bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrating 2-D Video Actors into 3-D Augmented-Reality Systems
Authors: MacIntyre Blair , Lohse Marco , Bolter Jay David , Moreno Emmanuel
Published: July 2002

In this paper, we discuss the integration of 2-D video actors into 3-D augmentedreality (AR) systems. In the context of our research on narrative forms for AR, we have found ourselves needing highly expressive content that is most easily created by human actors. We discuss the feasibility and utility of using video actors in an AR situation and then present our Video Actor Framework (including the VideoActor editor and the Video3D Java package) for easily integrating 2-D videos of actors into Java 3D, an object-oriented 3-D graphics programming environment. The framework is based on the idea of supporting tight spatial and temporal synchronization between the content of the video and the rest of the 3-D world. We present a number of illustrative examples that demonstrate the utility of the toolkit and editor. We close with a discussion and example of our recent work implementing these ideas in Macromedia Director, a popular multimedia production tool.
Data Compression and Hardware Implementation of Ray-Space Rendering for Interactive Augmented Virtuality
Authors: Sakagawa Yukio , Katayama Akihiro , Kotake Daisuke , Tamura Hideyuki
Published: July 2002

This article describes approaches to solve two drawbacks of ray-space representation: the large amount of data necessary to represent an object and the massive use of CPU to render an image. Ray-space representation, an image-based rendering technique, is used in our interactive augmented virtuality system. We developed a compression method optimized for ray-space data and a hardware architecture to render images from ray-space data. The compression method uses a hybrid combination of motion-compensated prediction, discrete cosine transform, and vector quantization. The proposed method compresses the data while assuring random and fast access to the decoded data. The dedicated hardware architecture for consumer PCs to interactively render photorealistic images using ray-space representation is also described. This hardware architecture is used to efficiently transfer the processing load from the CPU to the hardware. These two improvements help to use PCs that do not have much memory and CPU resources in applications such as an interactive virtual museum, in which the scenes are generated from both geometric model data and ray-space data.
Decision Analysis Frameworks for Life‐Cycle Impact Assessment
Authors: Seppälä Jyri , Basson Lauren , Norris Gregory A.
Published: July 2002

Life‐cycle impact assessments (LCIAs) are complex because they almost always involve uncertain consequences relative to multiple criteria. Several authors have noticed that this is precisely the sort of problem addressed by methods of decision analysis. Despite several experiences of using multipleattribute decision analysis (MADA) methods in LCIA, the possibilities of MADA methods in LCIA are rather poorly elaborated in the field of life‐cycle assessment. In this article we provide an overview of the commonly used MADA methods and discuss LCIA in relation to them. The article also presents how different frames and tools developed by the MADA community can be applied in conducting LCIAs. Although the exact framing of LCIA using decision analysis still merits debate, we show that the similarities between generic decision analysis steps and their LCIA counterparts are clear. Structuring of an assessment problem according to a value tree offers a basis for the definition of impact categories and classification. Value trees can thus be used to ensure that all relevant impact categories and interventions are taken into account in the appropriate manner. The similarities between multiattribute value theory (MAVT) and the current calculation rule applied in LCIA mean that techniques, knowledge, and experiences derived from MAVT can be applied to LCIA. For example, MAVT offers a general solution for the calculation of overall impact values and it can be applied to help discern sound from unsound approaches to value measurement, normalization, weighting, and aggregation in the LCIA model. In addition, the MAVT framework can assist in the methodological development of LCIA because of its well‐established theoretical foundation. The relationship between MAVT and the current LCIA methodology does not preclude application of other MADA methods in the context of LCIA. A need exists to analyze the weaknesses and the strengths of different multiple‐criteria decision analysis methods in order to identify those methods most appropriate for different LCIA applications.
Approaches for Quantifying the Metabolism of Physical Economies: Part I: Methodological Overview
Authors: Daniels Peter L. , Moore Stephen
Published: July 2002

This article is the first of a two‐part series that describes and compares the essential features of nine existing “physical economy” approaches for quantifying the material demands of the human economy upon the natural environment. A range of material flow analysis (MFA) and related techniques is assessed and compared in terms of several major dimensions. These include the system boundary identification for material flow sources, extents, and the key socioinstitutional entities containing relevant driving forces, as well as the nature and detailing of system components and flow interconnections, and the comprehensiveness and types of flows and materials covered.

Shared conceptual themes of a new wave of physical economy approaches are described with a brief overview of the potential applications of this broad family of methodologies. The evolving and somewhat controversial nature of the characteristics and role that define MFA is examined. This review suggests the need to specify whether MFA is a general metabolic flow measurement procedure that can be applied from micro to macrolevels of economic activity, or a more specific methodology aimed primarily at economy‐wide analyses that “map” the material relations between society and nature. Some alternative options for classifying MFA are introduced for discussion before a more detailed comparative summary of the key methodological features of each approach in the second part of this two‐part article.

The review is presented (1) as a reference and resource for the increasing number of policy makers and practitioners involved in industrial ecology and the evaluation of the material basis of economies and the formulation of eco‐efficiency strategies, and (2) to provoke discussion and ongoing dialogue to clarify the many existing areas of discordance in environmental accounting related to material flows, and help consolidate the methodological basis and application of MFA.
Combining a Geographical Information System and Process Engineering to Design an Agricultural‐Industrial Ecosystem
Authors: Özyurt Derya B. , Realff Matthew J.
Published: July 2002

A methodology to systematically construct an industrial ecosystem is presented in the context of a specific biomass input of peanut hulls and a process complex of activated carbon, adhesive precursor, and hydrogen. The methodology consists of three phases: locating sources and sinks of potential materials for exchange or upgrading; filtering feasible exchanges, the exchange candidates, and locations for new infrastructure; and generating optimal configurations for the industrial ecosystem based on the objective of maximizing the system benefit, defined in the particular case study as the revenue that is generated by the system. To implement the methodology two computer tools are combined: geographic information systems (GIS) and mathematical programming. A screening problem formulation is developed that uses feasibility contours to help reduce the number of candidate material and energy linkages. A case study describing a prospective agro‐industrial complex in the state of Georgia, U.S.A., is given.
Materials and Energy Flow Analysis of Paper Consumption in the United Kingdom, 1987‐2010
Authors: Sundin Erik , Svensson Niclas , McLaren Jake , Jackson Tim
Published: July 2002

This article presents the results of a life‐cycle materials and energy flow analysis for the pulp and paper cycle in the United Kingdom. Material flows are reconstructed for the period be‐tween 1987 and 1996 for all major processes associated with the paper cycle, and system energy requirements are calculated over this period using the best available data. Attention is drawn to the import dependence of U.K. paper demand, and the significant energy requirements associated with upstream forestry processes. The historical trend analysis is then used to model possible future developments in materials and energy consumption until 2010 under a variety of assumptions about process technology improvements, wastepaper utilization rates, and changing demand trends. The results indicate that policy options to increase recycling yield some energy benefits, but these are small by comparison with the benefits to be gained by reducing consumption of paper and improving process technology. The structure of the electricity supply industry in the United Kingdom means that global energy benefits could also be achieved by increasing the contribution from imported pulp.
Pollution Havens and the Transfer of Environmental Risk
Authors: Strohm Laura A.
Published: July 2002

The pollution haven debate fractures along three fault lines: scope, methodology, and values. The scope of the pollution havens question must go beyond the original definition (intentional use of lax environmental regulations to attract foreign investment) to include a broader assessment of the transfer of environmental risk. Whether attributed to governmental policy or to the behavior of firms, or both, environmental risk can be transferred as hazardous products, processes, wastes, or displaced resource extraction. Researchers mistrust each other's methodologies, especially as the conventional economic analyses consider value discussions about global environmental justice issues outside their jurisdiction. This author questions whether the transfer of environmental risk is the result of sovereign risk assessment, consciously exchanging cost for adequate compensation; or alternatively, an unethical export of environmental hazard to vulnerable societies.
DOES LACHISH LETTER 4 CONTRADICT JEREMIAH XXXIV 7?
Authors: Begin Ze'ev
Published: July 2002

According to Jer. xxxiv 7, the Babylonian army, while advancing towards Jerusalem ca. 589 B.C.E., conquered all Judean fortresses except for Azekah and Lachish. On the other hand, the contemporary Lachish letter 4 was interpreted as signifying that Azekah had fallen into the hands of the Babylonians before the letter had been sent to Lachish from a nearby fortress. A fourth century B.C.E. ostracon indicates that that fortress could be Maresha. Since there is no line of vision between Maresha and Azekah, the dramatic interpretation of the Lachish letter 4 should be rejected and thus the letter does not contradict Jer. xxxiv 7. A new interpretation to the Lachish letter 4 is proposed, from which the main conclusion is that the defenders of Maresha, being unable to see Azekah, looked out southwards for the signals from Lachish in order to afford themselves an early warning of an attack from the north.
LE SACRIFICE DE PURIFICATION: UN SACRIFICE AMBIGU?
Authors: Lemardelé Christophe
Published: July 2002

Le sacrifice de purification (hattā't) a un sens complexe. Dans le cas du nazir, il apparaît qu'il préserve de l'impureté. Quant à l'usage du sang de ce sacrifice, il semble indiquer deux destinataires opposés.
Animal Desiring: Nietzsche, Bataille, and a World without Image
Authors: Wirth Jason
Published: July 2002

This paper addresses the question of the earth. I center this effort on a reading of the figure of animality in the writings of Nietzsche and Bataille. I begin by accepting one of the decisive questions (die Entscheidungen) that Heidegger poses in the Beiträge zur Philosophie: "Whether nature is degraded to the exploitative place of calculation and furnishing and to an opportunity to 'have an experience' or whether nature as the self-closing Earth bears the opening of a world without image." In an attempt to think the Earth, I argue that the human as a natural kind emerges in denial or flight from animality. Animality renders natural kinds porous. It does not congeal into a categorically delimitable operation, but rather interrupts and multiplies such operations. Moreover, they multiply them with what Nietzsche called "transvaluative" force. Animality contests the closure of a discourse on kinds of animals.
Phenomenology on (the) Rocks
Authors: Klaver Irene
Published: July 2002

"Phenomenology on (the) Rocks" shows how an interest in the natural realm can be congruent with globalization if we conceive this globality in a vernacular way. Husserl and Merleau-Ponty first developed a tentative conceptual instrumentarium for this direction of thought. Through a broadening of traditional phenomenology as a philosophy of primordial constitution based upon intentionality of the subject, they began thinking in terms of co-constitution and operative intentionality. In the rest of the paper I mainly show how operant intentionality works in and through the way we take up - or are taken up by - that which seems the most indifferent and impervious to us, namely - the world of stones.
Medicaid Spending and Health-Related Social Needs in the North Carolina Healthy Opportunities Pilots Program
Authors: Berkowitz Seth A. , Archibald Jessica , Yu Zhitong , LaPoint Myklynn , Ali Salma , Vu Maihan B. , Dave Gaurav , Flower Kori B. , Domino Marisa Elena
Published: February 2025

Importance

Health-related social needs are drivers of worse health and high health care spending. In North Carolina Medicaid’s 1115 waiver, the Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP) program allows for nonmedical services to address health-related social needs, such as healthy food boxes and housing navigation, financed by Medicaid, in 3 regions of North Carolina.

Objective

To determine whether individual participation in the HOP program is associated with lower Medicaid spending.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Comparative interrupted time series evaluation using North Carolina Medicaid data from March 2021 through November 2023. The 13 227 HOP enrollees were compared with 73 469 Medicaid beneficiaries reporting a health-related social need (a HOP eligibility criterion), but who were ineligible for HOP due to county of residence.

Exposure

Participation in HOP.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the sum of spending by Medicaid on medical and HOP services per beneficiary per month. Secondary outcomes included health care use (emergency department visits, inpatient admissions, and outpatient visits).

Results

Among 13 227 HOP and 73 469 comparison group members, the mean age was 23.4 (SD, 18.8) years, 63.9% were female, 42.4% were Black, and 57.4% were White (participants could report >1 race). Mean monthly preindex spending was $828 (SD, $5105). Of HOP enrollees, 89% received at least 1 HOP service, and 85% of services were food services. The comparative interrupted time series analysis estimated that spending increased at the month of HOP enrollment (change in level, $687; 95% CI, $420-$954). However, the trend in spending for HOP participants was differentially lower (change in trend, −$85 per beneficiary per month; 95% CI, −$122 to −$48; P < .001) relative to a counterfactual scenario without HOP. Taken together, these findings indicated that monthly spending was equivalent to estimated counterfactual expenditures by month 8 after starting HOP and lower thereafter. Emergency department visit trend was differentially lower for HOP participants (−6 per 1000 person-months; 95% CI, −8 to −4). There was no statistically significant differential trend in hospitalizations (−1 per 1000 person-months; 95% CI, −2 to 0) or outpatient visits (1 per 1000 person-months; 95% CI, −7 to 9).

Conclusions and Relevance

Results of this study suggest that the HOP program was associated with increased spending at enrollment, followed by a subsequently lower spending trend.
Managing Sophisticated Fraud in Online Research
Authors: Mozaffarian Rebecca S. , Norris Jasmine M. , Kenney Erica L.
Published: February 2025

This cross-sectional study examines fraudulent responses in an online study and shares strategies for preventing and detecting online recruitment fraud.
Long-Term Toxicity of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors—Time to Widen the Lens
Authors: Cronin Christopher , O'Sullivan Aoife , Naidoo Jarushka
Published: February 2025

This Viewpoint discusses the need to quantify the long-term adverse effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors, particularly immune-related adverse effects, which are not universally dose dependent, limiting the value of conventional adverse event grading systems.
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Compliance and Outcomes for Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery
Authors: Wagoner Chad W. , Thomas Abby , Dort Joseph C. , Nelson Gregg , Sauro Khara M.
Published: February 2025

Importance

Few studies have examined the association between enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) compliance and postoperative outcomes within head and neck (HN) free flap reconstructive surgery. Doing so may inform future interventions to improve ERAS adoption and improve postoperative outcomes.

Objective

To assess overall compliance with ERAS guidelines and its association with postoperative outcomes among individuals undergoing HN free flap reconstructive surgery.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent ERAS-guided HN major reconstructive surgery in Alberta, Canada between January 2017 and September 2021. Data analysis occurred from May 2024 until August 2024.

Main Outcomes and Measures

ERAS compliance was assessed for 17 ERAS care elements, and the total compliance score for each patient was a sum of the compliance for each ERAS care element. Compliance was categorized as low compliance (<53%), moderate compliance (53%-72%), and high compliance (>72%). Postoperative outcomes included hospital length of stay and hospital readmission and emergency department admissions within 30 days, intensive care unit readmission, complications, and severe complications. Unadjusted and adjusted models (using backward stepwise regression) assessed associations between ERAS compliance (exposure) and postoperative outcomes.

Results

Of 257 patients, 90 (35.0%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 62.4 (13.3) years. Overall, 196 (76.3%) had moderate compliance, 50 (19.5%) had low ERAS compliance, and 11 (4.3%) had high compliance. Preoperative (86%) and intraoperative (73%) ERAS compliance exceeded postoperative compliance (38%). Compliance for ERAS care elements varied widely, with the highest compliance observed for preincision antibiotic prophylaxis (99.6%) and the lowest compliance observed for postoperative early mobilization (10.2%). Postoperative hospital length of stay decreased by 0.71 days (95% CI, −1.34 to −0.08), and the odds of experiencing complications decreased by 28% (odds ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.56-0.90) for each 1-unit increase in the total ERAS compliance score.

Conclusions and Relevance

This results of this cohort study suggest that higher overall compliance with ERAS guidelines was associated with improved postoperative outcomes for individuals undergoing major HN free flap reconstructive surgery. There also appeared to be discrepancies in compliance between preoperative and postoperative phases, suggesting areas for interventions designed to improve adherence to ERAS protocols and underscoring the need for proactive compliance monitoring for optimizing patient outcomes in major HN surgery.
Elastic Relaxation of Coherent InGaN/GaN Interfaces at the Microwire LED Sidewall
Authors: Kim Jongil , Yeo Jinwook , Park Bumsu , Jeong Jeehun , Ryu Seunghwa , Oh Sang Ho
Published: February 2025

Elastic relaxation of lattice misfit strain via traction‐free surface results in complex 3D strain distribution and morphological modification at the boundary of epitaxial heterostructure. While this phenomenon is extensively studied, the influence of the interface coherency constraining the strain relaxation has received little attention. Here it is shown that the interfacial shear stresses arise toward the traction free sidewall of microscale light emitting diode (LED) wires while the two complementary strained InGaN and GaN layers are relaxed to revert their bulk lattice parameters near the sidewall. The shear stresses with opposite signs achieve mechanical equilibrium by counterbalancing the change in the sign of the in‐plane strain in each layer of the near‐surface region. A unique nonmonotonic modulation of both normal and shear strain is detected unambiguously in the strain maps and corroborated by finite element modeling. An analytical model is developed based on the Airy stress function, which incorporates the superposition of alternating in‐plane pre‐stress and the image stress to satisfy the boundary condition. The resultant complex strain fields in microscale LEDs, where surface emission is dominant, alter strain‐induced piezoelectric polarization near the surface, significantly affecting electro‐optical efficiency and resulting in spectral broadening and/or wavelength shifts in emitted light.
Aqueous Zinc‐bromine Battery with Highly Reversible Bromine Conversion Chemistry
Authors: zhao xun , Hao junnan , chen qianru , zhang shao-jian , wu han , mao lei , Qiao Shizhang
Published: February 2025

Br2/Br conversion reaction with a high operating potential (1.85 V vs. Zn2+/Zn) is promising for designing high‐energy cathode in aqueous Zn batteries. However, the ultrahigh solubility of polybromides causes significant shuttle effects, capacity deterioration, and self‐discharge, rendering the study of static zinc‐bromine batteries in infant stage. Here, various aqueous zinc salt electrolytes are first screened, showing that compared to other salts, ZnSO4 is more suitable for Br‐based cathodes benefiting from its higher negative charge density and lower cost. Nevertheless, the significant shuttle effect of polybromides remains in such electrolyte. We further develop a targeted sequestration strategy to fundamentally confine polybromides migration from KBr cathode into electrolyte. In the high‐mass loading (22 mgKBr cm−2) pouch cells, the average Coulombic efficiency enhances from 92.3% to 99.8%, and self‐discharge performance dramatically improves from 17.4% capacity retention to 85.2% after 72 h of resting, indicating the effectiveness of our strategy in confining the shuttle effects. Furthermore, an Ah‐scale pouch cell delivers an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.88% and a zinc utilization of 22% at a high rate of 3 C. Our findings also pave a pathway for the design of advanced Br‐based cathodes.
Chitosan‐Hydroxyapatite Composite Membranes Reinforced with Functionalized Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for Advancing Guided Bone Regeneration
Authors: Tripathi Shivi , Dhimmar Bindiya , Mahapatra Chinmay , Vasita Rajesh , Singh Harpreet , Nanda Himansu Sekhar
Published: February 2025

Dental implant failure, often due to bone resorption and poor osteointegration, can be mitigated using barrier membranes to prevent non‐osteogenic tissue interference during bone healing. In addition to the existing barrier membranes, guided bone regeneration has opened new avenues for membrane design, allowing them to actively participate in bone regeneration rather than merely serving as barriers. In this context, the aim of this study was to fabricate a composite membrane that can mimic the native extracellular matrix of the native tissue. The novel composite membranes containing chitosan, hydroxyapatite (5%), and multiwall carbon nanotubes (0.5 to 2% ) were created using the solvent casting method. The composite membranes were assessed for morphology, structure, thermal, and mechanical properties. The non‐porous surfaces with uniformly dispersed particles in membranes showed that adding 0.5% functionalized MWCNTs enhanced tensile strength (5.25 MPa to 17.84 MPa) and Young's modulus (66.89 MPa to 747.02 MPa) but reduced thermal stability. The membranes maintained slightly alkaline pH without toxic leachates and demonstrated over 50% cell viability, suggesting their potential for guided bone regeneration in dental applications.
A Prediction Nomogram for Moderate‐to‐Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Chinese Very Preterm Infants With Respiratory Distress: A Multi‑Center Prospective Study
Authors: Wang Chenhong , Chen Zheng , Bai Guannan , Du Lizhong , Shi Yuan , Shi Liping ,   on the behalf of the China‐BPD Cohort Study Group Investigators
Published: February 2025

Moderate‐to‐severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (msBPD) is a prevalent and severe condition in very preterm infants, contributing to long‐term respiratory issues. Developing a predictive model specific to the Chinese population could support early intervention. This research focused on determining risk factors and developing a predictive model for msBPD in very preterm infants with respiratory distress, following the 2018 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development criteria. A prospective multicenter study was conducted across 26 tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in China from March 2020 to March 2022. Infants born at < 32 weeks' gestation, admitted within 72 h of birth with a respiratory score ≥ 5, were enrolled. Infants were assigned at random to either a training cohort (800 infants from 18 NICUs) or an external validation cohort (397 infants from 8 NICUs). Predictive factors were identified using multivariate logistic regression and Lasso regression, leading to the development of a prediction nomogram. Key independent predictors included birth weight, surfactant use, early pulmonary hypertension, duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, and necrotizing enterocolitis (Stages II–III). The model demonstrated high accuracy in the training cohort (AUC = 0.844) with good calibration (Hosmer–Lemeshow test, p = 0.247). Independent validation showed consistent discrimination (AUC = 0.849) and calibration (Hosmer–Lemeshow test, p = 0.333), while decision curve analysis confirmed clinical benefit. The developed nomogram‐based model offers reliable early msBPD risk assessment in very preterm infants, supporting timely clinical interventions within Chinese NICUs.
Active Terahertz Nonlocal Metasurfaces With Liquid Crystal Elastomers
Authors: Long Shangyan , Zhang Wei , Xue Zhanqiang , Xu Guizhen , Shum Perry Ping , Luo Dan , Cong Longqing
Published: February 2025

Achieving active tunability in metasurfaces remains a critical challenge, with conventional local metasurfaces limited by dispersive wavefront deflection and broad resonances that lack spectral selectivity. In contrast, nonlocal metasurfaces exhibit high selectivity, offering a promising platform for dynamic functionality. Here, an active nonlocal metasurface with exceptional spectral and spatial selectivity is experimentally demonstrated, leveraging the physics of bound states in the continuum and coupling phase. The metasurface achieves a deflected beam with a quality factor of 22 and a narrow beamwidth of 5°, focusing energy more precisely than local metasurfaces across both spectral and spatial domains. By integrating a liquid crystal elastomer substrate, tunable azimuthal deflection of 3° with 4.5% in‐plane deformation is realized. Furthermore, the coupling phase introduces polarization‐dependent in‐plane wavevectors, enabling the spatial separation of orthogonal polarization components while maintaining high selectivity and tunability. This active nonlocal metasurface architecture shows strong potential for polarization‐division multiplexing and demultiplexing with low cost and high environmental adaptation, paving the way for advanced terahertz devices, such as signal relays, processors, modulators, and transmitters, for next‐generation wireless communications.
Relationality and Data Justice for Trustworthy AI Practices in Africa
Authors: Ruttkamp-Bloem Emma
Published: February 2025

The aim of this chapter is to unpack what is needed to ensure the trustworthiness of AI practices in Africa through the lens of social justice considerations. The chapter is a call for a strategy for building a sustainable equitable AI ecosystem in Africa supported through trustworthy AI practices focused on public and communal benefit rather than enriching Big Tech companies on the other side of the world. I introduce the notion of ‘AI justice’, which is justice for every inhabitant of the African continent who engages with AI technology at any stage of its lifecycle, and which is a notion embedded in a relational ethic and emerging from a combination of data and design justice approaches as elements of social justice in the domain of AI. In this sense, an AI practice will be trustworthy when it protects the rights and benefits of the communities whose data it uses. In this sense I will speak of trustworthy AI practices ‘serving’ communities. This chapter is a challenge to all AI actors in Africa—the researchers, designers, developers, deployers, and users—to claim their collective ownership of the domain of AI and stand together to build social resilience against the Big Tech business model that drives algorithmic colonisation.
Building Trustworthiness as a Requirement for AI in Africa: Challenges, Stakeholders and Perspectives
Authors: Ndiaye Seydina Moussa
Published: February 2025

As Africa embraces the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for socio-economic development, the continent faces unique challenges and opportunities in building a trustworthy and sovereign AI ecosystem. While several African nations, led by Mauritius in 2018, have launched national AI strategies, the continent must navigate complex dynamics, including the digital divide and the risk of digital colonialism. The reliance on foreign AI solutions can undermine Africa's autonomy and perpetuate dependency, making it crucial to prioritise locally developed technologies that align with the continent's cultural and socio-economic realities. The African Union and other international initiatives have laid the groundwork for responsible AI deployment, emphasising ethics, inclusivity and local sovereignty. However, the success of AI in Africa hinges on the active engagement of diverse stakeholders, including governments, educational institutions, private sector entities, communities and multilateral organisations. These stakeholders must collaborate to create an ecosystem that fosters innovation, upholds ethical standards and mitigates the risks of external dependency by investing in homegrown AI solutions. Governments play a crucial role in establishing regulatory frameworks, promoting public-sector AI applications and forming strategic partnerships. Simultaneously, educational institutions are essential in cultivating AI talent and driving research, while the private sector and communities contribute to ecosystem vitality. Ensuring an inclusive, adaptive and resilient AI ecosystem will require ongoing collaboration and trust-building among all parties. Ultimately, a vibrant, self-regulated AI ecosystem can position Africa as a leader in global AI governance, harnessing technology for sustainable development while safeguarding its sovereignty.
Exploring Trustworthy AI in Nigeria: A Focus on Safety in Road Traffic
Authors: Ibrahim Memunat A. , Williams Elizabeth , Aruleba Kehinde
Published: February 2025

Safety is paramount in AI systems’ adoption and trust. Much of the work on trustworthy AI principles and practices are primarily from Western contexts, despite the often global deployment of AI-enabled systems. The lacking representation of African contexts and voices in AI safety discourse may lead to disproportionate harm from AI systems in Africa. In this chapter, we contribute an African perspective to AI safety by exploring safety in Nigerian road traffic—an environment where AI-enabled systems designed in Western contexts are gaining traction. With the view that safety is systemic, we explored (1) AI safety definitions and (2) practical safety in Nigerian road traffic by highlighting some of the safety impacts of automobility and its regulation in Nigeria. Drawing on these, we identified sociotechnical and environmental factors that are critical for safe AI development and adoption in Nigeria. We conclude the chapter by discussing the lessons and recommended actions for ensuring AI safety in Nigeria and other African countries. They include systemically prioritising Africa’s and Africans’ safety in AI systems through research and stakeholder engagements, local and global empowerment of African researchers, respecting African values and contributions to global AI discourse, and creating spaces for communal contributions to AI safety through public engagements and education.
“This robot is dictating her next steps in life”: disability justice and relational AI ethics
Authors: van Toorn Georgia , Scully Jackie Leach , Gendera Sandra
Published: February 2025

As automated technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making (ADM), become integral to social life, there is growing concern about their ethical implications. While issues of accountability, transparency, and fairness dominate discussions on “ethical” AI, little attention has been given to how socially disadvantaged groups most impacted by ADM systems form ethical judgments about them. Drawing on insights from relational ethics, this study uses dialogue groups with disabled people to explore how people distinguish between ‘more just’ or ‘less just’ uses of technology, and the contextual, situational, and relational factors that shape these judgments. For the dialogue group participants in our study, ethical reasoning was most strongly influenced by concerns about how ADM systems affect self-determination, caring relationships and identity recognition, and about the political–economic drivers of automation. The article contributes to AI ethics by empirically demonstrating that justice and ethics depend on the social relationships valued in different contexts and what is at stake, both personally and politically, in decisions aided by automation.
Current use of percutaneous ablation in renal tumors: an analysis of the registry of the German Society for Interventional Radiology and Minimally Invasive Therapy
Authors: Schaarschmidt Benedikt M. , Zensen Sebastian , Kesch Claudia , Dertnig Thomas , Opitz Marcel , Drews Marcel , Nadjiri Jonathan , Forsting Michael , Hadaschik Boris A. , Haubold Johannes
Published: February 2025

Objective

To evaluate the success and complications of thermal ablation (TA) based on the voluntary, prospective registry of the German Society for Interventional Radiology and Minimally Invasive Therapy (DeGIR) with 303 participating centers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Materials and methods

Registry data from 2018 until 2023 of 1102 patients with small renal tumors (age: 72.5 ± 11.6 years; female: 33.6%, 370/1102) were analyzed. Hospitals with ≥ 20 TAs were considered high-volume centers. Technical success and complication rates between different parameters were compared using the chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Patients were most frequently treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA, 43.6%, 481/1102), then microwave ablation (MWA, 41.9%, 462/1102) or cryoablation (13.3%, 147/1102). Technical success for heat-based TA (RFA&MWA) was 94.3% (893/947), for cryoablation 97.3% (143/147). RFA&MWA was significantly more successful in lesions ≤ 3 cm (96.1%, 567/590) compared to 3–4 cm lesions (89.8%, 97/108; p = 0.005). In patients treated with cryoablation, no significant differences between sizes could be found (≤ 3 cm: 97.9%, 94/96; 3–4 cm: 85.7%, 12/14; p = 0.078). Complication rate was significantly higher in RFA&MWA of lesions 3–4 cm compared to ≤ 3 cm (≤ 3 cm: 3.9%, 23/590; 3–4 cm: 11.1%, 12/108, p = 0.002), while no significant differences were seen regarding cryoablation (≤ 3 cm: 1.0%, 1/96; 3–4 cm: 0.0%, 0/14; p = 1.000).

Conclusions

In this exploratory analysis of the DeGIR registry, percutaneous TA of small renal masses is technically feasible with low complication rates. Heat-based TAs seem to have lower success rates and higher complication rates in larger tumors. Cryoablation could potentially be a safe alternative for 3- to 4-cm-sized tumors.

Key Points

Question

How effective is renal thermal ablation (TA) in terms of treatment success and complication rates?

Findings

In contrast to cryoablation, heat-based thermal ablation has lower success and higher complication rates in tumors measuring 3–4 cm compared to tumors < 3 cm.

Clinical relevance

Thermal ablation is not influenced by the need for additional techniques such as cooling, protective organ displacement, or temporary vessel occlusion. For small renal tumors, TA is an effective and safe treatment option. Cryoablation could be beneficial in larger tumors.

Graphical Abstract
From collective intelligence to global optimisation: an agent-based model approach
Authors: Garzón Martha , Álvarez-Pomar Lindsay , Rojas-Galeano Sergio
Published: February 2025

Drawing inspiration from online question-and-answer communities often regarded as embodiments of Collective Intelligence (CI), this study investigates the dynamics of reputation-driven and distributed network interactions in multi-agent systems as a model for problem-solving in global optimisation. We explore the interplay among diverse participants, including Solvers motivated by reputation and Users seeking net benefits, recognising its critical role in fostering success within these communities. Our study translates the principles of CI inherent in these interactions into a novel agent-based search algorithm for unconstrained optimisation of continuous-valued cost functions. Empirical testing across a suite of established benchmark problems allows a comparative analysis of its performance against alternative agent-based methodologies. These findings underscore the algorithm’s advantages across diverse optimisation 2D landscapes, highlighting the potential of the CI framework as a promising avenue in metaheuristic research. They illustrate how the interaction between individual actors and the collective, favours the emergence of global solutions in unknown environments, mirroring similar emergent phenomena observed in social organisations.
Affordances, constraints, and implications of ChatGPT in education from a social-ecological perspective: A data mining approach
Authors: Zhong Yuchun , Lian Jie , Huang Hao , Deng Hao
Published: February 2025

This study investigated the affordances, constraints, and implications of ChatGPT in education using the affordance theory and social-ecological systems theory. We employed a data mining approach that blends social media analytics including sentiment analysis and topic modelling and qualitative analysis to extract viewpoints from a collection of datasets consisting of 33,456 tweets. Key findings indicate that 42.1% of analysed tweets conveyed a positive sentiment, 39.6% were neutral, and only 18.3% conveyed a negative sentiment. We also identified five categories of ChatGPT properties (e.g., text and data analysis, AI and machine learning) and an array of affordances of ChatGPT in education (e.g., facilitating student personalised learning, classroom instruction, provision of educational resources, curriculum changes, and assessment). Meanwhile, the findings revealed key concerns, including academic dishonesty, bias, and ethics that warrant attention. This study contributes to a real-time understanding of the impact of ChatGPT on education and informs researchers, educators, and policymakers to take a holistic approach to evaluating ChatGPT in educational practices.
AutInsight: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of a Consumer-Informed Parent Support Program for Parents of Autistic Children
Authors: Lee Jia Ying Sarah , Whittingham Koa , Mitchell Amy E.
Published: February 2025

AutInsight is an innovative, consumer-informed parent support program for parents of autistic children grounded in perspectives from qualitative research with autistic adults. The current study outlines the development and evaluation of AutInsight through a pilot randomised controlled trial. Parents (N = 41) of autistic children (10 years and younger) were randomly allocated to AutInsight (n = 20) or care-as-usual (n = 21) and completed online questionnaires across three timepoints (baseline, post-program and 3-month follow-up). Measures include parental sensitivity, parental acceptance and understanding, psychological flexibility, mindful parenting, parental mental health, overall family experience, quality of life, and child behaviours. Intent-to-treat analyses indicated greater rates of improvement for parents allocated to the AutInsight program, with small- to medium-sized effects for parent-reported parental sensitivity (EA-SR mutual attunement d = 0.84, EA-SR child involvement d = 0.50), as well as overall autism family experience (AFEQtotal
d = 0.38, AFEQfamily life
d = 0.29). Greater rates of improvement were also found in parent-reported child conduct problems (SDQ d = 0.62) and prosocial behaviours (SDQ d = 0.48). No significant results were found in observed parental sensitivity or any other measure. Results suggest preliminary evidence of effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of the AutInsight program. A larger, fully powered trial is warranted. This trial was prospectively registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Trial ID: ACTRN12623000806662).
Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate Ameliorates Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy by Inhibiting Autophagy and Inflammation in the Brain
Authors: Lu Yang , Zuo Zhiyi
Published: February 2025

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is common and has poor clinical outcome. Sepsis increases autophagy in the brain. This study was designed to determine the role of autophagy on SAE including the brain structures related to learning and memory and the effects of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), an anti-inflammatory agent, on autophagy and SAE. Six- to eight-week old CD-1 male mice were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Some mice received intracerebroventricular injection of the autophagy suppressor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or intraperitoneal injection of PDTC immediately at the completion of the CLP. ELISA was used to measure interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor α. Autophagy-related protein expression in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus was analyzed by Western blotting. The cognitive functions of mice were analyzed by Barnes maze and fear conditioning tests. CLP increased microtubuleassociated protein light chain 3 II (LC3II) and Beclin 1 and decreased p62 in the brain. CLP also increased proinflammatory cytokines and impaired learning and memory. These effects were inhibited by 3-MA and PDTC. Spine proliferation and maturation were impaired by CLP, which was attenuated by PDTC and 3MA. Abundant autophagic vacuoles were observed by transmission electron microscopy in CLP group. LC3II immunostaining was co-localized with that of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 and microtubule-associated protein-2. The co-staining was attenuated by 3-MA and PDTC. Our results suggest that sepsis increases autophagy in the microglia and neurons. Inhibiting autophagy improves SAE and brain structures related to learning and memory in mice. Autophagy and inflammation in the brain may regulate each other during sepsis.
In vitro validation concept for lyophilized fecal microbiota products with a focus on bacterial viability
Authors: Sedeek Sara A. , Farowski Fedja , Youssafi Stella , Tsakmaklis Anastasia , Brodesser Susanne , El-Attar Madiha M. , Abdelmalek Mohamed Omar , Vehreschild Maria J. G. T.
Published: February 2025

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) effectively treats recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), typically administered as a fresh or frozen stool suspension through colonoscopy, nasojejunal tube, or oral capsules. Lyophilized fecal microbiota (LFM) are an alternative to frozen FM products. We aimed to assess whether lyophilization affects bacterial viability and metabolite levels and to develop LFM capsules for clinical use in Germany. Fecal donations from pre-screened volunteers were aliquoted and analyzed through microbial cell counting, bacterial culture, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and bile acid assays. Results showed higher counts of viable bacterial cells and cultured anaerobes in unprocessed stool compared to freshly processed stool (p = 0.012 and p < 0.001, respectively). No significant difference in viable bacterial counts was found between freshly processed (day 0), lyophilized (day 3) and frozen FM (day 3) (p = 0.15), nor between freshly processed (day 0), lyophilized (days 30 and 90) and frozen FM (day 30) (p = 0.07). lyophilization did not significantly impact bile acid and 16S rRNA profiling. Encapsulation of lyophilized powder required fewer capsules (10–14) than frozen capsules (30). LFM products are a practical, viable alternative to frozen and fresh FM products, potentially improving storage and patient acceptance.
Prevention of acid rock drainage formation through pyrite inhibition by silica coating
Authors: Butar Butar Dantie Claudia , Alakangas Lena , Kaasalainen Hanna , Ronne Erik
Published: February 2025

Passive treatment of acid rock drainage (ARD) is a sustainable approach to control ARD, with sulfide inhibition by silica being a promising alternative. In a small-scale column leaching, a total of four cells loaded with pyritic waste rock (11 wt% S) from an operating Cu mine in Sweden were kept in a climatic chamber at a controlled temperature and humidity. The waste rock was leached for 11 weeks before treatment using alkaline silicate solution was applied, without pH buffer and adjuster. One cell was left untreated, whereas the others were treated with silicate solution as a source of dissolved silica, with and without H2O2 pre-oxidation. The pH in silica-treated cells generated leachate with circumneutral pH until the end of the leaching cycle, whereas sulfide oxidation accelerated in the absence of treatment. Leachate quality in all Si-treated cells improved, as evidenced by the suppressed release of sulfur and other metals (e.g., Al, Fe, Cu, Co, Mn, and Ni). Upon treatment with a longer contact time, silica (SiO2) layer developed on waste rock and inhibited pyrite. The layer remained stable upon extended exposure to air and water for up to 10 weeks after treatment. Despite forming a siliceous Fe–O phase, H2O2 pre-oxidation resulted in indirect oxidation of sulfides and other phases. With an excess of silicate solution and at alkaline pH, pyrite surfaces are devoid of coating and metal ions were mobilized. Finally, this study suggested that treatment of pyritic waste rock using silica can attenuate ARD formation and prevent metal leaching by pyrite inhibition and maintaining a circumneutral pH environment or both.