Continuous Transition Research Articles

Adolescent Cancer Survivors and Their Parents' Experiences With the Transition Off Treatment to Survivorship: A Qualitative Interview Study.

Background: Transitioning from active cancer treatment to survivorship represents a vulnerable yet underresearched phase for adolescents and their families. Knowledge of their support needs, the challenges they experience, and how they manage them are useful to inform tailored follow-up care. Thus, we aimed to explore their transition experiences. Method: We interviewed 15 adolescents (12-19 years) who had transitioned off of treatment 1 to 47 months prior at Oslo University Hospital's Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology and their biological parents (n = 16). The interviews were analyzed using inductive, reflexive thematic analysis inspired by Braun and Clarke. NVivo-12 was used for data management. Results: Four main themes were identified: (a) consequences of cancer beyond transition, (b) transition back to normalcy, (c) survivorship competence, and (d) changes in roles and relationships. The families described happiness and relief but also said that the lingering effects of cancer treatment had a profound impact on day-to-day living. The adolescents expressed closeness with and dependency on their parents, and they perceived family and friends as essential for social readjustment. Discussion: Although adolescent survivors and their parents described a wide variety of strategies for returning to "normalcy," their perspectives also illustrate ongoing psychosocial and educational support needs that changed over time. Our findings indicate a need for improved preparation for and support through the transition. Nurses are well positioned to provide continuous and structured transition support tailored to the needs of the individual survivors and their families.

Non-equilibrium dynamics of ultracold lattice bosons inside a cavity

We study the non-equilibrium quench dynamics crossing a continuous phase transition between the charge density wave (CDW) and supersolid (SS) phases of a bosonic lattice gas with cavity-mediated interactions. When changing the hopping amplitude in the Hamiltonian as a function of time, we investigate the scaling behavior of the correlation length and vortex density with respect to the quench time and find that there is a threshold of the quench rate separating two distinct scaling regimes. When slowly varying the system below that threshold, we find a power-law scaling as predicted by the Kibble–Zurek mechanism (KZM). While considering fast quench above that threshold, a deviation from the KZM prediction occurs, manifested by a saturation of the defect density. We further show that such distinct scaling behaviors during different dynamic procedures can be understood through comparing the relaxation time and the quench rate.

Exotic magnetization curves in classical square-kagomé spin lattices

Classical spin systems with non-coplanar ground states typically exhibit nonlinear magnetization curves characterized by kinks and jumps. Our article briefly summarizes the most important related analytical results. In a comprehensive case study, we then address AF-square kagomé and AF/FM-square kagomé spin lattices equipped with additional cross-plaquette interactions. It is known that these systems have non-coplanar ground states that assume a cuboctahedral structure in the absence of a magnetic field. When a magnetic field H is switched on, a rich variety of different phases develops from the cuboctahedral ground state, which are studied in their dependence on H and a cross-plaquette coupling constant J3>0 . For the AF square-kagomé spin lattice, we carefully identify and describe seven phases that appear in a phase diagram with five triple points. The transitions between these phases are predominantly discontinuous, although two cases exhibit continuous transitions. In contrast, the phase diagram of the AF/FM square-kagomé model shows only four phases with a single triple point, but these also lead to exotic magnetization curves. Here, too, there are two types of phase boundaries belonging to continuous and discontinuous transitions.

PAGER-scFGA: unveiling cell functions and molecular mechanisms in cell trajectories through single-cell functional genomics analysis.

Background: Understanding how cells and tissues respond to stress factors and perturbations during disease processes is crucial for developing effective prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables high-resolution identification of cells and exploration of cell heterogeneity, shedding light on cell differentiation/maturation and functional differences. Recent advancements in multimodal sequencing technologies have focused on improving access to cell-specific subgroups for functional genomics analysis. To facilitate the functional annotation of cell groups and characterization of molecular mechanisms underlying cell trajectories, we introduce the Pathways, Annotated Gene Lists, and Gene Signatures Electronic Repository for Single-Cell Functional Genomics Analysis (PAGER-scFGA). Results: We have developed PAGER-scFGA, which integrates cell functional annotations and gene-set enrichment analysis into popular single-cell analysis pipelines such as Scanpy. Using differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from pairwise cell clusters, PAGER-scFGA infers cell functions through the enrichment of potential cell-marker genesets. Moreover, PAGER-scFGA provides pathways, annotated gene lists, and gene signatures (PAGs) enriched in specific cell subsets with tissue compositions and continuous transitions along cell trajectories. Additionally, PAGER-scFGA enables the construction of a gene subcellular map based on DEGs and allows examination of the gene functional compartments (GFCs) underlying cell maturation/differentiation. In a real-world case study of mouse natural killer (mNK) cells, PAGER-scFGA revealed two major stages of natural killer (NK) cells and three trajectories from the precursor stage to NK T-like mature stage within blood, spleen, and bone marrow tissues. As the trajectories progress to later stages, the DEGs exhibit greater divergence and variability. However, the DEGs in different trajectories still interact within a network during NK cell maturation. Notably, PAGER-scFGA unveiled cell cytotoxicity, exocytosis, and the response to interleukin (IL) signaling pathways and associated network models during the progression from precursor NK cells to mature NK cells. Conclusion: PAGER-scFGA enables in-depth exploration of functional insights and presents a comprehensive knowledge map of gene networks and GFCs, which can be utilized for future studies and hypothesis generation. It is expected to become an indispensable tool for inferring cell functions and detecting molecular mechanisms within cell trajectories in single-cell studies. The web app (accessible at https://au-singlecell.streamlit.app/) is publicly available.

Corrosion and carburization of Ni3Al‐based superalloys in high‐temperature carbon dioxide

AbstractTo investigate the application of Ni3Al‐based superalloys in gas turbine cycle systems, this experiment exposed Ni3Al‐based superalloys to a 600°C/5 MPa environment with 99.995% pure CO2 gas. The corrosion and carburization behaviors and mechanisms were investigated in detail. The results reveal that with prolonged thermal exposure, the surface oxides of the samples tend to develop a continuous and homogeneous transition state alumina layer. This layer serves as a protective barrier, preventing the penetration and corrosion of external carbon‐containing and oxygen‐containing substances into the matrix. A small amount of carbon‐containing hazardous substances still penetrates the oxide layer or grain boundaries through highly diffusive pathways such as nanochannels, pores, and cracks, because the transition state of alumina is not completely dense. This leads to carbon deposition at the interface between the oxide layer and the matrix, where a mixture of alumina and amorphous carbon is formed at the interface.

Exploiting a variational auto-encoder to represent the evolution of sudden stratospheric warmings

Sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) are the most dramatic events in the wintertime stratosphere. Such extreme events are characterized by substantial disruption to the stratospheric polar vortex, which can be categorized into displacement and splitting types depending on the morphology of the disrupted vortex. Moreover, SSWs are usually followed by anomalous tropospheric circulation regimes that are important for subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction. Thus, monitoring the genesis and evolution of SSWs is crucial and deserves further advancement. Despite several analysis methods that have been used to study the evolution of SSWs, the ability of deep learning methods has not yet been explored, mainly due to the relative scarcity of observed events. To overcome the limited observational sample size, we use data from historical simulations of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model version 6 to identify thousands of simulated SSWs, and use their spatial patterns to train the deep learning model. We utilize a convolutional neural network combined with a variational auto-encoder (VAE)—a generative deep learning model—to construct a phase diagram that characterizes the SSW evolution. This approach not only allows us to create a latent space that encapsulates the essential features of the vortex structure during SSWs, but also offers new insights into its spatiotemporal evolution mapping onto the phase diagram. The constructed phase diagram depicts a continuous transition of the vortex pattern during SSWs. Notably, it provides a new perspective for discussing the evolutionary paths of SSWs: the VAE gives a better-reconstructed vortex morphology and more clearly organized vortex regimes for both displacement-type and split-type events than those obtained from principal component analysis. Our results provide an innovative phase diagram to portray the evolution of SSWs, in which particularly the splitting SSWs are better characterized. Our findings support the future use of deep learning techniques to study the underlying dynamics of extreme stratospheric vortex phenomena, and to establish a benchmark to evaluate model performance in simulating SSWs.

Critical behavior of the dimerized Si(001) surface: Continuous order-disorder phase transition in the two-dimensional Ising universality class

Critical behavior of the dimerized Si(001) surface: Continuous order-disorder phase transition in the two-dimensional Ising universality class

Phase transition and universality of the majority-rule model on complex networks

In this paper, we investigate the phenomena of order-disorder phase transition and the universality of the majority-rule model defined on three complex networks, namely the Barabási–Albert, Watts–Strogatz and Erdős–Rényi networks. Assume each agent holds two possible opinions randomly distributed across the networks’ nodes. Agents adopt anticonformity and independence behaviors, represented by the probability p, where with a probability p, agents adopt anticonformity or independence behavior. Based on our numerical simulation results and finite-size scaling analysis, it is found that the model undergoes a continuous phase transition for all networks, with critical points for the independence model greater than those for the anticonformity model in all three networks. We obtain critical exponents identical to the opinion dynamics model defined on a complete graph, indicating that the model exhibits the same universality class as the mean-field Ising model.

Detection Swell Situation using LED by Pulse Changing-state of Porous Matter on Skin

Changes in fluid within the vitreous chamber were examined using a non-invasive technique using LED. The vitreous chamber was irradiated with a certain amount of LED as an elliptical circular sphere to confirm the acute-angle vitreous chamber status with continuous pulsation transition. Dazzling-divergence knowledge level (DDKL) was determined as the number generated by pulsation knowledge figuration by receiving the scattered signal generated from the irradiated LED for a certain number of seconds. The knowledge level was configured as a system that converts pulsation generated in a vitreous chamber, and the uneven conveyance technique was used to confirm the experimental conditions of dazzling halftone-free-vector-dot. The degree of scattering around micro-vessels and foreign substances was found to occur at a halftone-free-vector-dot level within the vitreous chamber. The maximum average value of DDKL was calculated as the result of the tide-beating status as a result of the output formed in the vitreous chamber status. In Pu-KF-FA-αAVG-MIN, the pulsation far transformation due to pulsation halftone-free-vector-dot beating was shown as 10.90±12.69 units. In pulsation convenient transformation value, Pu-KF-CO-αAVG-MIN was found to be 4.08±3.45. In pulsation flank transformation value, Pu-KF-PU-αAVG-MIN was found to be 0.85±0.76 units. In pulsation vicinage transformation value, Pu-KF-VI-αAVG-MIN was found to be 0.19±0.17 units. By expanding the knowledge level in DDKL, a vitreous chamber status was formed and halftone-free-vector-dot was developed, and the pulsation knowledge figuration ability was evaluated by scattering the vitreous chamber figuration according to the acute-angle. Examining the vitreous chamber using the uneven conveyance technique as a non-invasive technique confirmed that dazzling-divergence figuration, which requires a knowledge level system, appeared due to uneven conveyance. These physical findings enable the functional peculiarity of pulsation knowledge figuration in a vitreous chamber and provide a data base that can be utilized at the vitreous chamber level in a tide knowledge system.   

Startup characteristics of the large length–diameter ratio high-temperature heat pipe

Large length–diameter ratio high-temperature sodium heat pipes (HTSHPs) are uniquely structured heat-transfer devices with significant application potential in high-temperature solar thermal power and small-scale nuclear systems. This study tested HTSHPs' startup characteristics examining various parameters. Results indicate that the transition temperature for flow transition is 564 K, and the continuous flow transition temperature is 722 K. Heat pipes at 15 % fill ratio are adaptable across various inclination angles, whereas those at 25 % and 35 % fill ratios show optimal startup at smaller angles (15°, 30°), with decreasing startup time as angle increases, notably significant at 45°.The start-up time refers to the duration from the initiation of heating to the point when all the normal operational temperature points of the HTSHP reach the continuous flow transition temperature during the condensation section. During the experiments, heat pipes with a large length–diameter ratio exhibit heat transfer instability, temperature oscillation and local overheating. Reducing the fill ratio and inclination angle effectively reduces the probability of temperature oscillation and local overheating. This study proposes a novel method for optimizing temperature oscillations in heat pipe design, offering pioneering insights and experimental data crucial for specialized high-temperature heat pipe research.

Atomic-Resolution In Situ Exploration of the Phase Transition Triggered Failure in a Single-Crystalline Ni-Rich Cathode.

Single-crystalline cathode materials LiNixCoyMn1-y-zO2 (x ≥ 0.6) are important candidates for obtaining better cyclic stability and achieving high energy densities of Li-ion batteries. However, it is liable to initiate phase transitions inside the grains during electrochemical cycling, and the processes and regions of these phase transitions have remained unknown. In this research, we conducted an intrinsic study, investigating the chemicals and microstructural evolution of single-crystalline LiNi0.83Co0.11Mn0.06O2 using in situ biasing transmission electron microscopy at an atomic scale. We observed that the layered structure on the surface of the single-crystalline material was degraded during the charging process, resulting in continuous phase transitions and the formation of surface oxygen vacancies, which can reduce both the structural and thermal stability of the material. Uneven delithiation led to the formation of high-density defects and discontinuous inactive electrochemical phases, such as local antiphase boundaries and the rock salt phase, in the bulk of the material. The non-uniformity of the structure and the coexistence of active and inactive phases introduce significant tensile stress, which can lead to intragranular cracks inside the grains. As the number of cycles increases, the structural degradation caused by the intragranular phase transition will further increase, ultimately affecting the cycling capacity and stability of the battery. This work has broad implications for creating lithium-ion batteries that are effective and long-lasting.

Self-propelled collective motion with multiplicative scalar noise

The emergence of order from initial disordered movement in self-propelled collective motion is an instance of nonequilibrium phase transition, which is known to be first order in the thermodynamic limit. Here, we introduce a multiplicative scalar noise model of collective motion as a modification of the original Vicsek model, which more closely mimics the particles’ behavior. We allow for more individual movement in sparsely populated neighborhoods, the mechanism of which is not incorporated in the original Vicsek model. This is especially important in the low velocity and density regime where the probability of a clear neighborhood is relatively high. The modification, thus, removes the shortcoming of the Vicsek model in predicting continuous phase transition in this regime. The onset of collective motion in the proposed model is numerically studied in detail, indicating a first-order phase transition in both high and low velocity/density regimes for systems with comparatively smaller size which is computationally desirable.

Coexistence of critical phenomena: the concept of manifold multi-spectral criticality

Prompted by the ubiquity of empirical observations of critical phenomena, often in non-equilibrium macrostates, we developed a modelling approach in which several critical phenomena coexist. Instead of a single critical point, many coexisting critical points in the system are identified, forming a one-dimensional critical manifold. Identified within our game-of-life-like heterogeneous agent-based simulation model, where agents can be created and annihilated in the presence of a catalyst, each critical point belonging to the critical manifold is associated with a multi-spectrum of critical exponents. We find this situation in non-equilibrium mixed percolation-like macrostates obeying continuous phase transitions. These macrostates are quasi-stationary, where some system characteristics are time-independent while others are not. This novel look at universality signals the existance of complexity of critical phenomena richer than described to date.

Multi-stable metastructure with multi-layer and multi-degree of freedom: A numerical and experimental investigation

This paper proposes a family of multi-stable metastructures with multiple layers, which possess the capability of multi-degree of freedom deformations. In its single layer, four preshaped beams connecting two frames are employed as the main component for the design of multi-stable metastructures. Compared with the traditional flat state obtained by axial compression when all beams snap through, four inclined stable states are easy to trigger by lateral compression at a local position when two adjacent beams snap through. The transitions between these states are studied by both experiments and numerical simulation. The transition to inclined states requires less energy than the transition to the flat state. Different trends of load–displacement responses are associated with loading positions and transitions. A parametric analysis is performed to illustrate the relationship between the stability of inclined states and critical parameters, such as span, apex height, and thickness. Two types of hourglass double-layer units are designed and studied through experiments. The continuous transitions in two steps or three steps are observed, and the load–displacement response is the accumulation of responses from each single layer. At last, two multi-layer structures with multi-stability have been developed to demonstrate their deformation capability in multiple directions through multiple steps.

Hysteresis-free reversible magnetocaloric effect and critical behavior of Ni39.56Fe7.27Co2.97Mn40.65Sn9.55 full heusler alloy

Utilizing the magnetocaloric effect (MCE), magnetic refrigeration technology offers an advantage over traditional gas-based refrigerators, which produce harmful gases. Herein, we study the MCE and critical magnetic behavior of Fe and Co substituted Ni39.56Fe7.27Co2.97Mn40.65Sn9.55 Heusler alloy near the paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transition temperature. With Fm3̅m space group, the present sample crystallizes in cubic L21 structure. Arrott plots and hysteresis-free continuous phase transition confirm a second-order transition from FM to PM. Again, this second-order transition is verified by collapsing scaled entropy curves for various fields into a single universal curve. The critical exponent values obtained using several analytical techniques, like the Kouvel-Fisher method, modified Arrott plot, and critical isotherm, correspond to the mean-field theory universality class having long-range ordering. The above findings suggest our sample to be a suitable magnetic refrigerant by overcoming the difficulty of obtaining a reversible and high value of magnetic entropy change along with substantial relative cooling power across the second-order phase transition.

Solvable Model of Quantum-Darwinism-Encoding Transitions.

We propose a solvable model of quantum Darwinism to encoding transitions-abrupt changes in how quantum information spreads in a many-body system under unitary dynamics. We consider a random Clifford circuit on an expanding tree, whose input qubit is entangled with a reference. The model has a quantum Darwinism phase, where one classical bit of information about the reference can be retrieved from an arbitrarily small fraction of the output qubits, and an encoding phase where such retrieval is impossible. The two phases are separated by a mixed phase and two continuous transitions. We compare the exact result to a two-replica calculation. The latter yields a similar "annealed" phase diagram, which applies also to a model with Haar random unitaries. We relate our approach to measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPTs), by solving a modified model where an environment eavesdrops on an encoding system. It has a sharp MIPT only with full access to the environment.

The Engine Casing Machining Holes Repairing Based on Vibration Wire Feeding

The engine casing components operate in high-temperature and high-pressure environments. Process holes are drilled when defects occur. Welding is employed in the repair of process holes as a process for permanently joining materials. The traditional welding method relies on padding, which results in poor back formation of process holes. Additionally, the shape of the process holes imposes high requirements on the size of the droplet transition. The conventional approach of adjusting a welding current makes it difficult to achieve stable droplet transition and precise formation of small holes. It poses a challenge for the robotic welding process. To deal with this problem, the influence of the high-frequency vibration GTAW process on the directional transition of molten droplets is studied. The molten droplet directional transition process is developed. The impact of vibration energy on the molten pool is reduced. Welding repair experiments for process holes are successfully conducted. When the frequency is 3 Hz, the transition of droplets changes from a continuous one-droplet transition to a discontinuous liquid bridge transition. The residual height and mechanical properties of the repaired area are tested. The experimental results indicated that the residual height after dual-side repair is ≤0.7 mm. The X-ray and fluorescent penetration tests have a 100% first-pass qualification rate. The repaired area demonstrates a hardness of 480 HV and a room-temperature tensile strength of 1069 MPa. The repair process requirements for the casing are met.

Filtering induced explosive death in coupled FitzHugh–Nagumo neurons: Theory and experiment

Explosive emergent behavior governed by discontinuous and irreversible phase transition is in the center of recent research. In this paper we show that explosive amplitude death (AD) can be induced in a system of coupled oscillators if diffusion is accompanied by low-pass filtering in the mutual coupling path. Here we consider a ring network of diffusively coupled FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators, and through theoretical and experimental investigations explore how the low-pass filter induces and controls the transition to explosive AD state. We derive the conditions of getting AD in the network through linear stability analysis. Using one and two parameter bifurcation analysis we find the explicit parametric zone of explosive death in the limiting case of two neurons, which reveals that the explosive death arises through the saddle–node bifurcation of limit cycle. In the strong coupling limit, we observe an interesting semi-explosive death scenario, where both continuous and discontinuous transitions are present. Finally, using electronic hardware circuits, we demonstrate the first experimental observation of explosive amplitude death that establishes the robustness of the scenario in a practical setup.

Synchronization transitions in coupled q-deformed logistic maps

The concept of q-deformation has been expanded in a variety of situations including q-deformed nonlinear maps. Coupled q-deformed logistic maps with positive and negative q-diffusive coupling are investigated. The transition to state of synchronized fixed point in the thermodynamic limit for random initial conditions is studied as dynamic phase transitions. Though rare for one-dimensional maps, q-deformed maps show multistability. For weak coupling, the synchronized state may not be observed in the thermodynamic limit with random initial conditions even if it is linearly stable. Thus multistability persists. However, for large lattices with random initial conditions, five well-defined critical points are observed where the transition to a synchronized state occurs. Two of these show continuous phase transition. One of them is in the directed percolation universality class. In another case, the order parameter shows power-law decay superposed with oscillations on a logarithmic scale at the critical point and does not match with known universality classes.

Synergistic Effect of Co-Mo Pinning in Lay-Structured Oxide Cathode for Enhancing Stability toward Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Owing to the high economic efficiency and energy density potential, manganese-based layer-structured oxides have attracted great interests as cathode materials for potassium ion batteries. In order to alleviate the continuous phase transition and K+ re-embedding from Jahn-Teller distortion, the [Mn-Co-Mo]O6 octahedra are introduced into P3-K0.45 MnO2 herein to optimize the local electron structure. Based on the experimental and computational results, the octahedral center metal molybdenum in [MoO6 ] octahedra proposes a smaller ionic radius and higher oxidation state to induce second-order JTE (pseudo-JTE) distortion in the adjacent [MnO6 ] octahedra. This distortion compresses the [MnO6 ] octahedra along the c-axis, leading to an increased interlayer spacing in the K+ layer. Meanwhile, the Mn3+ /Mn4+ is balanced by [CoO6 ] octahedra and the K+ diffusion pathway is optimized as well. The proposed P3-K0.45 Mn0.9 Co0.05 Mo0.05 O2 cathode material shows an enhanced cycling stability and rate performance. It demonstrates a high capacity of 80.2mAhg-1 at 100mAhg-1 and 77.3mAhg-1 at 500mAhg-1 . Furthermore, it showcases a 2000 cycles stability with a 59.6% capacity retention. This work presents a promising solution to the challenges faced by manganese-based layered oxide cathodes and offers a deep mechanism understanding and improved electrochemical performance.