Optimal control of inter-population disease spread via reaction-diffusion models.

Complex systems involving multiple oscillatory components are known to exhibit emergent collective spatiotemporal patterns. The turbulent annular combustor is a prime example where the interaction between the acoustic field and the heat release rate fluctuations from multiple flames gives rise to rich spatiotemporal collective behavior. The collective dynamical behavior leads to high-amplitude, self-sustained oscillations in the acoustic field, which are detrimental to the system. In this study, we investigate the transition among various collective dynamical states, including the splay state, the two-cluster state, the in-phase state, the amplitude-modulated two-cluster state, and the quasiperiodic weak chimera, in the acoustic field of a turbulent annular combustor as the control parameter is varied. We also observe the signatures of the impending dynamical state before the transition. We introduce a network-based characterization method to characterize these dynamical states. We construct a functional network among the acoustic pressure fluctuations recorded around the annulus of the annular combustor. We show that each dynamical state has a unique network topology. Further, we demonstrate that the network-based measure can detect the impending transition between states in the annular combustor. This can potentially enable the timely implementation of control actions to prevent such transitions to the collective states.

Evening snacks without increased nighttime caloric intake decrease fasting glucose in pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus.

Sub-wavelength scale randomly frozen microbubble during short-pulsed-ultrasound-driven microbubble cluster dynamics in microfluidic channel.

Universality in nonlinear nonequilibrium systems is typically expressed through scaling laws that render macroscopic behavior insensitive to microscopic details. Whether such universality survives when periodic forcing and nonlocal dissipative memory act simultaneously remains an open question in driven open dynamics. Here, we demonstrate that barrier-crossing processes in periodically driven dissipative systems are governed not merely by modified exponential scaling but by an explicit two-parameter universal response function. Within a semiclassical instanton framework incorporating Floquet modulation and Ohmic environmental coupling, the tunneling exponent factorizes into a system-dependent static contribution and a universal function of two dimensionless control parameters: the normalized driving frequency and the dissipation strength. This factorization arises from the combined modification of a single saddle-point trajectory and does not introduce additional independent scaling variables. Weak-to-moderate dissipation acts as a smooth dynamical renormalization of the effective action, preserving saddle-point structure and enabling controlled analytical expansion. In the high-frequency regime, the response exhibits universal dynamical averaging, while an explicit integral representation establishes a continuous adiabatic-Floquet crossover. Direct numerical evaluation of the nonlocal instanton action confirms that the normalized tunneling exponent exhibits a universal dependence on the driving parameter that is robust across different model systems, demonstrating that driven dissipative barrier crossing defines a distinct two-parameter universality class within nonlinear nonequilibrium dynamics. These results elevate tunneling universality from scaling behavior to a predictive functional description and provide a unifying framework for response phenomena in driven systems with memory.

This work proposes a systematic approach for constructing discrete chaotic systems from chirp signals and illustrates it through two representative maps. Detailed analysis shows that the resulting systems exhibit complex dynamics, including crises, period-doubling transitions to chaos, and, in some regimes, robust chaos. With multiple control parameters and high Lyapunov exponents, the maps demonstrate strong sensitivity to initial conditions, as confirmed through bifurcation diagrams and Lyapunov exponent plots. The maps are integrated into a pseudo-random bit generator (PRBG) to evaluate their statistical suitability, and both pass all tests of the NIST Statistical Test Suite. Additional evaluations include key-space estimation, operation-based computational complexity, and execution speed measurements. The results indicate that the proposed chirp-based maps are effective candidates for chaotic PRBG design and related applications. • Introducing a wide parametric family of chaotic maps using chirp signals. • Several chirp signals are used as seeds. • Analytical Lyapunov exponent expressions. • The chaotic systems exhibit crises, period-doubling transitions to chaos, and, in some regimes, robust chaos, as observed in the bifurcation and LE diagrams. • Succesful use in a recent PRBG.

Performance assessment of groundwater circulation well coupled with surfactant-enhanced flushing in low-permeability zones.

We computationally investigate how environmental sensitivity of active matter interacts with soft confinement to shape collective dynamics. In our model, the active constituents are represented as self-propelled particles (SPPs), implemented as nematic, disjoint ring polymers whose direction of motion can reverse without tumbling, with a directional persistence controlled by the driving force, FD, and a persistence time scale, τm. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of these reversal-capable SPPs confined within a deformable two-dimensional enclosure reveal that the collective dynamics arise from a three-way feedback between active stresses, boundary elasticity, and particle-level memory. With increasing FD, this stress-boundary-memory feedback generates a sequence of collective dynamical regimes. At low FD, SPP motion is dominated by thermal fluctuations and activity plays a negligible role. At intermediate FD, coherent vortical motion emerges with intermittent, noise-driven reversals. The frequency of reversals is modulated by boundary elasticity and τm, and their occurrence coincides with transient coherent polar motion. With further increase in FD, reversals are suppressed, yielding sustained unidirectional vortical motion in which the enclosure exhibits diffusive propulsion with a diffusivity that varies non-monotonically with FD. At sufficiently high FD, the system transitions to a polar state characterized by strong nematic ordering of the SPPs, symmetry breaking of the enclosure shape, and persistent polar collective motion. In this regime, the SPPs accumulate at the leading edge of the enclosure, deforming it into an anisotropic shape and driving sustained ballistic propulsion of the enclosure with a slowly drifting direction. These results demonstrate how environmental sensitivity and soft confinement jointly regulate emergent collective states of confined active matter and identify boundary elasticity as a control parameter governing the balance between vortical and ballistic dynamics.

Under-expanded hydrogen jet fires pose a critical safety challenge, yet remain difficult to model with low-Mach CFD solvers. This study compares two strategies for representing the high-pressure jet with Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS): (i) an Eulerian, notional nozzle inlet based on fully expanded conditions, and (ii) a Lagrangian, momentum-carrying particle source that transfers mass and momentum to the resolved field. Validation against Sandia vertical jet experiments examines flame length, centerline temperature, and radiative heat flux. A systematic parametric study for particle diameter, size distribution, injection offset, and the basis of inlet conditions for the Lagrangian approach quantifies the sensitivities and identifies practical settings that balance accuracy and cost. The Lagrangian approach reproduces the measured flame length evolution and centerline temperatures and matches the reported radiant fraction; the Eulerian case underpredicts core temperature and radiation. Feature-importance analysis isolates injected particle diameter as the dominant control parameter. Grid/cost comparisons indicate a practical compromise at grid size of 0 . 10 m . • Eulerian and Lagrangian CFD of hydrogen jet flames. • Lagrangian method compares favorably against experimental data. • Sensitivity analysis identifies particle diameter as key parameter.

The Fermi polaron, arising from interactions between a mobile impurity and a degenerate Fermi sea, is a many-body quasiparticle that provides a sensitive probe of strongly correlated electronic phases in atomically thin semiconductors. In doped transition-metal dichalcogenides, the attractive and repulsive polaron branches are well established in monolayers. However, extending active control and quantitative, branch-resolved probing to stacked geometries has remained elusive because spectral quenching and weak optical contrast restrict access to Fermi polaron signatures. Here, we integrate electron-doped WS2 flakes from monolayer to quadrilayer with a strain-tunable plasmonic metasurface, enabling a high-contrast scattering readout at room temperature through coupling between Fermi polaron resonances and surface plasmons. This platform enables the quantitative extraction of polaron branch spectral weights and coupling strengths across different layer numbers. We uncover a systematic thickness dependence of the spectral weight distribution and demonstrate continuous and fully reversible spectral weight transfer between attractive and repulsive branches in bilayers and quadrilayers, with near-complete transfer achieved in bilayers. By identifying the layer number and strain as complementary control parameters for Fermi polarons, our results establish metasurface-enabled scattering spectroscopy as a practical route to resolve and manipulate many-body resonances in stacked van der Waals semiconductors, bridging idealized monolayer polaron physics and device-relevant architectures.

Insulinoma is a rare pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour characterised by inappropriate insulin secretion and recurrent hypoglycaemia. Owing to their small size and intrapancreatic localisation, insulinomas are frequently difficult to detect using conventional anatomical imaging techniques. Functional imaging based on positron emission tomography has therefore gained increasing interest, particularly through targeting of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, which is highly overexpressed in most insulinomas. Among available tracers, gallium-68-labelled NODAGA-exendin-4 has demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance. However, its routine clinical implementation remains limited by the absence of a harmonised, robust and transferable radiosynthesis protocol compatible with hospital radiopharmacy practice. The aim of this work was to optimise and harmonise the automated preparation of gallium-68-labelled NODAGA-exendin-4 by systematically evaluating critical synthesis parameters and validating the optimised process across multiple commercially available gallium-68 generators. Using an automated synthesis module, key variables including precursor amount, labelling temperature and duration, formulation additives, workflow sequence and quality control conditions were investigated. The optimised protocol was subsequently validated using generators from three different manufacturers. Optimisation studies demonstrated that formulation-related parameters, particularly the post-labelling addition of polysorbate 20, resulted in improved radiochemical conversion and reduced residual activity within the synthesis cassette. An optimal precursor amount of 20µg was identified as a compromise between radiochemical yield and clinical injectability constraints. Radiolabelling at 95°C for 12min ensured high conversion while reducing overall synthesis time. Validation runs showed excellent reproducibility, with non-decay-corrected yields ranging from 60 to 73% and decay-corrected yields reaching up to 93%, independent of generator type. Radiochemical purity consistently exceeded 95%, and all quality control parameters complied with established specifications. This study establishes a simplified, efficient and generator-independent automated synthesis of gallium-68-labelled NODAGA-exendin-4. By addressing key translational and regulatory constraints, the proposed protocol provides a practical foundation for the routine clinical implementation of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor imaging in patients with suspected insulinoma.

ABSTRACT The separation of isotopes using rotating cylinders is a crucial and sustainable method. The hydraulic characteristics of rotating cylinders are crucial for optimizing their performance and regulating the working state of cascades. However, the hydraulic laws derived from experimental data often lack broad universality. Therefore, establishing a highly generalizable fluid dynamics model to study the hydraulic characteristics of rotating cylinders is essential. In this paper, by investigating the relationship between the gas flow state inside the cylinder and external control parameters, a hydraulic model for rotating cylinders that adapts to external parameters was developed. A numerical method based on the inexact Newton’s method was proposed to handle complex nonlinear source-sink terms, which was further integrated with a homotopy algorithm to solve two-dimensional high-order nonlinear fluid dynamics equations. Using this model and algorithm, the hydraulic characteristics and performance of rotating cylinders under all operating conditions were comprehensively simulated. The results show that the deviation between the critical pressure obtained by numerical simulation and experimental data is less than 0.3P 0, and the theoretical split ratio differs from the experimental results by less than 0.06θ 0.

In modern medicine, blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) represents a significant clinical problem, the relevance of which markedly increases under conditions of armed conflict. Even mild blast-related brain injury is often accompanied by minimal structural alterations; however, it may lead to functional impairments, particularly cognitive deficits, thereby complicating timely diagnosis and outcome prediction. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of mild blast-induced closed traumatic brain injury on cognitive function in combination with the assessment of neuromuscular control and reflex parameters in mice. A model of mild blast-induced closed traumatic brain injury (mbcTBI) was implemented using an improved device designed to generate a blast wave of controlled intensity (207 kPa, equivalent to 30 psi). The injury was induced in 6-month-old male BALB/c mice weighing 27–30 g (n = 21), selected from an initial cohort of 50 animals based on preliminary testing results. At 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days, as well as 2 months post-injury, the general condition of the animals, forelimb grip strength, neurological status, and cognitive performance were dynamically evaluated. Cognitive function was assessed using the novel object recognition test with calculation of the discrimination index and novelty preference index. The novel object recognition test was conducted in an arena with opaque walls (40 × 40 × 20 cm) and consisted of three consecutive phases: habituation, familiarization, and testing. Statistical analysis of the experimental data was performed using the Friedman test followed by post hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank test with Bonferroni correction. The results demonstrated the absence of mortality, pronounced changes in general condition (body weight loss, deterioration of coat condition, decreased activity), and persistent neurological deficits in animals with experimental injury, which generally corresponds to the clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of mild traumatic brain injury. In the early post-traumatic period, a transient decrease in the discrimination index and novelty preference index was observed while exploratory activity was preserved, indicating temporary impairment of recognition processes. Forelimb grip strength significantly decreased on day 3 after injury modeling, which may reflect disturbances in the regulation of muscle tone and coordination. However, beginning from day 7, a trend toward recovery was noted, followed by normalization of the parameter. The assessed reflexes were largely preserved throughout the observation period. Isolated deviations recorded in the early post-traumatic phase were short-lived and reversible and were not accompanied by the development of persistent asymmetries. At later stages of observation, all parameters returned to baseline levels, which may reflect activation of compensatory and restorative mechanisms. Mild blast-induced closed traumatic brain injury in mice leads to cognitive impairment in the absence of persistent reflex and neuromuscular deficits. The obtained data confirm that the applied model is suitable for studying early post-traumatic cognitive changes, investigating mechanisms of neuroplasticity, and evaluating potential neuroprotective and rehabilitation strategies.

Biexciton dynamics in molecular aggregates provides a sensitive probe of the interplay between quantum coherence, band structure, and dissipation under strong excitation conditions. We present a theoretical framework for biexciton dynamics in molecular aggregates that explicitly treats populations and coherences across excitation manifolds within a reduced density-matrix formalism. By extending kinetic descriptions beyond the weak-coupling limit, the approach captures the influence of exciton delocalization and exciton-exciton annihilation while remaining computationally tractable within a Markovian description of environmental relaxation. Using this framework, we investigate how the spatial profile and momentum composition of the initial biexciton state govern fluorescence decay and transport. Incoherent initial conditions lead to strongly non-exponential relaxation and time-dependent diffusion driven by nonlinear population kinetics. In contrast, coherently prepared biexciton states exhibit pronounced early-time coherent transport, whose character depends sensitively on whether the initial state is prepared as a standing-wave or traveling-wave superposition of single-exciton modes. Despite nearly identical emission dynamics for J and H aggregates, biexciton transport properties differ markedly due to band structure-dependent interference effects. Our results demonstrate that biexciton dynamics remains strongly influenced by initial-state coherence and momentum composition. In addition to the initial-state preparation, the coherent-to-incoherent crossover and the diffusive spreading of the exciton density are sensitive to internal conversion processes such as exciton fusion and the decay to the first excited state. The present work establishes initial-state preparation as a key control parameter for many-exciton transport in excitonic systems and provides a general framework for interpreting nonlinear optical experiments beyond population-based descriptions.

Achieving simultaneously high dielectric tunability, thermal and frequency stability, and efficient electrocaloric performance remains a major unresolved challenge in lead-free ferroelectric films. These constraints limit the practical deployment of environmentally benign tunable components and solid-state refrigeration technologies. To address this gap, we investigate Ba0.7Ca0.3TiO3 thin films grown at 630, 670, and 700°C, establishing quantitative growth-structure-property correlations that enable co-optimization of these functionalities. By integrating dielectric spectroscopy, Rayleigh analysis, phase-field simulations, and electrocaloric measurements, we disentangle intrinsic and extrinsic contributions governing dielectric and electrocaloric behaviour. Film grown at 630°C exhibit the highest tunability (∼90%), dominated by extrinsic mechanisms with mixture of a/c nano-domains, whereas film grown at 670°C yields a stable tunability (∼85%), low dielectric loss (<0.05), high cumulative quality factor (CQF∼1.6×104), and excellent thermal (300-420K) and frequency (10kHz-1MHz) stability. In contrast, films grown at 700°C display the best performance of electrocaloric coefficient (ξ ∼0.025KcmkV- 1), refrigerant capacity (RC of ∼1900Jkg- 1) and an outstanding relative cooling power (RCP ≈ 1755K2), among the highest reported for lead-free films. These results establish growth temperature as an effective control parameter for overcoming tunability-stability trade-offs in adaptive microelectronics and solid-state refrigeration.

The phase diagram of V2O3 contains two insulating phases and one metallic phase with distinct lattice structures whose stability is highly strain sensitive. In epitaxial thin films, strain is typically controlled through lattice mismatch with the substrate. Here, we show that substrate morphology itself can become a key control parameter by enabling thermal expansion mismatch to dominate the strain state. We investigate V2O3 films grown on sapphire, where lattice mismatch induces compressive strain while thermal expansion mismatch produces tensile strain. By modifying the sapphire surface morphology through annealing, which generates either atomically flat or stepped surfaces, the compressive strain can be partially relaxed. This relaxation allows the tensile thermal strain to overcome the lattice-mismatch contribution, resulting in either strongly compressive or strongly tensile strain states in otherwise nominally identical films. High-resolution STEM reveals crystallographic defects forming near substrate steps, identifying the microscopic origin of the enhanced relaxation. These morphology-controlled strain states strongly affect the electronic properties: compressive strain suppresses the metal-insulator transition, whereas tensile strain stabilizes insulating phases at all temperatures, producing resistivity changes spanning many orders of magnitude. Our results establish substrate morphology as a powerful route for strain engineering in correlated oxide thin films.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries offer exceptional theoretical energy density, yet their practical deployment is fundamentally constrained by sluggish sulfur redox kinetics and persistent shuttle of polysulfides. Here, we report a NiMo-alloy-assisted quantitative heterointerface engineering strategy that regulates the phase balance, interfacial abundance, and electronic coupling in Mo2C/MoC heterostructures. By tuning the Ni/Mo ratio as a continuous control parameter, NiMo incorporation drives controlled Mo2C→MoC phase reconstruction to maximize the density and accessibility of catalytically active Mo2C/MoC heterointerfaces, while the resulting NiMo domains primarily function as a structural modulator and metallic electron-transport pathway, complementing the conductive nitrogen-doped carbon framework. In situ/ex situ characterizations and density functional theory calculations reveal Mo2C/MoC heterointerfaces intrinsically exhibit the most favorable polysulfide adsorption strength and the lowest energy barriers for bidirectional sulfur conversion. As a result, Li-S cells equipped with the catalytic separator deliver a high reversible capacity of 1477.8 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and sustain long-term cycling with an ultralow decay rate of 0.032% per cycle over 1000 cycles at 0.5 C, enabling an areal capacity of 15.2 mAh cm-2 at high sulfur loading. This work establishes a quantitative heterointerface design paradigm for regulating sulfur electrochemistry and provides general insights into heterostructure-enabled catalysis in metal-sulfur batteries.

One focal challenge in engineering low-power and scalable all-oxide spintronic devices lies in exploring ferromagnetic oxides with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and electronic conductivity while exhibiting tunable spin states. Targeting this need, spinel nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4, NCO), featuring a ferrimagnetically metallic ground state with strong PMA, emerges as a promising candidate in the field of oxide spintronics. Here, we unveil multi-state electromagnetic phase modulations in the NCO system through controllable cation disorder and proton evolution, extensively expanding the electromagnetic phase diagram. The cation disorder in NCO is identified as a critical control parameter for kinetically adjusting the proton evolution, giving rise to emergent intermediate hydrogenated states. Hydrogen incorporation reversibly drives structural phase transformation and electromagnetic state evolutions in NCO, with rich spin-dependent correlated physics. Our work not only establishes NCO as a versatile platform for discovering spin-dependent physical functionality but also extends the horizons in materials design for state-of-the-art spintronic devices.

ABSTRACT Cohesive chains offer a sequential view of how dispersed cohesive resources are integrated, and chain distance further links discourse organization to processing constraints. However, the distributional regularities of chain distance remain under-described, obscuring debates about the relative status of referential and lexical chains. Based on long English abstracts, this study combines distribution fitting and sensitivity analysis to model chain-distance distributions and their interaction patterns. Results show that (1) referential-chain distances follow an extended logarithmic distribution, where θ indexes the trade-off between distances 1 and 2, and α reflects the mass beyond distance 3; lexical-chain distances follow a right-truncated negative binomial distribution, with k and p primarily governing the relative weights of distances below versus above 4. (2) A stable crossover threshold occurs around distances 4 ± 1, with referential chains dominating before and lexical chains after. Sensitivity analysis identifies p and θ as primary drivers of threshold shifts, k as the regulator of handover abruptness, and α as the main controller of balance-band width. Overall, these patterns indicate that chain distance is self-organized to balance informational demands and cognitive load and that distribution parameters can act as control parameters characterizing the dynamic organization of discourse effectively.

Model-based analysis of nanocarrier-mediated transdermal drug delivery with coated microneedles.