Uniformitarian Research Articles

Medeklinkerwisseling tussen enkel- en meervoudsvormen

Abstract Consonant change between singular and plural forms: A combination of spelling principles In modern Dutch the spelling principle of uniformity dictates that the singular form of plural nouns ending in -den and -ben, such as landen, ribben, are systematically written with voiced consonants (land, rib), although the final consonants are pronounced voiceless. However, the voiced consonants of plural nouns ending in -zen and -ven (huizen, duiven) are in the singular changed into voiceless consonants, following the pronunciation and leading to the spelling huis, duif etc. Yet, this rule is not systematic: there are many cases where for instance singular and plural both show a voiceless consonant, for example paraaf-parafen, kous-kousen. In this article we examine what caused the difference in spelling rules, and we try to find an explanation for the exceptions to the rule. For this we examine the effect of various factors: the origin of the pairs of voiced and voiceless consonants, the influence of pronunciation, dialect difference, grammatical features as inflection and gender, the spelling principle of uniformity, and the etymological origin of the words concerned. It appears that the current spelling rules can be traced back to a combination of changes in pronunciation and the spelling principle of uniformity, while all exceptions can be explained by the etymology of the words concerned.

A hagyaték átadása – az öröklési bizonyítvány a román Polgári törvénykönyv és az Európai Parlament és Tanács 650/2012/EU-rendelete tükrében

Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council in matters of succession is based on the principles of uniformity and predictability. The succession procedure should be governed by a single statutory provision in each Member State, uniformly with regard to all types of property, in terms of quality of succession, provisions on the opening and place of the succession, ineligibility for inheritance, survivor’s rights. The harmonization that has begun runs counter to the different national laws and regulations of the Member States, which will only be possible to approximate over time, but uniform rules would significantly facilitate and resolve the legal problems that arise in succession proceedings.

How good was Shepherd’s response to Hume’s epistemological challenge?

ABSTRACT Recent work on Mary Shepherd has largely focused on her metaphysics, especially as a response to Berkeley and Hume. However, relatively little attention has thus far been paid to the epistemological aspects of Shepherd’s programme. What little attention Shepherd’s epistemology has received has tended to cast her as providing an unsatisfactory response to the skeptical challenge issued by Hume. For example, Walter Ott and Jeremy Fantl have each suggested that Shepherd cannot avoid Hume’s inductive skepticism even if she is granted her metaphysics. In this paper, I examine Shepherd’s epistemology and argue that her response to Hume is more successful than the current literature suggests. In particular, I argue that, if Shepherd is granted her metaphysics, she can answer Hume’s demand for a rational justification of ordinary inductive inferences via a deductively justified uniformity principle and an appeal to parsimony.

Complex systems of shavings processing machines

When using shavings in the metallurgical industry, and especially in powder metallurgy, there is a question of purification of shavings from LCTS (lubrication and cooling technological systems) before it’s processing. On the basis of previously performed research, the classification of complex systems for processing metal shavings which perform operations depending on its type and degree of contamination is proposed. Particularly difficult are the operations: sorting shavings by size, separating shavings from MOTS, washing shavings and drying them. The developed designs of machines for shavings processing with the uniform principle of action allow to connect them in a uniform complex system for preparation of shavings for metallurgical redistribution. Each of the given structural schemes of complex systems on shavings processing with the uniform principle of action can also be executed in two versions - general factory or shop; examples of their construction and description are given.

Does the Dome Defeat the Material Theory of Induction?

According to John D. Norton's Material Theory of Induction, all inductive inferences are justified by local facts, rather than their formal features or some grand principles of nature's uniformity. Recently, Richard Dawid (Found Phys 45(9):1101–1109, 2015) has offered a challenge to this theory: in an adaptation of Norton's own celebrated "Dome" thought experiment, it seems that there are certain inductions that are intuitively reasonable, but which do not have any local facts that could serve to justify them in accordance with Norton's requirements. Dawid's suggestion is that “raw induction” might have a limited but important role for such inferences. I argue that the Material Theory can accommodate such inductions, because there are local facts concerning the combinatoric features of the induction’s target populations that can licence the inferences in an analogous way to existing examples of material induction. Since my arguments are largely independent of the details of the Dome, Norton's theory emerges as surprisingly robust against criticisms of excessive narrowness.

Methodology for assessing herd immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Serological monitoring of the study of population immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the context of COVID-19 pandemic is a necessary component in epidemiological surveillance, since population epidemiological wellbeing in a context of COVID-19 is determined by state of population immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The population herd immunity is the limiting factor in spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Information on the state of population immunity is necessary to make a forecast for development of epidemiological situation, as well as to plan measures for specific and non-specific prevention of COVID-19. In this regard, the study of population immunity during the pandemic is necessary to predict development of the epidemic and identify features of epidemic process in any certain region and in the country in general. In May 2020, the Rospotrebnadzor program “Assessment of population immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the population of the Russian Federation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic” was developed taking into account WHO recommendations in the format of a longitudinal cohort study with age stratification: at the first stage, a cohort of volunteers is formed; at the second and subsequent stages, the cohort of volunteers formed at the first stage is subject to examination; the number of stages depends on the epidemiological situation. In addition to age-related randomization while forming a cohort, at the first stage, the principle of population coverage uniformity was observed, the participation of volunteers from one institution was excluded, and the use of donated blood or patient blood from medical organizations was excluded. The survey was carried out among 7 age groups of healthy children and adults, regardless present or absent previous COVID-19 disease. Due to the fact that the population study is carried out in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the optimal timing for collecting biomaterial at each stage is no more than 5–7 days. Questioning, selection of volunteers, their registration for blood donation, as well as processing of the results at the first stage, as well as the implementation of the second and subsequent stages of the Program are carried out only by using cloud service technology. This Program and the technology for its implementation have been successfully tested in 26 regions of the Russian Federation during the implementation of four stages from June 2020 to March 2021. Thus, at present, Rospotrebnadzor has developed a methodology and created an effectively working system of serological monitoring to assess level of herd immunity in different regions of the Russian Federation to predict the epidemiological situation, develop recommendations, and plan vaccination.

Defining Sovereign Assets for Immunity from Execution: International Rule of Law Versus International Law - Based Rule of Law

Sovereign assets receive restrictive sovereign immunity based on their purpose and/or use for execution of States’ commercial liabilities. The forum States’ courts decide the question of immunity of these assets. Due to lack of effective international conventions, these judgements result at inconsistent outcomes. Rule of law can be applied to mitigate this inconsistency. However, the objectives of rule of law vary for the national and the international legal order. Moreover, the divergence in group-interests of States and mandate of international organizations have failed to agree on a uniform definition of international rule of law. Thereby, this paper suggests international law-based rule of law as an alternative approach. International law-based rule of law aims at achieving the same objectives as domestic legal order, but, by the tools of international laws. Finally, it proposes to develop an inter-States consensus-based model law to have uniform principles of sovereign assets’ immunity in international law.

Risk-targeted hazard maps for Spain

Many studies have demonstrated that the design of structures in a region through the uniform hazard principle does not guarantee a uniform collapse risk. Even in regions with similar Peak Ground Accelerations (PGAs) corresponding to the same mean return period, the seismic risk in terms of collapse probability will be significantly different mainly due to the shape of the hazard curves as well as uncertainties in structural capacities. In this paper, risk-targeted hazard mapping is being explored in peninsular Spain using a recently updated seismic hazard map. Since risk targeting involves multiple input parameters such as the model parameters of fragility curves, their variability was considered through their probability distribution as observed in reinforced concrete (RC) moment frame buildings, representing the most common building typology in Spain. The influence of the variation of these parameters on the risk results were investigated, and different assumptions for estimating the model parameters of fragility curves are illustrated. These assumptions were included in a fixed (generic) fragility curve or building-site-specific fragility curves. Different acceptable damage states (i.e., collapse and yielding) were considered concerning Spain’s seismicity level. Finally, the maps for risk-targeted design ground motions and risk coefficients are presented. It is outlined that the employment of risk-targeted analysis leads to the modifications for existing design ground motions due to the different shape of the hazard curves across Spain and considering the uncertainty of structural capacity. Moreover, it is found that using the building- and site-specific fragility curves could result in a more uniform seismic risk across the country.

Convergence structures and locally solid topologies on vector lattices of operators

For vector lattices E and F, where F is Dedekind complete and supplied with a locally solid topology, we introduce the corresponding locally solid absolute strong operator topology on the order bounded operators {mathscr{L}}_{mathrm{ob}}(E,F) from E into F. Using this, it follows that {mathscr{L}}_{mathrm{ob}}(E,F) admits a Hausdorff uo-Lebesgue topology whenever F does. For each of order convergence, unbounded order convergence, and—when applicable—convergence in the Hausdorff uo-Lebesgue topology, there are both a uniform and a strong convergence structure on {mathscr{L}}_{mathrm{ob}}(E,F). Of the six conceivable inclusions within these three pairs, only one is generally valid. On the orthomorphisms of a Dedekind complete vector lattice, however, five are generally valid, and the sixth is valid for order bounded nets. The latter condition is redundant in the case of sequences of orthomorphisms, as a consequence of a uniform order boundedness principle for orthomorphisms that we establish. We furthermore show that, in contrast to general order bounded operators, orthomorphisms preserve not only order convergence of nets, but unbounded order convergence and—when applicable—convergence in the Hausdorff uo-Lebesgue topology as well.

The Question of the Applicable Law in Cross-Border Claims on Product Liability: Reflections from India

Abstract The blurring of international barriers has impacted the nature and complexity of tortious claims and, in particular, those concerning product liability. Products manufactured in one country are often sold or used in another State – and there is often a separation in time and space between the occurrence of the harmful behaviour the resultant injury. For this reason, countries across the globe have increasingly considered it inappropriate to subject such claims to the same mechanism to identify the governing law that applies to other tortious claims of different nature such as negligence, nuisance or defamation. The EU, the UK, Australia, Canada, and India’s BRICS partners – Russia and China – are examples of legal systems that have developed a special conflict of law rules on the applicable law in product liability claims. In contrast, the principles of Indian private international law do not contain any special rule. The applicable law is determined on the basis of a uniform principle that extends to all cross-border disputes on tort. The paper provides a critical evaluation of the mechanism to identify the applicable law in international disputes on product liability. It highlights the predicaments in extending the uniform rule to product liability claims and demonstrates how it debilitates access to justice and is not suitable for disputes that arise from accidents caused by products such as autonomous vehicles, which incorporate new technology. Consequently, the paper suggests workable solutions to develop the Indian conflict-of-law rules on the subject.

Unraveling the mechanical origin of stable solid electrolyte interphase

Summary The capability of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in accommodating deformation is critical to the electrode integrity. However, the nanoscale thickness and environmental sensitivity of SEI make it challenging to characterize multiple mechanical parameters and identify an appropriate predictor for such capability. Here, we develop a feasible atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nanoindentation test that circumvents the interference of the anode substrate and allows accurate probing of Young's modulus and elastic strain limit of SEI. The "maximum elastic deformation energy" (U) that an SEI can absorb is proposed to predict the stability of the SEI, as successfully demonstrated in Li/K metal anodes. We show that another asset of U is to provide a rapid and effective means to screen proper electrolytes for the stabilization of Sn and Sb microparticle anodes through building high-U SEIs. Overall, this new indicator, U, offers future directions toward rational design of robust SEIs for advanced anodes.

Recent trends in the development of legal regulation in the sphere of ensuring information security of the judicial system in the Russian Federation

This article explores the questions of information security in the conditions of digital transformation and improvement of state administration. The author analyzes the impact of these challenges upon the judicial system overall and legal support of information security. Considering the existing scientific research and foreign experience, the conclusion is made on modernization of digital interaction on the issues of notifying the parties about the court hearing. Special attention is given to the institution of identification. Vectors in the development of complex institution of identification in the conditions of digital transformation are outlined. The author analyzes the case law material of the courts of general jurisdiction pertaining to personal data protection of a particular category of citizens; as well as substantiates the importance of digital notification of the parties to court proceedings for preventing the abuse of procedural rights by unconscientious participants. The author believes that formalization of prohibition on posting court documents online, in cases involving military personnel or persons doing military service, would ensure personal data protection of a particular category of citizens. . The conclusion is made that the highlighted issues of ensuring information security in the context of administration of justice testify to poor legal regulation of the institutions of identification and personal data. The consolidation of the uniform principles of legal regulation of relations that arise in the process of consideration and resolution of court cases with the use of information and telecommunications technologies, would allow countering the new challenges and threats in the information sphere, as well as the impact of globalization upon determination of the national strategy for the development of information society.

From conquest to co-existence: Burhān al-Dīn al-Marghīnānī’s (d. 593/1197) re-interpretation of jihād

Abstract Current scholarship on the legal doctrine of jihād presents classical Sunni jurists after the second/eighth century as uniformly championing continual imperial conquest. In this article, I suggest that this sweeping claim for a uniform doctrine neglects what is distinctive in the argumentation of individual juristic thinkers. I trace the genealogy of of Burhān al-Dīn al-Marghīnānī’s (d. 593/1197) theory of jihād in order to show how he radically reinterpreted the doctrine of Ḥanafī school. He introduced the novel approach that jihād need not to be equated with its outward, formal meaning (al-jihād ṣūratan) of military combat. Rather, beyond that outward sense, jihād also had a deeper meaning (al-jihād maʿnan) based on its purpose or function within international relations. For Marghīnānī, part of this function was the preservation of life, freedom, and property. He was thus able to argue that, so long as they secured these ends, peace treaties fulfilled the deeper meaning of jihad. Marghīnānī’s ideas enabled a shift in Ḥanafī thought whereby jurists after him associated jihād with the realization of benefit (maṣlaḥa) for Muslim society. Rather than advocate the obligation of continual conquest, these jurists accepted that decision-making about war and peace should be determined by pragmatic considerations of social interest.

Discriminating arboviral species.

Mosquito-borne arboviruses, including a diverse array of alphaviruses and flaviviruses, lead to hundreds of millions of human infections each year. Current methods for species-level classification of arboviruses adhere to guidelines prescribed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), and generally apply a polyphasic approach that might include information about viral vectors, hosts, geographical distribution, antigenicity, levels of DNA similarity, disease association and/or ecological characteristics. However, there is substantial variation in the criteria used to define viral species, which can lead to the establishment of artificial boundaries between species and inconsistencies when inferring their relatedness, variation and evolutionary history. In this study, we apply a single, uniform principle - that underlying the Biological Species Concept (BSC) - to define biological species of arboviruses based on recombination between genomes. Given that few recombination events have been documented in arboviruses, we investigate the incidence of recombination within and among major arboviral groups using an approach based on the ratio of homoplastic sites (recombinant alleles) to non-homoplastic sites (vertically transmitted alleles). This approach supports many ICTV-designations but also recognizes several cases in which a named species comprises multiple biological species. These findings demonstrate that this metric may be applied to all lifeforms, including viruses, and lead to more consistent and accurate delineation of viral species.

Paleoenvironments and paleoecology of the Santa Cruz Formation (early-middle Miocene) along the Río Santa Cruz, Patagonia (Argentina)

The continental early-middle Miocene Santa Cruz Formation (SCF) in Austral Patagonia contains the best record of South American mammalian faunas prior to the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) and is of particular interest because it is the best preserved high-latitude continental biotic record in the Southern Hemisphere spanning the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum. Through intensive fieldwork we recovered numerous fossil vertebrates, mostly mammals, from the SCF along the Río Santa Cruz (RSC), the type area for the formation and its fauna. We examine whether the SCF fauna differed among three distinct temporal intervals of the SCF spanning, from the oldest to youngest, the Atlantic coastal suite of localities Fossil Levels (FL) 1–7, at about 17.4 Ma, through localities in the RSC Barrancas Blancas (BB), between ~17.2 and ~16.3 Ma, and Segundas Barrancas Blancas (SBB), between ~16.5 and ~15.6 Ma. With the objective of reconstructing paleoenvironmental and community structure of these RSC faunas, we compared them with 55 extant lowland mammalian localities across South America from 8° N to 55° S latitude representing a wide range of seasonality and, annual rainfall and temperature, as well as canopy height and net primary productivity, sampling communities ranging from tropical rainforest to semi-arid steppe. Extant nonvolant mammalian genera at each locality were assigned a body size interval and niche parameters reflecting diet and substrate use, from behavioral data in the literature. Extinct genera were assigned similar niche metrics on the basis of their morphology. From the generic niche parameters, we compiled indices and ratios that express vectors of the community structure of each fauna, including the total number of genera, the pervasiveness of arboreality, frugivory, and browsing, and the relative richness of predators to their prey. The community structure variables were used to model community structure of the fossil localities based on uniformitarian principles. The fossil sample includes 44 genera of mammals from FL 1–7, 38 genera from BB, and 44 genera from SBB. The Simpson Coefficients of faunal similarity among the fossil localities are no greater than expected on the basis of the geographic distances among them, and do not suggest any apparent climatic differences. Based on the models we obtained no significant differences in MAP (Mean Annual Precipitation) for FL 1–7, BB and SBB, with mean estimates of 1635 mm, 1451 mm, and 1504 mm, with the confidence intervals for the estimates overlapping widely. MAT (Mean Annual Temperature) estimates are between ~21 °C and ~22 °C for FL 1–7 and SBB, possibly lower at 16 °C for BB, but with a wide and overlapping range of estimates. Temperature seasonality is modest (3 °C to 4 °C) and similar for all localities. Canopy heights exceed 20 m for all sites. Despite these geographic and inferred climatic similarities, the presence of certain key taxa (e.g., the caviomorph rodent Prolagostomus and the typothere Pachyrukhos) together with an increased overall abundance and richness of rodents with ever-growing cheek teeth suggests a trend to aridification in the upper part of the SCF at SBB compared with FL 1–7 and BB. Taken together, we propose that the SCF paleoenvironment consisted largely of semi-deciduous forests ranging into savannas with gallery-forest components. This range of habitats occurs today where the mesic inland Atlantic forests of Southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina and eastern Paraguay give way northwestward into the more xeric Paraguayan Gran Chaco. These interpretations are in general agreement with other sources of evidence from sedimentology, paleosols, isotopes, paleobotany and other faunal elements. We highlight the value of focusing paleoenvironmental and paleocological studies of the SFC on stratigraphically and geographically confined samples instead of on the entire temporal and geographic distribution of the SCF based on historical collections with limited provenance. The Santacrucian can be considered a model to the study of South American faunas after the arrival of hystricomorph rodents and anthropoid primates but before GABI.

The vocal tract as a time machine: inferences about past speech and language from the anatomy of the speech organs.

While speech and language do not fossilize, they still leave traces that can be extracted and interpreted. Here, we suggest that the shape of the hard structures of the vocal tract may also allow inferences about the speech of long-gone humans. These build on recent experimental and modelling studies, showing that there is extensive variation between individuals in the precise shape of the vocal tract, and that this variation affects speech and language. In particular, we show that detailed anatomical information concerning two components of the vocal tract (the lower jaw and the hard palate) can be extracted and digitized from the osteological remains of three historical populations from The Netherlands, and can be used to conduct three-dimensional biomechanical simulations of vowel production. We could recover the signatures of inter-individual variation between these vowels, in acoustics and articulation. While ‘proof-of-concept’, this study suggests that older and less well-preserved remains could be used to draw inferences about historic and prehistoric languages. Moreover, it forces us to clarify the meaning and use of the uniformitarian principle in linguistics, and to consider the wider context of language use, including the anatomy, physiology and cognition of the speakers.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reconstructing prehistoric languages’.

How to Choose a Proper Theoretical Analysis Model Based on Cell Adhesion and Nonadhesion Impedance Measurement.

The accurate equivalent circuit model contributes to the better fitting of required cell characteristics, such as cell impedance, cell adhesion area, and cell-electrode distance. However, so many theoretical models on specific modules make it difficult for new researchers to understand the whole model of electrode system physically. Besides, the accurate theoretical model and the simplified calculations obviously contradict each other; therefore, it is confusing for many researchers to choose the proper theoretical model to calculate the specific parameters required. In this review, we first discuss the problems and suggestions of electrode system design for cell adhesion-based measurement in terms of parasitic capacitance, detection range of cell number, electric field distribution, and interelectrode distance. The design of electrode system for cell nonadhesion measurement was analyzed in terms of microchannel size and electrode position. Then, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various equivalent circuit models according to different requirements of researchers, and simultaneously provide a corresponding theoretical model for researchers. Various factors influencing electric impedance spectroscopy (EIS) such as the parasitic capacitance between microelectrodes, the changes of cell adhesion area and cell-electrode distance, the electrode geometry, and the surface conductivity of electrode were quantitatively analyzed to contribute to better understanding of the equivalent models. Finally, we gave advice to optimize the theoretical models further and perspectives on building uniform principles of theoretical model optimization in the future.

Soteriological context of the image a righteous man in fictional prose of I. S. Shmelyov.

The object of this research is the embodiment of the Orthodox anthropological ideal in the works of I. S. Shmelyov. Among multiple images of a righteous man described in the literature, I. S. Shmelyov in his works features “righteousness in the world”. Dilogy “Summer of the Lord” and “Pilgrimage” is selected as an example, namely the image of Gorkin as church-going person among others. His image reflects a peculiar worldview model that reconciles the contradictions of worldly and religious life, due to the dominant of Christocentrism — the uniform principle of an Orthodox person. Through the prism of soteriological attitudes, the author traces in the image of Gorkin the embodiment of the principles of Christian morality, love for the neighbor, and orientation towards the Prototype. The main conclusions consist in development of the original concept of a church-going person, which is based on the Orthodox understanding of human. The author distinguishes between the Orthodox and the abstract spiritual, which is essential for an adequate interpretation of the applied artistic method. Based on Shmelev's reference to the fundamentals of Orthodox anthropology, the interpretation of images suggests using the theological concepts and the elements of patristic teachings. A sequential, rather than fragmentary analysis, is carried out on a specific example of the image of Gorkin. The methodological novelty of such approach lies in the establishment of a profound axiological connection between fiction and Christian anthropology, which underlies the artistic uniqueness of Shmelev's works.

Bibelens absolutte ufeilbarlighet – et enhetlig dogme?

The inerrancy of Scripture is often seen as a uniform doctrine. In this article, I argue that one must distinguish between different formulations of this belief. By comparing Carl Fredrik Wisløff’s teachings on biblical inerrancy with the doctrine expressed in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, I show that there are some key differences between them which makes a distinction necessary.

Reconstructing Chinese Pidgin English phonology on the basis of written sources

"This paper is an attempt at outlining the phonology of Chinese Pidgin English, including its syllable structure, with an emphasis on the onset and the coda. Since Chinese Pidgin English is an extinct variety, the only available sources are written records such as magazine articles (e.g. in The Chinese Repository), literary works, travelogues, and letters. Reconstructing the phonology of Chinese Pidgin English on the basis of the orthography used in these sources raises the issues of the reliability of the sources and of the methodological implications. These are addressed in light of the caveats formulated by Mühlhäusler (1997), Baker and Winer (1999), Avram (2000), among others. In line with the principle of sociolinguistic accountability, all tokens in the samples of Chinese Pidgin English are included in the analysis as well as all the contexts where they might have appeared. In addition, a comparison will be made with other contemporary records of Chinese Pidgin English, with the phonology of Hong Kong English (Setter et al. 2010) and with the L2 phonology of Chinese learners of English. Such a comparison is certainly not the perfect equivalent of Rickford’s (1986) “feedback from current usage”, given that Chinese Pidgin English is no longer spoken. However, this approach is warranted by the so-called “uniformitarian principle” (Labov 1972), which posits that current patterns are similar to those that operated in the past."