set. In contrast to common approaches using features specifically tailored to each physiological signal, we break up feature extraction into a simple, signal-specific pre-processing step, and the calculation of a comprehensive set of signal-independent features. This systematizes feature design for each physiological signal and facilitates the transfer to other signals. The time complexity of the approach is independent of the size of the analysis window and of the frequency with which feature vectors are computed for classification. We also provide a variant of the feature set that has low memory requirements. Thus, our approach is well suited for implementing real-time applications. We evaluate the proposed features with an emotion and a stress classification task, showing that they are competitive w.r. t. the performance of classifications using signal-tuned state-of-the-art features.