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Myocardial Parameters for Detecting Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction
No full textMyocardial ischemia, a hallmark of coronary artery disease (CAD), is not always caused by the narrowing or blockage of the epicardial coronary arteries. In many patients, coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) plays a pivotal role. CMD involves structural and functional abnormalities in the coronary microcirculation that result in insufficient myocardial perfusion, leading to symptoms such as angina and ischemia. Diagnosing and managing CMD is more complex than traditional CAD due to its subtle presentation and the challenges it poses in clinical settings. Therefore, understanding how myocardial parameters influence CMD is crucial for improving patient outcomes and advancing therapeutic strategies
Large-scale events in existing studies: A Case Study of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
No full textDespite the growing trend for hosting sports-events in existing venues, there is little academic research into the impacts of this shift. Using the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (B2022) as a case study, this article addresses this gap by analysing the effects of hosting large-scale events in such venues. Document analysis and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders provided insights into the planning and execution of B2022 and Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) was used to examine how access to resources affected the behaviour of stakeholders. Despite relying on existing venues, organisers remained the most powerful stakeholders, providing access to the funding used by the venues for long-term infrastructural developments. Knowledge, an important intangible resource, was not always passed on successfully. Communication difficulties between the organising committee and venue staff led to a missed opportunity of formal knowledge transfer, while some displacement within the local community was evident
Turbulence statistical analysis of the L-H transition and RMPs in KSTAR
No full textWe investigate the turbulence statistics associated with low-to-high confinement (L-H) transitions and externally applied resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) in KSTAR. Time-series fluctuations of electron density ne (BES), electron temperature Te (ECEI), and the time derivative of the poloidal magnetic field dBθ/dt (Mirnov coils) are analysed using information-geometric measures (information rate Γ and information length L = R Γdt), together with kurtosis κ and variance σ2. In low-density upper single-null plasmas (ne ∼ 1.2 × 1019 m−3), a ∼ 80 kHz magnetic mode coupling ne, Te, and dBθ/dt emerges prior to the L-H transition and persists into the ELMy H-mode. Edge-localised RMPs (ERMPs) suppress this coherent mode but enhance intermittency, producing frequent bursts that abruptly reshape the time- dependent Probability Density Functions (PDFs) and generate large spikes in Γ (with smaller changes in κ), signalling ERMP-driven departures from quasi-stationarity. The impact of ERMPs on background fluctuation levels depends on density, radial location, and the fluctuating variable itself (n ̃, T ̃, B ̇θ), whereas L provides a robust, regime- agnostic measure of cumulative statistical reorganisation and spatial decorrelation. In particular, at low density we observe weaker coupling between n ̃ and T ̃, along with a tendency toward decreased radial correlation—most clearly for T ̃—under ERMPs. Overall, information geometry cleanly captures intermittent events, quantifies non- equilibrium PDF evolution, and offers a compact, cross-diagnostic metric for assessing RMP effects on edge transport and correlation across densities, radial locations, and confinement states
A QoS-driven Fuzzy Logic-based Adaptive MPQUIC Scheduler for Heterogeneous Networks
Get PDFMultipath communication has become a fundamental technique for improving network performance and reliability. However, in heterogeneous and dynamic network environments, conventional scheduling mechanisms often suffer from issues such as head-of-line (HOL) blocking and receiver buffer overflow, leading to suboptimal transmission efficiency. To address the limitations, we propose Stream-Aware Optimal Path First (SA-OPF), a novel adaptive scheduler for Multipath QUIC (MPQUIC) that dynamically selects the optimal path for each packet transmission. Firstly, SA-OPF allocates different transmission resources to different streams based on stream weights to meet quality of service (QoS) requirements, known as stream-aware scheduling. Then, SA-OPF leverages a fuzzy logic system to evaluate the performance of each path in real-time, ensuring that packets are forwarded along the optimal path, known as adaptive scheduling policy. By incorporating stream-aware and adaptive optimal path scheduling, SA-OPF improves QoS for high-priority streams while providing a minimum bandwidth guarantee for low-priority streams. We implement SA-OPF in MPQUIC and evaluate its performance in various heterogeneous network scenarios in both emulated and real-world network environments. Experimental results demonstrate that SA-OPF significantly improves data transmission efficiency and reduces transmission latency compared to existing MPQUIC schedulers
Acute resistance exercise load modulates brain haemodynamics, working memory, and inhibitory performance
No full textBackground: Acute resistance exercise (RE) has been shown to improve executive function (EF), but its effects at different intensities on specific EF domains (e.g., inhibition, working memory) and underlying brain mechanisms (i.e., brain hemodynamics) remain unclear. Methods: Forty-two young, active, and healthy adults (mean age = 26.9 ± 0.8 years; 24 men) were randomly allocated to one of three experimental groups: 1) RE at high load (HRE) (75 % of 1RM), 2) RE at moderate load (MRE) (50 % of estimated of 1RM) and 3) a resting control condition (CON). Participants completed Stroop and N-back tasks (i.e., measuring inhibition and working memory) to assess EF at three time points: pre-exercise, post-exercise (Post), and 45 min post-exercise (Post45). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to determine changes in brain hemodynamics during cognitive testing. Results: HRE produced small to moderate improvements in Stroop incongruent trial performance (d=0.40) and moderate gains on the 2-back working memory task (d=0.80 post), with smaller improvements on the 1-back task. In comparison, MRE showed weaker effects on Stroop performance but moderate improvements on the 2-back task (d=0.65). HRE showed increases in right hemisphere oxygenated haemoglobin (O 2Hb) across tasks, particularly under higher cognitive load (d = 0.65 in congruent Stroop trials). MRE induced smaller but notable O 2Hb increases (d=0.35–0.54), whereas CON showed little or declining O 2Hb levels. Conclusion: HRE was associated with greater improvements in EF, particularly inhibition and working memory, and was associated with stronger and more sustained functional brain hemodynamics changes compared to MRE.</p
Practitioners’ experiences with collaborative learning among students in mathematics support centres
No full textPractitioners in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been adopting and developing the practice of Mathematics Learning Support (MLS) services for the last forty years. These services vary in size and operation, but at the core of many is a MLS centre: a room dedicated to helping students with queries, which is resourced with tutors, worksheets, whiteboards, and so on. While generally these services are designed around one-to-one interactions, students in some institutions use these centres as collaborative study spaces. Inspired by this spontaneous collaborative learning among students, this exploratory mixed methods study aims to investigate the potential active utilisation of collaborative learning by mathematics support practitioners. This article examines themes developed from a recent series of interviews with practitioners on this topic
Perceived Market Leadership and Customer Engagement for IT Companies in the Enterprise Software Market:Evaluating the Role of Social Media Marketing
Get PDFPurpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of social media marketing (SMM) activities for IT companies (ITCs) in the enterprise software market. Specifically, it examines the impact of SMM activities on perceived market leadership and customer engagement while considering the moderating role of product category knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing data collected from 322 users of customer relationship management (CRM) software who follow these companies on social media. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed hypotheses and evaluate the relationships between SMM activities, perceived market leadership, and customer engagement. Findings: The results indicate that informativeness and customization in SMM activities significantly enhance perceived market leadership and customer engagement. Conversely, interaction and entertainment dimensions have limited impact. Perceived market leadership mediates the relationship between SMM activities and customer engagement. Moreover, product category knowledge strengthens the influence of informativeness on customer engagement. Originality/value: This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by exploring the role of SMM activities in B2B contexts, specifically in the enterprise software market, where research is limited. It provides actionable insights for ITCs, emphasizing the strategic importance of informative and tailored SMM approaches in establishing market leadership and fostering customer engagement.</p
Horizontal Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) in Ethiopia:Normative and Empirical Considerations
No full textHorizontal Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) have been paid little attention in many federations, and the practice of governing them through a formal IGR Act is uncommon, although politics of interstate relations directly affect thousands of business firms and millions of citizens. This paper uses the Ethiopian Federation as a case study to explore how interstate relations are governed and practiced. The research used a qualitative approach. The findings illustrate that most interstate relations had faced difficulties in operating and fulfilling their stated missions, with most being inactive. This study suggested that informal interstate agreements have failed to address the substantive issues faced by states in their bilateral relations. The problems with the informal horizontal practice of IGR led to the institutionalization of horizontal IGR forums via the 2021 IGR Law. As this law has yet to be fully operationalized, it is unclear if this experiment in institutionalizing horizontal IGR will succeed.</p
Understanding Multistationarity of Fully Open Reaction Networks
No full textThis work addresses multistationarity of fully open reaction networks equipped with mass action kinetics. We improve upon existing results relating existence of positive feedback loops in a reaction network and multistationarity; and we provide a novel deterministic operation to generate new non-multistationary networks. This is interesting because while there were many operations to create infinitely many new multistationary networks from a multistationary example, this is the first such operation for the non-multistationary counterpart. Such tools for the generation of example networks have a use-case in the application of data science to reaction network theory. We demonstrate this by using new data, along with a novel graph representation of reaction networks that is unique up to a permutation on the name of species of the network, to train a graph attention neural network model to predict multistationarity of reaction networks. This is the first time machine learning tools are used for studying classification problems of reaction networks