Rapid technological change is resulting in the development of ever increasingly capable autonomous weapon systems. As they become more sophisticated, the calls for developing restrictions on their use, up to and including their complete prohibition, are growing. Not unlike the call for restrictions on the sale and use of drones, most proposed restrictions are well-intentioned but are often ill-informed, with a high likelihood of degrading national security and putting additional lives at risk. Employed by experienced operators well-versed in the laws of armed conflict, autonomous weapons can advance the objectives of those who would prohibit their use. This essay takes an operational perspective to examine the role that autonomous weapon systems can play while complying with the laws of armed conflict. With responsible design and incorporation of applicable control measures, autonomous weapons will be able not just to comply but also to enhance the ethical use of force. This essay contends that efforts by the international community to use international legal means and/or institutions to over-regulate or even ban lethal autonomous weapons are counterproductive. It considers and describes the end-game results of the use of autonomous weapons in enhancing the application of both international law and human ethical values.

Fluvial and colluvial deposits of Late Holocene age in South-Central Ontario catchments have provided few 14C dates, most by conventional methods registering century-old ages. Other young deposits, dated by conventional and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C), have yielded bomb-affected post-1950 ages over variable time limits. Attempts to date the base of Ah and lower-in-section soil horizons, in Early to Late Holocene stream terrace deposits, have yielded atomic bomb effects. Comparing bomb contamination in Late Holocene fluvial deposits, using both conventional and AMS methods, identifies a mix of bomb-affected beds juxtaposed with dated beds, the latter yielding ages with narrow standard deviations. Colluvial deposits overlying key glacial sections in the Rouge Catchment, while rare, yield bracketed AMS ages for an Ahbk horizon that refines weathering times relative to previously obtained conventional 14C dates. Bomb-affected sediment appears variably distributed within floodplain soils and in the ground soil of a colluvial section. Mass wasted deposits, with AMS 14C ages spread over the last few centuries, appear related to Little Ice Age (LIA) changes in climate, corroborated by pollen records. Further, these AMS-14C dated beds calibrate weathering of secondary Fe-Al oxihydroxides over the first half a millennium of weathering time.

A lack of transparency and concerns over patients costs at the pharmacy counter have increased Congressional focus on pharmacy benefits management practices. However, applying regulations without transparency into pharmacy benefits managers practices could do more harm than good.

Vitruvius’ famous description of the homo bene figuratus possesses a slightly paradoxical nature. The description is meant to illuminate a fundamental but very abstract principle underlying the building of temples: symmetry or proportion. For the purpose of illumination, an analogy is drawn between temples and the human body. But even though the description serves an illustrative purpose, it does not at first sight appear to have a specifically illustrative nature since it largely consists of numerical fractions and proportional relations. Additionally, it seems quite difficult to tell what the homo bene figuratus actually looks like because the figure hardly possesses any individual features. And yet, the description inspired a rich reception of drawings during the Renaissance and later (of which Leonardo's version is certainly the most famous). The passage even seems to have taken on a life of its own since in those drawings the homo bene figuratus is usually treated independently of its original purpose and remains unconnected with temples or other buildings. Apparently, the passage—somehow—has an easily comprehensible or even perhaps vivid quality, despite the fact that it mainly lists abstract numerical details.

Conjectures are made on the text of three passages in Tibullus, Books 1–2: 1.4.26 hastam … suam for crines … suos, 2.1.56 membra for bache, 2.4.60 aliis rebus for alias herbas.

This article considers how the archive, particularly material produced by children, destabilizes the boundaries between the domestic and the foreign, citizenship and empire. Through its analysis of a wave of educational reform in the United States during the 1930s, which encouraged global citizenship among the young, it demonstrates how children not typically associated with global citizenship – those from both rural and working-class backgrounds – engaged with the imperial messages embedded in global education of the period.

The objective of our study was the spectroscopic analysis of the PN NGC 3242, which contains a pair of low-ionization structures (LISs). For our analysis, MUSE data were used in conjunction with the SATELLITE code for a spectroscopic analysis in two spatial dimensions. Additionally, infrared images from Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) were employed to search for potential H2 emission at the LISs. The preliminary results revealed that the electron temperature calculated from [N II] diagnostics lines is approximately 12,000 K at the LISs, while the thorough examination of MUSE data has led to the identification of the [C I] 8727 Å emission line emitted only from the LISs. This result may imply that LISs are the optical counterpart of a dense molecular core. Spitzer’s data didn’t reveal the existence of H2 at LISs, but three rings were identified around the main body of the PN.

This study focuses on investigating planetary nebulae (PNe) within the dwarf galaxy VCC 1249, located in the halo of the early-type galaxy (ETG) M49, by utilizing data obtained from the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). The integral-field spectroscopy capabilities of MUSE enable the identification of individual planetary nebulae. The interaction of VCC 1249 with the cluster-dominant galaxy M49 in the Virgo Subcluster B is driving this project, as it offers a unique opportunity to explore how high-density environments influence the properties and fate of low-mass galaxies. To identify potential PNe candidates within VCC 1249, the method proposed by Roth et al. (2021) is employed. Through this approach, ten candidates exhibiting features consistent with PNe properties have been identified.

This article examines the process of nation-building in post-colonial Qatar. By using a postcolonial lens, the study discusses the historical context of Qatar’s state formation, tracing the impact of colonialism and the role of external powers in shaping political structures and narratives. Through an analysis of key historical figures and events, such as Shaykh Jassim and the Qatari constitution, this article explores the use of tradition and indigenous modernity in the construction of Qatar’s national identity. By drawing on theoretical frameworks such as “invented traditions,” “imagined communities,” and the politics of tradition and modernity, the article provides a roadmap to understanding the main tenets of the national identity politics of Qatar today and key factors of its national identity narratives, including ethno-political migrations, citizenship dynamics, and institutional frameworks established by the state constitution. It argues that while nation-building processes may share commonalities across different geographies, the specific historical, cultural, and political dynamics of Qatar shaped its unique trajectory. Ultimately, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities of nation-building in post-colonial contexts and the construction of national identity in the Gulf region