Apparent Complexity Research Articles

Disability, Pity, and the Workplace.

The purpose is to examine perceptions of pity directed toward people with disabilities to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of these perceptions on the employment success of people with disabilities and to provide direction to disability-related training and strategic planning in the workplace. Two studies were developed to explore these relationships. The first measured the characteristics most frequently associated with people with disabilities in the workplace. Survey respondents rated the degree to which they believed the average person would assign these several characteristics to people with disabilities. The second measured the degree to which perceptions of pity, as directed toward people with disabilities, were correlated with the apparent complexity of those disabilities. Respondents determined the relative amount of money that passers-by would likely donate to panhandlers who used various mobility equipment (i.e., wheelchair, walker, cane). Results from these studies indicated that people with disabilities were more likely to be assigned a preponderance of negative characteristics, including those described as unfortunate, limited, and tragic. In addition, people with disabilities whose disabilities were perceived as more complex were seen as being more in need of financial assistance. By providing an empirically driven starting point for organizational planners, including human resource professionals, managers, and recruiters, these two studies provide a basis upon which to develop strategies that account for these affect-based responses to disability.

Exponential series approximation of the SIR epidemiological model

IntroductionThe SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model is one of the simplest and most widely used frameworks for understanding epidemic outbreaks.MethodsA second-order dynamical system for the R variable is formulated using an infinite exponential series expansion, and a recursion relation is established between the series coefficients. A numerical approximation scheme for the R variable is also developed.ResultsThe proposed numerical method is compared to a double exponential (DE) nonlinear approximate analytic solution, which reveals two coupled timescales: a relaxation timescale, determined by the ratio of the model’s time constants, and an excitation timescale, dictated by the population size. The DE solution is applied to estimate model parameters for a well-known epidemiological dataset—the boarding school flu outbreak.DiscussionFrom a theoretical standpoint, the primary contribution of this work is the derivation of an infinite exponential, Dirichlet, series for the model variables. Truncating the series yields a finite approximation, known as a Prony series, which can be interpreted as a sequence of coupled exponential relaxation processes, each with a distinct timescale. This apparent complexity can be approximated well by the DE solution, which appears to be of main practical interest.

The Remarkable X-Ray Spectra and Variability of the Ultraluminous Weak-line Quasar SDSS J1521+5202

We present a focused X-ray and multiwavelength study of the ultraluminous weak-line quasar (WLQ) SDSS J1521+5202, one of the few X-ray weak WLQs that is amenable to basic X-ray spectral and variability investigations. J1521+5202 shows striking X-ray variability during 2006–2023, by up to a factor of ≈32 in 0.5–2 keV flux, and our new 2023 Chandra observation caught it in its brightest X-ray flux state to date. Concurrent infrared/optical observations show only mild variability. The 2023 Chandra spectrum can be acceptably described by a power law with intrinsic X-ray absorption, and it reveals a nominal intrinsic level of X-ray emission relative to its optical/ultraviolet emission. In contrast, an earlier Chandra spectrum from 2013 shows apparent spectral complexity that is not well fit by a variety of models, including ionized absorption or standard Compton-reflection models. Overall, the observations are consistent with the thick-disk plus outflow model previously advanced for WLQs, where a nominal level of underlying X-ray emission plus variable absorption leads to the remarkable observed X-ray variability. In the case of J1521+5202, it appears likely that the outflow, and not the thick disk itself, lies along our line of sight and causes the X-ray absorption.

The vascular geometry of the choriocapillaris is associated with spatially heterogeneous molecular exchange with the outer retina.

Vision relies on the continuous exchange of material between the photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium and choriocapillaris, a dense microvascular bed located underneath the outer retina. The anatomy and physiology of the choriocapillaris and their association with retinal homeostasis have proven difficult to characterize, mainly because of the unusual geometry of this vascular bed. By analysing tissue dissected from 81 human eyes, we show that the thickness of the choriocapillaris does not vary significantly over large portions of the macula or with age. Assessments of spatial variations in the anatomy of the choriocapillaris in three additional human eyes indicate that the location of arteriolar and venular vessels connected to the plane of the choriocapillaris is non-random, and that venular insertions cluster around arteriolar ones. Mathematical models built upon these anatomical analyses reveal that the choriocapillaris contains regions where the transport of passive elements is dominated by diffusion, and that these diffusion-limited regions represent areas of reduced exchange with the outer retina. The width of diffusion-limited regions is determined by arterial flow rate and the relative arrangement of arteriolar and venular insertions. These analyses demonstrate that the apparent complexity of the choriocapillaris conceals a fine balance between several anatomical and functional parameters to effectively support homeostasis of the outer retina. KEY POINTS: The choriocapillaris is the capillary bed supporting the metabolism of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium, two critical components of the visual system located in the outer part of the retina. The choriocapillaris has evolved a planar multipolar vascular geometry that differs markedly from the branched topology of most vasculatures in the human body. Here, we report that this planar multipolar vascular geometry is associated with spatially heterogenous molecular exchange between choriocapillaris and outer retina. Our data and analyses highlight a necessary balance between choriocapillaris anatomical and functional parameters to effectively support homeostasis of the outer retina.

Tiered vocabulary and raciolinguistic discourses of deficit: from academic scholarship to education policy

Tiered vocabulary is a pervasive concept in academic scholarship, education policy, and schools. It involves placing individual words into hierarchically arranged tiers, based on their apparent simplicity, sophistication, utility, and complexity, with these categorisations used to determine which words carry value in the classroom. In this article I conduct a genealogy of tiered vocabulary and argue that it is a raciolinguistic ideology which frames the language practices of racialised and working-class children as deficient and requiring modification. I trace the ideological roots of tiered vocabulary to European colonial representations of the purportedly limited vocabulary of Black African communities. I then examine how tiered vocabulary emerged as a concept in 1980s US academic knowledge production, based on experiments led by white academics on predominantly Black children from low-income homes. I show how tiered vocabulary is descendant from deficit, anti-Black thinking which characterised mainstream educational linguistics in the 1960s. I then focus on how it has become normalised in England’s education policy in the 2020s, as part of a flawed theory of change which deems that the acquisition of academic language is a tool for enabling social justice. Ultimately, I show how tiered vocabulary is a flawed theory of language which ties together race and class in producing discourses of linguistic deficiency, and legitimises language policing which undermines the education of marginalised children.

Features of Anisotropic Drug Delivery Systems.

Natural materials are anisotropic. Delivery systems occurring in nature, such as viruses, blood cells, pollen, and many others, do have anisotropy, while delivery systems made artificially are mostly isotropic. There is apparent complexity in engineering anisotropic particles or capsules with micron and submicron sizes. Nevertheless, some promising examples of how to fabricate particles with anisotropic shapes or having anisotropic chemical and/or physical properties are developed. Anisotropy of particles, once they face biological systems, influences their behavior. Internalization by the cells, flow in the bloodstream, biodistribution over organs and tissues, directed release, and toxicity of particles regardless of the same chemistry are all reported to be factors of anisotropy of delivery systems. Here, the current methods are reviewed to introduce anisotropy to particles or capsules, including loading with various therapeutic cargo, variable physical properties primarily by anisotropic magnetic properties, controlling directional motion, and making Janus particles. The advantages of combining different anisotropy in one entity for delivery and common problems and limitations for fabrication are under discussion.

Challenges and Possible Solutions of Implementing 5G Mobile Networks in Bangladesh

Recently, fifth-generation (5G) mobile connectivity has been launched in Bangladesh on a trial-run basis. 5G is a super-speed mobile network that is much faster than the existing fourth-generation (4G) technology. It is excruciatingly hard to deploy a fully functioning 5G in any country regardless of its available resources and technological advancements because of some apparent technological complexity and limitations. In addition, when deploying this technology in developing countries such as Bangladesh, the costs come into play. To cope with the world’s advancement in science and technology, Bangladesh is planning to implement 5G covering the whole country. In this paper, we present the major challenges in implementing a wide area 5G network in Bangladesh and find some possible solutions. This research work has also tried to get a clear picture of the service quality of the existing 4G cellular communication by analyzing some of the mobile operators’ download speeds over 24 hours. In addition, this paper presents the current comparison of Internet facilities in Bangladesh with those of other countries across the globe. To the best of our knowledge, there is no publicly available study that has focused on the deployment of the 5G network in Bangladesh after assessing the current state of the cellular network. Therefore, this study could serve as a guiding resource, providing valuable information for decision-making.

Расчёт распространённых показателей вариабельности артериального давления при домашнем мониторировании с использованием электронных таблиц

It is very important to introduce into clinical practice the assessment of blood pressure variability during home blood pressure monitoring. A possible barrier to this implementation is the apparent complexity of the mathematical formulas. The purpose of this article is to provide practicing and training physicians with a convenient and simple method for calculating home blood pressure variability.

Identifying Palaeolithic birch tar production techniques: challenges from an experimental biomolecular approach

The intentional production of birch bark tar by European Neanderthals as early as 190,000 years ago plays an important role in discussions about the technological and behavioural complexity of Pleistocene hominins. However, research is hampered because it is currently unknown how Neanderthals were producing birch tar. There are several different techniques that could have been employed, but these differ in their apparent production complexity, time and resource efficiency. Identifying production processes in the archaeological record is therefore paramount for furthering research on the technical behavioural repertoire. Organic biomarkers, identified with Gas Chromatograph–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS), have been used to identify possible production processes during the Neolithic. Here we test whether these biomarkers can also distinguish Palaeolithic (aceramic) tar production methods. We produced tar using five different methods and analysed their biomolecular composition with GC–MS. Our results show that the biomarkers used to distinguish Neolithic tar production strategies using ceramic technology cannot be reliably used to identify tar production processes using aceramic Palaeolithic techniques. More experimentation is required to produce a larger reference library of different tars for future comparisons. To achieve this, complete GC–MS datasets must also be made publicly available, as we have done with our data.

THE PHYSICAL PROCESSES ACTIVE IN TROPOCAL CYCLONE WAVE GENERATION

In tropical and subtropical regions tropical cyclones represent the major extreme meteorological events, generating winds in excess of 40m/s and significant wave heights above 10m. Such systems are characterized by a well-formed translating vortex wind field with a calm eye and winds that spiral in toward the center of the storm. Despite the apparent complexity of the forcing wind field, observations of waves in tropical cyclones show that there are many similarities to waves generated in relatively simple cases with approximately constant unidirectional winds (Tamizi and Young 2020. It has often been speculated (Tamizi and Young 2020) that this is because nonlinear wave–wave interactions play a dominate role in defining the tropical cyclone directional wave spectrum and hence the significant wave height, as they do for more simple wave generation cases. Despite this speculation and the many observational studies of tropical cyclone wave spectra, no study has yet been able to demonstrate the role of nonlinear wave–wave interactions in tropical cyclones. Firstly, the observational database from buoys and remote sensing systems are summarized. A third generation spectral wave model is then used to model typical tropical cyclones and the role played by each of wind input, dissipation and nonlinear interactions is investigated in detail.

Role of Artificial Intelligence in Periodontology

This study focuses into the possible links between patient demographics, smoking habits, treatment received, and periodontal disease severity before and after treatment. A new dataset of 1,000 patients was created, with information on age, smoking status, periodontal disease severity before and after therapy, and whether or not treatment was received. To obtain insight into the correlations between the variables, descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. A machine learning model was also created and trained on the information to predict the severity of periodontal disease following treatment. Despite the apparent complexity of the disease process, the machine learning model was discovered to be a reliable tool for forecasting disease development. The findings demonstrate an insignificant relationship between age and post-treatment severity, implying that age may not be a significant role in the progression of periodontal disease after treatment. The performance of the machine learning model, its implications for clinical practice, and prospective applications of AI in periodontology are also examined. The findings have important implications for periodontal disease patient management and treatment decisions. Furthermore, they lay the door for future AI implementations in periodontal disease prediction and management that are more sophisticated. More research is needed, however, to corroborate these findings and include more different parameters into the machine learning model. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Periodontology, Dental healthcare, Diagnosis,Treatment

UTILIZATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REGION

Based on a review of the literature, it is shown that there are a large number of qualified specialists in the cultivation of microalgae to absorb carbon dioxide in the country, despite the apparent complexity of this method in comparison with the method of injecting it into the layer. Since the absorption by microalgae of the genus chlorella occurs using the energy of sunlight, then with a sufficient amount of it, emissions of additional carbon dioxide are dispensed with. This technology, like no other, depends on climatic conditions: in a climate with an average annual temperature below 0 °C, algae cultivation is impractical, here the only acceptable technology is carbon dioxide liquefaction and its injection into the layer. In a temperate climate, where the largest number of enterprises and cities in Europe and Russia are located, it is necessary to alternate technologies, that is, in summer, cultivate large areas of chlorella according to the technology proposed in the article, and in winter, reduce the area and pump some of carbon dioxide into storage.

Always look on the bright side of life: Individual differences in visual attentional breadth for understanding temperament and emotion regulation in adolescents.

Cognitive-affective models of depression show that negative and positive emotionality differentially confer risk for depression through maladaptive and adaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies respectively. Yet, no research has examined the mechanisms through which these temperament traits shape individual differences in ER. The current study explored the mediating role of attentional breadth for emotional information in the distinct pathways from temperament to ER strategies in adolescents. The hypotheses were tested in a selected sample of 71 adolescents (M = 14.15, SD = 1.90; 62% girls) using a previously validated measure of visuospatial attentional breadth. First, positive emotionality was positively associated with attentional breadth for positive stimuli and temperamental vulnerable adolescents showed deficits in the processing of positive stimuli when presented far from the center of the visual field. Second, attentional breadth towards neutral stimuli was positively related to adaptive ER strategies. Third, no evidence was found for the proposed mediation models. However, post-hoc analyses provided preliminary evidence for a reversed mediation model in which adaptive ER strategies mediate the relationship between temperament and attentional breadth towards neutral stimuli. The results underscore the apparent complexity of the relations between temperament, attentional breadth, and ER and point out the need for further research in order to inform early intervention.

Complexity And Chaos Control of A Cournot Duopoly Game With Relative Profit Maximization And Heterogeneous Expectations

The paper considers a Cournot-type duopoly game, in which linear demand and cost functions are used. The two players produce differentiated goods and offer them at discrete times on a common market. In the cost functions of the players, in addition to the production cost, the cost of transporting the products is also included. Each firm does not care only about its profits but also about the percentage of its opponents’ profits, using a generalized relative profit function. In this model, the players follow different strategies. More specifically, the first player is characterized as a bounded rational player while the second player follows an adaptive mechanism. The existence of the Nash Equilibrium is proved, and its stability conditions are found. The complexity that appears for some values of the game’s parameters is shown. A mechanism by which the chaotic behavior of the discrete dynamical system is presented, importing a new parameter m. The algebraic results are verified, and the apparent complexity is shown by plotting bifurcation diagrams and strange attractors, computing the Lyapunov numbers, and checking the system’s sensitivity on its initial conditions.
 Keywords: Cournot duopoly game, discrete dynamical system, heterogeneous expectations, stability, chaotic behavior, chaos control

Fixel-based analysis of the diffusion properties of the patients with brain injury and chronic health symptoms

The diffusion properties from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are sensitive to white matter (WM) abnormalities and could serve as indicators of diffuse axonal damages incurred during a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Analyses of diffusion metrics in the regions of interest (ROIs) were used to compare the differences in the 18 major fiber tracts in 46 participants, between TBI participants with (n = 17) or without (n = 16) chronic symptoms (CS) and a control group (CG, n = 13). In addition to the widely used diffusion metrics, such as fractional anisotropy (FA), mean (MD), axial (AD) and radial (RD) diffusivities, apparent fiber density (AFD), complexity (CX) and fixel number (FN) derived from Mrtrix3 software package were used to characterize WM tracts and compare between participant groups in the ROIs defined by the fixel numbers. Significant differences were found in FA, AFD, MD, RD and CX in ROIs with different FNs in the corpus callosum forceps minor, left and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and left and right uncinate fasciculus for both TBI groups compared to controls. Diffusion properties in ROIs with different FNs can serve as detailed biomarkers of WM abnormalities, especially for individuals with chronic TBI related symptoms.

A Review on the Role of Low Glycemic Index Foods for Glycemic Control in Chronic Liver Disease

Liver is an essential organ that maintains fasting and postprandial blood glucose response via various metabolic pathways. The liver function gradually deteriorates in chronic liver disease (CLD) due to inflammation and destruction of liver parenchyma. The development of glucose intolerance and hepatogenous diabetes (HD) in patients with CLD is an inevitable event. Diabetes and CLD can coexist, and function synergistically to cause unfavorable clinical consequences, including poor treatment outcomes and frequent hospitalization. The complications associated with liver disease (malnutrition, hypoglycemia, acute kidney injury, lactic acidosis, etc.) and lack of guidelines limit pharmacological management of HD. Dietary recommendations by The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines (2019), suggested weight reducing hypocaloric diet along with adequate branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and micronutrient consumption to improve steatosis and insulin sensitivity in patients with CLD. Dietary glycemic index controls prognosis of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and diabetes. The importance of low GI diet in reducing fasting blood glucose, hepatic glucose influx and fat accumulation, thereby improving weight loss and NAFLD score, is being published in patients with diabetes or liver disease. Several countries have already incorporated GI into their national health policies, for identification of the nutrient value, resulting in establishment of worldwide GI and glycemic load tables for specific food items. However, the apparent complexity of GI and lack of low GI meal choices need to be resolved in order to enhance patient’s quality of life, health and well-being. Low GI nutritional supplements, comprising of balanced proportion of carbohydrate, protein, BCAAs, fibers and micronutrients, may reduce the complexity related to dietary management of HD. The review summarizes the importance of nutritional management in HD with focus on low GI diet in people with CLD.

The Nature of Change Has Changed. Insightful and Timely Understanding of What People Feel, and Think Is More Important than Ever

Technology is transforming industry after industry, perhaps none so much as the media landscape which has, since the millennium, seen traditional and hierarchical, mass media upended by flatter, networks, interconnectivity across the globe, spurning social media, and narratives that have now become the mainstay of people’s lives. Tracking such narratives enables one to understand what people themselves feel is important to them. This has never been more important than at the present time. The daily lives of everyone were rapidly transformed by the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, which for 2 years saw many different approaches by different country leaders. In general, it demonstrated that systems were broken and leadership lacking when most needed. Volatility, uncertainty, and indeed fear were compounded by miscommunications and a lack of clarity. The pandemic, coupled with the unwarranted invasion of Ukraine, has further adversely affected peoples’ outlook with rapidly changing priorities by (new) leaders, who are now seeing further societal turmoil in people’s daily lives as mental health, basic living costs…, add to the already heightened uncertainty. Leaders must accept and embrace that not only is the rate of change accelerating, but the nature of change itself is changing and having a transformational effect on people and institutions. This paper shares the results of tracking key lifestyle narratives, in A Virtual Living Lab, from before COVID-19 to September 2022, when most countries had removed their pandemic restrictions. It shows how investigating “important” narratives, those with utility, can enable people to track and respond to what people think is important by “engaging with engagement” that already exists in current social media environments that describe what people think/feel and can lead to behaviour change. Paradoxically, with media fragmentation, there are many like-minded, micro-communities that have deeper engagement and thus, the potential to create competence with the apparent complexity of modern living.

Combined fascial plane blocks as the sole regional anesthesia technique for breast surgery in high-risk patients.

The quest for an effective regional anaesthesia technique in breast surgery has always been eluded by its apparent complexity. Various techniques had been described as anaesthetic techniques for breast cancer surgeries. Fascial plane blocks had been used as analgesic techniques for this procedure. We describe a case series of 12 patients who were given a combination of erector spinae plane block (ESP), Pectoralis I (Pecs I) and serratus anterior plane (SAP) block as sole anaesthetic technique with high risk surgical morbidity. Two patients had discomfort during retraction of axillary apex towards the end of surgery, and one patient had discomfort during medial parasternal incision, which needed a single bolus of low dose ketamine injection. Combined fascial plane blocks could be effectively utilized as a sole regional anesthesia modality for breast cancer surgeries with mild sedation.

A general hypothesis of multistable systems in pathophysiology

Despite intensive investigations numerous diseases remain etiologically puzzling and recalcitrant to treatments. A hypothesis is proposed here assuming that these difficulties are due to an unsuitable approach to the mechanisms of life, which is subjugated by an apparent complexity and fails to grasp the uniformity that lays behind. The stability of metabolism, despite the enormous complex of chemical reactions, suggests that reciprocal control is a prerequisite of life. Negative feedback loops have been known for a long time to maintain homeostasis, while more recently, different life processes involved in transitions or changes have been modeled by positive loops giving rise to bistable switches, also including various diseases. The present hypothesis makes a generalization, by assuming that any functional element of a biological system is involved in a positive or a negative feedback loop. Consequently, the hypothesis holds that the starting mechanism of any disease that affects a healthy human can be conceptually reduced to a bistable or multistationary loop system, thus providing a unifying model leading to the discovery of critical therapeutic targets.

Toward a unifying framework for the modeling and identification of motor primitives.

A large body of evidence suggests that human and animal movements, despite their apparent complexity and flexibility, are remarkably structured. Quantitative analyses of various classes of motor behaviors consistently identify spatial and temporal features that are invariant across movements. Such invariant features have been observed at different levels of organization in the motor system, including the electromyographic, kinematic, and kinetic levels, and are thought to reflect fixed modules—named motor primitives—that the brain uses to simplify the construction of movement. However, motor primitives across space, time, and organization levels are often described with ad-hoc mathematical models that tend to be domain-specific. This, in turn, generates the need to use model-specific algorithms for the identification of both the motor primitives and additional model parameters. The lack of a comprehensive framework complicates the comparison and interpretation of the results obtained across different domains and studies. In this work, we take the first steps toward addressing these issues, by introducing a unifying framework for the modeling and identification of qualitatively different classes of motor primitives. Specifically, we show that a single model, the anechoic mixture model, subsumes many popular classes of motor primitive models. Moreover, we exploit the flexibility of the anechoic mixture model to develop a new class of identification algorithms based on the Fourier-based Anechoic Demixing Algorithm (FADA). We validate our framework by identifying eight qualitatively different classes of motor primitives from both simulated and experimental data. We show that, compared to established model-specific algorithms for the identification of motor primitives, our flexible framework reaches overall comparable and sometimes superior reconstruction performance. The identification framework is publicly released as a MATLAB toolbox (FADA-T, https://tinyurl.com/compsens) to facilitate the identification and comparison of different motor primitive models.