Isaac Newton spent some four decades researching “chymistry,” the early modern equivalent of our chemistry. Although his laboratory notebooks survive, his experimental goals remain obscure to the present day. Our work reveals that Newton was engaged in fruitful chemical research even by modern standards. Replication of his experiments, involving Newton’s “vitriol” (from his “liquor of antimony,” NH4Cl, HNO3, and Sb2S3) and verdigris (Cu(CH3COO)2), produced a variety of NH4+-, Cl−-, SO4−2-, NO3−-, and Cu-containing crystallization products. We analyzed these products using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) (Cu Kα radiation) and Rietveld refinement, which revealed a complex mixture of (NH4)2Cu(SO4)2(H2O)6, NH4NO3, NH4Cl, (NH4)2CuCl4(H2O)2, and (NH4)[Cu(NH3)2Cl3]⋅2H2O. The XRD data also consistently showed a suite of peaks unmatched by any phase in the PDF-5 database. A crystal of the unknown product was analyzed using single-crystal X-ray methods (Mo Kα radiation), revealing a previously unknown compound, (NH4)2[Cu2Cl2(C2H3O2)4]·2NH4Cl, with space group Pmna and room-temperature unit-cell parameters of a = 14.550(3) Å, b = 8.850(1) Å, and c = 9.116(2) Å. The inclusion of this phase in the Rietveld refinements yielded a satisfactory fit. Our ongoing replications of Newton’s crystallization experiments reveal that his research produced a complex, unusual suite of phases, including the aforementioned previously unknown compound.

Disasters and emergencies, from natural hazards to complex crises, demand a fundamental shift in traditional management paradigms. At all levels of disaster and emergency management, from frontline responders to high-level policymakers, 2 integrated concepts—situational awareness and a disaster mindset—are critical for effective response and resilience. Situational awareness is not merely the collection of data; it’s the dynamic and continuous process of perceiving, comprehending, and projecting a holistic understanding of the operational environment, including evolving threats, available resources, and stakeholder dynamics. When fused with a disaster mindset—a psychological and strategic posture characterized by proactive anticipation, radical adaptability, and decisive action under pressure—it creates a powerful framework for navigating uncertainty. This paper, presented as the Frederick M. (“Skip”) Burkle lecture, proposes a new, integrated framework that systematically applies these concepts to enhance decision-making and operational effectiveness across all managerial tiers, enabling a transition from a reactive to a proactive and resilient posture in the face of escalating global complexities.

Ophiuroids have been major components of marine seafloor communities since the early Paleozoic. Past paleontological studies, especially those dealing with Paleozoic specimens, have based taxonomic descriptions on whole-skeleton morphology while mostly overlooking disarticulated ossicles, causing a large gap in our knowledge of Paleozoic ophiuroids. Recent studies of Mesozoic and Cenozoic ophiuroids, however, have examined the fine-scale morphological details of ophiuroid arm plates and have documented useful characters for taxonomic assignment. Here, we use similar methods for examining disarticulated ophiuroids to describe a Late Mississippian (Serpukhovian) ophiuroid fauna based solely on dissociated ossicles, preserved as microfossils and sieved from shale samples collected from the Indian Springs Shale Member of the Big Clifty Formation in Sulphur, Indiana, USA. We describe 11 species in total, 10 of which are new to science: Umerophiura daki n. sp., Strataster lisae n. sp., Schoenaster limbeckae n. sp., Vandelooaster douglasi n. sp., Furcaster wardi n. sp., Furcaster mccantae n. sp., Furcaster coulombeae n. sp., Sulphaster odellettorum n. gen. n. sp., Covidaster medicus n. gen. n. sp., and Suchaster granulosus n. gen. n. sp. Also present are ossicles of Cholaster sp. indet. The assemblage described in this paper significantly increases the known ophiuroid diversity in the Mississippian, yielding more species than all previous reports on Mississippian ophiuroids combined. Furthermore, our study shows that the evolution of the modern ophiuroid clade began much earlier than expected. Our results imply that the microfossil record of ophiuroids is paramount to unveiling the true paleobiodiversity of this evolutionarily important echinoderm clade.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/21fc0302-5a9f-41de-b1e3-6972de4b57bc

Internet-delivered cognitive and/or behavioural therapy (I-C/BT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) addresses problems of access to evidence-based psychological treatments and is becoming more widespread. This commentary explores the effectiveness of I-C/BT for PTSD compared with waiting-list/treatment as usual controls as reported in Simon et al’s (2021) Cochrane Review and in subsequent studies. The results suggest that I-C/BT may reduce PTSD symptoms immediately post-treatment, without long-term effects. However, the very low certainty of evidence and inconsistent quality of I-C/BT interventions prohibits recommendations until further high-quality research becomes available.

In this paper, we study the validity of the sub-supersolution method for the equation

\begin{equation*}\begin{cases}-\mbox{div}(K(x)\nabla u)=K(x)|x|^{\alpha-2}f(x,u) \,\mbox{in } {\mathbb{R}}^{N},\\u \gt 0 \,\mbox{in } {\mathbb{R}}^{N},\end{cases}\end{equation*}

$N \geq 3$

$K(x)=exp(|x|^{\alpha}/4)$

$\alpha\geq 2$

$f$

$f$

$f$

The jamʿiyyāt (learned societies) are hallmarks of the Arab Nahḍa (“Renaissance”) in Beirut. This article focuses on the agency of Syrian members and studies the earliest three institutions in the context of social dynamics, economic linkages, political aspirations, and religious contestations. Centred around Syrians and Protestant missionaries, the Syrian Society of Arts and Sciences (1847) functioned as a site of growing American religious and cultural soft power. At the Oriental Society (1849), Syrian Catholic notables from the recently collapsed political regime assembled, alongside French Jesuit missionaries, to maintain their erstwhile power and prestige. Lastly, at the Orthodox Syrian Society (c. 1850), the traditional Orthodox elite attempted to preserve their flock and prove sociopolitical relevance in the face of Protestant and Catholic encroachments. Through the religious and political struggles that played out at the three jamʿiyyāt, this article demonstrates the politicization of confessional identities at the hands of Syrians and foreigners alike.

In sudden-onset industrial disaster, responding effectively to a mass casualty incident (MCI) requires more than clinical readiness; it demands the integration of multiple regulatory frameworks and standards. In the context of an industrial disaster, the International Organization for Standardization 45001 will provide parameters for the creation of the response plan. In addition, the utilization of the Major Incident Medical Management and Support operational framework will expand the complex industrial interagency response. These should be components of the local MCI response plan, which has proven successful worldwide to enhance the capacity and capabilities in responding to complex emergencies.

From a policy analysis perspective, the complexity and far-reaching consequences of industrial sudden onset disasters underscore the importance of implementing coordination mechanisms that bring together management systems and operational benchmarks. To build essential competencies among first responders, first receivers, and industrial workers, modular simulation exercises focusing on specific risk management and MCI response components are essential.

Existing research on Chile’s 2022 constitution-making process primarily explained the negative referendum outcome through individual-level factors. The role of political parties in responding to the product of deliberation has been widely overlooked. This article addresses that gap by examining party reactions to the draft constitution, a proposal aligned with the left-wing constitutional project of New Latin American Constitutionalism. Although the proposal embodied this project, party responses proved far more ambivalent, especially in the center-left, where party endorsement often was conditional. This ambivalence weakened the approval campaign and proved decisive in the referendum’s rejection. The analysis underscores that partisan ideology matters in deliberative constitution-making.

This paper examines China’s emerging case law system through an empirical analysis of more than 10,000 court judgments issued between 2019 and 2021. It challenges prevailing academic views that Guiding Cases are ‘de facto binding’ on Chinese courts and that China’s case law system could be interpreted through a common law lens. Instead, the study shows that the Chinese approach is characterised by distinct objectives, methodologies, and applications. The paper further highlights the practice of ‘mandatory search for similar cases’, which has substantially expanded the role of cases in judicial decision-making. China’s case law system remains in its formative stages, marked by notable uncertainties and challenges. This research underscores the importance of sustained empirical inquiry into legal rules and practices to better understand the trajectory of China’s case law system and the broader implications of this novel approach for contemporary judicial practice.

Participatory budgeting (PB) was first implemented in Porto Alegre (Brazil) in 1989 as a measure to reduce poverty and decrease child mortality. Since then, it has spread all over the world. It empowers citizens in political action, increases their awareness of the social and political shortcomings of their communities, and allows them to decide how a part of the local budget should be spent. Despite these benefits, people generally rarely engage with PB when it is offered. With the exception of a few studies (Gherghina, Tap, and Traistaru 2023), we do not yet know what makes individuals abstain from participating in this process.