bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Worry perception and its association with work conditions among healthcare workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a web-based multimethod survey at a university hospital in Sweden
Authors: Alexiou Eirini , Wijk Helle , Åkerström Magnus , Jonsdottir Ingibjörg H , Degl’ Innocenti Alessio , Ahlstrom Linda
Published: February 2024

Objectives

In this study, we explored healthcare workers’ (HCWs) worry perception and its association with their work situation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design

A web-based multimethods survey including multiple choice and open-ended questions was used.

Setting

The study was conducted at a university hospital in Sweden.

Participants

All HCWs who were working during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March–June 2020 were eligible. HCWs (n=6484, response rate=41%) from 69 departments fulfilled the study inclusion criteria and responded to the survey. Of them, we analysed data from the 3532 participants who replied to the open-ended questions (54% of the respondents).

Main outcomes measures

Worry perception and its association with work conditions among HCWs.

Results

29% (n=1822) and 35% (n=2235) of the responding HCWs experienced a daily or more than daily strong worry of being infected or infecting others with SARS-CoV-2. This finding could be further confirmed and explored with themes from the qualitative results: ‘ambiguity of feeling safe and secure’, ‘being obliged to adapt to a new reality’ and ‘into the unknown’. The themes consisted of 6 main categories and 15 subcategories. The findings revealed that the two main drivers of worry perceived by HCWs were lack of personal protective equipment and fear of bringing the virus home to their families and friends.

Conclusions

Worries of getting infected are common among HCWs during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Several factors are raised that plausibly could minimise the negative effects of worry among HCWs. Thus, effective preventive work plans should be created, promoted and communicated in order to minimise the effects of such crises and support HCWs. By focusing on effective communication and preparedness, including access to relevant protective equipment and providing general support to HCWs, the work environment and patient care could be sustained during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Predicting the effects of introducing an emergency transport system in low-income and middle-income countries: a spatial-epidemiological modelling study
Authors: Scandrett Katie , Lilford Richard , Nepogodiev Dmitri , Katikireddi Srinivasa Vittal , Davies Justine , Tabiri Stephen , Watson Samuel I
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Many low-income and middle-income countries lack an organised emergency transportation system, leaving people to arrange informal transport to hospital in the case of a medical emergency. Estimating the effect of implementing an emergency transport system is impractical and expensive, so there is a lack of evidence to support policy and investment decisions. Alternative modelling strategies may be able to fill this gap.

Methods

We have developed a spatial-epidemiological model of emergency transport for life-threatening conditions. The model incorporates components to both predict travel times across an area of interest under different scenarios and predict survival for emergency conditions as a function of time to receive care. We review potentially relevant data sources for different model parameters. We apply the model to the illustrative case study of providing emergency transport for postpartum haemorrhage in Northern Ghana.

Results

The model predicts that the effects of an ambulance service are likely to be ephemeral, varying according to local circumstances such as population density and road networks. In our applied example, the introduction of the ambulance service may save 40 lives (95% credible interval 5 to 111), or up to 107 lives (95% credible interval −293 to –13) may be lost across the region in a year, dependent on various model assumptions and parameter specifications. Maps showing the probability of reduced transfer time with the ambulance service may be particularly useful and allow for resource allocation planning.

Conclusions

Although there is scope for improvement in our model and in the data available to populate the model and inform parameter choices, we believe this work provides a foundation for pioneering methodology to predict the effect of introducing an ambulance system. Our spatial-epidemiological model includes much oppurtunity for flexibility and can be updated as required to best represent a chosen case study.
Global, regional and national burdens of bipolar disorders in adolescents and young adults: a trend analysis from 1990 to 2019
Authors: Zhong Yunxi , Chen Yifan , Su Xiaoying , Wang Meiqi , Li Qixiu , Shao Ziming , Sun Long
Published: February 2024

Background

Bipolar disorder is identified as a cause of severe damage to the physical, psychological and social functioning of adolescents and young adults.

Aims

The aim of this study is to ascertain the trends in the burden of bipolar disorder among individuals aged 10–24 years at global, regional and national levels from 1990 to 2019.

Methods

The data analysed in this study were from the Global Burden of Diseases 2019. The numbers, rates per 100 000 population, average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) of incidence, prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of bipolar disorder are reported at the global, regional and national levels among individuals aged 10–24 years. Global trends by age, sex and Social Development Index (SDI) were further analysed.

Results

Globally, the incidence of bipolar disorder among adolescents and young adults increased from 79.21 per 100 000 population (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 58.13 to 105.15) in 1990 to 84.97 per 100 000 population (95% UI: 61.73 to 113.46) in 2019, AAPC 0.24 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.22 to 0.26). In the past three decades, there has been an increase in incidence, prevalence and YLDs in both males and females. The largest increase in incidence between 1990 and 2019 was observed in those aged 20–24 years old (from 51.76 per 100 000 population (95% UI: 26.81 to 87.20) in 1990 to 58.37 per 100 000 population (95% UI: 30.39 to 98.55) in 2019; AAPC 0.42 (95% CI: 0.38 to 0.47)). By the SDI quintile, the largest increase in incidence was observed in the middle SDI; however, the high SDI countries had the highest incidence. Regionally, the largest increase in incidence was observed in southern Latin America. At the national level, the most pronounced increase in the incidence was in Greenland.

Conclusions

The global increase in incidence among adolescents and young adults between 1990 and 2019 indicates that strategies to improve their mental health still need to be emphasised.
Association of healthy lifestyle behaviours with incident irritable bowel syndrome: a large population-based prospective cohort study
Authors: Ho Fai Fai , Sun Hui , Zheng Hong , Wong David C N , Gao Yin-Yan , Mao Chen , Cheung Yin Ting , Lam Chun Sing , Wang Maggie H , Wu Irene Xin-Yin , Wu Justin C Y , Chung Vincent C H
Published: February 2024

Objectives

To evaluate the association between healthy lifestyle behaviours and the incidence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Design

Population-based prospective cohort study.

Setting

The UK Biobank.

Participants

64 268 adults aged 37 to 73 years who had no IBS diagnosis at baseline were enrolled between 2006 and 2010 and followed up to 2022.

Main exposure

The five healthy lifestyle behaviours studied were never smoking, optimal sleep, high level of vigorous physical activity, high dietary quality and moderate alcohol intake.

Main outcome measure

The incidence of IBS.

Results

During a mean follow-up of 12.6 years, 961 (1.5%) incident IBS cases were recorded. Among the 64 268 participants (mean age 55.9 years, 35 342 (55.0%) female, 7604 (11.8%) reported none of the five healthy lifestyle behaviours, 20 662 (32.1%) reported 1 behaviour, 21 901 (34.1%) reported 2 behaviours and 14 101 (21.9%) reported 3 to 5 behaviours at baseline. The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios associated with having 1, 2 and 3 to 5 behaviours for IBS incidence were 0.79 (95% confidence intervals 0.65 to 0.96), 0.64 (0.53 to 0.78) and 0.58 (0.46 to 0.72), respectively (P for trend <0.001). Never smoking (0.86, 0.76 to 0.98, P=0.02), high level of vigorous physical activity (0.83, 0.73 to 0.95, P=0.006) and optimal sleep (0.73, 0.60 to 0.88, P=0.001) demonstrated significant independent inverse associations with IBS incidence. No significant interactions were observed between these associations and age, sex, employment status, geographic location, gastrointestinal infection, endometriosis, family history of IBS or lifestyle behaviours.

Conclusions

Adhering to a higher number of healthy lifestyle behaviours is significantly associated with a lower incidence of IBS in the general population. Our findings suggest the potential of lifestyle modifications as a primary prevention strategy for IBS.
Pain and functional neurological disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Steinruecke Moritz , Mason Isabel , Keen Mairi , McWhirter Laura , Carson Alan J , Stone Jon , Hoeritzauer Ingrid
Published: February 2024

Background

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is characterised by neurological symptoms, such as seizures and abnormal movements. Despite its significance to patients, the clinical features of chronic pain in people with FND, and of FND in people with chronic pain, have not been comprehensively studied.

Methods

We systematically reviewed PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO for studies of chronic pain in adults with FND and FND in patients with chronic pain. We described the proportions of patients reporting pain, pain rating and timing, pain-related diagnoses and responsiveness to treatment. We performed random effects meta-analyses of the proportions of patients with FND who reported pain or were diagnosed with pain-related disorders.

Results

Seven hundred and fifteen articles were screened and 64 were included in the analysis. Eight case–control studies of 3476 patients described pain symptoms in a higher proportion of patients with FND than controls with other neurological disorders. A random effects model of 30 cohorts found that an estimated 55% (95% CI 46% to 64%) of 4272 patients with FND reported pain. Random effects models estimated diagnoses of complex regional pain syndrome in 22% (95% CI 6% to 39%) of patients, irritable bowel syndrome in 16% (95% CI 9% to 24%) and fibromyalgia in 10% (95% CI 8% to 13%). Five studies of FND diagnoses among 361 patients with chronic pain were identified. Most interventions for FND did not ameliorate pain, even when other symptoms improved.

Conclusions

Pain symptoms and pain-related diagnoses are common in FND. Classification systems and treatments should routinely consider pain as a comorbidity in patients with FND.
Ethnic inequalities among NHS staff in England: workplace experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Rhead Rebecca , Harber-Aschan Lisa , Onwumere Juliana , Polling Catherine , Dorrington Sarah , Ehsan Annahita , Stevelink Sharon A M , Khunti Kamlesh , Mir Ghazala , Morriss Richard , Wessely Simon , Woodhead Charlotte , Hatch Stephani
Published: February 2024

Objectives

This study aims to determine how workplace experiences of National Health Service (NHS) staff varied by ethnicity during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these experiences are associated with mental and physical health at the time of the study.

Methods

An online Inequalities Survey was conducted by the Tackling Inequalities and Discrimination Experiences in Health Services study in collaboration with NHS CHECK. This Inequalities Survey collected measures relating to workplace experiences (such as personal protective equipment (PPE), risk assessments, redeployments and discrimination) as well as mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7)), and physical health (PHQ-15) from NHS staff working in the 18 trusts participating with the NHS CHECK study between February and October 2021 (N=4622).

Results

Regression analysis of this cross-sectional data revealed that staff from black and mixed/other ethnic groups had greater odds of experiencing workplace harassment (adjusted OR (AOR) 2.43 (95% CI 1.56 to 3.78) and 2.38 (95% CI 1.12 to 5.07), respectively) and discrimination (AOR 4.36 (95% CI 2.73 to 6.96) and 3.94 (95% CI 1.67 to 9.33), respectively) compared with white British staff. Staff from black ethnic groups also had greater odds than white British staff of reporting PPE unavailability (AOR 2.16 (95% CI 1.16 to 4.00)). Such workplace experiences were associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes, though this association varied by ethnicity. Conversely, understanding employment rights around redeployment, being informed about and having the ability to inform redeployment decisions were associated with lower odds of poor physical and mental health.

Conclusions

Structural changes to the way staff from ethnically minoritised groups are supported, and how their complaints are addressed by leaders within the NHS are urgently required.
X-ray CT quantification of in situ fabric evolution and shearing behaviour of granular soils of different particle shapes
Authors: Liu Jianbin , Leung Anthony Kwan , Jiang Zhenliang , Kootahi Karim , Zhang Zhongjian
Published: February 2024

The role of particle shape on soil mechanical response has been studied extensively especially through numerical means. The underlying micromechanics of how particle shape may affect the soil mechanical responses at element scale remains unclear. Systematic micromechanical experiments that consider in situ tracking of the evolution of fabric during the shearing process is missing. Aided by a miniaturised triaxial apparatus and X-ray computed tomography (CT), this study presents a series of triaxial compression on four granular soils with different particle shapes yet the same mineralogy, grading, and initial density. Evolution of three-dimensional soil fabric quantifiers during shearing was captured based on 192 full-field CT images. The results revealed that the initial shearing reduced the packing density without changing the particle packing pattern, followed by particle sliding and particle rotation, which redistributed the force chains and formed a new packing pattern to resist shearing, causing strain localisation, and reductions in both the contact number and concentration of contacts direction. Fabric anisotropy increased before reaching the peak and attained the maximum value as the soil approached the critical state. Particle shape, especially when quantified by overall regularity or other combinations of descriptors, displayed more significant linear correlations with critical-state parameters than by local descriptor.
Structural performance of large-scale 3D-printed walls subjected to axial compression load
Authors: Silveira Marcos V. G. , Wagner Juliana S. , Khanverdi Mohsen , Das Sreekanta
Published: February 2024

Despite the growing incorporation of additive manufacturing in the construction industry, a significant gap persists in the availability of design guidelines and comprehensive structural assessments for 3D-printed components. This research employs experimental methods to evaluate the performance of large-scale hollow unreinforced 3D-printed masonry walls under axial compressive load. Furthermore, a design methodology tailored for 3D-printed masonry walls under compressive loads is proposed in compliance with both American and Canadian masonry standards. This methodology is supported by the application of linear elastic 3D finite element analysis. Moreover, supplementary insights into material behavior are garnered through the examination of small specimens extracted from an additional 3D-printed wall. The results reveal that 3D printing reduces stiffness and compressive strength. The 3D-printed infills played an important role in redistributing stress after cracking. All full-scale 3D-printed masonry walls examined in this research exceeded the performance criteria set by the American masonry standard for load-bearing walls.
An ankylosaur femur from the mid-Cretaceous of the peace region of northeastern British Columbia
Authors: Cross Emily G. , Arbour Victoria M.
Published: February 2024

Dinosaur skeletal material from the mid-Cretaceous of Canada is rare; however, the Cenomanian-aged Dunvegan Formation of northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta is rich with ichnofossils attributed to nodosaurid ankylosaurs. A long bone (Hudson's Hope Museum specimen HH 2017.010.002) collected in 1993 from the Murray River of northeastern British Columbia is identified here as an ankylosaur femur. Femoral measurements of the bone plotted against femoral measurements of major dinosaur clades, combined with observations on femoral features, indicate that the bone belongs to an ankylosaur. The specimen is too damaged to assign to Nodosauridae or Ankylosauridae. HH 2017.010.002 represents the first limb bone material recovered from the Dunvegan Formation; previous ankylosaur material described from the Dunvegan Formation includes associated vertebrae and ribs from British Columbia and osteoderms from Alberta, as well as the presumed nodosaurid footprints Tetrapodosaurus borealis Sternberg, 1932. The Cenomanian is a time of great ecological change in North America, including the possible extirpation of ankylosaurid ankylosaurs. Fossils from the Dunvegan Formation can thus yield important insight into the responses of fauna to this major transition.
Gravitational effects in a superconducting film struck by a laser pulse
Authors: Ummarino G. A. , Gallerati A.
Published: February 2024

We study the local interaction of the gravitational field with a superfluid condensate. To this end, we exploit the Ginzburg–Landau formalism with generalized Maxwell fields. The analysis shows that a slight local alteration of the gravitational field in a thin superconducting film can be achieved by laser pulses with particular characteristics.
Resolved photons in Sherpa
Authors: Höche Stefan , Krauss Frank , Meinzinger Peter
Published: February 2024

We present the first complete simulation framework, in the "Image missing" event generator, for resolved photon interactions at next-to leading order accuracy. It includes photon spectra obtained through the equivalent-photon approximation, parton distribution functions to parametrize the hadronic structure of quasi-real photons, the matching of the parton shower to next-to leading order QCD calculations for resolved photon cross sections, and the modelling of multiple-parton interactions. We validate our framework against a wide range of photo-production data from "Image missing" and "Image missing" experiments, observing good overall agreement. We identify important future steps relevant for high-quality simulations at the planned Electron–Ion Collider.
OPTICAL PROPERTIES AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF Ni, Mg, AND Fe-DOPED ZnO
Authors: OUNIS TAREK-DIAB , RAHMOUNI KHAOULA , AOUAR LAMIA , ZAABAT MOURAD
Published: February 2024

In recent years, research on pure ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, Mg-doped ZnO, and Fe-doped ZnO nanostructures has been gradually progressing to create more effective materials that may be applied in a variety of applications. In this investigation, hydrothermal synthesis was used to create both pure ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO that had been doped with Ni, Mg, and Fe at a concentration of 7%. Before testing the nanostructures’ ability to inhibit harmful bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter sp.), they were shown to have antibacterial activity. With the use of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), their physicochemical characteristics were initially determined. When Ni, Mg, and Fe are inserted into ZnO, XRD measurements show that the particle size decreases from 28.94[Formula: see text]nm to 19.96[Formula: see text]nm. The optical bandgap decreases from 3.17[Formula: see text]eV to 3.08[Formula: see text]eV with the least value for Fe/ZnO NPs, according to UV–Vis spectral data, which also shows that the absorption edge changes to higher wavelengths (redshift). This research has produced nanoparticle samples of Ni/ZnO, Mg/ZnO, and Fe/ZnO that, when compared to the pure ZnO sample, show intriguing antibacterial activity.
Transient Response of Sandwich Plates with Corrugated Core Under Mechanical-Thermal Loads
Authors: Li Feng-Lian , Yuan Wen-Hao , Hao Yu-Xin
Published: February 2024

The nonlinear dynamic responses of the corrugated sandwich plate under mechanical-thermal loads are studied and analyzed. Based on hyperbolic parabola shear deformation plate theory (HPSDT), the partial differential equation of the sandwich plate with the corrugated core is established. Using the Galerkin truncation method, the nonlinear motion equation is derived. By the solution, the response of the corrugation plate with simply supported four edges at different temperatures is obtained and validated. Then the transient responses of the corrugated sandwich plate under different impact loads are analyzed, and the effects of the base materials, the corrugation types and the structural parameters of the corrugated plate on the transient responses are discussed in detail. The research provides a reference for improving the impact resistance of the sandwich plate in practical application.
Comparative Analysis of Structural Damage Identification Methods Based on Iterative Reweighted L1/2 Regularization and Three Optimization Functions
Authors: Yan Wanli , Liu Yong , Yin Xinfeng , Liu Yang , Dong Yingfei
Published: February 2024

Previous vibration-based damage detection studies mostly focus on developing a more sensitive optimization function to promote the effectiveness of damage identification. However, a few studies have conducted comparative analyses on the detection performance of different optimization functions. In the study, changes in the frequency and mode shape are applied as the inputs to different optimization functions for damage identification. Three optimization functions are established using the frequency residuals, the combinations of frequency and mode shape residuals, and the modal flexibility residuals, respectively. Considering the sparsity of damage element distribution, an iterative reweighted [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] regularization is added as a norm penalty to the optimization function. A numerical model and an experimental example are applied to assess the performance of distinct optimization functions. The results show that the increase in modal data number cannot significantly improve the detection accuracy when the number meets the basic requirements for identifying damage. The detection error of the optimization function established by combining the frequency and mode shape residuals is 6.65% and 5.18% using the first four and fourteen-order noisy modal data, respectively. Furthermore, the optimization function constructed using the modal flexibility residuals requires more less modal data to identify damage than the other two functions.
Picture Fuzzy Aggregation Operator-Based Integrated MEREC-WASPAS Technique for Video Conferencing Tool Selection
Authors: Tripura Chayel , Chakraborty Sayanta , Bhattacharya Baby
Published: February 2024

The COVID-19 epidemic has drastically altered the global landscape and thus organizations are finding it difficult to provide a modern and productive work environment to their stakeholders. As a result, personnel have shifted from in-person interactions to working remotely via video conferencing tools (VCTs). Owing to the onset of COVID-19 outbreak, usage of VTCs has gained great interest among people, especially student fraternity and employees as it reduces the hassle of direct interaction. But selecting the right platform for virtual interaction can be challenging, as it involves a number of factors in order to reduce expenses and maximize productivity. The present treatise has focused on devising a mathematical approach to identify the best VCT by structurizing the problem as a multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) model. To carry out the research, the notions of two popular techniques, namely Method based on the Removal Effects of Criteria (MEREC) and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) have been extended under Picture fuzzy environment with the aid of Picture fuzzy weighted averaging operator to deal with MCGDM situation. Furthermore, to overcome limitations of existing Picture fuzzy score function (PFSF), a novel PFSF has been developed and its significant properties are analyzed through theoretical and numerical justifications, showing its superiority over the existing one. The proposed PFSF can not only overcome the limitations of the existing SF, but also can rank any type of Picture fuzzy numbers irrespective of their membership and non-membership grades. Thereafter, the extended MCGDM techniques have been integrated with the aid of the proposed novel PFSF and applied to assess the best VCT. The proposed technique has identified Google Meet as the best VCT for virtual communication. Consistency and robustness of proposed technique have been validated through comparative and sensitivity analysis.
Corrigendum to “The discriminant of compositum of algebraic number fields”
Authors: Khanduja Sudesh Kaur
Published: February 2024

We point out that there is an error in the proof of Theorem 1.1 in [The discriminant of compositum of algebraic number fields, Int. J. Number Theory 15 (2019) 353–360]. We also prove that the result of this theorem holds with an additional hypothesis. However, it is an open problem whether the result of the theorem is true in general or not.
Near-miss identities and spinor genus classification of ternary quadratic forms with congruence conditions
Authors: Singhal Kush
Published: February 2024

In this paper, near-miss identities for the number of representations of some integral ternary quadratic forms with congruence conditions are found and proven. The genus and spinor genus of the corresponding lattice cosets are then classified. Finally, a complete genus and spinor genus classification for all conductor 2 lattice cosets of 2-adically unimodular lattices is given.
The transcendence of growth constants associated with polynomial recursions
Authors: Kumar Veekesh
Published: February 2024

Let [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], be a polynomial of degree [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] be a sequence of integers satisfying [Formula: see text] Set [Formula: see text]. Then, under the assumption [Formula: see text], in a recent result by [A. Dubickas, Transcendency of some constants related to integer sequences of polynomial iterations, Ramanujan J. 57 (2022) 569–581], either [Formula: see text] is transcendental or [Formula: see text] can be an integer or a quadratic Pisot unit with [Formula: see text] being its conjugate over [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we study the nature of such [Formula: see text] without the assumption that [Formula: see text] is in [Formula: see text], and we prove that either the number [Formula: see text] is transcendental, or [Formula: see text] is a Pisot number with [Formula: see text] being the order of the torsion subgroup of the Galois closure of the number field [Formula: see text]. Other results presented in this paper investigate the solutions of the inequality [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], considering whether [Formula: see text] is rational or irrational. Here, [Formula: see text] represents a number field, and [Formula: see text]. The notation [Formula: see text] denotes the distance between [Formula: see text] and its nearest integer in [Formula: see text].
The minimal odd excludant and Euler’s partition theorem
Authors: Wang Andrew Y. Z. , Xu Zheng
Published: February 2024

In this work, we establish two interesting partition identities involving the minimal odd excludant, which has attracted great attention in recent years. In particular, we find a strong refinement of Euler’s celebrated theorem that the number of partitions of an integer into odd parts equals the number of partitions of that integer into distinct parts.
Near-squares in binary recurrence sequences
Authors: Tzanakis Nikos , Voutier Paul
Published: February 2024

We call an integer a near-square if its absolute value is a square or a prime times a square. We investigate such near-squares in the binary recurrence sequences defined for integers [Formula: see text] by [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. We show that for a given [Formula: see text], there is at most one [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] is a near-square. With the exceptions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], any such [Formula: see text] can be a near-square only if [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is prime and [Formula: see text].

This is a part of a more general phenomenon regarding near-squares in nondegenerate recurrence sequences defined for the integers [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] by [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. This arises from a novel Aurifeuillean-type factorization of [Formula: see text] we have found.
Oscillations of Fourier coefficients of product of L-functions at integers in a sparse set
Authors: Babita  , Tripathi Mohit , Vaishya Lalit
Published: February 2024

Let f be a normalized Hecke eigenform of weight k for the full modular group [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we obtain the asymptotic of higher moments of general divisor functions associated to the Fourier coefficients of Rankin–Selberg L-functions [Formula: see text], supported at the integers represented by primitive integral positive-definite binary quadratic forms (reduced forms) of a fixed discriminant [Formula: see text]. We improve previous results in the case when the reduced form is given by [Formula: see text].
Interference effect of three moving trains on the response of a ballasted railway track
Authors: Alzabeebe Saif , Hadi Marwah Abbas , Ismael Bashar H. , Keawsawasvong Suraparb
Published: February 2024

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the interference effects of three moving trains on railway tracks using three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis. The primary focus is on understanding the behavior of the middle train and its settlement characteristics when influenced by two neighboring moving trains. To establish a baseline, the study also includes an analysis of a single train. The train speeds considered in the analyses range from 100[Formula: see text]km/h to 450[Formula: see text]km/h, and the spacing between trains ([Formula: see text]) varies across 10 values from 1[Formula: see text]m to 10[Formula: see text]m. The results reveal intriguing patterns in the settlement behavior of the middle railway track. Specifically, the interface significantly impacts settlement, causing a decrease for [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m compared to a single railway track and a subsequent remarkable increase for larger [Formula: see text] values. This conflicting behavior arises from the combined effects of confinement and vibration induced by neighboring trains. Moreover, as the spacing between trains increases, the interference effect diminishes due to a decrease in vibration. Quantitative findings include an average percentage difference in the maximum settlement ranging from −16% to [Formula: see text]109%, with the interference effect decreasing as S increases. The critical speed of the middle train’s railway track is also influenced by interference, exhibiting a change from 300[Formula: see text]km/h to 350[Formula: see text]km/h for [Formula: see text] values of 2–6[Formula: see text]m. This highlights the necessity for special attention to interference effects in the design stage, particularly regarding critical speed considerations. The study contributes valuable insights into the complex dynamics of three moving trains on railway tracks, offering practical implications for railway track design and ensuring safe and efficient operations.
Discrimination in the Spotlight: The Effects of Political and Religious Bias on Consumer Behaviour and Labour Markets
Authors: Makridis Christos A.
Published: February 2024

There has been a surge in concern about political polarization and discrimination based on religious and political attitudes in the workplace. Using a nationally-representative sample of nearly 3,000 respondents, this paper presents new empirical evidence on the incidence of social hostilities in the workplace and the causal effects of providing information on consumer and labor market behavior across a range of indicators. Several empirical patterns emerge. First, nearly half of respondents have not shared their personal views about a social or political issue because of fear that sharing it would harm their career. Second, roughly a fifth of respondents have encountered discrimination for respectfully communicating their religious or political viewpoint. Third, these attitudes are negatively correlated with labor market and social media behavior: 40% of respondents say that perceptions of hostility against religious or political views make them much less likely to apply to a company, and 50% of respondents say that they are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about adverse effects related with posting on social media about their religious and political attitudes. Finally, exposure to information about politicized topics is associated with a decline in respondents’ support for companies taking more activist stances. These results suggest that there are adverse and unintended consequences associated with religious and political discrimination, and companies could realize additional benefits by focusing on their core business activities.
Modelling localized water inflow into a region filled with bentonite pellets
Authors: Wu Jiejie , Jackson C. Peter , Holton David
Published: February 2024

There is significant international consensus that the appropriate approach for long-term management of radioactive waste is disposal in an underground geological disposal facility. The gaps between waste containers and the host rock may be filled with bentonite, which swells to fill the gaps as it absorbs groundwater. Bentonite is soft, absorbing shear displacements in the host rock, and has low permeability, which restricts groundwater flow and hence corrosion of the waste containers. Many experiments have studied localized inflows of water into a region of bentonite pellets. Upward flow against gravity has often been observed. This study attempted to build understanding of this by modelling one experiment. A systematic approach was adopted in which models of increasing complexity were used, with the parameters at earlier stages used as a guide for later stages. Initially, only water flow was considered. Then water absorption and swelling, which lead to stresses and strains, were addressed. On the basis of the understanding developed, a conceptual model that represents the observed behaviour is proposed.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Sustainable geological disposal and containment of radioactive waste collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/radioactive
Doing Good Business? Design Leaders' Perspectives on Ethics in Design
Authors: Lindberg Sharon , Rossitto Chiara , Knutsson Ola , Karlström Petter , Männikkö Barbutiu Sirkku
Published: February 2024

Design is not neutral but involves ethical aspects, from addressing power dynamics to enabling broader accessibility and inclusion. In industry settings, design leaders can play an essential role in promoting ethical design by, for instance, setting visions, developing and advocating values, and providing guidance for design. Through co-design workshops with ten design leaders working in Sweden, we investigated how these professionals envision the cultivation-that is, the development, promotion, and dissemination-of ethically responsible design. Our study outlines what the participants regard as the main problems that stifle ethical design and designing, and how to practically address them. The findings highlight that design leaders consider the lack of awareness about the ethical dimensions of design to be one of the main problems. Additionally, they point to various strategies for addressing the problems, such as communicating compelling reasons for prioritizing ethics, creating inclusive and welcoming spaces for collaborative problem-solving and learning about ethics, and folding ethics into current practices. This could involve, for instance, adding the dimension of ethics to 'design critique' sessions, or re-evaluating portfolio reviews to prioritize diversity in recruitment. We conclude by discussing design leaders' potential for furthering ethically responsible design, and provide a practical tool, a design brief, to support this endeavor.
Exploring the Role of Mom's Chat Groups in the Messaging App: Enhancing Support and Empowerment for Stay-At-Home Mothers
Authors: Lai Yu-Ju , Lee Yi-Chieh , Chang Chia-Chi , Dai Wan-Ting , Chen Ying-Yu
Published: February 2024

This study delves into the digital interactions of stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) in Taiwan, exploring their utilization of LINE messaging app's chat groups as a pivotal means for informational, emotional, and practical support amidst their parenting journeys. Amidst the dominant patriarchal societal norms and potential isolations intrinsic to their role, these SAHMs establish a robust, cooperative digital environment, wherein maternal experiences, knowledge, and emotional backings are collectively shared and curated. Through a two-stage interview study, employing chatbot technology over 14 days with 18 participants, we unveiled how SAHMs engage in both tacit and explicit collaborative work within these chat groups, reclaiming their maternal identity and amplifying their parenting confidence. This exploration not only illuminates the critical role of technology in enhancing collaborative maternal work but also propels the discourse on how SAHMs navigate their distinctive needs within specific socio-cultural contexts through technological means. Consequently, this offers a foundational perspective towards crafting technological designs that are empathetically attuned to the lived experiences and needs of SAHMs in Taiwan.
Online Allocation with Replenishable Budgets: Worst Case and Beyond
Authors: Yang Jianyi , Li Pengfei , Islam Mohammad Jaminur , Ren Shaolei
Published: February 2024

This paper studies online resource allocation with replenishable budgets, where budgets can be replenished on top of the initial budget and an agent sequentially chooses online allocation decisions without violating the available budget constraint at each round. We propose a novel online algorithm, called OACP (Opportunistic Allocation with Conservative Pricing), that conservatively adjusts dual variables while opportunistically utilizing available resources. OACP achieves a bounded asymptotic competitive ratio in adversarial settings as the number of decision rounds T gets large. Importantly, the asymptotic competitive ratio of OACP is optimal in the absence of additional assumptions on budget replenishment. To further improve the competitive ratio, we make a mild assumption that there is budget replenishment every T* ≥ 1 decision rounds and propose OACP+ to dynamically adjust the total budget assignment for online allocation. Next, we move beyond the worst-case and propose LA-OACP (Learning-Augmented OACP/OACP+), a novel learning-augmented algorithm for online allocation with replenishable budgets. We prove that LA-OACP can improve the average utility compared to OACP/OACP+ when the ML predictor is properly trained, while still offering worst-case utility guarantees when the ML predictions are arbitrarily wrong. Finally, we run simulation studies of sustainable AI inference powered by renewables, validating our analysis and demonstrating the empirical benefits of LA-OACP.
Machine Learning Systems are Bloated and Vulnerable
Authors: Zhang Huaifeng , Alhanahnah Mohannad , Ahmed Fahmi Abdulqadir , Fatih Dyako , Leitner Philipp , Ali-Eldin Ahmed
Published: February 2024

Today's software is bloated with both code and features that are not used by most users. This bloat is prevalent across the entire software stack, from operating systems and applications to containers. Containers are lightweight virtualization technologies used to package code and dependencies, providing portable, reproducible and isolated environments. For their ease of use, data scientists often utilize machine learning containers to simplify their workflow. However, this convenience comes at a cost: containers are often bloated with unnecessary code and dependencies, resulting in very large sizes. In this paper, we analyze and quantify bloat in machine learning containers. We develop MMLB, a framework for analyzing bloat in software systems, focusing on machine learning containers. MMLB measures the amount of bloat at both the container and package levels, quantifying the sources of bloat. In addition, MMLB integrates with vulnerability analysis tools and performs package dependency analysis to evaluate the impact of bloat on container vulnerabilities. Through experimentation with 15 machine learning containers from TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Nvidia, we show that bloat accounts for up to 80% of machine learning container sizes, increasing container provisioning times by up to 370% and exacerbating vulnerabilities by up to 99%.
Deep Dive into NTP Pool's Popularity and Mapping
Authors: Moura Giovane C. M. , Davids Marco , Schutijser Caspar , Hesselman Cristian , Heidemann John , Smaragdakis Georgios
Published: February 2024

Time synchronization is of paramount importance on the Internet, with the Network Time Protocol (NTP) serving as the primary synchronization protocol. The NTP Pool, a volunteer-driven initiative launched two decades ago, facilitates connections between clients and NTP servers. Our analysis of root DNS queries reveals that the NTP Pool has consistently been the most popular time service. We further investigate the DNS component (GeoDNS) of the NTP Pool, which is responsible for mapping clients to servers. Our findings indicate that the current algorithm is heavily skewed, leading to the emergence of time monopolies for entire countries. For instance, clients in the US are served by 551 NTP servers, while clients in Cameroon and Nigeria are served by only one and two servers, respectively, out of the 4k+ servers available in the NTP Pool. We examine the underlying assumption behind GeoDNS for these mappings and discover that time servers located far away can still provide accurate clock time information to clients. We have shared our findings with the NTP Pool operators, who acknowledge them and plan to revise their algorithm to enhance security.
Xaminer: An Internet Cross-Layer Resilience Analysis Tool
Authors: Ramanathan Alagappan , Sankaran Rishika , Abdu Jyothi Sangeetha
Published: February 2024

A resilient Internet infrastructure is critical in our highly interconnected society. However, the Internet faces several vulnerabilities, ranging from natural disasters to human activities, that can impact the physical layer and, in turn, the higher network layers, such as IP links. In this paper, we introduce Xaminer, the first Internet cross-layer resilience analysis tool, to evaluate the interplay between physical- and network-layer failures. Using a cross-layer Internet map and a failure event model, Xaminer generates a risk profile encompassing a cross-layer impact report, critical infrastructure identification at each layer, and the discovery of trends and patterns under different failure event settings. Xaminer's key strengths lie in its adaptability to diverse disaster scenarios, the ability to assess risks at various granularities, and the capability to generate joint risk profiles for multiple events. We demonstrate Xaminer's capabilities in cross-layer analysis across a spectrum of disaster event models and regions, showcasing its potential role in facilitating well-informed decision-making for resilience planning and deployments. The Xaminer tool is available as open-source software.
UAV-Based Delivery Systems: A Systematic Review, Current Trends, and Research Challenges
Authors: Betti Sorbelli Francesco
Published: February 2024

The rising popularity of drones significantly impacts package delivery services, offering both unique opportunities and challenges. This survey explores the diverse applications of drones for last-mile deliveries, highlighting their capacity to access remote areas and create new business prospects. Use cases, ranging from critical medical deliveries to addressing COVID-19 pandemic needs, underscore the transformative potential of drone technology. While recognizing drones’ eco-friendly attributes in eliminating harmful gas emissions, the survey addresses battery constraints, necessitating an investigation into physical energy models to extend flight autonomy. This becomes crucial for operational capabilities, especially in adverse weather conditions. A reliable communication infrastructure is crucial for the success of drone operations in package delivery, especially during unexpected events, as seamless connectivity plays a key role in facilitating efficient control and monitoring between ground stations and drones. This enables dynamic rerouting, enhancing overall delivery reliability. The survey explores innovative approaches, including collaborations with other vehicles like trucks, trains, and buses, optimizing the last-mile delivery process. Despite the transformative potential, concerns about privacy, security, safety, and risk management in drone delivery are acknowledged. The work also emphasizes responsible and ethical implementation, considering diverse concerns associated with widespread adoption.

In contrast to existing survey articles focused on specific technical aspects, this comprehensive survey broadens its scope. It covers ethical issues, sustainability aspects, healthcare systems, physics models, innovative approaches, reliable communications, security and safety concerns, and real test-beds in drone-based delivery systems. The survey not only identifies potential applications and tackles technical challenges but also integrates broader considerations. In addition, this work extensively explores the motivations, lessons learned, and future directions in the realm of drone delivery. Analyzing existing literature, it provides valuable insights for researchers, industry professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders keen on understanding the dynamic evolution of drone technology in the package delivery domain.
Single-Cell Mechanics: Structural Determinants and Functional Relevance
Authors: Urbanska Marta , Guck Jochen
Published: February 2024

The mechanical phenotype of a cell determines its ability to deform under force and is therefore relevant to cellular functions that require changes in cell shape, such as migration or circulation through the microvasculature. On the practical level, the mechanical phenotype can be used as a global readout of the cell's functional state, a marker for disease diagnostics, or an input for tissue modeling. We focus our review on the current knowledge of structural components that contribute to the determination of the cellular mechanical properties and highlight the physiological processes in which the mechanical phenotype of the cells is of critical relevance. The ongoing efforts to understand how to efficiently measure and control the mechanical properties of cells will define the progress in the field and drive mechanical phenotyping toward clinical applications.