Earlier Version Research Articles

An analysis of bluetooth 5 in comparison to bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth is a wire free standard of technology aimed at short distance communication. Its early versions are known as the Bluetooth classic whose range was between 10 to 100 meters depending on the version. The classic versions range from Bluetooth 1.0 to Bluetooth 3.0 after which need for longer ranges and lower energy consumption led to the rise of Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 through to the current version 5 specification. User demands and an advancement in technology has led to release of more Bluetooth versions with features that aim at improving the communication protocol.The main disadvantage for Bluetooth had always been its range limitations hence despite being one of the most commonly used communication protocol in many consumer electronics devices and being available in nearly 5 billion devices it never really hit its full adoption capacity. With Bluetooth 5’s extended range and higher speeds plus the possibility of a mesh protocol Bluetooth now boasts the ability to compete with other communication technologies like ZigBee and Wi-Fi.This paper at analyzes the new Bluetooth 5 protocol specification in comparison to Bluetooth 4.2 in regards to the power consumption, range capabilities, data throughput and Bit Error Rate (BER).The project consists of a client Bluetooth 5 capable SoC (System on Chip) in direct communication with a peripheral. The peripheral must be connected to the computer and will serve as the tester while the client responds to the requests that are sent by the tester. In the process of this interaction different readings that pertain to throughput, range capabilities and power consumption are recorded for analysis. The SoC employed for this system is Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52840 which is a Bluetooth 5 ready SoC.

Multi-method analysis of gender differences in psychological distress among the elderly during COVID

Abstract As COVID swept through Europe, and the world, with high rates of illness and death, so did symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, stress, and psychological distress. This study examines the relationship between gender and psychological distress among Latvians over 50 years old within the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Wave 8 COVID-19 data of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) as an early data version of the SHARE Corona survey conducted between June and August 2020. It features the data collected by telephone (CATI) on topics related to COVID-19 for a large sub-sample of SHARE panel respondents. This study examined a sample of 980 adults over 50 years old in Latvia. Bivariate analysis were performed utilizing the Pearson chi-square test for association to examine differences in symptoms of psychological distress by gender during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Level of significance was determined by the p-value test statistic. Alpha level was established at .05. A chi-square test for association shows that there were statistically relationships between gender and feeling nervous (X2 (2, N = 976) = 22.11, p < .001), feeling depressed (X2 (3, N = 976) = 10.95, p < .01), and trouble sleeping (X2 (2, N = 976) = 20.40, p < .001). This study rejects the null hypothesis that no differences exist between the genders, as women reported greater psychological distress during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional multi-method analysis is consistent with these findings and concludes that this is due to the greater concern women report for family, and the burden which placed limitations on meeting their children and grandchildren. Key messages

A laminated, emergentist view of skills ecosystems

ABSTRACT In this paper we present a model of vocational education and training (VET) that can be used to guide decisions relating to VET in Africa today. This model takes the critique of the neoclassical, neoliberal model of VET as its starting point. Guided by Bhaskar's Critical Naturalism, we use immanent critique to consider the adequacy of proposed alternatives to the neoclassical approach, such as: the heterodox approach, which foregrounds explanations based on human capital and political economy; and Hodgson and Spours' social ecosystem model, which addresses some of the limitations of the heterodox account by including, social and ecosystem elements. Finally, we offer a version of the social ecosystem model that, according to our analysis, explains more of the empirical evidence than previous models. Our version of the social ecosystem model differs from earlier versions in terms of its explicit reference to the critical realist ideas of position- practices and emergence.

Enhanced Efficiency of PrepFiler™ BTA DNA Extraction Kit with PrepFiler™ Lysis Buffer Top-Up over Sample Remnants

The PrepFiler™ BTA Forensic DNA Extraction Kit (BTA) is designed to purify DNA from challenging forensic samples including tissue, bone, tooth and adhesive-containing substrates. Earlier versions of the manual state that lysates are stable at ambient temperature for 24 h when 300 µL of PrepFiler™ lysis buffer is added to the lysate. The effect of centrifuging additional PrepFiler™ lysis buffer over PrepFiler™ BTA-lysed remnants has not been evaluated previously. This study evaluated the DNA yield and STR profile quality of BTA lysates after 24 h with or without PrepFiler™ lysis buffer addition over sample remnants. Blood, semen and buccal cells on tape were processed with 300 µL of PrepFiler™ lysis buffer added directly to spun lysates (standard) or over sample remnants (top-up), and DNA extracted immediately or 24 h after lysis. The top-up method generated higher DNA yields for all tape samples tested, with diluted semen returning the greatest improvement. Comparison of standard and top-up methods for chewing gum, tissue and tooth samples showed that cigarette butt remnants must be removed prior to top-up to maintain resultant DNA quality. The top-up method maximizes DNA recovery using Prepfiler™ BTA, while enabling the combination of PrepFiler™ BTA and PrepFiler™ lysates DNA purification batches for high-throughput applications.

Vitamin/mineral/micronutrient supplement for autism spectrum disorders: a research survey

BackgroundVitamin and mineral supplements are widely used by children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several studies have reported benefits of such supplements in resolving nutritional deficiencies, treating various metabolic problems and improving symptoms and overall quality of life.MethodsThis research survey collected evaluations from 161 people about the effectiveness of ANRC-Essentials Plus (ANRC-EP), a vitamin/mineral/micronutrient supplement designed for children and adults with autism. Although this was an open-label survey, results were compared with a three-month randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of an earlier version of the supplement. Evaluations included the Parent Global Impressions of Autism (PGIA) and the Overall Benefit/Adverse Effect scale of the National Survey on Treatment Effectiveness for Autism (NSTEA).ResultsThe participants reported substantially higher Average PGIA Scores than the placebo group in a similar previous study, with an estimated effect size of 0.66. Based on the NSTEA questionnaire, 73% of participants rated the Overall Benefit as Moderate, Good, or Great, with scores that were substantially higher than the NSTEA study found for multi-vitamins, the average of 58 nutraceuticals, and the average of 28 psychiatric and seizure medications. The Overall Adverse Effect score was low (0.25/3.0), similar or slightly higher than other nutraceuticals, and much lower than the average of 28 psychiatric and seizure medications (0.9/3.0). Sub-analysis found that the Overall Benefit of ANRC-EP was not significantly affected by gender, age, autism severity, diet quality, self-limited diet, use of psychiatric or seizure medications, dosage, developmental history, intellectual disability, or seizures. This indicates that ANRC-EP may be beneficial for a wide range of children and adults with ASD.A limitation of this study is the retrospective nature of the survey, and that participants who had good benefits were more likely to respond.ConclusionsThis study found that ANRC-EP had significant benefits for a wide range of symptoms, and low adverse effects.

Constraining the nuclear spin distribution using improved ^{197}Au neutron resonance parameters

New neutron transmission data at resonance energies using a ^{197}Au sample were measured using an early version of the Device for Indirect Capture Experiments on Radionuclides (DICER), which is under development at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). These data were combined with previous neutron transmission and capture data in a simultaneous R-matrix analysis to extract improved neutron resonance parameters for this nuclide. As a result, total radiation widths, varGamma _{gamma }, were obtained for 33 J=1 and 44 J=2^{197}Au+n resonances. varGamma _{gamma } distributions for these two spins states were compared to distributions calculated according to the nuclear statistical model using published nuclear level density (NLD) and photon strength functions (PSF) measured using the Oslo technique. The calculated distributions were found to be narrower and the average values for the two spins states closer together than the data. The calculation can be brought into agreement with the data by substantial modifications to the spin distribution in ^{198}Au as a function of excitation energy. As far as we know, the spin distribution currently is otherwise poorly constrained. The modified spin distribution changes the shapes of the NLD and PSF extracted using the Oslo technique and so could have broad implications.

Avalanche Modeling in Mextram 505 and Implications on Circuit Simulations

This paper presents several recent advances in compact modeling of avalanche multiplication in Mextram 505, an industry standard transistor model, including both new model features and improved model implementations. Implications of these improvements on circuit simulation are illustrated using RF SiGe HBTs.Feature wise, Mextram 505 adds a new physics-based model of the avalanche multiplication factor that accounts for the complex evolution of the epi-layer electric field at high current density, which can be activated with swavl=3. At a given collector-base bias VCB, the avalanche factor Gem is constant at low collector current density JC, starts to decrease when mobile electron density becomes comparable to epi-layer doping density due to charge compensation, and ultimately increases again when the base pushes out, and the electrical CB junction shifts to the epi-layer/buried layer interface. A parameter exavl can be used to turn on/off the rise of Gem at very high JC. An example of fitting IB versus IE for a common-base RF SiGe HBT at a fixed VCB=3V is given in Fig. 1. The measured base current is calculated from the difference of measured IE and IC, and hence shows some measurement noise. At low IE, Gem is constant, IB is linearly proportional to IE, with exavl=0, only the decrease of Gem with increasing JC is modeled, the IB bends upward at 0.05 A. With exavl=1, the rise of Gem at high JC is modeled, allowing the fitting of the downward bending of IB above 0.1 A. We will also discuss implications of such complex Gem behavior for RF linearity, particularly on the modeling of linearity sweet spots, i.e. biasing currents and voltages at which linearity peaks.Implementation wise, Mextram 505 uses the main current In as the initiating current in calculating the avalanche current Iavl, i.e. Iavl = In*Gem, as opposed to using the epi-layer current Ic1c2, i.e. Iavl = Ic1c2*Gem in Mextram 504. While for DC I-V, one can always use slightly different Gem model parameters to achieve the same degree of fitting, we found that the Mextram 504 approach can lead to unphysically high avalanche noise in voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) circuits in some cases. Users should inspect the waveforms of Iavl as well as In to determine if this problem exists. The root problem is that the epi-layer current Ic1c2 also includes the CB junction capacitive charge current, which should not experience avalanche as the corresponding electron motion occurs outside the space charge region. While the Iavl error introduced has a small absolute value, the noise it introduces is often significant, and significantly increases oscillator phase noise.At the device level, this unphysical avalanche of capacitive charge current comes into play during modeling of the CB depletion capacitance, CCB, which is often extracted from off state y-parameter. Fig. 2 compares the CCB vs VCB simulated using In (505) and Ic1c2 (504) as avalanche initiating current, together with the CCB from measurement. The Gem value is shown on the right y-axis. When Gem approaches 1, the simulated CCB using Iavl = Ic1c2*Gem increases sharply, and becomes negative when Gem>1, a unphysical result users of Mextram 504 need to be aware of for high Gem biases. Using Iavl = In*Gem, as is in Mextram 505, the simulated CCB remains physical when Gem is high. An analytical model of such discrepancy has been developed using small signal frequency domain analysis and will be presented.In Mextram 504 and earlier versions of Mextram 505, Gem is limited to be less than 1 and then further limited through elegant considerations that ensure the collector current increases monotonically with the external VBE. Such limiting, however, cannot possibly work for the dynamic charge current which is the issue in the off-state CCB example as well as the VCO example above, due to how model equations are implemented in circuit simulators. One side effect of this Gem limiting is that avalanche induced runaway cannot be modeled for investigating safe operating area (SOA). A switch swgemlim is introduced in Mextram 505.3 to allow the users to turn off Gem limiting for such modeling, as shown in Fig. 3. The new avalanche model in Mextram 505 also enhances its ability to accurately predict the SOA boundary due to electrothermal runaway from the combined effects of avalanche and self-heating. Figure 1

(Corrosion Division H. H. Uhlig Award) The Journey from Numerical Simulations to Impedance Analysis

Our work in corrosion has encompassed numerical simulations and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This presentation provides an overview of insights gained from these endeavors.Numerical simulations train insightIn collaboration with Kevin Kennelley and Lee Bone, then from Arco, our group developed boundary-element models to simulate cathodic protection (CP) of pipelines with coating defects that exposed bare steel. Designed initially for the trans-Alaska pipeline,1 the model was extended to account for multiple pipes, multiple CP systems,2 buried tanks, and tank bottoms.3 The program could be used to simulate rectifier wars in which impressed current on one CP system can induce corrosion on adjacent or crossing systems. This program was used to demonstrate the behavior of heterogeneous anodes. For example, addition of impressed current anodes to an inadequate set of sacrificial anodes runs the risk of protecting the sacrificial anodes at the expense of protecting steel exposed by coating defects.In collaboration with Richard Woollam, then with BP, and, later, with Scott Briggs, NWMO, our group developed finite-element COMSOL models that accounted for corrosion under droplets containing dissolved oxygen.4 The models include coupled, nonlinear, conservation equations for ionic species, which account for migration, diffusion, local electroneutrality, homogeneous reactions, and formation of precipitates. The presence of anodic and cathodic regions was not assumed a priori, but was rather the result of numerical simulations, which revealed galvanic coupling caused by differential aeration cells. This work showed that, while differential aeration created nonuniform corrosion for steel covered by a deposit or droplet, corrosion of copper was largely uniform.Impedance spectroscopy can provide useful parametersWhile the use of the Stern-Geary relationship to extract corrosion current is well known, this approach applies only for systems under kinetic control. More information may be extracted from the ubiquitous constant-phase-element (CPE) behavior. In collaboration with scientists/engineers from France and Italy, our group developed the power-law model, which provides an equation that relates CPE parameters to film thickness, dielectric constant, and film resistivity at the film-electrolyte interface.5,6 This model can be augmented with the measurement model, from which capacitance may be extracted.7 Thus, if the dielectric constant is known, the measurement model can yield the corresponding film thickness and the power-law model can yield the resistivity distribution in the film.8 An early version of this approach is now in commercial use.9 Acknowledgements I am grateful for all the students and collaborators who walked part of this journey with me. These include students J. Matthew Esteban and Doug Riemer (CP models), Ya-Chiao Chang and Chen You, (droplet models), and Bryan Hirschorn (power-law model). I thank collaborators Bernard Tribollet, Vincent Vivier, Marco Musiani, and Nadine Pébère, with whom I have explored the arcane arts of impedance spectroscopy. Finally, I thank the Corrosion Division awards committee for bestowing upon me the 2022 H. H. Uhlig Award. References E. Orazem, J. M. Esteban, K. J. Kennelley, and R. M. Degerstedt, “Mathematical Models for Cathodic Protection of an Underground Pipeline with Coating Holidays: 1. Theoretical Development,” Corrosion, 53 (1997), 264-272.Liu, A. Shankar, M. E. Orazem, and D. P. Riemer, “Numerical Simulations for Cathodic Protection of Pipelines,” in Underground Pipeline Corrosion: Detection, Analysis, and Prevention, M. E. Orazem, editor, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge, UK, 2014, 85-126.P. Riemer and M. E. Orazem, “A Mathematical Model for the Cathodic Protection of Tank Bottoms,” Corrosion Science, 47 (2005), 849-868.-C. Chang, R. Woollam, and M. E. Orazem, “Mathematical Models for Under-Deposit Corrosion: 1. Aerated Media,” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 161 (2014), C321-C329.Hirschorn, M. E. Orazem, B. Tribollet, V. Vivier, I. Frateur, and M. Musiani, “Constant-Phase-Element Behavior Caused by Resistivity Distributions in Films: 1. Theory,” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 157 (2010) C452-C457.E. Orazem, B. Tribollet, V. Vivier, S. Marcelin, N. Pébère, A. L. Bunge, E. A. White, D. P. Riemer, I. Frateur, and M. Musiani, “Dielectric Properties of Materials showing Constant-Phase Element (CPE) Impedance Response,” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 160 (2013), C215-C225.Liao, W. Watson, A. Dizon, B. Tribollet, V. Vivier, and M. E. Orazem, “Physical Properties Obtained from Measurement Model Analysis of Impedance Measurements,” Electrochimica Acta, 354 (2020), 136747.You, A. Titov, B. H. Kim, and M. E. Orazem, “Impedance Measurements on QLED Devices: Analysis of High-Frequency Loop in Terms of Material Properties,” Journal of Solid-State Electrochemistry, 24 (2020), 3083-3090.P. Riemer and M. E. Orazem, “Impedance-Based Characterization of Raw Materials as Used in Electrochemical Manufacturing,” The Electrochemical Society Interface, Fall 2014, 23:3 (2014), 63-67.

A Note on the Early Versions of the Tableau économique

Abstract This article uses materials that have been recently discovered as well as completely new documents, in particular a previously missing copy of the first printed edition of the Tableau économique that the authors found in the French National Archives and that they reproduce here in the appendix of the article. The authors combine these new sources of information with a close reading of materials—in particular the two letters sent by Quesnay to Mirabeau when he worked on the first two versions of the Tableau to provide a largely revised chronology of the conception and circulation of the three early versions of the Tableau. One of the points the authors make is that Madame de Pailly, Mirabeau's lover, acted as a go-between for the two men at that time and was instrumental in convincing Quesnay to share the Tableau with the marquis and to publish it in the sequel of the latter's best seller, L'Ami des hommes.

Comparison of variable selection procedures and investigation of the role of shrinkage in linear regression-protocol of a simulation study in low-dimensional data.

In low-dimensional data and within the framework of a classical linear regression model, we intend to compare variable selection methods and investigate the role of shrinkage of regression estimates in a simulation study. Our primary aim is to build descriptive models that capture the data structure parsimoniously, while our secondary aim is to derive a prediction model. Simulation studies are an important tool in statistical methodology research if they are well designed, executed, and reported. However, bias in favor of an “own” preferred method is prevalent in most simulation studies in which a new method is proposed and compared with existing methods. To overcome such bias, neutral comparison studies, which disregard the superiority or inferiority of a particular method, have been proposed. In this paper, we designed a simulation study with key principles of neutral comparison studies in mind, though certain unintentional biases cannot be ruled out. To improve the design and reporting of a simulation study, we followed the recently proposed ADEMP structure, which entails defining the aims (A), data-generating mechanisms (D), estimand/target of analysis (E), methods (M), and performance measures (P). To ensure the reproducibility of results, we published the protocol before conducting the study. In addition, we presented earlier versions of the design to several experts whose feedback influenced certain aspects of the design. We will compare popular penalized regression methods (lasso, adaptive lasso, relaxed lasso, and nonnegative garrote) that combine variable selection and shrinkage with classical variable selection methods (best subset selection and backward elimination) with and without post-estimation shrinkage of parameter estimates.

The Edinburgh Companion to Anthony Trollope, edited by Frederik Van Dam, David Skilton, and Ortwin de Graef

Reviewed by: The Edinburgh Companion to Anthony Trollope ed. by Frederik Van Dam, David Skilton, and Ortwin de Graef Deborah Denenholz Morse (bio) The Edinburgh Companion to Anthony Trollope, edited by Frederik Van Dam, David Skilton, and Ortwin de Graef; pp. xii + 396. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2019, $200.00. There are many fine essays in The Edinburgh Companion to Anthony Trollope, some of which I heard in earlier versions at the 2015 Trollope bicentenary in Leuven, Belgium. All of the contributors are accomplished Victorianists. However, unlike the volume's editors—Frederik Van Dam, David Skilton, and Ortwin de Graef—few of them are known primarily as Trollope scholars, although some—Helen Blythe, Sophie Gilmartin, and Lauren Goodlad, among others—have written brilliantly on Trollope for years. Few contributors have written a major study on Trollope; John McCourt is a luminous exception, with his essential book on Trollope and Ireland. This editorial choice is both a strength and a weakness of the volume—a strength with regard to the scope of inquiry and the [End Page 463] wonderful minds thinking about Trollope; a weakness because capacious knowledge of Trollope's fiction is requisite to full interpretation of his novels, as the great Trollopian James Kincaid once claimed. There is at times a related tendency not to acknowledge important scholarship on the very subject at hand that I fear will seem ungenerous to scholars steeped in Trollope. That said, there is a plethora of exciting scholarship here. Claire Jarvis's compelling "Almost Trollope" opens the volume's first section, "Style," arguing that Trollope's "hesitant" style, marked by his pervasive use of "almost," is intentional rather than a sign of haste. Trollope's "almostness," in which the narrator enters only partially into characters' minds, issues in a new realism in which there is both sympathy and separation between narrator and character (22). Patrick Fessenbecker is concerned with the intersection of narration and morality, as he plumbs Trollope's language in light of moral philosophy. There is much to admire in his readings of The Small House at Allington (1862) and The Claverings (1866), and in his determination "to treat Trollope as substantively engaging philosophical questions" (41). Gilmartin's "The Physiology of the Everyday" adds to her distinguished work on Trollope and the body. Gilmartin analyzes Trollope's mastery of free indirect discourse as it represents everyday sensory responses in novels from Framley Parsonage (1861) to The Way We Live Now (1875). Blythe's impressive essay centering on An Old Man's Love (1884) extends her work on Trollope's style in lesser-known works. Blythe argues that Trollope's allusions to his own earlier work and to Latin tags demonstrate his sophistication in interrogating Victorian historical and cultural as well as readerly expectation and experience. Eminent Trollopian Skilton reads An Autobiography (1883) as advice literature, interpreting Trollope's infamous accounting of monies earned as "a faithful servant's report to that Great Office in the sky" (89). Goodlad's original essay considers Trollope's novel chronicles in relation to contemporary serial television. Goodlad's previous innovative work enriches this consideration of transtemporal and transnational Trollope. Her erudite historical, critical, and theoretical contexts focus here on speculative financial conditions that encourage "Bigger Stories"—an infinitely expanding genre (107). Section 2, "Circulation," opens with distinguished Trollope editor Steve Amarnick's engaging critique of Harry Heathcote of Gangoil (1874) as revising the Dickensian Christmas genre in a dark Australian mode. Readers of An Autobiography and Trollope's letters will know of Trollope's Australian sheepfarmer son Fred's influence upon the character of Harry. John Bowen's brilliant essay focuses upon Elizabeth Bishop's dramatic monologue "From Trollope's Journal" (1965) and its relation to the travel book North America (1859), while also exploring Trollope's influence upon Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time series (1951–75). The range of this essay—from Charles Darwin to Wilfred Owen—is impressive. Luca Caddia has written incisively on Trollope for many years. Here he trenchantly explores Trollope's interiority, using Philip Roth's term "counterlife" to consider twentieth- and twenty-first-century texts that reference and critique Trollope's work (143). Caddia...

Web3 and the future of marketing

The rise of Web3 and related regulations have brought data privacy concerns to the forefront for brands and marketers. With the rise in legislation, the deprecation of third-party cookies and an eye towards transparency, Web3 promises a more open, permissionless online environment. This has implications, from ad targeting to the storage and collection of user data. New concepts including zero-party data, micro-experiences and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represent trends that are emerging with Web3, but the future is still to be defined. Marketers must understand the implications of the changing data privacy landscape and discover new and creative ways of sourcing and collecting data that follow the new guidelines that are being established by legislators, as well as by walled gardens such as Apple, Meta and Google. To do so, they will have to experiment and innovate. Here, we will explore the evolution of the web from its earliest version into the future. We will also review the different ways marketers currently collect and use customer data. Finally, we will explore new ways for brands and marketers to stay relevant in this evolving digital ecosystem with zero-party data, integrated marketing technology, customer-centric governance and NFTs.

Henrik Ibsen and Conspiracy Thinking: The Case of Peer Gynt

Henrik Ibsen and Conspiracy Thinking: The Case of <i>Peer Gynt</i>

Article: The Contribution of Geopolitics to the Study of EU Foreign Policy Illustrated Through the Example of Empires and Colonialism

This article presents some theoretical reflections, and one empirical case study, on the contribution of geopolitics to the study of EU foreign policy. The article asks in particular how geopolitics can contribute to causal explanation in foreign policy. First, the article identifies and discusses two problems with a crude, early version of geopolitics: arbitrariness in the measurement of dependent and independent variables, and spurious causation. Second, drawing from concepts developed by rational choice theorists, the article argues that geopolitics can prove insightful in at least two ways. The first way in which geopolitics can establish causal explanations is when it studies how geography provides opportunity to act, that is, options for a political actor. The second way in which geopolitics is useful is that it can establish causality through negation (an event was prevented, or made more difficult, by geographical features). Both ways are illustrated through the example of empires and colonialism and their influence over EU foreign policy. EU foreign policy, Geopolitics, Methodology, Political geography, Empire

Research Square

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Spiritual Foundations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society

This article takes a broad macroevolutionary approach to our changing relationship to Nature in the light of the teachings or the Bahá’í Faith. It suggests that humanity is in a process of evolving consciousness leading to the development of a new planetary culture based on spiritual principles. In an ecological sense, humanity has in many respects appeared to be a delinquent species running out of control. Within a larger vision of humanity’s spiritual and social evolution, however, the present environmental crisis and the race’s reaction to it can be seen as portending a momentous transformation. The process of evolving consciousness that can be discerned in emerging knowledge in physics, ecology, psychology, and other fields of science is leading to the possibility of a mature cooperative relationship between humanity and the ecosphere which gave it birth. After a brief overview of the current range of responses to environmental issues and the view of Nature on which they are based, this article will explore the basic attitudes to Nature contained within the Bahá’í writings. The second part of the article examines how the emergence of an ecologically sustainable social order is linked to basic principles of the Bahá’í Faith. Implicit throughout is the Bahá’í view of the balance and cohesion of material and spiritual realities.&#x0D; * An earlier version of this article appeared in the Journal of Bahá’í Studies 2.1 (1989): 33–57. A special pamphlet version was co-published with the Bahá’í International Community–Office of the Environment and was distributed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil. The updated version in this issue was prepared for Bahá’í World Yearbook 1992-93.

The Census “Crisis Episode” and the Chronicler’s Mythic Agenda in 1 Chronicles 21

Abstract The census narrative in 1 Chr 21 draws from the earlier version of the episode preserved in 2 Sam 24, which followed a mythological pattern we encounter in “crisis episodes” deriving from the monarchic era. The Chronicler introduces changes that not only depart from his source material on the literary level; they also break with the older mythological patterns found in earlier crisis episodes. These departures result from the influence of Persian imperial mythology on the Chronicler’s writing, with implications for the Chronicler’s own mythological agenda within his rendition of the census narrative and the chapters surrounding it.

Solid Fiber Inside of Capillary and Modified Fusion-Spliced Fiber Optic Microneedle Devices for Improved Light Transmission Efficiency.

Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a drug delivery technique used to deliver therapeutics directly to the brain and is a continually evolving technique to treat glioblastoma. Early versions of CED have proven to result in inadequate drug volume dispersed (Vd), increasing the likelihood of tumor recurrence. Fiber optic microneedle devices (FMDs) with the ability to deliver fluid and thermal energy simultaneously have shown an ability to increase Vd, but FMDs have historically had low light transmission efficiency. In this study, we present a new fabrication method, solid fiber inside capillary (SFIC) FMD, and a modified fusion splicing (FS) method with the goal of increasing light delivery efficiency. The modified FS FMD resulted in an increase in light transmission efficiency between 49% and 173% compared to previous prototypes. However, the FS FMD resulted in significantly lower transmission efficiencies compared to the SFIC FMD (p ≤ 0.04) and FS FMDs perform much worse when light-absorptive materials, like black dye, are placed in the bore. The light absorption of a candidate cytotoxic agent, QUAD-CTX, appear to be similar to water, and light delivery through FS FMDs filled with QUAD-CTX achieves a transmission efficiency of 85.6 ± 5.4%. The fabrication process of the SFIC FMDs results in extremely fragile FMDs. Therefore, the use of a modified FS FMD fabrication process appears to be better suited for balancing the desire to increase light transmission efficiency while retaining a sturdy FMD construction.

DRIFT: incorporating an eco-social system network and time series approach into environmental flow assessments

DRIFT (Downstream Response to Imposed Flow Transformation) is an interactive, ecological-social process and software package to assist with environmental flow assessments and river management decision-making. It was originally developed in the 1990s and has subsequently evolved and been applied in over 50 studies in Africa, South America, Asia and Europe. Early versions provided predicted ecological responses over time to specific flow changes, while the latest version provides responses to flow and non-flow drivers as seasonal time series. Here, an ecosystem or eco-social network is built for the river, with links between driver and responder indicators, and relationships created for each link. The network and relationships are developed and entered into the software by specialists based on available data and their knowledge. A range of scenarios is explored through the predicted indicator time series, discipline and site level ecological integrity, and social well-being. While DRIFT models vary in complexity, they are all based on relatively simple fundamental principles and arithmetic. Sequential averaging and summation through the system network is used to calculate an indicator’s response to different drivers for successive seasons over time, while the discipline and site level summaries are found using weighted summation of indicator results and individual discipline results, respectively. Information from different specialist areas is therefore processed in the same way, thereby enabling coherent integration across disciplines.

The Madonna with the Wash-Basin by Giulio Romano: A Multidisciplinary Study of the Painting’s History

ABSTRACT In an interdisciplinary collaboration, restorers, art historians, and scientists examined Guilio Romano’s The Madonna with the Wash-Basin of 1525 (Dresden State Art Collections). Insights into the painting technique along with art historical comparisons provided the opportunity for a better understanding of the painting’s genesis, in particular concerning an early reworking of the background by the artist. A recovery and reconstruction of the earlier version of the background is now possible. The discovery of zinc in distinct passages of the painting, as well as the grey-black pigment stibnite and glass particles used as a supplement in paint layers are of special interest. The technological investigation initiated a discussion about the circumstances of the revision, as well as the painting’s relation to Vasari’s Lives of Artists.