bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of Key Greenhouse Gas Emission Sources for Construction Activities of an Integrated Oil and Gas Company.
Authors: Wei Cheong Tse , Rao Thirupathi
Published: February 2025

An integrated oil and gas company requires regular investments to construct new plants and facilities to sustain its operations and production. The construction of these new facilities by the third-party contractors results in emissions of greenhouse gases (“GHG”) from various sources. To identify the key GHG emission sources from the construction activities of such large capital projects, GHG emissions were calculated for a representative sample of projects. The results were then extrapolated to the remaining unsampled projects to estimate the total emissions from each type of GHG emission source. It was determined that marine vessels used for offshore installation projects were the most significant source of GHG emissions as it accounted for 85% of the total emissions from all construction activities. This indicates that any efforts to reduce GHG emissions from oil and gas construction activities would be most impactful if it is focussed on offshore installation projects. However, the quantum of these emissions that originate from the third-party contractors’ activities is relatively insignificant compared to the emissions from sources that are owned or operated directly by an oil and gas company.
UAV Thermal Imaging for Solar Panel Assessment
Authors: Idris N F , Ahmad M A , Kahlid M D , Kamal A , Hamdan H , Ahmad M J
Published: February 2025

One of the most significant sustainable energy sources in recent times is solar energy. A high-rise building’s solar panels are usually costly and require considerable time to inspect. The installation of solar panels using monocrystalline solar cells at Faculty of Civil Engineering and Built Environment (FKAAB) building is a notable step towards the university’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. This study utilized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with thermal imaging technology to inspect solar panels at the FKAAB building. UAV with thermal camera captured images of defects at FKAAB and produced orthographic images of the temperature of the solar panel. The surface temperatures of solar panels that are normally functioning range from 45°C to 49°C, while those that are abnormally operating range from 50°C to 55°C. This result found that 97.8% of the panel are below 50°C, and only 2.2% of the panel exceeded 50°C. It shows that most of the panel is within the normal condition. It is concluded that the solar panel inspection technique utilizing UAV-based thermal imaging can be helpful for monitoring and safety checks.
Evaluation of biochar amendments to retain organic compounds in soil
Authors: Hmaied A , Ben Hassen Trabelsi A , Hammecker C
Published: February 2025

The use of biochar is frequently recommended as a low-cost mitigation strategy. Biochar can be easily and inexpensively produced from various agricultural residues. In this study, we produced and evaluated the impact of biochar derived from rosemary, bamboo, St. John’s wort, olive tree wood, cypress, and palm trees on the mobility and retention of emerging contaminants. The initial stage of this work involved the evaluation of the potential retention capacity of various biochars produced in a low-cost metallic kiln using local biomass residues. Methylene blue was used as a proxy for organic contaminants to establish adsorption isotherms and quantify the biochars’ specific surface area and adsorption capacities. Adsorption isotherms at 20°C were fitted to different models to assess their specific surface areas.

The results showed that biochars derived from rosemary, giant reed, and St. John’s wort exhibited significant adsorption capacities. Average adsorption capacities for cypress and olive tree were observed, while traditional olive and palm trees showed low adsorption capacities.

In the second stage, we evaluated the dynamic retention properties of biochar using soil monolith experiments. We analyse methylene blue (MB) elution curves with and without biochar addition. The presence of biochar in the soil monoliths significantly improved the retention of MB, demonstrating its effectiveness as an adsorbent filter. Specifically, biochar-amended soil monoliths exhibited an increase in MB retention compared to unamended controls. The breakthrough curves showed a delay in the elution of MB of 2,33 pore volumes in biochar-amended monolith increase in sorption capacity. Furthermore, the total recovered MB in the effluent was reduced by 66 % in biochar-treated samples. These quantitative findings underscore the robust potential of biochar for improving water quality by mitigating pollutant transport through the soil. The results suggest that the application of biochar could serve as an effective strategy to reduce agricultural runoff contamination in vulnerable watersheds.
Effects of biochar use on drought and salinity stresses for cowpea production
Authors: Andriatsitohaina R , Sumalan R , Rasolomampianina R
Published: February 2025

Climate change is unavoidable and compromises future food availability. The aim of this research is to identify the physiological behaviour of vigna unguiculata. It is a common plant in Africa with drought’s resilience. An experiment was conducted at the University of Life Science “King Michael I”, Romania in 2023. Four treatments included C (Control soil without stresses), B (soil with 5% of biochar without stresses), D (soil with 5% of biochar with drought stress) and S (soil with 5% of biochar with salinity stress) were compared under total randomized experimental design. The biochar used during experiment come from rice husk. The drought-stress starts with 90% of plant watering and finished to 22% of plant watering and the salinity stress starts at 250 mM and finished at 450 mM. Evaluation are focussing on leaf area, chlorophyll content and stomatal conductance. The results show that water stress does not affect leaf area until 22% of plant watering. Also at this stage, stomatal conductance shows significant difference of 22.51±0.95 mmol/m2s1 compared to control 59.96±0.37 mmol/m2s1. Under salinity stress at 450 mM of concentration, the leaf area are 111.40 ± 6.77 cm2 compared to control 174.88 ± 3.91 cm2. The treatment with biochar improves positively leaf area 266.56 ± 7.34 cm2 the leaf area is correlate of the fresh biomass weight result. Total chlorophyll is not affected by the various stresses. These results contribute for having better knowledge that vigna unguiculata can offer response to climate change and also how biochar can preserve crop production under stresses.
Impact of compost and biochar amendment on date (Phoenix dactylifera) production at different phenological stages.
Authors: Barkat K , Guimeur K , Bedjaoui H
Published: February 2025

The date palm is the pivot of the oasis system. This work focuses on improving date production by using amendments based on date palm waste. The main objective is to study the effect of compost and biochar on date production. The trial was carried out at the ITDAS “El-Hadjeb” station on 36 palm trees of the “Deglet Nour” cultivar over 10 years old. For field fertilization, several combinations were tested, including biochar combined with manure and chemical fertilizers, as well as biochar combined with compost and fertilizers, or biochar alone with manure or compost. Biometric parameters measured included date length, width, and weight, as well as yield (kg/palm) at different maturity stages (Loulou, Khalal, and Tamar). Biochemical parameters measured included moisture and acidity at the Tamar stage. The main results indicate that the biochar-manure combination treatment was more effective than other treatments in improving biometric parameters at different stages of maturity, increasing yield by around 92 kg/palm. For biochemical parameters, the lowest average titratable acidity was recorded with the biochar-manure-fertilizer and biochar manure combinations, at 0.06 meq/100g and 0.0625 meq/100g respectively. On the other hand, the highest average was observed for the control with 0.287 meq/100g. The lowest water content was recorded in the mineral fertilizer treatment with an average of 9.5%. However, the highest average was observed in the biochar-manure treatment with a value of 15%. Biochar can help retain water and nutrients in the soil, creating a favorable environment for date growth. This can enable plants to benefit rapidly from available nutrients.
Time-Lapse Monitoring of Injected Fluid Migration in Hydrocarbon Reservoir using Low-Frequency Passive Seismic
Authors: Jannah Tsamrotul , Verdhora Ry Rexha
Published: February 2025

Injecting fluids into wells near the reservoir is a strategy used to address tight reservoir issues. One such instance is carried out in the “TS” Oil and Gas Field. We propose low-frequency passive seismic (LFPS) measurements in continuous recording as surveillance to monitor fluid injection activities in the field and support the evaluation of connectivity between injection wells and production wells. This study utilized hydrocarbon-related spectral attributes, i.e., power spectral density – integral of Z component (PSD-IZ) and vertical-to-horizontal spectral ratio (V/H). The findings demonstrated that, consistent with anomalies, stations near the injection well had greater PSD-IZ and V/H values, especially those over the oil field. V/H max values were noticeably higher than 1, and PSD-IZ values peaked in the 2–3 Hz frequency region. Trend examination of V/H readings over three months showed injection-process-influenced fluid movement patterns. The V/H values of the stations were much higher when they were closer to the injection well and lower or even declined when they were farther away. Based on the mapping of these changes, the fluid injected from Well F is moving southward. Meanwhile, no clear indications of anomalous changes were observed for the fluid injected from Well G, likely due to differences in injection rates. This study demonstrates that the LFPS method can effectively identify the direction of injected fluid movement when the injection rate exceeds the production rate.
Seismic-based Reservoir Characterization of Thin Shaly-Sandstones Reservoirs using Stochastic Inversion and Elastic Attributes Rotation, Study Case: Lower Terumbu Formation, East Natuna Basin, Indonesia
Authors: Winardhi Sonny , Meickloni Wahyuzi A. , Dinanto Ekkal , Budhi Ritonga A. , Satriawan W. , Budiyono
Published: February 2025

The main reservoir of the Lower Terumbu formation in the East Natuna Basin, Indonesia is shallow marine bioturbated shaly sandstones. A well-based analysis shows that the ratio between P- and S-wave velocities (Vp/Vs ratio) and P-impedance are sensitive to lithology, porosity, and fluid saturation. Therefore, a seismic-based reservoir characterization method is carried out through a two-term Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) analysis of Ursenbach-Stewart and Extended Elastic Impedance (EEI) inversion approaches. However, since the reservoir thickness is mostly below the tunning thickness, the stochastic inversion technique is utilized. The P-impedance and Vp/Vs ratio resulted from the EEI inversion are then combined to form a pseudo-elastic impedance for lithology (PEIL) and a curved pseudo-elastic impedance (CPEI). These two attributes are used to provide estimates of two main petrophysical parameters, namely porosity and fluid saturation. Results show that fluid saturation can be approximated by CPEI with a correlation of 0.83. Meanwhile, a linear relationship between porosity and PEIL is found with a better correlation of 0.85. Three main results representing P10, P50, and P90 are extracted out of 25 stochastic realizations using a hydrocarbon pore volume (HCPV) approach. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach has proven to be a robust and reliable technique to help delineate thin sandstone reservoirs in this study area.
Windowed Spectral Blueing in Frequency Limited Seismic Ensemble: a Bandwidth Enhancement of Post-Stack Seismic
Authors: Oktariena Madaniya , Triyoso Wahyu , Fatkhan  , Septama Erlangga , Wardaya Pongga D.
Published: February 2025

As the oil and gas exploration endeavour concentrates on stratigraphic traps, old existing data is being revisited and reprocessed to map this potential. Footprints on seismic traces are a common undesired characteristic caused by seismic data merging. Merging two seismic datasets often focuses on target level resolution. With different vintages, re-acquisition of identical fields always aims to improve resolution or target upside potential. Seismic preconditioning becomes a required step to increase bandwidth and resolution. This study proposes a strategy for improving seismic resolution in general and eliminating footprints in outdated post-stack seismic data that is commonly available in exploration or abandoned fields. Seismic is split into three ensemble groups by limiting the frequency to lower, middle, and higher classes using the signal envelope. Whitening is then applied to each ensemble to re-balance the energy level of a chosen reference from the data in order to maintain the amplitude preservation. Each ensemble undergoes spectral blueing, in which the low amplitude is strengthened to fit the signal envelope. The use of windowed spectral blueing in a frequency limited seismic ensemble resulted in reduced seismic footprints and improved reflector continuity. Bandwidth-wise, the range of frequency is expanded, resulting in an alternative way for producing more broadband seismic from older vintage. Thus, supporting enhanced oil recovery spirit by utilizing the old data to reach its peak potential.
Stress rotation around faults in a 3D shear model and its relation with Coulomb stress
Authors: Kusumawati Dian , Puspito Nanang T. , Daryono Mudrik R.
Published: February 2025

Synthetic data modelling is carried out with a simple model (rectangular prism) using the finite difference method, to understand the relationship between fault deformation, friction, and stress fields, specifically maximum stress rotation. Modelling with simple blocks has been carried out in previous studies, but in this research several modifications will be applied, namely: (1) displacement per year as driving force for block deformation, (2) 3D modelling over a simulation time span of 200 years, and (3) application of the half-space fault model in an elastic medium. Numerical modelling results show a sharp change in maximum stress rotation at the tips of the fault when the fault slips. This stress rotation occurs as a result of contraction/traction zones at the ends of the fault. The average value of shear stress on a fault versus the average value of Coulomb shear stress or fault shear strength is observed to be correlated with the appearance of a sharp change in maximum stress rotation. Thus, it can be used as an indicator of stress rotation on fault deformation.
Mapping Earthquake Prone Areas Using a Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) Approach in South Malang Area
Authors: Kusniyah Annisa’ul , Sutrisno  , Hapsoro Cahyo Aji
Published: February 2025

Geologically, Indonesia is situated at the convergence of major global tectonic plates, namely the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, and Pacific plates, making it a country with a significantly high earthquake risk. In 2021, a 6.1 Mw earthquake occurred, followed by 16 aftershocks within a span of 3 days. This earthquake struck near the southern coast of East Java, specifically in the Malang Regency area. The geological structure of this coastal region is predominantly composed of swamp sediment and limestone from the Wonosari formation. These geological conditions result in significant ground displacement during an earthquake. Based on seismic and soil conditions, the southern coastal region of Malang is identified as a high-risk area for large-scale earthquakes. Therefore, a Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) approach is essential to assess earthquake hazard levels as a foundation for earthquake disaster mitigation efforts. The required data includes real-time earthquake data, consisting of the time of occurrence, depth, magnitude, and location of the earthquake. From this PSHA approach, variations in Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) are produces a range from 49.3415 gal to 86.6479 gal for a 10% probability of exceedance and from 56.70847 gal to 100.16678 gal for a 2% probability of exceedance. Based on the PGA values, Gedangan, Sumbermanjing Wetan, Tirtoyudo, and Ampelgading District are the district with the highest PGA value for both probabilities. Pagak and Pagelaran District has a lower PGA value for both probabilities when compared to Sumbermanjing Wetan District. The PGA values can produce for creating a land vulnerability map. Through this map, the risk of earthquake hazards can be analyzed, enabling effective disaster mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of material damage and casualties when an earthquake occurs.
Application of Global Optimization Using Simulated Annealing and Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm: A Comparative Study on the 2022 Mw 5.6 Cianjur Earthquake
Authors: Nugraha Reza
Published: February 2025

Determining the hypocenter is vital to the process of analysing an earthquake. In the global optimisation problem to relocate hypocenters, the conventional algorithm often suffers from local minimum and fails to produce satisfactory results. As such, many algorithms have been devised to overcome this problem. This study compares the performance of the very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) algorithm to the artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC) using Cianjur’s 5.6 Mw 2022 earthquake data. The VFSA algorithm mimics the process of cristal-forming metal cooling from a high temperature while adding an exponential annealing schedule to ensure rapid convergence of errors. The ABC algorithm on the other hand models the optimisation process as a bee swarm’s behaviour in searching for food. The earthquake data is fetched from IRIS and synthetic arrival times on five stations are used. Forward modelling is done with homogenous velocity to simplify the process of producing synthetic data. Inversion is then carried out on the same model search space for both algorithms and the results are quantified on 500 simulation runs. It is found that while both results agreed on the same hypocenter that is accurate to the solution obtained from the IRIS data, the VFSA algorithm converges twice as fast as the ABC algorithm with significantly lower RMS error. However, the performance against local minimum is not evaluated, thus may result in different performance compared to other cases. Additionally, a comparison to other studies for both algorithms showed similar results, confirming the accuracy of the algorithms.
MHVSR for the Investigation of Sub-Surface Layer of Tangkuban Parahu Volcano, West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Fachrani Zuhaa , Lesmana Aditya
Published: February 2025

Tangkuban Parahu Volcano is one of the active volcanoes in West Java, known for its frequent pheratic eruptions. The volcanic activity in 2013 and 2019 is believed to have influenced the accumulation of sediment in the area surrounding the volcano. This study utilized MHVSR method with three-component microtremor data to analyze the natural frequency distribution of subsurface geological structures around the volcano. This research aims to enhance the insight into the relationship between sub-surface layers, especially the geological structures and microtremors around volcanic environments, by mapping the thickness of volcanic deposits using S-wave velocity profiles. The research used microtremor data from 30 seismic stations, including 5 broadband and 25 temporary seismic stations. The microtremor data had a recording duration of ±24 hours spanning late 2021 to early 2022. Using the MHVSR method, important parameters such as natural frequency (f0) and amplification (A0) were determined. The inversion process provided insights into the Vs profile beneath Tangkuban Parahu Volcano. The results revealed that station TPB1 recorded the lowest f0 value at 1.16 Hz, while station TPA4 registered the highest f0 at 10.94 Hz. Form the inversion result, seen the value of Vs30 is varies, namely 171,72 m/s – 332,75 m/s, with dominance of rock classes D that descript to be medium soil and one station has rock class E which classified as soft soil.
Application of Artificial Intelligence PhaseNet and GaMMa, and NonLinLoc Program in Optimization of Regional Tectonic Earthquake Identification on The Island of Java
Authors: Jut Vincentia Derdya Tyas Mahiswari , Rosalia Shindy , Sahara David Prambudi
Published: February 2025

The condition and amount of earthquake data in the world continues to increase along with the increasing capacity and coverage of the global seismic network. Therefore, there is a need for technology that can accommodate the increasing amount of data and process it quickly to help improve data processing efficiency in identifying seismic wave phases. This can help the development of more advanced systems, such as disaster early warning systems in Indonesia. In this study, we apply artificial intelligence, namely PhaseNet and GaMMA, along with probabilistic location determination using NonLinLoc, to optimize the identification of regional tectonic earthquakes in Indonesia, particularly on the Island of Java. Seismogram data from 50 regional tectonic earthquakes on Java Island, Indonesia in 2020, with a magnitude range of 3.28 to 5.49, were used. PhaseNet processing of the seismogram data resulted in P-wave and S-wave picks, where 189 out of 569 picks (33%) demonstrated a time difference of under 3 seconds relative to the BMKG catalog, indicating good accuracy. GaMMa generated a total of 44 event associations from a total of 2207 picks out of 50 events (88%) generated by PhaseNet. After filtering based on the Wadati diagram, the arrival times of 20 events were input into NonLinLoc. Of the 20 input events, 17 events had their hypocenters estimated using NonLinLoc. The comparison between NonLinLoc and the BMKG catalog shows that the minimum, average, and maximum differences for determining the hypocenter location respectively are 3.914 km; 206.270 km; and 57.370 km, with 58% of the events having differences in the range of 20-35 km. In summary, using high-quality input data, the implementation of PhaseNet, GaMMa, and NonLinLoc can optimize the identification of regional tectonic earthquakes on Java Island.
Suitability assessment of nature-based tourism around national Park: Examining potential attractions near Biha Resort, Bukit Barisan Selatan, Indonesia
Authors: Mardiyanto Anggi , Sianipar Corinthias P M , Shibata Shozo
Published: February 2025

Areas around national parks offer beautiful landscapes with a promising appeal for nature-based tourism. It provides alternative livelihoods for communities living in nearby settlements and supports conservation efforts. However, suitability assessment for nature-based tourism usually employs time-consuming analytical or spatial approaches that require extensive data collection and full technical analysis, making it challenging for local communities to conduct the assessment independently. Thus, this study aimed to provide a rapid parametric assessment that can immediately be utilized locally. Involving 11 parameters in three aspects (attractiveness, accessibility, and facilities), this study examined 11 natural resources (two beaches, one agroforestry spot, two dams, and six waterfalls) available near Biha Resort, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP), Indonesia, for their suitability as nature-based tourism attractions. The results showed that their suitability achieved 16/20 points for attractiveness, 15/16 for accessibility, and 15/15 for facilities. Thus, the suitability level for nature-based tourism in the region reached 90.2%, which is considered high. Still, infrastructure development, including roads and other public facilities (e.g., telephone and internet services, public restrooms, transportation, medical facilities, and tourism schools), remains crucial to foster the sustainability of nearby human settlements as the gateway to nature-based tourism.
Land Use Changes for a Sustainable Environment in Cihideung Village
Authors: Rohman M I N , Pratiwi W D
Published: February 2025

Applying sustainable development principles in the planning process is crucial in tourism’s dynamic development because the activities can provide positive and negative impacts. The tourism industry is viewed from a holistic approach; it is necessary to consider not only aspects of tourism but also focus on sustainability elements dimensions: economic, social, and ecological. The expert discusses that sustainable development has three features: the continuity of natural resources, balances within culture, and development as a process that enhances the quality of life. This study aims to determine land-use changes and tourism activities over the last 20 years and produces recommendations for neighbourhood environmental sustainability and community welfare. This research uses simple qualitative and quantitative methods supplemented by observations and in-depth interviews with locals and business actors. A regional complex approach in geography, as a combination of a spatial approach and an ecological approach, is used in this analysis stage. The transformation process is also seen from the factors within the scope of the tourism village, such as aspects of the population density, changes in land cover, and infrastructure. The results of this study indicate that, in general, there are apparent changes in aspects of accessibility and improvement of facilities, as well as changes in agricultural land into residential areas. Applying the design of sustainability principles to develop area agro-tourism as a human settlement and economic activity of Cihideung Village is proposed and is related to much research. Application of the principle of sustainability is expected to integrate tourism activities, natural resources, and the residential environment.
Hybrid Biochar-Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-C3N4) composite Photocatalyst: A Facile Strategy for Enhanced degradation of Ciprofloxacin (CIP)
Authors: Idrees Ijlal , Zafar Muhammad , Umer Malik Adeel , Mir Amna , Rehman Fahad , Faisal Abrar , Razzaq Abdul , Kim Woo Young
Published: February 2025

Amongst diversity of pharmaceutical micropollutants degradation methods and to counter the possible hazards posed by these micropollutants in an economical and sustainable way, a new approach of wastewater treatment involving advanced oxidation process (AOP) like photocatalysis offers a viable and economical treatment of micropollutants in wastewater. Amongst variety of photocatalysts, the one that emerged as a most economical, abstemiously thermally stable, innocuous and resourceful semiconductor photocatalyst is graphitic carbon nitride (GCN). Hence, bearing in mind these aspects together with the simplistic preparation approach and visible light absorption of GCN, a composite of GCN with Biochar (BC) is prepared in this contemporary research work aiming towards enhanced degradation of Ciprofloxacin (CIP) through improved visible light absorption and good photoexcited electron-hole separation. The enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of GCN is achieved by changing the quantity of BC. This alteration in BC content led to the creation of an optimum sample with the best degradation efficiency towards CIP. The superlative removal efficiency with 75% removal of CIP was exhibited by 0.22-BGCN sample whose removal efficiency was noted to be 3.5 times higher than GCN (21%). These results are pointing towards the success of composite formation of GCN with BC due to enhanced photocatalytic activity observed in the results and proves the creation of a visible light active (VLA) photocatalyst for efficient removal of pharmaceutical micropollutants like CIP from wastewater. Many different methods are employed to study the physiochemical, textural and optical properties of the prepared material which includes Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV Visible absorption, and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy.
Study of DC-biased microwave discharge by changing anode structure in a 10-cm diameter ion thruster
Authors: Wang Linwei , Yu Daren
Published: February 2025

Research has been carried out on a hybrid discharge ion thruster, aiming to combine the advantages of Direct Current (DC) discharge ion thrusters (known for their high thrust density and high power supply efficiency) with microwave discharge ion thrusters (which do not require a hollow cathode and are capable of efficient ionization at low pressures). Comparative experiments with different anode structures and single-probe diagnostics revealed that applying a DC bias voltage created a new ionization zone based on microwave discharge. This DC bias increased the sheath potential of the screen grid and led to an elevation in electron temperature and plasma density. It is speculated that the reduced loss of highenergy electrons generated by microwave discharge at the screen grid is the primary reason for the enhanced discharge. By adding a DC bias of approximately 50 V to the microwave discharge, the screengrid current was doubled without a significant increase in discharge power consumption. Under appropriate bias voltages that consider minimizing ion sputtering, DC bias holds promise as a design approach to increase the extracted beam current in microwave ion thrusters.
Physics ‘deep tech’ missing out on £4.5bn
Authors: Banks Michael
Published: February 2025

A major new report by the Institute of Physics finds that venture-capital investors often struggle to invest in physics, as Michael Banks explains.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab announces further staff layoffs
Authors: Gwynne Peter
Published: February 2025

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has announced another round of staff layoffs. The move, which began in mid-November, involves about 325 people, representing 5% of the lab’s employees.
Mechanical quantum bits sound good for applications
Authors: Wogan Tim
Published: February 2025

Researchers in Switzerland have created a mechanical qubit using an acoustic wave resonator, marking a significant step forward in quantum “acoustodynamics”.
Nuclear shapes revealed in high-energy collisions
Authors: Feldman Andrey
Published: February 2025

Scientists in the STAR collaboration have unveiled a pioneering method for investigating the shapes of atomic nuclei by colliding them at near lightspeed in particle accelerators.
Students must not fund academia
Authors: Hance Jonte
Published: February 2025

Jonte Hance says that the recent increase in tuition fees will only delay the inevitable fall of the UK academic system.
From blackboard to boardroom
Authors: Phillips Robert
Published: February 2025

Got a great idea for a new technology but don’t know how to turn it into a product? Want a career in industry but find the world of business confusing? Robert Phillips shares his key tips and tricks for developing entrepreneurship skills.
Ask me anything: Dave Smith
Authors: Skipper Katherine
Published: February 2025

Dave Smith is the UK government’s national technology adviser based in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). In this role, he advises the government on technology policy and builds links with industry and academia. After completing a PhD in physics at the University of Warwick, Smith worked in several roles in the technology industry. Before being appointed to his current post, he was the director of central technology at Rolls-Royce.
Investigating the role of blockchain-enabled drivers on consumers’ organic food consumption: A stimulus-organism-response perspective
Authors: Ta Van Loi , Duong Cong Doanh
Published: February 2025

The role of blockchain technology in the organic food supply chain remains largely unexplored. This study leverages insights from the stimulus-organism-response theory to examine how blockchain-driven traceability and transparency affect consumer trust and organic food purchasing behavior. Moreover, it also explores how personal trust and system trust mediate and interact harmoniously and disparately with each other to result in consumers’ purchase decisions. Utilizing a purposive sample of 5,326 consumers in Vietnam, the recent study adopts multiple linear regression and polynomial regression with response surface analysis to assess the hypothesized model. The results reveal that both blockchain-driven traceability and transparency significantly enhance personal trust and system trust, which in turn positively influence organic food purchase behavior. The study also finds that a balance between personal and system trust is crucial for maximizing purchase behavior, while an imbalance in either direction leads to a decrease in purchase behavior. Personal and system trust is also found to significantly mediate the effects of blockchain features on purchase behavior. Based on the findings, several key recommendations have been provided for producers, regulatory bodies, and policymakers.
Soft sensory-neuromorphic system for closed-loop neuroprostheses
Authors: Son Donghee , Kim Jaehyon , Lee Sungjun , Yoon Jiyong
Published: February 2025

Prosthetic devices designed to assist individuals with damaged or missing body parts have made significant strides, particularly with advancements in machine intelligence and bioengineering. Initially focused on movement assistance, the field has shifted towards developing prosthetics that function as seamless extensions of the human body. During this progress, a key challenge remains the reduction of interface artifacts between prosthetic components and biological tissues. Soft electronics offer a promising solution due to their structural flexibility and enhanced tissue adaptability. However, achieving full integration of prosthetics with the human body requires both artificial perception and efficient transmission of physical signals. In this context, synaptic devices have garnered attention as next-generation neuromorphic computing elements because of their low power consumption, ability to enable hardware-based learning, and high compatibility with sensing units. These devices have the potential to create artificial pathways for sensory recognition and motor responses, forming a “sensory-neuromorphic system” that emulates synaptic junctions in biological neurons, thereby connecting with impaired biological tissues. Here, we discuss recent developments in prosthetic components and neuromorphic applications with a focus on sensory perception and sensorimotor actuation. Initially, we explore a prosthetic system with advanced sensory units, mechanical softness, and artificial intelligence, followed by the hardware implementation of memory devices that combine calculation and learning functions. We then highlight the importance and mechanisms of soft-form synaptic devices that are compatible with sensing units. Furthermore, we review an artificial sensory-neuromorphic perception system that replicates various biological senses and facilitates sensorimotor loops from sensory receptors, the spinal cord and motor neurons. Finally, we propose insights into the future of closed-loop neuroprosthetics through the technical integration of soft electronics, including bio-integrated sensors and synaptic devices, into prosthetic systems.
The Higher Education Wage Premium
Authors: Parr Tom
Published: February 2025

Because higher education opens doors to more lucrative offers of employment, those who graduate from university tend to earn more than their counterparts who attain only a high school education. Notwithstanding variations across countries, this higher education wage premium has increased spectacularly over the past forty years. This chapter starts with an account of why we should worry about this trend—one that emphasizes the threat that it poses to equality of opportunity. The chapter then considers and evaluates two strategies for combatting the growing higher education wage premium, which relate to widening participation in higher education and to improving the economic prospects of those with no more than a high school education. This chapter argues in support of the latter, and elaborates on its implications for funding for vocational training.
Linguistic Idealism and the Genealogy of Negation
Authors: Gaskin Richard
Published: February 2025

The chapter presents an argument for linguistic idealism based on the nature of negation. It is attractive to locate the core idea of negation in the operation of exclusion, but exclusion is both a real and a verbal phenomenon: which status drives which? The chapter considers the nature of positivity and negativity, explores some of the symmetries and asymmetries between them, and argues that negation essentially imports the idea of incompatibility ranges. These are in turn to be identified with categories, in the sense of distinct subject matters of discourse, so that the phenomenon of negation—not merely verbal negation but also real—depends essentially on language.
Non-active voice in heritage Greek
Authors: Alexiadou Artemis , Rizou Vasiliki
Published: February 2025

The present study explores the use of non-active (NAct) Voice by heritage Greek speakers (HSs) residing in Germany and in the United States. Previous literature has suggested that the acquisition of NAct Voice is vulnerable in bilingual populations, as it is related to a more complex and underspecified structure. An explanation of this pattern was given following the Syntactic Complexity Hypothesis. In our study, we will focus on productions of NAct Voice that seem to go against this general tendency. Specifically, we will see that certain speakers generalize NAct morphology in transitive variants of alternating verbs, i.e., anticausatives, and moreover, they create novel transitive deponents, although this is very limited. We interpret these two findings as follows: the first one suggests that HSs generalize NAct as a marker of intransitivity. By contrast, the second one supports an analysis of the Greek Voice system according to which a structure containing NAct can be productively employed to yield new meanings, as recently proposed by Oikonomou and Alexiadou (2022).
The shape and size of defective domains
Authors: Putnam Michael T
Published: February 2025

Although Pennsylvania Dutch (PD) has retained many German(ic) syntactic traits, there are a number of recent developments in its representation of non-finite clauses, i.e., defective domains that warrant further investigation. Two particular changes stand out: First, over the course of the last 100–150 years, PD has “lost” its infinitival marker, replacing it with the complementizer fer, which appears in C. Second, PD has developed a defective clausal gerund, however, it currently lacks clausal gerunds. Both of these phenomena can be accounted for in a straightforward and unified manner: PD continues to exercise the general tendency of Germanic languages to not project Spec,TP as a final landing site for subjects. This state of affairs exemplifies important trends in HL syntax, namely, (1) that mental representations play a central role in determining the limits and boundaries of syntactic change and transfer and (2) Representational Economy in HL syntax should not only be viewed as a call for the reduction of the size of computational domains.
The DP layer in heritage Norwegian
Authors: Lohndal Terje , van Baal Yvonne
Published: February 2025

Across heritage grammars, Polinsky (2018) argues that the D layer in nominal phrases is a resilient area. Given that D typically hosts determiners, we would expect the use of determiners to be robust across heritage languages. In this chapter, we will discuss this claim and test it against data from heritage Norwegian. Specifically, we will focus on North American Norwegian, which is a heritage language spoken in the United States and Canada. We argue that properties at the top of a structure do not have to be stable, which aligns with findings regarding other phrasal categories as well. In addition, stable properties do not need to be at the top of the structure. This points toward the need for more fine-grained predictions regarding the resilience of grammatical features and exponents in heritage languag grammars. It also underscores the importance of understanding the syntax of the baseline variety and taking it into consideration before making predictions about the syntax of the heritage variety.
Relational Changes
Authors: Bruskin Signe
Published: February 2025

Relational changes are crucial to the organization’s social dynamics and influence the employees’ well-being and loyalty to their workplace. Examples include getting a new leader and a colleague resigning, fundamentally changing the organization’s culture and social dynamics. Seeing relations at work as being like a cobweb helps us understand their complexity. Even though we tend to focus more on the relational changes that influence us negatively, there is excellent potential for relational changes to be positive. Thus, opportunities to work proactively with relations at work may be created through micro actions, ultimately increasing the organization’s knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and creativity.
What is State Death?
Authors: Lemke Douglas
Published: February 2025

This chapter parallels Chapter 1, except here the deep dive concerns operational definitions of state death. If we expand the operational definition of states, we must also expand the operational definition of state death. Figure 2.1 categorizes eight types of state death, all of which are represented in my framework, but only one and parts of two others are considered in past research on state death. Clearly, a great deal of international relations behavior has been excluded by past researchers. I close the chapter describing the uncomfortable gray area between peaceful state deaths and regime change, offering many examples to clarify how I coded difficult cases.
State Making Theories and the Survival of States
Authors: Lemke Douglas
Published: February 2025

In this chapter, I develop hypotheses about state death from state making theory. These hypotheses concern conflict experiences and birth legacies. I also consider counterarguments about different state making processes in Africa and in regions with low population density. I test all these hypotheses in a variety of duration models and illustrate the stronger findings with real-world examples. I find that states participating in conflicts are less likely to die, states losing conflicts are more likely to die, but states winning conflicts are no more or less likely to die. I also find no support for expectations that states with bad birth legacies are more likely to die. The results are remarkably consistent across all statistical analyses, even when I separate cases by state type and/or by death type. The conclusion is that state making theory does help us anticipate how states die, but imperfectly.
Saying What One Thinks
Authors: Salje Léa
Published: February 2025

Saying what one thinks can be difficult; sometimes one knows that a thought is there, but it takes time and effort to find its proper articulation. This book is about articulatory self-knowledge, or the sort of knowledge about one’s own mind that results from successful attempts to articulate evasive thoughts of this kind. Rather than account for this phenomenon as a mere verbal blockage, this book argues that the obstacle to articulation in these cases has to do with the representational metaphysics of the thought. When it first occurs, the thought has the wrong representational format to serve as the content of a sentence—work must be done on it before it can be uttered aloud. What results is a picture of a little-explored form of psychological self-knowledge that reveals hidden parts of one’s mind to oneself even as one goes about creating the thought in its new, articulated form. The final parts of the book explore the role of conversation in drawing out articulations of this kind, and the possible expression of thoughts in art. By the end of the book, articulatory self-knowledge no longer looks like a mere quirk of our psychology, but emerges as a central feature of distinctively human cognition.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Authors: Gutner Tamar
Published: February 2025

In 2016 the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) opened its doors as China’s first major foray in creating and leading an international organization with global membership. The AIIB is a paradox as a liberal institution created by an illiberal regime. Today the AIIB is a medium-sized multilateral development bank (MDB) with a global membership second to the World Bank’s. This book offers a comprehensive explanation of the factors behind the birth and the design of the AIIB and examines the AIIB in a larger context of Chinese development finance strategies. The bank designed by a group of state and multilateral development bank (MDB) experts, and designed to be deeply networked with other MDBs. While it is largely cut from the same cloth as other major MDBs, it also faces similar criticism. The analysis is a reminder that more nuanced approaches are necessary to understand why and how China’s institutional strategies show great variation, and that at a more macro level, China is neither solely a status quo power nor a revisionist power intent on subverting institutions and norms of the global order.
Why Create Another Development Bank?
Authors: Gutner Tamar
Published: February 2025

This chapter examines the factors leading up to China’s decision to create the AIIB. It argues that three interconnected, strategic factors—political, economic, and institutional—created a window of opportunity to create a new MDB. The first was Chinese president Xi Jinping’s desire to turn China into a more outward-looking, actively rising global power. This was translated into China’s strategy of taking a greater leadership role in the region and beyond, reflecting a new confidence in its role in regional and global politics. The second was the huge demand for infrastructure financing in the region allowed institutional space for a new MDB where other MDBs were already working. Third, China was frustrated by the fact that its voice in major international organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund did not reflect its status as one of the world’s top economies.
AIIB in a Broader Multilateral Development Finance Context
Authors: Gutner Tamar
Published: February 2025

This chapter places the AIIB in the broader landscape of China’s parallel strategies in multilateral and bilateral development finance. It examines China’s strategies in MDBs and argues these deeply engage with the norms, rules, and practices of the MDB model. However, there is one major caveat on this supportive multilateralist role: evidence of China taking action inside MDBs that can harm the banks’ and China’s legitimacy can easily tip the balance and is a reminder that the Chinese state’s cooperative role it not binary, static, or homogenous. Second, the chapter examines Chinese creditors’ actions in infrastructure lending under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as those have not generally adhered to development banking norms, rules, and practices. Together these parallel strategies offer evidence of variation in China’s institutional approaches to global economic governance.
Laugh It Off: Moral Admiration and Humorous Humility
Authors: Arcila-Valenzuela Migdalia
Published: February 2025

First, this chapter argues that praise, as an expression of moral admiration, disrupts moral equality, in terms of equal relationships of accountability, that underpins the practices of moral communities. The disruption created by elevating the admired person to a position of moral superiority is called the pedestal problem. Second, this chapter contends that deflecting praise, rather than accepting or rejecting praise, is the most effective way to counteract the moral inequality introduced by moral admiration. Finally, this chapter introduces the phenomenon of humorous humility and explores how it serves as an effective strategy for deflecting praise and avoiding the pedestal problem.