Providence College

Traditional evaluations of multimodal large language models (LLMs) have been limited by their focus on single-image reasoning, failing to assess crucial aspects like contextual understanding, reasoning stability, and uncertainty calibration. This study addresses these limitations by introducing a novel benchmark that uniquely integrates multi-image reasoning tasks with rejection-based evaluation and positional bias detection. We further introduce entropy as a novel metric for quantifying reasoning consistency across reordered answer variants and abstention rate to measure a model’s tendency to avoid uncertain answers. We assess 8 state-of-the-art models, such as Grok 3, ChatGPT-4o, Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental, and DeepSeek’s Janus models, across eight visual reasoning tasks. Our findings reveal ChatGPT-o1 leading in overall accuracy (82.5%) and rejection accuracy (70.0%), closely followed by Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental (70.8%). On the other hand, Janus models exhibited challenges in bias and uncertainty calibration, reflected in low rejection accuracies (Janus 7B: 25.0%, Janus 1B: 30.0%) and high entropy scores (Janus 7B: 0.839, Janus 1B: 0.787), underscoring their susceptibility to positional bias and unstable reasoning. By employing multi-image contexts, rejection mechanisms, and entropy-based consistency metrics, this benchmark sets a new standard for evaluating multimodal LLMs, enabling a more robust and reliable assessment of next-generation AI systems.

Spondyloarthritis (SpA), including axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), comprises a diverse but interrelated family of inflammatory diseases characterized by inflammation of the joints and spine. Signs and symptoms of SpA vary widely, as patients experience a diverse spectrum of musculoskeletal and extra-musculoskeletal disease manifestations. Interleukin (IL)-17 is an inflammatory cytokine common to the pathogenesis of SpA disease development and progression. The IL-17A inhibitor secukinumab has been well established in clinical trials and real-world practice as an effective therapeutic tool to efficiently manage SpA indications axSpA and PsA in adults, as well as juvenile PsA (jPsA) and enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), which are two subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This review highlights the comprehensive response to IL-17 inhibition with secukinumab across SpA indications of PsA, axSpA, and ERA/jPsA and within each indication according to established disease domains. We provide context through expert commentary on the effect of inhibiting IL-17 with secukinumab on the full spectrum of SpA disease manifestations, as well as areas in need of further investigation.

The rational design of host materials with intrinsic bipolar characteristics is critical for achieving high-performance phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs). In this work, three diphenylquinoxaline (DPQ) derivatives functionalized with cyano (−CN), phenylcarbazole, and dibenzofuran groups were developed as versatile acceptors and paired with tris(4-carbazoyl-9-ylphenyl)amine (TCTA) as an electron donor. All acceptors exhibited well-balanced carrier-transport properties and optimized energy-level alignment. Among them, the TCTA:DPQCN-PhDBF exciplex host system achieved outstanding performance, delivering an ultralow turn-on voltage (Von) of 1.8 V, the lowest reported to date, along with a maximum luminance (Lmax) of 42,457 cd m–2 and a peak external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 16.8%. The superior performance is attributed to extended π-conjugation, increased molecular torsion, and the rigid dibenzofuran unit, which collectively enhance charge-transfer (CT) state formation, hole-transport efficiency, film morphology stability, and energy-level modulation. In comparison, DPQCN-DBF exhibited limited performance due to crystallization tendencies during film formation, whereas the TCTA:DPQCN-CzPh system achieved a high EQEmax of 17.8% with a low Von of 2.0 V, benefiting from improved hole-transport properties imparted by the carbazole unit. This study establishes a systematic molecular design strategy that integrates energy-level tuning, charge-transport balancing, and CT-state optimization, offering valuable insights for the development of high-efficiency, high-luminance, and energy-saving OLED technologies.

In this article, we introduce trigmm , a package designed to estimate the parameters of triangular two-equation systems without the need for instrumental variables. The trigmm command leverages the identification conditions proposed by Lewbel, Schennach, and Zhang (2024, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics 42: 14–25), enabling instrument-free identification primarily through the non-Gaussianity assumption of error variables. We also introduce the trigmmset command, which provides bounds on the parameters based on the set identification results from the same article even without the non-Gaussianity assumption, offering complementary analyses alongside the trigmm command. Estimation is performed by integrating these moment conditions with Stata’s built-in generalized method of moments ( gmm ) framework. The package’s functionality is demonstrated through an empirical application.

Human evolution is considered to be pivotal amidst many developments over the period of time. The intelligence reflected by human beings positions them at the epicentre. Their acumen of humans has significantly contributed to the developmental attributes, thereby making them highly efficient. Though the intellect marks their superiority through the lens of humanist, the posthumanist ideologies sidelines the significance sustained by humans. The present advancement in technological arena has proved the importance of invaders who could possibly eclipse the existence of humans and their intelligence with ease. One of the pioneering works in the posthumanist field is The War of the Worlds by H.G Wells which was published in the year 1898. The author through this work reflects the possibilities in shadowing the existence of human beings. This work draws the readers closer to the world and the impact of war and revolutions which could eventually redefine the existence and position of humans. The fragility of human beings could be also experienced. The human intelligence and dominance become questionable and the author has focussed on the same. This paper deals with all those fragile elements highlighted by the author which could possibly define the imminent displacement of human beings in the future. The recent technical advancements and its role in replacing the position of man is another thrust area focussed in this article.

Intervention effectiveness studies rarely empirically assess Theories of Change (ToC) to determine how an intervention worked. We examine the ToC underlying the Sugira Muryango (SM) parenting program in rural Rwanda to understand whether the intervention improved child development outcomes via changes in caregivers' behaviors to improve the home caregiving environment, as hypothesized. SM uses coaching of parents to create a safe, affectionate, stimulating, and violence-free home environment. A cluster randomized trial enrolled 1049 families with young children. SM had immediate effects on caregiver behaviors, improving scores on the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), harsh discipline, caregiver emotion regulation, and provision of dietary diversity. We use structural equation modeling to examine whether change in caregivers' behaviors explains intervention-related improvements in child development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire) one year after the intervention ended. Improvements in positive caregiving practices, including stimulation and early language learning as captured by the HOME, explained some of the intervention-related changes in child development, including gross motor, communication, problem-solving, and personal-social development. Increased dietary diversity explained intervention-related change in gross motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development. Change in harsh discipline and caregiver emotion regulation did not explain child outcomes. Intervention-related changes related to constructs captured on the HOME and dietary diversity were associated with changes in child development scores, but violent discipline and caregiver emotion regulation were not. Future research should examine whether these components of the intervention can be strengthened and may influence child development via other pathways, for example, via caregiver mental health.