bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation on process window of 3D printed continuous glass fiber‐reinforced thermosetting composites
Authors: Najafloo Behzad , Rezadoust Amir Masood , Latifi Masoud
Published: September 2023

3D‐printed continuous fiber composites offer high strength in desired directions, which has attracted researchers' attention. In general, thermoset composites provide better results than their thermoplastics counterparts due to their higher modulus, low viscosity resin, better fiber impregnation, and proper adhesion to the reinforcing fibers. This study, examined the fabrication of continuous fiber‐reinforced thermoset composites (CFTCs) using 3D printing technology. This investigation focused on the optimization of process parameters for UV‐curable composites. Using systematic experimentation, the proper nozzle diameter (2.0 mm), print thickness (0.6 mm), and print speed (200 mm/min) were determined, resulting in the attainment of optimal fiber weight ratio and impregnation. The optimized CFTC exhibited an exceptional ultimate tensile strength of 276.26 MPa, exceeding existing literature data on printed short fiber composites. Additionally, under flexural loading conditions, an ultimate strength of 76.7 MPa was observed, which is characterized by a more ductile failure than a brittle fracture mode. The results of this research demonstrate the significant potential of 3D‐printed CFTCs and establish a robust process window for achieving exceptional mechanical properties. These findings hold promise for a wide range of applications demanding high‐strength composite materials.

Highlights

Continuous fiber reinforced thermoset composites successfully printed.

Determination of a process window for printed CFTCs.

The optimized CFTC exhibited a remarkable ultimate tensile strength of 276.26 MPa.

Ultimate strength of 76.7 MPa was achieved under flexural loading.
Enhanced the properties of carbon‐paste nanocomposite by carboxylation of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Shadabfar Mohammad , Ehsani Morteza , Khonakdar Hossein Ali , Abdouss Majid
Published: September 2023

In the present study, attempts were made to manufacture innovative conducting polymer nanocomposites (CPCs) with high performance, low cost, and appropriate electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, one of the main challenges in creating CPCs is the tendency of nanofillers to agglomerate and accumulate, resulting in a decrease in the electrical properties and performance of CPCs. To address this issue, the study developed an efficient and eco‐friendly CPC using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a binder and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) as nanofillers. The study employed a chemical functionalization method to modify CNTs and enhance their compatibility and dispersion properties in the CMC matrix. The prepared CPCs were characterized using various techniques, including Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, x‐ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results showed an improvement in homogeneity and surface cohesion between CMC and O‐CNTs through chemical surface modification of CNTs via carboxylic acid functional groups. The study observed good dispersion of nanofillers without any aggregation of the CMC/GNP/O‐CNT compared with the nontreated CMC/GNP/CNT composite. While a decrease in the degree of crystallinity was observed, conductivity increased for the CPC containing oxidized CNTs. The study found that the highest conductivity of ~112 S/m was obtained for D‐CMC/GNP/O‐CNT with 25 wt% of O‐CNT, while the maximum conductivity of D‐CMC/GNP/CNT was ~80 S/m with 35 wt% of CNTs. Additionally, the study observed an improvement in electrochemical properties after treatment of CNTs in the form of higher cathodic current in cyclic voltammetry and lower charge transfer resistance in impedance spectroscopy of D‐CMC/GNP/O‐CNT35 compared to untreated one.

Highlights

Preparation of new conductive nanocomposite consisting of CMC, CNTs, and GNPs.

Carboxylation of CNTs to improve O‐CNT and CMC intermolecular interaction

CMC/GNP/O‐CNT is 40% more conductive than unmodified CNT nanocomposite.

Higher thermal stability and mechanical properties were observed by using O‐CNT.

O‐CNT caused higher current density and lower electron transfer resistance for CPCs.
Study on network pharmacology of Ginkgo biloba extract against ischaemic stroke mechanism and establishment of UPLC‐MS/MS methods for simultaneous determination of 19 main active components
Authors: Yin Chun‐Yan , Lian Yuan‐Pei , Xu Jian‐Da , Liu Chan‐Ming , Cai Jia‐Li , Zhu Li , Wang Di‐Jun , Luo Li‐Bo , Yan Xiao‐Jing
Published: September 2023

Introduction

Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is an effective substance from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) G. biloba for treating ischaemic stroke (IS). However, its active ingredients and mechanism of action remain unclear.

Objectives

This study aimed to reveal the potential active component group and possible anti‐IS mechanism of GBE.

Materials and methods

The network pharmacology method was used to reveal the possible anti‐IS mechanism of these active ingredients in GBE. An ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method was established for the simultaneous detection of the active ingredients of GBE.

Results

The active components of GBE anti‐IS were screened by literature integration. Network pharmacology results showed that the anti‐IS effect of GBE is achieved through key active components such as protocatechuic acid, bilobalide, ginkgolide A, and so on. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that the possible anti‐IS mechanism of GBE is regulating the PI3K‐Akt signalling pathway and other signal pathways closely related to inflammatory response and apoptosis regulation combined with AKT1, MAPK, TNF, ALB, CASP3, and other protein targets. Nineteen main constituents in seven batches of GBE were successfully analysed using the established UPLC‐MS/MS method, and the results showed that the content of protocatechuic acid, gallic acid, ginkgolide A, and so forth was relatively high, which was consistent with network pharmacology results, indicating that these ingredients may be the key active anti‐IS ingredients of GBE.

Conclusion

This study revealed the key active components and the anti‐IS mechanism of GBE. It also provided a simple and sensitive method for the quality control of related preparations.
RNA interference against the putative insulin receptor substrate gene IRS1 affects growth and development in the pest natural enemy Pardosa pseudoannulata
Authors: Li Xuelai , Li Wei , Zhang Shichang , Sang Wen , Peng Yu , Zhao Yao
Published: September 2023

BACKGROUND

Insulin signalling pathways play crucial roles in regulating growth and development in insects, but their effects on the growth and development of Arachnids, such as spiders, have rarely been studied. As a valuable pest natural enemy in agricultural fields, the molecular mechanisms of insulin signalling pathway‐mediated growth and development of the wolf spider, Pardosa pseudoannulata, are of particular interest.

RESULTS

In this study, we identified and characterized six insulin signalling pathway genes – InR, InR2, IRS1, PI3K1, PI3K2, and PDK – in Pardosa pseudoannulata. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results were used to analyse the relative expression levels of the six genes in different developmental instars and tissues, and in response to starvation treatment. In addition, the function of the insulin receptor substrate (IRS1) gene was investigated using RNA interference technology, which found that IRS1 significantly influenced nutrient content, developmental duration, body weight, and gonad development.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed the roles of six key insulin signalling pathway genes in Pardosa pseudoannulata, and in particular the importance of the IRS1 gene in regulating growth and development in the spider. The results lay the foundation for further research on the internal regulation mechanisms of growth and development in Araneae species, and also provide a reference for the artificial breeding of spiders. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Using interpretable gradient‐boosted decision‐tree ensembles to uncover novel dynamical relationships governing monsoon low‐pressure systems
Authors: Hunt Kieran M. R. , Turner Andrew G.
Published: September 2023

Low‐pressure systems (LPSs) are the primary rainbringers of the South Asian monsoon. Yet, their interactions with the large‐scale monsoon circulation, as well as the highly variable land and sea surfaces they pass over, are complex and generally not well understood. In this article, we present a novel, top‐down approach to investigate these relationships and quantify their importance in describing LPS behaviour. We also show that, if the approach is sufficiently well posed, it is productive at hypothesis generation. For each of five predictands (i.e., LPS intensification rate, propagation speed/direction, post‐landfall survival, peak intensity, and precipitation rate) we train an additive decision‐tree ensemble model using the XGBoost algorithm. Shapley value analysis is then applied to the models to determine which variables are important predictors and to establish their relationship with the predictand, with additional analysis following cases of interest. Novel relationships established using this technique include that LPS vorticity intensifies preferentially in the early morning at the same time as the peak in the diurnal cycle of their convection occurs, that vertical wind shear suppresses continued growth of strong LPSs, that large‐scale barotropic instability plays an important role in both the inland penetration and peak intensity of LPSs, and that LPS propagation depends on the depth of its vortex with shallower LPSs advected by low‐level winds and taller LPSs advected by mid‐level winds. We also use this framework to identify and discuss potential new avenues of research for monsoon LPSs.
Free money's ideological nature: A comparative analysis of unconditional cash transfers in Eastern Africa
Authors: Lassak Maria , Schmidt Mario
Published: September 2023

This article compares two East African unconditional cash transfer (UCT) programs and how they have been interpreted by their target populations. While the US‐American NGO GiveDirectly focuses on poor households in Western Kenya in an allegedly unbureaucratic and digital way, the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) distributes cash transfers in a bureaucratic and analogue manner in Tanzania. While the narrative of “free money” instilled fears about occult actors and skepticism toward political hierarchies in some recipients, others considered UCTs as offering an opportunity to enlarge their individual freedom. We argue that this radical difference with regard to how our interlocutors interpreted UCTs was catalyzed by the portrayal of “free money” as a context‐independent carrier and store of value or, in other words, by UCT's socially produced “indeterminacy.”
Reliable Memristor Crossbar Array Based on 2D Layered Nickel Phosphorus Trisulfide for Energy‐Efficient Neuromorphic Hardware
Authors: Weng Zhengjin , Zheng Haofei , Li Lingqi , Lei Wei , Jiang Helong , Ang Kah‐Wee , Zhao Zhiwei
Published: September 2023

Designing reliable and energy‐efficient memristors for artificial synaptic arrays in neuromorphic computing beyond von Neumann architecture remains a challenge. Here, memristors based on emerging layered nickel phosphorus trisulfide (NiPS3) are reported that exhibit several favorable characteristics, including uniform bipolar nonvolatile switching with small operating voltage (<1 V), fast switching speed (< 20 ns), high On/Off ratio (>102), and the ability to achieve programmable multilevel resistance states. Through direct experimental evidence using transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, it is revealed that the resistive switching mechanism in the Ti/NiPS3/Au device is related to the formation and dissolution of Ti conductive filaments. Intriguingly, further investigation into the microstructural and chemical properties of NiPS3 suggests that the penetration of Ti ions is accompanied by the drift of phosphorus‐sulfur ions, leading to induced P/S vacancies that facilitate the formation of conductive filaments. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the memristor, when operating in quasi‐reset mode, effectively emulates long‐term synaptic weight plasticity. By utilizing a crossbar array, multipattern memorization and multiply‐and‐accumulate (MAC) operations are successfully implemented. Moreover, owing to the highly linear and symmetric multiple conductance states, a high pattern recognition accuracy of ≈96.4% is demonstrated in artificial neural network simulation for neuromorphic systems.
Hybrid Printing of Fully Integrated Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing
Authors: Du Yipu , Reitemeier Julius , Jiang Qiang , Bappy Md Omarsany , Bohn Paul W. , Zhang Yanliang
Published: September 2023

The advent of 3D printing has facilitated the rapid fabrication of microfluidic devices that are accessible and cost‐effective. However, it remains a challenge to fabricate sophisticated microfluidic devices with integrated structural and functional components due to limited material options of existing printing methods and their stringent requirement on feedstock material properties. Here, a multi‐materials multi‐scale hybrid printing method that enables seamless integration of a broad range of structural and functional materials into complex devices is reported. A fully printed and assembly‐free microfluidic biosensor with embedded fluidic channels and functionalized electrodes at sub‐100 µm spatial resolution for the amperometric sensing of lactate in sweat is demonstrated. The sensors present a sensitive response with a limit of detection of 442 nm and a linear dynamic range of 1–10 mm, which are performance characteristics relevant to physiological levels of lactate in sweat. The versatile hybrid printing method offers a new pathway toward facile fabrication of next‐generation integrated devices for broad applications in point‐of‐care health monitoring and sensing.
In Situ Constructing Ultrastable Mechanical Integrity of Single‐Crystalline LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 Cathode by Interior and Exterior Decoration Strategy
Authors: Tan Zhouliang , Li Yunjiao , Lei Changlong , Li Yue , Xi Xiaoming , Jiang Shijie , Wu Feixiang , He Zhenjiang
Published: September 2023

Planar gliding along with anisotropic lattice strain of single‐crystalline nickel‐rich cathodes (SCNRC) at highly delithiated states will induce severe delamination cracking that seriously deteriorates LIBs’ cyclability. To address these issues, a novel lattice‐matched MgTiO3 (MTO) layer, which exhibits same lattice structure as Ni‐rich cathodes, is rationally constructed on single‐crystalline LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 (SC90) for ultrastable mechanical integrity. Intensive in/ex situ characterizations combined with theoretical calculations and finite element analysis suggest that the uniform MTO coating layer prevents direct contact between SC90 and organic electrolytes and enables rapid Li‐ion diffusion with depressed Li‐deficiency, thereby stabilizing the interfacial structure and accommodating the mechanical stress of SC90. More importantly, a superstructure is simultaneously formed in SC90, which can effectively alleviate the anisotropic lattice changes and decrease cation mobility during successive high‐voltage de/intercalation processes. Therefore, the as‐acquired MTO‐modified SC90 cathode displays desirable capacity retention and high‐voltage stability. When paired with commercial graphite anodes, the pouch‐type cells with the MTO‐modified SC90 can deliver a high capacity of 175.2 mAh g−1 with 89.8% capacity retention after 500 cycles. This lattice‐matching coating strategy demonstrate a highly effective pathway to maintain the structural and interfacial stability in electrode materials, which can be a pioneering breakthrough in commercialization of Ni‐rich cathodes.
Clinical usefulness of scoring systems to predict severe acute pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis with pre and post‐test probability assessment
Authors: Capurso Gabriele , Ponz de Leon Pisani Ruggero , Lauri Gaetano , Archibugi Livia , Hegyi Peter , Papachristou Georgios I. , Pandanaboyana Sanjay , Maisonneuve Patrick , Arcidiacono Paolo Giorgio , de‐Madaria Enrique
Published: September 2023

Background

Scoring systems for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) prediction should be used in conjunction with pre‐test probability to establish post‐test probability of SAP, but data of this kind are lacking.

Objective

To investigate the predictive value of commonly employed scoring systems and their usefulness in modifying the pre‐test probability of SAP.

Methods

Following PRISMA statement and MOOSE checklists after PROSPERO registration, PubMed was searched from inception until September 2022. Retrospective, prospective, cross‐sectional studies or clinical trials on patients with acute pancreatitis defined as Revised Atlanta Criteria, reporting rate of SAP and using at least one score among Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Examination (APACHE)‐II, RANSON, and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) with their sensitivity and specificity were included. Random effects model meta‐analyses were performed. Pre‐test probability and likelihood ratio (LR) were combined to estimate post‐test probability on Fagan nomograms. Pooled severity rate was used as pre‐test probability of SAP and pooled sensitivity and specificity to calculate LR and generate post‐test probability. A priori hypotheses for heterogeneity were developed and sensitivity analyses planned.

Results

43 studies yielding 14,116 acute pancreatitis patients were included: 42 with BISAP, 30 with APACHE‐II, 27 with Ranson, 8 with SIRS. Pooled pre‐test probability of SAP ranged 16.6%–25.3%. The post‐test probability of SAP with positive/negative score was 47%/6% for BISAP, 43%/5% for APACHE‐II, 48%/5% for Ranson, 40%/12% for SIRS. In 18 studies comparing BISAP, APACHE‐II, and Ranson in 6740 patients with pooled pre‐test probability of SAP of 18.7%, post‐test probability when scores were positive was 48% for BISAP, 46% for APACHE‐II, 50% for Ranson. When scores were negative, post‐test probability dropped to 7% for BISAP, 6% for Ranson, 5% for APACHE‐II. Quality, design, and country of origin of the studies did not explain the observed high heterogeneity.

Conclusions

The most commonly used scoring systems to predict SAP perform poorly and do not aid in decision‐making.
Surface dynamics on Jeffrey nanofluid flow with Coriolis effect and variable Darcy regime
Authors: Tijani Yusuf O. , Akolade Mojeed T. , Otegbeye Olumuyiwa , Yusuf Abdulhakeem
Published: September 2023

Stretching and shrinking application ranges from aerodynamic extrusion of plastic sheets, biological implants, condensation of metallic plates to the design of musical instruments. To emphasize the need for proper fluid flow in the mammalian system, the phenomenon of stretching or shrinking suppresses muscle strains and cramps, and also prevents stroke and heart disease. For further insight into the dynamics of blood with Prandtl number of 21.0 in a rotating system, the present study theoretically investigates the flow of a Jeffrey fluid induced with gold nanoparticles over a rotating sheet. The homogenization of the gold nanoparticle with the base fluid is due to the Tiwari‐Das approach. To investigate the flow profiles and dynamics of the sheet, the spectral local linearization method (SLLM) is used to obtain approximate solutions to the resulting system of nonlinear differential equations. The results obtained using the SLLM are validated by taking the limiting case and comparing against published literature results. The obtained results suggest that the velocity of the nanofluid and the heat transfer rate on the stretching and shrinking sheets exhibit an opposing behaviour. A blood sample with gold nanoparticles is advised for a reduced skin friction effect in the stretching sheet but a more significant drag force in the shrinking sheet than in the base fluid. For a unit value of the rotating parameter, the skin drag force reduces by 36% for the primary skin drag force and 57% for the secondary skin drag force.
The Internet of Production: Interdisciplinary Visions and Concepts for the Production of Tomorrow
Authors: Brecher Christian , Padberg Melanie , Jarke Matthias , Aalst Wil van der , Schuh Günther
Published: September 2023

Changes in society require changes in our industrial production. In order to remain competitive in the future, the masses of data available in production must be used urgently. This is still a challenge because data are often not accessible or understandable. Therefore, we developed the Internet of Production (IoP) concept which aims to collect, unify, and exploit different data sources and improve production. To this end, the various research domains of production technology, the need for a common infrastructure, and the concept of the Digital Shadow are presented. The vision can only be achieved through interdisciplinary cooperation between different disciplines. Therefore, the joint approach is explained and common research topics are presented. Interdisciplinary cooperation is the key for further steps to achieve the common vision.
A Digital Shadow Reference Model for Worldwide Production Labs
Authors: Michael Judith , Koren István , Dimitriadis Iraklis , Fulterer Judith , Gannouni Aymen , Heithoff Malte , Hermann Annkristin , Hornberg Katharina , Kröger Moritz , Sapel Patrick , Schäfer Niklas , Theissen-Lipp Johannes , Decker Stefan , Hopmann Christian , Jarke Matthias , Rumpe Bernhard , Schmitt Robert H. , Schuh Günther
Published: September 2023

Due to their growing amount and heterogeneity, we need a precise and standardized understanding about the foundation, structure, and forms of aggregation and especially the use of data and models within the production domain. Our aim is to investigate how to model data elements and static and dynamic relationships as well as their physical resources in the IoP, in a cross-disciplinary life cycle spanning cooperation as a basis for information management, meeting all technical, scientific-ethical, and legal framework conditions. The core solution for this challenge is the use of an adequate set of modeling techniques, transformations, and their integration with digital shadows. This chapter provides a deep insight into relevant concepts that constitute a digital shadow, link it to their semantics defined by appropriate metamodels, and discuss the data and models a digital shadow consists of in four use cases. We show a method to derive digital shadows and introduce their life cycle in relation to the product life cycle. These concepts are the foundation for data and model sharing within digital shadows applicable for worldwide production labs.
Achieving the Benefits That Introducing PFM/IC Can Generate and Accounting for the Costs
Authors: Hepworth Noel
Published: September 2023

For the PFM/IC reform to be successful an appreciation of the benefits of the reform is essential. These are described in this chapter. These benefits do not arise simply from the technical reforms that accompany the implementation of PFM/IC but rather from the managerial improvements that PFM/IC makes possible. This again emphasises the managerial implications of the reform. Of course, as with any reform there are costs and the sources of those costs are also described. The extent of those costs will depend upon the basis from which the reform is developed and how the reform is to be implemented. If, for example, a well functioning managerial structure already exists then the costs will be less than would otherwise likely need to be incurred. Each country adopting the reform will need to make its own judgement about the benefits and costs of the reform, bearing in mind that costs will need to be incurred ‘upfront’ with the benefits accruing largely over time. This in turn will affect decisions about how those costs are to be financed such as from development aid funds or from ‘own’ budgets, or both.
Managing and Controlling Second-Level Organisations: The Responsibilities of the First-Level Organisation
Authors: Hepworth Noel
Published: September 2023

What are called second-level bodies exist in probably all public sectors. They can perform very useful roles, although they can be used to avoid the controls that apply to fist-level organisations. However, they do need to be managed by their equivalent first-level or controlling body. Unfortunately in many developing and transition economy countries they are not managed and, in effect, have a life of their own. What is often a cause of this situation is an asymmetry of information; the second-level body knows far more about its business than the controlling body. This may be inevitable but the operations of a second-level body should be always within a context and to a standard and level of performance set by the first-level body. Also second-level body performance should be subject to periodic review. This chapter addresses the problems arising with the management of second-level bodies within the context of a PFM/IC managerial framework and provides advice about reform arrangements. A feature of many public sector organisations is the existence of ‘second-level’ organisations. In considering the introduction of PFM/IC regard should be had to how these organisations are managed by the controlling or first-level body.
The Role of the Department Responsible for Advising on and Securing the Application of PFM/IC
Authors: Hepworth Noel
Published: September 2023

Previous chapters have explained the complexity of the PFM/IC reform and the particular responsibilities of the top official in the ministry of finance (the state secretary or equivalent). That official could not in practice carry all the responsibilities of the reform without specific support. That support should be available through the existence of a specialist department within the ministry of finance, which in the guide has been described as a ‘driver’ department. Its role is to drive forward the PFM/IC reform. This chapter explains the role of that department and how it should be staffed as well as its relationship with the ministry of finance state secretary and all other heads of operational management in public organisations. The head of this department should have thorough appreciation of the managerial implications of the reform.
Knowledge Transfer from the Outside or Self-Learning? Keys to Success for the Establishment of Innovative Companies in Eastern Germany After 1989
Authors: Steinkamp Anna M.
Published: September 2023

The majority of today’s family businesses in the former East Germany were founded in the early 1990s. The founders of these companies had been brought up and trained in a socialist system, and then suddenly faced the great challenge of having to establish or convert a company to function in the capitalist system. The question therefore arises: where did the founders obtain the knowledge to run a company under the new economic and political conditions? To whom do they owe their present success? The aim of this chapter is to explain, with the help of a qualitative empirical analysis, where entrepreneurs obtained the specific knowledge or skills for the establishment and successful management of innovative, technology-based, and knowledge-intensive companies in the market economy, despite the fact that they themselves had been socialized under the “old” socialist system.
The Influence of Technical Progress on Economic Growth in the GDR
Authors: Ludwig Udo , Hipp Ann , Medase Kehinde
Published: September 2023

The modernization of the economy played a key role in the rhetoric and politics of the German Democratic Republic’s (GDR’s) ruling socialist party and state leadership. However, empirical evidence on its contribution to economic growth is lacking. We analyze the impact of technical progress, based on staff qualifications, on productivity in the different economic sectors of the GDR between 1960 and 1989. We distinguish between academic, skilled, and other workers in our estimations and attach significant importance to qualifications as one of the fundamental drivers of sectoral productivity. Our regression results show productivity-enhancing effects of the number of academic and skilled workers, while the effects of the academic workers are much larger and longer-termed across our specifications. This quantitative analysis adds to the debate on the determinants of and obstacles to growth in the GDR.
Catching-up Modernization: Synthetic Fiber in East Germany and Poland
Authors: Flade Falk
Published: September 2023

This chapter examines two synthetic fiber plants: one in Guben, East Germany, and one in Gorzów, Poland. Both plants were subject to central planning, exhibited rapid output growth, and relied mainly on Western technology imports to keep pace with international standards. Over the course of the transformation period, both plants were forced to significantly reduce their workforce and product range but managed to survive. Considerable similarities can be observed in the development of the two plants. The chapter explores the following three questions: What kind of modernization barriers did both plants encounter? Were there specific differences between the two synthetic fiber plants? In which ways did these conditions influence the further development path of both plants in the transformation period? Particular attention is given to investments, technology, workforce, and innovation.
Inefficiency and Lack of Transparency in GDR Foreign Trade
Authors: Wagener Hans-Jürgen
Published: September 2023

East German foreign trade was one of the least productive sectors of the economy. Its institutional organization, based on the foreign trade monopoly, isolated the economy from the international markets. East German firms traded with their foreign trade firms, but not with their suppliers and clients. Its theoretical foundation was weak. Ricardian comparative cost was its starting point. The insistence on the labor theory of value, from which Ricardo deviated in this context, made it difficult to calculate comparative cost advantage and the gains from trade. In addition, a price equalization scheme obscured specialization possibilities and thus inhibited rational foreign trade planning. Trade was executed on two separate markets, with the socialist world and with the non-socialist world. Pricing idiosyncrasies with multiple effective exchange rates made it impossible to obtain consistent aggregate statistics. Finally, foreign trade performance was camouflaged and kept secret in order to hide the true situation from the outside world.
Moral Education: An Alternative to the Anti-empathic Model
Authors: Camassa Manuel
Published: September 2023

In ‘Moral Education: An Alternative to the Anti-empathic Model’ is a topic deeply related to that of moral development that is taken into consideration: that of moral education. Empathy—so the claim of this chapter—allow us to cross our egocentric boundaries and let us see the world from the perspective of another human being. This permits a richer understanding of the others. Empathy offers us an insight into the agency of the other person, into the ways in which they act, based on certain reasons and hence is a precondition for moral judgement and conduct and an indispensable part of moral education. Moreover, this chapter also show in what sense can psychopaths and autists be seen as lacking empathy.
Empathy and Moral Conduct and Motivation
Authors: Camassa Manuel
Published: September 2023

‘Empathy and Moral Conduct and Motivation’ takes on a very special perspective in defending empathy: instead of confuting some of the criticisms made to empathy by anti-empathic scholars, it is here pointed out how these apparent shortcomings can in fact become strengths. What Paul Bloom calls the spotlight effect of empathy carries—if properly harnessed—the potentiality of being a great and irreplaceable stimulus for moral action and the so-called ‘identifiable victim effect’ can, if generalised, provide empathy with a stark emotional energy leading to moral motivation.
The Way to a Definition
Authors: Camassa Manuel
Published: September 2023

‘The Way to a Definition’ offers a clear-cut definition of empathy thanks to a descriptive, genealogical, and conceptual reconstruction of this phenomenon which is based especially on the phenomenological views on empathy by Edith Stein. It is shown how the proposed definition is able to accommodate the perspectives of the old and new exponents of the phenomenological tradition with the Smithian-derived idea widely present in many modern scholars of empathy who see, unlike the phenomenologists, imagination as the basis of this phenomenon.
Empathy and Moral Judgement
Authors: Camassa Manuel
Published: September 2023

The chapter ‘Empathy and Moral Judgment’ investigates the connection that exists between empathy and moral judgment by highlighting the epistemic role that empathy plays (making visible and giving us access to the intentions and in general the mental states of the target of our empathy), by explaining how we should we empathise with others and by emphasising what the author calls the ‘moralising power’ of empathy, which is the capability empathy has of making us see things that appear prima facie as morally neutral, as things that matter morally.
Empathy and Moral Perception
Authors: Camassa Manuel
Published: September 2023

This chapter defends the view that empathy is tightly linked to the concept (and the phenomenon) of moral perception, which is in turn closely related to moral judgement. The contributions of scholars such as Lawrence Blum are taken into account and carefully analysed in order to demonstrate how moral judgement needs moral perception and how in turn moral perception cannot function properly without empathy.
ECE Teachers’ Use of Educational Technology in Early Mathematics Education and Its Association with Teacher and School Characteristics
Authors: Torbeyns Joke , Verbruggen Sandy , Depaepe Fien
Published: September 2023

Recent studies point to the potential of using educational technology (ET) to stimulate preschoolers’ mathematical development. Despite the potential of ET for fostering early mathematics there is still limited insight into the extent to which ET is actually used in daily classrooms. We aimed to complement current insights into early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ use of ET in mathematics education and its association with school and teacher characteristics via an interview study with 342 ECE teachers in Flanders (Belgium). Our results indicated that about 1/3 of them did not adopt ET in mathematics education. Teachers who used ET reported various programs, with general preference for practice programs covering multiple mathematical competencies. Surprisingly, these programs were at least as frequently used to support basic ICT skills as to stimulate children’s mathematical development. Finally, the school’s ICT infrastructure, teachers’ ET competences and their computer experience at home were identified as key variables for teachers’ adoption of ET. We discuss the implications of our findings for ECE teacher training and professional development initiatives and point to avenues for future studies on the topic.
Toddlers’ Mathematics and Language – Two Sides of the Same Coin?
Authors: Reikerås Elin
Published: September 2023

This study examines the relations between toddlers’ skills in mathematics and language and whether the relations differ for children at different levels of math skills. A total of 1086 toddlers (534 girls, 552 boys) were observed in play and everyday activities in early childhood and care settings by their teachers in a three-month period from they were 30 months. Strong correlations were found between toddlers’ different math skills and the aspects of language skills when the whole group results were analysed together. When dividing their results into quartiles based on sum scores, a larger variation became visible. For children within the three lowest math quartiles, only approximately 50% were in the corresponding language quartile. For the children in the highest math quartile, 71% were also in the highest language quartile. However, there are toddlers in the lowest math quartile with high language scores and toddlers in the highest math quartile with low language scores. This variation as appears when dividing a large sample into skill level groups question, whereas the two developmental areas can be treated as two sides of the same coin.
Mathematics in Actions and Gestures – A Young Learner’s Diagrammatic Reasoning
Authors: Billion Lara , Huth Melanie
Published: September 2023

Considering a semiotic perspective this paper focuses on the mathematical actions and gestures of a 4-year-old boy on variously shaped and colored wooden figures in different amounts while he interacts with a group of another three kids and an accompanying person in a German kindergarten. The paper investigates the boy’s elaboration of a first trial of counting all green and blue dogs in front of him and his development of a colored pattern in gesture and action while he participates in the ongoing interaction in his speech. Even if the originally assumed mathematical area was numbers and operations, the situation was an open offer for the learners with the freedom to address different mathematical ideas. By dint of a semiotic analysis, it is shown that the boy uses his multimodal interaction skills in different ways, focusing same or different mathematical ideas of number determination in different modes. Theoretically the first empirical findings give rise to potentially rethink the notion of multimodality as to be not always an interwoven but sometimes a phased-wise parallel proceeding construction in mathematical interaction or learning.
Methodological Choices in Research on Early Mathematics Education: Elicitation of Parents’ Views
Authors: Lembrér Dorota
Published: September 2023

In this paper, I discuss how using two different data collection methods affect the outcomes of research related to parents’ views on mathematics education. The methods were online surveys and photo-elicitation interviews. The impact of these methods on the outcomes of the study is described using Bruner’s narrative construction. Although the data collection methods enabled parents to describe, share and discuss their children’s engagement in mathematics activities at home and in early childhood institutions, the contexts in which the narratives were produced gave different insights into individual and societal views. Reflections on how the methods provide a foundation for discussions about how data collection can affect what can be said about parents’ knowledge, experiences and views. This has implications for future research on parents’ views about mathematics education for young children.
A Child Perspective and Children’s Perspectives on Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Samuelsson Ingrid Pramling
Published: September 2023

All children have the right to a quality preschool education before school, according to Goal 4.2 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. How can the two different views of a child perspective and children’s perspectives be of help in teaching young children? In preschool education, the notion of “listening to children” is central, but is this rhetoric or praxis? Similarly, how can children’s play, which is claimed to be important in preschool, be related to learning—or should it not? Based on 40 years of empirical research, I share my view of young children’s learning in preschool.
The Tension Between Division and Fair Share
Authors: Eriksson Helena , Hedefalk Maria , Sumpter Lovisa
Published: September 2023

This study focuses on sharing, both in equal parts (groups) or unequal parts. Children at age five attending preschool, are faced with two different tasks working in pairs. The analysis focus on the mathematical properties in the reasoning, or when mathematical arguments were replaced with an ethical reasoning. When performing division, different strategies were used, and the norm of fair share was often expressed. It was easier for the children to allocate resources when the dividend was larger than the divisor, and when dealing with a fraction, the cardinality of the number of parts appeared to be a prominent property compared to property ‘equal size’ of the parts. There were also indications of ethical reasoning where the child used different claims to convince their peer. There was a tension between the norm of equal sharing and solutions with unequal parts. One implication is that if wanting to challenge children’s mathematical reasoning in a division task, it could be fruitful to look at fractions instead of repeating tasks where the dividend is larger than the divisor.
Collective Problem Solving in Peer Interactions in Block Play Situations in Kindergarten
Authors: Vogler Anna-Marietha , Henschen Esther , Teschner Martina
Published: September 2023

Play is often described as the foundation of early mathematical learning processes. Helenius and colleagues state in this context that not only mathematical content is negotiated and learned in play, but those play situations also enable the emergence of process-related mathematical competencies, such as problem solving. The article focuses on such problem-solving processes. Comparative analyses show how construction problems in peer situations in free play situations can function as a catalyst for discursive mathematical learning processes in block play situations in kindergarten. Thus, various heuristics can be elaborated, which emerge in peer interactions.
Covariant generalized conserved charges of General Relativity
Authors: Gómez-Fayrén Carmen , Meessen Patrick , Ortín Tomás
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Motivated by the current research of generalized symmetries and the construction of conserved charges in pure Einstein gravity linearized over Minkowski spacetime in Cartesian coordinates, we investigate, from a purely classical point of view, the construction of these charges in a coordinate- and frame-independent language in order to generalize them further. We show that all the charges constructed in that context are associated to the conformal Killing-Yano 2-forms of Minkowski spacetime. Furthermore, we prove that those associated to closed conformal Killing-Yano 2-forms are identical to the charges constructed by Kastor and Traschen for their dual Killing-Yano (d − 2)-forms. We discuss the number of independent and non-trivial gravitational charges that can be constructed in this way.
Mass deformations of brane brick models
Authors: Franco Sebastián , Ghim Dongwook , Goulas Georgios P. , Seong Rak-Kyeong
Published: September 2023

Abstract

We investigate a class of mass deformations that connect pairs of 2d (0, 2) gauge theories associated to different toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds. These deformations are generalizations to 2d of the well-known Klebanov-Witten deformation relating the 4d gauge theories for the ℂ2/ℤ2 × ℂ orbifold and the conifold. We investigate various aspects of these deformations, including their connection to brane brick models and the relation between the change in the geometry and the pattern of symmetry breaking triggered by the deformation. We also explore how the volume of the Sasaki-Einstein 7-manifold at the base of the Calabi-Yau 4-fold varies under deformation, which leads us to conjecture that it quantifies the number of degrees of freedom of the gauge theory and its dependence on the RG scale.
Valence and sea parton correlations in double parton scattering from data
Authors: Huayra Edgar , Lovato João Vitor C. , de Oliveira Emmanuel G.
Published: September 2023

Abstract

The effective cross section of double parton scattering in proton collisions has been measured by many experiments with rather different results. Motivated by this fact, we assumed that the parton correlations in the transverse plane are different whether we have valence or sea partons. With this simple approach, we were able to fit the available data and found that sea parton pairs are more correlated in the transverse plane than valence-sea parton pairs.
Entanglement harvesting for different gravitational wave burst profiles with and without memory
Authors: Barman Subhajit , Chakraborty Indranil , Mukherjee Sajal
Published: September 2023

Abstract

In the present article, we study how different gravitational wave (GW) burst profiles in linearized gravity, with and without the asymptotic memory, may influence the harvesting between two static Unruh-DeWitt detectors. To this end, we investigate the following burst profiles — Gaussian, sech-squared, Heaviside step function, and tanh. Out of these, the first two bursts contain no memory, while the latter two consist of a non-vanishing memory effect. We find that in all of these cases, entanglement harvesting is possible, and it decreases with the increasing distance between detectors and the detector transition energy. We observe that the harvesting differs qualitatively based on the presence or absence of the memory, which is prominent in a low transition energy regime. With memory, the harvesting keeps increasing with decreasing transition energy, while without memory, it tends to reach finite values. Furthermore, for the two burst profiles without memory, longer bursts correspond to greater harvesting in the low detector transition energy regime, and this characteristic is reversed for larger transition energy. Meanwhile, for the tanh-type profile with memory, harvesting is always greater for shorter bursts. We discuss various implications of our findings.
Dipole superfluid hydrodynamics
Authors: Jain Akash , Jensen Kristan , Liu Ruochuan , Mefford Eric
Published: September 2023

Abstract

We construct a theory of hydrodynamic transport for systems with conserved dipole moment, U(1) charge, energy, and momentum. These models have been considered in the context of fractons, since their elementary and isolated charges are immobile by symmetry, and have two known translation-invariant gapless phases: a “p-wave dipole superfluid” phase where the dipole symmetry is spontaneously broken and a “s-wave dipole superfluid” phase where both the U(1) and dipole symmetries are spontaneously broken. We argue on grounds of symmetry and thermodynamics that there is no transitionally-invariant gapless fluid with unbroken dipole symmetry. In this work, we primarily focus on the hydrodynamic description of p-wave dipole superfluids, including leading dissipative corrections. That theory has, in a sense, a dynamical scaling exponent z = 2, and its spectrum of fluctuations includes novel subdiffusive modes ω ∼ −ik4 in the shear sector and magnon-like sound mode ω ∼ ±k2 − ik2. By coupling the fluid to background fields, we find response functions of the various symmetry currents. We also present a preliminary generalization of our work to s-wave dipole superfluids, which resemble z = 1 fluids and feature sound waves and diffusive shear modes, as in an ordinary fluid. However, the spectrum also contains a magnon-like second-sound mode ω ∼ ±k2 ± k4 − ik4 with subdiffusive attenuation.