Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The dynamical hypothesis in cognitive science

According to the dominant computational approach in cognitive science, cognitive agents are digital computers; according to the alternative approach, they are dynamical systems. This target article attempts to articulate and support the dynamical hypothesis. The dynamical hypothesis has two major components: the nature hypothesis (cognitive agents are dynamical systems) and the knowledge hypothesis (cognitive agents can be understood dynamically). A wide range of objections to this hypothesis can be rebutted. The conclusion is that cognitive systems may well be dynamical systems, and only sustained empirical research in cognitive science will determine the extent to which that is true.
Collaboro: a collaborative (meta) modeling tool

6 Software development processes are collaborative in nature. Neglecting the key role of end-users leads to software unlikely to satisfy their needs. This collaboration becomes specially important when creating Domain-Specific Modeling Languages (DSMLs), which are (modeling) languages specifically designed to carry out the tasks of a particular domain. While end-users are actually the experts of the domain for which a DSML is developed, their participation in the DSML specification process is still rather limited nowadays. In this paper, we propose a more community-aware language development process by enabling the active participation of all community members (both developers and end-users of the DSML) from the very beginning. Our proposal is based on a DSML itself, called Collaboro, which allows representing change proposals on the DSML design and discussing (and tracing back) possible solutions, comments and decisions arisen during the collaboration. Collaboro also incorporates a metric-based recommender system to help community members to define high-quality notations for the DSMLs. We also show how Collaboro can be used at the model-level to facilitate the collaborative specification of software models. 7
Introducing reliability in content-based publish-subscribe through epidemic algorithms

Distributed content-based publish-subscribe middleware provides the necessary decoupling, flexibility, expressiveness, and scalability required by modern distributed applications. Unfortunately, this middleware usually does not provide reliability, especially in the presence of highly reconfigurable scenarios. Indeed, this problem has been thus far largely disregarded by the research community and solutions developed in other contexts are not immediately applicable.In this paper, we tackle the problem of introducing reliability in content-based publish-subscribe in dynamic environments by exploiting epidemic algorithms, whose characteristics in terms of decentralization, scalability, and resilience to topological changes resonate with our problem.
Fast lane tracking for autonomous urban driving using hidden Markov models and multiresolution Hough transform

Purpose – Lane tracking is one of the most important processes for autonomous vehicles because the navigable region usually stands between the lanes, especially in urban environments. A robust lane tracking method is also required for reducing the effect of the noise and the required processing time. The purpose of this paper is to present a new lane tracking method.Design/methodology/approach – A new lane tracking method is presented which uses a partitioning technique for obtaining multiresolution Hough transform of the acquired vision data where Hough transform is one of the most popular algorithms for lane detection. After the detection process, for tracking the detected lanes, a hidden Markov model (HMM) based method is proposed.Findings – The results of the proposed approach show that the partitioned Hough transformation reduces the effect of noise and provides robust lane tracking. In addition, the acquired lanes are successfully tracked by using the designed HMM.Originality/value – This paper prov.
Highly photosensitive vertical photodetectors based on CsPbBr3 and PbS quantum-dot-layered heterojunction

To overcome existing limitations in sensitivity and cost of state-of-the-art systems, new-style device structures and composite material systems are needed with low-cost fabrication and high performance. Vertical field effect photodetectors are fabricated with Au/Ag nanowires as the transparent source electrode and with vertically stacked layers of CsPbBr3 and lead sulfide quantum dots, which formed heterojunctions. The built-in electric field in the layered heterojunction aids the separation of photoinduced excitons, while the short channel enables efficient carrier transport across the active region. Both of these benefits enable a high photo performance and fast photoresponse. This vertical phototransistors exhibit a wide response spectrum from 400 to 2100 nm, a high photoresponsivity of more than 9 × 108 AW−1, and a high detectivity of up to 2 × 1017 Jones (cm Hz1/2 W−1) under infrared illumination. Additionally, this vertical phototransistor had a response time of 3 μs. The solution –based fabrication process and excellent device performances strongly underscore vertical architecture combined with the layered heterojunction as a promising approach for future photodetection field.
Cellular immune response in intraventricular experimental neurocysticercosis

SUMMARY Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is considered a neglected parasitic infection of the human central nervous system. Its pathogenesis is due to the host immune response, stage of evolution and location of the parasite. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in situ and systemic immune response through cytokines dosage (IL-4, IL-10, IL-17 and IFN-γ) as well as the local inflammatory response of the experimental NCC with Taenia crassiceps. The in situ and systemic cellular and inflammatory immune response were evaluated through the cytokines quantification at 7, 30, 60 and 90 days after inoculation and histopathological analysis. All cysticerci were found within the cerebral ventricles. There was a discrete intensity of inflammatory cells of mixed immune profile, polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells, at the beginning of the infection and predominance of mononuclear cells at the end. The systemic immune response showed a significant increase in all the analysed cytokines and predominance of the Th2 immune profile cytokines at the end of the infection. These results indicate that the location of the cysticerci may lead to ventriculomegaly. The acute phase of the infection showed a mixed Th1/Th17 profile accompanied by high levels of IL-10 while the late phase showed a Th2 immune profile.
The Myxococcus xanthus pilQ(sglA) Gene Encodes a Secretin Homolog Required for Type IV Pilus Biogenesis, Social Motility, and Development

ABSTRACT The Myxococcus xanthus sglA1 spontaneous mutation was originally isolated because it allowed dispersed cell growth in liquid yet retained the ability to form fruiting bodies. Consequently, most of today’s laboratory strains either contain the sglA1mutation or were derived from strains that carry it. Subsequent work showed that sglA was a gene for social gliding motility, a process which is mediated by type IV pili. Here sglA is shown to map to the major pil cluster and to encode a 901-amino-acid open reading frame (ORF) that is homologous to the secretin superfamily of proteins. Secretins form a channel in the outer membrane for the transport of macromolecules. The closest homologs found were PilQ proteins from Pseudomonas aeruginosa andNeisseria gonorrhoeae, which are required for type IV pili biogenesis and twitching motility. To signify these molecular and functional similarities, we have changed the name of sglAto pilQ. The hypomorphic pilQ1(sglA1) allele was sequenced and found to contain two missense mutations at residues 741 (G→S) and 762 (N→G). In addition, 19 independent social (S)-motility mutations are shown to map to the pilQ locus. In-frame deletions of pilQand its downstream gene, orfL, were constructed.pilQ is shown to be essential for pilus biogenesis, S-motility, rippling, and fruiting body formation, whileorfL is dispensable for these processes. ThepilQ1 allele, but not the ΔpilQ allele, was found to render cells hypersensitive to vancomycin, suggesting that PilQ1 alters the permeability properties of the outer membrane. Many differences between pilQ1 and pilQ+strains have been noted in the literature. We discuss some of these observations and how they may be rationalized in the context of our molecular and functional findings.
Designing High-Quality Embedded Control Systems with Guaranteed Stability

Many embedded systems comprise several controllers sharing available resources. It is well known that such resource sharing leads to complex timing behavior that degrades the quality of control, and more importantly, can jeopardize stability in the worst-case, if not properly taken into account during design. Although stability of the control applications is absolutely essential, a design flow driven by the worst-case scenario often leads to poor control quality due to the significant amount of pessimism involved and the fact that the worst-case scenario occurs very rarely. On the other hand, designing the system merely based on control quality, determined by the expected (average-case) behavior, does not guarantee the stability of control applications in the worst-case. Therefore, both control quality and worst-case stability have to be considered during the design process, i.e., period assignment, task scheduling, and control-synthesis. In this paper, we present an integrated approach for designing high-quality embedded control systems, while guaranteeing their stability.
Click and share: A face recognition tool for the mobile community

In this paper, we describe an Android based application for mobile devices that allows users to quickly and easily identify faces in pictures, recognizing persons, and, thus, sharing pictures with them. Each identified person matches against a contact registered in the phone directory, and, if no match is found, the detected face can be used for the creation of a new contact. We discuss how face recognition in a mobile setting increases the efficiency of the users while sharing content created with the mobile device, automatically suggesting the people identified in a photo or a video. We show the effectiveness of the approach through a user test on a photo sharing task, showing that it reduces the need for tedious, in particular on mobile devices, user input (e.g., compared to Facebook). By this means, we envision an increase of the quality of the user experience when interacting with the components of her social network.
Influence of Game Quests on Pupils' Enjoyment and Goal-pursuing in Math Learning

As a medium for learning, digital games provide promising possibilities to motivate and engage students in subject learning. In this study, a game-based learning system, My-PetMy-Quest, is developed to support pupils’ math learning. This is due to the fact that most students in Taiwan have relatively lower positive attitude towards math learning, even though their math performance is prominent. To this end, a three-tire framework is proposed to guide the design of the My-Pet-My-Quest system. A quasi-experiment was conducted to examine the influence of game quests on pupils’ enjoyment and goalpursuing in math learning. The results revealed that game quests were favored by students in terms of enjoyment, goal orientation, and goal intensity. Possible reasons for these results and a discussion of related issues are presented in this paper.
Nonparametric Bayesian Models for Unsupervised Scene Analysis and Reconstruction

Robots operating in domestic environments need to deal with a variety of different objects. Often, these objects are neither placed randomly, nor independently of each other. For example, objects on a breakfast table such as plates, knives, or bowls typically occur in recurrent configurations. In this paper, we propose a novel hierarchical generative model to reason about latent object constellations in a scene. The proposed model is a combination of Dirichlet processes and beta processes, which allow for a probabilistic treatment of the unknown dimensionality of the parameter space. We show how the model can be employed to address a set of different tasks in scene understanding ranging from unsupervised scene segmentation to completion of a partially specified scene. We describe how sampling in this model can be done using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques and present an experimental evaluation with simulated as well as real-world data obtained with a Kinect camera.
Optical properties of Tamm states in metal grating-one dimensional photonic crystal structures

Here, we present the design and fabrication details of a metal grating-one dimensional photonic crystal (1DPhC) structure that can efficiently couple the normal incident light into the 1DPhCs. We implement this by designing a silver (Ag) nano-grating on the 1DPhC which consists of 10 bilayers of SiO2/TiO2 thin films on a silicon substrate. Ag coated 1DPhC shows a sharp dip in the reflectivity within the photonic stop band, which is a distinct signature of the excitation of Tamm states at the interface of metal-1DPhC boundary. Reflection spectrum of Ag grating–1DPhC structure shows that the Tamm state is modified in the presence of the Ag grating, giving rise to a surface state in the vicinity of the Tamm resonance. The experimental results obtained are well supported by simulations which provide the field distributions for the Tamm resonance and the surface state.
The diagnostic dilemma of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill children*

Objective: A review of the existing literature on ventilator-associated pneumonia in children with emphasis on problems in diagnosis. Data Sources: A systematic literature review from 1947 to 2010 using Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ISI Web of Science using key words “ventilator associated pneumonia” and “children. ” Where pediatric data were lacking, appropriate adult studies were reviewed and similarly referenced. Study Selection: Two hundred sixty-two pediatric articles were reviewed and data from 48 studies selected. Data from 61 adult articles were also included in this review. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Ventilator-associated pneumonia is the second most common nosocomial infection and the most common reason for antibiotic use in the pediatric intensive care unit. Attributable mortality is uncertain but ventilator-associated pneumonia is associated with significant morbidity and cost. Diagnosis is problematic in that clinical, radiologic, and microbiologic criteria lack sensitivity and specificity relative to autopsy histopathology and culture. Qualitative tracheal aspirate cultures are commonly used in diagnosis but lack specificity. Quantitative tracheal aspirate cultures have sensitivity (31–69%) and specificity (55–100%) comparable to bronchoalveolar lavage (11–90% and 43–100%, respectively) but concordance for the same bacterial species when compared with autopsy lung culture was better for bronchoalveolar lavage (52–90% vs. 50–76% for quantitative tracheal aspirate). Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas species are the most common organisms, but microbiologic flora change over time and with antibiotic use. Initial antibiotics should offer broad-spectrum coverage but should be narrowed as clinical response and cultures dictate. Conclusions: Ventilator-associated pneumonia is an important nosocomial infection in the pediatric intensive care unit. Conclusions regarding epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes are greatly hampered by the inadequacies of current diagnostic methods. We recommend a more rigorous approach to diagnosis by using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention algorithm. Given that ventilator-associated pneumonia is the most common reason for antibiotic use in the pediatric intensive care unit, more systematic studies are sorely needed.
An agent-based model that relates investment in education to economic prosperity

We describe work on an agent-based model that captures the relationship between the investment that a society makes in education and the outcome in terms of the health of the society's economy. In this work we created an agent-based version of an equation-based model from the economics literature, and explored various settings for parameters that control the behaviors of the agents and their environment.
IQGAP 1 Regulates Reactive Oxygen Species – Dependent Endothelial Cell Migration Through Interacting With Nox 2

Objective—Endothelial cell (EC) migration is a key event for repair process after vascular injury and angiogenesis. EC migration is regulated by reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton at the leading edge and localized production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the site of injury. However, underlying mechanisms are unclear. We reported that IQGAP1, an actin binding scaffold protein, mediates VEGF-induced activation of gp91phox (Nox2)-dependent NAD(P)H oxidase and EC migration. We thus hypothesized that Nox2 and IQGAP1 may play important roles in ROS-dependent EC migration in response to injury. Methods and Results—Using a monolayer scratch assay with confluent ECs, we show that ROS production is increased at the margin of scratch area and Nox2 translocates to the leading edge, where it colocalizes and associates with both actin and IQGAP1 in migrating ECs. Knockdown of IQGAP1 using siRNA and inhibition of the actin cytoskeleton blocked scratch injury-induced H2O2 production, Nox2 translocation and its interaction with actin, and EC migration toward the injured site. Conclusions—These suggest that IQGAP1 may function to link Nox2 to actin at the leading edge, thereby facilitating ROS production at the site of injury, which may contribute to EC migration. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005;25:2295-2300.)
The effect of alpha-tocopherol on the synthesis, phosphorylation and activity of protein kinase C in smooth muscle cells after phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate down-regulation.

Previous work had established that, in smooth muscle cells, alpha-tocopherol negatively regulates protein kinase C by preventing its activation [Tasinato, A. , Boscoboinik, D. , Bartoli, G. M. , Maroni, P. & Azzi, A. (1995) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 92, 12190-12194]. In this study, the mechanism by which this event takes place has been analyzed. The regulation by alpha-tocopherol of protein kinase C expression, activity and phosphorylation has been followed during the synthesis of protein kinase C after its down-regulation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. The data show that protein kinase C isoenzyme alpha is synthesised significantly more (30% 72 h after down-regulation) in the presence of alpha-tocopherol. However, its activity is significantly less (45% diminution) and its phosphorylation state is also decreased (60% diminution). The effect of alpha-tocopherol appears not to be shared by the analogue beta-tocopherol, provided with similar radical-scavenging properties. The data are interpreted in terms of a diminution of protein kinase C phosphorylation, specifically caused by alpha-tocopherol, resulting in a decreased enzyme specific activity.
Mechanism evaluation of a lifestyle intervention for patients with musculoskeletal pain who are overweight or obese: protocol for a causal mediation analysis

Introduction Low back pain (LBP) and knee osteoarthritis (OA) are highly prevalent and disabling conditions that cause societal and economic impact worldwide. Two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) will evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent lifestyle intervention for patients with LBP and knee OA who are overweight or obese. The key targets of this intervention are to improve physical activity, modify diet and correct pain beliefs. These factors may explain how a lifestyle intervention exerts its effects on key patient-relevant outcomes: pain, disability and quality of life. The aim of this protocol is to describe a planned analysis of a mechanism evaluation for a lifestyle intervention for overweight or obese patients with LBP and knee OA. Methods and analysis Causal mediation analyses of 2 two-armed RCTs. Both trials are part of a cohort-multiple RCT, embedded in routine health service delivery. In each respective trial, 160 patients with LBP and 120 patients with knee OA waiting for orthopaedic consultation will be randomised to a lifestyle intervention, or to remain part of the original cohort. The intervention consists of education and advice about the benefits of weight loss and physical activity, and the Australian New South Wales Get Healthy Service. All outcome measures including patient characteristics, primary and alternative mediators, outcomes, and potential confounders will be measured at baseline (T0). The primary mediator, weight, will be measured at 6 months post randomisation; alternative mediators including diet, physical activity and pain beliefs will be measured at 6 weeks post randomisation. All outcomes (pain, disability and quality of life) will be measured at 6 months post randomisation. Data will be analysed using causal mediation analysis with sensitivity analyses for sequential ignorability. All mediation models were specified a priori before completing data collection and without prior knowledge about the effectiveness of the intervention. Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Hunter New England Health Human Research Ethics Committee (13/12/11/5.18) and the University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee (H-2015–0043). The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences. Trial registration number ACTRN12615000490572 and ACTRN12615000478516; Pre-results.
An architectural framework for migration from CISC to higher performance platforms

We describe a novel architectural framework that allows software applications written for a given Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) to migrate to a different, higher performance architecture, without a significant investment on the part of the application user or developer. The framework provides a hardware mechanism for seamless switching between two instruction sets, resulting in a machine that enhances application performance while keeping the same program behavior (from a user perspective). High execution speed on migrated applications is achieved through automated translation of the object code of one machine to that of the other, using advanced global optimization and scheduling techniques. Issues affecting application behavior, such as precise exceptions, as well as self-modifying code, are addressed. Relaxation of full compatibility on these issues lead to further possible performance gains, encouraging applications to adopt the newer architecture. The proposed framework offers a path for moving from complex instruction set computers (CISCs) to newer architectures, such as reduced instruction set computers (RISCs), superscalars, or very long instruction word (VLIW) machines, while protecting the extensive economic investment represented by existing software. To illustrate our approach, we show how system code written (and compiled) for the IBM System/390 can yield fine-grain parallelism, as it is targeted for execution by a VLIW machine, with encouraging performance results.