bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using interpolated implied volatility for analysing exogenous market changes
Authors: Maciak Matúš , Vitali Sebastiano
Published: March 2024

This paper focuses on market changes due to exogenous effects. The standard implied volatility is shown to be insufficient for a proper detection and analysis of this type of risk. This is mainly because such changes are usually dominated by endogenous effects coming from a specific trading mechanism or natural market dynamics. A methodologically unique approach based on artificial options that always have a constant time to maturity is proposed and explicitly defined. The key principle is to use interpolated volatilities, which can effectively eliminate instabilities due to the natural market dynamics while the changes caused by the exogenous causes are preserved. Formal statistical tests for distinguishing significant effects are proposed under different theoretical and practical scenarios. Statistical theory, computational and algorithmic details, and comprehensive empirical comparisons together with a real data illustration are all presented.
GNSS direct position estimation-inspired positioning with pseudorange correlogram for urban navigation
Authors: Vicenzo Sergio , Xu Bing , Xu Haosheng , Hsu Li-Ta
Published: March 2024

Multipath (MP) reception has been among the main issues for accurate and reliable positioning in urban environments. It has been shown to introduce positioning errors of up to tens of meters for conventional two-step (2SP) receivers. The direct position estimation (DPE) has been introduced as a more robust positioning algorithm compared to the conventional two-step (2SP) receivers in terms of MP mitigation. However, its high computational load prevents DPE from real-time positioning for commercial receivers. Thus, we present a novel grid-based maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) algorithm based on DPE by making use of pseudorange measurements to obtain the correlogram on a predefined searching space. Unlike DPE, which performs correlations at the intermediate frequency (IF) level, correlations are done by directly comparing the code phase of each candidate position, velocity, and timing with the incoming pseudorange. This way, the proposed method retains MP mitigation properties from DPE through the use of MLE from DPE and allows for a significantly reduced computational load compared to DPE. The proposed method was tested with both open-sourced datasets collected in urban environments as well as IF simulation data, and its performance is evaluated against a 2SP receiver. Results show that the proposed method manages to acquire the MP mitigation capability of DPE and outperforms 2SP by up to around 23% in the tested urban datasets and 91% in the simulation data, at a much-reduced computational time. The resilience of our proposed method against MP and NLOS could even potentially offer applications in geodetic networks, where robust estimators are traditionally employed to counteract outliers.
Future of software development with generative AI
Authors: Sauvola Jaakko , Tarkoma Sasu , Klemettinen Mika , Riekki Jukka , Doermann David
Published: March 2024

Generative AI is regarded as a major disruption to software development. Platforms, repositories, clouds, and the automation of tools and processes have been proven to improve productivity, cost, and quality. Generative AI, with its rapidly expanding capabilities, is a major step forward in this field. As a new key enabling technology, it can be used for many purposes, from creative dimensions to replacing repetitive and manual tasks. The number of opportunities increases with the capabilities of large-language models (LLMs). This has raised concerns about ethics, education, regulation, intellectual property, and even criminal activities. We analyzed the potential of generative AI and LLM technologies for future software development paths. We propose four primary scenarios, model trajectories for transitions between them, and reflect against relevant software development operations. The motivation for this research is clear: the software development industry needs new tools to understand the potential, limitations, and risks of generative AI, as well as guidelines for using it.
Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass
Authors: Kazmi Danish , Serati Mehdi , Williams David J. , Olaya Sebastian Quintero , Qasim Sadaf , Cheng Yi Pik , Grizi Athina , Javadi Akbar A.
Published: March 2024

Granular columns are commonly used for ground improvement. However, minimal research is presently available on the effect of backfill particle size on the geotechnical performance of granular column-reinforced soil. Geo-environmentally, using crushed waste glass (CWG) as a sustainable replacement for depleting traditional construction sands could offer a cleaner feedstock to backfill granular columns while helping recycle growing stockpiles of waste glass, potentially supporting the circular economy transition and decarbonisation of the construction industry. Given these multi-pronged motivations, this study investigated the shear strength and consolidation behaviour of kaolin reinforced with a CWG granular column. Three different particle size ranges (PSR) of CWG were discretely used to install a granular column in the kaolin bed, including fine (0.50–1.0 mm), medium (1.0–1.7 mm) and coarse (1.7–3.35 mm) particles with median particle sizes of 0.78 mm, 1.42 mm and 2.30 mm, respectively. The geocomposite containing a medium CWG column showed the highest increase in friction angle, increasing from 14.0° for kaolin only specimens to 20.7° for the geocomposites. Similarly, the consolidation behaviour of reinforced kaolin (geocomposites) was typically superior to that of kaolin only specimens. Notably, installing a coarse, medium or fine CWG column decreased the average compression index (Cc) of the geocomposites by almost 17%, 35% or 50%, respectively, compared to that of the kaolin only specimens. Given the promising results of this initial study, some suggestions are provided for future studies on assessing the application of CWG as an alternative backfill and sustainable geomaterial in granular column construction.

Video abstract

This internationally-partnered Video Abstract highlights the findings of the research study, indicating that crushed waste glass (CWG) could potentially serve as a sustainable geomaterial and be used as a replacement for traditional construction sand to backfill granular columns in clayey soils for ground improvement, helping reduce the unsustainable exploitation of sand resources and increasing waste glass recycling, potentially supporting the paradigm shift to a circular economy and contributing to decarbonisation of the construction industry.
Impacts of climate hazards on households along the Drakensberg Mountains in the Free State Province of South Africa
Authors: Ngwenya Sipiwe Janet , Mukwada Geoffrey
Published: March 2024

Mountains are climate change hotspots and their ecosystems are key components in the supply of ecosystem goods and services to local communities. Low-income communities that directly depend on mountain resources are highly vulnerable to the harsh impacts of climate change. Using rainfall and temperature trends, and data collected from a household questionnaire survey, the objective of this study is to assess the impact of climate change on low-income households living in the Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality part of the Drakensberg Mountains. Climatic data were obtained from Climate Explorer while the household data were collected from a sample of 383 households in the villages of Qwaqwa. The results show that temperature and rainfall changes have significantly increased over a period of 120 years. About 51 percent of the respondents experienced extreme weather events which has the greatest impact on their households followed by drought (25.5%). Employment status was found to be significantly associated with the perception that hazards negatively impact natural resource availability, with 54% of those who had this perception being unemployed. In addition, income was found to have a significant relationship with extreme weather impacts on households and 60% of those households had a low monthly income of ZAR 2000 or less. Based on these findings, mountain households along the Drakensberg Mountains in Qwaqwa villages are already experiencing the negative impacts of climate change and their socio-economic characteristics indicate very low levels of adaptation capacity.
An ensemble learning interpretation of geometric semantic genetic programming
Authors: Dick Grant
Published: March 2024

Geometric semantic genetic programming (GSGP) is a variant of genetic programming (GP) that directly searches the semantic space of programs to produce candidate solutions. GSGP has shown considerable success in improving the performance of GP in terms of program correctness, however this comes at the expense of exponential program growth. Subsequent attempts to address this growth have not fully-exploited the fact that GSGP searches by producing linear combinations of existing solutions. This paper examines this property of GSGP and frames the method as an ensemble learning approach by redefining mutation and crossover as examples of boosting and stacking, respectively. The ensemble interpretation allows for simple integration of regularisation techniques that significantly reduce the size of the resultant programs. Additionally, this paper examines the quality of parse tree base learners within this ensemble learning interpretation of GSGP and suggests that future research could substantially improve the quality of GSGP by examining more effective initialisation techniques. The resulting ensemble learning interpretation leads to variants of GSGP that substantially improve upon the performance of traditional GSGP in regression contexts, and produce a method that frequently outperforms gradient boosting.
I can be a “normal” student: the role of lecture capture in supporting disabled and neurodivergent students’ participation in higher education
Authors: Horlin Chiara , Hronska Barbora , Nordmann Emily
Published: March 2024

After the return to on-campus teaching post-Covid, reports of student disengagement and low attendance are common and anxieties over the relationship between lecture recordings and attendance have re-emerged, leading some educators to remove recordings. To understand the potential impact of such decisions, this study explored how neurodivergent and disabled students use recordings using a qualitative survey approach. Reflexive thematic analysis emphasised the need for learning flexibility and questioned traditional lectures. Neurodivergent and disabled students raised concerns over accessibility, highlighting the crucial nature of recordings beyond attendance. For example, features such as pausing or speed adjusted were described as vital for managing learning among disabled and neurodivergent participants. Our findings do not support an uncritical view of lecture recordings. Participants discussed the self-discipline required for effective use and responses reflected prior concerns discussed in the literature regarding recordings leading to focusing on lectures to the detriment of other sources of information. However, despite challenges, we found multiple examples of students using recordings to maintain engagement as a successful self-regulated learner. In line with Universal Design for Learning, our findings support the provision of lecture recordings as an inclusive and accessible technology for all students, not just those with declared disabilities. All data and analysis code is available at https://osf.io/ue628/.
The Knossian Kamares Style as Transgenerational Memory
Authors: Prezioso Emanuele
Published: March 2024

This paper introduces a new perspective on the constitutive role of material culture for memory using the Knossian Kamares pottery style as a case study. It challenges prevalent approaches in mainstream memory studies, which confine memory to individuals’ brains or minds, suggesting a deeper relationship between material culture and memory. Presenting a novel methodology rooted in cognitive archaeology to study the long-term making of Knossian Kamares decorations, I suggest that the Knossian Kamares pottery style is a transgenerational memory that enabled generations of artisans to remember, learn, and update technological skills and knowledge. I also claim that, in assuming this distributed, enactive, and non-representational stance on style as memory, it becomes evident that remembering is something we do: an active engagement that emerges with and through material culture in specific sociomaterial settings.
Fast response fabricated MoS2-photodiode based thin film
Authors: Khalil Ahmed Abdelhady A. , Karmalawi Abdallah M. , Abdelmageed Alaaeldin A. , Al-shamiri Hamdan A. S. , Shawkey Heba A. , Kana Maram T. H. Abou , Swillam Mohamed A. , Kandel Hamed M.
Published: March 2024

In this study, we present the fabrication and characterization of a thin film based on 1 T-MoS2 pn photodiode for the purpose of quick response photodetection application. The photodiode was fabricated using RF-sputtering process. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were employed to investigate the surface topology and structural characteristics of the nanostructured MoS2 thin film. The electrical properties of the photodiode that was produced were examined by conducting measurements of its current–voltage (I-V) characteristics across a range of bias voltages spanning from − 2 to + 2 V. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the pn photodiode that was produced was determined to be as high as 9.8%. Additionally, the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) was found to be as high as 10.5%. Furthermore, a time response of 1.748 ms was observed. The findings of this study illustrate the capability of MoS2 photodiodes in facilitating rapid response photodetection applications.
Multidomain chimeric enzymes as a promising alternative for biocatalysts improvement: a minireview
Authors: García-Paz Flor de María , Del Moral Sandra , Morales-Arrieta Sandra , Ayala Marcela , Treviño-Quintanilla Luis Gerardo , Olvera-Carranza Clarita
Published: March 2024

Searching for new and better biocatalysts is an area of study in constant development. In nature, mechanisms generally occurring in evolution, such as genetic duplication, recombination, and natural selection processes, produce various enzymes with different architectures and properties. The recombination of genes that code proteins produces multidomain chimeric enzymes that contain two or more domains that sometimes enhance their catalytic properties. Protein engineering has mimicked this process to enhance catalytic activity and the global stability of enzymes, searching for new and better biocatalysts. Here, we present and discuss examples from both natural and synthetic multidomain chimeric enzymes and how additional domains heighten their stability and catalytic activity. Moreover, we also describe progress in developing new biocatalysts using synthetic fusion enzymes and revise some methodological strategies to improve their biological fitness.
Collimating three-axicon zoom system for interferometric Bessel beam side lobe cancellation
Authors: Schnieder Marco , Niemann Anna , Hüve Jana , Klingauf Jürgen
Published: March 2024

Optical Bessel beams are used in numerous applications like fluorescence microscopy, material processing and optical trapping. These applications require Bessel beams having a central core with defined full width at half maximum and a defined axial length. Often, the side lobes of Bessel beams, which are associated with their non-diffracting properties, can interfere with the experimental process. We theoretically describe and practically verify the performance of a new refractive optical system to generate zoomable annular ring intensities. The ability to zoom the output ring diameter allows for flexibly choosing the Bessel beam parameters. Secondly, we introduce the use of a Michelson interferometer for destructively interfering Bessel beam side lobes in one direction. If two Bessel beams of zeroth order and first kind are coherently superposed with a small shift with respect to each other, their side lobes are enhanced in one direction and cancelled in the other direction. We suggest that applications like light-sheet microscopy can exploit the axis of destructive interference to improve their contrast.
On the Use of Foam Rubber for Sealing Applications
Authors: Alexopoulos T. , Gazis E. N. , Maltezos S. , Koutelieris G. , Persson B. N. J.
Published: March 2024

O-rings made from foam rubber are often used in sealing applications. Foam rubber have low (macroscopic) elastic modulus $$E_0$$

E
0

resulting in a low nominal contact pressure when squeezed against a countersurface. In most cases the foam rubber is covered by a thin surface film with the effective elastic modulus $$E_1 > E_0$$

E
1

>

E
0

. We show that the nominal contact pressure may not be high enough for the contact area to percolate and the O-ring seal will leak. For the leakage calculations we use the Persson multiscale contact mechanics theory, and the (modified) Bruggeman effective medium theory for the fluid flow conductivity. The experimental input for the theory are surface roughness power spectrum, which was obtained from stylus topography measurements, and the elastic properties ($$E_0$$

E
0

and $$E_1$$

E
1

) of the rubber O-ring. As an application of this calculation method, we have used the preliminary as well as the final results of the laboratory gas tightness tests of the 136 New Small Wheel Micromegas Quadruplets performed at CERN, from February 2019 to May 2021, in the framework of the ATLAS Experiment upgrade. In the integration quality control, a novel method for gas tightness measurement, that we have called “Flow Rate Loss”, has been used as a baseline method.

Graphical Abstract
Determination of performance response of broilers to fermented tropical leaf meal supplementation using meta-analytical method
Authors: Ogbuewu I. P. , Mabelebele M. , Mbajiorgu C. A.
Published: March 2024

Fermented tropical leaf meals (FTLM) are currently added to chicken feed to improve chicken productivity due to their reported nutritional and medicinal benefits. However, the effects of FTLM on broiler productivity and health are less clear. Thus, this meta-analysis was designed to assess the effects of FTLM on the performance outcomes of broilers Eleven controlled studies were retrieved and used to explore the impacts of dietary FTLM supplementation on growth performance [feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily gain (ADG)], blood lipids, slaughter performance (abdominal fat, breast and thigh muscles weight), meat quality [pH, drip loss, shear force, lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*)], and intestinal histomorphology [villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) and VH/CD values] of broilers. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses of the effects of moderators (i.e., leaf meal type, supplementation level, broiler strains, rearing phase, and fermentation microbes) on the growth performance of broilers were also assessed. Results show that dietary FTLM supplementation increased FI [standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.11; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02, 0.20; P < 0.0001], improved ADG (SMD = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.43; P < 0.0001) and FCR (SMD =  − 0.21; 95% CI: − 0.30, − 0.11; P < 0.0001) in broilers. In addition, FTLM enhanced slaughter performance, meat quality, and intestinal histomorphology of broilers. Broilers fed 0—5 g/kg feed FTLM had better FI, FCR, and ADG than the controls taking significant heterogeneity into account. Meta-regression revealed that analysed moderators influenced growth performance results and accounted for some of the sources of heterogeneity. It can be concluded that up to 5 g/kg of FTLM can be added to broiler feed to improve growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, slaughter performance, and meat quality without adverse effects on dressing percentage and blood lipid profiles.
Organic tracers in fine and coarse aerosols at an urban Mediterranean site: contribution of biomass burning and biogenic emissions
Authors: Clemente Álvaro , Yubero Eduardo , Nicolás Jose F. , Crespo Javier , Galindo Nuria
Published: March 2024

The concentrations of anhydrosugars (levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan), polyols (inositol, xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol), and glucose were measured in PM1 and PM10 samples collected during 1 year at a traffic site in the city of Elche (southeastern Spain). Levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan were mainly found in the PM1 fraction since they are mainly emitted from biomass burning (BB). Likewise, inositol, xylitol, and sorbitol were primarily distributed in the fine mode, suggesting a non-negligible contribution from anthropogenic sources (specifically BB) to the levels of these compounds. This was supported by their seasonal variations, with higher concentrations during winter, and their correlations with levoglucosan concentrations. The average contributions of biomass burning and biogenic sources to OC and PM levels were calculated using levoglucosan and mannitol, respectively, as tracers. On average, BB accounted for 12% and 16% of the OC in PM1 and PM10, while the estimated contribution of fungal spores to OC and PM10 levels was 1.2 and 0.8%, respectively. The results of the present study suggest that, at least in the study area, most sugar alcohols are not appropriate tracers of biogenic emissions.
Different responses of lipids and lignin phenols to nitrogen addition in meadow grassland soil
Authors: Pei Zhifu , Shen Qinguo , Shang Xingling , Hong Mei
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Nitrogen (N) enrichment can affect the composition and stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools by altering vegetation and soil properties. However, the response of plant-derived carbon components in soil to different N addition levels is unclear. We investigated the changes and potential driving processes of plant-derived carbon components (especially lignins and lipids) in meadow grassland soils under long-term N addition in eastern Inner Mongolia, China.

Materials and methods

Biomarker technology was utilised to analyse changes in plant-derived carbon components (C>20 free lipids, bound lipids, and lignin phenols) in soil under different N addition levels, including changes in soil chemical properties, enzyme activity, plant biomass, and diversity under N addition, as well as the specific pathways involved.

Results and discussion

We found that high levels of N addition significantly reduced the concentration of soil lignin phenols whereas increased the accumulation of lipids (free and bound lipids). Compared with changes in plant biomass and diversity, soil chemical properties and enzyme activity play a more significant role in regulating the accumulation and degradation of plant-derived carbon. Structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that decreases in lignin phenol concentration were related to specific biochemical decomposition processes (increased polyphenol oxidase activity and decreased C/N). The increase in lipids associated with the protective effects of minerals mediated by pH.

Conclusions

In general, plant-derived carbon components showed inconsistent responses to N addition, lignin phenol concentration decreased and lipid concentration increased, which was mainly related to the change of soil biochemical properties. Plant-derived carbon components only showed significant changes under high N addition levels. Furthermore, our research indicates that SOC sequestration and functioning are highly dependent on soil biochemical properties, which weakens the influence of changes in plant carbon input on soil carbon storage.
Beyond a Shared History: A Biosocial Perspective on Sociogenomics and Racism in Germany
Authors: Aikins Muna AnNisa , Willems Yayouk Eva , Fraemke Deniz , Raffington Laurel
Published: March 2024

Recent advances in sociogenomics offer new opportunities to integrate genetic and epigenetic measures into social science research on human lifespan development. Now, German social science cohorts have followed suit with this global trend. We anticipate that the integration of genetic measures into German social science cohorts is likely to be met with hesitation and dismay. Historically, racialized pseudo-science disguised as genetic research was used to justify the political exploitation, oppression, and genocide conducted by colonial and Nazi Germany regimes. In response, German institutions and social sciences actively avoided race-related research. However, avoiding the intersection of socially constructed race and genetics may stall the deconstruction of enduring racial discrimination and the identification of racialized social inequalities. Recent survey studies show that half of the German population still believe in the existence of biologically distinct human “races” and that racism is rampant. This article is aimed at providing a biosocial perspective on sociogenomics and racism in Germany. First, we discuss the biologistic construction of race that became prevalent in colonial and Nazi Germany. We argue that racist legacies are sources of social inequality in contemporary German society. We further review recent human genomic science that clearly demonstrates that there is no biological basis to socially constructed race. Second, we propose a biosocial perspective that integrates how genes “get out of the skin” and racism “gets under the skin”. Transactional genetic effects, which involve human behavior and interactions between people in society, are expected to depend on environmental inequalities tied to systemic racism. We summarize recent sociogenomics studies using polygenic indices and epigenetic profile scores showing that a) genes contribute to complex human traits and b) the expression of genetic variation is affected by socioeconomic and racialized inequality. Finally, we offer a roadmap toward race-critical biosocial research that breaks with the historically informed avoidance of race to reconstruct race-critical concepts, datasets, and scientific systems.
Developing a Decision Aid for Clinical Obesity Services in the Real World: the DACOS Nationwide Pilot Study
Authors: Atlantis Evan , Kormas Nic , Piya Milan , Sahebol-Amri Mehdi , Williams Kathryn , Huang Hsin-Chia Carol , Bishay Ramy , Chikani Viral , Girolamo Teresa , Prodan Ante , Fahey Paul
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a decision aid tool using “real-world” data within the Australian health system to predict weight loss after bariatric surgery and non-surgical care.

Materials and Methods

We analyzed patient record data (aged 16+years) from initial review between 2015 and 2020 with 6-month (n=219) and 9-/12-month (n=153) follow-ups at eight clinical obesity services. Primary outcome was percentage total weight loss (%TWL) at 6 months and 9/12 months. Predictors were selected by statistical evidence (p<0.20), effect size (±2%), and clinical judgment. Multiple linear regression and bariatric surgery were used to create simple predictive models. Accuracy was measured using percentage of predictions within 5% of the observed value, and sensitivity and specificity for predicting target weight loss of 5% (non-surgical care) and 15% (bariatric surgery).

Results

Observed %TWL with bariatric surgery vs. non-surgical care was 19% vs. 5% at 6 months and 22% vs. 5% at 9/12 months. Predictors at 6 months with intercept (non-surgical care) of 6% include bariatric surgery (+11%), BMI>60 (–3%), depression (–2%), anxiety (–2%), and eating disorder (–2%). Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 58%, 69%, and 56%. Predictors at 9/12 months with intercept of 5% include bariatric surgery (+15%), type 2 diabetes (+5%), eating disorder (+4%), fatty liver (+2%), atrial fibrillation (–4%), osteoarthritis (–3%), sleep/mental disorders (–2–3%), and ≥10 alcohol drinks/week (–2%). Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 55%, 86%, and 53%.

Conclusion

Clinicians may use DACOS to discuss potential weight loss predictors with patients after surgery or non-surgical care.

Graphical Abstract
Simulation-based validation of process monitoring tasks in assembly
Authors: Gonnermann Clemens , Kurscheid Sebastian , Schmucker Benedikt , Daub Rüdiger
Published: March 2024

The importance of process monitoring has increased significantly in today’s manufacturing landscape due to several factors. These factors include stricter quality standards, the presence of complex and diverse processes for customized products, and a focus on sustainability in energy and material consumption. In order to seamlessly integrate process monitoring into the production planning process, it is essential to automate the monitoring process planning while also taking into account production planning. Given the increasing importance of high-quality processes and products, assembly processes have become critical, as errors in assembly can lead to expensive production costs. However, generating and validating different process monitoring alternatives in assembly planning can be challenging because different processes and resources exist for different assembly plans. This research aims to solve this problem by providing a method to validate process monitoring alternatives more efficiently, thereby reducing the amount of manual effort and expert knowledge. This goal is achieved through automated validation using two simulation approaches: Collision Testing and Ray Casting. The results of this study are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Paediatric Rheumatology Fails to Meet Current Benchmarks, a Call for Health Equity for Children Living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Using Digital Health Technologies
Authors: Butler Sonia , Sculley Dean , Santos Derek , Girones Xavier , Singh-Grewal Davinder , Coda Andrea
Published: March 2024

Purpose of Review

This critical review begins by presenting the history of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) management. To move the conversation forward in addressing the current shortcomings that exist in the clinical management of children living with JIA, we argue that to date, the advancement of successful treatments for JIA has been historically slow. Factors implicated in this situation include a lack of rigorous research, JIA being considered a rare disease, and JIA’s idiopathic and complex pathophysiology.

Recent Findings

Despite the well-intended legislative changes to increase paediatric research, and the major advancements seen in molecular medicine over the last 30 years, globally, paediatric rheumatology services are still failing to meet the current benchmarks of best practice. Provoking questions on how the longstanding health care disparities of poor access and delayed treatment for children living with JIA can be improved, to improve healthcare outcomes.

Globally, paediatric rheumatology services are failing to meet the current benchmarks of best practice. Raising awareness of the barriers hindering JIA management is the first step in reducing the current health inequalities experienced by children living with JIA. Action must be taken now, to train and well-equip the paediatric rheumatology interdisciplinary workforce. We propose, a resource-efficient way to improve the quality of care provided could be achieved by embedding digital health into clinical practice, to create an integrative care model between the children, general practice and the paediatric rheumatology team. To improve fragmented service delivery and the coordination of interdisciplinary care, across the healthcare system.
Student Experiences of Sexual Violence as Targets and Bystanders—a Qualitative Investigation in a Public University in Guatemala
Authors: Lyons Minna , Gómez Lidia Danilova Rabanales , Chopen Nikté , Dávila Numa
Published: March 2024

Bystander behaviour in sexual violence has been investigated widely in the Global North, and especially in the US context. However, there has been a call for qualitative approaches to increase understanding of sexual violence and bystander behaviour in a wider range of countries. In the present study, we conducted focus group research to investigate sexual violence in the only public university in Guatemala, Central America. In total, 18 students (5 men) participated in one of six online focus group sessions. We employed an inductive thematic analysis, and constructed four main themes: Forms, dynamics, and consequences violence to the targets and the bystanders; Barriers to bystander action; Facilitators to bystander action; and Past bystander intervention actions. We discuss the results with a reference to the context in Guatemala, and suggest intervention approaches based for the future.
Potential Residence and Coexistence Strategy of Tursiops truncatus in a Coastal Lagoon in the Southern Gulf of Mexico: Ecological Inferences Using Stable Isotopes
Authors: Naranjo-Ruiz K. L. , Torres-Rojas Y. E. , Delgado-Estrella A.
Published: March 2024

The Terminos Lagoon Flora and Fauna Protection Area is the largest coastal lagoon in the southern Gulf of Mexico and has the largest population of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, reported in the region. Photo identification studies have reported permanent and seasonal residence of dolphins; however, how dolphins coexist ecologically is unknown. In the present study, from 17 dead specimens stranded on the coast of Isla del Carmen (barrier island) between 2014 and 2016, stable isotopes in the liver, heart, and muscle, which represent different time scales, were analyzed to determine residence through δ13C values and niche width and trophic coexistence through δ15N values. Differences between sexes (δ13C liver: p = 0.009; heart: p = 0.01) and age classes (δ15N muscle: p = 0.02) were found, which indicated trophic sexual segregation and changes in resource use during growth, respectively. The lack of significant differences in δ13C values indicated isotopic equilibrium between the tissues, indicating the possible permanent residence of 12 dolphins in Terminos Lagoon as a coastal ecotype (− 16‰) and a second group (five dolphins) as an oceanic ecotype (− 18‰). In conclusion, most dolphins stranded in the Terminos Lagoon are potential permanent residents of this habitat, with evidence of resource partitioning as a coexistence strategy.
Optimizing Placement and Scheduling for VNF by a Multi-objective Optimization Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Thien Phan Duc , Wu Fan , Bekhit Mahmoud , Fathalla Ahmed , Salah Ahmad
Published: March 2024

Virtual network functions (VNFs) have gradually replaced the implementation of traditional network functions. Through efficient placement, the VNF placement technology strives to operate VNFs consistently to the greatest extent possible within restricted resources. Thus, VNF mapping and scheduling tasks can be framed as an optimization problem. Existing research efforts focus only on optimizing the VNFs scheduling or mapping. Besides, the existing methods focus only on one or two objectives. In this work, we proposed addressing the problem of VNFs scheduling and mapping. This work proposed framing the problem of VNFs scheduling and mapping as a multi-objective optimization problem on three objectives, namely (1) minimizing line latency of network link, (2) reducing the processing capacity of each virtual machine, and (3) reducing the processing latency of virtual machines. Then, the proposed VNF-NSGA-III algorithm, an adapted variation of the NSGA-III algorithm, was used to solve this multi-objective problem. Our proposed algorithm has been thoroughly evaluated through a series of experiments on homogeneous and heterogeneous data center environments. The proposed method was compared to several heuristic and recent meta-heuristic methods. The results reveal that the VNF-NSGA-III outperformed the comparison methods.
Identifying incarceration status in the electronic health record using large language models in emergency department settings
Authors: Huang Thomas , Socrates Vimig , Gilson Aidan , Safranek Conrad , Chi Ling , Wang Emily A. , Puglisi Lisa B. , Brandt Cynthia , Taylor R. Andrew , Wang Karen
Published: March 2024

Background:

Incarceration is a significant social determinant of health, contributing to high morbidity, mortality, and racialized health inequities. However, incarceration status is largely invisible to health services research due to inadequate clinical electronic health record (EHR) capture. This study aims to develop, train, and validate natural language processing (NLP) techniques to more effectively identify incarceration status in the EHR.

Methods:

The study population consisted of adult patients (≥ 18 y.o.) who presented to the emergency department between June 2013 and August 2021. The EHR database was filtered for notes for specific incarceration-related terms, and then a random selection of 1,000 notes was annotated for incarceration and further stratified into specific statuses of prior history, recent, and current incarceration. For NLP model development, 80% of the notes were used to train the Longformer-based and RoBERTa algorithms. The remaining 20% of the notes underwent analysis with GPT-4.

Results:

There were 849 unique patients across 989 visits in the 1000 annotated notes. Manual annotation revealed that 559 of 1000 notes (55.9%) contained evidence of incarceration history. ICD-10 code (sensitivity: 4.8%, specificity: 99.1%, F1-score: 0.09) demonstrated inferior performance to RoBERTa NLP (sensitivity: 78.6%, specificity: 73.3%, F1-score: 0.79), Longformer NLP (sensitivity: 94.6%, specificity: 87.5%, F1-score: 0.93), and GPT-4 (sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 61.1%, F1-score: 0.86).

Conclusions:

Our advanced NLP models demonstrate a high degree of accuracy in identifying incarceration status from clinical notes. Further research is needed to explore their scaled implementation in population health initiatives and assess their potential to mitigate health disparities through tailored system interventions.
Medical Response to the February 6, 2023, Earthquakes in Hatay: Challenges Faced in the Deadliest Disaster in the History of Türkiye
Authors: Tayfur İsmail , Bayramoğlu Burcu , Şimşek Perihan , Gunduz Abdülkadir
Published: March 2024

Objective:

The Kahramanmaraş earthquakes struck the north-eastern part of Türkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023. It is well known that timely coordination and provision of emergency medical care in the field is particularly important to save lives after earthquakes. This study aimed to identify the challenges faced by medical responders on the ground.

Methods:

This exploratory-descriptive qualitative study was conducted in Hatay, the province most affected by the earthquakes. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and field observations, and then analyzed using thematic analysis approach.

Results:

The study was carried out with 15 first responders from the medical profession. The study revealed 9 themes of challenges faced by medical responders: providing safety and security, human resources management, meeting personal needs, recording data, communication, patient transport, burial procedures, psychological acumen, and logistical problems. Some problems were resolved after 72 h and some continued until day 7.

Conclusions:

Inadequate organization of volunteer health workers, communication breakdowns, and logistical problems are some of the main challenges. To address these issues, satellite phones and radio systems can be promoted, as well as disaster-resilient logistical planning and better coordination of volunteers.
Hyperfiniteness of boundary actions of acylindrically hyperbolic groups
Authors: Oyakawa Koichi
Published: March 2024

We prove that, for any countable acylindrically hyperbolic groupG, there exists a generating setSofGsuch that the corresponding Cayley graph$\Gamma (G,S)$is hyperbolic,$|\partial \Gamma (G,S)|>2$, the natural action ofGon$\Gamma (G,S)$is acylindrical and the natural action ofGon the Gromov boundary$\partial \Gamma (G,S)$is hyperfinite. This result broadens the class of groups that admit a non-elementary acylindrical action on a hyperbolic space with a hyperfinite boundary action.
Components of moduli stacks of two-dimensional Galois representations
Authors: Caraiani Ana , Emerton Matthew , Gee Toby , Savitt David
Published: March 2024

In the article [CEGS20b], we introduced various moduli stacks of two-dimensional tamely potentially Barsotti–Tate representations of the absolute Galois group of a p-adic local field, as well as related moduli stacks of Breuil–Kisin modules with descent data. We study the irreducible components of these stacks, establishing, in particular, that the components of the former are naturally indexed by certain Serre weights.
Negative economic shocks and the compliance to social norms
Authors: Bogliacino Francesco , Charris Rafael , Gómez Camilo , Montealegre Felipe
Published: March 2024

We study why suffering a negative economic shock, i.e., a significant loss, may trigger a change in other-regarding behavior. We conjecture that people trade off concern for money with a conditional preference to follow social norms and that suffering a shock makes extrinsic motivation more salient, leading to more norm violation. This hypothesis is grounded on the premise that preferences are norm-dependent. We study this question experimentally: after administering losses on the earnings from a real-effort task, we analyze choices in prosocial and antisocial settings. To derive our predictions, we elicit social norms for each context analyzed in the experiments. We find evidence that shock increases deviations from norms.
On the development and analysis of coupled surface–subsurface models of catchments. Part 1. Analysis of dimensions and parameters for UK catchments
Authors: Morawiecki Piotr , Trinh Philippe H.
Published: March 2024

The objective of this three-part work is to formulate and rigorously analyse a number of reduced mathematical models that are nevertheless capable of describing the hydrology at the scale of a river basin (i.e. catchment). Coupled surface and subsurface flows are considered. In this first part, we identify and analyse the key physical parameters that appear in the governing formulations used within hydrodynamic rainfall–runoff models. Such parameters include those related to catchment dimensions, topography, soil and rock properties, rainfall intensities, Manning's coefficients and river channel dimensions. Despite the abundance of research that has produced data sets describing properties of specific river basins, there have been few studies that have investigated the ensemble of typical scaling of key physical properties; these estimates are needed to perform a proper dimensional analysis of rainfall–runoff models. Therefore, in this work, we perform an extensive analysis of the parameters; our results form a benchmark and provide guidance to practitioners on the typical parameter sizes and interdependencies. Crucially, the analysis is presented in a fashion that can be reproduced and extended by other researchers and, wherever possible, uses publicly available data sets for catchments in the UK.
NON-PÓLYA FIELDS WITH LARGE PÓLYA GROUPS ARISING FROM LEHMER QUINTICS
Authors: MAHAPATRA NIMISH KUMAR , PANDEY PREM PRAKASH
Published: March 2024

We construct a new family of quintic non-Pólya fields with large Pólya groups. We show that the Pólya number of such a field never exceeds five times the size of its Pólya group. Finally, we show that these non-Pólya fields are nonmonogenic of field index one.
Women, Workers, and Women Workers: Connections and Tensions in Transnational Activism
Authors: Robertson Nicole
Published: March 2024

Daniel Laqua's Activism across Borders since 1870 is an impressive contribution to scholarly research on transnational activism. It provides a detailed and innovative study of the connections but also the divisions between individuals, groups, and organizations. Laqua's approach and analysis interrogate the connectedness, transience, ambivalence, and marginality of transnational activism. He explores the complex relationship of campaigners, campaigns, and causes that crossed national boundaries, building a rich analysis of these interactions.

This contribution engages with Activism across Borders with a particular emphasis on women, workers, and women workers. This perspective offers an analysis at the intersection of women's history and labour history. Among the themes considered are: campaigns that forged partnerships and amplified voices; women's transnational activism and national borders; and the divisions and differences among activists campaigning to improve working conditions.
Processing dissociations between raising and control in Brazilian Portuguese
Authors: Merchant Doug , Gupton Timothy
Published: March 2024

Generative approaches to syntactic control have traditionally viewed it as a distinct component of the grammar, one that governs the interpretation and distribution of the empty category (EC) PRO. However, the Movement Theory of Control (MTC) proposes that control should instead be conceived of as a form of raising, with both sentence types involving the EC DP/NP Trace. In addition to theoretical arguments, some behavioral research on antecedent reactivation has demonstrated that different ECs reactivate their antecedents to different degrees and at different points in the time course of comprehension. In this study, we used a cross-modal repetition priming paradigm to examine antecedent reactivation in Brazilian Portuguese. We found significantly greater activation at the gap position in raising sentences and in those with overt pronouns as compared to (exhaustive) control sentences, consistent with the standard account of raising and the traditional view of control as involving a distinct EC. Additionally, we found some evidence for a differentiation between exhaustive and partial control structures. Overall, our results suggest that 1) similar linguistic mechanisms are employed in the processing of sentences that involve overt pronouns and DP/NP traces, and 2) different mechanisms are employed in the processing of raising and control structures, a finding we view as inconsistent with the MTC.
Pain sensitivity as a state marker and predictor for adolescent non-suicidal self-injury
Authors: Kao Han-Tin , Mürner-Lavanchy Ines , von Stosch Elisabeth , Josi Johannes , Berger Thomas , Koenig Julian , Kaess Michael
Published: March 2024

Background

The pain analgesia hypothesis suggests that reduced pain sensitivity (PS) is a specific risk factor for the engagement in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Consistent with this, several studies found reduced PS in adults as well as adolescents with NSSI. Cross-sectional studies in adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suggest that PS may (partially) normalize after remission or reduction of BPD symptoms. The objective of the present study was to investigate the development of PS over 1 year in a sample of adolescents with NSSI and to investigate whether PS at baseline predicts longitudinal change in NSSI.

Methods

N = 66 adolescents who underwent specialized treatment for NSSI disorder participated in baseline and 1-year follow-up assessments, including heat pain stimulation for the measurement of pain threshold and tolerance. Associations between PS and NSSI as well as BPD and depressive symptoms were examined using negative binomial, logistic, and linear regression analyses.

Results

We found that a decrease in pain threshold over time was associated with reduced NSSI (incident rate ratio = 2.04, p = 0.047) and that higher pain tolerance at baseline predicted lower probability for NSSI (odds ratio = 0.42, p = 0.016) 1 year later. However, the latter effect did not survive Holm correction (p = 0.059). No associations between PS and BPD or depressive symptoms were observed.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that pain threshold might normalize with a decrease in NSSI frequency and could thus serve as a state marker for NSSI.