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Multi‐objective redundancy allocation problem for systems with weighted k‐out‐of‐n subsystems formed by different types of multistate components
Get PDFThe redundancy allocation problem (RAP) is considered as one of the important problems in reliability theory. In this paper, we consider a series system with several subsystems wherein each subsystem is a weighted ‐out‐of‐ system formed by different types of multi‐state components. The degradation of the performance level (i.e., the probability of changing from a given state to the next state ) of a component of the system is modeled by the Markov process. Then, we study the multi‐objective RAP problem for this system, that is, we determine the optimum number of components of each type in each subsystem so that the maximum system reliability is achieved at minimum cost. Note that the given RAP problem is of NP‐hard type, and consequently, we use the controlled elitism non‐dominated ranked genetic algorithm (CE‐NRGA) to solve this problem. At the end, we illustrate the proposed methodology through a numerical example. Moreover, we discuss a case study to validate the proposed model
Planly : Teaching AI planning through block-based programming and robotics
Get PDFWe present Planly, a tool that teaches AI planning concepts through block-based programming and physical robotics. Using a Scratch-like interface, students construct PDDL planning problems with visual blocks, defining objects, states, goals, and actions. The system validates code, solves problems, and executes solutions through both a provided digital simulation and via a physical Arduino-powered kinematic arm. This approach makes abstract AI planning accessible and engaging for compulsory education, primarily aimed at the upper primary age group of 8-11 year olds
Reflecting on the ethical responsibility of the educator as pedagogical reducer
Get PDFDespite being a mainstay of continental educational discourse for centuries, the concept of pedagogical reduction has received only a little attention among Anglophone philosophers of education, although it is arguably a central feature of education. Inspired by the small, yet pioneering, body of work in this area, this paper aims to draw out, for an Anglophone audience, the as-yet unexplored ethical dimensions of pedagogical reduction as they are shaped by each of the discrete stages of the process – selection, simplification, and representation
Trends and predictors of caesarean section in Thailand before and during the COVID-19 pandemic : a retrospective analysis of national hospitalisation data under the Universal Coverage Scheme
Get PDFObjectives Since 1985, the international healthcare community has recommended the ideal rate of caesarean section (CS) to be 10%–15% at the national level. The literature has reported that overused CS without necessary medical indications can be harmful to both maternal and child health. To generate evidence to support policy on CS, this study evaluated the trend over time of CS in Thailand during January 2016 to October 2021 (which included the COVID-19 pandemic period) and explored predictors of CS use. Design and setting This study was a retrospective secondary data analysis of de-identified hospitalisation data under the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) from the National Health Security Office’s e-Claims database. Descriptive analyses were conducted to explore the number and rate of CS over time and across different characteristics (ie, age, hospital type, COVID-19 status and delivery day) including a multivariable logistic analysis to explore predictors of CS. Interrupted time series analysis was adopted to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CS rate. Participants 569 321 CS cases under UCS from 2016 to 2021. Results The results showed an increasing trend of CS rate, from 30% in January 2016 to 35% in October 2021. Both clinical (eg, medical indication and age) and non-clinical (eg, region and day of delivery) factors were significantly associated with CS. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic had no significant effect on CS rate (level: −0.0016, 95% CI −0.0085 to 0.0053, p=0.66). Conclusion This study highlighted an increasing trend of CS in Thailand and could present supportive evidence that Thailand might have been facing an overuse of CS. More awareness and actions are warranted to ensure the movement towards reduction of unnecessary CS in Thailand
Feasibility of a school-based peer-led high-intensity interval training intervention : the Young Fitness Leaders project
Get PDFIntroduction While school-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has demonstrated efficacy for improving adolescents’ physical and mental health, interventions have largely been researcher-led, which limits scalability. This could be resolved via peer-led programmes, whereby older pupils (i.e., peer-leaders) deliver HIIT to younger pupils (i.e., peer-recipients). We aimed to explore the feasibility of a school-based peer-led HIIT intervention. Methods Using a non-randomised controlled trial design, 44 Year 7 pupils (aged 12.1 ± 0.3 years [mean ± SD]) were recruited from one school in Northeast England, with 21 (8 girls) allocated as peer-recipients to an 8-week HIIT intervention, and 23 (17 girls) as controls. Five Year 12-13 pupils (aged 17.3 ± 0.4 years) were recruited as peer-leaders and received training on school-based HIIT based on boxing and whole-body exercises. Peer-leaders then delivered twice weekly HIIT sessions during morning tutor time. Primary outcomes were recruitment, retention, attendance and acceptability (explored in post-intervention focus groups with peer-recipients, peer-leaders and teachers). Secondary outcomes included intervention fidelity (via researcher field note observations and heart rate monitoring), and preliminary impact on physical fitness and psychological outcomes. Results Recruitment was 72% (21/29 eligible pupils), 74% (23/31) and 42% (5/12) for peer-recipients, controls and peer-leaders, respectively. All control participants completed the study; one peer-leader left the school, and two peer-recipients withdrew (94% overall retention). Intervention attendance (expressed as percentage of scheduled sessions) was 73±31%. The intervention was generally well-received by peer-recipients, peer-leaders and teachers. The mean peak heart rate across all repetitions was 76% of age-predicted maximal, with a between- and within-participant variability of 6% points and 8% points, respectively. For the physical fitness and psychological outcomes, intervention effect directions were inconsistent and effect estimates imprecise. Conclusions Peer-led HIIT may represent a scalable and feasible school-based physical activity model from a recruitment, retention, attendance and acceptability perspective. However, intervention heart rates and session observations suggest HIIT activities were not always delivered and performed as intended, which could limit intervention effectiveness in larger-scale trials. Future iterations of peer-led HIIT programmes should focus on refining intervention delivery by providing an enhanced training and support package for peer-leaders
Modeling stock yield reaction to environmental changes: does geopolitical risk matter? : a VECM framework in China
Get PDFThis paper examines the impact of air pollution on stock market performance, emphasizing geopolitical risk as a mediator. It explores how air pollution's health effects disrupt investor behavior and financial market dynamics, with geopolitical risk bridging the relationship between air quality, emissions policies, and stock performance, thus highlighting the interplay between environmental and financial systems. This study employs the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to analyze both short-term and long-term dynamics among the regressors. Using updated data from A-share listed firms on the Shanghai Composite Index, covering the period 2012–2021, the analysis is supported by rigorous stationarity and cointegration tests to ensure the robustness and reliability of the findings. The long-term results indicate that air pollution and geopolitical risk significantly influence stock yield volatility, with deviations from equilibrium gradually corrected over time. In the short term, there is a significant Granger causality between stock yield and both air pollution and geopolitical risk, highlighting their combined impact on stock market performance. The study shows that air quality index negatively affects stock yield by depressing investor sentiment and driving irrational behaviors, emphasizing its role as both a social challenge and a key driver of financial market stability and economic development
Comparative efficacy of electrokinetic and static leaching for selective metal recovery and nutrient release from porphyry Cu tailings
Get PDFThis study presents the first systematic comparison of electrokinetic (EK)-assisted and static leaching (SL) for the selective extraction of Cu from porphyry Cu tailings, while also assessing the potential biotoxicity and nutrient release within treated residues. Twelve lixiviants were tested, comprising: inorganic acids, organic acids, chloride solutions and deep eutectic solvents (DES). EK consistently enhanced metal leaching due to the additional mass transfer under a superimposed voltage gradient. Citric acid (0.5 M) proved most effective, achieving 60.8% Cu recovery with EK (2 V/cm) over 22 days, compared to 41.9% with SL. EK also markedly improved DES performance; CaCl₂:ethylene glycol achieved a 25-fold increase in Cu recovery (17.6% vs. 0.7% for SL), demonstrating that EK can substantially mitigate mass-transfer constraints in such viscous solvents. Principal Component Analysis showed greater variability under EK, indicating lixiviant-specific amplification of leaching efficacy. Whilst EK-assisted leaching increased the concentration of actually bioavailable toxic metals within treated residues, suggesting short-term ecological risks if such metals are not effectively captured, it simultaneously increased the bioavailability of plant-available nutrients: Fe, K, Mg and P, whilst also substantially decreasing the total potentially bioavailable concentration for all metals. Overall, these findings show that EK-assisted leaching, particularly when combined with citric acid, offers a potentially transformative approach for target metal recovery from porphyry Cu tailings whilst also lowering their total potential long-term ecological impact and enhancing nutrient availability
Probing dendrite growth under microgravity via machine learning-aided multi-scale characterisation
Get PDFGrowth kinetics and orientation selection play a significant role in microstructure evolution during metal solidification, while gravity-induced convection adds significant complexity to the process. In-situ, time-resolved X-ray imaging of solidifying grain-refined Al–20 wt.% Cu alloy onboard the MASER-13 sounding rocket enabled the study of equiaxed dendrite growth under diffusion-controlled conditions, eliminating the influence of gravity. A machine learning-enabled analytical pipeline was developed to extract and evaluate the spatiotemporal behaviour of a large number of individual dendrites, including their growth characteristics, rotations and interactions. Post-flight synchrotron X-ray computed tomography and electron backscatter diffraction were used to reconstruct the three-dimensional dendrite structure with embedded details of crystallographic orientations. Correlated data analysis confirmed that most dendrites grew along directions parallel to the {100} plane under highly isothermal, diffusion-controlled conditions. However, growth along atypical directions was also observed, even in this simplified regime. The benchmark data revealed variation in dendrite arm evolution, influenced by local grain interactions and crystallographic orientation selection. It is shown that the equiaxed grains have random crystallographic orientations and evidence suggests that these survive from shortly after nucleation in the bulk liquid under microgravity conditions. The data processing protocols demonstrated here highlight the potential of integrating advanced experimental techniques with modern data science approaches to analyse solidification microstructure formation in metallic alloys under terrestrial and microgravity conditions
Increased Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 is associated with metabolic syndrome in people with chronic spinal cord injury : a cross-sectional study
No full textObjective: To investigate the association between plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and conventional metabolic parameters in people with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: A cross-sectional study Setting: An SCI-specialized rehabilitation facility in a university hospital Participants: Fifty-six participants with chronic SCI (duration of SCI ≥ 1 year) Intervention: Not applicable Main Outcome Measure: After informed consent, demographic and SCI-related parameters were collected. Metabolic parameters, including anthropometric measures, body composition assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and blood tests, were evaluated. Plasma FGF21 levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed by the American Heart Association (AHA)/the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) III Criteria. Associations between plasma FGF21 levels and other parameters were determined using multivariable linear regression analyses. Results: Among 56 participants, 37 people (66%) were male. The mean (SD) age was 43.8 (10.6) years. Twelve people (21%) had tetraplegia and 14 people (15%) had complete SCI. Twelve (21%) participants were diagnosed with obesity, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Using multivariable analysis adjusting for all demographic data, medical conditions, and metabolic parameters, being diagnosed with MetS had an independent positive association with plasma FGF21 level (P = 0.020, Beta coefficient = 0.776 [95%CI: 0.126–1.426]; multivariable linear regression analysis) Conclusions: In people with chronic SCI, MetS is an independent positive associated factor of plasma FGF21 level, which may suggest the presence of FGF21-resistant condition. This result addresses the interesting role of FGF21 in the development of cardiometabolic diseases in people with chronic SCI
Exploring the applicability of the UK Prescribing Safety Assessment with early career pharmacists as preparation before formal prescribing training
No full textEvidence shows that non-medical prescribing is as effective as medical prescribing in a range of acute and chronic conditions and is well accepted by a diverse range of key stakeholders. Pharmacists in the UK are set to acquire prescribing skills at an earlier stage in their training, with prescribing integrated into the first five years of training and the ability to prescribe from the point of registration from August 2026. Therefore, reliable and reproducible methods of assessing their ability to prescribe safely need to be in place. The UK Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) could be a standard method to assess prescribing skills across professions. To examine the performance of post-registration Foundation pharmacists in the PSA and to explore their views on its suitability as a development tool before enrolling on an independent prescribing (IP) course. Pharmacists in Scotland 12 months into the post-registration Foundation programme were invited to sit a 30-question, blueprint-aligned online PSA in September 2024. Mean scores and facility scores were determined. (Facility is a measurement of how easy a question is: higher facility index = question is considered easier; lower facility index = question is considered more difficult). An online evaluation questionnaire gathered feedback on content and appropriateness, analysed using thematic analysis. Seventy-one of 128 (55.5%) eligible pharmacists sat the PSA; mean total score was 72.5% (SD 10.2). Domain-level mean scores (facility) were: Prescription Review 13.51/16 (0.84); Providing Information 4.96/6 (0.83); Dose Calculations 6.85/8 (0.86); Adverse Drug Reactions 6.51/8 (0.81); Drug Monitoring 5.61/8 (0.70); Planning Management 5.01/8 (0.63); Data Interpretation 3.41/6 (0.57); Prescription Writing 26.62/40 (0.67). The questionnaire was completed by 16/71 (22.5%) PSA sitters: most agreed the assessment was appropriate for their stage and helpful preparation for an IP course; some community pharmacists considered hospital-based content less relevant. Formative participation in the UK PSA by post-registration Foundation pharmacists provided domain-level performance data and was regarded by respondents as useful preparation for an IP course. Findings suggest potential value in situating the PSA during the Foundation Training Year, with consideration of sector relevance and targeted support for domains such as prescription writing and data interpretation
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