Communication Loop Research Articles

“I spend more time on the ecosystem than on the disease”: caring for the communicative loop with everyday ADM technology through maintenance and modification work

AbstractAutomated decision-making (ADM) systems can be worn in and on the body for various purposes, such as for tracking and managing chronic conditions. One case in point is do-it-yourself open-source artificial pancreas systems, through which users engage in what is referred to as “looping”; combining continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps placed on the body with digital communication technologies to develop an ADM system for personal diabetes management. The idea behind these personalized systems is to delegate decision-making regarding insulin to an algorithm that can make autonomous decisions. Based on interviews and photo diaries with Danish “loopers”, this paper highlights two interrelated narratives of how users have to care for the loop by maintaining a stable communication circuit between body and ADM system, and by modifying the loop through analysis and reflection. It shows how the human takes turns with the ADM system through practical doings and anticipation to safeguard continuous management of chronic disease.

Evaluating for Evidence of Sociodemographic Bias in Conversational AI for Mental Health Support.

The integration of large language models (LLMs) into healthcare highlights the need to ensure their efficacy while mitigating potential harms, such as the perpetuation of biases. Current evidence on the existence of bias within LLMs remains inconclusive. In this study, we present an approach to investigate the presence of bias within an LLM designed for mental health support. We simulated physician-patient conversations by using a communication loop between an LLM-based conversational agent and digital standardized patients (DSPs) that engaged the agent in dialogue while remaining agnostic to sociodemographic characteristics. In contrast, the conversational agent was made aware of each DSP's characteristics, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, and annual income. The agent's responses were analyzed to discern potential systematic biases using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count tool. Multivariate regression analysis, trend analysis, and group-based trajectory models were used to quantify potential biases. Among 449 conversations, there was no evidence of bias in both descriptive assessments and multivariable linear regression analyses. Moreover, when evaluating changes in mean tone scores throughout a dialogue, the conversational agent exhibited a capacity to show understanding of the DSPs' chief complaints and to elevate the tone scores of the DSPs throughout conversations. This finding did not vary by any sociodemographic characteristics of the DSP. Using an objective methodology, our study did not uncover significant evidence of bias within an LLM-enabled mental health conversational agent. These findings offer a complementary approach to examining bias in LLM-based conversational agents for mental health support.

Implementing Agile Methodologies in Data Warehouse Projects

Agile techniques have transformed project management and software development by stressing flexibility, collaboration, and customer-centricity. Data warehouse initiatives have traditionally used a waterfall methodology, which may delay, cost more, and misalign with business needs. Agile techniques are applied to data warehouse projects in this article, examining their pros and cons. The study starts with Agile fundamentals including iterative development, incremental delivery, and adaptive planning. It compares these concepts with the linear, sequential waterfall approach employed in data warehousing. Agile approaches like Scrum or Kanban may help data warehouse projects adapt to changing business demands and improve results. The report recommends creating cross-functional Agile teams with data administration, analytical, and development competence to execute Agile in data warehouses. Collaborative teams encourage communication and feedback loops. Sprints, stand-ups, and retrospectives help data warehousing teams make quick changes and meet business goals, according to the report.

Use and Abuse of Personal Information, Part I: Design of a Scalable OSINT Collection Engine

In most open-source intelligence (OSINT) research efforts, the collection of information is performed in an entirely passive manner as an observer to third-party communication streams. This paper describes ongoing work that seeks to insert itself into that communication loop, fusing openly available data with requested content that is representative of what is sent to second parties. The mechanism for performing this is based on the sharing of falsified personal information through one-time online transactions that facilitate signup for newsletters, establish online accounts, or otherwise interact with resources on the Internet. The work has resulted in the real-time Use and Abuse of Personal Information OSINT collection engine that can ingest email, SMS text, and voicemail content at an enterprise scale. Foundations of this OSINT collection infrastructure are also laid to incorporate an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven interaction engine that shifts collection from a passive process to one that can effectively engage with different classes of content for improved real-world privacy experimentation and quantitative social science research.

The Research of the Disparity Between the Provision of Feedback Opportunities and the Clarity of Feedback Implementation for Business and Management Students at the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton

This research delves into the disparity between the provision of feedback opportunities and the clarity of feedback implementation for business and management students at the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton. Employing a qualitative constructivist approach, the study aims to uncover the barriers to student feedback integration and propose solutions for enhancing university responsiveness. The investigation reveals significant differences in feedback implementation rates and the perceived value of student opinions, with implications for teaching quality and student satisfaction. The study employs questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups to gather insights from students and staff, emphasizing the need for transparent communication and actionable feedback loops. The findings suggest that universities must prioritize student voices to foster a positive learning culture and improve institutional practices.

Kirchhoff meets Johnson: In pursuit of unconditionally secure communication

AbstractNoise: an enemy to be dealt with and a major factor limiting communication system performance. However, what if there is gold in that garbage? In conventional engineering, our focus is primarily on eliminating, suppressing, combating, or even ignoring noise and its detrimental impacts. Conversely, could we exploit it similarly to biology, which utilizes noise‐alike carrier signals to convey information? In this context, the utilization of noise, or noise‐alike signals in general, has been put forward as a means to realize unconditionally secure communication systems in the future. In this tutorial article, we begin by tracing the origins of thermal noise‐based communication and highlighting one of its significant applications for ensuring unconditionally secure networks: the Kirchhoff‐law‐Johnson‐noise (KLJN) secure key exchange scheme. We then delve into the inherent challenges tied to secure communication and discuss the imperative need for physics‐based key distribution schemes in pursuit of unconditional security. Concurrently, we provide a concise overview of quantum key distribution schemes and draw comparisons with their KLJN‐based counterparts. Finally, extending beyond wired communication loops, we explore the transmission of noise signals over‐the‐air and evaluate their potential for stealth and secure wireless communication systems.

Kismet/CHD7/CHD8 affects gut microbiota, mechanics, and the gut-brain axis in Drosophila melanogaster

The gut microbiome affects brain and neuronal development and may contribute to the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. However, it is unclear how risk genes associated with such disorders affect gut physiology in a manner that could impact microbial colonization and how the mechanical properties of the gut tissue might play a role in gut-brain bidirectional communication. To address this, we used Drosophila melanogaster with a null mutation in the gene kismet, an ortholog of chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein (CHD) family members CHD7 and CHD8. In humans, these are risk genes for neurodevelopmental disorders with co-occurring gastrointestinal symptoms. We found that kismet mutant flies have a significant increase in gastrointestinal transit time, indicating the functional homology of kismet with CHD7/CHD8 in vertebrates. Rheological characterization of dissected gut tissue revealed significant changes in the mechanics of kismet mutant gut elasticity, strain stiffening behavior, and tensile strength. Using 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing, we also found that kismet mutants have reduced diversity and abundance of gut microbiota at every taxonomic level. To investigate the connection between the gut microbiome and behavior, we depleted gut microbiota in kismet mutant and control flies and quantified the flies’ courtship behavior. Depletion of gut microbiota rescued courtship defects of kismet mutant flies, indicating a connection between gut microbiota and behavior. In striking contrast, depletion of the gut microbiome in the control strain reduced courtship activity, demonstrating that antibiotic treatment can have differential impacts on behavior and may depend on the status of microbial dysbiosis in the gut prior to depletion. We propose that Kismet influences multiple gastrointestinal phenotypes that contribute to the gut-microbiome-brain axis to influence behavior. We also suggest that gut tissue mechanics should be considered as an element in the gut-brain communication loop, both influenced by and potentially influencing the gut microbiome and neurodevelopment.

Communication constraints in the safety system on South African mines and implications for the exercise of the Right to Refuse Dangerous Work

The Mine Health and Safety Act No. 29 of 1996, as amended, embeds an occupational health and safety management system that facilitates communication between representatives of the state, capital, and labour. In underground mines, two communication loops between these role players serve to separate the production chain of command from the political tripartite relations. Worker-elected health and safety representatives are involved in both communication loops, but are severely constrained in escalating their occupational health and safety concerns to the legal-political level. This has a direct bearing on the exercise of the Right to Refuse Dangerous Work (RRDW). As previously reported, health and safety representatives were found to primarily consult their production supervisors in preference to their trade-union representatives. This follow-up article presents production supervisor perspectives on the RRDW. The study demonstrates how, for mineworkers, the two distinct communication subsystems constrain, rather than facilitate, implementation of the RRDW.

Implementing Agile Methodologies in Data Warehouse Projects

Agile techniques have transformed project management and software development by stressing flexibility, collaboration, and customer-centricity. Data warehouse initiatives have traditionally used a waterfall methodology, which may delay, cost more, and misalign with business needs. Agile techniques are applied to data warehouse projects in this article, examining their pros and cons.The study starts with Agile fundamentals including iterative development, incremental delivery, and adaptive planning. It compares these concepts with the linear, sequential waterfall approach employed in data warehousing. Agile approaches like Scrum or Kanban may help data warehouse projects adapt to changing business demands and improve results. The report recommends creating cross-functional Agile teams with data administration, analytical, and development competence to execute Agile in data warehouses. Collaborative teams encourage communication and feedback loops. Sprints, stand-ups, and retrospectives help data warehousing teams make quick changes and meet business goals, according to the report.

Corporate governance and stakeholder engagement in Nigerian enterprises: A review of current practices and future directions

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of corporate governance and stakeholder engagement practices within Nigerian enterprises, highlighting current trends and proposing future directions for improvement. In Nigeria, as in many emerging economies, effective corporate governance and stakeholder engagement are critical for sustainable business success, investor confidence, and overall economic development. The review begins by outlining the regulatory framework governing corporate governance in Nigeria, emphasizing the role of legislation, regulatory bodies, and corporate governance codes in shaping organizational practices. It identifies key stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, communities, and government entities, and underscores the importance of engaging with each group to ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct. The paper evaluates current corporate governance practices in Nigerian enterprises, emphasizing strengths such as board composition, financial reporting, and compliance mechanisms, while also addressing weaknesses such as board independence, executive compensation, and risk management frameworks. It explores the impact of cultural, social, and economic factors on governance dynamics, acknowledging the need for context-specific approaches tailored to Nigeria's unique business environment. Investing in stakeholder engagement initiatives that prioritize dialogue, collaboration and shared value creation, aligning business objectives with societal needs and expectations. Incorporating technology-driven solutions to facilitate real-time communication and feedback loops with stakeholders, leveraging digital platforms for transparent and responsive engagement. Overall, this paper underscores the importance of effective corporate governance and stakeholder engagement in driving long-term value creation and sustainable development in Nigerian enterprises. By embracing best practices and embracing stakeholder-centric approaches, organizations can foster trust, resilience, and prosperity in an increasingly complex and interconnected global landscape.

Cascading defenses: A multifaceted narrative of immune responses in head and neck physiology

This scholarly investigation provides an exhaustive exploration of the intricate landscape governing immune responses within the physiology of the head and neck, with a specific emphasis on the concept of cascading defenses. The introduction underscores the paramount significance of comprehending immune responses within this distinctive anatomical context, illuminating the multifaceted nature of the immune system. The initial section scrupulously examines the primary line of defense, elucidating the pivotal role of physical and chemical barriers, including the skin, mucous membranes, and antimicrobial secretions. Transitioning to the subsequent section, the study delves into the realm of innate immune responses, offering insights into the activation mechanisms of phagocytes, the release of inflammatory mediators, and the functioning of the complement system. The third section provides a closer examination of adaptive immune responses, furnishing detailed insights into the activation processes of B and T cells, as well as the establishment of immunological memory. The intricate interplay between the innate and adaptive immune systems is thoroughly explored in the fifth section, with a particular emphasis on the coordination, communication, and feedback loops characterizing their dynamic relationships. To address the unique challenges posed by the distinctive anatomical features of the head and neck, including the presence of specialized immune structures, the sixth section contributes valuable insights. The article further ventures into the realm of immunopathology in head and neck disorders in the subsequent section, shedding light on potential dysregulation, autoimmune implications, and prospective immunotherapy approaches. Section eight extends its focus to future perspectives and research directions, encompassing emerging technologies, therapeutic interventions, and implications for personalized medicine. In conclusion, this study successfully recapitulates the multifaceted narrative surrounding immune responses in head and neck physiology, underscoring the ongoing significance of research in advancing clinical approaches. The dynamic and interconnected nature of immune defenses in this anatomical context serves as a foundation for future investigations and holds promising applications in the field of clinical medicine.

The resilience of systems‐thinking approaches when faced with an evolving crisis: The case of Mumbai

AbstractMotivationIndia has seen severe economic and social impacts from COVID‐19, with the most vulnerable people having suffered most. Mumbai's response has been multi‐faceted, drawing on numerous actors such as local and state government, but also businesses and citizens. Disaster management is increasingly necessary and Mumbai's policy response during wave two of COVID‐19 provides relevant lessons.PurposeWe explain Mumbai's policy response to wave two of COVID‐19, termed the Mumbai model, applying a systems‐thinking approach.Methods and approachWe adopt a systems‐thinking approach, applying a framework developed in Duvendack and Sonne (2021) to analyse a case study based on secondary data and information on the policy response to COVID‐19 in Mumbai.FindingsThe Mumbai model emerged as a pragmatic policy response. Key actors changed between waves one and two, from a broad set of actors to a narrower set focused on the unfolding healthcare crisis. This resulted in a reconfiguration of networks and partnerships. Decentralized decision‐making further changed the structure of the networks to a hub‐and‐spoke model. Communication and feedback loops shifted from primarily top‐down to two‐way information flows to support decision‐making and resource allocation driven by data. This was enabled by clear leadership and political support.Policy implicationsTo tackle a crisis of this magnitude, having diverse actors collaborating effectively through networks that enable knowledge and information flows is crucial. Governments can use the systems approach for crisis management in large cities which require swift action and efficient flow of information to assess a situation and to prioritize response efforts. Further research is required to better understand how governments can build capacity and policy structures to enable systemic approaches to crisis management in varied contexts.

Pragmatic phase II clinical trial to improve depression care in a real-world diverse MS cohort from an academic MS centre in Northern California: MS CATCH study protocol

IntroductionDepression occurs in over 50% of individuals living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be treated using many modalities. Yet, it remains: under-reported by patients, under-ascertained by clinicians and under-treated....

Production and use of rapid responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec (Canada): perspectives from evidence synthesis producers and decision makers

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has required evidence to be made available more rapidly than usual, in order to meet the needs of decision makers in a timely manner. These exceptional circumstances have caused significant challenges for organizations and teams responsible for evidence synthesis. They had to adapt to provide rapid responses to support decision-making. This study aimed to document (1) the challenges and adaptations made to produce rapid responses during the pandemic, (2) their perceived usefulness, reported use and factors influencing their use and (3) the methodological adaptations made to produce rapid responses.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted in 2021 with eight organizations in the health and social services system in Quebec (Canada), including three institutes with a provincial mandate. Data collection included focus groups (n = 9 groups in 8 organizations with 64 participants), interviews with decision makers (n = 12), and a document analysis of COVID-19 rapid responses (n = 128). A thematic analysis of qualitative data (objectives 1 and 2) and a descriptive analysis of documents (objective 3) were conducted.ResultsThe results highlight the teams and organizations’ agility to deal with the many challenges encountered during the pandemic (e.g., increased their workloads, adoption of new technological tools or work processes, improved collaboration, development of scientific monitoring, adaptation of evidence synthesis methodologies and products). The challenge of balancing rigor and speed was reported by teams and organizations. When available at the right time, rapid responses have been reported as a useful tool for informing or justifying decisions in a context of uncertainty. Several factors that may influence their use were identified (e.g., clearly identify needs, interactions with producers, perceived rigor and credibility, precise and feasible recommendations). Certain trends in the methodological approaches used to speed up the evidence synthesis process were identified.ConclusionsThis study documented rapid responses producers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, and decision makers who requested, consulted, or used these products. Potential areas of improvements are identified such as reinforce coordination, improve communication loops, clarify guidelines or methodological benchmarks, and enhance utility of rapid response products for decision makers.

Synaptic plasticity through a naturalistic lens.

From the myriad of studies on neuronal plasticity, investigating its underlying molecular mechanisms up to its behavioral relevance, a very complex landscape has emerged. Recent efforts have been achieved toward more naturalistic investigations as an attempt to better capture the synaptic plasticity underpinning of learning and memory, which has been fostered by the development of in vivo electrophysiological and imaging tools. In this review, we examine these naturalistic investigations, by devoting a first part to synaptic plasticity rules issued from naturalistic in vivo-like activity patterns. We next give an overview of the novel tools, which enable an increased spatio-temporal specificity for detecting and manipulating plasticity expressed at individual spines up to neuronal circuit level during behavior. Finally, we put particular emphasis on works considering brain-body communication loops and macroscale contributors to synaptic plasticity, such as body internal states and brain energy metabolism.

The Posthuman Body as an EcoGothic Wasteland in Allison Cobb’s After We All Died and Adam Dickinson’s Anatomic

The focus of my inquiry are environmentally inflected metaphors and discourses of toxicity which inform the contemporary North American posthuman lyric. This provisional generic category of the posthuman lyric has been inspired by the recent shift from an anthropocentric understanding of lyric subjectivities to a biocentric perspective which repositions human epistemologies in relation to more-than-human matter. The posthuman angle questions the concept of the sovereign human self, stressing transversal ontologies, open to inter-agential exchanges, diverse biosemiotic processes and communication loops. My primary interest is in poetic representations of the human body as a transversal, toxic, catastrophe- and death-haunted wasteland. The volumes chosen to problematize those processes are Allison Cobb’s After We All Died (2016), an elegiac meditation on the dying human species and anthropogenic change, and Adam Dickinson’s Anatomic (2018), which probes the leaky perimeters of the chemical self using an electronic microscope and burden tests of the poet’s own bodily tissues. The posthumanist angle which informs the analyses is supplemented with an ecoGothic one, as both critical paradigms can be seen as interrogatory discourses which probe human fears and hopes concerning the “edge of the human” and the recognition of non-human agency. Within the ecoGothic framework, nature is seen as “a contested site”—a “space of crisis,” where human and non-human ecologies interact and co-produce meaning. This double lens will be used for the study of posthuman imaginaries and Anthropocene affects employed by Dickinson and Cobb.

Communication Efficient Curvature Aided Primal-Dual Algorithms for Decentralized Optimization

This paper presents a family of algorithms for decentralized convex composite problems. We consider the setting of a network of agents that cooperatively minimize a global objective function composed of a sum of local functions plus a regularizer. Through the use of intermediate consensus variables, we remove the need for inner communication loops between agents when computing curvature-guided updates. A general scheme is presented which unifies the analysis for a plethora of computing choices, including gradient descent, Newton updates, and BFGS updates. Our analysis establishes sublinear convergence rates under convex objective functions with Lipschitz continuous gradients, as well as linear convergence rates when the local functions are further assumed to be strongly convex. Moreover, we explicitly characterize the acceleration due to curvature information. Last but not the least, we present an asynchronous implementation for the proposed algorithms, which removes the need for a central clock, with linear convergence rates established in expectation under strongly convex objectives. We ascertain the effectiveness of the proposed methods with numerical experiments on benchmark datasets.

Improved Finite-Time Disturbance Observer-Based Control of Networked Nonholonomic High-Order Chained-Form Systems

This article investigates the finite-time leader–follower tracking problem for consensus control of nonholonomic MASs with chained-form dynamics under unknown time-varying disturbances. First, a finite-time distributed observer, consisting of the tangent hyperbolic function with an induced high gain effect, is constructed to estimate the leader’s information both quickly and accurately for each follower leading to communication loop avoidance. Besides, to cope with the adverse impact resulting from external disturbances, a finite-time disturbance observer is developed to provide accurate estimations of unknown terms within a finite time. A finite-time backstepping control scheme with a fast convergence rate is then proposed for each follower based on estimated disturbances to track the estimated states of the leader. Regardless of how close or how far away from the equilibrium point the follower states are, this method accelerates the convergence rate. An approximation technique using piecewise functions is also employed to bring the upper estimate of the convergence time closer to its real value. Finally, the efficiency of the presented control protocol is verified by some simulations on a number of connected wheeled mobile robots under external disturbances.

Implementing Agile Data Workflows to Unlock Climate-Resilient Urban Planning

Cities around the world are facing the implications of a changing climate as an increasingly pressing issue. The negative effects of climate change are already being felt today. Therefore, adaptation to these changes is a mission that every city must master. Leading practices worldwide demonstrate various urban efforts on climate change adaptation (CCA) which are already underway. Above all, the integration of climate data, remote sensing, and in situ data is key to a successful and measurable adaptation strategy. Furthermore, these data can act as a timely decision support tool for municipalities to develop an adaptation strategy, decide which actions to prioritize, and gain the necessary buy-in from local policymakers. The implementation of agile data workflows can facilitate the integration of climate data into climate-resilient urban planning. Due to local specificities, (supra)national, regional, and municipal policies and (by) laws, as well as geographic and related climatic differences worldwide, there is no single path to climate-resilient urban planning. Agile data workflows can support interdepartmental collaboration and, therefore, need to be integrated into existing management processes and government structures. Agile management, which has its origins in software development, can be a way to break down traditional management practices, such as static waterfall models and sluggish stage-gate processes, and enable an increased level of flexibility and agility required when urgent. This paper presents the findings of an empirical case study conducted in cooperation with the City of Constance in southern Germany, which is pursuing a transdisciplinary and trans-sectoral co-development approach to make management processes more agile in the context of climate change adaptation. The aim is to present a possible way of integrating climate data into CCA planning by changing the management approach and implementing a toolbox for low-threshold access to climate data. The city administration, in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Constance, the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), and the University of Stuttgart, developed a co-creative and participatory project, CoKLIMAx, with the objective of integrating climate data into administrative processes in the form of a toolbox. One key element of CoKLIMAx is the involvement of the population, the city administration, and political decision-makers through targeted communication and regular feedback loops among all involved departments and stakeholder groups. Based on the results of a survey of 72 administrative staff members and a literature review on agile management in municipalities and city administrations, recommendations on a workflow and communication structure for cross-departmental strategies for resilient urban planning in the City of Constance were developed.

Research on Control Strategy of Constant Power Output in MCRWPT System

During wireless charging, the change of battery resistance will cause the fluctuation of output power, which will shorten the battery life and affect the charging safety. According to the theoretical analysis of WPT, when the load resistance changes, the output power can be stabilized by adjusting the input voltage of the system. Aiming at the variable load MCRWPT system, that is, only the load resistance changes under the resonant state, this paper designs the MCRWPT constant power control system by using the principle of reflective impedance and using the phase-shifting control voltage regulation and builds a simulation model through Matlab/Simulink platform to verify that the output power is kept in a certain range, without additional communication loops, which reduces the volume of electrical equipment and saves costs.