This study is an analysis of technical solutions to ensure the reliable operation of electric drives in dairy production under conditions of unstable power supply. The methodology involved the use of system analysis methods, the evaluation of technical solutions through the analysis of their characteristics and theoretical data processing to model the power supply system of a dairy plant. The study found that power supply instability, including voltage sags, pulse surges, phase failure and frequency deviations, reduces the productivity of the dairy plant. Modelling the power supply system using a generalised functional model helped to identify critical points, such as external grid instability and voltage asymmetry, which have the greatest impact on equipment operation. The assessment of power quality parameters revealed that voltage variations between phases (0.22–0.24 kV) often exceed the normal limit (0.23 kV), the zero-sequence unbalance factor reaches 3.0% (exceeding the 2% limit) and the sinusoidal distortion factor is 0.8–1.6%, with peaks for the second and fourth harmonics (0.74–0.80%). The analysis also revealed that pumps and coolers are the most sensitive to voltage sags, while milking machines are the most sensitive to frequency instability. The implementation of technical solutions such as uninterruptible power supplies, inverters, automatic backup power switches and voltage filters can reduce downtime by 50–90%, save energy by 10–25%, reduce harmonic distortion to < 5% and extend motor life by 20–30%. Integration of electric drives with automated control systems provides real-time monitoring, automatic control and alarms, minimising downtime and increasing process reliability. The practical significance of the results is to create a basis for increasing the efficiency and stability of the dairy industry, which contributes to the smooth functioning of production, reducing operating costs and ensuring high-quality products.

We provide explicit formulae for the Alexander polynomial of pretzel knots and establish several immediate corollaries, including the characterisation of pretzel knots with a trivial Alexander polynomial. As an application, we construct a new family of knots that are topologically slice, but not smoothly slice.

With the collapse of the regime in Syria in late 2024 and the end of a brutal civil war, Syrian higher education faces a series of challenges as it adjusts to a post-authoritarian, but Islamist, government. Institutions of higher education were significantly degraded during the war and universities became sites of resistance, surveillance, torture, and violence. This article assesses the Middle East Studies Association’s failure to adequately engage with Syrian higher education during this period and argues for a renewed effort to build connections and engage in professional dialog with counterparts in the country. At the same time, it highlights renewed threats to academic freedom and new problems including heightened sectarianization, creeping gender apartheid, and unclear legal guidance for higher education. It concludes with specific proposals including the development of Arabic-language resources on academic freedom and the expression of solidarity with the Syrian people as they rebuild their country.

Seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation affects food availability for organisms. Tropical bats are trophically diverse, representing many feeding guilds, and can represent about half of mammalian diversity in tropical areas. Stable isotope analysis of nitrogen (δ15N) in animal tissues permits inference on phenology of diet and trophic level through repeated sampling of a single tissue over time or by simultaneous sampling of multiple tissues that vary in isotopic turnover rate. The goal of our study was to use multi-tissue stable isotope analysis to investigate the phenology of diet (i.e., trophic-level switching) in bats. We sampled tissues of museum specimens from five tropical bat species representing different trophic guilds (insectivores, frugivores) and movement capacities (wide-ranging, narrow-ranging). We measured δ15N in three metabolically latent (hair, skin, bone) and four active (heart, kidney, spleen, liver) tissues and generated mathematical model predictions of expected δ15N values of these tissues based on their foraging guild. Specifically, we predicted that species with more sedentary movement patterns (i.e., narrow-ranging species) would have high among-tissue variation in δ15N and species that move further and more often (i.e., wide-ranging) would have less δ15N variation among tissues. Our results supported our predictions and suggest that the phenology of diet is detectable by multi-tissue isotope analysis using δ15N.

This study investigates how structured co-design approaches foster team mental models (TMMs) sharedness in interdisciplinary design teams engaged in information visualization projects. Interdisciplinary collaboration faces challenges including communication barriers, diverse domains and complex informational environments that hinder shared understanding and cohesion. Drawing from literature on team mental models, team cognition and co-design practices, the study formulates four research questions related to specific interventions, integrative activities, evocative artifacts, framing guides and guided reflexivity. An exploratory mixed-methods approach involved two design teams through brainsketching workshops, with one experiencing structured co-design interventions and an unfacilitated group without interventions. Data analysis integrated qualitative verbal protocol coding with quantitative transition matrices to capture sequential interaction patterns. Chi-square analysis revealed distinct behavioral patterns, with the intervention group exhibiting richer communicative sequences. Findings reveal that integrative activities enhanced early team integration and supported divergent thinking. Evocative artifacts facilitated semantic alignment and novel idea development, while framing guides helped establish adaptive decision-making. Guided reflexivity encouraged procedural strategies around complex problem spaces. The unfacilitated group experienced difficulties, particularly in task framing and reflection processes. This research contributes a procedural framework mapping verbal activity types to team cognition stages, offering approaches for fostering TMMs in interdisciplinary design contexts.

Spatial risk models for Lassa fever (LF) generally predict the primary reservoir, Mastomys natalensis, is restricted to rural landscapes. This study integrates multispecies biotic interactions and anthropogenic land-use into a high-resolution framework to evaluate LF’s urban potential. I implemented an integrated multispecies occupancy model to reconstruct the reservoir’s realized niche, accounting for sampling bias and invasive rodent competitors. A socio-economic filter, proxied by night-time lights, was introduced to model the dampening effect of urban infrastructure on spillover. Annual infections were estimated using a demographic compartmental model incorporating empirical seroreversion rates. Results indicate high biological hazard across the peri-urban fringes of major West African cities. However, an infrastructure-driven socio-economic shield decouples this hazard from human incidence in dense urban cores. Accounting for spatial shielding and antibody waning yields an estimated 2.6 million annual Lassa virus infections. Comparing predictions to clinical data reveals substantial surveillance gaps, identifying highly suitable silent districts in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo with zero reported cases. LF possesses the biological potential to become a peri-urban disease; addressing these surveillance gaps at the peri-urban interface is a critical public health priority.

Framed within Social Interdependence Theory, this study investigated how learner factors (interaction mindsets and task perceptions) relate to learner engagement, task completion, and lexical learning. One hundred and five L2 learners of English completed an interaction-mindsets questionnaire and a lexical pre-test, performed two interactive tasks (i.e., collaborative spatial planning task vs. asymmetric visual comparison task), completed an engagement questionnaire, and participated in a post-test and a debriefing. Learner interactions were coded for engagement (semantically engaged talk, responsiveness, LREs), while survey and interview data were analyzed using inferential statistics and thematic analysis. Our results showed that interaction mindsets predicted various dimensions of engagement (i.e., cognitive, social, and emotional) and lexical learning. Most learners viewed tasks positively despite their differing foci. Follow-up tests revealed the impact of task type on engagement, which in turn predicted task completion. The results evidence links between learner factors, engagement, and learning outcomes, which highlights the need to foster positive interaction mindsets and task perceptions to enhance engagement and learning.

SJT reducibility between sets $A,B \subseteq \mathbb N$ is defined by $A \le _{SJT} B$ if for each computable function h that is unbounded and nondecreasing, there is an h-bounded uniformly B-c.e. trace $(T_n)_{n \in \mathbb N} $ such that for each n, the value $J^A(n)$ of the jump is in $T_n$, if defined. This reducibility is slightly weaker than Turing reducibility. We study SJT reducibility, and as a main result give several characterisations of it on the K-trivial sets. This is the first case of extending the three lowness paradigms, weak as an oracle, computed by many, and inert, to the setting of weak reducibilities.

A quality improvement project was implemented across a large primary care network to decrease antibiotic use and improve guideline-concordant therapy for acute sinusitis. The multifaceted intervention included education, EHR decision support, and individual prescriber feedback with peer comparison. The program was associated with improvements in guideline-concordant prescribing.

Several groups in democratic polities are legally excluded from voting. Are they thus also excluded from democratic representation? In this article, we focus on the political inclusion of underage youth and migrants. We theorize that proxy representation of their interests might occur through two mechanisms: mechanical or solidarity representation. Drawing on parallel citizen and politician surveys in 14 countries (N citizens = 27,465; N national politicians = 1,185), we find that both groups have some preferences that are not automatically matched by either the general electorate or politicians. While underage youth’s preferences are at least matched by young voters (aged 18 to 25 years), this is not the case for migrant non-voters. Second, we show that citizens and politicians largely consider youth, children, and future generations – but not migrants – to deserve political representation equal to that of adult citizens. In sum, our evidence suggests proxy representation is a weak alternative to enfranchisement, especially for the migrant population.

This study investigates the relationship between trauma and caregiver depression in Haiti, a country burdened by ongoing political unrest, natural disasters, and economic hardship. A preponderance of evidence shows the substantial impact of caregiver mental health on child development and intergenerational vulnerability. This cross-sectional analysis examined data from the Grandi Byen randomized controlled trial, including 480 caregiver-infant dyads in Cap-Haitien. Depression risk was assessed using the Zanmi Lasante Depression Symptom Inventory (ZLDSI), and trauma exposure was measured with a survey adapted from the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). Negative binomial and ordinal logistic regression models assessed the relationship between caregiver trauma and depression, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental conditions. The analysis revealed that trauma exposure was significantly associated with higher odds of depression risk (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.001, 1.193). Household composition was identified as a protective factor for depression (OR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.664, 0.910). Trauma exposure was significantly associated with caregiver depression in Haiti, likely exacerbating the mental health challenges faced by caregivers in the context of political, economic and environmental stressors. Given the limited mental health data available in Haiti, this study provides essential insights into the trauma and challenges Haitians experience amidst ongoing crises.