bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age-dependent effects of Delaire facemask therapy for class III malocclusion
Authors: Kinzinger Gero Stefan Michael , Hourfar Jan , Sommer Joana Nanina , Lisson Jörg Alexander
Published: December 2024

Background and aim

Treatment effects of a combined rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and Delaire facemask (DFM) therapy have so far only been scientifically investigated through cephalometric analyses. The combination of cephalometric, dental cast and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan analysis was not yet used for investigating morphologic changes of the tooth-bearing palate. The aim of the present study was to determine whether patient age at treatment begin has an influence upon palatal length changes after RME/DFM therapy, and to what extent transverse palatal sutures contribute to these.

Patients and methods

In n = 6 patients (min 10.5 years, max 14.7 years) from a total group of n = 40, CBCT datasets showing all palatal sutures were visually assessed, and palatal morphology was compared with a dental cast analysis. In addition, lateral cephalograms and dental casts of n = 40 patients were divided into two groups (PG1: < 12 years, n = 20; PG2: ≥ 12 years, n = 20), and an analysis was performed to investigate changes in the tooth-bearing palate after RME/DFM treatment.

Results

The CBCT analysis showed that the median and transverse palatine sutures were always open. On the contrary, the pterygopalatomaxillary sutures were partially open only in the youngest patients. The transverse palatal suture showed age-dependent morphologic changes in the transverse and sagittal planes. The changes of the palatal width and length show clear differences between the two younger and the four older patients in the corresponding dental cast analysis. The cephalometric analysis showed that a significant improvement of the sagittal jaw relation due to ventral displacement of the maxilla during treatment occurred only in younger patients (< 12 years) despite similar initial findings in both patient groups. The dental cast analysis also revealed that changes are age-dependent: In PG1, the width increases posteriorly more than anteriorly; in PG2, this is reversed. The length increases are always significant in both patient groups, whereby the anterior, posterior, and total amounts are greater in PG1 than in PG2. In relative terms, the increases in both groups are greater posteriorly than anteriorly. There is a significant difference between the groups posteriorly and overall.

Conclusions

Morphological changes of the sutures appear to have a decisive influence on the success of RME/DFM therapy. The age-dependent reactions of pterygopalatomaxillary and transverse palatine sutures represent a further main therapeutic effect of DFM treatment in addition to those described by Delaire and explain the different changes in palate length before and after the age of 12. If the maximum effect of RME/DFM treatment is desired, it should be started before the age of 12. Treatment success is age-dependent.
Mechanical performance of negative-stiffness multistable bi-material composites
Authors: Mehreganian Navid , Razi Shayan , Fallah Arash S. , Sareh Pooya
Published: December 2024

Architected latticed structural systems, known as metamaterials or metastructures, have recently garnered significant attention due to their superior performance under various loading conditions. This class includes metamaterials exhibiting multistability, characterized by negative stiffness, which enables energy entrapment during transitions between equilibrium states, making them suitable for applications such as lightweight protective systems. In this study, in three folds, we investigate the mechanical performance of a negative stiffness honeycomb metamaterial (NSHM) with unit cells composed of curved double beams. First, the quasi-static compressive response is numerically examined using the finite element method, revealing that this response is independent of the number of cells. Next, we analyze the transient dynamic response of both mono-material NSHMs and bi-material composites, where the stiffeners are replaced by brittle polystyrene, under localized striker and uniform plate impacts. Finally, we present an analytical model for the total potential energy, with solutions obtained through an optimization technique, and validate these results against the numerical simulations. Through these analyses, we study the effects of several parameters influencing multistability. Our findings demonstrate that the bistability ratio significantly impacts the overall response of the honeycomb, and the desired negative stiffness can be achieved with high bistability ratios. Additionally, the contact force peaks resulting from striker impact are found to be independent of the number of constituent elements. The optimized geometry of the lattice is determined through a trade-off between porosity and stiffness, achieved by thicker cell walls.
A maximum statistic for the one-sided location-scale alternative in the two-stage design
Authors: Murakami Hidetoshi , Neuhäuser Markus
Published: December 2024

An increase in location is typically accompanied by an increase in variability. Subsequently, the heteroscedasticity can indicate a treatment effect. Therefore, it may be appropriate to perform a location-scale test. A common statistic for a location-scale test is the sum of a location and scale statistic. As demonstrated by Neuhäuser (Biometri J 43:809–819, 2001), weighting the sum increases the power. Although weights cannot usually be reasonably selected a priori, a weighting is possible in an adaptive design using the information obtained in an interim analysis. Here, we propose an adaptive statistic that increases and stabilizes the power. The power performance in various situations for continuous and discrete distributions is investigated using Monte Carlo simulations, which reveal that the proposed statistic increases and stabilizes the power, thus rendering it a strong competitor to existing location-scale statistics. The new statistic is illustrated using real data.
Para-Sasakian $$\phi -$$symmetric spaces
Authors: Loiudice Eugenia
Published: December 2024

We study the Boothby–Wang fibration of para-Sasakian manifolds and introduce the class of para-Sasakian

$$\phi $$

ϕ

-symmetric spaces, canonically fibering over para-Hermitian symmetric spaces. We remark that in contrast to the Hermitian setting the center of the isotropy group of a simple para-Hermitian symmetric space G/H can be either one- or two-dimensional, and prove that the associated metric is not necessarily the G-invariant extension of the Killing form of G. Using the Boothby–Wang fibration and the classification of semisimple para-Hermitian symmetric spaces, we explicitly construct semisimple para-Sasakian

$$\phi $$

ϕ

-symmetric spaces fibering over semisimple para-Hermitian symmetric spaces. We provide moreover an example of non-semisimple para-Sasakian

$$\phi $$

ϕ

-symmetric space.
Multi-fidelity Bayesian Optimisation of Wind Farm Wake Steering using Wake Models and Large Eddy Simulations
Authors: Mole Andrew , Laizet Sylvain
Published: December 2024

Improving the power output from wind farms is vital in transitioning to renewable electricity generation. However, in wind farms, wind turbines often operate in the wake of other turbines, leading to a reduction in the wind speed and the resulting power output whilst also increasing fatigue. By using wake steering strategies to control the wake behind each turbine, the total wind farm power output can be increased. To find optimal yaw configurations, typically analytical wake models have been utilised to model the interactions between the wind turbines through the flow field. In this work we show that, for full wind farms, higher-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations, in the form of large eddy simulations, are able to find more optimal yaw configurations than analytical wake models. This is because they capture and exploit more of the physics involved in the interactions between the multiple turbine wakes and the atmospheric boundary layer. As large eddy simulations are much more expensive to run than analytical wake models, a multi-fidelity Bayesian optimisation framework is introduced. This implements a multi-fidelity surrogate model, that is able to capture the non-linear relationship between the analytical wake models and the large eddy simulations, and a multi-fidelity acquisition function to determine the configuration and fidelity of each optimisation iteration. This allows for fewer configurations to be evaluated with the more expensive large eddy simulations than a single-fidelity optimisation, whilst producing comparable optimisation results. The same total wind farm power improvements can then be found for a reduced computational cost.
The known unknowns in international border interceptions of non-native insects
Authors: Turner Rebecca M. , Liebhold Andrew M. , Nahrung Helen F. , Phillips Craig B. , Yamanaka Takehiko , Brockerhoff Eckehard G.
Published: December 2024

Propagule pressure is one of the key drivers of establishment success of non-native species, including insects. However, border interception data, which have the potential to act as a proxy for true arrival rates (i.e., propagule pressure) of insects into a country, are seldom used to predict invasions. This can be due to the limited amount of interception data in some countries, difficulties accessing such data, and when these data are available, difficulties in addressing biases caused by variation in interception probability for different taxa due to policy changes, and operational influences of import inspections. The type of interception data required to reliably estimate arrival rates is rarely available. To improve the use of interception data as a proxy for propagule pressure, we investigated the fraction of established species which had interceptions and vice versa by taxonomic group and by biological characteristics (development type and feeding group), using several national datasets from five continents. We identified higher fractions of established species that were intercepted for plant feeding insect groups compared to fractions of non-plant feeding groups, even in countries with more general import inspection strategies. This is likely to reflect greater search effort for and recording of plant-feeding insect groups during inspections. To address this variation in interception probability and improve establishment predictions based on interception frequency, we developed a methodology to account for such taxonomic variation. We apply this to three hazard lists of insects, containing potential pests for an industry or potential pests for a country, to assess its effectiveness.
Visual arts museums as learning environments in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of the Faculty of Education at the Complutense University of Madrid
Authors: García Cano Marta , Gil-Ruiz Paula , Martínez-Vérez Victoria
Published: December 2024

This article addresses the need to bring the museum environment closer to the students of the Faculty of Education at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). The motivation for this stems from an observed lack of artistic education among these students, specifically evidenced by a lack of familiarity with the resources and learning opportunities offered by museums. To address this issue, a mixed quantitative-qualitative methodological design was chosen, with a focus on the factors that define artistic education. The research was conducted with a population cohort of UCM students (N = 476) including future teachers, pedagogy professionals and social education professionals. The results confirm the initial hypothesis, as 82.2% of the students reported having limited knowledge of museums and their resources. Additionally, 48.3% of the participants considered their artistic education during compulsory education to have been inadequate, and of these, 78.6% stated that their teaching staff lacked the necessary knowledge. In UCM’s Laboratorio Pantono innovation project (PID), 88.6% of the students of the Faculty of Education considered museum educational resources to be relevant to their education and recognised their usefulness at all educational stages. This is because these resources facilitate the acquisition of learning related to didactics and curriculum (63.3%), recreation (92.99%), expression (63.30%), and cross-cutting issues (90.3%). Based on these findings, this study underscores the need to integrate museum resources in teacher training programmes.
Open systems across scales
Authors: Rivat Sébastien
Published: December 2024

The view that our best current physics deals with effective systems has gained philosophical traction in the last two decades. A similar view about open systems has also been picking up steam in recent years. Yet little has been said about how the concepts of effective and open systems relate to each other despite their apparent kinship—both indeed seem at first sight to presuppose that the system in question is somehow incomplete. In this paper, I distinguish between two concepts of effectiveness and openness in quantum field theory, which provides a remarkably well-developed theoretical framework to make a first stab at the matter, and argue that on both counts, every realistic effective system in this context is also open. I conclude by highlighting how the discussion opens novel avenues for thinking of systems as open across scales.
Diabetes Remission After Bariatric Surgery: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study
Authors: Meira Inês , Menino João , Ferreira Patrícia , Leite Ana Rita , Gonçalves Juliana , Ferreira Helena Urbano , Ribeiro Sara , Moreno Telma , Silva Diana Festas , Pedro Jorge , Varela Ana , Souto Selma , Freitas Paula , da Costa Eduardo Lima , Queirós Joana , Group CRIO
Published: December 2024

Introduction

Treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in patients with obesity can be challenging. Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) has shown promising results in improving glycemic control and even achieving remission in T2DM patients with obesity. However, the durability of glycemic improvements in T2DM patients following MBS remains insufficiently studied.

Aim

Determine the incidence of durable remission and relapse of T2DM rates 10 years after MBS, characterize the glycemic profile after surgery, and identify factors predicting persistent remission of T2DM.

Methods

Retrospective observational study of T2DM patients undergoing MBS between 2010 and 2013. Clinical and analytical assessments were performed preoperatively, at 2- and at 10-years postoperatively. Paired t-tests, Wilcoxon-signed-rank and McNemar tests were used to assess the differences in the metabolic status during the follow-up. Logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of T2DM remission.

Results

Ninety-five patients were included (mean age 48.8 ± 9.1 years, mean HbA1c 7.0 ± 1.5%). Ten years after surgery, the rate of complete T2DM remission was 31%, partial remission was 15%, and late recurrence after initial remission was 24%. Patients with lower HbA1c (OR = 0.50; p = 0.05) and taking fewer antidiabetic drugs (OR = 0.31; p = 0.01) preoperatively were more likely to maintain long-term remission. Ten years post-MBS, patients maintained lower fasting plasma glucose (p < 0.001), HbA1c (p < 0.001), number of antidiabetic drugs (p < 0.001), and insulin use (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

MBS can induce a significant improvement and sustainable remission of T2DM. Early intervention, while patients still have a good glycemic control with a lower number of anti-diabetic drugs, is crucial to achieve long-lasting benefits and a potential "surgical cure" for T2DM.
Understanding the Vestibular Apparatus: How 3D Models Can Improve Student Learning
Authors: Ragland Amanda , Linquest Lauren , Shi Runhua , Mankekar Gauri
Published: December 2024

The objective of this study is to compare student satisfaction and confidence following a presentation of the inner ear anatomy using either a 2D model or a 3D model. First-year medical students were randomized to a 2D or 3D teaching group and given a presentation on the inner ear. Students were surveyed on confidence levels pre- and post-presentation, helpfulness of the presentation, and completed the student satisfaction and self confidence in learning (SCLS) questionnaire. 30 first-year medical students participated in the study: 14 in the 2D model and 16 in the 3D model group. A statistical significance was found between the 2D and 3D group regarding the helpfulness of the model (p = 0.0147), Q1 of the SCLS questionnaire (p = 0.0365), and Q12 of the SCLS questionnaire (p = 0.0308). The use of a 3D model of the inner ear aids in student self-confidence regarding the material and is perceived to be helpful with learning the material.
A multi-cycle recursive clustering algorithm for the analysis of social media data streams
Authors: Ayorinde Ayodeji O. , Panneerselvam John , Yuan Bo , Liu Lu
Published: December 2024

Events are usually embedded in latent topics and the extraction of these latent topics are enabled by event detection algorithms. Unsupervised algorithms like Clustering algorithms are very useful for detecting events but with requirements which may not be relevant or easy to determine when using unstructured textual social media data. For instance, some algorithms are required to be used on specific data shapes, but determining the shape of an unstructured data may not be practical aside from the high level of noise in the data. Many of the existing algorithms work well with structured data, however, some of these algorithms can be adapted to unstructured data with the caveat that cluster formations may not contain consistent contextual information. We propose a novel Multi-Cycle Recursive Clustering Algorithm (MCRCA), able to sequentially eliminate noise, resulting in high homogeneous cluster formations. MCRCA does not require the initial specification of clusters numbers as the estimated number of clusters can be deduced at convergence. Our algorithm out-performs the classical LDA and K-Means algorithms in forming highly homogeneous clusters, context-wise.
A Handheld Colorimeter for Remote and Onsite Recognition of Baking Levels at High Temperature — Pork Floss as a Case Study
Authors: Wang Yen-Hsiang , Lee Kuan-Chieh , Yen Yu-Fen , Wu Chin-Cheng , Wang Chung-Huang , Chang Chin-Hung , Chieh Jen-Jie , Tsai Meng-Jen
Published: December 2024

Pork floss is a common dried meat product in Asia. The endpoint of the baking process is traditionally determined by subjective human experts and indirect temperature measurements, which can often result in unstandardized production. Current colorimeters are unavailable for onsite measurement due to limitations associated with contact measurement and environmental temperature. Instead of the abovementioned human experts and tabletop colorimeters, a handheld colorimeter was built based on the expertise of human specialists and utilizing a tabletop colorimeter and other optical steps. First, the selected samples were used to determine the upper and lower limits distinguishing light, medium, and heavy baking levels by using a tabletop colorimeter. Second, independent light sources and spectrometers were utilized to choose the characteristic and reference wavelengths at 450 and 830 nm, separately. Third, the handheld colorimeter, instead of human expert observation, was designed with functions such as distance sensing and Internet of Things capabilities. The baked index was derived from the calibration reflection and established statistical models. Here, the calibration reflection was defined by the normalized intensity at 450 nm relative to 830 nm, and statistical models were founded from the determined samples of upper and lower limits at 95–700 mm. The developed handheld colorimeter demonstrated high agreement rates of 96.84% and 93.86% in separate comparisons with tabletop colorimeters and human experts, respectively. This work indicated the accurate and stable recognition of samples within two limits and overall. Field validation confirmed the performance of remote, economic, and onsite recognition against environmental temperature and noise.
Using a conceptual model to describe organic food process quality: the perspective of consumers
Authors: Rahier Lisa Marie , Strassner Carola , Herzig Christian
Published: December 2024

The food chain actors hold different perspectives on organic food quality. For processors, it is important to align their quality design with consumer expectations. Based on the organic food quality model by Vasileva et al. (Org Agr 9:1-12, 2019) this study investigates the consumer perspective on organic food processing, focusing on natural variations and modern technology with fruit juice as the main example product. In September 2021, we conducted four online focus groups with 29 organic shoppers from Germany (15 female, 14 male; between 18 and 70 years old) and performed a qualitative text analysis. The participants expect environmental and social sustainability in organic food production. For them, organic quality means a lower processing degree and less standardization. They are sceptic about blending and the production of juice made from concentrate. They prefer directly bottled juice and accept more variations of juice characteristics. They are open to modern technologies if these are environmentally friendly and socially acceptable. They are interested in raising their food literacy and show trust in information offered by processors. To bridge information asymmetry, they use several indicators. Comparing the results with the literature, the quality perceptions of processors and consumers are close. The model used has proven to be suitable for presenting the process quality from different perspectives and for showing relevant connections between the actors.
Transforming Cognition and Human Society in the Digital Age
Authors: Farkaš Igor
Published: December 2024

Since the onset of the digital revolution, humankind has experienced an unprecedented acceleration of changes triggered by technological advancements. Frequently used digital media have unquestionably penetrated our everyday life, shaping human cognition in multiple ways. The rise of artificial intelligence, which coevolved with a new, interdisciplinary field of cognitive science, has amplified these effects, contributing new ways of affecting human society, in terms of efficient human-machine interaction and knowledge generation and accumulation, at an exponential rate. Simultaneously, cultural shifts driven by globalization and social media have fostered new modes of communication, identity formation, and knowledge dissemination on a global scale. Understanding the intricate dynamics of techno-cultural evolution and its influence on cognition is essential for comprehending the contemporary society and preparing it for the future challenges. We need to adapt for the current and future information environments and digital landscapes, improving human resilience to new technologies and addressing core human vulnerabilities. Thanks to human flexibility, enabled by neural plasticity, that may be feasible, ideally combined with alleviation of known negative effects of digital technologies.
Time and event symmetry in quantum mechanics
Authors: Ridley Michael , Adlam Emily
Published: December 2024

We investigate two types of temporal symmetry in quantum mechanics. The first type, time symmetry, refers to the inclusion of opposite time orientations on an equivalent physical footing. The second, event symmetry, refers to the inclusion of all time instants in a history sequence on an equivalent physical footing. We find that recent time symmetric interpretations of quantum mechanics fail to respect event symmetry. Building on the recent fixed-point formulation (FPF) of quantum theory, we formulate the notion of an event precisely as a fixed point constraint on the Keldysh time contour. Then, considering a sequence of measurement events in time, we show that both time and event symmetry can be retained in this multiple-time formulation of quantum theory. We then use this model to resolve conceptual paradoxes with time symmetric quantum mechanics within an ‘all-at-once’, atemporal picture.
A SWAT model depicts the impact of land use change on hydrology, nutrient, and sediment loads in a Lake Michigan watershed
Authors: Aboelnour Mohamed A. , Tank Jennifer L. , Hamlet Alan F. , Bertassello Leonardo E. , Ren Dongyang , Bolster Diogo
Published: December 2024

High levels of nutrient loads in a catchment indicate the presence of pollution sources that must be identified and quantified. These loads in surface and groundwater have been a major concern that impacts water quality in the Midwestern US, including the Great Lakes Basin. In this study, we use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to assess the impact of land use changes on hydrology, nutrients, and sediment loads for the St. Joseph River Basin (SJRB), which drains an area of 12,200 km2 in Southwest Michigan/Northwest Indiana and is a primary source of pollutant to Lake Michigan. The SWAT models were developed to simulate streamflow, baseflow, total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorous (TP), dissolved reactive phosphate (DRP), total nitrogen (TN), and nitrate (NO3-N), using data from two stream gauges. The calibrated models accurately simulated the studied variables across the SJRB. The simulated average annual baseflow for Niles and Paw Paw subwatersheds were 153 and 190 mm, respectively. The impacts of land use change on variables from the SJRB were also explored. The impact of land use change on water quality over time was statistically significant but trends were not linear. Hydrology, sediments and nutrients were also quantified at the subbasin level. Subbasins with heavy urbanization or agricultural drainage infrastructure, showed more substantial increases in sediment and nutrient loads as well as decreased groundwater recharge. This study will aid in the evaluation of historical and future water resources for Midwestern rivers, enabling stakeholders to prepare for future impacts, and to execute conservation and management to sustain the SJRB.
Geomechanical laboratory testing for sand production characterization using 3D-printed core analogues
Authors: Araujo-Guerrero Edson Felipe , Alzate-Espinosa Guillermo Arturo , Chalaturnyk Rick , Zambrano-Narvaez Gonzalo
Published: December 2024

Among others factors, the triggers for sanding include: drilling, cementing, and completion operations; stress and pressure conditions; formation strength and weakening; and cyclic processes. Any single factor may suffice to initiate sand production. Hence, comprehending sanding entails examining various physical mechanisms concerning the interaction between fluids and rocks under reservoir conditions. This article presents an innovative study focused on evaluating and understanding the effect on sanding for the following components: vertical to hotizontal stress anisotropy, stresses around the hole, and formation strength and weakening. It combines three points in the analysis: (1) The 3D printing technology, which allows obtaining similar samples with high repeatability, giving reliability to the results; (2) A comprehensive program for the mechanical characterization of printed samples; and, (3) The study of the mechanical behavior of the samples under sanding conditions. The testing program includes uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), triaxial stress test, thick-walled cylinder and big hollow cylinder test with Sanding (BHCT) tests, which aims to show the relationship between the mechanical behavior, the test conditions, and the sand production level. The sample’s characterization reveals a high porosity, the presence of bedding planes, and similar Young’s modulus and UCS strength. For the BHCT tests, a novel equipment is introduced. This equipment uses large samples and enables: an independent control of axial stress, radial stress, pore pressure, and flow rate; and measurement of produced sand. The results show higher levels of sanding when the axial stress is low compared to the radial external stress.
Zur lernbasierten Respezifikation von Nachhaltigkeit
Authors: Elven Julia
Published: December 2024

Nachhaltigkeit kann als grundsätzlich anerkannter, aber zu abstrakter Wert verstanden werden, der in unzureichendem Maße Handlungsorientierungen bereithält. Er muss also kontextspezifisch respezifiziert, d. h. in konkrete Praxis gebracht werden. Während Luhmann bereits darauf verweist, dass Organisation bei der Formgebung dieser Praxis im Zuge der Respezifikation eine hohe Relevanz entfaltet, fokussiert der vorliegende Beitrag das Lernen Erwachsener als zentrales Moment. Zunächst wird der Begriff Respezifikation konzeptionell umrissen und insbesondere in Richtung Lern- und Bildungsprozesse erweitert und hieran anschließend empirisch entfaltet. Anhand einer sinngenetischen Analyse werden dabei drei lernbasierte Modi der Respezifikation von Nachhaltigkeit rekonstruiert: Integrationsorientierung, Funktionsorientierung und Interessenorientierung. Für die Respezifikationsmodi zeigen sich verschiedene Lernherausforderungen auf individueller und organisationaler Ebene.
Unveiling the Nexus Between Land Use, Land Surface Temperature, and Carbon Footprint: A Multi-Scale Analysis of Building Energy Consumption in Arid Urban Areas
Authors: Abulibdeh Ammar , Pirasteh Saied , Mafi-Gholami Davood , Kucukvar Murat , Onat Nuri C. , Zaidan Esmat
Published: December 2024

Urbanization and land use changes, especially in arid environments, significantly impact local climate and energy demand. This study investigates the relationship between Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) changes, Land Surface Temperature (LST), and the carbon footprint (CF) from building energy consumption in Doha, Qatar. Specifically, the study addresses the gap in understanding how LULC and LST interact to influence CF in arid urban areas. The research utilizes electricity consumption data from residential, commercial, and government buildings in conjunction with remote sensing data (Landsat 8) and climatical data (ERA5) to estimate LST and vegetation health. The Multiregional Input-Output (MRIO) model was employed to calculate the CF from direct and indirect energy consumption. At the same time, the support vector machine (SVM) was used to classify LULC into urban areas, green spaces, inland water bodies, and barren lands. To further investigate the spatial heterogeneity of the relationships between LST and climate variables, Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) was utilized. This study hypothesizes that changes in LULC and LST will significantly increase the CF of buildings, especially during peak summer months in arid regions, while increased vegetation will help reduce this impact. CF hotspots are expected in areas with higher LST and less green space. The findings reveal significant correlations between higher LST, reduced green spaces, and increased CF in residential and commercial sectors. Villas and commercial buildings exhibited the highest CF during the summer due to increased cooling demands, with noticeable CF hotspots in specific urban areas. The study underscores the role of green spaces in mitigating both LST and CF, with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) showing an inverse relationship to CF. Policy implications point to the urgent need for integrating urban greening initiatives, enhancing energy efficiency in building design, and revising urban planning policies to address the challenges posed by LST and rising energy demands in arid regions. Recommendations include incentivizing the adoption of energy-efficient building designs and improving vegetation cover to enhance urban resilience in arid climates. This study offers critical insights for policymakers, urban planners, and environmental managers aiming to balance urban growth with sustainable energy use and climate resilience.
Internal organizational factors influencing ICT adoption for sustainable growth
Authors: Oyetade Kayode , Harmse Anneke , Zuva Tranos
Published: December 2024

Organizations today depend increasingly on the effective adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to ensure sustainable growth in a competitive global landscape. However, research on the internal factors influencing successful ICT adoption, especially through case studies, remains limited. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the internal factors such as organizational culture, leadership styles, employee attitudes, resource availability, user perceptions, and peer influence that drive ICT adoption and align with organizational strategies. Drawing on a literature review and qualitative case study analysis of peer-reviewed articles, books, and reports published from 2003 to 2024, the study examines how these factors impact ICT integration and contribute to long-term success. Case studies from leading organizations illustrate how ICT strategies are implemented effectively in diverse contexts. The study is guided by theoretical frameworks, including Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), extending their application to internal organizational dynamics. The findings extend existing theoretical frameworks such as Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by applying them to internal organizational contexts, illustrating the role of leadership, culture, and resources in ICT adoption. Practically, this study provides recommendations for developing an ICT-driven culture, aligning technology initiatives with strategic goals, and investing in infrastructure to overcome adoption barriers and create sustainable technological progress in a globalized society.
Evaluating the impact of stochastic interest rates and COVID-19 on financial performance under IFRS 17
Authors: Lazoğlu Çiğdem , Karabey Uğur
Published: December 2024

The emergence of COVID-19 has resulted in a notable rise in mortality rates, consequently affecting various sectors, including the insurance industry. This paper analyzes the reflections of a sudden increase in mortality rates on the financial performance of a survival benefit scenario under the International Financial Reporting Standard 17. For this purpose, we thoroughly examined a single insurance scenario under four different states by modifying the interest and jump elements. We use Poisson-log bilinear Lee–Carter and Vasicek models for mortality and stochastic interest rate, respectively. Integrating the mortality model with a jump model that incorporates COVID-19 deaths we constructed a temporary mortality jump model. As a result, the temporary mortality jump model reflects the effects of the pandemic more realistically. We observe that even in this case mortality has a minor impact, whereas interest rates significantly still affect the financial position and performance of insurance companies.
A Szemerédi type theorem for sets of positive density in approximate lattices
Authors: BJÖRKLUND MICHAEL , FISH ALEXANDER
Published: December 2024

An extension of Szemerédi’s theorem is proved for sets of positive density in approximate lattices in general locally compact and second countable abelian groups. As a consequence, we establish a recent conjecture of Klick, Strungaru and Tcaciuc. Via a novel version of Furstenberg’s correspondence principle, which should be of independent interest, we show that our Szemerédi theorems can be deduced from a general transverse multiple recurrence theorem, which we establish using a recent work of Austin [Non-conventional ergodic averages for several commuting actions of an amenable group. J. Anal. Math.130 (2016), 243–274].
Relationship between pension knowledge, trust in the pension system, and sociodemographic factors
Authors: Tenhunen Sanna , Kuivalainen Susan
Published: December 2024

This study gauges Finnish people’s knowledge about pensions and their trust in the pension system. A further aim is to see if knowledge and trust are related and to explore the role of sociodemographic factors in that relationship. We examine both self-assessed and objective knowledge of pension system details and look at how age, gender, education, income, and socioeconomic status are reflected in pension knowledge and trust. The results reveal that the relationship between pension knowledge and trust is driven by sociodemographic factors. However, for those with a primary education, there is a positive association between pension knowledge and trust.
Optimisation and modelling of eddy viscosity in the resolvent analysis of turbulent channel flows
Authors: Ying Anjia , Chen Xianliang , Li Zhigang , Fu Lin
Published: December 2024

The eddy-viscosity model, as initially used to model the mean Reynolds stress, has been widely used in the linear analysis of turbulence recently by direct extension. In this study, the mechanism of the eddy viscosity in improving the prediction of fluctuation structures with linear analysis is clarified by investigating the statistical properties of forcing, eddy-viscosity term and their correlations. From the direct numerical simulation (DNS) results of turbulent channel flows with

$Re_{\tau }=186$

–

$2003$

, the spatial correlation of forcing is partially cancelled due to its interaction with eddy-viscosity terms. The stochastic forcing after excluding the eddy-viscosity term is nearly uncorrelated spatially, which better matches the condition where the resolvent modes are consistent with the spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) modes from DNS. With the above findings, an optimisation framework is developed by minimising the spatial correlations of the stochastic forcing. The optimised eddy-viscosity profiles nearly overlap with the mean-quantity-based model in the near-wall region, but have different maximum values. Compared with the mean-quantity-based model, the optimised results enhance the consistency between the resolvent and DNS results significantly. Based on the optimised results, a new modelling framework is further abstracted, leaving only one to-be-modelled parameter of the maximum value of the eddy-viscosity profile. This parameter follows distinctive rules with spanwise flow scales, based on which a simplified predictive model is constructed. The resolvent modes predicted by the new model exhibit high consistency with SPOD modes, which are essentially comparable to the optimised results for wide ranges of streamwise and spanwise scales.
Effects of dietary carbohydrate and lipid levels on growth performance, hepatic histology and antioxidant capacity and flesh texture of mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi)
Authors: Han Zhihao , Gong Ye , Zhang Nihe , Sun Zeqiang , Liu Shengchao , Huang Xuxiong , Chen Naisong , Li Songlin
Published: December 2024

In this study, nine isonitrogenous experimental diets containing graded levels of carbohydrates (40 g/kg, 80 g/kg and 120 g/kg) and crude lipids (80 g/kg, 120 g/kg and 160 g/kg) were formulated in a two-factor (3 × 3) orthogonal design. A total of 945 mandarin fish with similar body weights were randomly assigned to twenty-seven tanks, and the experiment diets were fed to triplicate tanks twice daily for 10 weeks. Results showed that different dietary treatments did not significantly affect the survival rate and growth performance of mandarin fish. However, high dietary lipid and carbohydrate levels significantly decreased the protein content of the whole body and muscle of cultured fish. The lipid content of the whole body, liver and muscle all significantly increased with increasing levels of dietary lipid, while only liver lipid level was significantly affected by dietary carbohydrate level. Hepatic glycogen content increased significantly with increasing dietary carbohydrate levels. As to liver antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde content increased significantly with increasing dietary lipid or carbohydrate content, and catalase activity showed an opposite trend. Superoxide dismutase activity increased significantly with increasing levels of dietary lipid but decreased first and then increased with increasing dietary carbohydrate levels. Additionally, the increase in both dietary lipid and carbohydrate levels resulted in a significant reduction in muscle hardness. Muscle chewiness, gumminess and shear force were only affected by dietary lipid levels and decreased significantly with increasing dietary lipid levels. In conclusion, considering all the results, the appropriate dietary lipids and carbohydrate levels for mandarin fish were 120 g/kg and 80 g/kg, respectively.
Audio-visual entrainment, cranio-electro stimulation, and sensory involvement: rival effects on attention and L2 vocabulary retention
Authors: Pishghadam Reza , Boustani Nasim , Gerwien Johannes , Shayesteh Shaghayegh , Al Abdwani Taqi
Published: December 2024

It is believed that the attentional engagement of language learners may reinforce deeper neuronal processing and promote later retrieval. To address language learners’ needs and facilitate language learning, we used audio-visual entertainment (AVE) and cranio-electro stimulation (CES), in addition to multisensory-based instruction, to modify attention and retention processes. Thus, we taught a set of words with the common procedure of audio-visual instruction to 32 English language learners in the control group, CES, and AVE sessions. However, they received five sensory involvements (i.e., auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory) for the target words in the multisensory session. Following each instruction, a pragmatic-Stroop task and a true/false test were conducted to examine the subjects’ attention and retention processes, respectively. Analyzing the response times acquired from the pragmatic-Stroop task, it was found that multisensory-based instruction led to quicker responses in comparison to the audio-visual method preceded by AVE and CES stimulations. The response accuracy results from the retention test also revealed that the subjects provided more accurate responses to the words taught during the multisensory session. The implication is that the enriched multisensory inputs can improve L2 learners’ mental agility and facilitate successful retention and retrieval of information after a short interval period.
Colonial Baggage: An Introduction
Authors: Greiner Andreas , Toivanen Mikko
Published: December 2024

This introduction revisits the relevant literature in the fields of tourism history, as well as in imperial/global history. Identifying shortcomings in these two research strands, the authors advocate bringing themes and approaches from both historiographical fields into dialogue. They outline the intersections between the development of modern tourism since the mid-nineteenth century and the global expansion of empires over the same time period and identify three important themes in the entangled history of tourism and imperialism: tourism's relationship with colonial infrastructure and development; the contested labour relations underpinning colonial tourism; and tourism as a site of encounters between colonisers and the colonised, as well as of touristic gazes and counter-gazes. Finally, the introduction also situates the individual contributions of the special issue within this broader historiographical framework and indicates how they can show the way towards a fuller understanding of the workings of modern empires and imperialism.
“An Easily and Cheaply Exploitable Asset”: Tourism as a Development Strategy in East Africa
Authors: Lerp Dörte
Published: December 2024

Tourism in Africa was entangled with colonialism from the start. However, after the Second World War it became an integral part of the colonising powers’ development agenda, albeit one that has received little scholarly attention so far. This presented African states with a serious dilemma when most of them gained independence during the 1960s. On the one hand, tourism promised to stimulate economic growth, provide much needed foreign currency, and create employment opportunities. On the other hand, international tourism had the potential to threaten the economic independence of post-colonial states and perpetuate colonial stereotypes, as well as international and local power imbalances and inequalities. The newly elected governments had to deal with this “colonial baggage.” This article focusses on the transition from colonial to post-colonial tourism in two East African countries, Kenya and Tanzania. I explore how the late colonial government pursued tourism as a development strategy for the region. I also demonstrate how Kenya and Tanzania approached tourism and its colonial legacies in different ways after independence. To trace their respective tourism histories, I draw on published reports and newspaper articles, historical research literature, in particular, from tourism scholars of various disciplines, as well as archival sources.
Seismic Reflection Imaging of Fluid‐Filled Sills in the West Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany
Authors: Eickhoff Dario , Ritter Joachim R. R. , Hloušek Felix , Buske Stefan
Published: December 2024

We applied state‐of‐the‐art seismic processing and imaging techniques to crustal‐scale seismic reflection data from the BELCORP/DEKORP87 lines 1A and 1B. The aim of the presented work was to identify structural evidence in the Earth's crust and upper mantle related to the ongoing magmatic activity in the Quaternary West Eifel Volcanic Field (WEVF) in Central Europe where ca. 70 eruptions happened since 65 ka. Following careful signal‐processing, Fresnel volume migration was applied and yielded images with exceptionally strong lithospheric reflectors in the SE of the WEVF. Sparse signal representation revealed numerous reversed polarities. Using petrophysical relations, the corresponding reflections can be interpreted as reflections from melt and/or volatile‐bearing (supercritical CO2) zones which appear as horizontally elongated lens‐shaped sills. Furthermore, we observed reflections with similarly inverted polarities from structural features located around the Moho at of 31 km depth, indicating fluids or melts from the uppermost mantle and supporting magmatic underplating models.
Crowdsourced Data Reveal Shortcomings in Precipitation Phase Products for Rain and Snow Partitioning
Authors: Yu Guo , Jennings Keith S. , Hatchett Benjamin J. , Nolin Anne W. , Hur Nayoung , Collins Meghan , Heggli Anne , Tonino Sonia , Arienzo Monica M.
Published: December 2024

Reanalysis products support our understanding of how the precipitation phase influences hydrology across scales. However, a lack of validation data hinders the evaluation of a reanalysis‐estimated precipitation phase. In this study, we used a novel dataset from the Mountain Rain or Snow (MRoS) citizen science project to compare 39,680 MRoS observations from January 2020 to July 2023 across the conterminous United States (CONUS) to assess three precipitation phase products. These products included the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Integrated Multi‐satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), the Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA‐2), and the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS‐2). The overall critical success indices for detecting rainfall (snowfall) for IMERG, MERRA‐2, and NLDAS‐2 were 0.51 (0.79), 0.49 (0.77), and 0.54 (0.53), respectively. These indices show that IMERG and MERRA‐2 reasonably classify snowfall, whereas NLDAS‐2 overestimates rainfall. All products performed poorly in detecting subfreezing rainfall and snowfall above 2°C. Therefore, crowdsourced data provides a unique validation source to improve the capabilities of reanalysis products.