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A Comparison of the Mechanisms and Activation Barriers for Ammonia Synthesis on Metal Nitrides (Ta3N5, Mn6N5, Fe3Mo3N, Co3Mo3N)
Get PDFIn this study we perform a comparison of the reaction mechanism and the activation barrier for the rate-determining step in various metal nitrides (Ta3N5, Mn6N5, Fe3Mo3N, Co3Mo3N) for the ammonia synthesis reaction. The reactions are explained with simplified schematics and the energy profiles for the various reaction mechanisms are given in order to screen the catalytic activity of the catalysts for the ammonia synthesis reaction. We find that the catalytic activity ranks in the following order: Co3Mo3N > Fe3Mo3N > Ta3N5 > Mn6N5. We also find that the reaction mechanism proceeds either by a Langmuir–Hinshelwood and an Eley–Rideal/Mars–van Krevelen mechanism. This is an overview of about 10 years of computational research conducted to provide an overview of the progress established in this field of study
Abuses of the past by the Italian far right: a first assessment of the Meloni government
Get PDFCollective memory plays an important part in the ideational and cultural battlegrounds that characterise current European politics. The mobilisation and manipulation of the memory of Nazi-fascism, in particular, is a growing political and academic concern, related to the rise of far right parties throughout the continent and the mainstreaming of their ideas and positions. Focusing on the case of Italy, this article examines three recent examples of abuses of the country’s past committed by Fratelli d’Italia, a far right party with a direct lineage to fascism, and the pivot of the current Italian government. By analysing the three episodes in light of a conceptual triad of abuses of the dark past – historical reassessment; fake history; evocation-cum-denial of fascist connections – the article shows how post-fascist FdI has engaged in the whole gamut of memory abuses rapidly, and shortly after rising to power. This in turn raises concerns about the effects of such mnemonic manipulations on the cultural underpinning of Italian democracy, given the party’s current position of political, institutional, and cultural influence
‘"Forced from many places into one": Representations of Migration in London-based Theatre and the Politics of Space'
Get PDFThis paper focuses primarily on works of contemporary English-language theatre by, about, and/ or performed by migrants in the UK. Works under study include Asif Khan’s *Willkommen* (2019); the LegalAliens Theatre Company’s *Ali in Wonder(Eng)land* (2023); and Joe Murphy’s and Joe Robertson’s/ Good Chance Theatre's *The Jungle* (2017), as well as the migratory Little Amal performance project derived from the latter (*The Walk*) (2021). The paper situates these works in the contexts both of London’s multiculturalism and the UK’s increasingly hostile environment for migrants, as well as in international contexts. Liminality is explored through consideration of the tensions in these works between movement and blockages, literal and figurative, across a range of dramatic modes.
The paper, furthermore, seeks to illuminate the politics of such representations of space and time by drawing on the theorisations of human geographers. It engages with the ideas of Henri Lefebvre and Michel de Certeau in relation to the enactment and subversion of spatial power, unpacking the specific implications of these for the subject of migration and the mediums of theatre and performance art. Building up a polyvalent sense of the stage, the paper attends both to the representation of the diverse geographical and cultural histories, present realities and possible futures of the plays’ migrant protagonists; and to the significance of staging space: for example, of representing the “Calais Jungle” in London’s West End, and of Little Amal’s five-month performance journey from Syria to the UK
Higher-order null models as a lens for social systems
Get PDFDespite the widespread adoption of higher-order mathematical structures such as hypergraphs, methodological tools for their analysis lag behind those for traditional graphs. This work addresses a critical gap in this context by proposing two micro-canonical random null models for directed hypergraphs: the Directed Hypergraph Configuration Model (DHCM) and the Directed Hypergraph JOINT Model (DHJM). These models preserve essential structural properties of directed hypergraphs such as node in- and out-degree sequences and hyperedge head and tail size sequences, or their joint tensor. We also describe two efficient MCMC algorithms, NuDHy-Degs and NuDHy-JOINT, to sample random hypergraphs from these ensembles.
To showcase the interdisciplinary applicability of the proposed null models, we present three distinct use cases in sociology, epidemiology, and economics. First, we reveal the oscillatory behavior of increased homophily in opposition parties in the US Congress over a 40-year span, emphasizing the role of higher-order structures in quantifying political group homophily. Second, we investigate non-linear contagion in contact hyper-networks, demonstrating that disparities between simulations and theoretical predictions can be explained by considering higher-order joint degree distributions. Last, we examine the economic complexity of countries in the global trade network, showing that local network properties preserved by NuDHy explain the main structural economic complexity indexes.
This work advances the development of null models for directed hypergraphs, addressing the intricate challenges posed by their complex entity relations, and providing a versatile suite of tools for researchers across various domains
Event chains triggering or hindering the emergence of shared leadership in project teams
Get PDFProject leadership literature has traditionally focused on project manager driven leadership practices. Recently the emphasis has shifted towards understanding project team dynamics and the collective leadership practices that contribute to project success, indicating a transition from leader behaviors to a broader team-centric perspective. Our qualitative research contributes to project leadership literature by exploring the event chains which lead to emergence of shared leadership (SL). Activity Theory (AT) was chosen as an analytical lens to explore the event chains identified from interview data (n=30). According to AT, contradictions are triggering development or change, not referring to problems or conflicts but rather chains of actions which disturb the prevailing practices enabling the evolvement of new ones. Our study refers to these chains of actions simply events, and we found more than 400 examples from the interview data. The events occasionally break down the existing procedures but embed a possibility for cyclic development, such as changes in project team’s leadership practices. The aim of our research was to identify what kind of event chains trigger or hinder the emergence of SL. This study is the first qualitative analysis of data collected in research project in 2022 from 30 interviews among project teams at industry and public sector in Finland to explore the emergence of SL. This paper comprehended teams as an entity. We found multifaceted and overlapping event chains triggering the emergence of SL, namely competences and experience, engagement in shared goals and event chains featuring the specific characteristics of project work. Multiple project environments and vertical leadership culture were found to hinder the emergence of SL. Our research contributes to the research of SL, as the multifaceted event chains create alternative approach for understanding the emergence of SL. Our practical contribution highlights the importance of including team members from diverse backgrounds in regard to experience and competences. We also emphasize the actions for engaging team members in shared project goals to facilitate the emergence of SL
Berkeley's Doctrine of Signs
Get PDFThis volume focuses on Berkeley’s doctrine of signs. The ‘doctrine of signs’ refers to the use that Berkeley makes of a phenomenon that is central to a great deal of everyday discourse: one whereby certain perceivable entities are made to stand in for (as ‘signs’ of) something else. Things signified might be other perceivable entities or they might also be unperceivable notions – such as the meanings of words.
From his earliest published work, A New Theory of Vision in 1710, to those works written towards the end of life, including Alciphron in 1732, Berkeley is at pains to emphasise the crucial role that sign-usage, particularly (but not only) in language, plays in human life. Berkeley also connects sign-usage to our (human) relationship with God: an issue that was right of the heart of his philosophical project. The contributions in this volume explore the myriad ways that Berkeley built on such insights to better understand a range of philosophical issues – issues of epistemology, language, perception, mental representation, mathematics, science, and theology.
The aim of this volume is to establish that the doctrine of signs can be seen as one of the unifying themes of Berkeley’s philosophy. What’s more, this theme is one which spans his whole philosophical corpus; not just his best-known works like the Principles and the Three Dialogues, but also his works on science, mathematics, and theology
Repurposing a Crusade Chronicle: Peter of Cornwall’s Liber Revelationum and the Reception of Fulcher of Chartres’ Historia Hierosolymitana in Medieval England
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Aesthetic Value and the AI Alignment Problem
No full textThe threat from possible future superintelligent AI has given rise to discussion of the so-called “value alignment problem”. This is the problem of how to ensure artificially intelligent systems align with human values, and thus (hopefully) mitigate risks associated with them. Naturally, AI value alignment is often discussed in relation to morally relevant values, such as the value of human lives or human wellbeing. However, solutions to the value alignment problem target all human values, not only morally relevant ones. Is there a value alignment problem in other domains? In this paper, I explore whether the AI value alignment problem extends beyond morally relevant values to include aesthetic values. I demonstrate that the value alignment problem as typically framed includes aesthetic values, and, using examples from computer vision, put forward that AI may be misaligned with human values in the artistic realm. Whilst misalignment may be cause for concern when considering AI creativity, I argue that aesthetic value is a case in which we do not want AI to be fully aligned with human values. In doing so, I offer support to Peterson’s moderate value alignment thesis
AI and Creative Writing - Questions Response
No full textQuestion and answer chapter on AI and Creative Writing. Part of a book with twelve artists/writers responding to a set of questions. Commissioned by Palgrave Macmillan