bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polaron formation by electron polarization in two-dimensional transition metal halides
Authors: Liang Yunfan , Cai Min , Peng Lang , Jiang Zeyu , West Damien , Fu Ying-Shuang , Zhang Shengbai
Published: February 2025

An electron in solid can be dressed by the lattice distortions of surroundings, forming a localized composite quasiparticle called small polaron, whose formation has been customarily attributed to the electron–phonon couplings that the ion polarization traps the excess electron. Here we present a theory of electron-polarization induced small polaron, in which the carrier localization happens spontaneously and drives subsequent ion relaxation. This mechanism of polaron formation is qualitatively different than the Mott-Stoneham picture in that there is no need to overcome a kinetic barrier for the carrier to self-trap to form a polaron.Through a combination of first-principles theory and model Hamiltonian, we show that this is the mechanism for polaron formation in the monolayer two-dimensional transition metal halides, CrI2, CoCl2 and CoBr2. These findings may explain the exceptional stability and manipulability of polarons in this class of materials by scanning tunneling microscopy.
Improved wavelet threshold denoising method for magnetic field signals of magnetic targets
Authors: Lu Binjie , Zhang Xiaobing
Published: February 2025

The presence of complex electromagnetic noise significantly impacts the accuracy of magnetic targets signal detection, necessitating the development of an effective denoising method to enhance detection precision. Nevertheless, traditional denoising methods faces problems such as difficulty in selecting wavelet basis, difficulty in specifying the decomposition level, and unreasonable selection of thresholds. This study introduces improved wavelet threshold denoising based on peak-to-sum ratio and composite evaluation index T, named as (PSR-T-IWTD). PSR-T-IWTD integrates the improved wavelet basis selection method, improved wavelet decomposition level selection method, improved threshold selection method, and improved threshold function design method. Calculate the composite evaluation index T and select the wavelet basis with the smallest T as the optimal wavelet basis. The optimal number of decomposition level is determined by the PSR of the wavelet detail coefficients. An improved threshold selection method and threshold function are introduced to further enhance the performance of wavelet threshold denoising (WTD). Finally, the magnetic field denoising test of the ship model was designed and compared with Butterworth low-pass filter (BLPF), optimal wavelet selection wavelet adaptive threshold denoising (OWSWATD) and improved WTD based on T (T-IWTD) to verify the effectiveness of PSR-T-IWTD. The test results show that PSR-T-IWTD has lower computational complexity. Meanwhile, PSR-T-IWTD improves the signal-to-noise ratio by 10.2%, 6.8% and 8.3% compared to BLPF, OWSWATD and T-IWTD, respectively.
Pauli decomposition via the fast Walsh-Hadamard transform
Authors: Georges Timothy N , Berntson Bjorn K , Sünderhauf Christoph , Ivanov Aleksei V
Published: February 2025

The decomposition of a square matrix into a sum of Pauli strings is a classical pre-processing step required to realize many quantum algorithms. Such a decomposition requires significant computational resources for large matrices. We present an exact and explicit formula for the Pauli string coefficients which inspires an efficient algorithm to compute them. More specifically, we show that up to a permutation of the matrix elements, the decomposition coefficients are related to the original matrix by a multiplication of a generalised Hadamard matrix. This allows one to use the Fast Walsh-Hadamard transform and calculate all Pauli decomposition coefficients in

O

(

N
2

log
⁡
N
)

time and using

O

(
1
)

additional memory, for an N × N matrix. A numerical implementation of our equation outperforms currently available solutions.
A novel approach to constructing a parameter-controlled multi-scroll conservative hyperchaotic system: applications in image encryption
Authors: Guang Yerui , Ding Qun , Zhang Yanpeng
Published: February 2025

This paper proposes, for the first time, a novel parameter-controllable four-dimensional multi-scroll conservative hyperchaotic system, constructed using nonlinear feedback based on modulus operations. The system exhibits rich dynamic characteristics, with a simplified mathematical model, and is more suitable for hardware implementation compared to traditional multi-scroll chaotic systems. This feature is highly significant for hardware-centric applications where both security and computational speed are of paramount importance. The size, number and spatial distribution of the scrolls in phase space can be precisely controlled through the parameters n and T. Through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations, we investigate the system’s behavior at equilibrium points, energy, phase-space volume, Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation characteristics, and sequence complexity. Moreover, the system demonstrates rich coexisting behaviors not only dependent on initial conditions but also under the influence of control parameters. In addition, it exhibits hyperchaotic characteristics over a wide parameter range (a and b), which significantly enhances the security and unpredictability of the system. Based on the proposed multi-scroll conservative hyperchaotic system, a novel color image encryption algorithm is devised. The innovative plane reorganization and scrambling algorithms facilitate more effective mixing of the color planes. In conjunction with a bidirectional encryption diffusion algorithm, the changes to any pixel in any plane are propagated across all three color planes. The scrambling algorithm, derived from the controlled multi-scroll conservative chaotic system, processes row and column scrambling in parallel, thereby streamlining the scrambling procedure. Experimental results and subsequent analysis demonstrate that the proposed color image encryption algorithm exhibits robust security and is well-suited for communication scenarios with real-time processing requirements.
An improved memristive model driven cellular neural networks for highly efficient advanced image processing
Authors: Cai Xiumei , Yang Zhiru , Wu Chengmao , Song Liping
Published: February 2025

This study presents an advanced window function designed to address the limitations inherent in current memristive models, which often encounter issues such as boundary effects, boundary-locking, high complexity, and inflexibility. Memristors, which emulate synaptic behavior in neural circuits, rely on window functions to accurately model the nonlinear doping drift phenomenon. The proposed window function enhances adjustability and flexibility, aiming to mitigate these prevalent issues. Through MATLAB simulations, this research examines the volt-ampere characteristics of memristors and benchmarks the performance of the improved window function against traditional models. Additionally, the enhanced function is applied to image processing tasks, including edge extraction and denoising, in conjunction with a cellular neural network. The results demonstrate that the improved model effectively resolves the boundary-locking issue and exhibits superior hysteresis behavior. Furthermore, the memristor-based cellular neural network outperforms existing algorithms in image processing, as evidenced by improved peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index (SSIM). These findings underscore the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed window function in both memristor characterization and practical image processing applications.
Locally MoO3-induced CsPbBr3 homojunction photodetectors with improved photoelectric performance
Authors: Yan Lairong , Ren Penghui , Yang Jianping , Ding Zhenxuan , Hu Hao , Zhang Guoqiang , Zhang Yanbin , Lin Ping , Xu Lingbo , Wang Peng , Cui Can
Published: February 2025

Perovskite-based semiconductor photodetectors have attracted wide attention in the photoelectric fields. By local MoO3 induction, MoO3:CsPbBr3−CsPbBr3 homojunction photodetector was constructed by chemical vapor deposition, exhibiting not only excellent response speed in the scale of microsecond, but also high responsivity of 247.1 A W−1 and detectivity (8.7 × 1012 Jones), roughly an order of magnitude higher than that of CsPbBr3 devices. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that the Fermi level moves closer to the top of the valence band due to the local MoO3 induction, leading to the conversion of weak p-type CsPbBr3 to a strong p-type semiconductor, which is consistent with the calculation result based on density functional theory (DFT). The band alignment in the homojunction accelerates the photo-generated carrier separation and transfer, thus improving the photoelectric performance of MoO3:CsPbBr3−CsPbBr3 homojunction. Our results provide a new strategy to design photodetectors with excellent performance by constructing homojunctions with perovskite on different substrates.
Drift velocity of charged particles in gases: general relationship between drift velocities in position and velocity spaces
Authors: Makabe Toshiaki
Published: February 2025

We discuss the theoretical expression of the drift velocity of charged particles (i.e., positive and negative ions as well as electrons) from the perspective of the distinct statistical characteristics in position and velocity spaces. A qualitative difference between the drift velocities,
V

dR in position space and
V

dV in velocity space emerges, as commonly recognized, in the presence of non-conservative collisions that the number of the charged particle is not conserved. This paper confirms that
V

dR, incorporating a corrected term in position space, is equivalent to the phase-space expression of the charged particle with a small density gradient under a cold gas approximation using the Boltzmann equation. Numerically predicted drift velocities in the literature for charged particles in gases allow us to categorize their relative magnitudes with respect to
V

dR ≷ 
V

dV in the range of reduced electric field E/N previously studied. We discuss the disparity between
V

dR and
V

dV based on the energy dependence of the non-conservative collision. It is noteworthy that the present argument is irrespective of the degree of anisotropy in the velocity distribution of the charged particle. Key words: drift velocity, drift velocity in position and velocity spaces, relationship between the bulk and the flux drift velocities, Boltzmann equation, density gradient expansion of the distribution.
Designing a validation experiment for radio frequency condensation
Authors: Fu Lanke , Litvinova Mitra E. , Nies R. , Reiman A.H. , Austin M. , Bardoczi L. , Brookman M. , Chen Xi , Choi W. , Fisch N.J. , Hu Q. , Hyatt A. , Jung E. , La Haye R. , Logan N.C. , Maraschek M. , McClenaghan J.J. , Strait E. , Welander A. , Yang J. ,   the ASDEX Upgrade Team
Published: February 2025

Theoretical studies have suggested that nonlinear effects can lead to ‘radio frequency (RF) condensation’, where an initially broad current profile can coalesce in islands when they reach sufficient width. In suitable conditions, RF condensation can ‘self-focus’ the driven current to the center of an island, improving stabilization efficiency and reducing control complexity. In unsuitable conditions, the effect can prematurely deplete the RF energy before it reaches the island center, impairing stabilization. It is predicted that the RF condensation effect can significantly impact reactor-scale tokamaks. This paper presents a set of simulations investigating the conditions under which RF condensation might be encountered in present-day tokamaks. For concreteness, the calculations use equilibrium reconstructions for two shots from DIII-D and AUG. The Current Condensation Amid Magnetic Islands (OCCAMI) simulation code has been used for this investigation. The code takes as its input a numerically specified axisymmetric EFIT equilibrium solution, and it perturbatively constructs a 3D field with an island embedded at the appropriate rational surface. In the OCCAMI code, the GENRAY code is used for ray tracing and for calculating the power deposition along a ray trajectory, and GENRAY is coupled self-consistently to a solution of the thermal diffusion equation in the island. The simulation results described in the paper illuminate the conditions required for experimental validation of the theory of RF condensation. The simulations also provide an explanation of why the effect was not noticed in experiments prior to the publication of theoretical papers on the subject.
Mechanical model for a full fusion tokamak enabled by supercomputing
Authors: Ellis W.M.E. , Reali L. , Davis A. , Brooks H.M. , Katramados I. , Thornton A.J. , Akers R.J. , Dudarev S.L.
Published: February 2025

Determining stress and strain in a component of a fusion power plant involves defining boundary conditions for the mechanical equilibrium equations, which implies the availability of a full reactor model for defining those conditions. To address this fundamental challenge of reactor design, a finite element method model for the Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak Upgrade fusion tokamak, operating at the Culham Campus of UKAEA, has been developed and applied to assess mechanical deformations, strain, and stress in the full tokamak structure, taken as a proxy for a fusion power plant. The model, handling 127 million finite elements using about 800 processors in parallel, illustrates the level of fidelity of structural simulations of a complex nuclear device made possible by the modern supercomputing systems. The model predicts gravitational and atmospheric pressure-induced deformations in broad agreement with observations, and enables computing the spectrum of acoustic vibrations of a tokamak, arising from mechanical disturbances like an earthquake or a plasma disruption. We introduce the notion of the density of stress to characterise the distribution of stress in the entire tokamak structure, and to predict the magnitude and locations of stress concentrations. The model enables defining computational requirements for simulating a whole operating fusion power plant, and provides a digital foundation for the assessment of reactor performance as well as for specifying the relevant materials testing programme.
The investigation of pH controlling and HCl concentrations for synthesis radar absorber material
Authors: Yustanti E , Gusti M F , Noviyanto A , Randa M
Published: February 2025

Barium hexaferrite, with the chemical formula BaFe12O19, is a well-known permanent magnet. Due to its extraordinary magnetic properties, barium hexaferrite has the potential to be one of the best candidates for microwave absorbers. It is essential to use high-level iron (Fe) as a precursor to synthesize barium hexaferrite. This study used natural FeCl3 precursors from the iron sands of Anyer Beach, Banten. Iron sand is leached with hydrochloric acid (HCl). This study investigated the varying concentrations of HCl, including 8M, 10M, and 12M. This study examined the leaching of iron sand by characterizing it using x-ray fluorescence to determine the amount of each element present. The x-ray fluorescence results for the highest Fe value are 41.624%. This study used the co-precipitation method to create a material that blocks radar. Barium hexaferrite with Mg and Al as dopants is the basis of this material. The washing pH affects the decrease in the reflection loss value. This study investigated variations of pH 7, pH 9, and pH 11. The BHF dopant Mg-Al achieves its optimum at pH 7, resulting in a particle size of 90 nm. At 8.2 GHz, the reflection loss value reaches - 18.1462 dB. The reflection loss value corresponds to 98.42% microwave absorption.
The Effect of Na2O/Ho2O3 Substitution on absorption spectra of Ho-Tm codoped Boro-Tellurite Glass
Authors: Marzuki A , Djeksadipura W M S , Ramelan A H , Fausta D E , Harjana  , Sutomo A D
Published: February 2025

Boro-tellurite glasses composed of 57B2O3– (4-y)Na2O-–15Bi2O3-20TeO2–3TiO2–1Tm2O3-yHo2O3 (y = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mol%) were succesfully synthesised and the change in their absorption spectra in wavelength range 300-1100 nm were studied. All glasses were fabricated at the same melting temperature 1000°C and subsequenlty qunched and annnealled in the same manner. It can be seen that glass dopped with only Tm3+ ions (y = 0) shows three absorption peaks, i.e., 471, 686, and 792 nm. As Ho3+ ions were added, there were additional six new peaks appear, i.e., peaks located around 417, 450, 485, 538, and 642 nm. The study reveals that different peaks show difference of sensitivity to the additional Ho3+ ions concentration with peaks around 450 nm shows the most sensitive.
Classifying volcanic earthquake types of Mount Merapi using Artificial Neural Network (ANN)
Authors: Sudarmaji  , Pujianie Jacobus Patresya , Sulistyani
Published: February 2025

Indonesia, a country that passed by ring of fire, make this country have a lot of volcanoes. Therefore, monitoring volcanic activity is needed to dig deeper into volcano-science and to help in mitigating the risk of volcanic disasters that can be done by utilizing today’s technological developments. By utilizing of artificial inteligence and machine learning technology that can automate the processing of large amount of data, monitoring of volcanic activity can be made easier. On this research, the use of artificial neural network (ANN) for classifying volcanic earthquake patterns from Mt. Merapi. Some volcanic events from Mt. Merapi was be categorized into five classes: volcano-tectonic A, volcano-tectonic B, multiphase, low frequency and rockfall. The seismic data record from Mt. Merapi was processed becoming frequency spectrum as feature space and input for the artificial neural network. The output of the artificial neural network is one type of Mt. Merapi seismic event. The input data consist of 430 volcanic events record of Mt. Merapi during October 2019. Some architecture model of artificial neural network has been developed too. The experiment result of the artificial neural network for these volcanic events with ratio training and testing around 70%:30% shows accuracy was >83.7%. This accuracy is higher than previous studies of machine learning using same data with XGBoost algorithm with accuracy 76.7% and SVM algorithm with accuracy 74.4%.
Nanoparticle formulation of ZnO: TiO2 as sunscreen cream for Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) patients
Authors: Siswanto  , Qulub Fitriyatul , Ofelia Viannco Junico Vallery
Published: February 2025

Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) is a form of lupus that affects the skin and is highly sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV-B. in particular. can trigger inflammation and apoptosis in CLE patients. making a sunscreen with effective UV-B protection crucial. This study evaluates the effectiveness of zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in sunscreen. ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared using the High Energy Milling method. resulting in particle sizes of 7.77 nm and 4.44 nm. respectively. The creams containing these nanoparticles were tested for physical stability and UV protection. Results showed that the creams were physically stable and provided good UV protection. with ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles making up 12.60% of the total cream ingredients. resulting in the highest SPF (Sun Protection Factor) value of 62.0 ± 1.37.
Precision farming for coffee: Real-Time monitoring and control systems
Authors: Muhamad Akhsan Firmansyah Nanang , Khoirunisa Anwar Fayiszah , Alamsyah Alviola , Jati Puspitasari Ayu
Published: February 2025

Coffee is one of vital Indonesia’s commodity. Greenhouse coffee growing ensures consistent production through controlled conditions like temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. Wireless Sensor Networks and IoT-based systems in smart greenhouses enable real-time plant monitoring, remote management, and automatic control, crucial for efficiency. In this study, the sensors used include DHT22 for air temperature and humidity, YL-69 for soil humidity, and BH1750 for light intensity. The ESP32 is connected to a local internet network, transmitting data to a database. Hardware collects data through the ESP32, enabling control of actuators such as cooling fans, spray pumps, and water pumps. A real-time monitoring website for temperature, air humidity, soil moisture, and light intensity is established on a server computer using PHP, Visual Studio Code for the interface, and MySQL for storing data. From the prototype, the average accuracy percentage in consecutive temperature tests is 97.1%, air humidity is 94%, light intensity is 84.5%, and soil moisture is 79.2%. The Average Response Time (RT), representing the time needed for the system to receive data from the microcontroller and display it on the website, is 1.660 seconds. Cooling fans, spray pumps, and water pumps act as actuators activated by the ESP32 through 2-channel relays. These actuators are triggered based on air temperature, air humidity, and soil moisture values. If the air temperature exceeds 27°C, the cooling fans activate to regulate the air temperature. Should air humidity drop below 70%, the spray pump activates to boost humidity within the greenhouse. Similarly, if soil moisture falls below 74%, the water pump activates to augment soil moisture levels. Actuator response aligns with specified threshold values for each sensor: >27°C for temperature, <76% for air humidity, and <70% for soil moisture. This study effectively monitors and controls temperature, humidity, and soil moisture for coffee plants, aiming to boost production.
The Impact of nitrogen doping variations on the effectiveness of TiO₂ as a photocatalyst for methylene blue degradation
Authors: Kusumandari Kusumandari , Dwi Wijayanti Osi , Iriani Yofentina , Endah Saraswati Teguh , Purnama Budi
Published: February 2025

TiO₂-N, with nitrogen sourced from urea, was successfully synthesized using the sonication method. Variations in the mass ratio of urea in TiO₂-N (8:2, 6:4, 4:6, 2:8) were conducted to determine their effects on structural properties, functional groups, morphology, bandgap energy, and the most effective photocatalytic properties of the samples. XRD analysis results showed that all samples exhibited an anatase phase and had a tetragonal structure. The crystallite sizes of TiO₂ and TiO₂-N (8:2, 6:4, 4:6, and 2:8) were 50.73 nm, 51.91 nm, 51.55 nm, 51.88 nm, and 51.15 nm, respectively. FTIR results indicated that all samples contained Ti-O-Ti and Ti-N-Ti bonds. SEM results revealed the morphology of TiO₂ and TiO₂-N. UV-Vis DRS results showed that TiO₂-N had a smaller bandgap energy compared to TiO₂. Photocatalytic activity tests of the TiO₂-N samples showed that TiO₂-N (6:4) was the most effective in degrading methylene blue under both UV light and daylight.
Improving the estimation of grazing pressure in tropical rangelands
Authors: Fernández Pedro David , Baumann Matthias , Blanco Lisandro , Murray Francisco , Nasca José , Piipponen Johannes , Tasquer Macarena , Kuemmerle Tobias
Published: February 2025

Livestock grazing is a key land use globally, with major environmental impacts, yet the spatial footprint of grazing remains elusive, particularly at broad scales. Here, we combine livestock system indicators based on remote sensing and livestock vaccination data with a biophysical grass growth model to assess forage production, livestock carrying capacity, and grazing pressure on rangelands in the South American Dry Chaco. Specifically, we assess how considering different livestock systems (e.g. fattening in confinement, grazing with supplementary feeding, woodland grazing) changes estimations of grazing pressure. Our results highlight an average carrying capacity of 0.48 animal units equivalents (AUEs) per hectare for the Chaco (0.72 for pastures, 0.43 for natural grasslands, 0.37 for woodlands). Regional livestock requirements ranged between 0.02–6.43 AUE ha−1, with cattle dominating livestock requirements (91.6% of total AUE). Considering livestock systems with different production intensities markedly altered the rangeland carrying capacity and degradation estimations. For example, considering confinements and supplementary feeding drastically reduced the pasture area with potential overgrazing, from about 58 000 km2 to <19 000 km2 (i.e. 13.5% vs 5.7% of the total rangeland area). Conversely, considering the typically unaccounted-for cattle of woodland smallholders markedly increased the potentially degraded woodland area, from 3.2% (∼1000 km2) to 12.1% (3700 km2) of the total woodland area. Our work shows how ignoring production intensity can bias grazing pressure estimations and, therefore, conclusions about rangeland degradation connected to livestock production. Mapping indicators characterizing the intensity of livestock systems thus provide opportunities to understand better grazing impacts and guide efforts towards more sustainable livestock production.
How to reinforce governance in water–tourism nexus research? Updating the hydrosocial cycle to loop into stakeholders’ roles, interactions, and power dynamics
Authors: Ricart Sandra , Villar-Navascués Rubén , Squitieri Flaminia , Neri Mattia , Hernández-Hernández María , Toth Elena , Rico-Amorós Antonio M
Published: February 2025

Over the years, a substantial body of knowledge has emerged to analyse the water–tourism nexus, shifting from setting agendas to problem-solving approaches, while highlighting the importance of involving stakeholders in effective governance. In this respect, the hydrosocial cycle approach has demonstrated its effectiveness in assessing the human–nature dimension of water resources by examining the roles and narratives of stakeholders, as well as the asymmetrical power dynamics influencing decision-making processes. This study establishes a framework aimed at enhancing governance in hydrosocial research related to the intersection of water and tourism by exploring stakeholders’ interactions across five key dimensions: relevance, representativeness, recognition, performance, and collaboration. Additionally, it articulates each dimension using a triple-loop factor scheme that considers stakeholders’ knowledge (to be), actions (to do), and relationships (to share). This framework was implemented in two Mediterranean coastal hotspots, Benidorm (Spain) and Rimini (Italy), which exemplify complex water management contexts marked by competing water needs. Data were gathered through questionnaires distributed to key stakeholders, such as municipalities, regional authorities, water suppliers, irrigation districts, and tourism associations. Our findings illustrate that within the water–tourism nexus, governance tends to favour the water component over the tourism dimension, as evidenced by water stakeholders’ leadership roles, player status, and their greater relevance and recognition in terms of their responsibilities and actions. Moreover, although some stakeholders lack awareness of others’ roles within the system, no stakeholder was seen as redundant, which suggests potential for fostering engagement by pinpointing most influential stakeholders and reassessing their positions in power-imbalanced contexts. The proposed framework introduces a straightforward, flexible, and easily replicable strategy for dealing with context-dependent issues and challenges, such as the water–tourism nexus, and can enhance the effectiveness of broader participatory tools, such as semi-structured interviews and workshops, improving its applicability in a range of governance environments.
Interface bonding of co-laminated and annealed sheets – A short review of recrystallisation and grain growth mechanisms
Authors: Brisset F , Azzeddine H , Bradai D , Baudin T
Published: February 2025

The roll bonding and the accumulative roll bonding allow the joining of two or more sheets of similar or dissimilar materials at various temperatures. This kind of metal-forming allows to access optimised physical properties of metallic composites. However, from a general point of view, the bonding strength of the co-laminated layers is very low and consolidation annealing is necessary to improve it. Consequently, recrystallisation and grain growth phenomena occur in the different layers and at the interfaces as well. The present short review highlights the recrystallisation and grain growth mechanisms such as continuous, discontinuous recrystallisation, particle-stimulated nucleation, and grain boundary migration mainly reported in the literature. Based on microstructural observations, it appears that consolidation annealing must be optimised to improve the bonding strength and the microstructural homogeneity of multilayer composites.
Investigation of detector efficiency with EDS in SEM with the aim to improve standardless quantitative results
Authors: Eggert F , Rafaelsen J , Camus P P
Published: February 2025

We have found deviations in in net-count measurement comparisons with EDS detectors equipped with different X-ray entrance windows that cannot be explained by the theoretical assumed and synchrotron measurements verified window transmissions. This work presents the results with systematic simultaneous measurements, which were performed with two EDS SDD systems on one SEM to verify this effect. The two detectors were equipped with a polymer window (Moxtek AP3) and the next generation Si3N4-window (Amptek C2), respectively. A possible explanation of measured detector-efficiency deviations will be given with an additional “divergence effect” due to the Moxtek polymer window support grid blades. It is to consider an additional X-ray transmission at window support grid lamella edges for divergent X-rays at energies already below 10 keV, while the support grid becomes significantly transparent in the parallel beam only with energies >10 keV. This effect is to consider in difference to the parallel beam transmission view because the X-rays in the SEM are from a point source, a fact which was ignored in the past. The “divergence effect” increases with detector area and with closer detector distance to the specimen in SEM. Small deviations of grid lamella alignment to the detector axis can produce similar lamella-edge transmission effects, which can differ between individual detectors. Taking the additional polymer window grid-lamella transmission into account explains the already observed and reported systematic difference in the calculated X-ray counts emitted from a specimen (measured net counts corrected with detector-efficiency). And with this, it explains the deviations of quantitative results between the two different detector window systems. Standardless quantitative results need to be independent from the detector (window) with which the measurements were performed. This was the motivation for the presented work and is a precondition to investigate and improve the standardless quantitative models further, to achieve improved accuracy in standardless evaluation of the measured X-ray data with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) systems, used for the electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) method.
Imaging through highly scattering media via global transformer mapping
Authors: Xia Wenxuan , Li Xiangqing , He Guannan , Luo Zhi , Wu Xia , Huang Bo
Published: February 2025

Scattering media are prevalent in real life. When light from the object passes through thick scattering media, most of it is scattered, forming noise-like speckle patterns. In this paper, we utilize the circular Gaussian distribution model to simulate the multi-scattering process in the media. Unlike the point-to-point mapping in an ideal lens imaging system, the multi-scattering process transforms the relationship between the object and speckle patterns into a one-to-many mapping. Each point on the object can potentially contribute to all the pixels in the speckle pattern. We propose a transformer framework that can reconstruct object images from speckle patterns more effectively than convolutional neural networks. This is because the transformer, through its attention mechanism, efficiently captures the global correlation information inherent in the one-to-many mapping. Furthermore, the one-to-many mapping indicates that speckle patterns have a certain degree of redundancy. We can reconstruct object images from partial speckle patterns.
Surface magnetism in Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals ferromagnet
Authors: Tyson Trevor A , Amarasinghe Sandun , Abeykoon A M Milinda , Lalancette Roger , Du Kai , Fang Xiaochen , Cheong Sang-W , Al-Mahboob Abdullah , Sadowski Jerzy T
Published: February 2025

The surface magnetization of Fe3GeTe2 was examined by low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) using an off-normal incidence electron beam. We found that the 180° domain walls are of Bloch type. Temperature-dependent LEEM measurements yield a surface magnetization with a surface critical exponent β1 = 0.79 ± 0.02. This result is consistent with surface magnetism in the 3D semi-infinite Heisenberg (β1 = 0.84 ± 0.01) or Ising (β1 = 0.78 ± 0.02) models, which is distinctly different from the bulk exponent (β = 0.34 ± 0.07). The measurements reveal the power of LEEM with a tilted beam to determine magnetic domain structure in quantum materials without the need for the use of spin-polarized electrons. Single crystal diffraction measurements reveal inversion symmetry-breaking weak peaks and yield space group P-6m2. This Fe site defect-derived loss of inversion symmetry enables the formation of skyrmions in this Fe3GeTe2 crystal.
Integrating 2D magnets for quantum devices: from materials and characterization to future technology
Authors: Zhong Han , Plummer Douglas Z , Lu Pengcheng , Li Yang , Leger Polina A , Wu Yingying
Published: February 2025

The unveiling of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals magnetism ignited a surge of interest in low-dimensional magnetism. With dimensions reduced, research has delved into facile electric control of 2D magnetism, high-quality heterostructure design, and new device functionality. These atomically thin magnetic materials have spawned a burgeoning field known as 2D spintronics, holding immense promise for future quantum technologies. In this review, we comprehensively survey the current advancements in 2D magnet-based quantum devices, accentuating their role in manifesting exotic properties and enabling novel functionalities. Topological states, spin torques, voltage control of magnetic anisotropy, strain engineering, twistronics, and designer interface will be discussed. Furthermore, we offer an outlook for their development in future CMOS and quantum hardware paradigms.
Why do some informal settlements fare better than others? A mixed-methods analysis of water and sanitation inequities across informal settlements
Authors: Khan Hassaan Furqan
Published: February 2025

Over three hundred million people in South Asian cities live in informal settlements. The administrative and socio-economic contexts in which these informal settlements emerge exhibit significant heterogeneity, influencing their access to water and sanitation. Using a mixed methods approach, this investigation compares variations in, and determinants of, access to water and sanitation services across informal settlements in Karachi, Pakistan. Quantitative surveys of four hundred households highlight significant inequities in water and sanitation services across informal settlements. These include limited access to piped water, water use that is much lower than the minimum needed to sustain human life, high incidence of waterborne disease, and significant resulting healthcare expenses. Key stakeholder interviews reveal that while legal recognition (i.e. regularization) can help settlements connect to the city’s water and sanitation network, policy and legislative changes have failed to ensure public utility service provision in newly regularized settlements meaning that residents are responsible for developing their own internal infrastructure. Settlements that receive non-governmental support from intermediaries during regularization feature better water and sanitation services as do older informal settlements that have accumulated greater financial and social capital. These findings underscore the importance of addressing service provision as part of the regularization process for Karachi’s informal settlements and emphasize the need for a more granular understanding of differences in water and sanitation service access across South Asian informal settlements.
Financial Behavior among Emerging Adults
Authors: Robb Cliff A , Dutton Kayla M
Published: February 2025

A broad understanding of financial well-being among emerging adults necessarily requires some understanding of their financial behavior. In this chapter, we focus on several broad categories of consumer behavior that have received attention from social scientists and policymakers. Respectively, we provide a deeper exploration of budgeting, saving, investing, and credit/debt management. These categories provide a strong foundation for understanding financial flourishing or floundering. While it can be difficult to separate behavior from broader factors such as financial literacy and institutional considerations, we strive to provide a picture of emerging adults’ observed behaviors and consider the implications of those behaviors. This chapter highlights the unique challenges of needing to borrow more at younger ages, challenges in saving for the short and long term, and general financial security among emerging adults. These challenges are considered in the context of general wage stagnation and increasing cost of living. Recommendations for emerging adults are provided.
Navigating Financial Self-Sufficiency
Authors: Vosylis Rimantas , Negru-Subtirica Oana
Published: February 2025

Many parents around the world continue to financially support their emerging adult children as the latter experience prolonged education and extended transition times to stable employment. This has made the path to financial self-sufficiency longer and more diversified. Some emerging adults achieve financial self-reliance quickly, while others rely on parents until their early thirties. Therefore, the pathways linking parental financial support to emerging adults’ financial and general flourishing and floundering have received considerable attention from researchers. First, this chapter examines the increasing role of parental financial support in contemporary societies. Second, it delves into how prolonged parental financial support promotes emerging adults’ financial wellness. Third, it discusses the role of family socioeconomic status in the form and level of financial support parents can provide. Finally, it addresses the negative effects of parental financial support on emerging adult children’s psychological well-being, developmental progression, formation of financial skills, and parent–child relationships.
Socioeconomic Vulnerability of Emerging Adults in the United States
Authors: Solheim Catherine , Fatiha Nusroon , Dysart Pamela
Published: February 2025

This chapter employs an intersectional lens to examine the realities of socioeconomically vulnerable emerging adults and their families that may lead to financial floundering. We champion the idea that financial capability is a relevant concept for this population because it goes beyond the commonly held definitions of financial literacy (i.e., an individual’s financial knowledge, skills, and behaviors) to consider equitable access to financial systems, products, and services. This more accurately reflects the lived experiences of minoritized emerging adults and their families who comprise a significant proportion of those who are socioeconomically vulnerable in U.S. society. We discuss factors that influence emerging adults’ ability to accumulate assets and build wealth, including education, employment, homeownership, and intergenerational wealth transfers. Finally, we conclude with promising solutions to remove systemic barriers so that socioeconomically vulnerable emerging adults and their families can pursue their financial goals, build wealth, achieve financial well-being, and flourish financially.
Gender and Finances in Emerging Adulthood: Sex, Gender, and Inequalities
Authors: Rinaldi Emanuela E , Giannella Valeria A
Published: February 2025

This chapter will first discuss the difference between sex (i.e., biological) and gender (i.e., a social construct), and how money contributes to “doing gender,” with gender-based economic norms, expectations, and behaviors that change over time and from one country to another. Then, it will discuss gender-based economic inequalities (e.g., earnings) that may affect the transition to adulthood. Because one of the salient factors that shape gender-based wealth inequity is financial knowledge, we provide an overview of studies from several countries that show contributing factors to the gender gap in financial knowledge level among young people (i.e., lower for women). After that, we explore gender differences in financial attitudes and behaviors. Finally, we highlight the role that gender stereotypes play in financial flourishing and floundering in emerging adulthood.
Introduction
Authors: Corvellec Hervé , Bevan David
Published: February 2025

This volume shows that waste, in both how it is produced and how it is construed, can serve as a revelatory lens through which the social world itself may be critically re-examined and assessed. Drawing on related interdisciplinary interests for waste, it presents contributions that address the thematic concerns of materiality, society, economy, and temporality. The aim is to offer an introduction to critical waste-based epistemology. This chapter opens contextually with introductions to discard and waste studies, and to the practice of critique, followed by an introduction to the 16 contributions to the volume. In a series of further reflections, we elicit the key features and demonstrate how these contributors lay a ground for, and trace pathways towards, a critical waste-based epistemology.
On the Socio-Material Practices of Leakage Control
Authors: Olofsson Jennie
Published: February 2025

This chapter engages leakage, through a joint reading of feminist theories and discard studies. The focus is on the logics and monitoring practices that surround and render leakage intelligible. As such, this chapter constitutes a critique of containment, including human estrangement from, and domination of, more-than humans. Leakage has been an object of attention, from feminist theorists and discard studies scholars alike. A joint reading suggests that whereas some leakages are of concern to economists, state actors, and industries, other leakages remain highly intimate. Leakage, then, attains meaning and bites back differently depending on the logics of which it comprises part. At the same time, there are connections and similarities between the different logics, idea(l)s of containment and control being one example. A critique of containment, then, suggests that leakage is both relational and productive, and that it serves also as a trace-making practice. Herein lies also its transformative potential.
From Thin to Thick Relationships with Objects
Authors: Lehtokunnas Taru , Närvänen Elina
Published: February 2025

Overconsumption is often blamed for upholding unsustainable ways of living and producing thin relationships between consumers and objects of consumption. This conceptual chapter offers an alternative view by focusing on the constitution of consumer subjectivity. It focuses especially on how the different wasteness of consumption objects, such as bananas, smartphones, and used armchairs, shape our subjectivity and the relationships we have with the objects. With the wasteness of consumption objects, the authors refer to the tendency of all objects to turn into waste. As the chapter illustrates, wasteness is a quality that is always present in all objects and thus not only related to the acts of disposing and excluding unwanted things. We argue that the wasteness of objects is not always a negative quality in an object, but instead it may be understood as a quality for making the relationship between consumers and the objects thicker and more caring.
Grassroots Social Innovation of Waste Pickers as Critique of the Existing Social Order
Authors: Gutberlet Jutta , de Carvalho Vallin Isabella
Published: February 2025

Grassroots initiatives in the waste sector can contribute to reducing poverty, increasing social inclusion, creating gender equity, and tackling a range of other social, environmental, and climate change objectives. In many parts of the world, organized waste pickers have developed leadership by delivering ecosocial contributions, helping cities deal with waste management, and addressing social valorization within the waste value chain. The activities of these grassroots agents entail an open critique of existing social and political orders, expressed in current mainstream regimes of waste and waste management. Novel practices emerge from marginal ‘niche’ contexts, in which waste pickers experiment with technological innovations, develop alternative governance forms, or obtain successful strategies for increasing income. This chapter discusses the ways in which waste pickers develop their own solutions to tackle the bottlenecks, challenges, and questions that they face in their everyday work life.
A Critique of Heroic Efficacy
Authors: Corvellec Hervé
Published: February 2025

This chapter questions the rallying cry that ‘waste is a resource’ through the lens of François Jullien’s critique of efficacy. Focusing on the waste hierarchy, the lean movement, and the circular economy, it shows that viewing waste as a resource privileges a heroic mode of action based on ideals, means and ends, and intended outcomes. Contrasting ancient Greek and Chinese philosophies, Jullien contrasts this proactive approach, which defines efficacy as the ability to solve problems and achieve goals, with an anti-heroic focus on immanence, situational circumstances, and transformations. This contrast leads to a critique of the overconfidence currently placed in heroic efficacy. Heroic efficacy appears as a conservative posture that supports the dominant social order and deflects fitting social critique. But the Anthropocene epitomizes the need to re-evaluate current confidence in heroic efficacy and to seek non-heroic approaches.
Waste Commoning as Critical Answer to the Property Question
Authors: Zapata Patrik , Zapata Campos María José
Published: February 2025

Cooking food salvaged from waste bins, acquiring knowledge and skills to repair one’s bicycle in a ‘bike kitchen’, and collecting discarded materials as part of a waste picker cooperative illustrate how waste can be transformed into a commons through waste commoning. The possibility of such a transformation provides a critical perspective on the simplistic dualism that property is only either public or private. Waste commoning is a practice-based critique and questions the assumption that property can only be either public or private. Through insurgent knowledge, small-scale practices, and entangled rationales and relations, waste commoning points towards alternative ways to organize a more sustainable and inclusive society.
Mother Earth and Her Three Little Wasteful Pigs
Authors: Hird Myra J , Dee Gabriella
Published: February 2025

This chapter considers waste as a planetary crisis, and Earth as the porcine mother who sends her over-consuming children out into the world. The first born, hegemonic little pig, dismisses the crisis, swaggering in ever-accelerating capitalist growth. His more mature brother, somewhat concerned about his vulnerability to accelerating environmental catastrophe, builds his house with aspirational concepts like waste as resource and circular economy, and with regulations, transboundary amendments and policies that seek to work within his older brother’s burn-baby-burn empire. The youngest pig is tired of her older siblings’ telling her ‘how things are’. Their settler colonialism, neoliberal capitalism, and social injustice have rendered her the most vulnerable, and she is building her shelter against the inhospitable future with what her brothers call ‘radical’ thinking: degrowth. Drawing on a range of theoretical and methodological traditions, this chapter considers the feasibility of degrowth, and its potential impact on our waste crisis.