Inherent Fragility Research Articles

Quantum Control Modelling, Methods, and Applications

This review concerns quantum control results and methods that, over the years, have been used in the various operations involving quantum systems. Most of these methods have been originally developed outside the context of quantum physics, and, then, adapted to take into account the specificities of the various quantum physical platforms. Quantum control consists in designing adequate control signals required to efficiently manipulate systems conforming the laws of quantum mechanics in order to ensure the associated desired behaviours and performances. This work attempts to provide a thorough and self-contained introduction and review of the various quantum control theories and their applications. It encompasses issues spanning quantum control modelling, problem formulation, concepts of controllability, as well as a selection of the main control theories. Given the vastness of the field, we tried our best to be as concise as possible, and, for the details, the reader is pointed out to a profusion of references. The contents of the review are organized in the three major classes of control problems - open-loop control, closed-loop learning control, and feedback control - and, for each one of them, we present the main developments in quantum control theory. Finally, concerning the importance of attaining robustness and reliability due to inherent fragility of quantum systems, methods for quantum robust control are also surveyed.

Case Study: An Artist Interview About Diane Victor’s Smoke Drawings and Implications for Conservation

ABSTRACT The South African artist Diane Victor explores soot as a medium, using candles to create magnificent artworks on paper, and more recently on stone and glass. The messy and dark soot created by cheap candle flame symbolizes the fragility dying lives and is mirrored in the vulnerability of the medium. As the presence of these delicate artworks is increased in collections, understanding their preservation concerns and needs is warranted. The author interviewed the artist to understand her creation process and the dilemma that lies in the inherent fragility of her soot artworks. Victor’s material choices and methods on all aspects of handling, storage, framing, and transportation were recorded. The ramifications of Victor’s choices are discussed and safer options from a preservation point of view are mentioned. Lastly, the interview reveals the artist’s understanding and thoughts on conservation and in particular remedial treatment of both paper and image.

WITHDRAWN: Lightweight and hydrophobic silica-cellulose composite aerogel based on interpenetrating networks

Silica aerogels are common porous materials with extremely low density, high porosity and low thermal conductivity while plagued by their inherent fragility. Here silica-cellulose composite aerogels with hierarchical porosities are prepared using in situ two-step strategy, wherein the cellulose aerogels derived from the degreasing cotton are used as templates and mediate the assembly of methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS)/tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) silicon nanoparticles. Silica particles and the cellulose scaffold cross-link with each other via hydrogen bonding, forming an interpenetrating network structure. The presence of cellulose scaffold endows the composite aerogel with low density ( ρ = 0.0711-0.1027 g cm −3 ), superior compressive strength (2.21 MPa high Young's modulus) and outstanding thermal insulation performance ( λ = 0.0344-0.0422 W m −1 K −1 ). Moreover, the Si-CH 3 in MTMS notably increases the hydrophobicity as the water contact angle of the composite aerogels reaches up to 132°. The robust and hydrophobic silica-cellulose composite aerogels can be ideal candidates for thermal insulation applications. The monolithic silica-cellulose composite aerogels prepared using in situ two-step strategy simultaneously integrate reduced thermal conductivity and enhanced hydrophobicity as well as high compressive strength for practical demands.

Investigating river health and potential risks using a novel hybrid decision-making framework with multi-source data fusion in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

River health assessment (RHA) is a powerful tool for examining river health and provides promising solutions for ecological conservation and sustainable river management. However, currently available methods still fail to consider the superimposed effects of randomness and fuzziness on RHA. Additionally, the existing RHA studies mainly focus on the plains and lack detailed investigations in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Terrain, climate, natural hazards and human activities contribute to the inherent fragility and inevitable uncertainty of rivers in the QTP. This study proposed a novel intuitionistic fuzzy cloud (IFC) by coupling the intuitionistic fuzzy sets and cloud model. A new hybrid decision-making framework based on IFC algorithm was then developed to facilitate the RHA with fuzziness and randomness. To deeply investigate river health in the QTP, the Lhasa River (LR) was chosen as a typical study area. We formulated an indicator system with multi-source data fusion, and used the geodetector technique to explore the drivers and potential risks associated with river health. Results showed that the developed research framework addressed the shortcomings of conventional techniques, expanded the capabilities of existing models, and offered a potentially promising approach to RHA with fuzziness and randomness. In LR, health statuses of evaluation indicators were unsatisfactory, with healthy compliance rates of 100%, 62.5% and 37.5% in the upper, middle and lower reaches, respectively. Meanwhile, health statuses demonstrated substantial spatial variation in LR. Excellent, healthy and subhealthy sampling sites accounted for approximately 28%, 24% and 48% of the total. Our results highlight that dam construction, urbanization and fish release have posed potential risks to the LR health, and appropriate measures should be developed immediately to mitigate their impacts on ecologically fragile areas.

The Preservation of Tracing Paper: A case Study of TRA Archives

Taiwan is located within a subtropical region where the preservation of tracing paper is challenging, given its susceptibility to changes in humidity. Although the National Archives Administration (NAA) currently provides a controlled environment for the repositories of the National Archive, this archive has sustained damage and deterioration due to a legacy of compromised storage and inherent fragility of its contents. Of particular interest are the collective holdings of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC). Historically, these holdings were originally known as ‘The Railway Department of the Traffic Bureau, under the General Governor of Taiwan’, during Japanese colonial governance. This specific collection dates from 1895 to 1997 and includes over 10,000 engineering drawings. Previously, the NAA had implemented linings to both repair damage and aid in the preservation of the physical archives. However, this study compares this approach with an alternative humidification method using Gore-Tex® to relax and flatten these drawings on tracing paper. The focus of this paper is to evaluate dimensional change as a result of these treatments and to make recommendations in regards to their respective suitability for addressing the condition of the TRA collection.

Melt-Electrowritten Poly(L-lactic acid)- and Bioglass-Reinforced biomimetic hydrogel for bone regeneration

High-precision poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffold fabricated by melt electrowriting (MEW) as a bone substitute was investigated, however, the inherent fragility and the low bioactivity of the scaffold impede its clinical application. In this context, a biomimetic reinforced composite scaffold combining the MEW PLLA lattice with gelatin/genipin/bioglass hydrogel is firstly proposed. Incorporating with 1 wt% bioglass, the composite scaffold shows excellent interconnectivity, high storage modulus (121.3 kPa, 1.3 times of gelatin/genipin) and improved storage modulus (422.3 kPa). Moreover, this reinforced scaffold displays elevated in vitro osteoinduction/conduction capability, high amount of bone tissue formation and a prime Ca/P ratio of 1.69 (as compared with natural bone with Ca/P ratio of 1.67). The mechanisms of the enhanced mechanical properties and the variation of bone formation ability of various scaffolds are elucidated by a potential model. This study gives insights into some potential innovative strategies for using MEW PLLA scaffold to achieve unprecedented results in bone regeneration.

Care crises and care fixes under Covid-19: the example of transnational live-in care work

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic brought care work to the forefront of attention. In many countries in the Global North, people became painfully aware that they had ‘outsourced’ a considerable share of this work to temporary migrants. Travel restrictions and lockdown measures disrupted transnational care arrangements and threatened the continuous provision of care. This article uses the example of transnationally organised live-in care in Switzerland to explore measures implemented to maintain care provision during the pandemic. Particularly, it investigates the impacts of these measures on the working conditions and lives of live-in care workers. We build on Emma Dowling’s conceptualisation of ‘care fixes’ and Brigitte Aulenbacher’s notions of ‘abstraction’ and ‘appropriation’ to identify three short-term solutions and argue that they did not solve, but rather only displaced the underlying care crisis. Our insights are based on the analysis of policy documents, 32 in-depth interviews and informal conversations with workers, clients, care agencies and other experts carried out in Switzerland between April 2020 and April 2021. We emphasise the inequalities implicated in transnational care arrangements and their inherent fragility, both of which were exacerbated by the pandemic. We tentatively point to avenues for contestation and for a revaluation of care, which opened up as result of the pandemic-induced disruption of care.

The political economy of fiscal transparency and independent fiscal councils

This paper develops a theory of fiscal transparency aimed at highlighting the potential contribution of independent fiscal councils to fiscal responsibility. In a political economy model with electoral competition, voters care about the candidates’ competence to supply valuable public goods and about their congruence (subjective sense of proximity). Voters observe candidates’ congruence but must form views about their competence based on the expected amount of public goods they could provide, and on other random signs about competence, public debt and the state of the economy. More transparency reduces noise around these relevant considerations. The model exhibits a bias towards excessive public debt for both “partisan” (myopia) and “opportunistic” (signaling competence through additional spending) motives so that institutional arrangements mitigating the debt bias carry welfare gains. While transparency about public debt itself is irrelevant, clearer signals about competence raise public debt if the incumbent enjoys a sufficiently large electoral advantage but reduce debt otherwise. Increased transparency about the state of the economy raises debt and is less valued by voters and the incumbent than greater transparency about competence. The latter is preferred by all players if the incumbent does not hold too large an electoral advantage. Otherwise, the incumbent and the public may have diverging preferences regarding greater transparency. Our analysis reveals the ambiguity about the potential contribution of independent fiscal councils (IFCs) to fiscal responsibility through increased transparency, and points to the inherent fragility of the political backing for such institutions.

Single-Cell Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells Isolated from Cryopreserved Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Patients with Lung Cancer and Sarcoma.

The isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) requires rapid processing of the collected blood due to their inherent fragility. The ability to recover CTCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) preserved from cancer patients could allow for retrospective analyses or multicenter CTC studies. We compared the efficacy of CTC recovery and characterization using cryopreserved PMBCs vs fresh whole blood from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; n = 8) and sarcoma (n = 6). Two epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-independent strategies for CTC enrichment, based on Parsortix® technology or immunomagnetic depletion of blood cells (AutoMACS®) were tested, followed by DEPArray™ single-cell isolation. Phenotype and genotype, assessed by copy number alterations analysis, were evaluated at a single-cell level. Detection of target mutations in CTC-enriched samples from frozen NSCLC PBMCs was also evaluated by digital PCR (dPCR). The use of cryopreserved PBMCs from cancer patients allowed for the retrospective enumeration of CTCs and their molecular characterization, using both EpCAM-independent strategies that performed equally in capturing CTC. Cells isolated from frozen PBMCs were representative of whole blood-derived CTCs in terms of number, phenotype, and copy number aberration profile/target mutations. Long-term storage (≥3 years) did not affect the efficacy of CTC recovery. Detection of target mutations was also feasible by dPCR in CTC-enriched samples derived from stored PBMCs. Isolating CTCs from longitudinally collected PBMCs using an unbiased selection strategy can offer a wider range of retrospective genomic/phenotypic analyses to guide patients' personalized therapy, paving the way for sample sharing in multicenter studies.

Improving Thermal Stability of Enzymatic Micromotors by a Temperature‐Sensitive Smart Polymeric Shell

AbstractEnzyme‐powered micromotors using biocompatible substances as fuel are promising candidates in biomedical applications due to their potential autonomous movement in biological fluid and supreme biocompatibility. However, the inherent fragility of enzymes in complex environment hinders their application in practice. Herein, the smart temperature‐responsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is introduced to SiO2@urease micromotors to increase the stability of the enzyme engine by the confinement effect derived from shrinkage of PNIPAM at temperatures above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). As a result, the structure transformation and subunit dissociation of the enzyme are suppressed, leading to improved thermal stability of the urease engine. A systematic comparison of PNIPAM protected and bare SiO2@urease micromotors after thermal treatments at identical temperatures for various time intervals has clearly revealed the enhancement of stability against thermal deformation by PNIPAM integration. This work, paving a way to the development of thermally stable enzyme‐powered micromotors, can greatly raise the prospect of the intelligent micromachines toward practical biomedical applications.

Téléréalité by Aurélien Bellanger

Reviewed by: Téléréalité by Aurélien Bellanger Walter S. Temple Bellanger, Aurélien. Téléréalité. Gallimard, 2021 ISBN 978-2-07-290299-4. Pp. 243. Throughout the 1990s, the concept of reality television began to take hold with audiences in France as viewers sought a different kind of escape from the mundane. Later adaptations of popular American shows (one such example being Loft story) provided viewers with the possibility of participating in the lives of “real” characters— a new concept for the French market. Yet despite the inherent fragility of the “naturally” filmed comédie humaine, Bellanger confronts a revealing truth in his portrait of téléréalité. Neither a disavowal nor a defense of reality television, the author proposes an analysis of the cultural shift that qualifies a new era of popular culture. In the shadows of the paysage audiovisuel français, this text reads like a bildungsroman that only the most branchés of readers will truly appreciate. The story begins in earnest with the appearance of Sébastien, a modern-day Rastignac who embarks on a journey from the implied provincial Drôme department of southeastern France on a quest to pursue his passion. Reading this text through the lens of Balzac studies gives way to a salient comparison of both writers’ profound understanding of time and space, as well as their observations of a society of contradictions. The occasional veiled cynicism of Bellanger’s protagonist is suggestive of a different kind of social climber, however, as inscribed in Sébastien’s “modern” predicament as identifying as an episodic prisonnier of reality television. Setting the stage for what will unravel as a superficial yet somehow philosophical positioning of sociocultural critique, Bellanger writes: “Sébastien est-il pour autant un enfant de la télévision?” (20). Like many of his contemporaries, he goes on to wonder if he should singularly focus on his career by associating with those who can facilitate his goals and ambitions— “Sébastien était confronté à un dilemme. Devenu l’assistant de Véronique, il apprenait en accéléré le métier de producteur” (59)—thus seemingly concerned by the ramifications of not focusing on his own existence. Or should he succumb to the allure of the antics of Pascal Sevran’s La chance aux chansons, yet another important cultural marker, the narrator proclaiming: “Il était en même temps prisonnier” (59). In what is arguably a curious reflection of the burgeoning disenchantment that will soon be linked to la télé (which Bellanger reminds us time and again through the use of poetically inscribed imagery), Sébastien could fall right out of a Houellebecq novel, a writer who Bellanger has previously studied at length. Near the conclusion of the text, the narrator posits, “La télévision, incontestablement, est entrée dans sa phase de déclin” (218), a powerful observation suggestive of a yet another impending cultural shift—perhaps an occult foreshadowing of the impending role of social media? It is here where Houellebecq’s voice continues to linger in Bellanger’s imaginary despite the silence that qualifies his character’s melancholic (if highly successful) journey. [End Page 239] Walter S. Temple Utah Valley University Copyright © 2022 American Association of Teachers of French

Cellulose-Based Hybrid Aerogels: Strategies toward Design and Functionality.

The brittle nature of early aerogels developed from inorganic precursors fueled the discovery of their organic counterparts. Prominent among these organics are cellulose aerogels because of their natural abundance, biocompatibility, sustainable precursors, and tunable properties. The hierarchical structure of cellulose, from polymers to nano/microfibers, further facilitates fabrication of materials across multiple length scales with added applicability. However, the inherent flammability, structural fragility, and low thermal stability have limited their use. Recently developed cellulose-based hybrid aerogels offer strong potential owing to their tunability and enhanced functionality brought about by combining the inherent properties of cellulose with organic and inorganic components. A survey of the historical background and scientific achievements in the design and development of cellulose-based hybrid aerogel materials is encompassed here. The impacts of incorporating organic and inorganic ingredients with cellulose and the corresponding synergistic effects are discussed in terms of their design and functionality. The underlying principles governing the structural integration and functionality enhancement are also analyzed. The latest developments of cellulose-based hybrid aerogels fabricated from nontraditional incipient aerogels, such as fibrous webs, are also explored. Finally, future opportunities that could make these materials achieve even greater impacts through improved scalability, rationally designed synthesis, and multifunctional properties are discussed.

IS CRITICAL CARE MYOPATHY A CONTRAINDICATION FOR SUCCINYLCHOLINE?

TOPIC: Critical Care TYPE: Fellow Case Reports INTRODUCTION: Succinylcholine, a depolarizing muscular blocker, has widespread use for rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in the intensive care unit (ICU), emergency department, and operating room. The advantageous pharmacologic profile includes rapid onset of action (40-60 secs), short duration (6-10 mins), and better intubation conditions such as ease of laryngoscopy and diaphragm inactivation. There are recognized adverse effects including benign manifestations (muscle fasciculations) to life-threatening conditions (acute hyperkalemia and malignant hyperthermia). Scenarios with increased risk include muscular dystrophies, rhabdomyolysis, crush/burn injuries, malignant hyperthermia, and abdominal infections. We present a case of life-threatening hyperkalemia after administration in the setting of critical care myopathy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old woman was admitted for acute respiratory distress syndrome from COVID-19 pneumonia. Treatment included steroids, neuromuscular blockade, and prone positioning. Due to frequent ventilator associated pneumonias and difficulty with airway hygiene, endotracheal (ET) tube exchange was planned on hospital day 34. Succinylcholine was utilized given suitable creatinine clearance, normal serum potassium, and sinus rhythm. The removed ET tube had dark, thick, adherent secretions. Less than one minute from administration, telemetry changed to a wide QRS complex and degenerated into pulseless ventricular fibrillation. There was no preceding hypoxemia. The patient received ACLS with defibrillation for recurrent ventricular fibrillation with ROSC. DISCUSSION: Succinylcholine binds to the post-synaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor on the motor endplate causing depolarization. Receptor activation triggers efflux of intracellular potassium into the plasma. Receptor upregulation occurs in pathologic conditions including lower motor neuron disorders, immobilization, burns, and muscular dystrophies. Myopathies have inherent membrane fragility and increased permeability producing release of potassium. The development of critical illness myopathy, polyneuropathy, and polyneuromyopathy in the ICU has an incidence of 25-83%. Proposed mechanisms include myosin loss, necrosis of the muscle, muscle membrane dysfunction, denervation of the muscle, nerve ischemia, and axonal injury. Activation of the acetylcholine receptors and sustained muscle contraction in this state can result in devastating hyperkalemia. CONCLUSIONS: Succinylcholine as a paralytic medication for RSI in patients with critical care myopathy should give providers clinical equipoise. There is a risk for acute hyperkalemia due to the damaged muscle membrane and upregulated acetylcholine receptors. REFERENCE #1: Tran, D. T. T., et al. "Rocuronium vs. succinylcholine for rapid sequence intubation: a Cochrane systematic review." Anaesthesia 72.6 (2017): 765-777. REFERENCE #2: Martyn, J. A. Jeevendra, and Martina Richtsfeld. "Succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia in acquired pathologic statesetiologic factors and molecular mechanisms." Anesthesiology: The Journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists 104.1 (2006): 158-169. REFERENCE #3: Shepherd, Starane, Ayush Batra, and David P. Lerner. "Review of critical illness myopathy and neuropathy." The Neurohospitalist 7.1 (2017): 41-48. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Bhupinder Natt, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Alan Nyquist, source=Web Response

Self-destructing atomic dark matter

Self-destructing dark matter (SDDM) is a class of dark sector models in which the collision of a dark sector particle with the earth induces its prompt decay into Standard Model particles, generating unique signals at neutrino detectors. The inherent fragility of SDDM makes its survival from the early Universe unlikely, implying a late time production mechanism. We present an efficient late time production mechanism for SDDM based on atomic rearrangement, the mechanism responsible for muon or antiproton capture in hydrogen. In this model, an atomic rearrangement process occurs in our Galaxy, converting dark atoms into highly excited bound states---our SDDM candidates. While the resulting SDDM is only a small fraction of the dark matter flux, its striking self-destruction signals imply a significant discovery reach in the existing data from the Super-Kamiokande experiment.

Understanding the Relationship between State-of-Charge and Structural Fragility in Ni-Rich Layered Materials for Lithium Batteries

Lithium batteries are at the frontier of energy storage. Co-free, Ni-rich layered transition metal oxide (TMO) materials have gained interest within the past decade due to their low cost and increased practical capacity. The challenge with employing these layered oxide cathodes is their inherent structural fragility, facilitated by metal cation migration and lattice oxygen loss. Upon charging, the redox center becomes oxidized, generating thermodynamically favorable electron transfer pathways between the electrolyte and the layered oxide. This transfer pathway is mainly due to the TM3d-O2p orbital hybridization perturbation during battery charging.Surface reconstruction and the structural reordering that accompanies it can undesirably influence the cathode – electrolyte interphase, leading to enhanced electrolyte degradation pathways that can minimize Coulombic efficiency. Electrolyte decomposition occurs at the oxide cathode surface, but can lead to bulk electronic and structural changes of the layered oxide, chemomechanical breakdown, and irreversible phase transformations.In this study, we focus on understanding the interplay between bulk phase transitions and surface instability with respect to electrolyte chemical decomposition. We use novel galvanostatic cycling parameters, extensive electron microscopy, and synchrotron X-ray techniques to decouple chemical and electrochemical electrolyte decomposition pathways to understand their role in Co-free, Ni-rich oxide cathode degradation. This work allows us to decouple surface and bulk chemistries at the cathode – electrolyte interphase to inform further insight into optimal Ni-rich oxide cathode design.

Resilience Quantification of Smart Distribution Networks—A Bird’s Eye View Perspective

The introduction of pervasive telecommunication devices, in the scope of smart grids (SGs), has accentuated interest in the distribution network, which integrates a huge portion of new grid applications. High impact low probability (HILP) events, such as natural hazards, manmade errors, and cyber-attacks, as well as the inherent fragility of the distribution grid have propelled the development of effective resilience tools and methods for the power distribution network (PDN) to avoid catastrophic infrastructural and economical losses. Multiple resilience evaluation frameworks are proposed in the literature in order to assist distribution system operators (DSOs) in managing their networks when faced with exogenous threats. We conduct detailed analysis of existing quantitative resilience studies in both electric and telecommunication domains of a PDN, focusing on event type, metrics, temporal phases, uncertainty, and critical load. Our work adopts the standpoint of a DSO, whose target is to identify feasible resilience assessment frameworks, which apply to pre-defined requirements in terms of resilience evaluation objectives (planning, reactive response, or simple assessment), time of evaluation, and available enhancement strategies. Finally, results and observations on selected works are presented, followed by discussion of identified challenges and opportunities.

Clinical trials optimizing investigator and self‐collection of buccal cells for RNA yield

ObjectiveBuccal cells are an ideal surrogate tissue for studying biologic effects of carcinogens or drugs, however inherent fragility and salivary RNAses limit RNA yield. We conducted healthy volunteer trials to optimize collection conditions.MethodsWe conducted: (a) a single‐arm crossover study evaluating four test conditions on RNA yield by buccal cytobrush; (b) a single‐arm prospective study evaluating RNA yield by investigator vs self‐collection.ResultsAntecedent toothbrushing, time of day, and number of cytobrush strokes did not significantly impact RNA yield. RNA yield was doubled by using 2 vs 1 cytobrush per buccal surface (P = .0054). Self‐collection of buccal cells for RNA was feasible; 36 of 50 (72%) samples passed quality control.ConclusionRNA yield was doubled by using two cytobrushes per buccal surface. Healthy volunteers can self‐collect sufficient buccal RNA for gene expression studies. Techniques from these pragmatic trials could enhance availability of a limited tissue for serial biomarker measurements.Level of Evidence1b—Prognosis Study (Individual prospective cohort study).

High-precision assembly of electronic devices with lightweight robots through sensor-guided insertion

Through-hole devices still play an important role in power electronics production. Due to a high number of variants in this field, an automated placement by special machines is often not economically feasible. The resulting manual process is characterized by monotony, ergonomic strain and high labor cost. As a result, a partial automation, using lightweight robots in hybrid assembly system, yields high potential. The lower stiffness and resulting accuracy deficiency of lightweight robots compared to common industrial robots, combined with the precision requirements and inherent fragility of the devices, prohibits the deployment of such systems. In this contribution, a scalable setup and strategies for visual and force-torque guided tactile insertion of such devices is presented and evaluated. A library, based on a system for the offline-programming of such tasks, is used to decrease implementation efforts. A performance evaluation of the system on printed circuit boards with multiple different devices is conducted.

The Editor's Problem

An editor maximizing quality relies on the qualitative recommendation of a reviewer. The reviewer may be biased to accept or reject independently of quality. Using the minimum principle, an averaging rule is found to best reduce the noise introduced by bias: under this rule, an unbiased reviewer accepts when quality is greater than the average quality selected by the editor. For distributions with heavy tails, the probability of acceptance due to bias is bounded away from zero even if almost all reviewers are unbiased. Standards adopted by the editor may be excessive relative to the social optimum. Environments with multiple reviewers, reviewer histories, detailed reviews and competition between editors do not solve the problem and may worsen it. A dynamic peer review demonstrates the inherent fragility of equilibria with informative reviews. The model applies to many settings, including grant review, evidence selection, medical testing, juries and project selection.

On the data set\u2019s ruins

Computer vision aims to produce an understanding of digital image’s content and the generation or transformation of images through software. Today, a significant amount of computer vision algorithms rely on techniques of machine learning which require large amounts of data assembled in collections, or named data sets. To build these data sets a large population of precarious workers label and classify photographs around the clock at high speed. For computers to learn how to see, a scale articulates macro and micro dimensions: the millions of images culled from the internet with the few milliseconds given to the workers to perform a task for which they are paid a few cents. This paper engages in details with the production of this scale and the labour it relies on: its elaboration. This elaboration does not only require hands and retinas, it also crucially zes mobilises the photographic apparatus. To understand the specific character of the scale created by computer vision scientists, the paper compares it with a previous enterprise of scaling, Malraux’s Le Musée Imaginaire, where photography was used as a device to undo the boundaries of the museum’s collection and open it to an unlimited access to the world’s visual production. Drawing on Douglas Crimp’s argument that the “musée imaginaire”, a hyperbole of the museum, relied simultaneously on the active role of the photographic apparatus for its existence and on its negation, the paper identifies a similar problem in computer vision’s understanding of photography. The double dismissal of the role played by the workers and the agency of the photographic apparatus in the elaboration of computer vision foreground the inherent fragility of the edifice of machine vision and a necessary rethinking of its scale.