bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The implicit decision theory of non-philosophers
Authors: Greene Preston , Latham Andrew J. , Miller Kristie , Nielsen Michael
Published: February 2024

This paper empirically investigates whether people’s implicit decision theory is more like causal decision theory or more like a non-causal decision theory (such as evidential decision theory). We also aim to determine whether implicit causalists, without prompting and without prior education, make a distinction that is crucial to causal decision theorists: preferring something as a news item and preferring it as an object of choice. Finally, we investigate whether differences in people’s implicit decision theory correlate with differences in their level of future bias: the preference for positively valenced events to be located in the future and not the past, and negatively valenced events to be located in the past and not the future. We find that people are overwhelmingly non-causalists. We also find that implicit causalists do not make the distinction between news items and objects of choice, and that there is little to no correlation between people’s future bias and their implicit decision theory. We end by discussing the philosophical upshots of this work.
Objectivity, shared values, and trust
Authors: Metzen Hanna
Published: February 2024

This paper deals with the nature of trust in science. Understanding what appropriate trust in science is and why it can reasonably break down is important for improving scientists’ trustworthiness. There are two different ways in which philosophers of science think about trust in science: as based on objectivity or as based on shared values. Some authors argue that objectivity actually grounds mere reliance, not genuine trust. They draw on a distinction that philosophers of trust following Annette Baier have made with respect to interpersonal trust, where genuine trust has some normative element to it that is missing in cases of mere reliance. However, I will show that there are plural forms of trust in science: Both objectivity and shared values ground trust in science in a normative sense. I will link the trust in science debate to the literature on interpersonal trust. This is significant in that, beyond references to Baier, there is little connection between both areas of philosophy. In a pluralist reading, different trust accounts help to identify the normative elements involved in different kinds of trust in science.
Susceptibility to postbiotics - enterocins of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from rabbits
Authors: Zábolyová Natália , Lauková Andrea , Pogány Simonová Monika
Published: February 2024

There is a major problem with the rising occurrence of highly virulent and multiply-resistant strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), because of their difficult treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm effect of new enterocins (Ent) against potential pathogenic MRSA strains isolated from rabbits. Staphylococci were identified with PCR and screened for methicillin/oxacillin/cefoxitin resistance (MR) using the disk diffusion method and the PBP2’ Latex Agglutination Test Kit. Enzyme production, hemolysis, DNase activity, slime production, and biofilm formation were tested in MRSA strains. The susceptibility of MRSA to eight partially-purified enterocins (Ent) produced by E. faecium and E. durans strains was checked using agar spot tests. The antibiofilm activity of Ents was tested using a quantitative plate assay. Out of 14 MRSA, PBP testing confirmed MR in 8 strains. The majority of MRSA showed DNase activity and β-hemolysis. Slime production and moderate biofilm formation were observed in all strains. MRSA were susceptible to tested Ents (100–12,800 AU/mL; except Ent4231). The antibiofilm effect of Ents (except Ent4231) was noted in the high range (64.9–97.0%). These results indicate that enterocins offer a promising option for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections caused by biofilm-forming MRSA.
Antibacterial activity of plant-derived compounds and cream formulations against canine skin bacteria
Authors: Strompfová Viola , Štempelová Lucia , Wolaschka Tomáš
Published: February 2024

An urgent need to find alternative antimicrobial compounds effective in the prevention and treatment of skin infections led us to study the inhibitory activity of eight plant-derived bioactive compounds (betulin, curcumin, glycyrrhizic acid, guaiazulene, piperine, quercetin, quinine, tannic acid) against 14 canine skin isolates (11 Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria) selected based on antibiotic resistance and virulence features. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined using the broth microdilution method. In detail, the results for the eight different plant compounds showed their inhibitory activity in the concentration range from 0.04 to more than 16 mg/ml (MIC) and from 0.25 to more than 16 mg/ml (MBC). The most potent compounds appear to be tannic acid, followed by quinine and curcumin (MIC 0.04–16.0 mg/ml). The most susceptible strain to the tested agents in general was Bacillus cereus AE13, while Enterococcus faecium AA14 was the most resistant strain (the highest MICs) among the tested bacteria. The two most potent plant-derived compounds (tannic acid and quinine) were tested in mixture in different ratios (1:1, 1:2, 2:1). The lowest MIC and MBC values were observed for the 1:2 ratio, which was used for preparation of creams with different cream bases. One of the cream formulations (cream F) was effective up to 63.0 mg/ml (MIC) with a microbial inactivation time of 1–6 h according to the tested strain. This study provides evidence that some plant-derived compounds could have an antimicrobial effect against canine skin bacteria, the strength of which is bacterial strain dependent.
Investigation of Clean Energy Production in Drinking Water Networks
Authors: Süme Veli , Daneshfaraz Rasoul , Kerim Ali , Abbaszadeh Hamidreza , Abraham John
Published: February 2024

Viable renewable energy sources must be low-cost, easy to install, clean, and reliable if they are to meet the energy demand of urban or rural areas. Water is able to provide efficient sources of electrical energy among alternative renewable energy sources. Using modern hydraulic techniques, drinking water can be transported to the areas where it is needed. Studies on obtaining energy from drinking water networks are quite limited. Although not as necessary as water in terms or human health, electrical power is still critically important in many applications (lighting, heating, cooling, etc.). Consequently, many countries are developing energy using various renewable energy sources. In this study, a water distribution network in the Armağan Village of Maçka district of Trabzon province were used to obtain electrical energy. There are 47 pressure breaking valves (PBVs) in this network and the broken energy height is 236.35 m. The same energy loss can be achieved by installing microturbines instead of PBVs, and electricity generation can thus be achieved with a clean energy source. It was found that 84.12kWh of energy was obtained from each PBV, with a total of 3950kWh. The most suitable microturbine was selected according to sound microturbine selection criteria. From this study, it is revealed that electricity can be produced by using a Microturbine instead of Pressure Breaker Valves (PBVs).
Neural networks with functional inputs for multi-class supervised classification of replicated point patterns
Authors: Pawlasová Kateřina , Karafiátová Iva , Dvořák Jiří
Published: February 2024

A spatial point pattern is a collection of points observed in a bounded region of the Euclidean plane or space. With the dynamic development of modern imaging methods, large datasets of point patterns are available representing for example sub-cellular location patterns for human proteins or large forest populations. The main goal of this paper is to show the possibility of solving the supervised multi-class classification task for this particular type of complex data via functional neural networks. To predict the class membership for a newly observed point pattern, we compute an empirical estimate of a selected functional characteristic. Then, we consider such estimated function to be a functional variable entering the network. In a simulation study, we show that the neural network approach outperforms the kernel regression classifier that we consider a benchmark method in the point pattern setting. We also analyse a real dataset of point patterns of intramembranous particles and illustrate the practical applicability of the proposed method.
Numerical and Experimental Investigation for Application of CoNiCrAlY Coatings by HVAF
Authors: Bobzin K. , Heinemann H. , Jasutyn K.
Published: February 2024

A relatively small change in oxide content and microstructure in MCrAlY coatings (M = Co, Ni) can affect the functionality of the coating for oxidation protection or as a bond coat. The objective of this study is to fabricate a CoNiCrAlY coating with low porosity and low oxide content. The high velocity air-fuel (HVAF) process, with its relatively low process temperature, is particularly suitable for the deposition of spray materials that are susceptible to oxidation or degradation at high temperature. A CFD simulation model of HVAF process is developed to determine the process parameters for fabricating CoNiCrAlY coating. The simulation results are validated by particle diagnostics, thereby establishing a comprehensive understanding of the underlying process. To assess the coating microstructure, XRD and EDS analyses as well as observation of cross sections of the coatings are conducted. The results highlight the influence of various factors, such as the variation of carrier gas and particle size distribution, on the quality of the coatings. Consequently, the utilization of simulation-based process parameter development is well supported by the coating fabrications, offering valuable insights into the processes prior to implementation.
Numerical study of novel OME1−6 combustion mechanism and spray combustion at changed ambient environments
Authors: Wiesmann Frederik , Qiu Zeyan , Han Dong , Strauβ Lukas , Rieβ Sebastian , Wensing Michael , Lauer Thomas
Published: February 2024

For a climate-neutral future mobility, the so-called e-fuels can play an essential part. Especially, oxygenated e-fuels containing oxygen in their chemical formula have the additional potential to burn with significantly lower soot levels. In particular, polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers or oxymethylene ethers (PODEs or OMEs) do not contain carbon-carbon bonds, prohibiting the production of soot precursors like acetylene (C2H2). These properties make OMEs a highly interesting candidate for future climate-neutral compression-ignition engines. However, to fully leverage their potential, the auto-ignition process, flame propagation, and mixing regimes of the combustion need to be understood. To achieve this, efficient oxidation mechanisms suitable for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations must be developed and validated. The present work aims to highlight the improvements made by developing an adapted oxidation mechanism for OME1−6 and introducing it into a validated spray combustion CFD model for OMEs. The simulations were conducted for single- and multi-injection patterns, changing ambient temperatures, and oxygen contents. The results were validated against high-pressure and high-temperature constant-pressure chamber experiments. OH*-chemiluminescence measurements accomplished the characterization of the auto-ignition process. Both experiments and simulations were conducted for two different injectors. Significant improvements concerning the prediction of the ignition delay time were accomplished while also retaining an excellent agreement for the flame lift-off length. The spatial zones of high-temperature reaction activity were also affected by the adaption of the reaction kinetics. They showed a greater tendency to form OH* radicals within the center of the spray in accordance with the experiments.
A copula formulation for multivariate latent Markov models
Authors: Russo Alfonso , Farcomeni Alessio
Published: February 2024

We specify a general formulation for multivariate latent Markov models for panel data, where outcomes are possibly of mixed-type (categorical, discrete, continuous). Conditionally on a time-varying discrete latent variable and covariates, the joint distribution of outcomes simultaneously observed is expressed through a parametric copula. We therefore do not make any conditional independence assumption. The observed likelihood is maximized by means of an expectation–maximization algorithm. In a simulation study, we argue how modeling the residual contemporary dependence might be crucial in order to avoid bias in the parameter estimates. We illustrate through an original application to assessment of poverty through direct and indirect indicators in a cohort of Italian households.
Modeling the air quality impact of aircraft emissions: is area or volume the appropriate source characterization in AERMOD?
Authors: Pandey Gavendra , Venkatram Akula , Arunachalam Saravanan
Published: February 2024

Modeling dispersion of aircraft emissions is challenging because aircraft are mobile sources with varying emissions rates at different elevations depending on the operating mode. Aircraft emissions during landing and take-off cycle (LTO) influence air quality in and around the airport, and depending on the number of aircraft operations and location of the airport, this influence may be significant. AERMOD (v22112) incorporates a variety of conventional source types to characterize the intended emissions source, leaving the question of which conventional source type(s) best characterizes aircraft activities across the four modes of LTO cycle, unanswered. Currently, the publicly released version of FAA’s Aviation Environmental Design Tool (version 3e) models aircraft emissions as a set of AREA sources for all flight segments. A research version of AEDT allows users to model aircraft sources—both fixed wing and rotorcraft—as a series of VOLUME sources in AERMOD. However, both source treatments do not account for plume rise of aircraft jet exhaust. This paper compares AERMOD’s performance in describing SO2 concentrations associated with airport sources by comparing model results from the two source options during the summer campaign of the Air Quality Source Apportionment study conducted at the Los Angeles International Airport. We conclude that both VOLUME source and AREA treatments overestimate the highest observed SO2 concentrations despite not accounting for background sources. The VOLUME source option reduces this overestimation by using a higher initial plume spread than the AREA option does, and through the inclusion of meander. Our results suggest the need to include the plume rise of jet exhaust when using AERMOD for airport air quality studies.
Comprehensive Analysis of a Japanese Pedigree with Biallelic ACAGG Expansions in RFC1 Manifesting Motor Neuronopathy with Painful Muscle Cramps
Authors: Izumi Rumiko , Warita Hitoshi , Niihori Tetsuya , Furusawa Yoshihiko , Nakano Misa , Oya Yasushi , Kato Kazuhiro , Shiga Takuro , Ikeda Kensuke , Suzuki Naoki , Nishino Ichizo , Aoki Yoko , Aoki Masashi
Published: February 2024

Cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy, and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS) is an autosomal recessive multisystem neurologic disorder caused by biallelic intronic repeats in RFC1. Although the phenotype of CANVAS has been expanding via diagnostic case accumulation, there are scant pedigree analyses to reveal disease penetrance, intergenerational fluctuations in repeat length, or clinical phenomena (including heterozygous carriers). We identified biallelic RFC1 ACAGG expansions of 1000 ~ repeats in three affected siblings having sensorimotor neuronopathy with spinocerebellar atrophy initially presenting with painful muscle cramps and paroxysmal dry cough. They exhibit almost homogeneous clinical and histopathological features, indicating motor neuronopathy. Over 10 years of follow-up, painful intractable muscle cramps ascended from legs to trunks and hands, followed by amyotrophy and subsequent leg pyramidal signs. The disease course combined with the electrophysical and imagery data suggest initial and prolonged hyperexcitability and the ensuing spinal motor neuron loss, which may progress from the lumbar to the rostral anterior horns and later expand to the corticospinal tract. Genetically, heterozygous ACAGG expansions of similar length were transmitted in unaffected family members of three successive generations, and some of them experienced muscle cramps. Leukocyte telomere length assays revealed comparatively shorter telomeres in affected individuals. This comprehensive pedigree analysis demonstrated a non-anticipating ACAGG transmission and high penetrance of manifestations with a biallelic state, especially motor neuronopathy in which muscle cramps serve as a prodromal and disease progress marker. CANVAS and RFC1 spectrum disorder should be considered when diagnosing lower dominant motor neuron disease, idiopathic muscle cramps, or neuromuscular hyperexcitability syndromes.
Hydraulic performance of bottom intake velocity caps using PIV and OpenFOAM methods
Authors: Hajebi Zahra , Firozjaei Mahmood Rahmani , Naeeni Seyed Taghi Omid , Akbari Hassan
Published: February 2024

The objective of this investigation is to obtain a more profound understanding of the effective parameters of the velocity caps for bottom intake systems, utilizing particle image velocimetry (PIV) and OpenFOAM. Observations indicate a higher probability of surface vortex formation in square types compared to circular ones, with the vortex being formed downstream of the caps. Additionally, the flow pattern reveals that the flow whirls in a more favorable path into the circular caps as opposed to the square ones. Through both experimental and numerical comparisons of three shapes (rhombus, square, and circle), it becomes evident that the circular type outperforms the other types in terms of discharges through the intake, showing an improvement of about 8%. The results indicate that flow depth and height of the velocity caps are positively effective parameters for the flow rate, with respective influences of 90% and 30%. In contrast, the interaction between the flow and caps intensifies with an increase in the distance of the intake opening from the bed, which plays a negative influence on the flow rate. Enhancing the number of blades in caps proves to be the optimal approach for generating a smoother flow with minimal impact on the flow rate. Numerical simulations show a 50% reduction in cap height leads to a significant 33% decrease in flow rate. Additionally, rotating the square cap by 45° into a rhombus aligned with the flow direction results in a 7% discharge flow rate increase.
Synthesize of heterostructure TiO2 by simultaneous doping of double silver and phosphate to degradation of methylene blue under visible light
Authors: Moeini Zohre , Hoseini Mohammad , Dehghani Mansooreh , Samaei Mohammadreza , Jafari Saeed , Taghavi Mahmoud , Azhdarpoor Abooalfazl
Published: February 2024

Photocatalysts show great potential as compounds for restoring contaminated water and wastewater resources. The study aims to synthesize a composite with high photocatalytic potential under visible light to photodegrade the organic pollutants. Ag/Ag3PO4@ TiO2 were synthesized by doping Ag and Ag3PO4 on TiO2. The composite was characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses, and its photodegradation ability was investigated by methylene blue. Utilization of pure TiO2 yielded a removal efficiency that was merely half of the efficiency achieved when using modified particles, owing to the reduction of TiO2 s band gap from 3.2 to 1.94 eV. In addition to its enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light, the synthesized Ag/Ag3PO4@TiO2 photocatalyst demonstrated remarkable efficiency in removing dyes such as methylene blue from aqueous solutions. The removal efficiency at pH less than 7 in 50 ppm methylene blue solution using 3 g/l photocatalyst over 45 min visible light irradiation was approximately 90 percent. Under sunlight, photocatalytic reactions exhibited an efficiency of over 95 percent within 45 min. It can be concluded that the simultaneous introduction of metallic (Ag) and nonmetallic (PO43−) dopants significantly increases the efficiency of electron–hole recombination suppression in the photocatalyst and also decreases the band gap.
A bridge over sustainable water: Politicians’ perceptions about the preconditions for collective action
Authors: Bendz Anna , Öhberg Patrik
Published: February 2024

Sustainable water resource management is a core interest for all societies. As water systems are often common resources, the management of water systems requires coordinated action among actors along the water. For flowing water, a complication for coordination is upstream–downstream relations where what happens upstream affects downstream, but not the other way around. In this study we present results from a survey experiment with politicians in Sweden, focusing on whether and to what extent their willingness to cooperate is affected by their placement upstream or downstream along a fictive water system. Our findings indicate that politicians from upstream and downstream municipalities share the view that upstream politicians bear greater responsibility for undertaking preventive actions and are willing to assume remedial responsibility for problems caused by them. These results challenge the notion that self-interest is the primary obstacle to resolving environmental collective action problems.
Preferences for woodland activities and forest features as predictors of well-being after forest visits: Evidence from a nationally representative survey in Slovakia
Authors: Výbošťok Jozef , Pichlerová Magdaléna , Lamatungga Kiki Ekiawan , Tamatam Dhanalakshmi , Önkal Dilek , Halaj Daniel , Pichler Viliam
Published: February 2024

The link between subjective well-being (SWB) and forest visits is increasingly driving the development and preservation of restorative forest environments in numerous countries. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the effect of people's preferences for forest patterns and activities on this connection. Here we investigated whether associations exist between the preferences for certain forest features and activities, and the SWB increase and stress reduction in response to forest visits. A nationwide digital survey was administered to a representative sample of the Slovak population. The recollection-based data obtained from one thousand respondents were analysed through agglomerative clustering and ordinal regression. The analyses revealed that improved SWB and stress reduction were associated with preferences for uneven-aged forests, forest smell, as well as recreational, but not provisioning forest activities. The respective interrelationships explained up to 20% of SWB increase and stress reduction after forest visits. The results suggest that recollection-based study findings can be generalized for real-world forests and that forest management can contribute to the well-being of forest visitors by shaping the diversity of woodlands and their sensory experiences.
World Pandemic Control in International Law: Through a Transboundary Harm Perspective
Authors: Huang Doudou
Published: February 2024

The current pandemic response system under the International Health Regulations has been considered unsatisfactory in controlling world pandemic outbreaks. Opinions are voiced that a legal evolution incorporating other sources of international law is imperative to meet the system’s primary deficiency: the uneven degree of State compliance with the ‘core capacity’ requirements. Against this background, this paper aims to examine the potential application of transboundary harm rules in world pandemic prevention, where existing treaty obligations are insufficient or ineffective in addressing future obstacles. By comparing their conceptual characters and legal elements, this paper seeks to reveal the inherent link between the two domains, which may further demonstrate an existing manifestation of transboundary harm rules as emerging customary international law in current pandemic prevention practice. Based on the structure of transboundary harm rules, this paper aims to provide an innovative legal framework that justifies the differentiated standards among States with uneven capacity and underlines the obligation of cooperation. Such a framework is designed to improve the level of States’ prevention and response towards future global health emergencies raised by world pandemics. Moreover, it hopes to provide practical ideas for formulating the new international instrument on pandemic prevention, which is currently being drafted by the Member States of the World Health Organization.
Birational classification of toric orbifolds
Authors: Schmitt Johannes
Published: February 2024

We give a complete classification of the torus-equivariant birational equivalence classes of smooth proper toric Deligne–Mumford stacks with trivial generic stabilizer in terms of their associated stacky fans.
Data Mesh Meets Blockchain
Authors: Almaslukh Abdulaziz , Alameer Abdulmajeed , Alsaleh Hamad , Alkadyan Fahad , Allheeib Nasser , Alhadlag Abdulaziz , Alabdulkarim Yazeed
Published: February 2024

Effective dataset management is crucial for enterprises to make informed decisions and remain competitive. However, centralized dataset management approaches often result in poor scalability, unclear governance, inaccessible data silos, and duplication of efforts. This paper proposes a distributed blockchain-based framework inspired by the data mesh architecture to address these challenges. Our proposed framework leverages blockchain’s decentralized nature to enable efficient and transparent dataset sharing across enterprise business domains. By turning datasets into digital assets and business domains into peers, our framework utilizes blockchain smart contracts to allow business domains to view, request, and share datasets. In this paper, we describe the details of our framework, and we analyze it from scalability, accessibility, security, and data governance perspectives. To validate our framework, we provide a proof-of-concept implementation with a publicly available source code.
The 30 Years of Shifting in The Indonesian Cardiovascular Burden—Analysis of The Global Burden of Disease Study
Authors: Muharram Farizal Rizky , Multazam Chaq El Chaq Zamzam , Mustofa Ali , Socha Wigaviola , Andrianto  , Martini Santi , Aminde Leopold , Yi-Li Chung
Published: February 2024

Importance

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Compared with disease burden rates in 1990, significant reductions in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) burden rates for CVD have been recorded. However, general DALYs rates have not changed in Indonesia in the past 30 years. Thus, assessing Indonesian CVD burdens will be an essential first step in determining primary disease interventions.

Objective

To determine the national and province-level burden of CVD from 1990 to 2019 in Indonesia.

Design, Setting, and Participants

A retrospective observational study was conducted using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019, provided by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), to analyze trends in the burden of CVD, including mortality, morbidity, and prevalence characteristics of 12 underlying CVDs.

Exposures

Residence in Indonesia.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Mortality, incidence, prevalence, death, and DALYs of CVD.

Results

All-age CVD deaths more than doubled from 292 thousand (95% UI: 246 to 339 thousand) in 1990 and increased to 659 thousand (95% UI: 542 to 747 thousand) in 2019. All CVDs recorded increased death rates, except for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) (− 69%) and congenital heart disease (CHD) (− 37%). Based on underlying diseases, stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD) are still the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Indonesia, whereas stroke and peripheral artery disease (PAD) are the most prevalent CVDs. Indonesia has the second worst CVD DALYs rates compared to ASEAN countries after Laos. At provincial levels, the highest CVD DALY rates were recorded in Bangka Belitung, South Kalimantan, and Yogyakarta. In terms of DALYs rate changes, they were recorded in West Nusa Tenggara (24%), South Kalimantan (18%), and Central Java (11%). Regarding sex, only RHD, and PAD burdens were dominated by females.

Conclusions

CVD mortality, morbidity, and prevalence rates increased in Indonesia from 1990 to 2019, especially for stroke and ischemic heart disease. The burden is exceptionally high, even when compared to other Southeast Asian countries and the global downward trend. GBD has many limitations. However, these data could provide policymakers with a broad view of CVD conditions in Indonesia.
Exploring social-emotional learning in China: a mixed-methods study with Chinese early childhood teachers
Authors: Zong Zhengxing , Yang Weipeng , Li Yixun
Published: February 2024

The present study explored how Chinese early childhood teachers’ self-perceptions of their pedagogical content knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) differ based on their backgrounds. Additionally, this research explored teachers’ understanding of their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards SEL. The study involved surveying 167 early childhood teachers using the Pedagogical Content Knowledge Scale and the SEL Beliefs and Attitudes Scales, as well as conducting semi-structured interviews with 10 early childhood teachers. The study found that teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and beliefs towards SEL may differ based on their teaching age and educational background. Nevertheless, there is more complexity to these variations than initially assumed, and comprehending this complexity can provide valuable insights into the teachers’ current situation. While teachers demonstrated a positive attitude towards SEL and recognized its significance in promoting children’s overall development, they exhibited lower pedagogical content knowledge scores. This deficit was attributed to a lack of well-structured and high-quality professional learning opportunities. In conclusion, this study aimed to reveal the current state of social-emotional learning among Chinese early childhood teachers, thus addressing a perceived deficiency in the existing Chinese empirical literature.
General distributions of number representation elements
Authors: Balado Félix , Silvestre Guénolé C. M.
Published: February 2024

We provide general expressions for the joint distributions of the k most significant b-ary digits and of the k leading continued fraction (CF) coefficients of outcomes of arbitrary continuous random variables. Our analysis highlights the connections between the two problems. In particular, we give the general convergence law of the distribution of the jth significant digit, which is the counterpart of the general convergence law of the distribution of the jth CF coefficient (Gauss-Kuz’min law). We also particularise our general results for Benford and Pareto random variables. The former particularisation allows us to show the central role played by Benford variables in the asymptotics of the general expressions, among several other results, including the analogue of Benford’s law for CFs. The particularisation for Pareto variables—which include Benford variables as a special case—is especially relevant in the context of pervasive scale-invariant phenomena, where Pareto variables occur much more frequently than Benford variables. This suggests that the Pareto expressions that we produce have wider applicability than their Benford counterparts in modelling most significant digits and leading CF coefficients of real data. Our results may find practical application in all areas where Benford’s law has been previously used.
Investigating the Representative of Aquifer Transmissivity Determined by Passive Response Methods: A Comparison With Time‐Dependent Hydraulic Parameters Inferred From Different Stages of Pumping Tests
Authors: Qi Zhiyu , Shi Zheming , Rasmussen Todd , Guo Huaming , Wang Guangcai
Published: February 2024

Aquifer pumping tests represent a standard method for estimating hydraulic characteristics, with practitioners often focusing on late period drawdown data because these are less affected by within‐ and near‐borehole effects (e.g., borehole‐storage and skin effects). Alternatively, groundwater responses to natural forcing (e.g., barometric pressure and earth tides) provide a passive method for estimating aquifer parameters at a low cost. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have compared parameters calculated from different periods within a pumping test with those from passive methods. Herein, we compare the aquifer transmissivity estimated using both active and passive methods in two wells located in the Beetaloo Region of Northern Australia. The active method estimates aquifer transmissivity during three periods (i.e., the early, middle, and late periods) of an aquifer pumping test, while the passive method employs groundwater responses to barometric‐pressure and earth‐tide fluctuations. We find that the range of best‐fit aquifer transmissivity is 1.18 × 10−5–1.79 × 10−5 m2/s and 1.73 × 10−5–2.14 × 10−5 m2/s for OW1 and OW2, respectively. The transmissivity estimated from the barometric pressure response method is the largest. The aquifer transmissivity using barometric pressure responses are consistent with early‐ and middle‐period estimates. This suggests that barometric pressure responses are more sensitive to within‐ and near‐borehole effects. The scales of the tidal response method are smaller than those of the pumping test method.
Understanding Lake Residence Time Across Spatial and Temporal Scales: A Modeling Analysis of Lake George, New York USA
Authors: Auger Guillaume A. R. , Kelly Michael R. , Moriarty Vincent W. , Rose Kevin C. , Kolar Harry R.
Published: February 2024

Whole lake residence time has been associated with various water quality parameters, including harmful algal blooms. Despite observations of spatial variability in commonly measured lake water quality parameters, little attention is given to the spatial variability of residence time in lakes. In this paper we use water age as a surrogate for residence time and we examine its spatial and temporal distribution in 10 bays of varying size in Lake George, New York (USA). Using a validated hydrodynamic model against observations of water temperature and water currents, and using simulated water age, we show that the average residence time in most of the bays is less than 3 days. Timeseries of bay‐average water age shows that it can sharply decrease within 1 day due to a strong wind event. The average spatial distribution is shown to be non‐uniform, with only a small section of the bottom layer of the bays having a substantially greater age, which may be more than 1 week in certain bays. Snapshots of water age transects indicate that strong wind events substantially change the vertical distribution of water age in some bays, even to the extent of inverting the distribution. The substantial decreases of water age in the bays were associated with the shallowing and deepening of the thermocline. Our results highlight how variations in water residence times within lakes could introduce substantial variation in water quality attributes. Whole lake residence times may serve as a poor proxy to understand the dynamics of water masses, especially in large and morphologically complex waterbodies.
Using Element/Ca Response to Cleaning in Foraminifera From Endmember Depositional Environments to Infer Contaminants and Inform Pretreatment
Authors: Cook Madelyn K. , Hendy Ingrid L.
Published: February 2024

Past ocean conditions are often reconstructed using the elemental composition of foraminiferal calcite. However, foraminiferal remains are often impacted by post‐depositional contaminants; thus, they require cleaning prior to element/Ca (El/Ca) analysis. To explore the impact of sample pretreatment on foraminiferal El/Ca ratios (Li, Na, Mg, Al, Mn, Fe, Zn, Sr, I, Ba, and U) we performed six cleaning procedures on four foraminifera populations from distinct depositional environments: Two from South Pacific carbonate ooze (ELT25‐11) and two from the hemi‐pelagic sediments of the California Margin (ODP1017E, SPR0901‐04BC). Despite differences in regional oceanography, sample type (i.e., surface‐ or deep‐dwelling planktic, benthic), and cleaning procedure, the main driver of El/Ca variability in the data set is the sedimentary depositional environment, suggesting site‐specific differences in element concentrations and contaminants. This finding challenges the notion that sample cleaning procedures should be informed by the El/Ca of paleoclimate interest, as elements may be found in different contaminants and/or elemental abundances in unique environments. Our data also show that traditional cleaning methods which use a combination of rinsing, sonication, oxidation/reduction, and complexation reactions effectively remove contaminants found on foraminifera in either depositional environment. However, even after contaminant removal, some elements (i.e., U and Fe) remain higher in California Margin foraminifera relative to South Pacific foraminifera. This suggests that the range of acceptable El/Ca values in the literature must be expanded when working with foraminifera from unusual depositional environments (i.e., hemipelagic, siliciclastic sites with high sedimentation regimes) versus values associated with more typical sites (i.e., a pelagic carbonate ooze).
Quantifying Benthic δ18O Lags Across Termination 1: A Probabilistic Approach Based on Radiocarbon and Benthic δ18O Chronologies
Authors: Rand D. , Lisiecki L. E. , Lee T. , Lawrence C. W. , Gebbie G.
Published: February 2024

Temporal offsets (“lags”) between benthic δ18O (δ18Ob) signals in different locations are not only a source of age model uncertainty during δ18Ob stratigraphic alignment but also provide an opportunity to improve reconstructions of deep ocean circulation change during Termination 1 (T1). While methods based on the visual identification of identical δ18Ob features have previously been used to estimate lags, here we present a novel method to calculate δ18Ob lags and their statistical uncertainties by subtracting a core's radiocarbon age model from an age model based on its δ18Ob alignment to a target stack. This method produces lag estimates as a function of time with statistical uncertainties. As an example of this approach, we calculate lags for a depth transect of 12 cores in the Brazil Margin, whose lags were described qualitatively by Lund et al. (2015, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014PA002657). Our new methodology supports a previously described lag between mid‐depth (1,802–2,296 m) and deep (2,500–2,951 m) water; specifically, we find a statistically significant lag across this boundary throughout T1, with a maximum of 2.08 kyr (95% credible interval: 1.36–2.85) at 14 ka BP. We also identify statistically significant lags between intermediate (1,105–1,627 m) and mid‐depth cores that were not previously described. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Brazil Margin δ18Ob lags during T1 are inconsistent with a tracer transport model under modern circulation pathways (Gebbie, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011PA002273) that fits an Atlantic‐Pacific δ18Ob lag.
Assessing the Accuracy of 2‐D Planetary Evolution Models Against the 3‐D Sphere
Authors: Fleury A. , Plesa A.‐C. , Hüttig C. , Breuer D.
Published: February 2024

Regardless of the steady increase of computing power during the last decades, numerical models in a 3D spherical shell are only used in specific setups to investigate the thermochemical convection in planetary interiors, while 2D geometries are typically favored in most exploratory studies involving a broad range of parameters. The 2D cylindrical and the more recent 2D spherical annulus geometries are predominantly used in this context, but the extent to how well they reproduce the 3D spherical shell results in comparison to each other and in which setup has not yet been extensively investigated. Here we performed a thorough and systematic study in order to assess which 2D geometry reproduces best the 3D spherical shell. In a first set of models, we investigated the effects of the geometry on thermal convection in steady‐state setups while varying a broad range of parameters. Additional thermal evolution models of three terrestrial bodies, namely Mercury, the Moon, and Mars, which have different interior structures, were used to compare the 2D and 3D geometries. Our investigations show that the 2D spherical annulus geometry provides results closer to models in a 3D spherical shell compared to the 2D cylindrical geometry. Our study indicates where acceptable differences can be expected when using a 2D instead of a 3D geometry and where to be cautious when interpreting the results.
Where the White Continent Is Blue: Deep Learning Locates Bare Ice in Antarctica
Authors: Tollenaar Veronica , Zekollari Harry , Pattyn Frank , Rußwurm Marc , Kellenberger Benjamin , Lhermitte Stef , Izeboud Maaike , Tuia Devis
Published: February 2024

In some areas of Antarctica, blue‐colored bare ice is exposed at the surface. These blue ice areas (BIAs) can trap meteorites or old ice and are vital for understanding the climatic history. By combining multi‐sensor remote sensing data (MODIS, RADARSAT‐2, and TanDEM‐X) in a deep learning framework, we map blue ice across the continent at 200‐m resolution. We use a novel methodology for image segmentation with “noisy” labels to learn an underlying “clean” pattern with a neural network. In total, BIAs cover ca. 140,000 km2 (∼1%) of Antarctica, of which nearly 50% located within 20 km of the grounding line. There, the low albedo of blue ice enhances melt‐water production and its mapping is crucial for mass balance studies that determine the stability of the ice sheet. Moreover, the map provides input for fieldwork missions and can act as constraint for other geophysical mapping efforts.
Quantifying the Contribution of Ocean Advection and Surface Flux to the Upper‐Ocean Salinity Variability Resolved by Climate Model Simulations
Authors: Laurindo Lucas C. , Siqueira Leo , Small R. Justin , Thompson LuAnne , Kirtman Benjamin P.
Published: February 2024

This study examines the impact of ocean advection and surface freshwater flux on the non‐seasonal, upper‐ocean salinity variability in two climate model simulations with eddy‐resolving and eddy‐parameterized ocean components (HR and LR, respectively). We assess the realism of each simulation by comparing their sea surface salinity (SSS) variance with satellite and Argo float estimates. In the extratropics, the HR variance is about five times larger than that in LR and agrees with Argo. In turn, the extratropical satellite SSS variance is smaller than that from HR and Argo by about a factor of two, potentially caused by the insufficient resolution of radiometers to capture mesoscale features and their low sensitivity to SSS in cold waters. Using a simplified salinity conservation equation for the upper‐50‐m ocean, we find that the advection‐driven variance in HR is, on average, 10 times larger than the surface flux‐driven variance, reflecting the action of mesoscale processes.
Important Role of Low Cloud and Fog in Sulfate Aerosol Formation During Winter Haze Over the North China Plain
Authors: Cai Suyi , Liu Tengyu , Huang Xin , Song Yu , Wang Tiantian , Sun Zhaobin , Gao Jian , Ding Aijun
Published: February 2024

Sulfate aerosol greatly contributes to wintertime haze pollution in emission‐intensive regions like the North China Plain (NCP) in China. Fast sulfate increase and accumulation are usually recorded during winter haze; however, the multiphase oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and the physical processes affecting near‐surface sulfate are not fully understood. By combining in situ observations and numerical simulations, we found that high sulfur oxidation ratios (>0.6) under heavily polluted conditions are associated with low clouds and fog over NCP, induced by the moist southerly airflow. Thick low clouds and high SO2 levels in NCP provide a reaction environment for sulfate production. The sulfate production rate in cloud water can reach 0.5–1.3 μg m−3 h−1. The results demonstrate that the vertical mixing of sulfate generated within the cloud water to the surface plays a significant role in rapid sulfate production, highlighting the importance of understanding cloud‐water processes in haze pollution.
Ocean Biogeochemical Fingerprints of Fast‐Sinking Tunicate and Fish Detritus
Authors: Luo Jessica Y. , Stock Charles A. , Dunne John P. , Saba Grace K. , Cook Lauren
Published: February 2024

Pelagic tunicates (salps, pyrosomes) and fishes generate jelly falls and/or fecal pellets that sink roughly 10 times faster than bulk oceanic detritus, but their impacts on biogeochemical cycles in the ocean interior are poorly understood. Using a coupled physical‐biogeochemical model, we find that fast‐sinking detritus decreased global net primary production and surface export, but increased deep sequestration and transfer efficiency in much of the extratropics and upwelling zones. Fast‐sinking detritus generally decreased total suboxic and hypoxic volumes, reducing a “large oxygen minimum zone (OMZ)” bias common in global biogeochemical models. Newly aerobic regions at OMZ edges exhibited reduced transfer efficiencies in contrast with global tendencies. Reductions in water column denitrification resulting from improved OMZs improved simulated nitrate deficits relative to phosphate. The carbon flux to the benthos increased by 11% with fast‐sinking detritus from fishes and pelagic tunicates, yet simulated benthic fluxes remained on the lower end of observation‐based estimates.
Statistical Analysis of Mercury's Magnetotail Lobe Field Using MESSENGER Observations
Authors: Bowers Charles F. , Jackman Caitriona M. , Sun Weijie , Holmberg Mika K. G. , Jia Xianzhe , Griton Léa
Published: February 2024

The magnetotail lobe region at Mercury is characterized by low plasma density and low magnetic field variability compared to the nightside magnetosheath and central plasma sheet. At Mercury, as well as other planets, lobe magnetic fields play a crucial role in storing and releasing magnetic flux in response to changing upstream solar wind conditions such as interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation and solar wind dynamic pressure (Pdyn). This makes the region significant for studying the magnetospheric interaction with the intense solar wind conditions at Mercury's orbit. Here, we identify and analyze magnetotail lobe observations made by the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft during its 4 years orbital phase. We empirically determined a set of criteria using magnetometer (MAG) and the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer instruments onboard MESSENGER to identify lobe magnetic field intervals. From 3,332 MESSENGER orbits, we identify 1,242 lobe field intervals. We derive an expression for the average lobe magnetic field strength in nanotesla with respect to radial distance downtail: Blobe(r) = (135 ± 8) * r(−2.1±0.3) + (31 ± 8). The lobe magnetic field exhibits both small‐scale (∼3 min) and orbit‐to‐orbit (∼8–12 hr) variability in magnetic field strength compared to this averaged field strength expression. The orbit‐to‐orbit variability in lobe field strength is not significantly correlated with estimated IMF orientation, but is directly correlated with Pdyn. Thus, our findings provide evidence for the pressure balance between the inward facing Pdyn on the nightside magnetopause and the outward facing magnetic pressure supplied by the lobes.