This special section brings together international scholars celebrating the 40th anniversary of John Harris’ book, The Value of Life: An Introduction to Medical Ethics (1985), and John Harris and his contributions to the field of bioethics more generally.

This study aims to synthesize nano-metakaolin (NMK) through mechanical activation and to investigate the physical, chemical and microstructural changes that occur to the initial raw material. The efficiency of the activation process is affected by various process parameters as well as the mineralogy of the original material. Two different kaolin qualities were subjected to mechanical activation through high-energy ball-milling (HEBM) under various conditions. The parameters investigated were the milling speed and time. The final properties of the NMK samples produced were examined using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, laser dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Additionally, the pozzolanic activity of the fully activated samples was evaluated using the Chapelle test. The percentage of impurities contained in the initial kaolin affected the transformation into metakaolin. The milling parameters also affected the activation, contributing mainly to the particle size of the final material. Finally, concerning the metakaolin microstructure, the material showed a tendency to form stacks and agglomerates of plates due to the development of powerful static forces.

Rubinite, a garnet with the ideal formula Ca3Ti3+2Si3O12, is an indicator of super-reduced conditions and has been found recently in refractory inclusions in a few CV3 chondrites. We discovered rubinite in phosphide-bearing breccia from the pyrometamorphic Hatrurim Complex, Negev Desert, Israel. Aggregates of phosphide and native iron are concentrated at the boundary of thermally altered sedimentary xenoliths encased in flamite–gehlenite paralava. Rubinite, with the average empirical formula (Ca2.97Mg0.02Fe2+0.01)Σ3.00(Ti3+1.10Al0.44Ti4+0.37Mg0.08Cr0.01)Σ2(Si2.71Al0.29)Σ3.00O12, was found in a small xenolith composed of hydrogrossular, tacharanite and calcite, and containing relics of high-temperature minerals such as pseudowollastonite, cuspidine, gehlenite, baghdadite, barringerite, murashkoite, osbornite, paqueite and oldhamite. For the first time, the structure of rubinite, with the composition (Ca2.99Mg0.01)Σ3(Ti3+0.78Al0.62Ti4+0.43Mg0.17)Σ2(Si2.74Al0.26)Σ3O12, has been refined. Its unit-cell parameter a = 12.0193(4) Å, is significantly smaller than that of the synthetic analogue of Ca3Ti2Si3O12, 12.1875 Å. In the rubinite Raman spectrum weak bands corresponding to the vibrations of Ti4+–O in the (TiO6)8– octahedra: 610 cm–1 ν1(TiO6)8– and 438 cm–1 ν4(TiO6)8– are present in addition to the bands related to Si–O and Al–O vibrations in the TO4 tetrahedra. Rubinite forms a thin reactive rim (<10 μm) on pseudowollastonite grains. It probably formed during a sharp increase in rock porosity in the course of natural clinkerisation of sedimentary xenoliths caused by the thermal impact of the paralava. The high porosity increased the effect of reductive gases on the rocks, which were by-products of pyrometamorphism. The brief appearance of super-reduced conditions defined the formation of the Ti3+-bearing minerals osbornite and rubinite. Paqueite, Ca3Ti4+(Ti4+Al2)Si2O14, which crystallised in a thin melting zone of xenolith at the boundary with the paralava, does not contain Ti3+.

In certain scenarios, the large footprint of a robot is not conducive to multi-robot cooperative operations. This paper presents a generalized single-loop parallel manipulator with remote center of motion (GSLPM-RCM), which addresses this issue by incorporating a reconfigurable base. The footprint of this RCM manipulator can be adjusted by varying the parameters of the reconfigurable base. First, utilizing configuration evolution, a reconfigurable base is constructed based on the principle of forming RCM motion. Then, according to the modular analysis method, the inverse kinematics of this parallel RCM manipulator is analyzed, and the workspace is also analyzed. Subsequently, the motion/force transmissibility of this RCM manipulator is analyzed by considering its single-loop and multi-degree of freedom characteristics. Leveraging the workspace index and transmissibility indices, dimension optimization of the manipulator is implemented. Finally, the influence of the reconfigurable base on the workspace and the transmissibility performance of the optimized manipulator is studied.

The minerals of the kröhnkite, talmessite and fairfieldite groups plus dondoellite, general formula X2M2+(TO4)2(H2O)2 where X = Na, Ca; M2+ = Mg, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Cu; and T = S, P, As; have been consolidated into the IMA-approved kröhnkite supergroup. The cell dimensions and space-group symmetries of the minerals in these three groups and dondoellite are distinct but the structures of these minerals are strongly related as they have topologically identical structural units. Differences in structure between the different groups involve the disposition of adjacent [M2+(TO4)2(H2O)2] chains and the stereochemical details of the hydrogen bonds that link adjacent [M2+(TO4)2(H2O)2] chains. The ions that form the interstitial complex of a mineral and the structural unit must satisfy the principle of correspondence of Lewis acidity–basicity whereby stable structures will form where the Lewis acidity of the structural unit closely matches the Lewis basicity of the interstitial complex. For pentavalent T cations (P5+or As5+), the Lewis acidity of Ca2+ shows the closest match of all cations to the Lewis basicity of the structural unit. For hexavalent T cations (S6+), the Lewis acidity of Na+ shows the closest match of all cations to the Lewis basicity of the structural unit.

Ethicists frequently suppose that suffering has special moral significance. It is often claimed that a main goal of medicine—perhaps its primary goal—is the alleviation of human suffering. Following Eric Cassell and others, this essay considers suffering understood as the experience of distress—negative emotions—in response to threats to something that one cares about. It examines whether, on this value-based account of suffering, we should accept the claim that suffering has special moral significance. It argues that we should not: suffering does not add significantly to the value of other human interests and rarely changes our moral obligations itself; it merely seems to have strong moral relevance because it often attends to interests that matter. This is because negative emotions themselves have only limited moral significance, which is due to the fact that their primary mental role is to indicate to us the relative importance of non-emotional goods.

Leaders decide to engage diplomatically with their foreign peers for various reasons but, given their limited time and resources, they have to choose which peers to prioritize. As such, the study of international diplomatic visits helps shed light on a government's foreign policy approach and better understand its priorities in how it conceives and builds foreign relations. While the literature on diplomatic engagements has largely debated its drivers and effects, the role of domestic influences, in particular of party politics, has remained understudied. We address this gap and investigate the party politics of diplomatic engagements leveraging a new dataset on Italy's high-level international bilateral diplomatic visits in 2000–2023. Our findings show that partisan differences influence not only the overall frequency of such engagements, following curvilinear left–right patterns, but also the political regimes that left- and right-wing governments prioritize in such endeavours, exposing the lower importance right-wing parties assign to democratic principles when managing their countries' foreign relations, as these governments are systematically more likely to interact with authoritarian regimes than with democracies.

Resurrecting the lost voices of Chinese scouts, who served society in the early stage of China’s War of Resistance, this article examines the militarization and politicization of Chinese scouting. After 1927, international scouting adapted to the militant and quasi-fascist ideologies promoted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (Guomindang or GMD). This, in turn, prompted a radicalization of the concept of citizenship among the scouts. The article illuminates this shift and reveals that the ultra-nationalistic sentiment cultivated by the GMD resulted in some scouts compelling ordinary people to behave patriotically. The scouts’ voluntary service worked hand in hand with the GMD’s authoritarian influence in Shanghai’s foreign concessions. They played a vanguard role in the early months of the war, working as kidnappers and intimidators for the GMD. The scouts’ violent and coercive tactics contradicted the long-held principles laid down by Robert Baden-Powell. Their actions outside of the civilian roles assigned to them disillusioned expatriate observers.

A schism between political theory and the broader discipline frequently shapes political science. How, when, and why did this occur? Deploying new archival evidence, I show how a cadre of leading political theorists between the 1940s and 1970s identified their vocation with humanism, presenting it as eternally opposed to the practices of “positivists” and “methodists.” To tell this story, I focus on key figures, Leo Strauss and Sheldon Wolin, and critical institutions—the Conference for the Study of Political Thought and the journal Political Theory—to recount how political theory went its own way and the consequences of it doing so.

The Chinese government is revolutionizing digital surveillance at home and exporting these technologies abroad. Do these technology transfers help recipient governments expand digital surveillance, impose internet shutdowns, filter the internet, and target repression for online content? We focus on Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications provider, which is partly state-owned and increasingly regarded as an instrument of its foreign policy. Using a global sample and an identification strategy based on generalized synthetic controls, we show that the effect of Huawei transfers depends on preexisting political institutions in recipient countries. In the world’s autocracies, Huawei technology facilitates digital repression. We find no effect in the world’s democracies, which are more likely to have laws that regulate digital privacy, institutions that punish government violations, and vibrant civil societies that step in when institutions come under strain. Most broadly, this article advances a large literature about the geopolitical implications of China’s rise.

Quality improvement (QI) is an evidence-based approach to analysing and improving healthcare systems. QI's success has led it to become a required competency expected of medical professionals in several countries. However, much of the QI literature to date has not focused on mental health. Moreover, many psychiatrists have no formal training in QI. To address this gap, this article introduces key QI concepts, including six dimensions of quality care, the Model for Improvement and plan–do–study–act cycles. Each QI concept is illustrated using a fictitious case study of an out-patient psychiatrist reducing chronic benzodiazepine use in their clinic.

Radiocarbon (14C) dating of soil samples by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) has been proven useful for studying carbon (C) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, this application has two primary difficulties in sample preparation: inhibition of graphite formation due to sulfur (S)-containing impurities and contamination of samples with modern C (MC). Herein, we evaluated these effects using three sample preparation methods (silver foil, silver wire, and Sulfix) by conducting AMS-14C measurements of a 14C-dead charred wood and S-rich soil samples. The preparation methods were all successful in graphite formation and AMS-14C measurement for soil samples with an organic S content <6.9 wt%. The methods showed different percent modern carbon (pMC) values from 0.16% to 0.64% for the 14C-dead sample. The results also revealed that across different methods, MC contamination can be significantly reduced by applying two-step procedure (combustion and subsequent reaction to remove S-containing impurities) during sample preparation. The three methods had a negligible influence on determining the 14C age for samples that were at least younger than 12,000 yr BP. As the 14C ages of the soil samples are typically younger than 12,000 yr BP, any method explored in this study can be employed for 14C dating with sufficient accuracy for application to C cycle studies.