bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward low‐carbon cities: A review of circular economy integration in urban waste management and its impact on carbon emissions
Authors: Haris Nur Izzah Nabilah , Al Edrus Syeed SaifulAzry Osman , Abdul Raof Nurliyana , Wondi Mohd Hafizz , Khan Waseem Razzaq , Sien Leong Sui , Ilyas R. A. , Norrrahim Mohd Nor Faiz , Sawatdeenarunat Chayanon
Published: September 2024

Urban areas significantly contribute to global carbon emissions, necessitating a shift toward low‐carbon environments. The concept of low‐carbon cities presents a viable pathway for mitigating these anthropogenic emissions, particularly through solid waste management. This article explores the critical role of circular economy‐integrated waste management (CEWM) strategies in reducing carbon emissions and fostering sustainable urban development. We examine city‐level CEWM initiatives worldwide, assess the carbon emission quantification methods, and highlight specific CEWM strategies with significant carbon reduction potential. Our findings reveal that city‐level initiatives predominantly prioritize waste reduction and prevention (51%), followed by education and engagement (23%), material recycling and upcycling (21%), and waste conversion (6%). Key strategies such as composting, waste sorting, recycling, and biogas plants have demonstrated substantial potential in reducing carbon emissions. Integrating CE principles with waste management transforms the traditional linear take‐make‐dispose model into a circular approach that minimizes waste and maximizes resource efficiency. This integration is crucial for reducing carbon emissions and promoting a sustainable urban environment. A holistic perspective is required to plan and strategize for sustainable urbanization whereby CE and waste management are interconnected. CE principles provide an ideal foundation that enhances waste management strategies toward sustainability, ultimately leading to reduced carbon emissions. This article provides essential insights to equip decision‐makers with evidence‐based strategies for effective urban waste management.

This article is categorized under:

Climate and Environment > Circular Economy

Sustainable Development > Goals
Simulation-Based Process Design of Recontouring Technologies
Authors: Böß Volker , Denkena Berend , Friebe Sven , Hein Markus
Published: September 2024

Engine manufacturers generate about 50% of their total turnover with maintenance. Damaged parts can either be replaced by spare parts or can be regenerated by e.g. local welding processes. One major step of the manufacturing part of the process chain for regeneration after the material deposition is the removal of excess weld material by cutting, which is called recontouring. Recontouring is often the last process step, which defines the final surface integrity and thus the performance of the repaired parts. Thereby, each component has a batch size of one by reason of individuality. In industrial praxis, the recontouring is done mainly with high manual effort. This results in uncertain and unreproducible repair processes for each component. Hence, a major challenge for recontouring processes is the reduction of the required manual effort by an automated method. In the subproject C1 “simulation-based process design of recontouring technologies”, machining investigations and technological simulations were applied in combination with suitable models for a process adaption in order to reach the required workpiece properties. A special focus was the transition from the undamaged area to the deposited material. Furthermore, a method for effective process planning was developed for the generation of 5-axis milling tool paths. This increases the effectiveness of the process planning by adapting them to the individual shape of the component. The present paper gives an overview of the main results of the investigation of methods for the individual process planning of recontouring technologies based on process simulations. This includes the development of an algorithm for the automatic planning of the recontouring process. A Dexel-based simulation method was developed and experimentally validated which allows the prognosis of the geometrical shape of the material deposition. Based on that, the influence of the resulting material allowance on the recontouring was studied. The aim was the generation of a part quality that satisfies the requirements of the functional review. The evaluation of the part quality was conducted by a Dexel-based technological process simulation of the recontouring process. This allowed the prediction of the workpiece surface as well as the research of the influence of the process parameters on the main residual stresses.
Selection of Efficient Regeneration Modes for the Regeneration of Complex Capital Goods
Authors: Kellenbrink Carolin , Schnabel André , Hoppmann Marleen , Woidtke Jan Niklas , Helber Stefan
Published: September 2024

In contrast to the production of new parts, for the regeneration of complex capital goods, various modes of regeneration are often available. They reflect, e.g., different repair technologies and/or different personal qualifications. In this paper, we describe solution approaches for the selection of efficient regeneration modes. Thereby, we simultaneously schedule maintenance tasks as they influence mode selection. Using the example of turbine blades of aircraft engines, we explain the problem setting and the need to consider the customer’s business model. For immobile capital goods such as wind turbines, the selection of efficient regeneration modes requires additional decisions concerning the transportation of personnel and material. We explain this adjacent problem setting and solution approaches. In this context, we include stochastic service times and weather conditions as well as the uncertain condition of the good.
Target-Group Based Public Relations for the Collaborative Research Center 871
Authors: Schomaker Claudia , Friege Gunnar , Gilge Philipp , Seume Joerg R.
Published: September 2024

This report describes the public relations work of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 871 in its third and final funding period together with its partners. The public relations work aimed at two target groups: The expert audience and the general public with a focus on pupils. The expert audience includes research and industry, which were informed via symposiums, exhibitions and events. The general public, and in particular the target group of pupils, was informed about the contents of CRC 871 by events and newly developed interactive and multimedia learning materials. Furthermore, it is described how the public relations work was adapted to the restrictions of the Corona pandemic. For that adaptation, a new concept was developed and implemented in cooperation with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Leibniz University Hannover, which primarily uses virtual media to make the contents of CRC 871 accessible to a broad public, even beyond the end of CRC 871.
Near Net Shape Turbine Blade Repair Using a Joining and Coating Hybrid Process
Authors: Nicolaus Martin , Möhwald Kai , Maier Hans Jürgen
Published: September 2024

Brazing is an established repair technology for turbine blades (air foils and vanes) in the industry and includes multiple process steps that may also require a high degree of manual work. In this study, the development of a near net shape joining and coating hybrid technology for the repair of turbine blades is presented. With this technology, it is possible to shorten the current state-of-the-art process chain for repairing turbine blades. The worn turbine blade receives a repair coating applied by thermal spraying consisting of a nickel based filler metal, a hot gas corrosion protective layer, a bond coat and finally a thermal barrier coating. Subsequently the coated turbine blade is heat treated and a simultaneous brazing and aluminizing process is carried out. The technology presented here brings about technical and economic advantages and allows to shorten the state-of-the-art process chain for repairing turbine blades.
Administrative Reforms from Historical Aspects
Authors: Kamimura Susumu
Published: September 2024

This chapter explores the postwar history of administrative reforms in Japan in connection with reform trends in Europe and the USA. Until the 1980s, these reforms consisted primarily of independent initiatives based on Japan’s own internal motives. Since the 1990s, however, the influence of demands to open markets and global norms became prominent. In the 2000s, NPM reforms could be discerned. Nevertheless, in light of Japan’s unique circumstances, it was difficult to claim that the features of these reforms were actually realized.

As a factor of success in the municipal mergers classified here as a Type I MLG (multi-level governance) system, the central government, in reflecting the wishes of the ruling party, sought to actively promote “voluntary amalgamations.”
The Digital Transformation (DX) of the Japanese Government
Authors: Agata Koichiro
Published: September 2024

The development of DX of the Japanese government is discussed based on four principles to indicate some perspective for further progressions. This chapter is structured with four parts: presenting the four principles as an ideal constellation for practical DX systems, reflecting on the DX developments in the broader and the narrower context with the central government, discussing them according to the principles in the last years, and conclusion comprising summarised discussions and some perspectives. As conclusions, first, concerning the standard principle, formal conditions, namely, the written form principle, the uniform rule for document management and circulation, as well as networking and its expansion of electronic communication infrastructures are met, while the electronic procedures are still to be applied extensively. Second, according to the digitisation principle, more administrative files should be produced in digital form. The current volume of already digitised administrative documents must be evaluated as underwhelming if any DX in the central government should be promoted unobstructed. Furthermore, regarding the sharing data principle, the cloud migration system in the central government has just been embarked on, while the My Number system will be further broadened and applied more deeply in concrete areas. Finally, the security system is reliably developed to implement the zero-trust principle in compatibility with the DFFT principle.
The Management of Human Resources in Japan’s Public Service
Authors: Nishimura Mika
Published: September 2024

Human resource management in the Japanese public sector has been characterized by people-based management since before World War II. The postwar reform of the public service tried in vain to introduce an American job-classification system, and the prewar practices of people-based management have remained. Since the 1990s, there has been an active debate on reforming the public service system, and the introduction of a new personnel evaluation system that focuses on the duties of each position has led to a shift from seniority practices to ability and performance management. In addition, the national public service system was reformed to be more responsive to political leadership. However, the ambiguity of the duties of each position as the basis for personnel evaluation has remained to create a conflict between people-based management and position-based management, hindering the improvement of working conditions and inviting greater political influence in the appointment of executive officials. To solve these problems and make public service more attractive, it is necessary to clearly define the duties of each position and then reexamine the relationship between “positions” and “people.”
Anomalous thresholds for the S-matrix of unstable particles
Authors: Aoki Katsuki , Huang Yu-tin
Published: September 2024

Abstract

In this work, we study the analytic properties of S-matrix for unstable particles, which is defined as the residues on the unphysical sheets where unstable poles reside. We demonstrate that anomalous thresholds associated with UV physics are unavoidable for unstable particles. This is in contrast to stable particles, where the anomalous thresholds are due to IR physics, set by the scale of the external kinematics. As a result, any dispersive representation for the amplitude will involve contributions from these thresholds that are not computable from the IR theory, and thus invalidate the general positivity bound. Indeed using toy models, we explicitly demonstrate that the four-derivative couplings for unstable particles can become negative, violating positivity bounds even for non-gravitational theories. Along the way, we show that contributions from anomalous thresholds in a given channel can be captured by the double discontinuity of that channel.
Machine Learning Discovers Invariants of Braids and Flat Braids
Authors: Lisitsa Alexei , Salles Mateo , Vernitski Alexei
Published: September 2024

We use machine learning to classify examples of braids (or flat braids) as trivial or non-trivial. Our machine learning takes the form of supervised learning, specifically multilayer perceptron neural networks. When they achieve good results in classification, we are able to interpret their structure as mathematical conjectures and then prove these conjectures as theorems. As a result, we find new invariants of braids and prove several theorems related to them. This work evolves from our experiments exploring how different types of AI cope with untangling braids with 3 strands, this is why we concentrate mostly on braids with 3 strands.
Forceful De-escalation and Organizational Inertia: Identifying Novel Justifications for Entrenched Police Violence
Authors: Burke Kimberly C.
Published: September 2024

Despite reforms aimed at reducing racial disparities, the police department in this study experienced ongoing disparities in use of force. Through an analysis of the department's policies, training, and interviews with officers, this article identifies a practice termed 'forceful deescalation,' involving preemptive low-level force against passive non-compliance. Falling outside official use of force classifications, forceful de-escalation emerges as the department attempts to reconcile reform goals with perceived realities of street enforcement. Justifications rest on presuppositions of: a double-bind between crimefighting and reform; verbal and passive non-compliance as threats; and low-level force as minimally harmful. Forceful de-escalation reveals how police violence is reproduced in response to reform. As attention focuses on "less lethal" force, this paper illuminates how low-level police violence maintains harms and inequalities associated with deadly force. Through interactions often escaping official scrutiny, aggressive tactics become reinscribed and normalized as "de-escalation," perpetuating racial inequities under the guise of progressive change.
Why Local Governments Set Climate Targets: Effects of City Size and Political Costs
Authors: Eisenack Klaus
Published: September 2024

Cities increasingly address climate change, e.g. by pledging city-level emission reduction targets. This is puzzling for the provision of a global public good: what are city governments’ reasons for doing so, and do pledges actually translate into emission reductions? Empirical studies have found a set of common factors which relate to these questions, but also mixed evidence. What is still pending is a theoretical framework to explain those findings and gaps. This paper thus develops a theoretical public choice model. It features economies of scale and distinguishes urban reduction targets from actual emission reductions. The model is able to explain the presence of targets and public good provision, yet only under specified conditions. It is also able to support some stylized facts from the empirical literature, e.g. on the effect of city size, and resolves some mixed evidence as special cases. Larger cities chose more ambitious targets if marginal net benefits of mitigation rise with city size—if they set targets at all. Whether target setting is more likely for larger cities depends on the city type. Two types are obtained. The first type reduces more emissions than a free-riding city. Those cities are more likely to set a target when they are larger. However, they miss the self-chosen target. Cities of the second type reach their target, but mitigate less than a free-riding city. A third type does not exist. With its special cases, the model can thus guide further empirical and theoretical work.
Becoming exceptional: the role of capital in the development and mediation of mathematics identity and degree trajectories
Authors: Archer Louise , Mendick Heather
Published: September 2024

There is a burgeoning interest in the concept of identity within mathematics education research, with recent work suggesting that the interplay of identity and capital (cultural, social, and economic resources) offers a productive lens for understanding school students’ trajectories into, or away from, mathematics. This paper adds to understandings of how interactions of identity and capital play out over time, focusing on how these mediated the mathematics degree trajectories of three young men, Tom, Neb, and Gerrard, who were selected from a wider longitudinal study, as the only young people who went on to take mathematics degrees. Analysis of longitudinal data from 24 semi-structured interviews, conducted with the three young men from age 10 to 21 and two of their parents/carers, found that all three identified as being “good/exceptional at mathematics”. These identifications developed at an early age, were sustained and augmented by capital, and were closely related to pursuing the subject at university and enjoyment of mathematics. However, developing and sustaining an identity as “good at maths” relied on interactions with mathematics capital through families, school, and wider networks. Moreover, classed differences in the distribution of capital were implicated in their different degree outcomes. We argue that attending to the longitudinal interplay between capital and identity offers a rich understanding of how young people come to see themselves and be seen by others as “naturally able” at mathematics and in turn supports choosing to study a mathematics degree. Implications for mathematics education policy and practice are considered.
Familial DMRT1-related non-obstructive azoospermia: a case report
Authors: Severi Giulia , Ambrosini Enrico , Caramanna Luca , Monti Luigi , Magini Pamela , Innella Giovanni
Published: September 2024

Purpose

To report an exceptional case of male-to-male transmission of genetically based non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and varicocele through a naturally obtained pregnancy.

Subjects and methods

A father and his son were both diagnosed with NOA after centrifugation and varicocele. The father has no other clinical concerns apart from infertility, detected after many attempts of having another child, but given his urological situation (bilateral varicocele and NOA) assisted reproductive techniques were discouraged. After genetic counseling, several genetic-chromosomal analyses were carried out in the son (karyotype, chromosome Y microdeletions, CFTR screening, NGS infertility panels, and finally array-CGH).

Results

After a series of inconclusive tests, array-CGH detected a deletion of 224–283 kb (del9p24.3) involving part of the KANK1 and DMRT1 genes, inherited from the father. Haploinsufficiency of DMRT1 was therefore considered the determining factor in the development of azoospermia in the family by a loss of function mechanism.

Conclusion

The confirmation of father-to-son transmission of a deletion including DMRT1 represents an important point for clinicians dealing with male infertility, even when complete azoospermia is repetitively detected, and must be of hope for a relevant portion of men. Inclusion criteria for the access to assisted reproductive techniques may also be reconsidered and worthy of a greater number of clinical insights. Finally, since DMRT1 alterations have been associated with NOA and abnormal testicular development, but not specifically with varicocele, further studies are required to validate this issue, as varicocele may have played a crucial role in this case.
Fusions in Intuitionistic Mereology
Authors: Vieser Annica
Published: September 2024

This paper investigates two intuitionistic mereological systems based on Tarski’s axiomatisation of general mereology. These systems use two intuitionistically non-equivalent formalisations of the notion of fusion. I study extensionality and supplementation properties as well as some variants of these systems, and defend parthood as a suitable primitive notion for intuitionistic mereology if working with Tarski’s axiomatisation. Furthermore, I arrive at an equi-interpretability result for one of the atomistic variants with intuitionistic plural logic. I discuss to what extent these results support the philosophical pertinence of the mereological systems under investigation as intuitionistic theories of parthood, thereby reacting to a conceptual challenge that we are confronted with when engaging in intuitionistic mereology.
Non-standard monetary policy measures and bank systemic risk in the Eurozone
Authors: Vu Anh Nguyet , Katsiampa Paraskevi
Published: September 2024

Modern central banking offers policymakers innovative tools to safeguard price stability and the normal functioning of the financial system. However, the unintended impact of the implementation of non-standard monetary policy measures, especially on systemic risk, remains underexplored from a microeconomic point of view. This study investigates the effect of non-standard monetary policy measures on systemic risk of listed financial institutions in the Euro area. Our results show the presence of the systemic risk-taking channel of monetary policy, whereby systemic risk increases following further enforcement of non-standard monetary policy measures, with the effect being stronger for smaller and undercapitalised banks. The results are robust to various alternative measures of bank systemic risk and non-standard monetary policy. Our findings bear critical policy implications for financial stability.
Leitlinien für antimikrobielle CRISPR-Cas-Anwendungen
Authors: Trinler Nicolas Oswaldo
Published: September 2024

Eine vielversprechende Anwendung programmierbarer CRISPR-Cas-Nukleasen ist deren Einsatz als alternative antimikrobielle Therapie zur Behandlung hypervirulenter und antibiotikaresistenter bakterieller Infektionen. Bislang gibt es jedoch keine Studie, die einen Leitfaden für die Entwicklung solcher Tools bietet.
Machine Learning and Imputation to Characterize Human Norovirus Genotype Susceptibility to Sodium Hypochlorite
Authors: Hamilton Allyson N. , Maes Flor , Reyes Génesis Yosbeth Chávez , Almeida Giselle , Li Dan , Uyttendaele Mieke , Gibson Kristen E.
Published: September 2024

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the developed world and a major contributor to gastroenteritis globally. Its low infectious dose and environmental persistence necessitate effective disinfection protocols. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) bleach is a widely used disinfectant for controlling HuNoV transmission via contaminated fomites. This study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of HuNoV genotypes (n = 11) from genogroups I, II, and IV to NaOCl in suspension. HuNoV was incubated for 1 and 5 min in diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) treated water containing 50 ppm, 100 ppm, or 150 ppm NaOCl, buffered to maintain a pH between 7.0 and 7.5. Neutralization was achieved by a tenfold dilution into 100% fetal bovine serum. RNase pre-treatment followed by RT-qPCR was used to distinguish between infectious and non-infectious HuNoV. Statistical methods, including imputation, machine learning, and generalized linear models, were applied to process and analyze the data. Results showed that NaOCl reduced viral loads across all genotypes, though efficacy varied. Genotypes GI.1, GII.4 New Orleans, and GII.4 Sydney were the least susceptible, while GII.6 and GII.13 were the most susceptible. All NaOCl concentrations above 0 ppm were statistically indistinguishable, and exposure duration did not significantly affect HuNoV reduction, suggesting rapid inactivation at effective concentrations. For instance, some genotypes were completely inactivated within 1 min, rendering extended exposure unnecessary, while other genotypes maintained the initial concentration at both 1 and 5 min, indicating a need for longer contact times. These findings underscore the critical role of HuNoV genotype selection in testing disinfection protocols and optimizing NaOCl concentrations. Understanding HuNoV susceptibility to NaOCl bleach informs better disinfection strategies, aiding public health and food safety authorities in reducing HuNoV transmission and outbreaks.
Designing high-performance direct photo-rechargeable aqueous Zn-based energy storage technologies
Authors: Xiong Ting , Lee Wee Siang Vincent , Dou Shi-Xue
Published: September 2024

Solar energy is clean, green, and virtually limitless. Yet its intermittent nature necessitates the use of efficient energy storage systems to achieve effective harnessing and utilization of solar energy. Solar-to-electrochemical energy storage represents an important solar utilization pathway. Photo-rechargeable electrochemical energy storage technologies, that are directly charged by light, can offer a novel approach in addressing the unpredictable energy surpluses and deficits associated with solar energy. Recent researches in the direct use of solar light to charge batteries and supercapacitors have demonstrated significant potentials. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the direct photo-rechargeable aqueous Zn-based energy storage technologies. We will also highlight the significant research advancements in electrode design, materials chemistry, performance, application prospects in direct photo-rechargeable Zn-ion capacitors, Zn-ion batteries, and Zn-air batteries. Lastly, we will provide insights into the opportunities and future directions in achieving high-performing direct photo-rechargeable aqueous Zn-based energy storage systems.
Barriers to inclusive education of children with autism: Ghanaian teachers’ perspective
Authors: Senoo Eyram Juliet , Oti-Boadi Mabel , Senoo-Dogbey Efua Vivian , Bampoe Ohenewa Josephine , Laari Luke
Published: September 2024

Background

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition, has become a major concern for both developed and underdeveloped countries since the condition is associated with significant caregiver, family, and financial burdens. Approaches to educating these children, especially in their preschool years, are burdensome and demanding for both parents and teachers. Although it is recommended that children with ASD receive inclusive, age-appropriate education in mainstream school settings, there are barriers in Ghana. This study explored barriers faced by preschool teachers in implementing and adhering to inclusive education for children with ASD.

Methods

The study employed an exploratory descriptive qualitative design to sample 17 participants in the Greater Accra Region using a purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through an in-depth virtual interview and analyzed using content analysis.

Results

The study identified inadequate parental cooperation, poor ASD knowledge of the teachers, socio-cultural and political issues, and a lack of collaboration with other professionals as major barriers thwarting the success of inclusive education for children with ASD in Ghana.

Conclusion

These barriers affect effective and successful adherence to inclusive education for children with ASD, and as such, we recommend orientation and special training for teachers, the provision of resources for effective child inclusion, and the creation of ASD awareness during the training of pre-school teachers.
Effects of supplementing tributyrin on serum biochemical indices and meat quality characteristics of longissimus thoracis et lumborum of weaned Small-Tailed Han lambs
Authors: Wang Ya-Xin , Wang Xue-Er , Li Zhi-Wei , An Ran , Ren Qing-Chang , Tan Jian-Zhuang
Published: September 2024

This experiment aimed to investigate the impacts of tributyrin (TB) dietary supplementation on serum biochemical indices and meat quality characteristics of longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle of lambs after weaning. Thirty healthy Small-Tailed Han female lambs (27.5 ± 4.1 kg; mean ± standard deviation) were randomly assigned to five treatments: basal diet (1) without TB, (2) with 0.5 g/kg TB, (3) with 1.0 g/kg TB, (4) with 2.0 g/kg TB or (5) with 4.0 g/kg TB. Each treatment consisted of six lambs, and the lambs were weaned on d 90 and were raised until d 165. Results showed that supplementing TB significantly promoted serum immunoglobulin concentrations of lambs such as immunoglobulins G, A and M. Besides, TB significantly increased muscle ether extract content, intermuscular fat length, pH value and redness but decreased lightness, drip loss and shear force. In addition, TB significantly elevated inosine-5ʹ-phosphate content and upregulated the relative expressions of genes related to lipid metabolism such as SREBP-1C, SCD, PPARγ, FAS and LPL. The mostly important, TB significantly enhanced essential amino acids (EAAs) and conjugated linoleic acids contents of the LTL muscle, despite it decreased total unsaturated fatty acids level. In conclusion, supplementing TB not only could promote the healthy status of weaned lambs via promoting serum immunity but also may improve nutritional quality of LTL muscle by improving EAA and conjugated linoleic acid contents.
Early and gland-specific changes in gene expression in response to LPS-induced mastitis in a single quarter of Holstein cows
Authors: Shangraw Erin M. , McFadden Thomas B.
Published: September 2024

We previously reported changes in gene expression in mammary tissue from non-inflamed mammary glands adjacent to an inflamed gland challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We determined if changes in the expression of selected genes in non-inflamed glands would be replicated in RNA isolated from milk fat. Cows were milked twice daily prior to experiment. Per cow, one mammary gland (QLPS) was randomly assigned to receive an intramammary infusion of 50 µg LPS immediately after morning milking on d-0. The ipsilateral (QI) and contralateral (QC) mammary glands adjacent to QLPS remained untreated. Quarter foremilk samples from all mammary glands were collected on d-1 and d-0 for milk composition and isolation of RNA for quantification of selected genes via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Symptoms of clinical mastitis developed only in QLPS and were apparent within 3 h post-challenge. In QI and QC, lactose percentages were lower at 12 h post-challenge compared to d-1, but milk fat and protein contents were not different. For gene expression, 7 of 13 selected genes were differentially regulated in non-inflamed glands. In QI but not QC, LALBA expression was lower at 12 h post-challenge than on d-1. One gene of interest, LPIN1, was significantly upregulated in QI and QC but downregulated in QLPS at 12 h post-challenge. Five additional immune or stress-related genes were significantly upregulated in QLPS and, to a lesser but significant degree, in QI and QC compared to d-1. Notably, expression of two immune genes (NFKBIA, PTX3) was significantly greater in QI than QC despite QI having a numerically lower somatic cell count. Minor changes in the composition of milk secreted by non-inflamed mammary glands were linked to several immune and stress responses in those glands. Further, individual non-inflamed mammary glands responded differently depending on their position relative to the mastitic gland.
Moral Kombat: Analytic Naturalism and Moral Disagreement
Authors: Elliott Edward , Isserow Jessica
Published: September 2024

Moral naturalists are often said to have trouble making sense of inter-communal moral disagreements. The culprit is typically thought to be the naturalist’s metasemantics and its implications for the sameness of meaning across communities. The most familiar incarnation of this metasemantic challenge is the Moral Twin Earth argument. We address the challenge from the perspective of analytic naturalism and argue that making sense of inter-communal moral disagreement creates no special issues for this view.
Views adopted under art. 31 of the Convention, concerning Commc'n No. 4/2021 (U.N. Comm. Enforced Disappearances)
Authors: Dulitzky Ariel
Published: September 2024

On March 24, 2023, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (the Committee or CED) delivered its unanimous “Views adopted under art. 31 of the [International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances],” concerning communication no. 4/2021 on Mexico. The decision relates to the disappearance of Yonathan Isaac Mendoza Berrospe on December 11, 2013, in the city of Veracruz, Mexico. The decision determined that he was a victim of enforced disappearance and that the state failed to guarantee the rights to an effective search, a prompt and effective criminal investigation, and reparations, including the right to know the truth. The Committee considered that his mother was also a victim of the violation of her rights.
Szymanowski’s Third Piano Sonata and First String Quartet and the Artistic Theory and Practice of Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz: ‘Pure Form’, Subjectivity, and the Burlesque
Authors: DOWNES STEPHEN
Published: September 2024

Karol Szymanowski and Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz were leading figures in Polish modernism. A thorough review of their relationship and an examination of Witkiewicz’s theory of ‘pure form’ and its applicability to music (via Witkiewicz’s literary portraits of Szymanowski, his attempts at composition, and the critical and theoretical extensions of his work by Konstanty Regamey) provides the basis for analysing the form and content of Szymanowski’s Third Piano Sonata and First String Quartet.
Translocator protein (TSPO) inhibits Nosema bombycis proliferation in silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: Liu Mengjin , Wen Lang , Deng Ben , Su Yaping , Han Zhenghao , Zhang Yiling , Zhu Feng , Qu Qingsheng , Li Mingze , Fang Yujia , Qian Ping , Tang Xudong
Published: September 2024

Pebrine disease, caused by Nosema bombycis (Nb) infection in silkworms, is a severe and long-standing disease that threatens sericulture. As parasitic pathogens, a complex relationship exists between microsporidia and their hosts at the mitochondrial level. Previous studies have found that the translocator protein (TSPO) is involved in various biological functions, such as membrane potential regulation, mitochondrial autophagy, immune responses, calcium ion channel regulation, and cell apoptosis. In the present study, we found that TSPO expression in silkworms (BmTSPO) was upregulated following Nb infection, leading to an increase in cytoplasmic calcium, adenosine triphosphate, and reactive oxygen species levels. Knockdown and overexpression of BmTSPO resulted in the promotion and inhibition of Nb proliferation, respectively. We also demonstrated that the overexpression of BmTSPO promotes host cell apoptosis and significantly increases the expression of genes involved in the immune deficiency and Janus kinase-signal transducer and the activator of the transcription pathways. These findings suggest that BmTSPO activates the innate immune signalling pathway in silkworms to regulate Nb proliferation. Targeting TSPO represents a promising approach for the development of new treatments for microsporidian infections.
The lion's share: implications of carnivore diet for threatened herbivores in Tsavo, Kenya
Authors: King Eliza , Chakrabarti Stotra , Lala Fredrick , Nyaga Stephen , Waiguchu Grace , Chiyo Patrick I. , Kimaile Joseph , Moller Richard , Omondi Patrick , Morris Aaron , Bump Joseph K.
Published: September 2024

Predation can have cascading, regulatory effects across ecological communities. Knowledge of the diet of predators can therefore provide important information regarding their ecology and conservation, as well as their impacts on prey populations. Using scats collected during 2019–2023 and estimates of prey abundance from aerial surveys, we characterized prey consumption and preferences of the Vulnerable African lion Panthera leo population in Tsavo, Kenya. Biomass models applied to prey frequencies in scats revealed that > 85% of lion diet comprised large ungulates weighing > 150 kg. The Critically Endangered hirola Beatragus hunteri and Endangered Grevy's zebra Equus grevyi (species that were introduced in Tsavo as part of ex situ conservation programmes in the 1960s) were amongst the seven prey species, of 16 detected, that were preferred by lions. Our results potentially indicate a disproportionate impact of lion predation on the small hirola and Grevy's zebra populations. Preferential predation, coupled with high availability of alternative prey, may trap the small populations of hirola and Grevy's zebra within a predator pit. Our findings provide a better understanding of lion diet, optimal foraging and the potential effects predators can have on threatened and rare prey species in an important conservation landscape. Based on our findings, we recommend an observational study of the predation ecology of lions and other predators in this system, to provide information on age- and sex-specific predation rates on hirola and Grevy's zebra for a population viability analysis, to support the management of these two threatened and rare herbivores in Tsavo.
Bai and Old Western Chinese
Authors: Lee Man Hei
Published: September 2024

Several scholars noted that the pronunciations of 天 “sky” tiān and 風 “wind” fēng in Bai appear to be akin to the western variants of the words attested in the paronomastic gloss dictionary Shìmíng 釋名. I will demonstrate in the current study that there are additional commonalities shared by both Bai and the ancient western dialect, termed Old Western Chinese (OWC) in this study. In both languages, one can identify words with zy- in Middle Chinese (MC) that are pronounced j-. Bai and Old Western Chinese use the same word (椹 shèn) for “fungus”. Furthermore, Old Chinese (OC) cluster *-p/t-s yields -t in both languages in lieu of yielding -j as observed in Middle Chinese. Last but not least, it appears that in both languages, words with *lˤ- (whence MC d-) and -ʔ (whence MC rising tone) are distinct from other words with d- in Middle Chinese. Hence, this paper puts the claim that Bai is akin to Old Western Chinese on a stronger footing. As a side note, judging from the fact that 四 “four” sì contains -t in Old Western Chinese and early Bai, its Old Chinese form most likely ends in *-[t]-s.
Narrowly person-affecting axiology: a reconsideration
Authors: Adler Matthew D.
Published: September 2024

A narrowly person-affecting (NPA) axiology is an account of the moral ranking of outcomes such that the comparison of any two outcomes depends on the magnitude and weight of individuals’ well-being gains and losses between the two. This article systematically explores NPA axiology. It argues that NPA axiology yields an outcome ranking that satisfies three fundamental axioms: Pareto, Anonymity and, plausibly, Pigou-Dalton. The axiology is neutral to non-well-being considerations (desert); and (assuming well-being measurability) leads to the Repugnant Conclusion (RC). In short, NPA axiology provides a grounding for Paretian, equity-regarding welfarism, albeit one that includes the RC.
Changes in harm avoidance and incompleteness across group CBT for OCD and their relationship with symptom change
Authors: Puccinelli Christina , Rowa Karen , Summerfeldt Laura J. , McCabe Randi E.
Published: September 2024

Background:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms are hypothesized to be driven by two core motivations: harm avoidance and incompleteness. While cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for OCD, many posit that OCD presentations characterized by high incompleteness may be harder to treat. The relationship between the core motivations and treatment outcomes remains to be further explored.

Aims:

To investigate if harm avoidance and incompleteness decrease across group CBT and to examine the relationship between treatment outcomes and both baseline and changes in harm avoidance and incompleteness throughout treatment.

Method:

A naturalistic sample of 65 adult out-patients with OCD completed self-report questionnaires measuring OCD symptom severity and the core motivations before, during, and after 12 weeks of group CBT for OCD.

Results:

Harm avoidance and incompleteness scores significantly decreased from pre- to post-treatment. Pre-treatment harm avoidance and incompleteness levels did not predict post-treatment symptom severity, but changes in the core motivations throughout treatment were significant predictors of treatment outcome. Specifically, reductions in harm avoidance across treatment and reductions in incompleteness early in treatment, were associated with better treatment outcomes.

Conclusions:

Participants who completed group CBT for OCD experienced modest reductions in the core motivations thought to maintain OCD symptoms and these changes predicted better outcomes. However, pre-treatment levels of harm avoidance and incompleteness do not appear to moderate treatment outcome.
Molecular fingerprinting of highly resistant maize lines to turcicum leaf blight
Authors: Jakhar Dan Singh , Singh Rajesh , Singh Shravan Kumar
Published: September 2024

The present study generates information related to the molecular divergence between turcicum leaf blight (TLB)-resistant and -susceptible lines. During molecular diversity studies, a total of 212 alleles were detected at 75 marker loci and ranged from two to five with an average of 2.83 alleles per locus. A direct correlation for the number of alleles and polymorphism information content (PIC) values was ascertained. For instance, marker phi123 produced high number of alleles (5) with PIC values of 0.77. Using the DARwin 6.0 programme, the UPGMA dendrogram grouped 40 maize inbreds into two distinct clusters, cluster-I (36 inbreds) and cluster-II (4 inbreds). Cluster-I contained two subclusters; the first subcluster contained 28 inbreds and the second subcluster contained eight inbreds whereas cluster-II contained four inbreds. This major cluster-II was further classified into two subclusters which contained two inbreds each. Most of the inbred lines except V-25 from cluster-II were highly resistant to TLB disease. These inbred lines can be used in crossing programmes to develop TLB-resistant hybrids by using divergent parents. In this study, allelic diversity and PIC values indicated a good efficiency of markers for studying the polymorphism level available in studied inbred lines. High level of diversity among the inbreds detected with simple sequence repeat markers indicated their suitability for the further breeding programme.
Legislating for the future: situated health and embodied justice
Authors: Thomson Michael , Goldblatt Beth
Published: September 2024

In response to the short-term political cycles that govern law-making, there is growing international attention to the obligations owed to future generations. Within the diverse approaches there is often a single, temporally defined inequality; that is, between now and a depleted future. While inequality is imagined between generations, these generations are often constructed as homogenous. This elides not just contemporary inequalities, but that these injustices are caused by historically rooted inequalities that current planetary threats are likely to deepen. In response, we centre health inequalities which illustrate the complex temporalities and structural causes of inequalities. We argue for a focus on eco-social and embodied generations to better understand – and respond to – inequalities past, present and future. We apply this focus to the Capabilities Approach as an example of the work needed to better articulate what is owed to present and future generations to secure justice and inform future-oriented law-making.
Mosaic Database: Consolidation, Innovation, and Challenges in the Comparative Family Demography of Historical Europe
Authors: Szołtysek Mikołaj , Ogórek Bartosz , Gruber Siegfried , Poniat Radosław
Published: September 2024

This paper looks at the progress that the Mosaic database has enabled in the study of family structures in continental Europe in the past. Our main argument is that the combination of comprehensive archival research, digitization and computation, data mining, and open-access dissemination that is at the core of the Mosaic project is bringing about an important shift in the fundamental principles that have driven European family history research to date. These transformative features of Mosaic go beyond mere data infrastructural developments, as scaling up to much larger datasets leads to qualitative differences in measurements, methods, and questions. Integrating these perspectives can lead to an important incremental shift in both the scale and the scope of knowledge about historical European family systems.
The Cold War from the Global South: Maoism and the Future of Liberalism
Authors: Plys Kristin
Published: September 2024

In the mid-20th century, The Cold War structured possibilities for politics across the Global South. These strategies were articulated through three competing means to realize the justice and equality promised by newly won independence from colonialism. Global South states could choose from among the following three options, which had many overlaps and intersections: alignment with the United States, alignment with the Soviet Union, and non-alignment. By the 1970s and into the 1980s, left- and right-wing alternatives developed to oppose the limitations of these three perspectives. On the left, Maoism inspired anti-imperialists of the Global South and also sympathizers in the North who stood in solidarity with anti-imperialist struggles. On the right, newly oil-wealthy Saudi Arabia developed a puritanical Islamic alternative to Maoist anti-imperialism and promoted these ideas across Africa and Asia. These ideas did not fall from public consciousness with the formal collapse of the Soviet Union and live on today. My article assesses the different templates for political and economic development that the Cold War engendered, focusing on the legacy of left and right alternatives developed in reaction to their failures. I conclude that these ideological contestations from the Global South reveal that the Cold War was not a mere rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union, it was a global ideological contestation over liberalism; the constituting ideology of capitalism.
On the Effects of Intertidal Area on Estuarine Salt Intrusion
Authors: Hendrickx Gijs G. , Pearson Stuart G.
Published: September 2024

Worldwide, estuaries are increasingly constrained by human interventions, such as wetland reclamations. Intertidal area has an important influence on the extent of estuarine salt intrusion. Previous research has shown conflicting effects of intertidal area on the salt intrusion. Therefore, this study explores this interaction for three estuary classes: (a) salt wedge, (b) partially mixed, and (c) well‐mixed. Our findings show that the effect of intertidal area on the salt intrusion depends on the estuary class: enlarging the intertidal area reduces the salt intrusion for salt wedge and partially mixed estuaries, but vice versa for well‐mixed estuaries. These opposing responses are explained by the balance between salt fluxes driven by the estuarine circulation versus by the tidal oscillation. In general, enlarging intertidal area results in the suppression of the estuarine circulation. Such system understanding is especially relevant in an era of increasing coastal urbanization.