bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new design model for anchorages with flexible elastic base plate for concrete breakout failure under tension loads
Authors: Sharma Akanshu , Eligehausen Rolf
Published: December 2024

The current codes and standards for the design of anchorages against concrete cone breakout failure require the base plate to be rigid such that each anchor is subjected to almost equal load under concentric tension, and there is a linear distribution of anchor forces for groups under eccentric tension or bending. These are the basic requirements for the application of concrete capacity design (CCD) method, but in many cases, satisfying these requirements may need a rather thick base plate, which gets impractical. Using the CCD method for design of anchorages with flexible base plates (resulting in nonlinear distribution of anchor forces) can lead to rather unsafe designs. In this article, a new method for design of anchor groups with flexible base plate is proposed that modifies the resistance obtained by the CCD method based on the anchor force distribution to obtain the resistance valid for the anchorages with flexible base plate. First, the analytical method is conceptualized for its validity on simple cases and then it is extended for its application to more complicated cases. The results of the calculation method are compared and validated by the results of few available tests and further on several cases analyzed using the nonlinear spring model. The comparison of results show that the proposed method is suitable for the design of anchor groups with any given base plate thickness that results in a linear or nonlinear anchor force distribution.
Strategic Requirements-Based Product Design: A Tri-Tool Methodology For Advanced Circular Economy
Authors: Wallat Phillip , Low Jiwei , Tanzil Eldwin Darryl
Published: December 2024

Redesigning and updating products represent time-consuming processes, even if the same methodology as the original design is applied. New political influences, economic factors and newly developed techniques must be taken into account. Reliable tools and robust methods to streamline the process are therefore necessary to support engineering designers in their decision making and potentially decrease the time to market for the revised product. Three tools with different focuses will be used to structure an efficient and comprehensive methodology either for new or redesign of a product in a circular economy. The first tool aligns the class of good of the product with four different circular approaches, establishes the basic framework of the methodology and provides the designer with a suitable circular approach. The next tool is a method-variants analyzer that serves as a guidance tool for the designer to understand the dynamic relationship of product type and design methodology in order to determine the most efficient method in each design phase The third tool will assist designers with specific tasks regarding the material of a certain part. Utilizing numerical values of the inherent chemical and physical properties of the material, it is possible to assess and align the parts’ performance in fulfilling assigned functions and the parts’ behavior throughout the recycling process. This subsequently improves the assessment of the product in correlations of recycling and functions fulfillments, and its evaluations for potentially better alternatives. Hence, with the combined approach of those three tools into one methodology, the design engineer will be assisted throughout the whole process with: swift feedback regarding the circular approach, most suitable for the goods type of the product; proposals for the necessary depth of the design process for each assembly as well as balancing functionality and recyclability of single parts.
Spontane intrazerebrale Blutungen
Authors: Fabisch Linda , Fandler-Höfler Simon
Published: December 2024

Spontane intrazerebrale Blutungen sind mit einer hohen Morbidität und Mortalität verbunden. Die häufigsten Ätiologien sind zerebrale Mikroangiopathien (Arteriolosklerose, zerebrale Amyloidangiopathie), seltener makrovaskuläre und andere Ursachen. Nachdem die Behandlung intrazerebraler Blutungen über lange Jahre keine entscheidenden Fortschritte zeigte, hat sich das Verständnis nun hin zu einem akuten Notfall, der unmittelbar behandelt werden muss, gewandelt: Die Kernpunkte der Akuttherapie sind ein sogenannter „care bundle“, der eine rasche Normalisierung des Blutdrucks (auf Werte < 140 mm Hg systolisch), die Antagonisierung einer möglichen Antikoagulation sowie die zeitnahe Evaluation möglicher neurochirurgischer Optionen (Hämatomleerung, externe Ventrikeldrainage und/oder Hirndrucksonde) umfasst, wobei minimal-invasive Techniken vorzuziehen sind. Eine Behandlung auf einer Stroke Unit oder spezialisierten Intensivstation ist vorteilhaft. Im weiteren Management ist es wichtig, die zugrunde liegende Ursache einer intrazerebralen Blutung zu erkennen. Hier werden in den meisten Fällen eine CT-Angiographie sowie eine MRT des Gehirns entscheidende Hinweise liefern. Basierend auf der Ursache kann eine gezielte individualisierte Sekundärprophylaxe einleitet werden, die ein engmaschiges Blutdruckmanagement, die direkte Behandlung zugrunde liegender Ursachen (z. B. arteriovenöse Malformationen) sowie die Evaluierung der Wiedereinleitung antithrombotischer Medikamente beinhalten kann. Zahlreiche weitere Studien werden das Verständnis, das Akutmanagement und die Sekundärprophylaxe in den kommenden Jahren weiter verbessern können.
Enhancing Weed Suppression in Plants by Artificial Stress Induction
Authors: Merkle Michael , Petschenka Georg , Belz Regina , Gerhards Roland
Published: December 2024

Various plant species from the Poaceae, Cannabaceae, and Brassicaceae families are used as cover crops to suppress weeds and volunteer crops through competition and allelopathy. This study examined the effects of artificially induced stress on the physiological processes, total phenolic content (TPC), and allelopathic potential of the plant species Avena strigosa, Cannabis sativa, and Sinapis alba at an early growth stage with the aim to increase their weed suppression abilities. Stress was induced at the 3–4 leaf stage in greenhouse-grown plants via harrowing, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) application, insect stress simulation, or a combination of insect stress and harrowing. Maximum quantum yield of photosystem II and shoot dry matter in the three plant species were only minimally or not affected a few days after treatment (DAT). Insect stress caused visible symptoms on treated leaves in all plants. The TPC in the shoot extracts of combined stress-treated C. sativa and insect-stressed S. alba was significantly higher by 1.7 and 1.9 times, respectively, five DAT compared to the shoot extracts from untreated control plants. Additionally, laboratory bioassays with aqueous shoot extracts from the untreated and treated plants were conducted to identify changes in allelopathic potential within the shoot tissues. The application of shoot extracts from MeJA-treated C. sativa and S. alba resulted in the lowest seed germination rates for the two weed species Alopecurus myosuroides and Stellaria media, as well as for the volunteer wheat Triticum aestivum, which were up to 65% lower 10 DAT compared to seeds treated with shoot extracts from non-stressed plants. However, the root-suppressing effect of the shoot extracts on weeds was not influenced by the stress treatments. This study reveals that artificial stress induction can be a suitable management strategy to enhance weed and volunteer cereal suppression in plants in an early growth stage but may vary between stress types and plant species, and requires further optimization and field testing.
Knowledge and merely predictive evidence
Authors: Schilling Anderson Haley
Published: December 2024

A jury needs “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” in order to convict a defendant of a crime. The standard is vexingly difficult to pin down, but some legal epistemologists have given this account: knowledge is the standard of legal proof. On this account, a jury should deliver a guilty verdict just in case they know that the defendant is guilty. In this paper, I’ll argue that legal proof requires more than just knowledge that a defendant is guilty. In cases of “merely predictive evidence,” a jury knows that the defendant is guilty but does not have legal proof. What are they missing? Evidence that is causally downstream from the crime. Legal proof requires a “smoking gun.” The point generalizes outside of the courtroom. A professor needs to read a term paper before assigning a grade, even if she knows the student will produce A + work. You may know that your roommate will forget to water the plants while you are away—she is scatterbrained and always forgets these things—but you can’t blame her until you get back home and see that the plants are wilting. In order to have appropriate reactions or reactive attitudes, we must respond causally to what other people have done.
Sensitivity analysis on critical combinations of input parameters in DEM granular flow analysis
Authors: Xiao Junsen , Tozato Kenta , Nomura Reika , Otake Yu , Terada Kenjiro , Moriguchi Shuji
Published: December 2024

Granular flow is a typical process that occurs in sediment disasters, including rockfalls, avalanches and landslides, etc. The runout distance in granular flow is closely associated with the ultimate impact range of these sediment disasters. However, this factor is often highly sensitive to various physical parameters and exhibits significant randomness. Hence the study of granular flow is crucial to elucidating the mechanism of such disasters and even to disaster prevention and mitigation. In recent years, a numerical simulation called discrete element method (DEM) that simulates at the particle level has been widely used in this field. Based on the above situation, this study aimed to capture the critical DEM input parameter combinations for risk assessment in a four-dimensional parameter space considering the particle size distribution. XGBoost feature importance is employed to decide the search priority, and its results indicate that the friction angle with bottom surface (FABS) and coefficient of restitution (COR) are the key parameters. The two key parameter spaces were then comprehensively explored using Gaussian process regression response surfaces. The correlation between the FABS and runout distance appeared as a convex function. The COR exhibited diverse degrees of approximately linear correlation with the runout distance throughout the granular flow. The particle size distribution indirectly led to inconsistencies between the bidisperse flow and other granular flows in the influence mechanisms of the key parameters. By clarifying this effect, we efficiently identified two critical parameter combinations for granular flow DEM simulation.
Enhancing Phase Stability in Low-Activation TiVTa-Based Alloys Through CALPHAD-Guided Design
Authors: Lu Shuqing , Zhang Zhouran , Tang Yu , Li Shun , Bai Shuxin
Published: December 2024

Refractory multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) hold promise for next-generation plasma-facing materials, but their susceptibility to phase instability at intermediate temperatures (500–800°C) hinders their long-term use as structural nuclear materials. This study employed a CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) approach to rationally design several novel non-equimolar TiVTa and Cr-doped TiVTa alloys with enhanced phase stability and discovered the phase stability of which at different temperatures. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirmed the exceptional phase stability of Ti33V33Ta34, Ti29V28Ta43, Ti34V30Ta36 and Cr-doped TiVTa alloys, which retained a single BCC phase after heat treatment at 500°C and 700°C for 24 h. However, increasing Cr additions led to the precipitation of a Laves phase along grain boundaries within the vicinity of Ti-rich HCP phase region. This study demonstrates the power of integrating CALPHAD predictions with further experimental validation to accelerate the development of low-activation, high-temperature stable MPEAs for demanding applications.
Study of Heavy Metal Encapsulation in Geopolymerized Industrial Waste by Sequential Extraction
Authors: Angelova Lyudmila , Burduhos-Nergis Dumitru Doru , Surleva Andriana , Sandu Andrei Victor , Ilieva Darya , Chernev Georgi , Vizureanu Petrica
Published: December 2024

The valorization of industrial waste is a part of the circular economy strategy of the European Union. The study of the potential mobility of heavy metals has been performed by the BCR sequential procedure. Additionally, the same procedure was applied to the obtained geopolymers to study the level of heavy metal encapsulation in the geopolymer matrix and, correspondingly, the environmental footprint of the newly obtained materials. For verification of the sequential extraction, the BCR procedure and CRM BCR 701 were chosen. In this study, the BCR procedure was modified by lowering the weight of the sample but maintaining the solid-to-liquid ratio, as well as applying different procedures for supernatant separation. ICP-OES measurement was used for determination of Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cd, and Cr in the leachates. The amount of extracted metals in the sequential procedure agreed with the certified values; however, some discrepancies in individual steps were observed. The BCR procedure was applied to fly ash, mine tailings, and geopolymer samples. Different indices were calculated from the BCR data to assess the environmental footprint of the studied materials. A high efficiency of encapsulation in the geopolymer matrix was observed for Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Copper showed increased mobility in the geopolymer samples.
Radon (222Rn) as a tracer of cave air exchange
Authors: FIJAŁKOWSKA–LICHWA Lidia , TYC Andrzej , PRZYLIBSKI Tadeusz A.
Published: December 2024

Radon (222Rn) was employed as a tracer of seasonal, diurnal and hourly-scale cave air flow. Niedźwiedzia Górna Cave in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, having a well-studied thermal regime representative of similar underground spaces in the temperate climate, was chosen for the research. Relationships between changes in 222Rn activity concentration in cave air and changes in cave microclimate parameters (air temperature) and meteorological parameters (temperature, pressure and wind speed) were compared. Data registered at one-hour intervals throughout a period of 8.5 months (from mid-December 2019 to the end of August 2020) were used. On a seasonal scale, the process of cave air exchange with the atmosphere takes place at the upper level of the cave in the first half of the year (from December to June) and at the bottom level - in the first quarter of the year (January-March). The air exchange is inhibited as the atmospheric air temperature equals the average temperature of the air at the lower level of the cave (+ 8.4 °C) in April and May. At the upper level, it is the atmospheric air temperature higher than the temperature inside the cave (+ 8.5 °C) which stops air exchange in July and August. On a diurnal scale, 222Rn is an effective tracer of air exchange lasting about two weeks in winter (January-February) and as a range from 6 to 9 days in transitional periods in April and May. In an hourly cycle, effective air exchange takes place at daytime and ends at night in warmer parts of the cave and starts at night and continues until noon or the afternoon in colder parts.
Biophysical assays to test cellular mechanosensing: moving towards high throughput
Authors: Cubero-Sarabia Marta , Kapetanaki Anna Maria , Vassalli Massimo
Published: December 2024

Mechanosensitivity is the ability of cells to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. In order to do this, cells are endowed with different components that allow them to react to a broad range of stimuli, such as compression or shear forces, pressure, and vibrations. This sensing process, mechanosensing, is involved in fundamental physiological mechanisms, such as stem cell differentiation and migration, but it is also central to the development of pathogenic states. Here, we review the approaches that have been proposed to quantify mechanosensation in living cells, with a specific focus on methodologies that enable higher experimental throughput. This aspect is crucial to fully understand the nuances of mechanosensation and how it impacts the physiology and pathology of living systems. We will discuss traditional methods for studying mechanosensing at the level of single cells, with particular attention to the activation of the mechanosensitive ion channel piezo1. Moreover, we will present recent attempts to push the analysis towards higher throughput.
Effect of Debranning and Process Temperature on the Production of Bioethanol and Distillers’ Dried Grain with Solubles from Triticale
Authors: du Toit Lorinda , Teke George M. , Coetzee Gerhardt , Goosen Neill J. , van Rensburg Eugéne , Görgens Johann F.
Published: December 2024

Very high gravity (VHG) starch to ethanol fermentation with whole and debranned triticale grains using the conventional (warm) and cold (raw starch) conversion methods were compared, with regards to fermentation performance and the quality of the distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS). For both the warm and cold process configurations, debranning increased final ethanol concentration, yield (as % of theoretical maximum) and productivity. Furthermore, debranning decreased the required enzyme dosage of the cold process by 20.7%. The improvements by debranning were achieved by nutrient-recycling from the protease-treated bran and germ hydrolysate to the fermentation slurries of these processes. DDGS produced by the cold debranned process configuration had the highest protein content of 44%, while the neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) contents of 17.8% and 13.8%, respectively, were lower than DDGS from the whole grain, making it the more favourable animal feed ingredient, particularly for monogastric animals.
„Das Schlimmste ist ja Teilnahmeurkunde“
Authors: Schiller Daniel
Published: December 2024

Der Beitrag nimmt Beurkundung bei den Bundesjugendspielen aus einer subjektivierungstheoretischen Perspektive in den Blick. Aufgrund der kontrovers und mitunter polemisch geführten öffentlichen Diskussionen über die pädagogische Eignung der Bundesjugendspiele gilt das Forschungsinteresse deren subjektbildender Relevanz im Rahmen allgemeiner schulischer Leistungslogiken. Um sowohl die Anerkennungsnormen, welche die Urkunde i. S. eines objektivierten Wissens bereithält, als auch die Subjektpositionen, welche qua Beurkundung angeboten und von Beurkundeten ausgehandelt und eingenommen werden, zu beschreiben, wurden das Artefakt Urkunde sowie Gruppeninterviews mit Schüler*innen einer vierten Klasse, die an den Bundesjugendspielen teilgenommen haben, einer Adressierungsanalyse unterzogen. Die Befunde beschreiben ein gleichermaßen verpflichtendes wie traditionelles Ritual, welches spezifische Sportlichkeits- und Fähigkeitsordnungen reproduziert, denen sich weitgehend fraglos unterworfen wird und die zugleich als sozial folgenreich beschrieben werden. Die empirischen Befunde bieten neben Anschlussperspektiven für Forschung auch Anknüpfungspunkte für sportpädagogische Reflexionen der Schulveranstaltung.
Machtvolle Verwicklungen ent-wickeln: Prinzipien rassismuskritischer Organisationsentwicklung in Bildungseinrichtungen
Authors: Danquah Jennifer , Egetenmeyer Regina
Published: December 2024

Bildungseinrichtungen sind lernende Organisationen, die die Aufgabe haben, eigenen rassialisierenden Verwicklungen zu begegnen. Eine Adressierung dieser Verwicklungen kann mithilfe von Ent-wicklungsprozessen geschehen. Zur Implementierung organisationaler Ent-wicklungsprozesse werden aus rassismuskritischen Analyseperspektiven vier Prinzipien abgeleitet: (1) Wissensbestände ent-rassialisieren, (2) Positionsreflexivität üben, (3) Intersektionales Bewusstsein etablieren und (4) Postkommunitäre Solidarität leben. Die Prinzipien können als Orientierungsgrundsätze aufgegriffen werden, die es (non-)formalen Bildungseinrichtungen ermöglichen können, sich mit der eigenen Involviertheit in rassialisierenden Machtdynamiken auseinanderzusetzen und diesen reflexiv zu begegnen.
Integrating Clinical Presentation with Patient Encounter Experience and Community-Based Activities in the Pre-clerkship Curriculum. An Example of a Framework for Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
Authors: Black Asa , Goodwin Richard , Nathaniel Thomas I.
Published: December 2024

The urgent need to enhance medical students’ clinical problem-solving skills even in the pre-clerkship phase ushered in several initiatives in the medical school curriculum. One of such initiative is the introduction of clinical presentation activities combined with patient encounter experience and community-based activities in the first year of medical school. The study described the design, implementation, and evaluation of a medical school curriculum that integrates clinical presentation activities with patient encounter experience and a community-based educational program. For the clinical presentation, a two-tailed, Student’s t-test showed a significant and higher performance in the summative assessments when compared with the formative assessment (P < 0.01). The KR-20 value for the reliability was between 0.69 and 0.92. For the patient interaction experience and community-based stroke education program, medical students demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) higher perception of their experience in all assessment categories in the post-test evaluation. An integrated curriculum that allows students to directly interact with patients, families, and community members may add a positive context and engagement experience to make a difference in the education of future physicians.
The ideal gas law: derivations and intellectual background
Authors: Rapp-Kindner Ildikó , Ősz Katalin , Lente Gábor
Published: December 2024

A detailed overview of the origins and possible derivations of the ideal gas law are given in this lecture text. The tacit assumptions in the usual textbook derivations are identified and ways of thought are proposed to justify their use. It is shown that the solution of the Schrödinger equation for the particle in a box model is very closely connected to the ideal gas law. A detailed derivation is presented on how equipartition and the Boltzmann distribution lead to the velocity and speed distributions observable in ideal gases. Major emphasis is given to the mathematical consequences of the lack of direction dependence in these properties. General formulas are introduced and proved to describe the thermodynamics of ideal gases. During the derivations, a method for students to employ computer-aided symbolic calculations using the Wolfram Alpha web-based service is also described.
How would Automation Impact Employment in the Manufacturing Sector of Bangladesh? An Empirical Projection
Authors: Uddin Mahtab , Islam Farhin
Published: December 2024

Using the two rounds of the Survey of Manufacturing Industries, this paper empirically investigates the likely scenarios of the impacts of technological progress on sectoral employment by divisions in the manufacturing sector in Bangladesh. We performed multiple linear regression of output on labour, capital stock, region fixed effects, year fixed effect, and cluster our robust standard errors at the industrial classification to obtain the Solow residual where the technology parameter comes from the residual of this regression. Then, we introduce advancements in the technology parameter and estimate the impacts on the labour, holding other things fixed. The manufacturing industry in Bangladesh has a total of 5.3 million employees, with the majority in the textile and apparel sector. A 15% increase in productivity due to technological advancement would eliminate 688,000 jobs in Bangladesh, a 30% increase would eliminate 1.22 million, and a 50% increase would result in a dire consequence, with a total job loss of 1.8 million. The largest affected sectors are textiles and apparel. Dhaka would be affected most, followed by Chattogram, Rajshahi, and Khulna. Assuming a 10% annual growth in the industry, the net increase in total manufacturing employment would be 2.02 million in 2025. The unemployment we have forecasted will not occur with the rise in technology if the technology is augmenting instead of labour replacing.
Numerical investigation of aerator position effects on two-phase flow and hydraulic efficiency in morning glory spillway
Authors: Kalateh Farhoud , Aminvash Ehsan
Published: December 2024

This research examines the role of two-phase flow formation in crown control performance and orifice performance of Morning Glory spillways. The impact of an aerator was investigated through 3D simulations of the two-phase flow pattern within the Morning Glory spillway, focusing on optimal installation positions to mitigate negative pressure and prevent cavitation. ANSYS Fluent software was employed for the simulations. Results revealed significant negative pressures within the vertical shaft, with the aerator impacting only a small portion of this area. Geometric adjustments led to a reduction in negative pressures around the connection area, shifting them toward the beginning of the horizontal shaft. Additionally, these modifications resulted in a 50% decrease in negative pressures in the vertical shaft. The final design demonstrated an 81.6 and 50% decrease in cavitation index in the elbow and vertical shaft, respectively, compared to the initial design.
Relationships between Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Inter-Student Bullying in Finnish Physical Education
Authors: Kokkonen Juha , Gråstén Arto , Kokkonen Marja
Published: December 2024

This study explored the profiles of 175 teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE) in elementary, vocational, and higher physical education (PE) and examined teachers’ perceptions of inter-student bullying as outcomes of these profiles. The links between teachers’ perceptions of inter-student bullying and teaching level, teaching experience, tertiary education, gender, and age covariates were also analysed. The Latent cluster analysis (LCA), based on cross-sectional data collected via an anonymous online survey, revealed three profiles (low, intermediate, and high). Physical education teachers with low teaching-efficacy profiles reported more frequent inter-student bullying in PE than teachers with intermediate and high profiles. Regarding the low teaching-efficacy profile, tertiary education emerged as a significant covariate for bullying indicating that PE teachers with Master in Sport Science degree scored higher frequency in inter-student bullying than teachers with other degrees. In the intermediate profile, younger and more experienced PE teachers reported more frequent inter-student bullying than older and less experienced counterparts of the same cluster. Organisations responsible for teachers’ education and voluntary professional development must consider the diversity of TSE, regarding teachers’ age, teaching experience, and educational level, by tailoring pedagogical practices to promote bully-free PE for students.
Climate risk perception and adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers in The Gambia
Authors: Lambarraa-Lehnhardt Fatima , Ceesay Sheriff , Ndiaye Mohamed Ben Omar , Thiaw Diatou , Sawaneh Mamma
Published: December 2024

Climate risk poses significant challenges to agriculture in The Gambia, especially for smallholder farmers reliant on rain-fed farming. Adaptation efforts will be ineffective unless farmers' perspectives of climate change are understood. The objectives are to examine smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climate risk, identify their adaptation strategies, and examine the factors that influence the adoption of these adaptation strategies at farm and off-level. Data were collected from 420 smallholder farmers across three regions of rural Gambia using a survey and multistage sampling technique. Binary logistic and multivariate probit models were used to analyse the determinants of farmers' decision to adopt adaptation strategies. The empirical result of the binary logistic model indicates that land tenure, access to government support, access to markets, witness to extreme weather events, and climate change perception influenced farmers' choice to adopt adaptation measures. The findings further indicate that female farmers are less likely to adopt adaptation measures. However, the multivariate probit model revealed that age, education, access to extension services, membership of farm groups, and perceived climate change are the main determinants of on-farm adaptation strategies. Off-farm strategies such as petty business are mainly influenced by being female, middle age, and primary education. The results suggest that gender-disaggregated support and targeted policies are necessary to encourage the adoption of adaptation strategies among female farmers. It is recommended that the government enhance access to credit, provide tailored support for women farmers, and improve extension services to foster effective adaptation in rural Gambia.
Embryo selection, AI and reproductive choice
Authors: Halsband Aurélie
Published: December 2024

In reproductive medicine, current research into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve embryo selection has been met with enthusiasm. Within ethics, previous assessments of AI-assisted embryo selection have focused, for example, on liability gaps or risks arising from opaque decision-making. I argue that this focus on the ethical issues raised by AI in embryo selection alone is incomplete because it neglects how AI’s convergence with other innovative reproductive technologies raises further ethical issues. I describe how AI is acting as a catalyst for a social disruption of human reproduction and for a profound change in reproductive morality. The social disruption is the result of the convergence of improved embryo culture, the optimization of embryo selection through AI and the possibility of selecting a screened embryo. This technological interplay creates a pull towards assisted reproduction, even for those prospective parents who can reproduce without medical assistance. In discussing a fictional case of prospective parents, I argue that this social disruption of reproduction is linked to a moral disruption. The moral disruption manifests itself in the deep uncertainty of prospective parents about legitimate ways of procreating. I explain how this uncertainty is rooted in a technology-induced disruption of the concept of reproductive choice. I then outline how the ethical debate about AI-assisted embryo selection should be reframed in light of this moral disruption.
A secure framework for the Internet of Things anomalies using machine learning
Authors: Prakash Vijay , Odedina Olukayode , Kumar Ajay , Garg Lalit , Bawa Seema
Published: December 2024

The Internet of Things (IoT) revolutionises modern technology, offering unprecedented opportunities for connectivity and automation. However, the increased adoption of IoT devices introduces substantial security vulnerabilities, necessitating effective anomaly detection frameworks. This Paper proposes a secure IoT anomaly detection framework by utilising four machine learning algorithms such as: Logistic Regression (LR), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), and Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB). By generating synthetic datasets with induced anomalies, the framework employs AWS IoT Core infrastructure and Python-based analysis to identify irregularities in device performance. The proposed framework achieved a high detection accuracy ranging from 91 to 98% across the tested algorithms, with CART showing the best performance. Key performance metrics, including precision, recall, and F1-score, confirmed the model's reliability in distinguishing between normal and anomalous IoT data. Experimental results demonstrate superior detection accuracy across all methods, validating the robustness of the proposed approach. This research offers a scalable solution for IoT security, paving the way for improved anomaly detection and mitigation strategies in connected environments. The integration of machine learning algorithms with IoT infrastructure allows for real-time monitoring and proactive anomaly detection in diverse IoT applications. The proposed framework enhances security measures and contributes to the overall reliability and efficiency of connected systems.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell exosomes suppress JAK/STAT signaling pathway in acute myeloid leukemia in vitro
Authors: Jalilivand Sahar , Nabigol Maryam , Bakhtiyaridovvombaygi Mehdi , Gharehbaghian Ahmad
Published: December 2024

Introduction

Despite advances in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), refractory forms of this malignancy and relapse remain common. Therefore, development of novel, synergistic targeted therapies are needed urgently. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to be effective in treating various diseases, with most of their therapeutic outcomes attributed to their exosomes. In the current study, we investigated the effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) exosomes on the expression of the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling genes involved in AML pathogenesis.

Material and Methods

Exosomes were isolated from BM-MSCs and confirmed using transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and flow cytometry. Subsequently, the exosome concentration was estimated using the bicinchoninic acid assay, and HL-60 cells were cocultured with 100 µg/mL of BM-MSC exosomes. Finally, the JAK2, STAT3, and STAT5 expression levels were analyzed using qRT-PCR.

Results

The exosome characterization results confirmed that most isolated nanoparticles exhibited a round morphology, expressed CD9, CD63, and CD81, which are specific protein markers for exosome identification, and ranged between 80 and 100 nm in diameter. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis revealed a significant downregulation of JAK2, STAT3, and STAT5 in HL-60 cells treated with 100 μg/mL of BM-MSC exosomes.

Conclusion

Since JAK/STAT signaling contributes to AML survival, our findings suggest that the downregulation of JAK/STAT genes by BM-MSC exosomes in leukemic cells may aid in designing a potent therapeutic strategy for AML treatment.
The Slow Death of Slavery in Dutch New York
Authors: Douma Michael J.
Published: December 2024

Original and deeply researched, this book provides a new interpretation of Dutch American slavery which challenges many of the traditional assumptions about slavery in New York. With an emphasis on demography and economics, Michael J. Douma shows that slavery in eighteenth-century New York was mostly rural, heavily Dutch, and generally profitable through the cultivation of wheat. Slavery in Dutch New York ultimately died a political death in the nineteenth century, while resistance from enslaved persons, and a gradual turn against slavery in society and in the courts, encouraged its destruction. This important study will reshape the historiography of slavery in the American North.
Pluralizing archives for histories of extraction in Africa
Authors: Peša Iva , Ndaba Tholithemba Lorenzo , Shaba Jabulani , Jack Jackson Tamunosaki
Published: December 2024

With which sources can we write environmental histories of mining and oil drilling in Africa? Paradoxically, the pollution and environmental disruption caused by extractive industries are at once omnipresent and difficult to trace. In documentary evidence, multinational companies are hesitant to disclose the full extent of their polluting activities. In order to understand how people living around sites of extraction make sense of polluted rivers or suffocating smoke, we argue that archives need to be pluralized. State and company archives can fruitfully be paired with newspaper collections, oral history interviews, cultural production (songs, poems and literary works) and photography. Using examples from Johannesburg, Mazowe, the Central African Copperbelt and the Niger Delta, we map sources and methodologies that might be employed to grasp people’s lived experiences of environmental change in localities of resource extraction.
Evaluating racial and ethnic disparities in antibiotic treatment for pneumonia patients in a major academic health system
Authors: Evans David , Fortin-Leung Kingsley , Kumar Vishnu Ravi , Ma Yanru , Asrani Radhika Prakash , Wiley Zanthia , Fridkin Scott K. ,   CDC Prevention Epicenters Program
Published: December 2024

Objective:

Examine the relationship between patients’ race and prescriber antibiotic choice while accounting for differences in underlying illness and infection severity.

Design:

Retrospective cohort analysis.

Setting:

Acute care facilities within an academic healthcare system.

Patients:

Adult inpatients from January 2019 through June 2022 discharged from the Hospital Medicine Service with an ICD-10 Code for Pneumonia.

Methods:

We describe variability in days of therapy of antimicrobials with activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (anti-Pseudomonas agents) or against MRSA (anti-MRSA agents), by patient’s race and ethnicity. We estimated the likelihood of receipt of any anti-Pseudomonas agents by race and modeled the effect of race on rate of use, adjusting for age, severity, and indication.

Results:

5,820 patients with 6,700 encounters were included. After adjusting for broad indication, severity, underlying illness, and age, use of anti-Pseudomonas agents were less likely among non-Hispanic Black patients than other race groups, although this effect was limited to younger patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29, 0.70), and not older ones (aOR 0.98; 95% CI 0.85, 1.13); use of anti-MRSA agents were similar between groups. Among patients receiving any anti-Pseudomonas agents, Black patients received them for relatively lower proportion of their inpatient stay (incidence rate ratio 0.91; 95% CI 0.87, 0.96).

Conclusions:

We found difference in use of anti-Pseudomonas agents between non-Hispanic Black patients and other patients that could not be easily explained by indications or underlying illness, suggesting unmeasured factors may be playing a role in treatment decisions.
US and Canadian cat caregiver’s ratings of cat-cat interactions: A video-based survey
Authors: Khoddami Sherry , Kiser Makayla C. , Moody Carly M.
Published: December 2024

US and Canadian caregivers (n = 6,529) of two domestic cats (Felis catus) were recruited to participate in an online cross-sectional questionnaire to assess: (1) knowledge of inter-cat behaviour; (2) the frequency of positive and negative cat-cat interactions in the home; and (3) factors associated with positive and negative cat-cat interactions in the home. The questionnaire included ten videos (five negatively valenced, five positively valenced), in which participants scored: the overall cat-cat interaction; cat 1’s experience; and cat 2’s experience, using a Likert scale. Participants were also asked to report how often they see each interaction in their own two cats. Cat behaviour experts (n = 5) were recruited to rate their interpretations of the videos using the same Likert scale as the cat caregiver participants. Overall, our results suggest that overt positive interactions (allo-grooming, co-sleeping) were more likely reported if cat dyads were related or spent more time living together, were neutered males, indoor-only, and/or had a single feeding area. Overt negative interactions (fighting, striking) were more likely reported if dyads were older or had a larger age gap, showed animal-directed aggression, were declawed, and/or had a single litter-box. Participant versus expert ratings of the videos were similar, however caregivers reported certain affiliative behaviours more positively than experts. Caregivers appeared to have a good understanding of their cats’ overall relationship, as this aligned with reported cat-cat interactions. These results increase our understanding of the cat-cat relationship in two-cat households, which may be used to inform cat adoption strategies, in-home management, and promote a positive cat-cat relationship.
Securing a peaceful, sustainable, and humane future through an international data-based systems agency (IDA) at the UN
Authors: Kirchschlaeger Peter G.
Published: December 2024

The international community, and the UN in particular, is in urgent need of wise policies, and a regulatory institution to put data-based systems, notably AI, to positive use and guard against their abuse. Digital transformation and “artificial intelligence (AI)”—which can more adequately be called “data-based systems (DS)”—present ethical opportunities and risks. Helping humans and the planet to flourish sustainably in peace and guaranteeing globally that human dignity is respected not only offline but also online, in the digital sphere, and the domain of DS requires two policy measures: (1) human rights-based data-based systems (HRBDS) and (2) an International Data-Based Systems Agency (IDA): IDA should be established at the UN as a platform for cooperation in the field of digital transformation and DS, fostering human rights, security, and peaceful uses of DS.
COVID-19 Epidemiology in Fragile Contexts: A Descriptive Analysis of COVID-19 in Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh During the First Year of the Pandemic
Authors: Salem-Bango Lindsay , Hasan Md. Abul , Agbogan Jogie Abucejo , Miah Lalan , Antoine Caroline , Tonon Brigitte , Spiegel Paul , Altare Chiara
Published: December 2024

Objectives

In 2020, COVID-19 modeling studies predicted rapid epidemic growth and quickly overwhelmed health systems in humanitarian and fragile settings due to preexisting vulnerabilities and limited resources. Despite the growing evidence from Bangladesh, no study has examined the epidemiology of COVID-19 in out-of-camp settings in Cox’s Bazar during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020-March 2021). This paper aims to fill this gap.

Methods

Secondary data analyses were conducted on case and testing data from the World Health Organization and the national health information system via the District Health Information Software 2.

Results

COVID-19 in Cox’s Bazar was characterized by a large peak in June 2020, followed by a smaller wave in August/September and a new wave from March 2021. Males were more likely to be tested than females (68% vs. 32%, P < 0.001) and had higher incidence rates (305.29/100 000 males vs. 114.90/100 000 female, P < 0.001). Mortality was significantly associated with age (OR: 87.3; 95% CI: 21.03-350.16, P < 0.001) but not sex. Disparities existed in testing and incidence rates among upazilas.

Conclusions

Incidence was lower than expected, with indicators comparable to national-level data. These findings are likely influenced by the younger population age, high isolation rates, and low testing capacity. With testing extremely limited, true incidence and mortality rates are likely higher, highlighting the importance of improving disease surveillance in fragile settings. Data incompleteness and fragmentation were the main study limitations.
Hyperelliptic Gorenstein curves and logarithmic differentials
Authors: Battistella Luca , Bozlee Sebastian
Published: December 2024

We produce a flexible tool for contracting subcurves of logarithmic hyperelliptic curves, which is local around the subcurve and commutes with arbitrary base-change. As an application, we prove that a hyperelliptic multiscale differential determines a sequence of Gorenstein contractions of the underlying nodal curve, such that each meromorphic piece of the differential descends to generate the dualising bundle of one of the Gorenstein contractions. This is the first piece of evidence for a more general conjecture about limits of meromorphic differentials.
Cashing out pension savings: An appropriate response to “temporary” income shortfalls?
Authors: Casey Bernard H. , Mustafa Artan
Published: December 2024

This article examines premature withdrawals from pension funds that were initiated as responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. It looks at withdrawal programmes both in emerging market and in advanced economies. Although measures might have been expedient in countries where social protection systems (social assistance and job furlough schemes) are relatively underdeveloped, they could also be regressive. Furthermore, they undermined the concept of pension funds as retirement income resources and, in some cases, they might threaten people’s living standards once they became old. The paper also suggests that such withdrawal programmes have a populist flavour.
TEMPORAL STABILITY OF CLIMATIC SIGNAL RECORDED BY STABLE CARBON ISOTOPE COMPOSITION OF TREE RINGS α-CELLULOSE—A CASE STUDY FOR SUWAŁKI REGION
Authors: Pawełczyk Sławomira , Pazdur Anna , Benisiewicz Barbara
Published: December 2024

Investigations of stable carbon isotope composition in α-cellulose extracted from tree rings of pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in the unpolluted Suwałki region, northeastern part of Poland, are undertaken. The presented carbon isotope record covers the period of 1931–2003. Values of δ13C measured in the tree ring α-cellulose are compared to meteorological data. These δ13C values in tree ring cellulose respond to summer temperature, insolation, relative humidity, and precipitation. The best correlation is observed between relative humidity and carbon isotope data. The August relative humidity is found more influential on δ13C values than relative humidity for any other month or combination of months (r = –0.65). Relations between isotopic and meteorological data demonstrate that precipitation influences the stable carbon isotopic ratios to a lower extent than humidity. The intensity and duration of summer rainfall events can determine this effect. The temporal stability of climate-proxy connections is an important issue in paleoclimatic reconstruction. Therefore, the temporal stability of climatic signals recorded by stable carbon isotopes is analyzed in this research using the moving correlation function for moving intervals with a 25-year window. Based on those investigations the highest time stability of correlation was found for the carbon isotope and the August relative humidity. More variability is observed for the correlation of δ13C values with precipitation.
Ideology and Legitimacy in Global Governance
Authors: Ecker-Ehrhardt Matthias , Dellmuth Lisa , Tallberg Jonas
Published: December 2024

While many scholars expect people's ideological orientations to drive their beliefs regarding the legitimacy of international organizations (IOs), research has found surprisingly limited support for this common assumption. In this article we resolve this puzzle by introducing the perceived ideological profile of IOs as a critical factor shaping the relationship between ideological orientation and such beliefs. Theoretically, we argue that citizens accord IOs greater legitimacy when they perceive these organizations as ideologically more congruent with their own orientations. Empirically, we evaluate this expectation by combining observational and experimental analyses of new survey evidence from four countries: Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, and the United States. We find that citizens indeed perceive IOs as having particular ideological profiles and that those perceptions systematically moderate the relationship between people's ideological orientations and their sense of IOs’ legitimacy. These findings suggest that political ideology is a more powerful driver of legitimacy beliefs in global governance than previously understood.