Flight: A FaaS-based framework for complex and Hierarchical Federated Learning

A number of well-documented, fundamental assumptions are associated with strategic information systems planning (SISP). A core activity for this domain is the alignment of an organisations systems and technology strategy with its business objectives. The difficulty is the complex and diverse nature of the strategy process itself that renders such a match increasingly problematic. The evidence within the literature relating to SISP suggests that it does not fully mirror contemporary business strategy and contains some fundamentally incorrect assumptions. This paper identifies eight such assumptions that propose a number of challenges for future research directions. Case examples are also presented which reflect the issues posed for exploiting the value of Information Technology (IT) as a strategic opportunity given the approaches adopted for SISP. Finally, a number of challenges to SISP are noted which relate to identified categories, through an 'IS complexity framework', of reviewing benefits, managing business change, and assessing organisational competencies for sustainable competitive advantage.

This study proposes a real-time automobile braking performance analysis framework based on big data and machine learning technology, aiming to improve driving safety and the intelligent level of vehicle performance evaluation. By designing an efficient data preprocessing process, including sliding average filtering and linear interpolation methods, combined with the long short-term memory network (LSTM) model, accurate prediction of braking distance and response time is achieved, with a mean square error as low as 0.25, which is better than the traditional model. At the same time, the system architecture adopts a distributed computing framework to ensure millisecond-level real-time reasoning capabilities. Experimental results show that a reasonable setting of the discard rate can effectively improve the generalization ability of the model, verify the applicability of the framework in complex driving scenarios, and provide technical support for the development of intelligent driving systems.

From the Law of Corporations to the Law of Corporate

For many decades, scholars working within the broad paradigm of complexity studies/theory have explored the nonlinear dynamics that contour physical and social systems. In doing so, radical theories that contest both Newtonian and neo-Darwinian understandings of reality have been posited, augmenting how we think about processes of change. But throughout these developments, the modern idea of progress has arguably remained insufficiently contested. This article seeks to show how the framework of complexity can offer conceptual resources for rethinking progress. Key characteristics of complexity are articulated and critically examined with the aim of pinpointing how they might contribute to a conception of progress that is worthy of the name yet divergent from its dominant ‘modern’ form.

This chapter reports a document analysis of key curriculum documents in two states of Australia seeking to answer the research question: What level of challenge is expected in modelling tasks in the intended curriculum? Both states, Queensland and Victoria, include mathematical modelling tasks as part of the assessment in the final year of schooling. Analysis found that information provided to teachers in Queensland was broader and more substantive including with respect to sample assessment instruments and how these would be implemented and assessed. A framework of complexity used to analyse two specific sample tasks found the indicative levels of expectations, in this case with respect to degree of challenge, were lower in Victoria than in Queensland.

Two three-dimensional cobalt-based metal-organic frameworks with 5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalic acid (H2HIPA), namely poly[[μ2-1,4-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene-κ2N3:N3'][μ2-5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalato-κ2O1:O3]cobalt(II)], [Co(C9H6O5)(C14H14N4)]n (1), and poly[tris[μ2-1,4-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene-κ2N3:N3']bis[μ3-5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalato-κ2O1:O3:O5]dicobalt(II)], [Co2(C9H6O5)2(C12H10N4)3]n (2), were synthesized under similar hydrothermal conditions. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that 5-(hydroxymethyl)isophthalate (HIPA2-) and 1,4-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene (1,4-BMIB) are simple linkers connecting cobalt centres to build a fourfold interpenetration dia framework in complex 1. However, complex 2 is a pillared-layer framework with a (3,6)-connected network constructed by 1,4-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene (1,4-DIB) linkers, 3-connected HIPA2- ligands and 6-connected CoII centres. The above significant structural differences can be ascribed to the introduction of the different auxiliary N-donor ligands. Moreover, UV-Vis spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky measurements confirmed that complexes 1 and 2 are typical n-type semiconductors.

I thank Peter Winch and Elizabeth Thomas for their thoughtful letter1Winch PJ Thomas ED Harnessing the power of emotional drivers to promote behaviour change.Lancet Glob Health. 2016; 4: e881-e882Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar concerning our trial2Greenland K Chipungu J Curtis V Schmidt W-P Siwale Z Mudenda M et al.Multiple behaviour change intervention for diarrhoea control in Lusaka, Zambia: a cluster randomised trial.Lancet Glob Health. 2016; 4: e966-e977Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar in The Lancet Global Health and for highlighting the profound challenges associated with changing multiple behaviours in public health interventions. To improve the effectiveness of public health strategies, we need more innovative behaviour change interventions that undergo rigorous evaluation3Craig P Dieppe P Macintyre S Michie S Nazareth I Petticrew M Developing and evaluating complex interventions: the new Medical Research Council guidance.Int J Nurs Stud. 2013; 50: 587-592Crossref PubMed Scopus (875) Google Scholar, 4Michie S Designing and implementing behaviour change interventions to improve population health.J Health Serv Res Policy. 2008; 13: 64-69Crossref PubMed Scopus (110) Google Scholar and more debate about what works, what doesn't, and why. It is thus vital that reports of trial outcomes be accompanied by detailed exploration of the reasons for the outcomes in the study context.5Moore GF Audrey S Barker M et al.Process evaluation of complex interventions: Medical Research Council guidance.BMJ. 2015; 350: h1258Crossref PubMed Scopus (2721) Google Scholar Winch and Thomas rightly point out the difficulty of interpreting trial findings testing complex interventions in the absence of data on fidelity and other key process indicators. As mentioned in the discussion of our paper2Greenland K Chipungu J Curtis V Schmidt W-P Siwale Z Mudenda M et al.Multiple behaviour change intervention for diarrhoea control in Lusaka, Zambia: a cluster randomised trial.Lancet Glob Health. 2016; 4: e966-e977Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar and prespecified in the objectives published in the trial registry record for our study, we integrated a full process evaluation into our study protocol. This measured seven domains (fidelity, dose delivered, reach, recruitment, participant engagement and responses, acceptability, and context), guided by Steckler and Linnan's framework6Linnan L Steckler A Chapter 1: Process evaluation for public health interventions and research: an overview.in: Linnan L Steckler A Process evaluation for public health interventions and research. L Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco2002: 1-23Google Scholar and the Theory of Change approach.7De Silva MJ Breuer E Lee L et al.Theory of Change: a theory-driven approach to enhance the Medical Research Council's framework for complex interventions.Trials. 2014; 15: 267Crossref PubMed Scopus (294) Google Scholar Due to the convention of separating reports of process and outcome evaluations, the results are the subject of a second manuscript that will be published in due course. This subsequent report will engage in detail with the important questions raised by Winch and Thomas. It does, however, remain a question for journal editors and behavioural scientists as to whether separating process from outcome evaluations in short papers is the best way to advance the science of behavioural intervention. I declare no competing interests. Harnessing the power of emotional drivers to promote behaviour changeEfforts to address malnutrition, maternal and child mortality, and other global health priorities are heavily reliant on behaviour change, including adoption and correct use of health technology, and following treatment recommendations.1,2 One long-standing concern is the limited effectiveness of many behaviour change interventions, even when exposure to intervention activities is adequate, and activities are implemented with high fidelity.3 A second concern is low coverage of proven behaviour change interventions, under conditions of routine programme implementation. Full-Text PDF Open Access

STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) promotes active learning by integrating knowledge for lifelong learning and providing solutions in complex and changing environments. The study was based on the question: What is the future of STEAM education in the context of complexity? The objective of the study was to analyse the components shaping the future of STEAM education in the context of complexity, with the goal of contributing to mobilising strategies that integrate open education and distance practices. Using an instrumental case study design, the research analysed good practices within a Latin American STEAM community focused on developing life skills and complex thinking. A total of 1224 participants from 21 countries took part in online seminars. Data were collected through three instruments assessing perceptions of reasoning for complexity, STEAM practices, and open education practices. The analysis revealed that the future of STEAM education is shaped by elements such as interdisciplinarity, complex thinking as a core competence, the expansion of e-learning supported by mediating technologies, the creation of open education networks for knowledge co-construction, and a strong commitment to socially oriented and sustainable education. The findings show that: a) initiatives like online OER seminars attract diverse participants over time, b) gender does not influence complex thinking levels among educators, c) that Education 4.0 technologies can enhance the mobilisation of STEAM open practices, and d) educators increasingly use social networks as effective tools for sharing resources and promoting open education. The study offers contributions to academic, scientific, and social communities interested in promoting STEAM training actions with educational innovation. Received: 19 October 2024 / Accepted: 11 June 2025 / Published: 08 July 2025

The self-assemblies of 1,4-bis(pyrid-4-yl)benzene (bpb) and Fe(NCX)2 (X = S, Se, BH3) afforded six coordination polymers with the general formula of [Fe(bpb)2(NCX)2]·Y (X = S and Y = 3C2H5OH·2.5H2O for complex 4, X = S and Y = 2C2H5OH for 5, X = Se and Y = 2C2H5OH·H2O for 6, X = Se and Y = 0.67CH2Cl2·1.33C2H5OH·0.67H2O for 7, X = BH3 and Y = 3C2H5OH·2H2O for 8, X = BH3 and Y = 2CH2Cl2·2C2H5OH for 9). The frameworks of complexes 4 and 5 with the NCS(-) anion as coligand are supramolecular isomers, of which complex 4 features a threefold self-interpenetrated three-dimensional (3D) CdSO4-type topological structure with a Schläfli symbol of 6(5)·8, and complex 5 is a two-dimensional (2D) 4(4) rhombic grid network. These two complexes are purely high-spin systems. Complexes 6 and 7 with the NCSe(-) anion as coligand, both having the 3D 6(5)·8 CdSO4-type framework, show gradual and incomplete spin-crossover behaviors with transition temperature T1/2 being equal to 86 and 96 K, respectively. The usage of NCBH3(-) anion as coligand leads to the formation of 2D 4(4) rhombic grid networks for both complexes 8 and 9, which undergo relatively abrupt, complete spin crossover with T1/2 being equal to 247 and 189 K, respectively. The structural divergences are attributed to the coligands NCX(-) (X = S, Se, BH3) and solvent molecules. Meanwhile, a significant coligand effect is observed on the spin-crossover behaviors of these complexes, and the completeness and transition temperature of spin-state conversion depends on the nature of the coligand, that is, T1/2(NCS(-)) < T1/2(NCSe(-)) < T1/2(NCBH3(-)). These results further facilitate the design and synthesis of spin-crossover complexes with spin-state conversion.

The Pluralist Foundations of Corporate Law and Governance

Background: Palliative care patients are often described as complex but evidence on complexity is limited. We need to understand complexity, including at individual patient-level, to define specialist palliative care, characterise palliative care populations and meaningfully compare interventions/outcomes. Aim: To explore palliative care stakeholders’ views on what makes a patient more or less complex and insights on capturing complexity at patient-level. Design: In-depth qualitative interviews, analysed using Framework analysis. Participants/setting: Semi-structured interviews across six UK centres with patients, family, professionals, managers and senior leads, purposively sampled by experience, background, location and setting (hospital, hospice and community). Results: 65 participants provided an understanding of complexity, which extended far beyond the commonly used physical, psychological, social and spiritual domains. Complexity included how patients interact with family/professionals, how services’ respond to needs and societal perspectives on care. ‘Pre-existing’, ‘cumulative’ and ‘invisible’ complexity are further important dimensions to delivering effective palliative and end-of-life care. The dynamic nature of illness and needs over time was also profoundly influential. Adapting Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, we categorised findings into the microsystem (person, needs and characteristics), chronosystem (dynamic influences of time), mesosystem (interactions with family/health professionals), exosystem (palliative care services/systems) and macrosystem (societal influences). Stakeholders found it acceptable to capture complexity at the patient-level, with perceived benefits for improving palliative care resource allocation. Conclusion: Our conceptual framework encompasses additional elements beyond physical, psychological, social and spiritual domains and advances systematic understanding of complexity within the context of palliative care. This framework helps capture patient-level complexity and target resource provision in specialist palliative care.

The complex intervention methodology framework defines the iterative process for developing and evaluating complex interventions in healthcare, but advice on implementation research was not included until the 2008 update. Our recent systematic review of implementation studies identified significant problems with reporting standards, including inconsistent terminology and crucial information that was missing or unclear. Introduction of reporting checklists has standardized the reporting of randomized controlled trials and other types of studies, and there is a need for similar guidance for reporting implementation studies. Key standards might include an explicit evidence base from a randomized controlled trial or guideline recommendation; recruitment to the clinical service, not the research; at least some outcomes at the population level using routinely collected data; and a description of the setting and the process of implementing the service. The complex intervention framework currently illustrates a cycle of development and evaluation, which includes implementation as a final step. We propose that the research underpinning implementation should be visualized as a second interrelated cycle. Just as the "phase III cycle" includes the iterative steps of development and piloting, a similar process may be needed to translate the intervention into a practical service that can be tested in a phase IV implementation study.

The paper analyses the evolution of investment compliance over the past 15 years, since the Financial Crisis of 2008, and its transformation from a ‘plain vanilla’ task to a highly complex monitoring framework. The paper attempts to identify the roots for this transformation and comes to conclusions that are not intuitive. It further analyses the investment policies used in the sales prospectuses of the investment funds and elaborates patterns for those policies. The analysis suggests that it is appropriate to divide the patterns into two basic concepts: The ‘investment concept’ and the ‘exposure concept’. While the former seemed to fully dominate the market 15 years ago, the transformation to the new concept appears to progress at an accelerated pace. This is due to the increased complexity of the investment policies of funds and of the financial instruments that have been created by the financial market participants, as well as investment strategies employed by the portfolio managers, which cannot be properly encompassed by the old concept any longer. Participation in the creditor committees is an event that is obvious for the portfolio managers but may present fundamental legal concerns. Already, participation in such committees is doubtful for the funds that are prohibited from exercising a significant influence on their investment targets, such as undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities. An additional question that emerges when participating in such committees, and one which is analysed in this paper, is the question on the allocation of costs, the answer to which is rather art than science.

The structures of five metal complexes containing the 4-oxo-4H-pyran-2,6-dicarboxylate dianion illustrate the remarkable coordinating versatility of this ligand and the great structural diversity of its complexes. In tetraaquaberyllium 4-oxo-4H-pyran-2,6-dicarboxylate, [Be(H(2)O)(4)](C(7)H(2)O(6)), (I), the ions are linked by eight independent O-H...O hydrogen bonds to form a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded framework structure. Each of the ions in hydrazinium(2+) diaqua(4-oxo-4H-pyran-2,6-dicarboxylato)calcate, (N(2)H(6))[Ca(C(7)H(2)O(6))2(H2O)2], (II), lies on a twofold rotation axis in the space group P2/c; the anions form hydrogen-bonded sheets which are linked into a three-dimensional framework by the cations. In bis(mu-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2,6-dicarboxylato)bis[tetraaquamanganese(II)] tetrahydrate, [Mn2(C(7)H(2)O(6))2(H2O)(8)].4H2O, (III), the metal ions and the organic ligands form a cyclic centrosymmetric Mn2(C(7)H(2)O(6))2 unit, and these units are linked into a complex three-dimensional framework structure containing 12 independent O-H...O hydrogen bonds. There are two independent Cu(II) ions in tetraaqua(4-oxo-4H-pyran-2,6-dicarboxylato)copper(II), [Cu(C(7)H(2)O(6))(H2O)4], (IV), and both lie on centres of inversion in the space group P1; the metal ions and the organic ligands form a one-dimensional coordination polymer, and the polymer chains are linked into a three-dimensional framework containing eight independent O-H...O hydrogen bonds. Diaqua(4-oxo-4H-pyran-2,6-dicarboxylato)cadmium monohydrate, [Cd(C(7)H(2)O(6))(H2O)2].H2O, (V), forms a three-dimensional coordination polymer in which the organic ligand is coordinated to four different Cd sites, and this polymer is interwoven with a complex three-dimensional framework built from O-H...O hydrogen bonds.

To understand a complex system (e.g., an economy, an ecosystem, the global climate system), scientists often rely on models. Models simplify reality by focusing on certain parts of a system, and the relationships between them, while ignoring, by necessity, other. Advocates of complexity theory often boldly claim (partly by virtue of greater realism) that they can improve upon the standard neoclassical economic framework. A much weaker claim supports the promotion of this new class of models or any class of models: even if the complexity framework makes less accurate predictions than the neoclassical approach, the complexity framework can be of use because its models differ.