bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
China and Germany After the 2021 Election: Between Continuity and Increasing Confrontation
Authors: Damm Jens
Published: January 2023

This chapter presents and analyses various official statements, 2021 election programmes and party manifestos, media reports as well as public hearings with regard to the changing view of China in the German public discourse. While the importance of economic interests is still the overarching topic in German-Chinese relations (China has been Germany`s most important trading partner since 2015), there has been a shift towards a more critical stance with regard to human rights issues in recent years. Germany was also the driving force behind the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with China, which the EU signed in December 2020 under Germany’s presidency of the EU Council but so far never ratified.

After the formation of a new SPD led government under chancellor Olaf Scholz, the two smaller coalition partners, the Alliance 90/The Greens, and the FDP, are said to have a much more critical view of China’s human rights issues. In particular, the new German foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock has publicly vowed to change Germany’s China policy. While Germany has remained within the hedging zone a shift from “economic pragmatism” to “soft balancing” can be observed, most noticeably in political terms: in particular, the new foreign minister Annalena Baerbock stresses the necessity for a closer cooperation both with the United States, but also a common policy of the EU towards China. Thus Germany, and the EU in general, seems to have shifted from “economic pragmatism” to “dominance denial” since the new government came into power, and the war in Ukraine has led to an even closer alliance of Germany, with the EU and the United States.
Livestock and Sustainable Food Systems: Status, Trends, and Priority Actions
Authors: Herrero Mario , Mason-D’Croz Daniel , Thornton Philip K. , Fanzo Jessica , Rushton Jonathan , Godde Cecile , Bellows Alexandra , de Groot Adrian , Palmer Jeda , Chang Jinfeng , van Zanten Hannah , Wieland Barbara , DeClerck Fabrice , Nordhagen Stella , Beal Ty , Gonzalez Carlos , Gill Margaret
Published: January 2023

Livestock are a critically important component of the food system, although the sector needs a profound transformation to ensure that it contributes to a rapid transition towards sustainable food systems. This chapter reviews and synthesises the evidence available on changes in demand for livestock products in the last few decades, and the multiple socio-economic roles that livestock have around the world. We also describe the nutrition, health, and environmental impacts for which the sector is responsible. We propose eight critical actions for transitioning towards a more sustainable operating space for livestock. (1) Facilitate shifts in the consumption of animal source foods (ASF), recognising that global reductions will be required, especially in communities with high consumption levels, while promoting increased levels in vulnerable groups, including the undernourished, pregnant women and the elderly. (2) Continue work towards the sustainable intensification of livestock systems, paying particular attention to animal welfare, food-feed competition, blue water use, disease transmission and perverse economic incentives. (3) Embrace the potential of circularity in livestock systems as a way of partially decoupling livestock from land. (4) Adopt practices that lead to the direct or indirect mitigation of greenhouse gases. (5) Adopt some of the vast array of novel technologies at scale and design incentive mechanisms for their rapid deployment. (6) Diversify the protein sources available for human consumption and feed, focusing on the high-quality alternative protein sources that have lower environmental impacts. (7) Tackle antimicrobial resistance effectively through a combination of technology and new regulations, particularly for the fast-growing poultry and pork sectors and for feedlot operations. (8) Implement true cost of food and true-pricing approaches to ASF consumption.
Food Systems Innovation Hubs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Beesabathuni Kalpana , Kraemer Klaus , Askari Sufia , Lingala Srujith , Bajoria Madhavika , Bloem Martin , Gavin-Smith Breda , Hamirani Hamid , Kumari Priyanka , Milan Anne , Tshering Puja , van Zutphen Kesso Gabrielle , Woltering Kris
Published: January 2023

In the face of global food and nutrition crises, incremental adjustment in existing technology is not enough; the future of food systems hinges on innovative solutions that can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Innovative approaches and opportunities for the transformation of food systems exist. ‘Innovations’ includes new products, business models, policy practices, technologies, behavioral insights, or ways of delivering products and services that benefit the poor in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These include the innovative use of technology, the reallocation of government expenditure, and the promotion of more nutritious diets. However, scaling these innovations requires capital and platforms to connect stakeholders and facilitate the transfer of technology and know-how. It is here that food system innovation hubs have a key role to play. This chapter draws attention to the role that food system innovation hubs can play in creating healthy, resilient and inclusive communities in LMICs. Eight different archetypes of food innovation hubs are described, and the opportunities for these hubs to deliver planet-friendly nutritious and safe foods are explored. These archetypes include science and technology parks, research centers, incubators, accelerators, advanced development spaces, innovation districts, virtual hubs and nodes. Food system innovation hubs can provide transformative solutions to food systems by bringing the right innovations to market faster in a cost-effective manner.
Climate Change and Food Systems
Authors: Mirzabaev Alisher , Olsson Lennart , Kerr Rachel Bezner , Pradhan Prajal , Ferre Marta Guadalupe Rivera , Lotze-Campen Hermann
Published: January 2023

Climate change affects the functioning of all of the components of food systems, often in ways that exacerbate existing predicaments and inequalities among regions of the world and groups in society. At the same time, food systems are a major cause of climate change, accounting for a third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, food systems can and should play a much bigger role in climate policies. This chapter highlights nine action points for climate change adaptation and mitigation in food systems. The chapter shows that numerous practices, technologies, knowledge and social capital already exist for climate action in food systems, with multiple synergies with other important goals, such as the conservation of biodiversity, the safeguarding of ecosystem services, sustainable land management and reducing social and gender inequalities. Many of these solutions are presently being applied at local scales around the world, even if not at sufficient levels. Hence, the major effort to unleash their potential would involve overcoming various technical, political-economic and structural barriers for their much wider application. Some other solutions require research and development investments now, but will focus on helping us meet the longer-term challenges of climate change in regard to food systems in the second half of this century, when most existing food production practices will face unprecedented challenges. In the short term, these pro-poor policy changes and support systems can have a range of positive effects well beyond food systems without delay. In the long term, investments in research will help ensure food security and ecosystem integrity for coming generations.
Delivering Climate Change Outcomes with Agroecology in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence and Actions Needed
Authors: Snapp Sieglinde , Kebede Yodit , Wollenberg Eva , Dittmer Kyle M. , Brickman Sarah , Egler Cecelia , Shelton Sadie
Published: January 2023

This chapter reviews evidence of the impacts of agroecological farming practices on climate adaptation and mitigation. Farm diversification has the strongest evidence for its impacts on climate change adaptation. The evidence for agroecology’s impact on mitigation in LMICs is modest and emphasises carbon sequestration in soil and biomass. Agroforestry has the strongest body of evidence for impacts on mitigation. Locally relevant solutions produced through participatory processes and the co-creation of knowledge with farmers has improved climate change adaptation and mitigation. Knowledge gaps were found in regard to agricultural climate change mitigation, resilience to extreme weather, and agroecology approaches involving livestock, landscape redesign and multi-scalar analysis. There is a need to assess the performance of agricultural development using an outcome-based approach based on agroecological principles and climate change adaptation and mitigation indicators in order to guide donor and national investment. Moreover, direct investment and the scaling of practices for which the current evidence is strongest are needed. These include: (1) agricultural diversification, agroforestry and local adaptation; (2) increase action around resilience to extreme weather and climate change mitigation outcomes in LMICs and build the capacity of policymakers, scientists and institutions from the global South to work on these issues; and (3) compare the cost-effectiveness and outcomes of agroecology approaches with other agricultural development interventions at multiple scales, including the valuation of environmental and social benefits to better evaluate alternative approaches to sustainable agriculture.
The Global Cost of Reaching a World Without Hunger: Investment Costs and Policy Action Opportunities
Authors: Chichaibelu Bezawit Beyene , Bekchanov Maksud , von Braun Joachim , Torero Maximo
Published: January 2023

This study developed a marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) to identify a mix of least-cost investment options with the highest potential for hunger reduction, hunger here defined by the undernourishment concept of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Twenty-two different interventions are considered for reducing undernourishment relying on information drawn from best available evidence-based literature, including model- and large-scale intervention studies. Ending hunger by 2030 would require annual investments of about US$ 39 to 50 billion until 2030 to lift about 840 to 909 million people out of hunger, which is the 2020 estimate of hunger projection in 2030, also considering the effects of COVID-19. Investing in agricultural R&D, agricultural extension services, information and communication technologies (ICT) – agricultural information systems, small-scale irrigation expansion in Africa and female literacy improvement are low cost options that have a relatively large hunger reduction potential. To achieve the goal of ending hunger by 2030, not only is it urgent not to lose any more time, but also to optimally phase investments. Investments that have more long-term impacts should be frontloaded in the decade in order to reap their benefits soon before 2030. A balanced approach is needed to reach the hungry soon – including those adversely affected by COVID-19 with social protection and nutrition programs.
Financing SDG2 and Ending Hunger
Authors: Díaz-Bonilla Eugenio
Published: January 2023

This chapter focuses on innovation in mechanisms to finance the transformation of food systems to end hunger by 2030 and achieve SDG2. The key questions analyzed are: given the estimated costs involved in the transformation of food systems to achieve zero hunger, (1) What are the financing options available? (2) What is their quantitative availability? and (3) How to mobilize/reallocate the potential sources of finance? The concepts proposed here include international development finance, public budgets, banking, and capital markets at the global and national levels. A robust pipeline of investable opportunities should be established with an adequate profile and clear, measurable, and monitorable impact objectives, aligned with achieving SDG2 and ending hunger. Guarantee for “zero hunger” bonds is proposed to finance related public programs, and, in support of that, it is suggested that 2% of the new allocation of SDRs of 650 billion dollars be assigned to a fund, which could be set up within the IMF, to guarantee the interest rate payments of zero hunger bonds issued by developing countries as part of a Zero Hunger Alliance.
The Bioeconomy and Food System Transformation
Authors: Trigo Eduardo , Chavarria Hugo , Pray Carl , Smyth Stuart J. , Torroba Agustin , Wesseler Justus , Zilberman David , Martinez Juan F.
Published: January 2023

This chapter identifies opportunities around bioeconomic concepts for the transformation of food systems. Bioeconomy is a multi-dimensional concept and blends well with the food systems concept. Its goals include the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; the efficient use of energy and material; responsible consumption; and social inclusion through innovation, with a focus on the transformation of the structure of production. Bioeconomy makes important contributions to sustainable economic growth from the environmental and social points of view, offering direct jobs and employment and higher value addition. Bioeconomy offers support for the transformation of food systems by increasing crop and livestock yields through sustainable intensification activities. It can strengthen local value chains, promoting the reuse and recycling of food resources. These strategies at the local level contribute to poverty reduction through the creation of new rural jobs. Food system resilience can be strengthened based on the diversification of agricultural commodity production, the increased use of bio-based inputs in agriculture and the diversification of rural incomes through the rural production of bioenergy, bio-based industry and environmental services. Bioeconomy can be effectively used for the upscaling of biotechnology innovations, improved environmental sustainability and climate resilience, and improved nutrition and health. Links between the bioeconomy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are demonstrated by using the indicators of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for monitoring and evaluating the bioeconomy.
How Could Science–Policy Interfaces Boost Food System Transformation?
Authors: Hainzelin Etienne , Caron Patrick , Place Frank , Alpha Arlène , Dury Sandrine , Echeverria Ruben , Harding Amanda
Published: January 2023

The world’s food systems must be transformed to make healthier diets more accessible for all, while increasing the sustainability and resilience of these systems, as clearly called for in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Scientists and policymakers are among the actors necessary for this transformation. This chapter reviews the importance of the interfaces between science and policy and how these interfaces can become more active and effective. There is no single science—policy interface, but rather many, at different scales, for different functions, addressing different challenges. Strengthening, connecting, and streamlining these interfaces can ensure the consistency and success of food system transformation. To improve science—policy interfaces, the scientific community should (1) generate actionable knowledge, data, and metrics to move beyond obstacles, and address trade-offs and barriers to change, including power asymmetry, path dependency, conflicts of interest, and risk and uncertainty; (2) articulate models, knowledge, and place-based innovations for designing, implementing, and assessing specific transformative pathways—this requires specific arrangements, dialogues, and approaches, including scientific ones; (3) connect expertise mechanisms, such as scientific committees, to address multisectoral and multiscale processes for sustainable development; and (4) strengthen scientific cooperation through major challenge-oriented alliances and programs. Science—policy interfaces can play a decisive role if they are able to dovetail divergent views and overcome polarized debates and sectoral fragmentation. These interfaces must also help us to look ahead and to bridge local and global processes and actions.
Engaging Science in Food System Transformation: Toward Implementation of the Action Agenda of the United Nations Food Systems Summit
Authors: von Braun Joachim
Published: January 2023

In the “Chair Summary and Statement of Action on the UN Food Systems Summit,” the UN Secretary-General emphasized the role of science for the transformation of the food systems. A “Food Systems Follow-up Coordination Hub” and “Country Level Platforms led by the (national) Government(s)” will lead the follow-up on the UNFSS Action Agenda. A community of science and knowledge organizations relevant to food systems research (food systems-relevant science landscape, FSSL) is envisioned to support the implementation of the agenda to transform food systems. This chapter outlines a concept for the contribution of science for implementation of the UNFSS Action Agenda at the national, regional, and global levels. The contours of the national-, regional- and international-level FSSL are outlined for engagement with policy and stakeholder communities. Also, a framework for mapping the national level FSSL for individual countries is exemplified.

There is need for a global science-policy interface (SPI) on food systems linked with national and regional SPIs. For successful implementation of the Action Agenda and the transformation of food systems, countries’ local research capacities need to be enhanced.
AI Super-Resolution: Application to Turbulence and Combustion
Authors: Bode M.
Published: January 2023

This article summarizes and discusses recent developments with respect to artificial intelligence (AI) super-resolution as a subfilter model for large-eddy simulations. The focus is on the application of physics-informed enhanced super-resolution generative adversarial networks (PIESRGANs) for subfilter closure in turbulence and combustion applications. A priori and a posteriori results are presented for various applications, ranging from decaying turbulence to finite-rate chemistry flows. The high accuracy of AI super-resolution-based subfilter models is emphasized, and advantages and shortcoming are described.
Machine Learning Strategy for Subgrid Modeling of Turbulent Combustion Using Linear Eddy Mixing Based Tabulation
Authors: Ranjan R. , Panchal A. , Karpe S. , Menon S.
Published: January 2023

This chapter describes the use of machine learning (ML) algorithms with the linear-eddy mixing (LEM) based tabulation for modeling of subgrid turbulence-chemistry interaction. The focus will be on the use of artificial neural network (ANN), particularly, supervised deep learning (DL) techniques within the finite-rate kinetics framework. We discuss the accuracy and efficiency aspects of two different strategies, where LEM based tabulation is used in both of them. While in the first approach, referred to as LANN-LES, the subgrid reaction-rate term is obtained efficiently using ANN in the conventional LEMLES framework, in the other approach referred to as TANN-LES, the filtered reaction rate terms are obtained using ANN. First, we assess the implications of the employed network architecture, and the associated hyperparameters, such as the amount of training and test data, epoch, optimizer, learning rate, sample size, etc. Afterward, the effectiveness of the two strategies is examined by comparing with conventional LES and LEMLES approaches by considering canonical premixed and non-premixed configurations. Finally, we describe the key challenges and future outlook of the use of ML based subgrid modelling within the finite-rate kinetics framework.
The Historical Situation
Authors: Ruonakoski Erika
Published: January 2023

How does the history of philosophy affect the situation of women students in the field today and how has that situation changed over the years? From the very early days of philosophy, there have been women with either indirect or direct access to philosophical education. The fact that women are interested in philosophy and want to study it has received some attention even in the texts attributed to ancient philosophers, such as Platoand Phintys. However, ever since those days, women have remained a minority within philosophy and their position in it has been fairly precarious. To analyse the perpetuation of women’s marginalisation in philosophy, I introduce Le Dœuff’s idea of the erotico-theoretical transference and discuss the cult of genius. In addition, I scrutinise the temporal and pedagogical meaning of having women predecessors in philosophy, and suggest ways of integrating such predecessors in the curriculum. The chapter ends with the goals and outcomes of a related experimental summer school titled Feminist Thinking in Historical Perspective.
The Affective, Social and Bodily Situation
Authors: Ruonakoski Erika
Published: January 2023

This chapter deals with the affective, social and bodily situation of learning and teaching philosophy, starting with a discussion of the views articulated by both students and professional philosophers in the interviews and answers to the questionnaire on attitudes to studying philosophy. The discussions of women students’ “love” or “passion” for philosophy and of the dynamics of alienation from philosophy lead to an examination of the alienation related to students’ social class, raceand sexual orientation. As we saw earlier, feminist pedagogy has typically tried to surpass the idea of reason that operates as separate from the feeling, sensing and moving body. In this chapter, I discuss the aspect of the senses and how they are and could be integrated in processes of learning more comprehensively. At the end of the chapter, I describe two summer schools. The first of these is the Icelandic one, Philosophy of the Body, which examined the possibility of teaching philosophy “through the body”. The second is the Danish summer school titled Feminist Political Philosophy.
Conclusions and Further Questions
Authors: Ruonakoski Erika
Published: January 2023

This concluding chapter consists of three parts: the general conclusions of the whole book, “questions to ask oneself” and a discussion of the possibilities for renewing philosophy in the current state of university politics. Furthermore, the first part includes suggestions for empirical research on the underrepresentation of women in philosophy. The purpose of the second part is to help lecturers to think through their own teaching practices and possible shortcomings from the viewpoint of inclusiveness. In the third part, I ask what kind of politics could replace the neoliberal framework that has dominated the academic world for the past few decades.
Rooting Gene Trees via Phylogenetic Networks
Authors: Tiuryn Jerzy , Rutecka Natalia , Górecki Paweł
Published: January 2023

Gene trees inferred from alignments of molecular sequences are usually unrooted. Since the root of a gene tree is often the desired property, one of the most classical problems in computational biology is gene tree rooting, where the goal is to infer the most credible rooting edge in an unrooted gene tree. One way to solve it is to apply unrooted reconciliation, where the rooting edge is postulated based on a given split of a rooted species tree. Here, we address a novel variant of the rooting problem, where the gene tree root is inferred using a given phylogenetic network of the species present in the gene tree. One can apply unrooted reconciliation to obtain the best rooting, where the unrooted gene tree is jointly reconciled with a set of splits inferred from the given network. Natural candidates are splits induced by display trees of the network. However, such an approach is computationally prohibiting due to the exponential size of the set. Therefore, we propose a broader and easier-to-control set of splits based on the structural properties of the network. Next, we derive exact mathematical formulas for the rooting problem with the algorithm that runs in square time and space. We verify the algorithm’s quality based on simulated gene trees and networks.
Technology Acceptance and Adoption in Education
Authors: Granić Andrina
Published: January 2023

The chapter provides a comprehensive and up-to-date insight into main research findings in the area of educational technology acceptance, adoption, and usage. Over the past decades, a variety of theoretical perspectives have been advanced to provide an understanding of the determinants of adoption of various technologies used to support the process of knowledge transfer and acquisition. Although some prominent theoretical approaches in educational contexts include Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), as well as Motivational Model (MM), research reveals the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the most influential model and leading scientific paradigm in investigating acceptance of educational technology by students, teachers, and other stakeholders. Aiming to increase their predictive validity, in numerous empirical studies, models have been extended with different predictive factors, like the most often validated self-efficacy, subjective norm, perceived enjoyment, perceived playfulness, anxiety, social influence, system quality, and facilitating conditions. Research revealed electronic learning (e-learning) as the most common validated mode of delivery, followed by mobile learning (m-learning), learning management system (LMS), personal learning environment (PLE), and massive open online course (MOOC), along with different supportive facilitating technologies used in education such as social media platforms, teaching assistant robots, simulators, as well as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. To enhance explanatory power, new developments in educational technology acceptance and adoption have suggested the need of integration of TAM and UTAUT with other contributing adoption and post-adoption theories and models, together with several established approaches from other fields.
Institutional Partnerships and Collaborations in Online Learning
Authors: Porter David , Perris Kirk
Published: January 2023

Globally, partnerships and collaborations are increasingly common in postsecondary education. The advent of networked technologies has intensified bilateral and multilateral engagements, and in the context of learning, it reveals there are a variety of partnership and collaboration “types” that can form. This chapter presents three examples of partnership and collaboration types drawn from the academic and business literature. Four case studies of partnerships and collaborations are then presented, and the aforementioned types are applied as a best fit to a given case study. The exercise illustrates how partnerships and collaborations in postsecondary education may develop and evolve, and how they can be sustained. The partnership and collaboration types offer some structure to better understand how institutions may approach and derive benefit from engagement with other institutions centered on achieving the objectives of access, quality, and innovation, espoused by proponents of online learning.
Academic Professional Development to Support Mixed Modalities
Authors: Tynan Belinda , Bossu Carina , Leitch Shona
Published: January 2023

This chapter will explore professional development (PD) of academic and teaching staff in the use of technologies to support learning in mixed modalities including blended and online modalities in higher education contexts. The authors will explore current practices in both face-to-face (f2f) and online/distance education contexts. A succinct annotated review of key seminal and recent texts will be provided of current trends in relation to PD of staff and the implications that arise from this research for practitioners. Two very different but relevant examples of PD will be provided to bring the discussion to life: (i) at the Open University, UK, and (ii) at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.
Institutional Infrastructures for Open, Distance, and Digital Education
Authors: Benke Meg , Widger Laura
Published: January 2023

Infrastructure for open, distance, and digital education (ODDE) needs to have the capability to dynamically develop to accommodate varying models for the delivery of the curriculum and the changing needs of students and institutions. The capability to dynamically develop can be instilled within the institutional infrastructure for ODDE which includes areas such as information technology (IT), emerging technologies, marketing and recruitment, student prospect lead management, registration, educational materials, libraries, and student supports. Organizationally, infrastructures to support affordability, scalability, sustainability, and support must be developed. Open questions and directions for future research on institutional infrastructure for ODDE along with implications for ODDE practice that arise from this research are included.
The Rise and Development of Digital Education
Authors: Weller Martin
Published: January 2023

Over the past 25 years, digital education has risen to prominence. It has a direct relationship with open education, which can be considered an umbrella term. In this chapter the rise of digital education is explored through five specific educational technologies. These technologies – the web, Learning Management System (LMS), blogs, social media, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) – all raise issues of control and ease of use. They also have a direct impact on different aspects of open education, which in turn helps inform their development. This chapter sets out the multiple interpretations of open education and their overlap with digital education. By then exploring five educational technologies, common themes are extracted which highlight this intersection of digital and open education.
The Role of the Online Instructor
Authors: Dennen Vanessa P. , Jones Melissa K.
Published: January 2023

Online instructors draw upon a complex set of skills, activities, and values to meet the needs of students who are separated from them by time and/or space, but united with them through digital technologies. Berge (1995) introduced the idea that the instructor’s job could be represented through four interrelated roles: pedagogical, managerial, social, and technological. Instructors who develop expertise in all four of these dimensions are well-situated for supporting online students, who similarly must navigate these dimensions. This chapter explores each of these roles and their relationship to online learning. Two additional areas of concern for online instructors, the ethical dimension and the networked dimension, are also discussed.
Classic Theories of Distance Education
Authors: Evans Terry , Jakupec Viktor
Published: January 2023

This chapter explores the influence of three of distance education’s classic theorists—Otto Peters, Börje Holmberg, and Michael Moore—on its subsequent conceptualization and practice. The classic theorists’ understanding of theory and theorizing is discussed critically in the context of the articulation of each’s particular theory. This is then contextualized in terms of the history of the development of distance education and its institutions, from Pitman’s correspondence courses on shorthand, through correspondence schooling and higher education external studies, to the rise of the United Kingdom Open University in the 1960s. The latter’s subsequent powerful influence on the theory and practice of open and distance education internationally is described as stimulating a fertile context for the classic theorists’ endeavors. Finally, consideration is given to more recent scholars’ interpretations and adaptations of the classic theories of distance education. This leads to a concluding reflection on the authors’ engagement with distance education theorizing and the prospects for the future of distance education’s theorizing and practice.
Digital Credential Evolution
Authors: West Richard E. , Cheng Zui
Published: January 2023

In this chapter, we discuss open recognition as a key part of the digital learning/open education revolution, and open microcredentials a method for open recognition to disrupt traditional educational practices surrounding how we recognize and certify learning. We begin with definitions of open microcredentials, badges, verifiable credentials, and similar concepts. Then, we discuss the potential of open microcredentials to impact teaching and learning at the micro-, meso-, and macrolevels. We then conclude with recommendations for practice and the suggestion of a framework to guide research.
Introduction to Global Perspectives and Internationalization in ODDE
Authors: Bedenlier Svenja
Published: January 2023

This introductory chapter delves into global perspectives and internationalization surrounding around the field of ODDE by distinguishing and exploring the concepts of global perspectives on ODDE and the globalization and internationalization within ODDE. This introduction outlines the setup of the section, connects the individual chapters, and develops the section per content areas covered. Following this portrayal, implications for ODDE theory, practice, and research in global perspective are then drawn from the contributions in this section. In sum, the chapters call for continuous engagement of researchers and practitioners in the field to facilitate a broad and multifaceted scientific discussion on the practice of ODDE that is mindful of the entanglement of culture, voice, policy, and economics in a global view.
Shaping the Field of Open, Distance, and Digital Education
Authors: Zawacki-Richter Olaf , Jung Insung
Published: January 2023

This chapter provides a brief overview of the overall structure by the Chief Editors of the Handbook of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE) published in Springer’s Major Reference Series. The handbook is organized along the lines of the 3M-Framework covering all important issues related to ODDE at the macro- (ODDE systems, theories, and methods), meso- (ODDE educational management and institutions), and micro- (teaching and learning) levels. Each level is addressed in one volume with two sections. Informed by the historical roots of ODDE, the editors and authors of this handbook are shaping the field of ODDE scholarship, theory, and practice.
Instructional Quality and Learning Design of Massive Open Online Courses
Authors: Stracke Christian M. , Burgos Daniel , Tlili Ahmed
Published: January 2023

This chapter analyzes the instructional quality and learning design of different categories of online courses and their history, with a special focus on massive open online courses (MOOCs). Online courses have a long tradition that has gained public attention, broad interest, and huge numbers of participants thanks to the introduction of free MOOCs accessible online for all interested learners worldwide. In this chapter, we first define MOOCs, their characteristics, and history. Afterward, theoretical frameworks and practical instruments and tools based on scientific research are presented. From the beginning, the quality of MOOCs (and of online courses in general) has been debated. That led to discussions about the learning design and outcomes of MOOCs, which we introduce in the next section. Key research findings and practical validated instruments for designing and evaluating MOOCs (and online courses in general) are presented. Then following, the key benefits of MOOCs and the main arguments and scenarios for their usage are summarized. Based on our analysis of the research results, practices, and standards, a framework for categories and types of (massive open) online courses is proposed, called the typologies of online courses (TOC) framework. As part of the global community for open educational resources (OER) and in combination with the UNESCO recommendation on OER, MOOCs can play a significant role in achieving the SDG4 of the United Nations: inclusive and equitable quality education for all. This is true in particular during times of public lockdowns, such as during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Case Study I: Tuning Random Forest (Ranger)
Authors: Bartz-Beielstein Thomas , Chandrasekaran Sowmya , Rehbach Frederik , Zaefferer Martin
Published: January 2023

This case study gives a hands-on description of Hyperparameter Tuning (HPT) methods discussed in this book. The Random Forest (RF) method and its implementation was chosen because it is the method of the first choice in many Machine Learning (ML) tasks. RF is easy to implement and robust. It can handle continuous as well as discrete input variables. This and the following two case studies follow the same HPT pipeline: after the data set is provided and pre-processed, the experimental design is set up. Next, the HPT experiments are performed. The R package is used as a “datascope” to analyze the results from the HPT runs from several perspectives: in addition to Classification and Regression Trees (CART), the analysis combines results from surface, sensitivity and parallel plots with a classical regression analysis. Severity is used to discuss the practical relevance of the results from an error-statistical point-of-view. The well proven R package is used as a uniform interface from the methods of the packages and to the ML methods. The corresponding source code is explained in a comprehensible manner.
Voices of Economic Competence: Legitimizing the Government in Federal Budget Speeches
Authors: Rajandran Kumaran
Published: January 2023

Budget speeches are an overview of public economic initiatives and can anticipate revenues, expenditures, policies, and activities. These speeches enable a government to discursively legitimize economic competence. While legitimation can be achieved by the representation and evaluation of economic initiatives, intertextuality should also be analyzed because the use of voices helps or hinders legitimation. The chapter explores how the Barisan Nasional (BN) government legitimized its economic competence through intertextual voicing. It outlines the source and engagement of voices and operationalizes a method that involves five sequential stages. The chapter analyzes an archive of Malaysian federal budget speeches from 2010 to 2018. The analysis discloses various instances of intertextual voicing because the speeches articulate voices in economics, politics, and religion. The choice of voices is shaped by the Malaysian context. Intertextual voicing legitimizes BN through moralization and authorization. The voices can be considered as voices of economic competence because economic, political, and religious voices discursively legitimize actions and decisions for the economy. Intertextual voicing serves ideological purposes because it perpetuates government economic agency. In budget speeches, BN promotes itself as indispensable to Malaysian development, and it should consequently continue to govern the country. These speeches then become part of the genres that validate BN.
Using slacks-based model to solve inverse DEA with integer intervals for input estimation
Authors: Younesi Atefeh , Lotfi Farhad Hosseinzadeh , Arana-Jiménez Manuel
Published: January 2023

This paper deals with an inverse data envelopment analysis (DEA) based on the non-radial slacks-based model in the presence of uncertainty employing both integer and continuous interval data. To this matter, suitable technology and formulation for the DEA are proposed using arithmetic and partial orders for interval numbers. The inverse DEA is discussed from the following question: if the output of $$DMU_o$$

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increases from $$Y_o$$

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to $$\beta _o$$

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, such the new DMU is given by $$(\alpha _o^*,\beta )$$

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belongs to the technology, and its inefficiency score is not less than t-percent, how much should the inputs of the DMU increase? A new model of inverse DEA is offered to respond to the previous question, whose interval Pareto solutions are characterized using the Pareto solution of a related multiple-objective nonlinear programming (MONLP). Necessary and sufficient conditions for input estimation are proposed when output is increased. A functional example is presented on data to illustrate the new model and methodology, with continuous and integer interval variables.
Coordination optimization of hydrogen‐based multi‐energy system with multiple storages for industrial park
Authors: Liu Kun , Xu Zhanbo , Gao Feng , Wu Jiang , Guan Xiaohong
Published: January 2023

Supply‐demand coordination optimization of hydrogen‐based multi‐energy system provides an effective way to improve the overall energy utilization efficiency and mitigate the challenges of energy and environmental crisis for industrial park. However, the uncertainties of energy supply and demand and the time coupling caused by storage system bring great challenges for energy efficiency and feasibility of strategy. To address the supply‐demand coordination problem, a scenario‐based operation optimization model of hydrogen‐based multi‐energy system is formulated. In this model, grey hydrogen, green hydrogen, and renewable energy are coordinated. Furthermore, in order to formulate the hard constraints of the gas storage, the robust constraints with adjustable robust parameters are added to make a trade‐off between feasibility and economy of operation strategy. The robust constraints are non‐linear, time‐coupled, dynamic and infinite dimensional and bring high computational complexity. Thus, the analytical solutions of the worst case are developed under the polyhedral budget constraints to transform the model into a mixed integer linear programming which can be efficiently solved. Finally, numerical test based on a real case is analysed and the results show that supply‐demand coordination can reduce the energy cost about 11.29% and energy storage system can significantly improve the flexibility of system.
A further investigation on the data assimilation-based small-scale reconstruction of turbulence
Authors: Wang Yunpeng , Yuan Zelong , Wang Jianchun
Published: January 2023

Existing works have shown that the small-scale errors of turbulence can be completely eliminated through data assimilation (DA), provided that all the large-scale Fourier modes below a critical wavenumber kc≈0.2η−1 are continuously enforced, where η is the Kolmogorov length scale. Here, we further explore the DA-based small-scale reconstruction problem, for which the large-scale data are insufficient. Under such conditions, an unexpected artificial jump in the energy spectrum is observed. To alleviate this issue and improve the reconstruction accuracy, several approaches have been attempted, including ensemble averaged assimilation, temporally sparse data assimilation (TSDA), and filtering the penalty term in the assimilation. It is shown that ensemble averaging can tangibly reduce the reconstruction error, but the resulted energy spectrum is invariably lower than the true spectrum; TSDA can effectively remove the jump in the energy spectrum, but the reduction of the reconstruction error is limited. Filtering the penalty term can also rectify the energy spectrum, but it makes the reconstruction error larger. Based on these observations, we re-scale the ensemble averaged solution according to the rectified energy spectrum. Both the energy spectrum and the small-scale reconstruction accuracy have been improved by the re-scaled ensemble average method. Furthermore, we also test the current approach in the spatial nudging-based reconstruction of turbulence. Again, enhanced predictions are obtained for both the energy spectrum and the instantaneous turbulent field, invariably demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
Control of bow shock induced three-dimensional separation using bleed through holes
Authors: Chandravamsi Hemanth , Bhardwaj Sourabh , Ramachandra K. , Sriram R.
Published: January 2023

The unsteady three-dimensional separated flow on a wall induced by a square protrusion (approximately twice the local boundary layer thickness in width and height), and its control by means of passive suction through holes, is investigated using wind tunnel experiments at Mach 2.87. The baseline flow without any control was characterized and compared against the cases with bleed. A bow-shaped separation line on the wall with a mid-span separation length of 5.57δ from protrusion face was traced from the oil-flow visualization. The averaged pressure distribution surveyed using static pressure ports placed on the wall has mapped plateau, high-pressure, and low-pressure regions in the separated flow, distinctive to three-dimensional interactions. Ten control configurations were tested with suction holes placed along mid-span in the different pressure regions. Significant spanwise “Mean Reduction in Separation Length” of up to 0.93δ was observed from oil-flow visualization. A comparison of observations from various control configurations suggested that bleeding the flow from the high-pressure region could delay the separation and reduce the bubble size in general. Furthermore, time-resolved Schlieren visualizations have confirmed reduction in both “mid-span separation length” and “shock-intermittent-region” with the introduction of suction in high-pressure region. Fourier and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition analysis done on the Schlieren data has confirmed the presence of low-frequency separation-shock oscillations at Strouhal Numbers of order 10−2, both with and without control. Furthermore, the amplitudes of separation-shock oscillations in the spectrum were reduced with the introduction of suction simultaneously from two holes placed in high- and low-pressure regions.
The topology of data
Authors: Porter Mason A. , Feng Michelle , Katifori Eleni
Published: January 2023

Topological data analysis, which allows systematic investigations of the “shape” of data, has yielded fascinating insights into many physical systems.
A survey of women in astronomy
Authors: Behrman Joanna
Published: January 2023

The Sky Is for Everyone: Women Astronomers in Their Own Words, Virginia Trimble and David A. Weintraub, eds., Princeton U. Press, 2022, $29.95
Antibiotic resistance profile and molecular characterization of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) from human clinical samples in gaza strip, palestine
Authors: Tayh Ghassan , Elmanama Abdelraouf , Selmi Rachid , Slama Karim Ben
Published: January 2023

The rates of antibiotic resistance in extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) have increased significantly in recent years. This study aims at studying antibiotic resistance, virulence factors (VFs), and the phylogenetic background of ExPEC isolated from Palestinian patients. A total of 42 ExPEC isolates were collected from patients with extraintestinal infections in three Palestinian hospitals. Antimicrobial susceptibility was studied by the disk diffusion method. Resistance/virulence-gene profiles, phylogenetic groups, and integron profiles of these isolates were studied by PCR. The susceptibility to carbapenems was detected in 90.5% of the isolates. Half of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, and 33.3% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant. BlaTEM-1 was detected in seven isolates and blaOXA-1 was identified in one isolate. Sul, qnrA, and aac(6′)-Ib-cr genes were found in 12, 3, and 2 isolates, respectively. Class 1 integron has been identified in 10 isolates with the gene cassette arrangement dhfr17 + aadA5. The isolates were distributed between phylogroups B2 and D. The presence of VFs, antibiotic resistance genes, and class 1 integron associated with phylogenetic groups (B2 and D) among multidrug-resistant (MDR)-ExPEC recovered from urinary tract infections (UTIs) patients will complicate infection management and increase therapy failure. Routine screening of antibiotic resistance is important for appropriate and efficient empirical treatment.