bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring mixed lepton-quark interactions in non-resonant leptoquark production at the LHC
Authors: Gonçalves João , Morais António P. , Onofre António , Pasechnik Roman
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Searches for new physics (NP) at particle colliders typically involve multivariate analysis of kinematic distributions of final state particles produced in a decay of a hypothetical NP resonance. Since the pair-production cross-sections mediated by such resonances are strongly suppressed by the NP scale, this analysis becomes less relevant for NP searches for masses of the BSM resonance above 1 TeV. On the other hand, t-channel processes are less sensitive to the mass of the virtual mediator and therefore larger phase-space can be potentially probed as well as the couplings between the NP particles and the Standard Model fields. The fact that transitions between different generations of quarks and leptons may exist, the potential of the search presented in this article can be used, as a reference guide, to enlarge significantly the scope of searches performed at the LHC to flavour off-diagonal channels, in a theoretically consistent approach. In this work, we study non-resonant production of scalar leptoquarks which have been proposed in the literature to provide a potential avenue for radiative generation of neutrino masses, accommodating as well the existing flavour physics data. Final states involving just two muons at the LHC (μ+μ−), are used as a well-motivated case study.
Three-loop b → sγ vertex with current-current operators
Authors: Fael Matteo , Lange Fabian , Schönwald Kay , Steinhauser Matthias
Published: November 2023

Abstract

We compute three-loop vertex corrections to b → sγ induced by current-current operators. The results are presented as expansions in mc/mb with numerical coefficients which allow to cover all relevant values for the heavy quark masses in different renormalization schemes. Moreover we provide for the first time analytic results for the next-to-leading order contribution. Our results present an important building block to the next-to-next-to-leading order interference contributions of the current-current operators Q1 and Q2 with the electric dipole operator Q7.
A method for developing and validating simulation models for automated storage and retrieval system digital twins
Authors: Ferrari Andrea , Carlin Antonio , Rafele Carlo , Zenezini Giovanni
Published: November 2023

Automated storage and retrieval systems have become increasingly popular in modern supply chains due to their significant advantages over traditional warehousing systems. Due to the high complexity of these systems, simulation approaches can be used to generate accurate performance measures for a specific system configuration. Simulation models are also the cornerstone of digital twins, one of the latest technological innovations that can further improve warehouse operations. Therefore, the aim of this research is to describe an approach for the development of a discrete event simulation model of an automated storage and retrieval system with a perspective towards the implementation of a digital twin. To be consistent with the objectives of the digital twin, the proposed model represents both the physical system and the overarching information technology architecture, such as the warehouse management system and the warehouse control system. In addition, this paper describes a methodology to validate such a simulation model by setting up an experimental campaign based on the principles of design of experiment. The experiments conducted in a logistics laboratory were used to iteratively calibrate the model until its performance accurately reflected the functioning of the real system. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, this work contributes to the literature on warehouse digital twins by highlighting new variables to be considered when defining travel time models and their stochastic nature.
Glyoxal acid-free (GAF) histological fixative is a suitable alternative to formalin: results from an open-label comparative non-inferiority study
Authors: Ryska Ales , Sapino Anna , Landolfi Stefania , Valero Irene Sansano , Cajal Santiago Ramon y , Oliveira Pedro , Detillo Paolo , Lianas Luca , Frexia Francesca , Nicolosi Pier Andrea , Monti Tommaso , Bussolati Benedetta , Marchiò Caterina , Bussolati Gianni
Published: November 2023

Formalin, an aqueous solution of formaldehyde, has been the gold standard for fixation of histological samples for over a century. Despite its considerable advantages, growing evidence points to objective toxicity, particularly highlighting its carcinogenicity and mutagenic effects. In 2016, the European Union proposed a ban, but a temporary permission was granted in consideration of its fundamental role in the medical-diagnostic field. In the present study, we tested an innovative fixative, glyoxal acid-free (GAF) (a glyoxal solution deprived of acids), which allows optimal tissue fixation at structural and molecular level combined with the absence of toxicity and carcinogenic activity. An open-label, non-inferiority, multicentric trial was performed comparing fixation of histological specimens with GAF fixative vs standard phosphate-buffered formalin (PBF), evaluating the morphological preservation and the diagnostic value with four binary score questions answered by both the central pathology reviewer and local center reviewers. The mean of total score in the GAF vs PBF fixative groups was 3.7 ± 0.5 vs 3.9 ± 0.3 for the central reviewer and 3.8 ± 0.5 vs 4.0 ± 0.1 for the local pathologist reviewers, respectively. In terms of median value, similar results were observed between the two fixative groups, with a median value of 4.0. Data collected indicate the non-inferiority of GAF as compared to PBF for all organs tested. The present clinical performance study, performed following the international standard for performance evaluation of in vitro diagnostic medical devices, highlights the capability of GAF to ensure both structural preservation and diagnostic value of the preparations.
Effects of whole-body vibration therapy on pain, functionality, postural stability, and proprioception in patients with subacute and chronic non-specific low back pain: a systematic review
Authors: Remer Franziska , Keilani Mohammad , Kull Philipp , Crevenna Richard
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Non-specific low back pain (NLBP) is a common and clinically significant condition with substantial socioeconomic implications. Whole-body vibration therapy (WBVT) has shown effectiveness in improving pain and sensorimotor function (e.g., in osteoporosis) in previous studies. However, studies had heterogeneous settings. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of WBVT on pain, function, proprioception, and postural stability in patients with subacute and chronic NLBP.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted in the scientific databases PubMed, EMBASE, and PEDro (from inception until 17.05.2023). Only prospective controlled and uncontrolled studies were included. Outcome measures assessed were pain intensity, function (activities of daily living and physical function), proprioception, and postural stability.

Results

A total of 12 original articles (n = 821) were included in the analysis. Ten of the studies were randomized controlled trials, one study had a crossover design, and one study had a one-group pre–post study design. The studies compared WBVT vs. no intervention, WBVT vs. basic physical therapy, WBVT vs. core stabilization exercises with and without respiratory resistance, WBVT vs. lumbar extension exercises, and WBVT vs. whole body electromyostimulation training. The treatment approaches varied in terms of duration (2–18 weeks), frequency (2–3 times per week, two applications with a 2-week break), vibration frequency (5–30 Hz), type of exercises (WBVT with or without static or dynamic exercises), and vibration direction (horizontal and vertical). Significant pain reduction was observed in all 10 studies that investigated pain levels. Significant improvement in daily activity function was reported in five of the six studies that investigated daily function, while improvement in physical function was observed in all four studies that investigated physical function. Improvement in proprioception was reported in all three studies that investigated proprioception, and significant improvement in postural stability was observed in four out of six studies that investigated postural stability. No adverse events or side effects related to WBVT were reported.

Conclusion

The majority of the included studies demonstrated significant pain reduction, improvement in physical and daily functioning, and enhanced proprioception. Improvement in postural stability was less consistent. WBVT appears to be a safe and effective treatment modality for subacute and chronic NLBP when used within a multimodal approach. Future research should focus on standardized settings including assessment methods, treatment regimens, frequencies, and intensities.
PANoptosis: a potential new target for programmed cell death in breast cancer treatment and prognosis
Authors: Liu Xinxin , Miao Meiqi , Sun Jijing , Wu Jianli , Qin Xunyun
Published: November 2023

Breast cancer is a prevalent and severe form of cancer that affects women all over the world. The incidence and mortality of breast cancer continue to rise due to factors such as population growth and the aging of the population. There is a growing area of research focused on a cell death mechanism known as PANoptosis. This mechanism is primarily regulated by the PANoptosome complex and displays important characteristics of cell death, including pyroptosis, apoptosis, and/or necroptosis, without being strictly defined by the cell death pathway. PANoptosis acts as a defensive response to external stimuli and pathogens, contributing to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and overall stability. Increasing evidence suggests that programmed cell death (PCD) plays an important role in the development of breast cancer, and PANoptosis, as a novel form of PCD, may be a crucial factor in the development of breast cancer, potentially leading to the identification of new therapeutic strategies. Therefore, the concept of PANoptosis not only deepens our understanding of PCD, but also opens up new avenues for treating malignant diseases, including breast cancer. This review aims to provide an overview of the definition of PANoptosis, systematically explore the interplay between PANoptosis and various forms of PCD, and discuss its implications for breast cancer. Additionally, it delves into the current progress and future directions of PANoptosis research in the context of breast cancer, establishing a theoretical foundation for the development of molecular targets within critical signaling pathways related to PANoptosis, as well as multi-target combination therapy approaches, with the goal of inducing PANoptosis as part of breast cancer treatment.
Environmental DNA from soil reveals the presence of a “lost” Afrotherian species
Authors: Mynhardt Samantha , Matthew Esther , le Roux Jean Pierre , Little Ian , Bloomer Paulette , Theron Cobus
Published: November 2023

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has attracted worldwide attention over the past few years as an emerging approach to characterising and monitoring biodiversity, and has become particularly important for species that are rare, elusive or endangered. Most animal studies to date have focused on aquatic taxa; studies on other metazoan taxa, particularly wildlife in terrestrial environments, are scarce, with only a handful utilizing soil sources. We aimed to investigate the use of DNA barcoding from soil eDNA in (1) detecting rare/elusive/threatened species and (2) as a tool to investigate and potentially monitor range distributions. Through extensive eDNA sampling along the west coast of South Africa, we aimed to refine the distributions of four golden mole species thought to occur there, and specifically to determine whether De Winton’s golden mole, Cryptochloris wintoni (IUCN Critically Endangered; Possibly Extinct), is in fact extant or extinct. Sequences were generated for three barcode markers (mtDNA cyt b, 12S and nuclear GHR) using next-generation amplicon sequencing. Tissue samples from four specimens were used to generate reference sequences for species identification, along with available GenBank sequences. We were able to (1) successfully detect all four species in our data, and (2) improve records of the distributions of these species. Furthermore, we uncovered cryptic diversity in Eremitalpa granti. Our data conclusively reveal the presence of the elusive Cryptochloris wintoni and suggest that this species may in fact be widespread, but not necessarily abundant, and certainly less so in areas subjected to mining activities, which continue to pose a threat to the species.
The continuous stochastic gradient method: part II–application and numerics
Authors: Grieshammer Max , Pflug Lukas , Stingl Michael , Uihlein Andrian
Published: November 2023

In this contribution, we present a numerical analysis of the continuous stochastic gradient (CSG) method, including applications from topology optimization and convergence rates. In contrast to standard stochastic gradient optimization schemes, CSG does not discard old gradient samples from previous iterations. Instead, design dependent integration weights are calculated to form a convex combination as an approximation to the true gradient at the current design. As the approximation error vanishes in the course of the iterations, CSG represents a hybrid approach, starting off like a purely stochastic method and behaving like a full gradient scheme in the limit. In this work, the efficiency of CSG is demonstrated for practically relevant applications from topology optimization. These settings are characterized by both, a large number of optimization variables and an objective function, whose evaluation requires the numerical computation of multiple integrals concatenated in a nonlinear fashion. Such problems could not be solved by any existing optimization method before. Lastly, with regards to convergence rates, first estimates are provided and confirmed with the help of numerical experiments.
When the Sun is Out of the Picture: Exploring a Variation Theory Key to Children’s Imagination in a Picturebook Reading Activity
Authors: Backman Anna
Published: November 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore a theoretical idea in relation to a body of empirical material from a reading activity involving a picturebook on shadow. The theoretical idea, sprung from variation theory, entails children’s discernment through synchronic simultaneity as a key to their ability to imagine. To explore this idea, an analysis has been conducted on how 5-year-olds, in words and actions, express themselves in a reading activity involving The Black Rabbit (Leathers, 2014) in regard to discerning and imagining about shadow as a light phenomenon. Vygotsky describes children’s previous experiences as a key to their ability to imagine. The results of this study imply that children’s discernment in the moment, with synchronic simultaneity, appears to be another key that unlocks their ability to imagine explicit depictions in a picturebook. The results also show that when children’s discernment with both synchronic and diachronic simultaneity (i.e., discernment in the moment and before the moment) is missing, their ability to imagine remains untapped, as none of the keys to their imagination, which might unlock their ability to imagine implicit depictions in a picturebook, are used.
Fairness-aware machine learning engineering: how far are we?
Authors: Ferrara Carmine , Sellitto Giulia , Ferrucci Filomena , Palomba Fabio , De Lucia Andrea
Published: November 2023

Machine learning is part of the daily life of people and companies worldwide. Unfortunately, bias in machine learning algorithms risks unfairly influencing the decision-making process and reiterating possible discrimination. While the interest of the software engineering community in software fairness is rapidly increasing, there is still a lack of understanding of various aspects connected to fair machine learning engineering, i.e., the software engineering process involved in developing fairness-critical machine learning systems. Questions connected to the practitioners’ awareness and maturity about fairness, the skills required to deal with the matter, and the best development phase(s) where fairness should be faced more are just some examples of the knowledge gaps currently open. In this paper, we provide insights into how fairness is perceived and managed in practice, to shed light on the instruments and approaches that practitioners might employ to properly handle fairness. We conducted a survey with 117 professionals who shared their knowledge and experience highlighting the relevance of fairness in practice, and the skills and tools required to handle it. The key results of our study show that fairness is still considered a second-class quality aspect in the development of artificial intelligence systems. The building of specific methods and development environments, other than automated validation tools, might help developers to treat fairness throughout the software lifecycle and revert this trend.
Enhancing anomaly detectors with LatentOut
Authors: Angiulli Fabrizio , Fassetti Fabio , Ferragina Luca
Published: November 2023

$${{\textbf{Latent}}\varvec{Out}}$$

Latent

Out

is a recently introduced algorithm for unsupervised anomaly detection which enhances latent space-based neural methods, namely (Variational) Autoencoders, GANomaly and ANOGan architectures. The main idea behind it is to exploit both the latent space and the baseline score of these architectures in order to provide a refined anomaly score performing density estimation in the augmented latent-space/baseline-score feature space. In this paper we investigate the performance of $${{\textbf{Latent}}\varvec{Out}}$$

Latent

Out

acting as a one-class classifier and we experiment the combination of $${{\textbf{Latent}}\varvec{Out}}$$

Latent

Out

with GAAL architectures, a novel type of Generative Adversarial Networks for unsupervised anomaly detection. Moreover, we show that the feature space induced by $${{\textbf{Latent}}\varvec{Out}}$$

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has the characteristic to enhance the separation between normal and anomalous data. Indeed, we prove that standard data mining outlier detection methods perform better when applied on this novel augmented latent space rather than on the original data space.
Praxis: a framework for AI-driven human action recognition in assembly
Authors: Gkournelos Christos , Konstantinou Christos , Angelakis Panagiotis , Tzavara Eleni , Makris Sotiris
Published: November 2023

The role of Artificial intelligence in achieving high performance in manufacturing systems has been explored over the years. However, with the increasing number of variants in the factories and the advances in digital technologies new opportunities arise for supporting operators in the factory. The hybrid production systems stipulate the efficient collaboration of the workers with the machines. Human action recognition is a major enabler for intuitive machines and robots to achieve more efficient interaction with workers. This paper discusses a software framework called Praxis, aiming to facilitate the deployment of human action recognition (HAR) in assembly. Praxis is designed to provide a flexible and scalable architecture for implementing human action recognition in assembly lines. The framework has been implemented in a real-world case study originating for showcasing and validating the effectiveness of Praxis in real-life applications. It is deployed in an assembly use case for an air compression production industry. This study highlights the potential of the Praxis framework for promoting efficient human–robot collaboration (HRC) in modern manufacturing environments through HAR.
Prevalence and Correlates of Fearing a Partner During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Britain: Findings from Natsal-COVID
Authors: Willis Malachi , Tanton Clare , Conolly Anne , Baxter Andrew J. , Pérez Raquel Bosó , Riddell Julie , Dema Emily , Copas Andrew J. , Macdowall Wendy , Bonell Chris , Mercer Catherine H. , Sonnenberg Pam , Field Nigel , Mitchell Kirstin R.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions introduced personal and relationship stressors that potentially increased the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) for some. We estimated the population prevalence and correlates of fearing a partner in the first year of the pandemic in Britain.

Method

We used data from Natsal-COVID Wave 2—a web-panel survey undertaken one year after the initial British lockdown from 23 March 2020. Quotas and weighting were used to achieve a quasi-representative sample of the general population. Participants were asked about fearing a partner, which is a simple and valid screening tool to identify IPV experiences.

Results

In our sample (unweighted n = 6302, aged 18–59), 9.0% of women and 8.7% of men reported fearing a partner in the first year of the pandemic. Women (73.3%) were more likely than men (49.9%) to indicate that fearing a partner made them feel anxious or depressed; men were more likely to report increased substance use (30.8% vs. 18.4%) and affected work/studies (30.0% vs. 20.0%). For both women and men, fearing a partner during the first year of the pandemic was associated with established health and wellbeing outcomes like anxiety/depression, alcohol use, accessing sexual/reproductive health services, and relationship dissolution as well as feeling that the “pandemic made things worse” across various life domains.

Conclusions

Population-level estimates of IPV during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight harmful experiences that occurred alongside other wide-ranging hardships, and the associations presented identify key populations with potential ongoing need. We make recommendations for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of IPV.
Globally optimal scheduling of an electrochemical process via data-driven dynamic modeling and wavelet-based adaptive grid refinement
Authors: Papadimitriou Chrysanthi , Varelmann Tim , Schröder Christian , Jupke Andreas , Mitsos Alexander
Published: November 2023

Electrochemical recovery of succinic acid is an electricity intensive process with storable feeds and products, making its flexible operation promising for fluctuating electricity prices. We perform experiments of an electrolysis cell and use these to identify a data-driven model. We apply global dynamic optimization using discrete-time Hammerstein–Wiener models to solve the nonconvex offline scheduling problem to global optimality. We detect the method’s high computational cost and propose an adaptive grid refinement algorithm for global optimization (AGRAGO), which uses a wavelet transform of the control time series and a refinement criterion based on Lagrangian multipliers. AGRAGO is used for the automatic optimal allocation of the control variables in the grid to provide a globally optimal schedule within a given time frame. We demonstrate the applicability of AGRAGO while maintaining the high computational expenses of the solution method and detect superior results to uniform grid sampling indicating economic savings of 14.1%.
Colonial education and the world market: The cotton school experiment in German Togo (1900–1914)
Authors: Adick Christel
Published: November 2023

Critical research on colonial education should not only include the intentions of colonial actors, but also an awareness of possible learning outcomes that were intended or not intended by “the colonial masters”. The case study presented here explores the fate of an agricultural school located in Notsé (Togo) from its first ideas in 1900 until about 1914 (the end of German colonial rule in Togo). The main reason for setting up the “cotton school experiment” was to find ways of formalising the transfer of knowledge, competences and attitudes which were deemed necessary for the transformation of the local economy and society from a subsistence or household economy to capitalist modes of production. The history of this agricultural institution transcends colonial history between Germany and Togo, opening up a broader view of entanglements between the regional histories of Africa, Germany and the southern United States. The story begins with African Americans from Tuskegee in Alabama under the leadership of the African-American educationist Booker T. Washington, who were despatched to German Togo in 1900 in order to enhance local cash-crop style cotton production for the sake of the German cotton industry in Germany. It ends with the colonial government in Togo appointing German regional agricultural officers to consult and instruct local Togolese communities in cash-crop production as itinerant teachers.
Randomized time Riemannian Manifold Hamiltonian Monte Carlo
Authors: Whalley Peter A. , Paulin Daniel , Leimkuhler Benedict
Published: November 2023

Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) algorithms, which combine numerical approximation of Hamiltonian dynamics on finite intervals with stochastic refreshment and Metropolis correction, are popular sampling schemes, but it is known that they may suffer from slow convergence in the continuous time limit. A recent paper of Bou-Rabee and Sanz-Serna (Ann Appl Prob, 27:2159-2194, 2017) demonstrated that this issue can be addressed by simply randomizing the duration parameter of the Hamiltonian paths. In this article, we use the same idea to enhance the sampling efficiency of a constrained version of HMC, with potential benefits in a variety of application settings. We demonstrate both the conservation of the stationary distribution and the ergodicity of the method. We also compare the performance of various schemes in numerical studies of model problems, including an application to high-dimensional covariance estimation.
Prediction of areas with high risk of roadkill wildlife applying maximum entropy approach and environmental features: East Antioquia, Colombia
Authors: Perez-Guerra J. , Gonzalez-Velez J. , Murillo-Escobar J. , Jaramillo-Fayad J. C.
Published: November 2023

Linear infrastructures such as roads are known to cause adverse effects on the surrounding ecosystems. Wildlife–vehicle collisions (WVC) are considered to be one of the main causes of biodiversity loss. Several studies have demonstrated that WVC occurs on Colombian roads. However, studies have focused on a body count, the most affected species, and places with high mortality rates. We aim to propose a methodology for predicting WVC risk in the east of Antioquia, Colombia employing a machine learning approach to identify road segments with a high risk of WVC. Additionally, we present a novel validation technique for the "MaxEnt" approach. During this investigation, 499 reports were collected through road surveys between 2015 and 2016. We identified 160 road segments with high mortality rates with a 2D Hotspots analysis. 15 environmental descriptors were collected for each road segment. Validation of the predictive capabilities of the algorithm was performed using the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). The model achieved a good predictive ability (AUC>0.77). The response curves evidenced that features like distance to forest, land cover, resistance, and land use increase the probability of WVC, specifically, collision risk was higher in zones with high resistance values, crops, and pastures. This methodology has the potential to become an important tool for the prioritization of resources to mitigate WVC.
Advances of machine learning in materials science: Ideas and techniques
Authors: Chong Sue Sin , Ng Yi Sheng , Wang Hui-Qiong , Zheng Jin-Cheng
Published: November 2023

In this big data era, the use of large dataset in conjunction with machine learning (ML) has been increasingly popular in both industry and academia. In recent times, the field of materials science is also undergoing a big data revolution, with large database and repositories appearing everywhere. Traditionally, materials science is a trial-and-error field, in both the computational and experimental departments. With the advent of machine learning-based techniques, there has been a paradigm shift: materials can now be screened quickly using ML models and even generated based on materials with similar properties; ML has also quietly infiltrated many sub-disciplinary under materials science. However, ML remains relatively new to the field and is expanding its wing quickly. There are a plethora of readily-available big data architectures and abundance of ML models and software; The call to integrate all these elements in a comprehensive research procedure is becoming an important direction of material science research. In this review, we attempt to provide an introduction and reference of ML to materials scientists, covering as much as possible the commonly used methods and applications, and discussing the future possibilities.
“Traitor over a night”: on critique and the fragility of privilege in the aftermath of Turkey’s coup attempt
Authors: Sehlikoglu Sertaç
Published: November 2023

Drawing on ethnographic research with the devout members of Gülen movement displaced in the aftermath of the coup attempt in 2016, this paper studies the existential crisis these formerly “proper Turkish citizens” have been experiencing after being targeted by the Turkish State. This existential crisis, as argued in this paper, is significantly informative in understanding how privilege-based ethical self-making emanates fragility. The paper, thus, both parallels Sunni-Turkish-ness with whiteness and provides a reading of ethical self-making processes the Gülenists developed vis-à-vis the notions of critique and comfort. It first looks closer at the two Islamic revivalist movements, Milli Görüş as the predecessors of Turkey’s ruling AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi/Justice and Development Party) and the Gülen Movement, their rivalry over claiming the canon and the ways in which they differ in their notions of politics, political Islam, and critique. Although critique and self-critique are integral components of ethical self-formation processes, Gülen movement takes a somewhat inconsistent approach in implementing them to the heteronomous layers of self. Meaning, that while self-critique is an essential part of ethical self-making, critiquing the movement itself, the state, nation, and ancestors (as they were imagined) are not seen as ethical acts. It concludes with an analysis of how this discrepancy results in a sporadic distribution of ethical self-formation, leading to an existential crisis.
De-globalization, International Trade Protectionism, and the Reconfigurations of Global Value Chains
Authors: Zahoor Nadia , Wu Jie , Khan Huda , Khan Zaheer
Published: November 2023

By presenting an investigation of the impact of international trade protectionism on the reconfigurations of the global value chains (GVCs), this paper challenges the perceived assumption of ongoing globalization and the free flow of goods and services. Building on the de-globalization and GVCs’ literature, we performed a historical content analysis on 174 articles from 2016 to 2020 published in leading and major national and international newspapers. Our findings suggest that international trade protectionism has altered the landscape of GVCs by causing widespread disruption to their functioning, thus making them prone to future external policy risks. Such disruption is having a varying impact on various industries, whereby it is causing greater harm to those industries that are more global in nature and thus rely on global suppliers. We draw implications of our findings for research and practice.
Fridays for Future zwischen Hoffnung und Frustration: Politische Selbstwirksamkeit im Verständnis junger Protestierender
Authors: Waechter Natalia , Steinmann Nico Maximilian
Published: November 2023

Der Artikel untersucht das Selbstverständnis von jungen Aktivist:innen der Fridays for Future (FFF) Bewegung und analysiert, inwiefern und welchen Kontexten sich die Protestierenden politisch selbstwirksam für die zukünftige Entwicklung der Klimakrise verstehen und welche Strategien sie zur Förderung ihrer Selbstwirksamkeit einsetzen. Dabei beziehen wir uns auf das Konzept politischer Selbstwirksamkeit und auf den theoretischen Ansatz der Handlungsfähigkeit junger Menschen. Zur Beantwortung dieser Fragen werden empirische, qualitative Interview- und Beobachtungsdaten von jungen Aktivist:innen und Teilnehmer:innen an FFF-Protesten in Deutschland und Österreich herangezogen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich die untersuchten Protestierenden trotz wahrgenommener Hindernisse als politisch wirksame Akteur:innen verstehen. Im persönlichen Umfeld nehmen sie sich als einflussreiche Vorbilder eines klimagerechten Lebensstils wahr, der von anderen übernommen wird. Sie bemerken auch eine (indirekte) Einflussnahme der FFF-Bewegung auf Politik und Regierungen sowie auf das Problembewusstsein der Bevölkerung, insgesamt scheint das Engagement der Aktivist:innen aber mehr von der Hoffnung, denn von benennbaren politischen Erfolgen getragen zu sein. Dementsprechend wird als Strategie zur Stärkung des Glaubens an die Selbstwirksamkeit unter anderem mit der Verbreitung einer optimistischen Grundstimmung gearbeitet.
A multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of combustion-free nicotine alternatives on cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic parameters in individuals with type 2 diabetes who smoke: the DiaSmokeFree study protocol
Authors: Krysiński Arkadiusz , Russo Cristina , Campagna Davide , Di Pino Antonino , John Sarah , Belsey Jonathan , Caponnetto Pasquale , Vudu Lorina , Lim Chong Wei , Di Ciaula Agostino , Veronese Nicola , Barbagallo Mario , Iqbal Farrukh , Fluck David , Franek Edward , Polosa Riccardo , Sharma Pankaj ,   the DiaSmokeFree investigators
Published: November 2023

Stopping smoking is crucial for public health and especially for individuals with diabetes. Combustion-free nicotine alternatives like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are increasingly being used as substitutes for conventional cigarettes, contributing to the decline in smoking prevalence. However, there is limited information about the long-term health impact of those products in patients with diabetes. This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate whether switching from conventional cigarettes to combustion-free nicotine alternatives will lead to a measurable improvement in cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic parameters over a period of 2 years in smokers with type 2 diabetes. The multicenter study will be conducted in seven sites across four countries. A total of 576 smokers with type 2 diabetes will be randomly assigned (1:2 ratio) to either standard of care with brief cessation advice (Control Arm) or combustion-free nicotine alternatives use (Intervention Arm). The primary end point is the change in the proportion of patients with metabolic syndrome between baseline and the 2-year follow-up. Additionally, the study will analyze the absolute change in the sum of the individual factors of metabolic syndrome at each study time point. Patient recruitment has started in September 2021 and enrollment is expected to be completed by December 2023. Results will be reported in 2026. This study may provide valuable insights into cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits or risks associated with using combustion-free nicotine alternatives for individuals with type 2 diabetes who are seeking alternatives to tobacco cigarette smoking. The study protocol, informed consent forms, and relevant documents were approved by seven ethical review boards. Study results will be disseminated through articles published in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals and presentations at conferences.
Research on the bending strategy for an innovative, ressource efficient stator design
Authors: Bach Mirko , Psyk Verena , Winter Sven , Linnemann Maik , Pohl Niclas , Dix Martin
Published: November 2023

Due to new requirements regarding the efficiency of electrical machines it is necessary to steadily improve machine concepts or create new ones. Therefore, manufacturing technology has to be continuously improved, adapted or developed new. Forming technology offers an excellent opportunity to implement components for highly efficient electrical machines through its advantages regarding high productivity and high degree of material usage. This paper presents a new method for bending complete stacks of grain oriented electric sheets for use as radially laminated modules in an innovative machine concept with flux barriers. First, the principle of electric drives with flux barriers and the arrangement of the new radial lamination are explained. Then, practical preliminary studies concerning the bending of single sheets are performed. Based on this, the process and tooling for bending of pre-stacked sheets is developed and analysed. Accordingly, an increase in material utilisation of about 30% can be expected compared to classically designed stators. Furthermore, the use of the radially laminated stator principle increases the slot area by about 20% which makes it possible to insert more copper into the slot and thus increase the efficiency of the machine during operation. After validation of the process chain with a demonstrator motor and description of several manufacturing and quality improvements, finally, an outlook is given, and possible further research approaches are discussed.
Selection and Scaling Approaches of Earthquake Time-Series for Structural Engineering Applications: A State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: Caicedo Daniel , Karimzadeh Shaghayegh , Bernardo Vasco , Lourenço Paulo B.
Published: November 2023

Selection and scaling of ground motion records have been recognised as one of the major sources of bias and uncertainty in the seismic assessment of civil engineering structures. This review paper provides a comprehensive description from a critical point of view of the scaling and selection approaches of earthquake motions for structural engineering applications, emphasising works conducted in the last decade. The outline of content within this review is organised as follows: (1) Earlier works (research done before 2010); (2) Code-based selection and spectral matching; (3) Probabilistic assessment based on intensity measures; and (4) Use of simulated signals as an alternative to ground motion selection and scaling. The aim of this paper is to provide a wide understanding of current research on the scaling and selection of earthquake motions for structural engineering applications; therefore, it may serve as a suitable reference in forthcoming investigations.
GIS-based analysis of the spatial distribution of CO2 emissions and slow steaming effectiveness in coastal shipping
Authors: Karountzos Orfeas , Kagkelis Georgios , Iliopoulou Christina , Kepaptsoglou Konstantinos
Published: November 2023

The sustainability of maritime activities is increasingly gaining interest, with the shipping sector actively focusing on decarbonization efforts. Throughout the years, researchers have considered slow steaming for improving the environmental footprint of maritime networks. In order to assess such strategies’ effectiveness on existing emissions, research also focuses on the accurate estimation of emission inventories. However, there is a significant gap concerning both fields when considering short-sea shipping, especially passenger shipping. Furthermore, while emissions are characterized by spatial aspects in several studies, there is an apparent gap in considering such aspects for detailed analysis purposes rather than only for visualization purposes. In this study, the Greek Coastal Shipping Network (GCSN) is considered, with its emissions estimated using a top-down method, creating a spatial emission inventory used for further spatial analysis for accurate identification of highly polluted areas. Results indicate that ship emissions do not spread homogeneously throughout the GCSN and that targeted interventions are necessary in several areas of the network. The effectiveness of spatially related slow steaming implementations is evaluated and compared with their implementation on the whole network. The study highlights the need for additional future emission mitigation strategies, such as service optimization, network restructuring, continuous emission monitoring, and fleet renewal with more environmentally efficient ships. The study’s aim is to fill the research gap regarding the environmental assessment of passenger shipping and the effects of slow steaming on such networks while presenting an adaptable GIS-based decision support system for enhanced decision-making regarding the environmental efficiency of maritime networks.
A circular approach to foster additive manufacturing early design stages sustainability: a methodological proposal
Authors: Faveto Alberto , Lombardi Franco , Chiabert Paolo , Segonds Frédéric
Published: November 2023

The design of new products is now influenced by shifting consumer demands and technological advancements. Products must satisfy high-quality standards and have a low environmental impact. New phenomena such as distributed and urban manufacturing are emerging to cope with this. A new manufacturing era is coming where methods that prevent waste, support small workshops and encourage do-it-yourself are crucial. In the early design stage, the process knowledge is minimal, and the decision taken is vital. For this reason, it is essential to support designers in anticipating the impact of decisions on the final product. This paper establishes the groundwork for decision-support methodologies for sustainable design in One-of-a-Kind additive manufacturing prototyping. Our proposed method is applied to a Fused Filament Fabrication case study, wherein we evaluate the impact of nine variables on factors such as process time, energy and material consumption, environmental footprint, and product quality. The initial step aims to generate fresh insights through Taguchi experimentation, while the subsequent step formulates and resolves a multi-objective optimization problem using the NSGA-II algorithm. The resulting Pareto-optimal solutions serve as the basis for a novel visual-based design support tool. The proposed approach can evaluate the trade-offs between product quality and environmental impact by offering users a visual heatmap based on quantitative data. This heatmap can guide the user in the material and production parameter selection. Integrating the decision support tool into the product design process can empower designers to create environmentally responsible products while fostering innovation.
Mit Strafe zum Wohlverhalten?
Authors: Gaßmöller Annika , Oelkers Nina
Published: November 2023

Aus der Perspektive der Betroffenen sind Strafen bzw. Sanktionen zwar ein wesentlicher, aber dennoch risikobehafteter Bestandteil von Erziehung. Eine positive Wirkung können Strafen nur dann entfalten, wenn sie einen untergeordneten Aspekt der Erziehung darstellen, wohingegen eine tragfähige und belastbare Beziehung sich als Grundvoraussetzung erweist. Auf der Grundlage der empirischen Ergebnisse ist einem individuellen Fallverstehen zudem eine hohe Bedeutung zuzumessen.
#bedürfnisorientiert und #bindungsorientiert
Authors: Menzel Tessa-Marie
Published: November 2023

In den Sozialen Medien, wie etwa Instagram, erfreuen sich Profile von sogenannten Momfluencerinnen sowie von (selbsternannten) Familienexpert_innen und Erziehungscoach_innen enormer Popularität. U. a. unter den Hashtags #bindungsorientiert und #bedürfnisorientiert werden Erziehungstipps und -trends geteilt und so zugleich als neue Orientierungsnormen für Erziehung gesetzt. In diesem Beitrag wird dieser mediale Trend nachgezeichnet und hinsichtlich seiner Bedeutung für aktuelle Erziehungsdiskurse diskutiert. Dabei wird der lose Rekurs auf (populär-)wissenschaftliche Theorien und Konzepte reflektiert und kommerzielle und intersektionale Perspektiven aufgeworfen.
Children’s Experiences of Bullying Victimization and the Influence on Their Subjective Well-Being: a Population-Based Study
Authors: Savahl Shazly , Adams Sabirah , Hoosen Phadiel
Published: November 2023

Bullying is both a major public health concern and a violation of children’s right to safety from violence. Within the past decade, there has been an increasing interest in the relation between bullying and children’s subjective well-being (SWB). Empirical research has unequivocally demonstrated the significant negative influence of bullying on children’s SWB. Within the South African context, violence and aggressive behaviour is widespread. The high prevalence of school bullying in South Africa is intricately related to the intergenerational experiences of violence, rooted in the history of racism, prejudice, oppression, exclusion, and the discriminatory practices of apartheid. However, there are limited large-scale studies that explores the relation between bullying victimization and children’s SWB. The current study, uses a population-based sample to explore the relation between bullying victimization and children’s SWB in South Africa, across provincial regions (nine provinces), age (10 - and 12-years), gender (boys and girls), geographical context (urban and rural), and socio-economic status (low, lower-middle, and middle socio-economic status). The study uses Subjective Well-Being Homeostasis Theory to frame and interpret the findings. We found a significant negative relationship between bullying victimization and children’s SWB. The combined influence of being hit, called unkind names and socially excluded explained 6 % of the variance in SWB for the overall sample, with some variation across provincial region, age groups, gender, geographical context, and socio-economic status. The study further found that increased incidences of bullying experiences were associated with lower mean scores of SWB. Finally, the study found that even though the different forms of bullying victimization have a significant negative influence on children’s SWB, the homeostatic mechanism is potentially mediating this influence and maintaining levels of SWB.
Deformable Catalytic Material Derived from Mechanical Flexibility for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Wang Fengshun , Xie Lingbin , Sun Ning , Zhi Ting , Zhang Mengyang , Liu Yang , Luo Zhongzhong , Yi Lanhua , Zhao Qiang , Wang Longlu
Published: November 2023

Deformable catalytic material with excellent flexible structure is a new type of catalyst that has been applied in various chemical reactions, especially electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In recent years, deformable catalysts for HER have made great progress and would become a research hotspot. The catalytic activities of deformable catalysts could be adjustable by the strain engineering and surface reconfiguration. The surface curvature of flexible catalytic materials is closely related to the electrocatalytic HER properties. Here, firstly, we systematically summarized self-adaptive catalytic performance of deformable catalysts and various micro–nanostructures evolution in catalytic HER process. Secondly, a series of strategies to design highly active catalysts based on the mechanical flexibility of low-dimensional nanomaterials were summarized. Last but not least, we presented the challenges and prospects of the study of flexible and deformable micro–nanostructures of electrocatalysts, which would further deepen the understanding of catalytic mechanisms of deformable HER catalyst.