Through a series of example research studies, we illustrate processes in translating case report forms to increase language diversity in study populations while simultaneously highlighting implications for data collection and analyses. The Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center manages the translation of participant-facing study documents into languages other than English through a process that has been refined over several years, adjusting for changes in technical capabilities in electronic case report forms. This approach to manage, examine for context, and implement certified case report form translations offers an efficient workflow to streamline data capture in multiple languages.

This article re-examines the association between democratization and the cost of borrowing abroad in the first era of globalization. Using two representative datasets the literature offers but employing an improved method for panel event study, we find that democratization's impact on the costs of foreign borrowing is uncertain. In one case, the estimated coefficients are similar to the sign and magnitude of the original study but with larger standard errors, rendering the impact statistically insignificant. In the other case, the estimated coefficients hover around zero and are not statistically different from zero.

Metabolic enzymes are the catalysts that drive the biochemical reactions essential for sustaining life. Many of these enzymes are tightly regulated by feedback mechanisms. To fully understand their roles and modulation, it is crucial to investigate the relationship between their structure, catalytic mechanism, and function. In this perspective, by using three examples from our studies on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isocitrate lyase and related proteins, we highlight how an integrated approach combining structural, activity, and biophysical data provides insights into their biological functions. These examples underscore the importance of employing fast-fail experiments at the early stages of a research project, emphasise the value of complementary techniques in validating findings, and demonstrate how in vitro data combined with chemical, biochemical, and physiological knowledge can lead to a broader understanding of metabolic adaptations in pathogenic bacteria. Finally, we address the unexplored questions in Mtb metabolism and discuss how we expand our approach to include microbiological and bioanalytical techniques to further our understanding. Such an integrated and interdisciplinary strategy has the potential to uncover novel regulatory mechanisms and identify new therapeutic opportunities for the eradication of tuberculosis. The approach can also be broadly applied to investigate other biochemical networks and complex biological systems.

Threat perception in international relations has received much academic attention and continues to do so. Other contributions to this special section on how leaders feel security dangers or perceive threats with radical uncertainty are closely intertwined with this article’s focus on threats that are vague and not immediately perceptible. Humans possess a capacity for thinking about and imagining the future known as prospection. Faced with threatening futures, can governments prepare their civil servants to systematically manage uncertainties and anticipate dangers? Drawing on empirical data from interviews with foresight practitioners in the United Kingdom and Singapore, this article examines how governments are nudging civil servants to deploy futures techniques as part of threat perception.

This paper examines the economic impact of wine counterfeiting, with a focus on the Sassicaia scandal, publicized in 2020, regarding counterfeit 2015 vintage bottles of the iconic Super Tuscan wine. Wine fraud, documented since ancient Rome, has evolved alongside the industry, with key developments such as the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée system aiming to curb it. The paper briefly reviews three other significant modern cases of wine counterfeiting: the Hardy Rodenstock “Jefferson bottles” affair, the Brunello di Montalcino scandal, and Rudy Kurniawan’s counterfeit operation. It then shifts to a detailed analysis of the case of Sassicaia. We combine informal analysis using data plots and a formal difference-in-differences analysis to assess the market impact of the 2015 Sassicaia scandal. We find that, surprisingly, the scandal led to an increase in the price of authentic 2015 Sassicaia, perhaps driven by perceived rarity and media attention.

We conducted experiments in a laboratory to study turbulent flow over wind generated water waves. The experiments were performed in a wind-wave-current flume with three free stream wind speeds of Uref = 6.0, 8.0 and 10.0 m s−1, corresponding to 10 m equivalent wind speed of U10 = 10.2, 12.2 and 14.1 m s−1 and the root-mean-square wave height of 0.7, 1.1 and 1.7 cm, respectively, at a fetch of 6.2 m. The instantaneous velocity fields above the waves were obtained by using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The velocity fields were decomposed into the mean, wave-induced and turbulent velocity components. The tested wind waves were primarily dissipated by capillaries and microscale breaking waves. The Bond number and the shear velocity-fetch based Reynolds number were found to correlate with the wind wave regimes well. The turbulent dissipation rates above the water surface were determined based on resolved spatial gradient of instantaneous velocities, where the time-averaged dissipation rate values were calibrated using those estimated from the one-dimensional velocity spectrum in the temporal space. Subsequently, the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget including its production, dissipation, advection and turbulent transport was presented. In addition, conditional averaging analysis of the TKE budgets over leeward, windward sides and all phases was performed. The results showed a strong dependency with the wave phase in the TKE budget terms except for the dissipation. The production-dissipation ratio increased significantly as the wind speed increased, likely attributed to the increased roughness over the substantial coverage of micro-breaking waves.

The reconfigurable mechanisms can satisfy the requirements of changing environments, working conditions, and tasks on the function and performance of the mechanism and can be applied to machine tool manufacturing, space detection, etc. Inspired by the single-vertex fivefold origami pattern, a new reconfigurable parallel mechanism is proposed in this paper, which has special singular positions and stable motion due to replicating the stabilizing kinematic properties of origami. Through analyzing the topologic change of the folding process of the pattern and treating it as a reconfigurable joint, a new reconfigurable parallel mechanism with 3, 4, 5, or 6 degrees of freedom is obtained. Then, the kinematics solution, workspace, and singularity of the mechanism are calculated. The results indicate that the singular configuration of the origami-derived reconfigurable parallel mechanism is mainly located in a special plane, and the scope of the workspace is still large after the configuration change. The mechanism has the potential to adapt to multiple tasks and working conditions through the conversion among different configurations by folding reconfigurable joints on the branch chain.

The electromagnetic scattering problem over a wide incident angle can be rapidly solved by introducing the compressive sensing theory into the method of moments, whose main computational complexity is comprised of two parts: a few calculations of matrix equations and the recovery of original induced currents. To further improve the method, a novel construction scheme of measurement matrix is proposed in this paper. With the help of the measurement matrix, one can obtain a sparse sensing matrix, and consequently the computational cost for recovery can be reduced by at least half. The scheme is described in detail, and the analysis of computational complexity and numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness.

Nacrite and dickite are found in two localities in northern Taiwan. One, containing nacrite and dickite, is associated with a gold-enargite deposit as a vug-filling clay in the Chinkushih (CKS) mine district near the northern coast. The other is the occurrence of dickite in the interstices of a Miocene coarse-grained quartzose sandstone in the Nanshihchiao (NSC) area, near Taipei city. X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and petrographic examinations were used to characterize the mineralogical features. Nacrite most often takes the unusual form of rhombic platelets, and dickite is commonly elongated in habit with the shapes possibly related to their origin. Based on geological evidence, we believe that both nacrite and dickite are of hydrothermal origin. In the CKS area, the formation of nacrite and dickite is related to the hypogene gold-enargite mineralization. In contrast, the transformation of dickite in the NSC area is due to the influence of the raised temperatures of sandstone formation, resulting from volcanic activity during the Kungkuan stage after the deposition of the sandstone.

The iron-rich calcareous soil (Typic Rhodustalf) from the Penghu island group represents a volcanic area. The black soils (Typic Haplustert, Vertic Endoaquoll, Typic Hapludolls) are typical of eastern Taiwan. Four A horizons and a pedon from the iron-rich calcareous soil and four pedons from the black soils were studied to analyze soil properties and clay compositions. The objective was to compare the properties of smectites developed from different parent materials. The materials were studied by using conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD) of K- and Mg-saturated clays and involved the alkylam-monium (C = 12) method and the Greene-Kelly test. The mean-layer charge of smectites (0.48–0.52 cmol(c)/O10(OH)2) in the iron-rich calcareous soil was found to be higher than the black soils (0.43–0.48 cmol(c)/O10(OH)2). A smectite of higher charge developed from the basalts. This smectite is enriched in Fe and Mg, and lacks Si, thereby forming beidellite and/or nontronite. In contrast, under high precipitation, elevated temperature, base saturation (e.g., Na, K, Ca, Mg), and about equal wet and dry cycles per year in the black soil environments, smectites developed from the complicated geologic site of eastern Taiwan. These smectites transformed to smectite-kaolinite mixed-layer clay and thus, resulted in lower-charge smectites. The K fixation capacity of the iron-rich calcareous soil was higher than the black soils.

Clay mineral compositions from 2 paleosol profiles (Chu-Wan, CW, and Shiao-Men Yu, SMY, profiles) on the late-Miocene sediments in Penghu Islands (Pescadores), Taiwan, are characterized by random X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By the clay assemblage of the paleosol profile, we want to explore the probable formation mode of the Penghu paleosols.

The paleosol profiles in study are overlain by a layer of basalt flow. However, the clay mineralogy of the 2 paleosols was not altered metasomatically after burial. Results show that 3 distinctive zones of different dominating kaolin-group minerals are apparent in the profiles. In descending order, they are: 1) spheroidal, hollow 7Å-halloysite, 2) platy, irregular-shaped and disordered kaolinite, and 3) platy, irregular-shaped, disordered kaolinite. The relative crystallinity of kaolin minerals of the 3 layers is: layer 2 > layer 3 > layer 1. On the basis of the XRD, TEM analyses and the crystallinity calculations, the distribution of kaolin in Penghu paleosol profiles appears to be unique. Penghu paleosol profiles show systematic change in kaolin crystallinity and polymorphs with depth. Because the clay type is heterogeneous within the profile, this represents that Penghu paleosol profiles were polypedogenic.

The contact between the upper basalt and the paleosol is the erosion surface, so we do not know exactly what the thickness of the original paleosol was. The first layer (about 20 cm) of the profiles appears to be constituents of the original paleosol. It contains high contents of pedogenic (in situ weathering) hematites and 7Å-halloysites, which implies that the local climate of the Penghu Islands at late Miocene was warm and humid. Intense leaching and dry/wet cycle should be the reason for high contents of halloysite (>60%) in the Penghu paleosols. Laterization was the probable pedogenic process for the formation of the paleosols.

Chinmen Island is located in the west of the Taiwan Strait, 15 km from the coast of mainland China. Mesozoic granitic gneiss forms the basement rocks of the island. High-defect kaolin deposits, both major sedimentary and minor residual types of clays, have been mined for ceramic uses for many years. The objectives of this study were to characterize the kaolin deposits and to discuss the genesis of kaolin minerals on the island. The kaolin samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission and scanning electron microscopy. In general, the particle-size distribution of the sedimentary kaolin was 0.5–5.0% sand, 15–55% silt and 30–85% clay. In the clay fraction, the ratio of kaolinite to illite ranged from 9:1 to 3:1. The sedimentary kaolin materials were originally transported by river from mainland China. Kaolinite occurred generally as pseudo-hexagonal platelets of ∼1 µm in diameter. The residual kaolin minerals resulted from the argillization of granitoid rocks by in situ weathering which possibly occurred during the Pleistocene. The residual kaolin contained more tubular halloysite.

The purposes of this study were: (1) to review the preparation and characterization of the intergrowth between goethite and hematite crystals; and (2) to propose a schematic diagram of the epitaxial relationships among three sets of (100) goethite twin crystals associated with the (001) orientation of the hexagonal prism of hematite. The Fe(ClO4)3 solution was prepared and aged at 70°C, which precipitated goethite initially and produced hematite later with prolonged aging. Goethite and hematite aged for 20 days were observed as star-shaped and hexagonal prisms, respectively. The results suggest that hematite could form later using goethite as a template surface. A selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern showed the epitaxial relationship among three sets of (100) goethite intergrowth crystals and hexagonal prisms with the (001) orientation of hematite. Goethite can be produced as lath-, X-, K-, or star-shaped crystals on the (100) orientation, depending on the Fe(ClO4)3 concentrations and the addition of HClO4 to Fe solution samples which were aged for a prolonged period at room temperature. The initial solubility products [(Fe3+)(OH–)3] of the sample solution, rather than the nature of the nuclei, are the key factors governing the formation of goethite or hematite. The addition of acids and high concentrations of iron solutions extend the secondary hydrolysis and induction period (IP) and favor the formation of hematite. The index of the SAED pattern of the star-shaped goethite intergrowth twin crystal has a (100) plane parallel to this basal plane and rotates at a 60° angle between two or three sets of lath-shaped goethite crystals, which share the (011) plane and form goethite twins with ‘interpenetrated’ crystal growth. Stereoscopic viewing using Oak Ridge Thermal Ellipsoid Plot (ORTEP) and CrystalMaker software was deployed to explore the relationship and configuration of oxygen atoms between pseudo-hexagonal (100) goethite associated with hexagonal (001) hematite lattice planes. A schematic diagram of the epitaxial relationship between star-shaped (100) goethite, which is acting as a template facilitating later precipitation of (001) hexagonal prisms of hematite on it, is presented.

Lithiophorite is a naturally occurring phyllomanganate which has been identified in soils and ores. Studies on a synthetic version have shed light on the conditions required for the formation of lithiophorite. In this study, we successfully prepared lithiophorite under highly alkaline conditions. In addition, we found that Li+, Al3+ and hydrothermal treatment are all necessary for the formation of lithiophorite. Lithiophorite, birnessite and Li-intercalated gibbsite were examined by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The Mn oxide sheets of lithiophorite and birnessite were found to have quite similar structural environments. On the other hand, the LiAl2(OH)6 sheets are affected more markedly by the Mn oxide sheets. After intercalation, the symmetry of the six interlayer OH groups of LiAl2(OH)6 is reduced and they are divided into two groups occupying different sites, corresponding to the IR absorption bands at 3480 and 3312 cm−1, respectively.

Electro-osmotic chemical treatment is an innovative method to improve the strength of soft clays for geotechnical engineering purposes; the effectiveness of the treatment may be related to treatment time, the concentration of the solutions injected, and to variation of pH in the clay. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the above-mentioned factors and the improvement in strength when calcium chloride solution was used as an injection material. A series of tests was carried out by injecting different concentrations of calcium chloride solution into a kaolin suspension, for different treatment times, during electro-osmosis. After the tests, the pH, cone resistance, water content, and concentration of Ca2+ in the kaolin at different locations were measured and analyzed. The results show that the concentration of Ca2+ in the kaolin, the pH, and the strength were increased near the cathode with increases in concentration of CaCl2 and treatment time. An insignificant increase in strength, due to ion exchange over the entire specimen, for short treatment times of 2 to 24 h, was observed because of a small increase in concentration of Ca2+ and in pH. During long-term treatment (120 h), a considerable increase in concentration of Ca2+ (137.0 mg/g) and pH (pH = 10) was observed near the cathode. This led to a pozzolanic reaction, which in turn caused a significant increase in the mechanical strength of the kaolin.

The Tuluanshan Formation of the eastern Coastal Range of Taiwan overlies an andesitic core complex presumed to be the source of hydrothermal fluids responsible for the Si- and Mg-rich mineralization of sepiolite and palygorskite (attapulgite) which are found in veins within fissures and in fracture zones of the volcanic rocks of the region. This study was undertaken in order to understand these relationships better by characterizing sepiolite and palygorskite in this Formation and by examining their occurrence and distribution in the Tungho (TH) and Chunjih (CJ) areas. Samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and petrographic, scanning (SEM), and transmission (TEM) electron microscopic methods. Sepiolite and palygorskite are blocky and earthy-type materials that display fibrous characteristics when viewed using TEM and SEM and occurred alone or with chalcedony in veins. The fibers of blocky sepiolite are commonly intercalated with smectite but the earthy type of sepiolite and palygorskite observed in this study displayed precipitation from fluid enriched in Si, Al, Mg, and minor Fe and depleted in other ions at an earlier stage of offset of the andesitic veins. Continuation of reverse faulting and high shearing stress caused the precipitation of a significant quantity of interlaminated sepiolite. Sepiolite and palygorskite were formed at an earlier stage of fluid interaction relative to smectite in the Tuluanshan Formation.

The dehydration and rehydration processes of the clay mineral palygorskite (PFl-1) were studied by textural analysis, thermogravimetric analysis connected with mass spectrometry (TGA-MS), and 29Si and 1H solid-state NMR techniques. The TGA-MS results clearly reveal weight losses at maxima of 70°C, 190°C, 430°C and 860°C. PFl-1 is characterized by a micropore area of 93 m2/g, corresponding to a micropore volume of 47 mm3/g. These values are also obtained for the sample heated up to 200°C for 20 h. Further heating at 300°C produces a collapse of the structure, as shown by the almost complete loss of microporosity.

The 29Si NMR spectra of palygorskite show two main resonances at −92.0 and −97.5 ppm, attributed to one of the two pairs of equivalent Si nuclei in the basal plane. A minor resonance at −84.3 ppm is attributed to Q2(Si-OH) Si nuclei. The resonance at −92.0 ppm is assigned to the central Si position, while the resonance at −97.5 ppm is assigned to the edge Si sites. It is confirmed bysolid-state 29Si and 1H NMR that nearly complete rehydration is achieved by exposing palygorskite samples that have been partially dehydrated at 150°C and 300°C, to D2O or water vapor at room temperature. When the rehydration is accomplished with D2O, the atoms are disordered across all the protons sites.

Palygorskite-indigo and sepiolite-indigo adducts (2 wt.% indigo) were prepared by crushing the two compounds together in a mortar and heating the resulting mixtures at 150 and 120°C, respectively, for 20 h. The samples were tested chemically to ensure that they displayed the characteristic properties of Maya Blue. Textural analysis revealed that no apparent changes in microporosity occurred in sepiolite or palygorskite after thermal treatment at 120°C (sepiolite) and 150°C (palygorskite) for 20 h. Micropore measurements showed a loss of microporosity in both sepiolite and palygorskite after reaction with indigo. The TGA-DTG curves of the sepiolite-indigo and palygorskite-indigo adducts were similar to their pure clay mineral counterparts except for an additional weight loss at ∼360°C due to indigo.

The 29Si CP/MAS-NMR spectrum of the heated sepiolite-indigo adduct is very reminiscent of the spectrum of dehydrated sepiolite. Crushing indigo and sepiolite together initiates a complexation, clearly seen in the 13C CP/MAS-NMR spectrum, which can be driven to completion by heat application. In contrast to the broad peaks of the pure indigo 13C CP/MAS-NMR spectrum, the sepiolite-indigo adduct spectrum consists of a well-defined series of six narrow peaks in the 120.0–125.0 ppm range. In addition, the sepiolite-indigo spectrum has two narrow, shifted peaks corresponding to the carbonyl group and the C-7 (C-16) of indigo. A model is proposed in which indigo molecules are rigidly fixed to the clay mineral surface through hydrogen bonds with edge silanol groups, and these molecules act to block the nano-tunnel entrances.

Soil aggregates consist of sand, silt, and clay size particles. Many of the clay size particles in soils are clay minerals, which actively influence soil behavior. The properties of clay minerals may change significantly as soil particle size decreases to the nanoscale; however, little information is available about these properties for the Ultisols in China. In the present study, the clay mineral components and structural characteristics of four particle-size fractions (i.e., <2000, 450–2000, 100–450, and 25–100 nm) of two Ultisol samples (Ult-1 and Ult-2) were investigated using elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. The molar SiO2 to Al2O3 ratios were lower in the nanoscale particle-size fraction (25–100 nm) than in the 450–2000 and <2000 nm fractions. This indicates greater desilicification and allitization of the smaller Ultisol particles. Furthermore, the Fe oxide and Al oxide contents increased and reached a maximum level in the 25–100 nm fraction of the two Ultisols. Goethite was mainly found in the 100–450 nm and 25–100 nm fractions. The dominant clay minerals in the Ultisol 25–100 nm fraction were kaolinite and illite with a small amount of a hydroxy-interlayered mineral in Ult-1 and gibbsite in Ult-2. The kaolinite crystallinity decreased as particle size decreased. The low crystallinity of the kaolinite in the A horizon 25–100 nm fraction was attributed to a reduction in the thickness of coherent scattering domains, as well as to decreases in OH groups and the dimensions of octahedral AlO6 sheets. A determination of the chemical and mineralogic properties of the different size fractions of the Ultisols is important to understand the desilicification and Al and Fe oxide enrichment mechanisms during soil formation. The significance of these results can help to reveal the nanoscale transformations of clay minerals. Analysis of clay mineral compositions in nanoparticles can provide the additional data needed to understand the adsorption and mobility of nutrients and pollutants.