Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evacuation planning by earliest arrival contraflow

The very challenging emergency issues because of large scale natural or man-created disasters promote the research on evacuation planning. The earliest arrival contraflow is an important model for evacuation planning that rescue as many evacuees as possible at any point in time by reversing the direction of arcs towards the safe destinations with increased outbound arc capacity. We present efficient algorithms to solve the earliest arrival contraflow problem on multiple sources and on multiple sinks networks separately. We also introduce an approximate-earliest arrival contraflow solution on multi-terminal networks.
The Impact of Resveratrol-Enriched Bread on Cardiac Remodeling in a Preclinical Model of Diabetes

The World Health Organization aims to stop the rise of diabetes by 2025, and diet is one of the most efficient non-pharmacological strategies used to prevent it. Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural compound with anti-diabetic properties, and incorporating it into bread is a suitable way to make it more accessible to consumers as it can be included as part of their daily diet. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of RSV-enriched bread in preventing early type 2 diabetes cardiomyopathy in vivo. Male Sprague Dawley rats (3 weeks old) were divided into four groups: controls with plain bread (CB) and RSV bread (CBR), and diabetics with plain bread (DB) and RSV bread (DBR). Type 2 diabetes was induced by adding fructose to the drinking water for two weeks followed by an injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (40 mg/kg). Then, plain bread and RSV bread (10 mg RSV/kg body weight) were included in the rats’ diet for four weeks. Cardiac function, anthropometric, and systemic biochemical parameters were monitored, as well as the histology of the heart and molecular markers of regeneration, metabolism, and oxidative stress. Data showed that an RSV bread diet decreased the polydipsia and body weight loss observed in the early stages of the disease. At the cardiac level, an RSV bread diet diminished fibrosis but did not counteract the dysfunction and metabolic changes seen in fructose-fed STZ-injected rats.
Larval Life History of Coastal Tailed Frogs (Ascaphus truei) Across an Elevational Gradient in Northern California: Implications for a Changing Climate

Abstract. Coastal Tailed Frogs (Ascaphus truei) range across the Pacific Northwest from northern California, USA, into British Columbia, Canada, and from sea level to >2,131 m. Previous work has shown a variable larval period but has not clearly separated elevational from latitudinal effects. Therefore, we examined size at beginning of metamorphosis, larval period, individual growth rates, and timing of metamorphosis of A. truei populations along an elevational gradient from 152 to 2,131 m across a small latitudinal range (29 km) to reduce potential latitudinal effects, all within the Klamath Mountains of northern California. We sampled larvae at 15 study sites, of which we used 6 sites as intensive capture–mark–recapture (CMR) locations, and the other 9 for supplemental data on larval period and size at metamorphosis. In CMR sites, we individually marked tadpoles to determine within-season growth rates. We found that the A. truei larval period in these populations ranges from 2 yr in low and middle elevations to ‡3 yr in high-elevation populations. We also found decreased size at beginning of metamorphosis and increased growth rates of tadpoles with increasing elevation. Our high-elevation populations had the longest larval period documented in California. The associations of growth and timing of metamorphosis to elevation in A. truei populations suggest that responses to changing climate may differ across elevations.
Estimating Markov Transition Probabilities from Micro-unit Data

SUMMARY The standard method of deriving maximum-likelihood estimates for transition probability matrices is outlined. Statistical tests for determining the Markov property, the specific order of a chain and the homogeneity of a set of matrices are applied to data relating to manufacturing establishments. Refinements to the maximum-likelihood procedure are examined in the context of fractional disaggregation of long-period matrices and in the framework of fitting smoothing surfaces to observed transition probabilities.
A new Neotropical ant species of genus Linepithema Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dolichoderinae) with partial revision of the L.fuscum group based on males

﻿Abstract The genus Linepithema was erected by Mayr (1866) for his male-based species L.fuscum. In this study a new species is described also based on male morphology, L.paulistanasp. nov., collected in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, which is attributed to the fuscum group (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae). Linepithemapaulistanasp. nov. is the only species of fuscum group present in the eastern part of South America. It is easily distinguishable from the other species of the group because of the presence of a triangular volsellar tooth, which is distally situated between the digitus and the basivolsellar process. By using SEM and optical microscopy, the external genitalia of L.paulistanasp. nov. were analyzed and illustrated and some characters and previous interpretations have been re-evaluated in the Linepithemafuscum group. The male external genitalia are also comparatively analyzed in three species representative of the three Linepithema species groups, those of fuscum, humile, and neotropicum. The present work confirms that the morphological characters of male ants, especially those of male external genitalia, are effective for the identification of genera or species. Given the discrete morphological differences between the external genitalia of the fuscum group and the other species of this genus, a re-evaluation of the generic status of Linepithema is suggested.
Estimation of permittivity and conductivity in dispersive and attenuating media using multifrequency technique

This article proposes a technique based on multifrequency pulses, which are used to determine values for the physical medium interacting with the transmission of the electromagnetic waves. Parameters such as relative permittivity measurements of pulses at different frequencies. The proposed method has been simulated in a Debye medium where the relation between lineal dispersion and conductivity is known. The FDTD numerical method is used to calculate time lags and amplitudes in the electric field, providing data about propagating different signals in the medium given. Described here is a new technique for the study and treatment of electromagnetic wave interaction with the medium.
Self-Assembling Peptide RADA16 Nanofiber Scaffold Hydrogel-Wrapped Concentrated Growth Factors in Osteogenesis of MC3T3

Concentrated growth factors (CGFs) are widely used in surgery with bone grafting, but the release of growth factors from CGFs is rapid. RADA16, a self-assembling peptide, can form a scaffold that is similar to the extracellular matrix. Based on the properties of RADA16 and CGF, we hypothesized that the RADA16 nanofiber scaffold hydrogel could enhance the function of CGFs and that the RADA16 nanofiber scaffold hydrogel-wrapped CGFs (RADA16-CGFs) would perform a good osteoinductive function. This study aimed to investigate the osteoinductive function of RADA16-CGFs. Scanning electron microscopy, rheometry, and ELISA were performed, and MC3T3-E1 cells were used to test cell adhesion, cytotoxicity, and mineralization after administration with RADA16-CGFs. We found that RADA16 endowed with the sustained release of growth factors from CGFs, which can help maximize the function of CGFs in osteoinduction. The application of the atoxic RADA16 nanofiber scaffold hydrogel with CGFs can be a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of alveolar bone loss and other problems that require bone regeneration.
Disaggregation of Time Series Models

We develop a model disaggregation method to derive a disaggregate model from a given aggregate model, which is then used to perform data disaggregation. Let the time series aggregates be the non-overlapping sums of m consecutive disaggregated observations. Given an aggregate autoregressive integrated moving average ARIMA(p,d,r) model with r≤p+d+1, assume that there is no hidden periodicity of order m. It is shown that, if m is odd or if m is even but all the real roots of the autoregressive polynomial of the given aggregate model are positive, then there exists a disaggregate model whose autocovariances can be uniquely derived from the autocovariances of the given aggregate model
Beyond Red Tape: An Organizational Echelon Analysis of Necessary Bureaucracy

Abstract Scholars have documented how ineffective rules or “red tape”, and effective rules or “green tape” affect a public organization’s management and performance. However, they differ on whether red tape by definition (i.e., burdensome and unnecessary rules) can perform useful organizational functions. Rather, we further the “necessary bureaucracy” conceptualization by van Loon et al. who argue that some rules are burdensome yet functional—with a study of China’s political selection rules, we add a political functionality to this conceptualization, explaining why some rules are regarded as red tape by lower-echelon managers while considered as politically necessary (and not as red tape) by top-echelon organizational elites: The theory of institutional entropy suggests that all organizational systems are predisposed toward disarray. It takes significant maintenance efforts to keep a system together and aligned. Thus, despite its onerousness, necessary bureaucracy as a governance craft maintains an organization’s order for ensuring elites’ political control.
SAA-UNet: Spatial Attention and Attention Gate UNet for COVID-19 Pneumonia Segmentation from Computed Tomography

The disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed numerous lives and wreaked havoc on the entire world due to its transmissible nature. One of the complications of COVID-19 is pneumonia. Different radiography methods, particularly computed tomography (CT), have shown outstanding performance in effectively diagnosing pneumonia. In this paper, we propose a spatial attention and attention gate UNet model (SAA-UNet) inspired by spatial attention UNet (SA-UNet) and attention UNet (Att-UNet) to deal with the problem of infection segmentation in the lungs. The proposed method was applied to the MedSeg, Radiopaedia 9P, combination of MedSeg and Radiopaedia 9P, and Zenodo 20P datasets. The proposed method showed good infection segmentation results (two classes: infection and background) with an average Dice similarity coefficient of 0.85, 0.94, 0.91, and 0.93 and a mean intersection over union (IOU) of 0.78, 0.90, 0.86, and 0.87, respectively, on the four datasets mentioned above. Moreover, it also performed well in multi-class segmentation with average Dice similarity coefficients of 0.693, 0.89, 0.87, and 0.93 and IOU scores of 0.68, 0.87, 0.78, and 0.89 on the four datasets, respectively. Classification accuracies of more than 97% were achieved for all four datasets. The F1-scores for the MedSeg, Radiopaedia P9, combination of MedSeg and Radiopaedia P9, and Zenodo 20P datasets were 0.865, 0.943, 0.917, and 0.926, respectively, for the binary classification. For multi-class classification, accuracies of more than 96% were achieved on all four datasets. The experimental results showed that the framework proposed can effectively and efficiently segment COVID-19 infection on CT images with different contrast and utilize this to aid in diagnosing and treating pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
Electrophysiological and Behavioral Effects of Alpha-Band Sensory Entrainment: Neural Mechanisms and Clinical Applications

Alpha-band (7–13 Hz) activity has been linked to visuo-attentional performance in healthy participants and to impaired functionality of the visual system in a variety of clinical populations including patients with acquired posterior brain lesion and neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Crucially, several studies suggested that short uni- and multi-sensory rhythmic stimulation (i.e., visual, auditory and audio-visual) administered in the alpha-band effectively induces transient changes in alpha oscillatory activity and improvements in visuo-attentional performance by synchronizing the intrinsic brain oscillations to the external stimulation (neural entrainment). The present review aims to address the current state of the art on the alpha-band sensory entrainment, outlining its potential functional effects and current limitations. Indeed, the results of the alpha-band entrainment studies are currently mixed, possibly due to the different stimulation modalities, task features and behavioral and physiological measures employed in the various paradigms. Furthermore, it is still unknown whether prolonged alpha-band sensory entrainment might lead to long-lasting effects at a neural and behavioral level. Overall, despite the limitations emerging from the current literature, alpha-band sensory entrainment may represent a promising and valuable tool, inducing functionally relevant changes in oscillatory activity, with potential rehabilitative applications in individuals characterized by impaired alpha activity.
Comparison of Noninvasive Measurements of Intracranial with Tap Test Results in Patients with Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Background Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a disease directly related to the change in intracranial compliance and consequent repercussions in the brain parenchyma. Invasive monitoring of such parameters proves to be reliable especially for prognosis in neurocritical patients; however, it is not applicable in an outpatient service setting. The present study describes the comparison between the tap test results and the parameters obtained with a non-invasive sensor for monitoring intracranial compliance in patients with suspected NPH. Methods Twenty-eight patients were evaluated before and after lumbar puncture of 50mL of CSF (the tap test), comprising clinical assessment, magnetic resonance imaging, physical therapy assessment using the Timed Up and Go test, Dynamic Gait Index, BERG test, neuropsychological assessment, and recording of non-invasive intracranial compliance data using the Brain4care® device in three different positions (lying, sitting, and standing) for 5 min each. The tap test results were compared to the Time to Peak and P2/P1 ratio parameters obtained by the device. Results The group that had a positive Tap test result presented a median P2/P1 ratio greater than 1.0, suggesting a change in intracranial compliance. In addition, there was also a significant difference between patients with positive, negative, and inconclusive results, especially in the lying position. Conclusion A non-invasive intracranial compliance device when used with the patient lying down and standing up obtained parameters that suggest correspondence with the result of the tap test.
Glacier area changes in Novaya Zemlya from 1986–89 to 2019–21 using object-based image analysis in Google Earth Engine

Abstract Climate change has had a significant impact on glacier recession, particularly in the Arctic, where glacier meltwater is an important contributor to global sea-level rise. Therefore, it is important to accurately quantify glacier recession within this sensitive region, using multiple observations of glacier extent. In this study, we mapped 480 glaciers in Novaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic, using object-based image analysis applied to multispectral Landsat satellite imagery in Google Earth Engine and quantify the area changes between 1986–89 and 2019–21. The results show that in 1986–89, the total glacierized area was 22 990 ± 301 km2, in 2000–01 the area was 22 525 ± 308 km2 and by 2019–21 the glacier area reduced to 21 670 ± 292 km2, representing a total of 5.8% reduction in glacier area between 1986–89 and 2019–21. Higher glacier area loss was observed on the Barents Sea coast (7.3%) compared to the Kara (4.2%), reflecting previously observed differences in warming trends. The accuracy of the automatically generated outlines of each layer (1986–89, 2000–01 and 2019–21) was evaluated by comparing with manually corrected outlines (reference data) using random sampling, resulting in an overall accuracy estimate of between 96 and 97% compared to the reference data. This automated approach in Google Earth Engine is a promising tool for rapidly mapping glacier change that reduces the amount of time required to generate accurate glacier outlines.
Photovoltage in nanocrystalline porous TiO 2

Transient and spectral photovoltage (PV) is investigated in nanocrystalline porous ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2},$ which belongs to a class of materials with a very low electrical conductivity, i.e., with a huge Maxwell relaxation time. The PV in such materials is caused by diffusion of excess charge carriers with different diffusion coefficients. Usually, the diffusion coefficient for electrons is larger than that for holes in porous ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}. $ The PV transients are strongly retarded in time with respect to the exciting light pulse. The retardation of the photovoltage transients becomes stronger with decreasing size of the interconnected ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ nanoparticles and generation of defect states. The band gap of porous ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ (rutile, anatase) and the preferential formation of electron traps below the band gap are analyzed.
Blood Metabolite Profiling of Antarctic Expedition Members: An 1H NMR Spectroscopy-Based Study

Serum samples from eight participants during the XV winter-over at Concordia base (Antarctic expedition) collected at defined time points, including predeparture, constituted the key substrates for a specific metabolomics study. To ascertain acute changes and chronic adaptation to hypoxia, the metabolic profiles of the serum samples were analyzed using NMR spectroscopy, with principal components analysis (PCA) followed by partial least squares and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analyses (PLS-DA and OPLS-DA) used as supervised classification methods. Multivariate data analyses clearly highlighted an adaptation period characterized by an increase in the levels of circulating glutamine and lipids, mobilized to supply the body energy needs. At the same time, a reduction in the circulating levels of glutamate and N-acetyl glycoproteins, stress condition indicators, and proinflammatory markers were also found in the NMR data investigation. Subsequent pathway analysis showed possible perturbations in metabolic processes, potentially related to the physiological adaptation, predominantly found by comparing the baseline (at sea level, before mission onset), the base arrival, and the mission ending collected values.
Practical loss tangent imaging with amplitude-modulated atomic force microscopy

Amplitude-modulated (AM) atomic force microscopy (AFM), also known as tapping or AC mode, is a proven, reliable, and gentle imaging method with widespread applications. Previously, the contrast in AM-AFM has been difficult to quantify. AFM loss tangent imaging is a recently introduced technique that recasts AM mode phase imaging into a single term tan δ that includes both the dissipated and stored energy of the tip-sample interaction. It promises fast, versatile mapping of variations in near-surface viscoelastic properties. However, experiments to date have generally obtained values larger than expected for the viscoelastic loss tangent of materials. Here, we explore and discuss several practical considerations for AFM loss tangent imaging experiments. A frequent limitation to tapping in air is Brownian (thermal) motion of the cantilever. This fundamental noise source limits the accuracy of loss tangent estimation to approximately 0.01
OPTIMIZATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND IN VIVO STUDY OF RIVASTIGMINE TARTRATE NANOPARTICLES BY USING 22 FULL FACTORIAL DESIGN FOR ORAL DELIVERY

Objective: This research aims to optimize the solid lipid nanoparticles by using full factorial design to improve the delivery of rivastigmine tartrate (RT), which is used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are attracting importance for drug developers due to their performance. The outcome of this research will lead to improvements in drug release and solubility of RT for better therapeutic effect. Methods: Four different methods were used to prepare solid lipid nanoparticles of rivastigmine tartrate, namely the modified solvent emulsification technique, the microemulsion cooling technique, the solvent injection technique, and the homogenization/ultrasonication technique. Glyceryl monostearate (GMS) was used as a lipid; Compritol 888, tween 80, and span 40 were used as surfactants, co-surfactants, and stabilizers, respectively. Results: SLNs were evaluated for zeta potential, particle size, polydispersity index, surface morphology, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Entrapment efficiency and drug loading were also estimated. Solubility study of rivastigmine tartrate in different solid lipids as well as the in vitro drug release, was studied. The particle size of SLNs was found to range between 138.22+0.01 nm and 172.79+0.23 nm. The zeta potential of the optimized formulation was found to be in the the-24+0.01mV range, indicating a stable formulation. A scanning electron microscope indicates a clear spherical structure without any aggregation. Entrapment efficiency was determined to be 69.27+0.22%. The RT-SLNs showed significant retention in memory when compared with RT solution (standard formulation), which may be attributed to the lipid nature and nanostructure of the delivery system that may probably result in more accumulation of the drug in the brain to show better effect. Conclusion: The current study concludes that the microemulsion cooling technique is the best method for patient compliance and stability with all desired characteristics parameters.
Interval Arithmetic and Analysis

James Case (jcase66777@aol.com) is a working mathematician (Ph.D. Michigan, 1967) who endured his first mid-life crisis at the tender age of twenty-one, due to the predictable but unwelcome termination of his employment as a pitcher in the L.A. Dodger's minor League organization. Recovering from that cruel thrust, he has since found employment in govemment, in the oil, aircraft, and beverage industries, in various corners of academe, and elsewhere. Now a writer/consultant living and working in Baltimore, he aspires to build a robot capable of batting 0.600 against major league pitching.