Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical Behavior Model for Multi-Agent System with Evasion Capabilities and Dynamic Memory

The behavior of an agent may be simple or complex depending on its role. Behavioral simulation using agents can have multiple approaches that have different advantages and disadvantages. By combining different behaviors in a hierarchical model, situational inefficiencies can be compensated. This paper proposes a behavioral hierarchy model that combines different mechanisms in behavior plans. The study simulates the social behavior in an office environment during an emergency using collision avoidance, negotiation, conflict solution, and path-planning mechanisms in the same multi-agent model to find their effects and the efficiency of the combinational setups. Independent agents were designed to have memory expansion, pathfinding, and searching capabilities, and the ability to exchange information among themselves and perform evasive actions to find a way out of congestion and conflict. The designed model allows us to modify the behavioral hierarchy and action order of agents during evacuation scenarios. Moreover, each agent behavior can be enabled or disabled separately. The effects of these capabilities on escape performance were measured in terms of time required for evacuation and evacuation ratio. Test results prove that all mechanisms in the proposed model have characteristics that fit each other well in situations where different hierarchies are needed. Dynamic memory management (DMM), together with a hierarchical behavior plan, achieved a performance improvement of 23.14% in escape time without providing agents with any initial environmental information.
Assessing Earthquake-Induced Urban Rubble by Means of Multiplatform Remotely Sensed Data

Earthquake-induced rubble in urbanized areas must be mapped and characterized. Location, volume, weight and constituents are key information in order to support emergency activities and optimize rubble management. A procedure to work out the geometric characteristics of the rubble heaps has already been reported in a previous work, whereas here an original methodology for retrieving the rubble’s constituents by means of active and passive remote sensing techniques, based on airborne (LiDAR and RGB aero-photogrammetric) and satellite (WorldView-3) Very High Resolution (VHR) sensors, is presented. Due to the high spectral heterogeneity of seismic rubble, Spectral Mixture Analysis, through the Sequential Maximum Angle Convex Cone algorithm, was adopted to derive the linear mixed model distribution of remotely sensed spectral responses of pure materials (endmembers). These endmembers were then mapped on the hyperspectral signatures of various materials acquired on site, testing different machine learning classifiers in order to assess their relative abundances. The best results were provided by the C-Support Vector Machine, which allowed us to work out the characterization of the main rubble constituents with an accuracy up to 88.8% for less mixed pixels and the Random Forest, which was the only one able to detect the likely presence of asbestos.
Indonesian Productivity Growth: Evidence from the Manufacturing Sector in Indonesia

This study estimates Technical efficiency (TE) and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) through a stochastic frontier analysis and decomposes growth into technological progress, technical efficiency change, and scale for the Indonesian manufacturing sector. Global economic slowdown characterises the period of study (2007-2013), as well as peak and fall of commodity prices, massive global integration and development of a Master plan for Indonesia (MP3EI). This study looks at patterns of productivity as important sources of growth. Results are aggregated based on technological intensity, firm size, capital/output ratio, labour skills, and location. The findings show that companies perform differently as those factors vary, and while larger companies are more efficient, smaller ones have higher rates of TFP growth, mainly through technological progress and scale. The TFP had moved from initial negative levels to positive ones. Firms with low tech, low capital/ output ratio, and more skilful workers have the highest TFP.
Fine-scale distribution of the epiphytic lichen Usnea longissima on two even-aged neighbouring Picea abies trees

Two neighbouring even-aged 130-yr old Picea abies trees in a homogeneous stand can differ substantially with respect to their epiphytic vegetation. Sampled branches from the canopy of one tree harboured 781 specimens of the old forest lichen Usnea longissima of which only 50 could be seen from the ground, whereas no U. longissima were found on its nearest neighbour. Usnea longissima was most abun- dant on branch tips in lower parts of the canopy on branch segments having the highest biomass of other alectorioid species. Trees with and without U. longissima showed a different pattern in their mineral composition, suggesting that a tree-specific difference in nutritional status might contribute to explain the patchy distribution of this lichen within seem- ingly homogeneous stands.
Winter Wheat Leaf Photosynthesis, Stomatal Conductance, and Leaf Nitrogen Concentration during Reproductive Development

Leaf N concentration (LRN), stomatal conductance (g,), and grain-assimilate demand each affect the leaf CO 2 -exchange rate (CER) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) during grain fill. Although leaf CER, g s , and LRN decrease during this time, little research has been conducted to examine whether these decreases occur simultaneously or to determine the effects of grain development on these declines. This field study was conducted (i) to monitor changes in CER, LRN, and g, during winter wheat reproductive development, (ii) to examine the relationships between the rate and duration of CER and the rate and duration of grain fill, and (iii) to determine the effects of crop N status on the decline in LRN and CER during grain fill. Two early (Andy and Gore) and two medium (Northrup King Coker 9803 and Northrup King Coker 9835) maturing cultivars were grown with irrigation and two rates of spring-applied N (56 and 112 kg N ha ') in 1994 and 1995. Cultivar ranking was similar for the date of inflorescence emergence, the initiation and termination of grain development, and the complete loss of green leaf area and flag-leaf photosynthetic activity. For all cultivars, flag-leaf CER and g, began to decrease near the beginning of grain fill, whereas LRN and leaf area index (LAI) began to decrease prior to grain fill. Rapid reductions in LRN and CER were found only after significant grain growth occurred, with the rate of decrease being relative to the cultivar ranking found for inflorescence emergence date. Averaged over cultivars and years, increasing the rate of spring-applied N increased LAI and LRN near inflorescence emergence by 37 and 24%, respectively, but only delayed the complete loss of green leaf area by 2 to 3 d and had little effect on the duration of grain fill. Stage of grain growth had little effect on the loss of LRN and CER until the latter portion of grain fill, when rapid reductions in these variables occurred. Increasing the rate of spring-applied N did not significantly delay these decreases or extend the duration of grain fill.
Aeromonas salmonicida in Finland: pathological problems associated with atypical and typical strains

Aeromonas salmonicida was studied at fish farms producing salmonid smolts in northern and central Finland from 1982 onwards. Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida has been causing epizootics in salmon, Salmo salar L. , and trout, S. trutta L. , at two coastal farms in northern Finland sinee 1986, involving 1–29% mortality in the fish-rearing units affceted. The disease causes more serious losses of sea trout yearlings and brood fish than of salmon. The achromogenic atypical A. salmonicida proved to be the most common bacterial disease in brown and sea trout at one farm in northern Finland throughout the period, causing constant heavy losses, mainly of fingerlings, especially in 1982–1986. It was found only occasionally in central Finland. Pigment-producing atypical A- salmonicida caused mortality among brown trout at one farm in northern Finland and one in central Finland.
Augmented resting beat‐to‐beat blood pressure variability in young, healthy, non‐Hispanic black men

What is the central question of this study? The prevalence of hypertension in black individuals exceeds that in other racial groups. Despite this well‐known heightened risk, the underlying contributory factors remain incompletely understood. We hypothesized that young black men would exhibit augmented beat‐to‐beat blood pressure variability compared with white men and that black men would exhibit augmented total peripheral resistance variability. What is the main finding and its importance? We demonstrate that young, healthy black men exhibit greater resting beat‐to‐beat blood pressure variability compared with their white counterparts, which is accompanied by greater variability in total peripheral resistance. These swings in blood pressure over time might contribute to the enhanced cardiovascular risk profile in black individuals.
Medical treatment options for COVID-19

Therapeutic options for coronavirus disease 2019 are desperately needed to respond to the ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic. Both antiviral drugs and immunomodulators might have their place in the management of coronavirus disease 2019. Unfortunately, no drugs have been approved yet to treat infections with human coronaviruses. As it will take years to develop new therapies for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the current focus is on the repurposing of drugs that have been approved or are in development for other conditions. Several clinical trials have already been conducted or are currently ongoing to evaluate the efficacy of such drugs. Here, we discuss the potential of these therapies for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019.
Dental services provided to Syrian refugee children in Jordan: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND Little is known about oral health care in Syrian refugee children in host countries. We describe the pattern and nature of oral healthcare service provided to Syrian refugee children in Jordan METHOD: The clinical records of 3 to 7-year-old children who attended dental clinics at Zaatari refugee camp over a period of 8 months were retrieved and analyzed. RESULTS Records of 259 children were analyzed. The mean age of the study sample was 5.6 years, and all included children were born in Zaatari refugee camp. Most children (66%; n = 171) presented because of dental pain and/or dental infection. Dental extraction was the most common procedure (55%), followed by dental fillings (25%), pulpotomy (10.6%), and stainless steel crown (9.2%). Most patients (75.3%; n = 195) received only one dental procedure during their stay in the camp, and no significant correlation between age and number of dental procedures was found. CONCLUSIONS Oral health care is not a priority in this population, and the available capacity for dental services is insufficient. Dental health programs should be implemented to improve refugee dental care.
The Proactive Shift in Managing an Older  Workforce 2009–2017: A Latent Class Analysis of Organizational Policies

Abstract Background and Objectives Longitudinal perspectives on how organizations react to workforce aging are missing in the literature. In this study, we fill this gap and ask how organizations deal with older workers, how their approaches change over time, and in which sectors of the economy and types of organizations the changes were most profound. Research Design and Methods Data come from two large-scale employer surveys: 2009 (n = 1,077) and 2017 (n = 1,358), representative for the Netherlands. We use a three-step group-comparison latent class analysis combined with a multinomial logistic model. Results We found four clusters of organizations based on their practices regarding older workers—those trying to activate and develop their employees (active), focusing solely on exit measures (exit), implementing a combination of development, accommodating and exit measures (all), and practicing no age management (none). We find a major shift in employers’ approaches to aging workforces between 2009 and 2017, with strong decreases in those that offered no age management (47%–30%) and those focusing on exit measures (21%–6%), and an increase in active organizations (19%–52%). Active age management is no longer concentrated in large and developing organizations, but has become a standard human resources tool economy-wide. Discussion and Implications Overall, there is a long-term trend away from exit measures toward the application of proactive age management measures. More involvement of employers in retaining older adults in the workplace may signal a growing awareness of the changing demographic reality.
Bidirectional relation between affective symptoms and cognitive function from middle to late adulthood: a population-based birth cohort study

Abstract Objectives There is an association between affective symptoms and cognition. However, the direction of this association remains unclear. This study aimed to test bidirectional relationships between affective symptoms and cognition from middle to late adulthood. Method Data were available from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), a prospective birth cohort of 5362 people born in 1946. Affective symptoms and cognition were measured at ages 53, 60–64, and 69. Latent scores of affective symptoms were derived and cross-lagged models were fitted for affective symptoms with verbal memory and processing speed. Results Results revealed an inverse cross-sectional association between affective symptoms and verbal memory (β=−0.18, SE=0.04, p<.001) and processing speed (β=−0.13, SE=0.06, p=.05) at age 53, but not at ages 60–64 or 69. Affective symptoms at age 53 predicted lower verbal memory at age 60–64 (β=−0.58, SE=0.27, p=.03), and affective symptoms at age 60–64 predicted lower verbal memory (β=−0.64, SE=0.29, p=.03) and processing speed (β=−1.27, SE=0.41, p=.002) at age 69. Verbal memory and processing speed did not predict subsequent affective symptoms. Conclusion Affective symptoms predict poorer verbal memory and processing speed over a period of 16 years, but not vice versa.
Pathogenicity of root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita on okra and its management through botanicals

An investigation was carried out to study the pathogenicity of root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita on okra and its management through various organic amendments. The inoculum level of 1000 juveniles per plant showed significant reduction in various plant growth parameters, which reveals that M. incognita is a potential pathogen of okra. With the increase in inoculums level of M. incognita (J2), there was a progressive decrease in various plant growth parameters. The maximum reduction in plant growth parameters was observed at an inoculum level of 4000 juveniles per plant. The efficacy of five organic amendments viz. groundnut cake, castor cake, sunflower cake, linseed cake and sawdust was tested against root knot nematode M. incognita. Amending the soil with different oil cakes was found to be effective in reducing the nematode soil population, number of females, number of egg masses as well as root gall formation in okra. The highest increase in plant growth (13%) and maximum reduction in number of galls (54%), number of females (57%) and number of egg masses (55%) was recorded on application of groundnut cake.
Changes in Internal Atmosphere of Submersed Vascular Hydrophytes in Relation to Photosynthesis

Gases were extracted from the internal atmosphere of Elodea canadensis and Ceratophyllum demersum in a closed system under reduced pressure. The volume of extractable gases varied throughout the daily period. Gases separated and quantitatively measured by gas chromatography included CO2, O2, N2, and CH4. Results from diurnal studies showed a lag between peak values for dissolved oxygen in the surrounding water and oxygen in the internal atmosphere. Lags were also observed in the CO2 values. As a result photosynthetic activity by these plants is not immediately reflected by changes in dissolved oxygen content of the surrounding water. The lacunal system apparently functions as a reservoir for metabolic gases. Experiments in whcih light intensity was controlled by floating screens indicated that at low intensities evidence of oxygen production in E. canadensis may be obtained only by observing the changes which occur within the internal atmosphere. At these intensities no increase in dissolved oxygen can be detected in the surrounding water although internal oxygen concentrations may increase slightly. Confirmation that carbon was being fixed by the plants under these conditions has been obtained by carbon—14 uptake studies using gas phase counting procedures. The observations cast furthur doubt on the reliability of using changes in dissolved oxygen as a sole measure of photosynthetic activity in aquatic ecosystems where submersed vascular plants are dominant.
Risk of major depressive disorder in spouses of cancer patients in Japan: A cohort study using health insurance‐based claims data

A cancer diagnosis is a highly stressful event that can lead to psychological disorders, including depression, in the patient. Depressive symptoms occur in 6% to 40% of cancer patients, and up to 15% of cancer patients are diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, cancer also affects family members, especially spouses, who share a close personal relationship with the patient and are often the primary caregiver. A recent meta-analysis reported that the prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms (determined by a range of psychometric tools) in caregivers of cancer patients was 42.3%. Although many studies have documented a high level of psychological distress in spouses or caregivers of cancer patients, sometimes surpassing that of the patients themselves, few studies have examined whether spouses are actually diagnosed with MDD or meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for MDD. Further, no previous study has determined the hazard ratio (HR) of an MDD diagnosis in spouses relative to cancer patients or relative to spouses of cancer-free individuals. We recently conducted a matched cohort study of Japanese workers and their families enrolled in an insured medical services database, in which the risk of MDD in cancer patients in the year after a cancer diagnosis was 2.96-fold greater than in cancer-free individuals. This exploratory analysis aimed to identify the risk of MDD in spouses of cancer patients compared with spouses of a cancer-free group, and compared with cancer patients. We hypothesized that the risk of MDD in spouses of cancer patients is comparable to that of a cancer patient, but higher than the risk in spouses of cancer-free people.
Mexican Traditional Medicine: Application of a Traditional and Complementary Medicine System to Improve Opioid Use Treatment in Latinos

Background: Initially considered a primarily rural, White issue, opioid use and overdose rates have risen faster for Latinos (52.5%) than for White, non-Hispanics (45.8%) from 2014 to 2016. With an estimated 45% to 65% of Latino immigrant families using Mexican traditional medicine (MTM) practices before seeking Western medical services, these practices could be used as a method to increase access to care and improve outcomes. Practice Model: Although not well known, MTM is founded on a defined set of theoretical tenets that comprise a whole medical system as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Whole medical systems are characterized as complete systems of theory and practice that develop independently and parallel allopathic medicine. Classifying MTM as a whole medical system to encourage further research and utilization of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) practices could help improve health outcomes for Latino patients. Specific T&CM practices that could be used in opioid treatment integration to decrease stigma and increase treatment utilization are then discussed. Conclusion: Incorporating T&CM practices will allow more effective, culturally competent and culturally sensitive health care provision for Latino immigrants in the United States to decrease stigma, improve health care outcomes, and address disparities in opioid use treatment.
Transitional turbulent flow in a stenosed coronary artery with a physiological pulsatile flow

The turbulence in the blood flow, caused by plaque deposition on the arterial wall, increases by the combined effect of the complex plaque geometries and the pulsatile blood flow. The correlation between the plaque geometry, the pulsatile inlet flow and the induced turbulence in a constricted artery is investigated in this study. Pressure drop, flow velocity and wall shear stress are determined for stenosed coronary artery models with three different degrees of asymmetric stenosis and for different heart working conditions. A Computational Fluid Dynamics model, validated against experimental data published in the literature, was developed to simulate the blood pulsatile flow inside a stenosed coronary artery model. The transitional flow behaviour was quantified by investigation of the changes in the turbulence kinetic energy. It was shown that the separation starts from the side of the asymmetric stenosis and spreads to its opposite side further downstream. The results suggest that there is a high risk of the formation of a secondary stenosis at a downstream distance equal to 10 times of the artery diameter at the side and bottom regions of the first stenosis due to the existence of the recirculation zones and low shear stresses. Finally, a stenosed patient‐specific coronary artery model was employed to illustrate the applicability of the obtained results for real geometry models. The results of this study provide a good prediction of pressure drop and blood flow rate, which can be applied in the investigation of the heart muscle workout and the required heart power.
Effect of laterotrusive occlusal scheme on chewing duration, external intercostal muscular activity, heart rate, and oxygen saturation

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effect of the laterotrusive occlusal scheme on chewing duration, external intercostal (EIC) electromyographic (EMG) activity, heart rate (HR), and oxygen saturation (OS) during different tasks in the upright seated position. Methods: Fifty young participants, 25 with canine guidance and 25 with group function, were included. Chewing duration, bilateral EIC EMG activity, HR, and OS were recorded during the following tasks: 1) chewing until swallowing threshold; 2) laterotrusive teeth grinding. Results: Chewing duration, bilateral EIC EMG activity, HR, and OS showed no significant differences between the two laterotrusive occlusal schemes during the tasks studied. Conclusion: These results suggest that chewing duration, EIC muscle activity, HR, and OS were not significantly influenced by the laterotrusive occlusal scheme. Therefore, when a modification of the laterotrusive occlusal scheme is needed during oral rehabilitation or orthodontic treatment, canine guidance or group function should not significantly change EMG activity of EIC muscles.