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Ambivalent Matter: Rags as Waste and Resource in the Eighteenth Century This article examines the dual role of rags as waste and a potential resource during the early modern period. Rags were indispensable to the early modern paper production, yet they also bore the potential to be perceived as mere refuse, which underscores the complexities involved in the commodification of waste. While much of modern research has predominantly emphasized the value of rags, the waste aspect of the paper rag trade has often been underestimated. This study seeks to offer a broader understanding, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of rags and the related economic implications. To address the ambivalent nature of rags, it is crucial to adopt a multi-perspective approach, looking beyond the paper industry alone. This means taking into account household practices regarding textile remnants and surrounding contemporary discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A new method for performing density-based topology optimization for Stokes flow is presented. It differs from previous approaches in the way the underlying mixed integer problem is relaxed and in the choice of the space in which the density that describes the topology lives. Initial numerical experiments, using H1 for the density and a discretization by continuous piecewise linear finite elements, showed unsatisfactory convergence properties of state-of-the-art optimization solvers. This motivated the work in this paper, which proposes solutions to these difficulties. We present a theoretically founded new problem formulation based on a space for the density that allows for jumps along hypersurfaces, such as BV or fractional order Sobolev spaces. We extend the existing theory for the generalized Stokes equations and investigate the arising optimization problems concerning existence of solutions, differentiability, and convergence of relaxed solutions toward solutions of the original problem. We motivate a localized fractional order Sobolev norm as an approximation of the BV-norm for\pm 1-valued functions and discuss its discretization by piecewise constant finite elements. Building on these theoretical findings, we present some numerical realizations and show computational results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In triple-vaccinated individuals, Omicron breakthrough infection resulted in 1.9-5.3 higher BA.1/BA.2 and Delta NA titers (ca. 3 weeks post-infection) than after mRNA booster vaccination alone (Figure 2A). In Germany, SARS-CoV-2 infections in fall 2021 were caused by the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of concern (VOC), which was completely replaced by the Omicron (BA.1, B.1.529.1/BA.2, B.1.529.2) VOC in winter. ****p < 0.0001; ***p < 0.001; **p < 0.01; *p < 0.05; ns, not significant gl In conclusion, booster vaccination with the conventional mRNA vaccine resulted in measurable BA.1/BA.2 NAs whose titers increased after breakthrough infection. [Extracted from the article]