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This paper introduces the Watermark Imaging System (WImSy) which can be used to photograph, document, and study sheets of paper. The WImSy provides surface images, raking light images, and transmitted light images of the paper, all in perfect alignment. We develop algorithms that exploit this alignment by combining several images together in a process that mimics both the "surface image removal" technique and the method of "high dynamic range" photographs. An improved optimization criterion and an automatic parameter selection procedure streamline the process and make it practical for art historians and conservators to extract the relevant information to study watermarks. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated in several experiments on images taken with the WImSy at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the results are compared with manually optimized images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note is written to show that the definition of the LA-semihypergroup by V. Amjad, K. Hila and F. Yousafzai "Generalized hyperideals in locally associative left almost semihypergroups, New York J. Math. 2014" should be corrected and that it is not enough to replace the multiplication "·" of an LA-semigroup by the hyperoperation "ο" to pass from an LA-semigroup to an LA-semihypergroup. The two examples of the paper based on the definition of the LA-semihypergroup are wrong that is a further indication that this definition needs correction. According to the last section of the paper, the paper generalizes the results of an LA-semigroup by M. Akram, N. Yaqoob and M. Khan "On (m, n) -ideals of left almost semigroups, Appl. Math. Sci. (Ruse) 2013" while the paper duplicates, without citation, the section 4 of the paper by W. Khan, F. Yousafzai, W. Guo and M. Khan "On (m, n) -ideals of left almost semigroups, J. Semigroup Theory Appl. 2014" with the usual change of "·" to "ο". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some nomads have their own websites and are on Facebook, which might be worth exploring. There is no typology of these nomads; some have regularity, some on highly ad hoc (just hitting the road) ventures, and some using websites, Facebook, and Internet gatherings to construct a community. Bruder mentions the I RV Daily Report i , the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, roving GTG (get togethers), FreeCampsites.net, Kampgrounds of America, Amazon's CamperForce, and Craigslist (for job opportunities). [Extracted from the article]

Background: To guide and provide orientation to research on student suicide, this study aimed to analyze the research status on student suicide with the help of bibliometric analysis. Utilising bibliometric methodology, this study complements existing literature by giving a comprehensive, reliable thematic representation of this topic. Method: A Scopus search was done and all published research papers were reviewed. A total of 187 papers published between 1959 and 2021 were analyzed. We identified the most influential journals in this field, the most prolific nations and institutions, as well as the years with the most publications, the most cited papers, notable authors, and most researched areas, It was followed by use of the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.18) to construct and visualize the bibliometric networks like co-authorship network map, inter-country co-authorship network map, and keywords co-occurrences network maps. Results: The analysis reveals the current research trend where the number of publications on 'student suicide' reflects an overall upward trend over the years, suggesting that research on student suicidology is fast evolving but the pace is slow. The maximum publications were in the year 2020. The United States made the largest contribution (n = 85). The most productive institution was the University of Rochester, New York (n = 10). Allan J Schwartz was the most prolific author, with nine research papers. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy (n = 13) was the journal and Medicine (n = 118) was the discipline with the highest number of publications. Conclusion: The study potentially has important implications for designing more comprehensive screening and assessment tools for suicide risk. Future work should pay more attention to developing effective intervention programs for students. The results also highlight the need for more research work on student suicidology. More research in this area is needed to create awareness among students. Consequently, this study can be a big critique and torch bearer at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive Summary: This paper examines the staffing needs of the US Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), as it seeks to eliminate an immigration court backlog, which approached 2.5 million pending cases at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2023. A previous study by the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) attributed the backlog to systemic, long-neglected problems in the broader US immigration system. This paper provides updated estimates of the number of immigration judges (IJs) and "judge teams" (IJ teams) needed to eliminate the backlog over ten and five years based on different case receipt and completion scenarios. It also introduces a data tool that will permit policymakers, administrators and researchers to make their own estimates of IJ team hiring needs based on changing case receipt and completion data. Finally, the paper outlines the pressing need for reform of the US immigration system, including a well-resourced, robust, and independent court system, particularly in light of record "encounters" of migrants at US borders in FY 2022 and 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Menstruators facing period poverty often struggle with menstrual hygiene and waste management, which can result in harmful short- and long-term health outcomes such as urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and vulvar contact dermatitis. Research indicates that 42% of menstruators in the United States have difficulty affording period products. Traditional methods of distributing period products through social services may unintentionally undermine menstruators' agency, leading to disempowerment and inefficient resource allocation. Period product pantries are a novel approach aimed at addressing period poverty, inequity, and inadequate menstrual health education in the United States. Objectives: This paper aims to examine the development, organization, and implementation of two distinct period product pantry networks in Ohio and New York. It seeks to compare the advantages and challenges of grassroots versus nonprofit-led models and to provide practical insights for future pantry operators. Design: The study examines two models of period product pantries: a grassroots effort led by three local residents in Ohio and an initiative spearheaded by a nonprofit organization in New York. The design includes a comparative analysis of both models' organization, funding methods, and operational structures. Methods: The authors gathered data on the construction, operation, and usage of two pantry networks, focusing on factors such as accessibility, community engagement, and sustainability. The study employed a combination of qualitative methods, including interviews with organizers, and a review of organizational documents to analyze the effectiveness and scalability of each model. Results: Both pantry networks increased accessibility to period products in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, which are disproportionately affected by period poverty. The grassroots model, while resource-limited, fostered strong community ties and local engagement. The nonprofit-led model benefited from dedicated staff and a more stable funding structure but faced bureaucratic challenges. Despite their differences, both models demonstrated the potential to empower menstruators by preserving their dignity and autonomy. Conclusions: Period product pantries represent an innovative and equitable approach to addressing period poverty and inequity. The analysis of the two models offers valuable insights for organizations and individuals interested in establishing similar initiatives. While each model has its unique benefits and challenges, both are effective in empowering menstruators and providing accessible menstrual hygiene products to those in need. Registration: Not applicable. Plain language summary: Fighting for menstrual equity through period product pantries Period product pantries are a new way to help people who can't afford period products and don't have enough education about menstrual health in the U.S. Many people who experience period poverty, or trouble getting products like pads and tampons, also face barriers to staying clean and managing period waste. This can cause health issues like infections. About 42% of people who get periods in the U.S. say they've had trouble paying for these products. Period product pantries are different from older methods of getting free products, like through social services, because they let people get what they need without feeling embarrassed or losing their sense of control. This paper looks at two types of period pantries: one started by three local people in Ohio and another run by a nonprofit group in New York. Both help people in neighborhoods where it's hard to afford period products. The paper talks about how these pantries were set up, how they are funded, and what worked well or didn't. The goal is to show how these pantries can be a good, fair way to help people while giving advice to others who might want to start their own pantries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Virtual Archaeology Review is the property of Virtual Archaeology Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Given that Ecuadorians are one of the largest groups of Hispanics living in New York, they have become a tight community that they now call little Ecuador. Although Ecuadorians living in the diaspora in NYC come from different parts of the country (mostly from the Andean region), they share the same cultural practices they performed in Ecuador that give them the sense of being in their country without bearing the instability and turmoil their country experiences. This shows how the group has fostered a sense of a multifaceted, multidimensional simultaneity between the host country and the motherland. The goal of this paper is to analyze the strategies Ecuadorian migrants use to validate their language and cultural practices to negotiate their identity as a group. Data for this paper come from ethnographic observations, semi-spontaneous conversations, oral interviews with members of the group, along with pictures taken while walking the community and participating in some of their events. Our study reveals that participants hold varying perceptions regarding their linguistic and cultural practices. However, it is noteworthy that they recognize these practices as a manifestation of Ecuadorianness, signifying a sense of solidarity among community members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the problem of imaginative resistance in science, that is, why and under what circumstances imagination sometimes resists certain scenarios. In the first part, the paper presents and discusses two accounts concerning the problem and relevant for the main thesis of this study. The first position is that of Gendler (Journal of Philosophy 97:55–81, 2000), (Gendler, in: Nichols (ed) The Architecture of the Imagination: New essays on pretence, possibility and fiction, Oxford University Press, New York, 2006a), (Gendler & Liao, in: Gibson, Carroll (eds) The routledge companion to philosophy of literature, Routledge, New York, 2016), according to which imaginative resistance mainly concerns evaluative scenarios, presenting deviant moral attitudes. The second account examined is that of Kim et al. (in: Cova, Réhault (eds) Advances in experimental philosophy of aesthetics, Bloomsbury, London, 2018), who insisted on the link between imaginative resistance on the one hand and counterfactual and counterdescriptive scenarios on the other. In the light of both theories, this paper discusses the importance of addressing the problem of imaginative resistance in the scientific enterprise in the light of some mechanisms of embodied simulation, based on the activity of mirror neurons and investigated within the framework of the Embodied Simulation Theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of New York admitted 143 million metric tons of carbon emissions from fossil fuels in 2020, prompting the ambitious goal set by the CLCPA to achieve carbon neutrality. The paper focused on analyzing and predicting carbon emissions using four different machine-learning algorithms. It examined emissions from fossil fuel combustion from 1990 to 2020 and validated four different algorithms to choose the most effective one for predicting emissions from 2020 to 2050. The analysis covered various economic sectors including transportation, residential, commercial, industrial, and electric power. By analyzing policies, the paper forecasted emissions for 2030 and 2050, leading to the identification of different pathways to reach carbon neutrality. The research concluded that in order to achieve neutrality, radical measures must be taken by the state of New York. Additionally, the paper compared the most recent data for 2021 with the forecasts, showing that significant measures need to be implemented to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. Despite some studies assuming a trend of decreased emissions, the research revealed different results. The paper presents three pathways, two of which follow the ambitious plan to reach carbon neutrality. As a result, the emission amount by 2050 for the different pathways was projected to be 31.1, 22.4, and 111.95 of MMt CO2 e, showcasing the need for urgent action to combat climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The extent of past Indigenous cultural burning in the eastern US remains contested. Historical documents (e.g. early histories, journals, and reports) contain descriptions of burning. Scholars have summarised descriptions, but few have compiled them into databases. Aims: This paper presents efforts to compile descriptions of past Indigenous burning in the eastern US and early results from mapped descriptions. Methods: Utilising previously cited descriptions and those discovered from digitised historical texts, the current dataset mapped >250 descriptions of burning in the northeastern US. Most were historical summaries from 19th century authors, and fewer were firsthand observations. Descriptions are currently shared as a GIS data layer, a tabular file, and an interactive web map. Key results: Descriptions correspond with fire-adapted vegetation, and clusters of descriptions suggest burning over large extents (e.g. southern New England, western New York). Estimated dates of burning or initial Euro-American settlement show an east–west succession in Indigenous fire exclusion and replacement with early Euro-American burning. Conclusions: Historical descriptions suggest regional-extent influence of Indigenous burning upon past forested ecosystems, but the veracity of descriptions should be carefully evaluated. Implications: This study provides a dataset for further examination of Indigenous burning and comparison with other methodologies for historical cultural fire reconstruction. This study creates a dataset of historical descriptions of Indigenous wildland burning from digitised historical texts in the eastern US. The current version of the dataset contains >250 descriptions in the northeastern US, mainly from 19th century historians. Descriptions correspond with geographic patterns in past fire-adapted vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What constitutes a traumatic event and how trauma victims receive treatment has evolved. Individuals can now access treatment through a more person-centered approach. In contrast, the client is viewed as a person and not a diagnosis and receives treatment in less restrictive environments with the client being more involved in their care plan. This trauma-informed care approach has proven beneficial in clinical settings (Bloom in Natl Abandon Infants Assist Resour Center 16:12–17, 2007; Bloom in Levin and Becker (eds), A public health perspective of women's mental health, Springer, New York, 2010; Fallot RD, Harris M. Creating cultures of trauma-informed care: a self-assessment and planning protocol. Community Connections. 2011. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272167009%5fCreating%5fCultures%5fof%5fTrauma-Informed%5fCare%5fA%5fSelf-Assessment%5fand%5fPlanning%5fProtocol.; Isobel et al. in Int J Ment Health Nurs 30:495–505, 2021). However, this way of thinking could be valuable in non-clinical settings. The purpose of this qualitative conceptual review was to introduce how trauma-informed care principles could be integrated into the workplace. Tools and guidelines shown to be beneficial for introducing a more trauma-informed approach in clinical settings are reviewed. Recommendations are then made on how said tools and procedures can be manipulated and used in various workplaces. This paper is a starting point for the conversations that need to occur at all levels of an organization interested in applying a trauma-informed care approach to a non-clinical work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The field of Medicines Development faces a continuous need for educational evolution to match the interdisciplinary and global nature of the pharmaceutical industry. This paper discusses the outcomes of a 7-year collaboration between King's College London and the Global Medicines Development Professionals (GMDP) Academy, which aimed to address this need through a blended e-learning program. Methods: The collaboration developed a comprehensive curriculum based on the PharmaTrain syllabus, delivered through a combination of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning methods. The program targeted a diverse range of professionals serving in areas related to Medical Affairs. Results: Over seven annual cohorts, 682 participants from eighty-six countries were enrolled in the program. The program's effectiveness was assessed using Kirkpatrick's model, showing elevated levels of satisfaction (over 4.0 on a five-point scale), suggesting significant gains in competence at the cognitive level and leveraged performance. Notably, 70% of responding alumni reported significant improvement in their functions, corroborated by 30% of their supervisors. The further long-term impact of the program on their respective organization has not been established. Discussion: The GMDP Academy's program has significantly contributed to lifelong learning in Medicines Development, addressing educational gaps and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Its success highlights the importance of continuous education in keeping pace with the industry's evolving demands and underscores the potential of blended learning in achieving educational objectives in pharmaceutical medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Following the removal of lead from gasoline, paint and pipes were thought to be the main sources of lead exposure in the United States. However, consumer products, such as certain spices, ceramic and metal cookware, traditional health remedies, and cultural powders, are increasingly recognized as important sources of lead exposure across the United States. OBJECTIVE: This paper reviews data from four US jurisdictions that conduct in-home investigations for children with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) to examine the prevalence of lead exposures associated with consumer products, in comparison with housing-related sources. METHODS: Authors reviewed investigation data (2010–2021) provided by California, Oregon, New York City, and King County, Washington, and compared the extent of lead exposures associated with housing-related vs. consumer products–related sources. DISCUSSION: The proportion of investigations identifying consumer products–related sources of lead exposure varied by jurisdiction (range: 15%– 38%). A review of US CDC and US FDA alerts and New York City data indicates that these types of lead-containing products are often sourced internationally, with many hand carried into the United States during travel. Based on surveillance data, we believe that US immigrant and refugee communities are at an increased risk for lead exposures associated with these products. To engage health authorities, there is a need for evidentiary data. We recommend implementing a national product surveillance database systematically tracking data on consumer products tested by childhood lead poisoning prevention programs. The data repository should be centralized and accessible to all global stakeholders, including researchers and governmental and nongovernmental agencies, who can use these data to inform investigations. Effectively identifying and addressing the availability of lead-containing consumer products at their source can focus resources on primary prevention, reducing lead exposures for users abroad and in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the US, over 50% of suicide deaths are by firearm injury. Studies have found that limiting access to firearms, including storing them temporarily outside of the home or locking and unloading them securely at home, helps prevent suicide. Family members and other loved ones are in a unique position to encourage secure firearm storage. This paper describes the development of a workshop to empower loved ones of individuals at risk for suicide to discuss secure firearm storage in New York State. Methods: Using a multistakeholder engagement framework, we partnered with New York State county-level suicide prevention coalitions, local firearms experts, and other stakeholders to develop a 90-min workshop addressing secure firearm storage for suicide prevention. Pilot workshops were co-facilitated by a suicide prevention coalition member and a local firearms expert. Feedback gathered via surveys from workshop attendees and interviews with workshop co-facilitators were used to revise workshop content and inform dissemination. Following pilot workshops, a 1-day training event was held for potential future facilitators, and survey data were collected to assess trainee experiences and interest in facilitating future workshops. Data analysis included rapid qualitative analysis of interviews and statistical analysis of survey responses about acceptability of workshop. Results: Four pilot workshops included a total of 23 attendees. Pilot workshop attendees endorsed willingness and confidence to discuss secure firearm storage with a family member or loved one. The training event included 42 attendees, of which 26 indicated interest in facilitating a workshop within the next year. Co-facilitators agreed on several key themes, including the importance of having a "trusted messenger" deliver the firearms portion of the workshop, keeping the conversation focused on firearm safety for suicide prevention, and developing interventions that reflect firearm owning community's culture. Conclusions: Consistent with a public health approach to suicide prevention, this study leveraged a multistakeholder engagement framework to develop a community-based workshop empowering loved ones of individuals at risk for suicide to discuss secure firearm storage. The workshop will be disseminated across New York State. We noted positive and collaborative relationships across stakeholder groups, and willingness to facilitate the workshop among both suicide prevention and firearm stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philologia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Marketing researchers are often interested in estimating causal effects when a randomized experiment is infeasible. The synthetic control (SC) method has emerged as a powerful tool in these quasiexperimental settings. It is important to verify the SC parallel pretrends assumption, the testable part of the identifying assumption, because its violation may lead to biased estimates. However, no formal test exists, so researchers have to rely on visual inspection. Even with a formal test, researchers still need to know how to balance the bias-efficiency trade-off for the estimate. We fill this void and advance the two-step synthetic control (TSSC) approach that comprises a formal test for the SC pretrends assumption in the first step and recommends an appropriate method that balances the dual goal of reducing bias and increasing efficiency in the second step. Simulations show that the TSSC approach performs favorably in the bias-variance (bias-efficiency) trade-off. Applying the TSSC approach, we find that New York State's repeal of the tampon tax caused a positive and significant (2.08%) increase in weekly tampon sales. Using theory, simulations, and empirics, we demonstrate the importance, validity, and usefulness of the TSSC approach. This paper was accepted by Matthew Shum, marketing. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4878. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the replacement of the times, the electronic information technology of all countries in the world has developed rapidly, and 4G mobile communication technology has also obtained the opportunity of development, which has improved the transmission speed of 5G mobile communication technology, which has been widely used in intelligent information management of construction engineering. Under this background, this paper selects the research methods of theory guiding practice and practice updating theory to guide the application of information technology. Based on the actual engineering cases, this paper discusses the scientific process of information management construction of construction projects from the perspective of BIM Technology by taking the specific construction details as the starting point. Firstly, this paper systematically introduces the key technologies of BIM and the related concepts and basic contents of construction project management informatization, expounds and analyzes the three construction modes that should be followed by construction project collaborative management informatization, and puts forward the key and main contents of standardization construction. Then, taking New York freedom building as an engineering case, this paper analyzes the application of building information modeling (BIM) in the architectural design of New York freedom building. Relevant research can provide theoretical and practical references for realizing and ensuring the combination of project management and information technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attack on the world Trade Center, New York in 2001 literally shook the world. This attack brought about major changes in security laws across the globe. One major category of people affected by the new laws were the migrants. Politicians across the globe established connections between terrorism and immigration; this further alienated and marginalized the immigrants. In short one may say that the incident of 9/11 essentially altered the face of migration across the world. This paper looks at the challenges faced by the immigrants through the writings of Tabish Khair's How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position and Amitava Kumar's A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Bomb. Delving into concepts of identity, the paper reads how both the writers describe the manner in which concepts of absoluteness and fixity interrogate immigrant identity. Similarly, they show how governments in delegitimizing immigrant identity help to legitimize it. In its entirety, the paper delves into the idea of the challenges and the helplessness of the immigrants in the post 9/11 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portfolio optimization involves finding the ideal combination of securities and shares to reduce risk and increase profit in an investment. To assess the impact of risk in portfolio optimization, we utilize a significant volatility risk measure series. Behavioral finance biases play a critical role in portfolio optimization and the efficient allocation of stocks. Regret, within the realm of behavioral finance, is the feeling of remorse that causes hesitation in making significant decisions and avoiding actions that could lead to poor investment choices. This behavior often leads investors to hold onto losing investments for extended periods, refusing to acknowledge mistakes and accept losses. Ironically, by evading regret, investors may miss out on potential opportunities. in this paper, our purpose is to compare investment scenarios in the decision-making process and calculate the amount of regret obtained in each scenario. To accomplish this, we consider volatility risk metrics and utilize stochastic optimization to identify the most suitable scenario that not only maximizes yield in the investment portfolio and minimizes risk, but also minimizes resulting regret. To convert each multi-objective model into a single objective, we employ the augmented epsilon constraint (AEC) method to establish the Pareto efficiency frontier. As a means of validating the solution of this method, we analyze data spanning 20, 50, and 100 weeks from 150 selected stocks in the New York market based on fundamental analysis. The results show that the selection of the mad risk measure in the time horizon of 100 weeks with a regret rate of 0.104 is the most appropriate research scenario. this article recommended that investors diversify their portfolios by investing in a variety of assets. This can help reduce risk and increase overall returns and improve financial literacy among investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a swell neural network (SNN) algorithm was proposed for solving time-varying path query (TVPQ) problems with privacy protection with the following goals: (i) querying the K-nearest paths with time limitations in a time-varying scenario, and (ii) protecting private information from neighborhood attacks. The proposed SNN is a network in which the optimal paths can be calculated at the same time with no need for training. For TVPQ, a node is considered a neuron, and time-varying means that an edge has different costs in different time windows. For SNN, the query paths are swell sets from the start to the target within an upper limit. An encrypted index is designed for privacy protection. The evaluation of the efficiency and accuracy of the SNN was carried out based on New York road instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to forecast New York and Los Angeles gasoline spot prices on a daily frequency. The dataset includes gasoline prices and a big set of 128 other relevant variables spanning the period from 17 February 2004 to 26 March 2022. These variables were fed to three tree-based machine learning algorithms: decision trees, random forest, and XGBoost. Furthermore, a variable importance measure (VIM) technique was applied to identify and rank the most important explanatory variables. The optimal model, a trained random forest, achieves a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) in the out-of-sample of 3.23% for the New York and 3.78% for the Los Angeles gasoline spot prices. The first lag, AR (1), of gasoline is the most important variable in both markets; the top five variables are all energy-related. This paper can strengthen the understanding of price determinants and has the potential to inform strategic decisions and policy directions within the energy sector, making it a valuable asset for both industry practitioners and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does our food for thought come virtually from the internet? When we take a long view, the instant stroke of a keyboard pales in comparison to the centuries-old evolution of real food harvesting and the generation and exchange of ideas, which have resulted in creative capital. The vernacular architecture of the agricultural built environment has almost dematerialized in its transition from the ancient pre-industrial era to the post-truth world, to become almost only an imagined concept. The symbology of the common threshing terrace of a Portuguese remote mountain village can now be found in multiple spaces of the urban realm, including in the metaphor of a community arts incubator's modus operandi in Albany, New York (USA). How has the concept of food for thought developed and materialized? How has it evolved? And what are some of the expected ways it might be utilized in the future? The purpose of the paper is to trace the evolution of this concept and its elements via the BLC Framework. The methodology employs a time analysis of approximately three centuries to distinguish three distinct evolutionary phases: (i) the pre-industrial era, (ii) the industrial era, and (iii) the information-driven era. The key finding is an up-to-date discussion of the food for thought concept in two distinct geographical worlds and three-time eras, as well as a set of lessons learned according to a protest poem and a rock song. The results are presented in the form of five lessons learned with implications for public policy: the first two lessons pertain to issues of procedural justice as encapsulated in the anonymous 'The Goose' poem, while the last three result from a discussion of selected verses in Nick Cave's 'Fable of the Brown Ape' rock song. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban traffic demand forecasting is an important component in the implementation of intelligent transport systems (ITS). Urban traffic demand data is a spatiotemporal data, describing the amount of traffic demand generated by different areas or stations within a city along the time dimension. Although there has been considerable research work, researchers still face several challenges in predicting accurately, including the capture of hidden features in the temporal dimension of such spatiotemporal data, and the capture of dynamic dependent changes in the spatial dimension. These are even more difficult for long‐time series prediction tasks. This paper designs a multivariate temporal forecasting model specifically adapted to traffic demand to address these challenges, called the Gated Spatiotemporal Graph Attention Network (GSTGAT). GSTGAT is based on the Transformer framework and the whole model is used in an end‐to‐end manner. First of all, it uses the gated self‐attention to extract temporal features in the sequence. Secondly, graph attention is used to capture the spatial dependencies among different variables in the unstructured space. Finally, the use of gated recurrent units in combination with hidden spatial states is proposed to capture multiple levels of spatial dependencies. Experimental results on the taxi dataset in New York and the bicycle dataset in San Francisco Bay Area show that the authors' proposed model outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art models and improves the prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic inequality is a significant and growing issue in the U.S., particularly within Black communities. Improving Black entrepreneurship is critical to addressing the economic gaps. In this paper, we discuss a unique, newly established educational program focused on cannabis education at Medgar Evers College (MEC) in New York. One of the goals of the new program is to increase Black entrepreneurship in the rapidly growing cannabis industry. For decades, cannabis use and distribution were criminal offenses that led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black individuals compared to White individuals. As it is being decriminalized across the country, and medical and recreational use spreads, the tool formerly used for Black incarceration can now become a tool for advancing Black entrepreneurship. To work and/or operate a venture in the cannabis industry requires students to understand a range of issues and build a strong foundation of broad knowledge. We discuss the emerging curricula and illustrate some of the elements that will help spur successful new venture creation led by Black and minority entrepreneurs in this exciting new field. Some early successes and lessons learned are discussed, which can help other educational institutions looking to create or improve their own cannabis-related curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodic boundary conditions are natural in many scientific problems, and often lead to particular symmetries. Working with datasets that express periodicity properties requires special approaches when analyzing these phenomena. Periodic boundary conditions often help to solve or describe the problem in a much simpler way. The angular rotational symmetry is an example of periodic boundary conditions. This symmetry implies angular momentum conservation. On the other hand, clustering is one of the first and most basic methods used in data analysis. It is often a starting point when new data are acquired and understood. K-means clustering is one of the most commonly used clustering methods. It can be applied to many different situations with reasonably good results. Unfortunately, the original k-means approach does not cope well with the periodic properties of the data. For example, the original k-means algorithm treats a zero angle as very far from an angle that is 359 degrees. Periodic boundary conditions often change the classical distance measure and introduce an error in k-means clustering. In the paper, we discuss the problem of periodicity in the dataset and present a periodic k-means algorithm that modifies the original approach. Considering that many data scientists prefer on-the-shelf solutions, such as libraries available in Python, we present how easily they can incorporate periodicity into existing k-means implementation in the PyClustering library. It allows anyone to integrate periodic conditions without significant additional costs. The paper evaluates the described method using three different datasets: the artificial dataset, wind direction measurement, and the New York taxi service dataset. The proposed periodic k-means provides better results when the dataset manifests some periodic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of state administration and its public institutions in certain circumstances represents one of the most significant issues in the last twenty years following the serious security crisis caused by terrorist attacks in New York on 11 September 2001. The accent of public administration reforms was on efficiency and effectiveness of public institutions. Reforms were divided into deregulation and liberalization of public services, territorial decentralization, and regionalization with the strengthening of local government institutions and reform of central government administration. After the security crisis in 2001, financial crisis in 2008 and health crisis in 2020, the role of state institutions and public authorities in governing the state was redefined. The leading motives of general liberalization of public services, deregulation, and various forms of decentralization of public institutions abounded due to the new doctrinal approach of governmental organization. New strengthening of public authorities and public institutions became the new mainstream in the organization and functioning of the state. This paper analyzes how the role of the state can be modified due to the dynamics of social, political, and economic changes in society. New governmental reforms are contrary to earlier political and administrative measures, which include the strengthening of public institutions and concentration of public authorities. The government takes on a regulatory function in many aspects of social, political, and economic life. This situation leads to a new organization of the state, where public authorities take on a significant part of the responsibility to regulate various aspects of economic and social activities. At the focus of this paper will be how the dynamics of specific circumstances in society can affect the developing processes of the state and their public institutions. Those processes have economic, social, and political dimensions. The economic dimension includes regulatory measures on the market which contributes to development of the framework for economic development. The social dimension includes measures of social policy focused on improving the social position of citizens according to the economic development of society. The political dimension includes various aspects of security policy, with various protective measures in the community, which depends on the type of treatment for security of citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While enrollment in Catholic schools is rising in the global south, it is declining in many Western countries. Providing a quality and holistic education experience remains essential in both developed and developing countries, especially for disadvantaged groups. But in addition, in developed countries, trade-offs may have to be confronted to stem the decline in enrollment that affects the financial sustainability of schools. Building on a presentation made at the closing plenary of OIEC's World Congress in New York, this paper focuses on the United States where enrollment in Catholic schools has been dropping for more than 50 years. In the absence of state support for Catholic schools and in a context of rising operating costs and therefore tuition, the decline in enrollment is due in part to a lack of affordability of schools given high out-of-pocket costs paid by parents. But other factors related to perceptions about Catholic schools also play a role. To stem the decline in enrollment, market research can help, including to assess how favorably Catholic and other types of schools are perceived in the population. The paper relies on data collected for the National Catholic Education Association to compare favorability ratings by type of schools and assess factors associated with these perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on a presentation made at the closing plenary of OIEC's World Congress in New York, this paper considers two trends affecting Catholic education globally and their potential implications for university research and programs in support of K12 schools. The first trend is the shift of enrollment in K12 Catholic education towards the global south and especially Africa in terms of the sheer number of students enrolled in schools. The second trend relates to the deepening learning crisis in K12 education affecting much of the developing world, and again especially Africa. These two trends have implications for university research and programs in support of K12 Catholic schools on the continent. The paper argues that apart from discussions related to Catholic identity, which are of course important, more attention should be placed by universities, including in the West, on the related but distinct issue of how to improve basic learning for students enrolled in K12 Catholic schools in the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors developed a rubric for assessing undergraduate nursing research papers for information literacy skills critical to their development as researchers and health professionals. Methods: We developed a rubric mapping six American Nurses Association professional standards onto six related concepts of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. We used this rubric to evaluate fifty student research papers and assess inter-rater reliability. Results: Students tended to score highest on the "Information Has Value" dimension and lowest on the "Scholarship as Conversation" dimension. However, we found a discrepancy between the grading patterns of the two investigators, with inter-rater reliability being "fair" or "poor" for all six rubric dimensions. Conclusions: The development of a rubric that dually assesses information literacy skills and maps relevant disciplinary competencies holds potential. This study offers a template for a rubric inspired by the ACRL Framework and outside professional standards. However, the overall low inter-rater reliability demands further calibration of the rubric. Following additional norming, this rubric can be used to help students identify the key information literacy competencies that they need in order to succeed as college students and future nurses. These skills include developing an authoritative voice, determining the scope of their information needs, and understanding the ramifications of their information choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore from a technofeminist standpoint this failure to enunciate a 'feminine' technoscientific praxis in the Puttermesser and Xanthippe episode of Cynthia Ozick's 1997 'serial' novel The Puttermesser Papers. In particular, there is a tragic failure to integrate procreative ethos and creative technoscience: when the latter is placed in the service of the former, the curse of Frankenstein rears its ugly head, and catastrophe ensues. The female scientist, a Jewish polymath like Ruth Puttermesser who creates a female golem to save New York, in releasing procreativity from the necessity of heterosexual reproduction, unwittingly unleashes a plague of 'hyperfemininity' that threatens to destroy culture. Thus, the break from the biological restraints of procreation and the establishment of a utopian femarche (female rule) are deconstructed, parodied, and retrospectively opposed as destructive, while the figure of the female savant / scientist emerges as a tragic one, torn between the need to nurture, and the catastrophic consequences of that need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to conceptually integrate business to consumer (B2C) into business to business (B2B), with a holistic consumer-centric, technology-reinforced, long-term vision for tourism industries and companies to survive and succeed in the era of new technologies 4.0. The research suggests that the tourism-marketing-new technologies decision-making involves customers as the center of the design and decision process. Design/methodology/approach: The research design includes a qualitative study with 94 in-depth interviews, a literature analysis and a conceptual proposition. The qualitative study follows the tourism consumer desire data analysis, from categorization to integration. The literature analysis applies a systematic literature review approach based on the 29 most up-to-date new-tech papers from peer-reviewed journals. The analysis compares qualitative research findings and literature analysis results and matches the new technology applications with consumer desire understanding. The conceptual framework of tourism marketing/advertising is proposed based on qualitative research and literature analysis. Findings: The qualitative research deciphers that consumers, based on their imagination and memorization, desire therapy and sceneries and connect such desires to the empathetic and resonating advertising messages. The literature analysis synthesizes the new tech applications in tourism and matches the qualitative research findings with the deciphered desires in tourism. The conceptual model proposes that B2C should be integrated into B2B to provide value for both consumers and businesses and opens avenues of research on this topic. Research limitations/implications: This research has made the following theoretical contributions: it offers an in-depth understanding of consumer desire, often hidden or subconscious, in the field of tourism. Consumer desires regarding tourism are mostly subconscious and exist long before consumers are exposed to advertising messages. These desires reflect the search for therapy and sceneries and become "embodied" – they exist on multisensorial levels and become part of the body and life and will lead consumers into positive perceptions when marketing communications/advertisements resonate with them. In the latter case, they will subjectively judge advertising as "good," regardless of the advertising design quality. The research also connects consumer research with a new technologies research review and proposes a conceptual framework to integrate business to consumer (B2C) with business to business (B2B). As such, the research makes theoretical contributions to the integration or the "boundary blurring" between B2C and B2B research and practical suggestions that involved industries and consumers may all benefit from such integration. Conceptually, there is a lack of discussions of the pitfalls of new technologies, a dearth of empirical verification of the applications of new technologies in the proposed fields and a shortage of discussions about ethical issues. Qualitative methods, offering an efficient tool for understanding consumer desires in the tourism industry, have their own limits, as discussed in previous research. The sample is limited to the state of New York population and may be influenced by geographic, demographic and psychological characteristics related to the region. Practical implications: This research provides advertising practitioners, new technology innovators and tourism industries with a framework to face the combined challenges of understanding hidden consumer desires and applying adequate technologies that resonate with consumer desires to tackle relevant issues. The conceptual proposition of this research fills the gap between qualitative consumer research without concrete practical resolution and new technologies applications without in-depth consumer understanding. Through the conceptual framework, the author provides insights into how industries may benefit from consumer understanding. The business relationships among the industries of marketing, tourism and new technologies should be centered around consumers. Thus, B2C and B2B should be naturally integrated into business practices. Social implications: Social implications of this research include three major points: first, the understanding of consumer desire for therapeutic power in tourism, which invites more attention to tourism as part of social well-being design instead of a purely for-profit business. Second, a profound comprehension of what consumers need and desire, without which the applications of new technologies may cause severe societal problems. Third, a way to tailor to consumers' individuality and desires for advertising/marketing that may be considered abusive, stressful and socially destructive if applied in a nonpersonal manner. Originality/value: Conceptually, this research adds consumer desire, an originally B2C concept, to the B2B context regarding the new technology applications in tourism marketing/advertising. It contributes to the B2B literature by proposing a strong consumer-centric approach, especially the consumer desire understanding, that is not yet investigated in the B2B literature; and a combination of empirical study and literature analysis and the matching of the two for better practice of advertising/marketing, tourism and new technologies applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, the recent SARS-CoV-2 virus disease outbreak has infected more than 691,000,000 people and killed more than 6,900,000. Surprisingly, Sub-Saharan Africa has suffered the least from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Factors that are inherent to developing countries and that contrast with their counterparts in developed countries have been associated with these disease burden differences. In this paper, we developed data-driven COVID-19 mathematical models of two 'extreme': Cameroon, a developing country, and New York State (NYS) located in a developed country. We then identified critical parameters that could be used to explain the lower-than-expected COVID-19 disease burden in Cameroon versus NYS and to help mitigate future major disease outbreaks. Through the introduction of a 'disease burden' function, we found that COVID-19 could have been much more severe in Cameroon than in NYS if the vaccination rate had remained very low in Cameroon and the pandemic had not ended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate power load forecasting could provide a scientific basis for the rapid response and stable operation of a modern power system. To take advantage of the meteorological big data to improve short-term forecasting accuracy, while considering the nonlinear and spatiotemporal correlation characteristics of the power load data, this paper proposes a short-term power load forecasting method based on meteorological data dimensionality reduction and a hybrid deep neural network. First, the elastic network is used to reduce the dimensions of high-dimensional meteorological big data, eliminate irrelevant meteorological factors, and improve the quality of input data. Then, taking the dimension-reduced meteorological data and historical load data as input, a load forecasting model based on a novel deep neural network is established. This model uses a convolution neural network (CNN) and a bi-directional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) neural network to extract the spatial and temporal correlation features of power load related data, and combines the attention mechanism to enhance the learning weight of the load series in important periods, and adopts residual connection (RC) to optimize the network training speed and alleviate the overfitting problem. Finally, taking the open data set of the New York Independent System Operating Agency (NYISO) as an example, single-step and multi-step advance prediction experiments are carried out to verify the advantages of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data clustering is a thoroughly studied data mining issue. As the amount of information being analyzed grows exponentially, there are several problems with clustering diagnostic large datasets like the monitoring, microbiology, and end results (SEER) carcinoma feature sets. These traditional clustering methods are severely constrained in terms of speed, productivity, and adaptability. This paper summarizes the most modern distributed clustering algorithms, organized according to the computing platforms used to process vast volumes of data. The purpose of this work was to offer an optimized distributed clustering strategy for reducing the algorithm's total execution time. We obtained, preprocessed, and analyzed clinical SEER data on liver cancer, respiratory cancer, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related lymphoma, and lung cancer for large-scale data clustering analysis. Three major contributions and their effects were covered in this paper: To begin, three current Pyspark distributed clustering algorithms were evaluated on SEER clinical data using a simulated New York cancer dataset. Second, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) model inference was done and described using three SEER cancer datasets. Third, employing lung cancer data, we suggested an optimized distributed bisecting k -means method. We have shown the outcomes of our suggested optimized distributed clustering technique, demonstrating the performance enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk perceptions are key constructs in some theories of health behavior. A tripartite model of risk perception, the TRIRISK model, was developed to assess deliberative, affective, and experiential components of risk perception. The current paper attempts to replicate the factor structure of the TRIRISK measure for cancer and extend the structure to respiratory illness. Participants 18 or older were recruited using an address-based sample in New York State to participate in a Web-based survey. We employed the TRIRISK questionnaire with respect to cancer and respiratory illness. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted in Mplus to validate the TRIRISK model in our sample. TRIRISK model fit across demographic and behavioral groups was tested using multiple-group models. Of the 704 people included in the analysis, the mean age of participants was 46.9, the majority reported being female (58.5%), and most were White (81.7%). For cancer and respiratory illness, items loaded on the respective constructs as expected. Overall, the TRIRISK model framework fits well across differing subgroups, suggesting that this is a valid model of risk perception to use in a general population sample. These results provide further evidence that the TRIRISK model is a good model to use for risk perceptions in tobacco control research. The TRIRISK model can be used to communicate risk to encourage positive health behaviors among most sociodemographic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) initiated its "Democratizing Data" project in 2013 to make detailed demographic information widely available on the US undocumented, eligible to naturalize, and other non-citizen populations. The paper begins by outlining top-line findings and themes from the more than 30 CMS studies under this project. It then examines and refutes four persistent misconceptions that have inhibited public understanding and needed policy change: (1) migrants never leave the United States; (2) most undocumented migrants arrive by illegally crossing the US-Mexico border; (3) each Border Patrol apprehension translates into a new undocumented resident; and (4) immigrants are less skilled than US-born workers. The paper then offers new analyses in support of select policy recommendations drawn from a decade of democratizing data. It concludes with a short reflection and a case study on the failure of data, evidence-based policy ideas, and national ideals to translate into necessary reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce taxi ridership between the Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of New York and large financial institutions headquartered in New York City as a novel proxy for Fed–bank face-to-face interactions. We document a negative relation between past Fed–bank interactions and future stock market returns, particularly on days around the Fed's public announcements. We also find significantly elevated Fed–bank interactions immediately following the lifting of the Federal Open Market Committee blackout. Our findings suggest that the Fed increases its information gathering via face-to-face interactions when it possesses negative private information about the condition of the economy. This paper was accepted by Agostino Capponi, finance. Funding: This work was supported by the Muma College of Business Center for Analytics and Creativity at the University South Florida, the George Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the Liew Fama-Miller Fellowship, and the Fischer Black Fellowship. Supplemental Material: Data and the online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4885. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to show an application of variety engineering in the social realm (Beer in The heart of enterprise. Wiley, Chichester, 1979, in Brain of the firm. Wiley, Chichester 1981, in diagnosing the system for organizations. Wiley, Chichester, 1985). It focuses on reducing environmental complexity by catalysing self-organizing processes (Espejo and Reyes in Organizational systems: managing complexity with the VSM. Springer, London, 2011). This catalysis is based on the use of Sen and Nussbaum's capabilities approach (Sen in Development as freedom. Oxford University Press, New York, 1999; Nusbaum in Women and human development: the capabilities approach. Cambridge University Press, New York, 2000). By doing this an organization may improve the quality of the relations with their clients by transforming environmental agents into new suppliers. This approach opens a new dimension of social responsibility for organizations. A particular case is presented in which a regional university in Colombia faces the challenge of attending low-income students coming from small municipalities. They designed a strategy to offer low-cost housing and a daily balanced meal without using the university's own resources. Instead, they managed to involve some agents of the community by developing their capabilities. This kind of variety engineering shows the possibility of new forms of social responsibility in universities by incorporating the capabilities approach into their managerial practices. This is something that is currently under study in other universities (Boni et al. in Science and engineering ethics. Springer, London, 2015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines how U.S.-American movies stage and convey intercultural encounters. Drawing from the case study of cinematic New York City, it tackles intercultural encounters and spaces emerging from interactions of protagonists that are staged as being 'culturally different'. Theoretical ideas on urban encounters, interculturality, and boundaries are intertwined. A comparative analysis 17 movies reveals three key dimensions of intercultural spaces: boundary drawing, boundary crossing, and boundary commuting. As polysemous staging strategies these provide insight into how movies display everyday intercultural encounters in an urban context. The paper concludes that New York City is imagined as a place in which intercultural encounters are consciously reflected as cultural coexistence—the cinematic city serves as canvas for a culturally separated society. This finding disenchants the medially widespread urban myth of New York City being a harmonious intercultural metropolis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presented in this paper analyzed four long-term pavement performance (LTPP) test sections located in the states of New York (NY) and California (CA). Two of them are flexible pavement sections, whereas the other two are composite pavement sections. Two levels of analysis—in-state analysis and cross-state analysis—were performed for these pavement sections to determine the impacts of traffic and climate conditions. The performance of the pavement sections was evaluated in respect of thermal cracking and rutting resistance. The in-state analysis focused on comparing the pavement sections located in the same state. The two pavement sections located in CA exhibited insignificant variation in thermal cracking, although one of them had an additional 1.5" (38 mm) dense-graded asphaltic concrete (AC) layer. On the other hand, the additional 1.5" (38 mm) AC layer resulted in a significant reduction in the rutting depth in one pavement section. The in-state analysis of the two pavement sections located in NY revealed that the 0.8" (20.4 mm) chip seal layer had significantly low resistance to thermal cracking and rutting. The cross-state analysis examined pavement sections of comparable structural capacities—two with low structural capacity, and two with high structural capacity. The performance comparison of the two pavement sections with low structural capacity revealed that the chip seal layer exhibited a significantly high rutting depth, i.e., low rutting resistance under high traffic loads in a freezing climate. On the contrary, the two pavement sections with high structural capacity showed relatively high rutting resistance in both warmer and freezing climates. Furthermore, this paper presents the pavement deterioration models for rutting and thermal cracking in the LTPP test sections. These models were developed using multiple linear regression considering the pavement service life (age), traffic load (average annual daily truck traffic, AADTT), and climate impact (freezing index, FI). The deterioration models had coefficients of determination (r2) in the range of 0.82–0.99 and standard errors varying from 0.01 to 9.92, which indicate that the models are reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]