bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solid waste slurry grouting transformation mechanism of loose sand layer based on slurry-water replacement effect
Authors: Zhu Xianxiang , Zhang Qi , Zhang Wenquan , Jin Lei , Li Zixu
Published: July 2024

During coal mining, when loose water-bearing sand layers are exposed and connected, it is extremely easy to cause water and sand inrush accidents, threatening the lives and properties in mines. Because of the intricate and tortuous internal structure of the sand layer, the diffusion pattern of grouting slurry within the loose sand layer has not been accurately characterized. Improving the efficiency of grouting and reducing the cost of grouting are common difficulties faced by industrial and mining enterprises in the grouting renovation of loose water-bearing sand layers. This paper innovatively proposes the mechanism of slurry-water displacement effect based on the diffusion characteristics of grouting slurry within the water-bearing sand layer. It studies the power-law fluid seepage and diffusion mechanism of porous media tortuosity effect and slurry-water displacement effect and derives the spherical diffusion equation of power-law fluid seepage grouting considering the coupling of porous media tortuosity effect and slurry-water displacement effect. At the same time, an indoor experimental device considering the slurry-water displacement effect is designed to verify the rationality of the spherical seepage grouting diffusion equation considering the superimposed effects of the two. Furthermore, relying on the COMSOL Multiphysics platform, a three-dimensional numerical calculation model of the power-law fluid spherical seepage grouting mechanism considering the porous media tortuosity effect and slurry-water displacement effect is constructed. It analyzes the seepage and diffusion characteristics of power-law grouting slurry in water-bearing sand layers, and studies the influence of different porosity of loose water-bearing sand layers, spacing between slurry and water holes, grouting pressure, and slurry viscosity on the volume of loose water-bearing sand layers. The key factors affecting the volume of loose water-bearing sand layers are grouting pressure > spacing between slurry and water holes > porosity of sand layer > slurry viscosity. Compared with previous grouting technologies and processes, the slurry-water displacement grouting technology can solve the problems of small grouting diffusion range and poor grouting effect in high-pressure underwater water-bearing sand layers to a certain extent.
Spreading dynamics of a microgel particle-laden thermosensitive polymer drop along smooth and nanofiber surfaces
Authors: Piskunov Maxim , Ashikhmin Alexander , Piskunova Alexandra , Di Martino Antonio
Published: July 2024

The research focuses on the influence of 300-μm microgel particles in an aqueous solution of a thermosensitive biopolymer on the spreading and deformation of 3.7-mm drops. The drops impact a smooth hydrophilic and a rough hydrophobic surface. A mass fraction of microgel particles varies in a range of 0–0.2. A universal physical model of the spreading of thermosensitive polymer drops laden with microgel particles along surfaces with significantly different roughness is proposed. It explains the strong inhomogeneity of the contact line stretching due to the deceleration of the continuous phase flow by microgel particles and the increased flow vorticity because of the addition of the surface roughness factor. The validity of the proposed physical model is proven by qualitative and quantitative assessments of the contact line deformation when spreading. An empirical expression for the maximum spreading factor is derived, taking into account the properties of liquids, wall roughness, and microgel particle concentration; it reliably predicts when Re≈110−3100, the surface roughness is 0.5–125 nm, Ca=4.5×10−7, and the number of microgel particles in drops is up to 100. The expression was successfully tested during the modeling of arbitrary surface roughness and the increased concentration of microgel particles relative to those considered in experiments during the formation of a biopolymer layer. When developing the method of additive manufacturing of a functional layer, a practical correlation was established between the volume content of microgel particles, acting as potential containers for living cells, in a drop and the area of the biopolymer layer.
Conceptual design of a Doppler spectrometer for 102 m/s cross-field flows in tokamak divertors
Authors: Fujii K. , Sano R. , Nakano T. , Ronchi G. , Park J.-S. , Lore J. D. , Shafer M. , Biewer T. M.
Published: July 2024

The cross-field transport in the scrape-off-layers (SOLs) and divertors in tokamaks is of a similar size to the poloidal component of the parallel flow, thereby significantly impacting the plasma transport there. However, its direct observation has been challenging because the drift velocity (102–103 m/s) is significantly below the detection limit of conventional diagnostics. To realize cross-field ion flow measurement, a variety of systematic uncertainties in the system must be narrowed down. Here, we develop a conceptual design of the Doppler spectrometry that enables us to measure the impurity flows with 102-m/s accuracy based on an in situ wavelength-calibration technique developed in the astrophysics field, the iodine-cell method. We discuss its properties and applicability. In particular, the scaling relation between wavelength accuracy and various spectroscopic parameters is newly presented, which suggests the high importance of the wavelength resolution of the system. Based on transport simulations for the JT-60SA divertor, the feasibility of the system is assessed.
Reconstruction of missing wind data based on limited wind pressure measurements and machine learning
Authors: Huang Jia-Xing , Li Qiu-Sheng , Han Xu-Liang
Published: July 2024

In structural health monitoring (SHM), wind field monitoring sometimes suffers from data loss owing to monitoring device failure, which inevitably creates barriers to subsequent data analysis and data mining. To this end, a novel strategy for reconstructing missing wind field data based on machine learning (ML) utilizing limited wind pressure measurements is proposed in this paper. Several ML algorithms, including decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting regression tree, support vector regression, Gaussian process regression, and backpropagation neural network, are employed to characterize potential relationships between wind pressure information (including time series and statistical parameters of wind pressures) and wind field information (e.g., wind direction and wind speed). Moreover, the effect of input information (including the type of input variables as well as the number and location of pressure transducers providing input data) on reconstruction performance and efficiency is investigated. Field measured records from an SHM system in a 600-m-high supertall building during typhoons are utilized to validate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed strategy. The results show that the presented strategy can effectively reconstruct missing wind field information in the SHM of the skyscraper during typhoons. Compared with the time series of wind pressures, selecting statistical parameters of wind pressures as input variables can effectively improve the performance and efficiency of reconstruction models. Choosing appropriate input information (e.g., using multiple input variables, adopting data from a larger number of pressure transducers, and utilizing data from pressure transducers closer to an anemometer) is beneficial for enhancing the performance of reconstruction models.
Modulation of post-fracture roughness with induced shear stress in the smart cut process
Authors: Colonel Lucas , Lomonaco Q. , Abadie K. , Michaud L. G. , Morales C. , Moreau S. , Mazen F. , Fournel F. , Landru D. , Rieutord F.
Published: July 2024

Surface pattern formation of Smart Cut™ silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates is investigated using a new process derived from this technology. The local control of SOI surface roughness is achieved by using hetero-temperature surface activated bonding to introduce locally bespoke shear stresses into bonded silicon wafers. The finite element method is used to back up experimental measurements of these large deformations to determine the amount of shear stresses introduced into the structure, and to determine its impact on the fracture mechanism.
A high-efficiency hybrid microwave power receiving metasurface array with dual matching of surface impedance and phase gradient
Authors: Xiong Han , Yang Qiang , Huang Yi-Zhe , Wang Xin , Yi Zao , Zhang Huai-Qing
Published: July 2024

This paper proposes a hybrid microwave power receiving (MPR) metasurface array with efficient dual matching of surface impedance and phase gradient. The hybrid array comprises three components: a reflective phase gradient metasurface (R-PGM) array, a surface wave focusing array, and an energy harvesting port. The R-PGMs efficiently convert incident electromagnetic waves into surface waves. The surface wave focusing array then concentrates the energy onto the integrated harvesting port through dual matching of surface impedance and phase gradient. Connecting a rectifier circuit enables efficient microwave energy reception and RF-DC conversion, avoiding the need for multiple rectifiers or complex feeding networks in traditional MPR designs. Numerical analysis and experimental tests verify the superior performance of this hybrid array design in efficient microwave energy harvesting and RF-DC conversion, achieving 90.84% plane wave-to-surface wave conversion efficiency, 76.67% surface wave energy harvesting efficiency, and 49.28% overall RF-DC conversion efficiency. Across the wideband range of 5.6–6.0 GHz, the energy harvesting efficiency remains consistently high, demonstrating the superior characteristics and promising potential of this design in MPR device development.
Clinical care ratios for allied health practitioners: an update and implications for workforce planning
Authors: Hearn Cherie , Ross Julie-Anne , Govier Adam , Semciw Adam Ivan
Published: July 2024

Objective Clinical care ratios are used to quantify and benchmark the activity of allied health professionals. This study aims to review previous recommendations and identify what variables may influence them. Method Data was collected from the core allied health professions (audiology, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics, psychology, social work and speech pathology) across eight Australian hospitals. Data for 113 staff who were casual or from smaller professions (audiology, podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics and psychology) were excluded due to insufficient numbers for analysis. The remaining data were analysed according to profession, seniority (tiers 1, 2 and 3) and employment status (permanent versus casual staff). A two-way ANOVA was performed to assess the association of clinical care ratios with tier, profession, employment status and gender. Results Data from 1246 staff from the five larger professions at participating hospitals were analysed. There were no interactions between profession and gender (P = 0.185) or employment status (P = 0.412). The relationship between clinical care ratio and profession was modified by tier (interaction term, P = 0.014), meaning that differences in clinical care ratios between professions depended on the tier. Conclusion This research has confirmed that clinical care ratios are a useful tool in workload management and determining staffing levels for allied health professionals. The recommendations from this research provide a starting point that can be finessed with reference to profession, model of care, workforce structure, governance and training requirements. This will lead to increased staff wellbeing and improved patient outcomes.
Animal husbandry and animal production activities in village institutes, an important educational institution for social and economic development in Türkiye
Authors: Yıldırım Sefa , Melikoğlu Gölcü Berfin
Published: July 2024

After the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye, the most important problems of the country were education and economic problems. The fact that most of the uneducated population lived in villages and that agriculture and animal husbandry, the main elements of the country’s economy, were mainly conducted in rural areas created an opportunity for village institutes. The village institutes aimed to train prospective teachers as educators and well-rounded individuals who would set an example for the village community. For this reason, in addition to theoretical knowledge, students were given practical training in agriculture, animal husbandry, construction, health knowledge, carpentry, etc., based on scientific knowledge. Animal husbandry and animal food-production activities, part of this comprehensive education, were widely practiced in village institutes. In this way, both the students received a modern agricultural education, and the food resources of the institutes were provided. In this study, animal husbandry and animal food production activities in the village institutes, which were established in various regions of Türkiye and harboured an education system far beyond its period, were analysed and the aim was to provide information on this subject.
The PrEP resource: a mobile app for clinicians to facilitate screening, prescription and follow up of pre-exposure prophylaxis in the prevention of HIV
Authors: Goldstein Michael , Sturek Claire , Boedeker David , Shvartsman Katerina
Published: July 2024

Background Over 2 million people worldwide receive a new HIV diagnosis annually. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective in preventing HIV transmission, but is underprescribed, including in the US. Lack of clinician comfort and knowledge are the most cited reasons for this discrepancy. We aimed to develop a mobile application (app) to address these barriers and improve patient access to PrEP. Methods We established key criteria to develop a point-of-care app that could be utilised in low-resource settings by various clinicians poised to prescribe PrEP therapy. The app underwent two rounds of beta testing and improvement utilising anonymous survey feedback from US physicians in 2023. Results The PrEP Resource tool was developed. Eleven physicians completed the initial survey addressing prescribing practices and app functionality. A total of 27% (3/11) of participants were uncomfortable prescribing PrEP, with the most common reasons being lack of training, unfamiliarity with guidelines and infrequently prescribing the medication. Our follow-up survey, completed by eight physicians, showed that 100% of participants found the app easy to learn and comprehensive enough to initiate PrEP. Conclusion Clinician discomfort due to lack of knowledge and familiarity is the most common reason for not prescribing PrEP. The PrEP Resource is a free tool that guides healthcare professionals through common clinical scenarios regarding PrEP therapy and may improve clinician comfort levels. It can be used in low-resource and low-bandwidth settings typically encountered in lower-middle-income countries where HIV prevalence is the highest. Further study is required to validate its usefulness across different settings.
Unravelling predator–prey interactions in response to planned fire: a case study from the Tanami Desert
Authors: Geyle Hayley M. , Schlesinger Christine , Banks Sam , Dixon Kelly , Murphy Brett P. , Paltridge Rachel , Doolan Laura , Herbert Myra , Rangers North Tanami , Dickman Chris R.
Published: July 2024

Context Introduced predators pose a significant threat to biodiversity. Understanding how predators interact with other threats such as fire is crucial to developing effective conservation strategies. Aims We investigated interactions between the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) and two introduced predators, the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus), in response to fire management in a remote part of the Tanami Desert, Australia. Methods We used motion-sensor cameras and non-invasive genetic sampling to monitor bilbies and predators. We compared activity profiles to determine the level of temporal overlap among species, and used generalised linear modelling to assess the correlation between activity and average normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI; as a proxy for fire-associated environmental change). Finally, we used spatially explicit capture–recapture modelling to estimate cat and bilby densities before and after fire. Key results Cat and bilby activity declined following fire, whereas fox activity increased (despite only a small proportion of the study area being burnt). Bilbies and foxes showed the greatest overlap in temporal activity (76%), followed by bilbies and cats (71%) and cats and foxes (68%). Bilbies and cats were more likely to be captured in areas with a lower NDVI, whereas foxes were more likely to be captured in areas with a higher NDVI. Bilby density declined significantly following fire, whereas cat density remained constant through time. Conclusions Declines in bilby activity and density following fire may be attributed to emigration from the study area and/or increases in fox activity. Post-burn emigration could be due to wide scale destruction of important food resources. However, given much of the study area where bilbies were detected remained unburnt, it is more likely that observed declines are related to increases in fox activity and associated increases in predation pressure. Improved understanding may be gained by experimentally manipulating both fire and predator densities. Implications Increases in fox activity following fire are likely to have devastating consequences for the local bilby population. It is thus vital that appropriate management activities are put in place to protect bilbies from foxes. This may be achieved through a combination of lethal control and indirect methods.
Predicting surface-energy anisotropy of metals with geometric properties of surfaces and atoms
Authors: Li Xin , Wu Hao , Gao Wang
Published: July 2024

Surface-energy anisotropy of metals is crucial for the stability and structure, however, its determining factors and structure-property relationship are still elusive. Herein, we identify three key factors for predicting surface-energy anisotropy of pure metals and alloys: the surface-atom density, coordination numbers and atomic radius. We find that the coupling rules of surface geometric determinants, which determining surface-energy anisotropy of face-centred-cubic (FCC), hexagonal-close-packed (HCP) and body-centred-cubic (BCC) metals, are essentially controlled by the crystal structures instead of chemical bonds, alloying or electronic structures. Furthermore, BCC metals exhibit material-dependent surface-energy anisotropy depending on the atomic radius, unlike FCC and HCP metals. The underlying mechanism can be understood from the bonding properties in the framework of the tight-binding model. Our scheme provides not only a new physical picture of surface stability but also a useful tool for material design.
Transport properties in non-Fermi liquid phases of nodal-point semimetals
Authors: Mandal Ipsita , Freire Hermann
Published: July 2024

In this review, we survey the current progress in computing transport properties in semimetals which harbour non-Fermi liquid (NFL) phases. We first discuss the widely-used Kubo formalism, which can be applied to the effective theory describing the stable NFL phase obtained via a renormalization group procedure and, hence, is applicable for temperatures close to zero (e.g. optical conductivity). For finite-temperature regimes, which apply to the computations of the generalized DC conductivity tensors, we elucidate the memory matrix approach. This approach is based on an effective hydrodynamic description of the system, and is especially suited for tackling transport calculations in strongly-interacting quantum field theories, because it does not rely on the existence of long-lived quasiparticles. As a concrete example, we apply these two approaches to find the response of the so-called Luttinger-Abrikosov-Benelavskii phase of isotropic three-dimensional Luttinger semimetals, which arises under the effects of long-ranged (unscreened) Coulomb interactions, with the chemical potential fine-tuned to cut exactly the nodal point. In particular, we focus on the electric conductivity tensors, thermal and thermoelectric response, Raman response, free energy, entropy density, and shear viscosity.
Pipeline leak location method based on SSA-VMD with generalized quadratic cross-correlation*
Authors: Peng Laihu , Hu Yongchao , Zhang Jianyi , Lin Jianwei
Published: July 2024

Natural gas pipelines are an essential part of the economy. Natural gas pipelines may leak after aging, strong vibration signals may be generated in the pipeline when leakage occurs, and vibration signals may be noisy. Traditional variational mode decomposition (VMD) noise reduction methods need to set parameters in advance, and so may not achieve the best decomposition effect. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a method for pipeline leakage location based on the sparrow search algorithm (SSA) optimization of VMD combined with generalized quadratic cross-correlation. The method first calculates the original signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and if the SNR is low, wavelet threshold denoising is used to process the signal. Then, SSA optimization is used to refine the two key parameters of VMD (penalty parameter α and mode decomposition number K) based on sample entropy. Subsequently, the signal undergoes decomposition into K intrinsic mode function (IMF) components through VMD according to the obtained analysis parameter combination. Then, the IMF components are screened to obtain the reconstructed signal. Finally, the noise reduction signal is obtained. The signal delay after noise reduction is obtained through a generalized quadratic cross-correlation and the accurate leakage position is obtained using the delay. Experiments showed that the minimum relative error of this method could reach 0.6%, which was more accurate than the traditional VMD method, and effectively improved the accuracy of noisy signals in pipeline leakage locations.
Research on road crack segmentation based on deep convolution and transformer with multi-branch feature fusion
Authors: Lai Yuebo , Liu Bing
Published: July 2024

Efficient and precise identification of road pavement cracks contributes to better evaluation of road conditions. In practical road maintenance and safety assessment, traditional manual crack detection methods are time-consuming, physically demanding, and highly subjective. In addition, crack recognition based on image processing techniques lacks robustness. In this paper, a multi-branch feature fusion road crack segmentation network model (DTPC) based on deep convolution and transformer modules is proposed. The model is used for pixel-level segmentation of road crack images, which is a good solution to the existing needs and helps to repair dangerous cracks promptly in the follow-up work to prevent serious disasters due to crack breakage. Firstly, combine deep convolution with transformer modules to achieve precise local extraction and global contextual feature extraction. Secondly, a dual-channel attention mechanism is employed to help the model better address information loss and positional offset issues. Finally, three-branch outputs are fused to obtain prediction maps that intuitively determine recognition results. The proposed model is tested for accuracy using a dedicated road pavement crack dataset. Results show that compared to mainstream models such as SegFormer, HRNet, PSPNet, and fully convolutional network, the DTPC model achieves the highest MIoU score (86.72%) and F1 score (92.49%).
Randomised benchmarking for universal qudit gates
Authors: Amaro-Alcalá David , Sanders Barry C , de Guise Hubert
Published: July 2024

We aim to establish a scalable scheme for characterising diagonal non-Clifford gates for single- and multi-qudit systems; d is a prime-power integer. By employing cyclic operators and a qudit T gate, we generalise the dihedral benchmarking scheme for single- and multi-qudit circuits. Our results establish a path for experimentally benchmarking qudit systems and are of theoretical and experimental interest because our scheme is optimal insofar as it does not require preparation of the full qudit Clifford gate set to characterise a non-Clifford gate. Moreover, combined with Clifford randomised benchmarking, our scheme is useful to characterise the generators of a universal gate set.
Repercussion of fiber content on the mechanical, thermal, and thermomechanical properties of natural fibers reinforced thermoplastic composites for automotive application
Authors: Shakir Mufaddal Huzefa , Singh Akant Kumar , Siddhartha
Published: July 2024

Natural fibers are becoming very popular as a reinforcement in composite materials owing to their benefits, such as low-price, lightweight, availability, and environmental friendliness. In this study, abaca fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were created with the help of the injection molding method. Prior to composite fabrication, abaca fibers were chemically treated with a 5 wt% caustic soda (NaOH) solution to improve the bonding between the abaca fibers and the matrix and to enhance their properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to assess the fiber surface microstructures before as well as after the chemical treatment, along with the fractured surfaces of tensile specimens. The mechanical properties, such as tensile, bending, and impact strength, of abaca/PP and abaca/HDPE composites were evaluated and compared. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) methods were utilized to investigate the thermal behavior of composites. Also, the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) method was utilized to explore the thermomechanical properties of the fabricated composites. The outcomes of the experimental findings showed that abaca/PP composite with 10 and 20 wt% fibers is the best choice of material to be used in the automobile industry.
Multi-lump, resonant Y-shape soliton, complex multi kink solitons and the solitary wave solutions to the (2+1)-dimensional Boiti-Leon-Manna-Pempinelli equation for incompressible fluid
Authors: He Yanfei
Published: July 2024

The major contribution in this paper is to inquire into some new exact solutions to the (2+1)-dimensional Boiti-Leon-Manna-Pempinelli equation (BLMPE) which plays a major role in area of the incompressible fluid. Taking advantage of the Cole-Hopf transform, we extract its bilinear form. Then two different kinds of the multi-lump solutions are probed by applying the new homoclinic approach. Secondly, the Y-shape soliton solutions are explored via assigning the resonance conditions to the N-soliton solutions. Additionally, the complex multi kink soliton solutions (CMKSSs) are investigated through the Hirota bilinear method. Lastly, some other wave solutions including the kink and anti-kink solitary wave solutions are developed with the aid of two efficacious approaches, namely the variational method and Kudryashov method. In the meantime, the profiles of the accomplished solutions are displayed graphically via Maple.
Analysis of f(R, T) inflationary models and their response to Planck data
Authors: Aziz Sahazada , Rahaman Anisur
Published: July 2024

We consider the f(R, T) theory of gravity, in which f(R, T) has a linear functional form where R is the Ricci scalar and T is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. Next, we analyze the effect of T on the cosmological observable parameters, such as scalar spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio framing inflationary models with four distinct but well-known potentials. The potentials that have been used are Coleman-Weinberg potential, radiative potential, Kähler Moduli potential, and exponential SUSY potential. We observe that even the amendment of T fails to provide any fruitful impact to make the model framed with Coleman-Weinberg potential a viable phenomenological model. On the other hand, in the models framed with the other three potentials, the cosmological observable parameters agree appreciably more with the recent Planck predictions compared to the scenario where T is not taken into consideration.
No Longer Impossible: The Self-lensing Binary KIC 8145411 is a Triple
Authors: Yamaguchi Natsuko , El-Badry Kareem , Ciardi David R. , Latham David W. , Masuda Kento , Bieryla Allyson , Clark Catherine A. , Condon Samuel S.
Published: July 2024

Five self-lensing binaries (SLBs) have been discovered with data from the Kepler mission. One of these systems is KIC 8145411, which was reported to host an extremely low mass (ELM; 0.2 M
⊙) white dwarf (WD) in a 456 days orbit with a solar-type companion. The system has been dubbed “impossible,” because evolutionary models predict that ∼0.2 M
⊙ WDs should only be found in tight orbits (P
orb ≲ days). In this work, we show that KIC 8145411 is in fact a hierarchical triple system: it contains a WD orbiting a solar-type star, with another solar-type star ∼700 au away. The wide companion was unresolved in the Kepler light curves, was just barely resolved in Gaia DR3, and is resolved beyond any doubt by high-resolution imaging. We show that the presence of this tertiary confounded previous mass measurements of the WD for two reason: it dilutes the amplitude of the self-lensing pulses, and it reduces the apparent radial velocity (RV) variability amplitude of the WD’s companion due to line blending. By jointly fitting the system’s light curves, RVs, and multi-band photometry using a model with two luminous stars, we obtain a revised WD mass of (0.53 ± 0.01)M
⊙. Both luminous stars are near the end of their main-sequence evolution. The WD is thus not an ELM WD, and the system does not suffer the previously proposed challenges to its formation history. Similar to the other SLBs and the population of astrometric WD binaries recently identified from Gaia data, KIC 8145411 has parameters in tension with standard expectations for formation through both stable and unstable mass transfer (MT). The system’s properties are likely best understood as a result of unstable MT from an AGB star donor.
Influence of beam content composition on testbeam studies of hadron calorimeters
Authors: Simeonov R. , Kozhuharov V.
Published: July 2024

Hadron calorimeters are one of the most important detectors in the contemporary nuclear and particle physics experiments. Their construction and verification process takes years in designing, testing and data analysis of prototypes. Crucial step for the prototypes are tests performed by exposing the detectors to charge particle beams. Here we study the impact of the different beam content composition to one of the main properties of the hadron calorimeters – their energy resolution. We implement a test detector - Metal Hadronic Calorimeter (MACA) in GEANT4 environment and we perform different simulations to study the influence to the main energy resolution parameters.
Bridging Space and Society: The Significance of Public Outreach of Quantum Communication Technologies
Authors: Filipova M , Mladenov A , Jekov B , Georgiev L
Published: July 2024

Quantum communication technologies are on the verge of a technological development that will change humanity. This paper aims to show the need for quantum technology knowledge outreach among the general public and the necessity of quantum science reaching people in an understandable language. Drawing on global scholarly sources, we explore the differences between classical and quantum physics, classical and quantum computing, and the conventional Internet versus the quantum Internet. Examples from different fields show the need for education and the popularization of quantum technologies. A number of effective methods for teaching youngsters are described, such as infographics, comics, interactive events, storytelling, and personal experiences. This research is based on worldwide scientific sources and an experimental approach, aiming to contribute to a wider understanding of quantum communication technologies based on the contemporary need for their outreach.
Quantum walks on blow-up graphs
Authors: Bhattacharjya Bikash , Monterde Hermie , Pal Hiranmoy
Published: July 2024

A blow-up of n copies of a graph G is the graph obtained by replacing every vertex of G by an independent set of size n, where the copies of two vertices in G are adjacent in the blow-up if and only if they are adjacent in G. In this work, we characterize strong cospectrality, periodicity, perfect state transfer (PST) and pretty good state transfer (PGST) in blow-up graphs. We prove that if a blow-up admits PST or PGST, then n = 2. In particular, if G has an invertible adjacency matrix, then each vertex in a blow of two copies of G pairs up with a unique vertex to exhibit strong cospectrality. Under mild conditions, we show that periodicity (resp., almost periodicity) of a vertex in G guarantees PST (resp. PGST) between the two copies of the vertex in the blow-up. This allows us to construct new families of graphs with PST from graphs that do not admit PST. We also characterize PST and PGST in the blow-ups of complete graphs, paths, cycles and cones. Finally, while trees in general do not admit PST, we provide infinite families of stars and subdivided stars whose blow-ups admit PST.
Optimizing binders with maximum using of industrial waste to develop low carbon ultra-high performance concrete
Authors: Lu Zhongmei , Huang Zhide , Feng Xiaotao , Qin Tianlin , Zhu Xiaohui , Zhang Aiqin
Published: July 2024

Optimizing binders by using industrial waste and then adjusting microstructure has potential to develop low production cost and low carbon emission ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) to meet different practical engineering requirements. This study first investigates the influence of silica fume, cenosphere and fly ash on paste mixing time, flowability, flexural and compressive strength of UHPC by using three-factor and four-level orthogonal test. Moreover, the effect of fly ash and slag content were further discussed, and the modification mechanisms of binders were revealed by analyzing pore structure, interface and characteristics of hydration products. The results show that silica fume and cenosphere are the most sensitive factors affecting paste mixing time and flowability of UHPC, respectively. The sensitivity of binders on compressive and flexural strength of UHPC can be ranked according to silica fume > fly ash > cenosphere and cenosphere > fly ash > silica fume, respectively. The binders’ composition for low-carbon UHPC with compressive strength grade of 120 MPa is that cement: cenosphere: silica fume: fly ash equals to 1:0.33:0.33:0.56, and the total amount of fly ash reaches 40%. Meanwhile, the 28d compressive/flexural strength decreases and the flowability increases with the increase of fly ash content, resulting from pore volume with size of 5–50 nm and Ca/Si ratio on the interface between steel fiber and matrix increase. The flowability of UHPC with slag is reduced and the cumulative pore volume with size of 50 nm–5 um pores is increased due to the influence of slag morphology, but the porosity and interfacial Ca/Si ratio is reduced because of the high pozzolanic activity of slag, leading to similar compressive and flexural strength with that of UHPC with fly ash.
The Concept of Sentience
Authors: Birch Jonathan
Published: July 2024

Sentience has broader and narrower senses. In a broad sense, it refers to any capacity for conscious experience. Conscious experience here refers to ‘phenomenal consciousness’, the idea that there is ‘something it’s like’ to be you. In a narrower sense, it refers to the capacity to have valenced experiences: experiences that feel bad or feel good to the subject, such as experiences of pain and pleasure. A definition of sentience as the capacity for valenced experience can be common ground, despite continuing disagreement about the nature of conscious experience and the nature of valence. We can hope that current definitions of ‘phenomenal consciousness’ will be superseded by more informative successors, but this must await much more theoretical consensus than currently exists. Valence, meanwhile, is one of the two major dimensions, along with arousal, that structure our affective experiences, and the one that matters most from an ethical point of view.
Fetuses and Embryos
Authors: Birch Jonathan
Published: July 2024

In the 1980s, growing public awareness that anaesthesia was not routinely being used on newborn babies during surgery led to a successful campaign to change clinical practice, vindicated by subsequent evidence. The case shows the value of precautionary thinking and of subjecting clinical norms to public scrutiny. When we turn to fetuses, there is sometimes a concern that recognizing fetal sentience may be incompatible with also recognizing a right to abortion, but there is no incompatibility. We should recognize human fetuses as sentience candidates from the start of the second trimester. Future evidence could move the threshold for sentience candidature, but it should always align with the earliest scientifically credible, evidence-based estimate. Clinical norms in this area need to be formulated by appropriately inclusive processes, and these processes need to give appropriate weight to the voices of women. Research on embryos raises a different set of issues. The ‘14-day rule’ has always represented a compromise between deeply conflicting values, and the conflict has never been satisfactorily resolved.
Building Legacy
Authors: Foster Ann-Marie
Published: July 2024

Uniquely during and after the First World War, families donated the memorial ephemera and objects they created in the aftermath of a loved one’s death to national collections. This chapter focuses on the Imperial War Museum’s attempt to collect family items through the Bond of Sacrifice and Women’s Work collections. Both initiatives drew on family archives to populate their collections, relying on donations from the public to create mass memorials to the dead. Both collections were established in 1917, and actively collected until the early 1920s. The administrative archives which accompany these collections contain letters written by the families of the dead, offering snapshots of their grief. Significantly, the collections covered both men’s and women’s death in war service, providing rare examples of grief over the death of daughters and wives.
Contextual Convergence in Digital Social Spaces
Authors: Hanson Rebekah
Published: July 2024

This chapter focuses on digital social spaces as contexts. Digital social spaces, like social networking platforms for instance, are environments in which a context is formed through the platform design and interactivity of the people within the network. As people join digitally based communities via social networks, app programs, and online discussion forums, these serve as contexts in their own right and also form part of the overall contextual shaping of individuals and communities as the boundaries blur between digital and geographical. This provides an opportunity to reflect on the interaction between geographical and digital contexts as contributing to the interpreter’s notion of their overall context as they engage with the social dynamics of the biblical context(s). Bible apps serve as an example of digital social spaces which highlights the convergence of different contextual factors in contextual biblical interpretation activities.
The Civil War ofad340
Authors: Lewis William
Published: July 2024

Early in 340, less than three years after the death of Constantine, his eponymous son was killed in an ambush in northern Italy, near Aquileia. The forces that killed him belonged to his younger brother, Constans. Over the years that followed, two very different traditions emerged to explain what happened. In one, Constantine II is a reckless and hostile invader who was slain in self-defence. In the other, which is poorly attested and incomplete, it is the court of Constans that emerges as the belligerent party. This chapter will examine these differing perceptions of the civil war of 340 and show what they reveal about the historical events behind them. Finally, it will trace the consequences of the civil war into the 340s, and argue that Constantius was much more actively hostile to the outcome than has previously been assumed.
Modernism and Formalism
Authors: Costello Diarmuid
Published: July 2024

With Chapter 1’s reconstruction of the internal structure of Greenbergian theory in place, Chapter 2 provides a critique of each wing of his theory in turn. With respect to Greenberg’s formalism, the author takes issue with his understanding of the ‘objectivity’ of aesthetic judgement and his notion of aesthetic ‘distance’, and brings out the incompatibility of both with Kant’s aesthetics, turning on Kant’s conception of ‘subjective universality’ and ‘disinterest’, respectively. With respect to Greenberg’s modernism, the author questions his conviction that the arts can be parsed on non-question-begging grounds, either in terms of medium or the sensory modality through which they are intuited. For this is to assume that the arts are separate in principle simply because they have to date been (largely) separate in practice, an assumption that is put in doubt by the conflicted place of modernist sculpture within Greenberg’s own division of the arts. Despite his medium-specificity, Greenberg’s account of modernist history required him to provide a broadly pictorial defence of modernist sculpture’s value as art.
The Afterlife of Formalist Criticism II
Authors: Costello Diarmuid
Published: July 2024

Arthur Danto takes ‘the Kant-Greenberg aesthetics of form’ to be manifestly inadequate not only to the readymades, but to much contemporary art since Duchamp’s gesture was taken up by Warhol’s generation. Aesthetic theory claims one can tell art from non-art on the basis how each looks and makes viewers feel, when art with real world ‘indiscernible counterparts’ demonstrates that we have no reason to respond differently unless we already know that one is art. In sum: aesthetic theories beg the question they ought to answer. The author questions whether this is the question that aesthetic theories ought to answer but, setting that to one side, Danto’s own theory can be shown to need an aesthetic component on pain of being unable to distinguish works of art from ‘mere representations’. Entities that (like art) represent the world as being some way, but (unlike art) without projecting any attitude designed to dispose viewers to view that fact in any particular way. Rhetorical inflectors discharge this function in Danto’s ontology, showing his theory to be aesthetic despite himself.
Forgiveness
Authors: Benatar David
Published: July 2024

This chapter is chiefly concerned with the ethics of forgiveness. However, this is preceded by an account of what forgiveness is and what it is not. It is argued that forgiveness involves overcoming negative reactive attitudes in particular ways. Differences between threshold and spectrum views are considered. It is then argued that we should not forgive in the absence of the wrongdoer’s repentance. It does not follow that repentance makes forgiveness morally required. However, there are some circumstances in which it is wrong not to forgive. Even then, that is not because the wrongdoer is entitled to be forgiven. The chapter also considers whether one may ever take back forgiveness, and when one should (not) say ‘I forgive you’. Finally, the chapter considers whether one person may forgive on behalf of another person. Who has standing to forgive?
Conclusion
Authors: Benatar David
Published: July 2024

This chapter discusses some recurring themes in the book, and also provides some concluding thoughts. Among the recurring themes are causal inefficacy (otherwise known as ‘inconsequentialism’), questions about the demandingness of duty, the paradox of desert, and the extent to which offence should have weight in moral deliberations. Comparisons and contrasts are drawn between how these themes manifest in the different topics. The chapter then notes that some of the views, and as well as the set of views defended in the book, are unusual. Common views about morality, it is suggested, are unreliable. In a final section on human fallibility, there is a discussion about the ethics of judging others, and about (current and future) retrospective moral judgements.
Second phase: The activation stage
Authors: Valentim Vicente
Published: July 2024

How can established political norms, such as stigma against radical-right politicians, change? The chapter argues that, for this to happen, it takes an exogenous trigger and a political entrepreneur. The trigger makes norms temporarily looser. The entrepreneur can read into this cue and realize that there is more private radical-right support than is typically observable. This gives them an incentive to run for election with the stigmatized ideology, activating silent radical-right preferences in their society. Following outgroup threat triggers, such as Islamist attacks, individuals disregard norms more. At the politician level, more intense attacks make new politicians run for election on radical-right platforms. These entrepreneurs are more skilled, and do better electorally. Discussing four country cases, the chapter highlights how these entrepreneurs explicitly breach established norms. Finally, it discusses a case where, because one necessary condition (the entrepreneur) was not present, no process of normalization was put into motion.
Third phase: The surfacing equilibrium
Authors: Valentim Vicente
Published: July 2024

Can the success of radical-right politicians erode political norms? This chapter argues that, when the radical right makes an electoral breakthrough, societies can be tipped into a surfacing equilibrium, where voters with previously covert radical-right preferences become more comfortable openly expressing them. Politicians, in turn, become less likely to underestimate the electoral viability of radical-right parties, and are more willing to join one. The chapter shows that after radical-right parties break through, individuals who already supported them in private feel more comfortable publicly showing that support. Then, as radical-right parties grow electorally, more politicians are willing to join those parties as compared to parties that are not radical right. The translation of preferences into behavior is thus not automatic, but rather is mediated by perceptions of social acceptability. Norms affect the interplay of political demand and supply.
Conclusion
Authors: Valentim Vicente
Published: July 2024

Unlike in adjacent disciplines, social norms still play a rather secondary role in most of the political behavior literature. It is argued here, however, that holistic models of political behavior need to take them into account. Norms can block the translation of preferences into behavior, bringing about gaps between the moment when individuals develop a given preference and the moment when they express them. The Conclusion discusses the need for a research agenda that takes norms as central drivers of political behavior. It lists several important questions that such a research agenda might draw upon. Finally, it discusses how a focus on social norms would allow political culture to return as a central topic in political science.