Limited Attention Research Articles

‘Green icing on the Gray Cake?’ Green infrastructure in federal enforcement action

ABSTRACT A growing number of local governments are adopting Green Infrastructure (GI) as a strategy for urban stormwater management. In the United States, GI has gained particular momentum through federal initiatives. Previous studies have identified regulatory factors playing a pivotal role in the adoption of GI at the local level. However, the integration of GI with federal enforcement actions has received limited research attention. This study examines the first generation of federal consent decrees with GI provisions to provide insights into federal GI policy and local GI planning. The findings reveal inconsistency in GI requirements, with some cases merely encouraging GI adoption, while others mandating a more specific approach to planning and implementation. Drawing on existing GI scholarship, the results of this study suggest the establishment of universal requirements, such as piloting projects, defining success criteria, and incorporating equity considerations into local GI planning.

Theoretical knowledge enhanced genetic algorithm for mine ventilation system optimization considering main fan adjustment

Mining safety heavily depends on ventilation, which constitutes a significant portion of the energy costs in operations. Optimizing mine ventilation systems (MVSO) is crucial for minimizing this energy expenditure. However, current algorithms encounter challenges when applied to large-scale mines, primarily due to the complexity of variables and limited attention to optimizing main fans. This study introduces a theoretical knowledge enhanced genetic algorithm for MVSO, incorporating main fan adjustments. The algorithm models changes in the main fan’s operational status and integrates ventilation network equivalent simplification (VNES) and the minimum spanning tree (MST) to reduce the number of variables in the mine ventilation network. Additionally, leveraging mine ventilation sensitivity theory (MVST) enhances the quality of the initial algorithmic population. A simple case and two engineering cases collectively validated that the algorithm consistently provides effective and reliable optimization solutions for mine ventilation systems across varying scales. Specifically, the algorithm reduced energy consumption from 326.94 to 186.99 kW, 433.14 to 239.48 kW, and 520.53 to 324.90 kW across three different scales of mine ventilation systems. Comparative analysis with four other algorithms shows that, although this algorithm has a longer runtime due to the need to identify the minimum spanning tree during iterations, its ability to reduce problem dimensionality and improve population quality results in more stable and superior convergence performance, especially for large-scale mine ventilation systems.Graphical abstract

Impact of Acid Rain on Release Characteristics of Heavy Metals in Low-Sulfur Tailings with Strong Acid Neutralization Capacity: A Case Study from Northern Guangxi, China

Tailing ponds are major sources of heavy metal pollution. Previous studies primarily focused on tailings with high sulfur content, with limited attention to low-sulfur tailings. This study explored the release behavior of Pb, Zn, and Cd from low-sulfur tailings under simulated acid rain conditions, considering factors such as pH, particle size, and weathering degree. Samples were collected from a lead–zinc tailing pond in the karst regions of northern Guangxi, China. Batch leaching experiments indicated that even with high acid neutralization capacity (ANC = 166.57–167.45 kg H2SO4/t), substantial heavy metal leaching occurred under acidic conditions (pH 2–3), with Pb, Zn, and Cd concentrations increasing 4–6 times compared to neutral conditions. Leachate concentrations were slightly higher in coarser particles than in finer ones, while weathering further enhanced metal release, particularly for Cd. These findings suggest that acid neutralization alone may not be sufficient to prevent heavy metal leaching in low-sulfur tailings exposed to acid rain. However, due to the laboratory scale of this study, further validation through field-scale or mesocosm experiments is necessary to confirm the observed trends and assess their implications for environmental risk management in karst regions.

The Role of Labour Law in Enabling Mechanisms for Mitigating Military Conflicts. A Legal Model of Peace

The world is perpetually shaken by various forms of military conflicts, and these occurrences have consistently captured the attention of the International Labour Organization (ILO) due to their profound impact on far-reaching consequences on an international labour market. Our study aims to address potential strategies for mitigating risks arising from military conflicts. We firmly believe that labour law should be highly flexible and centered on neutralizing the ramifications of conflicts for states and citizens. Our research question guides the examination of labour law, using the ILO and Swiss labour law as cases, considering the location and scale of the military conflict. Existing literature on the development of the ILO’s legal and regulatory framework predominantly focuses on events, with limited attention given to analyzing the connections between them and lessons for the present. It is crucial to explore these connections to prevent the repetition of negative historical patterns and the compounding of problems. We express deep concern regarding the impact of military zones on the world of work. There is an imperative need for heightened attention to labour law response mechanisms. We strongly claim certain spheres of work must remain neutral concerning military conflicts. Labour law has long been engaged in formulating specific rules of conduct for employers and employees during the outbreak of armed conflicts. We contend labour law norms can serve as a means of promoting peace. In this regard, digital tools like the «Digitale Peer-Gruppen-Beratung» can prove instrumental in implementing pre-agreements among nations, employers, trade unions, and workers. By expanding functions from consultative to providing relocation of groups of workers due to the unscrupulous foreign policies of their countries we would contribute to a more peaceful world. This should be based on having pre-established agreements between nations regarding the fair and equitable distribution or temporary deployment of labour resources, particularly those crucial to the military and related industries of the conflicting parties. The concept of a strike merits consideration as a democratic tool, wherein workers relocate centralized because of disagreement with their country’s policies. It necessitates clarification to ensure non-interference in the internal affairs of nations and to consider industry-specific factors (e.g., continuous production cycles).

Tensions, coherence, and/or progress in early childhood teacher education (ECTE) in the Nordic countries

This special issue provides some needed insight into the tensions, coherence, and/or progress in early childhood teacher education (ECTE) in the Nordic countries. These topics warrant exploration due to complex, and at times contradictory educational landscapes, which must deal with the question of how to generate comprehensive, coherent, and interdisciplinary education programs. Drawing on studies utilizing different theoretical perspectives on tensions, coherence, and progress in higher education, and with the use of a variety of research methodologies, the Nordic authors in this special issue expand our knowledge on current issues and tendencies in ECTE in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. In light of the great importance of and real challenges in the field of early childhood education and care, the question of how to educate early childhood education teachers is highly relevant, and requires more research in, and reflection on, how these teachers are educated. This special issue draws specific attention to opportunities and challenges in ECTE, which has so far received limited research attention.

"More Than Just Holding the iPad": Family Members' Perspectives on the Work of Video Calling in Aged Care

Video calls are increasingly being adopted to enable older adults living in long-term residential care (aged care homes) to remain socially connected with friends and family. However, care home residents often require extensive support to participate effectively in video calls. Despite growing interest in examining the work involved in facilitating technology use in care homes, the role of caregivers---comprising family members and staff---in facilitating video calls has received limited attention. Drawing on data from a study of family members' experiences in Australia, we analysed the essential work activities required to make video calls function in residential aged care. We show how video calling is underpinned by the development of relationships between families and staff, and how video calling requires considerable work in preparation, facilitation, and troubleshooting. We discuss how video calling systems for care homes might be designed to alleviate unwanted work, lowering the burden of call participation for residents, families, and care staff.

Pros and cons of digital access to healthcare services and healthcare utilization: a quasi-experiment

ObjectivesWe study the introduction of a web portal allowing women to manage their appointments in the public cervical cancer screening program of an Italian Local Health Unit (LHU). We investigate how this intervention affects program participation and the ability of the LHU to collect information on women's screening outside the program.MethodsWe use administrative data from the LHU and a difference-in-differences design to compare outcomes of women in the treated group (n=870), who could reschedule appointments either through phone calls or through the portal, and the control group (n=768), who could only reschedule by phone.ResultsThe portal reduces the number of appointments rescheduled by phone (b = −0.176, 95% CI = −0.228 to −0.114, p < 0.001). It also makes women more likely to report both screenings outside the program (b = 0.049, 95% CI = 0.006–0.912, p < 0.05) and the various reasons for canceling their appointments. However, the portal also decreases the probability of screening (b = −0.156, 95% CI = −0.216–0.096, p < 0.001). Two-thirds of this reduction is due to increased unjustified no-shows (b = 0.099, 95% CI = 0.043–0.155, p < 0.001).ConclusionsDigital innovations increase efficiency of screening programs. However, they may discourage screening, by triggering behavioral biases such as limited attention and procrastination. Pairing portals with frequent reminders may help to boost participation.

Characterizing the tool wear morphologies and life in milling A520-10%SiC under various lubrication and cutting conditions

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are lightweight and widely used materials constantly applied in various industries. Such material’s structural and functional properties change under the contributions of various reinforcing particles and base materials. Multiple technologies are used in the manufacturing and machining these materials, and numerous studies are oriented toward this domain through academic and industrial projects. One aspect that receives less attention is understanding the combined effects of cutting parameters, lubrication conditions, and reinforcing elements on the machinability of such materials. Amongst MMC, limited attention has been paid to A520 alloys reinforced with SiC particles. Therefore, this work investigated the tool wear size and morphology in milling A520-10%SiC under various lubrication and cutting conditions. It was observed that cutting conditions significantly affect the tool life and wear morphology when machining A520-10%SiC. The main wear modes observed were abrasion and adhesion, mainly presented as the built-up edge (BUE) and Built-up layer (BUL). The wet method reduced the formation of BUE and BUL by 95% and MQL by 60% compared to the dry method. It was also observed that better tool life was observed under wet mode than readings made under MQL and dry modes. The outcomes could generate a practical window for the optimum selection of cutting parameters when machining reinforced Al-MMCs, in principle, A520-10%SiC.

Pain beliefs and their relationship with pain, psychological distress and catastrophizing in individuals with Parkinson’s disease

ABSTRACT In Parkinson’s disease (PD), a large number of individuals are confronted with pain. This issue has been receiving increasing attention in literature in recent years, as the complexity of pain in this disease makes its evaluation and treatment challenging. However, psychological variables related to the pain experience have received limited attention, especially when it comes to the exploration of beliefs regarding pain which, to our knowledge, remains unexplored in PD. Pain beliefs are defined as a subset of a patient’s belief system which represents a personal understanding of the pain experience. Four dimensions of pain beliefs have been isolated in literature: mystery, pain permanence, pain constancy and self-blame. Thus, the goal of this study was first to describe pain beliefs in individuals with PD and second, to explore the relationships between pain beliefs and clinical and psychological variables. One hundred and sixty-nine international individuals with PD completed an online survey with socio-demographic and medical data. Participants completed self-report instruments to assess their pain (King’s Parkinson’s Disease Pain Questionnaire, McGill Pain Questionnaire and Brief Pain Inventory), psychological distress (Beck Depression Inventory, short-form and Parkinson Anxiety Scale), pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale) and pain beliefs catastrophizing (Pain Beliefs and Perception Inventory). The study’s findings revealed that most participants’ beliefs are marked by the dimension of permanence, suggesting that individuals with PD perceive the pain experience as chronic and enduring. Meanwhile, pain is minimally perceived as constant, mysterious, or a source of guilt. Our finding concerning the permanence dimension deserves specific attention: even though this belief is prevalent in our population, it is not, or only weakly, associated with an impact on mood or pain catastrophizing. These results bring forth several hypotheses for understanding, highlighting the role of acceptance, and offer new perspectives toward improving clinical practices in terms of assessing and managing pain in PD.

Soil surface roughness impacts erosion behavior through selective regulation of flow properties in rainfall-seepage scenarios

Soil surface roughness (SSR) impacts runoff dynamics of surface-subsurface and the magnitude of soil erosion, limited attention has been paid to how SSR governs runoff hydrodynamics to affect erosion behavior and the effectiveness of erosion reduction under rainfall-seepage scenarios on low-permeability purple soil slopes. Herein the seepage rates of 2, 4, and 8 L min⁻¹ were sequentially simulated under a rainfall intensity of 1.0 mm min⁻¹ among different microrelief treatments (CT: conventional tillage; AD: artificial digging; RT: ridge tillage) on purple soil slopes with gradients of 5°, 10°, and 15°. These simulations aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the erosion reduction benefits associated with flow properties due to microrelief. The results showed that increased SSR altered erosion kinetic energy under rainfall-seepage conditions. The benefits of rough slopes to control erosion decreased as rainfall-seepage intensity and slope gradient increased. During rainfall-seepage events, the variation in runoff behavior was regulated positively by the effect of SSR on unit stream power. However, the increasing net output power of runoff due to flow turbulence altered sediment output, thereby affecting sediment control benefits. Overall, the impact of rainfall-seepage intensity on surface roughness became more significant with increasing slope gradient. Our findings suggest the capable of integrating for interrelated microrelief and runoff processes in factors analysis of driving soil erosion at rainfall-seepage hydrologic states to elucidate erosion effect.

Guanidine-Derived Polymeric Nanoinhibitors Target the Lysosomal V-ATPase and Activate AMPK Pathway to Ameliorate Liver Lipid Accumulation.

Current research efforts in polymer and nanotechnology applications are primarily focused on cargo delivery to enhance the therapeutic index, with limited attention being paid to self-molecularly targeted nanoparticles, which may also exhibit significant therapeutic potential. Long-term and anomalous lipid accumulation in the liver is a highly relevant factor contributing to liver diseases. However, the development of the reliable medications and their pharmacological mechanisms remain insufficient. Herein, a polyguanide nanoinhibitors (PGNI) depot is constructed by copolymerizing biguanide derivatives in different proportions onto prepolymers. The nanoinhibitors for their ability to ameliorate lipid accumulation in vitro and in vivo is screened, and subsequently demonstrated that covalently polymeric guanidine chains exhibit superior efficacy in ameliorating hepatic lipid accumulation via heterogeneous mechanisms compared to small-molecule guanidine. It is found that PGNIs stabilize guanidine metabolism in the liver, preferably for biosafety. More importantly, PGNI is ingested and localized in hepatocyte lysosomes and is locked to interact with vesicular adenosine triphosphatase (V-ATPase) on lysosomes, leading to the inhibition of V-ATPase and lysosomal acidification, thereby activating the AMPK pathway, reducing fatty acid synthesis, and enhancing lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. These results imply that polymer-formed nanoparticles can serve as targeted inhibitors, offering a novel approach for therapeutic applications.

Adjustment and Adaptation of Female International Higher Education Students: A Qualitative Study

Deciding to be an international student is challenging, and adjusting to a new culture is even more so for women from collectivistic cultures. Despite some attention to women’s adjustment and adaptation to different cultures, limited attention has been given to the specific challenges faced by women from diverse collectivistic backgrounds. This qualitative study explored the cultural adaptation experiences of 5 Chinese, 2 Azerbaijani, and 3 Turkish international master’s students through semi-structured interviews. Using the thematic approach, four main themes emerged from the data regarding how female students adjust to the new culture: educational adaptation, formation of social groups and language learning, understanding identity and gender, and emotional involvement in the new culture and future planning. The implications for psychological well-being and future career decisions are discussed in detail.

Đánh giá tỷ lệ và mức độ nhận thức của sinh viên y khoa về trầm cảm chủ yếu tại Trường Đại học Nam Cần Thơ

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent mental illness, with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 12%, significantly impacting public health. The prevalence of depression among students in demanding fields, such as medical students, has not been thoroughly assessed. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and awareness of MDD among medical students. Methods: First and fifth-year medical students at Nam Can Tho University were invited to participate in this study. Participants completed the PHQ-9 questionnaire via Google Forms. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design. Result: Between May and June 2024, 593 eligible students were recruited. The mean age of participants was 22.08 ± 2,3% years, with 44,5% being male. The findings revealed that 244 students (44.1%) self-reported depressive symptoms based on the PHQ-9 scale. Specifically, 48.7% of first-year and 29.8% of fifth-year reported having major depressive disorder. Additionally, major depressive disorder affects the quality of life for 83.8% of students. Furthermore, 525 students (88.5%) expressed a need for mental health support centers. ConclusionThe prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms among students, primarily assessed using the PHQ-9 scale, was notably high. Students also acknowledged the substantial impact of mental health on their quality of life. However, there remains a limited understanding and attention from social resources regarding this issue.

The Impact of Service Quality and Product Attributes on Customer Satisfaction in Islamic Finance

This study investigates the impact of service quality and product attributes on customer satisfaction within the context of Islamic finance. Utilizing a quantitative approach, data were collected from 500 customers across various Islamic banking institutions. The findings reveal that both service quality and product attributes significantly influence customer satisfaction, with service quality demonstrating a stronger correlation. Notably, aspects such as employee friendliness, responsiveness, and product diversity emerged as critical factors. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the importance of service quality in enhancing customer satisfaction specifically in the Islamic banking sector, an area that has received limited attention. The implications of this study are twofold: first, it offers valuable insights for Islamic banking institutions to refine their service delivery and product offerings, thereby fostering greater customer loyalty. Second, it highlights the need for continuous assessment of customer expectations and satisfaction metrics to ensure sustainable growth in the competitive financial landscape. This study lays the groundwork for future research on the interplay between service quality, product attributes, and customer satisfaction in Islamic finance.

The new geopolitics of EU cybersecurity: security, economy and sovereignty

Abstract The European Union (EU) is currently experiencing significant geopolitical shifts and is concerned that its dependence on externally produced or foreign-owned technologies risks its strategic autonomy, with implications for its security and economy. In response, it has placed sovereignty at the forefront of its agenda and at the centre of its relations with the world. Academic literature has so far paid limited attention to understanding the interactions between geopolitics, perceptions of technological dependence, and the impact on policy governance in cybersecurity. Bearing this gap in mind, the article asks how the EU's discourse of sovereignty and reducing external dependencies is shaping its approach to cybersecurity. Applying regulatory mercantilism and policy analysis to three case-studies—focusing on control of semiconductors, data server location, and cybersecurity certification— the article finds that the EU's depiction of its cybersecurity as impacted by dependence on externally manufactured products resulted in the merging of security and economic rationales. This has translated into efforts for greater control, either through promoting production within the European physical space through security-influenced industrial policies or—when this is not possible—by exerting regulatory influence beyond Europe's borders. Where globalization is believed to have failed, regulatory mercantilism becomes more likely as a policy approach.

Numerical Investigation of Burial Depth Effects on Tension of Submarine Power Cables

To protect submarine power cables from damage caused by anchoring and fishing, submarine power cables in shallow water areas are buried to a certain depth through a cable laying machine. However, limited attention has been paid to studying the stress behavior of submarine power cables while considering the effects of burial depth. In this research, static and dynamic analyses are carried out using three-dimensional numerical models performed by the OrcaFlex v11.0 to investigate the effects of burial depths on cable tension during the cable installation under various conditions. Numerical simulation results show that the peak tension of the submarine power cable increases linearly with the increase in burial depth. In addition, the burial depth can also change the tension state at the endpoint of the submarine power cable. The endpoint of the cable is in a compressed state when h < 2 m and the cable turns into a tensile state when h ≥ 2 m. Finally, genetic programming (GP) is used to analyze numerical simulation results to propose a prediction model that can be used to estimate the peak tension of the submarine power cable during cable installation under various burial depths in shallow sea areas. It should be noted that the proposed GP model is based on the analyses of numerical results; therefore, the GP model is open for further improvements as more experimental data become available.

Comprehensive investigation of gas hold-up in a double coaxial mixer with shear-thinning fluids exhibiting yield stress: Experimental, numerical, and artificial neural network approaches

This study addresses the challenge of uneven gas dispersion in yield-stress, non-Newtonian fluids, commonly encountered in industries such as biopharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food processing. While previous research demonstrated the advantages of dual coaxial mixers for pseudoplastic fluids, limited attention has been given to aerating yield-pseudoplastic fluids with higher aspect ratios. This study bridges that gap by investigating both local and global gas hold-up under various conditions, utilizing electrical resistance tomography and computational fluid dynamics. Key findings showed that increasing the anchor speed from stationary to 30 rpm significantly enhanced aeration efficiency (gas hold-up per specific power consumption), with improvements of 78 % in UP-CO mode and 25 % in UP-COUNTER mode at Nc = 350 rpm and Qg = 20 L/min. These results underscore enhanced gas dispersion under specific operating conditions, driving overall process intensification. To ensure accurate prediction of gas hold-up, both dimensional and dimensionless empirical correlations, along with an artificial neural networks (ANNs) model, were developed. The ANNs model exhibited superior accuracy, achieving R² values of 0.99 for both rotation modes, outperforming empirical models, which achieved R² values of 0.90 and 0.89 for UP-CO and UP-COUNTER modes, respectively.

Quantification and ecotoxicological contribution of volatile compounds in produced water effluents

Produced water (PW) is a significant byproduct of offshore oil and gas production, constituting a major waste stream in the North Sea. Existing regulations address only the dispersed aliphatic hydrocarbon content in PW, and limited attention is given to other potentially hazardous compounds, including benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols, water-soluble petroleum constituents as well as production-related chemicals. In this study, Danish oil production PW samples were subjected to purge and trap extraction on granular activated carbon for volatile compounds identification and quantification by GC-MS analysis. The obtained analytical data correlate with toxicity assessments conducted on three trophic levels, bacteria (Aliivibrio fischeri), algae (Skeletonema costatum) and copepods (Acartia tonsa) on the whole effluent as well as on treated samples. The removal of the PW volatile fraction by purging experiments resulted in a decrease in toxicity response from 37% ± 23–65% ± 16 across the tested species. The chemicals identified in this study and their toxicity response enhance the comprehension of the PW effluent composition and inform the development of strategies for offshore reservoir wastewater.

Can Social Security Bridge the Digital Divide-Induced Relative Poverty? Evidence from CFPS 2020

Digital inequality has emerged as a critical socioeconomic challenge in the era of rapid technological advancement, particularly in developing economies transitioning from absolute to relative poverty reduction. While extensive research has explored various dimensions of the digital divide, limited attention has been paid to its causal relationship with relative poverty and the potential mitigating role of social protection systems. This knowledge gap is particularly significant in China, where despite remarkable progress in poverty alleviation, the interplay between digital exclusion, social security, and relative poverty remains understudied. Herein, we employ a multi-method approach combining instrumental variable analysis, propensity score matching, and quantile regression using the China Family Panel Studies 2020 data to examine these relationships. Our findings reveal that the digital divide significantly increases the likelihood of relative poverty, with a one standard deviation increase in digital exclusion associated with a 5.3 percentage point higher probability of experiencing relative poverty. Notably, social security coverage moderates this relationship, reducing the marginal effect of digital exclusion by 0.65 percentage points for each additional social protection program. These results advance our understanding of technological inequality by demonstrating how institutional factors can mediate the relationship between digital exclusion and economic outcomes, while highlighting the need for integrated policy approaches that combine digital inclusion initiatives with enhanced social protection measures to address emerging forms of poverty in increasingly digitalized societies.

Microbiome and network analysis reveal potential mechanisms underlying Carassius auratus diseases: The interactions between critical environmental and microbial factors

Despite the rapid development of research on aquatic environment microbiota, limited attention has been paid to exploring the complex interactions between microbial communities and aquatic environments. Particularly, the mechanisms underlying fish diseases based on such dynamic interactions remain unknown. This study aimed to address the gap by conducting microbiome and co-occurrence network analyses on the typical freshwater aquaculture systems. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing results revealed significant differences in the microbiota between the disease and healthy groups. Notably, disease mortality varied consistently with the gradient of relative abundance of Proteobacteria (intestine, R2 = 0.46, p < 0.05) and Cyanobacteria (gill, R2 = 0.67, p < 0.01), indicating their potential use as diagnostic criteria. Furthermore, the elevated hepatosomatic index, NO3-N, COD and TC (sediment) were directly correlated with diseases (r > 0.54, p < 0.01). Mean concentrations of NO3-N, COD and TC were elevated by 78.87%, 25.63% and 44.2%, respectively, in ponds where diseases occurred. Quantitative analysis (qPCR) revealed that Aeromonas sobria infected hosts through a potential pathway of “sediment (4.4 × 105 copy number/g)-water (1.1 × 103 copy number/mL)-intestine (1.2 × 106 copy number/g)”. Similarly, the potential route for Aeromonas veronii was sediment (4.9 × 106 copy number/g) to gill (5.1 × 105 copy number/g). Additionally, the complexity of microbial networks in the intestine, water, and sediment was significantly lower in the disease group, although no similar phenomenon was observed in the gill microbial network. In summary, these findings reveal that elevated concentrations of crucial environmental factors disrupt the linkages within microbiota, fostering the growth of opportunistic bacteria capable of colonizing fish gut or gills. This offers new insights into potential mechanisms by which environmental factors cause disease in fish.