bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The General Acceptability and Use of Smartphone App-Delivered Interventions for Gambling in Australia
Authors: Hawker C. O. , Merkouris S. S. , Thomas A. C. , Rodda S. N. , Cowlishaw S. , Dowling N. A.
Published: January 2025

Smartphones can extend the reach of evidence-based gambling treatment services, yet the general acceptability of app-delivered gambling interventions remains unknown. This study examined the general acceptability and use of app-delivered gambling interventions, and predictors of both, among 173 Australian adults with a lifetime gambling problem (48.5% male, Mage = 46.4 years) recruited from an online panel. Overall, 55.5% of the sample had a positive attitude toward app-delivered gambling interventions, 8.1% had a neutral attitude, and 36.4% had a negative attitude. Furthermore, one in five participants (20.8%) reported using an app-delivered gambling intervention in their lifetime. Four dimensions of acceptability were examined, wherein 78.6% of participants endorsed confidence in the effectiveness of app-delivered gambling interventions and 66.5% perceived anonymity benefits, while 48.6% endorsed scepticism (e.g., potential to increase isolation) and 69.4% perceived technology-related threats (e.g., difficulty learning and applying app-based strategies). Positive predictors of acceptability and use included younger age, rural/regional residence, gambling expenditure, problem gambling severity, gambling harms, and use of professional support. Acceptability did not increase the likelihood of using app-delivered gambling interventions, however, which may suggest a translation gap. The findings support continued investment into the development and evaluation of app-delivered gambling interventions, with a focus on enhancing engagement and uptake. Uptake could be improved by promoting the effectiveness and anonymity of evidence-based app-delivered gambling interventions, particularly among receptive audiences (young people, rural/regional residents, those with greater problem gambling severity), while redressing scepticism and perceived technology-related threats among vulnerable subgroups (those with greater gambling expenditure and gambling-related harm).
Strong Markov Dissipation in Driven-Dissipative Quantum Systems
Authors: Mori Takashi
Published: January 2025

The Lindblad equation, which describes Markovian quantum dynamics under dissipation, is usually derived under the weak system-bath coupling assumption. Strong system-bath coupling often leads to non-Markov evolution. The singular-coupling limit is known as an exception: it yields a Lindblad equation with an arbitrary strength of dissipation. However, the singular-coupling limit requires high-temperature limit of the bath, and hence the system ends up in a trivial infinite-temperature state, which is not desirable in the context of quantum control. In this work, it is shown that we can derive a Markovian Lindblad equation for an arbitrary strength of the system-bath coupling by considering a new scaling limit that is called the singular-driving limit, which combines the singular-coupling limit and fast periodic driving. In contrast to the standard singular-coupling limit, an interplay between dissipation and periodic driving results in a nontrivial steady state.
Almost-Sure Convergence of Iterates and Multipliers in Stochastic Sequential Quadratic Optimization
Authors: Curtis Frank E. , Jiang Xin , Wang Qi
Published: January 2025

Stochastic sequential quadratic optimization (SQP) methods for solving continuous optimization problems with nonlinear equality constraints have attracted attention recently, such as for solving large-scale data-fitting problems subject to nonconvex constraints. However, for a recently proposed subclass of such methods that is built on the popular stochastic-gradient methodology from the unconstrained setting, convergence guarantees have been limited to the asymptotic convergence of the expected value of a stationarity measure to zero. This is in contrast to the unconstrained setting in which almost-sure convergence guarantees (of the gradient of the objective to zero) can be proved for stochastic-gradient-based methods. In this paper, new almost-sure convergence guarantees for the primal iterates, Lagrange multipliers, and stationarity measures generated by a stochastic SQP algorithm in this subclass of methods are proved. It is shown that the error in the Lagrange multipliers can be bounded by the distance of the primal iterate to a primal stationary point plus the error in the latest stochastic gradient estimate. It is further shown that, subject to certain assumptions, this latter error can be made to vanish by employing a running average of the Lagrange multipliers that are computed during the run of the algorithm. The results of numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the proved theoretical guarantees.
Habitat use and distribution of nile monitors (Varanus niloticus) in a mosaic of land use types and human population densities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Authors: Genevier Euan E. Z. , Price Cormac , Evans Nick , Streicher Jarryd P. , Downs Colleen T.
Published: January 2025

Context

Globally, with the continuous increase in human populations, unprecedented changes in land use are taking place. Little is known about how African reptiles respond to this rapid land use change.

Objectives

We used sightings to establish if Nile monitors (Varanus niloticus) are persisting in a mosaic of human population densities and land use types in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Methods

We collected sighting data throughout KwaZulu-Natal between April 2022 and July 2023, using three main methods, namely urban sightings obtained from reptile relocation groups and collaborations with reptile relocators; sightings obtained from personal encounters and citizen scientist observations using social media,s posters, newspaper articles and interviews; and sightings from iNaturalist observations.

Results

We obtained and used 419 sightings and then identified two hotspot areas in the province on which we chose to focus. Site A was dominated by natural habitat, and anthropogenic land use types dominated site B. We found a significant relative selection strength for most tested land covers over anthropogenic cover in site A, whereas most were insignificant in site B. Our results suggest that the use of anthropogenic land use types by Nile monitors in KwaZulu-Natal may be driven by habitat transformation and loss. Nile monitors were found persisting in urban mosaic landscapes and, when compared with available cover, were found in increasingly wooded (natural and urban vegetation) areas with increased human populations. Furthermore, they used small anthropogenic water bodies (e.g., swimming pools and storm drains), making them less reliant on rivers in urban environments. Their population demographics were similar in low and high human population density, but there appeared to be a skew towards smaller and younger individuals in medium human population density areas. Reproduction was occurring successfully in urban environments, but the detection of larger monitors by potential wild and domestic predators and negative human interactions pose risks. Our study outlined the importance of natural and managed (e.g., gardens, parks, golf courses) green spaces in urban mosaic landscapes for wildlife persistence, specifically Nile monitors, and supporting human well-being as well as reptile conservation. There is an overall need for more research on this highly exploited yet understudied reptilian urban adapter.
Identification of a Subpopulation of Astrocyte Progenitor Cells in the Neonatal Subventricular Zone: Evidence that Migration is Regulated by Glutamate Signaling
Authors: Martinez-Lozada Zila , Guillem Alain M. , Song Isabella , Gonzalez Michael V. , Takano Hajime , Parikh Esha , Rothstein Jeffrey D. , Putt Mary E. , Robinson Michael B.
Published: January 2025

In mice engineered to express enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under the control of the entire glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) gene, eGFP is found in all ‘adult’ cortical astrocytes. However, when 8.3 kilobases of the human GLT1/EAAT2 promoter is used to control expression of tdTomato (tdT), tdT is only found in a subpopulation of these eGFP-expressing astrocytes. The eGFP mice have been used to define mechanisms of transcriptional regulation using astrocytes cultured from cortex of 1–3 day old mice. Using the same cultures, we were never able to induce tdT+ expression. We hypothesized that these cells might not have migrated into the cortex by this age. In this study, we characterized the ontogeny of tdT+ cells, performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and tracked their migration in organotypic slice cultures. At postnatal day (PND) 1, tdT+ cells were observed in the subventricular zone and striatum but not in the cortex, and they did not express eGFP. At PND7, tdT+ cells begin to appear in the cortex with their numbers increasing with age. At PND1, scRNA-seq demonstrates that the tdT+ cells are molecularly heterogeneous, with a subpopulation expressing astrocytic markers, subsequently validated with immunofluorescence. In organotypic slices, tdT+ cells migrate into the cortex, and after 7 days they express GLT1, NF1A, and eGFP. An ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) antagonist reduced by 50% the distance tdT+ cells migrate from the subventricular zone into the cortex. The pan-glutamate transport inhibitor, TFB-TBOA, increased, by sixfold, the number of tdT+ cells in the cortex. In conclusion, although tdT is expressed by non-glial cells at PND1, it is also expressed by glial progenitors that migrate into the cortex postnatally. Using this fluorescent labeling, we provide novel evidence that glutamate signaling contributes to the control of glial precursor migration.
Protecting Vulnerable Respondents: A Critical Analysis of the Privacy-Preserving Methods of the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Census
Authors: Muralidhar Krishnamurty , Domingo-Ferrer Josep , Sánchez David , Ruggles Steven
Published: January 2025

This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the statistical disclosure limitation (SDL) methodologies employed by the U.S. Census Bureau on the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Census releases under the perspective of the disclosure risk of the most vulnerable respondents. We first review the SDL methodology used up to the Decennial Census 2010, which was based on targeted swapping. Second, we examine recently reported reconstruction and reidentification results on the Decennial Census 2010 outputs, which form the foundation for the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to switch to a differentially private (DP) method for the 2020 release. Third, we examine the actual privacy and data accuracy achieved by the DP method and compare with the privacy and accuracy offered by the formerly employed swapping mechanism. We conclude that the DP method is not an adequate solution to protect the typically sparse tables present in the Decennial Censuses because it does not offer meaningful privacy guarantees in general, it poorly protects the privacy of the most vulnerable respondents in particular, and it significantly degrades the quality of the released data. We also argue that the claimed disclosure risks of previous Census releases were overstated because of a flawed reidentification procedure. Therefore, the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to change the SDL methodology to a DP-based one for the 2020 release was not only unwarranted, but it also reduced privacy and data quality compared to former releases.
Adults’ participation in non-formal literacy programmes in Cambodia: A mixed-methods study of motivational factors and barriers
Authors: Lang Sophat
Published: January 2025

Despite significant progress, literacy programme implementation in Cambodia continues to face challenges concerning inactive learning participation, irregular attendance and dropout. Learners’ motivation to engage in learning literacy, and the barriers that prevent them from doing so, are not adequately researched. This mixed-methods study aims to investigate learners’ perceptions of what motivates them to participate in literacy learning and the barriers they face. The author conducted a survey with 256 adult literacy learners and interviewed 12 literacy teachers and 15 learners. The results show that learners’ major motivations are to obtain literacy skills, help their children learn, become the family’s role model, and develop themselves to gain a better standing in their community. Although male and female learners were motivated by similar factors, there was variation between those learning in factories and those learning in the community, and between urban and provincial learners. This indicates that, although learners had similar reasons for learning, certain reasons stood out as the most important. Barriers to learning included lack of time, family burdens, and negative views about learning. This study implies that understanding adults’ contexts and learning motivation, organising flexible learning schedules and responsive learning content, and expanding literacy programmes to the workplace may contribute to reducing learning barriers, increasing participation, and bridging the gap between learning supply and demand.
Modality, truth and mere picture thinking
Authors: Masterman Christopher James
Published: January 2025

Many draw the distinction between truth in, and truth at, a possible world. The latter notion purportedly allows for propositions to be true relative to worlds even if they do not exist relative to those same worlds. Despite its wide application, the distinction is controversial. Some think that the notion of truth at a world is unintelligible. Here, I outline and discuss the most influential argument for the unintelligibility of truth at a world, The Picture Thinking Argument. I outline and defend a neglected strategy to respond to this, arguing that if we take seriously the idea that possible worlds represent total ways the world could be, the distinction can be drawn intelligibly.
Life cycle assessment of Calanus finmarchicus products
Authors: Cantillo Javier , Deshpande Paritosh C. , Jafarzadeh Sepideh
Published: January 2025

Purpose

The ambitions for a more sustainable aquaculture sector in Norway demand the need for new ingredients that could be incorporated into feeds. In this context, Calanus finmarchicus products (powder, oil, and hydrolysate) emerge as potential local and scalable sources of oil and protein. Despite this, there are no studies in the literature analyzing the possible environmental impact of these products. The goal of this study is to measure the environmental impacts of Calanus finmarchicus products.

Methods

We applied an attributional life cycle assessment method to measure the environmental impacts of Calanus finmarchicus products. We consider the supply chain from the processing company CALANUS AS in Norway and data from fishers of Calanus finmarchicus, as inputs for the analysis. The product system boundaries were cradle-to-gate, and sixteen environmental impact categories were considered for the analysis according to the environmental footprint (EF) assessment method. A sensitivity analysis was applied to evaluate the impact of the allocation method considered and the electricity mix used in the production stage.

Results

The results indicate that considering economic allocation, Calanus oil accounts for the highest impacts on the different categories, especially due to the combustion of fossil fuels needed for harvesting, freezing on board, and transport to the port. Moreover, the scenario analysis showed that the allocation method and electricity mix were considered, impacting drastically on the results of the analysis. In addition, it was found that Calanus finmarchicus products showed better results than other sources of protein and oil in some impact categories.

Conclusions

The results of the environmental assessment suggest that Calanus products show promising potential to increase the sustainability of aquaculture in Norway. Future research highlights the need for a more holistic sustainability analysis incorporating economic and social aspects. In addition, future studies are needed to account for possible impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, especially during Calanus harvesting.

Graphical Abstract
Tötung der Intimpartnerin – Täterprofile und Beziehungskonstellationen bei häuslicher Gewalt und Tötungsdelikten
Authors: Kröber Hans-Ludwig
Published: January 2025

Im Bemühen um ein Verständnis der Ursachen von Tötungsdelikten gegen Frauen wird zunächst orientierend das quantitative Ausmaß dieses Phänomens in unterschiedlichen Sozialstrukturen und Kulturen beleuchtet. Danach wird ein anthropologisches Gewaltkonzept, warum überhaupt Menschen, Männer wie Frauen, massive Gewalt ausüben und sogar töten, skizziert. Um die Besonderheit der Partnertötung, bei der Gewalt nicht gegen Feinde oder zum Beutemachen eingesetzt wird, sondern Menschen ihren einst wichtigsten Liebespartner töten, zu erkennen, wird die elementare Bedeutung von „Beziehung“, das „Bei-sich-Sein im Anderen“, herausgestellt. Es folgt die mikrosoziologische Betrachtung (Collins 2011) der Dynamik innerfamiliären Streits (also von Beziehungskonflikten) in dem Bemühen, Kippmomente zu identifizieren, in denen ein üblicherweise limitierter Streit gewaltsam eskaliert. Letztlich erweist sich, dass die notwendige Analyse von Situationen eingebunden sein muss in eine längere Zeitspannen umfassende Rekonstruktion der Beziehungsdynamik. Rasch (1964) und Marneros (2008) haben die heuristische Qualität dieses kasuistischen Ansatzes bei Intimpartnertötungen, der sehr viel mehr Erklärungspotenzial hat als eine Sammlung trivialer Risikofaktoren oder die realitätsferne Idee, diese Frauen würden wegen ihres Geschlechts. getötet, demonstriert. Nur das Erkennen hochriskanter Beziehungsmuster erlaubt die rechtzeitige Intervention.
Automated Lesion and Feature Extraction Pipeline for Brain MRIs with Interpretability
Authors: Eghbali Reza , Nedelec Pierre , Weiss David , Bhalerao Radhika , Xie Long , Rudie Jeffrey D. , Liu Chunlei , Sugrue Leo P. , Rauschecker Andreas M.
Published: January 2025

This paper introduces the Automated Lesion and Feature Extraction (ALFE) pipeline, an open-source, Python-based pipeline that consumes MR images of the brain and produces anatomical segmentations, lesion segmentations, and human-interpretable imaging features describing the lesions in the brain. ALFE pipeline is modeled after the neuroradiology workflow and generates features that can be used by physicians for quantitative analysis of clinical brain MRIs and for machine learning applications. The pipeline uses a decoupled design which allows the user to customize the image processing, image registrations, and AI segmentation tools without the need to change the business logic of the pipeline. In this manuscript, we give an overview of ALFE, present the main aspects of ALFE pipeline design philosophy, and present case studies.
Changes in Immigrant Population Prevalence and High Violent Crime Rates in Swedish Municipalities
Authors: Sarnecki Jerzy , Beckley Amber L. , Wikman Sofia , Westfelt Lars , Lilja My , Mondani Hernan , Bäcklin Emy , Rostami Amir
Published: January 2025

Global evidence indicates minimal connection between immigration and crime. Nordic research, however, has been generally carried out on individuals and shows that immigrants are over-represented in crime. This has led to claims that high crime rates are due to immigration. We directed our study towards these claims by analyzing immigrant population prevalence, defined as the percent of foreign-born individuals, and violent crime in Swedish municipalities between 2000 and 2020. Nearly all municipalities had higher violent crime rates in 2020 relative to 2000. To discern whether drastic increases in municipality-level crime rates could be connected to municipality-level immigrant population prevalence, a retrospective case–control design was used to select 20 municipalities with the highest increase in reported violent crime rates and 20 municipalities with the lowest increase in reported violent crime rates. Immigrant population prevalence had little association with high rates of reported violent crime. The average association between immigrant population prevalence and violent crime rates calculated from all municipalities was also weak and non-significant (p > 0.05). Municipalities with a high increase in crime tended to have more crime correlates than municipalities with a low increase in crime. However, more research is needed on the impact of migration in small towns, especially those that have experienced economic and social stagnation.
Microbial Nitrogen Removal in South San Francisco Bay: Does It Play a Role in Eutrophication Resistance?
Authors: Czapla Kenneth M. , Owens Michael S. , Cornwell Jeffrey C. , Senn David B. , Francis Christopher A. , Chelsky Ariella
Published: January 2025

The ecosystem response to anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loading in estuarine systems is determined by hydrodynamics, biogeochemical transformation rates, and other system-specific characteristics. Historically, San Francisco (SF) Bay has been an outlier from other estuaries with an unusual resistance to eutrophication, despite having extremely high rates of nitrogen loading. Recent increases in phytoplankton biomass and an unprecedented harmful algal bloom, however, have increased the urgency to understand rates and drivers of nitrogen removal in the system. To assess benthic N cycling rates, we conducted seasonal measurements across nine sites in South and Lower South SF Bay, the two sub-embayments with the highest rates of area-normalized N loading, to determine the rates and potential drivers of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). Denitrification rates averaged 60.6 ± 8.1 µmol m−2 h−1 and were primarily coupled to nitrification. Denitrification rates were positively correlated with DNRA rates and % clay. DNRA rates ranged from 0 to 20 µmol m−2 h−1 and on an annual basis averaged ~ 10% of total benthic nitrate reduction, with a negative correlation to % clay content in the surface sediment. The measured denitrification rates account for the removal of, on average, 14% of N loaded annually to South SF Bay, leaving a sizeable portion for alternate fates (e.g., recycling, export, or burial) and potential for substantial temporal and spatial variability (1–79%). This identifies the relative importance of sediment denitrification in ecosystems characterized by high nutrients and low productivity.
Screening for cardiac sarcoidosis: diagnostic approach and long-term follow-up in a tertiary centre
Authors: van der Velde Nikki , Poleij Anne , Lenzen Mattie J. , Budde Ricardo P. J. , Brabander Tessa , Miedema Jelle R. , Schinkel Arend F. L. , Michels Michelle , Hirsch Alexander
Published: January 2025

Background

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is associated with poor prognosis, making early diagnosis and treatment important. This study evaluated the results of a diagnostic approach in patients with known sarcoidosis and suspected cardiac involvement in a tertiary centre and their long-term outcomes.

Methods

We included 180 patients with sarcoidosis and a clinical suspicion of CS. In addition to an electrocardiogram (ECG)/transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and positron emission tomography (PET) were performed in 66% and 37% of the patients, respectively. The diagnosis of CS was based on the Heart Rhythm Society criteria. Follow-up was performed, and a composite endpoint of sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, aborted sudden cardiac death, heart failure hospitalisation, heart transplantation or cardiac death was used for the survival analysis.

Results

Symptoms were present in 87% of the patients, and ECG/TTE abnormalities were found in 92/180 patients (51%). Using CMR and/or PET, 31/92 patients (34%) were diagnosed with CS. In 15 patients, an alternative diagnosis was found. CS was diagnosed in 11/88 patients (13%) without ECG/TTE abnormalities. During a median follow-up time of 4.4 years (interquartile range: 2.3–6.8), 11 composite endpoints occurred, more frequently in CS patients than in sarcoidosis patients without cardiac involvement (p < 0.001). Patients with ECG/TTE abnormalities at baseline had worse outcomes than those without abnormalities (p = 0.019).

Conclusion

CS was diagnosed in 23% of the referred sarcoidosis patients. ECG/TTE were of limited diagnostic value for screening for CS but seemed to have important prognostic value as patients with normal ECG/TTE results who did meet the diagnostic CS criteria had a very good prognosis. CMR/PET provided a good diagnostic yield and identified other cardiac diseases.
Evaluating Zygomatic Implants in Orbital Floor Complications: A Clinical and Anatomical Study
Authors: Zielinski Rafal , Okulski Jakub , Simka Wojciech , Sowinski Jerzy , Łoś Jan , Kozakiewicz Marcin
Published: January 2025

Background

One of the most critical complications that can occur after placing zygomatic implants is the accidental penetration of the patient's eye socket by a drill or implant. This article aims to find some relationships between the anatomical features of the lower orbital wall, different configuration of zygomatic implants, and other factors when planning the placement of zygomatic implants.

Methods

A total of 81 patients underwent zygomatic implant procedures, receiving different combinations of implants. These included four zygomatic implants along with one or two conventional implants (Group I), four zygomatic implants alone (Group II), two zygomatic implants paired with four conventional implants (Group III), or three zygomatic implants alongside one or two conventional implants (Group IV). The aim of the study was to describe the complications and clinical outcomes of treatment in 81 patients who received zygomatic implants.

Results

The following parameters were statistically significant between all four groups of patients: height and distance of two zygomatic implants in the zygomatic bone; surgery type and duration; the distance between zygomatic implants in the zygomatic bone; and zygomatic orbital floor (ZOF) classification at the left side showed significant differences; intramaxillary insertion of zygomatic implants reduced the rupture of Schneiderian’s membrane; the average of zygomatic implants’ length in all groups was 42.8 mm.

Conclusions

Not damaging the ZOF is profoundly important for preventing orbital damage during osteotomy for zygomatic implants and should be measured before every surgery.
Potential of Auriculotherapy in Pain, Edema and Anxiety Management Following Orthognathic Surgery: A Multicenter, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled and Triple-Blind Study
Authors: Vaira Luigi Angelo , Salzano Giovanni , Maglitto Fabio , Committeri Umberto , Lechien Jerom R. , Mayo-Yáñez Miguel , Friscia Marco , Abbate Vincenzo , Piombino Pasquale , Califano Luigi , De Riu Giacomo
Published: January 2025

Background

This multicenter, triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of auriculotherapy in managing pain, edema, and anxiety following orthognathic surgical procedures.

Materials and Methods

The study involved patients undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery at two centers. Participants were randomized into two groups: the auriculotherapy group (AG), where vaccaria seeds were applied to six auricular points, and a placebo group (PG), where patches without seeds were applied to the same points. For ten-day post-surgery, patients underwent assessments of their pain levels, swelling, and anxiety.

Results

Sixty-one patients were included (31 in the AG and 30 in the PG). The differences in pain level between the two groups were not significant until the 5-day check. Subsequently, the AG showed significantly lower levels of pain up to the 10-day follow-up. During the study period, patients in the AG consumed a significantly lower number of pain-relief medications compared to the PG (AG 18 [IQR 15.5–22.5], PG 22 [IQR 17.8–24], p = 0.025).

The differences between the two groups regarding the severity of the edema were not significant at all time points. The two groups did not show significant differences in terms of preoperative anxiety score. Ten days after the surgical procedure, the PG exhibited significantly higher anxiety levels compared to the AG.

Conclusions

Auriculotherapy has shown promise in managing post-orthognathic surgery pain and reducing patient anxiety, while also allowing reduced medication intake. For these reasons, it could serve as a cost-effective and side-effect-free therapeutic adjunct for these patients.
The replication crisis is less of a “crisis” in Lakatos’ philosophy of science than it is in Popper’s
Authors: Rubin Mark
Published: January 2025

Popper’s (1983, 2002) philosophy of science has enjoyed something of a renaissance in the wake of the replication crisis, offering a philosophical basis for the ensuing science reform movement. However, adherence to Popper’s approach may also be at least partly responsible for the sense of “crisis” that has developed following multiple unexpected replication failures. In this article, I contrast Popper’s approach with that of Lakatos (1978) as well as with a related but problematic approach called naïve methodological falsificationism (NMF; Lakatos, 1978). The Popperian approach is powerful because it is based on logical refutations, but its theories are noncausal and, therefore, potentially lacking in scientific value. In contrast, the Lakatosian approach considers causal theories, but it concedes that these theories are not logically refutable. Finally, NMF represents a hybrid approach that subjects Lakatosian causal theories to Popperian logical refutations. However, its tactic of temporarily accepting a ceteris paribus clause during theory testing may be viewed as scientifically inappropriate, epistemically inconsistent, and “completely redundant” (Lakatos, 1978, p. 40). I conclude that the replication “crisis” makes the most sense in the context of the Popperian and NMF approaches because it is only in these two approaches that the failure to replicate a previously corroborated theory represents a logical refutation of that theory. In contrast, such replication failures are less problematic in the Lakatosian approach because they do not logically refute theories. Indeed, in the Lakatosian approach, replication failures can be temporarily ignored or used to motivate theory development.
Enhancing water productivity of solar still using thermal energy storage material and flat plate solar collector
Authors: Abdelmaksoud Waleed A.
Published: January 2025

In this research, the impact of integrating solar still with thermal energy storage material and flat plate solar collector (FPSC) on the freshwater productivity was experimentally investigated. The experiments were conducted on three types of similar-sized solar stills under climate conditions of Saudi Arabia. The first type was a conventional solar still (CSS), without any modifications. The second type was a modified solar still (MSS-1), CSS integrated with natural stones in the still basin. The third type was a modified solar still (MSS-2), CSS integrated with both natural stones and FPSC. Three types of natural stones with same quantity were selected and individually tested in the MSS-1 and MSS-2 simultaneously (each stone type on one day). The corresponding experimental results of MSS-1 showed a 11–32% increase in the daily freshwater yield, compared to CSS, indicating a minimal effect of natural stones utilization on the freshwater productivity. The MSS-2 showed a 155–183% increase in the daily freshwater yield, compared to CSS, indicating a significant effect of basin water heating on the freshwater productivity. The total dissolved solids (TDS) level was measured at 112 ppm, which complies with the permissible limits for drinking water quality standards. The economic analysis revealed that the cost to produce one liter of freshwater is 0.028, 0.022, and 0.027 $ from CSS, MSS-1, and MSS-2, respectively. Additionally, the benefit–cost ratio (BCR) analysis demonstrated the economic feasibility of the constructed solar still, with a BCR value of 2.1.
On the effects of machine translation on offensive language detection
Authors: Dmonte Alphaeus , Satapara Shrey , Alsudais Rehab , Ranasinghe Tharindu , Zampieri Marcos
Published: January 2025

Machine translation (MT) is widely used to translate content on social media platforms aiming to improve accessibility. A great part of the content circulated on social media is user-generated and often contains non-standard spelling, hashtags, and emojis that pose challenges to MT systems. This leads to many mistranslated instances that are presented to users of these platforms, hindering their understanding of content written in other languages. In this paper, we investigate the impact of MT on offensive language identification. We pose that MT and potential mistranslations have an important and mostly under-explored impact on social media tasks such as sentiment analysis and offensive language identification. We create MT-Offense, a novel dataset containing English originals and translations in Arabic, Hindi, Marathi, Sinhala, and Spanish produced by multiple open-access Neural Machine Translation systems. We evaluate the performance of various offensive language models on both original and MT content in different training and test set combinations. We report the F1 scores of the models. Our results show that (1) offensive language identification models perform better on original data than on MT data, and (2) the use of MT data in training helps models better identify offensive language in MT content compared to models trained exclusively on original data.
Datis: data augmentation for trust intensity prediction in incomplete signed networks
Authors: Shadrooh Shiva , Nørvåg Kjetil
Published: January 2025

Prediction of trust and distrust in nodes in signed network analysis is an important task with diverse applications. However, the presence of imbalanced and incomplete rankings in signed networks makes prediction of node-level trust values using machine learning (ML) methods a very challenging task. To overcome these challenges, we introduce DATIS, an innovative approach employing generative adversarial networks (GANs) for data augmentation in node-level trust prediction tasks in signed networks. DATIS addresses imbalances in both sign and value of rankings, handling missing rankings by training on nodes’ local and global network features without explicit information on edge rankings assigned to nodes. Unlike existing methods, we consider the trust prediction problem as a regression task to imply the strength of trust a node gained in a network. Our experimental evaluation shows that DATIS can significantly improve the accuracy of node-level trust intensity prediction on real-world datasets.
Advancing brain immunotherapy through functional nanomaterials
Authors: Yalamandala Bhanu Nirosha , Huynh Thi My Hue , Lien Hui-Wen , Pan Wan-Chi , Iao Hoi Man , Moorthy Thrinayan , Chang Yun-Hsuan , Hu Shang-Hsiu
Published: January 2025

Glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive brain tumor, poses significant treatment challenges due to its highly immunosuppressive microenvironment and the brain immune privilege. Immunotherapy activating the immune system and T lymphocyte infiltration holds great promise against GBM. However, the brain’s low immunogenicity and the difficulty of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) hinder therapeutic efficacy. Recent advancements in immune-actuated particles for targeted drug delivery have shown the potential to overcome these obstacles. These particles interact with the BBB by rapidly and reversibly disrupting its structure, thereby significantly enhancing targeting and penetrating delivery. The BBB targeting also minimizes potential long-term damage. At GBM, the particles demonstrated effective chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), radiotherapy, or magnetotherapy, facilitating tumor disruption and promoting antigen release. Additionally, components of the delivery system retained autologous tumor-associated antigens and presented them to dendritic cells (DCs), ensuring prolonged immune activation. This review explores the immunosuppressive mechanisms of GBM, existing therapeutic strategies, and the role of nanomaterials in enhancing immunotherapy. We also discuss innovative particle-based approaches designed to traverse the BBB by mimicking innate immune functions to improve treatment outcomes for brain tumors.

Graphical Abstract
High-power ultrasonic spot welding of copper to type 304L austenitic stainless steel
Authors: Wahba Mohamed , Shamsah Sami M. Ibn , Gepreel Mohamed A. H. , Takahashi Macoto
Published: January 2025

The demand for a robust welding technique capable of joining copper and steel is driven by their extensive application across various industrial sectors. Addressing the limitations of current welding methods, this study explores the effectiveness of ultrasonic welding in joining commercially pure copper to type 304L stainless steel. The effects of different welding parameters on the characteristics of the welded joints were investigated. The results demonstrate the successful welding of the two metals without inserting an interlayer despite the metallurgical immiscibility of copper and iron. The interfacial bond density and the joint strength were found to increase with the applied welding energy. A joint strength of approximately 80% of the base copper strength was obtained. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis unveiled a well-bonded interface with excellent continuity between the two metals. A diffusion layer containing nano-sized chromium-rich oxide or intermetallic compound particles was observed. It was noticed that copper penetrated the partially disrupted chromium-rich oxide layer reaching and developing intimate contact with the newly uncoated stainless steel surface. A synergy of mechanical interlocking and solid-state metallurgical adhesion was revealed for the bonding mechanism in addition to potential metallurgical interactions at the interface.
Jelineks ›Wahlverwandtschaften‹ – Zu den biographischen Hintergründen in Angabe der Person
Authors: Lahayne Olaf
Published: January 2025

Ende 2022 veröffentlichte Elfriede Jelinek mit Angabe der Person zum ersten Mal seit 2000 wieder einen Prosa-Text in Buchform. Dementsprechend viel Beachtung erfuhr diese Veröffentlichung. Sie sei durch ein »steuerliches Ermittlungsverfahren« gegen die Autorin veranlasst worden, was sich in der Jelinek’schen Textfläche durch Bezugnahme auf aktuelle Finanzskandale niederschlägt. Mehr Beachtung in der Rezeption fanden (im Umfang relativ knappe) Äußerungen der Autorin zu ihrer (jüdischen) Verwandtschaft auf väterlicher Seite. In diesem Artikel werden Jelineks Angaben ergänzt durch weitere Zitate zu diesem Thema von ihr und anderen Autorinnen und Autoren, und es wird auf die Rezeption des Buches eingegangen. Zusätzlich werden diverse Archivalien und historische Quellen herangezogen sowie relevante Örtlichkeiten aufgesucht. Es zeigt sich, dass Elfriede Jelineks Angaben oft missverständlich sind, insbesondere was das Schicksal ihrer (vorgeblichen) Verwandten in der NS-Zeit betrifft. Davon ausgehend, wird das Verhältnis von Fakt und (Auto‑)Fiktion bei der Autorin diskutiert unter Heranziehung des »Falles Wilkomirski« von 1998, bei dem Elfriede Jelinek ebenfalls eine Rolle spielte.
Feed-Forward Neural Network-Based Prediction of Flutter Speed of 3 DOF 2D Wing Model
Authors: Dağlı Osman , Kaya Metin Orhan , Eyüpoğlu Can
Published: January 2025

Introduction

The application of artificial intelligence, particularly neural network models, has expanded throughout various fields of academic and industrial studies, recently. This research focuses to investigate aeroelastic phenomena and predict flutter speeds without expensive computational and experimental methods utilizing these algorithms, specifically the artificial neural network (ANN).

Methods

Fundamentally, the approach involves an ANN algorithm to navigate the complexities of aeroelastic systems, achieved by layering multiple ANNs. The network's neurons effectively interpret diverse flight data by this structure. The study also incorporates state-space representation and Theodorsen's unsteady aerodynamic theory to create a comprehensive dataset on aeroelastic flutter speed across different wing parameters. In order to forecast the flutter speeds, a feed-forward neural network (FFNN) model, which is an approach of ANN method, containing sigmoid hidden neurons and a linear output neuron has been proposed for the conditions above.

Results

The proposed model accomplished a regression value of 0.92 for flutter speeds according to the experimental findings. As presented, the suggested FFNN model is successful and can be employed to predict the flutter speed estimation. The findings of the FFNN structure are validated with the previous work for aeroelastic flutter speed analysis in the literature.

Discussion

Finally, the findings indicate that the FFNN model formulated in this study is highly accurate in predicting flutter speeds with the accordance of numerical results of aeroelastic structure modeled with unsteady aerodynamic theory. In addition, the correctness of the predicted flutter speeds demonstrates that analyzing without expensive tests and high computational costs is in the near future.
Pre-concentration of Low-grade Banded Iron Formation (BIF) by Physical Beneficiation
Authors: Singh Ashma , Maistry Nichole
Published: January 2025

The depletion of high-grade iron ore reserves in South Africa has necessitated the exploration of low-grade hematite resources in a bid to extend life of mine and maximize resource utilization, particularly banded iron formations (BIF) material which makes up approximately 66% of future reserves. BIF are sedimentary rocks and consists of alternating layers of silica and iron. It has been observed that for ores with Fe grades below 40%, the concentrate grades and recoveries are compromised. Thus, the aim of the research study involved production of a pre-concentrate grading at approximately 55% Fe with potential for alternative downstream processing such as cationic reverse flotation to further upgrade the pre-concentrates to final concentrates with grades higher than 63% Fe. The industrial benefits of pre-concentration are evident in upfront gangue reduction and ability to improve production capacity and reduce operational costs. With this in mind, the paper investigates the pre-concentration methodology undertaken, namely, magnetic separation versus gravity shaking table on feed material crushed to a fine grind size of − 1.18 mm for effective liberation of hematite from gangue. Comparative SLon testwork and shaking table tests yielded similar overall recoveries at approximately 50% with high Si rejection of approximately 90% at a target pre-concentrate grade of 55% Fe. Increasing the target grade further to 60% and 63% Fe could only be achieved by gravity separation at a significant reduction in recovery of 35–62%, respectively. The feasibility of pre-concentration for this ore type is thus assessed in detail.
The need for an empirical research program regarding human–AI relational norms
Authors: Reinecke Madeline G. , Kappes Andreas , Porsdam Mann Sebastian , Savulescu Julian , Earp Brian D.
Published: January 2025

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems begin to take on social roles traditionally filled by humans, it will be crucial to understand how this affects people’s cooperative expectations. In the case of human–human dyads, different relationships are governed by different norms: For example, how two strangers—versus two friends or colleagues—should interact when faced with a similar coordination problem often differs. How will the rise of ‘social’ artificial intelligence (and ultimately, superintelligent AI) complicate people’s expectations about the cooperative norms that should govern different types of relationships, whether human–human or human–AI? Do people expect AI to adhere to the same cooperative dynamics as humans when in a given social role? Conversely, will they begin to expect humans in certain types of relationships to act more like AI? Here, we consider how people’s cooperative expectations may pull apart between human–human and human–AI relationships, detailing an empirical proposal for mapping these distinctions across relationship types. We see the data resulting from our proposal as relevant for understanding people’s relationship–specific cooperative expectations in an age of social AI, which may also forecast potential resistance towards AI systems occupying certain social roles. Finally, these data can form the basis for ethical evaluations: What relationship–specific cooperative norms we should adopt for human–AI interactions, or reinforce through responsible AI design, depends partly on empirical facts about what norms people find intuitive for such interactions (along with the costs and benefits of maintaining these). Toward the end of the paper, we discuss how these relational norms may change over time and consider the implications of this for the proposed research program.
Shrinkage behaviour of self-compacting concrete with higher binder content: experimental results and predictive equation
Authors: Bhirud Yuvaraj , Vaidya Om , More Satish , Shaikh Ayub , Pawar Amol , Pawar Lalit , Yeole Pradeep
Published: January 2025

The present study explores the potential benefits of increasing binder content in self-compacting concrete (SCC). Three concrete mixtures with varying binder content (550, 600, and 650 kg/m3) were investigated to evaluate their workability, compressive strength, and shrinkage. Findings indicate a significant enhancement in strength over the concrete's lifespan with higher binder content, accompanied by improved stability and cohesion. Additionally, the study examines the economic advantages of utilizing fly ash as a partial binder replacement, thereby reducing reliance on costly superplasticizers. However, existing prediction models for concrete shrinkage (IS 1343-2012, BS EN 1992-1-1-2004, and ACI 209 R-92) proved inadequate for high-binder SCC. To bridge this knowledge gap, a novel equation for predicting shrinkage in SCC with increased binder content was developed based on experimental data. This research contributes to the optimized design and cost-effective application of high-strength SCC in the construction industry.
Digital Media and Social Theory: The View from Xi’s China and Modi’s India
Authors: Schroeder Ralph
Published: January 2025

The social sciences, and especially theories about communication and digital media, have been dominated by the Global North. This paper attempts to redress this imbalance by reference to two major countries that have also been models in other parts of the world, India and China. In both countries, the autonomy of the public sphere of media is constrained, though less so in India’s half-democracy than in China’s authoritarian party state. Still, a lively and diverse online part of the public sphere which lacks the gatekeeping function of traditional news can contribute to the autonomy of media. Media reflect society imperfectly, but there is much to learn from two countries where the un-gatekept online public sphere is relatively more important than the traditional gatekept public sphere.
Medieval Finitism
Authors: Zarepour Mohammad Saleh
Published: January 2025

Discussing various versions of two medieval arguments for the impossibility of infinity, this Element sheds light on early stages of the evolution of the notion of INFINITIES OF DIFFERENT SIZES. The first argument is called 'the Equality Argument' and relies on the premise that all infinities are equal. The second argument is called 'the Mapping Argument' and relies on the assumption that if one thing is mapped/ superposed upon another thing and neither exceeds the other, the two things are equal to each other. Although these arguments were initially proposed in the context of discussions against the possibility of infinities, they have played pivotal roles in the historical evolution of the notion of INFINITIES OF DIFFERENT SIZES.