MacFarlane, Malcolm (Calum MacPàrlain), born Dalvaich, Argyll, 1853, died Greenock, 1931, Gaelic writer and poet

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Nationalism, internationalism, and ecclesiology at the 1920 Lambeth Conference

The 1920 Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops is well known amongst historians of (Anglican) ecumenism for its “Appeal to All Christian People,” the bishops’ clarion call for unity—or Reunion, as it was then known—amongst Christians. Taking place in the summer of 1920, less than two years after the end of the First World War, the underlying theme of the Conference was “Fellowship”. This theme pervaded international relations, for, as the bishops explained in their Encyclical Letter, “Men never prized the universal fellowship of mankind as they did when the Great War had for the time destroyed it.” However, for the Anglican bishops, fellowship was not only a matter of international relations, but melded political, social, and theological aspects. It had “through trade-unions and other societies … changed the face of international life … [and] bound together workers in science, education and social reform” as well as had shaping recreational activities. This chapter explores how the theme of fellowship informed the bishops’ debates about and resolutions on the themes of international relations, industry and commerce, overseas mission, and ecumenism, and what attitudes towards nationalism and internationalism were thereby revealed. It concludes that although the bishops who met for the 1920 Lambeth Conference were grappling with questions of nationalism and internationalism, their vision of a united Church was conceived of first and foremost in terms of a national Church, albeit one which could only find its true essence—and thus its internationality—in recognizing its relationship to other national Churches

China's power supply chain sustainability: an analysis of performance and technology gap

The power industry is a major source of carbon emissions in China and it is vital, therefore, to address the industry to promote carbon emission reduction. This study takes the power supply chain (PSC) in China, composed of coal-fired thermal power plants and downstream power grid enterprises as its primary research object. From the perspective of sustainable development, the study explores and analyzes the sustainable performance and technology heterogeneity of China’s provinces’ PSCs, proposing the two-system model to evaluate the sustainable performance, generation performance and sale performance of PSCs. In addition, to understand the technology level of PSC, this study applies the meta-frontier technique to analyze the technology heterogeneity of all PSCs across different regions. The proposed models are then applied to analyze the sustainable performance of China’s provincial PSCs. The empirical results demonstrate the market-oriented reform of the power industry in China played a role in promoting the development of power generation enterprises in China’s PSCs but had a limited effect on the power grid enterprises in the PSC. The study also shows that there are significant regional differences in the sustainable performance and technology of China’s PSC. Generally, PSCs in Eastern China have a high level of sustainable performance and technology, while the sustainable performance and technology of the PSCs in Central and Northeast China are relatively poor. Based on these empirical results, specific policy recommendations are presented to improve PSC’s sustainable performance and technology levels at government and enterprise levels

The material constitution

This chapter tracks the theory and the development of the concept of the material constitution. Historically, it identifies three theoretical attempts at defining the material basis of the constitutional order: materialist political philosophy (mostly, Marx), 20th Century legal institutionalism (Schmitt and Mortati), and societal constitutionalism (Teubner). The following sections capitalise on this historical background and provide a sketch for the contemporary conception of the material constitution. The focus here is on how to make order and the material constitution is understood as a set of political, economic, and legal practices that are organised into some form of political unity with the intention of pursuing certain fundamental aims. The last section of the chapter applies this contemporary conception to constitutional issues such as constitutional identity and change

Wayfarers: confronting the past through traditional music in schools

This paper discusses an inquiry-based school-university partnership project conducted by history and music education specialists in Scotland. The project was music-led with history underpinning it, namely the musical migration of Scots and Irish to the Eastern United States. From the 18th century onwards thousands of Scots and Irish moved to Appalachia – ‘the wayfarers’ in our title. Their heritage now features in the Scottish school curriculum. However, the wayfarers encountered a range of challenging factors, including forced migration and segregation, which are not yet fully considered in schools. To address this need we co-developed resources with a specialist school to enhance secondary school practices surrounding music education and pupil engagement with challenging histories. This paper critically considers the project stages, supported by secondary and primary sources, including group interviews. In the conclusions we make suggestions for future policy, research and practice, such as to frame traditional songs in schools in their historical context

Flight Performance Of Multi-rotor Configuration Tail Rotors

To better understand and predict the flight performance of multi-rotor configurations of tail rotors controlled via collective pitch or rotor speed, a flight performance tool is derived. The tool includes a tail rotor model, an aerodynamic interference model, and a trim method. The vertical configuration of a multi-rotor tail rotor can effectively take advantage of aerodynamic interference to reduce the required power. The five-rotor configuration with fixed rotor speed reduces the power by 36.7%. More rotors are preferable from the point of view of power consumption. Too many rotors are unnecessary, since the extra benefit obtained is very diminished. Varying the rotor speed is better for performance improvement compared with varying the collective pitch, since lower rotor speed leads to rotor power reduction. The five-rotor configuration with fixed collective pitch reduces the power by 53.3%. The severe aerodynamic interference between the rotors leads to the longitudinal configuration of multi-rotor configuration having much poorer performance. The four-rotor configuration in a “plus” arrangement achieves better performance than the cross four-rotor configuration or a vertical four-rotor configuration

A comparative analysis of intrusive and non-intrusive PCE methods for random mode computation

Random eigenmodes present a significant challenge in the analysis of uncertain dynamical systems, particularly when traditional Monte Carlo methods become computationally prohibitive for high-dimensional problems. While Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) offers a promising alternative, the choice between intrusive (physics-based) and non-intrusive (data-driven) implementations remains a critical yet understudied decision. This paper presents the first comprehensive comparison of these PCE approaches for random eigenmode computation, examining their theoretical foundations, implementation complexities, and computational efficiency. Through systematic analysis of a three-degree-of-freedom system with varying uncertainty parameters, we demonstrate that intrusive PCE achieves superior accuracy for low-dimensional problems, while non-intrusive PCE shows better scalability for higher-dimensional systems. Our findings reveal a previously undocumented trade-off between implementation complexity and computational efficiency, establishing clear criteria for approach selection based on problem dimensionality and accuracy requirements. These insights extend beyond modal analysis to the broader field of uncertainty quantification in computational mechanics, providing practical guidelines for selecting optimal PCE strategies in various engineering applications. The methodological framework presented here opens new possibilities for efficient uncertainty analysis in large-scale dynamical systems

Enhanced variant neutralization through glycan masking of SARS-CoV-2 XBB1.5 RBD

SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve antigenically under the immune pressure exerted by both natural infection and vaccination. As new variants emerge, we face the recurring challenge of updating vaccines at significant financial cost to maintain their efficacy. To address this, novel strategies are needed to enhance the breadth of protection offered by vaccines or, at a minimum, extend their effectiveness over time. One such strategy is antigen modification. In this study, we introduce a glycosylation site into a binding but non-neutralizing epitope within the SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 receptor binding domain (RBD) to redirect the immune response towards more potent neutralizing epitopes. Immunization of mice with this modified antigen via the mRNA vaccine platform resulted in a dramatic increase in neutralizing antibodies compared to the wild-type XBB.1.5 RBD, showing superior protection against a range of SARSCoV-2 Omicron variants, from BA.2 to JN.1. Our findings reinforce the power of the glycan masking approach, which in combination with the now well-established mRNA vaccine platform can contribute to broader and better vaccines

Frailty and stroke: Global implications for assessment, research, and clinical care—A WSO scientific statement

Frailty is common in stroke and has important disease- and treatment-modifying effects. The need to develop clinical practice and research for the impact of frailty on stroke is likely to increase in the coming decades as the global population ages, resulting in a higher burden of frailty that is likely to be borne disproportionately by lower- and middle-income countries. The global nature of frailty in stroke necessitates global action. This World Stroke Organization Scientific Statement synthesizes the current evidence relating to the prevalence and effects of frailty across the stroke pathway. Furthermore, it includes expert consensus on priority areas from a global panel: standardization of frailty assessments for research, explicit measurements of frailty (in addition to disability) in large clinical trials, dedicated studies investigating the treatment-modifying effects of frailty in acute stroke and secondary prevention, research investigating the impact of frailty on the different aspects of recovery and rehabilitation after stroke, and understanding the mechanisms underpinning the relationship between frailty and stroke for potential therapeutic exploitation

Cast (the vote) away: why Romanian emigrants support the radical right in home elections

The recent appeal of the radical right among Romanian emigrants goes against previous findings suggesting that emigrants are generally less inclined to vote for such political candidates. To understand why some emigrants support the radical right, this study focuses on the institutional characteristics of countries of residence. We use an original dataset of the aggregate voting patterns of Romanian emigrants in 44 countries around the world where at least 100 people voted. We focus on the four most recent elections in which the radical right gained prominence: the 2020 and 2024 national legislative elections, and the 2024 and 2025 presidential elections. The results show that the highest support comes from countries with high levels of democracy, those with large communities of Romanian emigrants, andthose which are relatively close to Romania. Other variables, such as the presence of the radical right in the politics of the countries of residence or economic indicators, have no effect