Small Square Research Articles

Macroscopic Simulation Study on Inhomogeneity of Small Billet Continuous Casting Mold

In the steel industry, small billets have become the main type of billet for steel production due to the efficiency of the continuous casting process. However, the segregation that occurs during solidification remains a significant issue affecting billet quality. This study conducted a macroscopic segregation analysis on 172 mm × 172 mm small square billets and investigated the influence of various process parameters on the distribution of carbon within the cast billets. The results showed that an increase in superheat led to a 0.036% rise in the carbon difference and an increase in the central segregation value from 0.357% to 0.364%. Increasing the cooling intensity resulted in a 0.037% rise in the carbon difference and a decrease in the negative segregation value from 0.266% to 0.250%. Higher casting speeds caused the carbon difference to reach a minimum of 0.107% at a speed of 1.6 m·min−1, while the central segregation value reached its lowest point of 0.353% at a casting speed of 2.6 m·min−1.

Structural, fluorescence and magnetic properties of Cr3+ cation substituted of Co0.7Mn0.3CrxFe2-xO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) nanoparticles

A series of Cr-substituted Co0.7Mn0.3CrxFe2-xO4 nanoparticles for (0.0 ≤ × ≤ 1; increment of 0.2), have been fabricated utilizing sol–gel self-ignition route, samples were calcinated for six h at 800 ˚C. XRD performed the structural characteristics, and the results support the shaping of cubic spinel structure with space group Fd-3m for the samples with a significant ratio of hematite decreases gradually with increasing Cr concentration. Moreover, substituting Cr3+ ions caused a significant reduction in crystallite size (44.75–28.65 nm) by increasing Cr3+ ions concentrations. According to the FTIR spectrum, the metal–oxygen bond bands have shifted towards higher wavelengths, these absorption bands indicated the spinel structure formation having two sub-lattices: tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites. The lowest frequency band υ2 was assigned to octahedral M–O and the highest frequency band υ1 was set to stretch vibrations of tetrahedral M–O. HR-TEM image results revealed that all samples show well-crystallized nanoparticles with soft accumulation, which may be due to their higher calcination and the magnetic particles' interactions. The particle size decreases from 62.59 to 44.17 nm confirming the decrease occurred in XRD. A study of magnetic properties explained that saturation magnetization decreases from 67.90 to 10.50 emu/g. These materials have low coercivity and small squareness values make them suitable options for medication delivery and contrast agents in magnetic fluids and magnetic resonance imaging. Strong and sharp red emission at 600 nm and weak UV emissions at 324 nm are obtained from the fluorescence spectra. The Cr substitution enhances the red emission, which has a maximum intensity obtained for X = 0.4, indicating fewer defects in the matrix due to the Cr replacement. The obtained effect of Cr content on structural, spectral and magnetic properties of Co0.7Mn0.3CrxFe2-xO4 can be candidate it for the future miniaturizing of ferroelectric and integrated electrooptic device applications.

A comparison of robust and weighted multiple imputation approaches for estimating concordance correlation coefficients in longitudinal normal data

Longitudinal data frequently encounter challenges with missing values and outliers. Additionally, the presence of outliers in the data can lead to biased estimates when using classical imputation methods to handle missing values. Previously proposed methods for estimating concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) have relied on complete data. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to reduce the influence of outlying observations by proposing a robust multiple imputation approach with outlier detection and a weighted multiple imputation approach with a new weight function to handle missing response and explanatory variable values in longitudinal normal data. After imputing missing variables with consideration of outliers, we utilize a variance components (VC) approach that allows for the dependency between repeated measurements over time to assess intra-, inter-, and total agreement among multiple observers simultaneously. Simulation studies are conducted to compare the performance of the proposed robust and weighted multiple imputation approaches in missing longitudinal normal data with outliers. An application of a myopia twin study will be used for illustration. In conclusion, when dealing with missing data and outliers simultaneously in longitudinal normal data, the robust and weighted multiple imputation approaches demonstrate outstanding performance, characterized by small mean square errors and nominal 95% coverage rates.

Density-based recurrence measures from microstates

Recurrence analysis is a powerful tool for nonlinear time series analysis deeply rooted in the theory of dynamical systems, finding applications across many areas of science. It works by mapping recurrences of a time series or phase space trajectory into a logical matrix. Recurrence quantification analyses (RQAs) are computed from its internal structures, such as recurrence density and the distribution of diagonal and vertical lines. Here, we link the density-based recurrence measures such as determinism and laminarity to the concept of microstates. We present a way to obtain the histogram of both diagonal and vertical lines from recurrence microstates, which are small square submatrices of the recurrence matrix. This approach opens up a line of research by reframing traditional RQAs in terms of microstates. Therefore, we establish a bridge between concepts of traditional lines-based RQA and recurrence microstates, and illustrate this for various paradigmatic systems. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

The Influence of Transformational Leadership on Employee Performance is Mediated by Work Motivation in CV. Bali Barong

The decline in the effectiveness of employee performance in organizations has increased organizational awareness, especially management, of the importance of the overall level of employee performance. This awareness is the basis for organizational management to consider factors that can realize employee performance in a sustainable manner, including transformational leadership roles and internal and external motivation of employees. Provide an understanding of transformational leadership formation to employee performance and assess the role of motivation moderation as a research objective. A quantitative approach was used in the study using the analysis of the path analysis method, the data collection method was carried out by distributing questionnaires involving 46 respondents directly from CV Bali Barong employees using the smallest square. This study reveals that the three variable relationships directly have a strong impact between transformational leadership on performance, transformational leadership on work motivation and work motivation on performance. Furthermore, this study shows that there is an influence of motivation mediating between transformational leadership on performance. This finding is one of the references for business leaders, especially the gadget industry, to optimize employee performance and encourage the realization of internal and external organizational motivation through the role of leadership.

Brand Values of the Lecturers and the Leadership Style Contribute to Enhancing University Branding: A Case Study at Private Universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Universities play a crucial role in providing high-quality human resources to support national development. They serve as institutions that equip learners with specialized knowledge and essential skills, enabling them to become a valuable workforce for society. In this context, lecturers play a key role in the development of university education, contributing to building the institution's brand and competitive position in society. The objective of this article is to identify factors that affect the brand value of lecturers and university brands. Research using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the author has used the smallest square structure modeling method (PLS-SEM) to check the suitability of the model with practical survey data. A survey was conducted with 191 lecturers from five private universities in Ho Chi Minh City. The results show that leadership style directly influences the organizational culture of universities, which in turn impacts the enhancement of brand value of lecturers and university branding. The study also explores and clearly identifies that lecturers' brand value has a direct impact on university branding in the era of innovation. The conclusion provides several recommendations for university administrators to implement policies that support and nurture lecturers, helping them become excellent and valuable educators. This, in turn, contributes to the sustainable development of the institution in the era of globalization and innovation.

Variations in wake structures and fluid forces around a square cylinder with four small control square rods at low Reynolds number

Variations in wake structures and fluid forces around a square cylinder with four small control square rods at low Reynolds number

Square-Diamond Illusion in Bottlenose Dolphin

Animals do not see the external world as it is. Different animals process information in different ways, even when looking at the same object. A visual illusion is a psychological phenomenon by which the eye perceives something as different from what it is. We tested whether a bottlenose dolphin produces the square-diamond illusion to see if it experiences the illusion in the same way as humans. In Experiment 1, two figures (square and diamond) of different sizes were presented in the training session and the subject had to choose the “smaller” figure. In the test session, 22 pairs of squares and diamonds of different areas were presented to see which the subject would choose. When the area difference is large, the percentage of correct responses is high, but when the area difference is small, the percentage of correct responses varies between pairs. When these results were then sorted into “small squares vs. large diamonds” and “small diamonds vs. large squares”, the percentages were significantly high in all pairs in the “small squares vs. large diamonds” group, whereas in the “small diamonds vs. large squares” group, the percentage of correct responses decreased as the difference between the areas of the two figures also decreased. In other words, this result suggests that the illusion may have come into play. Experiment 2 was a square-diamond illusion perception task. Two pairs of squares and diamonds of equal area (225 cm2 and 400 cm2, respectively) were presented and the subject’s choice was then tested. The results showed that the subject chose the square significantly more often than the diamond in both pairs. The square appeared smaller, and the diamond appeared larger to the subject, even though the fact that they had the same area (i.e., it was demonstrated that the square-diamond illusion had occurred), and this study showed that dolphins share the same visual characteristics as humans.

Distress detection in VR environment using Empatica E4 wristband and Bittium Faros 360.

Distress detection in virtual reality systems offers a wealth of opportunities to improve user experiences and enhance therapeutic practices by catering to individual physiological and emotional states. This study evaluates the performance of two wearable devices, the Empatica E4 wristband and the Faros 360, in detecting distress in a motion-controlled interactive virtual reality environment. Subjects were exposed to a baseline measurement and two VR scenes, one non-interactive and one interactive, involving problem-solving and distractors. Heart rate measurements from both devices, including mean heart rate, root mean square of successive differences, and subject-specific thresholds, were utilized to explore distress intensity and frequency. Both the Faros and E4 sensors adequately captured physiological signals, with Faros demonstrating a higher signal-to-noise ratio and consistency. While correlation coefficients were moderately positive between Faros and E4 data, indicating a linear relationship, small mean absolute error and root mean square error values suggested good agreement in measuring heart rate. Analysis of distress occurrence during the interactive scene revealed that both devices detect more high- and medium-level distress occurrences compared to the non-interactive scene. Device-specific factors in distress detection were emphasized due to differences in detected distress events between devices.

Spatial modelling in second grade: creating crab colonies

Abstract Reported are students’ responses to a spatial modelling problem requiring them to think about and manipulate various 2D shapes to meet the goal within constraints. Students were to maximise the number of hermit crabs resting on leaves (represented by different shapes) that could fit into an irregular bounded sea colony. The activity was implemented in two consecutive class periods (90 min total) during the 2nd year of a 3-year longitudinal, design research program. Three classes of 2nd-graders from mixed cultural and achievement backgrounds participated (n = 48, 7–8 years). Data analysis drew upon video/audio recordings of group interactions and shape manipulations, plus responses to reflective questions. Findings included the efficiency with which students discerned the inverse relationship between the area covered by a shape and the number of crabs that could fit in the colony. Students displayed adaptive expertise as they (a) applied in various ways their knowledge of shape properties and informal knowledge of angles and (b) manipulated shapes to fit along the irregular boundary. Students referred to two key features in shape selections—how effectively a shape would fit along the boundary and whether its properties would enable tessellation. There was a preference for small squares and rectangles over other shapes, and minimal selection of circles. The need to engage young students in challenging spatial problems that extend beyond their regular curriculum experiences and that enable a range of solution approaches is highlighted. Likewise, further theoretical developments on young students’ capabilities in solving challenging spatial problems are needed.

Exploitation Below +193M Elevation of the Rock Salt Deposit from Slănic Prahova Saline

Abstract The rock salt deposit from Slănic Prahova was exploited starting in the 17th century up to +193m elevation, through the Old Mines, the Victoria Mine and the Cantacuzino Mine. In order to continue the mining activity at a production capacity of over 200 thousand tonnes per year, mining began under a 40 m-thick crown pillar, through horizons XIV and XV. The mining method used is with small rooms and square pillars, and the mining technology is by mechanized cutting with roadheader. The stability analysis of underground excavations and resistance structures (pillars and ceilings) was carried out by numerical modeling using the finite element method.

Stormwater hydrographs from the highly urbanized catchment for synthetic rainfalls with linear patterns

ABSTRACT Rainfall intensity is a critical input factor in rainfall–runoff modelling. This study examines the impact of intensity irregularities on runoff hydrographs, focusing on synthetic rainfall events with linear variations in intensity at different rates. The effects of rainfall intensity parameters on stormwater hydrographs in a highly urbanized, fully impervious small square catchment for the climatic conditions of Lviv (Ukraine) are studied numerically using the stormwater management model program. Initial depression depths in the range of 0–5 mm, with corresponding Manning's roughness coefficients from 0.01 to 0.018, are considered. The peak flow rates of resulting hydrographs consistently align with a dimensionless coefficient of linear intensity variability k′ = +1, while the minimum values correspond to k′ = −0.67. The maximum peak flow rates for the intensity coefficient of k′ = +1 can be expressed as the product of the peak flow rate for a design rainfall event of constant intensity and the generalized adjustment factor Ktot, which shows a clear linear correlation with depression depth. The findings of this study offer new insights into stormwater runoff behaviour under varying rainfall intensities, providing valuable information for urban water management and flood risk assessment in highly impervious urban catchments.

Field switching of microfabricated metamagnetic FeRh MRI contrast agents

In a step towards generating switchable MRI cellular labels, we demonstrate in-situ field switching of micron scale metamagnetic Iron-Rhodium (FeRh) thin film particles. A thin-film (200 nm) FeRh sample was fabricated and patterned into an array of progressively smaller squares with sizes ranging from 500 μm down to 1 μm. The large first order phase change from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic state was characterized using vibrating sample magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy, and MRI. Room temperature MRI experiments sensitive to the local magnetic field surrounding the particles demonstrated the low moment state (OFF MRI contrast) at 4.7T and high moment state (ON MRI contrast) at 11.7T for the array where sizes down to 2–3 μm were observed in MRI at 50 μm resolution. The expected temperature dependent MRI contrast change was seen at 4.7T, where 10 μm particles could be observed at 150 μm resolution in the ON state. A shielded MRI insert, used to temporarily increase or decrease the magnetic field up to 0.77T amplitude, was used to reversibly switch the particle array at constant temperature and blink the particles ON and OFF at 4.7T. This work demonstrates the MRI contrast switching potential for FeRh particles with biological cell dimensions, and the use of magnetic field pulses for reversible MRI label contrast control.

Half logistic exponentiated inverse Rayleigh distribution: Properties and application to life time data.

This paper presents a novel extension of the exponentiated inverse Rayleigh distribution called the half-logistic exponentiated inverse Rayleigh distribution. This extension improves the flexibility of the distribution for modeling lifetime data for both monotonic and non-monotonic hazard rates. The statistical properties of the half-logistic exponentiated inverse Rayleigh distribution, such as the quantiles, moments, reliability, and hazard function, are examined. In particular, we provide several techniques to estimate the half-logistic exponentiated inverse Rayleigh distribution parameters: weighted least squares, Cramér-Von Mises, maximum likelihood, maximum product spacings and ordinary least squares methods. Moreover, numerical simulations were performed to evaluate these estimation methods for both small and large samples through Monte Carlo simulations, and the finding reveals that the maximum likelihood estimation was the best among all estimation methods since it comprises small mean square error compared to other estimation methods. We employ real-world lifetime data to demonstrate the performance of the newly generated distribution compared to other distributions through practical application. The results show that the half-logistic exponentiated inverse Rayleigh distribution performs better than alternative versions of the Rayleigh distributions.

The Battle for Semiconductor Technology: The Tense China-US-Taiwan Triangle and Escalation's Hidden Threat

It will not be an exaggeration to say that the 21st century is hard to imagine without modern computers, cell phones or "smart technologies", the role of which and the dependence of people on them in everyday life is growing rapidly. Besides, the world is unimaginable without largely discussed 5G technology and its impact on industry or labor market, which together with the economic activity is closely linked to the military industry, the development of which is impossible without free access to microchips or modern high-tech components. Yet, while using different technologies, we rarely think about the ABCs of the production of its components. If we take a closer look at the situation in the current market, we will be convinced that they bear not just economic, but the greatest geopolitical and strategic load as well, that may be compared with oil and gas, however, the difference is the semiconductors can't be substituted by the alternative sources. These seemingly small squares hold a mysterious power so crucial to our civilization that stopping their production for any reason paralyzes the economy across the planet. In that respect it became especially obvious after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, when microchip shortages have disrupted manufacturing processes and global supply chains; what's more, a number of high-tech industries were completely paralyzed. Therefore, the leading countries while engaged in the technological competition and marathon spare no effort and trying to expand their spheres of influence in the global production chain of semiconductors and micro or nano technologies. This article reviews the current situation in the world in that respect and how it is changing not only the world of microelectronics, but also politics. It focuses on how the pandemic and chip shortages have turned Taiwan's largely anonymous services company TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) into the center of a global battle for future technologies. It also shows the tense situation between China and the United States and Taiwan, and how acute and sensitive it is for China to "return" Taiwan to become the absolute leader in the production of microchips, not to mention security, because in the event of the deployment of Chinese military bases there, the entire chain of islands and the nearest water Space control will be secured. The modern trends of globalization are complexly changing the security environment and the future will show what happens tomorrow, however, we want to believe that all countries involved in the abovementioned processes will still be able to find common ground, which will ultimately ensure the prevention of new military conflicts and innocent life loss. Keywords: Semiconductors, “Smart Technologies”, China, Taiwan, Microchip Manufacturing, “Silicon Shield”.

Research on NBA Event Prediction Based on Hybrid Machine Learning Model

NBA is one of the top basketball events in the world. It is of great significance to predict NBA events comprehensively and accurately. Therefore, this paper puts forward the research on the prediction of NBA events based on a hybrid machine learning model. Construct a hybrid machine learning model, set the pre-processing flow of NBA event prediction data, solve the probability core cluster of NBA event prediction data, and form a data stream mining matrix of NBA event prediction; based on the integrated learning method in machine learning, according to the principle of constructing the prediction index of NBA events, the prediction index is constructed; based on the deep learning method in machine learning, the weight of target factors is used as a parameter to measure the prediction accuracy, and hierarchical evaluation is carried out to realize the prediction of NBA events. The experimental results show that the research method shows a high goodness of fit in all NBA games, and the predicted results are highly consistent with the actual results, and the predicted results are closer to the real results, with small root mean square error and average absolute error, which has a good prediction effect.

Optimization of the object recognition assay to test mouse cognition

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) has traditionally been recognized as progressive dementia with brain deposits of amyloid (Aβ) and Tau (MAPT) proteins starting 20 and 10 years before the onset of clinical symptoms. Aggregation and deposition of Aβ and Tau proteins have been successfully studied in vitro, cell cultures, and animal models, but clinical deficits have been more difficult to assess. Behavior in mice is a complex phenomenon and subject to variation based on mouse interest, moods, stress‐induced distraction, and other undefined parameters. We have attempted to optimize the novel and displaced object assays to improve behavior studies to evaluate animal models of neurodegeneration.Method5xFAD, hTau, and related mice were habituated in the field for 15 minutes twice on day‐1, followed by familiarization with two identical objects twice for 15 minutes on day‐2. The final testing on day‐3 started with novel followed by displaced object analysis. We compared three opaque arenas –rectangular (34 × 24 cm), large square (40 cm), and small square (25 cm) and objects of several heights and types. We also assessed handling mice by cupping to make them more interactive and relaxed for the study.ResultMice tend to jump over the arena walls and escape when handled by their tail but are contained when handled by cupping through a cylinder. All the systems were equally able to discriminate between novel and familiar objects. However, we could only distinguish between the familiar and displaced objects in the smaller 25 cm square arena. Also, object interaction time was longer in the smaller field.ConclusionIt is critical to handle mice by cupping to ensure reduced stress and optimum object interaction. A smaller arena may promote object interaction; taller objects reduce detection artifacts. NIH grants supported the study.

Dynamic response of a Square Cabin under Blast Loading

Abstract To investigate the dynamic response of square cabin under blast loading, three static explosion experiments were conducted on a small polyhedral structure square cabin. The TNT equivalent weights used were 1.04kg, 2.04kg, and 3.04kg, at distances of 1m, 0.8m, and 1.7m, respectively. The free-field overpressure sensor was employed to record the overpressure generated by the explosion, and the dynamic response of the square cabin structure under the blast loading was analyzed. Results show that the distribution of the square cabin skeleton and the quantity of equipment have a significant impact on the dynamic response of the square cabin. The research findings have important reference value for the application scope of square cabins on the battlefield.

Viable Intertwined Supply Network: Modelling and Dynamic Analysis Using Artificial Neural Networks

Viable Intertwined Supply Network: Modelling and Dynamic Analysis Using Artificial Neural Networks

A New XPS Test Material for More Reliable Analysis of Microstructures

ABSTRACTA reference material is required for small‐area XPS because it has been used more frequently for surface control in recent years and many operators use incorrect field of views. To address this problem, we developed a test material starting in 2019. We optimised this XPS test material dedicated to the control of analysis position on the sample, with respect to the following factors: type of XPS instruments available on the market, the manufacturing process and sample handling. Test structures are now aligned along lines instead of on a circle radius, so that the individual structures can be accessed more quickly and easily. In addition, a larger test structure of 300 μm and another one in an intermediate size of 18 μm were added. Smaller test structures under 50 μm have been annotated with finder grids/arrows around them so that they are easier to find. Further, the manufacturing process was changed from e‐beam lithography to a mask process to be able to offer the test material at a favourable price. The use of masks also had to be adapted for the new manufacturing process so that the smallest square structures are also realised as such and do not show any distortion of the structure boundaries. The quality control using a metrological SEM confirmed a very reproducible manufacturing process. It is demonstrated that the test material can be successfully employed to find the most suitable beam size of the XPS system used for the analysis of small (μm range) surface features.