bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fault detection for industrial processes based on time-serial maximal deviation analysis
Authors: Xu Jing , Tong Chudong , Hu Guowei , Luo Lijia
Published: December 2024

The application of feature extraction algorithms in data-driven fault detection has been widely investigated for industrial processes, with a wide range of multivariate analytical methods available in the literature for this purpose. However, mainstream methods all focus on exploiting the systematic variation in historical normal samples and a fault is usually isolated as a deviation from the characterized normal signatures. For the sole purpose of fault detection in dynamic processes, it may be more effective to timely and adaptively uncover deviations inherent in time-serial variations for online sequential samples of interest, rather than focusing solely on extracting latent representations from normal samples. Therefore, a novel feature extraction algorithm called time-serial maximal deviation analysis (TSMDA) is proposed. TSMDA is designed to derive a projecting scheme with dynamically determined projecting vectors in a timely manner, so that possible time-serial deviations in newly measured sequential samples can be adaptively uncovered to the greatest extent possible. Most importantly, TSMDA cannot be executed without the involvement of online monitored samples and it is expected to guarantee consistently enhanced fault detectability. The effectiveness of the proposed fault detection method is validated through practical experiments on two industrial processes and the influence of key model parameters on fault detectability is also evaluated.
Ultra-wideband terahertz metamaterial absorber with polarization insensitivity and broad incidence angle absorption
Authors: Zhang Yanpeng , Sun Xuehong , Li Zhanxiong , Liu Liping , Qin Guoche
Published: December 2024

Terahertz metamaterials absorbing materials (TMAs) are a subject of interest due to their capacity to absorb specific electromagnetic waves. This study proposes an ultra-wideband perfectly absorbing metamaterial absorber (MMA) with polarisation insensitivity and wide incident absorption angle for the terahertz (THz) band. The TMA employs vanadium dioxide(VO2) as the resonant layer, obstructing electromagnetic waves from traversing the metamaterial via a gold substrate to create a straightforward Fabry–Perot asymmetric resonant cavity and broadening the bandwidth through the incorporation of a square frequency selective surface (S-FSS) array. The experimental simulations demonstrate that the TMA exhibits an ultra-wide absorption bandwidth of 9.54 THz, with up to 90% absorption within the 2.9–12.44 THz range. Furthermore, the tunability of VO2 conductivity has been leveraged to achieve a controllable absorption range of 5%–99%. The incident angle sensitivity of TMA to TE and TM polarisation was subjected to further investigation. It was observed that the TMA can sustain a relative bandwidth exceeding 66% and an absorption rate surpassing 90% in the 60° region. Additionally, it can achieve a relative bandwidth of up to 129.4% at an incidence angle of 40°. It can therefore be concluded that the perfect absorber with ultra-wide absorption bandwidth, as designed in this study, has potential applications in optical tunable absorber devices and other fields.
A computational exploration of structural, electronic, and optical properties of Hf- substituted CaZr1-x HfxS3 (x = 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75) for photovoltaic applications
Authors: Kassa Mulugetta D , Woldemariam Menberu M , Debelo Nebiyou G , Gebremeskel Desalegn K , Habura Kunsa H
Published: December 2024

This study investigates the structural, electronic, and optical properties of Hf-substituted (

C
a
Z

r

1
−
x

H

f

x

S

3

, where

x
=
0.25
,
0.50

, and

0.75

) for photovoltaic applications. Using first-principles calculations within the Quantum Espresso framework, we explore the effects of Hf incorporation on the orthorhombic crystal structure (Pnma space group). The study reveals that Hf substitution significantly influences the material’s properties, including lattice parameters, band gap, and optical absorption. The calculated band gaps for Hf-substituted are smaller than the experimental value for unsubstituted , indicating enhanced suitability for photovoltaic applications. Moreover, Hf substitution improves the thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability of the material. The results suggest that Hf-substituted is a promising candidate for high-efficiency, stable, and environmentally friendly photovoltaic devices.
Chirped and chirp-free optical soliton solutions for stochastic long-short wave resonant equations with multiplicative white noise
Authors: M E Zayed Elsayed , M M Saad Basel , Arnous Ahmed H , Secer Aydin , Esen Handenur , Bayram Mustafa
Published: December 2024

This article introduces a novel governing model characterized by stochastic long-short wave resonant equations with multiplicative white noise applicable in fields such as telecommunications and climate modeling. The study aims to explore chirped and chirp-free soliton solutions within this framework. Using Jacobi's elliptic function method as our primary methodology, we have successfully derived various soliton solutions, including solitary waves, singular solitons, and dark and bright soliton forms which can be relevant in optical communication and nonlinear optics. Significantly, our analysis has facilitated the extraction of both chirped and chirp-free solutions applicable to the model, marking a notable advancement in soliton research. Introducing this governing model is a pioneering endeavor in the field, distinguished by its ability to model the resonance interaction between long and short waves under the influence of multiplicative white noise. This aspect holds profound implications for the understanding and application of wave dynamics in stochastic environments such as in meteorology and fluid dynamics. To underscore our findings, the manuscript includes 3D and 2D graphical representations, effectively illustrating the impact of white noise on the wave profiles of the derived solitons. Our study broadens the theoretical landscape of soliton solutions and presents a significant step forward in practically examining wave resonance phenomena under stochastic conditions.
Traversable wormholes induced by stress energy conservation: combining Casimir
energy with a scalar field
Authors: Garattini Remo , Tzikas Athanasios G.
Published: December 2024

We investigate possible manifolds characterizing traversable wormholes in the presence of a scalar field minimally coupled to gravity, which has both kinetic and potential energy. The feature of traversability requires the violation of the null energy condition, which, in turn, signals the existence of exotic matter with negative energy density. To achieve this, we introduce a hypothetical Casimir apparatus with plates positioned either at a parametrically fixed or radially varying distance. A consistent set of field equations requires the introduction of an auxiliary field composed solely of pressure terms, which we interpret as the gravitational back-reaction of the traversable wormhole to the original source. Interestingly, the only case that appears to avoid the need for such an auxiliary field involves a scalar field with potential energy, combined with a Casimir device with fixed plates.
Gravitational waves from patterns of electroweak symmetry breaking: an effective perspective
Authors: Cai Rong-Gen , Hashino Katsuya , Wang Shao-Jiang , Yu Jianghao
Published: December 2024

The future space-borne gravitational wave (GW) detectors would provide a promising probe for the new physics beyond the standard model that admits the first-order phase transitions. The predictions for the GW background vary sensitively among different concrete particle physics models but also share a large degeneracy in the model buildings, which motivates an effective model description on the phase transition based on different patterns of the electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB). In this paper, using the scalar $N$-plet model as a demonstration, we propose an effective classification for three different patterns of EWSB: (1) radiative symmetry breaking with classical scale invariance, (2) Higgs mechanism in generic scalar extension, and (3) higher dimensional operators.We conclude that a strong first-order phase transition could be realized for (1) and (2) with a small quartic coupling and a small isospin of an additional $N$-plet field for the light scalar field model with and without the classical scale invariance, and (3) with a large mixing coupling between scalar fields and a large isospin of the $N$-plet field for the heavy scalar field model.
Modulation of Bessel-like vector vortex beam using the resonant magneto-optical effect in rubidium vapor
Authors: Ma 马 Yan 燕 , Yang 杨 Xin 欣 , Chang 常 Hong 虹 , Cao 曹 Ming-Tao 明涛 , Zhang 张 Xiao-Fei 晓斐 , Dong 董 Rui-Fang 瑞芳 , Zhang 张 Shou-Gang 首刚
Published: December 2024

The Bessel-like vector vortex beam (BlVVB) has gained increasing significance across numerous applications. However, its practical application is restricted by manufacturing difficulties and polarization manipulation. Thus, the ability to manipulate its degrees of freedom is highly desirable. In this paper, the full-domain polarization modulation of BlVVB within a hot atomic ensemble has been investigated. We begin with the theoretical analysis of the resonant magneto-optical effect of atoms with a horizontal linear-polarized beam and experimentally demonstrate precise manipulation of the polarization state across the entire domain of the BlVVB, achieving an error margin of less than 3° at various cross-sectional points. Our study provides a novel approach for the modulation of BlVVB based on atomic media, which holds potential applications in sensitive vector magnetometers, optical communications, and signal processing.
Optimal conditions for efficient ion acceleration and neutron production in deuterium gas-puff z-pinches
Authors: Klir D. , Jackson S.L. , Cikhardt J. , Cikhardtova B. , Kubes P. , Malir J. , Munzar V. , Novotny J. , Rezac K.
Published: December 2024

Deuterium gas-puff z-pinches are researched primarily as efficient sources of DD fusion neutrons. The first experiment with a deuterium gas jet was carried out in 1978 (Shiloh et al 1978 Phys. Rev. Lett.
40 515518). Since then, several D2 gas-puff experiments have been performed on various pulsed-power generators. The highest, so far published, DD neutron yields of

4
×

10

13

were observed on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories around 2005 (Coverdale et al 2007 Phys. Plasmas
14 022706). More recently, z-pinch experiments with a plasma-shell on a deuterium gas puff were carried out on the GIT-12 higher-impedance pulsed-power generator at 3 MA currents. On GIT-12, unique results were high neutron and ion energies, which approached 60 MeV. Comparison of deuterium gas-puff experiments on different generators allows the identification of the parameters essential for optimizing neutron production. These parameters include the optimal mass, preionization, short deuterium gas-injection time, and zippering towards a cathode. Neutron yields appear to depend not only on a current, but also on other parameters of a generator, such as an impedance and the energy stored in a capacitor bank. Our conclusions regarding the optimal conditions were tested on the Hawk generator (NRL, Washington, DC). At a current of 0.7 MA, Hawk accelerated deuterons up to 15 MeV producing one neutron pulse with the yield of the order of 1010 and a broad energy spectrum in the axial and radial direction. These results show that ion acceleration mechanisms in deuterium gas-puff z-pinches could be very efficient and attractive, with a variety of potential applications in high-energy-density physics, materials science, and controlled thermonuclear fusion research.
Research on the design methods of passive and active actuators based on energy flow
Authors: Shi Yujie , Wang Xinjie , Ding Yujiao , Li Qi
Published: December 2024

This paper discusses the design and reliability analysis of passive and active state actuators based on energy flow. For the passive state actuator, the structural design and performance evaluation of the recoil safety mechanism of the single-degree-of-freedom inertia cylinder are introduced in detail, and the reliability judgment criteria are proposed through the analysis of the force and energy of the inertial cylinder in the launch stage and the drop impact stage. For the active state actuator, the design of a large-displacement drive device driven by multiple V-type electrothermal drives is proposed, its reliability in different environments is analyzed, and the performance is verified using the perspective of energy flow. The method of applicability judgment is given.
Asynchronous motor fault diagnosis method based on BiLSTM network
Authors: Liu Chencheng , Zhao Aiming
Published: December 2024

Asynchronous motor stator short-circuit faults can pose a great threat to the production and operation of asynchronous motors. To identify the short-circuit faults and recover the losses in time, this paper establishes a model of a three-phase asynchronous motor in Simulink by using MATLAB, and simulations are carried out under various fault conditions. The time and frequency domain characterization of signals are extracted by fast Fourier transforms (FFT) and input into the bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM), for training and learning. The experiments show that the overall accuracy of the method in terms of fault identification rate is 96.19%, and it provides an effective solution for the diagnosis of this fault.
Research on adaptive washout algorithm based on workspace
Authors: Sun Dayuan , Chen Yuntong , Han Zheng
Published: December 2024

Since the classical washout algorithm does not involve the range of the robot’s motion, it may be beyond the motion limit during the robotic motion. In order to solve this problem, a tandem robot workspace is involved in the washout algorithm cost function. So, the algorithm can make the flight simulator’s range of motion within the motion limit. Input a signal for simulation, it can be found that this algorithm can achieve more realistic motion simulation in a small range. In summary, the improvement of the adaptive algorithm in this paper can achieve better dynamic simulation effects.
Robust adaptive fuzzy control for uncertain robotic manipulators with full state constraints
Authors: Wang Junjie , Zhao Boyang , Xue Ruxin , Tang Xin , Yang Chen , Li Jianwen , Gao Zhiwen
Published: December 2024

To address the problem of trajectory tracking control of robotic manipulators in the presence of system uncertainties, state constraints, and external disturbances, a robust adaptive fuzzy control method based on the obstacle Lyapunov function is proposed. Firstly, the uncertainty caused by measurement errors within the robot manipulator model is approximated by a fuzzy logic system (FLS), and secondly, the external perturbations existing in the model are effectively handled with the help of a bounded estimation method. In addition, the constraints on joint positions and joint velocities are guaranteed not to be violated by utilizing the barrier Lyapunov function.
On braid statistics versus parastatistics
Authors: Toppan Francesco
Published: December 2024

I report the recent advances in applying (graded) Hopf algebras with braided tensor product in two scenarios: i) paraparticles beyond bosons and fermions living in any space dimensions and transforming under the permutation group; ii) physical models of anyons living in two space-dimensions and transforming under the braid group. In the first scenario simple toy models based on the so-called 2-bit parastatistics show that, in the multiparticle sector, certain observables can discriminate paraparticles from ordinary bosons/fermions (thus, providing a counterexample to the widespread belief of the “conventionality of parastatistics” argument). In the second scenario the notion of (braided) Majorana qubit is introduced as the simplest building block to implement the Kitaev’s proposal of a topological quantum computer which protects from decoherence.
On the Representative Series
Authors: Hoang Ngoc Minh V
Published: December 2024

For factorizing representative (or rational) series, with coefficients in a commutative ring A containing ℚ, we examine various products such as concatenation, shuffle and its ϕ-deformations, … (and their co-products) defined on the free monoid which are such that their associated bialgebras are isomorphic to the Sweedler’s dual, for A being a field K.
Essential spectrum of the double layer potential on curves with cusps
Authors: Karlovich Yu
Published: December 2024

The essential spectrum of the double layer potential related to the Dirichlet problem on a domain whose boundary is a star-like curve with cusps is studied in the Lebesgue space setting. First, the solvability of such Dirichlet problem on the unit disc and the related integral representation are analyzed. Applying a reduction to singular integral operators with complex conjugation on star-like curves with cusps, and the theory of Wiener-Hopf operators and Mellin convolution operators, the essential spectrum of the double layer potential is established.
Application of quasicrystals to data processing
Authors: Nesterenko Maryna , Pošta Severin
Published: December 2024

We propose a data processing method based on properties of quasicrystals and apply it to bitmap images. The method uses the mapping between the physical and internal spaces of a quasi-crystal to uniformly distribute the part of data that is lost in the transmitting or storing processes. At the same time, it is possible to unambiguously restore the rest of the data.

The main advantages are strict aperiodicity of discrete sets and everywhere discontinuous property of the mapping as well as the speed of computation, simplicity of implementation and a straightforward possibility of extending the method to encryption of higher dimensional data. Several examples of construction of quasicrystals and examples of image processing are given.
Quantum state preparation in Jaynes-Cummings lattices
Authors: Tian Lin , Govindarajan Anuvetha , Parajuli Prabin , Cai Kang
Published: December 2024

One of the key questions in quantum information is the preparation of desired multipartite quantum states with high fidelity. Adiabatic evolution has been widely explored to achieve state preparation in quantum many-body systems. However, in noisy quantum systems, the adiabatic approach faces a dilemma: either extending the evolution timescales to reduce diabatic transitions or shortening the timescales to mitigate decoherence effects. Various quantum control approaches have been studied to resolve this dilemma. In a few recent works, we utilized Jaynes-Cummings (JC) lattices as a platform to investigate the potential of several quantum control techniques in preparing quantum many-body states, including the optimized adiabatic evolution approach, the quantum optimal control technique, and quantum shortcuts to adiabaticity. Here we first give an overview of our previous results on utilizing quantum optimal control in JC lattices with unit filling and utilizing local counterdiabatic driving in JC lattices with a single excitation. Then we present our results on the energy costs and energy fluctuations in these approaches. Our studies give insights into the implementation of different approaches in practical quantum devices and the connection between the energy costs and the quantum speed limit in preparing desired quantum many-body states for quantum simulation and quantum computation.
Study on the trouser tearing characteristics of airship skin film materials
Authors: Liu Wenjie , Xu Xian , Liu Longbin , Shen Guoji
Published: December 2024

In this paper, the tearing properties of Kevlar fiber-reinforced lightweight composite panels are thoroughly investigated through a combination of experimental and theoretical analysis. The research focuses on the tearing strength of airship skin materials, especially on the trouser-tearing behavior of Kevlar materials. By establishing a physical model of a “triangle-like region”, the change of material morphology during trouser tearing is analyzed, and a quadratic model is proposed to describe the tensile elongation of the weft yarn bundle. In the experimental part, the model’s accuracy was verified by the trouser tearing test, and the elastic modulus of the skin material was calculated by generating the tensile force-displacement curve with super test software. The test results show that the material’s maximum tensile load capacity and minimum tensile load capacity. Eventually, by comparing the experimental data with the simulation results, the validity of the established physical model is verified, which provides an important reference for the design and selection of the skin material of the airship.
Simulation study of aerodynamic parameters of small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dropped munitions
Authors: Liang Zhengang , Zhu Haowu , Hou Yunhui , Lu Jiashu , Bi Mingxue
Published: December 2024

Based on the method of computational fluid dynamics, fluent software is used to simulate and calculate the aerodynamic parameters of small unmanned aerial vehicle projectiles. The drag coefficient, lift coefficient, and pitching moment coefficient of the projectile under different angles of attack and different throwing velocities are obtained by establishing a three-dimensional model of the projectile, dividing the computational grid, and setting up the relevant initial conditions. The results are analyzed, and the results of the computation can provide a basis for the calculation of the ballistic trajectory of the projectile.
Experimental research on heat dissipation by microchannel phase transition
Authors: Fang Kun , Liu Zeliang , Zhang Fangju , Tan Gongli
Published: December 2024

Given the characteristics of some missile-borne electronic equipment, such as narrow space, high heat flux, limited power supply, and high reliability in a short time, the idea of phase change heat dissipation is proposed, absorbing a large amount of heat from electronic components through the vaporization phase change of working fluid, to ensure its working performance. The heat dissipation device is a cold plate for micro-channel phase change heat dissipation. Because it is difficult to study phase-change heat dissipation by simulation calculation, the experimental scheme is designed. A set of experimental systems that can not only simulate the working mode of the cold plate in high altitude and low-pressure environments but also carry out multi-parameter exploration is built with conventional and simple devices and instruments. Through extensive and repeated experiments, it has been concluded that: for the same mass of phase change working medium, the smaller the pressure difference between the working medium in the cold plate and the cold plate outlet is, the longer the temperature control time of the cold plate is. When the surface heat load of the cold plate is 400 W, the mass of the phase change working medium is 270 g, and the cold plate temperature control time is up to 10 min. When the working medium of phase transformation is 35% ethanol solution, the cooling and temperature equalization effect of a cold plate are the best, and the maximum temperature of the cold plate surface is stable between 70±1°C for a long time.
Combining climate models and observations to predict the time remaining until regional warming thresholds are reached
Authors: Barnes Elizabeth A , Diffenbaugh Noah S , Seneviratne Sonia I
Published: December 2024

The importance of climate change for driving adverse climate impacts has motivated substantial effort to understand the rate and magnitude of regional climate change in different parts of the world. However, despite decades of research, there is substantial uncertainty in the time remaining until specific regional temperature thresholds are reached, with climate models often disagreeing both on the warming that has occurred to-date, as well as the warming that might be experienced in the next few decades. Here, we adapt a recent machine learning approach to train a convolutional neural network to predict the time (and its uncertainty) until different regional warming thresholds are reached based on the current state of the climate system. In addition to predicting regional rather than global warming thresholds, we include a transfer learning step in which the climate-model-trained network is fine-tuned with limited observations, which further improves predictions of the real world. Using observed 2023 temperature anomalies to define the current climate state, our method yields a central estimate of 2040 or earlier for reaching the 1.5 °C threshold for all regions where transfer learning is possible, and a central estimate of 2040 or earlier for reaching the 2.0 °C threshold for 31 out of 34 regions. For 3.0 °C, 26 °C out of 34 regions are predicted to reach the threshold by 2060. Our results highlight the power of transfer learning as a tool to combine a suite of climate model projections with observations to produce constrained predictions of future temperatures based on the current climate.
Measurement of wear on additive manufactured surfaces via precision metrology and image processing techniques
Authors: Güngör Hikmet Ayberk , Sagbas Binnur
Published: December 2024

Additive manufacturing (AM) is rapidly developing technology which provide opportunity to generate 3D complex geometries without using any conventional tools. However, it was initially used frequently for rapid prototyping, it has now begun to be used for manufacturing functional machine parts. Wear is a critical phenomenon encountered in functional engineering systems and must be well understood for developing predictive and preventive approach. In this study, it was aimed to determine measurement procedure for additive manufactured AlSi10Mg metal part by using both standard and new technology wear measurement methods such as gravimetric, 2D and 3D optical profilometry, x-ray computed tomography (X-CT) and image processing. Minimum wear volume was measured by gravimetric method as 0,9268 mm3 while maximum was recorded as 1,6403 mm3 by 2D mechanical profilometer. X-CT and image processing methods wear volumes were close to each other and lie between gravimetric and 2D profilometric methods. This study aimed to provide basic understanding about the differences between the wear measurement methods on AM parts and serve further studies on measuring, predicting and preventing wear with more technological methods.
Rough Collisions
Authors: Rudzis Peter
Published: December 2024

A rough collision law describes the limiting contact dynamics of a pair of rough rigid bodies, as the scale of the rough features (asperities) on the surface of each body goes to zero. The class of rough collision laws is quite large and includes random elements. Our main results characterize the rough collision laws for a freely moving rough disk and a fixed rough wall in dimension 2. Any collision law which (i) is symmetric with respect to a certain well-known invariant measure from billiards theory, and (ii) conserves the projection of the phase space velocity onto the “rolling velocity” is a rough collision law. We also provide a method for explicitly constructing rough collision laws for a broad range of choices of microstructure on the disk and wall. In our introduction, we review past work in billiards, including characterizations of other rough billiard systems, which our results build upon.
The Sublime
Authors: Kennedy Meegan
Published: December 2024

Victorians often reworked existing tropes of wonder in order to frame the emotional experiences of microscopy within established epistemological structures such as the sublime, and push back against criticism of the microscope, promoting it instead as a difficult but valuable pursuit. Microscopists revise Kantian and Burkean versions of the sublime. Where traditionally the sublime is found in huge landscape formations or through a telescope aimed at the heavens, the microscopists remixed reason, imagination, pleasure, and terror (as in counting the uncountable) into a delightfully vertiginous horror at the vastness of the very small, and assertions of its mystery, majesty, and even beauty. With the microscopical sublime, minuteness is refigured as invisibility; diatoms (in many respects quite common and ordinary) are recognized to be breathtakingly infinite in number, space, and time, invoking multiple-world models.
Narrative Investigation
Authors: Kennedy Meegan
Published: December 2024

Victorian researchers used a technique I call narrative investigation to manage the interrelation of skepticism and wonder within a story arc that ties together the investigator’s varied experiences of physical, visual, attentional, and intellectual mobility. Narrative investigation casts the original investigator as an explorer moving through strange landscapes. The narrative offers a virtual storyspace wherein readers can mentally inhabit that role, tracing exactly each step in the investigator’s rhythm of focused practice and reflection, movement and stasis, eventually to reproduce these actions in person. These narratives deploy techniques of suspense that dramatize the wave-like, intermittent rhythm of attention and reflection as theorized by the physiological psychologists, and they showcase the microscopical revelations that reward the persistent investigator. Even in research texts, these moments of reflective appreciation invite readers to mirror the speaker’s affective responses.
Media, Race, and Ethnicity in Puerto Rico
Authors: Díaz-Hernández Anilyn
Published: December 2024

Intersections between media, race, and ethnicity in Puerto Rico can be assessed from various perspectives, but the three most important and interrelated are the sociocultural history dimension, the institutional or structural dimension, and the geopolitical dimension. First, the academic and independent literature on media, race, and ethnicity has evolved in tandem with the history of Puerto Rico and of Puerto Ricans in the United States. Understanding this parallelism makes it easier to study the historical evolution of racialized notions of identity. Second, local and global media’s organizational structures and technological evolution have changed the types of content produced and thus the types of racial or ethnic representations. This, in turn, ignites cultural politics, civil action, and social justice debates that cannot be disassociated from race and ethnicity, such as gender identity, sexuality, social class, and access to social services, technologies, and so on. Lastly, Puerto Rico’s colonial status in the 21st century adds a particular geopolitical dimension. This is a necessary framework for understanding this political and economically organized territory, which claims cultural sovereignty over a legacy of colonialism and neocolonialism. In this context, concepts of race and ethnicity have been institutionally lagging and are constantly being redefined. This geopolitical dimension is also interconnected to a great extent with scholarship on Latin American and Caribbean cultural studies about migration vis-à-vis the local and global sociocultural history of social movements and displacement of people since pre-Columbian and colonization eras to the early 21st century. An intertwined and transversal look at these three dimensions—from the vantage point of media, race, and ethnicity—can provide a better study of a case as complex and still poorly understood as Puerto Rican identity.

This article approaches the study of media, race, and ethnicity in Puerto Rico through an assessment of available academic scholarship on particular media industries. There are many studies focused on film, television, music, and newspapers. To a lesser degree, there are studies on radio, magazines, photography, and graphic art, as well as their digital variants, over-the-top media, video games, as well as advertising, public relations, and events production. These studies can be also classified by research methods, mostly qualitative, and further enriched using mixed—integrative and cross-sectional—views on race and ethnicity as these relate to other variables of social identity.
Drug Policy, Drug War, and Disparate Sentencing
Authors: Greberman Emily , Berryessa Colleen M.
Published: December 2024

The United States and its criminal-legal system have had a historically turbulent relationship with drugs and substance use. Public rhetoric, political ideology, and resulting policies, shaped by both rehabilitative and punitive ideals, have served as a foundation for the criminalization and mass incarceration of those who possess, distribute, and use illegal drugs—especially the targeting and blaming of communities of color. Early on, although drugs such as opium had versatile medical benefits, the use of heroin, crack/cocaine, and cannabis by people of color was quickly shaped into a discourse that amplified fear and racist stereotypes and catalyzed the War on Drugs. Throughout several presidential administrations, the criminalization of drug crimes disproportionately affected Black individuals, despite White citizens using them at similar or higher rates. “Tough on crime” policies, policing, and sentencing that resulted from this period culminated in the mass imprisonment of people of color.

Trying to repair the harm caused by the War on Drugs and rhetoric from the media in 2024, there is a strong push for the decriminalization and legalization of several drugs across the United States. For cannabis in particular, efforts have been made to advocate for its legalization federally. In the criminal-legal system, many political leaders and legislators have actively attempted to advocate for and enforce policies that release individuals from prison who have been incarcerated for minor drug offenses or are affected by unjust sentencing practices. Combined with nationwide efforts to promote research on the use of drugs for medicinal purposes, as well as the problems of drug abuse and addiction, a more progressive and optimistic approach to drug use has begun and continues to grow across the United States. The social and political forces that have historically shaped attitudes toward drug use and punishment are crucial to understanding the direction of U.S. drug policies in the early 21st century and why the pendulum continues to swing.
Global Connections of Raw Silk Production in 18th and 19th-Century Bengal
Authors: Davini Roberto
Published: December 2024

Bengal was a major global raw silk market player between the early 17th and mid-19th centuries. During this period, Bengal supplied both Asian and European markets with raw silk. The production of Bengali raw silk and its marketing organization successfully provided Indian and European merchants with increasing quantities of raw silk for the entire first half of the 18th century. But by the mid-18th century, the British East India Company had discovered that the finishing necessary to make Bengali raw silk marketable in London made it expensive and limited its use in the British silk industry. So, when the company gained political control of the province in the late 1760s, its Court of Directors changed Bengali reeling technology by introducing the most advanced European methods in their newly acquired territories in the eastern part of the South Asian subcontinent. However, the company’s upgrading process was only partially successful, for Bengali raw silk reeled with the new method never matched the high standards of Piedmontese raw silk. In any case, the company was able to produce vast quantities of low-quality raw silk from the 1770s to the 1830s.

In the mid-19th century, the spread of pébrine—an epidemic silkworm disease—ravaged raw silk production in most of the world’s cocoon farms. The only country whose silkworm farms remained immune to pébrine disease was Japan, which had, however, remained relatively isolated from global markets over the previous centuries. Pébrine also infected Bengali silkworm farms in the 1870s, causing a decline in raw silk production. That marked the conclusion of the continued involvement of Bengali raw silk in the global raw silk market, a trajectory that had spanned the previous two and half centuries. The drop in Bengali raw silk production cannot be attributed solely to the impact of colonial policies on the Bengali economy. After the pébrine epidemic, there was a general restructuring of the global market and its interconnections, from the mid-19th century onward. This restructuring saw the downsizing of several silk economies, which had previously enjoyed a primary role in the global silk trade, and the re-emergence of the Far Eastern sericulture areas, especially Japan and China, as producers of raw silk for world markets, both the traditional European markets and the emerging raw silk markets in the United States.
Nutrition and Reform in the United States
Authors: Wallach Jennifer Jensen
Published: December 2024

Beginning at the time of European colonization through the 21st century, several generations of food reformers have tried to influence the American diet in the name of health, science, or progress. Throughout time, different groups of activists believed that they understood the basic principles of nourishing foods. Furthermore, each group believed that they were empowered not only to use their knowledge to form their own eating habits but also to influence what others ate. Yet the advice they proffered was far from stable and was successively replaced by newer scientific information and different sets of political, social, and cultural concerns. Although food reform initiatives have been generally grounded in the medical science of their day, they were also influenced by other factors—including class friction, ethnocentrism, and competing moral concerns.
Women, Written Culture, and Spirituality in 17th-Century New Spain
Authors: Loreto López Rosalva
Published: December 2024

Within the walls of convents in New Spain, women wrote manuscripts. This type of writing is considered a continuation of a late medieval European cultural practice, adapted and promoted as a means of spreading Christian precepts in America. In the specific context of Counter-Reformation ideology, writing about the dialogue between God and the nun served a didactic, theological, and devotional purpose, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Approaches to the historical study of manuscripts authored by women in convents have broadened greatly in the last two decades of the 20th century and the early 21st century, coming to include the process by which they were incorporated into the Christian theological framework and its underpinnings in New Spain and considering the various types of writing developed in communities of female thinkers as part of New Spain’s intellectual modernity. These writings were shaped by various levels of social interactions and narratives, the first being between the religious woman and her confessor, as well as sometimes a scribe. At other levels, the convent and episcopal authorities also played a role. Finally, chaplains, chroniclers, and religious people with ties to the monastic communities wrote, transcribed, and disseminated these materials. The cataloging of these handwritten and printed texts authored by religious women from New Spain was itself shaped by a historical process in which common elements were adapted to develop texts in different literary canons. One must bear in mind that the different conditions under which women’s convent writings were produced were determined by their purpose, the intellectual capacity of their male and female creators, and the context in which they were written. Some texts were intended to show the world God’s presence manifested through holiness in the Americas, others recounted the convent’s piety fueled by religious vocations and love of Christ, and others sought to highlight the importance of the religious order’s establishment and the feminine purity protected within its walls.
Latin American Subways and Metro Systems
Authors: Chastain Andra B.
Published: December 2024

The first Latin American subway opened in 1913 in Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires underground railway reflected the rapid urban growth and immigration to Argentina at the turn of the 20th century. By the 1940s and 1950s, population growth and increasing street congestion in many Latin American cities prompted public discussion about the need to modernize urban transportation infrastructure. Although there were many proposals for urban mass transit systems, these languished for decades due to financing challenges. By the late 1960s, however, the availability of capital and political interest in ordering and modernizing the rapidly growing metropolises enabled a boom in subway construction. Mexico City, São Paulo, Santiago, Rio de Janeiro, and Caracas opened metro systems between 1969 and 1983. Critics argued that these systems encouraged capital city growth at the expense of regional cities and thus contributed to the overcentralization of populations and resources. Their high costs have also sparked long-running debates about how these systems can best serve the public in the context of scarce resources. On the other hand, supporters argued that metro systems were crucial for preventing congestion, structuring and modernizing the urban transportation system as a whole, and promoting circulation as car use rapidly increased. Although metro and subway systems account for a minority of overall trips in these cities, they have had outsized political and symbolic roles due to their association with national modernization. In addition, they have become crucial to the day-to-day life of many Latin American metropolises.
Lines of Fate
Authors: Miller Ian M , Coggins Chris
Published: December 2024

This article explores the concept of resilience within the framework of fengshui forests in subtropical southern China over the last millennium. Consisting of small patches of old-growth or old secondary-growth forest associated with graves, temples, and the paths of wind and water into and out of villages, fengshui forests were historically seen as nodes that supplied vital qi(energy, force or substance) to the community, an understanding that persists to the present day. Using a combination of textual, ethnographic, and scientific evidence, we examine how these forests, deeply embedded in the cultural and ecological fabric of the region, have fostered community resilience and sustainability over centuries. We show that fengshui’s vitalist and syncretic conception of the relationship among living people, ancestors, the land, and the trees allowed it to bridge Indigenous and imperial moral ecologies. By foregrounding both the emic and etic implication of fengshui, this article contributes to our understanding of Indigenous moral ecologies, the histories of social-ecological resilience, and the role of sacred forests in sustaining biodiversity and community well-being, past and present.
Career pathways into the medical laboratory workforce: Education, exposures, and motivations
Authors: Guenther Grace A , Shahrir Shahida F , Skillman Susan M , Kundu Iman , Garcia Edna , Frogner Bianca K
Published: December 2024

Objectives

The goal of this study was to investigate career pathways into the medical laboratory workforce by examining medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, histotechnologists, histotechnicians, cytologists, and phlebotomists.

Methods

We collected data through an anonymous online survey (May-June 2023) from a convenience sample of medical laboratory professionals in the United States (N = 1243). We performed descriptive analyses of demographics, current employment characteristics, educational and training history, career exposures, motivations, movement, and outlook (eg, job satisfaction, future career plans).

Results

Findings show a diverse range of educational backgrounds and varying career pathways across occupations. A majority of respondents reported hearing about laboratory occupations from friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances. At least one-third to nearly one-half of respondents had a family member with broader professional health care experience. Respondents viewed their jobs favorably, with at least 75% of respondents answering that they would recommend their occupation or another laboratory occupation.

Conclusions

This study found overall positive job experiences and satisfaction, but career pathways into medical laboratory occupations are complex and often unclear. Organizations in the field are undertaking promotional efforts to increase the visibility of these occupations. Future research is needed to monitor and evaluate these efforts.
Changes in US drinking and alcohol use disorders associated with social, health, and economic impacts of COVID-19
Authors: Kerr William C , Ye Yu , Martinez Priscilla , Karriker-Jaffe Katherine J , Patterson Deidre , Greenfield Thomas K , Mulia Nina
Published: December 2024

Aims

The COVID-19 pandemic increased alcohol consumption in the USA as a result of widespread individual changes in drinking patterns. Few studies have utilized longitudinal data allowing the prediction of increased or decreased drinking from COVID-19 economic, social, and health impacts.

Methods

Data are from 1819 respondents in the 2019–20 National Alcohol Survey and a one-year follow-up in early 2021. Changes in past-year alcohol volume, drinking days, days with 5+ drinks, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) alcohol use disorder (AUD) severity were measured as outcomes. Measures of COVID-19 economic, health, and social impacts were assessed for the individual and household. Economic impacts were combined into Self and Household scores. Analyses utilized multinomial logistic regression models to estimate meaningful increases or decreases in outcomes, while generalized estimating equation models estimated overall effects.

Results

Increases in alcohol use and AUD severity were larger and more prevalent than decreases, and differences between sociodemographic groups in the prevalence of meaningful increases and decreases were found. Models of meaningful changes found that higher self-economic impact scores predicted increases in 5+ days and AUD severity. Generalized estimating equation models also found that the self-economic impact score predicted increased AUD severity and additionally that being an essential worker was associated with reductions in alcohol volume and 5+ days.

Conclusions

Substantial changes in drinking and AUD severity were observed, with increases in these outcomes being more prevalent and larger than decreases. Results highlight the importance of the pandemic’s economic impacts in predicting changes in drinking and AUD severity.