bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural transformation in Pd nanoclusters induced by Cu doping: an ADFT study
Authors: Santiago-Silva L. , Cruz-Martínez H. , Rojas-Chávez H. , López-Sosa L. , Calaminici P.
Published: February 2025

Context

Transition metal nanoparticles have gained great importance due to their promising applications in various fields such as energy, electronics, medicine, and agriculture. For these applications, materials with outstanding properties are currently required. Therefore, different strategies have been established to improve the properties of pure nanoparticles such as alloying, doping, and formation of composites. Among these strategies, doping is gaining great importance because it has been demonstrated that doped nanoparticles have better properties than pure nanoparticles. Therefore, it is essential to know the role of doping on the structures and properties of clusters with more than 16 atoms. Consequently, in this study, we propose a theoretical study of structures and properties focusing on pure Pd19, Cu-doped Pd18 (Pd18Cu), and Cu2-doped Pd17 (Pd17Cu2) nanoclusters and thus elucidate the role of Cu atoms on the structures and properties of larger doped Pd nanoclusters than those already presented in the literature. We have selected a nanocluster with 19 atoms since the most stable structure of this system is characterized by defined shapes such as octahedron or double-icosahedron.

Methods

Ground state structures and properties of Pd19, Pd18Cu, and Pd17Cu2 nanoclusters were studied using the auxiliary density functional theory (ADFT), as implemented in the deMon2k code. For obtaining the ground state structures of Pd19, Pd18Cu, and Pd17Cu2 nanoclusters, several dozen initial structures were taken along Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) trajectories and subsequently optimized without symmetry restrictions. The optimizations were performed with the revised PBE functional in combination with TZVP-GGA for the Cu atoms and using an 18-electron QECP|SD basis set for the Pd atoms. Different energetic and electronic properties were calculated for the most stable structures of Pd19, Pd18Cu, and Pd17Cu2 nanoclusters. Interestingly, when the Pd nanocluster is doped with two Cu atoms (Pd17Cu2), there is a structural transition, because the most stable structures for Pd19 and Pd18Cu are icosahedral. While the Pd17Cu nanocluster is characterized for a double-icosahedral-base structure. The binding energy per atom increases when the Cu concentration in the nanoclusters increases. According to the HOMO–LUMO gap, the chemical reactivity of the nanoclusters tends to increase as the Cu content in the nanoclusters increases.
Supporting adaptive pathways planning using archetypes for climate adaptation
Authors: Di Fant Valeria , Middelkoop Hans , Dunn Frances E. , Haasnoot Marjolijn
Published: February 2025

Adaptive pathways planning supports adaptation under deep uncertainty. The approach has been broadly applied, resulting in the development of multiple methods and tools. As a result, practitioners are not only challenged with the urgent and complex task of adaptation planning but may also have difficulties in selecting adequate methods. With this research, we introduce three adaptive pathways planning archetypes that represent typologies of contexts (e.g. a city or a region) based on Adaptation Awareness and Capacity. We validate them with local coastal adaptation data. The archetype is determined at a specific moment in time, and a context can evolve from one archetype to another over time by further developing Adaptation Awareness and/or Capacity. The archetypes aim to guide practitioners in selecting methods and tools for adaptive pathways planning. For this purpose, a questionnaire is developed for practitioners to position their case within the archetypes. Based on literature and interviews, we provide recommendations of adaptive pathways planning methods and tools for each archetype. We illustrate the approach for Venice, Italy. Our results confirm how each archetype can develop adaptive pathways with fit-for-purpose methods and tools. Considering the recently started 7th IPCC assessment cycle and implementation of the work program on the global goal on adaptation, it is worthwhile to consider how the archetypes presented here may provide adequate tools for meta-assessments of the status of adaptation worldwide.
Why is the Earth System Oscillating at a 6-Year Period?
Authors: Cazenave Anny , Pfeffer Julia , Mandea Mioara , Dehant Véronique , Gillet Nicolas
Published: February 2025

A 6-year cycle has long been recognized to influence the Earth’s rotation, the internal magnetic field and motions in the fluid Earth’s core. Recent observations have revealed that a 6-year cycle also affects the angular momentum of the atmosphere and several climatic parameters, including global mean sea level rise, precipitation, land hydrology, Arctic surface temperature, ocean heat content and natural climate modes. In this review, we first present observational evidences supporting the existence of a 6-year cycle in the Earth system, from its deep interior to the climate system. We then explore potential links between the Earth’s core, mantle and atmosphere that might explain the observations, and investigate various mechanisms that could drive the observed 6-year oscillation throughout the whole Earth system.
Adopting Maker Education: A Comparative Analysis of Intentions Between In-Service and Pre-Service STEM Teachers
Authors: Cheng Ya-Wen , Chen Cheng-Huan , Chen Nian-Shing
Published: February 2025

This study aims to investigate whether there are differences in the intentions to adopt maker education between in-service and pre-service teachers. It also seeks to identify the key factors affecting their intentions, providing insights for tailoring professional development (PD) training programs to meet the needs of teachers at different career stages. A hybrid maker-based PD program was designed and offered to both in-service and pre-service teachers. The participants' behavioral intentions to adopt maker education were assessed after the PD program using an extended Theory of Planned Behavior model. The intentions of in-service and pre-service teachers were examined, and the key factors affecting their intentions were identified using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed that pre-service teachers had significantly lower intentions to adopt maker education compared to in-service teachers. For pre-service teachers, attitude was the key factor influencing their intentions, while for in-service teachers, subjective norms played a crucial role. These findings highlight the importance of tailored PD for teachers at different career stages.
Butterfly diversity in relation to the CORINE land cover of the Culuccia Peninsula (Sardinia, Italy)
Authors: Annessi Matteo , Marzialetti Flavio , Marconi Marilena , Acosta Alicia Teresa Rosario , Di Giulio Andrea
Published: February 2025

Several studies have highlighted the global decline of pollinator insects, with Lepidoptera being particularly affected in large parts of Europe in recent decades. Given the important biogeographic and conservation implications from faunal studies on the large Mediterranean islands, we focused on assessing butterfly diversity within the Culuccia Peninsula in north-eastern Sardinia (Italy). This area, characterized by an environmental mosaic largely untouched by human activities over the last century, is still unknown in terms of flora and fauna. For this reason, we compiled the first butterfly checklist of the Culuccia Peninsula and produced a detailed land cover map of the area to investigate the influence of the land use classes on Lepidoptera communities across seasons. The butterflies were sampled in five sessions from April to October 2022, along seven fixed transects selected to cover land use classes representative of natural and human-exploited areas for agriculture and grazing. Despite the small size of the study area, 23 of the 56 species present in Sardinia were recorded. The butterfly communities presented high dissimilarity across the different land use classes, which was driven primarily by species turnover. Significant differences in Lepidoptera diversity were observed between land cover classes with sparse vegetation and dense maquis, with higher species richness observed in the former. Shrub-dominated land use classes were associated with cooler butterfly communities compared to open environments, suggesting that they could serve as refugia in response to predicted climate change.
Determining What is Common: A Theoretical Account of Common Factors in Psychotherapy through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory
Authors: Baier-Mosch Franziska , Weiher Gerald Marc , Kananian Schahryar
Published: February 2025

The common factors hypothesis as an explanation for the equivalent therapy outcome paradox has stimulated numerous empirical and theoretical studies. However, the existing common factors models (e.g., the contextual model) have hardly succeeded in convincingly linking the quite different common factors and at the same time considering their different conceptualization as technique (e.g., exposure) or process (e.g., expectations). We attempt to overcome these limitations by showing how common factors can be explained and linked against the background of the well-known self-determination theory (SDT). In particular, we will show how common factors can be integrated in the context of SDT concepts of basic psychological needs satisfaction (autonomy, relatedness and competence) and integration of experiences and extrinsic regulations into a unified sense of self. We will argue that repeatedly proposed common factors (e.g., awareness/insight, emotion/behavior regulation, positive expectations/hope, social belonging) can be understood as processes of either autonomy, competence or relatedness need satisfaction and autonomous regulation that lead to positive patient outcomes. Furthermore, we will show how common factors that are techniques rather than change processes (e.g., alliance building) can trigger the common change processes that reflect basic need satisfaction and autonomous regulation.
A comprehensive benchmark of machine learning-based algorithms for medium-term electric vehicle charging demand prediction
Authors: Tolun Ömer Can , Zor Kasım , Tutsoy Onder
Published: February 2025

The current difficulties faced by evolutionary smart grids, as well as the widespread electric vehicles (EVs) into the modernised electric power system, highlight the crucial balance between electricity generation and consumption. Focusing on renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels can provide an enduring environment for future generations by mitigating the impacts of global warming. At this time, the popularity of EVs has been ascending day by day due to the fact that they have several advantages such as being environmentally friendly and having better mileage performance in city driving over conventional vehicles. Despite the merits of the EVs, there are also a few disadvantages consisting of the integration of the EVs into the existing infrastructure and their expensiveness by means of initial investment cost. In addition to those, machine learning (ML)-based techniques are usually employed in the EVs for battery management systems, drive performance, and passenger safety. This paper aims to implement an EV monthly charging demand prediction by using a novel technique based on an ensemble of Pearson correlation (PC) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) along with statistical and ML-based algorithms including seasonal auto-regressive integrated moving average with exogenous variables (SARIMAX), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) decision trees, gated recurrent unit (GRU) networks, long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, bidirectional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) and GRU (Bi-GRU) networks for the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Türkiye. The performance and error metrics, including determination coefficient (R

$$^2$$

2

), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute scaled error (MASE), are evaluated in a benchmarking manner. According to the obtained results, in Scenario 1, a hybrid of PC and XGBoost decision trees model achieved an R

$$^2$$

2

of 96.21%, MAPE of 5.52%, MAE of 6.5, and MASE of 0.195 with a training time of 2.08 s and a testing time of 0.016 s. In Scenario 2, a combination of ANOVA and XGBoost decision trees model demonstrated an R

$$^2$$

2

of 96.83%, a MAPE of 5.29%, a MAE of 6.0, and a MASE of 0.180 with a training time of 1.62 s and a testing time of 0.012 s. These findings highlight the superior accuracy and computational efficiency of the XGBoost models for both scenarios compared to others and reveal XGBoost's suitability for EV charging demand prediction.
Using the Community Cultural Wealth Model for Success: Students of Color Activating Familial Capital
Authors: Lewis Danielle Vegas , Taughrin Ryan , Iantosca Megan
Published: February 2025

Social mobility programs that put low-income students of Color from urban environments in high-achieving, predominantly white institutions aim to offer educational opportunity; however, they may not always recognize the resources that youth and their families bring to these programs and their schools. Drawing upon data from 37 interviews with program participants, we find that youth and their families utilize familial capital to gain information and resources. This assisted in providing access to the program, transitioning, and succeeding in it. Results of this study provide a more in-depth understanding of how youth make use of familial capital to pursue social mobility.
Comments on: Exploratory functional data analysis
Authors: Hyndman Rob J.
Published: February 2025

A useful approach to exploratory functional data analysis is to work in the lower-dimensional principal component space rather than in the original functional data space. I demonstrate this approach by finding anomalies in age-specific US mortality rates between 1933 and 2022. The same approach can be employed for many other standard data analysis tasks and has the advantage that it allows immediate use of the vast array of multivariate data analysis tools that already exist, rather than having to develop new tools for functional data.
Heuristics for the weighted total domination problem
Authors: Casado Alejandra , Sánchez-Oro Jesús , Martínez-Gavara Anna
Published: February 2025

The weighted total domination problem (WTDP) belongs to the family of dominating set problems. Given an edge- and vertex- weighted graph, the WTDP consists in selecting a total dominating set D, such that the sum of vertices and edges weights of the subgraph induced by D plus, for each vertex not in D, the minimum weight of its edge to a vertex in D is minimized. A total dominating set D is a subset of the graph’s vertices, such that every vertex, including those in D, is at least adjacent to one vertex in D. This problem arises in many real-life applications closely related to covering and independent set problems; however, it remains computationally challenging due to its

$$\mathcal{N}\mathcal{P}$$

N
P

-hardness. This work presents a variable neighborhood search (VNS) procedure to tackle the WTDP, and investigates the advantages and disadvantages of a multi-start strategy within VNS methodology. In addition, we develop a biased greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (Biased GRASP) that keeps adding elements once a feasible solution is found to produce high-quality initial solutions. We perform extensive numerical analysis to look into the influences of the algorithmic components and to disclose the contribution of the elements and strategies of our method. Finally, the empirical analysis shows that our proposal outperforms the state-of-art results, and the statistical analysis confirms the superiority of our proposal to find the best total dominating sets.
Urban forests as refuges for resilient species: a new species of Amblysellus Sleesman (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Central Mexico
Authors: Pinedo-Escatel Jorge Adilson , Blanco-Rodriguez Edith , Aponte-Mejia Olivia Esperanza
Published: February 2025

Urban parks within large metropolises hold valuable resources broadly useful for insects and may even harbor previously undiscovered species. Such parks also offer excellent opportunities to engage urban residents in citizen science activities that may not only foster greater appreciation for nature but also lead to new scientific discoveries. An example, reported here, is a new grass feeding leafhopper species of the genus Amblysellus, A. tenochtitlanum sp. n., found through a citizen science workshop in urban forests of Mexico City and its surroundings. The morphology of the new taxon is extensively detailed and illustrated. An updated key to all known species of Amblysellus in Mexico is also provided. Data retrieved from the workshops were used to evaluate the conservation status of the new species and its congeners following IUCN criteria, using museum specimens and published literature. We discuss the importance of involvement between citizen scientists and academia for insect surveys not only to provide educational opportunities but also to yield new data relevant to the conservation of poorly known species.
Green work-life synergy? Exploring pathways from green HRM to organizational environmental performance
Authors: Jerónimo Helena Mateus , Tigre Fernanda Bethlem , Henriques Paulo Lopes , Lourenço Margarida Constantino
Published: February 2025

Individuals’ environmental values, attitudes, and behavior are influenced by both personal and professional experiences. This interplay between individuals’ environmental mindset and work and private life is known as the green work-life balance, a concept that is part of the broader field of green HRM (Human Resource Management). The objective of this study is to examine how this interaction influences the relationship between green HRM and organizational environmental performance. To this end, we suggest a serial mediation analysis that, to the best of our knowledge, is a route not previously explored in the literature. Our data comes from 237 employees of a Portuguese consultancy firm that is certified for its pro-environmental practices and initiatives. The findings underscore the vital role of green HRM practices – specifically recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, and rewards – in promoting organizational environmental performance. Furthermore, they also highlight the importance of the serial mediation model as a novel framework for monitoring behavioral changes in employees exposed to green HRM practices, thus boosting long-term environmental performance. While adopting green behavior both at work and in personal life is advantageous, it has a lesser influence on organizational environmental performance compared to the strategic implementation of green HRM practices.
Music in intervention for children with autism: a review of the literature and discussion of implications
Authors: Zhao Luqian , Wang Yafei , Zhang Zheren
Published: February 2025

The prevalence of autism, especially in children, calls for professionals to develop more effective therapies for treatment. Music therapy has been used for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) since 1940s, although its treatment effect remains to be discussed. The current review aims to investigate the techniques used by literatures in this domain and to determine the evidence base for music therapy in intervention for children with ASD. After searching relevant database, a total of 217 articles were identified and 17 of them met the review’s inclusion criterion. DSP method is wildly used in music therapy, with various ways to include the musical elements in treatment. In general, music interventions were found to have treatment effect in areas of communication, socialization and behavior of children with ASD. The implications of these findings in terms of the use of music interventions, issues related to generalization and future direction are discussed.
On Lerch’s formula and zeros of the quadrilateral zeta function
Authors: Nakamura Takashi
Published: February 2025

Let

$$0 < a \le 1/2$$

0
<
a
≤
1
/
2

and define the quadrilateral zeta function by

$$2Q(s,a):= \zeta (s,a) + \zeta (s,1-a) + \mathrm{{Li}}_s (e^{2\pi ia}) + \mathrm{{Li}}_s(e^{2\pi i(1-a)})$$

2
Q

(
s
,
a
)

:
=
ζ

(
s
,
a
)

+
ζ

(
s
,
1
-
a
)

+

Li
s

(

e

2
π
i
a

)

+

Li
s

(

e

2
π
i
(
1
-
a
)

)

, where

$$\zeta (s,a)$$

ζ
(
s
,
a
)

is the Hurwitz zeta function and

$$\mathrm{{Li}}_s (e^{2\pi ia})$$

Li
s

(

e

2
π
i
a

)

is the periodic zeta function. In the present paper, we show that there exists a unique real number

$$a_0 \in (0,1/2)$$

a
0

∈

(
0
,
1
/
2
)

such that all real zeros of Q(s, a) are simple and are located only at the negative even integers just like

$$\zeta (s)$$

ζ
(
s
)

if and only if

$$a_0 < a \le 1/2$$

a
0

<
a
≤
1
/
2

. Moreover, we prove that Q(s, a) has infinitely many complex zeros in the region of absolute convergence and the critical strip when

$$a \in {\mathbb {Q}} \cap (0,1/2) \setminus \{1/6, 1/4, 1/3\}$$

a
∈
Q
∩
(
0
,
1
/
2
)
\
{
1
/
6
,
1
/
4
,
1
/
3
}

. The Lerch formula, Hadamard product formula, Riemann-von Mangoldt formula for Q(s, a) are also shown.
Kinetic modeling of the CaO-based sorption-enhanced water gas shift processing of biomass gasification producer gas
Authors: Castro Jhulimar , Leaver Jonathan , Pang Shusheng
Published: February 2025

The transition to sustainable energy has attracted strong interest worldwide in hydrogen production from biomass with integrated CO2 capture. The sorption-enhanced water–gas shift (SEWGS) process presents a promising approach for upgrading the biomass gasification producer gas with efficient carbon capture. In this study, a kinetic-based model for the SEWGS process using a CaO-based sorbent and biomass gasification producer gas as the feeding gas was developed in Aspen Plus. The model was validated against experimental data from the literature using pure CO feed and biomass gasification producer gas. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the impacts of key operating parameters, including carbonation temperature, steam-to-carbon ratio, and sorbent quantity, on the SEWGS process. The results of this study indicate that the optimum carbonation temperature is in the range of 650–700 °C with high reaction rates and high hydrogen yield. Increasing sorbent loading improves the CO2 capture efficiency, while the optimum H2O/CO ratio was found to be 3 with high CO conversion. Under the conditions of carbonation temperature of 650 °C, CaO/(CO + CO2) ratio of 20 and H2O/CO ratio of 3, the H2 concentration of the producer gas increased from 53 to 87 vol%. However, an excessively high H2O/CO ratio negatively impacts CO2 capture efficiency and decreases the H2 concentration.
Pathways and outputs orchestrated in tumor microenvironment cells by hypoxia-induced tumor-derived exosomes in pan-cancer
Authors: Capik Ozel , Karatas Omer Faruk
Published: February 2025

Hypoxia is a critical microenvironmental condition that plays a major role in driving tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Increasing evidence has revealed novel functions of hypoxia in intercellular communication. The hypoxia induced tumor derived exosomes (hiTDExs) released in high quantities by tumor cells under hypoxia are packed with unique cargoes that are essential for cancer cells’ interactions within their microenvironment. These hiTDExs facilitate not only immune evasion but also promote cancer cell growth, survival, angiogenesis, EMT, resistance to therapy, and the metastatic spread of the disease. Nevertheless, direct interventions targeting hypoxia signaling in cancer therapy face challenges related to tumor progression and resistance, limiting their clinical effectiveness. Therefore, deepening our understanding of the molecular processes through which hiTDExs remodels tumors and their microenvironment, as well as how tumor cells adjust to hypoxic conditions, remains essential. This knowledge will pave the way for novel approaches in treating hypoxic tumors. In this review, we discuss recent work revealing the hiTDExs mediated interactions between tumor and its microenvironment. We have described key hiTDExs cargos (lncRNA, circRNAs, cytokines, etc.) and their targets in the receipt cells, responsible for various biological effects. Moreover, we emphasized the importance of hiTDExs as versatile elements of cell communication in the tumor microenvironment. Finally, we highlighted the effects of hiTDExs on the molecular changes in target cells by executing molecular cargo transfer between cells and altering signaling pathways. Currently, hiTDExs show promise in the treatment of diseases. Understanding the molecular processes through which hiTDExs influence tumor behavior and their microenvironment, along with how tumor cells adapt to and survive in low-oxygen conditions, remains a central focus in cancer research, paving the way for innovative strategies in treating hypoxic tumors and enhancing immunotherapy.
Molecular detection of mecA gene from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical and environmental samples and its potential inhibition by phytochemicals using in vitro and in silico approach
Authors: Mohammed Mohammed M. , Isa Mustafa Alhaji , Abubakar Mustapha B. , Dikwa Abubakar Sadiq Baba , Kappo Abidemi Paul
Published: February 2025

The increasing prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has posed significant challenges in clinical and environmental settings. MRSA's resistance is attributed to the mecA gene, which encodes the penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), conferring resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. This study aimed to molecularly detect the mecA gene in MRSA isolates from clinical and environmental samples and identify potential inhibitors of PBP2a using in vitro and in silico approaches. A total of 180 samples were collected, isolating 64 Staphylococcus aureus strains, of which 10 (37%) were confirmed as MRSA. Molecular detection confirmed the presence of the mecA gene in these isolates. Phytochemical analysis of Acacia nilotica and Mangifera indica extracts revealed bioactive compounds with antimicrobial properties. In vitro antimicrobial testing showed the plant extracts demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against MRSA, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 0 to 6.20 mg/mL. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation analyses identified three compounds (CID_628694, CID_546930, and CID_620007) with strong binding affinities and stable interactions with PBP2a, suggesting their potential as novel inhibitors. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of phytochemicals in combating MRSA and provide a basis for future experimental validations.
Race realism goes both ways
Authors: DeSalle Rob , Tattersall Ian
Published: February 2025

We examine the philosophy of race from the perspective of the identified problems with such a philosophy – domain problems, deference problems and mismatch problems. Any philosophy of race should consider at least two domains of human endeavor – the social and the natural. In most cases the social domain defers to the natural domain for a biological explanation for race. Some researchers suggest that there is an impasse in the natural domain that keeps the door open for a biological explanation of race. We examine this purported impasse and conclude that there is a complete lack of scientific support for the existence of human races, and that hence the impasse is a mirage. The inference of no biological races is not, however, a non-result. The consequent lack of support for biological races can be acknowledged by social scientists in formulating their social domain-oriented ontology of race.
Coal burst spatio-temporal prediction method based on bidirectional long short-term memory network
Authors: Yang Xu , Liu Yapeng , Cao Anye , Liu Yaoqi , Wang Changbin , Zhao Weiwei , Niu Qiang
Published: February 2025

The increasingly severe state of coal burst disaster has emerged as a critical factor constraining coal mine safety production, and it has become a challenging task to enhance the accuracy of coal burst disaster prediction. To address the issue of insufficient exploration of the spatio-temporal characteristic of microseismic data and the challenging selection of the optimal time window size in spatio-temporal prediction, this paper integrates deep learning methods and theory to propose a novel coal burst spatio-temporal prediction method based on Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) network. The method involves three main modules, including microseismic spatio-temporal characteristic indicators construction, temporal prediction model, and spatial prediction model. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, engineering application tests are conducted at a high-risk working face in the Ordos mining area of Inner Mongolia, focusing on 13 high-energy microseismic events with energy levels greater than 105 J. In terms of temporal prediction, the analysis indicates that the temporal prediction results consist of 10 strong predictions and 3 medium predictions, and there is no false alarm detected throughout the entire testing period. Moreover, compared to the traditional threshold-based coal burst temporal prediction method, the accuracy of the proposed method is increased by 38.5%. In terms of spatial prediction, the distribution of spatial prediction results for high-energy events comprises 6 strong hazard predictions, 3 medium hazard predictions, and 4 weak hazard predictions.
Open Innovation in Family-Owned Firms
Authors: Peruzzi Valentina
Published: February 2025

This paper investigates the impact of family ownership on firms’ adoption of open innovation strategies. Using data from the VIII UniCredit “Survey on small and medium-sized enterprises”, we find that family ownership is positively and significantly associated with the adoption of open innovation models by firms. The propensity to engage in open innovation by family firms is particularly pronounced in firms involved in product innovation and in collaborations with suppliers. The paper also delves into the inherent characteristics of family owners, emphasizing that the positive association between family ownership and open innovation is largely driven by their long-term perspective and relational abilities.
Playing Fast and Loose with Article 31(3)(c) VCLT: Lessons on Systemic Integration from the ITLOS Climate Change Opinion
Authors: Thin Sarah
Published: February 2025

Systemic integration as a means of treaty interpretation in international law is receiving increasing attention in both scholarship and jurisprudence. Most recently, it featured prominently in the much-anticipated Advisory Opinion of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on climate change. This article analyses the Tribunal’s approach to systemic integration under Article 31(3)(c) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, its potential consequences, and the lessons that may be drawn therefrom. It characterises the Tribunal’s approach as both expansive, in the sense that it stretches to breaking point certain elements of the Vienna Convention rules, and selective, in the sense that it does so exclusively in relation to international environmental law despite calls from participants in the proceedings to engage with international human rights standards. Each of these facets of the Tribunal’s application of Article 31(3)(c) are explored and critiqued in detail. The article concludes with a call for greater clarity and transparency in the application of systemic integration by international courts and tribunals.
Comparable insecticidal efficacy of three locally obtained inert dusts and commercial formulation of diatomaceous earth against adults of bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus [Say], Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)
Authors: Novljan Monica , Bohinc Tanja , Indihar Eva , Batistič Luka , Trdan Stanislav
Published: February 2025

We studied the contact efficacy (surface treatment) of six types of inert dusts in controlling the bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus [Say], Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), including zeolite, quartz sand, Slovenian diatomaceous earth (DE), wood ash of fir trees (Abies alba L.), wood ash of Norway spruce trees (Picea alba L.), and Silicosec®; the latest being a commercial brand of DE. The two concentrations of dust of 10 and 20 g/m2 were tested, in which the dust was used to treat common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as a contact treatment inside a Petri dish. Fifteen adult weevils were introduced into each Petri dish, and the weevil mortality was counted on days 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. On the 7th day, the surviving weevils were transferred into a new Petri dish filled with beans without the dust treatment, and then the delayed mortality of the weevils was counted on days 8, 9, 10, 11, and 14. A set of experiments consist of nine repetitions, and four sets were made to observe them under four combinations of two storage temperatures (20 and 25 °C) and two storage RH (55 and 75%). The analysis shows that the corrected mortality and delayed mortality were influenced by the day of exposure, dust type, concentration, storage temperature, and RH. The lower concentration of 10 g/m2 was effective enough to control the bean weevil, while the corrected mortalities were higher at 25 °C compared to 20 °C. The efficacy of fir and Norway spruce wood ashes and Slovenian DE was as high as that of SilicoSec®, which can cause 100% weevil mortality after 4 days. Those three types of inert dusts are strongly recommended as a non-chemical material to control bean weevils A. obtectus in common bean storage.
A sensitive genetic screen reveals that BAK1 kinase activity is required for its functions in plant immunity, development and cell death control
Authors: Cui Fuhao , Sun Wei , Xu Guangyuan , Liu Meitong , Zhou Jinggeng , Sun Wenxian
Published: February 2025

To dissect the signaling networks that orchestrate immune gene expression, we developed a sensitive genetic screen using an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-mutagenized population of Arabidopsis transgenic plants. These plants carry an early immune responsive gene FRK1 (flg22-induced receptor-like kinase 1) promoter fused with a luciferase (LUC) reporter. A series of mutants with altered pFRK1::LUC activity were identified and named as Arabidopsis genes governing immune gene expression (aggie). The aggie5 mutant showed reduced pFRK1::LUC induction in response to multiple MAMPs treatments. Moreover, the activation of the endogenous FRK1 gene by MAMPs was also compromised in aggie5. Significantly, the bacterial flagellin epitope flg22-induced MAPK activation, ROS production, and immune-related gene expression were reduced in aggie5. Map-based cloning coupled with next-generation sequencing revealed that aggie5 encodes a kinase-inactive BAK1, which is involved in brassinosteroid responses, innate immunity, and cell death control. Consistently, the aggie5/bak1-16 mutant displayed compromised responses to BR treatment. Furthermore, the aggie5/bak1-16 mutant exhibited seedling lethality when combined with the mutation of its closest homolog BKK1/SERK4. The data suggest that BAK1 kinase activity is required for its multiple functions in plant immunity, development, and cell death control. The isolation and characterization of these Aggie genes will contribute to a better understanding of host immune signaling and provide genetic resources to improve crop resistance.
Kaartdijin Bidi (Learning Journey): Place-based Cultural Regeneration at University
Authors: Wooltorton Sandra , Stephenson Lauren , Ardzejewska Kathie , Collard Len
Published: February 2025

Imagine being in a university that functions in a place-based culturally regenerative way. In this concept paper, the authors bring together theory, practice, and experience, in the service of transforming universities towards place-based cultural regeneration. At present, Australian universities operate using an economic philosophy of neoliberal corporatism characterised by hierarchical management strategies, competitive tendencies, patriarchal values, and discourse characterised by bifurcation or binary thinking. These features illustrate a worldview that is entangled with the meta crises of our times such as climate change, species loss, hatred/intolerance, and unfathomable violence. The authors consider ways of moving towards a place-based, Indigenous-informed, practical, relational way of learning, being and knowing differently. The paper tentatively assembles a local, place-based culturally regenerative worldview based on living, vibrant, responsive places that embrace people who collaborate with Country – in the Indigenous sense of deep relationality. Within this worldview, the authors propose collaborative ways of governing, teaching, learning, and leading that is necessary for place-based cultural regeneration. In conclusion, the authors outline a pathway towards universities as places of regenerative cultures, which prioritise the nurturing of learning to live and work beyond the current societal paralysis on the road to collapse.
Gender Equality in World Athletics: Transnational Norm Development by Private International Organizations
Authors: Krech Michele
Published: February 2025

This Article examines how World Athletics, a private regulatory body, has shaped the legal norm of gender equality. Focusing on three landmark legal challenges to World Athletics’ regulation of gender, this Article shows how the organization has constructed the meaning of gender equality as it has pursued global, monopolistic, and autonomous authority. World Athletics has retrofitted this norm to align with its longstanding regulatory practices by essentializing women, coopting rivalrous actors, and depoliticizing sex. In doing so, the organization has repeatedly construed and constrained the meaning of gender equality to bolster its private regulatory authority.
Implied Terms In Treaties
Authors: Miles Cameron
Published: February 2025

Can treaty terms be implied? And, if so, what does that mean? This Article draws on concepts from the branch of linguistics known as pragmatics to analyze how the rules on treaty interpretation allow, in exceptional cases, for the identification of implied terms in otherwise express treaty texts. Its key insight is that implied terms fit within the framework of Articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and are derived from the associated interpretation of express terms. They cannot be derived from a separate process—and indeed such a separate process is not possible under the positive law.
Causal Temporal Reasoning for Markov Decision Processes
Authors: Kazemi Milad , Lally Jessica , Paoletti Nicola
Published: February 2025

We present PCFTL (Probabilistic CounterFactual Temporal Logic), a new probabilistic temporal logic for the verification of Markov Decision Processes (MDP). PCFTL introduces operators for causal inference, allowing us to express interventional and counterfactual queries. Given a path formula φ, an interventional property is concerned with the satisfaction probability of φ if we apply a particular change I to the MDP (e.g., switching to a different policy); a counterfactual formula allows us to compute, given an observed MDP path τ, what the outcome of φ would have been had we applied I in the past and under the same random factors that led to observing τ. Our approach represents a departure from existing probabilistic temporal logics that do not support such counterfactual reasoning. From a syntactic viewpoint, we introduce a counterfactual operator that subsumes both interventional and counterfactual probabilities as well as the traditional probabilistic operator. This makes our logic strictly more expressive than PCTL⋆. The semantics of PCFTL rely on a structural causal model translation of the MDP, which provides a representation amenable to counterfactual inference. We evaluate PCFTL in the context of safe reinforcement learning using a benchmark of grid-world models.
Case studies of AI policy development in Africa
Authors: Diallo Kadijatou , Smith Jonathan , Okolo Chinasa T. , Nyamwaya Dorcas , Kgomo Jonas , Ngamita Richard
Published: February 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) requires new ways of evaluating national technology use and strategy for African nations. We conduct a survey of existing “readiness” assessments both for general digital adoption and AI policy in particular. We conclude that existing global readiness assessments do not fully capture African states’ progress in AI readiness and lay the groundwork for how assessments can be better used for the African context. We consider the extent to which these indicators map to the African context and what these indicators miss in capturing African states’ on-the-ground work in meeting AI capability. Through case studies of four African nations of diverse geographic and economic dimensions, we identify nuances missed by global assessments and offer high-level policy considerations for how states can best improve their AI readiness standards and prepare their societies to capture the benefits of AI.
Implementation of a Library Management System in a Malaysian Law Firm Library
Authors: Bakar Qudri Ali Abu
Published: February 2025

This paper comprises a brief study of a law firm library in Malaysia, which has utilized an automated library system to organize its collection. The paper aims to demonstrate how the automated library system was implemented and to identify the statistics that can be generated through that system. The particular software used is the Applied Library System (ALS).
Modern Art, National Culture, and Hispanophilia in Revista de Avance
Authors: Cepero Iliana
Published: February 2025

This article explores how the editors and contributors of Revista de Avance formulated an idiosyncratic version of visual modern art and how that discernment shaped their idea of a nationalist and regional culture. Their artistic disquisitions were influenced by complicated political agendas and funding. After the collapse of the Cuban economy in the early 1920s, the magazine’s editors, who held socialist and anti-American imperialist beliefs, looked to Spain as a cultural model. In its pages, the magazine privileged Spanish civilization and conflated it with both European modernist culture and Cuban art and literature. At the same time, Revista de Avance voiced the ideas of the Institución Hispano-Cubana de Cultura, led by Fernando Ortiz.
The world in a court: how the International Court of Justice’s organizational practices promote stability in a contested field
Authors: Grisel Florian , Shirlow Esmé
Published: February 2025

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), often referred to as the “World Court,” plays a central role in the field of international law. Despite the significance of this court, socio-legal scholarship has not examined the ICJ’s inner workings due to limited access. Drawing from field theory and organizational theory, this study addresses this gap by using various data sources including interviews, organizational documents, and publicly available texts from insiders. Based on this data, this article explores how the ICJ’s institutional context shapes its organization and the experiences of its actors. We argue that the ICJ provides a space that tightly connects institutional myths, organizational practices, and individual action. This tight coupling effectively mediates and manages differences among ICJ actors, fostering a stable practice of international law within a field otherwise marked by conflict. This enables the ICJ to produce and sustain a specific way of doing international law which has stabilizing effects in this field. By linking the macro level of the field – an area emphasized in prior scholarship – with a microlevel organizational perspective, this article offers a nuanced understanding of the conflicts and organizational practices influencing the ICJ’s operations and development of international law.
Constitutionally mobilizing against climate change: the case of the environmental movement at the Chilean Constitutional Convention
Authors: Lopez Moreno Rodolfo
Published: February 2025

As Chile embarked on a constitutional replacement process during its worst-ever drought, local environmental activists secured significant representation at the Constitutional Convention responsible for drafting a new constitution, and successfully integrated provisions on climate change and water protection. However, despite the popularity of these measures, the citizenry rejected the proposal. This article, using legal mobilization and constitutional reform studies, examines the dynamics of constitutional mobilization against climate change, presenting two major findings. First, the feasibility of constitutional mobilization hinges on the ability of activists to navigate the politics of constitutional change, as their tactical choices are crucial for enhancing the process’s legitimacy. Second, including environmental measures in a constitutional replacement process tie them to less popular provisions, potentially jeopardizing the entire process, delaying state action on climate change, and weakening activists’ standing. The data supporting these findings come from interviews with Constitutional Convention delegates, archival research, and participant observation. In a context where climate change is intensifying, this article underscores the unintended consequences and challenges of pursuing environmental goals through constitutional reforms.
NON-LOG LIFTABLE LOG DEL PEZZO SURFACES OF RANK ONE IN CHARACTERISTIC FIVE
Authors: NAGAOKA MASARU
Published: February 2025

Building upon the classification by Lacini, we determine the isomorphism classes of log del Pezzo surfaces of rank one over an algebraically closed field of characteristic five either which are not log liftable over the ring of Witt vectors or whose singularities are not feasible in characteristic zero. We also show that such a surface is always constructed from the Du Val del Pezzo surface of Dynkin type

$2[2^4]$

. Furthermore, We show that the Kawamata–Viehweg vanishing theorem for ample

$\mathbb {Z}$

-Weil divisors holds for log del Pezzo surfaces of rank one in characteristic five if those singularities are feasible in characteristic zero.
Centrality and social domains: The role of support, conflict, and ambivalence in the perception of linguistic similarity
Authors: Fernandez Guillaume P.
Published: February 2025

This study explores the relationship between alter centrality in various social domains and the perception of linguistic similarity within personal networks. Linguistic similarity perception is defined as the extent to which individuals perceive others to speak similarly to themselves. A survey of 126 college students and their social connections (n = 1035) from the French-speaking region of Switzerland was conducted. We applied logistic multilevel regressions to account for the hierarchical structure of dyadic ties. The results show that alters holding central positions in supportive networks are positively associated with perceived linguistic similarity, while those who are central in conflict networks show a negative association. The role of ambivalence yielded mixed results, with a positive and significant association emerging when ambivalence was linked to family members.