Exceptional phonon point versus free phonon coupling in Zn1−xBexTe under pressure: an experimental and ab initio Raman study

Raman scattering and ab initio Raman/phonon calculations, supported by X-ray diffraction, are combined to study the vibrational properties of Zn1−xBexTe under pressure. The dependence of the Be–Te (distinct) and Zn–Te (compact) Raman doublets that distinguish between Be- and Zn-like environments is examined within the percolation model with special attention to x ~ (0,1). The Be-like environment hardens faster than the Zn-like one under pressure, resulting in the two sub-modes per doublet getting closer and mechanically coupled. When a bond is so dominant that it forms a matrix-like continuum, its two submodes freely couple on crossing at the resonance, with an effective transfer of oscillator strength. Post resonance the two submodes stabilize into an inverted doublet shifted in block under pressure. When a bond achieves lower content and merely self-connects via (finite/infinite) treelike chains, the coupling is undermined by overdamping of the in-chain stretching until a «phonon exceptional point» is reached at the resonance. Only the out-of-chain vibrations «survive» the resonance, the in-chain ones are «killed». This picture is not bond-related, and hence presumably generic to mixed crystals of the closing-type under pressure (dominant over the opening-type), indicating a key role of the mesostructure in the pressure dependence of phonons in mixed crystals.

Transition of adolescents with severe asthma from pediatric to adult care in Spain: the STAR consensus

Objective: To assess the consensus level among a multidisciplinary expert panel on the transition of adolescents with severe asthma from pediatric to adult care. Methods: A 61-item survey was developed based on guidelines for other chronic pathologies, covering transition planning, preparation, effective transfer, and follow-up. A two-round Delphi process assessed the consensus level among 98 experts (49 pediatricians, 24 allergists and 25 pulmonologists). Consensus was established with ≥70% agreement. Results: Forty-two items (70%) reached consensus. No age range to initiate the transition was agreed upon by the panelists. The main goal to achieve during the transition identified by the experts is that adolescents gain autonomy to manage their severe asthma and prescribed treatments. The panelists agreed on the importance of developing an individualized plan, promoting patient’s autonomy, and identifying home environment factors. They agreed that the adult healthcare team should have expertise in severe asthma, biologics and management of adolescent patients. Pediatric and adult healthcare teams should share clinical information, agree on the criteria to maintain the biological therapy, and have an on-site joint visit with the patient before the effective transfer. Adult healthcare professionals should closely follow the patient after the effective transfer to ensure correct inhaler technique, treatment adherence and attendance to healthcare appointments. Conclusions: This consensus document provides the first roadmap for Spanish pediatric and adult teams to ensure that key aspects of the transition process in severe asthma are covered. The implementation of these recommendations will improve the quality of care offered to the patient.

Chemical Supercritical Fluid Infiltration of Pyrocarbon with Thermal Gradients: Deposition Kinetics and Multiphysics Modeling

The chemical supercritical fluid infiltration process is a recent variation of the chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process that allows rapid and efficient manufacturing of ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs), albeit still needing optimization. This article proposes a quantitative assessment of the process dynamics through experiments and modeling. The kinetics of carbon deposition were determined through two sets of experiments: CVD on a single filament at pressures between 10 and 50 bar and infiltration at pressures ranging between 50 and 120 bar. The CVI experiments were conducted under important thermal gradients and were interpreted using a model-based reconstitution of these gradients. We found that (i) the kinetic law has to incorporate the potential effect of the reverse reaction (i.e., etching of C by H2); (ii) the activation energy and pre-exponential factor both decrease with pressure up to 50 bar, then remain roughly constant, and (iii) although the apparent activation energy is modest, a favorable situation occurs in which an infiltration front builds up and travels from the hottest to the coldest part of the preform due to the presence of sufficient heat flux. A numerical simulation of the process, based on the solution of momentum, heat, and mass balance equations, fed with appropriate laws for the effective transfer properties of the porous medium and their evolution with infiltration progress, was performed and validated by comparing the simulated and actual infiltration profiles.

First International Seminar on Physical Infrastructure (1st ISPI)

The First International Seminar on Physical Infrastructure (1st ISPI) was an academic and scientific event organized by the Road Infrastructure Research Group and the Road Infrastructure Research Seedbed of the Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, San José de Cúcuta, Colombia; the 1st ISPI was held from October 13 to 15, 2021 The purpose of the 1st ISPI was to allow the academic and scientific community, researchers, professors, professionals, and students, to share results and research proposals in the areas of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics; during the 1st ISPI is presented 29 research work, of which 6 were plenary lectures from Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia, and 23 talks, on different topics that allowed to the participants the to learn about the current state of the Physical Infrastructure, the Mathematical Modeling, the Physical and Numerical Modeling, the Physicochemical Phenomena in Engineering, the Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, the Simulation of Physical- Mathematical Problems in Engineering, and the Teaching and Research Techniques in Science and Engineering. The website of the conference is available at https://foristom.org/1ispi. On behalf of the organizing committee of the 1st ISPI, we are extremely thankful to all authors and participants for providing their valuable contributions to this Proceedings volume as well as the reviewers for their constructive recommendations and criticism aiding to improve the presented articles. Likewise, we like to thank the Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, and the Foundation of Researchers in Materials Science and Technology, for all the support technical and logistical received. Likewise, the organizing committee 1st ISPI thanks all who attended this edition of the event, and we are very proud to have carried out this event successfully that allowing the generation and effective transfer of new knowledge regarding the topics addressed during the event; we will be waiting for you at the 2nd ISPI in 2022. Finally, the editor hopes that those interested in the area of physical infrastructure can enjoy this reading, of the volume of the Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS), which reflects a wide variety of current issues. List of Organizing Committee, Photos are available in this pdf.

Appropriate Technology for Access to Universal Basic Services: A Case Study on Basic Electricity Service Provision to Remote Communities in the Napo River Basin

Appropriate technologies (ATs) refer to technologies that are controlled by the communities that benefit from their implementation. Technologies have become a fundamental element in projects aiming to solve problems related to poverty and access to basic needs in some areas in emerging countries, and appropriation of these technologies is necessary to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and sustainability. However, due to the lack of consensus on the definition of ATs, there is a need to clarify and define the scope and boundaries of the term to facilitate the implementation of technology in projects in developing countries. This study addresses this gap by means of a scoping review, which presents a detailed analysis of 17 journal articles (from an initial selection of 95 articles) and provides a comprehensive definition of ATs. To guide AT-oriented interventions in technology-intensive cooperation projects, this study proposes an Action Framework based on that definition of ATs. The Action Framework provides guidance on how to implement technology in these projects to ensure that the technology is appropriated. To facilitate the understanding of the Action Framework, the study showcases its application in a real project of rural electrification in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.

Information Flow Between the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange: A Transfer Entropy Approach

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there was information flow between the stock markets of Zimbabwe and South Africa during the time the Zimbabwean economy was dollarized. The author used econophysics-based Shannonian and Rényian transfer entropy estimates to establish the flow of information between the markets in tranquil periods as well as at the tails of return distributions. The only significant Shannonian transfer entropy estimate was from Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) resources index to Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) mining index. The findings show that the only significant tail dependence was between JSE All Share Index (JALSH) and ZSE Mining on the one hand, and between JSE Resources and ZSE Mining on the other hand. However, the magnitudes of the effective transfer entropy values are relatively low, showing that there are weak linkages between the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The lack of significant information flows between the exchanges of the two countries offer opportunities to fund managers for portfolio diversification. From a government point of view, it is imperative that the tempo of economic and political reform be accelerated so that integration between the markets can be fast-tracked. Integrated markets will benefit Zimbabwe as this will reduce the cost of equity and accelerate economic growth.

Alàgbà Adébáyọ̀ Fálétí as a Yorùbá Novelist

In their introduction to a book entitled: Yorùbá creativity, fiction, language, life, and songs, Falola and Genova (2005) assert that creativity among the ̣ Yorùbá has a long history and the traditions of oral histories, storytelling, performances and dramas are parts of fundamental habit of their civilization. In the pre-colonial era, the authorship of the stories in the folktales and in some poetic genres could not be claimed by any particular artist/artiste, but due to the influence of colonial rule, western literary traditions, among others, storytellers can claim authorship of their works today. The Yorùbá make no distinction between myth, legend and history. They all come under ìtàn (Ogunsina, 1992). One Yorùbá novelist that has distinguished himself in the effective use of ìtàn (story) in novel writing is Adébáyò ̣ Fálétí. He is not only a storyteller, he is a literary historian. Every creative writer in Yorùbá society is admired and judged as competent or otherwise not only by writing in the medium of the language but by having captivating story line and on the basis of his/her use of ‘quality’ Yorùbá language (i.e. language full of proverbs and other rhetoric devices). An average Yorùbá reader of Fálétí’s novels, poetry, plays and viewer of his films usually responds with delight because of his powerful use of Yorùbá language and captivating story lines, plot construct, narrative techniques and thematic contents. Isọ la (1998) classifies all other Yorùbá major novelists apart from Fágúnwà ̣ into three groups on their use of language and creative pedigree (190). According to him, “some are mere story tellers” who use mainly casual language; 154 Lere Adeyemi there are others with mixed styles and there are a few of them who creatively exploit the genius of the language. He identifies Adébáyò ̣ Fálétí among few others as belonging to the genius category. Ogunsina (1992) groups Fálétí as a prominent historical novelist who incorporates historical materials into novel writing. I agree with Ogunsina that Fálétí’s effective transfer of histori ̣ - cal materials into fiction is a revelation of the novel’s eclectic quality and also a manifestation of Fálétí’s creative genius. Fálétí’s love of ìtàn (story) is reflected in all his literary works, be it poetry, play or novel. However, our focus in this study is to examine Adébáyọ̀ ̣ Fálétí as a Yorùbá novelist through his literary lens.

Diagnosis of interior damage with a convolutional neural network using simulation and measurement data

Current deep learning applications in structural health monitoring (SHM) are mostly related to surface damage such as cracks and rust. Methods using traditional image processing techniques (such as filtering and edge detection) usually face difficulties in diagnosing internal damage in thicker specimens of heterogeneous materials. In this paper, we propose a damage diagnosis framework using a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) and transfer learning, focusing on internal damage such as voids and cracks. We use thermography to study the heat transfer characteristics and infer the presence of damage in the structure. It is challenging to obtain sufficient data samples for training deep neural networks, especially in the field of SHM. Therefore we use finite element (FE) computer simulations to generate a large volume of training data for the deep neural network, considering multiple damage shapes and locations. These computer-simulated data are used along with pre-trained convolutional cores of a sophisticated computer vision-based deep convolutional network to facilitate effective transfer learning. The CNN automatically generates features for damage diagnosis as opposed to manual feature generation in traditional image processing. Systematic parameter selection study is carried out to investigate accuracy versus computational expense in generating the training data. The methodology is demonstrated with an example of damage diagnosis in concrete, a heterogeneous material, using both computer simulations and laboratory experiments. The combination of FE simulation, transfer learning and experimental data is found to achieve high accuracy in damage localization with affordable effort.

METHODS TO ESTIMATE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF APPLYING POLYMER-BITUMEN BINDERS

The implementation of the national project "Safe and High-quality Highways" is aimed at spreading the successful experience of using innovative materials, structures and technological solutions for federal projects at road facilities of regional and inter-municipal subordination. There are no approaches to evaluate the economic efficiency of using new and best technologies for the objects of regional subordination or they are not provided with a methodological basis for evaluating their total economic profitability. The objective of the research conducted by the group of authors is to develop methods to prove the efficiency of a wide range of innovations for objects of regional subordination. The research problem is to study the issues of effective transfer to the subjects of the Russian Federation of technological solutions used in construction and repair work on federal highways. This is due not only to the lack of experience in the application of innovations, the high cost of new production and laboratory equipment for their implementation, the small scale of the work carried out, but also significantly different operating conditions, maintenance of these road facilities. In this part of a comprehensive study conducted within the framework of the federal project "System-wide Measures for the Development of Road Facilities", the authors propose a methodological approach to calculating the efficiency of using polymer-bitumen binders. Cost-effectiveness analysis for arrangement of polymer-asphalt-concrete coatings on highways was used as the methodological basis for evaluating the economic efficiency of applying this technological solution.

Investigating the motivational antecedents of training transfer at the post-implementation phase of enterprise systems

Purpose Despite recognising the importance of training on the successful implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, there is a shortage of research on mechanisms that facilitate the effective use of ERP implementation training in business environments. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing post-implementation transfer behaviours as a measure of training effectiveness among ERP users. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model based on related theories was developed to explain the effectiveness of post-implementation ERP training. The study analysed collected data from ERP users drawn from finance, customer relationship management, marketing, sales and logistics units in some organisations in New Zealand. Findings Findings reveal that 42.7% of the variance in ERP training transfer (TT) can be explained by mastery goal orientation (MGO), computer self-efficacy (CSE) and transfer motivation (TMO). Furthermore, CSE and TMO acted as vital mechanisms by which MGO affects the TT. Research limitations/implications Future studies are implored to address the limitation of cross-sectional research design by using more objective measures and multiple data sources. Practical implications Understanding the underlying mechanisms of training effectiveness at the post-implementation phase can facilitate the development of strategic interventions to sustain effective transfer behaviours in ERP task environments. Originality/value Building on the self-determination theory, this study demonstrates the interrelationship among MGO, CSE, TMO and TT at the post-implementation phase of ERP.