Specific Elements Research Articles

Sliding-Mode Control for Perturbed MIMO Systems With Time-Synchronized Convergence.

This article introduces a novel approach called terminal sliding-mode control for achieving time-synchronized convergence in multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) systems under disturbances. To enhance controller design, the systems are categorized into two groups: 1) input-dimension-dominant and 2) state-dimension-dominant, based on signal dimensions and their potential for achieving thorough time-synchronized convergence. We explore sufficient Lyapunov conditions using terminal sliding-mode designs and develop adaptive controllers for the input-dimension-dominant case. To handle perturbations, we design a multivariable disturbance observer with a super-twisting structure, which is integrated into the controller. By utilizing the sliding-mode technique and the disturbance observer, the proposed controller ensures simultaneous convergence of all output dimensions. In the state-dimension-dominant case, where a full-rank system matrix is absent, only specific output elements converge to equilibrium simultaneously. We conduct comparative simulations on a practical system to highlight the effectiveness of our proposed method for the input-dimension-dominant case. Statistical results reveal the benefits of shorter output trajectories and reduced energy consumption. For the state-dimension-dominant case, we present numerical examples to validate the semi-time-synchronized property.

Disentangled Retrieval and Reasoning for Implicit Question Answering.

To date, most of the existing open-domain question answering (QA) methods focus on explicit questions where the reasoning steps are mentioned explicitly in the question. In this article, we study implicit QA where the reasoning steps are not evident in the question. Implicit QA is challenging in two aspects. First, evidence retrieval is difficult since there is little overlap between a question and its required evidence. Second, answer inference is difficult since the reasoning strategy is latent in the question. To tackle implicit QA, we propose a systematic solution denoted as DisentangledQA, which disentangles topic, attribute, and reasoning strategy from the implicit question to guide the retrieval and reasoning. Specifically, we disentangle the topic and attribute information from the implicit question to guide evidence retrieval. For answer reasoning, we propose a disentangled reasoning model for answer prediction based on retrieved evidence as well as the latent representation of the reasoning strategy. The disentangled framework empowers each module to focus on a specific latent element in the question, and thus, leads to effective representation learning for them. Experiments on the StrategyQA dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in answering implicit questions, improving performance in evidence retrieval and answering inference by 31.7% and 4.5%, respectively, and achieving the best performance on the official leaderboard. In addition, our method achieved the best performance on the challenging EntityQuestions dataset, indicating the effectiveness in improving general open-domain QA tasks.

Constructing a MOEA approach for product form Kansei design based on text mining and BPNN

Kansei Engineering (KE) is a product design method that aims to develop products to meet users’ emotional preferences. However, traditional KE faces the problem that the acquisition of Kansei factors does not represent the real consumers demands based on manual and reports, and using traditional methods to calculate relationship between Kansei factors and specific design elements, which can lead to the omission of key information. To address these problems, this study adopts text mining and backward propagation neural networks (BPNN) to propose a product form design method from a multi-objective optimization perspective. Firstly, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) and WordNet are used to extract key user Kansei requirements from online review texts to obtain more accurate Kansei knowledge. Secondly, the BPNN is used to establish the non-linear relationship between product Kansei factors and specific design elements, and a preference mapping prediction model is constructed. Finally, BPNN is transformed into an iterative prediction value of non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), and the model is solved through multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) to obtain the Pareto optimal solution set that satisfies the user’s multiple emotional needs, and the fuzzy Delphi method is used to obtain the best product form design scheme that meets the user’s multiple emotional images. Using the example of electric bicycle form design could show that this proposed method can effectively complete multi-objective product solutions innovation design.

Making Basic Learning Modules for Building Construction Class X Competency in Building Modeling and Information Design Skills

This research was motivated by the problems faced, namely not using modules in the Basic Building Construction Basic Course on Elements of Specifications and Characteristics of Building Materials Based on Green Materials and Construction Work, as well as the competence of Class X Building Information Modeling in Building Modeling and Information Design skills. The purpose of this research is to produce products in the form of valid and practical modules. The research method used is Research &; Development (R&D) and refers to the Decide, Design, Develop and Evaluate (DDD-E) development model. Based on the results of the study, the percentage of material validity test, media validity test, and practicality test was obtained at 76%, 80% and 89.38% respectively. The conclusion in this study is that the learning modules developed are valid and practical to be used in the learning process of the elements of Specifications and Characteristics of Building Materials Based on Green Materials and Construction Works, as well as Building Information Modeling class X Building Modeling and Information Design Competencies.

The role of investing in agriculture for sustainable economic development

In conditions of global economic instability, as well as during a shock such as COVID-19, the world faces challenges to provide the planet with food. Historically, the main element of Kazakhstan economic specification is agriculture. Despite that Kazakhstan has resource and export potential, the current trend in the agricultural industry is not the country’s full power to ensure the economic accessibility of food and its physical availability not only to satisfy domestic demand, but also for export. A reason for this is that the amount of state funds allocated to this industry is insufficient despite its annual growth. In this regard, the role of investments in the agro-industrial complex is increasing in the country’s economy. This article presents an analysis of the share of agriculture in the structure of the economy of Kazakhstan and reveals its insignificant share. In this regard, ways to solve this problem have been proposed by expanding the volume of agriculture through the use of innovative methods and attracting investors to this industry for this purpose, which will ensure an increase in the growth rate of agriculture and sustainable growth of the country's economy. The study identified the limiting factors for the growth of investment in the agricultural sector in the conditions of the new reality.

Learning legal text representations via disentangling elements

Recently, a rising number of works has been focusing on tasks in the legal field for providing references to professionals in order to improve their work efficiency. Learning legal text representations, being the most common initial step, can strongly influence the performance of downstream tasks. Existing works have shown that utilizing domain knowledge, such as legal elements, in text representation learning can improve the prediction performance of downstream models. However, existing methods are typically focused on specific downstream tasks, hindering their effective generalization to other legal tasks. Moreover, these models tend to entangle various legal elements into a unified representation, overlooking the nuances among distinct legal elements. To solve the aforementioned limitation, we (1) introduce a generic model, called eVec (legal text to element-related Vector), based on a triplet loss to learn discriminative representations of legal texts concerning a specific element, and (2) present a framework eVecs for learning disentangled representations w.r.t. multiple elements. The learned representations are independent of each other in terms of elements, and can be directly applied to or fine-tuned for various downstream tasks. We conducted comprehensive experiments on two real-world legal applications, the results of which indicate that the proposed model outperforms a range of baselines by a margin of up to 34.2% on a similar case matching task and 14% on a legal element identification task. When a small quantity of labeled data is accessible, the proposed model’s superior performance becomes even more evident.

Global level of methylation in the sea lamprey (jawless vertebrate) genome is intermediate between invertebrate and jawed vertebrate genomes.

In eukaryotes, cytosine methylation is a primary heritable epigenetic modification of the genome that regulates many cellular processes. In invertebrate, methylated cytosine generally located on specific genomic elements (e.g., gene bodies and silenced repetitive elements) to show a "mosaic" pattern. While in jawed vertebrate (teleost and tetrapod), highly methylated cytosine located genome-wide but only absence at regulatory regions (e.g., promoter and enhancer). Many studies imply that the evolution of DNA methylation reprogramming may have helped the transition from invertebrates to jawed vertebrates, but the detail remains largely elusive. In this study, we used the whole-genome bisulfite-sequencing technology to investigate the genome-wide methylation in three tissues (heart, muscle, and sperm) from the sea lamprey, an extant agnathan (jawless) vertebrate. Strikingly, we found that the methylation level of the sea lamprey is very similar to that in sea urchin (a deuterostome) and sea squirt (a chordate) invertebrates. In sum, the global pattern in sea lamprey is intermediate methylation level (around 30%), that is higher than methylation level in the genomes of pre-bilaterians and protostomes (1%-10%), but lower than methylation level appeared in jawed vertebrates (around 70%, teleost and tetrapod). We anticipate that, in addition to genetic dynamics such as genome duplications, epigenetic dynamics such as global methylation reprograming was also orchestrated toward the emergence and evolution of vertebrates.

The Impacts of Animated Transport Safety Advertising Cross Two Cultures

ABSTRACT Transport safety campaigns are valuable for public health, as they prevent traffic fatalities and collisions. Authorities and nonprofit organizations attempt to promote transport safety by advertising via social media. Understanding the factors that make online transport safety campaigns successful is also important. However, studies exploring the impact of animated videos on transportation safety are scarce. We adopted the stimuli-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to examine the impact of music and graphics on transport users’ emotional states and behaviors. We also considered how the reactions varied across cultures. The respondents were shown animated transport safety advertisements produced by Metro Trains in Melbourne, Australia. A total of 217 valid questionnaires were collected from transportation users in Taiwan and Vietnam. In contrast, we explored the spillover effects of an animated transport safety promotion campaign across cultures. The findings show that music significantly impacts people’s emotions, which, in turn, are associated with positive behavioral intentions. Self-efficacy had the greatest effect on behavioral responses. We also found that transport users in Taiwan were more influenced by graphics, whereas those in Vietnam were more affected by music in the S-O path. Fear arousal affects the behavioral intentions of Vietnamese transportation users in the O-R path. Self-efficacy is the dominant factor affecting the ability of Taiwan’s transport users to obey traffic rules. Transport safety advertising should be designed to evoke emotions, and specific stimulus elements should be adjusted according to cultural preferences.

Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy.

Hospitalization can be an extremely distressing experience for seriously ill and injured children. Art therapy has a well-established clinical history, and recent research has begun to demonstrate its effectiveness in somatic pediatric wards. Descriptive and statistical research indicates that art therapy can alleviate anxiety and fear, improve mood, and enhance communication among children, parents, and healthcare professionals. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the specific elements of art therapy that facilitate a connection with the healthier aspects of the self. A total of 12 hospitalized children, aged 4-12, participated in an art therapy session led by a certified art therapist. Verbalizations during the sessions were recorded, and subsequent observations were synchronized with verbatim transcriptions of audio recordings. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to identify relevant patterns of meaning. The study identified four significant dimensions of the children's experiences during art therapy: (1) The child feels safe, (2) The child becomes a competent artist, bursting with creativity, (3) The healthy child emerges, and (4) The child achieves something beyond its limits - a triumph. The active ingredients contributing to effective art therapy include the stimulation of creativity, guided art-making with scaffolding support, task variation, granting children control over the artistic process, encouragement of free expression, and the display of positive regard. This study also delves into the therapeutic alliance, emphasizing its role in facilitating children's learning, self-expression, concentration, and the creation of work they take pride in. Additionally, certain psychotherapy-like interactions, such as control-mastery dynamics, were observed. Nevertheless, more extensive research with larger sample sizes is required to draw broader conclusions.

Evaluating an Instructional Intervention for Research Data Management Training

Objective – At a large research university in Canada, a research data management (RDM) specialist and two liaison librarians partnered to evaluate the effectiveness of an active learning component of their newly developed RDM training program. This empirical study aims to contribute a statistical analysis to evaluate an RDM instructional intervention. Methods – This study relies on a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental intervention during introductory RDM workshops offered 12 times between February 2022 and January 2023. The intervention consists of instruction on best practices related to file-naming conventions. We developed a grading rubric differentiating levels of proficiency in naming a file according to a convention reflecting RDM best practices and international standards. We used manual content analysis to independently code each pre- and post-instruction file name according to the rubric. Results – Comparing the overall average scores for each participant pre- and post-instruction intervention, we find that workshop participants, in general, improved in proficiency. The results of a Wilcoxon signed-rank test demonstrate that the difference between the pre- and post-test observations is statistically significant with a high effect size. In addition, a comparison of changes in pre- and post-test scores for each rubric element showed that participants grasped specific elements more easily (i.e., implementing an international standard for a date format) than others (i.e., applying information related to sequential versioning of files). Conclusion – The results of this study indicate that developing short and targeted interventions in the context of RDM training is worthwhile. In addition, the findings demonstrate how quantitative evaluations of instructional interventions can pinpoint specific topics or activities requiring improvement or further investigation. Overall, RDM learning outcomes grounded in practical competencies may be achieved through applied exercises that demonstrate immediate improvement directly to participants.

Business Process Outsourcing 14 Cybersecurity KPIs Towards a Strategic Information Security

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry faces an ever-increasing threat of cyber-attacks and data breaches, underscoring the critical importance of robust information security practices. To address these challenges, organizations must develop effective strategic information security, supported by reliable performance measurement tools such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This research aims to investigate the information security implemented by BPO companies and their utilization of the 14 cybersecurity KPIs to track and enhance their information security measures. A mixed-methods strategy is used in the study, integrating qualitative and quantitative techniques. The qualitative component involves thematic analysis of key informant interviews, while the quantitative component entails the analysis of Likert-scale questionnaires and numerical data. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into the significance of strategic information security in achieving effective information security management within the BPO industry. The study reveals the specific elements incorporated in these plans, such as risk assessment methodologies, security controls implementation, employee training, incident response strategies, and compliance measures. The implications of this study offer valuable insights for BPO organizations to develop robust strategic information security tailored to their specific context, ensuring effective alignment with organizational objectives and risk management strategies. Moreover, the research contributes to the existing literature on information security management frameworks, emphasizing the role of cybersecurity KPIs in evaluating security performance. Keywords: cybersecurity, information security, KPI, business process outsourcing industry, information security management

Effects of Gamification on Motivations of Elementary School Students: An Action Research Field Experiment

Background Gamification research and practice have gained popularity, but there is a lack of experimental and field evidence regarding the effectiveness of specific design elements and their use contexts especially in developing countries. Aim This research aimed to measure the effect of gamifying digital learning environments and compare the effects of badges and leaderboards on the development of cognitive and achievement motivation of elementary school students. Method A gamified environment focused on the circulatory system and employing interactive storytelling was developed. It was tested through an in-field experiment at an elementary school in Egypt. The research sample was of 30 students in the 5th grade, divided into two equal experimental groups (badges - leaderboard). Results The results indicated an increase in cognitive and achievement motivation among students in both experimental groups. However, there were no significant differences in the effects of badges and leaderboards on the cognitive and achievement motivations of the participants in the two experimental groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that the effects of gamification are more likely due to the holistic design and novelty, rather than the specific use of a specific game element.

Effects of a fall prevention exercise regimen on physical and psychosocial outcomes in elderly community dwellers: a randomized comparative study.

There is a need for comprehensive programs that address both the physical and psychosocial aspects of fall prevention for the elderly. This study assessed the efficacy of the exercise regimen on various health metrics for elderly community dwellers. Forty-four participants were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group adhered to a 9-step core exercise regimen for fall prevention, practicing three times a week for 30 minutes across 10 weeks, while the control group maintained their regular daily activities without any specific exercise program. Before and after the intervention, participants underwent the timed up-and-go t est to evaluate the physical function, the berg balance scale (BBS) and one-legged stance test (OLST) for balance assessment, the activity-specific balance confidence scale for fall-related self-efficacy, and measures for health-related quality of life. Participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in physical function (p = .04, Cohen's effect size (d) = 0.2). and balance ability on BBS (p < .01, d = 0.2) and OLST (p < .01, d = 1.3) compared to the control group. Furthermore, there was a notable enhancement in the quality of life indicators for this group, especially in areas such as physical function (p = .04, d = 0.2), physical-role limitation (p = .04, d = 0.2), mental health (p = .01, d = 0.3), vitality (p = .02, d = 0.4), body pain (p = .04, d = 0.5), and general health (p = .04, d = 0.4). These findings highlight the potential of the fall prevention exercise program in improving physical health aspects, but its influence on specific psychosocial elements remains to be determined.

X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy analyses of MXene electrode material used in energy storage applications – a review

Abstract X-rays have many uses in screening and materials characterization applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis are among them. From the XRD data, a crystal structure can be determined by analysis of the XRD pattern, intensity, and positions of the peaks. Information about the crystallographic space group, lattice parameters, preferred orientation, and crystallite size can be derived. XPS examines the surface chemical state of a sample. This review will focus exclusively on MXene compounds and their analysis using XRD and XPS. MXene are layered compounds with a strong potential for application in energy storage. Since MXenes are two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and nitride, the material exhibit signals indicating the presence of specific transition elements, 1s carbon, and 1s oxygen. Additionally, there is a possibility of detecting an element from group 13 or 14 of the periodic table, such as aluminum, nitrogen, or fluorine. A comprehensive study based on XRD and XPS analytical techniques of 2-dimensional electrode materials may provide advancement in the field of energy storage. MXene especially deserve attention due to their remarkable structural and electrochemical characteristics, such as conductivity, topological, and surface area, which attracted numerous researchers worldwide.

SUCCESSFUL CASES OF BRANDING THROUGH GRAPHIC DESIGN: ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC CASES WHERE GRAPHIC DESIGN INFLUENCED BRAND SUCCESS

Over the past decade, graphic design has become a pivotal element in the formation and management of brands. Its influence on consumer perception is gaining increasing significance in saturated markets and growing competition. The research problem revolves around the necessity for a thorough analysis of specific cases where graphic design emerged as a key factor in achieving success for brands. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of graphic design on the success of brands through specific cases, analyzing elements that led to positive changes in consumer perception. The object of the study encompasses brands from various market segments, where graphic design played a decisive role in achieving a high level of recognition and success. The subject of the research includes specific elements of graphic design, such as logos, packaging, and visual components, which have influenced the creation of a strong brand image. To attain the objectives, qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed, including consumer surveys, interviews with designers and brand representatives, as well as an analysis of visual elements in graphic design. The findings of the research underscore the importance of graphic design in shaping successful brands.

Essential trace element levels in multiple sclerosis: Bridging demographic and clinical gaps, assessing the need for supplementation

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disorder intricately linked to perturbations in trace element levels. While previous studies have explored circulating trace elements in a limited sample, understanding the impact of demographic and clinical variables on the elemental profile within a larger cohort remains elusive. MethodsThis study aimed to evaluate essential trace elements (Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, and Se) in the sera of 215 MS patients compared to a meticulously matched control group of 100 individuals with similar gender and age. Our main objective was to identify potential variations in elemental profiles based on demographic and clinical parameters among MS patients, elucidating the prospective relevance of supplementing specific essential trace elements. ResultsData indicated a significant decrease in serum levels of Mn, Co, Zn, and Se, and an increase in Cr in MS patients compared to controls. These trace elements not only discriminated between MS patients and controls but also exhibited distinctive capabilities among demographic subgroups. Gender, smoking habits, and age strata (20–40 years and 41–60 years) revealed discernible variations in elemental profiles between MS patients and their control counterparts. Se demonstrated the singular ability to stratify cases of extreme MS severity, mild relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and highly severe secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In contrast, Co significantly differentiated RRMS from primary progressive MS (PPMS), while Cu significantly differentiated SPMS from PPMS. Additionally, Cu showed a negative correlation with MSSS, while Mn and Zn showed a positive correlation with EDSS. ConclusionThese findings underscore a substantive deficiency in Mn, Co, Zn, and Se in the MS cohort, supporting targeted supplementation with these trace elements. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationship between essential trace elements and MS, paving the way for further research into personalized nutritional interventions for this complex neurological disorder.

Age-appropriate design of domestic intelligent medical products: An example of smart blood glucose detector for the elderly with AHP-QFD Joint KE

BackgroundIn response to the rise of intelligent products and the increasing prevalence of urban "empty nesters," we have developed a product specifically tailored for elderly diabetic patients. This product fulfils functional requirements and addresses stylistic preferences, contributing to the age-friendly evolution of home intelligent medical devices, particularly in intelligent blood glucose monitoring. MethodsOur approach commenced with a comprehensive user experience analysis to ascertain the needs of elderly users regarding home blood glucose meters. This involved constructing a hierarchy of user demands, followed by analysing and prioritising these needs. Utilizing Quality Function Deployment (QFD), we aligned user requirements with design specifications, identifying specific product functionalities and service design elements. Further, we employed Kansei Engineering (KE) to select sample designs that resonate with the concept of sensual imagery, leading to the derivation of specific modelling intentions. Combining these design elements, we proposed product design strategies and conducted practical case studies. The effectiveness of these designs was then assessed through fuzzy evaluation methods, allowing for user feedback. ResultsEmploying the Analytic Hierarchy Process for goal analysis, along with Quality Function Deployment theory and Kansei Engineering, we developed a home intelligent blood glucose meter catered to the elderly. This device not only meets its users' physiological and psychological needs but also provides an operationally convenient, health-conscious, and aesthetically pleasing experience. ConclusionsThis methodology enhances the age-appropriate design of home-based smart glucose monitors for the elderly, offering innovative insights and optimization strategies for designing elderly-centric smart medical products.

Updraft Width Implications for Cumulonimbus Growth in a Moist Marine Environment

Abstract An idealized large-eddy simulation of a tropical marine cloud population was performed. At any time, it contained hundreds of clouds, and updraft width in shallow convection emerging from a subcloud layer appeared to be an important indicator of whether specific convective elements deepened. In an environment with 80%–90% relative humidity below the 0°C level, updrafts that penetrated the 0°C level were larger at and above cloud base, which occurred at the lifting condensation level near 600 m. Parcels rising in these updrafts appeared to emerge from boundary layer eddies that averaged ∼200 m wider than those in clouds that only reached 1.5–3 km height. The deeply ascending parcels (growers) possessed statistically similar values of effective buoyancy below the level of free convection (LFC) as parcels that began to ascend in a cloud but stopped before reaching 3000 m (nongrowers). The growers also experienced less dilution above the LFC. Nongrowers were characterized by negative effective buoyancy and rapid deceleration above the LFC, while growers continued to accelerate well above the LFC. Growers occurred in areas with a greater magnitude of background convergence (or weaker divergence) in the subcloud layer, especially between 300 m and cloud base, but whether the convergence actually led to eddy widening is unclear. Significance Statement Cumulonimbus clouds are responsible for many extreme weather phenomena and are important contributors to Earth’s energy balance. However, the processes leading to the growth of individual clouds are not completely understood nor well-represented in weather prediction models. We find that the clouds containing updrafts that start out wider at early stages of their life cycles grow taller, possibly because they are protected more from drier air outside the cloud than narrow clouds. In addition, this work shows how the initial width of clouds might be related to convergence in the lowest part of the atmosphere, at heights where clouds initially develop. However, meteorologists must be careful not to overinterpret these results because numerical simulations inherently include assumptions that may not reflect reality. This reinforces the need to also observe processes occurring at the scales of individual clouds.

Master of None: Challenging the Master-Apprentice Model

Abstract: A 2006 research study sought to identify specific characteristics that make for outstanding studio instruction by recording, observing, and analyzing three renowned artist-teachers. Some of the practices of the observed teachers seemed to embody a “master-apprentice” or “teacher-centered” model of teaching, which is increasingly falling out of favor among modern pedagogues. This article identifies the specific elements from the study that were most indicative of a master-apprentice approach. It outlines potential problems with these practices and presents alternative approaches that are intended to reflect a more student-centered pedagogy.

The role of individual decision-making in the manufacturing of bone retouchers

Bone retouchers, while often underrated, stand out as widespread tools throughout the Palaeolithic, typically linked to breaking bones for marrow extraction. Although bone retouchers are commonly considered a by-product of butchering activities, the possibility of intentional manufacturing has been rarely considered but should not be dismissed. In our experimental protocol, we explore decision-making processes involved in manufacturing bone retouchers, focusing on how these decisions are guided by intentional production rather than solely marrow extraction. The results indicate that individuals employ specific techniques and make technological decisions, rapidly acquiring experience in retoucher manufacturing that extends beyond mere intuition. The choice of bone-breaking technique(s) reflects the intention behind either marrow extraction or producing suitable bone fragments for retouchers. This decision-making process is heavily influenced by the morphology of the bone, presenting challenges that individuals learn to overcome during the experiment. The analysis of the experimental percussion marks suggests that certain marks on specific skeletal elements indicate intentional bone retoucher manufacturing. We then propose a likelihood grid to assess the reliability of traces on each skeletal element in inferring intentional manufacturing. Given the abundance of bone retouchers in Middle Palaeolithic contexts, a thorough investigation into the intentionality behind their manufacturing processes could significantly impact their relevance within other Palaeolithic bone industries.