Reproducing crowd turbulence with Verlet integration and agent modeling

High density crowds are risk situations that already had turned some events into disasters. There are particular emerging events in these crowds that had led to dangerous situations. One important phenomenon is named “crowd turbulence”. It is produced by a propagation of forces among the mass and has already been the cause of several tragedies. We present a new approach to its representation and understanding by a hybrid model composed by two parts: physical interaction among the agents, and psychological factors that produce voluntary interactions. The focus of the present work is contributing with a model able to reproduce such events in a computationally efficient way on SIMD architecture

Reproducibility, accuracy and performance of the Feltor code and library on parallel computer architectures

Feltor is a modular and free scientific software package. It allows developing platform independent code that runs on a variety of parallel computer architectures ranging from laptop CPUs to multi-GPU distributed memory systems. Feltor consists of both a numerical library and a collection of application codes built on top of the library. Its main target are two- and three-dimensional drift- and gyro-fluid simulations with discontinuous Galerkin methods as the main numerical discretization technique. We observe that numerical simulations of a recently developed gyro-fluid model produce non-deterministic results in parallel computations. First, we show how we restore accuracy and bitwise reproducibility algorithmically and programmatically. In particular, we adopt an implementation of the exactly rounded dot product based on long accumulators, which avoids accuracy losses especially in parallel applications. However, reproducibility and accuracy alone fail to indicate correct simulation behaviour. In fact, in the physical model slightly different initial conditions lead to vastly different end states. This behaviour translates to its numerical representation. Pointwise convergence, even in principle, becomes impossible for long simulation times. In a second part, we explore important performance tuning considerations. We identify latency and memory bandwidth as the main performance indicators of our routines. Based on these, we propose a parallel performance model that predicts the execution time of algorithms implemented in Feltor and test our model on a selection of parallel hardware architectures. We are able to predict the execution time with a relative error of less than 25% for problem sizes between 0.1 and 1000 MB. Finally, we find that the product of latency and bandwidth gives a minimum array size per compute node to achieve a scaling efficiency above 50% (both strong and weak)

Conocimiento y prácticas de lactancia materna exclusiva en madres adolescentes del Hospital Nacional Sergio Bernales – Perú, 2023

El siguiente estudio de investigación tuvo como objetivo Determinar la relación del conocimiento y prácticas de lactancia materna exclusiva en madres adolescentes del Hospital Nacional Sergio Bernales – Perú, 2023; la investigación fue de tipo básica, enfoque cuantitativo, diseño no experimental , se utilizó el muestreo no probabilístico en el cual se obtuvo una muestra de 65 madres adolescentes. El 86% presentan un nivel bajo de conocimientos sobre lactancia materna exclusiva, el 11% presenta un nivel medio de conocimientos sobre lactancia materna exclusiva y el 3% presentan un nivel alto de conocimientos sobre lactancia materna exclusiva; el 82% presenta una práctica deficiente al brindar lactancia materna exclusiva y el 18% presenta una práctica eficiente al brindar lactancia materna exclusiva. Conclusión: En consecuencia, de acuerdo con el objetivo general existe una correlación positiva entre ambas variables de estudio porque un 86% de madres adolescentes desconocen sobre la LME y en consecuencia la práctica es deficiente con un 82%

Simulations of combined ICRF and NBI heating for high fusion performance in JET

We report on simulations aimed at optimizing external heating using neutral beam injection (NBI) and radiofrequency waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) for high fusion yield in the JET tokamak. In this paper, D and DT plasmas are analyzed taking into account the NBI+RF synergy focusing on two different minority ICRF schemes, He and H, respectively. Our results show that by increasing external heating power to the maximum power available, the fusion neutron rate can be enhanced in D plasma by a factor of 2-3 with respect to our reference record D discharge. Regarding the DT plasma we present the external heating performance under the variation of key plasma parameters. We also study the impact of the effects of ICRH to the fusion yield and show that the ICRH power results in an enhanced fusion yield in the whole parameter space studied.This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. Dani Gallart would like to express his gratitude to “La Caixa” for support of his PhD studies.Postprint (author's final draft

Estimation of the real population and its impact on the utilisation of healthcare services in Mediterranean resort regions: an ecological study

BACKGROUND: The demographic structure has a significant influence on the use of healthcare services, as does the size of the population denominators. Very few studies have been published on methods for estimating the real population such as tourist resorts. The lack of information about these problems means there is a corresponding lack of information about the behaviour of populational denominators (the floating population or tourist load) and the effect of this on the use of healthcare services. The objectives of the study were: a) To determine the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) ratio, per person per day, among populations of known size; b) to estimate, by means of this ratio, the real population in an area where tourist numbers are very significant; and c) to determine the impact on the utilisation of hospital emergency healthcare services of the registered population, in comparison to the non-resident population, in two areas where tourist numbers are very significant. METHODS: An ecological study design was employed. We analysed the Healthcare Districts of the Costa del Sol and the island of Menorca. Both are Spanish territories in the Mediterranean region. RESULTS: In the two areas analysed, the correlation coefficient between the MSW ratio and admissions to hospital emergency departments exceeded 0.9, with p < 0.001. On the basis of MSW generation ratios, obtained for a control zone and also measured in neighbouring countries, we estimated the real population. For the summer months, when tourist activity is greatest and demand for emergency healthcare at hospitals is highest, this value was found to be double that of the registered population. CONCLUSION: The MSW indicator, which is both ecological and indirect, can be used to estimate the real population in areas where population levels vary significantly during the year. This parameter is of interest in planning and dimensioning the provision of healthcare services

Adaptación de las asignaturas básicas de primer curso de la ETSI Navales de la UPM: Actividades 2008-2009

En el marco de la reforma de las titulaciones con motivo del Espacio Europeo de Educación un grupo de profesores hemos coordinado, durante el curso 2008-2009, todas las asignaturas básicas de primer curso y una más de segundo curso en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Navales. Las actividades realizadas son: a) Coordinación de todas las asignaturas básicas de primer curso, con reuniones periódicas de coordinación horizontal y el establecimiento de una página web de moodle para profesores como espacio para el trabajo cooperativo. Particularmente importante es el establecimiento de un calendario conjunto de pruebas de evaluación continua. b) Redacción de guías de aprendizaje, con un formato común para todas las asignaturas, incluyendo los objetivos formativos, los contenidos, las actividades formativas, los enlaces y la bibliografía. c) Establecimiento de una plataforma de teleeducación común para todas las asignaturas, uno de los objetivos fundamentales del proyecto, ya que coexistían dos plataformas distintas. Igualmente importante ha sido reforzar los contenidos y las actividades que se podían realizar en la plataforma. d) Seguimiento del tiempo dedicado por los alumnos, hemos ido siguiendo el tiempo dedicado por los alumnos a las distintas asignaturas, para detectar si el tiempo que se dedica está en los márgenes establecidos en los créditos ECTS. Igualmente, hemos hecho dos encuestas a la mitad de cada semestre, para recoger las opiniones de los alumnos sobre las asignaturas y sobre los aspectos relevantes del proyecto. e) Organización de actividades de nivelación, para los alumnos de nuevo ingreso, con la organización de cursos cero y la participación y coordinación en la Plataforma de Punto de inicio de la UPM. f) Organización de actividades formativas, para poder llevar a cabo estas tareas, hemos organizado, en colaboración con el Centro y el Gabinete de Tele-Educación (GATE) actividades formativas relacionadas con la plataforma moodle, métodos de evaluación y de formación en competencias.En la presentación haremos una descripción de las actividades realizadas, así como una primera evaluación de las mismas. Por último, describiremos las tareas a desarrollar en los próximos cursos

Adaptación de las asignaturas básicas de primer curso de la ETSI Navales de la UPM: Primeras experiencias

En el marco de la reforma de las titulaciones con motivo de la puesta en marcha del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior, un grupo de profesores hemos decidido coordinar todas las asignaturas básicas de primer curso y una asignatura de segundo curso en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Navales de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid con el fin de dar una visión mas homogénea y compacta al alumno de lo que debe ser la formación básica del ingeniero. Para llevar a cabo dicho fin, la Universidad nos ha concedido un Proyecto de Innovación Educativa en la convocatoria 2008 para poder alcanzar una serie de objetivos en el curso 2008-2009, como son la coordinación de todas las asignaturas básicas de primer curso, la aplicación de nuevas metodologías en la práctica educativa, y una mejor adaptación de los alumnos de nuevo ingreso

P2X7 receptor contributes to long-term neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in sepsis-surviving mice

Introduction: sepsis is defined as a multifactorial debilitating condition with high risks of death. The intense inflammatory response causes deleterious effects on the brain, a condition called sepsis-associated encephalopathy. Neuroinflammation or pathogen recognition are able to stress cells, resulting in ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) release and P2X7 receptor activation, which is abundantly expressed in the brain. The P2X7 receptor contributes to chronic neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases; however, its function in long-term neurological impairment caused by sepsis remains unclear. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the effects of P2X7 receptor activation in neuroinflammatory and behavioral changes in sepsis-surviving mice. Methods: sepsis was induced in wild-type (WT), P2X7−/− , and BBG (Brilliant Blue G)-treated mice by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP). On the thirteenth day after the surgery, the cognitive function of mice was assessed using the novel recognition object and Water T-maze tests. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, microglial and astrocytic activation markers, and cytokine production were also evaluated. Results: Initially, we observed that both WT and P2X7−/− sepsis-surviving mice showed memory impairment 13 days after surgery, once they did not differentiate between novel and familiar objects. Both groups of animals presented increased AChE activity in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. However, the absence of P2X7 prevented partly this increase in the cerebral cortex. Likewise, P2X7 absence decreased ionized calcium-binding protein 1 (Iba−1 ) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) upregulation in the cerebral cortex of sepsis-surviving animals. There was an increase in GFAP protein levels in the cerebral cortex but not in the hippocampus of both WT and P2X7−/− sepsis-surviving animals. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of P2X7 receptor attenuated the production of Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and Interleukin-10 (IL-10). Conclusion: the modulation of the P2X7 receptor in sepsis-surviving animals may reduce neuroinflammation and prevent cognitive impairment due to sepsisassociated encephalopathy, being considered an important therapeutic target

Recent EUROfusion Achievements in Support of Computationally Demanding Multiscale Fusion Physics Simulations and Integrated Modeling

Integrated modeling (IM) of present experiments and future tokamak reactors requires the provision of computational resources and numerical tools capable of simulating multiscale spatial phenomena as well as fast transient events and relatively slow plasma evolution within a reasonably short computational time. Recent progress in the implementation of the new computational resources for fusion applications in Europe based on modern supercomputer technologies (supercomputer MARCONI-FUSION), in the optimization and speedup of the EU fusion-related first-principle codes, and in the development of a basis for physics codes/modules integration into a centrally maintained suite of IM tools achieved within the EUROfusion Consortium is presented. Physics phenomena that can now be reasonably modelled in various areas (core turbulence and magnetic reconnection, edge and scrape-off layer physics, radio-frequency heating and current drive, magnetohydrodynamic model, reflectometry simulations) following successful code optimizations and parallelization are briefly described. Development activities in support to IM are summarized. They include support to (1) the local deployment of the IM infrastructure and access to experimental data at various host sites, (2) the management of releases for sophisticated IM workflows involving a large number of components, and (3) the performance optimization of complex IM workflows.This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014 to 2018 under grant agreement 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission or ITER.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives