bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Miniaturized inertial sensor based on high-resolution dual atom interferometry
Authors: Lu Si-Bin , Fu Jia-Hao , Jiang Min , Sun Chuan , Yao Zhan-Wei , Chen Xiao-Li , Li Shao-Kang , Ke Min , Wang Bo , Li Run-Bing , Wang Jin , Zhan Ming-Sheng
Published: January 2025

Atom interferometry shows high sensitivity for inertial measurements in the laboratory, but it faces difficulties in field applications because of a trade-off between sensitivity and size. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a small sensor with high resolution for measuring acceleration and rotation in inertial navigation applications. Presented here is a miniaturized inertial sensor capable of measuring acceleration and rotation simultaneously based on high-resolution dual atom interferometers. A sensor head is integrated within a volume of 100 l, in which the vacuum chambers are fabricated by bonding quartz-glass windows with epoxy resin. A photoelectric cabinet is composed of four 3U rack units by integrating optical modules and electronic units. Dual atom interference fringes with a contrast of 29% are observed, and the acceleration and rotation are measured simultaneously by extracting their phase shifts. By developing a temperature compensation method to eliminate phase drifts caused by the thermal deformation of the Raman mirrors and using wave vector reversal to eliminate the phase drifts independent of the direction of the wave vector, measurement resolutions of 40 ng at 518 s and 6.1 nrad/s at 10 880 s are achieved for acceleration and rotation, respectively, from Allan deviations.
Analysis of inversion-domain boundaries in four-layer polarity-inverted AlN structure
Authors: Tamano Tomohiro , Shojiki Kanako , Akiyama Toru , Akaike Ryota , Nakamura Takao , Honda Hiroto , Sato Eiki , Uemukai Masahiro , Tanikawa Tomoyuki , Katayama Ryuji , Miyake Hideto
Published: January 2025

We have fabricated a four-layer polarity-inverted aluminum nitride (AlN) structure using a combination of sputtering and face-to-face annealing. We investigated the impurity concentrations and structure of the polarity inversion-domain boundaries (IDBs) of the four-layer polarity-inverted AlN structure. Atomic-scale observations revealed that the interface of the IDBs from Al-polar AlN to N-polar AlN consists of three monolayers (MLs) of O-Al-O, while the IDBs from N-polar AlN to Al-polar AlN consist of 8–10 ML of AlxOyNz. Additionally, the positions of the IDBs from N-polar AlN to Al-polar AlN shifted by 20–30 nm from the interface of sputtered AlN toward the surface, whereas those from Al-polar AlN to N-polar AlN remained at the same position as the interface of sputtered AlN. The interface energies of these IDBs were investigated using first-principles calculations, which support the O-Al-O structure for the IDB from Al-polar AlN to N-polar AlN and the AlxOyNz structure for the IDBs from N-polar AlN to Al-polar AlN.
Surface phonons in the 1/f noise of Bi2Se3
Authors: Mihaila M. , Varasteanu P.
Published: January 2025

Temperature dependence of the 1/f noise intensity in Bi2Se3 features a weak structure of unknown origin. Comparing the noise structure with the Raman spectrum of Bi2Se3, we found that it is the image of the surface phonon spectrum of this topological insulator. It also revealed that the low intensity of both noise bands composing the structure in the topological regime is due to the weak interaction of the Dirac electrons with the surface phonons of Bi2Se3. One of these noise bands has been found to correspond to the boson peak of the amorphous Se surface atoms, while the other one is well fitted by the Eliashberg function of amorphous Bi. It indicates that the interaction of the Dirac electrons with the thermal motion of the Se and Bi atoms, in the first and second atomic layers of the first quintuple Se–Bi–Se–Bi–Se surface cell, respectively, is the microscopic source of the surface 1/f noise in this quantum material. A step-like noise increase observed at a surface-bulk transition in a Bi2Se3 film is assigned to a Fano resonance. This proves that the electron–phonon coupling is involved in the microscopic mechanism of 1/f noise in solids.
Governing in the face of a global crisis: When do voters punish and reward incumbent governments?
Authors: Duch Raymond M. , Loewen Peter , Robinson Thomas S. , Zakharov Alexei
Published: January 2025

The recent COVID-19 pandemic offers a rare opportunity to understand how citizens attribute responsibility for governments’ responses to unanticipated negative—and in this case, systemic—exogenous shocks. Classical accounts of responsibility are complicated when crises are pervasive, involve multiple valence dimensions, and where individuals can make relative assessments of performance. We fielded a conjoint experiment in 16 countries with 22,147 respondents. In this experiment, subjects made re-election decisions regarding 178,184 randomly assigned incumbent profiles. We find that incumbents’ performance along both health and economic dimensions drives these hypothetical reelection decisions. Using machine learning techniques, we find only muted heterogeneity in the magnitude and distribution of these treatment effects. This result suggests that these widely reported performance signals have consistent political effects across countries. In a complementary analysis, we also find that subjects’ intentions to vote for incumbent governments are positively correlated with subjective and relative evaluations of the government’s pandemic performance, along both health and economic dimensions. These results provide consistent evidence that evaluations of pandemic performance matter politically.
Complement C3 of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles promotes metastasis of RCC via recruitment of immunosuppressive myeloid cells
Authors: Zhang Yibi , Wang Xiaodong , Gu Yinmin , Liu Tongfeng , Zhao Xujie , Cheng Shuwen , Duan Liqiang , Huang Chang , Wu Songzhe , Gao Shan
Published: January 2025

Heterogeneous roles of complement C3 have been implicated in tumor metastasis and are highly context dependent. However, the underlying mechanisms linking C3 to tumor metastasis remain elusive in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Here, we demonstrate that C3 of RCC cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) contributes to metastasis via polarizing tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) into the immunosuppressive phenotype and recruiting polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs). Mechanistically, EV C3 induces the secretion of CCL2 and CXCL1 by lung macrophages and subsequently enhances TAM polarization and PMN-MDSC recruitment. Notably, targeting the CCL2/CCR2 or CXCL1/CXCR2 axis with the inhibitors RS504393 or Navarixin, respectively, effectively suppresses lung metastasis induced by RCC-derived C3 in a mouse model. Clinically, RCC patients with high expression of C3 demonstrate poor prognosis. Collectively, our findings reveal that tumor-derived EV C3 induces an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment via TAMs, and thus promoting RCC metastasis.
Analysis of the degradation characteristics and causes of the HTS insert magnet after quenching in the 32.4T test
Authors: Gao Shuowei , Liu Fang , Hu Shuai , Xue Shengquan , Hong Wenzhe , Wang Ziming , Wang Zhaoran , Shao Liangjun , Zhao Haitian , Wang Zhen , Gao Peng , Qu Timing , Zhang Xintao , Liu Huajun , Song Yuntao , Li Jiangang
Published: January 2025

The quench of a superconducting magnet in a high magnetic field environment causes irreversible damage to the magnet. A 32.4 T completely superconducting magnet consisting of a low-temperature superconducting (LTS) external magnet and a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) inserting magnet was developed and tested. The LTS external magnet quickly discharged after quenching when the system’s peak center magnetic field reached 32.4 T. The inserting magnet, particularly the Coil 1 magnet on the magnet’s innermost side, was damaged due to the quick current change in the LTS external magnet. This created a significant current inside the HTS magnet due to the mutual inductance effect. The overcurrent caused the degradation of Coil 1 magnet. The continuous critical current of DP69, DP80, DP85, and DP94 in the magnet was measured to investigate the degradation. Numerous circular burn sites in areas of degraded critical current were observed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To analyze the causes of the degradation, a dynamic coupling model of LTS and HTS magnet during quench was developed. The simulation outcomes indicated that the locations exhibiting high hoop stress correspond to those where the normalized critical current density is observed to be notably low, proving that excessive hoop stress is the main reason for the critical current degradation in the coils. Furthermore, the model quantified the turn-to-turn loss in the Coil 1 magnet during the quenching process of the LTS magnet. It offered potential evidence for the circular burn-through points in the superconducting layer.
Spatial wavefunctions of spin
Authors: Rakitzis T Peter
Published: January 2025

We present an alternative formulation of quantum mechanical angular momentum, based on spatial wavefunctions that depend on the Euler angles

φ
,
θ
,
χ

, and have an additional internal projection

n

. The wavefunctions are Wigner D-functions,

D
nm
s

(
φ
,
θ
,
χ
)

, for which the body-fixed projection quantum number

n

has the unusual value

n
=

s

=

s

s
+
1

=
s

, or

n
=
0

. We show that the states

D

s
m

s

(
φ
,
θ
,
χ
)

of elementary particles with spin

s

give a gyromagnetic ratio of

g
=
2

for

s
>
0

, and we identify these as the spatial angular-momentum wavefunctions of known fundamental charged particles with spin. All known Standard-Model particles can be categorized with either value

n
=
s

or

n
=
0

, and all known particle reactions are consistent with the conservation of its projection in the internal frame, and with internal-frame Clebsch-Gordan coefficients of unity. Therefore, we make the case that the

D

nm

s

(
φ
,
θ
,
χ
)

are useful as spatial wavefunctions for spin. Some implications and new predictions related to the quantum number

n

for fundamental particles are discussed, such as the proposed Dirac-fermion nature of the neutrino, the explanation of some Standard-Model structure, and some proposed dark-matter candidates.
An Integral Field Unit for the Binospec Spectrograph
Authors: Fabricant Daniel , Ben-Ami Sagi , Chilingarian Igor V. , Fata Robert , Moran Sean , Paegert Martin , Smith Matthew , Zajac Joseph
Published: January 2025

Binospec is a wide-field optical (360–1000 nm) spectrograph commissioned at the MMT 6.5 m telescope in 2017. In direct imaging mode Binospec addresses twin

8
′

(wide) by

15
′

(slit length) fields of view. We describe an optical fiber based integral field unit (IFU) that remaps a 12″ × 16″ contiguous region onto two pseudo slits, one in each Binospec channel. The IFU, commissioned in 2023, fits into the space of a standard slit mask frame and can be deployed as desired in a mixed program of slit masks, long slits, and IFU observations. The IFU fibers are illuminated by a hexagonal lenslet array with a 0

.

″

6 pitch. A separate bundle of sky fibers consists of close-packed bare fibers arranged within an 11

.

″

8 circular aperture. The 640 IFU fibers and 80 sky fibers have a core diameter of 150 μm, corresponding to 0

.

″

90. Three gratings are available, 270 lpm with R ~ 2000, 600 lpm with R ~ 5300, and 1000 lpm with R ~ 6000.
Tricritical behavior of a relativistic field theory in one dimension
Authors: Caldas Heron , Mota A L
Published: January 2025

The tricritical behavior in a class of one-dimensional (1D) field theories that exhibit spontaneous symmetry breaking at zero temperature and chemical potential is analyzed. In the Gross–Neveu-type models of massless fermions the discrete chiral symmetry is spontaneously broken. After doping, the symmetry is restored at a critical chemical potential. We investigate the temperature effects on this doped 1D system under an externally constant Zeeman magnetic field B
0. We find that B
0 suppresses the gapless behavior present for certain values of chemical potential and is able to induce a gapless-gapped phase transition at a critical field strength. We also discuss the consequences of the consideration of inhomogeneous condensates at the tricritical point, within the Ginzburg–Landau expansion.
The Effectiveness of Hands-on Experience Peer-assisted Learning in Aviation Camps for Enhancing Basic Knowledge of Physics, Airplane Components, and Control
Authors: Mongkholsiriwattana Chinapat , Thitayanuwat Watchara , Tep Puthyrom , Cummon Parichat , Boonkham Pawarut , Yisunsri Napat
Published: January 2025

While engaging in projects helps students gain a solid foundation of knowledge, doing projects alone may result in a lack of practical skills in science. This study aims to enhance students’ real-world knowledge related to physics and aircraft through a KPRc model and Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL). The KPRc model consisted of three components: Knowledge, Principles, and Rc (Radio control). Eighteen DSIL students participated in this study. They took a pre-test before receiving comprehensive training based on the KPRc model at DSIL, then applied their knowledge and skills through PAL to train students at Praratchatan Nayao School (PNS) in Chachoengsao during an aviation camp. Afterward, they took a post-test. Data analysis involved paired-sample t-tests. The results indicated that the pre-test score was 19.94 (SD = 6.64), which increased to 25.67 (SD = 4.84). This study suggests that the combination of hands-on experience and PAL facilitates students’ basic knowledge of physics and practical skills in aviation.
Eco-friendly synthesis of reduced graphene oxide from agricultural waste for electrodes in capacitive deionization applications
Authors: Poonpat Penpicha , Uwanno Teerayut , Tajorn Voragun , Bodsayawit Setthaphon , Reilly Mayuree Phonyiem , Wongwiriyapan Winadda
Published: January 2025

In this study, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized from sugarcane bagasse (SB) through dehydration of SB by concentrated H2SO4, graphene oxide (GO) formation by modified Hummers’ method and reduction by anthocyanin in pomegranate juice. It was found that rGO that underwent reduction reaction for 24 hours has highest carbon/oxygen ratio from elemental composition from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), suggesting the highest degree of reduction among all reduction time. The formation of rGO was confirmed by UV-visible absorption spectrum, XPS, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy.
Rotation Velocity of the Milky Way Galaxy Based on VLBI Astrometry
Authors: Loungrueang Yosita , Sakai Nobuyuki , Sugiyama Koichiro , Wannawichian Suwicha
Published: January 2025

The galactic rotation curve is an essential tool for understanding the dynamics, evolution, and formation of the Milky Way galaxy. We can study the mass distribution of the galaxy via the rotation curve. However, the galactic rotation curve, especially for the outer region, has not been accurately determined due to distance uncertainties of Galactic objects. Our target source is IRAS 06469+0333, a star-forming region located near a galactic plane in the outer region of the galaxy. To observe the star-forming region, we use the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique to get the highest accuracy of the position and distance of the source. Thus, we can provide additional data on rotation velocity for accurately constructing the Milky Way outer rotation curve. We collected data from the Outer Rotation Curve of the galaxy with the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) project observing water maser at 22 GHz from January 2013 to October 2014. We also used the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Astronomical Image Processing System (AIPS) software to make data reduction. We have finished data reductions for five epochs. Double peak spectra for the water masers are found in four epochs, and the Vlsr varies between 29 km/s and 31 km/s. A parallax of 0.618 ± 0.166 milliarcsecond (mas) corresponding to a distance of 1.62+
-
0
0..5
3
9
4 kpc is obtained, and proper motions are -1.15 ± 0.07 mas/yr and -0.09 ± 0.61 mas/yr for right ascension and declination directions, respectively. The galactocentric distance and galactic rotation velocity of the source are 9.44+
-
0
0..5
3
4
1 kpc and 187.21 ± 3.94 km/s, respectively. Based on the observational results, the rotation curve is constructed to examine the mass distribution of the Milky Way galaxy. The accuracy of results from this current work will be evaluated based on the comparison with the previous studies.
Thermodynamic Stability of Schwarzschild-de Sitter Black holes with Rényi entropy
Authors: Anusonthi Thanawat , Wongjun Pitayuth , Nakarachinda Ratchapat
Published: January 2025

Even though, classically, a black holes is gravitational object, it can be treated as a thermodynamic object when quantum effect is taken into account. It is found that by using Gibbs-Boltzmann entropy, thermodynamic system associated Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole is unstable while it is stable under description of Rényi entropy. According to Rényi entropy, the thermodynamic phase space needed to be extended. Specifically, the non-extensive parameter must be treated as a thermodynamic variable. In this work, we investigate the thermodynamic stability of Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole with Rényi entropy by treating non-extensive parameter as chemical potential. We found that it is possible to obtain the stability of the black hole under the process with fixing pressure, temperature and number of particles. We also found that there exist the phase transitions from the hot gas to the stable black hole in such the process. Therefore, if such a black hole is possibly observed, the non-extensive effect of Rényi statistics may provide a physical insight beyond the standard approach to black hole thermodynamics.
Aberration correction of optical dipole-traps array utilizing phase-modulated holographic technique
Authors: Parkprom P , Chattrapiban N , Thaicharoen N
Published: January 2025

Atom arrays generated by optical dipole traps are essential in quantum experiments, enabling precise manipulation and simulation of quantum states. They offer a competitive platform for quantum simulations due to their flexible configurations and local state addressability. However, preparing dipole-trap arrays within a vacuum chamber is challenged by the requirement for the laser beam to pass through multiple optical components which can induce deviations in the laser beam profile and cause aberrations in the system. To address this issue, we apply a holographic phase pattern to correct the aberration of an array of optical dipole traps according to these optical elements. We start with embedding the phase patterns into an SLM to generate the array of optical dipole traps. We then examine the aberrations induced by each optical element and develop methods for their correction. This is implemented by feeding back the modified phase pattern to restore the intended array pattern and eliminate aberrations using the modified Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm. This research enables the precise preparation of optical dipole trap arrays, which are crucial for future work in developing cold single-atom arrays prepared in a vacuum system.
Exploring phosphorescent materials: luminescence properties and traffic safety applications
Authors: Wattanasirikoson R , Boonyaras P , Dangudom K
Published: January 2025

This research investigates the luminescence of phosphorescent materials by measuring the particle size of phosphorescent powder from images obtained using scanning electron microscopy and chemically analyzing the composition using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy. It was found that the chemical composition correlates with the phosphorescent material group SrAl2O4. The emitted light is green when examining the luminescence spectrum of the phosphorescent powder, revealing a peak wavelength of 523 nanometers. This was then applied to the design of a pyramid-shaped phosphorescent traffic pin. This phosphorescent traffic pin can store light during the day and emit light at night, enhancing visibility at longer distances compared to reflective traffic pins, which rely on light from vehicles for illumination. In the future, it can be further developed to extend the duration of light emission or be used in conjunction with reflective traffic pins.
Highly uniform plasmonic microstructures for surface-enhanced Raman scattering applications
Authors: Patpong S , Daengngam C , Phengdaam A , Osotchan T , Dawes J M , Sitpathom N
Published: January 2025

Plasmonic microstructures have potential applications for surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Consistent microstructure features are crucial to ensure spatial reliability and accuracy of measurements. In this work, we assessed the performance of surface-enhanced Raman scattering using plasmonic self-assembled microstructures. The plasmonic microstructures were prepared from polystyrene beads with 500-nm and 1000-nm diameters via convective deposition and capped by sputtering a thin gold film. Raman scattering spectra of the probe molecule methylene blue were measured at a 785 nm excitation wavelength. Enhancement factors of 7.8×105 and 3.9×106 were obtained for 500-nm and 1000-nm plasmonic microstructures, respectively. The higher enhancement factor for the 1000-nm microstructure case is attributed to strong electric field near the semi-shell surface and near-field localization above the structure. The uniformity of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates was evaluated by comparing the Raman shift intensities at 1610 cm-1 at 20 distinct locations on each substrate. The relative standard deviations (RSD) were found to be 0.032% and 0.018% for 500-nm and 1000-nm templates, respectively. These plasmonic microstructures can be useful for surface-enhanced Raman scattering applications.
Appling a semi-empirical model for estimating hourly diffuse solar radiation at the main regions of Thailand
Authors: Tohsing Korntip , Phaisathit Danuch , Janjai Serm
Published: January 2025

In this work, a mathematical relation between hourly diffuse radiation and important parameters was developed. The atmospheric parameters such as aerosol optical depth (AOD), precipitable water (w), total ozone column (O3), and cloud index (n) including other physical parameters namely global radiation, solar constant, eccentricity correction factor and solar zenith angle have been used to formulate the model. The data used were collected at four main regions of Thailand namely, Chiang Mai (18.78 °N, 98.98 °E) in the North, Ubon Ratchathani (15.25 °N, 104.87 °E) in the Northeast, Nakhon Pathom (13.82 °N, 100.04 °E) in the Center, and Songkhla (7.20 °N, 100.60 °E) in the South encompassing the year of 2016 to 2022. The global radiation was measured by a pyranometer (CM21, Kipp&Zonen) and diffuse radiation was also obtained from the pyranometer equipped with a shading ball. The AOD, w, O3 were measured by a sunphotometer (CE-318, Cimel) belonging to AERONET of NASA and the cloud index was derived from HIMAWARI satellite data. A semi-empirical model for calculating the diffuse radiation was obtained by a multiple linear regression using all data of 2016 to 2021 and was validated with the measured data of the year 2022. The results shown that hourly diffuse radiation gathered from the model and that obtained from the measurement were in good agreement with the discrepancy in terms of mean bias difference (MBD) of 3.26% and root mean square difference (RMSD) of 13.01% for combined data of these stations.
Study of the cluster size of a Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor using a Sr-90 source
Authors: Kaewjai Jetnipit , Kittimanapun Kritsada , Laojamnongwong Natthawut , Poonsawat Wanchaloem , Kobdaj Chinorat
Published: January 2025

Modern particle detectors use the Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) to lower the material budget and increase tracking precision and efficiency at low transverse momentum. In this study, the cluster size of a MAPS prototype was investigated using a Sr-90 isotope. The number of clusters detected can provide insights into the spatial resolution of the sensor. We tested the sensor in the laboratory at various back-bias voltages from -0.0 to -4.8 V, demonstrating its capability to detect beta particles from the decay of Sr-90. Our results show that the mean of the cluster size distribution is 1.15 pixels when operated at -0.0 V
BB
. The increase in back-bias voltage can provide a larger depletion region for the sensor, resulting in a larger number of events. In the next step, we plan to use a Sr-90 source with another sensor to compare the spatial resolution and validate the performance of our MAPS prototype.
Sensorless vector control and improvement of delta-connected PMSMs
Authors: An Jiaqiang , Feng Ming
Published: January 2025

The vector control of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) is mainly based on star winding connection (SWC). However, in certain special cases, PMSMs with delta winding connection (DWC) have irreplaceable advantages. This paper focuses on the sensorless vector control of PMSMs with DWC. First, a comparison is made between the vector control of SWC and DWC. Next, the acquisition of phase currents in DWC is analyzed. Then, an improved adaptive sliding mode observer (IASMO) is proposed to achieve sensorless control of the PMSMs with DWC. Finally, simulations and experimental verifications are conducted on the proposed method. The results show that the improved sensorless algorithm can effectively enhance motor performance, reduce harmonic circulating currents in PMSMs with DWC, minimize motor torque fluctuations, and improve motor efficiency.
Intelligent early warning method of power grid failure events based on temporal convolutional neural networks and rule learning
Authors: Wang Yubo , Sun Na
Published: January 2025

Power grid failure events may bring serious consequences to grid operations, such as power outages and equipment damage. To improve the efficiency and accuracy of intelligent early warnings of power grid failures and ensure safe power grid operation, this study investigates an early warning method of power grid failure events based on temporal convolutional neural networks (TCNN) and rule learning. The main factors influencing the occurrence of power grid failure events are analyzed. Relevant raw grid data are collected through the SCADA system. The TCNN, composed of a time series sampling network and a one-dimensional convolutional neural network, is constructed to predict power grid failure events. To address the issue of missing data in time series, the raw data of power grid failure events is transformed, and its dimensionality is increased. During model training, the Hebbian rule is introduced to improve the activity of the TCNN neurons, improving the accuracy and efficiency of the early warning model by combining it with the intelligent early warning process of power grid failure events. Experimental results indicate that after applying the proposed method, the intelligent early warning time is advanced by more than 3.5 minutes on average. The number of early warning misjudgments ranges from 0 to 3. These results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves good results in terms of early warning time, accuracy, and success rate of power grid failure events, offering more efficient, accurate, and stable early warning support for power grid operation and maintenance.
Bio-inspired interlocking metasurfaces
Authors: Bolmin Ophelia , Noell Philip J , Boyce Brad L
Published: January 2025

Interlocking metasurfaces (ILMs) are patterned arrays of mating features that enable the joining of bodies by constraining motion and transmitting force. They offer an alternative to traditional joining solutions such as mechanical fasteners, welds, and adhesives. This study explores the development of bio-inspired ILMs using a problem-driven bioinspired design (BID) framework. We develop a taxonomy of attachment solutions that considers both biological and engineered systems and derive conventional design principles for ILM design. We conceptualize two engineering implementations to demonstrate concept development using the taxonomy and ILM conventional design principle through the BID framework: one for rapidly assembled bridge truss members and another for modular microrobots. These implementations highlight the potential of BID to enhance performance, functionality, and tunability in ILMs.
Local policies and interventions to reduce a city’s carbon footprint using plant-based diets: bristol as a case study
Authors: Fernandez Roberto Rivera , Longhurst James , Barnes Jo
Published: January 2025

Net zero strategies are needed to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency. Food systems are responsible for one third of global GhG emissions. This study explores policies and interventions that can be applied at a local level to decarbonise the food system in the UK, using Bristol as a case study. Online elite interviews were conducted with 12 key stakeholders (policymakers, communities, and businesses). Through their lenses, potential interventions were identified that could promote behaviour change and enable a shift towards low-carbon plant-based diets in Bristol. Interventions are presented in an impact-effort matrix and include action on public procurement, community market gardens and food choice architecture. Although stakeholders think these interventions could be impactful, they also identified significant barriers, such as the need for specific subsidies/funding, resistance to change, and misinformation that will need to be overcome for the interventions to be implemented. The discussion provides examples of how each stakeholder group in the study could get involved to address the interventions proposed by the interviewees, concluding that further research is needed to explore the perspective of other key stakeholders (e.g. public) and different layers of governance (e.g. regional) to reach more holistic and comprehensive outcomes.
Brauer’s problem 21 for principal blocks
Authors: Moretó Alexander , Rizo Noelia , Schaeffer Fry A.
Published: January 2025

Problem 21 of Brauer’s list of problems from 1963 asks whether for any positive integer

k
k

there are finitely many isomorphism classes of groups that occur as the defect group of a block with

k
k

irreducible characters. We solve this problem for principal blocks. Another long-standing open problem (from 1982) in this area asks whether the defect group of a block with

3
3

irreducible characters is necessarily the cyclic group of order

3
3

. In most cases, we reduce this problem to a question on simple groups that is closely related to the recent solution of Brauer’s height zero conjecture.
Forms, Elements and Modernity
Authors: Wollheim Richard
Published: January 2025

Michael Podro (1931–2008) was a British art historian and aesthetician (of special note for Wollheim studies is his book Depiction (1998); the present piece is a response to ‘Formal Elements and Theories of Modern Art’, published in 1966 in The British Journal of Aesthetics). We include this not because of the positive views coming from Podro, but because of the germs detectable of what would become Wollheim’s view of pictorial organization, which is the focus of the three lectures which appear in Part I of this book: it is not possible generally and insightfully to conceive pictures according to compositional rules operating on elements or constituents—such schemes work at best only locally. Rather, the significance of an item sometimes depends quite drastically on what it represents.
Hearing the Requiem in 1837
Authors: Walker Jennifer
Published: January 2025

After a lengthy series of logistical and bureaucratic missteps, the Requiem was heard for the first time at the Invalides in 1837. Audience members and music critics were eager to hear a work that had been in the making for some time, and curiosity abounded. Critics looked forward to hearing a work that was to be, at least for some, so religious that it might spur the reestablishment of a national school of sacred music. Did the Requiem live up to these expectations? What did the audience hear, and what was their response? This chapter follows the path of the Requiem from commission to premiere and engages with the long-held critical chestnut that music set for liturgical purposes must sound, in a word, sincere. Therein lay the crux of what audiences expected from Berlioz: how was the Requiem heard at its premiere, and how were those sounds analyzed by critics and the press soon thereafter?
Experiencing the Requiem
Authors: Walker Jennifer
Published: January 2025

Berlioz was a firm supporter of the July Monarchy and of Napoléon III, but he did not always share their ultra-Catholic convictions. He often questioned the Church’s dogma, but he never abandoned the Church’s affective potential. Instead, he consistently advocated for the dramatic potential of sacred music. For Berlioz, dramatic expression and religious sincerity were never mutually exclusive: often, they worked hand in hand with the rhetorics of the Romantic sublime and of contemporaneous theology. Careful readings of both nineteenth-century texts on the sublime and Berlioz’s writings on the subject reveal that the topic of the “sonorous sublime” deeply informed his understanding of how sacred music should sound and, in turn, the composition of the Requiem. Critics likewise heard the work in this way: a sonic rendering of the divine equally rooted in French theology, the ideologies of the Romantic sublime, and their symbiotic interactions.
Building the Requiem
Authors: Walker Jennifer
Published: January 2025

Berlioz’s aesthetic of sacred music held that music could be deemed sacred not only by means of its compositional style, but also by the way that it sounded in a sacred space. Indeed, his very understanding of sacred music was deeply indebted to the physical and acoustic spaces of Parisian cathedrals. This chapter explores Berlioz’s connection of sacred sound with sacred space. It positions him as a nineteenth-century forebear of what scholars have called an "aural architect." In its simplest manifestation, aural architecture can be defined as the composite of numerous surfaces, objects, and acoustics in a complex spatial environment. Though much attention has been paid to the so-called "architectural" elements of the Requiem, this chapter explores Berlioz’s conception of the relationships between architectural space, orchestral writing, and the aesthetics of sacred music. It also outlines how contemporaneous listeners heard the Requiem in relation to physical space. In the end, it reveals that, when heard in sacred spaces, the Requiem’s sonic idiodyncracies—its "theatricalities"—offered Parisian listeners a distinctly religious experience by virtue of the numerous interactions between acoustic sound and physical space.
It Depends on the Scale
Authors: Phillips Jonathan D
Published: January 2025

Landscapes exist and function at a vast range of spatial and temporal scales, from molecules to planets and from nanoseconds to billions of years. This chapter focuses on scale linkage, multiple scale causality, and scale contingency. Scale linkage is concerned with problems of connecting representations along that vast range of scales applicable to landscapes. Landscapes are influenced by a broad range of factors operating at scales both smaller and broader than the landscapes themselves (multiple scale causality), so that “first principles” may reside at levels other than the microscale. Scale contingency highlights the fact that the dominant controls over process-response relationships and system functions vary with spatial and temporal scale. The key issues of scale (in)dependence, scale hierarchies, and varying concepts of time in landscape sciences are addressed. Empirical examples of all these concepts are included.
Landscape Memory
Authors: Phillips Jonathan D
Published: January 2025

Earth systems and landscapes at any point in time depend on past events and are path-dependent and historically contingent. This chapter reviews the main types of historical contingency (inheritance, conditionality, and Bailey effects), along with ideas of historical contingency and memory in ecology, pedology, and geomorphology. These are linked to notions of succession, state transitions, and canalization. A typology of evolutionary pathways is outlined as part of an effort to explain why, despite the vast number of possible pathways, some are rarely or never and some frequently observed. Divergent vs. convergent evolution is discussed, along with the strengths, weaknesses, and robustness (path stability) of chronosequences. A case study of memory in the development of ravine swamps in the North Carolina coastal plain is given.
Conclusion
Authors: Dijkstra Hylke , von Allwörden Laura , Schütte Leonard , Zaccaria Giuseppe
Published: January 2025

This chapter compares the results of the six case studies and provides an overview of the main findings. While international organizations (IOs) are now regularly challenged in ways that put their ability to perform core functions at risk, the case studies show that IOs and their institutional actors can be surprisingly proactive when their own organizations get challenged. They also show, however, that IO institutional actors respond differently to existential challenges. First, some of the institutional actors studied here tailored their responses to the different types of existential challenges. Second, the cases show that the ability of IO institutional actors to proactively formulate and implement strategic responses has been dependent on their own institutional features, notably their leadership. These are important findings when considering the broader research agenda on IOs and the crisis of multilateralism. The chapter concludes with reflections on the survival of IOs in the 21st century.
Meaning
Authors: Borg Emma , Fisher Sarah A.
Published: January 2025

Our ability to see meaning in things, and to recognize the meaning those things have for others, is one of the most important aspects (indeed, perhaps the most important aspect) of human life. However, it is also one of the most mysterious. Where does meaning come from? Can we find a place for it in a naturalistic, scientific description of our world? What sorts of things can be the bearers of meaning? And how do we grasp the meanings others want to convey? This book explores these issues, focusing on the ways in which meaning arises in language, and showing how the decisions we make about meaning can have profound practical consequences.
Meaning and truth
Authors: Borg Emma , Fisher Sarah A.
Published: January 2025

This chapter broadens out the referential approach examined in Chapter 3, looking at how the meanings of whole sentences, not just individual words, could be explained in terms of their relationship to states of the world. The approaches examined in this chapter (often grouped together under the heading of ‘formal semantics’) make a fundamental assumption about the nature of meaning in language: namely, that it can be illuminated by thinking about the conditions required to make a sentence true. We put our words together, these approaches claim, in a way that provides a picture of reality; and meaning lies in that picturing of the world. This chapter explores the picturing metaphor and sees how advocates have argued that we need to uncover the underlying form or structure of natural language sentences, in order to show exactly how they make claims about the world.
Meaning and concepts
Authors: Borg Emma , Fisher Sarah A.
Published: January 2025

This chapter considers whether meaning comes from the ideas that people associate with signs. It starts by tracing this approach to the theory of names developed by Gottlob Frege, who argued that the way a person thinks about a referent forms part of the meaning of a name (so that the names ‘Marilyn Monroe’ and ‘Norma Jeane Mortenson’ can mean different things, even though they refer to one and the same person). The chapter then turns to a more general concept-based approach known as ‘conceptual role semantics’. According to this latter approach, the meaning of any word is given by its place in a network of ideas (so that e.g. ‘dog’ means what it does because people associate the word with ideas like barks and is a common pet). The chapter sees how the approach applies in the case of polysemous expressions (such as ‘chicken’ meaning both the living bird and the meat, or ‘school’ meaning both the building and the people who attend it), and it closes by asking whether we should view meaning in language as deriving from meaning in thought—or vice versa.
Meaning and intentions
Authors: Borg Emma , Fisher Sarah A.
Published: January 2025

This chapter examines the idea that meaning lies in the thoughts speakers intend to convey. It begins with the philosopher Paul Grice’s insight that what we communicate often departs from the conventional meaning of the words and sentences we use, as when a speaker ironically says, ‘It is a lovely day’, and thus implies that it is actually a horrible day. So-called ‘implicatures’ cannot be decoded entirely linguistically; instead, we have to take account of all sorts of other things we know about people and the world. The chapter then considers a development of the intentionalist project, known as ‘Relevance Theory’, and explores how this diverges from an opposing position, ‘Semantic Minimalism’, which maintains that sentences express stable and complete meanings independently of speakers’ shifting intentions. The discussion then turns to the question of how an audience must think about a speaker’s intentions, in order to grasp the speaker’s meaning. The chapter ends by exploring how speakers perform actions with their utterances—an issue addressed by J. L. Austin and modern-day speech act theorists.
Seeking sustainability
Authors: Ali Saleem H.
Published: January 2025

This chapter provides an overview of the notion of sustainability. It explains that the contemporary term of sustainability originates in renewable resource development, particularly forestry management. Sustainability commonly connotes a sense of existential continuity that suggests a win-win outlook for natural resource usage in meeting human aspirations. The chapter then introduces the key concept of extinction, which is the ultimate manifestation of unsustainable usage of a resource but could also create opportunities for other species to flourish. It also discusses the early efforts at global coordination of environmental policies for sustainable resource usage, which includes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
How energy and materials flow through systems
Authors: Ali Saleem H.
Published: January 2025

This chapter explains that hierarchies and interdependencies between the material and energy flows within sub-systems are vital in understanding sustainability. Sustainability requires people to consider how materials and energy are internally cycled through systems and exchanged between them. The chapter then cites that planetary processes operate as a series of nested systems that are fundamentally predicated on energy and material flows. Energy flows within the planet in line with the sun’s continuous radiation that creates a fuel cell, which requires a source of energy for continuous input of fuel. The chapter discusses carbon mitigation as a touchstone of sustainability and the complex system of scale, time and sustainability.
Anthropogenic change and sustainability
Authors: Ali Saleem H.
Published: January 2025

This chapter focuses on anthropogenic change and sustainability. It then highlights the scale of human impacts on the natural environment in terms of material flows, which includes the allocation or distribution of the Earth’s net primary productivity (NPP). Transitioning to a sustainable but democratic society requires a social ecology that focuses on a dialectical process of regulation, education, and behavioural change. The chapter then discusses the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis that involves the environmental concern chosen and the relative determinism of pollution reduction with income. It also provides an overview of the correlation of sustainability, futurism, and intergenerational equity.
Toleration: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Murphy Andrew R.
Published: January 2025

Toleration is one of the foundational concepts of modern political life: both praised as an important first step toward securing rights and liberties and criticized as a half-measure that fails to secure equal respect and mutual concern. This Very Short Introduction canvasses the history, development, and contemporary status of toleration, laying out its conceptual foundations; exploring arguments advanced in its favor as well as those offered by its critics; and surveying the eras and regions where rulers and regimes have attempted to implement it as a way of dealing with various types of difference. Finally, it reflects on the prospects of toleration in a globalized, highly polarized, and ever more diverse world.
Enlightenment extensions and expansions
Authors: Murphy Andrew R.
Published: January 2025

This chapter carries the story of toleration forward into the Enlightenment and nineteenth centuries, tracing both continuities and divergences. It examines French thinkers like Voltaire and Montesquieu; the politics of religion during the revolutions in France and the United States; and J. S. Mill’s On Liberty. Mill’s “harm principle”—the idea that the only grounds for restricting individuals’ liberty is to prevent harm to others—highlighted social norms and public opinion as dangerous sources of intolerance. After considering the lingering importance of anti-Catholicism in the story of toleration, it concludes with the examples of Kant and Paine, who sought to push toleration beyond the religious, into other domains of human life.
HiCForecast: dynamic network optical flow estimation algorithm for spatiotemporal Hi-C data forecasting
Authors: Pinchuk Dmitry , Chowdhury H M A Mohit , Pandeya Abhishek , Oluwadare Oluwatosin
Published: January 2025

Motivation

The exploration of the 3D organization of DNA within the nucleus in relation to various stages of cellular development has led to experiments generating spatiotemporal Hi-C data. However, there is limited spatiotemporal Hi-C data for many organisms, impeding the study of 3D genome dynamics. To overcome this limitation and advance our understanding of genome organization, it is crucial to develop methods for forecasting Hi-C data at future time points from existing timeseries Hi-C data.

Result

In this work, we designed a novel framework named HiCForecast, adopting a dynamic voxel flow algorithm to forecast future spatiotemporal Hi-C data. We evaluated how well our method generalizes forecasting data across different species and systems, ensuring performance in homogeneous, heterogeneous, and general contexts. Using both computational and biological evaluation metrics, our results show that HiCForecast outperforms the current state-of-the-art algorithm, emerging as an efficient and powerful tool for forecasting future spatiotemporal Hi-C datasets.

Availability and implementation

HiCForecast is publicly available at https://github.com/OluwadareLab/HiCForecast.