Impact of $$b \rightarrow s \ell \ell $$ anomalies on rare charm decays in non-universal $$Z'$$ models

In this work, we study the impact of $$b \rightarrow s \ell \ell $$ b → s ℓ ℓ , $$B_s - \bar{B_s}$$ B s - B s ¯ mixing and neutrino trident measurements on observables in decays induced by $$c \rightarrow u $$ c → u transition in the context of a non-universal $$Z'$$ Z ′ model which generates $$C^{\mathrm{NP}}_{9} <0$$ C 9 NP < 0 and $$C^{\mathrm{NP}}_9 = - \,C^{\mathrm{NP}}_{10} $$ C 9 NP = - C 10 NP new physics scenarios at the tree level. We inspect the effects on $$D^0 \rightarrow \pi ^0 \nu {\bar{\nu }}$$ D 0 → π 0 ν ν ¯ , $$D^+ \rightarrow \pi ^+ \nu {\bar{\nu }}$$ D + → π + ν ν ¯ and $$B_c \rightarrow B^+ \nu {\bar{\nu }} $$ B c → B + ν ν ¯ decays which are induced by the quark level transition $$c \rightarrow u \nu {\bar{\nu }}$$ c → u ν ν ¯ . The fact that the branching ratios of these decays are negligible in the standard model (SM) and the long distance effects are relatively smaller in comparison to their charged dileptons counterparts, they are considered to provide genuine null-tests of SM. Therefore the observation of these modes at the level of current as well as planned experimental sensitivities would imply unambiguous signature of new physics. Using the constraints on $$Z'$$ Z ′ couplings coming from a combined fit to $$b \rightarrow s \ell \ell $$ b → s ℓ ℓ , $$\varDelta M_s$$ Δ M s and neutrino trident data, we find that any meaningful enhancement over the SM value is ruled out in the considered framework. The same is true for $$D - {\bar{D}}$$ D - D ¯ mixing observable $$\varDelta M_D$$ Δ M D along with $$D^0 \rightarrow \mu ^+ \mu ^-$$ D 0 → μ + μ - and $$D^+ \rightarrow \pi ^+ \mu ^+ \mu ^-$$ D + → π + μ + μ - decay modes which are induced through $$c \rightarrow u \mu ^+ \mu ^-$$ c → u μ + μ - transition.

A Deep Learning Approach for Short-Term Airport Traffic Flow Prediction

Airport traffic flow prediction is a fundamental research topic in the field of air traffic flow management. Most existing works focus on the single airport traffic flow prediction with temporal dynamics but fail to consider the influence of the topological airport network. In this paper, a novel deep learning-based framework, called airport traffic flow prediction network (ATFPNet), is proposed to capture spatial-temporal dependencies of the historical airport traffic flow (departure and arrival) for the multiple-step situational (network-level) arrival flow prediction. Firstly, considering the nature of the airport distribution and the context of air transportation, a special semantic graph built on the flight schedule is applied to represent the airport network, which is the key to encoding the situational airport traffic flow into a single representation. Then, the graph convolution operator and the gated recurrent unit are combined to extract high-level transition patterns of airport traffic flow in the spatial and temporal dimensions. Finally, a real-world airport traffic flow dataset is applied to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model, and the experimental results demonstrate that the ATFPNet outperforms other baselines on different prediction horizons. Specifically, the proposed method achieves up to 17% MAE improvement compared to baselines. Based on the proposed approach, efficient traffic planning is expected to be achieved for airport management.

Contentious Issues and Future Directions in Adolescent Gambling Research

Background. There is currently considerable public policy and regulatory interest in the nature and prevalence of underage gambling. Research in this area has purported to show that adolescents are at elevated risk of problem gambling and that early exposure to gambling or gambling-like activities could be a potential precursor to future harm. Method. In this commentary, we provide a critical appraisal of these arguments with reference to major studies in the field of gambling studies. It is argued that adolescent gambling research is a contentious area. Some questions remain concerning the validity of adolescent problem gambling measures, the strength of the association between adolescent and adult gambling and the impact of simulated gambling activities. Results. The paper summarises the conceptual and methodological issues that should be considered and addressed in future studies to strengthen the validity of research in this area. Conclusion. The paper encourages the greater use of harm-based measures, longitudinal and individual-level transition analyses and questions that capture the influence of activities rather than just their temporal sequencing.

A Mixed Design Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Transition Graduate Program

The authors describe the implementation and impact of a graduate-level transition personnel preparation program for transition specialists. This program was based on the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) standards for transition specialists. Over 200 special educators were prepared in a 2-year part-time graduate program where interdisciplinary, practice-based preparation was provided. Participants completed five courses and one practicum designed to prepare them to meet the standards for transition specialists. Competency ratings significantly improved after program completion. Focus group responses suggested that the program design had features that had major impact on the areas of policy, collaboration, and leadership. Collaboration and interdisciplinary activities emphasizing the roles of transition professionals were described throughout the article, showing how transition specialists, career/technical educators, and rehabilitation counselors are mutually supportive of youth with disabilities achieving postschool goals. The authors recommended further research on how this kind of preparation might be disseminated and replicated.

Temperament and Academic Achievement in Children: A Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to systematize the diverse and rather controversial findings of empirical research on the relationship between the temperament and academic achievement of school children, as well as to determine the average effect size between these variables. We included 57 original studies of published and unpublished research conducted in 12 countries between 1985 and 2019, with cumulative sample size of 79,913 (varying from 6333 to 14,126 for links between particular temperament dimensions and specific domains of achievement). A random-effects and mixed-effects model was fitted to the data for the central tendency of the temperament–achievement relation and for analyzing moderators, respectively. The high heterogeneity of studies was tackled by selected specific moderators, namely, education level, transition status, family’s socio-economic level, and sources of report on achievement and temperament. The main findings of this meta-analysis affirmed the positive association of effortful control (EC) and inverse relationship of negative affectivity (NA) with a child’s academic performance, together with no apparent trend of surgency (SU) in this relationship; additionally, the sources of report significantly moderated the link between temperament and academic achievement.

Promoting mental health of junior-to-senior transition athletes – advice for sport psychology practitioners

Mental health (MH) does not only mean the mere absence of psychiatric disorders but also the presence of well-being. Competitive athletes are exposed to risk factors for poor MH specific to the competitive sport context. One such risk factor are athletic career transitions, whereby the junior-to-senior-level transition (JST) is considered one of the most difficult of within career transitions. During this time, developmental changes must be mastered on a psychological, athletic, and educational level and conflicts that occur between the different areas of life, such as school, family, and sports can become more acute. JST is thus a particularly vulnerable period for the MH of competitive sport athletes. In this article, we describe a counseling approach that seems well suited to promote the MH of JST athletes within a sport psychology consulting setting. The approach is based on self-determination theory and ego-state theory. We illustrate the application of our counseling approach with an exemplary case. Finally, we provide recommendations for how sport psychology practitioners can promote MH in JST athletes.