We study the congruence classes attained by positive integers D with a prescribed period for the continued fraction of $\sqrt D$. As an application, we refine the results on large ranks of universal quadratic forms over real quadratic fields by imposing congruence conditions on their discriminants.

This article examines the Iranian mosque in Mumbai, known as Mughal Masjid, built in the 1860s by a Shirazi master mason for the Shirazi diaspora community, as a lens through which to reconsider the stereotype of the Iranian mosque. Conceived as a garden mosque, it combines the architectural traditions of mosques in the southern Zagros region with the spatial ambience of a Shirazi garden. With a survey of mosques across the southern Zagros, the article shows that historical mosques in this region are typically domeless, hypostyle structures, challenging the stereotype of the Iranian mosque defined by domes and monumental minarets. The article also critiques the stylistics of Mohammad-Karim Pirnia, arguing that nationalist historiography and colonial scholarship advance different narratives yet share a meta-narrative and epistemology that obscure regional diversity and marginalize Qajar architectural significance.

To understand the international nature of the macroprudential policy and the potential cross-border regulatory leakages these imply, we develop a three-country center-periphery framework with financial frictions and limited financial intermediation in emerging economies. Each country has a macroprudential instrument to smooth credit spread distortions; however, the banking regulations can leak to other economies and be subject to costs. Our results show the presence of cross-border regulation spillovers that increase with the extent of financial frictions, which are driven by the capacity of the regulation to limit aggregate intermediation, and that can be magnified if policymakers are forward-looking. We discuss the policy implications of the resulting macroprudential interdependence and the potential scope for policy design that improves the management of the trade-off between mitigating the financial frictions and curtailing intermediation.

Consider a sequence $P_n$ of positive recurrent transition matrices or kernels that approximate a limiting infinite state matrix or kernel $P_{\infty}$. Such approximations arise naturally when an infinite state Markov chain is truncated and replaced with a finite-state approximation. Another situation of such approximations is when $P_{\infty}$ is a simplified limiting approximation to $P_n$ when n is large. In both settings, it is often verified that the approximation $P_n$ has the characteristic that its stationary distribution $\pi_n$ converges to the stationary distribution $\pi_{\infty}$ associated with the limit. We show that when the state space is countably infinite, this stationary distribution convergence implies that $P_n^m$ can be approximated uniformly in m by $P_{\infty}^m$ when n is large. We show that this ability to approximate the marginal distributions at all time scales m fails in continuous state space, but is valid when the convergence is in total variation or when we have weak convergence and the kernels are suitably Lipschitz. When the state space is discrete (as in the truncation setting), we further show that stationary distribution convergence also implies that all the expectations that are computable via first transition analysis (e.g. mean hitting times, expected infinite horizon discounted rewards) converge to those associated with the limit $P_{\infty}$. Simply put, we show that once we have established stationary distribution convergence, we can immediately infer convergence for a large range of other expectations.

The Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec is the oldest existing monastery in Poland (11th cent. AD). The historic walls of the Monastery have survived to this day and crown the limestone hill on the Vistula River. The geological structure of the surrounding area is reflected in the composition of the mortars.

In vicinity of Tyniec one may observe outcrops of Upper Jurassic limestones represented by two facies: bedded limestones with cherts and massive limestones. Recently, it was discovered that the monks not only fortified the Tyniec hill but also partly built it up with loess. Additionally, a massive “stepped” stone platform was later built to strengthen the edge of the hill. The mortars radiocarbon dating provides the first attempt to obtain the wide chronology of the extension of Tyniec. For this purpose, the chronologically oldest layers were analyzed.

Sequential dissolution of mortars was applied to separate the carbonates of different origin. The obtained results illustrated the huge influence of mortar components and the local geological structure on the 14C measurements. In addition to the mortar, 14C measurements were also made for charcoal from Tyniec Abbey. Radiocarbon dating was performed on the selected fractions using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Radiocarbon dating results of samples from the oldest part of the stone platform make it possible to associate its construction with the earliest monastery buildings.

Labour contractors (enganchadores) were key figures in capitalist modernisation in northern Peru after 1880. Via overlapping networks of monetary, moral and coercive mechanisms, they shaped circuits of accumulation by linking highland labour to coastal sugar plantations. The reliance of coastal sugar planters on highland enganchadores for guaranteeing labour supply highlights the failure of an independent national state to consolidate in this period beyond local and regional hegemonies. Therefore, an examination of enganchadores and the hybrid markets they embodied challenges both linear narratives about the rise of modern economies and conceptual binaries between market and non-market, state and non-state and centre and periphery in Peru and globally.

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles are gaining traction in both the delivery drone market and passenger transportation, driving the development of urban air mobility (UAM) systems. UAM seeks to alleviate road congestion in dense urban areas by leveraging urban airspace. To handle UAM traffic, vertiport terminals (vertiminals) play a critical role in supporting VTOL vehicle operations such as take-offs, landings, taxiing, passenger boarding, refuelling or charging and maintenance. Efficient scheduling algorithms are essential to manage these operations and optimise vertiminal throughput while ensuring safety protocols. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, which rely on runways for take-off and climbing in fixed directions, VTOL vehicles can utilise multiple surface directions for climbing and approach. This flexibility necessitates specialised scheduling methods. We propose a mixed integer linear programme (MILP) formulation to holistically optimise vertiminal operations, including taxiing, climbing (or approach) using multiple directions and turnaround at gates. The proposed MILP reduces delays by up to 50%. Additionally, we derive equations to compute upper bounds of the throughput capacity of vertiminals, considering its core elements: the touchdown and lift-off (TLOF) pad system, taxiway system and gate system. Our results demonstrate that the MILP achieves throughput levels consistent with the theoretical maximum derived from these equations. As a case study, we applied our throughput analysis on a vertiminal topology in the literature and used our MILP to find the optimal configuration. This dual approach, MILP and throughput analysis, allows for comprehensive capacity analysis without requiring simulations while enabling efficient scheduling through the MILP formulation.

Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests of wheat, with their population dynamics strongly influenced by host genotype, sowing time, and prevailing environmental conditions. This study evaluated aphid infestation across seven sowing dates and 12 wheat genotypes, evaluating relationship with natural enemies and weather factors with a goal of identifying sowing dates and genotypes associated with low aphid density. Seasonal mean aphid density differed significantly among genotypes for each sowing date. Of the 12 genotypes of wheat studied, two were highly susceptible and two consistently showed lower infestation. Aphid outbreaks peaked between 14 and 27 February, with maximum populations recorded on 20 and 27 February across several genotypes. Natural enemies such as Coccinellids, Chrysopids, Syrphids, and parasitoids displayed significant positive associations with aphid abundance, suggesting they are able to track cues to find prey, and may play a regulatory role. Abiotic factors were strongly predictive of infestation: averaging across all genotypes of wheat, aphid abundance decreased with temperature, with temperature alone explaining 73.5% of the variation in abundance. Aphid abundance also decreased with hours of daylight (explaining an additional 14.1% of the variation in abundance). These findings demonstrate that aphid population dynamics in wheat are genotype-specific and environmentally driven, with mid-to-late February identified as the most critical infestation window. Selecting resistant/tolerant genotypes, adjusting sowing dates, and leveraging the role of natural enemies provide a sustainable pathway for aphid management. These insights are vital for refining integrated pest management strategies under changing climatic conditions.

Immanuel Kant maintains that lying is always impermissible, since moral norms are categorical imperatives that admit of no exceptions. Yet this strict position conflicts with a widely shared intuition that lying may be permissible in certain exceptional cases. This article develops a revisionary Kantian proposal that accommodates this intuition while preserving the categorical character of moral norms. Central to this proposal is a default-and-exemption account of moral responsibility: The prohibition on lying applies universally, making agents morally responsible by default. This default condition, however, may be overridden if justifiable reasons for exemption exist.

Six volumes, 5,000 (double-columned) pages, 650 authors, 1,350 lemmata:1 how is such a behemoth to be reviewed? The first decision is to confine what follows to the hardcopy edition, which, while decidedly not portable, does permit random and intentional sampling, as well as reflection on the materiality of such an enterprise. Many users will probably access the digital version online, driven by its potential (not tested here) search facilities as well in pursuit of the internal cross-references, and perhaps by the promise of additional entries and regular updates; for the first of these desiderata, print-readers must turn to the table of contents which lists all the entries (vol. i, pp. v–xxxiii) and to the index (vol. vi. 578–823), on which more below.

Mathematical modeling projects consequences of disasters based on algorithms and parameters, with explicit assumptions that can be varied to explore potential variation in outcomes. Modeling of mechanical trauma, thermal burn, and ionizing radiation injuries due to nuclear detonations has been used at the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (HHS/ASPR) to inform needs assessments for medical countermeasures. Physiological modeling for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) projects outcomes of injury from ionizing radiation combined with mechanical trauma and/or thermal burns including effects on physical capabilities, which are used to evaluate the population consequences of nuclear detonations. Public health response modeling explores the effects of variation in operational practices such as triage and allocation of resources for treatment, which informs decisions and practices toward improvement in planning for response to nuclear detonations. Research can inform assumptions and algorithms of modeling, and strategic use of modeling can further inform planning for such topics as shielding, survival, and survivor behavior like sheltering and evacuation.