Destructive Force Research Articles

​​Solace of Substance​: Agency, Surrender, and Consolation in Addiction and Polydrug Use

Although preceding its association with substance use, early uses of the term ‘addiction’ signified intense attachment or ‘devotion’ to an activity or pursuit, indicating compromised autonomy, a necessary ‘culling’ of conflicting obligations, such as family and other concerns, and a potentially dangerous surrender (Lemon 2018). Recent advances in biomedical and neuroscientific understandings of addiction, as a relapsing neurological disorder, have sharpened notions of substance use as being outside of conscious control. Yet framing addiction in terms of individual, neurobiological predispositions towards addictive behaviour, continues to impact how we view agency, responsibility, and autonomy, even as substances are ascribed their own powerful agencies. Based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork with individuals and third sector services in south-east Scotland, this article attends to ambiguous notions of agency attributed to and by people who use substances, and to substances themselves. It asks how responsibility for recovery becomes divested onto individuals, and how a moral ‘devotion’ to one’s recovery is mandated by medical and judicial institutions. The article further highlights how dyadic and intimate relationships with heroin are emplaced within wider webs of relations, and how heroin itself is suffused with agency and intentionality: becoming at once a force for destruction and source of life-giving surrender.

Impact of the Source Material Gradation on the Disaster Mechanism of Underground Debris Flows in Mines

In mines where the natural caving method is used, the frequent occurrence of underground debris flows and the complex mine environments make it difficult to prevent and control underground debris flows. The source is one of the critical conditions for the formation of debris flows, and studying the impact of source material gradation on underground debris-flow disasters can effectively help prevent and control these occurrences. This paper describes a multiscale study of underground debris flows using physical model experiments and the discrete-element method (PFC3D) to understand the impact of the source material gradation on the disaster mechanism of underground debris flows from macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. Macroscopically, an increase in content of medium and large particles in the gradation will enhance the instantaneous destructive force. Large particles can more easily cause disasters than medium and fine particles with the same content, but the disaster-causing ability is minimized when the contents of medium and large particles exceed 50% and 60%, respectively. With increasing fine particle content, the long-distance disaster-causing ability and duration is increased. On the microscopic level, the source-level pairs affect the initial flow mode, concentration area of the force chain, average velocity, average runout distance, and change in energy of the underground debris flow. Among them, the proportion of large particles in the gradation significantly affects the change in kinetic energy, change in dissipative energy, time to reach the peak kinetic energy, and time of coincidence of dissipative energy and gravitational potential energy. The process of underground debris flow can be divided into a “sudden stage”, a “continuous impact stage”, and a “convergence and accumulation stage”. This work reveals the close relationship between source material gradation and the disaster mechanism of underground debris flows and highlights the necessity of considering the source material gradation in the prevention and control of underground debris flows. It can provide an important basic theory for the study of environmental and urban sustainable development.

Child sexual abuse and social identity loss: A qualitative analysis of survivors' public accounts.

Emerging evidence suggests that social identities are an important determinant of adaptation following traumatic life experiences. In this paper, we analyse accounts of people who experienced child sexual abuse. Using publicly available talk of people who waived their right to anonymity following successful conviction of perpetrators, we conducted a thematic analysis focusing on trauma-related changes in their social identities. Analysis of these accounts highlighted two themes. The first highlights the acquisition in these accounts of unwanted and damaging identity labels. The second presents child sexual abuse as a key destructive force in terms of important identity work during childhood. Discussion of this analysis centres on the pathological consequences of social identity change. Both the loss of valued identities and the acquisition of aberrant and isolating identities are experienced and constructed as devastating by those affected by child sexual abuse. This has important implications, not only for those impacted by child sexual abuse but for how abuse is discussed in society, and how it is approached by policy makers, educators and individuals working with survivors and their families.

Pragmatism and Ideology in Russian-German Energy Relations

For a long time, cooperation between Russia and Germany in the energy sector was based on bilateral interests and economic pragmatism, but recently in its relations with Russia the Federal Republic of Germany has been demonstrating ideologisation and loss of sovereignty in the important sphere of energy supply. This article investigated the history of bilateral energy relations, their characteristics, the political consequences of their disruption, and the results of the German energy policy. The results of the study include quantitative data on the volume of energy co-operation between the two states in the energy sector, as well as the status and dynamics of the German energy sector over the last 30 years. The main conclusions of the study are: 1) the thesis of Germany’s declining opportunities on the world stage because of its shrinking economic power has been proved.2) The assumption of the importance of low-cost energy supplies from Russia for Germany has been confirmed. 3) The vulnerability of the German political system to external influence through destructive political forces has been revealed. The final conclusion was that ideology has taken priority over pragmatism in German energy and foreign policy towards Russia in recent years.

The hinge-1 domain of Flna is not necessary for diverse physiological functions in mice.

The filamins are cytoskeletal binding proteins that dynamically crosslink actin into orthogonal networks or bundle it into stress fibres. The domain structure of filamin proteins is very well characterised, with an N-terminal actin-binding region, followed by 24 immunoglobulin-like repeat units. The repeat domains are separated into distinct segments by two regions of low-complexity known as hinge-1 and hinge-2. The role of hinge-1 especially has been proposed to be essential for protein function as it provides flexibility to the otherwise rigid protein, and is a target for cleavage by calpain. Hinge-1 protects cells from otherwise destructive forces, and the products of calpain cleavage are involved in critical cellular signalling processes, such as survival during hypoxia. Pathogenic variants in FLNA encoding Filamin A, including those that remove the hinge-1 domain, cause a wide range of survivable developmental disorders. In contrast, complete loss of function of this gene is embryonic lethal in human and mouse. In this study, we show that removing filamin A hinge-1 from mouse (FlnaΔH1), while preserving its expression level leads to no obvious developmental phenotype. Detailed characterisation of the skeletons of FlnaΔH1 mice showed no skeletal phenotype reminiscent of that found in the FLNA-causing skeletal dysplasia. Furthermore, nuclear functions of FLNA are maintained with loss of Filamin A hinge-1. We conclude that hinge-1 is dispensable for filamin A protein function during development over the murine lifespan.

Navigating “Confidentiality”: Ghana’s National Reconciliation Commission’s “Sensitive” Records in Perspective

Abstract This article focuses on Ghana’s National Reconciliation Commission’s (NRC) archival holdings, which hold enormous value as a source for scholarly research but constitute a target of destructive forces, prompting the government to impose restrictive policies to regulate access to them. This article argues that in spite of the prevailing restrictions, opportunities exist for original enquiry into the NRC and Ghana’s human rights history through the piecemeal and selective access offered by the various repositories to researchers.

Taking Responsibility for Meaning and Mattering: An Agential Realist Approach to Generative AI and Literacy

AbstractQuestions and concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in education reached a fever pitch with the arrival of publicly accessible, user‐facing generative AI systems, especially ChatGPT. Many of these issues will require regulation and collective action to address. But when it comes to generative AI and literacy, we argue that posthuman perspectives can help literacy scholars and practitioners reframe some concerns into questions that open new areas of inquiry. Agential realism in particular offers a useful perspective for exploring how generative AI matters in literacy practices, not as a unilaterally destructive force, but as a set of phenomena that intra‐actively reconfigures literacy practices. As a sociocultural (and as we argue, sociotechnical) practice, literacy arises out of the entanglement of bodies, spaces, contexts, positions, histories, and technologies. Generative AI is another in a long line of technologies that reconfigures literacy practices. In this article, we briefly explain how generative AI systems work, focusing on text‐based systems called Large Language Models (LLMs), and suggest ways that generative AI may reconfigure the sociocultural practice of literacy. We then offer three provocations to shift discussions about generative AI and literacy (1) from concerns about intentionality to questions of responsibility, (2) from concerns about authenticity to questions of mattering, and (3) from concerns about imitation to questions of multifarious communication. We conclude by encouraging literacy scholars and practitioners to draw inspiration from critical literacy efforts to discover what matters when it comes to generative AI and literacy.

Flooding and flood water storage in karst systems of the Mediterranean region

Flooding is a recurring natural phenomenon that can have both life-giving and destructive aspects. In natural environments, floods are often an important element of the seasonal hydrologic cycle that provides water and nutrients to soil, supporting unique, rich and diverse ecosystems. However, flood events can also represent a destructive force that can endanger lives and cause significant damage in urban areas. Karst areas, in particular, are unique because of their special hydraulic characteristics in terms of flood occurrence, the dependence of ecosystems on such events, and attempts to actively store and manage floods. In this article, the hydraulic response of karst aquifers to heavy precipitation events, flood generation, and engineering interventions for flood control are discussed using several examples from karst areas in the Mediterranean region. Flooding mechanisms and regulatory structures in karst poljes are considered using several typical examples from the Dinaric mountain range. In addition, different variants of groundwater abstraction for increasing storage capacity and flood control are presented using examples from France and Montenegro. Managed aquifer recharge in karst areas and adjacent aquifers is demonstrated with examples from Jordan and Algeria. Finally, failed attempts at flood storage in karst reservoirs are presented with examples from Spain and Montenegro. These examples of flood retention in karst areas show the wide range of planning and technical measures and remind us of possible risks and failures in implementation as well as some positive and negative impacts on the environment and especially on ecosystems.

On Special Liberty and the Motivation to Harm

Abstract Special liberty is a destructive and criminogenic force operating throughout the social structure and is arguably the main source of social harm today. The subject of special liberty feels entitled to risk harm to others in pursuit of their own expressive and/or instrumental interests. Since its inception, the concept of special liberty has been used to make sense of numerous issues. However, little attention has been directed towards clearly delineating the two main forms of self-interest served by its use. Our understanding of why special liberty is employed in particular circumstances and conditions is therefore limited. This article makes an original contribution by attempting to formalize an initial delineation of expressive and instrumental self-interest apropos the use of special liberty.

Achille dorme e sogna

The article delves into the complex emotional and psychological landscape of Achilles as portrayed in Homer's "Iliad", particularly focusing on his dream of Patroclus. In his dream, Achilles is confronted by the ghost of Patroclus, who reproaches him for neglecting his burial. The narrative highlights Achilles' consuming wrath and its dehumanizing effects, turning him into a relentless force of destruction, indifferent to both divine and human pleas for mercy. The piece also explores the cyclical nature of violence and revenge, emphasizing the futility and transient satisfaction derived from vengeance, as well as drawing parallels between ancient and modern acts of war.

ACTUALIZATION OF THE SHADOW ARCHETYPE IN A WAR SITUATION (FROM PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION TO THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORK)

A borderline situation, causing a person to realize the proximity of his death, actualizes the always potentially present threat of his own death. Currently, such a total borderline situation for the Ukrainian people is the war, the consequences of which are a huge number of personal and social problems that need to be solved. Awareness of their essence, in my opinion, is facilitated by a thorough acquaintance with the teaching of K. G. Jung about the archetypes of the collective unconscious. After all, the war situation into which Ukraine was plunged by the aggressive policy of the russian federation, being in its essence a destructive and dark force, is currently liberating, in other words, activating the archetype of the Shadow, the manifestations of which, on the one hand, deny the ontological perspectives of humanity in general, and on the other, cause spread of violent acts in the family, community, society, in particular. In view of the stated and outlined purpose of this study, which consists in elucidating the essence and manifestations of the archetype of the collective unconscious Shadow, the realization of which was caused by the border situation of the war. Achieving the set goal will contribute, on the one hand, to the expansion of the epistemological boundaries of consciousness, aimed, in particular, at elucidating the components of the unconscious, and on the other hand, to the application of psychoanalytical knowledge by social work specialists called to minimize the consequences of boundary situations for the individual/family in community (for example, it is about the implementation of measures to prevent violence in the family, etc.). During the study, the following important points were highlighted. First, the war caused the release of the dark forces of the self-personality of Ukrainians, the realization of which covers two opposite directions: 1) negative, carried out through projections as resistance to moral control (violence in the family); 2) positive due to the conscious use of dark aspects of the self (combat actions of Ukrainian soldiers). Secondly, the urgent problem of displacing the dark forces of the self-personality of Ukrainians actualized by the border situation of the war in conditions of peace is realized. Thirdly, the war, affecting the consciousness and self-awareness of Ukrainians, at the end predicts the possibility of a conscious return from Darkness to Light.

纵轴流玉米锥形脱粒装置优化设计与仿真分析

Aiming at the high crushing rate and impurity rate of corn kernel machine harvesting in the Huanghuaihai region, a longitudinal flow conical variable pitch threshing device is designed, which adopts the combined threshing element of "plate teeth + ribs" and the combined threshing concave plate of "leftward round tube type + vertical round tube type". The cob model was established, and the force analysis of the cob threshing process was carried out, and the type of threshing drum and the installation angle of the threshing concave plate round tube were determined as the main influencing factors, and the collision force on the corn cob was taken as the test index. Using EDEM discrete element simulation software, simulation tests were carried out on different types of threshing drums and threshing concave plates with different installation angles of round tubes with corn cobs, and the better threshing method was finally determined: a conical threshing drum at a drum speed of 450 r/min, and a combination of left-facing round-tube-type+vertical round-tube-type threshing concave plates with an installation angle of 10° (front-sparse and back-dense type) were used. Compared with the vertical circular tube type threshing concave plate, the corn cob contact force decreased from 313.5N to 247.3N, which was optimal for threshing in the range allowed by the corn kernel destructive force.

МЕХАНИЗМЫ РАЗРУШЕНИЯ РАСТИТЕЛЬНОГО СЫРЬЯ В ВАЛКОВОЙ ДРОБИЛКЕ С НАБОРНЫМИ ПЛАСТИНАМИ В ФОРМЕ РК-ПРОФИЛЯ

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the application of a new kinematic scheme for crushing plant materials (cereals and fruit plants) to implement the design of a roller crusher with composite plates in the form of an RT-profile. To achieve the objective of research, a number of tasks were set to study the main object – the kinematic scheme of crushing. The paper examines in detail the specified crushing scheme as a static and kinematic scheme of interaction between the elements of the crusher and the crushed raw material; the possibility of combining a number of different destruction mechanisms in this scheme is noted, namely: compression, tension, abrasion, impact action; the effect of constant change in the direction and magnitude of the forces acting on the crushed material is noted; geometric and power characteristics of the new design of the roller crusher are investigated. The analysis of the new kinematic scheme of grinding allows us to draw the following conclusion: alternating loads appear in the system, ac-ting on the raw material being ground as a result of various destructive forces, which allow us to achieve an additional increase in the intensity of material (raw material) grinding and, as a consequence, an increase in the efficiency of the grinding process as a whole. The substantiation of the kinematic and force effects affecting the raw material being ground in the crushing zone is also given, taking into account the elastic-plastic properties of various types of agricultural products. The result of the analysis of the stress-strain state of the rolls in the grinding zone is given, taking into account the most unfavorable conditions of the impact of substances with different mechanical properties on the working parts of the crusher. The necessity of implementing a new grinding scheme is substantiated and design options are proposed in the form of a crusher with set plates in the form of an RT-profile.

Using Nighttime Light Data to Explore the Extent of Power Outages in the Florida Panhandle after 2018 Hurricane Michael

The destructive forces of tropical cyclones can have significant impacts on the land, contributing to degradation through various mechanisms such as erosion, debris, loss of vegetation, and widespread damage to infrastructure. Storm surge and flooding can wash away buildings and other structures, deposit debris and sediments, and contaminate freshwater resources, making them unsuitable for both human use and agriculture. High winds and flooding often damage electrical disubstations and transformers, leading to disruptions in electricity supply. Restoration can take days or even weeks, depending on the extent of the damage and the resources available. In the meantime, communities affected by power outages may experience difficulties accessing essential services and maintaining communication. In this study, we used a weighted maximum likelihood classification algorithm to reclassify NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey Emergency Response Imagery scenes into debris, sand, water, trees, and roofs to assess the extent of the damage around Mexico Beach, Florida, following the 2018 Hurricane Michael. NASA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) was processed to estimate power outage duration and rate of restoration in the Florida Panhandle based on the 7-day moving averages. Percent loss of electrical service at a neighborhood level was estimated using the 2013–2017 American Community Survey block group data. Spatial lag models were employed to examine the association between restoration rates and socioeconomic factors. The analysis revealed notable differences in power-restoration rates between urbanized and rural areas and between disadvantaged and more affluent communities. The findings indicated that block groups with higher proportions of minorities, multi-family housing units, rural locations, and households receiving public assistance experienced slower restoration of power compared to urban and more affluent neighborhoods. These results underscore the importance of integrating socioeconomic factors into disaster preparedness and recovery-planning efforts, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to mitigate disparities in recovery times following natural disasters.

Destructive or Creative Force of Power and Influence (Voluntariness instead of Fear and Obedience)

Destructive or Creative Force of Power and Influence (Voluntariness instead of Fear and Obedience)

ENSURING CRIMINOLOGICAL SECURITY OF THE FINANCIAL MARKET IN RUSSIA

With the introduction of the digital economy and new financial products in Russia, changes have taken place in the financial services market. Against this background, illegal financial activities have sharply increased. This was facilitated by the expansion of information and telecommunication technologies, their use in all spheres of activity, including the development of domestic digital platforms, which increased the implementation of financial transactions in the stock markets, securities market, insurance sector, etc. At the same time, the risks of negative manifestations in the economic sphere have increased, which has influenced the growth of economic crime, which has become more organized, professional and, given the development of digital transformation, transnational. We should not fail to note its corrupt nature. The process launched by the state to stabilize and increase the rate of development of the state economy causes only positive reactions from society, but when the rate of development increases, problems arise, which destructive forces use in their own interests, for personal enrichment, where, breaking the law, they do not consider public opinion, do not pay attention to the state structures responsible for the security of this sector of the economy. It is crimes in the financial market that distinguish criminals of a new format from the old mastodons of criminal activity, and such qualities as high cohesion, organization, and competence allow them to establish control over various systems of life of society and the state, entering not only the sector of business and commerce, but also the budget sector, where continuing to establish monopoly control, lobbying their interests in various spheres of economic activity. One of such spheres at the current stage of formation of the digital economy is the financial market of Russia, which is subject to protection from criminal threats and criminogenic risks. In the current situation we cannot do without mechanisms to ensure the criminological security of the financial market, which requires the definition of the conceptual apparatus, the system of ensuring such security, the creation and construction of its structure and the definition of measures aimed at improving the level of such security. In conclusion of the article the author comes to the conclusion that the financial market of the Russian state does not fully use preventive measures, there are gaps both at the legislative level and in the organization of the financial market, which contributes to the growth of crimes in this area.

Role of Newspaper Discourse in Legitimizing Discrimination against Veiled Female Students in Turkey

The paper analyses the Kemalist dailies’ presentation of veiled female students who protested the discrimination they faced when the hijab was banned at Turkish universities. Although such discrimination has since been quashed, the ideology that produced and legitimised it is still alive. The media, an important means of reproducing the Kemalist hegemony, relativised or legitimised discrimination against these students by discursively constructing them as a destructive force that threatened the secular order. This construct is based on the Kemalist conception of modernisation, equated with secularisation, where “the limit of the expression of religion in Turkey is the skin of a citizen”. The analysed examples reinforce the construct by integrating multimodal elements, including the text itself, typographical elements, page layouts, and accompanying images and caricatures. The paper confirms the importance of analysing linguistic and other semiotic elements of discourse in the research of complex social phenomena like discrimination, hegemony, and ideology.

Biomechanical evaluation of spinal cord decompression methods in dogs

The study is relevant due to the high incidence of spinal cord compression pathologies in dogs requiring surgical intervention, and was carried out with the aim of conducting a biomechanical assessment of spinal cord decompression methods and identifying a decompression technique that has the least destabilizing effect on the thoracolumbar spine. The studies were carried out in 2023-2024. on the basis of the Department of Veterinary Surgery of the Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology - MBA named after K.I. Scriabin" and the Laboratory for the Development and Testing of Medical Devices and Materials of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "National Medical Research Center for Orthopedics named after. N.N. Priorov" of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. The object of the study was sectional material, namely, samples of the thoracolumbar spine of dogs of chondrodystrophic and non-chondrodystrophic breeds weighing from 3 to 10 kg at the age of 5 to 8 years (20 samples in total). The range of motion of the vertebrae and the force of destruction of the spinal motion segments were determined in the native state and after modeling decompression techniques (hemilaminectomy and mini-hemilaminectomy). During hemilaminectomy, statistically significant changes in the biomechanical characteristics of the thoracolumbar spine were noted compared to mini-hemilaminectomy: an increase in the range of motion of the vertebrae in the area of decompression; increasing the range of motion of the vertebrae in topographically adjacent segments; reduction in the force of destruction of the segment in the area of decompression (changes are more pronounced in dogs of chondrodystrophic breeds). The data obtained by the authors of the article indicate that hemilaminectomy is a more destabilizing technique compared to minihemilaminectomy, and for extrusions in the thoracolumbar spine in dogs, preference should be given to mini-hemilaminectomy.

Transgenerational Traumatization in the Yazidi Community

Abstract In recent years Islamic terrorism has manifested itself with an unexpectedly destructive force. Even though in most cases it started locally, it has spread its terror over the whole world. In August 2014, when troops of the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” invaded areas of northern Iraq, they turned on the long-established religious minorities in the area with tremendous brutality, especially toward the Yazidi religious minority. Huge numbers of men were executed, and women and children were abducted and subjected to sexual violence. In an attempt at systematic destruction of the Yazidi community, the religious minority was to be eliminated and the will of the victims broken. The medical and mental health issues of the resulting from the combined subjective, collective, and cultural traumas, last not least followed by the migrant and refugee crisis, are extraordinary and need new and wise concepts of integrated medical care.

Ex vivo Study of Partial Bladder Resection in a Porcine Model.

Partial cystectomy aims to preserve bladder function, yet its urodynamic impacts remain unclear. We investigate these effects using an ex vivo porcine model, evaluating bladder volume, compliance, and wall thickness, alongside with thermal damage after bi- and monopolar resection. Within an artificial human pelvis, we conducted partial bladder wall resections (5 cm2, 10 cm2). Urodynamic tests and sonography assessed volume, compliance, and thickness changes. Traction force for catheter retrieval and thermal collagen destruction were measured. Bladder compliance decreased by 1.12 and 1.5 after 5 cm2 and 10 cm2 resections, respectively, with volume reductions of 3-6% and 10-18%. Wall thickness decreased by 20% and 30% post-resection. Comparable thermal damage was observed with mono- and bipolar resection methods. Our study outlines urodynamic impacts and technical considerations of partial cystectomy, affirming its endoscopic feasibility while highlighting potential bladder dysfunction risks.