This text explores the profound and beautiful interplay between quantum physics and mathematics. We journey from the crisis of classical physics at the turn of the 20th century to the elegant, abstract mathematical frameworks that define modern quantum mechanics. We will see how physical problems forced the invention of new mathematics and how mathematical structures, in turn, provided the language to describe the quantum realm. Key figures like Planck, Einstein, Heisenberg, Born, von Neumann, Weyl, and Dirac will guide us,revealing a story where physical intuition and mathematical formalism are inextricably linked.

Integrated Quality Management (IQM) or Total Quality Management (TQM) has become a strategic issue in the field of education because it is directly related to improving the quality of learning, school management, and the achievement of sustainable competency standards. In the context of Islamic education and integrated schools, the implementation of IQM is not only oriented toward managerial efficiency but also toward the integration of religious values and the development of students’ character. Therefore, this literature review is essential to understand the development, trends, and challenges of IQM implementation in education. The purpose of this literature review is to examine how IQM is applied in various educational institutions and to identify its theoretical and practical contributions. The research questions proposed are: (1) How are the concepts and principles of IQM developed in education? (2) What are the main impacts and challenges of its implementation? The study employed a literature search through repositories, e-journals, and online publications using the keywords “integrated quality management,” “TQM,” and “education.” Out of 20 initial articles, only 5 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in depth. The analysis results revealed three main themes: strengthening the fundamental concepts of IQM, the role of key figures and TQM principles in education, and the implementation impacts on academic and non-academic quality. In conclusion, IQM has proven to be relevant as a strategy for improving educational quality, although challenges such as limited resources and internal resistance still need to be addressed. Future research should explore adaptive IQM strategies tailored to the local school context.

In the last 65 years several major historical databases with reconstructed life courses of large populations have been launched. Around 1990, we could find two important types of databases with longitudinal micro-data. The first type were event databases aimed on family reconstructions and usually based on baptism, marriage and funeral registers or on civil certificates introduced after 1800. The second type were databases with life courses: persons are observed on a more permanent basis using church examination or population registers. After 1990 a third type, databases with census data, really took off. In first instance in the form of samples, in second instance by entering full count samples which makes it possible to link the several censuses into one system, creating semi-longitudinal databases. Another development was the growth of special purpose samples into semi-longitudinal ones by following sampled persons from one source during their life course through linking with all kind of other sources. The development of these databases is indicative of considerable investments that have greatly expanded the possibilities for new research within the fields of history, demography, sociology, as well as other disciplines. In this paper I will compare 84 of these databases on several key figures like included sources, year of foundation, period of observation, area of observation, sample fraction and number of included observations, families and unique persons. An overview of all databases with all key figures is presented in the Appendix.

This article explores the cultural and historical significance of Barpy Alykulov (1884–1949), a prominent Kyrgyz akyn (folk poet and improviser), as a key figure in preserving and developing Kyrgyz national identity. Drawing upon his poetic works and mastery of aitysh — the traditional Kyrgyz form of poetic improvisation — the study analyzes how Barpy’s creative legacy reflected social injustice, love for homeland, and collective memory during a period of profound transformation in early 20th-century Central Asia. His poetry is presented not only as an artistic expression but also as a vehicle for social critique, national unity, and cultural continuity. The article further highlights the relevance of Barpy’s work in contemporary Kyrgyz society, particularly in educational and cultural practices, and emphasizes the importance of safeguarding such heritage for future generations.

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of electrostatic comb drives, specifically focusing on angled finger configurations to optimize performance for high-demand silicon photonic devices. The study contributes to the advancement of optical microsystems, particularly for beam steering configurations, by simultaneously considering three key figures of merit: traveling range (or displacement), force, and footprint, which are essential for achieving high force intensity and large travel ranges. We investigate critical design parameters such as the number of fingers per arm, their dimensions, and arm dimensions to understand their influence on actuator performance. The research also adheres to design rules for commercially available foundries, ensuring that the proposed designs are manufacturable and suitable for practical implementation. Our findings highlight that angled fingers significantly enhance force intensity and travel range, providing operational flexibility essential for applications requiring a compact footprint alongside high-force capabilities. Through detailed simulations and experimental validations, we demonstrate how specific adjustments in comb drive configuration, like finger geometry and comb arrangement, effectively maintain extensive travel ranges while improving force intensity. We achieved a force intensity of over 200 mN/m² through optimized comb configurations and demonstrated how changes in configuration, even with the same finger and arm dimensions, significantly affect the force intensity. Furthermore, we introduce correction functions to compensate for common fabrication discrepancies, such as over-etching, enhancing the precision of manufacturing processes and ensuring alignment with design specifications. This work establishes a robust framework for developing high-performance MEMS actuators that balance the need for a compact footprint with stringent force and travel range requirements in beam steering and other advanced optical applications.

This scoping review explores the impact of face-to-face Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (BFPC) interventions on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) prevalence at six months, maternal self-efficacy, and satisfaction. BFPCs are recognized as key figures in increasing EBF rates and improving health outcomes, especially within at-risk and underserved communities. A scoping review was conducted on literature published between January 2019 and March 2024, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). 493 records were identified, of which 282 were selected based on title and abstract. Two reviewers critically appraise 85 full-text articles using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) quality assessment tools. Discrepancies were resolved with two additional reviewers. Finally, 20 high-quality studies were included in the review. Prenatal home visits and group support have been associated with an increase of EBF initiation rates. Postnatal home interventions with at least a two-month follow-up significantly improved EBF prevalence at six months. BFPCs' cultural proximity to mothers builds trust and facilitates breastfeeding knowledge acquisition and problem-solving. Home visits provide closeness and emotional support, while community groups offer a trusted environment for mothers to share their concerns and challenges. The social learning facilitated by BFPCs underscores the importance of their integration into healthcare systems. However, global standardization of BFPC training and practice is essential for their worldwide expansion. Future studies should employ validated tools to assess maternal self-efficacy and satisfaction. Additionally, research should explore the impact of BFPCs in developed countries.

Abstract This paper examines the proposal to decolonise sociology by extending or modifying the list of its founders, or key figures, and by broadening the canon of works that are taken to define it. There is consideration of how founders or key figures are identified and canons constructed; the functions these serve; and the complexities, and grounds for disagreement, that these processes involve. The meaning of ‘decolonising’ a discipline is then considered and evaluated against this background. A series of difficult, unresolved, and frequently neglected, problems are identified, not just about the decolonisation project but also about the nature of sociology as a discipline.

Desmond (Des) Smith was a key figure in the UK’s early development of lasers and optoelectronics, leading the Department of Physics of the newly recognized Heriot-Watt University from 1970 until his retirement in 1996. Having initially made a name for himself through the development of the selective chopper radiometer—flown on the Nimbus IV atmospheric observation satellite—Des went on to establish a thriving centre of photonics research that extended not only within his own Heriot-Watt department, but more widely across the Scottish universities. This leadership also spread to include major European projects and wider collaborations. Research highlights included the development of the spin-flip Raman laser and the demonstration of optical bistability in a semiconductor. The latter led to numerous projects exploring the application of optical bistability to signal processing and optical computing. Alongside this work, Des established a series of companies that successfully commercialized numerous aspects of his research, producing laboratory instruments, manufacturing technologies and medical diagnostic and treatment systems.

Against the backdrop of the new era, the inheritance of campus culture in colleges and universities is confronted with the dual challenges of the impact of cultural diversification and the weakening of cultural identity among young students. As the core carrier of campus culture, the traditional forms of university history communication can no longer meet the needs of dynamic inheritance. University history drama, with the development process of colleges and universities, key figures and major events as its creative core, has realized the reconstruction of value dimensions in the inheritance of campus culture through immersive and emotional artistic expression. This paper adopts the methods of literature research, case analysis and in-depth interview, combined with the theory of cultural memory and experiential learning theory, to systematically analyze the reconstruction logic of university history drama in the dimensions of educational value, cultural identity value, activation value of university history resources and cultural radiation value. By exploring practical cases of university history drama in multiple colleges and universities, this paper identifies the practical dilemmas in the current practice of university history drama. Finally, from the four dimensions of content transformation, communication expansion, guarantee improvement and curriculum integration, it puts forward the practical paths for university history drama to empower the inheritance of campus culture, providing theoretical reference and practical paradigm for colleges and universities to activate university history resources and strengthen cultural inheritance.

Abstract The precise quantification of the limits to manipulating quantum resources lies at the core of quantum information theory. However, standard information-theoretic analyses do not consider the actual computational complexity involved in performing certain tasks. Here we address this issue within the realm of entanglement theory, finding that accounting for computational efficiency substantially changes what can be achieved using entangled resources. We consider two key figures of merit: the computational distillable entanglement and the computational entanglement cost. These measures quantify the optimal rates of entangled bits that can be extracted from or used to dilute many identical copies of n -qubit bipartite pure states, using computationally efficient local operations and classical communication. We demonstrate that computational entanglement measures diverge considerably from their information-theoretic counterparts. Whereas the information-theoretic distillable entanglement is determined by the von Neumann entropy of the reduced state, we show that the min-entropy governs the computationally efficient setting. On the other hand, computationally efficient entanglement dilution requires maximal consumption of entangled bits, even for nearly unentangled states. Furthermore, in the worst-case scenario, even when an efficient description of the state exists and is fully known, one gains no advantage over state-agnostic protocols. Our findings establish sample-complexity bounds for measuring and testing the von Neumann entropy, fundamental limitations on efficient state compression and efficient local tomography protocols.

This paper explores George R. R. Martin’s high epic fantasy saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, through the intersecting lenses of postcolonial alterity and the social model of disability. It concentrates on two key disabled figures—Tyrion Lannister and Bran Stark—considering disability not merely as a physical or medical state, but as a condition defined and intensified by social exclusion, prejudice, and entrenched cultural values. Using qualitative textual analysis across all five published volumes, the discussion focuses on three interrelated themes: marginalization, inclusion and participation, and autonomy. The analysis shows that although Martin subverts certain genre conventions by granting disabled characters political authority, narrative presence, and symbolic weight, he also employs compensatory traits—such as heightened intelligence or supernatural abilities—to explain their centrality. By exposing these contradictions, the study argues that fantasy fiction can simultaneously disrupt and reproduce ableist narratives, offering alternative insights into questions of power, identity, and the human body while contributing to wider conversations on the portrayal of disability in literature.

English： Huangfu Shi (777–835), courtesy name Chizheng, was a native of Xin’an in Muzhou (present-day Chun’an County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province). A renowned literatus and poet of the Tang dynasty, he held the official post of Langzhong (郎中, Bureau Director) in the Ministry of Works. As a disciple of Han Yu, he became a key figure in the mid-to-late Tang “Classical Prose Movement.” Importantly, he also played a significant role in the development of Confucian thought as it gradually integrated Buddhist and Daoist philosophies, contributing to the evolution that would later culminate in Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism. The original collection of his writings, titled Collected Works of Huangfu Chizheng (《皇甫持正集》), comprises six volumes. For the present annotated edition, the three-volume version included in the Complete Prose of the Tang Dynasty (《全唐文》) has been used as the base text. Building upon this, the collection has been expanded to nine volumes, with the addition of an epitaph composed by Huangfu Shi. This volume contains the first two fascicles, including six fu (rhapsodies in the classical prose-poetic form) and one ce (a policy proposal), accompanied by nearly 560 detailed annotations. 中文： 皇甫湜（777–835），字持正，睦州新安人（今浙江省杭州市淳安縣）。唐代著名文學家、詩人，曾任工部郎中（正六品官，掌管營造水利等政務）。早年從韓愈學古文，為中晚唐「古文運動」的重要代表人物之一。更重要的是，他在儒學吸收佛、道思想的過程中，扮演了關鍵角色，為宋明理學的漸次形成奠定了思想基礎。 其文集原題為《皇甫持正集》，共六卷。本次注釋整理，以《全唐文》所收三卷本為底本，在此基礎上擴編為九卷，並增補皇甫湜所撰碑文一篇。 本書收錄《皇甫持正集》前兩卷，收入賦六篇、策一篇，並附詳細注釋約五百六十條，期以助讀者深入理解其文辭風格與思想旨趣。

Drawing on the realization that classical family sociology often treats children as passive dependents—rendering them analytically invisible—this study examines the transformation of the concept of the “symbolic child,” a culturally constructed image of the child’s role and meaning in family life, from agrarian societies to the digital age. This research aims to re-center the symbolic child as a key analytical figure in family sociology and considers how historical and cultural shifts in the symbolic meaning of childhood have redefined the role and meaning of the family institution. The analysis acknowledges that conceptions of childhood are not monolithic; it notes variations by gender, class, and historical-cultural context, bringing an intersectional nuance to the findings. Methodologically, using a qualitative, interpretive, and historical-comparative analysis grounded in cultural sociology, the study traces and compares changes in the symbolic status of children across successive periods. The key findings reveal a profound transformation in the role of children: from economic agencies and labor contributors in agrarian households, children became emotional focal points in industrial-era families, and in today’s media-saturated society they have become precociously adultified participants. Overall, the findings suggest that to understand the family as a cultural institution, the evolving symbolic child must be placed at the center of sociological analysis.

A gentle giant: Thomas Jefferson’s ground sloth Professor Loren E. Babcock and Dr H. Gregory McDonald discuss the historical significance of palaeontology, focusing on key figures’ contributions to the field and their studies of the ground sloth, Megalonyx. Palaeontology occupies a rather unique place in the public imagination – usually the word conjures up visions of large, scary, extinct monsters. This makes for good entertainment, but the reality is much more nuanced and both technically and historically fascinating. The roots of palaeontology’s common perception were established in the late 1700s, soon after major political and social upheaval in France and North America. Study of ancient life forms shifted from mere cataloguing, similar to today’s biodiversity inventories, to a scientific endeavour with overtones of social messaging paralleling contemporary thinking and events. More than two centuries later, we continue to witness changing perceptions of ancient life paralleling aspects of our social environment and our understanding of long-term climatic and environmental changes.

Professor François Terrier, Emeritus Professor of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin, Versailles, France, passed away in July 2024. He was a key figure in physical organic chemistry and a pioneer in this field in Europe. The breadth of Prof. Terrier's contribution to science was remarkable. His former collaborators and colleagues and researchers involved in the field of physical organic chemistry are gathering with ChemPhysChem to commemorate Prof. Terrier's contributions in the form of a special issue devoted to physical organic chemistry.

The discourse surrounding Islamic tradition and modernity has remained a critical issue in Iran, even following the Islamic Revolution of 1979. This debate has permeated seminaries, sparking considerable engagement among clerics and intellectuals. Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Ṭabāṭabāʾī, a preeminent contemporary Qur’ānic commentator and a key figure in the revival of philosophical thought in Iran’s seminaries, stands at the center of this discourse with his theory of Constructional Conceptions ( Idrākāt ʿitibārī ). This article briefly introduces Ṭabāṭabāʾī and his theory, then analyzes three prominent interpretations of his constructional conceptions within Iran’s intellectual community. While critical of materialist, colonial, and atheistic elements of Western thought, Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s moderate approach has opened pathways for dialogue between Islamic tradition and modernity. His emphasis on the rational and social dimensions of Islam, coupled with his intellectual openness to diverse traditions, has promoted a form of intellectual pluralism, a vital aspect for Muslim-majority societies engaging with modernity.

Claudia Rodríguez (Chile, 1968), writer, performer, and activist, is a key figure in the Latin American travesti movement. This paper examines her literary production, which emerged in the second decade of the 21st century through the self-publishing of her works in fanzine format: "Dramas pobres. Poesía travesti" [Poor Dramas. Transvestite Poetry] (2013); "Cuerpos para odiar. Poesía travesti" [Bodies to Hate. Transvestite Poetry] (2014a); "Manifiesto horrorista" [Horrorist Manifesto] (2014b); "Enferma del alma" [Sick at Heart] (2015); and "Para no morir tan sola. Escritura en pandemia" [So as not to Die so Alone. Writing in a Pandemic ] (2022). Our focus will be on the hybrid and mestizo nature of her texts – not linear but fragmentary – and her incorporation of orality.

Day hospices are an emerging component of outpatient palliative care in Germany. However, a standardized quality management system utilizing defined quality indicators has not yet been implemented. This study aimed to develop a new set of quality indicators for day hospices. Through a multi-phase, quality-assured review, we screened validated quality indicators from German-language S3 guidelines and established quality indicator sets, including the Quality Indicator System for Outpatient Care (QISA) and Outpatient Quality Indicators and Key Figures (AQUIK) based on defined criteria for their relevance to day hospices. Selected indicators were analyzed by a validated and operationalized evaluation tool (QUALIFY) for their applicability to day hospices by an expert panel and subsequently finalized through a nominal group process. A total of 19 quality indicators, suitable for quality assurance of day hospices were identified from 482 potential quality indicators drawn from 29 S3 guidelines and 11 quality indicator sets. Of these, 13 indicators pertained to process quality, while 6 addressed structural quality. Indicators for the outcome quality were either not available or not suitable for a day hospice. The 463 not selected indicators were excluded mainly due to possible mismanagement or lack of reference to the goals and tasks of a day hospice. The newly developed quality indicator set provides a robust framework for assessing and comparing the quality of care in German day hospices. Nevertheless, ongoing refinement and practical evaluation are necessary to ensure its relevance and effectiveness in routine clinical settings. The study was registered as part of the IMPULS-Study in the German Register of Clinical Studies (DRKS-ID: DRKS00031613; Date of registration: 04 April 2023) and the Display portal of the Center for Clinical Studies of the University Hospital Regensburg (Z-2022-1734-6; Date of registration: 01 October 2022).

ABSTRACTFor over 30 years, the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua bordering Texas and New Mexico has experienced and witnessed multiple forms of violence across its rural and urban regions. Communities are besieged with cartel and gender‐based violence and the saturation of international corporations that pay less than livable wages for workers in Ciudad Juárez. An overwhelming amount of attention has focused on Ciudad Juárez for cases of feminicide pointing to the early 1990s as a period when families of disappeared and murdered women, activists, human rights defenders, journalists, academics, and national and international human rights regimes clamored over the hundreds of women and girls who disappeared and were never found or whose remains were located near or within Ciudad Juárez. Concentrated attention was given to the feminicides at that time, but over the years, less focus has been given to the galvanizing efforts of local people to demand responses from authorities to resolve these atrocities. This article focuses on our efforts since 2019, to digitally chronicle the now 30‐year movement and continued struggle to end feminicide and gender‐based violence in Chihuahua by families of disappeared and feminicide victims, activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and other key figures. Our transborder digital humanities project, Fuerza Feminista: Intimate Recovery of Memory Archive (FFIRMA), collects analog and digital materials and oral history interviews from movement participants using a methodology we have termed “transborder digital archeology.” We have tasked ourselves, as a digital humanities scholar and as a feminist border scholar‐activist, both originally from the Paso del Norte region (Chihuahua, Texas, and New Mexico), to begin the process of moving across international geopolitical borders to work with families, activists, human rights defenders, and others to engage in what we call a transborder digital archeology. Through our work with Fuerza Feminista, we also discuss concepts that we have coined like “intersectional data violence” and “intimate archiving,” describe in detail later in this article, as additional tools and methodologies for feminist data and digital humanities scholars, activist‐scholars, and others to utilize when documenting and analyzing crimes against humanity. In this article, we will also discuss the proliferation beyond the local level of prominent feminist digital data projects on a global scale to end gender‐based violence. We provide a curated list and an analysis of certain projects that encapsulate the efforts of digital activism doing the work of counting feminicides (D'Ignazio 2024) and gender‐violence data, that generate counter data or the memory work of documenting feminist social movement in the Americas.

This research aims to analyze the process of cultural assimilation between Islamic values and the Tedhak Siten tradition in Menganto, Mojowarno, Central Java. The research method uses a qualitative descriptive approach, involving key figures in the tradition, including religious leaders and community figures selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and documentation, and then analyzed using Robert E. Park's cultural communication theory. The results show that cultural assimilation occurs gradually through symbolic changes and spiritual meaning, such as replacing traditional mantras with Islamic prayers and reinterpreting main symbols, while maintaining local cultural identity. The entire process involves active participation across generations, with religious leaders playing a significant role in building legitimacy and acceptance of new ritual meanings. In conclusion, the Tedhak Siten tradition in Menganto serves as a model of harmonious cultural-religious integration, strengthening social cohesion, and ensuring the preservation of local traditions amidst modernization dynamics. This finding contributes to the development of multicultural communication studies, religious-cultural integration, and strategies for preserving traditions based on intergenerational dialogue.