bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Problems of Accessibility and Comfort of Tourist Infrastructure Facilities for the Development of Automobile Tourism in Russia
Authors: Korablinov A.
Published: October 2024

This study examines the potential for the development of automobile tourism in Russia and its surrounding difficulties, focusing on the convenience and accessibility of tourist facilities. The analysis conducted includes a thorough dissection of the theoretical framework and consideration of the practical elements of the industry. The main objective is to improve and modernize road travel conditions in the country through a comprehensive approach. The paper analyzes existing data and conducts a comprehensive assessment that considers the many factors that influence road tourism. Key problems identified include limited development of the road network, regional differences in infrastructure and a lack of quality services in remote parts of Russia. The challenges faced by international tourism are also raised, including strict visa and customs procedures that prevent foreign road tourists from visiting Russia. It is highlighted that solving these problems will require efforts on the part of both the government and the private sector, in the form of partnership programs to improve infrastructure and services. Specific measures are proposed to develop the transportation network, improve road safety, stimulate rural and ecotourism, and support small businesses in tourism. At the same time, the integration of the latest technologies and the establishment of international tourism are emphasized. Emphasis is placed on the importance of environmental considerations for sustainable tourism development, given the growing interest in road travel in Russia. This study aims to develop strategies that can lead to the successful development of automobile tourism, enriching the economic and cultural life of the country.
Electronic cigarettes and their impact on oral health - review
Authors: Wróbel Aleksandra , Kudła Aleksandra , Czapiewska Rozalia , Dziewulska Aleksandra , Kiełt Weronika , Pacek Laura , Kowalska Klaudia , Kozłowska Julia , Broniec Gabriela , Wajdowicz Barbara
Published: October 2024

Nowadays, the popularity of e-cigarettes is growing rapidly. Manufacturers of e-cigarettes advertise them as a less harmful option than traditional cigarettes, suggesting that their use can help reduce nicotine dependence and reduce the risk of smoking-related diseases. However, studies indicate that inhaling the chemicals in liquids can carry serious health consequences, particularly concerning the oral cavity Many of these preparations contain substances about whose effects we do not yet know enough, which raises concerns among public health professionals. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of e-cigarettes, including their popularity, the origins of their development, the substances they contain and the impact they have on oral health, which is most at risk from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes.
Methodological aspects of developing motor skills in children of different ages during football club activities
Authors: Grygus Igor , Gamma Tetiana , Godlevskyi Petro , Zhuk Mykhailo , Zukow Walery
Published: October 2024

The aim of the study is to examine methodological aspects of developing motor skills in children of different ages during football club activities. The article thoroughly explores training approaches for various age groups: preschool age (4-6 years), primary school age (7-10 years), middle school age (11-14 years), and adolescence (15-18 years). It is determined that each age group requires an individualized approach, taking into account anatomical and physiological characteristics and sensitive periods of children's development. The development of motor skills is achieved through various game exercises, comprehensive physical training, tactical preparation, and innovative technologies. The article also emphasizes the importance of psychological support and individualized training programs for older age groups.
Cardiovascular Risks of Methylphenidate in Children with ADHD
Authors: Czachor Adrianna , Servaas Elwira , Kotula Alicja , Haber Mateusz , Grelewicz Olga , Kucy Natalia , Juśkiewicz Adam , Kula Paula
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting millions of children worldwide. Methylphenidate is one of the most prescribed medications for managing ADHD symptoms due to its proven efficacy. However, despite its widespread use and effectiveness, there are ongoing concerns about the cardiovascular safety of methylphenidate, particularly in pediatric populations. These concerns stem from reports of increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and, in rare cases, more severe cardiovascular events.
Aim of the Study: To review recent studies on the cardiovascular safety of methylphenidate in children with ADHD, synthesizing findings to inform clinical practice.
Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted, focusing on studies published in the last decade that investigated the cardiovascular effects of methylphenidate in children with ADHD.
Conclusion: The review highlights that while methylphenidate is generally well-tolerated, there are notable cardiovascular risks, particularly in susceptible children. These risks underscore the importance of thorough cardiovascular assessment and monitoring in children undergoing treatment with methylphenidate. The findings advocate for a balanced approach where the benefits of symptom management are weighed against potential cardiovascular risks. Clinicians are advised to adopt comprehensive monitoring strategies and consider individual risk factors when prescribing methylphenidate to children with ADHD.
Birth in the time of COVID-19: Midwives’ experiences of providing care during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Miller Suzanne , Griffiths Christine , Dixon Lesley , Tamiti-Elliffe Jeanine , McAra-Couper Judith , Gilkison Andrea , Jackson Talei
Published: October 2024

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020, midwives in Aotearoa New Zealand were classified as essential workers and continued providing maternity services in hospitals, birth centres and the community. Midwives adapted their practice, using virtual care and navigating the restrictions imposed on birthing women/people and their whānau. This paper reports on midwives’ experiences of providing care during the pandemic. Aim: To identify the impacts of the pandemic on midwives providing antenatal, labour and birth, and postnatal care to birthing women/people and their whānau during the 2020 Level 4 and Level 3 restrictions. Method: In-depth exploratory interviews and Braun and Clarke’s (2019) process of reflexive thematic analysis were used to explore impacts on the practice and personal lives of midwives. Findings: Fifteen midwives described their work-related challenges: significantly increased workloads, inconsistent messaging regarding practice guidance between health authorities and others, and limited access to personal protective equipment. Reflections about wider professional interests included these midwives’ immense pride in their profession and their increased agility in the use of new technologies. But these positive elements were juxtaposed against a perceived lack of recognition and financial support for their increased workloads, leaving midwives feeling marginalised and invisible. Midwives’ personal lives were significantly challenged by the stress and fear of facing COVID-19 itself, the juggle of managing their work and whānau lives, and their sense of conflict from feeling unable to practise in ways that aligned with their philosophies of inclusion and family-centredness. Conclusion: Despite challenges, these midwives were committed to whānau in their care and demonstrated resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness in meeting their needs. Health planners should recognise that, as a primary health service, a significant amount of midwifery care is provided in the community setting and future pandemic planning should ensure smooth provision of resources to community-based midwives. Streamlining of information from trusted sources, together with consistency across the country, will assist midwives to respond to health directives confidently.
De la ira de Medea a la rabia de Audre Lorde.
Authors: Carrasco-Conde Ana
Published: October 2024

La figura de Medea, mujer y extranjera, es el hilo conductor para ofrecer un análisis sobre la pasión de la ira desde la tradición clásica, que la rechaza como pasión destructiva, hasta la apropiación realizada por el feminismo negro norteamericano de Lorde. Para ello, en primer lugar, el artículo analiza el vocabulario relacionado con la cólera y la ira en griego y en latín. A partir de ahí desarrollan dos hilos. En el primero se ofrece la lectura tradicional del mito de la Medea infanticida que es la que se encuentra en la tragedia de Séneca y que se relaciona con su tratado filosófico Sobre la ira. De ese modo se convierte a Medea en exemplum e contrario y contraimagen del sabio estoico. En el segundo se recupera la otra tradición del mito según la cual Medea no fue la que mató a sus hijos. Este segundo hilo presenta la validez de la ira como herramienta de cambio.
An Integer Programming Approach to Subspace Clustering with Missing Data
Authors: Soni Akhilesh , Linderoth Jeff , Luedtke James , Pimentel-Alarcón Daniel
Published: October 2024

In the subspace clustering with missing data (SCMD) problem, we are given a collection of n partially observed d-dimensional vectors. The data points are assumed to be concentrated near a union of low-dimensional subspaces. The goal of SCMD is to cluster the vectors according to their subspace membership and recover the underlying basis, which can then be used to infer their missing entries. State-of-the-art algorithms for SCMD can fail on instances with a high proportion of missing data, with full-rank data, or if the underlying subspaces are similar to each other. We propose a novel integer programming approach for SCMD. The approach is based on dynamically determining a set of candidate subspaces and optimally assigning points to selected subspaces. The problem structure is identical to the classical facility-location problem, with subspaces playing the role of facilities and data points playing that of customers. We propose a column-generation approach for identifying candidate subspaces combined with a Benders decomposition approach for solving the linear programming relaxation of the formulation. An empirical study demonstrates that the proposed approach can achieve better clustering accuracy than state-of-the-art methods when the data are high rank, the percentage of missing data is high, or the subspaces are similar.

Funding: Support for this research was provided by American Family Insurance through a research partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Data Science Institute.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/ijoo.2023.0020 .
On Average Optimality for Non-Stationary Markov Decision Processes in Borel Spaces
Authors: Guo Xin , Huang Yonghui , Zhang Yi
Published: October 2024

This paper studies Borel models of nonstationary Markov decision processes (MDPs) with average criteria. We establish a suitable fixed point theorem, which is used to show the existence of solutions to the average optimality equation (AOE), without using contractions. The existence of optimal policies follows from the obtained solutions to the AOE. Furthermore, we show that versions of the rolling horizon algorithm can be used to produce an optimal policy or an ϵ-optimal policy. Finally, we compare the optimality conditions imposed in this paper with the existing ones in the literature, and demonstrate that they can be satisfied while the previous ones are not.

Funding: This research was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China [2022YFA1004600], National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 12301170], Guangdong Basic and Applied Research Foundation [2023A1515012644], and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Sun Yat-Sen University [No. 23qnpy39].
The Effect of Computer-Based Interactive Conceptual Change Texts on Eleventh Grade Students’ Understanding of Electrochemistry Concepts
Authors: Taşdelen Uğur
Published: October 2024

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of conceptual change-oriented instruction accompanied by computer-based interactive conceptual change text (CBICCT) on 11th grade students understanding of electrochemistry. The study was conducted in a high school in Ankara with 66 students enrolled in two science classes. A quasi-experimental design was used. The classes were assigned to groups; one as a control group and the other as an experimental group. While the control group was given traditional instruction, the experimental group was given conceptual change-oriented instruction accompanied by CBICCT. The Electrochemistry Concept Test (ECT) was administered before and after treatment. To investigate possible covariates, the Science Process Skills Test (SPST) was administered after treatment. The gain scores of ECT were analyzed with two-way ANCOVA when SPST scores were controlled as covariates, and the results showed that the experimental group developed a significantly better understanding of concepts than the control group. The results also showed that there was no mean difference between males and females and no interaction effect between instruction method and gender.
Pensamiento histórico y prácticas educativas de estudiantes de formación inicial docente de una universidad chilena
Authors: Chávez Preisler Carolina
Published: October 2024

El pensamiento histórico es un proceso que implica la interacción entre las operaciones propias de la historia (Duquette, 2011) o conceptos de segundo orden con conceptos de primer orden (Lee y Ashby, 2000). Es en la formación inicial donde el profesorado debería adquirir las herramientas para desarrollar adecuadamente el pensamiento histórico en asignaturas teóricas y prácticas. Sin embargo, diversas investigaciones exponen las dificultades del profesorado para desarrollar este tipo de razonamiento: Arteaga y Camargo (2012); Miralles et al., (2014); Ramírez y Pagès (2019); Chávez (2020). Por ello, se plantean las preguntas ¿cómo piensan y aprenden el pensamiento histórico estudiantes de formación inicial docente de una universidad chilena? y ¿cómo lo desarrollan en sus prácticas docentes durante la Formación Inicial? La metodología de la investigación es cualitativa y el diseño un estudio de caso. La muestra son dos estudiantes de un centro educativo de educación superior en Chile. El levantamiento de información se llevó a cabo mediante observación directa de clases, narrativas y documentos. Los resultados permiten afirmar que el profesorado tiene dificultades para incluir el pensamiento histórico en sus explicaciones y desarrollarlo en sus estudiantes.
Literatura e historia, investigación y docencia. La forja de un rebelde como fuente para el conocimiento del pasado
Authors: Rodríguez Infiesta Víctor
Published: October 2024

La Historia, como ciencia, ha desconfiado tradicionalmente de la Literatura. El terreno de lo que “realmente ocurrió” no podía convivir fácilmente con el reino de la creación literaria y la ficción. Sin embargo algunas obras literarias dejan una huella indeleble en la sociedad de su época, forman parte de la Historia tanto como la economía, los equilibrios de poder o la evolución demográfica de un territorio. Y son una fuente esencial para el conocimiento del pasado, aunque se nutran sobre todo de relatos imaginados, emociones, personajes de ficción. Obras como La forja de un rebelde, de Arturo Barea, pero también la literatura con una menor impronta autobiográfica son, además de una fuente de gran valor para la investigación, un excelente útil para la enseñanza de la Historia sobre el que todavía no se ha reflexionado suficientemente.
La justicia espacial desde América Latina: abordajes, cuestionamientos y expansiones
Authors: Tutor Antón Aritz
Published: October 2024

El giro espacial de las Ciencias Sociales propició que algunos de los grandes debates de las Humanidades, como la economía política o la justicia se reevaluarán desde una perspectiva espacial. De este modo, el estudio de la justicia espacial nace tanto de la recuperación de la capacidad explicativa del espacio como de la apertura de la justicia a otros campos. Este monográfico propone abordar la discusión de la justicia espacial en y desde América Latina y es una oportunidad para dar a conocer las contribuciones latinoamericanas o latinoamericanistas al estudio de la justicia espacial. En los artículos se entretejen la justicia y el espacio y el territorio. Concretamente, trabajan sobre 4 grandes temas: la injusticia ambiental, de la mano de las zonas de sacrificio; la dimensión imaginaria, a través de las identidades histórico-espaciales o la producción desigual y peyorativa de otredades; la disputa urbana, por vía de las contradicciones socioespaciales de la urbanización y los diferentes tipos de urbanismos; y la descolonización, mediante el esclarecimiento epistémico de lo que se halla tras los conceptos como justicia territorial e iluminando las múltiples injusticias que viven los pueblos originarios.
Cylindrical aperture three-dimensional synthetic aperture imaging with pulsed terahertz waves
Authors: Du Yuanhao , Feng Hui , Wu Shuai
Published: October 2024

In this paper, we report a three-dimensional synthetic aperture imaging method with pulsed terahertz waves realized by a terahertz time-domain spectrometer. In contrast to synthetic aperture imaging systems operating at microwave or millimeter-wave frequencies where the frequency of the transmitter is scanned in the frequency domain, in our imaging system, all the frequency components are contained in a single terahertz pulse that can be generated and detected by photoconductive antennas. The image algorithm was analyzed theoretically and confirmed numerically using the finite-difference time-domain method. A key with plentiful detailed structures was used as the object to be imaged to demonstrate the three-dimensional imaging capabilities of this method. The resolution of the imaging system is 0.3 mm for the linear dimension and 0.1 mm for the circular dimension, as tested by the experimental setup. Finally, an optically opaque plastic pen with and without the cartridge was imaged, and the shape and location of the cartridge could be observed from the reconstructed three-dimensional terahertz images, demonstrating the non-destructive evaluation capabilities of this imaging method. Benefiting from the improvements in the experimental setup in this study, the imaging speed was significantly improved compared with that of the step-by-step scanning method commonly used in terahertz imaging systems with a single transmitter/receiver pair. This imaging method avoids the image degradation caused by specular reflections in active quasi-optical focal plane imaging and the lack of semiconductor devices working at several THz frequencies for synthetic aperture imaging, and may be used for non-destructive evaluation of objects with complex surfaces and internal structures.
Offset-enhanced slow light in femtosecond laser-fabricated Bragg gratings
Authors: Chen Qingtao , Boisvert Jean-Sébastien , Jafari Foroogh , Sharawi Mohammad S. , Loranger Sébastien , Kashyap Raman
Published: October 2024

We report a strength-enhanced waveguide second-order line-Bragg grating (WLBG) directly written with femtosecond laser in bulk glass by using “offset” to exploit the slow-light effect. This design eschews the use of multiple waveguides and/or waveguide bundles for light guiding. Instead, it only employs a single-laser-pass waveguide (SLPWG) with a refractive index change of 1.1 × 10−3, to achieve effective light propagation. The SLPWG is first written as a core-shell ellipsoid unit by a single-laser pass. Subsequently, a line-grating is written on top, with an offset to accommodate for the already modified refractive index from the waveguide along the vertical direction of different offset values 0 µm, 5 µm, 10 µm, and 15 µm. The enhanced slow-light effect for WLBG is studied theoretically and experimentally. Optimal performance occurs at a 10 µm offset, exhibiting a maximum group delay of 35 ps and a derived slow-down factor (SDF) of up to 1.54, with a 12.5 dB transmission dip and a propagation loss of 1.16 dB/cm, in vertical polarization. The experimental SDF results demonstrate the potential of our design for future applications in creating slow-wave structures via grating dispersion for compact photonic integrated devices, applying it to microfluid devices that can increase the light-liquid interaction path for the detection of refractive index change caused by variations in fluid concentration and composition, directly incorporating it into the hardened glass of cellphone screens for embedded sensors, as well as integrating it into optical antennas within smart glass windows that can enhance light-matter interactions for enabling real-time monitoring of environmental changes and improving wireless communications.
TOWARD SINGLE-SHOT REAL-TIME SPECTROSCOPY OF DYNAMIC MATERIALS VIA WHITE-LIGHT AND SUPERCONTINUUM LIGHT SOURCES
Authors: Agha Imad , Bolatbek Zhanibek
Published: October 2024

In conventional camera or monochrometer-based spectroscopy, different wavelengths, spanning from short ultraviolet region to long infrared region, are calculated under stead-state conditions, with information gathered such as the dispersion curve or refractive index dependence on wavelength of any material. Although CCD arrays or CMOS cameras have gotten faster with time, the majority of analysis still remains in the relatively static or stead-state regime. Typical spectrometers used in university laboratories have a refresh rate of at most 120 Hz, which in time resolution results in 8.3 ms. A time period of 8.3 ms is still considered static for most temporally dynamic effects we might be looking for, such as phase transition in phase-change materials, conformal changes in molecules, microbial community evolution, among others. Dynamic spectroscopy is generally conducted via pump-probe methods that may not be suitable for many applications as they are not truly real-time, but depend on accumulating data repetitively over multiple scans. In this work, we present an evolution to the conventional spectrometers, increasing its speed by over 4 orders of magnitude while maintaining reasonable spectral resolution. We additionally present a path that combines our technique with supercontinuum light sources for even more ambitious future applications.
Patient experience and barriers of using a mHealth exercise app in musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy
Authors: Grodon Jack , Tack Christopher , Eccott Laura , Cairns Mindy C.
Published: October 2024

Digital transformation has led to an abundance of digital health technologies (DHTs) readily available for Physiotherapists. In July 2020, the Physiotherapy department at a London NHS Trust implemented a mobile health (mHealth) exercise application (app), Physitrack. This service evaluation aims to evaluate patient experience and identify any barriers to using Physitrack/PhysiApp in musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy. An online experience survey was sent to 10,287 MSK Physiotherapy patients who had appointments between January 17th and April 9th 2022.The survey received 1,447 responses (response rate: 14.07%), with 954 (65.93%) respondents previously provided PhysiApp as part of their Physiotherapy management. Most participants used PhysiApp (83.06%), found it easy to use (82.20%) and had positive perceptions on how it added value to their Physiotherapy treatment through its functionality. However, negative impacts on patient-centred care and practical exercise demonstration were apparent in the qualitative results. Key barriers to use included suboptimal explanation, digital exclusion, registration/ login issues and opinion that PhysiApp was superfluous to Physiotherapy treatment. These differed to the main barriers of why participants stopped using/ used PhysiApp less: if they were confident exercising without it, their condition improved/ resolved, loss of motivation, their exercise programme ended or if they found their exercise programme was unsuitable. Despite multiple interdependent factors influencing patient experience and barriers of using PhysiApp, the survey results revealed the significant influence that is exerted by MSK Physiotherapists. The patient-physiotherapist interaction can positively or negatively impact upon many barriers of use and the subsequent potential added value of PhysiApp to MSK Physiotherapy treatment. Future research should focus on those at most risk of digital exclusion and health inequalities, exploring their barriers to using mHealth apps and other DHTs.
Definition of a coordinate system for multi-modal images of the temporal bone and inner ear
Authors: Copson Bridget , Wijewickrema Sudanthi , Slinger Christopher , Youssef Daniel , Gerard Jean-Marc , O’Leary Stephen
Published: October 2024

Purpose

The position and orientation of the head is maintained to be relatively similar during the CT / MR imaging process. However, the position / orientation dissimilarities present in the resulting images between patients, or between different scans of the same patient, do not allow for direct comparison of the images themselves or features / metrics extracted from them. This paper introduces a method of defining a coordinate system which is consistent between patients and modalities (CT and MR) for images of the temporal bone, using easily identifiable landmarks within the semicircular canals.

Methods

Cone Beam CT and high resolution MRI (T2) images of the temporal bone from 20 patients with no cochlear or temporal bone pathology in either modality were obtained. Four landmarks within the semicircular canals were defined that can be identified in both modalities. A coordinate system was defined using these landmarks. Reproducibility of landmark selection was assessed using intra- and inter-rater reliability (for three expert raters and two repeats of the landmark selection). Accuracy of the coordinate system was determined by comparing the coordinates of two additional landmarks in CT and MR images after their conversion to the proposed coordinate system.

Results

Intraclass Correlation Coefficients at a 95% level of confidence showed significant agreement within and between raters as well as between modalities. The differences between selections, raters, and modalities (as measured using mean, standard deviation, and maximum) were low and acceptable for clinical applications.

Conclusion

The proposed coordinate system is suited for use in images of the temporal bone and inner ear. Its multi-modal nature enables the coordinate system to be used in tasks such as image co-registration.
On some new travelling wave solutions and dynamical properties of the generalized Zakharov system
Authors: Jhangeer Adil , Tariq Kalim U. , Ali Muhammad Nasir
Published: October 2024

This study examines the extended version of the Zakharov system characterizing the dispersive and ion acoustic wave propagation in plasma. The genuine, non-dispersive field depicts a shift in plasma ion density from its equilibrium state, whereas the complex, dispersive field depicts the fluctuating envelope of a highly oscillatory field of electricity. The main focus of the analysis is on employing the expanded Fan sub-equation approach to achieve some novel travelling wave structures including the explicit, periodic, linked wave, and other new exact solutions are developed for different values of this parameter. Three dimensional graphs are utilised to examine the properties of the obtained solutions. Furthermore, ideas from planar dynamical theory are applied in this work to analyse the intricate behaviour of the analysed model. Sensitivity analysis, multistability, quasi-periodic and chaotic patterns, Poincaré map, and the Lyapunov characteristic exponent are used to analyse the dynamical features.
Deep spectral improvement for unsupervised image instance segmentation
Authors: Arefi Farnoosh , Mansourian Amir M. , Kasaei Shohreh
Published: October 2024

Recently, there has been growing interest in deep spectral methods for image localization and segmentation, influenced by traditional spectral segmentation approaches. These methods reframe the image decomposition process as a graph partitioning task by extracting features using self-supervised learning and utilizing the Laplacian of the affinity matrix to obtain eigensegments. However, instance segmentation has received less attention than other tasks within the context of deep spectral methods. This paper addresses that not all channels of the feature map extracted from a self-supervised backbone contain sufficient information for instance segmentation purposes. Some channels are noisy and hinder the accuracy of the task. To overcome this issue, this paper proposes two channel reduction modules, Noise Channel Reduction (NCR) and Deviation-based Channel Reduction (DCR). The NCR retains channels with lower entropy, as they are less likely to be noisy, while DCR prunes channels with low standard deviation, as they lack sufficient information for effective instance segmentation. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates that the dot product, commonly used in deep spectral methods, is not suitable for instance segmentation due to its sensitivity to feature map values, potentially leading to incorrect instance segments. A novel similarity metric called Bray-curtis over Chebyshev (BoC) is proposed to address this issue. This metric considers the distribution of features in addition to their values, providing a more robust similarity measure for instance segmentation. Quantitative and qualitative results on the Youtube-VIS 2019 and OVIS datasets highlight the improvements achieved by the proposed channel reduction methods and using BoC instead of the conventional dot product for creating the affinity matrix. These improvements regarding mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) and extracted instance segments are observed, demonstrating enhanced instance segmentation performance. The code is available on: https://github.com/farnooshar/SpecUnIIS.
LightGBM hybrid model based DEM correction for forested areas
Authors: Li Qinghua , Wang Dong , Liu Fengying , Yu Jiachen , Jia Zheng
Published: October 2024

The accuracy of digital elevation models (DEMs) in forested areas plays a crucial role in canopy height monitoring and ecological sensitivity analysis. Despite extensive research on DEMs in recent years, significant errors still exist in forested areas due to factors such as canopy occlusion, terrain complexity, and limited penetration, posing challenges for subsequent analyses based on DEMs. Therefore, a CNN-LightGBM hybrid model is proposed in this paper, with four different types of forests (tropical rainforest, coniferous forest, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest, and broad-leaved forest) selected as study sites to validate the performance of the hybrid model in correcting COP30DEM in different forest area DEMs. In the hybrid model of this paper, the choice was made to use the Densenet architecture of CNN models with LightGBM as the primary model. This choice is based on LightGBM’s leaf-growth strategy and histogram linking methods, which are effective in reducing the data’s memory footprint and utilising more of the data without sacrificing speed. The study uses elevation values from ICESat-2 as ground truth, covering several parameters including COP30DEM, canopy height, forest coverage, slope, terrain roughness and relief amplitude. To validate the superiority of the CNN-LightGBM hybrid model in DEMs correction compared to other models, a test of LightGBM model, CNN-SVR model, and SVR model is conducted within the same sample space. To prevent issues such as overfitting or underfitting during model training, although common meta-heuristic optimisation algorithms can alleviate these problems to a certain extent, they still have some shortcomings. To overcome these shortcomings, this paper cites an improved SSA search algorithm that incorporates the ingestion strategy of the FA algorithm to increase the diversity of solutions and global search capability, the Firefly Algorithm-based Sparrow Search Optimization Algorithm (FA-SSA algorithm) is introduced. By comparing multiple models and validating the data with an airborne LiDAR reference dataset, the results show that the R2 (R-Square) of the CNN-LightGBM model improves by more than 0.05 compared to the other models, and performs better in the experiments. The FA-SSA-CNN-LightGBM model has the highest accuracy, with an RMSE of 1.09 meters, and a reduction of more than 30% of the RMSE when compared to the LightGBM and other hybrid models. Compared to other forested area DEMs (such as FABDEM and GEDI), its accuracy is improved by more than 50%, and the performance is significantly better than other commonly used DEMs in forested areas, indicating the feasibility of this method in correcting elevation errors in forested area DEMs and its significant importance in advancing global topographic mapping.
A Growth Mindset Scale for Young Children (GM-C): Development and validation among children from the United States and South Africa
Authors: Muradoglu Melis , Porter Tenelle , Trzesniewski Kali , Cimpian Andrei
Published: October 2024

Beliefs about the malleability of intellectual ability—mindsets—shape achievement. Recent evidence suggests that even young children hold such mindsets; yet, no reliable and valid instruments exist for measuring individual differences in young children’s mindsets. Given the potential relevance of mindsets to children’s achievement-related behavior and learning, we developed and tested the psychometric properties of the Growth Mindset Scale for Children (GM-C). Among other psychometric properties, we assessed this instrument’s (a) factor structure, (b) measurement invariance, (c) internal consistency, (d) temporal stability (test-retest reliability), (e) concurrent validity, and (f) cross-cultural robustness in samples of US children (Study 1; N = 220; ages 4 through 6; 50% girls; 39% White) and South African children (Study 2; predominantly grades 4 and 5; N = 331; 54% girls; 100% non-White). The GM-C scale exhibited four factors, representing beliefs about the instability of low ability, the malleability of low ability, the instability of high ability, and the malleability of high ability. The GM-C scale also demonstrated invariance across age, acceptable internal consistency (αs between .70 to .90), and moderate temporal stability over approximately one month (rs between .38 to .72). Concurrent validity was supported by significant relations between children’s scores on the subscales about low ability and their goal orientations (Studies 1 and 2), challenge-seeking behavior, and achievement in math and English (Study 2). These findings suggest that the GM-C scale is a promising tool for measuring mindsets in young children. We offer practical recommendations for using this new scale and discuss theoretical implications.
Ethics of Modern Stem Cell Research and Therapy: Current Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Authors: Schwarz Ernst R. von , Vartanian Karine , Bogaardt Paul , Schwarz Aubriana Angel , de Kiev Laurent Cleenewerck
Published: October 2024

From an academic and clinical point of view, stem cell therapy represents one of the most promising advances in modern medicine, with the ability to partially induce the regeneration of acutely injured or chronically damaged tissues. Stem cell research provides new opportunities for the treatment of various conditions, among them diabetes mellitus, HIV, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative illnesses. Stem cell therapy is currently not FDA-approved in the US (except for certain blood cancers). While bioethics and religion have mostly discussed the source of cells, i.e., embryonic cells that require the destruction of embryos versus adult tissue for research purposes, we also discuss the controversies with regard to currently offered therapies, and marketing of unapproved procedures from a scientific, clinical, and religious viewpoint.
Coldwater River
Authors: Herndon Ernest , Parker Patrick , Elise  , Parker Patrick
Published: October 2024

This chapter describes the Coldwater River as an important river in the Mississippi Delta and elaborates on peoples who lived near and depended on the Coldwater River. Evocative description of wildlife and valuable canoeing advice is included. Numerous personal anecdotes illustrate the chapter.
Bayou Pierre
Authors: Herndon Ernest , Parker Patrick , Elise  , Parker Patrick
Published: October 2024

This chapter describes Bayou Pierre as an important river in the Southwest part of the state and elaborates on peoples who lived near and depended on Bayou Pierre. Evocative description of wildlife and valuable canoeing advice is included. Numerous personal anecdotes illustrate the chapter.
Escatawpa River
Authors: Herndon Ernest , Parker Patrick , Elise  , Parker Patrick
Published: October 2024

This chapter describes the Escatawpa River as an important river in the state and elaborates on peoples who lived near and depended on the Escatawpa River. Evocative description of wildlife and valuable canoeing advice is included. Numerous personal anecdotes illustrate the chapter.
Leaf River
Authors: Herndon Ernest , Parker Patrick , Elise  , Parker Patrick
Published: October 2024

This chapter describes the Leaf River as an important river in the state and elaborates on peoples who lived near and depended on the Leaf River. Evocative description of wildlife and valuable canoeing advice is included. Numerous personal anecdotes illustrate the chapter.
Black Creek
Authors: Herndon Ernest , Parker Patrick , Elise  , Parker Patrick
Published: October 2024

This chapter describes Black Creek as an important river in the state and elaborates on peoples who lived near and depended on Black Creek. Evocative description of wildlife and valuable canoeing advice is included. Numerous personal anecdotes illustrate the chapter.
Let’s Play
Authors: Chandler Karen Michele
Published: October 2024

This chapter argues that freedom narratives’ representation of African American children’s play dramatizes their creativity and resourcefulness and suggests the generative power of Black cultural inheritances. Freedom narratives that highlight children’s play challenge stereotypes of Black deficiency, waywardness, and unproductivity. As the chapter demonstrates, enslaved and newly emancipated African American children’s play counters systemic oppression and exploitation, because through play, the characters seek to control their time, reinforce connections with supportive peers and mentors, and exercise their ingenuity. The chapter explores how protagonists in Zeinabu irene Davis’s Mother of the River and Jewell Parker Rhodes’s Sugar rely on culturally specific forms of play to entertain themselves and others and to gain some control of their circumstances. The chapter shows how African American play entailed both fun and serious business, involving the high stakes of personal and communal freedoms.
La Coyota Perejundia
Authors: Gonzales Moises
Published: October 2024

In chapter 7, M. Gonzales shares a story about culture and resistance through the actions of la Coyota Perejundia.
Haunted by Settler Nostalgia
Authors: Loza Susana
Published: October 2024

S. Loza grapples with settler colonialism and the haunting of nostalgia in the movie franchise, Twilight, where she argues that the series deliberately replicates representations of the Southwest to appease the fragility of white settler colonial memory, at the same time reminding us the imperial wound is far from healed. Loza also challenges the term LatIndigenous, offering a thoughtful revision which pushes the possibility of body-mind-spirit-land thinking more broadly and offers the potential for future intersections of thought.
Family, Community, and Feasts
Authors: Regis Helen A. , Walton Shana
Published: October 2024

The chapter discusses the cultural significance of crab boils in Louisiana, illustrating how this culinary tradition serves as a catalyst for family bonding and community cohesion. It paints a picture of a typical crab boil gathering, where multiple generations come together to enjoy the fruits of the sea. The narrative captures the sights, sounds, and smells of such an event, showcasing the joy and togetherness that accompanies these gatherings. The chapter explores how the act of boiling and sharing crabs transcends mere sustenance, becoming a symbol of Louisiana's cultural identity. It suggests that without crabs, these connections and traditions might weaken, underscoring the importance of this humble crustacean in maintaining the fabric of Louisiana's cultural tapestry.
A Thoroughly Modern Kat
Authors: Ball David M.
Published: October 2024

Ball’s essay is attentive to repetition and iteration, and conveys how the serialized quality of Herriman’s Krazy Kat complicates modernism’s desire for a complete break with the past. Comics’ constitutive repetition, as both the structural necessity of serial images and a thematic lynchpin of popular cultural texts, becomes the emotional and narrative center of Herriman’s masterwork. Ignatz Mouse and Krazy Kat’s continual chase after one another is thus a theater of seriality that enacts the central drama of modernist creation; the characters’ lively antics also portray the animal consciousness that allowed for the belief in an absolute break from history.
Jackie Ormes’s Torchy Brown in “Dixie to Harlem”
Authors: Sfadj Clémence
Published: October 2024

In this chapter, Clémence Sfadj directs attention to another artist using the medium of comics to resist hegemonic and patriarchal norms: Jackie Ormes, whose strip Torchy Brown in “Dixie to Harlem” made her the first syndicated African American woman cartoonist. Many of Ormes’s strips invoke canonically modernist literary techniques: blurring the boundaries between Torchy’s inner consciousness and her exterior surroundings and allowing a fantastical dreamscape to overwhelm her panels; bombarding Torchy with the overwhelming sensory experience of the modern city; indulging a fragmented, almost desultory mode of narrative progression.
In Dialogue and Debate
Authors: Kane Louise
Published: October 2024

For Louise Kane, modernism’s arena is not the local but the global: the divergent collection of forms that coalesced on the world stage. Her chapter “In Dialogue and Debate: Comics, Little Magazines, World Literature” uncovers the parallel histories of little magazines and comics, both of which were developed in the middle to late nineteenth century; flourished in the early decades of the twentieth; participated in multiple genres and invoked various media traditions; and prefigured the rise of what we know today as “world literature.”
Life in the Jazz House
Authors: Harper Colter
Published: October 2024

From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, The Crawford Grill No.2 and Hurricane Bar were popular jazz clubs that featured touring and local artists and drew patrons from throughout the greater Pittsburgh region to the Hill District. These clubs were part of a larger network of venues that provided intimate and inclusive social spaces where patrons and musicians participated in cathartic performances and nightlife social rituals. The venues’ entrepreneurs were key community figures who designed the club spaces to facilitate active listening, invested in bringing touring recording artists, and developed interracial and intergenerational social environments during a period of extensive city-led urban renewal projects. By providing a steady program of innovative jazz artists, these clubs, as well as Pittsburgh Courier journalists, spurred critical listening and debates about the role of jazz in shaping notions of modernity. In these nightlife spaces, the practice of active listening became an important element in positioning jazz performance as a discursive space in which individuals could navigate the disruptive rhythms of urban life.
Violence Trying Patience
Authors: Vrooman Steven S.
Published: October 2024

The centrality of violence to the typical comic plot as a stabilizing force in a world of shifting identities and theories of justice is a Barthesian anchorage to the ideological sense-making of both mainstream and independent comics alike. Violence is the pivot upon which comic arts tend to bend. Daniel Clowes,
whose comics have been as self-referential as the comic book critic character breaking the 4th wall and talking comics theory while urinating in Ice Haven, produced his most violent work in the graphic novel Patience, a time traveling story about the nature of identity and the possibilities for human connection. Patience takes us through a range of types of portrayals of violence, from the off-screen to the grotesque, as a sometime character proxy but more often as a commentary on the narrative and philosophical questions posed by the book.
Gender-Bending Aggression
Authors: Gaswint Kiera M.
Published: October 2024

Female aggression is understood as a highly unique, personal and political experience. However, as characters like the She-Hulk, Jane Foster, and X-23 have entered the Marvel comic book universe after characters like Hulk, Thor, and Wolverine, readers have experienced the passing of the superhero mantle between gendered bodies. Even though each of these female characters has their own unique backstory separate from their male counterparts, elements of rage, femininity, and high moral standing intermix to present readers with a nuanced representation of aggression. This chapter analyzes three of the most well-known gender-bending Marvel characters—She-Hulk, X23, and Captain Marvel— in an attempt to understand how we perceive aggression when a title is passed between differently gendered bodies, and how expressions of violence change as a consequence of those bodies.
Midnight’s Children and The Fortress of Solitude as Superhero Origin Stories
Authors: Novitz Julian
Published: October 2024

Analysing the construction of literary superheroes through the bildungsroman format, this chapter highlights how aging in superhero narratives is often either continuously deferred or periodically reset. Where aging is depicted, it frequently revolves around the aging superhero body as a way of signalling a more critical and subversive perspective on the superheroic mission. Prose superhero novels, however, tend to focus more on their internal limitations, such as the disillusionment or psychological isolation of the characters who are invested in super-heroic identities. Taking the examples of superhero origin stories in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and Jonathan Lethem’s Fortress of Solitude, this chapter uses the bildungsroman as a lens to discuss how the depiction of aging superheroes in prose novels leads its characters to inevitably uncover the ways in which superheroic actions are ultimately futile at best, or at worst inevitably determined and directed by dominant power structures.
Super Fans or Toxic Madmen?
Authors: Teiwes Jack
Published: October 2024

As the superhero blockbuster’s presence at the box office has swelled, a parallel cluster of small low-budget indie films such as Special (2006) and Defendor (2009) has emerged alongside large studio productions to take a deconstructivist approach to the mainstream images they provide. This chapter locates the generic linkages within this cluster of “DIY” superhero films and makes the case for them as significant sub-genre with its own distinct tropes. Particularly commenting on the depiction of neurodivergence and issues of mental health (and sometimes the conflation thereof) among the protagonists of the DIY superhero genre, the chapter examines a problematic linkage to violence and toxic masculinity as these films ground the tropes of the superhero in real world contexts. In doing so, the chapter also delineates between this DIY subgenre of superhero films and others which also aim for a “realist” approach to the traditional generic tropes of the genre.