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Note, for instance, that the probabilities given by Castellares et al. ([1]) in page 4 are the same than those shown in expression (9.115) in the book by Johnson et al. ([3]), with the change of parameters Graph HT ht and Graph HT ht Neyman type A (NTA) distribution is frequently used in Biology, Biodosimetry, Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology, etc. A count random variable I X i is said to follow a stopped-sum Poisson, compound Poisson, multiple Poisson or clustered-Poisson distribution, if it can be represented as Graph HT ht where I N i is a Poisson random variable with parameter Graph HT ht and Graph HT ht are independent, identically distributed random variables that are also independent of I N i . [Extracted from the article]

Adhesive sealing tapes play an important role in ensuring the air tightness of the building, affecting the indoor microclimate and efficient energy use. However, there is still a lack of objective indicators that would demonstrate the ability of the sealing tape to ensure the long-term air tightness of the sealing joints of various building structures. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to investigate the indicators demonstrating the suitability of adhesive sealing tapes for sealing building structures of different surfaces and deformation, to provide detailed analyses of the results, and to propose practical recommendations. The investigated self-adhesive tapes differed in backing (nonwoven material, plastic reinforced film, paper, metal foil) and adhesives (acrylic and butyl). The materials of the sealed structural joints were plywood, OSB, plasterboard, cement sawdust board, plastered board, and plastic. The thickness, deformability, peel and shear adhesion of the self-adhesive tapes were used to determine its suitability for sealing of different structural joints. It was determined that tapes with higher deformability are more versatile, as they are suitable for sealing joints subjected to small and large deformations. The higher peel adhesion is typical for tapes of an air-permeable non-woven material backing and a thin adhesive layer. Tapes with a thicker adhesive layer are most suitable for sealing complex-shaped joints. Tapes with acrylic adhesive have a higher peeling force from smooth and moderately smooth surfaces, whereas butyl adhesive creates better contact with uneven surfaces in highly deformable joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study aims to develop new ternary blend (TB) cement-free binder materials as an alternative to conventional cement by using Paper Sludge Ash (PSA) waste as the base material. During this research, the combined application of mechanical activation (grinding) and chemical activation by blending with pozzolanic: (silica fume; SF) and (rice husk ash; RHA), and high al-kalinity: (poultry litter fly ash; PLFA) and (cement kiln dust; CKD) materials were investigated. The research plan included four stages in which PSA was activated and replaced with the above-mentioned materials until reaching a ternary blend binder with the best performance (depending on the mortar compressive strength). Thereafter, the performance of this ternary blend binder was compared with the conventional cement by conducting compressive strength (at the ages of 3, 7 and 28 days) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests. The findings indicated that a cement-free binder material was developed by using a combination of 60% PSA that was blended with 20% RHA and 20% PLFA. The new binder has shown higher compressive strength than the conventional cement by about 12% after 28 days of curing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a corpus of documents linked to book censorship at the end of the Old Regime, entrusted by the Council of Castile to the Academy of Fine Arts. The documentation collected tells us about the administrative process, the agents involved (authors, editors, translators) and the specific assessments of the academics who made the reports. This documentation enables us the identification of the formal and content criteria applied to this series of works, following the specifications imposed by a controlling State, prior to its dissemination both to the academic public and to amateurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines new forms of study-abroad expertise on social media and their role in mediating Indian student mobility to Germany. Firstly, it explores how mutual-support Facebook and WhatsApp groups—used by prospective international students in India to support each other through the process of applying to German universities—have contributed to the emergence of new forms of education consultancy, offered by Indian students or graduates of German universities, whom I call 'Student Guides'. In addition, it shows how some Indians studying in Germany have started 'Study in Germany' YouTube channels, aimed at aspirant student migrants, and have become important 'study-abroad influencers'. The paper analyses how these new forms of study-abroad expertise offer prospective international students social and cultural capital important for successful student migration, apart from shaping their imaginative geographies of Germany, and embedding them in cultures of mobility. Furthermore, the paper highlights how these new forms of study-abroad expertise intersect with, and critique, a more 'traditional' study-abroad expert: the professional education consultant. The paper draws on a digital ethnography of 'Study in Germany' Facebook and WhatsApp groups and YouTube channels, as well as interviews with the YouTubers, Student Guides, and Indian students in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La leçon de choses est une modalité didactique particulière répandue en Europe et dans le monde occidentalisé au cours du XIXe siècle, diversement déclinée selon les contextes nationaux sous le nom d'Anschauungsunterricht, object lesson, lezione di cose, lección de cosas. Basée sur la méthode intuitive (parfois appelée naturelle), elle s'impose comme un rejeton direct de la pédagogie de Pestalozzi, bien que sa généalogie ait été reconstruite différemment de pays à pays. Cela en fait un cas intéressant de translation and transformation dans le domaine éducatif ou, peut-être, seulement un exemple de "maquillage" motivé par des raisons revanchardes. Le but est, en général, de faire acquérir des idées abstraites aux élèves de l'école maternelle et primaire à partir de l'observation des objets concrets. Grâce aux principaux théoriciens (les premiers disciples de Pestalozzi en Allemagne et en Angleterre, la pédagogue Marie Pape-Carpentier en France, les positivistes italiens et espagnols ...), elle avait dans la plupart des cas la forme de la conversation maternelle, où adultes et enfants se provoquent mutuellement par des questions et des réponses. De nombreux programmes scolaires lui ont donné une place dans l'articulation du curriculum, d'autres l'ont maintenue sous des formes plus libres et spontanées. L'article se propose d'offrir, sur la base de la littérature la plus récente, une analyse des différentes traditions nationales, même en utilisant les principaux dictionnaires pédagogiques publiées en Europe dans la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle. The object lesson is a particular teaching method that was widespread in Europe and the westernised world during the nineteenth century, which was variously adapted according to national contexts under the name of Anschauungsunterricht, leçon de choses, lezione di cose, and lección de cosas. Based on the intuitive (sometimes known as natural) method, it established itself as a direct product of Pestalozzi's pedagogy, although its genealogy has been reconstructed differently from country to country. This makes it an interesting case of translation and transformation in education or, perhaps, simply an example of maquillage motivated by revanchism. The aim, in general, is to introduce abstract ideas to infant and primary school pupils through the observation of concrete objects. The leading theorists (the early followers of Pestalozzi in Germany and England, the educationalist Marie Pape-Carpentier in France, the Italian and Spanish positivists, etc.), gave it, in most cases, the form of a maternal conversation, where adults and children prompt each other with questions and answers. Many school programmes have given it a place in the curriculum, others have maintained it in freer and more spontaneous forms. This paper offers, on the basis of the most recent literature, an analysis of the different national traditions, using the main pedagogical dictionaries published in Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to examine a specific development in the history of teacher education to explore whether it might illuminate and inform contemporary debate. It offers a historical/comparative analysis of the contribution of teachers' centres to the professional development of teachers in England and Spain during the late 1960s to the early 1990s. In looking back to the impact that teachers' centres had on teachers in these very different social and political contexts, the paper examines whether, in spite of being adopted and adapted differently in the English and Spanish contexts, there was a fundamental essence of the teachers' centre model that could transcend both time and space. Thus, although essentially historical in method and focus, the paper will problematise just how far new forms of teacher professional development have lessons to learn from older, now largely overlooked forms, as found in the practice of the teachers' centres, with their focus on grassroots teacher autonomy and collaboration. The paper is in four parts: setting the scene and methodology; outlining the rise and fall of teachers' centres in England and Spain; identifying the core essence of the teachers' centre model; and finally exploring potential implications for current policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, there are expectations internationally that schools will use research to inform their improvement initiatives. Within this context, this paper brings together findings from two large-scale Australian studies – the Monash Q Project and the University of Newcastle's Quality Teaching Rounds Project – to explore educators' patterns of engagement with research. The combination of these studies provides data from a larger and more diverse sample (n = 774) than other recent Australian studies, and integrates insights from direct and indirect approaches to investigating educators' research engagement. The analysis highlights several common themes associated with educators' research use including: the perceived credibility of different sources; the relevance and usability of research; and affordances of access to research and time to use it well in practice. Newer and more nuanced insights include: the interrelationships between collaborative and directed research use; the need for research to be convenient in terms of access and usability; the role of trusted colleagues in helping to bridge gaps between research and practice; and educators' distrust of research itself. The paper argues that these insights provide important cues as to how systems and school leaders can help educators to increase and improve their use of research in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the Early Neolithic phase of activity on an axehead quarry at the Eagle’s Nest, Lambay, a small island off the east coast of Ireland. The site is best known for activity in the later Neolithic and its cultural connections with the developed passage tomb tradition. One area of the site has produced evidence for quarrying from the thirty-eighth or thirty-seventh century cal BC, supplying secure evidence that axe production was integral to the Neolithic material world in Ireland from the beginnings of this period. Porphyritic andesite would seem a counter-intuitive choice to make stone axeheads, its naturally occurring internal fissuring resulting in a high likelihood of failure during working. On the other hand, when ground and polished it has a very distinctive visual appearance and texture with a lustrous quality. This paper examines the ontological significance of this transformation from source to special objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe fundamental prompt neutron delayed constant α, the effective delayed neutron fraction $${\beta _{eff}}$$βeff, and the effective neutron generation time $${\Lambda _{eff}}$$Λeff are important for accurate measurements of keff in subcritical systems. In this paper, based on the open-source program OpenMC, a module with the function of calculating the α-eigenvalue is developed based on the k-α iterative method. Based on the nodal expansion method (NEM), an adjoint neutron flux calculation program was developed, which in turn used the idea of coupling the k-α iterative method with the NEM to obtain the neutron kinetics parameters (α, $${\beta _{eff}}$$βeff, and $${\Lambda _{eff}}$$Λeff) of the subcritical system and allowed for a more accurate keff under the subcritical system as compared to the traditional k-mode program.In this paper, the results of the α-eigenvalues calculated by the program are validated using the Godiva benchmark and the MUSE-4 device as computational objects. The accuracy of the results for $${\beta _{eff}}$$βeff and $${\Lambda _{eff}}$$Λeff was verified with the KUCA (Kyoto University Critical Assembly) benchmark. The results of the keff calculations using k-mode and α-mode are compared with the ADS benchmark.The results show that the calculation program (α-mode) can obtain keff under the subcritical system more accurately, which makes up for the shortcomings of the traditional program, which cannot be calculated under the deep subcritical system. The relative error between the calculated and reference values was less than 750 pcm at deep subcriticality (keff = 0.899). The error was less than 400 pcm at the deeper subcritical system (keff = 0.952), which can satisfy the demand for neutron dynamics parameters and keff calculation in the subcritical system. The program can also continue to be upgraded in the later stage in the calculation method and other aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractHydro-accumulators, as a passive part of the emergency core cooling system, have been upgraded in different types of VVER-1000s. The number and performance of these systems are modified in newer types of VVER-1000s to operate at different pressures and flow rates. The VVER-1000/446, as a distinguished design from the old generation (VVER-1000/320), utilizes two stages of hydro-accumulators. The second-stage accumulators (SSAs) are dedicated to improving the performance of the VVER-1000/446 under design extension conditions (DECs) and delaying the onset of core damage. During the upgrading of the VVER-1000/446, some orifices have been embedded as flow restriction components (FRCs) on the injection line of the SSAs to increase the water injection time during DECs.This paper aims to assess the performance of the SSAs according to their orifice diameter changes during median-break (MB)– and large-break (LB)–loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs). Several cases of FRC arrangements were investigated to demonstrate the core damage times during MB-LOCA (200-mm break) and LB-LOCA (400-mm break) scenarios. The results show that although the current size of the installed FRCs on the VVER-1000/446 is quite suitable for the MB-LOCA, it is not a proper choice for the LB-LOCA. Therefore, this demonstrates that the core damage time is highly dependent on the FRC size arrangement.This paper indicates an arrangement of FRCs that can modify the plant’s response in both MB and LB LOCAs without active injections. Therefore, as an additional finding, the sequential arrangement of FRCs can increase plant resilience against a broad range of LOCAs without operating active emergency cooling systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the remaking of Downtown Cairo in the post-revolutionary era through real-estate’s adoption of the creative city approach using a neoliberal strategy of adaptive reuse for historical buildings. Through mapping a new narrative of coworking spaces in Downtown Cairo and carrying out spatial and observational analyses of Consoleya coworking space as a case study, the paper situates and theorizes spatial practices of the creative city and explores the subject formation of the entrepreneurial citizen as a neoliberal strategy to pacify Downtown Cairo. The analysis draws on the work of Harvey’s entrepreneurial urbanism, Bourdieu’s social construct of capital, and Foucault’s subject formation to demonstrate coworking spaces’ monetization of Downtown Cairo, generation of class privileges and exercise of control through an entertaining atmosphere of co-creation. The case study epitomizes New Egypt’s neoliberal era of soft control recurring in the ongoing urban regeneration projects of Downtown Cairo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper consists of two parts. The first part of the paper is to propose an explicit robust estimation method for the regression coefficients in simple linear regression based on the power-weighted repeated medians technique that has a tuning constant for dealing with the trade-offs between efficiency and robustness. We then investigate the lower and upper bounds of the finite-sample breakdown point of the proposed method. The second part of the paper is to show that based on the linearization of the cumulative distribution function, the proposed method can be applied to obtain robust parameter estimators for the Weibull and Birnbaum-Saunders distributions that are commonly used in both reliability and survival analysis. Numerical studies demonstrate that the proposed method performs well in a manner that is approximately comparable with the ordinary least squares method, whereas it is far superior in the presence of data contamination that occurs frequently in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education in solving real-world problems is challenging. To tackle this challenge, a project-based learning approach that integrates robots with cost-effective self-made toys to problem-solving was adopted to assist rural primary school students to apply STEM skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the project-based learning approach which includes lecturing and hands-on activities on primary school students' STEM learning outcomes and attitudes. An experiment was conducted with 25 primary school students who voluntarily participated in a STEM summer-camp programme. Students were asked to assemble a paper house equipped with an IoT control module and LED light switches, and write and edit robot scripts to produce a robot-based storytelling narrative using the paper house they made as a context. The results show that the project-based learning approach was an effective approach for cultivating primary school students' STEM knowledge and skills as evidenced from the post-written test. The relationships between the students' STEM learning outcomes and attitudes were also confirmed by a clustering analysis. Students who had higher learning attitudes also achieved higher STEM learning outcomes; the findings are also supported by the feedback from the open-ended questionnaire items. This study suggests that integrating low-cost self-made toys and robots in project-based learning activities is an effective and practical approach to enhance primary school students' learning outcomes and learning attitudes in STEM education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding pour point depressant is an important method to solve the poor low temperature rheology of waxy crude oil. Although the traditional polymer pour point depressant has good improvement effect, it has some problems, such as poor resistance to repeated heating and shear. Therefore, nanoparticles are widely used to improve the rheology of crude oil. Although nanoparticles have a certain influence on the improvement of low-temperature rheology, and nanocomposite particles have better improvement effect than single polymer pour point depressant, no one has combed and summarized the influence mechanism of nanoparticles and their composites. This paper introduces three kinds of nanoparticles and their composite materials, briefly describes the performance of the influence of various nanoparticles and their composite particles on the rheology of waxy crude oil, and analyzes the mechanism of their influence on the rheology of waxy crude oil. The analysis of this paper shows that the influence and mechanism of individual nanoparticles on the rheology of crude oil are different due to their different properties. All nanocomposite particles meet the heterogeneous nucleation mechanism, and the polar group of nanocomposite particles is an important factor affecting the effect of nanocomposite particles. Carbon based nanoparticles, especially graphene oxide, promise important research prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an iterative approach for solving the optimal control problem (OCP) with time-delayed terms and bounded control variables. The projection function is used to construct the iterative method to approximate the control law. Employing the approximation of control law the approximation of state and the co-state variables are obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to solve bounded and delayed OCPs with a projection function. The convergence theorem for the proposed method is also proven. Several numerical examples are added, showing the developed method's effectiveness to solve the time-delayed OCPs with bounded control variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to use fuzzy logic to provide a systematic approach for designing fuzzy control charts and compare the average run length type 2 of these charts in three different modes: Gaussian fuzzy, triangular fuzzy, and crisp cases. The process of solving and presenting the research results is by calculating the fuzzy control chart conditions and fuzzy descriptive capability indices through theoretical calculations and a project-based organizational case study and comparing the average run length type 2, which represents the expected interval between out-of-control events. Average run length type 2 illustrates that Gaussian and triangular quality control charts are able to detect an out-of-control signal more quickly. The main contributions of this paper are to use Gaussian fuzzy numbers in order to provide a systematic approach for designing fuzzy control charts, estimating descriptive capability indices, and analyzing the results of their estimation under fuzzy logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One key achievement of European colonialism is the attempt to introduce the institutions of Westphalia-model state to Africa. However, deprived of the imperative necessities for the development of a sound national spirit required for nations which have only recently come to self-consciousness, the modern state structure is not serviceable in Africa. Despite all that has been written about it, the failings of state-building in Africa remain widely misunderstood. Some, in particular the governments in the African state and their apologists, attribute it almost exclusively to external debacles. Others attribute it, almost entirely, to developmental policy failure. The paper argues, from the emblematic cases, that it is the product of an explosive mix of the two. The paper concludes that the unprogressive nature of the African state mirrors, among others, citizens’ selective inaction but now, to move the continent forward, the African peoples must take proper ownership of their societies to forge responsive nation-states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched its Futures of Education policy initiative in early 2020. The process sought to open a sustained global policy debate on educational futures in a world typified by climatological instability, social inequity, and political unrest. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of assemblages, this paper explores how the Futures of Education initiative simultaneously produces, captures, and reroutes flows of desire by opening its policymaking process to global consultation. Following this line of thinking, the paper introduces a speculative method for critical policy analysis that utilises AI-powered tools to generate expressive images and imaginaries of education futures based on UNESCO’s three stages of policy development. The authors argue that this method enables a step beyond conventional interpretations of a policy’s discursive content toward a speculative analysis of its processual dynamics and expressive potentials. Ultimately, the paper underscores the generative possibilities of AI-assisted methods for tracking flows and expressions of desire within education policy assemblages under conditions of climatological and political upheaval. The authors encourage further experimentation with plugging emerging technologies into global policy assemblages to better understand how desire is invested into particular images and imaginaries of educational futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the phenomenon of ‘sellers’ inflation’, that is to say, the increases in consumer prices as a result of firms’ decision to increase their selling prices as much as possible in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine. This analysis focuses also on central banks’ responses to such inflationary pressures, which monetary authorities have been trying to limit with several increases in their policy rates of interest. The paper explains the major shortcomings of this monetary policy strategy and its negative consequences for a number of economic agents. The last section puts forward an alternative economic policy stance, proposing in particular a series of ‘green’ monetary policy interventions to address these inflationary pressures in the general interest for the common good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a worldwide reassessment of natural dyes has occurred, driven by the health and environmental issues associated with synthetic dyes. Haematoxylum campechianum L. is a tropical tree from which wood extracts were widely used in the textile industry during the 16th century. The logwood tree extract serves as a contemporary source of hematoxylin, a key dye in the globally prevalent hematoxylin-eosin staining method, a cornerstone in histopathological procedures. This paper will initially explore the re-emergence of natural dyes. Subsequently, it will focus on the historical, conventional, and innovative applications of logwood in the fields of medicine, histopathology, and nanotechnology, along with the status and alternative uses of the hematoxylin-eosin stain. Lastly, this paper will examine the current state of conservation and utilization of Haematoxylum campechianum in Campeche, Mexico, a leading global producer of hematoxylin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to understand the factors that shape populist radical right parties’ economic policies. While there is a good understanding of how these parties’ core ideology of nativism and authoritarianism shapes social policies, we know less about economic policies. With few exceptions, the insights of this literature have also not travelled to East-Central Europe, despite the strength of the populist right in this region. Instead, authors writing on the region focus on the social coalitions forged by populist parties as an explanation for policies. These authors however do not focus on the role of populism in policymaking. Our paper therefore asks whether the ideological literature can travel to economic policies as well, and specifically to the cases of Hungary and Poland. Drawing on the evidence of financial market reforms under the Fidesz and PiS rule in Hungary and Poland, and a congruence analysis testing the predictive power of existing approaches, we show that a combination of ideological and material factors is needed to explain observed economic policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental support or resistance has been widely recognised as an important factor that enables or constrains the implementation of quality Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). This paper analyses parental experiences of involvement and engagement with Gender Equality Matters (GEM), an educational programme focused on raising awareness, building confidence and enhancing capacity levels among children to tackle gender inequality and promote LGBTQI inclusion. The paper focuses on qualitative data from participating parents in the Irish primary school context. Pre- and post-questionnaires (n = 162) and semi-structured interviews (n = 3) were utilised to gain insight into the parents’ experience of participating in GEM. Using thematic analysis, the analysis explores three themes: 1) positive parental partnerships; 2) naturalistic at-home conversations; and 3) resistance and disengagement. The study highlights the key role of parental partnerships with school curricula, whilst critically reflecting on potential sites for resistance and providing a successful model for future educational programmes to adopt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive psychology has had an impressive first 25 years. However, it and related wellbeing sciences are at risk of being rendered futile at a time of staggering crises across psychological, social, political, and environmental domains. This paper is a call for a new science of wellbeing, a Regenerative Positive Psychology, that reorients the field toward protecting and expanding the growth and health of the life-sustaining systems necessary for our wellbeing. This paper asks whether life has improved significantly since the launch of positive psychology, appraises the field’s disproportionate emphasis on individual wellbeing, describes regenerative approaches in other fields, and proposes Three Pillars for a Regenerative Positive Psychology that is better equipped to take on the daunting challenges ahead. As fields rooted in strengths, hope, and purpose, positive psychology together with wellbeing sciences are ideally suited to take greater leadership in facing the world’s crises and building more positive futures for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe paper is focused on how to apply the probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) methodology to assess the nuclear safety risks associated with the transportation of radioactive material. The methodology is comprehensive and covers the different modes of transport (for example, by road, by train, by ship, and by air) used for the transportation of radioactive material. The proposed methodology can be applied to any specific mode of transportation of radioactive material as well as to any specific country. This paper focuses on application of this methodology for transportation of radioactive material by train.The systematic assessment starts with the identification of the risk associated with the transportation mode and its initiating events to analyze what can go wrong in the transportation of radioactive material and how likely it can be. An accident involving radioactive material has sensitive information, and such information is not publicly available. Therefore, generic accident data can be utilized to develop probabilistic models and quantify the risk associated with radioactive material transportation. Another fact is that radioactive material transportation accidents are extremely rare; hence, associated statistics are insufficient for the development of PSA models, so generic accident data can be used to predict accident frequency.The paper explores the feasibility of using probabilistic methods to assess the safety risks associated with radioactive material transport. The paper describes how to perform a comprehensive probabilistic assessment and create a generic accident event tree that is based on train accident data. The focus of the event tree is to outline a range of different train accident scenarios and their respective probabilities of occurrence and their consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractSoftware verification and validation constitute crucial phases in the development of simulation computer codes, particularly in the context of nuclear reactor safety analysis codes, where stringent safety requirements govern the development and deployment of nuclear technologies. This paper focuses on numerical verification study of the System Analysis Module (SAM) computer code, currently under development at Argonne National Laboratory. Specifically, we employed the Method of Manufactured Solutions (MMS) and proposed a verification technique tailored to the multiphysics simulation of molten salt reactors (MSRs). This research accomplished three main objectives. First, we have addressed key challenges associated with applying the MMS to MSR systems, arising from (1) the complex multiphysics coupling inherent in this problem and (2) the necessity to model the entire coolant loop for describing the drift of delayed neutron precursors outside the reactor core. The paper provides recommendations and guidelines to overcome these challenges, enabling the successful application of the MMS for simulating MSRs. Second, we have presented a comprehensive set of verification examples, serving as an exhaustive benchmark for code verification within the nuclear community. Third, we have established a robust verification of the SAM code’s capability to model MSR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donna Haraway views being a cyborg rather than a ‘goddess’ desirable. This feminist slogan can be seen in terms of the democratising power of a hybrid identity facilitated by technology as a substantial alternative to traditional notions of gendered identity. This paper aims to study S. B. Divya’s 2021 novel Machinehood to analyse how technology and identity are tied up in the context of the novel. The paper benefits from the insights from critical posthumanism by analysing how the transformation into a cyborg is problematised by the moral and ethical overtones facilitated by dakinis (mythological figures in Buddhism). While providing tactical advantage, cyborg may become the negation of one’s gender and flesh. The cyborg has been viewed as a capitalist desire. Thus, a cyborg society benefits from the transformative acts that resist such erasure and preserve one’s sense of identity rooted in their body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future-bias is the preference, all else being equal, for positive states of affairs to be located in the future not the past, and for negative states of affairs to be located in the past not the future. Three explanations for future-bias have been posited: the temporal metaphysics explanation, the practical irrelevance explanation, and the three mechanisms explanation. Understanding what explains future-bias is important not only for better understanding the phenomenon itself, but also because many philosophers think that which explanation is the correct one has implications for our evaluation of the normative status of future-bias. In this paper we focus on the connection between future-bias and the temporal value asymmetry. The latter refers to the fact that people tend to assign more value to a state of affairs when it is located in the future, as opposed to being equidistant in the past. All three candidate explanations offered for future-bias proceed by explaining the temporal value asymmetry, and then supposing that future-bias is simply a manifestation of that asymmetry. Recently, however, it has been argued that the conditions under which people display the temporal value asymmetry and future-bias are different, and that this is reason to doubt that the latter is a manifestation of the former. In this paper we empirically test one response to this argument against the manifestation thesis – the simulation response – according to which once we control for the degree to which people can simulate the object of their preference, we find that people display future-bias and the temporal value asymmetry in the same conditions. We find no evidence in favor of the simulation response. Moreover, our results support some previous research that suggests that the temporal value asymmetry is less robust than previously thought, and this in itself casts doubt on the idea that future bias is just a manifestation of this asymmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new structure of an AC–DC bridgeless single-switch SEPIC converter for battery charging applications. The converter exhibits the features of power factor correction (PFC) by reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) of AC input current to a considerable extent using the modified structure of the converter. The sizes of inductors are also considerably reduced in the proposed converter. The proposed single-switch converter topology makes it suitable for implementing the complex control algorithms required for battery charging. The circulating current is eliminated by introducing the blocking diodes in the proposed converter. A 200W/56 V prototype converter is synthesised to realise the proposed concept. This paper also includes a comparative study with different similar converters to verify the performance of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusions\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis systematic review sought to synthesise the qualitative literature exploring couples’ experiences of dyadic coping, when one partner has Multiple Sclerosis (MS).The review protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO. Five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Scopus) were searched for relevant papers from inception to January 2024. Seven hundred and ninety three papers were screened against pre-defined inclusion criteria. Data from 11 studies (n = 204) were quality assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist and included in the metasynthesisThe synthesis resulted in four themes related to couples’ experiences of coping with MS: dance of accommodation, a sense of unity, outside of us and evolving as a unit. Communication attunement was perceived as key for couples to maintain cohesion in the relationship. Developing a shared narrative around MS helped couples to align their perspectives and co-ordinate their coping. The findings suggest that many couples coped by consciously maintaining a focus in the present. The wider system of social supports also appeared to frame the couples unique dyadic coping process in specific ways.The findings from this synthesis provide support for the conceptualisation of MS as a shared experience to support couples’ rehabilitation efforts. For couples coping with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), communication attunement is a key variable for maintaining cohesion and closeness in the relationship to manage disease impact. Framing MS as a shared challenge helps couples to co-ordinate their coping response, engage in collaborative disease management and rehabilitation, and jointly undertake lifestyle adaptations.Each couple’s unique response to coping with MS should be considered within a broader ecological framework, including social and professional supports that may support rehabilitation efforts.For couples coping with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), communication attunement is a key variable for maintaining cohesion and closeness in the relationship to manage disease impact. Framing MS as a shared challenge helps couples to co-ordinate their coping response, engage in collaborative disease management and rehabilitation, and jointly undertake lifestyle adaptations.Each couple’s unique response to coping with MS should be considered within a broader ecological framework, including social and professional supports that may support rehabilitation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Egypt’s labor market transition dynamics post-Arab Spring based on the two most recent rounds of the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey conducted in 2012 and 2018. In addition to providing disaggregated level analysis by examining labor market transitions by gender, education, and age groups, our paper provides a cross-country perspective by comparing Egypt’s labor market transitions with Jordan’s. Regression analyses focusing on transitions to and from the dominant absorbing labor market states in Egypt – public sector employment for both genders, non-participation for women, and the informal sector for men – show that having a post-secondary education is associated with a lower probability of remaining out of the labor force (OLF) for women who were already OLF at baseline, while being married at baseline is found to be a significant predictor for women to stay out of the labor force if they were already so. As for men, the better educated are found to be more likely to secure formal employment, be it in the public or in the private sector, and also more likely to keep their public formal jobs once they secure them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cookies are an essential part of today's internet. In the EU, the ePrivacy Directive (read with the EU GDPR) requires prior informed consent for using cookies. Usually, websites use cookie banners to meet the informed consent requirement. However, due to a lack of harmonisation of cookie law across the EU, varying cookie guidelines by data protection authorities of different member states, and varying implementation of cookie consent requirements by websites, users face differing cookie banners on different websites. Having to face differing cookie banners requires additional cognitive effort and time to read, understand, evaluate, and select options on each banner. Moreover, the way consent is sought remains deceptive. Websites use dark patterns, vague language, positive framing, and nudging to elicit user consent. This paper proposes standardised cookie banners to solve the various problems with cookie consent banners. The paper suggests that the standardised banner must have standardised timing of display, position on the website, text and language, presentation, consent options, and way of consenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bilateral relationship between Australia and China has undergone significant challenges and fluctuations in recent years, arousing substantial interest among scholars in the field of International Relations (IR). This paper examines Australia’s policy changes towards China during the period of 2017–2022 from an IR theory perspective. By critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of prevailing arguments through the theoretical lenses of three IR paradigms—realism, liberalism, and constructivism—this paper not only provides insights into the primary factors behind the continuous and dramatic downturns in Australia-China relations over these five years (2017-2022) but also establishes a foundation for further examinations and debates among scholars. It argues that no single IR theory can fully capture the dynamic and intricate nature of states’ foreign policy and international relations. Therefore, it is crucial for scholars to adopt a ‘toolbox approach’, selectively utilizing different theoretical frameworks from competing schools of thought and drawing upon useful instruments from other disciplines. The three papers in this special section at JCC further illustrate how a theoretically eclectic approach can help better understand the dynamic economic, political, and security relations between Australia and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, architectural history has responded to the climate crisis by strongly integrating environmental topics into its research agenda. The change has been so dramatic that it can be referred to as a paradigm shift within the discipline. The article reviews research tendencies in the environmental history of architecture by discussing the papers presented at a conference organized in Reykjavik in 2023 and several recent publications. The introduction of environmental perspectives in architectural history appears to call into question consolidated ways of understanding its relationship with planning history. Cities are no longer seen as an essential field of analysis to achieve meaningful generalizations in architectural research; many recent works privilege, on the contrary, the investigation of the flows and movements linking individual buildings to processes taking place at a global or planetary level. The paper discusses the question from three interrelated perspectives (the scales of observation, the articulation of temporalities, and the public role of historians). It argues that the environmental turn affecting many fields of the humanities open the way for rethinking patterns of cross-disciplinary collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While language is widely recognized as one of the elements upon which nations have been built, emphasis has been placed on codified languages, rather than the uncodified vernacular spoken within a particular territory. Drawing on thematic analysis of qualitative surveys and political documents, this paper examines how Cypriot Greek, a local language variety, is claimed by counter-hegemonic perspectives in Cyprus to foster a sense of collective belonging designating the island as an independent cultural entity. By highlighting how such perspectives challenge the hegemony of Greek Cypriot nationalism, the paper underlines that uncodified vernaculars can shape senses of national belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021 Lesotho adopted a quality assurance framework for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) for higher education sector. Globally, governments use quality assurance frameworks as strategies to address productivity, efficiency and effectiveness within the higher education sector. By adopting ODL discourses, this paper critically assessed the adequacy of the Lesotho Minimum Accreditation Standards for Open and Distance Learning framework in responding to the needs of students within the sector. From the findings it emerged that the framework used largely strategic indicators as aspects of quality failing to apply pointers that reflect authentic learning. It has been argued that the strategic indicators do not necessarily address the issues of learning. Furthermore, the framework failed to address central issues in ODL. Couched in general and discreet terms, the framework ran short of addressing issues of quality within the contexts of ODL. While it is generally acknowledged that quality assurance models have taken centre stage globally, it is important that such a framework should be responsive to the educational milieu of the country and, in particular, to the nature of ODL. The paper recommended that the quality assurance framework for ODL should identify the essences of ODL and develop key components to inform implementation thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1906, Ismail Gasprinsky (1851–1914), a Crimean Tatar intellectual with ties to the Russian and the Ottoman intelligentsia published his novel The Muslims of the Land of Serenity [Darürrahat Müslümanları], one of the earliest utopian texts in a Turkic language. The narrative uncovers a secret land beyond the Sierra Nevada in Andalusia where some Muslims, having fled after the fall of Grenada in 1492, set up the ideal Muslim state preserving the memory of Islamic Spain over the centuries. This paper discusses factors in the Ottoman literary context that influenced the broad reception of the novel beyond Muslim communities and highlights influences on Gasprinsky from the Ukraine and Russia. After examining the complexities surrounding the religious ‘other’ and its relationship with the external world in Gasprinsky’s utopia, the paper concludes with reflections on the religious ‘other’ contributing to discussions on religious pluralism and freedom within utopian societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper focuses on the standardisation of Võro, the most spoken and cultivated South Estonian language. According to the 2021 census, there are ca 100,000 Võro and Seto speakers with varying bilingual backgrounds from activist L1 speakers – who have been developing Standard Võro and language technologies (LT) for language transfer – to people with receptive knowledge, L2 speakers, whose Võro (and Seto) literacy can be described as hybrid. The bulk of speakers, however, have only embraced reading and writing Võro in their adult life and are socialised into Standard Estonian literacy. Standard Estonian was cultivated mostly from North Estonian varieties whose speakers outnumbered their South Estonian counterparts. In this paper, we aim to understand the process of standardisation and especially the role of language editors in it by reviewing and examining the principles of codification and analysing interview data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the EU’s deployment of EU collective power in response to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Collective power has two dimensions, the ‘power to’ and the ‘power with’, which translate into the power to get things done and the power to act in concert. These two dimensions of power are underpinned by a third dimension, discursive power. The analytical framework consists of two bundles of activity, agenda setting and problem recognition (the problem frame) and the development of policy solutions (the action frame). Agreeing a problem frame is a necessary but insufficient requirement for action which requires agreement among the member states on what they are prepared to commit to in terms of policy instruments. The paper concludes that the EU avoided a politics trap during these crises by reaching consensus on both the problem and action frames and were assisted in this by the emergence of three EU polity norms and the mobilisation of institutional capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main idea of this paper is to approximate the exact p-value of a class of non-parametric, two-sample location-scale tests. In this paper, the most famous non-parametric two-sample location-scale tests are formulated in a class of linear rank tests. The permutation distribution of this class is derived from a random allocation design. This allows us to approximate the exact p-value of the non-parametric two-sample location-scale tests of the considered class using the saddlepoint approximation method. The proposed method shows high accuracy in approximating the exact p-value compared to the normal approximation method. Moreover, the proposed method only requires a few calculations and time, as in the case of the simulated method. The procedures of the proposed method are clarified through four sets of real data that represent applications for a number of different fields. In addition, a simulation study compares the proposed method with the traditional methods to approximate the exact p-value of the specified class of the non-parametric two-sample location-scale tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper’s purpose is to systematically analyse and understand the complexity of strategic-level stakeholder management within defence. Empirical data was collected via a rigorous systematic literature review of 10,369 manuscripts contained within the Web of Science, with 206 A1 studies constituting the final paper set. This was followed by bibliometric and maturity analysis leading to extraction, synthesis and integration of insights. In doing so, knowledge on defence stakeholders is consolidated beyond the traditional field of political science. The results illuminate aspects of stakeholder network complexity, including stakeholders that need to be better understood and holistic frameworks important for contextualising initiatives. Further, the need to move beyond bilaterally-focussed relationships towards the consideration of the larger ecosystem is emphasized. Finally, managers are encouraged to internalise engagement capabilities, able to continuously balance diverse stakeholder cultures and interests. Thereby, contributions are made towards the development of descriptive, instrumental and normative stakeholder theory within defence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived self-efficacy is an integral part of a capability set that allows participants to transform design capabilities into the functioning of doing design. However, existing research investigating the change in participants’ perceived self-efficacy during a co-design process is inadequate. Therefore, this paper aims to demonstrate the changeability of participants’ perceived self-efficacy and its changing trajectory in a co-design process. The findings are extracted from a remote co-design project with older people, employing generative toolkits and culture probes, to address loneliness in later life. It has been discovered that the participants who successfully completed the co-design process experienced an increase in their perceived self-efficacy, following a U-shaped model. Furthermore, the depth of the U-shaped curve is contingent on how well the co-design process is designed to align with participants’ embodied knowledge and skills. The findings of this paper address the inadequate discussion of the change in participants’ perceived self-efficacy in co-design methodological literature. The introduced U-shaped model can equip co-design researchers and practitioners with the ability to anticipate and prepare for potential situations arising from changes in participants’ perceived self-efficacy during co-design processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayesian adaptive designs with response adaptive randomization (RAR) have the potential to benefit more participants in a clinical trial. While there are many papers that describe RAR designs and results, there is a scarcity of works reporting the details of RAR implementation from a statistical point exclusively. In this paper, we introduce the statistical methodology and implementation of the trial Changing the Default (CTD). CTD is a single-center prospective RAR comparative effectiveness trial to compare opt-in to opt-out tobacco treatment approaches for hospitalized patients. The design assumed an uninformative prior, conservative initial allocation ratio, and a higher threshold for stopping for success to protect results from statistical bias. A particular emerging concern of RAR designs is the possibility that time trends will occur during the implementation of a trial. If there is a time trend and the analytic plan does not prespecify an appropriate model, this could lead to a biased trial. Adjustment for time trend was not pre-specified in CTD, but post hoc time-adjusted analysis showed no presence of influential drift. This trial was an example of a successful two-armed confirmatory trial with a Bayesian adaptive design using response adaptive randomization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous African people had mastery and ownership of material objects and land more broadly before colonialism and enslavement. Without indigenous people mastery and ownership over their material objects, indigenous progress, liberation, development, and emancipation would be elusive. This paper contends that decolonization/decoloniality is a function of abating dispossession/theft of indigenous material objects by imperialists through restitution and repossession. In fact, to forestall claims for restitution and reparations require mastery and ownership of their material objects to enable those that are colonized to assume sovereignty and autonomy. This paper theorizes coloniality as theft/dispossession as its critical framework. The underlying argument here is that theorizing coloniality as theft/dispossession makes it possible to conceive of the limitations of theories that define coloniality simplistically in terms of hierarchies, binaries, and dominance. Based on this assemblage, I frame the coloniality of theft/dispossession along the Asante (the people of Ghana) dispossessed material objects in the eras of colonialism and enslavement. The paper concludes that decolonizing ontologies by way of restitution is a necessary component of the process of reversing colonial/imperial theft/dispossession of objects for which they should be compensated as part of the process of decolonization rather than erroneous conceptualization of decolonization in terms of hierarchy, oppression, and binaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers interactions between police and individuals experiencing homelessness, a fundamental aspect of contemporary urban dynamics. The challenges and vulnerabilities faced by the ‘street population’ intersect with policing priorities in ways that prompt re-evaluation of conventional policing methods. Beginning with an exploration of existing research, Section 1 analyses police interactions with the street population, illuminating the complexities, challenges, and outcomes of these encounters. Section 2 takes an ethics-based approach to scrutinise the implicit assumptions and values underpinning traditional policing. By dissecting the moral implications of these encounters, the paper underscores the necessity for an alternative framework grounded in compassion, empathy, and social welfare. Section 3 considers the potential for a paradigm shift in policing methods concerning the street population towards community-based strategies, restorative justice practices, and collaborative partnerships between police and social service providers. By combining research findings, ethical considerations, and potential strategies, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of these interactions, ultimately seeking to enhance the well-being of people experiencing homelessness and promote community harmony. By challenging existing paradigms and advocating for a more empathetic and socially conscious approach, the paper strives to ignite meaningful transformations that address the complex dynamics between police and the street population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to present an input-output model of the forest-based bioeconomy, enabling insight into its contribution to total gross value added (GDP), employment, and CO2 emissions in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. To quantify this contribution, the paper utilizes input-output tables of the four countries. The forest-based bioeconomy includes forestry, the processing of forestry products (forward linkages), and the direct and indirect use of inputs (backward linkages) from forestry and processing industries. Our analysis reveals that while forestry itself is a small industry, contributing minimally to GDP (ranging from 0.40% in Lithuania to 1.90% in Finland), and the forest-based bioeconomy is considerably larger. For instance, its contribution to GDP ranges from 3.59% in Lithuania to 7.22% in Estonia. Moreover, the forestry-based bioeconomy exhibits negative net CO2 emissions, primarily due to CO2 sequestration by forest lands and harvested wood products. Despite the substantial negative CO2 emissions associated with forestry activities, without sequestration, the forestry-based bioeconomy's share in total emissions ranges from 5.14% in Lithuania to 14.88% in Finland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the design of an articulated wheeled robot with four links and three joints that can travel in pipes with inner diameters of 4 in with a traction force of 300 N or more. Although many in-pipe inspection robots have been reported, no examples can yet travel long distances, including many curved sections. This paper presents roller material with the best friction property and durability for in-pipe robots to possess high traction capability. Lifting payload and long distance in-pipe travel tests were also conducted for the robot with the selected elastic materials. The results demonstrate that a 16 kg weight was successfully lifted, and the robot can travel a total length of 23 m, including 19 horizontal and vertical bent sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on the literature on whether tourism promotes balanced regional development (BRD) by examining intra-regional disparities as part of total tourism inequality, an issue that is rarely addressed, and then not for a developed country. To that end, Mean Log Deviation (MLD) indices of tourism demand and supply indicators are compared in the case of Greece. The results indicate that inter-regional disparities are the main driver of total inequality, apart from the case of domestic tourism. The latter can be a more effective tool for BRD, which is not accomplished under the current tourism spatial pattern. The paper, lastly, provides recommendations at which level (national or regional) tourism policy becomes more essential to effectively reducing inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fashion photography in Moroccan magazines, newspapers and social media finds a favourable environment to incubate, develop and theorise on Moroccan cultural identity. Such areas of fashion photography have become sites of the female body, dream and fashion. In this paper, I investigate different articulations of postcolonial fashion critique by focusing on photography as a space where conflicting ideologies occur, where cultural encounters escalate different agendas and different ideas about gender, nationhood and cultural identity. Deploying Foucault’s concept of docile bodies, this paper reads fashion photography as a space of women bodies exposed to different structures of power, ready to be ‘manipulated, shaped, and trained’ (135–136). Affected by the history of colonial domination and the postcolonial condition, fashion photography emphasises not only the process of alterity by contributing to the reservoir of produced oriental fantasies but also fosters and frustrates western imperial hegemony. This paper examines the transition of fashion discourse from traditional paper-based media to the digital realm, with a particular emphasis on the perpetuation of hegemonic narratives within the fashion industry. It explores the role of fashion photography as a medium through which these discourses are conveyed, specifically in its endeavour to redefine Moroccan cultural identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]