Correct Implementation Research Articles

Distribution of Pb, Zn, Fe, As, Sn, Sb, Bi, and Ni Between Oxide Liquid and Metal in the ‘CuO0.5’-CaO-AlO1.5 System in Equilibrium with Cu Metal at 1400 °C

AbstractThe increasing complexity of ore resources and recycled materials in the feed of pyrometallurgical processes present a technical challenge to the metallurgical engineers working on maximizing the recovery of the valuable elements and minimizing the environmental impact of the processes. To address this challenge, the availability of computational tools that can predict the mass and energy balance in complex systems is required. Then, the accurate description of phase equilibria in the complex multicomponent systems describing the chemistry of the pyrometallurgical processes becomes critical for the correct implementation of the indicated tools and facing the outlined industrial challenges. In the present study, the distribution of selected elements (Pb, Zn, Fe, As, Sn, Sb, Bi, and Ni) between oxide liquid and metal in the ‘CuO0.5’–CaO–AlO1.5 system in equilibrium with Cu metal at 1400 °C (liquidus of CaAl2O4) was experimentally studied using the equilibration and quenching technique followed by the electron probe X-ray microanalysis of the resulted samples. The study covered a wide range of effective p(O2) over the system from 10−11 to 10−3.5 (corresponding to formation of immiscible CuO0.5-rich slag). To avoid loss of volatile elements (Pb, Zn, As, Sn, Sb, and Bi), a correlation between ‘CuO0.5’ in oxide liquid and p(O2) in open system was obtained first, followed by studying the volatile elements distribution in closed conditions (Al2O3 crucible sealed in SiO2 ampoule), where ‘CuO0.5’ concentration was used as a marker to evaluate the effective p(O2) over the system. The experimental results were then used for the optimization of the thermodynamic model parameters of the system as part of the integrated experimental and self-consisting thermodynamic modeling research program of phase equilibria in the Cu–Pb–Zn–Fe–Ca–Si–Al–Mg–O–S–(As, Sn, Sb, Bi, Ag, Au, Ni, Cr, Co, and Na) gas/oxide liquid/matte/speiss/metal/solids system. Graphical Abstract

Social Participation in Community Corrections: A Qualitative Analysis of Justice Practices in China

In China, the widespread implementation of community corrections is a key strategy designed to reduce the burden on the criminal justice system. This strategy prominently features social participation as a critical element. This study delves into the effects of social participation on correctional practices by conducting in-depth interviews with a diverse group of stakeholders, including community corrections officials, judicial police, community workers, and counselors. Our findings reveal a predominant government-led approach to social participation, where government-funded social organizations play a major role. The research also highlights significant role conflicts and jurisdictional ambiguities within the system, which may arise from unclear criminal policies. These conflicts and ambiguities underline the challenges in the current implementation of community corrections. By examining these dynamics, the study suggests that refining the government-led model of social participation could provide more effective strategies for enhancing civic engagement and improving the efficacy of community correction.

The 2021-2023 Italian influenza pandemic plan: a critical evaluation of its regional implementation

Abstract Background Influenza pandemic preparedness plans should be adopted, regularly updated in every country, and comply with international guidelines to ensure proper management of public health emergencies. In Italy, each region develops its pandemic plan based on a National Plan. This study, conducted within a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, aims to assess the level of compliance of these plans with the national guidelines. Methods The assessment was based on a checklist of 192 items reporting the actions prescribed by the national plan. The items were divided into macro-areas by pandemic phase: general, alert, inter-pandemic, pandemic, and transition. The compliance regarding the presence and contextualization of each item in the regional plans was evaluated. Each macro-area was further assessed for easy identification of actions, congruence with the National Plan, and contextualization in the regional healthcare system. Some analyses grouped the regions into North, Centre, and South/Islands. Results Some macro-areas, such as ‘Communication’ and ‘Prevention and Control measures,’ showed some weaknesses in all phases, especially in the northern regions, which reached levels of full compliance below 50%. Central regions were highly compliant in almost all macro-areas, especially in ‘Strategy/Governance’ (100%), ‘Supplying’ (75-100%), and ‘Surveillance’ (75-100%). Overall, contextualization was the weakest aspect in all phases, while easy identification and congruence were mainly better achieved. Only three regions fully met all the assessed parameters. Conclusions A strict surveillance and monitoring process of planned activities is necessary to strengthen the country’s preparedness. This study identified critical issues and key areas for improvement at the regional level. This might allow us to verify the correct implementation of national guidelines and define the best strategies for improving readiness for public health emergencies in the future. Key messages • Implementation of the Italian influenza pandemic plan was uneven across regions. • Identification of lacking areas of the regional implementation is essential to improving national preparedness.

Interplay Between Atmospheric Correction and Fusion Techniques Enhances the Quality of Remote Sensing Image Fusion

Remote sensing image fusion technology integrates observational data from multiple satellite platforms to leverage the complementary advantages of the different types of remote sensing images. High-quality fused remote sensing images provide detailed information on surface radiation, climate, and environmental conditions, thereby supporting governmental policies on environmental changes. Improving the quality and quantitative accuracy of fused images is a crucial trend in remote sensing image fusion research. This study investigates the impact of atmospheric correction and five widely applied fusion techniques on remote sensing image fusion. By constructing four fusion frameworks, it evaluates how the choice of fusion method, the implementation of atmospheric correction, the synchronization of atmospheric parameters, and the timing of atmospheric correction influence the outcomes of remote sensing image fusion. Aerial flights using remote sensors were conducted to acquire atmospheric parameter distribution images that are strictly synchronous with the remote sensing images. Comprehensive and systematic evaluations of the fused remote sensing images were performed. Experiments show that for the remote sensing images used, selecting the appropriate fusion method can improve the spatial detail evaluation metrics of the fused images by up to 2.739 times, with the smallest deviation from true reflectance reaching 35.02%. Incorporating synchronous atmospheric parameter distribution images can enhance the spatial detail evaluation metrics by up to 2.03 times, with the smallest deviation from true reflectance reaching 5.4%. This indicates that choosing an appropriate fusion method and performing imaging-based synchronous atmospheric correction before fusion can maximize the enhancement of spatial details and spectral quantification in fused images.

Implementacja do polskiego porządku prawnego dyrektywy platformowej – problem domniemania stosunku pracy (wprowadzenie do dyskusji)

The aim of this study is to present the key challenge faced by the Polish legislator, which is the implementation of the construction of the presumption of employment relationship as regulated in Art. 5 of the Directive in relation to platform employment. In my opinion, the correct implementation of this construction into the Polish legal system will require extending this mechanism to all employment relationships, including those operating outside the online platform sector. In this sense, the implementation of this mechanism will constitute a revolution for the entire Polish employment law. The implementation of the presumption of an employment relationship into our legal order is of fundamental importance for all employment relations in Poland. It will affect not only the online platform market, but also all individuals engaged in gainful employment. The author critically addresses the proposed solutions, pointing out the flaws and risks associated with introducing this legal construction into Polish labour law.

Development of an intelligent-based telemetry hexapod robotic system for surveillance of power system components

A robot is an artificial system that performs specific programmed tasks to aid day-to-day human activities. Robot finds applications in industries for large-scale production, healthcare for computer-aided surgeries, security for surveillance of electrical power system equipment, and the military for carrying out dangerous reconnaissance. Most robotic systems employed for different operations use a wheeled mode of locomotion which has limitations over rough terrains and the issue of communication setup of the system. This work developed a hexapod, a six-legged robotic system, to overcome these identified challenges. The robot was developed in tandem with a telemetry system for surveillance. Although, automating the surveillance process using robotic systems has been in the works for some time. However, this work developed a telemetry hexapod robotic system for enhanced surveillance for the security of power systems equipment and other critical infrastructures using a Raspberry Pi for fast, secure data transmission, and precise system synchronization. An inverse kinematics approach was used to determine joint configurations for better positions of each endpoint. A digital camera was integrated into the robot to relay real-time images of adversaries of power system components intelligently. In addition, the system incorporates data processing capability. In the result obtained, the developed telemetry hexapod robotic system receives instructions over a distance slightly above 300 m. It establishes effective control of the telemetry system without any hindrance of a limited range as observed in Bluetooth-controlled systems. The system's performance includes an average efficiency of 98.2 %, latency of 0.48 s at the peak distance, and an endurance of 4 h. Further analysis of the system shows that the corresponding increase in the latency with the distance is negligible. The system performed better than other related systems considered in the literature. The correct implementation of the developed telemetry hexapod robotic system further enhances mobility, stability in rough terrain, reliable communication system. Also, it brings about a notable reduction in component theft in electrical power systems.

CoolerSpace: A Language for Physically Correct and Computationally Efficient Color Programming

Color programmers manipulate lights, materials, and the resulting colors from light-material interactions. Existing libraries for color programming provide only a thin layer of abstraction around matrix operations. Color programs are, thus, vulnerable to bugs arising from mathematically permissible but physically meaningless matrix computations. Correct implementations are difficult to write and optimize. We introduce CoolerSpace to facilitate physically correct and computationally efficient color programming. CoolerSpace raises the level of abstraction of color programming by allowing programmers to focus on describing the logic of color physics. Correctness and efficiency are handled by CoolerSpace. The type system in CoolerSpace assigns physical meaning and dimensions to user-defined objects. The typing rules permit only legal computations informed by color physics and perception. Along with type checking, CoolerSpace also generates performance-optimized programs using equality saturation. CoolerSpace is implemented as a Python library and compiles to ONNX, a common intermediate representation for tensor computations. CoolerSpace not only prevents common errors in color programming, but also does so without run-time overhead: even unoptimized CoolerSpace programs out-perform existing Python-based color programming systems by up to 5.7 times; our optimizations provide up to an additional 1.4 times speed-up.

Evaluating Google's Protected Audience Protocol

While third-party cookies have been a key component of the digital marketing ecosystem for years, the way they allow users to be tracked across web sites raises serious privacy concerns. Google has proposed the Privacy Sandbox initiative to enable ad targeting without third-party cookies. While there have been several studies focused on other parts of this initiative, there has been little analysis to date as to how well the system achieves the intended goal of preventing request linking. This work focuses on analyzing linkage privacy risks for the reporting mechanisms proposed in the Protected Audience (PrAu) proposal (previously known as FLEDGE), which is intended to enable online remarketing without using third-party cookies. In this work, we summarize the overall workflow of PrAu and highlight potential privacy risks associated with its proposed design. We focus on scenarios in which adversaries attempt to link two requests to different sites to the same user and show that a realistic adversary would be still able to use the privacy-protected reporting mechanisms to link user requests and conduct mass surveillance, even with correct implementations of all the currently proposed privacy mechanisms.

Light-absorbing black carbon and brown carbon components of smoke aerosol from DSCOVR EPIC measurements over North America and central Africa

Abstract. Wildfires and agricultural burning generate seemingly increasing smoke aerosol emissions, impacting societal and natural ecosystems. To understand smoke's effects on climate and public health, we analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of smoke aerosols, focusing on two major light-absorbing components, namely black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) aerosols. Using NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) instrument aboard NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft, we inferred BC and BrC volume fractions and particle mass concentrations based on spectral absorption provided by the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm with 1–2 h temporal resolution and ∼ 10 km spatial resolution over North America and central Africa. Our analyses of regional smoke properties reveal distinct characteristics for aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 443 nm, spectral single-scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol layer height (ALH), and BC and BrC amounts. Smoke aerosols in North America showed extremely high AOD up to 6, with elevated ALH (6–7 km) and significant BrC components up to 250 mg m−2 along the transport paths, whereas the smoke aerosols in central Africa exhibited stronger light absorption (i.e., lower SSA) and lower AOD, resulting in higher-BC mass concentrations and similar BrC mass concentrations than the cases in North America. Seasonal burning source locations in central Africa, following the seasonal shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and diurnal variations in smoke amounts, were also captured. A comparison of retrieved AOD443, SSA443, SSA680, and ALH with collocated AERONET and CALIOP measurements shows agreement with RMSE values of 0.2, 0.03–0.04, 0.02–0.04, and 0.8–1.3 km, respectively. An analysis of the spatiotemporal average reveals distinct geographical characteristics in smoke properties closely linked to burning types and meteorological conditions. Forest wildfires over western North America generated smoke with a small-BC volume fraction of 0.011 and a high ALH with large variability (2.2 ± 1.2 km), whereas smoke from wildfires and agricultural burning over Mexico region shows more absorption and low ALH. Smoke from savanna fires over central Africa had the most absorption, with a high-BC volume fraction (0.015) and low ALH with a small variation (1.8 ± 0.6 km) among the analyzed regions. Tropical forest smoke was less absorbing and had a high variance in ALH. We also quantify the estimation uncertainties related to the assumptions of BC and BrC refractive indices. The MAIAC EPIC smoke properties with BC and BrC volume and mass fractions and assessment of the layer height provide observational constraints for radiative forcing modeling and air quality and health studies.

High-fidelity teleportation of a logical qubit using transversal gates and lattice surgery

Quantum state teleportation is commonly used in designs for large-scale quantum computers. Using Quantinuum’s H2 trapped-ion quantum processor, we demonstrate fault-tolerant state teleportation circuits for a quantum error correction code—specifically the Steane code. The circuits use up to 30 qubits at the physical level and employ real-time quantum error correction. We conducted experiments on several variations of logical teleportation circuits using both transversal gates and lattice surgery. We measured the logical process fidelity to be 0.975 ± 0.002 for the transversal teleportation implementation and 0.851 ± 0.009 for the lattice surgery teleportation implementation as well as 0.989 ± 0.002 for an implementation of Knill-style quantum error correction.

Surface roughness measurement in the notch area for estimating dynamic component load bearing capacity

The surface of a part can have an essential influence on its dynamic load bearing capacity as grooves and scratches act as more or less significant imperfections or additional micro-notches, depending on the interpretation. In order to accurately predict the fatigue strength, detailed knowledge of the surface structure in critical areas is essential but cannot always be established due to geometric constraints. To overcome these restrictions, a method utilizing impressions and a laser scanning microscope to take surface topography measurements in critical notch areas is used in this work. It enables precise and reproducible measurements to be taken. The method is used to conduct surface roughness measurements on fatigue strength specimens made of four different materials. Several roughness influence factors are calculated based on the results and their influence on the result of a recalculation using a fatigue strength assessment is shown as example. The calculated fatigue limit is compared against experimental results. The comparison shows significant scatter in prediction accuracy and no optimal surface influence factor can be recommended so far. It has to be noted that only a small sample of specimens, which were not designed for researching surface roughness influence in particular, were available for this work. The effects of roughness in the notch may not be completely captured by the available roughness influence factors. Furthermore, issues arise in the correct implementation of stress concentration factor based roughness influence factors. Further research is required to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of surface roughness on the fatigue limit.

Studies of Z boson decay into double ϒ mesons at the NLO QCD accuracy

In this paper, we employ the nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics (QCD) factorization to conduct a comprehensive examination of the Z boson decay into a pair of ϒ mesons, achieving accuracy at the next-to-leading-order (NLO) in αs. Our calculations demonstrate that the quantum electrodynamics (QED) diagrams are indispensable in comparison to the pure QCD diagrams, and the implementation of QCD corrections markedly enhances the QCD results, whereas it substantially diminishes the QED results. To ensure consistency with the experimental methodology, we have taken into account the feed-down transitions originating from higher excited states, which exhibit significant relevance. Combining all the contributions, we arrive at the NLO prediction of BZ→ϒ(nS)+ϒ(mS)∼10−11, which is notably lower than the upper limits set by CMS. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Knowledge Management Implementation towards the Effectiveness of Community Service Programs Used as the Family Economic Program

The transfer of knowledge is critical for a company to expand and transform. Regarding a country's socioeconomic development, micro-enterprises The research’s objective is to know the role of the knowledge management implementation on the community service and its impact on the family economic program. The method of this study uses systematic secondary data search and meta-analysis. The findings of this research shows the following matters: First, the correct knowledge management implementation is effective for the community service activities. Second, the good and feasible community service programs can enhance the family economic resilence program. Thus, knowledge management is effective means of enhancing the family economic program.

Private Mediation as a Means of Achieving Public Goals

The development and strengthening of private mediation significantly determine the possibilities of overcoming the challenges in the process of the institutionalization of mediation. Establishes an effective system of dispute resolution at the state level. The legal or practical regulation of the abovementioned should be considered a prerequisite for implementing the interests of the subjects of law and forming legal awareness. In addition, the perfect functioning of the justice system, which should ensure the implementation of the legal interests of the subjects of law, is an expression of public and private interests. The well-being and satisfaction of the civil turnover participants are significantly determined by the existence of flexible dispute resolution systems and mechanisms, the correct implementation of which creates guarantees for the stability of civil turnover. In addition, it’s in the public interest that the chain of the means of dispute resolution should be flexible and diverse and allow the interested parties to choose an acceptable method in each case. Regardless of its importance, providing fast and affordable forms of dispute resolution remains a challenge. In addition, it’s important to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors in this process, which will be considered an innovation in Georgia. Accordingly, following legislative changes, it is important to raise public awareness, improve legal culture, and strengthen the court’s role in implementing state policy regarding dispute resolution.

Implementation in the European Union. A concept structural meta-study of environmental and social policy

ABSTRACT The implementation of EU law has been investigated since the 1980s without pinpointing any general explanatory mechanisms, while most studies focus on highly specific empirical analysis without going beyond basic conceptual descriptions. Theoretically, this paper proposes an alternative comparative framework to conceptualize and analyze differentiated policy implementation based on concept structural considerations. Empirically, existing case studies are compared in a meta-study by transferring their statements on explanatory conditions and outcomes into a parsimonious, procedural model. This approach enables a theory-guided, systematic comparison of qualitative case studies which has long been considered a desideratum in the implementation literature. The paper addresses the question under which conditions correct implementation (i.e. transposition and application) of EU directives occurs. Starting from a literature assessment, explanatory patterns are extracted and formalized as set-theoretic conditions connected to transposition and application as outcomes. The resulting concept structural model links the conceptual and explanatory levels of the underlying concepts. Using fuzzy set QCA, cases from environmental and social policy directives are assessed empirically based on case study data. The results largely confirm the expectation that only a conjunction of willingness- and ability-related conditions leads to correct implementation, particularly conjunctions of favourable attitudes and compatible institutional structures or capacities.

How Iran’s Hospital Accreditation Program Meets the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua)

Background: Hospital health service quality is a fundamental component of the health system. Hospital accreditation is a key approach to enhancing this quality, necessitating the correct implementation of processes. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the compliance of the executive processes of Iran’s hospital accreditation program with the requirements of the International Society for Quality in Health Care and to provide corrective solutions. Methods: This qualitative study uses an inductive content analysis technique. A checklist with seven axes was established by extracting and interpreting the requirements of the executive processes from the International Society for Quality in Health Care. By examining existing documents at the Ministry of Health’s Accreditation Office and conducting interviews with managers and experts in the field, challenges in the domain of the executive processes of Iran’s hospital accreditation program were identified using the relevant checklist. Corrective solutions were then gathered through semi-structured interviews with 19 experts, managers, and accreditation field specialists, categorized inductively, and presented using MAXQDA software. Results: Challenges in seven areas were identified, including governance; strategic, operational and financial management; risk management; human resources management; information management; survey and client management; and the granting of accreditation approval. Subsequently, solutions were categorized into five groups encompassing 26 concepts, focusing on reforming macro policies, addressing implementation challenges, fostering appropriate interactions, improving human resource management, and promoting evidence-based decision-making. Conclusions: The Iran hospital accreditation program’s adherence to International Society for Quality in Health Care standards is inadequate. Establishing a semi-autonomous, non-profit accreditation body that operates under government control and ensuring the independence of the accreditation office is essential for achieving higher compliance and receiving certification from International Society for Quality in Health Care.

Validation of 3D cryoEM single particle reconstruction correctness and handedness with Ewald's sphere correction.

The correct description of quantum scattering places the observed scattering contributions on the Ewald's sphere and its Friedel mate. In electron microscopy, due to the large radius of the Ewald's sphere, these contributions are typically merged during data analysis. We present an approach that separates and factorizes these contributions into inversion-symmetric and inversion-antisymmetric components. The correlations between reconstructions derived from these symmetric and antisymmetric components enable the automatic determination of handedness and provide additional validation for the quality of 3D reconstructions. These correlations are robust enough to be routinely used in single-particle reconstructions, even at resolutions below the limit where the curvature of the Ewald's sphere affects the overall signal-to-noise ratio.

Large fluctuations in the sky

Renormalization of quantum loop effects generated from large fluctuations is a hugely debatable topic of research these days which rules out the Primordial Black Hole (PBH) formation within the framework of single-field inflation. In this paper, we briefly discuss that the correct implementation of regularization, renormalization, and resummation techniques in a setup described by an ultra-slow-roll phase sandwiched between two slow-roll phases in the presence of smooth or sharp transitions can lead to a stringent constraint on the PBH mass (i.e. [Formula: see text]), which we advertise as a new No-go theorem. Finally, we will give some of the possible way-outs using which one can evade this proposed No-go theorem and produce solar/sub-solar mass PBHs.

Tetrahedral grids in Monte Carlo radiative transfer

Context. To understand the structures of complex astrophysical objects, 3D numerical simulations of radiative transfer processes are invaluable. For Monte Carlo radiative transfer, the most common radiative transfer method in 3D, the design of a spatial grid is important and non-trivial. Common choices include hierarchical octree and unstructured Voronoi grids, each of which has advantages and limitations. Tetrahedral grids, commonly used in ray-tracing computer graphics, can be an interesting alternative option. Aims. We aim to investigate the possibilities, advantages, and limitations of tetrahedral grids in the context of Monte Carlo radiative transfer. In particular, we want to compare the performance of tetrahedral grids to other commonly used grid structures. Methods. We implemented a tetrahedral grid structure, based on the open-source library TetGen, in the generic Monte Carlo radiative transfer code SKIRT. Tetrahedral grids can be imported from external applications or they can be constructed and adaptively refined within SKIRT. We implemented an efficient grid traversal method based on Plücker coordinates and Plücker products. Results. The correct implementation of the tetrahedral grid construction and the grid traversal algorithm in SKIRT were validated using 2D radiative transfer benchmark problems. Using a simple 3D model, we compared the performance of tetrahedral, octree, and Voronoi grids. With a constant cell count, the octree grid outperforms the tetrahedral and Voronoi grids in terms of traversal speed, whereas the tetrahedral grid is poorer than the other grids in terms of grid quality. All told, we find that the performance of tetrahedral grids is relatively poor compared to octree and Voronoi grids. Conclusions. Although the adaptively constructed tetrahedral grids might not be favourable in most media representative of astrophysical simulation models, they still form an interesting unstructured alternative to Voronoi grids for specific applications. In particular, they might prove useful for radiative transfer post-processing of hydrodynamical simulations run on tetrahedral or unstructured grids.

Theories, Facts, and Meanings in Political Philosophy

The consequences of correctly implementing a normative political theory arguably bear on its acceptability. A theory whose correct implementation permits slavery is highly implausible. We defend a claim about incorrect implementation. We argue that normative political theories that will predictably be put to bad use deserve harsher assessments than theories that will predictably be put to better use. Theories that key political actors will predictably invoke to justify bad policy recommendations are bad theories, even if those recommendations are not logical consequences of the theories (even in conjunction with well-established factual propositions). However, standard discussions of political theories ignore such “misapplications” when it comes to assessing the principles and values proclaimed by those theories. We reject this view because the action guidance that a normative political theory effectively provides is mediated by political actors’ prior beliefs. At the limit, these actors may regard public policies as specifying principles that the theory proclaims, as something different from regarding such policies as causally effective in achieving the ends or enforcing the rights proclaimed by those principles. As a result, political actors see themselves as exempted from the need to undertake careful causal analysis. Morally defensible action guidance requires, then, that those principles be qualified by empirically-grounded policy constraints. Normative political theories qualified in those ways constitute theoretical improvements, that is, improvements on the action guidance that the theories provide on their own.