bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploration of origin and breaking mechanism of pseudospin symmetry in relativistic point-coupling model with similarity renormalization group
Authors: Huang Bo , Guo Jian-You , Liu Quan , Chen Shou-Wan
Published: October 2023

The pseudospin symmetry (PSS) is an important physical concept in atomic nuclei. The relativistic point-coupling model is first used to explore the origin and breaking mechanism of PSS in real nuclei with 208Pb as an illustrated example. PSS observed in the single particle spectra of heavy nuclei is reproduced in the present calculation. The influences of the different point-coupling interactions on PSS are investigated, it is found that the four-fermion scalar and vector couplings play a dominate role at PSS. The quality of PSS depends on the competition of four-fermion scalar and vector couplings. Those the PSS is better for the weakly bound levels and the energy splittings are more sensitive to the interaction strengths for the deeply bound levels are well explained in terms of the derivative of Σ potential with r. In combination with the similarity renormalization group, the origin and breaking mechanism of PSS are clarified.
The use of ICT for mathematical calculations in the water quality assessment in the teaching of ecologists
Authors: Shakhman I O , Bystriantseva A M
Published: October 2023

Research goal of the paper is the demonstration of computer technology integration in the modern educational process of teaching ecologists in practical classes on assessing the quality of water in water bodies, containing mathematical calculations. The use of modern information computer technologies in education will effectively contribute to the acquisition of a range of knowledge and skills on methods for water quality assessing in the field of water use and protection of water resources. The ability to use ICT will provide the ecologists with the ability to respond quickly to changes in the environment and make effective decisions in environmental management in future production activities.
The use of GIS in renewable energy specialist’s learning
Authors: Zinovieva I S , Iatsyshyn Anna V , Artemchuk V O , Stanytsina V V , Sheludchenko L S , Popov O O , Kovach V O , Iatsyshyn Andrii V
Published: October 2023

In recent years, the global trend has been to gradually shift from traditional energy sources to renewable ones, with the aim of improving the environment and preventing climate change. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are technologies that enhance the efficiency of these renewable energy resources (RER). Modern GIS provides a wide range of functionalities for the entire decision-making process. For instance, in solar power generation, GIS can address challenges such as remote monitoring of sites designated for solar power plants and evaluating their suitability. It also enables effective management of information on station operations, real-time electricity production and distribution, and planning and management of energy production resources. As GIS continues to evolve, scientists and energy professionals are discovering more applications in the RER field. However, it’s crucial to focus on training highly skilled specialists in RER to ensure GIS becomes a truly effective management tool in their professional activities. Research indicates that most student training programs in RER worldwide do not sufficiently cover GIS studies, particularly open-source software. To address this gap, the authors have developed a targeted plan for incorporating GIS into RER specialist training. The goal of this course is to familiarize future engineers with the theoretical, methodological, and technological foundations of GIS creation and operation. It also aims to help students understand the general principles of operation and acquire practical skills in using GIS to solve applied problems. The authors emphasize the importance of laboratory work, particularly using SagaGIS, to develop skills in working with raster and vector images, geospatial data analysis and decision-making, working with cartographic models and remote sensing data, and applying geoinformation methods to create structural, parametric, and thematic digital maps. The authors suggest using open GIS in training to facilitate a quality understanding for future RER specialists on the processes of creating, operating, and using GIS for real-world applications.
Artificial intelligence in a modernizing science and technology education: a textual narrative synthesis in the COVID-19 era
Authors: Pacala F A A
Published: October 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the mode of learning to online. This gave the artificial intelligence (AI) developers the reason to increase its usage and production to every detail of the teaching learning process. This synthesis paper was intended to capture these new technologies in the last five years. Using the textual narrative analysis approach and course design triangle model, this paper looked into the AI integration in the field of science and technology education. A total of 15 studies were analyzed and synthesized coming from different journal hosting platforms such as Google Scholar, ERIC, Elsevier, etc. The results have shown that there is indeed a wider utilization of AI in various aspects of the teaching and learning process. These were seen in the learning activities, presentation translators, marking, feedbacking, predicting average score, and intelligent tutoring system. These AI technologies have proven to positively affect the learning of the students and helped the teachers along the process. Furthermore, there is a need to totally synthesize these AI systems which can be beneficial to a wider technical audience.
Dynamic scheduling of hydrogen-containing integrated energy systems considering multi-energy transactions
Authors: Wang Yiqing , Wu Chong , Gao Hailong
Published: October 2023

With the continuous development of hydrogen energy production and storage technology, hydrogen energy has gradually become one of the clean energy sources with acceptable cost. The hydrogen decarbonization process of natural gas pipeline transportation and its end energy units such as fuel cells is gradually accelerated. For this reason, considering a variety of energy markets, this paper establishes the operation scheduling model of the integrated energy system (IES) of combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) supply with the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) as the core which is compared with the traditional gas turbine cogeneration system in the economy and carbon emission reduction and introduces the model predictive control (MPC) algorithm to solve the rolling optimal scheduling scheme. The scheduling results show that the addition of hydrogen conversion units can effectively solve the phenomenon of light abandonment. Under the current energy price, when the proportion of photovoltaic (PV) installed capacity is greater than 0.33, the energy storage potential of hydrogen conversion units can be fully utilized and the economic benefits of SOFC co-production are better than gas turbines. After taking into account the high carbon emission factor of the power grid, there is no big difference in the carbon emission costs of the two cogeneration methods. When the carbon emission factor of the power grid is lower than 0.3 and the hydrogen production efficiency is higher than 75%, the carbon emission reduction benefits of SOFC have obvious advantages.
Effect of intrinsic layer structure parameters on PIN homogeneous junction InGaN solar cells
Authors: Yang Linfeng , Cao Wei
Published: October 2023

This article examines the importance of indium gallium nitride (InGaN) homo junction solar cells in advancing high-efficiency or multi-junction solar batteries. The influence of indium composition and intrinsic layer with different thicknesses and carrier densities of PIN homo junction InGaN solar battery and its internal mechanism was studied. According to the research results, as the thickness gradually expands, the conversion efficiency of the battery increases first, and there is almost no change after the thickness reaches 0.3 μm; as the electron doping concentration of the intrinsic layer enhances, the conversion efficiency of the battery first rises to a certain extent and then begins to decline. Under the appropriate indium composition, the efficiency of the solar cell can be significantly increased to 24.6% by selecting the appropriate intrinsic layer thickness and doping concentration.
Optimal Power Source Configuration of Independent Microgrid Based on Natural Resource Evaluation
Authors: Zhu Zhifang , Lin Zihan , Dong Hong , Gao Yanna , Hu Liujun , Zeng Fanhong
Published: October 2023

Power source configuration is an important stage of independent microgrid planning, which guarantees the economic and reliable operation of the microgrid system. The type and capacity of power source for the independent microgrid are affected by the factors such as load level, geographical location, wind, solar, water, and other natural resources. This paper analyzed the characteristics of natural resources in different regions. The index evaluation system of wind, solar, and hydropower resource was constructed, and the fuzzy evaluation method was proposed to evaluate the wind-solar-hydropower resource. Considering the power supply reliability and environmental friendliness, the optimization model of the microgrid power source was established with the objective of minimum comprehensive generation cost and the power and energy balance as constraints. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) were applied to simulate the uncertainty of wind, solar, and hydropower output and generate multiple operation scenarios of independent microgrids. The improved method for the K-Medoids clustering algorithm was studied to reduce the number of operational scenarios and enhance computational efficiency. Finally, an example was presented to illustrate the analysis processes and verify the feasibility and rationality of the proposed method. The wind-solar-hydropower resource levels of 30 provinces in China were obtained, and five representative regions were selected. The power source configuration scheme of an independent microgrid in these regions was proposed, which provided a reference for independent microgrid planning.
Design of a High Speed Electro-optic Q-switch Circuit for Aerospace Applications
Authors: Zhang Chao , Shi Zhicheng , Liu Xuefeng , Chen Huanhong , Zhang Ai
Published: October 2023

In order to meet the requirements of high amplitude and high speed of electro-optic Q-switch voltage, a high speed electro-optic Q-switch circuit for aerospace applications is designed. According to the principle of Marx generator, the circuit uses a high speed driving chip to drive the switching transistor to conduct. The charge of the primary energy storage capacitor of the pulse transformer is quickly released, and the secondary induced voltage drives the switches of the Marx generator to open quickly and synchronously. By utilizing the fast and synchronous opening of MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor), cascaded discharge is carried out on the energy storage capacitors of the 8th order Marx generator circuit, thereby outputting high voltage pulse signal. The experimental results show that the Marx generator has maximum boost output range of 4000V and high voltage pulse rise time of less than 30ns. Compared to traditional pulse transformer control methods, the Q-switch voltage rise time is reduced by nearly 40ns. The internal components of circuit meet the requirements of multiple indicators such as anti-irradiation space environment, and have the characteristic of short output high voltage rise time, which can provide high speed and high voltage driving pulses for the electro-optic Q-switch crystal inside the laser cavity.
Vehicle-based LIDAR for Lane Line Detection
Authors: Wang Hangyan , Liu Qinghua , Liu Zhenfei
Published: October 2023

A lane line detection method based on adaptive thresholding of raster map is proposed for assisting driving by fitting lane lines in the process of automatic driving in ports. Firstly, the original laser point cloud is divided into regions of interest to retain the point clouds containing lane lines as well as to remove irrelevant point clouds. Secondly, the raster map is divided based on the intensity of the point cloud, and the ground points are filtered as well as the point cloud of the lane line part is retained. Then the lane lines are segmented by adaptive thresholding for the retained grid, and finally RANSAC is used to fit the lane lines. The experiments prove that the method can extract the lane line features well.
Improved Rotational Vector Summation Algorithm for Fade Suppression in Distributed Acoustic Sensing
Authors: Liu Xu , Tang Wei , Xie Lang , Wang Yingshu , Shi Ji , Liu Kang
Published: October 2023

Signal fading severely affects the performance of optical fiber distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems based on coherent optical time domain reflectometry (COTDR), especially in terms of differentiated responses between channels. To eliminate fading, a polarization diversity COTDR system is established, which generates two pulse feedbacks with different fading components for P and S polarization. The rayleigh backscattered (RBS) signals from the two separate probing pulses exhibit different fading positions under the influence of external interference but have the same phase change rate. Through an improved rotational vector summation (IRVS) algorithm, the complex RBS signals of the two polarization states are effectively synthesized, simultaneously suppressing fading phenomena caused by orthogonal polarization. Experimental results demonstrate that the demodulated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can reach 65 dB@200 Hz. Moreover, by using 20% of the mean amplitude as a threshold, the probability of fade events decreases from 4.9% to 0.12%. The proposed fade mitigation distributed sensing system exhibits excellent performance and plays a crucial role in practical DAS systems.
Dynamic Modeling of Nox Emission from Power Plants Considering Input Variable Time-Delay and Feature Extraction
Authors: Ma Ning , Zhang Wei , Chen Xiaofeng , You Mo , Yang Zhenyong , Liu Lei , Kang Jingqiu
Published: October 2023

Aiming at the problem that it is difficult to effectively predict the concentration of nitrogen oxide emissions from boilers under the changing load conditions of power plants, this paper proposes a dynamic modeling method of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power plants, which considers the delay-feature extraction of input variables. This method combines principal component analysis and Gaussian regression modeling, and uses principal component analysis to extract the feature information extracted from the input variable data, and the current value and historical sequence value of extracted information are used as the input of Gaussian regression model. In addition, the historical time series value of boiler NOx concentration is added to the input of the model as feedback data. Taking the combustion system of a 1,000MW ultra-supercritical unit boiler as an object, and combining with the actual operation data on site, a dynamic model of boiler NOx emission is established. The experimental results show that the built boiler NOx emission dynamic model has high prediction accuracy and strong generalization performance, which has a certain reference value for boiler NOx emission modeling and intelligent control research.
Why adiabatic quantum annealing is unlikely to yield speed-up
Authors: Villanueva Aarón , Najafi Peyman , Kappen Hilbert J
Published: October 2023

We study quantum annealing for combinatorial optimization with Hamiltonian

H
=

H
0

+
z

H
f

where Hf
is diagonal,

H
0

=
−
|
ϕ
⟩
⟨
ϕ
|

is the equal superposition state projector and z the annealing parameter. We analytically compute the minimal spectral gap, which is

O

1

/

N

with N the total number of states, and its location

z
∗

. We show that quantum speed-up requires an annealing schedule which demands a precise knowledge of

z
∗

, which can be computed only if the density of states of the optimization problem is known. However, in general the density of states is intractable to compute, making quadratic speed-up unfeasible for any practical combinatorial optimization problems. We conjecture that it is likely that this negative result also applies for any other instance independent transverse Hamiltonians such as

H
0

=
−

∑

i
=
1

n

σ
i
x

.
Influence of cumulative damage on synchronization of Kuramoto oscillators on networks
Authors: Eraso-Hernandez L K , Riascos A P
Published: October 2023

In this paper, we study the synchronization of identical Kuramoto phase oscillators under cumulative stochastic damage to the edges of networks. We analyze the capacity of coupled oscillators to reach a coherent state from initial random phases. The process of synchronization is a global function performed by a system that gradually changes when the damage weakens individual connections of the network. We explore diverse structures characterized by different topologies. Among these are deterministic networks as a wheel or the lattice formed by the movements of the knight on a chess board, and random networks generated with the Erdős–Rényi and Barabási–Albert algorithms. In addition, we study the synchronization times of 109 non-isomorphic graphs with six nodes. The synchronization times and other introduced quantities are sensitive to the impact of damage, allowing us to measure the reduction of the capacity of synchronization and classify the effect of damage in the systems under study. This approach is general and paves the way for the exploration of the effect of damage accumulation in diverse dynamical processes in complex systems.
Entanglement dynamics via periodic modulations in an optomechanical system with embedded double quantum dots
Authors: Kumar Singh Madhav , Bhatt Vijay , K Jha Pradip , B Bhattacherjee Aranya
Published: October 2023

In our theoretical study, we explore the dynamic behavior and entanglement properties of a hybrid optomechanical system containing double quantum dots (QDs). The system is driven by a laser with amplitude modulation and we consider the modulation of the resonance frequency of the two QDs. Through the application of modulation techniques, we can achieve the targeted mean field value and effectively control the entanglement between various degrees of freedom. This innovative approach shows great potential for the development of efficient quantum memories suitable for continuous variable quantum information processing.
Controllable growth of wafer-scale two-dimensional WS2 with outstanding optoelectronic properties
Authors: Zhang Shiwei , Hao Yulong , Gao Fenglin , Wu Xiongqing , Hao Shijie , Qiu Mengchun , Zheng Xiaoming , Wei Yuehua , Hao Guolin
Published: October 2023

As one of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have sparked enormous potential in next-generation electronics due to their unique and excellent physical, electronic and optical properties. Controllable growth of wafer-scale 2D TMDs is essential to realize the various high-end applications of TMDs, while it remains challenging. Herein, 2 inch 2D WS2 films were successfully synthesized by ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition based on substrate engineering and space-confined strategies. WS2 nucleation density can be effectively modulated depending on the annealing conditions of sapphire substrate. The thickness of WS2 films can be controllably fabricated by adjusting the space-confined height. Moreover, our strategies are demonstrated to be universal for the growth of other 2D TMD semiconductors. WS2-based photodetectors with different thicknesses were systematically investigated. Monolayer WS2 photodetector displays large responsivity of 0.355 A W−1 and high specific detectivity of 1.48 × 1011 Jones. Multilayer WS2 device exhibits negative self-powered photoresponse. Our work provides a new route for the synthesis of wafer-scale 2D TMD materials, paving the way for high performance integrated optoelectronic devices.
Revolutionizing energy storage: the emergence of MOF/MXene composites as promising supercapacitors
Authors: Khosroshahi Negin , Bakhtian Mahnaz , Asadi Ali , Safarifard Vahid
Published: October 2023

As the world becomes increasingly concerned with environmental preservation and the effects of fossil fuel consumption, it is essential to find new and innovative ways of providing energy. Supercapacitors are among the most promising devices for energy storage. Finding materials that can enhance their efficiency is still a major challenge. Research is currently underway to fabricate composite materials with specific properties that can improve the performance of supercapacitors. One class of materials that has shown great promise is MXenes, which are two-dimensional layers of carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides of transition metals. These materials possess unique features such as high electrical conductivity, flexibility, and hydrophilic surfaces, which make them suitable for a range of electrochemical applications. Adding MXenes to metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) or MOF derivatives has been shown to enhance the output yield of supercapacitors. MOFs are widely used in various energy systems because of their adjustable porosity and high surface area. The addition of MXenes can prevent the stacking of MXene sheets on top of each other, leading to improved results due to the synergistic effect. In particular, MOF/MXene composites have shown significant promise for use in supercapacitor applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in MOF/MXene composites, including their synthesis, properties, and potential applications. We also highlight the challenges and opportunities for future research in this field.
Increasing precipitation variability and climate-growth responses of five tree species in North Carolina, USA
Authors: Catherwood Avery A , Knapp Paul A
Published: October 2023

We examined the effects of increasing summertime precipitation variability from 1950 to 2022 on the radial-growth responses of five tree species native to central North Carolina, USA. Tree-ring data were collected from chestnut oak, post oak, longleaf pine, shortleaf pine, and Virginia pine and processed following standard dendrochronology procedures. Adjusted latewood chronologies for each species were created and correlated with either monthly or multi-monthly combinations of summertime precipitation for above average (AA, > 1 σ above mean), below average (BA, <−1 σ below mean), and near average (NA, <−1, and 1 > σ) precipitation years. June–September precipitation variability and other summertime monthly combinations significantly increased during the study period, with a 10.2% increase in AA/BA years during the 21st century. Climate-growth correlations ranged from 0.40–0.51 using all years within the study period. However, using AA and BA years exclusively, climate-growth responses ranged from 0.44–0.71, with post oak and longleaf pine experiencing significantly higher correlations. No significant changes in climate-growth responses occurred for chestnut oak, shortleaf pine, and Virginia pine. These findings suggest the effects of increased precipitation variability on climate-growth responses are species-dependent and affected by the precipitation classification (i.e. AA or BA years). These responses help explain temporal variations in the strength of climate-growth responses, particularly for some species, and offer additional considerations for dendroclimatological research.
Contractualism
Authors: Kumar Rahul
Published: October 2023

A contractualist moral theory is an account of the foundations of a central aspect of commonsense morality, one concerned with how it is wrong for individuals to treat each other. A theory counts as contractualist if it takes as fundamental to accounting for an act’s wrongness the justifiability to others of so acting . This core contractualist commitment has been developed in different ways. The most detailed articulation of view is that advanced by T. M. Scanlon in What We Owe To Each Other. This article focuses on Scanlon’s contractualism. It aims to make explicit the structure of the contractualist reasoning and certain challenges to its plausibility in light of certain intuitive convictions. I
Deterrence and Sanction Certainty Perceptions
Authors: Barnum Timothy C. , Nagin Daniel
Published: October 2023

Deterrence research has evolved in two distinct, nonoverlapping literatures. One literature is evaluative in nature and examines issues such as: How do police numbers and patrol tactics affect crime rates? Do higher rates of imprisonment reduce crime? Does the experience of incarceration decrease or increase recidivism? This literature generally finds that police numbers and proactive policing tactics such as hot spot policing are effective in preventing crime but that increases in already lengthy prison sentences have modest deterrent or incapacitation effects at best. Concerning the effect of the experience of incarceration on reoffending, most studies find either no effect or a criminogenic effect. The perceptual deterrence literature focuses on the underlying perceptual mechanism by which sanction threats may affect behavior, an issue that the evaluative literature largely leaves in the background. The findings of this literature are mixed. Some studies conclude that sanction risk perceptions are uncorrelated with legislated sanctions. Others, however, find that sanction risk perceptions are grounded in reality, especially among active offenders. This literature also finds that perceptions of risk of apprehension are highly dependent on situational factors such as lighting or police patrol activity that in reality materially influence apprehension probability.
The Harms and Crimes Against Marine Wildlife
Authors: Hutchinson Alison
Published: October 2023

The concept of crime within traditional criminological scholarship has tended to center on human or state victims. This anthropocentric focus facilitates speciesism within criminal law, where the recognition of, and responses to, environmental and wildlife victims are diminished. In contrast, and building on the foundations of critical criminology, green criminology is less confined by the strict definitions of crime found in orthodox criminology. The emergence of nonspeciesist perspectives within green criminology offers a means to expand the concept of crime and justice to recognize the numerous harms committed toward wildlife and environmental victims. It is well documented that marine species are under numerous and increasing pressures—from climate change, acidification of oceans, and the intensification of extractive ocean industries. Species who are also regarded as food resources face additional pressures from human exploitation as markets expand and demand grows. Very few of these pressures are actively criminalized. While fishing, mining, and polluting activities, and the disturbance and trade of protected species may be prohibited in certain situations, many detrimental practices toward marine species remain normative, condoned, and encouraged (e.g., fishing, shipping, and mining activities that involve the killing, displacement, or disruption of marine species). Transformative expansion of definitions of crime is urgently needed, to recognize the legal yet harmful behaviors that continue to victimize, exploit, kill, and potentially drive marine species to extinction.
Indus Valley: Early Commercial Connections with Central and Western Asia
Authors: Frenez Dennys
Published: October 2023

The study of the commercial and cultural connections between the Greater Indus Valley and other regions of
Central and Western Asia occupies a pivotal role in scholarly research on the Indus Tradition. Interregional trade was already established in the Indus River basin during the Neolithic period in the 6th millennium BCE. However, from the early 3rd millennium bce, the Indus (Harappan) merchants and craftspeople contributed to defining, promoting, and regulating long-distance, cross-cultural trade exchanges throughout this region. Indus-type and Indus-related artifacts have been found over a large and differentiated ecumene, encompassing Central Asia, the Iranian Plateau, Mesopotamia and the northern Levant, the Persian Gulf, and the Oman Peninsula. The discovery of Indus trade tools (seals, weights, and containers) in all of Middle Asia, complemented by information from Mesopotamian cuneiform texts, shows that entrepreneurs from the Indus Valley regularly ventured into these regions to transact with the local socioeconomic and political entities. However, Indus artifacts were also exchanged beyond this core region, eventually reaching as far as the Nile Valley, Anatolia, and the Caucasus. In contrast, only a handful of exotic trade tools and commodities have been found at sites in the Greater Indus Valley. The success of Indus trade in Central and Western Asia did not depend solely on the dynamic entrepreneurialism of Indus merchants and the exotic commodities they offered. Specific products were proactively designed and manufactured in the Indus Valley to fulfill the particular needs of foreign markets, and Indus craftspeople moved beyond their native cultural sphere, adapting their distinctive productions to the tastes of foreign elites or reworking indigenous models. The adoption of specific seals and iconographies to regulate external trade activities suggests a conscious attempt to implement a coordinated supraregional marketing strategy adopting shared rules and procedures, with observable globalizing impacts in various contexts of Central and Western Asia.
Developing Afghanistan since 1950
Authors: Rakove Robert
Published: October 2023

While the story of Afghan development long antedates the Cold War era, the US-Soviet struggle accelerated it and accorded it global significance. Washington, and Moscow, among other actors, financed an array of ambitious modernization projects throughout Afghanistan. Afghan elites, especially Prime Minister (later, President) Mohammed Daoud Khan, consciously stoked the competition. Americans commenced a sizable irrigation and hydroelectric project in the Helmand Valley and subsequently committed to modernize Afghan aviation. The Soviets constructed myriad projects, ranging from the high-altitude Salang Pass tunnel to the Kabul Airport. After years of isolation, Afghanistan enjoyed a surfeit of attention from its industrialized patrons.

Yet development programs often proved to be ill conceived, even counterproductive. The Helmand Valley project had ecologically disastrous consequences, while Kabul’s efforts to finance costly projects sparked unrest, even the occasional revolt. Frustration at unfulfilled promises led to increased upheaval within the capital, culminating in the overthrow of two governments in the 1970s. Yet the accelerated efforts of Afghan Marxists, reluctantly backed by the Soviet Union, brought calamity: a national revolt that led to decades of conflict within Afghanistan.
Police and Policing
Authors: Clarke Paul T. , Hornberger Julia
Published: October 2023

Policing, perhaps more than any modern institution, has become the subject of intense political contestation. Police killings have sparked clashes in the public sphere and in the streets over the role of policing in society in diverse places such as the United States, Eswatini, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, and Iran. At the same time, policing from the vantage point of policymakers is often taken as a straightforward way of reordering society, of putting law into practice. What, then, could be gained by studying the police anthropologically—by following them in their everyday work, listening to them in their own words, and seeking to understand them in the context of their own environment? The anthropology of police and policing understands its object of study neither as just reflection of society nor pure execution of policy but as a potent force of imagination and action in itself. On the one hand, policing throws into stark relief the wishful thinking of what orderly society would like to be. This dynamic can take the form of people projecting their desires onto the police or the police performatively enacting these expectations and their own visions of power and authority and who they would like to be. On the other hand, policing manifests itself as a means of exclusion, inequality, and violent differentiation. It operates as a key force within societies at odds with the flourishing, and even survival, of many of those who live within it.

The anthropology of policing’s unique perspective originates from the subfield’s diverse geographical and institutional scope, encompassing state and nonstate policing practices in places across the globe. It is also a product of the broader discipline’s approach to quotidian practices as always already embedded in multiple layers of context and inflected by broader social institutions. Within this vein, anthropologists have mobilized ethnographic studies to explore how states are given force and effect through mundane bureaucratic practices and how more foundational notions such as sovereignty, legitimacy, and authority are enacted through policing. Other scholars have shown how policing’s seeming ability to materialize these more transcendental aspects of statehood has lent policing to be embraced and animated by religious practice and justification. Crucial within this scholarship is an emphasis on policing as a provisional and emergent form of authority, which is ultimately dependent on spectacular and quotidian forms of performance. As a consequence, policing has become a rich site for the anthropology of policing to explore how contemporary citizenship is taking shape, how structures of exclusion within it are emerging, and how these exclusions are contested at multiple scales. As these contests have taken greater prominence, the subfield itself has been home to debates not simply over how best to do an anthropology of the police but also whether, in this tense political moment, it is worth studying the police ethnographically at all.
Platform Capitalism
Authors: Casas-Cortés Maribel , Cañedo-Rodríguez Montserrat , Diz Carlos
Published: October 2023

Platforms have become a central concern in scholarly production due to their sudden scope and rising popularity in mainstream discourse, which either hyper-celebrate their possible achievements, or over-dramatize underlying consequences. Together with related terms—such as sharing economy, digital ecosystems, algorithmic decision-making—the so-called platform revolution has been portrayed as a profound transformation upon previous modes of economic exchange and models of business organization. Platform scholarship is sharply divided among utopian and dystopian prospects, contributing to a multiplication of terminology and opposing narratives around the emergence and development of platforms. While some fields and disciplines emphasize its multiple potential benefits, others explore its continuities with previous negative trends. Both, defenders and critical scholars of platforms, agree upon the intermediary role of connecting economic agents through technological innovations as the defining feature of platforms.

Those working in the field of anthropology—and its sister disciplines such associology, human geography, cultural and media studies, as well as legal scholars—have been steadily contributing to complicate, if not undo, an overly optimist or pessimist portrait of the platform economy. Thanks to case-based studies and empirical appraisals of its inner workings, these disciplines are developing more complex and rather critical accounts of its human and environmental entanglements. The very study of platforms, as with other research objects such as mobility, technology, and racism, among others, request a certain fluidity between disciplinary boundaries, giving rise to transdisciplinary fields and approaches. In the case of the emerging field of platform studies, the discipline of anthropology has a lot to offer. Indeed, anthropology’s attention to materiality, everyday practices, and agency are already informing the literature on platforms. Methodologically, ethnography is becoming one of the main approaches to engage the complexities of platforms. For an anthropology of platforms to fully unfold, three areas of research can be identified as worth exploring: (a) tracing the genealogies and logistics of platform infrastructures; (b) further understanding the limits of this economic model by building and expanding upon established concrete and critical engagements; and (c) accounting for the conjunctural contingency of platforms by paying due attention to expressions of resistance and instances of reappropriating platforms.
Smuggling and Illicit Trade in British America
Authors: Rutledge Andrew
Published: October 2023

Illicit trade was an endemic feature of life in 17th- and 18th-century British America, shaping economies and societies from the Caribbean to Newfoundland. Owing to the illegal nature of smuggling in British America, its scale is impossible to estimate, but surviving records from traders and imperial officials testify to the determination of merchants to exchange goods and enslaved peoples across imperial borders and their success in doing so. The same was true for British Americans’ trading partners in the French, Spanish, and Dutch empires. Contraband trade was carried out in a variety of ways, ranging from open commerce in colonial ports to clandestine landings of cargoes on barren shorelines. The lives of both free and enslaved colonists were affected by it, either directly as sailors or laborers on smuggling voyages or indirectly as consumers of illegally imported goods such as tea, molasses, rum, or cloth.

Most interimperial trade was labeled illegal under a series of laws known as the Navigation Acts passed between 1661 and 1696 that sought to exclude foreigners from the trade of the British Empire and ensure its products flowed to the mother country. But hampered by insufficient resources and intransigent colonial attitudes, customs agents could do little to curtail smuggling. Yet despite the arguments of some historians seeking to tie illicit trade to the coming of the American Revolution, smugglers engaged in it, seeking profits, not political or economic independence. In British North America, merchants smuggled to French and Dutch territories because the returns outweighed the risks, and because smuggling offered a means of earning the funds needed to repay their creditors in the British Isles. While in the Caribbean, island merchants enjoyed imperial support for their trade with Spanish America even as they condemned the illicit commerce of their northern cousins.
Prisoners of War in the American Revolution
Authors: Long Susan Brynne
Published: October 2023

When battles end, the challenges continue for both prisoners and their captors. During the American Revolution, British and American forces took thousands of enemies captive. Officers and rank-and-file soldiers experienced captivity differently. While officers could expect parole allowances, private accommodations, and even social opportunities, enlisted men often lived in crowded barracks and jails, experienced food shortages, and ran a higher risk of dying in captivity from diseases and neglect. Both the British and the Americans balanced diplomatic imperatives against moralistic considerations in their approaches to prisoner management. The many responsibilities associated with caring for prisoners led the Continental Congress to create an office of Commissary General of Prisoners. For the British, prisoner management was an exercise in long-distance military support operations. At the end of the war, historians enshrined the horrific experiences of American prisoners in historical memory, but British prisoners also suffered while in captivity.
Muhammad, Elijah and Sr. Clara Muhammad
Authors: Ross Rosetta E.
Published: October 2023

Elijah and Clara Muhammad’s work advancing the Nation of Islam (also “the NOI” and “the Nation”) was the most significant in a series of developments of Islam among African Americans. The earliest Muslims in the United States were enslaved Africans who brought Islam as an indigenized practice during the colonial era. Some left legacies written in Arabic. A later development was Noble Drew Ali’s Moorish Science Temple of America (MSTA) that emerged around 1913 in New Jersey after Timothy Drew (aka Thomas Drew) encountered Islam through travel to North Africa and the Mediterranean region. By the time of the NOI’s origin, Islam was not only a heritage of African religious practices brought to the hemisphere of the Americas. It also was partially linked to the MSTA and, like the MSTA, reflected the black religious consciousness that objected to enslavement and its Jim Crow legacies of subjugation, exclusion, and violence. In 1930, during the Great Depression, silk merchant W. D Fard introduced Islam to Black Detroiters. Some of the most materially challenged African Americans in Detroit embraced the NOI as as a response to their desperate circumstances and as their conscious objections to what they were experiencing. Fard’s teaching met readiness for a message, deity, and religious tradition that responded directly to the social and cultural challenges black persons faced. Elijah Muhammad is routinely described as the leader of the NOI who took up and propagated the teachings of W. D. Fard to build the NOI into a national organization. However, Clara Muhammad, Elijah’s wife since 1919, was de facto cofounder and co-leader. Her contributions were essential during the two foundational decades of the Nation’s formation. Together Elijah and Clara built the NOI into a movement with a membership that numbered over one hundred thousand persons and assets in excess of US$50 million. Under their leadership, the NOI helped overcome the perceived total hegemony of Christianity as the only legitimate expression of religiosity, not only for African Americans but also for other peoples of the United States. Through the Nation, they offered African Americans an opportunity to take up a separatist disposition. Moreover, preceding the heyday of the civil rights and Black Power movements, the Muhammads emphasized affirmation of black identity that precipitated expressions of black pride during the civil rights and black power movements and that persist as generative ideas that deepen and become more complex in successive iterations of African American discourses about black identity.
Recuperative Archives, Critical Resistance, and the History of the Senses in the Atlantic World
Authors: Kettler Andrew
Published: October 2023

Atlantic history is frequently aided within the project of recuperating subaltern voices within the archives through the methods of sensory studies. The history of the senses allows for a reading of embodiment at both individual and group levels of analysis, which helps historians of the Atlantic World find pathways toward the recuperation of the oppressed in a newly critical archive while also avoiding the trap of an overtly romantic historical analysis of resistance through the methods of structuralism. The history of the senses finds a political voice with a prominent desire to remake the archive through understanding human experience in all its negative and positive formulations, as in numerous studies of indigeneity, religious practice, royal performance, enslavement, and labor for the Atlantic World. Postcolonial and postmodern readings of race, class, and gender inform these discussions of sensory history through attention to social construction, performance, and diverse readings of fiction as vital to any recuperative archive. These sensory aspects of the archive within the Atlantic World offer new paradigms for thinking about activist history in the face of advanced forms of percepticide during these accelerating stages of late capitalism.
The Farrapos War (Rio Grande do Sul, 1835–1845)
Authors: Aladrén Gabriel
Published: October 2023

The Farrapos War was the longest provincial revolt faced by the Brazilian Empire. It originated with a dispute between two factions of regional elites vying for sources of power and wealth in a context marked by economic stagnation, institutional changes wrought by the Regency governments, and the geopolitical reconfiguration of the Rio de la Plata region. The rebels, known as farroupilhas or farrapos, overthrew the government of Rio Grande do Sul and established an independent republic.

The main farrapo leaders were military officers and estancieiros, the owners of large estates, enslaved people, and cattle in the region that bordered Uruguay and Argentina. Their goal was to achieve autonomy in order to distribute political offices, control the borders, and change the fiscal and commercial policy of the empire. Their opponents, known as legalists, were drawn mostly from sectors related to maritime trade, the production of charque (dried and salted beef), and the urban military and administrative bureaucracy. The soldiers of both sides were recruited among the lower classes. They were cowboys and peasants. The farrapos also organized a sizable army of enslaved people who had been confiscated from their opponents and who performed military service in exchange for their freedom.

The Republic of Rio Grande do Sul experienced a sharp decline beginning in 1842. The Battle of Porongos in November 1844 was the last major engagement of the war and resulted in the massacre of Black soldiers from the farroupilha forces. The campaign to bring the province back under government control, led by the Baron of Caxias, was carried out through the granting of amnesties, the payment of debts, and the incorporation of farroupilha officers into the Imperial Army. With the end of the Farrapos War, the Brazilian Empire ensured its internal consolidation and returned to an assertive foreign policy in the Río de la Plata region.
New horizons in Parkinson’s disease in older populations
Authors: Chhetri Jagadish K , Mei Shanshan , Wang Chaodong , Chan Piu
Published: October 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. Ageing is considered to be the greatest risk factor for PD, with a complex interplay between genetics and the environment. With population ageing, the prevalence of PD is expected to escalate worldwide; thus, it is of utmost importance to reduce the burden of PD. To date, there are no therapies to cure the disease, and current treatment strategies focus on the management of symptoms. Older adults often have multiple chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes, which further complicates the management of PD. Healthcare systems and care models necessary to address the broad needs of older PD patients are largely unavailable. In this New Horizon article, we discuss various aspects of PD from an ageing perspective, including disease management. We highlight recent advancements in PD therapies and discuss new care models with the potential to improve patient’s quality of life.