bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling underreported spatio-temporal crime events
Authors: Riascos Villegas Álvaro J. , Ñungo Jose Sebastian , Gómez Tobón Lucas , Dulce Rubio Mateo , Gómez Francisco
Published: July 2023

Crime observations are one of the principal inputs used by governments for designing citizens’ security strategies. However, crime measurements are obscured by underreporting biases, resulting in the so-called “dark figure of crime”. This work studies the possibility of recovering “true” crime and underreported incident rates over time using sequentially available daily data. For this, a novel underreporting model of spatiotemporal events based on the combinatorial multi-armed bandit framework was proposed. Through extensive simulations, the proposed methodology was validated for identifying the fundamental parameters of the proposed model: the “true” rates of incidence and underreporting of events. Once the proposed model was validated, crime data from a large city, Bogotá (Colombia), was used to estimate the “true” crime and underreporting rates. Our results suggest that this methodology could be used to rapidly estimate the underreporting rates of spatiotemporal events, which is a critical problem in public policy design.
Cat: Empirical modelling of Felis catus population dynamics in the UK
Authors: McDonald Jenni , Finka Lauren , Foreman-Worsley Rae , Skillings Elizabeth , Hodgson Dave
Published: July 2023

Domestic cats are popular companion animals, however not all live in human homes and many cats live within shelters or as free-roaming, unowned- feral or stray cats. Cats can transition between these subpopulations, but the influence of this connectivity on overall population dynamics, and the effectiveness of management interventions, remain poorly understood. We developed a UK-focused multistate Matrix Population Model (MPM), combining multiple life history parameters into an integrated model of cat demography and population dynamics. The model characterises cats according to their age, subpopulation and reproductive status, resulting in a 28-state model. We account for density-dependence, seasonality and uncertainty in our modelled projections. Through simulations, we examine the model by testing the effect of different female owned-cat neutering scenarios over a 10-year projection timespan. We also use the model to identify the vital rates to which total population growth is most sensitive. The current model framework demonstrates that increased prevalence of neutering within the owned cat subpopulation influences the population dynamics of all subpopulations. Further simulations find that neutering owned cats younger is sufficient to reduce overall population growth rate, regardless of the overall neutering prevalence. Population growth rate is most influenced by owned cat survival and fecundity. Owned cats, which made up the majority of our modelled population, have the most influence on overall population dynamics, followed by stray, feral and then shelter cats. Due to the importance of owned-cat parameters within the current model framework, we find cat population dynamics are most sensitive to shifts in owned cat husbandry. Our results provide a first evaluation of the demography of the domestic cat population in the UK and provide the first structured population model of its kind, thus contributing to a wider understanding of the importance of modelling connectivity between subpopulations. Through example scenarios we highlight the importance of studying domestic cat populations in their entirety to better understand factors influencing their dynamics and to guide management planning. The model provides a theoretical framework for further development, tailoring to specific geographies and experimental investigation of management interventions.
The investigation of constraints in implementing robust AI colorectal polyp detection for sustainable healthcare system
Authors: Bian Haitao , Jiang Min , Qian Jingjing
Published: July 2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the significant threats to public health and the sustainable healthcare system during urbanization. As the primary method of screening, colonoscopy can effectively detect polyps before they evolve into cancerous growths. However, the current visual inspection by endoscopists is insufficient in providing consistently reliable polyp detection for colonoscopy videos and images in CRC screening. Artificial Intelligent (AI) based object detection is considered as a potent solution to overcome visual inspection limitations and mitigate human errors in colonoscopy. This study implemented a YOLOv5 object detection model to investigate the performance of mainstream one-stage approaches in colorectal polyp detection. Meanwhile, a variety of training datasets and model structure configurations are employed to identify the determinative factors in practical applications. The designed experiments show that the model yields acceptable results assisted by transfer learning, and highlight that the primary constraint in implementing deep learning polyp detection comes from the scarcity of training data. The model performance was improved by 15.6% in terms of average precision (AP) when the original training dataset was expanded. Furthermore, the experimental results were analysed from a clinical perspective to identify potential causes of false positives. Besides, the quality management framework is proposed for future dataset preparation and model development in AI-driven polyp detection tasks for smart healthcare solutions.
Corneal confocal microscopy demonstrates sensory nerve loss in children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Khan Adnan , Kamal Madeeha , Alhothi Abdula , Gad Hoda , Adan Marian A. , Ponirakis Georgios , Petropoulos Ioannis N. , Malik Rayaz A.
Published: July 2023

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulty in communication and interaction with others. Postmortem studies have shown cerebral neuronal loss and neuroimaging studies show neuronal loss in the amygdala, cerebellum and inter-hemispheric regions of the brain. Recent studies have shown altered tactile discrimination and allodynia on the face, mouth, hands and feet and intraepidermal nerve fiber loss in the legs of subjects with ASD. Fifteen children with ASD (age: 12.00 ± 3.55 years) and twenty age-matched healthy controls (age: 12.83 ± 1.91 years) underwent corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) and quantification of corneal nerve fiber morphology. Corneal nerve fibre density (fibers/mm2) (28.61 ± 5.74 vs. 40.42 ± 8.95, p = 0.000), corneal nerve fibre length (mm/mm2) (16.61 ± 3.26 vs. 21.44 ± 4.44, p = 0.001), corneal nerve branch density (branches/mm2) (43.68 ± 22.71 vs. 62.39 ± 21.58, p = 0.018) and corneal nerve fibre tortuosity (0.037 ± 0.023 vs. 0.074 ± 0.017, p = 0.000) were significantly lower and inferior whorl length (mm/mm2) (21.06 ± 6.12 vs. 23.43 ± 3.95, p = 0.255) was comparable in children with ASD compared to controls. CCM identifies central corneal nerve fiber loss in children with ASD. These findings, urge the need for larger longitudinal studies to determine the utility of CCM as an imaging biomarker for neuronal loss in different subtypes of ASD and in relation to disease progression.
Estimated direct and indirect health care costs of severe infectious keratitis by cultured organisms in Thailand: An 8-year retrospective study
Authors: Chantra Somporn , Jittreprasert Supachase , Chotcomwongse Peranut , Amornpetchsathaporn Anyarak
Published: July 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the economic impact of treating severe infectious keratitis (IK) at one tertiary referral center in Thailand by analyzing the direct costs of treatment and estimating the indirect costs, and to determine whether cultured organisms had any effect on treatment expenditure.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted of patients with severe IK who had been hospitalized between January 2014 and December 2021 in Rajavithi Hospital. Data from medical records were collected from the time of the patients’ admission until the point at which they were discharged and treated in the outpatient department and their IK was completely healed, or until evisceration/enucleation was performed. The direct costs of treatment included fees for services, medical professionals and investigation, as well as for operative and non-operative treatment. The indirect costs consisted of patients’ loss of wages, and costs of travel and food.

Results

A total of 335 patients were studied. The median direct, indirect and total costs were US$65.2, range US$ 6.5–1,119.1, US$314.5, range US$50.8–1,067.5, and US$426.1, range 57.5–1,971.5 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between direct, indirect, or total treatment costs for culture-negative and culture-positive patients. Among those who were positive, fungal infections entailed the highest total cost of treatment, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). In terms of direct and indirect costs, patients with fungal infections had the greatest direct costs, and this figure was statistically significant (p = 0.001); however, those with parasitic infections had the highest indirect treatment costs, and this was also statistically significant (p<0.001).

Conclusion

Severe IK can cause serious vision impairment or blindness. Indirect costs represented the majority of the expense at 73.8%. There was no difference between direct, indirect, and total treatment costs for patients who were culture-negative or positive. Among the latter, fungal infections resulted in the highest total cost of treatment.
Vaccine related crowdfunding on a ‘Freedom Fundraising’ platform
Authors: Snyder Jeremy , Zenone Marco
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Donation-based crowdfunding was heavily used during the COVID-19 pandemic. While most of these campaigns were uncontroversial, others spread misinformation or undermined public health. In response, mainstream crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe restricted what campaigns they would host. This led some campaigns to shift to lesser-known and less restrictive crowdfunding platforms. While research on health-related misinformation on mainstream crowdfunding platforms is increasing, less is known about crowdfunding on less restrictive platforms like GiveSendGo. The aim of this study is to review vaccine-related crowdfunding campaigns on the GiveSendGo platform to better understand: 1) how vaccines are portrayed on GiveSendGo; and 2) how successful these campaigns have been at attracting financial support.

Methods

We searched the GiveSendGo crowdfunding platform for campaigns including “vaccine” or “vaccination”. This process yielded 907 unique results which were then scraped for their campaign text and fundraising data. The authors reviewed these campaigns for fundraisers whose aims related to vaccines for humans and assigned campaigns as being for 1) Accessing vaccines; 2) creating Spaces for the unvaccinated; 3) helping Unvaccinated Individuals); 4) Advocacy about vaccines; 5) supporting Anti-Mandate actions; and 6) responding to Vaccine Injuries.

Findings

We identified 765 crowdfunding campaigns that raised $6,814,817 and requested $838,578,249. Anti-Mandate campaigns were most common, followed by Unvaccinated Individuals, Vaccine Injuries, Advocacy, Access, and Spaces. Only Access campaigns took a positive or neutral view toward vaccines. Themes of freedom and religion cut across campaign types with campaigns critical of vaccines invoking bodily autonomy and religious freedom as justifying their fundraisers.

Discussion

Very few of these fundraisers met their goals. With the exception of Access campaigns, they frequently contained highly polarizing language advocating against public health mandates, misinformation about vaccine safety, and language from bioethics and reproductive choice advocates. Restrictions on vaccine-related campaigns on the GoFundMe platform likely drove campaign creation on GiveSendGo.
The role of social support and social identification on challenge and threat cognitive appraisals, perceived stress, and life satisfaction in workplace employees
Authors: Gillman Jamie C. , Turner Martin J. , Slater Matthew J.
Published: July 2023

There is an emergent literature highlighting the positive role of social support and social identification in buffering against the deleterious effects of psychological stressors. Yet, we have limited understanding of how exactly these social factors fit within contemporary stress and coping theory. To advance and gain a greater understanding of these social factors, we explore the associations of social support and social identification on individuals’ challenge and threat cognitive appraisals and how this then relates to perceived stress, life satisfaction, turnover intentions, and job performance. A total of 412 workplace employees from private and public sector occupations completed state measures around a recent most stressful experience at work. Results revealed atemporal associations between cognitive resource appraisals with both social support and social identification. Specifically, greater identification with colleagues and lower threat were related to less perceived stress, while having greater social identification (with colleagues and organisation), social support, and lower threat, were related to greater life satisfaction. Greater perceived stress, and lower social identification and life satisfaction, were also related to greater turnover intentions. While greater identification with the organisation and life satisfaction, along with lower perceived stress were related to greater job performance. Taken together, this research provides evidence that social support and social identification play a positive role when trying to promote more adaptive responses to stressful situations.
(Hetero)normative Chinese femininity in danmei: A case study of Moxiang Tongxiu’s Tianguan Cifu
Authors: Wong Jo-yen
Published: July 2023

Originating in Japan in the 1970s, Boys’ Love (BL) has since become a ‘transnational apparatus of love’ for women to explore their sexuality away from societal stigma and sociocultural gender inequality. The genre has garnered both commercial and academic attention, but a common point of contention within existing scholarship is its ability to either challenge or reinforce heteronormative power hierarchies. To that end, much of the previous research has examined the discourses among female fan communities or the portrayal and subversion of masculinity within the works. This article aims to address the oft-ignored representation of femininity and female characters within BL works by focusing on Moxiang Tongxiu’s Tianguan Cifu (Heaven Official’s Blessing), a popular Chinese BL or danmei novel. In examining the roles of five major named female characters in the novel, I argue that the characters fall under the common feminine stereotypes of Mother, Maiden and Monster. While the female characters’ narrative function is affected to some degree by the novel’s focus on a central gay romance, the author nevertheless appears to adhere to the traditional and modern Chinese gender ideologies regarding femininity, restricting any attempts to challenge gendered expectations to male bodies and characters.
The making of ‘China’s’ first skiing princess: Neo-liberal feminism and nationalism in Eileen Gu’s online presence during the 2022 Winter Olympics
Authors: Xu Chelsea Wenzhu
Published: July 2023

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics birthed a cultural phenomenon in China: Eileen Gu, an 18-year-old half-white, half-Chinese ‘skiing genius’ who left the United States to join team China. In this article, I explore the ways in which Gu’s online presence informs understandings about class, women, race, ‘Chineseness’ and the complex entanglement of the neo-liberal self and collective nation. First, I provide an introduction to sports nationalism and neo-liberal feminism to situate Gu in the post-socialist neo-liberal Chinese context. Then, I turn to Gu’s social media posts, self-made videos and online commercials during the Winter Olympics. I argue that Gu is presented within (1) a neo-liberal feminist moment characterized by individual empowerment and (2) a nationalist and cosmopolitan moment framed by the national pride towards her and her self-framing of a flexible citizenship and ‘apolitical Chineseness’. I conclude that the ‘Eileen Phenomenon’ is an illustrative instance of the shifting demarcations in a global political economic field, in which a desirable Chinese identity and a marketable femininity are both crucial for the Chinese state under globalization. Gu’s case shows that the interplay and contradiction of the neo-liberal self and the nationalist collective continue to play out in contemporary Chinese culture and society.
Sports have changed, you can bet on it: The rise of the non-aesthetic in sports
Authors: Hillman Cory
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this article is to analyse what is described as the non-aesthetic within the discourse and consumption of sports, which emphasizes the entrepreneurial logic of its management culture. In particular, I address the growing importance of analytics in sports as well as the growth of sports gambling and daily fantasy sports, which are simulated forms of the non-aesthetic, and how each of these embodies the philosophy of neo-liberalism and its entrepreneurial ethos. These are contrasted with the sports as an aesthetic activity relying upon the writings of ) to illustrate that, while analytics, sports gambling and daily fantasy sports can contribute towards the marketing potential of sports, particularly among younger demographics, these shifts come at the sacrifice of sports as a source of important cultural meaning.
K-pop fandom as ‘sub-visible culture’: Digital work and enjoyment in the precarious present
Authors: Nandakumar Aparna
Published: July 2023

In this article, I attempt to understand the global K-pop fandom among young women, from the perspective of non-metropolitan locations like the state of Kerala in southern India. I examine the ‘sub-visible’ nature of K-pop fandom and situate it in relation to existing discourses surrounding visibility in youth subcultures and fan cultures, both in India and the West. I argue that the key to understanding this fandom is in the cultural process of feminization that it produces – a feminization of male K-pop idols through the ‘free labour’ (to use a concept by Tiziana Terranova) that K-pop fans engage in on digital spaces – labour that has the structure of work and the function of enjoyment and enthusiasm. Drawing on existing discourses on the ‘feminine’, I analyse the peculiar mode of feminization in K-pop fandom as a response to the precarity and vulnerability experienced by young people in the contemporary world.
The personal and the fictional: Aesthetic mediation in the Indian documentary
Authors: Mallik Santasil
Published: July 2023

This article traces two interrelated strands of documentary film aesthetics in India that have steadily developed since the early 2000s. One concerns the presiding influence of personal narratives and subjectivity, manifesting in diverse thematic interrogations. The other relates to the increased tendencies of working with the cinematographic tropes and idioms of fictional storytelling. These directions, evolving over distinctive historical circumstances, have significantly revised the generic assumptions of the documentary. Two films feature centrally in this discussion, Payal Kapadia’s A Night of Knowing Nothing and Shaunak Sen’s All that Breathes. Both uniquely explore the personal and fictional registers of working with the genre. While Kapadia intimately thinks through the reigning political crises in India, Sen devises inventive means to visualize the graded, interrelated layers of ecological catastrophe in the world’s most polluted capital city. A critical review of these films seeks to understand the emerging narratorial, formal and technical logic informing the hybrid nature of contemporary documentaries and their intersecting issues.
La migración de menores no acompañados/as en Cataluña (España): evolución y modelos de protección
Authors: Quiroga Raimúndez Violeta , Chagas Lemos Eveline , Palacín Bartrolí Càndid , Arranz Montull Marta
Published: July 2023

Introducción. La migración de los menores no acompañados (en adelante, MNA) es un fenómeno global que está presente en diferentes territorios delimitados por fronteras que marcan la separación entre la supuesta riqueza y pobreza. Los factores de riesgo y situaciones de exclusión que viven estos/as menores en nuestros países contradicen los principios establecidos en la Convención de los Derechos de la Infancia (1989). Pese a existir numerosa literatura relativa al tema tratado, no es abundante la dimensión diacrónica. Este texto pretende aproximarse a las transformaciones experimentadas por el fenómeno a lo largo de las dos últimas décadas en Cataluña, presentando la evolución de las llegadas en los últimos años y analizando los cambios en los modelos de acogida desprendidos del sistema de protección y del circuito de atención a la infancia y adolescencia. Metodología: Se realizó una vasta revisión de la literatura nacional e internacional sobre el tema, se recuperaron estudios anteriores y proyectos I+D, datos facilitados por el Estado Español y por Catalunya, además, se llevó a cabo un trabajo de campo cualitativo durante los años de 2015 y 2022, realizado en dos fases. Los instrumentos de recogida de datos fueron la entrevista individual, la entrevista grupal, el grupo de discusión y la entrevista en profundidad no presencial autogestionada online. Tuvimos la participación de adolescentes y jóvenes (menores migrantes no acompañados, en adelante MMNA) y de profesionales y cargos de gestión que trabajan con el colectivo. Los datos obtenidos fueron agrupados en categorías, codificados y analizados mediante el programa Atlas-ti. Resultados. Presentamos la evolución del escenario desde el año 1996 hasta 2022 en Cataluña, identificando las diferentes variables que configuraron el circuito de atención. Se han podido identificar 4 fases del fenómeno: el desconcierto y desajuste del sistema de atención; la estabilización del fenómeno; el declive ligado a la crisis económica y, finalmente, el crecimiento geométrico del fenómeno. Discusión. Estas fases se enmarcan en un contexto legislativo en fricción entre el control de flujos ligado al efecto llamada, por una parte, y el interés superior del menor por otra. Además, se pone en evidencia que la migración de menores no es un tema coyuntural, sino que es estructural. Conclusiones. Generar conocimiento en torno a las fases identificadas permite evitar la repetición de desaciertos y discurrir entorno a modelos de atención que favorezcan la planificación de la acción y con ello la protección y la acogida. Además, se puede establecer un modelo de atención extrapolable a otras zonas que experimentan asimismo el fenómeno.
Dos cartas comerciales de los Banū Hilāl de época de Jaime II y Pedro IV
Authors: Hadef Sarra Ikram
Published: July 2023

El presente artículo pretende resaltar los contactos culturales a través de la diplomacia entre las dos riberas del Mediterráneo occidental, tras un estudio preliminar en donde se traza la realidad medieval de los reyes de Aragón y los sultanes del Magreb. El estudio de los tratados de paz y comercio que fueron firmados entre las potencias cristianas con los países magrebíes nos descubre la importancia de los reinos mediterráneos y la existencia de vínculos comerciales entre la corona aragonesa y los sultanatos magrebíes desde los primeros tiempos de la supremacía de los países cristianos con respeto a los musulmanes en cuanto a la organización del espacio marítimo. En este trabajo estudiamos el contexto histórico, y realizamos la edición y traducción de dos misivas comerciales de los Banū Hilāl al rey Jaime II de 1323 y a Pedro IV en 1349, pertenecientes al Archivo de la Corona de Aragón.
Using Artificial Intelligence to Predict Cirrhosis From Computed Tomography Scans
Authors: Mazumder Nikhilesh R. , Enchakalody Binu , Zhang Peng , Su Grace L.
Published: July 2023

INTRODUCTION:

Undiagnosed cirrhosis remains a significant problem. In this study, we developed and tested an automated liver segmentation tool to predict the presence of cirrhosis in a population of patients with paired liver biopsy and computed tomography (CT) scans.

METHODS:

We used a cohort of 1,590 CT scans within the Morphomics database to train an automated liver segmentation model using 3D-U-Net and Google's DeeplLabv3+. Imaging features were then automatically calculated from an external test cohort of patients with chronic liver disease who had a paired liver biopsy and CT within 6 months of each other in January 2004–2012. Using gradient boosting decision trees, we developed multivariate models to predict the presence of histologic cirrhosis and evaluated with 5-fold cross-validated c-statistic.

RESULTS:

Our cohort had 351 patients; 96 patients had cirrhosis. Of the total cohort, 72 were postliver transplant. Both fibrosis (FIB)-4 and liver morphomics alone performed equally well with area under the receiving operating characteristics of 0.76 (95% confidence interval 0.70–0.81) and 0.71 (95% confidence interval 0.65–0.76), respectively (P = 0.2). However, the combination of liver morphomics with laboratory values or liver morphomics with laboratory and demographic data resulted in significant improved performance with area under the receiving operating characteristics of 0.84 (0.80–0.89) and 0.85 (0.81–0.90), respectively, compared with FIB-4 alone (P < 0.001). In a subgroup analysis, we also examined performance in patients without liver transplantation and saw similar augmentation of FIB-4.

DISCUSSION:

This proof-of-principle study demonstrates that automatically extracted features within CT scans can be combined with classic electronic medical record data to improve the prediction of cirrhosis in patients with liver disease. This tool may be used in both pretransplant and posttransplant patients and has the potential to improve our ability to detect undiagnosed cirrhosis.
Aspectos sociais da linguagem nas ideias de William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894)
Authors: Ferreira Emily Gonçalves de Medeiros
Published: July 2023

Neste artigo, busca-se resgatar aspectos sociais da linguagem no pensamento de William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894) a partir de uma perspectiva historiográfica (cf. KOERNER, 1996; 2014; SWIGGERS, 2013; 2019). As análises centram-se no livro The life and growth of language (WHITNEY, 1875), em que o autor apresenta um esboço da ciência linguística e reúne suas principais ideias. Primeiro, contextualiza-se autor e obra em relação ao clima de opinião do século 19 e sua importância na história da Linguística. Na sequência, examina-se aspectos sociais que atravessam as ideias linguísticas do autor na obra, considerando-se o que caracteriza a vida da linguagem, os processos de mudanças linguísticas e as participações do indivíduo e da sociedade na vida da linguagem.
Perencanaan Penggunaan Lahan Pertanian Kabupaten Pakpak Bharat Provinsi Sumatera Utara
Authors: Purba Jonas , Sitorus Santun R.P. , Baskoro Dwi Putro Tedjo
Published: July 2023

Kabupaten Pakpak Bharat merupakan sebuah daerah otonom yang relatif baru, hasil pemekaran dari Kabupaten Dairi pada tahun 2003 di wilayah Provinsi Sumatera Utara. Sektor pertanian merupakan penyumbang PDRB terbesar Kabupaten Pakpak Bharat dengan 90% masyarakatnya merupakan petani. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah 1) untuk mengetahui komoditas unggulan pertanian tiap kecamatan, 2) menganalisis ketersediaan lahan dan kesesuaian lahan pertanian, 3) menentukan arahan lokasi pengembangan komoditas unggulan. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah Location Quotient (LQ) dan Differential Shift (DS), sistem budidaya monokultur dan jumlah rumah tangga pertanian terbanyak. Ketersediaan dan kesesuaian lahan serta arahan pengembangan komoditas unggulan dianalisis secara spasial menggunakan software geographical information system (GIS). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan ketersediaan lahan seluas 24.319 ha. Komoditas unggulan untuk 1) tanaman pangan dan palawija adalah padi sawah di Kecamatan Tinada seluas 2.202 ha, padi gogo di Kecamatan Sitellu Tali Urang Julu seluas 2.850 ha dan jagung di Kecamatan Kerajaan seluas 5.703 ha, 2) tanaman hortikultura tahunan dengan komoditas unggulan jeruk di Kecamatan Pergetteng-getteng Sengkut seluas 769 ha dan nenas di Kecamatan Siempat Rube seluas 3.222 ha, 3) tanaman perkebunan tahunan dengan komoditas unggulan kopi arabika di Kecamatan Salak seluas 3.113 ha dan kelapa sawit di Kecamatan Sitellu Tali Urang Jehe seluas 2.607 ha.
Underlying Educational Inequalities in the Global and Fijian Context
Authors: Goundar Prashneel Ravisan
Published: July 2023

The delivery of education and the outcome it produces largely depend on how students are taught, the resources they are exposed to along with the kind of facilities they are provided with. We have to acknowledge that teaching and learning do not occur in the same way across the world due to critical factors. These factors cause hindrances in the education system that create educational inequalities which exist in various forms as this article aims to outline. Some of these include shortage of teachers, poverty learning-gap, distribution of resources, location of schools, access to scholarship, and school curriculum. It is worth comparing Fiji’s education system to the global context using all the three streams of education that is primary, secondary, and higher education. It is prudent that stakeholders in all three education streams are aware of the nature of inconsistencies that affect the students. This will inform and enable policy makers to engage with the current underlying inequalities in education in order to address these that persist in the world and in Fiji. Conversations that revolve around these issues will be fruitful for the education system in Fiji and worldwide.
Non-transient optimum design of nonlinear electromagnetic vibration-based energy harvester using homotopy perturbation method
Authors: Dezhara Aboozar
Published: July 2023

In this paper the coupled differential equations governing the vibration of nonlinear electromagnetic energy harvesters are solved by the homotopy perturbation method. The amplitudes of odd harmonics of displacement of the magnet, coil current, and load voltage are derived up to the 5th harmonic. The frequency response of output power is plotted and it peaks at the linear mechanical resonance frequency. It should be noted that the optimum design of coil and load parameters, optimum electromagnetic coupling coefficient, and optimum vibration frequency of the magnet attached to a non-linear spring resulted in a stationary or non-transient vibration. Paying insufficient attention to this point and using typical parameters instead of optimum ones will result in transient vibration. The research aims at a rigorous semi-analytical method on a nonlinear problem which has previously solely investigated by numerical or experimental method.
Dilemmas and directions of real-time detecting trapped individuals using ultra-wideband radar in building fire rescue
Authors: Wang Song , Weng Wenguo
Published: July 2023

The crucial component of a successful building fire rescue is detecting trapped individuals efficiently and supporting firefighters in planning rescue and evacuation routes simultaneously. Due to its insensitivity to heat flow, great penetration, and high accuracy, Ultra-Wideband radar is widely used in autonomous driving and medical monitoring, but it has not yet been shown its full potential in fire rescue. In light of this, a summary of eight technical challenges for finding and rescuing trapped individuals in typical building fire scenarios is provided, which could be the traction to investigate the capability state of UWB radar technology. Five technological issues that restrict the use of UWB radar for fire rescue scene detection are discussed followed. Finally, 10 important technologies are presented in three directions to deal with the issues at hand, and several advanced technologies are planned in two directions to improve the performance of UWB radar in fire rescue.
Accurate and real-time object detection in crowded indoor spaces based on the fusion of DBSCAN algorithm and improved YOLOv4-tiny network
Authors: Shen Jianing , Zhou Yang
Published: July 2023

Real-time object detection is an integral part of internet of things (IoT) application, which is an important research field of computer vision. Existing lightweight algorithms cannot handle target occlusions well in target detection tasks in indoor narrow scenes, resulting in a large number of missed detections and misclassifications. To this end, an accurate real-time multi-scale detection method that integrates density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) clustering algorithm and the improved You Only Look Once (YOLO)-v4-tiny network is proposed. First, by improving the neck network of the YOLOv4-tiny model, the detailed information of the shallow network is utilized to boost the average precision of the model to identify dense small objects, and the Cross mini-Batch Normalization strategy is adopted to improve the accuracy of statistical information. Second, the DBSCAN clustering algorithm is fused with the modified network to achieve better clustering effects. Finally, Mosaic data enrichment technique is adopted during model training process to improve the capability of the model to recognize occluded targets. Experimental results show that compared to the original YOLOv4-tiny algorithm, the mAP values of the improved algorithm on the self-construct dataset are significantly improved, and the processing speed can well meet the requirements of real-time applications on embedded devices. The performance of the proposed model on public datasets PASCAL VOC07 and PASCAL VOC12 is also better than that of other advanced lightweight algorithms, and the detection ability for occluded objects is significantly improved, which meets the requirements of mobile terminals for real-time detection in crowded indoor environments.
Enhancement of spectral access of optical OFDM system using cognitive radio
Authors: Kumar Arun , Gaur Nishant
Published: July 2023

This work presents the research on spectrum sensing in optical OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) systems. Spectrum sensing is crucial for cognitive radio networks to efficiently utilize available spectral resources. Various spectrum sensing techniques are explored, including energy detection (ED), cyclostationary feature detection (CD), and matched filter detection (MF). These techniques enable the detection of occupied and unoccupied subcarriers in optical OFDM systems, facilitating dynamic spectrum access and spectrum sharing. The research highlights the importance of accurate spectrum sensing in maximizing spectral efficiency, optimizing network performance, and enabling coexistence of multiple users in optical OFDM-based cognitive radio networks. The findings contribute to the development of future wireless communication systems. The parameters such as probability of detection (pd), probability of false alarm (pfa), bit error rate (BER), and power spectral density (PSD) is analysed using computer simulation. The simulation results reveal that the MF achieved a gain of 2.8 dB and 3.6 dB as compared with conventional spectrum sensing algorithms.
Soziale Ungleichheit und Kriminalität im urbanen Raum
Authors: Naplava Thomas
Published: July 2023

Die Verschärfung der sozialen Ungleichheit in Deutschland geht einher mit zunehmenden Segregationsprozessen in urbanen Räumen. Diesen Entwicklungen hat die kriminologische Forschung in Deutschland bislang keine explizite Beachtung geschenkt. Vor diesem Hintergrund geht der Aufsatz der Frage nach, welchen zusätzlichen Beitrag das Ausmaß an sozialer, ethnischer und demographischer Segregation neben sozialer Benachteiligung und Tatgelegenheiten für die Erklärung der unterschiedlichen Kriminalitätsbelastung in deutschen Großstädten leistet. Regressionsanalysen zu 69 (Groß-)Städten bestätigen zum einen die Bedeutung von sozialer Desorganisation und Tatgelegenheiten für die Erklärung der deliktsspezifischen Kriminalitätsbelastung der Städte. Zum anderen erweisen sich die drei Dimensionen der residentiellen Segregation für die Erklärung der Kriminalitätsraten zusätzlich als bedeutsam. Damit bekräftigen die Ergebnisse den Zusammenhang zwischen sozialer Ungleichheit und Kriminalität und verdeutlichen die Folgen der räumlichen Konzentration und Polarisierung von Einwohnergruppen in urbanen Räumen für die Kriminalitätsentstehung.
Resveratrol and its analogs suppress HIV replication, oxidative stress, and inflammation in macrophages
Authors: Kumar Santosh , Sinha Namita , Kodidela Sunitha , Godse Sandip , Singla Bhupesh , Singh Udai P. , Bhat Hari K.
Published: July 2023

Objectives

HIV suppression in brain viral reservoirs, especially macrophages, and microglia is critical to suppress HIV neuropathogenesis and subsequently HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Since most antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs do not achieve optimal therapeutic concentrations in the brain and can cause neurotoxicity, an alternative/adjuvant therapy is needed to suppress HIV neuropathogenesis. In this study, our objectives were to examine the anti-HIV, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory potential of resveratrol (RES) and its synthetic analogs 4-(E)-{(p-tolylimino)-methylbenzene-1,2-diol} (TIMBD) and 4-(E)-{(4-hydroxyphenylimino)-methylbenzene,1,2-diol} (HPIMBD) in HIV-infected macrophages.

Methods

We used HIV replication (viral load), oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes), and inflammatory response (pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines) assays to achieve the objectives of the study.

Results

Our results showed that RES and its analogs HPIMBD and TIMBD at 25 µM concentration significantly decrease HIV replication in both primary monocyte-derived macrophages and U1-differentiated macrophages. Moreover, RES and its analogs do not induce any cytotoxicity for up to 3 days in these cells. Further, treatment with RES and TIMBD (25 µM) also reduced the levels of reactive oxygen species without affecting the expression of antioxidant enzymes, SOD1, and catalase in U1 macrophages. Besides, RES and HPIMBD treatment inhibited the proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in U1 macrophages, which was associated with decreased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Importantly, our western blot experiments show that RES also decreases cellular proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, which is usually elevated in both myeloid and neuronal cells upon HIV infection.

Conclusions

Taken together, our results suggest that RES and/or its analogs are important adjuvants that may be used not only to suppress HIV but also oxidative stress and inflammation in brain viral reservoirs.
Die strangulierte Freiheit im globalisierten Neoliberalismus
Authors: Poulain Jacques
Published: July 2023

Der experimentierende Pragmatismus sozialer Gerechtigkeit, den der globalisierte Neoliberalismus praktiziert, hat die Logik der Experimentalwissenschaften auf die Ebene der Sozialbeziehungen übertragen, und so sucht er wie diese die Übereinstimmung der realen Welt mit der vorausgesetzten Markthypothese zu erzielen und damit auch die Übereinstimmung der einzelnen menschlichen Monaden und mit dieser Marktwelt zu erzeugen. Der experimentierende Naturforscher und der experimentierende Sozialforscher rufen auf schier animistische Weise eine stets schon disponible, vorformulierte rationale Welt-Rede oder eine Begierde-Rede an und respektieren sie so blindlings wie die neue, allmächtige Pythia. Dieses Experiment aber dient nur der Selbstvergewisserung des sozialen Heils und den Kapitalisten und bringt eine globalisierte Ungerechtigkeit hervor. Die Freiheit der einzelnen wird dabei stranguliert, ihre Rechte werden ignoriert. Nur ein wirtschaftlicher und sozialer Dialog zwischen den Instanzen der internationalen Multinationalen und den Arbeitnehmern ist imstande, diese globalisierte Ungerechtigkeit zu überwinden und die Freiheit aller zu restaurieren.
Individuum und Freiheit in Luhmanns systemtheoretischer Sicht
Authors: Qin Mingrui
Published: July 2023

Der Aufsatz diskutiert die zentralen Gedanken Niklas Luhmanns über die Individualitätsbildung und Freiheitslage der Menschen in der segmentär, stratifikatorisch und funktional differenzierten Gesellschaft. Die Individualität und mithin die Freiheit der Menschen wird in den ersten beiden Differenzierungsformen durch Inklusion in Familien, Haushalten, Stämmen, Ständen etc. ermöglicht, also von außen bestimmt. In der modernen funktional differenzierten Gesellschaft muss man hingegen seine Individualität selbst bilden, weil man von den Funktionssystemen nur durch Anpassung an ihre Forderungen inkludiert werden kann, was heute vor allem durch einen Karriereverlauf möglich ist. Als Individuum hat man aber auch die Freiheit, sich dem zu widersetzen und sich zurückzuziehen. Ferner zeichnet sich die moderne Gesellschaft dadurch aus, den Individuen die Freiheit einzuräumen, Ansprüche an sie zu stellen, damit sie ihre eigenen Strukturen dementsprechend aufbauen kann. Luhmanns Beschreibung der modernen Verhältnisse hat auch für die „Nachzügler“ der Modernisierung wie z.B. China Relevanz.
Entangled Notions of Freedom and Dependence
Authors: Mattig Ruprecht , Giehl Marvin , Masek Hiromi , Mathias Miriam , Sener Gamze , Wegner Axel , Zehbe Klaus-Christian
Published: July 2023

While freedom has traditionally been discussed in philosophy and political theory, this paper proposes an anthropological approach to the study of freedom. The focus is on the Japanese word amae, which Takeo Doi calls the ‘key’ to Japanese culture and contrasts with the ‘Western’ concept of freedom. After discussing Doi’s influential work, meanings are reconstructed from interviews and group discussions with Japanese people about amae. The interviewees define amae literally in terms of social ‘non-independence’ and, unlike Doi, understand it in a complex intertwining with freedom on the one hand and autonomy on the other. Overall, the paper argues that amae can hardly serve as a ‘key’ to understanding the Japanese, but can stimulate fruitful anthropological reflections not only on Japanese culture, but also on the concept of freedom.
Literatur ist Freiheit
Authors: Blamberger Günter
Published: July 2023

„Literature is Freedom“, so endet Susan Sontags Dankrede zur Verleihung des Friedenspreises des Deutschen Buchhandels 2003. Worin gründet die Wirkmacht der Poesie, Freiräume des Denkens zu eröffnen, Lesern Grenzüberschreitungen der eigenen Zeit, der eigenen Identität, der eigenen Kultur zu ermöglichen und damit das Bewusstsein für gänzlich andere Vermessungen der Welt? Wie können Literaturwissenschaftler die Freiheit der Kunst und damit die Komplexität ästhetischer Erfahrungen verteidigen, angesichts der Reduzierung von Freiheitsgraden in den aktuellen Kulturkämpfen? Wie gelingt es zeitgenössischer politischer Dichtung, denen Gehör zu verschaffen, deren Unfreiheit nur die Konsequenz des rücksichtslosen Freiheitsanspruchs privilegierter Individuen und Nationen ist? Antworten darauf versucht der folgende Artikel in offener, aphoristischer Form – mit Hilfe poetologischer Überlegungen und exemplarischen Hinweisen zur Gegenwartslyrik, u.a. zu Gedichten von Don Mee Choi, Kateryna Kalytko, Mihret Kebede, Fiston Mwanza Mujila, Aleš Šteger, Carlos Soto-Román, Anja Utler, Uljana Wolf und Serhji Zhadan.
Complex dynamics of a sub-quadratic Lorenz-like system
Authors: Li Zhenpeng , Ke Guiyao , Wang Haijun , Pan Jun , Hu Feiyu , Su Qifang
Published: July 2023

Motivated by the generic dynamical property of most quadratic Lorenz-type systems that the unstable manifolds of the origin tending to the stable manifold of nontrivial symmetrical equilibria forms a pair of heteroclinic orbits, this technical note reports a new 3D sub-quadratic Lorenz-like system:

x

˙

=
a

(

y
−
x

)

\dot{x}=a(y-x)

,

y

˙

=
c

x

3

+
d
y
−

x

3

z

\dot{y}=c\sqrt[3]{x}+{\rm{d}}y-\sqrt[3]{x}z

and

z

˙

=
−
b
z
+

x

3

y

\dot{z}=-bz+\sqrt[3]{x}y

. Instead, the unstable manifolds of nontrivial symmetrical equilibria tending to the stable manifold of the origin creates a pair of heteroclinic orbits. This drives one to further investigate it and reveal its other hidden dynamics: Hopf bifurcation, invariant algebraic surfaces, ultimate bound sets, globally exponentially attractive sets, existence of homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits, singularly degenerate heteroclinic cycles, and so on. The main contributions of this work are summarized as follows: First, the ultimate boundedness of that system yields the globally exponentially attractive sets of it. Second, the existence of another heteroclinic orbits is also proved by utilizing two different Lyapunov functions. Finally, on the invariant algebraic surface

z
=

3

4
a

x

4

3

z=\frac{3}{4a}\sqrt[3]{{x}^{4}}

, the existence of a pair of homoclinic orbits to the origin, and two pairs of heteroclinic orbits to two pairs of nontrivial symmetrical equilibria is also proved by utilizing a Hamiltonian function. In addition, the correctness of the theoretical results is illustrated via numerical examples.
Polychlorinated biphenyls and thyroid function: a scoping review
Authors: Mohammadparast-Tabas Pouria , Arab-Zozani Morteza , Naseri Kobra , Darroudi Majid , Aramjoo Hamed , Ahmadian Hanie , Ashrafipour Mostafa , Farkhondeh Tahereh , Samarghandian Saeed
Published: July 2023

Objective

Numerous evidence indicates the association between polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), an endocrine disrupter, with thyroid hormone disruption, contradictory findings also exist. Herein, we tried to address this question by performing a scoping review.

Content

The search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from 2010 onwards. Animal studies on PCBs’ effect on thyroid function were searched. The SYRCLE’s RoB scale assessed the risk of bias. I2 and Q tests are used for investigating heterogeneity. A random-effects model with the pooled standard means difference (SMD) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) was performed for the TSH, TT4, TT3, and FT4 outcomes using Comprehensive Meta-Analyses (CMA) Software version 3. Also, we conducted subgroup analyses based on the different types of PCB. The initial search identified 1,279 publications from the main databases 26 of them fulfilled our eligibility criteria for the study, and then five studies among selected studies had sufficient data for analysis. Meta-analysis of data revealed that Aroclor 1260 (SDM: −0.47, 95 % CI: −0.92, −0.01, p=0.044) and PCB 126 (SDM: 0.17, 95 % CI: −0.40, 0.75, p=0.559) significantly increased TSH concentration in the exposed groups vs. the control groups. Related to the effects of PCBs on the TT4, our findings indicated a significant reduction the TT4 concentration of animals exposed to Aroclor 1260 (SDM: −5.62, 95 % CI: −8.30, −2.94, p=0.0001), PCB 118 (SDM: −6.24, 95 % CI: −7.76, −4.72, p=0.0001), PCB 126 (SDM: −1.81, 95 % CI: −2.90, −0.71, p=0.001), and PCB 153 (SDM: −1.32, 95 % CI: −2.29, −0.35, p=0.007) vs. the controls. Our meta-analysis indicated a significant increase in TT3 concentration following exposure to PCB 118 and PCB 153 (SDM: −0.89, 95 % CI: −1.36, −0.42, p=0.0001, and SDM: −1.45, 95 % CI: −2.15, −0.75, p=0.0001, respectively). Aroclor 1254 and PCB 126 significantly decreased TT3 concentration (SDM: 1.25, 95 % CI: 0.29, 2.21, p=0.01 and SDM: 3.33, 95 % CI: 2.49, 4.18, p=0.0001, respectively). PCB 126 significantly decreased FT4 in the exposed groups vs. the control groups (SDM: −7.80, 95 % CI: −11.51, −5.35, p=0.0001).

Our findings showed an association between PCBs exposure and hypothyroidism in rodents, fish, and chicken embryos.

Outlook

Regarding to the most evidence of hypothyroidism effects of PCBs in animal species, it is necessary to consider large cohort studies to address the association between PCBs exposure and thyroid function impairment in humans.