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Author(s): Luca Bischetti [sup.1], Irene Ceccato [sup.2], Serena Lecce [sup.2], Elena Cavallini [sup.2], Valentina Bambini [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.30420.35, 0000 0001 0724 054X, Center for Neurocognition, Epistemology and theoretical [...], Jokes understanding is an important part of people's social life, especially in aging. However, little is known about older adults' humor understanding and the role of the cognitive skills underpinning social communication, mainly pragmatics and theory of mind (ToM). To fill this gap, we created the Phonological and Mental Jokes (PMJ) task, a fine-grained task distinguishing two types of jokes based on the mentalistic load. The PMJ task was administered, together with the Assessment of Pragmatic Abilities and Cognitive Substrates (APACS) test for pragmatics and the Strange Stories for ToM, to 147 older adults (age-range 60-85). Through structural equation modeling (SEM), we analyzed: i) the latent structure of the PMJ task; ii) the relationships between humor comprehension, pragmatics, and ToM, controlling for other background variables (vocabulary, education, and age). Results revealed a two-latent-factor model for the PMJ task, which separated phonological from mental jokes. Furthermore, pragmatic skills predicted humor comprehension irrespective of the type of joke, whereas the relationship between humor understanding and ToM skills was specific, being significant for mental, but not for phonological, jokes. These results suggest that humor understanding is part of the larger pragmatic competence of older adults and that it may additionally tax ToM skills when reasoning about the mental states of the joke's characters is required. These findings pave the way to a lifespan consideration of humor in social communication and add to the debate over the relationship between pragmatics and ToM, showing the different role of these abilities in humor.

The nuclear superdeformed bands in A~ 190, A~ 130 mass regions have been systematically analyzed by using the perturbed SU(3) limit of the interacting boson model. The g-bosons have been taken into consideration and the SU(3) symmetry is perturbed by introducing an interaction holding the SO(5) symmetry. A four parameters simple analytic formula for the eigenvalue equation has been derived. The spin determines of the studied superdeformed (SD) bands are considered from our previous works. The improved model parameters for each nucleus have been determined by operating a computer simulated search program so as to obtain a minimum root mean square divergence of the evaluating gamma ray transition energies and the observed ones. With these adopted model parameters the transition energies [E.sub.[gamma]], the rotational frequencies [??][omega], the kinematic [J.sup.(1)] and dynamic [J.sup.(2)] moments of inertia have calculated and are in accordance with experimental data. The behavior of [J.sup.(1)] and [J.sup.(2)] as a function of [??][omega] have been studied. The calculated [E.sub.[gamma]] have been used to investigate the anomalous [DELTA]I = 2 staggering by considering the five point formula of Cederwall staggering parameter which represent the finite deviation calculation to the fourth order derivative of the transition energies at a determined spin., 1 Introduction It was known that the interacting boson model (IBM) [1] with s and d bosons (sdIBM) is successful in studying the spectroscopic properties of low-lying collective states in [...]

Recommended strategies to expand the donor pool in liver transplantation and decrease waiting list mortality include using extended-criteria donors and living donation. Encompassed among extended-criteria donors is donation after cardiocirculatory [...], Background: Outcomes in liver transplantation with organs obtained via donation after cardiocirculatory death (DCD) have been suboptimal compared to donation after brain death, attributed mainly to the high incidence of ischemic cholangiopathy (IC). We evaluated the effect of a 10-year learning curve on IC rates among DCD liver graft recipients at a single centre.Methods: We analyzed all DCD liver transplantation procedures from July 2006 to July 2016. Patients were grouped into early (July 2006 to June 2011) and late (July 2011 to July 2016) eras. Those with less than 6 months of follow-up were excluded. Primary outcomes were IC incidence and IC-free survival rate.Results: Among the 73 DCD liver transplantation procedures performed, 70 recipients fulfilled the selection criteria, 32 in the early era and 38 in the late era. Biliary complications were diagnosed in 19 recipients (27%). Ischemic cholangiopathy was observed in 8 patients (25%) in the early era and 1 patient (3%) in the late era (p = 0.005). The IC-free survival rate was higher in the late era than the early era (98% v. 79%, p = 0.01). The warm ischemia time (27 v. 24 min, p = 0.049) and functional warm ischemia time (21 v. 17 min, p = 0.002) were significantly lower in the late era than the early era.Conclusion: We found a significant reduction in IC rates and improvement in IC-free survival among DCD liver transplantation recipients after a learning curve period that was marked by more judicious donor selection with shorter procurement times.Contexte : L'issue des greffes de foie suite a un don d'organe apres deces cardiocirculatoire (DDC) a ete sous-optimale comparativement aux dons suivant la mort cerebrale. Cela serait surtout attribuable a une forte incidence de cholangiopathie ischemique (CI). Nous avons evalue l'effet d'une courbe d'apprentissage echelonnee sur 10 ans sur les taux de CI chez des receveurs de greffe de foie apres DDC dans un seul centre.Methodes : Nous avons analyse toutes les greffes de foie consecutives a des DDC entre juillet 2006 et juillet 2016. Les patients ont ete regroupes en 2 epoques, la premiere, de juillet 2006 a juin 2011, et la seconde, de juillet 2011 a juillet 2016. Ceux pour lesquels on disposait de moins de 6 mois de suivi ont ete exclus. Les parametres principaux etaient l'incidence de CI et le taux de survie sans CI.Resultats : Parmi les 73 greffes de foie par suite de DDC, 70 receveurs repondaient aux criteres de selection, 32 pour la premiere epoque et 38 pour la seconde epoque. Des complications biliaires ont ete diagnostiquees chez 19 receveurs (27%). La cholangiopathie ischemique a ete observee chez 8 patients (25%) de la premiere epoque et 1 patient (3%) de la seconde (p = 0,005). Le taux de survie sans CI a ete plus eleve pendant la seconde epoque que pendant la premiere (98% c. 79%, p = 0,01). Le temps d'ischemie chaude (27 minutes c. 24, p = 0,049) et le temps d'ischemie chaude fonctionnelle (21 minutes c. 17, p = 0,002) ont ete significativement plus courts durant la seconde epoque que durant la premiere.Conclusion : Nous avons observe une reduction significative des taux de CI et une amelioration de la survie sans CI chez les receveurs de greffes de foie par DDC apres une courbe d'apprentissage qui a ete marquee par une selection plus judicieuse des donneurs et des delais d'obtention plus courts.

In fisheries management, understanding population structure is key because a stock is the basic unit in population dynamic models that are used both to determine the status of a stock [...]

Abstract.--Squamate fossil identification has been challenging due to the incomplete understanding and sometimes complete lack of osteological research of extant species. Here we compared the maxilla of two similar species [...]

This paper introduces a model-driven control realization, which is based on the systems engineering concepts of the model-driven architecture (MDA)/model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach combined with the real-time UML/SysML, extended/unscented Kalman filter (EKF/UKF) algorithms, and hybrid automata, in order to conveniently deploy controllers of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). This model also creates a real-time communication pattern, which can permit the designed components to be customizable and reusable in new application developments of different AUV types. The paper brings out stepwise adapted AUV dynamics for control that are then combined with the specialization of MDA/MBSE features as follows: the computation independent model (CIM) is defined by the specification of the use-case model together with hybrid automata to gather the requirement analysis for control; the platform-independent model (PIM) is then designed by specializing the real-time UML/SysML's features including main control capsules that depict structures and behaviors of controllers in detail; and the detailed PIM is subsequently converted into the platform-specific model (PSM) by object-oriented platforms to rapidly implement the AUV controller. Based on this proposed model, a horizontal planar trajectory-tracking controller was deployed and tested that permits a miniature AUV possessing a torpedo shape to reach and follow the desired horizontal planar trajectory., Author(s): Ngo Van Hien (corresponding author) [1]; Van-Thuan Truong (corresponding author) [1]; Ngoc-Tam Bui (corresponding author) [2,3] 1. Introduction Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are increasingly developed and used for the [...]

One of the most well-known symbiosis of coral reefs is the relationship between host anemones and anemonefish. Host anemones are used not only by anemonefish but also by other species such as the immature phase of the three spot damsel (Dascyllus trimaculatus). Anemonefish can be a superior competitor to D. trimaculatus, which shares host anemones as shelter resources. Interspecific competition for shelter resources is considered to be an important factor affecting community structure in coral reef fish. In this study, we investigated the factors affecting host anemone utilization of D. trimaculatus around Okinawajima Island. Among 296 colonies, D. trimaculatus inhabited 52 (= 17.6%) host anemones. Decision tree analyses (CHAID) using five independent variables (species of host anemone and anemonefish, presence/absence of adult anemonefish, numbers of immature anemonefish, and size of host anemone) revealed that D. trimaculatus rarely occupied the anemones Entacmaea quadricolor and Stichodactyla haddoni, and seldom cohabited with Amphiprion frenatus and A. polymnus. We experimentally presented a clay model of D. trimaculatus to colonies of six species of anemonefish and compared the duration of aggressive behavior. The aggressive behaviors of A. frenatus and A. polymnus were significantly longer and more intense than that of the other four species. Our findings demonstrate that species composition in anemone symbioses may be affected by coexisting anemonefish as aggressive behavior toward intruders differs among species., Author(s): Kina Hayashi [sup.1], Katsunori Tachihara [sup.1], James Davis Reimer [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.267625.2, 0000 0001 0685 5104, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, [...]

Background: The purpose of this study is to identify predictors of alcohol use based on personal values and several constructs from the Integrated Behavioral Model (i.e., attitudes, injunctive norms and [...]