Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Logical openness in cognitive models

It is here proposed an analysis of symbolic and sub-symbolic models for studying cognitive processes, centered on emergence and logical openness notions. The Theory of logical openness connects the Physics of system/environment relationships to the system informational structure. In this theory, cognitive models can be ordered according to a hierarchy of complexity depending on their logical openness degree, and their descriptive limits are correlated to Godel-Turing Theorems on formal systems. The symbolic models with low logical openness describe cognition by means of semantics which fix the system/environment relationship (cognition in vitro), while the sub-symbolic ones with high logical openness tends to seize its evolutive dynamics (cognition in vivo). An observer is defined as a system with high logical openness. In conclusion, the characteristic processes of intrinsic emergence typical of “bio-logic” - emerging of new codes-require an alternative model to Turing-computation, the natural or bio-morphic computation, whose essential features we are going here to outline.
Will Regulatory and Financial Considerations Dampen Innovation in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory?

ABSTRACT Over a million prosthetic joints are placed in patients in the United States annually. Of those that fail, 25% will be due to infection, with an estimated cost approaching 1 billion dollars. Despite the clinical and economic importance of these infections, the techniques for their detection are relatively insensitive. An innovative method for detecting these infections by using blood culture bottles (BCB) to culture specimens of periprosthetic tissue (PPT) was described in a recent article [T. N. Peel, et al., mBio 7(1):e01776-15, 2016, doi:10.1128/mBio.01776-15]. There are two potential stumbling blocks to the widespread implementation of this innovation. First, the FDA judges such an application of BCB as an “off-label use” and as such, a laboratory-developed test (LDT). LDTs are coming under greater scrutiny by the FDA and may require extensive, costly validation studies in laboratories that adopt this methodology. Second, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has established a Hospital Acquired Condition Reduction Act under which institutions performing in the lowest quartile forfeit 1% of their Medicare reimbursement. Hospital-acquired infections are an important component of this quality metric. Although prosthetic joint infection (PJI) rates are not currently a hospital quality metric, given their cost and increasing frequency, it is reasonable to expect that they may become one. Will those with financial oversight allow an innovative technique that will require an expensive validation and may put the institution at risk for loss of CMS reimbursement?
The Implementation of a New Student Management Information System ( MIS ) at an Irish Institute of Technology – An Ex Post Evaluation of its Success

This paper is a case study examining the impact of the introduction of a large-scale student ICT system into an Institute of Technology (IoT) in Ireland. The system in question addresses all functions related to the ongoing administration of student affaires. It was implemented as part of a national project driven by the Department of Education and Science and the Council of Directors of the IoTs to standardise the ICT systems of the IoT sector. However, system introduction was problematic and it was necessary to support the new system with a number of additional software tools. The case study considers how well the current ICT arrangements satisfy the IoT’s requirements and it identifies remedial action for future success.
Higgsinos as carriers of SUSY residual effects

New version of the MSSM scales is discussed. In this version mu 10^7 GeV. Calculation of the mass difference has led to the value M_{chi_1^\pm}-M_{chi_{1,2}^0} ~ 360 MeV at M_{chi} ~ mu ~ 3 TeV. The mean life time of charged Higgsino in this model is tau_{chi_1^\pm} ~ 0.4 * 10^{-9} s. The analysis of the residual neutralino concentration in the cosmological plasma is developed and the value of Higgsino mass is estimated: M_{chi} ~ 3 TeV. Formation of the residual neutralino concentration occurs in the high symmetric phase of the cosmological plasma. Problems of the relic Higgsinos searches at the underground laboratory NUSEL and Galactic neutralino annihilation radiation at the satellite detector GLAST are discussed.
The alpha1-fetoprotein locus is activated by a nuclear receptor of the Drosophila FTZ-F1 family

The alpha1-fetoprotein (AFP) gene is located between the albumin and alpha-albumin genes and is activated by transcription factor FTF (fetoprotein transcription factor), presumed to transduce early developmental signals to the albumin gene cluster. We have identified FTF as an orphan nuclear receptor of the Drosophila FTZ-F1 family. FTF recognizes the DNA sequence 5'-TCAAGGTCA-3', the canonical recognition motif for FTZ-F1 receptors. cDNA sequence homologies indicate that rat FTF is the ortholog of mouse LRH-1 and Xenopus xFF1rA. Rodent FTF is encoded by a single-copy gene, related to the gene encoding steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1). The 5.2-kb FTF transcript is translated from several in-frame initiator codons into FTF isoforms (54 to 64 kDa) which appear to bind DNA as monomers, with no need for a specific ligand, similar KdS (approximately equal 3 x 10(-10) M), and similar transcriptional effects. FTF activates the AFP promoter without the use of an amino-terminal activation domain; carboxy-terminus-truncated FTF exerts strong dominant negative effects. In the AFP promoter, FTF recruits an accessory trans-activator which imparts glucocorticoid reactivity upon the AFP gene. FTF binding sites are found in the promoters of other liver-expressed genes, some encoding liver transcription factors; FTF, liver alpha1-antitrypsin promoter factor LFB2, and HNF-3beta promoter factor UF2-H3beta are probably the same factor. FTF is also abundantly expressed in the pancreas and may exert differentiation functions in endodermal sublineages, similar to SF-1 in steroidogenic tissues. HepG2 hepatoma cells seem to express a mutated form of FTF.
Abstraction and refinement in probabilistic systems

We summarise a verification method for probabilistic systems that is based on abstraction and refinement, and extends traditional assertional styles of verification.The approach makes extensive use of the expectation transformers of pGCL [17, 16, 13], a compact probabilistic programming language with an associated logic of real-valued functions. Analysis of large systems is made tractable by abstraction which, together with algebraic and logical reasoning, results in strong and general guarantees about probabilistic-system properties.Although our examples are specific (to pGCL), our overall goal in this note is to advocate the hierarchical development of probabilistic programs via levels of abstraction, connected by refinement, and to illustrate the proof obligations incurred by such an approach.
Genetic Dissection of Behavioural and Autonomic Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Mice

Marijuana and its main psychotropic ingredient Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exert a plethora of psychoactive effects through the activation of the neuronal cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), which is expressed by different neuronal subpopulations in the central nervous system. The exact neuroanatomical substrates underlying each effect of THC are, however, not known. We tested locomotor, hypothermic, analgesic, and cataleptic effects of THC in conditional knockout mouse lines, which lack the expression of CB1 in different neuronal subpopulations, including principal brain neurons, GABAergic neurons (those that release γ aminobutyric acid), cortical glutamatergic neurons, and neurons expressing the dopamine receptor D1, respectively. Surprisingly, mice lacking CB1 in GABAergic neurons responded to THC similarly as wild-type littermates did, whereas deletion of the receptor in all principal neurons abolished or strongly reduced the behavioural and autonomic responses to the drug. Moreover, locomotor and hypothermic effects of THC depend on cortical glutamatergic neurons, whereas the deletion of CB1 from the majority of striatal neurons and a subpopulation of cortical glutamatergic neurons blocked the cataleptic effect of the drug. These data show that several important pharmacological actions of THC do not depend on functional expression of CB1 on GABAergic interneurons, but on other neuronal populations, and pave the way to a refined interpretation of the pharmacological effects of cannabinoids on neuronal functions.
snapPVFS: Snapshot-Able Parallel Virtual File System

In this paper, we propose a modified parallel virtual file system that provides snapshot functionality. Because typical file systems are exposed to various failures, taking a snapshot is a good way to enhance the reliability of file systems. The PVFS, which is one of the famous parallel file systems deployed in cluster systems, is vulnerable to system failures or users¿ mistakes; however, there is a scarcity of research on snapshots or online backup for the PVFS. Because a PVFS consists of multiple servers on a network, snapshots should be generated properly in each server in the system. Furthermore, before snapshots are generated, the status of each PVFS server must be checked to guarantee sound operation. To demonstrate our approach, we implemented two prototypes of a snapshot-able PVFS (snapPVFS). The performance measurements indicate that an administrator can take snapshots of an entire parallel file system and properly access any previous versions of files or directories in the future without serious performance degradation.
Global and regional emissions of HFC-125 ( CHF [ subscript 2 ] CF [ subscript 3 ] ) from in situ and air archive atmospheric observations at AGAGE and SOGE observatories Citation

Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. [1] High-frequency, in situ observations from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) and System for Observation of halogenated Greenhouse gases in Europe (SOGE) networks for the period 1998 to 2008, combined with archive flask measurements dating back to 1978, have been used to capture the rapid growth of HFC-125 (CHF 2 CF 3) in the atmosphere. HFC-125 is the fifth most abundant HFC, and it currently makes the third largest contribution of the HFCs to atmospheric radiative forcing. At the beginning of 2008 the global average was 5.6 ppt in the lower troposphere and the growth rate was 16% yr À1. The extensive observations have been combined with a range of modeling techniques to derive global emission estimates in a top-down approach. It is estimated that 21 kt were emitted globally in 2007, and the emissions are estimated to have increased 15% yr À1 since 2000. These estimates agree within approximately 20% with values reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provided that estimated emissions from East Asia are included. Observations of regionally polluted air masses at individual AGAGE sites have been used to produce emission estimates for Europe (the EU-15 countries), the United States, and Australia. Comparisons between these top-down estimates and bottom-up estimates based on reports by individual countries to the UNFCCC show a range of approximately four in the differences. This process of independent verification of emissions, and an understanding of the differences, is vital for assessing the effectiveness of international treaties, such as the Kyoto Protocol.
Malnutrition and disability: unexplored opportunities for collaboration

Abstract There is increasing international interest in the links between malnutrition and disability: both are major global public health problems, both are key human rights concerns, and both are currently prominent within the global health agenda. In this review, interactions between the two fields are explored and it is argued that strengthening links would lead to important mutual benefits and synergies. At numerous points throughout the life-cycle, malnutrition can cause or contribute to an individual’s physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health disability. By working more closely together, these problems can be transformed into opportunities: nutrition services and programmes for children and adults can act as entry points to address and, in some cases, avoid or mitigate disability; disability programmes can improve nutrition for the children and adults they serve. For this to happen, however, political commitment and resources are needed, as are better data.
An Efficient Heuristic Approach for Irregular LDPC Code Construction with Low Error

Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes are increasingly being considered as good candidates for the nextgeneration FEC codes in high throughput wireless and recording applications. Trapping sets (TSs) are known to cause error floors in regular and irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. In existing algorithm, namely the Progressive-Edge-Growth Approximate-minimum-Cycle-Set-Extrinsic-message-degree (PEG-ACSE) method that aims to avoid small elementary trapping sets (ETSs), particularly detrimental ETSs during the code construction process which lowers error floor effectively. But as the length of code increases computational complexity and Error Floor increases using this conventional method. We proposed an efficient heuristic approach which reduces error floor and computational complexity in an irregular LDPC code design process. In our proposed method parity check matrices are generated randomly and mutation operation is performed on this matrix. Corresponding Tanner graph is plotted for each matrix. Messages are transmitted over Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel, Bit Error Rate (BER), Frame Error Rate (FER) and computational complexity is calculated through our proposed algorithm. Results from simulations show that the codes constructed using the proposed method produce lower error rates with reduced computational complexity, particularly at the high signal-to-noise (SNR) region, compared with codes constructed using other PEG-ACSE based algorithms.
Average Size of a Suffix Tree for Markov Sources

We study a suffix tree built from a sequence generated by a Markovian source. Such sources are more realistic probabilistic models for text generation, data compression, molecular applications, and so forth. We prove that the average size of such a suffix tree is asymptotically equivalent to the average size of a trie built over n independentsequences from the same Markovian source. This equivalenceis only known for memoryless sources. We then derive a formula for the size of a trie under Markovian model to complete the analysis for suffix trees. We accomplish our goal by applying some novel techniques of analytic combinatorics on words also known as analytic pattern matching
Gait Recognition for Human Identification Using Fourier Descriptor and Anatomical Landmarks

This paper presents a gait recognition method which is based on spatio-temporal movement characteristics of human subject with respect to surveillance camera. Different measures, like leg rise from ground (LRFG), the angles created between the legs with the centre of Mass (ABLC), angles created between the Centre of Mass Knee and Ankle with the (CKA), angles created between Centre of Mass, Wrist and knee (CWK), the distances between the control points and centre of Mass (DCC) have been taken as different features. Fourier descriptor has been used for shape extraction of individual frames of a subject. Statistical approach has been used for recognition of individuals based on the n feature vectors, each of size 23(collected from LRFG, ABLCs, CKA, CWK and DCCs) for each video frame. It has been found that recognition result of our approach is encouraging with compared to other recent methods.
Lost Student Tracking in an Incomplete and Imprecise Information Environment Using Soft Computing Paradigm

In a country like India, the growth rate of the number of academic institutions is at par with the lost student rate. Hence when a lost student is found we need to identify the student on the basis of information such as name of the student, institution name where he studies, class or branch of the student, etc. But the fact is that in most of the cases one never gets complete and precise information to identify a lost student. Hence, in such environment a soft computing model can be an attractive alternative to identify a lost student on the basis of imprecise or partial information. This paper presents a soft computing model for identifying lost student on the basis of imprecise and partial information. In this model student information is represented as a symbolic student object. Symbolic student object is further processed using a fuzzy symbolic model for identifying the lost student. The authors have devised a symbolic knowledge base which acts as a repository of information pertaining to student of different institutions that assist in creating student object and identifying the lost student. A fuzzy technique "symbolic similarity measure" is devised for generating symbolic student object and mapping the symbolic student object with student information present in knowledge base. This system has been tested scrupulously and an efficiency of above 90% has been achieved in identifying the lost student.
Genetic Traces of Recent Long-Distance Dispersal in a Predominantly Self-Recruiting Coral

Background Understanding of the magnitude and direction of the exchange of individuals among geographically separated subpopulations that comprise a metapopulation (connectivity) can lead to an improved ability to forecast how fast coral reef organisms are likely to recover from disturbance events that cause extensive mortality. Reef corals that brood their larvae internally and release mature larvae are believed to show little exchange of larvae over ecological times scales and are therefore expected to recover extremely slowly from large-scale perturbations. Methodology/Principal Findings Using analysis of ten DNA microsatellite loci, we show that although Great Barrier Reef (GBR) populations of the brooding coral, Seriatopora hystrix, are mostly self-seeded and some populations are highly isolated, a considerable amount of sexual larvae (up to ∼4%) has been exchanged among several reefs 10 s to 100 s km apart over the past few generations. Our results further indicate that S. hystrix is capable of producing asexual propagules with similar long-distance dispersal abilities (∼1.4% of the sampled colonies had a multilocus genotype that also occurred at another sampling location), which may aid in recovery from environmental disturbances. Conclusions/Significance Patterns of connectivity in this and probably other GBR corals are complex and need to be resolved in greater detail through genetic characterisation of different cohorts and linkage of genetic data with fine-scale hydrodynamic models.
A Survey for Region-Based Level Set Image Segmentation

Partial differential equations are widely used in image segmentation. Meanwhile, topological change of Curve evolution, which is very difficult to solve previously, was effectively handled by level set method proposed by Osher and Sethian. In this paper, several region-based level set image segmentation models in recent years are described in details. By experimenting some of the models, the main limitations and development potential of this field are discussed.
Using Data Mining Techniques for Knowledge Management : an Empirical Study

In this paper we argue that data mining can make a significant contribution to knowledge management initiatives. We use two studies to show how data mining can make the difference during the knowledge management process. First, we describe how data mining was used as part of the knowledge management initiative in a major Portuguese telecommunications company. We demonstrate how implementation of data mining for generating new knowledge about credit risk improved the company performance. Secondly, we carry out a feasibility study of a knowledge management project in a major Finnish engineering company. We explore how data mining can improve the quality and responsiveness of reporting in corporate communications unit. The results of the studies allow us to conclude that data mining has strong functional capabilities to support knowledge management initiatives.
Coping strategies among suspected food intolerant patients: relationships to psychological factors, personality and quality of life.

Aim: This study aimed to classify RPAH Allergy Unit patients with suspected food intolerance into coping style categories, linking these to psychological, personality and quality of life scores for improved adherence and effectiveness of the RPAH Elimination Diet as a diagnostic tool. Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted at the RPAH Allergy Unit between March 2014 and April 2015. Data was collected using Allergy Unit Patient Information Form, World Health Organisation Quality of Life-Bref Form, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations Form, Beck Depression Index-Second Edition, State Trait Anxiety Index Y Form and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Data was entered into Microsoft Excel 2007 and Prism (Version 6), with descriptive and statistical (Pearson’s correlation) analyses performed. Results: Data analysis of 97 study participants found task-oriented coping was significantly negatively correlated with all psychological parameters and neuroticism, while positively correlated with psychological and environmental quality of life. Emotion-oriented coping was significantly positively correlated with all psychological parameters and neuroticism, while negatively correlated with psychological and environmental quality of life. Avoidance-oriented coping was negatively correlated with depression, while positively correlated to extraversion, agreeableness and psychological quality of life. Conclusions: This study reproduces links between specific coping styles and psychological symptoms experienced by patients at the RPAH Allergy Unit, as seen in