bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laptev Rift System Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element, East Siberian Arctic
Authors: Drachev Sergey S. , Ershova Victoria B. , Shkarubo Sergey I.
Published: June 2024

The Laptev Sea in the East Siberian Arctic is characterized by a system of extensional structures known as the Laptev Rift System (LRS), developed at the continental prolongation of an active divergent plate boundary - the Gakkel spreading ridge. The LRS hosts as much as 13–14 km of siliciclastic sedimentary strata of supposedly Late Cretaceous to Recent age. The strata accumulated atop of stretched and thinned continental crust that before the rifting onset was a complex tectonic juncture of Late Paleozoic/Early Mesozoic Taimyr and Late Mesozoic Verkhoyansk fold-and-thrust belts formed along the edges of the Siberian Palaeocontinent.

In the context of this volume, the LRS is described as a composite tectono-sedimentary element that includes sedimentary rocks accumulated during pre-rift and syn-rift phases. The latter includes at least two syn-rift sedimentary cycles separated by a sedimentary succession formed during a stalled rift phase.

In the absence of deep exploration wells, many aspects of the LRS geology and its petroleum prospects remain poorly constrained.
Immersive Analytics: The Influence of Flow, Sense of Agency, and Presence on Performance and Satisfaction
Authors: Gründling Jan P. , Weyers Benjamin
Published: June 2024

Performance and user satisfaction are key quality indicators in immersive analytics. Performance in terms of, e.g., error rate can only be measured if a ground truth is known to evaluate whether a user action or analysis result is erroneous. Thus, an estimate measure is needed to indicate the user's performance without having a ground truth available. This work investigates flow, sense of agency and presence as possible candidates in two experiments. First, these candidates are tested for their predictive value for task performance and satisfaction without task-related semantics to reduce bias from low task-interaction congruence. After the first experiment showed that only flow predicts performance and satisfaction, the second experiment tests flow, performance, and satisfaction in a realistic analytics scenario to improve external validity. The results suggest that flow experience might be a promising estimate for performance and satisfaction and thus quality of the immersive analytics tool.
MARLUI: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Point-and-Click UIs
Authors: Langerak Thomas , Christen Sammy , Albaba Mert , Gebhardt Christoph , Holz Christian , Hilliges Otmar
Published: June 2024

As the number of selectable items increases, point-and-click interfaces rapidly become complex, leading to a decrease in usability. Adaptive user interfaces can reduce this complexity by automatically adjusting an interface to only display the most relevant items. A core challenge for developing adaptive interfaces is to infer user intent and chose adaptations accordingly. Current methods rely on tediously hand-crafted rules or carefully collected user data. Furthermore, heuristics need to be recrafted and data regathered for every new task and interface. To address this issue, we formulate interface adaptation as a multi-agent reinforcement learning problem. Our approach learns adaptation policies without relying on heuristics or real user data, facilitating the development of adaptive interfaces across various tasks with minimal adjustments needed. In our formulation, a user agent mimics a real user and learns to interact with an interface via point-and-click actions. Simultaneously, an interface agent learns interface adaptations, to maximize the user agent's efficiency, by observing the user agent's behavior. For our evaluation, we substituted the simulated user agent with actual users. Our study involved twelve participants and concentrated on automatic toolbar item assignment. The results show that the policies we developed in simulation effectively apply to real users. These users were able to complete tasks with fewer actions and in similar times compared to methods trained with real data. Additionally, we demonstrated our method's efficiency and generalizability across four different interfaces and tasks.
A Calculus for the Specification, Design, and Verification of Distributed Concurrent Systems
Authors: Broy Manfred
Published: June 2024

A calculus for the specification and verification of distributed concurrent interactive real-time systems is introduced. Systems are specified by their interface behavior formalized by interface predicates and interface assertions. System designs in terms of architectures of distributed networks of interactive systems are constructed by concurrent composition of subsystems. The specification of system designs is calculated from the specifications of their subsystems. Verification is done by proof rules, which are based on the concepts of causality and realizability justified by the operational model in terms of generalized Moore machines, Moore machines not restricted to finite state spaces. The calculus supports interface specification and reasoning both about untimed as well as timed distributed concurrent systems. This includes the design of cyber-physical systems. Real-time is used, in particular, to specify time-sensitive behavior and to prove properties related to causality and realizability, properties that hold for all Moore machines. On this basis, a calculus is worked out and illustrated by small examples. The calculus is shown to be sound and relatively complete.
Toward a Privacy-Preserving Face Recognition System: A Survey of Leakages and Solutions
Authors: Laishram Lamyanba , Shaheryar Muhammad , Lee Jong Taek , Jung Soon Ki
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Recent advancements in face recognition (FR) technology in surveillance systems make it possible to monitor a person as they move around. FR gathers a lot of information depending on the quantity and data sources. The most severe privacy concern with FR technology is its use to identify people in real-time public monitoring applications or via an aggregation of datasets without their consent. Due to the importance of private data leakage in the FR environment, academia and business have given it a lot of attention, leading to the creation of several research initiatives meant to solve the corresponding challenges. As a result, this study aims to look at privacy-preserving face recognition (PPFR) methods. We propose a detailed and systematic study of the PPFR based on our suggested six-level framework. Along with all the levels, more emphasis is given to the processing of face images as it is more crucial for FR technology. We explore the privacy leakage issues and offer an up-to-date and thorough summary of current research trends in the FR system from six perspectives. We also encourage additional research initiatives in this promising area for further investigation.
MQT Predictor: Automatic Device Selection with Device-Specific Circuit Compilation for Quantum Computing
Authors: Quetschlich Nils , Burgholzer Lukas , Wille Robert
Published: June 2024

Fueled by recent accomplishments in quantum computing hardware and software, an increasing number of problems from various application domains are being explored as potential use cases for this new technology. Similarly to classical computing, realizing an application on a particular quantum device requires the corresponding (quantum) circuit to be
compiled
so that it can be executed on the device. With a steadily growing number of available devices—each with their own advantages and disadvantages—and a wide variety of different compilation tools, the number of choices to consider when trying to realize an application is quickly exploding. Due to missing tool support and automation, especially end-users who are not quantum computing experts are easily left unsupported and overwhelmed.

In this work, we propose a methodology that allows one to
automatically select
a suitable quantum device for a particular application
and
provides an
optimized compiler
for the selected device. The resulting framework—called the
MQT Predictor
—not only supports end-users in navigating the vast landscape of choices, it also allows
mixing and matching
compiler passes from various tools to create optimized compilers that transcend the individual tools. Evaluations of an exemplary framework instantiation based on more than 500 quantum circuits and seven devices have shown that—compared with both Qiskit’s and TKET’s most optimized compilation flows for all devices—the MQT Predictor produces circuits within the top-3 out of 14 baselines in more than 98% of cases while frequently outperforming any tested combination by up to 53% when optimizing for
expected fidelity
. Additionally, the framework is trained and evaluated for
critical depth
as another
figure of merit
to showcase its flexibility and generalizability—producing circuits within the top-3 in 89% of cases while frequently outperforming any tested combination by up to 400%. MQT Predictor is part of the
Munich Quantum Toolkit
 (MQT) and publicly available as open-source on GitHub (
https://github.com/cda-tum/mqt-predictor
) and as an easy-to-use
Python
package (
https://pypi.org/p/mqt.predictor
).
From the President: ECS United
Authors: O’Dwyer Colm
Published: June 2024

It gives me great pleasure to write to you for the first time since becoming ECS President. I assumed the role following the 245th ECS Meeting in San Francisco, CA, which I certainly hope you attended. That amazing event featured 49 symposia with 439 sessions presenting more than 2,290 talks, 3,022 abstracts, and 701 posters by authors from 68 countries. Of these, 575 were invited talks, 25 ECS award and keynote talks, and 1,240 student abstracts, 842 oral talks, and 388 posters! If you were unable to attend, complete coverage of the meeting’s highlights and key moments is forthcoming in the next edition of Interface. I would like to share with you my vision as President of this esteemed Society, and what I see are the main challenges and opportunities facing ECS in the year ahead.
A Bright Future for Electrodeposition
Authors: Vereecken Philippe , Vasiljevic Natasa , Magagnin Luca , Kent Zheng J. X. , Leimbach Martin
Published: June 2024

The Electrodeposition Division, which was founded in 1922 as the second ECS division, celebrated their centennial anniversary at the 242nd ECS Fall meeting in Atlanta. For the occasion, the division organized several sessions with invited contributions to honor the achievements of 100 years of electrodeposition, but also to take a closer look at the present trendsetters and give a perspective on future challenges and opportunities in this thriving field. Our then newly established Electrodeposition Early Career Forum (ECF, founded in Spring 2022) organized a full day symposium with contributions from outstanding early-career researchers involved in cutting-edge research across a broad range of areas of active electrodeposition research. It turned out to be a fantastic day with invigorating talks full of ideas. The ELDP division decided to share some of the excitement with the ECS community and asked our ECF members to suggest topics and participate in the articles for this summer edition of Interface dedicated to Electrochemical and Electroless deposition. Dr. Kent Zheng, assistant professor at the University of Texas and Dr. Martin Leimbach, postdoc at TU Ilmenau, Germany, took up the challenge. Together with us, humble guest editors, four articles have been selected centred around three important topics: (1) electrodeposition for manufacturing and sustainability, edited by Prof. Luca Magagnin; (2) electrodeposition for energy applications, edited by Prof. Natasa Vasiljevic; and (3) new electrodeposition approaches extending the material library, edited by Prof. Philippe Vereecken.
Measurement System Analysis of Densometry Technique for the Determination of Porosity and Thickness of Porous Fuel Cell Media
Authors: Van Schalkwyk Francois , Sakars Aleksandrs , Levecque Pieter , Susac Daria
Published: June 2024

Porosity is one of the critical parameters governing mass transport of reagents and products in the heterogenous architecture of a fuel cell electrode. Techniques for the measurement thereof are required that are rapid, cost-effective, and simple, and yet capable of the highest levels of accuracy, precision, and stability. This body of work presents a comprehensive account of the measurement system analysis (MSA) of the densometer technique for the ex situ determination of total porosity and mean thickness of thin film porous materials by way of hydrostatic principles. The MSA involved a four phased approach which systematically tested several process assumptions before performing gage precision and accuracy studies and, finally, benchmarking of the system against several conventional industry techniques. Results confirmed statistically that the densometry technique, in conjunction with a standardized measurement procedure, can be used for the precise and accurate measurement of porosity as well as thickness across a representative range for porous materials deployed in fuel cells and similar technologies.
Exercise entrainment of musculoskeletal connective tissue clocks
Authors: Steffen Danielle , Kjaer Michael , Yeung Ching-Yan Chloé
Published: June 2024

The musculoskeletal system, crucial for movement and support, relies on the delicate balance of connective tissue homeostasis. Maintaining this equilibrium is essential for tissue health and function. There has been increasing evidence in the past decade that shows the circadian clock as a master regulator of extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis in several connective tissue clocks. Very recently, exercise has emerged as a significant entrainment factor for cartilage and intervertebral disk circadian rhythms. Understanding the implications of exercise on connective tissue peripheral clocks holds promise for enhancing tissue health and disease prevention. Exercise-induced factors such as heat, glucocorticoid release, mechanical loading, and inter-tissue cross talk may play pivotal roles in entraining the circadian rhythm of connective tissues. This mini review underscores the importance of elucidating the mechanisms through which exercise influences circadian rhythms in connective tissues to optimize ECM homeostasis. Leveraging exercise as a modulator of circadian rhythms in connective tissues may offer novel therapeutic approaches to physical training for preventing musculoskeletal disorders and enhancing recovery.
Line Congestion Management in Modern Power Systems: A Case Study of Pakistan
Authors: Ullah Kaleem , Ullah Zahid , Shaker Bilawal , Ibrar Muhammad , Ahsan Muhammad , Saeed Sarmad , Wadood Hamid
Published: June 2024

The surging electricity demand in Pakistan has led to frequent blackouts, prompting government initiatives to expand power plant capacities and improve the national grid. The government prioritizes integrating large‐scale renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, to reduce dependence on conventional power plants. However, the intermittency of renewables leads to forecasting errors, requiring extra power reserves from conventional units, thereby escalating operational costs and CO2 emissions. The country currently utilizes a manual mechanism for power balancing operations, overlooking critical grid constraints of the transmission line loadings. In such conditions, injecting large‐scale power from renewables can lead to significant fluctuations in line power flows, risking transmission line loadings and compromising the system’s secure operation. Hence, this paper has developed an automatic generation control (AGC) model for the highly wind‐integrated power system to alleviate line congestions in the network and enhance the economic operation of the system. The study utilizes the Pakistan power system as a case study to simulate the proposed model. The developed real‐time power dispatch strategy for the AGC system considers the constraints of the transmission line to avoid congestion. It integrates wind energy as operating reserves to enhance the economic operation of the system. When managing line congestion, it identifies overloaded bus lines and adjusts power regulation accordingly while compensating for shortfalls by augmenting transmitted power from regional grid stations. However, it maintains a constant dispatch ratio without line overloads, aligned with generation capacities. Additionally, the strategy integrates reserve power from the wind power plant and traditional generating units to further improve economic operations. Simulations have been conducted using PowerFactory software, employing the eight‐bus and five‐machine models to replicate the characteristics of the Pakistan power system. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed AGC design in mitigating transmission line congestion of power systems that are heavily integrated with wind energy sources while simultaneously ensuring the economic operation of generating units.
A Study on Contact Metric Manifolds Admitting a Type of Solitons
Authors: Mandal Tarak , De Uday Chand , Khan Meraj Ali , Khan Mohammad Nazrul Islam
Published: June 2024

The principal aim of the present article is to characterize certain properties of η‐Ricci–Bourguignon solitons on three types of contact manifolds, that are K‐contact manifolds, (κ, μ)‐contact metric manifolds, and N(κ)‐contact metric manifolds. It is shown that if a K‐contact manifold admits an η‐Ricci–Bourguignon soliton whose potential vector field is the Reeb vector field, then the scalar curvature of the manifold is constant and the manifold becomes an η‐Einstein manifold. In this regard, it is shown that if a K‐contact manifold admits a gradient η‐Ricci–Bourguignon soliton, then the scalar curvature is a constant and either the soliton reduces to gradient Ricci–Bourguignon soliton, or the potential function is a constant. We also deduce that if a (κ, μ)‐contact metric manifold admits a gradient η‐Ricci–Bourguignon soliton, then either the manifold is locally En+1 × Sn(4), or the gradient of the potential function is pointwise collinear with the Reeb vector field, or the potential function is a constant. η‐Ricci–Bourguignon solitons on three‐dimensional N(κ)‐contact metric manifolds are also considered. Finally, an example using differential equations has been constructed to verify a result.
Quality Appraisal of Quality of Life Research in Children and Adolescents with Food Allergy: A Systematic Review
Authors: Aaneland Hilde , Larsen Marie Hamilton , Helseth Sølvi , Wahl Astrid Klopstad
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Quality of life (QOL) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents with food allergies have been an important and steadily growing field of research for the past 20 years. There seem to be conceptual and methodological challenges that might influence the face validity of QOL and HRQOL research in general health research, but this has not been investigated in pediatric and adolescent food allergy research up until now. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the QOL and HRQOL studies on food allergy in children and adolescents under the age of 18. Methods: The systematic review was conducted on studies purporting to measure QOL or HRQOL in children and adolescents with food allergies. The literature search was developed in Ovid MEDLINE and databases used in the review were Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, and Scopus. Studies were evaluated based on a set of face validity criteria developed by Gill and Feinstein in 1994 and refined by Moons et al. in 2004. Results: Out of 61 studies eligible for the review, 11 (18%) defined QOL or HRQOL and two distinguished QOL from HRQOL. The Food Allergy Quality of Life (FAQLQ) instrument series is the most frequently used HRQOL measurement among the studies included. QOL and HRQOL were employed interchangeably in half of the studies, some of them also using a third term in addition. Conclusion: Our findings lead to the conclusion that the research field investigated contains methodological and conceptual shortcomings regarding QOL and HRQOL. An increased awareness toward the terminology as well as consideration of points to reflect upon will be beneficial, as this will also improve the validity of future studies.
Stroke Characteristics in the Elderly: A Hospital-Based Study in Cameroon
Authors: Gams Massi Daniel , Doumbe Grace Kelly Peggy Caroline , Owona Manga Leon Jules , Magnerou Annick Mélanie , Mapoure Njankouo Yacouba
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Advanced age is an important nonmodifiable risk factor for stroke. Little data are available on stroke in older people in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to determine the clinical features of stroke and identify the predictive factors for poor outcomes in this age group. Methods: A 4-month retrospective study was conducted using the Stroke Registry of Douala General Hospital. The main outcomes were mortality, poor functional recovery at 3 months (modified Rankin Scale score ≥3), and recurrence at 1 year. Factors associated with poor outcomes were determined using binary logistic regression. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The significance threshold was set at p < 0.05. Results: Elderly patients represented 38.6% of all stroke cases (n = 1,260). Male represented 48.6% of the old patients. The incidence of hypertension, diabetes, previous stroke, and cardiopathies was significantly higher in older patients (p < 0.05). Ischemic stroke accounted for 73.1% of stroke types. Cardiopathies, GCS 8–12, GCS <8, hemorrhagic stroke, NIHSS >14, and Barthel index at 1 month were independently associated with mortality. Being divorced, a modified Rankin scale score ≥3 at 1 month, and a Barthel index ≤60 at 1 month were independently associated with poor functional recovery at 3 months. Old patients represented 50% of recurrent stroke cases. Age >90 years (p < 0.001) and NIHSS <5 were independently associated to recurrence at 1 year. Conclusion: Approximately two out of five stroke cases were old. Cardiopathies, hemorrhagic stroke, and data related to stroke severity contribute to poor outcomes. A management approach that considers the particularities of this age group could contribute to improving the outcomes of these patients.
Persistent right aortic arch and aberrant left subclavian artery in a dog
Authors: Rodrigues Gabriel Menezes , Gusmão Isabella Menezes , Muramoto Caterina , Quessada Ana Maria , Belettini Salviano Tramontim , Maia Luan Vinicius Tezzei , Machado Maria Leticia Linhares , Costa-Neto João Moreira da
Published: June 2024

A 1.5-year-old male German Shepherd dog was referred to a Teaching Veterinary Hospital with a chronic history of regurgitation and a previous presumptive diagnosis of megaesophagus. An esophagogram showed partial esophageal dilation, suggesting one vascular ring anomaly. Computed tomography identified a persistent right aortic arch (PRAA) and an aberrant left subclavian artery (ALSA). The patient underwent thoracotomy, ligamentum arteriosum ligation, and debridement of the periesophageal region. The ligation of the ALSA was not carried out because the esophagus was observed to be released entirely during the surgical intervention. Therefore, intervention on the subclavian artery was not necessary. Clinical follow-up occurred on seven, 14, and 30 postoperative days. The dog improved, showing only sporadic regurgitations. Clinical history and complementary exams were essential to establish a diagnosis. The liberation of the esophageal transit during surgery contributed to the decision not to perform the ALSA ligation.
A new collation and text for EN X.6-9 [=Bywater X.6-8]
Authors: De Sousa Victor Gonçalves
Published: June 2024

In this paper, I attempt to explore a recent hypothesis about what the main mss. are for establishing the text of Aristotle’s Ethica Nicomachea (henceforth EN). This hypothesis was recently advanced on the basis of evidence coming from EN I-II. In exploring this hypothesis, I confine myself to the text of EN X.6-9 [=Bywater X.6-8], and, as a result, I propose a new text for EN X.6-9 [=Bywater X.6-8] based on a fresh collation of nine mss—four of which were not taken into account in previous editions of the EN—and based on readings that can be gathered from the Arabic translation of the EN that was preserved in the Fez ms. The text proposed in this paper is accompanied by textual notes that justify my decisions regarding some difficult passages.
Uma arte da não-relação: da abstração moderna a O Inominável, de Samuel Beckett
Authors: Gatti Luciano
Published: June 2024

Tomando por base um diagnóstico da arte moderna exposto por Beckett em seus ensaios sobre pintura, o artigo pretende mostrar como o problema da representação como relação entre sujeito e objeto foi enfrentado pelo autor em sua produção literária do imediato pós-guerra, em particular no romance O Inominável.
Novel Mouse Model of Myocardial Infarction, Plaque Rupture, and Stroke Shows Improved Survival With Myeloperoxidase Inhibition
Authors: Shamsuzzaman Sohel , Deaton Rebecca A. , Salamon Anita , Doviak Heather , Serbulea Vlad , Milosek Victoria M. , Evans Megan A. , Karnewar Santosh , Saibaba Subhi , Alencar Gabriel F. , Shankman Laura S. , Walsh Kenneth , Bekiranov Stefan , Kocher Olivier , Krieger Monty , Kull Bengt , Persson Marie , Michaëlsson Erik , Bergenhem Nils , Heydarkhan-Hagvall Sepideh , Owens Gary K.
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND:

Thromboembolic events, including myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke, caused by the rupture or erosion of unstable atherosclerotic plaques are the leading cause of death worldwide. Although most mouse models of atherosclerosis develop lesions in the aorta and carotid arteries, they do not develop advanced coronary artery lesions. Moreover, they do not undergo spontaneous plaque rupture with MI and stroke or do so at such a low frequency that they are not viable experimental models to study late-stage thrombotic events or to identify novel therapeutic approaches for treating atherosclerotic disease. This has stymied the development of more effective therapeutic approaches for reducing these events beyond what has been achieved with aggressive lipid lowering. Here, we describe a diet-inducible mouse model that develops widespread advanced atherosclerosis in coronary, brachiocephalic, and carotid arteries with plaque rupture, MI, and stroke.

METHODS:

We characterized a novel mouse model with a C-terminal mutation in the scavenger receptor class B, type 1 (SR-BI), combined with
Ldlr
knockout (designated SR-BI
∆CT/∆CT
/
Ldlr

−/−

). Mice were fed Western diet (WD) for 26 weeks and analyzed for MI and stroke. Coronary, brachiocephalic, and carotid arteries were analyzed for atherosclerotic lesions and indices of plaque stability. To validate the utility of this model, SR-BI
∆CT/∆CT
/
Ldlr

−/−

mice were treated with the drug candidate AZM198, which inhibits myeloperoxidase, an enzyme produced by activated neutrophils that predicts rupture of human atherosclerotic lesions.

RESULTS:

SR-BI
∆CT/∆CT
/
Ldlr

−/−

mice show high (>80%) mortality rates after 26 weeks of WD feeding because of major adverse cardiovascular events, including spontaneous plaque rupture with MI and stroke. Moreover, WD-fed SR-BI
∆CT/∆CT
/
Ldlr

−/−

mice displayed elevated circulating high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and increased neutrophil extracellular trap formation within lesions compared with control mice. Treatment of WD-fed SR-BI
∆CT/∆CT
/
Ldlr

−/−

mice with AZM198 showed remarkable benefits, including >90% improvement in survival and >60% decrease in the incidence of plaque rupture, MI, and stroke, in conjunction with decreased circulating high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and reduced neutrophil extracellular trap formation within lesions.

CONCLUSIONS:

WD-fed SR-BI
∆CT/∆CT
/
Ldlr

−/−

mice more closely replicate late-stage clinical events of advanced human atherosclerotic disease than previous models and can be used to identify and test potential new therapeutic agents to prevent major adverse cardiac events.
Neural Mechanisms of Learning and Consolidation of Morphologically Derived Words in a Novel Language: Evidence From Hebrew Speakers
Authors: Nathaniel Upasana , Eidelsztein Stav , Geskin Kate Girsh , Yamasaki Brianna L. , Nir Bracha , Dronjic Vedran , Booth James R. , Bitan Tali
Published: June 2024

We examined neural mechanisms associated with the learning of novel morphologically derived words in native Hebrew speakers within the Complementary Learning Systems (CLS) framework. Across four sessions, 28 participants were trained on an artificial language, which included two types of morphologically complex words: linear (root + suffix) with a salient structure, and non-linear (root interleaved with template), with a prominent derivational structure in participants’ first language (L1). A third simple monomorphemic condition, which served as baseline, was also included. On the first and fourth sessions, training was followed by testing in an fMRI scanner. Our behavioural results showed decomposition of both types of complex words, with the linear structure more easily learned than the non-linear structure. Our fMRI results showed involvement of frontal areas, associated with decomposition, only for the non-linear condition, after just the first session. We also observed training-related increases in activation in temporal areas specifically for the non-linear condition, which was correlated with participants’ L1 morphological awareness. These results demonstrate that morphological decomposition of derived words occurs in the very early stages of word learning, is influenced by L1 experience, and can facilitate word learning. However, in contrast to the CLS framework, we found no support for a shift from reliance on hippocampus to reliance on cortical areas in any of our conditions. Instead, our findings align more closely with recent theories showing a positive correlation between changes in hippocampus and cortical areas, suggesting that these representations co-exist and continue to interact with one another beyond initial learning.
Colletotrichum paridis sp. nov., a novel endophytic species on Paris polyphylla var. chinensis
Authors: CUI HUA-WEI , MALIK KAMRAN , XUE LONG-HAI , WEI XUE-KAI
Published: June 2024

The genus Paris is a crucial medicinal herb, widely cultivated in East Asia and Europe. In 2017 a novel Colletotrichum species was isolated from leaf lesions with grey mould of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis in Sichuan Province of China. Through single-spore technique, four isolates were obtained for characterization. Phylogeny inferred from multi-locus sequences of ITS, gapdh, act, tub2, chs-1, and his3, showed that these isolates represented a novel sister species to C. jinshuiense within the C. dematium complex. Morphologically, this new species produces larger conidia than those of C. jinshuiense and cultures on PDA show a noticeable pink ring. Tests showed that this species had no pathogenicity to the host plants. Based on phylogenetic, morphological, and pathogenicity data, we propose the name C. paridis sp. nov. for this new endophyte from P. polyphylla in China.
New species of gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Aulacideini and Phanacidini) inducing galls on plants of the genera Sonchus and Crepis (Asteraceae) in Romania (Dobrogea Province) and notes on their parasitoids
Authors: ŞCHIOPU ION , TATAROǦLU MUSA , KATILMIŞ YUSUF
Published: June 2024

Two new species of herb gall wasps (Hym., Cynipidae) developing on plants in the genera Sonchus L. and Crepis L. (Asteraceae) are described from Southeastern Romania (Dobrogea Province): Aulacidea andriescui sp. n. gall inducer on Sonchus palustris L. and Phanacis dobrogicus sp. n. gall maker on Crepis foetida subsp. rhoeadifolia (M. Bieb.) Čelak. In addition to the diagnosis, identification, morphological description, life-cycle, geographical distribution, photos of gall and host plant, and SEM images, data on the associated fauna obtained from the galls of the two new species are also presented.
Neighborhood Ensemble Copula Coupling: Smoother and Sharper Calibrated Ensembles
Authors: Trotta Belinda
Published: June 2024

Ensemble copula coupling (Schefzik et al.) is a widely used method to produce a calibrated ensemble from a calibrated probabilistic forecast. This process improves the statistical accuracy of the ensemble; in other words, the distribution of the calibrated ensemble members at each grid point more closely approximates the true expected distribution. However, the trade-off is that the individual members are often less physically realistic than the original ensemble: there is noisy variation among neighboring grid points, and, depending on the calibration method, extremes in the original ensemble are sometimes muted. We introduce neighborhood ensemble copula coupling (N-ECC), a simple modification of ECC designed to mitigate these problems. We show that, when used with the calibrated forecasts produced by Flowerdew’s (Flowerdew) reliability calibration, N-ECC improves both the visual plausibility and the statistical properties of the forecast.

Significance Statement

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses physical models of the atmosphere to produce a set of scenarios (called an ensemble) describing possible weather outcomes. These forecasts are used in other models to produce weather forecasts and warnings of extreme events. For example, NWP forecasts of rainfall are used in hydrological models to predict the probability of flooding. However, the raw NWP forecasts require statistical postprocessing to ensure that the range of scenarios they describe accurately represents the true range of possible outcomes. This paper introduces a new method of processing NWP forecasts to produce physically realistic, well-calibrated ensembles.
Identification of Bloodstains by Species Using Extreme Learning Machine and Hyperspectral Imaging Technology
Authors: Jianqiang Zhang , Xinyu Zhang , Caiping Lin , Ying Liang , Huihui Ren , Hanyu Zhu , Xingshuai Peng , Jiateng Wang , Yantong Shang , Chengyun Peng , Qifu Yang
Published: June 2024

How to identify bloodstains and obtain some potential evidence is of great significance for solving criminal cases. First, the spectral data of different species of bloodstain samples (human blood and animal blood) were acquired by using a hyperspectral imager. Then, an extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithm was used to build the training models of different species of bloodstain samples. Meanwhile, two traditional support vector machine and random forest classification algorithms were also compared with the ELM algorithm. The prediction results showed that the precision, sensitivity, specificity, and F1 score of the ELM algorithm were the highest. This indicates that hyperspectral technology, together with an ELM algorithm, could identify bloodstain species rapidly, non-destructively, and accurately. It has provided a new technical reference for bloodstain detection and identification.
Lost in Translation-Why an Independent Institutional Identity of Islamic Banks Failed to Emerge?
Authors: Madani Haider , Kebbi Amr , Khalid Nainar S. M.
Published: June 2024

We examined the current field identity of Islamic banks and its evolution. We conducted interviews with 44 Sharia (Islamic law) scholars and related professionals in the fields of Islamic and conventional banking, representing nine jurisdictions. We found that Islamic banks are still hybrid organizations belonging to two equally powerful fields of Islamic law (Sharia) and conventional banking. Consequently, Islamic banks abide by two completely different institutional logics. The hybrid identity of Islamic banks resultantly became static due to institutional pressures exerted by both root fields. We discuss how hybrid fields evolve focusing on the conditions that prevent hybrid field identities from becoming independent. We also contribute to the literature on elastic hybrid identity of organizations by theorizing an elastic fatigue model. Finally, we suggest some practical motions to boost the static hybrid identity of Islamic banks and transform it to an elastic one.
The production and performance of status: Behind the scenes of an international summit
Authors: Naylor Tristen
Published: June 2024

This article examines how international summits are produced as status symbols, arguing that a host’s successful management of the event maintains summitry as a high-status practice, while hosting itself serves as a means to acquire status, owing to the complexity and risk involved. Drawing on elements of practice and performance theories, it articulates how and why status symbols can be understood as performative practices, reworking how Veblen is predominantly used in International Relations (IR), shifting from a focus on conspicuous consumption to conspicuous performance, while adopting a more expansive conceptualisation of status symbols, as one finds in Goffman. Exploring the manipulability of summitry as a status symbol, the article draws on an ethnography of the 2018 Charlevoix G7 summit, offering a ‘behind the scenes’ look at how a host produces a summit’s constitutive ‘showpiece moments’, zeroing-in on three key elements: a host’s scenario handbook, command centre and media centre. In addition to proposing theoretical and conceptual innovation in the study of international status, the article expands the scope of summit studies beyond a traditional focus on statespeople negotiating agreements, inviting exploration of summitry’s performative and symbolic dimensions.
Political Polarization Triggers Conservatives’ Misinformation Spread to Attain Ingroup Dominance
Authors: Zhu Xiajing , Pechmann Cornelia (Connie)
Published: June 2024

Conservatives are often blamed for spreading misinformation, but it is unclear whether certain situations trigger them and, if so, why. The authors examine situations that are politically polarized, meaning the topic and/or its framing conveys conflict, discord, or disagreement between the two main political parties (conservatives and liberals). The authors study whether conservatives react to polarized situations by spreading ingroup-skewed political misinformation that is objectively inaccurate but not necessarily understood to be false and whether liberals are less reactive. Using a multimethod approach, the authors conduct six studies, including analyses of statements by public figures and speeches by U.S. presidents, as well as controlled experiments. The results indicate that in polarized situations, conservatives’ need for ingroup dominance is elevated, so they convey more misinformation than liberals. In less polarized situations, conservatives’ need for ingroup dominance is tempered, reducing their misinformation conveyance. These findings suggest that misinformation should not be blamed solely on the individual trait of conservativism, as polarized situations exaggerate conservative motives and behaviors. While news media, social media, political figures, and others may be incentivized to emphasize political polarization to gain audiences and bolster engagement, the resulting misinformation harms truth, trust, and democracy. Possible remedies include improved fact-checking and media literacy education.
Clustering on heterogeneous IoT information network based on meta path
Authors: Zhao Kuo , Zhang Huajian , Li Jiaxin , Pan Qifu , Lai Li , Nie Yike , Zhang Zhongfei
Published: June 2024

As the Internet and Internet of Things (IoT) continue to develop, Heterogeneous Information Networks (HIN) have formed complex interaction relationships among data objects. These relationships are represented by various types of edges (meta-paths) that contain rich semantic information. In the context of IoT data applications, the widespread adoption of Trigger-Action Patterns makes the management and analysis of heterogeneous data particularly important. This study proposes a meta-path-based clustering method for heterogeneous IoT data called I-RankClus, which aims to improve the modeling and analysis efficiency of IoT data. By combining ranking with clustering algorithms, the PageRank algorithm was used to calculate the intraclass influence of objects in the network. The HITS algorithm then transfers the influence to the core objects, thereby optimizing the classification of objects during the clustering process. The I-RankClus algorithm does not process each meta-path individually, but instead integrates multiple meta-paths to enhance the interpretability and clustering performance of the model. The experimental results show that the I-RankClus algorithm can process complex IoT datasets more effectively than traditional clustering methods and provide more accurate clustering outcomes. Furthermore, through a detailed analysis of meta-paths, this study explored the influence and importance of different meta-paths, thereby validating the effectiveness of the algorithm. Overall, the research presented in this paper not only improves the application effects of HINs in IoT data analysis but also provides valuable methods and insights for future network data processing.
Book review: S. K. Bose and S. Bose (Eds), Chalo Delhi: Writings and Speeches 1943–1945, Netaji Collected Works, Volume 12
Authors: Banerjee Ruman
Published: June 2024

S. K. Bose and S. Bose (Eds), Chalo Delhi: Writings and Speeches 1943–1945, Netaji Collected Works, Volume 12. Orient BlackSwan, 2021, 450 pp., ₹375 (paperback). ISBN: 9789354420412.
To confront or not to confront? Seeing minorities’ responses to ethnoracial stigmatisation through Goffman’s ritual interaction order
Authors: Vassenden Anders , Handulle Ayan , Orupabo Julia
Published: June 2024

The last decade has seen a proliferation of sociological research on minorities’ responses to ethnoracial stigmatisation. Compared to social and cultural structures, face-to-face interaction has thus far received insufficient theoretical attention, even though social situations are a prime site for stigmatisation. This has resulted in three shortcomings in the research: (1) a tacit individual–structure dualism; (2) neglect of situational variation; and (3) neglect of dialogical concerns behind people’s responses. Building on 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with Norwegians of ethnic and/or racial minority backgrounds, and homing in on non-confrontations to ambiguous stigmatisation, we investigate the role of face-to-face interaction as such. We rely on Erving Goffman’s theories of interaction order and interaction ritual. The interaction order highlights social interaction’s semi-autonomous existence vis-a-vis both human personalities and social structures, and is sustained by interaction ritual, that is, the mutual protection of selves in interaction. Among our key findings is that non-confrontations are concurrently self- and other-oriented, mirroring Goffman’s concept of facework. Regarding situational variation, we distinguish, for instance, situations of hierarchy from those of assumed equality; interactions with strangers from established relations; situations framed by professional ethics from those not; work from private settings and public spaces.
De-communalising the hot pot: Chinese cuisine in Australia during COVID-19
Authors: Holleran Max
Published: June 2024

This article examines the individualisation of communal hot pot restaurants using a ‘do-it-yourself’ (DIY) model of self-service that has been popularised internationally and allows patrons to eat alone. Using restaurant reviews from three Australian cities, it shows how the reception of this new style of dining is discussed as an aspect of loneliness, migration, nostalgia and belonging. Drawing on a sample primarily of migrants and Asian Australians, it demonstrates how restaurants became more fraught spaces during the coronavirus pandemic for epidemiological as well as geopolitical reasons. It ends by discussing the constant need for restaurants to innovate and seek out market niches while also providing spaces for nostalgia and tradition for migrant communities.
Mutual submission, not complementarianism: Reviving the Chinese marital theology of Watchman Nee and Wang Mingdao
Authors: Stasson Anneke H.
Published: June 2024

Many Christians in both America and China follow an ideology that has come to be known as gender complementarianism. The husband is the undisputed “head of the household” and the wife must graciously submit to his leadership and decision-making, even if she disagrees with him. During the 2000s, complementarian theology espoused by American parachurch organizations FamilyLife and Focus on the Family spread in China. Today, many house church Christians advocate complementarianism. However, back in the 1940s and 50s, several important (fundamentalist and mainline) Chinese Christian leaders saw Christian marriage more in terms of mutual submission than gendered hierarchy. Rather than seeing husbands as more responsible for leadership and decision-making than wives, Watchman Nee, Wang Mingdao, and the people involved in the Christianizing the Home movement highlighted the need for both spouses to sacrifice, cultivate intimacy, forgive, and communicate well. This may not be the dominant vision of marriage in Chinese house churches today, but it is a long-standing tradition in Chinese Protestant history, one that some individuals in China today are continuing to put forward.
Automatic Quantitative Assessment of Muscle Strength Based on Deep Learning and Ultrasound
Authors: Yang Xiao , Zhang Beilei , Liu Ying , Lv Qian , Guo Jianzhong
Published: June 2024

Skeletal muscle is a vital organ that promotes human movement and maintains posture. Accurate assessment of muscle strength is helpful to provide valuable insights for athletes’ rehabilitation and strength training. However, traditional techniques rely heavily on the operator’s expertise, which may affect the accuracy of the results. In this study, we propose an automated method to evaluate muscle strength using ultrasound and deep learning techniques. B-mode ultrasound data of biceps brachii of multiple athletes at different strength levels were collected and then used to train our deep learning model. To evaluate the effectiveness of this method, this study tested the contraction of the biceps brachii under different force levels. The classification accuracy of this method for grade 4 and grade 6 muscle strength reached 98% and 96%, respectively, and the overall average accuracy was 93% and 87%, respectively. The experimental results confirm that the innovative methods in this paper can accurately and effectively evaluate and classify muscle strength.
Navigating pandemic waves: Consensus, polarisation and pluralism in the Finnish parliament during COVID-19
Authors: Lehtonen Janne , Ylä-Anttila Tuukka
Published: June 2024

This article studies how the COVID crisis affected polarisation, politicisation and consensus in Finnish parliamentary discourse, a case in which we expect pluralist political institutions and culture to mitigate polarisation. In addition to the empirical contribution, we add to the theory of polarisation by drawing from Chantal Mouffe’s theory of plural democracy to argue that the opposite of polarisation may take the form of a depoliticised consensus or a pluralism of legitimate positions (‘agonism’). Furthermore, we apply Norman and Isabela Fairclough’s political discourse analysis to studying polarisation qualitatively, arguing that scrutiny of argumentative premises enables assessment of how profound certain political conflicts are. Studying 485 parliamentary speeches given in 2020–2021, we argue that a morally charged consensus imperative with nationalistic overtones quickly developed in Spring 2020, and pluralism gradually re-emerged later. The article highlights that while polarisation can threaten democracy, so can moralisation and enforced consensus.