bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Replanting challenges among Indonesian oil palm smallholders: a narrative review
Authors: Petri Heinrich , Hendrawan Dienda , Bähr Tobias , Musshoff Oliver , Wollni Meike , Asnawi Rosyani , Faust Heiko
Published: July 2023

Three decades after their establishment, many smallholder oil palm plantations are overmatured and will require replanting soon. Replanting offers a unique opportunity to redesign plantations, close yield gaps, boost farm productivity, and secure livelihoods. However, replanting requires knowledge, inputs, and financing. If postponed or done sluggishly, replanting could further exacerbate existing socioeconomic and environmental challenges in smallholder oil palm cultivation. We collected literature relevant to the replanting of oil palm and created a narrative literature review to highlight the challenges that smallholders face during replanting. We identified access to inputs, finances, and knowledge as paramount challenges that might influence smallholders’ decisions about when, how, and what to replant. Barriers to successful smallholder replanting in Indonesia are a lack of knowledge on replanting and proper training, uneven access to high-quality seedlings, as well as uneven eligibility for public replanting funds. We finish the review with recommendations for policymakers and researchers on how to overcome the challenges replanting holds and emphasize the opportunities replanting offers.
Gendered Divergence in the Impact of Parenthood on Wages: The Role of Family Size, Human Capital and Working Time
Authors: Bari Lauren
Published: July 2023

While gender pay disparity is a frequently researched area, few have focused on how parenthood and family size impact the wages of mothers and fathers together. The purpose of this study is therefore to take a broader view of this pivotal topic, one which has continued relevance as governments and organisations seek to advance gender equality. The findings show clear gendered divergence in the impact of parenthood on wages, with ‘motherhood wage penalties’ and ‘fatherhood wage premiums’ in both annual and hourly wage. The widest gap in earnings between women and men occurs at three or more children even when human capital and labour market selectivity factors are controlled for. For women, the largest penalty occurs at one and three or more children while for men, having two children represents the peak point in terms of wage gains to parenthood. Accounting for working time through hourly wage estimations narrows but does not eliminate parental wage gaps, pointing to other factors such as occupational segregation.
LGBTQ Victim-Survivors' Experiences and Negotiations of Service Worker and Service System Discrimination
Authors: Lim Gene , Lusby Stephanie , Carman Marina , Bourne Adam
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study examined the experiences of LGBTQ victim-survivors who sought out support from domestic violence services in Australia. While the literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) is increasingly focused on improving LGBTQ inclusivity and cultural safety within both service and policy contexts, the experiences of LGBTQ victim-survivors themselves are often absent from these discussions. Consequently, little is understood about how LGBTQ victim-survivors navigate and negotiate service contexts that are frequently optimized for cisgender, heterosexual victim-survivors.

Methods

Structured life history interviews were conducted with (N = 29) LGBTQ victim-survivors aged 19–79 years of age who had recent (< 2 years) or ongoing experiences of IPV.

Results

LGBTQ victim-survivors' help-seeking behaviors are undertaken against the backdrop of a highly variegated service landscape. Individual service organizations and service workers' attitudes towards LGBTQ clients can run the gamut from inclusive and culturally sensitive to heterosexist and exclusionary, with little outward distinction between such. While participants within our study demonstrated the ability to deftly navigate or minimize the incidence of such treatment, there were clear limits to the extent that deploying such strategies would successfully enable victim-survivors to access service support. The additional psychological costs of cautiously navigating service systems were also not insubstantial and contributed significantly to both service disengagement and poorer service outcomes.

Conclusions

Efforts to expand service capabilities to improve service uptake and service outcomes for LGBTQ victim-survivors must be attentive to, and address the impact of anticipated and experienced discrimination on service provision.
Characteristic curves for Set-Valued Hamilton-Jacobi Equations
Authors: Visetti D.
Published: July 2023

The method of characteristics is extended to set-valued Hamilton-Jacobi equations. This problem arises from a calculus of variations’ problem with a multicriteria Lagrangian function: through an embedding into a set-valued framework, a set-valued Hamilton-Jacobi equation is derived, where the Hamiltonian function is the Fenchel conjugate of the Lagrangian function. In this paper a method of characteristics is described and some results are given for the Fenchel conjugate.
Geochemical Baseline and Pre-Mining Environmental Assessment of Heavy Metals at Iron Exploration Area, Northeastern Aswan, Egypt
Authors: Mostafa Mouataz T. , Nady Habash El. , Gomaa Ramadan M. , Abdelgawad Hany F. , Farhat Hassan I. , Khalifa Ibrahim H. , Salman Salman A.
Published: July 2023

Wadi Abu Subeira area contains many farms and houses and is one of the promising areas for iron mining. Therefore, 21 surface soil samples were collected and investigated for toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, and As) using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) to establish a geochemical baseline for these metals during pre-mining conditions. To decipher the sources of these metals and their interrelationships, multivariate statistical analysis was applied, while to evaluate the degree of pollution and potential environmental risks the environmental indices were used. Abundances of Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, and As fluctuated from 17.72 to 0.06, 47.12 to 10.86, 47.88 to 9.25, 45.04 to 6.23, 51.93 to 17.82, 10.55 to 1.24, and 7.04 to 1.66 mg/kg, respectively, displaying a declining trend of Zn > Cr > Ni > Cu > As > Co > Pb. Additionally, the mean concentrations of all studied metals were found to be significantly lower than the selected international reference standards. Pearson correlation coefficient, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis revealed two geogenic geochemical associations for the studied toxic elements: (1) Zn-As-Ni-Cr-Cu-Co; and (2) Pb. Negative Igeo values were observed for all metals, which showed that the samples were uncontaminated and can be considered a geochemical baseline for the study area. Moreover, all CF values were lower than or close to 1, suggesting low contamination levels from all studied metals and supporting the association with natural geological processes. Similarly, Er and RI values of all metals were below 40 and 150, respectively, indicating a low-risk environment. Ultimately, the obtained levels of the studied metals can be used as a geochemical baseline for tracking the future changes in their accumulations in soil sediments considering the current assessment of the area as an environmentally safe area.
Sissy Hypno: Conceptualisation of Autogynephilic Persuasive Pornography (AGPP) and an Investigative Exploration of the Experiences of its Consumers
Authors: Vadapalli Sundara Kashyap , Kuss Daria J.
Published: July 2023

Autogynephilic Persuasive Pornography (AGPP) is a type of pornography that is characterised by its unique autogynephilic and persuasive traits. Autogynephilia refers to the sexual pleasure one derives by imagining themselves as women. Known in the subculture as Sissy Hypno, this type of pornography is an altered mishmash of conventional licensed studio/mainstream pornography found on the internet, designed to interact with/persuade the user (by text or audio) and aid in the process of erotic self-feminisation. AGPP is consumed by a wide range of individuals and for a wide variety of reasons. Yet, there is little to no empirical research aimed at describing this novel form of media, the motivations of its consumers and the effects of its consumption. Therefore, this research study qualitatively explores the experiences of 16 participants (N = 16, age > 19), who consumed AGPP at the time of the study, by phenomenologically interpreting self-reported behaviour and self-described inclinations regarding AGPP use. The participants were recruited from Reddit, and the participant sample is an ethnically diverse sample consisting of men and transwomen. The key findings were categorised into the following superordinate themes: (1) Influence of AGPP on personality and individual lifestyle (2) Exploring femininity and submissive sexual behaviour and (3) Influence of AGPP on gender and sexuality. The analysis of these themes (and their subordinate themes) allows for the conceptualisation of AGPP and an analysis of its reported effects, contributes to the limited evidence of cisgender men strongly relating to Autogynephilia or erotic self-feminisation, alongside Autogynephilia being a frequent motivation for consuming AGPP. Some of the positive and negative effects of consuming AGPP (primarily focusing on gender identity, sexual attitudes and sexuality) were also identified through self-report, thereby, necessitating the need for widening the scientific exploration of Autogynephilia amongst AGPP consumers (not limited to gender categories) and the clinical implications of consuming AGPP (e.g., compulsive AGPP consumption).
Market competition, efficiency and economic liberty
Authors: Grillo Michele
Published: July 2023

This paper investigates efficiency and freedom as joint foundations of market economies. Whereas ideal perfect competition accommodates Mill’s principle of individual liberty in the economic arena, in real world, imperfectly competitive, markets economic freedom and efficiency appear often as conflicting values. Building on J. S. Mill’s utilitarian defense of free trade inOn LibertyChapter V, this paper puts forward a consequentialist defense of economic freedom under imperfect competition. Defense rests on the instrumental value of equal freedom, enjoyed by every market agent, as a source ofgeneralwelfare in a world of dispersed information amonguniquehuman beings. The paper has a clear impact on contemporary antitrust debate, supporting neo-Brandesians’ rehabilitation of Structuralism in antitrust also on well founded, economic,i.e.efficiency, reasons.
Current gaps in knowledge in inherited arrhythmia syndromes
Authors: Peltenburg Puck J. , Crotti Lia , Roston Thomas M. , van der Werf Christian
Published: July 2023

The 3 most common inherited arrhythmia syndromes—Brugada syndrome, congenital long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia—were initially described in the previous century. Since then, research has evolved, which has enabled us to identify patients prior to the onset of potentially life-threatening symptoms. However, there are significant gaps in knowledge that complicate clinical management of these patients today. With this review paper, we aim to highlight the most important knowledge gaps in clinical research of these inherited arrhythmia syndromes.
Does shape matter? A comparative study of the usage of calibrated sieves in the study of burned human bone from archeological and forensic contexts
Authors: Budziszewski Adam
Published: July 2023

In recent years, the use of a set of sieves became a crucial part of the methodology in studies of burned human bone from archeological and forensic contexts. A set of three sieves (10 mm, 5 mm, 2 mm) is widely used in studies of burned human remains, particularly those from the British Isles, in order to determine bone fragmentation, following methodology proposed by Jacqueline McKinley (1993). Usually, mesh opening sizes are reported in methods; however, their shape is rarely mentioned. This study aims to analyze the potential impact of the sieve mesh opening shape on the results achieved. It was tested by sieving the human burned bones from ten cremation burials from two Polish archeological sites by using two sets of sieves (10 mm, 5 mm, 2 mm). The first had round openings, while these of the second were square. Furthermore, the intra-observer and inter-observer errors were computed to assess the significance of differences between the tested sets of sieves. The analysis of values obtained by using a distinct set of sieves revealed noticeable differences. Specifically, when comparing the results of sieving through square versus round mesh openings, the paired t-test yielded lower p-values than intra-observer error measurement. This finding suggests that the observed differentiation between two sets of sieves is less likely to be a result of random chance. However, it is important to note that the inter-observer error also showed statistically significant differences. This indicates that the sieving techniques may vary between observers, potentially impacting the results obtained. The diagonal of square mesh openings is proposed as the most probable factor causing differentiation. However, it should also be considered that the differences in the distribution of mesh openings and total sieving surfaces between square and round openings might also alter the results. In addition, the sieving surface has higher values for sieves with square mesh openings, which follows the pattern of a higher diagonal of mesh openings for square sieves. In conclusion, the shape of the mesh openings and their distribution on the surface of the sieves might have a significant impact on the results concerning burned bone fragmentation. Consequently, information about the shape of mesh openings should be included in the “Materials and methods” section, along with the specifications of the apparatus and the dimensions, as well as the diameter of the mesh openings.
Digging deep: lessons learned from meiofaunal responses to a disturbance experiment in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Authors: Lefaible Nene , Macheriotou Lara , Purkiani Kaveh , Haeckel Matthias , Zeppilli Daniela , Pape Ellen , Vanreusel Ann
Published: July 2023

The deep-sea mining industry is currently at a point where large-sale, commercial polymetallic nodule exploitation is becoming a more realistic scenario. At the same time, certain aspects such as the spatiotemporal scale of impacts, sediment plume dispersion and the disturbance-related biological responses remain highly uncertain. In this paper, findings from a small-scale seabed disturbance experiment in the German contract area (Clarion-Clipperton Zone, CCZ) are described, with a focus on the soft-sediment ecosystem component. Despite the limited spatial scale of the induced disturbance on the seafloor, this experiment allowed us to evaluate how short-term (< 1 month) soft-sediment changes can be assessed based on sediment characteristics (grain size, nutrients and pigments) and metazoan meiofaunal communities (morphological and metabarcoding analyses). Furthermore, we show how benthic measurements can be combined with numerical modelling of sediment transport to enhance our understanding of meiofaunal responses to increased sedimentation levels. The lessons learned within this study highlight the major issues of current deep-sea mining-related ecological research such as deficient baseline knowledge, unrepresentative impact intensity of mining simulations and challenges associated with sampling trade-offs (e.g., replication).
Petrological and Geochemical Characterization of Miocene Tipam Sandstone in Parts of Cachar Fold Belt, Northeast India
Authors: Baruah Meghali , Pandey N.
Published: July 2023

Miocene Tipam Sandstone Formation in parts of Cachar Fold Belt, Northeast India has been studied using petrographic and geochemical attributes to investigate the composition, paleoweathering, tectonic setting, and source rock characteristics. It comprises of coarse to medium grained false-bedded multistoried ferruginous sandstone and variegated sandy clay. Petrographically, these sandstones belong to sub-lithic and lithic arenite varieties possessing an average recalculated modal composition of Q67F13R20. Geochemically, Tipam sandstones have high SiO2, more Na2O than K2O, and relatively low Fe2O3, MgO, MnO content in accordance with the modal composition. Weathering indices like CIA, CIW, PIA and ICV suggest derivation of sediments from low to moderately weathered source terrain bearing plagioclase feldspar in the range of An10 – An55 comparable to granodiorite and granite composition. Dominantly a passive margin setup with high degree of sediment recycling has been envisaged during the deposition of Tipam Sandstone Formation.
Petro-geochemical Signatures as Evidences for Tectonic Setting, Palaeoweathering and Provenance of Eocene Kopili Sandstones, Meghalaya, Northeast India
Authors: Boruah Mouchumi , Pandey Nagendra
Published: July 2023

Spectacularly preserved yet least studied middle to late Eocene Kopili Formation in parts of East Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya has been documented to understand the provenance, tectonic setting and palaeoweathering employing petrological and geochemical attributes. The Kopili Formation is characterized by alternations of fossiliferous marl-splintery grey to black shale-siltstone and fine to medium grained ferruginous sandstone with occasional coal streaks. Petrographically, Kopili sandstone has been grouped into two categories i.e. subarkose and sublitharenite. Geochemically, Kopili sandstone possesses high SiO2 and relatively low Al2O3 and Fe2O3 confirming to the modal composition Q72.70 F6.57 RF7.01 CT3.12 Mx2.28 M2.07 HM1.82. These are quartz-rich (SiO2 75.96%) clean sandstone depicting strong negative correlation of SiO2 with rest of the major oxide except for CaO which is relatively weak. High SiO2 is in conformity with quartz enrichment (73.50%), does indicate a passive (atlantic type) continental margin set up for the deposition of Kopili Formation. Neo-development of quartz and feldspar in parts reflect high degree of diagenesis. Chemical indices like CIA, CIW, PIA and ICV reveal intense weathering under semi-arid to semi-humid climatic conditions. Besides minor contributions from continent interior, sediments were largely derived from recycled orogen involving rhyolitic / granitic sources containing plagioclase feldspars in the range of An0-An70 as evident from geochemical attributes.
On the exactness and the convergence of the $$l_{1}$$ exact penalty E-function method for E-differentiable optimization problems
Authors: Antczak Tadeusz , Abdulaleem Najeeb
Published: July 2023

This paper is devoted to introduce and investigate a new exact penalty function method which is called the $$l_{1}$$

l
1

exact penalty E-function method. Namely, we use the aforesaid exact penalty function method to solve a completely new class of nonconvex (not necessarily) differentiable mathematical programming problems, that is, E-differentiable minimization problems. Then, we analyze the most important from a practical point of view property of all exact penalty function methods, that is, exactness of the penalization. Thus, under appropriate E-convexity hypotheses, we prove the equivalence between the original E-differentiable extremum problem and its corresponding penalized optimization problem created in the introduced $$l_{1}$$

l
1

exact penalty E-function method. Further, we also present and investigate the algorithm for this exact penalty function method which minimizes the $$l_{1}$$

l
1

exact penalty E-function. The convergence theorem for the aforesaid algorithm is also established.
Semi-analytical approach to the determination of fracture permeability
Authors: Pusztai Patrik , Koroncz Péter János , Kuncz Máté , Jobbik Anita , Fedor Ferenc
Published: July 2023

Proppant is one of the major elements of a hydraulic fracture process that can influence the productivity of an oil or gas well. The permeability of a propped fracture may be determined through laboratory measurements, utilizing experimental relationships, or using analytical methods. All methods have their advantages and disadvantages, and this study attempts to offers a solution that combines the various methods to achieve a practical solution. The standard measurement method for fracture conductivity and permeability is a time-consuming and delicate procedure and can be performed only at the cost of a significant degree of uncertainty. Investigating a method that can predict fracture permeability in significantly less time and with an acceptable level of accuracy would be useful for the industry. Proppant can be viewed as an unconsolidated, heterogeneous (in size distribution) although well-sorted granular packing, and the different relationships that can predict the permeability of such systems may be utilized. Such interdependencies account for the frictional pressure drop caused by the proppant particles and often neglect the pressure drop caused by the surface of the apparatus. To extend the applicability of the various models, the combination of a theoretical model that accounts for the pressure drop caused by the fracture wall with those models would have clear practical advantages. For this reason, a new equation had to be developed that establishes the relationship between the fracture permeability and the so-called modified particle friction factor. Since the frictional pressure drop correlations usually contain porosity as a parameter, determining its value under reservoir conditions is essential and a new procedure had to be developed. Since the different relationships were developed under different conditions to those under which the proppant-packs are usually used, providing a solution to the issues of their wide range of application is the primary objective of this study.
Synthesis and application of biomass-derived magnetic biochar catalyst for simultaneous esterification and trans-esterification of waste cooking oil into biodiesel: modeling and optimization
Authors: Majamo Samuel Latebo , Amibo Temesgen Abeto , Bedru Tesfaye Kassaw
Published: July 2023

This work created, characterized, and used a magnetic biochar catalyst that is both eco-friendly and very effective. Sugarcane bagasse was selected as primary raw material for catalyst preparation, because it is renewable and ecofriendly biomass. Catalyst created by doping sugarcane bagasse biochar with magnetic material in the form of (FeSO4·7H2O). Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the catalyst. In addition, physical and textural characteristics of the catalyst were identified and interpreted. The characterization outcome showed that the catalyst has good catalytic qualities. For the manufacturing of biodiesel, discarded cooking oil served as the primary feedstock. The experiment was created utilizing the Box–Behnken Design (BBD) technique. There are four variables with the following three levels each: temperature, methanol to oil ratio, catalyst concentration, and reaction time. 29 experiments in total were carried out. Using the RSM function, optimization was done. The optimal conditions for obtaining biodiesel yield—temperature, methanol to oil ratio, reaction time, and catalyst weight—were 43.597 °C, 9.975 mol/L, 49.945 min, and 1.758 wt%. A study of the produced biodiesel using a FTIR showed that the conventional biodiesel IR spectra were confirmed. All physiochemical characteristics found suggested the biodiesel complied with ASTM and EN norms. Overall, the synthesized catalyst had conducted simultaneous reactions in a single batch reactor and had demonstrated suitability for converting used cooking oil to biodiesel.
Impact of COVID-19 on Ethnically Minoritised Carers in UK’s Care Home Settings: a Systematic Scoping Review
Authors: Thompson Paul Wesley
Published: July 2023

COVID-19 has impacted disproportionately two groups in the UK: healthcare workers and people from ethnically minoritised groups. However, there is a lack of evidence on how COVID-19 affected ethnically minoritised carers in care homes. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the available evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 on ethnically minoritised carers in UK. The relevant records were systematically searched in Cochrane COVID‐19 Study Register and WHO COVID‐19 global literature. A total of 3164 records were retrieved. Following duplicate elimination and abstract, title, and full-text screening, 10 studies were identified as eligible for the present scoping review. Most of the studies were conducted in the UK and USA, involving diverse healthcare occupations and methodologies. Multiple studies found anxiety, depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder among carers with high odds among ethnically minoritised carers. Limited access to personal protective equipment and workplace discrimination was noted and linked with poor mental health. The carers reported difficulties in care delivery and managing extra workload arising from staff shortages. The risk of infection and clinically significant mental disorders was higher among carers from the ethnically minoritised background. They exhibited fear about care homes’ uncertain futures and consequential financial losses. Conclusively, COVID-19 appeared to exert adverse effects on practices and experiences of ethnically minoritised carers in the UK’s care homes; however, further studies are warranted to increase the understanding of COVID-19-related experiences of this group of carers which significantly contribute to the country’s healthcare system.
Implementing a Blood Pressure Measurement Curriculum for First-Year Medical Students
Authors: Fisher Margaret , Harris Ariel , Koonce Thomas , Beck Dallaghan Gary , Coe Catherine L.
Published: July 2023

A core clinical skill medical students need to learn is obtaining an accurate blood pressure (BP) reading. We developed a standardized BP curriculum for first-year medical students. Medical students completed online modules and a hands-on skills session to learn BP skills. Pre- and post-surveys and an observed structured clinical encounter (OSCE) assessed student confidence and ability to accurately measure BP. Student confidence and mean OSCE scores (pre = 2.63, post = 6.51; p < 0.001) improved upon completion of the curriculum. The curriculum was feasible, well received, and improved student’s skills for taking an accurate BP.
Autonomous robotic exploration with region-biased sampling and consistent decision making
Authors: Wang Jin , Yu Huan , Zheng Zhi , Lu Guodong , Zhang Kewen , Zheng Tao , Fang Cong
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we propose a scheme for autonomous exploration in unknown environments using a mobile robot. To reduce the storage consumption and speed up the search of frontiers, we propose a wave-features-based rapidly exploring random tree method, which can inhibit or promote the growth of sampling trees regionally. Then, we prune the frontiers with mean shift algorithm and use the pruned frontiers for decision-making. To avoid the repeated exploration, we develop a decision making method with consistency assessment, in which the status of the robot and frontiers are explicitly encoded and modeled as a fixed start open traveling salesman problem (FSOTSP). Furthermore, a re-decision mechanism is build to reduce the extra computing cost. Simulations and real-world experiments show the significant improvement of the proposed scheme.
Autobiographien deutscher Politikwissenschaftler: Von Klaus Mehnert bis Bassam Tibi
Authors: Jesse Eckhard
Published: July 2023

Der Beitrag analysiert alle Autobiographien deutscher Hochschullehrer im Fach Politikwissenschaft. Wenngleich in diesen vom Fach Politikwissenschaft meistens nur wenig die Rede ist, sind Netzwerke erkennbar. Die Autobiographien der beiden produktivsten Politikwissenschaftler Klaus von Beyme und Hans-Peter Schwarz beziehen sich nicht aufeinander. Wohl die Hauptgründe: Ihre wissenschaftlichen Ansätze und politischen Positionen unterscheiden sich deutlich.
Proof-of-Concept Study Evaluating the Performance and Physiologic Response of the FloStent Prostatic Stent in a Healthy Canine Model
Authors: Kadlec Adam , Doraiswamy Anand , Bravo Mike , Jacobs Haydee , Hacker Tim , Elterman Dean
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the deliverability, tolerability, and retrievability of a novel prostatic stent (the FloStent System™) in a healthy canine model. This was a non-randomized, as-treated study. Implantations were performed using a novel fluoroscopic technique. Animals were followed up to 30 days. No stent migration occurred; the stent was well tolerated; retrieval procedures were successful. Gross pathology and histopathological findings were consistent with minimal trauma caused by the implant procedures. The FloStent prostatic implant was demonstrated adequate functionality and safety in this healthy animal model, which supports plans for future use in human studies.
Japan's Ocean Borderlands
Authors: Kreitman Paul
Published: July 2023

Desert islands are the focus of intense geopolitical tensions in East Asia today, but they are also sites of nature conservation. In this global environmental history, Paul Kreitman shows how the politics of conservation have entangled with the politics of sovereignty since the emergence of the modern Japanese state in the mid-nineteenth century. Using case studies ranging from Hawai'i to the Bonin Islands to the Senkaku (Ch: Diaoyu) Isles to the South China Sea, he explores how bird islands on the distant margins of the Japanese archipelago and beyond transformed from sites of resource extraction to outposts of empire and from wartime battlegrounds to nature reserves. This study examines how interactions between birds, bird products, bureaucrats, speculators, sailors, soldiers, scientists and conservationists shaped ongoing claims to sovereignty over oceanic spaces. It considers what the history of desert islands shows us about imperial and post-imperial power, the web of political, economic and ecological connections between islands and oceans, and about the relationship between sovereignty, territory and environment in the modern world.
Understanding Health Fraud Offenders in China: An Emotional Labour Perspective
Authors: Xu Jianhua , Sun Guyu , Wu Sinan , Zhu Shangyi , Zhou You
Published: July 2023

Existing literature has highlighted the importance of recognizing health fraud offenders’ intentional manipulations of victims’ vulnerabilities. However, the manipulation tactics of health fraud have received little attention. This study aims to extend the current understanding of health fraud by incorporating the concept of emotional labour. Nested in the Chinese context, which owns the most populous ageing population, three sets of qualitative data were collected, including 13 semi-structured interviews, 233 judicial documents, and 197 media reports. The findings suggest that health fraud offenders utilized three types of emotional labour as means of committing crime: including the labour of anxiety relief, the labour of filial piety, and the labour of social networking. This article not only provides novel insights into understanding health fraud, but also contributes to introducing the concept of emotional labour in criminological and socio-legal studies.
C and K band microwave penetration into snow on sea ice studied with off-the-shelf tank radars
Authors: Jutila Arttu , Haas Christian
Published: July 2023

Snow cover on sea ice poses a challenge for radar measurements as microwave penetration into snow is not yet fully understood. In this study, the aim is to investigate microwave penetration into snow on Arctic sea ice using commercial C (6 GHz) and K (26 GHz) band tank radars. Nadir-looking radar measurements collected at nine study locations over first-year and multiyear landfast sea ice in the Lincoln Sea in May 2018 are analysed together with detailed measurements of the physical properties of the snow cover to determine the dominant scattering horizons at both frequencies. They are evaluated for the feasibility to determine snow depth. The results show that in 39% of the measurements and only on first-year ice a major fraction of the C band radar backscatter originated closer to the snow–ice interface potentially enabling snow depth retrieval. At K band, 81% of the radar returns originated from the snow surface. Partly confirming the findings of previous studies, however, the analysis was potentially hampered by relatively warm air temperatures (up to

$-0.9^\circ$

C) during the study period as well as stratigraphic features and inconclusive microwave interaction with the saline basal layers found in the snow cover on first-year ice.
The Investment Case for Land Tenure Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cost–Benefit Analysis
Authors: Byamugisha Frank F.K. , Dubosse Nancy
Published: July 2023

Government is the custodian of the most critical (and limited) factor of production, namely, land. Assuring the security of tenure, arbitrating disputes, and facilitating the transfer or sales of titles renders the land market more efficient and less volatile, attracting investors and promoting sustainable urban development. Land tenure security is also a critical government service that has repercussions on agricultural productivity, housing development, business investment, and the development of urban areas. However, land administration is mired in corruptive practices, elite capture, and inefficient allocation. Globally, only 24% of rural areas are mapped (46 in urban areas), with approximately the same percentage registered, that is, 22%. In Africa, only about 14% of rural land is formally recorded in a public register. Land tenure security can take a variety of forms depending on national regulatory frameworks that allocate land and specify its use. Success stories include transferable user certificates in China and individual land titles in Rwanda. Systematic evaluation of the evidence on tenure programs demonstrates that improved tenure security increases agricultural output (40% on average), increases urban land values (25% on average), and increases household welfare (15% on average). Other observed country-specific benefits include additional years of schooling, better academic performance, access to credit, reforestation, and improved household nutrition. The costs of establishing tenure security in Sub-Saharan Africa include the separate costs of rural (US$ 3 billion) and urban (US$ 2.2 billion) land registration; the cost of digitizing land registries and information to improve efficiency and transparency (US$ 880 million), the cost of strengthening institutions and systems to resolve land disputes and manage expropriations (US$ 960 million) over a ten-year implementation period, and land administration operations and land records maintenance over 30 years (US$ 64 billion). The net present value (8%) of costs is US$ 21.7 billion for rural land tenure and US$ 5.3 billion for urban areas. The benefits of rural land registration were based on the observed 15% household wealth effect noted in the literature. The net present value (8%) of a 30-year benefits stream is US$ 396 billion. The benefit–cost ratio of completing and modernizing land registration and improving land administration coverage and effectiveness in rural Sub-Saharan Africa is 18. The benefits of urban land registration were based on the average 25% increase in property values observed in the literature. Using housing prices for the 20 largest, Sub-Saharan African countries, the net present value (8%) of the benefits over a 30-year period is US$ 237 billion, yielding a benefit–cost ratio of 45 when the average housing price is used. When the population-weighted housing price is used, benefits are valued at US$ 160 billion, yielding a benefit–cost ratio of 30.
On equations for ion cyclotron modes in ‘warm’ bounded plasmas
Authors: Kolesnichenko Ya.I. , Lutsenko V.V. , Tykhyy A.V.
Published: July 2023

An equation describing eigenmodes in the ion cyclotron frequency range in ‘warm’ bounded plasmas, i.e. eigenmodes which are absent in the two-fluid model but exist in kinetic theory due to finite Larmor radius of the ions, is derived for the first time. It is valid for electrostatic modes but the developed approach is generic. Calculations are carried out for two cases: first, for a homogeneous magnetic field; second, taking into account the effects of toroidicity in tokamaks. It is found that, in general, equations for eigenmodes in warm plasmas do not reduce to second-order differential equations (in contrast to those which are usually used to describe the radial structure of eigenmodes in fusion devices). The study of modes in warm plasmas is of interest, in particular, in connection with the recent observations of superthermal ion cyclotron emission in the NSTX-U spherical torus and DIII-D tokamak, which can be hardly explained by conventional theories employing fast magnetoacoustic modes.
The universal instability in optimised stellarators
Authors: Costello P. , Proll J.H.E. , Plunk G.G. , Pueschel M.J. , Alcusón J.A.
Published: July 2023

In tokamaks and neoclassically optimised stellarators, like Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) and the Helically Symmetric Experiment, turbulent transport is expected to be the dominant transport mechanism. Among the electrostatic instabilities that drive turbulence, the trapped-electron mode (TEM) has been shown both analytically and in simulations to be absent over large ranges of parameter space in quasi-isodynamic stellarator configurations with the maximum-$J$property. It has been proposed that the reduction of the linear TEM growth rate in such configurations may lead to the passing-electron-driven universal instability, which is often subdominant to the TEM, becoming the fastest-growing instability over some range of parameter space. Here, we show through gyrokinetic simulations using theGenecode, that the universal instability is dominant in a variety of stellarator geometries over a range of parameter space typically occupied by the TEM, but most consequentially in devices which possess beneficial TEM stability properties like W7-X, which locally satisfies the maximum-$J$property for deeply trapped particles in the regions of worst curvature. We find that the universal instability exists at long perpendicular wavelengths and, as a result, dominates the potential fluctuation amplitude in nonlinear simulations. In W7-X, universal modes are found to differ in parallel mode structure from trapped-particle modes, which may impact turbulence localisation in experiments.
Conference on ‘Sustainable nutrition for a healthy life’
Authors: Livingstone Katherine M. , Biesiekierski Jessica R. , Bondonno Catherine P. , Flood Victoria M.
Published: July 2023

Nutrition scientists are currently facing a substantial challenge: to feed the world population sustainably and ethically while supporting the health of all individuals, animals and the environment. The Nutrition Society of Australia's 2022 Annual Scientific meeting theme ‘Sustainable nutrition for a healthy life’ was a timely conference focusing on the environmental impact of global, national and local food systems, how nutrition science can promote sustainable eating practices while respecting cultural and culinary diversity and how to ensure optimal nutrition throughout life to prevent and manage chronic diseases. Comprehensive, diverse, collaborative and forward-thinking research was presented in a 3 d programme of keynote presentations, oral and poster sessions, breakfast and lunch symposiums, ending with a panel discussion to answer the question of how we can best achieve a nutritious food supply that supports human and planetary health. We concluded that this complex issue necessitates coordinated efforts and multi-faceted responses at local, national and global levels. Collaboration among consumers, scientists, industry and government using a systems approach is vital for finding solutions to this challenge.
Commuters: a waterbird provides a new view of how species may utilize cities and wildlands
Authors: Shlepr Katherine R , Evans Betsy A , Gawlik Dale E
Published: July 2023

Traditional classifications of vertebrates’ responses to urbanization fail to capture the behaviour of those that rely on both urban and wildland resources for population persistence. Here, we use the wood stork (Mycteria americana), a species that makes daily foraging trips up to 74 km away from its nest, as an example of a previously unrecognized response to urbanization. We monitored nests and sampled diets at stork colonies in south Florida (USA) during 2014–2020 to investigate how storks use urban habitats. We found that urban development now comprises up to 51.6% of the land cover within the 30-km core foraging area surrounding colonies and that storks access alternative prey types within these urban areas. Our results also showed that urban-nesting storks outperformed wildland-nesting storks when the hydrological condition of the wetlands was suboptimal for foraging. Though storks still require healthy wetlands for population persistence, urban habitat benefitted storks when hydrological patterns were not ideal for prey production in wildlands. This ‘commuter’ response to urbanization, whereby individuals opt to utilize both urban and wildland resources within short time periods, may apply to other vertebrates with large home ranges.
Iron reduction as a viable metabolic pathway in Enceladus’ ocean
Authors: Roche Matthew J. , Fox-Powell Mark G. , Hamp Rachael E. , Byrne James M.
Published: July 2023

Recent studies postulated the viability of a suite of metabolic pathways in Enceladus’ ocean motivated by the detection of H2 and CO2 in the plumes – evidence for available free energy for methanogenesis driven by hydrothermal activity at the moon's seafloor. However, these have not yet been explored in detail. Here, a range of experiments were performed to investigate whether microbial iron reduction could be a viable metabolic pathway in the ocean by iron-reducing bacteria such as Geobacter sulfurreducens. This study has three main outcomes: (i) the successful reduction of a number of crystalline Fe(III)-bearing minerals predicted to be present at Enceladus was shown to take place to differing extents using acetate as an electron donor; (ii) substantial bacterial growth in a simulated Enceladus ocean medium was demonstrated using acetate and H2(g) separately as electron donors; (iii) microbial iron reduction of ferrihydrite was shown to partially occur at pH 9, the currently accepted value for Enceladus’ ocean, whilst being severely hindered at the ambient ocean temperature of 0°. This study proposes the possibilities for biogeochemical iron cycling in Enceladus’ ocean, suggesting that a strain of iron-reducing bacteria can effectively function under Enceladus-like conditions.
Resolving the Tropical Pacific/Atlantic Interaction Conundrum
Authors: Jiang Feng , Zhang Wenjun , Jin Fei‐Fei , Stuecker Malte F. , Timmermann Axel , McPhaden Michael J. , Boucharel Julien , Wittenberg Andrew T.
Published: July 2023

Understanding the interaction between the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans has challenged the climate community for decades. Typically, boreal summer Atlantic Niño events are followed by vigorous Pacific events of opposite sign around two seasons later. However, incorporating the equatorial Atlantic information to variabilities internal to the Pacific lends no significant additional predictive skill for the subsequent El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Here we resolve this conundrum in a physically consistent frame, in which the nascent onset of a Pacific event rapidly induces an opposite‐signed summer equatorial Atlantic event and the lead correlation of Atlantic over Pacific is a statistical artifact of ENSO's autocorrelation. This Pacific‐to‐Atlantic impact is limited to a short window around late spring due to seasonally‐amplified Atlantic atmosphere‐ocean coupling. This new frame reconciles the discrepancies between the observed and multi‐model simulated inter‐basin relationship, providing a major advance in understanding seasonally‐modulated inter‐basin climate connections as well as their predictability.
Sedimentary Processes and the Temporal Resolution of Sedimentary Strata
Authors: Barefoot Eric A. , Nittrouer Jeffrey A. , Straub Kyle M.
Published: July 2023

An appealing strategy for reconstructing the timing and tempo of paleoenvironmental change from sedimentary strata is to linearly interpolate between marker beds of known age. This method requires significant assumptions, but more advanced age modeling methods are usually not feasible. We used experiments to explore how changes in sedimentary processes invalidate these assumptions and affect estimates of time from the strata. When sedimentary processes changed to favor widespread deposition, we found that measuring time linearly systematically overestimated time duration from the resulting strata (time dilation) and misestimated the beginning and end of geologic intervals (phase shifting). When simple age models must be used for sedimentary strata, geologic evidence for transient changes in spatial sediment dispersal may help identify sections of dilated and shifted time, and better resolve time in sedimentary strata.
Occurrence and Origin of Nanoscale Grain Boundary Channels Under Diagenetic Conditions
Authors: Wright Erick , Landry Christopher J. , Eichhubl Peter
Published: July 2023

Natural fractures in shale and sandstone that formed under diagenetic and metamorphic conditions are frequently filled with mineral cement that lack residual fracture porosity visible under the petrographic microscope and that are generally interpreted to be impermeable. Scanning electron microscopy of calcite, dolomite, quartz, and barite fracture cement from low‐permeability, diagenetically altered shale and sandstone formations provides evidence of open and variably connected elongate pores or gaps with apertures of 10–600 nm, referred to as nanoscale grain boundary channels (NGBC). Electron backscatter diffraction of samples prepared using broad ion‐beam milling shows that NGBCs occur along grain boundaries of blocky or columnar fracture cement. Grain boundaries are either faceted or display undulation at the nanometer scale. NGBCs tend to increase in aperture with increasing maximum formation burial temperature, indicating dissolution‐precipitation kinetics influences grain boundary structure. Transmission electron microscopy reveals heterogeneous crystallographic domains with possible amorphous regions bridging across grain boundary channels. We propose a model of dynamic concurrent dissolution‐precipitation along grain boundaries that preserves NGBCs in carbonate and quartz fracture cements that have experienced diagenetic to low‐grade metamorphic conditions. While partially healed, NGBCs may be sufficiently connected to increase permeability of low‐permeability formations containing cemented fractures.