bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trade dynamics between Carthage and Iberia at the end of the 3rd century BC: analytical characterisation of central mediterranean amphorae from Qart-Hadasht (Cartagena, Spain)
Authors: Cutillas-Victoria Benjamín , Camino Miguel Martín , Asensio Sebastián F. Ramallo
Published: March 2024

The founding of Qart-Hadasht, or ‘New Carthage’, in 228/227 BC reaffirmed the Carthaginian presence on the Iberian Peninsula. The city would serve as its main political base and military port in the Western Mediterranean before being lost to Rome in the Second Punic War. Although the conquest was led on the ground by the Barcid family, the town’s flourishing also led to an increase in the metropolis’s economic and commercial activities. In this study, a total of 37 amphorae of Central Mediterranean typology and located in different Punic contexts of the town were analysed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thin-section petrography (OM). The analyses reveal that a significant number of them originated in North Africa, mainly in the area of Tunisia, though some originated from other production centres on the island of Sicily and probably Algeria. The results also confirm the existence of shared amphora types produced in different Punic production areas and workshops. Thus, the central argument here is that the arrival of containers from such diverse provenances allows us to identify the economic opportunity that this foundation represented for the metropolis as a whole and to explore how this new trade relationship was structured.
Circular RNA circCHSY1 silencing inhibits the malignant progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: He Haiquan , Chen Ying , Liang Hanping , Che Weibi , Chen Huilong , Chen Ying , Peng Fengyuan , Wu Bomeng
Published: March 2024

Background

CircRNAs play a crucial role in the regulation of various cancers. This study aims to investigate the involvement of circCHSY1 in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

RNA levels were quantified using qRT-PCR, and protein levels were measured by western blot. The stability of circCHSY1 was analyzed using RNase R. The functional effect of circCHSY1 on cell behavior was evaluated by CCK-8, EdU, flow cytometry, transwell, tube formation, and xenograft tumor model assays. The associations among circCHSY1, miR-1229-3p, and Tectonic-1 (TCTN1) were certified by bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and RNA pull-down assay.

Results

CircCHSY1 was up-regulated in both ESCC tissues and cell lines in comparison with the control groups. Knockdown of circCHSY1 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and tube formation and promoted apoptosis of ESCC cells. Mechanistically, circCHSY1 targeted miR-1229-3p, which was downregulated in ESCC tissues and cells. Inhibition of miR-1229-3p attenuated the effects mediated by circCHSY1 suppression. Besides, miR-1229-3p bound to TCTN1, and TCTN1 overexpression restored miR-1229-3p-induced effects in ESCC cells. Animal experiments revealed that circCHSY1 silencing suppressed tumor tumorigenesis in vivo.

Conclusion

CircCHSY1 contributed to ESCC cell malignancy, and the underlying mechanism involved the circCHSY1/miR-1229-3p/TCTN1 axis, providing potential therapeutic targets for ESCC.
Mechanism of regulation of KIF23 on endometrial cancer cell growth and apoptosis
Authors: Zhuang Ruiying , Liu Haiyan
Published: March 2024

Objective

The global incidence of endometrial cancer, a malignant tumor in females, is on the rise. It is one of the most common gynecological cancers. Early-stage endometrial cancers can often be treated successfully with uterine extirpation. However, those diagnosed at a later stage have a poor prognosis and encounter treatment challenges. Therefore, additional research is necessary to develop primary prevention strategies for high-risk women and improve survival rates among patients with endometrial cancer. Hence, gene therapy targeting KIF23 shows promise as an advanced strategy for the treatment of endometrial cancer.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and PCR were used to examine the expression of KIF23 and its associated pathway factors in endometrial cancer tissue (specifically Ishikawa and SNGM cells, respectively). We investigated the functional roles of KIF23 using CCK-8, colony-forming proliferation assays, Transwell migration assays, and xenotransplantation in mice.

Results

Immunohistochemistry analysis showed variations in the expression levels of KIF23 between endometrial cancer tissue and normal endometrium tissue. KIF23 downregulated BAX and caspase-3 protein expression while upregulating BCL-2 protein expression. Additionally, knocking out KIF23 inhibits endometrial cancer cell proliferation and migration while promoting cell death. Mechanistically, our study provides evidence that KIF23 promotes endometrial cancer cell proliferation by activating the ERK and AKT/PI3K pathways, while simultaneously inhibiting programmed cell death in endometrial cancer.

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence to support the inhibition of endometrial cancer by KIF23 knockdown. This offers valuable insights for future research on potential therapeutic strategies for this type of cancer.

Graphical Abstract
Exclusion and invented water scarcity: a historical perspective from colonialism to apartheid in South Africa
Authors: Kaziboni Anthony
Published: March 2024

This paper examines the dynamics of water governance in South Africa during the colonial and apartheid periods, focusing on the socio-economic and political invented water scarcity experienced by black communities. By exploring historical policies and legislation, such as the Irrigation and Conservation of Water Act No. 8 of 1912, the Riparian Rights principle, and the Water Act of 1956, this study sheds light on black people’s systemic exclusion and marginalisation from accessing water resources. The analysis reveals how water governance practices were utilised as instruments of power and control, disproportionately favouring European settlers and reinforcing racial inequalities. Implementing discriminatory policies, forming reserves and forcing removals to Bantustans, establishing segregated water supply systems, and discriminatory practices in farms, mines, and urban townships, resulted in invented water scarcity for black communities. The deliberate exclusion of black communities from equitable water access created systemic disadvantages, impacting health, livelihoods, and socio-economic development. This paper argues that invented water scarcity was integral to colonial and apartheid strategies, further entrenching power imbalances and exacerbating socio-economic disparities.
Forecast accuracy and physics sensitivity in high-resolution simulations of precipitation events in summer 2022 by the Korean Integrated Model
Authors: Lee Eun-Hee , Cho Sujeong , Cho Keon-Hee , Han Ji-Young , Lee Youngsu , Kim Junghan
Published: March 2024

The precipitation prediction of the Korean Integrated Model (KIM) is evaluated over South Korea for the summer season of July–August 2022, and key factors for accurate predictions are examined using various approaches, including case studies under distinct synoptic patterns and physics sensitivity experiments. In this study, a five-day prediction experiment was conducted using the latest version of KIM in a near real-time full cycle configuration with 8-km grid spacing, while additional case simulations and prediction tests were conducted on low-resolution or cold-run testbeds. For verification, a newly designed synoptic pattern verification was introduced to assist to the conventional dichotomous verification for daily precipitation. It was found that heavy rainfall events over South Korea are determined by two dominant patterns: frontal and cyclonic. KIM can successfully discriminate between synoptic patterns with a detection rate of approximately 85% for these two types within a short-range prediction. However, it is evident that the precise prediction of precipitation requires an accurate location of the precipitation system within a specified timeframe, wherein KIM shows weakness in delaying the movement of extratropical cyclones with forecast lead times. The significance of moist physics is also highlighted by sensitivity experiments that control convective trigger conditions. This demonstrates that large-scale precipitation from a microphysics scheme must be enhanced to properly represent the strong development of inland rain systems over South Korea, which are highly sensitive to convective precipitation activity in the numerical model, especially in upwind ocean regions.
Integrated stratigraphical, hydrogeochemical, and geophysical studies to characterize the shallow groundwater aquifers in Wadi Araba area, western Gulf of Suez, Egypt
Authors: Salem Zenhom E. , Abdelazeem Maha , Khalifa Mohamed Mostafa , Fathy Mohamed Sobhy
Published: March 2024

The construction of the New Galala City besides great mining (e.g., konoozmisr) and Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant projects in the semiarid Gulf of Suez region of Egypt increases the demand for groundwater resources. So, the current research provides integrated stratigraphical, hydrogeochemical, and geophysical studies to investigate the shallow groundwater aquifers in Wadi Araba area on the western side of the Gulf of Suez. The stratigraphic column starts with pre-Cambrian basement rocks which are non-conformably overlain by sedimentary succession of Phanerozoic Erathem. A detailed land magnetic profile has been conducted and processed to estimate the aquifer’s geometrical parameters. This includes the subsurface spatial extension and thickness to delineate the prevailed subsurface structures in the study area. Lithostratigraphically, these aquifers are represented by the Paleozoic- lower Cretaceous siliciclastic-dominated sediments of the Nubia Group and fractured carbonate-dominated facies of the upper Cretaceous Galala Formation. Lithological characters, sedimentary facies (fluvial to shallow and open marine), microfacies types, and diagenesis processes (e.g., compaction, cementation, dissolution, and fracturing) are the main factors that affect the quality of the shallow aquifers in the study area. The main microfacies of the studied aquifers are quartz arenite, subarkose, sublitharenite, mudstone/wackestone, and packstone/grainstone. These facies are characterized by different primary and secondary porosities. According to the water sampling standard methods, nineteen groundwater samples were collected from the available hand-dug wells and springs from the Nubian sandstone aquifer and the Upper Cretaceous aquifer, respectively. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS), titration, spectrophotometer and a flame photometer were used to obtain a complete chemical analysis. The results of hydrochemical analyses indicated that total dissolved solids (TDS) and concentrations of major ions as well in the lower Cretaceous aquifer increase toward the Gulf of Suez and in general higher than that of springs of the Upper Cretaceous Aquifer. The predominant factors influencing groundwater chemistry include seawater intrusion, evaporation, mineral alteration, dissolution of fossils, and ion exchange. Groundwater in the study area is unsuitable for drinking except in one sample and moderately suitable for irrigation with caution for higher salinity in samples located near the Gulf of Suez.
Uncertainty assessment of aquifer hydraulic parameters from pumping test data
Authors: Bashandy Azza M. , Bekhit Hesham M. , Radwan Hany G.
Published: March 2024

Data from pumping tests is a noisy process, and therefore, performing the pumping test numerous times will not get the same drawdown values. As a consequence, various pumping experiments lead to different values for aquifer parameter estimates. The data of pumping tests are usually analyzed using traditional methods (aquifer tests and AQtesolv software), which depend on trial and error technique. During these methods, non-unique values of hydraulic parameters are selected, which usually have a high level of uncertainty. Uncertainty must be taken into account in determining aquifer parameters, especially when using groundwater models for decision makers. The main goal of this study is to build a comprehensive tool for quantifying uncertainty associated with hydraulic parameter estimation from different pumping test conditions for fully penetrating wells in confined and semi-confined aquifers. To achieve the previous objective, a FORTRAN code was developed to apply the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm using different likelihood functions (exponential, inverse, and log). This developed tool can be used to detect the most probable range of aquifer parameters that are consistent with pumping test data with a high degree of confidence. The tool was successfully used to several hypothetical cases to demonstrate the uncertainty in the quantification of aquifer parameters and compare the findings to the standard method's results. Also, the concept was verified numerically (using Modflow program) with satisfactory results using a hypothetical case with well-known aquifer parameters. Finally, the tool was applied for actual pumping test data with good results.
Sleeve gastrectomy links the attenuation of diabetic kidney disease to the inhibition of renal tubular ferroptosis through down-regulating TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway
Authors: Liu C. , Zhong M. , Jin X. , Zhu J. , Cheng Y. , Li L. , Xu Q. , Liu Q. , Ding H. , Zhang G.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

To investigate how sleeve gastrectomy (SG), a typical operation of bariatric surgery, attenuated symptom, and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

Methods

DKD model was induced by high-fat diet (HFD) combined with streptozocin in Wistar rats. SG was performed, and the group subjected to sham surgery served as control. The animals were euthanized 12 weeks after surgery, followed by sample collection for the subsequent experiment. The HK-2, a renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line derived from human, was utilized to investigate the potential mechanisms.

Results

SG improved metabolic parameters and glucose homeostasis, and could alleviate DKD in terms of renal function indices as well as histological and morphological structures in DM rats, accompanied with a significant reduction in renal tubular injury. Compared with sham group, SG reduced the renal tubular ferroptosis. To further clarify the mechanism involved, in vitro experiments were performed. In the presence of high glucose, renal tubular TGF-β1 secretion was significantly increased in HK-2 cell line, which led to activation of ferroptosis through TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway. Inhibition of TGF-β1 receptor and phosphorylation of Smad3 significantly ameliorated TGF-β1-mediated ferroptosis. In vivo experiments also found that SG improved the hyperglycemic environment, reduced renal TGF-β1 concentrations, and down-regulated the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway.

Conclusions

With the capacity to lower the glucose, SG could attenuate the ferroptosis by inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in DKD rats, and eventually attenuated DKD.
Multi-class hate speech detection in the Norwegian language using FAST-RNN and multilingual fine-tuned transformers
Authors: Hashmi Ehtesham , Yayilgan Sule Yildirim
Published: March 2024

The growth of social networks has provided a platform for individuals with prejudiced views, allowing them to spread hate speech and target others based on their gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. While positive interactions within diverse communities can considerably enhance confidence, it is critical to recognize that negative comments can hurt people’s reputations and well-being. This emergence emphasizes the need for more diligent monitoring and robust policies on these platforms to protect individuals from such discriminatory and harmful behavior. Hate speech is often characterized as an intentional act of aggression directed at a specific group, typically meant to harm or marginalize them based on certain aspects of their identity. Most of the research related to hate speech has been conducted in resource-aware languages like English, Spanish, and French. However, low-resource European languages, such as Irish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Polish, Slovak, and many South Asian, present challenges due to limited linguistic resources, making information extraction labor-intensive. In this study, we present deep neural networks with FastText word embeddings using regularization methods for multi-class hate speech detection in the Norwegian language, along with the implementation of multilingual transformer-based models with hyperparameter tuning and generative configuration. FastText outperformed other deep learning models when stacked with Bidirectional LSTM and GRU, resulting in the FAST-RNN model. In the concluding phase, we compare our results with the state-of-the-art and perform interpretability modeling using Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the model’s decision-making mechanisms.
Do Territories with Geographical Indications Trade Better?
Authors: Giua Mara , Salvatici Luca , Vaquero-Piñeiro Cristina , Solazzo Roberto
Published: March 2024

Do Geographical Indications (GIs) have an impact on local export dynamics? This paper uses a panel geo-referenced dataset and a quasi-experimental approach based on Propensity Score Matching and Difference in Differences methods. Specifically, the study focuses on the impact of the European GI scheme on the wine sector export dynamics of Italian municipalities. Findings suggest that GIs positively impact wine export performance. Additionally, the positive impact of GIs spills over to the overall agri-food sector: taking similar non-GI municipalities as a benchmark, GI municipalities saw a higher increase in the value, volume, and unit value of export both in the wine and the overall agri-food sector. The positive impact involves both extra- and intra-EU trade flows and it is confirmed for rural areas as well for municipalities belonging to regions with weak institutions.
Wettability Gradient-Induced Diode: MXene-Engineered Membrane for Passive-Evaporative Cooling
Authors: Lei Leqi , Meng Shuo , Si Yifan , Shi Shuo , Wu Hanbai , Yang Jieqiong , Hu Jinlian
Published: March 2024

Thermoregulatory textiles, leveraging high-emissivity structural materials, have arisen as a promising candidate for personal cooling management; however, their advancement has been hindered by the underperformed water moisture transportation capacity, which impacts on their thermophysiological comfort. Herein, we designed a wettability-gradient-induced-diode (WGID) membrane achieving by MXene-engineered electrospun technology, which could facilitate heat dissipation and moisture-wicking transportation. As a result, the obtained WGID membrane could obtain a cooling temperature of 1.5 °C in the “dry” state, and 7.1 °C in the “wet” state, which was ascribed to its high emissivity of 96.40% in the MIR range, superior thermal conductivity of 0.3349 W m−1 K−1 (based on radiation- and conduction-controlled mechanisms), and unidirectional moisture transportation property. The proposed design offers an approach for meticulously engineering electrospun membranes with enhanced heat dissipation and moisture transportation, thereby paving the way for developing more efficient and comfortable thermoregulatory textiles in a high-humidity microenvironment.
Challenges and Opportunities in Preserving Key Structural Features of 3D-Printed Metal/Covalent Organic Framework
Authors: Liu Ximeng , Zhao Dan , Wang John
Published: March 2024

Metal–organic framework (MOF) and covalent organic framework (COF) are a huge group of advanced porous materials exhibiting attractive and tunable microstructural features, such as large surface area, tunable pore size, and functional surfaces, which have significant values in various application areas. The emerging 3D printing technology further provides MOF and COFs (M/COFs) with higher designability of their macrostructure and demonstrates large achievements in their performance by shaping them into advanced 3D monoliths. However, the currently available 3D printing M/COFs strategy faces a major challenge of severe destruction of M/COFs’ microstructural features, both during and after 3D printing. It is envisioned that preserving the microstructure of M/COFs in the 3D-printed monolith will bring a great improvement to the related applications. In this overview, the 3D-printed M/COFs are categorized into M/COF-mixed monoliths and M/COF-covered monoliths. Their differences in the properties, applications, and current research states are discussed. The up-to-date advancements in paste/scaffold composition and printing/covering methods to preserve the superior M/COF microstructure during 3D printing are further discussed for the two types of 3D-printed M/COF. Throughout the analysis of the current states of 3D-printed M/COFs, the expected future research direction to achieve a highly preserved microstructure in the 3D monolith is proposed.
Academic integrity and copyright literacy policy and instruction in K-12 schools: a global study from the perspective of school library professionals
Authors: Hossain Zakir , Çelik Özgür , Hertel Corinne
Published: March 2024

This study examined the policies and instructional practices related to academic integrity and copyright literacy in K-12 schools through the lens of school library professionals. Since school librarians play a key role in promoting academic integrity and copyright literacy in schools, they were chosen. An online survey was administered to school library professionals in 85 countries using a mixed methods approach, yielding 569 responses. The results revealed that many K-12 schools lack policies on academic integrity and copyright, and there is variability in the perceived value, implementation and teaching of these literacies. While most school library professionals reported teaching academic integrity and copyright literacy in their schools, implementing effective pedagogies remains challenging. Collaboration between school library professionals and teachers, along with the use of multimedia resources, were identified as potential strategies for practical education and instruction. The study highlights the need for greater attention to be given to these literacies in K-12 education and calls for the development of policies, necessary support and effective teaching methods to ensure students are knowledgeable and well-prepared for higher education.
Measure of non-compactness and limiting interpolation with slowly varying functions
Authors: Cobos Fernando , Fernández-Cabrera Luz M. , Grover Manvi
Published: March 2024

We give estimates for the measure of non-compactness of an operator interpolated by the limiting methods involving slowly varying functions. As applications we establish estimates for the measure of non-compactness of operators acting between Lorentz–Karamata spaces.
Lowest instrumented vertebrae in early onset scoliosis: is there a role for a more selective approach?
Authors: Heffernan Michael J. , Leonardi Claudia , Andras Lindsay M. , Fontenot Bailli , Drake Luke , Pahys Joshua M. , Smith John T. , Sturm Peter F. , Thompson George H. , Glotzbecker Michael P. , Tetreault Tyler A. , Roye Benjamin D. ,   Pediatric Spine Study Group, Li Ying
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This purpose of this study was to assess the impact of patient and implant characteristics on LIV selection in ambulatory children with EOS and to assess the relationship between the touched vertebrae (TV), the last substantially touched vertebrae (LSTV), the stable vertebrae (SV), the sagittal stable vertebrae (SSV), and the LIV.

Methods

A multicenter pediatric spine database was queried for patients ages 2–10 years treated by growth friendly instrumentation with at least 2-year follow up. The relationship between the LIV and preoperative spinal height, curve magnitude, and implant type were assessed. The relationships between the TV, LSTV, SV, SSV, and the LIV were also evaluated.

Results

Overall, 281 patients met inclusion criteria. The LIV was at L3 or below in most patients with a lumbar LIV: L1 (9.2%), L2 (20.2%), L3 (40.9%), L4 (29.5%). Smaller T1 − T12 length was associated with more caudal LIV selection (p = 0.001). Larger curve magnitudes were similarly associated with more caudal LIV selection (p = < 0.0001). Implant type was not associated with LIV selection (p = 0.32) including MCGR actuator length (p = 0.829). The LIV was caudal to the TV in 78% of patients with a TV at L2 or above compared to only 17% of patients with a TV at L3 or below (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Most EOS patients have an LIV of L3 or below and display TV–LIV and LSTV–LIV incongruence. These findings suggest that at the end of treatment, EOS patients rarely have the potential for selective thoracic fusion. Further work is necessary to assess the potential for a more selective approach to LIV selection in EOS.

Level of evidence

III.
Effect of warm forming process parameters on 42CrMo4 skew rolled bar mechanical properties and microstructure
Authors: Murillo-Marrodán Alberto , Bulzak Tomasz , García Eduardo , Derazkola Hamed Aghajani , Majerski Krzysztof , Tomczak Janusz , Pater Zbigniew
Published: March 2024

Skew rolling is a manufacturing process in which two or three rolls are used to reduce the diameter or modify the shape of a cylindrical workpiece, which is used to manufacture mechanical components such as shafts, rods or balls. Hot conditions are used to overcome limitations related to material ductility, residual stress and machine capacity. In this paper, the warm skew rolling (WSR) process of 42CrMo4 rods is modeled by the finite element method. The effects of forming parameters, namely initial temperature and roll rotational velocity, on the material strain rate, thermal properties, microstructure and hardness were analyzed. Simulation results were validated by experimental process data, while hardness tests and SEM-EBSD microscopy were used to assess mechanical properties and microstructure, respectively. The WSR resulting microstructure is different from the normalized ferritic–pearlitic initial one. The degree of spheroidization (DoS) of cementite increases with temperature. The maximum DoS of 86.5% occurs at the initial temperature of 750 °C, leading to the highest material softening. Rolling from lower temperatures favors grain fragmentation and the achievement of incomplete spheroidization, which, in combination with the highest proportion of high-angle boundaries, contributes to a higher hardness of the rods with respect to those rolled at higher temperatures. The highest reduction in hardness takes place at 750 °C and 30 rpm, leading to 209.4 HV1 (30.7% reduction) and 194.1 HV1 (35.7% reduction) in the near-surface and internal regions, respectively. The driving factor is the transformation of cementite precipitates into a spheroidal form characterized by the greatest degree of dispersion.
Cultural heritage and urban morphology: land use transformation in ‘Kumbh Mela’ of Prayagraj, India
Authors: Yadav Divyata , Mahato Susanta , Choudhary Akshita , Joshi P. K.
Published: March 2024

A Hindu pilgrimage site where millions of people gather to seek solutions to problems related to everyday life, the “Kumbh Mela” is recognised as one of India’s intangible cultural heritages. The site of the observance rotates between four cities, Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and Prayagraj. The infrastructure and services in the city that is hosting such a gathering undergo numerous changes as a result of the sizeable gathering. The goal of the study is to monitor the changes in Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) in the city of Prayagraj before and after the “Kumbh Mela” and to evaluate the effect on infrastructure changes in the citry. Analyzing the changes that such pilgrimages and events bring about in cities are fascinating. In 2019, the city of Prayagraj hosted the “Kumbh”, hence, Pre-Kumbh (2016), Kumbh (2019), and Post-Kumbh (2022) phases were taken under consideration for LULC change assessment. Supervised classification was conducted using Maximum Likelihood Classifier to prepare LULC maps. It was observed that urbanisation has significantly increased at the expense of vegetation, fallow land, and agricultural land. The success of the local agroforestry policy and plantation drive is demonstrated by the interesting increase in vegetation that has been observed. The construction of a civil airport, the widening of existing roads, the installation of new railroad tracks, and the adornment of roundabouts on existing roads are the major infrastructure changes. The findings offer fresh insights of increasing urban infrastructure from a cultural perspective. The findings will aid in better planning and policy development for the resilient and sustainable infrastructure, as well as in the development of a long-term strategy for the temporary habitation in the “Kumbh” area of such cities.
MSSD: multi-scale self-distillation for object detection
Authors: Jia Zihao , Sun Shengkun , Liu Guangcan , Liu Bo
Published: March 2024

Knowledge distillation techniques have been widely used in the field of deep learning, usually by extracting valid information from a neural network with a large number of parameters and a high learning capacity (the teacher model) to a neural network with a small number of parameters and a low learning capacity (the student model). However, there are inefficiencies in the transfer of knowledge between teacher and student. The student model does not fully learn all the knowledge of the teacher model. Therefore, we aim to achieve knowledge distillation of our network layer by a single model, i.e., self-distillation. We also apply the idea of self-distillation to the object detection task and propose a multi-scale self-distillation approach, where we argue that knowledge distillation of the information contained in feature maps at different scales can help the model better detect small targets. In addition, we propose a Gaussian mask based on the target region as an auxiliary detection method to improve the accuracy of target position detection in the distillation process. We then validate our approach on the KITTI dataset using a single-stage detector YOLO. The results demonstrate a 2.8% improvement in accuracy over the baseline model without the use of a teacher model.
Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mangrove sediments from Ifiekporo Creek, Warri, Nigeria
Authors: Berezi Okpoebi Kenneth , Aghomi Sisanmi Samuel , Eriegha Ochuko Joshua
Published: March 2024

The occurrence and level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mangrove sediment from Ifiekporo Creek in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria, were assessed in this study. The extraction of PAHs from the sediment samples was achieved using the PAH analytical test method (USEPA 8270). This method measures the individual concentrations of extractable PAHs in samples. The PAHs were quantified within the C11-C22 subgroup. The basic GC parameters for the analysis of polyaromatic hydrocarbons were analysed using a gas chromatography‒mass selective detector (GC‒MSD). The individual PAH concentrations in the mangrove sediment samples ranged from 850 µg/kg−1 to 3470 µg/kg−1. PAH source apportionment employing isomeric ratios and multivariate statistics indicated both pyrogenic and petrogenic source inputs in the sediment samples. The order of PAH homology in the sediment was 3-ring > 2-ring > 4-ring. The sediment samples were mostly dominated by LMW PAHs. The results of the ecological risk assessment in the study area indicate that there is low ecological risk associated with PAH exposure in sediment. These results provide data on the concentrations and compositional patterns of PAHs, which is useful for understanding the effects, sources, fates, and transport of PAHs in sediment in the study area, as well as for providing relevant information for environmental quality management and forensic studies.
Regression Inside Out
Authors: Schoon Eric W. , Melamed David , Breiger Ronald L.
Published: March 2024

Linear regression analysis, with its many generalizations, is the predominant quantitative method used throughout the social sciences and beyond. The goal of the method is to study relations among variables. In this book, Schoon, Melamed and Breiger turn regression modeling inside out to put the emphasis on the cases (people, organizations, and nations) that comprise the variables. By re-analyzing influential published research, they reveal new insights and present a principled way to unlock a set of more nuanced interpretations than has previously been attainable. The emphasis is on intuition and examples that can be reproduced using the code and datasets provided. Relating their contributions to methodologies that operate under quite different philosophical assumptions, the authors advance multi-method social science and help to bridge the divide between quantitative and qualitative research. The result is a modern, accessible, and innovative take on extracting knowledge from data.
Generalised shot-noise representations of stochastic systems driven by non-Gaussian Lévy processes
Authors: Godsill Simon , Kontoyiannis Ioannis , Tapia Costa Marcos
Published: March 2024

We consider the problem of obtaining effective representations for the solutions of linear, vector-valued stochastic differential equations (SDEs) driven by non-Gaussian pure-jump Lévy processes, and we show how such representations lead to efficient simulation methods. The processes considered constitute a broad class of models that find application across the physical and biological sciences, mathematics, finance, and engineering. Motivated by important relevant problems in statistical inference, we derive new, generalised shot-noise simulation methods whenever a normal variance-mean (NVM) mixture representation exists for the driving Lévy process, including the generalised hyperbolic, normal-gamma, and normal tempered stable cases. Simple, explicit conditions are identified for the convergence of the residual of a truncated shot-noise representation to a Brownian motion in the case of the pure Lévy process, and to a Brownian-driven SDE in the case of the Lévy-driven SDE. These results provide Gaussian approximations to the small jumps of the process under the NVM representation. The resulting representations are of particular importance in state inference and parameter estimation for Lévy-driven SDE models, since the resulting conditionally Gaussian structures can be readily incorporated into latent variable inference methods such as Markov chain Monte Carlo, expectation-maximisation, and sequential Monte Carlo.
Corporate Human Rights Responsibility in Illiberal Regimes: The Example of the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis in Hungary
Authors: Pap Andras L. , Chronowski Nóra , Nemessányi Zoltán
Published: March 2024

Following the first-ever rule of law conditionality procedure in September 2022, a resolution was adopted by the European Parliament which declared that Hungary could no longer be considered a full democracy, as it had turned into a ‘hybrid regime of electoral autocracy’. Against this background, this article explains the business and human rights (BHR) gap in Hungary and presents its consequences for the Ukrainian refugee crisis. We first provide a general overview of the role of business in the development and consolidation of the Orbán regime over the past 13 years, highlighting how businesses are both agents and victims of legal and political developments. The paper distinguishes four types of ‘business’: multinational and foreign companies that are direct beneficiaries of the regime; local companies that are direct beneficiaries of the regime; multinational companies that are targets of restrictive and repressive populist rhetoric and economic policies; and the ‘rest’, the remainder that try to avoid becoming targets of oligarchic takeovers. The article also documents how the state and other stakeholders are failing to meet their commitments under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The next part of the article assesses how companies are responding to the refugee crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, Hungary’s neighbour. If the government does not adopt Pillar I and Pillar III of the UNGPs, what room for manoeuvre do companies have? The focus here is on how companies, domestic and foreign, multinational enterprises (MNEs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), engage in humanitarian (and human rights) crisis management.
Implementing the Rule of Law in the European Union: How Long Trapped in Penelope's Spinning Wheel from Article 2 of the TEU?
Authors: Moreiro González Carlos J.
Published: March 2024

This contribution analyses the current situation of the implementation of the Rule of Law in the EU focusing on three essential aspects: the role of Article 2 of the TEU as a legal paradigm, the issue of effectiveness of secondary law to strengthen Supranational mechanisms for the defense of the Rule of Law; and the thorny issue of the primacy of EU Law in the current Era of European Integration.
Tough Positions, Trustful Voters? How Mainstream Party Position-Taking on Immigration Shapes Political Trust and its Impact on Far-Right Voting
Authors: Geese Lucas
Published: March 2024

Mainstream parties have taken increasingly restrictive immigration policy positions across Western Europe. Yet the political consequences of this behaviour for citizens' democratic norms and practices are still not well understood. This article focuses on public political trust. Bridging the literatures on immigration-related trust and spatial theory, the spotlight is put on the consequences of mainstream party position-taking on immigration for the interconnectedness of citizens' immigration policy preferences, political distrust and far-right voting. An analysis of data from the Chapel Hill Expert Survey and European Social Survey across 14 Western European democracies (2006–2018) suggests that tougher immigration positions of centre-right parties in government weaken the link between immigration scepticism and political distrust and, in turn, the relevance of political distrust as a precursor of far-right voting. This has important implications for our understanding of immigration politics and advances the existing literatures on party competition, political trust and far-right voting in several ways.
Gandhi's Mira: Debating “Female” Suffering and the Politics of Iconography
Authors: Varghese Ritu , Rath Akshaya K.
Published: March 2024

During the first decades of the twentieth century when the Indian freedom struggle movement gained momentum, M. K. Gandhi often evoked Mirabai—the sixteenth-centurybhaktipoet-saint—in his public speeches and voluminous letters. This article demonstrates the degree to which Gandhi's maneuver fundamentally altered Mirabai's image as a national and cultural symbol, and how it prompted the mobilization of women in the larger nationalist movement. Through the process of appropriation, Mirabai's image evolved in the Indian cultural realm from a woman charged with promiscuity into an ideal “chaste” woman. Gandhi's intervention further initiated a moral renaissance parallel to the nationalist current where women transgressed the thresholds of traditional domesticity and became active agents of non-violent resistance—Hindu/spiritual in essence—inspired by Mirabai's suffering and compositions. Gandhi's Mira emerged as a literary-cultural hybrid that circulated in public spheres, as Mirabai became a public icon and a vehicle for women's emancipation alongside national liberation.
Epistemic Exhaustion and the Retention of Power
Authors: Satta Mark
Published: March 2024

Epistemic exhaustion is cognitive fatigue generated by efforts to determine, retain, or communicate what one believes under conditions that make doing so especially taxing. I argue that the creation and maintenance of epistemic exhaustion is a tool that the socially and politically powerful can and do use in order to retain power. I consider a variety of conversational tactics and three circumstances—partisan polarization, epistemic chaos, and epistemic oppression—that can leave people prone to epistemic exhaustion. I survey several common responses to epistemic exhaustion and offer some suggestions for how we ought to respond to epistemically exhausting circumstances.
World-Traveling to the Servants’ Quarters: The Pseudo-Concreteness of Lugones’ Decolonial Feminism
Authors: Mulaj Jeta
Published: March 2024

This article focuses on the role of servants in María Lugones’ “Playfulness, ‘World’-Travelling, and Loving Perception.” I show that Lugones uses and erases the work of servants in developing her understanding of world-traveling. This theoretical marginalization and instrumentalization challenges her claim to capture concrete, lived experience. This article argues that Lugones’ theory is “pseudo-concrete”: it capitulates into the very abstractions it seeks to overcome. Focusing on the role of servants reveals the class character of world-traveling and, in turn, its inability to grasp class relations. This article, thus, invites decolonial feminists to reconsider the advantages of class analysis for understanding not only capitalist domination but also perception, identification, and love.
Evaporation of binary liquids from a capillary tube
Authors: Thayyil Raju Lijun , Diddens Christian , Rodríguez-Rodríguez Javier , van der Linden Marjolein N. , Zhang Xuehua , Lohse Detlef , Sen Uddalok
Published: March 2024

Evaporation of multi-component liquid mixtures in confined geometries, such as capillaries, is crucial in applications such as microfluidics, two-phase cooling devices and inkjet printing. Predicting the behaviour of such systems becomes challenging because evaporation triggers complex spatio-temporal changes in the composition of the mixture. These changes in composition, in turn, affect evaporation. In the present work, we study the evaporation of aqueous glycerol solutions contained as a liquid column in a capillary tube. Experiments and direct numerical simulations show three evaporation regimes characterised by different temporal evolutions of the normalised mass transfer rate (or Sherwood number

$Sh$

), namely

$Sh (\tilde{t} ) = 1$

,

$Sh \sim 1/\sqrt {\tilde{t} }$

and

$Sh \sim \exp (-\tilde{t} )$

, where

$\tilde {t}$

is a normalised time. We present a simplistic analytical model that shows that the evaporation dynamics can be expressed by the classical relation

$Sh = \exp ( \tilde{t} )\,\mathrm {erfc} ( \sqrt {\tilde{t} })$

. For small and medium

$\tilde{t}$

, this expression results in the first and second of the three observed scaling regimes, respectively. This analytical model is formulated in the limit of pure diffusion and when the penetration depth

$\delta (t)$

of the diffusion front is much smaller than the length

$L(t)$

of the liquid column. When

$\delta \approx L$

, finite-length effects lead to

$Sh \sim \exp (-\tilde{t} )$

, i.e. the third regime. Finally, we extend our analytical model to incorporate the effect of advection and determine the conditions under which this effect is important. Our results provide fundamental insights into the physics of selective evaporation from a multi-component liquid column.
Rheology of dilute bubble suspensions in unsteady shear flows
Authors: Ohie K. , Tasaka Y. , Murai Y.
Published: March 2024

The viscoelasticity of a dilute bubble suspension is theoretically derived from the constitutive equation originally for a dilute emulsion proposed by Frankel & Acrivos (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 44, issue 1, 1970, pp. 65–78). Non-dimensionalization of the original tensor equation indicates that the viscoelasticity is systematized for a given void fraction by the capillary number

$Ca$

and dynamic capillary number

$Cd$

, representing the bubble deformability and unsteadiness of bubble deformation. Comprehensive evaluation of the viscoelasticity according to the volume fraction,

$Ca$

and

$Cd$

reveals that whether the viscosity increases or decreases depends on whether

$Ca$

or

$Cd$

exceeds a common critical value. In addition, it is indicated that the bubble suspension has the most prominent viscoelasticity when the time scale of the shear deformation is the same as the relaxation time of the suspended bubble and when the bubbles keep a spherical shape, that is,

$Ca \ll 1$

and

$Cd = 1$

. The applicability of this theory in flow prediction was examined in a Taylor–Couette system, and experimentally good agreement was confirmed.
Nonlinear ice sheet/liquid interaction in a channel with an obstruction
Authors: Ni B.-Y. , Semenov Y.A. , Khabakhpasheva T.I. , Părău E.I. , Korobkin A.A.
Published: March 2024

The interaction between the flow in a channel with an obstruction on the bottom and an elastic sheet representing the ice covering the liquid is considered for the case of steady flow. The mathematical model based on the velocity potential theory and the theory of thin elastic shells fully accounts for the nonlinear boundary conditions at the elastic sheet/liquid interface and on the bottom of the channel. The integral hodograph method is employed to derive the complex velocity potential of the flow, which contains the velocity magnitude at the interface in explicit form. This allows one to formulate the coupled ice/liquid interaction problem and reduce it to a system of nonlinear equations in the unknown magnitude of the velocity at the interface. Case studies are carried out for a semi-circular obstruction on the bottom of the channel. Three flow regimes are studied: a subcritical regime, for which the interface deflection decays upstream and downstream; an ice supercritical and channel subcritical regime, for which two waves of different lengths may exist; and a channel supercritical regime, for which the elastic wave is found to extend downstream to infinity. All these regimes are in full agreement with the dispersion equation. The obtained results demonstrate a strongly nonlinear interaction between the elastic and the gravity wave near the first critical Froude number where their lengths approach each other. The interface shape, the bending moment and the pressure along the interface are presented for wide ranges of the Froude number and the obstruction height.
Time-resolved wave packet development in highly cooled hypersonic boundary layers
Authors: Paquin Laura A. , Hameed Ahsan , Parziale Nick J. , Laurence Stuart J.
Published: March 2024

Boundary-layer disturbances are analysed on a

$5^{\circ }$

half-angle blunted cone in Mach 5, high-enthalpy flow (

$h_0 = 9\ {\rm MJ}\ {\rm kg}^{-1}$

) with a low wall-to-edge temperature ratio,

$T_w/T_e = 0.18$

. Schlieren and focused laser differential interferometry (FLDI) are utilized to assess the structures and frequency content associated with disturbances. Wave packets are identified from bursts of modal content on time-resolved spectrograms. Bandpass filtering, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and space–time POD are then applied to the schlieren data. Bandpass filtering suggests the presence of wave packet dispersion and elongation indicative of slow-acoustic-wave synchronization. Modal reconstruction techniques indicate the radiation of content outside the boundary layer and distinct orientation changes within disturbances, potentially the first experimental evidence of the supersonic-mode instability in such a flow field. Cross-bicoherence computations are carried out for discrete time segments of data from both schlieren and FLDI data. They demonstrate that the most dominant nonlinear interactions are the fundamental–first-harmonic and the fundamental–low-frequency interactions.