bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Information security risks and sharing behavior on OSN: the impact of data collection awareness
Authors: Pham Thi Huyen , Phan Thuy-Anh , Trinh Phuong-Anh , Mai Xuan Bach , Le Quynh-Chi
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to ascertain the impact of data collecting awareness on perceived information security concerns and information-sharing behavior on social networking sites.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on communication privacy management theory, the study forecasted the relationship between information-sharing behavior and awareness of data collecting purposes, data collection tactics and perceived security risk using structural equation modeling analysis and one-way ANOVA. The sample size of 521 young social media users in Vietnam, ages 18 to 34, was made up of 26.7% men and 73.3% women. When constructing the questionnaire survey method with lone source respondents, the individual’s unique awareness and experiences with using online social networks (OSNs) were taken into account.

Findings

The results of the investigation demonstrate a significant relationship between information-sharing and awareness of data collecting, perceptions of information security threats and behavior. Social media users have used OSN privacy settings and paid attention to the sharing restriction because they are concerned about data harvesting.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted among young Vietnamese social media users, reflecting specific characteristics prevalent in the Vietnamese environment, and hence may be invalid in other nations’ circumstances.

Practical implications

Social media platform providers should improve user connectivity by implementing transparent privacy policies that allow users to choose how their data are used; have clear privacy statements and specific policies governing the use of social media users’ data that respect users’ consent to use their data; and thoroughly communicate how they collect and use user data while promptly detecting any potential vulnerabilities within their systems.

Originality/value

The authors ascertain that the material presented in this manuscript will not infringe upon any statutory copyright and that the manuscript will not be submitted elsewhere while under Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society review.
Optimisation of the investment strategy of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund by adjusting the real estate quota
Authors: Rehers Sven , Lekander Jon , Bendiek Ansgar Bernhard
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This paper compares the benefits of direct international real estate investments in a mixed asset portfolio from the perspective of a passive investor with high and low bond allocation.

Design/methodology/approach

Due to high data availability and its professionalism, the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund was used as a representative example. Real estate indices from 8 countries were used for the portfolio analysis. The data were desmoothed according to Geltners’s 1993 approach.

Findings

The optimal real estate ratio in the present case is around 20–55%. However, this is strongly dependent on the bond ratio of the multi-asset portfolio. Portfolios with a high equity ratio benefit more from the additional direct real estate investments than portfolios with high bond ratios.

Research limitations/implications

A rebalancing of individual stocks and bonds was not analysed. Only indexes from MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) were available.

Practical implications

Concludes that the weighting of stocks and bonds has a strong influence on the optimal real estate ratio and therefore structural changes that affect this weighting.

Originality/value

The originality of the paper lies in the analysis with different weights of stocks and bonds, the consideration of 8 real estate markets and the observation period. The results of the work highlight areas of interest for further research.
Links connecting organizational socialization, affective commitment and innovative work behavior
Authors: Torlak Nuri Gökhan , Budur Taylan , Khan Noor Us Sabbah
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the relationships between affective commitment (AC), innovative work behavior (IWB) and organizational socialization strategies (training, coworker support, understanding and future prospects) to ensure the viability and prosperity of businesses in Iraq.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology includes demographic analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.

Findings

An analysis of survey data based on a random sample of participating employees shows that training, understanding and future prospects all significantly and positively affect employee AC. Coworker support does not significantly affect AC. Employees’ AC to their companies significantly positively affects their IWB. Employees’ AC to their companies significantly mediates the relationships between training, understanding, future prospects and IWB. Company practices regarding training, understanding, coworker support and future prospects do not affect employees’ IWB.

Research limitations/implications

The authors conducted the study in Sulaymaniyah. The results may not apply to Iraq and other nations. Researchers from various industries and countries can evaluate the model. The research ignores company age, size and fit between individuals and organizations.

Originality/value

The study closes a research gap in organizational behavior by exploring the association between managerial socialization strategies, AC and creative work behavior in Iraq.
The Accruals–Cash Flow Relation and the Evaluation of Accrual Accounting
Authors: Oh Hyung Il , Penman Stephen
Published: December 2023

Considerable research has evaluated the role of accruals in determining informative earnings, with an accrual–cash flow relation at the centre of the investigation. However, much of the research is based on a misunderstanding. First, accruals are identified as the numbers that reconcile earnings to cash flows in the cash flow statement. But these are not the non‐cash accruals applied in determining earnings in the accrual accounting system; rather, they are changes in balance sheet items, most of which are the relevant accruals reduced by cash flow. Thus, they are in part determined by cash flows. Second, accruals are characterized as an adjustment to cash flows, to reduce volatility of cash flows. Consequently, a negative correlation between accruals and cash flow—the accruals–cash flow relation—has been taken as the criterion for quality accruals. However, the correlation with cash flows is spurious, for the so‐called accruals are determined in part by cash flows. This paper presents a corrective analysis under which non‐cash accruals are identified as the components of earnings that do not involve cash flows. With this correction, the paper then conducts empirical tests that re‐examine hypotheses about accruals tested in previous research, reporting contrasting results.
The myth of translational bioethics
Authors: Dunn Michael , Sheehan Mark
Published: December 2023

In recent years, the case has been made for special attention to be paid to a branch of research in the field of bioethics called ‘translational bioethics’. In this paper, we start by considering some of the assumptions that those advancing translational approaches to bioethics make about bioethics and compare them to the reality of bioethics as an academic field. We move on to explain how those who make this case, implicitly or explicitly, for translational bioethics go awry because of how they understand the ‘gap’ between bioethical inquiry and practical settings that requires bridging. We consider three interpretations of this ‘translation gap’ in bioethics: (i) the gap between theory and practice, (ii) the gap between the force of normative claims and practical contextual realities and (iii) the gap between relevance or applicability to practice and actual application or implementation in practice. In each case, we show how a proper understanding of the nature of the academic field of bioethics undermines how these gaps have been formulated, and how any need for talk of ‘translational bioethics’ is removed.
‘You have to go hunting for information’: Barriers to service utilization among expectant and parenting youth with experience in foster care
Authors: Villagrana Kalah M. , Carver Ann Turnlund , Holley Lynn C. , Ogbonnaya Ijeoma Nwabuzor , Stott Tonia , Denby Ramona , Ferguson Kristin M.
Published: December 2023

Unique service needs exist for expectant or parenting youth with foster care histories (EPY) and their families. Informed by Critical Ecological Systems Theory (CEST), this exploratory qualitative study presents findings from an inductive content analysis of in‐depth interviews and focus groups with EPY and service providers. The study included nine in‐depth face‐to‐face interviews with service providers (n = 5) and EPY (n = 4) as well as five focus groups with service providers (n = 23) and three with EPY (n = 7) to identify the characteristics of service providers, agencies and systems that may act as barriers to service utilization among EPY with a foster care history (n = 10) or juvenile justice history (n = 1). Service provider characteristics included negative attitudes towards EPY and/or those with child welfare experiences. Agency characteristics included a lack of workforce diversity, employee turnover, lack of training about diverse communities, restrictive enrolment processes and eligibility requirements, lack of childcare and transportation and limited accessibility of services. System characteristics included a lack of up‐to‐date information about existing services, territorialism, funding sources that do not prioritize interagency collaboration and a lack of communication/coordination among agencies. Implications include hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, providing training about diverse communities and implicit biases concerning young parents, developing navigation services specifically for EPY and developing processes for sharing data and communicating across systems that interact with EPY.
Human factors in pelvic exenteration: themes in high‐performing teams
Authors: Pal A. , Chittleborough T. , McCombie A. , Glyn T. , Frizelle F. A.
Published: December 2023

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of human factors in pelvic exenteration and how team performance is optimized in the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative phases.

Method

Qualitative analysis of focus groups was used to capture authentic human interactions that reflect real‐world multiprofessional performance. Theatre teams were treated as clusters, with a particular focus group containing participants who worked together regularly.

Results

Three focus groups were conducted. Four themes emerged – driving force, technical skills, nontechnical skills and operational aspects – with a total of 16 subthemes. Saturation was reached by group 2, with no new subthemes emerging after this. There was some interaction between the themes and the subthemes. Broadly speaking, driving force led to the development of specialised technical skills and nontechnical skills, which were operationalized into successful service through operational aspects.

Conclusion

This study of teams performing pelvic exenteration is the first in the field using this methodology. It has generated rich qualitative data with authentic insights into the pragmatic aspects of developing and delivering a service. In addition, it shows how the themes are connected or ‘coupled’ in a network, for example technical and non‐technical skills. In a complex system, ‘tight coupling’ leads to both high performance and adverse events. In this paper, we report the qualitative aspects of high performance by pelvic exenteration teams in a complex sociotechnical system, which depends on tight coupling of several themes.
Simultaneous passive acoustic monitoring uncovers evidence of potentially overlooked temporal variation in an Amazonian bird community
Authors: Hopping W. Alexander , Sayers Christopher J. , Huaraca‐Charca Noe Roger , Klinck Holger
Published: December 2023

The vocal activity and detectability of tropical birds are subject to high levels of temporal heterogeneity, but quantifying patterns of diel and day‐to‐day variation in complex systems is challenging with traditional point count methods. As a result, research concerning stochastic temporal effects on tropical bird assemblages is limited, typically offering only broad conclusions, such as that overall activity is highest in the first few hours of the morning and some species are active at different times of the day. Passive acoustic monitoring introduces several advantages for studying temporal variation, particularly by enabling simultaneous and continuous data collection across adjacent sites. Here, we employed autonomous recording units to quantify temporal variation in bird vocal activity and observed species richness at an Amazonian reserve in Madre de Dios, Peru, a region featuring some of Earth's richest, most complex bird assemblages. We manually annotated 18 dawn hour recordings, collected simultaneously from three separate days at the same six sites, which represent various microhabitats and bird community compositions. We documented significant and consistent temporal variation in avian vocal activity levels and observed species richness within the dawn hour and across days. We found that temporal effects were stronger for vocal activity than for observed species richness and that vocal activity patterns over the course of the dawn hour varied between species. Our results indicate that overlooked temporal variation in Amazonian soundscapes may obfuscate the results of surveys that do not sufficiently account for temporal variables with simultaneous monitoring. While manual analysis of large volumes of soundscape data remains challenging, such data should be collected to supplement traditional surveys whenever possible. Rapid advances in the automated processing of acoustic data could lead to more efficient methods for reducing temporal bias and improving the calibration and accuracy of tropical bird surveys.
Impact on persons with disabilities and their families when they are contributors to society through volunteerism and employment
Authors: Cheah Kimberly J. , Riches Vivienne , Manokara Vimallan
Published: December 2023

Background

Despite various government initiatives, people with disabilities all over the world face some degree of hindrance when they try to contribute to society.

Aim

This project sought to give voice to and understand the perceptions and experiences of persons with disabilities in Singapore when contributing to society through volunteerism and employment and to explore solutions to help access and retain employment and volunteering.

Method and Procedure

This small qualitative study recruited three convenience samples of people with disabilities aged 18–49 years old who met criteria for daily activity over the previous 12 months. Participant recruitment was limited due to the Covid pandemic lockdown. Ten individuals had maintained open employment, six had worked as a volunteer and four were neither working nor volunteering. All 20 participants were briefed online on the use of the photovoice technique. Interviews were then conducted online, beginning with a 5‐min demographic survey. Approximately hour long semi‐structured interviews followed. Eleven participants used photovoice but nine who were working or volunteering did not as they were unable to take photos in their workplace. Several individuals were supported during the interview by a caregiver or staff member for example a job coach.

Findings

Themes were identified within the four central areas of enquiry: (i) self‐perceptions of being a beneficiary or contributor to society; (ii) the benefits to working and volunteering; (iii) enablers and barriers to working and volunteering and (iv) solutions to access and retain employment and volunteering. Several barriers to use of photovoice were encountered. The importance of inclusive and conducive environments was recognised along with the roles of all stakeholders across the ecosystem.

Conclusion

Employment and volunteering can significantly impact quality of life for persons with disabilities and their families and benefit the society. Collaboration among all stakeholders is required to better address solutions and improve desired employment and volunteer outcomes.
Supranational Self‐Empowerment Through Bricolage: The Role of the European Commission in EU Security and Defence
Authors: Müller Patrick , Slominski Peter , Sagmeister Wolfgang
Published: December 2023

This article provides a novel conceptualization of bricolage as a strategy for incremental supranational self‐empowerment. It argues that the cumulative effects of different bricolage tools employed by the Commission have been central for progressively strengthening its role in EU security and defence, which culminated in the establishment of the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the Commission's Directorate‐General Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). Building communication upon communication, the Commission used discursive bricolage to set the conditions for employing existing EU financial and organizational resources to advance its interests. Specifically, with its incremental bricolage approach, the Commission has managed to mitigate sovereignty concerns of member states, progressively nudging them towards deeper integration. Overall, our article shows how the Commission has strengthened its influence through the cumulative bricolage tools even in the intergovernmental domains of security and defence.
Estimating a Behavioral New Keynesian Model with the Zero Lower Bound
Authors: HIROSE YASUO , IIBOSHI HIROKUNI , SHINTANI MOTOTSUGU , UEDA KOZO
Published: December 2023

We estimate a New Keynesian model incorporating two notable features: bounded rationality and the zero lower bound on the nominal interest rate. Our Bayesian estimation of a nonlinear model shows that the model with bounded rationality better fits the U.S. data than its rational expectations counterpart, and that both households and firms exhibit a substantial degree of bounded rationality. Moreover, we demonstrate that bounded rationality expands a parameter region in which the model can be estimated and weakens the power of forward guidance.
Failure to rescue following postoperative pneumonia in pediatrics: Is there a racial disparity?
Authors: Warren Jalen , Gibbs Anna , Mpody Christian , Nafiu Olubukola O. , Tobias Joseph D. , Willer Brittany L.
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Racial disparities in measures of health and healthcare processes are well described. Limited work exists on disparities in failure to rescue – hospital mortality following a major adverse event. Postoperative pneumonia is a serious, potentially preventable adverse event that often leads to death, i.e., failure to rescue. This study examined the association of racial grouping with failure to rescue following postoperative pneumonia.

Methods

We utilized the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program‐Pediatrics Participant Use Data File to assemble a cohort of children <18 years who underwent inpatient surgery from 2012 to 2022. We included Black and White patients who developed pneumonia following an index surgery. The primary outcome was failure to rescue, defined as mortality following postoperative pneumonia. We used logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals of failure to rescue, comparing Black and White children.

Results

The study cohort included 3139 children <18 years who developed pneumonia following inpatient surgery. Of those, 2333 (74.3%) were White and 806 (25.7%) were Black. Failure to rescue occurred in 117 of the children (3.7%); 82 were White (3.5%) and 35 were Black (4.3%). After adjusting for gender, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification, emergent/urgent vs. elective case status, year of operation, and pre‐existing comorbidities, the odds of failure to rescue for Black children with postoperative pneumonia did not differ from White children (adjusted‐Odds Ratio: 1.00; 95% Confidence Interval 0.62–1.61; p‐value = .992).

Conclusion

We found no significant difference in the odds of failure to rescue following postoperative pneumonia between Black or White children. To improve postoperative care for all children and to narrow the racial gap in postoperative mortality, future studies should continue to investigate the association of race with failure to rescue following other postoperative complications.
Prospective evaluation of platelet function and fibrinolysis in 20 dogs with trauma
Authors: Birkbeck Rachael , Chan Daniel L. , McBride Duana , Cortellini Stefano
Published: December 2023

Objectives

To determine platelet function and assess fibrinolysis in dogs following trauma using multiple electrical impedance aggregometry and a modified thromboelastographic (TEG) technique. To determine if the severity of trauma, as assessed by the Animal Trauma Triage (ATT) score and clinicopathological markers of shock, is associated with a greater degree of platelet dysfunction and fibrinolysis.

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

Twenty client‐owned dogs with trauma (occurring <24 h prior to admission and blood sampling) and ATT score of >4 were prospectively recruited. A control group of 10 healthy dogs was included.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Platelet function was measured using multiple electrode platelet aggregometry (MEPA) utilizing arachidonic acid, ADP, and collagen agonists. Fibrinolysis was assessed in citrated whole blood with the addition of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA; 50 U/mL) using kaolin‐activated TEG. Conventional statistical analysis was performed to compare coagulation parameters between the groups and assess linear correlations. Median (interquartile range) ATT score was 5 (5–7), and 65% (n = 13) of dogs suffered polytrauma. Mean (± SD) time from trauma to blood sampling was 9 hours (± 6). Median (interquartile range) shock index and plasma lactate concentration were 1.1 (0.7–2.0, n = 16) and 2.9 mmol/L (0.9–16.0, n = 18), respectively. Four dogs did not survive to discharge (20%). There were no differences between the trauma and control group coagulation variables. A moderate negative correlation between ATT score and area under the curve for ADP was found (P = 0.043, r2 = −0.496).

Conclusions

Preliminary evaluation of platelet function measured by MEPA, and fibrinolysis measured by tPA‐modified TEG, is not significantly different in this population of dogs with traumatic injury compared to healthy dogs.
Studies on Sesbania, rice residue mulching and post emergence herbicides on weed growth and yield in unpuddled transplanted hybrid rice
Authors: Kumari Sneha , Singh Manoj Kumar , Dendukuri Udaya Lakshmi
Published: December 2023

Weeds are a major threat in unpuddled transplanted rice during rainy seasons. To manage weeds by using Sesbania residue green mulch, rice straw mulch and post emergence herbicides in an integrated way, an experiment was conducted in a split plot at Varanasi during the rainy season of 2017 and 2018. The experiment was taken with three mulching treatments in main plots, namely, no mulching (NM), cover crop of Sesbania aculeatea followed by its green residue mulch (SRGM) and rice straw mulch (RRM) in inter rows and five weed management treatments, namely, weedy, hand weeding twice (HWT), post emergence application of bispyribac 25 g a.i ha−1 (BP), penoxsulam 30 g a.i ha−1 (PX), bispyribac 25 g a.i ha−1 + pyrazosulfuron 20 g a.i ha−1 (BP + PS) in subplots replicated thrice. SRGM and RRM were noted to be successful in reducing density and biomass of grasses including Echinochloa colona and sedges and total weed (59% and 49%) biomass compared to NM under weedy conditions. Mulching, integrated with post emergence herbicides proved its potency in not only weed reduction but is also in yield enhancement.
The Ductile/Brittle Transition for Materials Failure—Atomic Scale to Macroscopic Scale
Authors: Christensen Richard M.
Published: December 2023

This work is the continuation and completion to that initiated in the studies by Christensen (2022, “Perspective on the Bond Bending and Bond Stretching Effects of the Atomic Scale and Their Relationship to Ductile Versus Brittle Materials Failure,” J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 167, p. 104984; 2023, “Review of the Basic Elastic Mechanical Properties and Their Realignment to Establish Ductile Versus Brittle Failure Behaviors,” ASME Appl. Mech. Rev., 75(3), p. 031001) on the ductile/brittle transition for homogeneous and isotropic materials in uniaxial tensile failure. Starting here at the atomic level with the bonding involving both bond bending and bond stretching effects, there then is given the development of the ductile/brittle transition for a type of cubic symmetry in the individual crystals of the composing polycrystalline material. Thereafter, a complementary derivation is given for the ductile/brittle transition at the macroscopic level involving a specific form of the strain energy. The two results are found to be compatible and mutually verifying, thereby finishing the investigation.
A Novel Multi-Fidelity Surrogate for Efficient Turbine Design Optimization
Authors: Wang Qineng , Song Liming , Guo Zhendong , Li Jun , Feng Zhenping
Published: December 2023

To solve the turbine design optimization problems efficiently, surrogate-based optimization algorithms are frequently used. To further reduce the cost of turbine design, the multi-fidelity surrogate (MFS)-based optimization is proposed by the researchers, who resort to augmenting the small number of expensive high-fidelity (HF) samples by a large portion of low-fidelity (LF) but cheap samples in surrogate modeling and optimization process. Nonetheless, according to our observations, the MFS-based optimization sometimes can only have better convergence rate at the early stage of optimization process, but yielding worse final solution than the single-fidelity surrogate (SFS)-based optimization that uses high-fidelity samples alone. The reason behind can be explained as follows. With the increase of HF samples in the optimization process, the LF samples can cause negative effect and therefore misleading the optimization search. To address the above issue, an ensemble weighted multi-fidelity surrogate (EMFS) is proposed. Specifically, the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise is used to detect the region where the MFS cannot build a more accurate surrogate, and a local SFS is built there. Then, an EMFS is built by combining the MFS and SFS with adaptive weights, which is used to guide the optimization process. The related algorithm is named as multi- and single-fidelity surrogate fused optimization (MSFO). Through tests on GE-E3 blade optimization and the film cooling layout design of a turbine endwall, the effectiveness of proposed MSFO is well demonstrated.
A Multi-Objective Optimal Design Method for Gravity Compensators With Consideration of Minimizing Joint Reaction Forces
Authors: Nguyen Vu Linh
Published: December 2023

This paper presents a multi-objective optimal design method for gravity compensators with consideration of minimizing the joint reaction forces. High performance of the gravity compensation is achieved while the joint reaction forces are kept to a minimum. In this method, the ratio of the compensated torque to the uncompensated torque and the maximum value of the joint reaction forces are formulated as cost functions in the optimization problem, which is solved by adopting the Pareto front of multiple fitness functions with a genetic algorithm. This work takes a spring four-bar mechanism as a gravity compensator for a case study. The theoretical models of a gravity compensator and a robot manipulator show that the proposed multi-objective optimal design allows for the achievement of smaller joint reaction forces than the original single-objective optimal design, while their gravity compensation performances are relatively the same. Moreover, a prototype of a 0.2-kg gravity compensator realized from the proposed method was also built. An experimental study with this prototype showed that the measured motor torque was reduced by up to 93% within a range of 3π/4.
HAXPES Cr Kα measurement of bulk hafnium
Authors: Zborowski C. , Vanleenhove A. , Hoflijk I. , Vaesen I. , Artyushkova K. , Conard T.
Published: December 2023

Hafnium was analyzed using high-resolution high energy x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES). The HAXPES spectra of Hafnium obtained using monochromatic Cr Kα radiation at 5414.8 eV include survey scan and high-resolution spectra of Hf 3s, Hf 3p3/2, Hf 3d5/2, Hf 4p3/2, Hf 4d, and Hf 4f.
Using ultrasound to 3D-print materials
Authors: Yao Yuxing , Shapiro Mikhail G.
Published: December 2023

Ultrasound allows additive manufacturing to go deeper—potentially inside the body
Human–wild bird cooperation
Authors: Searcy William A. , Nowicki Stephen
Published: December 2023

Honeyguides learn distinct signals made by honey hunters from different cultures
Magma-carbonate interactions drive CO2 production and metal enrichment in shallow dikes and sills at volcanic arcs
Authors: Morris R.A. , Canil D. , Spence J.
Published: December 2023

The contribution of CO2 from crustal carbonates into arc magmas is debated, as is its role in the long-term C cycle. To better understand the contributions and mechanisms that drive CO2 production in arc magmas, we examined in detail basaltic dike and sill contacts with carbonate in the Jurassic Bonanza arc on Vancouver Island, Canada. We discovered discrete boundary melts that formed along dike and sill margins in contact with limestone, which display unique Ca, U, and Sr enrichments, Si depletion, and 87Sr/86Sr that approaches host limestone values (~0.708). Binary mixing modeling indicates ~20%–25% limestone assimilation into basalt formed the boundary melts. Contrasting viscosities between boundary and interior melts hinder mixing and chemical homogenization but appear to promote uphill diffusion and metal enrichment within systems that cool in minutes to days. While shallow dikes and sills may be volumetrically minor in an arc magma system, the open flow of magma and large surface area in channels greatly enhances magma-carbonate interactions, and ultimately CO2 production, likely over that of more common and voluminous plutons.
The future of translational medical humanities: bridging the data/narrative divide
Authors: Ostherr Kirsten
Published: December 2023

This essay argues that emerging forms of translational work in the field of medical humanities offer valuable methods for engaging with communities outside of academic settings. The first section of the essay provides a synthetic overview of definitions and critical engagements with the concept of ‘translation’ in the context of medical humanities, a field that, in the wake of the COVID pandemic, can serve as an exemplar for other fields of the humanities. The second section explains the ‘data/narrative’ divide in medicine and health to demonstrate the need for new translational methodologies that can address this nexus of concern, particularly in collaboration with constituencies outside of academic settings. The third section maps out the sites and infrastructures where digital medical humanities is poised to make significant translational interventions. The final section of the essay considers data privacy and health ecology as conceptual frameworks that are necessary for bridging the data/narrative divide. Examples are drawn from the ‘Translational Humanities for Public Health’ website, which aggregates projects worldwide to demonstrate these emerging methodologies.
Using crowdsourcing at an academic conference to develop STI testing messaging for public dissemination
Authors: Davis Alissa , Kpokiri Eneyi , Li Chunyan , Day Suzanne , Yan Xumeng , Marley Gifty , Landers Sara E , Tucker Joseph D
Published: December 2023

Objectives

We provide a guide to conducting a crowdsourcing activity at an international sexually transmitted infection (STI) conference to design public messaging about STI testing and disseminating that messaging via social media.

Methods

A speaker gave a presentation at a conference plenary session on the concepts of cocreation, crowdsourcing and designathons, and the application of these participatory approaches in public health research. To illustrate one of these approaches (crowdsourcing), attendees in the audience were asked to take part in a voluntary participatory activity, in which they would pair up with a fellow attendee sitting nearby and write down an idea on a blank notecard. Dyads were given 10 min to create an entry responding to the prompt, ‘Write something that inspires gonorrhoea and/or chlamydia testing (eg, picture, jingle, rhyme)’. Each entry was judged by at least four independent judges on a scale of 0 (lowest quality) to 10 (highest quality) based on their innovation and potential to promote chlamydia/gonorrhoea testing. Scores were averaged to determine the finalist entries.

Results

We received 32 entries. The average score was 6.41 and scores ranged from 4.5 to 8 (median 6.63, IQR 5.75, 7.06). Half of entries (n=16) were slogans, 15.6% (n=5) were poems/rhymes, 12.5% (n=4) were memes/images, 9.4% (n=3) were programme implementation ideas, 3.1% (n=1) was a song verse, and 3.1% (n=1) was a video idea. One finalist entry was a meme and received 720 impressions, 120 engagements, 27 detail expands, 19 likes, 6 reposts and 1 response on Twitter. The second finalist entry was a slogan and received 242 impressions, 16 engagements, 6 detail expands, 4 likes and 2 reposts.

Conclusions

Conducting crowdsourcing activities at future conferences may be an innovative, feasible way to develop and disseminate engaging and important STI and other health messaging to the public in a short period of time.
Influence of age on clinical characteristics, pharmacological management and exacerbations in children with asthma
Authors: Khalaf Zainab , Bush Andrew , Saglani Sejal , Bloom Chloe I
Published: December 2023

Background

Asthma trials and guidelines often do not distinguish between adolescents and younger children. Using a large English data set, we evaluated the impact of age on asthma characteristics, management and exacerbations.

Methods

Primary care medical records, 2004–2021, were linked to hospital records. Children were categorised by age at diagnosis and followed until the next age bracket. Ages (based on management guidelines) were 5–8 years, 9–11 years and adolescents (12–16 years). Characteristics evaluated included body mass index, allergies and events before and after diagnosis (symptoms, medication). Exacerbation incidence was calculated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards determined associations with exacerbations.

Results

119 611 children were eligible: 61 940 (51.8%) 5–8 years, 32 316 (27.7%) 9–11 years and 25 355 (21.2%) adolescents. Several characteristics differed by age; children aged 5–8 years had the highest proportion with eczema, food/drug allergy and cough, but adolescents had the highest proportion with overweight/obesity, aeroallergen sensitisation, dyspnoea and short-acting-beta-agonist only use. Exacerbation rates were highest in the youngest children (per 100 person-years (95% CI): 5–8 years =13.7 (13.4–13.9), 9–11 years =10.0 (9.8–10.4), adolescents =6.7 (6.5–7.0)). Exacerbation risk factors also differed by age; 5–8 years: male, eczema and food/drug allergy were strongly associated, but for children ≥9 years old, obesity and aeroallergen sensitisation were strongly associated. For all children, higher socioeconomic deprivation was significantly associated with having an exacerbation. Delayed diagnosis was most common in children aged 5–8 years and was associated with increased exacerbations across all ages.

Conclusion

Children’s baseline characteristics and exacerbation rates varied according to their age group. Clinical guidelines should consider age at time of diagnosis more discretely than the broad range, 5–16 years, as this appears to impact on asthma severity and management.
Bohmian mechanics of the three-slit experiment in the linear potential
Authors: Rozenman Georgi Gary , Bondar Denys I. , Schleich Wolfgang P. , Shemer Lev , Arie Ady
Published: December 2023

We report on a three-slit experiment in the presence of a linear potential with surface gravity water waves. For these classical waves, we reconstruct the Bohm trajectories as well as the corresponding quantum potentials.
Privacy-Preserving Individual-Level COVID-19 Infection Prediction via Federated Graph Learning
Authors: Fu Wenjie , Wang Huandong , Gao Chen , Liu Guanghua , Li Yong , Jiang Tao
Published: December 2023

Accurately predicting individual-level infection state is of great value since its essential role in reducing the damage of the epidemic. However, there exists an inescapable risk of privacy leakage in the fine-grained user mobility trajectories required by individual-level infection prediction. In this article, we focus on developing a framework of privacy-preserving individual-level infection prediction based on federated learning (FL) and graph neural networks (GNN). We proposeFalcon, aFederated grAphLearning method for privacy-preserving individual-level infeCtion predictiON. It utilizes a novel hypergraph structure with spatio-temporal hyperedges to describe the complex interactions between individuals and locations in the contagion process. By organically combining the FL framework with hypergraph neural networks, the information propagation process of the graph machine learning is able to be divided into two stages distributed on the server and the clients, respectively, so as to effectively protect user privacy while transmitting high-level information. Furthermore, it elaborately designs a differential privacy perturbation mechanism as well as a plausible pseudo location generation approach to preserve user privacy in the graph structure. Besides, it introduces a cooperative coupling mechanism between the individual-level prediction model and an additional region-level model to mitigate the detrimental impacts caused by the injected obfuscation mechanisms. Extensive experimental results show that our methodology outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms and is able to protect user privacy against actual privacy attacks. Our code and datasets are available at the link:https://github.com/wjfu99/FL-epidemic.
StructCoder: Structure-Aware Transformer for Code Generation
Authors: Tipirneni Sindhu , Zhu Ming , Reddy Chandan K.
Published: December 2023

There has been a recent surge of interest in automating software engineering tasks using deep learning. This article addresses the problem of code generation, in which the goal is to generate target code given source code in a different language or a natural language description. Most state-of-the-art deep learning models for code generation use training strategies primarily designed for natural language. However, understanding and generating code requires a more rigorous comprehension of the code syntax and semantics. With this motivation, we develop an encoder-decoder Transformer model in which both the encoder and decoder are explicitly trained to recognize the syntax and dataflow in the source and target codes, respectively. We not only make the encoder structure aware by leveraging the source code’s syntax tree and dataflow graph, but we also support the decoder in preserving the syntax and dataflow of the target code by introducing two novel auxiliary tasks: Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) path prediction and dataflow prediction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to introduce a structure-aware Transformer decoder that models both syntax and dataflow to enhance the quality of generated code. The proposed StructCoder model achieves state-of-the-art performance on code translation and text-to-code generation tasks in the CodeXGLUE benchmark and improves over baselines of similar size on the APPS code generation benchmark. Our code is publicly available at
https://github.com/reddy-lab-code-research/StructCoder/
.
Brave New GES World: A Systematic Literature Review of Gestures and Referents in Gesture Elicitation Studies
Authors: Villarreal-Narvaez Santiago , Sluÿters Arthur , Vanderdonckt Jean , Vatavu Radu-Daniel
Published: December 2023

How do we determine highly effective and intuitive gesture sets for interactive systems tailored to end users’ preferences? A substantial body of knowledge is available on this topic, among which gesture elicitation studies stand out distinctively. In these studies, end users are invited to propose gestures for specific referents, which are the functions to control for an interactive system. The vast majority of gesture elicitation studies conclude with a consensus gesture set identified following a process of consensus or agreement analysis. However, the information about specific gesture sets determined for specific applications is scattered across a wide landscape of disconnected scientific publications, which poses challenges to researchers and practitioners to effectively harness this body of knowledge. To address this challenge, we conducted a systematic literature review and examined a corpus of
N
= 267 studies encompassing a total of 187,265 gestures elicited from 6,659 participants for 4,106 referents. To understand similarities in users’ gesture preferences within this extensive dataset, we analyzed a sample of 2,304 gestures extracted from the studies identified in our literature review. Our approach consisted of (i) identifying the context of use represented by end users, devices, platforms, and gesture sensing technology; (ii) categorizing the referents; (iii) classifying the gestures elicited for those referents; and (iv) cataloging the gestures based on their representation and implementation modalities. Drawing from the findings of this review, we propose guidelines for conducting future end-user gesture elicitation studies.
A Survey of Robustness and Safety of 2D and 3D Deep Learning Models against Adversarial Attacks
Authors: Li Yanjie , Xie Bin , Guo Songtao , Yang Yuanyuan , Xiao Bin
Published: December 2023

Benefiting from the rapid development of deep learning, 2D and 3D computer vision applications are deployed in many safe-critical systems, such as autopilot and identity authentication. However, deep learning models are not trustworthy enough because of their limited robustness against adversarial attacks. The physically realizable adversarial attacks further pose fatal threats to the application and human safety. Lots of papers have emerged to investigate the robustness and safety of deep learning models against adversarial attacks. To lead to trustworthy AI, we first construct a general threat model from different perspectives and then comprehensively review the latest progress of both 2D and 3D adversarial attacks. We extend the concept of adversarial examples beyond imperceptive perturbations and collate over 170 papers to give an overview of deep learning model robustness against various adversarial attacks. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to systematically investigate adversarial attacks for 3D models, a flourishing field applied to many real-world applications. In addition, we examine physical adversarial attacks that lead to safety violations. Last but not least, we summarize present popular topics, give insights on challenges, and shed light on future research on trustworthy AI.
Community-Level Factors Associated with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Incidence and Mortality: An Observational Registry Study
Authors: Mezzacappa Catherine , Rossi Raiza , Jaffe Ariel , Taddei Tamar H. , Strazzabosco Mario
Published: December 2023

Background:

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence and outcomes vary across populations in the United States, but few studies evaluate local drivers of observed disparities. We measured HCC incidence at the community level and assessed community-level HCC risk factors with the goal of informing resource allocation to improve early case detection, which is associated with improved outcomes.

Methods:

Clinical and demographic data including census tract of residence for all adults diagnosed with HCC in the Connecticut Tumor Registry between 2008 and 2019 were combined with publicly available U.S. Census and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data at the ZIP Code tabulation area (ZCTA) level. The average annual incidence of HCC was calculated for each ZCTA and associations between community-level characteristics, HCC incidence, stage at diagnosis, and survival were evaluated.

Results:

Average annual HCC incidence during the study period was 8.9/100,000 adults and varied from 0 to 97.7 per 100,000 adults by ZCTA. At the community level, lower rates of high school graduation, higher rates of poverty, and rural community type were associated with higher HCC incidence. Persons with HCC living in the highest incidence ZCTAs were diagnosed at a younger age and were less likely to be alive at 1, 2, and 5 years after diagnosis.

Conclusions:

Community-level socioeconomic factors are strongly associated with HCC incidence and survival in Connecticut.

Impact:

This reproducible geo-localization approach using cancer registry, Census, and CDC data can be used to identify communities most likely to benefit from health system investments to reduce disparities in HCC.
PD-1 Expression on Intratumoral Regulatory T Cells Is Associated with Lack of Benefit from Anti–PD-1 Therapy in Metastatic Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Denize Thomas , Jegede Opeyemi A. , Matar Sayed , El Ahmar Nourhan , West Destiny J. , Walton Emily , Bagheri Aseman Sheshdeh , Savla Varunika , Nabil Laimon Yasmin , Gupta Saurabh , Vemula Sai Vikram , Braun David A. , Burke Kelly P. , Catalano Paul J. , Freeman Gordon J. , Motzer Robert J. , Atkins Michael B. , McDermott David F. , Sharpe Arlene H. , Choueiri Toni K. , Signoretti Sabina
Published: December 2023

Purpose:

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) expression on CD8+TIM-3−LAG-3− tumor-infiltrating cells predicts positive response to PD-1 blockade in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC). Because inhibition of PD-1 signaling in regulatory T cells (Treg) augments their immunosuppressive function, we hypothesized that PD-1 expression on tumor-infiltrating Tregs would predict resistance to PD-1 inhibitors.

Experimental Design:

PD-1+ Tregs were phenotyped using multiparametric immunofluorescence in ccRCC tissues from the CheckMate-025 trial (nivolumab: n = 91; everolimus: n = 90). Expression of CD8, PD-1, TIM-3, and LAG-3 was previously determined (Ficial and colleagues, 2021). Clinical endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and objective response rate (ORR).

Results:

In the nivolumab (but not everolimus) arm, high percentage of PD-1+ Tregs was associated with shorter PFS (3.19 vs. 5.78 months; P = 0.021), shorter OS (18.1 vs. 27.7 months; P = 0.013) and marginally lower ORR (12.5% vs. 31.3%; P = 0.059). An integrated biomarker (PD-1 Treg/CD8 ratio) was developed by calculating the ratio between percentage of PD-1+Tregs (marker of resistance) and percentage of CD8+PD-1+TIM-3−LAG-3− cells (marker of response). In the nivolumab (but not everolimus) arm, patients with high PD-1 Treg/CD8 ratio experienced shorter PFS (3.48 vs. 9.23 months; P < 0.001), shorter OS (18.14 vs. 38.21 months; P < 0.001), and lower ORR (15.69% vs. 40.00%; P = 0.009). Compared with the individual biomarkers, the PD-1 Treg/CD8 ratio showed improved ability to predict outcomes to nivolumab versus everolimus.

Conclusions:

PD-1 expression on Tregs is associated with resistance to PD-1 blockade in mccRCC, suggesting that targeting Tregs may synergize with PD-1 inhibition. A model that integrates PD-1 expression on Tregs and CD8+TIM-3−LAG-3− cells has higher predictive value.