Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrating intelligent agents into human teams.

As the role of teams becomes more important in organizations, developing and maintaining high performance teams has been the goal of several researchers (Decker, Sycara, & Williamson 1997; Beyerlein, Johnson, & Beyerlein, 2001, Cannon-Bowers & Salas, 1998; McNeese, Salas & Endsley, 2001; Salas, Bowers, & Edens, 2001) . One major question is how to turn a team of experts into an expert team. Several strategies such as task-related cross training (Salas, Cannon-Bowers, & Johnson, 1997; CannonBowers and Salas, 1998) have emerged. In addition to traditional behaviorally-based methods for facilitating team development, advances in computer science and robotics are now allowing the introduction of artificial intelligence (sic; intelligent agents) into teamwork in a variety of roles and functions. This advent of agent technologies raises two questions: 1) what kinds of assistance can be provided and 2) what kinds of assistance prove beneficial. The reported research attempts to answer these questions through technology demonstrations to document what is possible and behavioral experiments to identify what may be helpful.
Does Religion Make You Sick? Evidence of a Negative Relationship between Religious Background and Health

Religious beliefs and practices influence individual lives and societies in many ways. We study how religion affects self-assessed health, which in turn is important for both individual well-being and productivity. A religious background predicts worse health. As the previous literature has not been able to rule out reverse causality, we apply a novel method that does. The health of the children of immigrants in 30 European countries is related to different measures of religiosity in their mothers’ birth countries. Since religiosity in the mothers’ birth countries predicts children’s religiosity (through transmission in the family), we can use the former as a measure of the latter. Moreover, the children’s health arguably cannot affect the religiosity of their mothers’ home countries (measured several decades earlier). Furthermore, the negative relationship between religious background and health is robust to accounting for a range of individual and ancestral country characteristics, to excluding the most and least religious ancestral countries, and to accounting for systematic differences across ancestral continents. The negative relationship, which we also find in U.S. data, suggests that the positive correlations between health and religiosity in the earlier literature are not due to religion promoting health.
Wearable sensor-based monitoring system for human behavior estimation

Many types of wearable sensor systems have been developed for health monitoring system. This paper proposes a method of abnormal behavior detection utilizing 429MHz band wireless sensor module as a wearable sensor system. We apply fuzzy spiking neural network for feature extraction and use decision tree to identify the behavior patterns. Furthermore, we show an experimental result and discuss the validity of the proposed method.
Efficient design of symbol detector for MIMO-OFDM based wireless LANs

In this paper, we propose an efficient symbol detection algorithm and its hardware architecture for MIMO-OFDM system with two-transmit and two-receive (2 times 2) antennas. The detector supports two MIMO-OFDM schemes, SFBC-OFDM and SDM-OFDM, in order to achieve higher performance and throughput. However, symbol detection processes for these two schemes have high computational complexity, which is a burden to hardware implementation of MIMO-OFDM symbol detectors. In order to reduce the complexity, we propose a cost-efficient algorithm for SDM-OFDM and novel hardware architecture for MIMO-OFDM symbol detectors. The proposed detector with shared-architecture, where similar functional blocks are merged and share the hardware resources, can be used for not only SDM-OFDM but also SFBC-OFDM systems. The proposed symbol detector reduces the logic gates by 54% and the occupation ratio by 12.8% compared to a conventional symbol detector employing two individual detectors. Therefore, the proposed symbol detector will be a vast contribution to the low complexity design of MIMO-OFDM systems, since the MIMO-OFDM symbol detector is one of the largest modules in the systems, in which the low complexity design is a very important issue.
Pre-Exposure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Infected Macrophages to Crystalline Silica Impairs Control of Bacterial Growth by Deregulating the Balance between Apoptosis and Necrosis

Inhalation of crystalline silica (CS) particles increases the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis; however, the precise mechanism through which CS exposure facilitates Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is unclear. We speculate that macrophage exposure to CS deregulates the cell death pathways that could explain, at least in part, the association observed between exposure to CS and pulmonary tuberculosis. We therefore established an in vitro model in which macrophages were exposed to CS and then infected with Mtb. Expression of surface markers was analyzed by flow cytometry, JNK1/2, ASK1, caspase 9, P-p38, Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 were analyzed by Western blot, and cytokines by ELISA. Our results show that exposure to CS limits macrophage ability to control Mtb growth. Moreover, this exposure reduced the expression of TLR2, Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, but increased that of JNK1 and ASK1 molecules in the macrophages. Finally, when the pre-exposed macrophages were infected with Mtb, the concentrations of TNFα, IL-1β and caspase-9 expression increased. This pro-inflammatory profile of the macrophage unbalanced the apoptosis/necrosis pathway. Taken together, these data suggest that macrophages exposed to CS are sensitized to cell death by MAPK kinase-dependent signaling pathway. Secretion of TNF-α and IL-1β by Mtb-infected macrophages promotes necrosis, and this deregulation of cell death pathways may favor the release of viable bacilli, thus leading to the progression of tuberculosis.
Eigenvector Centrality for Decomposable Markov Chains

Eigenvector importance ranking allows us to define ranks for states of a random walk. If the states are disconnected we have a decomposable walk. The shadow graph can be used to make connections and compare the ranks in different components. The biological motivation for this technique is the graph derived from the distance matrix on phage proteins with the shadow graph linking all proteins in the same phage.
Multiscale fractal dimension technique for characterization and analysis of biomedical signals

In this paper, we have proposed multiscale fractal dimension (MSFD) technique to characterize signals at multiple time scales. In this technique, multiple scales of the signal are obtained by segment averaging and the complexity of the resulting signals at those scales is quantified using multiresolution area-based fractal dimension measure. The technique is applied to intracranial EEG records and meditation HRV signals to detect change in states of physiological systems. We have considered two types of meditation techniques and pre-meditation state is used as control state against which MSFD parameters are group matched. The proposed MSFD technique has provided good performance and statistically significant results in discriminating epileptic seizures and meditation states from corresponding controls. The technique can be used in diverse applications of signal processing.
Passive portfolio management . the game-theoretic capital asset pricing model

The present paper sets out to underline passive portfolio management on the Romanian capital market starting from the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) derived from the efficient market hypothesis, with no assumptions about the beliefs or preferences of investors. The efficient market hypothesis says that a speculator with limited resources cannot beat a particular index by a substantial factor. The developed model underlines the fact that the difference between the average returns of a portfolio and the index should approximate the difference between the portfolio’s covariance with the index’s variance. The game in this paper is a two-player perfectinformation sequential game, being a precise and pure mathematical object, connected to the world by an auxiliary hypothesis, Cournot’s principle. The application of this model on the Romanian capital market has the purpose to test its validity, taking into consideration the specific influences and conditions of the national capital market.
Macroprudential Policy and Imbalances in the Euro Area

Since its creation the euro area suffered from imbalances between its core and peripheral members. This paper checks whether macroprudential policy applied to the peripheral countries could contribute to providing more macroeconomic stability in this region. To this end we build a two-economy macrofinancial model and simulate the effects of macroprudential policy (regulating the loan-to-value ratio) when the core and the periphery are exposed to asymmetric shocks. We find that macroprudential policy is able to substantially lower the amplitude of credit and output fluctuations in the periphery. However, for the policy to be effective, it should be decentralized. Very similar conclusions hold when welfare is considered as the optimality criterion.
Cultured fish: integrative biology and management of domestication and interactions with wild fish

Fish aquaculture for commodity production, fisheries enhancement and conservation is expanding rapidly, with many cultured species undergoing inadvertent or controlled domestication. Cultured fish are frequently released, accidentally and deliberately, into natural environments where they may survive well and impact on wild fish populations through ecological, genetic, and technical interactions. Impacts of fish released accidentally or for fisheries enhancement tend to be negative for the wild populations involved, particularly where wild populations are small, and/or highly adapted to local conditions, and/or declining. Captive breeding and supplementation can play a positive role in restoring threatened populations, but the biology of threatened populations and the potential of culture approaches for conserving them remain poorly understood. Approaches to the management of domestication and cultured‐wild fish interactions are often ad hoc, fragmented and poorly informed by current science. We develop an integrative biological framework for understanding and managing domestication and cultured‐wild fish interactions. The framework sets out how management practices in culture and for cultured fish in natural environments affect domestication processes, interactions between cultured and wild fish, and outcomes in terms of commodity production, fisheries yield, and conservation. We also develop a typology of management systems (specific combinations of management practices in culture and in natural environments) that are likely to provide positive outcomes for particular management objectives and situations. We close by setting out avenues for further research that will simultaneously improve fish domestication and management of cultured‐wild fish interactions and provide key insights into fundamental biology.
Wavelet-galerkin Method to a Sh Wave Problem

One of main problems with the Wavelet-Galerkin is the treatment of boundary conditions. It is sloved by our method which is referred to as Fictitious Boundary Approach. In this approach, a ctitious boundary is assumed to tackle the di culty of treating boundary conditions. And an additional condition is also made in order to ensure the real solution. This method is adapted to all the three kinds of boundary conditions in the theory of di erential equation. To support our method, a SH wave mode problem in a plate is solved, and its numeral result is compared with the exact solution. Although the Wavelet-Galerkin has very good features for solving di erential equations, we nd that it is still di cult to represent the in nite resonance solution after investigating the error convergence near the resonance point. And we emphasize the importance of selecting a proper sacle j especially to represent the solution near the resonance.
Tamsulosin oral controlled absorption system (OCAS) in the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy

The efficacy of tamsulosin at the cost of a relatively benign side effect profile has been attributed to receptor selectivity directed at the α1a and α1d adrenergic receptor subtypes. The oral-controlled absorption system (OCAS®) represents a drug delivery refinement that incorporates a matrix of gel-forming and gel-enhancing agents to promote a constant drug release independent of environmental food or fluid. There are clinical data to support the concept that drug peaks are lessened and that drug release continues throughout the alimentary tract due to the OCAS formulation. Furthermore this equates with less adverse effects on physiologic parameters. To date however improvements in cardiovascular symptoms such as dizziness, headache and syncope have not been demonstrated in healthy men. Ejaculatory dysfunction appears less problematic with the OCAS preparation. Tamsulosin OCAS may be of greatest benefit to men with cardiovascular co-morbidities taking anti-hypertensive medications that might predispose them to symptomatic hypotensive episodes. It will be necessary to evaluate this group of men more closely in further trials to determine what they stand to gain from changing medications, and then relate this to drug costs to draw a final conclusion as to the place of tamsulosin OCAS in contemporary urological practice.
Early-type galaxies in low-density environments

We describe the construction and study of an objectively defined sample of early-type galaxies in low-density environments. The sample galaxies are selected from a recently completed redshift survey using uniform and readily quantified isolation criteria, and are drawn from a sky area of ∼700 deg 2 , to a depth of 7000 km s −1 and an apparent magnitude limit of bJ 16.1. Their early-type (E/S0) morphologies are confirmed by subsequent CCD imaging. Five out of the nine sample galaxies show signs of morphological peculiarity such as tidal debris or blue circumnuclear rings. We confirm that E/S0 galaxies are rare in low-density regions, accounting for only ≈8 per cent of the total galaxy population in such environments. We present spectroscopic observations of nine galaxies in the sample, which are used, in conjunction with updated stellar population models, to investigate star formation histories. Our line-strength analysis is conducted at the relatively high spectral resolution of 4.1 ˚ A. Environmental effects on early-type galaxy evolution are investigated by comparison with a sample of Fornax cluster E/S0s (identically analysed). Results from both samples are compared with predictions from semi-analytic galaxy formation models. From the strength of [O II]λ3727 emission we infer ‐
Subtree decomposition for multistage stochastic programs

A class of algorithms for solving multistage stochastic recourse problems is described. The scenario tree is decomposed using a covering collection of subtrees. The approach is illustrated with two examples: adapting the diagonal quadratic approximation algorithm and adapting nested Bender's decomposition. The approach leads to a class of methods based on the subtree cover chosen (including the original implementation of the algorithm adapted). This approach increases flexibility in the size, number and structure of subproblems for multistage stochastic programming decomposition methods.
Decentralized Markov decision processes with event-driven interactions

Decentralized MDPs provide a powerful formal framework for planning in multi-agent systems, but the complexity of the model limits its usefulness. We study in this paper a class of DEC-MDPs that restricts the interactions between the agents to a structured, event-driven dependency. These dependencies can model locking a shared resource or temporal enabling constraints, both of which arise frequently in practice. The complexity of this class of problems is shown to be no harder than exponential in the number of states and doubly exponential in the number of dependencies. Since the number of dependencies is much smaller than the number of states for many problems, this is significantly better than the doubly exponential (in the state space) complexity of DEC-MDPs. We also demonstrate how an algorithm we previously developed can be used to solve problems in this class both optimally and approximately. Experimental work indicates that this solution technique is significantly faster than a naive policy search approach.
Theoretical Study on the Properties of a Composite Film with the Interface Between Two Ferroelectrics

Based on the modified Ginzburg-Landau-Devonshire theory, the behavior of a ferroelectric film consisting of two different materials with an interface parallel to the spontaneous polarization is studied. The results show that for the composite ferroelectric film properties (transformation temperature, pyroelectric coefficient, etc), the Curie-temperature difference between two bulk materials is sensitive influencing factor and the change of the thickness of the transition layer has little influence.
Iron mineralogy and aqueous alteration from Husband Hill through Home Plate at Gusev Crater, Mars: Results from the Mössbauer instrument on the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover

[1] Spirit's Mossbauer (MB) instrument determined the Fe mineralogy and oxidation state of 71 rocks and 43 soils during its exploration of the Gusev plains and the Columbia Hills (West Spur, Husband Hill, Haskin Ridge, northern Inner Basin, and Home Plate) on Mars. The plains are predominantly float rocks and soil derived from olivine basalts. Outcrops at West Spur and on Husband Hill have experienced pervasive aqueous alteration as indicated by the presence of goethite. Olivine-rich outcrops in a possible mafic/ultramafic horizon are present on Haskin Ridge. Relatively unaltered basalt and olivine basalt float rocks occur at isolated locations throughout the Columbia Hills. Basalt and olivine basalt outcrops are found at and near Home Plate, a putative hydrovolcanic structure. At least three pyroxene compositions are indicated by MB data. MB spectra of outcrops Barnhill and Torquas resemble palagonitic material and thus possible supergene aqueous alteration. Deposits of Fe3+-sulfate soil, located at Paso Robles, Arad, and Tyrone, are likely products of acid sulfate fumarolic and/or hydrothermal activity, possibly in connection with Home Plate volcanism. Hematite-rich outcrops between Home Plate and Tyrone (e.g., Montalva) may also be products of this aqueous activity. Low water-to-rock ratios (isochemical alteration) are implied during palagonite, goethite, and hematite formation because bulk chemical compositions are basaltic (SO3-free basis). High water-to-rock ratios (leaching) under acid sulfate conditions are implied for the high-SiO2 rock and soil in Eastern Valley and the float rock FuzzySmith, which has possible pyrite/marcasite as a hydrothermal alteration product.
Can the theory of planned behaviour explain walking to and from school among Australian children? A social marketing formative research study

Evidence indicates that lower levels of obesity among school-age children can be achieved through active travel to school. This research aimed to investigate the explanatory potential of constructs in the theory of planned behaviour for carers' decisions about their children's walking to and from school. The data from two online surveys of 1,076 carers in 2 Australian states showed that the theory of planned behaviour explained 35.7% of the variance in walking to and from school. The results indicate that higher perceived behavioural control, social norms, and intentions among carers are associated with higher incidence of walking to and from school by children in Australia. Limitations of the current study and future research directions are outlined.
Face recognition based on random feature

This paper presents a simple, yet very efficient facial image representation based on random feature. We describe the face on three different levels of locality. Firstly, random features are extracted from local image patches with random projection and then we use BoW model to get labels on a pixel-level by coding the random features to the closest textons. Secondly, the labels are statistically calculated over a region to get histogram containing information on a regional level. Thirdly, the regional histograms are concatenated to build a global description of the face. Experiments conducted on the FERET database show that our approach has outstanding robustness to variations, especially to noise.
Generating pictures from waves : aspects of image formation

The research communities, technologies, and tools for image formation are diverse. On the one hand, computer vision and graphics researchers analyze incoherent light using coarse geometric approximations from optics. On the other hand, array signal processing and acoustics researchers analyze coherent sound waves using stochastic estimation theory and diffraction formulas from physics. The ability to inexpensively fabricate analog circuitry and digital logic for millimeter-wave radar and ultrasound creates opportunities in comparing diverse perspectives on image formation, and presents challenges in implementing imaging systems that scale in size. We present algorithms, architectures, and abstractions for image formation that relate the different communities, technologies, and tools. We address practical technical challenges in operating millimeter-wave radar and ultrasound systems in the presence of phase noise and scattering. We model a broad class of physical phenomena with isotropic point sources. We show that the optimal source location estimator for coherent waves reduces to processing an image produced by a conventional camera, provided the sources are well-separated relative to the system resolution, and in the limit of small wavelength and globally incoherent light. We introduce quasi light fields to generalize the incoherent image formation process to coherent waves, offering resolution tradeoffs that surpass the traditional Fourier uncertainty principle by leveraging time-frequency distributions. We show that the number of sensors in a coherent imaging array defines a stable operating point relative to the phase noise. We introduce a digital phase tightening algorithm to reduce phase noise. We present a system identification framework for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) ultrasound imaging that generalizes existing approaches with time-varying filters. Our theoretical results enable the application of traditional techniques in incoherent imaging to coherent imaging, and vice versa. Our practical results suggest a methodology for designing millimeter-wave imaging systems. Our conclusions reinforce architectural principles governing transmitter and receiver design, the role of analog and digital circuity, and the tradeoff between data rate and data precision. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Homeometric Autoregulation in the Heart

The effect of increasing the activity of the ventricle on its contractility was investigated. Several beats after the ventricle increases the amount of tension it develops per unit of time, it exhibits an increased contractility as shown by the increase in work and the more rapid development of pressure from a given end-diastolic pressure or fiber length. This has been termed homeometric autoregulation in contradistinction to the Frank-Starling or heterometric type of autoregulation. It was found that changes in coronary flow are not essential to the exhibition of this phenomenon. Possible mechanisms and the physiologic significance of the findings are discussed.