Why do citizens fail to punish political candidates who violate democratic standards at the ballot box? Building on recent debates about heterogeneous democratic attitudes among citizens, we probe how divergent understandings of democracy shape citizens’ ability to recognize democratic transgressions as such and, in turn, affect vote choice. We leverage a novel approach to estimate the behavioural consequences of such individual-level understandings of democracy via a candidate choice conjoint experiment in Poland, a democracy where elections remained competitive despite an extended episode of backsliding. Consistent with our argument, we find that respondents who adhere less strongly to liberal democratic norms tolerate democratic violations more readily. Conversely, voters with a stronger liberal understanding of democracy are more likely to punish non-liberal candidates, including co-partisan ones. Our study identifies political culture, particularly the lack of attitudinal consolidation around liberal democracy, as a missing variable in explaining continued voter support for authoritarian-leaning leaders.

In this paper, we focus on a particular example of human–wildlife conflict involving Dungalaba (Dungalaba, Saltwater Crocodile, C. porosus — this paper will interchange between the various names of the species. It is preferred to us various names as we would like to acknowledge the various ways in which people come to understand and recognise the species) (Saltwater Crocodile) in the Northern Territory, Australia. We seek to both better understand and improve relationships with such potentially dangerous animals, positioning this as an educational endeavour. Drawing upon interviews with a small number of relevant stakeholders, we utilise storytelling as a method for informing contemporary relationships with Dungalaba. The method of storytelling has been used effectively by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years to pass teachings of our older people for the benefit of future generations. During interviews, research participants told stories of their lived experiences, which informed the creation of narratives that depict current relationships of conflict and past relationships of harmony. We discuss these narratives and how they may educate for respectful interactions and mutually beneficial coexistence between humans and Dungalaba. This paper contributes to the growing body of work that embraces Indigenous ways of knowing for improved environmental relations. Furthermore, this paper offers specific possibilities for the use storytelling as a tool within crocodile safety education programs within the Northern Territory.

Mounting research finds that shared discrimination boosts solidarity between people of color (PoC), with downstream increases in support for pro-outgroup policies. However, these experiments measure the proposed mediator (solidarity), rather than manipulate it, which raises reasonable doubts about its causal impact. We report two pre-registered experiments (N = 2,692) that reassess solidarity’s causal influence by “blocking” its downstream effects. We conducted these studies with Black adults – the prototypical person of color who define this mega-group’s norms and values. Both studies focus on Black-Latino relations and reveal that manipulating shared discrimination between these groups heartily boosts Black solidarity with PoC (d∼.40). Critically, after solidarity’s activation, manipulating differences in the bases of discrimination against Black and Latino people (i.e., slavery versus immigration) modestly reduces its downstream effect on Black support for pro-Latino policies. A pre-registered internal meta-analysis finds this “blockage” effect is modest but statistically reliable (d∼.10), leading us to conclude that solidarity’s mediating influence is likely causal and resistant to this divisive threat. We discuss our results’ implications for inter-minority politics.

Who created literary texts in ancient Mesopotamia, and did the Mesopotamians have a concept of “literature” (→ 1)? A core witness is the song Innana B / nin me šara (NMS → 2). New translations and an inductive analysis of references to text, addressee, and speaker reveals NMS to be created by a priestess for a war ritual (→ 3). Instead of staking a claim to authorship, however, the song stresses a claim for priesthood (→ 4). New evidence shows why: the creators of ritual songs are gods, and En-ḫedu-ana is only allowed to create such a song when she herself acts as a priestess embodying a deity (→ 5 and 6). The last section will offer proof that NMS belongs to the category of literature, from both ancient and modern perspectives, and explain why it is also to be regarded as both a mythic and ritual text (→ 7).The analysis demonstrates the birth of literature through the goddess Nin-gal, embodied in En-ḫedu-ana.

Echoing semanticists’ view on scientific theories, David Wallace has recently argued that physical theories are best understood if we conceive of them as mathematical structures. He supplements this idea by suggesting that they attach to the world by structural relations, e.g. isomorphism. This view, which he calls the math-first approach, contrasts with the language-first approach, according to which physical theories are collections of sentences latching onto the world by linguistic relations, e.g. truth. He then submits the structural realist stance is the appropriate metaphysics for this semantic framework. While agreeing that Wallace’s proposal is semantically and metaphysically tenable, I will argue that it is epistemically incomplete, since it leaves untouched the question “what are cognitive attitudes directed toward a physical theory?”. This issue becomes crucial especially when we notice that physical theories so construed cannot be the vehicle of propositional cognitive attitudes, e.g. belief and knowledge. Drawing on Elgin’s revisionary epistemology, I will suggest an augmentation to the math-first approach by certain non-propositional cognitive attitudes in such a way that both realist and anti-realist stances can be expressed within the resulting augmented math-first approach.

Supersonic impinging tones have been attracting significant interest because high-intensity discrete-frequency tones pose substantial risks to structural safety in applications such as rocket launch and recovery, and space vehicle attitude adjustment. However, various issues remain to be addressed regarding the jet oscillation and tone generation mechanism. In this study, a numerical simulation of the supersonic impinging jet with a nozzle pressure ratio of 4.03 and an impingement distance of 2.08 times the nozzle exit diameter is conducted. The results show good consistency with the reference data by other researchers. A phase-locked averaging analysis of 2960 flow field snapshots is employed to investigate jet structure oscillation dynamics and the tone generation mechanism. The phase-locked averaged images reveal that the pressure variation induced by Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices as they pass through the reflected shock results in the periodic motions of the reflected shock and Mach disk. The periodically oscillating Mach disk generates high-pressure fluid masses driving recirculation bubbles through a cyclic ‘compression–generation–merging’ oscillation. The streamline oscillation and sound-ray analyses reveal there are two distinct tone source regions: the impinging zone and the wall jet region. Consequently, it is proposed that vortex collapse in conjunction with wall jet oscillations coexist to generate the tone. According to the directivity, the tone emitted from the wall jet source region is believed to contribute to the feedback loop. These findings collectively contribute to an improved understanding of the jet plume oscillation and tone generation mechanisms of the supersonic impinging jet.

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a significant driver of emerging infectious diseases, with the potential to catalyze the next global pandemic. This paper explores the complex interplay between climate change and the emergence of novel pathogens, emphasizing the environmental, ecological, and socio-economic factors that contribute to disease transmission. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and habitat destruction are reshaping ecosystems, bringing humans into closer contact with zoonotic reservoirs and vectors. These changes amplify the risk of spillover events, as seen in recent outbreaks. The study identifies key challenges, including inadequate surveillance systems, limited global cooperation, and the disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. Furthermore, it proposes adaptive measures such as enhanced early warning systems, integrated One Health approaches, and climate-resilient public health infrastructure. By addressing these challenges and implementing proactive strategies, the global community can mitigate the risk of a climate-driven pandemic and strengthen preparedness for future health crises. This paper underscores the urgent need for interdisciplinary collaboration and policy innovation to safeguard global health in the face of a changing climate

The dynamics of a stratified fluid in which the rotation vector is slanted at an angle with respect to the local vertical (determined by gravity) is considered for the case where the aspect ratio of the characteristic vertical scale of the motion D to the horizontal scale L is not small. In cases where the Rossby number of the flow is small the natural coordinate system is non-orthogonal and modifications to the dynamics are significant. Two regimes are examined in this paper. The first is the case in which the horizontal length scale of the motion, L, is sub-planetary where the quasi-geostrophic approximation is valid. The second is the case where the horizontal scale is commensurate with the planetary radius and so the dynamics must be formulated in spherical coordinates with imposing a full variation on the relevant components of rotation. In the quasi-geostrophic case the rotation axis replaces the direction of gravity as the axis along which the geostrophic flow varies in response to horizontal density gradients. The quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity equation is most naturally written in a non-orthogonal coordinate system with fundamental alterations in the dynamics. Examples such as the reformulation of the classical Eady problem are presented to illustrate the changes in the nature of the dynamics. For the second case where the horizontal scale is of the order of R, the planetary radius, more fundamental changes occur leading to more fundamental and difficult changes in the dynamical model.

We study nonlinear resonant triad interactions among flexural-gravity waves generated by a steadily moving load on a floating ice sheet. Of the many possible triad interactions involving at least one load-produced wave, we focus on the double-frequency case where the wavenumber of the leading wave is double that of the trailing wave. This case stands out because resonant interactions can occur with or without the presence of an ambient wave. Using multiple-scale perturbation analysis, we obtain amplitude evolution equations governing the leading-order, steady-state response. We complement the theoretical predictions with direct numerical simulations of the initial–boundary value problem using a high-order spectral method accurate to arbitrary order. Our results show that the double-frequency interaction can cause the trailing wave amplitude to decay with distance from the load, with its energy transferred to its second harmonic which radiates forwards to coherently interfere with the leading wave. Depending on the length and orientation of the load, the resonant interaction can in some cases cause the wave drag to become vanishingly small, or in other cases nearly double the maximum bending strain compared to the linear prediction. We also consider the effect of a small ambient wave that can initiate a resonant interaction in the leading wave field in addition to the trailing wave field interaction. This can result in a steady, localised wave packet containing two mutually trapped wave components, leading to vanishing wave drag. This work has potential implications for defining safe operating profiles for vehicles travelling on floating ice.

Processing and extracting actionable information, such as fault or anomaly indicators originating from vibration telemetry, is both challenging and critical for an accurate assessment of mechanical system health and subsequent predictive maintenance. In the setting of predictive maintenance for populations of similar assets, the knowledge gained from any single asset should be leveraged to provide improved predictions across the entire population. In this paper, a novel approach to population-level health monitoring is presented adopting a transfer learning approach. The new methodology is applied to monitor multiple rotating plant assets in a power generation scenario. The focus is on the detection of statistical anomalies as a means of identifying deviations from the typical operating regime from a time series of telemetry data. This is a challenging task because the machine is observed under different operating regimes. The proposed methodology can effectively transfer information across different assets, automatically identifying segments with common statistical characteristics and using them to enrich the training of the local supervised learning models. The proposed solution leads to a substantial reduction in mean square error relative to a baseline model.

How should we respond to extremist views that we know are false? This paper proposes that we should be intellectually humble, but not open-minded. We should own our intellectual limitations, but be unwilling to revise our beliefs in the falsity of the extremist views. The opening section makes a case for distinguishing the concept of intellectual humility from the concept of open-mindedness, arguing that open-mindedness requires both a willingness to revise extant beliefs and other-oriented engagement, whereas intellectual humility requires neither. Building on virtue-consequentialism, the second section makes a start by arguing that intellectually virtuous people of a particular sort—people with “effects-virtues”—would be intellectually humble, but not open-minded, in responding to extremist views they knew were false. We suggest that while intellectual humility and open-mindedness often travel together, this is a place where they come apart.

The thermocapillary flows generated by an inclined temperature gradient in and around a floating droplet are studied in the framework of the lubrication approximation. Numerical simulations of nonlinear flow regimes are fulfilled. It is shown that under the action of Marangoni stresses, a droplet typically moves as a whole. It is found that an inclined temperature gradient can lead to the excitation of periodic oscillations. With an increase of the inclination of the temperature gradient, temporally quasi-periodic oscillations have been obtained. In a definite region of parameters, an inclined temperature gradient can suppress oscillations, changing the droplet’s shape. The diagram of regimes in the plane of longitudinal and transverse Marangoni numbers has been constructed. Bistability has been found.

Despite advances in the development of systemic anticoagulants, there remain few agents approved for utilisation in patients with mechanical heart valves. Currently, recommendations for periprocedural and long-term anticoagulation in mechanical heart valves include unfractionated heparin or vitamin K antagonists, and there are some reports for off-label use of low-molecular-weight heparins. Emerging data on parenteral direct thrombin inhibitors, such as bivalirudin, have led to increased utilisation in both extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and ventricular assist devices. We present the case of a paediatric patient with rheumatic heart disease who had significant bleeding on unfractionated heparin who successfully received prolonged bivalirudin therapy in the setting of mechanical aortic and mitral heart valves.

Non-word repetition (NWR) is often utilized for the assessment of phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and as a clinical marker for language-related disorders. In this study, associations between children's language competence and their performance in language-specific NWR tasks as well as the relevance of NWR for the prediction of language development were scrutinized. German preschoolers (N = 1,801) were compared regarding their performance in NWR, German vocabulary, and articulation. For 141 children, results of a school enrolment test were available. Multilingual children performed as well as monolingual German-speaking children in NWR only under the condition of comparable German language skills. NWR performance depended on item length, children's vocabulary and articulation skills and was weakly associated with language-related medical issues. The predictive power of NWR for children's performance in the school enrolment test was minimal. To conclude, chosen German-based NWR tasks did not deliver convincing results as a clinical marker or predictor of language development.

Being deeply embedded in the mythological framework of old-school Christian angelology, the theodicy presented in this article outlines a thoroughgoing and unexpectedly simple solution to the problem of evil. Unlike other Satan-oriented theodicies, whose central idea is that natural evil is reducible to moral evil by taking the malevolent actions of demons into consideration, it accounts for both natural and moral evil in perfectly familiar deal-making terms. Of particular interest is that it makes no appeal to the overriding importance of free will nor to the inscrutability of God’s ways. Instead it envisions a primordial agreement on which everything depends. If it stands up to scrutiny, it offers an intriguing explanation for why God permits such an awful lot of badness.

Next of kin play a vital role in the informal care of older relatives in long-term-care facilities (LTCFs). However, finding a sustainable balance between everyday commitments and caring for their loved ones can be demanding, and there is a need to explore new ways to support their caregiving efforts while prioritising their wellbeing. Digital communication technologies have shown promise in enabling meaningful social interactions between older adults and their families, yet their potential to foster connections in LTCFs remains understudied. This study explores the efficacy of a communication technology called Komp in facilitating meaningful connections between next of kin and older relatives in LTCFs. It utilises Norwegian data from all public nursing homes in Oslo municipality to assess whether Komp can facilitate social contact between nursing home residents and their next of kin, and if the use of Komp impacts the next of kin’s experience of satisfaction with this contact. Based on 238 next of kin, this study uses two data sources: (1) survey data collected from all next of kin, in three waves, and (2) a highly detailed weekly data stream from each Komp device. These sources are combined and analysed using multiple regression analysis. The results generally show a positive and significant relationship between use of Komp and increased social satisfaction, indicating that Komp can serve as a valuable tool to help next of kin maintain social bonds with older relatives in LTCFs.