bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing Nuclear Fusion
Authors: Walker Dane
Published: April 2022

Conventional mass spectrometry techniques can be used to monitor vacuum quality and contaminant species ahead of the fusion process. However, their use in characterizing species used in fusion reactions is limited by the mass interferences that occur with the isotopes of light gases, deuterium and helium for example appear at mass 4. This article describes the use of Threshold Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) and Ultra‐high resolution Mass Spectrometry, both are effective in the characterization of typical species found in nuclear fusion. The TIMS technique uses the control of ionization potential to selectively ionize species at the same nominal mass, deuterium, D2 a typical fuel used in nuclear fusion and the fusion by‐product 4He, both appear at m/z 4 for example. The development of ultra‐high resolution mass spectrometry, using the second stability zone, “Zone H”, further improves these capabilities, with the detection of interference species by mass. Ultrahigh resolution allows improvements in sensitivity of a factor of 100 over the TIMS method.
The 1915 Reichenbach–Wyneken Correspondence: Between the Ethical Ideal and the Reality of War
Authors: Padovani Flavia
Published: April 2022

The correspondence presented in this Appedix, which comprises four letters that Hans Reichenbach and Gustav Wyneken exchanged in the spring of 1915, originated following Wyneken’s controversial public lecture Der Krieg und die Jugend, which he delivered to the Munich Free Students (Freie Studentenschaft) on 25 November 1914. In the lecture, Wyneken defended a contentious position in support of war that many interpreted as contradicting views expressed in previous writings. Wyneken’s position was based on the idea that a war, however cruel, still represented an opportunity for a positive societal transformation through the “emancipation” of youth that would necessarily result from it; this was an idea that several Freistudenten, who admired his earlier notion that the essence of youth was meaningful in and of itself, would never subscribe to. The extensive debate that arose from his provocative stance involved several Free Students. How meaningful it must have been for so many of them is clearly exemplified by the Reichenbach-Wyneken exchange, which captures the contrast between the reality of war as embraced by Wyneken and Reichenbach’s own “ethical ideal”.
The Winding Road to Logical Empiricism: Philosophers of Science and the Youth Movement
Authors: Sandner Günther
Published: April 2022

Many representatives of Logical Empiricism were active in the youth movement before their scientific career. Rudolf Carnap, Hans Reichenbach, Kurt Grelling, Kurt Lewin, and Karl Korsch are the most prominent examples. The article compares the situation in Germany with that in Austria, where the relationship of Logical Empiricism to the Youth Movement is discussed using the example of Otto Neurath. But was there also programmatic coherence and ideological continuity between the two movements? Certain programmatic elements of the youth movement, such as the insistence on intellectual independence, criticism of authority or the central importance of education, played a central role in later careers of Logical Empiricists. It is made clear that the continuities between the two movements, understood as an important cultural and intellectual movement in interwar Europe, deserve a closer look.
Youth and Politics at the End of the Great War: Rudolf Carnap’s Politische Rundbriefe of 1918
Authors: Werner Meike G.
Published: April 2022

This essay traces Rudolf Carnap’s intellectual development from a political participant in various groups of the German Youth Movement to a political activist on the left in 1918, and places this development in the context of his experiences as volunteer in World War One on both the eastern and western front as well as his time working for a military institute in Berlin. Carnap’s political turn towards socialism is discussed by presenting, for the first time, the Politische Rundbriefe (Political Circulars) he sent to a group of friends for discussion in 1918. The first four of the nine Rundbriefe consisted of excerpts from Entente newspapers that were critical of the war as well as Carnap’s comments on these clippings. The subsequent circulars dealt with general political topics, such as preserving peace, arbitration, or international law, usually with reference to a specific publication on the subject. As a result of his wartime experiences, Carnap joined the USPD in August 1918 and in December 1918 signed an appeal to the Freideutsche Jugend (Free German Youth) urging the young students to vote for the Social Democrats in the first Reichstag elections.
Philosophenkrieger? – Wie Carnap & Co. den Ersten Weltkrieg sahen
Authors: Wolters Gereon
Published: April 2022

Soweit deutsche Gelehrte nicht selbst im Felde standen, nahmen sie zumeist am Schreibtisch oder in öffentlichen Vorträgen aktiv am Ersten Weltkrieg teil. Das gilt auch für die Philosophen. Unter ihnen finden wir nicht wenige ausgesprochene Kriegshetzer. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht (unter Rückgriff auf Korrespondenzen und Tagebucheinträge) die im Entstehen begriffene Disziplin der Wissenschaftsphilosophie anhand einiger zentraler Vertreter. Die wichtigsten Wissenschaftsphilosophen – die ältesten unter ihnen waren bei Kriegsbeginn zweiunddreißig Jahre alt – waren entweder naiv kriegsbegeistert (so zunächst der jugendbewegte Rudolf Carnap), oder überzeugte Kriegsgegner (Moritz Schlick, Otto Neurath und Hans Reichenbach, letzterer schon vor dem Krieg ein scharfer Kritiker des preußischen Militarismus). Nicht sprechen werde ich über die beiden Wissenschaftsphilosophen Heinrich Scholz, damals noch evangelischer Theologe und einer der übelsten Kriegspropagandisten, sowie über Hugo Dingler, der ganz mit sich selbst und seiner Karriere beschäftigt war. Beide gehören nicht zum Logischen Empirismus. – Eine bedrückender Bezug der Weltkrieg I-Situation zur Gegenwart kommt in den Blick: Das unter deutschen Gelehrten verbreitete und aggressionslegitimierende Gefühl der kollektiven Demütigung durch den Rest der Welt weist beängstigende Parallelen zu Positionen von Gelehrten im heutigen Russland und in weiten Teilen der islamischen Welt auf.
Two-loop infrared singularities in the production of a Higgs boson associated with a top-quark pair
Authors: Chen Jiaqi , Ma Chichuan , Wang Guoxing , Yang Li Lin , Ye Xiaoping
Published: April 2022

Abstract

The associated production of a Higgs boson and a top-quark pair is important for probing the Yukawa coupling of the top quark, and calls for better theoretical modeling. In this paper, we calculate the two-loop infrared divergences in $$ t\overline{t}H $$
t

t
¯

H
production at hadron colliders. To do that we compute the one-loop amplitudes to higher orders in the dimensional regulator ϵ. Numeric results for the infrared poles are given as a reference at several representative phase-space points. The result in this work serves as a part of the ongoing efforts towards the $$ t\overline{t}H $$
t

t
¯

H
cross sections at the next-to-next-to-leading order.
European Inflation in an American Mirror
Authors: Eichengreen Barry
Published: April 2022

In these highly uncertain times, flexibility has value.
Religious Concerns About COVID-19 Vaccines: From Abortion to Religious Freedom
Authors: Jones D. Gareth
Published: April 2022

In the midst of the debate about vaccines against COVID-19 and vaccine mandates, there are a surprisingly large number of concerns coming from some churches centring on the dependence of some of the vaccines on historic abortions and limitations of freedom of choice. Although the ethical significance of separation between historic abortions and the vaccines has been widely accepted by most religious authorities, the pandemic has led to renewed concern by some. The emergence of vaccine mandates, with their potential negative impact on church attendance, has led some to oppose anything that would limit freedom of choice. Within this opposition is a medley of other messages, such as lack of trust in experts and human rights violations. Some regard vaccine passports as a form of ‘medical apartheid’ or ‘therapeutic totalitarianism’, coercing people’s conscience. A countervailing perspective is provided by most church organizations that take a far more communitarian view based upon Jesus’ teachings, identification with the poor and marginalized, and public health considerations. These Christians place far greater store on science as a gift from God, medical science as a means of transforming societies for good, and the potential of vaccines to control a rampant pandemic. Flexibility in imposing vaccine mandates is essential with onus placed on protecting the vulnerable, the community, and directed by the biblical precept of love for one’s neighbour.
A Multidimensional Approach to Measuring Economic Insecurity: The Case of Chile
Authors: Prieto Joaquín
Published: April 2022

This paper proposes a strategy to measure economic insecurity in countries in the Global South. It builds a 'Multidimensional Economic Insecurity Index' (MEII) that combines four indicators of economic vulnerability that cause stress and anxiety: unexpected economic shocks, unprotected employment or non-workers in the household, over-indebtedness and asset poverty. The index offers a measure that directly relates economic uncertainty to stress and anxiety due to the lack of protection and buffers to face an unexpected economic shock. The MEII is applied to Chile using Survey of Household Finances (SHF) cross-sectional data (2007, 2011, 2014 and 2017). The results show that (i) about half of the Chilean households experienced, on average, two or more economic vulnerabilities during the last decade with an intensity of 2.3 vulnerabilities, and (ii) economic insecurity affects households on the entire income distribution, even in the highest income deciles groups. By identifying the groups of households most affected by economic insecurity and its trend in recent years, applying the MEII in countries such as Chile provides relevant information to monitor, evaluate and improve social safety nets besides labour market regulations.
The Development and Production of Literature Within an Easy Language and a Universal Design Perspective
Authors: Berget Gerd , Bugge Hanna Bovim
Published: April 2022

Finding suitable books for pleasure reading is difficult for many people with reading challenges. Consequently, authors and publishing houses must consider user diversity when developing books. Easy Language comprises an important component, which is closely related to other elements which together constitute accessible books, such as layout, fonts and use of images. Moreover, extensive user testing and involvement must ensure that the books meet the requirements of the readers. This paper presents The Books for Everyone (BfE) Framework, which describes the process from initiation to publication and promotion of Easy Language books, using Norway as a case study. The BfE Framework is illustrated through examples from books and related to the reception and understanding of various user groups.
Investigation on esterified pectin as natural hydrate inhibitor on methane hydrate formation
Authors: Effendi Adam Daniel , Sia Chee Wee , Jasamai Mazuin , Hashmani Muhammad Asad
Published: April 2022

Flow assurance treatment with chemical have become more common as new natural polymers are being develop and are viable for inhibiting hydrate formation in production systems due to its eco-friendly and economical properties. Using high-pressure micro-differential scanning calorimetry (HP-µDSC), the influence of kinetic inhibition on methane gas hydrate formation from synthetic polymer; polycaprolactam (PVCap) and organic polymers (low- and high-methoxylated pectin) was investigated. HP-µDSC was combined with the use of open-ended capillary tubes to counter the stochasticity of hydrate formation which often results in an inconclusive data set without numerous repetitions. By adding the capillary tubes within the cell, more data points on the performance of the inhibitors. Generally, the addition of these inhibitors increased the delay in formation of hydrates compared to the control sample which contained deionized water at 25˚C subcooling and 10 MPa pressure. However, the two types of organic inhibitors, which are distinguished primarily by the functional group ratios (carboxyl and ester), performed in contrast to one another. The results suggest that the presence of higher carboxyl functional groups is affecting the overall polarity (i.e., low-methoxylated pectin) significantly improved the hydrate inhibition at optimum concentration where both high-methoxylated pectin and PVCap; a commercial inhibitor, performed relatively weaker. In comparison with PVCap, high-methoxylated pectin showed comparable trend and slightly better performances at most concentrations; however, the peak structures indicate discernible difference in the formation mechanism. The use of low-methoxylated pectin at optimum concentration may offer inhibition performance up to three times to that of PVCap at high subcooling.
Numerical solution for a class of parabolic integro-differential equations subject to integral boundary conditions
Authors: Chattouh Abdeldjalil
Published: April 2022

Many physical phenomena can be modelled through nonlocal boundary value problems whose boundary conditions involve integral terms. In this work we propose a numerical algorithm, by combining second-order Crank–Nicolson schema for the temporal discretization and Legendre–Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method (LC–PSM) for the space discretization, to solve a class of parabolic integrodifferential equations subject to nonlocal boundary conditions. The approach proposed in this paper is based on Galerkin formulation and Legendre polynomials. Results on stability and convergence are established. Numerical tests are presented to support theoretical results and to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method
The Sexual Goals of Metoidioplasty Patients and Their Attitudes Toward Using PDE5 Inhibitors and Intracavernosal Injections as Erectile Aids
Authors: Khorrami Amir , Kumar Sahil , Bertin Elise , Wassersug Richard , O'Dwyer Cormac , Mukherjee Smita , Witherspoon Luke , Mankowski Peter , Genoway Krista , Kavanagh Alex G.
Published: April 2022

Background

Following metoidioplasty, transmen (TM) experience sexual function challenges including erectile dysfunction, which is typically treated in cisgender men with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) and intracavernosal injections (ICI).

Aim

We aim to evaluate sexual function post-metoidioplasty and explore attitudes toward using PDE5i and ICI as potential erectile aids

Methods

All patients who had metoidioplasty completed at the Gender Surgery Program in Vancouver, British Columbia were contacted. Participants completed an electronically accessible self-constructed questionnaire consisting of 39 items on erectile function, orgasm, and penetrative intercourse which also captured Erection Hardness Scores (EHS). Data were analyzed via t-test and 1-way ANOVA.

Outcomes

Our outcomes were the importance of erectile function, ability to orgasm, penetrative intercourse, and attitudes towards using PDE5i and ICI post-metoidioplasty.

Results

Fifteen out of 22 patients completed the survey (median age 32 years). Most had metoidioplasty within the past 2 years. The participants ranked the ability to orgasm and to achieve or maintain erections significantly higher than penetrative intercourse (P <.001, P =.005 respectively). Most participants reported facing challenges with penetrative intercourse (87%) and erectile function (80%). In contrast, a smaller proportion reported challenges with orgasm (33%). With regards to EHS, 83% of participants described their erections as either “larger but not hard,” or “hard but not hard enough for penetration.” A total of 47% of the participants had previously tried PDE5i, but none had used ICI. Although 87% were willing to use PDE5i, only 40% were willing to try ICI to improve their erections. Patients reported lack of knowledge and understanding among primary care physicians as barriers to accessing treatment for sexual dysfunction.

Clinical Translation

The results of this study can facilitate decision making for TM undergoing genital gender-affirmation surgery and provide potential options for improving erectile function post surgery.

Strengths & Limitations

This study represents the first assessment of sexual function and use of erectile aids in post-metoidioplasty patients. The results of this study are limited by the small sample size and enrolment from a single surgical center.

Conclusion

Metoidioplasty patients surveyed fail to achieve a fully rigid erection without treatment, typically retain the ability to orgasm, and are generally willing to try PDE5i.
Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching
Authors: Richards Jack C. , Rodgers Theodore S.
Published: April 2022

Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Third edition is an extensive revision of this highly successful book. As in previous editions, both major and alternative approaches and methods are surveyed, with the section on current communicative approaches updated to include new material on CLIL, text and genre-based teaching. The book seeks not only to clarify the assumptions behind these approaches, and their similarities and differences, but also to help teachers explore their own beliefs and practices in language teaching. Further new material deals with other directions in language teaching, such as outcomes-based initiatives, to make this edition fully up-to-date.
Performance of a turbojet engine with fluidic thrust vectoring
Authors: Chandra Sekar T. , Sundararaj R. H , Arora R. , Kushari A.
Published: April 2022

The objective of the present work is to estimate the performance of a turbojet engine during Fluidic Thrust Vectoring (FTV) employed by injecting the secondary-jet at the throat of a convergent nozzle. The nozzle performance maps and effective nozzle throat area obtained from experiments are coupled with the performance of a conventional engine (without FTV) using an iterative algorithm developed as a part of this work. The performance is estimated for different flow rates of secondary-jet sourced either from a separate compressor or the engine’s compressor. During FTV, the operating point shifted towards the surge line with increased turbine entry temperature. The desired and obtained vector angles and thrust magnitudes are different. At high secondary-jet flow rates, the turbine operation moved out of its performance map. These aspects should be incorporated while integrating the FTV at the system level, thus, asserting the importance of FTV studies coupled with engine performance.
The Arndale Property Company and the Transformation of Urban Britain, 1950–2000
Authors: Kefford Alistair
Published: April 2022

This article tracks the remarkable role played by a commercial property developer, the Arndale Property Company, in the transformation of urban Britain across the second half of the twentieth century. This was an era of great change in cities, as urban environments were remodeled and urban centers had to adapt to deindustrialization and the rise of a consumer-driven and service-dominated economy. Arndale was at the forefront of these changes, installing dozens of shopping centers in British towns and cities from the 1950s to the 1990s. The company imported American-inspired commercial architectures, furnishing cities with new landscapes of consumption and mass leisure through which the affluent society was encountered and made concrete. Arndale was also a driving force in the growing financialization of urban property development that began in Britain as early as the 1950s and gathered pace as the century wore on. The company's history thus illuminates important shifts in economic activity and cultural life that had far-reaching impacts on British cities and society. It also highlights Arndale's role at the heart of the postwar urban renewal order, showing how far the company's success depended on its status as a favored partner to public planning authorities pursuing town center redevelopment. The centrality of such public-private developmental partnerships, often overlooked, particularly within adjacent urban disciplines, reveals much about the precise contours and political economy of the British postwar settlement.
Lubricated viscous gravity currents of power-law fluids. Part 2. Stability analysis
Authors: Leung Lucas Tsun-yin , Kowal Katarzyna N.
Published: April 2022

We examine the stability of radially spreading, gravity-driven thin films of power-law fluids, lubricated from below by another power-law viscous fluid. Such flows are susceptible to a viscous fingering instability, also known as a non-porous viscous fingering instability, when a less viscous fluid intrudes beneath a more viscous fluid. In contrast to the Saffman–Taylor instability, such instabilities originate from a jump in hydrostatic pressure gradient across the intrusion front, associated with gradients in the upper surface. These are stabilised by buoyancy forces associated with the lower layer near its nose, and all instabilities are suppressed above a critical density difference. We find that shear-thinning flows are more prone to instability than Newtonian and shear-thickening flows. Lower consistency ratios are sufficient for the onset of instability of shear-thinning flows, and the stabilising influences of buoyancy forces are suppressed. As such, higher density differences are required to suppress the instability completely.
When Political Rights Do Not Translate into Economic Power: The Rise and Fall of the Slovenian Minority’s Economy in Italy (1954–2020)
Authors: Guardiancich Igor
Published: April 2022

Lack of economic data based on ethnicity makes the study of minority economies in linguistically or ethnically mixed regions problematic. Yet, there is much to learn from these hard cases of economic development in terms of the policies that guarantee ethnic or linguistic survival and reproduction. The present article investigates the long-term economic development of the Slovenian minority in Italy between 1954 and 2020. It does so by applying the theoretical framework by new institutional economists Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson (2005), which looks at the dynamic role of political and economic institutions for the generation of economic growth. The parable of this community’s economy shows that political power and economic success can be flimsy and ephemeral. Strategic, long-term economic planning and, especially, contingent planning against foreseeable risks, both of which require the systematic collection of accurate data and the coordination of representative organizations, are key to successful reproduction and sustained growth.
AMS 14C DATING OF SEYAKHA YEDOMA AND JANUARY AIR PALAEOTEMPERATURES FOR 25–21 CAL KA BP BASED ON THE STABLE ISOTOPE COMPOSITIONS OF SYNGENETIC ICE WEDGES
Authors: Vasil’chuk Yurij , Vasil’chuk Alla , Budantseva Nadine
Published: April 2022

Yedoma sediments with thick syngenetic ice wedges have been studied on the Yamal Peninsula, northwestern Siberia. The accumulation of yedoma strata occurred under alternating subaqueous-subaerial conditions, and three tiers of ice wedge were formed mainly on subaerial stages. The ice wedges and enclosing sediments were dated, revealing that the ice wedges were formed between 29 and 18 cal ka BP, while the enclosing sediments are generally older, possibly due to contamination with ancient material (especially in the central part of the yedoma). However, the termination of yedoma complex formation was dated not later than 13.5 cal ka BP. Stable oxygen-isotope data for the ice wedges indicate more severe winter climate conditions during 25–21 cal ka BP, when mean January air temperatures were at least 10°C lower that modern ones, favoring syngenetic ice wedge growth. Yedoma accumulation in the western part of northern Siberia does not support the existence here of an ice sheet during the LGM.
Voting for Votes: Opposition Parties’ Legislative Activity and Electoral Outcomes
Authors: TUTTNAUER OR , WEGMANN SIMONE
Published: April 2022

Scholars frequently expect parties to act strategically in parliament, hoping to affect their electoral fortunes. Voters assumingly assess parties by their activity and vote accordingly. However, the retrospective voting literature looks mostly at the government’s outcomes, leaving the opposition understudied. We argue that, for opposition parties, legislative voting constitutes an effective vote-seeking activity as a signaling tool of their attitude toward the government. We suggest that conflictual voting behavior affects voters through two mechanisms: as a signal of opposition valence and as means of ideological differentiation from the government. We present both aggregate- and individual-level analyses, leveraging a dataset of 169 party observations from 10 democracies and linking it to the CSES survey data of 27,371 respondents. The findings provide support for the existence of both mechanisms. Parliamentary conflict on legislative votes has a general positive effect on opposition parties’ electoral performance, conditional on systemic and party-specific factors.
Being a Forestry Labourer in the Late Ottoman Empire: Debt Bondage, Migration, and Sedentarization
Authors: Akgül Başak
Published: April 2022

This article examines the survival strategies of forestry workers and craftspeople in the late Ottoman Empire. Through the example of the Tahtacı, a semi-nomadic community specialized in lumbering in the forests along the western and southern coasts of Anatolia, it visualizes the adaptation strategies of forestry labourers in the changing economic and ecological environment of the Mediterranean Basin, which became warmer, less forested, and more integrated into regional and global markets after the mid-nineteenth century. Contrary to the generally accepted view that perceives the Tahtacı as a self-isolated, authentic clan with a static way of life, this article considers them a highly adaptive community that developed a wide range of strategies to earn their livelihood under intense commercialization in forestry and agriculture.
Speculation Sentiment
Authors: Davies Shaun William
Published: April 2022

I exploit the leveraged exchange-traded funds’ (ETFs’) primary market to measure aggregate, uninformed, gambling-like demand, that is, speculation sentiment. The leveraged ETFs’ primary market is a novel setting that provides observable arbitrage activity attributed to correcting mispricing between ETFs’ shares and their underlying assets. The arbitrage activity proxies for the magnitude and direction of speculative demand shocks and I use them to form the Speculation Sentiment Index. The measure negatively relates to contemporaneous market returns (e.g., it is bullish in down markets) and negatively predicts returns. The results are consistent with speculation sentiment causing market-wide price distortions that later reverse.
Seasonal prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in northern Mexico
Authors: García J.E. , Rodriguez-Huerta F.A. , Lozano E.A. , Encina J. , Mellado M.
Published: April 2022

This study aimed to describe the shedding pattern of gastrointestinal parasite eggs by a wild population of desert bighorn sheep (DBS;Ovis canadensis) in northern Mexico. Seventy-five fresh faecal samples were collected from the ground in each season within an hour after being expelled by these animals. The generalized linear mixed model showed that eggs per gram of faeces were highest in winter (577 ± 399) and lowest in summer (260 ± 198). Generalized linear models revealed thatStrongyloidesspp. predominated during most seasons with a peak in summer (85% of faecal samples analysed) and the absence of this helminth in winter.Nematodirusspp. was another helminth present in three seasons, with the presence of this nematode in 35% of the faecal samples in spring and 0% in summer. Other parasites in DBS faeces includedBunostomunspp.,Trichostrongylusspp.,Cooperiaspp.,Mecistocirrus digitatus,Haemonchus contortus,Chabertia ovinaandEimeria ovinoidalis. There were differences among seasons in the percentage of these helminths and coccidia in faecal samples for all these parasites. It was concluded that helminths egg output in DBS in a semi-arid rangeland is lowest in summer and spring and highest in autumn and winter. Furthermore, it was shown that DBS in the study site do not suffer from severe parasite burden. Therefore, this nematode parasite burden is compatible with the conservation and well-being of this particular population.
The Sufi method behind the Mughal ‘Peace with All’ religions: A study of Ibn ‘Arabi's ‘taḥqīq’ in Abu al-Fazl's preface to the Razmnāma
Authors: Pye Christian Blake
Published: April 2022

The mystical method of taḥqīq (‘realization’ or ‘verification’ of divine truth), as promoted by the Andalusian thinker Ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1240), was central to the project of managing religious difference in the Mughal empire. The key architect of deploying taḥqīq for imperial purposes was emperor Akbar's senior minister, ideologue, and spiritual devotee, Abu al-Fazl. Specifically, I analyse how the concept of taḥqīq appears in Abu al-Fazl's 1587 preface to the Razmnāma (‘Book of War’), the first translation into Persian of the Sanskrit religious epic Mahābhārata. The Mughal Razmnāma was a monumental achievement, the foremost product of Akbar's push to translate non-Islamic religious works into Persian. In its elaborate preface, Abu al-Fazl clearly outlines that this translation was an exercise in taḥqīq, made possible by a sovereign who had achieved spiritual perfection, and he calls the Mughal empire a ‘Caliphate of Taḥqīq’. As such, this study bridges two scholarly conversations which have been previously distinct. One is the renewed focus in Islamic studies on Ibn ‘Arabi's ideas, specifically on taḥqīq in the late medieval and early modern periods across the Islamic world. The other is the recent interest in Mughal historiography on ṣulḥ-i kull (Total Peace). This article positions Ibn ‘Arabi's taḥqīq within an elite Persianate intellectual milieu that carried the concept to Mughal South Asia, and it demonstrates, through an analysis of the Razmnāma's preface, that taḥqīq was politicized by Abu al-Fazl and Akbar to develop the imperial policy of managing religious difference, which came to be known as ṣulḥ-i kull.
Sulh-i kull as an oath of peace: Mughal political theology in history, theory, and comparison
Authors: Moin A. Azfar
Published: April 2022

Sulh-i kull or ‘Total Peace’ with all religions was a policy introduced by the Mughal empire in South Asia in the late sixteenth century. It was a radically accommodative stance for its day, especially when compared to the intolerant manner in which other Muslim and Christian polities of the early modern world dealt with religious difference. This article introduces a new perspective on Mughal Total Peace by arguing that it was meant to solve a long-standing problem created by the monotheistic ban on oaths sworn on non-biblical deities. Such a ban restricted the ability of Muslim kings to solemnize peace treaties with their non-monotheist rivals and subjects. In the second half of the article, I examine two pre-Mughal cases, from the eleventh century (Mahmud of Ghazna) and the seventh century (the prophet Muhammad), respectively, to explore what other, less ‘total’, mechanisms were invented to suspend this ban and enable oath-taking and solemn peace-making between monotheist and non-monotheist. In effect, I use the Mughal case to highlight a specific issue that shaped political theology in Islam over the long term.
Motion planning of unmanned aerial vehicles in dynamic 3D space: a potential force approach
Authors: Garibeh Mohammad H. , Alshorman Ahmad M. , Jaradat Mohammad A. , Younes Ahmad Bani , Khaleel Maysa
Published: April 2022

This research focuses on a collision-free real-time motion planning system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in complex three-dimensional (3D) dynamic environments based on generalized potential force functions. The UAV must survive in such a complex heterogeneous environment while tracking a dynamic target and avoiding multiple stationary or dynamic obstacles, especially at low hover flying conditions. The system framework consists of two parts. The first part is the target tracking part employing a generalized extended attractive potential force into 3D space. In contrast, the second part is the obstacle avoidance part employing a generalized extended repulsive potential force into 3D space. These forces depend on the relative position and relative velocity between the UAV and respective obstacles. As a result, the UAV is attracted to a moving or stationary target and repulsed away from moving or static obstacles simultaneously in 3D space. Accordingly, it changes its altitude and projected planner position concurrently. A real-time implementation for the system is conducted in the SPACE laboratory to perform motion planning in 3D space. The system performance is validated in real-time experiments using three platforms: two parrot bebop drones and one turtlebot robot. The pose information of the vehicles is estimated using six Vicon cameras during real-time flights. The demonstrated results show the motion planning system’s effectiveness. Also, we propose a successful mathematical solution of the local minima problem associated with the potential field method in both stationary and dynamic environments.
A climbing robot with paired claws inspired by gecko locomotion
Authors: Han Qingfei , Ji Aihong , Jiang Nan , Hu Jie , Gorb Stanislav N.
Published: April 2022

Climbing robots that use bionic claws can climb vertical or even inverted rough surfaces. However, wall-climbing robots with unidirectional spiny feet cannot crawl horizontally or downward on vertical rough surfaces. In this paper, a pair of gripping spiny feet is used to give a robot the capacity to crawl in any direction on a rough wall. On the basis of observations of the gecko’s method for grasping onto a vertical rough surface, a multilevel interlocking structure is proposed. A spherical contact model of the claw tip on a vertical rough surface is established, and the influences of the contact angle, friction coefficient, and other factors on the grappling claw action are analyzed. Moreover, the optimal structure of the grappling claws is proposed. The force during the grasping and detachment of the mechanism and the influence of the number of feet on grasping performance are determined through experiments. Furthermore, a six-legged wall-climbing robot is designed and evaluated in terms of crawling on a vertical rough surface at various angles. The feasibility of using an opposed gripping mechanism to allow a robot to crawl in any direction on a vertical rough surface is also verified.
Risk clustering and psychopathology from a multi-center cohort of Indian children, adolescents, and young adults
Authors: Basu Debasish , Ghosh Abhishek , Naskar Chandrima , Balachander Srinivas , Fernandes Gwen , Vaidya Nilakshi , Kumaran Kalyanaraman , Krishna Murali , Barker Gareth J. , Sharma Eesha , Murthy Pratima , Holla Bharath , Jain Sanjeev , Orfanos Dimitri Papadopoulos , Kalyanram Kartik , Purushottam Meera , Bharath Rose Dawn , Varghese Mathew , Thennarasu Kandavel , Chakrabarti Amit , Singh Rajkumar Lenin , Singh Roshan Lourembam , Nanjayya Subodh Bhagyalakshmi , Ahuja Chirag Kamal , Kartik Kamakshi , Krishnaveni Ghattu , Kuriyan Rebecca , Kurpad Sunita Simon , Desrivieres Sylvane , Iyengar Udita , Zhang Yuning , Hickman Matthew , Spiers Alex , Toledano Mireille , Schumann Gunter , Benegal Vivek
Published: April 2022

Developmental adversities early in life are associated with later psychopathology. Clustering may be a useful approach to group multiple diverse risks together and study their relation with psychopathology. To generate risk clusters of children, adolescents, and young adults, based on adverse environmental exposure and developmental characteristics, and to examine the association of risk clusters with manifest psychopathology. Participants (n = 8300) between 6 and 23 years were recruited from seven sites in India. We administered questionnaires to elicit history of previous exposure to adverse childhood environments, family history of psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives, and a range of antenatal and postnatal adversities. We used these variables to generate risk clusters. Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview-5 was administered to evaluate manifest psychopathology. Two-step cluster analysis revealed two clusters designated as high-risk cluster (HRC) and low-risk cluster (LRC), comprising 4197 (50.5%) and 4103 (49.5%) participants, respectively. HRC had higher frequencies of family history of mental illness, antenatal and neonatal risk factors, developmental delays, history of migration, and exposure to adverse childhood experiences than LRC. There were significantly higher risks of any psychiatric disorder [Relative Risk (RR) = 2.0, 95% CI 1.8–2.3], externalizing (RR = 4.8, 95% CI 3.6–6.4) and internalizing disorders (RR = 2.6, 95% CI 2.2–2.9), and suicidality (2.3, 95% CI 1.8–2.8) in HRC. Social-environmental and developmental factors could classify Indian children, adolescents and young adults into homogeneous clusters at high or low risk of psychopathology. These biopsychosocial determinants of mental health may have practice, policy and research implications for people in low- and middle-income countries.
The ‘Church of Islam’: esotericism, Orientalism, and religious origin myths in colonial South Asia
Authors: Pruss Maria-Magdalena
Published: April 2022

This article analyses the construction of religious origin myths for Islam within ‘universal religion’ and esoteric frameworks in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century South Asia and beyond, and sheds light on the role of ‘Western’ and Anglo-Indian converts in this process. At its core is a case study of the elusive Hamid Snow, founder of the so-called ‘Church of Islam’ in 1891 in Sikanderabad, Deccan. On the following pages, I reconstruct Snow's biography from little-known Urdu and English sources, analyse his writings, and place him within a context of religious modernist, esoteric, and convert networks encompassing South Asia, Europe, the United States, the Philippines, and other parts of the world. By focusing on the nature of the scholarship of religion at the time, and the reconstruction of religious pasts under the influence of esotericism and religious modernism, the article traces the influence of Orientalist and Eurocentric views on perceptions of the Islamic tradition and contributes to larger debates about the role of laypeople, especially those with an interracial background, in interpreting religious history and acting as cultural mediators between different communities during a time of ‘hybrid transnational occultism’.1
Where will they be: hidden implications of solutions to the Fermi paradox
Authors: Döbler Niklas Alexander
Published: April 2022

Solutions to the Fermi paradox either deny the existence of extraterrestrials or offer alternative reasons to explain the non-occurrence of a first contact. While the latter, more optimistic approaches generally assume the existence of extraterrestrials, they simultaneously hint to limited future detectability. If solutions to the Fermi paradox are accepted as true, they must be evaluated in terms of how they affect the likelihood of success of future SETI efforts. Some solutions may lead to the so-called Fermi constraint: in order to explain why there has not been any contact so far, optimistic solutions to the Fermi paradox have to accept assumptions that, if the solution is assumed to be correct, indicate a very low probability of future contact. In other words: they are not here, and that is why they may never appear.
Intraseasonal, Annual, and Interannual Variabilities of Subsurface Currents at 4.7°N in the Western Pacific Ocean
Authors: Zhang Zhixiang , Wang Jianing , Wang Fan , Ma Qiang
Published: April 2022

Strong multi‐timescale variabilities of subsurface zonal velocity over 300–600 m depth are observed beneath the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) by the mooring observation at 4.7°N, 140°E during 2014–2018. The observed subsurface velocity shows peaks at intraseasonal, semiannual, and annual periods, and is interconnected with the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle at a nearly zero lag. Aided by a reanalysis product, we reveal mechanisms for the above variabilities. Forced by wind stress curl over 150°–155°E and 160°–170°E along 4.7°N, the vertical propagation of the third meridional mode long Rossby waves is primarily responsible for the observed semiannual and annual cycles, respectively. The subsurface intraseasonal variability with peak periods of 50‐ and 80‐day are induced by short Rossby waves with the southeastward and downward group velocity. Such waves interconnect observed 50‐ and 80‐day ISV of the subsurface current to that of surface currents at 8°N, 128°–130°E and 6.5°N, 132°–134°E, respectively. The ENSO variability results mainly from the interannual change of the winds that force the long Rossby waves. The wind forcing leads the Niño 3.4 index and the subsurface velocity by a similar time, resulting in the subsurface instantaneous response to ENSO.
Responses of Soil Nitrous Oxide Emission to Nitrogen Addition at Two Topographic Positions of a Subtropical Forest
Authors: Duan Pengpeng , Wang Daobo , Xiao Kongcao , Zheng Liang , Chen Hao , Wang Kelin , Li Dejun
Published: April 2022

Topography can influence nitrous oxide (N2O) emission via its influences on soil nutrient availability, moisture, and microbial communities. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether topography modulates the responses of soil N2O emissions to elevated N deposition. Here the N addition experiment was conducted in the valley and on the slope of a subtropical karst forest in southwest China. Nitrogen was applied as NH4NO3 in two levels, that is, 50 (moderate N) and 100 (high N) kg N ha−1 yr−1 with no N addition plots as the control. Nitrogen addition consistently increased N2O emission in the valley, but only high N addition significantly increased N2O emission on the slope in 2017. The cumulative N2O fluxes across the 3 years were 1.16 ± 0.24 kg N ha−1 in the valley and 1.50 ± 0.06 kg N ha−1 on the slope under the control. Nitrogen addition stimulated N2O emission by 88.7%–113.3% in the valley due to increased ammonium, nitrate and dissolved organic carbon availabilities and ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) amoA abundance. High N addition stimulated N2O emission by 84.3% on the slope owing to increased nitrate and carbon availabilities, AOB amoA, and nirK abundances. The stimulation of N2O emission by moderate N addition was more pronounced in the valley than on the slope largely owing to the lower N status in the valley. This work highlights the importance of N status in regulating the responses of soil N2O emissions to elevated N deposition.
How Two Crossed Dipoles' Impedance Varies With Their Non‐Orthogonality, Length & Separation
Authors: Arada Gerald Pacaba , Wu Yue Ivan , Wong Kainam Thomas , Tam Wai‐Yip , Khan Salman , Fulton Caleb J.
Published: April 2022

To model the electromagnetic mutual impedance between a pair of “crossed dipoles” (a.k.a. “cross dipoles”) whose relative orientation is skewed (i.e., not perpendicular), this paper advances a new modeling approach – the “phenomenological” or “behavioral” approach. This new approach leads to simple models of the mutual impedance, as closed‐form expressions parameterized explicitly by the dipoles' (a) skew angle, (b) separation, and (c) common length. This mathematical simplicity is unprecedented in prior models. These models' usefulness is illustrated, using direction finding as an example.
Surrogate Global Optimization for Identifying Cost‐Effective Green Infrastructure for Urban Flood Control With a Computationally Expensive Inundation Model
Authors: Lu Wei , Xia Wei , Shoemaker Christine A.
Published: April 2022

Optimization algorithms and urban inundation models are powerful tools to identify cost‐effective designs of urban green infrastructures such as low‐impact developments (LIDs). Most previous LID design optimization studies are based on one‐dimensional (1D) inundation models, which cannot provide spatial information of flooding. The LID design optimization on two‐dimensional (2D) models or coupled 1D‐2D models was rarely explored due to the expensive computing time. This work investigates the effectiveness of surrogate optimization methods for LID design, which have not been used for the LID design problems. We propose a general LID design optimization framework that searches the optimal LID configurations based on both the spatial flood damage under a series of probable flood events and the life cycle costs (LCCs) of LID. We demonstrate the framework using a case study for an urban catchment with 55 sub‐catchments and 103 LID decision variables. We tested two different surrogate optimization methods designed for high‐dimensional problems: DYnamic COordinate search using Response Surface models (DYCORS) and Trust Region Bayesian Optimization (TuRBO), and one popular non‐surrogate method particle swarm (PSO). The result indicates that: (a) DYCORS is a promising method (significantly faster than TuRBO and PSO) for identifying the optimal LID design to minimize the flood damage cost and LID LCC; (b) Optimized LID design could reduce damage cost by as much as $12.14 million for the urban catchment after eliminating its own LCC compared with no LID implementation; (c) LID is effective in reducing the imperviousness of lands in urban areas.
Identification of the receptor of oncolytic virus M1 as a therapeutic predictor for multiple solid tumors
Authors: Song Deli , Jia Xudong , Liu Xincheng , Hu Linyi , Lin Kaiying , Xiao Tong , Qiao Yangyang , Zhang Jiayu , Dan Jia , Wong Chunwa , Hu Cheng , Sai Ke , Gong Shoufang , Sander Max , Shen Runling , Chen Xiaoyu , Xiao Xiaoting , Chen Jiehong , Zhang Yanming , Wei Cailv , Xiao Xiao , Liang Jiankai , Zhang Qinfen , Hu Jun , Zhu Wenbo , Yan Guangmei , Lin Yuan , Cai Jing
Published: April 2022

Over the last decade, oncolytic virus (OV) therapy has shown its promising potential in tumor treatment. The fact that not every patient can benefit from it highlights the importance for defining biomarkers that help predict patients’ responses. As particular self-amplifying biotherapeutics, the anti-tumor effects of OVs are highly dependent on the host factors for viral infection and replication. By using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we found matrix remodeling associated 8 (MXRA8) is positively correlated with the oncolysis induced by oncolytic virus M1 (OVM). Consistently, MXRA8 promotes the oncolytic efficacy of OVM in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the interaction of MXRA8 and OVM studied by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) showed that MXRA8 directly binds to this virus. Therefore, MXRA8 acts as the entry receptor of OVM. Pan-cancer analysis showed that MXRA8 is abundant in most solid tumors and is highly expressed in tumor tissues compared with adjacent normal ones. Further study in cancer cell lines and patient-derived tumor tissues revealed that the tumor selectivity of OVM is predominantly determined by a combinational effect of the cell membrane receptor MXRA8 and the intracellular factor, zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP). Taken together, our study may provide a novel dual-biomarker for precision medicine in OVM therapy.