bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Harmonic motion modes in parabolic GRIN fibers
Authors: Collado Hernández A. , Marroquín Gutiérrrez F. , Rodríguez-Lara B. M.
Published: May 2024

We report electromagnetic field modes solving the inhomogeneous Maxwell equations for parabolic gradient index fibers in the low refractive index contrast approximation. The first family comprises accelerating fields characterized by an intensity distribution center tracing a circular trajectory transverse to the fiber optical axis. These fields maintain an invariant shape for both their intensity and phase distributions while rotating around their center. The second family comprises breathing fields characterized by an intensity distribution center aligned with the fiber optical axis. These fields exhibit intensity distribution scaling along propagation, while their phase swirls and rotates around the optical axis without changing their intensity distribution shape and topological charge.
Artificial neural networks for model identification and parameter estimation in computational cognitive models
Authors: Rmus Milena , Pan Ti-Fen , Xia Liyu , Collins Anne G. E.
Published: May 2024

Computational cognitive models have been used extensively to formalize cognitive processes. Model parameters offer a simple way to quantify individual differences in how humans process information. Similarly, model comparison allows researchers to identify which theories, embedded in different models, provide the best accounts of the data. Cognitive modeling uses statistical tools to quantitatively relate models to data that often rely on computing/estimating the likelihood of the data under the model. However, this likelihood is computationally intractable for a substantial number of models. These relevant models may embody reasonable theories of cognition, but are often under-explored due to the limited range of tools available to relate them to data. We contribute to filling this gap in a simple way using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to map data directly onto model identity and parameters, bypassing the likelihood estimation. We test our instantiation of an ANN as a cognitive model fitting tool on classes of cognitive models with strong inter-trial dependencies (such as reinforcement learning models), which offer unique challenges to most methods. We show that we can adequately perform both parameter estimation and model identification using our ANN approach, including for models that cannot be fit using traditional likelihood-based methods. We further discuss our work in the context of the ongoing research leveraging simulation-based approaches to parameter estimation and model identification, and how these approaches broaden the class of cognitive models researchers can quantitatively investigate.
Accuracy of rapid lateral flow immunoassays for human leptospirosis diagnosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Nualnoi Teerapat , Lomlim Luelak , Naorungroj Supawadee
Published: May 2024

Background

In the last two decades, several rapid lateral flow immunoassays (LFIs) for the diagnosis of human leptospirosis were developed and commercialized. However, the accuracy and reliability of these LFIs are not well understood. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the accuracy of leptospirosis LFIs as well as the factors affecting the test efficiency using systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods and results

Original articles reporting the accuracy of human leptospirosis LFIs against microagglutination tests (MAT) or immunofluorescent assays (IFA) were searched from PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, and selected as per pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 49 data entries extracted from 24 eligible records published between 2003 and 2023 were included for meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was performed using STATA. The quality of the included studies was assessed according to the revised QUADAS-2. Only nine studies (32.1%) were considered to have a low risk of bias and no concern for applicability. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were calculated to be 68% (95% confidence interval, CI: 57–78) and 93% (95% CI: 90–95), respectively. However, the ranges of sensitivity (3.6 – 100%) and specificity (53.5 – 100%) of individual entries are dramatically broad, possibly due to the heterogeneity found in both study designs and LFIs themselves. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that IgM detection has better sensitivity than detection of IgG alone. Moreover, the test performance seems to be unaffected by samples from different phases of infection.

Conclusions

The pooled specificity of LFIs observed is somewhat acceptable, but the pooled sensitivity is low. These results, however, must be interpreted with caution because of substantial heterogeneity. Further evaluations of the LFIs with well-standardized design and reference test will be needed for a greater understanding of the test performance. Additionally, IgM detection type should be employed when leptospirosis LFIs are developed in the future.
Research on the mechanism of consumer participation in value co-creation by innovative enterprises: An evolutionary game analysis framework
Authors: Liu Yuhua
Published: May 2024

The profound changes brought about by informatization and digitalization have given rise to the user-centered innovation concept, and value co-creation by enterprises has become an inevitable trend. It has become a pressing issue for scholars to analyze the mechanism of consumer participation in the value co-creation of innovative enterprises. In this paper, by establishing an evolutionary game model between consumers and innovative enterprises, we analyze in depth the mechanism of consumer participation in the value co-creation of innovative enterprises. The results show that the initial cooperation probability between consumers and innovative enterprises directly affects their strategic choices; the establishment of reward mechanisms makes consumers more inclined to choose active participation in value co-creation strategies; as the probability of non-cooperation between the two parties being reported increases, the probability of consumers and innovative enterprises choosing cooperation also increases. Studying the mechanism of consumer participation in the value co-creation of innovative enterprises has essential theoretical and practical significance for enterprises to achieve value creation, enhance competitiveness, and promote innovation. This study not only enriches and develops relevant theories but also provides guidance and support for the practice of enterprises, promoting sustainable development and successful co-creation.
The role of regulatory policies in organizational culture: Insights from the education industry
Authors: Wang Bin , Senin Aslan Amat , Ahmad Ungku NorulKamar Ungku
Published: May 2024

On February 26, 2018 and July 24, 2021, the Chinese government respectively issued two significant regulatory policies to address the problems caused by off-campus training institutions in terms of students’ extra-curricular and family financial burdens. These policies have had a tremendous and far-reaching impact on the off-campus training industry in China. With the help of these two events, we explored the role of industry-level regulatory policies in shaping and forming organizational culture. This paper adopts a text analysis method, combined with the dimensions of the Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS) and MAXQDA 18 software, to obtain data on corporate culture. Then, the approaches of regression discontinuity in time (RDiT) and regression discontinuity (RD) designs with multiple cutoffs are used to estimate the policy treatment effect. This empirical research suggests that regulatory policies have a significant impact on corporate culture. Moreover, regulatory policies of varying degrees of strictness have differential effects on different dimensions of corporate culture. The research findings contribute to the theories of corporate culture and can guide enterprises to evaluate the impact of policies on corporate culture more clearly, thereby enabling them to make wiser operation decisions.
Validation of the Amharic version of perceived access to healthcare services for patients with cervical cancer in Ethiopia: A second-order confirmatory factor analysis
Authors: Shimels Tariku , Gashawbeza Biruck , Fenta Teferi Gedif
Published: May 2024

Background

Accessing healthcare services is a multifaceted phenomenon involving various elements, encompassing the demand, identification, reach, and utilization of healthcare needs. The literature offers methods for capturing patients’ perceptions of healthcare access. However, to accurately measure patient perceptions, it is imperative to ensure the validity and reliability of such instruments by designing and implementing localized language versions.

Aim

The primary aim of this study was to validate the Amharic version of the perceived access to health-care services among patients diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ethiopia.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted among cervical cancer patients at oncology centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A consecutive sampling approach was used and data collection took place from January 1 to March 30, 2023. Following initial validation and pretesting, a KoboCollect mobile phone application was employed for data collection. Subsequently, the collected data underwent cleaning in Microsoft Excel and analysis through Amos software v.26 and R programming. Various validity and reliability tests, such as content validity, convergent validity, face validity, divergent validity, known-group validity, and reliability tests, were executed. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis was developed to calculate incremental model fit indices, including CFI and TLI, along with absolute measures, namely SRMR and RMSEA.

Results

A total of 308 participants were involved in the study, with 202 (65.6%) being patients referred from outside Addis Ababa. The initial evaluation of content validity by expert panels indicated that all criteria were met, with a CVR range of 0.5 to 1, I-CVI values ranging from 0.75 to 1, an S-CVI value of 0.91, and face validity values ranging from 2.4 to 4.8. The internal consistency of items within the final constructs varied from 0.76 to 0.93. Convergent, known-group, and most divergent validity tests fell within acceptable fit ranges. Common incremental fit measures for CFI and TLI were achieved with corresponding values of 0.95 and 0.94, respectively. The absolute fit measures of SRMR and RMSEA were 0.04 and 0.07, indicating good and moderate fit, respectively.

Conclusion

The study indicated a high internal consistency and validity of items with good fit to the data, suggesting potential accuracy of the domains. A five-domain structure was developed which enables adequate assessment of perceived access to health-care services of patients with cervical cancer in Ethiopia. We suggest that the tool can be utilized in other patient populations with a consideration of additional constructs, such as geographic accessibility.
The impact of the #MeToo movement on language at court A text-based causal inference approach
Authors: Langen Henrika
Published: May 2024

This study assesses the effect of the #MeToo movement on the language used in judicial opinions on sexual violence related cases from 51 U.S. state and federal appellate courts. The study introduces various indicators to quantify the extent to which actors in courtrooms employ language that implicitly shifts responsibility away from the perpetrator and onto the victim. One indicator measures how frequently the victim is mentioned as the grammatical subject, as research in the field of psychology suggests that victims are assigned more blame the more often they are referred to as the grammatical subject. The other two indices designed to gauge the level of victim-blaming capture the sentiment of and the context in sentences referencing the perpetrator. Additionally, judicial opinions are transformed into bag-of-words and tf-idf vectors to facilitate the examination of the evolution of language over time. The causal effect of the #MeToo movement is estimated by means of a Difference-in-Differences approach comparing the development of the language in opinions on sexual offenses and other crimes against persons as well as a Panel Event Study approach. The results do not clearly identify a #MeToo-movement-induced change in the language in court but suggest that the movement may have accelerated the evolution of court language slightly, causing the effect to materialize with a significant time lag. Additionally, the study considers potential effect heterogeneity with respect to the judge’s gender and political affiliation. The study combines causal inference with text quantification methods that are commonly used for classification as well as with indicators that rely on sentiment analysis, word embedding models and grammatical tagging.
Constructing and sampling partite, 3-uniform hypergraphs with given degree sequence
Authors: Hubai András , Mezei Tamás Róbert , Béres Ferenc , Benczúr András , Miklós István
Published: May 2024

Partite, 3-uniform hypergraphs are 3-uniform hypergraphs in which each hyperedge contains exactly one point from each of the 3 disjoint vertex classes. We consider the degree sequence problem of partite, 3-uniform hypergraphs, that is, to decide if such a hypergraph with prescribed degree sequences exists. We prove that this decision problem is NP-complete in general, and give a polynomial running time algorithm for third almost-regular degree sequences, that is, when each degree in one of the vertex classes is k or k − 1 for some fixed k, and there is no restriction for the other two vertex classes. We also consider the sampling problem, that is, to uniformly sample partite, 3-uniform hypergraphs with prescribed degree sequences. We propose a Parallel Tempering method, where the hypothetical energy of the hypergraphs measures the deviation from the prescribed degree sequence. The method has been implemented and tested on synthetic and real data. It can also be applied for χ2 testing of contingency tables. We have shown that this hypergraph-based χ2 test is more sensitive than the standard χ2 test. The extra sensitivity is especially advantageous on small data sets, where the proposed Parallel Tempering method shows promising performance.
Social robots in research on social and cognitive development in infants and toddlers: A scoping review
Authors: Flatebø Solveig , Tran Vi Ngoc-Nha , Wang Catharina Elisabeth Arfwedson , Bongo Lars Ailo
Published: May 2024

There is currently no systematic review of the growing body of literature on using social robots in early developmental research. Designing appropriate methods for early childhood research is crucial for broadening our understanding of young children’s social and cognitive development. This scoping review systematically examines the existing literature on using social robots to study social and cognitive development in infants and toddlers aged between 2 and 35 months. Moreover, it aims to identify the research focus, findings, and reported gaps and challenges when using robots in research. We included empirical studies published between 1990 and May 29, 2023. We searched for literature in PsychINFO, ERIC, Web of Science, and PsyArXiv. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were mapped using the scoping review method. Our findings reveal that most studies were quantitative, with experimental designs conducted in a laboratory setting where children were exposed to physically present or virtual robots in a one-to-one situation. We found that robots were used to investigate four main concepts: animacy concept, action understanding, imitation, and early conversational skills. Many studies focused on whether young children regard robots as agents or social partners. The studies demonstrated that young children could learn from and understand social robots in some situations but not always. For instance, children’s understanding of social robots was often facilitated by robots that behaved interactively and contingently. This scoping review highlights the need to design social robots that can engage in interactive and contingent social behaviors for early developmental research.
Study-abroad decision-making – Combining marketing and behavioral economics perspectives
Authors: Bassi Syrine , Kolos Krisztina
Published: May 2024

Student mobility has grown substantially in the past decades. Study abroad opportunities provide long-lasting advantages for students but, at the same time, represent complex decisions for applicants, usually involving a high degree of uncertainty. This paper aims to obtain a deeper understanding of study-abroad decision-making in higher education by combining marketing and behavioral economics perspectives. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with North African scholarship holders and adapted the customer journey framework to a study abroad decision context. Three stages of the customer journey were considered: the pre-application stage, the application stage, and the post-admittance stage. Loss aversion, group identification, social norms, endowment effects, and priming, as core concepts from behavioral economics, were identified and enriched the practical implications of the customer journey framework. Higher education institutions may benefit from our findings when designing their communication and recruiting strategies.
Back to the nature and travelling off the beaten path? – The explicit and implicit examination of ‘new’ destination choices and travel decisions in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Griszbacher Norbert
Published: May 2024

Despite occasional shocks, tourism, as one of the world’s largest industries, has undergone rapid evolution in the last decades. Nonetheless, the industry has been shocked by the recent COVID-19 outbreak, and it is still unclear how the tourist psyche has changed and what the aftermath will be. This study presents an innovative explicit-implicit approach to examine how the pandemic-induced (re)connection with nature influences travel and destination choices. Based on the findings, respondents explicitly and implicitly reported a favourable perception of natural destinations amid the pandemic. Consequently, the author can observe an increase in the popularity of natural sites, along with a corresponding surge in the frequency of nature visits, particularly among women and individuals with less committed or no relationships. Key values were identified as the driving forces behind this trend, including serenity, uniqueness, safety, closeness, and discovery, which can be considered crucial factors in shaping the future of sustainable tourism.
Delivering citizen science online and hybrid: impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on recruitment and engagement
Authors: Sardo Ana Margarida , Laggan Sophie
Published: May 2024

This small-scale study explores the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on running and delivering a large-scale, international participatory citizen science project. In doing so, it seeks to identify the challenges posed by the pandemic for the research and practitioner community, as well as suggesting useful strategies, tools and helpful approaches for meeting similar challenges in the future. WeCount was a citizen science project aimed at empowering citizens to take a leading role in the production of data, evidence and knowledge around mobility in their own neighbourhoods. The project was originally designed around in-person engagement and interaction with citizens in five European case studies, but it was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this pilot study, we conducted seven email interviews with internal project members. Data were analysed using content analysis, and five main themes emerged from the interviews: Recruitment (overall and of specific groups); Uncertainty; Logistics; Digital skills; and Blended approach. We report on the lessons learnt about online citizen recruitment and engagement to support future citizen science and other participatory research projects, not only during times of crisis, but also in deciding when it is and is not a good time to use online methods of recruitment and engagement.
Competências em tecnologias da informação e da comunicação: evidências em anúncios de emprego para contadores no Brasil
Authors: Alves Lira Thais , Carvalho Gomes Francisco Patrik , Fuzaro Adriano Marcos , Costa Flaviano
Published: May 2024

Introdução/objetivo: esta pesquisa objetiva analisar as competências em tecnologias da informação e da comunicação (TIC) exigidas pelo mercado aos contadores no Brasil. Metodologia: estabeleceu-se como procedimento metodológico a análise de conteúdo, a qual envolveu a verificação de 300 ofertas de vagas para contador promovidas por empresas de todas as regiões do Brasil. Resultados: os resultados indicam que, além de competências técnicas básicas, tais como conhecimento em sistemas de gestão empresarial (ERP, em inglês) e pacotes Microsoft, são exigidos conhecimentos relacionados ao uso das TIC para aperfeiçoar a eficiência e a eficácia da comunicação, à análise de banco de dados, ao suporte das TIC nas tomadas de decisões, à gestão de riscos e à otimização de sistemas organizacionais. A ênfase dos achados acerca da comunicação ressalta o contador como elo entre a equipe contábil e as outras áreas da empresa. Os resultados também evidenciam que há diferenças significativas das competências técnicas das TIC entre os níveis hierárquicos. Conclusões: promover a discussão da atualização e do aprimoramento das competências em TIC na formação dos profissionais da contabilidade no Brasil é considerado como principal contributo do estudo. Além disso, constata-se a necessidade de os profissionais de contabilidade investirem na aquisição e no desenvolvimento dessas competências técnicas a fim de atingir posições hierárquicas estratégicas e destacáveis nas organizações.
As Finanças Comportamentais e a Estrutura de Capital
Authors: Aparecido Cippiciani Felippe , Emanuel Farago Fabio
Published: May 2024

Este artigo objetiva analisar a relação de finanças comportamentais e estrutura de capital por meio do desenvolvimento de três proposições. A metodologia deste trabalho é qualitativa e exploratória e se deu por meio de três entrevistas semiestruturadas com diretores financeiros de empresas de grande porte brasileiras. Os resultados desta pesquisa revelam a interação entre métricas quantitativas e vieses comportamentais na tomada de decisões financeiras. Entrevistados enfatizam métricas como TIR, Payback e VPL, mas suas respostas também destacam a influência de vieses comportamentais. A aversão ao risco, influenciada pelo cenário econômico, afeta a abordagem de investimento. A pandemia desencadeou mudanças comportamentais, com busca por colaboração e precaução. Dúvidas sobre dívida refletem o viés da aversão ao endividamento e a mentalidade de escassez. Esses resultados ressaltam a importância de considerar tanto aspectos quantitativos quanto comportamentais nas decisões financeiras corporativas. Em conclusão, o trabalho mostra a interrelação complexa entre métricas quantitativas e vieses comportamentais nas decisões financeiras. Essa abordagem híbrida revela a influência da aversão ao risco, mudanças de contexto e incertezas na tomada de decisões. Esse artigo contribui para a teoria ao elaborar três proposições para serem testadas quantitativamente e para a prática gerencial uma vez que pode auxiliar os executivos de finanças a compreenderem como seus vieses podem impactar a estrutura de capital, e por consequência, os resultados das firmas.
Acumulação flexível e qualificação formal da força de trabalho no Brasil nas últimas décadas
Authors: Barreto Trindade José Raimundo , Romeu Sousa Luciana Cristina
Published: May 2024

Este artigo trata da qualificação formal da força de trabalho brasileira, especificamente no segmento com escolaridade superior (11 a 15 anos de ensino formal), observando os limites da educação formal sobre o padrão de ascensão ou mobilidade do trabalhador brasileiro. Os aspectos observados são radicalmente contrários à chamada Teoria do Capital Humano e demonstra os elementos ideológicos do discurso de mérito. Expomos, ainda, os dados e análise do Indice de Qualificação do Trabalho (IQT) afim de demonstrar empiricamente a fragilidade do discurso de meritocracia e as condições de exploração que perpassam o conjunto dos segmentos da força de trabalho.
Fundamentos da formação do valor da força de trabalho e do salário na economia colonial brasileira
Authors: Azevedo Raquel de
Published: May 2024

A partir da análise das leis com que Jacob Gorender descreve o funcionamento do escravismo colonial como um modo de produção historicamente novo, argumentamos neste trabalho que a determinação do valor da força de trabalho do escravizado, isto é, do tempo de trabalho necessário para o seu sustento, se coloca como um problema empírico para o proprietário. Indicamos também como a formação específica de uma superpopulação relativa na economia brasileira consolida um nível rebaixado de salários na transição do escravismo para o assalariamento.
Representasi Nasihat Luqman al-Hakim dalam Animasi Upin dan Ipin Episode “Indahnya Rumah Rasa Sayang”
Authors: Yahya Yuangga Kurnia , Mahmudah Umi
Published: May 2024

This study aims to discuss the representation of Luqman Hakim's advice in the animation Upin and Ipin episode "Beautiful Rumah Rasa Sayang": Perspective of the Living Qur'an. This research is a descriptive qualitative research based on literature sources. The data used in this study comes from observation and documentation of it. The purpose of this study is to firstly analyze the verbal messages in the series and Lukman's advice to his son in Surah Luqman 12-19. Second, discussing the application of the living Qur'an in popular culture, especially films. The results of the study explain that there are seven important sentences contained in the letter Lukman verses 12-19 which are implemented in this broadcast, namely 1) the command to always be grateful; 2) command always do good to parents; 3) explain all human actions, good and bad; 4) orders to pray, do what is good, prevent evil, and be patient with various things that happen to you; 5) giving a smile and a cheerful face and not looking away from other people because of pride; 6) modest in behavior and speech; 7) maintain good manners in interacting with others.
Urgensi Guru Dalam Konteks Moderasi Beragama
Authors: Darma Yanti Annisa , Masduki  , Syafiuddin Fauzan Azima , Siregar Syahruddin
Published: May 2024

Indonesia is a country with all the diversity that exists. Ethnic, cultural and religious diversity are some of the forms of diversity that exist in Indonesia. Prolonged conflicts in the name of religion often occur in various regions in Indonesia. Mosques are burned, churches are attacked, religious leaders are subjected to cruelty by irresponsible hands, suicide bombings in the name of religion, radicalism and discrimination in the name of sara issues often occur and become national news. For this reason, an attitude or perspective is needed to be a resolution to the conflict. Religious moderation is a moderate perspective, attitude and behavior in religion, namely understanding and practicing religious teachings without extremes. Neither extreme right nor extreme left. Basically, normative Islam itself has a wasathiyah character, moderation. Religious moderation education in strengthening national insight is important especially in recent years the diversity on earth Indonesia is being tested by the existence of extreme religious attitudes expressed by a group of people in the name of religion. This happens in actions in the real world and statements in cyberspace. This exclusive and intolerant group is dangerous for the religious climate in Indonesia. This research is a type of library research. What is called library research or often also called library studies, is a series of activities using library data collection methods, reading and recording and processing research materials. The world of education is the foundation of hope for strengthening the values of religious moderation. The high participation of the Indonesian people in establishing and organizing religion-based educational institutions needs to be directed to strengthen this idea. Religious moderation education needs to be developed along with the character building of students. Religious moderation education is expected to answer the target of the mental revolution of students to continue to develop the values of peace and tolerance.
Keywords : Religious Moderation, Teacher, Urgency
The Partition of Unity Finite Element Method for the Schrödinger Equation
Authors: Boffi Daniele , Certik Ondrej , Gardini Francesca , Manzini Gianmarco
Published: May 2024

A Schrödinger equation for the system’s wavefunctions in a parallelepiped unit cell subject to Bloch-periodic boundary conditions must be solved repeatedly in quantum mechanical computations to derive the materials’ properties.
Recent studies have demonstrated how enriched finite element type Galerkin methods can substantially lower the number of degrees of freedom necessary to produce accurate solutions with respect to the standard plane-waves method.
In particular, the flat-top partition of unity finite element method enriched with the radial eigenfunctions of the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation offers a very effective way of solving the three-dimensional Schrödinger eigenvalue problem.
We investigate the theoretical properties of this approximation method, its well-posedness and stability, we prove its convergence and derive suitable bound for the ℎ- and 𝑝-refinement in the

L
2

L^{2}

and energy norm for both the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions.
Finally, we confirm these theoretical results by applying this method to the eigenvalue problem of the one-electron Schrödinger equation with the harmonic potential, for which the exact solution is known.
The Relationship Between the German Current Account and Financial Account: Evidence from the Toda-Yamamoto Causality Approach
Authors: Murai Taiki
Published: May 2024

The paper examines the causality between the German current account and financial account. It contrasts with past research which assumes the current account and financial account to be jointly determined by a saving-investment imbalance. Our analysis decomposes the current account into exports and imports (real resource flows) and the financial account into domestic capital outflows and foreign capital inflows (gross capital flows). Evidence from the Toda-Yamamoto causality test shows that for Germany from Q1.1980 to Q2.2023, the causality runs from the financial account to the current account. It is not real resource flows but gross capital flows which exert significant impacts on the German real exchange rate. The finding implies that over the long run, strong German capital outflows and weak foreign capital inflows contributed to weak wage growth and stagnant investment in Germany, sustaining the persistent German current account surpluses. A reduction of the German current account surpluses requires a policy mix of fiscal expansion and monetary tightening which would expand the absorption of German and foreign capital in the German economy.
Study of phase equilibrium of refractory high-entropy alloys using the atomic size difference concept for turbine blade applications
Authors: Udayakumaran Gokul , Krishnamoorthy Gandhi Thirugnanasambantham , Raju Ramesh , Bansal Ram , Kukade Jyoti , Barpha Vidhya , Saxena Kuldeep Kumar , Panchal Soumyashree M. , Bhavani Basireddy
Published: May 2024

In the pursuit of advancing turbine blade materials, refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) have emerged as promising candidates, offering superior performance at elevated temperatures compared to conventional superalloys. With the plateauing of melting temperatures in Ni-based superalloys, the demand for innovative material systems capable of substantial performance enhancements in turbines has increased. The expansive compositional space of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) presents a rich yet underexplored realm, particularly concerning the intricate phase equilibria pivotal for alloy stability at high temperatures. This research purpose is to elucidate the phase formation dynamics within the W–Re–Ni–Co–Mo HEA system across varying atomic percentages of each constituent element. Employing two-dimensional mapping methodology for correlating atomic size difference and enthalpy mix parameters, enabling the differentiation between intermetallic (IM) phase and single-phase formations in the non-equimolar W–Re–Ni–Co–Mo system across numerous atomic percentages of each element. Major findings indicate distinct phase formations based on elemental compositions, with elevated nickel and rhenium percentages favouring single-phase solid solution (SPSS) structures, while diminished concentrations yield alternative configurations such as (IM + SPSS). Similarly, variations in tungsten and molybdenum concentrations influence phase stability. The ability to assess phases for diverse atomic percentages of elements in the W–Re–Ni–Co–Mo system will facilitate to analyse HEA systems for high-temperature turbine blades.
Resemblance by meaning and culture between Singapore English and Singapore Mandarin
Authors: Wong Jock
Published: May 2024

Resemblance between languages could be due to relatedness in terms of etymology. Varieties of the same language or dialects resemble one another in many ways because they are related. The languages within a language family, descendants of a common ancestral language, also resemble one another in some ways. To contemplate resemblance between two languages, one could consider their mutual intelligibility or other kinds of formal similarities. For example, while the Chinese languages are not mutually intelligible, they exhibit very similar grammatical patterns. They are all tonal and share a largely common writing system. This paper, however, proposes another way of appreciating language resemblance. It has been observed in the Singapore context that when two different languages, English and Mandarin, are adopted by a community of speakers as dominant languages, over time, the two languages become nativized and resemble each other in terms of meaning, ways of speaking and the cultural values they embody. The Singaporean bilingual speakers in question are offspring of people from Southern Chinese culture who, as recent as a few generations ago, spoke neither English nor Mandarin as a dominant language. This paper presents evidence to show how Singapore English and Singapore Mandarin, which are mutually unintelligible, may resemble each other in terms of meaning, ways of speaking and cultural values.
Analyses of data from the first Chinese seismo electromagnetic satellite (CSES-01) together with other earthquake precursors associated with the Turkey earthquakes (February 6, 2023)
Authors: Akhoondzadeh Mehdi
Published: May 2024

On 6 February 2023, at 01:17:35 and 10:24:49 UTC (LT = UTC + 03:00) two earthquakes with magnitude 7.8 (37.166° N, 37.042° E, depth ∼ 17.9 km) and 7.5 (38.024° N, 37.203° E, depth ∼ 10 km), respectively, heavily struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between pre-earthquake anomalies observed in different layers of the earth system and explore the earthquake mechanism of LAIC (Lithospheric Atmospheric Ionospheric Coupling) associated with earthquake precursors. To achieve this goal, electron density and temperature variations obtained from CSES-01 data in the Dobrovolsky’s area the Turkey earthquakes are analyzed in the period from November 1, 2022 to February 10, 2023. Since investigating the LAIC mechanism requires multi-precursor analysis, anomalies obtained from CSES-01 data were compared with the behavior of anomalies obtained from other lithospheric, atmospheric and ionospheric precursors in the same location and time of the study area. These anomalies that were analyzed in the previous study are: (1) TEC data obtained from GPS-GIM maps, (2) electron density and temperature variations obtained from Swarm satellites (Alpha, Bravo and Charlie) measurements, (3) Atmospheric data including water vapour, methane, ozone, CO and AOD obtained from the measurements of OMI and AIRS satellites, and (4) Lithospheric data including number of earthquakes obtained from USGS and also surface temperature obtained from the measurements of AIRS satellite. It should be noted that clear anomalies are observed between 1 and 5 days before the earthquake in electron density and temperature variations measured by CSES-01 during the day and night and they are in good agreement with the variations in the Swarm satellites data and GPS-TEC. The interesting and significant finding is that lithospheric anomalies are detected in the land surface temperature data in the time interval of 19–12 days before the earthquake, and then most of the atmospheric anomalies are observed in the time period of 10–5 days prior to the earthquake and at the end striking ionospheric anomalies are revealed during 5–1 days preceding the earthquake. Therefore, the results of this study confirm the sequence of appearing of earthquake precursors from the lower layers of the lithosphere to the upper layers of the ionosphere during 1–15 days before the earthquake, and finally proving the LAIC mechanism can significantly contribute to the efficiency and lower uncertainty of earthquake early warning systems in the future.
The Inoperative Community in Twenty-First-Century British Theatre
Authors: Middeke Martin
Published: May 2024

The literary genre of drama and its performative realisation in the theatre are based on dialogue and interaction. In this, drama and theatre have always had a close affinity to the structures of society in general and community in particular. I shall argue in the following that Inua Ellams’s Barber Shop Chronicles (2017), Travis Alabanza’s Sound of the Underground (2023), and Martin Crimp’s Not One of These People (2022) can be considered as deconstructions of a traditional understanding of community. I shall argue that the designs of community that emanate from these plays conceptually highlight an alternative model of community, which – following the philosophies of Jean-Luc Nancy and Giorgio Agamben – I shall call an “inoperative” (Nancy) or “coming” community (Agamben). The inoperative nature of these communities, which the three plays not only reflect upon but also constitute by themselves, is marked by a shift to singularity, by an openness to the Other, by fluid dramatic/theatrical/linguistic structures that challenge traditional normative and exclusionary practices and borders. The deconstructive aesthetics at work in all three plays reveals an inoperative community which denotes a potentiality that is always on the horizon, but never fully actualised. All three plays become epitomes for defining the ethical as well as the aesthetic programme of much British theatre in the twenty-first century: they question (and reject) traditional concepts of community that are based on unity or identity, while they also criticise overreaching, neoliberal individualism and the decline of communal interactions.
Staging the Theatrical Public Sphere in The Laramie Project
Authors: Rössler Julia
Published: May 2024

Contemporary documentary theater has become a favored genre in scholarship to investigate the relationship between theater and the public sphere (Reinelt, “Promise”; Balme; Claycomb, Lurch). Drawing on Christopher B. Balme’s concept of the theatrical public sphere and other scholarship, I examine how The Laramie Project (2000) by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project stages the idea of the public sphere and, in the process, rethinks the form of documentary performance. On one level, the play reflects a discursive turn in documentary practice as multiple narrative layers dramatize the collision of opposing value systems and civic voices in order to challenge established boundaries between the private and the public, the liberal and the conservative, the rural and the urban, poverty and wealth, life and art. The theatrical sphere is constructed as an imaginary space not just of rational debate but of negotiating questions of accountability by appealing to the affective engagement of the audience. On another level, I argue, the play operates as a metatheatrical piece, using strategies such as a narrator and anti-illusionism to establish the theatrical public sphere as a conceptual framework that fuses sociopolitical engagement with a self-reflexive theater practice.
Queer Hope in Working-Class Performance: Scottee’s Bravado and Class
Authors: Terry Amy
Published: May 2024

In contemporary Britain, the working-class subject is often portrayed as abject, deficient, and undeserving. In this article, I survey how mainstream theatre has often been complicit in replicating and authenticating these representations of the working class without offering an alternative. I argue that queer performance forms are a way of altering and undermining this narrative of working classness as a deficit. The queer working-class subject is defined by a sense of not fitting in to either the queer or working-class community and is therefore in a unique position to challenge a unifying representation of the working class. In particular, the queer aesthetics identified in José Esteban Muñoz’s notion of utopian performance and the dialectic of hope and disappointment offers both a critique of the present and a look to the future beyond the inevitability of capitalism and heteronormativity. I analyse Scottee’s solo autobiographical performances Bravado (2017) and Class (2019) through the lens of utopia and hope and how the performer’s status as a queer and working-class artist allows him to offer alternatives to the here and now.
Identity Politics as Lingua Franca?
Authors: Savran David
Published: May 2024

Although identity politics dates back to the 1960 s, it has acquired a new urgency since the ascendance of Black Lives Matter in the late 2010 s. And while identity politics, as a critical framework, was developed in the United States, its rhetoric has since been taken up in much of the rest of the world. This article argues that the terminology of US-style identity politics is especially ill-suited to Germany, a country in which race does not exist as a legal category, and discrimination and inequality do not revolve around a Black/white axis. It points out, moreover, that the German appropriation of certain words and concepts – such as diversity, political correctness, cancel culture, woke, intersectionality, and others – clashes both with their usage and meaning in the US and with the demographic changes that have transformed post-Second World War German culture. In order to illustrate this clash, this article compares Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A Strange Loop (2019) with Yael Ronen’s Slippery Slope (2021), a critically acclaimed musical performed in English at Berlin’s Maxim Gorki Theater. It critiques Slippery Slope’s appropriation of the buzzwords of identity politics and notes with regret that German theatres are ill-equipped to perform the plays of the most important playwrights working in the US today, a new generation of African American writers, including Jackson, whose work is steeped in the performance traditions of Black American cultures.
Tracking success of interaction of green-synthesized Carbopol nanoemulgel (neomycin-decorated Ag/ZnO nanocomposite) with wound-based MDR bacteria
Authors: Abbasi Zukhra , Uzair Bushra , Khan Barkat Ali , Menaa Farid , Saeed Mohd , Ahmad Irfan , Aqib Amjad Islam
Published: May 2024

Multidrug-resistant wound infections are a global health threat and a leading cause of death, persisting despite available treatments due to antibiotic resistance, biofilms, and ineffective drug delivery systems. The aim of this study is to (i) formulate an innovative nano-drug delivery system (NDDS) based on a Carbopol nanoemulgel (NEG) co-loaded with neomycin-silver/zinc oxide nanocomposite (NC) that could fight clinical MDR and treat biofilm-forming wound pathogens through topical application, and (ii) assess its in vivo wound-healing potential. The silver/zinc oxide (Ag/ZnO) NC was synthesized by co-inoculating the metabolites of Aspergillus welwitschiae and Meyerozyma guilliermondii. The synthesized NC was then conjugated with neomycin and loaded into a Carbopol NEG for efficient topical delivery. The resulting Neo-Ag/ZnO NEG was characterized physicochemically (e.g., UV-visible [UV-Vis] spectrophotometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared [FTIR] spectroscopy), biologically (e.g., in vitro antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and hemolytic activities), and pharmacologically (e.g., drug content, ex vivo drug release behavior, and in vivo wound-healing potential). The physicochemical analysis confirmed the successful mycosynthesis of the Carbopol NEG-loaded Neo-Ag/ZnO NC. SEM depicted a crystalline polyhedral shape of the small NC (average particle size of 38 nm). FTIR studies showed a slight interaction with the drug and other bioactive moieties in the Carbopol NEG. The Neo content in the Carbopol NEG was as high as 98%, and a maximum release of 81% for Neo, Ag, and ZnO ions was noticed after 12 h. The NDDS appeared hemocompatible and displayed a minimal inhibition concentration of 0.002 µg/mL with the greatest antimicrobial potential against S. aureus (an inhibition zone of 46 mm) compared to other tested wound microbes (p < 0.05). Statistically significant wound-healing activity was found for NDDS (p = 0.0001) in comparison to the control at a concentration of 100 mg/mL. The results showed that this newly developed Carbopol NEG-loaded neo-Ag/ZnO NC appeared promising for controlling resistant skin infections and boosting wound regeneration.
FruitVision: A deep learning based automatic fruit grading system
Authors: Hayat Ahatsham , Morgado-Dias Fernando , Choudhury Tanupriya , Singh Thipendra P. , Kotecha Ketan
Published: May 2024

Quality assessment of fruits plays a key part in the global economy’s agricultural sector. In recent years, it has been shown that fruits are affected by different diseases, which can lead to widespread economic failure in the agricultural industry. Traditional manual visual grading of fruits could be more accurate, making it difficult for agribusinesses to assess quality efficiently. Automatic grading of fruits using computer vision has become a prominent area of study for many researchers. In this study, a deep learning-based model called FruitVision is proposed for the automatic grading of various fruits. The results showed that FruitVision performed all the existing models and obtained an accuracy of 99.42, 99.50, 99.24, 99.12, 99.38, 99.38, 99.17, 98.86, and 97.96% for the apple, banana, guava, lime, orange, pomegranate, Ajwa date, Mabroom date, and mango, respectively, using 5-fold cross-validation. This is a remarkable achievement in the field of AI-based fruit grading systems.