bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resistance and the Cultural Power of Law
Authors: Merry Sally Engle
Published: June 2006

Current research in sociolegal studies focusing on resistance provides one way to continue the progressive politics of studying social transformation through law. In response to earlier concerns that the turn to postmodernism and the focus on individual acts of resistance has deflected scholarly work from attention to progressive politics, this article advocates broadening the question to examine a range of forms of resistance and their impact on cultural meanings as well as political mobilization. Through the examination of three examples of resistance that take place within and by means of legal institutions, the article endeavors to expand the frame of analysis to include the myriad processes by which the cultural world is made and remade.
Property, Politics, and Conflict: Ambon and Minangkabau Compared
Authors: von Benda-Beckmann Franz , von Benda-Beckmann Keebet
Published: June 2006

This essay focuses on factors internal to the organization of social life in two regions of Indonesia to explain differences in patterns of dispute management that occur despite similarities in forums, substantive property categories, and types of disputes—primarily over inheritance and property rights in land. In Minangkabau, where disputes are usually phrased in terms of inherited property, are concerned with the status of land, and are more likely to expand into major political battles, rice land is intensively farmed and is held by matrilineal clans that are also political units. In Ambon, disputes are usually phrased in terms of self-acquired property, are concerned with the status of trees, and are less political; people combine fishing and gathering with harvesting sago palms, distinguish rights to land from rights to trees, lack stable descent groups, and share the land with recent migrants. Although increasing monetization in Minangkabau is making property relationships more complex, while increasing sedentarization in Ambon is simplifying property relationships, both regions are moving toward a concept of property rights akin to the Western concept of ownership.
Indigenous Land Rights and Legal Pluralism among Philippine Highlanders
Authors: Prill-Brett June
Published: June 2006

Indigenous people in the Philippine Cordillera Region maintain legal pluralism by invoking several legal orders—customary laws, conflicting national laws, international law, and principles of human rights—to assert claims to ancestral lands. Although the U.S. Supreme Court in 1909 held that Philippine lands that had been occupied from time immemorial are presumed never to have been public, the Spanish colonial Regalian doctrine, derived from the explorer Magellan's claim of all lands in the Archipelago for the Spanish crown, remains the theoretical bedrock on which Philippine national land laws rest. Land not covered by official documentation, such as the highland areas occupied by indigenous groups who have not acquired legal titles, is considered part of the public domain. Recently, dam-building projects, logging concessions, and commercial farming in highland areas have spurred renewed efforts by indigenous groups to assert rights to ancestral lands threatened with flooding, deforestation, and dispossession.
Enduring Individual Differences and Rational Choice Theories of Crime
Authors: Nagin Daniel S. , Paternoster Raymond
Published: June 2006

In explaining crime, some criminological theories emphasize time-stable individual differences in propensity to offend while others emphasize more proximate and situational factors. Using scenario data from a sample of college undergraduates we have found evidence to support both positions. A measure of criminal propensity (poor self-control) was found to be significantly related to self-reported decisions to commit three offenses (drunk driving, theft, and sexual assault). Even after considering differences in self-control, there was evidence to suggest that the attractiveness of the crime target, the ease of committing the crime with minimum risk, and perceptions of the costs and benefits of committing the crime were all significantly related to offending decisions. Our results suggest that theories of criminal offending should include notions pertaining to persistent individual differences in criminal propensity and choice-relevant variables.
Litigating within Relationships: Disputes and Disturbance in the Regulatory Process
Authors: Coglianese Cary
Published: June 2006

This article reports data that contrast with an extended tradition of viewing litigation as incompatible with ongoing relationships. Within the regulatory process at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nongovernmental actors having the most sustained relationships with EPA are the ones most likely to engage in litigation against the agency. Litigation within regulatory relationships is not explained by existing theory, which treats litigation largely as a function of relationships. A disturbance theory of disputing, which focuses on how litigation interacts with existing relationships, provides a more robust account of litigation generally and of its compatibility with ongoing regulatory relationships.
The Effects of Participants' Ethnicity and Gender on Monetary Outcomes in Mediated and Adjudicated Civil Cases
Authors: LaFree Gary , Rack Christine
Published: June 2006

Researchers and policymakers have long been concerned about the extent to which such sociocultural factors as ethnicity and gender determine access to organizational rewards and constraints within legal systems. Scholars have also wondered whether less formal processes, such as those found in alternative dispute resolution, are especially susceptible to bias. To test these arguments, we studied the impact of disputants' ethnicity and gender on monetary outcomes in 312 adjudicated and 154 mediated small claims civil cases in Bernalillo County (Albuquerque), New Mexico, in 1990–91. Multivariate analysis including case characteristics showed that much of the effect of disputants' ethnicity and gender on outcomes—especially in courtroom hearings—was accounted for by the kinds of cases in which women and minorities were involved. Controlling for case characteristics eliminated ethnic and gender differences in adjudication, but some ethnic differences remained in mediated case outcomes. Specifically, cases including at least one Anglo mediator resulted in higher monetary outcomes for Anglo claimants, and minority female claimants received lower monetary outcomes in mediated cases in which both mediators were women.
“Motivated by Hatred or Prejudice”: Categorization of Hate-motivated Crimes in Two Police Divisions
Authors: Boyd Elizabeth A. , Berk Richard A. , Hamner Karl M.
Published: June 2006

Recent legislative responses to a perceived increase in hate crimes have resulted in efforts to quantify the rates of occurrence of such crimes. However, there remains little understanding of the processes by which statutory requirements are implemented at the level of front-line personnel like the police. This article examines the situated decisionmaking practices of police detectives in two divisions of a large urban police department charged with collecting official hate crime data. The authors argue that police detectives engage in certain routine practices in order to determine the hate-related status of an incident and that these practices are inflected by the particular institutional arrangements of the divisions and the department in which they operate. They describe in detail the various categorization practices employed in these two divisions and the ways that a seemingly common orientation to the prevalence of hate crimes have differential consequences for the reporting of hate crimes in each division.
Official Graffiti of the Everyday
Authors: Hermer Joe , Hunt Alan
Published: June 2006

This article focuses attention on “official graffiti” or regulatory signs typified by highway signs and the most invasive and emblematic piece of official graffiti, the prohibition circle with its diagonal red slash used in the iconic representation No Smoking. Establishing the range and pervasiveness of official graffiti in everyday life (as prohibitions, warnings, advisories, instructions, etc.), the authors approach these visual manifestations from the standpoint of the sociology of governance and analyze them as important instances of government at a distance. They explore the varieties and forms of such regulation and trace their expansion from public space to quasi-public space and to the private realm. Locating the texts and icons of official graffiti within implied or express discursive frameworks, the authors point to the construction of objects and subjects of regulation and to regulatory agents as “absent experts” and address the key role of the construction of danger and the link to insurance principles in a “risk society.” They also examine resistance through actions of defacement and avoidance that result in the complex order and disorder of surfaces and spaces. Official graffiti manifests a distinctive form of hegemony that is exercised through the small, daily acts of everyday governance.
Sanction Threats and Appeals to Morality: Testing a Rational Choice Model of Corporate Crime
Authors: Paternoster Raymond , Simpson Sally
Published: June 2006

We specify and test a rational choice model of corporate crime. This model includes measures of the perceived costs and benefits of corporate crime (for both the firm and the individual), perceptions of shame, persons' assessment of the opprobrium of the act, and contextual characteristics of the organization. Consistent with this model, we find that intentions to commit four types of corporate crime are affected by sanction threats (formal and informal), moral evaluations, and organizational factors. Net of the various incentives and disincentives for corporate crime, persons' personal moral code was found to be a very important source of inhibition. In fact, when moral inhibitions were high, considerations of the cost and benefit of corporate crime were virtually superfluous. When moral inhibitions were weak, however, persons were deterred by threats of formal and informal sanctions and by organizational context. We contend that theoretical models of corporate crime and public policy efforts must contain both instrumental (threats of punishment) and deontological (appeals to morality) factors.
The Future of Policing
Authors: Bayley David H. , Shearing Clifford D.
Published: June 2006

This essay examines the restructuring of policing currently taking place in developed democratic societies. It argues that restructuring is occurring under private as well as government auspices and will have profound effects on public safety, equity, human rights, and accountability. These effects are discussed, along with the trade-offs they represent for public policy. The driving forces behind restructuring are fear of crime, the inability of government to satisfy society's longing for security, the commodification of security, the rise of mass private property, and cultural individualism. The essay concludes with a prediction about the future of policing and suggests policies that are needed to avoid restructuring's harmful effects.
Cops, Counsel, and Entrepreneurs: Constructing the Role of Inside Counsel in Large Corporations
Authors: Beth Nielsen Laura , Nelson Robert L.
Published: June 2006

Inside counsel to major corporations have accrued more power and status within the legal profession, but continue to struggle for influence and legitimacy within the corporation. In-depth interviews with lawyers and managers in large businesses reveal that inside counsel construct different professional roles for themselves depending on circumstances. We identify three ideal types of such roles: they act as cops (limiting their advice to legal mandates), counsel (combining legal and business advice), or entrepreneurs (giving priority to business objectives rather than legal analysis). The entrepreneurial role and its associated discourse seem to mark a departure from earlier studies of inside counsel. We argue that entrepreneurial tendencies reflect the efforts of corporate counsel to adapt their images and lawyering styles to the prerogatives of contemporary management. Accordingly, inside lawyers limit their gatekeeping functions, emphasize their dedication to managerial objectives, and defer to management's judgments about legal risk. Nonetheless, inside counsel retain their professional identities as lawyers and rarely express an interest in moving into corporate management. Inside counsel are “professionals” who present themselves as enthusiastically committed to corporate objectives.
When Does Feminization Increase Equality? The Case of Lawyers
Authors: Chiu Charlotte , Leicht Kevin T.
Published: June 2006

Our analysis addresses whether the legal profession can be classified as experiencing successful feminization. Drawing on the work of Reskin and Roos (1990) and Wright and Jacobs (1994), we suggest that relatively successful feminization occurs where (1) occupational growth is rapid, (2) graduate and specialized degrees are important, and (3) wages are increasing. We develop an argument for the legal profession as a case of successful feminization with data taken from the U.S. census 1970-1990 and from a cohort of lawyers surveyed in 1984 and 1990 as part of the National Survey of Lawyers' Career Satisfaction (Hirsch 1992). Our results suggest that the legal profession was on the road to achieving successful gender integration and feminization during the 1980s. Overall improvements in the economic standing of female attorneys compared with males is occurring among women at or below the median in the earnings distribution and among elite lawyers at the top of the earnings distribution. There is also evidence of a persistent “glass ceiling” in the earnings distribution for women. Analyses of change in evaluations of legal work settings suggest that changes in earnings that favor women's successful entry into law are occurring in a context of growing dissatisfaction with legal work settings. We discuss the implications of our findings for further analyses of the gender integration of male-dominated occupations.
The Professions Are Dead, Long Live the Professions: Legal Practice in a Postprofessional World
Authors: Kritzer Herbert M.
Published: June 2006

The American legal profession is facing challenges that are sending tremors through its institutional foundations. On the one hand, U.S. lawyers appear to be wielding ever increasing power as reflected in recent victories in litigation with cigarette manufacturers and in the now pending challenges to the firearms industry. At the same time, the profession finds its traditional prerogatives under increasing challenge with the push for multidisciplinary professional practices, direct encroachment by a variety of service providers (accountants, consultants, paralegals, etc.), and mounting political attacks on the profession for its apparent greed (e.g., huge fees from the tobacco litigation) and apparent arrogance (Glaberson 1999). Much as the businesses and governments who bear the bulk of health care expenses forced major restructuring of health care delivery, the large consumers of legal services (which are consuming an ever larger share of legal services; see Heinz, Nelson, & Laumann 1998) are seeking means of limiting and monitoring the costs of those services (ibid.; Kritzer 1994). Lawyers increasingly find themselves working not as independent professionals but as employees of bureaucratically organized law firms, corporations, and government. The dynamics of this change, combined with shifts in where legal effort is directed, have attracted the attention of scholars (Galanter & Palay 1991; Heinz et al. 1997; Heinz, Nelson, Laumann, & Michelson 1998; Seron 1996; Spangler 1986; Van Hoy 1997) in no small part because it has major implications for how we think about the legal profession, in its multiplicity of forms, as a profession.
Racialized Policing: Residents' Perceptions in Three Neighborhoods
Authors: Weitzer Ronald
Published: June 2006

One of the most controversial issues in policing concerns allegations of racial bias. This article examines citizens' perceptions of racialized policing in three neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., that vary by racial composition and class position: a middle-class white community, a middle-class black community, and a lower-class black community. In-depth interviews examined residents' perceptions of differential police treatment of individual blacks and whites in Washington and disparate police practices in black and white neighborhoods. Findings indicate, first, that there is substantial agreement across the communities in the belief that police treat blacks and whites differerently; and secondly, there is racial variation in respondents' explanations for racial disparities. On the question of residents' assessments of police relations with their own community relative to other-race communities, a neighborhood difference is found, with the black middle-class neighborhood standing apart from the other two neighborhoods.
Situating Legal Consciousness: Experiences and Attitudes of Ordinary Citizens about Law and Street Harassment
Authors: Beth Nielsen Laura
Published: June 2006

The legal consciousness of ordinary citizens concerning offensive public speech is a phenomenon whose legal status has been vigorously debated, but which has received little empirical analysis. Drawing on observations in public spaces in three northern California communities and in-depth interviews with 100 subjects recruited from these public locations, I analyze variation across race and gender groups in experiences with offensive public speech and attitudes about how such speech should be dealt with by law. Among these respondents, white women and people of color are far more likely than white men to report being the targets of offensive public speech. However, white women and people of color are not significantly more likely than white men to favor its legal regulation. Respondents generally oppose the legal regulation of offensive public speech, but they employ different discourses to explain why. Subjects' own words suggest four relatively distinct paradigms that emphasize the First Amendment, autonomy, impracticality, and distrust of authority. Members of different racial and gender groups tend to use different discourses. These differences suggest that the legal consciousness of ordinary citizens is not a unitary phenomenon, but must be situated in relation to particular types of laws, particular social hierarchies, and the experiences of different groups with the law.
Employment Discrimination or Sexual Violence? Defining Sexual Harassment in American and French Law
Authors: Saguy Abigail C.
Published: June 2006

In this article I examine how and why the term “sexual harassment” has been defined very differently in American and French law. Drawing on political and legal history, I argue that feminists mobilized in both countries to create sexual harassment law, but encountered dissimilar political, legal, and cultural constraints and resources. Having adapted to these distinct opportunities and constraints, feminists and other social actors produced sexual harassment laws that varied by body of law, definition of harm, scope, and remedy. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for studies of culture, gender and the state, globalization, and public policy.
A Classic at 25: Reflections on Galanter's “Haves” Article and Work It Has Inspired
Authors: Lempert Richard
Published: June 2006

This piece comments on Galanter's article “Why the ‘Haves’ Come Out Ahead” and on articles in this symposium that extend Galanter's thesis or put it to an empirical test. It suggests, first, that none of this work goes very far in explaining why the “haves” do better than the “have nots” in social or even legal life; second, that it has yet to be shown that repeat playing is important to litigation; and third, that despite the passage of 25 years, it is still not clear that in litigation the “haves” come out ahead.
Lesion of the Will: Medical Resolve and Criminal Responsibility in Victorian Insanity Trials
Authors: Eigen Joel Peter
Published: June 2006

Analysis of courtroom testimony heard in London's Central Criminal Court in the 10 years following the McNaughtan acquittal (1843) reveals the effort of medical witnesses to establish a distinctive and essential voice in the Victorian insanity trial. Three trials that illustrate this effort are examined for the manner in which practitioners of mental medicine distinguished their opinion from the layperson's fact and, in the process, engaged pivotal issues for the determination of criminal responsibility. Their testimony and the attorneys' questions that elicited it suggest that whatever reliance the judiciary might have placed on the McNaughtan Rules to confine testimony to the defendant's capacity to “know right from wrong,” medical witnesses devised ways to circumvent and indeed dismiss the relevance of this particular inquiry.
Designated Diffidence: District Court Judges on the Courts of Appeals
Authors: Brudney James J. , Ditslear Corey
Published: June 2006

Since 1980, District Court Judges, designated pursuant to federal statute, have helped decide over 75,000 court of appeals cases—nearly one of every five merits decisions. Although scholars and judges have warned that the presence of these visitors on appellate panels may undermine consistency, legitimacy, or collegiality, little empirical evidence exists related to such concerns. Working with an especially complete data set of labor law opinions, the authors found that district court visitors perform in a much more diffident fashion than their appellate colleagues. They contribute notably fewer majority opinions and dissents. In addition, their participations do not reflect their professional or personal backgrounds to nearly the same degree as their appellate colleagues do when voting on labor law matters. The authors' findings and analyses regarding the behavior of designated district judges should be of interest to appellate courts considering the challenges of caseload management and to scholars studying processes and outcomes in the courts of appeal.
The Need for Sound Judgment in Analyzing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Enforcement Actions
Authors: Ringquist Evan J.
Published: June 2006

I agree completely with most of the issues raised in Mark Atlas's article “Rush to Judgment” in this issue (Atlas 2001). First, environmental justice is an important research topic that is too often addressed by writers with preconceived notions about the presence or absence of discrimination in environmental protection. Second, I agree with Mark's critique of the National Law Journal (NLJ) study, the first to investigate possible racial or class inequities in civil environmental penalties. Third, I agree that researchers need to use appropriate data, controls, and statistical techniques and that there is no evidence that civil penalties for violating environmental regulations are systematically lower in poor and/or minority communities. Finally, I agree that in “Rush to Judgment” Atlas makes a unique and valuable contribution to the environmental justice literature—which is why I recommended that the manuscript be published in Law & Society Review. Nevertheless, I believe that “Rush to Judgment” has substantial weaknesses that detract from its stature as a piece of social science research. Not surprisingly, I disagree with Mark's assessment of the validity of the conclusions from my previous work in this area—conclusions that “Rush to Judgment” reinforces in every respect. More important, however, I believe that Mark's article displays fundamental flaws regarding how we use evidence to draw generalizable conclusions about the world around us, and how one makes use of extant research to carve out a niche for one's own work.
Legal Cynicism and (Subcultural?) Tolerance of Deviance: The Neighborhood Context of Racial Differences
Authors: Sampson Robert J. , Bartusch Dawn Jeglum
Published: June 2006

We advance here a neighborhood-level perspective on racial differences in legal cynicism, dissatisfaction with police, and the tolerance of various forms of deviance. Our basic premise is that structural characteristics of neighborhoods explain variations in normative orientations about law, criminal justice, and deviance that are often confounded with the demographic characteristics of individuals. Using a multilevel approach that permits the decomposition of variance within and between neighborhoods, we tested hypotheses on a recently completed study of 8,782 residents of 343 neighborhoods in Chicago. Contrary to received wisdom, we find that African Americans and Latinos are less tolerant of deviance—including violence—than whites. At the same time, neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage display elevated levels of legal cynicism, dissatisfaction with police, and tolerance of deviance unaccounted for by sociodemographic composition and crime-rate differences. Concentrated disadvantage also helps explain why African Americans are more cynical about law and dissatisfied with the police. Neighborhood context is thus important for resolving the seeming paradox that estrangement from legal norms and agencies of criminal justice, especially by blacks, is compatible with the personal condemnation of deviance.
Immigration, Law, and Marginalization in a Global Economy: Notes from Spain
Authors: Calavita Kitty
Published: June 2006

This case study of immigration law in Spain examines the contradiction between the rhetoric of immigration politics stressing immigrant integration and the reality of immigrant exclusion and marginalization. Drawing from a variety of secondary sources, government documents, and interviews, I show how Spanish policies regularly “irregularize” Third World immigrants. Further, I argue that this legal construction of illegality consigns these immigrants to the margins of the economy where they provide what policymakers appreciatively call “flexibility” to the post-Fordist Spanish economy. Finally, I discuss the ways in which racial “otherness,” exclusion, and economic function are mutually constituted, and the role of law in that process.
From Legal Realism to Law and Society: Reshaping Law for the Last Stages of the Social Activist State
Authors: Garth Bryant , Sterling Joyce
Published: June 2006

This article tells the story of the establishment of the Law and Society Association in the early to mid-1960s. To tell the story, the authors concentrate on the personal stories of the individuals active in that early period and on four university campus sites—the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Denver, Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin—at which much of the impetus was focused. They also examine key institutions that funded and/or encouraged links between law and social science—the Russell Sage Foundation, the Walter E. Meyer Research Institute of Law, and the American Bar Foundation. The article seeks also to investigate more generally the factors that came together to build a field of law and social science—which in turn helped to provide the ideas and build the institutions involved in the Johnson administration's War on Poverty. The field was created in part by a process involving both competition and cooperation between law and social science over the new terrain of social problems of racial discrimination, poverty, and crime. The authors suggest that, over time, the center of gravity of the field moved toward law, leaving the social science disciplines for the most part outside. The development of the field generally was also affected by the strong shift in the relative values of these social sciences—especially sociology—in relation to economics in the 1980s.
Prevalence and Factors Associated With Patient–Clinician Discordance Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Initiating Advanced Therapy
Authors: Curtis Jeffrey R. , McLean Robert R. , Lee I‐Heng , Mackey Rachel H. , Moore Page C. , Haubrich Richard , Greenberg Jeffrey D. , Wu Alicea
Published: March 2024

Objective

To describe and identify associated factors for patient–clinician discordance of disease assessment at biologic or Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) initiation and over 12 months following initiation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from a US RA registry.

Methods

Analyses included CorEvitas RA Registry patients who initiated their first biologic or JAKi on or after February 1, 2015, and had 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up visits. Positive discordance was defined as patient global assessment (visual analog scale [VAS‐100]) minus physician's global assessment (VAS‐100) equal to 30 points or more. Persistent discordance was defined as positive discordance at all three visits. Mixed‐effects logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for positive discordance at initiation and for persistent discordance.

Results

Among 2227 first‐time biologic/JAKi‐initiating patients, 613 had both follow‐up visits available and were included in initiation visit analyses, and of these, 163 had positive discordance at initiation and were included in persistent discordance analyses. About 30% of all patients had positive discordance at any visit, and one third of these (10% total) were persistent at all three visits. Multivariable analyses revealed that worse scores on the Clinical Disease Activity Index, greater patient‐reported pain and fatigue, and greater functional impairment were associated with positive discordance at the time of therapy initiation. Being disabled versus working full‐time and being female were associated with higher odds and having Medicare versus no insurance was associated with lower odds of having persistent positive discordance.

Conclusion

Results suggest positive discordance is common among real‐world patients with RA initiating their first biologic or JAKi. The identified risk factors associated with patient–clinician discordance will help clinicians foster a more patient‐centric discussion in treatment decisions.
DDoS attack detection in cloud using ensemble model tuned with optimal hyperparameter
Authors: Reddy K. Balachandra , Meera S.
Published: March 2024

DDoS attacks are a type of cloud incursion that lessen service degradation. DDoS attacks target the cloud network with invalid requests, rejecting legitimate requests. Such attacks disrupt the entire cloud architecture, thus it needs efficient detection methods to spot their presence. This study proposes a novel ensemble classification model for DDoS incursion detection. Pre‐processing, feature extraction, and attack detection are the three main components of the suggested intrusion detection system. Improved data imbalance processing is processed during pre‐processing. Features including HOS‐based features enhanced entropy‐based features, correlation features, and raw features are extracted from the pre‐processed data. The generated features are trained using an ensemble model, which integrates classifiers like SVM, RF, NN, LSTM, and DRN, during the attack detection phase. A new hybrid approach known as TUDMA optimally trains the model by setting the ideal weight because DRN provides the final detected outcome. By reducing errors, this ideal training will guarantee an improvement in detection results. The suggested hybrid optimization combines the two techniques, TDO and DMO. The accuracy of the methods FS‐WOA‐DNN, RBF‐PSO, SMA, BRO, SLO, and NMRA was 86.73%, 85.69%, 84.58%, 87.43%, 88.91%, and 89.78%, respectively, while the accuracy of the TUDMA was 95.34% in the 80th learning percentage. Finally, for many measurements, the suggested efficiency is superior to the traditional methods.
Thermal Sintering Matchability between Low‐Temperature Cofired Ceramic Substrate and Silver Pastes and the Effect of CuO on Silver Diffusion Inhibition
Authors: Xiao Meihui , Zhang Lan , Li Jiali , Chen Lin , Sun Jun , Hu Kun , Gong Yi , Ding Jianjun , Lin Yongxing , Li Xiangyang , Liu Gang , Zhang Xian , Tian Xingyou
Published: March 2024

Low‐temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) materials are a promising material for heat dissipation substrates due to their excellent thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient similar to that of silicon. However, the difficulties in surface metallization techniques limit its application. This work uses Bi–B–Si–Zn–Al glass/ceramic composite as the substrate and Bi–B–Si–Zn–Al glass powder as the inorganic binder for silver pastes. The silver thick film with a glass content of 3 wt% is sintered at 800 °C for 30 min, and the samples have excellent electrical conductivity (surface square resistance of 0.29 mΩ £−1) and mechanical properties (interface bonding force of 17.56 MPa). In addition, the introduction of CuO into the glass phase can inhibit the silver diffusion phenomenon during the sintering process and improve the conductive performance of the material. The results are beneficial for the preparation and application stability of LTCC devices.
Modulating Perfluorinated Ionomer Functionality via Sidechain Chemistry
Authors: Bird Ashley , Lindell Matthew , Kushner Douglas I. , Haug Andrew , Yandrasits Michael , Kusoglu Ahmet
Published: March 2024

Ionomers are important to electrode function in energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells and electrolyzers, as the catalyst‐binding nanometer‐thick films under confinement, which compromises mass transport of species. Mitigating confinement effects is necessary for improved performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Studies on perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers provided insights into origins of transport resistances, but limited improvements by current strategies necessitate a need for alternative chemistries to enhance film function. This work investigates new ionomers based on sidechain modifications of PFSA to tune local acidity and structure. Their application‐relevant properties (hydration, thermal‐transition) and nanomorphology are systematically characterized using environmental ellipsometry and grazing‐incidence X‐ray scattering, respectively, to develop chemistry‐structure‐property relationships in thin‐film motif (≤100 nm). Introducing acid sites to sidechains improves hydration and nano‐phase‐separation but reduce chain mobility. Replacing the hydrophilic end‐groups with hydrophobic perfluoro‐groups enhances mobility but disrupts phase‐separation. Although modifying sidechain functional groups alters ionomer‐substrate interactions (Pt/C), chemistry has greater influence on structure‐properties. Proton conductivity correlates with hydration, regardless of chemistry. This work improves the fundamental understanding of chemistry‐function relationships of ionomers by providing a novel means to independently control their side‐chain vs. end‐group and observe resulting effects on interfacial properties to modulate electrode function in electrochemical technologies.
Harnessing Gravity‐Induced Instability of Soft Materials: Mechanics and Application
Authors: Lü Chaofeng , Li Kecheng , Du Yangkun , Zhang Haoran , Liu Congshan , Zhan Haifei
Published: March 2024

This work offers a comprehensive overview of how gravity affects soft materials, with a particular emphasis on gravity‐induced instability. Soft materials, including biological tissues, elastomers, and gels, are characterized by low elastic moduli and the ability to undergo significant deformations. These large deformations can lead to instabilities and the emergence of distinctive surface patterns when even small perturbations are introduced. An in‐depth understanding of these gravity‐induced instabilities in soft materials is of paramount importance for both fundamental scientific research and practical applications across diverse domains. The underlying mechanisms governing these instabilities are delved in and elucidate the techniques employed to study and manipulate them. Further, the gravity‐induced wrinkling and the Rayleigh‐Taylor (RT) instability in soft materials are zoomed in, highlighting how altered gravity environments impact natural and synthetic systems. Lastly, current and potential applications are underscored where gravity‐induced instabilities are already making an impact or may hold promise in the near future. In sum, the exploration of gravity‐induced instabilities in soft materials paves the way for innovative applications and advancements in a wide range of fields.
Construction of Efficient Cs2AgBiBr6 Perovskite Solar Cells by Enhancing Hole‐Selective Contact with Deep‐Level Dopant‐Free Hole Transport Material
Authors: Zhai Mengde , Ma Lunliang , Cai Cheng , Xia Ziyang , Peng Dan , Wang Linqin , Chen Cheng , Wu Tai , Hua Yong , Wang Haoxin , Cheng Ming , Sun Licheng
Published: March 2024

The mismatched energy level alignment at the hole transport interface is recognized to be a prominent limitation for the Cs2AgBiBr6‐based perovskite solar cell (PSC) to achieve high power conversion efficiency (PCE) but has not been well investigated yet. In order to solve this problem to some extent, it is proposed to balance the energy offset at the Cs2AgBiBr6 and hole transport material (HTM) interface to reduce the hole transport barriers, and a novel HTM TPTI‐TPA2F with deep level is designed to implement this strategy. The research demonstrates that, on the one hand, the planar π‐conjugation and the presence of multiple heteroatoms on TPTI‐TPA2F facilitate the formation of well‐oriented film and surface defect passivation; on the other hand, the higher film ionization potential of TPTI‐TPA2F effectively balances the energy barrier for hole transport. As a result, improved hole‐selective contact is achieved with TPTI‐TPA2F as HTM, and the interfacial energy loss is suppressed. Correspondingly, the optimized Cs2AgBiBr6 PSCs using the TPTI‐TPA2F HTM without doped feature an excellent PCE of 4.05% and a high open circuit voltage of 1.15 V, with much improved long‐term humidity and thermal stability. This work provides an attractive strategy for developing efficient Cs2AgBiBr6 PSCs.
Mass Transfer Modulation by Hollow Multi‐Shelled Structures for High Space‐Time Yield Synthesis of Light Olefins from Syngas
Authors: Wang Zijian , Wei Yanze , Qi Jian , Wan Jiawei , Wang Zumin , Yu Ranbo , Wang Dan
Published: March 2024

The separation of CO activation and C─C coupling enables oxide–zeolite catalyzed tandem reaction toward direct conversion of syngas into light olefins to be a promising alternative for the traditional Fischer–Tropsch process with elevated selectivity. Utilizing controlled mass transfer to match the activation of reactants and the coupling of intermediates presents an appealing strategy to break the limitation on space‐time yield in this tandem process. In this work, ZnCrOx hollow multi‐shelled structures (HoMS) are fabricated to enhance the adsorption and enrichment ability of syngas, thereby strengthening the rate‐determining activation step of reactants and resulting in an accelerated generation of intermediates. When coupled with SAPO zeolite, quintuple‐shelled ZnCrOx HoMS‐based catalysts exhibit a record high C2 = ‐C4 = space‐time yield of 559 mg·gcat−1·h−1 with a selectivity of 90%. This work demonstrates the advantages of precise nanostructure sculpturing on the mass transfer behavior in the microenvironment and provides a new strategy for highly selective direct conversion of syngas to light olefins, based on efficient activation of reactants and sufficient feeding of intermediates through enrichment effects within HoMS.
Electrochemically Mediated Lithium Extraction for Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Authors: Zeng Yiwen , Li Wanpeng , Wan Zhixin , Qin Shaoyi , Huang Qinlin , Cai Wenlong , Wang Qian , Yao Meng , Zhang Yun
Published: March 2024

The demand for lithium resources is growing rapidly due to the continuous development of the lithium‐ion battery, which plays an important part in the renewable energy industry. Global sources of lithium are ores and brine, of which 59% are distributed in saline brine. However, the significant lithium resources in saline brine have not been fully utilized. The electrochemical deintercalation method (EDM) for lithium extraction from saline brine is a promising technique because of its environmental friendliness, high selectivity, and cost‐effectiveness. Nevertheless, the application of EDM is greatly limited by the easy dissolution of electrode materials like LiMn2O4 and the cost of mass production. Also, there are a few existing review articles on the EDM for lithium extraction. To address this gap, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the current methods for lithium extraction from saline brine, systematically summarizes the technical status of the EDM, and pays special attention to the preparation method and modification of electrode materials. This review gives new insight into the mechanism of EDM and provides a new design strategy for the evaluation methods of EDM.
Gel‐Derived Amorphous Precursor Enables Homogeneous Pure‐Phase α‐FAPbI3 Films for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Li Bo , Liu Yang , Pu Wei , Li Yawen , Yue Hanyu , Zhang Meng , Tian Jianjun
Published: March 2024

Pure‐phase α‐formamidinium lead iodide (α‐FAPbI3) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) possess potential high efficiency because of suitable bandgap. However, achieving high‐quality α‐FAPbI3 films during the spin‐coating process is challenging without anti‐solvent extraction, due to the spontaneous formation of the more stable δ‐FAPbI3 phase and the complexity of multi‐component perovskite precursor solutions. Here a gel precursor with an amorphous structure to eliminate the need for anti‐solvent extraction in achieving the homogeneous and highly oriented pure‐phase α‐FAPbI3 is devised films. The incorporation of N,N′‐dimethylpropyleneurea, and alkylammonium chloride results in extended iodoplumbate clusters in the perovskite precursor solution. In situ, spectroscopic analysis reveals that the emergence of the stable amorphous gel precursor during the initial solidification stage ensures a uniform solute distribution. This effectively prevents preferentially oriented growth in the crystal phase precursor, leading to a significant enhancement in film homogeneity. As a result, power conversion efficiencies of 24.17% for the PSC, and 19.3% for the module are achieved, along with superior operational stability, retaining 96.1% of their initial efficiency after 850 h at the maximum power point tracking. These demonstrate the best performance for the reported pure‐phase α‐FAPbI3 PSCs without anti‐solvent extraction, showing great promise for scalable manufacture.
Heat‐Resistant Air Filters Based on Self‐Sustained Electrostatic and Antibacterial Polyimide/Silver Fiber Mats
Authors: Lyu Pei , Ju Zheng , Hu Jun , Pan Heng , Li Xing , Liu Yuemei , Ren Jie , Shang Bin , Liu Xin , Xu Weilin
Published: March 2024

Air pollution containing microorganisms poses a major hazard to human health. It is critical to develop air filters that are both highly efficient for indoor use and suitable for use in industrial settings. Developing long‐lasting electrostatic force‐assisted filtration while keeping high‐temperature resistance and antibacterial qualities is still challenging. Here, centrifugal spinning is used to fabricate fiber mats consisting of polyimide with silver incorporation (PI/Ag). The electrostatic force remained over –700 V after 330 days. The strong electrostatic effect improves the filtration efficiency, resulting in a high PM0.3 removal efficiency of 99.1% with a low‐pressure drop of 103.67 Pa. The high filtration efficiency remains above 91.3% for PM0.3 after placing it for 330 days and heating it at 280 °C. The PI/Ag fiber mats also show antimicrobial properties against the E. coli (Gram‐negative) and S. aureus (Gram‐positive) with prominent bacteriostatic zones >1.2 mm. The PI/Ag fiber mat filters are expected to have great potential for multi‐scenario air filtration.
Synergistic Engineering of Carbon Nanotubes Threaded NiSe2/Co3Se4 Quantum Dots with Rich Se Vacancies for High‐Rate Nickel–Zinc Batteries
Authors: Li Guochang , Tang Yifan , Cui Shuangxing , Chen Hao , Chong Hui , Han Lei , Pang Huan
Published: March 2024

Limited by sluggish reaction kinetics, insufficient electrode utilization and severe volume deformation, designing nickel‐based materials with high capacity and rate capability is still a challenge. Herein, a carbon nanotubes threaded NiSe2/Co3Se4 quantum dots embedded in carbon nanospheres with rich Se vacancies both in NiSe2 and Co3Se4 is elaborately designed via MOF template method. The formation mechanism of the Se vacancies is elucidated for the first time, which is ascribed to the release of gas during the decomposition of organic ligand inhibits the ordered arrangement of atoms. The CNT‐V‐NiCoSe possesses many significant superiorities, such as sufficiently exposed active sites, high electrode utilization, favorable charge‐carrier migration, and relaxed structure deformation. Consequently, the CNT‐V‐NiCoSe electrode shows top‐level specific capacity (384 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1), ultrahigh rate capability (209 mAh g−1 at 150 A g−1) and remarkable cycling durability. The CNT‐V‐NiCoSe//Zn battery achieves maximum energy density of 615.6 Wh kg−1 and maximum power density of 81.7 kW kg−1. Density functional theory calculations elucidate the Se vacancies improve the density of states at Fermi level, facilitates internal charge transfer, and enhances OH− adsorption ability. This study provides guidance for the preparation of high‐performance electrode materials with rich vacancies by template method.
Remodeling Microenvironment for Implant‐Associated Osteomyelitis by Dual Metal Peroxide
Authors: Guan Xin , Wu Siyuan , Ouyang Sixue , Ren Shuchen , Cui Naiqian , Wu Xiaohu , Xiang Dayong , Chen Wenting , Yu Bin , Zhao Peng , Wang Bowei
Published: March 2024

Implant‐associated osteomyelitis (IAOM) is characterized by bone infection and destruction; current therapy of antibiotic treatment and surgical debridement often results in drug resistance and bone defect. It is challenging to develop an antibiotic‐free bactericidal and osteogenic‐enhanced strategy for IAOM. Herein, an IAOM‐tailored antibacterial and osteoinductive composite of copper (Cu)–strontium (Sr) peroxide nanoparticles (CSp NPs), encapsulated in polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) (CSp@PEGDA), is designed. The dual functional CSp NPs display hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) self‐supplying and Fenton catalytic Cu2+ ions’ release, generating plenty of hydroxyl radical (•OH) in a pH‐responsive manner for bacterial killing, while the released Sr2+ promotes the in vitro osteogenicity regarding cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, extracellular matrix calcification, and osteo‐associated genes expression. The integration of Cu2+ and Sr2+ in CSp NPs together with the coated PEGDA hydrogel ensures the stable and sustainable ion release during short‐ and long‐term periods. Benefitted from the injectablity and photo‐crosslink ability, CSp@PEGDA is able to thoroughly fill the infectious site and gelate in situ for bacterial elimination and bone regeneration, which is verified through in vivo evaluation using a clinical‐simulating IAOM mouse model. These favorable abilities of CSp@PEGDA precisely meet the multiple therapeutic needs and pave a promising way for implant‐associated osteomyelitis treatment.