bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How agricultural extension responds to amplified agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia: experts’ reflections
Authors: Tran Thong Anh , Touch Van 
Published: June 2024

AbstractRecent decades have witnessed widespread agrarian transitions in mainland Southeast Asia. This paper examines how agrarian transitions are shaped by multiple drivers of change, and how these interwoven processes have triggered shifts in agricultural extension practices in three countries in the Lower Mekong Basin: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Drawing on interviews with experts working on the fields of agrarian studies and rural development, this paper argues that agrarian transitions not only put a strain on agricultural extension systems in responding to evolving needs, but they also stimulate the co-production of innovative agricultural extension models to address gaps left by the limited presence of extensionists. The study gains insight into challenges faced by extensionists, including a lack of resources, skills, and capacities to meet growing needs, which simultaneously urged them to excel in their work performance. The paper highlights the proactive role of ‘champions’ in orchestrating collective efforts towards the co-production of innovative agricultural extension models (e.g. Metkasekor), and the formulation of pluralistic extension platforms in enabling such ‘co-learning-to-act’ practices. By translating these insights into the broader contexts of agricultural and rural development in the Mekong region and beyond, this paper aims to make a two-fold contribution. First, it will assert how the ‘business-as-usual’ extension model has failed to adequately address emerging needs as a result of agrarian transitions. Second, it will provide pathways for the recognition and legitimisation of the pluralistic extension approach that fosters stakeholders’ co-learning and productive engagement in extension practices.
On the optimization of green multimodal transportation: a case study of the West German canal system
Authors: Binsfeld Tom , Hamdan Sadeque , Jouini Oualid , Gast Johannes 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn this study, we address a biobjective multimodal routing problem that consists of selecting transportation modes and their respective quantities, optimizing transshipment locations, and allocating port orders. In the objective functions, we minimize total transportation costs and use the EcoTransit methodology to minimize total greenhouse gas emissions. The optimization model selects the transportation mode and transshipment port where quantities are transshipped from one mode to another. We compare inland waterway transportation and trucks encountering infrastructure failures that require rerouting or modal shifting in a real-life case study on the supply of goods for the chemical industry in the West German canal system. We propose a population-based heuristic to solve large instances in a reasonable computation time. A sensitivity analysis of demand, of varying lock times, and of infrastructure failure scenarios was conducted. We show that compared with inland waterway transportation, multimodal transportation reduces costs by 23% because of longer lock times. Our analysis shows that the use of inland waterway transportation only during infrastructure failures imposes nearly 28% higher costs per day depending on the failure location compared to that of the case of no failures. We also show that the use of a multimodal transportation system helps to reduce this cost increase in lock failure scenarios.
Invisible Victims: Exploring Gendered Trends in Youth Intimate Partner Homicide
Authors: Caman Shilan , Skott Sara 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIntimate partner homicide (IPH) constitutes the most extreme form of intimate partner violence. While this violent crime affects many of women all around the world, little is known about this phenomenon when perpetrated against young victims. To date, no study has investigated trends of IPHs involving young victims. This study therefore aimed to investigate trends of IPHs in Sweden between 1990 and 2017, disaggregated by age-group and gender. Using register data, this study compared opposite-sex relationship IPH committed against young (≤ 25 years) and against adult (≥ 26 years) individuals, disaggregated by gender. Using poisson regression modelling, our study demonstrates that while rates of IPH against adult women has declined, the rate involving adolescent and young adult women has not. Our study also indicated a decreasing trend of IPH against adult men, albeit not significant. In conclusion, while IPH committed against adult women demonstrated a decrease over time, our findings suggest that IPH against young female victims has remained stable the past 27 years. As youth IPH has been a neglected subject of research, these findings suggest that the policies to combat IPV and IPH may not be adapted and tailored for the younger population.
Leadership development in virtual communities of practice: The case of school principals from the GCC Region
Authors: Ghamrawi Norma , Shal Tarek , Ghamrawi Najah A. R. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis study explores the potential of virtual communities of practice (vCoPs) in fostering leadership growth that aligns with the diverse needs and challenges faced by school principals. The study employs a qualitative research design, and conducts semi-structured interviews with 16 school principals from K-12 schools belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Findings suggest that vCoPs offer a rich environment for school principals to engage in collaborative learning, knowledge sharing, and professional networking, all of which contribute to their differentiated leadership development. Findings suggest that vCoPs offer flexible personalized learning paths that can support instructional, digital, and distributed leadership development of school principals. This advancement is made possible by creating a supportive and secure environment that is fortified by resilience, group cohesion, and robust feedback mechanisms. Additionally, vCoPs contribute to leadership development by fostering collective efficacy, cultivating shared beliefs in driving positive change, and disseminating these principles throughout the educational leadership community via social influence.
Student visual attention during group instruction phases in collaborative geometry problem solving
Authors: Haataja Eeva S. H. , Koskinen-Salmia Anniina , Salonen Visajaani , Toivanen Miika , Hannula Markku S. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractTeacher gestures support mathematics learning and promote student collaboration. Aligned with speech, gestures can help students to notice the important visual information of geometry tasks. However, students’ visual attention to the teacher’s gestural cues during collaborative problem solving remains a largely unexplored field in mathematics education research. This mixed-method case study investigated relations between students’ visual attention, teacher gestures, and students’ collaborative problem-solving process on a geometry task. The data were collected with video cameras and mobile gaze trackers on four students simultaneously in two Finnish 9th-grade mathematics lessons with the same teacher. The findings show that the students attended to their own papers most of the time during the teacher's gestures, but differences in student attention between the gesture types emerged. The qualitative analysis showed that the teacher’s tracing, pointing, and representational gestures helped in directing student attention to targets relevant to the situational learning process. We conclude that teacher gestures can both convey mathematical contents and direct student attention, which intermediates mathematical thinking in problem solving.
Conservation equations for open-channel flow: effects of bed roughness and secondary currents
Authors: Zampiron Andrea , Ouro Pablo , Cameron Stuart M. , Stoesser Thorsten , Nikora Vladimir 
Published: June 2024

AbstractTime-averaged velocity fields in uniform open-channel flows over rough beds may exhibit spatial heterogeneities due to the effects of bed roughness and secondary currents (SCs). The latter typically originate from the turbulence anisotropy and spatial heterogeneity introduced by the solid and mixed corners (i.e., between sidewalls and water surface), but may also appear due to roughness spanwise heterogeneities, e.g., associated with patchy vegetation distributions or streamwise sediment ridges on the channel bed. In this paper, we propose rigorous conservation equations for momentum, kinetic energy and fluid stresses accounting for the contributions of bed roughness and SCs, separately. Particular attention is given to the terms regulating the energy exchanges between roughness-induced and SC-related motions, which are expected to provide information on the physical mechanisms leading to the generation of roughness-induced SCs. The proposed approach is illustrated using a large-eddy simulation of a rough-bed open-channel flow.
A framework for evaluating the value of agricultural pest management decision support systems
Authors: Helps Joseph C. , van den Bosch Frank , Paveley Neil , Jørgensen Lise Nistrup , Holst Niels , Milne Alice E. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractDisease management decision support systems (DSS) are typically prediction algorithms that help farmers assess the risk of an epidemic, to guide whether, and to what extent, fungicide treatment is needed. However, there is frequently little information presented to quantify the value of using the DSS, i.e. the likely increased profit or reduced impact to the environment, and the risks of failing to control the pest. Validation of DSS is often limited to a small number of sites and seasons, as extensive field testing is prohibitively expensive. It would therefore be beneficial to have a method to estimate the value of a DSS using existing data sets gathered for other purposes.We present a theoretical framework for evaluating the value of DSS, and then describe how this can be applied in practice using four case studies of contrasting DSS under different data constraints. The four case studies include DSS that guide (i) the total dose of pesticide applied; (ii) the number of sprays required; (iii) the timing of the first fungicide application in a spray programme; and (iv) infection risk alerts. We demonstrate how our theoretical framework can be used to evaluate DSS, using existing field and literature data to infer the benefits and risks associated with their use. The limitations of using existing data are explored.
Agglomeration economies and firm’s export intensity: evidence from Portuguese manufacturing SMEs
Authors: Forte Rosa , Medeiros Ana 
Published: June 2024

AbstractExport performance is a highly debated topic in the literature, with no consensus on how to measure it or what factors determine it. Most studies divide these factors into internal and external determinants, with a focus on internal determinants. This study, however, focuses on external determinants, namely agglomeration economies such as localization and urbanization economies and export spillovers, and their impact on a firm’s export intensity. Based on a large sample of Portuguese manufacturing SMEs over the period 2010 to 2018 (191,920 firm/year observations), the estimation results through the two-stage least squares method with fixed effects strongly indicate the existence of a positive relationship between agglomeration economies, particularly localization economies and export spillovers, and export performance. These findings suggest that firms located in areas with a high concentration of other firms in the same industry and other exporting firms tend to have better export performance, which has important implications for policymakers.
Socio-economic status, school performance, and university participation: evidence from linked administrative and survey data from Australia
Authors: Tomaszewski Wojtek , Xiang Ning , Kubler Matthias 
Published: June 2024

AbstractDespite being a target of various policy interventions across developed countries, disparities in higher education participation among students from different socio-economic backgrounds remain persistent. While previous literature has outlined the processes through which parental resources can shape students’ educational decisions and pathways, the evidence remains scarce on how the effects of social origin on the participation in higher education vary along the academic performance distribution. Utilising multilevel models applied to large-scale linked administrative and survey data from Australia, this study explores how the participation in higher education varies along the students’ performance distribution by their social origins. Our results show that the effects of social origins on university participation are most pronounced in the middle of the academic performance distribution and taper off towards either end. Consideration is also given to exploring different ways to capture socio-economic status (SES) (i.e. through parental education and occupation) as an indicator of social origins. The results show that parental education serves as a better predictor of students’ university participation than does parental occupation. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for educational policies aimed at increasing university participation among individuals from low-SES backgrounds.
Rethinking Occupation Intensity during the Levantine Middle Epipalaeolithic: The use of Space and Site Formation Processes at the Geometric Kebaran site of Neve David, Israel
Authors: Friesem David E. , Yeshurun Reuven , Dunseth Zachary C. , Gur-Arieh Shira , Nadel Dani 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe open-air Epipalaeolithic (Geometric Kebaran) site of Neve David (Mount Carmel, Israel) has played an important role in reconstructing scenarios of sedentarization in the Levant since its initial excavation in the 1980s, and has been seen as heralding later Natufian socioeconomic adaptations. However, little was known about the site’s formation processes and spatial organization, hindering the testing of this view. Employing new field data from Neve David, we present a combined macro- and microscopic analyses of the spatial and temporal distribution of lithics, faunal remains, phytoliths and wood ash, interpreted with the aid of ethnoarchaeological data and comparison to other Palaeolithic sites in the region. Post-depositional disturbance seems to be minimal at Neve David and we therefore suggest that the spatial distribution of the finds mostly represents human use of space. Throughout the thick sequence of occupation episodes, distinct division of space and well-preserved trampled occupation surfaces are generally lacking. We suggest that this pattern represents reduced mobility, as prolonged human activity blurs the primary depositional signal of the activity remains. The density of the finds generally increases in the upper layers of the site. Accordingly, we hypothesize that at the beginning of activity, the duration of occupation was longer and only later in the sequence of events was there an increase in group size. Our findings further highlight the position of the Geometric Kebaran as a pivotal stage in understanding the gap between the preceding highly mobile societies and the succeeding sedentary and demographically-larger Natufian societies.
Optimizing the curie temperature of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3–based composite materials around room temperature through the addition of Mo, Mn, and Ni metallic elements
Authors: Ak Y. Selim , Coşkun A. Tulga , Çetin S. K. , Akça G. , Irmak A. Ekber , Ekicibil A. , Coşkun A. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractOur study sheds light on the role of secondary phases in optimizing the magnetic properties of LSMO, offering valuable insights into the relationship between impurity phases, Curie temperature (TC), and magnetic entropy change. To achieve this goal, the Mn, Ni, and Mo elements were individually incorporated into the LSMO matrix to the formation of secondary phases. The solid-state reaction method was employed to create composite materials of (0.8)La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 + (0.2)A (A=Mn, Ni, and Mo). XRD and SEM results confirmed the successful formation of impurity phases within the main LSMO phase. From temperature-dependent magnetization (M(T)) measurements, it was determined that the TC of the samples approach towards room temperature with the existence of impurity phases. Additionally, the relationship between electron bandwidth (W) and TC was examined. The lowest TC value was observed for the lowest value of W. Besides these, the effect of the formation of impurity phases on the maximum magnetic entropy change ($$-\Delta {S}_{M}^{max}$$

-
Δ

S

M

max

) value is examined, and it is seen that impurity phases cause a decrease in the $$(-\Delta {S}_{M}^{max})$$

(
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Δ

S

M

max

)

values.
A Power Method for Computing the Dominant Eigenvalue of a Dual Quaternion Hermitian Matrix
Authors: Cui Chunfeng , Qi Liqun 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn this paper, we first study the projections onto the set of unit dual quaternions, and the set of dual quaternion vectors with unit norms. Then we propose a power method for computing the dominant eigenvalue of a dual quaternion Hermitian matrix. For a strict dominant eigenvalue, we show the sequence generated by the power method converges to the dominant eigenvalue and its corresponding eigenvector linearly. For a general dominant eigenvalue, we establish linear convergence of the standard part of the dominant eigenvalue. Based upon these, we reformulate the simultaneous localization and mapping problem as a rank-one dual quaternion completion problem. A two-block coordinate descent method is proposed to solve this problem. One block has a closed-form solution and the other block is the best rank-one approximation problem of a dual quaternion Hermitian matrix, which can be computed by the power method. Numerical experiments are presented to show the efficiency of our proposed power method.
Ethnic-Racial Identity and Attitude Change: Assessments of Outgroup and Diversity Attitudes among Adolescents in Sweden
Authors: Sandberg David J. , Frisén Ann , Juang Linda P. , Hwang C. Philip , Syed Moin 
Published: June 2024

AbstractOutgroup and diversity attitudes are important components of intercultural understanding and well-being. Despite the potential of ethnic-racial identity development as a means to foster positive outgroup and diversity attitudes, little is known about its effectiveness in rapidly diversifying contexts such as Sweden. This pre-registered study filled this gap by examining if adolescents taking part in an intervention focused on ethnic-racial identity exploration, the Identity Project, also reported change in outgroup and diversity attitudes, and whether migration background, education type, and ethnic-racial identity development predicted such change. Twenty-three tenth-grade classes in Sweden (N = 509; Mage = 16.28; SDage = 0.80; 66% female; 51% migration background) participated in the intervention and were assessed in four waves over a period of 26 weeks. Whereas ethnic-racial identity exploration and resolution increased for the intervention group, the adolescents reported no change in outgroup and diversity attitudes when compared to a control group. Increases in ethnic-racial identity exploration and resolution co-varied with increases in attitudes, but only at Time 3. The results do not provide support for the link between ethnic-racial identity development and positive outgroup and diversity attitudes, and challenge the notion of attitude change as a cascading effect of the Identity Project intervention in non-US sociocultural contexts. All aspects of the study were pre-registered on the Open Science Framework platform (https://osf.io/f5896).
MRI-based sensing of pH-responsive content release from mesoporous silica nanoparticles
Authors: Mundžić Mirjana , Lazović Jelena , Mladenović Minja , Pavlović Aleksandra , Ultimo Amelia , Gobbo Oliviero L. , Ruiz-Hernandez Eduardo , Santos-Martinez Maria Jose , Knežević Nikola Ž. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractA proof of principle study toward developing a novel methodology which could be applicable for a non-invasive monitoring of the release of cargo molecules from therapeutic and diagnostic nanoparticles, as well as for possible monitoring of tissue pH variations. This was achieved by quantifying changes in longitudinal relaxation time (T1) before and after the pH-responsive release of contrast agents, for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), from the pores of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). The pores were filled with the FDA-approved contrast agent Gadobutrol (GdB), and its retention inside the pores ensured by covalent attachment of β-cyclodextrin monoaldehyde to hydrazine-functionalized MSN, through acidification-cleavable hydrazone linkage. The release kinetics of GdB was measured by fluorescence spectroscopy which revealed that the release of the contrast agent was enhanced at pH 5.0 in comparison to the release at pH 6.0 and 7.4. Furthermore, the changes in T1, occurring in response to the enhanced release of GdB from the pores of MSN at weakly acidic conditions, were successfully demonstrated by MRI measurements. It is envisioned that this approach using contrast agent-loaded nanoparticles before the treatment with the drug-filled analogs, could be applied in the future for tracking the locations and efficacies of nanomedicines for therapeutic cargo delivery.
Graphical Abstract
Neuroprotective and Neurite Outgrowth Stimulating Effects of New Low-Basicity 5-HT7 Receptor Agonists: In Vitro Study in Human Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells
Authors: Jakubowska Klaudia , Hogendorf Adam S. , Gołda Sławomir , Jantas Danuta 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThere is some evidence that the serotonin receptor subtype 7 (5-HT7) could be new therapeutic target for neuroprotection. The aim of this study was to compare the neuroprotective and neurite outgrowth potential of new 5-HT7 receptor agonists (AH-494, AGH-238, AGH-194) with 5-CT (5-carboxyamidotryptamine) in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. The results revealed that 5-HT7 mRNA expression was significantly higher in retinoic acid (RA)-differentiated cells when compared to undifferentiated ones and it was higher in cell cultured in neuroblastoma experimental medium (DMEM) compared to those placed in neuronal (NB) medium. Furthermore, the safety profile of compounds was favorable for all tested compounds at concentration used for neuroprotection evaluation (up to 1 μM), whereas at higher concentrations (above 10 μM) the one of the tested compounds, AGH-194 appeared to be cytotoxic. While we observed relatively modest protective effects of 5-CT and AH-494 in UN-SH-SY5Y cells cultured in DMEM, in UN-SH-SY5Y cells cultured in NB medium we found a significant reduction of H2O2-evoked cell damage by all tested 5-HT7 agonists. However, 5-HT7-mediated neuroprotection was not associated with inhibition of caspase-3 activity and was not observed in RA-SH-SY5Y cells exposed to H2O2. Furthermore, none of the tested 5-HT7 agonists altered the damage induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP +) and doxorubicin (Dox) in UN- and RA-SH-SY5Y cells cultured in NB. Finally we showed a stimulating effect of AH-494 and AGH-194 on neurite outgrowth. The obtained results provide insight into neuroprotective and neurite outgrowth potential of new 5-HT7 agonists.