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Implementing a Cell-Free 6G Distributed AI Network With the Use of Deep ML Under a Traditional Multi-Cell Mobile Network
Get PDFThe emergence of cell-free networks marks a transformative shift in wireless communication by eliminating rigid cell boundaries and addressing the challenges of dense
environments. This study introduces a novel cell-free architecture that integrates advanced clustering algorithms—Self-Organizing Maps (SOM), Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), MeanShift, DBSCAN, and KMeans—with Belief-Desire-Intention extended (BDIx) agents for optimized resource allocation. Among the approaches, SOM demonstrates the highest performance, achieving superior clustering metrics and significantly improving network sum rate and energy efficiency, making it ideal for dense networks. The integration of BDIx agents enhances realtime decision-making for collaborative load balancing and resource distribution. Simulation results validate the framework’s alignment with 6G goals, offering a scalable, adaptive, and energy-efficient solution for modern wireless networks and highbandwidth urban applications
Platforms as Inequality Regimes: Researching Legal Services
No full textThis article examines how inequalities in traditional labour markets shape experiences and outcomes on platform work. The research applies Acker’s framework of inequality regimes, with a focus on gender, to a qualitative case study to analyse freelance platform work, specifically the provision of legal services. Tracking research participants over a period of time, the analysis demonstrates that structural disadvantages within the traditional labour market of the legal profession are not simply echoed, but amplified in platform work, challenging claims that platform work can act as a leveller
‘Post-rehabilitation phase’ in professional football: are we optimising player support after return-to-play?
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Performance Lifestyle Provision in a Multi-Disciplinary Team: A Qualitative Investigation of Current Practice and Future Progression
Get PDFPerformance Lifestyle (PL) services have the potential to make a novel contribution to athlete development, yet has limited research, notably examining the experiences of PL practitioners. This study explored PL practitioner perspectives to highlight current barriers and limitations in service delivery, whilst highlighting good practice. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted. Each participant supported athletes competing at professional, international, or Olympic levels. All participants were employed to deliver PL services with an average of 10.83 (±6.71) years’ experience. Reflexive thematic analysis was chosen to analyse the data with three main themes constructed. ‘Creating an informed environment’ illustrates environments that lack understanding regarding the nature, scope and value of PL services. ‘Optimising the role of PL practitioners’ seeks to identify best practice and explore common issues faced by practitioners. ‘Improving practitioner and coach education’ indicates a need for enhanced competencies and contemporary training for future practitioners and coaches. Findings provide unique insights into the experiences of practitioners and suggest that PL delivery, and its impact, is limited by several factors. This study discusses the contemporary implications of these issues and applied recommendations for future PL provision within high-performance sport environments
Exploring metapragmatics of politeness lexemes using a computational approach
No full textThis study employs a computational method, together with qualitative analysis, to explore the metapragmatics of politeness lexemes that both scholars and laypersons fail to provide effective articulations for. We specifically choose two bewildering politeness lexemes – kyemson (‘modesty’) and kongson (‘politeness’) – in Korean, and use the computational approach to identify their metapragmatic differences by analyzing over 27,000 texts that feature their usage. Results show that, while kyemson is associated with speakers’ personal and interpersonal qualities, kongson is manifested in a range of normative semiotic practices. They both feature the concepts of lowering oneself and elevating others, but realize them at different levels. In addition, kyemson helps to achieve relational harmony regardless of social hierarchies, and kongson reinforces social hierarchies but speaks little of relational harmony. The findings make two important contributions – namely, providing a novel methodology to address the pitfall in analysing first-order and second-order politeness, and offering an insight into the underexplored politeness lexemes in Korean
‘Your Strike is Affecting Our Children’: Host Community’s Intervention on the Front Line of a University Strike in Southwest Nigeria.
Get PDFWhile it is common to regard the traditional actors such as the employers and their representatives, employees and their representatives, and the state as the main actors in industrial relations (IR), this on-the-frontline article shows that host communities (HCs) can be recognised as IR actors in their own right. This article illustrates that the interventions of HCs in IR can be independent – contrary to how HCs are characterised as subordinates to trade unions in community unionism literature. Through Biobaku’s accounts of the interventions of a university’s host community from the Yorùbá society of southwest Nigeria, this article offers empirical contributions to the literature of neo-pluralism and decolonisation of IR in the context of the Global South, where formal and indigenous actors co-form the IR system
ESPGHAN & NASPGHAN 2024 PROTOCOL FOR PAEDIATRIC FUNCTIONAL CONSTIPATION TREATMENT GUIDELINES (STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE)
Get PDFIntroduction Functional constipation is common in childhood, with chronicity leading to a significant impact on patients and their families. There is a significant range of therapies available to healthcare professionals for this condition, with many novel or recently studied. There is a need for an update to the joint European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN)/North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) guidelines last released in 2014. We present the prospectively agreed operating procedure and technical review protocol in this manuscript.
Methods ‘Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation’ (GRADE) will be used for all phases of this guideline development. The Guideline Development Group is formed by paediatric gastroenterologists from both the ESPGHAN as well as the NASPGHAN. A prospective exercise will agree on key outcomes, thresholds of magnitude that are significant at small, moderate and large levels. Systematic evidence searches, selection, extraction, appraisal and analysis will be performed following Cochrane guidance and GRADE guidance for objectively agreeing the certainty of findings. Additional use of network meta-analysis will identify areas of broad triangulation in the evidence. Summary of findings tables will be produced and inform evidence to decision frameworks. These will guide GRADE recommendations with voting to reach a consensus
Motor Speed Control of Four-wheel Differential Drive Robots Using a New Hybrid Moth-flame Particle Swarm Optimization (MFPSO) Algorithm
Get PDFSpeed control of DC motors is essential for automated vehicles and four-wheel differential drive (4WD) cars, which are distinct by their high level of maneuverability. The PID controller is one of the most popular techniques for controlling speed, but tuning its parameters is challenging. This paper presents a novel hybrid algorithm, the Moth-Flame Particle Swarm Optimization (MFPSO), which combines moth-flame optimization (MFO) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to address the slow convergence of MFO and the premature convergence of PSO. The MFPSO is deployed for real-time interactive tuning of the PID controller to control the speed of DC motors in a 4WD car. Additionally, a novel practical procedure is proposed to build a robust four-wheel differential drive and maintain the synchronization of the four DC motors. Simulation results and statistical analysis demonstrate the superior performance of the MFPSO compared with the PSO, MFO, and other hybrid variants (HMFPSO and HyMFPSO), with MFPSO ranking first in the Friedman test on CEC2020/2021 and engineering optimization benchmark problems. Practical results and the transient response analysis of the speed control revealed that MFPSO significantly outperformed the traditional Ziegler-Nichols (ZN) method, MFO, PSO, HMFPSO, and HyMFPSO algorithms. Specifically, the MFPSO algorithm reduced settling time by 34.83%, 21.20%, 20.75%, 22.97%, and 31.59%, and overshoot by 86.11%, 64.99%, 71.02%, 74.37%, and 60.58% compared to the ZN, MFO, PSO, HMFPSO, and HyMFPSO algorithms, respectively. The source code of the proposed algorithm is available at https://github.com/MohamedRedaMu/MFPSO-Algorithm
Highlighting the need for change through an analysis of bra fit quality
Get PDFPoor bra fit is a global female health issue and is partially attributed to poor bra fit knowledge, with negative consequences combining physical, psychological, and social factors. This study determined women's ability to identify correct and incorrect bra fit as a direct measure of bra fit knowledge. Twenty-four female participants self-reported fit issues (subjective) and researchers carried out an assessment (objective) based on established professional bra-fitting criteria. All participants failed the objective assessment, with 77 bra fit issues identified in total. Large cups, the front band not being in contact with the sternum and loose straps were most frequently identified. Participants’ subjective reports matched objective findings in only 51% of instances, highlighting the gross inability to identify correct and incorrect fit. Educational interventions to improve bra fit knowledge are warranted to enable correct size bra selection. Potential benefits may include improving bra fit, and physical, psychological, and social wellbeing