Chain Transition Research Articles

Blockchain entrepreneurship roles for circular supply chain transition

AbstractThe transition to a circular supply chain (CSC) is a prerequisite to establish sustainability in the supply chain. Blockchain‐based CSC enables stakeholders to effectively manage their decision‐making processes, increase revenue, reduce time and costs and ensure information synchronisation. Blockchain start‐ups play an essential role in facilitating the transition from a linear to a circular economy while supporting the development of CSCs. This research aims to explore the role of blockchain entrepreneurship in the transition to CSC by evaluating circular blockchain start‐ups. This research contributes to the literature by providing verified roles of blockchain entrepreneurship in the transition to CSC by evaluating the literature and blockchain start‐ups. Another contribution is that the causal relationships between these roles are analysed. In this study, an integrated three‐step methodology including Systematic Literature Review (SLR), Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), and Fuzzy Decision‐Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (Fuzzy‐DEMATEL) methods on the base of the theory of change is proposed. An SLR is performed to determine the roles of blockchain entrepreneurship. Then, a QCA is conducted after identifying the roles for verification by evaluations of use cases of blockchain start‐ups. Finally, the causal relationships between these roles are interpreted by using Fuzzy‐DEMATEL. Findings indicate that blockchain entrepreneurship has 12 fundamental roles in facilitating the transition from a linear to a circular economy while supporting the development of CSCs.

Supramolecular additive-induced conformational transition of polymer chains via π-π interaction

Controlling the conformation of polymer chains throughout melt processing is a critical factor in the development and optimization of polymer materials for a variety of applications. In this study, we present a supramolecular strategy for modulating the conformational transition of polymer and investigate the structural evolution with supramolecular additive. It is found that minute amounts (0.07–0.9 wt%) of supramolecular nucleating agent, N, N′-dicyclohexylterephthalamide (DCHT), enable polystyrene (PS) chains to adopt more gauche conformation than the trans mode when processed from the melt, resulting in higher PS chain mobility and improved PS film transmittance. The conformational transition of PS chains shows dependence on the π-π interactions between PS and DCHT molecules. By controlling the critical assembly concentration and the self-assembly behavior of DCHT in PS, it is possible to tailor the ratio of gauche to trans states and the corresponding properties of PS. We anticipate that this study will advance the design and development of supramolecular additives for tailoring the structure and properties of other polymers.

A Hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Explore Barriers to the Circular Economy Implementation in the Food Supply Chain

This research aims to identify, categorize, and prioritize the barriers hindering the implementation of the circular economy (CE) within food supply chains. To do so, a hybrid multi-criteria decision analysis method, combining a decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and the analytical network process (ANP), is used to analyze multiple determinants extracted from the target literature and the expert panel opinions. As a result, the key barriers to implementing the CE in the food sector were identified and ranked through the hybrid multi-criteria decision analysis. The practicality and validity of the model in the case of causal relationships that have hindered the CE transition in the food sector in Iran, as a developing country, are examined. A total of 15 barriers in six dimensions were analyzed. The “technical and technological capabilities”, “financial issues”, and “production issues” were distinguished as the most important dimensions. Moreover, “lack of circular design and innovative packaging to reduce food waste”, “high cost of CE implementation”, and “insufficient use of reusable, recyclable, and recoverable materials” were identified as the key barriers in the CE transition in food supply chains. The findings of this study revealed that “government policies”, “culture”, and “financial issues” were the most significant “cause” dimensions, which could leverage the elimination of “effect” dimensions, including “technical and technological capabilities”, “management and collaboration issues”, and “production issues”. The identified challenges and barriers pave the way for CE implementation and outline focal points for decision makers to mobilize their efforts in this regard. The findings can effectively contribute to the domain by providing insightful guidelines for the government and associated authorities, policymakers, and all stakeholders within the food supply chain to support the CE transition in the food sector.

Ultrafast Laser‐Induced Excellent Thermoelectric Performance of PEDOT:PSS Films

Because poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is water processable, thermally stable, and highly conductive, PEDOT:PSS and its composites have been considered to be one of the most promising flexible thermoelectric materials. However, the PEDOT:PSS film prepared from its commercial aqueous dispersion usually has very low conductivity, thus cannot be directly utilized for TE applications. Here, a simple environmental friendly strategy via femtosecond laser irradiation without any chemical dopants and treatments was demonstrated. Under optimal conditions, the electrical conductivity of the treated film is increased to 803.1 S cm−1 from 1.2 S cm−1 around three order of magnitude higher, and the power factor is improved to 19.0 μW m−1 K−2, which is enhanced more than 200 times. The mechanism for such remarkable enhancement was attributed to the transition of the PEDOT chains from a coil to a linear or expanded coil conformation, reduction of the interplanar stacking distance, and the removal of insulating PSS with increasing the oxidation level of PEDOT, facilitating the charge transportation. This work presents an effective route for fabricating high‐performance flexible conductive polymer films and wearable thermoelectric devices.

Cooperation, coordination, or collaboration? A structured review of buyers' partnerships to support sustainable sourcing in supply chains.

The growing need of today's global supply chains for a paradigm shift to sustainability requires all supply chain members to establish partnership relationships. However, the existing literature fails to provide a comprehensive understanding of these partnerships. The present research contributes to understanding the nature and structure of the buyers' partnerships for enhancing sustainable sourcing. A structured review methodology is adopted to collect information about supply chain partnerships from the literature on sustainable sourcing. Then, a content analysis is conducted on the collected information using a comprehensive partnership framework, i.e., theMcNamara framework. The framework suggests ten interconnected facets to characterize the structure of a partnership and classifies the nature of partnerships into three categories called cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. The findings indicate that cooperative partnerships are not effective for promoting sustainable sourcing as they lack the exchange of resources between the participating organizations. In contrast, coordinative partnerships are mainly effective for tactical and operational initiatives to address reactive, end-of-pipe solutions for sustainable sourcing. Finally, collaborative partnerships should be mainly initiated at the strategic level to design proactive solutions for sustainable sourcing. Some practical implications are provided to facilitate the transition of supply chains to sustainability. Some open questions for future research are also provided.

Markov modeling of phase singularity interaction effects in human atrial and ventricular fibrillation.

Atrial and ventricular fibrillation (AF/VF) are characterized by the repetitive regeneration of topological defects known as phase singularities (PSs). The effect of PS interactions has not been previously studied in human AF and VF. We hypothesized that PS population size would influence the rate of PS formation and destruction in human AF and VF, due to increased inter-defect interaction. PS population statistics were studied in computational simulations (Aliev-Panfilov), human AF and human VF. The influence of inter-PS interactions was evaluated by comparison between directly modeled discrete-time Markov chain (DTMC) transition matrices of the PS population changes, and M/M/∞ birth-death transition matrices of PS dynamics, which assumes that PS formations and destructions are effectively statistically independent events. Across all systems examined, PS population changes differed from those expected with M/M/∞. In human AF and VF, the formation rates decreased slightly with PS population when modeled with the DTMC, compared with the static formation rate expected through M/M/∞, suggesting new formations were being inhibited. In human AF and VF, the destruction rates increased with PS population for both models, with the DTMC rate increase exceeding the M/M/∞ estimates, indicating that PS were being destroyed faster as the PS population grew. In human AF and VF, the change in PS formation and destruction rates as the population increased differed between the two models. This indicates that the presence of additional PS influenced the likelihood of new PS formation and destruction, consistent with the notion of self-inhibitory inter-PS interactions.

Perpindahan Minat Mahasiswa Terhadap Penggunaan Aplikasi E-Wallet Sebelum dan Setelah Perkuliahan Luring di Masa Pandemi Covid

Technological advances in the field of financial innovation, namely e-wallets, provide convenience and practicality in making transactions online. The use of e-wallets is popular among students, one of which is the Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University. Students with interests or tastes in the type of e-wallet and the running of all activities offline make it very likely that there will be a change in student interest from one e-wallet to another e-wallet. The change in interest will be analyzed with the Markov chain transition probability. The data in this study is primary data by conducting an online survey of 100 respondents in the form of a g-form given to students of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University. Based on the results of the Markov chain transition opportunities, it can be concluded that the use of e-wallet applications can move according to the advantages of e-wallet applications in each region. This change in interest in e-wallet application users occurs because the application of choice is an application that provides easy access, lots of discounts, small admin fees, and others.

Quantum criticality of a Z_{3}-symmetric spin chain with long-range interactions.

Based on large-scale density matrix renormalization group techniques, we investigate the critical behaviors of quantum three-state Potts chains with long-range interactions. Using fidelity susceptibility as an indicator, we obtain a complete phase diagram of the system. The results show that as the long-range interaction power α increases, the critical points f_{c}^{*} shift towards lower values. In addition, the critical threshold α_{c}(≈1.43) of the long-range interaction power is obtained for the first time by a nonperturbative numerical method. This indicates that the critical behavior of the system can be naturally divided into two distinct universality classes, namely the long-range (α<α_{c}) and short-range (α>α_{c}) universality classes, qualitatively consistent with the classical ϕ^{3} effective field theory. This work provides a useful reference for further research on phase transitions in quantum spin chains with long-range interaction.

PO-01-156 MARKOV MODELLING OF PHASE SINGULARITY INTERACTION EFFECTS IN HUMAN ATRIAL AND VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION

Atrial and ventricular fibrillation (AF/VF) are characterized by the repetitive regeneration of topological defects known as phase singularities (PS). The interaction between phase singularities has not been studied in human AF and VF, but is potentially of profound significance in understanding how cardiac fibrillation self-sustains. In this study we hypothesized that PS population size would influence the rate of PS formation and destruction in human AF and VF, due to an increase in inter-defect interaction. PS population statistics were first studied in (1) computational simulations of spiral defect chaos (Aliev-Panfilov, APV), followed by analysis in (2) human datasets of AF mapped using basket catheters prior to AF ablation & (3) VF mapped using epicardial electrode socks prior to cardiac surgery. The influence of inter-PS interactions was evaluated by comparison between directly modelled discrete time Markov chain (DTMC) transition matrices of the PS population changes, and M/M/∞ birth-death transition matrices of PS dynamics, which assume PS formation and destruction occur effectively independent of other PS. In all systems examined, PS population changes modelled by the DTMC differed from the M/M/∞. In APV simulations the DTMC formation rates decreased with PS population size (β estimate = -1.08 %/ms (95%CI: -1.20,-0.970), p<0.001), the DTMC destruction rates increased (β estimate = 1.78 %/ms (95% CI: 1.66,1.90), p<0.001), and M/M/∞ destruction rates increased at a slightly greater rate (β estimate = 2.00 %/ms (95% CI: 1.83,2.18), p<0.001). In AF (n=15) the DTMC formation rates decreased with PS population (β estimate = -0.179 %/ms (95% CI: -0.253,-0.105), p<0.001), M/M/∞ destruction rates increased (β estimate = 1.57 %/ms (95% CI: 1.43,1.70), p<0.001), and the DTMC destruction rates increased at a greater rate (β estimate = 2.65 %/ms (95% CI: 2.42,2.88), p<0.001). All stages of VF (n=8) demonstrated similar trends as AF, with the DTMC formation rates decreasing (βPerfusion estimate = -1.02 %/ms (95% CI: -1.37,-0.667), p=0.034), the M/M/∞ destruction rates increasing (βPerfusion estimate = 0.970 %/ms (95% CI: 0.780,1.15), p<0.001), and the DTMC destruction rates increasing at a greater rate (βPerfusion estimate = 3.42 %/ms (95% CI: 2.63,4.22), p<0.001). We present evidence of PS interaction in human AF and VF on rotor formation and destruction rates, with evidence for a potential self-inhibitory effect due to increased PS population size.

A multi-layer perceptron–Markov chain based LULC change analysis and prediction using remote sensing data in Prayagraj district, India

Land use land cover (LULC) mapping and temporal observations are indispensable drivers for sustainable development. This research showed the growth trends and land use transition for the Prayagraj district in the last three decades. Supervised classification of Landsat images was performed on 5-year temporal intervals using a maximum likelihood classifier. All satellite images were organized into six major LULC feature classes viz agriculture/open land, barren land, built-up, forest, sand, and water. The overall accuracy of LULC classification was achieved by more than 89% in all seven temporal points. Furthermore, the accuracy of the classified maps was estimated through area-based error matrix. The Land Change Modeler tool of TerrSet 2020 software was used to analyze the transition of classes and to incorporate the multi-layer perceptron-Markov chain (MLP-MC) technique. The transition potentials were included in MLP-MC with the help of sensitive explanatory variables and significant transitions of classes. Furthermore, these transition potentials and the Markov chain transition matrix were used to predict the future LULC dynamics and vulnerability. The change analysis revealed that a significant portion of the agriculture/open land gradually decreased and got converted to built-up land. The results depicted that agriculture/open land was reduced by 8.03% in the last three decades while the built-up region was grown by 199.61%. Forest area was continuously decreasing while the sand area increased due to river meandering. Overall, more than 75% of accuracy was achieved in MLP. The prediction model was first validated with observed data, and then the LULC scenario of 2035 and 2050 was simulated. LULC of 2050 showed that the built-up area would likely reach 13.90% of district area whereas the forest area would remain only 0.79%. The prediction model has given the output in the form of future LULC map along with projected potential transition maps. This would be useful for sustainable urban planning to deal with the alarming rate of built-up growthand agriculture/open landshrinkage.

Photopatternable and Highly Conductive PEDOT:PSS Electrodes for Flexible Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes

Flexible perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) constitute an emerging technology opening new opportunities in the fields of lighting and display for portable and wearable electronics. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(stryrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as one of the most promising flexible electrode materials has attracted extensive attention. However, the patterning and conductivity issues of PEDOT:PSS electrodes should be addressed primarily. Here, a photopolymerizable additive is proposed to endow the PEDOT:PSS electrodes with photopatternability. Moreover, this additive can also improve the conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS electrode from 0.16 to 627 S/cm because of the phase separation between PEDOT and PSS components and conformation transition of PEDOT chains. Eventually, highly conductive PEDOT:PSS electrodes with various patterns are applied in flexible PeLEDs, demonstrating a high luminance of 25972 cd/m2 and a current efficiency of 25.1 cd/A. This work provides a facile and effective method of patterning and improving the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS electrodes simultaneously, demonstrating the great potential of PEDOT:PSS electrodes in flexible perovskite optoelectronics.

Floquet dynamical quantum phase transitions in transverse XY spin chains under periodic kickings

Floquet dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs), which are nonanalytic phenomena recuring periodically in time-periodic driven quantum many-body systems, have been widely studied in recent years. In this article, the Floquet DQPTs in transverse XY spin chains under the modulation of δ-function periodic kickings are investigated. We analytically solve the system, and by considering the eigenstate as well as the ground state as the initial state of the Floquet dynamics, we study the corresponding multiple Floquet DQPTs emerged in the micromotion with different kicking moments. The rate function of return amplitude, the Pancharatnam geometric phase and the dynamical topological order parameter are calculated, which consistently verify the emergence of Floquet DQPTs in the system.

Accelerating the circular economy transition process for gateway ports: The case of the Port of Zeebrugge

The transition towards a circular economy (CE) has grown in importance during the last decade, and ports are now being viewed as potentially important contributors to this move towards a more sustainable economy. However, several research questions about adopting CE projects in ports remain unanswered. The importance of clustering and secondary resources for circular loops indicates the importance of proximity to either industrial clusters or urban zones. However, gateway ports (GWP), contrary to industrial ports, metropolitan (or urban) ports and diversified port hubs (which combine an industrial function with the proximity to a large urban area), do not benefit from the vicinity of these secondary resources. Nevertheless, even without access to such secondary resources, any port and port managing body (PMB) needs to prepare for the changing competitive landscape, with new cargo flows, material streams and related businesses linked to the circular economy transition of value chains. Here, GWPs, thanks to their nodal position, still have potential to function as platforms for circular transition initiatives arising in other industries. In the present study, we conceptualize a CE transition process, consisting of six steps, especially relevant to GWPs. We then explore the case of the Port of Zeebrugge (Belgium), shortly before its merger with the Port of Antwerp. We propose that GWPs should rely mainly on their potential to attract ‘new value streams’ as the main driver of their CE strategy. Here, top-down initiatives emanating from internal stakeholders, and likely even external ones, appear to provide pathways to CE success.

Food markets as circular digital hubs: Prototyping enabling ICT solutions for urban food systems

The challenges posed by the environmental sustainability and circular transition of food chains increasingly see the emergence of practices that link strategies and policies to territorial pilot projects that connect physical and digital infrastructures. This aspect is particularly evident in the change of urban production–transformation–distribution–consumption models. They are the basis of a complex system that influences individual and collective behaviours, life within neighbourhoods and the intertwining of incoming and outgoing food flows as the waste flow. The article will discuss the insight emerging from REFLOW, an EU H2020-funded project. It runs from June 2019 to May 2022, aiming to build an integrated approach for developing new participatory design and co-design practices dedicated to innovative and circular urban metabolisms to promote circular solutions capable of bringing environmental, social and economic benefits. In particular, the Milan Pilot involves the municipality of Milan, local makerspaces and FabLabs, agri-food enterprises and other local stakeholders. They collectively worked on municipal food markets to upgrade them into circularity hubs. The Milan Pilot – named ‘Food Market 4.0’ – concerns the design and prototyping of three product–service systems solutions to increase the circularity of the municipal covered markets and their offer service related to agri-food products. The solutions implemented are linked to a data layer that will be the basis of a city-wide renewal process of the 22 other ones. The prototypes could represent some of the building blocks of the datafication of the food distribution metabolisms and the start of a new interactive process of selling connected with other possible service offers.

Detecting quantum phase transitions in the quasistationary regime of Ising chains

Recently, single-site observables have been shown to be useful for probing critical slowing down in sudden quench dynamics [Da\ifmmode \breve{g}\else \u{g}\fi{} et al., Phys. Rev. B 107, L121113 (2023)]. Here, we demonstrate the potential of single-site magnetization as a probe of quantum phase transitions in integrable and nonintegrable transverse-field Ising chains (TFIC). We analytically prove the requirement of zero modes for the quasistationary regime to emerge at a probe site near the edge, and show how this regime gives rise to a nonanalytic behavior in the dynamical order profiles. Our $\mathit{t}$-DMRG calculations verify the results of the quench mean-field theory for near-integrable TFIC both with finite-size and finite-time scaling analyses. We find that both finite-size and finite-time analyses suggest a dynamical critical point for a strongly nonintegrable and locally connected TFIC. We finally demonstrate the presence of a quasistationary regime in the power-law interacting TFIC, and extract local dynamical order profiles for TFIC in the long-range Ising universality class with algebraic light cones.

Modulators of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel affect cytotoxicity of heavy metals: Action on isolated rat liver mitochondria and AS-30D ascites hepatoma cells

Heavy metals are ubiquitous environmental pollutants that are extremely dangerous for public health, but the molecular mechanisms of their cytotoxic action are still not fully understood. In the present work, the possible contribution of the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mK(ATP)), which is usually considered protective for the cell, to hepatotoxicity caused by heavy metals was investigated using polarography and swelling techniques as well as flow cytometry. Using isolated liver mitochondria from adult male Wistar rats and various potassium media containing or not containing penetrating anions (KNO3, KSCN, KAcet, KCl), we studied the effect of mK(ATP) modulators, namely its blockers (5-hydroxydecanoate, glibenclamide, ATP, ADP) and activators (diazoxide, malonate), on respiration and/or membrane permeability in the presence of hepatotoxins such as Cd2+, Hg2+, and Cu2+. It has been shown for the first time that, contrary to Hg2+ and depending on media used, the mK(ATP) modulators affect Cd2+- and/or Cu2+-induced alterations in mitochondrial swelling and respiration rates, although differently, nevertheless, in the ways compatible with mK(ATP) participation in both these cases. On rat AS-30D ascites hepatoma cells, it was found that, unlike Cd2+, an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species was observed with the simultaneous use of Cu2+ and diazoxide; in addition, there was no protective effect of diazoxide against cell death, which also occurred in the presence of Cu2+. In conclusion, the relationships (functional, structural and/or regulatory) between mK(ATP), components of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (CI, CII-CIII and/or ATP synthase, CV) and mitochondrial permeability transition pores were discussed, as well as the role of these molecular structures in the mechanisms of the cytotoxic action of heavy metals.

First-order transitions in spin chains coupled to quantum baths

We show that tailoring the dissipative environment allows us to change the features of continuous quantum phase transitions and even induce first-order transitions in ferromagnetic spin chains. In particular, using a numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo method for the paradigmatic Ising chain of one-half spins in a transverse magnetic field, we find that spin couplings to local quantum boson baths (in the Ohmic regime) can drive the transition from the second to the first order even for a low dissipation strength. Moreover, using a variational mean-field approach for the treatment of spin-spin and spin-boson interactions, we point out that phase discontinuities are ascribable to a dissipation-induced effective magnetic field which is intrinsically related to the bath quantum fluctuations and vanishes for classical baths. The effective field is able to switch the sign of the magnetization along the direction of spin-spin interactions. The results can be potentially tested in recent quantum simulators and are relevant for quantum sensing since the spin system could not only detect the properties of nonclassical baths, but also the effects of weak magnetic fields.

Markov Chain transition probability modeling of radon gas records and future projection possibility determination

Markov Chain models serve two purposes firstly, subdivide the main data based on the mean value and one and two standard deviation plus and minus values around the mean value. The second stage of modeling, after calculating the transition probabilities between these categories from the available data, is completed by repeatedly multiplying the categorization date groups until the steady-state transition probability values are obtained. This procedure provides a convenient modeling approach for radon gas transient measurement records. After a brief presentation of Markov Chain procedure in this paper, the application is carried out by considering five categories that lead to a better transition probability matrix. Such a matrix provides information about the probabilities of future transition at the radon data measuring station. In addition, it is possible to associate these transition probabilities with the possibility of an earthquake.

The effect of configurational complexity in hetero-polymers on the coil-globule phase transition

The coil-globule transition of hetero-polymer chains is studied here. By means of extensive Molecular Dynamics simulations, we show that the transition is directly linked to the complexity of the chain, which depends on the number of chemical species defined in the environment and the location of the binding sites along the polymer. In addition, when the number of species increases, we find that the distribution of binding sites plays an important role in triggering the transition, beyond the standard control parameters of the polymer model, i.e. binders concentration and binding affinity. Overall, our results show that by increasing the system complexity new organizational layers emerge, thus allowing a more structured control on the polymer thermodynamic state. This can be potentially applied to the study of chromatin architecture, as such polymer models have been broadly used to understand the molecular mechanisms of genome folding.

Entanglement dynamics and phase transitions of the Floquet cluster spin chain

Cluster states were introduced in the context of measurement based quantum computing. In one dimension, the cluster Hamiltonian possesses topologically protected states. We investigate the Floquet dynamics of the cluster spin chain in an external field, interacting with a particle. We explore the entanglement properties of the topological and magnetic phases, first in the integrable spin lattice case, and then in the interacting quantum walk case. We find, in addition to thermalization, dynamical phase transitions separating low- and high-entanglement nonthermal states, reminiscent of the ones present in the integrable case, but differing in their magnetic properties. The nonergodic phases are characterized by the emergence of magnetic order, persistent at long times.