bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High‐Temperature Oxidation Behavior of Medium‐Manganese Austenitic Steel
Authors: Guo Yu , Zhao Jianhua , Wang Chun , Gu Cheng , Wang Yajun
Published: October 2023

The high‐temperature oxidation behavior of medium‐manganese austenitic steel is investigated. The double‐layered oxide scale is formed in the investigated samples. The outer oxide layer consists of (Fe,Mn)‐rich oxides, while the inner oxide layer is mainly composed of AB2O4 spinel oxides. When the oxidation temperature is 800 °C, a region composed of oxide and ferrite is formed in the substrate surface layer. When the oxidation temperature is 900 and 1000 °C, there is no such region observed in the substrate surface layer. Although the content of Al in the Fe–Mn–Al sample and the content of Si in the Fe–Mn–Si sample are relatively lower than the content of Cr in the Fe–Mn–Cr sample, the oxidation resistance of the Fe–Mn–Al and Fe–Mn–Si samples is still better than that of the Fe–Mn–Cr sample. The oxidation resistance of the Fe–Mn–Cr–Al and Fe–Mn–Cr–Si samples is also better than that of the Fe–Mn–Cr sample. The addition of Al and Si can improve the oxidation resistance of the Fe–Mn–Cr sample. Besides, the oxidation resistance improvement effect of adding Si to the Fe–Mn–Cr sample is better than that of adding Al to the Fe–Mn–Cr sample.
Covid myths persist despite evidence to refute them
Authors: Woodhouse Christopher
Published: October 2023

Myths surrounding COVID‐19 can be challenged with well researched scientific arguments. However, conspiracy theorists are difficult people to persuade and the internet is a rich source of misleading material.
Validating coupled flow theory for bare‐soil evaporation under different boundary conditions
Authors: Blöcher Johanna R. , Diamantopoulos Efstathios , Durner Wolfgang , Iden Sascha C.
Published: October 2023

Evaporation from bare soil is an important hydrological process and part of the water and energy balance of terrestrial systems. Modeling bare‐soil evaporation is challenging, mainly due to nonlinear couplings among liquid water, water vapor, and heat fluxes. Model concepts of varying complexity have been proposed for predicting evaporative water and energy fluxes. Our aim was to test a standard model of coupled water, vapor, and heat flow in the soil using data from laboratory evaporation experiments under different boundary conditions. We conducted evaporation experiments with a sand and a silt loam soil and with three different atmospheric boundary conditions: (i) wind, (ii) wind and short‐wave radiation, and (iii) wind and intermittent short‐wave radiation. The packed soil columns were closed at the bottom (no water flux) and instrumented with temperature sensors, tensiometers, and relative humidity probes. We simulated the evaporation experiments with a coupled water, vapor, and heat flow model, which solves the surface energy balance and predicts the evaporation rate. The evaporation dynamics were predicted very well, in particular the onset of stage‐two evaporation and the evaporation rates during the stage. A continuous slow decrease of the measured evaporation rate during stage‐one could not be described with a constant aerodynamic resistance. Adding established soil resistance parametrizations to the model significantly degraded model performance. The use of a boundary‐layer resistance, which takes into account the effect of point sources of moisture, improved the prediction of evaporation rates for the sandy soil, but not for the silt loam.
Bangladesh's food security under input problems: An analysis of constrains and policy response
Authors: Khan Tareq Hossain , Eva Shahabanu
Published: October 2023

Food security is integral to national security discourse directly related to agricultural inputs such as land, water, seeds, and fertilizers. The food production capacity of any country depends mainly on the adequacy of inputs. This study examines the nature and implications of input scarcity in Bangladesh's food security because the state's one‐third of people remain food insecure. With thematic content analysis, time series data, and a critical interpretive approach, the findings show that though Bangladesh achieved self‐sufficiency in food grains, the country faces a substantial reduction threat to food production due to declining cultivated land, water scarcity, poor fertilizer and seed market governance, and inadequate support of bank loans. The study reveals that Bangladesh's soil fertility decreases due to the excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers, and two‐thirds of farmers do not get improved seeds at fair prices on time because of structural weaknesses in seed markets. The South Asian country also faces a severe threat on the irrigation front as the country is losing surface and groundwater increasingly. Moreover, 1% of agricultural land is ruined yearly due to land conversion to other sectors. Against these backdrops, this article has explored some policy options for reducing the critical constraints in the input sector, which can create a dialogue with existing food and agriculture policies.
How to strengthen the institutions of work
Authors: Berg Janine , Cooney Sean , Ananian Sévane
Published: October 2023

While decent work is a universal objective, it is particularly critical for key workers, given the importance of their work for the basic functioning of economies and societies. Regulation, either through laws or collective bargaining agreements, in concert with other institutions of work – workers’ and employers’ organizations, labour administration and inspection systems, and courts and tribunals – is needed to achieve the following objectives: (1) Safety and health protections that apply to all branches of economic activity and all workers, regardless of their employment status; (2) Equality of treatment for all contractual arrangements and other safeguards; (3) Safe and predictable working hours; (4) Wages that reflect key workers’ social contribution; (5) Universal social protection, including coverage of paid sick leave; (6) Training for an adaptive and responsive key workforce.
Clouds and Image Compositing
Authors: Hermosilla Txomin , Francini Saverio , Nicolau Andréa P. , Wulder Michael A. , White Joanne C. , Coops Nicholas C. , Chirici Gherardo
Published: October 2023

The purpose of this chapter is to provide necessary context and demonstrate different approaches for image composite generation when using data quality flags, using an initial example of removing cloud cover. We will examine different filtering options, demonstrate an approach for cloud masking, and provide additional opportunities for image composite development. Pixel selection for composite development can exclude unwanted pixels—such as those impacted by cloud, shadow, and smoke or haze—and can also preferentially select pixels based upon proximity to a target date or a preferred sensor type.
Change Detection
Authors: Tenneson Karis , Dilger John , Wespestad Crystal , Zutta Brian , Nicolau Andréa Puzzi , Dyson Karen , Paz Paula
Published: October 2023

This chapter introduces change detection mapping. It will teach you how to make a two-date land cover change map using image differencing and threshold-based classification. You will use what you have learned so far in this book to produce a map highlighting changes in the land cover between two time steps. You will first explore differences between the two images extracted from these time steps by creating a difference layer. You will then learn how to directly classify change based on the information in both of your images.
Create Tomorrow’s Vintage
Authors: Gelsi Kevin , Lang Sandya
Published: October 2023

Founded by Maria Erixon Levin, Joakim Levin, and Palle Stenberg in Gothenburg in 2001, Nudie Jeans Co is a Swedish denimcompany recognized for its work with sustainability, both environmentally and socially. Kevin Gelsi, Nudie Jeans’s Circular Product Manager, describes how Nudie Jeans Co, with its denim selection made from 100% organic cotton, its transparent production, and its repair, reuse and recycle program, both provides and maintains a tradition that is true to the history of denim and its characteristics.
No Cash, No Coins, No Cards, But You: Biohacking the Future of Payments
Authors: Lima Vitor , Belk Russell
Published: October 2023

This chapter introduces a brief overview of transhumanism, biohacking, and embodied technologies as modes of payment. Specifically, it details the usage of biocompatible microchip implants which, in some cases, replace keychains, car keys, business cards, IDs, and credit cards. Because of this implantable mode of payment, consumers pay for their purchases by tapping their hands on readers, smartphones, or other point-of-sale (POS) terminals that can interact using near-field communications (NFC). Here, there is no need for cash, coins, or any other physical bank card—only their hands. The chapter then concludes with the considerations regarding ethical and managerial challenges that consumers and companies have been facing in this futuristic context.
Buying Happiness
Authors: de Souza Tomas
Published: October 2023

Ablemind is an award-winning medtech startup, offering a unique method to diagnose and treat mental illness in healthcare. Ablemind uses artificial intelligence to interpret and analyze patients’ descriptions of their health, delivering unique insights into what treatment works for each individual. Ablemind’s CEO Tomas de Souza has spent his career working with digital transformation and innovation in varying industries, supporting corporations and organizations in their work to harness the power from digital technology. In this reflection, he combines his experience from business development with a human perspective on how technology and consumption affect consumer wellbeing.
Timeless Tricks
Authors: de Wit Sandström Ida , van Pelt René
Published: October 2023

What does it take to make a customer return? René van Pelt and Ida de Wit Sandström are retail workers in the specialist jewellery trade. They have been serving their customers together for more than fifteen years. In a world where digitalisation is changing the business conditions, demands regarding distinction and profiling are increasing and consumers are becoming ever more unpredictable, showing a multitude of consumption patterns. René and Ida remind us of a few of the timeless tricksof retailing.
Friend or Foe? How Buy-Now-Pay-Later Is Seeking to Change Traditional Consumer-Retailer Relationships in the UK
Authors: Relja Ruffin , Zhao Anita Lifen , Ward Philippa
Published: October 2023

The provision of ‘buy-now-pay-later’ (BNPL) is changing relationships between consumers, credit providers, and retailers. This chapter develops a fine-grained understanding of the symbiotic dealings between these parties and discusses how their bonds may evolve given the intrinsic benefits and risks at play. In that respect, it is the nature of the functional and relational attributes that specific actors liberate through BNPL that frame their individual ‘wellbeing’ in this coopetitive ecosystem. The chapter also unmasks the range of potentially positive and negative outcomes amid the evolving associations. The individual outturns are inherently unequal, and there is considerable variance for actors—although the retailer consistently appears to be the weak, if not sometimes the weakest, partner. The research additionally highlights that BNPL providers’ efforts to create a consumption ecosystem that disrupts contemporary patterns have been fairly effective, as BNPL providers are consistently perceived as the strongest partner by UK consumers. The consumer appears to be the arbiter of which form of symbiosis is manifest and thus central to the ecosystem. It is clear that relationships will continue to shift, requiring flexible and active management between the network partners to ensure individual and collective survival and wellbeing—and ultimately determine the final nature of the BNPL ecosystem.
The Future of Grocery Retail
Authors: Sandahl Rickard
Published: October 2023

Mylla.se is a digital marketplacewhere foodproducers sell directly to their markets. Mylla’s mission is to reduce the distance between those producing food and those consuming it. By removing the middlemen, producersget paid better and buyers get a better price. Founder Rickard Sandahl describes how Mylla’s platformfacilitates relationships between producers and consumers which are better for people, the environment, and the local economy.
Musical Scale-Jumping: ‘What a Wonderful World’ from Lysekil to Lviv
Authors: Dodds Phil
Published: October 2023

Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ exemplifies popular music’s tendency and ability to build from the particular into the general—or to connect the personal to the universal. The lyrics’ logical leap from local observation to general claim is accompanied by several musical features that enable this leap to be landed. The musical transition to what Édouard Glissant calls ‘Whole-World thinking’ also functions in various cover versions of the song, including politically charged live performances at a Swedish climate protest in 2019, and outside Lviv train station (and widely shared on social media) during Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This Armstrong classic shows the potential of what might be called musical ‘scale jumping’, following Neil Smith, reorienting audiences to new scales of political contest. It also exemplifies how cultural practices have long been involved in fusing relations between the experiential and the general, or between particular places and what Glissant calls the ‘Whole-World’.
Einleitung
Authors: Körner Theresa
Published: October 2023

Automatisierte Berichterstattung wird im Journalismus seit 2010 eingesetzt und soll in den kommenden Jahren weitere Verbreitung finden. Die Vorteile für Medienorganisationen sind unter anderem die Schnelligkeit der Nachrichtenerstellung sowie die Möglichkeit, kostengünstig eine große Anzahl an Nachrichten zu produzieren. In welchem Umfang automatisiert generierte Nachrichtenberichterstattung künftig eine Rolle spielen wird, hängt maßgeblich von der Wahrnehmung und dem Vertrauen der Leser:innen in die Verfahren und den Output der Technologie ab. Mit der Arbeit wird eine Verbindung geschaffen zwischen den im Wesentlichen praxisgetriebenen Erkenntnissen zur automatisierten Berichterstattung, den Forschungsergebnissen zur bewerteten Glaubwürdigkeit computergenerierter Nachrichten durch Lesende sowie den Theorien und Modellen der Kommunikationswissenschaft zu Vertrauen in Journalismus.
Forschungsmodell und Ableitung der Forschungsfragen
Authors: Körner Theresa
Published: October 2023

In diesem Kapitel werden die identifizierten Forschungslücken zusammengefasst, das Forschungsmodell der vorliegenden Arbeit präsentiert sowie die Forschungs- und Detailfragen abgeleitet und konkretisiert. Zur intersubjektiven Überprüfbarkeit der Studie und ihrer Ergebnisse wird die gewählte Methode der Focus Groups in Kapitel 6 dargestellt. Dazu erfolgen zunächst die Begründung der Methodenwahl für das Anliegen dieser Arbeit, die Darstellung und Rekrutierung der Focus Groups sowie die Begründung der Kriterienauswahl. Anschließend wird die Vorbereitung, Durchführung und Auswertung der Erhebungsmethode dokumentiert.
Methodik und Untersuchungsdesign: Focus Groups
Authors: Körner Theresa
Published: October 2023

Wie in Kapitel 6 dargestellt und hergeleitet, hat die vorliegende Arbeit im empirischen Teil das wesentliche Anliegen, die Bedeutung von Vertrauen in automatisierten Journalismus für Lesende abzubilden und die Auswirkungen der Spezifikation der automatisierten Berichterstattung auf die Vertrauensbewertung herauszuarbeiten. Zur Beantwortung der forschungsleitenden Fragestellung werden leitfadengestützte Focus Groups als Instrument zur Datenerhebung ausgewählt und die Methode an einigen Stellen individuell für das Forschungsinteresse angepasst. Durchgeführt werden drei Gruppengespräche mit jeweils unterschiedlichen Zielsetzungen. Im folgenden Kapitel wird die Methodenwahl begründet und das Vorgehen dokumentiert. Weitere Dokumente zur intersubjektiven Überprüfbarkeit des Vorgehens sind im Appendix veröffentlicht; an gegebener Stelle wird darauf verwiesen.
Drunk or just putrefied?
Authors: Doerr Adrian A. , Nordmeier Frederike , Walle Nadja , Laschke Matthias W. , Menger Michael D. , Meyer Markus R. , Schmidt Peter H. , Schaefer Nadine
Published: October 2023

Background

Several pitfalls arise in the assessment of postmortem blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate in a controlled and systematic manner in a porcine model whether a postmortem congener pattern can provide evidence for antemortem or postmortem ethanol neogenesis.

Methods

Ethanol was administered intravenously to six pigs, whereas six control pigs remained sober. The animals were euthanized 1h after the start of administration, and peripheral and heart blood (HB) as well as muscle tissue were collected. The animals were stored at room temperature and the aforementioned range of samples was collected daily for 3 days. Samples were analyzed for ethanol and congener substances by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Results

Over the course of storage, ethanol formation was observed in the sober pigs, resulting in a median BAC of 0.24 g/kg body weight. The BAC in the pigs with alcohol remained comparatively stable. In addition, a distinct increase in n‑propanol, n‑butanol, and acetaldehyde was observed. The median blood concentration of n‑propanol in sober animals was higher after storage than that of pigs with alcohol, but no significant differences could be substantiated between the two groups (p > 0.05). Acetaldehyde and n‑butanol concentrations in HB of the sober pigs increased to the level of the pigs with alcohol at death after 3 days. Until the end of the experiment (3 days postmortem), no significant differences in concentrations were detected. Concentrations in muscle tissue did not increase to the same extent.

Discussion

In the present study, no marker could be identified that could reliably discriminate antemortem ethanol ingestion from postmortem genesis.
Impact of coronary CT angiography in selection of treatment modalities and subsequent cardiovascular events in Thai patients with stable CAD
Authors: Limpijankit Thosaphol , Jongjirasiri Sutipong , Meemook Krissada , Unwanatham Nattawut , Rattanasiri Sasivimol , Thakkinstian Ammarin , Laothamatas Jiraporn
Published: October 2023

Background

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) enables improved diagnosis of subclinical, coronary artery disease (CAD). This retrospective cohort study investigated the association between different treatment modalities guided by CCTA and the prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with stable CAD.

Methods

From 2005 to 2013, a total of 9338 patients, including both asymptomatic individuals with risk factors and symptomatic patients with suspected CAD, who underwent CCTA were analyzed. The patients were categorized into one of three groups based on results of CCTA: obstructive CAD (≥ 50% stenosis in at least one vessel), non-obstructive CAD (1–49% stenosis in at least one vessel), and no observed CAD (0% stenosis). They were subsequently followed up to assess the treatment they received and the occurrence of MACEs (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, or late revascularization).

Results

During an average follow-up period of 9.9 ± 2.4 years, patients with obstructive CAD had the highest incidence of MACEs (19.8%), followed by those with non-obstructive CAD and no coronary artery stenosis (10.3 and 5.5%, respectively). After adjusting for confounding variables, it was found that patients treated with statins alone were the least likely to develop MACEs in all three groups, compared to those receiving no treatment, with hazard ratios (95% CI) of 0.43 (0.32, 0.58), 0.47 (0.34, 0.64), and 0.46 (0.31, 0.69), respectively. In patients with obstructive CAD, treatment with a combination of statin and aspirin, or early revascularization was associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing MACEs compared to no treatment with hazard ratios of 0.43 (0.33, 0.58) and 0.64 (0.43, 0.97), respectively.

Conclusion

CCTA offers useful guidance for the treatment of patients with stable CAD and shows potential for prevention of CV events. However, the full validation of a given strategy utilizing CCTA will require a prospective longitudinal study, utilizing a randomized clinical trial design.
Using cryopreserved allogeneic pericardium to repair congenital heart defects in children
Authors: Birbach Mariusz , Fedorowicz Maciej , Gałkowska Ewa M. , Powirska Agnieszka , Kozłowski Michał , Mozol Krzysztof , Wasiak Aleksandra , Maruszewski Bohdan , Kansy Andrzej
Published: October 2023

Patches prepared from autologous, allogeneic, or xenogeneic tissues are widely used in the repair of congenital heart defects in children. Since 2002, cryopreserved allogeneic pericardial patches have been prepared in our institution as an alternative to commercially available patches. This study retrospectively reviewed donor and patient data concerning cryopreservation time and the clinical use of the pericardium in 382 children who were operated on at a single center between 2004 and 2021. There were 177 donors: 98 males and 79 females. The median donor age was 13 years (range: 1 month to 53 years) and the median cryopreservation time was 72 days (range: 3–685). There were 382 pediatric patients: 224 males and 158 females. The median patient age was 1 month (range: 3 days to 17.8 years). The patches were used for primary surgeries in 228 patients and for reoperations in 154. The patches were implanted into the right heart or venous circulation in 209 patients, the left heart or arterial circulation in 246 patients, and both sides of the circulatory system in 73. Extracardiac patch implantation was performed in 339 patients, intracardiac in 79 patients, and both intracardiac and extracardiac in 36 patients. Our study presents a single-center experience in the use of cryopreserved allogeneic pericardium. The pericardium can be used on the systemic and pulmonary sides of the circulatory system, in either extracardiac or intracardiac positions. However, there is no uniform strategy for selecting the “patch of choice” for correcting congenital heart defects in children, especially since there are few studies comparing several types of patches.
Usanovich and Nernst colliding: inconsistencies in the all-in-one acid–base concept?
Authors: Flechsig Gerd-Uwe
Published: October 2023

Among the many acid-base concepts, the theory of Usanovich is one of the least known despite the most general scope including almost all chemical reaction types and even redox chemistry. Published 1939 in a Soviet journal in Russian language, it gained little immediate attention, and was later criticized mainly as being too broad in scope. Although several articles recently remembered Usanovich and his acid–base theory, one major inconsistency again was overseen: the electron is put in a row along with anions. Chemical history probably correctly puts this concept aside, also because it added little explanation capabilities beyond the elaborated considerations of the simultaneously published acid–base theory of Gilbert N. Lewis which was later refined by Pearson (hard and soft acids and bases, “HSAB”). A modified version of the core of Usanovich' concept is finally discussed. It combines the classic protic and aprotic acid–base concepts on the foundations of Lewis’ and Pearsons ideas.
Enhanced anti-glioma efficacy of biodegradable periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles through target delivery of chemotherapeutics
Authors: Dong Min , Liu Ying , Liu Biao , Peng Jin , Tang Yuxia , Lu Guangming , Shi Haibin , Zhu Feipeng
Published: October 2023

Glioma is the most common malignant tumor of the brain and enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy in glioma is critical for improving patients’ prognosis. In this study, a glioma-targeting drug delivery system is constructed using biodegradable periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMO) that are modified with lactoferrin (Lf) ligands. The obtained PMO is doped with thioether groups and can be degraded in the high concentration of glutathione in tumor cells. The surface area and pore volume of PMO are 772 cm2/g and 0.98 cm3/g, respectively and the loading capacity of doxorubicin (Dox) is as high as 20%. The results of the confocal laser scanning microscope show that the uptake of PMO-Lf@Dox by C6 cells is higher than PMO@Dox. The quantitative analysis of the flow cytometer further demonstrates that more PMO-Lf@Dox enter C6 cells, indicating that the modification of lactoferrin can significantly increase the uptake of C6 cells. Finally, the therapeutic efficacy results show that Lf-modified PMO enhances the inhibitory effect of Dox on C6 cells when incubated for 24 h and 72 h. In summary, this lactoferrin receptor-mediated PMO drug carrier with biodegradability in glutathione in tumor cells can be used to enhance drug delivery into glioma without long-term accumulation in vivo.

Graphical abstract
Agreement of zero-heat-flux thermometry with the oesophageal and tympanic core temperature measurement in patient receiving major surgery
Authors: Liang Hao , Wang Jing-Yan , Liang Yan , Shao Xin-Feng , Ding Yan-Ling , Jia Hui-Qun
Published: October 2023

To identify and prevent perioperative hypothermia, most surgical patients require a non-invasive, accurate, convenient, and continuous core temperature method, especially for patients undergoing major surgery. This study validated the precision and accuracy of a cutaneous zero-heat-flux thermometer and its performance in detecting intraoperative hypothermia. Adults undergoing major non-cardiac surgeries with general anaesthesia were enrolled in the study. Core temperatures were measured with a zero-heat-flux thermometer, infrared tympanic membrane thermometer, and oesophagal monitoring at 15-minute intervals. Taking the average value of temperature measured in the tympanic membrane and oesophagus as a reference, we assessed the agreement using the Bland-Altman analysis and linear regression methods. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of detecting hypothermia were estimated. 103 patients and one thousand sixty-eight sets of paired temperatures were analyzed. The mean difference between zero-heat-flux and the referenced measurements was -0.03 ± 0.25 °C, with 95% limits of agreement (-0.52 °C, 0.47 °C) was narrow, with 94.5% of the differences within 0.5 °C. Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was 0.90 (95%CI 0.89–0.92). The zero-heat-flux thermometry detected hypothermia with a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 90%. The zero-heat-flux thermometer is in good agreement with the reference core temperature based on tympanic and oesophagal temperature monitoring in patients undergoing major surgeries, and appears high performance in detecting hypothermia.
Low-magnitude seismic swarms in the Calabrian Arc (Italy)
Authors: Chiappetta Giuseppe Davide , La Rocca Mario
Published: October 2023

Seismic swarms of low magnitude earthquakes occur frequently in the Calabrian Arc. During the last few years, several earthquakes of magnitude up to ML4.4 occurred both on land and offshore near the coast of Calabria. Some of them were followed by a sequence of tens to hundreds of smaller, well-clustered earthquakes that occurred during the following weeks or months. In other cases, swarms of low-magnitude earthquakes occur without a classical mainshock-aftershock evolution. In this work, we selected swarms that were well recorded by a high number of seismic stations to perform a detailed analysis consisting of the determination of the relative location and focal mechanism for as many earthquakes as possible. In some cases, the relative location allows to recognize the seismogenic fault and to distinguish the fault plane from the auxiliary plane of the focal mechanism solution. In other cases, the relative location unravels a small cloud of events that is not compatible with a unique fault plane, suggesting the occurrence of the swarm in highly fractured seismogenic volume. The relative hypocenter positions allow to estimate the size of the seismogenic volume, which is very small in most of the cases, often less than 1 km3. However, its extension is greater than the size computed for the mainshock rupture in many cases. The most common source mechanism is of normal type, but strike-slip and reverse kinematics are also found, in particular for swarms located offshore and near the coast. The temporal distribution of events does not show any evident migration of the sources, thus suggesting that the driving mechanism is not related with aseismic phenomena like fluid diffusion and stress waves.
Digitally nudging users to explore off-profile recommendations: here be dragons
Authors: Alves Gabrielle , Jannach Dietmar , de Souza Rodrigo Ferrari , Damian Daniela , Manzato Marcelo Garcia
Published: October 2023

In many application domains of recommender systems, e.g., on media streaming sites, one main goal of the provider of the recommendation service is to increase the engagement of users by helping themdiscovernew types of content they like. Standard collaborative filtering algorithms by design often lead to a certain level of discovery. Nonetheless, in certain domains, it may be helpful to more actively promote content to users beyond their past preference profile (“off-profile”) and thereby help users explore new content. However, when showing such off-profile content to users in combination with more familiar content, the new content items may be overlooked. In this research, we explore to what extentdigital nudging, i.e., subtly directing user choices in a specific direction, can help to raise the attention and interest of users for off-profile content. We conducted a user study ($$N=1064$$N=1064) on a real-world social book recommendation app. We find that users who are nudged towards recommended books of their non-preferred genres significantly more often put these off-profile books on their reading lists, thus confirming the effectiveness of digital nudging in this application. However, we also found that digital nudges may negatively impact the users’ beliefs and attitudes towards the system and a more limited intention to use the system in the future. As a result, we find that digital nudging in recommendations, while effective in the short run, must be done with due care, keeping an eye on the overall quality perceptions by users and potentially harmful long-term effects.
Developing a digital tutor as an intermediary between students, teaching assistants, and lecturers
Authors: Hobert Sebastian , Berens Florian
Published: October 2023

Individualized learning support is an essential part of formal educational learning processes. However, in typical large-scale educational settings, resource constraints result in limited interaction among students, teaching assistants, and lecturers. Due to this, learning success in those settings may suffer. Inspired by current technological advances, we transfer the concept of chatbots to formal educational settings to support not only a single task but a full lecture period. Grounded on an expert workshop and prior research, we design a natural language-based digital tutor acting as an intermediary among students, teaching assistants, and lecturers. The aim of the digital tutor is to support learners automated during the lecture period in natural language-based chat conversations. We implement a digital tutor in an iterative design process and evaluate it extensively in a large-scale field setting. The results demonstrate the applicability and beneficial support of introducing digital tutors as intermediaries in formal education. Our study proposes the concept of using digital tutors as intermediaries and documents the development and underlying principles.
Heavy Metal Levels and Cancer Risk Assessments of the Commercial Denis, Sparus aurata Collected from Bardawil Lake and Private Fish Farm Waters as a Cultured Source, Egypt
Authors: Abbas Mahmoud Mahrous M.
Published: October 2023

Heavy metal pollution of natural and cultivated habitats may be caused by agricultural, industrial, and human activities. Fish living in these habitats easily accumulate metals in their organs; for food safety and human health, the heavy metals in fish flesh are of major concern due to the harmful nature of these pollutants even in low quantities. In this study, metals (Iron, Fe; Lead, Pb; Cadmium, Cd; Nickel, Ni; Copper, Cu and Zinc, Zn) in the muscle, liver, intestine, and gill of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Denis is local name) were monitored to determine the contamination levels and to investigate the protective impact of cooking methods on the reduction or mitigation of metal levels. Although the Denis samples exhibited relatively low Pb and Cd levels, most fish samples had elevated levels of Fe and Zn. The examined metals accumulated at the highest level in the liver and gills compared to the other organs. Results showed that cooking methods had a considerable effect on concentrations of metals. However, the levels of metal in S. aurata from various sources were reduced significantly (P < 0.05) by frying, microwave, and grilling cooking, which was ordered in the following sequence as microwave cooking < grilling < frying. The consumption of Denis fish from different sources (wild and cultured) has no negative effects on health, according to a study of health hazards based on indices of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic. The metal results indicated that different fish sources (wild and cultured) could be acceptable for human consumption. Data hypothesized a positive impact of awareness among the native community.
Anxiolytic-like effects of Pseudospondias microcarpa hydroethanolic leaf extract in zebrafish: Possible involvement of GABAergic and serotonergic pathways
Authors: Adongo Donatus Wewura , Benneh Charles Kwaku , Tandoh Augustine , Biney Robert Peter , Kukuia Kennedy Kwami Edem , Mante Priscilla Kolibea , Harley Benjamin Kingsley , Oteng David , Appiah Emmanuel Aduboffour , Anorbor Ernest Cudjoe , Woode Eric
Published: October 2023

Pseudospondias microcarpa is used in ethnomedicine to manage central nervous system diseases. The hydroethanolic extract (PME) from the leaves of the plant has shown anxiolytic-like properties in mice anxiety models. However, its effects in chronic anxiety models and possible mechanism(s) of action were not studied. Therefore, the current study evaluated the anxiolytic-like mechanisms of PME in zebrafish models of anxiety. The zebrafish light dark test (LDT) and novel tank test (NTT) were employed to assess the anxiolytic-like effects of PME (0.1, 0.3, 1.0 mg mL−1), fluoxetine (3 × 10−5 mg mL−1) and diazepam (1.5 × 10−7 mg mL−1). The chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) test was used to further evaluate the extract’s anxiolytic-like properties. The potential mechanisms of anxiolytic action of the extract was evaluated after pre-treated with flumazenil, granisetron, methysergide, or pizotifen, all at 1 × 10−3 mg mL−1. The extract significantly decreased anxiety behaviours in the NT and LD tests. These observed effects of the extract were however counteracted by flumazenil, granisetron, methysergide and pizotifen pre-treatment. In addition, PME treatment significantly reversed CUS-induced anxiety behaviours in zebrafish. Results show that PME possesses anxiolytic-like effects possibly through interaction with serotonergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid mediated pathways.

Graphical abstract
Innovative discussion of decision-making model based on complex cubic picture fuzzy information and geometric aggregation operators with applications
Authors: Tanoli Muhammad Naeem Khan , Gulistan Muhammad , Amin Fazli , Al-Shamiri Mohammed M.
Published: October 2023

This article presents a novel concept of complex cubic picture fuzzy sets (CCPFS) and introduces one more new idea of complex interval-valued picture fuzzy sets (CIVPFS) as foundational framework of CCPFS. The proposed CCPFS combines CIVPFS and complex picture fuzzy sets (CPFS), where CPFS extends the complex intuitionistic fuzzy set by incorporating a neutral membership degree. This unique model offers an expanded range of values using degrees of membership, neutral membership, and non-membership, within the unit disk of a complex plane. Additionally, we introduce two more new ideas of internal complex cubic picture fuzzy sets (ICCPFS) and external complex cubic picture fuzzy sets (ECCPFS) to further enhance the versatility of the approach. To facilitate practical applications, complement, score, and accuracy functions are developed and defined for CCPFS. Moreover, three types of averaging aggregation operators based on complex cubic picture fuzzy sets are introduced, including complex cubic picture fuzzy weighted geometric (CCPFWG) operators, complex cubic picture fuzzy ordered weighted geometric (CCPFOWG) operator, and complex cubic picture fuzzy hybrid weighted geometric (CCPFHWG) operator. The CCPFHWG operator generalizes both CCPFWG and CCPFOWG operators, providing a comprehensive framework for aggregating complex cubic picture fuzzy data. To demonstrate the practicality of the proposed approach, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem is presented, showcasing its effectiveness in addressing today's complex decision structures. The utilization of complex cubic picture fuzzy sets and the corresponding aggregation operators in MCDM highlights their applicability and relevance in tackling real-world complexities.
Analysis of high-speed drop impact onto deep liquid pool
Authors: Wang Hui , Liu Shuo , Bayeul-Lainé Annie-Claude , Murphy David , Katz Joseph , Coutier-Delgosha Olivier
Published: October 2023

The present work is devoted to the analysis of drop impact on a deep liquid pool, focusing on the high-energy splashing regimes caused by large raindrops at high velocities. Such cases are characterized by short time scales and complex mechanisms, thus they have received very little attention until now. The BASILISK open-source solver is used to perform three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. The capabilities of octree adaptive mesh refinement techniques enable capturing of the small-scale features of the flow, while the volume of fluid approach combined with a balanced-force surface-tension calculation is applied to advect the volume fraction of the liquids and reconstruct the interfaces. The numerical results compare well with experimental visualizations: both the evolution of crown and cavity, the emanation of ligaments, the formation of bubble canopy and the growth of a downward-moving spiral jet that pierces through the cavity bottom, are correctly reproduced. Reliable quantitative agreements are also obtained regarding the time evolution of rim positions, cavity dimensions and droplet distributions through an observation window. Furthermore, simulation gives access to various aspects of the internal flows, which allows us to better explain the observed physical phenomena. Details of the early-time dynamics of bubble ring entrapment and splashing performance, the formation/collapse of bubble canopy and the spreading of drop liquid are discussed. The statistics of droplet size show the bimodal distribution in time, corroborating distinct primary mechanisms of droplet production at different stages.
Goal Directedness and the Field Concept
Authors: Babcock Gunnar , McShea Daniel W.
Published: October 2023

A long-standing problem in understanding goal-directed systems has been the insufficiency of mechanistic explanations to make sense of them. This article offers a solution to this problem. It begins by observing the limitations of mechanistic decompositions when it comes to understanding physical fields. We argue that introducing the field concept, as it has been developed in field theory, alongside mechanisms is able to provide an account of goal directedness in the sciences.
Better than Best: Epistemic Landscapes and Diversity of Practice in Science
Authors: Wu Jingyi
Published: October 2023

When solving a complex problem in a group, should group members always choose the best available solution that they are aware of? In this paper, I build simulation models to show that, perhaps surprisingly, a group of agents who individually randomly follow a better available solution than their own can end up outperforming a group of agents who individually always follow the best available solution. This result has implications for the feminist philosophy of science and social epistemology.
The Representational Role of Sophisticated Theories
Authors: Bradley Clara
Published: October 2023

Dewar (2019) argues that removing excess structure via “sophistication” can have explanatory benefits to removing excess structure via “reduction.” In this paper, I argue that a more robust reason to prefer sophisticated theories is that they have representational benefits.
How Forced Switches Reveal Switching Costs: Evidence from the Loan Market
Authors: Liaudinskas Karolis
Published: October 2023

This article proposes a novel way to estimate consumer switching costs and uses Lithuanian credit register data and two bank closures to provide this estimate for the loan market. I show that when a distressed bank’s closure forced firms to switch, they started borrowing at lower interest rates instantly and permanently and that this drop revealed the lower bound of firms’ ex ante switching costs. A healthy bank’s closure showed no such effect. The article’s findings suggest that distressed banks hold up and overcharge firms and that by closing and resolving such banks with good-bank/bad-bank separation regulators can improve firm financing.
Welfare attitudes in a crisis: How COVID exceptionalism undermined greater solidarity
Authors: de Vries Robert , Geiger Ben Baumberg , Scullion Lisa , Summers Kate , Edmiston Daniel , Ingold Jo , Robertshaw David , Young David
Published: October 2023

COVID-19 had the potential to dramatically increase public support for welfare. It was a time of apparent increased solidarity, of apparently deserving claimants, and of increasingly widespread exposure to the benefits system. However, there are also reasons to expect the opposite effect: an increase in financial strain fostering austerity and self-interest, and thermostatic responses to increasing welfare generosity. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the pandemic on attitudes towards working-age unemployment benefits in the UK using a unique combination of data sources: (i) temporally fine-grained data on attitudinal change over the course of the pandemic; and (ii) a novel nationally representative survey contrasting attitudes towards pandemic-era and pre-pandemic claimants (including analysis of free-text responses). Our results show that the pandemic prompted little change in UK welfare attitudes. However, we also find that COVID-era unemployment claimants were perceived as substantially more deserving than those claiming prior to the pandemic. This contrast suggests a strong degree of ‘COVID exceptionalism’ – with COVID claimants seen as categorically different from conventional claimants, muting the effect of the pandemic on welfare attitudes overall.
Is undisciplined behavior antithetical to cooperation, or is it part and parcel of it?
Authors: Syme Kristen L.
Published: October 2023

This commentary raises three points in response to the target article. First, what appear to be victimless behaviors in highly individualistic, post-industrial societies might have a direct impact on group members in small-scale societies. Second, many societies show marked tolerance or ambivalence toward intemperate behavior. Third, undisciplined behavior is not antithetical to cooperation but can be used to cooperative ends.
Are we all implicit puritans? New evidence that work and sex are intuitively moralized in both traditional and non-traditional cultures
Authors: Tierney Warren , Cyrus-Lai Wilson , Uhlmann Eric Luis
Published: October 2023

Contradicting our earlier claims of American moral exceptionalism, recent self-replication evidence from our laboratory indicates that implicit puritanism characterizes the judgments of people across cultures. Implicit cultural evolution may lag behind explicit change, such that differences between traditional and non-traditional cultures are greater at a deliberative than an intuitive level. Not too deep down, perhaps we are all implicit puritans.
The puritanical moral contract: Purity, cooperation, and the architecture of the moral mind
Authors: Fitouchi Léo , André Jean-Baptiste , Baumard Nicolas
Published: October 2023

Commentators raise fundamental questions about the notion of purity (sect. R1), the architecture of moral cognition (sect. R2), the functional relationship between morality and cooperation (sect. R3), the role of folk-theories of self-control in moral judgment (sect. R4), and the cultural variation of morality (sect. R5). In our response, we address all these issues by clarifying our theory of puritanism, responding to counter-arguments, and incorporating welcome corrections and extensions.
Signs of character: a signalling model of Hume’s theory of moral and immoral actions
Authors: Tarar Ahmer
Published: October 2023

In A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume argues that morality pertains primarily to character, and that actions have moral content only to the extent that they signal good or bad character. I formalize his signalling theory of moral/immoral actions using simple game-theoretic models. Conditions exist under which there is a separating equilibrium in which actions do indeed credibly signal character, but conditions also exist in which there is only a pooling or semi-separating equilibrium. A tradeoff is identified between the signalling value of actions, and the consequentialist goal of incentivizing all character types to choose beneficial actions.
Structure of fine Selmer groups over -extensions
Authors: LIM MENG FAI
Published: October 2023

This paper is concerned with the study of the fine Selmer group of an abelian variety over a
$\mathbb{Z}_{p}$
-extension which is not necessarily cyclotomic. It has been conjectured that these fine Selmer groups are always torsion over
$\mathbb{Z}_{p}[[ \Gamma ]]$
, where
$\Gamma$
is the Galois group of the
$\mathbb{Z}_{p}$
-extension in question. In this paper, we shall provide several strong evidences towards this conjecture. Namely, we show that the conjectural torsionness is consistent with the pseudo-nullity conjecture of Coates–Sujatha. We also show that if the conjecture is known for the cyclotomic
$\mathbb{Z}_{p}$
-extension, then it holds for almost all
$\mathbb{Z}_{p}$
-extensions. We then carry out a similar study for the fine Selmer group of an elliptic modular form. When the modular forms are ordinary and come from a Hida family, we relate the torsionness of the fine Selmer groups of the specialization. This latter result allows us to show that the conjectural torsionness in certain cases is consistent with the growth number conjecture of Mazur. Finally, we end with some speculations on the torsionness of fine Selmer groups over an arbitrary p-adic Lie extension.