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Sellen and Harper’s The Myth of the Paperless Office argued that paper-displacement technologies paradoxically led to a rise in paper consumption. Using data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, I analyze paper-consumption trends in the twenty years since the publication of this pivotal book. These data show that globally paper consumption has leveled out and that in most regions of the world it has begun to decline, in some cases by large amounts in a relatively short period of time. I suggest that there are two primary reasons for this reversal: improved displacement technologies such as smartphones and mobile Internet and time for people and organizations to adopt these new technologies and behaviors.

While various international instruments are in place to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, knowledge of these at a grassroots level is limited. At the same time, holding governments that have signed or ratified some of these mechanisms accountable is no easy task, especially in times of disaster.

Solenoids are commonly used in numerous industrial applications, where they convert electrical energy into mechanical motion. The present paper is focused on implementing a solenoid-type actuator in vibration-driven locomotion systems. The primary purpose of this study is simulation and experimental testing of the dynamic behavior of a wheeled vibratory robot taking into account the operational conditions of a solenoid-type vibration exciter. The research methodology involves the use of the SolidWorks software to simulate the robot's locomotion, TinkerCAD software -- to model the operation of a solenoid's control system, and experimental investigations -- to test the kinematic characteristics of the full-scale prototype of the vibrationdriven robot. The results obtained by means of computer simulation and experimental studies are presented as time plots, displaying the robot's body displacement, speed, and acceleration at different operational conditions of the solenoid-type actuator. The major scientific novelty of the present study consists in further development and improvement of the existent excitation principles and simulation models of the vibration-driven locomotion systems and wheeled robots. The obtained results are valuable for researchers and engineers working on investigating and designing of various vibratory locomotion systems, e.g., for pipeline inspection and cleaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents aspects of the process of compacting cardboard waste in vertical flow presses. For this purpose, a vertical press, type PP-1207 Strautmann, was equipped with a piston displacement measurement system, and also for forces at regular intervals. The experimental data were purchased and stored in Ms Excel format for processing. These experimental values are briefly presented in the paper. Thus, maximum compression forces in the range 978 - 997 kgf were obtained. Using the force-displacement variation curve, the energy consumption was determined and the specific consumption when pressing the cardboard waste in the vertical flow presses was calculated. The data presented can be helpful for both designers and vertical flow press builders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although organised criminal networks and non-state armed groups (NSAGs) have historically exploited conflict situations to commit various crimes, the extent of human trafficking by these entities in the Sahel has barely been interrogated in academic literature. In principle, while states have an obligation to criminalise trafficking in persons, problems arise where the state has lost parts of its territory to NSAGs or is facing ongoing conflicts with such groups. Boko Haram, for instance, controlled a large swath of territory in Northeast Nigeria from 2009 to 2015, with evidence of human trafficking. Therefore, this paper examines two specific aspects of human trafficking in the Sahel conflicts: trafficking by organised criminals and trafficking by NSAGs, especially terrorist organisations. It argues that while domestic laws may be useful in combating trafficking linked to organised criminal networks, the traditional state-centric approach to human rights protection makes human trafficking governance more complicated where NSAGs are involved, especially where they exercise territorial control. The paper unpacks these complexities and highlights the deficits in existing international law treaties. It argues that customary international law could provide a solution to the anti-trafficking governance challenge in the Sahel and makes a case for the adoption of an anti-trafficking Deed of Commitment within the Geneva Call mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects upon the aftermath of the eviction of working-class communities from the core locations of Delhi to Narela, over 42 kilometres from Delhi's centre. The evictees were previously residing in 'informal settlements', which are colloquially known as bastis or labelled as 'slums' in policy documents. Drawing on interviews and focused group discussions, the paper examines the impact of displacement as experienced by the basti residents. I highlight the struggles that residents faced while making 'home' in their new area. Familiarity, repetition, networks, and safety are the few aspects I engage with to explain the process of placemaking in the city. I argue that displacement should be understood beyond the idea of physical dislocation. It should be seen through the lens of 'place' and how a place is constructed over a period of time against the larger spatial order that is produced in the cities. The paper contributes to academic understanding of the varying experiences of displacement within the affected communities and the contestations which produce spaces on the margins of cities in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a critical analysis of urban displacement and acts as an introduction to the Special Feature: 'Putting urban displacement in its place'. It begins by noting the magnitude and significance of displacement, and summarises its constituent components. Drawing upon the work of Hirsh, Eizenberg and Jabareen [2020. "A New Conceptual Framework for Understanding Displacement: Bridging the Gaps in Displacement Literature between the Global South and the Global North." Journal of Planning Literature 35 (4): 391–407], the paper then outlines four kinds of urban displacement processes which span cities in the Global South and North: development-induced displacement, slum clearance, eviction, and gentrification. Brief consideration is also given to the significance of studentification, touristification, and austerity for driving urban displacement. Next the paper explores three crucial issues regarding the conceptualisation of urban displacement: temporality, vulnerability to displacement, and its emotional impacts. The following section discusses rehousing/resettlement and post-displacement experiences. We then examine the contested relationship between displacement and gentrification. The penultimate section outlines some of the methodological challenges in undertaking research on displacement, and also returns to the theme of placing urban displacement via a discussion of urban politics. The final section summarises the four papers in the Special Feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific-grade cameras are frequently employed in industries such as spectral imaging technology, aircraft, medical detection, and astronomy, and are characterized by high precision, high quality, fast speed, and high sensitivity. Especially in the field of astronomy, obtaining information about faint light often requires long exposure with high-resolution cameras, which means that any external factors can cause the camera to become unstable and result in increased errors in the detection results. This paper aims to investigate the effect of displacement introduced by various vibration factors on the imaging of an astronomical camera during long exposure. The sources of vibration are divided into external vibration and internal vibration. External vibration mainly includes environmental vibration and resonance effects, while internal vibration mainly refers to the vibration caused by the force generated by the refrigeration module inside the camera during the working process of the camera. The cooling module is divided into water-cooled and air-cooled modes. Through the displacement and vibration experiments conducted on the camera, it is proven that the air-cooled mode will cause the camera to produce greater displacement changes relative to the water-cooled mode, leading to blurring of the imaging results and lowering the accuracy of astronomical detection. This paper compares the effects of displacement produced by two methods, fan cooling and water-circulation cooling, and proposes improvements to minimize the displacement variations in the camera and improve the imaging quality. This study provides a reference basis for the design of astronomical detection instruments and for determining the vibration source of cameras, which helps to promote the further development of astronomical detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In structural analysis, masonry infill is commonly regarded as a non-structural component. However, understanding the true behavior of a structure requires incorporating the effects of masonry infill in seismic evaluations. This paper reviews the effects of masonry infill on seismic performance through analyses including pushover analysis, time history analysis, response spectrum analysis, linear static analysis, and eigenvalue analysis. Ten research papers were reviewed, covering different aspects of masonry infill effects on structures of varying configurations and seismic zones. Results indicate that including masonry infill reduces the fundamental time period of vibration and storey displacement while increasing the base shear compared to bare frame structures. This comprehensive review underscores the importance of considering masonry infill in structural analysis to enhance seismic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper determines by how much alternative electricity generation sources—natural gas, nuclear, hydro, and renewables—displace electricity generation from coal and oil. It does so by employing a first-difference model and a mean-group estimator applied to a panel that spans 1985–2019 for 27 high- and 13 middle-income countries. As such, our approach avoids/addresses several statistical issues common in long-macro panel analyses—heterogeneity, nonstationarity, and cross-sectional dependence—that have largely been ignored/unaddressed in previous displacement studies. Ultimately, we find that the displacement effect is small and only marginally significant for nuclear, and is significant though less than unity for natural gas and hydro, whereas intermittent renewables (solar and wind) have unitary displacement effect. These results suggest a substantially greater displacement potential for alternative generation sources than typically found by the previous literature. In other words, increasing hydro and wind and solar are all impactful ways to decarbonize the electricity system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An earthquake is one of the most significant and shocking natural disasters ever documented anywhere on the planet. Throughout history, it has claimed millions of lives and wreaked devastation on infrastructure. Because earthquake forces are spontaneous and unpredictable, engineering methods must be honed to investigate buildings under the impact of these forces. The dynamic and static computations of four RC multistory structure prototypes with various elevations in a high seismic zone are compared in this paper. The project under review is modeled as a 3, 6, 12, and 18-story establishment, and it is analyzed employing ETABS vs. 2019. The Equivalent Lateral Force (ELF) Procedure is used for static experimentation, while the Response Spectrum (RS) Procedure is employed for dynamic investigation. Both calculations are performed as per the EUROCODE 8-2004 recommendation. The ELF seismic load practice utilized was for the country of Norway, which has similar parameters to the ES-EN 8-15 seismic regulation Type I target RS, with ag/g = 0.1, spectrum type = I, soil factor S = 1.3 ground type, spectrum period (Tb, Tc, and Td) 0.1 s, 0.25 s, and 1.5 s. For the RS investigation, the parameters employed are as per ESEN-2015, ag/g = 0.1, and the spectrum type = I and ground type = B parameters were involved in the same manner for the RS analysis. The soil factor was set to 1.35; the spectrum period was set to (Tb, Tc, and Td) 0.05 s, 0.25 s, and 1.2 s. The behavior factor = 3.8, the lower bound factor = 0.2, and the damping ratio = 0.05. The results are then compared by employing different components such as displacement, story drift, story stiffness, base story shear, and story moment. Ultimately, a comparison of static and dynamic investigations has been carried out. Compared to the RS approach, the ELF technique produces more additional displacement, total drift, and base shear. As per the findings of this paper, for high-rise and tall buildings, dynamic analysis such as RS should be used rather than static analysis (ELF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the place of root shock in the colonial and postcolonial history of Ireland and situates this series of Irish papers inspired by Mindy Fullilove’s seminal book. It explains why the practice of eviction has such a traumatic resonance within Irish society. This trauma was laid bare in the responses to a 2023 artwork by Spicebag that connected modern eviction with its historical precedents. In this paper the elements of Spicebag’s work are given their historical context with an account of dispossession and plantation, famine and exile, urban poverty, and neoliberal privatization of land and housing. In each case, a new form of root shock was added to the earlier legacies producing chronic place-based trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The province of Cabo Delgado, located in the north of Mozambique, has been inflicted by the conflict and terrorist actions since 2017. The threats they pose, and the unfolding fragility of the security situation have forced over 1.4 million people to flee their homes and communities. While thousands of displaced people are reluctant to risk their lives and return, over five hundred thousand displaced people made their spontaneous way back "home," and the country continues to struggle with such a reality. In the face of violent disruption and displacement, this paper offers an exploratory review of return from the perspective of encountering and giving meaning to places. Leaving culture (reflexivity again) a bit out, the paper closely looks at the (social and economic) experiences people have developed and carried with them through their displacement (and return) narratives as the main factors influencing the decision to or not to return. This article would then have a twofold purpose. On the one hand, it contributes to the existing debate on conflict, displacement, place and place-making. On the other hand, it would be beneficial to enrich the ongoing research further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique structure of bearingless motors requires extra displacement sensors to monitor rotor movement, unlike conventional synchronous motors. However, this requirement inevitably escalates the cost and size of the motor. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel approach: a bearingless synchronous reluctance motor (BSRM) without displacement sensors, utilizing the whale optimization algorithm–Elman neural network (WOA-ENN). The paper firstly introduces the suspension mechanism and mathematical model of the BSRM, upon which a function containing rotor position information is constructed. Subsequently, a sensorless method based on Elman neural network (ENN) is proposed, optimized using the whale optimization algorithm (WOA). Finally, the feasibility and reliability of the proposed approach are validated through simulations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The papers and commentaries constituting this special issue offer new insights into speculative urbanism from the perspective of two southern metropolises. Based on an international and interdisciplinary collaboration comparing speculative urbanism in central and peri-urban Jakarta (Indonesia) and Bengaluru (India), and interrogating the literature triggered by a seminal 2011 paper by Michal Goldman, this issue extends existing speculative urbanism scholarship in four ways. First, the papers in this special issue take a multi-scalar approach, placing speculative urban practices within the broader spatio-temporal conjunctural contexts shaping their emergence. Second, extending currently economistic framings, they show how speculation also is socio-cultural. The diverse actors engaged in speculative urbanism do not simply seek to accumulate wealth; they do so with aspirations in mind for differentially imagined, but yet-to-be-realized, urban/peri-urban futures. Third, they highlight how speculative urbanism involves a broader range of actors than the usual suspects (developers and financial institutions), including land brokers, individual landlords, the state and its actors, and residents displaced from informal settlements. Fourth, they draw attention to diverse objects of urban speculation; not only land and property, but also more-than-human phenomena such as urban socio-ecologies and socio-technical networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the second of the two papers, discussing the rocking and resultant component of rotations, with the torsional components of motions presented earlier in the first paper for the case of out-of-plane SH waves excitation on a semi-parabolic canyon. The rotational motions are gaining importance in recent years in the field of strong-motion seismology and earthquake engineering. Many previous papers on out-of-plane SH waves excitation presented the associated torsion rotational motions, when in fact there is also a rocking rotational component of motions. Both the rocking and torsion rotational motions, in as much as the translational motions, had shown to play an important role in structural responses, even though rotations are not incorporated into building design codes at present. Studying the rotational motions can thus help to a better understanding of the behavior of surface topographies that are in the vicinity of structures in the event of seismic excitation. This paper included, besides the additional rocking motions, also the resultant rotational motions combining torsion and rocking. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Latrun area is known for its rich history and natural beauty. This paper explores the scenic and historical significance of Latrun, tracing its evolution from Roman times to its current state. The study highlights the area's strategic importance, the transformation of the Latrun Monastery, and the impact of historical conflicts on the local population and landscape. Through interviews and personal reflections, the paper delves into the enduring legacy of the region and the lives of its inhabitants, particularly focusing on Father Louis Wehbe and the displaced residents of 'Imwas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]