bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two Generalizations of Almost Perfect Nonlinearity
Authors: Carlet Claude
Published: February 2025

Almost perfect nonlinear (in brief, APN) functions are vectorial functions

$$F:{\mathbb {F}}_2^n\rightarrow {\mathbb {F}}_2^n$$

F
:

F
2
n

→

F
2
n

playing roles in several domains of information protection, at the intersection of computer science and mathematics. Their definition comes from cryptography and is also related to coding theory. When they are used as substitution boxes (S-boxes, which are the only nonlinear components in block ciphers), APN functions contribute optimally to the resistance against differential attacks. This makes of course a strong cryptographic motivation for their study, which has been very active since the 90’s, and has posed interesting and difficult mathematical questions, some of which are still unanswered. Since the introduction of differential attacks, more recent types of cryptanalyses have been designed, such as integral attacks. No notion about S-boxes has been identified which would play a similar role with respect to integral attacks. In this paper, we study two generalizations of APNness that are natural from a mathematical point of view, since they directly extend classical characterizations of APN functions. We call these two notions strong non-normality and sum-freedom. The former existed already for Boolean functions (it had been introduced by Dobbertin), and the latter is new. We study how these two notions are related to cryptanalyses (the relation is weaker for strong non-normality). The two notions behave differently from each other, while they have similar definitions. They behave differently from differential uniformity, which is a well-known generalization of APNness. We study the different ways to define them. We prove their satisfiability, their monotonicity, and their invariance under classical equivalence relations, and we characterize them by the Walsh transform. We finally begin a study of the multiplicative inverse function (used as a substitution box in the Advanced Encryption Standard and other block ciphers) from the viewpoint of these two notions. In particular, we find a simple expression of the sum of the values taken by this function over affine subspaces of

$$\mathbb F_{2^n}$$

F

2
n

that are not vector subspaces. This formula shows that the sum never vanishes on such affine spaces. We also give a formula for the case of a vector space defined by one of its bases.
Intermediate complex structure limit for Calabi-Yau metrics
Authors: Li Yang
Published: February 2025

We study polarised degenerations of

$n$

n

-dimensional Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces

$\{ F_{0}F_{1}\ldots F_{m}+tF=0\} $

{

F
0

F
1

…

F
m

+
t
F
=
0
}

, where the essential skeleton has dimension

$1\leq m\leq n-1$

1
≤
m
≤
n
−
1

. We will describe the limiting behaviour of the Calabi-Yau potential at the

$C^{0}$

C
0

-level, in terms of an optimal transport problem, and in terms of non-archimedean potential theory.
Personalized physical activity recommendations for people with axial spondyloarthritis using wearable activity tracker data: an exploratory study
Authors: de Leeuw A.-W , van Wissen M.A.T. , Vlieland T.P.M. Vliet , van Tubergen A.M. , Gademan M.G.J. , Berger M.A.M. , van Weely S.F.E.
Published: February 2025

Objective

Benefits of physical activity (PA) on sleep in people with axial SpondyloArthritis (axSpA) are largely unknown. Our aim is to explore the relationships between PA and sleep on both a group level and an individual level using Wearable Activity Trackers (WATs) and machine learning.

Methods

A sample of 64 axSpA participants received a WAT to monitor their PA and sleep. Participants with more than 30 days data of PA and sleep duration were included in the analyses. Spearman’s correlation and the machine learning technique Subgroup Discovery were used to determine relationships between PA during the three prior days and light and deep sleep duration.

Results

Number of daily steps (n = 64) was (median (first quartile (Q1) - third quartile (Q3) )) 4026 (1915 - 6549), total sleep (daily light and deep sleep) duration of the participants was 7 h 29 min (6 h 41 min - 8 h 8 min). Nearly 30% (n = 18) of the participants were eligible for inclusion in analyses (> 30 days of data). No significant relationships between prior PA and sleep were obtained on a group level. On an individual level, for 8 of the 18 included participants, significant relationships (p < 0.05) could be identified between PA during the three prior days and daily sleep duration. These significant relationships differed from participant to participant with a varying qualification of PA (number of steps, intensity level PA) and relevant time window (previous one, two or three days).

Conclusion

Significant relationships between PA and daily sleep duration could be obtained on an individual level with details of the significant relationships varying between participants.

Registration number

Netherlands Trial Register NL8238, included in the International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP) (https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=NL8238).
Advancements in genetic research and RNA therapy strategies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): current progress and future prospects
Authors: Ruffo Paola , Traynor Bryan J. , Conforti Francesca Luisa
Published: February 2025

This review explores the intricate landscape of neurodegenerative disease research, focusing on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and the intersection of genetics and RNA biology to investigate the causative pathogenetic basis of this fatal disease. ALS is a severe neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis. Despite significant research advances, the exact cause of ALS remains largely unknown. Thanks to the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches, it was possible to highlight the fundamental role of rare variants with large effect sizes and involvement of portions of non-coding RNA, providing valuable information on risk prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of age-related diseases, such as ALS. Genetic research has provided valuable insights into the pathophysiology of ALS, leading to the development of targeted therapies such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). Regulatory agencies in several countries are evaluating the commercialization of Qalsody (Tofersen) for SOD1-associated ALS, highlighting the potential of gene-targeted therapies. Furthermore, the emerging significance of microRNAs (miRNAs) and long RNAs are of great interest. MiRNAs have emerged as promising biomarkers for diagnosing ALS and monitoring disease progression. Understanding the role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of ALS opens new avenues for therapeutic intervention. However, challenges remain in delivering RNA-based therapeutics to the central nervous system. Advances in genetic screening and personalized medicine hold promise for improving the management of ALS. Ongoing clinical trials use genomic approaches for patient stratification and drug targeting. Further research into the role of non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of ALS and their potential as therapeutic targets is crucial to the development of effective treatments for this devastating disease.
Prospective, monocentric observational study on the clinical use and patient satisfaction of an implantable venous access Port
Authors: Werba Alexander , Hennes Roland , Schuh Fabian , Holze Magdalena , Maichle Barbara , Ramouz Ali , Bauer Mark , Braunsteffer Kai , Knebel Phillip , Klotz Rosa , Pianka Frank
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Long-term totally implantable venous access ports (TIVAP) are essential for administering chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition in cancer patients. This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction and postoperative complications, compared to existing literature, emphasizing patient-reported outcomes (PRO) as a critical factor in treatment decisions.

Methods

A prospective, monocentric observational study included 149 patients requiring TIVAP between April 13 and August 17, 2022. Patient satisfaction was assessed using a questionnaire covering four domains: overall satisfaction, willingness to choose the port again, cosmetic result, and pain experience. A meta-analysis of seven studies (1,035 patients) was performed to establish baseline data. The study assumed a non-inferiority margin of 12 points on a 0–100 scale (lower scores indicating better outcomes). Follow-ups were carried out at four weeks and six months.

Results

Of the 149 patients (mean age 58.8 years, 96% with oncological diseases), 117 (78.5%) TIVAPs were implanted via the cut-down technique, primarily using the cephalic vein (84.6%). Out of 1,240 documented catheter accesses, 91.4% were complication-free. Satisfaction scores demonstrated non-inferiority across all domains compared to literature: overall satisfaction (18.5 vs. 35.6; p < 0.001), willingness to choose the port again (15.8 vs. 29.4; p < 0.001), cosmetic result (38.0 vs. 39.9; p = 0.003), and pain experience (17.1 vs. 31.5; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The study demonstrated adequate patient satisfaction and non-inferiority of the investigated TIVAP system compared to other systems, though no superiority was found in cosmetic outcomes.
Covariance models through difference between Matérn families
Authors: Posa D.
Published: February 2025

It is well known that Whittle–Matérn family represents one of the most utilized class of covariance functions because of some special features which are capable to describe several correlation structures. However, one of the main drawbacks of this last family concerns its failure to model negative correlation structures. In this paper, utilizing the Whittle–Matérn family, new classes of covariance models, suitable to model negative correlations, have been presented and their properties have been analyzed. The new families are flexible enough because they allow to choose covariance models which always present positive values in their domain, as well as covariance models which are negative in a subset of their domain. On the other hand, all the traditional hole effect models, proposed in the literature, essentially stem from the Bessel family and they are characterized by the same features, i.e., they present a countable infinity of zeros and a parabolic behaviour near the origin. Conversely, the models proposed in this paper are characterized by a complementary behaviour, which cannot be detailed by all the classical hole effect correlation models: they are essentially characterized by just one zero, moreover they are able to describe various behaviours near the origin (linear and parabolic), as well as different behaviours concerning the concavity in proximity of the origin (upwards and downwards). In summary, they can describe correlation structures which cannot be detailed by the Whittle–Matérn family.
Investigation of Design Potentials for Welding PBF-LB/M Manufactured Pure Copper Busbars to Conventional Copper Conductors
Authors: Putz Carsten , Grundmann Tim , Schleifenbaum Johannes Henrich
Published: February 2025

The advantages of the laser beam powder bed fusion process for metals (PBF-LB/M), such as geometric complexity due to increased design freedom or function integration, offer a great potential for optimizing products in the automotive sector. However, it often does not go beyond prototyping and small series as productivity is too low for the required quantities and economies of scale can rarely be exploited lucratively. In the field of e‑mobility, hairpin technology has recently come to dominate the copper winding of traction drives. The research field of additive manufacturing (AM) of copper windings for e‑machines has made significant progress in recent years, but additive manufacturing has not yet prevailed over conventional technologies, despite the product advantages.

In this study the approach of transferring the complexity of conventional hairpin windings into additively manufactured busbar assemblies and then joining them to conventional windings using laser welding is investigated. The advantage is that the less complex components of an electric machine can still be manufactured conventionally with high productivity.

For this purpose, different design variants of the connection geometry are developed at the interconnection area of the busbars and manufactured from copper using PBF-LB/M. The manufactured design variants are then joined to the conventional copper conductors using a laser welding process. A comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the connections is then carried out in four main categories. The design, the electrical conductivity, the critical heating und real boundary conditions as well as and the weldability are examined. Three designs with promising results and requirement fulfilling properties were identified. The results show that functions like form fitting can directly be added to the AM parts and by the complexity transfer, both advantages of additive manufacturing and conventional manufacturing can be combined by means of laser welding.
Universal approximation theorems for continuous functions of càdlàg paths and Lévy-type signature models
Authors: Cuchiero Christa , Primavera Francesca , Svaluto-Ferro Sara
Published: February 2025

We prove a universal approximation theorem that allows approximating continuous functionals of càdlàg (rough) paths uniformly in time and on compact sets of paths via linear functionals of their time-extended signature. Our main motivation to treat this question comes from signature-based models for finance that allow the inclusion of jumps. Indeed, as an important application, we define a new class of universal signature models based on an augmented Lévy process, which we call Lévy-type signature models. They extend continuous signature models for asset prices as proposed e.g. by Perez Arribas et al. (Proceedings of the First ACM International Conference on AI in Finance, ICAIF’20, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, 1–8, 2021) in several directions, while still preserving universality and tractability properties. To analyse this, we first show that the signature process of a generic multivariate Lévy process is a polynomial process on the extended tensor algebra and then use this for pricing and hedging approaches within Lévy-type signature models.
Posterior airway changes during and after Herbst appliance treatment
Authors: Bock Niko C. , Sonntag G. , Klaus K. , Ruf S.
Published: February 2025

Objectives

Herbst appliance treatment results in posterior airway space (PAS) increase. The published data, however, is based on rather small samples and shows large inter-individual variation. Therefore, the current aim was to investigate PAS changes during and after Herbst plus subsequent multibracket appliance (MBA) treatment in a retrospective cohort study and to search for possible pre-treatment influencing factors.

Materials and methods

503 former Class II:1 patients (overjet = 7.8 ± 2.4 mm, ANB angle = 5.0 ± 2.1°) who had undergone treatment at 13.8 ± 3.4 years (Department for Orthodontics, University of Giessen, Germany). Cephalograms from before (T0), after 24.9 ± 9.2 months of treatment (T1) and 26.1 ± 8.0 months after treatment (T2) were analysed for PAS changes (area-size and linear distances p, t, pC2, pC3, pC4. In addition, possible influencing pre-treatment characteristics were evaluated: overjet, ANB angle, Wits appraisal, ML/NSL angle, ArGoGn angle, age and skeletal maturity.

Results

On average, the PAS area increased by 23% during Herbst-MBA treatment (T1-T0) and remained constant (± 0%) thereafter (T2-T1). All linear distances also increased (6–19%) during T1-T0 and showed further increase (1–7%) during T2-T1. For all variables a large inter-individual variation existed. With regard to possible influencing factors on PAS changes, significant associations were observed for pre-treatment age and Wits appraisal of the patients.

Conclusions

PAS increases during Herbst-MBA treatment. For none of the assessed variables, relapse occurred afterwards. Young age and a large Wits appraisal were determined to be beneficial for PAS enlargement.

Clinical relevance

Herbst-MBA treatment seems to have a positive effect in the majority of Class II patients with reduced PAS.
Hereditary, non HINT1 related, axonal neuropathy with neuromyotonia
Authors: Spiliopoulos Kanellos C. , Veltsista Dimitra , Veltsou Eirini , Tzimogianni Valentini , Seo Go Hun , Kim JiHye , Lygerou Zoi , Chroni Elisabeth
Published: February 2025

Background

To date, neuromyotonia in the context of an inherited axonal neuropathy has been linked to autosomal recessive mutations in the histidine triad nucleotide binding protein 1 (HINT1) gene. In this study we describe two unrelated male patients with late-onset, predominantly motor, axonal neuropathy with neuromyotonia, who carried an autosomal dominant c.103G > A mutation in the myelin protein zero (MPZ) gene (NM_000530.8:c.103G > A, p.Asp35Asn), identified by whole-exome sequence analysis (WES). 

Case Descriptions

The first patient presented progressive leg muscle weakness and stiffness with difficulty in walking, pain and increased creatine kinase levels,during his fifth decade of life. Electrophysiological examination revealed findings of an axonal, length-dependent polyneuropathy with spontaneous activity, mainly neuromyotonia. Over the 20-year disease course since the first reported symptoms, muscle weakness gradually worsened and he is currently unable to walk without assistance. A second male patient, unrelated to the first one, showed similar clinical and electrophysiological features of a length-dependent axonal neuropathy with neuromyotonia. WES detected the same MPZ missensevariant. 

Conclusion

This study suggests a novel entity in the spectrum of Charcot-Marie-Tooth hereditary neuropathies, characterized by autosomal dominant axonal neuropathy with neuromyotonia (AD-NMAN).
The economic and environmental impact of limiting air routes where there is a rail alternative: a case study of Spain
Authors: Txapartegi Andoni , Cazcarro Ignacio
Published: February 2025

The current Spanish government pact includes a measure aimed at restricting domestic flights on routes where a rail alternative is available with a duration of less than 2.5 h. This measure aligns with similar initiatives undertaken by neighbouring countries, with the French model serving as a prominent example. In this study, we quantify the economic and environmental impacts of this policy using input–output analysis, taking into account the current post-COVID trends in the Spanish air and rail sectors. Given the lack of specific implementation details within the measure, we have developed several scenarios to explore its potential application both presently and in the future. The results indicate that while such measures negatively affect the aviation value chain, these adverse impacts are largely mitigated by the substitution with rail transport. Trains emerge as a superior alternative for reducing emissions, given their relatively low environmental impact. The various scenarios demonstrate significant differences in outcomes, underscoring the importance of the chosen implementation strategy in determining the overall impact of the measure.
Betti numbers of full Perazzo algebras
Authors: Miró-Roig R. M. , Pérez Josep
Published: February 2025

In this paper we prove that any full Perazzo algebra

$$A_F$$

A
F

, whose Macaulay dual generator is a Perazzo form

$$F\in K[X_0,\dots ,X_n,U_1,\dots ,U_m]_d$$

F
∈
K

[

X
0

,
⋯
,

X
n

,

U
1

,
⋯
,

U
m

]

d

with

$$n+1 = \left( {\begin{array}{c}d+m-2\\ m-1\end{array}}\right) $$

n
+
1
=

d
+
m
-
2

m
-
1

, is the doubling of a 0-dimensional scheme in

$$\mathbb {P}^{n+m}$$

P

n
+
m

and we compute the graded Betti numbers of a minimal free resolution of

$$A_F$$

A
F

.
Cross-platform edge deployment of machine learning models: a model-driven approach
Authors: KarlssonLandgren Albin , PerhultJohnsen Philip , Strüber Daniel
Published: February 2025

Deploying machine learning (ML) models on edge devices presents unique challenges, arising from the different environments used for developing ML models and those required for their deployment, leading to a gray area of competence and expertise between ML engineers and application developers. In this paper, we explore the use of model-driven engineering to simplify the deployment of ML models on edge devices, specifically smartphones. We present a DSL for the specification of the ML serving pipelines (pre- and postprocessing of data before and after inference), together with a model interpretation approach that allows to make changes to the pipeline during runtime, thus removing the need to re-release an application upon changes to a pipeline. We followed a design science approach, in which we elicited requirements through an initial artifact study and interviews with engineers at an industrial partner. This was followed by the design and implementation of a lightweight, JSON-based domain-specific language designed to describe ML serving pipelines, along with an accompanying Flutter library to execute the pipelines during runtime. A preliminary evaluation with four developers shows the potential of this approach to increase development speed, decrease the amount of code required to make changes to an ML serving pipeline, and make less-experienced engineers more confident contributing to the domain.
The extended EA ModelSet—a FAIR dataset for researching and reasoning enterprise architecture modeling practices
Authors: Glaser Philipp-Lorenz , Sallinger Emanuel , Bork Dominik
Published: February 2025

Conceptual modeling research is increasingly investigating the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate tasks like model creation, completion, analysis, and processing. This trend also applies to enterprise architecture (EA) research. In contrast to its neighboring disciplines, such as business process management, EA lacks proper guidelines, patterns, and best practices to create high-quality EA models. A currently limiting factor for conducting AI-based research to bridge these gaps is the scarcity of openly available models of adequate quality and quantity. With this paper, our aim is to address this limitation by introducing the extended EA ModelSet, a curated and FAIR repository of enterprise architecture models represented in the ArchiMate modeling language that can be used by the research and practitioner community. We report on our efforts to build the EA ModelSet and elaborate on exemplary future empirical and ML-based research that can facilitate the dataset. We hope that this paper sparks a community effort toward the further development and maintenance of the EA ModelSet.
Boundedness properties of modified averaging operators and geometrically doubling metric spaces
Authors: Aldaz J. M. , Caldera A.
Published: February 2025

We characterize the geometrically doubling condition of a metric space in terms of the uniform

$$L^1$$

L
1

-boundedness of superaveraging operators, where uniform refers to the existence of bounds independent of the measure being considered.
Behavioral evidence suggests the presence of a female-emitted sex pheromone in the water mite species, Arrenurus globator (O. F. Muller, 1776) (Acari: Hydrachnida; Arrenuridae)
Authors: Więcek Mariusz , Knapp Michal , Greczka Grażyna
Published: February 2025

Species from various animal taxa have been found to use pheromonal communication underwater. Although the use of pheromones in water mites has been previously suggested, experimental evidence for it remains sparse. We examined the behavioral responses of male and female Arrenurus globator to water in which conspecifics of the same and the opposite sex had been kept, in order to test the hypothesis that chemical communication occurs between sexes. Results suggest a putative female-produced sex pheromone that stimulates at least the initial steps of mating behavior in males. Males exhibited arrestant behavior, leg fanning and readiness posture more in female-conditioned water than in male-conditioned or control water. In contrast, females showed no response to either male-conditioned water or female-conditioned water.
Living systems are targeted: a challenge to the teleology of field theory
Authors: García-Valdecasas Miguel
Published: February 2025

Externalist theories of teleology are views that explain the actions and ends of living beings in terms of nonnormative phenomena. “Field theory” (FT) adds to them that teleology arises from external guidance. Embracing an artifact model, it considers all systems as functional by-products of their field relationships, whether these are internal or external to an organization. The key categories to understand how they do this are persistence (the tendency of an entity to return to the same trajectory after being perturbed) and plasticity (the tendency of an entity to find a particular trajectory from varying starting points). While FT offers a nuanced analysis of field relationships, it describes too many physical processes as teleological. Emblematic of it is that it pays no attention to the difference between two types of asymmetric change: the linear processes governed by global thermodynamic tendencies, which I call “terminal” because their end is increasing entropy, and the processes that utilize these same tendencies to stay away from equilibrium by creating local deviations of the second law, which I call “targeted”. Living systems use terminal field effects to prevent thermodynamic degradation and promote their own forms of organization. They generate their sources of guidance and are not just targeted with respect to external fields but also to themselves. Since the artifactual model of FT does not seem able to account for targeted tendencies, adopting the distinction between terminal and targeted processes could help FT overcome some of the perceived limits of its deflationary stance.
Increasing Health Literacy on ADHD: A Cross-Disciplinary Integrative Review Examining the Impact of ADHD on Brain Maturation, Composition and Function and Cognitive Processes Across the Life Course
Authors: Brown Louise E. , Tallon Mary , Bellgrove Mark A. , Rudaizky Daniel , Kendall Garth , Boyes Mark , Myers Bronwyn
Published: February 2025

There is a significant need to improve ADHD health literacy. This cross-disciplinary integrative review was conducted to synthesise the evidence on the impact ADHD has on brain maturation, composition and function as well as cognitive processes, across the life course. Although results are highly heterogenous, ADHD appears to be associated with (1) a significant delay in cortical maturation and differences in neuroanatomy that do not appear to fully resolve in adulthood, (2) atypical brain function, and (3) atypical cognitive processes. The cognitive processes implicated include working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, alerting attention, reward processing, long-term memory, reaction time, time perception and estimation, planning, and complex decision making/problem-solving. We aim to use this data to develop a ‘framework/checklist” that parents, adults and clinicians can use to identify the possible mechanisms that may be contributing to an individual with ADHD’s challenges. This information can also be used to inform the content of ADHD education programs to ensure participants receive empirically-determine information from high quality review studies and meta-analysis that accurately reflects the rigor and limitations of study findings.
Enhancing Sentiment Analysis in Stock Market Tweets Through BERT-Based Knowledge Transfer
Authors: Cicekyurt Emre , Bakal Gokhan
Published: February 2025

One of the widely studied text classification efforts is sentiment analysis. It is a specific examination involving natural language processing and machine learning methods to understand semantic orientation from textual data. Working social media posts, such as tweets, for sentiment analysis, is quite common among researchers due to the speed of information dissemination. In this regard, forecasting stock market tweets is a widely studied research topic. Some studies have revealed a strong connection between sentiment and stock market performance, while others have not found any notable associations. The proposed work shows two distinct approaches to sentiment analysis over the stock market tweets. The first approach employs traditional machine learning algorithms, including logistic regression, random forest, and XGBoost. The second approach constructs deep learning (as a subfield of machine learning) models using LSTM and CNN algorithms to classify the test instances into positive, negative, or neutral classes through ten randomly shuffled data splits. In this study, the labeled data size is gradually increased utilizing a pre-trained model, FinBERT. It is exclusively employed to label unlabeled data instances to integrate them into the experiments. The goal is to monitor the effect of the additional newly-labeled examples on the sentiment analysis performance. The experiments showed that the average F1-score improved by 20% for the deep learning models and 17% for the machine learning models. In the end, the paper reveals a strong positive correlation between training data size and the classification performance of the experimental approaches.
Large Isotropic Elastic Deformations: On a Comprehensive Model to Correlate the Theory and Experiments for Compressible Rubber-Like Materials
Authors: Anssari-Benam Afshin , Saccomandi Giuseppe
Published: February 2025

The comprehensive incompressible strain energy function devised in a preceding contribution (J. Elast. 153:219–244, 2023) is extended in this work for application to the finite deformation of isotropic compressible rubber-like materials. Based on the two established approaches in the literature for constructing a compressible strain energy function

$W$

W

from the incompressible counterpart, two models are developed and presented: one model is developed on using a

$J\left (= \lambda _{1} \thinspace \lambda _{2} \thinspace \lambda _{3} \right )$

J

(
=

λ
1

λ
2

λ
3

)

term added to the general functional form of the incompressible model; and the second model on using the isochoric, or modified, principal stretches

$\left (\bar{\lambda }_{a}\right )$

(

λ
¯

a

)

,

$a = 1,2,3$

a
=
1
,
2
,
3

, in the functional form of the incompressible model, to account for the deviatoric contribution

$W_{dev}$

W

d
e
v

. The volumetric input

$W_{vol}$

W

v
o
l

is considred as an additive part. Each model is then simultaneously fitted to extant multi-axial experimental datasets, and the favourable correlation between the models’ predictions and the experimental data is demonstrated. Exemplar challenging individual datasets including a shear-softening behaviour exhibited by an elastomeric foam are also considered, whereby the excellent predictions of the said behaviours by the models will be illustrated. The compatibility of both models with the kinematics of slight compressibility will also be discussed and presented.
Analysis of two decades of aid flows to higher education in Palestine: implications for rebuilding destroyed higher education in Gaza
Authors: Barakat Sultan , Heleta Savo , Cochrane Logan
Published: February 2025

This research critically analyses foreign aid flows to higher education in Palestine during 2002–2022, with the aim of elucidating historical trends, patterns and donor priorities. The study systematically examines the types and volumes of aid allocated to higher education by donors reporting official development assistance to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. By exploring these aid dynamics, the research provides important insights into the aid trends to higher education in Palestine in the past and investigates whether the destruction of higher education in Gaza during prior conflicts has resulted in a significant increase in aid directed towards the sector’s reconstruction and recovery. The findings indicate that in the past, donors have prioritised the provision of international scholarships for Palestinians to study abroad while neglecting local higher education in Palestine. Aid directed to local higher education has been uneven, fragmented and sporadic, undermining the efforts to strengthen and/or rebuild local institutions. Most notably, foreign aid has not played a significant role in either the development and expansion of higher education in Palestine or the rebuilding of the institutions after destruction in previous wars in Gaza. This research highlights a pattern of neglect and advocates for a reassessment of donor strategies, emphasising the need to support strengthening and rebuilding local higher education to facilitate the sector’s role in post-conflict socio-economic recovery.
An Extra-Qualitative Alternative to the Qualitative Interpretation of Absolute Individuation
Authors: Liu Zixuan
Published: February 2025

Husserl’s thesis of absolute individuation consists of two ideas: (1) unlike experiences and mundane entities, which are individuated via spatiotemporal position, the subject has its own principle of individuation and (2) even for non-subjects, the ultimate principle of individuation is their relationship with the subject. Absolute individuation is sometimes qualitatively interpreted (even by Husserl): owing to habituation, a subject’s personal character cannot be reinstantiated elsewhere. I argue against the qualitative interpretation for two reasons. The first is its inconsistency with Husserl’s account of the individuation of non-subjects. Maximally specific universals cannot individuate a non-subject because they can be multiply instantiated, at least in different phantasies. If multiple instantiation is also possible for personal characters, then this poses a problem for the qualitative interpretation. The second reason is that the qualitative interpretation cannot explain the subjective contribution to the individuation of non-subjects. I consequently propose an extra-qualitative interpretation: The relevant subject should be defined as one-off sic et simpliciter. It has no other determinations than one-offness and is, thus, pre-spatiotemporal. This can explain what individuates instances of maximally specific spatiotemporal universals, thereby addressing (2) above. It also highlights the need to recognize the respective contributions made by multiple notions of the subject. Husserl’s context-dependent distinction between constitutive determinations and principia individuationis may shed light on the qualitative/non-qualitative difference in contemporary metaphysics. The hierarchical model of individuation can also illuminate the debate around possible worlds and haecceitism.
Domestic and Family Violence Among Migrant, Refugee, and Asylum-Seeking Women in Australia: A Scoping Review of Experiences and Support
Authors: Robinson Kim , Afrouz Rojan , Dunwoodie Karen
Published: February 2025

Purpose

The topic of women from migrant or refugee backgrounds who experience Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) and have restricted or limited access to public funds, legal and social support services is becoming more prominent in Australia. This scoping review explores, what lessons learned can be found in peer-reviewed literature and grey on the integration of the social support and legal interventions associated with DFV among migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking women in Australia.

Methods

We adhered to the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework and PRISMA guidelines to provide evidence on the topic of DFV in Australia between 2000 and 2023 and found 550 articles in the initial search of key data bases such as, PubMed, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar. This was reduced to 200 when cross referenced with duplicates. Further screening against inclusion/exclusion criteria by two authors separately, resulted in 22 relevant articles meeting all criterion.

Results

Findings suggest three key themes including Lived experience of Domestic and Family Violence; Protective and Contributing Factors Supporting Women’s Decision Making; and Lack of an Intersectional Approach in Service Delivery. Results indicate there are multiple barriers preventing women from accessing social and legal support services, and urgent policy changes are required to prevent ongoing abuse to them and their children.

Conclusions

Recommendations include further development of culturally inclusive and holistic approaches in service delivery, research, and policy. It is an urgent requirement to enhance the capacity of service providers and professionals to effectively respond to the needs of migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking women experiencing DFV.
Predicting Subjective Well-Being from Personality: The Effects of Suppression, Confounding, and Mediating Variables
Authors: Lai Catie Chun Wan , Brooks Kevin R. , Boag Simon
Published: February 2025

This article presents a study examining 1) how personality predicts subjective well-being (SWB) and the possible suppression and confounding effects, and 2) the mediating role of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. This article addresses the lack of acknowledgment of suppressor variables in psychological research by illustrating the statistical methods and theoretical importance of identifying, classifying, and interpreting suppressor variables. This study employed a cross-sectional sample (N = 893) to identify and classify suppressor and confounding variables in the associations between Big Five personality (Big-5) and SWB. This study also examined the mediating role of FV consumption. The findings provided evidence for the suppression effect of openness and confounding effect of neuroticism in the associations between the Big-5 and SWB. The findings also demonstrated the importance of including all theoretically meaningful variables (including suppressor variables) in a model to accurately assess the contribution of each predictor. This study demonstrated that recognizing the presence of suppressor variables provided essential information for examining and interpreting the mediating role of FV consumption. This study also found that FV consumption significantly mediated the association from conscientiousness to SWB. Conscientiousness was positively associated with FV consumption, while FV consumption was positively associated with SWB. The findings provided preliminary support for targeting FV consumption as a form of intervention to enhance SWB, especially for those who are low in conscientiousness. This is the first article investigating suppression, mediating, and confounding effects in a single research article, and highlights the importance of accounting for these effects when testing models with multiple predictors.
Decoding cognitive aging: how white matter tracts and demographics distinguish potential Super-Agers
Authors: Fili Mohammad , Mohammadiarvejeh Parvin , Hu Guiping , Willette Auriel A.
Published: February 2025

Most adults experience age-related cognitive decline. However, “Positive-Agers” exhibit superior cognition compared to their age-matched peers. Distinguishing between those with superior cognitive performance and those with cognitive decline over time could better inform treatment therapies in older adults. We developed an algorithm called Optimal Cognitive Scoring (OptiCS) that accurately differentiates “Positive-Agers” from “Cognitive Decliners.” This study draws on a cohort of 5797 participants longitudinally enrolled in the UK Biobank. Using a predictive pipeline, OptiCS could strongly differentiate Positive-Agers versus Cognitive Decliners (area under the curve, or AUC of 83%). The top diffusion MRI attributes highlighted tracts implicated in pathological aging, including the fornix from the hippocampus, the tapetum from the splenium of the corpus callosum, and other key tracts. This study provides three key insights: (I) The proposed algorithm offers a robust cognitive scoring system for subtle cognitive changes, (II) OptiCS can use diffusion MRI to accurately gauge cognitive performance, and (III) OptiCS provides a predictive framework for early detection of cognitive decline.
A Hybrid Update of the Fe-Si System by DSC, Thermodynamic Modeling and Statistical Learning from Ladle Refining Data of Electrical Steels
Authors: Bernhard Michael , Kavic Daniel , Presoly Peter , Wi Tae-Gyu , Park Won-Bum , Rössler Roman , Jungreithmeier Alfred , Ilie Sergiu , Bernhard Christian , Kang Youn-Bae
Published: February 2025

Electrical steels, also known as silicon steels, are essential materials in electrical applications due to their unique magnetic properties, which are enhanced by adding up to 3.5 wt pct Si. However, alloying with ferrosilicon FeSi75, a mixture of 25 wt pct Fe and 75 wt pct Si, during ladle refining faces steelmakers with metallurgical challenges, primarily due to the strong exothermic reaction during its dissolution in liquid steel. Here, solution thermodynamics of the Fe-Si system offer insights into the heat evolution and, therefore, superheating control for continuous casting. This study experimentally reassesses the binary Fe-Si system using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and High-Temperature Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (HT-LSCM) to investigate phase equilibria between 0.50 and 12.50 wt pct Si and from 600 °C to 1550 °C. Thermodynamic modeling of the Fe-Si system was carried out in the CALPHAD framework, applying the Modified Quasichemical Model (MQM) for the liquid phase to consider the strong interactions between Fe and Si. In this way, the description of the liquid’s mixing enthalpy and the activities of Fe and Si agree well with literature values. Deviations in liquidus and solidus temperatures, as measured by DSC, were reduced to within ± 5 °C. Additionally, the solubility limits of Fe and Si in intermediate silicides were refined based on the most recently published measurements. A comprehensive statistical analysis of industrial ladle refining processes involving 172 t ladles revealed a heat increase of 4.73 °C per t of FeSi75, consistent with adiabatic thermodynamic calculations (5 °C per t FeSi75). These findings improve the precision of thermodynamic databases and provide valuable insights for optimizing heat management and process control in producing silicon steels.
Assessment of physicochemical properties and staling characteristics of eggless gluten-free cakes with aquafaba
Authors: Yazici Gamze Nil , Taspinar Tansu , Binokay Hülya , Agcam Erdal , Agirman Bilal , Ozer Mehmet Sertac
Published: February 2025

In the present study, physicochemical features and staling characteristics of fully egg-replaced gluten-free cakes with aquafaba derived from four different pulses, as kidney beans, chickpeas, haricot beans, and black-eyed peas, during two-week storage were elucidated. In this context, the a

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, moisture content, and DPPH* (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging activity were decreased in all eggless gluten-free (ESGF) cakes throughout storage. The 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural contents in ESGF cakes ranged between 218.12 to 248.84 µg/kg and 97.0 to.28 µg/kg, respectively on the first day of storage. According to the volatile compounds, the predominated volatile group was acids in all ESGF cakes followed by aldehydes and alcohols on the 1st day of storage. Using aquafaba in gluten-free cakes accelerated the starch staling process, regarding staling kinetic parameters fitted to the Avrami model (n = 1). The consumption of control cake made with whole-eggs was not recommended after 7 days of storage at room temperature due to microbiological safety concerns whereas ESGF cakes could be consumed after 14 days of storage.

Graphical abstract
De-escalation for Human Papillomavirus-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Look at the Prospective Evidence
Authors: Chen Allen M.
Published: February 2025

Purpose of Review

Although it is now firmly established that the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) expression in oropharyngeal cancer is associated with a favorable prognosis, the implications with respect to treatment remain uncertain. However, the recognition that HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is exquisitely sensitive to radiation and chemotherapy has raised questions regarding the appropriateness of historical treatment paradigms, and clinical trials have been conducted to assess whether patients can be treated with less intensive regimens. The fundamental goal of de-escalation is to preserve the high rates of cure and survival from traditional approaches while reducing the incidence of both short- and long-term side effects. However, the data reporting on de-escalation is relatively limited.

Recent Findings

While the evidence to date has been promising, the heterogeneity of the published studies particularly with trial design, de-escalation approach, inclusion criteria, and treatment selection has made drawing definitive conclusions difficult. The use of differing endpoints related to disease control and quality of life have also complicated the comparison of trials across the literature.

Multiple uncertainties continue to exist with respect to the current state of de-escalation for HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, and how to consider the growing evidence in the context of clinical decision-making in the future is the subject of this review.
Life cycle costing of a milling plant: a case study in Italy
Authors: Casella Giorgia , Monferdini Laura , Bigliardi Barbara , Bottani Eleonora
Published: February 2025

The scope of this study is to perform an economic analysis of a food system—a milling plant—through the Life cycle costing (LCC) approach. To be more precise, this paper illustrates the evaluation of the total cost of a stainless steel rollermill by means of an analytic model developed under Microsoft Excel™. The model takes into account the key cost components of manufacturing and using the milling plant throughout its life cycle (i.e. initial acquisition cost, operating cost, maintenance cost and end-of-life cost). The details of the computational procedure and its application are provided for all cost components of this food technology. The LCC analysis carried out on a 15, 30 and 45-year time horizon allowed the cost associated with the entire life cycle of the system to be identified and quantified. The set of analyses conducted shows that, although the initial acquisition cost remains unchanged, the operating and maintenance costs increase significantly over time, dominating the total cost. In turn, the most influential component of the operating cost is electricity, while for maintenance cost, prevention and planning activities play an increasingly important role with the increase in the duration of the lifetime. This study provides a clear and comprehensive view of costs over the entire plant cycle and helps to identify the most relevant cost components.

Graphical Abstract
Evolving Contributions of Various Income Sources to U.S. Income Inequality Across Age Groups
Authors: Scharrer Christian
Published: February 2025

This paper studies the age-group-specific evolutions of inequality of total income among highly and less educated females and males at ages 26–85 from 2005 to 2018 in the United States. In particular, it presents time series of Gini coefficients and associated decompositions by different income components to highlight the contributions of different income sources to inequality in different age groups over time. The results indicate, among others, that especially an increasing number of individuals with zero incomes contributed to the observed increases of inequality among less educated females and males aged 26–45 and 26–55 after the Great Recession, respectively.