Basic Research Research Articles

Programmable multi-mode entanglement via dissipative engineering in vibrating trapped ions.

Generating multi-partite quantum entangled states amid dissipative environment is essential for advancing quantum simulation, metrology, and fundamental quantum research. Here, we use controlled dissipation as a resource and present an approach to generate programmable multimode entangled states in the vibrational modes of trapped ions, free of stringent requirements of initial state preparation. We experimentally demonstrate the generation of multimode squeezed states across two, three, and five modes out of initial thermal states by controlled couplings to dissipative internal spins. We characterize the output states by fidelity estimates and two-body correlations, confirming genuine multipartite entanglement using the van Loock-Furusawa inseparability criteria. This work outlines a generic path to create entangled nonclassical states with quantum harmonic oscillators, applicable for quantum information processing in continuous-variable quantum systems.

Nuclear Approach to Modeling of Professional Digital Culture of Pedagogue

The article discusses the idea of creating a nuclear model of professional and digital culture of teachers. Goal. This article describes the modeling of a teacher’s professional digital culture in a virtual environment of continuing teacher education. Methodology. Currently, there are a number of problems related to the formation of a teacher’s professional digital culture; there is no generally accepted definition, clear evaluation criteria and a general understanding of the structure of this concept; there is a gap between technological capabilities and teachers’ willingness to use them; many teachers experience difficulties using digital tools, lack knowledge and skills, and also experience resistance to introduce new technologies into their work; the lack of an integrated system for the formation and development of a teacher’s professional and digital culture; еducational institutions lack a systematic approach to teaching teachers how to work with digital technologies, and teachers are not motivated enough to master digital technologies; teachers do not see the obvious advantages of using digital tools, do not feel supported by the administration, and do not have the opportunity to share experiences with colleagues. Solving the above-mentioned problems and developing a model of a teacher’s professional and digital culture is an important and urgent task that requires an integrated approach that includes both theoretical research and practical implementation in an educational institution. The successful formation of a teacher’s professional and digital culture will be the key to successful digital transformation of education and improvement of its quality. One of the modern methodological approaches used in the research is the nuclear approach, which provides a structured and focused approach to the organization of a virtual environment of continuing teacher education and its effectiveness, which in turn facilitates the development of tools for monitoring and evaluating a teacher’s professional digital culture. The result of the research in the field of the formation of professional and digital culture of a teacher was the application of the nuclear model as a useful tool for further assessment and selection of methods for the development of professional and digital culture of teachers.

Uomini, vegetali, animali e macchine. I paesaggi cibernetici di Marcello D’Olivo

Marcello D’Olivo (1921-1991) is an atypical figure in the Italian architectural panorama of the twentieth century, essentially solitary and foreign to the schools of thought of his time. Central to his work is design and theoretical research in which technology, mathematics and nature converge, with the intention of outlining a new way of generating relationships between architecture and the environment. D’Olivo has in fact hypothesized a cultural hybridization between technology and nature inspired by cybernetics which finds, in the desire to overcome traditional dichotomous categories such as machine/nature, similarities with highly current themes such as posthumanist theories and the conceptualization of cybernetic landscapes. His prescient intuitions make the project a synthesis of cultural diversity inspired by the vision of a planet as a place of coexistence of “men, plants, animals and machines”, interesting to rediscover in light of the complexity of the contemporary world.

Harnessing Notch Signaling to Enhance the Generation and Functionality of Human Conventional Type I Dendritic Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy Applications.

Dendritic cell (DC) based-vaccines remain the sole approved cancer vaccine. Despite their established safety and efficacy in numerous trials against cancers and infections, long-term clinical benefits have been modest. Most trials have employed DCs derived from blood monocytes (MoDC), but emerging evidence underscores the unique role of cDC1 in triggering potent antitumor immune responses and their intratumoral infiltration with favorable prognoses in many cancers. However, the scarcity of cDC1 in peripheral blood and the challenges in generating them in vitro have hindered a deeper understanding of their biology and their widespread application as cellular vaccines. Here, we present a novel serum-free culture system capable of generating billions of human cDC1s from CD34+ progenitors derived from cord or peripheral blood. The system leverages the requirement of Notch signaling for cDC1 differentiation and generates DCs that closely resemble in vivo cDC1s, exhibiting superior functions, including cellular antigen cross-presentation. This robust protocol enables the scalable production of cDC1s for both fundamental biological research and therapeutic applications.

Resonating identity: a literature review of accent in Malaysian Chinese independent cinema

This study examines the relationship between accent and cultural identity in Malaysian Chinese independent films through a comprehensive literature review. Accent, as a cultural symbol, serves multiple functions in Malaysian Chinese independent films: it not only signifies identity but also acts as a key narrative tool for the director’s cultural expression. Through its unique phonetic features and linguistic variations, accent plays a crucial role in expressing both individual and collective identities, while also revealing cultural clashes and hybridizations within the contexts of migration, exile, and cross-cultural exchange. This paper analyzes the theoretical frameworks and research findings in existing literature, emphasizing the complexity of accents in film narratives, particularly their diversification and hybridization within Malaysian Chinese independent cinema. The paper further argues that accent functions not only as a tool of linguistic expression in these films but also as a significant strategy used by directors to reflect the multicultural and social realities of Malaysia. By synthesizing related studies, this paper offers a novel perspective and theoretical framework for future research on accent, identity, and cultural expression in Malaysian Chinese independent cinema.

What drives dictators? Investigating the prevalence of policy-seeking autocrats

ABSTRACT While predominant theoretical and comparative research on autocracies assumes autocrats to be self-interested power and wealth maximizers, qualitative research often assigns more nuanced motives to dictators. However, the motivations of autocrats are rarely studied systematically. This article provides the first systematic and representative study of dictators’ motivations and shows that dictators are often driven by policy-seeking motivation, that is, broader beliefs and ideology, and are not merely office-seekers interested in personal power and wealth. By identifying a battery of unique, observable implications of policy-seeking motivation related to sacrificing power and wealth for policy goals, the motivations of twenty randomly selected dictators are meticulously investigated in case studies. The results show that dictators have very diverse motivations, and as much as 60% of the dictators investigated are found to be strongly motivated by policy. By bringing motivation, including ideological beliefs, into our models of policymaking in autocracies we can significantly enhance our understanding of and ability to explain authoritarian politics and outcomes.

On-chip deterministic arbitrary-phase-controlling

Abstract The stable on-chip deterministic arbitrary-phase-controlling of signal light in micro/nanometer spatial scale is an extremely important basis for large-scale and high-density integrated photonic information processing chips. Conventional phase-controlling methods face with serious limitation of unavoidable crosstalk, length distortion, and fabrication error. To date, it is still a great challenge to achieve deterministic and wide-range on-chip arbitrary-phase-controlling. Here, we report an effective strategy of three-waveguide coupled configuration to realize on-chip deterministic arbitrary-phase-controlling (ranging from 0 to 2π) by combing the dynamic phase and the geometric phase. Based on this strategy, quantum gate operations in an optical permutation-group circuit are successfully realized in femtosecond-laser direct writing sample. To extend the feasibility of this method, on-chip silicon-based deterministic arbitrary-phase-controlling in the optical communication range is also experimentally verified. Our work not only paves the way for fundamental research in chip-scale novel optical devices but also promotes the study of topological quantum computing.

Development, hotspots, and trend directions of research on green production behavior of farmers based on CiteSpace and VOSviewer visual analysis

IntroductionPromoting the popularization of green production behavior among farmers is the key to achieving sustainable agricultural development, guaranteeing food security and protecting the ecological environment.MethodsBased on the Web of Science core database, this study used CiteSpace and VOSviewer to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 697 literatures on green production behaviors of farmers from 2000 to 2024, aiming to sort out the development history and characteristics of this research field.Results and discussionThe results show that the number of literature in this field continues to grow, and the studies are concentrated in the field of environmental sciences, and most of them are published in Sustainability journals; China is the largest contributor to the literature in this field, and it cooperates closely with the United States, and the research institutes and authors are mainly from the Chinese institutions of higher education; the studies are mainly focused on the three dimensions of the behavioral drivers, the development of the theoretical models, and the evaluation of the benefits of the implementation. The current research hotspots include behavioral implementation benefits, influencing factors of behavioral adoption, green production methods, and the impact of green revolution on behavioral adoption. This study systematically summarizes the research hotspots, challenges and future development directions in the field of farmers' green production behaviors, and provides an important reference for subsequent theoretical research and innovative practices.

Reflection and transmission of P-wave incident obliquely at the interface between an elastic solid and a fluid-saturated porous medium: a comprehensive study via the model of soil mechanics

IntroductionA model of soil mechanics is used to study the problem of reflection and transmission of an obliquely incident plane P-waveon a discontinuous interface. Based on the propagation theory of elastic waves in an elastic solid and a fluid-saturated porous medium, the propagation analysis model of P-wave incident obliquely at the interface of such media is established.MethodsThe theoretical formulas of reflection coefficients of P- and SV-waves and the transmission coefficients of P1-, P2-, and SV-waves are obtained in terms of the boundary conditions of the interface between an elastic solid and a saturated two-phase medium. Furthermore, the derived formulas in this paper are reduced to the reflection and transmission problems of P-wave incident on two different single-phase media to verify their correctness. Finally, numerical investigations are carried out on the variations of the reflection and transmission coefficients with the incident angle for various boundary conditions, wave frequency, and material characteristics (i.e., dynamic permeability coefficient, porosity, and Poisson’s ratio).ResultsIt is shown that the effects of incident angles, boundary conditions, wave frequency, and material characteristics on the reflection and transmission coefficients cannot be ignored.DiscussionThese conclusions are of guiding significancefor theoretical research of soil dynamics and engineering seismic exploration.

Art Exhibition as a Factor in the Development of Visual Culture of Future Artists-teachers in the Educational Process

This study is devoted to the study of the role of art exhibitions in the professional training of future artist-teachers. Thanks to the exhibition, interactions between artist-teachers and viewers occur. In addition, the process of visualization of modern culture is currently rapidly gaining momentum, influencing the perception of information. In these conditions, the issue of developing the visual culture of the individual is relevant, which is understood as the ability to competently perceive art, visual forms and images, based on knowledge of various traditions and the history of world artistic culture. In this context, the exhibition becomes an important tool for gaining experience in reading new images and meanings of genuine works of art. The question of developing the visual culture of future artist-teachers by means of art exhibitions opens new horizons for studying the interaction of art and education. The purpose of the article. The purpose of the article is to reveal the role of the exhibition not only in the opportunity for the artist to demonstrate his work to a wide audience of visitors, but also in building a non-verbal dialogue, helping to convey the ideas, thoughts, and vision of the author. Methodology and research methods. The methodology of the study examines the main characteristics of visual culture from the standpoint of research in the field of cultural studies, psychological and pedagogical sciences. Methodically, using the analysis and synthesis of theoretical research, the relationship between an art exhibition and the development of visual culture of future artist-teachers is revealed. Results of the study. The article presents the results of a theoretical and practical study of the role of art exhibitions for students majoring in art and pedagogy. They were tested in holding exhibitions within the framework of student scientific and practical conferences at the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design of KubSU in 2022-2024. Conclusion. The conclusion formulates general conclusions about the role of an art exhibition in the professional education of artists-teachers, in the development of visual culture as a personal quality expressed by knowledge of traditions in art and understanding of the multidimensionality of the modern cultural environment.

Population inversion and optical parametric process hybrid stable near-infrared laser with a narrow spectral width.

Near-infrared (NIR) light sources are widely applied in fundamental research, nonlinear frequency conversions, and practical applications. In this Letter, a population inversion and optical parametric process (OPP) hybrid stable tunable NIR laser with a narrow spectral width is presented first, to the best of our knowledge. By combining the population inversion with the OPP in a single resonator, the pulse width can be narrowed, and the pulse timing jitter (PTJ) of the output laser can be significantly reduced. On this basis, a narrow spectral width ns NIR laser with a tuning range of 764.90-873.43 nm is achieved. When the operating wavelength is tuned to 830 nm, the maximal output power and the spectral width are 7.75 W and 400.93 MHz, respectively. Especially, the standard deviation (STD) of the PTJ was reduced to 2.285 ns. The presented method can pave the way to implement a compact and locking-control-free high-power and narrow spectral width stable laser.

A comprehensive understanding on droplets.

A comprehensive understanding on droplets.

Evolution of the Seismic Forecast System Implemented for the Vrancea Area (Romania)

The National Institute of Earth Physics (NIEP) in Romania has upgraded its seismic monitoring stations into multifunctional platforms equipped with advanced devices for measuring gas emissions, magnetic fields, telluric fields, solar radiation, and more. This enhancement enabled the integration of a seismic forecasting system designed to extend the alert time of the existing warning system, which previously relied solely on seismic data. The implementation of an Operational Earthquake Forecast (OEF) aims to expand NIEP’s existing Rapid Earthquake Early Warning System (REWS) which currently provides a warning time of 25–30 s before an earthquake originating in the Vrancea region reaches Bucharest. The AFROS project (PCE119/4.01.2021) introduced fundamental research essential to the development of the OEF system. As a result, real-time analyses of radon and CO2 emissions are now publicly available at afros.infp.ro, dategeofizice. The primary monitored area is Vrancea, known for producing the most destructive earthquakes in Romania, with impacts extending to neighboring countries such as Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Moldova. The structure and methodology of the monitoring network are adaptable to other seismic regions, depending on their specific characteristics. All collected data are stored in an open-access database available in real time, geobs.infp.ro. The monitoring methods include threshold-based event detection and seismic data analysis. Each method involves specific technical nuances that distinguish this monitoring network as a novel approach in the field. In conclusion, experimental results indicate that the Gutenberg-Richter law, combined with gas emission measurements (radon and CO2), can be used for real-time earthquake forecasting. This approach provides warning times ranging from several hours to a few days, with results made publicly accessible. Another key finding from several years of real-time monitoring is that the value of fundamental research lies in its practical application through cost-effective and easily implementable solutions—including equipment, maintenance, monitoring, and data analysis software.

Human perception of ionizing radiation.

Human perception of ionizing radiation.

Glycosyltransferases: Pioneering roles in agriculture and medicine.

Glycosyltransferases: Pioneering roles in agriculture and medicine.

Recent Advances in the Development and Use of Silk-Based Biomaterials

Silk biomaterials are a class of materials derived from silk proteins obtained from various sources, ranging from domesticized silkworms to spiders and even underwater organisms. As substrates for biomaterial construction, silk proteins offer a wide array of unique properties and functionalities, including exceptional mechanical strength, biocompatibility, relative ease of chemical modifications, and many more. The field of silk biomaterials is rapidly evolving, driven by interdisciplinary research and technological innovations. Recent advances in basic science, particularly new insights into structural transitions in silk proteins, the physicochemical characteristics of silk-rich fluids, and the untangling of the high complexity of natural processing conditions developed through millions of years of evolution, offer a promising perspective for creating a new generation of improved materials capable of addressing various healthcare-related challenges. This review discusses and summarizes the latest advances in both basic science and technological developments in silk-based biomaterials, focusing specifically on how concepts from fundamental science and engineering technologies are implemented to fabricate biomaterials with tunable performance and customizable function. Further exploration and understanding of silk's properties at both the molecular and supramolecular levels will likely lead to promising novel applications in medicine, ultimately improving patient outcomes across various therapeutic areas.

Experimental and theoretical research on the feasibility of oil storage in sediment voids for salt cavern oil storage (SCOS)

Experimental and theoretical research on the feasibility of oil storage in sediment voids for salt cavern oil storage (SCOS)

Evaluation of seismic performance of self-centering RC beam-column connections with steel angles: Experimental and theoretical research

Evaluation of seismic performance of self-centering RC beam-column connections with steel angles: Experimental and theoretical research

Analytical control strategy for biologics. Part I: Foundations.

Analytical control strategy for biologics. Part I: Foundations.

A Review on Osteoarthritis and its Eradication Approaches: An Update.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease characterized by degeneration of cartilage or wear and tear. OA is a cause of disability and health issues. It is a disease that affects more than 500 million adults annually worldwide, of which India accounts for about 22 to 39% of OA patients. The most common type of osteoarthritis is knee OA. Pathogenesis of OA requires evolution in basic science and clinical research to enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis and as well as different treatment options. It is mainly classified as primary and secondary OA. The treatment for OA can only reduce the symptoms and cannot cure the disease itself, including pharmacological treatment, like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acting on COX1 (cyclooxygenase 1) and COX2 (cyclooxygenase 2) enzymes. Non-pharmacological treatments for OA include exercise like walking, and aerobic exercise, diet, weight loss, hot and cold therapy, as well as electrotherapy, which improves muscle strength and decreases joint pain. Surgical treatment is the last treatment option for OA patients, which includes arthroscopy and joint replacement therapy. Thus, necessary precautions should be taken for joints to be healthy and disease-free.