bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamical theory of single-photon transport through a qubit chain coupled to a one-dimensional nanophotonic waveguide
Authors: Greenberg Ya S , Chuikin O A , Shtygashev A A , Moiseev A G
Published: August 2024

We study the dynamics of a single-photon pulse traveling through a linear qubit chain coupled to continuum modes in a one-dimensional (1D) photonic waveguide. We derive a time-dependent dynamical theory for qubits’ amplitudes and for transmitted and reflected spectra. We show that the requirement for the photon-qubit coupling to exist only for positive frequencies can significantly change the dynamics of the system. First, it leads to the additional photon-mediated dipole-dipole interaction between qubits which results in the violation of the phase coherence between them. Second, the spectral lines of transmitted and reflected spectra crucially depend on the shape of the incident pulse and on the initial distance between the pulse center and the first qubit in the chain. We apply our theory to one-qubit and two-qubit systems. For these cases we obtain the explicit expressions for the qubits’ amplitudes and for the photon radiation spectra as time tends to infinity. Specific calculations are performed for superconducting qubits operating in GHz frequency range. For the incident Gaussian wave packet we calculate the line shapes of transmitted and reflected photons.
Graviton mass due to dark energy as a superconducting medium-theoretical and phenomenological aspects
Authors: Inan Nader , Ali Ahmed Farag , Jusufi Kimet , Yasser Abdelrahman
Published: August 2024

It is well known that the cosmological constant term in the Einstein field
equations can be interpreted as a stress tensor for dark energy. This stress
tensor is formally analogous to an elastic constitutive equation in
continuum mechanics. As a result, the cosmological constant leads to a
“shear modulus” and “bulk modulus” affecting all gravitational fields in the
universe. The form of the constitutive equation is also analogous to the
London constitutive equation for a superconductor. Treating dark energy as a
type of superconducting medium for gravitational waves leads to a Yukawa-like gravitational potential and a massive graviton within standard General Relativity. We discuss a number of resulting phenomenological aspects such as a screening length scale that can also be used to describe the effects generally attributed to dark matter. In addition, we find a gravitational wave plasma frequency, index of refraction, and impedance. The expansion of the universe is interpreted
as a Meissner-like effect as dark energy causes an outward “expulsion” of space-time similar to a superconductor
expelling a magnetic field. The fundamental cause of these effects is
interpreted as a type of spontaneous symmetry breaking of a scalar field.
There is an associated chemical potential, critical temperature, and an
Unruh-Hawking effect associated with the formulation.
Investigation of the Performance of Basalt Rebar’s as Reinforcement in Concrete Beam
Authors: Biradar Sangmesh V , Mugutkar Abhay , Vijaya Gowri T. , Shivaraj S J
Published: August 2024

Now a day’s concrete is the main component in the construction. The tensile strength, ductility, and crack resistance of plain concrete are low. Fiber rebar reinforcing material possesses high tensile strength, non-corrosive, thermally resistant, alkaline resistant, and is cost-effective, making it a good material for concrete reinforcement. The basalt rebar is the new virgin material with enhanced the characteristics and strength. In this paper mechanical properties of basalt rebar, flexural performance of concrete beams reinforced by varying the ratio of flexural reinforcement such as 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% of basalt rebar compared to reinforced with steel and also ductility of beams was studied. The results showed that deformations of concrete beams with basalt rebar have three to four time more than the beams with steel. The characteristic of flexibility in the RC beams caused the difference to drop to 40% at the last stage of loading. Theoretical moment capacity is calculated by using IS 456:2000, at 0.4% reinforcement, the experimental and theoretical moment capacity of S3 and BR3 are nearly same. But in 0.2% and 0.6% of reinforcement for conventional and basalt RC beams varies. By increases the percentage of reinforcement in basalt reinforced concrete beams with increased in ductility of the beam and also deformation.
ML Based Damage Detection in Simply Supported Beams Using Free Vibration Data
Authors: Chitram Pavan , Alapati Mallika
Published: August 2024

Monitoring structural damage in terms of material degradation is extremely important for enhancing the residual life of civil infrastructure. For the past two decades vibration based techniques have gained importance in the field of structural engineering in damage detection. The changes in the dynamic characteristics are observed due to changes in the mass and stiffness of the structure/structural component. The present paper focuses on detection of damage through vibration analysis in simply supported beams and predicting the damage extent using machine learning technique. The numerical model is validated against the standard Euler-Bernoulli beam subjected to free vibration. The same finite element model is subjected to induced damage in terms of change in material properties. Modal characteristics of all the damage scenarios i.e. reduction in Young’s modulus by 10% -80% with increment of 10% at a time are captured and a machine learning algorithm (Support Vector Machine) is developed for the prediction of damage extent. It is concluded that the SVM algorithm is effective in the case of natural frequencies as input features rather than statistical parameters as input features in predicting the damage extent in the beams.
Development of High Performance Concrete Inclusion of Sustainable Materials and Construction & Demolition Waste
Authors: TejaSindhura R , Narendra Kumar B
Published: August 2024

The sustainable materials usage in construction sector has been increased gradually nowadays. This can be helpful in reducing the environmental impact by manufacturing process of cement to some extent, because consumption of the cement has adversely increased from last ten years and it will be more in coming years. Also construction demolition waste can be included as an aggregates. This research study mainly focusses on the high performance sustainable mix of grade M40, where Sustainable materials like Fly ash, GGBS, & demolition waste from construction was used. From this study analyzing of mechanical properties at the age of 7days, 28days, 56days, 90days and ongoing examine was done at the age of 56 and 90days for durability properties. The concrete shows the early age, mid age and the long term age strength variations of the compressive strength by satisfying all the standards for grade M40. In conclusion, the high performance concrete using sustainable materials and construction demolition aggregate waste which reduces the environmental impact while achieving great mechanical and durability properties. Also this mix offers a good workable answer for the environmental aware projects.
Implementation of industrial waste Ferro Silica Slag in conventional concrete-A sustainable approach
Authors: Sundeep Kumar K , Guru Prathap Reddy V. , Subba Reddy P.V.
Published: August 2024

Ferro silica slag (FSS) is a byproduct of ferrosilicon metal smelting in alloy manufacturing plants. The physical and chemical properties, like fineness (i.e. Blaine value), oxide composition, silicon dioxide (SiO2), and specific gravity, are similar to those of silica fume (SF). In the present study use of Ferro silica slag replacement of natural coarse aggregate with various proportions to achieve the sustainable environment to reduce the use of natural coarse aggregate. The replacement of Ferro silica slag at 0% to 100% with 20% increasement of natural coarse aggregate, to find the fresh properties (slump cone test, compaction factor test), hardened properties compression test, flexure test, split tensile test and micro structure properties are investigated. The aggregate proportions in the mix affect the strength, durability, and other structural properties of concrete. The nature of silica agglomeration development in FSS was determined by this investigation, and the hydraulic properties of FSS were examined using SEM and EDAX, revealing quantitative results on Ca (OH)2 and C-S-H gel. The mechanical properties are improved at 40% replacement of FSS. As a result, FSS exhibited greater pozzolanic action and dense pore structure, implying compatible strength development and, certain, higher durability.
Geo-Informatics for Analysing the Impacts of Aquaculture Practices on Soil and Water Resources - A Case Study of Akividu Mandal, A.P.
Authors: Wasim Akram Muhammed B. , Murali Krishna G. , Mahammood Vazeer , Victor Babu N. , Samuel Raj A.
Published: August 2024

The proliferation of aqua ponds in aquaculture has resulted in elevated effluents containing diverse chemical compounds, significantly affecting environmental quality due to inadequate holistic management of land and water resources. This study conducted an experimental investigation involving the collection and analysis of water samples from aquaculture ponds, subsurface sources and canals, alongside soil samples from aquaculture ponds, subsurface areas and agricultural fields. Evaluation of water quality employed the Conventional Water Quality Index, Nemerow’s Pollution Index, and Compliance Approach Method. Soil health assessment mapped various properties across 15 villages in Akividu Mandal. Spatial interpolation techniques (IDW) were employed to map water and soil quality distributions, revealing insights into quality indices and their impact on regional aquaculture practices and resources.
A wide input range capacitor-free LDO circuit
Authors: Li Zhening , Huang Shengming
Published: August 2024

A wide input range LDO circuit is proposed and designed based on the Xintang 0.35uBCD process in this paper. Without an external output capacitor, the designed LDO has a stable 5 V output voltage at an input range of 5-16 V input. The LDO has low overshoot voltage and fast recovery time. Meanwhile, design improvements have been made to the bandgap reference generator. Adopting an amplifier-free structure, this bandgap reference generator can stably generate a reference voltage of 1.24 V with a temperature coefficient of 10.58 ppm/°C. The LDO circuit can drive a maximum load of 30 mA. When the load is 30 mA, the LDO has a power suppression ratio of 83.01 dB at 1 KHz. It has a high loop gain, and the phase margin reaches 65°.
Hardware circuit design of intelligent fast charger control system
Authors: Tang Lili , Wang Yubo , Fang Tianyu
Published: August 2024

This design is an intelligent fast charger system based on the STC89C52 MCU. The system uses the battery management chip MAX1811, which can control the intelligent charging of lithium batteries. Users can adjust the power mode through pre-set buttons, including fast and slow charging modes. The charging system will detect battery parameters and then charge the battery. During the charging process, the system uses the MAX157 chip to detect battery parameters and check for any abnormalities. A portion of the battery data detected by the chip will be sent to the LCD screen LCD1602 through the MCU. Users can understand the battery situation in real time. After charging is completed, the system will remind users promptly through LED alarm lights and buzzers, and turn on power-off protection to ensure battery safety. The system uses a USB connector for power supply. Charging the lithium battery through the output interface will reset the system every time the power is turned on, requiring the user to reset the battery charging system.
Study of the effect of detector to front-end electronics distance on the spectrometric performances of solid-state detectors
Authors: Angelone M. , Morichi M. , Pillon M.
Published: August 2024

Solid-state detectors are used for charge particles
detection and spectrometry with front-end electronics located,
usually, next to the detectors. Therefore, in some applications, due
to high-level radiation, high temperature and/or electro-magnetic
noises (e.g. in nuclear fusion energy experiments, high energy
accelerators, etc.) there could be the need to locate the front-end
electronics far away from the detector. To solve the problem a
matching sensitive charge amplifier (MSCA) with AC coupled
input was designed by Roberto Cardarelli (former INFN scientist) for
measurements at the fusion JET tokamak (U.K.). The prototype,
composed of two amplification stages, was “ad hoc” designed for
use with Diamond detectors and resulted very reliable. A commercial
version of the MSCA was then developed and is now available on the
market. Its novelty and main advantage, with respect to the former
version, is to be used also with other fast detectors e.g. Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) with high counting speed and Silicon
detectors. The commercial MSCA features input impedance very close
to 50 Ohm, which can be matched to a 50-Ohm transmission line. This
allows locating the amplifier at variable distances from the
detector and up to 100 m. These claimed performances result very
interesting for solid state detectors, therefore, up to now a few
applications of MSCA are reported in the literature and a systematic
study of its performances is missing. In this work, an analysis of
the spectrometric performances of Diamond and Silicon detectors
coupled to MSCA located at various distances (up to 48 m) from the
detectors is reported. Pulse height spectra of a multi-peaks alpha
source were measured using MSCA amplifier and compared with those
obtained using a standard charge sensitive preamplifier (CA). Then,
the effect of the distance between detectors and amplifiers was
investigated using standard RG58 and double shielded RG214 coaxial
cables. The results are presented and discussed.
Preparation, optimisation, and properties of O-carboxymethyl chitosan-g-cholesterol succinic acid monoester polymer nanomicelles
Authors: Li Rui , Hao Rui , Xu Chu , Chen Jue , Lu Liyan , Wang Yu , Ruan Wenhui
Published: August 2024

Polymer nanomicelles have the advantages of small particle size, improved drug solubility, retention effect and enhanced permeability, so they can be used in the treatment of tumour diseases. The aim of this study was to prepare and optimise a nanomicelle which can improve the solubility of insoluble drugs. Firstly, the carboxyl group of cholesterol succinic acid monoester was grafted with the side chain amino group of O-carboxymethyl chitosan-g-cholesterol succinic acid monoester (CCMC), and its structure was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). Particle size has an important impact on tissue distribution, cell uptake, permeability and inhibition of tumour tissue. In this study, particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) were selected as indexes to optimise the preparation process of CCMC nanomicelles through single factor experiment, Plackett–Burman experiment, the steepest climbing experiment and response surface design experiment. The optimised CCMC nanomicelles showed an average particle size of 173.9 ± 2.3 nm and a PDI of 0.170 ± 0.053. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay showed no significant effect on cell viability in the range of 0–1000 μg ml−1 concentration. Coumarin-6 (C6) was used as a fluorescent probe to investigate the drug-carrying ability of CCMC nanomicelles. C6-CCMC showed 86.35 ± 0.56% encapsulation efficiency with a drug loading of 9.18 ± 0.32%. Both CCMC and C6-CCMC demonstrated excellent stability in different media. Moreover, under the same conditions, the absorption effect of C6 in C6-CCMC nanomicelles was significantly higher than that of free C6 while also exhibiting good sustained-release properties. Therefore, this study demonstrates CCMC nanomicelles as a promising new drug carrier that can significantly improve insoluble drug absorption.
Exploring of exosomes in pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic of osteonecrosis of the femoral head: the mechanisms and signaling pathways
Authors: Chen Sheqing , Liu Jin , Zhang Nuoya , Zhao Jingjing , Zhao Suqing
Published: August 2024

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a refractory disease affecting young adults, resulting in severe hip pain, femoral head collapse, and disabling dysfunction. By far, the underlying mechanism of its pathology is unclear, and still lack of a mature and effective treatment. Exosomes, a regulator of cell–cell communication, their cargos may vary in response to different physiological or pathological conditions. To date, many studies have demonstrated that exosomes have the potential to become a diagnostic marker and therapeutic agent in many human diseases including ONFH. As a cell-free therapeutic agent, exosomes are becoming a promising tool within this field due to their crucial role in osteogenesis and angiogenesis in recent decades. Usually, exosomes from ONFH tissues could promote ONFH damage, while stem cells derived exosomes could delay diseases and repair femoral head necrosis. Herein, we describe the properties of exosomes, discuss its effect on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment potential in ONFH, and examine the involvement of different signaling pathways. We also propose our suggestions for the future research of exosomes in ONFH field and hope to provide a potential therapeutic strategy for patients with ONFH.
Reliability and resilience of environmental flows under uncertainty: reconsidering water year types and inconsistent flow requirements in California
Authors: Facincani Dourado Gustavo , Viers Joshua H
Published: August 2024

Environmental water allocation in California is a complex legal process involving various government agencies and stakeholders. E-flow requirements can be based on annual runoff typologies called water year types (WYTs), which dictate water volume, timing, and duration. In this study, we examined hydropower licensing documents of the major water and power projects in the Central Sierra Nevada to catalog e-flow requirements by WYT. In this study case, we identify how WYT classification systems and categories vary across and within different basins. Additionally, we assessed the impacts of climate change on hydrology, the frequency of WYTs identified, and the reliability and resilience of e-flows using future projections (2031–2060) of 10 Global Circulation Models (GCMs). We then propose a potential adaptation strategy using a 30 year moving percentiles approach to recalculate WYTs. We identified eight WYT classifications systems were identified, and their WYT distributions statistically significantly changes across all GCMs, even though most GCMs indicate no statistically significant change in hydrology. Disparities in future impacts are observed among and within hydropower projects, with some river reaches showing negative impacts on reliability and resilience. The adaptation strategy can generally boost resilience and improve reliability, but simply updating existing WYT thresholds without flexible regulatory frameworks reconsidering WYTs and e-flows thresholds, may not yield substantial improvements. Challenges in managing e-flows in California within regulatory and hydroclimatic contexts are intricate due to the lack of standardized approaches, leading to inconsistencies and potential conflicts among stakeholders, that will likely be exacerbated by climate change. Thus, we emphasize that targeted, site-specific, and adaptive management strategies are crucial, besides the need for a harmonized and consistent approach to defining and applying WYT categories and methods and/or e-flow assessments.
Multicellular 3D bioprinted human gallbladder carcinoma for in vitro mimicry of tumor microenvironment and intratumoral heterogeneity
Authors: Jin Yukai , Zhang Jiangang , Xing Jiali , Li Yiran , Yang Huiyu , Ouyang Liujian , Fang Zhiyuan , Sun Lejia , Jin Bao , Huang Pengyu , Yang Huayu , Du Shunda , Sang Xinting , Mao Yilei
Published: August 2024

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a malignant hepatobiliary cancer characterized by an intricate tumor microenvironments (TME) and heterogeneity. The traditional GBC 2D culture models cannot faithfully recapitulate the characteristics of the TME. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting enables the establishment of high-throughput and high-fidelity multicellular GBC models. In this study, we designed a concentric cylindrical tetra-culture model to reconstitute the spatial distribution of cells in tumor tissue, with the inner portion containing GBC cells, and the outer ring containing a mixture of endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and macrophages. We confirmed the survival, proliferation, biomarker expression and gene expression profiles of GBC 3D tetra-culture models. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunofluorescence staining verified the morphology and robust expression of GBC/endothelial/fibroblast/macrophage biomarkers in GBC 3D tetra-culture models. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed two distinct subtypes of GBC cells within the model, glandular epithelial and squamous epithelial cells, suggesting the mimicry of intratumoral heterogeneity. Comparative transcriptome profile analysis among various in vitro models revealed that cellular interactions and the TME in 3D tetra-culture models reshaped the biological processes of tumor cells to a more aggressive phenotype. GBC 3D tetra-culture models restored the characteristics of the TME as well as intratumoral heterogeneity. Therefore, this model is expected to have future applications in tumor biology research and antitumor drug development.
Microneedle system for tissue engineering and regenerative medicines: a smart and efficient therapeutic approach
Authors: Khan Muhammad Umar Aslam , Aslam Muhammad Azhar , Abdullah Mohd Faizal Bin , Gul Hilal , Stojanović Goran M , Abdal-Hay Abdalla , Hasan Anwarul
Published: August 2024

The global demand for an enhanced quality of life and extended lifespan has driven significant advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. These fields utilize a range of interdisciplinary theories and techniques to repair structurally impaired or damaged tissues and organs, as well as restore their normal functions. Nevertheless, the clinical efficacy of medications, materials, and potent cells used at the laboratory level is always constrained by technological limitations. A novel platform known as adaptable microneedles has been developed to address the abovementioned issues. These microneedles offer a solution for the localized distribution of various cargos while minimizing invasiveness. Microneedles provide favorable patient compliance in clinical settings due to their effective administration and ability to provide a painless and convenient process. In this review article, we summarized the most recent development of microneedles, and we started by classifying various microneedle systems, advantages, and fundamental properties. Subsequently, it provides a comprehensive overview of different types of microneedles, the material used to fabricate microneedles, the fundamental properties of ideal microneedles, and their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, primarily focusing on preserving and restoring impaired tissues and organs. The limitations and perspectives have been discussed by concluding their future therapeutic applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicines.
In-depth analysis of optical fiber displacement sensor design process
Authors: Zubia G , Zubia J , Amorebieta J , Aldabaldetreku G , Durana G
Published: August 2024

Distance measurement is an essential issue in modern industry. Differential intensity sensors based on optical fibers have been very successful. Nevertheless, an inefficient fiber bundle design limits their ultimate range and sensitivity. This paper presents a method and a framework that allows researchers to find the best design for a sensor operating point. A comprehensive database has been established, containing information on all bundles that can be customized using major commercial fibers. Results show that the design of a fiber bundle for an operating point or range is less critical than one might think. Several fiber configurations allow working over the same distance range with the same responsivity. As we have shown, this result is maintained even when we impose stringent manufacturing tolerances (0.1%) on the positioning of the fibers. For this reason, the tool makes it possible to optimize the sensor response by selecting, among all possible solutions, those that maximize other parameters such as sensitivity, responsivity, operating range, or linearity. In addition, the tool has a general purpose and facilitates the design of bundles tailored for precise distance measurement. The results obtained with the model and the tool have been validated with our experimental results and those obtained by other authors.
Photonic variational quantum eigensolver using entanglement measurements
Authors: Lee Jinil , Song Wooyeong , Lee Donghwa , Kim Yosep , Lee Seung-Woo , Lim Hyang-Tag , Jung Hojoong , Han Sang-Wook , Kim Yong-Su
Published: August 2024

Variational quantum eigensolver (VQE), which combines quantum systems with classical computational power, has been arisen as a promising candidate for near-term quantum computing applications. However, the experimental resources such as the number of measurements to implement VQE rapidly increases as the Hamiltonian problem size grows. Applying entanglement measurements to reduce the number of measurement setups has been proposed to address this issue, but, entanglement measurements themselves can introduce additional resource demands. Here, we apply entanglement measurements to the photonic VQE utilizing polarization and path degrees of freedom of a single-photon. In our photonic VQE, entanglement measurements can be deterministically implemented using linear optics, so it takes full advantage of introducing entanglement measurements without additional experimental demands. Moreover, we show that such a setup can mitigate errors in measurement apparatus for a certain Hamiltonian.
A variational approach to quantum gated recurrent units
Authors: Ceschini Andrea , Rosato Antonello , Panella Massimo
Published: August 2024

Quantum Recurrent Neural Networks are receiving an increased attention thanks to their enhanced generalization capabilities in time series analysis. However, their performances were bottlenecked by long training times and unscalable architectures. In this paper, we propose a novel Quantum Recurrent Neural Network model based on Quantum Gated Recurrent Units. It uses a learnable Variational Quantum Layer to process temporal data, interspersed with two classical layers to properly match the dimensionality of the input and output vectors. Such an architecture has fewer quantum parameters than existing Quantum Long Short-Term Memory models. Both the quantum networks were evaluated on periodic and real-world time series datasets, together with the classical counterparts. The quantum models exhibited superior performances compared to the classical ones in all the test cases. The Quantum Gated Recurrent Units outperformed the Quantum Long Short-Term Memory network despite having a simpler internal configuration. Moreover, the Quantum Gated Recurrent Units network demonstrated to be about 25% faster during the training and inference procedure over the Quantum Long Short-Term Memory. This improvement in speed comes with one less quantum circuit to be executed, suggesting that our model may offer a more efficient alternative for implementing Quantum Recurrent Neural Networks on both simulated and real quantum hardware.
Comparative investigation of passive voltage amplification in ferroelectric-dielectric heterostructure
Authors: C M Archana , Awadhiya Bhaskar , Nanjappa Yashwanth
Published: August 2024

This paper investigates the ferroelectric-dielectric heterostructure with a fixed dielectric oxide and different ferroelectric oxides. This study is focused on the enhancement of capacitance, voltage amplification, and negative capacitance stabilization. In the first section of this study, an isolated ferroelectric capacitor with intrinsically unstable negative capacitance is examined for different ferroelectric oxides. To address the concern of instability a dielectric oxide is added in series to the ferroelectric capacitors. This addition raises the heterostructure’s total capacitance while stabilizing the negative capacitance. Silicon (Si), Zirconium (Zr), Aluminum (Al), and Strontium (Sr) doped hafnium oxide are used in heterostructure. It is found that the capacitance of Sr doped hafnium oxide is closely matched with the dielectric capacitance, therefore it provides the highest voltage amplification and enhanced capacitance among the other ferroelectric oxide considered.
A quantitative hot tearing criterion for aluminum alloys
Authors: Bagheri Majid , Alizadeh Mostafa , Ahmadi Alireza , Hajizamani Mohsen
Published: August 2024

In this study, a new hot tearing criterion was proposed to quantitatively predict open and segregated hot tears in aluminum alloys. In the suggested model, the displacement of grains at a grain boundary near the solidus temperature was considered as the main reason for crack formation. In this model, it is assumed that when the distance between two neighbor grains exceeds the distance between those grains at the coherency temperature, the enriched liquid can penetrate to the root of the dendrites and form segregated and open hot tears. The main parameters of the model are microstructure (grain size and number of grain boundaries), critical strain, applied strain, and width of generated cracks. The index was verified by the solidifying shell tensile (SST) test of an Al alloy containing 0.95 wt% Cu and 0.12 wt% Fe. Also, the critical strain for crack formation in the test was calculated by using accumulated strain theory and load-time curves. The results revealed that the proposed model can suitably predict the number of open and segregated hot tears generated in the SST test samples.
Introduction
Authors: Daniel Garber
Published: August 2024

Spinoza wrote two main works: the Ethics, and the Tractatus theologico-politicus. Both are about salvation, but in very different ways: one is about reason, the other about revelation, one is about individuals and how they should live, the other is about the way we should live together. For the most part, the scholarly literature is dominated by books and articles that focus on one or another of these two works. In Spinoza: Reason, Religion, Politics, a diverse international group of scholars, senior and junior, confront both of these works together, and attempt to understand the many ways in which they are related to one another. The volume is organized into six parts. Part I, “Two Intertwined Texts,” Part II, “God and Atheism,” Part III, “Laws: Natural, Human, and Divine,” Part IV, “Wonder, Final Causes, and Miracles,” Part V, “Revelation, Reason, and Salvation,” and Part VI, “Political Philosophy.”
Spinoza’s Ethics as a Theological-Political Treatise
Authors: Nadler Steven
Published: August 2024

While the Ethics is obviously a work with political dimensions, this chapter argues that it is also undeniably a theological-political treatise. And it suggests it is a theological-political treatise, oddly enough, because of Spinoza’s metaphysics, and especially his metaphysics of human nature. More specifically, this chapter argues that Spinoza’s notoriously and frustratingly opaque account of the eternity of the mind in Part 5, accompanied by his unorthodox re-conception of the notions of ‘blessedness’ and ‘salvation’, not only constitute a crucially important dimension of the Ethics but also contribute to making it a theological-political work. Recognizing this requires considering the relationship of the Ethics to the historically grounded TTP that Spinoza published (anonymously) in 1670. The chapter’s thesis is that the mind-body metaphysics of the Ethics and the religious and political doctrines of the TTP are complementary and mutually supporting parts of the same theological-political project.
Prejudices, Common Notions, Intuitions
Authors: Mogens Lærke
Published: August 2024

In E2p47s, Spinoza claims that “God’s infinite essence and his eternity are known to all.” Moreover, immediately after, he goes on to proclaim “that men do not have so clear a knowledge of God as they do of the common notions.” This chapter is an attempt to unpack and reconcile these seemingly counter-intuitive and contradictory assertions about knowledge of God in the Ethics by correlating them with Spinoza’s parallel discussion of the same topic in the Tractatus theologico-politicus, chapter 6, including an associated annotation, the Annotation VI. This allows showing that the key to understanding E2p47s lies in understanding the nature and role of those “common notions” that Spinoza declares to be “clearer” than our knowledge of God in E2p47s, and in understanding how our common notions of things, our “reasoning” about things, relates to our knowledge of God.
Spinoza’s ‘Atheism’, the Ethics and the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus
Authors: Yitzhak Y. Melamed
Published: August 2024

This chapter argues that Spinoza deserves neither vilification nor praise for being an atheist, for the simple reason that he was not one. The first section of the chapter addresses the imputation of atheism to Spinoza and Spinoza’s response to the charge. The second section discusses three strategies that have been pursued to ascribe atheism to Spinoza. The third and fourth sections discuss some key texts from the Ethics and the TTP and argue that the atheist readings fail to make sense of these key passages (unless one adopts a hermeneutics of extreme suspicion which could equally find any view harbored in any text). The fifth section shows that both panentheism and the critique of anthropomorphic religion and anthropomorphic conceptions of providence were quite common within Jewish-Rabbinic discourse. Thus, the chapter argues that if we are not in the business of announcing that both Maimonides and the Kabbalists were atheists, we should avoid the same imputation to Spinoza.
Descartes and Spinoza on the Laws of Nature
Authors: Edwin Curley
Published: August 2024

This chapter develops Hampshire’s claim that Spinoza’s system “can … be fairly represented as the metaphysical expression of the ideal … of a unified science.” Descartes believed that we could organize the sciences into a deductive system whose axioms are metaphysical principles, from which the laws of physics are deducible, and that the laws of all the other sciences are deducible from physics. Spinoza agreed with much of this, but questioned Descartes’ foundations. He did not think we could deduce the laws of nature from the will of God (or from such traditional attributes of God as immutability and omnipotence). Instead he thought we could deduce them from the attributes, which are his first cause. If we develop Hampshire’s insight in this way, and recognize that Spinoza thought the causal structure of nature must reflect the logical structure of the ideal science, we will better understand the nature of his ‘God,’ the causal relation between God and his ‘creatures,’ what the infinite modes are and why Spinoza thought they must exist, and in what sense his system is necessitarian.
Divine Law and the Right Way of Living
Authors: Rutherford Donald
Published: August 2024

In the TTP Spinoza sets aside discussion of a “universal ethics” dedicated to exploring the “way of living among human beings.” This chapter investigates the trace of this idea in the Ethics, relating it to the general theory of law Spinoza defends in the TTP. The key features of that theory are Spinoza’s distinction between two orders of law, human and divine, distinguished by their different ends; and his provision of two explanations of the force or practical necessity of law, one prescriptive, the other based on the “necessity of nature.” Central to the argument of the TTP is the contrast between divine law interpreted as command and divine law as universal causal necessity. This chapter argues for a parallel approach to human law in the Ethics. Human law can be understood to consist of commands authorized by the state, or of natural necessities relating causes and effects. Knowledge of such necessities induces in the philosopher a temperament (virtue) that promotes the end of human law: “living more safely and agreeably.”
How to Make a Philosopher
Authors: Klein Julie R
Published: August 2024

This chapter considers evidence from Spinoza’s Ethics, Theologico-Political Treatise, and correspondence to clarify his account of philosophical pedagogy and his analysis of the shift from imagining, characterized by inadequate ideas and passive affects, to reasoning and intuitive understanding, which consist of adequate ideas and active affects. Central issues in Spinoza’s account of how to make a philosopher include the tasks of teachers, the cultivation of the desire to learn, and the doctrine of the common notions. The chapter reads the Ethics as a theoretical, systematic account of human development and philosophical education and as a practical, pedagogical intervention designed to transform the reader. It looks to Spinoza’s presentation of Christ as intellectual knower and teacher par excellence in the Theologico-Political Treatise and to parallels there with the Ethics. Both Christ and Spinoza himself employ “common and true notions” for philosophical teaching.
The Frame Problem and the If-Then Problem
Authors: Shea Nicholas
Published: August 2024

This chapter argues that human cognition manages to solve the notorious frame problem (the problem of relevance-based search) by relying on concepts to interface between special-purpose informational models and general-purpose reasoning. Deep neural networks avoid the frame problem by building in assumptions of relevance, but eventually face limits. Storing explicit memories reintroduces the problem of searching memory for relevance. The concept-driven architecture offers a hybrid solution. Special-purpose systems generate relevant considerations on which reasoning operates. Their state spaces allow relevance-based search along multiple semantic dimensions. This can approximate isotropic search. Concepts compose these systems combinatorially. This explains how cognition partly avoids, and partly solves, the frame problem.
Association between days spent at home and functional status and health among persons living with dementia
Authors: Qureshi Nabeel , Nuckols Teryl , Tsugawa Yusuke , Tan Zaldy S , Gotanda Hiroshi
Published: August 2024

Background

Many persons living with dementias (PLWD) prefer to remain at home as long as possible, and days spent at home (DAH)—defined as the time an individual spends outside of healthcare facilities—has emerged as a person-centred outcome measure in this population. We examined the association between DAH and functional status and health among PLWD.

Methods

Utilizing a nationally representative cohort of individuals age 65 and older in the United States with dementia from the 2010–2018 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we assessed the relationship between an ordinal categorical DAH variable and number of activities of daily living (ADLs) (range 0–10; 10 being independent), mobility (0–5; 5 being mobile), and self-rated health (SRH) (0–4; 4 being excellent), controlling for patient characteristics. DAH was defined as the number of self-reported days spent outside a hospital or nursing home in the time between survey waves, typically 730 days.

Results

We identified 3002 participants (4192 observations, average 1.4 observations per participant). The mean DAH was 704.4 days (SD 10.8 days) and 64.9% spent all days at home (i.e. 730 days). A 2-week decrease in DAH was associated with a lower ADL score by 0.32 points (95% confidence internal [CI]: 0.24–0.40, P-for-trend<0.001), a lower mobility score by 0.18 points (95% CI: 0.13–0.22, P-for-trend<0.001), and a lower SRH by 0.05 points (95% CI: 0.02–0.08, P-for-trend<0.001).

Conclusion

We demonstrate that DAH is positively associated with important patient-reported outcomes among the dementia population, strengthening the argument for considering DAH as a meaningful outcome measure for PLWD.
Trends in disability and limitations among US adults age 18-44, 2000-2018
Authors: Zajacova Anna , Margolis Rachel
Published: August 2024

Understanding disability trends is critical for health care and social policy. Although trends in disability and limitations have been studied extensively among older and middle-aged adults, little is known about trends in younger Americans, despite their importance for current and future population health. We present the first comprehensive evidence on disability trends among US adults age 18-44. We analyze 20 measures of disability and limitations collected in the nationally representative National Health Interview Survey 2000-2018 (n = 261 505). Robust Poisson models estimate age- and sex-adjusted trends and their covariates. Over one-quarter (27.4%) reported at least 1 disability or limitation; the age-adjusted prevalence increased by 5% from 2000 to 2018. However, trends for specific disabilities and limitations varied tremendously. Activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living limitations, cognitive, and social disabilities increased steeply (by 65%-89% over the study period). Mobility limitations were generally unchanged or increased modestly. Hearing and “other” limitations decreased significantly (25%-48% decrease). The trends are only partly explained by education, health behaviors, chronic conditions, and other covariates. Disability trends research must not be limited to older adults. Researchers and policy makers interested in health care policy, planning, and caregiving should pay attention to disability trends among young adults in the United States.
Reduced seed viability in exchange for transgenerational plant protection in an endophyte-symbiotic grass: does the defensive mutualism concept pass the fitness test?
Authors: Fuchs Benjamin , Damerau Annelie , Yang Baoru , Muola Anne
Published: August 2024

Background and Aims

Epichloë endophytes are vertically transmitted via grass seeds and chemically defend their hosts against herbivory. Endophyte-conferred plant defence via alkaloid biosynthesis might occur independently of costs for host plant growth. However, fitness consequences of endophyte-conferred defence and transgenerational effects on herbivore resistance of progeny plants are rarely studied. The aim of this study was to test whether severe defoliation in mother plants affects their seed production, seed germination rate and the endophyte-conferred resistance of progeny plants.

Methods

In a field study, we tested the effects of defoliation and endophyte symbiosis (Epichloë uncinata) on host plant (Festuca pratensis) performance, loline alkaloid concentrations in leaves and seeds, seed biomass and seed germination rates. In a subsequent greenhouse study, we challenged the progeny of the plants from the field study to aphid herbivory and tested whether defoliation of mother plants affects endophyte-conferred resistance against aphids in progeny plants.

Key Results

Defoliation of the mother plants resulted in a reduction of alkaloid concentrations in leaves and elevated the alkaloid concentrations in seeds when compared with non-defoliated endophyte-symbiotic plants. Viability and germination rate of seeds of defoliated endophyte-symbiotic plants were significantly lower compared with those of non-defoliated endophyte-symbiotic plants and endophyte-free (defoliated and non-defoliated) plants. During 6 weeks of growth, seedlings of defoliated endophyte-symbiotic mother plants had elevated alkaloid concentrations, which was negatively correlated with aphid performance.

Conclusions

Endophyte-conferred investment in higher alkaloid levels in seeds, elicited by defoliation, provided protection from herbivores in progenies during the first weeks of plant establishment. Better protection of seeds via high alkaloid concentrations was negatively correlated with seed germination, indicating a trade-off between protection and viability.
Olfactory receptor neurons are sensitive to stimulus onset asynchrony: implications for odor source discrimination
Authors: Raiser Georg , Galizia C Giovanni , Szyszka Paul
Published: August 2024

In insects, olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) are localized in sensilla. Within a sensillum, different ORN types are typically co-localized and exhibit nonsynaptic reciprocal inhibition through ephaptic coupling. This inhibition is hypothesized to aid odor source discrimination in environments where odor molecules (odorants) are dispersed by wind, resulting in turbulent plumes. Under these conditions, odorants from a single source arrive at the ORNs synchronously, while those from separate sources arrive asynchronously. Ephaptic inhibition is expected to be weaker for asynchronous arriving odorants from separate sources, thereby enhancing their discrimination. Previous studies have focused on ephaptic inhibition of sustained ORN responses to constant odor stimuli. This begs the question of whether ephaptic inhibition also affects transient ORN responses and if this inhibition is modulated by the temporal arrival patterns of different odorants. To address this, we recorded co-localized ORNs in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and exposed them to dynamic odorant mixtures. We found reciprocal inhibition, strongly suggesting the presence of ephaptic coupling. This reciprocal inhibition does indeed modulate transient ORN responses and is sensitive to the relative timing of odor stimuli. Notably, the strength of inhibition decreases as the synchrony and correlation between arriving odorants decrease. These results support the hypothesis that ephaptic inhibition aids odor source discrimination.
‘Let’s brew a new Brussels’: imaginaries of the circular economy
Authors: Lambert Deborah
Published: August 2024

In this paper, I mobilise the notion of imaginaries to analyse a case of the circular economy (CE) in the region of Brussels, Belgium, where bread surplus from mass retail is upcycled to produce a local and more sustainable beer. I examine circular imaginaries and how they are translated into urban practices and materialised in the city. My analysis shows that the craft and post-industrial narratives of new circular products may find a positive echo at the urban level when re-development strategies to attract new productive activities mobilise similar narratives of creativity, innovation and craft skills. It concludes that CE risks becoming a rallying signifier helping to support a discourse coalition on the productive and circular city.