Expansion Parameter Research Articles

Investigation on heat transfer and fluid flow of a plasma arc in a plasma melting furnace: Model validation and parameter effects

Plasma melting furnaces, as an innovative application of thermal plasma, have seen extremely limited numerical studies of their internal plasma arcs, remaining largely in the nascent stages. Due to the complexity of the material composition, the ultra-high currents and temperatures pose great challenges to the numerical calculation of the plasma arc, especially for plasma melting furnaces with an industrial-scale production capacity of 30 t/d. Therefore, this study uses computational fluid dynamics to deeply investigate the fluid flow and heat transfer of the plasma arc in a single-electrode plasma melting furnace operating at a current of 8000 A and a voltage of 170 V. Special attention is given to the impact of the plasma arc on the bath surface, with additional discussions on the effects of electrode gap and cathode bottom shape. The conclusions show that the plasma arc column exhibits a typical bell-shaped profile, and the reduced radial Lorentz force induces an outward expansion of the relevant parameters. The plasma arc achieves a maximum velocity of 2116 m/s and attains the peak temperatures of 19991 K. The heat transfer efficiency from the plasma arc to the bath surface is about 28 %. An innovative evaluation metric for the effective melting region on the bath surface is proposed, and it is currently circular with a radius of 0.525 m. The electrode gap has a minimal effect on the plasma arc. Enlarging the electrode gap can expand the effective melting region, while also bringing about numerous adverse effects. The graphite cathode with the planar bottom exhibits the optimal performance overall, followed by the cambered surface, with the conical surface showing the worst.

Effect of pore solution alkalinity on alkali–silica reaction (ASR) in metakaolin‐based geopolymer

AbstractGeopolymer concretes have shown better resistance against alkali–silica reaction (ASR) than ordinary Portland cement concretes, which was attributed to the low pore solution alkalinity of the geopolymer. However, the alkalinity of the geopolymer pore solution depends on the concentration and volume of the activating solutions used and age of the geopolymer. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of pore solution alkalinity on the ASR expansion of the metakaolin‐based geopolymer concrete. The chemistry of the pore solution of metakaolin‐based geopolymer was studied, and its reaction with reactive and non‐reactive aggregates was investigated. The concrete prism expansion tests showed no ASR‐induced expansion in geopolymer despite sufficient pore solution alkalinity to attack the reactive aggregates. The SEM and XRD characterizations confirmed that no ASR‐related gel was formed during the reaction between reactive aggregates and extracted pore solution. The chemical structure of the reaction product between aggregates and pore solution was characterized using MAS NMR and revealed no difference in the reaction products with reactive and non‐reactive aggregates. The results suggest that the pore solution alkalinity is not the sole governing parameter for ASR expansion in the geopolymer.

On the convergence of cosmographic expansions in Lemaître–Tolman–Bondi models

Abstract We study cosmographic expansions of the luminosity distance for a variety of Lemaître–Tolman–Bondi (LTB) models which we specify inspired by local large-scale structures of the Universe. We consider cosmographic expansions valid for general spacetimes and compare to the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) limit of the expansions as well as to its naive isotropic extrapolation to an inhomogeneous Universe. The FLRW expansions are often poor near the observer but become better at higher redshifts, where the light rays have reached the FLRW background. In line with this we find that the effective Hubble, deceleration and jerk parameters of the general cosmographic expansion are often very different from the global ΛCDM values, with deviations up to several orders of magnitude. By comparing with the naive isotropic extrapolation of the FLRW expansion, we assess that these large deviations are mainly due to gradients of the shear. Very close to the observer, the general cosmographic expansion is always best and becomes more precise when more expansion terms are included. However, we find that the convergence radius of the general cosmographic expansion is small for all studied models and observers and the general cosmographic expansion becomes poor for most of the studied observers already before a single LTB structure has been traversed. The small radius of convergence of the general cosmographic expansion has also been indicated by earlier work and may need careful attention before we can safely apply the general cosmographic expansion to real data.

Identifiability and convergence behavior for Markov chain Monte Carlo using multivariate probit models

Multivariate probit models have been popularly utilized to analysis multivariate ordinal data. However, the identifiable multivariate probit models entail the covariance matrix for the underlying multivariate normal variables to be a correlation matrix, which brings a rigorous task to conduct efficient statistical analysis. Parameter expansion to make the identifiable model to be non-identifiable has been inevitably explored. However, the effect of the expanded parameters on the convergence of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is seldomly investigated; in addition, the comparison of MCMC developed based on the identifiable model and that based on the non-identifiable model is hardly ever explored, especially for data with large sample sizes. In this paper, we conduct a thorough investigation to illustrate the effect of the expanded parameters on the convergence of MCMC and compare the behavior of MCMC between the identifiable and non-identifiable models. Our investigation provides a practical guide regarding the construction of non-identifiable models and development of corresponding MCMC sampling methods. We conduct our investigation using simulation studies and present an application using data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey-Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) study.

Probing the structural, mechanical, electro-magnetic, thermodynamic and thermoelectric properties of inner-transition based RaXO3 (X: Pr and U) cubic perovskites via first principle calculations

Here, we present ab-initio calculations of the structural, mechanical, electronic, magnetic, thermodynamic and thermoelectric properties of two radium-based perovskites by using density functional theory. These compounds are cubic in nature. Computation of tolerance factor, structural optimization by using the equation of state assures the stability of the materials. Further, we have checked the mechanical stability of the materials by computing the different mechanical parameters. The observed data of B/G and Cauchy pressure for the present materials reveals the ductile nature. The spin polarized band structures and density of states illustrate the half-metallic nature of these materials with the band gap of (3.74 and 4.80) eV in spin down channel for RaPrO3 and RaUO3 alloys respectively. The total magnetic moments calculated via GGA and mBJ approximations were found to be integral in nature (1 and 2) μB, for RaPrO3 and RaUO3 alloys respectively which also is an indication of the half-metallic character of these materials. The effect of temperature and pressure on the different thermodynamic properties like the specific heat capacity, thermal expansion and Gruneisen parameter were studied using the quasi-harmonic Debye model. Finally, we have speculated the temperature dependent thermoelectric properties in terms of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and power factor. The summed -up properties suggest the applications of these materials in thermoelectrics, spintronics and thermoelectric generators outlooks.

Study on seismic performance and bearing capacity calculation of post-earthquake repairable high-strength steel joints with weakened-angle

This paper combines common steel and high-strength steel to design a post-earthquake, repairable joint, considering post-earthquake function repairable and seismic performance comprehensively. To prevent early plastic deformation of the joint during the initial loading, slot holes are cut in the web and obround holes are cut in the flange of the angle. This is done to enhance the joint's seismic performance and its capacity for repair. Carrying out the proposed pseudo-static test and finite element parameter expansion analysis on the designed joints to compare and analyze the post-earthquake function repairable capacity of the joint. According to the different failure mechanisms, the calculation method of the bearing capacity and the design method of the joints are proposed. The weakened angle joints have low bearing capacity but the damage is completely concentrated in the damage element, and shows excellent ductility and seismic performance. The damage element was replaced when the story-drift was reached at 0.04 rad, and the peak bearing capacity before and after replacement errored by only 7.1 %. The maximum residual deformation of the joint is 0.48 %, which is lower than the threshold value for residual deformation of the post-earthquake function repairable structure, indicating excellent post-earthquake function repairable capacity. Based on the parameter and theoretical analysis, it is recommended that the thickness of damage element is not greater than the thickness of the beam, the length of the cantilever beam takes the value range of 0.18–0.25 times the total length of the beam, the bolts spacing of angle flange should be in the range of 30 times the thickness of the angle, and the reducing rate of the flange cover plate is about 0.7. According to the full-section plasticity theory, the peak bearing capacity can be calculated. The experimental and simulated values have an error within the range of 10 %.

FedDA: Resource-adaptive federated learning with dual-alignment aggregation optimization for heterogeneous edge devices

Federated learning (FL) is an emerging distributed learning paradigm that allows multiple clients to collaborate on training a global model without sharing their local data. However, in practical heterogeneous edge device scenarios, FL faces the challenges of system heterogeneity and data heterogeneity, which leads to unfair participation and degraded global model performance. In this paper, we introduce FedDA, a resource-adaptive FL framework, which adapts to the client’s computing resources by assigning heterogeneous models of different sizes. To improve the performance of heterogeneous model aggregation and adjust to non-independent and identically distributed (non-i.i.d.) data, we propose a dual-alignment aggregation optimization method, i.e., parameter feature space alignment and output space alignment. Specifically, FedDA exploits the permutation symmetry property of weight space to permutate the model parameter positions via an adaptive layer-wise matching method, thereby aligning models with significant deviations in parameter feature space. FedDA mitigates the imbalance in parameter quantity between smaller and larger models through parameter expansion. Additionally, FedDA maps client labels into a uniform embedding space through output space alignment, thus reducing model parameter deviations due to non-i.i.d. data without additional client-side computing overhead. We evaluate the performance of FedDA on benchmark datasets, including FashionMNIST, CIFAR10, CIFAR100 and AGNews. Experimental results demonstrate that FedDA achieves up to 8.71% improvement in model accuracy compared to baseline methods, highlighting its effectiveness in addressing the challenges of heterogeneity.

Reply to the Comment on “A New Boson Expansion Theory Utilizing a Norm Operator”

Abstract The comment is based on misunderstandings and, as a result, does not evaluate the norm operator method. We refute the comment. The structure of the norm operator composed of all the excitation modes determines whether the form of a practical boson expansion is a small parameter expansion. KT-3 is chimerical. It should be taken seriously that the small parameter expansions do not hold with truncating the contributions of all phonon excitation modes that are not adopted as boson excitations. The formulation using the boson expansion of the projection operator on to the boson vacuum does not allow the limitation of the phonon excitation number beforehand.

The novel Zn-doped hexagonal perovskite Ba7In6Al2O19: electrical conductivity and hydration

The novel phase Ba7In5.9Zn0.1Al2O18.95 with hexagonal perovskite structure was obtained by solid-state technique. The substitution of In3+ by the Zn2+ leads to the expansion of the lattice parameters and cell volume. It was established that the investigated sample is capable of water incorporation from the gas phase; the degree of hydration reaches 1.42 mol H2O, which is significantly higher than that for the undoped phase (0.41 mol H2O). This is a result of the expansion of the hexagonal layer that facilitates the placement of OH–-groups. The oxide-ion and proton conductivities for the doped Ba7In5.9Zn0.1Al2O18.95 sample were higher than those for the undoped composition, Ba7In6Al2O19, by 0.50 and 0.75 orders of magnitude (500 °C), respectively. The new phase Ba7In5.9Zn0.1Al2O18.95 demonstrates the predominant protonic conductivity at Т ≤ 500 °C and pH2O = 1.93·10−2 atm.

Scattering of dark pions in Sp(4) gauge theory

Analyses of astrophysical data provide first hints on the self-interactions of dark matter at low energies. Lattice calculations of dark matter theories can be used to investigate them, especially in the case of strongly interacting dark matter. We consider Sp(4) gauge theory with two fundamental fermions as a candidate theory. We compute the scattering phase shift for the scattering of two identical dark pions and determine the parameters of the effective range expansion. Our exploratory results in the supposedly most common interaction channel provide a lower limit for the dark matter mass when compared to astrophysical data. We also provide first benchmarks of velocity-weighted cross sections in the relevant nonrelativistic domain. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Eccentric compression performance of coral concrete-filled aluminum alloy tube (CCFAT) circular short columns

Coral concrete, utilizing coral reef bodies in place of traditional aggregates, shows promising prospects use in island projects. The use of aluminum alloy-reinforced coral concrete columns effectively enhances the load-bearing capacity of these structures. This study aims to investigate the performance of aluminum alloy circular tube-reinforced coral concrete short columns under eccentric compression. The study involved designing fifteen short columns for eccentric compression experiments, focusing on key parameters such as aluminum content (α), eccentricity (e0), and coral concrete strength (fc). The study obtained failure modes, bearing capacities, and load-deformation relationships, and analyzed the impacts of aluminum content, eccentricity, coral concrete strength, and hoop coefficient (ξa) on the columns’ strength, stiffness, and ductility. Subsequently, a finite element parameter expansion analysis using Abaqus was performed. Ultimately, a correction coefficient model was developed, compared with existing international specifications, and used to establish a suitable calculation model for the bearing capacity of CCFAT eccentric short columns. The results indicated that CCFAT eccentric short columns predominantly experienced bending failure. The stresses in the aluminum alloy round tube can reach the conditional yield strength, effectively collaborating with the concrete. The load-deformation relationship did not exhibit an intensification stage, and the lateral deflection curves tended to follow sinusoidal half-wave patterns. During the initial loading stage, adherence to the plane-section assumption was observed, with the hoop effect primarily manifesting in the compression zone. The strength index showed an approximately quadratic relationship with ξa, the stiffness index showed a positive correlation with ξa, and the ductility index demonstrated a strong positive association with ξa. The correction coefficient model, along with AIJ (2001), can be employed for calculating the bearing capacity of CCFAT eccentric short columns. This study introduces the novel concept of aluminum alloy tube-reinforced coral concrete columns as a composite structure for island civil engineering construction. Beyond the benefits of traditional steel tube concrete, these composite columns are expected to reduce engineering costs, shorten construction timelines, and address durability concerns through the incorporation of marine coral stones and fragments as concrete aggregates.

Strain tunable electronic, optical, and photovoltaic properties of monolayer β2-SrX2Y4 (X = Al, Ga, In, Y = S, Se)

In recent years, the experimentally synthesized two-dimensional material MoSi2N4, known for its excellent mechanical strength and environmental stability, has attracted significant attention as a representative of the MA2Z4 family. However, people's understanding of some MA2Z4 materials is still limited. In this study, we systematically investigated the properties of monolayer β2-SrX2Y4 (X=Al, Ga, In; Y=S, Se) with a seven-layer atomic configuration using first-principles calculations, focusing on their response to external strain engineering. Our results demonstrate that monolayer β2-SrX2Y4 exhibits characteristics of a direct bandgap semiconductor, and the majority of these materials retain these characteristics under applied strain. However, an unexpected transition from a direct bandgap to an indirect bandgap was observed in monolayer β2-SrAl2S4 under strain. Moreover, as strain changes from compressive to tensile, the imaginary part peak of the dielectric function for most β2-SrX2Y4 materials shifted towards lower energies (redshifted). Notably, in their pristine structures, only β2-SrAl2S4 and β2-SrAl2Se4 can facilitate water splitting by crossing the oxidation and reduction potentials of water. By applying strain, we successfully enabled β2-SrGa2S4 and β2-SrIn2S4 to possess the capability to drive water oxidation–reduction reactions. Furthermore, we calculated the second-order elastic constants and analyzed the Grüneisen parameter and thermal expansion coefficient based on the fitted energy density and strain relationships. This study highlights the potential applications of β2-SrX2Y4 in photocatalysis and optoelectronic devices and provides valuable insights for implementing biaxial strain in two-dimensional materials.

Investigation on the hydrogen storage properties, electronic, elastic, and thermodynamic of Zintl Phase Hydrides XGaSiH (X = sr, ca, ba)

This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the electronic, mechanical, and thermodynamic properties of Zintl phase hydrides XGaSiH (X = Sr, Ca, Ba) using Density Functional Theory (DFT) and the FP-LAPW method within the WIEN2k package. Our analysis covers the structural stability, electronic properties, and hydrogen interaction mechanisms in these compounds. The hydrides exhibit narrow band gaps, with values ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 eV using GGA and LDA functionals, and 0.6–1.0 eV with mBJ-GGA and mBJ-LDA. The hydrogen storage capacities are determined to be 0.34 wt %, 0.47 wt %, and 0.40 wt % for SrGaSiH, CaGaSiH, and BaGaSiH, respectively, highlighting their potential for energy storage applications. Thermodynamic properties, evaluated through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, provide insights into the Grüneisen parameter, heat capacity, and thermal expansion coefficient over a range of pressures (0–50 GPa) and temperatures (up to 1000 K). Elastic constants reveal that these compounds are mechanically stable, with a notable anisotropy in the {100} plane and varying degrees of compressibility among the different hydrides. Our study further highlights the slightly ordered hexagonal Ga and Si layers, which contribute to the enhanced hydrogen storage capabilities of these materials. The compounds demonstrate high structural stability, facilitating effective hydrogen retention and release at practical temperatures, making them promising candidates for hydrogen storage applications. Additionally, the analysis of electronic band structures and density of states suggests significant conductivity potential, with band gaps ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 eV, depending on the computational method used. The unique combination of structural, electronic, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties in XGaSiH compounds positions them as valuable materials for renewable energy applications. These findings lay the groundwork for future research focused on optimizing these materials through structural modifications or doping to enhance performance metrics such as hydrogen storage capacity and electrical conductivity.

International trends in prescribing silicone hydrogel contact lenses for daily wear (2000–2023): An update

PurposeIntroduced around the turn of the 21st century, silicone hydrogel contact lenses alleviated hypoxic anterior eye complications due to their high oxygen transmissibility. The purpose of this work is to update earlier surveys by describing international trends in silicone hydrogel daily wear contact lens fitting between 2000 and 2023. MethodAn annual contact lens prescribing survey was sent to eye care practitioners in up to 71 countries between 2000 and 2023. Data relating to 260,144 daily wear soft contact lens fits undertaken in 20 countries returning reliable longitudinal data were analysed in respect of silicone hydrogel daily wear contact lens fitting. ResultsThere has been a dramatic increase in silicone hydrogel daily wear lens fits (p < 0.0001), increasing from 2.8 % of all daily wear soft lens fits in 2000 to 73.7 % in 2023. Of all daily wear soft contact lenses prescribed to males, 44.6 % were silicone hydrogel lenses, compared with 43.5 % for females (p = 0.0146). The mean age of those wearing silicone hydrogel daily wear lenses was 32.0 ± 14.5 years, compared to 30.4 ± 13.6 years for those wearing daily wear hydrogel lenses (p < 0.0001). Between 2019–2023, the average percentage of fits was – (a) material type: silicone hydrogel – 73 %; mid-water content hydrogels – 13 %; high water content hydrogels – 9 %; and low water content hydrogels – 5 %, and (b) lens design: spherical – 44 %, toric – 32 %, multifocal – 17 %, monovision – 4 %, and ‘other’ – 3 %. ConclusionThe dramatic increase in silicone hydrogel contact lens prescribing for daily wear has been commensurate with the introduction of multiple lens brands and an ongoing expansion of lens designs, parameters and replacement frequency options. The balance between silicone hydrogel and hydrogel lens prescribing is perhaps starting to approach an equilibrium.

Seismic damage assessment of hybrid tenon-mortise-in-situ UHPC connection piers

Based on the proposed static test carried out on one whole cast-in-place pier specimen and three assembled pier specimens with different connection modes, the damage process of the four specimens under horizontal reciprocating load is analyzed and their damage conditions are evaluated by using the damage classification methods and different damage models commonly used at home and abroad, and the damage modes of the three assembled piers differ to different extents from that of the whole cast-in-place specimen. Compared with the whole cast-in-situ specimen, the damage modes of the three assembled piers have different degrees of difference, and the damage value of the specimen with splice joints located in the pier body is smaller than that of the other assembled piers under the same displacement amplitude; parameter expansion analysis is carried out on the UT-2 specimen to study the effect of different parameter changes on the damage performance under the proposed static cyclic loading. The results show that the larger the axial pressure ratio is, the larger the damage is. The larger the length to slenderness ratio, the smaller the damage. When the hoop ratio is from 0 % to 0.262 %, the damage value changes obviously. When the longitudinal reinforcement ratio is between 0.7 % and 1.94 %, the abutment damage decreases with the increase of longitudinal reinforcement ratio. The ratio of the cam width to the abutment section length is suggested to be 0.49–0.69. The related research can provide reference for the engineering design and seismic damage assessment of assembled RC abutments.

Systematic large flavor fTWA approach to interaction quenches in the Hubbard model

Abstract We study the nonequilibrium dynamics after an interaction quench in the two-dimensional Hubbard model using the recently introduced fermionic truncated Wigner approximation (fTWA). To assess the range of validity of the method in a systematic way, we consider the SU(N) Hubbard model with the fermion degeneracy N as a natural semiclassical expansion parameter. Using both a numerical and a perturbative analytical approach we show that fTWA is exact at least up to and including the prethermalization dynamics. We discuss the limitations of the method beyond this regime.

Z boson emission by an electron and the decays of Z boson into fermions in a de Sitter universe

In this paper we develop a method to obtain the rates for the decay of a Z boson into fermions in de Sitter geometry. Our general results obtained in de Sitter space-time allow us to obtain the Minkowski limits for the transition rates when the expansion parameter vanishes. Another important result reported in the present study is related to the emission of Z bosons by electrons and positrons. All the processes were studied by implementing perturbative methods that allow us to define the transition amplitudes in the first order of perturbation theory. The variation of probabilities and rates in terms of expansion parameter and particles masses is also given, pointing out that the processes that generate particle production are possible only in the early universe. For computing the transition rates and probabilities we use the dimensional regularization method and the minimal substraction method.

Structural evolution of zirconium diboride under gamma irradiation and thermal annealing

Understanding the thermal properties and enhancing the performance of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) under extreme conditions is crucial, especially given its role as a burnable absorber in nuclear fuel pellets and its potential applications in accident-tolerant fuels. This study explores the structural alterations of ZrB2 crystals induced by gamma irradiation and subsequent thermal annealing. ZrB2 crystals were exposed to absorption doses of 300 kGy, 1000 kGy, 1500 kGy, and 3000 kGy using a 60Co gamma source, followed by thermal treatment at 1173 K under vacuum conditions. Also, Monte Carlo simulations were utilized to analyze the energy deposition and distribution of gamma quanta within the material during irradiation, highlighting Compton effects up to 0.23 MeV. X-ray diffraction analysis elucidated the impact of gamma radiation on ZrB2 crystal lattice parameters, space group, and volume expansion coefficient. Post-irradiation analysis revealed a maximum degree of amorphization and investigated mechanisms governing lattice parameter expansion. Thermal annealing at 1173 K significantly enhanced crystallinity, reducing amorphization to 0.2 % at an absorption dose of 3000 kGy and facilitating the restoration of the crystal's columnar structure. This comprehensive investigation provides insights into the intricate interplay between gamma irradiation, thermal processing, and resulting structural changes in ZrB2 nanocrystals, essential for applications in radiation-exposed environments.

A one‐dimensional phenomenological constitutive model of shape memory alloys considering the cyclic degradation of two‐way memory effect

AbstractThis study introduces a one‐dimensional phenomenological constitutive model designed to describe two‐way shape memory effect (TWSME) and its associated cyclic degradation. The model utilizes the logistic function to formulate the phase transformation equation, incorporates the expansion of key parameters into their respective fatigue functions to characterize the fatigue phenomenon, and integrates a phase transformation rate regulation function into the differential form of the phase transformation equation. This integration facilitates the control over the entire phase transformation process and the simulation of incomplete transformations. The model is distinguished by its comprehensive functionality, simple form, ease of calculation, and the clear and direct influence of key parameters. Furthermore, it offers a degree of flexibility because each function within the framework is replaceable. The simulation of the TWSME strain and recovery stress hysteresis loop deformation has been successfully conducted, enabling the description of internal hysteresis loops caused by incomplete transformation. The validity of the model is corroborated by comparing it with existing experimental results.

Validity of gyrokinetic theory in magnetized plasmas

Gyrokinetics, as a reduced kinetic theory derived from adiabaticity, provides a general framework for the long-term dynamics of magnetized plasmas. While its validity limits are stated in terms of formal expansion parameters, more quantitative test of such is not widely mentioned even if it existed. Here we show, by detailed analyses of the Hamiltonian map with a test particle model, that gyrokinetic theory rests on the inherent nature of particle dynamics as a boundary layer problem. For low-frequency fluctuations, we demonstrate the existence of a frequency-independent threshold in the normalized amplitude, below which gyrokinetics is generally applicable. However, this threshold becomes sensitive to wave parameters in the high-frequency regime, which raises concerns about the generality of high-frequency gyrokinetic theory. Further analyses indicate that constructing a reduced kinetic equation based on superadiabaticity is not feasible. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the basic physics behind gyrokinetic theory.