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Unsettling forensics: novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative knowledge practices in Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste

The integration of forensic knowledge and associated practices into a growing number of human rights and humanitarian investigations, as well as transitional justice processes has led some scholars to claim a “forensic turn.” This turn is marked by the rise of forensic practices as “necro-governmental” technologies that seek to deliver certainty to the living and to the state so that a new political order can be created, a new future ushered in (Rojas-Perez, 2017, p. 19). Yet is the forensic turn truly globalized? Focusing on the cases of Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka, this article probes how states and citizens in these post-conflict settings are attempting to manage the unsettling indeterminacies of dead and missing bodies largely without recourse to forensic expertise. These cases shed light on the novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative modes of local knowledge production that emerge in settings where there is a relative absence of forensic expertise. They also show how the necro-governmental project of fixing the meanings and identities of the dead (forensic or otherwise) is always ongoing, never fully or finally complete. This is because the unsettling indeterminacies of missing and dead bodies allow those bodies to be drawn into intimate practices of care and mourning and more public political projects that can resist attempts to close off their meanings.

A data-driven framework for occupancy optimisation strategies towards energy demand reduction in non-domestic buildings

Proactive strategies for data-driven operational schedules based on monitored occupancy patters can enable energy demand reduction and optimal resource utilisation. A replicable framework that enables strategic closure of specific thermal zones is introduced and design and operational considerations are discussed. The potential of the framework is illustrated through a case study building, where up to 6% annual energy savings were estimated, highlighting the effectiveness of zone closures. Further findings indicated that total energy savings from the simultaneous closure of multiple zones were marginally larger compared to savings from closing off zones individually, depending on zone capacity and use. Therefore, balanced considerations should take place prior to selecting which zones to close off, also taking into account user acceptability, capacity of systems and controls as well as the internal layout of the building. The research enhances the understanding of the relationship between occupancy and energy demand, while offering recommendations for more energy efficient and sustainable building design and operations that require minimal capital cost. Practical Application This paper provides design and operational considerations based on a robust and replicable framework for energy savings by optimising operational building schedules based on monitored occupancy patterns. This allows a proactive implementation of data-driven strategies that maximise resource utilisation, such as closure of specific zones during periods of low occupancy, without requiring any physical intervention. The findings on a case study building demonstrate that annual energy savings can be achieved, underscoring the potential for substantial cost reductions and improved energy efficiency. Applications can also extend to optimising energy demand for energy flexibility.

«Слепые пятна» норманнистских гипотез в проблеме возникновения Древ-нерусского государства

The author considers some of the “blind spots” of the “Scandinavian-centric” hypotheses in the issue of the emergence of the Old Russian state. He demonstrates that the adherents of the “Scandinavian-centric paradigm” very often resort to ad hoc explanations without noticing the critical contradictions that arise in their constructions. If one collects partial statements of the Scandinavian-centric hypotheses, we see how they begin to contradict each other. For example, according to Elena A. Melnikova, the Old Russian “варѧгъ” comes from the Scandinavian “væringi”, which in turn comes from Greek “βάρaγγοι”, and Greek “βάρaγγοι”, comes from the Old Russian “варѧгъ”. In the context of the processes leading to the formation of the Old Russian state, the author critically evaluates the ideas of the “Scandinavian control on the Baltic-Volga trade route” and “Scandinavian colonies” in Eastern Europe. The local polities of Eastern Europe in the early Middle Ages, whether Slavic, Baltic or Finnish, obviously possessed sufficient power and military potential to close off uncontrolled movement along the river routes to the Scandinavians, if they so wished. The author also raises the question of the initial political status and the actual role of the emerging trade settlements in Ladoga and Gnezdovo in the formation of the Old Russian state.

‘Blind Spots’ of the ‘Scandinavian-Centric’ Hypothesis on the Origin of the Old Russian State

The author considers some of the ‘blind spots’ of the ‘Scandinavian-centric’ hypotheses on the emergence of the Old Russian state. He shows that adherents of the ‘Scandinavian-centric paradigm’ very often resort to ad hoc explanations without noticing the critical contradictions in their constructions. If we collect partial statements of the Scandinavian-centred hypotheses, we see how they begin to contradict each other. For example, according to Elena Melnikova, Old Russian ‘варѧгъ’ comes from Scandinavian ‘væringi’, which in turn comes from Greek ‘βάρaγγοι’, and Greek ‘βάρaγγοι’ in turn comes from the Old Russian ‘варѧгъ’. In the context of the processes leading to the formation of the Old Russian state, the author critically evaluates the ideas of the ‘Scandinavian control over the Baltic-Volga trade route’ and ‘Scandinavian colonies’ in Eastern Europe. The local polities of early medieval Eastern Europe, whether Slavic, Baltic or Finnish, obviously possessed sufficient power and military potential to close off uncontrolled movement along the river routes to the Scandinavians if they so wished. The author also raises the question of the initial political status and real role in the formation of the Old Russian state of the emerging settlements specialized in trade in Ladoga and Gnezdovo.

Emergence in Context: A Treatise in Twenty-First Century Natural Philosophy

Emergence in Context: A Treatise in Twenty-First Century Natural Philosophy

Financing of state-owned entities: Can the Trade-off Theory explain the debt structure?

The purpose of this research is to determine if the financing behaviour of South African state-owned entities (SOEs) have a target capital structure which they adjust towards and if so, the speed of adjustment, a central tenet of the Trade-off Theory. An unbalanced panel data set from a sample of thirty-three commercial SOEs were studied using a dynamic partial adjustment model. The findings provide strong evidence that South African SOEs follow the trade-off theory based on the existence of a target capital structure and speed of adjustment of 21.5% per annum towards the target which is slower than other SOEs in developing economies. The findings also revealed that these SOEs take almost five years to close off two-thirds of the gap between the actual and optimal capital structures. The findings will be of interest to observers of the economy, as they measure the capacity of SOEs to play a leading role in investment and in improving the efficiency of the economy. They could also inform decision making and policy development on SOEs.

THE INTERACTION OF TREATY AND CUSTOM IN THE CONCEPT OF OFFSHORE ARCHIPELAGOS

AbstractThe law of the sea has long been a rich source of examples of the interplay, and occasional entanglement, of treaty and custom. This article discusses whether claims to close off the waters of ‘offshore archipelagos' by non-archipelagic States are consistent with international law against the background of this perennial issue. Analysis of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) demonstrates quite clearly that there is no basis for such claims. ‘Going beyond the LOSC’ the article examines whether the matter remains subject to customary international law; whether subsequent practice may have established the agreement of the parties that the relevant provisions of the LOSC are to be interpreted as allowing their invocation by non-archipelagic States with offshore archipelagos; and whether there is ‘supervening custom’ that may have emerged since the adoption of the LOSC and that permits such claims by non-archipelagic States. Identifying and critically assessing the current state of international law on these fundamental questions of the relationship between treaty and custom, it is concluded that there is no basis for arguing that non-archipelagic States are able to claim any sort of special status for ‘offshore archipelagos’.

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Parents and Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

ABSTRACT The spread of COVID-19 resulted in restrictive lockdowns. For families supporting young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the service system was stripped away. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of this challenging situation on a group of Australian carers and parents of children and young people with ASD, with an intention to inform policy and practice based on the lived experiences of these families. A survey of parents of children and young people with ASD in Australia returned 117 responses, of which 86 responded to open-ended questions about COVID-19 lockdowns. Twelve parents responded to the invitation to be interviewed. Interview and survey data were analysed thematically. Five themes emerged: accessing support services, receiving support services online, changes in behaviour, higher levels of conflict, and impact on health and relationships. The experience of lockdowns under COVID-19 undermined informal and formal support systems, and had a particularly strong negative impact on the experiences of children with ASD and their families. These findings also provide support for understanding the social model of disability as a mainstay in the lives of children with disabilities and their carers. IMPLICATIONS The social model of disability was dismantled for children and young people and their carers during the COVID crisis. This unacceptable attack on the human rights of disabled people (people with a disability) needs future planning to ensure that it does not occur again. Future crises require more nuanced policy and practice responses that do not close off all child and family supports to children with ASD and their carers.

Vision Documents, Nation Branding and the Legitimation of Non-democratic Regimes

ABSTRACT Documents play a vital role in constructing political regimes and their geopolitical relations. In this article, we analyse a particular type of document – the 21st century national vision – and examine its political work. Often glossy (digital) documents featuring simple slogans, fantastic plans, and claims to global relevance and prestige, national visions make specific futures present and close off room for alternative interpretations. Combining work in critical geopolitics with research on nation branding and authoritarian legitimation, we argue that national vision documents are productive – rather than merely reflective – of geopolitical scripts and the future they make possible. Analysing this practice in three image-savvy non-democratic regimes – Kazakhstan, Qatar and Thailand – we show how such scripts are simplified in national vision documents and displace the complexity of the spaces they claim to represent. The oversimplified abstractions they present then resonate widely in national and public discourse, where they obscure struggles over national identity, directions of economic development, and the nature of political orders. Rather than superficial branding documents, national visions are key documents for the making of authoritarian regime legitimation claims today.

Assessment of resin systems as solution for well integrity challenge in carbonate reservoirs

Well integrity is defined as technical, operational, and organizational solutions specifically aimed at the reduction of the risk of formation fluids release throughout a well's life cycle. Cement integrity is one of the main aspects that comprises well integrity. Cement integrity must be ensured throughout a well's life cycle as well as after abandonment. If the cement was to lose its integrity, the consequences for the personnel, the equipment, and the environment could be severe. Cement failures might lead to leakages that can seep through the cement pathways; sealant materials are used to plug these pathways. The actual and real-time disputes are mainly dependent on the technical approaches currently available to limit the main causes of well integrity deficiency. These include cementing jobs, substantial design based on downhole conditions, material selection criticality, well construction performance, and technological resources. Additionally, in this specific context, well integrity also refers to the control of the flow inside the wellbore (between different horizons) and the flow from the well (especially in the annulus behind the casing). The worst-case scenario would be the loss of wellbore integrity, and it would be identified as the collapse of the well caused by failure of the construction material. The focal point of the research presented in this paper is the cement quality and its role in developing the most vigorous well casing possible. The focus was centered around resin additives such as microbond, latex, and crystal seal. Microbond is a white mineral cement-based liquid with exceptional performances when combined with cement. Latex is composed of rubber particles dispersed in water, usually found in white liquid form. Crystal seal is a yellow colloidal material highly regarded for sealing properties when mixed with concrete mixtures. These additives were individually incorporated into cement-based samples, in varying concentrations, for testing the changes in properties suitable for well integrity considerations. Highly specialized and sophisticated cement testing apparatuses, such as the ultrasonic cement analyzer (UCA), static gel Strength machine (SGSM), and curing chamber, have been used to perform qualitative and quantitative property gradient tests. Based on the performed experimental tests results, the optimal additive resin for a class G cement slurry is the microbond additive at a concentration of 7.5%. The results highlighted its ability to enhance the cement compressive strength by 52%. Additionally, the transit time showed a 26–42% range decrease in the travel period, indicating that the cement was stronger under increased pressure and temperature. This can clear up the permeable section of the well wherein the cement-resin slurry could efficiently close off wellbore intersecting faults and, therefore, prevent possible connections between the wellbore and water zones in the subsurface. As a result, microbond, latex, and crystal seal, respectively, show the effect of varying controlled conditions as functions of the increase in concentration, curing time, and temperature to its comparable properties such as breakload, compressive strength, and ultimate break force. This study can further support future analysis in improving the reliability of petroleum well constructions.

Building Borders and “No Borders”: Infrastructural Politics as Imagination

Since 2015 when migration across the Mediterranean was declared a “crisis” in Europe, the language of crisis and invasion has persisted, structuring conversations and political imaginations. This has led many to argue for the strict closure of borders and the deportation of migrants or “people on the move,”1 and to a deepening set of racisms within borders. But this “crisis” has also led to a less publicized, opposing struggle against borders, in the service of a more egalitarian world. I argue that in order to really understand how borders are being regulated or unregulated, we need to look not only at the international legal realm, but also at infrastructural politics.2 In this Essay, I will discuss two different terrains of infrastructural struggle over migration and borders: the first is about border walls, which are built to close off resources and partition the world into haves and have nots; the second is an infrastructure of collective living, where people-on-the-move are occupying abandoned spaces and working against borders and private property. I suggest that it is important to attend to the infrastructural dimensions of migration and border regimes, as they can produce and regularize exclusion and conceal it from the conventional field of political discussion and legal contestation. At the same time, new infrastructures can prefigure better, more equitable worlds.

Buy America and Buy American: Can Canada Expect a Deal from the Biden Administration?

AbstractAfter US President Joe Biden took office, some believed he would take a different path from that of his predecessor and that the Trump years were over. However, one of President Biden’s first moves was to strengthen American protectionism by heightening the United States’s “Buy America” and “Buy American” requirements. With this, the American government procurement market started to close off even more, and Canadian suppliers, in turn, grew worried. Given the United States’s international procurement commitments and the specificity of the Buy American Act and the Buy America Policy, this article explores the pathways to favourable treatment of Canadian suppliers in keeping with applicable international trade rules.

The Evolution of Paleo-Porosity in Basalts: Reversing Pore-Filling Mechanisms Using X-Ray Computed Tomography

Often carrying a high-volume fraction of vesicles, basaltic rocks can be an important reservoir horizon in petroleum systems, and are considered an excellent candidate for CO2 storage by in situ mineral trapping. The frequency of amygdaloidal basalts in many sequences highlights the prevalence of mineralisation, but when the vesicle network has been filled, the basalts can act as impermeable seals and traps. Characterising the spatial and temporal evolution of the porosity and permeability is critical to understanding the petro-physical properties and CO2 storage potential of basalts. We exploit X-ray computed tomography (XCT) to investigate the precipitation history of an amygdaloidal basalt containing a pore-connecting micro fracture network now partially filled by calcite as an analogue for CO2 mineral trapping in a vesicular basalt. The fracture network likely represents a preferential pathway for CO2-rich fluids during mineralisation. We investigate and quantify the evolution of basalt porosity and permeability during pore-filling calcite precipitation by applying novel numerical erosion techniques to “back-strip” the calcite from the amygdales and fracture networks. We provide a semi-quantitative technique for defining reservoir potential and quality through time and understanding sub-surface flow and storage. We found that permeability evolution is dependent on the precipitation mechanism and rates, as well as on the presence of micro fracture networks, and that once the precipitation is sufficient to close off all pores, permeability reaches values that are controlled by the micro fracture network. These results prompt further studies to determine CO2 mineral trapping mechanisms in amygdaloidal basalts as analogues for CO2 injections in basalt formations.

Storylines of Geoengineering in the Australian Media: An Analysis of Online Coverage 2006–2018

ABSTRACT In the light of inadequate global emissions mitigation, geoengineering – solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal – is increasingly being positioned and problematized by some researchers, policymakers, and advocates as a partial solution for avoiding catastrophic levels of warming. However, there are concerns that geoengineering may serve as a rhetorical tactic for delaying emissions reduction. As the news media field is an important space in which storylines surrounding geoengineering are created and circulated, the manner in which media actors discuss these topics is an important factor that can legitimate some policy pathways and close off others. In this paper, we analyze patterns in news media coverage of geoengineering in Australia to identify four dominant storylines: “a symptom of systems failure”, “silver buckshot”, “the Faustian bargain”, and “time for plan B”. We consider the implication of these storylines for the role that geoengineering may play in the Australian climate policy regime. We identify a risk geoengineering may be positioned as a rhetorical tactic for delaying emissions reduction. However, we note that the storylines in the public sphere provide a basis for public debate that engages critically with geoengineering, engaging with risks and differentiating solar radiation management from carbon dioxide removal.

Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman

Pandora’s box: The two sides of the public sphere

The public sphere is the site where the collective will of the people is formed. The thesis is that to the extent that the people are constructed as entities that pre-exist their collective will, the public sphere contributes to fostering the evil among a people and between the people. This is discussed using the cases of nationalism, sovereigntism and populism. The narrative of Pandora’s box provides the analytical leverage for retelling the theory of the public sphere. The story is that after the evils escaped Pandora’s box, hope remained. This leads to two propositions: hope as preventing the closing off of the future of a people and hope as fostering collective learning processes that rectify the evils. These propositions provide the ground for a critical theory of the public sphere in which the force of the better argument is insufficient to explain the capability of a people to rectify the bad. It is a theory in which social relations matter that turn individuals into a people beyond national, statist or populist containers, making a people that is open to define and redefine itself in collective learning processes.

Transient Political Infrastructures: Toward an Atlas of the Chilean Uprising

The Chilean uprising has been defined by detractors and sympathizers as an “estallido social” or social explosion, alluding to its perceived transient character. Assumptions about spontaneity have similarly underpinned diagnoses of its political significance. It is either a problem to be pacified or limited for generating alternatives. This article problematizes this perceived transience, focusing instead on the event’s rhythms, atmospheres and materialities. The article seeks to contribute to projects of collective knowledge production that underline the need to archive, map and theorise events as lived history. Studying the uprising as lived history does not elicit a particular response but rather initiates an investigation into what it makes possible. The figure of the atlas is developed for such an investigation. An atlas curates the emerging archive by composing images and text, not to close off meaning but rather allow for imagination to enter the realm of knowledge.

Effects of mineral surface silanization and bitumen coating on its filtration from an aqueous slurry

The effects of residual bitumen on oil sands tailings filtration have rarely been examined. In the present work, the filtration of bitumen-coated minerals, including quartz, rutile, kaolinite, and montmorillonite, was studied. Bitumen-coated quartz was compared with silanized quartz to decouple the effects of surface hydrophobicity and adsorbed bitumen layer on filtration. The minerals were treated in bitumen-toluene solutions with different bitumen concentrations. The treated minerals were subjected to vaccum filtration and their wettability was measured by sessile drop contact angle method. It was found that the filtration rate of silanized quartz was linearly correlated with contact angle. It was also observed that at low bitumen concentration, the contact angle and filtration rate of all tested minerals were increased. However, at high bitumen concentration, the filtration rates were reduced drastically despite the high contact angle. CHNS elemental analyses, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy surface composition and depth profile analyses showed that the minerals had higher C, N, S contents and thicker bitumen layer when they were treated at higher bitumen concentration. It was hypothesized that under the pressure gradient during filtration, the thick and patchy bitumen coating layers could inter-penetrate when the mineral particles were pushed together, to form a inter-locked film to close off the pores in the filter cake. Indeed, mineral-bitumen aggregates were observed by X-ray microscope/nanoCT imaging of the filter cake. It was concluded that a thin layer of bitumen coating helped filtration due to the induced hydrophobicity, but a thick (and patchy) bitumen coating impeded filtration.

The Nemesia trapdoor spider fauna of the Maltese archipelago, with the description of two new species (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Nemesiidae)

Contrary to what its name suggests, Nemesia arboricola is not strictly arboreal in habit. Here we compare female specimens of N. arboricola collected from arboreal and terrestrial nests. We furthermore describe the male of N. arboricola for the first time as well as two recently discovered species of Nemesia (N. maltensis sp. nov. and N. cominensis sp. nov.). Nemesia maltensis is described from both sexes, N. cominensis is described from the female and a juvenile male specimen. For N. cominensis we discuss the sexual dimorphism of juvenile male and female spiders. Field observations and laboratory observations show remarkable features of the Maltese Nemesia fauna that are unknown from Nemesia species found elsewhere. Particularly, the arboreal dwellings of N. arboricola and the absence of a trapdoor to close off the burrow entrance in N. maltensis appear to be exceptional. The composition of the Maltese Nemesia fauna, as located in the central Mediterranean, is finally discussed in relation to the different Nemesia species-complexes occurring in the eastern and western Mediterranean basin.

Quantifying risk assessments for monitoring control and surveillance of illegal fishing

Abstract One of the key international efforts to reduce Illegal, Unreported,and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Port State Measures Agreement. The agreement is designed to close off the opportunities for non-compliance, such as vessels engaging in illegal practices to land their catch. However, with thousands of vessels at sea and relatively limited inspection capacity, enhanced communication and information sharing to identify priority high-risk vessels is fundamental to successful implementation. Moving from traditional qualitative to quantitative risk assessments is one key step in ensuring the effective and efficient implementation. Risk profiling is in its infancy in the field of IUU fishing. Here, we present a transparent and repeatable method for eliciting quantitative weightings for indicators of IUU fishing using the Analytical Hierarchy Process. The method highlights the improvements in discrepancy with quantitative rankings, in comparison to traditional qualitative approach used, and the inherent ambiguity associated. This method can help to improve decision support systems used by fisheries surveillance agencies around the world. Knowing which vessels are high-risk is key to decision-making. Working towards a quantitative risk-based approach is fundamental step to improving oversight and control of IUU.