Search results for: shared/mental models

Authors: Annalise Weckesser, Alex Wade, Clara Joergensen, Jerome Turner

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Introduction: Digital mobile technologies afford Generation M a number of opportunities in terms of communication, creativity and connectivity in their social interactions. Yet these young people’s use of such technologies is often the source of moral panic with accordant social anxiety especially prevalent in media representations of teen ‘sexting,’ or the sending of sexually explicit images via smartphones. Thus far, most responses to youth sexting have largely been ineffective or unjust with adult authorities sometimes blaming victims of non-consensual sexting, using child pornography laws to paradoxically criminalise those they are designed to protect, and/or advising teenagers to simply abstain from the practice. Prevention strategies are further skewed, with sex education initiatives often targeted at girls, implying that they shoulder the responsibility of minimising the risks associated with sexting (e.g. revenge porn and sexual predation). Purpose of Study: Despite increasing public interest and concern about ‘teen sexting,’ there remains a dearth of research with young people regarding their experiences of navigating sex and relationships in the current digital media landscape. Furthermore, young people's views on sexting are rarely solicited in the policy and educational strategies aimed at them. To address this research-policy-education gap, an interdisciplinary team of four researchers (from anthropology, media, sociology and education) have undertaken a peer-to-peer research project to co-create a sexual health intervention. Methods: In the winter of 2015-2016, the research team conducted serial group interviews with four cohorts of students (aged 13 to 15) from a secondary school in the West Midlands, UK. To facilitate open dialogue, girls and boys were interviewed separately, and each group consisted of no more than four pupils. The team employed a range of participatory techniques to elicit young people’s views on sexting, its consequences, and its interventions. A final focus group session was conducted with all 14 male and female participants to explore developing a peer-to-peer ‘safe sexting’ education intervention. Findings: This presentation will highlight the ongoing, ‘old school’ sexual double standards at work within this new digital frontier. In the sharing of ‘nudes’ (teens’ preferred term to ‘sexting’) via social media apps (e.g. Snapchat and WhatsApp), girls felt sharing images was inherently risky and feared being blamed and ‘slut-shamed.’ In contrast, boys were seen to gain in social status if they accumulated nudes of female peers. Further, if boys had nudes of themselves shared without consent, they felt they were expected to simply ‘tough it out.’ The presentation will also explore what forms of supports teens desire to help them in their day-to-day navigation of these digitally mediated, heteronormative performances of teen femininity and masculinity expected of them. Conclusion: This is the first research project, within UK, conducted with rather than about teens and the phenomenon of sexting. It marks a timely and important contribution to the nascent, but growing body of knowledge on gender, sexual politics and the digital mobility of sexual images created by and circulated amongst young people.

Keywords: teens, sexting, gender, sexual politics

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Authors: Vardan Melkonyan, Arman Azizyan, Astghik Boyajyan

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Virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that uses immersive virtual environments to expose individuals to the feared stimuli or situations that trigger their phobia. VR exposure therapy has become an increasingly popular treatment for phobias, including fear of heights, public speaking, and flying, due to its ability to provide a controlled and safe environment for individuals to confront their fears while also allowing therapists to tailor the virtual exposure to the specific needs and goals of each individual. It is also a cost-effective and accessible treatment option, as it can be delivered remotely and does not require the use of drugs. Overall, VR exposure therapy has the potential to be a valuable tool for therapists in the treatment of phobias. But current methods may be improved by incorporating advanced technology such as photorealistic VR environments, tactile feedback suits, and responsive systems. The aim of this study was to identify the most effective approach for enhancing VR exposure therapy for the treatment of phobias. Photorealistic VR environments and stimuli can greatly enhance the effectiveness of VR exposure therapy for the treatment of phobias. By creating immersive, realistic virtual environments that closely mimic the real-life situations that trigger phobia responses, patients are able to more fully engage in the therapeutic process and confront their fears in a controlled and safe manner. This can help to reduce the severity of phobia symptoms and increase treatment outcomes. The use of tactile feedback suits and responsive systems can further enhance the VR exposure therapy experience by adding a physical element to the virtual environment. These suits, which can mimic the sensations of touch, pressure, and movement, allow patients to fully immerse themselves in the virtual world and feel as if they are physically present in the situation. This can help to increase the realism of the virtual environment and make it more effective in reducing phobia symptoms. Additionally, responsive systems can be used to trigger specific events or responses within the virtual environment based on the patient's actions, providing a more interactive and personalized treatment experience. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, including studies on VR exposure therapy for phobias and the use of advanced technology to enhance the therapy. Results indicate that incorporating these enhancements may significantly increase the effectiveness of VR exposure therapy for phobias. Further research is needed to fully understand the potential of these enhancements and to determine the optimal combination and implementation.

Keywords: virtual reality, mental health, phobias, fears, treatment, photorealistic, immersive, phobia

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Authors: Jingyuan Hu, Zhandong Liu

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CRISPR genome editing technology has transformed molecular biology by accurately targeting and altering an organism’s DNA. Despite the state-of-art precision of CRISPR genome editing, the imprecise mutation outcome and off-target effects present considerable risk, potentially leading to unintended genetic changes. Targeted deep sequencing, combined with bioinformatics sequence alignment, can detect such unwanted mutations. Nevertheless, the classical method, Needleman-Wunsch (NW) algorithm may produce false alignment outcomes, resulting in inaccurate mutation identification. The key to precisely identifying CRISPR-induced mutations lies in determining optimal parameters for the sequence alignment algorithm. Hidden Markov models (HMM) are ideally suited for this task, offering flexibility across CRISPR systems by leveraging forward-backward algorithms for parameter estimation. In this study, we introduce CRISPR-HMM, a statistical software to precisely call CRISPR-induced mutations. We demonstrate that the software significantly improves precision in identifying CRISPR-induced mutations compared to NW-based alignment, thereby enhancing the overall understanding of the CRISPR gene-editing process.

Keywords: CRISPR, HMM, sequence alignment, gene editing

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Authors: Suparna Bharadwaj, Sriganesh Kamath, Gopalakrishna K. N., Subhas Konar

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Introduction: Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a spectrum of clinical syndrome presenting as emergence delirium (ED) and/or post-operative delirium (POD). ED is a transient state (minutes to hours) of marked agitation after the discontinuation of general anesthesia, which does not respond to consoling measures. On the other hand, POD without identifiable etiology is not temporally related to emergence from anesthesia. These patients often emerge smoothly and may be lucid in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), but may develop fluctuating mental status, most commonly between postoperative days one and three. General anesthesia (GA) has been identified as a risk factor for POCD. Cranial surgeries involve brain handling in addition to exposure to GA. We hypothesize that the incidence of postoperative delirium after cranial surgery is twice that of spinal surgery. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of emergence delirium and postoperative delirium in patients undergoing cranial and spinal neurosurgeries. The secondary objective was to identify the perioperative risk factors of ED and POD. Methods: This was a prospective cohort observation study conducted from March 2020 to September 2023 conducted at a tertiary neurocentre. After obtaining institutional ethics committee approval, adult patients undergoing cranial or spinal surgery with a Glasgow coma scale of 15 were included in the study. Patients undergoing cranial surgery are considered exposed to risk factors, while patients undergoing spinal surgery are considered unexposed. All study subjects received standard general anesthesia. About twenty perioperative parameters were identified as risk factors for POCD. ED was assessed using the Riker sedation agitation scale, and POD was assessed using the confusion assessment method. A sample size of 2000 patients was planned with 1000 each cranial and spinal cases. However, around 700 spinal patients could be recruited for this study. Results: In this study, about two thousand patients were screened for inclusion. However, 1185 cranial cases and 742 spinal cases were considered for final analysis. Both the groups were similar in terms of demographics. Incidence of ED was 25.8% after cranial surgery vs 10.24% after spinal surgery (relative risk 2.5). The incidence of POD after cranial surgery is 20.25% vs 2.15% after cranial surgery (relative risk 9.3). All the proposed risk factors were assessed using binomial logistic regression. Conclusion: Cranial cases expose patients to a nine times higher risk for the development of postoperative delirium. The presence of ED predisposes to POD representing a spectrum.

Keywords: post operative cognitive dysfunction, Neurosurgical patients cohort study, cohort study, emergence delirium

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Authors: Clifford Irikefe Gbeyonron

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Applied linguists concur that there is low-level achievement in English language use among Nigerian secondary school students. One of the factors that exacerbate this is classroom feature of which large class size is obvious. This study investigated the impact of large classes on learning English as a second language (ESL) at junior secondary school (JSS) in Yobe State. To achieve this, Solomon four-group experimental design was used. 382 subjects were divided into four groups and taught ESL for thirteen weeks. 356 subjects wrote the post-test. Data from the systematic observation and post-test were analyzed via chi square and ANOVA. Results indicated that learners in large classes (LLC) attain lower linguistic progress than learners in small classes (LSC). Furthermore, LSC have more chances to access teacher evaluation and participate actively in classroom discourse than LLC. In consequence, large classes have adverse effects on learning ESL in Yobe State. This is inimical to English language education given that each learner of ESL has their individual peculiarity within each class. It is recommended that strategies that prioritize individualization, grouping, use of language teaching aides, and theorization of innovative models in respect of large classes be considered.

Keywords: large classes, achievement, classroom discourse

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Authors: A. Yongsheng Guo, B. Obedat. Abdulazeez, C. Xiaoxian Zhu

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This study aimed to identify the barriers to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China and build a theoretical framework to evaluate the support provided by the authorities and institutions. A grounded theory approach was adopted to collect and analyze data. 32 interviews were conducted with SME managers, and open, axial and selective coding was utilized to develop themes. Based on institutional theory, grounded theory models were used to present findings. The findings showed that the main barriers in the business environment were defaulting on contracts, bureaucracy in procedures, lack of financial and legal support, limited intermediaries and channels, and poor quality of products and services. This study found that many programs were provided to support SMEs. A theoretical framework was developed to evaluate the performance of the programs from the managers’ perspective. The concepts of economy, efficiency and effectiveness were used to evaluate the perceived value of the programs. This study suggests that specialized programs are needed to suit sector-specific requirements, and creative packages are helpful in supporting SMEs' growth.

Keywords: business support, public economics, public programme, SME

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Authors: Belkacem Selma, Boumediene Selma, Tourkia Guerzou, Abbes Labdelli

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Natural disasters have occurred and will continue to cause human and material damage. Therefore, the idea of "preventing" natural disasters will never be possible. However, their prediction is possible with the advancement of technology. Even if natural disasters are effectively inevitable, their consequences may be partly controlled. The rapid growth and progress of artificial intelligence (AI) had a major impact on the prediction of natural disasters and risk assessment which are necessary for effective disaster reduction. The Earthquakes prediction to prevent the loss of human lives and even property damage is an important factor; that is why it is crucial to develop techniques for predicting this natural disaster. This present study aims to analyze the ability of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict earthquakes that occur in a given area. The used data describe the problem of high energy (higher than 10^4J) seismic bumps forecasting in a coal mine using two long walls as an example. For this purpose, seismic bumps data obtained from mines has been analyzed. The results obtained show that the ANN with high accuracy was able to predict earthquake parameters; the classification accuracy through neural networks is more than 94%, and that the models developed are efficient and robust and depend only weakly on the initial database.

Keywords: earthquake prediction, ANN, seismic bumps

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Authors: Shrey Sharma, Gunjan Kumar Verma

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High density electrical prospecting has been widely used in groundwater investigation, civil engineering and environmental survey. For efficient inversion, the forward modeling routine, sensitivity calculation, and inversion algorithm must be efficient. This paper attempts to provide a brief summary of the past and ongoing developments of the method. It includes reviews of the procedures used for data acquisition, processing and inversion of electrical resistivity data based on compilation of academic literature. In recent times there had been a significant evolution in field survey designs and data inversion techniques for the resistivity method. In general 2-D inversion for resistivity data is carried out using the linearized least-square method with the local optimization technique .Multi-electrode and multi-channel systems have made it possible to conduct large 2-D, 3-D and even 4-D surveys efficiently to resolve complex geological structures that were not possible with traditional 1-D surveys. 3-D surveys play an increasingly important role in very complex areas where 2-D models suffer from artifacts due to off-line structures. Continued developments in computation technology, as well as fast data inversion techniques and software, have made it possible to use optimization techniques to obtain model parameters to a higher accuracy. A brief discussion on the limitations of the electrical resistivity method has also been presented.

Keywords: inversion, limitations, optimization, resistivity

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Authors: Mohammad Ahmad, Sander Gersen, Erwin Wilbers

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Carbon capture, transport and underground storage have become a major solution to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants and other large CO2 sources. A big part of this captured CO2 stream is transported at high pressure dense phase conditions and stored in offshore underground depleted oil and gas fields. CO2 is also transported in offshore pipelines to be used for enhanced oil and gas recovery. The captured CO2 stream with impurities may contain water that causes severe corrosion problems, flow assurance failure and might damage valves and instrumentations. Thus, free water formation should be strictly prevented. The purpose of this work is to study the solubility of water in pure CO2 and in CO2 mixtures under real pipeline pressure (90-150 bar) and temperature operation conditions (5-35°C). A set up was constructed to generate experimental data. The results show the solubility of water in CO2 mixtures increasing with the increase of the temperature or/and with the increase in pressure. A drop in water solubility in CO2 is observed in the presence of impurities. The data generated were then used to assess the capabilities of two mixture models: the GERG-2008 model and the EOS-CG model. By generating the solubility data, this study contributes to determine the maximum allowable water content in CO2 pipelines.

Keywords: carbon capture and storage, water solubility, equation of states, fluids engineering

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Authors: Ledi Neçaj

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Objectives: The target of this paper is (1) to explain objectively physical activity model throughout three chronic cardiopulmonary conditions, and (2) to study the connection among physical activity dimensions with disease severity, self-reported physical and emotional functioning, and exercise performance. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of patients in their domestic environment. Patients with cardiopulmonary diseases were: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), (n-63), coronary heart failure (n=60), and patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (n=60). Main results measures: Seven ambulatory physical activity dimensions (total steps, percentage time active, percentage time ambulating at low, medium, and hard intensity, maximum cadence for 30 non-stop minutes, and peak performance) have been measured with an accelerometer. Results: Subjects with COPD had the lowest amount of ambulatory physical activity compared with topics with coronary heart failure and cardiac dysrhythmias (all 7 interest dimensions, P<.05); total step counts have been: 5319 as opposed to 7464 as opposed to 9570, respectively. Six-minute walk distance becomes correlated (r=.44-.65, P<.01) with all physical activity dimensions inside the COPD pattern, the most powerful correlations being with total steps and peak performance. In topics with cardiac impairment, maximal oxygen intake had the most effective small to slight correlations with five of the physical activity dimensions (r=.22-.40, P<.05). In contrast, correlations among 6-minute walk test distance and physical activity have been higher (r=.48-.61, P<.01) albeit in a smaller pattern of most effective patients with coronary heart failure. For all three samples, self-reported physical and mental health functioning, age, frame mass index, airflow obstruction, and ejection fraction had both exceptionally small and no significant correlations with physical activity. Conclusions: Findings from this study present a profitable benchmark of physical activity patterns in individuals with cardiopulmonary diseases for comparison with future studies. All seven dimensions of ambulatory physical activity have disfavor between subjects with COPD, heart failure, and cardiac dysrhythmias. Depending on the research or clinical goal, the use of one dimension, such as total steps, may be sufficient. Although physical activity had high correlations with performance on a six-minute walk test relative to other variables, accelerometers-based physical activity monitoring provides unique, important information about real-world behavior in patients with cardiopulmonary not already captured with existing measures.

Keywords: ambulatory physical activity, walking, monitoring, COPD, heart failure, implantable defibrillator, exercise performance

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Authors: Ariful Islam, Showkat Ahmad Lone

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The Mukherjee-Islam Model is commonly used as a simple life time distribution to assess system reliability. The model exhibits a better fit for failure information and provides more appropriate information about hazard rate and other reliability measures as shown by various authors. It is possible to introduce a location parameter at a time (i.e., a time before which failure cannot occur) which makes it a more useful failure distribution than the existing ones. Even after shifting the location of the distribution, it represents a decreasing, constant and increasing failure rate. It has been shown to represent the appropriate lower tail of the distribution of random variables having fixed lower bound. This study presents the reliability computations and probability weighted moment estimation of three parameter model. A comparative analysis is carried out between three parameters finite range model and some existing bathtub shaped curve fitting models. Since probability weighted moment method is used, the results obtained can also be applied on small sample cases. Maximum likelihood estimation method is also applied in this study.

Keywords: comparative analysis, maximum likelihood estimation, Mukherjee-Islam failure model, probability weighted moment estimation, reliability

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Authors: Augustine Okolie, Johannes Müller, Mirjam Kretzchmar

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We adopt a maximum-likelihood framework to estimate parameters of a stochastic susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model with contact tracing on a rooted random tree. Given the number of detectees per index case, our estimator allows to determine the degree distribution of the random tree as well as the tracing probability. Since we do not discover all infectees via contact tracing, this estimation is non-trivial. To keep things simple and stable, we develop an approximation suited for realistic situations (contract tracing probability small, or the probability for the detection of index cases small). In this approximation, the only epidemiological parameter entering the estimator is the basic reproduction number R0. The estimator is tested in a simulation study and applied to covid-19 contact tracing data from India. The simulation study underlines the efficiency of the method. For the empirical covid-19 data, we are able to compare different degree distributions and perform a sensitivity analysis. We find that particularly a power-law and a negative binomial degree distribution meet the data well and that the tracing probability is rather large. The sensitivity analysis shows no strong dependency on the reproduction number.

Keywords: stochastic SIR model on graph, contact tracing, branching process, parameter inference

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Authors: Sonia Perez-Gamboa, Qingquan Sun, Yan Zhang

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Non-intrusive sensor-based human activity recognition (HAR) is utilized in a spectrum of applications, including fitness tracking devices, gaming, health care monitoring, and smartphone applications. Deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural networks (RNNs) provide a way to achieve HAR accurately and effectively. In this paper, we design a multi-layer hybrid architecture with CNN and LSTM and explore a variety of multi-layer combinations. Based on the exploration, we present a lightweight, hybrid, and multi-layer model, which can improve the recognition performance by integrating local features and scale-invariant with dependencies of activities. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed model, which can achieve a 94.7% activity recognition rate on a benchmark human activity dataset. This model outperforms traditional machine learning and other deep learning methods. Additionally, our implementation achieves a balance between recognition rate and training time consumption.

Keywords: deep learning, LSTM, CNN, human activity recognition, inertial sensor

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Authors: Cheng Zhang, James Marco, Walid Allafi, Truong Q. Dinh, W. D. Widanage

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Equivalent circuit models (ECMs) are widely used in battery management systems in electric vehicles and other battery energy storage systems. The battery dynamics and the model parameters vary under different working conditions, such as different temperature and state of charge (SOC) levels, and therefore online parameter identification can improve the modelling accuracy. This paper presents a way of online ECM parameter identification using a continuous time (CT) estimation method. The CT estimation method has several advantages over discrete time (DT) estimation methods for ECM parameter identification due to the widely separated battery dynamic modes and fast sampling. The presented method can be used for online SOC estimation. Test data are collected using a lithium ion cell, and the experimental results show that the presented CT method achieves better modelling accuracy compared with the conventional DT recursive least square method. The effectiveness of the presented method for online SOC estimation is also verified on test data.

Keywords: electric circuit model, continuous time domain estimation, linear integral filter method, parameter and SOC estimation, recursive least square

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Authors: M. Hadjisoteriou, A. Kyriacou Petrou

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This paper will discuss ideas of social sustainability in urban design and human behavior in multicultural contested sites. It will focus on the potential of the re-reading of the “site” through mapping that acts as a research methodology and will discuss the chosen site of Mouttalos, Cyprus as a place of multiple identities. Through a methodology of mapping using a bottom up approach, a process of disassembling derives that acts as a mechanism to re-examine space and place by searching for the invisible and the non-measurable, understanding the site through its detailed inhabitation patterns. The significance of this study lies in the use of mapping as an active form of thinking rather than a passive process of representation that allows for a new site to be discovered, giving multiple opportunities for adaptive urban strategies and socially engaged design approaches. We will discuss the above thematic based on the chosen contested site of Mouttalos, a small Turkish Cypriot neighbourhood, in the old centre of Paphos (Ktima), SW of Cyprus. During the political unrest, between Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, in 1963, the area became an enclave to the Turkish Cypriots, excluding any contact with the rest of the area. Following the Turkish invasion of 1974, the residents left their homes, plots and workplaces, resettling in the North of Cyprus. Greek Cypriot refugees moved into the area. The presence of the Greek Cypriot refugees is still considered to be a temporary resettlement. The buildings and the residents themselves exist in a state of uncertainty. The site is documented through a series of parallel investigations into the physical conditions and history of the site. Research methodologies use the process of mapping to expose the complex and often invisible layers of information that coexist. By registering the site through the subjective experiences, and everyday stories of inhabitants, a series of cartographic recordings reveals the space between: happening and narrative and especially space between different cultures and religions. Research put specific emphasis on engaging the public, promoting social interaction, identifying spatial patterns of occupation by previous inhabitants through social media. Findings exposed three main areas of interest. Firstly we identified inter-dependent relationships between permanence and temporality, characterised by elements such us, signage through layers of time, past events and periodical street festivals, unfolding memory and belonging. Secondly issues of co-ownership and occupation, found through particular narratives of exchange between the two communities and through appropriation of space. Finally formal and informal inhabitation of space, revealed through the presence of informal shared back yards, alternative paths, porous street edges and formal and informal landmarks. The importance of the above findings, was achieving a shift of focus from the built infrastructure to the soft network of multiple and complex relations of dependence and autonomy. Proposed interventions for this contested site were informed and led by a new multicultural identity where invisible qualities were revealed though the process of mapping, taking on issues of layers of time, formal and informal inhabitation and the “permanence of the temporary”.

Keywords: contested sites, mapping, social sustainability, temporary urban strategies

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Authors: Arvind Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Dattatraya H. Nagaraj, Amanpreet Singh, Jayanthi Prattapati

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The purpose of this paper is to study and compare two maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms in a photovoltaic simulation system and also show a simulation study of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for photovoltaic systems using perturb and observe algorithm and Incremental conductance algorithm. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) plays an important role in photovoltaic systems because it maximize the power output from a PV system for a given set of conditions, and therefore maximize the array efficiency and minimize the overall system cost. Since the maximum power point (MPP) varies, based on the irradiation and cell temperature, appropriate algorithms must be utilized to track the (MPP) and maintain the operation of the system in it. MATLAB/Simulink is used to establish a model of photovoltaic system with (MPPT) function. This system is developed by combining the models established of solar PV module and DC-DC Boost converter. The system is simulated under different climate conditions. Simulation results show that the photovoltaic simulation system can track the maximum power point accurately.

Keywords: incremental conductance algorithm, perturb and observe algorithm, photovoltaic system, simulation results

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Authors: Leslie M. Gutman

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Conduct problems (CP) represent a major dilemma, with wide-ranging and long-lasting individual and societal impacts. Children experience heterogeneous patterns of conduct problems; based on the age of onset, developmental course and related risk factors from around age 3. Early childhood represents a potential window for intervention efforts aimed at changing the trajectory of early starting conduct problems. Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study (n = 17,206 children), this study (a) identifies trajectories of conduct problems from ages 3 to 14 years and (b) assesses the cumulative and interactive effects of individual, family and socioeconomic risk factors from ages 9 months to 14 years. The same factors according to three domains were assessed, including child (i.e., low verbal ability, hyperactivity/inattention, peer problems, emotional problems), family (i.e., single families, parental poor physical and mental health, large family size) and socioeconomic (i.e., low family income, low parental education, unemployment, social housing). A cumulative risk score for the child, family, and socioeconomic domains at each age was calculated. It was then examined how the cumulative risk scores explain variation in the trajectories of conduct problems. Lastly, interactive effects among the different domains of cumulative risk were tested. Using group-based trajectory modeling, four distinct trajectories were found including a ‘low’ problem group and three groups showing childhood-onset conduct problems: ‘school-age onset’; ‘early-onset, desisting’; and ‘early-onset, persisting’. The ‘low’ group (57% of the sample) showed a low probability of conducts problems, close to zero, from 3 to 14 years. The ‘early-onset, desisting’ group (23% of the sample) demonstrated a moderate probability of CP in early childhood, with a decline from 3 to 5 years and a low probability thereafter. The ‘early-onset, persistent’ group (8%) followed a high probability of conduct problems, which declined from 11 years but was close to 70% at 14 years. In the ‘school-age onset’ group, 12% of the sample showed a moderate probability of conduct problems from 3 and 5 years, with a sharp increase by 7 years, increasing to 50% at 14 years. In terms of individual risk, all factors increased the likelihood of being in the childhood-onset groups compared to the ‘low’ group. For cumulative risk, the socioeconomic domain at 9 months and 3 years, the family domain at all ages except 14 years and child domain at all ages were found to differentiate childhood-onset groups from the ‘low’ group. Cumulative risk at 9 months and 3 years did not differentiate between the ‘school-onset’ group and ‘low’ group. Significant interactions were found between the domains for the ‘early-onset, desisting group’ suggesting that low levels of risk in one domain may buffer the effects of high risk in another domain. The implications of these findings for preventive interventions will be highlighted.

Keywords: conduct problems, cumulative risk, developmental trajectories, early childhood, adolescence

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Authors: Jiayue Guo, Lili You

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Background: Children and adolescent health are crucial for both personal well-being and the nation's future health landscape. Health Literacy (HL) is important in enabling adolescents to self-manage their health, a fundamental step towards health empowerment. However, there are limited tools for assessing HL among elementary and junior high school students. This study aims to construct and validate a test-based HL scale for Chinese students, offering a scientific reference for cross-cultural HL tool development. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey. Participants were recruited from a stratified cluster random sampling method, a total of 4189 Chinese in-school primary and secondary students. The development of the scale was completed by defining the concept of HL, establishing the item indicator system, screening items (7 health content dimensions), and evaluating reliability and validity. Delphi method expert consultation was used to screen items, the Rasch model was conducted for quality analysis, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to examine the internal consistency. Results: We developed four versions of the HL scale, each with a total score of 100, encompassing seven key health areas: hygiene, nutrition, physical activity, mental health, disease prevention, safety awareness, and digital health literacy. Each version measures four dimensions of health competencies: knowledge, skills, motivation, and behavior. After the second round of expert consultation, the average importance score of each item by experts is 4.5–5.0, and the coefficient of variation is 0.000–0.174. The knowledge and skills dimensions are judgment-based and multiple-choice questions, with the Rasch model confirming unidimensionality at a 5.7% residual variance. The behavioral and motivational dimensions, measured with scale-type items, demonstrated internal consistency via Cronbach's alpha and strong inter-item correlation with KMO values of 0.924 and 0.787, respectively. Bartlett's test of sphericity, with p-values <0.001, further substantiates the scale's reliability. Conclusions: The new test-based scale, designed to evaluate competencies within a multifaceted framework, aligns with current international adolescent literacy theories and China's health education policies, focusing not only on knowledge acquisition but also on the application of health-related thinking and behaviors. The scale can be used as a comprehensive tool for HL evaluation and a reference for other countries.

Keywords: adolescent health, Chinese, health literacy, rasch model, scale development

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Authors: Dominic Roulx

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Many scholars have in the past decade emphasized the relevance of Adorno’s criticism of the rationalized domination of nature (Naturbeherrschung) for thinking the environmental crisis. Beyond the intersubjective critical models of thinkers such as Habermas and Honneth, Adorno’s critical theory has the benefit, according to them, of disclosing the entwinement of social and natural domination in a critically productive way. The author will be arguing in this paper that Adorno’s model of critical theory displays a theoretical framework that is both original and relevant for thinking the ins and outs of the currentenvironmental crisis. To do so, he first construe Adorno’s understanding of the historical domination of nature and argue that Adorno’s method for its criticizing is immanent critique. He puts emphasis on how his understanding of the domination of nature implicitly implies an account of thedialectical relationship between reason and nature. In doing so, he presents a naturalistic understanding of his idea of the primacy of the object. Second, regarding Adorno’s concept of nature, he discusses what he sees as the shortcomings of many commentators’ understanding of the concept of nature in Adorno. He contends that they tend to fall short of Adorno’s concept of nature in failing to make sense of its thoroughly negative signification, thereby falling into an uncritical and fetichized comprehension of “nature. Third, he discusses the prospect for a possible “reconciliation” (Versöhnung) of nature with society. Highlighting how the domination of nature proves to produce the necessary conditions for its own overcoming, he contends that reconciliation with nature relies mainly on the subject’s capacity for critical self-reflection.

Keywords: german philosophy, adorno, nature, environmental crisis

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Authors: Anne Giles

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Humans naturally wish they could forget traumatic experiences. To help prevent future harm, however, the human brain has evolved to retain data about experiences of threat, alarm, or violation. When given compassionate support and assistance with thinking helpfully and realistically about traumatic events, most people can adjust to experiencing hardships, albeit with residual sad, unfortunate memories. Persistent, recurrent, intrusive memories, difficulty sleeping, emotion dysregulation, and avoidance of reminders, however, may be symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Brain scans show that PTSD affects brain functioning. We currently have no physical means of restoring the system of brain structures and functions involved with PTSD. Medications may ease some symptoms but not others. However, forms of "talk therapy" with cognitive components have been found by researchers to reduce, even resolve, a broad spectrum of trauma symptoms. Many cultures have taboos against talking about hardships. Individuals may present themselves to mental health care professionals with severe, disabling trauma symptoms but, because of cultural norms, be unable to speak about them. In China, for example, relationship expectations may include the belief, "Bad things happening in the family should stay in the family (jiāchǒu bùkě wàiyán 家丑不可外扬)." The concept of "family (jiā 家)" may include partnerships, close and extended families, communities, companies, and the nation itself. In contrast to many trauma therapies, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder asks its participants to focus not on "what" happened but on "why" they think the trauma(s) occurred. The question "why" activates and exercises cognitive functioning. Brain scans of individuals with PTSD reveal executive functioning portions of the brain inadequately active, with emotion centers overly active. CPT conceptualizes PTSD as a network of cognitive distortions that keep an individual "stuck" in this under-functioning and over-functioning dynamic. Through asking participants forms of the question "why," plus offering a protocol for examining answers and relinquishing unhelpful beliefs, CPT assists individuals in consciously reactivating the cognitive, executive functions of their brains, thus restoring normal functioning and reducing distressing trauma symptoms. The culturally sensitive components of CPT that allow people to "talk about it without talking about it" may offer the possibility for worldwide relief from symptoms of trauma.

Keywords: cognitive processing therapy (CPT), cultural norms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma recovery

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Authors: María Molinos-Senante, Giulia Romano

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This paper aims at investigating the effect of ownership in the efficiency assessment of municipal solid waste management. In doing so, the Data Envelopment Analysis meta-frontier approach integrating unsorted waste as undesirable output was applied. Three different clusters of municipalities have been created on the basis of the ownership type of municipal waste operators. In the second stage of analysis, the paper investigates factors affecting efficiency, in order to provide an outlook of levers to be used by policy and decision makers to improve efficiency, taking into account different management models in force. Results show that public waste management firms have better performance than mixed and private ones since their efficiency scores are significantly larger. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the efficiency of waste management firms is statistically influenced by the age of population, population served, municipal size, population density and tourism rate. It evidences the importance of economies of scale on the cost efficiency of waste management. This issue is relevant for policymakers to define and implement policies aimed to improve the long-term sustainability of waste management in municipalities.

Keywords: data envelopment analysis, efficiency, municipal solid waste, ownership, undesirable output

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Authors: Samaila Muazu Bawa

Abstract:

Hydration process, crack potential and setting time of concrete grade C30, C40 and C50 were separately monitored using non-contact electrical resistivity apparatus, a plastic ring mould and penetration resistance method respectively. The results show highest resistivity of C30 at the beginning until reaching the acceleration point when C50 accelerated and overtaken the others, and this period corresponds to its final setting time range, from resistivity derivative curve, hydration process can be divided into dissolution, induction, acceleration and deceleration periods, restrained shrinkage crack and setting time tests demonstrated the earliest cracking and setting time of C50, therefore, this method conveniently and rapidly determines the concrete’s crack potential. The highest inflection time (ti), the final setting time (tf) were obtained and used with crack time in coming up with mathematical models for the prediction of concrete’s cracking age for the range being considered. Finally, ANSYS numerical simulations supports the experimental findings in terms of the earliest crack age of C50 and the crack location that, highest stress concentration is always beneath the artificially introduced expansion joint of C50.

Keywords: concrete hydration, electrical resistivity, restrained shrinkage crack, ANSYS simulation

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Authors: Yong Zhao, Jian He, Cheng Zhang

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Cardiovascular diseases caused by hypertension are extremely threatening to human health, and early diagnosis of hypertension can save a large number of lives. Traditional hypertension detection methods require special equipment and are difficult to detect continuous blood pressure changes. In this regard, this paper first analyzes the principle of heart rate variability (HRV) and introduces sliding window and power spectral density (PSD) to analyze the time domain features and frequency domain features of HRV, and secondly, designs an HRV-based hypertension prediction network by combining Resnet, attention mechanism, and multilayer perceptron, which extracts the frequency domain through the improved ResNet18 features through a modified ResNet18, its fusion with time-domain features through an attention mechanism, and the auxiliary prediction of hypertension through a multilayer perceptron. Finally, the network was trained and tested using the publicly available SHAREE dataset on PhysioNet, and the test results showed that this network achieved 92.06% prediction accuracy for hypertension and outperformed K Near Neighbor(KNN), Bayes, Logistic, and traditional Convolutional Neural Network(CNN) models in prediction performance.

Keywords: feature extraction, heart rate variability, hypertension, residual networks

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Authors: Amalia Sholihati, Bambang Riyanto Trilaksono

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As an island nation, is a necessity for the Republic of Indonesia to have a capable military defense on land, sea or air that the development of military weapons such as rockets for air defense becomes very important. RKX rocket-200 is one of the guided missiles which are developed by consortium Indonesia and coordinated by LAPAN that serve to intercept the target. RKX-200 is designed to have the speed of Mach 0.5-0.9. RKX rocket-200 belongs to the category two-stage rocket that control is carried out on the second stage when the rocket has separated from the booster. The requirement for better performance to intercept missiles with higher maneuverability continues to push optimal guidance law development, which is derived from non-linear equations. This research focused on the design and implementation of a guidance system based OGL on the rocket RKX-200 while considering the limitation of rockets such as aerodynamic rocket and actuator. Guided missile control system has three main parts, namely, guidance system, navigation system and autopilot systems. As for other parts such as navigation systems and other supporting simulated on MATLAB based on the results of previous studies. In addition to using the MATLAB simulation also conducted testing with hardware-based ARM TWR-K60D100M conjunction with a navigation system and nonlinear models in MATLAB using Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation (HILS).

Keywords: RKX-200, guidance system, optimal guidance law, Hils

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Authors: Ghandri Aida

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The wild boar ‘Sus scrofa algirus’ is an invasive species that has a significant invasive potential allowing it to colonize the agroecosystems of southern Tunisia. In fact, these agroecosystems contain sites with high tranquility-refuge value (refuge zones) which are very attractive for this Suidae thanks to the very dense vegetation (reed beds on the outskirts of the oases and the border areas of the wadis and chotts) and the almost impenetrability for man. When this species is present in abundance, it could cause severe ecological and socio-economic damage. The present work aims to analyze the spatial distribution of this species in the oases of southern Tunisia, namely the coastal oases of Gabès and the continental oases of Kébili, using GLMMs (generalized linear mixed models). In particular, it aims to evaluate the influence of certain landscape factors and vegetation on the occurrence of this harmful species. Our results suggest that the spatial occupancy of wild boar in Tunisian oases essentially depends on proximity to the nearest roads as a repelling factor as well as irrigation, the proportion of cereal cultivation and proximity to areas of refuge as attractive factors.

Keywords: sus scrofa algirus, occurence, GLMM, oasis of southern tunisia

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Authors: Haixu Yu, Wenhui Cao

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Tailoring Large Language Models (LLMs) to perform legal reasoning has been a popular trend in the study of AI and law. Researchers have mainly employed two methods to unlock the potential of LLMs, namely by finetuning the LLMs to expand their knowledge of law and by restructuring the prompts (In-Context Learning) to optimize the LLMs’ understanding of the legal questions. Although claiming the finetuning and renovated prompting can make LLMs more competent in legal reasoning, most state-of-the-art studies show quite limited improvements of practicability. In this paper, drawing on the study of the complexity and low interpretability of legal texts, we propose a prompting strategy based on the Chain of Thought (CoT) method. Instead of merely instructing the LLM to reason “step by step”, the prompting strategy requires the tested LLM to identify the ambiguity in the questions as the first step and then allows the LLM to generate corresponding answers in line with different understandings of the identified terms as the following step. The proposed prompting strategy attempts to encourage LLMs to "interpret" the given text from various aspects. Experiments that require the LLMs to answer “case analysis” questions of bar examination with general LLMs such as GPT 4 and legal LLMs such as LawGPT show that the prompting strategy can improve LLMs’ ability to better understand complex legal texts.

Keywords: ambiguity-identification, prompt, large language model, legal text understanding

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Authors: B. Hamidu, A. Abdulhamid, S. Mohammed, S. Idi

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This study examined the household expenditure pattern on animal products in Bauchi metropolis. A cross-sectional data were collected from 157 households using systematic sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression models. The results reveal that the mean age, mean household size, mean monthly income and mean total expenditure on animal products were found to be 39 years, 7 persons, N28,749 and N1,740 respectively. It was also found that household monthly income, number of children and educational level of the household heads (P<0.01) significantly influence the level of household expenditure on animal products. Similarly, income was found to be the most important factor determining the proportion of total expenditure on animal products (20.91%). Income elasticity was found to be 0.66 indicating that for every 1% increase in income, expenditure on animal products would increase by 0.66%. Furthermore, beef was found to be the most preferred (54.83%) and most regularly consumed (61.84%) animal products. However, it was discovered that the major constraints affecting the consumption of animal products were low-income level of the households (29.85%), high cost of animal products (15.82%) and increase in prices of necessities (15.82%). Therefore to improve household expenditure on animal products per capita real income of the households should be improved through creation of employment opportunities. Also stabilization of market prices of animal products and other foods items of necessities through increased production are recommended.

Keywords: animal products, economics, expenditure, households

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Authors: Jennifer Natalya Fink

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Since the racial reckoning of 2020, almost every major educational institution has incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles into its administrative, hiring, and pedagogical practices. Yet these DEI principles rarely incorporate explicit language or critical thinking about disability. Despite the fact that according to the World Health Organization, one in five people worldwide is disabled, making disabled people the larger minority group in the world, disability remains the neglected stepchild of DEI. Drawing on disability studies and crip theory frameworks, the underlying causes of this exclusion of disability from DEI, such as stigma, shame, invisible disabilities, institutionalization/segregation/delineation from family, and competing models and definitions of disability are examined. This paper explores both the ideological and practical shifts necessary to include disability in university DEI initiatives. It offers positive examples as well as conceptual frameworks such as 'divers ability' for so doing. Using Georgetown University’s 2020-2022 DEI initiatives as a case study, this paper describes how curricular infusion, accessibility, identity, community, and diversity administration infused one university’s DEI initiatives with concrete disability-inclusive measures. It concludes with a consideration of how the very framework of DEI itself might be challenged and transformed if disability were to be included.

Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, disability, crip theory, accessibility

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Authors: Dina Dahood Dabash

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Refugee camps are habitually defined as receptive sites, transient spaces of exile and nondescript depoliticized places of exception. However, such arguments form partial sides of reality, especially in countries that are geopolitically challenged and rely immensely on international aid. In Jordan, the dynamics brought with the floating population of refugees (Palestinian amongst others) have resulted in spatial after-effects that cannot be easily overlooked. For instance, Palestine refugee camps have turned by time into socioeconomic centers of gravity and cores of spatial evolution. Yet, such a position is not instantaneous. Amongst various reasons, it can be related, according to this paper, to a distinctive institutional climate that has been co-produced by the refugees, host community and the state. This paper aims to investigate the evolution of urban and spatial regulations in Jordan between 1948 and 1995, more specifically, state regulations, community regulations and refugee-self-regulation that all dynamically interacted that period. The paper aims to unpack the relations between refugee camps and their environs to further explore the agency of such floating populations in establishing rooted networks that extended the time and place boundaries. The paper’s argument stems from the fact that the spatial configuration of urban systems is not only an outcome of a historical evolutionary process but is also a result of interactions between the actors. The research operationalizes Marka camp in Jordan as a case study. Marka Camp is one of the six "emergency" camps erected in 1968 to shelter 15,000 Palestine refugees and displaced persons who left the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Nowadays, camp shelters more than 50,000 refugees in the same area of land. The camp is located in Russeifa, a city in Zarqa Governorate in Jordan. Together with Amman and Zarqa, Russeifa is part of a larger metropolitan area that acts as a home to more than half of Jordan’s businesses. The paper aspires to further understand the post-conflict strategies which were historically applied in Jordan and can be employed to handle more recent geopolitical challenges such as the Syrian refugee crisis. Methodological framework: The paper traces the evolution of the refugee-camp regulating norms in Jordan, parallel with the horizontal and vertical evolution of the Marka camp and its surroundings. Consequently, the main methods employed are historical and mental tracing, Interviews, in addition to using available Aerial and archival photos of the Marka camp and its surrounding.

Keywords: forced migration, Palestine refugee camps, spatial agency, urban regulations

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Authors: Jude A. Mbanasor, Chigozirim N. Onwusiribe

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The enigma climate change is no longer an illusion but a reality. In the recent years, the Nigeria climate has changed and the changes are shown by the changing patterns of rainfall, the sunshine, increasing level carbon and nitrous emission as well as deforestation. This study analyzed the behavioural response of bee keepers to variations in the climate and the adaptation techniques developed in response to the climate variation. Beekeeping is a viable economic activity for the alleviation of poverty as the products include honey, wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, venom, queens, bees and their larvae and are all marketable. The study adopted the multistage sampling technique to select 120 beekeepers from the five states of Southeast Nigeria. Well-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions were adopted to collect the required data. Statistical tools like the Principal component analysis, data envelopment models, graphs, and charts were used for the data analysis. Changing patterns of rainfall and sunshine with the increasing rate of deforestation had a negative effect on the habitat of the bees. The bee keepers have adopted the Kenya Top bar and Langstroth hives and they establish the bee hives on fallow farmland close to the cultivated communal farms with more flowering crops.

Keywords: climate, farmer, response, smart

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