ethicalabs/Research-Intent-Collab huggingface dataset:
THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE RULING ON THE BAKASSI PENINSULA DISPUTE: IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIA’S SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

Research Problem: This study interrogates the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on the Bakassi Peninsula dispute and its implications for Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It addresses the controversies surrounding the judgment, particularly the exclusion of the Bakassi peoplewho are directly affectedfrom the adjudicatory process, and Nigeria’s decision not to appeal the ruling despite its far-reaching consequences.  Methods/Theory: The study adopted a historical research method. Data were sourced from both primary and secondary materials. Secondary sources included textbooks, scholarly journals, government publications, conference and seminar papers, and internet-based resources. Primary data were obtained through questionnaires, interviews, and official documents from government archives. Data were analyzed using content analysis.  Results: Findings reveal that the ICJ ruling failed to adequately consider the principle of effective occupation and the socio-political realities of the Bakassi people. The study also found that Nigeria’s weak articulation and pursuit of a clearly defined national interest significantly undermined its bargaining position, leading to the cession of the territory to Cameroon with minimal resistance.  Conclusion: The judgment has had profound humanitarian and socio-economic consequences, notably the displacement of the Bakassi people into both Cameroon and Nigeria. This displacement has worsened their economic conditions, largely due to the Nigerian government’s inadequate response to their welfare needs and loss of traditional sources of livelihood.  Key Contribution to Knowledge: The study contributes to the literature by linking international judicial outcomes to national interest formulation and human security, highlighting how deficiencies in strategic state behavior can exacerbate post-judgment humanitarian crises.  Recommendation: The study recommends that Nigeria explore the possibility of seeking a judicial review of the judgment, clearly articulate and pursue a coherent national interest, and assume greater responsibility for protecting the lives, rights, and welfare of its citizens wherever they reside.
Predicting Pharmacokinetics of Drugs in Patients with Heart Failure and Optimizing Their Dosing Strategies Using a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model

Background: Heart failure (HF), as the end stage of various cardiac diseases, alters blood flow to key organs responsible for drug clearance. This can lead to unpredictable and often suboptimal drug exposure, creating a critical need for quantitative tools to guide precise dosing in this vulnerable population. Methods: This study aimed to establish a whole-body physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for characterizing drug pharmacokinetics in both healthy subjects and patients across the HF severity spectrum. Eight commonly used drugs (digoxin, furosemide, bumetanide, torasemide, captopril, valsartan, felodipine and midazolam) for treating HF and its comorbidities were selected. Following successful validation against clinical data from healthy subjects, the PBPK model was extrapolated to HF patients. Pharmacokinetics of the eight drugs in 1000 virtual HF patients were simulated by replacing tissue blood flows and compared using clinical observations. Results: Most of the observed concentrations were encompassed within the 5th–95th percentiles of simulated values from 1000 virtual HF patients. Predicted area under the concentration–time curve and maximum plasma concentration fell within the 0.5~2.0-fold range relative to clinical observations. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that intrinsic renal clearance, unbound fraction in blood, muscular blood flow, and effective permeability coefficient significantly impact plasma exposure of digoxin at a steady state. Oral digoxin dosing regimens for HF patients were optimized via the validated PBPK model to ensure that steady-state plasma concentrations in all HF patients remain below the toxicity threshold (2.0 ng/mL). Conclusions: A PBPK model was successfully developed to predict the plasma concentration–time profiles of the eight tested drugs in both healthy subjects and HF patients. Furthermore, this model may also be applied to guide digoxin dose optimization for HF patients.
Procedural Pretraining: Warming Up Language Models with Abstract Data

Pretraining language models directly on web-scale corpora is the de facto paradigm. We study an alternative where the model is initially exposed to abstract structured data to ease the subsequent acquisition of rich semantic knowledge, much like humans learning simple logic and mathematics before higher reasoning. We focus on procedural data, generated by formal languages and other simple algorithms, as such abstract data. We first diagnose the algorithmic skills that different forms of procedural data can improve, often significantly. For example, the accuracy of context recall (Needle-in-a-haystack) jumps from 10 to 98% when a model is pretrained on Dyck sequences (balanced brackets). Second, we study how these gains are reflected in pretraining larger models (up to 1.3B). We find that front-loading as little as 0.1 to 0.3% procedural data significantly outperforms standard pretraining on natural language, code, and informal mathematics (C4, CodeParrot, and DeepMind-Math datasets). Notably, this also enables the models to reach the same loss value with only 55/67/86% of the original data and thus a comparable reduction in FLOPs. Third, we explore the mechanisms behind the benefits and find that procedural pretraining instills non-trivial structure in both attention and MLP layers. The former is particularly important for structured domains (e.g. code), and the latter for language. Finally, we lay a path for combining multiple forms of procedural data. Our results show that procedural pretraining is a simple, lightweight means of improving performance and accelerating language model pretraining, ultimately suggesting the promise of disentangling knowledge acquisition from reasoning in LLMs.
Integrating wildlife conservation with conflicting economic land-use goals in a West African biodiversity hotspot

Abstract   Half of what remains of the ‘Guinean Forests of West Africa hotspot’ is located in Liberia. However, only about 2% of the country is officially protected. We systematically identified and evaluated priority areas for the protection of large mammals and biodiversity in Liberia under different conservation scenarios. We also assessed current proposed protected areas (PPAs) in terms of achieving pre-determined conservation targets, and determined potential wildlife and biodiversity loss within logging and mining concessions. We systematically collected nationwide data on chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ) abundance, large mammal and tree taxonomic diversity, and human threats. We related these to environmental and human impact variables to develop nationwide spatial prediction models that also served as base-layers for spatial prioritization using MARXAN. We improved upon standard software output to evaluate spatial properties of selected sites, determine site-specific target contributions, and estimate potential wildlife and biodiversity loss within logging and mining concessions. The optimal conservation area network contained a candidate list of 92 areas that maximized biodiversity and chimpanzee abundance, minimized threats, and accomplished the preservation of 30% of Liberia's forests. It included more than half of West Africa's second largest chimpanzee population, which spatially coincided with that of some of the most diverse large mammal and tree communities. Logging and mining concessions largely overlapped with existing PPAs and conservation priority areas established in this study, and considerably increased their fragmentation. Existing PPAs, however, only partially covered our areas of prioritization and proved insufficient in meeting conservation targets. We emphasize the need for finding a balance between development and biodiversity conservation, such as through aggregate biodiversity offsets, the use of which is currently being discussed by local government, international investors, and conservation NGOs.
Memorization in Deep Neural Networks: Does the Loss Function matter?

Deep Neural Networks, often owing to the overparameterization, are shown to be capable of exactly memorizing even randomly labelled data. Empirical studies have also shown that none of the standard regularization techniques mitigate such overfitting. We investigate whether the choice of the loss function can affect this memorization. We empirically show, with benchmark data sets MNIST and CIFAR-10, that a symmetric loss function, as opposed to either cross-entropy or squared error loss, results in significant improvement in the ability of the network to resist such overfitting. We then provide a formal definition for robustness to memorization and provide a theoretical explanation as to why the symmetric losses provide this robustness. Our results clearly bring out the role loss functions alone can play in this phenomenon of memorization.
A Role of Effectiveness of Human Resource Information System (HRIS) in 21st Century

Today, Business organizations, governments, and non-profit organizations around the world rely on human resource information systems (HRIS) to smoothen the progress of information sharing as well as make easier in downsizing and reengineering efforts. Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) is a combination of HRM and Information Systems (IS). HRIS or Human resource Information system helps HR managers to execute HR functions in a more efficient and systematic and orderly way of using technology.
A thermodynamic chemical reaction network drove autocatalytic prebiotic peptides formation

SUMMARY                 The chemical reaction networks (CRNs), which led to the transition on early Earth from geochemistry to biochemistry remain unknown. We show that under mild hydrothermal circumstances, a thermodynamic chemical reaction network including sulfite/sulfate coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Sammox), might have driven prebiotic peptides synthesis. Peptides comprise 14 proteinogenic amino acids, endowed Sammox-driven CRNs with autocatalysis. The peptides exhibit both forward and reverse catalysis, with the opposite catalytic impact in sulfite- and sulfate-fueled Sammox-driven CRNs, respectively, at both a variable temperature range and a fixed temperature, resulting in seesaw-like catalytic properties. The ratio of sulfite to sulfate switches the catalytic orientation of peptides, resulting in Sammox-driven CRNs that has both anabolic and catabolic reactions at all times. Furthermore, peptides produced from sulfite-fueled Sammox-driven CRNs could catalyze both sulfite-fueled Sammox and Anammox (nitrite reduction coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation) reactions. We propose that Sammox-driven CRNs were critical in the creation of life and that Anammox microorganisms that have both Sammox functions are direct descendants of Sammox-driven CRNs.
Interaction of planetary nebulae, Eta-Carinae and supernova remnants with the Interstellar Medium

The image of planetary nebulae (PN), supernova remnant (SNR) and Eta-Carinae is made by three different physical processes. The first process is the expansion of the shell that can be modeled by the canonical laws of motion in the spherical case and by the momentum conservation when gradients of density are present in the interstellar medium. The quality of the simulations is introduced along one direction as well along many directions.   The second process is the diffusion of particles that radiate from the advancing layer. The 3D diffusion from a sphere, the 1D diffusion with drift and 1D random walk are analyzed. The third process is the composition of the image through an integral operation along the line of sight. The developed framework is applied to three PN which are A39, the Ring nebula and the etched hourglass nebula MyCn 18, the hybrid object Eta-Carinae, and to two SNR which are SN 1993J and SN 1006. In all the considered cases a careful comparison between the observed and theoretical profiles in intensity is done.
Stellar atmospheric parameters and the Gaia-ESO Survey experience with multiple analysis pipelines

To use libraries of observed stellar spectra, one needs to know the atmospheric parameters of the stars associated to those spectra. It is, however, hard to know what are the real levels of precision and accuracy of these parameters. To overcome this very same problem in a stellar survey, the Gaia-ESO Survey implements a comprehensive calibration effort together with the use of multiple parallel analysis methodologies. Here, we discuss the multiple analyses approach and the effort to understand the accuracy and precision of the provided stellar atmospheric parameters.
Deep Audio-Visual Speech Recognition

Accepted for publication by IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
Melting of crystalline solids

It is suggested that at the melting temperature the thermal phonon vibration is in self-resonance with the lattice vibration of the surface atomic/molecular layer. This self resonance occurs at a well defined temperature and triggers the detachment of the atomic/molecular sheet or platelets from the surface of the crystal. Thermodynamic data of five substances is used to test this hypothesis. The calculated average phonon vibrational wavelengths are equal with or harmonics of the d-spacing of the atomic/molecular sheets. The proposed model is able to explain all of the features of melting.
Good and Bad Corporate Social Responsibility in Islamic Business Ethics Perspective

Abstract  This research aims to analyze good and bad corporate social responsibility practices when viewed with Islamic business ethics. The method used is a qualitative method with a grounded theory approach using secondary data sources where the source comes from several examples of company cases in Indonesia which are then reviewed with literature on Islamic business ethics in particular and Islamic economics in general. The results of the study concluded that the application of business social responsibility that is less professional actually has a negative impact on the company itself. One example of violations that occur in the application of corporate social responsibility is the practice of corruption and policies that only provide benefits for certain groups. In Islamic business ethics, the implementation of good corporate social responsibility can refer to the maqasid sharia principle, namely with the aim of protecting religion, soul, mind, property, and lineage
Climate Change Litigation: A New Frontier for Environmental Law and Policy

Climate change litigation has emerged as a pivotal frontier in environmental law and policy, serving as a catalyst for transformative legal and policy responses to the complex challenges posed by global climate change. This paper presents a comprehensive framework that systematically explores the multifaceted dimensions of climate change litigation. Beginning with an overview of the current climate crisis and its impact, the paper analyzes the legal foundations at both domestic and international levels, considering key environmental law principles that underpin litigation strategies. The study categorizes climate change litigation into distinct types, highlighting landmark cases and assessing evolving legal strategies. Challenges and opportunities faced by litigants and legal systems are scrutinized, emphasizing the crucial role of non-governmental organizations and civil society in advocacy and policy influence. The paper concludes by examining policy implications, forecasting future trends, and providing recommendations for stakeholders to enhance the efficacy of climate change litigation within environmental law and policy.
A Review of Studies on Patient-reported Outcomes and Disease-specific Health-related Quality of Life Instruments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Scale assessment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been widely implemented in clinical practice, how to choose an appropriate assessment tool is very important. In view of this, we used literature research methodology to search patient-reported outcomes and disease-specific health-related quality of life instruments for IBS, summarized their main contents and psychometric properties, then put forward recommendations on the selection of the instruments. A total of 37 commonly used instruments for IBS were retrieved, which have proven to have good reliability, validity and responsiveness, and can be better applied in clinical practice. We suggest medical professionals and researchers choose an assessment instrument for IBS according to the purpose and content of their research.
How the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Water and Sanitation is a Human Right!’ Changed EU Discourse on Water Services Provision

In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly recognized the human right to water and sanitation in what is seen as a historical vote by water activists. Implementation of the right to water is imperative to achieve sustainable development. In 2011 the regulation for a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) entered into force in the European Union. With such an initiative it is possible to propose an issue for European legislation by collecting one million signatures from citizens in at least seven Member States. The European federation of trade unions in the public services sector (EPSU) decided to take up the challenge to organise such an ECI and formed a diverse coalition of organisations and water activists that became known as 'Right2Water.' Their proposal was 'to implement the human right to water and sanitation in European law.' Although it was successful in achieving the required number of supporters, the European Commission answered that implementation of the human right to water was to be left to Member States and that there was no need to change existing legislation. The Right2Water movement aimed not as much to change legislation but more to challenge EU neoliberal policies and shift them from a 'market approach' to a 'rights-based approach.' This chapter looks at the factors that contributed to the success of 'Right2Water,' how the ideological debate around the human right to water took place during the campaign and the impact it had on EU discourse as well as on EU water policy.
ViC-MAE: Self-supervised Representation Learning from Images and Video with Contrastive Masked Autoencoders

Published at ECCV 2024
Deterministic Policy Gradient for Learning Equilibrium in Time-Inconsistent Control Problems

In this paper, we develop a continuous-time model-free reinforcement learning algorithm to learn deterministic equilibrium policies in general time-inconsistent control problems. Utilizing the extended Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman system, we recast the original time-inconsistent problem into an equivalent two-stage problem. In the first stage, for given auxiliary functions, we employ the deterministic policy gradient approach to learn an optimal policy in an auxiliary time-consistent control problem. In the second stage, given the updated policy, we exploit the inner fixed point iterations and some martingale characterizations to learn the auxiliary functions. As a theoretical contribution, we provide some mild model assumptions and establish the convergence of inner fixed point iterations. By repeating this actor-critic style of iterations across two stages, our algorithm aims to learn the equilibrium under different sources of time-inconsistency in a unified manner. The superior effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are illustrated in two classical financial applications with time-inconsistency: mean-variance portfolio management and optimal tracking portfolio under non-exponential discounting.
Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty: India’s Response to the Ukraine Crisis Considering Its Own Border Disputes

India’s position toward the Ukraine conflict —which began in February 2022—is analyzed using both the theories of Realism and Constructivism through the lens of India's own territorial disputes —such as the dispute with China at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) and with Pakistan regarding Kashmir. This study evaluates India's diplomatic neutrality —its abstention from UN condemnation of Russia while promoting dialogue to resolve crises —as an indication of the lessons learned from its own border disputes which have led it to emphasize the resolution of disputes peacefully so that no precedent is set that may undermine its claims to territorial sovereignty. The key finding of this research demonstrates that India has maintained an equilibrium between supporting sovereignty in principle and forming pragmatic alliances to leverage the crisis to improve relations with Russia —in the context of Sino-Indian tensions. However, this posture also creates perceptions of inconsistency —because Western criticisms of Russian actions in Ukraine have raised concerns about parallels between these actions and those of China in Ladakh. This research argues that India’s response contributes to its ability to maintain a multipolar position, and to the broader debate about how internal disputes influence foreign policy in the contexts of the Global South. The implications of this research include continued calls for reform of multilateral institutions to provide equitable treatment for the issues of sovereignty. This research also illustrates the relationship between self-interest and international norms in responding to crises.
Electrochemistry of Inorganic Nanocrystalline Electrode Materials for Lithium Batteries

Traditional electrode materials are based on the redox potential difference of the electrode in the course of intercalation/deintercalation reactions. They are generally well‐crystalline host compounds either with layered structure such as LiCoO2 and LiNiO2, or with tunnel structure like LiMn2O4 Nanocrystalline materials are, however, being re‐evaluated recently as ‘nanoscience’ advances. The electrochemistry of this kind of materials is much different from that of traditional crystalline ones because of their significant ‘surface effects’. In connection with that, the nanocrystalline cathode materials are reported to have an enhanced electrochemical activity when the first significative electrochemical step is insertion of Li ions (discharge process). The “electrochemical grafting” concept will be given as a plausible explanation. As illustrative examples, electrochemical behaviors of nanocrystalline manganese oxydes are presented.
For a Corporate Social Responsibility linked to Business Ethics

After assuming the fact of the recurrence of economic cycles and crises, and after identify some of the causes for the one we are living in nowadays, the article critically reflects on the concept of CSR from a theoretical point of view. In orderto connect some recent institutional providence with a robust idea for CSR, it will be bet for a moral approach, where CSR–beyond the legal requirements; but far from any kind of arbitrary practices– is understood from the strategy andin line with the telos, i.e., the very raison d’être for companies and businesses insociety, in search for the Common Good.
Weak Generative Sampler to Efficiently Sample Invariant Distribution of Stochastic Differential Equation

33 pages, 19 figures