Stochastic mortality models are important for a variety of actuarial tasks, from best-estimate forecasting to assessment of risk capital requirements. However, the mortality shock associated with the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 distorts forecasts by (i) biasing parameter estimates, (ii) biasing starting points, and (iii) inflating variance. Stochastic mortality models therefore require outlier-robust methods for forecasting. Objective methods are required, as outliers are not always obvious on visual inspection. In this paper we look at the robustification of three broad classes of forecast: univariate time indices (such as in the Lee-Carter and APC models); multivariate time indices (such as in the Cairns-Blake-Dowd and newer Tang-Li-Tickle model families); and penalty projections (such as with the 2D P-spline model). In each case we identify outliers using quantitative methods, then co-estimate outlier effects along with other parameters. Doing so removes the bias and distortion to the forecast caused by a mortality shock, while providing a robust starting point for projections. Illustrations are given for various models in common use.

This report outlines a 9-year-old Thai boy with acute myocarditis due to rhinovirus infection, manifesting complete heart block. Despite aggressive treatment, including pulse methylprednisolone and temporary pacing, his condition remained unstable. He gradually improved over five days in the paediatric cardiac ICU and continued recovery over six months. This underscores the need for comprehensive treatment and follow-up in paediatric myocarditis.

Improved health data governance is urgently needed due to the increasing use of digital technologies that facilitate the collection of health data and growing demand to use that data in artificial intelligence (AI) models that contribute to improving health outcomes. While most of the discussion around health data governance is focused on policy and regulation, we present a practical perspective. We focus on the context of low-resource government health systems, using first-hand experience of the Zanzibar health system as a specific case study, and examine three aspects of data governance: informed consent, data access and security, and data quality. We discuss the barriers to obtaining meaningful informed consent, highlighting the need for more research to determine how to effectively communicate about data and AI and to design effective consent processes. We then report on the process of introducing data access management and information security guidelines into the Zanzibar health system, demonstrating the gaps in capacity and resources that must be addressed during the implementation of a health data governance policy in a low-resource government system. Finally, we discuss the quality of service delivery data in low-resource health systems such as Zanzibar’s, highlighting that a large quantity of data does not necessarily ensure its suitability for AI development. Poor data quality can be addressed to some extent through improved data governance, but the problem is inextricably linked to the weakness of a health system, and therefore AI-quality data cannot be obtained through technological or data governance measures alone.

In 2005, Enzo Traverso argued that a very problematic trend was affecting German memory culture and scholarship about Nazism. Echoing an alarm raised earlier by Timothy Mason, the scholar contended that at least since the 1980s there had been a progressive ‘disparition de la notion de “fascism” du champ historiographique’ (disappearance of the concept of ‘fascism’ from historiography) (p.94). The phenomenon observed by Traverso has found concrete materialisation in the EU's politics of memory developed throughout the twenty-first century. As Filippo Focardi argues in his work Nel cantiere della memoria (2020), the EU memory discourse has been shaped around a totalitarian paradigm centred on the memorialisation of Nazi and Communist crimes, in which the notion of a general form of fascism finds little space, and Italian Fascism only exists as a marginal epiphenomenon. This situation has begun to change in recent years as the growing success of far-right movements across the globe has brought international attention to the concept of fascism. Many Italian scholars, who have never ceased to study fascism, are now directing their efforts towards the international arena to contribute to a discussion that seems to have acquired particular significance for the understanding of our time.

This article discusses illusions of ‘three hands’ in the circle of Joachim and the Mendelssohns, arguing that manifestations of ‘three hands’ at play created an aesthetic both in dialogue with the Golden Age of Virtuosity, and going beyond it. Though techniques alluding to three hands or multiple performing bodies diminished sharply in popularity after 1830–50, violin and piano music from the later nineteenth and twentieth centuries remained highly virtuosic and often ‘unplayable’ in other ways. The difference between before and after the half-century mark is that later examples tended not to celebrate so overtly such special effects, because doing so would revive the no-longer-tenable principle of ‘virtuosity as a reward in itself’. Rather, double-stop harmonics, left-hand pizzicato, three-hand techniques and their related sleights of hand were largely escorted off the stage into a pedagogical realm. As this article shows, Joachim helped to exorcise the spectre of Paganini, and to sweep effectively out the door the residual confetti of the Golden Age of Virtuosity. Following in the footsteps of Mendelssohn, Joachim did so with Clara Schumann, viewing himself, Clara Schumann (and, we might add, Brahms) as a cohort of artists seeking to reverse the tawdry display of virtuosity. It was precisely Joachim's acute historicist perception, solidified during the 1850s, that allowed his musical aesthetics to turn so sharply from his openness to, tolerance and acceptance of dazzling violinistic tricks in the 1840s, to their absolute rejection in his later career.

Net zero as a policy for reducing atmospheric carbon emissions is relatively straightforward; however, the implementation of that policy is not, particularly in difficult-to-measure sectors such as agriculture. As strategies to reduce emissions are explored, multiple uncertainties in measuring these emissions are confronted. In this paper, we use the example of a coffee supply chain in Peru to illustrate the magnitude of potential variability in emissions accounting results, which represent a necessary first step in moving towards net zero. We show that scope boundaries and emissions factors chosen for carbon calculations significantly alter emissions outcomes and can result in discrepancies of over 77 million kg CO2e when scaled to a medium-size coffee trader. Net zero targets and efforts to reduce emissions may be over- or understated depending on subjective decisions that cause significant differences in emissions results. Although framework guidance exists, it is apparent that a greater set of micro-level agreements is needed for calculating the emissions of lesser-studied sectors, such as agricultural supply chains. This process is imperative to focus efforts on reducing emissions and on moving from net zero as a mere policy to action and implementation.

This Participatory Action Research (PAR) investigates the integration of informal music learning in Macau’s educational context, guided by the Model of Generative Change (Ball, 2009). Engaging the participating college students (N = 41), this study explores how learners perceive the formal–informal learning continuum (Folkestad, 2006) through the four stages of informal learning experiences: awakening, agency, advocacy and efficacy (Ball, 2009). Through multiple data collection methods and qualitative analysis, students experienced (a) autonomous learning, (b) joyful peer learning, (c) creative exploration and skill development and (d) resilience through challenges. Moreover, the study highlights the stages of awakening, introspection and critique from the students’ perspectives. Notably, a subset of students, predominantly those with prior formal instrumental training, expressed critiques concerning informal learning, predominantly regarding its perceived lack of systematic structure and foundational skills. These insights suggest a need to further embed informal music learning in Macau to foster a dynamic change towards generativity and a ‘multileveled cultural world’ (Law & Ho, 2015). The implications point to a broader pedagogical shift that values diverse learning experiences, which may enhance the development of a more adaptable, innovative and well-rounded musical skill set within the student population in Macau.

In this paper, we present a semi-empirical calibration between the oxygen abundance and the N2 emission-line ratio for low ionisation nuclear emission regions (LINERs). This relation was derived by comparing the optical spectroscopic data of 118 nuclear spaxels classified as LINERs using three different BPT diagrams from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies survey (MaNGA) and sub-classified as weak (wAGN, 84 objects) and strong (sAGN, 34 objects) active galactic nucleus (AGN) from the WHAN diagnostic diagram and photoionisation model results obtained with the cloudy code assuming gas accretion into a black hole (representing an AGN). We found that our wAGN LINERs exhibit an oxygen abundance in the range of $8.50 \lesssim \mathrm{12+\log(O/H)} \lesssim 8.90 $, with an average value of $\mathrm{12+\log(O/H)}=8.68$, while our sAGN LINERs exhibit an oxygen abundance in the range of $8.51 \lesssim \: \mathrm{12+\log(O/H)} \: \lesssim \: 8.81 $, with an average value of $\mathrm{12+\log(O/H)}=8.65$. Our abundance estimations are in good agreement with those derived for another two different samples one of them with 463 Seyfert 2 objects and the other with 43 LINERs galaxies ionised by post-AGB stars, showing that the assumptions of our models are likely suitable for wAGN and sAGN LINERs. A relation between the equivalent width of the observed H$\alpha$ emission-line and the estimated ionisation parameter provided by models was obtained. Our results also suggest that LINERs does not show a clear correlation between oxygen abundances and the stellar mass of the hosting galaxies.

In the literature, there are polarized views regarding the capabilities of technology to embed societal values. One aisle of the debate contends that technical artifacts are value-neutral since values are not peculiar to inanimate objects. Scholars on the other side of the aisle argue that technologies tend to be value-laden. With the call to embed ethical values in technology, this article explores how AI and other adjacent technologies are designed and developed to foster social justice. Drawing insights from prior studies, this paper identifies seven African moral values considered central to actualizing social justice; of these, two stand out—respect for diversity and ethnic neutrality. By introducing use case analysis along with the Discovery, Translation, and Verification (DTV) framework and validating via Focus Group Discussion, this study revealed novel findings: first, ethical value analysis is best carried out alongside software system analysis. Second, to embed ethics in technology, interdisciplinary expertise is required. Third, the DTV approach combined with the software engineering methodology provides a promising way to embed moral values in technology. Against this backdrop, the two highlighted ethical values—respect for diversity and ethnic neutrality—help ground the pursuit of social justice.

Understanding interfacial instability in a coflow system has relevance in the effective manipulation of small objects in microfluidic applications. We experimentally elucidate interfacial instability in stratified coflow systems of Newtonian and viscoelastic fluid streams in microfluidic confinements. By performing a linear stability analysis, we derive equations that describe the complex wave speed and the dispersion relationship between wavenumber and angular frequency, thus categorizing the behaviour of the systems into two main regimes: stable (with a flat interface) and unstable (with either a wavy interface or droplet formation). We characterize the regimes in terms of the capillary numbers of the phases in a comprehensive regime plot. We decipher the dependence of interfacial instability on fluidic parameters by decoupling the physics into viscous and elastic components. Remarkably, our findings reveal that elastic stratification can both stabilize and destabilize the flow, depending on the fluid and flow parameters. We also examine droplet formation, which is important for microfluidic applications. Our findings suggest that adjusting the viscous and elastic properties of the fluids can control the transition between wavy and droplet-forming unstable regimes. Our investigation uncovers the physics behind the instability involved in interfacial flows of Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids in general, and the unexplored behaviour of interfacial waves in stratified liquid systems. The present study can lead to a better understanding of the manipulation of small objects and production of droplets in microfluidic coflow systems.

The 2022–2023 Qatargate scandal – which entailed the widespread undermining of Union democracy by members of the European Parliament acting on behalf of third countries – has rocked the European Union to its core. The proposal by the Commission aimed at establishing transparency and accountability surrounding such activities cannot therefore come at a more appropriate time. But does the proposal live up to its objectives? Here, this piece casts doubt on whether that is the case, with this piece exploring Qatargate as an example, as well as the content, constitutionality, and criticism of the proposal. This Article also makes comparisons to Union-based representation activities and the Commission’s approach to antidumping, and shines light on the Commission’s treatment of third-country actors and representatives thereof.

This study presents the design and realization of a dual-port multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) filtering antenna system. The device shows good response in the frequency rage 1 (4.1 to 7.125 GHZ) frequency band, which handles most of the cellular mobile communication traffic. First, the single element ultra-wideband (UWB) filtenna is designed by combining a UWB antenna and a band-reject filter (BRF) where the antenna works in the frequency range from 1 to 11 GHz and the BRF is rejecting the frequency range of 3–3.42 GHz with 3.2 GHz as its resonant frequency. Finally, the proposed two-port MIMO filtenna combines two single element UWB filtennas in antiparallel manner which shows impedance bandwidth from 2.59 to 7.1 GHz with a band notch from 3 to 3.42 GHz. The structure is built on cost-efficient FR4 substrate (εr = 4.4, tanδ = 0.02) of dimensions 0.68${{\boldsymbol{\lambda }}_{\boldsymbol{c}}}$×0.27${{\boldsymbol{\lambda }}_{\boldsymbol{c}}}$×0.01${{\boldsymbol{\lambda }}_{\boldsymbol{c}}}$ (mm3), which is compact in size and utilizes a defected ground structure for further miniaturization. The proposed design is simulated using Ansys HFSS software, and after fabrication, it is measured, and the output shows good results for the proposed application. The designed antenna system is suitable for fifth-generation (5G) wideband systems.