bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influencer marketing unlocked: Understanding the value chains driving the creator economy
Authors: Libai Barak , Rosario Ana Babić , Beichert Maximilian , Donkers Bas , Haenlein Michael , Hofstetter Reto , Kannan P. K. , van der Lans Ralf , Lanz Andreas , Li H. Alice , Mayzlin Dina , Muller Eitan , Shapira Daniel , Yang Jeremy , Zhang Lingling
Published: January 2025

As influencer marketing evolves into a dominant force in the marketing landscape, it necessitates a deeper theoretical exploration to understand its strategic implementations and impacts. This article examines the dynamics of influencer marketing within the growing creator economy, emphasizing the interactions among firms, influencers, followers, and digital platforms. We introduce a novel, equity-driven framework that analyzes how influencers contribute to customer equity, how influencers manage and leverage the value from their followers, and how platforms maximize the value from their users. We detail the complex relationships and value exchanges within the influencer marketing ecosystem, highlighting the challenges of measuring the return on investment and influencers’ strategic use of content to maintain authenticity and influence. By synthesizing diverse academic literature and current industry practices, this manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of value creation and exchange in influencer marketing, offers strategic implications for marketers aiming to optimize their influencer engagements, and outlines future work in the form of the eleven “INFLUENCERS” research directions.
Humanitarian Nationalism During Autocratic Disaster Governance: The Politicization of the Earthquake Response in Türkiye
Authors: Bellini Cristiana , Sauter Melanie
Published: January 2025

What happens when humanitarian crises are managed by autocratic governments in politicized contexts? This article gives a critical reflection on the 2023 earthquake emergency response in Türkiye. Our study is based on fieldwork interviews and participant observations during the earthquake response. The earthquake shook the country a few months before a contested presidential election. Combining explanations from regime survival theories and disaster policies, we show how elected autocracies strategically contain and co-opt international disaster response mechanisms to reinforce their authority and legitimacy. Yet, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can maintain access to such a nationalized response through their financial superiority. We conceptualize the outcome of this nationalized earthquake response as an autocratic aid allocation funnel: a discriminatory aid distribution mechanism favoring the government’s core voter base while marginalizing minorities who lack voting rights. This demonstrates how electoral autocracies use emergencies to strengthen their power. International organizations face a dilemma: whether to provide much-needed aid while potentially becoming complicit in a regime’s unequal and politically motivated disaster response. The case shows how autocratic governments manipulate crises for political gain and exacerbate the vulnerabilities of minorities.
Efficacy of bioelectrochemical and electrochemical systems in ammonia recovery from slaughterhouse wastewater
Authors: Mohamed Afaf Abdel Razik , Ali Ali El-Dissouky , Hassouna Mohamed Salah El-Din , Elhusseiny Amel F. , He Zhen , Moustafa Hanan
Published: January 2025

Ammonia presence in water has many negative impacts including eutrophication. So, the major objective of this research was to evaluate the efficiency of microbial fuel cell (MFC) and electrochemical (ECS) systems for their removal and/or recovery from wastewater at different levels of ammonia (500 ppm, 1000 ppm, and 1500 ppm). Additionally, a novel approach was tested by using nanomaterial prepared from pomegranate peel as a coating material for the electrodes as it is abundant in many countries. Two systems were tested: Group (A) with a non-coated graphite plate anode (MFC1 and ECS1) and Group (B) which was coated with nano-graphene oxide made from pomegranate peels (MFC2 and ECS2). Results revealed that MFC1 gave the best ammonia removal efficiency reaching 96.2% when the initial concentration was 500 ppm after 13 days, and MFC2 gave maximum removal efficiency of 94.4% and 99.4% for 1000 and 1500 ppm after 19 and 25 days, respectively. COD results coincided with the removal efficiency. Electrochemical ammonia removal was carried out using two external electrical currents, 40 and 80 mA. Results showed that ECS2 gave the highest ammonia removal efficiency of 95.08% at 80 mA in case of 500 ppm, and the maximum for recovery was 80% when 1000 ppm was tested at 80 mA along with an increase in pH in the cathode chamber. Furthermore, ECS2 consumed less energy than ECS1 for ammonia recovery. ECS2 efficiently treated slaughterhouse wastewater reaching almost 100% ammonia removal; however, the maximum recovery of 44.7% occurred after 6 h, but consuming less energy than ECS1. It was evidenced that using an anode coated with nanographene oxide provided dual benefits of quickness and effective ammonia removal and/or recovery and provisioning energy requirements.
Advanced NiCo2O4 /ZnO-CuO/NF composite for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor and efficient oxygen evolution reaction applications
Authors: Bhatti Muhammad Ali , Kumar Shusheel , Tahira Aneela , Bhatti Adeel Liaquat , Ujjan Zaheer Ahmed , Jakhrani Mansab Ali , Aftab Umair , Alshammari Riyadh H. , Nafady Ayman , Dawi Elmuez , Emo Mélanie , Vigolo Brigitte , Infantes-Molina Antonia , Ibupoto Zafar Hussain
Published: January 2025

It is imperative that composite systems with high performance, low-cost, enhanced simplicity, and scalability be developed in order to convert and store energy. This, however, has been a challenging endeavor throughout the years. In this study, we present a cost-effective, efficient, scale-up-friendly, and environmentally friendly method of producing in situ sandwich layers of ZnO-CuO composite between NiCo2O4 nanostructures and nickel foam using lemon peel extract (LPE) during hydrothermal processes. NiCo2O4/ZnO-CuO/nickel foam was analyzed using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). According to XRD and HRTEM studies of NiCo2O4/ZnO-CuO/nickel foam, NiCo2O4, ZnO, and CuO exhibit cubic, hexagonal, and monoclinic phases, respectively. With NiCo2O4/ZnO-CuO/nickel foam as the active anode electrode, an asymmetric supercapacitor has been developed in an alkaline solution of 3 M KOH. At a low current density of 2 Ag−1, the asymmetric supercapacitor exhibited a high specific capacitance of 3614.8 F g−1, a power density of 1549.2 W kg−1, and an energy density of 75.3 Wh kg−1. Upon repeatable 40,000 galvanic charge–discharge cycles, the asymmetric device demonstrated a high specific capacitance retention percentage of approximately 100 to 95 and a columbic efficiency of 98%. Moreover, NiCo2O4/ZnO-CuO/nickel foam composite had a low overpotential of 210 mV at 40 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 70 mV dec−1 for OER in 1 M KOH. During continuous OER measurements over a period of 40 h, NiCo2O4/ZnO-CuO/nickel foam composites demonstrated high durability and stability. NiCo2O4/ZnO-CuO/nickel foam exhibits good electrochemical performance as a result of its synergetic effects, its high conductivity, its abundant exposed catalytic sites, its oxygen vacancies, and its high durability.

Graphical Abstract

The illustration for the synthesis of high-performance in situ NiCo2O4/ZnO-CuO/nickel foam composite for OER and supercapacitor application.
Design of IPMSM Considering Shaft Voltage and AC Copper Loss for EV Propulsion with Wide Operating Range
Authors: Yoon Han-Joon , Jun Sung-Bae , Lee Jin Hwan , Choi Gwang-Rak , Jung Seok-Won , Jung Sang-Yong
Published: January 2025

This study investigates the interrelationship between shaft voltage (SV) and AC copper loss (ACCL) based on design variables that influence both characteristics. In previous works, issues with SV and ACCL have been reported in electric vehicle propulsion motors operating at high speeds. While methods to individually reduce these characteristics are well established, the correlation between them with respect to design variables has not yet been explored. To analyze this correlation, an analysis of the equations related to parasitic capacitances and ACCL is conducted to identify the key design variables affecting both SV and ACCL. These variables include the distance between the winding and the rotor, slot opening width, and winding width. Based on these design variables, a correlation analysis is conducted to confirm how these characteristics change simultaneously, and the results are verified through finite element analysis. Finally, an optimization process is implemented to minimize SV and ACCL while achieving the target average torque. The results are validated experimentally.
Performance study of building cooling system composed of photovoltaic panels, phase change material, and thermoelectric cooler: impact of its orientation
Authors: Ahmed Hossam A. , Nada Sameh , Hassan Hamdy
Published: January 2025

This paper presents an implementation of a cooling system within a room wall, combining a photovoltaic panel outside the wall, two layers of phase change material embedded in the wall, and a thermoelectric cooling (TEC) system inside the wall. The objective of this work is to substitute the conventional air conditioning system with an environmentally friendly one powered only by solar energy. In addition, A comparison is made between using the PV panel, PV with PCM, and the proposed cooling system. The phase change materials layers are employed; one is to absorb the heat from the thermo-electric system to enhance the cooling performance, and the other is to cool the photovoltaic (PV) panel. A detailed mathematical model of the systems is created, solved using numerical methods, and then validated. The overall system, including PV, PCM, and TEC, substitutes one wall or the roof, so the investigation is conducted to assess the performance of the TEC cooling system when the overall system replaces the west, east, north, and south walls, as well as the roof. The results of this study indicate that the most effective performance of the TEC cooling system is obtained when it is installed on the roof, with a maximum PV power output of 857 W, indoor temperature reduction of 17.5 °C, and maximum system COP of 6. The lowest obtained indoor temperature is 19.8 for the east wall system, while this value is 20.42 and 26.7 °C in the case of roof and west cooling systems, respectively. The minimum coefficient of performance of the cooling system is 2, 1.9, and 4.34 for the east, roof, and west systems. This studied cooling system proves its ability to be competitive with conventional air conditioning systems.
Certifying ‘not yet sustainable’ fisheries—the uncertain journey to global best practice
Authors: Baumgartner Urs , Fry Andrew , Atkinson Sophie
Published: January 2025

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) aims to drive the adoption of sustainable practices in fisheries through the marketing of certified sustainable products. For certification, a fishery needs to achieve ‘global best practice’ ratings in each of the three core principles. However, for individual assessment criteria, a score of 60, representing ‘minimum acceptable levels’ is possible. In such a case, fisheries get certified with conditions linked to actions that, according to the MSC’s theory of change, will help them achieve best practice levels across all criteria within the terms of certification. We reviewed the publicly available MSC certification reports of all fisheries and units of certification (UoC) to evaluate the extent of the spread of certification with conditions under the MSC certification scheme and whether improvements have been achieved within the stipulated time frame. Our results show that most fisheries do not meet global best practices across all criteria at first certification. Additionally, in contradiction to the MSC Standard’s requirements, only a minority of all UoC improve to achieve this requirement within the first certification cycle. A third of all UoC carry conditions into the second certification cycle, while a fifth withdraw from certification or are suspended. We argue that conditional certification may contradict the theory of change of the MSC. Rather than driving the adoption of fishing practices in line with global best practices, conditional certification may become a hindrance. Enjoying the same market access privileges as fisheries with no conditions, affected fisheries appear to not improve to best practice levels within a timely manner. While our study did not investigate the underlying reasons or what the implications are for the environment, we recommend further investigation. Insights into these aspects could help strengthen the MSC certification program and might contribute to regaining its credibility.
Justice in Plato's Republic
Authors: Weiss Roslyn
Published: January 2025

In Book 4 of Plato's Republic, Socrates introduces what is regarded by scholars as the Platonic account of justice, according to which it is essentially internal and self-regarding, a matter of relations among the parts of a city or soul. In this book, Roslyn Weiss contends that there is another notion of justice, as other-regarding and external, which is to be found in a series of conversations in Book 1 between Socrates and three successive interlocutors. Weiss considers the relationship between justice as conceived in Book 1 and Book 4, and carefully examines what can be learned from each of the arguments. Her close analysis of Book 1 brings to light what Socrates really believed about justice, and extracts and explores this Book's many insights concerning justice—at both the political and the personal level.
Reforming Art in Renaissance Venice
Authors: Lillywhite Marie-Louise
Published: January 2025

The spiritual turmoil of the sixteenth century had a profound impact on religious life throughout Italy. Art and architecture were directly implicated in the seismic historical events of the age, as the Catholic Church countered Protestant iconoclasm through the embrace of sacred images as decreed by the Council of Trent in 1563. In this volume, Marie-Louise Lillywhite considers the impact of religious reform on the devotional art and architecture of sixteenth-century Venice. Interrogating early modern censorship, artistic liberty, notions of decorum tied to depictions of the body, and the role of sacred images in the shaping of local identity, she shows how Venice, a crossroads city exposed to a rich gamut of religious and artistic currents, serves as a fascinating case study through which to explore these themes. Her study reconstructs the conditions that enabled artistic invention to prevail and how artists became interpreters of spiritual values.
The Digital Silk Road: “Tech-Diplomacy” as a Paradigm for Understanding Technological Adoption and Emerging Digital Regulations in MENA
Authors: Dahdal Andrew Mazen , Abdel Ghafar Adel
Published: January 2025

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a Chinese infrastructure and investment project launched in 2013 that seeks to link China with over 70 countries through transport, communication, and trading networks. The BRI consists of building and construction projects including railways, ports, roads, and other vital trade infrastructure. Importantly, the BRI also includes the establishment of a new “Digital Silk Road” (DSR) enhancing digital connectivity using the latest 5G high bandwidth, low latency mobile and satellite technology. In 2019, several Western states (notably USA, Australia, Canada, and the UK) banned Chinese telecommunications technology companies, such as Huawei, from rolling out 5G networks in their respective jurisdictions. The purported basis for the bans were security concerns over the ability of the Chinese government to control and potentially intercept communications over the Huawei systems. In the MENA region, no such bans have been adopted and the DSR is proceeding to connect MENA economies to China at a rapid pace. This places MENA countries in a precarious position between strategic links with the US as the global hegemon with a strategic interest in the region, and the emerging Chinese global political and economic order. The regulation of digital communication technologies is one dimension where legal frameworks must be designed with care and discernment to balance competing geopolitical forces. This article seeks to answer the question of how best to understand the legal regulation of new technologies in the MENA region and argues that the conceptual lens of “Tech-diplomacy” helps to provide such an understanding. In addition to privacy-centric, security-centric, and growth-centric philosophical and jurisprudential approaches to understanding data regulation, the predicament of the MENA region is a case study in how geopolitics can also inform our understanding of tech regulation.
Solvable constraints and unsolvable limits to global climate adaptation in coastal Indigenous food security
Authors: Galappaththi Eranga K. , Jayasekara Sithuni M. , Perera Chrishma D. , Ilangarathna Gayanthi A. , Garbutt Hannah
Published: January 2025

Coastal systems are a major source of food for Indigenous communities. Climate change poses a high risk to coastal communities’ food security. Successful climate change adaptation practices are essential to ensure food security among Indigenous peoples. Yet, limits and constraints challenge climate change adaptation practices. Our study seeks to identify these limits and constraints in the context of food security among coastal Indigenous peoples. We performed a global scale systematic literature review using 155 scholarly articles to examine the constraints and limits to climate adaptation in the coastal food security and Indigenous peoples’ context. The three research questions are as follows: (i) What are the key constraints? (ii) What are the limits? (iii) What are the ways of overcoming the constraints? First, we found that, globally, the main constraints to adapting to climate change in coastal food security settings are related to governance, institutions and policies. Second, most limits are soft, to be solved, compared to hard limits on coastal systems. Third, we unveiled ways of overcoming the constraints, such as restoring coastal food system resilience, improving food accessibility and building the adaptive capacity of Indigenous peoples. The findings of the study provide valuable insights for policymakers, researchers and other relevant stakeholders involved in decision-making regarding coastal food security in the climate change adaptation context.
Engaging stakeholders to strengthen support for community-engaged research at Stanford School of Medicine: An institutional assessment and action planning approach
Authors: Rodriguez Espinosa Patricia , Patel Anisha I. , Gay Starla , Duron Ysabel , Adams Alyce S. , Wallerstein Nina , O’Hara Ruth , Rosas Lisa G.
Published: January 2025

Introduction:

Despite the central role that patient and community engagement plays in translational science and health equity research, there remain significant institutional barriers for researchers and their community partners to engage in this work meaningfully and sustainably. The goal of this paper is to describe the process and outcomes of Engage for Equity PLUS at Stanford School of Medicine, which was aimed at understanding and addressing institutional barriers and facilitators for community-engaged research (CEnR).

Methods:

A Stanford champion team of four faculty and two community partners worked with the University of New Mexico team to conduct two workshops (n = 26), focus groups (n = 2), interviews with leaders (n = 4), and an Institutional Multi-Stakeholder Survey (n = 35). These data were employed for action planning to identify strategies to build institutional support for CEnR.

Results:

Findings revealed several key institutional barriers to CEnR, such as the need to modify organizational policies and practices to expedite and simplify CEnR administration, silos in collaboration, and the need for capacity building. Facilitators included several offices devoted to and engaging in innovative CEnR efforts. Based on these findings, action planning resulted in three priorities: 1) Addressing IRB barriers, 2) Addressing barriers in post-award policies and procedures, and 3) Increasing training in CEnR within Stanford and for community partners.

Conclusions:

Addressing institutional barriers is critical for Academic Medical Centers and their partners to meaningfully and sustainably engage in CEnR. The Engage for Equity PLUS process offers a roadmap for Academic Medical Centers with translational science and health equity goals.
Covering gonality of symmetric products of curves and Cayley–Bacharach condition on Grassmannians
Authors: Bastianelli Francesco , Picoco Nicola
Published: January 2025

Given an irreducible projective variety X, the covering gonality of X is the least gonality of an irreducible curve
$E\subset X$
passing through a general point of X. In this paper, we study the covering gonality of the k-fold symmetric product
$C^{(k)}$
of a smooth complex projective curve C of genus
$g\geq k+1$
. It follows from a previous work of the first author that the covering gonality of the second symmetric product of C equals the gonality of C. Using a similar approach, we prove the same for the
$3$
-fold and the
$4$
-fold symmetric product of C.

A crucial point in the proof is the study of the Cayley–Bacharach condition on Grassmannians. In particular, we describe the geometry of linear subspaces of
$\mathbb {P}^n$
satisfying this condition, and we prove a result bounding the dimension of their linear span.
Equivariant geometry of singular cubic threefolds
Authors: Cheltsov Ivan , Tschinkel Yuri , Zhang Zhijia
Published: January 2025

We study linearizability of actions of finite groups on singular cubic threefolds, using cohomological tools, intermediate Jacobians, Burnside invariants, and the equivariant Minimal Model Program.
Generalised Dirac-Schrödinger operators and the Callias Theorem
Authors: van den Dungen Koen
Published: January 2025

We consider generalised Dirac-Schrödinger operators, consisting of a self-adjoint elliptic first-order differential operator
$\mathcal {D}$
with a skew-adjoint ‘potential’ given by a (suitable) family of unbounded operators. The index of such an operator represents the pairing (Kasparov product) of the K-theory class of the potential with the K-homology class of
$\mathcal {D}$
. Our main result in this paper is a generalisation of the Callias Theorem: the index of the Dirac-Schrödinger operator can be computed on a suitable compact hypersurface. Our theorem simultaneously generalises (and is inspired by) the well-known result that the spectral flow of a path of relatively compact perturbations depends only on the endpoints.
Climbing a Wall: Strategic Litigation Against Automated Systems in Migration and Asylum
Authors: Palmiotto Francesca , Ozkul Derya
Published: January 2025

Strategic litigation plays a crucial role in advancing human rights in the digital age, particularly in cases where data subjects, such as migrants and protection seekers, experience significant power imbalances. In this Article, we consider strategic litigation as part of broader legal mobilization efforts. Although some emerging studies have examined contestation against digital rights and migrant rights separately using legal mobilization frameworks, scholarship on legal mobilization concerning the use of automated systems on migrants and asylum seekers is scarce. This Article aims to address this gap by investigating the extent to which EU law empowers strategic litigants working at the intersection of technology and migration. Through an analysis of five specific cases of contestation and in-depth interviews, we explore how EU data protection law is leveraged to protect the digital rights of migrants and asylum seekers. This analysis takes a socio-legal perspective, analyzing the opportunities presented by EU data protection law and how civil society organizations (CSOs) utilize them in practice. Our findings reveal that the pre-litigation phase is particularly onerous for strategic litigants in this field, requiring a considerable investment of resources and time before even reaching the litigation stage. We illustrate this phase as akin to “climbing a wall,” characterized by numerous hurdles that CSOs face and the strategies they employ to overcome them.
Explore the Silence: The Absence of Preliminary References from Greek Courts on Migration and Asylum
Authors: Passalacqua Virginia
Published: January 2025

The preliminary reference procedure is a crucial tool for EU law enforcement. Yet, its usage varies greatly across the Member States. This paper deals with a notable case in which EU justice has not been mobilized: Greece. Until 2023, Greek judges had not made any preliminary references in the migration and asylum fields, despite significant migrant flows. This study investigates why Greece, with its critical migration challenges, became a zero-reference case.

Drawing on empirical and doctrinal research, this paper tests two main hypotheses. The first hypothesis, derived from the “judicial empowerment thesis,” suggests that Greek judges may have been hesitant to refer cases due to political or institutional factors. The second hypothesis, based on scholarship highlighting the role of lawyers and civil society in promoting EU litigation, predicts that the absence of references reflects a lack of activist lawyers, skills, or resources.

The findings challenge common assumptions, revealing that Greek judges are not inherently reluctant to refer cases. Instead, obstacles to access to justice and civil society’s attitudes help understand the absence of references. Going beyond judges, this paper explores how perceptions among migrant supporters, their legal consciousness, and traditional modes of action contribute to the lack of pressure for preliminary references.

This research contributes to understanding the complexities surrounding judicial dialogue and enforcement of EU law. It offers insights into how the interplay of institutional, legal, and social factors shapes legal mobilization and strategic litigation.
How to Solve the Gender Inclusion Problem
Authors: Kirk-Giannini Cameron Domenico
Published: January 2025

The inclusion problem for theories of gender arises when those theories inappropriately fail to include certain individuals in the gender categories to which they ought to belong. The inclusion problem affects both of the most influential traditions in feminist theorizing about gender: social-position accounts and identity accounts. I argue that the inclusion problem can be solved by adopting a structured theory of gender, which incorporates aspects of both social-position accounts and identity accounts. According to the theory I favor, an individual’s gender is determined by their gender identity if they have one; otherwise, it is determined by their social position. My structured theory of gender offers a more direct solution to the gender inclusion problem than alternatives recently advocated by Barnes (2020), Jenkins (2023), and others. It also points the way to a simple solution to inclusion problems that arise at the level of gendered language.
Ḥikāyat-i Sayyid Nāṣir-i Khusraw: Analyses of a subaltern Nizari Ismaili Text Written before the Declaration of the Qiyāmat-i buzurg (the Great Resurrection) in 559/1164
Authors: Hajiani Shiraz
Published: January 2025

This treatise, possibly written between 541 and 557 (1147–1162), illuminates the perspectives of a subaltern group persecuted by the Nizari Ismaili hierarchy for agitating to bring about the manifestation (ẓuhūr) of their imam. Ismailis in Iran awaited the manifestation of a descendant of Nizār b. al-Mustanṣir who was killed in Cairo in 488/1095 after a failed attempt to succeed his father as the Fatimid imam-caliph. In 559/1164, the fourth ruler of the Nizari polity proclaimed the Qiyāmat-i buzurg (the Great Resurrection) and was subsequently recognized as the Nizari imam. This text records how its author construed the transference of imamate from Egypt to Iran. It structured continuities between the Fatimid and Nizari daʿwa (summons) and between communities of followers of Nāṣir-i Khusraw and Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ, the founder of the Nizari Ismaili polity. If the dating is correct, then the Ḥikāyat is one of the earliest known Nizari texts and is a very early exemplar of the Nizari appropriations of the poet, philosopher, and Fatimid dāʿī (summoner), Nāṣir-i Khusraw.
More Local Volume dwarf galaxy candidates
Authors: Karachentsev Igor , Karachentseva Valentina , Vladimirova Kristina , Kozyrev Cyril
Published: January 2025

We present the results of searching for new dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume. We found 40 satellite candidates in the double-virial-radius regions of 20 Milky Way-like and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)-like galaxies in the southern sky using DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, 10 of which were known but not clearly associated with the Local Volume previously. Among the 40 satellite candidates, 8 are supposed members of the NGC 6744 group and 13 are located in the vicinity of the Sombrero galaxy. Based on seven companions to the giant spiral galaxy NGC 6744 with measured radial velocities, we estimate that the total mass of the group is

$M_T = (1.88\pm0.71)\times 10^{12}\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$

and the total mass-to-K-luminosity ratio

$M_T/L_K = (16.1\pm6.0) \mathrm{M}_{\odot}/\mathrm{L}_{\odot}$

. We reproduce a distribution of 68 early- and late-type galaxies in the Local Volume situated around the Sombrero, noting their strong morphological segregation and also the presence of a foreground diffuse association of dwarf galaxies at 8 degrees to SE from the Sombrero.
Sacrificing environmental degradation and conflict risks for economic development: public attitudes to LAPSSET in Turkana County, Kenya
Authors: Kim Hye-Sung , Mkutu Kennedy
Published: January 2025

Are residents of developing countries willing to support economic development despite environmental damage and conflict risks? To examine this question, we conducted a survey experiment in Turkana County, home to an economically and politically marginalised pastoral community in Kenya but newly impacted by a large-scale infrastructure development project, namely, the Lamu Port–South Sudan–Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project, which will generate economic development at the expense of significant environmental degradation and intensified conflict risks. We found that the majority of our respondents in Turkana support LAPSSET regardless of the expected environmental damages and conflict risks. Although concerns about unequal distribution of economic opportunities and cross-border ethnic conflicts decreased support for LAPSSET, the decreases in support were substantively small and only found conditionally based on certain sub-groups. Our results align with earlier literature findings that residents of developing countries are willing to tolerate negative consequences while prioritising economic development.
Meta-Analysis of Pilot Source Studies
Authors: ALMamari Khalid
Published: January 2025

Abstract: Following the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash, four Pilot Source Studies (PSSs) were conducted to explore the relationship between pilot backgrounds and flight performance in regional airlines. Despite consistent methodologies, inconsistent findings emerged, likely due to factors such as sample characteristics, variable categories, performance criteria, and operational contexts. To address these discrepancies, a meta-analysis of the PSSs was performed. After reviewing the studies, eight background variables and two performance variables met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed significant associations between background variables and pilot performance, with validity coefficients ranging from .04 to .10. The strongest predictors were total flight hours, AABI-accredited flight programs, and ATP certification, while former military status, flight instructor certification, and college degrees showed weaker but significant associations. These findings highlight the importance of background variables in flight performance and inform pilot recruitment and training.
Tectono‐Magmatic Evolution of the Southern Reykjanes Ridge, North Atlantic, From ∼11 M.y. to Present
Authors: Panasiuk Sofia L. , Anderson Melissa O. , Bormann Katherine , Höskuldsson Ármann , Martínez Fernando , Pałgan Dominik
Published: January 2025

Our understanding of the geological evolution of mid‐ocean ridges in response to tectonic reconfigurations and associated mantle processes is hampered by a lack of exploration in off‐axis areas. A notable exception is the Reykjanes Ridge, where multibeam bathymetry, magnetics, and gravity surveys have been conducted up to ∼150 km from the ridge axis. Previous work shows that the ridge has undergone a major reorganization following changes in spreading direction, resulting in the progressive formation and then elimination of transform faults from north to south under the influence of the regional mantle melting anomaly. Notably, this process is incomplete near the southern termination of the ridge, providing a window into the processes of crustal accretion and segmentation prior to and immediately following this reorganization. Here, we employ remote‐predictive geological and structural mapping methods linked to chrono‐magnetic data to elucidate changes in segment morphology, magma supply, and structural fabrics along the southern ∼200 km of the ridge over the past ∼11 M.y. We identify two new fracture zones and three new non‐transform discontinuities, with elimination of transform motion occurring between ∼9.7 and 4.2 Ma, which is later than previously thought. Transform elimination coincides with rift propagation and the emergence of a new magmatically robust segment at ∼58°N at ∼9.7–8.2 Ma. This transition is also associated with a reorientation of seafloor fabric from dominantly N‐trending to NE‐trending, associated with the dissection of axial volcanic ridges by the oblique (NE‐trending) plate boundary, resulting in more crustal accretion to the North American plate overall.
The Formation Mechanism of Merged EIA During a Storm on 4 November 2021
Authors: Wu Kun , Qian Liying , Wang Wenbin , Cai Xuguang , Mclnerney Joseph M.
Published: January 2025

In this study, we conduct an in‐depth analysis of Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model‐eXtended simulations to examine physical mechanisms of the formation and evolution of an equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) merging phenomenon during a storm on 4 November 2021. A quantitative analysis reveals that the rapid decay of the EIA crests at their poleward sides at altitudes of ∼200–250 km plays a crucial role in the EIA merging during that day. This rapid decay is due to the fast recombination at low altitudes (∼200–250 km) as the plasma are transported downward by the westward disturbance dynamo electric field and poleward neutral winds during the storm. The results suggested EIA‐merging is not merely northern and southern EIA crests moving together, but it involves a crucial rapid decay of the EIA crests at their poleward sides that descended to low altitudes (rapid recombination, ∼200–250 km), driven by regional electric fields and neutral winds. This study plays a crucial role in our understanding of the evolution and formation of the merged EIA on 4 November 2021 during the storm.
Evidence for Magma‐Rich and Magma‐Poor Characteristics Across the Continent‐Ocean Transition Offshore Central Nova Scotia as Deduced From Vp/Vs Ratios Using 4‐Component Seismic Data
Authors: Lau K. W. Helen , Nedimović Mladen R. , Zhang Miao
Published: January 2025

To improve identification of crustal rock types within the continent‐ocean transition (COT) offshore Nova Scotia based on the standard approach of analyzing P‐wave velocities (Vp), we incorporate S‐wave velocity (Vs) modeling and determine Vp/Vs ratios. In this work, we construct detailed layered Vp and Vs models using four component wide‐angle ocean bottom seismometer data from profiles SMART‐2 and ‐3 across the central and southwestern Scotian margin, respectively. Along profile SMART‐3, the lower continental crust displays low Vp/Vs ratios (1.7), akin to felsic granulite. Vp/Vs ratios (1.7–1.9) within the COT suggest that syn‐rift volcanism and magmatism resulted in a basalt‐dominated upper crust overlying a thick layer (4–10 km) of laterally heterogeneous gabbroic underplate that jointly cover an estimated profile area of 1,230 . On Profile SMART‐2, we observe upper continental crust (Vp/Vs 1.7) with highly felsic composition within the continental and the COT domains. Serpentinized mantle (Vp/Vs 1.9) is interpreted within the seaward‐most segment of the transitional lower crust, alongside gabbroic underplate, based on its Vp/Vs ratio of 1.7–1.8 and high Vp of 6.9–7.4 km/s, notably thickening beneath the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly near the landward COT limit. Syn‐rift volcanism and magmatism SMART‐2 profile area is estimated at 513 . Our results portray the southwestern Scotian margin as magma‐rich, the northeastern as magma‐poor, and the central margin as a hybrid zone amalgamating characteristics from both. Regardless of margin type, the thinnest transitional crust is consistently observed toward its seaward termination leading into the full‐scale seafloor spreading.
Sand Dunes as a Nature‐Based Solution to Mitigate Salt Intrusion in Stratified Estuaries
Authors: Geerts Sem J. , van der Sande Wessel M. , Hulscher Suzanne J. M. H. , Geurts Bernard J. , Roos Pieter C.
Published: January 2025

Salt intrusion in estuaries can pose a threat to drinking water extraction, irrigation, industries, and ecology. Key factors influencing the salt intrusion length include freshwater river flushing and vertical salt mixing. This study investigates the potential of estuarine sand dunes, that is, large‐scale rhythmic patterns, to serve as a nature‐based solution to mitigate salt intrusion. To this end, we adopt a two‐dimensional vertical (2DV) modeling approach, which numerically solves the flow and salt transport in an idealized single‐channel estuary. By varying the tidal amplitude and river discharge, three types of estuaries are modeled; a salt wedge, a strongly stratified and a strain‐induced periodic stratification estuary. Two types of dune configurations are considered: ’depth‐neutral’ dunes (preserving mean water depth) and ’deepening’ dunes (crest level equal to original bed level, rest of dune profile entirely below). Model results demonstrate that the presence of dunes can effectively reduce the salt intrusion length by several kilometers, compared to the scenario without dunes. Systematically varying dune geometry demonstrates that steeper (higher and shorter) dunes yield a stronger reduction in the salt intrusion length. Deepening dunes have the potential to generate sufficient mixing to overcome the adverse effects of channel deepening and, as such, can mitigate salt intrusion while maintaining navigability. As a naturally existing bedform, estuarine sand dunes present a promising nature‐based solution against salt intrusion without compromising accessibility to seaports.
Decent Estimate of CME Arrival Time From a Data‐Assimilated Ensemble in the Alfvén Wave Solar Atmosphere Model (DECADE‐AWSoM)
Authors: Chen Hongfan , Sachdeva Nishtha , Huang Zhenguang , van der Holst Bart , Manchester Ward , Jivani Aniket , Zou Shasha , Chen Yang , Huan Xun , Toth Gabor
Published: January 2025

Forecasting the arrival time of Earth‐directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) via physics‐based simulations is an essential but challenging task in space weather research due to the complexity of the underlying physics and limited remote and in situ observations of these events. Data assimilation techniques can assist in constraining free model parameters and reduce the uncertainty in subsequent model predictions. In this study, we show that CME simulations conducted with the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) can be assimilated with SOHO LASCO white‐light (WL) observations and solar wind observations at L1 prior to the CME eruption to improve the prediction of CME arrival time. The L1 observations are used to constrain the model of the solar wind background into which the CME is launched. Average speed of CME shock front over propagation angles are extracted from both synthetic WL images from the Alfvén Wave Solar atmosphere Model (AWSoM) and the WL observations. We observe a strong rank correlation between the average WL speed and CME arrival time, with the Spearman's rank correlation coefficients larger than 0.90 for three events occurring during different phases of the solar cycle. This enables us to develop a Bayesian framework to filter ensemble simulations using WL observations, which is found to reduce the mean absolute error of CME arrival time prediction from about 13.4 to 5.1 hr. The results show the potential of assimilating readily available L1 and WL observations within hours of the CME eruption to construct optimal ensembles of Sun‐to‐Earth CME simulations.
Glucocorticoids on bone remodeling in systemic lupus erythematosus mice
Authors: Hao Sheng , Zhang Yuyun , Tong Xiaowei , Ding Fangkai , Wang Runjie , Zhang Jing , Feng Dan , Niu Xiaoling , Huang Wenyan
Published: January 2025

Background

Systemic lupus erythematosus requires glucocorticoids for management. This study investigates how glucocorticoids influence bone in a SLE mouse model, focusing on bone mineral density (BMD), microstructure, and remodeling markers.

Methods

MRL/lpr and C57BL/6 mice were administered dexamethasone or saline as a control for 4-weeks. Bone assessments included analyses of BMD, bone structure, and serum levels of RANKL and OPG.

Results

Dexamethasone decreased BMD and altered cortical and trabecular bone thickness in both MRL/lpr and C57BL/6 mice. In C57BL/6 mice, cortical bone exhibited increased catabolism while trabecular bone showed signs of increased anabolism, whereas MRL/lpr mice did not show significant changes in bone turnover. Both strains experienced weight loss, with a significant decrease in femur length observed only in C57BL/6 mice. Dexamethasone exacerbated BMD reduction in MRL/lpr mice and halted its increase in C57BL/6 mice. C57BL/6 mice exhibited notable changes in cortical and trabecular bone structure, while MRL/lpr mice didn’t. After receiving dexamethasone, both strains showed higher serum RANKL levels, especially in C57BL/6 mice. OPG decreased in both strains.

Conclusion

Both glucocorticoids and SLE contribute to abnormal bone remodeling through RANKL/OPG pathway.

Impact

Glucocorticoid (GC) treatment in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) leads to significant changes in bone parameters, including decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and alterations in bone structure. Those change are associated with the modulation of RANKL and OPG expression.

Both GC and inflammation in SLE contribute to BMD reduction, and GC may have a certain protective effect on bone in the early stage of chronic inflammation.

GC can upregulate RANKL expression and downregulate OPG expression in vivo. During a state of chronic inflammation, RANKL expression increases. However, OPG may not exert a significant influence on inflammatory stimulation.
Corticolimbic circuitry as a druggable target in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a narrative review
Authors: Gee Abigail , Dazzan Paola , Grace Anthony A. , Modinos Gemma
Published: January 2025

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) involve disturbances in the integration of perception, emotion and cognition. The corticolimbic system is an interacting set of cortical and subcortical brain regions critically involved in this process. Understanding how neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms within this corticolimbic system may contribute to the development of not only positive symptoms but also negative and cognitive deficits in SSD has been a recent focus of intense research, as the latter are not adequately treated by current antipsychotic medications and are more strongly associated with poorer functioning and long-term outcomes. This review synthesises recent developments examining corticolimbic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of SSD, with a focus on neuroimaging advances and related novel methodologies that enable the integration of data across different scales. We then integrate how these findings may inform the identification of novel therapeutic and preventive targets for SSD symptomatology. A range of pharmacological interventions have shown initial promise in correcting corticolimbic dysfunction and improving negative, cognitive and treatment-resistant symptoms. We discuss current challenges and opportunities for improving the still limited translation of these research findings into clinical practice. We argue how our knowledge of the role of corticolimbic dysfunction can be improved by combining multiple research modalities to examine hypotheses across different spatial and temporal scales, combining neuroimaging with experimental interventions and utilising large-scale consortia to advance biomarker identification. Translation of these findings into clinical practice will be aided by consideration of optimal intervention timings, biomarker-led patient stratification, and the development of more selective medications.
The Scottish Retinal Detachment Study: 10-year outcomes after retinal detachment repair
Authors: Hazelwood James E. , Mitry Danny , Singh Jaswinder , Bennett Harry G. B. , Khan Ashraf A. , Goudie Colin R.
Published: January 2025

Objective

To address the paucity of long-term data on outcomes following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair we aimed to establish the 10-year best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), redetachment rate and lens status for patients from the Scottish Retinal Detachment Study.

Subjects

Data from patients who presented with RRD during the original study were collected from clinical records 10 years after repair. Patients were excluded if lacking 10 year follow-up data, and excluded from visual acuity analysis in the case of significant co-morbid ophthalmic disease.

Results

103 patients had BCVA outcomes for at least 10 years post-operatively and met the inclusion criteria. 57 were macula-on and 46 were macula-off. Median10-year BCVA was 0.1 (IQR 0.3) logMAR (6/7.5). 10-year BCVA was significantly better in macula-on patients, compared to macula-off (−0.18 logMAR (p < 0.001)). There was a significant improvement in macula-off BCVA from short-term follow-up to 10-year BCVA (−0.26 logMAR, p = 0.04). 93% of macula-on patients achieved BCVA sufficient for UK driving standard compared to 65% of macula-off. There was no difference in 10-year BCVA between repair techniques. Thirty-four patients were phakic at follow-up, 65 pseudophakic, and 4 aphakic. Redetachment occurred in 14% and conferred a poorer 10-year BCVA (logMAR 0.3 IQR 0.78 (6/12)).

Conclusion

Long-term BCVA remains excellent following successful macula-on RRD repair with almost all macula-on, and most macula-off patients achieving the UK visual acuity driving standard. We demonstrate that macula-on detachments have significantly greater long long-term visual acuity than macula-off detachments, and that re-detachment is uncommon but confers a poorer long term visual outcome. This study provides objective long-term data to guide patient and surgeon expectations following retinal detachment repair.