Conventional benefit–cost analysis is well-established and widely used to assess interventions designed to improve public health and welfare. While it has many advantages, it has well-known limitations. Chief among these is its inattention to the distributional equity of the impacts. To measure individual well-being, the conventional approach relies on individuals’ willingness to exchange their own income for the outcomes they experience. To measure societal welfare, it relies on simple aggregation of these values across individuals. This approach reflects a relatively narrow conception of welfare and ignores how impacts are distributed across advantaged and disadvantaged individuals. Social welfare analysis has been proposed as an alternative approach to address these limitations, but real-world applications are rare due largely to the complexity of the calculations. This article provides a pragmatic approach for conducting equity-sensitive benefit–cost analysis globally that addresses data limitations and other challenges, illustrated with example applications. It formally develops and implements equity weights that adjust for the decreasing marginal value of money and for additional moral considerations, prioritizing increases in welfare for those who are worse off.

We contribute to the study of generalizations of the Perfect Set Property and the Baire Property to subsets of spaces of higher cardinalities, like the power set ${\mathcal {P}}({\lambda })$ of a singular cardinal $\lambda $ of countable cofinality or products $\prod _{i<\omega }\lambda _i$ for a strictly increasing sequence $\langle {\lambda _i}~\vert ~{i<\omega }\rangle $ of cardinals. We consider the question under which large cardinal hypothesis classes of definable subsets of these spaces possess such regularity properties, focusing on rank-into-rank axioms and classes of sets definable by $\Sigma _1$-formulas with parameters from various collections of sets. We prove that $\omega $-many measurable cardinals, while sufficient to prove the perfect set property of all $\Sigma _1$-definable sets with parameters in $V_\lambda \cup \{V_\lambda \}$, are not enough to prove it if there is a cofinal sequence in $\lambda $ in the parameters. For this conclusion, the existence of an I2-embedding is enough, but there are parameters in $V_{\lambda +1}$ for which I2 is still not enough. The situation is similar for the Baire property: under I2 all sets that are $\Sigma _1$-definable using elements of $V_\lambda $ and a cofinal sequence as parameters have the Baire property, but I2 is not enough for some parameter in $V_{\lambda +1}$. Finally, the existence of an I0-embedding implies that all sets that are $\Sigma ^1_n$-definable with parameters in $V_{\lambda +1}$ have the Baire property.

Trifludimoxazin is a new PPO-inhibiting herbicide that is being evaluated for the control of small-seeded annual broadleaf weeds and grasses in several crops. Currently, no information is available regarding peanut cultivar response to trifludimoxazin and its utility in peanut weed control systems. Three unique field experiments were conducted and replicated in time from 2019 through 2022 to determine the response of seven peanut cultivars (AU-NPL 17; FloRun 331; GA-06G; GA-16HO; GA-18RU; GA-20VHO; and TifNV High O/L) to preemergence (PRE) applications of trifludimoxazin and to determine the efficacy of trifludimoxazin at multiple rates and tank-mixtures with acetochlor, diclosulam, dimethenamid-P, pendimethalin, and S-metolachlor for weed management. Cultivar sensitivities to trifludimoxazin were not observed. Peanut density was not reduced by any trifludimoxazin rate. Trifludimoxazin at 75 g ai ha-1 increased leaf necrosis by 18%, peanut stunting by 10%, and reduced yield by 6% when compared to the non-treated control in 2019. However, this rate only increased leaf necrosis by 4%, stunting by 3% to 5%, and had no negative impact on yield in 2020-2021. Generally, peanut injury from PRE applied trifludimoxazin was similar to or less than that observed from flumioxazin at 2 wk after application (WAA). Peanut yield in the weed control study was reduced 11 to 12% when treated with trifludimoxazin at 150 g ha-1 rate (4X) when compared to the 75 g ha-1 rate. However, yield was not different from the flumioxazin treatment. Palmer amaranth control with trifludimoxazin systems was ≥ 91% at 13 WAA, wild radish control was ≥ 96% at 5 WAA, and annual grass control was ≥ 97% at 13 WAA. Peanut is sufficiently tolerant of 38 g ha-1 of trifludimoxazin and when tank-mixed with other residual herbicides provides weed control similar to flumioxazin-based systems.

The notion of a strongly dense subgroup was introduced by Breuillard, Green, Guralnick and Tao: a subgroup Γ of a semi-simple $\mathbb{Q}$ algebraic group $\mathcal{G}$ is called strongly dense if every pair of non-commuting elements generate a Zariski dense subgroup. Amongst other things, Breuillard et al. prove that there exist strongly dense free subgroups in $\mathcal{G}({\mathbb{R}})$ and ask whether or not a Zariski dense subgroup of $\mathcal{G}(\mathbb{R})$ always contains a strongly dense free subgroup. In this paper, we answer this for many surface subgroups of $\textrm{SL}(3,\mathbb{R})$.

In institutional design, public policy and for society as a whole, securing freedom of choice for individuals is important. But how much choice should we aim for? Various theorists argue that above some level more choice improves neither wellbeing nor autonomy. Worse still, psychology research seems to suggest that too much choice even makes us worse off. Such reasons suggest the Sufficiency View: increasing choice is only important up to some sufficiency level, a level that is not too far from the level enjoyed by well-off citizens in rich liberal countries today. I argue that we should reject the Sufficiency View and accept Liberal Optimism instead: expanding freedom of choice should remain an important priority even far beyond levels enjoyed in rich liberal countries today. I argue that none of the arguments given for the Sufficiency View work. Neither psychological evidence nor any broader social trends support it. If anything, they support Liberal Optimism instead. I also show why further increases are possible and desirable, and sketch some implications for debates around immigration, economic growth, markets and the value of community.

Comparative speech-act studies have found that British English directives tend to include the pragmatic marker please at about twice the rate of American English directives. Nevertheless, lexical please is often as frequent in American English corpora as in British ones – indicating that sincere directives are only part of this pragmatic marker’s story. This article reports on British and American please usage in the Corpus of Global Web-based English (GloWbE; Davies 2013). GloWbE shows similar numbers of non-verbal please on American and British websites, but also differences in what please is used for. This contributes to a larger picture of pragmatic variation in which British English uses a more bleached and routine please, whereas American please might be more at home effecting im/politeness in contexts of greater face-threat.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formations for bearing-only passive detection are increasingly important in modern military confrontations, and the array of the formation is one of the decisive factors affecting the detection accuracy of the system. How to plan the optimal geometric array in bearing-only detection is a complex nondeterministic polynomial problem, and this paper proposed the distributed stochastic subgradient projection algorithm (DSSPA) with layered constraints to solve this challenge. Firstly, based on the constraints of safe flight altitude and fixed baseline, the UAV formation is layered, and the system model for bearing-only cooperative localisation is constructed and analysed. Then, the calculation formula for geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) in the observation plane is provided, this nonlinear objective function is appropriately simplified to obtain its quadratic form, ensuring that it can be adapted and used efficiently in the system model. Finally, the proposed distributed stochastic subgradient projection algorithm (DSSPA) combines the idea of stochastic gradient descent with the projection method. By performing a projection operation on each feasible solution, it ensures that the updated parameters can satisfy the constraints while efficiently solving the convex optimisation problem of array planning. In addition to theoretical proof, this paper also conducts three simulation experiments of different scales, validating the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method for bearing-only detection array planning in UAV formations. This research provides essential guidance and technical reference for the deployment of UAV formations and path planning of detection platforms.

In this article, we delve into the optimal scheduling challenge for many-to-many on-orbit services, taking into account variations in target accessibility. The scenario assumes that each servicing satellite is equipped with singular or multiple service capabilities, tasked with providing on-orbit services to multiple targets, each characterised by distinct service requirements. The mission’s primary objective is to determine the optimal service sequence, orbital transfer duration and on-orbit service time for each servicing satellite, with the ultimate goal of minimising the overall cost. We frame the optimal scheduling dilemma as a time-related colored travelling salesman problem (TRCTSP) and propose an enhanced firefly algorithm (EFA) to address it. Finally, experimental results across various scenarios validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm. The principal contribution of this work lies in the modeling and resolution of the many-to-many on-orbit service challenge, considering accessibility variations — a domain that has, until now, remained unexplored.

This article presents an ultrawide bandpass filter structure developed along a notch band using a small rectangular impedance resonator. The proposed filter structure consists of a coupled rectangular resonator (CRR), open stub, and composited split ring resonator (CSRR) at the bottom of the structure. In-band and out-of-band properties are improved by the CRR and open stub. The notch band is obtained by placing CSRR below the rectangular resonator. A filter with a compact size of 0.15 × 0.10 λg is obtained at a lowered cutoff frequency of 3.0 GHz, where λg is the corresponding guided wavelength. The proposed structure has been constructed on 5880 Rogers substrate with a thickness of 0.787 mm and a dielectric constant of 2.2. Additionally, equivalent lumped parameters were obtained, and a lumped equivalent circuit was created to explain how the suggested filter operated. The Electromagnetic (EM)-simulated results are in good agreement with the circuit-simulated and measured result. The various machine learning approaches such as artificial neural network, K-nearest neighbour, decision tree, random forest (RF), and extreme gradient boosting algorithms are applied to optimize the design, in which RF algorithms achieve more than 90% accuracy for predicting the S parameters of the ultrawideband filter.

Alexis de Tocqueville highlights a paradox at the heart of the democratic spirit. Egalitarians are allergic to markers of social hierarchy and are on the hunt to identify and abolish remnants of the old regime’s entrenchment of aristocratic rank. The resulting abolition of personal hierarchy, however, does not deliver equality and freedom. Rather it inclines democrats to accept depersonalized forms of discipline at the hands of public opinion, the tutelary state, and the market economy. Tocqueville argues that the commitment to an “imaginary equality” lies at the root of the soft despotism he finds across democratized institutions, mores, and economic relationships. He develops a distinct account of the emergence of domination under conditions of formal equality. Social dependence in liberal societies does not derive from a new class of elites or the rise of capitalist economic formations. Equality is itself connected to new, impersonal forms of servitude.

This article argues that in the age of social media, the affective power of music can dare listeners to become complicit with misogyny and right-wing populism. It investigates the weaponization of dubstep in internet trolling strategies by examining the genre's relationship with a type of user-generated content called ‘Major League Gaming [MLG] Montage Parodies’. Mixing musical and audiovisual analysis with digital methods, the article considers the origins of MLG Montage Parodies and then investigates the content's development from 2011 to 2016. As a memetic timbral topic, the dubstep drop was initially deployed in MLG Montage Parodies as a form of pubescent power play to troll young male gamers. But then in 2014, it was redeployed as anti-feminist ammunition amid the toxic masculinity of #GamerGate. Finally, it was weaponized by alt-right trolls during the 2015–2016 ‘Great Meme War’ that accompanied the US Presidential Race. The closing remarks reflect on the ethical, ontological, and disciplinary implications of the research and issue a call for memetic musical literacy.

This study presents the initial results of carbon-14 dating after performing sample preparation and graphite production processes at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) in an intercomparison with the same processes performed at the Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Fluminense Federal University (LAC-UFF). Both laboratories are located in Brazil. The accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system at LAC-UFF was used for radiocarbon measurements. To verify any possible contamination sources during sample preparation, we initially performed swipe tests at UFBA, which were subsequently processed and the graphite samples were produced at LAC-UFF. After UFBA, several reference materials (IAEA-C1, -C2, -C6, -C9, and OXII standards) were prepared and converted into graphite. In addition, the sample material was first partially prepared at UFF and UFBA and then analyzed with the AMS system at LAC-UFF. Subsamples were prepared for additional measurements of the δ13C composition with an elemental analyzer coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA–IRMS) in LFNA-UFBA to study the isotopic fractionation and yield of the graphitization reaction. The obtained values closely aligned with the reference values, demonstrating reproducibility and quality and indicating minimal contamination during chemical and graphitization processes. In the future, samples from different matrices will be prepared at UFBA for application in paleoenvironmental and archaeological studies.

We have spent the last two years conducting fieldwork on abortion rights movements in the United States and Latin America, building from our previous work on abortion policies, movements, organizations, and activists across the Americas (Beisel and Kay 2004; Calasanti 2015; Calasanti, Kay, and Ostermann 2023; Fernández Anderson 2017, 2020, 2022; Ruibal and Fernández Anderson 2018). In the wake of the 2022 US Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, we have noted a palpable shift in the dynamics between organizations, new challenges in establishing contacts, and a heightened need to safeguard participants’ identity. While the ramifications of Dobbs have been felt most keenly in the US, there have been reverberations through the connections between movements across the Americas. We find organizations in the US to be inextricably linked with and informed by networks originating in Latin America. Indeed, much of our present approach to research in the US has been informed by our knowledge and experience researching abortion rights movements outside of the US.

Let $\mathfrak{g}$ be the queer superalgebra $\operatorname {\mathfrak{q}}(n)$ over the field of complex numbers $\mathbb C$. For any associative, commutative, and finitely generated $\mathbb C$-algebra A with unity, we consider the loop Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak{g} \otimes A$. We define a class of central operators for $\mathfrak{g} \otimes A$, which generalizes the classical Gelfand invariants. We show that they generate the algebra $U(\mathfrak{g} \otimes A)^{\mathfrak{g}}$. We also show that there are no non-trivial $\mathfrak{g}$-invariants of $U(\mathfrak{g} \otimes A)$ where $\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{p}(n)$, the periplectic Lie superalgebra.

This article explores Nikos Skalkottas's engagement with stylistic accessibility after his return to Greece from Germany in 1933. It considers the composer's self-proclaimed efforts to establish a more accessible, tonal musical style in the context of Greek sociopolitical upheaval and the political culture of anti-fascist resistance. Centring on the period between 1947 and 1949, this shift is viewed in terms of the impact of Socialist Realism in Greece for the first time. This article excavates the promulgation of Socialist Realism in Greece amid the anti-fascist resistance and re-evaluates Skalkottas's works and his published and unpublished writings as testifying to these unique political and cultural circumstances. It focuses in particular on Skalkottas's Classical Symphony in A for wind orchestra, two harps, and lower strings composed in 1947; a major work that continues to occupy a peripheral position in existing Greek and Anglophone scholarship on the composer.