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Feature: The American Democracy Project
No full textFor the ADP Feature section of the November 2021 issu
MAIDRL: Semi-centralized Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning using Agent Influence
No full textIn recent years, reinforcement learning algorithms have been used in the field of multi-agent systems to help the agents with interactions and cooperation on a variety of tasks. Controlling multiple agents simultaneously is extremely challenging as the complexity increases drastically with the number of agents in the system. In this study, we propose a novel semi-centralized deep reinforcement learning algorithm, MAIDRL, for mixed cooperative and competitive multi-agent environments. Specifically, we design a robust DenseNet-style actor-critic structured deep neural network for controlling multiple agents based on the combination of local observation and abstracted global information to compete with opponent agents. We extract common knowledge through influence maps considering both enemy and friendly agents for unit positioning and decision-making in combat. Compared to the centralized method, our design promotes a thorough understanding of the potential influence that a unit has without the need for a complete view of the global state. In addition, this design enables multiagent understanding of common goals, unlike fully decentralized methods. The proposed method has been evaluated on StarCraft Multi-Agent Challenge scenarios in the real-time strategy game, StarCraft II, and the results show that, statistically, the agents controlled by MAIDRL perform better than or as well as those controlled by centralized and decentralized methods
Patterns of serum immune biomarkers during elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus viremia in Asian and African elephants
No full textHemorrhagic disease (HD) caused by a group of elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV) is one of the leading causes of death for young elephants in human care. These viruses are widespread and typically persist latently in adult elephants with no negative effects; however, in juvenile Asian and more recently young African elephants, the onset of disease can be rapid and the mortality rate high. Measuring biomarkers associated with the immune response could be beneficial to understanding underlying disease processes, as well as the management of infection and HD. The goal of this study was to measure acute phase proteins and cytokines in serum collected from elephants infected with EEHV (13 Asian and 1 African) and compare concentrations according to presence, severity and outcome of disease. Serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (HP) were higher in elephants with EEHV viremia than those without; concentrations increased with increasing viral load, and were higher in fatal cases compared to those that survived. In Asian elephants, SAA was also higher during EEHV1 viremia compared to EEHV5. Cytokine concentrations were typically low, and no statistical differences existed between groups. However, in individuals with detectable levels, longitudinal profiles indicated changes in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) that may reflect an immune response to EEHV infection. However, the overall low concentrations detected using previously validated assays do not support the presence of a \u27cytokine storm\u27 and suggest more work is needed to understand if sub-optimal immune responses could be involved in disease progression. These results highlight the potential benefit of measuring circulating biomarker concentrations, such as APPs and cytokines, to improve our understanding of EEHV viremia and HD, assist with monitoring the progression of disease and determining the impact of interventions
Using Self-Management Procedures to Decrease Social Media Usage in Adults
No full textSocial media is a widely used tool and the effects it has on well-being and productivity levels are well known. Due to widespread concern about the negative effects (e.g., addiction, reduced productivity, unhappiness) of social media there is increased interest in methods for reducing this behavior. Self-management techniques have shown great utility for managing behavior. The current study used a changing-criterion design with an embedded reversal to determine the effectiveness of a self-management treatment package on decreasing participant social media usage. The treatment package consisted of feedback, self-monitoring, goal setting, and a token economy. Results of the current study show that using self-management techniques may be an effective way to decrease social media use. All three participants showed decreased social media usage throughout the intervention and maintained that level of use two-weeks after treatment had ended
A search for variable subdwarf B stars in TESS full frame images - II. Variable objects in the northern ecliptic hemisphere
No full textWe report the results of our search for pulsating subdwarf B stars in Full Frame Images collected during Year 2 of the TESS mission and covering the northern ecliptic hemisphere. This is a continuation of our effort we presented in Paper I. We found 13 likely new pulsating subdwarf B stars, 10 pulsating candidates that are identified as other hot subdwarfs, and 30 spectroscopically unclassified objects that show amplitude spectra typical of pulsating subdwarf B stars. We found 506 variable objects, most of them spectroscopically unclassified, hence their specific variability class yet to be confirmed. Eclipsing binaries with sharp eclipses sample comprises 33 systems. For 12 of them we derived precise orbital periods and checked their stabilities. We identified one known and five new candidate HW Vir systems. The amplitude spectra of the 13 likely sdB pulsators are not rich in modes, hence any further analysis is not possible. However, we selected three candidates for pulsating subdwarf B stars that show the richest amplitude spectra and we performed a mode identification deriving modal degrees of most of the detected modes. In total, in both ecliptic hemispheres, we found 15 likely pulsating pulsating subdwarf B stars, additional 10 candidates for pulsating subdwarf B stars, 66 other variable subdwarf B stars, 2076 spectroscopically unconfirmed variable stars, and 123 variable non-sdB stars
Overall Customer Satisfaction with Banking Services (Mobile, Online, ATM, and Bank Teller): Comparison between the U.S. and China
No full textAs banking firms attempt to attract and retain customers, a default is to add technological services (most recent mobile banking), even though previous studies have found that bank tellers are most impactful to overall customer satisfaction. This research studies mobile banking services impact on overall customer satisfaction, and discovers that bank tellers still have a more significant overall impact on customer satisfaction, even for those who say they prefer self-service. However, the impact of independent and interdependent cultural differences altered these findings. Chinese consumers placed greater importance on mobile banking than American consumers
Factors Affecting Irrigation Water Use in Southwest Missouri and Soil Microbial Response to Irrigation and Crop Residue
No full textSustainable use of water resources in Southwest Missouri requires a better understanding of factors that influence groundwater use by crop producers. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of weather patterns and edaphic factors on water used for agricultural irrigation. Groundwater withdrawal data from 14 high-use agricultural irrigation wells were monitored between 2009 and 2016 as part of the Southwest Missouri Irrigation Project. Stepwise and linear regression was used to assess the relationship of weather and edaphic factors in response to annual water use from each well. Precipitation volume, number of precipitation events, average maximum and minimum temperature, drought monitor index, soil organic matter, and infiltration rate all showed individual significance using linear regression. Stepwise model showed precipitation volume, soil organic matter, and average minimum temperature as significant factors. Along with assessing irrigation data, a study was conducted to measure soil microbial respiration response in relation to percent water filled pore space and crop residue. Treatments included 15, 30, 45, and 60 percent water filled pore space as well as corn, soybean, and wheat residues. A mixed model analysis of variance was used to describe soil microbial respiration response to treatments. Results showed no significant difference between crop residue types, percent water filled pore space, and their interaction
Cowboys Coming Together: Campus-based dialogues on race and racial equity
No full textPublic deliberation, as a general approach for exploring complex issues facing geographically-defined communities as well as increasing student civic engagement, has gained standing in recent years as a civic engagement tool on college campuses.Everyday Democracy’s Dialogue to Change (D2C) approach provides a process through which participants deliberate and – most importantly – act toward change to address locally-identified issues of concern in the campus-as-community. The purpose of this article is two-fold: to describe Cowboys Coming Together, a local implementation of D2C at Oklahoma State University (OSU), and to present findings from the initial research exploring the influence of change-oriented deliberative approaches on individual participants and the campus community
