Low Rank Research Articles

The biogeography of gastrointestinal mucosal microbiota of beef cattle at harvest

IntroductionThe gastrointestinal microbiota profoundly influences the health and productivity of animals. This study aimed to characterize microbial community structures of the mouth, gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and feces of cattle.MethodsSamples were collected from 18 Akaushi crossbred steers at harvest from multiple locations, including the oral cavity, rumen, abomasum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, spiral colon, distal colon, and feces. These cattle were raised without exposure to antimicrobial drugs or hormone implants. Total microbial abundance was assessed using qPCR targeting the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, and microbial community composition was evaluated through 16S rRNA gene sequencing.ResultsTotal microbial abundance was lesser in the small intestine than in other GIT regions (p ≤ 0.05). Additionally, microbial communities in the small intestine had lower richness and diversity than other regions (p ≤ 0.05). Microbial community compositions were measurably different along the GIT, with greater relatedness in adjacent GIT sections when progressing from oral to aboral locations. Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla in all samples. However, variations in composition were evident at lower taxonomic levels within these dominant phyla among samples from different regions. Genera previously associated with healthy gut microbiome communities were observed in low abundance across GIT regions. Taxa historically associated with liver abscesses (e.g., Fusobacterium and Trueperella) were detected in low abundance (≤0.02% relative abundance) throughout the GIT. In contrast, Bacteroides, which recently has been identified as a dominant feature in many liver abscesses, was observed in greater relative abundance (5.2% on average) in the hindgut.DiscussionThis study provides an in-depth evaluation of the GIT of harvest-ready Akaushi crossbred cattle of varying growth rates. Clear differences exist in the abundance and composition of microbial populations at different points of the GIT. Unfortunately, no single GIT location can adequately represent the microbial communities of the entire GIT, which has important implications for future research. Additionally, examining microbiome data only at the phylum level likely oversimplifies important complexities of the microbial community structures, and investigations of lower taxonomic ranks should be included.

Green Bonds: A Financial Tool for Sustainable Development and Investment using EDAS method

Green bonds, a key innovation in sustainable finance, have gained prominence over the past decade by providing a mechanism for financing environmentally-friendly projects. Unlike conventional bonds, green bonds incorporate a "use of proceeds" clause, ensuring that funds are directed toward projects that contribute to sustainability goals. This paper examines different aspects of green bonds and other "labelled bonds," including social and sustainability bonds, and positions them within the context of sustainable business models, particularly Business Models for Sustainability (BMfS). Research significance: Green bonds, which include a "use of proceeds" clause, ensure that funds are allocated to environmentally sustainable projects. Despite the growing interest in green bonds, much of the existing literature has focused on financial metrics such as the "green bond premium" rather than exploring broader implications for sustainability. This research addresses that gap by developing a structural model for green bond pricing and proposing policies to enhance their market appeal. Alternative: EcoBond A, Green Future Bond B, Clean Energy Bond C, Sustainable Growth Bond D, Climate Action Bond E, Renewable Resources Bond F. Evaluation Preference: Interest Rate (%), Environmental Impact (1-10), Project Type Score (1-10), Credit Rating Score (1-10). The results indicate that Climate Action Bond E achieved the highest rank, while Green Future Bond B had the lowest rank being attained. Conclusion: “The value of the dataset for Climate Action Bond E, according to the EDAS method, Green Bonds and Sustainable Finance achieves the highest ranking.”

Open Economy Macroeconomics: Developments in Theory and Policy Using the TOPSIS Methodology

Open economy macroeconomics examines the complex interplay between a nation's economic policies and global financial markets. This field of study addresses critical issues such as exchange rate determination, balance of payments, and the effects of trade and capital flows on a country's economic performance. The increased integration of economies through globalization has made it essential to understand how domestic economic policies, such as monetary and fiscal policies, interact with international economic environments. This paper explores the key concepts and models in open economy macroeconomics, including the Mundell-Fleming model, purchasing power parity, and the dynamics of exchange rate regimes. The study of open economy macroeconomics has gained prominence with the growing interconnectedness of global markets. Unlike a closed economy, where all economic transactions occur within national borders, an open economy engages in trade and financial transactions with other countries. This openness introduces new challenges and opportunities for policymakers, as domestic economic conditions are increasingly influenced by external factors such as foreign exchange rates, international trade agreements, and global capital flows. Open economy macroeconomics seeks to understand how these external factors affect key economic variables, such as output, inflation, and employment.The significance of studying open economy macroeconomics lies in its profound implications for both national and global economic stability and growth. As economies become increasingly interconnected, understanding the mechanisms by which international trade, capital flows, and exchange rates influence domestic economies is essential for effective policymaking. This field of study is particularly relevant in today’s world, where financial crises, trade wars, and global economic shocks can have ripple effects across borders, impacting nations' economic well-being regardless of their size or level of development.. Free Trade Agreements, Currency Pegging, Capital Controls, Trade Tariffs, Exchange Rate Floating. GDP Growth Rate (%),Trade Balance (Billion $), Inflation Rate (%),Unemployment Rate (%). The results indicate that Free Trade Agreements achieved the highest rank, while Capital Controls had the lowest rank being attained. The value of the dataset for Corporate Open Economy Macroeconomics according to the topsis Method, Integrated Pest Management achieves the highest ranking.

Ferumoxytol-Enhanced Cardiac Cine MRI Reconstruction Using a Variable-Splitting Spatiotemporal Network.

Balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) imaging is commonly used in cardiac cine MRI but prone to image artifacts. Ferumoxytol-enhanced (FE) gradient echo (GRE) has been proposed as an alternative. Utilizing the abundance of bSSFP images to develop a computationally efficient network that is applicable to FE GRE cine would benefit future network development. To develop a variable-splitting spatiotemporal network (VSNet) for image reconstruction, trained on bSSFP cine images and applicable to FE GRE cine images. Retrospective and prospective. 41 patients (26 female, 53 ± 19 y/o) for network training, 31 patients (19 female, 49 ± 17 y/o) and 5 healthy subjects (5 female, 30 ± 7 y/o) for testing. 1.5T and 3T, bSSFP and GRE. VSNet was compared to VSNet with total variation loss, compressed sensing and low rank methods for 14× accelerated data. The GRAPPA×2/×3 images served as the reference. Peak signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and ejection fraction (EF) were measured. Qualitative image ranking and scoring were independently performed by three readers. Latent scores were calculated based on scores of each method relative to the reference. Linear mixed-effects regression, Tukey method, Fleiss' Kappa, Bland-Altman analysis, and Bayesian categorical cumulative probit model. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. VSNet achieved significantly higher PSNR (32.7 ± 0.2), SSIM (0.880 ± 0.004), rank (2.14 ± 0.06), and latent scores (-1.72 ± 0.22) compared to other methods (rank >2.90, latent score < -2.63). Fleiss' Kappa was 0.52 for scoring and 0.61 for ranking. VSNet showed no significantly different LV and RV ESV (P = 0.938) and EF (P = 0.143) measurements, but statistically significant different (2.62 mL) EDV measurements compared to the reference. VSNet produced the highest image quality and the most accurate functional measurements for FE GRE cine images among the tested 14× accelerated reconstruction methods. 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

Metallic Bipolar Plates for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) Used in Electric Vehicles using the WSM Method

Metallic Bipolar Plates for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) used in electric vehicles. Electric vehicles use electrolytic polymeric fuel cells (PEFCs) built of bipolar sheet metal. Along with the MEA, One of the most essential components of a PEFC cell is the bipolar plate. since they support the MEA, provide rigidi-ty to the layer, and even allow for gas diffusion. Electrical conductivity is provided by the entire electrode surface. The control of heat and the ejection of product water are two additional benefits of a well-prepared bipolar plate [103-105]. In the PEFC stack, bipolar plates are placed between the MEAs so that each of them offers a link to one end of a MEA and, on the other side, to the cath of an adjacent MEA. Bi-polar panels should be small and thin to reduce For PEMFCs, a variety of metal bipolar plates are now being investigated to suit the demands of lowering costs, increasing stacking size, lowering weight, and raising energy density. The quality of interest strategy was compared to the best answer (TOPSIS) the multi-attribute decision-making approach (MADM) in this work, the optimal substance for a metallic bi-polar plate is selected using (MADM). For electrolyte polymer fuel cells (PEFCs), which can have numer-ous competing objectives? Material designers can choose the best material based on preset criteria with the use of a suggested algorithm tool. The theoretical framework is followed by a case study on the mate-rial selection for a PEFC bipolar plate. A list of all the products that meet the requirements for selection, including production costs, by dividing each of our objectives by a user-supplied weight, we divide our audience into a single goal via the weighted sum approach. One of the most popular methods is this one. When considering overall weights, one concern is determining how much weight to give each goal. The primary goal governs are added with varying weights in the weighed total approach, and the sum is then optimized. The goal that function is optimized while another is constrained to a variable's value in the electrically operated constraint approach you can generate an integrated analysis by combining several inputs and weights using the Total Weight function. In that several raster inputs representing various fac-tors can be easily mixed, mixing weights or relative importance, it is comparable to the Weighted Overlay function. 316 austenitic stainless steel,310 austenitic stainless steel,317l austenitic stainless steel,316l aus-tenitic stainless steel, aluminum (gold plated), aisi 446 ferritic stainless steel, aisi 436 ferritic stainless steel, aisi 444 ferritic stainless stee, aisi 434 ferritic stainless stee,304 austenitic stainless steel, titanium (coated with nitride), a560 (50cr–ni). the density of an object, the tensile strength, the expansions coeffi-cients, conductivity of heat, thermal diffusivity, and fracture toughness are some of the other characteris-tics of bipolar plates that should be considered. From the result it is seen that titanium (coated with ni-tride) is got the first rank whereas is the 310 austenitic stainless steel having the lowest rank. The first ranking titanium (coated with nitride) is obtained with the lowest quality of 310 austenitic stainless steel.

Factors influencing the intention of doctors to emigrate: a cross-sectional study of Ghanaian doctors

BackgroundThe migration of healthcare professionals from developing countries to more developed nations poses a significant challenge to healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to determine the proportion of doctors in Ghana who intend to migrate abroad and to identify the sociodemographic and "pull and push" factors that influence their intention.MethodologyA cross-sectional survey was conducted among doctors in Ghana between March 1, 2024, and March 15, 2024, via an online-based semi-structured questionnaire. Doctors working in Ghana, regardless of nationality, were included. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with the intention to emigrate. Statistical significance was set at a p-value of < 0.05.ResultsAlmost all the doctors who responded to the questionnaire consented to participate (99.4%, 641/645). More than half (53.8%, n = 345) of the respondents were medical officers. Most respondents intended to migrate to practice abroad (71.8%, n = 460). The United States (59.7%), the United Kingdom (39.1%), and Canada (34.8%) were the most preferred destinations. After adjusting for covariates, young doctors between 20–29 years [(Adjusted Odd Ratios) AOR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.13—6.39)], male doctors (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.04—2.25), doctors in lower professional ranks, and doctors in the field of diagnostics (AOR = 5.70, 95% CI = 1.16 – 28.03) had significantly higher odds of intending to migrate. In descending order of magnitude, the respondents strongly agreed that better remuneration (1.22 ± 0.63), better quality of life (1.22 ± 0.67), better working conditions (1.26 ± 0.69), and better postgraduate training (1.41 ± 0.80) were pull factors. The push factors were economic challenges (1.17 ± 0.49), a lack of a conducive working environment (1.56 ± 0.86), slow career progression (1.95 ± 1.07), excessive workload (2.07 ± 0.12), personal circumstances (2.26 ± 1.19), and poor postgraduate training (2.48 ± 1.22).ConclusionA substantial proportion of doctors in Ghana are considering emigration, driven by a combination of attractive opportunities abroad and challenging conditions in Ghana. Addressing these issues through improved remuneration, better working environments, and enhanced career development and training opportunities is crucial to retaining healthcare professionals.

Analyzing the Turkish insurance companies’ financial performance traded on BIST implementing the critic-based PIV method

The insurance industry, which is an important component of the financial channel, is an essential part of the Turkish economy, and assessing the financial performance is critical for insurance companies to improve efficiency and productivity, increase competitiveness, and enhance fiscal health. The study presented a technique for assessing the financial performance of all insurance companies registered in Borsa Istanbul by implementing an integrated method that combines the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) and Proximity Indexed Value (PIV) methods. The rationale for implementing the PIV method is the lack of adequate financial studies available on the insurance companies that employed this specific model. Initially, 18 evaluation criteria were defined. The CRITIC method was applied for the criteria weights, and insurance companies were ranked using PIV. Subsequently, the COPRAS, VIKOR, ARAS, and SAW Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methodologies were applied. Performance rankings derived from PIV were compared with those obtained from other MCDM models employed. Finally, Spearman’s Rank Correlation and Kendall’s Rank Correlation Coefficient methods were applied to analyze the extent of correlations and interactions between ranking outcomes. The PIV assessment results pointed out that AGESA received the highest rank for financial performance, and AKGRT had the lowest rank. AGESA consistently received high rankings compared to all other methods examined. Nevertheless, RAYSG and AKGRT constantly ranked poorly. All deployed methods ranked AKGRT and RAYSG in the final two positions. The study’s findings underscore that ranking outcomes of PIV largely align with alternate MCDM methodologies utilized.

Diet composition and diet choice of Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat Rhinopoma hardwickii (Gray, 1831) (Rhinopomatidae: Chiroptera)

The food composition and food choice of R. hardwickii were assessed through guano analysis at different seasons and geographical locations. Guano samples of R. hardwickii were collected from the roost sites of the Gangetic plains and arid region of Uttar Pradesh. Each intact pellet was dissolved and recognizable insect body parts like legs, antennae, wings, and mouth parts were separated and photographed. Each insect remnant was identified to its lowest rank as much as possible. A total of 10 roost sites of R. hardwickii were observed in the arid region and Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh and all of them were found in historical monuments. A total of 61 pellets of 10 sites yielded 1,035 remnants of insects. The highest percentage of remnants belongs to legs, followed by wings, antennae, abdominal segments, and mouthparts. The remnants belong to eight insect orders such as Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Plecoptera. The remnants of order Hemiptera showed the highest frequency of occurrence followed by orders Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and Hymenoptera, and these four orders of insects constitute the major portion of the diet of R. hardwickii. The orders Dermaptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Plecoptera contributed a small proportion to the diet of R. hardwickii. The remnants of orders Lepidoptera and Plecoptera were occasional. The result of the current study shows that the food choice of R. hardwickii did not differ significantly across roost sites, while differed seasonally. Further, it reveals that the Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat acts as a potential and natural insect balancing agent.

Hybrid plug-and-play CT image restoration using nonconvex low-rank group sparsity and deep denoiser priors

Objective. Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is an imaging technique that can effectively help patients reduce radiation dose, which has attracted increasing interest from researchers in the field of medical imaging. Nevertheless, LDCT imaging is often affected by a large amount of noise, making it difficult to clearly display subtle abnormalities or lesions. Therefore, this paper proposes a multiple complementary priors CT image reconstruction method by simultaneously considering both the internal prior and external image information of CT images, thereby enhancing the reconstruction quality of CT images.Approach. Specifically, we propose a CT image reconstruction method based on weighted nonconvex low-rank regularized group sparse and deep image priors under hybrid plug-and-play framework by utilizing the weighted nonconvex low rankness and group sparsity of dictionary domain coefficients of each group of similar patches, and a convolutional neural network denoiser. To make the proposed reconstruction problem easier to tackle, we utilize the alternate direction method of multipliers for optimization.Main results. To verify the performance of the proposed method, we conduct detailed simulation experiments on the images of the abdominal, pelvic, and thoracic at projection views of 45, 65, and 85, and at noise levels of1×105and1×106, respectively. A large number of qualitative and quantitative experimental results indicate that the proposed method has achieved better results in texture preservation and noise suppression compared to several existing iterative reconstruction methods.Significance. The proposed method fully considers the internal nonlocal low rankness and sparsity, as well as the external local information of CT images, providing a more effective solution for CT image reconstruction. Consequently, this method enables doctors to diagnose and treat diseases more accurately by reconstructing high-quality CT images.

The Lithuanian Soviet Nomenclature as an Object and Subject of Control

The topic of nomenclature in the context of research on the Soviet period is usually associated with the power and influence exerted by a single group in society. While assessing the evolution of the post-Stalin system, the role of a separate ruling stratum rather than that of an individual leader becomes more apparent. Many studies hesitate to call the post-Stalin system totalitarian and secretary-generals of the Communist Party as unilateral leaders. In individual studies, nomenclature, particularly top ranking, is clearly perceived as an acting and influencing subject, capable of subjecting system resources to its articulated aims. However, the discussion of the role of Lithuanian nomenclature as a certain peripheral elite and its relationship with the system shows that it is impossible to treat it only as an acting subject. The interests and management style of the central government determined greater or lesser control of the Soviet republics. So it is interesting to consider which situations would define the Lithuanian Soviet nomenclature itself as an object of control, and in which areas it could express its own interests and be activity. The Soviet institutional environment was saturated with control. Control measures were designed not only to control processes in society; they were also applied to the system of nomenclature itself by applying hierarchical control principles both to the governing political party and lower executive ranks. Information was collected about ideological compliance and participation in the execution of plans. Transgressions recognised to be ideological were assessed most strictly. The tools of control were diverse: in addition to control bodies (people’s control, GLAVLIT, KGB) Communist party structures and ministries had their own divisions responsible for control of the activities of a particular area and even the suitability of people. In addition to routine planned activity, individual influential officials carried out controlling functions and exposed ad hoc cases. It can be stated that the system was essentially saturated with control activities – the same area was controlled by at least 3-4 levels different levels of officials and this obviously stifled the dynamics of any activity. In the late Soviet period, locality as a factor of social environment can be clearly distinguished whereby local representatives of the nomenclature would often reduce the effect of control by replacing the object ‘what and how to control’ with the consensus of higher ranking officials of the nomenclature regarding the areas and leaders to be controlled and possible consequences of control (including penalties for members of the Communist Party). This model complemented institutional regulation and was applied not only to ensure control inside a republic but also in relation to the supervision carried out by the centre. The government of the republic frequently faced hostility from some leaders controlling the manufacturing industry, but except for one incident, it managed to ‘localise’ both local and arriving leaders, thereby creating a certain closed social network of members of the nomenclature of the republic and simultaneously opening more opportunities for higher ranking officials of Lithuanian nomenclature to express their personal interests, assess the situation subjectively, and act in the area of control as a subject rather than an object. The social network of members of the nomenclature of the republic rather actively and using various measures sought to isolate their own circle therefore ensuring not only the integrity of the circle, but also control of the space subordinate to it, while at the same time maintaining good relations with the centre. The top ranking officials of the republic were very keen to maintain the stability of this network and their primary goal was to preserve the routine of governing, given that this status quo was in line with Brezhnev’s governing style.

MIMt: a curated 16S rRNA reference database with less redundancy and higher accuracy at species-level identification

MotivationAccurate determination and quantification of the taxonomic composition of microbial communities, especially at the species level, is one of the major issues in metagenomics. This is primarily due to the limitations of commonly used 16S rRNA reference databases, which either contain a lot of redundancy or a high percentage of sequences with missing taxonomic information. This may lead to erroneous identifications and, thus, to inaccurate conclusions regarding the ecological role and importance of those microorganisms in the ecosystem.ResultsThe current study presents MIMt, a new 16S rRNA database for archaea and bacteria’s identification, encompassing 47 001 sequences, all precisely identified at species level. In addition, a MIMt2.0 version was created with only curated sequences from RefSeq Targeted loci with 32 086 sequences. MIMt aims to be updated twice a year to include all newly sequenced species. We evaluated MIMt against Greengenes, RDP, GTDB and SILVA in terms of sequence distribution and taxonomic assignments accuracy. Our results showed that MIMt contains less redundancy, and despite being 20 to 500 times smaller than existing databases, outperforms them in completeness and taxonomic accuracy, enabling more precise assignments at lower taxonomic ranks and thus, significantly improving species-level identification.

Extending curricular analytics to analyze undergraduate physics programs

Curricular analytics (CA) is a quantitative method that analyzes the sequence of courses (curriculum) that students in an undergraduate academic program must complete to fulfill the requirements of the program. The main hypothesis of CA is that the less complex a curriculum is, the more likely it is that students complete the program. This study compares the curricular complexity of undergraduate physics programs at 60 institutions in the United States. The institutions were divided into three tiers based on national rankings of the physics graduate program, and the means of each tier were compared. No significant difference between the means of each tier was found, indicating that there is not a relationship between program curricular complexity and program ranking. Further analysis focused on the physics, chemistry, and mathematics courses, defined as the core courses of the curriculum. Significant differences in the number of required core courses and the complexity per core course were measured between the tiers; both were measured as large effects. Programs with the highest rankings required fewer core courses while having a higher complexity per core course. These institutions have more strict prerequisite requirements than lower ranking programs. This study also showed complexity was quantitatively related to curricular flexibility operationalized as the number of available eight-semester degree plans. The number of available degree plans exponentially decreased with increasing core complexity per course. Modifications to a curriculum at one institution were analyzed; a similar relationship between the number of available degree plans and increasing complexity per core course was found. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Systematic Review of Dimensions and Indicators in Sustainable and Smart Cities: Trends, Interdependencies, and Continental Variations

Accelerated urbanization challenges cities globally. Ensuring good quality of life and environmental protection requires innovative, data-driven solutions. Sustainable and smart cities (SSCs) offer a promising response, but effective implementation depends on selecting and using appropriate dimensions and indicators. The main objective of this article is to present a systematic review within the framework of SSCs to study trends in the use of dimensions and indicators. A citation frequency index (Q) considering quartiles is used to determine the importance of the variables considered in this study. A spatiotemporal analysis of the dimensions and indicators detected is also performed. The results suggest that the multifaceted nature of SSCs necessitates a holistic approach, with environmental (Q3 = 0.536) and social (Q2 = 0.403) dimensions being principal. Despite the lower ranking (Q1 = 0.080) of the information and communication technology (ICT) dimension, its pervasive influence highlights its evolving importance. Effective ICT implementation relies on robust social and environmental foundations, illustrating their interdependence. The governance (Q1 = 0.169) dimension is also essential for the creation of transparent and equitable urban policies. Key indicators related to energy systems (Q2 = 0.379), data analysis (Q2 = 0.327), and resource management (Q2 = 0.291) are crucial for operational efficiency and sustainability. Continental differences in prioritizing SSC dimensions highlight the importance of context-specific strategies, reflecting unique challenges and opportunities faced by different continental areas. By understanding and addressing these continental differences, policymakers and urban planners can more effectively promote sustainable and resilient urban development worldwide.

From Neopatrimonial Science to Consumption of Academic Degrees: The Case of Political Science in Ukraine

Abstract This paper is devoted to the transformation of the practices of obtaining academic degrees in Ukraine by applicants from outside the Academy. My hypothesis is that neopatrimonial science, political regime, and credentialism have led to consumption of academic degrees in Ukraine. It is a socially and politically selective process, where the initial pattern is established by the reference groups of top officials. This pattern is subsequently copied and reproduced by lower ranks. It is related to (economically) favorable conditions contributing to the transfer of academic regalia from the category of luxury goods to objects of mass consumption. This process has its own specific features for different groups of applicants from outside the Academy, where the significant factors are the applicant’s position and its rank, regional structure of the political regime, and gender. The empirical basis of the work was: (a) career patterns of 642 former and current governors and/or heads of Regional Councils during 1992–2024; (b) 1,735 candidate (PhD) theses in political science defended during 1999–2024.

Non-supersymmetric heterotic strings and chiral CFTs

Non-supersymmetric heterotic strings share various properties with their supersymmetric counterparts. Torus compactifications of the latter live in a component of the moduli space of string vacua with 16 supercharges, and various asymmetric orbifolds thereof realize vacua in other components, exhibiting qualitative differences such as rank reduction. We set out to study the analogous problem for non-supersymmetric heterotic strings, framing it in relation to chiral fermionic CFTs with central charge 24, which were classified recently. We find that for the case analogous to the so-called CHL string, which has gauge group rank reduced by 8, there are in total four non-supersymmetric versions. These include the well known E8 string and three other constructions a la CHL, which can be distinguished qualitatively by how tachyons appear in their classical moduli spaces. We also discuss the classification problem for lower rank theories and the relationship between MSDS models and Scherk-Schwarz reductions.

Support Matrix Machine via Joint l2,1 and Nuclear Norm Minimization Under Matrix Completion Framework for Classification of Corrupted Data.

Traditional support vector machines (SVMs) are fragile in the presence of outliers; even a single corrupt data point can arbitrarily alter the quality of the approximation. If even a small fraction of columns is corrupted, then classification performance will inevitably deteriorate. This article considers the problem of high-dimensional data classification, where a number of the columns are arbitrarily corrupted. An efficient Support Matrix Machine that simultaneously performs matrix Recovery (SSMRe) is proposed, i.e. feature selection and classification through joint minimization of l2,1 (the nuclear norm of L ). The data are assumed to consist of a low-rank clean matrix plus a sparse noisy matrix. SSMRe works under incoherence and ambiguity conditions and is able to recover an intrinsic matrix of higher rank in the presence of data densely corrupted. The objective function is a spectral extension of the conventional elastic net; it combines the property of matrix recovery along with low rank and joint sparsity to deal with complex high-dimensional noisy data. Furthermore, SSMRe leverages structural information, as well as the intrinsic structure of data, avoiding the inevitable upper bound. Experimental results on different real-time applications, supported by the theoretical analysis and statistical testing, show significant gain for BCI, face recognition, and person identification datasets, especially in the presence of outliers, while preserving a reasonable number of support vectors.

Exploring online health information quality criteria on social media: a mixed method approach

PurposeThis article outlines a research study that ranked health information quality criteria on social media from experts’ perspectives.MethodologyA mixed-method approach (qualitative-quantitative) used in current research. In the qualitative phase a literature review explored existing dimensions for evaluating social media content quality, focusing on identifying common dimensions and attributes. Furthermore, a quantitative method involving experts was utilized to rank the health information quality criteria for social media.ResultsThe findings indicated various dimensions of health information quality in the literature. Out of 17 criteria, accuracy, credibility, and reliability had the highest ranks, while originality, value-added, and amount of data had the lowest ranks, respectively, according to experts.ConclusionThe endeavor to bolster the dissemination of reliable health information on social media demands a sustained commitment to enhancing accountability, transparency, and accuracy, ensuring that users have access to information that is not only informative but also trustworthy.

Comparative efficacy of colchicine and intensive LDL-C lowering in patients with ASCVD receiving statins: a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract Background Adding intensive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering treatments or colchicine to statins resulted in additional cardiovascular benefits. However, the relative efficacy and priority of these agents are unclear. Purpose We aimed to compare the effects of these supplementary agents on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) receiving statins. Methods We performed a systematic review and frequentist network meta-analysis on randomized controlled trials. The primary efficacy endpoint was the main adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), and the secondary efficacy endpoints were myocardial infarct, stroke, coronary revascularization, cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality. The safety endpoints were treatment discontinuation and non-cardiovascular death. Colchicine was used as reference treatment. Random-effects model was used in case of high heterogeneity, the fixed-effects model was preferred otherwise. We ranked the comparative effects of all drugs with surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities. Results 17 trials totaling 85823 participants treated with colchicine, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor, Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 protein (NPC1L1) inhibitor and ATP citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor were included. Compared with colchicine, NPC1L1 inhibitor was associated with increased risk of MACE (risk ratio [RR]: 1.39, 1.21-1.59), stroke (RR: 1.81, 1.09-3.00) and coronary revascularization (RR: 1.36, 1.11-1.68), and PCSK9 inhibitor was associated with increased risk of MACE (RR: 1.27, 1.10-1.46). However, NPC1L1 inhibitor (RR: 0.68, 0.48-0.96) and PCSK9 inhibitor (RR: 0.64, 0.44-0.93) were associated with reduced risk of non-cardiovascular death in comparison to colchicine. PCSK9 inhibitors had a lower risk of MACE (RR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.85-0.98) and coronary revascularization (RR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81-0.97) compared with NPC1L1 inhibitor. Although no regimen prolonged survival, colchicine had the lowest rank at non-cardiovascular death and the worse performance on all-cause mortality. Conclusions In patients with ASCVD receiving statins, inflammation-inhibiting with colchicine seems to be superior to intensive LDL-C lowering therapy with PCSK9 inhibitor or NPC1L1 inhibitor in cardiovascular prevention. However, using colchicine as an alternative to intensive lipid-lowering therapy may need to be weighed against the greater cardiovascular benefits and the potential harms of higher non-cardiovascular death. Given the worse performance of colchicine on survival based on current evidence, colchicine may be more appropriate for patients who have been treated with intensive LDL-C-lowering agents but still have recurrent cardiovascular events.Forest plots of included agentsRadar plot of treatments based on SUCRA

Integrating E-Scooters into Urban Transportation: Issues, Policies, and Opportunity for System Change

Consider a kick scooter with a broad and low floor, broad wheels, and cancellation if ride reassurance and satisfaction are your top priorities. Choose a kick scooter with big casters, a low deck, a low overall weight, exceptional bearings, preferable without being suspended, if efficiency and speed are priorities. No need to be a licenced driver. Use with little exertion. Electric scooters are friendly to the economy. zero noise disturbance. Brushless DC Motors, often known as BLDC, are a more recent invention with superior capability to DC brushed motors. In general, brushless motors are more powerful, run longer, are more energy-efficient, don't overheat as quickly, and are cleaner. An extremely common e-scooter choice is a brushed motor. The bare maximum motor power for an adult electronic scooter is 250 watts. This power allows a scooter to travel over flat terrain and slight inclines without discomfort. Motors of 400 to 500 watts should be taken into consideration by those who intend to push their scooters up severe inclines. Alternative: Battery Capacity (kWh), Range (km), Top Speed (kmph), and Price (in thousand rupees), Charging Time (hours). Evaluation Preference: Ola S1, TVS iQube Electric, Ather 450X, Hero Electric Photon, Bajaj Chetak, Okinawa Ridge Plus, Simple One, Bounce Infinity E1, Hero Electric Optima CX, Ampere V48. “From the result it is seen that Simple One and is got the first rank whereas is the Ather 450X got is having the lowest rank”4. “The value of the dataset for Drilling engineers in MOORA (Multi-objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis) shows that it results in Insect layer and top ranking”.

On Hidden Rank Deficiency in MCR Problems

ABSTRACTPure component decomposition problems in chemometrics can be classified into rank‐regular and rank‐deficient problems. Rank‐deficient problems are characterized by a spectral data matrix that has a lower rank than the number of chemical species. However, it is possible that there exists rank‐regular factorization of the spectral data matrix, but none of these solutions can be interpreted chemically, and only a solution of the MCR problem with rank deficiency is chemically meaningful. Then we say that the underlying problem suffers from a hidden rank deficiency. In this paper, MCR problems with hidden rank deficiency are introduced and analyzed with several examples for problems of rank 2 and rank 3. The area of feasible solutions is determined with the help of additional constraints on the solution.