bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Slaughterhouse wastewater remediation using carbonized sawdust followed by textile filtration
Authors: Elkady Mahmoud , Yosri Ahmed. M. , Fathy Samar Mohamed , Abbas Mohammed Helmy Ahmed 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSlaughterhouse wastewater (SWW) is considered an industrial wastewater, which seriously harms the environment due to the high concentration of contaminants such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total suspended solids (TSS). Additionally, the wastewater from slaughterhouses contains harmful bacteria. This study used a lap-scale model to treat SWW from a local private slaughterhouse. The treatment process involves three stages: adsorption using activated carbon, which is derived from sawdust, followed by sedimentation, and finally, a slow sand filter with a modified layer of woven textile cotton. The first two steps were tested to obtain the ideal operation condition of the treatment system. After the final step of treatment, we evaluated the overall process using a modified slow sand filter (MSSF). We used a Jar test to determine the optimal dosage of activated carbon from sawdust (ACS). The monitored parameters were physicochemical, such as turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN). The bacteriological examination included both total coliform count (TCC) and fecal coliform count (FCC). The results of the jar test revealed that the optimal ACS dose was 2.0 g/l. After adjusting the contact time and pH levels for the adsorption process, we discovered that the ideal contact time was 100 min and the ideal pH level was 4.0. Finally, we evaluated the entire treatment system by applying the MSSF after the sedimentation process, and found that the removal efficiencies of turbidity, BOD, COD, TSS, TDS, TP, and TN were 97.14, 94.80, 91.80, 98.96, 81.17, 81.12, and 82.50%, respectively. This is in addition to the filter's ability to remove bacteria counts at a rate of up to 98.93 and 99.13% of TCC and FCC, respectively.
Product formulas for multiple stochastic integrals associated with Lévy processes
Authors: Di Tella Paolo , Geiss Christel , Steinicke Alexander 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIn the present paper, we obtain an explicit product formula for products of multiple integrals w.r.t. a random measure associated with a Lévy process. As a building block, we use a representation formula for products of martingales from a compensated-covariation stable family. This enables us to consider Lévy processes with both jump and Gaussian part. It is well known that for multiple integrals w.r.t. the Brownian motion such product formulas exist without further integrability conditions on the kernels. However, if a jump part is present, this is, in general, false. Therefore, we provide here sufficient conditions on the kernels which allow us to establish product formulas. As an application, we obtain explicit expressions for the expectation of products of iterated integrals, as well as for the moments and the cumulants for stochastic integrals w.r.t. the random measure. Based on these expressions, we show a central limit theorem for the long time behaviour of a class of stochastic integrals. Finally, we provide methods to calculate the number of summands in the product formula.
Semi-analytical Computation of the Magnetic Field from IPT Coils of Complex Shape
Authors: Theodoridis Michail P. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractA number of coils used in Inductive Power Transfer come in shapes which include straight sections and circular arcs. While the magnetic field from straight conductors or fully circular conductors can be computed with analytical or semi-analytical formulas found in the literature, similar formulas have not been available for circular arcs, leaving Finite Element Analysis as the final resort for designers. The derivation of such formulas is presented, with which fast mapping of the magnetic field can be achieved, as well as optimization procedures. Essentially, the formulas can be used to map the field from coils of any complex shape, since any shape consists of straight segments and arcs. The validity of the formulas has been verified by experimental measurements.
Comparative analysis of GPT-4, Gemini, and Ernie as gloss sign language translators in special education
Authors: Othman Achraf , Chemnad Khansa , Tlili Ahmed , Da Ting , Wang Huanhuan , Huang Ronghuai 
Published: November 2024

AbstractWhile several comparative studies have analyzed the effectiveness of various large language models (LLMs), most of them were technical (i.e., comparing execution time, among others). Additionally, these comparative studies did not discuss special education. Consequently, scant information exists about how effective LLMs are in special education. To address this research gap, this study conducted a comparative study of three LLMs, namely GPT-4o, Gemini, and Ernie, as gloss sign language translators for learners with hearing impairments. Specifically, a mixed method was adopted, where the translated outputs of the three LLMs were compared (quantitatively and qualitatively) to two sign language outputs from a sign language expert. The obtained results highlighted that Gemini outperformed both GPT-4o and Ernie as an accurate gloss sign language translator. Additionally, GPT-4o had a high accurate rate, while Ernie had a very low translation performance. The findings of this study can help to raise awareness about the use of LLMs in special education as well as the best ones to use especially with hearing impairment learners.
Topological reconstruction of compact supports of dependent stationary random variables
Authors: Kallel Sadok , Louhichi Sana 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIn this paper we extend results on reconstruction of probabilistic supports of independent and identically distributed random variables to supports of dependent stationary
${\mathbb R}^d$
-valued random variables. All supports are assumed to be compact of positive reach in Euclidean space. Our main results involve the study of the convergence in the Hausdorff sense of a cloud of stationary dependent random vectors to their common support. A novel topological reconstruction result is stated, and a number of illustrative examples are presented. The example of the Möbius Markov chain on the circle is treated at the end with simulations.
Less activity means improved welfare? How pair housing influences pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) behaviour
Authors: Wolff London M , Stevens Jeffrey R 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
The activity level and specific behaviours exhibited by captive animals are crucial indicators of welfare. Stereotypies, or repetitive behaviours that have no apparent function or goal, are performed by animals experiencing poor conditions in their environment and indicate welfare concerns. Changes in the housing environment in particular may have critical influences on behaviour and welfare. Here, we measured behavioural changes in a captive pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) population (n = 10) associated with a shift from single to pair housing. Using automated video processing, we show that pair housing greatly reduced overall activity levels in these birds. The stark reduction in activity was surprising, as we expected that social housing would increase interactions between birds, thus increasing activity levels. Upon further analysis, however, we found that stereotypic behaviours, such as beak scraping, jumping, pecking, and route tracing decreased after pair housing, whereas the positive welfare behaviours of perching and preening increased. Our results indicate that pair housing may reduce overall activity in pinyon jays; however, this reduction is primarily in stereotypic behaviours.
Two-sided permutation statistics via symmetric functions
Authors: Gessel Ira M. , Zhuang Yan 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Given a permutation statistic

$\operatorname {\mathrm {st}}$

, define its inverse statistic

$\operatorname {\mathrm {ist}}$

by . We give a general approach, based on the theory of symmetric functions, for finding the joint distribution of

$\operatorname {\mathrm {st}}_{1}$

and

$\operatorname {\mathrm {ist}}_{2}$

whenever

$\operatorname {\mathrm {st}}_{1}$

and

$\operatorname {\mathrm {st}}_{2}$

are descent statistics: permutation statistics that depend only on the descent composition. We apply this method to a number of descent statistics, including the descent number, the peak number, the left peak number, the number of up-down runs and the major index. Perhaps surprisingly, in many cases the polynomial giving the joint distribution of

$\operatorname {\mathrm {st}}_{1}$

and

$\operatorname {\mathrm {ist}}_{2}$

can be expressed as a simple sum involving products of the polynomials giving the (individual) distributions of

$\operatorname {\mathrm {st}}_{1}$

and

$\operatorname {\mathrm {st}}_{2}$

. Our work leads to a rederivation of Stanley’s generating function for doubly alternating permutations, as well as several conjectures concerning real-rootedness and

$\gamma $

-positivity.
The Significance of Small Things: Small Hydropower in the People’s Republic of China, 1949–1983
Authors: Ghosh Arunabh 
Published: November 2024

AbstractFrom less than three dozen in 1949, the number of small hydropower stations in the People’s Republic of China grew to nearly ninety thousand by 1979. By the early 1980s, these stations were distributed across nearly 1,600 of China’s 2,300 counties. In 770 counties, small hydropower was the primary source of rural electricity generation. This article offers a history and assessment of these developments, unsettling our traditional emphasis on large-scale hydroelectricity. The article begins by reconstructing the PRC’s enormous investments in small hydropower from the 1950s to the early 1980s. This reconstruction, the first of its kind in the English language, not only helps reassess key periods and events in the history of the PRC but also establishes the position of small hydropower in the hydraulic history of the twentieth century. The article then turns to a discussion of the claimed impacts of small hydropower. As electricity became available for the first time in many parts of the Chinese countryside, it affected patterns of economic and social activity for hundreds of millions of people. Finally, the paper explores what the case of small hydropower can offer to conceptual and theoretical problems surrounding development, innovation, and the environment. Returning to the long-standing debate over scale and development, China’s experience with small hydropower reminds us of the important role played by smaller-scale, appropriate, and self-reliant technologies in global energy history.
Shape deformation analysis and dynamic modeling of a switchable rigid-continuum robot
Authors: Du Yixiong , Zhang Shuo , Zhang Zhongkai , Wang Hao 
Published: November 2024

AbstractContinuum robots offer unique advantages in performing tasks within extremely confined environments due to their exceptional dexterity and adaptability. However, their soft materials and elastic structures inherently introduce nonlinearity and shape instability, especially when the robot encounters external contact forces. To address these challenges, this paper presents a comprehensive model and experimental study to estimate the shape deformation of a switchable rigid-continuum robot (SRC-Bot). The kinematic analysis is first conducted to specify the degrees of freedom (DoF) and basic motions of SRC-Bot, including motion of bending, rotating, and elongating. This analysis assumes that the curvature varies along the central axis and maps the relationship between joint space and driven space. Subsequently, an equivalence concept is proposed to unify the stiffness addressing each DoF, which is then utilized in the establishment of the dynamic model. According to the mechanical structural design, the deformed posture of SRC-Bot is discretized into five segments, corresponding to the distribution of the guiders. The dynamics model is then derived using Newton’s second law and Euler’s method to simulate the deformation under gravity, friction, and external forces. Additionally, the stiffness in three directions is quantified through an identification process to complete the theoretical model. Furthermore, a series of experiments are conducted and compared with simulated results to validate the response and deformed behavior of SRC-Bot. The comparative results demonstrate that the proposed model-based simulation accurately captures the deformable characteristics of the robot, encompassing both static deformed postures and dynamic time-domain responses induced by external and actuation forces.
Learning without awareness revisited and reconsidered
Authors: Williams John N. , Xue Yuyan 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIs it possible to acquire a sensitivity to a regularity in language without intending to and without awareness of what it is? In this conceptual replication and extension of an earlier study (Williams, 2005) participants were trained on a semiartificial language in which determiner choice was dependent on noun animacy. Participants who did not report awareness or recognition of this rule were nevertheless above chance at selecting the correct determiner in novel contexts. However, further analyses based on trial-by-trial subjective judgments and item similarity statistics were consistent with the possibility that responses were based on conscious feelings of familiarity or analogy to trained items rather than unconscious knowledge of a semantic generalization. The results are discussed in terms of instance-based approaches to memory and language, and the implications for the concept of “learning without awareness” are considered.
Legal mobilisation within the populist Supreme Court in Poland
Authors: Krzyżanowska Katarzyna 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThough the Polish rule of law crisis has been on the scholarly agenda since the Law and Justice Party (PiS) took power in 2015, the individual agents of legal disruption within the judiciary have been largely off the radar. This intervention aims to fill this gap. This article analyses the legal mobilisation practices of the Supreme Court (SC) judges appointed by the PiS party in a court-packing manner after 2017. It is argued that this is a specific type of legal mobilisation; because it is conducted from within the legal system by judges, it aims to challenge doctrinal views strategically and to legitimise the status of unlawfully elected judges, which consequently destabilises the legal system. Because the legal tools to solve the conflict appear to have been exhausted, new judges engage in public discourse to convince citizens that they have a right to sit on the bench. In the first part of this paper, I critically analyse this public discourse in order to explain the framing of the rule of law crisis. The analysis of this discourse is drawn from 106 texts produced by new SC judges between 2017 and 2023. It is argued that although the ‘populist’ group of SC judges is internally differentiated and does not exhibit clear ideological linkage with the PiS party, it strategically produces certain legal narratives in which their appointments and judicial practices at the SC conform to the Constitution and to relevant statutes and, as such, are legitimate in legal terms. The new judges’ narratives are based on four populist dichotomies that distinguish them from old judges (legitimacy–lack of legitimacy, autonomy–political dependence, formal rule of law–legal anarchy and accountability–corporatism). In the second part, the article proceeds to analyse selected case law of the Supreme Court to explore whether and how court-packing makes it more responsive to the legal mobilisation of the conservative Christian organisation Ordo Iuris (OI) and helps the governing party maintain its power. It is argued that the judicial mobilisation inside the packed Supreme Court is mostly of a discursive nature, as there is limited evidence that newly appointed judges side ideologically with the government and right-wing organisations in recent case law.
Surge in antidepressant usage among adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from an interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Di Valerio Zeno , Fortuna Daniela , Montalti Marco , Alberghini Lucia , Leucci Anna Caterina , Saponaro Alessio , Sangiorgi Elisa , Berti Elena , Rolli Maurizia , Tedesco Dario 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background
Depressive disorders are a major public health issue in Western societies, particularly among adolescents, young adults and women. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges, increasing depression and anxiety symptoms, especially in younger people. This study focuses on the hard-hit Emilia-Romagna Region (ERR) in Italy, examining changes in antidepressant (AD) drug use post-COVID-19 to understand the pandemic’s effect on mental health.

Methods
A population-based interrupted time series design and a segmented regression analysis was carried out on ERR pharmaceutical data (FED, direct dispensation pharmaceuticals, AFT, territorial pharmaceutical assistance) out to estimate changes in AD use during the three pandemic years (2020, 2021 and 2022) compared to 2017–2019.Analyses were stratified by age, gender, citizenship, population density of the area of residence.

Results
A notable increase in AD consumption compared to what was expected was observed among younger age groups, and especially in females. In the 12–19 age group, a gradual increase was recorded from January 2021 until it reached +48% in 2022 (+58% among women, +30% among men). An even more remarkable growth in AD usage among non-Italian residents in the same age group was recorded compared to expected. A relevant increase, although smaller, was detected among individuals in the 20–34 age group, with a peak of +9% in 2022. These differences persisted up until the end of the observation period.

Conclusions
The study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had a lasting negative impact on the mental health of younger individuals. The observed increase in AD use may foreshadow a potential long-term need for enhanced mental healthcare and services directed at this subpopulation.
Multi‐Instrument Approach to Study Polarization Jet/SAID and STEVE
Authors: Sinevich A. A. , Chernyshov A. A. , Chugunin D. V. , Klimenko M. V. , Panchenko V. A. , Yakimova G. A. , Timchenko A. V. , Miloch W. J. , Mogilevsky M. M. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIn this study, we employ a unique multi‐instrumental approach for a comprehensive examination of Polarization Jet (PJ) (or, another name, Subauroral Ion Drift (SAID)). A diverse set of data is used to assess the connection between the appearance of the inhomogeneous structure of PJ/SAID and its reflection in ground‐based observations during geomagnetic activity. Our approach combines satellite (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, NorSat‐1, Swarm) and ground‐based (ionosondes, magnetometers, GPS/GLONASS receivers) data, allowing us to study PJ/SAID in detail and compare satellite data with ground‐based measurements. We describe the characteristic patterns on ionograms that may indicate the presence of PJ/SAID and how ionosondes can be used to study PJ/SAID. Polarization Jet Strata and irregularities of plasma parameters can cause multiple reflections, which are visible in ionograms as F‐spread. The splitting of the F2 trace into two or more traces on ionograms may indicate the presence of PJ/SAID near the observation point. Data from GPS/GLONASS receivers in regions where PJ/SAID is observed enable the construction of local total electron content maps, visualizing how PJ/SAID is reflected in those maps. It is shown how the geomagnetic latitude of PJ/SAID changes during the geomagnetic activity. Furthermore, this case is notable because not only PJ/SAID but also STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) is observed at subauroral latitudes in Northern Europe during the examined geomagnetic event.
Stratus and Stratocumulus Cloud Microphysics and Drizzle Relationships With CCN Modality
Authors: Hudson James G. , Noble Stephen 
Published: November 2024

AbstractHigh resolution extended‐range cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectral comparisons with cloud microphysics and drizzle of the Physics of Stratocumulus Tops (POST) field experiment confirmed results in the Marine Stratus/Stratocumulus Experiment (MASE). Both of these stratus cloud projects demonstrated that bimodal CCN spectra typically caused by cloud processing were associated with clouds that exhibited higher concentrations of smaller droplets with narrower distributions and less drizzle than clouds associated with unimodal CCN spectra. Resulting brighter clouds and increased cloudiness could enhance both indirect aerosol effects (IAE). These stratus findings are opposite of analogous measurements in two cumulus cloud projects, which showed bimodal CCN associated with fewer larger droplets more broadly distributed and with more drizzle than clouds associated with unimodal CCN. Resulting reduced cumulus brightness and cloudiness could reduce both IAE. Physics of Stratocumulus Tops (POST) flights in air masses with higher CCN concentrations, NCCN, showed more extremes of the stratus characteristics. However, POST flights with lower NCCN showed opposite droplet characteristics similar to the cumulus clouds, yet still showed less drizzle in clouds associated with bimodal CCN, but not as much less as the flights with higher NCCN. Since all MASE clouds were in polluted air masses, while the two cumulus projects were in clean air masses we deduce from these four projects that both the dynamic stratus/cumulus differences (vertical wind) and NCCN are responsible for the microphysics and drizzle differences among these projects. This is because the clean POST characteristics are a hybrid between MASE/POST high NCCN and the two cumulus projects.
The muscle–intervertebral disc interaction mediated by L-BAIBA modulates extracellular matrix homeostasis and PANoptosis in nucleus pulposus cells
Authors: Qin Tianyu , Shi Ming , Zhang Chao , Wu Jiajun , Huang Zhengqi , Zhang Xiaohe , Li Shuangxing , Wu Yuliang , Han Weitao , Gao Bo , Xu Kang , Jin Song , Ye Wei 
Published: November 2024

AbstractUpon engaging in physical activity, skeletal muscle synthesizes myokines, which not only facilitate crosstalk with various organs, including the brain, adipose tissue, bone, liver, gut, pancreas, and skin but also promote intramuscular signaling. Crosstalk is vital for maintaining various physiological processes. However, the specific interactions between skeletal muscle and intervertebral discs remain largely unexplored. β-Aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA), an exercise-induced myokine and a metabolite of branched-chain amino acids in skeletal muscle, has emerged as a key player in this context. Our study demonstrated that exercise significantly elevates BAIBA levels in skeletal muscle, plasma, and nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues. Moreover, exercise enhances extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis in NP tissues and upregulates L-BAIBA synthase in skeletal muscle. Both in vivo and in vitro evidence revealed that L-BAIBA impedes PANoptosis and ECM degradation in NP cells by activating the AMPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. These findings suggest that exercise, coupled with the resulting increase in L-BAIBA, may serve as an effective intervention to decelerate the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Consequently, L-BAIBA, which originates from skeletal muscle, is a promising new therapeutic approach for IDD.