Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of perceptual countermeasures on driving behaviour in rural-urban transition road segments: A driving simulator study

This driving simulator study investigated the impact of perceptual countermeasures on driving behavior by creating perceptual effects via pavement markings. Two different marking schemes (i.e. Optical Circles and Optical Bars) were tested separately for road transitions between rural and urban areas where the speed limit reduces from 70 kph to 50 kph. The tested treatments were intended to achieve combined perceptual effects (i.e. increase drivers’ attention, perceptual speed and perceptual road narrowing effect) independently. Data were analyzed for 44 participants (30 men and 14 female). The study results showed that the speed was reduced significantly for the both road marking treatments, however, the Optical Circle scenario in which circles with increasing size were implemented was the most effective solution. Moreover, variations in acceleration/deceleration and lateral position were not found to be significant due to treatments. This indicates that drivers did not decelerate or evade vehicles unsafely when confronting the road markings. The obtained results recommend Optical Circles to policy makers for further evaluation as a low-cost speed management tool.
The Interdiciplinary Center, Herzliya

In machine learning, selective sampling strategies are inspired by the ﬁeld of active learning. While the objective of the former is to reduce the number of annotations the latter strives to reduce computation. In this work we elaborate on different active learning approaches and derive one of our main contributions, a selective sampling method designed to accelerate the training of deep neural networks. To this end, we introduce a novel measure, the minimal margin score (MMS), which measures the minimal amount of displacement an input should undergo until its predicted classiﬁcation is switched. For multi-class linear clas-siﬁcation, the MMS measure is a natural generalization of the margin-based selection criterion, which has been thoroughly studied in the binary classiﬁcation setting. We demonstrate empirically that when training commonly used deep neural network architectures for popular image classiﬁcation tasks with our method, there is a marked and substantial acceleration in the training process. The efﬁ-ciency of our method is compared against standard training procedures and against commonly used selective sampling alternative, speciﬁcally hard negative mining selection. We demonstrate a substantial speedup via an aggressive learning-rate regime while using the MMS selective sampling method. Using the same concept, we also derive a new margin-based regularization formulation, termed multi-margin regularization (MMR), for deep neural networks (DNNs). The MMR is inspired by principles that were applied in margin analysis of shallow linear classiﬁers, e.g., support vector machine (SVM). Unlike SVM, MMR is continuously scaled by the radius of the bounding sphere (i.e., the maximal norm of the feature vector in the data), which is constantly changing during training. We empirically demonstrate that by a simple supplement to the loss function, our method achieves better results on various classiﬁcation tasks across domains.
The Relationship Between PTSD-Related Symptoms and Skin Disease Symptom Severity in a Dermatological Sample

Previous research has demonstrated associations between stress and physical health conditions, including skin disease. The stress cycle, including its associated hormonal responses and stress behaviors, contributes to more severe skin disease symptoms. Psychological stress and anxiety-disorder symptoms are known to be associated with skin disease severity; however, research has yet to examine the relationships between stress-disorders and skin disease severity. Therefore, stress disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) are hypothesized to have a similar relationship with skin disease severity, wherein greater severity of PTSD-related symptoms would be positively associated with skin disease severity. Participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (N = 450) were screened for the presence of a dermatological condition in the past year. Participants (n = 311) who endorsed skin disease symptoms completed online selfreport measures of skin disease characteristics and symptom severity, exposure to potentially traumatic events, PTSD-related symptoms, perceived stress, and demographic information. The sample was 68.2% white and 59.2% female, with a mean age of 33.9 years (SD = 11.0). Overall, participants reported moderate perceived stress (M = 18.9, SD = 6.6), and subthreshold symptoms of PTSD (M = 30.7, SD = 22). Bivariate correlations indicated significant positive associations between perceived stress and PTSD symptoms (r = .644, p < .01), and PTSD symptom clusters (r = .560-.677, p < .01). Skin disease severity was positively associated with perceived stress (r = .257, p < .01), PTSD symptoms (r = .435, p < .01), and all PTSD symptom clusters, with alterations in arousal and reactivity demonstrating the strongest relationship to skin disease severity (r = .428, p < .01). Consistent with prior work among dermatological samples, findings indicate skin disease severity was positively, significantly correlated with perceived stress, PTSD symptoms, and PTSD symptom clusters. These results contribute to the existing literature on stress and posttraumatic stress in dermatological populations. Future research PTSD & SKIN DISEASE SEVERITY iv directions may include additional dimensions of stress and stressful life events, as well as clinician-rated evaluation of PTSD symptoms and skin conditions. Additionally, longitudinal research examining the temporal relationship between PTSD symptoms, stress, and skin disease
NOTES D’ÉTUDES ET DE RECHERCHE REGIONAL DEBT IN MONETARY UNIONS: IS IT INFLATIONARY?

This paper studies the inﬂationary implications of interest bearing regional debt in a monetary union. Is this debt simply backed by future taxation with no inﬂationary consequences? Or will the circulation of region debt induce monetization by a central bank? We argue here that both outcomes can arise in equilibrium. In the model economy, there are multiple equilibria which reﬂect the perceptions of agents regarding the manner in which the debt obligations will be met. In one equilibrium, termed Ricardian , the future obligations are met with taxation by a regional government while in the other, termed Monetization , the central bank is induced to print money to ﬁnance the region’s obligations. The multiplicity of equilibria reﬂects a commitment problem of the central bank. A key indicator of the selected equilibrium is the distribution of the holdings of the regional debt. We show that regional governments, anticipating central bank ﬁnancing of their debt obligations, have an incentive to create excessively large deﬁcits. We use the model to assess the impact of policy measures within a monetary union.
Proportionally Fair Online Allocation of Public Goods Using Machine-Learned Predictions

We design online algorithms for fair allocation of public goods to a set of N agents over a sequence of T rounds and focus on improving their performance using machine-learned predictions. In the basic model, a public good arrives in each round, the algorithm learns every agent’s value for the good, and must irrevocably decide the amount of investment in the good without exceeding a total budget of B across all rounds. The algorithm can utilize (potentially inaccurate) machine-learned predictions of each agent’s total value for all the goods to arrive. We measure the performance of the algorithm using a proportional fairness objective, which informally demands that every group of agents be rewarded in proportion to its size and the cohesiveness of its preferences. In the special case of binary agent preferences and a unit budget, we show that O (log N ) proportional fairness can be achieved without using any predictions, and that this is optimal even if perfectly accurate predictions were available. However, for general preferences and budget no algorithm can achieve better than Θ( T/B ) proportional fairness without predictions. We show that algorithms with (reasonably accurate) predictions can do much better, achieving Θ(log( T/B )) proportional fairness. We also extend this result to a general model in which a batch of L public goods arrive in each round and achieve O (log(min( N, L ) · T/B )) proportional fairness. Our exact bounds are parametrized as a function of the error in the predictions and the performance degrades gracefully with increasing errors.
A Scoping Review of the Relationship Between Nonlinguistic Cognitive Factors and Aphasia Treatment Response

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to explore the extent to which nonlinguistic cognitive factors demonstrate a relationship with aphasia treatment outcomes. To that end, we conducted a scoping review to broadly characterize the state of the literature related to this topic. Methods: Reporting guidelines from the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews were used to conduct our study, which queried two common databases used in the health science literature, PubMed and Web of Science. Search terms and eligibility criteria are provided. Results are organized by the four nonlinguistic domains of cognition explored across the included studies (i.e., attention, memory, executive functioning, and visuospatial skills). Results: Of 949 unique articles identified from our database searches, 17 articles with 18 distinct studies were included in the final scoping review. Notably, most studies included in the scoping review targeted impairment-based aphasia treatments. Most studies also examined multiple domains of nonlinguistic cognition. A relationship between cognition and poststroke aphasia therapy outcomes was identified in nine of 15 studies addressing executive functioning, four of nine studies examining memory, four of eight studies examining visuospatial skills, and two of five studies exploring attention. Discussion: The results among included studies were mixed, with few discernible patterns within each of the four cognitive domains, though it appears that the influence of nonlinguistic cognition may depend on the timing (i.e., immediate vs. delayed post-treatment) and type (i.e., trained vs. untrained, generalized) of aphasia therapy outcomes. Future study designs should address maintenance, by including outcome measures at follow-up, and generalization, by including measures of performance on either untrained stimuli or trained stimuli in untrained contexts. Future work should also strive for larger sample sizes, perhaps through collaborations, or prioritize replicability to produce more reliable conclusions.
Contrasts in dissolved, particulate, and sedimentary organic carbon from the Kolyma River to the East Siberian Shelf

Abstract. Arctic rivers will be increasingly affected by the hydrological and biogeochemical consequences of thawing permafrost. During transport, permafrost-derived organic carbon (OC) can either accumulate in floodplain and shelf sediments or be degraded into greenhouse gases prior to final burial. Thus, the net impact of permafrost OC on climate will ultimately depend on the interplay of complex processes that occur along the source-to-sink system. Here, we focus on the Kolyma River, the largest watershed completely underlain by continuous permafrost, and marine sediments of the East Siberian Sea, as a transect to investigate the fate of permafrost OC along the land–ocean continuum. Three pools of riverine OC were investigated for the Kolyma main stem and five of its tributaries: dissolved OC (DOC), suspended particulate OC (POC), and riverbed sediment OC (SOC). They were compared with earlier findings in marine sediments. Carbon isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C), lignin phenol, and lipid biomarker proxies show a contrasting composition and degradation state of these different carbon pools. Dual C isotope source apportionment calculations imply that old permafrost-OC is mostly associated with sediments (SOC; contribution of 68±10 %), and less dominant in POC (38±8 %), whereas autochthonous primary production contributes around 44±10 % to POC in the main stem and up to 79±11 % in tributaries. Biomarker degradation indices suggest that Kolyma DOC might be relatively degraded, regardless of its generally young age shown by previous studies. In contrast, SOC shows the lowest Δ14C value (oldest OC), yet relatively fresh compositional signatures. Furthermore, decreasing mineral surface area-normalised OC- and biomarker loadings suggest that SOC might be reactive along the land–ocean continuum and almost all parameters were subjected to rapid change when moving from freshwater to the marine environment. This suggests that sedimentary dynamics play a crucial role when targeting permafrost-derived OC in aquatic systems and support earlier studies highlighting the fact that the land–ocean transition zone is an efficient reactor and a dynamic environment. The prevailing inconsistencies between freshwater and marine research (i.e. targeting predominantly DOC and SOC respectively) need to be better aligned in order to determine to what degree thawed permafrost OC may be destined for long-term burial, thereby attenuating further global warming.
Property Tax Compliance in Tanzania: Can Nudges Help?

Low tax compliance in low- and middle-income countries around the world limits the ability of governments to offer effective public services. This paper reports the results of a randomly rolled out text message campaign aimed at promoting tax compliance among landowners in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Landowners were randomly assigned to one of four groups designed to test different aspects of tax morale. They received a simple text message reminder to pay their tax (a test of salience), a message highlighting the connection between taxes and public services (reciprocity), a message communicating that people who did not pay were not contributing to local or national development (social pressure), or no message (control). Recipients of any message were 18 percent (or 2 percentage points) more likely to pay any property tax by the end of the study period. Each type of message resulted in gains in payment rates, although social pressure messages delivered the lowest gains. Total payment amounts were highest for those who received reciprocity messages. Nudges were most effective in areas with lower initial rates of tax compliance. The average estimated benefit-cost ratio across treatments is 36:1 due to the low cost of the intervention, with higher cost-effectiveness for reciprocity messages.
The Usability of Bank Capital Buffers and Credit Supply Shocks at SME’s during the Pandemic

Were banks reluctant to use Basel-III regulatory capital buffers to support lending to creditworthy SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic? Confidential US loan-level data show that banks starting the pandemic with “low capital headroom” above the penalty-laden Basel-III regulatory buffers (1) reduced SME loan commitments by 4.9 percent more and (2) were 10 percent more likely to result in borrower exits ex-post, controlling for a host of demand factors. Credit effects across many industries (up to 16% of aggregate SME credit) also suggest real effects on local employment growth during the pandemic (2% slower annually). This study is the first to test the usability of Basel-III regulatory buffers in a downturn, and contribute a bank capital-based transmission channel to the SME-pandemic literature.
Pollen Ultrastructure of Strawberry and other Small-fruit Crops1

Scanning electron microscopy studies were made on pollen samples from several small fruit crops: 3 selections of blueberry (Vaccinium), 4 Vitis spp. (V. vinifera L., V. cinerea Engelm., V. rupestris Scheele, and V. amurensis Rupr.), 2 cultivars of raspberry (Rubus), 5 cultivars of blackberry (Rubus), and several species and ploidy levels of strawberry (Fragaria) including 54 cultivars of F. × ananassa Duch. , as well as pollen of Duchesnea and Potentilla. Pollen size and exine characteristics were similar for 4 grape species examined. Polyploid blueberry selections were separable from the diploid selection by pollen grain size. Raspberry and blackberry pollen differed in size, exine ridging or reticulation, and presence of borderless or collared pores. Strawberry pollen is characterized by exine ridging and absence of pores. Cultivars of Fragaria × ananassa could be categorized into 4 groups according to exine ridge patterns. Cultivars exhibited broad longitudinal ridges or were characterized by less prominant to indistinct ridges. One cultivar was unique in that anastomosing ridges were present between adjacent ridges. Pollen grains of diploid F. vesca L. , F. vesca fma. semperflorens Duch. , and F. nubicola Lindl, ex Lacaita; a tetraploid clone of F. vesca; the hexaploid F. moschata Duch. ; and octoploid F. × ananassa, F. chiloensis (L.) Duch. , and F. virginiana Duch. are broadly elliptical, tricolporate and moderately to prominently ridged. Size of pollen and prominance of exine ridges appeared to correspond with ploidy level. Pollen of F. nipponica Mak. differed in that grains are subprolate to sphaeroidal and exine is ornamented with minute, rounded to subconical verrucae arranged in rows. Pollen of the related genera Duchesnea and Potentilla were very similar morphologically to those of octoploid Fragaria spp. , except that pollen of D. indica (Andr.) Focke are larger and the exine of P. recta L. exhibits an extremely minute pore structure.
Longitudinal study of wound healing status and bacterial colonisation of Staphylococcus aureus and Corynebacterium diphtheriae in epidermolysis bullosa patients

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is an inherited disorder characterised by skin fragility and the appearance of blisters and wounds. Patient wounds are often colonised or infected with bacteria, leading to impaired healing, pain and high risk of death by sepsis. Little is known about the impact of bacterial composition and susceptibility in wound resolution, and there is a need for longitudinal studies to understand healing outcomes with different types of bacterial colonisation. A prospective longitudinal study of 70 wounds from 15 severe EB patients (Junctional and Recessive Dystrophic EB) from Chile. Wounds were selected independently of their infected status. Wound cultures, including bacterial species identification, composition and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) antibiotic susceptibility were registered. Wounds were separated into categories according to their healing capacity, recognising chronic, and healing wounds. Hundred‐one of the 102 wound cultures were positive for bacterial growth. From these, 100 were SA‐positive; 31 were resistant to Ciprofloxacin (31%) and only seven were methicillin‐resistant SA (7%). Ciprofloxacin‐resistant SA was found significantly predominant in chronic wounds (**P < .01). Interestingly, atoxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae (CD) was identified and found to be the second most abundant recovered bacteria (31/101), present almost always in combination with SA (30/31). CD was only found in Recessive Dystrophic EB patients and not related to wound chronicity. Other less frequent bacterial species found included Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococus spp. and Proteus spp. Infection was negatively associated with the healing status of wounds.
Two-Level Nonregular Designs From Quaternary Linear Codes

A quaternary linear code is a linear space over the ring of integers modulo 4. Recent research in coding theory shows that many famous nonlinear codes such as the Nordstrom and Robinson (1967) code and its generalizations can be simply constructed from quaternary linear codes. This paper explores the use of quaternary codes to construct two-level nonregular designs. A general construction of nonregular designs is described and some theoretic results are obtained. Many nonregular designs constructed by this method have better statistical properties than regular designs of the same size in terms of resolution, aberration and pro jectivity. A systematic construction procedure is proposed and a collection of nonregular designs with 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 runs is presented.
Trends in recovery aid concentration following Hurricane Florence in North Carolina: exploring the role of physical damage, community vulnerability, and Hurricane Matthew

ABSTRACT The intensity of extreme events like hurricanes is predicted to increase. As such, the role of federal disaster aid programmes in assisting community recovery will also grow, and potential inequities in these programmes could compound in an increasing disaster landscape. This study analyzes recovery efforts after Hurricane Florence (2018) to identify trends in areas that were targeted for recovery aid. Using a series of Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and spatial lag models, divergences in aid are investigated after controlling for physical damage and the study suggests that these divergences can be partially predicted by social and community factors, including characteristics that are typically associated with increased social vulnerability (such as high renter population, older housing stock, and high population of non-white residents). In addition, because North Carolina experienced two major hurricanes in the period of just two years (Hurricane Matthew in 2016), this study also analyzes the role of successive extremes in the outcomes of aid concentration and finds that communities successful in achieving aid after Hurricane Matthew were similarly successful after Hurricane Florence. Finally, the paper emphasises the importance of monitoring potential inequities in federal recovery aid payout, which can provide actionable opportunities for potential improvements to these programmes.
Evaluation of the Carbon Sink Capacity of the Proposed Kunlun Mountain National Park

National parks, as an important type of nature protected areas, are the cornerstone that can effectively maintain biodiversity and mitigate global climate change. At present, China is making every effort to build a nature-protection system, with national parks as the main body, and this approach considers China′s urgent goals of obtaining carbon neutrality and mitigating climate change. It is of great significance to the national carbon-neutralization strategy to accurately predict the carbon sink capacity of national park ecosystems under the background of global change. To evaluate and predict the dynamics of the carbon sink capacity of national parks under climate change and different management measures, we combined remote-sensing observations, model simulations and scenario analyses to simulate the change in the carbon sink capacity of the proposed Kunlun Mountain National Park ecosystem over the past two decades (2000–2020) and the change in the carbon sink capacity under different zoning controls and various climate change scenarios from 2020 to 2060. Our results show that the carbon sink capacity of the proposed Kunlun Mountain National Park area is increasing. Simultaneously, the carbon sink capacity will be improved with the implementation of park management and control measures; which will be increased by 2.04% to 2.13% by 2060 in the research area under multiple climate change scenarios. The research results provide a scientific basis for the establishment and final boundary determination of the proposed Kunlun Mountain National Park.