bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Skill-based curiosity for intrinsically motivated reinforcement learning
Authors: Bougie Nicolas , Ichise Ryutaro 
Published: October 2019

AbstractReinforcement learning methods rely on rewards provided by the environment that are extrinsic to the agent. However, many real-world scenarios involve sparse or delayed rewards. In such cases, the agent can develop its own intrinsic reward function called curiosity to enable the agent to explore its environment in the quest of new skills. We propose a novel end-to-end curiosity mechanism for deep reinforcement learning methods, that allows an agent to gradually acquire new skills. Our method scales to high-dimensional problems, avoids the need of directly predicting the future, and, can perform in sequential decision scenarios. We formulate the curiosity as the ability of the agent to predict its own knowledge about the task. We base the prediction on the idea of skill learning to incentivize the discovery of new skills, and guide exploration towards promising solutions. To further improve data efficiency and generalization of the agent, we propose to learn a latent representation of the skills. We present a variety of sparse reward tasks in MiniGrid, MuJoCo, and Atari games. We compare the performance of an augmented agent that uses our curiosity reward to state-of-the-art learners. Experimental evaluation exhibits higher performance compared to reinforcement learning models that only learn by maximizing extrinsic rewards.
The digit ratio (2D:4D) and economic preferences: no robust associations in a sample of 330 women
Authors: Parslow Elle , Ranehill Eva , Zethraeus Niklas , Blomberg Liselott , von Schoultz Bo , Hirschberg Angelica Lindén , Johannesson Magnus , Dreber Anna 
Published: October 2019

AbstractMany studies report on the association between 2D:4D, a putative marker for prenatal testosterone exposure, and economic preferences. However, most of these studies have limited sample sizes and test multiple hypotheses (without preregistration). In this study we mainly replicate the common specifications found in the literature for the association between the 2D:4D ratio and risk taking, the willingness to compete, and dictator game giving separately. In a sample of 330 women we find no robust associations between any of these economic preferences and 2D:4D. We find no evidence of a statistically significant relation for 16 of the 18 total regressions we run. The two regression specifications which are statistically significant have not previously been reported and the associations are not in the expected direction, and therefore they are unlikely to represent a real effect.
Louis Pasteur ou l’entreprise scientifique au temps du capitalisme industriel
Authors: Galvez-Behar Gabriel 
Published: October 2019

RésumésUne économie politique critique de la science s’est récemment développée pour analyser le tournant néo-libéral qui la caractérise. Ce courant tend pourtant à négliger la longue durée de l’histoire économique des sciences qui permet de comprendre les évolutions récentes. Cet article montre, à travers l’étude de l’entreprise scientifique de Louis Pasteur, comment la question du partage de la valeur du travail scientifique se pose dès l’essor du capitalisme industriel auxixe siècle. Il étudie la manière dont Pasteur défend sa propriété scientifique, manifestant une forme de revendication sur le contrôle de ses découvertes. L’étude du lien entre le développement de la science industrielle et le capitalisme permet d’abord de comprendre la logique d’action au cœur de l’entreprise scientifique pasteurienne qui s’affirme dès le début de sa carrière, aux prises avec le capitalisme nordiste. Cette logique se renforce ensuite dans les années 1860, alors que la distinction entre science et industrie est formalisée sur le plan juridique. Elle est un moyen, pour Pasteur, de faire valoir sa propriété scientifique et ses droits, autant économiques que scientifiques, sur les fruits de son travail. Est enfin examinée la façon dont ces derniers sont réinvestis, soit pour créer une société commerciale, soit pour fonder l’Institut éponyme. L’entreprise pasteurienne apparaît ainsi comme un processus d’accumulation qui se nourrit de cette ambivalence créatrice.
Association between chlorhexidine gluconate concentrations and resistant bacterial bioburden on skin
Authors: Nadimpalli Gita , O’Hara Lyndsay M. , Leekha Surbhi , Calfee David P. , Miller Loren G. , Pineles Lisa , Blanco Natalia , Johnson J. Kristie , Harris Anthony D. ,   for the CDC Prevention Epicenters Program
Published: October 2019

AbstractWe studied the association between chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) concentration on skin and resistant bacterial bioburden. CHG was almost always detected on the skin, and detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus on skin sites was infrequent. However, we found no correlation between CHG concentration and bacterial bioburden.
Temperature-Dependent Electrical Conductivity and Thermal Radiation Effects on MHD Peristaltic Motion of Williamson Nanofluids in a Tapered Asymmetric Channel
Authors: Hasona W. M. 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTThis paper is intended for dealing with the peristaltic flow of an electrically conducting Williamson nanofluid in a tapered asymmetric channel through a porous medium with heat and mass transfer. In the current paper, temperature-dependent electrical conductivity formulation was introduced for the first time in peristaltic literature. The flow is pervaded by an oblique uniform magnetic field. The present investigation includes the influences of thermal radiation, Joule heat, viscous dissipation, Hall Current, 1st order chemical reaction, and Dofour and Soret numbers. Current problem is reformulated under the molds of low Reynolds number and long wavelength approximation. Afterwards, semi analytical solutions have been evaluated for the distributions of velocity, temperature, nanoparticle concentrations as well as longitudinal pressure gradient. Solutions can be obtained by using multi-step differential transform method (MS-DTM), a reliable and powerful technique that improve accuracy and overcome drawbacks raised in using the standard differential transform method (DTM). Detailed comparisons have been made at different values of 𝑥 through graphs by Ms-DTM. The graphically results were prepared to visualize the effects of various physical parameters of interest. The semi-analytical results had shown that, as the thermal radiation increases, the nanoparticles diameter and concentration of fluid increase (thermal radiation is a decreasing function in temperature when the temperature decreases the diameter of the nanoparticles increases i.e. the volume of nanoparticle and its concentration increases and become more effective near to tumor tissues). Consequently, it can be used as agents for radiation therapy, generate localized raises in radiation doses and selectively target tumor cells for localized damage (Radiotherapy of oncology).
Spatial Distribution of 14C in Tree Leaves from Bali, Indonesia
Authors: Varga Tamás , Jull A J Timothy , Lisztes-Szabó Zsuzsa , Molnár Mihály 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTThe increase of fossil-fuel-derived CO2 in the atmosphere has led to the dilution of the atmospheric radiocarbon concentration, but due to the costly instrumentation, the continuous atmospheric 14C/12C data is incomplete in developing countries, such as in Indonesia. These data give useful information about the level of local and regional fossil emissions. In this study, 14C AMS measurements of local vegetation and woody plant species samples have been used to estimate the rate of fossil-fuel-derived carbon in the plants, which fix the CO2 from the atmosphere by photosynthesis. Evergreen leaf samples were collected in September 2018 on the island of Bali in different, diverse districts in local and urban areas. The samples from the densely populated areas show observable fossil fuel emissions and show that the Δ14C level is close to zero ‰, similar to the natural level.
Radiocarbon Pretreatment Comparisons of Bald Cypress (Taxodium Distichum) wood samples from a massive buried deposit on the Georgia Coast, USA
Authors: Napora Katharine G , Cherkinsky Alexander , Speakman Robert J , Thompson Victor D , Horan Robert , Jacobs Craig 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTWe sampled individual growth rings from three ancient remnant bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) trees from a massive buried deposit at the mouth of the Altamaha River on the Georgia Coast to determine the best technique for radiocarbon (14C) dating pretreatment. The results of our comparison of traditional ABA pretreatment and holocellulose and α-cellulose fractions show no significant differences among the pretreatments (<1 sigma) thereby suggesting that ABA pretreatment will prove sufficient for the development of a high-resolution 14C tree-ring chronology based on these ancient bald cypresses which will indicate whether the U.S. Southeast is subject to a regional radiocarbon offset.
Association between dietary insulin index and load and psychological disorders
Authors: Anjom-Shoae Javad , Hassanzadeh Keshteli Ammar , Afshar Hamid , Esmaillzadeh Ahmad , Adibi Peyman 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe present study was carried out to determine whether the dietary insulin index (DII) and dietary insulin load (DIL) are related to psychological disorders in a cross-sectional study among adults. A total of 3172 Iranian adults (age range of 18–55 years) were included. Data on dietary intakes were collected using a validated dish-based 106-item semi-quantitative FFQ. DII and DIL were calculated using food insulin index values published earlier. To assess depression and anxiety, an Iranian validated version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used. Furthermore, psychological distress was examined using the General Health Questionnaire. Among women, a significant positive association was seen; such that women in the highest quartile of DIL had higher odds of depression than those in the lowest quartile (OR 1·84; 95 % CI 1·14, 2·96). In terms of DII, in the fully adjusted model, women in the top quartile of DII were more likely to be depressed compared with those in the bottom quartile (OR 1·65; 95 % CI 1·05, 2·58). In conclusion, we found a significant positive association between DIL and DII and odds of depression among women, but not in men. However, such findings were not seen for anxiety and psychological distress.
Association between the total fertility rate and under-five child sex ratio in India: a panel study among districts of the major states
Authors: Yadav Ajit Kumar , Singh Akansha , Ram Faujdar 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThis study examined the relationship between the total fertility rate and under-five child sex ratio to understand the role of fertility in the phenomenon of missing girls in India. Using data from the last four decennial censuses for the fifteen major states of India and their districts, covering more than 90% of the population of India, the study showed that there was a major decline in the female to male child sex ratio from 1981 to 2011 in most of the major Indian states and their districts. The panel regression model showed that the total fertility rate was significantly associated with the under-five child sex ratio at the district level for the 30-year period from 1981 to 2011 in India, even after controlling for other factors and any other unobserved heterogeneity. This indicates that areas of India with the highest fertility had the higher female to male child sex ratio, while low-fertility districts had a more male-biased sex ratio.
Overview of the role of kinetoplastid surface carbohydrates in infection and host cell invasion: prospects for therapeutic intervention
Authors: Valente Maria , Castillo-Acosta Víctor M. , Vidal Antonio E. , González-Pacanowska Dolores 
Published: October 2019

AbstractKinetoplastid parasites are responsible for serious diseases in humans and livestock such as Chagas disease and sleeping sickness (caused byTrypanosoma cruziandTrypanosoma brucei, respectively), and the different forms of cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis (produced byLeishmaniaspp). The limited number of antiparasitic drugs available together with the emergence of resistance underscores the need for new therapeutic agents with novel mechanisms of action. The use of agents binding to surface glycans has been recently suggested as a new approach to antitrypanosomal design and a series of peptidic and non-peptidic carbohydrate-binding agents have been identified as antiparasitics showing efficacy in animal models of sleeping sickness. Here we provide an overview of the nature of surface glycans in three kinetoplastid parasites,T. cruzi,T. bruceiandLeishmania. Their role in virulence and host cell invasion is highlighted with the aim of identifying specific glycan–lectin interactions and carbohydrate functions that may be the target of novel carbohydrate-binding agents with therapeutic applications.
Filtering Friendship throughPhronesis: ‘One Thought too Many’?
Authors: Kristjánsson Kristján 
Published: October 2019

AbstractAn adequate moral theory must – or so many philosophers have argued – be compatible with the attitudes and practical requirements of deep friendship. Bernard Williams suggested that the decision procedure required by both deontology and consequentialism inserts a fetishising filter between the natural moral motivation of any normal person to prioritise friends and the decision to act on it. But this injects ‘one thought too many’ into the moral reaction mechanism. It is standardly assumed that virtue ethics is somehow immune to this objection. The present article explores this assumption and finds it wanting in various respects. Virtue ethics filters friendship throughphronesisand thus inserts an extra thought into the mechanism in question. To escape Williams's curse, the only way is to argue that the extra thought required by virtue ethics is not ‘one thought too many’. The article closes with an attempt to show that, contra deontology, the friendship motivation in virtue ethics is derived from the moral virtue, not the intellectual filter, and, contra consequentialism,phronesisdoes not require the maximisation of value. The presumed advantage of virtue ethics must lie in the content of its filter rather than the filter's non-existence.
Dougie Young and political resistance in early Aboriginal country music
Authors: Martin Toby 
Published: October 2019

AbstractCountry music has a reputation for being the music of the American white working-class South and being closely aligned with conservative politics. However, country music has also been played by non-white minorities and has been a vivid way of expressing progressive political views. In the hands of the Indigenous peoples of Australia, country music has often given voice to a form of life-writing that critiques colonial power. The songs of Dougie Young, dating from the late 1950s, provide one of the earliest and most expressive examples of this use of country music. Young's songs were a type of social-realist satire and to be fully understood should be placed within the broader socio-political context of 1950s and 1960s Australia. Young's legacy was also important for Aboriginal musicians in the 1990s and the accompanying reassessment of Australia's colonial past. Country music has provided particular opportunities for minority and Indigenous groups seeking to use popular culture to tell their stories. This use of country music provides a new dimension to more conventional understandings of its political role.
Thermal influence on the embryonic development and hatching rate of the flameback pygmy angelfish Centropyge aurantonotus eggs
Authors: Mendonça Raoani Cruz , Ikebata Sarah Pittigliani , Araújo-Silva Sérgio Leandro , Manhães João Vitor Azevedo , Tsuzuki Mônica Yumi 
Published: October 2019

SummaryThe flameback pygmy angelfish Centropyge aurantonotus, highly appreciated and valued by the aquarium market, is heavily harvested and traded. Temperature is one of the abiotic factors that has the most influence on fish development, especially in the early stages of life. For captive production, it is essential to know the appropriate environmental parameters for each species. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of temperature on the embryonic development and hatching rates of C. aurantonotus incubated at six different temperatures (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30°C). Embryonic development events were very similar in terms of morphological and chronological characteristics compared with other species of the genus Centropyge. Incubation time was inversely proportional to temperature. The treatment at 22°C required twice the time of that required by 30°C treatment for hatching to occur. The best incubation temperature range was 24–28°C. Values below 22°C and at 30°C showed lower hatching rates compared with other treatments. Based on these results, the recommended temperature at which to incubate C. aurantonotus eggs is between 24–28°C.
Roman attitudes to empire and imperialism: the view from history
Authors: Cornwell Hannah 
Published: October 2019

In a letter written to Atticus in mid March 60 B.C., Cicero (Att. 1.19.2) flagged up a number of concerns regarding the situation in Gaul:
In public life at the moment, fear of a Gallic war is the big issue. For the Aeduans, our brothers, have recently fought a hard fight and without doubt the Helvetii are up in arms and making excursions into the province. The senate has decreed that the consuls should cast lots for the two Gauls, that levies should take place with no exemptions valid, and that legates with authority should be sent to go to the Gallic communities and to make an effort to prevent them from joining forces with the Helvetii (author’s transl.)
Vegetarianism and other eating practices among youth and young adults in major Canadian cities
Authors: Vergeer Laura , Vanderlee Lana , White Christine M , Rynard Vicki L , Hammond David 
Published: October 2019

AbstractObjective:To estimate the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of youth and young adults in major Canadian cities with self-reported vegetarian dietary practices and examine efforts to alter their diets.Design:Data were collected in autumn 2016 via web-based surveys. Respondents reported vegetarian dietary practices (vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian) and efforts in the preceding year to consume more or less of several nutrients, food groups and/or foods with particular attributes. Logistic regression models examined sociodemographic correlates of each vegetarian dietary practice and differences in other eating practices by diet type.Setting:Participants were recruited from five major Canadian cities.Participants:Youth and young adults, aged 16–30 years (n 2566).Results:Overall, 13·6 % of respondents reported vegetarian dietary practices: 6·6 % vegetarian, 4·5 % pescatarian and 2·5 % vegan. Sex, race/ethnicity, self-reported frequency of using the Nutrition Facts table and health literacy were significantly correlated with self-reported vegetarian dietary practice (P < 0·01 for all). Efforts to consume more fruits and vegetables (66·8 %) and protein (54·8 %), and less sugar (61·3 %) and processed foods (54·7 %), were prevalent overall. Respondents with vegetarian dietary practices were more likely to report efforts to consume fewer carbohydrates and animal products, and more organic, locally produced, ethically sourced/sustainably sourced/fair trade and non-GM foods (P < 0·01 for all), compared with those without these reported dietary practices.Conclusions:Nearly 14 % of the sampled youth and young adults in major Canadian cities reported vegetarian dietary practices and may be especially likely to value and engage in behaviours related to health-conscious diets and sustainable food production.
The political economy of insecure property rights: insights from the Kingdom of Sicily
Authors: Candela Rosolino A. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractHow did the evolution of the rule of law become stunted in Sicily during the 19thcentury? The work of economist Yoram Barzel, particularly his property-rights approach to understanding the political economy of state formation, is uniquely suited to understanding the failure of Italy's unification process to secure the rule of law in Sicily during the 19th century. This failure can be explained by a lack of a credible commitment to the rule of law in the state formation process. I argue that this lack of credible commitment manifested itself in the abolition of previously existing parliamentary institutions as an independent collective action mechanism, as well as prior constitutional agreements that existed in the Kingdom of Sicily. The resulting uncertainty over the security and legal definition of property rights over land raised the transaction costs of competing for resources through productive specialization and market exchange. In turn, it reduced the relative costs of competition for land ownership and the use of enforcement through other means, such as rent seeking or organized crime.
Differences Between OCO‐2 and GOME‐2 SIF Products From a Model‐Data Fusion Perspective
Authors: Bacour C. , Maignan F. , Peylin P. , MacBean N. , Bastrikov V. , Joiner J. , Köhler P. , Guanter L. , Frankenberg C. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractSpace‐borne retrievals of solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) over land surfaces have recently become a resource for studying and quantifying the broad scale dynamics of gross carbon uptake (gross primary productivity—GPP) across ecosystems. To prepare for the assimilation of SIF data in terrestrial biosphere models, we examine how differences between SIF products (due to differences in acquisition characteristics and processing chain) may affect the optimization of model parameters and the resultant GPP estimate. We compare recent daily mean SIF products (one from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory‐2 [OCO‐2] and two from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment–2 [GOME‐2], GlobFluo [GF] and NASA‐v28 [N28], missions), averaged at 0.5° × 0.5° spatial resolution and 16‐day temporal resolution, at the biome level. Phase differences between these products are relatively small. A first‐order correction of the difference in spectral sampling between the two instruments shows that OCO‐2 and N28 are consistent in terms of magnitude and amplitude, while GF is twice as large as the others. Using a bias‐blind toy data assimilation framework, we analyze how biases between SIF products, and between model and products, can be partially alleviated by optimizing the slope and intercept parameters of a linear GPP‐SIF operator. As observation biases can transfer to biases in other optimized process‐based parameters and to modeled carbon fluxes— thereby resulting in unidentified inaccurate parameter values—we argue that potential SIF biases should be treated cautiously in real‐world experiments in order to achieve realistic and reliable future simulations.