Steady Pace Research Articles

From fragmentation to functionality: Enhancing coherence of digital health integration in health systems.

Digital health programs continue to be implemented within Canadian health systems at a steady pace. The effectiveness of digital health initiatives has been rigorously analyzed, with both benefits and drawbacks extensively commented on. While the discussion about digital health continues, both positive and negative perspectives of it are approaching saturation in their themes. Accepting that digital health is here to stay post-pandemic, the focus should shift to strategies and supports needed to avoid the fragmentation of care through digital health implementation. This short article poses three questions which policy-makers and decision-makers should explore as part of a level-setting exercise with involved stakeholders at the outset of a digital health program's consideration. An implementation team should design the digital health program to have equity as its foundational focus, conduct value-based evaluations, and position the program in a learning health system framework to guard against the fragmentation of care.

Influence of musical training on temporal productions when using fast and slow counting paces.

The aim of the study was to assess the ability to maintain a steady pace during a counting task, aloud or silently, when a fast (28 counts every 900 ms) or slow (18 counts every 1,400 ms) pace is adopted (target = 25,200 ms), and to test whether ability is the same for musician and nonmusicians. The study analyzes the mean and variability of 30 temporal productions. The results show more variability (a larger coefficient of variation: standard deviation/mean production) in the condition where the pace is slow, a finding consistent with previous reports with this task. This finding applies here in both the aloud and silent counting conditions and, most importantly, applies to both musicians and nonmusicians. The results also indicate that there is no significant difference for the absolute error (|mean production - target duration|). In brief, the capacity to keep variability low when maintaining a pace seems to gain benefit from musical training, and this training difference does not depend on counting aloud versus silently and is not restricted to brief intervals.

A behaviouristic semantic approach to blockchain-based e-commerce

Electronic commerce and finance are progressively supporting and including decentralized, shared and public ledgers such as the blockchain. This is reshaping traditional commercial activities by advancing them towards Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Commerce 3.0, thereby supporting the latter’s potential to outpace the hurdles of central authority controllers and lawgivers. The quantity and entropy of the information that must be sought and managed to become active participants in such a relentlessly evolving scenario are increasing at a steady pace. For example, that information comprises asset or service description, general rules of the game, and specific technologies involved for decentralization. Moreover, the relevant information ought to be shared among innumerable and heterogeneous stakeholders, such as producers, buyers, digital identity providers, valuation services, and shipment services, to just name a few. A clear semantic representation of such a complex and multifaceted blockchain-based e-Commerce ecosystem would contribute dramatically to make it more usable, namely more automatically accessible to virtually anyone wanting to play the role of a stakeholder, thereby reducing programmers’ effort. However, we feel that reaching that goal still requires substantial effort in the tailoring of Semantic Web technologies, hence this article sets out on such a route and advances a stack of OWL 2 ontologies for the semantic description of decentralized e-commerce. The stack includes a number of relevant features, ranging from the applicable stakeholders through the supply chain of the offerings for an asset, up to the Ethereum blockchain, its tokens and smart contracts. Ontologies are defined by taking a behaviouristic approach to represent the various participants as agents in terms of their actions, inspired by the Theory of Agents and the related mentalistic notions. The stack is validated through appropriate metrics and SPARQL queries implementing suitable competency questions, then demonstrated through the representation of a real world use case, namely, the iExec marketplace.

Multicore-fiber submarine systems [Invited

This paper reviews and analyzes multicore-fiber technologies in the context of submarine networks. As global/transcontinental capacity continues to grow at a large and steady pace, the subsea industry is challenged to deliver technologies that provide large-capacity networks in a faster, greener, and cost-effective fashion. Multicore fiber has been considered as a serious candidate for next-generation systems with the ability to maintain standard cable size at large core counts. This paper analyzes the technoeconomics of next-generation submarine systems including variables such as equipment size versus marine cost and other critical elements (not analyzed before, to our knowledge) for submarine system implementation. In this context, this paper also analyzes the state-of-the-art of multicore subsystems and components and discusses their roadmaps, requirements, and evolution toward the realization of a multicore ecosystem for next-generation SDM systems.

Critical mass in a crowd: A predictive model of online crowdfunding of public goods in the U.S. vs. U.K

Research on differences in public goods crowdfunding donation behavior among top-performing markets is scarce, particularly among countries that are often considered culturally similar overall but have differences that may affect crowdfunding donation behavior (e.g., the U.S. and U.K.). With addressing this gap in mind, we calculate the “critical mass” numbers for both markets using scraped data from major crowdfunding sites and advanced econometrics and analytics techniques. While fewer contributors are required for a U.S. crowdfunding campaign to “take off,” U.S. contributions decrease afterward. Meanwhile, U.K. participants follow the opposite pattern, contributing at a slower yet steadier pace over time, with more successful campaigns long term. Further, lower (higher) information efficiency leads to lower critical mass numbers, lower duration, and more donors for the U.S. (U.K.). The findings contribute to the literature on global crowdfunding by characterizing idiosyncrasies of the top two crowdfunding markets in donation behavior toward public goods campaigns.

Integrating direct air capture with algal biofuel production to reduce cost, energy, and GHG emissions

We investigate the potential to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions of the utilization of direct air capture of CO2 (DAC) for the production of algal biofuel. We examine four integrated designs for a DAC system comprised of solid amine monolith adsorbents delivering CO2 at the required level for algae cultivation with a photobioreactor (PBR)-based fuel production facility. We show that the integration of DAC with this biofuel production facility provides cost and greenhouse gas emissions benefits. Heat integration decreases operating expenses by reducing energy demand for heating requirements. Mass integration, utilizing flue gas CO2 as a carbon source for the PBRs, decreases the DAC system scale, resulting in both capital and operating cost savings. The most advantageous option depends on the interplay of heat and mass integration while matching the diurnal rhythm of algal growth with the inherently steady pace and energy requirements of the DAC system and fuel production. For these technologies, the DAC-PBR mass and energy integration provides an 18 % cost reduction and a 50 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the current state of the technology.

APPLICATION OF COGNITIVE BEAHVIORAL THERAPY FOR TREATMENT OF SEXUAL OCD

Our population growth problem is manifesting itself in physical and mental health issues which are growing at a steady pace. Viruses have various mutations, so is the case with mental health issues. As a clinical psychologist and practitioner, I observe a wide range of such variations. Mostly, individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can be characterized within the domain of fear due to contamination from dirt, fear of death, religious beliefs etc. There is a considerable group of people within those who also deal with unwanted sexual thoughts, impulses and illusions. The cultures that are conservative in nature have people who hold certain kind of beliefs or intrusive thoughts which is considered a taboo [1]. People don’t want to talk about it due to conditioning. As opposed to, if someone shares such thinking, the society at large, and the close associates such as friends and family stigmatize them, they are made to feel guilty and often labeled as a “wrongdoer.” This is as a result of lack of awareness [2].

Self-confidence and consensus-based group decision making methods and applications

As the field of intelligent decision making continues to evolve, research on multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) is advancing at a steady pace. Nevertheless, existing research seldom addresses the aggregated solution of self-confidence and consensus in decision making information with diverse possibilities, despite its relevance to uncertain decision making environments. Consequently, this paper presents an approach to self-confidence and consensus-based group decision making. Firstly, the method provides a way for transforming three-parameter interval grey numbers into randomized decision making information. This establishes the foundation for the computation of possibility decision making information for uncertain decisions. Then, a method based on self-confidence and consensus is developed to determine the decision makers (DMs) weights, which is derived from the randomized decision making information. Next, a novel self-confidence index (SCI) for computing self-confidence and a new group consensus index (GCI) for computing consensus are demonstrated, and a reliability index (REI) method for randomized decision making information is given, which is used to identify high self-confidence and high consensus decision making information to improve the quality of decisions. Subsequently, a possibility ranking method is constructed based on pairwise comparisons of alternatives, taking into account density preferences, in order to obtain final possibility ranking conclusions. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to illustrate the concrete implementation process of the methods employed in this research. The efficacy of the proposed method is also demonstrated through a comparative analysis with the other methods.

An innovative visual approach to the simultaneous study of two dimensions of progress in longevity: an application to French and German regions

BackgroundBoth enhancing life expectancy and decreasing inequalities in lifespan between social groups are significant goals for public policy. To date, however, methodological tools to study progress in both dimensions simultaneously have been lacking. There is also a consensus that absolute and relative inequalities in lifespan must be studied together.MethodsWe introduce a novel graphical representation that combines national mortality rates with both absolute and relative measures of social inequality in mortality. To illustrate our approach, we analyze French and German data stratified by place of residence.ResultsFor all-age mortality, in France we find a steady pace of decline in both mortality and in regional inequalities in mortality over recent decades. In Germany, substantial progress was made in the 1990s, mostly driven by convergence between eastern and western Germany, followed by a period of slower progress. Age-specific analyses for Germany reveal a worrying divergence in regional trends at ages 35–74 in recent years, which is particularly pronounced among women.ConclusionOur novel visual approach offers a way to simultaneously examine two dimensions of progress in longevity, and facilitates meaningful comparisons between populations, even when their current mortality rates differ. The applied methods can be easily reproduced in any country for which long-term mortality series stratified by region, or any relevant socioeconomic characteristic, are available. It is useful for both scientific analysis and policy advice.

Stress evolution of fault-and-thrust belts in 2D numerical mechanical models

We employed numerical models to examine the dynamics of fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs), particularly focusing on the spatial and temporal interplay between stress variations and fault development. Our study explores the effects of variables such as layer thickness, basal friction, and surface diffusivity on the FTBs’ structural development, emphasizing the conditions under which frontal thrusts form. We found that fault activities within FTBs exhibit a cyclic behavior characterized by phases of initiation, quiescence, and reactivation. For over 95% of the total cycle duration, the frontal thrusts are the only active structures, and the stress within the FTB predominantly remains in a critical state. During the remaining 5%, the stress becomes over-critical, leading to the formation of a proto-thrust zone and the reactivation of pre-existing thrusts within the FTB. The lateral growth rate of FTBs is directly related to the thickness of the deforming layer, with the progression of the deformation front maintaining a steady pace across the study period. Additionally, our analysis on the progression of FTBs highlights the critical role of zonal failure spacing in determining the structural styles within FTBs. Our results indicate that narrowly spaced zonal failures, which promote the emergence of low-angle forethrusts, are more likely to occur at increased distances from the backstop. This explains the sequential frontal failure in the FTB; however, the stress accumulating at the rear weak zones also play an important role in the evolutionary patterns of the FTB. Our study offers new insights into the complex processes governing the mountain formation.

Swirling Capillary Instability of Rivlin–Ericksen Liquid with Heat Transfer and Axial Electric Field

The mutual influences of the electric field, rotation, and heat transmission find applications in controlled drug delivery systems, precise microfluidic manipulation, and advanced materials’ processing techniques due to their ability to tailor fluid behavior and surface morphology with enhanced precision and efficiency. Capillary instability has widespread relevance in various natural and industrial processes, ranging from the breakup of liquid jets and the formation of droplets in inkjet printing to the dynamics of thin liquid films and the behavior of liquid bridges in microgravity environments. This study examines the swirling impact on the instability arising from the capillary effects at the boundary of Rivlin–Ericksen and viscous liquids, influenced by an axial electric field, heat, and mass transmission. Capillary instability arises when the cohesive forces at the interface between two fluids are disrupted by perturbations, leading to the formation of characteristic patterns such as waves or droplets. The influence of gravity and fluid flow velocity is disregarded in the context of capillary instability analyses. The annular region is formed by two cylinders: one containing a viscous fluid and the other a Rivlin–Ericksen viscoelastic fluid. The Rivlin–Ericksen model is pivotal for comprehending the characteristics of viscoelastic fluids, widely utilized in industrial and biological contexts. It precisely characterizes their rheological complexities, encompassing elasticity and viscosity, critical for forecasting flow dynamics in polymer processing, food production, and drug delivery. Moreover, its applications extend to biomedical engineering, offering insights crucial for medical device design and understanding biological phenomena like blood flow. The inside cylinder remains stationary, and the outside cylinder rotates at a steady pace. A numerically analyzed quadratic growth rate is obtained from perturbed equations using potential flow theory and the Rivlin–Ericksen fluid model. The findings demonstrate enhanced stability due to the heat and mass transfer and increased stability from swirling. Notably, the heat transfer stabilizes the interface, while the density ratio and centrifuge number also impact stability. An axial electric field exhibits a dual effect, with certain permittivity and conductivity ratios causing perturbation growth decay or expansion.

Techno-economic assessment of grid-connected photovoltaic systems for peak shaving in arid areas based on experimental data

In recent years, grid-connected photovoltaic system (GCPVS) has been installed at a steady pace around the world due to its clean energy generation, simple operation, and low maintenance. This technology is also a convenient solution for peak shaving in residential and commercial buildings of arid areas with great air conditioning demand in the summer noon. Several supportive policies have been accordingly legalized by countries/regions to attract private and government-based stakeholders. This paper proposes a techno-economic assessment of GCPVS in arid areas from the peak shaving perspective. As a practical case, the effect of a commissioned 102 kW GCPVS on peak shaving of the Mashhad waste management organization building is assessed, exploiting high-resolution one-year recorded data. The results endorse that installed GCPVS shaves the peak demand of this commercial building in summer noon by 40–50% on average. An economic evaluation is also conducted; the outputs highlighted that this project is economically viable with a 43,671 € net present value (NPV) and 34.5% internal rate of return (IRR). It is finally recommended that such practical and reliable studies with a large range of applications provide valuable insights and recommendations to the policymakers to adopt a well-modified policy according to the local economic and solar potential.

Pediatric refractive surgery: current opinion in ophthalmology.

Pediatric refractive surgery has been growing at a steady pace since its introduction in the early 1980 s. This article will review common laser refractive surgeries performed on pediatric patients along with controversies regarding the practice. Pediatric refractive surgery is reserved for a small population of children who fail amblyopic treatment due to high anisometropic refractive errors. Publications over the years have treated these children with various types of laser refractive surgery. Laser pediatric refractive surgery appears to be well tolerated and effective for the population of children that need it. It provides an alternative for anisometropic amblyopia treatment for children who would have otherwise not been able to improve their vision.

Conservation and upgradation of indigenous Cholistani cattle breed of Pakistan: a pathway to sustainable livestock.

Pakistan is endowed with many established indigenous zebu Bos indicus type (humped) cattle breeds including Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Bhagnari and Cholistani. Amongst these indigenous cattle breeds, Sahiwal and Red Sindhi have extensively been navigated and hence these two are acclaimed as internationally recognized breeds. However, research work on Cholistani cattle breed actually initiated in 2010 and has attained a steady pace. This breed was a new entrant in Livestock Census of Pakistan since 2006. Cholistani is a hardy, tick-resistant, adaptable cattle breed being reared under pastoral nomadism of the Cholistan desert, Pakistan. The present narrative review is the first of its kind intended to sum-up all the research work conducted about this indigenous cattle breed, and to put forth research gaps for this formerly neglected cattle breed. The review discusses the research work conducted on Cholistani cattle breed under five major research subjects/domains i.e. production attributes, theriogenology-related attributes, hematochemical attributes, disease, epidemiologic and therapeutic attributes, and genetic attributes. Future horizon for research avenues has also been given. It is the dire need of time that specific breed-oriented conservation and propagation programs may be initiated in the country so that sustained livestock and enhance socioeconomic profiling of rural communities may be attained.

Assessment of ecological civilization construction from the perspective of environment and health in China

This study innovatively evaluated ecological civilization in China from the perspective of environment and health. A Composite Environmental Health Index (CEHI) was constructed based on the Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) and Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) models. Results showed that significant and sustained improvements were observed in the ecological environment after ecological civilization, while economic development continued to progress at a steady pace. However, the advancement in population health (impact subsystem), exhibited comparatively modest progress, potentially linked to issues such as demographic aging and the enduring consequences of past exposure to environmental pollutants. At the provincial level, the regional development was uneven. The CEHI performance was highest in the eastern regions, followed by the central regions, with the western regions showing the least progress. Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang emerged as top performers with higher CEHI scores, which can be attributed to their favorable geographical positioning and the response subsystem. Conversely, northeastern regions (Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning) and northwestern regions (Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai) experienced limited advancements in post-ecological civilization implementation. For these underperforming regions, there is a pressing need to intensify efforts aimed at enhancing their response subsystems. In summary, China's pursuit of ecological civilization has yielded significant successes, potentially offering valuable insights for other nations striving for sustainable development. The ecological civilization model's integration of ecological environmental protection into economic, political, cultural, and social constructs may serve as a meaningful reference for the sustainable development of other countries.

Predictive maintenance of vehicle fleets through hybrid deep learning-based ensemble methods for industrial IoT datasets

Abstract Connected vehicle fleets have formed significant component of industrial internet of things scenarios as part of Industry 4.0 worldwide. The number of vehicles in these fleets has grown at a steady pace. The vehicles monitoring with machine learning algorithms has significantly improved maintenance activities. Predictive maintenance potential has increased where machines are controlled through networked smart devices. Here, benefits are accrued considering uptimes optimization. This has resulted in reduction of associated time and labor costs. It has also provided significant increase in cost benefit ratios. Considering vehicle fault trends in this research predictive maintenance problem is addressed through hybrid deep learning-based ensemble method (HDLEM). The ensemble framework which acts as predictive analytics engine comprises of three deep learning algorithms viz modified cox proportional hazard deep learning (MCoxPHDL), modified deep learning embedded semi supervised learning (MDLeSSL) and merged LSTM (MLSTM) networks. Both sensor as well as historical maintenance data are collected and prepared using benchmarking methods for HDLEM training and testing. Here, times between failures (TBF) modeling and prediction on multi-source data are successfully achieved. The results obtained are compared with stated deep learning models. This ensemble framework offers great potential towards achieving more profitable, efficient and sustainable vehicle fleet management solutions. This helps better telematics data implementation which ensures preventative management towards desired solution. The ensemble method's superiority is highlighted through several experimental results.

Attuned Rigour: Between Pictorial and Material Conditions

AbstractLebbeus Woods's extraordinary proficiency and mastery in different media was matched by his steady and fast pace of exploration. Riet Eeckhout, a drawings researcher and drawer herself, who teaches at KU Leuven, ponders this dexterity. Her focus is on the rigour of Woods's early works produced in Mylar and pastels, and on the carefully delimited spatial vocabulary – agency obtained through the capacity of the drawing to function outside explicit representation.

Population Changes Under the Impact of Industrialization in Vietnam: A Case Study of Binh Duong Province

Population change is a key component of Vietnam's economic development paradigm. However, in each locality, population shifts can be stimulating while also posing hurdles to socioeconomic development programs. This article assesses population changes in Binh Duong province and suggests plans for development and population control. The findings suggest that Binh Duong has a diversified population and is constantly receiving new population classes. Binh Duong's population increased the most rapidly between 1997 and 2023, following a centuries-long steady pace. This is also a time of dramatic demographic change, with the population becoming more multi-ethnic, multi-regional, multinational, and multicultural. Binh Duong's socioeconomic development successes reflect the contributions of all segments of the community, with immigrants playing a significant role. Binh Duong province must develop and implement policies for sustainable population management and development, including the establishment of a population database system linked to economic and social development strategies, the incorporation of population policies into economic, social, and cultural development programs and plans, and the linking of population development and management policies to sustainable population policies.

Influence of intellectual disability on exercise regulation: exploring verbal, auditory and visual guidance to contribute to promote inclusive exercise environments

ObjectiveThe role of intellectual disability (ID) in exercise regulation has remained largely unexplored, yet recent studies have indicated cognitive-related impaired pacing skills in people with ID. In a well-controlled laboratory...

ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ БИРЖЕВЫХ ИНСТРУМЕНТОВ ДЛЯ РАЗВИТИЯ РОССИЙСКОГО ДАЛЬНЕГО ВОСТОКА

This article examines how exchange-traded instruments can affect the economic growth rates of the Far Eastern macroregion. In the current conditions, the stock market is becoming one of those institutions that allow you to attract long-term financing on the most comfortable terms for the issuer. Government business support programs are already in place in this macro-region and they can be supplemented with stock market instruments. Thus, the economic effect of their action will be maximized, which will ensure a steady pace of economic development.