bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deepening Explorations of Racial and Linguistic Representation in Picturebooks through Critical Translingual Literacies
Authors: Zapata Angie , González Ybarra Adrianna , Adu‐Gyamfi Mary
Published: December 2024

Amplifying the racial, linguistic, ethnic, and broader sociocultural resources of Black, Latine, and Indigenous communities remains an urgent endeavor during these precarious times in literacy education. In the wake of continued global and U.S. racial reckoning movements and legislation that narrows early literacy curriculum to isolated skills and texts in standardizing English print, foregrounding the linguistic savvy of racialized linguistically diverse communities' experiences becomes imperative. Drawing on data from a 2‐year long teacher and researcher collaborative inquiry and recent scholarship on critical translingual literacies, we feature a linguistically diverse picturebook read‐aloud planning guide designed to support educators' commitments to amplifying the lives, languages, and literacies of Black, Latine, and Indigenous communities. Picturebooks have a long history as a tool for literacy learning, yet the artful and sociopolitical features of these texts are too often sacrificed at the expense of skills‐focused instruction. The practice of “using” picture books solely to teach skills becomes more alarming as picturebooks that feature diverse racial, linguistic, or ethnic communities are “plugged” into scripted curriculum without opportunities for students to respond to the sociocultural and linguistic resources featured. As diverse picturebooks slowly flood our classrooms, guidance regarding the relevant commitments, conditions, collaborations, and classroom practices are needed to ensure that their aesthetic and sociopolitical features are not only considered but deepened. The featured picturebook guide is specifically designed to support teachers as critical picturebook curators who design read‐alouds that build upon the translingual literacies of Black, Latine, and Indigenous communities and affirms the brilliance and beauty of racial, linguistic, and ethnic diversity. This humanizing and liberatory approach to language and literature study resists the replication of singular language forms (standardizing English print) and centers language(s) as system(s) that thrive in the daily lives of real people.
Financial impact and healthcare expenditures among surgical patients in Burundi
Authors: Niyukuri Alliance , Zadey Siddhesh , Shrime Mark G. , Imanishimwe Pacifique , Fader Jason , Espinoza Pamela , Wendler Carlan , Rice Henry E. , Smith Emily R. , Cotache‐Condor Cesia
Published: December 2024

Background

The largest proportion of people at risk of catastrophic expenditures for surgical care live in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This study aims to evaluate the financial impact among surgical patients at Kibuye Hope Hospital (KHH) in Burundi.

Methods

Data were collected from patients undergoing a surgical procedure at KHH from January to October 2019. A predesigned questionnaire was used to collect information regarding socio‐demographics, pre‐hospital and hospitalization characteristics, finances, and surgical outcomes. Out‐of‐pocket (OOP) health expenditure, catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), impoverishing health expenditure (IHE), and financial distress (FD) were summarized.

Results

Of a total of 301 patients, 60% lived below the extreme poverty line ($2.15) at baseline. After surgery, 66% of patients faced CHE, 66% faced FD, and 73% faced IHE. Almost all patients (94%) reported having an insurance plan, although the rate of OOP expenditure was high (98%). The median cost of medications ($215.5) or surgery ($305.6) surpassed the median monthly household expenditure allocated to food ($183.4). The proportion of patients facing extreme poverty at baseline increased from 60% to 96% after direct medical expenses. Many patients reported borrowing money (30%) or selling their land/possessions (46%) to cover OOP expenses.

Conclusions

Most surgical patients at KHH face extremely high risks of CHEs and impoverishment due to OOP expenses for care, despite insurance coverage. The risk of families being forced into poverty and experiencing FD from surgical care are indicators of the lack of effective financial risk protection programs in Burundi.
Modern Dance Created in Germany: The Safeguarding and Creative Practice of Dance Heritage
Authors: Kämpfe Vicky
Published: December 2024

In 2022, the practice of Modern Dance in Germany was added to UNESCO’s International Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The following article traces the impulses and developments of this practice, emphasising its main characteristics and social functions. In addition, it examines the problems of reconciling the safeguarding of traditional knowledge with how to develop it creatively in the way dance traditions are practised today. Finally, there is an analysis of the current challenges and perspectives by a living heritage of the practice of Modern Dance.
Restoration of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Communities after Disasters: Cases of “Soma Nomaoi” and “Obori Soma Yaki” in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
Authors: Ishimura Tomo
Published: December 2024

This paper discusses the restoration of intangible cultural heritage after disasters and its interaction with local communities. We will focus on two case studies as elements of intangible cultural heritage in Fukushima Prefecture after the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in 2011. In this region, local communities were severely damaged by the radioactive disaster, and the restoration of intangible cultural heritage faced great difficulties. This study revealed that when local communities undergo changes due to disasters, their intangible cultural heritage is also forced to change.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention, the Intangible Heritage Convention and the Masterpiece Programme: An Analysis of Mutual Relations, References and Distinctions
Authors: Schmitt Thomas
Published: December 2024

The article highlights selected relationships between the two currently best-known UNESCO heritage conventions, the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Although the latter was modelled on the former—with the important intermediate step of the UNESCO programme for Proclamation of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (1998)—there are important differences between the conventions and the respective heritage regimes. The article examines in detail the delimitation of the subject areas of both conventions and the relationship between the key concepts of “outstanding” versus “representative”. Other aspects are also addressed in a condensed form, such as the question of the preservation concepts of both conventions and their implicit cultural geographies.
Notes Nobody Notes: Samba as Musical Heritage of African Ancestry in Brazil
Authors: Graeff Nina
Published: December 2024

Samba de Roda do Recôncavo Baiano was Brazil’s first music and dance practice to enter UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It represents one of various music practices in which Afro-diasporic cultures have been able to find and further develop a common heritage of ancestral bonds, while undergoing processes of cultural maintenance very different from European ones. Yet, aspects of music practices that escape Eurocentric modes of perception shaped by Western musical norms tend to be disregarded. This contributes to their invisibility in Heritage research and safeguarding. This article seeks to highlight the African Ancestry of Afro-diasporic musical heritage by unveiling intangible dimensions of Samba de Roda that correspond to African cosmoperceptions.
Impacts on the Marine Environment
Authors: Radovich Violeta S.
Published: December 2024

This chapter analyses the legal framework in a timeline, giving context to the evolution of the different branches of international law related to the subject with sparkles of history. Each relevant maritime accident or disaster has been followed by the negotiation of a maritime law convention. Contributions from environmental law are also introduced, such as the precaution environmental principle which produced a change of paradigm cantered in avoiding damage, not any more in damage reparation and compensation. The responsibility principle, which states that damage shall be compensated without limitation, will also be analysed. Finally, the International Human Rights vision is introduced.
Regulation in the Region
Authors: Radovich Violeta S.
Published: December 2024

The environmental and institutional regulation of marine hydrocarbons activities in Brazil, Uruguay and MERCOSUR will be analysed. MERCOSUR regulation is relevant taking into account the transboundary pollution that the activity mas cause. It will be studied whether these regimes demand an update considering the international regulation analysed in previous chapters and the lesson learnt from Deepwater Horizon and Montara accidents.
Konflikte und Koalitionen beim Umbau der Autogesellschaft
Authors: Canzler Weert
Published: December 2024

Eine Verkehrswende ist viel mehr als nur ein neuer Antrieb. Sie greift etablierte Siedlungsmodelle und auf der Trennung von Funktionen beruhende Distributions- und Konsumstrukturen an. Gleichzeitig irritiert sie individuelle Handlungsroutinen und erschüttert lange unhinterfragte Gewissheiten. Denn jahrzehntelang war das Auto der Kernbestandteil gesellschaftlicher Fortschritts- und individueller Aufstiegsvorstellungen. Daher ist die Verkehrswende notwendigerweise mit Konflikten verbunden. Ein zentraler Problembereich beim Umbau der Autogesellschaft in der Stadt dreht sich um die Verteilung von vom privaten Auto dominierten öffentlichen Flächen. Mit der Neuverteilung dieser Flächen wird auch die Frage nach der Zukunft der Stadt aufgeworfen. Es geht also nicht mehr nur um Verkehrspolitik. Sie tritt sogar oft in den Hintergrund, wenn es um die Grundsatzfragen der Urbanität geht. Zugleich zeigt sich ein paradoxes Phänomen: Im Nachhinein verflüchtigen sich nicht selten Skepsis und Vorbehalte gegenüber der neuen Raumordnung und es wird ungläubig gerätselt, warum es nicht schon früher dazu gekommen ist.
Problematising User Control in the Context of Digital Identity Wallets and European Digital Identity Framework
Authors: Wong-Toropainen Sanna
Published: December 2024

This chapter problematises user control in the context of the EU Commission proposal on the regulation for European Digital Identity Framework (EDIF). The proposed framework includes requirements for the European Digital Identity Wallet (EDIW), intended to give control to EU citizens over their identity-related data. The chapter puts forth an argument that while harmonisation of digital identity solutions is required at the EU level, the user control discourse is employed to justify technical choices that can adversely impact the protection of personal data and the right to privacy, such as the use of persistent identifiers that have a potential to enable tracking of users across databases. The chapter employs post-structural discourse analysis to examine the EDIF and related EU policy documents. The findings include that EU recognises individuals’ lack of control in the digital environment due to unfair data collection practices by the digital gatekeepers but does not factor in the new challenges posed by artificial intelligence systems which increase the risks of surveillance and identity theft that also limit the benefits of user control achieved by EDIW.
Three-loop OPE Wilson coefficients of dimension-four operators for (axial-)vector and (pseudo-)scalar current correlators
Authors: Brüser Robin , Hoang André H. , Stahlhofen Maximilian
Published: December 2024

Abstract

We calculate the three-loop Wilson coefficients of all physically relevant dimension-four operators, i.e. $$ {G}_{\mu \nu}^a{G}^{a,\mu \nu} $$

G
μν
a

G

a
,
μν

, $$ {m}_i{\overline{q}}_j{q}_j $$

m
i

q
¯

j

q
j

and $$ {m}_i{m}_j{m}_k^2 $$

m
i

m
j

m
k
2

, in the short-distance expansion of the time-ordered product of a pair of gauge-singlet vector, axial-vector, scalar and pseudo-scalar currents. The results are given for a general non-Abelian gauge theory with arbitrary (compact semi-simple) gauge group and nf light fermion flavors (quarks) in a common arbitrary representation of the gauge group, which includes QCD as a special case. In particular, we allow for arbitrary flavor contents of each of the currents. For the axial-vector current the included contributions from so-called singlet diagrams are consistent with the one-loop axial anomaly.
Julius Hirschberg und die Geschichte der Augenheilkunde
Authors: Rohrbach Jens Martin
Published: December 2024

Die Werke von Julius Hirschberg (1843–1925), insbesondere seine „Geschichte der Augenheilkunde“ sind bis heute lesenswert und unverzichtbar für jeden, der an der Historie des Faches Augenheilkunde interessiert ist. Neben seinen wissenschaftlichen Leistungen auf dem Gebiet der Ophthalmologie bemühte er sich insbesondere um Völkerverständigung und ist damit heute aktueller denn je.
Impact of polarization and detection angle on Mie scattering signals for planar droplet sizing
Authors: Klevansky B. W. , Mishra Y. N. , Lehnert B. L. , Wensing M. , Bauer F. J. , Will S.
Published: December 2024

The planar droplet sizing (PDS) method for determining the droplet diameter from the ratio of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and Mie scattering signal (Mie) has been extensively applied for right-angle scattering detection. The present work consists of a parametrical study of the Mie signal dependency on the scattering angle and polarization, as well as further experimental investigations in single droplets to ultimately improve the intensity fluctuation characteristics of the signal through a favorable experimental arrangement. Finally, we investigated how these findings impact droplet sizing in a spray on a shot-to-shot basis, as well as averaged across a dataset, via microscopic and macroscopic spray measurements. In the parametrical study, we found that horizontally polarized incident light results in a higher degree of Mie signal fluctuation than vertically polarized incident light at a scattering angle of

$$\Theta ={90}{^\circ }$$

Θ
=
90

∘

, whereas the reduction to

$$\Theta = {60}{^\circ }$$

Θ
=
60

∘

resulted in the exact opposite observation. Furthermore, the reduction from

$$\Theta = {90}{^\circ }$$

Θ
=
90

∘

to

$$\Theta = {60}{^\circ }$$

Θ
=
60

∘

resulted in an overall improvement to the

$$D^2$$

D
2

-dependency and signal fluctuation of the Mie signal. We observed the effects shown in the parametric study in the experimental droplet measurements. For instance, when observing single droplets, the change from

$$\Theta = {90}{^\circ }$$

Θ
=
90

∘

to

$$\Theta = {60}{^\circ }$$

Θ
=
60

∘

resulted in a reduction in signal fluctuation by 46.1% and 17.6% for horizontally and vertically polarized incident light, respectively. An implementation into a spray setup yielded reduced shot-to-shot sizing deviations and closer adherence to the microscopically measured diameter when averaged across the dataset.

Graphical abstract
Artificial intelligence in the care of children and adolescents with chronic diseases: a systematic review
Authors: Kerth Janna-Lina , Hagemeister Maurus , Bischops Anne C. , Reinhart Lisa , Dukart Juergen , Heinrichs Bert , Eickhoff Simon B. , Meissner Thomas
Published: December 2024

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has shown potential for various applications in the medical field, particularly for diagnosing and managing chronic diseases among children and adolescents. This systematic review aims to comprehensively analyze and synthesize research on the use of AI for monitoring, guiding, and assisting pediatric patients with chronic diseases. Five major electronic databases were searched (Medline, Scopus, PsycINFO, ACM, Web of Science), along with manual searches of gray literature, personal archives, and reference lists of relevant papers. All original studies as well as conference abstracts and proceedings, focusing on AI applications for pediatric chronic disease care were included. Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. We extracted AI method used, study design, population, intervention, and main results. Two researchers independently extracted data and resolved discrepancies through discussion. AI applications are diverse, encompassing, e.g., disease classification, outcome prediction, or decision support. AI generally performed well, though most models were tested on retrospective data. AI-based tools have shown promise in mental health analysis, e.g., by using speech sampling or social media data to predict therapy outcomes for various chronic conditions.

Conclusions: While AI holds potential in pediatric chronic disease care, most reviewed studies are small-scale research projects. Prospective clinical implementations are needed to validate its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. Ethical considerations, cultural influences, and stakeholder attitudes should be integrated into future research.

What is known:
• 
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a more dominant role in medicine and healthcare in the future and many applications are already being developed.

What is new:
• 
Our review provides an overview on how AI-driven systems might be able to support children and adolescents with chronic illnesses. • While many applications are being researched, few have been tested on real-world, prospective, clinical data.
Self-administration of aspirin for acute chest pain—Does it prevent premature cardiovascular mortality?
Authors: Lamm Gudrun
Published: December 2024

Aspirin as a class I guideline recommended medical treatment for acute coronary syndrome has been established for decades [1]. As early intake of aspirin is crucial, self-administration of aspirin in acute chest pain might be beneficial when weighing up the potential harm including a slightly elevated bleeding risk in patients with chest pain of another origin than myocardial infarction against the benefit in patients with coronary ischemia.
Modeling dislocation dynamics data using semantic web technologies
Authors: Ihsan Ahmad Zainul , Fathalla Said , Sandfeld Stefan
Published: December 2024

The research in Materials Science and Engineering focuses on the design, synthesis, properties, and performance of materials. An important class of materials that is widely investigated are crystalline materials, including metals and semiconductors. Crystalline material typically contains a specific type of defect called “dislocation”. This defect significantly affects various material properties, including bending strength, fracture toughness, and ductility. Researchers have devoted a significant effort in recent years to understanding dislocation behaviour through experimental characterization techniques and simulations, e.g., dislocation dynamics simulations. This paper presents how data from dislocation dynamics simulations can be modelled using semantic web technologies through annotating data with ontologies. We extend the dislocation ontology by adding missing concepts and aligning it with two other domain-related ontologies (i.e., the Elementary Multi-perspective Material Ontology and the Materials Design Ontology), allowing for efficiently representing the dislocation simulation data. Moreover, we present a real-world use case for representing the discrete dislocation dynamics data as a knowledge graph (DisLocKG) which can depict the relationship between them. We also developed a SPARQL endpoint that brings extensive flexibility for querying DisLocKG.
Artificial intelligence for system security assurance: A systematic literature review
Authors: Wen Shao-Fang , Shukla Ankur , Katt Basel
Published: December 2024

System Security Assurance (SSA) has emerged as a critical methodology for organizations to verify the trustworthiness of their systems by evaluating security measures against industry standards, legal requirements, and best practices to identify any weakness and demonstrate compliance. In recent years, the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in enhancing cybersecurity has received increased attention, with an increasing number of literature reviews highlighting its diverse applications. However, there remains a significant gap in comprehensive reviews that specifically address the integration of AI within SSA frameworks. This systematic literature review seeks to fill this research gap by assessing the current state of AI in SSA, identifying key areas where AI contributes to improve SSA processes, highlighting the limitations of current methodologies, and providing the guidance for future advancements in the field of AI-driven SSA.
Modelling combined diffusion and surface resistances in adsorbent particles: zero length column for spherical and slab geometries
Authors: Brandani Stefano , Mangano Enzo
Published: December 2024

Mass transport in nanoporous materials is a key property that allows to improve the performance of many gas separation processes and design more efficient heterogeneous catalytic reactors. In many instances a combination of surface resistance and internal diffusion are present. The combined model for surface barrier and diffusion in a ZLC system is discussed in detail and the analytical solutions valid for the traditional and the partial loading experiments have been derived for the spherical and slab geometries. The model reduces to the limiting forms of pure diffusion when
$$\frac{k{R}_{p}}{D}>100$$
, and pure surface barrier when
$$\frac{k{R}_{p}}{D}<1$$
. This study has shown that most literature studies have analysed ZLC responses incorrectly based on an effective combined dimensionless parameter. Two methods are described to obtain the parameters from the long-time asymptotic behaviour of the response curves. Both approaches have been demonstrated on curves generated from the full model solution and experimental data on an etched sample of Y zeolite. Both the analysis of the model and of the experimental results confirm that to characterize combined surface barriers and diffusion one should perform at least experiments at two different flowrates where the system is kinetically controlled, and crucially a partial loading experiment with a time to the switch which should be at least an order of magnitude smaller than the smallest of the diffusion and surface barrier times.
Stochastic desorption of water molecules adsorbed inside single-wall carbon nanotube through nanowindows
Authors: Kawamata Yuma , Nagata Yuki , Otsuka Hayato , Furuse Ayumi , Futamura Ryusuke , Urita Koki , Moriguchi Isamu , Iiyama Taku , Kaneko Katsumi
Published: December 2024

Understanding water adsorption/desorption process through nanowindows provides new insights into membrane applications, supercapacitors and elucidation of biological ion separation mechanism. This study evidenced a new stochastic desorption mechanism of water molecules adsorbed inside highly pure single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) through nanowindows, which evidently differs from conventional water desorption mechanism from carbon micropores. This new mechanism was clarified by the comparative analysis of water adsorption/desorption behaviors on endcap-closed SWCNT having nanowindows and endcap-open SWCNT without nanowindows. The water desorption for both open SWCNT samples was deeply associated with unique adsorbed water structures consisting of an ice-like adlayer akin to the graphene wall of SWCNT and core liquid-like water. Nanowindows destabilize the ice-like adlayer, leading to stochastic desorption of water molecules, followed by single-step desorption of adsorbed water through nanowindows of endcap-closed SWCNT having nanowindows. In contrast, water molecules are desorbed from ice-like adlayer and core liquid-like water separately for the endcap-open SWCNT without nanowindows.
Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning for the Control of Three-Dimensional Rayleigh–Bénard Convection
Authors: Vasanth Joel , Rabault Jean , Alcántara-Ávila Francisco , Mortensen Mikael , Vinuesa Ricardo
Published: December 2024

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has found application in numerous use-cases pertaining to flow control. Multi-agent RL (MARL), a variant of DRL, has shown to be more effective than single-agent RL in controlling flows exhibiting locality and translational invariance. We present, for the first time, an implementation of MARL-based control of three-dimensional Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC). Control is executed by modifying the temperature distribution along the bottom wall divided into multiple control segments, each of which acts as an independent agent. Two regimes of RBC are considered at Rayleigh numbers $$\textrm{Ra}=500$$

Ra
=
500

and 750. Evaluation of the learned control policy reveals a reduction in convection intensity by $$23.5\%$$

23.5
%

and $$8.7\%$$

8.7
%

at $$\textrm{Ra}=500$$

Ra
=
500

and 750, respectively. The MARL controller converts irregularly shaped convective patterns to regular straight rolls with lower convection that resemble flow in a relatively more stable regime. We draw comparisons with proportional control at both $$\textrm{Ra}$$
Ra
and show that MARL is able to outperform the proportional controller. The learned control strategy is complex, featuring different non-linear segment-wise actuator delays and actuation magnitudes. We also perform successful evaluations on a larger domain than used for training, demonstrating that the invariant property of MARL allows direct transfer of the learnt policy.
Prevalence, Patterns and Correlates of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders in Kumasi, Ghana: An Urban Community-Based Survey
Authors: Kusi-Mensah Kwabena , Inuwa Kawther , Otu-Ansah Caleb , Ekremet Peggy Asiedu , Sackey Ruth Charlotte , Owusu-Antwi Ruth , Ohene Sammy , Omigbodun Olayinka
Published: December 2024

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders among youth in Kumasi, Ghana, through a community-based cross-sectional survey. 672 urban participants aged 6–17 years were surveyed. Mental disorders were screened using Rutter’s A2 Scale for Parent Assessment of Child Behaviour, with diagnoses confirmed by the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. The Double Sampling method was used for weighted prevalence estimates, and correlates analysed using chi-square and logistic regression. Lifetime weighted prevalence of CAMH disorders was 30.4% (95% CI: 26.9–33.9), predominantly anxiety-related disorders, with current weighted prevalence 18.6% (95% CI: 15.7–21.5). Notably, lacking an active reading habit was associated with nearly three times the odds of mental illness. Children in the 3rd and 4th wealth quintiles had significantly higher odds of mental disorder (12- and 9-times increased odds, respectively), as did lack of caregiver homework supervision among children under 11 years. This study provides the first community-based prevalence figures for childhood mental disorders in Ghana, highlighting the link between poverty-related factors and mental health, and suggesting potential policy interventions to inform policy.
An extended study of syntactic breaking changes in the wild
Authors: Jayasuriya Dhanushka , Ou Samuel , Hegde Saakshi , Terragni Valerio , Dietrich Jens , Blincoe Kelly
Published: December 2024

Libraries assist in accelerating the development of software applications by providing reusable functionalities. Libraries and applications that declare these libraries as dependencies become their clients. However, as libraries evolve, maintaining the dependencies in client projects can be challenging if the new version contains breaking changes. Yet, limited research focuses on analyzing the impact of breaking changes on client projects when updating dependencies in the wild. Hence, we conduct an empirical analysis using Java projects built using Maven to investigate the impact of breaking changes introduced between two library versions. Our dataset included 18,415 Maven artifacts, declaring 142,355 direct dependencies, out of which 71.60% were not up-to-date. We automatically updated these dependencies and discovered that 11.58% of the dependency updates resulted in breaking changes that affected the client, and almost half of them were introduced during a non-major update. We analyzed the changes in the libraries that contributed towards these breaking changes, and our results indicate that changes in transitive dependencies were a significant factor in introducing breaking changes. We further investigated if it was common for clients to use functionalities of transitive dependencies directly without declaring them. This showed that over half of the clients use transitive functionality. Therefore, we analyzed actions suggested to resolve these breaking changes introduced by transitive dependencies under the discussions on open-source platforms, and the frequently suggested action was to exclude the transitive dependency from the project configuration.
Their wellbeing affects our wellbeing: student perspectives of lecturer wellbeing and its consequences for student wellbeing
Authors: Rakow Katie E. , Priestley Michael , Byrom Nicola C. , Foster Juliet L. H. , Dommett Eleanor J.
Published: December 2024

A “whole university approach” has been recommended for addressing concerns about the wellbeing of UK university lecturers and students. Previously, staff wellbeing has been explored from staff perspectives. Student wellbeing has been explored from the perspectives of both students and staff. However, little research has been conducted on student perspectives on staff wellbeing and its possible impact on students. Addressing this gap, this study explored student perceptions of their lecturers’ wellbeing and ways that it can impact on student wellbeing. Three themes were identified from the thematic analysis of 9 focus groups with 41 undergraduate students. First, students notice their lecturer wellbeing, particularly if they have the opportunity to interact with their lecturers. Second, students perceive that their lecturers’ wellbeing can be affected by university policies and practices, student behaviours, and external factors. Third, lecturer wellbeing and student wellbeing are often reciprocal, emphasising the importance of lecturer-student interactions. These findings have implications for a whole university approach, namely development of university practices that support sufficient time for constructive lecturer-student interactions, such as timetabling, allocation of administrative tasks, class size and staffing levels.
Outlining technical craft as technology and engineering education in Finnish school craft
Authors: Metsärinne Mika , Salonen Anssi , Kallio Manne , Virta Kalle , Hilmola Antti
Published: December 2024

Technology and engineering education (TEE) corresponds to technical craft in Finnish primary and secondary school craft subject. However, there have not been in the specific descriptions of the technology and engineering content in the subject in the national core curricula for basic education since 1994. The research task here was to outline what TEE is in Finnish primary and secondary school craft. The research method was a qualitative case study, based on the experts’ outlines. The core of TEE learning goals definitions, the content of engineering, and its pedagogy was used to analyse the data collected from TEE experts (n = 23). As a result, new theoretical foundations of TEE in general education are presented. The description includes the basics of the conditions of existence for the subject, and its key general leaning goals in the framework of technology education, main in engineering fields and methods and central pedagogical models. The results reveal the diverse and unified structure of TEE to be used in the craft subject in general education and teacher education, and in outlining and studying the future development of TEE.
Effect of cement paste and saline solution composition on chemical and physical binding of chlorides
Authors: Kuzielová Eva , Compeľová Kristína , Peciar Peter , Buňová Lenka , Kureková Valéria , Másilko Jiří
Published: December 2024

Chloride ingress, along with chemical and physical binding in cement pastes, was studied in relation to the paste composition, saline solution, and hydration regime used. Unblended cement paste and pastes prepared with combinations of SF with MK and SF with BFS, replacing 30% of the cement mass, were exposed to NaCl and geothermal solutions for 7 days, either directly or following 7 days of water curing. The surface and middle parts of the samples were evaluated using TGA, XRD, FTIR, ion chromatography (Cl concentration), and ICP-OES (Na concentration). In addition, compressive strength (CS) measurements were performed. In MK-containing samples, Cl-AFm (hydrocalumite) formed mainly through an ion exchange mechanism, while in BFS-containing samples and the reference pastes, Cl-AFm phases primarily formed through the reaction of Cl− with C3A and Ca(OH)2 and increased physical adsorption of Cl− onto C-(A-)S-H were determined. Exposure to NaCl solution led to more chlorides being chemically incorporated into Cl-AFm, as well as higher levels of physically adsorbed and free chlorides in the pore solutions, compared to the geothermal solution. Pozzolanic reactions of additives, the acceleration of hydration induced by the solutions, especially by the geothermal one, and the densification of the matrix by the products of chloride reactions in blended samples resulted in CSs comparable to or higher than those reached after standard water curing. CSs of referential samples decreased following the decalcification of the initially formed C-(A-)S-H phases.
Assessing the effects of land-use intensity on small mammal community composition and genetic variation in Myodes glareolus and Microtus arvalis across grassland and forest habitats
Authors: Kauer Lea , Imholt Christian , Jacob Jens , Kuehn Ralph
Published: December 2024

Context

Land-use intensification can alter small mammal community composition and induce loss of genetic variation in remaining populations. Fragmented landscapes favor generalist and synanthropic species, which are potential reservoirs of pathogens and pose risks to agriculture and forestry.

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of land-use intensity on small mammal diversity in grassland and forest habitats, as well as on genetic variation patterns driven by geographic (isolation by distance) and environmental distance (isolation by resistance) factors.

Methods

We analysed differences in small mammal community diversity on grassland and forest plots with varying land-use intensities. Genetic analyses were conducted on Myodes glareolus and Microtus arvalis populations from each habitat, using microsatellites. Maximum Likelihood Population Effects models were employed to elucidate gene flow patterns and significant differences in genetic structure based on land-use intensity.

Results

Small mammal communities in grasslands were significantly less diverse than in forests. Land-use intensity had a significant effect on diversity within grassland but not within forest habitats. M. glareolus showed three genetic groups, while M. arvalis displayed no discernible population structure or landscape-related pattern. Land-use intensity did not significantly influence the genetic structure of either species. Gene flow in M. glareolus is best described by the IBR model.

Conclusion

Land-use intensity significantly affects small mammal community composition, particularly in grasslands. Neither species' genetics is directly impacted by land-use intensity but rather by landscape connectivity and distance. Risk assessments for rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens and crop damage should be framed within a habitat connectivity context.
A plug-and-play strategy for agrochemical delivery using a plant virus nanotechnology
Authors: Caparco Adam A. , González-Gamboa Ivonne , Chang-Liao Sabrina , Steinmetz Nicole F.
Published: December 2024

Delivery of agrochemicals into soil presents a challenge, as the active ingredients are often hydrophobic and do not possess adequate soil mobility to reach their target pest. Previously, plant virus nanoparticles have been shown to penetrate soil and deliver agrochemicals for the treatment of plant parasitic nematodes. For example, tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV) can be functionalized with agrochemicals through bioconjugation, infusion at the coat protein interface, or encapsulation through thermal shapeshifting (rod-to-sphere). There continues to be a need to expand approaches for agrochemical display and delivery with a need for plug-and-play technology to be applicable for multiple nanoparticle platforms and agrochemicals. Toward this goal, we turned toward a bio-specific coupling strategy making use of the biotin-(strept)avidin system. Herein, we conjugated TMGMV with either avidin or biotin using azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The avidin/biotin-functionalized TMGMV nanoparticles were then characterized by gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy to confirm cargo loading and the nanoparticle’s structural integrity. Soil column assays confirmed that soil mobility was maintained upon chemical modification. Ivermectin modified with biotin or streptavidin linkers was then introduced to the TMGMV-avidin/biotin nanoparticles and binding propensity and loading were validated by QCM-D and a competitive ELISA. Finally, the ivermectin-loaded TMGMV nanoparticles were used to treat C. elegans in a gel burrowing assay, demonstrating that either pesticide loading strategy resulted in active TMGMV nanoparticle formulation that significantly reduced the mobility of nematodes, even after passing through soil. In stark contrast, free ivermectin only exhibited efficacy when applied directly to nematodes; the free pesticide was lost in the soil column—highlighting the need for a delivery system. The presented approach provides a facile plug-and-play approach for pesticide loading onto TMGMV nanoparticles. In particular, biotinylated TMGMV with streptavidin-conjugated ivermectin served as the most effective formulation. Importantly this method does not require heat, which contrasts our previous method of thermal reshaping that requires sample and pesticide exposure to temperatures > 96 °C. We envision the bio-specific loading strategy could be extended to other protein or inorganic nanoparticles to advance soil treatment strategies.
Participatory engagement to reduce communication gaps
Authors: Torres-García Legna M. , Valdés-Pizzini Manuel , Valdés-Calderón Krystalliá , Frank-Gilchrist Donya , Kotowicz Dawn M. , Maldonado-González Emmanuel , Vargas-Babilonia Priscila
Published: December 2024

Underserved communities, especially those in coastal areas in Puerto Rico, face significant threats from natural hazards such as hurricanes and rising sea levels. Limited funding hinders the investment in costly mitigation measures, increasing exposure to natural disasters. Providing coastal resources and data products through effective communication mechanisms is fundamental to improving the well-being of these underserved coastal communities. The overall objectives of the pilot effort to engage and connect with underserved coastal communities in Puerto Rico were the following: (1) compile a comprehensive database of the projects and resources relevant to natural hazards in Puerto Rico; (2) foster connections with Puerto Rican interested parties to better understand their priorities regarding coastal hazards and provide them with pertinent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) resources; and (3) identify knowledge gaps to guide future USGS projects in Puerto Rico. Here we outline our participatory engagement framework and process, along with two specific resources developed with the information collected from this effort. These resources are available in English and Spanish and consist of user-friendly, non-technical information products. Among them are: (1) a website where users can learn about USGS research on landslides, hurricanes, earthquakes, water resources, coastal hazards, tsunamis, and ecosystem hazards and environmental contaminants, and (2) a geonarrative highlighting shoreline changes in Puerto Rico with sections on historical shoreline trends, hurricane impacts, and potential solutions that could help protect communities and mitigate coastal hazards. Continuing participatory engagement in future projects could enhance the accessibility and usability of natural hazards resources within the community.
Optimizing quantum machine learning for proactive cybersecurity
Authors: Rosa-Remedios Carlos , Caballero-Gil Pino
Published: December 2024

The evolution of cyberattacks requires a continuous race to implement increasingly sophisticated techniques that allow us to stay ahead of cybercriminals. Thus, a relevant inverse problem in cybersecurity involves determining underlying patterns or models of possible cyber threats based on observed data. In particular, the processing of massive data combined with the application of Machine Learning methods and other techniques derived from Artificial Intelligence have so far achieved very significant advances in preventing and mitigating the impact of many cyberattacks. Given that the keyword in cybersecurity is anticipation, this work explores the possibilities of quantum computing and, in particular, of Quantum Machine Learning to have, when the quantum computing era arrives, the most optimal parameterisations to put these models into practice. Although the application of quantum technologies in a real context may still seem distant, having studies to assess the future viability of Quantum Machine Learning to identify different types of cyberattacks may be a differential element when it comes to ensuring the cybersecurity of essential services. For this reason, this work aims to use several datasets of known problems in the field of cybersecurity to evaluate the most optimal parameterisations in some known Quantum Machine Learning models, comparing the results with those obtained using classical models. After analysing the results of this study, it can be concluded that Quantum Machine Learning techniques are promising in the context of cybersecurity, giving rise to future work on a wider range of cybersecurity datasets and Quantum Machine Learning algorithms.
3D radiative transfer modeling of almond canopy for nitrogen estimation by hyperspectral imaging
Authors: Oswald Damian , Pourreza Alireza , Chakraborty Momtanu , Khalsa Sat Darshan S. , Brown Patrick H.
Published: December 2024

Nitrogen (N) is vital for plant growth, but its imbalance can negatively affect crop yields, the environment, and water quality. This is especially crucial for California’s almond orchards, which are the most N-hungry nut crop and require substantial N for high productivity. The current practices of uniform and extensive N application lead to N leaching into the groundwater, creating environmental hazards. Traditional remote sensing methods often rely on data-driven approaches that work well statistically (achieving a high R2 value) with one dataset but aren’t adaptable across different datasets. To create a more robust, data-driven model, one would typically need a vast and varied collection of datasets. Our goal, however, is to develop a more universally applicable model using smaller datasets, typical of commercial orchards, that can accurately estimate N content in tree canopies, regardless of differences in spatial, spectral, and temporal data. In this study, we investigate and evaluate multiple remote sensing approaches for estimating N concentration in Californian almonds, utilizing hyperspectral imaging at the canopy level. We assess various classical vegetation indices, machine learning models, and a physics-informed 3D radiative transfer model. While cross-validated results show comparable results for radiative transfer models and best-performing machine learning models, most single vegetation indices are not capable of exceeding the baseline model
$$\:f\left(\mathbf{x}\right)=\bar{y}$$
and thus had R2 value less than 0. Despite being less commonly used, 3D radiative transfer modeling shows promise as a strong and adaptable method, producing results that are comparable to the best machine learning models.
The impact of handwriting fluency on bursts of written language and text quality in undergraduates
Authors: Carnota Andrés , Pascual Mariona , Suárez-Coalla Paz
Published: December 2024

In this study, we investigated the contributions of handwriting and semantic writing fluency to the bursts of written language during opinion composition among Spanish-speaking undergraduate students (N = 59; Mage = 18.9). Using hierarchical regression analysis, we found that burst length and burst fluency were the primary predictors of text quality. A parallel mediation model further revealed that burst length and burst fluency mediated the relationship between handwriting and semantic fluency and text quality. Specifically, burst length fully mediated the relationship between written semantic fluency and text quality, whereas burst fluency mediated the relationship between both handwriting and semantic fluency and text quality. Notably, handwriting and semantic fluency did not directly influence text quality; rather, their effects were fully mediated by burst length and fluency. These findings highlight the significance of burst length and fluency as robust predictors of text quality in young adults, underscoring their role in the interplay between isolated graphomotor and semantic abilities and writing performance.
The effectiveness of phonological training and morphological training in Chinese children with reading difficulty
Authors: Shen Linling , Feng Guoyan , Shi Liping , Wu Yu , Cao Fan
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Reading difficulty (RD) affects 5–10% of the population across languages (Wagner in J Learn Disabil 53(5), 354–365, 2020). However, only a few studies have focused on developing effective interventions for Chinese children with RD. Both the phonological deficit and morphological deficit hypotheses have been proposed to explain the underlying cognitive cores of RD in Chinese, with limited research directly comparing the interventions targeting these skills. Method: In the current study, we designed and directly compared a phonological and a morphological training program in improving reading for Chinese children with RD. The phonological training program addressed phonological awareness and conversion from orthography to phonology, while the morphological training addressed morphological awareness and conversion from orthography to meaning. Sixty-two fifth-grade students with RD were randomly assigned to the phonological, morphological intervention, or a business-as-usual (BAU) group. Results: Both the phonological training (PT) and the morphological training (MT) improved sentence reading fluency, character naming, one-minute irregular character naming, and phonological awareness compared to the BAU group. Furthermore, we found that responsiveness to the PT was negatively correlated with phonological awareness and maternal education, while responsiveness to the MT was positively correlated with rapid automatized naming (RAN) skills. Conclusion: The phonological training and the morphological training had similar effectiveness in promoting reading in Chinese children with RD, which provides important insights into reading intervention for Chinese RD.