bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Fully Understanding Eating and Lifestyle Behaviors (FUEL) trial: Protocol for a cohort study harnessing digital health tools to phenotype dietary non-adherence behaviors during lifestyle intervention
Authors: Goldstein Stephanie P. , Mwenda Kevin M. , Hoover Adam W. , Shenkle Olivia , Jones Richard N. , Thomas John Graham
Published: August 2024

Objective

Lifestyle intervention can produce clinically significant weight loss and reduced disease risk/severity for many individuals with overweight/obesity. Dietary lapses, instances of non-adherence to the recommended dietary goal(s) in lifestyle intervention, are associated with less weight loss and higher energy intake. There are distinct “types” of dietary lapse (e.g., eating an off-plan food, eating a larger portion), and behavioral, psychosocial, and contextual mechanisms may differ across dietary lapse types. Some lapse types also appear to impact weight more than others. Elucidating clear lapse types thus has potential for understanding and improving adherence to lifestyle intervention.

Methods

This 18-month observational cohort study will use real-time digital assessment tools within a multi-level factor analysis framework to uncover “lapse phenotypes” and understand their impact on clinical outcomes. Adults with overweight/obesity ( n = 150) will participate in a 12-month online lifestyle intervention and 6-month weight loss maintenance period. Participants will complete 14-day lapse phenotyping assessment periods at baseline, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months in which smartphone surveys, wearable devices, and geolocation will assess dietary lapses and relevant phenotyping characteristics. Energy intake (via 24-h dietary recall) and weight will be collected at each assessment period.

Results

This trial is ongoing; data collection began on 31 October 2022 and is scheduled to complete by February 2027.

Conclusion

Results will inform novel precision tools to improve dietary adherence in lifestyle intervention, and support updated theoretical models of adherence behavior. Additionally, these phenotyping methods can likely be leveraged to better understand non-adherence to other health behavior interventions.

Trial Registration

This study was prospectively registered https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05562427
Post-Pandemic Evaluation: Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Medical Students’ Mental Health, Self-Esteem, Social Interactions, and Academic Progression in Malaysia
Authors: Woon Teen Sia , Jih Huei Tan , Tiong Chan Lee , Jia Chyi Tay
Published: August 2024

Covid-19 pandemic has brought drastic and unprecedented challenges to the medical education and medical students, affecting them physically, mentally and emotionally. While progressing through the post-pandemic recovery phase, it is crucial to comprehensively evaluate the pandemic’s consequences and tackle the underlying problems. To investigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on medical students’ mental health, social well-being, and academic progression. A cross-sectional study was carried out with voluntary sampling of students from both government and private medical schools in Malaysia. A self-administered online survey form containing three validated psychological tools was distributed (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale HADS, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, NIH Toolbox Social Relationship Scales). There were also questions regarding the challenges faced by medical students and their academic performance during Covid-19 pandemic. Scores of each questionnaire were tabulated, analyzed and interpreted according to their specific cut-points. Two hundred and thirteen responses were received. 89.2% (n = 190) were domestic students while 10.8% (n = 23) were international students. Out of 32 medical universities in Malaysia, the participants were from 19 of them (9 public and 10 private universities). About half of the participants had contracted Covid-19 infection during the study period (n = 124, 58.2%). Majority had chosen “Lack of on-campus learning and training session causing incompetency” as the most relevant impact of Covid-19 on their academic progression (n = 85, 39.9%). Above 90% of participants passed their Final Academic Assessment in 2020 (91.5%) and 2021 (93.9%). About half of them (n = 86, 40.4%) were having symptoms considerable of anxiety while only 19.2% (n = 41) were having symptoms considerable of depression. Majority had normal self-esteem (n = 177, 83.1%). For social relationship, around two-third of them had great social support and companionship. However, more than half had social distress. The median for the period of time having absolute online classes, absolute physical classes and hybrid classes were 18, 4, and 9 months, respectively. Having absolute online classes of >18 months was associated significantly with higher perceived hostility (16.49vs. 14.47, p = .012). In addition, being infected with Covid-19 was associated significantly with higher self-esteem (26.88vs. 25.85, p = .009). Large proportion of students were affected by Covid-19 pandemic. Absolute online classes has huge impact on emotions of medical students especially from the aspect of perceived hostility. Hence, implementation of online medical education during Covid-19 era requires modifications and improvements.
Ética, moral, códigos y valores en los conservatorios superiores de música
Authors: Lorenzo de Reizábal Margarita
Published: August 2024

Este artículo se centra en desvelar la diferencia entre los conceptos de ética y moral e indagar hasta qué punto necesitamos los docentes de música consensuar principios dentro de un centro superior de música y dotarnos a nosotros mismos de un código deontológico y profesional adecuado al contexto docente en el que estamos integrados. Se revisa la relación ética-docencia en general y, particularmente, la ética profesional docente, así como los elementos que caracterizan un proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de tipo ético. Son objeto de estudio los códigos éticos profesionales docentes, definiéndose distintos tipos de valores éticos específicos en el ámbito de la educación superior de música en los conservatorios. Se incorpora, asimismo, una amplia reflexión sobre la importancia de estos valores en la formación del docente de música, sus deberes éticos e institucionales y la situación actual en esta materia en los centros superiores de música en España.
Cuando los intervalos cantan: un estudio sobre afinación y amplitudes interválicas en el ámbito educativo del violín
Authors: Archilla-Segade Héctor , Brady Caldera Patrick Thomas
Published: August 2024

La afinación de distintos tipos intervalos es una capacidad fundamental en el ámbito de los instrumentos de cuerda frotada en general, y del violín en particular. La presente investigación, partiendo de un ejercicio creado ad hoc, ha observado, registrado y analizado la afinación de 53 estudiantes de violín matriculados en distintos conservatorios de la Comunidad Autónoma de Extremadura. Se pretende determinar en qué medida se ajusta la afinación de los participantes a las proporciones que se derivan del sistema de temperamento igual, observar cómo influye la direccionalidad de los intervalos en dichas proporciones, y estimar cómo la afinación puede verse influenciada por el curso o nivel académico de los integrantes de la muestra. Los resultados sugieren que una buena parte de los intervalos ejecutados no se ajustan a las proporciones que se derivan del sistema temperado, existiendo aparentes inclinaciones a otros sistemas como son el puro o el pitagórico. Asimismo, se ha observado que la direccionalidad de los distintos intervalos pudo influir en cómo éstos fueron afinados, registrándose en algunos casos diferencias significativas tanto a nivel estadístico como a nivel acústico. Tales resultados conllevan una serie de implicaciones a nivel pedagógico y artístico, entre las cuales cabría destacar el potencialmente contraproducente uso del afinador electrónico estándar, la existencia y validez de modelos de afinación alternativos al temperamento igual, o la importancia de una técnica depurada de mano izquierda.
Proportional Hazards Model on Attrition and its Predictors in Community Antiretroviral Refill Groups among ART Users in Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Asmare Lakew , Bayou Fekade Demeke , Arefaynie Mastewal , Mekonen Asnakew Molla , Tareke Abiyu Abadi , Keleb Awoke , Abera Kaleab Mesfin , Kebede Natnael , Gebeyehu Endalkachew Mesfin , Ayres Aznamariam , Tsega Yawkal , Endawkie Abel , Kebede Shimels Derso , Abeje Eyob Tilahun , Enyew Ermias Bekele , Daba Chala
Published: August 2024

Background

The HIV epidemic continues to be a major public health challenge worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries such as Ethiopia. Community-based antiretroviral refill groups are emerging as a patient-centered approach, but there is limited evidence. Therefore, this study aimed to assess attrition and predictors in community antiretroviral refill groups among ART users in Eastern Ethiopia.

Methods

Institutional-based retrospective cohort study was conducted. Systematic random sampling techniques were used. Data were collected via Kobo Collect and exported to Stata. Statistically significant effects were assumed for a P-value < 0.05 at a confidence interval of 95%.

Results

The incidence of attrition in community-based ART refill groups was 6.63 (95% CI: 5.78, 7.48) per 100 person-years. The median duration of months in CAGs from the start till the end of the follow-up period was 9 months (IQR = 24). Thus, recruitment level from health facilities, history of LTFU, and stage IV were statistically significant variables.

Conclusion

The findings of this study highlight the importance of improving the use of community antiretroviral groups in care. Healthcare programs can ultimately improve health outcomes for individuals living with HIV.
Comparing Ultrasound and MRI Evaluations of the Hamstring Tendon for Predicting Autograft Size in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Qiao Yi , Zhang Xiuyuan , Zhao Yu , Wu Chenliang , Xu Caiqi , Chen Jie , Zhao Jinzhong , Zhao Song
Published: August 2024

Background:

Adequate graft size and length are crucial factors in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Accurate identification of patients who may be at risk for an insufficient length or size of the hamstring tendon (HT) can aid surgeons in preoperative planning.

Purpose:

To evaluate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound could more accurately predict the size of the semitendinosus tendon (ST) and gracilis tendon (GT) and to investigate the correlation between anthropometry, graft size, and imaging measurements to find a predictive formula.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Included in the study were 36 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with HT autograft at our institution between July 2021 and May 2022. Anthropometric data and MRI and ultrasound measurements were collected preoperatively. The length and diameter of the HT were recorded intraoperatively. Correlations between anthropometry, graft size, and imaging measurements were analyzed. Linear regression analysis was performed to construct a prediction formula.

Results:

The intraoperative graft diameters of the ST and GT were weakly to moderately associated with their cross-sectional areas as measured by MRI and ultrasound. MRI and ultrasound interpreted 11.9% to 15.7% and 18.4% to 41.7% of the variation in the graft diameter of the HT, with an accuracy of 50.0% to 55.6% and 69.4% to 86.1%, respectively. The intraoperative lengths of the ST and GT were both associated with patient height and tendon lengths as measured by ultrasound. Additionally, intraoperative GT length was associated with patient weight. Four formulas combining relevant anthropometric parameters and imaging measurements were calculated from multilinear regression analysis, explaining up to 46.3% of the variance in the size of HT.

Conclusion:

Ultrasound and MRI alone showed limited ability to predict the graft diameter of the ST and GT, while ultrasound could more accurately predict the graft size than MRI. Among the different anthropometric variables, height was the most influential in predicting tendon length.
How word meaning structure relates to executive functioning and theory of mind in children with developmental language disorder: A multiple case study
Authors: Camminga Thomas F. , Hermans Daan , Segers Eliane , Vissers Constance T.W.M.
Published: August 2024

Background and aims

Many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have difficulties in executive functioning (EF) and theory of mind (ToM). These difficulties might be explained by the theory that children's conceptual understanding changes over five stages of word meaning structure, from concrete and context-dependent to abstract and precise. We present a multiple case study examining how word meaning structure relates to EF and ToM in children with DLD.

Methods

Participants were five children with DLD aged 9–12 and five typically developing children matched for age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence. Word meaning structure was assessed using new dynamic test. EF was assessed using the Zoo Map Task and Behavioral Rating Inventory for EF. ToM was assessed using the ToM test, Frith-Happé Animations, and Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire. Behavioral problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist. Anamnestic interviews with the parents were conducted to describe the case histories.

Results

For the children with DLD, lower scores in the word meaning structure task were observed compared to those observed for their matched peers, with no statistical test applied. Word meaning structure related positively to EF and ToM, but not to behavioral problems. Instances in which word meaning structure dissociates from EF and ToM are discussed in individual case descriptions.

Conclusions

By linking language to conceptual development, variations in word meaning structure may explain some EF and ToM difficulties in children with DLD.

Implications

The present study offers a basis for future research on the relationships among word meaning structure, EF, and ToM.
Spnaf: An R package for analyzing and mapping the hotspots of flow datasets
Authors: Ha Hui Jeong , Lee Youngbin , Kim Kyusik , Park Sohyun , Lee Jinhyung
Published: August 2024

This paper introduces {spnaf} (spatial network autocorrelation for flows), an R package designed for the hotspot analysis of flow (e.g., human mobility, transportation, and animal movement) datasets based on Berglund and Karlström’s G index. We demonstrate the utility of the {spnaf} package through two example analyses by data forms: 1) bike-sharing trip patterns in Columbus, Ohio, USA, using polygon data, and 2) U.S. airports’ passenger travel patterns, using point data. The {spnaf} is available for download from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN), which contains a vignette and sample data/code for immediate use. This package addresses limitations in existing spatial analysis packages and emphasizes its efficiency in detecting flow hotspots. It is highly applicable in various urban and geographic data science applications. {spnaf} is still in its early stages and we hope that interested readers can contribute to the development and enhancement of the package.
AI and the Future of Making Management Decisions
Authors: Gümüsay Ali Aslan , Bohné Thomas , Davenport Thomas H.
Published: August 2024

Ali Aslan Gümüsay, Thomas Bohné, and Thomas Davenport describe the types of decisions that AI can help with and illuminate the emerging AI-supported decision processes that organizations should consider.
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF CORPORATE POLITICAL ACTIVISM
Authors: Mittal Vikas , Jung Jihye
Published: August 2024

Vikas Mittal and Jihye Jung provide evidence-based guidance and a strategic framework for senior executives to mitigate the downside of engaging in corporate political activism.
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: A Slippery Step on the Path to Sustainability?
Authors: Mayers Kieren , Davis Tom , Van Wassenhove Luk N.
Published: August 2024

Kieren Mayers, Tom Davis, and Luk N. Van Wassenhove explain how the unquestioning adoption of the circular economy approach to sustainable resource use will lead us to unintended environmental consequences. There is no magic bullet; wise use of the earth’s resources requires us to embrace the complexity of our industrial ecosystems and more carefully account for our impact on a case-by-case basis.
Addressing Value Drain in DEALMAKING
Authors: Papayoanou Paul
Published: August 2024

Paul Papayoanou shows how dealmakers can capture significantly more value by adopting a mindset and approach rooted in game theory and practical experience.
FROM PLEDGE TO PRACTICE: Delivering Corporate Net-Zero Emissions
Authors: Esty Daniel C. , Menz Alyssa M.
Published: August 2024

Corporate executives must struggle with a diversity of concerns as they tackle the challenge of moving toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, Dan Esty and Alyssa Menz provide business leaders with guidance on how to create and implement an effective net-zero pledge backed by a compelling business transformation game plan.
Product Management in the AI Landscape: LESSONS FROM IBM
Authors: Chopra Tarun
Published: August 2024

Tarun Chopra shares what IBM’s product managers have learned in seeking to responsibly use generative AI to improve the quality and productivity of the company’s product management.
The Fourth Channel: Automatic Home Replenishment and Its Implications for Supply Chain Cost and Customer Convenience
Authors: W. T. Lim Stanley Frederick , Pyke David F.
Published: August 2024

Stanley Lim and David Pyke present recent developments in grocery shopping and delivery models and explore subscription and automatic replenishment services. They introduce a model for auto replenishment that could give customers what they are looking for without bringing unsustainable costs to the supply chain.
The Future of Healthcare Delivery: Three Insights from Supply Chain Management
Authors: Francis James R. , Baveja Alok , Xin (David) Ding  , Bagchi Ann D. , Melamed Benjamin , Hill Diane
Published: August 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically exposed the vulnerabilities of supply chains in the healthcare sector. James R. Francis, Alok Baveja, Xin (David) Ding, Ann D. Bagchi, Benjamin Melamed, and Diane Hill conducted an in-depth study of how Mayo Clinic addressed these challenges and present three strategies for the future of the healthcare industry.
Cultivating Culture in a Hybrid Context
Authors: Arena Michael J. , Vicsek Andras , Golden John , Hines Scott
Published: August 2024

Michael J. Arena, Andras Vicsek, John Golden, and Scott Hines use a network lens to illuminate their preliminary research on cultivating culture across a physical environment, an entirely remote environment, and a hybrid work model.
Four Tips for Improving Your Team’s Social Norms
Authors: Dannals Jennifer E. , Brooks Heidi
Published: August 2024

Jennifer E. Dannals and Heidi Brooks describe common struggles in improving organizational social norms and suggest four tips to help you progress.
Happy Cooks Make Good Food: Management Lessons from the kitchen
Authors: Demetry Daphne , Gualtieri Gillian
Published: August 2024

Dr. Daphne Demetry and Dr. Gillian Gualtieri explore restaurant kitchens to discover how leaders can inspire employees to be happier and more engaged.
How Microsoft Transformed Its Culture: Five Levers for Organizational Cultural Change
Authors: O’Reilly Charles
Published: August 2024

Over the past few years, Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan have led a remarkable cultural transformation at Microsoft. Charles O’Reilly explains how they did it.
Seven Levers for Changing Organizational Culture
Authors: de Figueiredo John M.
Published: August 2024

Professor John M. de Figueiredo explains how executives can fuel strategic change by employing the Seven S’s framework to transform organizational culture.
Expanding Research on Responsive Teaching
Authors: Gouvea Julia , Appleby Lara
Published: August 2024

This Current Insights presents new research on “responsive teaching” in STEM education.
An hp-adaptive finite-element approach for 3D controlled-source electromagnetic forward modeling
Authors: Qin Ce , Zhao Ning , Wang Xuben , Li Hui
Published: August 2024

Accurate and efficient 3D controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) forward modeling is crucial for deciphering CSEM responses in complex geologic contexts and assessing the efficacy of survey designs. It also serves as the foundation for 3D inversion, a critical technique for interpreting CSEM data. We present a novel hp-adaptive finite-element method for 3D CSEM forward modeling. This method enhances the traditional h-adaptive approach, which only refines the mesh while keeping the polynomial degree of the basis functions constant, by enabling simultaneous refining of the mesh and increasing the polynomial degree of the basis functions. High-order elements yield superior approximations when the solution exhibits sufficient smoothness, whereas mesh refinement enhances accuracy in regions with less smooth solutions. The adaptive refinement process is guided by a goal-oriented error estimator that relies on the residual of the governing equation and the continuity of electromagnetic fields. The hp-adaptive strategy, which determines whether to refine elements or increase their polynomial degree, is based on the refinement levels of the elements. Constraints are applied to hanging nodes, introduced during the refinement process, to ensure the continuity of the finite-element space. We validate the accuracy, efficiency, and convergence of the hp-adaptive method through tests on two layered models. Further simulations on a topographic model and a realistic model corroborate its effectiveness. Our findings indicate that the hp-adaptive method outperforms the traditional h-adaptive method in terms of accuracy, convergence rate, and computational cost, making it a promising technique for 3D CSEM forward modeling.
Integrating Family Caregivers Into Cancer Care: Implementation of Evidence-Based Caregiver Protocols Into Gynecologic Oncology Practice
Authors: Thomas Teresa Hagan , Campbell Grace , Tan Kelly R. , Murray Patty Jo , Loughlin Kimm , Roberge Mary C. , Wang Youjia , Lee Young Ji , DiLello Ryan , Donovan Heidi S.
Published: August 2024

PURPOSE

Family caregivers (CGs) of individuals with cancer are increasingly relied upon to provide long-term, sometimes intense care, although their integration into clinical cancer care remains minimal. The Caregiver Advocacy, Research, and Education (CARE) Center is a novel nurse-led academic-clinical partnership to support family CGs of individuals with gynecologic cancer. This study aims to describe the implementation of the Center protocols and report metrics of CG needs and Center support.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Center's goals are to identify, assess, and provide tailored support to CGs. Initially, Center protocols included assessment of CGs' self-identified distress (distress thermometer, 0 = no distress to 10 = extreme distress) and needs (yes or no). Tailored support on the basis of CG distress was provided by in-person and remote staff who provided complementary, concurrent support based on CG need: evidence-based self-management guides, self-management support, referral to specialty services. Center documentation was analyzed to describe Center reach and CG distress.

RESULTS

From November 2019 to June 2023, CGs (N = 1,250) were identified through referrals, new patient outreach, and inpatient visits. Seven hundred and six CGs (56.5%) were assessed through a needs-based assessment, and 515 (41.2%) CGs received tailored support. CGs were mostly men (53.0%) and the mean distress was 4.4/10 (standard deviation, 3.1). CG distress was moderately associated with CG needs including maintaining emotional (ρ = 0.40; P < .001) and physical (ρ = 0.31; P < .001) health and managing patient symptoms (ρ = 0.33; P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Center protocols facilitate identification of high-need CGs within a cancer clinic. Future research will longitudinally evaluate the impact of Center protocols on CG and patient outcomes, incorporating updated assessment tools.
What the Writer Found There: David Peace's Occupied City
Authors: Ivy Marilyn
Published: August 2024

This essay seeks to understand the writing strategies and structures that David Peace uses in Occupied City, the second novel of his Tokyo Trilogy set in the American occupation period (1945–52). Focusing on the (still unsolved) historical crime of the Teikoku Bank mass murders of 1948 and its linkages to the Japanese army's Unit 731 wartime experiments with plague and germ warfare in China—war crimes that were covered up by the Americans—Peace sustains Artaud's notions of plague and theater as he uses spirit mediumship within implicit textual figurations of the Rashōmon complex (as medieval tale, as modernist literary icon Akutagawa Ryūnosuke's retelling, and Akira Kurosawa's occupation-era filmic allegory) to stage multiple haunted and contesting testimonies about these unjustly repressed and unresolved crimes of war and postwar.
Policing the Catastrophe: History and Conspiracy in David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy
Authors: Ward Max
Published: August 2024

This essay focuses on the police protagonists in David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy and the historical mediations they perform in the worlds of the novels. It argues that these mediations are generated by the way Peace subverts the conventional narrative structure of historical detective fiction: rather than moving toward resolution—solving a crime—the object of detection is continually displaced to conspiracies with historical and political implications, thereby constituting different temporalities that do not move forward but rather repeat, circulate, or are perpetually delayed. Underlying these repetitions, transmissions, and premonitions are historical-political legacies of Japanese empire, war, and American anti-communist conspiracies, which open toward a critical-conspiratorial understanding of postwar Japan.
Culture after Catastrophe: A Conversation with David Peace on the Tokyo Trilogy
Authors: Ward Max
Published: August 2024

In this conversation with Max Ward, David Peace discusses his motivations for writing the Tokyo Trilogy, the historical research that went into it, and the political questions related to postwar Japan that he wanted to pursue. They then discuss the responsibility of historical crime fiction, as well as the literary, cultural and philosophical sources that influence Peace's unique style of what he calls “occult history.” The conversation took place on December 15, 2023, and the transcript was subsequently edited and annotated for content and readability.
“Every Single Word Is Now a Tempest of Gestures”: Luigi Ballerini's and Beppe Cavatorta's Anthology of Italian Poetry Those Who from Afar Look Like Flies
Authors: Messerli Douglas
Published: August 2024

This essay is a long review of the anthology of Italian poetry Those Who from Afar Look Like Flies. Beginning with a brief discussion of the editor's extensive introduction and an evaluation and explanation of the overall anthology project, the review essay goes on to explore, in some depth, a selection of the numerous poets who appear in this 2,116-page volume. Among the many poets discussed are Pier Paolo Pasolini, Francesco Leonetti, Alfredo Giuliani, Elio Pagliarani, Antonio Porta, Edoardo Cacciatore, Corrado Costa, Antonio Delfini, Mario Diacono, Amelia Rosselli, Emilio Villa, Andrea Zanzotto, and numerous others. Specific poems are analyzed and contextualized within the larger context of contemporary Italian “Research” poetry.
Blanchot without Blanchot
Authors: Paul Zakir
Published: August 2024

This article explores the arc of Blanchot's life, in conversation with a recent critical biography, to suggest what the significance of his writing might be today. It first situates Blanchot in the 1930s through the lens of contemporary debates about the period. It then explores what his turn to literary criticism and narrative in the 1940s might have signified and allowed him to negotiate as a “counter-law.” Finally, it turns to his time as a dissident postwar thinker who sought to invent ways of thinking capable of forgoing power, often formulated as an inoperative “relation without relation.”
“Closing Time”: Discordant Temporalities of Japan's Postwar in David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy
Authors: Harootunian Harry
Published: August 2024

While David Peace's epic Tokyo Trilogy concentrates on the years after Japan's defeat in 1945 and the city of Tokyo as a classic crime scene, this essay proposes that the traditional pursuit of detection recedes in importance compared to the time of the “postwar,” a new category of periodization initiated by the military occupation, which would become the temporal scaffolding of the renewing of Japanese society. This category was situated at the temporal crossroads of a newly imagined “democratic” Japan and the legacy of a ruined prewar landscape, still signifying the power of the past in the present. In Peace's narrative, the effort to solve the crimes is constantly mediated and played out in the tensions between “Old Japan” and “New Japan,” resulting in a repetition of what Japan had been since its modernization, a reservoir of contemporary noncontemporaneity.
Correlated Equilibria in Large Anonymous Bayesian Games
Authors: Koessler Frédéric , Scarsini Marco , Tomala Tristan
Published: August 2024

We consider multipopulation Bayesian games with a large number of players. Each player aims at minimizing a cost function that depends on this player’s own action, the distribution of players’ actions in all populations, and an unknown state parameter. We study the nonatomic limit versions of these games and introduce the concept of Bayes correlated Wardrop equilibrium, which extends the concept of Bayes correlated equilibrium to nonatomic games. We prove that Bayes correlated Wardrop equilibria are limits of action flows induced by Bayes correlated equilibria of the game with a large finite set of small players. For nonatomic games with complete information admitting a convex potential, we prove that the set of correlated and of coarse correlated Wardrop equilibria coincide with the set of probability distributions over Wardrop equilibria and that all equilibrium outcomes have the same costs. We get the following consequences. First, all flow distributions of (coarse) correlated equilibria in convex potential games with finitely many players converge to mixtures of Wardrop equilibria when the weight of each player tends to zero. Second, for any sequence of flows satisfying a no-regret property, its empirical distribution converges to the set of distributions over Wardrop equilibria, and the average cost converges to the unique Wardrop cost.

Funding: This work was partially supported by European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action 16228 GAMENET. F. Koessler acknowledges the support of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche [Grant StratCom ANR-19-CE26-0010-01]. M. Scarsini acknowledges the support of the Gruppo Nazionale per l’Analisi Matematica, la Probabilità e le loro Applicazioni project [Grant CUP_E53C22001930001], the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale [Grant 2022EKNE5K], and the European Union-Next Generation EU, component M4C2, investment 1.1 (Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza) [Grant P2022XT8C8]. T. Tomala gratefully acknowledges the support of the HEC foundation and Agence Nationale de la Recherche/Investissements d’Avenir [Grant ANR-11-IDEX-0003/Labex Ecodec/ANR-11-LABX-0047].
Write-off of grants (subsidies) in the context of the principles of administrative and tax procedure and tax risk management
Authors: Waszak Piotr , Wołowiec Tomasz , Mędzelowski Tadeusz , Golec Ewa
Published: August 2024

Grants are funds from the state budget, budget of local government units and state purpose funds allocated on the basis of this Act, separate acts or international agreements for financing or co-financing of the implementation of public tasks, subject to specific settlement rules. The Public Finance Act also includes definitions of three types of subsidies: purpose-specific, subject-specific and object-specific. With regard to subsidies, the legislator in the provisions of the Public Finance Act points out that subsidies for local government units and subsidies for tasks specified in separate acts constitute a special purpose for the allocation of expenditures of the state budget and orders to include in annexes to the budget act: a list of units receiving purpose-specific and subject-specific subsidies and amounts of subsidies and the scope and amounts of subject-specific and subject-specific subsidies, defines subsidies (together with subsidies) as a separate group of expenditures of the state budget.
The land development plan as a legal act and administrative instrument for planning and managing the development of the municipality. A legal, political and socio-economic study
Authors: Derewiecka Dagny , Wołowiec Tomasz , Hernas Adam , Barwiak Paweł , Goruk-Górski Piotr
Published: August 2024

The paper deals with the subject of the spatial development plan as a key instrument for managing the development of a municipality. The essence of the spatial planning process is presented, as well as the applicable legal rules and procedures for the creation of this document, together with a description of the competences of the various authorities and public institutions in the spatial planning process. It also presents a statistical view of the functioning of plans throughout the country. Particular attention was paid to the negative consequences of the lack of use of this instrument in the context of the development processes of territorial units. The analysis presented includes a legal analysis of planning processes, taking into account administrative proceedings, planning annuities and local development processes. The arguments presented above proving the extremely important role of spatial planning processes in improving the quality of life of local communities should be reflected in the number of communes in which such plans are in force, and more precisely, it is to indicate the area of the entire country covered by the adopted local plans.
Legal and administrative elements of the construction of tax exemptions and allowances in the context of granting public support
Authors: Golec Ewa , Grzeszczuk Marta , Rak Natalia , Lizak Jadwiga , Kowalczuk Mariusz
Published: August 2024

Among the forms of public assistance of a passive nature are tax concessions and exemptions. A given form of aid can be of liquidity support, rescue and restructuring and pro-development nature for the enterprise. This form of assistance is reflected in the reduction of revenues to the state and local government budgets. Tax credits, used as investment incentives for entrepreneurs, can affect the growth of production, and in the case of new investments, the creation of new jobs or the retention of existing ones. The article presents the provisions of the tax law on real estate tax in correlation with the law on state aid, in the context of an assessment of - to what extent on the grounds of real estate tax it is possible to operate reliefs and exemptions that constitute state aid for entrepreneurs. The legal problems of providing state aid and the issues of tax procedures in the field of tax reliefs and exemptions and the calculation of the net value of state aid are presented.
Legal and admisnitrative-management conditions of the operation of polish spa resorts
Authors: Anisiewicz Urszula , Pochodyła Paweł , Orzeł Zbigniew , Jurczak Ewelina
Published: August 2024

The article shows that the spa, as a territorial part of the municipality, determines the status of the municipality, its leading spa function, to which most of the important matters are necessarily subordinated. This applies, for example, to land use plans, development plans, environmental protection, construction, business development of the entire municipality, not just the part on which the resort is located. The aim of the work is to try to answer the question of what legal, administrative and organizational solutions will stimulate the effective functioning and development of Polish spas, under conditions of strong competition in the European market for tourism and spa services. An additional objective of the study is to identify the factors stimulating competitiveness and quality of tourism and spa services of customers of Polish spas. The evaluation of laundry and economic-administrative solutions was limited to the assessment of economic instruments and legal regulations found in national and EU government documents, directives and legal acts. The evaluation of current and projected solutions and changes in legal regulations takes into account the short and long term.
Development of the system of public duties. A legal and fiscal study
Authors: Paździor Mariusz , Wołowiec Tomasz , Paździor Anna , Bojaruniec Marta
Published: August 2024

Tax is a complex legal and economic category, conditioning the functioning of the state, affecting the entire economic circulation. The economic significance of the tax is related to the change in the income and property situation of the subjects paying the tribute. Payment of tax influences the decisions made by economic agents in the sphere of savings, consumer spending or economic decisions. Taxes are the primary means of collecting public revenue and financing expenditures. It should be emphasized that, from the point of view of the science of finance, any economic, legal phenomenon that has all the above-mentioned characteristics is a tax, even if the name used by the legislator indicates a completely different nature of the legal and economic relationship, e.g. customs duty, fee, contribution, "voluntary payment", etc. There is a consensus in the literature that a tax should be characterized by six features: gratuitousness, compulsory, non-refundable, monetary form, generality and unilateral imposition.
Legal conditions of the principles of management control in the public finance sector and the rules of coordination of control
Authors: Wojciechowski Łukasz , Waszak Piotr , Koman-Bednarczyk Angelika , Jastrzębski Wińczysław , Wołowiec Tomasz
Published: August 2024

The principles of management control and coordination of management control are described in Section I, Chapter 6 - Articles 68 - 71 of the Act of August 27, 2009 on Public Finance. Detailed rules on the manner of preparation and specimens of documents required by the provisions of the aforementioned Act are established in the Decree of the Minister of Finance of September 29, 2010 on the activity plan and the report on its implementation, and in the Decree of the Minister of Finance of December 2, 2010 on the model statement on the state of management control. Requirements relating to the establishment, evaluation and improvement of management control systems for the public finance sector are specified in Announcement No. 23 of the Minister of Finance dated December 16, 2009 on management control standards for the public finance sector. Guidance on monitoring and evaluating the adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency of management control is provided in Announcement No. 3 of the Minister of Finance dated February 16, 2011 on detailed guidelines for self-evaluation of management control for units in the public finance sector. The guidelines supporting effective risk management in units of the public finance sector are announced in Announcement No. 6 of the Minister of Finance of December 6, 2012 on detailed guidelines for the public finance sector on planning and risk management. The article analyzes the legal regulations of Articles
Planning annuity (fee). Civil and tax law regulations
Authors: Derewiecka Dagny , Ćwik Kamila , Grzesiak Artur
Published: August 2024

Adopting a new or changing the existing local development plan is most often associated with an increase in the value of real estate. When selling the property, the owner of the property is obliged to pay a special fee (planning rent) in connection with the increase in the value of the property. This fee is collected by the commune head, mayor or president and cannot be higher than 30% of the increase in the value of the property. In practice, many misunderstandings and problems arise in the operation of this fee. The main cause is an incorrectly calculated and overestimated difference in the value of the property, which leads to undue claims by the commune against the property owner. Art. 36 and 37 of the Act of 27 March 2003 on Spatial Planning and Development states that the condition for collecting a one-off fee (planning rent) is the need to simultaneously meet the following conditions: increase in the value of real estate as a result of adopting a new or changing the existing local plan, specifying in the local plan the percentage increase in the value of the property, constituting the basis for calculating the amount of planning rent or sale of real estate by the current owner or perpetual usufructuary
Quality management in public administration. Legal and administrative regulations and effective process management
Authors: Gwiżdż Andrzej , Wołowiec Tomasz , Grzesiak Artur , Orzeł Zbigniew
Published: August 2024

A quality-based public organisation creates its own quality culture, which determines the value-giving activities and processes and the behaviour and attitudes of their participants. This culture is created by the commitment of top management through its contribution to promoting a quality approach. An organisation that adheres to the principles of quality management standards is committed to identifying the processes within the quality management system, together with their sequence and interdependencies (process approach). By locating the necessary resources in the processes, it is possible to manage them in such a way as to deliver value and achieve results for the relevant stakeholders (customer orientation, relationship management). At the same time, the systems approach provides an opportunity for top management (leadership) to optimise them in the short and long term as a consequence of decisions taken. The aim is to continuously implement the measures necessary to achieve the set results and continuous improvement (enhancement). The quality management system provides the opportunity to apply the organisation's natural approach to effective and efficient management by defining monitoring methods and ways of evaluating them (fact-based decision-making). Also, in order to manage effectively and efficiently, it is non-negligible to involve employees at all levels. As participants in the processes defined in the sys-tem, they contribute directly to the results achieved (people involvement).
Utilizing robots for voice and sound analysis in therapy: enhancing emotional understanding in children with autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Niderla Konrad , Kowalski Wiesław , Poleszak Wiesław
Published: August 2024

Exploring and understanding emotions when treating children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is of fundamental importance for both therapists and children themselves. People with ASD often use specific communication methods, which may make it difficult to express their feelings using conventional verbal and non-verbal techniques. Therefore, a deep analysis of the subtle aspects of their speech, intonation, rhythm, and other auditory forms of expression can provide valuable clues about their emotions, needs, and reactions to therapeutic activities. Children's emotional responses can manifest in many ways, including voice modulation, which can signal anger, sadness, or happiness. Therapists can better interpret the child's intentions and reactions to surrounding stimuli using voice analysis methods. For example, a flat tone of voice may indicate apathy or anxiety, while a high volume may indicate excitement or tension. Additionally, various unconventional sounds a child makes can provide valuable information about their emotional and mental state. To capture these signals, therapists can use advanced equipment for recording and analyzing sounds and robots equipped with image and sound recording functions, which help in therapy.
Analyzing marketing campaign effectiveness: a comparative approach using traditional and online data analysis methods
Authors: Król Krzysztof , Sidor Tomasz , Wiśniewska Anna , Józefacki Emanuel , Bartnik Bartłomiej
Published: August 2024

Advertising campaign analysis reports are considered an essential tool for marketing analytics. They are used to assess the effectiveness of the marketing activities carried out and to improve future activities. It is necessary to verify whether the actions taken - online and in the public space - align with the intentions and budget, whether they lead to achieving the objectives, and, if not, what the campaign errors are. Due to the ease of collecting and accessing data, analyzing online and social media advertising campaigns is a popular topic. With access to data on the number of clicks, the ad's reach, the number of interactions, and so on, one can move on to the next steps of analyzing the campaign to determine its effectiveness. Online marketing tools have a massive advantage over traditional media channels. When analyzing the results of advertising campaigns, it is necessary to approach the examination of the individual channels and then analyze which of them is the most profitable and in which to invest the most. However, traditional campaigns must be addressed in the analyses. Despite the limited data available, collecting relevant information and analyzing the traditional campaign is worth trying. In the case of conventional campaigns, we can mainly measure the amount of sales resulting from the campaigns. When dealing with an online campaign, we gain many additional indicators, such as the number of ad impressions, clicks, and conversions. In both cases, analysis tools may allow us to isolate factors that significantly influence the success or failure of a campaign and predict the effectiveness of a campaign with given characteristics.
Enhancing conversational ai with the Rasa framework: intent understanding and NLU pipeline optimization
Authors: Smutek Tomasz , Golec Ewa , Rymarczyk Paweł , Jarmuł Michał , Hernas Adam
Published: August 2024

Implementing the Rasa NLU pipeline allowed intent detection and entity recognition, particularly in complex scenarios with multi-intent queries. Communication within the Rasa NLU pipeline was effectively managed, ensuring seamless data flow between components, which preserved context and enhanced interpretability. The voice assistant developed with STT and TTS capabilities demonstrated robust real-time natural language processing, handling spoken queries efficiently. This confirmed the practical viability of using the Rasa framework for scalable and customizable conversational AI applications.
Discussing: The findings underscore the robustness of the Rasa NLU pipeline in handling diverse conversational demands and the flexibility of its components to adapt to different linguistic contexts. The research discusses the potential of integrating sophisticated NLU techniques to create more intuitive and responsive conversational agents, highlighting the critical role of context-aware processing in improving user interaction with AI systems.