International Journal of Innovative Technology and Interdisciplinary Sciences

Regression-Based Machine Learning for Predicting Prior Convictions from Administrative Criminal Justice Records

2026-01-02T21:44:28+01:00

Predictive analytics is emerging in current police and court proceedings where data is used to analyse crime trends and court results; predictive, regression-based machine learning models use these data to predict dependent variables. This study explores the predictive use of regression-based machine learning models to predict counts of prior convictions based on structured data within a criminal justice dataset. The analysis is done on the Criminal Justice Dataset that is a publicly available data set with roughly 200,000 court cases data with demographic characteristics, criminal history factors, offense parameters and court decisions variables. Using descriptive statistical analysis estimates, correlation univariate tests and multiple regression predictive models the relationships are explored between the independent predictors and the dependent counts of prior convictions. Three model builds are used; the first is an OLS model to provide a comparison baseline followed by the use of a Ridge regression model with L2 regularization penalty and an ElasticNet model with L1 and L2 as a way of deploying multiple robust models to produce the best fit and prediction. We evaluate the performance of the model using standard regression metrics: coefficient of determination (R²), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE).

Comparative Seismic Performance and Retrofit Guidelines for URM, CM, and RC Buildings Based on 24 Real Post-Earthquake Case Studies

2026-01-30T21:26:44+01:00

The 2019 Mw 6.4 Albania earthquake revealed considerable vulnerability encompassing a range of different structural typologies, predominantly among buildings assigned as Damage State 4 (DS-4). Numerous efforts investigate common construction typologies such as: unreinforced masonry (URM), confined masonry (CM), and reinforced concrete (RC), however, there is a gap in the ability to comparatively quantify residual seismic and retrofit response behaviours from these typologies in a common analytical framework. A comparative evaluation of 24 actual post earthquake buildings (8 URM, 8 CM, 8 RC) has been performed uniformly applying nonlinear static (pushover) procedure in the scope of Eurocode 8 – Part 3. Normalized base shear capacity (Vb/W), inter-story drifts at Damage Limitation, Significant Damage and Near Collapse limits and global ductility (μ) were obtained for each building by bilinear idealizations of capacity curves. Statistical descriptors were also calculated for each typology (mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation), and hypothesis testing comparisons were conducted to assess if (i) residual strength capacity (at DS-4) is hierarchically ordered as RC > CM > URM, and (ii) increasing levels of ductility after retrofit are statistically significantly different among typologies. The results support a statistically significant trend in residual strength and ductility capacity, with RC systems showing a higher normalized base shear, and URM buildings receiving the greatest percentage increase in ductility after retrofit. To express retrofit performance in a similar quantitative way, a single performance indicator called the Retrofit Efficiency Index (REI) is developed that aggregates the strength and ductility ratios within one dimension. Such a performance indicator emphasizes the advantage of the typology and also establishes a useful decision making index for heterogeneous stock of buildings. The results encapsulate real post earthquake evidence into statistically, supported performance ranges, and summarises comparative guidelines. Instead of proposing a new modelling methodology, the new corpus of results provides a rigorous quantitative framework based on uniformly analysed real damaged buildings, and provides benchmark standards directly relevant for engineering evaluation and retrofit ordering in seismic regions.

Urban Change and Social Cohesion in Post-Socialist Contexts: An Empirical and Theoretical Assessment

2026-02-20T16:47:38+01:00

This paper examines an underexplored dimension of the social impacts of gentrification, namely the neighbourhood social cohesion, in Tirana, the post-socialist capital of Albania, which experienced a rapid development during the last decade. Based on a survey with 201 residents of neighbourhoods with distinct levels of urban transformation, it explores the correlation between gentrification pressures, such as increasing housing prices, commercialization, tourism pressure and intensification of redevelopment and social cohesion. The latter is measured with the help of a Social Cohesion Index (SCI) relying on four dimensions: trust, belonging, interaction and attachment to place. The regression and exploratory mediation analyses are applied to assess statistical associations and indirect pathways while also exploring the intermediary effect of cultural displacement. We found that housing affordability is the strongest predictor of declines in social cohesion, and that cultural displacement appears to play a mediating role in the relationship of urban redevelopment intensity to social cohesion. Socio-economic groups show different perceptions of urban change. Long-term and lower-income residents are more likely to perceive urban change negatively and higher-income residents tend to regard urban renewal more favourably. This paper contributes to the growing literature on post-socialist cities by developing a context-sensitive analytical framework for understanding gentrification in rapidly transforming urban contexts. More generally, it highlights how perception-based mechanisms connect macro-level urban transformation with meso-level neighbourhood dynamics and micro-level social outcomes. It therefore helps to reconceptualize gentrification as a condensed and perception-mediated process.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Pharmacologic Cardioprotection in Breast Cancer Therapy: Evidence from Real-World Data

2025-11-12T20:02:57+01:00

Pharmacologic cardioprotection during anthracycline and/or anti‑HER2 therapy for breast cancer remains incompletely characterized, particularly in real‑world settings. This study synthesizes trial evidence and validates it against an Albanian cohort to define the potential benefit and residual burden of cardiotoxicity. A random‑effects meta‑analysis of three comparative trials demonstrated that prophylactic cardioprotective medications were associated with a significant attenuation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decline (pooled mean difference = 2.45 percentage points, 95% CI 1.56–3.34; I² = 21.8%). In a parallel retrospective analysis of 314 Albanian breast cancer patients, symptomatic cardiotoxicity occurred in 16.6%, and a clinically relevant ≥10‑point LVEF decline within 12 months was observed in 12.1%. These findings confirm a modest but consistent cardioprotective effect from prophylactic interventions in clinical trials, yet the substantial real‑world burden affecting approximately one in six patients symptomatically and one in eight with significant LVEF decline highlights a critical gap between trial efficacy and routine practice, underscoring the need for systematic implementation of cardioprotective strategies.