Hasil untuk "North Germanic. Scandinavian"

Hyungwoo Song, Jeongha Kim, Minju Kim et al.

While it is known that North Korean defectors (NKDs) struggle with South Korea's healthcare system, the specific challenges of their patient journey remain underexplored. To investigate this, we conducted interviews with 10 NKDs about an 8-step patient journey and identified the clinical consultation step as a critical barrier for all participants, marked by three key challenges: expressing symptoms, managing social and cultural concerns, and overcoming language differences. In response, we developed Medibridge, a mobile prototype that allows users to rehearse with an AI doctor before a real hospital visit to generate a tangible ``Helper Note'' for their actual consultation. Our evaluation with 15 NKDs showed improvements in perceived communication capability, including greater expression clarity, reduced social and cultural concerns, and enhanced linguistic confidence. Our contributions include an empirical understanding of NKDs' healthcare challenges, a novel AI-powered rehearsal system that prepares users for real-world clinical communication, and design implications for inclusive technologies for displaced populations.

Sebastian Wind, Jeta Sopa, Laurin Schmid et al.

Large language models (LLMs) demonstrate strong general reasoning and language understanding, yet their performance degrades in domains governed by strict formal rules, precise terminology, and legally binding structure. Tax law exemplifies these challenges, as correct answers require exact statutory citation, structured legal argumentation, and numerical accuracy under rigid grading schemes. We algorithmically generate SteuerEx, the first open benchmark derived from authentic German university tax law examinations. SteuerEx comprises 115 expert-validated examination questions spanning six core tax law domains and multiple academic levels, and employs a statement-level, partial-credit evaluation framework that closely mirrors real examination practice. We further present SteuerLLM, a domain-adapted LLM for German tax law trained on a large-scale synthetic dataset generated from authentic examination material using a controlled retrieval-augmented pipeline. SteuerLLM (28B parameters) consistently outperforms general-purpose instruction-tuned models of comparable size and, in several cases, substantially larger systems, demonstrating that domain-specific data and architectural adaptation are more decisive than parameter scale for performance on realistic legal reasoning tasks. All benchmark data, training datasets, model weights, and evaluation code are released openly to support reproducible research in domain-specific legal artificial intelligence. A web-based demo of SteuerLLM is available at https://steuerllm.i5.ai.fau.de.

Sujit Mandava, Deepak P, Sahely Bhadra

While there has been much research into developing AI techniques for fake news detection aided by various benchmark datasets, it has often been pointed out that fake news in different geo-political regions traces different contours. In this work we uncover, through analytical arguments and empirical evidence, the existence of an important characteristic in news originating from the Global South viz., the geo-political veracity gradient. In particular, we show that Global South news about topics from Global North -- such as news from an Indian news agency on US elections -- tend to be less likely to be fake. Observing through the prism of the political economy of fake news creation, we posit that this pattern could be due to the relative lack of monetarily aligned incentives in producing fake news about a different region than the regional remit of the audience. We provide empirical evidence for this from benchmark datasets. We also empirically analyze the consequences of this effect in applying AI-based fake news detection models for fake news AI trained on one region within another regional context. We locate our work within emerging critical scholarship on geo-political biases within AI in general, particularly with AI usage in fake news identification; we hope our insight into the geo-political veracity gradient could help steer fake news AI scholarship towards positively impacting Global South societies.

Thomas F Burns, Letitia Parcalabescu, Stephan Wäldchen et al.

Scaling data quantity is essential for large language models (LLMs), yet recent findings show that data quality can significantly boost performance and training efficiency. We introduce a German-language dataset curation pipeline that combines heuristic and model-based filtering techniques with synthetic data generation. We use our pipeline to create Aleph-Alpha-GermanWeb, a 628B-word German pre-training dataset composed of three subsets drawing from: (1) Common Crawl web data (organic subset; 78B words), (2) FineWeb2 (organic subset; 235B), and (3) synthetically-generated data conditioned on actual, organic web data (synthetic subset; 329B). We evaluate our dataset by pre-training both a 1B Llama-style model and an 8B tokeniser-free hierarchical autoregressive transformer (HAT) from scratch. A comparison on German-language benchmarks, including MMMLU, shows significant performance gains of Aleph-Alpha-GermanWeb over FineWeb2 alone. This advantage holds at the 8B scale even when FineWeb2 is enriched by human-curated high-quality data sources such as Wikipedia. Our findings support the growing body of evidence that model-based data curation and synthetic data generation can significantly enhance LLM pre-training datasets.

A. K. Maity, L. K. Dewangan, O. R. Jadhav et al.

We present a multi-wavelength study of an extended area hosting the bubble N59-North to explore the physical processes driving massive star formation (MSF). The Spitzer 8 $μ$m image reveals an elongated/filamentary infrared-dark cloud (length $\sim$28 pc) associated with N59-North, which contains several protostars and seven ATLASGAL dust clumps at the same distance. The existence of this filament is confirmed through $^{13}$CO and NH$_3$ molecular line data in a velocity range of [95, 106] km s$^{-1}$. All dust clumps satisfy Kauffmann & Pillai's condition for MSF. Using Spitzer 8 $μ$m image, a new embedded hub-filament system candidate (C-HFS) is investigated toward the ATLASGAL clump, located near the filament's central region. MeerKAT 1.3 GHz continuum emission, detected for the first time toward C-HFS, reveals an ultracompact HII region driven by a B2-type star, suggesting an early stage of HFS with minimal feedback from the young massive star. The comparison of the position-velocity (PV) and position-position-velocity (PPV) diagrams with existing theoretical models suggests that rotation, central collapse, and end-dominated collapse are not responsible for the observed gas motion in the filament. The PPV diagram indicates the expansion of N59-North by revealing blue- and red-shifted gas velocities at the edge of the bubble. Based on comparisons with magnetohydrodynamic simulations, this study suggests that cloud-cloud collision (CCC) led to the formation of the filament, likely giving it a conical structure with gas converging toward its central region, where C-HFS is located. Overall, the study supports multi-scale filamentary mass accretion for MSF, likely triggered by CCC.

Pedro V. P. Cunha, Carlos A. R. Herdeiro, Eugen Radu et al.

We study stationary clouds of a gauged, complex scalar field on a magnetically (and possibly electrically as well) charged Kerr-Newman black hole (BH). The existence of a magnetic charge $Q_m$ promotes a north-south $\textit{asymmetry}$ of the scalar clouds. This breakdown of the clouds' $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetry carries through to the spacetime $\textit{geometry}$ for the non-linear continuation of the clouds: a family of magnetically charged (or dyonic) BHs with synchronized gauged scalar hair, which we construct. Their distinct phenomenology is illustrated by their imaging, exhibiting skewed shadows and lensing. Such hairy BHs could, in principle, result from the superradiant instability of magnetically charged Kerr-Newman BHs, unveiling a dynamical mechanism for creating north-south asymmetric BHs from standard $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetric electrovacuum BHs.

Jiahe Ling

This study investigates the variability of the Central England Temperature (CET) series in relation to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) using advanced time series modeling techniques. Leveraging the world's longest continuous instrumental temperature dataset (1723-2023), this research applies ARIMA and ARIMAX models to quantify the impact of climatic oscillations on regional temperature variability, while also accounting for long-term warming trends. Spectral and coherence analyses further explore the periodic interactions between CET and the oscillations. Results reveal that NAO exerts a stronger influence on CET variability compared to PDO, with significant coherence observed at cycles of 5 to 7.5 years and 2 to 2.5 years for NAO, while PDO shows no statistically significant coherence. The ARIMAX model effectively captures both the upward warming trend and the influence of climatic oscillations, with robust diagnostics confirming its reliability. This study contributes to understanding the interplay between regional temperature variability and large-scale climatic drivers, providing a framework for future research on climatic oscillations and their role in shaping regional climate dynamics. Limitations and potential future directions, including the integration of additional climatic indices and comparative regional analyses, are also discussed.

A. Sicilia-Aguilar, R. S. Kahar, M. E. Pelayo-Baldárrago et al.

We present the overview and first results from the North-PHASE Legacy Survey, which follows six young clusters for five years, using the 2 deg$^2$ FoV of the JAST80 telescope from the Javalambre Observatory (Spain). North-PHASE investigates stellar variability on timescales from days to years for thousands of young stars distributed over entire clusters. This allows us to find new YSO, characterise accretion and study inner disk evolution within the cluster context. Each region (Tr37, CepOB3, IC5070, IC348, NGC2264, and NGC1333) is observed in six filters (SDSS griz, u band, and J0660, which covers H$α$), detecting cluster members as well as field variable stars. Tr37 is used to prove feasibility and optimise the variability analysis techniques. In Tr37, variability reveals 50 new YSO, most of them proper motion outliers. North-PHASE independently confirms the youth of astrometric members, efficiently distinguishes accreting and non-accreting stars, reveals the extent of the cluster populations along Tr37/IC1396 bright rims, and detects variability resulting from rotation, dips, and irregular bursts. The proper motion outliers unveil a more complex star formation history than inferred from Gaia alone, and variability highlights previously hidden proper motion deviations in the surrounding clouds. We also find that non-YSO variables identified by North-PHASE cover a different variability parameter space and include long-period variables, eclipsing binaries, RR Lyr, and $δ$ Scuti stars. These early results also emphasize the power of variability to complete the picture of star formation where it is missed by astrometry.

J. T. Schmelz, G. L. Verschuur, A. Escorza et al.

Supernova explosions attributed to the unseen companion in several binary systems identified by the Third Gaia Data Release (Gaia DR3) may be responsible for a number of well-known and well-studied features in the radio sky, including the Low-Latitude-Intermediate-Velocity Arch and the North-Celestial-Pole Loop. Slices from the Longitude-Latitude-Velocity data cube of the $λ$-21-cm galactic neutral hydrogen HI4PI survey (HI4PI Collaboration et al. 2016) show multiple signatures of an expanding shell. The source of this expansion, which includes the Low-Latitude-Intermediate-Velocity Arch on the approaching side, may be the neutron star candidate in the Gaia DR3 1093757200530267520 binary. If we make the simplifying assumptions that the expansion of the cavity is uniform and spherically symmetric, then the explosion took place about 700,000 years ago. The momentum is in reasonable agreement with recent model estimates for a supernova this old. The HI on the receding side of this cavity is interacting with the gas approaching us on the near side of a second cavity. The North-Celestial-Pole Loop appears to be located at the intersection of these two expanding features. The neutron star candidate in the Gaia DR3 1144019690966028928 binary may be (in part) responsible for this cavity. Explosions from other candidates may account for the observed elongation along the line of sight of this second cavity. We can use the primary star in these binaries to anchor the distances to the Low-Latitude-Intermediate-Velocity Arch and North-Celestial-Pole Loop, which are about 167 and about 220 pc, respectively.

Ronan Kerr, Adam L. Kraus, Simon J. Murphy et al.

Young stellar populations provide a record of past star formation, and by establishing their members' dynamics and ages, it is possible to reconstruct the full history of star formation events. Gaia has greatly expanded the number of accessible stellar populations, with one of the most notable recently-discovered associations being Cepheus Far North (CFN), a population containing hundreds of members spanning over 100 pc. With its proximity (d $\lesssim$ 200 pc), apparent substructure, and relatively small population, CFN represents a manageable population to study in depth, with enough evidence of internal complexity to produce a compelling star formation story. Using Gaia astrometry and photometry combined with additional spectroscopic observations, we identify over 500 candidate CFN members spread across 7 subgroups. Combining ages from isochrones, asteroseismology, dynamics, and lithium depletion, we produce well-constrained ages for all seven subgroups, revealing a largely continuous 10 Myr star formation history in the association. By tracing back the present-day populations to the time of their formation, we identify two spatially and dynamically distinct nodes in which stars form, one associated with $β$ Cephei which shows mostly co-spatial formation, and one associated with EE Draconis with a more dispersed star formation history. This detailed view of star formation demonstrates the complexity of the star formation process, even in the smallest of regions.

Gautam Kishore Shahi, Sünje Clausen, Stefan Stieglitz

Twitter is becoming an increasingly important platform for disseminating information during crisis situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective crisis communication on Twitter can shape the public perception of the crisis, influence adherence to preventative measures, and thus affect public health. Influential accounts are particularly important as they reach large audiences quickly. This study identifies influential German-language accounts from almost 3 million German tweets collected between January and May 2020 by constructing a retweet network and calculating PageRank centrality values. We capture the volatility of crisis communication by structuring the analysis into seven stages based on key events during the pandemic and profile influential accounts into roles. Our analysis shows that news and journalist accounts were influential throughout all phases, while government accounts were particularly important shortly before and after the lockdown was instantiated. We discuss implications for crisis communication during health crises and for analyzing long-term crisis data.

Ping Huang, Lei Wang, Pengfei Wang et al.

This study introduces the second version of the Integrated Climate Model (ICM). ICM is developed by the Center for Monsoon System Research, Institute of Atmospheric Physics to improve the short-term climate prediction of the East Asia-western North Pacific (EA-WNP). The main update of the second version of ICM (ICM.V2) relative to the first version (ICM.V1) is the improvement of the horizontal resolution of the atmospheric model from T31 spectral resolution (3.75°*3.75°) to T63 (1.875°*1.875°). As a result, some important factors for the short-term climate prediction of the EA-WNP is apparently improved from ICM.V1 to ICM.V2, including the climatological SST, the rainfall and circulation of the East Asian summer monsoon, and the variability and spatial pattern of ENSO. The impact of El Niño on the EA-WNP climate simulated in ICM.V2 is also improved with more realistic anticyclonic anomalies and precipitation pattern over the EA-WNP. The tropical Indian ocean capacitor effect and the WNP local air-sea interaction feedback, two popular mechanisms to explain the impact of El Niño on the EA-WNP climate is also realistically reproduced in ICM.V2, much improved relative to that in ICM.V1.

Anita Ramm, Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, Alexander Fraser

Grammatical tense and mood are important linguistic phenomena to consider in natural language processing (NLP) research. We consider the correspondence between English and German tense and mood in translation. Human translators do not find this correspondence easy, and as we will show through careful analysis, there are no simplistic ways to map tense and mood from one language to another. Our observations about the challenges of human translation of tense and mood have important implications for multilingual NLP. Of particular importance is the challenge of modeling tense and mood in rule-based, phrase-based statistical and neural machine translation.

Jaime Dolado, Ruth Martínez-Casado, Pedro Hidalgo et al.

Achieving efficient and stable ultraviolet emission is a challenging goal in optoelectronic devices. Herein, we investigate the UV luminescence of zinc germanate Zn2GeO4 microwires by means of photoluminescence measurements as a function of temperature and excitation conditions. The emitted UV light is composed of two bands (a broad one and a narrow one) associated with the native defects structure. In addition, with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the energy positions of the electronic levels related to native defects in Zn2GeO4 have been calculated. In particular, our results support that zinc interstitials are the responsible for the narrow UV band, which is, in turn, split into two components with different temperature dependence behaviour. The origin of the two components is explained on the basis of the particular location of Zn_i in the lattice and agrees with DFT calculations. Furthermore, a kinetic luminescence model is proposed to ascertain the temperature evolution of this UV emission. These results pave the way to exploit defect engineering in achieving functional optoelectronic devices to operate in the UV region.

Alexander Kott, Benjamin Blakely, Diane Henshel et al.

This report summarizes the discussions and findings of the 2017 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Workshop, IST-153, on Cyber Resilience, held in Munich, Germany, on 23-25 October 2017, at the University of Bundeswehr. Despite continual progress in managing risks in the cyber domain, anticipation and prevention of all possible attacks and malfunctions are not feasible for the current or future systems comprising the cyber infrastructure. Therefore, interest in cyber resilience (as opposed to merely risk-based approaches) is increasing rapidly, in literature and in practice. Unlike concepts of risk or robustness - which are often and incorrectly conflated with resilience - resiliency refers to the system's ability to recover or regenerate its performance to a sufficient level after an unexpected impact produces a degradation of its performance. The exact relation among resilience, risk, and robustness has not been well articulated technically. The presentations and discussions at the workshop yielded this report. It focuses on the following topics that the participants of the workshop saw as particularly important: fundamental properties of cyber resilience; approaches to measuring and modeling cyber resilience; mission modeling for cyber resilience; systems engineering for cyber resilience, and dynamic defense as a path toward cyber resilience.

R. Lallement, S. Snowden, K. D. Kuntz et al.

Most models identify the X-ray bright North Polar Spur (NPS) with a hot interstellar (IS) bubble in the Sco-Cen star-forming region at $\simeq$130 pc. An opposite view considers the NPS as a distant structure associated with Galactic nuclear outflows. Constraints on the NPS distance can be obtained by comparing the foreground IS gas column inferred from X-ray absorption to the distribution of gas and dust along the line of sight. Absorbing columns towards shadowing molecular clouds simultaneously constrain the CO-H$_{2}$ conversion factor. We derived the columns of X-ray absorbing matter NH(abs) from spectral fitting of dedicated XMM-Newton observations towards the NPS southern terminus (l=29°, b=+5 to +11°). The IS matter distribution was obtained from absorption lines in stellar spectra, 3D dust maps and emission data, including high spatial resolution CO measurements recorded for this purpose. NH(abs) varies from $\simeq$ 4.3 to $\simeq$ 1.3 x 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$ along the 19 fields. Relationships between X-ray brightness, absorbing column and hardness ratio demonstrate a brightness decrease with latitude governed by increasing absorption. The comparison with absorption data, local and large-scale dust maps rules out a NPS near side closer than 300 pc. The correlation between NH(abs) and the reddening increases with the sightline length from 300 pc to 4 kpc and is the tightest with Planck $τ_{353}$-based reddening, suggesting a much larger distance. N(H)/E(B-V) $\simeq$ 4.1 x 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$ mag$^{-1}$. NH(abs) absolute values are compatible with HI-CO clouds at -5 $\leq$ V(LSR) $\leq$ +25 to +45 km s$^{-1}$ and a NPS potentially far beyond the Local Arm. A molecular cloud shadow at b=+9deg constrains X$_{CO}$ to $\leq$ 1.0 x 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$ K$^{-1}$ km$^{-1}$ s. The average X$_{CO}$ is $\leq$ 0.75 x 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$ K$^{-1}$ km$^{-1}$ s.

Mario Mureddu

The increasing impact of fossil energy generation on the Earth ecological balance is pointing to the need of a transition in power generation technology towards the more clean and sustainable Renewable Energy Sources (RES). This transition is leading to new paradigms and technologies useful for the effective energy transmission and distribution, which take into account the RES stochastic power output. In this scenario, the availability of up to date and reliable datasets regarding topological and operative parameters of power systems in presence of RES are needed, for both proposing and testing new solutions. In this spirit, I present here a dataset regarding the German 380 KV grid which contains fully DC Power Flow operative states of the grid in the presence of various amounts of RES share, ranging from realistic up to 60\%, which can be used as reference dataset for both steady state and dynamical analysis.

C. Heycock, Joel C. Wallenberg

D. Sutherland

L. Boumans, J. Brittain