Limited Space Research Articles

Facilitators and barriers to adopting or expanding medications for opioid use disorder provision in rural Colorado jails: a qualitative analysis

BackgroundOpioid use disorder (OUD) is common among individuals who are incarcerated. However, OUD treatment services are sparse in smaller county jails found in many rural areas, which limits a healthy and supportive jail environment. This study assesses the facilitators of and barriers to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) adoption or expansion in rural Colorado jails. A qualitative descriptive design was implemented during the summer of 2022 using semi-structured interviews with jail staff, sheriffs, and contracted personnel. Interview questions focused on facilitators of existing MOUD services and barriers to adopting or expanding services. To identify the facilitators and barriers, data were coded using thematic analysis.ResultsSeven jails were included in the study. Representatives from each jail participated in the seven interviews, which often included multiple participants per interview. Three of the jails had established routine practices for MOUD administration. Two jails occasionally administered MOUD or had plans in place to be able to administer, while the remaining two did not offer any MOUD. While administrative support, collaborative partnerships, and jail nurses facilitated MOUD use, barriers were more prevalent, including physical space limitations, distance to services, lack of providers in the area, staffing and training issues, funding/budget issues, and perceived risk of diversion.ConclusionMaking MOUD available to people who are incarcerated is an important and timely step in enhancing the jail environment, especially in rural areas that often lack access to MOUD. As states look to require MOUD availability for people who are incarcerated, facilitators to MOUD adoption/expansion can be leveraged while strategies are needed to overcome barriers.

Management and Construction of University Books and Materials Under the Background of the Internet

The rapid development and popularization of Internet technology has provided important support for the informatization reform of various industries. University books and materials have the characteristics of large quantities and difficult storage and management. Its digital storage and management platform construction can effectively realize the digital storage and real-time retrieval of books and materials, and help students and teachers to find and use books and materials more quickly. Especially in recent years, with the update of intelligent platforms and other technologies, the resource-sharing platform of university books and materials can realize more convenient book information retrieval without the limitation of time and space. This paper mainly explores the optimization path and platform construction scheme of university libraries and information management under the background of the Internet, hoping to provide some theoretical references for university library managers.

Making goals count: A theory-informed approach to on-shift learning goals.

Supervisors often ask emergency medicine trainees for their learning goals at the start of a clinical shift, though they may do so without considering the reasons for this practice. Recognizing the underlying rationale for voicing on-shift learning goals and proactively considering solutions for some of the associated challenges can help learners and supervisors employ this practice to its full potential. Goal articulation is rooted in educational principles such as self-regulated learning, targeted performance feedback, and collaborative relationships between learner and supervisor. Despite the potential for on-shift learning goals to augment learning, there are numerous barriers that make it challenging for learners and supervisors alike to create or follow up on meaningful goals. Learner-related challenges include uncertainty about how to develop goals within an unpredictable clinical environment and creating goals too narrow or broad in scope. Supervisor-related challenges include difficulties integrating direct observation into the clinical workflow and a desire to avoid negative feedback. The learning environment also presents inherent challenges, such as lack of longitudinal supervisor-learner relationships, time constraints, space limitations, and incentives for learners to conceal their knowledge gaps. The authors discuss these challenges to effective on-shift learning goals and propose solutions that target the learner's approach, the supervisor's approach, and the learning environment itself.

Life space limitations in visually impaired older adults.

Future work should develop and evaluate interventional strategies to help overcome visual and health-related barriers to travel in visually impaired seniors and mitigate adverse impacts of loneliness for those who do not leave town. Life space refers to the area in which a person travels within a given time period. We explored whether demographics, vision, and/or health characteristics were related to restrictions in self-reported life space for visually impaired seniors. Visually impaired (n = 114) clinical trial participants aged ≥55 years learned visual assistive iPhone apps and completed the following baseline questionnaires: Life Space, 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, and New-General Self-efficacy Scale. Multiple logistic regressions evaluated associations between life space and patient factors after accounting for their distance to the next county or state. During 2021 to 2023, 17%, 43%, and 70% of participants had not left their town, county, or state, respectively, in the past 3 months, or planned to in the next 3 months. Those with reduced distance best-corrected visual acuity had greater odds of not leaving the county in these time frames (odds ratio [OR] = 3.5; p=0.04). Minority race was associated with greater odds of not leaving town or the county in the past 2 weeks or future 3 months (OR = 4.3 to 6.4; p=0.009 to 0.049). Increased self-efficacy was associated with reduced odds of not leaving the state in the past 3 months, next 3 months, or past and/or future 3 months (OR = 0.54 to 0.55; p=0.02 to 0.03). Better physical function was associated with reduced odds of not leaving the state in the past 2 weeks or 3 months (OR = 0.96 to 0.98; p=0.01 to 0.04). Increased loneliness was related to greater odds of not leaving town in the past and/or future 3 months (OR = 1.8 to 2.0; p=0.007 to 0.009). Minority race, reduced vision, self-efficacy, and physical health were related to life space restrictions in this cohort of visually impaired seniors, whereas loneliness was greater among those who were not leaving town.

Evolutionary reinforcement learning with action sequence search for imperfect information games

Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has achieved remarkable success in perfect information games. However, when applied to imperfect information games like Contract Bridge, DRL faces challenges not only from unobservable partial information but also from the lack of efficient exploration. Although several Evolutionary Reinforcement Learning algorithms (ERLs) have harnessed Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) to enhance exploration capabilities, the practical performance of EAs is limited either by the high-dimensional parameter space or possibly inaccurate guidance from value networks. In this paper, we introduce a novel ERL algorithm that employs the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to search for superior action sequences, thereby aiding agents in exploring uncharted territory. We conduct the search in action space and evaluate action sequences through interactions with the environment to avoid the limitations of parameter space and value networks, respectively. The diverse experiences collected in the search and evaluation can boost the learning of the DRL agent. In addition, the action sequence search is executed only when the agent converges to local optima, which can reduce the overall cost of action evaluation and avoid influencing the optimization process of DRL. Through experimental comparisons conducted on Contract Bridge, our method demonstrates superior performance when compared with several state-of-the-art DRL and ERL algorithms. Furthermore, we utilize our method in the Bridge Competition of AAMAS 2023 Imperfect Information Card Games Competition and rank the first.

Random hyperbolic graphs in d+1 dimensions.

We consider random hyperbolic graphs in hyperbolic spaces of any dimension d+1≥2. We present a rescaling of model parameters that casts the random hyperbolic graph model of any dimension to a unified mathematical framework, leaving the degree distribution invariant with respect to the dimension. Unlike the degree distribution, clustering does depend on the dimension, decreasing to 0 at d→∞. We analyze all of the other limiting regimes of the model, and we release a software package that generates random hyperbolic graphs and their limits in hyperbolic spaces of any dimension.

Classic Performing Arts Supply Chain Modeling in Covid 19 Protocol to Support D.I Yogyakarta Cultural Tourism Using Soft System Methodology

The performing arts are a unique and complex industry. To enjoy performing arts products, a customer must come to the rooms where the performance takes place. Performance products can be categorized as service products that do not have a physical form. Every performing arts performance always involves many works of art with a high level of coordination. The flow of materials and information (supply chain) moves very quickly within the limitations of space and time. Because the success of performing arts is influenced by many factors and actors, a performing arts manager must be able to manage the performing arts supply chain well.The Corona Virus Disease 19 (Covid-19) pandemic which has hit almost all corners of the world has formed new patterns of human behavior in working and interacting. Likewise, organizing and enjoying performing arts will look different compared to before the Covid-19 outbreak. The implementation of health protocols is needed to minimize the spread of the virus which has infected more than 13.2 billion people throughout the world.The performing arts supply chain policy model in the Covid-19 protocol to support cultural tourism in D.I Yogyakarta can be implemented by following the Joint Decree Guidelines of the Minister of Education and the Minister of Tourism and Economy dated 02 July 2020. Each actor must pay attention to the technical guidelines for preventing and controlling corona virus disease 2019. Each actor guarantees the hygiene of their respective performing arts equipment. Each actor maintains the form and duration of physical contact and pays attention to health protocols in activities throughout the performing arts supply chain. The performing arts model during the pandemic is realized in regulations that are in accordance with the technical guidelines for preventing and controlling the 2019 corona virus disease.

Exploration and Research on Online and Offline Blended Teaching Mode of Practical Class Courses

With the rapid development of information technology and the popularity of the network environment, the education and teaching mode is undergoing a profound change. The traditional teaching mode of practical courses has time and space limitations, which cannot meet students' personalized learning needs and the requirements of teaching quality improvement. Therefore, exploring a blended teaching mode that integrates online and offline teaching resources has become one of the important issues in the current education and teaching reform. In this context, the online-offline blended teaching mode of practical courses makes use of the advantages of online and offline teaching resources to provide a more flexible and diversified teaching method for the teaching of practical courses. The purpose of this paper is to analyze its theoretical basis and teaching principles and to discuss the design and implementation of online blended teaching mode for practical courses, to provide new ideas and methods for education and teaching reform and innovation.

Performance and Navigation Behavior of using Teleportation in VR First-Person Shooter Games

Teleportation has been adopted as the preferred mode of navigation in many virtual reality (VR) experiences due to its ability to allow users to easily move beyond the limitations of the tracking space while minimizing the risk of inducing VR sickness. Teleportation instantly translates the user’s viewpoint to a user-selected destination and therefore eliminates any optical flow generation that could cause visual-vestibular conflict. Though teleportation is a discrete navigation method unique to the domain of VR, most VR experiences are modeled after 3D experiences found on desktop/console platforms that use continuous locomotion. How the use of teleportation affects the performance and navigation behavior of its users, especially in competitive first-person shooter environments is unknown, yet it could have a significant effect on gameplay design. We conducted a user study (n=21) that compares teleportation versus continuous locomotion using a VR first-person shooter game with other players being simulated using AI agents. We found significant differences in performance, navigation behavior, and how both locomotion methods are perceived by its users. Specifically, using teleportation, players traveled farther, but during combat were found to be more stationary and as a result got hit more frequently. These differences were profound and carry the potential to impact multiplayer games. We discuss possible strategies to balance gameplay.

Analysis and Enlightenment on the Relationships between Two Kinds of Cutter Life Evaluation Indexes and Installation Radius: A Case Study

Accurate evaluation of cutter life at different cutter positions on the cutter head is helpful to determine the time of cutter change and reduce the time of cutter wear measurement, which is of great significance to improve the tunneling efficiency of tunnel boring machine (TBM) projects. Unfortunately, there is no unified cutter life evaluation index now. The field data of cutter wear are collected from a section of a long TBM tunneling water conveyance tunnel in China. Two kinds of cutter life evaluation indexes (based on the radial wear extent of cutter rings and replacement number of cutter rings) are selected and the variation rule between these two kinds of indexes with cutter installation radius is statistically analyzed. The results show that the regression relationships between the two kinds of cutter life evaluation indexes and installation radius mainly present linear functions and quadratic functions. Those regression relationships are affected by factors such as wear type, installation angle, cutter spacing, influence width, and allowable limit wear extent of cutter rings. Considering the calculation accuracy of the evaluation index, the actual working conditions of the disc cutter, and ignoring the influence of tunnel diameter, it is recommended to preferentially choose the radial wear extent of cutter rings per unit rolling distance as the evaluation index of cutter life. The research results can provide a reference for the selection of cutter life evaluation index, prediction of disc cutter life at different cutter positions, and establishment of cutter life prediction mode.

Tools of Mobile Marketing of Today’s Business-Structures

The development of information technologies and use of mobile devices that help establish direct contacts at a distance became an integral part of people life and tools of conducting today’s business. These factors promote the development of mobile marketing, a new and promising trend of work, which is characterized by interactive contact with target audience beyond space limits. There are a lot of investigations and publications dealing with different aspects of mobile marketing, however the problem of tools of mobile marketing stirs high interest of academic community. The goal of the article is to research the role of technology and tools of mobile marketing in shaping key metrics of estimating efficiency of its elements. The author studied the totality of mobile marketing elements, characterized voice services of support, SMS, MMS, e-mail promotion, mobile applications, described stages of developing mobile applications, showed variants of mobile adverts in advertising and social networks, identified the role of mobile marketing in elaborating strategy of customer moving along the marketing funnel, until the target step interesting for the company is made, analyzed practice of using mobile marketing in restaurant business, found key competitive advantages, which are obtained by the organization by introducing events of mobile marketing, described groups of metrics for estimating mobile traffic in efficiency of mobile marketing elements in the enterprise functioning (cost, conversion nature of adverts, investment return, customer activity and involvement). Academic findings and conclusions of the research can be useful both for management of Russian companies in elaborating strategy of reaching competitive advantage on market and representatives of other professional communities interested in using tools of mobile marketing. Research methods combined comparative and systematic analysis, qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Sequential Monte Carlo with Adaptive Lookahead Support for Improved Importance Sampling

The sequential Monte Carlo, also called the Bayesian particle filter, approximates a posterior probability density function of a latent target state from noisy sensor measurements using a set of Monte Carlo samples. These samples are predicted using an importance density function and then updated using the Bayes’s rule. The updated samples and their corresponding weights provide an estimate of the latent state. The said filtering process is iterated over time for tracking dynamic target states. It is critical to have enough particles in regions of the target state space that contribute to the posterior. The auxiliary and the improved auxiliary particle filters accomplish this by a process that mimics drawing from an importance density that leverages the incoming observation into the sampling step. However these filters are known to fail when the sensor measurements are highly informative and the diffusion over the state transition is large. This paper presents an improvement to the auxiliary particle filter by taking two support points that act as limits in a univariate state space within which particles are samples. The choice of the limits is adaptive. The proposed method is successfully tested using a nonlinear model using simulations.

A mathematical model and solution algorithms for optimising system-level configurations of reconfigurable single part flow lines

This study addresses a system-level configuration selection problem for reconfigurable single part flow lines (R-SPFLs) with parallel identical flexible machines at each stage. The problem is to determine the number of stages, the number of machines of a certain type at each stage and the assignment of operations to each stage in order to satisfy the demand of a part type. Precedence relations among the operations and space limitations are also considered. For the objective of minimising the sum of machine purchase and operation processing costs, a nonlinear integer programming model is developed that gives the optimal solutions. Then, due to the problem's complexity, a basic variable neighbourhood search algorithm is proposed that constructs an initial solution using a greedy-type heuristic and improves it using a shaking and a local search improvement methods. Moreover, the basic algorithm is extended to a general one that uses a variable neighbourhood descent method. Computational results show that the two algorithms outperform the previous one significantly in both solution quality and computation times, and the general algorithm improves the basic one significantly. Finally, the applicability of the variable neighbourhood search algorithms is shown by reporting a brief case study.

Virtual instrumentation-based data collection and analysis for CNC machining process

Using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tools in manufacturing is crucial for exact processing materials. The quality of the machined product heavily relies on the machine's condition. Therefore, monitoring and assessing the machine's status is essential to ensure product quality and enhance its lifespan. However, due to cost, space, and technical limitations, only a few physical variables, such as acceleration, force, displacement, acoustic radiation, temperature, and flow conditions, can be measured. Efficient transfer and extraction of these data are critical for monitoring machine status using statistical methods or valuable signatures. Traditional measurement instruments are complex and numerous, whereas measurement and analysis systems based on virtual instrumentation technology collect necessary data from sensors and data acquisition cards, meeting the needs of test analysis. Virtual instrumentation utilizes computer hardware resources, modularization hardware, and software systems for data analysis, communication, and operation interface, providing greater versatility, flexibility, compatibility, and repeatability. Previous research has shown successful attempts at developing LabVIEW-based systems for monitoring CNC milling machines and analyzing cutting parameters and forces. This project aims to collect and process data from the CNC machining process. The main objectives include writing a LabVIEW software program, recording data from CNC machine programs using the provided hardware (myRIO) and LabVIEW program, processing the data using MATLAB software, and analyzing and discussing the obtained results. The report consists of four parts, starting with an introduction to the project's background and literature review, followed by a description of the project steps, methods, experiments, and data processing. The processed data graphs will be presented and discussed, and recommendations for future research will be provided before concluding with a study summary.

A Blockchain-Based Privacy Preserving Intellectual Property Authentication Method

With the continuous advancement of information technology, a growing number of works, including articles, paintings, and music, are being digitized. Digital content can be swiftly shared and disseminated via the Internet. However, it is also vulnerable to malicious plagiarism, which can seriously infringe upon the rights of creators and dampen their enthusiasm. To protect creators’ rights and interests, a sophisticated method is necessary to authenticate digital intellectual property rights. Traditional authentication methods rely on centralized, trustworthy organizations that are susceptible to single points of failure. Additionally, these methods are prone to network attacks that can lead to data loss, tampering, or leakage. Moreover, the circulation of copyright information often lacks transparency and traceability in traditional systems, which leads to information asymmetry and prevents creators from controlling the use and protection of their personal information during the authentication process. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized, tamper-proof, and traceable attributes, addresses these issues perfectly. In blockchain technology, each node is a peer, ensuring the symmetry of information. However, the transparent feature of blockchains can lead to the leakage of user privacy data. Therefore, this study designs and implements an Ethereum blockchain-based intellectual property authentication scheme with privacy protection. Firstly, we propose a method that combines elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) encryption with digital signatures to achieve selective encryption of user personal information. Subsequently, an authentication algorithm based on Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) is adopted to complete the authentication of intellectual property ownership while encrypting personal privacy data. Finally, we adopt the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to store large files, solving the problem of blockchain storage space limitations.

Carroll strings with an extended symmetry algebra

Starting from the Polyakov action we consider two distinct Carroll limits in target space, keeping the string worldsheet relativistic. The resulting magnetic and chiral Carroll string models exhibit different symmetries and dynamics. Both models have an infinite dimensional symmetry algebra with Carroll symmetry included in a finite dimensional subalgebra. For the magnetic model, this is the so-called string Carroll algebra. The chiral model realises an extended version of the string Carroll algebra. The magnetic model does not have any transverse string excitations. The chiral model is less restrictive and includes arbitrary left-moving modes that carry transverse momentum but do not contribute to the energy in target space.

Integral Models of Moduli Spaces of Shtukas with Deep Bruhat-Tits Level Structures

Abstract We construct integral models for moduli spaces of shtukas with deeper Bruhat-Tits level structures. We embed the moduli space of global shtukas for a deeper Bruhat-Tits group scheme into the limit of the moduli spaces of shtukas for all associated parahoric group schemes. Its schematic image defines an integral model of the moduli space of shtukas with deeper Bruhat-Tits level with favourable properties. They admit proper, surjective and generically étale level maps as well as a natural Newton stratification. In the Drinfeld case, this general construction of integral models recovers the moduli space of Drinfeld shtukas with Drinfeld level structures.

The classical double copy in curved spacetimes: perturbative Yang-Mills from the bi-adjoint scalar

We formulate a version of the double copy for classical fields in curved spacetimes. We provide a correspondence between perturbative solutions to the bi-adjoint scalar equations and those of the Yang-Mills equations in position space. At the linear level, we show that there exists a map between these solutions for maximally symmetric spacetime backgrounds, that provides every Yang-Mills solution by the action of an appropriate differential operator on a bi-adjoint scalar solution. Given the existence of a linearized map, we show that it is possible to cast the solutions of the Yang-Mills equations at arbitrary perturbation order in terms of the corresponding bi-adjoint scalar solutions. This all-order map is reminiscent of the flat space BCJ double copy, and works for any curved spacetime where the perturbative expansion holds. We show that these results have the right flat space limit, and that the correspondence is agnostic to the choice of gauge.

The Hippo signalling pathway in bone homeostasis: Under the regulation of mechanics and aging.

The Hippo signalling pathway is a conserved kinase cascade that orchestrates diverse cellular processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, lineage commitment and stemness. With the onset of society ages, research on skeletal aging-mechanics-bone homeostasis has exploded. In recent years, aging and mechanical force in the skeletal system have gained groundbreaking research progress. Under the regulation of mechanics and aging, the Hippo signalling pathway has a crucial role in the development and homeostasis of bone. We synthesize the current knowledge on the role of the Hippo signalling pathway, particularly its downstream effectors yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), in bone homeostasis. We discuss the regulation of the lineage specification and function of different skeletal cell types by the Hippo signalling pathway. The interactions of the Hippo signalling pathway with other pathways, such as Wnt, transforming growth factor beta and nuclear factor kappa-B, are also mentioned because of their importance for modulating bone homeostasis. Furthermore, YAP/TAZ have been extensively studied as mechanotransducers. Due to space limitations, we focus on reviewing how mechanical forces and aging influence cell fate, communications and homeostasis through a dysregulated Hippo signalling pathway.

BiRD: Using Bidirectional Rotation Gain Differences to Redirect Users during Back-and-forth Head Turns in Walking.

Redirected walking (RDW) facilitates user navigation within expansive virtual spaces despite the constraints of limited physical spaces. It employs discrepancies between human visual-proprioceptive sensations, known as gains, to enable the remapping of virtual and physical environments. In this paper, we explore how to apply rotation gain while the user is walking. We propose to apply a rotation gain to let the user rotate by a different angle when reciprocating from a previous head rotation, to achieve the aim of steering the user to a desired direction. To apply the gains imperceptibly based on such a Bidirectional Rotation gain Difference (BiRD), we conduct both measurement and verification experiments on the detection thresholds of the rotation gain for reciprocating head rotations during walking. Unlike previous rotation gains which are measured when users are turning around in place (standing or sitting), BiRD is measured during users' walking. Our study offers a critical assessment of the acceptable range of rotational mapping differences for different rotational orientations across the user's walking experience, contributing to an effective tool for redirecting users in virtual environments.