bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wybrane wątki krytyki marksizmu w myśli ekonomicznej Eugena von Böhma-Bawerka
Authors: Orzoł Szymon
Published: September 2024

The article’s subject is a polemic against Marxism carried out by one of the leaders of the liberal and free market Austrian school of economics, the most famous representatives of whom were Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich August von Hayek. The research goal of this work is to analyse underexplored analytical critiques in the aspects selected by the author, such as the labour theory of value, the exploitation theory, the law of added value, and internal contradictions in the Capital. The research scope is determined by some theoretical themes from Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk’s assessment of Marxism, including, e.g., the expression of the theory of exploitation, the law of added value, and the bronze law of wages. The primary source base for the preparation of this article were two works by Böhm-Bawerk: Capital and Profit from Capital (1925) and Karl Marx and the Close of His System (1949). The text, which concerns complex historical and economic issues, was divided into subchapters to identify key themes. The introduction presents a short biography of Böhm-Bawerk. The text further describes the basic assumptions of the Austrian school of economics and the role of Böhm-Bawerk in shaping it. Then, in two subsections, the Austrian economist’s critique of Marxism is discussed. A distinction is made here between early and late critiques. The fundamental conclusion draws attention to the need for a more profound reception of Böhm-Bawerk’s thought and works in the Polish economic debate. The article concludes with a concise explanation of key deficiencies in Marx’s economic thought, as they were identified and explained by Böhm-Bawerk.
Myśl polityczna Kazimierza Zakrzewskiego. Próba jeszcze jednego ujęcia
Authors: Matysiak Mateusz
Published: September 2024

The figure and views of Kazimierz Zakrzewski (1900-1941) have been the subject of research among historians and political scientists for years. This article aims to explore a new perspective on the rich and diverse journalism of the most outstanding representative of the Polish syndicalist thought in the Second Polish Republic. The work is based on the most representative, in the author’s opinion, Zakrzewski’s texts published in magazines and daily newspapers (“Brzask”, “Droga”, “Front Robotniczy”, “Głos Powszechny”, “Nowe Czasy”, “Przełom”, “Słowo Polskie”), in which the Lviv historian lectured on syndicalist ideology and commented on current political events. By briefly referencing Nietzschean perception and its selected derivatives, the author tries to capture the similarities and differences between the thought of the Polish Byzanthologist and the German classical philologist, whose philosophy inspired the syndicalist. The author points to the works of those thinkers who – like Zakrzewski – recognised the irreversibility of the changes facing the Western Man (Nikolai Berdyaev, Oswald Spengler, Ernst Jünger, Friedrich Georg Jünger). The article refers to key journalistic themes, such as the increasing technicalisation of life or the emergence of new types of power structures, which arguably connect Zakrzewski’s thought with the representatives of the German Conservative Revolution. Despite these noticeable similarities used for the needs of journalism, Zakrzewski was strongly shaped by democratic movements and ideologies, and his goal was authentic people’s rule, the core of which was meant to be trade unions. According to the article’s author, this places him clearly outside orthodox Nietzscheanism, which considered “heroic” values to be those expressed in the form of aristocratic virtues from antiquity.
Code and Data Repository for A Column Generation Scheme for Distributionally Robust Multi-Item Newsvendor Problems
Authors: Wang Shanshan , Delage Erick
Published: September 2024

This repository includes the data and the codes for the following paper: Wang S, Delage E. A Column Generation Scheme for Distributionally Robust Multi-Item Newsvendor Problems. INFORMS Journal on Computing, 2023.
Optimizing Delhivery’s Midmile Logistics Network Using a Hybrid Evolutionary Search Algorithm
Authors: Thakkar Kishan , Rastogi Purvi , Sarmah Sarada P.
Published: September 2024

The study addresses a vehicle routing problem with a unique set of constraints for a leading Indian logistics company, Delhivery. The researchers present a tailored hybrid evolutionary search algorithm that integrates with the company’s existing systems, automating the planning process and achieving substantial cost savings.
Oxaliplatin-induced immune thrombocytopenia in a patient with pancreatic cancer
Authors: Şentürk Mustafa , Altundağ Özden
Published: September 2024

Oxaliplatin-induced immune thrombocytopenia is a rare but potentially serious complication of chemotherapy. We present the case of a 55-year-old man with stage 4 pancreatic carcinoma who developed immune thrombocytopenia during the 18th cycle of folinic acid, fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) chemotherapy, immediately after oxaliplatin infusion. Despite treatment with methylprednisolone and platelet infusion, the patient’s platelet count remained low. Subsequent plasmapheresis and continued steroid therapy resulted in a gradual improvement in platelet count and resolution of symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering immune thrombocytopenia in patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, and the potential role of plasmapheresis in refractory cases. Further research is needed to elucidate the optimal management of this rare complication.
How allied and other health professionals must work together to get the best outcomes for patients with limb loss
Authors: Chidwick Jason
Published: September 2024

Jason Chidwick discusses how allied health professionals and the wider medical team should support individuals with limb loss.
Settling further into GP
Authors: Green Jennifer
Published: September 2024

As more paramedics transition across various roles, Band 6 paramedic, Jennifer Green shares her journey in a new monthly column in 2024, as she makes her way from the ambulance setting into general practice
Maternity emergencies 2: normal birth
Authors: Yarrington Aimee
Published: September 2024

Birth is a physiological process. However, when occurring unplanned prehospitally, it is a clinically significant event that is often unexpected and can be the cause of great anxiety. This is generally due to paramedics' lack of exposure and training in maternity in general, the fear of the unknown and the concerns about ‘what if something goes wrong?’ An understanding of the physiology and how birth processes work will assist with the decisions around transporting the woman in labour and how to manage a birth if it occurs rapidly and unexpectedly. This series on maternity care will highlight a range of maternity emergencies and detail the pathophysiology as well as their prehospital treatment and management.
Intelligent Analysis and Dynamic Security of Network Traffic in Context of Big Data
Authors: Yunhong Guo , Guoping Tang
Published: September 2024

The socialization and informatization of social life and enterprises have brought about explosive growth in network traffic. Enterprises and operators need to timely understand the operation status of network traffic and discover whether there are malicious traffic such as worms and DDOS in the traffic in a short period of time. This has brought unprecedented security challenges to individuals, enterprises, and countries. This article proposes an intelligent analysis and dynamic security detection framework, and introduces its principles, implementation methods, and applications in network traffic anomaly detection. A dynamic security strategy incorporating intrusion detection systems for enhanced vigilance and protection. This article proposes a dynamic security architecture design based on micro services and deep learning. Through the method proposed in this article, 100% of known malware attacks have been successfully identified and prevented, with a significant improvement in recognition rate compared to the previous . This means that our system can more effectively protect users from potential threats. The accuracy of traffic anomaly detection has reached 99.9%, the page loading speed has increased by 30%, and user satisfaction has also increased to 90%. The research results will provide useful references for research and practice in related fields.
Wireless Sensor Networks Security Enhancement Approach Based on Single Path Secure Routing Algorithm
Authors: Luo Xiaoyan
Published: September 2024

To improve the security of wireless sensor networks, the experiment proposes a network security improvement method based on multi-objective ant colony optimization and single-path secure routing protocol. First, LEAP is used to improve the single-path secure routing algorithm to enhance the security of data during transmission; then, a multi-objective ant colony optimization algorithm is introduced to find the optimal network parameter path. The detection accuracy shows that when the time reaches 62.23 ms, the method proposed in the study has a maximum detection accuracy of 99.89%; at this time, the detection accuracy of the other three schemes is significantly less than 95.00%. When the system running time is 57.41 ms, the detection accuracy of wormhole attacks by this method begins to reach a stable state, and the detection accuracy has been infinitely close to 100% in the future. This method is applied to the Internet of Vehicles and the Enterprise Office Network respectively. When the number of intrusion nodes is 1,780 and 2,000 respectively, external intrusion can damage the key space and steal secrets. The above results show that the proposed method can not only improve network security and ensure energy efficiency, but also optimize network performance.
Comparative Analysis of Popular Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms for Detecting Malicious Universal Resource Locators
Authors: Diko Zambia , Sibanda Khulumani
Published: September 2024

Malicious Universal Resource Locators (URLs), also referred to as malicious websites have become a serious cause for concern for cyber security administrators of various organisations, institutions, Agencies, businesses and companies. These websites host malware, spam, drive by links and phishing. Unfortunately, Internet users worldwide visit such malicious sites and become the victims of cybercrimes like credit card credentials theft, theft of personal information, monetary savings or investments. Multitudes of researchers have embarked on attempts to design and implement response solutions to malicious URLs threat. The approaches are largely divided into two groups, the traditional approaches (Blacklising and Heuristics) and the data driven approaches (statistical methods, machine learning methods, data mining methods, and deep learning methods). In some instances, there are divergent views on which algorithm is the best to be used for building models. To our knowledge, there are still few works that have taken an initiative to comparatively analyse the performance of machine learning algorithms which have been identified by various authors as being the most suitable to use for building detection models. This study therefore focused on the Light Gradient Boost, Extreme Gradient Boost and the Random Forest algorithms. For the study’s experiments, a malicious URLs dataset was downloaded from Kaggle.com databases. The study’s results demonstrated that the hostname_length was the most important feature to focus on when building malicious URL detection models using the three above mentioned algorithms. The results also revealed two more features that had importance; the count_www and the count_dir, when using Extreme Gradient Boosting and the Random Forest. The study will in future explore hybrid models where advantages of various algorithms will be exploited to be combined in order to improve performance. Other models that will be considered include Support Vector Machine, Neural Networks and Deep learning models.
Industrial Internet of Things ARP Virus Attack Detection Method Based on Improved CNN BiLSTM
Authors: Wang Jianhua
Published: September 2024

In order to improve the performance of industrial Internet of Things ARP virus attack detection methods, this paper proposes an improved CNN BiLSTM based industrial Internet of Things ARP virus attack detection method. Firstly, analyze the data flow of normal data, construct an industrial Internet of Things ARP virus intrusion dataset, and obtain the sample distribution of the ETI dataset. Secondly, based on the domain knowledge of ETCN, a preliminary manual selection was performed on all extracted head features, and a feature correlation discrimination algorithm was designed to further screen the features. Then, the Pearson correlation coefficient is used to calculate its linear correlation, the distance correlation coefficient is used to calculate its nonlinear correlation, and a comprehensive calculation formula is designed based on the principle of “maximum correlation and minimum redundancy” to establish a comprehensive measurement coefficient. The value of the features selected in the first stage is ranked using this coefficient, and different feature subsets are constructed through sequential search. Effective features are selected based on the performance of the intrusion detection models trained on different feature subsets. Implement industrial Internet of Things (IoT) ARP feature extraction through feature extraction, data cleaning, feature transformation, and feature selection. Finally, an improved CNN BiLSTM structure is constructed by using CNN to filter out a large number of packets that are not related to the attack and have weak correlation in the data. Significant features are extracted from the data, and the feature data extracted by CNN is timestamped through timeDistribution. After flattening into one-dimensional data through the flat layer, it is used as input to the BILSTM layer. We used a bidirectional long short-term memory network (BILSTM) to train industrial IoT ARP virus attacks and output the final ARP virus attack detection results. The experimental results show that in the first 10 rounds of training, the training accuracy and validation accuracy of the model rapidly increase, indicating that the model learns a large amount of information in this stage of iteration. We achieved high F1 score (94.42%), high accuracy (94.58%), and low false alarm rate (5.33%) on the ETI dataset. The model consumed very little training time (8.0746s) and testing time (0.1664s). Verified the effectiveness of the design model.
A 65-Year-Old Female with Missed Open Clavicle Fracture and Subsequent Fracture-Related Infection, Treated with Distal Clavicle Resection
Authors:   [1] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, United States, [2] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York, United States., Lehane Kevin M , Bi Andrew S ,   [1] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, United States, [2] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York, United States., Morgan Allison ,   [1] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, United States, [2] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York, United States., Resad-Ferati Sehar ,   [1] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, United States, [2] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York, United States., Ganta Abhishek ,   [1] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, United States, [2] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York, United States., Konda Sanjit R ,   [1] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, United States, [2] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York, United States.
Published: September 2024

Introduction: Open clavicle fractures are rare, and there are no current reported cases in the literature of a missed open clavicle with resultant fracture-related infection and osteomyelitis. Case Report: We present a 65-year-old female with no reported medical history, who presented to our institution with left clavicular pain and wound drainage 8 days after she was struck by a motor vehicle in her home country of Guyana. She was found to have a missed open clavicle fracture with an associated severe infection. She was subsequently treated with irrigation, debridement, and distal clavicle excision. Conclusion: We present this unique case with a potential procedure which could prove beneficial in cases of infection, trauma, or oncologic lesions in which the distal clavicle is deemed unsalvageable. Keywords: Open clavicle fracture, missed open fracture, distal clavicle excision, osteomyelitis, clavicular osteomyelitis, neglected fracture, bone infection.
Drug Development Failure: How GLP-1 Development Was Abandoned in 1990
Authors: Flier Jeffrey S.
Published: September 2024

abstract: Many factors determine whether and when a class of therapeutic agents will be successfully developed and brought to market, and historians of science, entrepreneurs, drug developers, and clinicians should be interested in accounts of both successes and failures. Successes induce many participants and observers to document them, whereas failed efforts are often lost to history, in part because involved parties are typically unmotivated to document their failures. The GLP-1 class of drugs for diabetes and obesity have emerged over the past decade as clinical and financial blockbusters, perhaps soon becoming the highest single source of revenue for the pharmaceutical industry (Berk 2023). In that context, it is instructive to tell the story of the first commercial effort to develop this class of drugs for metabolic disease, and how, despite remarkable early success, the work was abandoned in 1990. Told by a key participant in the effort, this story documents history that would otherwise be lost and suggests a number of lessons about drug development that remain relevant today.
Conceptual Parallels: Microbiome Research and Ancient Medicine
Authors: Sumrall Laura , O'Malley Maureen A.
Published: September 2024

abstract: The concepts currently operating in much medical microbiome research bear a curious resemblance to an ancient tradition of Western medicine. This tradition, humoral medicine, is concerned with the four humors: yellow and black bile, phlegm, blood. Both humoral medicine and medical microbiome research use notions of imbalance and balance for broad explanations of disease and health. Both traditions also hold that the composition of humors or microbiomes determines bodily as well as mental states. Causality in each system is often conceived teleologically, meaning that humors or microbiomes "function for" the maintenance of the whole. And ultimately, each framework situates the humors or microbiomes in a multilevel interactionist theory that conceptualizes individual health within a broader environmental context. As well as critically assessing the parallels between these systems, this article sketches some explanations of how they may have arisen. The authors also evaluate the implications of these similarities for the future of medical microbiome research and suggest ways in which the field might move forward.
Telling Time: Patient Experiences of Temporality in Brain Tumor Comics
Authors: Curtis Neal
Published: September 2024

abstract: This article explores three different comics by creators with brain tumors: Rick , written and drawn by Gordon Shaw; Going Remote , written by Adam Bessie and drawn by Peter Glanting; and Parenthesis , written and drawn by Élodie Durand. It examines how the affordances of the comics medium enables the creators to present an experience of subjective time that is multiple, diffuse, and contradictory, in contrast to the regular apportioning of time via calendars, schedules, and pathways essential to institutional neuro-oncology. The question of time here is significant because the side effects of brain tumors can include blackouts, seizures, and periods of extreme fatigue, during which the experience of time can be significantly disrupted. The title of the article therefore evokes a temporal duality: on the one hand, it refers to the common phrase used to describe what clocks do, as well as our ability to read them; on the other hand, it speaks to one of the most important qualities of graphic medicine, which is that it allows patients dealing with medical or health issues to tell time differently. The article explores the representation of personal time in Rick , social time in Going Remote , and lost time in Parenthesis .
Citrus Production Losses in Florida Due to Hurricane Ian: Estimates from the Forecast-Production Gap
Authors: Cameron Cortney
Published: September 2024

This paper estimates citrus production losses in Florida due to Hurricane Ian (2022) at the county level using a forecast-production gap methodology that compares pre-hurricane forecasted production to post-hurricane actual production. Based on this approach, Hurricane Ian caused an estimated 41 percent loss in citrus production statewide. Multiplied by contemporary on-tree per-box values, these production losses represent over $118 million in lost crop production value, although this estimate is associated with considerable uncertainty and could exceed $200 million. County-level production loss estimates agree well with estimates previously developed using a rapid assessment method based on the Hurricane Composite Intensity Index, supporting the index as a useful tool in the aftermath of storms. The year-over-year statewide citrus production decline of 60 percent (inclusive of non-hurricane causes) in 2022-2023 is the second largest percentage drop in 130 years of assessed data, exceeded only by the Great Freeze of 1894-1895. As climate change drives hurricane intensification along the Florida coast, the state’s citrus industry will be increasingly vulnerable to massive losses.
Stakeholder Dynamics in the Context of a Local Urban Project
Authors: Amara-Fadhel Elyssa , Ben Moussa-Jerbi Aïda , Hendaoui-Ben Tanfous Feyrouz
Published: September 2024

Purpose: The objective of our contribution is to highlight the complex dynamics of stakeholders of a local urban project from idea to implementation. This local urban project is a part of the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) adopting participatory schemes.Methodology: Our qualitative approach is based on a participant and non-participant observation of the local urban project processes and on semi-structured interviews with the involved stakeholders to multiply the testimonies and materials to be analysed. The study of an urban project enabled us to observe processes and stakeholders in action: during citizens’ meetings and public assemblies, at meetings with administrative officials in charge of the project and with municipal actors in municipal committees, as well as during meetings of local civil society.Findings: By following and analysing the different stages of the project’s genesis, we were able to identify, map and analyse the dynamics of the stakeholders, and identify their expectations. We were also able to highlight the differentiated perceptions of participatory mechanisms, the gap between the expectations of the different stakeholders with regard to the urban project, and the role that participatory mechanisms could play in the adherence of stakeholders to the project.Implications: This research focuses on the pre-project implementation phase in order to identify the dynamics of adherence to the project by the different stakeholders. A future study could explore the power held by the stakeholders and their influence in the pre-project launch phase and the urban project implementation phase. This study illustrates several stakeholder buy-in issues raised by previous studies (Cleland, 1986; Littau et al., 2010; Winch, 2017). It emphasises the need to convert stakeholder interest and influence into active participation, and to take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to managing with stakeholders. Contribution: This study of a local urban project allows us to reflect on the process of the mobilisation of stakeholders for a local public project in the Tunisian context. The analysis of collective problem-solving processes in a context of democratic transition highlights the need to reorganise local governance institutions in order to involve all stakeholders in decision-making.
Wide band optical diode based on passive white light cavities
Authors: Wang Jianshan , Xia Xiuwen , Liang Yubo , Lin Zijian , Xu Jingping , Yaping Yang and
Published: September 2024

Usually, most optical diodes with high nonreciprocal transmission ratio were accompanied with high insertion loss. The diode made of the asymmetry cavity filled with two-level atoms can simultaneously possess high nonreciprocal transmission ratio and low insertion loss, because the cavity can lower insertion loss and the bistability of the atom can enhance nonreciprocal transmission ratio. However, such diodes can only operate in a very narrow frequency band. In this article we explore two methods to achieve efficient diodes with a wide frequency range. One is using mixed atomic gas instead of a single atom and the other is replacing single-mode cavity with passive white light cavities. By using the two methods, a wide band optical diode with high nonreciprocal transmission ratio and low insertion loss is provided. It will be beneficial for improving the performance of broadband photonic chips and photonic communication.
Stretchable MWCNTs-OH/PDMS composite elastomer with hierarchical porous structure for wideband THz absorption
Authors: Bi Kaixi , Bi Xiaoxue , Chen Jialiang , Yuan Mengjiao , Huang Donghui , Han Shuqi , Wu Dianyu , Mei Linyu
Published: September 2024

It is important to develop a wideband THz absorber for the prevention of terahertz electromagnetic pollution and information leakage. Some commonly used methods, such as metamaterials or dynamic modulation technology, have played important roles in the study of wideband THz absorbers. However, most of these absorbers are rigid or non-stretchable, which limits the practical applications in large mechanical deformation and non-plane scenarios. In the paper, we proposed a stretchable MWCNTs-OH/PDMS composite elastomer using the sugar template method. A series of characterization methods were carried out to verify the excellent compatibility of PDMS and MWCNTs-OH. Benefiting from its hierarchical porous structure, the draw-length ratio of sample and tensile strength reaches ∼ 190% and ∼ 0.4 MPa, respectively. More THz waves could be trapped inside the sample for conductive loss because of better impedance matching and conductivity loss (the smallest square value is ∼0.4 kΩ/□), which leads to wideband and high absorptivity (over 98% in 0.2∼2.0 THz range). Furthermore, the tested value of EMI SE was over 10 dB in 0.22∼1.82 THz frequency range at transmission mode. Combined with inherent hydrophobicity characteristics, the material also could be used in humid and rainy environments. The systemic study of stretchable MWCNTs-OH/PDMS composite elastomer will provide theoretical and technical support for subsequent THz absorption in practical scenarios.
Gaussian bandpass filter with tunable bandwidth and center wavelength based on diffraction grating and spatial mode coupling
Authors: Lee Sang Min
Published: September 2024

We propose a tunable Gaussian bandpass filter based on a diffraction grating and spatial mode coupling, of which the bandwidth and center wavelength can be easily and independently adjusted by the location and angle of the grating, respectively. In an experimental demonstration for proof of principle, the center wavelength was tuned from 775 to 805 nm according to the bandwidth of the light source used, but note that there is no particular limitation of the tuning range. In addition, the bandwidth was tuned in this work from 0.79 to 4.65 nm, but this can be changed as well by modifying the grating and experimental settings. The particular advantage of this method is that it involves no significant change in peak transmittance depending on the center wavelength and bandwidth.
Optical skyrmion and its “zipper-like” topological behavior in an energy flux field
Authors: Zhao Xinying , Liang Huijian , Ren Liyong , Pang Xiaoyan
Published: September 2024

The optical skyrmion and its topological behavior are analyzed in an energy flux field constructed by an X-type vortex in a high numerical aperture system. The conditions for the formation of a skyrmion structure in this field are discussed, showing that the vortex pattern of the transverse energy flow and the inverse energy flow are crucial for the skyrmions and also are controlled by the phase gradient of the X-type vortex. Notably, the “zipper-like” topological reaction, which is the first, to our knowledge, found in ferromagnetic materials, is observed, and the physical mechanism is also explained by the relation of orbital angular momentum density and Poynting vectors. The results will reach the topological theory and may have applications in optical traps and data storage.
Microsecond electro-optic switching in the nematic phase of a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal
Authors: Lavrentovich Oleg , Thapa Kamal , Paladugu Sathyanarayana
Published: September 2024

Nematic liquid crystals exhibit nanosecond electro-optic response to an applied electric field which modifies the degree of orientational order without realigning the molecular orientation. However, this nanosecond electrically-modified order parameter (NEMOP) effect requires high driving fields, on the order of 10^8 V⁄m for a modest birefringence change of 0.01. In this work, we demonstrate that a nematic phase of the recently discovered ferroelectric nematic materials exhibits a robust and fast electro-optic response. Namely, a relatively weak field of 2×10^7 V⁄m changes the birefringence by ≈ 0.04 with field-on and-off times around 1 μs. This microsecond electrically modified order parameter (MEMOP) effect shows a greatly improved figure of merit when compared to other electro-optical switching modes in liquid crystals, including the conventional Frederiks effect, and has a potential for applications in fast electro-optical devices such as phase modulators, optical shutters, displays, and beam steerers.
A Fourier-transform hyperspectral camera based on a common-path interferometer working from 400 to 2200 nm
Authors: Perri Antonio , Vinco Lorenzo , Polli Dario , Preda Fabrizio , Ghirardello Marta
Published: September 2024

We introduce a FT-hyperspectral imager that incorporates an ultra-broadband common-path birefringent interferometer and we demonstrate the capabilities of the system in the spectral range from 400 to 2200 nm. The intereferometric system was coupled initially to a first sensor, covering the spectral range 400-1700 nm, and later to a second sensor, allowing it to cover the region from 1200 to 2200 nm. The broadband working range enabled the simultaneous identification of chlorophyll and water content from intact leaf materials and the identification of spectral characteristics of pigments widely used from antiquity to the present day.
HyperTraPS-CT: Inference and prediction for accumulation pathways with flexible data and model structures
Authors: Aga Olav N. L. , Brun Morten , Dauda Kazeem A. , Diaz-Uriarte Ramon , Giannakis Konstantinos , Johnston Iain G.
Published: September 2024

Accumulation processes, where many potentially coupled features are acquired over time, occur throughout the sciences from evolutionary biology to disease progression, and particularly in the study of cancer progression. Existing methods for learning the dynamics of such systems typically assume limited (often pairwise) relationships between feature subsets, cross-sectional or untimed observations, small feature sets, or discrete orderings of events. Here we introduce HyperTraPS-CT (Hypercubic Transition Path Sampling in Continuous Time) to compute posterior distributions on continuous-time dynamics of many, arbitrarily coupled, traits in unrestricted state spaces, accounting for uncertainty in observations and their timings. We demonstrate the capacity of HyperTraPS-CT to deal with cross-sectional, longitudinal, and phylogenetic data, which may have no, uncertain, or precisely specified sampling times. HyperTraPS-CT allows positive and negative interactions between arbitrary subsets of features (not limited to pairwise interactions), supporting Bayesian and maximum-likelihood inference approaches to identify these interactions, consequent pathways, and predictions of future and unobserved features. We also introduce a range of visualisations for the inferred outputs of these processes and demonstrate model selection and regularisation for feature interactions. We apply this approach to case studies on the accumulation of mutations in cancer progression and the acquisition of anti-microbial resistance genes in tuberculosis, demonstrating its flexibility and capacity to produce predictions aligned with applied priorities.
Moderate confirmation bias enhances decision-making in groups of reinforcement-learning agents
Authors: Bergerot Clémence , Barfuss Wolfram , Romanczuk Pawel
Published: September 2024

Humans tend to give more weight to information confirming their beliefs than to information that disconfirms them. Nevertheless, this apparent irrationality has been shown to improve individual decision-making under uncertainty. However, little is known about this bias’ impact on decision-making in a social context. Here, we investigate the conditions under which confirmation bias is beneficial or detrimental to decision-making under social influence. To do so, we develop a Collective Asymmetric Reinforcement Learning (CARL) model in which artificial agents observe others’ actions and rewards, and update this information asymmetrically. We use agent-based simulations to study how confirmation bias affects collective performance on a two-armed bandit task, and how resource scarcity, group size and bias strength modulate this effect. We find that a confirmation bias benefits group learning across a wide range of resource-scarcity conditions. Moreover, we discover that, past a critical bias strength, resource abundance favors the emergence of two different performance regimes, one of which is suboptimal. In addition, we find that this regime bifurcation comes with polarization in small groups of agents. Overall, our results suggest the existence of an optimal, moderate level of confirmation bias for decision-making in a social context.
Capacity for delivery of paediatric emergency care and the current use of emergency triage, assessment and treatment in health facilities in the Busoga region, Uganda—A mixed methods study
Authors: Laucaityte Goda , Fahnehjelm Fredrik Wikander , Akongo Dorothy , Tenywa Emmanuel , Hildebrand Karl , Kyangwa Moses , Ssemwogerere Racheal Kwagala , Waibi William Mugowa , Hildenwall Helena
Published: September 2024

The implementation of structured guidelines, such as the World Health Organisation’s Emergency Triage, Assessment and Treatment has been shown to reduce in-hospital mortality, addressing the high burden of early in-hospital deaths. We evaluated the capacity to provide paediatric emergency care at higher-level health facilities in the Busoga sub-region, Uganda, and explored healthcare workers’ perceptions of quality care. This assessment aimed to inform policy and facilitate the implementation of guidelines. A comprehensive mixed-methods study was conducted, comprising a facility audit, a survey of healthcare providers to assess their knowledge, and focus group discussions with facility staff. The study included all public and private not-for-profit facilities that provide in-patient paediatric care in Busoga. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and linear regression, while thematic analysis with the framework method approach was applied to qualitative data. A total of 14 focus group discussions, 14 facility audits, and 100 surveys with healthcare providers were conducted. Essential equipment for paediatric emergencies and staff shortages were identified as primary barriers to quality care and key contributors to worker demotivation. Referrals were one of the main challenges, with only 25% of facilities accessing a fuelled ambulance. Knowledge scores were higher among healthcare professionals who had undergone emergency management training and participated in refresher courses (mean 13.2, 95% CI 11.6–14.8, compared to 9.2, 95% CI 8.0–10.3). Participants who felt well-prepared achieved markedly higher scores on knowledge surveys than those feeling unprepared (mean 12.2, 95% CI 11.2–13.1, versus mean 8.5, 95% CI 7.3–9.7). Qualitative discussions demonstrated positive attitudes of healthcare workers toward ETAT guidelines. Results underscore the importance of focused training with refresher sessions to enhance health workers’ knowledge and confidence in managing paediatric emergency cases. However, substantial limitations in staffing numbers and the availability of necessary equipment need to be addressed for overall quality of care improvement.
Unveiling the significance of women’s role in health-seeking behavior during suspected malaria fever in risk populations of Nepal: Mixed methods cross-sectional study
Authors: Paudel Ashok Kumar , Chhetri Muni Raj , Pandey Nibha Rani , Panta Prem Prasad
Published: September 2024

Malaria remains a substantial global health challenge, causing preventable illnesses and fatalities. In Nepal, the government has ambitiously targeted achieving malaria-free status by 2025. This study aims to assess the impact of women’s roles on health-seeking behavior during suspected malaria fever in the high-risk area of Kanchanpur district, Nepal. This is a cross-sectional analytical design with a mixed-method approach, the research focused on Kanchanpur district, selected from 20 high-risk malaria districts of Nepal. Belauri Municipality within Kanchanpur, identified for its concentration of high and moderate-risk wards, was the specific study area. A random selection process identified 387 households for a comprehensive survey. Face-to-face interviews with household heads were conducted after obtaining written informed consent and ethical approval from the Nepal Health Research Council (March 3, 2023/Ref no.-2041). Data analysis, employing statistical measures such as percentages, frequency, mean, and the Chi-square test, was performed using SPSS version 20. Cultural beliefs regarding women’s use of bed nets during menstruation significantly predicted health-seeking behavior (p-value < 0.05). Those endorsing bed net use during menstruation were nearly twice as likely to choose modern health facilities (COR = 1.975, 95% C.I. = 1.134 to 3.439, p = 0.016). Women’s involvement in malaria treatment decisions strongly correlated with health-seeking behavior (p-value = 0.001). However, women participating in household decisions for suspected malaria treatment were less likely to choose modern health facilities (COR = 0.327, 95% CI = 0.171–0.627, p = 0.001) compared to those without such a role. The study underscores the complex influence of cultural beliefs and women’s decision-making roles on health-seeking behavior. Recognizing and comprehending these factors are vital for crafting effective malaria interventions that align with cultural contexts and consider the nuanced roles of women in health-related decisions.
Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in senior and geriatric dogs
Authors: Mondino Alejandra , Yang Chin-Chieh , Simon Katherine E. , Fefer Gilad , Robertson James , Gruen Margaret E. , Olby Natasha J.
Published: September 2024

Advancements in veterinary medicine have resulted in increased life spans for dogs, necessitating a better understanding of quality of life for older dogs. This study aimed to evaluate quality of life (QoL) progression and its potential association with mortality in senior and geriatric dogs. The Canine Owner-Reported Quality of Life Questionnaire (CORQ), consisting of 17 questions across four domains (vitality, companionship, pain, and mobility) was employed. Higher scores indicated better quality of life, with 7 as the highest potential score for each question. In a cross-sectional analysis including 92 dogs, we found an inverse correlation between overall CORQ (and all domain scores) and fractional lifespan. The domain of vitality demonstrated the lowest scores, while companionship exhibited the highest. A longitudinal analysis, including 34 dogs, revealed that when dogs reach the geriatric stage (100% of their calculated lifespan), their expected overall CORQ is 5.95 out of 7, and dogs are expected to have a monthly decline of 0.05 units in the score. Cox proportional hazard analysis demonstrated a significant association between overall CORQ scores and mortality, with dogs scoring below 5.35 being at a higher risk of mortality. This study underscores the association between aging, declining quality of life, and increased mortality risk in aging dogs.
Background compensation revisited: Conserved phase response curves in frequency controlled homeostats with coherent feedback
Authors: Ruoff Peter
Published: September 2024

Background compensation is the ability of a controlled variable to respond to an applied perturbation in an unchanged manner and independent of different but constant background signals which act in parallel to the perturbation. Background compensation occurs by ‘coherent feedback’ mechanisms where additional control variables feed directly back to the controlled variable. This paper extends a previous study on background compensation to include phase responses in frequency controlled coherent feedback oscillators. While the frequency resetting amplitude in coherent feedback oscillators is found to be dependent on the inflow/outflow perturbation of the controlled variable and thereby become phase dependent, the frequency resetting itself and the corresponding phase response curves are found to be background compensated. It is speculated that this type of background compensation may be an additional way how ambient noise can be ‘ignored’ by organisms.
Deep-learning-based pyramid-transformer for localized porosity analysis of hot-press sintered ceramic paste
Authors: Xia Zhongyi , Wu Boqi , Chan C. Y. , Wu Tianzhao , Zhou Man , Kong Ling Bing
Published: September 2024

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is a crucial tool for studying microstructures of ceramic materials. However, the current practice heavily relies on manual efforts to extract porosity from SEM images. To address this issue, we propose PSTNet (Pyramid Segmentation Transformer Net) for grain and pore segmentation in SEM images, which merges multi-scale feature maps through operations like recombination and upsampling to predict and generate segmentation maps. These maps are used to predict the corresponding porosity at ceramic grain boundaries. To increase segmentation accuracy and minimize loss, we employ several strategies. (1) We train the micro-pore detection and segmentation model using publicly available Al2O3 and custom Y2O3 ceramic SEM images. We calculate the pixel percentage of segmented pores in SEM images to determine the surface porosity at the corresponding locations. (2) Utilizing high-temperature hot pressing sintering, we prepared and captured scanning electron microscope images of Y2O3 ceramics, with which a Y2O3 ceramic dataset was constructed through preprocessing and annotation. (3) We employed segmentation penalty cross-entropy loss, smooth L1 loss, and structural similarity (SSIM) loss as the constituent terms of a joint loss function. The segmentation penalty cross-entropy loss helps suppress segmentation loss bias, smooth L1 loss is utilized to reduce noise in images, and incorporating structural similarity into the loss function computation guides the model to better learn structural features of images, significantly improving the accuracy and robustness of semantic segmentation. (4) In the decoder stage, we utilized an improved version of the multi-head attention mechanism (MHA) for feature fusion, leading to a significant enhancement in model performance. Our model training is based on publicly available laser-sintered Al2O3 ceramic datasets and self-made high-temperature hot-pressed sintered Y2O3 ceramic datasets, and validation has been completed. Our Pix Acc score improves over the baseline by 12.2%, 86.52 vs. 76.01, and the mIoU score improves from by 25.5%, 69.10 vs. 51.49. The average relative errors on datasets Y2O3 and Al2O3 were 6.9% and 6.36%, respectively.
Association of social vulnerability factors with power outage burden in Washington state: 2018–2021
Authors: Richards Claire A. , Amiri Solmaz , Walden Von P. , Postma Julie , Heidari Kapourchali Mohammad , Zuur Alain F.
Published: September 2024

Major power outages have risen over the last two decades, largely due to more extreme weather conditions. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the distribution of power outages and its relationship to social vulnerability and co-occurring hazards. We examined the associations between localized outages and social vulnerability factors (demographic characteristics), controlling for environmental factors (weather), in Washington State between 2018–2021. We additionally analyzed the validity of PowerOutage.us data compared to federal datasets. The population included 27 counties served by 14 electric utilities. We developed a continuous measure of daily outage burden using PowerOutage.us data and operationalized social vulnerability using four factors: poverty level, unemployment, disability, and limited English proficiency. We applied zero-altered lognormal generalized additive mixed-effects models to characterize the relationship between social vulnerability and daily power outage burden, controlling for daily minimum temperature, maximum wind speed, and precipitation, from 2018 to 2021 in Washington State. We found that social vulnerability factors have non-linear relationships with outages. Wind and precipitation are consistent drivers of outage occurrence and duration. There are seasonal effects that vary by county-utility area. Both PowerOutage.us and federal datasets have missing and inaccurate outage data. This is the first study evaluating differential exposure to localized outages as related to social vulnerability that has accounted for weather and temporal correlation. There is a lack of transparency into power outage distribution for those most vulnerable to climate impacts, despite known contributions by electric utilities to climate change. For effective public health surveillance of power outages and transparency, outage data should be made available at finer spatial resolution and temporal scales and/or utilities should be required to report differential exposure to power outages for socially vulnerable populations.
Understanding anti-immigration sentiment spreading on Twitter
Authors: Nasuto Andrea , Rowe Francisco
Published: September 2024

Immigration is one of the most salient topics in public debate. Social media heavily influences opinions on immigration, often sparking polarized debates and offline tensions. Studying 220,870 immigration-related tweets in the UK, we assessed the extent of polarization, key content creators and disseminators, and the speed of content dissemination. We identify a high degree of online polarization between pro and anti-immigration communities. We found that the anti-migration community is small but denser and more active than the pro-immigration community with the top 1% of users responsible for over 23% of anti-immigration tweets and 21% of retweets. We also discovered that anti-immigration content spreads also 1.66 times faster than pro-immigration messages and bots have minimal impact on content dissemination. Our findings suggest that identifying and tracking highly active users could curb anti-immigration sentiment, potentially easing social polarization and shaping broader societal attitudes toward migration.