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Visibility across supply chains has been a key concern for organisations for many years, but the tools and information systems to achieve real-time visibility have not been available until recently. In response to uncertainty and complexity, advanced information and communication technologies have been explored for supply chain visibility (SCV). However, managerial perspectives are largely absent from the current literature. In response, this paper systematically documents managerial factors influencing SCV and information that should be collected and shared among supply chain partners for better visibility. A multi-stage Delphi analysis was conducted with 26 supply chain experts from various globally recognised enterprises with manufacturing units located worldwide. The results provide details on prioritised managerial perspectives and experiences within (1) factors affecting SCV (drivers, enablers, challenges and contingencies), (2) SCV content (supplier, internal and customer information) and (3) implications of SCV (capabilities and performance effects). One observation was that forecasting is not deemed as important due to severe disruptions in supply chains. Real-time visibility for better predictability emerged as the top priority. This study is among the few that empirically explores factors influencing supply chain visibility and generates new insights into why barriers can be difficult to overcome in complex supply chain settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterprise social media (ESM) is changing how knowledge workers interact and share information; however, a debate persists as to whether ESM is an adequate knowledge management system. ESM provides a rich set of affordances for organizational knowledge work, such as improved organizational memory, but also constrains knowledge work performance because of digital interruptions. Extending and complementing existing scholarship, this study asks the following research question: How can organizations design ESM to realize its knowledge work benefits? Using a computational agent-based model that incorporates the design features of ESM, workers' attitudes, and resulting ESM-use affordances and constraints, this study shows how ESM-use outcomes are contingent both on the design of and users' attitudes toward ESM. Specifically, the negative effects of ESM interactivity are mitigated when employees have a low transparency preference and access ESM without posting as much. The study further unpacks asymmetric engagement as the mechanism that leads low transparency configurations to be more resilient to the negative effects of interruptions driven by ESM interactivity. Asymmetric engagement--learning from posted content without interacting often--enables the gradual creation of organizational memory while maintaining a broad user base by minimizing interruptions. These results ultimately contribute a multilevel model of ESM use and knowledge work outcomes, enhancing the theoretical understanding of previously studied mechanisms such as communication visibility and providing implications for organizations designing ESM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a chronic neurocutaneous disease known to profoundly affect quality of life (QoL). We have performed an analysis of disease severity, mental and physical QoL and compare the different subclasses among patients with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). Patients and methods: We conducted a prospective analysis of 89 NF1 patients between January 2016 and March 2018. Data sourced from local records including demographic information, employment status, education level, and marital status. All patients completed 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and additionally the numerical pain rating scale (NPS). Patients were stratified based on severity of NF1, visibility and disease severity. Results: Among 89 patients, severity was classified as grade 4 was identified in 42 (47.2%), moderate in 17 (19.1%), mild in 23 (25.8%) and minimal in 7 (7.9%) cases. According to visibility scale, severe grade 3 was found in 28 (31.5%), moderate grade 2 in 26 (29.2%) and mild grade in 35 (39.3%) cases. SF-36 data, except for pain, showed significantly lower values, if compared to the standard German population (P < 0.001, physical component summary P = 0.045). Sex, marital status and education level did not significantly influence results. Employment was significantly associated with better mental and physical status (P = 0.028 and P = 0.01 respectively) and age >40 was linked to lower physical (P = 0.027) but not mental component scores (P = 0.362). The numerical pain rating scale indicated pain levels of 7–10 in 9 cases (10,1%), 5–6 in 10 patients (11.2%), 1–4 in 26 patients (29.2%) and no pain in 44 cases (49.4%). Physical component scores significantly differed across different NPS grades (P < 0.001) but not in mental component scores (P = 0.06). Finally, no significant differences were found in mental component scores across severity or visibility grades. Conclusion: Severity and visibility grades of patients with NF1 may not necessarily result in poor mental health. Symptomatic treatment should be considered even for severely disabled patients as they may have comparable QoL to less severely affected patients with NF1. Employment was linked to better quality of life outcomes in our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Perfect: feeling judged on social media: a roundtable discussion" by Rosalind Gill explores the experiences of young women on social media, focusing on the pressures of perfection and judgment they face. The research highlights the anxieties young women feel about being watched and judged, leading to intense feelings of anxiety and fear of making mistakes. The study also delves into the labor young women invest in maintaining their social media presence, as well as the emotional distress and mental health struggles they navigate in a visually dominated culture. The author aims to challenge stigmas around mental health and promote discussions on the structural and cultural factors influencing young people's well-being. [Extracted from the article]

In an era where localization is increasingly vital for daily activities, determining an individual's location and providing suggestions is crucial for successful navigation. Central to our method is the concept of visibility areas, defined as spaces from which a landmark is at least partially visible. We tessellate space into a grid and use raycasting to determine these visibility areas. Visibility areas are further subdivided into sub‐spaces, each representing a unique set of visible landmarks. To efficiently manage and query these sub‐spaces, we create a tree of options for each landmark and merge them into one compact multitree. This structure represents a hierarchical composition of sub‐spaces and enhances query efficiency while storing each sub‐space only once in the memory. The multitree is designed to support the rapid identification of sub‐spaces based on observed landmarks, resulting in efficient localization within the environment is presented to calculating the optimal localization point in a visibility area based on suggested visible landmarks. The paper concludes with a discussion of the approach targeting indoor localization but highlights also its potential for further research and some limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a Saudi woman living in times of rapid socioeconomic transformation, working in a low-paid job may feel both obligatory and shameful. This paper argues that Saudi women – torn between traditionalism and modernity – are deeply impacted, though in ambivalent ways, by the recent empowerment discourse. It examines how the corporate world adopts the empowerment narrative to promote progress, modernity, and openness at the expense of women's needs, preferences, and values. Through interviews with a diverse cohort of 20 employed women aged 20–45 years, this study seeks to unravel the motivations that drive women to pursue work in a patriarchal society where the conventional role of men entails assuming financial responsibility for women. Through an exploration of the motivations underlying women's decisions to work – a few of which are the desire for recognition, financial independence, and self-worth – this paper investigates issues of visibility, space, and social responsibility. These key issues emphasize the struggles encountered by working women in attaining empowerment, autonomy, and self-worth despite their participation in the labour market and their financial independence. By examining low-skilled sectors in which women struggle with challenging working conditions, this paper aims to give voice to disadvantaged women who, in the empowerment plans, are left unheard and their future obscured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The media narrative around the exceptional rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes is crafted out of the ideological interplay between the logics of American neoliberal capitalism and popular feminism within the microcosm of Silicon Valley—itself machinated by venture capital, fueled by libertarian techno-determinism, and Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In appropriation of feminism. Holmes's celebrity, coinciding with the proliferation of national discourse around the "gender problem" in STEM, placated neoliberal and popular feminism's calls for representation in a space that, per these ongoing discourses on diversity and inclusion, needed her visibility. Holmes's media visibility grafted over the void of women's representation within the notorious boys' club of Silicon Valley under the American veneer of meritocracy. Holmes's celebrity making, subsequent unmasking, and continued retelling through various fictional portrayals point to the inherent tensions in neoliberal logics and the superficiality of visibility, furthering the erasure of structural, material, and intersectional inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many companies are using smart packaging to provide consumers with more information about their products. The goal of our case study is to access the Near Field Communication (NFC) tag knowledge, as well as getting insights into tag positioning in food package design for better visibility in order to develop some guidelines for future tag implementations. A preliminary survey of professionals provided an overview of NFC tag usage, followed by an online survey that assessed knowledge and visibility of tag placements. These findings were further discussed in focus groups and measured using eye-tracking technology. For placement visibility assessments, well-known and fictitious packaging designs of milk were used. The results show that, due to the NFC tag's low market penetration, consumer recognition is low, with only generations Y and Z being familiar with the NFC tag. Knowledge of the NFC tag does not significantly vary based on education level. When considering the use of NFC tags, it is crucial to define and understand the target market. If the target is younger generations, the potential to increase engagement with the product can be achieved. Additionally, to boost consumer interaction, NFC tags or other smart elements should include an activation prompt, positioned on the central right section of the packaging and distinguished by a distinct color. The influence of the design on tag visibility is essential to ensure its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While feminist scholarship has challenged earlier misogynist discourses around menopause, menopause continues to be associated with women’s rage. Focusing on UK news and advice websites (2018–2024), we ask if and how this association is figured in contemporary cultural representations and what cultural and political work it performs. We situate our examination within three converging contexts: 1) the unleashing of public displays of women’s rage in Anglophone media in the wake of the #MeToo movement; 2) the changing cultural terrain of ageing women and their growing influence in public life; and 3) the rising visibility of menopause in the UK. We identify four distinct patterns: 1) construction of rage as a natural and biological symptom of the hormonally imbalanced ageing female body; 2) bundling of rage with other symptoms associated with menopause; 3) repudiation of menopausal women’s rage; and 4) positioning of menopausal women as responsible for managing their rage. These patterns render menopausal women’s rage visible while simultaneously disavowing and obscuring its legitimacy as an apt response to gender injustice. The analysis shows how menopausal women’s apt rage over gender and racial injustice is being depoliticized and reduced to hormone-induced behaviour that ageing women are exhorted to self-manage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, disruptive events pose significant threats to organizations, making resilience a critical focus. Evaluating supply chain resilience is essential to avoid escalating disruptions. However, the literature on this topic is fragmented, and the assessment of resilience remains an open gap due to the lack of a clear definition of the dimensions and elements for its evaluation. To fill this gap, this study integrates a systematic literature review (SLR) and a systematic literature network analysis (SLNA) to propose a MAturity MOdel for REsilient Supply Chains (MaMoReS). Through content analysis and stringent selection of 15 resilience maturity models (ResMMs) via SLR, along with an SLNA on 6,474 sources, this method defines dimensions and sub-dimensions. The proposed MaMoReS is framed around five levels and five dimensions: risk management, agility, flexibility and adaptability, redundancy and robustness, transparency and visibility, and collaboration and relationships. The MaMoReS is applied to two case studies, pinpointing the practicality of the MaMoReS for measuring the resilience maturity level of the two companies along with their dimensions and sub-dimensions scoring. Thus, the MaMoReS can be used as an assessment tool by supply chain managers and researchers to evaluate the resilience of a supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay focuses on Jacques Derrida’s Memoirs of the Blind, the catalog accompanying the exhibit of the same name that Derrida organized and curated at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1990. The essay begins by considering Derrida’s seemingly surprising choice of themes, that is, darkness, blindness and invisibility, for an exhibit of drawings and paintings that belong to the so-called ‘visual arts’. The essay goes on to explain what Derrida calls in Memoirs of the Blind two intersecting logics in the visual arts, the ‘transcendental’ and the ‘sacrificial’, both of which are related in some way to blindness or invisibility. It then considers how these two logics come to intersect in Derrida’s own exhibit and in the autobiographical narrative – the memoir – of his exhibition, a narrative that, as we see, also proceeds from a certain blindness or lack of knowledge. The essay concludes by asking what Derrida’s analyses might teach us about the blindness at the very origin of the visual arts and, especially, about a certain ‘elementary faith’ – a notion taken from his 1996 essay ‘Faith and Knowledge’ – that is required in order to practice them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower colour is an important mediator of plant–pollinator interactions. While the reflectance of light from the flower surface and background are governed by physical properties, the perceptual interpretation of such information is generated by complex multilayered visual processing. Should quantitative modelling of flower signals strive for repeatable consistency enabled by parameter simplification, or should modelling reflect the dynamic way in which bees are known to process signals? We discuss why colour is an interpretation of spectral information by the brain of an animal. Different species, or individuals within a species, may respond differently to colour signals depending on sensory apparatus and/or individual experience. Humans and bees have different spectral ranges, but colour theory is strongly rooted in human colour perception and many principles of colour vision appear to be common. We discuss bee colour perception based on physiological, neuroanatomical and behavioural evidence to provide a pathway for modelling flower colours. We examine whether flower petals and floral guides as viewed against spectrally different backgrounds should be considered as a simple colour contrast problem or require a more dynamic consideration of how bees make perceptual decisions. We discuss that plants such as deceptive orchids may present signals to exploit bee perception, whilst many plants do provide honest signalling where perceived saturation indicates the probability of collecting nutritional rewards towards the centre of a flower that then facilitates effective pollination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing image enhancement algorithms often fail to effectively address issues of visual disbalance, such as brightness unevenness and color distortion, in low‐light images. To overcome these challenges, we propose a TransISP‐based image enhancement method specifically designed for low‐light images. To mitigate color distortion, we design dual encoders based on decoupled representation learning, which enable complete decoupling of the reflection and illumination components, thereby preventing mutual interference during the image enhancement process. To address brightness unevenness, we introduce CNNformer, a hybrid model combining CNN and Transformer. This model efficiently captures local details and long‐distance dependencies between pixels, contributing to the enhancement of brightness features across various local regions. Additionally, we integrate traditional image signal processing algorithms to achieve efficient color correction and denoising of the reflection component. Furthermore, we employ a generative adversarial network (GAN) as the overarching framework to facilitate unsupervised learning. The experimental results show that, compared with six SOTA image enhancement algorithms, our method obtains significant improvement in evaluation indexes (e.g., on LOL, PSNR: 15.59%, SSIM: 9.77%, VIF: 9.65%), and it can improve visual disbalance defects in low‐light images captured from real‐world coal mine underground scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparency is a complex and multifaceted communication phenomenon. In the current environment, demands for organizational transparency now come from a wide range of entities we term visibility agents, ranging from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and global networks, on one hand, to activist coalitions and automated surveillance agents, on the other. We develop a framework to conceive of such visibility agents and the range of transparency demands that they make in the context of environmental issues, positing that visibility agents significantly shape and diversify transparency practices. We identify four major relationships between visibility agents and organizations— inquisitorial, adversarial, associative, and advocative —which are associated with specific kinds of transparency demands, requests, and imperatives: accountability, monitoring, disclosure, and secrecy. We illustrate each set of relationships with examples of environmental reporting practices, one of the most prominent areas of transparency management. Implications for both theory and research on transparency are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short videos are very popular in China. The provincial TV stations in China use short videos to disseminate information. Curiosity about the influence of short video news is the primary motivation of this study. This paper integrates theories of news and place, focuses on local visibility, explores how short videos can serve as media infrastructure to report news, construct local visibility and change public life. Taking a sample of official short videos from 31 provincial TV stations in China, this paper uses the narrative analysis method to decode the videos. It is found that short videos create a unique news space which are reflected in narrative language, narrative framework and narrative theme, respectively. This study argues that the short video platform has shaped a place with public vitality, participated in local image management, and built the "visible community". This has innovated the existing theoretical relationship between news and place, and the short video media practice of TV stations in various provinces has provided the world with the Chinese experience of creating place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis article investigates the politics of visibility and the limits of representation in the American sitcom, United States of Al—the first network television program to prominently feature an Afghan character. Employing textual analysis, this article analyzes the first season of the program, paying close attention to the development of the title character and storyline. In an attempt to combat the negative stereotypes of Afghans in American media by portraying an all-good person worthy of American acceptance, United States of Al ultimately reifies the very stereotypes it hopes to counter. Further, as the analysis illustrates, United States of Al makes visible Afghans to network programming, but suffers in its attempts to represent a deep and dynamic character. Uncovering how United States of Al -one of the first of its kind—portrays Afghans is critical to our understanding of how Afghans are represented in the American cultural imagination and the extent to which they may identify belongingness within mediated sites of identity negotiation. As attention from Afghanistan dissipates with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, interest in framing U.S. involvement in Afghanistan continues and this article provides one intervention to engage in more nuanced discussions of media visibility, representation, and power as it relates to Afghans and Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes six years of hourly meteorological data from seven observation stations in the Beibu Gulf—Qinzhou (QZ), Fangcheng (FC), Beihai (BH), Fangchenggang (FCG), Dongxing (DX), Weizhou Island (WZ), and Hepu (HP)—over the period from 2016 to 2021. It examines the diurnal variations of sea fog occurrence and compares the performance of three machine learning (ML) models—Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Categorical Boosting (CatBoost)—in predicting visibility associated with sea fog in the Beibu Gulf. The results show that sea fog occurs more frequently during the nighttime than during the daytime, primarily due to day-night differences in air temperature, specific humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. To predict visibility associated with sea fog, these variables, along with temperature-dew point differences ( T a − T d ), pressure (p), month, day, hour, and wind components, were used as feature variables in the three ML models. Although all the models performed satisfactorily in predicting visibility, XGBoost demonstrated the best performance among them, with its predicted visibility values closely matching the observed low visibility in the Beibu Gulf. However, the performance of these models varies by station, suggesting that additional feature variables, such as geographical or topographical variables, may be needed for training the models and improving their accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The density of fog is directly related to visibility and is one of the decision-making criteria for airport flight management and highway traffic management. Estimating fog density based on images and videos has been a popular research topic in recent years. However, the fog density estimated results based on images should be further evaluated and analyzed by combining weather information from other sensors. The data obtained by different sensors often need to be aligned in terms of time because of the difference in acquisition methods. In this paper, we propose a video and a visibility data alignment method based on temporal consistency for data alignment. After data alignment, the fog density estimation results based on images and videos can be analyzed, and the incorrect estimation results can be efficiently detected and corrected. The experimental results show that the new method effectively combines videos and visibility for fog density estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study explores the dynamics of Linguistic Landscapes (LL) in the commercial tourist district near Labrang Monastery by analyzing the use of Tibetan, Mandarin, and English on café menus. Traditionally, LL research has focused on language visibility as an indicator of vitality, overlooking contextual complexities. We challenge this approach by considering geocultural contexts, instigators' language proficiency, and intended audience. Method: This study employed a triangulation approach, combining multiple methods of data collection and analysis. First, we conducted a preliminary observation of shop names in the region. Second, with the consent of shop owners, we comprehensively documented visual and textual artifacts both inside and outside the cafés, including signboards, menus, wall billboards, and displayed books. Third, we conducted extensive semi-structured interviews with shop owners and customers. These interviews, transcribed for analysis, provided insights into language usage preferences and decision-making processes. Results: By advocating for a holistic LL research approach, integrating qualitative insights with quantitative data, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of LL dynamics. Our findings show that geocultural contexts, instigators' language proficiency, and intended audience all play a role in shaping language representation and vitality. Discussion: The absence of a language on signage does not necessarily signify diminished vitality but can reflect strategic decisions influenced by religious, individual and commercial factors. Beyond mere visibility, languages on café menus serve as symbolic markers of ethnic identity and reflect the functions they assume within the speech community, offering insights into language vitality across different usage contexts. This research enriches scholarly discourse on LL, particularly within the Chinese context, by emphasizing the multifaceted nature of language presence and its vitality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 1 September 2022, a landslide in Hongya Village, Weiyuan Town, Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, caused significant casualties and economic losses. To mitigate such risks, InSAR technology is employed due to its wide coverage, all-weather operation, and cost-effectiveness in detecting landslides. In this study, focusing on the landslide in Hongya Village, SBAS-InSAR and Sentinel-1A satellite data from July 2021 to September/October 2022 were used to accurately identify the areas of active landslides and to analyze the landslide deformation trends, in combination with the geological characteristics of the landslides and rainfall data. The results showed that strong deformation was detected in the middle and back of the landslide in Hongya Village, with a maximum deformation rate of approximately -13 mm/year. The surface of the landslide consisted of mainly Upper Pleistocene wind-deposited loess, which is extremely sensitive to water. The deformation of the landslide was closely related to the rainfall, and the deformation of the landslide increased with the increase in rainfall. The research results prove that the combination of ascending and descending orbit data based on SBAS-InSAR technology is highly feasible in the field of landslide deformation monitoring and is of great practical significance for landslide disaster prevention and mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine two settlement types: a rural village and an urban neighborhood. Both settlements were built on state-owned lands, pre-planned, established over three generations ago, informed by the same planning theory, and inspired by the same national ideology. Given these similarities, we compare the values of their constructed environments. Through these values, we examine whether a village planned as a city retains its rural values, and whether an urban neighborhood can contain village construction values. The aim of this article is to examine whether the original planning has stood the test of time, in terms of rural and urban renewal. The research method involved the analysis of urban plans and observations of the built environment as a basis for evaluating the quality of the built environments. The findings and main contributions suggest that village and neighborhood planning based on optimal walking distances from the rural/urban centers and the high connectivity and visibility of both internal and external landscapes has provided both the village and neighborhood with a sound infrastructure for future changes, even decades later, and given a different set of needs. Nevertheless, whereas the village is based on a community, the neighborhood seeks to create one and, if it fails to do so, the open areas might become neglected, and the neighborhood might deteriorate. In such a case, only local activism or public intervention can improve the neighborhood's situation. This research constitutes an additional layer to studies examining the quality of the built environment, both in general and in Israel in particular, in cities and rural settlements. The case studies are Neighborhood D in Beersheba and the moshav Nahalal, Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving health and social equity for persons living with a rare disease (PLWRD) is increasingly recognized as a global policy priority. However, there is currently no international alignment on how to define and describe rare diseases. A global reference is needed to establish a mutual understanding to inform a wide range of stakeholders for actions. A multi-stakeholder, global panel of rare disease experts, came together and developed an Operational Description of Rare Diseases. This reference describes which diseases are considered rare, how many persons are affected and why the rare disease population demands specific attention. The operational description of rare diseases is framed in two parts: a core definition of rare diseases, complemented by a descriptive framework of rare diseases. The core definition includes parameters that permit the identification of which diseases are considered rare, and how many persons are affected. The descriptive framework elaborates on the impact and burden of rare diseases on patients, their caregivers and families, healthcare systems, and society overall. The Operational Description of Rare Diseases establishes a common point of reference for decision-makers across the world who strive to understand and address the unmet needs of persons living with a rare disease. Adoption of this reference is essential to improving the visibility of rare conditions in health systems across the world. Greater recognition of the burden of rare diseases will motivate new actions and policies to address the unmet needs of the rare disease community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper examines the changing terrain of accessing health and illness guidance and information through the lens of social media, specifically It argues how Instagram, has increasingly become an unregulated ­public health platform in today’s digital society. Drawing on extensive empirical interview data from two research projects before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, which explored how users showcased and performed health and illness on Instagram, this paper demonstrates how Instagram has became an important forum from which to perform proactive health practices, as well as to legitimate ill health through making healthy behaviours visible, as well as invisible illnesses like disease, COVID-19, and mental health conditions. Over time and through continuous sharing of this content may contribute to increased understanding or even a de-stigmatisation of such illnesses or chronic conditions. With the social media market currently valued at 49.9 billion, and influencer spending around 4.9 billion, the value, reach and direct impact of this ‘attention economy’ on public health should not be underestimated. Instagram serves as a forum for these practices and helps legitimize ill health by making both healthy behaviours and ­invisible illnesses visible. This visibility can contribute to increased understanding and de-stigmatization of chronic conditions and mental health issues. The paper argues that Instagram has evolved into an informal, unregulated public health platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical Wireless Communication (OWC), sometimes referred to as Free Space Optics (FSO), is the backbone of leading-edge communication systems that offer high performance and fast speed. The main pitfall of this system is that the optical signal is hindered by the different atmospheric anomalies. As a result, the system performance has been distorted and degraded. Among the different atmospheric anomalies like fog, rain, snow, etc., fog is the main enemy of this system. Using the properly chosen optics at the transmitter and receiver sides and wavelength, the system performance may be increased in diverse weather conditions. In this article, four wavelengths like two Mid Wave Infrared (MWIR) (3400 nm, 4100 nm) and two Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) (1550 nm & 2000 nm), 27 dBm optical peak power, the OOK modulation technique, 10 MHz modulation bandwidth, 10-7 BER, 2 km optical wireless link distance have been considered. From the theoretical simulation results, it has been initiated that MWIR optical sources (like 4100 nm and 3400 nm) contribute 72.22 dB, and 71.27 dB link margin at adverse atmospheric anomalies respectively, whereas SWIR Optical sources like 1550 nm & 2000 nm furnish 67.70 dB, 68.50 dB link margin respectively for 2 km link distance. The 4100 nm wavelength Laser source performs better in different atmospheric anomalies and provides a better pointing error angle in clear, as well as adverse weather conditions, compared to other wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature suggests that people with invisible disabilities face more social difficulties than those with visible ones. Thus, the visibility criterion can constitute a core factor to understand the stigmatisation of people with disabilities. The main aim of this research is to examine if the "warm but incompetent" stereotype associated with disability varies according to the visibility criterion. A complementary aim is to investigate how taking onset controllability into account can help to understand the stereotyping faced by people with a disability. To do this, we conducted four studies, using between- (pilot study) and within-subject (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2) designs. Our results consistently support the hypothesis that stereotypes associated with disabilities vary according to visibility. Specifically, people with invisible disabilities are perceived to be less warm but more competent than those with visible disabilities. Furthermore, more surprisingly, perceived controllability increases both warmth and competence perceptions. These findings highlight the importance of considering the characteristics of a disability to understand stigmatisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes that the dissemination of marginal archival resources can be informed by forms of socioeconomic precarity experienced by their creators and primary subjects. To account for these modes of circulation, the author proposes the notion of a precarious archive. The concept is developed with reference to the Kewpie Collection, an official though marginal archival resource containing photographs as well as recordings and transcripts of interviews with the photographs' collector, Kewpie. The Collection depicts a group of self-described gays and girls living in District Six, a multicultural, inner-city area of apartheid Cape Town, before and during the District's physical destruction by the Nationalist government. By the early 1980s, the girls were among the sixty thousand residents forcibly removed from the District because they were legally classified 'Coloured'. The circulation of materials constituting the Kewpie Collection is characterised as precarious in two senses. First, the materials have been available to diverse uses incorporating a range of identificatory claims, often in terms in which Kewpie does not describe herself. Second, Kewpie's account of the girls' experiences of precarity has been de-emphasised and her photographs celebrated as evidence of the ability of gay lives to flourish in the lost District. The author instead reads these photographs as one example of the girls' efforts to imagine new forms of social existence in the absence of sustaining infrastructure and thereby enable liveability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-watchman route problem is that of computing a pair of closed tours in an environment so that the two tours together see the whole environment and some length measure on the two tours is minimized. Two standard measures are: the minmax measure, where we want the tours where the longest of them has smallest length, and the minsum measure, where we want the tours for which the sum of their lengths is the smallest. It is known that computing a minmax two-watchman route is NP-hard for simple rectilinear polygons and thus also for simple polygons. Also, any c-approximation algorithm for the minmax two-watchman route is automatically a 2c-approximation algorithm for the minsum two-watchman route. We exhibit two constant factor approximation algorithms for computing minmax two-watchman routes in simple polygons with approximation factors 5.969 and 11.939, having running times O (n 8) and O (n 4) respectively, where n is the number of vertices of the polygon. We also use the same techniques to obtain a 6.922-approximation for the fixed two-watchman route problem running in O (n 2) time, i.e., when two starting points of the two tours are given as input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Piezosurgery® device in endoscopic-assisted correction of trigonocephaly. Trigonocephaly is a type of craniosynostosis characterized by a triangular-shaped forehead due to the premature fusion of the metopic suture. Traditional open cranial vault reconstruction, although common, is invasive and poses risks. The study explores a less invasive alternative using ultrasonic microvibrations for bone cutting, potentially reducing soft tissue damage and improving surgical outcomes. Methods: The Piezosurgery® device was employed in endoscopic trigonocephaly correction surgeries performed on patients under 4 months old at the French Referral Center for Craniosynostosis in Lyon. The technique involves making a small skin incision and performing osteotomies from the anterior fontanel to the glabella. A rigid 0° endoscope provides visibility, and the Piezosurgery® device enables precise bone cutting while preserving the dura mater. Post-surgery, patients were discharged within 3 days and required to wear a remodeling helmet for 6–8 months. Results: The use of Piezosurgery® device allowed precise osteotomies with minimal soft tissue damage. No dura mater injuries occurred in the patient series. The procedure was efficient, with an average duration of 80 min, and blood loss was minimal, reducing the need for blood transfusions. The endoscopic approach facilitated shorter surgical times and reduced postoperative infection risks. Enhanced visibility during surgery, due to cavitation effects, improved the accuracy of bone cuts. The technique demonstrated promising safety and esthetic outcomes, although it incurred higher costs compared to traditional methods. Conclusion: Piezosurgery® device provides a safe and effective method for minimally invasive endoscopic correction of trigonocephaly. The device's ability to selectively cut bone while preserving soft tissues offers significant advantages, despite longer surgical times and higher costs. This technique represents a viable alternative to traditional open surgery, promoting better clinical outcomes and reduced recovery times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study aims to provide practical and applicable solutions to improve road safety on the Pasukan- Sindangkasih Road section in Majalengka Regency, West Java, by analyzing road visibility using empirical data and the Bina Marga method. The primary data consisted of looking for a literature review on the classification of road classes based on their functions, calculation of visibility, while for secondary data collected about the location map of this study. The results show that visibility planning can be improved to improve traffic efficiency and reduce the risk of accidents. The research could also consider the influence of different vehicle types and weather conditions on visibility requirements to refine the standards set by the Geometric Planning Procedures for Intercity Roads. It is also hoped that this research will increase awareness of the importance of visibility planning for overall road safety to avoid accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the theory of atmospheric transmission, the atmospheric optical characteristics of a 700 mm laser ranging telescope system are obtained by the inversion of the experimental data through the telescopic multi-elevation method, and a modified model of the ranging equation of laser diffuse radar is proposed. The variation in the Aerosol Optical Depth and atmospheric transmittance under the multi-elevation method, visibility and the oblique transmission atmospheric stratification model are analyzed and discussed. The model is numerically simulated and compared with the measured data of some space debris. The results show that the relative errors of the average echo photon number obtained by the multi-elevation method are less than 15%, and the average relative errors are 4.643% and 7.934%, respectively. The model improves the calculation accuracy of the laser ranging radar equation to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Between 2006 and 2012, Mexico implemented a "frontal war against organized crime". This strategy increased criminal violence and triggered negative consequences across the country's economic, political and social spheres. This study aims to analyse how the magnitude and visibility of criminal violence impact the housing market of Mexico City. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used different violent proxies to measure the effect of the magnitude and visibility of violence in housing prices. The structure of the data set is an unbalanced panel with no conditions of strict exogeneity. To address endogeneity, the authors calculate the first differences to estimate an Arellano–Bond estimator and use the lags of the dependent variable to instrumentalise the endogenous variable. Findings: Results suggest that the magnitude of violence negatively impacts housing prices. Similarly, housing prices are negatively affected the closer the property is to visible violence, measured through narcomessages placed next to the bodies of executed victims. Lastly, housing prices are not always affected when a violent event occurs nearby, specifically, when neighbours or potential buyers consider this event as sporadic violence. Originality/value: There are only a few studies of violence in housing prices using data from developing countries, and most of these studies are conducted with aggregated data at the municipality or state level. The authors are using geocoded information, both violence events and housing prices, to estimate more disaggregated effects. Moreover, the authors used different proxies to measure different characteristics of violence (magnitude and visibility) to estimate the heterogeneous effects of violence on housing prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the Affane Mohamed Foundation initiated the restoration of the Yves Saint Laurent house in Oran, Algeria, led by architect Youcef Fernane. The project aimed not only to restore the artist's birthplace but also to showcase his first private theatre, sketches, drawing table, study, and personal bedroom. The house, built in 1925 in the Plateau Saint-Michel district (now Hai Sidi El Bachir), exemplifies neoclassical architecture with Art Deco influences. This project stands out as a unique initiative in Oran, where the preservation of public figures' homes is rare, making it an exception in Algeria. The restoration, completed in 2022, has attracted significant attention, drawing visitors locally and internationally, particularly through social media, highlighting the cultural and historical value of the site. The research addresses visitor feedback, hypothesising variability in their testimonials, which serve as constructive criticism of this initial tourism initiative in Oran. The dual objectives are to illuminate the significance of the Yves Saint Laurent residence and to analyse visitor perceptions and attitudes towards this memorial site. Methodologically, the study is based on documentary research, including recent surveys and photographs from the Youcef Fernane design office and qualitative data from online questionnaires and visitor books. The results highlight the house's importance as a cultural landmark but also reveal a lack of publicity, affecting its visibility. Conclusions suggest that the museum significantly enhances Oran's cultural landscape, offering emotional and educational experiences. However, there is a need for better promotional efforts to increase its visibility and appeal to a broader audience, emphasising the importance of strategic marketing and visitor experience improvements for future projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Situational awareness is an essential component of wildland firefighter safety. In the US, crew lookouts provide situational awareness by proxy from ground-level locations with visibility of both fire and crew members. Aims: To use machine learning to predict potential lookout locations based on incident data, mapped visibility, topography, vegetation, and roads. Methods: Lidar-derived topographic and fuel structural variables were used to generate maps of visibility across 30 study areas that possessed lookout location data. Visibility at multiple viewing distances, distance to roads, topographic position index, canopy height, and canopy cover served as predictors in presence-only maximum entropy modelling to predict lookout suitability based on 66 known lookout locations from recent fires. Key results and conclusions: The model yielded a receiver-operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.929 with 67% of lookouts correctly identified by the model using a 0.5 probability threshold. Spatially explicit model prediction resulted in a map of the probability a location would be suitable for a lookout; when combined with a map of dominant view direction these tools could provide meaningful support to fire crews. Implications: This approach could be applied to produce maps summarising potential lookout suitability and dominant view direction across wildland environments for use in pre-fire planning. We use machine learning to predict the probability an area is suitable for a wildland firefighter lookout based on incident data, roads, and lidar-derived visibility, terrain, and vegetation information. This approach may aid pre-fire planning and enhance situational awareness by providing maps of potential lookout locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the successful implementation of activities aimed at scaling traceability for COVID-19 and routine immunization (RI) vaccines to the local government area and selected healthcare facilities in Nigeria, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study was executed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and sought to enhance supply chain systems by deploying advanced traceability mechanisms and ensuring real-time stock visibility. The article discusses the accomplishments, challenges, and regulatory framework of NAFDAC, emphasizing GS1 technology-driven traceability, and presents the results of the field scanning activities conducted in July 2023. The approach involved a phased public sector pilot, showcasing the feasibility and challenges of tracking vaccine movement through the supply chain. The result shows the detection of 43 unique products across 1022 facilities from a total of 110,113 scans, offering valuable insights into vaccine distributions. The strategic goals of the project aligned with developing safety surveillance systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to facilitate patient access to global health products. Similarly, significant improvement in traceability through automated data capture (barcode scanning) and expanded coverage for COVID-19 and selected RI vaccines in Nigeria was found. Against this background, the information derived from this report will build confidence in patients regarding vaccine authenticity, establish a transparent and robust supply chain, and foster pharmacovigilance capability through integration with the track-and-trace systems. Thus, the study provides invaluable insights and opportunities for global health practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to incorporate track-and-trace into regulatory systems by other national regulatory authorities.

Abstract Improving health and social equity for persons living with a rare disease (PLWRD) is increasingly recognized as a global policy priority. However, there is currently no international alignment on how to define and describe rare diseases. A global reference is needed to establish a mutual understanding to inform a wide range of stakeholders for actions. A multi-stakeholder, global panel of rare disease experts, came together and developed an Operational Description of Rare Diseases. This reference describes which diseases are considered rare, how many persons are affected and why the rare disease population demands specific attention. The operational description of rare diseases is framed in two parts: a core definition of rare diseases, complemented by a descriptive framework of rare diseases. The core definition includes parameters that permit the identification of which diseases are considered rare, and how many persons are affected. The descriptive framework elaborates on the impact and burden of rare diseases on patients, their caregivers and families, healthcare systems, and society overall. The Operational Description of Rare Diseases establishes a common point of reference for decision-makers across the world who strive to understand and address the unmet needs of persons living with a rare disease. Adoption of this reference is essential to improving the visibility of rare conditions in health systems across the world. Greater recognition of the burden of rare diseases will motivate new actions and policies to address the unmet needs of the rare disease community.

In 2020, the Affane Mohamed Foundation initiated the restoration of the Yves Saint Laurent house in Oran, Algeria, led by architect Youcef Fernane. The project aimed not only to restore the artist’s birthplace but also to showcase his first private theatre, sketches, drawing table, study, and personal bedroom. The house, built in 1925 in the Plateau Saint-Michel district (now Hai Sidi El Bachir), exemplifies neoclassical architecture with Art Deco influences. This project stands out as a unique initiative in Oran, where the preservation of public figures’ homes is rare, making it an exception in Algeria. The restoration, completed in 2022, has attracted significant attention, drawing visitors locally and internationally, particularly through social media, highlighting the cultural and historical value of the site. The research addresses visitor feedback, hypothesising variability in their testimonials, which serve as constructive criticism of this initial tourism initiative in Oran. The dual objectives are to illuminate the significance of the Yves Saint Laurent residence and to analyse visitor perceptions and attitudes towards this memorial site. Methodologically, the study is based on documentary research, including recent surveys and photographs from the Youcef Fernane design office and qualitative data from online questionnaires and visitor books. The results highlight the house’s importance as a cultural landmark but also reveal a lack of publicity, affecting its visibility. Conclusions suggest that the museum significantly enhances Oran’s cultural landscape, offering emotional and educational experiences. However, there is a need for better promotional efforts to increase its visibility and appeal to a broader audience, emphasising the importance of strategic marketing and visitor experience improvements for future projects.

Las representaciones de la desaparición y la (in)visibilidad juegan un papel clave a lo largo de la obra de Antonio Méndez Rubio (Fuente del Arco, Badajoz, España, 1967). Este estudio combina un enfoque temático y formal en las huellas y el silencio en una selección de poemas que abarca poemarios como Un lugar que no existe (1998), Por más señas (2005), Razón de más (2008) y Va verdad (2013). Más allá de arrojar luz sobre lo ocult(ad)o o tratar de revelar historias y memorias colectivas traumáticas ocultadas, muchos de los poemas de Méndez Rubio que aluden a huellas las presentan como agentes activos que no revelan objetos ocultos. El compromiso en esta poesía se basa en una visión del texto poético como objeto y espacio visual y una visión expandida de la relación compleja entre lo visible y lo invisible que engloba también la presencia y ausencia de elementos acústicos.

Digital maps structure how we understand and interact with space while simultaneously affording agency and the potential for an alternative use of space. This article investigates how digital maps exercise data and spatial agency. Our empirical object is the environmental mobile mapping application water refill map (WRM, Hong-Te/ Fengcha Action 奉茶行動) in Taiwan. Drawing on the walk-through method and semi-structured interviews with WRM's founders, we examine how the app leverages the power of digital mapping to encourage participation in environmental activities. We argue that by facilitating data and spatial agency, digital maps enable placemaking at the cognitive and hermeneutic levels. They also turn closed spaces into public ones, thus aiding place-shaping. Meanwhile, this digital environmental activism takes place in a field of contestation and negotiation between agency and structure, apps and infrastructural platforms, collective action and individual power, and environmentalism and (adjusted) commercialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the impact of urban renewal programs (PRU) on creating a safe environment. People's perceptions of PRU and its impact on security were collected through questionnaires and sketch maps. This study applies a space syntax approach to analyse the spatial and structural properties of successive urban space evolutions and compare them with people's perceptions of security. The findings reveal a strong correlation between areas with high levels of social housing concentration, poverty rates and insecurity. Surprisingly, visually controlled areas are vulnerable and attractive locations for drug trafficking. Density indicators have a minor influence on the perception of insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that on convex domains with C 1 , α -smooth boundary the limit set of non-visible Kobayashi geodesics are contained in a complex face. In C 2 this implies the existence of a complex tangential line segment of non-Goldilocks point in the boundary. Conversely, we construct sequences of non-visible almost-geodesics on (C -)convex domains whose boundary contains a complex tangential line segment of non-Goldilocks points in a specific direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct illumination rendering is an important technique in computer graphics. Precomputed radiance transfer algorithms can provide high quality rendering results in real time, but they can only support rigid models. On the other hand, ray tracing algorithms are flexible and can gracefully handle animated models. With NVIDIA RTX and the AI denoiser, we can use ray tracing algorithms to render visually appealing results in real time. Visually appealing though, they can deviate from the actual one considerably. We propose a visibility-boundary edge oriented infinite triangle bounding volume hierarchy (BVH) traversal algorithm to dynamically generate visibility in vector form. Our algorithm utilizes the properties of visibility-boundary edges and infinite triangle BVH traversal to maximize the efficiency of the vector form visibility generation. A novel data structure, temporal vectorized visibility, is proposed, which allows visibility in vector form to be shared across time and further increases the generation efficiency. Our algorithm can efficiently render close-to-reference direct illumination results. With the similar processing time, it provides a visual quality improvement around 10 dB in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) w.r.t. the ray tracing algorithm reservoir-based spatiotemporal importance resampling (ReSTIR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]