Paolo Italiani, David Gimeno-Gomez, Luca Ragazzi
et al.
Women are twice as likely as men to face online harassment due to their gender. Despite recent advances in multimodal content moderation, most approaches still overlook the social dynamics behind this phenomenon, where perpetrators reinforce prejudices and group identity within like-minded communities. Graph-based methods offer a promising way to capture such interactions, yet existing solutions remain limited by heuristic graph construction, shallow modality fusion, and instance-level reasoning. In this work, we present MemeWeaver, an end-to-end trainable multimodal framework for detecting sexism and misogyny through a novel inter-meme graph reasoning mechanism. We systematically evaluate multiple visual--textual fusion strategies and show that our approach consistently outperforms state-of-the-art baselines on the MAMI and EXIST benchmarks, while achieving faster training convergence. Further analyses reveal that the learned graph structure captures semantically meaningful patterns, offering valuable insights into the relational nature of online hate.
Andrei Constantinescu, Marc Dufay, Diana Ghinea
et al.
In stable matching, one must find a matching between two sets of agents, commonly men and women, or job applicants and job positions. Each agent has a preference ordering over who they want to be matched with. Moreover a matching is said to be stable if no pair of agents prefer each other over their current matching. We consider solving stable matching in a distributed synchronous setting, where each agent is its own process. Moreover, we assume up to $t_L$ agents on one side and $t_R$ on the other side can be byzantine. After properly defining the stable matching problem in this setting, we study its solvability. When there are as many agents on each side with fully-ordered preference lists, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for stable matching to be solvable in the synchronous setting. These conditions depend on the communication model used, i.e., if parties on the same side are allowed to communicate directly, and on the presence of a cryptographic setup, i.e., digital signatures.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have been shown to be biased in prior work, as they generate text that is in line with stereotypical views of the world or that is not representative of the viewpoints and values of historically marginalized demographic groups. In this work, we propose using data from parallel men's and women's events at the Olympic Games to investigate different forms of gender bias in language models. We define three metrics to measure bias, and find that models are consistently biased against women when the gender is ambiguous in the prompt. In this case, the model frequently retrieves only the results of the men's event with or without acknowledging them as such, revealing pervasive gender bias in LLMs in the context of athletics.
Gepfert Mariola, Kotuła Krzysztof, Walencik Jan
et al.
Optimizing the neuromechanical determinants of explosive performance remains a key objective in sports science. This study compared the effects of an eight-week movement-pattern-based training program (MPT) with an isometric strength training protocol (ITG) on countermovement jump (CMJ) mechanics in competitive track and field athletes. Thirty-four athletes (19 men, 15 women) with ≥7 years of training experience were randomly allocated to the MPT or ITG. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted using dual force plates to evaluate jump height, musculotendinous stiffness, concentric and eccentric impulses, contraction time, eccentric-to-concentric force ratio, and rate of force development (RFD). The MPT elicited significant gains in stiffness (Δ = +840.94 ± 1302.21 N/m; <i>p</i> = 0.002), maintained concentric peak force, and reduced contraction time (Δ = –64.53 ± 190.32 ms; <i>p</i> = 0.01), suggesting improved elastic efficiency and neuromuscular timing. Conversely, ITG was associated with reductions in concentric peak force (Δ = –66.18 ± 77.45 N; <i>p</i> = 0.003) and stiffness (Δ = –691.94 ± 1414.41 N/m) and an increase in the eccentric-to-concentric force ratio (Δ = +1.99%; <i>p</i> = 0.006). The RFD changes were inconsistent across both groups. These findings indicate that dynamic multi-joint training confers superior neuromechanical adaptations compared to isolated isometric loading. From a performance perspective, programming strategies should prioritize movement-specific dynamic tasks to enhance the explosive qualities critical for sprinting, jumping, and multidirectional field sports.
Paulina E. Stürzebecher, Julius L. Katzmann, Ionna Gouni-Berthold
et al.
Objective and methods: Statin intolerance (SI) is an important cause of insufficient low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target attainment. Contemporary treatment strategies and symptoms in patients with SI are incompletely understood. We report baseline lipid-lowering therapies (LLTs) and LDL-C target attainment in the Statin Intolerance Registry, an observational, prospective, multicenter study that recruited 1,111 patients with SI between 2021 and 2023 in Germany. Results: The mean age was 66.1 (SD 9.9) years, 57.7 % were female. At study inclusion, 83.1 % received at least one LLT, and 47.0 % received combination LLT. A higher number of LLTs was associated with lower LDL-C, lower systolic blood pressure, more atherosclerotic disease, more elevations of creatine kinase and liver enzymes but not with impaired quality of life as measured by EuroQol (EQ-5D-5L). PCSK9 inhibitors were most frequently prescribed (48.0 %), followed by ezetimibe (39.2 %), statins (26.9 %), most commonly rosuvastatin, and bempedoic acid (25.4 %). Patients who had been prescribed multiple statins before were more likely to take a statin at baseline. Patients on a statin, even at low intensity, had lower LDL-C levels compared to patients without statin therapy (mean [SD] 2.4 [1.2] vs. 2.9 [1.6] mmol/L, p < 0.001). Significantly more men than women achieved the LDL-C target (21.7 % vs. 11.4 %, p < 0.001, total cohort: 15.8 %). Conclusion: LDL-C target attainment is low in patients with SI, especially among women, despite high cardiovascular risk. The use of a greater number of LLTs, including statins, is not associated with reduced quality of life but is associated with lower LDL-C levels.
Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system, Public aspects of medicine
Ina-Maria Rückert-Eheberg, Alexander Steger, Alexander Müller
et al.
<h4>Objective</h4>The aim of the study was to derive median age- and sex-specific respiratory rates in a population-based sample of adults and to identify disease and lifestyle factors associated with elevated respiratory rates.<h4>Methods</h4>In the population-based KORA FF4 study conducted in Augsburg, Germany, 5-minute 12-lead resting electrocardiograms (ECGpro-system, AMEDTEC) were recorded in 2,224 participants from 39 to 88 years. Respiratory rate was derived from these electrocardiograms. Sex- and age-specific medians, IQRs, and percentiles were calculated. Associations of sociodemographic, disease, and lifestyle variables with elevated resting respiratory rate were assessed by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.<h4>Results</h4>Respiratory rate decreased slightly from youngest to middle-aged women and men and increased in old age. Overall, median (IQR) was 15.80 (3.16) breaths per minute (brpm). Five percent of the participants had values lower than 12.06 brpm, and five percent had values above 20.06 brpm (95th percentile). Elevated respiratory rates of ≥ 18.6 brpm were found in 13.8% (n = 308). In an adjusted logistic regression model, age, abdominal obesity, diabetes, COPD, smoking, and low education were significantly associated with elevated respiratory rate. Stratified analyses showed that education appeared to be more relevant in women, while the effect of diabetes was more pronounced in men.<h4>Conclusions</h4>High respiratory rate may be an indicator of impaired health in the general population, especially regarding pulmonary and metabolic characteristics, and unfavorable lifestyle and living conditions. Individuals with an increased respiratory rate should therefore be examined and followed up more closely to recognize diseases and adverse progressions at an early stage and to possibly prevent them.
How exposure to domestic violence in childhood impacts parenting practices of men is largely unexplored. The study used the concept of hegemonic masculinity as a lens to gain insight into social processes, relations, and gendered practices of men exposed to domestic violence in childhood as they construct fatherhood. Qualitative interviews with 16 men who identified being exposed to domestic violence in childhood and actively parenting a child under 5 years old were conducted. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2021) due to its compatibility with our constructionist theoretical position. The three main themes discussed in this article are construction of fatherhood through (1) hegemonic patterns of masculinity in childhood, (2) tensions with hegemonic patterns of masculinity in fatherhood, and (3) practices of complicit and hegemonic patterns of masculinity. Ultimately, we highlighted the way the men constructed fatherhood through a change in parenting style without actually ceding power or social position.
Maurice Gerczuk, Shahin Amiriparian, Justina Lutz
et al.
In emergency medicine, timely intervention for patients at risk of suicide is often hindered by delayed access to specialised psychiatric care. To bridge this gap, we introduce a speech-based approach for automatic suicide risk assessment. Our study involves a novel dataset comprising speech recordings of 20 patients who read neutral texts. We extract four speech representations encompassing interpretable and deep features. Further, we explore the impact of gender-based modelling and phrase-level normalisation. By applying gender-exclusive modelling, features extracted from an emotion fine-tuned wav2vec2.0 model can be utilised to discriminate high- from low- suicide risk with a balanced accuracy of 81%. Finally, our analysis reveals a discrepancy in the relationship of speech characteristics and suicide risk between female and male subjects. For men in our dataset, suicide risk increases together with agitation while voice characteristics of female subjects point the other way.
Billy Ngasala, Abdallah Zacharia, Twilumba Makene
et al.
Background Urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS) caused by Schistosoma haematobium is endemic in Southern Tanzania. The disease has significant implications for both socioeconomic and public health. Because infections with S. haematobium usually peak in childhood, the majority of studies have concentrated on school-aged children leaving other groups such as males which might be continuous reservoir of infection transmission. However, despite its chronic consequences in the male population, the disease has received insufficient attention, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was conducted to describe the previous and current schistosomiasis status among adult males living in high-endemic areas of southern TanzaniaDesign, setting and participants A descriptive cross-sectional study was employed to gather data on the prevalence of UGS among adult men residing at schistosomiasis endemic in the Mtama District Council. Quantitative methods of data collection which included questionnaire and laboratory procedures were used.Results Out of 245 participants, macrohaematuria and microhaematuria were found in 12 (4.9%, 95% CI 2.4% to 7.8%) and 66 (26.9%, 95% CI 21.6% to 32.7%) participants, respectively. S. haematobium ova were recovered from the urine samples of 54 (22.0%, 95% CI 16.7% to 27.3%) participants. The median intensity of infection was 20 eggs per 10 mL of urine ranging from 1 to 201 eggs per 10 mL of urine (IQR) 60.5). Out of 245 participants 33 (13.5% 95% CI 9.0% to 17.6%) had light intensity of infection and 21 (38.9%, 95% CI; 25.0% to 52.5%) had heavy intensity of infection. Overall, the prevalence of heavy intensity of infection was 8.6% (95% CI 4.9% to 12.6%). The prevalence and intensity of UGS varied significantly by age, marital status and village of residence.Conclusion This study sheds light on the prevalence of UGS among adult males in endemic areas of southern Tanzania. The results highlight the urgent need for comprehensive intervention strategies to address the burden of the disease.
The present study aimed to identify and classify factors affecting women's free time with an emphasis on physical activity using an interpretive structural modeling approach. This study is applied research in terms of orientation and mixed in terms of research philosophy. The statistical population of this study included free-time experts, sports management experts, and experts in holding family and women's sports events. Theoretical sampling was used to identify the number of people and find the research direction. A theoretical saturation was achieved after conducting 15 in-depth interviews. In the qualitative section of the study, an in-depth interview tool was used to collect data. In the quantitative section, a questionnaire was used. To analyze the data in the qualitative section, three overlapping processes of open, axial, and selective coding were used. To analyze the data in the quantitative section, the interpretive structural modeling method was used in the ISM software. The results of the qualitative section revealed that the factors affecting women's free time with an emphasis on physical activity include 115 open codes, 33 concepts, and 14 primary categories. The results of the structural-interpretive model in the quantitative section also revealed the understanding of the need for women's sports, effective equipment and facilities, the socialization status of women's free time, and the income and financial status of women at the first individual level. The factors of the second level family’s social status, creating organizations for women's free time, and increasing women's awareness of free time were in the second level. Increasing and promoting physical activities in the form of free time for women and increasing people's socialization were placed in the third level. Financial support in the private and public sectors, education and paying attention to related research findings, and improvement of individual mental state were in the fourth level, and improving living conditions were in the fifth level.
1. Introduction
Physical activity and sports are one of the best most effective ways to spend free time among women and girls. It can lead to their physical and mental health. Also, the inclusion of sports in women's and girls' free time requires increasing the level of awareness of people in society, accurate and correct management and planning, and appropriate facilities and infrastructure. Thus, it is essential to conduct detailed and comprehensive studies in this area to identify the challenges and limitations that women and girls face in doing physical activities and sports in their free time and to provide appropriate solutions to solve them. A comprehensive model should be provided to officials to improve the quality of free time of women and girls of the families with an approach based on physical and sports activities. Given what was stated, it is crucial to know how women and girls spend their free time as it ensures their mental and physical health and is an effective means for creating their physical, intellectual, and ethical growth. It will prevent many social deviations. Thus, the present study aims to identify and classify the factors affecting women's free time with an emphasis on physical activities using an interpretive structural modeling approach.
2. Literature Review
Several studies have approved the benefits of exercise and physical activities on physical and mental health and preventing chronic diseases caused by a sedentary life (Lopez Gabbard and Rodriguez, 2013). Studies have revealed that people who express high levels of extraversion are more likely to participate in physical activity. However, people who express high levels of neuroticism tend to be less physically active (Keklainen, 2022 & Gottold, 2018). The way of spending free time plays a major role in people's mobility and physical activity, so the change in lifestyle due to the change in technology and modern life has reduced physical activities and people have been exposed to complications caused by it. Results of the studies indicate that a reduction in physical and sports activities is greater in females than in males (Valdelina et al., 2010). In this regard, Fakhri et al. (1401) examined the structural model of the effect of sports-based free time on the social self-efficacy of students with the mediating role of spiritual intelligence. The results revealed that sports-based free time positively affects social self-efficacy with the mediating role of spiritual intelligence. The results revealed that by increasing free time along with sports and physical activity and improving the spiritual intelligence of students, their social self-efficacy also increases and vice versa. Pourzabih Sarhami et al. (2023) reported that gender discrimination should be minimized and women's sports and recreation per capita should be increased with correct policy-making. Special attention has been paid to issues such as improving women's movement literacy in society, modeling and improving public attitudes toward women's physical and sports activities, diversifying recreational and sports activities for women, providing tax and insurance discounts for sports activists, and other cases, which were mentioned in the study. Giles and Uncesio (2020) conducted a study on single women's free time during the coronavirus outbreak. In this critical study, the researchers analyzed the impacts of these practices on their free time in two single, professional, childless women living alone. The researchers argued that in the current pandemic, women who do not have caregiving responsibilities may face more resentment or humiliation due to being engaged in regular free time activities. Researchers indicated that rejection from social and caring networks can cause feelings of selfishness, shame, and fear when participating in free time. Gimmez et al. (2021) investigated the sports and free time activities of Muslim women and stated that sporting events can foster nationalism. An analysis of current political and public discourses on Muslim women's sports and free time showed that this group is facing many limitations. Political regulations and attitudes interfere not only with the recreational activities of Muslim women but also with their clothing and movements. It is recommended that theoretical perspectives such as the social justice perspective in sports and free time activities of Muslim women be presented and supported so they can have equal access to sports and physical activities in their free time.
3. Methodology
The present study is applied research in terms of orientation, comparative in terms of approach, descriptive in terms of purpose, and mixed (qualitative-quantitative) research in terms of research philosophy. Using the grounded theory method with Glazer's approach, the factors affecting women's free time were identified and classified with an emphasis on physical activities, and their mutual effects were investigated using interpretive structural modeling. The statistical population of this study in both sections included free-time experts, sports management experts, and experts in holding family and women's sports events. Theoretical sampling was used to identify the number of people. Theoretical saturation was achieved after conducting 12 in-depth and unstructured interviews, but the interviews continued up to 15 people for more confidence. In the qualitative section of the study, the in-depth interview tool was used to collect data. In the quantitative section of the study, a questionnaire was used as a research tool. The indicators of this questionnaire are adapted from the data of the qualitative section of the study. Accordingly, the extracted codes were placed in the form of questions and designed as a questionnaire. It was also prepared in the form of a questionnaire whose content validity was confirmed by 10 sports management professors who were outside the sample of the qualitative group. Accordingly, based on the grounded theory, 115 open codes, 33 concepts, and 14 primary categories were identified and categorized. Then, to examine the relationship between the sub-categories of the questionnaire, a structured self-interaction matrix was developed. In this step, the respondents were asked to specify the type of pairwise connection of the factors based on the introduced codes (V, A, X, O).
4. Results
Finally, using the final access matrix, the themes of factors affecting women's free time were classified with an emphasis on physical activities. Based on Figure 1, understanding of the need for women's sports(D), effective equipment and facilities (E), the socialization status of women's free time (K), and the income and financial status of women (M) were placed in the first level, individual factors (B) were placed in the second level. The family’s social status (A), creating organizations for women's free time (F), and increasing women's awareness of free time (J) were placed in the third level. Increasing and promoting physical activities in the form of free time for women (C) and increasing people's socialization (G), financial support in the private and public sectors (I), education and paying attention to related research findings (L), and improvement of individual mental state were placed in the fourth level, and the improvement of living conditions (H) was placed in the fifth level.
5. Conclusion
Based on the results of this study and the population of women in Iran, and knowing their special characteristics and conditions in the Islamic country of Iran, it is necessary to have proper knowledge of the current status before any planning. Also, appropriate local and government measures should be taken to meet their needs and demands by identifying their real problems and needs. n The high-level planners of the country, who are mostly men, should have a better understanding and a more complete insight into the physical activity status of women and their demands. Hence, since public sports and increasing women's participation in them play a vital role in their health and society’s health, and it is useful for the individual and social economy in reducing treatment costs, it is recommended that health planners increase the participation of women in sports and physical activity in their free time. Also, considering all aspects, it is necessary to develop appropriate and comprehensive programs and applications that compensate for the existing deficiencies, provide the conditions for more participation of women in this area, and provide exercise for all people.
Metastatic prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. In the advanced stages of prostate cancer, tumours can metastasise to other tissues in the body, which is fatal. In this thesis, we performed a genetic analysis of prostate cancer tumours at different metastatic sites using data science, machine learning and topological network analysis methods. We presented a general procedure for pre-processing gene expression datasets and pre-filtering significant genes by analytical methods. We then used machine learning models for further key gene filtering and secondary site tumour classification. Finally, we performed gene co-expression network analysis and community detection on samples from different prostate cancer secondary site types. In this work, 13 of the 14,379 genes were selected as the most metastatic prostate cancer related genes, achieving approximately 92% accuracy under cross-validation. In addition, we provide preliminary insights into the co-expression patterns of genes in gene co-expression networks. Project code is available at https://github.com/zcablii/Master_cancer_project.