This article examines how drug gangs establish commitments of silence (CS) with communities in Montevideo, Uruguay. CS involve tacit agreements through which communities exchange silence—that is, not reporting illicit gang activities to the authorities—for gang-provided tranquility, thus ensuring relative stability. Unlike previous research that has focused on contexts of low state presence, this study explores a context, Montevideo, with higher state presence, emphasizing the increased importance of CS when states can receive reports of criminal activity and respond; that is, in low-corruption and high-capacity settings. Gangs use various methods from forced violence to negotiated loyalty to secure community silence. I argue that the structure of local reciprocity networks, characterized by long-term exchange ties, influences the type of CS established and determines prevalent strategies for maintaining community silence. Homegrown gang members embed the CS within the community’s existing reciprocity network. The argument is developed through case studies in Montevideo’s Casavalle neighborhood, using a process-tracing design based on interviews, press articles, and historical records to uncover the logics behind drug gang operations and their relationship with the local community.

Rhopalosiphum padi is an important grain pest, causing severe losses during crop production. As a systemic insecticide, flonicamid can control piercing-sucking pests efficiently. In our study, the lethal effects of flonicamid on the biological traits of R. padi were investigated via a life table approach. Flonicamid is highly efficiently toxic to R. padi, with an LC50 of 9.068 mg L−1. The adult longevity and fecundity of the R. padi F0 generation were markedly reduced under the LC25 and LC50 concentrations of flonicamid exposure. In addition, negative transgenerational effects on R. padi were observed under exposure to lethal concentrations of flonicamid, with noticeable decreases in the reproductive period, adult longevity, total longevity, and total fecundity of the F1 generation under the LC25 concentration of flonicamid. Furthermore, the third nymph stage (N3), preadult stage, duration of the adult pre-reproductive period, duration of the total pre-reproductive period, reproductive period, adult longevity, total longevity, and total fecundity of the F1 generation were significantly lower under treatment with the LC50 concentration of flonicamid. The life table parameters were subsequently analysed, revealing that the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) and the net reproductive rate (R0) were significantly lower but that the finite rate of increase (λ) and the mean generation time (T) were not significantly different under the LC25 and LC50 concentrations of flonicamid. These data are beneficial for grain aphid control and are critical for exploring the role of flonicamid in the integrated management of this key pest.

In order to recover the magnetic energy that leaks from an induction cooktop, this study suggests a straightforward and cost-effective magnetic-field energy harvester (MFEH) circuit. With the aid of the intended circuitry, the acquired magnetic energy is transformed into DC electrical energy. We harvested the magnetic-field energy (MFE) from the induction cooktop at various heights and locations of the energy harvesting coil. With a load resister of 46.6 Ω and a capacitance of 1 mF, the developed MFEH circuit, when positioned 2 cm beneath the cooktop, can capture an average DC power of 1936 mW. Placing the energy-harvesting coil 7.5 cm beneath the induction cooktop lowers the power output to 142 mW. For a range of load resister values, the MFE gathered at various locations along the energy harvesting coils is examined. Batteries can be used to store the gathered energy for later use. Additionally, the suggested device is shown to be capable of wirelessly powering low-power Internet of things devices and charging mobile devices. The suggested device differs from the previously published magnetic harvesting circuits due to the induction cooktop’s superior performance and capacity to gather MFE.

This paper introduces two enhanced control approaches to improve the performance of parallel manipulators, addressing their inherent nonlinear dynamics and complex structure. The first approach results in a hybrid control system in joint space, integrating acceleration-based control, sliding mode, and disturbance observer techniques. The control system is designed to correct tracking errors and compensate for generalized disturbances, thus improving accuracy in tracking reference positions. The second approach merges the joint-space and task-space formulations, implementing proportional-derivative controllers in task space to manage the end-effector positions while maintaining safe operational configurations. The stability of the proposed controllers is demonstrated through Lyapunov analysis, while their performance is validated through comprehensive simulations and real-time experiments.

Continuous-time batch state estimation using Gaussian processes is an efficient approach to estimate the trajectories of robots over time. In the past, relatively simple physics-motivated priors have been considered for such approaches, using assumptions such as constant velocity or acceleration. This paper presents an approach to incorporating exogenous control inputs, such as velocity or acceleration commands, into the continuous Gaussian process state estimation framework. It is shown that this approach generalizes across different domains in robotics, making it applicable to both the estimation of continuous-time trajectories for mobile robots and the estimation of quasi-static continuum-robot shapes. Results show that incorporating control inputs leads to more informed priors, potentially requiring less measurements and estimation nodes to obtain accurate estimates. This makes the approach particularly useful in situations in which limited sensing is available. For example, in a mobile robot localization experiment with sparse landmark distance measurements and frequent odometry control inputs, our approach provides accurate trajectory estimates with root-mean-square errors around 3-4 cm and 4-5 degrees, even with time intervals up to five seconds between discrete estimation nodes, which significantly reduces computation time.

In her recent book The Image of God: The Problem of Evil and the Problem of Mourning (2022), Eleonore Stump takes up a question she thinks has been unduly neglected by contemporary philosophers of religion: Is the world as good as it would have been had original sin, and all subsequent sin and suffering, not occurred? Stump contends that if we do not answer this question in the affirmative, we are left with a problem – a picture of a world which is a disappointment to God; and this picture could in turn undermine belief in an omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good Creator. In response to this problem, Stump sets out to defend the felix culpa view, according to which the world is even better with the Fall than it would have been without. However, I argue in this article that the felix culpa view has unacceptable consequences regarding God’s desires and will, that we can live with the problem of mourning unresolved, and that we need not affirm the felix culpa view to resolve the problem of mourning anyway.

Carbon black is commonly used as a filler in the rubber industry. However, it can cause serious damage to human health and to ecosystems. Today, reducing the use of this substance via alternative materials is receiving increased attention. Clay minerals such as montmorillonite can be substituted for carbon black as environmentally friendly fillers for rubber compounds. The uniform dispersion of montmorillonite and its compatibility with the rubber matrix are the main principles for using this material in the rubber industry. To this end, montmorillonite was surface treated with various dosages (1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 wt.%) of polypropylene glycol. The surface-treated montmorillonites were investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results indicated that the treatment expanded the interlayer spaces of the montmorillonite and improved surface hydrophobicity. The untreated and treated montmorillonites were used with carbon black as dual fillers in natural rubber/styrene butadiene-based compounds. The cure characteristics, thermal stability, some mechanical properties and dispersion states were evaluated. The curing study indicated a faster optimum cure time, scorch time and increased torque difference for the rubber compounds filled with surface-treated montmorillonites. Thermal analysis of the rubber compounds illustrated that the interval between the initial and final temperature of decomposition could be increased via the treatment. Surface-treated montmorillonite samples, especially the sample containing 1 wt.% polypropylene glycol, showed improved abrasion resistance, resilience and compression set values.

In British North America, imperial sovereignty required peripheral cooperation in public finance. However, because of limited coercive British state capacity, local colonial assemblies and town governments operated with substantial autonomy. The interests of colonial subjects did not align exactly with those of politicians and military officers in the center of British imperial authority in London. Short term success in colonial war between 1754 and 1763 required policies that incentivized colonists to buy into the imperial project. After 1758, Parliament and royal departments managed to incentivize greater provincial participation and resource allocation to the military by co-opting existing colonial merchant networks using lucrative public contracts. The contracts requested a small number of merchant firms in colonial cities take on large debts to circulate notes of credit in exchange for commissions. Merchant financiers could use these notes to pay for military expenses. The contracts promised bullion remittances from England to cover the debts, but these funds ultimately proved insufficient to cover outstanding obligations. Failures to remit led to a colonial credit crisis between 1762 and 1768 which shook colonists’ faith in the credibility of the British fiscal state in the decade leading up to the American Revolution.

Racism permeates societies globally, including within Germany’s educational system. Specifically, people from the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region experience anti-Muslim racism. This study explores how racially minoritized parents subjected to the asylum system navigate racist discourse within societal and institutional structures, focusing on their strategies of resistance and accommodation. Guided by a social constructionist epistemology, interviews were conducted with 11 parents migrating from regions and countries with a majority of Muslim residents. Utilizing reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were constructed: Language as an exclusion and excuse mechanism, Meaning-making of being racialized, Good Migrant, and Going the extra mile. The analysis highlights the dialectical tension parents experience as they navigate racist discourse within social and institutional structures. Parents resisted by challenging school practices, defending “cultural norms”, and advocating for their children’s educational opportunities. Simultaneously, they strategically accommodated by stressing gratefulness, assimilation, and praising German systems. This research illuminates how racially minoritized parents navigate oppressive systems and racist discourse, emphasizing the interplay between resistance and accommodation. It underscores the importance of recognizing informal resistance within societal constraints, offering a nuanced perspective through the resistance and accommodation framework. Additionally, it informs policy and social responses to migration by elucidating racialization and oppression dynamics.

This study attempted to determine whether or not the educational curriculum is adjusted in state primary schools to meet the educational needs of Syrian refugee children, whether in-service training related to refugee children’s education was provided, and what the educational needs of refugee students were. The sample was composed of 294 primary school teachers and 372 Syrian refugee students in Türkiye. The data were analysed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 24 and converted to percentage and frequency tables. The results indicated that the central curriculum and the teacher competencies were inadequate to meet the educational needs of the refugee children. It was also concluded that refugee students typically came from low socio-economic and educational backgrounds, however these students maintained a positive perspective toward education and were dedicated to fulfilling their student responsibilities such as attending school regularly and completing their homework. Some recommendations for future research and practices are presented.

Research on second language (L2) speech learning suggests that incidental perception training can lead to the establishment of non-native phonological categories. The present study contributes to this line of enquiry by investigating how this training is mediated by individual differences in working memory capacity and domain-general auditory processing abilities. In our study, 130 native British English speakers without prior knowledge of Portuguese were randomly assigned to trained or untrained conditions. All participants completed a visual digit span task and an auditory processing test battery. We observed improvements from pretest to post-test in production only, but since both groups improved, these gains cannot be attributed to the incidental perception training. The analysis of the ID measures further confirms the important role played by auditory processing abilities in L2 speech learning. However, more research is needed to better understand the role of incidental perception training and the mediating role of cognitive aptitudes.

Chi jiu zhi ji Tang zhi wu (赤鳩之集湯之屋, “[When] Red Doves Gathered on Tang’s house”) is an excavated Chu manuscript that belongs to the Tsinghua University bamboo slips collection. The manuscript concerns several important early Chinese figures such as Tang and Yi Yin, while also featuring rich supernatural elements. Many studies have focused on “shamanism elements” depicted in the tale or defined the genre of the text as xiaoshuo. This article offers a reexamination of Chi jiu and the above assumptions by contextualizing the text within its original three-text manuscript. The article reveals how early compilers constructed a chronological sequence to frame an overarching narrative in a heterogeneous compilation, and further generates a unique narrative regarding the extraordinary status of Yi Yin the founding minister. In its conclusion, the paper draws attention to potential alternative narratives about the minister-ruler relationship in early China, and also places Chi jiu in the context of early compilation practices. Additionally, it considers possible parallels between the Chi jiu story and two of the Grimms’ Tales, viewing Chi jiu within folklore studies.

Lexical proficiency is a multifaceted phenomenon that greatly impacts human judgments of writing quality. However, the importance of collocations’ contribution to proficiency assessment has received less attention than that of single words, despite collocations’ essential role in language production. This study, therefore, investigated how aspects of collocational proficiency affect the ratings that examiners give to English learner essays. To do so, collocational features related to sophistication and accuracy were manipulated in a set of argumentative essays. Examiners then rated the texts and provided rationales for their choices. The findings revealed that the use of lower-frequency words significantly and positively impacted the experts’ ratings. When used as part of collocations, such words then provided a small yet significant additional boost to ratings. Notably, there was no significant effect for increased collocational accuracy. These findings suggest that low-frequency words within collocations are particularly salient to examiners and deserving of pedagogic focus.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) provides independent scientific advice to EU risk managers on a wide range of food safety issues and communicates on existing and emerging risks in the food chain. This advice helps to protect consumers, animals and the environment. Data are essential to EFSA’s scientific assessments. EFSA collects data from various sources including scientific literature, biological and chemical monitoring programmes, as well as food consumption and composition databases. EFSA also assesses data from authorisation dossiers for regulated products submitted by the industry. To continue delivering the highest value for society, EFSA keeps abreast of new scientific, technological and societal developments. EFSA also engages in partnerships as an essential means to address the growing complexity in science and society and to better connect and integrate knowledge, data and expertise across sectors. This paper provides insights into EFSA’s data-related activities and future perspectives in the following key areas of EFSA’s 2027 strategy: one substance-one assessment, combined exposure to multiple chemicals, environmental risk assessment, new approach methodologies, antimicrobial resistance and risk–benefit assessment. EFSA’s initiatives to integrate societal insights in its risk communication are also described.

Ulrich von Hutten (1488–1523), a renowned sixteenth-century German humanist, documented the symptoms of the epidemic that swept through Europe starting around 1495, commonly known as the French Disease. While it has traditionally been associated with venereal syphilis, Dutch tropical physician Willem F. R. Essed proposed in 1933, largely unnoticed to this day, that this new disease might instead be tropical yaws. This study establishes a clear link between Hutten’s reported symptoms and yaws, especially in its secondary and tertiary stages. The skeleton discovered in 1968 on Ufnau Island in Lake Zurich where Hutten died and was buried, exhibits distinct bone manifestations of ancient treponematosis with a pattern more consistent with yaws than syphilis. Furthermore, the correspondence between Hutten’s main symptoms and the lesions observable on the 1968 skeleton further confirms the identification of these human remains. The historical evidence of yaws significantly contributes to our understanding of this early modern epidemic.

We explore general notions of consistency. These notions are sentences $\mathcal {C}_{\alpha }$ (they depend on numerations $\alpha $ of a certain theory) that generalize the usual features of consistency statements. The following forms of consistency fit the definition of general notions of consistency (${\texttt {Pr}}_{\alpha }$ denotes the provability predicate for the numeration $\alpha $): $\neg {\texttt {Pr}}_{\alpha }(\ulcorner \perp \urcorner )$, $\omega \text {-}{\texttt {Con}}_{\alpha }$ (the formalized $\omega $-consistency), $\neg {\texttt {Pr}}_{\alpha }(\ulcorner {\texttt {Pr}}_{\alpha }(\ulcorner \cdots {\texttt {Pr}}_{\alpha }(\ulcorner \perp \urcorner )\cdots \urcorner )\urcorner )$, and $n\text {-}{\texttt {Con}}_{\alpha }$ (the formalized n-consistency of Kreisel).

We generalize the former notions of consistency while maintaining two important features, to wit: Gödel’s Second Incompleteness Theorem, i.e., (with $\xi $ some standard $\Delta _0(T)$-numeration of the axioms of T), and a result by Feferman that guarantees the existence of a numeration $\tau $ such that $T\vdash \mathcal {C}_\tau $.

We encompass slow consistency into our framework. To show how transversal and natural our approach is, we create a notion of provability from a given $\mathcal {C}_{\alpha }$, we call it $\mathcal {P}_{\mathcal {C}_{\alpha }}$, and we present sufficient conditions on $\mathcal {C}_{\alpha }$ for the notion $\mathcal {P}_{\mathcal {C}_{\alpha }}$ to satisfy the standard derivability conditions. Moreover, we also develop a notion of interpretability from a given $\mathcal {C}_{\alpha }$, we call it $\rhd _{\mathcal {C}_{\alpha }}$, and we study some of its properties. All these new notions—of provability and interpretability—serve primarily to emphasize the naturalness of our notions, not necessarily to give insights on these topics.

An attractive way to address both the climate crisis and the problem of global inequality is to tax rich countries, individuals and businesses, who are responsible for the greater part of carbon emissions, and redistribute the proceeds to create carbon-neutral infrastructure and address human needs through state action (see Raworth 2017 Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, Penguin Random House; Gough 2017 Heat, Need and Human Greed, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.). However the dominant value framework in which ideas about wealth, need, and redistribution are embedded centres on deservingness. This largely justifies existing poverty and wealth-holdings, making redistribution within and beyond the rich countries of the global North hard to achieve. Two developments – the ‘deliberative wave’ of citizen participation in government, and the impact of crises in nurturing prosocial values – point to a rapid and sustained value shift. This paper reviews and analyses evidence to consider the practical politics of oughnut economics.