Open System Research Articles

Clinical Application of the 4K-3D Exoscope System in Cochlear Implantation.

To evaluate a system for otomicrosurgery based on 4K three-dimensional (3D) exoscope technology and apply it to cochlear implantation. An open stereoscopic vision-based surgical system, which differs from traditional surgical microscopes, was created by utilizing 4K stereo imaging technology and combining it with low-latency 4K ultra-high-definition 3D display. The system underwent evaluation based on 57 cochlear implantation operations, three designed microscopic manipulations, and a questionnaire survey. The surgical images displayed by the 4K-3D exoscope system (4K-3D-ES) are stereoscopic, clear, and smooth. The use of 4K-3D-ES in cochlear implantation is not inferior to traditional microscopes in terms of intraoperative bleeding and surgical complications, and the surgical duration is not slower or may even be faster than when using traditional microscopes. The results of micromanipulation experiments conducted on 16 students also confirmed this and demonstrated that 4K-3D-ES can be easily adapted. Furthermore, additional advantages of 4K-3D-ES were gathered. Significantly enlarged and high-definition stereoscopic images contribute to the visualization of finer anatomical microstructures such as chordae tympani, ensuring safer surgery. Users feel more comfortable in their necks, shoulders, waists, and backs. Real-time shared stereoscopic view for multiple people, convenient for collaboration and teaching. The ear endoscope and 4K-3D-ES enable seamless switching on the same screen. High-definition 3D images and videos can be saved with just one click, making future publication and communication convenient. The feasibility and safety of 4K-3D-ES for cochlear implantation surgery have been demonstrated. The 4K-3D-ES also offers numerous unique advantages and holds clinical application and promotional value.

High accuracy exponential decomposition of bath correlation functions for arbitrary and structured spectral densities: Emerging methodologies and new approaches.

This study investigates the decomposition of bath correlation functions (BCFs) in terms of complex exponential functions, with an eye on the realistic modeling of open quantum systems based on the hierarchical equations of motion. We introduce the theoretical background of various decomposition schemes in both time and frequency domains and assess their efficiency and accuracy by demonstrating the decomposition of various BCFs. We further develop a new procedure for the decomposition of BCFs originating from highly structured spectral densities with a high accuracy and compare it with existing fitting techniques. Advantages and disadvantages of each methodology are discussed in detail with special attention to their application to the corresponding quantum dynamical problem. This work provides fundamental tools for choosing and using a variety of decomposition techniques of BCFs for the study of open quantum systems in structured environments.

Diagrammatic representation and nonperturbative approximations of the exact time-convolutionless master equation.

The time-convolutionless master equation provides a general framework to model the non-Markovian dynamics of an open quantum system with a time-local generator. A diagrammatic representation is developed and proven for the perturbative expansion of the exact time-local generator for an open quantum system interacting with arbitrary environments. A truncation of the perturbation expansion leads to perturbative time-convolutionless quantum master equations. We further introduce a general iterative approach to construct nonperturbative approximations for the time-local generator as nested time-ordered exponential operators.

Analytical solution and spectral structure of the two-photon anisotropic Rabi-Stark model

Abstract Since the realization of the strong coupling between light and matter in experimental setups, the quantum Rabi model and its generalized models describing the interaction between the boson field and the two-level system have attracted extensive interest again. The study of anisotropic generalized Rabi models enables us to better understand the novel physical properties of the interaction between light and matter in the ultra-strong and deep-strong coupling regions. In this work, the two-photon anisotropic Rabi-Stark model (tpARSM) is analytically solved by using the Bogoliubov operator approach and the $su(1,1)$ Lie algebra. We derive the G-function, whose zeros give the regular spectrum of the system. By studying the pole structure of the G-function and the coefficients in the function, exceptional solutions, including the first-order quantum phase transition points, doubly degenerate exceptional solutions and nondegenerate exceptional solutions, are obtained. By discussing the spectral structure, we give the conditions for the first-order quantum phase transition of tpARSM. Furthermore, we find that the property that all of the lowest doubly degenerate crossing points in the two-photon Rabi-Stark model have the same energy only holds for the special case of the tpARSM in which the anisotropy parameter is equal to 1. Finally, from the perspective of first-order quantum phase transitions, concise conditions for the ground state energy level to collapse to or escape from the collapse point for the tpARSM are presented. A good understanding of the tpARSM will lay a good foundation for studying the extended two-photon systems involving multiple levels and multiple bosonic modes, and even the relevant open quantum systems.

Vibration assisted electron tunnelling in COVID-19 infection using quantum state diffusion.

The spread of the COVID-19 virus has become a global health crisis, and finding effective treatments and preventions is a top priority. The field of quantum biology primarily focuses on energy or charge transfer, with a particular emphasis on photosynthesis. However, there is evidence to suggest that cellular receptors such as olfactory or neural receptors may also use vibration-assisted electron tunnelling to enhance their functions. Quantum tunnelling has also been observed in enzyme activity, which is relevant to the invasion of host cells by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Additionally, COVID-19 appears to disrupt receptors such as olfactory receptors. These findings suggest that quantum effects could provide new insights into the mechanisms of biological systems and disease, including potential treatments for COVID-19. We have applied the open quantum system approach using Quantum State Diffusion to solve the non-linear stochastic Schrödinger equation (SSE) for COVID-19 virus infection. Our model includes the mechanism when the spike protein of the virus binds with an ACE2 receptor is considered as dimer. These two entities form a system and then coupled with the cell membrane, which is modelled as a set of harmonic oscillators (bath). By simulating the SSE, we find that there is vibration-assisted electron tunnelling happening in certain biological parameters and coupling regimes. Furthermore, our model contributes to the ongoing research to understand the fundamental nature of virus dynamics. It proposes that vibration-assisted electron tunneling could be a molecular phenomenon that augments the lock-and-key process for olfaction. This insight may enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing virus-receptor interactions and could potentially lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

An effective Hamiltonian for the simulation of open quantum molecular systems

Abstract We discuss the derivation of an effective Hamiltonian for open quantum many-particle systems. The aim is to define an operator that can be used for (molecular) simulations where, through the exchange of energy and matter with the surrounding environment (reservoir), the number of particles, n, becomes a variable of the problem.
 The Hamiltonian is formally derived from the von Neumann equation; specifically, we derive an n-hierarchy of equations for the density matrix, rho_{n}, for near equilibrium situations. Such a hierarchy, in case of stationary equilibrium, delivers the standard grand canonical density matrix as it would be expected. We report that a similar Hamiltonian was conjectured, from empirical considerations, in the field of superconductivity. Thus our result also provide a formal basis for this long-standing hypothesis. 
Finally, an application is discussed for Path Integral simulations of molecular systems

Self acceleration from spectral geometry in dissipative quantum-walk dynamics

The dynamic behavior of a physical system often originates from its spectral properties. In open systems, where the effective non-Hermitian description enables a wealth of spectral structures in the complex plane, the concomitant dynamics are significantly enriched, whereas the identification and comprehension of the underlying connections are challenging. Here we experimentally demonstrate the correspondence between the transient self-acceleration of local excitations and the non-Hermitian spectral topology using lossy photonic quantum walks. Focusing first on one-dimensional quantum walks, we show that the measured short-time acceleration of the wave function is proportional to the area enclosed by the eigenspectrum. We then reveal a similar correspondence in two-dimension quantum walks, where the self-acceleration is proportional to the volume enclosed by the eigenspectrum in the complex parameter space. In both dimensions, the transient self-acceleration crosses over to a long-time behavior dominated by a constant flow at the drift velocity. Our results unveil the universal correspondence between spectral topology and transient dynamics, and offer a sensitive probe for phenomena in non-Hermitian systems that originate from spectral geometry.

Power-exponential and fixed-time consensus of conformable fractional-order quantum cellular neural networks via event-triggered control

Quantum neural networks (QNNs) are considered to be superior to classical ANNs in machine learning, memory capacity, information processing, and quantum system simulation. However, In a practical and complex system, the dynamic behavior of an open quantum system could not be accurately described by an integer-ordered Schrödinger equation. In this paper, the conformable time-fractional-order Schrödinger equation is proposed, and accordingly, the model of conformable fractional-order quantum cellular neural networks (CFOQCNNs) is established and derived from the as-proposed equation. The properties of the conformable fractional-order derivative are studied and several new inequalities regarding the power-exponential and fixed-time convergence of conformable fractional-order systems are obtained. To save the communication resource, we introduce the event-triggered mechanism to construct the controllers and then the power-exponential and fixed-time synchronizations of the master-slave systems derived from the above CFOQCNNs are studied. We also prove the absence of Zeno behaviors regarding the event-triggered strategies. According to the numerical simulation, the dynamic behavior of the CFOQCNNs is discussed and the dissipativity of the CFOQCNNs is briefly revealed. Then the synchronization behaviors of the master and slave CFOQCNNs under power-exponential and fixed-time event-triggered control are demonstrated, where the effectiveness of the event-triggered control strategy is verified. Control behaviors with different fractional orders are also presented. We also discuss the hybrid of power-exponential control and fixed-time control and illustrate the advantages of the hybrid strategy. In the last, we conclude our studies, analyze the drawbacks of this work, and briefly introduce our future research.

Deciphering the U-Pb dates of sedimentary phosphates: A complex example from the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Paleogene series in northwestern Morocco

Uranium‑lead geochronology rapidly generates dates of rock deposition/formation with reasonable precision and accuracy using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, which is needed for bracketing stratigraphy. However, previous radiometric U-Pb dating of biogenic (i.e., bones and teeth) and sedimentary phosphate minerals have had limited success, probably because of the nanometric to micrometric crystallites that generate open system behavior. Sediment lithification inhibiting trace element exchange between minerals and porewaters and thus forcing phosphorus-rich crystallites to adopt a closed system behavior has been suggested for interpreting U-Pb dating of carbonate fluorapatite (CFA). Despite these insights, what remains lacking is extensive U-Pb CFA dating at the regional scale to test whether several processes influence the timing of U-Pb system closure by inhibiting U and Pb exchanges. Here, we report U-Pb CFA dating from four sampling sites in northwestern Morocco to understand better the meaning of U-Pb dates in CFA. The Upper Cretaceous-Lower Paleogene phosphate series yields anomalously low 207Pb/206Pb initial ratios and young dates ranging from 37.3 ± 2.4 Ma to 22.7 ± 0.7 Ma, which does not agree with the terrestrial lead model composition for Paleogene ages and the known biostratigraphic ages, respectively. We argue that ancient radiogenic Pb from leached polymetallic mineralizations of the regional environment have been incorporated into CFA and that a 25 to 40 Ma-long widespread resetting of the U-Pb system has affected the northwestern Moroccan phosphates. Neither CFA-hosted CO32− concentrations nor rare earth element and yttrium contents indicate post-depositional modifications of the chemical nature of phosphate-bearing rocks. Burial diagenesis promoting sediment lithification is one of the mechanisms that have triggered final closure of the U-Pb system of CFA minerals and, interestingly, the sedimentation rate was probably not a controlling factor. Unexpectedly, U-Pb dates of ∼23 Ma from three stratigraphic levels separated by several million years seem to be concomitant with the regional emersion and generalized continentalization of northwestern Morocco, allowing CFA to behave as a closed system. We conclude that the laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry U-Pb dating of biogenic and sedimentary CFA minerals must be carefully employed to date the timing of fossilization or sediment deposition.

Validation of the Indigenous Technical Knowledge of Cattle Pastoralists of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India

Indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) of livestock breeding is often tacit and not necessarily expressed in conventional forms of scientific research and documentation. Indigenous livestock breeding systems rely mostly on qualitative traits than pure quantitative qualities. Qualitative traits are difficult to measure and most of the indigenous knowledge systems are in forms of qualitative traits. The lack of documentation and predominant qualitative nature makes it difficult to validate the ITK related to livestock breeding. In this context a study was conducted to examine the traditional breeding practices associated with two heritage cattle breeds of the Deccan Plateau region of India. The study examines the criteria used for selection of the breeding bulls of the indigenous Poda Thurpu and Nallmala-Pasa/Kamma, cattle breeds native to the study area. Results of the study identifies fourteen traits specific to breeding bulls and four traits that are generic to the breeding stock/cows. These traits/characteristics are ‘deemed desirable’ by the local cattle breeders for the ‘heritage breeds’, believed to have been bred and managed by them for generations. Observations of the present study supports the notion that traditional breeders of heritage breeds lay more emphasis on qualitative traits (ability to warding-off predators, fending off-springs, coat colour and texture, gait of the animal, temperament, and response and obedience to instructions of the master) than quantitative traits. It was found that local breeders give significant importance to the fertility of bovine bulls than cows. Breeding bulls are meticulously chosen with extreme caution and care, following a very long and meticulous selection process that could last for four years. Traditionally local cattle breeders of the study follow open nucleus breeding system for breeding and are strictly against promotion of inbreeding among their cattle herds. Only men are involved in cattle breeding in the study area and women usually stay away.

Potential Gradient-Driven Dual-Functional Electrochromic and Electrochemical Device Based on a Shared Electrode Design.

The integration of electrochromic devices and energy storage systems in wearable electronics is highly desirable yet challenging, because self-powered electrochromic devices often require an open system design for continuous replenishment of the strong oxidants to enable the coloring/bleaching processes. A self-powered electrochromic device has been developed with a close configuration by integrating a Zn/MnO2 ionic battery into the Prussian blue (PB)-based electrochromic system. Zn and MnO2 electrodes, as dual shared electrodes, the former one can reduce the PB electrode to the Prussian white (PW) electrode and serves as the anode in the battery; the latter electrode can oxidize the PW electrode to its initial state and acts as the cathode in the battery. The bleaching/coloring processes are driven by the gradient potential between Zn/PB and PW/MnO2 electrodes. The as-prepared Zn||PB||MnO2 system demonstrates superior electrochromic performance, including excellent optical contrast (80.6%), fast self-bleaching/coloring speed (2.0/3.2 s for bleaching/coloring), and long-term self-powered electrochromic cycles. An air-working Zn||PB||MnO2 device is also developed with a 70.3% optical contrast, fast switching speed (2.2/4.8 s for bleaching/coloring), and over 80 self-bleaching/coloring cycles. Furthermore, the closed nature enables the fabrication of various flexible electrochromic devices, exhibiting great potentials for the next-generation wearable electrochromic devices.

Techniques in Drafting Contracts

At this time, it appears that there is a lack of discussion of various basic laws, such as civil law, commercial law, criminal law, constitutional law, contract law, and others. Our contract law still uses the regulations of the Dutch Colonial Government contained in Book III of the Civil Code. Book III of the Civil Code adheres to an open system, meaning that parties are free to enter into contracts with anyone, determine the terms, implementation and form of the contract, whether oral or written. This research aims to find out the principles and Pre-Drafting in contract design and the technical stages in contract design. The research specifications are descriptive in nature using normative juridical research. The approach method used is a statutory approach. Data obtained through document study and analyzed using qualitative methods. Based on the research results, the first is related to the principles in designing contracts, namely there are two legal principles that must be considered, namely: beginsselen der contrachtsvrijheid or party autonomy, and pacta sunt servanda. Beginselen der contrachtsvrijheid or party autonomy, namely that the parties are free to agree on what they want, provided that it does not conflict with the law, public order and morality. Regarding pre-preparation of contracts, there are four things that must be considered by the parties, namely. Identity of the parties, initial research on related aspects, creation of an MOU, and negotiations. The second research result is that there must be stages in contract design, contract title, opening, related parties, racital, contents of the contract and closing.

Discrepancies of Functional Requirements of Façade Opening System between Real-Life Public and Built Environment Experts Focusing on Thermal Comfort and Ventilation

A survey was conducted to analyze the discrepancies of the functional requirements of the façade system in residential units among 605 of the real-life public and 73 experts. Personal and housing information, resident life patterns, public façade usage behavior, and functional requirements were collected from the respondents. Both the public and experts recognized insulation as the main function of façade opening systems. More than 85% of the public and experts opened windows for ventilation, but ventilation was ranked 3rd amongst the public and 4th amongst experts in the main functions list of façade systems. The public cited the inflow of fine dust as the main reason for dissatisfaction with opening windows. In contrast, the experts cited a decrease in thermal comfort due to the inflow of external moisture as the reason for dissatisfaction with opening windows. The results showed that discrepancies exist between the public and experts’ perceptions of the main function of housing façade systems. Analyzing the common points and differences between the public and experts’ perception can help in developing façade system design and control technology.

Impact of Climate Change on the Environment: A Synthesis Study

Climate change has a significant impact on both physical and social components of the environment. Every component of the environment has been suffering the impacts of climate change. All components of the environment are interrelated through the exchanging of energy and matter; hence they actively interact. Major components of the environment like the biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere are open systems to impact climate change. This paper describes the major impacts of climate change on major components of the environment. This study investigated the current state, wide-range global research trends, and different concerns on the impacts of climate change on the sustainable tourism. Global climate change represents a grand challenge for society, one that is increasingly influencing tourism sector investment, planning, operations, and demand. This study synthesized a total of 36 studies on climate change by sourcing published material from the review that was performed in indexed databases namely Dimensions, Web Science, Elsevier Scopus, and Google Scholar. Therefore, the study found that human beings are the major contributors to climate change through anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions that worsened during the Green Revolution. Climate change outcomes through the loss of valuable ecosystem goods and services, degrading the most of keystone species sites. In other ways, loss of biodiversity, changes in atmospheric composition, changes in chemical reactions in soil, changes in water quality, availability, and hydrologic cycles, and frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions. Of course! The effects of climate change are wide-ranging and diverse, impacting many areas and facets of daily life. Therefore, this study recommends implementing carbon pricing mechanisms to internalize the costs of greenhouse gas emissions and enforcing stringent environmental regulations and standards to limit emissions and pollution. Support global efforts and agreements to combat climate change, such as the Paris Agreement.

Exact time-evolving scattering states in open quantum-dot systems with an interaction: Discovery of time-evolving resonant states

Abstract We study exact time-evolving many-electron states of an open double quantum-dot system with an interdot Coulomb interaction. A systematic construction of the time-evolving states for arbitrary initial conditions is proposed. For any initial states of one- and two-electron plane waves on the electrical leads, we obtain exact solutions of the time-evolving scattering states, which converge to known stationary scattering eigenstates in the long-time limit. For any initial states of localized electrons on the quantum dots, we find exact time-evolving states of a new type, which we refer to as time-evolving resonant states. In contrast to stationary resonant states, whose wave functions spatially diverge and not normalizable, the time-evolving resonant states are normalizable since their wave functions are restricted to a finite space interval due to causality. The exact time-evolving resonant states enable us to calculate the time-dependence of the survival probability of electrons on the quantum dots for the system with the linearized dispersions. It decays exponentially in time on one side of an exponential point of resonance energies while, on the other side, it oscillates during the decay as a result of the interference of the two resonance energies.

Enhancing College Access in Zimbabwe: Impact of Student Loans and Grants

This study explores how government interventions, grants, and loans influence college access in Zimbabwe, focusing on understanding the factors affecting college access and retention rates. The research aims to inform evidence-based decision-making regarding college access through a mixed research approach integrating qualitative and quantitative methods. Combining both qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. It analyses secondary data sources, such as literature, reports, and statistical datasets, to explore aspects like college access, enrollment trends, poverty rates, financial aid programs, and student loan systems in Zimbabwe. Triangulation techniques enhance the credibility of the study's findings by integrating evidence from various sources and employing diverse data collection and analysis methods, enriching perspectives and strengthening the validity and reliability of the study's conclusions. Key findings suggest that grants and loans significantly contribute to increasing college enrollment rates, particularly among economically disadvantaged groups. However, enrollment disparities persist, especially among marginalized populations like women. Despite a modest increase in government spending on education, concerns arise due to a slowdown in overall enrollment growth. Barriers to student loan uptake include complex application processes, concerns about debt burdens, and uncertainties regarding post-graduation employment prospects. The study emphasizes the importance of comprehensive policy interventions to simplify eligibility criteria, enhance financial literacy, and promote employment pathways. Using human capital and open systems theories, the research lays a groundwork for evidence-based decision-making to enhance access to higher education in Zimbabwe.

A Review on the Heat-Source Tower Heat Pump Systems in China

Based on air-, water-, and ground-source heat pump systems, a novel type of heat pump system, named the heat-source tower heat pump system (HSTHPS), has recently been developed in the southern area of China. The HSTHPS overcomes the evaporator frosting problems of the air-source heat pump system (ASHPS) when the ambient temperature is lower, and it avoids the geological condition constraints of the water- and ground-source heat pump systems. However, studies on the HSTHPS are insufficient, thereby limiting its development and applications. Thus, the present review provides a detailed literature review on the advancements of HSTHPSs in China, including the HSTHPS operation principle, heat-source tower (HST) structure, heat and mass transfer characteristics, HSTHPS performance, antifreeze solution use, and antifreeze solution regeneration. Studies on the heat and mass transfer characteristics of HSTs are sufficient for guiding the application. Regarding open systems, the solution drifting to the air needs to resolved, and future studies need to focus on structure optimization for heat exchangers in closed systems. Moreover, advanced defrosting technology should be applied to closed-type HSTs, and a suitable operation strategy for HSTHPSs should be developed. Future priorities should involve integrating HSTHPSs with additional renewable energy in order to achieve continuous, stable, and efficient heating in winter based on the characteristics of local climate and renewable energy.

Language Dissemination Paths and Modes Aided by Computer Technology

The expansion of technology and computer science, as well as advancements in language instruction and learning methodologies, has enabled computer-assisted language learning technologies to tackle this challenge. In the field of Chinese learning, a few language learning computerized systems in the country and abroad concentrate mainly on language, grammar acquisition only have one or two assessment indicators as basis of evaluation, that definite functional flaws provide a general assessment to learners' pronunciation. In this manuscript, Language Dissemination Paths and Modes Aided by Computer Technology (LDPM-QICCNN-KOA) are proposed. The input data are collected from Chinese Corpus dataset. Then the data is given into unscented trainable kalman filter for preprocessing the input data. Then the preprocessed data are provided to QICCNN for Language Dissemination. In general, the based Quantum-inspired Complex Convolutional Neural Network doesn’t express adapting optimization approaches to determine optimal parameters to ensure exact identification. Hence, KOA utilized to enhance Quantum-inspired Complex Convolutional Neural Network, which accurately done the Language Dissemination Paths and Modes. The proposed LDPM-QICCNN-KOA method is executed on python. Then performance of proposed technique is analyzed with other existing methods. The proposed technique attains 26.36%, 20.69% and 35.29% higher accuracy; 19.23%, 23.56%, and 33.96% higher F1-Score; 26.28%, 31.26%, and 19.66% higher precision when comparing with the existing methods such as research on network oral English teaching system depend on machine learning (LDPM-DBN), nonlinear network speech recognition structure in deep learning algorithm (LDPM-DNN), research on open oral English scoring system depend on neural network (LDPM-BPNN).

Forming of magnetospheric disturbances by system behaviour of geomagnetic tail

– Development of magnetospheric substorm from standpoint of energy evolution in geomagnetic tail is considered. In this approach, geomagnetic tail is taken to be an open thermodynamic system (OTS) with infinite number of conserved energy links to external space environment. General self-consistent theory of energy evolution in OTS was presented earlier. In contrast to existing models of magnetospheric activity, presented model suggests believing that shaping of geomagnetic activity is controlled by the system nature of geomagnetic tail. From this angle, energy profile of disturbance is determined by particular qualities of energy development in OTS. Intercoupling between the system factors of the tail and flow of raw energy from space sources can produce different forms of magnetospheric activity including substorms. As an example, suggested system mechanism is considered for interpretation of the classic energy profile of isolated magnetospheric substorm, comparison with some experimental features of substorm is also provided.

Entangled states dynamics of moving two-level atoms in a thermal field bath

Abstract We consider a two-level atom that follows a wordline of constant velocity, while interacting with a massless scalar field in a thermal state through: (i) an Unruh-DeWitt coupling, and (ii) a coupling that involves the time derivative of the field. We treat the atom as an open quantum system, with the field playing the role of the environment, and employ a master equation to describe its time evolution. We study the dynamics of entanglement between the moving atom and a (auxiliary) qubit at rest and isolated from the thermal field. We find that in the case of the standard Unruh-DeWitt coupling and for high temperatures of the environment the decay of entanglement is delayed due to the atom's motion. Instead, in the derivative coupling case, the atom's motion always causes the rapid death of entanglement.