Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Non-Existent May Cycle: Methods, Colonial Texts and Epigraphy

The Non-Existent May Cycle: Methods, Colonial Texts and Epigraphy. More than three decades ago, Munro Edmonson suggested that Postclassic Yukatek Maya political organisation was based on a 256-year long may cycle, where each site competed to be the cycle seat. Several authors used this particular model to interpret diverse social and political patterns attested in Mesoamerican civilisations. In this paper, I examine Colonial Yukatek documents and epigraphy in order to look for the existence of such a cycle. Emphasising methodological issues of translations and interpretations of Colonial and pre-Hispanic texts and re-analysing several Chilam Balam passages, I suggest that Edmonson’s translation of the relevant sentences are incorrect. Also, I argue that such a word did not exist in Classic period inscriptions. Current ideas based on such a model should therefore be re-examined in light of these findings and other evidence should be used in order to prove their plausibility.
Functional characterization of the ZEB 2 regulatory landscape

Zinc finger E-box–binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2) is a key developmental regulator of the central nervous system (CNS). Although the transcriptional regulation of ZEB2 is essential for CNS development, the elements that regulate ZEB2 expression have yet to be identified. Here, we identified a proximal regulatory region of ZEB2 and characterized transcriptional enhancers during neuronal development. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing for active (H3K27ac) and repressed (H3K27me3) chromatin regions in human neuronal progenitors, combined with an in vivo zebrafish enhancer assay, we functionally characterized 18 candidate enhancers in the ZEB2 locus. Eight enhancers drove expression patterns that were specific to distinct mid/hindbrain regions (ZEB2#e3 and 5), trigeminal-like ganglia (ZEB2#e6 and 7), notochord (ZEB2#e2, 4 and 12) and whole brain (ZEB2#e14). We further dissected the minimal sequences that drive enhancer-specific activity in the mid/hindbrain and notochord. Using a reporter assay in human cells, we showed an increased activity of the minimal notochord enhancer ZEB2#e2 in response to AP-1 and DLX1/2 expressions, while repressed activity of this enhancer was seen in response to ZEB2 and TFAP2 expressions. We showed that Dlx1 but not Zeb2 and Tfap2 occupies Zeb2#e2 enhancer sequence in the mouse notochord at embryonic day 11.5. Using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, we deleted the ZEB2#e2 region, leading to reduction of ZEB2 expression in human cells. We thus characterized distal transcriptional enhancers and trans-acting elements that govern regulation of ZEB2 expression during neuronal development. These findings pave the path toward future analysis of the role of ZEB2 regulatory elements in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Mowat–Wilson syndrome.
The Impact of Coordination of Production and Marketing Strategies on Price Behavior: Evidence from the Idaho Potato Industry

High potato price volatility, decreasing demand for fresh potatoes and prices below the cost of production led to a decision of a number of Idaho potato growers to organize the United Fresh Potato Growers of Idaho, a marketing cooperative. The programs and strategies of the cooperative target both the production and marketing of fresh potatoes in Idaho. To evaluate the effectiveness of the programs implemented by the cooperative, we examine the level and volatility of fresh potato prices during two periods: before the cooperative was organized and when the cooperative is in the market. We find empirical evidence suggesting that fresh potato prices were higher and less volatile during the period when the cooperative was in the market.
Neighbourhood attributes and housing prices: An empirical investigation

This paper explores the effect of neighborhood attributes on housing prices. We first analyze the price that subjects are willing to pay for these attributes and second, how this neighborhood variables are distributed within the city. Using both the demand and the spatial supply of these variables we evaluate the spatial evolution of housing prices. Results indicate that neighborhood amenities influence the distribution of hous-ing prices within the city.
Composing Controllers for Team Coherence Maintenance with Collision Avoidance

Many multi-agent applications may involve a notion of spatial coherence. For instance, simulations of virtual agents often need to model a coherent group or crowd. Alternatively, robots may prefer to stay within a pre-specified communication range. This work proposes an extension of a decentralized, reactive collision avoidance framework, which defines obstacles in the velocity space, known as Velocity Obstacles (VOs), for coherent groups of agents. The extension, referred to in this work as a Loss of Communication Obstacle (LOCO), aims to maintain proximity among agents by imposing constraints in the velocity space and restricting the set of feasible controls. If the introduction of LOCOs results in a problem that is too restrictive, then the proximity constraints are relaxed in order to maintain collision avoidance. A weighted velocity selection scheme is utilized in order to steer agents towards their goals, as well as agents which are farther away and thus might be violating proximity constraints. The approach is fast and integrates nicely with the Velocity Obstacle framework. It is shown to yield improved coherence for groups of robots connected through an input constraint graph, while moving with constant velocity. The approach is evaluated for collisions, computational cost and proximity constraint maintenance through a series of simulated environments, which have single and multiple team variations. The experiments show that improved coherence is achieved while maintaining collision avoidance, at a small computational cost and path quality degradation. In order to experimentally validate new algorithms, such as the LOCO approach, having a software infrastructure capable of running a plethora of algorithms on many agents is needed. When moving from virtual agents to robotic systems, these algorithms take the form of a controller. Composing various controllers together to
Photobiomodulation and Oral Mucositis: A Systematic Review

Oral mucositis (OM) is a debilitating complication of chemotherapy, and head and neck radiotherapy. In an effort to offer the best possible advice within the limitations of published research, a systematic review with an extended discussion and commentary on dosimetry and dose delivery is presented. Using keywords as listed, Pubmed, Google Scholar and Cochrane databases were searched during a period extending from 1995 to 2019. A total of 782 abstracts were identified. A total of 50 papers were analysed, and of these, 29 satisfied criteria required for systematic review in accordance with an optimized PRISMA statement. Clinical outcome as reported was subject to analysis with respect to time of intervention, incidence and severity of oral mucositis, and pain amelioration, and a comprehensive combined univariate and multivariate statistical analysis of the methods employed was performed. Recommendations are made with respect to the timing of the intervention. Moreover, there is an extended discussion available on the treatment care rationale of photobiomodulation (PBM), and its adjunctive association with OM. In conclusion, early prophylactic application offers clear advantages in clinical management. The many studies and associated variables and covariables assessed here revealed a choice of delivery techniques, associated wavelengths and many further indices to consider with regard to the accomplishment of optical parameters. It is therefore our recommendation that clinicians use PBM as a therapy with a full and proper understanding and training in order to optimise the clinical effects achievable.
Pose and Visual Attention: Exploring the Effects of 3D Shape Near-Isometric Deformations on Gaze

Recent research in 3D shape analysis focuses on the study of visual attention on rendered 3D shapes investigating the impact of different factors such as material, illumination, and camera movements. In this paper, we analyze how the pose of a deformable shape affects visual attention. We describe an eye-tracking experiment that studied the influence of different poses of non-rigid 3D shapes on visual attention. The subjects free-viewed a set of 3D shapes rendered in different poses and from different camera views. The fixation maps obtained by the aggregated gaze data were projected onto the 3D shapes and compared at vertex level. The results indicate an impact of the pose for some of the tested shapes and also that view variation influences visual attention. The qualitative analysis of the 3D fixation maps shows high visual focus on the facial regions regardless of the pose, coherent with previous works. The visual attention variation between poses appears to correspond to geometric salient features and semantically salient parts linked to the action represented by the pose.
Black hole emission of vector particles in (1+1) dimensions

We investigate the radiation of spin-1 particles by black holes in (1+1) dimensions within the Proca equation. The process is considered as quantum tunnelling of bosons through an event horizon. It is shown that the emission temperature for the Schwarzschild background geometry is the same as the Hawking temperature corresponding to scalar particles emission. We also obtain the radiation temperatures for the de Sitter, Rindler and Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-times. In a particular case when two horizons in Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time coincides the Nariai temperature is recovered. The thermodynamical entropy of a black hole is calculated for Schwarzschild-de Sitter space-time having two horizons.
A Web-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention With Email Reminders to Enhance Subjective Well-Being and Encourage Engagement With Lifestyle Behavior Change in Health Care Staff: Randomized Cluster Feasibility Stud

Background Poor mental health and emotional well-being can negatively impact ability to engage in healthy lifestyle behavior change. Health care staff have higher rates of sickness and absence than other public sector staff, which has implications at both individual and societal levels. Individual efforts to self-manage health and well-being which add to the UK mental health prevention agenda need to be supported. Objective The objective of this study was to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the inclusion of a self-guided, automated, web-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention in an existing health promotion program, to improve subjective well-being and encourage engagement with lifestyle behavior change. Methods For this 12-week, 4-armed, randomized controlled cluster feasibility study, we recruited participants offline and randomly allocated them to 1 of 3 intervention arms or control (no well-being intervention) using an automated web-based allocation procedure. Eligibility criteria were current health care staff in 1 Welsh health board, age≥18 years, ability to read English, and ability to provide consent. The primary researcher was blinded to cluster allocation. Feasibility outcomes were randomization procedure, acceptance of intervention, and adherence to and engagement with the wider program. We evaluated health and well-being data via self-assessment at 2 time points, registration and postintervention, using the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the 7-item Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—Revised. Results Of 124 participants who provided consent and were randomly allocated, 103 completed full registration and engaged with the program. Most participants (76/103) enrolled in at least one health behavior change module, and 43% (41/96) of those randomly allocated to an intervention arm enrolled in the well-being module. Adherence and engagement was low (7/103, 6.8%), but qualitative feedback was positive. Conclusions The procedure and randomization process proved feasible, and the addition of the well-being module proved acceptable to health care staff. However, participant engagement was limited, and no one completed the full 12-week program. User feedback should be used to develop the intervention to address poor engagement. Effectiveness should then be evaluated in a full-scale randomized controlled trial, which would be feasible with additional recruitment. Trial Registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 50074817; http://www.isrctn. com/ISRCTN50074817
Two new lichenicolous species of Sclerococcum asexual Ascomycetes growing on Graphidaceae.

The new species Sclerococcum aptrootii, collected on Fissurina in Puerto Rico, and S. sipmanii, collected on Anomomorpha in Malaysia, are described and illustrated. Both are macroscopically rather similar and have dark brown, 0(–1)-septate conidia. Sclerococcum aptrootii is mainly characterized by smooth conidia not reacting in K, whilst S. sipmanii has conidia with a distinct ornamentation that become greenish olivaceous in K. Sclerococcum simplex, another species with 1-septate conidia is compared with the new species and illustrated. A key to all known lichenicolous species of Sclerococcum is given.
Geography, Temperature, and Water: Interaction Effects in a Small Native Amphibian

Amphibian locomotor capacity is strongly linked to temperature and hydration. However, organisms in nature experience covariation of multiple environmental factors, and thus to better understand the effects of thermal and hydric conditions on physiological performance, it is critical not only to experimentally disentangle them but also to incorporate potential interactive effects due to geographic variation. To this end, we selected two populations of the small amphibian Pleurodema thaul inhabiting highly contrasting temperatures and precipitation regimens. With these two populations, we evaluated the thermal and hydric sensitivities of locomotor performance. For both factors, performance increased with temperature as well as with hydration level, although performance reached a plateau between 25° and 30°C. In addition, the influence of dehydration on performance was independent of the temperature at which it was tested. Our results also showed that the population from the warmer environment has lower sensitivity of locomotor performance to dehydration, probably as a consequence of thermal adaptation, although further studies might be required to fully understand this.
Home-range size in juveniles of the temperate reef fish, the common triplefin (Forsterygion lapillum)

An organism’s home range dictates the spatial scale on which important processes occur (e.g. competition and predation) and directly affects the relationship between individual fitness and local habitat quality. Many reef fish species have very restricted home ranges after settlement and, here, we quantify home-range size in juveniles of a widespread and abundant reef fish in New Zealand, the common triplefin (Forsterygion lapillum). We conducted visual observations on 49 juveniles (mean size=35-mm total length) within the Wellington harbour, New Zealand. Home ranges were extremely small, 0.053m2±0.029 (mean±s.d.) and were unaffected by adult density, body size or substrate composition. A regression tree indicated that home-range size sharply decreased ~4.5 juvenilesm–2 and a linear mixed model confirmed that home-range sizes in high-density areas (>4.5 juvenilesm–2) were significantly smaller (34%) than those in low-density areas (after accounting for a significant effect of fish movement on our home-range estimates). Our results suggest that conspecific density may have negative and non-linear effects on home-range size, which could shape the spatial distribution of juveniles within a population, as well as influence individual fitness across local density gradients.
Conditions for the successful transfer of community care by Policy Entrepreneurs - The case of Buurtzorg in the Netherlands and China

The aim of this study is to give answer to the research question: ‘To what extent is the entrepreneurial behaviour of Policy Entrepreneurs crucial for the successful transfer of the Buurtzorg model from the Dutch context to the Chinese context? ’ The study explores the belief system and the entrepreneurial behaviour of Policy Entrepreneurs involved in the Buurtzorg diffusion to Shanghai. Furthermore, it explores whether and how their belief system is influenced by the contextual difference between the Netherlands and China. The study is designed as a case-study, which focuses on the two pilots of Buurtzorg in Shanghai. In the process, two actors were identified as Policy Entrepreneurs and interviewed. The data was supplemented by interviews with five actors from the Buurtzorg environment or with expertise concerning Chinese policy making in the health care sector. The results show that the Policy Entrepreneurs involved in the policy transfer diffused the deep (core) beliefs of the Buurtzorg model to Shanghai. Additionally, it was found that the contextual disparities between the Netherlands and China challenged the near (policy) core beliefs and the secondary aspects of the Policy Entrepreneurs to an extent, where the Policy Entrepreneurs adapted them to the local context. Finally, the study explored that the Policy Entrepreneurs applied entrepreneurial behaviour which aims at facilitating a successful policy diffusion. To what extent entrepreneurial behaviour is indeed the determinant for the success of policy diffusion, was not finally answered and requires further empirical research.
Data-driven models for uniaxial compressive strength prediction applied to unseen data

The authors wish to thank to Fundacao para a Cienciae a Tecnologia (FCT) for the financial support under the Pos-Doc grant of strategic project PEstOE/ECI/UI4047/2011. Also, the authors would like to thank the interest Tecnasol-FGE company for providing all data needed.
Vitamin B-12 Status Is Associated with Socioeconomic Level and Adherence to an Animal Food Dietary Pattern in Colombian School Children 1–3

Vitamin B-12 is related to neurocognitive function in school-age children, yet sociodemographic and dietary correlates of vitamin B-12 status in this age group are not well characterized. The prevalences of vitamin B-12 or folate deﬁciencies in Colombia are unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a representative sample of 2800 low- and middle-income children aged 5–12 y from Bogota´’s public schools. Plasma vitamin B-12 and erythrocyte folate concentrations (mean 6 SD) were 327 6 106 pmol/L and 858 6 256 nmol/L, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin B-12 deﬁciency ( , 148 pmol/L) was 1.6% and the prevalence of marginal status (148–221 pmol/L) was 15.0%. Only 2 children had folate deﬁciency ( , 305 nmol/L). In multivariate analysis, mean vitamin B-12 concentrations signiﬁcantly decreased with age and were 15 pmol/L higher in girls than boys (95%CI ¼ 8, 23). Vitamin B-12 was inversely related to the mother’s parity and positively associated with the amount of money spent on food per person per day at home and the household’s neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) classiﬁcation. Folate concentrations were lower in girls than in boys and signiﬁcantly increased with the household’s SES. We identiﬁed 4 dietary patterns with principal components analysis of a FFQ in a random subsample ( n ¼ 972). Plasma vitamin B-12 was strongly, positively associated with a pattern that included frequent intake of beef, chicken, and dairy products in a dose-response manner ( P -trend, adjusted, ¼ 0.008). Low vitamin B-12 status is not negligible in Colombian school children and is associated with poverty and marginal intake of animal food sources. J. Nutr. 138: 1391–1398, 2008. univariate analyses, B-12 and erythrocyte folate concentrations (means 6 by of each determinant. signiﬁcance of the associations between ordinal determinants and serostatus with the use of tests for trend. tests from linear generalized estimating equation (GEE) models in which vitamin B-12 or folate was the outcome and the determinant was a covariate representing the ordinal categories of the correlate, introduced as a continuous variable. For dichotomous determinants, we used the Wald test. We speciﬁed an exchangeable correlation in the models to account for within-household correla-tions the in B-12 or folate concentrations by categories of determinants by ﬁtting multivariate models with the correlates that were signiﬁcant in univariate analyses at P , 0.10. We retained in the models the determinants that remained associated with each outcome at P , 0.05 or were considered to be biologically relevant. CI were built around the adjusted differences with the use of robust variances, which do not rely on the multivariate normality assumption (22). The effect of clustering by negligible and was from the models for parsimony. All statistical tests were double-sided. A P -value of , 0.05 signiﬁcant.
Analysis of quantum phase transition in some different Curie-Weiss models: a unified approach

A unified approach to the analysis of quantum phase transitions in some different Curie-Weiss models is proposed such that they are treated and analyzed under the same general scheme. This approach takes three steps: balancing the quantum Hamiltonian by an appropriate factor, rewriting the Hamiltonian in terms of $SU(2)$ operators only, and obtention of a classical Hamiltonian. $SU(2)$ operators are obtained from creation and annihilation operators as linear combinations in the case of fermions and as an inverse Holstein-Primakoff transformation in the case of bosons. This scheme is successfully applied to Lipkin, pairing, Jaynes-Cummings, bilayer, and Heisenberg models.
Psychodynamic Based Equine—Assisted Psychotherapy in Adults with Intertwined Personality Problems and Traumatization: A Systematic Review

The growing field of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), a subfield of animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP), needs theoretically-based clinical studies. This systematic review examines the existing clinical studies in adult populations on psychodynamic psychotherapy combined with equine-assisted psychotherapy. An electronic database search was divided in two studies to identify publications on 1) EAP combined with psychodynamic psychotherapy and 2) EAP combined to personality problems and traumatization in order to compile studies by population, intervention, outcome and therapeutic assets. Study 1 revealed no relevant clinical studies on EAP with a psychodynamic background with an adult population. Study 2 revealed 12 publications to review predominantly addressing veterans with PTSD. The methodological limitations of most of the studies restrain the overall findings on outcome. However, overall positive effects for EAP, specifically on its experiential features and on finding interpersonal trust for patients, can be discerned. There is an apparent need for clinical studies meeting methodological standards on psychodynamic underpinned EAP methodologies in adults with intertwined personality problems and traumatization.