bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ESA Parastronaut Feasibility Project: Investigating the Need and Contents of Physical Performance Tests for an Inclusive European Astronaut Corps
Authors: Wiedmann Isabella , Weerts Guillaume , Brixius Klara , Seemüller Anna , Mittelstädt Justin , Herssens Nolan , Weber Tobias
Published: September 2023

Introduction

In 2022, the European Space Agency (ESA) held the first astronaut selection since the beginning of space flight that allowed physically impaired astronaut candidates to be selected in an inclusive European astronaut corp. The main objective of the ‘parastronaut feasibility project’ is to investigate if physical performance tests (PPTs) should be part of future astronaut recruitments for an inclusive ESA astronaut corps to test their flight readiness. The objectives of this study are (1) to assess if future (para-)astronaut recruitment campaigns should include PPTs to ensure flight readiness, safety, and mission success; (2) if so, which areas of physical performance should be tested to mimic nominal and off-nominal crew activities during all phases of a space mission; and (3) to assess whether PPTs are compatible with the ethical principles of equal opportunity for an inclusive pool of astronaut candidates.

Methods

58 subject matter experts with specialisations in space physiology, operational human space flight, space medicine, medical ethics or parasports were interviewed in two rounds using the Delphi method. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained, analysed, categorised, and visualised using the qualitative research tool NVivo and Excel.

Results

Two thirds of the experts were in favour of adding PPTs to future astronaut selections and recommended to implement them for both physically unimpaired and physically impaired astronaut candidates. The main physical skills that should be examined are space-related, mission-specific coordination skills of the upper extremities, followed by endurance performance and stamina, dexterity of the upper extremities, motor learning ability and mobility.

Conclusion

Based on this study, it is clear that PPTs should be part of future astronaut selection campaigns. However, the content of these PPTs must be carefully evaluated and validated using existing data on crew activities before, during, and after space flight, while considering equal opportunities in the context of human space flight. Historical considerations have influenced current astronaut requirements, but this study's findings indicate a need to reassess these requirements for future inclusive selection campaigns, as their validity and necessity remain uncertain.
An Explainable Framework to Predict Child Sexual Abuse Awareness in People Using Supervised Machine Learning Models
Authors: Chadaga Krishnaraj , Prabhu Srikanth , Sampathila Niranjana , Chadaga Rajagopala , Bairy Muralidhar , S. Swathi K.
Published: September 2023

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a type of abuse in which an individual exploits a kid/adolescent sexually. CSA can happen in several places, such as schools, households, hostels, and other public spaces. However, a large number of people, including parents, do not have an awareness of this sensitive issue. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are being used in various disciplines in the modern era. Hence, supervised machine learning models have been used to predict child sexual abuse awareness in this study. The dataset contains answers provided by 3002 people regarding CSA. A questionnaire dataset obtained though crowdsourcing has been used to predict a person’s knowledge level regarding sexual abuse in children. Heterogenous ML and deep learning models have been used to make accurate predictions. To demystify the decisions made by the models, explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) techniques have also been utilized. XAI helps in making the models more interpretable, decipherable, and transparent. Four XAI techniques: Shapley additive values (SHAP), Eli5, QLattice, and local interpretable model-agnostic explanations (LIME), have been utilized to demystify the models. Among all the classifiers, the final stacked model obtained the best results with an accuracy of 94% for the test dataset. The excellent results demonstrated by the classifiers point to the use of artificial intelligence in preventing child sexual abuse by making people aware of it. The models can be used real time in facilities such as schools, hospitals, and other places to increase awareness among people regarding sexual abuse in children.
Prognose von Studienabbrüchen angehender Lehrkräfte mit Maschinellem Lernen: Potenziale der Nutzung von Studierenden- und Studienverlaufsdaten aus dem Campus-Management-System
Authors: Scheidig Falk , Holmeier Monika
Published: September 2023

Der unbefriedigte Lehrkräftebedarf lenkt die Aufmerksamkeit auch auf Studienabbrüche von angehenden Lehrkräften. Dabei gilt das Interesse sowohl der Aufklärung der Gründe als auch der Reduktion von Studienabbrüchen. Hinsichtlich der Analyse von Studienabbrüchen erwachsen im Kontext der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung neue Möglichkeiten der Nutzung von Studierenden- und Studienverlaufsdaten (Learning Analytics). Im Beitrag wird eine Studie präsentiert, in der Prognosen zum Studienabbruch auf Basis der Campus-Management-Daten von 4601 Lehramtsstudierenden berechnet wurden. Hierbei kamen mit der logistischen Regression und Random Forest zwei Verfahren des Maschinellen Lernens zum Einsatz, deren Anwendung und Ergebnisse vorgestellt werden. Mit beiden Verfahren konnten mit ca. 80 %iger Genauigkeit alle Studierenden korrekt entweder der Gruppe erfolgreicher Absolvent*innen oder der Studienabbrecher*innen zugeordnet werden. Als bedeutsamster Prädiktor erwiesen sich die Prüfungsleistungen in den ersten drei Semestern (Note und Anteil bestandener Prüfungen). Im Beitrag werden Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen der Studienabbruchprognose in Lehramtsstudiengängen sowie Implikationen der Datennutzung diskutiert.
Heart activity perception: narrative review on the measures of the cardiac perceptual ability
Authors: Körmendi János , Ferentzi Eszter
Published: September 2023

Measures of cardiac perceptual ability (also called cardiac accuracy) are methods of cardiac interoception, the perception of bodily sensation related to heart activity. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of these methods. We differentiate between three main measurement types: (1) change detection, i.e., when the task is to notice the change in the heart rate; also called: heart rate perception tasks, (2) discrimination tasks, i.e., when the task is to compare the internal sensations with external signal(s); also called: heartbeat detection tasks and (3) tracking tasks, i.e., when the task is to follow and report heartbeats via tapping or counting. We describe some of the new methods under “mixed methods,” as they share features with more than one of the large measurement types described above. Specific measures differ in various aspects, such as their focus (heart rhythm vs. single beats), their sensitivity to non-conscious sensations and the calculated indices (e.g., whether significance level by hypothesis test is provided). When a measure of cardiac perceptual ability is chosen, it is advisable to take its characteristics into consideration in light of the planned research.
Envisioning the Linkages Between Consumption and Production for Sustainability: Outcomes from Expert Workshops in Malaysia
Authors: Amasawa Eri , Kishita Yusuke , Mohamed Ahmad Fariz , McLellan Benjamin , Kojima Michikazu
Published: September 2023

Abstract

This paper describes and analyzes a workshop-based procedure to identify critical consumption and production (CP) linkages for sustainability, applied in the Klang Valley, an urban conglomeration centered in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Malaysia, targeting the year 2050. We propose a procedure combining a participatory backcasting approach, a structuralizing template, and scenario design cycles to identify critical CP linkages for sustainability. This procedure was tested in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, where resource and energy consumption is rapidly growing but scarcely studied. The workshops involved local experts from academia, industry, and government, as well as the research team, and established region-specific CP patterns, focusing on three domains, i.e., mobility, household chores, and living space. The results present key patterns for sustainable consumption and production in the Klang Valley and scenarios illustrating its implementation. Political will and strong regulatory enforcement with a particular focus on resource circulation at the end of life are identified as the dominant drivers to promote implementation.
CACA guidelines for holistic integrative management of esophageal carcinoma
Authors: Gong Lei , Bai Ming , Dai Liang , Guo Xufeng , Leng Xuefeng , Li Zhigang , Lu Zhihao , Mao Teng , Pang Qingsong , Shen Lin , Sun Yifeng , Yang Hong , Yin Jun , Zhang Hongdian , Zhang Wencheng , Zhao Gang , Zheng Bin , Yang Yueyang , Ba Yi , Chen Chun , Chen Haiquan , Chen Longqi , Deng Ting , Fan Qingxia , Fang Wentao , Fu Xiangning , Huang Jing , Li Xiaofei , Li Yin , Liu Shuoyan , Liu Yongyu , Ma Jianqun , Mao Weimin , Ren Jingli , Tan Lijie , Tang Peng , Wang Lvhua , Wang Qun , Wei Wenqiang , Xue Qi , Zhang Renquan , Chen Keneng , Fu Jianhua , Liu Junfeng , Han Yongtao , He Jie , Yu Zhentao , Mao Yousheng
Published: September 2023

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is a common malignant tumor of the upper digestive tract worldwide. An analysis of the latest data from cancer centers in China showed that the incidence of EC and the number of deaths due to EC in China in 2015 were 266,000 and 188,000, respectively, ranking sixth (6.3%) and fourth (8.0%) among all malignant tumors. The early diagnosis and treatment of EC and standardized diagnosis and treatment are important tasks for EC healthcare professionals in various centers across the country. At present, the 8th edition of the EC staging system jointly released by Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) is the most recent, authoritative and widely used EC staging standard. The EC professional committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association also organizes the "EC Standardization Campaign in China" every year to promote the development of EC diagnostic and treatment norms throughout the country. Since 2011, the EC Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association has published the Guidelines for Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of EC. Considering the increasing number of EC clinical studies and the continuous progress in diagnostic and treatment technologies in recent years, the updated Guidelines will include the latest progress in the diagnosis and treatment of EC, with a goal of promoting the forward development of EC diagnosis and treatment in clinical practice.
Effect of recycled powder on the yield stress of cement paste with varied superplasticizers
Authors: Li Zhen , Yu Cheng , Qiao Min , Xie Weixiao , Yu Jinyao
Published: September 2023

The influence of superplasticizer on the yield stress of cement pastes with recycled powder (RP) was examined in the study. Four superplasticizers were used to obtain the similar fluidity by adjusting the dosage. The results show that the 10% RP decreases the yield stress of paste compared to the reference paste at the same fluidity, but 20% and 30% RP increases the yield stress, ranging from 11 to 599%. The superplasticizer with adsorptive group of phosphate-type minimizes the yield stress of paste than that of polycarboxylate -type, but it made a significant increment in yield stress as the incorporating of RP increased. Besides, the polycarboxylate superplasticizer with the higher molecular weight of side chain and charge density led to lower yield stress. Based on the Yodel model, the yield stress of paste with RP was analyzed by the polymer adsorption and particle packing density of particles to reveal the influence of RP with different superplasticizers on the colloidal interaction and contact network among the particles. The packing density of particles with recycled powder was a little higher than the reference paste, but the higher fraction of fine particles made a stronger PSD effect, which improved the particle contact interaction. On the other hand, due to the higher polymer adsorption of recycled powder than cement, especially for superplasticizer with phosphate group, the average surface coverage was increased, which extended the separation distance, so that colloidal interaction among particles was weaken.
The 100 most cited articles in malignant hyperthermia
Authors: Han Yongzheng , Qu Yinyin , Wang Xiaoxiao , Zhou Yang , Yang Lukun , Du Haiming , Zhang Jing , Jiang Yandong , Li Zhengqian , Guo Xiangyang
Published: September 2023

Bibliometric analysis is a widely used method to identify and evaluate the trends and characteristics of the scientific publications in a specific research field. A large volume of literature has been published in the field of malignant hyperthermia (MH). However, no bibliometric studies have been conducted to describe the characteristics of highly cited articles on MH. Therefore, this study aims to identify the 100 most frequently cited articles about malignant hyperthermia, describe their characteristics, and investigate research trends. Searches were performed in Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar, and Scopus from January 1900 to March 2023, with no language limitation. The 100 most frequently cited articles were selected and analyzed. Characteristics including publication year, journal, impact factor, authors, authors countries, citation number, journal citation indicator, study design, and topics were analyzed. For the 100 most cited articles, the number of times each article was cited ranged from 84 to 1254, with a median of 133. The number of articles published peaked in the decade of 1990s (n = 30). The articles were published in 39 journals, with Anesthesiology leading with 13 publications and then the British Journal of Anaesthesia with 12 publications. The authors were from 21 countries, led by the United States (n = 37). Forty articles focused on genetic susceptibility screening, 27 articles were about MH etiology, and 11 articles were about diagnosis and treatment. The mortality rate of MH and dantrolene availability are known to be uneven worldwide. This may partly be explained by the fact that scientific publications primarily report by authors from developed countries. This bibliometric analysis highlights the characteristics of the most influential research related to malignant hyperthermia, providing a reference for conducting future research.
Units in Ceramic Analysis and the Problem of Vessel Use Life
Authors: Feathers James K.
Published: September 2023

Shott (2022, American Antiquity 87:794–815) argues that making inferences from ceramic data requires first inferring use lives of vessels—something that is difficult to do. This comment argues that the problem of differential use life becomes more tractable if the assemblage, rather than the vessel, is the unit of analysis. Aside from empirical reasons, theoretical considerations also favor the assemblage as the appropriate unit.
Departure flight delay prediction due to ground delay program using Multilayer Perceptron with improved sparrow search algorithm
Authors: Dong X. , Zhu X. , Zhang J.
Published: September 2023

The ground delay program (GDP) is a commonly used tool in air traffic management. Developing a departure flight delay prediction model based on GDP can aid airlines and control authorities in better flight planning and adjusting air traffic control strategies. A model that combines the improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) has been proposed to minimise prediction errors. The ISSA uses tent chaotic mapping, dynamic adaptive weights, and Levy flight strategy to enhance the algorithm’s accuracy for the sparrow search algorithm (SSA). The MLP model’s hyperparameters are optimised using the ISSA to improve the model’s prediction accuracy and generalisation performance. Experiments were performed using actual GDP-generated departure flight delay data and compared with other machine learning techniques and optimisation algorithms. The results of the experiments show that the mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) of the ISSA-MLP model are 16.8 and 24.2, respectively. These values are 5.61%, 6.3% and 1.8% higher in MAE and 4.4%, 5.1% and 2.5% higher in RMSE compared to SSA, particle swarm optimisation (PSO) and grey wolf optimisation (GWO). The ISSA-MLP model has been verified to have good predictive and practical value.
Investigation of the mechanical properties of polyurethane foam-filled FDM-printed honeycomb core sandwich composites for aircraft
Authors: Kafalı H. , Tunca E.
Published: September 2023

Sandwich composites are widely used in aerospace materials thanks to their low weight and high strength properties. The purpose of this study is to observe the effects of polyurethane foam filling on honeycomb core structures produced by additive manufacturing in terms of mechanical strength and moisture absorption properties. Within the scope of the study, honeycomb structures were produced by a 3D printer using polylactic acid (PLA) filament. Then, the honeycomb core was filled with polyurethane foam, which is supplied in liquid form. After the core material was given its final form, it was combined with an epoxy and carbon fibre facesheet material using the vacuum infusion technique. After the sandwich composite production was completed, in-plane compression, three-point bending, shear, and moisture absorption tests were applied. The polyurethane foam filling greatly increased the mechanical strength, but slightly more moisture absorption occurred in this structure compared to a hollow honeycomb structure.
Driving Irritation: Thailand's Supreme Court and the English Roots of Corporate Criminal Liability
Authors: Schuldt Lasse
Published: September 2023

In Thailand, the concept of corporate criminal liability is commonly identified with significant theoretical and practical uncertainties. Only limited attention, however, has been devoted to the notion's historical roots in English legal transfers. This article examines the relevant legislation, court cases, academic literature, and other records. It carves out the continuous English influence on Thai corporate crime doctrine and highlights the legal irritation that occurred along the way. It argues that irritation was not automatic but driven by the Supreme Court, whose choices were shaped by decades of English impact on Thai legal education and practice. The article thereby highlights the dynamics between legal transfers and local drivers of legal development. It expands the growing research on the continued relevance of English law in Thailand and concludes with an outlook on the future of Thai corporate crime doctrine.
Self-Authorship through Mutual Benefit: Toward a Liberal Theory of the Virtues in Business
Authors: Bernacchio Caleb
Published: September 2023

This article develops a liberal theory of the virtues in business. I first articulate two key liberal values embodied within market society: self-authorship and mutual benefit. Self-authorship is a mode of autonomy given expression through the effective exercise of economic liberties. Mutual benefit involves the intentional pursuit of the well-being of one’s transaction partners within economic exchange. These values are uniquely realized, I argue, within business, conceptualized as a distinct, firm-level, social practice. More specifically, individuals realize self-authorship by purposively integrating cospecialized resources, forms of knowledge, and business functions to facilitate mutually beneficial transactions. Through their commitment to mutual benefit, businesspersons establish ongoing, cooperative relationships with customers, members of other firms, and various stakeholders more generally. These relationships are constitutive of a distinct liberal notion of the common good. The practice of business and the common good in a market society are sustained by a range of individual-level virtues. I recount these virtues and, before concluding, discuss several other theoretical implications of this account.
State International Agreements: The United States, Canada, and Constitutional Evolution
Authors: Bradley Curtis A.
Published: September 2023

The text of the US Constitution appears to require that individual states, to the extent that they are ever allowed to conclude agreements with foreign governments, must obtain congressional approval. In practice, however, states conclude many agreements with foreign governments, including with Canada and its provinces, and they almost never seek congressional approval. This practice is an illustration of both the importance of federalism in US foreign relations and the significant role played by historical practice in informing US constitutional interpretation. The phenomenon of state international agreements assumed new prominence in 2019 when the Trump administration sued to challenge a climate change agreement that the state of California had made with Québec. Despite this challenge, for the most part, neither Congress nor the executive branch has resisted the growth in state international agreements. This acquiescence could change as countries like China target US states in an effort to work around strained relations with the US national government and as states become more assertive in resisting the national government’s foreign policies. In any event, the practice of state international agreements unapproved by Congress rests in part on a distinction between binding and non-binding agreements that deserves greater scrutiny under both domestic and international law.
Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change and Innovative Democratic Governance
Authors: Cortez Florian
Published: September 2023

This policy-oriented article explores the sustainability dimension of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI). While AI can contribute to halting climate change via targeted applications in specific domains, AI technology in general could also have detrimental effects for climate policy goals. Moreover, digitalisation and AI can have an indirect effect on climate policy via their impact on political processes. It will be argued that, if certain conditions are fulfilled, AI-facilitated digital tools could help with setting up frameworks for bottom-up citizen participation that could generate the legitimacy and popular buy-in required for speedy transformations needed to reach net zero such as radically revamping the energy infrastructure among other crucial elements of the green transition. This could help with ameliorating a potential dilemma of voice versus speed regarding the green transition. The article will further address the nexus between digital applications such as AI and climate justice. Finally, the article will consider whether innovative governance methods could instil new dynamism into the multi-level global climate regime, such as by facilitating interlinkages and integration between different levels. Before implementing innovative governance arrangements, it is crucial to assess whether they do not exacerbate old or even generate new inequalities of access and participation.
An elementary proof that the Rauzy gasket is fractal
Authors: POLLICOTT MARK , SEWELL BENEDICT
Published: September 2023

We present an elementary proof that the Rauzy gasket has Hausdorff dimension strictly smaller than two.
On shock induced aerobreakup of a wall-attached droplet
Authors: Guo Jianfeng , Kang Peng , Mu Kai , Li Jianling , Si Ting
Published: September 2023

An experimental study on the aerobreakup of a wall-attached droplet induced by a shock wave is carried out in this work. The shock wave and the post-wave air stream are generated by a shock tube facility, and the dynamics of droplet breakup are captured through high-speed imaging from the side, the oblique front and the back views, respectively. The wall-attached droplets with different wettabilities are considered, including the hydrophobic, hemispherical and hydrophilic ones. For the convenience of analysis, droplets with different wettabilities are unified with the same equivalent radius and, thus, the same Weber number and Reynolds number. Different from the evolution of a free spherical droplet, it is observed that the hydrophobic droplet can develop ‘peak’ structures on the windward and leeward sides, respectively; while the hemispherical and hydrophilic droplets leave a liquid film on the wall. The occurrence of ‘peak’ structures is caused by the local standing vortex on the droplet windward and leeward sides, and the residual of a liquid film on a solid wall is related to the boundary layer near the wall. Through comparing the height, width and advancing distance of droplet deformation between the spherical droplet and the wall-attached droplets with different wettabilities, it is found that the wall will inhibit the deformation and fragmentation of droplets on the flow direction. The ‘peak’ and film structures are responsible for the deviation of the dimensionless width between spherical and wall-attached droplets. The ‘lip’ structure is related to the recirculation flow at the rear of the droplet, which causes the reverse of velocity on the surface. The radius of the ‘lip’ decreases with the decrease of contact angle. The Rayleigh–Taylor (R–T) and Kelvin–Helmholtz (K–H) instabilities of wall-attached and spherical droplets are also studied by experiments and theoretical analysis. With the decrease of contact angle, the development of the K–H instability hardly changes, while the R–T instability results in a smaller wavelength of perturbation on the windward side. This study is expected to give some guidance for regulating the aerodynamic fragmentation of droplets in engineering applications.
Litigation for Sale: Private Firms and WTO Dispute Escalation
Authors: BRUTGER RYAN
Published: September 2023

This article presents a theory of lobbying by firms for trade liberalization, not through political contributions, but instead through contributions to the litigation process at the World Trade Organization (WTO). In this “litigation for sale” model, firms signal information about the strength and value of potential cases and the government selects cases based on firms’ signals. Firms play a key role in monitoring and seeking enforcement of international trade law by signaling information and providing a bureaucratic subsidy, which increases a state’s ability to pursue the removal of trade barriers and helps explain the high success rate for WTO complainants. The theory’s implications are consistent with in-depth interviews with 38 trade experts and are tested through an analysis of WTO dispute initiation.
Slavery, Coercion, and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Gardner Leigh
Published: September 2023

Recent debates on the economic history of the United States and other regions have revisited the question of the extent to which slavery and other forms of labor coercion contributed to the development of economic and political institutions. This article aims to bring Africa into this global debate, examining the contributions of slavery and coercion to periods of economic growth during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It argues that the coercion of labor in a variety of forms was a key part of African political economy, and thus when presented with opportunities for growth, elites turned first to the expansion of coerced labor. However, while labor coercion could help facilitate short-run growth, it also made the transition to sustained growth more difficult.
(Un)principled Agents: Monitoring Loyalty after the End of the Royal African Company Monopoly
Authors: Ruderman Anne , van Waijenburg Marlous
Published: September 2023

The revocation of the Royal African Company's (RAC) monopoly in 1698 inaugurated a transformation of the transatlantic slave trade. While the RAC's exit from the slave trade has received scholarly attention, little is known about the company's response to the loss of its trading privileges. Not only did the end of the company's monopoly increase competition, but the unprecedented numbers of private traders who entered the trade exacerbated the company's principal-agent problems on the West African coast. To analyze the company's behavior in the post-monopoly period, we exploit a series of 292 instruction letters that the RAC issued to its slave-ship captains between 1685 and 1706, coding each individual command in the letters. Our database reveals two new insights into the company's response to its upended competitive landscape. First, the RAC showed a remarkable degree of organizational flexibility, reacting to a heightened principal-agent problem. Second, its response was facilitated by the infrastructure of the transatlantic slave trade, which gave the company a monitoring mechanism by virtue of the slave-ship captains who continually sailed to the West African coast.
Common Lender, Ex-Banker Director, and Corporate Investment
Authors: Asai Kentaro , Hoang Thao , Yamada Takeshi
Published: September 2023

Due to the government-driven mergers of large banks, many competing firms in Japan ended up borrowing from a common lender. Using firm-level data, we find that the capital investments of competing firms that share a common lender decrease by 15% of the mean. When a common lender can exercise its voice through its former employees serving as firms’ executive directors, investments fall significantly further. Competing firms that share a common lender increase markups and profitability ratios, suggesting that the lender induces strategic coordination among its borrowers to reduce their competitive pressures. Firms use saved resources from weaker competition for cash cushions.
Addressing food insecurity: what is the role of healthcare?
Authors: Rai Navneet , Blane David N
Published: September 2023

Food insecurity – when individuals or households have difficulty accessing sufficient, safe, culturally appropriate and nutritious food due to lack of money or other resources – is a global public health concern. Levels of food insecurity have increased across the UK in recent years, due in part to a decade of austerity, widespread loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic and the more recent cost-of-living crisis, leading to rising use of food banks. The stress of living with uncertain access to food and going periods without food is damaging to physical and mental health. Food insecurity is linked to both obesity and malnutrition, as often the most readily available foods are processed, high in fats, sugars and salt, but low in essential nutrients for health. While recognising that many of the drivers of food insecurity, and health inequalities more broadly (i.e. the social determinants of health) lie outside the health service, it is increasingly acknowledged that the National Health Service – and primary care in particular – has a key role to play in mitigating health inequalities. This review considers the potential role of healthcare in mitigating food insecurity, with a focus on primary care settings. Recent initiatives in Scotland, such as community links workers and general practitioner practice-attached financial advice workers, have shown promise as part of a more community-oriented approach to primary care, which can mitigate the effects of food insecurity. However, a more ‘upstream’ response is required, including ‘cash first’ interventions as part of broader national strategies to end the need for food banks.
Robot 10 parameter compensation method based on Newton–Raphson method
Authors: Chen Lin , Nie Pinguang , Meng Chengqi , Chen Xuhong , Jia Bingqi , Pan Haihong
Published: September 2023

In this study, a novel kinematic calibration method is proposed to improve the absolute positioning accuracy of 6R robot. This method can achieve indirect compensation of the 25 parameters of modified Denavit–Hartenberg (MDH). The procedures of the method are threefold. Firstly, the 25-parameter errors model of MDH is initially established. However, only the errors of 10 parameters can be directly compensated in the 25-parameter errors model, since the inverse kinematics algorithm has to meet Pieper criterion. Subsequently, a calibration method is proposed to improve accuracy of the absolute position, which uses the Newton–Raphson method to transform the 25-parameter errors into 10-parameter errors (namely T-10 parameter model). Finally, the errors corresponding to 10 parameters in the T-10 parameters model are identified through the least square method. The calibration performances of T-10 parameters model are comprehensively validated by experimentation on two ER6B-C60 robots and one RS010N robot. After kinematic calibration, the average absolute positioning accuracy of the three robots can be improved by about 90%. The results indicate that the proposed calibration method can achieve more precise absolute positioning accuracy and has a wider range of universality.
Vibrations of cable-suspended rehabilitation robots
Authors: Zuccon Giacomo , Doria Alberto , Bottin Matteo , Minto Riccardo , Rosati Giulio
Published: September 2023

Rehabilitation robots help the treatment of diseases by performing cyclic exercises for a long period of time. These exercises must perform movements of the patient’s limbs; thus, the robots are required to be flexible and safe. Among rehabilitation robots, cable robots are widely used due to their unique properties, such as being lightweight and the possibility of being equipped with magnetic hooks to improve both safety and ease of use. However, the elasticity and flexibility of cables result in vibrations of the payload and hooks. In this paper, the forced vibrations due to rehabilitation exercises are studied. Since the previous studies of the authors showed a weak coupling between longitudinal and transverse vibrations, a two-cable planar model for the study of transverse vibrations is developed. The model makes it possible to study the forced transverse vibrations due to both cable motion and robot motion. Stiffness and damping of the patient’s arm are considered. Results show that the cable system exhibits a simple linear behavior when excited by robot motion and a non-linear behavior when excited by cable motion.
An adaptive impedance control method for polishing system of an optical mirror processing robot
Authors: Tian Xujing , Lv Mengyao , Sun Jiazheng , Zhao Hongzheng , Jiang Ziyuan , Han Jinshuo , Gu Wei , Cheng Gang
Published: September 2023

To solve the constant contact force control problem between the end tool of a 5 degrees of freedom hybrid optical mirror processing robot and a workpiece, an adaptive impedance control method for the pneumatic servo-polishing system of the robot is designed. Firstly, the pneumatic servo-polishing control system at the end of the robot is set up. Secondly, the impedance control method for contact force is investigated based on the mathematical model of the pneumatic servo-polishing control system. Additionally, the causes of steady-state error of impedance control are analyzed theoretically, and the calculation method for steady-state error of impedance control is deduced. Finally, an indirect adaptive impedance controller based on Lyapunov Stability Principle is developed to estimate the environmental stiffness and position online, so as to reduce steady-state error and realize the tracking of polishing contact force. The simulation and experimental results suggest that the adaptive impedance control method not only recognizes that the contact force of the robot is relatively constant during the polishing process but also has high control accuracy for the force, fast-tracking response for the abrupt force, and considerable adaptability to the variable environmental stiffness.
Probabilistic robotic logic programming with hybrid Boolean and Bayesian inference
Authors: Post Mark A.
Published: September 2023

Bayesian inference provides a probabilistic reasoning process for drawing conclusions based on imprecise and uncertain data that has been successful in many applications within robotics and information processing, but is most often considered in terms of data analysis rather than synthesis of behaviours. This paper presents the use of Bayesian inference as a means by which to perform Boolean operations in a logic programme while incorporating and propagating uncertainty information through logic operations by inference. Boolean logic operations are implemented in a Bayesian network of Bernoulli random variables with tensor-based discrete distributions to enable probabilistic hybrid logic programming of a robot. This enables Bayesian inference operations to coexist with Boolean logic in a unified system while retaining the ability to capture uncertainty by means of discrete probability distributions. Using a discrete Bayesian network with both Boolean and Bayesian elements, the proposed methodology is applied to navigate a mobile robot using hybrid Bayesian and Boolean operations to illustrate how this new approach improves robotic performance by inclusion of uncertainty without increasing the number of logic elements required. As any logical system could be programmed in this manner to integrate uncertainty into decision-making, this methodology can benefit a wide range of applications that use discrete or probabilistic logic.
Legal technologies: Conceptualizing the legacy of the 1923 Hague Rules of Aerial Warfare
Authors: Wilke Christiane , Doutaghi Helyeh
Published: September 2023

Many contemporary armed conflicts are shaped by the reliance on airstrikes using traditional fighter planes or remotely piloted drones. As accounts of civilian casualties from airstrikes abound, the ethics and legality of individual airstrikes and broader targeting practices remain contested. Yet these concerns and debates are not new. In fact, a key attempt to regulate aerial warfare was made 100 years ago. In this article, we approach the regulation of aerial warfare through an examination of the 1923 Hague Draft Rules of Aerial Warfare and the contemporary scholarly discussion of these rules. While the Draft Rules have never been converted into a treaty, they embody logics of thinking about civilians, technologies of aerial warfare, and targeting that are still resonating in contemporary discussions of aerial warfare. This article argues for a contextualized understanding of the Draft Rules as an attempt to adapt International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to the new technological realities while maintaining distinctions between different kinds of spaces and non-combatants. We argue that the Draft Rules prefigure later debates about the legality of aerial bombing by tacitly operating with a narrow understanding of the civilian and by offering a range of excuses and justifications for bombing civilians.
Benefits of Super Skills for Life in a randomized controlled trial in clinical settings for Spanish children with comorbid conditions
Authors: Diego Sara , Morales Alexandra , Orgilés Mireia
Published: September 2023

Emotional disorders in children are often associated with low self-concept and problems with peers, and in many cases externalizing symptoms. Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic treatment for emotional problems in children that has also shown benefits in other comorbid symptoms. This study aimed to examine, for the first time, the effect of SSL on a clinical sample of Spanish children aged 8–12 years with a major emotional disorder and comorbid externalizing symptoms and low self-concept. A quasi-experimental design with two groups, pretest and posttest, was carried out. Thirty-eight children received the SSL intervention, and 36 children were assigned to a wait-list control (WLC) group. Children in SSL showed statistically fewer posttest emotional symptoms (p < .001), peer problems (p = .002), and overall internalizing and externalizing difficulties (p = .005) compared to children in WLC, in addition to higher posttest self-concept (p = .002). There were no differences in the postinterventional changes between boys and girls in internalizing and externalizing symptoms. However, significant differences were found in some facets of self-concept. The results of this study suggest that the SSL protocol may be useful in Spanish clinical contexts. Still, more research is needed to overcome some of the inherent limitations.
The establishment of the police office in mid-eighteenth-century Altona: new opportunities for privacy in transitional times?
Authors: Ljungberg Johannes , Jakobsen Jesper
Published: September 2023

This article demonstrates how the introduction of a police office in mid-eighteenth-century Altona, a free town in the Holy Roman Empire as well as the Danish monarchy, catalysed practices and arguments in favour of privacy. By examination of police logs and correspondence from Altona to Copenhagen between 1759 and 1766, which included reports of conflicts over the implementation of the police instruction issued in 1754, we show how the process of establishing police regulation resulted in a greater emphasis on the outer door as a demarcation between street and house. Drawing specifically on a key conflict between a young merchant with his intended wife, their landlord and the chief of police, in which the supreme president also intervened, we demonstrate how arguments for and against the protection of the outer door helped to create room for privacy in the shifting landscape of bureaucratic opportunities offered by town and state.
Effectiveness of teleneuropsychological rehabilitation: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Naamanka Elina , Salakka Ilja , Parkkila Minna , Hotti Joona , Poutiainen Erja
Published: September 2023

Objective:

The effectiveness of neuropsychological rehabilitation is supported by the evidence found in previous reviews, but there is a lack of research regarding the effectiveness of remotely conducted neuropsychological rehabilitation. This review aimed to identify and evaluate the results of studies investigating the effectiveness of teleneuropsychological rehabilitation.

Methods:

Relevant articles were extracted from electronic databases and filtered to include studies published in 2016 or later to focus on recent practices. Data were synthesized narratively.

Results:

A total of 14 randomized controlled studies were included in the synthesis (9 for children/adolescents, 5 for adults). The most common type of intervention was computerized cognitive training with regular remote contact with the therapist (seven studies). Regarding children and adolescents, the evidence for the effectiveness was found only for these types of interventions with improvements in cognitive outcomes. The results regarding the family-centered interventions were mixed with improvements only found in psychosocial outcomes. No support was found for the effectiveness of interventions combining cognitive and motor training. Regarding adults, all included studies offered support for the effectiveness, at least to some extent. There were improvements particularly in trained cognitive functions. Long-term effects of the interventions with generalization to global functioning remained somewhat unclear.

Conclusion:

Remote interventions focused on computerized cognitive training are promising methods within teleneuropsychological rehabilitation. However, their impact on long-term meaningful, everyday functioning remained unclear. More research is needed to reliably assess the effectiveness of teleneuropsychological interventions, especially with more comprehensive approaches.
Social Policy Responses to Rising Inflation in Canada and the United States
Authors: Béland Daniel , Dinan Shannon , Rocco Philip , Waddan Alex
Published: September 2023

Social policies’ responsiveness to rising inflation depends in large part on whether they contain automatic indexation mechanisms, which ensure that the real value of wages and benefits expands during inflationary periods. Here we compare how the indexation of Canadian and U.S. policies on pensions, minimum wages, and food security have affected their responsiveness to the recent cost-of-living crisis. Three main conclusions emerge from our analysis. First, automatic indexation is not necessarily a silver bullet to avoid policy drift. Second, automatic indexation and its design are not the only factors that matter to determine whether high inflation leads to policy drift. Finally, in times of higher inflation, social programs that lack automatic indexation can avoid policy drift, as long as a strong political consensus allows for ad hoc social policy expansion capable of offsetting the negative effects of inflations on social benefits.
Support given by health professionals before and after a patient’s death to relatives involved in general palliative care at home in Sweden: Findings from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care
Authors: Mikaelsson Midlöv Elina , Lindberg Terese , Sterner Therese , Skär Lisa
Published: September 2023

Objectives

General palliative care (PC) is provided more at home, leading to increased involvement of relatives. Although support for relatives is a fundamental component of PC, there are deficiencies in the support provided to relatives when general PC is provided at home. This study aimed to describe the support provided by health professionals before and after a patient’s death to relatives involved in general PC at home.

Methods

A cross-sectional register study was implemented, with data from the Swedish Register of Palliative care. The sample consisted of 160 completed surveys from relatives who had been involved in general PC at home, with 160 related surveys answered by health professionals. Only the questions about support to relatives were used from the surveys.

Results

The findings showed that although many relatives appear to receive support in general PC at home, not all relatives receive optimal support before or after a patient’s death. The findings also indicated differences in whether relatives received some support before and after a patient’s death depending on the type of relative. There were also differences in responses between health professionals and relatives regarding if relatives received counseling from a doctor about whether the patient was dying.

Significance of results

There is potential for improvements regarding support for relatives, especially after a patient’s death, which has been confirmed in previous studies. The differences in whether relatives received support before and after a patient’s death depending on the type of relative highlight the need for future research on how to support different types of relatives before and after a patient’s death when general PC is provided at home.
Fast Gaussian Process Emulation of Mars Global Climate Model
Authors: Tunnell Marc , Bowman Nathaniel , Carrier Erin
Published: September 2023

The NASA Ames Mars Global Climate Model (MGCM) software has been in steady use at NASA for decades and was recently released to the public. This model simulates the complex interactions of various weather cycles that exist on Mars, namely the Dust Cycle, the CO2 Cycle, and the Water cycle. Utilized by NASA, the MGCM is used to help understand their empirically observed data through the use of sensitivity studies. However, these sensitivity studies are computationally taxing, requiring weeks to run. To address this issue, we have trained a surrogate model using Gaussian processes (GP) that can emulate the output of this model with relatively small amounts of data in a reduced amount of time (on the order of minutes). We demonstrate the effectiveness of our emulator using backward error.