julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Iron line spectroscopy with Einstein–dilaton–Gauss–Bonnet black holes
2018-04-30

Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet gravity is a well-motivated alternative theory\\nof gravity that emerges naturally from string theory. While black hole\\nsolutions have been known in this theory in numerical form for a while, an\\napproximate analytical metric was obtained recently by some of us, which allows\\nfor faster and more detailed analysis. Here we test the accuracy of the\\nanalytical metric in the context of X-ray reflection spectroscopy. We analyze\\ninnermost stable circular orbits (ISCO) and relativistically broadened iron\\nlines and find that both the ISCO and iron lines are determined sufficiently\\naccurately up to the limit of the approximation. We also find that, though the\\nISCO increases by about 7% as dilaton coupling increases from zero to extremal\\nvalues, the redshift at ISCO changes by less than 1%. Consequently, the shape\\nof the iron line is much less sensitive to the dilaton charge than expected.\\n
Think again: volatility asymmetry and volatility persistence
2018-04-30

Abstract We use a leveraged quantile heterogeneous autoregressive model of realized volatility to illustrate that volatility persistence and the asymmetric “leverage” effect are high volatility phenomena. More specifically, we find that (i) low volatility is not persistent, but high volatility all the more, even featuring properties of explosive processes; and (ii) asymmetry of volatility is only a high volatility phenomenon and there is no asymmetry in low volatility regimes. Our results turn out to be robust to the choice of the realized variance estimator, in particular with respect to jumps. The analysis illustrates that quantile regression can provide information that is hidden in commonly used GARCH or realized volatility models. The quantile regression results can also be linked to the weak empirical evidence of the leverage effect and the volatility feedback effect.
Efficient Merging of Genome Profile Alignments
2018-04-30

Abstract Motivation Whole-genome alignment methods show insufficient scalability towards the generation of large-scale whole-genome alignments (WGAs). Profile alignment-based approaches revolutionized the fields of multiple sequence alignment construction methods by significantly reducing computational complexity and runtime. However, WGAs need to consider genomic rearrangements between genomes, which makes the profile-based extension of several whole-genomes challenging. Currently, none of the available methods offer the possibility to align or extend WGA profiles. Results Here, we present GPA , an approach that aligns the profiles of WGAs and is capable of producing large-scale WGAs many times faster than conventional methods. Our concept relies on already available whole-genome aligners, which are used to compute several smaller sets of aligned genomes that are combined to a full WGA with a divide and conquer approach. To align or extend WGA profiles, we make use of the SuperGenome data structure, which features a bidirectional mapping between individual sequence and alignment coordinates. This data structure is used to efficiently transfer different coordinate systems into a common one based on the principles of profiles alignments. The approach allows the computation of a WGA where alignments are subsequently merged along a guide tree. The current implementation uses progressiveMauve (Darling et al. , 2010) and offers the possibility for parallel computation of independent genome alignments. Our results based on various bacterial data sets up to several hundred genomes show that we can reduce the runtime from months to hours with a quality that is negligibly worse than the WGA computed with the conventional progressiveMauve tool. Availability GPA is freely available at https://lambda.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/gitlab/ahennig/GPA . GPA is implemented in Java, uses progressiveMauve and offers a parallel computation of WGAs. Contact andre.hennig@uni-tuebingen.de
Naive, captive long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis fascicularis) fail to individually and socially learn pound-hammering, a tool-use behaviour
2018-05-01

A subspecies of long-tailed macaques ( Macaca fascicularis aurea; Mfa ) has been reported to use stone tools and a specific technique to process nuts in Southeast Asia, a behaviour known as ‘pound-hammering’. The aim of this study was to examine the development of pound-hammering in long-tailed macaques: whether this behavioural form can be individually learnt or whether it has to rely on some forms of social learning. Given the absence of Mfa from captivity, long-tailed macaques of a highly related subspecies ( Macaca fascicularis fascicularis; Mff ) were experimentally tested by providing them with the ecological materials necessary to show pound-hammering. A baseline was first carried out to observe whether pound-hammering would emerge spontaneously without social information. As this was not the case, different degrees of social information, culminating in a full demonstration of the behaviour, were provided. None of the subjects ( n = 31) showed pound-hammering in any of the individual or social learning conditions. Although these data do not support the hypothesis that individual learning underlies this behaviour, no evidence was found that (at least) Mff learn pound-hammering socially either. We propose that other—potentially interacting—factors may determine whether this behaviour emerges in the various subspecies of long-tailed macaques, and provide a novel methodology to test the role of social and individual learning in the development of animal tool-use.
The Use of Ochre and Painting During the Upper Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura in the Context of the Development of Ochre Use in Africa and Europe
2018-05-01

Abstract While the earliest evidence for ochre use is very sparse, the habitual use of ochre by hominins appeared about 140,000 years ago and accompanied them ever since. Here, we present an overview of archaeological sites in southwestern Germany, which yielded remains of ochre. We focus on the artifacts belonging exclusively to anatomically modern humans who were the inhabitants of the cave sites in the Swabian Jura during the Upper Paleolithic. The painted limestones from the Magdalenian layers of Hohle Fels Cave are a particular focus. We present these artifacts in detail and argue that they represent the beginning of a tradition of painting in Central Europe.
Hand preferences in two unimanual and two bimanual coordinated tasks in the black-handed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi).
2018-05-01

Spider monkeys are interesting to study with regard to hand preferences, as they are one of the few primate species that lack a thumb and, thus, are unable to perform a precision grip. Further, being platyrrhine primates, they also largely lack independent motor control of the digits and, thus, have only limited manual dexterity. It was therefore the aim of the present study to assess hand preferences in black-handed spider monkeys (<i>Ateles geoffroyi</i>) in 4 tasks differing in task demand: simple unimanual reaching for food and 3 versions of the widely used tube task, including 2 bimanual versions that differ from each other in the degree of fine motor control needed and a unimanual version that does not require coordinated action of the hands. We found that black-handed spider monkeys display significant hand preferences at the individual, but not at the population, level. This was true both in the 2 bimanual coordinated tasks and in the 2 unimanual tasks. Further, our results show that the majority of animals were consistent in the hand they preferred in these 4 tasks. Our findings only partially support the notion that task demand positively correlates with strength of hand preference. Finally, we found that the index finger was the most frequently used digit in all 3 tube tasks, although the animals also used other digits and 2- and 3-finger combinations to extract food from a tube. We conclude that limited manual dexterity does not prevent spider monkeys from displaying strong and consistent hand preferences at the individual level. (PsycINFO Database Record
Archaeopedological analysis of colluvial deposits in favourable and unfavourable areas: reconstruction of land use dynamics in SW Germany
2018-05-01

Colluvial deposits, as the correlate sediments of human-induced soil erosion, depict an excellent archive of land use and landscape history as indicators of human–environment interactions. This study establishes a chronostratigraphy of colluvial deposits and reconstructs past land use dynamics in the Swabian Jura, the Baar and the Black Forest in SW Germany. In the agriculturally favourable Baar area multiple main phases of colluvial deposition, and thus intensified land use, can be identified from the Neolithic to the Modern times. In the unfavourable Swabian Jura increased colluvial deposition began later compared to the more favourable areas in the Baar. The same holds true for the unfavourable areas of the Black Forest, but intensified land use can only be reconstructed for the Middle Ages and Early Modern times instead of for the Bronze and Iron Age as in the Swabian Jura. Land use intensity and settlement dynamics represented by thick, multilayered colluvial deposits increase in the Baar and the Black Forest during the Middle Ages. In between those phases of geomorphodynamic activity and colluviation, stable phases occur, interpreted as phases with sustainable land use or without human presence.
Contact Point Localization for Articulated Manipulators with Proprioceptive Sensors and Machine Learning
2018-05-01

A model-based Machine Learning (ML) approach is presented to detect and localize external contacts on a 6 degree of freedom (DoF) serial manipulator. This approach only requires the use of proprioceptive sensors (joint positions, velocities and one-dimensional (ID) joint torques already available in the robot arm). Good results are obtained with Random Forests (RFs) and Multi-Layer-Perceptrons (MLPs) leading to a precise localization of the contact link and its orientation. Apart from the link in contact and the orientation of the force, RFs and MLPs are also able to differentiate between contact points on the same link and orientation but with different distances to the joint axis. We experimentally verify this approach on simulated and real data obtained from the Kinova Jaco 2 manipulator and compare it to an optimization based approach.
CRISPR/Cas9 system: A promising technology for the treatment of inherited and neoplastic hematological diseases
2018-05-01

The ongoing advent of genome editing with programmable nucleases, including zinc-finger nuclease (ZFN), TAL effector nuclease (TALEN), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-associated RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9), have spurred the hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (HSC-GT). In particular, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing revealed promising outcomes in several preclinical disease models including inherited and neoplastic hematological diseases. In this review, we focused on the utilization of the CRISPR/Cas9 system as a possible treatment option for hemoglobinopathies and hematological tumors. We summarize the recent advances with CRISPR/Cas9 and its therapeutic potential for genome editing in cells from hematopoietic origin. We also critically discussed the limitations inherent to the CRISPR/Cas9 and possible alternatives for the improvement of genome editing.
Learning to Control Redundant Musculoskeletal Systems with Neural Networks and SQP: Exploiting Muscle Properties
2018-05-01

Modeling biomechanical musculoskeletal systems reveals that the mapping from muscle stimulations to movement dynamics is highly nonlinear and complex, which makes it difficult to control those systems with classical techniques. In this work, we not only investigate whether machine learning approaches are capable of learning a controller for such systems. We are especially interested in the question if the structure of the musculoskeletal apparatus exhibits properties that are favorable for the learning task. In particular, we consider learning a control policy from target positions to muscle stimulations. To account for the high actuator redundancy of biomechanical systems, our approach uses a learned forward model represented by a neural network and sequential quadratic programming to obtain the control policy, which also enables us to alternate the co-contraction level and hence allows to change the stiffness of the system and to include optimality criteria like small muscle stimulations. Experiments on both a simulated musculoskeletal model of a human arm and a real biomimetic muscle-driven robot show that our approach is able to learn an accurate controller despite high redundancy and nonlinearity, while retaining sample efficiency.
Material Characterization of Advanced Cement-Based Encapsulation Systems for Efficient Power Electronics with Increased Power Density
2018-05-01

The paper introduces novel phosphate cement- and calcium aluminate cement-based material systems with enhanced thermal, mechanical and thermomechanical properties for the encapsulation of power electronic devices and modules. These materials are aiming at improving the high-temperature operation potential of power electronic systems and thus, to promote a successful application of wide bandgap power devices in power electronics. The main focus of the study consists in a thorough material characterization of the novel cement-based encapsulants including high resolution microstructural analysis combined with a modelling approach to support material design optimization. A second task consists in the analysis of interactions of the encapsulants with the electronic material interfaces, e.g. the top-side metallization of power semiconductors, substrate metallizations and bonding wires. Furthermore, power cycling tests coupled with a comprehensive failure analysis have been carried out comparing IGBT power modules with standard silicone gel encapsulation and cement-based encapsulation. The results highlight the potential of the novel cement-based encapsulants on reliability improvements at high-temperature operation.
How Deep Is Your SNARC? Interactions Between Numerical Magnitude, Response Hands, and Reachability in Peripersonal Space
2018-05-01

Spatial, physical, and semantic magnitude dimensions can influence action decisions in human cognitive processing and interact with each other. For example, in the spatial-numerical associations of response code (SNARC) effect, semantic numerical magnitude facilitates left-hand or right-hand responding dependent on the small or large magnitude of number symbols. SNARC-like interactions of numerical magnitudes with the radial spatial dimension (depth) were postulated from early on. Usually, the SNARC effect in any direction is investigated using fronto-parallel computer monitors for presentation of stimuli. In such 2D setups, however, the metaphorical and literal interpretation of the radial depth axis with seemingly close/far stimuli or responses are not distinct. Hence, it is difficult to draw clear conclusions with respect to the contribution of different spatial mappings to the SNARC effect. In order to disentangle the different mappings in a natural way, we studied parametrical interactions between semantic numerical magnitude, horizontal directional responses, and perceptual distance by means of stereoscopic depth in an immersive virtual reality (VR). Two VR experiments show horizontal SNARC effects across all spatial displacements in traditional latency measures and kinematic response parameters. No indications of a SNARC effect along the depth axis, as it would be predicted by a direct mapping account, were observed, but the results show a non-linear relationship between horizontal SNARC slopes and physical distance. Steepest SNARC slopes were observed for digits presented close to the hands. We conclude that spatial-numerical processing is susceptible to effector-based processes but relatively resilient to task-irrelevant variations of radial-spatial magnitudes.
Inorganic Becomings
2018-05-01

Abstract In this choral essay we, an assorted group of academics interested in inorganic life and matter, explore a mode of thinking and feeling with our objects of inquiry—chemicals, waste, cement, gas, and the “project” as a particular form of circulation and enactment of materials and things. To experiment with alternative modes of knowing, we went to Puchuncaví, the largest, oldest, and most polluting industrial compound in Chile, to encounter the inorganic through and with its inorganicness and to attend to the situated, historicized, and political composition of both our materials and our experiences. Thinking of this as a collective provocation, we do not rehearse a conventional argument. Its parts are connected but only partially. There is no dramatic arc but rather an attempt at composing an atmosphere through which our thought and feelings are invoked. We have made visible the authorship behind each of the stories recounted here to celebrate the multivocality of our collaboration and to rehearse a nonabstracted mode of attention to Puchuncaví and the inorganic forces and entities we encountered there. We connect our irritations and speculations with the Anthropocene precisely as a way of summoning the multiple violences, many of them of planetary reach, that have to be denounced when situating our knowledge practices in Puchuncaví. Thinking about the ethico-political challenges of research in territories that have been, and are being, transformed under the weighty history of contamination and that are lived in and lived with by generations of beings (human and otherwise), we call in our concluding remarks for an enhanced pedagogy of care born of our inherited pasts and of engagement, interest, and becoming as response-ability.
FP278CHARACTERIZATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF PROTEASURIA IN NEPHROTIC SYNDROME
2018-05-01

endpoint.For each parameter data were divided in quartiles form the lowest to the largest value.The highest increase in hazard ratio (HR) for mortality risk between the first (lowest values) and the fourth quartile (highest values) was observed for eGFR (HR1⁄49.8,CI: 5.8-16.3)followed by CKD273 scores (HR1⁄44.2,CI: 2.5-6.9, Figure 1A) and UAE (HR1⁄42.0,CI: 1.2-3.4).To assess prediction of mortality, two models were generated using logistic regression analysis.Model (I) composed of eGFR, UAE and patients' age, showed a HR of ) between the first and fourth quartile.Following the addition of CKD273 to model I (model II), a HR of 50.0 (CI: 29.1-84.1)could be observed for the first and the fourth quartile (Figure 1C).CONCLUSIONS: In this first study examining the added value of the urinary proteome based CKD273 classifier to predict CKD mortality, CKD273 could improve the mortality prediction based on available clinical parameters.
Real-time 3D Glint Detection in Remote Eye Tracking Based on Bayesian Inference
2018-05-01

As human gaze provides information on our cognitive states, actions, and intentions, gaze-based interaction has the potential to enable a fluent and natural human-robot collaboration. In this work, we focus on reliable gaze estimation in remote eye tracking based on calibration-free methods. Although these methods work well in controlled settings, they fail when illumination conditions change or other objects induce noise. We propose a novel, adaptive method based on a probabilistic model, which reliably detects glints from stereo images and evaluate our method using a data set that contains different challenges with regarding to light and reflections.
A software reconfigurable assertion checking unit for run-time error detection
2018-05-01

The stress of verifying and validating nowadays complex systems is continuously boosting. To address this imperative issue, we present an optimised assertion checking approach that dynamically implements an instruction-based checker to validate system properties during run-time. In contrast to state-of-the-art hardware checker, the presented method compiles an assertion to a microprogram, which can be changed very flexibly by software for the in-silicon validation. A stand-alone hardware block, named assertion checking unit (ACU), is designed for executing the compiled microprogram in real-time. We have successfully evaluated this approach to detect run-time error of a prototyped cryptographic system by means of a run-time fault injection technology. Additionally, we have achieved measurable benefits of the new approach compared to the previous work.
Robust Real-Time 3D Person Detection for Indoor and Outdoor Applications
2018-05-01

Fast and robust person detection is one of the most important tasks for robotic applications involving human interaction. Particularly in mobile robotics this task is still challenging. Though there are already reliable and real-time capable approaches, they are usually computationally expensive. They either require GPUs or multiple CPU cores in order to work properly. Furthermore, some of the approaches are designed for special environments and sensor types, which reduces general applicability. In this work, we present a robust, generic and lightweight solution for real-time 3D person detection. Since our approach requires only a single CPU thread, it can be run as a background process and is suitable for smaller robotic systems. We demonstrate applicability to indoor and outdoor scenarios using different 3D sensor types separately. Moreover, we are able to show that the proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art approaches, including a DCNN.
Individualized Antithrombotic Therapy in High-Risk Cardiovascular Patients
2018-05-01

Recent guidelines suggest dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after 'drug-eluting' stent (DES) implantation for 6 months in stable patients and for 12 months in patients after acute coronary syndrome. Serious complications after stent implantation include stent thrombosis, recurrent myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, cardiovascular death and bleeding. These complications also occur beyond 1 year after coronary intervention. Thus, it is important to consider whether a prolonged DAPT (>12 months after percutaneous coronary intervention) is of benefit to lower thrombo-ischemic events in high-risk patients. This review addresses the results of recent randomized clinical studies (DAPT, ITALIC, OPTIDUAL and PEGASUS) and meta-analyses to support the author's view of which patient collectives might benefit from prolonged DAPT.