University of Liverpool

The behavior of real systems is often stochastic, and the connections between their elements can be adequately described as correlations. In recent years, there have been trends of increasing and complicating modern networks with the growth of their dependence on each other. We observe how several networks are combined into one interdependent network structure. This leads to an increase in the risks that the failure of nodes in one network may lead to the failure of dependent nodes in other networks. As a result of such failures, catastrophic cascade failures can occur in such interconnected network structures. Given the scale of such structures, which are often critical infrastructures, this problem becomes very relevant. The chapter considers the problem of the influence of correlation between individual nodes on the risk of cascading failures in networks. However, determining the correlation between networks is a difficult task in practice. Therefore, for the risk analysis of real network structures, it is first necessary to conduct a study on models, and only then move on to solving practical problems. Applied to Gaussian model network structures, the influence of the closeness of the relationship between subsystems on the risk of cascading failures has been studied. The value of the risk was estimated as the probability of such failures. As an indicator of the risk of cascading failures in the network structure, it is proposed to use the entropy indicator of the relationship between its subsystems. And to reduce the risk of cascading failures in the network structure, it is necessary to reduce the tightness of correlation between the most interconnected elements of subsystems.

Background Glucocorticoids have been associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and serum fructosamine have been scarcely studied in dogs receiving glucocorticoid therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate HbA1c and fructosamine in non‐diabetic dogs receiving oral prednisolone. Methods This was a cross‐sectional study including non‐diabetic dogs receiving oral prednisolone for 2 weeks or more for a diverse range of diseases. Aliquots of blood samples collected for diagnostic purposes were used. HbA1c was measured using a previously validated capillary electrophoresis assay. Fructosamine was measured using the nitroblue tetrazolium assay. Results Forty‐three adult dogs were included. The dogs received oral prednisolone (0.1‒2.3 mg/kg daily) for a median duration of 8 weeks (range: 2‒52 weeks). The median (range) glucose, fructosamine and HbA1c were 5.3 (2.6‒9.2) mmol/L, 265 (128‒388) µmol/L and 1.6% (0.8‒2.7%), respectively. Glucose increased in nine of the 43 dogs (16.2%), while fructosamine increased in eight of the 33 dogs in which it was tested (24.2%). HbA1c did not increase in any of the 40 dogs in which it was tested. Limitations The cross‐sectional study design is a limitation, as more conclusions could be drawn in a longitudinal study. Conclusions HbA1c does not appear to be increased in sick, non‐diabetic dogs receiving oral prednisolone for 2 weeks or more at the doses used in our study, whereas increases in serum fructosamine are not uncommon.

Background In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the impact of peripheral artery disease (PAD) on oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy use and the risk of outcomes remains unclear. Objective To analyse the epidemiology of PAD in a large cohort of European and Asian AF patients, and the impact on treatment patterns and risks of adverse outcomes. Methods We analysed AF patients from two large prospective observational registries. OAC prescription and risk of outcomes were analysed according to the presence of PAD, using adjusted Logistic and Cox regression analyses. The primary outcome was the composite of all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Interaction analyses were also performed. Results Fifteen-thousand-four-hundred-ninety-seven patients with AF (mean age 68.9, SD 11.6 years; 38.6% female, 30% from Asia) were included in the analysis. PAD was found in 941 patients (6.1%), with a higher prevalence among European individuals compared to Asian (8.1% vs 1.2%, p < 0.001). On logistic regression analysis, European patients had sixfold higher odds of presenting with PAD compared with Asians (OR 6.23, 95% CI 4.75–8.35). After adjustments, PAD was associated with lower use of OAC (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.50–0.69). On Cox regression analysis, PAD was associated with a higher risk of the primary composite outcome (HR 1.28, 95% CI: 1.08–1.52) and all-cause death (HR 1.40, 95% CI: 1.16–1.69). A significant interaction was observed between PAD and age, with higher effects of PAD found in younger patients (< 65 years) for the risk of the primary outcome (pint = 0.014). Conclusions In patients with AF, PAD is associated with lower use of OAC and a higher risk of adverse outcomes, with a greater risk seen in younger patients.

Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Using the best available evidence, this guideline recommends strategies for diagnosis, management and follow‐up of the condition as well as for minimizing transmission. Early recognition and initiation of therapy is key and may reduce the duration of illness or avoid hospitalization with complications, including urinary retention, meningism or severe systemic illness. The guideline covers a range of common clinical scenarios, such as recurrent genital herpes, infection during pregnancy and coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus.

Endowing robots with the ability to maintain precise interaction force is critical for performing force control tasks in dynamic environments characterized by unknown and varying stiffness and geometry, such as aircraft wing skins and other thin, soft materials. This article presents an adaptive force-tracking admittance controller (AFTAC), ensuring tracking performance through the meticulous design of both the force-based outer loop and the position-based inner loop. First, a finite-time controller based on the adaptive neural networks (NNs) and prescribed performance function (PPF) is proposed to improve the transient convergence speed and steady-state accuracy of robot position tracking. The estimation of the robot dynamics model is based on the idea of single-parameter, which reduces the computational complexity of the entire process. Then, an adaptive force controller combining the admittance model and a disturbance observer (DOB) is designed to compensate for both structural and nonstructural uncertainties of the interaction environment, thereby enhancing force-tracking accuracy. Furthermore, the uniform convergence of the system is proved by Lyapunov’s method. Finally, a series of experiments are conducted on the ROKAE platform of a multidegree-of-freedom robot, and the results show the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

In this article, a proactive control strategy is developed for robots interacting with humans by integrating the estimation of human partner’s motion intention. A human control model is used and a least square-based observer is employed to estimate the human control input without a force sensor. Using the estimate of the human intention, a neural network (NN)-enhanced robot controller is designed to make the robot actively follow the human trajectory. NNs are integrated into robot controller to approximate and compensate the system uncertainties, so that a tracking performance can be guaranteed. Rigorous analysis based on Lyapunov theory proves that all the error signals are uniformly ultimately bounded. Implementations show that the proposed control method has adaptive properties.

Drawing inspiration from the mechanism of human skill acquisition, imitation learning has demonstrated remarkable performance. Over recent years, modelbased imitation learning combined with machine learning and control theory has been continuously developed and adapted to unstructured environments. However, most results for dual-arm tasks focus on relatively safe and stable environments, which still lack robustness to generalize skills. In this article, we propose a novel robust imitation learning framework for dual-arm object-moving tasks. During demonstration, we present a shared teleoperation strategy that actively assists the operator in remotely executing dual-arm tasks, aiming to reduce the operational difficulty and stress. During modeling and generalization, we propose a coupled linear parameter-varying dynamical system (CLPV-DS), which possesses the ability to protect and restore states against possible disturbances in the environment while maintaining good tracking accuracy and stability. To address the risk of box slipping caused by disturbances, we further introduce amutual following strategy, enabling the arms to compliantly follow each other while maintaining appropriate contact force. Considering potential obstacles in a complex generalization environment, we introduce a reactive obstacle avoidance strategy in real time that ensures global asymptotic stability. Finally, we verified the effectiveness of the proposed framework through comprehensive testing in both 2-D simulations and real-robot experiments.

This article presents a novel shared-control teleoperation framework that integrates imitation learning and bilateral control to achieve system stability based on a new dynamic movement primitives (DMPs) observer. First, a DMPs-based observer is first created to capture human operational skills through offline human demonstrations. The learning results are then used to predict human action intention in teleoperation. Compared with other observers, the DMPs-based observer incorporates human operational features and can predict long-term actions with minor errors. A high-gain observer is established to monitor the robot’s status in real time on the leader side. Subsequently, two controllers on both the follower and leader sides are constructed based on the outputs of the observers. The follower controller shares control authorities to address accidents in real-time and correct prediction errors of the observation using delayed leader commands. The leader controller minimizes position-tracking errors through force feedback. The convergence of the predictions of the DMPs-based observer under the time delays and teleoperation system stability are proved by building two Lyapunov functions. Finally, two groups of comparative experiments are conducted to verify the advantages over other methods and the effectiveness of the proposed framework in motion prediction with time delays and obstacle avoidance.

In this paper, a comprehensive study of wideband dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) loaded with special dispersive materials is given in detail. The concept and theory for a new class of wideband and compact DRAs are introduced for the first time using the new material whose relative permittivity is inversely proportional to the frequency power of n (i.e.,.r ( f ) = k / f n, k is a constant). Traditional DRAs are normally of limited bandwidth and unstable radiation patterns. The proposed new DRAs exhibit excellent advantages in bandwidth enhancement, size reduction, single-mode purity (predominantly supporting a single mode with minimal interference from other unwanted modes), and stable radiation patterns. The new dielectric resonator theory with wideband resonance characteristics is developed. Based on this, wideband and compact cylindrical and rectangular DRAs are designed and studied. The simulated and measured results demonstrate the merits of the proposed antennas. It is shown that without changing the structures, the percentage bandwidth of the proposed cylindrical DRA made of a dispersive material can be significantly increased to 120%, compared to the DRA using the traditional material with a constant permittivity (4%). The paper provides a new approach for making wideband and compact DRAs with stable radiation patterns for future wideband wireless communications and radar applications.

Background The terminology surrounding developmental lesions in the oral cavity is widely applied, often leading to confusion in differentiating between developmental malformations and neoplasia. Odontogenic tumor classification includes both true neoplasms and malformations which make it very complex and dynamic. Method and Conclusion In this brief report, we will first discuss the concepts of malformations and neoplasia and then focusing on their relevance to odontogenic tumors, which impacts their classification and treatment, particularly mixed odontogenic lesions.

In this chapter the evidence and literature around the tenth-century cremation burials of mounds 59:2 and 59:3 in Klinta, Köpings sn., Öland will be examined using a queer theoretical framework based on Jack Halberstam’s (1998) “scavenger theory” as a queer theoretical approach. The importance of applying queer theory in to study the Viking Age and how this can deconstruct restrictive patriarchal, heteronormative and cisgender assumptions of the period as well as the need for reparative scholarship for queer scholars and queer communities will be the underlying principle of this chapter. The remains under examination are Viking Age cremation burials in two mounds close together, originally identified in 1957 as the remains of one male and one female with grave goods suggestive of a high status and have been theorised in previous scholarship to be the result of a complex burial ritual for practitioners of magic. A discussion on the challenges of building on early scholarship as well as heteronormative bias in scholarship will form a part of this reinterpretation of these burials. The grave goods contained in both mounds have nonetheless traditionally been associated with the opposing gender and therefore raise many questions about the original identity and gender expression of these individuals. Through this chapter the available evidence of the identity of these individuals will be examined and an alternative queer interpretation offered, suggesting they occupied a more fluid place in gender whilst linking to text sources on the nature of magical practice and gender expression. This chapter will also highlight the importance of a long, cross-cultural past for modern queer communities to see themselves reflected in and connect with.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased fall risk, partly due to AF-related comorbid-ities. We investigated the impact of different comorbidity patterns on fall risk in older adults with AF. Methods: Using the Swedish National Patient Register, we identified 203,042 adults (45 % females) with AF and at least one comorbidity, aged 65 years or older, on 01/01/2017. The primary study outcome was any fall requiring medical attention. Secondary outcomes were falls with fractures, falls with hip fractures, and falls with head trauma. Comorbidity patterns were identified through latent class analysis, and their association with 3-year fall risk was tested through Cox regressions. Results: The sample mean age was 79.6 (SD: 7.9) years, and the mean number of chronic diseases was 6.6 (SD 3.2). We identified one unspecific (34.2 %) and six specific comorbidity patterns characterized by neuropsy-chiatric (6.6 %), eye (17.4 %), musculoskeletal (7.2 %), metabolic (15.8 %), cardiovascular (7.4 %), and complex (11.3 %) chronic conditions coexisting with AF. Older adults with AF and complex (HR=1.63, 95 %CI: 1.56-1.70), neuropsychiatric (HR=1.48, 95 %CI: 1.41-1.56), cardiovascular (HR=1.21, 95 %CI: 1.15-1.27), eye (HR=1.16, 95 %CI: 1.12-1.20), and musculoskeletal (HR=1.07, 95 %CI: 1.01-1.13) comorbidity had an increased fall risk compared to those with unspecific comorbidity. The highest risk of falls with fractures or head trauma was found in older adults displaying a complex or neuropsychiatric disease pattern, respectively. Higher estimates emerged in males and those aged <80 years. Conclusions: Evaluating comorbidity patterns in older AF patients could help stratify the risk of falls in this population and support targeted preventive interventions.

The UK has recently established subscription-payment agreements for two antimicrobials: cefiderocol and ceftazidime-avibactam. This article summarises the novel value assessments that informed this process and lessons learned for future pricing and funding decisions. The evaluations used decision modelling to predict population incremental net health effects (INHEs), informed by systematic reviews, evidence syntheses, national surveillance data and structured expert elicitation. Significant challenges faced during the development of the evaluations led to profound uncertainty in the estimates of INHEs. The value assessment required definition of the population expected to receive the new antimicrobials; estimating value within this heterogenous population; assessing comparative efficacy using antimicrobial susceptibility data due to the absence of relevant clinical data; and predicting population-level benefits despite poor data on current numbers of drug-resistant infections and uncertainties around emerging resistance. Though both antimicrobials offer the potential to treat multi-drug resistant infections, the benefits estimated were modest due to the rarity of true pan-resistance, low life expectancy of the patient population and difficulty of identifying and quantifying additional sources of value. Assessing the population INHEs of new antimicrobials was complex and resource intensive. Future evaluations should continue to assemble evidence relating to areas of expected usage, patient numbers over time and comparative effectiveness and safety. Projections of patient numbers could be greatly enhanced by the development of national level linked clinical, prescribing and laboratory data. A practical approach to synthesising these data would be to combine expert assessments of key parameters with a simple generic decision model.

Maternal self‐efficacy during infancy is shaped by many factors, including maternal mental health and social support. This study examines how depression, emotional support, and childcare support relate to maternal self‐efficacy among mothers of infants in rural Pakistan. Participants included 885 mothers assessed at 3 and 6 months postpartum. At 3 months postpartum, mothers completed interview measures of depression, emotional social support, support with day‐to‐day childcare tasks (daily childcare support), and childcare support when they were unable to care for their child (childcare support when needed). At 6 months postpartum, participants reported on maternal self‐efficacy. Generalized estimating equations were used to test the associations between depression and social support at 3 months and maternal self‐efficacy at 6 months, as well as the interaction between depression and social support. Depression at 3 months was not associated with maternal self‐efficacy at 6 months when controlling for depression at 6 months. Emotional support was associated with increased self‐efficacy, but daily childcare support was not. We found weak evidence that childcare support when needed was associated with increased self‐efficacy only among mothers with depression. Results suggest that emotional support and childcare support when needed may be helpful for promoting mothers’ self‐efficacy.

Background Within high income countries, individuals experiencing food insecurity have become increasingly reliant on food support to satisfy household food needs. However, experiencing food insecurity and accessing food support are highly stigmatised, negatively impacting psychological and emotional wellbeing. Being able to quantify this stigma may contribute towards reducing these impacts. This study aimed to develop and validate two novel scales enabling the quantification of stigma concepts within the food insecurity and food support context: (1) the Food Insecurity Self-stigma Scale (FISS), which measures the level of self-stigma (and related constructs) that individuals experiencing food insecurity feel regarding their food insecure status; and (2) the Food Support Experiences Scale (FSES), which measures the psycho-social experiences (including the experience of self-stigma) when individuals access a food support service. Methods English speaking participants who identified as experiencing food insecurity completed the new FISS (N = 211) and FSES (N = 123) measures, alongside other validation measures. Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out for both scales. Regressions using latent variables derived from the CFA were used to test convergent and divergent validity. McDonald’s Omega was used to assess internal reliability and intra-class correlations between initial and retest FISS and FSES scores of a small number of participants (FISS: N = 14; FSES: N = 8) were used to assess test-retest reliability. Results EFA indicated three-factor structures best fit both scales. CFA revealed a good fit of the model for the FISS (15 items; 3 factors: righteous anger, non-disclosure, and stereotype endorsement). Meanwhile, an acceptable-to-poor fit of the model was revealed for the FSES (23 items; 3 factors: self-approval and disclosure, dietary and interpersonal satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness and impact). Importantly, convergent validity was only found for the non-disclosure subscale of the FISS and the self-approval and disclosure subscale of the FSES. Conclusions The FISS and FSES provide valid tools for quantifying aspects of stigma relating to the experience of food insecurity and accessing food support respectively. Development of these two scales may provide an important first step towards measuring stigma. developing interventions which reduce this psychological burden, and working to promote psychological wellbeing within populations experiencing food insecurity.

While it has been proposed that new words are encoded in a qualitatively different way from established words – in episodic rather than semantic memory — such accounts are challenged by the finding that newly-learnt words influence the processing of well-known word in semantic priming tasks. In this paper we explore whether this apparent contradiction is due to differences in task design. Specifically, we hypothesised that a large stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) would allow the participant to engage strategic retrieval and priming mechanisms to facilitate the recognition of a semantically related word, compared to a shorter SOA which promotes more automatic processing. In Experiment 1, 60 participants learned 34 novel words and their meanings which later served as primes for related/unrelated existing word targets in a primed lexical decision task, with a 450 ms SOA. There was no significant priming effect. In Experiment 2, we increased the SOA to 1000 ms, and found a significant priming effect with novel words. Finally, there was no significant priming effect with novel words in Experiment 3 that used a 200 ms SOA. A semantic priming effect with familiar words was found in Experiment 1 and Experiment 3, but not Experiment 2 (the longest SOA). We interpret these results as providing evidence for the idea that new and existing words are represented differently, with the former encoded outside of conventional language networks as they appear to rely predominantly on slow (strategic) mechanisms to prime related, existing words.

This chapter uses the theatre of the Congolese playwright and director, Sony Labou Tansi (1947-1995) as a case study to illustrate the methods of both constraint and creative resistance in Congolese theatre. Scholars have debated the extent to which such censorship has influenced the shape of theatre production across Francophone Africa, from the very emergence of African theatre in French in colonial Senegal, in terms of style, language and form (Conteh-Morgan 1994; Devésa 1996; Thomas 2003; Gahungu 2019). The chapter builds on these discussions through an analysis of the ambiguities and entanglements evident in Sony’s theatre. By connecting these questions to current discussions around the control of theatrical production in both Congo and France today, it shows how contemporary debates (raised by artists such as Dieudonné Niangouna) have their origins in the approaches of French cultural initiatives during the post-colonial period, demonstrating both the ongoing coloniality of French theatre institutions and the strategies used by artists to decentre France in Francophone theatre production today.

Intracellular compartmentalization enhances biological reactions, crucial for cellular function and survival. An example is the carboxysome, a bacterial microcompartment for CO 2 fixation. The carboxysome uses a polyhedral protein shell made of hexamers, pentamers, and trimers to encapsulate Rubisco, increasing CO 2 levels near Rubisco to enhance carboxylation. Despite their role in the global carbon cycle, the molecular mechanisms behind carboxysome shell assembly remain unclear. Here, we present a structural characterization of α-carboxysome shells generated from recombinant systems, which contain all shell proteins and the scaffolding protein CsoS2. Atomic-resolution cryo–electron microscopy of the shell assemblies, with a maximal size of 54 nm, unveil diverse assembly interfaces between shell proteins, detailed interactions of CsoS2 with shell proteins to drive shell assembly, and the formation of heterohexamers and heteropentamers by different shell protein paralogs, facilitating the assembly of larger empty shells. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into the construction principles of α-carboxysome shells and the role of CsoS2 in governing α-carboxysome assembly and functionality.