Search Results (46)

This article explores Truman Capote’s parodic/reconstructive exploitation of decadent aesthetics in his “Southern Gothic” novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948), as dissident self-distancing from postwar conservatism. Modernist Southern Gothic writers owe European decadent culture for their thematization of the sociocultural decay of the antebellum South and characterization of dandiacal dissidents, while often reiterating the claustrophobic mood of the patriarchal and racist society and excluding/villainizing those dandies. Critically analogizing the nationalist heteronormativity of the early-Cold War American society with the oppressive patriarchy of the South, OVOR playfully deconstructs the tragic narrative of Modernist Southern Gothic by foregrounding the reparative aspect of decadent aesthetics mainly through the pedagogic relationship between a Wildean dilettante, Randolph, and a young protagonist, Joel. Simultaneously, with the ironical self-satire against the potential authoritarianism of white bourgeois decadence, Capote democratizes decadent aesthetics as a non-normative survival method through the exposure of Randolph’s vulnerability and the parodic adaptation of his dilettantism by the non-white characters. I argue that OVOR marks the vacillating but inevitable transition from decadence to camp as a seemingly non-political but necessary survivalist strategy in the Cold War/Pre-Stonewall American society that conducts surveillance of, persecutes, and stigmatizes as “decadence” non-normative genders and sexualities. Full article

Organic peroxy (ROO•) and hydroperoxy (•QOOH) radicals are key reactive intermediates that are formed via the oxidation of volatile organic compounds during combustion or in the Earth’s atmosphere. Their primary fate is continued unimolecular decay or bimolecular chemistry, the relative branching for which is heavily structure- and temperature-dependent. This article outlines a combined single- and multi-reference quantum chemical study to characterize the near-UV accessible electronically excited states of the prototypical ROO• and •QOOH intermediates, tert-butyl peroxy and hydroperoxy-tert-butyl radicals—the ground-state chemistries of which have been well studied both experimentally and computationally. Additionally, we simulate the electronic absorption profiles of these ROO• and •QOOH intermediates with a variety of multi- and single-reference methods. The results show an interesting conformer dependence on the electronically excited-state character and electronic absorption maxima of •QOOH. The results show promise for electronic absorption spectroscopy to be used as a selected probe for determining •QOOH conformers. Additionally, electronic absorption may contribute to the daytime removal of long-lived •QOOH intermediates formed in the troposphere. We expect that our studies will motivate experiments on the electronic absorption spectra of experimentally achievable ROO• and •QOOH. Full article

The dynamic non-equilibrium effect (DNE) describes the non-unique character of saturation–capillary pressure relationships observed under static, steady-state, or monotonic hydrodynamic conditions. Macroscopically, the DNE manifests as variations in soil hydraulic characteristic curves arising from varying hydrodynamic testing conditions and is fundamentally governed by soil matrix particle size distribution. Changes in the DNE across porous media with discrete particle size fractions are investigated via stepwise drying experiments. Through quantification of saturation–capillary pressure hysteresis and DNE metrics, three critical signatures are identified: (1) the temporal lag between peak capillary pressure and minimum water saturation; (2) the pressure gap between transient and equilibrium states; and (3) residual water saturation. In the four experimental sets, with the finest material (Test 1), the peak capillary pressure consistently precedes the minimum water saturation by up to 60 s. Conversely, with the coarsest material (Test 4), peak capillary pressure does not consistently precede minimum saturation, with a maximum lag of only 30 s. The pressure gap between transient and equilibrium states reached 14.04 cm H₂O in the finest sand, compared to only 2.65 cm H₂O in the coarsest sand. Simultaneously, residual water saturation was significantly higher in the finest sand (0.364) than in the coarsest sand (0.086). The results further reveal that the intensity of the DNE scales inversely with particle size and linearly with wetting phase saturation (Sw), exhibiting systematic decay as Sw decreases. Coarse media exhibit negligible hysteresis due to suppressed capillary retention; this is in stark contrast with fine sands, in which the DNE is observed to persist in advanced drying stages. These results establish pore geometry and capillary dominance as fundamental factors controlling non-equilibrium fluid dynamics, providing a mechanistic framework for the refinement of multi-phase flow models in heterogeneous porous systems. Full article

This article analyzes the significance of the ruins and remnants of the Soviet Army in Borne Sulinowo, a former secret Soviet military base in Western Pomerania (Poland), as a source of inspiration for performance artists. This study draws from a variety of theoretical frameworks, including performance art theory, new materialism, and the thing theory. Additionally, it draws from the ideas of Carl Lavery, Richard Gough, Ann Laura Stoler, and Georg Simmel. This text delves into the notion that the transient character of performance art mirrors the fleeting nature of power, particularly in the context of the dissolution of the Soviet regime. Following the Polish reacquisition of the site in the early 1990s, artists such as Władysław Kaźmierczak and Brian Connolly transformed found objects and the decaying environment into performance art. This article analyzes performances such as Kaźmierczak’s кoнец фильма (The End of the Movie) and Connolly’s Frieze Frame. It discusses how these works captured the emotional and intellectual responses to the remnants of military occupation. The performances demonstrate the interplay between decay, memory, and historical consciousness, employing the ruins as a medium for reflecting on the collapse of Soviet influence in Poland and the shifting geopolitical landscape. Full article

The use of buffalo meat in fermented sausage production represents a sustainable and innovative approach to enhancing the value of underutilized meat cuts. However, its high heme content and specific fatty acid composition makes the meat particularly sensitive to lactic fermentation with lipid oxidation phenomena and sensory character decay. Therefore, buffalo meat requires tailored fermentation strategies to ensure product stability. The aim of this study was to optimize fermentation strategies by exploring milder acidification processes and the fortification of buffalo meat with vegetable oils to reduce oxidation while maintaining microbiological quality. In particular, the effect of adding or omitting glucose and fortifying with pumpkin seed oil in Napoli-style buffalo salami was studied and the impact on the main quality parameters was evaluated. Pumpkin seed oil (0.5%) was selected for its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and evaluated for its interaction with starter cultures through Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) tests and predictive microbiology models. Based on the findings, its use was validated in Napoli-style salami, produced with and without glucose. Microbial dynamics, physicochemical changes over time, oxidation indices, and sensory attributes were assessed. Results indicated that the sugar-free formulations combined with pumpkin seed oil achieved optimal sensory and safety attributes. The addition of glucose facilitated rapid lactic acid bacterial growth (about 2.5 ∆ log CFU/g), enabling pH reduction to safe levels (<5.2) and the effective inhibition of Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms. However, acidification in the control batch, as demonstrated by multiple variable regression analyses, induced pre-oxidative conditions, increasing lipid oxidation markers (TBARSs > 0.7 mg MAD/Kg), which negatively impacted flavor and color stability. The use of pumpkin seed oil confirmed its antimicrobial and antioxidant potential, making it a promising fortifying ingredient for producing slow-fermented, mildly acidified (pH > 5.4) buffalo meat salami, offering a novel strategy for improving the nutritional, sensorial, and safety quality of dry fermented meat. Full article

The pH dependence of the free energy level of the flash-induced primary charge pair P⁺I_A⁻ was determined by a combination of the results from the indirect charge recombination of P⁺Q_A⁻ and from the delayed fluorescence of the excited dimer (P*) in the reaction center of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, where the native ubiquinone at the primary quinone binding site Q_A was replaced by low-potential anthraquinone (AQ) derivatives. The following observations were made: (1) The free energy state of P⁺I_A⁻ was pH independent below pH 10 (–370 ± 10 meV relative to that of the excited dimer P*) and showed a remarkable decrease (about 20 meV/pH unit) above pH 10. A part of the dielectric relaxation of the P⁺I_A⁻ charge pair that is not insignificant (about 120 meV) should come from protonation-related changes. (2) The single exponential decay character of the kinetics proves that the protonated/unprotonated P⁺I_A⁻ and P⁺Q_A⁻ states are in equilibria and the rate constants of protonation k_on^H +k_off^H are much larger than those of the charge back reaction k_back ~10³ s⁻¹. (3) Highly similar pH profiles were measured to determine the free energy states of P⁺Q_A⁻ and P⁺I_A⁻, indicating that the same acidic cluster at around Q_B should respond to both anionic species. This was supported by model calculations based on anticooperative proton distribution in the cluster with key residues of GluL212, AspL213, AspM17, and GluH173, and the effect of the polarization of the aqueous phase on electrostatic interactions. The larger distance of I_A⁻ from the cluster (25.2 Å) compared to that of Q_A⁻ (14.5 Å) is compensated by a smaller effective dielectric constant (6.5 ± 0.5 and 10.0 ± 0.5, respectively). (4) The P* → P⁺Q_A⁻ and I_A⁻Q_A → I_AQ_A⁻ electron transfers are enthalpy-driven reactions with the exemption of very large (>60%) or negligible entropic contributions in cases of substitution by 2,3-dimethyl-AQ or 1-chloro-AQ, respectively. The possible structural consequences are discussed. Full article

While the photophysics of closed-shell organic molecules is well established, much less is known about open-shell systems containing interacting radical pairs. In this work, we investigate the ultrafast excited state dynamics of a singlet verdazyl diradical system in solution using transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy for the first time. Following 510 nm excitation of the excitonic S₀ → S₁ transition, we detected TA signals in the 530–950 nm region from the S₁ population that decayed exponentially within a few picoseconds to form a vibrationally hot S₀* population via internal conversion. The dependence of the S₁ decay rate on solvent and radical–radical distance revealed that the excited state possesses charge-transfer character and likely accesses the S₀ state via torsional motion. The ultrafast internal conversion decay mechanism at play in our open-shell verdazyl diradicals is in stark contrast with other closed-shell, carbonyl-containing organic chromophores, which exhibit ultrafast intersystem crossing to produce long-lived triplet states as the major S₁ decay pathway. Full article

The cross-section of various substrate–deposit metal pairs obtained with a laser-assisted additive manufacturing process has been studied by observing the composition profile with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The EDS composition profiles observed with a sufficiently high data acquisition time revealed that the composition profile is asymmetric. By scanning toward the growth direction, a sudden composition variation was observed, which was followed by a slow decay. The character of the composition profile was the same for a number of substrate–deposit pairs, and similar trends were found in various earlier publications as well. A mathematical model for the composition variation is suggested based on the assumption that a spontaneous homogenization process takes place in the intermixing (dilution) zone of the remelted top layer of the substrate. The equation obtained makes it possible to quantitatively describe the composition profile of each component that exhibits a concentration difference between the substrate and the deposit, provided that the mole fraction difference much exceeds the scattering of the data measured. The suggested model has also been applied successfully to composition profiles published in other works, hence exhibiting general relevance. Since the variation in some physical parameters (such as hardness) along the growth direction has been reported to follow the same pattern, it is assumed that the root cause in these cases may also be the composition variation. Full article

The theory of heavy ion double charge exchange (DCE) reactions proceeding by effective rank-2 isotensor interactions is presented. Virtual pion–nucleon charge exchange interactions are investigated as the source for induced isotensor interactions, giving rise to the Majorana DCE (MDCE) reaction mechanism. MDCE is of a generic character, proceeding through pairs of complementary (${\pi }^{\pm },{\pi }^{\mp }$) reactions in the projectile and target nucleus. The dynamics of the elementary processes is discussed, where the excitation of pion–nucleon resonances are of central importance. Investigations of initial and final state ion–ion interactions show that these effects are acting as vertex renormalizations. In closure approximation, well justified by the finite pion mass, the second-order transition matrix elements reduce to pion potentials and effective two-body isotensor DCE interactions, giving rise also to two-body correlations in either of the participating nuclei. Connections to neutrinoless Majorana double beta decay (MDBD) are elucidated at various levels of the dynamics, from the underlying fundamental electro-weak and QCD scales to the physical scales of nuclear MDBD and MDCE physics. It is pointed out that heavy ion MDCE reactions may also proceed by competing electro-weak charge exchange processes, leading to lepton MDCE by electrons, positrons, and neutrinos. Full article

Dendrobium plays a key role in the orchid industry, with ornamental, medicinal, and economic value. Recently, we found a newly recorded boring pest damaging Dendrobium in Guizhou Province, China. The species is identified as Nassophasis sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Rhynchophorinae) by morphological and anatomical features. The occurrence and biological characteristics of this species were verified through field investigation and indoor experiments. The results showed that detailed external morphological and genitalia characters and male-female differences are described to identify Nassophasis sp. The pest produces three generations per year, with overlapping generations. The adults overwinter in the root stains of Dendrobium and emerge in mid-March of the following year. Adults feed on stems, leaves, and flowers, often laying their eggs inside the stems; larvae then bore into the stems causing decaying and hollowing until complete immature development. There are three larval instars, grouped according to their head capsule width and body length, which were measured following Dyar’s law and Crosby’s law of growth and showed a significant linear regression (p < 0.0001). The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the prediction and comprehensive control of the insect. Full article

The analysis of the spatiotemporal picture of particle radiation in relativistic heavy-ion collisions in terms of correlation femtoscopy scales, emission, and source functions allows one to probe the character of the evolution of the system created in the collision. Realistic models, such as the integrated hydrokinetic model (iHKM), used in the present work, are able to simulate the entire evolution process of strongly interacting matter produced in high-energy nuclear collisions. The mentioned model describes all the stages of the system’s evolution, including thermalisation and hydrodynamisation, which can help researchers figure out the specific details of the process and better understand the formation mechanisms of certain observables. In the current paper, we investigated the behaviour of the pion and kaon interferometry radii and their connection with emission functions in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider within iHKM. We focused on the study of the emission time scales at different energies for both particle species (pions and kaons) aiming to gain deeper insight into relation of these scales and the peculiarities of the mentioned system’s collective expansion and decay with the experimentally observed femtoscopy radii. One of our main interests was the problem of the total system’s lifetime estimation based on the femtoscopy analysis. Full article

A dieback was observed on three-year-old pot-grown plants of Cycas revoluta in Sicily (Italy). Symptoms, including stunting, yellowing and blight of the leaf crown, root rot and internal browning and decay of the basal stem, closely resembled the Phytophthora root and crown rot syndrome, common in other ornamentals. Isolations from rotten stem and roots, using a selective medium, and from rhizosphere soil of symptomatic plants, using leaf baiting, yielded three Phytophthora species, P. multivora, P. nicotianae and P. pseudocryptogea, were obtained. Isolates were identified by both morphological characters and DNA barcoding analysis, using three gene regions: ITS, β-tub and COI. Phytophthora pseudocryptogea was the sole species isolated directly from the stem and roots. The pathogenicity of the isolates of the three Phytophthora species was tested on one-year-old potted plants of C. revoluta, using both stem inoculation by wounding, and root inoculation through infested soil. Phytophthora pseudocryptogea was the most virulent and, like P. nicotianae, reproduced all the symptoms of natural infections, while P. multivora was the least virulent and induced solely very mild symptoms. Phytophthora pseudocryptogea was identified as the causal agent of the decline of C. revoluta, as it was re-isolated from both the roots and stems of artificially infected symptomatic plants, thus fulfilling Koch’s postulates. Full article

Emergency calls are defined by an ever-expanding utilisation of information and sensing technology, leading to extensive volumes of spatio-temporal high-resolution data. The spatial and temporal character of the emergency calls is leveraged by authorities to allocate resources and infrastructure for an effective response, to identify high-risk event areas, and to develop contingency strategies. In this context, the spatio-temporal analysis of emergency calls is crucial to understanding and mitigating distress situations. However, modelling and predicting crime-related emergency calls remain challenging due to their heterogeneous and dynamic nature with complex underlying processes. In this context, we propose a modelling strategy that accounts for the intrinsic complex space–time dynamics of some crime data on cities by handling complex advection, diffusion, relocation, and volatility processes. This study presents a predictive framework capable of assimilating data and providing confidence estimates on the predictions. By analysing the dynamics of the weekly number of emergency calls in Valencia, Spain, for ten years (2010–2020), we aim to understand and forecast the spatio-temporal behaviour of emergency calls in an urban environment. We include putative geographical variables, as well as distances to relevant city landmarks, into the spatio-temporal point process modelling framework to measure the effect deterministic components exert on the intensity of emergency calls in Valencia. Our results show how landmarks attract or repel offenders and act as proxies to identify areas with high or low emergency calls. We are also able to estimate the weekly average growth and decay in space and time of the emergency calls. Our proposal is intended to guide mitigation strategies and policy. Full article

We investigate the possibility to apply quantum machine learning techniques for data analysis, with particular regard to an interesting use-case in high-energy physics. We propose an anomaly detection algorithm based on a parametrized quantum circuit. This algorithm was trained on a classical computer and tested with simulations as well as on real quantum hardware. Tests on NISQ devices were performed with IBM quantum computers. For the execution on quantum hardware, specific hardware-driven adaptations were devised and implemented. The quantum anomaly detection algorithm was able to detect simple anomalies such as different characters in handwritten digits as well as more complex structures such as anomalous patterns in the particle detectors produced by the decay products of long-lived particles produced at a collider experiment. For the high-energy physics application, the performance was estimated in simulation only, as the quantum circuit was not simple enough to be executed on the available quantum hardware platform. This work demonstrates that it is possible to perform anomaly detection with quantum algorithms; however, as an amplitude encoding of classical data is required for the task, due to the noise level in the available quantum hardware platform, the current implementation cannot outperform classic anomaly detection algorithms based on deep neural networks. Full article

The tackifying effect of resins used in the tire industry highly depends on the compatibility and interaction strength with the rubber matrix. Here, uncured and cured styrene/butadiene rubber compounds, either in the presence or absence of a hydrocarbon aromatic tackifying resin, were studied by means of high-resolution and time-domain solid-state NMR (SSNMR) techniques to investigate resin/polymer interactions and the effect of the resin on the dynamics of polymer chains. ¹³C direct excitation and cross-polarization spectra, combined with low-field measurements of ¹H T₁ and analysis of ¹H on-resonance free-induction decay, provided information on the dynamic heterogeneity of the samples and the degree of mixing between the resin and the rubber matrix. Moreover, ¹H T₁ and T_1ρ relaxation times at variable temperatures were used to investigate the effect of resin on both segmental dynamics activated at the glass transition and collective polymer dynamics. SSNMR findings were discussed in relation to crosslink density and T_g data. The obtained results show that the resin is intimately mixed with the polymer, while maintaining its rigid character. A slowdown of segmental dynamics, related to an increase in T_g, was found as a consequence of resin addition, while no effect was evidenced on fragility and collective polymer dynamics. Full article