bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal Variations of “Triple-demic” Outbreaks of Respiratory Infections in the United States in the Post-COVID-19 Era
Authors: Luo Wei , Liu Qianhuang , Zhou Yuxuan , Ran Yiding , Liu Zhaoyin , Hou Weitao , Pei Sen , Lai Shengjie
Published: May 2023

Objectives

The United States confronted a “triple-demic” of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19 in the winter of 2022, resulting in increased respiratory infections and a higher demand for medical supplies. It is urgent to analyze each epidemic and their co-occurrence in space and time to identify hotspots and provide insights for public health strategy.

Methods

We used retrospective space-time scan statistics to retrospect the situation of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV in 51 US states from October 2021 to February 2022, and then applied prospective space-time scan statistics to monitor spatiotemporal variations of each individual epidemic, respectively and collectively from October 2022 to February 2023.

Results

Our analysis indicated that compared to the winter of 2021, COVID-19 cases decreased while influenza and RSV infections increased significantly during the winter of 2022. We revealed that a twin-demic high-risk cluster of influenza and COVID-19 but no triple-demic clusters emerged during the winter of 2021. We further identified a large high-risk cluster of triple-demic in the central US from late November, with COVID-19, influenza, and RSV having relative risks of 1.14, 1.90, and 1.59, respectively. The number of states at high risk for multiple-demic increased from 15 in October 2022 to 21 in January 2023.

Conclusion

Our study provides a novel spatiotemporal perspective to explore and monitor the transmission patterns of the triple epidemic, which could inform public health authorities’ resource allocation to mitigate future outbreaks.
HiTE: An accurate dynamic boundary adjustment approach for full-length Transposable Elements detection and annotation in Genome Assemblies
Authors: Hu Kang , Xu Minghua , Zou You , Wang Jianxin
Published: May 2023

Recent advancements in genome assembly have greatly improved the prospects for comprehensive annotation of Transposable Elements (TEs). However, existing methods for TE annotation using genome assemblies are less accurate and robust, requiring extensive manual editing. In addition, the currently available gold-standard TE databases are not comprehensive, even for extensively studied species, highlighting the critical need for an automated TE detection method to supplement existing repositories. In this study, we introduce HiTE, an accurate dynamic boundary adjustment approach designed to detect full-length TEs. The experimental results demonstrate that HiTE identified 932 perfect TE models with a precision of 0.971 on the rice reference genome, which are 142% and 4.42% higher than the state-of-the-art tool RepeatModeler2, respectively. Furthermore, HiTE discovers over 800 novel TIR elements with well-defined structures that are not included in known libraries, enabling the discovery of new insights. We have also implemented a Nextflow version of HiTE to enhance its parallelism reproducibility, and portability.
The impacts of building opening characteristics on dust particle deposition indoors
Authors: Mohammed Mohammed Alhaji , Bulama Kyari , Bukar Alhaji Modu , Modu Mala Ali , Usman Audu Alhaji , Lawan Alhaji Kasir , Habib Garba Abba
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The effects of dust exposure in buildings and its health and comfort consequences continue to concern occupants, particularly those who spend most of their time indoors. This study examines the influence of building opening characteristics on surface dust loading in indoor environments to determine the dust particles' impact on different opening configurations.

Design/methodology/approach

Indoor Harmattan dust surface loading data were collected from Maiduguri, Northeastern Nigeria, using model rooms with six different window configurations. A simple mathematical relationship was employed to assess surface dust loading characteristics in the model rooms. The study measured dust thrice between December and February for three days (72 h). The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings

The results determined the highest average surface dust loading of 12.03 g/m2 in the room with awning windows at an indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratio of 0.7. In contrast, the experiment in the room with a closed window recorded the lowest average surface dust loading of 5.24 g/m2 at an I/O ratio of 0.30, which is infiltration. The outcomes further indicate that the average surface dust loading varies with the building opening type and position, as higher surface dust loadings were recorded in locations closer to the openings (doors and windows), reaffirming that the dominant source of the dust particles is outdoors. According to the study, dust incursion due to infiltration accounts for 30% of the outdoor surface loading.

Originality/value

Thus, Harmattan dust is a serious challenge to the health, productivity and hygiene of building occupants in the study area. The built-environment professionals must use the study's outcome to optimize building openings' designs (shape, size and form) for effective indoor dust control.
Numerical investigation on wheel-rail adhesion under water-lubricated condition during braking
Authors: Yang Yuqi , Wu Bing , Xiao Guanwen , Shen Quan
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a 3D wheel-rail adhesion model under wet condition, which considers the generated surface roughness topography and the traditional braking procedure for high-speed trains.

Design/methodology/approach

Wheel-rail adhesion has an important effect on the braking ability of railway vehicle. Based on the deterministic mixed lubrication approach, the model was solved to get the adhesion characteristics of the train during braking. The elastic deformation was calculated with the discrete convolution and fast Fourier transform method. The simulation results of adhesion coefficient were compared with the experimental values. The wheel-rail adhesion characteristics of train braking at several different initial speeds were investigated. The effects of the time-step length and roughness orientation on the contact load ratio were also discussed.

Findings

The results show that the adhesion coefficient of the numerical model is in good agreement with the experimental results. At the instant of braking, the adhesion coefficient drops to a lower adhesion level, the value of adhesion coefficient is lower than 0.06, especially at a higher speed (200, 300 and 400 km/h).

Originality/value

It can provide a better understanding of the low adhesion phenomenon of train braking under wet condition.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-02-2023-0040/
“Striking the right balance”: tensions in municipal risk communication management for preparedness
Authors: Lerøy Sataøen Hogne , Eriksson Mats
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The aim of the study is to deepen the knowledge about municipalities' risk communication for preparedness. This objective was pursued by analyzing how risk communication functions were organized in municipalities and by scrutinizing tensions in risk communication management.

Design/methodology/approach

The study relies on 19 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with communication practitioners in Swedish municipalities. The sample was purposive and included Swedish municipalities varying in number of inhabitants, geographical location, degree of urbanization, size and risk profile.

Findings

Risk communication is seen as a sub-field of crisis communication in municipalities' communication management. The task of initiating risk communication activities and campaigns is frequently assigned to the municipalities' safety units or emergency coordinators and is normally not part of communication practitioners' duties. Municipal communication practitioners often face challenges in trying to demonstrate the significance of the practitioners' role in risk communication and other risk-related activities within the municipality. The practitioners' work is characterized by four categories of tensions that are identified as follows: constitutional/legal, organizational, cultural and technological.

Practical implications

The identified tensions in risk communication are important for reflexive practitioners to consider, and the paper suggests three steps that municipal communication managers can take to handle them.

Originality/value

The study contributes with novel knowledge about municipal communication management in a context of risk communication. The study challenges the existing and dominant risk communication research and offers a more contextual and reflexive understanding of actual risk communication processes in municipalities.
Financial opacity and financial secrecy: lessons for Nepal
Authors: Upadhyay Abhiyan
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the financial opaqueness established through offshore businesses and financial secrecy through the requirements of information exchanges, and their deadly combination for facilitating money-laundering activities and tax evasion. It also puts into light some key recommendations for a country like Nepal that has been struggling to put adequate efforts into understanding financial opacity and secrecy.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper navigates through global issues on layering through opaque corporate structures, and mechanisms required for information exchange so as to figure out solutions and challenges to address them by developing countries like Nepal, with specific actions pertaining to Nepal.

Findings

Understanding financial opacity and secrecy is a prerequisite to tackling financial crimes. While focusing on global solutions and inherent challenges regarding such issues, concerted efforts are required to capacitate a country on contextual matters.

Originality/value

This work is an original work with an analysis of a global issue in an interconnected world with solutions catered to the local contexts of Nepal.
People and places: the potential of city events to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in the community life
Authors: Šumskienė Eglė , Gevorgianiene Violeta , Mataityte-Dirziene Jurga , Geniene Rasa
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the symbolic meanings of physical places and social spaces for community members with and without disabilities in the process of relocation of people with disabilities into the communities. It particularly focuses on the potential of city events to become places for interacting with each other.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was gathered using two methods: drawing ecological maps (indicating places a person visits) and conducting interviews with people with disabilities and other community members. The ecological map is based on the theory of Bronfenbrenner (1979, 1986). Empirical data was gathered in four Lithuanian communities by drawing ecological maps and conducting interviews with community members with disabilities (35) and without disabilities (24).

Findings

Data shows that two groups occasionally overlap in physical locations but seldom interact socially. However, city events which are rare, but provide a clearer structure for persons with disabilities and are attractive to other community members as well, offer a good starting point for inclusion.

Research limitations/implications

Further research of community places where people with disabilities live and act could focus on, first, the gender differences in people with disabilities participation; second, on the challenging versus nonchallenging community environments and their role in the people with disabilities learning to live and act as community members and citizens. It is also essential to explore the meaning of privacy in the participation of people with disabilities, and the potential of private and less private places to facilitate their inclusion.

Practical implications

In the context of the ongoing deinstitutionalization, it is essential to identify the means of and desirable support for people with disabilities for their interaction in cafés, markets, bus stops and street corners, which encompass fewer preconditions for preparation. This implies, that practitioners should consider developing the abilities of people with disabilities to cope with the “chaotic order” of social gatherings. However, community-based citizenship implies not only festive city events but participation in decision-making. Thus, social policy actors should consider including people with disabilities in the community councils, increasing information accessibility and thus implementing the vision of an inclusive community.

Originality/value

The originality and value of the research lies in revealing the “framed” nature of people with disabilities participation. This type of participation is determined by their institutional experience, financial means and whose appearance (“coming in groups”) is frequently noticed by the community members.
Strategy, flexibility and performance: how cost leaders’ lack of structural flexibility negatively impacts nonfinancial performance
Authors: Oglesby Matthew T. , Parnell John A. , Kutz Diane C.
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study analyzes strategic flexibility with a two-dimensional approach (structural and decisional flexibility). It also investigates the relationships among competitive strategy, structural flexibility, decisional flexibility, and financial and nonfinancial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from members of 16 chambers of commerce in the United States and used PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modeling) to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings suggest that strategic flexibility impacts financial and nonfinancial performance in different ways. While financial performance is influenced by both the structural and decisional dimensions of strategic flexibility, nonfinancial performance is impacted only by structural flexibility. In addition, the research indicates a negative relationship between cost leadership and structural flexibility and positions structural flexibility as a mediator between cost-leadership and nonfinancial performance.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to strategic flexibility research in the following ways: (1) analyzed the impact on nonfinancial performance; (2) examined structural and decisional elements and (3) identified cost leadership as a potential barrier.
Functions of student code-switching in a Bruneian classroom
Authors: Hamdan Hafizah
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how Bruneian secondary school students employ code-switching in peer interactions. The functions of students' code-switching were analysed using Reyes' (2004) and Appel and Muysken's (2005) typologies.

Design/methodology/approach

The data collected are based on audio-recorded group discussions designed to elicit students’ code-switched utterances.

Findings

The results indicate that the students used 11 functions of code-switching: referential, discourse marker, clarification, expressive, quotation imitation, turn accommodation, insistence, emphasis, question shift, situation shift and poetic.

Research limitations/implications

As the study only focusses on a specific secondary school, results from this school will not represent secondary school students in Brunei.

Originality/value

This paper hopes to provide insight into how students' code-switching can be seen in a positive light. Moreover, understanding how students use code-switching in the classroom is essential for successful knowledge transfer and for cultivating competent bilinguals, which is what the country's education system aims for.
Preventive therapeutic effect of Lactobacillus‐fermented black wolfberry juice on sodium dextran sulfate‐induced ulcerative colitis in mice
Authors: Wei Ruilin , Zhu Chen , Chen Sheng , Wang Jingxin , Zeng Zhikang , Lan Lin , Sun Zaixing , Lei Ji , Li Yufeng
Published: May 2023

In this study, male mice were treated with fermented and unfermented Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus black wolfberry juice (10 mL/kg/day) for 40 days, and their prophylactic effects on ulcerative colitis (UC) induced by dextran sodium sulfate were investigated. The intervention of black wolfberry juice reduced the levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and increased the content of anti‐inflammatory cytokines in the serum and colon. In addition, the pathological changes in colon tissue were alleviated, the expression of Bcl‐2 protein in the colon was enhanced, and the intestinal microbiota of the mice was regulated, with an increase in Bacteroidetes and a decrease in Helicobacter. These results suggested that black wolfberry juice had an anti‐UC function and Lactobacillus fermentation enhanced the anti‐inflammatory effect of black wolfberry juice by modulating the intestinal microbiota.
Association between follicle‐stimulating hormone and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Ge Shengjie , Zheng Yinfeng , Du Linjia , Hu Xiang , Zhou Jingzong , He Zhiying , Gu Xiao , Huang Xiaoyan , Yang Lijuan , Lin Xiuli , Gu Xuejiang
Published: May 2023

Background and Aim

Follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) was negatively associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in women older than 55 years old. People with obesity and diabetes had higher prevalence of NAFLD. Thus, we aimed to explore the association between FSH and NAFLD in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

A total of 583 postmenopausal women with T2DM with an average age of 60.22 ± 6.49 were recruited in this cross‐sectional study through January 2017 to May 2021. Anthropological data, biochemical indexes, and abdominal ultrasound results were retrospectively collected. Abdominal ultrasound was used to diagnose NAFLD. FSH was measured by enzymatic immunochemiluminescence and divided into tertiles for further analysis. The logistic regression was used to assess the association of FSH with prevalent NAFLD. Likelihood ratio tests were used to assess the interactions between groups.

Results

A total of 332 (56.94%) postmenopausal women had NAFLD. Compared with postmenopausal women in the lowest tertile of FSH, postmenopausal women in the highest tertile of FSH had lower prevalence of NAFLD (p < .01). After adjusting for age, diabetes duration, metabolism‐related indicators, and other sex‐related hormones, FSH was inversely associated with NAFLD (odds ratio: 0.411, 95% confidence intervals: 0.260–0.651, p < .001). In subgroup analysis, there were no significant interactions of FSH with strata of metabolic factors on the association of NAFLD.

Conclusion

FSH was negatively and independently associated with NAFLD in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It might be a potential index for screening and identifying individuals with high risk of NAFLD in postmenopausal women.
Against data individualism: Why a pandemic accord needs to commit to data solidarity
Authors: Kickbusch Ilona , Prainsack Barbara
Published: May 2023

An accord to increase global pandemic preparedness is currently negotiated at the World Health Organisation (WHO). One aspect is conspicuously missing from the draft version: data governance. As the COVID‐19 pandemic has shown, the availability of good quality data, and prudent ways of using this data while preventing other forms of data use that is harmful to people and communities, is literally a matter of life and death. It is of utmost importance for the pandemic accord to include a data governance strategy. We argue that data solidarity provides a suitable foundation for such a data governance strategy in the context of pandemics. It includes instruments to facilitate data use in cases where data use is likely to create benefits for many people without entailing high risks for individuals or communities. Data solidarity also calls to refrain from data use in cases where it would pose unacceptable risks. Finally, data solidarity helps to mitigate harm where it occurs. In sum, data solidarity helps to enhance the benefits from digital practices in health crises without playing out collective interests against the rights and needs of individuals.
The initial age‐associated decline in early T‐cell progenitors reflects fewer pre‐thymic progenitors and altered signals in the bone marrow and thymus microenvironments
Authors: Srinivasan Jayashree , Vasudev Anusha , Shasha Carolyn , Selden Hilary J. , Perez Encarnacion , LaFleur Bonnie , Sinari Shripad A. , Krueger Andreas , Richie Ellen R. , Ehrlich Lauren I. R.
Published: May 2023

Age‐related thymus involution results in decreased T‐cell production, contributing to increased susceptibility to pathogens and reduced vaccine responsiveness. Elucidating mechanisms underlying thymus involution will inform strategies to restore thymopoiesis with age. The thymus is colonized by circulating bone marrow (BM)‐derived thymus seeding progenitors (TSPs) that differentiate into early T‐cell progenitors (ETPs). We find that ETP cellularity declines as early as 3 months (3MO) of age in mice. This initial ETP reduction could reflect changes in thymic stromal niches and/or pre‐thymic progenitors. Using a multicongenic progenitor transfer approach, we demonstrate that the number of functional TSP/ETP niches does not diminish with age. Instead, the number of pre‐thymic lymphoid progenitors in the BM and blood is substantially reduced by 3MO, although their intrinsic ability to seed and differentiate in the thymus is maintained. Additionally, Notch signaling in BM lymphoid progenitors and in ETPs diminishes by 3MO, suggesting reduced niche quality in the BM and thymus contribute to the early decline in ETPs. Together, these findings indicate that diminished BM lymphopoiesis and thymic stromal support contribute to an initial reduction in ETPs in young adulthood, setting the stage for progressive age‐associated thymus involution.
MEK inhibitor‐induced paronychia in a paediatric population: A tertiary centre experience
Authors: Palmeiro Ana Gusmão , Silva Leandro , Pimentel Bernardo , Passos João , Moura Cecília , Amaro Cristina
Published: May 2023

The cutaneous toxicity of MEK inhibitors may limit treatment adherence. The authors present a retrospective study of 41 paediatric patients with NF‐1 undergoing therapy with selumetinib and propose a treatment algorithm.
State Sovereignty and Private Military and Security Companies in Australia
Authors: McLean Natalie
Published: May 2023

Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) as active participants within global security environments has increased in the last two decades exponentially. States have progressively incorporated PMSCs in their security functions, both domestically and internationally. Since the conflict in Iraq in the early 2000s, there have been numerous plausible reports of PMSCs violating international humanitarian law. Despite this, only a few have ever been prosecuted, suggesting a fundamental challenge to understandings regarding state control and monopoly over violence. Utilising a historical case study of an Australian PMSC in Operation Iraqi Freedom, this article argues that PMSCs undermine Australian sovereign legitimacy. It demonstrates how Australian oversight and accountability regarding its use of PMSCs is significantly fractured and current regulatory mechanisms concerning PMSCs are deficient. Thus, the Australian government's ability to provide control over the actions of PMSCs is diminished, affecting its sovereign legitimacy and ability to monopolise violence. The article overall conveys the dubious position states come into when the use‐of‐force is wielded by actors for distinct material incentives.
Introduction of an electrochemical point‐of‐care assay for quantitative determination of paracetamol in finger‐prick capillary whole blood samples
Authors: Kujala Johanna , Wester Niklas , Lohela Terhi J. , Kurkela Mika , Backman Janne T. , Mikladal Björn , Laurila Tomi , Koskinen Jari , Lilius Tuomas O. , Kalso Eija A.
Published: May 2023

Aims

Measuring venous plasma paracetamol concentrations is time‐ and resource‐consuming. We aimed to validate a novel electrochemical point‐of‐care (POC) assay for rapid paracetamol concentration determinations.

Methods

Twelve healthy volunteers received 1 g oral paracetamol, and its concentrations were analysed 10 times over 12 h for capillary whole blood (POC), venous plasma (high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS)), and dried capillary blood (HPLC‐MS/MS).

Results

At concentrations >30 μM, POC showed upward biases of 20% (95% limits of agreement [LOA] −22 to 62) and 7% (95% LOA −23 to 38) compared with venous plasma and capillary blood HPLC‐MS/MS, respectively. There were no significant differences between mean concentrations for the paracetamol elimination phase.

Conclusions

Upward biases in POC compared with venous plasma HPLC‐MS/MS were likely due to higher paracetamol concentrations in capillary blood than in venous plasma and to faulty individual sensors. The novel POC method is a promising tool for paracetamol concentration analysis.
One Step Further Beyond Trilinear Interpolation and Central Differences: Triquadratic Reconstruction and its Analytic Derivatives at the Cost of One Additional Texture Fetch
Authors: Csébfalvi Balázs
Published: May 2023

Recently, it has been shown that the quality of GPU‐based trilinear volume resampling can be significantly improved if the six additional trilinear samples evaluated for the gradient estimation also contribute to the reconstruction of the underlying function [Csé19]. Although this improvement increases the approximation order from two to three without any extra cost, the continuity order remains C0. In this paper, we go one step further showing that a C1continuous triquadratic B‐spline reconstruction and its analytic partial derivatives can be evaluated by taking only one more trilinear sample into account. Thus, our method is the first volume‐resampling technique that is nearly as fast as trilinear interpolation combined with on‐the‐fly central differencing, but provides a higher‐quality reconstruction together with a consistent analytic gradient calculation. Furthermore, we show that our fast evaluation scheme can also be adapted to the Mitchell‐Netravali [MN88] notch filter, for which a fast GPU implementation has not been known so far.
Neurosymbolic Models for Computer Graphics
Authors: Ritchie Daniel , Guerrero Paul , Jones R. Kenny , Mitra Niloy J. , Schulz Adriana , Willis Karl D. D. , Wu Jiajun
Published: May 2023

Procedural models (i.e. symbolic programs that output visual data) are a historically‐popular method for representing graphics content: vegetation, buildings, textures, etc. They offer many advantages: interpretable design parameters, stochastic variations, high‐quality outputs, compact representation, and more. But they also have some limitations, such as the difficulty of authoring a procedural model from scratch. More recently, AI‐based methods, and especially neural networks, have become popular for creating graphic content. These techniques allow users to directly specify desired properties of the artifact they want to create (via examples, constraints, or objectives), while a search, optimization, or learning algorithm takes care of the details. However, this ease of use comes at a cost, as it's often hard to interpret or manipulate these representations. In this state‐of‐the‐art report, we summarize research on neurosymbolic models in computer graphics: methods that combine the strengths of both AI and symbolic programs to represent, generate, and manipulate visual data. We survey recent work applying these techniques to represent 2D shapes, 3D shapes, and materials & textures. Along the way, we situate each prior work in a unified design space for neurosymbolic models, which helps reveal underexplored areas and opportunities for future research.
What happens after early intervention? Mapping early intervention in psychosis care pathways in the 12 months after discharge
Authors: Puntis Stephen , Pappa Sofia , Lennox Belinda
Published: May 2023

Aim

Early intervention services are the established and evidence‐based treatment option for individuals with first‐episode psychosis. They are time‐limited, and care pathways following discharge from these services have had little investigation. We aimed to map care pathways at the end of early intervention treatment to determine common trajectories of care.

Methods

We collected health record data for all individuals treated by early intervention teams in two NHS mental health trusts in England. We collected data on individuals' primary mental healthcare provider for 52 weeks after the end of their treatment and calculated common trajectories of care using sequence analysis.

Results

We identified 2224 eligible individuals. For those discharged to primary care we identified four common trajectories: Stable primary care, relapse and return to CMHT, relapse and return to EIP, and discontinuity of care. We also identified four trajectories for those transferred to alternative secondary mental healthcare: Stable secondary care, relapsing secondary care, long‐term inpatient and discharged early. The long‐term inpatient trajectory (1% of sample) accounted for 29% of all inpatient days in the year follow‐up, with relapsing secondary care (2% of sample and 21% of inpatient days), and Relapse and return to CMHT (5% of sample, 15% of inpatient days) the second and third most frequent.

Conclusions

Individuals have common care pathways at the end of early intervention in psychosis treatment. Understanding common individual and service features that lead to poor care pathways could improve care and reduce hospital use.
Multi‐disease classification model using deep neural network and Strassen's rectilinear fine‐tune bouncing training algorithm
Authors: Sarveshwaran Velliangiri , Karthikeyan P. , Premalatha J.
Published: May 2023

A deep neural network (DNN) is being used in the healthcare industry to improve care delivery at a lower cost and in less time. A DNN is well‐known for its diagnostic applications. However, it is also increasingly being utilized to guide healthcare management decisions. DNNs have been applied to real‐life disease classification problems. The performances of DNN are improved by reducing the training time, performing fast classification, and improving the parameters such as accuracy and error rate, and so forth. We have proposed a hybrid DNN named Strassen's rectilinear fine‐tune bouncing training (SRFBT) Algorithm by combining Strassen's theorem and bouncing training algorithm. The simulation result shows that the SRFBT algorithm outperforms both the DNN, support vector machine, radial basis function network and deep belief network algorithms in terms of network training, testing time and accuracy on various UCI machine learning healthcare datasets. The SRFBT has improved performance with a minimum average training time of 43.6249 and a maximum accuracy of 96.86.
Applying multisensor in‐car situations to detect violence
Authors: Duraes Dalila , Santos Flavio , Marcondes Francisco S. , Hammerschmidt Niklas , Novais Paulo
Published: May 2023

Violence recognition is challenging because it can be presented in very different forms. For example, it can be present in an image by a person hitting another person or present in audio by a person being rude to another. Thus, audio and video are essential features to be analysed. In the audio approach, speech processing, music, and ambient sound are some of the main points of this problem since finding similarities and differences between these domains is necessary. Human activity can be classified into four different categories in the video approach, depending on the complexity and the number of body parts involved in the action. Examples of Human activity categories are considered: gestures, actions, interactions and activities. Recognizing human actions in the video becomes a challenge with this varied set of human activities. Furthermore, in the last years, the growth of deep learning techniques applied to this area has been enormous, and the reason is that their results surpass traditional signal processing on a large scale. This article is based on audio and video signals inside a vehicle to detect violence. Furthermore, the architecture used was ResNet model with Mel‐spectrogram methodology for audio signals. The proposed method for video signal representation was RGB, which applied four different models: C2D, I3D, X3D, and Flow‐Gated. Finally, multimodal fusion was applied at the end of the process.
The underestimated role of carrion in vertebrates' diet studies
Authors: Sebastián‐González Esther , Morant Jon , Moleón Marcos , Redondo‐Gómez Daniel , Morales‐Reyes Zebensui , Pascual‐Rico Roberto , Pérez‐García Juan Manuel , Arrondo Eneko
Published: May 2023

Aim

Despite the increasing scientific evidence on the importance of carrion in the ecology and evolution of many vertebrates, scavenging is still barely considered in diet studies. Here, we draw attention to how scientific literature has underestimated the role of vertebrates as scavengers, identifying the ecological traits that characterize those species whose role as scavengers could have gone especially unnoticed.

Location

Global.

Time Period

1938–2022.

Major Taxa Studied

Terrestrial vertebrate scavengers.

Methods

We analysed and compared (a) the largest database available on scavenging patterns by carrion‐consuming vertebrates, (b) 908 diet studies about 156 scavenger species and (c) one of the most complete databases on bird and mammal diets (Elton Traits database). For each of these 156 species, we calculated their scavenging degree (i.e. proportion of carcases where the species is detected consuming carrion) as a proxy for carrion consumption, and related their ecological traits with the probability of being identified as scavengers in diet studies and in the Elton Traits database.

Results

More than half of the species identified as scavengers at monitored carcasses were not assigned carrion as food source in their diet studies nor in the Elton Traits database. Using a subset of study sites, we found a direct relationship between a species' scavenging degree and its rate of carrion biomass removal. In addition, scavenger species, which were classified as non‐predators and mammals had a lower probability of being identified as scavengers in diet studies and in the Elton Traits database, respectively.

Main Conclusions

Our results clearly indicate an underestimation of the role of scavenging in vertebrate food webs. Given that detritus recycling is fundamental to ecosystem functioning, we encourage further recognition and investigation of the role of carrion as a food resource for vertebrates, especially for non‐predator species and mammals with higher scavenging degree.
Hot topic: Examining discursive representations of menopause and work in the British media
Authors: Rowson Tatiana S. , Jaworska Sylvia , Gibas Iwona
Published: May 2023

This study builds on Goffman's idea of stigma to examine how mainstream print media in the UK have framed menopause over the past decade, especially concerning work. We used a computational corpus‐assisted discourse analysis (CADS) approach to analyze 2993 articles on menopause. The results indicate increased attention to menopause and, more recently, to menopause and work. However, the narrative consistently foregrounds negative aspects associated with dysfunction, decline, and unpredictable behavior, especially around litigation. These discursive representations reinforce the stigma around menopause by constructing women at this stage of life as the dangerous other, affected by physical and mental abnormalities. For women not to be disadvantaged at work, menopause representations must be more balanced by including more positive stories. Our study offers insights that can be of relevance to emerging workplace policies and assist the media in communicating the issues of menopause and work. We also make a methodological contribution by taking the CADS approach to explore empirically and systematically the dominant discourses around menopause in the UK mainstream media just over the last decade.
Effects of traditional starter and the Round‐Koji‐Maker starter on microbial communities and volatile flavours of Chi‐Flavour Baijiu
Authors: Fei Yongtao , Wang Yuliang , Zhang Zhichao , Liang Jinglong , Zhao Wenhong , Bai Weidong , He Songgui , Liu Youqiang
Published: May 2023

The mechanised starter‐making has been widely applied to the brewing of Baijiu. However, the effect of mechanical production on microbial flora and volatile flavour compounds of Chi‐Flavour Baijiu was still unknown. This study was to investigate the differences in microbial flora and volatile flavours between the traditional starter Baijiu (BQ) and Round‐Koji‐Maker Starter Baijiu (SQ) during brewing. The results showed that the contents of alcohol, total acidity and organic acid in BQ were significantly higher than those in SQ at the end of fermentation (P < 0.05). The dominant bacterial and fungal genera in SQ and BQ were Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces, respectively. The relative content of Pediococcus and Weissella in BQ was significantly higher than those in SQ in the prophase of fermentation. In respect of volatile flavours, there were 117 kinds of volatile flavours detected in SQ, higher than 90 kinds of those in BQ during the fermentation. The characteristic volatile flavours of Chi‐Flavour Baijiu were all detected with no significant difference between BQ and SQ, and the difference in flavours mainly came from 2‐methoxy‐4‐methylphenol, ethyl decanoate, (E)‐hept‐2‐enal. Lactobacillus was significantly positively correlated with ethyl decanoate and ethyl benzoate in BQ and phenethyl acetate in SQ. In addition, Candida had a strong positive correlation with β‐phenylethanol and ethyl myristicate in BQ and SQ. This study provides an in‐depth analysis of the difference between traditional and mechanical Xiaoqu starters in Baijiu fermentation and theoretical guidance for the standard production and quality improvement of Chi‐Flavour Baijiu.
Flood susceptibility mapping using support vector regression and hyper‐parameter optimization
Authors: Salvati Aryan , Nia Alireza Moghaddam , Salajegheh Ali , Ghaderi Kayvan , Asl Dawood Talebpour , Al‐Ansari Nadhir , Solaimani Feridon , Clague John J.
Published: May 2023

Floods are both complex and destructive, and in most parts of the world cause injury, death, loss of agricultural land, and social disruption. Flood susceptibility (FS) maps are used by land‐use managers and land owners to identify areas that are at risk from flooding and to plan accordingly. This study uses machine learning ensembles to produce objective and reliable FS maps for the Haraz watershed in northern Iran. Specifically, we test the ability of the support vector regression (SVR), together with linear kernel (LK), base classifier (BC), and hyper‐parameter optimization (HPO), to identify flood‐prone areas in this watershed. We prepared a map of 201 past floods to predict future floods. Of the 201 flood events, 151 (75%) were used for modeling and 50 (25%) were used for validation. Based on the relevant literature and our field survey of the study area, 10 effective factors were selected and prepared for flood zoning. The results show that three of the 10 factors are most important for predicting flood‐sensitive areas, specifically and in order of importance, slope, distance to the river and river. Additionally, the SVR‐HPO model, with area under the curve values of 0.986 and 0.951 for the training and testing phases, outperformed the other two tested models.
Experiences of improvement of everyday life following a rehabilitation programme for people with long‐term cognitive effects of COVID‐19: Qualitative study
Authors: Raunkiaer Mette , Joergensen Dorthe Soested , Rasmussen Annette , Johannesen Gitte , Thuesen Jette , Elnegaard Caroline Matilde , Dupont Sandra Bakkegaard
Published: May 2023

Aim and Objectives

To explore challenges in everyday life for people with long‐term cognitive effects of COVID‐19 and whether a rehabilitation programme contributed to the remedy thereof.

Background

Healthcare systems around the world need knowledge about acute COVID‐19 treatment, long‐term effects exerting an impact on peoples' everyday lives, and how to remedy these.

Design

This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach.

Methods

Twelve people with long‐term cognitive effects of COVID‐19 participated in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Individual semi‐structured interviews were made. Data were analysed thematically.

Results

Three themes and eight sub‐themes emerged with respect to everyday life challenges and experiences of the rehabilitation programme. The themes were (1) Personal insight and knowledge, (2) Changed daily routines at home and (3) Coping with working life.

Conclusion

Participants experienced long‐term effects of COVID‐19 as cognitive challenges, fatigue and headaches, which affected their everyday lives, that is inability to overcome daily tasks at home and at work, maintaining family roles and relations with relatives. The rehabilitation programme contributed to a vocabulary and insights related to the long‐term effects of COVID‐19 and the experience of being a different person. The programme contributed to changes in daily routines, organising breaks in everyday life and explaining challenges to family/relatives and the way in which they affected daily routines and their role in the family. In addition, the programme supported several of the participants in finding the right workload and working hours.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

We recommend multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes inspired by cognitive remediation of long‐term COVID‐19 cognitive effects. Municipalities and organisations could collaborate in the development and completion of such programmes, possibly comprising both virtual and physical elements. This could facilitate access and reduce costs.

Patient or Public Contribution

Patients contributed to the conduct of the study by participating in the data collection via interviews.

Clinical Trial Registration Number

Data collection and processing of data are approved by the Region of Southern Denmark (journal number: 20/46585).
When is a concept a priori?
Authors: Ordóñez Angulo Emmanuel
Published: May 2023

According to Michael Thompson's defence of neo‐Aristotelian naturalism in meta‐ethics, (i) ‘[t]he conceptlife‐formis a pure or a priori, perhaps a logical, concept’, and (ii) ‘[t]he concepthuman, as we human beings have it, is an a priori concept’ (p. 57). Here I show Thompson's argument for (ii) to be unsound, hoping thereby to shed light on the neglected subject of the a prioricity of concepts more generally.
Assessment of Instant Loss of Elbow Flexion in Children with Untreated Gartland IIA Humeral Supracondylar Fractures—A Simulation Study with Lateral Elbow Radiographs
Authors: Liu Tianjing , Liu Xiangfei , Zhang Zhongli , Fu Zhe , Han Zhitao , Jia Guoqiang , Chen Jiayuan , Wang Enbo
Published: May 2023

Objective

The suitability of in situ cast fixation for treating Gartland IIA humeral supracondylar fractures has remained controversial due to concerns regarding loss of elbow flexion. This study aimed to assess the instant loss of elbow flexion after Gartland IIA humeral supracondylar fractures based on the relationship between the anterior marginal line of the humerus and capitellum in the lateral view.

Methods

This simulation study was conducted with normal radiographs using Adobe Photoshop 14.0, followed by verification using clinical cases. Standard lateral views of normal elbows of children were collected from January 2008 to February 2020. Adobe Photoshop was used to simulate Gartland IIA supracondylar fractures with different degrees of angulation in the sagittal plane. A formula was deduced to assess flexion loss, and this method was verified in three cases. The data were grouped by age, and the relationship between elbow flexion loss and age, as well as the angulation of the fracture, was analyzed using a one‐way or multivariate ANOVA.

Results

There was a flexion loss of 19° (11–30°) when the anterior margin line of the humerus was tangential to the capitellum. This loss increased with age at injury (r = 0.731, P = 0.000). Moreover, the difference in angulation in the sagittal plane also influenced the extent of elbow flexion loss (r = −0.739, P = 0.000). The more horizontal the fracture line in the lateral view, the greater the loss of elbow flexion.

Conclusion

Instant elbow flexion loss after Gartland IIA humeral supracondylar fractures increases with age at the time of injury and decreases with angulation in the sagittal plane. When the anterior margin of the humerus is tangential to the capitellum, there will be an average loss of 19° in elbow flexion. These findings provide a quantitative reference for clinical decision‐making in the treatment of Gartland IIA supracondylar fractures.
Left atrial roof region ablation using a visually guided laser balloon
Authors: Yamasaki Takashi , Hattori Tetsuhisa , Pak Misen , Kakita Ken
Published: May 2023

Balloon‐based catheter ablation including visually guided laser balloon (VGLB) has been adopted a first line therapeutic strategy for the patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Recently, the roof area ablation beyond pulmonary vein (PV) isolation (PVI) using cryoballoon has been described as an effective therapy for the patients with persistent AF. However, the roof area ablation performed with a VGLB remains unknown. In this case, we report the case of roof area ablation for the patient with persistent AF using a VGLB.
Parenting stress, general distress, and coparenting quality: An Actor–Partner Interdependence Moderation Model
Authors: Turgeon Jessica , Lonergan Michelle , Bureau Jean‐François , Schoppe‐Sullivan Sarah J. , Lafontaine Marie‐France
Published: May 2023

Mothers and fathers who experience parenting stress are more likely to show symptoms of distress, such as elevated levels of anxiety and/or depression. Identifying the buffering or exacerbating factors that might moderate the association between parenting stress and general distress can help inform theoretical models aimed at better understanding the reality faced by parents during challenging times, as well as improve intervention strategies. The objective of this study was to examine whether coparenting quality plays a moderating role in the association between parenting stress and general distress in parents of children in middle childhood. Eighty‐one couples were asked to complete questionnaires pertaining to their levels of parenting stress, the quality of their coparenting relationship, and their symptoms of distress. Using an Actor–Partner Interdependence Moderation Model, our results revealed that elevated levels of parenting stress were associated with elevated levels of general distress, whereas higher scores of coparenting quality were associated with fewer symptoms of distress. Our results also showed a moderating role for coparenting quality in the association between actor parenting stress and actor/partner distress. These findings highlight the importance of pursuing the investigation of dyadic effects within personal relationships.