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Vegetation and soils are taking up approximately 30% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions because of small imbalances in large gross carbon exchanges from productivity and turnover that are poorly constrained. We combined a new budget of radiocarbon produced by nuclear bomb testing in the 1960s with model simulations to evaluate carbon cycling in terrestrial vegetation. We found that most state-of-the-art vegetation models used in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project underestimated the radiocarbon accumulation in vegetation biomass. Our findings, combined with constraints on vegetation carbon stocks and productivity trends, imply that net primary productivity is likely at least 80 petagrams of carbon per year presently, compared with the 43 to 76 petagrams per year predicted by current models. Storage of anthropogenic carbon in terrestrial vegetation is likely more short-lived and vulnerable than previously predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The finite element model of a 7.62 mm armor‐piercing incendiary bomb penetrating lightweight composite target is established. The structure of the target plate is composed of boron carbide ceramic/carbon fiber laminate/aramid fiber laminate/damping material. The reasonable distribution position of damping material is explored by designing the material structure and geometric parameters. Genetic algorithm is used to optimize the structure of the lightweight composite target plate, and the feasibility of the optimization results is verified through experiments. The results show that under the same surface density, the energy absorption value of the target plate with a certain thickness of back layer damping is 1.36% higher than that of the target plate without damping. And the damping material on the back layer can act as a buffer layer to reduce blunt trauma caused by bullets to the human body. The surface density of the optimized lightweight composite target plate is reduced by 21.6% under the same protection capability. This work provides a theoretical foundation for the impact resistance design and optimization of lightweight composite target plates. Highlights: Impact resistance performance of lightweight composite target plate is investigated.The impacting analytical model of the structure is established.The validity of the optimized impacting analytical model is verified by numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stromboli is a volcanic island in a persistent state of activity, located off the northern coast of Sicily. The paroxysms have been the most powerful explosive phenomena at Stromboli in the last 150 years. These explosions can produce ballistic projectiles that can heavily affect trails and observation sites as well as hit inhabited areas at lower elevations, down to the coast. On July 3, 2019, a paroxysm significantly affected a great portion of the island with ballistic projectiles. In particular, many decimeter and meter-sized spatter bombs hit the W flank of Stromboli, and ignited multiple fires. In May 2022, we conducted an Unmanned Aerial System photogrammetric campaign over a sector of the W flank of Stromboli that was heavily affected by the paroxysm. The largest clasts were still preserved after 3 years, not disturbed by significant mass wasting phenomena or human interference, and they were not yet hidden by the post-fire regrowth of the brush vegetation. In this study, we constrained the main sources of uncertainty affecting the bombs distribution on the ground, by characterizing a percentage of uncertain clasts, testing various density estimators, and by modeling an areal buffer around the mapped clasts. We produced a 0.18 km2 wide 1.6-cm resolution orthomosaic, a 10-cm resolution Digital Surface Model, and 2813 outlines of the mapped ballistics. Spatial distribution of the ground cover and associated uncertainty were analyzed as a function of the distance and of the angular direction from the source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core–shell nanobombs integrating azo bonds (N N) and tetrasulfide bonds (S S S S) have been constructed and exhibit photothermal-thermodynamic effects, therapeutic H 2 S production, and biodegradation under the sensitive ignition by both near-infrared laser and tumor microenvironments, achieving a high efficacy against colorectal tumors. [Display omitted] • Rational design of nanobombs integrating azo and tetrasulfide bonds. • High and stable photothermal conversion due to the passivation of organosilica shell. • Photothermal-ignited nanobombs with the release of alkyl radicals. • Glutathione-ignited simultaneous H 2 S production and biodegradation due to tetrasulfide breaking. Reactive chemical bonds are associated with the generation of therapeutic radicals and gases under internal-external stimuli, which are highly attractive for cancer treatments. However, designing multifunctional nanostructures that incorporate multiple chemical bonds remains a significant challenge. Herein, novel core–shell nanobombs integrating azo (N N) and tetrasulfide bonds (S S S S) have been constructed with sensitive ignition by both near-infrared (NIR) laser and tumor microenvironments (TME) for treating colorectal tumors. The nanobombs (GNR/AIPH@MON@PVP, GAMP) were prepared by the in-situ growth of tetrasulfide-contained mesoporous organosilica nanoshell (MON) on gold nanorods (GNR) as the photothermal initiator, the load of azo compound (AIPH) as the radical producer and polymer modification. Upon NIR irradiation, the GNR core exhibits stable and high photothermal effects because of the passivation of the MON shell, leading to the thermal ablation of cancer cells. Simultaneously, the local hyperthermia ignites AIPH to release alkyl radicals to cause extensive oxidative stress without oxygen dependence. Moreover, the MON shell can be gradually decomposed in a reduced environment and release therapeutic H 2 S gas because of the cleavage of S S S S bonds by the glutathione (GSH) overexpressed in TME, causing mitochondrial injury. Owing to multifunctional functions, the GAMP significantly inhibits the growth rate of tumors upon NIR irradiation and achieves the highest efficacy among treatments. Therefore, this study presents activatable nanoagents containing multiple chemical bonds and provides insights into developing comprehensive antitumor strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatial scales at which organisms can adapt to strong natural and human-induced environmental gradients is important. Salinization is a key threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services of freshwater systems. Clusters of naturally saline habitats represent ideal test cases to study the extent and scale of local adaptation to salinization. We studied local adaptation of the water flea Daphnia magna, a key component of pond food webs, to salinity in two contrasting landscapes—a dense cluster of sodic bomb crater ponds and a larger-scale cluster of soda pans. We show regional differentiation in salinity tolerance reflecting the higher salinity levels of soda pans versus bomb crater ponds. We found local adaptation to differences in salinity levels at the scale of tens of metres among bomb crater pond populations but not among geographically more distant soda pan populations. More saline bomb crater ponds showed an upward shift of the minimum salt tolerance observed across clones and a consequent gradual loss of less tolerant clones in a nested pattern. Our results show evolutionary adaptation to salinity gradients at different spatial scales, including fine-tuned local adaptation in neighbouring habitat patches in a natural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SETI's birth during the Cold War may have prompted consideration of existential threats to humanity and proposals for using nuclear bombs to communicate with extraterrestrials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pugwash Conferences have been a highly visible attempt to create profoundly important discussions on matters related to global safety and security at the highest levels, starting in 1957 at the height of the Cold War. This paper assesses, for the first time, the formal comments offered at this first Pugwash Conference by the Nobel Prize-winning radiation geneticist, Hermann J. Muller, on the effects of ionizing radiation on the human genome. This analysis shows that the presentation by Muller was highly biased and contained scientific errors and misrepresentations of the scientific record that resulted in seriously misleading the attendees. The presentation of Muller at Pugwash served to promote, on a very visible global scale, continued misrepresentations of the state of the science and had a significant impact on policies and practices internationally and both scientific and personal belief systems concerning the effects of low dose radiation on human health. These misrepresentations would come to affect the adoption and use of nuclear technologies and the science of radiological and chemical carcinogen health risk assessment, ultimately having a profound effect on global environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a film review of "Haymarket: The Bomb, the Anarchists, the Labor Struggle," directed by Adrian Prawica. The film explores the history and significance of the Haymarket protest and trial in Chicago in 1886. It provides historical context on the working conditions and labor struggles of the time, as well as details about the rally, the explosion, and the subsequent trial. The film challenges some traditional narratives about the trial and presents different perspectives on the events. Overall, the review describes the film as informative and useful for understanding American labor history. [Extracted from the article]

This study introduces the Significant Incidents Against Americans Abroad (SIAAA) Dataset, the foremost systematic data compilation capturing antagonistic actions directed toward American nationals, entities, and interests across the globe from 1987 to 2015. Primarily derived from the US Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security reports, the SIAAA assembles 5,272 events targeting American citizens and interests, encompassing both violent and non-violent actions across military, diplomatic, business, and civilian dimensions. In this article, we examine the general trend of incidents and introduce key variables including target typology, geographic dispersion, type of the incident, and perpetrator ideology. As an illustrative example of its potential research application, we focus on NATO's aerial bombing of Yugoslavia, highlighting how the SIAAA can be employed effectively. We conclude with propositions for future research, underscoring the dataset's potential for both academic and policy analysis. Este trabajo presenta el conjunto de datos con relación a incidentes significativos contra estadounidenses en el extranjero (SIAAA, por sus siglas en inglés), el cual es la compilación sistemática de datos más importante que recoge acciones de carácter antagónico dirigidas a ciudadanos, entidades e intereses estadounidenses en todo el mundo desde 1987 hasta 2015. Los datos recogidos en el SIAAA provienen, principalmente, de los informes de la Oficina de Seguridad Diplomática del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. El SIAAA reúne 5272 eventos dirigidos a ciudadanos e intereses estadounidenses, que abarcan acciones, tanto violentas como no violentas, en dimensiones militares, diplomáticas, comerciales y civiles. En este artículo, examinamos la tendencia general de estos incidentes e introducimos variables clave como la tipología del objetivo, la dispersión geográfica, el tipo de incidente y la ideología del perpetrador. A modo de ejemplo ilustrativo de la aplicación potencial del SIAAA para la investigación, nos centramos en el bombardeo aéreo que llevó a cabo la OTAN sobre Yugoslavia, destacando cómo se puede emplear el SIAAA de manera efectiva. Concluimos este artículo realizando propuestas para futuras investigaciones y subrayando el potencial de este conjunto de datos tanto para el análisis académico como para el análisis de las políticas. Cette étude présente l'ensemble de données Significant Incidents Against Americans Abroad (SIAAA, ou Incidents importants subis par des Américains à l'étranger), une compilation de données systématique de premier plan qui représente les actions antagonistes à l'encontre de ressortissants, entités et intérêts américains dans le monde entre 1987 et 2015. Principalement dérivé des rapports du Service de sécurité diplomatique du département d'État des États-Unis, le SIAAA regroupe 5 272 événements ciblant des citoyens et intérêts américains : des actes violents et pacifiques dans les domaines militaire, diplomatique, commercial et civil. Dans cet article, nous examinons la tendance générale des incidents et présentons des variables clés, dont la typologie de la cible, la dispersion géographique, le type d'incident et l'idéologie de l'auteur. À titre d'exemple d'illustration de son application potentielle en recherche, nous nous focalisons sur les bombardements aériens de l'OTAN en Yougoslavie pour montrer un emploi efficace du SIAAA. Nous concluons sur des propositions de futurs travaux de recherche qui soulignent le potentiel de l'ensemble de données pour l'analyse académique et politique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic reconnection in the lower atmosphere is a critical process in determining the chromospheric dynamics, such as Ellerman bombs and UV bursts. Because the heating of the atmosphere significantly depends on the ionization degree and plasma β, which varies with height, it is essential to diagnose the height at which the magnetic reconnection takes place. Multiwavelength spectropolarimetry is a powerful solution to fulfill this requirement. We verify the diagnostic capabilities and usefulness of near-infrared multiwavelength spectropolarimetric observations for understanding magnetic reconnection phenomena by synthesizing the Stokes vector from a realistic magnetohydrodynamic simulation. The analysis considers two magnetic reconnection regions occurring at different heights. In the case of magnetic reconnection at low altitude, both red- and blueshifted components originating from reconnection bidirectional flow are identified in the photospheric lines, Fe i 8468 Å, K i 7664 Å, and K i 7698 Å. In the case of magnetic reconnection at high altitudes, chromospheric lines, Ca ii 8498 Å and 8542 Å, show emission due to the heating that occurs at the upper part of the formation layer. These results suggest that multiwavelength spectropolarimetric observations are capable of distinguishing the height where magnetic reconnection occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/purpose: During the 1999 NATO attack on Yugoslavia, three new weapons were used and tested for the first time. The first is the strategically invisible B-2 bomber, the second is the new JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Ammunition) and the third is the "soft bomb", or the blackout bomb, made of thin electrically conductive fibers. The aim of the paper is to present the new combat devices used during the aggression on the FRY and to quantitatively detect the elements of electrically conductive fibers. The paper also presents the lawsuit of the Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. The lawsuit was rejected. Methods: Physical and chemical analyzes of the fibers were performed. An electron microscope, SEM JSM Jeol 6610LV, was used to analyze the physicochemical characteristics of electrically conductive fibers. It provides the information on the morphology of the sample surface, resulting in a highresolution image.The microscope is equipped with an X-ray detector (Oxford Instrumets X-Max 20 mm2) for EDS analysis (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy). It enables the determination of the chemical composition of the material in the analyzed sample volume, based on the interaction between the directed electron beam and the sample atom. Results: The characteristics of the B-2 stealth aircraft used to bomb the FRY are shown. The JDAM bomb is an improved ordinary MK bomb with electronic devices added to guide the bomb via satellites. A semiquantitative analysis of the fibers was performed on the SEM, confirming that the metal layer of the fiber predominantly consists of aluminum, and the non-metallic layer has the highest proportion of silicon dioxide. The fiber is carcinogenic. Conclusion: In 1999, the territory of Yugoslavia was a testing ground for new combat weapons of NATO aviation - B-2 and JDAM guided bombs. Blackout bombs were dropped on the electrical power systems of Yugoslavia leaving the whole Serbia without electricity for hours. Not only was the bombing-caused environmental pollution radiological and chemical but it was also caused by glass-aluminum electrically conductive fibers as pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Nuclear embeddedness" refers to a state's persistent failure to reconsider its possession of a nuclear arsenal. The sedimentation of the metaphor of the Bomb as God in a state's political culture consolidates "nuclear embeddedness." Because metaphorizing something as God puts it beyond even boundedly rational calculation, the metaphor of the Bomb as God effectively blocks a state from seeing its way clear to nuclear renunciation. The article probes the plausibility of this hypothesis with historical analyses of the nuclear policies of the U.S., India, Pakistan, and North Korea, and with case studies of three high-level American, British, and French nuclear officials who ultimately turned against the Bomb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the motives behind North Korea's "Rangoon bombing." On October 9, 1983, North Korea orchestrated a terrorist attack targeting South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan and his entourage in Myanmar, thereby heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Simultaneously, it launched a peace offensive by proposing trilateral talks with South Korea and the United States. The underlying motivations for North Korea's seemingly paradoxical external policy have puzzled scholars. This study seeks to reevaluate North Korea's Rangoon bombing from the perspective of a "wedge strategy." It contends that in the early 1980s, amidst strengthening security cooperation between Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo, Pyongyang sought to secure its strategic space by exploiting the Sino-Soviet split. However, as China progressively improved its relations with the United States and the Soviet Union, North Korea's strategic space began to diminish. In this context, as Beijing attempted to stabilize the Korean Peninsula by hosting an inter-Korean dialogue with Washington in attendance while increasingly expanding its contact with Seoul, Pyongyang resorted to the Rangoon bombing to disrupt the tripartite talks and drive a wedge in Sino-South Korean relations. Through an analysis of Pyongyang's foreign policy behavior, this study asserts that a small-power ally can employ a wedge strategy by fostering regional tensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Adipose tissue is often overlooked in DNA testing due to misconceptions about its DNA content. However, its shock-absorbing qualities may be useful for high-pressure scenarios like bomb blasts. This study aimed to evaluate DNA quality and quantity in adipose tissue affected by blasts compared to that in unaffected tissue. METHODS 10 adipose tissue samples were taken from regions near and far from the blast, representing the blast-exposed and non-blast-exposed groups. The adipose tissue was stored at a low temperature for 5 days, after which an organic extraction method was applied. The purity of the DNA extract was assessed using a NanoDrop spectrophotometer, and its integrity was evaluated using 0.8% concentration gel electrophoresis at 60 V for 90 min. DNA typing was conducted using the GlobalFiler™ kit, and DNA quantity was determined with the Quantifiler™ Trio DNA Quantification kit. RESULTS Of 20 DNA extracts from adipose tissue, all samples demonstrated purity, integrity, and complete typing results. Adequate integrity was found in 90% of samples in both groups. A 50% incidence of allele shifting was observed at the D7S820 locus within the blast-exposed group. CONCLUSIONS DNA from blast-exposed adipose tissue exhibited no significant quality or quantity differences from non-blast-exposed tissue. This suggested adipose tissue's potential as an alternative DNA source in a bomb explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on securitization efforts with respect to 'killer robots', known more impartially as autonomous weapons systems (AWS). Our contribution focuses, theoretically and empirically, on the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a transnational advocacy network vigorously pushing for a pre-emptive ban on AWS. Marking exactly a decade of its activity, there is still no international regime formally banning, or even purposefully regulating, AWS. Our objective is to understand why the Campaign has not been able to advance its disarmament agenda thus far, despite all the resources, means and support at its disposal. For achieving this objective, we challenge the popular assumption that strong stigmatization is the universally best strategy towards humanitarian disarmament. We investigate the consequences of two specifics present in AWS, which set them apart from processes and successes of the campaigns to ban anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions, and laser-blinding weapons: the complexity of AWS as a distinct weapons category, and the subsequent circumvention of its complexity through the utilization of pop-culture, namely science fiction imagery. We particularly focus on two mechanisms through which such distortion has occurred: hybridization and grafting. These provide the conceptual basis and heuristic tools to unpack the paradox of over-securitization: success in broadening the stakeholder base in relation to the first mechanism and deepening the sense of insecurity in relation to the second one does not necessarily lead to the achievement of the desired prohibitory norm. In conclusion, we ask whether it is not the time for a more epistemically-oriented expert debate with a less ambitious, lowest common denominator strategy as the preferred model of arms control for such a complex weapons category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulcanian activity is one of the most common eruption styles of arc andesitic volcanism on Earth. It ejects and deposits volcanic bombs around the source crater. Although paleomagnetic studies of volcanic bombs are limited, such studies can potentially provide more opportunities for high-resolution paleomagnetic dating of volcanic activity. In this study, paleomagnetic dating was applied to large (> 1 m) volcanic bombs around active craters in the Azuma volcano group, NE Japan. Oriented samples were collected from the interior parts of five large volcanic bombs situated on gentle slopes, a few hundred meters from the source crater. More than six core samples were collected from each bomb and all samples were subjected to a range of rock magnetic experiments, including anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and thermal/alternating field demagnetization (THD/AFD) analyses. The Characteristic Remanent Magnetization (ChRM) directions for specimens from all bombs were well-defined, have small α95 (< 2.5º), and are in close agreement with each other. Comparing our measured overall mean direction (Dm = 355.5º, Im = 49.8º, α95 = 1.6º) with modeled geomagnetic field estimates and a reference secular variation curve for this area (using MATLAB-based archaeomagnetic dating tool), we suggest that the volcanic bombs were produced in the historical Meiji period (1893–1895 CE) eruption. In addition, a combination of the data of ChRM, AMS, thermomagnetic analyses, hysteresis measurement, and XRF analysis indicates that the volcanic bombs were derived from a plug of lava in the conduit under the solidification point (ca. 800 °C), but above the Curie point of the titanomagnetite remanence carrier (around 300 °C). We show that volcanic bombs can be powerful for paleomagnetic dating if certain sampling conditions, such as quantity, situation, size and portion are satisfied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulcanian activity is one of the most common eruption styles of arc andesitic volcanism on Earth. It ejects and deposits volcanic bombs around the source crater. Although paleomagnetic studies of volcanic bombs are limited, such studies can potentially provide more opportunities for high-resolution paleomagnetic dating of volcanic activity. In this study, paleomagnetic dating was applied to large (> 1 m) volcanic bombs around active craters in the Azuma volcano group, NE Japan. Oriented samples were collected from the interior parts of five large volcanic bombs situated on gentle slopes, a few hundred meters from the source crater. More than six core samples were collected from each bomb and all samples were subjected to a range of rock magnetic experiments, including anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and thermal/alternating field demagnetization (THD/AFD) analyses. The Characteristic Remanent Magnetization (ChRM) directions for specimens from all bombs were well-defined, have small α95 (< 2.5º), and are in close agreement with each other. Comparing our measured overall mean direction (Dm = 355.5º, Im = 49.8º, α95 = 1.6º) with modeled geomagnetic field estimates and a reference secular variation curve for this area (using MATLAB-based archaeomagnetic dating tool), we suggest that the volcanic bombs were produced in the historical Meiji period (1893–1895 CE) eruption. In addition, a combination of the data of ChRM, AMS, thermomagnetic analyses, hysteresis measurement, and XRF analysis indicates that the volcanic bombs were derived from a plug of lava in the conduit under the solidification point (ca. 800 °C), but above the Curie point of the titanomagnetite remanence carrier (around 300 °C). We show that volcanic bombs can be powerful for paleomagnetic dating if certain sampling conditions, such as quantity, situation, size and portion are satisfied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article begins by outlining four post-WWII strategies of right-wing revolutionary resistance: vanguardism; the cell system; leaderless resistance; and metapolitics. Next, the article argues that metapolitics became a preferred strategy for many right-wing revolutionaries during the 2000s and early 2010s, and proposes three conditions that may help explain this metapolitical turn: limited opportunities for armed resistance; a subcultural style shift; and new opportunities for promoting alternative worldviews online. Finally, the article theorizes about the types of threats that may emerge in the wake of this metapolitical turn, and speculates about the likelihood of a new and more violent turn in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of security, state actors presume a linear relationship between the lethality and complexity of various means of attack. They deploy resources and research programs to overcome the inherent or "analytic" complexity of increasingly lethal means of their own (think of programs to develop nuclear weapons and other highly lethal munitions), and they impose security, legal and regulatory regimes to increase the imposed or "synthetic" complexity opponents must overcome to appropriate or adopt the means they develop. Nonstate actors such as terrorists overcome the challenges of complexity by imaginatively seeking new ways to operate in an alternative high lethality/low complexity space. The perversity of their imagination allows them to conceive of means of attack beyond the pale for state actors, leaving states initially unprepared to defend against them. Car bombs, vehicle ramming and small arms attacks on dense crowds, and iconic attacks such as 9/11 are examples of nonstate actors successfully operating in the high lethality/low complexity space. Successful attackers will continue to do so in ways that state actors fail to imagine and protect against, especially when the prevention of low-complexity attacks traditionally falls on local governments with fewer resources, and they employ means that do not have especially suspicious signatures. The deployment of weaponized drones against crowds and other soft targets may indicate one of the evolutions of this operational space. State security requires fully understanding the imagination of the nonstate actor, but good governance requires balancing the necessary thinking and preventive measures with the freedoms of a state not burdened by such a perverse outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial and temporal variations in the atmospheric bomb radiocarbon make it a very useful tracer and a dating tool. With the introduction of more atmospheric bomb radiocarbon records, the spatial and temporal changes in bomb radiocarbon are becoming clearer. Bomb radiocarbon record from a pine tree in the northern Israel region shows that the Δ14C level in the region is closer to the northern hemisphere zone (NH) 1 as compared to the northern hemisphere zone (NH) 2. A comparison of this pine's Δ14C record with a nearby olive tree's Δ14C values also highlights changes in the growing season of the olive wood from one year to the other. The observation suggests that olive wood 14C ages can show offset compared to the IntCal curve, and thus they should be interpreted cautiously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the operations of RAF Bomber Command in support of Operation Husky. Earmarked to play a considerable supporting role, the piece goes on to examine how valid operational difficulties, rather than the usual supposed notion of Sir Arthur Harris' aversion to bombing Italy, would conspire to blunt its full participation. In attempting to get around these obstacles, Sir Arthur Tedder proposed a number of solutions, ranging from aircraft loans to having a Lancaster detachment in North Africa, but the Air Staff always supported the Commander-in-Chief Bomber Command in the continuation of the air campaign against Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age validation is a critical component of an age‐based stock assessment and subsequent species management. Our study used bomb radiocarbon analysis to validate age estimates of Blueline Tilefish Caulolatilus microps, a species for which regional stock assessment scientists have identified age validation as a high priority. We compared a C. microps F14C chronology to F14C chronologies for finfish of the U.S. South Atlantic Bight (SAB) and the north‐west Atlantic. The high degree of correspondence in the chronologies exhibited for C. microps and other species of the SAB suggests a differential 14C uptake pattern in the SAB slope waters that is likely the result of local hydrological processes that delay 14C reaching the environments inhabited by these species. Our study was able to validate C. microps ages up to 25 years in the SAB, with strong evidence suggesting they are living to at least 50 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Nuclear Minds: Cold War Psychological Science and the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" by Ran Zwigenberg explores the concept of trauma in the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The book focuses on the efforts of Japanese and American psychiatrists, psychologists, and social scientists to understand the psychological impact of the bombings. It highlights the silencing of survivors' experiences and the de-emphasis of Japan's cultural particularities in favor of prioritizing preparedness for potential nuclear catastrophes. The book draws primarily on the records of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey and the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, providing a unique perspective on the development of the concept of trauma. [Extracted from the article]

Can the presence of international organizations reduce civilian deaths caused by aerial bombing? This commentary examines this question in the specific context of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. We evaluate this based on interviews conducted with members of international organizations that were present in Afghanistan during the conflict, existing intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and government reports, and with quantitative data on civilian casualties between 2008 and 2013. We conclude that there is tentative evidence from Afghanistan that international organizations can in fact reduce the severity of civilian killings that result from the use of air power. However, there is much need for greater data sharing to more fully answer this important question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The report discusses the impact of the positions of African countries such as South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Chad, and Israel on the Sudanese crisis. It explores the main repercussions of these positions in light of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. It considers the main result of the conflict that put the Sudanese capital and other cities under fire and bombing for the first time, especially the increment by Rapid Support Forces. The report discusses Sudan's complex complexities and overlapping crises before the conflict erupted. The report concludes that if political forces support the army to represent the single military force in Sudan, stop fighting altogether, completely withdraw any armed militias outside the cities and populated areas, and conduct an effective national dialogue to rebuild the ruling political authority in a short transitional period of no more than six months to arrange general elections in the country Sudan would witness peace and security to rebuild the state and nation. The report affirms that the elected legislative council, executive bodies, and president will lead the country to restore the movement of displaced people from combat zones to return to their homes and provide the necessary services with generosity from Arab, Islamic, and African assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the interaction between journalistic news posts and audience comments during a crisis, with attention to how various messaging approaches converged during the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing—the first major terrorist incident of the social media age. Using Taylor's Six-Segment Message Strategy Wheel, this manuscript explores how journalists and commenters responded to informational and emotional needs communicated on social media. Both inductive and deductive content analysis evaluated comments and posts on The Boston Globe's Facebook page during the one-year period post-bombing. The findings highlight that The Globe's social media coverage centered on meeting emotional needs rather than just providing updates and breaking news. Posts integrating sensory and social content received more thoughtful audience engagement than those that focused on the facts, implying that there may be situations where readers are better served by crisis journalism that addresses informational and emotional needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the nuclear bomb attack against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the world has advanced in nuclear technology. Today, a nuclear bomb could target a large-scale attack, at a longer range, and with much greater destructive force. People are increasingly concerned about the potential destructive humanitarian outcomes. We discuss actual conditions detonation of an atomic bomb would create, radiation injuries, and diseases. We also address concerns about functionality of medical care systems and other systems that support medical systems (i.e., transport, energy, supply chain, etc. systems) following a massive nuclear attack and whether citizens able to survive this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the largest territories affected by the aerial bombardment carried out in Europe in 1944 is located near Kędzierzyn-Koźle. Surrounded by former synthetic fuel production plants, it contains craters from the explosions of detonation and general-purpose bombs, as well as smaller craters indicating the existence of unexploded bombs. The research presented in this article was conducted in forested areas and swampy wastelands, where these forms have been preserved until today. The article includes the analysis of their distribution and morphology, as well as characteristic cases occurring in multiple geoenvironmental situations. It also provides a model for research work leading to the determination of the most likely locations of unexploded bombs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breadcrust bombs formed during Vulcanian eruptions are assumed to originate from the shallow plug or dome. Their rim to core texture reflects the competition between cooling and degassing timescales, which results in a dense crust with isolated vesicles contrasting with a highly vesicular vesicle network in the interior. Due to relatively fast quenching, the crust can shed light on pre‐ and syn‐eruptive conditions prior to or during fragmentation, whereas the interior allows us to explore post‐fragmentation vesiculation. Investigation of pre‐ to post‐fragmentation processes in breadcrust bombs from the 1999 Vulcanian activity at Guagua Pichincha, Ecuador, via 2D and 3D textural analysis reveals a complex vesiculation history, with multiple, spatially localized nucleation and growth events. Large vesicles (Type 1), present in low number density in the crust, are interpreted as pre‐eruptive bubbles formed by outgassing and collapse of a permeable bubble network during ascent or stalling in the plug. Haloes of small, syn‐fragmentation vesicles (Type 2), distributed about large vesicles, are formed by pressurization and enrichment of volatiles in these haloes. The nature of the pressurization process in the plug is discussed in light of seismicity and ground deformation signals, and previous textural and chemical studies. A third population (Type 3) of post‐fragmentation small vesicles appears in the interior of the bomb, and growth and coalescence of Type 2 and 3 vesicles causes the transition from isolated to interconnected bubble network in the interior. We model the evolution of viscosity, bubble growth rate, diffusion timescales, bubble radius and porosity during fragmentation and cooling. These models reveal that thermal quenching dominates in the crust whereas the interior undergoes a viscosity quench caused by degassing, and that the transition from crust to interior corresponds to the onset of percolation and development of permeability in the bubble network. Plain Language Summary: Breadcrust bombs are volcanic ejecta formed during explosive volcanic eruptions by rapid cooling of the exterior (the crust) and slow cooling of the interior that causes gas loss, bubble growth and cracking of the exterior. The rapidly cooled crust preserves characteristics of the magma prior to explosion. We study here the variations in porosity and vesicle properties from crust to interior in breadcrust bombs from the Guagua Pichincha volcano in Ecuador. Our results shed light on the pre‐eruptive conditions in the magma prior to explosive activity, and on the post‐fragmentation evolution of the bomb interior by bubble formation. Key Points: Vesicle textures in breadcrust bombs correlate with pre‐ to post‐fragmentation degassing processes during Vulcanian eruptionsLarge isolated vesicles preserved in the crust record a pre‐eruptive episode of outgassing and pressurization prior to fragmentationSmall vesicles provide insights into post‐fragmentation onset of permeability from the crust to the interior [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the unpublished dialogue between James Baldwin and Reinhold Niebuhr where they discussed the role of the Christian church in the wake of six child murders in Birmingham, Alabama on September 15, 1963. On that catastrophic day—one that is impossible to forget—the Ku Klux Klan bombed The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, and two black boys were subsequently shot and killed. In the wake of that violence, this article will show that for Baldwin, the dynamite that exploded the face of the "alabaster Christ" from the stained‐glass window presents an opportunity for not only a new depiction of Jesus in terms of presentation—but more significantly—a brand‐new Christology rooted in black liberation. Such a reading provides us with an unusual constructive theological position offered by Baldwin, especially once it is read alongside a public essay written by the Association of Artists for Freedom advocating for Black Christmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilms are the chief culprits of most intractable infections and pose great threat to human health. Developing effective strategies to sweep away the detrimental microbe and stubborn biofilm still remains a challenge. Here, an ultrasound (US) activated microbomb is constructed by encapsulating perfluorohexane (PFH) and iron‐tannin modified calcium peroxide (CaO2‐TA‐Fe) in poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) vesicles as the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating reactors for dental biofilm elimination. Upon the US irradiation by ultrasonic toothbrush, the swiftly vaporized PFH can not only promptly explode the PLGA shell to facilitate the generation of H2O2 from CaO2, but also blast the tight biofilm for effective delivery of the lethal hydroxyl free radicals (•OH) caused by degradative Fe3+ from iron‐tannin network, thereby proceeding cascade catalysis eradication of biofilm. As a proof‐of‐concept, this study demonstrates the proposed synergetic paradigm that integrates the US‐triggered explosion with ROS‐induced sterilization for stubborn biofilm elimination, and is a promising tactic for the costly and prevalent caries prevention as well as the biofilm‐associated diseases treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Plants often protect themselves from their own bioactive defense metabolites by storing them in less active forms. Consequently, plants also need systems allowing correct spatiotemporal reactivation of such metabolites, for instance under pathogen or herbivore attack.Via co‐expression analysis with public transcriptomes, we determined that the model legume Medicago truncatula has evolved a two‐component system composed of a β‐glucosidase, denominated G1, and triterpene saponins, which are physically separated from each other in intact cells.G1 expression is root‐specific, stress‐inducible, and coregulated with that of the genes encoding the triterpene saponin biosynthetic enzymes. However, the G1 protein is stored in the nucleolus and is released and united with its typically vacuolar‐stored substrates only upon tissue damage, partly mediated by the surfactant action of the saponins themselves. Subsequently, enzymatic removal of carbohydrate groups from the saponins creates a pool of metabolites with an increased broad‐spectrum antimicrobial activity.The evolution of this defense system benefited from both the intrinsic condensation abilities of the enzyme and the bioactivity properties of its substrates. We dub this two‐component system the saponin bomb, in analogy with the mustard oil and cyanide bombs, commonly used to describe the renowned β‐glucosidase‐dependent defense systems for glucosinolates and cyanogenic glucosides. See also the Commentary on this article by Chappell, 239: 456–458. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the latest statistical evidence for the nuclear emboldenment thesis—nuclear-armed states are more likely to initiate military aggression than non-nuclear states—from (Bell and Miller 2015). If correct, their findings have important theoretical and policy implications regarding the effect of nuclear proliferation on international conflict. This paper shows, however, that Bell and Miller's findings heavily rely on two important components of their statistical analysis: (1) using all state dyad observations, and (2) employing pooled regression models to analyze time-series-cross-sectional (TSCS) data. I argue that those components are based on questionable assumptions on heterogeneity in their dataset. Based on alternative strategies dealing with heterogeneity in dyadic data, my reanalysis shows that the emboldening effect of nuclear weapons is not as robust as originally claimed. Instead, I find the robust deterrent effect of nuclear weapons: nuclear-armed states are less likely to be targeted in military disputes. These findings highlight the need for careful application of quantitative methods to produce a more robust understanding of nuclear issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research note presents research into nearly forty letters contained in the private diaries of Souvanna Phouma held at the Library of Congress. The newly uncovered letters, covering 1964–70, offer unprecedented insight into a divisive and volatile chapter in relations between princely half-brothers Souvanna Phouma and Souphanouvong, leading figures on opposing sides in Cold War Laos. As the largest bombing campaign per capita in history unfolded, these letters show how the fraternal link between the two leaders did not ameliorate the conflict, as in the past, but contributed to a breakdown in their correspondence. To the degree that they had influence over events, the squabbling half-brothers, each entrenched in his own ideological belief, prolonged the Second Indochina War in Laos by failing to negotiate. More broadly, this note argues that the Royal Lao Government (RLG) played a major role in the US bombing of Laos. Souvanna, as RLG prime minister and minister of defence, was a central figure in this collaboration, which also contributed to the interruption of the correspondence between the two princes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combustion of a model high-density propellant (MHP) under the conditions of a closed volume has been investigated. A description is given of the main components and mechanisms of the manometric bomb being used. Procedures are described for determining the laws of propellant combustion in a manometric experiment, and a comparison is made of computational-experimental data. The distinctive features of the formation of an MHP combustion surface in various containers have been identified and described. The dependences of the layer combustion velocity of two model high-density propellants on pressure have been determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floritettix are endemic to the North American Coastal Plain. Here I describe a new species, Floritettix phlox sp. nov., from the Bombing Range Ridge in central Florida. This species appears to be restricted to the heavily burned scrub habitat on this small ridge. This species is described based on morphological and biogeographical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why and how does the US provide advanced nuclear assistance to junior nuclear allies? Existing nuclear literature downplays the possibility that the US strategically employs the technical assistance option as a post-proliferation toolkit to control allied nuclear proliferation. Addressing the first question—why—I argue that the US provides advanced nuclear assistance to junior allies to inhibit the latter's growing tendency towards unilateralism after nuclear acquisition, meanwhile inducing greater allied nuclear coordination. By forging advanced nuclear partnerships, the US seeks simultaneously to draw junior allies closer to the American nuclear leadership and establish coordinated nuclear strike plans and joint nuclear targeting. Addressing the second question—how—I claim that the US provides advanced nuclear assistance at a protracted pace and in a restricted manner, calculated to exert influence over recipient junior allies for as long as possible. To provide the plausibility probe of my argument, I explore two historical cases: The US's strategic advanced nuclear assistance to the UK and to France. I conclude by identifying avenues for future study and the policy implications for China's potential response to North Korea's nuclear sophistication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]