Abstract
Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a chronic and severe psychiatric illness presenting with mood alterations, including manic, hypomanic, and depressive episodes. Due to the high clinical heterogeneity and lack of biological validation, both treatment and diagnosis of BD remain problematic and challenging. In this context, this paper proposes a novel intelligent system applied to the diagnosis of BD. First, each patient’s single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data is represented by QR codes, which reduces the high dimensionality of the problem and homogenizes the data representation. For the initial tests of the system, the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) dataset was used. The preliminary results are encouraging, with an AUC value of 0.82 and an accuracy of 82%, correctly classifying all cases and most controls. This approach reduces the dimensionality of large amounts of data and can help improve diagnosis and deliver the right treatment to the patient. Furthermore, the architecture of the system is versatile and could be adapted and used to diagnose other diseases where there is also high dimensionality. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.

Abstract

Abstract
Motifs are overrepresented and statistically significant sub-patterns in a network, whose identification is relevant to uncover its underlying functional units. Recently, its extraction has been performed on higher-order networks, but due to the complexity arising from polyadic interactions, and the similarity with known computationally hard problems, its practical application is limited. Our main contribution is a novel approach for hyper-subgraph census and higher-order motif discovery, allowing for motifs with sizes 3 or 4 to be found efficiently, in real-world scenarios. It is consistently an order of magnitude faster than a baseline state-of-art method, while using less memory and supporting a wider range of base algorithms.

Abstract
Continuous-time dynamic graphs (CTDGs) are essential for modeling interconnected, evolving systems. Traditional methods for extracting knowledge from these graphs often depend on feature engineering or deep learning. Feature engineering is limited by the manual and time-intensive nature of crafting features, while deep learning approaches suffer from high inference latency, making them impractical for real-time applications. This paper introduces Deep-Graph-Sprints (DGS), a novel deep learning architecture designed for efficient representation learning on CTDGs with low-latency inference requirements. We benchmark DGS against state-of-the-art (SOTA) feature engineering and graph neural network methods using five diverse datasets. The results indicate that DGS achieves competitive performance while inference speed improves between 4x and 12x compared to other deep learning approaches on our benchmark datasets. Our method effectively bridges the gap between deep representation learning and low-latency application requirements for CTDGs.

Abstract
Lock-freedom offers significant advantages in terms of algorithm design, performance and scalability. A fundamental building block in software development is the usage of hash map data structures. This work extends a previous lock-free hash map to support a new simplified design that is able to take advantage of most state-of-the-art safe memory reclamation methods, thus outperforming the previous design. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Abstract
This paper introduces GERF, a Gamified Educational Virtual Escape Room Framework designed to enhance micro-learning and adaptive learning experiences in educational settings. The framework incorporates a user taxonomy based on the user type hexad, addressing the preferences and motivations of different learners profiles. GERF focuses on two key facets: interoperability and analytics. To ensure seamless integration of Escape Room (ER) platforms with Learning Management Systems (LMS), the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification is used. This enables smooth and efficient communication between ERs and LMS platforms. Additionally, GERF uses the xAPI specification to capture and transmit experiential data in the form of xAPI statements, which are then sent to a Learning Record Store (LRS). By leveraging these learning analytics, educators gain valuable insights into students’ interactions within the ER, facilitating the adaptation of learning content based on individual learning needs. Ultimately, GERF empowers educators to create personalized learning experiences within the ER environment, fostering student engagement and learning outcomes. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.