Author: Latest Results

Earth observation technologies, policies and legislation for the coastal flood risk assessment and management: a European perspective

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Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to provide a brief overview of the current and future earth observation (EO) technologies that can be used to assess and manage the EU coastal flood risk, together with the pertinent international and EU policies and legislation. The review has shown that EOs have become an indispensable technology for the assessment and management of the coastal flood risk, and their role will increase further in the future when EO information of higher resolution and accuracy become available. With regard to the relevant policies and legislation, their common thread is associated with the promotion and facilitation of the development of appropriate data and tools for high-quality and timely geo-spatial information based on EO technologies. In Europe, in particular, this development is promoted and facilitated by an array of international and supra-national (EU), interacting policies and legislation. It appears, however, that additional initiatives and technological progress in EO functionalities and the information technology are needed together with more targeted policy and legislation frameworks to provide vital information for the management of the coastal flood risk.

Habitat suitability of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) MILL. (CACTACEAE): a comparative temporal evaluation using diverse bio-climatic earth system models and ensemble machine learning approach

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Abstract

A comprehensive evaluation of the habitat suitability across the India was conducted for the introduced species Opuntia ficus-indica. This assessment utilized a newly developed model called BioClimInd, takes into account five Earth System Models (ESMs). These ESMs consider two different emission scenarios known as Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP), specifically RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. Additionally, the assessment considered two future time frames: 2040–2079 (60) and 2060–2099 (80). Current study provided the threshold limit of different climatic variables in annual, quarter and monthly time slots like temperature annual range (26–30 °C), mean temperature of the driest quarter (25–28 °C); mean temperature of the coldest month (22–25 °C); minimum temperature of coldest month (13–17 °C); precipitation of the wettest month (250–500 mm); potential evapotranspiration Thronthwaite (1740–1800 mm). Predictive climatic habitat suitability posits that the introduction of this exotic species is deemed unsuitable in the Northern as well as the entirety of the cooler eastern areas of the country. The states of Rajasthan and Gujarat exhibit the highest degree of habitat suitability for this particular species. Niche hypervolumes and climatic variables affecting fundamental and realized niches were also assessed. This study proposes using multi-climatic exploration to evaluate habitats for introduced species to reduce modeling uncertainties.

Habitat suitability of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) MILL. (CACTACEAE): a comparative temporal evaluation using diverse bio-climatic earth system models and ensemble machine learning approach

Latest Results

Abstract

A comprehensive evaluation of the habitat suitability across the India was conducted for the introduced species Opuntia ficus-indica. This assessment utilized a newly developed model called BioClimInd, takes into account five Earth System Models (ESMs). These ESMs consider two different emission scenarios known as Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP), specifically RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. Additionally, the assessment considered two future time frames: 2040–2079 (60) and 2060–2099 (80). Current study provided the threshold limit of different climatic variables in annual, quarter and monthly time slots like temperature annual range (26–30 °C), mean temperature of the driest quarter (25–28 °C); mean temperature of the coldest month (22–25 °C); minimum temperature of coldest month (13–17 °C); precipitation of the wettest month (250–500 mm); potential evapotranspiration Thronthwaite (1740–1800 mm). Predictive climatic habitat suitability posits that the introduction of this exotic species is deemed unsuitable in the Northern as well as the entirety of the cooler eastern areas of the country. The states of Rajasthan and Gujarat exhibit the highest degree of habitat suitability for this particular species. Niche hypervolumes and climatic variables affecting fundamental and realized niches were also assessed. This study proposes using multi-climatic exploration to evaluate habitats for introduced species to reduce modeling uncertainties.

‘Do not parade your ignorance’: Negation as a power tool of toxic geek masculinity

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Abstract

Catering to a primarily male user population, Reddit is often said to be a breeding ground for toxic language use, which has led to the development of multiple computational classification models for the automated identification of toxicity in online conversations. Since negation can play a key role in cyberbullying, functioning as a popular stance marker in the dialogical exchange of dominating views in the digital sphere, it should not be ignored. Likewise, its use as a rhetorical strategy deserves more linguistic attention. Described as Engagement resources of disclaim in Appraisal theory, negated constructions may be employed by Reddit users to disalign themselves from divergent perspectives through emotion-driven ad hominem attacks, not only resulting in a potentially detrimental impact on the users’ mental health, but also perpetuating toxic power relationships. Therefore, this paper examines the use of negation, in combination with various other interpersonal resources, within the Redditors’ dialogical interactions, to explore its possible motivations and role in shaping the online discourse. A computer-assisted appraisal analysis was conducted on 2637 most upvoted comments and replies (49,866 words), extracted from the subreddit of r/AustralianPolitics between 11–14 April and 7–10 May 2022, during the period leading up to the so-called federal climate change election in Australia. The study shows evidence of a seemingly dominant negation pattern characterised by negative judgement and its findings tentatively suggest that some of the male Australian users may use negation as a discursive strategy driven by ideology and emotion. This raises the possibility that the language use encountered on r/AustralianPolitics may be influenced by covert toxic geek masculinity.

Preferred streets: assessing the impact of the street environment on cycling behaviors using the geographically weighted regression

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Abstract

Cycling transport systems are an important way to reduce the city’s carbon emissions. Street renovation and renewal policies aim to encourage cycling transport by improving the cycling environment. However, most existing research studies the relationship between the street environment and cycling behavior from a global perspective, ignoring geospatial heterogeneity. Also, methods evaluating the cycling environment based on the frequency of cycling ignore the difference between spontaneous and necessary trips, hiding the problems that exist in streets with a high frequency of cycling. Therefore, the preferred streets index was proposed to evaluate the street cycling environment based on the difference between the cycling trajectory and the shortest path. Geographically weighted regression was used to explore the local effects of street environments on cycling behavior. The experimental results on Xiamen Island show that the type of street and the density of bicycle parking spots have a positive impact on cycling, while the effect of the availability of streetlights, availability of traffic lights, and POI density on cycling was determined by the geographic context of the street. These results provide concrete guidance for improving the cycling environment and enrich the evaluation methods for the cycling environment.

Political embeddedness and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a state-led developing country: evidence from China

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Abstract

In many countries, the government plays a regulative role in corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an external overseer of economic and public market sectors. However, owing to the politically embedded nature of extensive corporations in China, the government's influence over CSR is not only exogenous but may even endogenously shape the general scope of CSR of companies in comparison to the West. To date, this has not been extensively examined. We explore this from the standpoint of the scope of beneficiaries and CSR domains, which accurately depict the welfare effects of business in developing countries. Based on a resource dependence perspective, we conduct a quantitative content analysis on a sample of 160 Chinese listed companies and developed a two-level model of political embeddedness. The results show a complex interaction between politics and business, revealing the opposing influence of political embeddedness at different levels.

SynFAGnet: A Fully Automated Generative Network for Realistic Fire Image Generation

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Abstract

This paper proposes a fully automated generative network (“SynFAGnet”) for automatically creating a realistic-looking synthetic fire image. SynFAGnet is used as a data augmentation technique to create diverse data for training models, thereby solving problems related to real data acquisition and data imbalances. SynFAGnet comprises two main parts: an object-scene placement net (OSPNet) and a local–global context-based generative adversarial network (LGC-GAN). The OSPNet identifies suitable positions and scales for fires corresponding to the background scene. The LGC-GAN enhances the realistic appearance of synthetic fire images created by a given fire object-background scene pair by assembling effects such as halos and reflections in the surrounding area in the background scene. A comparative analysis shows that SynFAGnet achieves better outcomes than previous studies for both the Fréchet inception distance and learned perceptual image patch similarity evaluation metrics (values of 17.232 and 0.077, respectively). In addition, SynFAGnet is verified as a practically applicable data augmentation technique for training datasets, as it improves the detection and instance segmentation performance.

Patients Drive Authentic Trusted Solutions for Inclusive Clinical Trials

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Cancer clinical trials remain highly underrepresented from racial and ethnic minorities. The lack of diversity in clinical trials significantly impacts the generalizability of drug treatments approved for cancer patients. This review intends to discuss recent shifts in cancer clinical trials to increase equitable participation across all patient populations.

Recent Findings

Current trends highlight innovative ways to build accessible clinical trials with diverse patient populations in mind. Patient-driven technology in the form of digital health platforms was created to address the gap in financial and non-financial barriers to clinical trial participation.

Summary

Recent research sheds light on ways to make clinical trials more accessible to patients. This review will showcase how clinical trial site leaders, coordinators, and sponsors can meet the needs of patients to ensure they can participate in future clinical trials by engaging with community leaders and patient organizations.

Evolving Toward Community-Based Participatory Research: Lessons Learned from a Mindful Parenting Project

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Abstract

Objectives

Much of the research involving mindfulness, meditation, and other awareness-based interventions have repeated many historical patterns in non-participatory research that exclude Black communities and perpetuate racial hierarchies. A shift toward community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches is critical to facilitating authentic community partnership and advancing racial equity. The objective of this case study was to describe the evolution of a research-practice partnership within a parent mindfulness intervention study, which took place at a predominantly Black school community, as the project team increasingly incorporated CBPR principles into the project.

Method

Following pilot phase, the project team (including researchers, mindfulness teachers, and project staff) along with a cohort of prior participants engaged in a series of facilitated reflective discussions and semi-structured interviews. These discussions examined various challenges within the research-practice partnership and the principles of CBPR that alleviated these challenges, to highlight key lessons learned from critical phases of the project.

Results

The case study demonstrates that applying CBPR principles cultivated an enhance sense of authentic partnership in key phases of the project: developing a theory of change (TOC) and evaluation strategy; assembling project team roles and responsibilities; measure selection, data collection and interpretation; and during dissemination efforts.

Conclusions

Our lessons learned demonstrate how a commitment to CBPR principles can culminate in an intervention and evaluation process grounded in racial equity and help build community investment in mindfulness research.