Higher Degree Research Articles

Navigating institutional ethics processes: Insights from higher degree by research students and supervisors doing research in fragile contexts

Although gaining ethical approval is a conventional and established requirement for academic scholarship, institutional approaches remain subject to sustained critique. While not questioning the legitimacy of institutional ethical procedures, the dominance of legal frameworks and a focus on entry to ‘the field’ is inflexible and irresponsive to ethical complexities in practice. This is particularly evident in situations where participants experience ongoing trauma, marginalisation, and social and political precarity, or settings that we refer to in this paper as ‘ fragile contexts’. Responding to such ethical dilemmas, this article draws on Guillemin and Gillam’s (2004) notions of ‘ ethics-in-practice’ and ‘ethically important moments’ to examine how doctoral candidates and their supervisors navigate the compliance requirements of institutional ethics vis-à-vis the requirements of ethics-in-practice. Our findings foreground the need to attend to the linguistic and discursive challenges associated with research in fragile contexts, the temporalities of vulnerability, the management of community expectations, and a humbling of researchers and their institutional research ethics committees to avoid compounding injustices and power imbalances.

Integrated strategy of mass spectrometry imaging and LC/MS-based GNPS for spatial characterization of alkaloids from Menispermi Rhizoma and study on potential anti-inflammatory mechanism by network pharmacology and molecular docking

Menispermi Rhizoma (MR) is the dried rhizome of Menispermum dauricum DC, which has been used to treat sore throat, enteritis, and rheumatic arthralgia. These therapeutic effects are attributed to its alkaloid ingredient. However, the chemical composition, anti-inflammatory mechanisms and the spatiotemporal distribution of the bioactive ingredients in MR have seldom been investigated. This study aims to clarify the anti-inflammation mechanism, material basis, and their spatial distribution of MR. Here, a LC/MS-based Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) strategy was used to rapidly exhibit alkaloid molecular clusters that improve annotation accuracy and discover more unknown compounds. Then, a high-sensitive air flow-assisted ionization mass spectrometry imaging (AFAI-MSI) method was developed to visualize the spatial distributions alkaloids in different botanical parts of MR. The anti-inflammation mechanism was investigated based on network pharmacology and verified by molecular docking experiment. Finally, a total of 106 alkaloids including 24 aporphines, 23 monobenzylisoquinolines, 20 morphinanes, 20 proberberines, 12 bisbenzylisoquinolines, and 7 amides were identified in MR as well as 24 alkaloids were visualized in the medullary ray, cortex and epidermis regions. Moreover, the targets with a higher degree in the PPI network were TNF, GAPDH, AKT1, ALB, STAT3. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that MR in anti-inflammatory mechanism mainly involved plasma membrane, ATP binding, cytoplasm, identical protein binding and ATP binding. The signaling pathways mainly included NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications. The molecular docking results indicated that stepharanine-2-O-glucoside, bianfugedine, bianfugecine, dehydrostephanine had excellent affinity with SRC, MMP9 AKT1, STAT3 and TNF. This study comprehensively characterized the alkaloid ingredients and spatial distribution of MR, and revealed potential mechanism of MR in inflammation, which provides a reference for development and application of MR and other Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs).

Dysphonia Screening in Firefighters and Associated Factors

ObjectiveTo verify the likelihood of dysphonia in firefighters and its relationship with individual and occupational factors and mental health. MethodThis cross-sectional observational study with 442 firefighters collected data on sociodemographic, occupational, and lifestyle aspects and screening for common mental disorders. Individuals were divided into two groups: those slightly likely and those moderately/highly likely to have dysphonia, according to the Brazilian Dysphonia Screening Tool. The questionnaire’s items addressed their sex, age, race, marital status, education, work schedule, administrative or field activity, alcohol consumption, smoking, and common mental disorders. Those who answered "yes" to the question about having a hoarse voice were considered to have dysphonia with an indication for clinical voice assessment. The suspicion of a common mental disorder was measured with the SRQ-20 Self Report Questionnaire. Data were subjected to descriptive and association analysis. Statistical tests were performed assuming a significance level of 5%. ResultsThe moderate/high likelihood of dysphonia was 6.12%. Most firefighters were males (90.31%), aged over 30 (52.47%), multiracial (44.39%), living with a partner (61.39%), and with a bachelor’s or higher degree (42.35%). Individuals self-declared as Black or multiracial had a higher percentage of dysphonia (8.10%). Black and multiracial individuals were approximately 2.5 times more likely to pass the dysphonia screening than Whites and other races. Individuals with symptoms of common mental disorders were also 2.7 times as likely to have dysphonia. ConclusionThe results of the study show that Black and multiracial firefighters and those with symptoms of common mental disorders were moderately/highly likely to have dysphonia. Firefighters with the highest likelihood of having dysphonia are indicated for clinical voice assessment to confirm the diagnosis.

Social networks and gender inequitable attitudes among men and women in rural Nepal

ABSTRACT Gender-inequitable attitudes are known factors associated with women’s experience of intimate partner violence (IPV). The current study aims to identify social network factors associated with gender-inequitable attitudes among men and women in Nepal. Data came from the baseline assessment for evaluating Change Starts at Home- an IPV prevention intervention in rural Nepal (N = 1994). Linear regression models adjusted for participant demographics provided the associations between participants’ gender-inequitable attitude scores (GIAS) and their social network characteristics. Results show that women who nominated their parents (beta = −1.29) or neighbours (beta = −1.18) had better GIAS while those nominating their brother-in-law/sister-in-law (beta = 0.36) had worse GIAS. Men with higher degree (beta = −0.27) and those who nominated their spouse (beta = −0.75) had better GIAS. Women’s GIAS was strongly associated with their alters’ when the alter was within their household, had a closer relationship, or the alter was male. Men’s GIAS was strongly associated with their alters’ attitudes when the alter was not from the same household or if they had a weak tie. Findings indicate that IPV prevention programmes must consider men’s and women’s network characteristics separately. For example, interventions for women should focus on relationships within their households, while interventions for men should focus on relationships outside their households.

A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga on Academic Stress among B.Sc Nursing Students,at Selected Nursing Colleges, Bangalore, Karnataka

Stress is an endemic problem. Its presents in each stage of human life. It may be eustress which motivate the human beings and distress which produce negative effects to the people. Every child spending around four developmental stages in educational institutions that is from toddler period to early adult stage for finishing up of their higher degree courses. Everyone adolescent having their own goals to achieve the higher carrier job. Especially in college level students are getting more stress related to studies because after that, they must enter in job to earn money or huge college fees and parents couldn’t be able to pay the fees or their medium of education they studied in college level. so many causes are producing stress to the college students that leads to low academic performance. Complementary and alternative medicines have been practised thousands of years by many people. Sudarshan kriya is a type of simple breathing technique which reduce stress, anxiety, and improve attention & concentration and mental well-being of people. This study had done for the benefit of students as they will get relax from their academic stress and enhance their academic performance. The major objective of the study is, Assess the Effectiveness of Sudarshan Kriya on Academic Stress among B.Sc nursing 1st year students. The research design is adopted in this study is quasi experimental one group pre-test post-test design. 60 samples were selected by purposive sampling technique and data were collected with the use of Academic Stress Scale. The findings of the study shows that the mean and standard deviation value for pre-test 3.8 &.68 and post-test mean and Standard Deviation is 1.75&.7 and the “t” test value 4.5 which is highly significant at p<0.05. Results: The study conclude that Sudarshan kriya is effective for reduce the academic stress and improve mental relaxation to the students.

Business deserts politics under weak institutions: evidence from Russia, 2003–2010

Abstract Businesspeople are expected to invest in political connections when the institutions are weak. Using an original dataset from Russia in 2003–2010, we document changes in political connections of the richest businesspeople and show that within the institutional environment of a fledgling autocracy political engagement stops paying off, and the businesspeople retreat from politics. The businesspeople’s political disengagement reveals their insider assessment of the quality of Russian political institutions, indicating that as autocracy consolidated in Russia, its political institutional structure was in decay. This finding contributes to our understanding of authoritarian institutions, suggesting that even though autocracies nowadays might be institutionalized to a much higher degree, in the short-run autocracy is still detrimental to institutionalization.

Analysis of Gyimes Csango population samples on a high-resolution genome-wide basis

BackgroundThe Csangos are an East-Central European ethnographic group living mainly in east of Transylvania in Romania. Traditionally, ethnography distinguishes three Csango subpopulations, the Moldavian, Gyimes and Burzenland Csangos. In our previous study we found that the Moldavian Csangos have East Asian/Siberian Turkic ancestry components that might be unique in the East-Central European region and might help to better understand the history of Hungarian speaking ethnic groups of the area. Since then, we obtained further Csango samples from Moldavia and from a distinct region of Gyimes, which two Csango subgroups are traditionally different since they live in a degree of isolation not only from other people but also from each other. Here we present the first genomic analysis of Gyimes Csangos, which intended to compare the genetic makeup of these two Csango subgroups using both allele-frequency and haplotype-based methods. The main goal of the study was to investigate the genetic isolation of the Csangos on a genome-wide SNP basis and to assess the isolation of Gyimes Csangos, which in contrast to the Moldavians was not yet studied.ResultsOur results show that these two Csango groups show slight differences from each other. We confirmed the genetic isolation of Moldavian Csangos and revealed that Gyimes Csangos have a similar, but detectably weaker isolation. In the case of Gyimes Csangos we detected also a stronger East European or presumably Asian derived ancestry.ConclusionThe Gyimes Csangos show a degree of genetic isolation comparable to that of the Moldavians. The Asian ancestry that differentiates the Moldavian Csango people from the other East-Central European populations may be present in the Gyimes Csangos in an even higher degree, since Gyimes Csango individuals show a more significant share from that ancestry component.

Compliance of the Jordanian Population with the Protective Measures during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic; A Nation-Wide Survey

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has spread globally, with over 695 million confirmed cases and 6.9 million deaths as of September 2023. Compliance with protective measures is considered essential to combat the pandemic. Objectives: To assess the adherence of the Jordanian population to preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey specifically focused on the habits and practices of Jordanians during the pandemic, as mentioned in the introductory sentence of the Google Forms questionnaire. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population in Jordan aged 18 and above using an online questionnaire distributed from March to July 2022. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: demographic characteristics and practice-related questions. Data were collected using Google Forms and analyzed using R Statistical Software. Results: Most of the 409 participants were under 30 years old (65.5%), female (70%), and held a college diploma or higher degree (80%). Around 57% had been infected with COVID-19 at least once, while 60% had a relative, friend, or colleague who died due to COVID-19. More than half of the participants (54%) demonstrated favorable practices. The multivariate analysis revealed that a previous COVID-19 infection significantly increased the odds of having favorable practices (OR=2.44; CI[1.59-3.77]; p<0.001). Conclusion: This study evaluated how Jordanians adhered to COVID-19 preventive measures during the pandemic. It was found that roughly half of the population effectively followed precautions such as using masks and hand sanitizers, although adherence to a balanced diet was less frequent. The likelihood of taking precautions increased after having had COVID-19. The study also reported high vaccine acceptance rates. These findings underscore the importance of public adherence to preventive measures, especially in areas like nutrition, and provide insights for future pandemic responses.

Abstract B031: Investigating the associations of self-efficacy and social factors among Hispanics at Risk for Skin Cancer

Abstract Background: Skin cancer ranks as the most prevalent cancer in the United States. Over the past two decades, the incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, among Hispanics has risen by 20%. Melanoma mortality rates are higher in Hispanics than in non-Hispanic whites. Early detection of melanoma via skin self-examination may lead to diagnosis of melanomas at an earlier stage, when they are thinner, less invasive, and more easily treatable, resulting in improved survival rates. Given the gap in research addressing culturally-relevant factors related to skin cancer prevention and detection among Hispanics and informed by the Preventive Health Model, this study tested the associations between social factors and self-efficacy with skin self- examination (SSE) intentions and queried participants about their preferences for skin cancer prevention-related interventions. Methods: Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) was utilized for participant recruitment, and respondents who were at risk for skin cancer (finished a short screening survey) were invited to complete a Qualtrics survey. Upon finishing the Qualtrics survey, participants were given a completion code to obtain an incentive ($3.50) directly from Amazon. The entire study lasted approximately 20–30 minutes. A multivariable regression analysis was performed to explore the associations between descriptive norms, injunctive norms, provider-patient communication, self-efficacy and SSE intentions. PROCESS macro model 4 was used to test the mediation associations. Results: Among the respondents (n = 79), 55.7% were female (n = 44), and 89.9% held a college or higher degree (n = 71). Self-efficacy fully mediated the effects of descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and provider-patient communication on SSE intentions among Hispanics. There was a significant indirect effect of descriptive norms on SSE intentions via its prior effect on self-efficacy (Bindirect = 0.43, SE = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.158, 0.698). Similarly, there was a significant indirect effect of injunctive norms on SSE intentions via its prior effect on self-efficacy (Bindirect = 0.45, SE = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.217, 0.692). Moreover, an indirect effect of provider-patient communication via self-efficacy on SSE intentions was also found (Bindirect = 0.66, SE = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.211, 1.196). On average, respondents demonstrated considerable interest in participating in a skin cancer-related behavioral intervention using a mobile application (75.6%) and/or using WhatsApp (71.8%). Conclusions: These preliminary findings provide new insights for development of future digital skin cancer intervention programs among Hispanics targeting social factors, including social norms and provider-patient communication, and utilizing preferred digital tools. Citation Format: Zhaomeng Niu, Carolyn Heckman. Investigating the associations of self-efficacy and social factors among Hispanics at Risk for Skin Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B031.

Specific persistent symptoms of COVID-19 and associations with reinfection: a community-based survey study in southern China.

Surveillance remains fundamental to understanding the changes in epidemiological patterns regarding post-COVID conditions and reinfections. Persistent symptoms and reinfection in previously infected individuals are increasing being reported in many countries, but their associations among general populations were seldomly reported. Understanding the association with persistent symptoms of COVID-19 reinfection is essential to develop strategies to mitigate the long-term health and socio-economic impacts of the post-COVID conditions. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of COVID-19 persistent symptoms among previously infected Chinese community residents and explore associations of specific COVID-19 persistent symptoms with reinfection and other factors. A community-based survey was conducted in a southern city of China with about 20 million residents from August 3 to 24, 2023. Face-to-face questionnaires were distributed to a total of 1,485 residents to collect their information about COVID-19 infection, reinfection, specific ongoing persistent symptoms, and other COVID-19 related information. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between specific persistent symptoms and reinfection of COVID-19, along with age, gender, and educational level. Of the 1,485 participants, 1,089 (73.3%) reported they had been infected with COVID-19. Among them, 89.1% reported having ongoing persistent symptoms and 14.2% reported had two or more times of infection. About 20% participants were infected 1 year or more since their initial infection. Fatigue, cough, and headaches were the top 3 symptoms being reported. Participants with reinfection were associated with a higher probability of reporting headaches (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.06-2.25), loss of or change in smell and/or taste (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.27-2.83), impaired sleep (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.02-2.35), and brain fog (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12-2.76). Participants aged 45 and above and who had a bachelor's or higher degree were more likely to report chest tightness or shortness of breath, impaired sleep, and brain fog. During the post-emergency period of COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of ongoing persistent symptoms among Chinese residents remains high. Individuals whose initial infection was longer than 1 year have the highest probability of reporting having multiple symptoms. Reinfection may increase the risk of reporting headaches, loss of or change in smell and/or taste, impaired sleep, and brain fog. It is important to maintain routine syndromic surveillance among previously infected people and provide recommendations for clinical management of individuals with multiple ongoing symptoms.

Transglutaminase and protease: How starch granule-associated protein modification affects starch retrogradation

This study investigated the effects of transglutaminase (TG) and protease on starch granule-associated proteins and their impact on starch properties, especially retrogradation. TG incorporated storage protein onto the starch surface, while protease removed starch-granule associated proteins from it. Neither treatment altered the basic structural characteristics of starch such as its crystallinity or thermal properties, but could significantly affect swelling power, amylose leaching, and retrogradation. TG-treated wheat starch (WST) showed reduced swelling power (11.50) and amylose leaching (28.92 mg/g) compared with the control wheat starch (WSC) at 11.95 and 30.53 mg/g, respectively, suggesting a more stable structure. Conversely, protease-treated starch (WSP) exhibited increased swelling power at 12.47 and amylose leaching at 33.17 mg/g, suggesting a disintegration of starch granules. Both WSC and WST showed the same degree of retrogradation at the equilibrium state (a) at 0.06, whereas WSP, with a higher degree at 0.08, promoted retrogradation. The rate constant (k) for WST was lower (1.41 d−1) than that for WSC (2.37 d−1), indicating that TG treatment effectively inhibited retrogradation. These findings illustrated the distinct mechanisms through which TG and protease modify starch properties by acting on starch granule-associated proteins. This also highlighted the potential of TG and protease to control starch modifications for specific applications.

Building a network with assortative mixing starting from preference functions, with application to the spread of epidemics

Compartmental models of disease spread have been well studied on networks built according to the Configuration Model, i.e., where the degree distribution of individual nodes is specified, but where connections are made randomly. Dynamics of spread on such “first order” networks were shown to be profoundly different compared to epidemics under the traditional mass action assumption. Assortativity, i.e., the preferential mixing of nodes according to degree, is a second order property that is thought to impact epidemic trajectory. We first show how assortative mixing can come about from individual preferences to connect with others of lower or higher degree, and propose an algorithm for constructing such a network. We then investigate via simulation how this network structure favors or inhibits diffusion processes, such as the spread of an infectious disease.

Associations of Social Factors and Self-Efficacy with Skin-Self Examination Intentions Among Hispanics at Risk for Skin Cancer and Their Preferences for Digital Interventions.

Skin cancer ranks as the most prevalent cancer in the United States. Over the past two decades, the incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, among Hispanics has risen by 20%. Melanoma mortality rates are higher in Hispanics than in non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). Early detection of melanoma via skin self-examination may lead to diagnosis of melanoma at an earlier stage, when they are thinner, less invasive, and more easily treatable, resulting in improved survival rates. Given the gap in research addressing culturally relevant factors related to skin cancer prevention and detection among Hispanics and informed by the Preventive Health Model, this study tested the associations between social and normative factors and self-efficacy with thorough skin self-examination (TSSE) intentions and queried participants about their preferences for skin cancer-related interventions. Among respondents (n = 79), 55.7% were female (n = 44), and 89.9% held a college or higher degree (n = 71). Self-efficacy fully mediated the effects of descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and provider-patient communication on TSSE intentions among Hispanics. On average, respondents demonstrated considerable interest in participating in a skin cancer-related behavioral intervention using a mobile application (75.6%) and/or using WhatsApp (71.8%). These preliminary findings provide new insights for development of future digital skin cancer intervention programs among Hispanics targeting social factors, including social norms and provider-patient communication, and utilizing preferred digital tools.

Potassium persulfate enhances humification of chicken manure and straw composting: The perspective of rare and abundant microbial community structure and ecological interactions

Improper disposal of organic solid waste results in serious environmental pollution. Aerobic composting provides an environmentally friendly treatment method, but improving humification of raw materials remains a challenge. This study revealed the effect of different concentrations of potassium persulfate (PP) on humification of chicken manure and straw aerobic composting and the underlying microbial mechanisms. The results showed that when 0.6 % PP was added (PPH group), humus and the degree of polymerization were 80.77 mg/g and 2.52, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in 0.3 % PP (PPL group). As the concentration of PP was increased, the composition of rare taxa (RT) changed and improved in evenness, while abundant taxa (AT) was unaffected. Additionally, the density (0.037), edges (3278), and average degree (15.21) in the co-occurrence network decreased compared to PPL, while the average path (4.021) and modularity increased in PPH. This resulted in facilitating the turnover of matter, information, and energy among the microbes. Interestingly, cooperative behavior between microorganisms during the maturation period (24–60 d) occurred in PPH, but competitive relationships dominated in PPL. Cooperative behavior was positively correlated with humus (p < 0.05). Because the indices, such as higher degree, betweenness centrality, eigenvector centrality, and closeness centrality of the AT, were located in the microbial network center compared to RT, they were unaffected by the concentration of PP. The abundance of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolic pathways, which play an important role in humification, were higher in PPH. These findings contribute to understanding the relative importance of composition, interactions, and metabolic functionality of RT and AT on humification during chicken manure and straw aerobic composting under different concentrations of PP, as well as provide a basic reference for use of various conditioning agents to promote humification of organic solid waste.

The impact of tobacco consumption on the individual and population risk of non-communicable diseases in the Russian Federation

The aim of the study was to assess the individual and population risks of 20 non-communicable diseases (NCD) among the adult population of the Russian Federation.Materials and methods. The study used a database of Selective monitoring of the health status of the population conducted by Rosstat in 2023. To estimate the association of tobacco consumption with NCD, two groups were analyzed: current tobacco users and people who have never used tobacco. The prevalence of tobacco use and nicotine dependence were calculated. The relationship between tobacco consumption and development of disease was assessed using individual relative risk (RR), as well as age-adjusted RR (RRv) and nicotine dependence-adjusted RR (RRn). The impact of tobacco consumption on public health was assessed using population attributive risk.Results. The prevalence of tobacco/nicotine consumption in 2023 was 21.3% among the adults, 35.0% among men and 10.2% among women. Nicotine dependence of moderate and higher degree was detected in 16.7% of the total adult population, 28.9% of men and 6.9% of women. When assessing RRv, tobacco was identified as a risk factor for only five diseases. RRn assessment revealed 13 diseases for which tobacco was a risk factor with a dose-dependent effect. For most of these diseases, RR in women was higher than in men.Conclusion. Tobacco is a strong risk factor for the most of NCD. In the population in 2013, at least 3–11% of additional cases of NCD was associated with tobacco that could be prevented by tackle of the tobacco consumption.

Pilot Testing on The Level of Knowledge and Perception of Green Practices in Livestock Sector Among Local Consumers

The livestock sector is vital to the global food chain. The demand for livestock products increases proportionally with the global population. Rearing livestock animals comes with inevitable environmental impacts. Adopting green practices in the livestock production chain may help lessen the impact. This pilot study aims to identify local consumers' level of knowledge and perception of adopting green practices in the livestock sector. A questionnaire consisting of three sections (Demography, Knowledge, Perception) was developed. Thirty-two respondents who are the primary decision-makers for household grocery shopping participated in the study. The respondents comprise 50.00% private sector employees, 28.13% government servants, and the rest are unemployed. The education level of the respondents is 40.63% with a diploma or equivalent, 34.38% with a higher degree, while the rest completed either secondary or primary education. The majority of the respondents (75.00%) chose price as the main criteria they considered when buying livestock products, followed by quality (68.75%), origin (46.88%), certification (31.25%), and only 12.55% included environmental impacts in their decision making. An average of 73.61% of the respondents have general knowledge of the green practices in the livestock sector. About 78.65% of the respondents positively perceive the idea of adopting green practices in the livestock sector. The correlation between education level and the respondents' knowledge and perception of green practices in the livestock sector was also evaluated. Overall, the study revealed a strong positive correlation between education level and green practices knowledge and education level with positive perception towards adopting green practices in the livestock sector. Based on the data collected, it is recommended that the study be conducted with a larger population to give a more accurate representation of the livestock consumer in Malaysia.

Horn, Hoof and Hound’s Tooth in Medieval Frisian and Danish Law

Abstract The medieval Frisian Twenty-four Land-laws and the Danish Law of Scania share an eye-catching phrasing in their provisions on animal liability: they refer to a number of animals’ injurious body parts, e.g., a dog’s tooth. Similar formulas have been identified in the Decretum Gratiani and the Edictum Rothari, but the author’s analysis shows that the Frisian and Danish formulas and the legal rules in which they are embedded correspond to a much higher degree than with any other legal source.

Modal shift, environmental benefits and population exposure assessment on contingent transport policies

Transport policies targeting emission reduction and air quality improvement typically discourage private car use and promote shifts to mass transit (bus, metro). However, possible increase of travelers’ exposure while adapting to those policies have often been overlooked, which is addressed in this work via a case study of Heavy Pollution Episodes (HPEs) in Chengdu, China, using city-scale traffic camera and transit ridership data. By investigating traffic fluctuation and modal shift under prolonged license plate rationing for private cars and free or discounted fare for mass transit, we show that the reduction of small car traffic was marginal (up to 2.3 % in 24-hour periods), which, environmental benefits wise, is negligible according to air quality modelling. Meanwhile, over 3.23 % of car users switched to mass transit during Orange-level alerts, with a higher degree (by 19 %–39 %) of exposure to PM2.5. Our findings highlight the importance of exposure-centric decision making during HPEs.

Robustness analysis of interdependent network accounting for failure probability and coupling patterns.

The robustness of interdependent networks against perturbations is an important problem for network design and operation. This paper focuses on establishing a cascading failure dynamics model and analyzing the robustness for interdependent networks, in which the states of the nodes follow certain failure probability and various connectivity patterns. First, to describe the removal mechanism of an overloaded node, the failure probability associated with the load distribution of components was proposed. Then, we present the node capacity cost and the average capacity cost of the network to investigate the propagation of cascading failures. Finally, to discuss the impact of the configuration parameters on robustness, some numerical examples are conducted, where the robustness was analyzed based on the proposed method and different interdependence types. Our results show that, the larger the overload parameter, the more robust the network is, but this also increases the network cost. Furthermore, we find that allocating more protection resources to the nodes with higher degree can enhance the robustness of the interdependent network. The robustness of multiple-to-multiple interdependent networks outperforms that of one-to-one interdependent networks under the same coupling pattern. In addition, our results unveil that the impact of coupling strategies on the robustness of multiple-to-multiple interdependent networks is smaller than that of one-to-one interdependent networks.

Doctoral induction: Sociocultural context and the transition to the research degree

ABSTRACT Commencing study for a PhD or other higher degree by research (HDR) constitutes a significant educational transition. To date, little research has been undertaken on the orientation or induction experiences of commencing HDR candidates and there is little guidance for HE providers of induction. This paper reflects upon understandings of student transition within the HE literature highlighting the role played by the sociocultural context surrounding research in shaping commencing candidates’ expectations. The paper argues that candidate expectations at the point of transition into the research degree reflect prevailing sociocultural norms about what it means to be a doctoral student. We also share a pedagogical strategy that can be used at induction events to reveal and to engage candidates in an exploration of the underlying experiential templates they bring to their upcoming degree experience.