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A Comparative Analysis of L1, L2, and L1L2 Regularization Techniques in Neural Networks for Image Classification
Get PDFThe research examines how L1, L2, and L1L2 weight regularization methods affect neural network performance, generalization, and sparsity using the CIFAR 10 dataset. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) trained with the same environment for each regularization method to evaluate test accuracy, weight sparsity, and computational speed. The study shows that L1 regularization produces sparse weights, which makes models more interpretable, and L2 regularization helps prevent overfitting while improving model generalization. The combination of L1L2 regularization enables individual image classification methods to reach test accuracy. The results indicate that the weight regularization plays a vital role in creating neural networks that are both stable and efficient. They are interpretable, and L2 regularization improves generalization and reduces overfitting. The combined L1L2 regularization achieves the balance between sparsity and performance, leading to higher test accuracy compared to individual techniques for image classification. The research results demonstrate that weight regularization stands as an essential factor for Creating Neural Networks that are robust, efficient, and interpretable, thus helping to enhance Deep Learning model performance
The folk concept of time
No full textGiven that time pervades all aspects of our lives, structuring our day-to-day interactions and decision making in fundamental ways, you might think that there must be some underlying agreement between us on what time is. We must all share a set of common sense beliefs about, some folk concept of, an intuitive theory of, time – mustn’t we? Many theorists working within the philosophy and physics of time give an implicitly affirmative answer to this question, insofar as they stand the time of modern physics in contrast to the time of common sense – i.e., a view of time people are often said to widely share prior to any sophisticated introduction to research on the nature of time. However, the true answer to the previous question may be more complicated, as we outline in this chapter
Considering approaches towards sustainability through reflexive ethnographic research into two international music gatherings.
No full textIn this article, I consider how community music-making can help people become more engaged in climate action and responsible consumption. These are two of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Through ethnographic fieldwork, I demonstrate how my lived experiences at two Ethno gatherings impacted my engagement with climate action (SDG 13) and consumption and production (SDG 12). “Ethnos” are JM International’s annual multi-sited, youth folk-music gatherings. They are active in over 40 countries. Their mission is to revive, invigorate and disseminate global traditional musical heritage, and to promote ideals such as peace, tolerance and understanding.
Following a critique of the concept of sustainability, I explore how two musical gatherings impacted my responsiveness to environmental sustainability. This postdoctoral ethnographic research was conducted in 2019 and 2020 at Ethno England and New Zealand as part of Ethno Research (https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/research/international-centre-for-community-music/projects/ethno-research/). I demonstrate how these gatherings addressed environmental concerns through organisational processes, and how the location of the gatherings solidified the relationship between participatory music-making and nature. Finally, I consider the value of the broader social impact of these gatherings in relation to the climate emergency
Prevalence and determinants of preterm birth among women of reproductive age in Kenya: A Multilevel Analysis of the 2022 Demographic Health Survey
Get PDFBackground:
Globally, over 15 million preterm births (PTB) occur annually, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing a disproportionate burden. In Kenya, studies conducted between 2017 and 2021 at the hospital level show a PTB prevalence ranging from 15.9% to 20.2%. However, current PTB prevalence and associated factors remain underexplored despite their significant public health implications. Understanding the prevalence and factors associated with PTB is critical for effective interventions.
Objectives:
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PTB and also to identify individual- and community-level factors influencing PTB among women of reproductive age in Kenya.
Design:
The study utilised a cross-sectional design, analysing data from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.
Methods:
A sample of 7291 women aged 15–49 was analysed using weighted multilevel logistic regression in Stata 17.0. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and a significance threshold of p < 0.05 were used to identify predictors of PTB.
Results:
The prevalence of PTB was 7.14%. Women aged 25–34 (aOR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.49–0.94) and 35+ (aOR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.59–1.24) were less likely to experience PTB compared to younger women (15–24 years). Attending four or more antenatal care visits reduced PTB likelihood (aOR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.53–0.88). Women in the richest wealth index had higher odds of PTB (aOR = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.39–3.74), while medium community literacy levels increased PTB risk (aOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.21–2.03).
Conclusion:
This study highlights that individual- and community-level factors significantly influence PTB in Kenya. Addressing disparities in socio-demographic and obstetric factors through targeted, multipronged strategies is essential for reducing PTB rates and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes
Disrupting sense of place in a northern English city: the assemblage of everyday encounter
Get PDFFocusing on the “small stories” of everyday embodied encounter with place, this study investigates how sense of place manifests itself amongst residents of a northern English city. The study employs map drawing and “go-along” interviews and the paper presents data from a sample of these. The study draws on the assemblage thinking of Deleuze and Guattari to elaborate a concept of sense of place as assemblage with three dimensions: the affective / sensorial, the temporal / mnemonic, and the political. Sense of place, seen as an opening up of oneself to the potentiality of the encounter with space, is characterised as a disrupting concept. The paper considers the implications of the research for how residents might be engaged more effectively in future debates about the city’s development
Failure Through Consensus Building: Rethinking The Normative Status of the Responsibility to Protect in a Pluralist Global Order
No full textThe status and validity of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) norm has increasingly come under intense scrutiny given the significant outbreaks and scale of atrocity crimes continuing to occur globally. Yet despite claims of the norm’s inevitable death, there remains broad rhetorical support, with the R2P still frequently invoked by states. In seeking to explain this puzzle, the article focuses on the role of consensus building practices in shaping normative change, outlining the key drivers of the R2P’s shift towards a less intrusive and more long-term focused approach to mass atrocity prevention. Building on constructivist research into norm decay, the article argues that this growing emphasis on prioritising consensus and the continued hybridization of the R2P is in fact further eroding the effectiveness of the norm as it is incorporated into a broader norm cluster, downplaying the R2P’s unique focus as well as reinforcing the centrality of state sovereignty. Consequently, the growing consensus around a co-opted version of the norm has worked to restrict aspects of its application in practice despite increased rhetorical support from member states. The article therefore provides new insights into the role of rising powers in the process of norm shaping in an increasingly pluralist global order. Through this analysis, it is argued that a greater focus on the negative impact consensus building practices can have on norm status and effectiveness is required in order to help improve understanding of the complex process of norm decay
Silver Nanoclusters Functionalized Entropy-Driven Catalytic Amplification for the Sensitive and Efficient Detection of 3,3',4,4'-Tetrachlorobiphenyl in Environmental Samples
No full textThe accurate monitoring of 3,3',4,4'-Tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77) concentrations in environmental samples is essential for effective environmental protection, public health, and ecological conservation. This study focuses on developing a label-free biosensor for sensitive detection of PCB77 using silver nanoclusters functionalized entropy-driven catalytic (SN-EDC). The signal output is achieved through a chain substitution reaction that occurs in parallel with nucleic acid amplification, enabling efficient signal amplification and sensitive detection of PCB77. The detection limit of this method for PCB77 is 0.96ng/L, which is significantly lower than that of traditional detection methods. The detection range of this method is 0.96 - 15ng/L. Additionally, the application of this method to sediment analysis in the Beibu Gulf demonstrated comparable accuracy to conventional Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), while offering substantial practical advantages, including reduced operational costs and faster analytical throughput. Precision, as measured by SN-EDC, yielded relative standard deviations (RSD) ranging from 2.25% to 5.08%, further validating the method's reliability. Furthermore, the analysis of sediment samples from the Beibu Gulf using this method revealed significantly higher PCB77 concentrations in samples collected near the industrial coastline. This finding underscores the substantial environmental impacts of discharges from industrial areas and the influence of marine transportation on the surrounding environment. In summary, the SN-EDC biosensor exhibits superior performance in complex matrices, offering a stable, reliable, and highly sensitive tool for PCB77 detection. This innovative method provides a promising alternative to traditional analytical techniques, significantly enhancing the capabilities for environmental monitoring and public health protection
Sequential ATR and PARP inhibition overcomes acquired DNA damaging agent resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Get PDFBackground
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains the most lethal cancer. While DNA damaging agents such as platinum and PARP inhibitors have derived clinical benefits, acquired resistance invariably develops. Hence there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies to overcome acquired resistance.
Methods
Clinically relevant resistance in PDAC patient-derived cell lines was achieved by extended exposure to chemotherapy agents. Synergy scoring, clonogenicity, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and transcriptomic analysis were used to investigate the efficacy of ATR (ceralasertib) and PARP (olaparib) inhibitors in overcoming acquired resistance.
Results
Acquired resistance was associated with transcriptomic shifts in cell cycle checkpoint regulation, metabolic control, DNA damage response (DDR), programmed cell death, and the replication stress response. Combination treatment with ceralasertib, and olaparib was synergistic in all models of acquired resistance. Sequential use of ceralasertib prior to olaparib was highly effective at low dose for DDR proficient models, whereas DDR deficient models responded better with olaparib treatment first.
Conclusions
We provide in vitro evidence of a novel therapeutic strategy to overcome acquired resistance to PARP inhibitor and platinum in PDAC, using sequential exposure to ceralasertib and olaparib. A sequential regimen should be investigated clinically to circumvent dose limiting toxicity seen in concurrent combinations
Edited by Louis Bayman and K. J. Donnelly. Folk Horror on Film: Return of the British Repressed. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2023. 264pp, hardcover. £90.00.
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Beyond Growth: The Triple Green Strategy (Green Energy, Green Innovation, and Green Finance) for Sustainable Emissions Reduction in BRICS Countries
No full textIn recent decades, rapid development in emerging economies, particularly within the BRICS bloc, has intensified climate challenges, threatening environmental sustainability. Green energy, technological innovation, and carbon pricing strategies have emerged as key tools for mitigating these impacts while promoting green economic growth, aligning with international goals such as the 2030 SDGs and the pledge for carbon neutrality by 2060. However, balancing socio‐economic growth with environmental sustainability remains a significant challenge for BRICS countries. This study investigates the impact of green energy, green innovation, technological diffusion, green finance, economic growth, and natural resource rents on CO2 emissions in BRICS economies from 1995 to 2022. The research employs advanced panel data techniques, specifically the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) models, to account for cross‐sectional dependence and heterogeneity. The empirical results show that green energy, green innovation, and green finance all have a significant negative impact on CO2 emissions, contributing to emission reductions. In contrast, economic growth and technological diffusion are positively associated with CO2 emissions, indicating that higher economic growth and technological diffusion lead to an increase in emissions. The Dumitrescu and Hurlin panel causality tests reveal bidirectional causal relationships, suggesting that not only do these factors influence emissions, but emissions also impact the advancement of green technologies and economic growth. Based on these findings, the study recommends policy actions to support SDG targets, particularly SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 9, and SDG 13, through the promotion of green energy, innovation, R&D, and circular economy practices