bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Novel Nonsingular Fast Fixed‐Time Sliding Mode Control and Its Application to Satellite Attitude Control
Authors: Barman Saumitra , Sinha Manoranjan 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTIn this paper, a Lyapunov‐like sufficient condition for the fast fixed‐time stability of autonomous systems is proposed. The proposed fast fixed‐time stability theorem ensures a smaller upper bound on the convergence time than the existing fixed‐time stability theorems. The fixed‐time sliding mode controls require switching from the fixed‐time sliding surface to the general sliding surface in the vicinity of the origin to avoid non‐differentiability at that point. It is demonstrated that the switching method converges the system states either to a residual set around the equilibrium point or directly to the equilibrium point, depending on the tuning parameter settings. To address this issue, a new nonsingular sliding surface is proposed based on the fast fixed‐time stability theorem. This approach ensures singularity‐free convergence of the system states to the equilibrium point without additional switching logic for the sliding surfaces or any constraints on tuning parameters. Furthermore, a novel continuous adaptive fast fixed‐time sliding mode control (AFFTSMC) law is proposed for attitude control of a satellite in the presence of the satellite inertia uncertainty and unknown upper‐bounded external disturbance torques. The proposed AFFTSMC law ensures chattering‐free and singularity‐free satellite attitude control. Simulation results are presented for both rest‐to‐rest and tracking attitude maneuvers of a satellite, demonstrating the superiority of the proposed controller.
A Versatile Method to Produce Monomodal Nano‐ to Micro‐Fiber Fragments as Fillers for Biofabrication
Authors: Lamberger Zan , Priebe Vivien , Ryma Matthias , Lang Gregor 
Published: December 2024

AbstractA key goal of biofabrication is the production of 3D tissue models with biomimetic properties. In natural tissues, fibrils—mainly composed of collagen—play a critical role in stabilizing and spatially organizing the extracellular matrix. To use biomimetic fibers for reinforcing bioinks in 3D printing, fiber fragmentation is necessary to prevent nozzle clogging. However, existing fragmentation methods are often material‐specific, poorly scalable, and provide limited control over fragment size and shape. A novel workflow is introduced for producing fiber fragments applicable to various materials and fabrication techniques such as electrospinning, melt‐electrowriting, fused deposition modeling, wet spinning, and microfluidic spinning. The method uses a sacrificial membrane as a substrate for precise cryo‐sectioning of fibers. A significant advantage is that no additional handling steps, such as fiber detachment or transfer, are needed, resulting in highly reproducible fiber sectioning with a quasi‐monodisperse length distribution. The membrane can be rolled before cutting, preventing fibers from sticking together and significantly increasing production efficiency. This method is also versatile, applicable to multiple fiber types and materials without re‐parameterization. Cell culture experiments demonstrate that the fibers maintain key properties necessary for cell‐fiber interactions, making them suitable for systematic screenings in the development of anisotropic 3D tissue models.
Water utilization practices and wastage at household level: A case study of Lahore City
Authors: Chaudhry Anam , Khan Hina , Mahmood Yasar , Karim Amber , Shah Gulzar , Aslam Muhammad 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe current research places its emphasis on addressing the issue of water shortage, which, if left unaddressed, could hinder sustainable development in the broader Punjab region, with a particular focus on the city of Lahore. In pursuit of our research objectives, we conducted a comprehensive survey that involved 600 households within Lahore. Our research methodology included the usage of both quantitative and qualitative analysis which included interviews and snowball sampling. Our findings indicate a clear and direct correlation between water shortage and patterns of water utilization and wastage. The absence of sustainable strategies to ensure adequate water supply, efficient resource management, and universal sanitation poses a substantial threat to our future. To address water shortages, it is crucial to encourage the use of water‐saving appliances and fixtures like toilets, low‐flow faucets, and showerheads. The purpose of these measures is to conserve water and align it with sustainable development goals by encouraging resource utilization that is efficient, minimizing environmental impact. By implementing these solutions, both households and border areas can benefit from significant water‐saving practices. Consequently, we recommend that the government implement targeted programs aimed at raising awareness among individuals about responsible water usage and reducing wasteful practices within households.
Predicted effect of the grand Ethiopian renaissance dam on the Epilimnion temperature in the high Aswan dam reservoir
Authors: Alsadeq Mai Wagih , Nassar Yasmin , Eldayem Ahmed Wagdy Abd 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe Nile River is a crucial geopolitical water stream. The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile poses significant challenges for downstream countries, including Egypt. The GERD will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and the seventh in the world. This led many researchers to investigate the impacts of the dam construction on water quantity, agriculture, power generation, and the environment. This study aims to investigate some of the environmental impacts of the operation of the GERD on the High Aswan Dam (HAD) reservoir. Water level fluctuations due to the operation of the GERD will directly affect the thermodynamics of the HAD reservoir. As a result, the vertical distribution of heat will be altered assuming the incoming solar radiation will remain the same. Studies indicate that the water level in the HAD reservoir will decline by 10–27 m, due to the filling of the reservoir upstream of the GERD over the next few years. To quantify the change in temperature, the heat content for the reservoir is calculated pre‐ and post‐dam operation. Moreover, a one‐dimensional simulation model, DYnamic REservoir Simulation Model (DYRESM), was used to simulate the change in thermal stratification of the HAD reservoir pre‐ and post‐GERD operation. Results showed that the epilimnion temperature is expected to increase during summer from an average of 31.9°C pre the GERD operation to 33.7°C post the GERD operation. Consequently, this is expected to affect the ecosystem in the reservoir. The findings of this study highlight the significant environmental impacts of the GERD on HAD reservoir. To mitigate these impacts and ensure the sustainable management of water resources in the Nile River basin, it is imperative to implement comprehensive policies and strategies.
Introduction to Part I
Authors: Christians Allison 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe Chapters in this Part introduce readers to the multifaceted and interconnected governance aspects of tax, trade, and investment regimes. Navigating these regimes, states find themselves contending with conflicting and sometimes mutually exclusive policy choices, necessitating difficult tradeoffs among internal goals as well as between domestic and international goals. The chapters demonstrate that there is very little policy coherence across the global regulatory areas, and that policymakers do not always seem to acknowledge the inconsistency of their own approaches in each area. In some cases, national policy choices respecting cross-border taxation seem to conflict directly with competing national policy goals in cross-border trade and investment. In other cases, national policy choices in one area seem to be constrained by pre-existing international obligations in another. Sometimes, national policy choices seem wholly constrained by historical international ones. When a need for reform in one area arises, multilaterally embedded policy choices in the other areas may interfere if not prevent reform. Each chapter in this Part examines various aspects of these conflicts, with an eye to understanding the legal, social, economic, and distributive aspects of the contemporary tax, trade, and investment landscape.
A Survey and Critique of International Tax Governance Reform
Authors: Brown Karen B. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe most far-reaching international tax reform proposal in nearly 100 years, the Base Erosion Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, unfolded under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) largely without input from the non-OECD member nations in Sub-Saharan Africa. That area hard hit by the multiple calamities of Covid-19 and other devastating diseases, climate change, inflation engendered by wars waged inside and outside its confines, debt service, and other revenue drains has been designated as key to the survival of the remainder of the world. The prospect of the future progression of tax reform without meaningful initial input from the Sub-Saharan region is untenable. A truly inclusive global tax governance process will restore legitimacy and integrity to reform efforts.
International Tax and Investment Policy: Navigating Competing Demands
Authors: Kuhn Katharina 
Published: December 2024

AbstractSince the start of the OECD’s BEPS Initiative, the international tax regime has witnessed an unprecedented degree of multilateralization. While the initiative seeks to increase revenues around the world by reducing tax competition and tax evasion, the situation is more complex for capital-importing economies that use preferential tax regimes to attract FDI as part of their economic development strategy. The Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) rules constrain the policy space of capital-importing economies to offer tax incentives that would reduce the effective tax rate (ETR) of certain multinational enterprises (MNEs) in their jurisdiction below 15%. At the same time, however, international tax policy also contains a reputational dimension that should not be overlooked. This chapter argues that multilateral tax governance confronts policymakers in capital-importing economies with competing demands: while on the one hand participation in multilateral tax governance frameworks may enhance the reputation of a jurisdiction by signalling adherence to best practices in international tax policy, it curtails the scope for offering tax incentives to attract FDI. As a result, policymakers in capital-importing economies need to balance two potentially contradicting policy goals: the ability to safeguard their policy space for investment-oriented tax policy and the reputation of their jurisdiction building on legal and tax certainty and ‘good tax governance’. This chapter maps the interactions of both policy goals under the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS and the 2021 Two-Pillar Solution.
The Tax Carve-Out Clause in International Investment Law
Authors: Córdoba Paloma García 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThis chapter thoroughly examines the substantive role and inherent attributes of tax carve-out clauses in International Investment Agreements (IIAs), emphasizing their critical importance in the relationship between International Investment Law and International Tax Law. These provisions are strategically designed to exclude taxation matters from the scope of IIAs. Nonetheless, the inconsistency in their drafting and the usage of imprecise terminology in the design of these clauses present interpretational concerns. This analysis, therefore, explains the crucial role of tax carve-out clauses within the context of IIAs.
Competition and Complementarity of EU and FATF Beneficial Ownership Transparency Orders
Authors: Ates Leyla , Knobel Andres , Lorenzo Florencia , Meinzer Markus 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe legal order of responses to the lack of beneficial ownership has gone beyond domestic to transnational norms. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the EU are two prominent actors in this regard. Initially, the EU complemented the FATF only when it set its first international beneficial ownership standard in 2003. However, more recently, the EU has begun to differentiate its legal scope by taking measures ahead of the FATF’s standard in terms of the ambition to go beyond the status quo. Considering the overlap in geographic scope, such divergence means competition between the two transnational legal orders. This conclusion presents a challenge to the conventional view of the interdependent relationship between the anti-money laundering systems of two organizations. Such competition for transnational norm-making can spur the development of beneficial ownership transparency norms for the benefit of all nations. However, in 2022, the European Court of Justice resisted the EU’s standard-setter role in a preliminary ruling case brought by a national court. This shows that the EU must be aware of the recursive interaction between transnational and national judicial forums to develop a beneficial ownership transparency order that may interfere with the normative settlement. Otherwise, the EU falters its global standard-setter role.
Human Defensins: Structure, Function, and Potential as Therapeutic Antimicrobial Agents with Highlights Against SARS CoV-2
Authors: Nagib Maryam , Sayed Ahmed M. , Korany Ahmed H. , Abdelkader Karim , Shari Falah H. , Mackay William G. , Rateb Mostafa E. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe human defensins are a group of cationic antimicrobial peptides that range in size from 2 to 5 kDa and share a common structural motif of six disulphide-linked cysteines. Several naturally occurring human α- and β-defensins have been identified over the past two decades. They have a wide variety of antimicrobial effects, and their potential to avoid the development of resistance to antimicrobial treatment makes them attractive as therapeutic agents. Human defensins have recently been the focus of medical and molecular biology studies due to their promising application in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. This work aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the current developments of human defensins, including their identification, categorization, molecular features, expression, modes of action, and potential application in medical settings. Current obstacles and future opportunities for using human defensins are also covered. Furthermore, we shed light on the potential of this class as an antiviral agent, particularly against SARS CoV-2, by providing an in silico-based investigation of their plausible mechanisms of action.
Integrating the metabolic and molecular circuits in diabetes, obesity and cancer: a comprehensive review
Authors: Anand Shrikirti , Patel Trupti N. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe progressive globalization of sedentary lifestyles and diets rich in lipids and processed foods has caused two major public health hazards—diabetes and obesity. The strong interlink between obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus and their combined burden encompass them into a single term ‘Diabesity’. They have also been tagged as the drivers for the onset of cancer. The clinical association between diabetes, obesity, and several types of human cancer demands an assessment of vital junctions correlating the three. This review focuses on revisiting the molecular axis linking diabetes and obesity to cancer through pathways that get imbalanced owing to metabolic upheaval. We also attempt to describe the functional disruptions of DNA repair mechanisms due to overwhelming oxidative DNA damage caused by diabesity. Genomic instability, a known cancer hallmark results when DNA repair does not work optimally, and as will be inferred from this review the obtruded metabolic homeostasis in diabetes and obesity creates a favorable microenvironment supporting metabolic reprogramming and enabling malignancies. Altered molecular and hormonal landscapes in these two morbidities provide a novel connection between metabolomics and oncogenesis. Understanding various aspects of the tumorigenic process in diabesity-induced cancers might help in the discovery of new biomarkers and prompt targeted therapeutic interventions.
Graphical Abstract
Applying Budyko framework to explore the projected hydrologic changes in southern Taiwan
Authors: Kuo Chen-Min , Chen Yan-Zhi , Chen Shien-Tsung 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThis study combines future rainfall and temperature projections with the Budyko framework to analyze future water resource changes in four key watersheds in southern Taiwan under climate change scenarios. Since only temperature and rainfall data are available in the future climate change projections, the future evapotranspiration projections are estimated by this study. This study establishes Budyko equations of each watershed, using historical evapotranspiration and temperature data along with potential evapotranspiration estimates, to project future evapotranspiration based on future temperature and rainfall data. The future rainfall is expected to gradually increase, with the most significant increase under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. However, the rainfall increase varies with the geographical location (latitude) of the watershed, with higher rainfall increases in northern watersheds, such as Zengwen, Jiaxian, and Nanhua. Moreover, the projected evapotranspiration differs in watersheds in southern Taiwan indicating the uncertainty and challenge of evapotranspiration projection under climate change. The future runoff projections indicate an increasing trend with a significant increase (13.4–20.3%) by the end of the century (2081–2100), due to projected increases in rainfall and minor changes in evapotranspiration. The projected increase in runoff implies an optimistic outlook in water resources planning and management, but may pose a threat in flood disasters due to increased rainfall in the wet season.
THE USE OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL CASES BEFORE THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Authors: Keller Helen , Ganesan Pranav 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThis article argues that the current approach of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to evaluating scientific evidence is lacking and hampers its ability to properly handle cases involving questions of science, and particularly environmental cases which are replete with them. It identifies three problem areas in relation to the ECtHR's adjudication of such cases: the evaluation of evidence proving the causation of harm; the extent of the Court's deference to the determinations made by national authorities; and the Court's evaluation of evidence adduced by the respondent State in justifying its conduct as being in line with the standard of due diligence. Several cases that illustrate the recurring problem of the lack of science-based reasoning in the Court's judgments are then identified, highlighting the shortcomings of its approach. Such issues have an impact upon the legitimacy of the ECtHR, and it is therefore imperative that it engages more robustly with scientific evidence. The article suggests the best way to do this would be for the ECtHR to make more use of its power to seek assistance from independent scientific experts in environmental cases.
CONTROL MECHANISMS IN MULTILATERAL INVESTMENT TRIBUNALS: NAVIGATING PROCEDURAL MULTILATERALISM AND SUBSTANTIVE BILATERALISM
Authors: Paine Joshua 
Published: December 2024

AbstractA future multilateral investment court (MIC) or multilateral appellate mechanism (MAM) will operate on a plurilateral basis, among States that become parties to the tribunal's constitutive instrument and grant it jurisdiction over disputes under their investment treaties. The creation of a MIC or MAM would involve a significant strengthening and centralization of dispute settlement institutions in the investment treaty regime, which is already overly dependent on law-development by adjudicators, reflected in well-established concerns about loss of State control. Thus, a key challenge in designing a MIC or MAM is to incorporate appropriate control mechanisms that will enable State input, without unduly undermining a MIC or MAM's independence. This article analyses control mechanisms in a MIC or MAM, considering a wide range of questions of institutional design. It highlights two fundamental tensions. One is the tension between independence and accountability. The other tension is between procedural multilateralism and substantive bilateralism. While the procedural law in a MIC or MAM will have been multilateralized, the substantive law the tribunal will interpret and apply will remain contained in mostly bilateral investment treaties, controlled by the parties to those agreements. This article addresses the challenges of designing a multilateral tribunal for a regime that lacks multilateral substantive law and contributes to wider debates over striking an appropriate balance between international judicial independence and Member State control.
Before astropolitics: Ratzel, Schmitt, and the question of cosmic colonisation
Authors: Klinke Ian 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
This paper seeks to open an inquiry into the origins of astropolitics, an intellectual and popular imagination whose defining characteristic is the attempt to project geopolitical concepts and categories into outer space. I locate the roots of this vision not merely in Anglo-American maritime strategy but in the rather earthlier German tradition of geopolitics, more specifically in the work of the geographer Friedrich Ratzel and the political theorist Carl Schmitt. Surprisingly, however, my reverse chronology discovers that although the two men’s ideas reverberate through contemporary astropolitical discourses, they were both in fact, in different ways and for different reasons, hesitant about space colonisation. The paper makes sense of this finding and unpacks its implications for contemporary International Relations debates on off-earth politics.
Green Pan-Africanism: Normative power and the making of a regional sustainability order
Authors: Mbeva Kennedy 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
This article examines the role of normative power in shaping the global sustainability order. It challenges the prevailing focus on hegemonic leadership and norm diffusion from dominant states, arguing that less powerful states have contributed significantly to the global order by creating regional initiatives tailored to their unique contexts. The article adopts an alternative theoretical framework of norm-governed change, comprising norm-building, institutionalisation, and transformation. Using an illustrative case study of Africa’s regional economic institutions, it employs process-tracing and archival analysis of key policy documents. The study demonstrates how African states have proactively embedded environmental norms within their regional initiatives, while contributing to the global sustainability agenda, exemplifying a form of normative power referred to as ‘Green Pan-Africanism’. This approach broadens the understanding of global sustainability governance, positioning less economically powerful actors as active participants in world-making. The findings highlight the critical role of normative power in advancing global sustainability governance, particularly in addressing complex global challenges such as climate change.