bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community organising and radical democracy
Authors: Schneider Julius , Warren Rebecca , Glynos Jason
Published: January 2025

Community organising is a way of doing democratic politics distinct from electoral and radical protest politics
yet has been largely overlooked in discourse studies and activist scholarship, particularly when compared to the attention paid to
‘flashier’ grassroots movements. We aim to contribute to rectifying this shortcoming by exploring the conceptual connections
between community organising and the political discourse theory of radical democracy. Our theoretical argument is supplemented
with an illustrative vignette-based exploration, drawing on the experiences of community alliances and their members within
Citizens UK, the UK’s community organising umbrella organization. We show that while radical democratic theory can help ground
community organising practice and its dilemmas in a conceptually illuminating way, community organising practice, in turn, can
help put some valuable ‘flesh’ onto what many consider to be the rather abstract pronouncements associated with radical democracy
and its failure to elaborate what an agonistic politics looks like in practice.
Dimensional stability sensitivity analysis based on transfer function models for telescope in space gravitational wave detectors
Authors: Wang Zihan , Liu Yanfu , Han Xida , Cheng Yuntao , Li Ming , Zhao Hongchao
Published: January 2025

The telescope serves as a vital component of the space gravitational wave detector. In TianQin project, the exceptional dimensional stability of the telescope must be better than 1 pm Hz−1/2 @0.1 mHz–1 Hz. To assess the in-orbit dimensional stability of the telescope, a transfer function model was developed to evaluate the stability of the primary and secondary mirror spacing structure, considering the three primary thermal sources. It has been discovered that the stability of the spacer structure is influenced not only by the thermal expansion coefficient of the material but also by its heat capacity, density, and frequency band. Zerodur offers distinct advantages in terms of overall thermal performance. Specifically, the stability of the spacer constructed by it can be effectively controlled at 0.14 pm Hz−1/2@0.1 mHz–1 Hz, which is an achievement in the field of ultra-stability structure design.
Efficient vehicular counting via privacy-aware aggregation network
Authors: Cheng Jing-an , Li Qilei , Chen Jinyong , Gao Mingliang
Published: January 2025

Vehicle counting is crucial for effective road planning and traffic management. Despite significant advancements that have been achieved with the development of deep learning technology, current counting models rely on large-scale parameters and substantial computational resources, which limits their practical application. Additionally, these methods are typically trained on large centralized datasets, which may result in inefficiencies for resource-constrained devices. Furthermore, inadequate privacy protection poses potential risks of personal information leakage. To address these issues, we introduce a lightweight counting network, privacy-aware aggregation network (PANet) for real-world application in this paper. In PANet, a pyramid feature enhancement module is built to aggregate multi-scale information and enhance key representation, while also optimizing the channel-wise output of the model to reduce computational complexity. Furthermore, a federated learning framework is implemented to distribute the computational load and safeguard user privacy. Experimental results on a wide range of counting benchmarks demonstrate the superior efficiency and accuracy of PANet. The code is available at https://github.com/sdut-jacheng/PANet.
Real-time lung extraction from synthesized x-rays improves pulmonary image-guided radiotherapy
Authors: Fu Xinyi , Hasse Katelyn , Xu Di , Xu Qifan , Descovich Martina , Ruan Dan , Sheng Ke
Published: January 2025

Objective. Lung tumors can be obscured in x-rays, preventing accurate and robust localization. To improve lung conspicuity for image-guided procedures, we isolate the lungs in the anterior-posterior (AP) x-rays using a lung extraction network (LeX-net) that virtually removes overlapping thoracic structures, including ribs, diaphragm, liver, heart, and trachea. Approach. 73 965 thoracic 3DCTs and 106 thoracic 4DCTs were included. The 3D lung volume was extracted using an open-source lung volume segmentation model. AP digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) of the full anatomy CT and extracted lungs were computed as the input and reference to train a network (LeX-net) to generate lung-extracted DRRs (LeX-net DRRs) from full anatomy DRRs, which adopted a Swin-UNet model with conditional GAN. Subsequently, the trained LeX-net on 3DCT was applied to 4DCT-derived DRRs. Lung tumor tracking was then performed on DRRs using a template-matching method on a holdoff 4DCT test set of 79 patients whose gross tumor volumes were smaller than 20 cm3. Main results. LeX-net successfully isolated the lungs in DRRs, achieving an SSIM of 0.9581 ± 0.0151 and a PSNR of 30.78 ± 2.50 on the testing set of 3DCT-derived DRRs. Its performance declined slightly when applied to the 4DCT but maintained useable lung-only 2D views. On the challenging test set including cases of organ overlap, high tumor mobility, and small tumor size, the individual tumor tracking error for LeX-net DRRs was 0.97 ± 0.86 mm, significantly lower than that of 3.13 ± 5.82 mm using the full anatomy DRRs. LeX-net improved success rates of using 5 mm, 3 mm, and 1 mm tracking windows from 88.1%, 80.0%, and 58.7% to 98.1%, 94.2%, and 73.8%, respectively. Significance. LeX-net removes overlapping anatomies and enhances visualization of the lungs in x-rays. The model trained using 3DCTs is generalizable to 4DCT-derived DRRs, achieving significantly improved tumor tracking outcome.
Precise determination of lightning plasma parameters based on a collisional-radiative model
Authors: An Yingying , Shen Xiaozhi , Yuan Ping , An Tingting , Su Mengle , Wei Feng
Published: January 2025

A fine spectrum of natural lightning has been simulated by collisional-radiative model (CRM), and the line-intensities of N II dependent on electron temperature (Te
) and electron density (ne
) were obtained. It was found that the intensity proportion of 2p3d 3F

4
∘

→

2p3p 3D3 and 2p3p 3D3

→

2p3s 3P

2
∘

transitions in the multiple spectral lines to which they belong tend to stabilize in the Te
-ne
variation space, which is an inherent physical property that can be applied in determining the experimental intensity of characteristic lines from the total intensity of overlapped lines. By accurately matching the theoretical intensity-ratio with the experimental one, two intersections of contours of line-intensity ratios in the two-dimensional plane of Te
-ne
are derived, and then the Te
and ne
in the lightning channel were diagnosed simultaneously. The precise spectral analysis method and plasma diagnostic technique are the basis for researching other physical characteristics of lightning discharges, this work also has application value in artificially triggered lightning, laser-guided lightning, arc discharge, etc.
Plume measurements of a 1 J ablative pulsed plasma thruster fed with non-volatile liquid propellant
Authors: Jakubczak Maciej , Jardin Agnieszka , Kurzyna Jacek
Published: January 2025

The exhaust plume of a 1 J ablative pulsed plasma thruster (APPT) fed with non-volatile liquid propellant (perfluoropolyether—PFPE) was studied experimentally with electric probes. A Faraday cup and retarding potential analyzer were used with a time-of-flight approach to determine the shape and ion content of the plume, including the energy and velocity distributions of individual ion species. It was found that the plume was composed mainly of fluorine ions, with charge-states up to 6+. Other constituents of PFPE (carbon and oxygen) were detected in very low quantities. The results for liquid PFPE were similar to those obtained earlier for solid polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), with the exception of a larger contribution of highly ionized fluorine species. The plume measurements allowed calculation of efficiency factors and comparison with thruster efficiency. The obtained distributions of ions as well as the large relative abundance of high charge-state ions were indicative of a lack of thermal equilibrium in the plasma of APPT.
Using space-filling curves and fractals to reveal spatial and temporal patterns in neuroimaging data
Authors: Grela Jacek , Drogosz Zbigniew , Janarek Jakub , Ochab Jeremi K , Cifre Ignacio , Gudowska-Nowak Ewa , Nowak Maciej A , Oświęcimka Paweł , Chialvo Dante R ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: January 2025

Objective. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI) and other neuroimaging techniques are routinely used in medical diagnosis, cognitive neuroscience or recently in brain decoding. They produce three- or four-dimensional scans reflecting the geometry of brain tissue or activity, which is highly correlated temporally and spatially. While there exist numerous theoretically guided methods for analyzing correlations in one-dimensional data, they often cannot be readily generalized to the multidimensional geometrically embedded setting. Approach. We present a novel method, Fractal Space-Curve Analysis (FSCA), which combines Space-Filling Curve (SFC) mapping for dimensionality reduction with fractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis. We conduct extensive feasibility studies on diverse, artificially generated data with known fractal characteristics: the fractional Brownian motion, Cantor sets, and Gaussian processes. We compare the suitability of dimensionality reduction via Hilbert SFC and a data-driven alternative. FSCA is then successfully applied to real-world MRI and fMRI scans. Main results. The method utilizing Hilbert curves is optimized for computational efficiency, proven robust against boundary effects typical in experimental data analysis, and resistant to data sub-sampling. It is able to correctly quantify and discern correlations in both stationary and dynamic two-dimensional images. In MRI Alzheimer’s dataset, patients reveal a progression of the disease associated with a systematic decrease of the Hurst exponent. In fMRI recording of breath-holding task, the change in the exponent allows distinguishing different experimental phases. Significance. This study introduces a robust method for fractal characterization of spatial and temporal correlations in many types of multidimensional neuroimaging data. Very few assumptions allow it to be generalized to more dimensions than typical for neuroimaging and utilized in other scientific fields. The method can be particularly useful in analyzing fMRI experiments to compute markers of pathological conditions resulting from neurodegeneration. We also showcase its potential for providing insights into brain dynamics in task-related experiments.
Integrating novel stellarator single-stage optimization algorithms to design the Columbia stellarator experiment
Authors: Baillod A. , Paul E.J. , Rawlinson G. , Haque M. , Freiberger S.W. , Thapa S.
Published: January 2025

The Columbia Stellarator eXperiment (CSX), currently being designed at Columbia University, aims to test theoretical predictions related to QA plasma behavior, and to pioneer the construction of an optimized stellarator using three-dimensional, non-insulated high-temperature superconducting (NI-HTS) coils. The magnetic configuration is generated by a combination of two circular planar poloidal field (PF) coils and two 3D-shaped interlinked (IL) coils, with the possibility to add windowpane coils to enhance shaping and experimental flexibility. The PF coils and vacuum vessel are repurposed from the former Columbia Non-Neutral Torus experiment, while the IL coils will be custom-wound in-house using NI-HTS tapes. To obtain a plasma shape that meets the physics objectives with a limited number of coils, novel single-stage optimization techniques are employed, optimizing both the plasma and coils concurrently, in particular targeting a tight aspect ratio QA plasma and minimized strain on the HTS tape. Despite the increased complexity due to the expanded degrees of freedom, these methods successfully identify optimized plasma geometries that can be realized by coils meeting engineering specifications. This paper discusses the derivation of the constraints and objectives specific to CSX, and describe how two recently developed single-stage optimization methodologies are applied to the design of CSX. A set of selected configurations for CSX is then described in detail.
Reversal of charge transfer doping on the negative electronic compressibility surface of MoS2
Authors: Watson Liam , Bernardo Iolanda Di , Blyth James , Lowe Benjamin , Vu Thi-Hai-Yen , McEwen Daniel , Edmonds Mark T , Tadich Anton , Fuhrer Michael S
Published: January 2025

The strong electron-electron interaction in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) gives rise to phenomena such as strong exciton and trion binding and excitonic condensation, as well as large negative exchange and correlation contributions to the electron energies, resulting in negative electronic compressibility (NEC). Here we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to demonstrate a striking effect of NEC in semiconducting TMD MoS2 on the charge transfer to and from a partial overlayer of monolayer semimetallic WTe2. By systematically monitoring the binding energy shifts in the valence bands of both WTe2 and MoS2 during surface transfer doping with donor (K) and acceptor (F4-TCNQ) species, we observe distinct behaviors: (1) for donor doping, increased MoS2 valence band binding energy is accompanied by a counterintuitive reduction in the binding energy of WTe2 valence bands and core levels; (2) for acceptor doping, the expected decrease in MoS2 binding energies contrasts with an unexpected increase in those of WTe2. The observations imply a reversal of the expected charge transfer; donor (acceptor) deposition decreases (increases) the carrier density in the WTe2 adlayer. The charge transfer reversal is a direct consequence of the NEC of the MoS2 surface layer, for which addition (subtraction) of charge leads to attraction (repulsion) of further charge from neighboring layers. These findings highlight the importance of many-body interactions for the electrons in TMDs and underscore the potential for exploring strongly correlated quantum states in two-dimensional semiconductors.
Assessment of moisture resistance and bonding behavior of cup lump rubber modified asphalt mixture containing wax-based surfactant
Authors: Mohd Zin Zainiah , Mohd Hasan Mohd Rosli , A Rashid Azura , Ahmad Muhammad Munsif , Wong Tracy Leh Xin , Yao Hui
Published: January 2025

The present study evaluates moisture induced damage potential using a sessile drop method and a pneumatic adhesion tensile testing instrument (PATTI). The bonding behavior of the aggregates (granite and limestone) and cup lump rubber modified asphalt binder (CMB) with wax-based surfactant (WS) was evaluated. The results revealed that the granite aggregate exhibited a higher work of adhesion compared to the limestone. In the dry condition, the addition of more than 0.15% WS to the CMB reduced the work of adhesion and the bonding strength. Using the sessile drop method, the moisture resistance of the limestone aggregate with the CMB and WS was enhanced, but the bonding strength was reduced. The incorporation of WS reduced the surface free energy (SFE) regardless of the aging conditions and made the aggregate surface more hydrophobic for the increased interfacial adhesion. Incorporating WS in the CMB improved the work of adhesion under the wet condition, thus indicating that WS is an effective anti-stripping agent. Considering its comprehensive properties in the CMB, the amount of WS should be limited to 0.15%.
Quantum data encoding as a distinct abstraction layer in the design of quantum circuits
Authors: Agliardi Gabriele , Prati Enrico
Published: January 2025

Complex quantum circuits are constituted by combinations of quantum subroutines. The computation is possible as long as the quantum data encoding is consistent throughout the circuit. Despite its fundamental importance, the formalization of quantum data encoding has never been addressed systematically so far. We formalize the concept of quantum data encoding, namely the format providing a representation of a data set through a quantum state, as a distinct abstract layer with respect to the associated data loading circuit. We survey existing encoding methods and their respective strategies for classical-to-quantum exact and approximate data loading, for the quantum-to-classical extraction of information from states, and for quantum-to-quantum encoding conversion. Next, we show how major quantum algorithms find a natural interpretation in terms of data loading. For instance, the quantum Fourier transform is described as a quantum encoding converter, while the quantum amplitude estimation as an extraction routine. The new conceptual framework is exemplified by considering its application to the simple case of the Bernstein–Vazirani algorithm, and then to quantum-based Monte Carlo simulations, thus showcasing the power of the proposed formalism for the description of complex quantum circuits. Indeed, the approach clarifies the structure of complex quantum circuits and enables their efficient design.
Measurement of vadose zone water content with direct-push nuclear magnetic resonance logging
Authors: Osterman Gordon , Knight Rosemary
Published: January 2025

Predicting the efficiency of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) operation requires understanding the distribution of sediment type and water content in the vadose zone. In this study we assess the use of a direct-push nuclear magnetic resonance logging technique which can rapidly image water content profiles without the need for permanent boreholes. By combining nuclear magnetic resonance logging with direct-push sediment texture logging using cone penetrometer testing, it is possible to estimate the water content in the vadose zone and relate differences in water content to sediment type. We demonstrate this approach using four co-located nuclear magnetic resonance and cone penetrometer testing logs acquired to depths of approximately fifteen meters at an active almond orchard in California’s Central Valley. The results show water contents typically greater than 25% in clay- and silt-rich sediments, and up to 10% in sand-rich sediments. The ability to rapidly assess sediment type and water content using two direct-push tools opens up many exciting opportunities to study complex groundwater systems, even active orchards and other agricultural environments.
Understanding the impacts of extreme heat on the mental well-being of older adults: a systematic review
Authors: Chen Jifei , Delina Laurence L
Published: January 2025

Older adults exhibit a heightened vulnerability to the ramifications of climate change, mainly the increasing frequency and severity of extreme heat events, which can considerably impair their mental well-being. This study undertook a systematic review of scholarly databases to document older adults’ exposure to extreme heat and to evaluate the long-term outcomes on their mental health. Our analysis encompassed 22 articles, revealing several detrimental effects of extreme heat on mental well-being, including social isolation, cognitive dysfunction, affective disorders, and sleep disturbances. These adverse effects diminish the quality of life and exacerbate vulnerability to further health complications. This review underscores critical gaps in the assessment of heatwave impacts on the mental health of older individuals, especially regarding ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and cultural background. We identified significant disparities in risk levels and vulnerability experiences, which reflect entrenched societal inequalities. Future research should prioritise longitudinal studies and standardised assessment methods to enhance our understanding and resilience among older adults. Furthermore, implementing adaptive strategies—such as improved access to cooling resources, robust community support systems, and comprehensive mental health services—remains essential for assisting older adults in managing these escalating risks.
Multioptimization analysis of machining characteristics on spark electrical discharge machining of Al/SiC and Al/SiC/B4C composites
Authors: P Bharathi , kumar T Sampath , G Anbuchezhiyan
Published: January 2025

This study examines the machining characteristics of sintered aluminium composites, including Al+6% SiC and Al+4% SiC+2% B4C, utilising electrical discharge machining (EDM) by changing the input machining factors like current (C) in amperes, Pulse-OFF and Pulse-ON time in μs, at three distinct levels. The L9 Orthogonal array was employed to examine the influence of process factors on output variables, including Surface Roughness (SR), Material Removal Rate (MRR), and Hole Circularity (HC). An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine the percentage contribution of the input factors to the output variables. Observation implies that the GRG ANOVA for Al+6%SiC composite has achieved the most significant contribution to the total GRG, with the current contributing 86.66%, followed by the Pulse-ON at 8.52% and the Pulse-OFF at 3.63%. In contrast, the Al+4%SiC+2%B4C composite shows the current contributing 74.07%, followed by the Pulse-ON at 15.25% and the Pulse-OFF at 9.82%. The ideal input levels for Al+6%SiC and Al+4%SiC+2%B4C composites were found to be A3B3C1 and A3B3C3, correspondingly.
An enhanced YOLOv8n-based method for detecting color steel plate conditions along railway lines using drone inspection images
Authors: Bai Tangbo , Zong Hao , Yang Jianwei , Duan Jiaming , Fu Haochen
Published: January 2025

The color steel houses along railway lines often suffer from improper installation, aging, and deformation. Under strong wind conditions, the color steel roofing panels are prone to being blown onto railway tracks and facilities, posing a threat to train operation safety and potentially causing serious accidents. To address these issues, this paper proposes a method for detecting the condition of color steel panels along railway lines based on drone inspection images. The proposed method is built upon the You Only Look Once (YOLO) series algorithm framework, with specific improvements targeting the detection of small-sized color steel houses and those with similar characteristics that are difficult to classify in images. Firstly, a backbone network based on FasterNet is established, leveraging the characteristics of inverted residual blocks in the FasterNet module to optimize and enhance the feature extraction capability of the original network for small-sized color steel panels while reducing computational redundancy and memory access costs. Secondly, an Attention-based Intra-scale Feature Interaction (AIFI) module is introduced after the backbone network to enhance the model’s ability to focus on fine-grained information by facilitating interaction at the scale of high-level features. Finally, a new CSP Bottleneck with 2 Convolutions- Dilation-wise Residual (C2F-DWR) module is designed to optimize the small object detection capability of the C2F module in the neck network. This module uses a two-step approach to capture multi-scale information, which reduces the model’s parameter size while comprehensively improving the detection performance of the algorithm. The results show that the improved algorithm achieves a 4.9% increase in detection accuracy, a 3.2% increase in recall rate, and a 3.3% increase in mean Average Precision (mAP) compared to YOLOv8n (a lightweight variant of the YOLOv8 series). YOLOv8n has a smaller network structure and lower computational overhead, making it suitable for resource-constrained environments. These results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly improves the detection of small-sized color steel houses and the classification of objects with similar characteristics.
Design of optimized and energy efficient single-bit comparator using quantum dot cellular automata
Authors: N Aswathy , N M Siva Mangai , Krishnan Rahul
Published: January 2025

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata technology presents multiple advantages over conventional CMOS technology, such as lower power consumption, high speed, and greater density. QCA holds the potential to overcome the physical limitations of CMOS, positioning it as a promising option for the future of VLSI circuits. Comparator circuits contribute to rapid decision-making and signal processing in digital systems. This paper proposes two single-bit comparator designs using QCA. The proposed designs consume 35 and 18 cells, respectively with 0.5 latency in clock cycles. The simulations are carried out on QCADesigner 2.0.3 without any crossover. Additionally, power dissipation metrics for comparator designs were determined using the QCAPro and QCADesigner-E tools. It is observed that the design produces accurate results up to 4 K by analyzing the average out polarization.
Andrew Jackson
Authors: Atkins Jonathan M
Published: January 2025

Few today think of Andrew Jackson as a religious man. Actually, the American military hero and president professed Christianity throughout his life. Raised a “rigid Presbeterian,” his mother sought to provide her son with an education so he could grow up to become a minister, and the boy held on to his faith despite losing his family and suffering physically in the American Revolution. Jackson rose to prominence as a promising young man before a financial mishap and a growing number of personal conflicts—including killing an opponent in a duel—appeared to end his public career. Yet before his emergence as the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, Jackson attended church, read his Bible, and prayed with his devout wife, Rachel. He held orthodox views on the divinity of Christ, the atonement, and an afterlife in Heaven, and he blended Christian tenets with the honor-based culture that dominated the antebellum South while reconciling his beliefs with his ownership of slaves and promotion of Indian Removal. As president, and especially during his “Bank War,” he equated his enemies with the forces of evil. Unlike the revivalists of his era’s Second Great Awakening, Jackson never experienced a dramatic conversion, and he advocated religious liberty and separation of church and state as core republican principles. Nevertheless, as the Second Party System developed during his presidency, Jackson’s frequent appeals for divine guidance and for God’s blessing on the nation further encouraged the development of an American civil religion.
“I was brought up a rigid Presbeterian . . .”
Authors: Atkins Jonathan M
Published: January 2025

This chapter looks at the cultural and social environment in which Jackson spent his earliest years. Born shortly after his father’s death, Jackson grew up in a tightly knit Scots-Irish community on the Southern colonial frontier. The Presbyterian church lay at the heart of his community, and his mother’s devotion, reinforced by the ministry of Reverend William Richardson, instilled Christian teachings in him at a very young age. Jackson’s mother hoped he would become a minister and arranged for him to receive the foundation for a formal education. His strong will and bullying mostly reflected the lack of male guidance in his life, and the ethic of honor developing in the colonial South challenged Christianity as guiding principles. Nevertheless, had he been able to remain in his quiet community, Jackson possibly could have grown up to become the respected clergyman his mother wanted him to be.
“the remarkable interposition of Heaven”
Authors: Atkins Jonathan M
Published: January 2025

This chapter recounts Jackson’s military career through his emergence as a national hero in the War of 1812. Though socially and politically tarnished, Jackson remained a major general in the Tennessee militia. With no formal training, his natural abilities and experience prepared him effectively to lead his armies. Tennessee’s governor helped him gain command of an aborted expedition to Natchez—on which he won the nickname “Old Hickory.” Despite suffering a serious wound in a brawl—and despite a “mutiny” from his volunteers—Jackson’s success in the Creek War at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend compelled a reluctant President James Madison to assign him responsibility for defending the Gulf Coast, a duty that culminated in his victory at New Orleans. Throughout, he expressed to Rachel his confidence in an afterlife and belief in Providence, and he always attributed his greatest triumph to divine intervention.
“I find myself a solitary mourner . . .”
Authors: Atkins Jonathan M
Published: January 2025

This chapter addresses how Jackson began his administration mourning the unexpected death of his wife, Rachel. While grieving, Jackson accepted her loss as the will of providence, and as president, he maintained his faith but remained committed to the separation of church and state. His cabinet divided socially over the marriage of his secretary of war, John Eaton, to the supposedly scandalous Margaret O’Neal Timberlake. Jackson firmly stood by the Eatons and soon concluded that John C. Calhoun provoked the “Eaton Affair” to further Calhoun’s own political interests. As Jackson increasingly relied on Secretary of State Martin Van Buren, he ultimately replaced his official advisors in a controversial “Cabinet Purge.” Throughout, Jackson attributed his conduct to an honorable man’s duty to remain loyal to a friend, and he denounced the Eatons’s critics as un-Christian hypocrites who used religion to advance their selfish ambitions.
“Providence . . . has chosen you as the guardians of freedom”
Authors: Atkins Jonathan M
Published: January 2025

The chapter relates the political impact of Jackson’s presidency. Jackson entered office committed to “reforming” the federal government, and he came to rely heavily on informal advisors—most notably Amos Kendall and Francis P. Blair—whom critics derided as a “Kitchen Cabinet.” Jackson disturbed Washington insiders both when he implemented the “Spoils System,” or “Rotation in Office,” and with his veto of several acts of Congress, while his “Bank War” divided the nation into the two-party system that would dominate American politics for the next several years. While the opposition Whig Party condemned Jackson as “King Andrew I,” the Democratic Party successfully elected Martin Van Buren as Jackson’s successor. Although Democrats remained committed to religious freedom, Jackson’s public pronouncements often included appeals for divine guidance that reflected the growing acceptance of an American civil religion.
‘Responsive Penal Censure’ and its Implications
Authors: Duff RA
Published: January 2025

This chapter discusses a key dimension of Julian V Roberts’ conception of ‘penal censure’. In a number of articles, he and his co-authors have argued that while one should indeed, as some penal theorists suggest, understand criminal punishment as a species of censure (and should understand censure in retributive terms), that censure should be ‘responsive’ and ‘dynamic’ rather than ‘static’: that is, its form and severity should be modulated by the offender’s own response to their crime and to their punishment. Section 2 sketches this argument and shows why it is important and illuminating. However, Section 3 suggests that one should not draw from this insight the practical implications for sentencing and for the administration of sentences that Roberts seeks to draw: in particular, one should not treat the offender’s ‘post-sentence conduct’, their remorseful and constructive response to their punishment, as a retributive reason to mitigate it. Such conduct would give reason to mitigate the offender’s punishment only if the original sentence was based on the assumption that the offender would remain unrepentant; but that is not something that we, or the sentencer, should assume.
How to Delimit the Desert Base of Criminal Offenders
Authors: Ryberg Jesper
Published: January 2025

One of the central ideas of modern retributivism is the view that an offender’s desert should be determined by the nature of the crime that has been committed. This cannot be changed by whatever follows the crime when the criminal court metes out the appropriate sentence or, indeed, after the sentence has been determined. But is it plausible to maintain that the desert of an offender should be determined solely by aspects of the crime and, therefore, by something that remains invariant after the crime? Julian V Roberts has, in several works, challenged the static element of standard retributivist theory. What he has proposed is a dynamic desert model according to which various aspects of an offender’s post-crime and post-sentence conduct should be regarded as carrying retributive significance. The purpose of this chapter is to critically examine Roberts’ dynamic desert model. It is argued, on the one hand, that several of the challenges facing traditional static accounts of retributivism are radically exacerbated by introducing a dynamic account of desert, but also, on the other, that Roberts’ considerations cannot just be brushed aside by adherents of static accounts of retributivism.
Professor Roberts’ Disproportionate Contribution to Proportionality
Authors: Paciocco David M
Published: January 2025

Proportionality is the fundamental principle of sentencing in Canada. Yet it is a complex concept. Professor Roberts’ work has been instrumental in explaining the concept of proportionality and providing cogent advice on how to achieve proportionate sentencing. Most significantly, his writings have reinforced the fact that proportionality is both a principle of restraint in sentencing and the mechanism for ensuring adequate ‘just deserts’ denunciation, with the latter taking precedence. This chapter explores how Canadian courts, with the benefit of Professor Roberts’ work, have attempted to achieve a practical and workable theory of proportionality in the face of significant real-world limits on accomplishing proportionate sentencing.
Vigilantism and ‘Public Confidence’
Authors: Tonry Michael
Published: January 2025

Public confidence in courts, judges, and sentencing, and belief in the legitimacy of legal institutions, such as exists in Scandinavia, Germany, and the Netherlands, are self-evidently good things. Politicians in England and Wales often avow the importance of ‘public confidence’ in explaining why they promote or adopt especially repressive (for example, Anti-social Behaviour Orders, Imprisonment for Public Protection) or illiberal (for example, abolition of the double jeopardy doctrine, prosecutorial appeals of sentences) legislation. Three non-trivial issues lurk. First, the rhetoric gets the causal ordering wrong. As Justice Auld observed, public confidence is not ‘an aim of a good criminal justice system; but a consequence of it’. Second, there is an underlying belief or assumption that ‘the public’ disapproves of current practices and wants changes made. Masses of research show, however, that most depictions of the public’s views are unreliable and provide inadequate bases for policy-making. The public knows astonishingly little about criminal justice, opinions are shaped by media coverage and sensationalism, and considered views are not relentlessly punitive. Third, there is more than a whiff of vigilante thinking in the idea that public opinion should be the basis for laws that prescribe or judicial decisions that govern punishments of particular people for particular crimes.
The Dying Child
Authors: Garroway Kristine Henriksen
Published: January 2025

The Dying Child: The Death and Personhood of Children in Ancient Israel is a social history of the death of infants and children in Iron Age Israel. The study concentrates on three aspects of death: a regional analysis of burials, the place of the child in the household of the afterlife, and the personhood of the child. The study is divided into two parts. Part One concentrates on the archaeological remains of child burials in various regions of ancient Israel including the Philistine Plain, Southern Phoenician Coast, the Galilee, Jezreel Valley, and Central Highlands. Part Two further teases out the larger themes found in the burials, focusing on memorials and commemoration, the materiality of tombs, and concepts of personhood, by comparing what is found in Judah to that of surrounding regions. The study not only adds to the understanding of children in ancient Israel, but to the understanding of death, dying, and the meaning of the Judahite cult of the dead en large. It addresses infants and children primarily from the mortuary record, and secondarily from the biblical record. In doing so it moves beyond the limitations of what the biblical record can say with regards to infants and children vis-à-vis the dying process, the cult of the dead, and personhood. Finally, in understanding the tomb as an extension of the household in the afterlife, the study begins to uncover the personhood of infants and children and their place in the Iron Age household of the living.
Motivating Reasons
Authors: Asarnow Samuel
Published: January 2025

This chapter develops the canonical Reasoning View about motivating reasons for action. After arguing for the virtues of a broadly causal-psychological theory of intentional action, it introduces a simple causal-psychological theory of motivating reasons. In three passes, it introduces conceptual complexity to make the view more plausible. The central theme is Donald Davidson’s “rationalization” condition. The chapter argues that versions of the causal-psychological theory that lack a rationalization condition face two important “subset problems,” which anyone interested in the philosophy of action has to find a way to solve. It argues that the rationalization condition is the most natural way to solve the problems. It then uses the conceptual resources of the Reasoning View to develop the only plausible theory of rationalization.
For Moderation
Authors: Asarnow Samuel
Published: January 2025

This chapter broaches the question of the normative significance of reasons of taste: normative reasons that appear to be grounded in facts about agents’ contingent concerns (what they want, like, prefer, or care about). Classical Internalists have argued that every normative reason is grounded in a contingent concern. Classical Externalists have argued that contingent concerns never ground normative reasons. This chapter gives a prima facie argument for Moderation, the view that contingent concerns ground some but not all of our normative reasons. The argument is that Internalism has implausible consequences for moral philosophy, while Externalism has turned out to be difficult to square with plausible assumptions about the nature of reasons of taste. The chapter shows how a Moderate Version of the Reasoning View can be developed and gives a “user’s guide” to how Internalist and Externalist versions may be developed.
Against Internalism
Authors: Asarnow Samuel
Published: January 2025

This chapter debunks two influential arguments for Extreme Internalism, which might be thought to make the intuitive costs of the view (discussed in Chapter 5) worth accepting. The “Modal Argument” (associated with Bernard Williams and Korsgaard) begins with the idea that it must be possible for an agent to act on the normative reasons that apply to them and argues from that idea to Internalism. This chapter shows that, on the best interpretation of that leading idea, the argument is invalid. The “If I Were You” argument (associated with Williams and Manne) begins with the idea that normative reasons are the kinds of considerations it makes sense to use in a distinctive kind of reasoning, called “if I were you” reasoning. This chapter shows that, once one gets clear on the distinction between objective normative reasons and subjective normative reasons, the intuitive appeal of the leading idea disappears.
On Squeamishness
Authors: Asarnow Samuel
Published: January 2025

A Squeamishness principle is a claim that there is no normative reason at all for an agent to promote one of their desires or other contingent concerns. The version of the Reasoning View developed here assumes Squeamishness and has a mechanism for validating it. Schroeder and others have recently argued that Squeamishness principles are in general unmotivated. This chapter considers what can be said in favor of them. Focusing on Squeamishness judgments about morally significant cases, the chapter develops five types of arguments for Squeamishness. While several arguments are plausible, none is overwhelmingly persuasive. The chapter concludes that there is strong evidence for Squeamishness but that it is far from certain. Two appendices consider arguments against Squeamishness due to Schroeder and Manne, showing that neither obviously applies to the relevant morally significant cases.
Abundance and Authority
Authors: Asarnow Samuel
Published: January 2025

This chapter discusses two theses assumed by the rest of the book. The Abundance thesis states that there is an abundance of different normative reasons concepts: concepts of legal reasons, prudential reasons, moral reasons, reasons of etiquette, and so on. The Authority thesis states that only one of these reasons concepts is authoritative, that is, only one really matters, or is (in some sense) really normative, whereas the others are “merely formal” or “generic.” The chapter makes two arguments. First, it argues that the Reasoning View provides a more satisfying explanation of what Abundance means and why it is true than other competing theories, including those of Wodak, Finlay, and Henning. This provides an independent line of support for the Reasoning View. Second, it argues that while there is a prima facie tension between Authority and the Reasoning View, the tension can be resolved by slightly revising the canonical account of defeaters.
Reconsidering Subjective Reasons
Authors: Asarnow Samuel
Published: January 2025

Several authors have recently emphasized a distinction between subjective normative reasons and objective normative reasons, the latter being normative reasons in the sense theorized about here. It has rarely been clear, however, what theoretical work subjective reasons are intended to do. This chapter proposes that we understand subjective reasons as mental states of an agent in virtue of which options are more or less instrumentally rational for them to pursue. The chapter argues that, given that role, the standard “objectivist” theory of subjective reasons is implausible. It then develops a theory of subjective reasons in the context of the Reasoning View. An important consequence of this theory is that it provides a novel, unified way to think about the dual concepts of instrumental rationality and what is sometimes called reasons-responsiveness.
The Ecclesial Dialogue During the Thirty Years War
Authors: Stauff Derek L
Published: January 2025

To understand how some musical settings of biblical texts could gain political significance during the war, we need a broader and historically grounded view of the musical dialogue and the representation of voices in sacred music. Lutherans, along with numerous earlier Christian traditions, saw certain passages of scripture as ecclesial, that is, as referring to the Christian church as an institution. Early modern Lutheran commentators applied ecclesial readings to many parts of Hebrew scripture including Isaiah 49, Isaiah 63, and Jeremiah 31. These texts have confessional potential because Lutherans believed them to be voiced by the church lamenting her trouble or by God comforting his people or destroying his enemies. The ecclesial mode of interpretation helps explain why Lutheran composers applied dialogue techniques to this repertoire. In some cases, Lutheran composers like Stephan Otto and Andreas Hammerschmidt even created their own ecclesial dialogues by assembling different parts of scripture. Most importantly, all this sets a foundation on which Lutherans could naturally cultivate political subtexts during times of confessional unrest.
The Argument
Authors: Altamirano Rayo Giorleny
Published: January 2025

This chapter develops a model to explain the patterns of Indigenous land titling in Latin America. First, the chapter shows how the prevailing approaches of transnational constructivism, social movement theory, economic structuralism, and administrative capacity theory that seek to explain Indigenous land titling do not fully account for observed patterns in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil. Then, the chapter introduces a new, complementary approach that centers on the role of state interests as a mediating factor that accounts for why and how Indigenous land titling happens. Internal threats and external pressures prompt state elites to attend to Indigenous demands to land and natural resources, and in turn, use Indigenous land titling as a mechanism to install a system of indirect rule that safeguards and reinforces the state's control over land and people.
Introduction
Authors: Fromage Diane , Héritier Adrienne , Weismann Paul
Published: January 2025

After defining the essential terminology underlying this book (crisis, regulatory responses, rule-making), this chapter maps out the relevance of the Treaties for fundamental reforms at EU level and points at the potential, but also the limits, of the so-called flexibility clause (Article 352 TFEU). It addresses a number of crises which have hit the EU since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, thereby focusing on exogenous crises. Given that, since then, another Treaty revision has become politically unlikely, the question is posed whether the EU’s regulatory responses to various crises, essentially taken by means of secondary law, are still in compliance with primary law. Where the EU’s competence to act is contested, but the stakeholders’ will to act is strong, this may result in a broad interpretation of primary law provisions, the creative combination of legal bases in primary law, or the use of non-binding EU rules (‘soft law’). Against the backdrop of this adaptation—or even transformation—on the basis of secondary law, the chapter sets out the research questions underlying this book.
Health Policy
Authors: Eriksen Andreas , Everson Michelle
Published: January 2025

This chapter uses the COVID-19 crisis as a magnifying glass to uncover the dynamics of integration in the field of health. The pandemic was met with a stretching of competences along with informal tactics that illustrate how narrow formal confines call for creative workarounds. While crisis management may legitimately call for creativity, informality, and flexibility, this chapter asks whether a more fundamental instability was brought to the fore. The Treaties suggest that the European Union (EU) can deal with regulatory issues concerned with public health, while redistributive issues of healthcare are the responsibility of Member States. Not only is this division chimeric in practice, it also feeds the perilous impulse to mask moral and political acts of pooling of risk as Pareto efficient regulation. As the ambition to create a European Health Union gains momentum, so does the need to openly and explicitly acknowledge the considerations of justice and solidarity that inform rule-making. In line with this, the creative pathways that have driven integration by stealth will need to be transformed into a legally accountable and democratically responsible structure.