We study an optimal inventory control problem under a reflected jump–diffusion netflow process with state-dependent jumps, in which the intensity of the jump process can depend on the inventory level. We examine the well-posedness of the associated integro-differential Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (ID-HJB) equation with Neumann boundary condition in the classical sense. To achieve this, we first establish the existence of viscosity solutions to the ID-HJB equation of an auxiliary control problem with a compact policy space, which is proved to be equivalent to the primal problem. We reformulate the ID-HJB equation as a Neumann HJB equation with the (non-local) integral term expressed in terms of the value function of the auxiliary problem and prove the existence of a unique classical solution to the Neumann HJB equation. Then, the well-posedness of the primal ID-HJB equation follows from the unique classical solution of the Neumann HJB equation and the existence of viscosity solutions to the auxiliary ID-HJB equation. Based on this classical solution, we characterize the optimal (admissible) inventory control strategy and show the verification result for the primal control problem.

Despite the decline in mortality rates among children in developing countries, disparities persist between countries, particularly between twins and singletons. This study employed data from nine Demographic and Health Surveys in the Dominican Republic and Haiti to estimate and compare mortality rates for twins and singletons in categories of the under-5 age group (neonatal, postneonatal, and child mortality) and examine the factors associated with excess mortality among twins. From 1996 to 2013, the under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) for singletons in the Dominican Republic declined from 56‰ (95% CI [47, 64) to 30‰ (22–39) and from 108‰ (53–164) to 53‰ (16–89) among twins. In Haiti, between 1994 and 2016, the U5MR declined from 121‰ (109–133) to 77‰ (68–80) for singletons and from 432‰ (327–538) to 204‰ (149–260) among twins. The adjusted risk of neonatal death for twins is 1.4 (1.0–1.9) times higher than for singletons in the Dominican Republic, compared to a risk of 4.3 (3.5–5.3) times higher in Haiti. In the post-neonatal period, the mortality risk for twins in the Dominican Republic was 1.8 (1.0–3.1) times higher than that for singletons, 2.9 (2.3–3.8) in Haiti. The risk of death for twins was not significantly different from that for singletons in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti at ages 1–4 years. Low birth weight, lack of breastfeeding, absence of, or inadequate, antenatal care, noncesarean section birth, and high birth order were associated with excess mortality among twins in both countries.

The developmental environment can have an especially large impact on life history plasticity in animals, influencing body size, reproductive success, and longevity. This is because developmental processes interact with environmental factors to determine phenotypes such as body size, sexual investment, and metabolic rate, which in turn can influence longevity and senescence. We investigated how natural differences in the larval environment (discarded moose antlers) influenced development time, survival, and mating success of wild male antler flies, Protopiophila litigata Bonduriansky (Diptera: Piophilidae). Antlers become depleted of resources from year to year, as multiple generations of larvae feed within them. We collected larvae that grew inside nine different shed moose antlers, and we individually tracked them in the field as adults. Moose antlers that were more attractive to adult P. litigata also supported a greater number of larvae, suggesting they are of higher quality. Flies that developed in more attractive antlers completed metamorphosis more quickly but did not differ in body size, longevity, or lifetime mating success. This suggests that the observed differences in larval density may, in part, balance the variation in resource availability among antlers. Regardless of natal antler, large male P. litigata tended to live longer and have higher mating success, as found in previous studies of this species.

Laueite/stewartite epitaxy was studied using single-crystal diffraction applied to a composite crystal from Hagendorf-Süd, Bavaria. The orientation relationships between the crystals of the two minerals was facilitated by using a non-conventional B$\bar {1}$ space group setting for stewartite, giving unit cells with parallel axes and with as = 2al, bs = bl and cs = 2cl. Face indexing of the crystals of the two minerals confirmed the epitaxial relationship, with the {100} and {010} faces parallel. The plane of epitaxy is {010}. Refinement of laueite and stewartite datasets extracted from the composite-crystal data collection showed a significant decrease in the mean Mn-site bond distances in laueite, consistent with chemical analyses of the crystals that gave site compositions of Mn0.92Fe3+0.08 for stewartite and Mn0.66Mg0.17Fe3+0.17 for laueite. The epitaxial growth of laueite on {010} planes of stewartite appears to have been initiated by a change in solution chemistry. Possible paragenesis of the secondary phosphate minerals from primary triphylite is discussed.

This study investigates the effects of fat emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition in patients following hemihepatectomy, addressing a critical gap in clinical knowledge regarding parenteral nutrition after hemihepatectomy. We retrospectively analysed clinical data from 274 patients who received non-fat emulsion-based parenteral nutrition (non-fatty nutrition group) and 297 patients who received fat emulsion-based parenteral nutrition (fatty nutrition group) after hemihepatectomy. Fat emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition significantly reduced levels of post-operative aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin, while minor decreases in red blood cell and platelet counts were observed in the fatty nutrition group. Importantly, fat emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition shortened lengths of post-operative hospital stay and fasting duration, but did not affect the incidence of short-term post-operative complications. Subgroup analyses revealed that the supplement of n-3 fish oil emulsions was significantly associated with a reduced inflammatory response and risk of post-operative infections. These findings indicate that fat emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition enhances short-term post-operative recovery in patients undergoing hemihepatectomy.

Let W be a group endowed with a finite set S of generators. A representation $(V,\rho )$ of W is called a reflection representation of $(W,S)$ if $\rho (s)$ is a (generalized) reflection on V for each generator $s \in S$. In this article, we prove that for any irreducible reflection representation V, all the exterior powers $\bigwedge ^d V$, $d = 0, 1, \dots , \dim V$, are irreducible W-modules, and they are non-isomorphic to each other. This extends a theorem of R. Steinberg which is stated for Euclidean reflection groups. Moreover, we prove that the exterior powers (except for the 0th and the highest power) of two non-isomorphic reflection representations always give non-isomorphic W-modules. This allows us to construct numerous pairwise non-isomorphic irreducible representations for such groups, especially for Coxeter groups.

This paper offers a critique of war from an existentialist-phenomenological perspective. Drawing on Martin Heidegger’s theory of ontology and Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s theory of perception, it develops a framework which integrates war and the body – and thus ontology and embodiment – in Critical War Studies. Two arguments are advanced: first, that war is in so far as we embody it (implying that the way in which we embody it determines the way in which it is); second, that the embodiment of war is essentially an agential activity. Thereby, this paper provides impetus for an ontological and moral re-avowal of war in critical academic discourse (for understanding war not primarily as a tragic fate but as our shameful doing). This, in turn, facilitates new perspective for interpretation and critique – to the extent, for example, that understanding the logic of war’s agential embodiment discloses what would constitute, and be necessary for, its disembodiment. Moreover, the paper points to clear possibilities for future research – for clarifying, for instance, the ontological upheaval latent in the prospect of future war.

Beliefs about the future shape attitudes, experiences, and priorities in the present. This article explores the relationship between democracy and the expected world to come. As it argues, visions of the future are an important resource for democratic politics, putting the present in critical perspective, aiding in the formation of a collective agent, and consolidating commitment in adversity. Indirectly, they contribute also to the legitimacy of democratic institutions, shaping the exercise of citizenship and the capacity to contend with the flaws of representation. The democratic significance of the imagined future becomes even more visible in today’s age of skepticism toward future-regarding politics, in which speculative modes of thinking run up against the desire for certainty and precision.

The Lenin Memorial mass meeting, organized by the newly formed National Council of American–Soviet Friendship (NCASF) and featuring scenes from the Soviet play adapted and directed for the Theatre Guild, followed quickly on the heels of a similar mass meeting and rally, “Salute to Our Russian Ally,” staged at Madison Square Garden on 1 November 1942 and attended by twenty thousand supporters. Both events presented speeches by American political, military, and arts leaders and Soviet dignitaries, along with theatrical scenes and musical performances. The rallies concluded when the crowd had been effectively emotionally aroused and asked to stand for the playing of the national anthems of the United States and the USSR. The crowd was asked to approve statements on US–Soviet cooperation and peace to send to President Roosevelt and General Stalin, and it apparently roared back to the stage its approval.

This article draws upon archival documents from Mexico's Nationalist Campaign to argue that the rise of radio, advertising, and consumer culture significantly shaped Mexican musical nationalism in the early 1930s. The Nationalist Campaign, led by Rafael Melgar, sought to promote the consumption of national products as a patriotic act to secure the nation's future amid the growing economic dominance of the United States during the interwar period. The campaign utilized radio broadcasts of speeches, slogans, and national music concerts to publicize a unified brand of national identity, aligning with the needs of modernizing the state economy and centralizing political authority through the newly formed PNR (Partido Nacional Revolucionario). This research seeks to explore the role of media, popular music, and consumer culture as an alternative track to Mexican musical nationalism, which has primarily been studied through art music.

Mandatory thresholds for the accuracy of reported energy on food and beverage product labels do not exist in many countries. Accurate nutrition information is essential for ensuring nutritional adequacy among hospital patients. The aim of this study was to compare direct measures of energy of nutritional fluids provided in hospitals to values determined via manufacturers’ specifications. Nutritional fluids were identified as any liquid provided to hospital patients orally, enterally or parenterally, to deliver nutrition. These were categorised into six groups aligned to food/medical standards, including (1) local recipes, (2) pre-packaged general fluids, (3) supplementary fluids, (4) prescribed nutrition fluids – thickened, (5) prescribed nutrition fluids – oral/enteral and (6) prescribed medical nutrition – intravenous (IV) and parenteral. An equivalence testing statistical approach (±10 % thresholds) was used to compare energy values derived directly via bomb calorimetry against those obtained from manufacturer specifications. A total of sixty-nine fluids were measured. One-fifth (n 14) exhibited non-equivalent energy values, with the majority of these (n 11; 79 %) likely to contain less energy than that calculated from reported values. Almost all (34/35; 97 %) prescribed nutrition fluids (oral/enteral (20/20; 100 %), IV and parenteral (7/7; 100 %) and thickened fluid (7/8; 88 %) products were equivalent. In contrast, only 21/34 (62 %) non-prescribed fluids (local recipes (2/11; 18 %), supplementary fluids (4/5; 80 %) and pre-packaged general fluid (15/18; 83 %) products) demonstrated equivalence. Energy content of nutritional fluids prescribed to hospital patients typically aligns with manufacturers’ values. Consumption of non-prescribed fluids may result in lower energy intakes than expected.

Malaria still poses significant risks, especially in India. In addition to averting behaviors, forests may help reduce mosquitoes in rural areas and, thus, the malaria incidence and mortality. However, the evidence is still scarce about the magnitude and value of this ecosystem service. To address this gap, we use a panel dataset for 2013–2015 and evaluate the impact of forest loss on malaria morbidity in India's rural areas. We find that, on average, the loss of 1 km2 of forest resulted in 0.16 additional deaths per 100,000 people. This translates into marginal values of forests for reducing malaria mortality of, at least, $1.26–85.9/ha/year in 2015 US$. Our results suggest that combining forest conservation and traditional anti-malaria policies like indoor spraying and insecticide-treated nets may be an effectual way to mitigate the malarial burden in India and elsewhere and offer insights about the value of potential payments for ecosystem services.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of climate change on state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To do this, we estimate a country-time fixed effects panel data model using the two-way fixed effects estimator over the period 1995 to 2020 for 45 SSA countries. Our results show that climate change increases fragility in SSA; specifically, rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall increase the social, economic, political and security fragility of SSA countries. The study also reveals that gross domestic product, population growth, migrant remittances, foreign direct investment, natural resources, inflation and agricultural price volatility are mechanisms through which climate change exacerbates state fragility. Based on these results, we recommend climate change adaptation measures such as increasing water storage to cope with periods of extreme drought, growing climate-smart crops, and the introduction of environmental public policies.