ethicalabs/Research-Intent-Collab huggingface dataset:
Studying the accretion disks in black hole X-ray binaries with Monte-Carlo simulations

5 pages, 3 figures, AIP Conference Proceedings, Gamma-2001 Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 2001
La necesaria codificación del derecho humano al agua y el saneamiento | The necessary codification of the human right to drinking water and sanitation

In the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it is of interest to analyze the emergence of a new human right. The human right to drinking water and sanitation was recognized by the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations. However, it has not been included in any binding legal text yet. To ensure its protection it is essential to codify it. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the seventieth anniversary of the declaration are a unique framework to include it in the catalogue of human rights.
Simulating learning methodology (SLeM): an approach to machine learning automation

This paper introduces a ‘simulating learning methodology’ (SLeM) approach for the learning methodology determination in general and for Auto6 ML in particular, and reports the SLeM framework, approaches, algorithms and applications.
Improving food environments and tackling obesity: A realist systematic review of the policy success of regulatory interventions targeting population nutrition

This systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42015025276) employs a realist approach to investigate the effect of "real-world" policies targeting different aspects of the food environment that shape individual and collective nutrition.We were interested in assessing intermediate outcomes along the assumed causal pathway to "policy success", in addition to the final outcome of changed consumption patterns.We performed a search of 16 databases through October 2015, with no initial restriction by language.We included all publications that reported the effect of statutory provisions aimed at reducing the consumption of energy-dense foods and beverages in the general population. We allowed all methodological approaches that contained some measure of comparison, including studies of implementation progress.We reviewed included studies using the appraisal tools for pre-post and observational studies developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Given the considerable heterogeneity in interventions assessed, study designs employed, and outcome measures reported, we opted for a narrative synthesis of results.Results drawn from 36 peer-reviewed articles and grey literature reports demonstrated that isolated regulatory interventions can improve intermediate outcomes, but fail to affect consumption at clinically significant levels. The included literature covered six different types of interventions, with 19 studies reporting on calorie posting on chain restaurant menus. The large majority of the identified interventions were conducted in the US. Early results from recent taxation measures were published after the review cut-off date but these suggested more favorable effects on consumption levels. Nevertheless, the evidence assessed in this review suggests that current policies are generally falling short of anticipated health impacts.
State Compliance with the Recommendations/Decisions of the African Commission and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights: A Critical Appraisal

This study critically examines state compliance with the recommendations of the African Commission and the decisions of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, drawing on the Translational Legal Process Theory to analyze how legal norms are interpreted, internalized, and implemented within domestic contexts. The study assesses the binding nature of these decisions, identifies challenges that hinder implementation, and evaluates the practical effectiveness of the African human rights system. Employing a doctrinal research methodology, the study analyzes relevant treaties, protocols, case law, and scholarly literature to understand the factors inﬂuencing compliance. Findings reveal that compliance remains inconsistent and often partial, primarily due to political resistance, limited acceptance of the Court’s jurisdiction, weak regional enforcement mechanisms, domestic legal constraints, and reluctance to implement remedial measures. The study concludes that legal bindingness alone is insuﬃcient to guarantee compliance, emphasizing the importance of political will, domestic incorporation of judgments, and robust monitoring mechanisms. Recommendations include reaﬃrming state acceptance of the Court’s jurisdiction, strengthening African Union oversight, domesticating Court decisions, implementing capacity-building programs for oﬃcials, and fostering collaboration between the Commission and the Court. This study contributes to the discourse on human rights enforcement in Africa and provides practical strategies to enhance state accountability and the effectiveness of regional human rights institutions.
Advancing the use of routinely collected health data in observational research to study comparative treatment effects: Two natural experiments in UK primary and secondary care

Observational studies using routinely collected health data can inform health technology assessments (HTA) and change clinical practice. However, when observational studies are used to investigate comparative treatment effects, a major concern is confounding bias. Careful study design is required to reduce this risk of bias and generate evidence that is useful for national and individual-level clinical decision-making. In this thesis, I aim to advance the use of routinely collected health data to assess comparative effectiveness. I use the target trial emulation (TTE) framework and instrumental variable analyses to reduce the risk of confounding in two case studies in England focused on the relative effectiveness of (1) sulfonylureas (SU), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i), and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), all added to metformin, as second-line oral antidiabetic treatments for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and (2) invasive versus conservative cardiac management for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among people with kidney impairment. In Case Study 1, I find evidence that SGLT2i are better than the alternatives at improving important clinical measures and reducing the hazards of cardiovascular and kidney outcomes. I exploit exogenous variation in second-line antidiabetic prescribing at the general practice group-level as a preference- based instrument. I also find evidence of treatment heterogeneity for DPP4i versus SU on mean change in haemoglobin A1c. In Case Study 2, I illustrate potential biases when using secondary care datasets to study AMI treatment in people with kidney impairment. I also demonstrate variation in alternative AMI treatment at the cardiology-centre level which could be used in future natural experiments. I conclude that careful study design and analyses helped reduce the risk of bias in these observational studies using routinely collected health data. I demonstrate challenges and opportunities for using these data to inform clinical practice and HTA, and to improve outcomes for patients.
Product information and management systems (PIMS)

Master of Science (Computer Integrated Manufacturing)
Could Planck Star Remnants be Dark Matter?

We explore the end state of gravitational collapse under quantum gravity effects and propose that Planck Star Remnants (PSR), formed via nonsingular bounces, could serve as viable dark matter candidates. Within the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology, we model the collapse of a homogeneous matter distribution and show that the classical singularity is replaced by a quantum bounce at the Planck density. By analytically matching the Friedmann Lemaitre Robertson Walker (FLRW) interior to an exterior Schwarzschild spacetime using the Israel junction conditions, we demonstrate that the bounce remains causally hidden from external observers, avoiding any observable re-expansion. This naturally leads to the formation of stable, non-radiating PSR, whose radius coincides with the Schwarzschild radius when the black hole mass approaches the Planck mass as a result of Hawking evaporation. We suggest that such remnants may originate from evaporating primordial black holes in the early universe, and estimate the relic abundance needed for PSR to account for the observed dark matter density. We also discuss some crucial differences between PSR and previous proposals of Planck mass relics. The scenario is shown to be consistent with existing astrophysical and cosmological constraints, offering a unified framework connecting quantum gravitational collapse, and the nature of dark matter.
Exercise physiology and sports science must be considered in evolutionary theories regarding human performance: a reply to Postma (2016)

Postma [[1][1]] argues that our interpretation of his and others' statistical results is not appropriate, and that relationships between facial attractiveness and sports performance may have evolutionary significance. However, we reached our conclusions [[2][2]] through realizing proposed theories
Examining the Methods in Achieving Effective Conflict Resolution and Peace-building in North East Nigeria

The research examined the methods of achieving effective conflict resolution and peace-building in northeast Nigeria. The study adopted the hybrid theory as a framework. A survey method was adopted, and 400 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents; 384 questionnaires were returned as valid. The study areas were restricted to Bauchi, Yobe, and Adamawa States in northeastern Nigeria. The finding revealed different methods in achieving effective conflict resolution and peace-building in the northeast Nigeria which include: the use of military force; meeting between the parties involves in the conflict and elders in the conflict affected areas; through conducting meetings between the parties and government agents or representatives in the affected areas; and engaging consultants in resolving conflict and achieving peace-building in northeast Nigeria. The research recommends: Military forces should be engage as an instrument of resolving disputes and ensuring peace-building in the northeast Nigeria; other means of conflicts resolution and peace-building should also be integrated in resolving conflicts and ensuring peace-building in the northeast Nigeria; both stakeholders and individuals should come together in conflict resolution and peace-building in the northeast region.
Erratum: The Italian national project of astrobiology-life in space-origin, presence, persistence of life in space, from molecules to extremophiles (Astrobiology (2020) 20:5 (580-582) DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2247)

The Italian National Project of Astrobiology―Life in Space―Origin, Presence, Persistence of Life in Space, from Molecules to Extremophiles
Q-GNN: Query-Conditioned Graph Neural Networks with Type Awareness for Knowledge Graph Completion

Knowledge Graph Completion (KGC) aims at predicting missing triplets from incomplete knowledge graphs, which is crucial for downstream applications. Recently, Graph Neural Network (GNN)-based methods have achieved remarkable success by performing message passing over query-centered local subgraphs. However, in practice, a query is jointly defined by both the entity and the relation, with both carrying information indispensable for reasoning, yet these methods rely solely on the query relation as the guiding signal, while the information inherent in the query entity is not leveraged to guide inference - the entity serves merely as a structural anchor for subgraph extraction. To this end, we incorporate query entity information into the reasoning process from two perspectives: the first is structural context, i.e., the neighboring structure and relation patterns around the entity, which is encoded by a dedicated context encoder and used to modulate messages; the second is semantic type of the entity, inferred by a large language model, which is incorporated into attention computation and final scoring to provide type-level prior constraints. Together, these two sources of information enable the reasoning process to be guided by both the query relation and the query entity. Experimental results on standard benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed Q-GNN.
PressNet: A Forming Dataset for Structural Simulation in Pressed Blanks With Deep Learning Benchmarks

Abstract                   The press forming process is critical for manufacturing a wide array of products from materials such as metal and glass. Each forming process requires an accurate simulation beforehand to support design optimization and to prevent defects in the actual manufacturing of high-quality products. However, traditional finite element method (FEM) simulations that are commonly used to predict deformation and stress during the forming process are computationally intensive and time-consuming. Deep learning (DL) models have emerged as a promising alternative. These machine learning models can significantly reduce computational costs and provide fast inference once trained, which makes them attractive for large-scale and real-time applications.                   Despite the potential of DL in simulating press forming processes, there is no comprehensive, publicly available dataset that captures variability in deformation based on different die shapes. In this work, we fill that gap by providing a detailed dataset for simulating stress and deformation in a three-dimensional space on 15 different die shapes with additional parametric variation in each shape. The dataset also features variations in mesh size and time steps, offering diverse experimentation capabilities on new models. In addition, we also deliver DL benchmarking to demonstrate the utility of the dataset. This dataset is valuable for researchers and industry practitioners looking to utilize AI/ML to efficiently simulate press forming.1
A modular and open software and hardware architecture for Internet of Things sensor networks

We are experiencing a new industrial revolution, a cyber-physical systems revolution. The Internet of Things (IoT) is at the core of this development, and it is changing the way we perceive the world around us, impacting both business and technology. Smart cars, smart thermostats, home automation hubs, smart lighting, and smart weather stations are common technologies met in most cities and households. The number of these devices is going to increase even more, and it is predicted to reach billions over the next few years. Although the IoT technology has reached maturity, we are still unprepared for the large number of devices predicted to reach the world in the near future. Managing high numbers of IoT devices requires stable infrastructures for deployment and management. It also requires creating sustainable infrastructures to minimise the impact on the environment. In this thesis, we hypothesise that using flexible, open, modular, and reconfigurable hardware and software architectures at the base of smart city infrastructure can increase device longevity and minimise device management complexity at scale, while promoting sustainable development. The main contributions are: (1) identification of design requirements for building the next generation IoT device (2) reference architecture for flexible, modular IoT devices, (3) a novel, modular, open-source sensor board for building plug-and-play smart devices, allowing for complete removal/replacement of sensors and computing module, (4) a novel, modular, open-source software architecture, including: minimal Operating System (OS), over the air (OTA) updates, containerisation and remote device management, and (5) demonstration using a real-life application of environmental monitoring. The reference architecture presented in this thesis provides a robust, persistent, and reliable long-term solution for IoT deployements that addresses concerns regarding the negative impact of IoT on long term sustainable development.
An Evaluation of the Dispute Settlement System in the World Trade Organization

The main goal of the World Trade Organization (WTO) upon its founding was to guarantee the unhindered and unrestricted flow of goods and services. The Dispute Settlement System, which guarantees prompt resolution of disputes, is the foundation of the WTO. The purpose of this study was to examine how the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body resolves trade disputes. This study explicitly looked at the WTO Dispute Settlement System, identifying its goals and determining whether it facilitates the realization of these goals. The study also assessed the types of disputes that fall under the purview of the WTO Dispute System Body. The research used the doctrinal research approach to accomplish this aim. In the World Trade Organization, trade disputes often occur when a member state or states adopt a measure or measures that the WTO deems to be at odds with the commitments outlined in the WTO agreements. Realizing the practical significance of the member states' obligations requires the prompt and organized settlement of trade disputes. Thus, the study outlined some of the difficulties DSB is facing as well as future directions. These include, among other things, the protracted dispute resolution procedure, the appellate body dilemma, the lack of transparency, and the handling of new trade issues. The study suggested that the system be made more open and visible to the general public as a result. Additionally, the system has to select panelists who are qualified to handle the cases that are brought before panels due to their increasingly complicated substance.
The protection of environmentally displaced persons and their right to a healthy and sustainable environment

Over the past decades, more and more people have been displaced as a result of environmental degradation, including natural disasters and long-term development projects. There are few avenues of recourse open to environmentally displaced persons, who have to leave their habitual environment when it is no longer able to support human habitation. Environmentally displaced persons are generally unable to fall within the definition of 'refugee' under the current international law regimes and, as such, cannot seek the protection that is offered under such regimes. In this paper, I submit that there is a need to address the problems that are faced by environmentally displaced persons by considering the root causes of their displacement and ensuring that their right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is formally recognised and incorporated into a suitable international legal regime.
DES Y3 + KiDS-1000: Consistent cosmology combining cosmic shear surveys

We present a joint cosmic shear analysis of the Dark Energy Survey (DES Y3) and the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS-1000) in a collaborative effort between the two survey teams. We find consistent cosmological parameter constraints between DES Y3 and KiDS-1000 which, when combined in a joint-survey analysis, constrain the parameter $S_8 = σ_8 \sqrt{Ω_{\rm m}/0.3}$ with a mean value of $0.790^{+0.018}_{-0.014}$. The mean marginal is lower than the maximum a posteriori estimate, $S_8=0.801$, owing to skewness in the marginal distribution and projection effects in the multi-dimensional parameter space. Our results are consistent with $S_8$ constraints from observations of the cosmic microwave background by Planck, with agreement at the $1.7σ$ level. We use a Hybrid analysis pipeline, defined from a mock survey study quantifying the impact of the different analysis choices originally adopted by each survey team. We review intrinsic alignment models, baryon feedback mitigation strategies, priors, samplers and models of the non-linear matter power spectrum.
Optimizing Transportation and Logistics Strategies for Cost Reduction in Export- Import Supply Chain Management

Based on a thorough examination of secondary data from previous research, industry reports, and case analyses, this study explores transportation and logistics techniques for cost reduction in export-import supply chain management. The study focuses on ways to reduce costs, like integrating multimodal transportation, optimizing routes, and using warehouses efficiently. It draws attention to the growing significance of technical advancements like artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics. These advancements allow for improved decision-making, real-time tracking, and increased supply chain visibility. Secondary data shows that inefficiencies and bottlenecks have been greatly reduced by the implementation of digitalization in logistics, including blockchain and cloud-based technologies. The paper also discusses how collaborations with freight forwarders and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) can reduce operating expenses. The results imply that improving transportation logistics not only results in significant cost savings but also strengthens the sustainability and resilience of international supply chains. Multimodal transportation—a combination of land, sea, and air transportation—is emphasized as a successful strategy for cost optimization because it chooses the most cost-effective routes and modes according to the particular requirements of the shipment. For large-volume shipments, air freight delivers goods more quickly but at a greater cost, whereas sea freight is more economical but requires longer transit durations. Businesses can manage their logistics to achieve cost reduction and efficiency by carefully balancing these options.
“Crimmigration Control” across Borders: The Convergence of Migration and Crime Control through Transnational Biometric Databases

Historical Social Research, 46(3), 151-177
Persistent Homology Analysis for Materials Research and Persistent Homology Software: HomCloud

This paper introduces persistent homology, which is a powerful tool to characterize the shape of data using the mathematical concept of topology. We explain the fundamental idea of persistent homology from scratch using some examples. We also review some applications of persistent homology to materials researches and software for persistent homology data analysis. HomCloud, one of persistent homology software, is especially featured in this paper.
Sensitivity analysis for climate change impacts, adaptation & mitigation projection with pasture models

The development of climate adaptation services requires an improved accuracy in model projections for climate change impacts on pastures. Moreover, changes in grassland management need to be tested in terms of their adaptation and mitigation potential. Within AgMIP (Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project), based on the C3MP protocol for crops, we explore climate change impacts on future greenhouse gas emissions and removals in temperate grassland systems. Site calibrated models are used to provide projections under probabilistic climate change scenarios, which are defined by a combination of air temperature, precipitation and atmospheric CO2 changes. This design provides a test of yield, greenhouse gas emissions (N2O and CH4) and C sequestration sensitivity to climate change drivers. Moreover, changes in animal stocking density and in grazing vs. cutting are explored to test potential mitigation and adaptation options. This integrated approach has been tested for 12 models applied to 19 grassland sites over three continents and is seen as a pre-requisite for the use of models in the development of climate adaptation and mitigation services for grazing livestock.