bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrated correlators in a $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 SYM theory with fundamental flavors: a matrix-model perspective
Authors: Billò M. , Frau M. , Lerda A. , Pini A. , Vallarino P.
Published: December 2024

Abstract

The D theory is a $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 conformal SYM theory in four dimensions with gauge group SU(N), four matter hypermultiplets in the fundamental and two in the anti-symmetric representation, and a flavor symmetry that contains a U(4) factor. Its holographic dual is obtained via a combination of orbifold and orientifold projections from Type II B string theory on AdS5 × S5 and possesses a sector of open strings attached to D7 branes with U(4) Chan-Paton factors. The AdS Veneziano amplitude of the U(4) gluons is dual to four-point correlators of moment-map operators of the U(4) flavor symmetry in the D theory. An integrated version of these correlators is captured by a deformation of the D theory in which the fundamental hypermultiplets acquire a mass. The partition function of this massive theory can be evaluated with matrix-model techniques using localization. In this paper we analyze the matrix model of the mass-deformed D theory arising from localization using the so-called “full Lie algebra” approach in a 1/N expansion. In particular, we study the partition function and its mass derivatives up to O(1/N2) corrections obtaining exact expressions that are valid for all values of the ’t Hooft coupling. We also analyze their behavior at strong coupling where our results produce useful constraints on the dual open string scattering amplitudes in AdS.
The concealed side of caspases: beyond a killer of cells
Authors: Abdelghany Lina , Sillapachaiyaporn Chanin , Zhivotovsky Boris
Published: December 2024

Since the late 20th century, researchers have known that caspases are a pillar of cell death, particularly apoptosis. However, recent advances in cell biology have unraveled the multiple roles of caspases. These enzymes have an unconventional role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and invasion. As a result, caspase deregulation can fuel the fire of cancer, incite flames of inflammation, flare neurodegenerative disorders, and exacerbate skin pathologies. Several therapeutic approaches toward caspase inhibition have been investigated, but can caspase inhibitors harness the maladaptive effect of these proteases without causing significant side effects? A few studies have exploited caspase induction for cancer or adoptive cell therapies. Here, we provide a compelling picture of caspases, starting with their evolution, their polytomous roles beyond cell death, the flaws of their deregulation, and the merits of targeting them for therapeutic implications. Furthermore, we provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of caspase-related research up to the current era, pinpointing the role of caspases in cell survival and aiding in the development of effective caspase-targeted therapies.

Graphical Abstract
Vergleichende Bewertung der spongiösen Knochendichte in Hounsfield-Einheiten im lumbalen nativen CT-Schnittbild zur Osteoporosediagnostik und Frakturrisikobestimmung durch verschiedene Untersucher
Authors: Andresen Julian Ramin , Schröder Guido , Haider Thomas , Kopetsch Christoph , Kullen Claus Maximilian , Schober Hans Christof , Andresen Reimer
Published: December 2024

Hintergrund

Ein zunehmender Verlust an Knochenmineralgehalt (KMG) am Achsenskelett führt zu einer Osteoporose und Frakturen, wobei sich thorakal und thorakolumbal eine Häufung findet.

Fragestellung

Inwieweit eine untersucherunabhängige Abschätzung zum Ausmaß einer Osteoporose und Frakturrisikobestimmung mittels spongiöser Dichtebestimmung in Hounsfield-Einheiten (HU) in der Wirbelsäule möglich ist, sollte überprüft werden. Lassen sich aus den HU-Werten quantitative KMG-Werte berechnen, war die nächste Frage.

PatientInnen und Methode

Es wurden 225 PatientInnen (Pat.) mit einem Durchschnittsalter von 64,9 ± 13,1 Jahren und einem Body-Mass-Index (BMI) von 26,8 ± 6,8 kg/m2, hiervon 37 Männer und 188 Frauen, mit der Frage nach dem Vorhandensein einer Osteoporose untersucht. Eine Bestimmung des KMG in mg/cm3 erfolgte mittels quantitativer Computertomographie (QCT) im lumbalen Bereich. Es erfolgte nach Anonymisierung durch drei erfahrene Radiologen eine zusätzliche Messung der Spongiosadichte in HU in denselben Wirbelköpern (insgesamt 675 Wirbelkörper), jeweils durch eine im mittvertebralen spongiösen Raum positionierte „region of interest“ (ROI) im sagittal reformierten CT-Schnittbild. In zusätzlich durchgeführten lateralen Röntgenaufnahmen der Brust- (BWS) und Lendenwirbelsäule (LWS) erfolgte die Detektion und Gradeinteilung von Wirbelkörperfrakturen. Zur gleichen Zeit aufgetretene Sakruminsuffizienzfrakturen wurden miterfasst.

Ergebnisse

Der mediane KMG betrug 73,2 (57,05–104,17) mg/cm3 und der mediane HU 89,93 (67,90–126,95). Bei einer Korrelation von 0,988 (p < 0,001) lassen sich nach der Formel: Xq = 12,1 + 0,68 × HU quantitative Werte in mg/cm3 errechnen. Bei HU-Werten < 69,84 und einem KMG der LWS unterhalb von 59,54 mg/cm3 fanden sich signifikant vermehrte OWF. Bei 137/225 Pat. fanden sich mindestens eine OWF. Bei 17/137 Pat. fanden sich zusätzlich Sakrumfrakturen, diese Pat. zeigten mit einem medianen KMG von 41,81 (16,2–53,7) mg/cm3 die signifikant niedrigsten Werte. Unabhängig von den Untersuchern wurden vergleichbare HU-Werte bestimmt (p > 0,05).

Diskussion

Die spongiösen Dichtemessungen in HU-Werten lassen sich in quantitative KMG-Werte in mg/cm3 umrechnen, womit eine gute Abschätzung einer Osteoporose und Frakturrisikobestimmung möglich wird. Unter Berücksichtigung der gewonnenen Ergebnisse erscheint eine opportunistische Auswertung allein mittels HU-Werten im nativen CT gut möglich. Hierbei kommen erfahrene Untersucher zu vergleichbaren Ergebnissen.

Graphic abstract
Experimental investigation on boundary-layer streaks induced by grid-generated free-stream turbulence in a water channel
Authors: Römer Tristan M. , Kloker Markus J. , Rist Ulrich , Wenzel Christoph
Published: December 2024

In this study, the influence of various turbulence-grid configurations is analysed on both the induced free-stream turbulence (FST) and the resulting Klebanoff modes/streaks developing in a laminar flat-plate boundary layer downstream in a laminar water channel. All results are based on hot-film and particle image velocimetry measurements as well as visualizations. The grid design and installation has been done according to common grid installation recommendations to ensure homogeneous FST causing meandering Klebanoff modes inside the boundary layer. But it was found that (i) the Klebanoff modes do not meander for all grid configurations, (ii) not all configurations cause Klebanoff modes with the expected temporal and spatial behaviour, and (iii) for some configurations, the spanwise streak spacing is strictly locked to the grid spacing (mesh width). As these observations are unreported in the literature, this study is aimed at a thorough description of the influence of key grid parameters on the FST and the resulting streaks within the boundary layer. The investigation includes the grid parameters typically reported, such as the grid-bar diameters, the associated Reynolds numbers, or the streamwise placement of the grid, but now also the grid-orientation order (horizontal/vertical or vertical/horizontal order of grid bars of the dual-plane grid), the wall-normal position of the horizontal bars relative to the leading edge of the flat plate, and the existence of palpable imperfections in the manufactured grids. The Reynolds-number range covered lies well in the lower band of wind-tunnel experiments. Thus, this study suggests that the reliability and reproducibility of future experimental studies on FST would be greatly improved if they demonstrated homogeneity in the free-stream in both spanwise and wall-normal directions, documented the ongoing meandering and wavelengths of the generated Klebanoff modes and thus (implicitly) documented the spanwise independence of the results in the temporal mean. The latter is a prerequisite for the reliable investigation of FST/isolated-roughness interactions.

Graphical abstract
Calculation and measurement of motor and converter losses according to IEC 61800-9-2 ED2
Authors: Kremser Andreas
Published: December 2024

Calculated and measured motor and converter losses are compared using the example of a four-pole asynchronous motor with a rated output of 110 kW, operated on a standard converter. The determination of the motor losses using the polynomial approach to describe the motor losses in the field weakening range shows a clear deviation from the measurements. To calculate the converter losses, an equation for calculating the losses in DC link chokes was shown. The polynomial approach to describe the motor losses as a function of torque and speed can also be used for converters in the constant flux range. The semi-analytical model for calculating the converter losses shows satisfactory accuracy even when the motor is operated in the field weakening range.
A Life Cycle Assessment Study of Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Using Steel Dust Mineralization Products
Authors: Mahmoudi Kouhi Reza , Doulati Ardejani Faramarz , Shafaei Tonkaboni Sied Ziaedin , Jebrailvand Moghaddam Mohammad Milad , Butscher Christoph , Taherdangkoo Reza
Published: December 2024

Mining and its associated industries contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, exacerbating climate change. To address this, our study employed life cycle assessment to assess the carbon footprint of utilizing carbonates made from steel dust from the Golgohar complex in a carbon mineralization process to treat acid mine drainage (AMD) at the Darrezar copper mine. We considered four scenarios and two sensitivity analyses, including the baseline scenario, solar energy utilization, dust variations, limestone purchase, transportation impact, and AMD quantity. The baseline scenario yielded a negative carbon footprint of – 107 kg of CO2eq/100 kg of CO2 from flue gas. Using solar energy prevented most of the GHG emissions. In addition, using a waste with high alkalinity reduced energy consumption throughout the process. Furthermore, the utilization of trucks with high capacity for product transportation and treating a low amount of AMD improved the entire process and kept it in the negative carbon footprint range. Finally, comparing scenarios to the conventional use of purchased limestone for AMD treatment demonstrated environmental viability. The study demonstrates the potential for sustainable practices in mining, promoting a shift towards methods that would mitigate environmental impact and contribute to a more carbon–neutral future.
Spatiotemporal patterns of youth isolation and loneliness in the US: a geospatial analysis of Crisis Text Line data (2016–2022)
Authors: Lucero Christopher , Sugg Margaret M. , Ryan Sophia C. , Runkle Jennifer D. , Thompson Martie P.
Published: December 2024

In 2021, the US Surgeon General issued a national advisory citing an epidemic of isolation and loneliness. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of people in the US reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. Despite localized and select cross-sectional studies highlighting even higher increases in isolation/loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, additional research is needed, particularly for youth and young adults. This work examines patterns of isolation/loneliness across the US from 2016 to 2022 among individuals aged 24 and younger. Our study leverages a unique dataset, Crisis Text Line, which provides complete spatiotemporal coverage of crisis conversations in the US. We conducted a geospatial analysis using Kuldroff’s Space–Time SatScan to identify statistically significant clustering of elevated isolation/loneliness-related conversations. The statistical significance of spatiotemporal clusters was determined using Monte Carlo simulations (n = 9999). Results demonstrated local relative risk as high as 1.47 in high-risk populations in Southern, Midwest, and Atlantic states, indicating areas where the actual case count is 147% of the expected cases (p value < 0.01) from May to July 2020. Results also identified co-occurrence of isolation/loneliness and other crises concerns, including depression/sadness, anxiety, and multiple suicidality indicators, with higher rates among racial/ethnic minority, transgender and gender diverse, and younger individuals. This work makes a unique contribution to the literature by elucidating spatiotemporal disparities in isolation/loneliness among young people, providing much-needed knowledge as to where future public health interventions are immediately needed.
Intermediaries and complexity: assessing emissions-based governance in the European Union’s EU-ETS
Authors: Herman Kyle S.
Published: December 2024

Scientists have specified that, by the year 2030, aggregate global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be halved to have at least a 67% chance of meeting the Paris Agreement. A key challenge is the governance of GHGs. This article investigates the evolution of the EU’s Emissions Trading System using the Regulatory–Intermediary–Target (RIT) framework. Specifically, we outline the role of “emissions governance” intermediaries to monitor, report, and verify (MRV) emissions reductions. This comes with both pros and cons. First, there are a multitude of public and private actors, rules and regulations, that exist within this system. Yet, as the RIT framework makes clear, this can lead to opportunities for capture of regulatory targets and regulators. On the other hand, given that public institutions and governance actors have yet to succeed in significantly driving down emissions, non-state and private actors are increasingly being relied on to plug climate governance gaps—especially as intermediaries with important MRV responsibilities. The application of the RIT and findings have important implications for climate governance scholarship and related climate governance mechanisms.
Possessor extraction and categorical subject in Tseltalan
Authors: Aissen Judith , Polian Gilles
Published: December 2024

The Tseltalan (Mayan) languages, Tsotsil and Tseltal, have two options for extracting the possessor in wh-questions. Wh-movement can either move the entire possessive phrase (‘pied piping’) or it can move the possessor alone, stranding the possessum. Each option is associated with restrictions related to the specificity of the possessum: stranding is possible only when the possessum is non-specific, pied-piping only when it is specific. We focus primarily on the former restriction. Earlier work on Tsotsil, and the related language, Ch’ol, analyzed the derivation with stranding as involving subextraction, i.e., extraction of an internal possessor. We argue that subextraction is not possible at all in Tseltalan and that therefore only an external possessor can be extracted without pied-piping. It is fairly clear that in transitive clauses, possessors of the internal argument are extracted as external possessors, not internal ones, as they extract only as applied objects in an applicative construction. We extend this analysis to unaccusative clauses, arguing that the possessor of the internal argument in an unaccusative clause, as well as to the possessor within certain prepositional phrases, extracts from an external position. We identify this position as Specifier of TP and propose that the phrase which occupies it is interpreted as the subject of a
categorical judgment (Kuroda 1972, among others). This analysis accounts for specificity effects in possessor extraction and illuminates issues related to word order, predicative possession, experiential collocations, and the nature of ’topic’ positions in Mayan.
From trips to stages: a methodology for Generating Stage Information in trip-level Household travel surveys
Authors: Koszowski Caroline , Hubrich Stefan , Wittwer Rico , Gerike Regine
Published: December 2024

Trip-level household travel surveys (HTS) are an efficient and widely used instrument in transport planning and research and are expected to remain in this role for at least the near future. Mode information is typically assigned to trips in these surveys based on a hierarchy of transport modes that hides important information on the individual stages which is particularly relevant for walking. This study develops a methodology for estimating detailed stage-level information for trip-level HTS that contain some information on stages, this is the sequence of used transport modes and the number of transfers in Public Transport (PT) trips. The methodology is developed based on detailed stage-level data from a sub-sample in the German National HTS MiD 2017 and directly applied to the German city-based HTS SrV 2018 which is a trip-level survey but contains stage-level information on modes and PT transfers. Linear Regression Models for estimating walking stage duration in PT and car trips are combined with simple heuristic estimations for the less frequent types of intermodal trips. Trip purpose, accompaniment and total trip duration are important predictors for walking stage duration. Trip-level and stage-level modal-split figures for the number, duration, and distance of trips and stages in SrV 2018 are computed with the developed methodology. About half of all stages and 30% of trips are done by walking. Walking stage duration is with around 38% considerable, this share drops to around 12% for walking stage distance.
Structured clinical reasoning prompt enhances LLM’s diagnostic capabilities in diagnosis please quiz cases
Authors: Sonoda Yuki , Kurokawa Ryo , Hagiwara Akifumi , Asari Yusuke , Fukushima Takahiro , Kanzawa Jun , Gonoi Wataru , Abe Osamu
Published: December 2024

Purpose

Large Language Models (LLMs) show promise in medical diagnosis, but their performance varies with prompting. Recent studies suggest that modifying prompts may enhance diagnostic capabilities. This study aimed to test whether a prompting approach that aligns with general clinical reasoning methodology—specifically, using a standardized template to first organize clinical information into predefined categories (patient information, history, symptoms, examinations, etc.) before making diagnoses, instead of one-step processing—can enhance the LLM’s medical diagnostic capabilities.

Materials and methods

Three hundred twenty two quiz questions from Radiology’s Diagnosis Please cases (1998–2023) were used. We employed Claude 3.5 Sonnet, a state-of-the-art LLM, to compare three approaches: (1) Baseline: conventional zero-shot chain-of-thought prompt, (2) two-step approach: structured two-step approach: first, the LLM systematically organizes clinical information into two distinct categories (patient history and imaging findings), then separately analyzes this organized information to provide diagnoses, and (3) Summary-only approach: using only the LLM-generated summary for diagnoses.

Results

The two-step approach significantly outperformed the both baseline and summary-only approaches in diagnostic accuracy, as determined by McNemar’s test. Primary diagnostic accuracy was 60.6% for the two-step approach, compared to 56.5% for baseline (p = 0.042) and 56.3% for summary-only (p = 0.035). For the top three diagnoses, accuracy was 70.5, 66.5, and 65.5% respectively (p = 0.005 for baseline, p = 0.008 for summary-only). No significant differences were observed between the baseline and summary-only approaches.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that a structured clinical reasoning approach enhances LLM’s diagnostic accuracy. This method shows potential as a valuable tool for deriving diagnoses from free-text clinical information. The approach aligns well with established clinical reasoning processes, suggesting its potential applicability in real-world clinical settings.
Verstädterung, Wohneigentum und Raumkonstitution. Räumliche Refiguration in Südkorea zwischen Familialismus und queeren Communities
Authors: Gang Sung Un , Löw Martina , Stollmann Jörg
Published: December 2024

Der Artikel nimmt sich aus einer raum- und refigurationstheoretischen sowie einer geschlechtertheoretisch pointierten Perspektive der Frage an, wem die Stadt gehört. Fokussiert wird die durch Urbanisierung bedingte Neuordnung des Wohnens in Südkorea, wobei die heterosexuelle Kleinfamilie im Apartment und ein institutionalisierter Familialismus als grundlegende Dimensionen dieser Refiguration identifiziert werden. Im Beitrag werden die Strukturen des südkoreanischen Wohnungsmarktes erläutert, Fragen sozialer Ungleichheit im Wohnen adressiert und darauf aufbauend Wohnpraktiken queerer Menschen beschrieben und interpretiert. Grundlage der Analyse sind im Rahmen des DFG-Sonderforschungsbereichs 1265 „Re-Figuration von Räumen“ und dessen Teilprojekt „Smart People: Queere Alltagshandlungen in digitalisierten Lebensräumen“ erhobene problemzentrierte Interviews und Tagebucheinträge lesbischer Studienteilnehmerinnen. Zusätzlich wurden während der Feldaufenthalte in Seoul ethnografische Daten über die Räume queerer Menschen erhoben. Im Mittelpunkt der Analyse standen dabei sowohl die individuellen Lebenswege und -räume als auch die Raumkonstitution und das Wohnhandeln der Befragten. Als Ergebnis zeigt sich, wie mit dem gesellschaftlichen Umbau zum heteronormativ und kleinfamiliär organisierten Wohnen auch queere Vergemeinschaftung mit eigenen Raumkonzepten oder abweichender Raumaneignung relevanter wird. Die kontinuierlichen Spannungslagen sozialer Veränderung werden räumlich perspektiviert.
The effect of forest disturbances and regeneration scenario on soil organic carbon pools and fluxes: a review
Authors: Pietrzykowski Marcin , Świątek Bartłomiej , Woś Bartłomiej , Klamerus-Iwan Anna , Mąsior Paweł , Pająk Marek , Gruba Piotr , Likus-Cieślik Justyna , Tabor Jan , Ksepko Marek , Chodak Marcin
Published: December 2024

Forest ecosystems are one of the largest terrestrial carbon (C) reservoirs on Earth and an important sink of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Abiotic and biotic disturbances such as windfalls, fires, outbreaks of insects or pests may negatively affect C storage in forest ecosystems decreasing their role as CO2 sink. The objective of this review was to summarize the current knowledge on the impact of large-scale forest ecosystem disturbances caused by windthrow and insect outbreaks on soil C stocks and cycles, and to gather information on the impact of restoration treatments performed in disturbed stands in the context of carbon accumulation in forest soils. Discussed were effects of windstorms and insect outbreaks as well as impacts of various approaches of forest regeneration after disturbance on C stocks and fluxes. Disturbances decrease C stocks in forest ecosystems and turn them from C sink into C source for a certain time. Regeneration of the disturbed forest restores its role as a CO2 sink. In montane forests artificial afforestation seems to shorten the time of achieving C parity. However, no data exists for lowland forests. Hence, there is an urgent need for studies that assess effect of windfalls and insect outbreaks on carbon storage in forests of lowland Europe.
Cancer and physical activity: facilitating counseling
Authors: Gómez-Bruton Alejandro , Granada-López José Manuel , Aguirre Elena , Garatachea Nuria
Published: December 2024

Recent studies suggest that only 27.6% of cancer survivors meet PA guidelines. This could partially be attributed to the limited knowledge reported by healthcare professionals (HCP) regarding the appropriate timing, methodology, and suitability of referring cancer survivors to exercise programs or professionals. In this commentary, we aim to acknowledge the challenges that HCP may face in prescribing exercise and propose potential solutions to facilitate their efforts in this regard.
The Role of the State in Community-Led Welcome: Lessons from Homes for Ukraine
Authors: Broadhead Jacqui , Turcatti Domiziana
Published: December 2024

Community-led routes to welcome refugees and migrants, such as community sponsorship, are often viewed as the devolution of the state’s resettlement and integration responsibilities to non-governmental actors. Yet, there remains a significant role for the state. This paper outlines the role of central, regional, and local government in community-led welcome by drawing from learning from Homes for Ukraine in the UK and the engagement of UK local authorities in the scheme using theories of the multi-level governance of migration. Launched in March 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Homes for Ukraine allows sponsors to ‘name’ Ukrainians to host in their homes for a minimum of 6 months. While the public and community support for the scheme was unprecedented, our analysis shows the state plays a key role in the scheme. The central government retains overall control of the scheme’s governance by regulating immigration status and the funding parameters for support. Local authorities have specifically defined responsibilities, including checking sponsors’ suitability, wider integration responsibilities, and acting as a ‘backstop’ in case of placement breakdown or beyond the lifetime of the support programme. Ultimately, we suggest that whilst community-led welcome widens the scope of actors involved in resettling and integrating newcomers, it cannot be viewed solely as a community alternative to government-led refugee resettlement and integration. Instead, we propose a conceptualisation of community-led welcome as an approach to resettlement and integration which requires effective multi-level governance for it to offer a durable solution to refugees and newcomers.
Integrating genetic and morphological data to assess species delimitation of two Japanese large abalones: Haliotis discus discus and H. madaka
Authors: Hirase Shotaro , Ikegaya Sota , Kikuchi Kiyoshi
Published: December 2024

Two large abalone species prevalent in the Japanese archipelago, Haliotis discus discus and H. madaka, are considered to have different morphological characteristics, and previous population genomics analyses have suggested that they have distinct genomic features. However, integrated analyses comparing the genetic and morphological data from these species are lacking; thus, it remains unclear whether these two species are distinct biological species. In this study, we performed integrated genetic and morphological analyses on individuals of the two species captured in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Genetic analysis based on 118 species-diagnostic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci showed that H. discus discus and H. madaka were clearly assigned to distinct genetic clusters corresponding to the two species, with the exception of one H. madaka individual showing evidence of genomic introgression from H. discus discus. Multiple statistical analyses based on quantitative characteristics of shell shape and foot muscle color suggested that this H. madaka individual with genomic introgression from H. discus discus had H. discus discus-like quantitative characteristics consistently. In summary, this study suggests that H. discus discus and H. madaka are distinct biological species reproductively isolated in natural environments, but genomic introgression possibly blurs the species boundary between H. discus discus and H. madaka.
Novel green sustainable hydrogel composites based on guar gum and algal species for wastewater remediation
Authors: Keshawy M. , Kamal R. S. , Abdelhamid A. E. , Labena A. , Amin A. , Hasan A. M. , Abdel-raouf M. E.
Published: December 2024

An innovative approach was developed for removing very potent heavy metal cations and dyes such as lead (Pb+2), copper (Cu+2) and methylene blue (MB) from simulated solutions at different application conditions. The sorbent material was green hydrogels based on guar gum/poly acrylamide (GG/PAam) fabricated with rice husk core (GG/PAAm/RH) and the optimized formulation was blended with Ulva fasciata and Sargassum dentifolium green algae (denoted as GG/PAAm/RH/Ulva and GG/PAAm/RH/Sarg respectively). The chemical modification process was confirmed by FTIR. The effect of rice husk on the crystallographic and the thermal properties of the hydrogel composites was verified via the XRD and TGA analyses respectively. The surface topography versus structure variation and adsorption process of the aforementioned hydrogels were substantiated by the AFM in order to prove their suitability as effective candidates for wastewater remediation. Different adsorption and kinetic isotherms were applied to precisely describe the adsorption process. The data reveal that the adsorption mechanism best fit multilayer adsorption Freundlich process with qmax values onto GG/PAAm/RH/Ulva and GG/PAAm/RH/Sarg as follows: 50.25 and 73.52 mg g for adsorption of Cu+2, 45.24 and 52.63 mg g for Pb+2, and 51.54 and 68.02 mg g for MB. The reusability investigation proved that the algal-supported sorbents were very successful in removing of reasonable amounts of pollutants after four adsorption–desorption cycles.

Graphical abstract
Explanation needs and ethical demands: unpacking the instrumental value of XAI
Authors: Alpsancar Suzana , Buhl Heike M. , Matzner Tobias , Scharlau Ingrid
Published: December 2024

The call for XAI rests on a normative claim: ‘Good AI is explainable AI’ or even the stronger claim: ‘Only explainable AI is good AI.’ However, this valorization runs the risk of being overgeneralized because explanations are not per se useful, appropriate, or demanded. Explainability should not be seen as a value in itself but as a means to certain ends. In this paper, we put the valorization of explainability into question, which is discursively connected to the idea of ‘users’ needs’ and the will to design and develop ethically aligned AI systems. By making the instrumental character of the value of explainability explicit, we address two key issues that necessitate more theoretical attention: (i) to analyze the link between explainability and its presumed purpose; and (ii) to clarify the conceptions of these presumed purposes, namely users’ needs and ethical principles XAI is meant to promote. From a philosophical and from a psychological perspective, we constructively criticize the undertheorized and undercomplex way of talking about ‘users’ needs’ and ethical demands. We plea to carefully differentiate the value of explainable AI in social contexts and signal further need for research.
High temperature performance of recycled fine concrete
Authors: Algourdin N. , Bideux C. , Mesticou Z. , Si Larbi A.
Published: December 2024

The objective of this study is to explore the physical and mechanical behaviour of concretes comprising four different ratios of recycled fine (RF), namely (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) along with that of a reference concrete (Cref-0%), under three different heating–cooling cycles (200 °C, 400 °C and 600 °C). The thermal properties of concrete during heating and cooling (20 °C – 600 °C – 20 °C) were also investigated. It was determined that the physical properties (mass loss and ethanol porosity) of recycled concrete (RC) with 5% of recycled fine (RC-5%) were similar to those of Cref-0%. At ambient temperatures, the higher the ratio of recycled fines, the lower the residual compressive strength and residual elastic modulus of the recycled concrete. After thermal loading at 600 °C, the residual mechanical properties of all types of concrete were equivalent, regardless of the content recycled fine.
Meta-Morphosis of Copyright and User-Generated Content: Can East Asia’s Emerging Policies Navigate through the Metaverse?
Authors: Karimov Elnur
Published: December 2024

Social-creative metaverses, which foster user creativity and encourage user-generated content, promise a revolution in digital creativity. However, metaverse developers often enforce strict regulations on user-generated content through user terms and conditions, restricting or permitting its reuse. These rules place an artificial barrier between users and their copyright, often waiving moral rights and making economic rights subject to mandatory licences. Using Second Life as a case study, this article demonstrates how metaverse regulations undermine users’ intellectual property rights and control over their creations. Furthermore, it examines emerging intellectual property policies in Japan, South Korea, and China, noting a lack of awareness regarding the impact of these regulatory layers on user creativity. Highlighting the importance of the external regulation of user terms and conditions, the article proposes potential policies and strategies for East Asia and beyond to protect users’ copyright ownership and mitigate the negative effects of restrictive metaverse terms and conditions.
Individual claims reserving using the Aalen–Johansen estimator
Authors: Bladt Martin , Pittarello Gabriele
Published: December 2024

We propose an individual claims reserving model based on the conditional Aalen–Johansen estimator, as developed in Bladt and Furrer ((2023a) arXiv:2303.02119.). In our approach, we formulate a multi-state problem, where the underlying variable is the individual claim size, rather than time. The states in this model represent development periods, and we estimate the cumulative density function of individual claim sizes using the conditional Aalen–Johansen method as transition probabilities to an absorbing state. Our methodology reinterprets the concept of multi-state models and offers a strategy for modeling the complete curve of individual claim sizes. To illustrate our approach, we apply our model to both simulated and real datasets. Having access to the entire dataset enables us to support the use of our approach by comparing the predicted total final cost with the actual amount, as well as evaluating it in terms of the continuously ranked probability score.
Big pictures after Dawn: ‘ontology’ for historians and utopians
Authors: Tresch John
Published: December 2024

This essay approaches the history of science's ‘big pictures’ through the study of cosmograms, or concrete representations of the universe as a whole. It draws on two recent developments in anthropology: first, Graeber and Wengrow's sweeping overview of social forms in The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, and second, the controversial ‘ontological turn,’ which takes seriously ethnographic reports of alternate realities, refusing any shared metaphysical baseline for evaluation. Both approaches have a utopian bent and claim radical political implications, yet they clash in fundamental ways. Combining these approaches produces a tension between the general and the particular. I suggest that historians of science may productively and thoughtfully inhabit this tension by studying cosmopolitics, political ontology and cosmograms – big pictures in action.
Coherent turbulent structures in a rapid contraction
Authors: Alhareth Abdullah A. , Mugundhan Vivek , Langley Kenneth R. , Thoroddsen Sigurður T.
Published: December 2024

The coherent vortical structures in turbulent flow through a strong 16 : 1 three-dimensional contraction are studied using time-resolved volumetric measurements. Visualization using the vorticity magnitude criterion shows the emergence of long, stretched cylindrical vortices aligned with the mean flow. This alignment is quantified by probability density functions (p.d.f.s) of the direction cosines. We propose two measures to quantify the alignment, the peak height in the probability and a coefficient from the moment of the p.d.f., both of which reaffirm the strong streamwise alignment. The root mean square streamwise vorticity grows within the contraction to become 4.5 times larger than the transverse component, at the downstream location where the contraction ratio is

$C=11$

. The characteristic vortices become as long as the measurement volume, or more than 4 times the integral scale at the entrance to the contraction. We also characterize the vorticity enhancement along individual vortices, measuring 65 % strengthening over the distance where

$C$

goes from 4 to 11. The prevalence of these coherent structures is estimated from 700 000 measured volumes, showing that near the outlet, it is more likely to have one or two of these structures present than none.
Carbon farming initiative: a national-scale public-private partnership to promote regenerative agriculture in Brazil
Authors: Cherubin Maurício Roberto , Pinheiro Junior Carlos Roberto , Alves Lucas Aquino , Bayer Cimélio , Cerri Carlos Eduardo P. , Barioni Luís Gustavo , Peper Alberto , Anselmi Adriano A.
Published: December 2024

Climate change (CC) challenges food and climate through reduced crop yields and increasing production risk. Regenerative agriculture (RA) emerged as a pivotal strategy for enhancing crop productivity and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, contributing to agriculture’s CC mitigation and resilience. Nevertheless, expanding RA’s main challenges is providing sufficient science-based decision support for farmers and other stakeholders. In this context, we present herein the largest public-private partnership in Brazil to conduct research in a multidisciplinary collaborative scientific network on RA and describe the Carbon Farming Program approaches. Bayer SA leads the initiative, which also includes 11 partner institutions (i.e., Universities, Research Institutions and Foundations, and Farmers organisations). The programme aims to assess the benefits of improvement of cropland management, intensified and biodiverse crop rotation plans on SOC, soil health, crop productivity, and profitability in a no-till system. The programme has a multi-scale approach with three main steps (‘Research Partners’, ‘On-Farm Research Sites’, and ‘Carbon Program at Scale’). In total, it encompasses 1,906 farmers and 232 000 hectares across the Brazilian edaphoclimatic conditions. The programme has gathered a large database, integrating SOC and fertility determinations, and crop yields, to derive a quantitative evaluation of the impacts of sustainable agricultural land management practices adoption. Moreover, the programme enabled breaking through the gap of quantitative knowledge for the development of a novel mathematical model to predict SOC dynamics for tropical agroecosystems. This is worth supporting assertive decisions along the specific planning to promote scalability in the insertion of Brazilian agriculture in the global C market.
The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood and the Provision of Healthcare in Provincial Ireland, 1942–1970
Authors: Casey Brian
Published: December 2024

The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) arrived in Ireland in 1942, to establish and run Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, county Galway. This was not without its challenges and this article explores many of those challenges in the context of the construction and management of the hospital between 1942 and 1970. FMDM sisters were women in a patriarchal church and needed to also negotiate their place within the similar frameworks of the medical profession, civil service, and government, while being subject to gossip as to the work they were doing. The article is a revealing case-study of some of the global changes in medicine that had been taking place since the 1920s. It is also an example of how modern methods of healthcare were having an impact on the Irish healthcare system, with medically trained Catholic religious sisters at the forefront. The story of women religious in twentieth-century global Catholicism is a relatively unattended one. This case-study allows historians of religion to better understand the internationality of Catholic religious congregations, examining concepts of unity and disharmony, and the various efforts they made to confront but also comply with the patriarchal structures in which they found themselves.
To move or not to move: Is focus on the edge?
Authors: Jiménez-Fernández Ángel L.
Published: December 2024

A discourse-syntax interface-based approach to three types of focus – Information Focus, Corrective or Contrastive Focus, and Mirative Focus – is discussed in this paper. In my approach, I address the role of discourse/agreement features in the syntactic process of Agree in the Minimalist Program as well as their possible combination with an Edge Feature to trigger attraction of each discourse category, comparing Spanish and English. The data I examine are taken from experimental work, based on two original experiments that test the grammaticality/acceptability of sentences with fronted and in situ focus by native speakers of English and Spanish. The parametric variation detected in the two languages is accounted for by an analysis based on the availability of inheritance of discourse features in the relevant language alongside the activation of an Edge Feature, triggering movement of the relevant discourse category.
Test particle acceleration in resistive torsional spine magnetic reconnection using laboratory plasma parameters
Authors: Chesny D.L. , Hatfield K.W. , Moffett M.B.
Published: December 2024

Magnetic reconnection is a basic particle acceleration mechanism in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Two-dimensional models have been critical to understanding the onset of reconnection in laboratory experiments, but are fundamentally limited in diagnosing ion acceleration along open magnetic field lines. These shortcomings have opened the way to three-dimensional (3-D) models of torsional reconnection, where localized rotational perturbations to a fan-spine magnetic null point topology have demonstrated bulk particle acceleration along open magnetic field lines. Previous computational studies of the torsional fan reconnection mode using both solar and laboratory parameters demonstrated collimated jet formation and acceleration along the spine axis, wherein the bulk particle final kinetic energy spectra were shown to fall within a relatively narrow range (

${\sim }2$

 keV). This paper introduces typical laboratory plasma parameters in the torsional spine mode of 3-D reconnection models to diagnose its efficacy in inducing rapid ion acceleration. Using laboratory-scale length helium plasma parameters typical of capacitive discharges (singly ionized helium), we solve for relativistic particle trajectories using solutions to the steady-state, resistive, kinematic magnetohydrodynamic equations in the fan-spine topology. We find that particle acceleration at the reconnection site is highly dependent on the injection radius, and the peak accelerated particles (

$\approx$

3 keV) are trapped about the magnetic null point. While a jet is formed by ions injected close to the peak fan plane perturbation radius, their final ion kinetic energies are an order of magnitude lower (

$\approx$

0.3 keV) than the mirrored particles. Analysing the time dependence of their limited representative energy spectra shows the torsional spine mode particles follow an evolution much different than the narrow spectra of the torsional fan mode. These results have implications for diagnostic expectations of future laboratory plasma experiments designed to induce the torsional spine reconnection mode.
Inferring a ‘dispute’ from state silence
Authors: Azaria Danae
Published: December 2024

A dispute’s existence can be a requirement for establishing the jurisdiction of numerous international courts and tribunals. It requires that a state opposes the claim of another state. Yet, when a state is silent in response to a claim directed at it, there is ambiguity about the silent state’s view. This article argues that opposition and a dispute can be inferred from state silence under specific cumulative conditions: when a claim has been made in circumstances that call for the silent state’s reaction; when the silent state is aware of the claim; and when reasonable time of silence passed. Because it prevents tactical silences from undermining international justice, the inference must be encouraged. The conditions, under which the inference can be made, should also be retained in international adjudication, because they perform primarily an evidentiary function, as well as a cautionary and a channelling function.
HARMONIC RESONANCE OF SHORT-CRESTED GRAVITY WAVES ON DEEP WATER: ON THEIR PERSISTENCY
Authors: COLÓN USECHE SIREL C. , PAUL SYLVERT , IOUALALEN MANSOUR
Published: December 2024

Three-dimensional short-crested water waves are known to host harmonic resonances (HRs). Their existence depends on their sporadicity versus their persistency. Previous studies, using a unique yet hybrid solution, suggested that HRs exhibit sporadic instability, with the domain of instability exhibiting a bubble-like structure which experiences a loss of stability followed by a re-stabilization. Through the calculation of their complete multiple solution structures and normal forms, we discuss the particular harmonic resonance (2,6). The (2,6) resonance was chosen, not only because it is of lower order, and thus more likely to be significant, but also because it is representative of a fully developed three-dimensional water wave field. Its appearance, growth rate and persistency are discussed. On our converged solutions, we show that, at an incidence angle for which HR (2,6) occurs, the associated superharmonic instability is no longer sporadic. It was also found that the multiple solution operates a subcritical pitchfork bifurcation, so regardless of the value of the control parameter, the wave steepness, a stable branch of the solution always exists. As a result, the analysis reveals two competing processes that either provoke and enhance HRs, or inhibit their appearance and development.
“The streaming eyes of all the many men”: Revisiting male weeping in British commemoration of the First World War
Authors: Lichau Karsten
Published: December 2024

This article argues that commemoration practices performed in the aftermath of the First World War, on occasion of the British Armistice Day, and during the two minutes’ silence in particular, served as incubators for a change in feeling rules for the British population. It will show how British society engaged with, challenged, and finally shifted what the “emotional regime” of the period – commonly referred to as the “stiff upper lip” – commanded them to feel. A very short lapse of time – two minutes – turned into a moment where a fundamental change in an important subset of feeling rules specifying this emotional regime became manifest: those applied to male weeping. The two minutes encapsulated a challenge to the harsh contempt for expressive mourning through the shedding of tears, a verdict that was inherited from the nineteenth century but increasingly seemed inappropriate, not the least in the wake of the emotional turmoil that Britons had faced during the “Great” War.
Spannungsfelder in der Pflege von Kindern mit kritisch chronischen Erkrankungen
Authors: Rüdisüli Katharina , Schlüer Anna-Barbara
Published: December 2024

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Die Population der Kinder mit kritisch chronischen Erkrankungen auf den Intensivstationen nimmt aufgrund des medizinischen Fortschritts zu. Pflegefachpersonen sehen sich im Spannungsfeld zwischen der Akut- und Palliativversorgung dieser Patient_innen mit verschiedenen Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Ziel: Mit dieser Studie wurde exploriert, wie Pflegefachpersonen die Betreuung von Kindern mit kritisch chronischen Erkrankungen auf der pädiatrischen Intensivstation erlebten. Methode: Es wurden mit zwölf Intensivpflegefachpersonen leitfadengestützte Interviews durchgeführt. Anschließend wurden die Daten mit einem interpretativen phänomenologischen Ansatz analysiert. Ergebnisse: Es zeigten sich fünf Erlebensthemen, welche bedeutsam sind: Entwicklungsfördernde Pflege und Caring, Partnerschaftliche interprofessionelle Entscheidungsfindung, Anerkennung der Familiensysteme, Eigenes Erfahrungswissen sowie Persönliches Leadership und Arbeitsgestaltung. Schlussfolgerungen: Wenn Pflegefachpersonen auf der Intensivstation erleben, dass sie ein Kind mit kritisch chronischer Erkrankung individuell und optimal pflegen können, entwickeln sie persönliches Leadership, welches sie befähigt, die Spannungsfelder in dieser Pflege zu balancieren. Zentral sind dabei die Grundlagen der familienzentrierten Pflege und die partnerschaftliche interprofessionelle Entscheidungsfindung.