José M.M. Gázquez, Thomas Castelain, Miquel Llorente
Language, rooted in left-hemisphere dominance and a species-wide bias toward right-handedness, stands as a singularly complex cognitive and behavioural domain that has profoundly influenced human evolution. We argue that language should be understood not solely as an adaptation or a by-product of neural expansion and laryngeal descent, but as an active evolutionary force that reinforced pre-existing motor lateralisation. Integrating Tinbergen's four questions with the Baldwin Effect framework, we synthesise evidence from behavioural ecology, comparative neuroscience, and palaeoanthropology to trace the interplay between gestural origins, vocal learning, hemispheric specialisation, and handedness. We propose that language arose as a form of social pressure, amplifying an ancestral right-handed gestural bias through increasingly complex vocal acquisition, thereby linking developmental (ontogenetic) processes with deep evolutionary (phylogenetic) change. This co-evolutionary dynamic produced the pronounced hemispheric asymmetry and right-handedness that distinguish Homo sapiens.
Mohamed Mehdi Trigui, Wasfi G. Al-Khatib, Mohammad Amro
et al.
Commit messages are essential for understanding software evolution and maintaining traceability of projects; however, their quality varies across repositories. Recent Large Language Models provide a promising path to automate this task by generating concise context-sensitive commit messages directly from code diffs. This paper provides a comparative study of three paradigms of large language models: zero-shot prompting, retrieval-augmented generation, and fine-tuning, using the large-scale CommitBench dataset that spans six programming languages. We assess the performance of the models with automatic metrics, namely BLEU, ROUGE-L, METEOR, and Adequacy, and a human assessment of 100 commits. In the latter, experienced developers rated each generated commit message for Adequacy and Fluency on a five-point Likert scale. The results show that fine-tuning and domain adaptation yield models that perform consistently better than general-purpose baselines across all evaluation metrics, thus generating commit messages with higher semantic adequacy and clearer phrasing than zero-shot approaches. The correlation analysis suggests that the Adequacy and BLEU scores are closer to human judgment, while ROUGE-L and METEOR tend to underestimate the quality in cases where the models generate stylistically diverse or paraphrased outputs. Finally, the study outlines a conceptual integration pathway for incorporating such models into software development workflows, emphasizing a human-in-the-loop approach for quality assurance.
Antoine Hochet, Florian Sévellec, Nicolas Kolodziejczyk
Abstract Anthropogenic climate change is projected to intensify the global hydrological cycle, posing substantial risks to human societies. However, monitoring these changes through direct observations remains challenging, particularly over the oceans. Since long‐term shifts in the hydrological cycle are expected to alter ocean salinity distribution, understanding the processes governing its evolution is essential. Salinity distribution is known to result from a balance between freshwater fluxes, which broaden the distribution, and mixing processes, which narrow it. Using a novel diagnostic based on the mean salinity variance budget applied to the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO), we estimate that the large‐scale salinity flux—primarily driven by the seasonal cycle—contributes approximately 23% to this mixing. Our framework also enables us to understand the regional balances, and to identify the regions where these balances are most significant. Our results suggest that accurately representing the seasonal salinity cycle in ocean and climate models is important for simulating the ocean salinity distribution.
To address the complexity of interactions and cumulative evolution between water ecological security and socio-ecological systems, this study explores their co-evolution and adaptation from the human-water perspective. Although previous studies have extensively analyzed water ecological security and its influencing factors, they often focus on single variables or subsystems, neglecting the intricate coupling between water ecological security and socio-ecological systems. Based on adaptability theory, this study integrates the Water Ecological Security Index (WESI) with a comprehensive adaptability evaluation model to systematically assess the spatiotemporal dynamics and adaptive coordination between water ecological security and socio-ecological resilience in arid inland river basins from 2011 to 2021. The results reveal a gradual improvement in the adaptation between water ecological security and socio-ecological resilience, particularly in the river basins of Xinjiang, where highly adaptation areas have continuously expanded. However, significant disparities in adaptation levels exist across sub-basins, highlighting the need to further promote water-saving irrigation technologies and explore pathways for compact urban development in specific regions. In the future, water resource management in arid inland basins should be guided by the concept of coupled socio-ecological systems, aiming to optimize management frameworks, implement zonal water resource governance, and foster the coordinated advancement of socioeconomic development and ecological conservation.
IntroductionThe coordinated development of tourism and the ecological environment has long been a critical issue for achieving human health and well-being and The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The tourism industry is gradually shifting its focus from “quantity-driven” to “quality-driven” growth, a necessary transition for its high-quality development. However, few studies have explored the coordinated evolution between the high-quality tourism development and the environment.MethodsThis study introduces the measurement of ecosystem services (ES) to quantitatively assess the spatial–temporal evolution of the coupling coordination degree between high-quality tourism development and ecosystem service value (ESV) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration from 2011 to 2022. Furthermore, a panel data model is employed to identify its influencing factors.Results and discussionThe findings are as follows: (1) the comprehensive index of high-quality tourism development exhibited a trend of an initial rise followed by a decline, displaying a spatial distribution pattern of “high in the central region, low in the eastern and western regions.” (2) The overall ESV showed a fluctuating downward trend, with a spatial pattern of “low in the east, high in the west; high in the north, low in the south.” (3) The coupling coordination effect first increased and then decreased, having long been in a run-in phase, presenting a spatial distribution of “high in the north, low in the south; high in the west, low in the east.” (4) The coordinated development of the two systems is influenced by economic development, governmental environmental regulations, urban expansion, and industrial structure. The results of this research provide significant theoretical and practical implications for the coordinated development of tourism system and ecosystem services.
Tumors are a major disease that seriously threatens human health, with their incidence and mortality rates increasing year by year. However, traditional therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have significant limitations, including significant side effects and propensity for drug resistance. In recent years, with the rapid development of medical technology, RNA therapy has shown great potential as an emerging treatment method in anti-tumor therapy, bringing new hope for tumor treatment. RNA therapy mainly includes small interfering RNA, antisense oligonucleotides, and aptamers. Hydrogels, as a polymer material with three-dimensional network structure, have good biocompatibility and can effectively improve the efficiency of RNA delivery. This review specifically focuses on the application of hydrogels as RNA carriers in anti-tumor therapy, along with the classification, delivery advantages, and challenges. However, despite existing deficiencies in safety and targeting, hydrogel-mediated RNA delivery for tumor treatment still shows unique advantages and broad application prospects. In the future, research and cutting-edge innovations are expected to facilitate precision oncology solutions, offering superior treatment options and catalyzing the evolution of cancer management strategies.
Bruno Pereira, Pedro Medeiros, Antônio Alves Meira Neto
et al.
The study focuses on the history of expansion of water infrastructure and drought mitigation measures, through construction of a large network of reservoirs over a 100-year period in the Jaguaribe River Basin, in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The goal is to assess why and how a dense network of reservoirs came to be constructed, and the influence of natural and socio-economic factors, using the findings to develop a conceptual understanding of how the search for water security might have unfolded in this Brazilian semi-arid region. We analyze historical data on the change in the region’s hydrologic variability and the socio-economic drivers of agricultural development, supported by quantitative measures of water security generated through the application of a hydrologic model that accounts for the effect of reservoirs on hydrologic variability. Based on the historical analysis and model outputs, the history of the search for water security is organized into four distinct eras, recognizing changes in human aspiration that contributed to the transition between the eras. Water security during Era 1 is limited by water Availability; during Era 2 the limiting factor turned to Accessibility; during Era 3 it turned to Acceptability; and finally, during Era 4, the current period, the limiting factor for water security is water Quality. The temporal dynamics associated with the pursuit of water security can thus be seen as the emergent outcome resulting from two-way feedback embedded in a coupled human-water system. The organization into the four distinct eras happens to align neatly into the United Nations AAAQ (Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality) framework, which identifies potential barriers to services in humanitarian contexts. The conceptual understanding gained from the analysis of the expansion of water storage infrastructure experienced in the Brazilian semi-arid places the pursuit of water security more broadly within the ambit of coupled human-water systems research, and also provides empirical evidence for the applicability of the AAAQ framework in synthesizing knowledge drawn from multiple places. In this way the study contributes to the understanding of the drivers and feedbacks in human-water system dynamics over long temporal timescales, which is the ultimate ambition of socio-hydrology as a scientific discipline.
Abstract This study aims to comprehensively review scientific journal articles related to the adjustment of international employees within the management and business domain from 1990 to 2022. The study seeks to identify trends and patterns in research topics and to propose a future research agenda. To achieve this, we analysed 222 articles from the Web of Science Core Collection database through two main steps: (1) a bibliometric analysis to track the field’s evolution over time and (2) a content analysis of abstracts to examine covered topics and pinpoint research gaps. Our findings indicate that the theory surrounding the adjustment of international employees is still in the process of maturation, with several potential areas for future research emerging. The analysis reveals that factors influencing adjustment are the most extensively researched for assigned expatriates, leaving other international employees relatively under-researched. Moreover, quantitative research emerged as the most prevalent methodological approach among the included studies. Most study samples predominantly consisted of individuals moving between Asia, Europe, and North America, underscoring the significance of Africa—characterised by substantial migration flows within the region—as a focal point for future adjustment research. Moreover, individual-, organisation-, and country-related antecedents of international employees’ anticipatory and in-country adjustments were analysed to present conclusions for future research. This study supplements the domains of international human resource management and international business by identifying research priorities concerning the adjustment of international employees and outlining an agenda for further research.
History of scholarship and learning. The humanities, Social Sciences
In this paper I have tried to highlight how, from the outset, the Montessorian pedagogy is not so much an alternative way of teaching, as a scientifically elaborated instrument to re-establish the physiological balance of the person in order to develop inner human qualities and abilities from the very beginning of existence. We can regard her pedagogy as the foundation for a new humanism, aimed at the evolution of mankind. I was inspired by this pedagogy in the training work I conducted in Cameroon, Armenia, Bosnia and Rwanda, after discovering the Montessori method at the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala, the shelter for refugee minors in India, conceived and wanted by the Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Sandra MacDougall, Michal Bíl, Richard Andrášik
et al.
Although roads are central to human society, they have many negative environmental impacts and create risk for traveling motorists. Our aim was to evaluate the spatiotemporal evolution of ungulate–vehicle collision (UVC) hotspots in response to major road construction. We examined two different locations and scales in the province of Alberta, Canada: (1) a highway bypass adjacent to a large city with 4.5 km of wildlife mitigation measures (wildlife fencing and two underpasses) and (2) 55 km of rural highway that was converted from a two-lane to a four-lane divided highway. Using government police collision and carcass data (2000–2021), before-after and control-impact analyses were used to assess changes in UVC rates. Our approach is novel in that we tested the paired use of a clustering method known as kernel density estimation plus and a spatiotemporal stepwise modification of this method to monitor UVC hotspots. By monitoring UVCs over space and time, we could identify stable vs. ephemeral UVC hotspots, a fence-end effect, and a barrier effect due to traffic volume, and we could explore hotspot stability before and after construction. The wildlife mitigation measures along the highway bypass resulted in 86% fewer UVCs compared to an unmitigated highway. At a larger scale, however, net benefits were affected by road density. The construction of a four-lane divided highway with no wildlife mitigation measures and an increase in the posted speed limit resulted in a slight increase in UVCs and the reemergence of the majority of historical UVC hotspots. Our analysis highlighted the need to incorporate wildlife considerations at a variety of scales throughout the transportation planning and mitigation evaluation process.
In Christian theology, angels are understood as spiritual beings created by God, primarily serving as messengers and intermediaries between the divine and humanity. They are depicted as possessing qualities of wisdom, power, and holiness, often portrayed in art and literature with human-like forms and wings. Angels play significant roles in guiding and protecting individuals, as well as executing God's will on Earth. While not central to the Christian gospel, the concept of angels enriches the understanding of the divine and the spiritual realm, highlighting the interaction between God and his creation.
In this article, we will first examine the main themes of traditional teaching on angels from Holy Scripture and the church fathers, placing them in the religious, cultural and intellectual contexts in which they arose (section 1). We will then turn to the angelological synthesis developed by medieval scholastic theology, especially the doctrine of St Thomas Aquinas. Relying on both faith and metaphysical reason, scholastic theology explores the metaphysical nature of angels and the modalities of their spiritual operations, so as to better explain the supernatural mystery of the angels’ divine calling and sanctification, and the way in which they cooperate in the economy of salvation in Jesus Christ (section 2). While the Reformation did not challenge angelology but refocused it on scripture, the intellectual and cultural evolution of the modern and contemporary West led to a crisis of credibility in traditional teachings on angels. Angels have been expelled from the cosmos by the ‘disenchantment of the world’, of which the new vision of the universe induced by modern science is a major factor. Simultaneously, angels have been removed from what is considered revealed truths by the demythologization implemented by historical-critical exegesis (see Biblical Criticism and Modern Science). Therefore, contemporary theology seeks to update the traditional teaching while opening up new paths for an angelological doctrine, the theoretical and practical implications of which remain important (section 3).
As a specific article in this encyclopaedia is dedicated to Satan and demons, we will confine ourselves here, as much as possible, to topics relating solely to ‘good angels’, even though the question of angels and demons is generally closely linked in theological reflection. There are only a few theologians, such as Karl Barth, who almost entirely dissociate angelology and demonology.
Evolution of agriculture and the attendant increase in food production has increased the world human population from 2 to 20 Million (M) about 8000 BCE to 8 Billion (B) in 2022. The rise in population, along with increase in its demands and growing affluence with as strong impact on planetary processes as any geologic force, has led to the naming of this era as “Anthropocene”. Global land area under agriculture, 1.5 B ha under cropland and 3.77 B ha under grazing land and covering ∼40% of Earth's surface under managed ecosystems, has drastically transformed the planet Earth with strong perturbations of the biogeochemical cycling of water, carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and other elements and the attendant global warming, soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, decreased renewability and increased eutrophication of water. Thus, returning some land to nature by eco-intensification of agro-ecosystems, would be a prudent strategy to strengthen planetary processes, adapt and mitigate anthropogenic climate change, improve water quality and renewability, strengthen biodiversity, and advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations albeit beyond 2030. In addition to reducing food waste and consuming more plant-based diet, adopting appropriate and site-specific farming systems can play an important role in saving land for nature. However, as is the case with other scientific issues, eco-intensification for sparing land is also a debatable issue. Nonetheless, the overall strategy is to “produce more from less” by using nature-positive agriculture which can protect ecologically-sensitive natural vegetation, reverse degradation trends, restore degraded soils and deserted ecosystems, and return ∼50% (2.5 B ha) of land area used for agriculture in 2020s (∼5 B ha) to nature by 2100 through adoption of innovative farming systems designed for restoration of soil health and re-carbonization of the terrestrial biosphere.
Phietica R. R. Silva, Phietica R. R. Silva, Regina H. Silva
et al.
Empathy is the ability to (a) be affected by and share the emotional state of another; (b) assess the reasons for the other’s state; and (c) identify with the other, adopting their perspective. This phenomenon has been shown to exist in several species and is proposed as a motivator for prosocial behavior. The experimental study of this feature in laboratory rodents is a more viable alternative in comparison to wild animals. A recent report showed that rats opened a door to free their cage mate from a restraint box. Although this behavior has been suggested to be motivated by empathy, this fact has been questioned by several studies that proposed other motivators for the releasing behavior. In the present study, we use an adaptation of the protocol of releasing behavior to investigate aspects of empathy and pro-sociality such as familiarity and reciprocity. In addition, we addressed some potential motivational factors that could influence this behavior. The main results showed that (1) rats opened the restraint box to free conspecifics most of the time; (2) direct reciprocity or past restriction experience did not improve releasing performance, probably due to a ceiling effect; (3) after a series of trials in the presence of a restricted conspecific, the free rat continues to open the restraint box even if it is empty; (4) in general, the opening performance improves across trials and phases, resembling learning curves; (5) if the first series of trials occurs with the empty box, the opening behavior does not occur and is modest in subsequent trials with a trapped animal; (6) the exploratory drive toward the restraint box and desire for social contact do not seem to function as key motivators for releasing behavior. In conclusion, our findings do not support that the opening behavior is exclusively related to empathic motivation. While multiple factors might be involved, our study suggests that task learning triggered (and possibly reinforced) by the presence of the restricted rat can function as a motivator. Further investigations are required to fully understand the mechanisms and motivation factors guiding the releasing behavior.
Objectives Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is transmissible and causes Kaposi’s sarcoma and other malignancies. This study analyzed the seroepidemiology and phylogeny of HHV-8 among 515 injection drug users (IDUs) and 229 men who have sex with men (MSM) in Taiwan. Methods Blood and peripheral mononuclear cells were analyzed for HHV-8 seroprevalence using enzyme-linked immunosorbent and immunofluorescence assays. Viral loads were measured using a real-time PCR assay. Phylogenetic analysis of the K1 gene was performed using nested PCR and DNA sequencing. Results HHV-8 infection rate was higher in MSM (24.9%) than in IDUs (3.8%). The rate of HHV-8 infection was higher in HIV-1-positive patients (32.8%, MSM; 5.5%, IDUs) than in HIV-1 negative patients. HHV-8 load was not significantly different between HHV-8 seropositive and seronegative patients. HHV-8 genotypes C and A variants were detected at frequencies of 80% and 20%, respectively, among IDUs; and genotypes C, D, E, and A were detected at frequencies of 55.6%, 11.1%, 11.1%, and 5.6%, respectively, among MSM. Variants of K1 amino acid residues 54–84 were detected in most IDUs and MSM. Conclusions HHV-8 prevalence was significantly higher among MSM than among IDUs. Evolution of the K1 gene occurred in HHV-8 variants of IDUs and MSM.