bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Light-speed, contemporary war, and Australia’s national defence strategic review
Authors: Brimblecombe-Fox Kathryn
Published: May 2024

In our hyperconnected contemporary world, military and civilian digital and cyber technologies rely upon uncontested and uncongested access to frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). This reliance enables light-speed signalic connectivity, interconnectivity, operability, and interoperability of the systems and devices that perpetuate twenty-first century modes of information, remote, hybrid, and digital warfare. Informed by cultural theorist Paul Virilio’s commentaries on speed, light-speed, and war, this article examines speed as an inflection that insidiously underpins the Australian Government’s 2023 National Defence: Defence Strategy Review (DSR) (public version). This is not an exhaustive study of light-speed or the DSR. Rather, this article aims to show how speed and light-speed, used as investigatory lenses, can provide critical insights into relationships between contemporary technology, and war. To this end, the article refers to US and UK defence and government electromagnetic spectrum policy statements, interpolating them into motivations for AUKUS, and the DSR’s positioning.
Near-term fire weather forecasting in the Pacific Northwest using 500-hPa map types
Authors: Humphrey Reed , Saltenberger John , Abatzoglou John T. , Cullen Alison
Published: May 2024

Background Near-term forecasts of fire danger based on predicted surface weather and fuel dryness are widely used to support the decisions of wildfire managers. The incorporation of synoptic-scale upper-air patterns into predictive models may provide additional value in operational forecasting. Aims In this study, we assess the impact of synoptic-scale upper-air patterns on the occurrence of large wildfires and widespread fire outbreaks in the US Pacific Northwest. Additionally, we examine how discrete upper-air map types can augment subregional models of wildfire risk. Methods We assess the statistical relationship between synoptic map types, surface weather and wildfire occurrence. Additionally, we compare subregional fire danger models to identify the predictive value contributed by upper-air map types. Key results We find that these map types explain variation in wildfire occurrence not captured by fire danger indices based on surface weather alone, with specific map types associated with significantly higher expected daily ignition counts in half of the subregions. Conclusions We observe that incorporating upper-air map types enhances the explanatory power of subregional fire danger models. Implications Our approach provides value to operational wildfire management and provides a template for how these methods may be implemented in other regions.
Microglial TNFα controls daily changes in synaptic GABAARs and sleep slow waves
Authors: Pinto Maria Joana , Bizien Lucy , Fabre Julie M.J. , Ðukanović Nina , Lepetz Valentin , Henderson Fiona , Pujol Marine , Sala Romain W. , Tarpin Thibault , Popa Daniela , Triller Antoine , Léna Clément , Fabre Véronique , Bessis Alain
Published: May 2024

Microglia sense the changes in their environment. How microglia actively translate these changes into suitable cues to adapt brain physiology is unknown. We reveal an activity-dependent regulation of cortical inhibitory synapses by microglia, driven by purinergic signaling acting on P2RX7 and mediated by microglia-derived TNFα. We demonstrate that sleep induces microglia-dependent synaptic enrichment of GABAARs in a manner dependent on microglial TNFα and P2RX7. We further show that microglia-specific depletion of TNFα alters slow waves during NREM sleep and blunt memory consolidation in sleep-dependent learning tasks. Together, our results reveal that microglia orchestrate sleep-intrinsic plasticity of synaptic GABAARs, sculpt sleep slow waves, and support memory consolidation.
Suppression of spacetime singularities in quantum gravity
Authors: Borissova Johanna N
Published: May 2024

We investigate the requirement of suppressing spacetime geometries with a curvature singularity via destructive interference in the Lorentzian gravitational path integral as a constraint on the microscopic action for gravity. Based on simple examples of static spherically symmetric spacetimes, we demonstrate that complete singularity suppression in the path integral stipulates that the action for gravity be of infinite order in the curvature.
Correlation between lifetime model of BOPP film and rise rate under nanosecond pulse voltage
Authors: Mi Yan , Chen Yong , Liu Canhui , Liu Wentao , Peng Yiqin , Liao Ruijin
Published: May 2024

This paper aims to study the effect of rise rate (dV/dt) on the cumulative breakdown characteristics of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film under nanosecond pulse voltage. The lifetime (N
L) of BOPP film under nanosecond pulse voltage with different pulse voltage amplitude and dV/dt were carried out, respectively. It is found that the N
L decreases with the increase of the pulse voltage amplitude, and the N
L decreases with the increase of the dV/dt. Meanwhile, the quantitative mathematical relationship between N
L and dV/dt, and pulse voltage amplitude are established, respectively, and it is concluded that both the rise rate and pulse voltage amplitude on the lifetime of BOPP film by the inverse power model. The results of the study are expected to provide the experimental basis and mechanistic explanation for the evaluation of film capacitor lifetime under extreme conditions.
A bifunctional metamaterial with broadband properties of absorption and linear-to-linear polarization conversion
Authors: Zhou Yafen , Yu Tieliang , Shen Zhaoyang , Liu Xinqiong , Zhang Qinghe
Published: May 2024

This paper proposes, measures, and investigates a bifunctional metamaterial capable of achieving absorption and reflective linear-to-linear polarization conversion simultaneously, which both exhibit the characteristics of broadband. The unit cell consists of a metal pattern with resistors, a dielectric plate, an air layer, and a metal backplate. The simulation results demonstrate that the designed metamaterial acquires over 90% absorption in the microwave band of 6.5–9.3 GHz. Within the frequency range of 12.7 GHz–17.2 GHz, the polarization conversion rate exceeds 90%, effectively converting y-polarized incident waves into x-polarized reflected waves. The experimental results align with the simulation data. The surface current and electric field distributions are utilized to analyze the absorption and polarization conversion phenomena. This bifunctional metamaterial exhibits potential application in radar imaging, enhancing data transmission rates, and wireless communication.
Asymmetric magnetoimpedance in exchange-biased systems
Authors: Gazola J P , Santos M S , de Andrade A M H , Harres A , da Silva R B , Rigue J N , Carara M
Published: May 2024

Magnetic systems with competing anisotropies generally exhibit asymmetry between the maximum amplitudes of the right and left maxima in a magnetoimpedance curve. Small errors in positioning the samples at the experimental setup may also produce such asymmetry. In this work, we present a study on the sources of the asymmetry between magnetoimpedance peaks in systems that present the exchange bias phenomenon, by comparing a phenomenological model to experimental data. A set of samples with different repetitions of the NiFe/FeMn exchange-biased bilayer was used in this study. From the frequency evolution of the asymmetry, together with magnetization curves, we were able to identify the sources for the observed magnetoimpedance asymmetry found on our experimental data.
Optimizing dynamic measurement accuracy for machine tools and industrial robots with unscented Kalman filter and particle swarm optimization methods
Authors: Xing Kanglin , Bonev Ilian A , Champliaud Henri , Liu Zhaoheng
Published: May 2024

The telescoping ballbar is widely utilized for diagnosing accuracy and identifying faults in machine tools and industrial robots. Currently, there are no established standards for determining the optimal feed rate for ballbar tests. This lack of clear guidelines results in time inefficiency in measurements and inconsistencies in dynamic measurements, which complicates the comparison of ballbar test results under various conditions or across different machine platforms. To mitigate dynamic variations in ballbar results, an updated ballbar data processing method that integrates the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) was developed and validated using real ballbar data measured at multiple feed rates and simulated data with varying vibration magnitudes generated through the Renishaw ballbar simulator. Experimental results revealed that the dynamic components extracted from the ballbar results were observed to increase in correlation with the vibration measured at different feed rates and from the simulations. Moreover, the variations in the results measured at different feed rates after PSO-UKF processing were significantly reduced. The findings confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method in minimizing the dynamics of the ballbar results. Ultimately, this approach enhances the efficiency and accuracy of ballbar testing and offers a general method for improved diagnostics.
2D materials-based photodetectors combined with ferroelectrics
Authors: Bai Chongyang , Wu Guangjian , Yang Jing , Zeng Jinhua , Liu Yihan , Wang Jianlu
Published: May 2024

Photodetectors are essential optoelectronic devices that play a critical role in modern technology by converting optical signals into electrical signals, which are one of the most important sensors of the informational devices in current ‘Internet of Things’ era. Two-dimensional (2D) material-based photodetectors have excellent performance, simple design and effortless fabrication processes, as well as enormous potential for fabricating highly integrated and efficient optoelectronic devices, which has attracted extensive research attention in recent years. The introduction of spontaneous polarization ferroelectric materials further enhances the performance of 2D photodetectors, moreover, companying with the reduction of power consumption. This article reviews the recent advances of materials, devices in ferroelectric-modulated photodetectors. This review starts with the introduce of the basic terms and concepts of the photodetector and various ferroelectric materials applied in 2D photodetectors, then presents a variety of typical device structures, fundamental mechanisms and potential applications under ferroelectric polarization modulation. Finally, we summarize the leading challenges currently confronting ferroelectric-modulated photodetectors and outline their future perspectives.
N-doped TiO2/rGO: synthesis, structure, optical characteristics, and humidity sensing applications
Authors: Morsy Mohamed , Gomaa Islam , Mokhtar Mahmoud , Kamoun Elbadawy A , Ali Ahmed I
Published: May 2024

In the current study, the effect of rGO ratio on the N-dopped TiO2 has been synthesized through sol–gel method. The prepared N-doped TiO2/rGO composites were examined for humidity sensing applications. The relationship between optical properties and the humidity sensing properties was studied. The structure, morphology, and bonding interaction have been examined using XRD, FT-IR, PL and HRTEM respectively. The average particle size as estimated from XRD and HRTEM was found to be about 9 nm. The optical properties have been studied using UV/ Vis. Spectroscopy. Further, optical parameters including refractive index and optical band gap energy have been estimated. The humidity sensing behavior of the resultant composites were evaluated in a wide range of humidity (7%–97% RH) at different testing frequencies. The optical band gap was found to be decreased as the amount of rGO increase. Among all prepared samples, both the optical parameters and humidity sensing experiments confirmed that the 0.5% rGO@N-dopped TiO2 sample is the best candidate for the humidity sensing applications. The best optimum testing frequency was demonstrated to be 50 Hz. The sensor demonstrates a fast response and recovery times of 13 s and 33 s with low hysteresis and large sensitivity. The humidity sensing mechanism was studied using complex impedance spectroscopy at different RH levels under testing frequency range from 50 Hz to 5 MHz and testing voltage of 1 VAC. The produced structure demonstrated a promising material for humidity measuring devices.
High responsivity photodetector based on MEH-PPV/CsPbBr3 heterojunction
Authors: Fu Zhendong , Wang Fuguo , Liu Jiangnan , Sun Wenbao , Zhang Haiting , Song Xiaoxian , Yao Jianquan
Published: May 2024

Perovskite quantum dots (QDs) and organic materials have great research potential in the field of optoelectronic devices. In this paper, MEH-PPV/CsPbBr3 heterojunction photodetectors (PDs) are prepared by spin coating method based on the good photoelectric properties of CsPbBr3 perovskite QDs and MEH-PPV. The MEH-PPV/CsPbBr3 heterojunction improves the energy level arrangement, and CsPbBr3 QDs can passivate the surface defects of MEH-PPV films to achieve effective charge separation and transfer, thus inhibiting the dark current and improving the photoelectric performance of the device. Under 532 nm laser irradiation, the responsivity (R) of MEH-PPV/CsPbBr3 heterojunction PD is 11.98 A W−1, the specific detectivity (D*) is 6.98 × 1011 Jones, and the response time is 15/16 ms. This work provides experience for the study of perovskite QDs and organic materials heterojunction optoelectronic devices.
The potential of mixed carbon–helium beams for online treatment verification: a simulation and treatment planning study
Authors: Hardt Jennifer J , Pryanichnikov Alexander A , Homolka Noa , DeJongh Ethan A , DeJongh Don F , Cristoforetti Remo , Jäkel Oliver , Seco Joao , Wahl Niklas
Published: May 2024

Objective. Recently, a new and promising approach for range verification was proposed. This method requires the use of two different ion species. Due to their equal magnetic rigidity, fully ionized carbon and helium ions can be simultaneously accelerated in accelerators like synchrotrons. At sufficiently high treatment energies, helium ions can exit the patient distally, reaching approximately three times the range of carbon ions at an equal energy per nucleon. Therefore, the proposal involves adding a small helium fluence to the carbon ion beam and utilizing helium as an online range probe during radiation therapy. This work aims to develop a software framework for treatment planning and motion verification in range-guided radiation therapy using mixed carbon–helium beams. Approach. The developed framework is based on the open-source treatment planning toolkit matRad. Dose distributions and helium radiographs were simulated using the open-source Monte Carlo package TOPAS. Beam delivery system parameters were obtained from the Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center, and imaging detectors along with reconstruction were facilitated by ProtonVDA. Methods for reconstructing the most likely patient positioning error scenarios and the motion phase of 4DCT are presented for prostate and lung cancer sites. Main results. The developed framework provides the capability to calculate and optimize treatment plans for mixed carbon–helium ion therapy. It can simulate the treatment process and generate helium radiographs for simulated patient geometry, including small beam views. Furthermore, motion reconstruction based on these radiographs seems possible with preliminary validation. Significance. The developed framework can be applied for further experimental work with the promising mixed carbon–helium ion implementation of range-guided radiotherapy. It offers opportunities for adaptation in particle therapy, improving dose accumulation, and enabling patient anatomy reconstruction during radiotherapy.
Dynamic CBCT imaging using prior model-free spatiotemporal implicit neural representation (PMF-STINR)
Authors: Shao Hua-Chieh , Mengke Tielige , Pan Tinsu , Zhang You
Published: May 2024

Objective. Dynamic cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) can capture high-spatial-resolution, time-varying images for motion monitoring, patient setup, and adaptive planning of radiotherapy. However, dynamic CBCT reconstruction is an extremely ill-posed spatiotemporal inverse problem, as each CBCT volume in the dynamic sequence is only captured by one or a few x-ray projections, due to the slow gantry rotation speed and the fast anatomical motion (e.g. breathing). Approach. We developed a machine learning-based technique, prior-model-free spatiotemporal implicit neural representation (PMF-STINR), to reconstruct dynamic CBCTs from sequentially acquired x-ray projections. PMF-STINR employs a joint image reconstruction and registration approach to address the under-sampling challenge, enabling dynamic CBCT reconstruction from singular x-ray projections. Specifically, PMF-STINR uses spatial implicit neural representations to reconstruct a reference CBCT volume, and it applies temporal INR to represent the intra-scan dynamic motion of the reference CBCT to yield dynamic CBCTs. PMF-STINR couples the temporal INR with a learning-based B-spline motion model to capture time-varying deformable motion during the reconstruction. Compared with the previous methods, the spatial INR, the temporal INR, and the B-spline model of PMF-STINR are all learned on the fly during reconstruction in a one-shot fashion, without using any patient-specific prior knowledge or motion sorting/binning. Main results. PMF-STINR was evaluated via digital phantom simulations, physical phantom measurements, and a multi-institutional patient dataset featuring various imaging protocols (half-fan/full-fan, full sampling/sparse sampling, different energy and mAs settings, etc). The results showed that the one-shot learning-based PMF-STINR can accurately and robustly reconstruct dynamic CBCTs and capture highly irregular motion with high temporal (∼ 0.1 s) resolution and sub-millimeter accuracy. Significance. PMF-STINR can reconstruct dynamic CBCTs and solve the intra-scan motion from conventional 3D CBCT scans without using any prior anatomical/motion model or motion sorting/binning. It can be a promising tool for motion management by offering richer motion information than traditional 4D-CBCTs.
Time conditioning for arbitrary contrast phase generation in interventional computed tomography
Authors: Pinnock Mark A , Hu Yipeng , Bandula Steve , Barratt Dean C
Published: May 2024

Minimally invasive ablation techniques for renal cancer are becoming more popular due to their low complication rate and rapid recovery period. Despite excellent visualisation, one drawback of the use of computed tomography (CT) in these procedures is the requirement for iodine-based contrast agents, which are associated with adverse reactions and require a higher x-ray dose. The purpose of this work is to examine the use of time information to generate synthetic contrast enhanced images at arbitrary points after contrast agent injection from non-contrast CT images acquired during renal cryoablation cases. To achieve this, we propose a new method of conditioning generative adversarial networks with normalised time stamps and demonstrate that the use of a HyperNetwork is feasible for this task, generating images of competitive quality compared to standard generative modelling techniques. We also show that reducing the receptive field can help tackle challenges in interventional CT data, offering significantly better image quality as well as better performance when generating images for a downstream segmentation task. Lastly, we show that all proposed models are robust enough to perform inference on unseen intra-procedural data, while also improving needle artefacts and generalising contrast enhancement to other clinically relevant regions and features.
Phase angle and impedance ratio as meta-inflammation biomarkers after a colon cleansing protocol in a group of overweight young women
Authors: Tapasco-Tapasco L O , Gonzalez-Correa C A , Letourneur A
Published: May 2024

Objective. Blood C-reactive protein (CRP) and the electrical bioimpedance spectroscopy (EBIS) variables phase angle (PhA) and impedance ratio (IR) have been proposed as biomarkers of metainflammation in overweight/obesity. CRP involves taking blood samples, while PhA and IR imply a less-than-2-minute-non-invasive procedure. In this study, values for these variables and percent body fat mass (PBFM) were obtained and compared before and immediately after a colon cleansing protocol (CCP), aimed at modulating intestinal microbiota and reducing metainflammation, as dysbiosis and the latter are intrinsically related, as well as along a period of 8 weeks after it. Approach. 20 female volunteers (20.9–24.9 years old) participated: 12 in an overweight group (OG), and 8 in a lean group (LG). The OG was divided in two subgroups (n= 6, each): control (CSG) and experimental (ESG). The ESG underwent a 6-day CCP at week 2, while 5 volunteers in the CSG underwent it at week 9. Main results. Pre/post-CCP mean values for the variables in the OG were: PBFM (34.3/31.3%), CRP (3.7/0.6 mg dl−1), PhA (6.9/7.5°) and IR*10 (0.78/0.77). Calculated R
2 correlation factors among these variables are all above 0.89. The favourable changes first seen in the ESG were still present 8 weeks after the CCP. Significance. (a) the CCP drastically lowers meta-inflammation, (b) EBIS can be used to measure metainflammation, before and after treatment, (c) for microbiota modulation, CCP could be a good alternative to more drastic procedures like faecal microbiota transplantation; (d) reestablishing eubiosis by CCP could be an effective coadjutant in the treatment of overweight young adult women.
ELRL-MD: a deep learning approach for myocarditis diagnosis using cardiac magnetic resonance images with ensemble and reinforcement learning integration
Authors: Mirzaee Moghaddam Kasmaee Adele , Ataei Alireza , Moravvej Seyed Vahid , Alizadehsani Roohallah , Gorriz Juan M , Zhang Yu-Dong , Tan Ru-San , Acharya U Rajendra
Published: May 2024

Objective. Myocarditis poses a significant health risk, often precipitated by viral infections like coronavirus disease, and can lead to fatal cardiac complications. As a less invasive alternative to the standard diagnostic practice of endomyocardial biopsy, which is highly invasive and thus limited to severe cases, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging offers a promising solution for detecting myocardial abnormalities. Approach. This study introduces a deep model called ELRL-MD that combines ensemble learning and reinforcement learning (RL) for effective myocarditis diagnosis from CMR images. The model begins with pre-training via the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm to enhance the starting point for learning. An array of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) then works in concert to extract and integrate features from CMR images for accurate diagnosis. Leveraging the Z-Alizadeh Sani myocarditis CMR dataset, the model employs RL to navigate the dataset’s imbalance by conceptualizing diagnosis as a decision-making process. Main results. ELRL-DM demonstrates remarkable efficacy, surpassing other deep learning, conventional machine learning, and transfer learning models, achieving an F-measure of 88.2% and a geometric mean of 90.6%. Extensive experimentation helped pinpoint the optimal reward function settings and the perfect count of CNNs. Significance. The study addresses the primary technical challenge of inherent data imbalance in CMR imaging datasets and the risk of models converging on local optima due to suboptimal initial weight settings. Further analysis, leaving out ABC and RL components, confirmed their contributions to the model’s overall performance, underscoring the effectiveness of addressing these critical technical challenges.
VSHPIC: a particle-in-cell algorithm based on vector spherical harmonics expansion
Authors: Wang Jianzhao , An Weiming , Tang Rong , Meng Weiyu , Zhong Jiayong
Published: May 2024

The particle-in-cell (PIC) method has been widely used for studying plasma physics. However, fully three-dimensional PIC simulations always require huge computational resources. For problems with near azimuthal symmetry, recent work (Lifschitz et al 2009 J. Comput. Phys.
228 1803–14, Davidson et al 2015 J. Comput. Phys.
281 1063–77, Li et al 2021 Comput. Phys. Commun.
261 107784, Li et al 2022 J. Comput. Phys.
470 111599) has shown that expanding all the quantities defined on the grid in azimuthal harmonics and truncating the expansion can improve the code efficiency. In this paper, we describe a novel parallel algorithm for efficiently simulating three-dimensional near-spherical symmetry problems. Our approach expands all physical quantities in the

θ

and

ϕ

directions in spherical coordinates using vector spherical harmonics. The code is capable of simulating three-dimensional asymmetric scenarios by accurately tracking the evolution of distinct individual modes while preserving the charge conservation law. The fundamental dispersion relation of EM waves in the plasma has been obtained using VSHPIC simulation results. The code also shows a well strong scalability up to more than 1000 cores.
Determining sheath edge electric field around cylindrical pins of a DC-biased hairpin resonator probe
Authors: Singh Pawandeep , Pandey Avnish Kumar , Dahiya Swati , Karkari Shantanu
Published: May 2024

The sheath-edge electric field (

E

s

) is an important parameter to patch the quasi-neutral pre-sheath and non-neutral sheath regions. The choice of

E

s

significantly influences the theoretically estimated values of the sheath width, potential, and ion density distribution inside the sheath, as determined by the Poisson equation. The precise nature of

E

s

has been a persistent subject of investigation, giving rise to the question of whether it should be zero or possess a finite value, as proposed by various authors. In this study, we determine the values of

E

s

by solving Poisson’s equation as a boundary-value problem, utilizing experimentally determined values of sheath radius from a DC-biased hairpin probe. The obtained values of

E

s

are found to be finite and closely align with the analytical expressions presented by Riemann (1991 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.
24 493) and Kaganovich (2002 Phys. Plasmas
9 4788). Additionally, the impact of electron-penetrating sheaths and interacting sheaths on the applicability of the hairpin probe in low-pressure plasmas is briefly discussed.
Electric field measurement in DC corona discharge in atmospheric pressure air using E-FISHG and laser-triggering methods
Authors: Nakamura Shin , Sogame Masataka , Sato Masahiro , Fujii Takashi , Kumada Akiko
Published: May 2024

Electric field measurement using electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation (E-FISHG) draws attention because of its non-invasiveness and is increasingly being applied to various discharge plasmas. However, measurement accuracy of previous studies is unclear since approximations in calibration are inadequate. Therefore, we have developed a measurement and analysis method that does not require approximations and can furthermore obtain the distribution of the electric field. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method to discharge plasmas, in this paper, we measure the electric field as a result of the space charge generated by DC corona discharge in atmospheric pressure air and validate the results by comparing them with those obtained using the laser-triggering method. We demonstrate that the electrostatic field and electric field resulting from the space charge can be measured with a difference of about 10% between the results obtained from the laser triggering method and E-FISHG method. The proposed method holds potential for applications in discharge plasmas.
Repetitively pulsed streamer discharge with laser-induced surface trapped electron desorption to exploit residual charges in situ
Authors: Zhao Zheng , Gao Qiuyu , Li Xiaoran , Zhang Haowei , Bai Luying , Zhu Yifei , Sun Anbang , Li Jiangtao
Published: May 2024

Positive streamer behaviors under repetitive pulses are predominantly dependent on the availability of free electrons. If surface residual electrons stored from previous discharges could be intentionally released and involved into the next discharge, an alternative control freedom is provided apart from voltage waveform tailoring methods that mainly attract or repel gaseous residual charges. Evolutions of repetitively pulsed surface streamers in compressed (0.2 MPa) air were investigated after low-photon-energy pulsed visible (532 nm) and infrared (1064 nm) laser irradiations. Pulse-sequence and temporally resolved diagnostics were implemented to investigate effects of laser parameters (irradiation moment, wavelength, energy) and gas composition. A 2D surface streamer fluid simulation was performed to qualitatively unveil impacts of localized plasma patches. The surface streamer morphology and emission light are significantly and repeatably affected by the laser irradiation before the streamer inception, while, variations totally disappear without the solid surface. The secondary streamer is prolonged accompanied by a higher flashover probability after the pulsed laser irradiation in compressed air. Intriguingly, influences of the infrared laser persist for tens of microseconds before the next voltage pulse. Residual charge dynamics under the laser irradiation are analyzed, where the additional increase of

O

2
−

of low electron bound energy is emphasized. The laser induced surface trapped electron desorption is achieved through the direct or the step-wise process, dependent on the laser energy and the surface trap state distribution.
Nucleic acid liquids
Authors: Abraham Gabrielle R , Chaderjian Aria S , N Nguyen Anna B , Wilken Sam , Saleh Omar A
Published: May 2024

The confluence of recent discoveries of the roles of biomolecular liquids in living systems and modern abilities to precisely synthesize and modify nucleic acids (NAs) has led to a surge of interest in liquid phases of NAs. These phases can be formed primarily from NAs, as driven by base-pairing interactions, or from the electrostatic combination (coacervation) of negatively charged NAs and positively charged molecules. Generally, the use of sequence-engineered NAs provides the means to tune microsopic particle properties, and thus imbue specific, customizable behaviors into the resulting liquids. In this way, researchers have used NA liquids to tackle fundamental problems in the physics of finite valence soft materials, and to create liquids with novel structured and/or multi-functional properties. Here, we review this growing field, discussing the theoretical background of NA liquid phase separation, quantitative understanding of liquid material properties, and the broad and growing array of functional demonstrations in these materials. We close with a few comments discussing remaining open questions and challenges in the field.
A compact self-powered inductor-less piezoelectric energy harvesting circuit using gyrator
Authors: Younas Osama , Li Ping , Wen Yumei
Published: May 2024

In traditional low-frequency energy harvesting circuits, a large matched inductor with a large size is unavoidable. To reduce the size of the circuit, this paper proposes a compact self-powered inductor-less high-efficiency piezoelectric energy harvesting circuit using a low-power-consumption gyrator. A self-powered floating gyrator inductor is used in place of an inductor in the proposed circuit, and the required phasor response is acquired by using its voltage–current (V–I) relationship. The proposed circuit offers easy adjustability and performance benefits in small integrated circuits packages. The proposed circuit can be cost-effective and provide reduced area advantages in autonomous self-powered Internet-of-Things and wireless sensor nodes applications. Regarding harvested energy, the proposed circuit with a storage capacitor of 0.24 F can obtain 320% improved performance than standard energy harvesting along with the lowest power consumption of 0.25 µW in self-powered operation. The proposed technique can also be applied to similar piezoelectric energy harvesting strategies with large inductors.
Reusable energy-absorbers design harnessing snapping-through buckling of tailored multistable architected materials
Authors: Jin Mingzhu , Hou Xiuhui , Zhao Wenhao , Deng Zichen
Published: May 2024

Multistable metamaterials are artificially engineered materials that possess microarchitectures capable of maintaining multiple stable configurations. However, the realization of mechanical metamaterials with numerous programmable stable configurations using double-curved beam (DCB) elements remains an ongoing challenge. In this study, we exploit the snapping-through buckling phenomenon exhibited by architected DCB structures to devise a mechanical metamaterial with a unique deformation mode, encompassing multi-stability, multi-path, multi-platform, and multi-step characteristics, hence referred to as a 4 M architected material. By employing DCB as fundamental building block elements, architected materials with two-dimensional (2D) series or parallel lattices are successfully constructed, as well as three-dimensional (3D) tubular geometries, denoted as DCB-n-m-C and DCB-n-m-M metamaterials, respectively. These metamaterials exhibit reversible energy absorption characteristics and the stiffness can be transformed from positive to negative under both small and large elastic deformations. Functional gradient design and tailored deformation capability are given by adjusting the wall thickness of each layer of DCBs, thereby demonstrating the multi-path deformation features inherent in 4 M metamaterials. DCB-n-m-M metamaterials has multiple energy platforms in the process of snapping-through, which reflects the multi-platform characteristics of 4 M metamaterial. Consequently, novel properties such as multistability, programmability, and reusable energy absorption characteristics are achieved. To comprehensively understand the mechanical response of the metamaterials, a thorough investigation into the influence of geometric parameters is conducted, including the number of polygonal edges, the number of the layers, and the aspect ratio Q. This investigation involves a combination of theoretical analyses, numerical simulations, and experimental verifications. The introduced design strategy paves a way for the innovative design of multistable, multi-step, tailored, and reversible deformation metamaterials.
Anderson localization and quenched induced dynamics of spin orbit coupled Bose–Einstein condensate in a random potential
Authors: Oztas Z , Nabiollahi O
Published: May 2024

We consider the localization and dynamical properties of a one dimensional spin orbit coupled Bose–Einstein condensate trapped by a disordered speckle potential. We numerically solve coupled Gross–Pitaevskii equation to obtain ground sate solutions. The effects of spin–orbit coupling and detuning parameter on localization are investigated. It is found that the increase of spin–orbit coupling delocalizes the condensate while the increase of detuning favors localization. After achieving the numerical ground state solutions, we examine the quench induced dynamics of the condensate by the complete cessation of the spin–orbit coupling. We show that at parameters where the ground state is not localized, the dynamics of the system is chaotic.
A linearly polarized light emission with a composite nanowire grating in whole white band
Authors: Li Man , Li Yahong , Zou Nianyu , Wu Jinshuang , Bo Xiangtao , Chu Jinkui
Published: May 2024

To obtain a highly linearly polarized light, a composite model consisting of white light emission, anti-reflection film, and metal-dielectric-metal nanowire grating was designed, analyzed, optimized, and fabricated. Based on the finite-difference time-domain method, the impacts of material, period, height, and incidence angle on the polarization performance of the composite model were discussed. The metal-dielectric-metal nanowire grating was fabricated on blue chip and fluorescent ceramics using nanoimprint technology. The employed materials of metal-dielectric-metal nanowire grating were aluminum and PMMA, with the period of 200 nm, wire width of 100 nm, and the height of metal and dielectric were 100 nm and 120 nm. Additionally, the anti-reflection film consisting of PMMA with the thickness of 45 nm was incorporated on fluorescent ceramics to enhance energy efficiency. Finally, through a series of test experiments, the composite model can be realized by the extinction ratio of 40 dB, while the transmittance of TM mode exceeds 50% at 450–750 nm. The theoretical analysis of this study is verified by experiments, and it has significant potential in the pursuit of high brightness, ultra-thin micro displays.
Several nonlinear waves in spin quantum electron-positron plasmas
Authors: Ding Fei-Yun , Duan Wen-Shan , Li Zhong-Zheng
Published: May 2024

By using the reductive perturbation method, we obtained a nonlinear Schrödinger equation considering spin properties for a magnetized electron-positron plasmas. Several nonlinear wave were studied. The results indicate that various types of nonlinear waves exist in a magnetized electron-positron plasmas and they are spatially localized in both parallel and vertical directions to the external magnetized field direction. Additionally, the dependence of the wave amplitudes, wave width in both direction, group velocity of the envelop wave and the phase velocity of the background waves for these kinds of the nonlinear waves on the system parameters are all given in the present paper.
Faster classical boson sampling
Authors: Clifford Peter , Clifford Raphaël
Published: May 2024

Since its introduction boson sampling has been the subject of intense study in the world of quantum computing. In the context of Fock-state boson sampling, the task is to sample independently from the set of all n × n submatrices built from possibly repeated rows of a larger m × n complex matrix according to a probability distribution related to the permanents of the submatrices. Experimental systems exploiting quantum photonic effects can in principle perform the task at great speed. For classical computing, Aaronson and Arkhipov (2011) showed that exact boson sampling problem cannot be solved in polynomial time unless the polynomial hierarchy collapses to the third level. Indeed for a number of years the fastest known exact classical algorithm ran in

O
(

m
+
n
−
1

n

n

2

n

)

time per sample, emphasising the potential speed advantage of quantum computation. The advantage was reduced by Clifford and Clifford (2018), who gave a significantly faster classical solution taking

O
(
n

2

n

+
poly
(
m
,
n
)
)

time and linear space, matching the complexity of computing the permanent of a single matrix when m is polynomial in n. We continue by presenting an algorithm for Fock boson sampling whose average-case time complexity is much faster when m is proportional to n. In particular, when m = n our algorithm runs in approximately O(n · 1.69
n
) time on average. This result further increases the problem size needed to establish quantum computational advantage via the Fock scheme of boson sampling.
Strain effects on electronic and dynamical properties of half-Heusler semiconductors: insights from Meta-GGA
Authors: Mellah Djallal Eddine , Demmouche Kamel , Bezzerga Djamel
Published: May 2024

In this study, we investigated the effects of mechanical strain, including both tensile and compressive strains, on the electronic properties and dynamical stability of two ternary half-Heusler compounds: TiIrSb and ZrIrSb. We employed the plan wave pseudo-potential method (PW-PP) within the density functional theory (DFT) framework. Our calculations were performed using both the GGA-PBE and Meta-GGA-SCAN approximations. Furthermore, to compute the phonon dispersion, we employed the R2SCAN functional instead of SCAN for both compounds, addressing numerical challenges encountered with the latter. In the absence of strain, our calculations revealed that both compounds exhibit semiconducting behavior, featuring an indirect band gap at identical locations in the Brillouin Zone. Notably, the SCAN functional consistently predicted a larger band gap compared to the corresponding values obtained with PBE for both compounds. Specifically, the band gap expanded significantly, creating a noticeable separation between the valence and conduction bands. For TiIrSb, it increased from 0.84 eV with PBE to 1.05 eV with SCAN, while for ZrIrSb, it increased from 1.41 eV with PBE to 1.71 eV with SCAN. Under the application of strains, both compounds demonstrated an increased band gap under compressive strain, while the application of tensile strain led to a decrease in the band gap, resulting in an indirect-to-direct band gap transition for ZrIrSb. Remarkably, under all strain values, whether tensile or compressive, the SCAN functional consistently exhibited a larger band gap compared to PBE, indicating its accurate description of the material’s electronic structure. The calculated Density of States (DOS) and Partial Density of States (PDOS) reveal that the valence band extremum (VBM) primarily consisted of Ti/Zr-d orbitals, while the conduction band maxima (CBM) predominantly involved strong hybridization between Ti/Zr-d, Ir-d, and Sb-p states. Notably, the SCAN functional predicted higher orbital contributions to Total Density of States (TDOS) compared to the PBE approximation. Importantly, both half-Heusler materials exhibited mechanical and dynamical stability under various strain conditions.
Stability analysis of fractional epidemic model for two infected classes incorporating hospitalization impact
Authors: Santra P K , Mahapatra G S , Basu Sanjoy
Published: May 2024

This article presents an epidemic disease propagation mathematical model in fractional order. The epidemiological characteristics are presented based on the susceptible, exposed, unknown infected, known infected, hospitalized population and the population in the secure zone. Both the disease endemic equilibrium and the disease-free equilibrium’s stability characteristics have been examined using the basic reproduction number. Variation of basic reproduction number based on the different sensitive parameters has been discussed. It has been disputed whether the fractional model provides a uniform, reliable solution. An analysis of the time history of unknown and known infected populations, hospitalized populations and recovered populations at different values of various sensitive parameters has been carried out. To support the key theoretical conclusions, some numerical simulations are completed using MATLAB. The impact of various populations on the propagation of the illness has also been investigated, as well as how specific state variables change over time for various fractional order values.
Direct and converse piezoelectricity of thickness tuned BCZT ceramics: toward efficient bilayered magnetoelectric devices
Authors: Sasmal Abhishek , Maiti Payel , Maity Sourav , Sen Shrabanee , Arockiarajan A
Published: May 2024

Here we report the effect of thickness reduction of bulk 0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3-0.5Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)O3 (BCZT) pellet on its direct and indirect piezoelectric properties. Upon reducing the thickness to 0.3 mm, the pellet shows a very high electrostrain of ∼0.7% and piezoelectric coefficient of ∼353 pC/N which were ∼0.14% and 258 pC/N for the 1 mm thick sample. These results have been correlated with the reduction in hardness and mutual mechanical clamping between the grains due to the reduced thickness of BCZT. Due to this improved strain sensitivity, the bilayered magnetoelectric (ME) devices of BCZT with magnetostrictive CoFe1.9Bi0.1O4 (CFBO) pellet have also shown gradually improved ME coupling coefficient (

α

ME

) with reduced BCZT thickness (

α

ME

= 27 and 66 mV·cm−1·Oe−1 for 1 and 0.3 mm BCZT thickness, respectively). This demonstrates the possible applicability of thickness tuned BCZT pellets for various technological purposes.
First-principles screening of XSbF3 (X = Ba and Ra) fluoroperovskites: an insight into structural, optoelectronic and thermal properties
Authors: Mubashir Muhammad , Ali Mubashar , Ain Quratul , Khan Muhammad Awais , Ghaithan Hamid M , Bibi Zunaira , Aldwayyan Abdullah S , Ali Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed , Qaid Saif M H
Published: May 2024

This work presents a computational study of the physical properties such as structural, electronic, optical and thermal properties of XSbF3 (X = Ba and Ra) fluoroperovskites. The calculations were performed using the density functional theory (DFT) calculations in conjunction with Quantum Espresso code. The stability of the crystal structure XSbF3 compounds is determined by binding energy

(
E

b

)

computations. The

E

b

values for BaSbF3 and RaSbF3 compounds are

−
19.25

and

−
20.04

eV

respectively, indicating that both studied compounds are stable. The optimized lattice constants for BaSbF3 and RaSbF3 compounds are 5.03 and 5.06 Å, respectively. The evaluation of electronic properties is conducted by electronic band structure, total density of states (DOS), and partial density of states (PDOS). It is observed from the PDOS plots that the p-states of Sb and F whereas the d-states of X atoms have the major contribution in the formation of the band structure. Various optical properties have been computed and compared. The static value of

ε

1

0

highlights the metallic nature of the studied compounds while RaSbF3 stands out for having the highest recorded value of

ε

2

0

.

The maximum

n

ω

values for BaSbF3 and RaSbF3 are 8.46 and 6.86 respectively indicating their potential for photoelectric applications. Furthermore when examining the properties it is evident that the BaSbF3 compound stands out as a material for energy storage because of its higher electron energy at 2.36 KJ/N.mol and lower electron free energy of −2.55 KJ/N.mol compared to the RaSbF3 compound. On the other hand, the RaSbF3 compound is an efficient material for catalysis due to its high ability to absorb heat energy from the external source, as compared to the BaSbF3 compound. This study is the first computational investigation of XSbF3 (X is Ba and Ra) compounds, which provides valuable insights into the physical properties of sb-based fluroperovskites and their potential applications.