Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Intelligence with Creativity the Need for a Comprehensive Approach

ABSTRACT Assessments of intelligence have neglected to examine creativity in most test batteries, thus inhibiting a complete understanding of cognitive functioning. This study aimed to analyze whether creativity could be combined with intelligence in a group test battery (BAICA- Intelligence and Creativity Battery) and to verify whether creativity was related to fluid and crystallized intelligence tasks or if it was an independent factor. The sample was composed of 450 individuals (299 F, 151 M) living in 6 Brazilian states, with ages ranging from 14–50 years old (M = 21.42, SD = 7.70). Seven tasks related to fluid intelligence (Gf; logical thinking, visual spatial ability, visual memory, speed of thinking) and crystallized intelligence (Gc; synonyms, antonyms, verbal analogies), along with 3 tasks related to creative thinking (Cr; fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration) were studied through confirmatory factor and network analyses. The results indicated better adjustment indices for Model 3, which was composed of the G factor explained by Gf (including analogies), Gc and Cr. The network analysis confirmed the relationships among these factors and the same pattern for both sexes. In conclusion, there is a need to integrate creativity as a distinct construct for assessing intelligence to obtain a better comprehension of human potential.
Impact of Age and Biological Sex on Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Adult Moderate/Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: An Exploratory Analysis

Age and biological sex are two potential important modifiers of cerebrovascular reactivity post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring close evaluation for potential subgroup responses. The goal of this study was to provide a preliminary exploratory analysis of the impact of age and biological sex on measures of cerebrovascular function in moderate/severe TBI. Forty-nine patients from the prospectively maintained TBI database at the University of Manitoba with archived high-frequency digital cerebral physiology were evaluated. Cerebrovascular reactivity indices were derived as follows: PRx (correlation between intracranial pressure [ICP] and mean arterial pressure [MAP]), PAx (correlation between pulse amplitude of ICP [AMP] and MAP), and RAC (correlation between AMP and cerebral perfusion pressure [CPP]). Time above clinically significant thresholds for each index was calculated over different periods of the acute intensive care unit stay. The association between PRx, PAx, and RAC measures with age was assessed using linear regression, and an age trichotomization scheme (<40, 40–60, >60) using Kruskal-Wallis testing. Similarly, association with biological sex was tested using Mann-Whitney U testing. Biological sex did not demonstrate an impact on any measures of cerebrovascular reactivity. Linear regression between age and PAx and RAC demonstrated a statistically significant positive linear relationship. Median PAx and RAC measures between trichotomized age categories demonstrated statistically significant increases with advancing age. The PRx failed to demonstrate any statistically significant relationship with age in this cohort, suggesting that in elderly patients with controlled ICP, PAx and RAC may be better metrics for detecting impaired cerebrovascular reactivity. Biological sex appears to not be associated with differences in cerebrovascular reactivity in this cohort. The PRx performed the worst in detecting impaired cerebrovascular reactivity in those with advanced age, where PAx and RAC appear to have excelled. Future work is required to validate these findings and explore the utility of different cerebrovascular reactivity indices.
EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING ON MAXIMUM OXYGEN UPTAKE CAPACITY AND RELATED CARDIO-RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS AT ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD LEVEL OF INDIAN MALE FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS

Aim: In order to achieve maximal performance, need for high oxygen uptake is complemented with rigorous training program. To evaluate the effect of 8 weeks high intensity interval training (HIIT) on maximum oxygen uptake capacity and related cardio-respiratory parameters at anaerobic threshold level. Materials and methods: High intensity interval training programme was implemented among 20 trained young male hockey players for 3 days/week. The training set included 2 minutes of intense sprint workout followed by a minute each of active recovery and complete rest. The point of anaerobic threshold was identified with ventilatory equivalent method while the players were subjected to exercise on computerized bicycle ergometer. Results: Present study depicts significant increase in maximum oxygen consumption (+8%, p=0.000), maximum heart rate (+3%, p=0.01) and glycogen content (+3%, p=0.421) with significant decrease in pre-exercise heart rate (-7%, p=0.001), recovery heart rate (-7%, p=0.000) and average breathing frequency (-6%, p=0.014) after 8 weeks of interval training. Oxygen consumption (p=0.505), heart rate (p=0.000) and work load (p=0.004) were also improved significantly at anaerobic threshold level by 11%, 6% and 9% respectively. Conclusion: HIIT protocol ultimately allows the athlete to exercise at higher workload with greater cardiac proficiency within the aerobic zone. Article visualizations:
COVID-19 Lockdown Stressors and Buffers: A Narrative Review

This narrative review summarizes and critiques the relatively limited literature on the psychological effects of COVID-19 lockdowns in many parts of the world. These have included anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Risk factors or predictors have also been studied including the demographics of being young and living alone. Feeling isolated and lonely, stressed, bored, fatigued, and touch deprived have also been predictive. Specific worries about getting the virus and having financial problems were surprisingly less stressful. Although social media was expected to buffer negative effects, those data were mixed including that texting had positive effects, internet had both positive and negative effects, and Facebook time had negative effects. Buffers for stress and psychological problems included spirituality and meditation, touching, exercise, working from home, and other home activities. Methodological problems with these studies included their being self-report surveys that were often not representative of the larger populations and did not include baseline data, limiting any assumptions of causality. Nonetheless, collectively the data will help inform interventions for pandemic lockdowns like those of COVID-19.
Irrigation and Nitrogen Impact on Bermudagrass Yield Response in the Southeastern Coastal Plain

In the southeastern region of the U.S., the cattle industry has a critical need for sustainable hay production. Yet this production is threatened by frequent short-term regional drought. This drought threat can be mitigated by properly managed irrigation. In this study on Tifton 85 bermudagrass, irrigation management, nitrogen fertility levels, and harvest interval were evaluated for their impact on hay quality and yield. The experimental treatments were arrayed in a split-plot design with harvest interval as the main treatment; irrigation by nitrogen (N) levels were the subplots. Treatments had four replicates and were repeated for two years. The optimal irrigation rate was set to maintain soil water potentials below -30 kPa. When needed, the full irrigation treatment received a 12.5 mm irrigation application. The reduced irrigation treatments received water at rates of 0%, 33%, and 66% of the full irrigation rate. In addition, each irrigation treatment had nitrogen rates of 168, 336, and 504 kg N ha-1. The irrigation and nitrogen treatments were harvested at four-week or eight-week intervals. Total harvests per year ranged from three to six. Over both years and for all harvests, there was no irrigation-nitrogen interaction for hay yield. Over all harvests, nitrogen significantly increased bermudagrass hay yield, nutrient concentrations, and forage quality. Forage quality was higher for the four-week harvest interval. Throughout the study, forage quality was maintained within desired industry standards. When irrigation was required, it significantly increased hay yield. During these periods, the four-week and eight-week 100% irrigation treatments yielded 612 and 1600 kg ha-1 greater, respectively, than the non-irrigated treatments. The four-week harvest interval was more sensitive to irrigation. Additionally, we observed a linear relationship between non-irrigated bermudagrass hay yields and average soil water potential. As soil water was depleted, non-irrigated hay yields decreased 31 kg ha-1 per kPa. Timely supplemental irrigation to maintain soil water potentials above -30 kPa can increase bermudagrass yields. Thus, irrigation management should be critically assessed for its potential role in sustaining hay production in the southeastern Coastal Plain.
An iterative, residual-based approach to unsupervised musical source separation in single-channel mixtures

This thesis concentrates on a major problem within audio signal processing, the separation of source signals from musical mixtures when only a single mixture channel is available. Source separation is the process by which signals that correspond to distinct sources are identified in a signal mixture and extracted from it. Producing multiple entities from a single one is an extremely underdetermined task, so additional prior information can assist in setting appropriate constraints on the solution set. The approach proposed uses prior information such that: (1) it can potentially be applied successfully to a large variety of musical mixtures, and (2) it requires minimal user intervention and no prior learning/training procedures (i.e., it is an unsupervised process). This system can be useful for applications such as remixing, creative eﬀects, restoration and for archiving musical material for internet delivery, amongst others. Here, specific priors include that the signal contains detectable musical events, with characteristic partial structures, often assumed to be harmonic. The harmonicity cue is incorporated by employing an adapted and extended frame-based multiF0 estimator for identifying the sources. This acts as a front-end to a source estimation and extraction stage. Further, an iterative procedure is introduced between the two stages, enabling improved performance via increased adaptivity to signal content: this novel approach becomes possible by exploiting a residual signal. Experimental results show that the proposed residual-based method achieves better average performance compared to alternative methods in terms of source separation and multiF0 estimation on a range of mixtures of varying complexity. Unmodelled content of the separated mixture will appear in the residual, which can be exploited further. In particular, a novel onset detection technique is proposed that works entirely with the residual. Considering its simplicity, the technique shows promising results compared to two existing methods that do not use the residual.
On the Link between Subjective Score Prediction and Disagreement of Video Quality Metrics

Several video quality metrics (VQMs) have been proposed in many publications to predict how humans perceive video quality. It is common to observe significant disagreements amongst the quality predictions of these VQMs for the same video sequence. Following an extensive literature search, we found no publicised work that has investigated if such disagreements convey useful information on the accuracy of VQMs. Herein, a measure for quantifying the disagreements between VQMs is proposed. A small-scale subjective study is carried out to assess the effectiveness of our proposal. In particular, the proposed disagreement measure is shown to be extremely effective in determining whether the quality of any given processed video sequence (PVS) can be accurately predicted by the VQMs. This type of information is particularly useful for identifying video sequences that are likely to degrade the end-user’s quality of experience (QoE). Our proposal is also useful in selecting the most effective PVSs to be employed in a subjective test. We show that the proposed disagreement measure can be effectively predicted from bitstream features. This establishes a link between the capability to accurately assess the quality of a PVS and the way it is encoded. In addition, an analysis is conducted to compare the performances of some well-known and widely used open-source metrics and two proprietary metrics. The two proprietary metrics are used by a large media company for enhancing its delivery pipeline. The outcome of this comparison highlights the suitability of the open-source VQM, Video Multi-method Assessment Fusion (VMAF), as a good benchmark quality measure for both the industrial and academic environments.
Contractors’ human resource development practices and their effects on employee soft skills

Human resource development (HRD) strategies are important to enable firms to recruit, retain and develop their employees. The aim of this study is to investigate the HRD of flexible construction firms in Singapore. The research was based on a questionnaire survey and data were collected via face-to-face interviews with 45 construction industry experts. Thirteen significant HRD practices were identified. The results show that the practices can be characterized along intra-organizational relationship management, competence development, performance management and stress management. A structural equation model was developed to explain the relationships between HRD strategies, employees’ soft skills and their resistance to change. It is found that firms’ competence development strategy has a significant positive impact on employees’ soft skills, and that employees who possess superior soft skills are less likely to resist change. It is recommended that contractors adopt some of these significant HRD practices so as to cultivate a motivated flexible workforce.
Artificial intelligence associated with Sentinel-2 data in predicting commercial volume in Brazilian Amazon Forest

Abstract. Forest inventory and monitoring is normally carried out based on field measurements of biophysical attributes such as diameter, height, and the number of trees, which is a labor, time, and money consuming activity. Satellite data associated with artificial intelligence tools are alternative approaches to estimate forest parameters at large scales. We assessed correlation of forest variables measured in the field with different vegetation indices (VIs) (normalized difference vegetation index, soil adjusted vegetation index, modified soil adjusted vegetation index, enhanced vegetation index, and enhanced vegetation index adjusted 2.2), retrieved from Sentinel-2 imagery to predict the volume of commercial trees (VCC) showing a minimum commercial diameter ( MCD ) ≥ 50 cm in a sustainable forest management plan in the Brazilian Amazon region. A total of 150 artificial neural networks (ANNs) of the multilayer perceptron type were trained and supervised. Subsequently, the five best-performing networks were retained based on the fit and accuracy statistics. The ANN-1 showed the best statistical results [root-mean-square error <10 % and correlation coefficient ( r ) > 0.98] to predict the VCC using as input variables the number of trees per hectare showing MCD ≥ 50 cm and all tested VIs. Our study shows promising results that may contribute to improving forest management planning at large scales in remote areas in tropical regions.
Risk based integrity modeling of offshore process components suffering stochastic degradation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a risk‐based integrity model for the optimal replacement of offshore process components, based on the likelihood and consequence of failure arising from time‐dependent degradation mechanisms.Design/methodology/approach – Risk is a combination of the probability of failure and its likely consequences. Offshore process component degradation mechanisms are modeled using Bayesian prior‐posterior analysis. The failure consequences are developed in terms of the cost incurred as a result of failure, inspection and maintenance. By combining the cumulative posterior probability of failure and the equivalent cost of degradations, the operational life‐risk curve is produced. The optimal replacement strategy is obtained as the global minimum of the operational risk curve.Findings – The offshore process component degradation mechanisms are random processes. The proposed risk‐based integrity model can be used to model these processes effectively to obtain an optimal rep.
Improvement in Growth, Yield, and Fruit Quality of Three Red Sweet Pepper Cultivars by Foliar Application of Humic and Salicylic Acids

The present study reports on the effect of humic and salicylic acids on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of three red sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) cultivars: Barbero, Ferrari, and Imperio. The plants were grown in a greenhouse and the leaves were treated with humic or salicylic acids at 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g·L−1 at 20, 40, and 60 days after transplanting. Foliar application of humic or salicylic acids significantly increased vegetative growth, fruit yield, and quality of the three cultivars as compared with the control plants. However, salicylic acid treatment proved more effective than humic acid treatment. Red sweet pepper plants of all three cultivars sprayed with 1.5 g·L−1 salicylic acid showed the greatest vegetative growth; fruit yield components, such as fruit number, diameter, and fresh and dry weights; and fruit quality traits, such as vitamin C content, total soluble solid content, titratable acidity, and total sugar content, than the plants in all other treatments. There were significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among cultivars in response to humic and salicylic acid foliar application; ‘Ferrari’ showed significantly higher yield and productivity than ‘Barbero’ or ‘Imperio’. ‘Ferrari’ plants sprayed with 1.5 g·L−1 salicylic acid showed the highest fruit weight (202.41 g) and flesh thickness (68 mm), both of which are preferred by consumers, and therefore, have increased market value. This treatment also increased total yield by 27.7% (16.03 t·ha−1), 15.9% (12.38 t·ha−1), and 17.9% (11.88 t·ha−1) in ‘Barbero’, ‘Ferrari’, and ‘Imperio’, respectively. Therefore, salicylic acid foliar application is recommended for enhancing fruit yield and quality of greenhouse-grown red sweet pepper.
Effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral interventions that include mindfulness for clinically-diagnosed anxiety and depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Online cognitive behavioral interventions that include mindfulness techniques have attracted considerable attention given the demonstrated mental health benefits of mindfulness and the availability of scalable opportunities for increased therapeutic use. However, comparatively little is known about the effectiveness of these types of interventions when they are delivered to clinician-diagnosed populations receiving psychiatric treatment. Aims This review evaluates therapeutic interventions that included a mindfulness component aimed at reducing anxiety and depression symptoms in clinician-diagnosed samples. Methods Randomized control trials (RCTs) published between January 1990 to September 2020 assessing the effects of online cognitive behavioral interventions that include a mindfulness component were searched across five databases (Medline, PsychINFO, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science). Results Eleven studies met inclusion criteria with sample sizes ranging from 37 to 84 per study. Findings revealed an overall statistically significant moderate between-group difference at post-intervention for depression (Hedges’ g = −0.47) and anxiety (Hedges’ g = −0.40) outcomes favoring the online treatment groups. Further analyses revealed larger effect sizes among RCTs employing waitlist control (WLC) comparisons, and reductions in depression symptoms within the intervention groups to be above the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for BDI-II. Conclusions Findings from this meta-analytic review provide preliminary support for including mindfulness practices within existing therapeutic programs to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in clinician-diagnosed populations. Research implications and priorities for online mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral programming are discussed.
Survival and outcomes for co-infection of chronic hepatitis C with and without cirrhosis and COVID-19: A multicenter retrospective study

BACKGROUND Chronic liver disease, particularly cirrhosis, is associated with worse outcomes in patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). AIM To assess outcomes of COVID-19 infection among patients with pre-existing hepatitis C with or without liver cirrhosis. METHODS This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included all cases of confirmed co-infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and chronic hepatitis C with or without liver cirrhosis who were admitted to six hospitals (Al-Sahel Hospital, Al-Matareya Hospital, Al-Ahrar Hospital, Ahmed Maher Teaching Hospital, Al-Gomhoreya Hospital, and the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute) affiliated with the General Organization for Teaching Hospitals and Institutes in Egypt. Patients were recruited from May 1, 2020, to July 31, 2020. Demographic, laboratory, imaging features, and outcomes were collected. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to detect factors affecting mortality. RESULTS This retrospective cohort study included 125 patients with chronic hepatitis C and COVID-19 co-infection, of which 64 (51.20%) had liver cirrhosis and 40 (32.00%) died. Fever, cough, dyspnea, and fatigue were the most frequent symptoms in patients with liver cirrhosis. Cough, sore throat, fatigue, myalgia, and diarrhea were significantly more common in patients with liver cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotic patients. There was no difference between patients with and without cirrhosis regarding comorbidities. Fifteen patients (23.40%) with liver cirrhosis presented with hepatic encephalopathy. Patients with liver cirrhosis were more likely than non-cirrhotic patients to have combined ground-glass opacities and consolidations in CT chest scans: 28 (43.75%) vs 4 (6.55%), respectively (P value < 0.001). These patients also were more likely to have severe COVID-19 infection, compared to patients without liver cirrhosis: 29 (45.31%) vs 11 (18.04%), respectively (P value < 0.003). Mortality was higher in patients with liver cirrhosis, compared to those with no cirrhosis: 33 (51.56%) vs 9 (14.75%), respectively (P value < 0.001). All patients in Child-Pugh class A recovered and were discharged. Cirrhotic mortality occurred among decompensated patients only. A multivariate regression analysis revealed the following independent factors affecting mortality: Male gender (OR 7.17, 95%CI: 2.19–23.51; P value = 0.001), diabetes mellitus (OR 4.03, 95%CI: 1.49–10.91; P value = 0.006), and liver cirrhosis (OR 1.103, 95%CI: 1.037–1.282; P value < 0.0001). We found no differences in liver function, COVID-19 disease severity, or outcomes between patients who previously received direct-acting antiviral therapy (and achieved sustained virological response) and patients who did not receive this therapy. CONCLUSION Patients with liver cirrhosis are susceptible to higher severity and mortality if infected with COVID-19. Male gender, diabetes mellitus, and liver cirrhosis are independent factors associated with increased mortality risk.