bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vibrational response functions for multidimensional electronic spectroscopy: From Duschinsky rotations to multimode squeezed coherent states
Authors: Quintela Rodriguez Frank Ernesto , Troiani Filippo
Published: August 2023

Multidimensional spectroscopy unveils the interplay of nuclear and electronic dynamics, which characterizes the ultrafast dynamics of various molecular and solid-state systems. In a class of models widely used for the simulation of such dynamics, field-induced transitions between electronic states result in linear transformations (Duschinsky rotations) between the normal coordinates of the vibrational modes. Here, we present an approach for the calculation of the response functions, based on the explicit derivation of the vibrational state. This can be shown to coincide with a multimode squeezed coherent state, whose expression we derive within a quantum-optical formalism, and specifically by the sequential application to the initial state of rotation, displacement, and squeeze operators. The proposed approach potentially simplifies the numerical derivation of the response functions, avoiding the time integration of the Schrödinger equation, the Hamiltonian diagonalization, and the sum over infinite vibronic pathways. In addition, it quantitatively substantiates in the considered models the intuitive interpretation of the response functions in terms of the vibrational wave packet dynamics.
Effect of surface defects on damage and failure of dynamically driven cylindrical shells
Authors: Nguyen Thao , Trujillo Carl P. , Jones David R. , Fensin Saryu J. , Luscher Darby J.
Published: August 2023

In this work, expanding cylinder experiments are performed using a gas gun on the aluminum 6061 alloy to understand the dynamic deformation and failure behavior of this material in the presence of surface defects in the form of scratches. The experiments are then modeled with the modified Tepla (for tensile plasticity) model, which is equipped with the damage yield function of Gurson [“Continuum theory of ductile rupture by void nucleation and growth: Part I—Yield criteria and flow rules for porous ductile media,” (1977)] and Tvergaard and Needleman [Acta Metall. 32(1), 157–169 (1984)], over-stress viscosity [F. Addessio and J. Johnson, J. Appl. Phys. 74(3), 1640–1648 (1993)], and the underlying viscoplastic model of Preston et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 93(1), 211–220 (2003)] (Preston–Tonks–Wallace model) for the dense material. The Tepla model parameters were calibrated using the Bayesian approach against experimentally measured free-surface velocity data obtained from plate impact experiments on the aluminum 6061 alloy. The evolution of radial expansion and shapes of the deformed cylinder from the simulations on a pristine cylinder wall and a cylinder wall with a longitudinal surface defect shows excellent agreement with the corresponding experimental results. Finally, the role of surface defect size and cylinder wall geometry on the dynamic strength of the cylinder wall was also investigated through a series of simulations.
Aspects de l’évolution des relations cataphoriques
Authors: Combettes Bernard
Published: August 2023

En prenant comme champ d’observation la période de transition qui mène du français classique au français moderne, cette étude essaye de montrer comment l’évolution des relations cataphoriques est en relation avec les changements qui ont conduit à la « phrase complexe » du français moderne et contemporain. Adoptant une définition large de la cataphore, on prend en considération non seulement les constructions qui présentent des formes anaphoriques, mais également les constructions qui contiennent des anaphores sous-jacentes, avec, en particulier, le cas des prédications secondes. Sont examinées les modifications qui concernent les degrés de la connaissance partagée, en montrant comment la relation cataphorique s’exerce de plus en plus fréquemment sur des référents à faible degré de saillance, qui doivent être réactivés.
The minus-end depolymerase KIF2A drives flux-like treadmilling of γTuRC-uncapped microtubules
Authors: Henkin Gil , Brito Cláudia , Thomas Claire , Surrey Thomas
Published: August 2023

During mitosis, microtubules in the spindle turn over continuously. At spindle poles, where microtubule minus ends are concentrated, microtubule nucleation and depolymerization, the latter required for poleward microtubule flux, happen side by side. How these seemingly antagonistic processes of nucleation and depolymerization are coordinated is not understood. Here, we reconstitute this coordination in vitro combining different pole-localized activities. We find that the spindle pole–localized kinesin-13 KIF2A is a microtubule minus-end depolymerase, in contrast to its paralog MCAK. Due to its asymmetric activity, KIF2A still allows microtubule nucleation from the γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC), which serves as a protective cap shielding the minus end against KIF2A binding. Efficient γTuRC uncapping requires the combined action of KIF2A and a microtubule severing enzyme, leading to treadmilling of the uncapped microtubule driven by KIF2A. Together, these results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms by which a minimal protein module coordinates microtubule nucleation and depolymerization at spindle poles consistent with their role in poleward microtubule flux.
Influence of tube and patient positioning in thoracoabdominal CT examinations on radiation exposure–towards a better patient positioning
Authors: Valentin Birte , Kamp Benedikt , Henke Jan , Ljimani Alexandra , Appel Elisabeth , Antoch Gerald , Steuwe Andrea
Published: August 2023

Although iso-centric patient positioning is enormously important in computed tomography (CT), it is complicated in thoracoabdominal imaging by the varying dimensions of the body. Patient positioning can affect the appearance of the patient on the localiser. Positioned too close to the x-ray tube, a patient appears considerably more voluminous. The goal of this study is to assess the difference in radiation exposure of combined chest and abdomen CT scans between scans with prior 0°- and 180°-localisers in conjunction with patient positioning. In this IRB-approved retrospective study, patients who had two routine thoracoabdominal CT scans on the same CT scanner, one with a prior 0°- and one with a prior 180°-localiser, were included. To evaluate the radiation exposure of the thoracoabdominal CT examination regarding the tube position during the localiser, volumetric computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol), size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), patient diameter and positioning within the iso-centre for three positions (heart, abdomen, femur level) were compared with regard to the tube position during the prior localiser. CT examinations of 114 patients were included. Despite similar patient weight and diameter between the two examinations, SSDE and CTDIvol was significantly larger (up to 73%) with 180°-localisers. Patient offset from the iso-centre ranged between −9 mm at the centre slice (abdomen level) to −43 mm at the most caudal slice at the pelvis (femur level), causing a significant magnification (p < 0.001) on 180°-localisers with a subsequent increase of the apparent attenuation. The results of this study emphasise the use of 0°-localisers in thoracoabdominal CTs, since 180°-localisers caused patient magnification with subsequent increase in radiation exposure. The advantage of 180°-localisers, namely reducing the dose in thyroid and breast, is eliminated if the dose of the CT scan increases significantly in the abdomen and pelvis.
Remaining useful life prediction for rolling bearings based on RVM-Hausdorff distance
Authors: Xu Peihua , Tu Zhaoyu , Li Menghui , Wang Jun , Wang Xian-Bo
Published: August 2023

To address the shortcomings of existing bearing remaining useful life (RUL) prediction process such as low accuracy and reliance on expert experience for parameter estimation, this paper proposes a bearing RUL prediction method combining relevance vector (RV) machine (RVM) and hybrid degradation model. The bearing degradation characteristics are extracted from the acquired vibration acceleration signals, the time-varying 3σ criterion is then used to determine the bearing first predicting time, and the sequence from initial failure time point to the inspection time is regressed by differential kernel parameter RVM to obtain the different sparse RVs. A mixed degenerate model combined single exponential, weighted double exponential, and polynomial is used to fit the sparse RVs to obtain the fitted curve clusters. The similarity based on bidirectional Hausdorff distance is used to select the best degradation curve, and to extrapolate the best degradation curve to the failure threshold. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method overcomes the widespread drawbacks of monotonicity and trend bias in model-based methods, and has better prediction efficiency than the conventional exponential models.
Sustainable approach for adsorptive removal of cationic and anionic dyes by titanium oxide nanoparticles synthesized biogenically using algal extract of Spirulina
Authors: Sharma Anuj , Mittal Rishi , Sharma Praveen , Pal Kaushik , Mona Sharma
Published: August 2023

Worldwide, dyes are significant pollutants present in water because of their huge consumption for industrial purposes. These dyes as pollutants cause serious health issues in human beings and cause the loss of aquatic biodiversity. So, remediation of pollutants like dyes from wastewater is the need of the hour. In the present study, we greenly synthesized Spirulina-mediated titanium oxide nanoparticles (STONPs) for the adsorptive remediation of methyl orange (MO) (anionic) and malachite green (MG) (cationic) dyes. The characterization of STONPs was performed by Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with EDX, FT-IR, XRD, Zeta Potential and particle size analyzer, Raman spectroscopy, and UV–vis. The various parameter effects like pH, nano-adsorbent dose, the concentration of dye, contact time, and temperature were also examined. Adsorption isotherms like Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin, and Kinetics models like Elovich Model, Pseudo 1st, intraparticle diffusion model (IPDM), Pseudo 2nd order, and the thermodynamic model were applied for a stronger interpretation. The q
max attained utilizing the Langmuir adsorption model was 272.4795 mg g−1 and 209.6436 mg g−1 for MO and MG correspondingly. The regeneration study of synthesized nanomaterials up to five cycles was also done. We found that greenly synthesized STONPs have great potential for adsorptive remediation for both MG and MO dyes.
Prunus dulcis-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and an evaluation of their biocidal properties
Authors: Gharpure Saee , Yadwade Rachana , Mehmood Shuana , Ankamwar Balaprasad
Published: August 2023

Use of plant extracts for synthesizing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles is gaining importance due to their easy, eco-friendly, cost effective and non-toxic nature. In this study, an economical biosynthetic approach of ZnO formation was delineated where aqueous extract of Prunus dulcis (almond) leaves has been used as reducing/capping agent followed by their characterization studies. The present study has successfully synthesized pure, highly crystalline in nature, predominantly spherical ZnO nanoparticles within the size range 71–214 nm for nanocystallites and 526 nm-2.37 μm for aggregated flower-shaped ZnO nanoparticles. Microbicidal properties of uncalcined and calcined ZnO nanoparticles were evaluated using test microbes (bacteria: E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis; fungi Penicillium spp., F. oxysporum, A. flavus, R. solani). Lack of microbicidal potential was observed against all four bacteria and fungi. When tested for toxicity against HCT-116 carcinoma cells, these nanoparticles displayed non-toxic nature. This biocompatibility is influenced by physico-chemical properties of ZnO nanoparticles as well as biological properties of living cells. Thus, these ZnO nanoparticles can serve as an innocuous machinery in disease therapeutics due to the presence of their non-microbicidal and non-antineoplastic activities.
Effects of periodic parametric damping and amplitude-modulated signal on vibrational resonance and torus-doubling bifurcations occurrence in an asymmetric mixed Rayleigh-Liénard oscillator
Authors: Adéyémi C , Kpomahou YJF , Agbélélé JK , Adéchinan AJ , Yamadjako AE
Published: August 2023

This research paper examines the effects of periodic parametric damping and amplitude-modulated signal on vibrational resonance and the occurrence of torus-doubling bifurcations in an asymmetric mixed Rayleigh-Liénard oscillator. The method of direct separation of the slow and fast motions is used to derive the approximate theoretical expression of response amplitude at the low frequency. The obtained results show that the presence of periodic parametric damping induces in the system multiple resonance peaks when the low frequency is varied. Moreover, the increase of carrier amplitude modulated increases or decreases the maximum amplitude value in certain range of the low frequency. However, when the periodic parametric damping coefficient is varied, one resonance peak occurs and the maximum amplitude value increases when the carrier amplitude modulated increases. The theoretical and direct numerical predictions have shown a fairly satisfactory agreement. On the other hand, the global dynamical changes of the system are numerically examined in context of vibrational resonance. It is found that, the system displays many torus attractors of different topologies, torus-doubling bifurcations, reverse torus-doubling bifurcations and torus-chaos. These observations are illustrated by plotting the phase portraits and their corresponding Poincaré maps.
Effect of a dynamic axial magnetic field on a preconditioned single-wire Z-pinch
Authors: Jiang Zhiyuan , Wu Jian , Wang Wei , Chen Ziwei , Zhou Xinmiao , Wang Zhenyu , Lu Yuanbo , Zhao Yiming , Shi Huantong , Li Xingwen
Published: August 2023

In this study, the effect and mechanism of a dynamic axial magnetic field on a preconditioned single-wire Z-pinch were investigated experimentally and theoretically. Optical diagnostic methods, including shadowgraphy, interferometry, Faraday rotation, and Thomson scattering, have been used to measure the parameters of magnetized plasmas. Compression of the azimuthal and axial magnetic fields was observed, and the suppression of the plasma instability was recorded and analyzed. The results showed that an external axial magnetic field could reduce the plasma instability and non-uniformity, but prolong the implosion time and weaken the compression ratio. In the implosion process with an axial magnetic field, the plasma rotated at a speed similar to that of imploding, which could be regarded as a stabilization method. A simplified model of the diffusion and compression processes of a dynamic axial magnetic field was developed to investigate the conditions for maximizing the amplitude of the axial magnetic field. Subsequently, the snowplow model was used to calculate the effect of axial magnetic fields on the implosion process and energy conversion.
Effect of Organosilane Functionalization of Kaolinite In Structure and Thermal Properties
Authors: Basith A , Venny  , Ni’mah A F , Mu’izzah N R , Sejati G P W , Pramono E
Published: August 2023

The composite homogeneity of polymer and inorganic content is often constrained by the high difference in surface tension of the two components. Inorganic filler surface tension is usually reduced using organosilane modification to improve miscibility. In this study, organosilane was introduced into Kaolinite clay to produce silanated kaolinite (sKal). The modification was carried out by reacting kaolinite with 3-Aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APS) in ethanol media. The products were characterized by Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and thermal analysis. Successful silanated modification, sKal structure, thermal properties, and dispersion stability under water were reported. The appearance of absorptions demonstrated the success of the Kaolin Aps modification. New spectra from the N-H and CH2 group organosilanes of APS, which bind to kaolinite. The addition of organosilane concentrations can affect the structure of kaolinite, increasingly more organosilanes are added, widening the plate spacing of each layer, and resulting in the breaking of the polymer chains and the exfoliation of platelets between the layers of kaolinite. Thermal stability showed an increase in thermal degradation after modification with Organosilan-APS. Furthermore, modifying Kaolinite with APS can improve dispersion stability in aqueous. Kaolinite-APS modification can accelerate the deposition of colloidal dispersions by lowering the surface tension of kaolinite. The data showed the potential of sKal as a modifier polymer in composite preparation for any application.
A piecewise spline approach for modeling of ECG signals
Authors: Mishra Alka , Bhusnur Surekha
Published: August 2023

This paper presents a new spline-based modeling method of electrocardiogram (ECG) signal that can reproduce normal as well as abnormal ECG beats. Large volume ECG data is required for automatic machine learning diagnostic systems, medical education, research and testing purposes but due to privacy issues, access to this medical data is very difficult. Given this, modeling an ECG signal is a very challenging task in the field of biomedical signal processing. Spline-based modeling is the latest and one of the most efficient methods with very low computational complexity in the domain of ECG signal generation. In this paper, healthy ECG and arrhythmia conditions have been considered for the synthetic generation, (namely Atrial fibrillation and Congestive heart failure ECG beats) because these are the leading causes of death globally. To validate the performance of the presented modeling method, it is tested on 100 signals, also the percentage root mean square difference (PRD) and the root mean square error (RMSE) have been determined. These calculated values are analyzed and the results are found to be very promising and show that the presented method is one of the best methods in the field of synthetic ECG signal generation. A comparison amongst relevant existing techniques and the proposed method is also presented. The performance merit values PRD and RMSE, for the proposed method obtained are 38.99 and 0.10092, respectively, which are lower than the values obtained in other compared methods. To ensure fidelity of the proposed modeling technique with respect to IEC60601 standard, few Conformance Testing Services (CTS)database signals have also been modelled with a very close resemblance with the standard signals.
Seasonal predictability of summer north african subtropical high in operational climate prediction models
Authors: Zhou Fang , Juma Ali Said , Zi Ran , Shi Jian , Liu Ming-Hong
Published: August 2023

Seasonal predictability of summer North African Subtropical High (NASH) is investigated in this study by utilizing the hindcast data from four operational climate prediction models, including BCC_CSM1.1(m), NCEP CFSv2, ECMWF System 4, and JMA CPSv2. By reconstructing indices describing the variations in intensity, area, eastern boundary and ridge line of the NASH, it is shown that the intensity and area indices present high prediction skills compared to the relatively low prediction skills of position indices. The multi-model ensemble (MME) mean, calculated as the arithmetic average of the four models, presents relatively higher and stabler skills than individual models. Further investigation indicates that the prediction skill of the NASH is largely reliant on the models’ ability in reproducing the relationship between the NASH indices and the tropical-to-subtropical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The pattern of atmospheric circulation anomaly over the North Africa in response to ENSO is well captured by the models, which suggests the dominant source of predictability of the NASH.
The challenge of generalization
Authors: Hewitt Martin
Published: August 2023

This chapter discusses some of the challenges of attempting to sum up the Victorians in a short book. It emphasizes the complexity and contradictions of the Victorians, and the tensions that ran through the period. At the same time it claims the validity and importance of offering general statements, especially if these go beyond claims about what ‘the Victorians’ thought or did, and instead teases out the particular combination of ways of thinking and modes of doing which characterized the period. The chapter concludes with an outline of the rest of the book and a statement of its underlying aims.
Eminent and less eminent Victorians
Authors: Hewitt Martin
Published: August 2023

This chapter turns attention from the world in which the Victorians lived to the Victorians themselves, asking who they were, both individually and as a group. It looks at the size and shape of the population of Victorian Britain, and its demographic character (life expectancy, health, fertility). It considers the various ways in which Victorian society was divided up, by class, gender and sexuality, race, and age. It then considers who we might think of as ‘representative Victorians’, using the Victorians’ own sense of their heroes and celebrities to consider what the leading figures across various aspects of Victorian life, politics, art, literature, science, and entertainment, tell us about the Victorians as a whole.
The Victorian world
Authors: Hewitt Martin
Published: August 2023

This chapter examines the Victorians in a national, international, and global context. It begins by considering the make-up of the British nation the Victorians lived in, describing its distinctive English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish components. It looks at Britain’s international relations and foreign policy, especially towards Europe and America. It then explores the ways in which Victorian Britain was imperial, and the ways in which the extension of the British empire, not just formal but also informal empire, spread particular versions of Victorian culture and society across the globe. It examines the violence and destructiveness of empire, along with its legacies.
Standardized trauma intake form with clinical decision support prompts improves care and reduces mortality for seriously injured patients in non-tertiary hospitals in Ghana: stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial
Authors: Gyedu Adam , Stewart Barclay T , Nakua Emmanuel , Donkor Peter
Published: August 2023

Background

The WHO Trauma Care Checklist improved key performance indicators (KPIs) of trauma care at tertiary hospitals. A standardized trauma intake form (TIF) with real-time clinical decision support prompts was developed by adapting the WHO Trauma Care Checklist for use in smaller low- and middle-income country hospitals, where care is delivered by non-specialized providers and without trauma teams. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the TIF for improving KPIs in initial trauma care and reducing mortality at non-tertiary hospitals in Ghana.

Methods

A stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial was conducted by stationing research assistants at emergency units of eight non-tertiary hospitals for 17.5 months to observe management of injured patients before and after introduction of the TIF. Differences in performance of KPIs in trauma care (primary outcomes) and mortality (secondary outcome) were estimated using generalized linear mixed regression models.

Results

Management of 4077 injured patients was observed (2067 before TIF introduction, 2010 after). There was improvement in 14 of 16 primary survey and initial care KPIs after TIF introduction. Airway assessment increased from 72.9 to 98.4 per cent (adjusted OR 25.27, 95 per cent c.i. 2.47 to 258.94; P = 0.006) and breathing assessment from 62.1 to 96.8 per cent (adjusted OR 38.38, 4.84 to 304.69; P = 0.001). Documentation of important clinical data improved from 52.4 to 76.7 per cent (adjusted OR 2.14, 1.17 to 3.89; P = 0.013). The mortality rate decreased from 17.7 to 12.1 per cent among 302 patients (186 before, 116 after) with impaired physiology on arrival (hypotension or decreased level of consciousness) (adjusted OR 0.10, 0.02 to 0.56; P = 0.009).

Conclusion

The TIF improved overall initial trauma care and reduced mortality for more seriously injured patients.

Registration number

NCT04547192 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Quality of life after severe acute pancreatitis: systematic review
Authors: Giorga Andrea , Hughes Michael , Parker Simon , Smith Andrew , Young Alistair
Published: August 2023

Background

Severe acute pancreatitis, the most severe form of acute pancreatitis, can alter pancreatic morphology, physiology, and function resulting in long-term morbidity, even after a single episode. This review assesses long-term outcomes and quality of life of severe acute pancreatitis.

Methods

A comprehensive literature review was conducted across MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and PubMed electronic databases on 18 January 2021 and updated on 26 April 2022 to ensure no new literature had been omitted. All studies were prospective or retrospective, included adult patients (>18 years) presenting with acute pancreatitis for whom data on long-term outcomes specifically after severe acute pancreatitis were reported. Quantitative and qualitative data extraction and synthesis were carried out and no meta-analysis was performed. Outcome measures included aetiology and mortality of severe acute pancreatitis, length of stay, endocrine and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, chronic symptoms, and quality of life compared with healthy controls as assessed by validated questionnaires.

Results

Fourteen retrospective cohort studies were included, for a total of 779 patients, using quality of life questionnaires. The most common aetiology of severe acute pancreatitis was biliary (36 per cent) followed by alcoholic (29 per cent). Mortality rate ranged from 5 to 35 per cent and length of stay ranged from 2 to 367 days. Quality of life was somewhat lower in patients with exocrine insufficiency, but unaffected by endocrine insufficiency or chronic symptoms. Quality of life was more likely to be reduced in the first 4 years but normalize thereafter and was more likely to be negatively affected where alcohol was the aetiology. In four studies, the relationship between disease severity and lower quality of life was investigated, and a significant correlation was found.

Conclusion

The review shows how a single episode of severe acute pancreatitis can have a variable effect on long-term quality of life, which is different to previous studies showing a strong reduction in quality of life. This could indicate that in current times treatment modalities are more effective.
Alternative Endoscopy Reading Paradigms Determine Score Reliability and Effect Size in Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Reinisch Walter , Pradhan Vivek , Ahmad Saira , Zhang Zhen , Gale Jeremy D
Published: August 2023

Objective

Central reading of endoscopy is advocated by regulatory agencies for clinical trials in ulcerative colitis [UC]. It is uncertain whether the local/site reader should be included in the reading paradigm. We explore whether using locally- and centrally-determined endoscopic Mayo subscores [eMS] provide a reliable final assessment and whether the paradigm used has an impact on effect size.

Methods

eMS data from the TURANDOT [NCT01620255] study were used to retrospectively examine seven different reading paradigms (using the scores of local readers [LR], first central readers [CR1], second central readers [CR2], and various consensus reads [ConCR]) by assessing inter-rater reliabilities and their impact on the key study endpoint, endoscopic improvement.

Results

More than 40% of eMS scores between two trained central readers were discordant. Central readers had wide variability in scorings at baseline (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] of 0.475 [0.339, 0.610] for CR1 vs CR2). Centrally-read scores had variable concordance with LR (LR vs CR1 ICC 0.682 [0.575, 0.788], and LR vs CR2 ICC 0.526 [0.399, 0.653]). Reading paradigms with LR and CR which included a consensus, enhanced ICC estimates to >0.8. At Week 12, without the consensus reads, the CR1 vs CR2 ICC estimates were 0.775 [0.710, 0.841], and with consensus reads the ICC estimates were >0.9. Consensus-based approaches were most favourable to detect a treatment difference.

Conclusion

The ICC between the eMS of two trained and experienced central readers is unexpectedly low, which reinforces that currently used central reading processes are still associated with several weaknesses.
Malicious Motives or Innocent Intentions? How Moral Reactions to “Collateral Damage” Shape Perceptions of Intent in Wartime Conduct
Authors: Traven David , Holmes Marcus , Chu Jonathan A
Published: August 2023

The laws of war prohibit intentional attacks on civilians, a fact that reflects the widely held view that intentional killings are particularly egregious, far more so than incidental killings or pure accidents. Yet, recent scholarship in moral psychology shows that the relationship between intention-understanding and moral judgments can also go the other way, that is, that judgments about whether an action is right or wrong can influence the degree to which people regard the action as intentional or unintentional. Drawing on this line of research, in this article we examine how moral intuitions influence perceptions of the intent to harm civilians in war. Using vignette-based survey experiments, we look at whether complying with the international humanitarian law principles of proportionality and precaution in attacks affects intentionality attributions. Our results suggest that when soldiers are perceived as having broken these principles, people are more likely to conclude that they killed civilians intentionally.
Unitarity of some barycentric rational approximants
Authors: Jawecki Tobias , Singh Pranav
Published: August 2023

The exponential function maps the imaginary axis to the unit circle and for many applications this unitarity property is also desirable from its approximations. We show that this property is conserved not only by the $(k,k)$-rational interpolant of the exponential on the imaginary axis, but also by $(k,k)$-rational barycentric approximants that minimize a linearized approximation error. These results are a consequence of certain properties of singular vectors of Loewner-type matrices associated to linearized approximation errors. Prominent representatives of this class are rational approximants computed by the adaptive Antoulas–Anderson (AAA) method and the AAA–Lawson method. Our results also lead to a modified procedure with improved numerical stability of the unitarity property and reduced computational cost.
Spatial Asymptotic Expansions in the Navier–Stokes Equation
Authors: McOwen Robert , Topalov Peter
Published: August 2023

We prove that the Navier–Stokes equation for a viscous incompressible fluid in ${\mathbb {R}}^{d}$ is locally well-posed in spaces of functions allowing spatial asymptotic expansions with log terms as $|x|\to \infty $ of any a priori given order. The solution depends analytically on the initial data and time so that for any $0<\vartheta <\pi /2$ it can be holomorphically extended in time to a conic sector in ${\mathbb {C}}$ with angle $2\vartheta $ at zero. We discuss the approximation of solutions by their asymptotic parts.
E.H. Carr’s Theory of Law: Exploring the Elements and Problems of International Law
Authors: Chas Carmen
Published: August 2023

E.H. Carr’s thought and approach to international relations have been the subject of several recent works. Though the insights offered by this new literature are extremely valuable, the lack of engagement with Carr’s wider oeuvre—including Britain: A Study of Foreign Policy from the Versailles Treaty to the Outbreak of War, Conditions of Peace, The New Society, Nationalism and After, History of the Soviet Union Series, and articles—has inhibited the level of understanding we have gained of his thought. This paper offers a reinterpretation of Carr’s theory of international law that challenges the prevailing arch-realist reading of his theory. It explores the distinct elements of Carr’s thought on the limits and problems of international law, revealing his insights into the nature of international law and the ways in which it is affected by national interests and nationalism. Finally, this paper argues that this rarely tackled and misunderstood aspect of Carr’s theory of international relations is clearly present in his works and that it provides a powerful commentary on the fundamental problems faced by international law.
Experimental and numerical study on the mechanical behaviours of two rocks with circular openings
Authors: Gui Yilin , Cevik Yusuf , Ma Jianjun
Published: August 2023

The presence of discontinuities in rocks can significantly compromise the performance of the rocks in terms of strength and stiffness, thereby threatening the reliability and safety of engineering structures built in or on the rocks, for example, tunnels, and slopes. In this paper, a comprehensive set of experimental tests, including Brazilian disc tests and uniaxial compression tests, were performed for two distinct rocks including granite and sandstone with seven patterns of opening holes, in addition to intact rock specimens. To investigate the micro-cracks initiation and propagation, a hybrid continuum-discrete element method incorporating a cohesive fracture model was adopted to simulate the laboratory testing. The stress–strain relations, micro-cracks initiation and propagation, Young’s modulus, compressive strength, tensile strength and micro-cracks rate and orientation were discussed. The results showed that the presence of the holes could significantly influence the tensile strength and compressive strength. However, its influence on the Young’s modulus was found to be relatively insignificant.
Consensus-based framework for evaluating data modernization initiatives: the case of cancer registration and electronic reporting
Authors: Subramanian Sujha , Tangka Florence K L , Pordell Paran , Beizer Jenny , Wilson Reda , Jones Sandra F , Rogers Joseph D , Benard Vicki B , Richardson Lisa C
Published: August 2023

As part of its data modernization initiative (DMI), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control is testing and implementing innovative solutions to improve cancer surveillance data quality and timeliness. We describe a consensus-based effort to create a framework to guide the evaluation of cancer surveillance modernization efforts by addressing specific context, processes, and costs related to cancer registration. We drew on prior theories, consulted with experts, and sought feedback from cancer registry staff. We developed the cancer surveillance systems, context, outcomes, and process evaluation (CS-SCOPE) framework to explain the ways in which cancer registry data quality, timeliness, and efficiency are impacted by external and internal contextual factors and interrelated process and content factors. The framework includes implementation measures to understand acceptability of process changes along with outcome measures to assess DMI initiation and ongoing sustainability. The framework’s components and structures can be tailored for use in other DMI evaluations.
Apparent annual survival of female eastern small-footed bats (Myotis leibii) roosting in Arkansas bridges
Authors: Sasse D Blake , Perry Roger W
Published: August 2023

The Eastern Small-footed Bat (Myotis leibii) inhabits mountainous areas of the eastern United States and generally roosts in cliff faces and talus slopes. However, the difficulty of accessing these sites has limited research on this species. We studied survival rates of eastern small-footed bats by capturing bats roosting in crevices between sections of concrete guardrails on bridges in the Ozark mountains of northern Arkansas from 2014 to 2021. We accumulated 1,413 bat captures (1,050F; 363M) of 283 individual females and 198 individual males sampled over 8 years and determined apparent annual survival of female bats using Cormack–Jolly–Seber survival models. Only 1 of 30 bats tested positive for the presence of Pseduogymnoascus destructans, a fungus causing white-nose syndrome (WNS) which is responsible for significant declines in populations of some North American bat species, when all maternity colonies were sampled in the spring of 2019. Overall apparent annual survival of all females was 0.643, with first-year juvenile survival of 0.472 and adult (ages 1–6) survival of 0.744, approximately 58% greater than first-year survival. Apparent annual survival did not differ greatly among the sites or among years. We found no significant decline or increase in overall number of bats among all sites during the 8 years of study. Stability in both the number of bats encountered and their survival rates suggests that the impact of WNS on these colonies has been marginal.
Comparative bioactivity of S-methoprene and novel S-methobutene against mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Su Tianyun , Yu Jin-sheng , Zhang Ying , Qian Xuhong , Su Heng
Published: August 2023

Mosquitoes and mosquito-borne illnesses significantly impact public health and human well-being. To address this concern, environmentally compatible larvicides have become a critical component of integrated mosquito management. However, the number of available larvicides is at a historical low. Currently, larvicides that harness microbials and insect growth regulators account for most products. Screening of new active ingredients (AIs) or improvement of existing AIs is thus necessary to augment the capacity for mosquito control. S-methoprene possesses a similar molecular structure and identical function to mosquito juvenile hormone and has been one of the main targets for research and development. The efficacy and safety of S-methoprene have been well documented since the late 1960s, and numerous products have been commercialized to combat pests of economic importance. However, S-methoprene is vulnerable to environmental factors that lead to its degradation, which has created challenges in formulation development, particularly where extended efficacy is desired. A derivative of S-methoprene, namely S-methobutene, with molecular modification has become available. This derivative has demonstrated an enhanced activity of inhibition of emergence (IE) against species across the Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex genera at IE10, IE50, and IE90. Furthermore, S-methobutene consistently outperformed S-methoprene during a 120-day aging process against the southern house mosquito Cx. quinquefasciatus, where the IE% in S-methobutene was significantly higher than that in S-methoprene on most aging intervals. The former had significantly longer residual activity than the latter. The potential of S-methobutene for further development and application is discussed in consideration of its enhanced activity and stability.
A rare case of epiploic appendages infarction within an incisional hernia: a usual complain of unusual cause
Authors: Lahham Elias Edward , Alsalah Qusai A , Alsahouri Mohammad I , Ghweir Abdalrazeq , AlQadi Mohammad , Sarhan Nafez
Published: August 2023

Epiploic appendagitis (EA) is an uncommon condition caused by infarction of epiploic appendages “small fat outpouchings present on the outside of the colon wall” because of torsion or thrombosis of the main draining vein. It is sometimes misdiagnosed as diverticulitis or appendicitis. Lab tests usually are normal, and the diagnosis is mainly by computerized tomography (CT) scan. Treatment is conservative as it is a self-limited condition, and the symptoms will resolve spontaneously within 2 weeks. However, surgical appendage removal could be necessary if symptoms increase or continue. Here, we report our experience with a 21-year-old male patient, who presented with a 1-day duration of localized right lower quadrant (RLQ) abdominal pain within 18*10 cm incisional hernia, imaging revealed signs of epiploic appendages infarction within the huge incisional hernia. This case describes an atypical scenario for EA, which was successfully managed with surgery. The final pathology report confirms the diagnosis.
Ophthalmology
Authors: Molloy Phillip
Published: August 2023

This chapter considers anatomy of the eye. Here, you will be able to replicate not only drawings which help you understand basic anatomy but also the directions in which eye muscles move the globe which can at first be quite difficult to grasp.
Somatosensory Responses
Authors: Hari Riitta , Puce Aina
Published: August 2023

This chapter is devoted to task-related neurophysiology of the human somatosensory system from peripheral nerves to the cerebral cortex. After brief outlining of the history of this field, the discussion starts from compound action potentials and fields of peripheral nerves and continues with comparison and discussion of the complementarity of early MEG and EEG responses originating from the primary somatosensory cortex. The responses from the second somatosensory cortex to transient electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves at the wrist and ankle are described, especially illustrating analysis of their source locations, before turning to somatosensory steady-state responses. Considerable lowering of the noise floor of a single-channel magnetometer has allowed high-frequency 600-Hz oscillatory responses to be detected in single-trial recordings from primary somatosensory cortex. The chapter ends with a brief survey of responses related to acute pain and nociception.
A Poetics of Silence
Authors: Davidson Michael
Published: August 2023

One of the more venerable tropes in poetry is an appeal to silence. A poetics of silence attempts to reveal the space of that disparity in material form. But for persons who are deaf a poetics of silence resonates differently. ‘Silence’ and ‘sound’ are social values that mean one thing for hearing people and another for a deaf population that is often mischaracterized as living in a ‘silent’ world. By looking at poetry through a deaf optic, we may redistribute sensations around different modalities of sight, sound, and touch. This chapter considers such redistribution in the work of deaf and hearing artists. The examples discussed suggest a continuity of sensory loss—or more accurately sensory difference—as a theme in works that in redirecting the putative norms of sensation and knowledge provide an alternate perspective on what can be known.
Tasting With Words in Ben Okri’s The Famished Road and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun
Authors: Guignery Vanessa
Published: August 2023

This chapter interrogates Michel Serres’s claim that language is unable to convey what senses provoke in our bodies and examines the literary techniques employed by Ben Okri in The Famished Road and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in Half of a Yellow Sun to give an apprehensible form to the sense of taste through words. While acknowledging the force of Serres’s position, the chapter draws on Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological approach and Mikhail Bakhtin’s theories of the grotesque body to show how the two Nigerian novelists deploy such literary means as metaphor, accumulation, hyperbole, diction, or the use of sonorities to reproduce and comment on the bodily experience of taste or evoke its absence in times of war and deprivation. The chapter ultimately argues that the reader may approach what Merleau-Ponty calls a ‘quasi-sensation’ of taste through the consumption of words.
Bearing The Word
Authors: Stanbury Sarah
Published: August 2023

One of the most ubiquitous images in medieval illustration, the speech scroll or banderole is a touchable object. Even when annotating acts of speech, speech scrolls are likely to be pictured unspooling not from the speaker’s mouth, but rather the speaker’s hand. This chapter reflects on touch as multisensory language in the medieval banderole, exploring how the banderole, as a visual sign, conscripts touch to amplify and translate sound. In the so-called Carthusian Miscellany, BL MS Additional 37,049, banderoles make an exceptionally robust presence. This chapter examines some of the manuscript’s many images of banderoles to argue that the Miscellany repeatedly invokes touch as part of its ascetic sensorium, picturing prayer as an action reinforced by contact with parchment as skin, such that reading and praying in the eremitical wilderness become a bodily practice.
The PSPP Ruling and the Pandemic: A Move to Weak Review?
Authors: de Boer Nik
Published: August 2023

Chapter 7 discusses the German Federal Constitutional Court’s (GFCC) judgment on the European Central Bank’s Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP) and its repercussions in the context of the EU’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the GFCC’s first ever ultra vires judgment, the PSPP ruling is a sign that the tension between the GFCC’s case law and the course of European integration has become increasingly untenable. Yet, despite this significant escalation, the chapter shows how the weak remedy left addressing the constitutional concern to Germany’s elected politicians. Such weak review lets national constitutional courts signal constitutional problems, but leaves their resolution to the political branches, which is welcome from a democratic perspective. In addition, and unlike during the euro crisis, elected politicians openly criticized the GFCC’s case law. Still, the GFCC’s case law continues to influence the development of European integration, visible in the legal design of Next Generation EU.
Introduction
Authors: Tabeling Patrick
Published: August 2023

The introduction provides a description of the role of flow miniaturization in nature, a discussion of the history of micro and nanofluidics, a presenation of the driving forces that brought the field to the present situation, thanks to research, that unlocked a number of bottlenecks (for instance mixing, valving, flow control) and applications, that gave the pulling force to develop the field such as diagnostics, gene sequencing and electronic paper. The main topics that concentrate the efforts of research are indicated. Microfluidic market is discussed, and an attempt of envisioning the future is given.
Time and exchangespace
Authors: Seddon Toby
Published: August 2023

In the second of two theory-oriented chapters, this chapter explores the question of how we should theorise and understand regulatory trajectories over time. After the introduction, the first section explores some of the main theoretical contributions in this area, drawing out key ideas of network structures, path dependence, and nodes. The second section connects these ideas to create a toolkit of intellectual resources for thinking about regulatory change. The third section then applies this toolkit to a couple of illustrative examples of drug policy initiatives, in order to show how it can open up new insights. In conclusion, the chapter links to the next part of the book which examines historical trajectories at the origin of drug prohibition.
China and the Opium Wars
Authors: Seddon Toby
Published: August 2023

In the first of two historical chapters, this chapter focuses on the deep roots of drug prohibition in the nineteenth-century Opium Wars fought between China and Britain. It begins by reviewing recent work in global history which argues for a recentring of Asia and the East in the long history of the world, and illustrates how this might help make sense of the long historical trajectories of human engagement with psychoactive plants. The main section of the chapter provides a detailed analysis of the historiographical literature on the Opium Wars, showing how this illuminates the initial conditions from which global drug prohibition would emerge at the beginning of the twentieth century.