Harnessing artificial intelligence for identifying conflicts of interest in research

This editorial explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence(AI)in identifying conflicts of interest(COIs)within academic and scientific research.By harnessing advanced data analysis,pattern recognition,and natural language processing techniques,AI offers innovative solutions for enhancing transparency and integrity in research.This editorial discusses how AI can automatically detect COIs,integrate data from various sources,and streamline reporting processes,thereby maintaining the credibility of scientific findings.

Target Vehicle Selection Algorithm for Adaptive Cruise Control Based on Lane-changing Intention of Preceding Vehicle

To improve the ride comfort and safety of a traditional adaptive cruise control(ACC)system when the preceding vehicle changes lanes,it proposes a target vehicle selection algorithm based on the prediction of the lane-changing intention for the preceding vehicle.First,the Next Generation Simulation dataset is used to train a lane-changing intention prediction algorithm based on a sliding window support vector machine,and the lane-changing intention of the preceding vehicle in the current lane is identified by lateral position offset.Second,according to the lane-changing intention and collision threat of the preceding vehicle,the target vehicle selection algorithm is studied under three different conditions:safe lane-changing,dangerous lane-changing,and lane-changing cancellation.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified in a co-simulation platform.The simulation results show that the target vehicle selection algorithm can ensure the smooth transfer of the target vehicle and effectively reduce the longitudinal acceleration fluctuation of the subject vehicle when the preceding vehicle changes lanes safely or cancels their lane change maneuver.In the case of a dangerous lane change,the target vehicle selection algorithm proposed in this paper can respond more rapidly to a dangerous lane change than the target vehicle selection method of the traditional ACC system;thus,it can effectively avoid collisions and improve the safety of the subject vehicle.

A new traffic model on compulsive lane-changing caused by off-ramp

In the field of traffic flow studies, compulsive lane-changing refers to lane-changing （LC） behaviors due to traffic rules or bad road conditions, while free LC happens when drivers change lanes to drive on a faster or less crowded lane. LC studies based on differential equation models accurately reveal LC influence on traffic environment. This paper presents a second-order partial differential equation （PDE） model that simulates both compulsive LC behavior and free LC behavior, with lane-changing source terms in the continuity equation and a lane-changing viscosity term in the momentum equation. A specific form of this model focusing on a typical compulsive LC behavior, the ＇off-ramp problem＇, is derived. Numerical simulations are given in several cases, which are consistent with real traffic phenomenon.

Modelling of vehicle interaction behavior during discretionary lane-changing preparation process on freeway

In order to increase the accuracy of microscopic traffic flow simulation,two acceleration models are presented to simulate car-following behaviors of the lane-changing vehicle and following putative vehicle during the discretionary lanechanging preparation( DLCP) process, respectively. The proposed acceleration models can reflect vehicle interaction characteristics. Samples used for describing the starting point and the ending point of DLCP are extracted from a real NGSIM vehicle trajectory data set. The acceleration model for a lanechanging vehicle is supposed to be a linear acceleration model.The acceleration model for the following putative vehicle is constructed by referring to the optimal velocity model,in which optimal velocity is defined as a linear function of the velocity of putative leading vehicle. Similar calibration,a hypothesis test and parameter sensitivity analysis were conducted on the acceleration model of the lane-changing vehicle and following putative vehicle,respectively. The validation results of the two proposed models suggest that the training and testing errors are acceptable compared with similar works on calibrations for car following models. The parameter sensitivity analysis shows that the subtle observed error does not lead to severe variations of car-following behaviors of the lane-changing vehicle and following putative vehicle.

A new traffic model with a lane-changing viscosity term

In this paper, a new continuum traffic flow model is proposed, with a lane-changing source term in the continuity equation and a lane-changing viscosity term in the acceleration equation. Based on previous literature, the source term addresses the impact of speed difference and density difference between adjacent lanes, which provides better precision for free lane-changing simulation; the viscosity term turns lane-changing behavior to a ＂force＂ that may influence speed distribution. Using a flux-splitting scheme for the model discretization, two cases are investigated numerically. The case under a homogeneous initial condition shows that the numerical results by our model agree well with the analytical ones; the case with a small initial disturbance shows that our model can simulate the evolution of perturbation, including propagation,dissipation, cluster effect and stop-and-go phenomenon.

Effects of Potential Lane-Changing Probability on Uniform Flow

In this paper, we use the car-following model with the anticipation effect of the potential lane-changing probability （Acta Mech. Sin. 24 （2008） 399） to investigate the effects of the potential lane-changing probability on uniform flow. The analytical and numerical results show that the potential lane-changing probability can enhance the speed and flow of uniform flow and that their increments are related to the density.

Prevalence of Malnutrition and Anaemia in Children ≤ 5 Years of Age in Some Conflict Hit Areas of Meme Division of the South West Region of Cameroon

Malnutrition refers to the deficiency, imbalances, or excesses in a person’s intake of energy or nutrients [1]. Khan defines anaemia as below level of Haemoglobin in red blood shown by a lower number of functioning red blood cells [2]. The crisis in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon has led to several negative effects on children’s living conditions. There has been an increase in malnutrition and anaemia in the South West Region and Kumba in particular. The main objective of this study was “to examine the prevalence of malnutrition and anaemia in children ≤ 5 years of age in some conflict-hit areas of Meme Division”. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 from March to June. We recruited 200 children ≤ 5 years into the study from three hospitals. The regional hospital annex in Kumba, Presbyterian General Hospital Kumba and the Ntam Hospital in Kumba. Socio-demographic factors were assessed using questionnaire, nutritional status was assessed by the use anthropometric measurements and an auto haematology analyser was used to determine anaemia. The overall prevalence of malnutrition in the study area was 40.5%. The prevalence of malnutrition varied significantly (P < 0.001) with the study sites. The overall prevalence of anaemia in the study area was 70.5%. The prevalence of anaemia was not significantly associated with the study sites. The prevalence of Malnutrition and Anaemia in children ≤ 5 years of age is very high in the Kumba municipalities. This could be attributed to the ongoing crisis which has caused a lot of social migrations from rural areas to Urban areas which are safer.

Mental Health Consequences among Sudanese Due to the Armed Conflicts and Civil Unrest of 2023: One Year Later

Aim: To investigate depression, anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia levels among Sudanese citizens after a year has passed since the start of Armed Forces conflict in Sudan. Methods: An online survey was distributed. It is composed of five parts, covering the following areas: 1) sociodemographic data;2) depression assessment;3) generalized anxiety disorder assessment;4) post-traumatic stress disorder assessment;and 5) insomnia assessment. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 27 was used for data analysis;frequency and percentage were used to describe the qualitative variables. Spearman’s correlation analysis and Chi-square test were used for correlation and association analysis;a P-value equal to or less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study included 283 participants, primarily female (76.0%), with a mean age of 35.26 ± 6.96 years. The majority of participants were married (50.5%) and had a university level of education (50.2%). At the start of the war, 70.3% of participants were inside the war zones, and at the time of data collection, 73.5% were outside Sudan. The length of stay in the war zone ranged from 1 to 300 days, with a mean of 48.59 ± 70.284 days. Additionally, 63.3% of participants stated that they did not receive any form of mental health intervention, and the remaining did not provide an answer. There was a high prevalence of moderate-severe depression (50.5%), moderate anxiety (35.3%), PTSD (56.5%), and sub-threshold insomnia (53.4%) among the participants. Correlation analyses revealed associations between demographic factors such as sex, age, marital status, and education and mental health issues. Notably, female participants showed a higher prevalence of PTSD (53.0%) compared to male participants (67.6%). Conclusions: There is a substantial impact of war-related trauma on mental health, revealing a high prevalence of moderate-severe depression, moderate anxiety, PTSD, and sub-threshold insomnia among the participants. This emphasizes the importance of tailored interventions and support systems to address the unique needs of individuals affected by war trauma.

Ethical Decision-Making Framework Based on Incremental ILP Considering Conflicts

Humans are experiencing the inclusion of artificial agents in their lives,such as unmanned vehicles,service robots,voice assistants,and intelligent medical care.If the artificial agents cannot align with social values or make ethical decisions,they may not meet the expectations of humans.Traditionally,an ethical decision-making framework is constructed by rule-based or statistical approaches.In this paper,we propose an ethical decision-making framework based on incremental ILP(Inductive Logic Programming),which can overcome the brittleness of rule-based approaches and little interpretability of statistical approaches.As the current incremental ILP makes it difficult to solve conflicts,we propose a novel ethical decision-making framework considering conflicts in this paper,which adopts our proposed incremental ILP system.The framework consists of two processes:the learning process and the deduction process.The first process records bottom clauses with their score functions and learns rules guided by the entailment and the score function.The second process obtains an ethical decision based on the rules.In an ethical scenario about chatbots for teenagers’mental health,we verify that our framework can learn ethical rules and make ethical decisions.Besides,we extract incremental ILP from the framework and compare it with the state-of-the-art ILP systems based on ASP(Answer Set Programming)focusing on conflict resolution.The results of comparisons show that our proposed system can generate better-quality rules than most other systems.

Characterisation of Human-Wildlife Conflicts around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The history of mankind contains so many illustrations of well-classified and violent struggles against various animals over crop production in agricultural fields, attacks on human life or competition in order to have access to certain natural resources. The aim of this study is to characterise the human-wildlife conflicts that occur around the KBNP, especially with regard to primates. Surveys were carried out in 260 households selected using the snowball method. The results showed that human-wildlife conflicts around the KBNP are characterised by the destruction of crops in riparian fields by monkeys, chimpanzees and gorillas, the destruction of houses, physical attacks and zoonoses. Despite the conservation and protection measures for wildlife and local populations put in place by the Park’s managers, conflicts between local populations and the Park’s wild animals are still visible. These conflicts lead to the detention of wild animals by local people roaming in the villages and to poaching on the Park’s boundaries. The weakness of the community management policy on the part of the park managers and the resentment of the indigenous peoples towards the restriction of their access to natural resources are the major constraints on the sustainable management of conflicts between the local populations and the wild animals in the KBNP. The strategies for the sustainable resolution of human-wildlife conflicts around the KBNP must be geared towards and integrated into a community conservation approach.

Relation between Interparental Conflict and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents:Mediating Role of Alexithymia and Moderating Role of Resilience

Background:Adolescents frequently engage in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury(NSSI),with recent trends indicating an increase in this behavior.At the same time,Chinese adolescents have a higher incidence of NSSI than Western adolescents.Therefore,it is necessary to explore the relationship between interparental conflict and NSSI among adolescents within the context of Chinese families.Methods:The research sample comprised 755 senior high school students(46.62%male;age M=16.82,SD=0.94 years)who completed the Interparental Conflict Child Perception Scale(CPIC),Adolescent Self-Injury Behavior Questionnaire(ASHS),Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20(TAS-20),and Scale of Adolescent Resilience(RSCA).Results:Findings suggest that interparental conflict is a significant positive predictor of NSSI(r=0.22,p<0.01).Alexithymia mediates the relation between interparental conflict and NSSI(effect size=0.09,95%CI[0.05,0.13]).Additionally,resilience moderates both the direct relation(β=−0.08,p<0.05)and the latter half of the mediating pathway(β=−0.08,p<0.05)in the moderated mediation model.Conclusion:This study indicates that interparental conflict have an impact on adolescents’NSSI in Chinese families,and alexithymia and resilience play important roles in the relationship.These findings offer valuable guidance for the prevention and intervention efforts targeting NSSI among adolescents in China and in similar family contexts.

An Improved Bounded Conflict-Based Search for Multi-AGV Pathfinding in Automated Container Terminals

As the number of automated guided vehicles(AGVs)within automated container terminals(ACT)continues to rise,conflicts have becomemore frequent.Addressing point and edge conflicts ofAGVs,amulti-AGVconflict-free path planning model has been formulated to minimize the total path length of AGVs between shore bridges and yards.For larger terminalmaps and complex environments,the grid method is employed to model AGVs’road networks.An improved bounded conflict-based search(IBCBS)algorithmtailored to ACT is proposed,leveraging the binary tree principle to resolve conflicts and employing focal search to expand the search range.Comparative experiments involving 60 AGVs indicate a reduction in computing time by 37.397%to 64.06%while maintaining the over cost within 1.019%.Numerical experiments validate the proposed algorithm’s efficacy in enhancing efficiency and ensuring solution quality.

What are the underlying causes and dynamics of land use conflicts in metropolitan junction areas?A case study of the central Chengdu–Chongqing region in China

Land use conflicts(LUCs),as a spatial manifestation of the conflicts in the human-land relationships,have a profound impact on regional sustainable development.For China’s metropolitan junction areas(MJAs),the existence of“administrative district economies”has made the issue of LUCs more prominent.Based on a case study of the central Chengdu–Chongqing region,we conducted an exploratory spatial data analysis of the evolutionary process of regional LUCs.Furthermore,structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the dynamic mechanism of LUCs in MJAs,with a particular emphasis on exploring the influences of administrative boundary.The results showed that from 2010 to 2020,LUCs in the central Chengdu–Chongqing region continued to worsen,and the spatial process conflict and spatial structure conflict indices increased by more than 30.0%.The intensification of LUCs in the central Chengdu–Chongqing region from 2010 to 2020 was mainly the result of the deterioration of conflicts in evaluation units with low conflict levels.LUCs in China’s metropolitan areas generally presented a circular gradient distribution,weakening from the core to the periphery,but there were some strong isolated conflict zones in the outer regions.LUCs in China’s MJAs were the result of interactions among multiple factors,e.g.,natural environment,socio-economic development,policy and institutional processes,and administrative boundary effects.Administrative boundary affected the flow of socio-economic elements,changing the supply-and-demand competition of stakeholders for land resources,consequently exerting an indirect influence on LUCs.This study advances the theory of the dynamic mechanism of LUCs,and provides theoretical support for the governance of these conflicts in transboundary areas.

Post-COVID-19 Challenges for Full-Time Employees in China: Job Insecurity, Workplace Anxiety and Work-Life Conflict

Background:Though the COVID-19 pandemic recedes,and our society gradually returns to normal,Chinese people’s work and lifestyles are still influenced by the“pandemic aftermath”.In the post-pandemic era,employees may feel uncertainty at work due to the changed organizational operations and management and perceive the external environment to be more dynamic.Both these perceptions may increase employees’negative emotions and contribute to conflicts between work and life.Drawing from the ego depletion theory,this study aimed to examine the impact of job insecurity during the post-pandemic era on employees’work-life conflicts,and the mediating effect of workplace anxiety in this relationship.Besides,this study also considered the uncertainty of the external macro environment as a boundary condition on the direct and indirect relationship between job insecurity and work-life conflicts.Methods:A two-wave questionnaire survey was conducted from October to December 2023 to collect data.MBA students and graduates from business school with full-time jobs are invited to report their perception of job insecurity,work anxiety,perceived environment uncertainty,and work-life conflict.This resulted in 253 valid responses.Data analysis was performed using the SPSS,Amos,and PROCESS.Results:The results showed that:(1)Employees’job insecurity would directly intensify the work-life conflict(B=0.275,p<0.001,95%CI[0.182,0.367]).(2)Employees’workplace anxiety mediates the relationship between job insecurity and work-life conflict(B=0.083,p<0.001,95%CI[0.047,0.130]).(3)The mediating effect of workplace anxiety between job insecurity and work-life conflict exists when perceived environmental uncertainty is high(B=0.049,95%CI[0.011,0.114]),while vanishes when perceived environmental uncertainty is low(B=0.024,95%CI[−0.005,0.068]).Conclusion:Job insecurity combined with perceived environmental uncertainty in the postpandemic era fuels employees’workplace anxiety and work-life conflicts.Post-pandemic trauma lingers,necessitating urgent attention and response.

Optimization of High-Concurrency Conflict Issues in Execute-Order-Validate Blockchain

With the maturation and advancement of blockchain technology,a novel execute-order-validate(EOV)architecture has been proposed,allowing transactions to be executed in parallel during the execution phase.However,parallel execution may lead to multi-version concurrency control(MVCC)conflicts during the validation phase,resulting in transaction invalidation.Based on different causes,we categorize conflicts in the EOV blockchain into two types:within-block conflicts and cross-block conflicts,and propose an optimization solution called FabricMan based on Fabric v2.4.For within-block conflicts,a reordering algorithm is designed to improve the transaction success rate and parallel validation is implemented based on the transaction conflict graph.We also merge transfer transactions to prevent triggering multiple version checks.For cross-block conflicts,a cache-based version validation mechanism is implemented to detect and terminate invalid transactions in advance.Experimental comparisons are conducted between FabricMan and two other systems,Fabric and Fabric++.The results show that FabricMan outperforms the other two systems in terms of throughput,transaction abort rate,algorithm execution time,and other experimental metrics.

African Short Story Writers and Intrapersonal Conflicts: A Critical Perspective on a Selected Short Story

The article examines the concept of intrapersonal conflict,the ravaging wars within oneself,that which is truly deeper than indecisiveness,what is responsible for inner conflict,its origin,the consequences,and how to avoid it.It employs Dul Johnsons’“In the Jaws of Love”in his Why Women Won’t Make It to Heaven.The theory for the investigation is sociological theory which articulates the inevitable relationship between literature and society.The inquiry unearths that an individuals’attempt to satisfy the needs of one’s environment at the expense of sound reasoning,the individual’s inability to find a balance between the individual’s head and heart,and being religious are detrimental to one’s wellbeing.It creates intrapersonal conflict which is indeed destructive.The paper resolves that people should be able to tell themselves the truth,recognise and accept same,even if it comes from one with whom they disagree.It also explicates that people should not depend on religious and secular leader or people to take decisions for them,and that living in fear is devastating among other things.

Joint Management of Shared Resources, Issues and Conflicts of the Nso and Oku Tribes in the Ngongbaa Montane Forest Area, NWR of Cameroon

Wherever people live together in or near homelands that harbour joint natural resources such as forest, water, minerals, oil etc., they must collaborate, co-exist and share these resources irrespective of their genetic, social, cultural, and political peculiarities. This is not always the case when self-interest, ethnic divisions, elitist politics, economic interest and power tussle set in. The Nso and Oku people who reside in the Ngongbaa Forest area constitute an example of joint management of resources where at one period, their relationship over the management of the Oku Mountain Forest was cordial and at another, the relationship became conflictive. This study was designed to study the influence of the KIFP forest management policies on the Nso indigenous forest Management system in Ngongbaa Forest, and its implications. The data collected for the study was secured through the administration of a questionnaire to residents of 10 villages adjacent to the Ngongbaa Forest, and forest users who carried out livelihood activities there between 1963 and 2015. These forest user groups include beekeepers, rat trappers, grazers, mushroom gatherers, ground honey/tree honey harvesters, carvers, etc. The investigation also extended to the traditional leaders of Nso and Oku who are in charge of the land tenure systems. The findings show that the Oku Mountain Forest is jointly owned by the Nso and Oku people. The Nso own the eastern half of the forest known as Ngongbaa Forest while the Oku own the western half, known as the Kilum Forest. The cordial relationship that existed between these people ensured the conservation of the forest. But the conflicts that later set in, especially due to the creation of the Kilum Mountain Forest Project in 1987 later changed to the Kilum Ijim Forest Project (KIFP) in 1992 sidelined the local communities which was contrary to the dispositions of the new Cameroon forest law enacted in 1994. Thus, the indigenous conservation practices became ignored which the local population never digested well. This seriously jeopardized the wellbeing of the forest in general.

Association between people’s attitudes towards human-elephant conflict and their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics in Buxa Tiger Reserve and its adjoining area,India

“Human-elephant conflict(HEC)”,the alarming issue,in present day context has attracted the attention of environmentalists and policy makers.The rising conflict between human beings and wild elephants is common in Buxa Tiger Reserve(BTR)and its adjoining area in West Bengal State,India,making the area volatile.People’s attitudes towards elephant conservation activity are very crucial to get rid of HEC,because people’s proximity with wild elephants’habitat can trigger the occurrence of HEC.The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth investigation about the association of people’s attitudes towards HEC with their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics in BTR and its adjoining area by using Pearson’s bivariate chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis.BTR is one of the constituent parts of Eastern Doors Elephant Reserve(EDER).We interviewed 500 respondents to understand their perceptions to HEC and investigated their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics including location of village,gender,age,ethnicity,religion,caste,poverty level,education level,primary occupation,secondary occupation,household type,and source of firewood.The results indicate that respondents who are living in enclave forest villages(EFVs),peripheral forest villages(PFVs),corridor village(CVs),or forest and corridor villages(FCVs),mainly males,at the age of 18–48 years old,engaged with agriculture occupation,and living in kancha and mixed houses,have more likelihood to witness HEC.Besides,respondents who are illiterate or at primary education level are more likely to regard elephant as a main problematic animal around their villages and refuse to participate in elephant conservation activity.For the sake of a sustainable environment for both human beings and wildlife,people’s attitudes towards elephants must be friendly in a more prudent way,so that the two communities can live in harmony.

Assessing Human-Wildlife Conflict in the Periphery of Loango National Park in Gabon

Human-Wildlife Conflict in Gabon is a reality occurring in almost all protected areas in the country. These conflicts create real threats both for the survival of wildlife species and of human beings. This study was carried out at the periphery of Loango National Park in Gabon. This area is particular of seeing elephants wandering around villages. Respondents for the study were drawn from a wide range of stakeholders (State administrators, farmers and NGOs). Data was collected through administration of structured questionnaires and interview guide on the;socio-economic activities. Crops produced/destroyed. Animals are involved and economic loss is incurred due to conflicts. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16 and Kobo tool box. For qualitative data chi-square, descriptive statistic and linear regression model were also used. The results of the study showed that the elephants account for (60.1%) of crop destroyed followed by Ungulates (30.4%) and lastly by rodents (0.9%). The economic damage caused by the wildlife to crops valued at 72,084 USD in the zone in 2022. An urgent solution to this conflict is needed because the consequences are visible as well as the illegal repression by communities that have led to poisoning and killing of wildlife in the study area.

Role of Media in Promoting Peace and Conflict Resolution in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

The research examined the role of media in promoting peace and conflict resolution in North Kivu,Democratic Republic of Congo.The security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC),particularly in the eastern region of North Kivu,has been deteriorating.The study was anchored in social identity theory.The research methodology employed for this study was qualitative,focusing on the analysis of Mr.Edgar Mateso’s contributions to Radio Okapi’s“Dialogue entre Congolais”program during the period from 2019 to 2023.The research was conducted within the broader context of the persistent war and conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo,providing valuable insights into the dynamics and challenges of addressing the ongoing insecurity and violence in the region.The study found that media,exemplified by Radio Okapi,plays a multifaceted and significant role in promoting peace and conflict resolution in North Kivu,Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC).It serves as a critical source of accurate information,enabling informed decision-making regarding ceasefire agreements,peace talks,and humanitarian aid.Media fosters dialogue and understanding among different stakeholders,contributing to reconciliation efforts.Additionally,it raises awareness about the human cost of the conflict,challenges misinformation,monitors peace agreements,amplifies the concerns of the affected population,and promotes human rights and justice.Media also engages youth,serves as an early warning system,and attracts global attention to the conflict.It is recommended that media organizations in North Kivu continue their efforts to facilitate dialogue and understanding among different stakeholder groups.Additionally,media should maintain its focus on raising awareness about the human cost of the conflict,ensuring that the suffering of civilians remains in the spotlight and generates international empathy and support.Media outlets should also continue their role as watchdogs by closely monitoring the implementation of ceasefire agreements and reporting any violations transparently.To strengthen media’s role in promoting peace,there should be continued advocacy for peace through dedicated radio programs,news reports,and editorial content.Internationally,media should continue to provide comprehensive coverage of the conflict in North Kivu,attracting global attention and shaping the perception of the conflict on the global stage.Lastly,media organizations should preserve a lasting legacy of peace by archiving peace-related content,documentaries,and narratives of reconciliation.