Special Theory Research Articles

Industrial Specialization in China: Effects of Central Tools Governing Subnational Agency

Abstract We examine how the central government's management of subnational governments' agency influences the smartness of the latter's industrial specialization choices. Based on smart industrial specialization theory and agency theory, we hypothesize how two central government tools governing subnational governments' agency – facilitating their organizational efficacy and promoting their officials to higher ranks – explain recent industrial specialization choices by China's 31 provincial governments. We find that provincial governments with greater organizational efficacy, measured by access to better-resourced local state-owned enterprises in focal industries, make smarter specialization policies. In addition, we show that provincial governments with greater numbers of officials previously promoted to the central government make, contrary to conventional wisdom, potentially less smart specialization policies. Our research extends smart specialization theory by explaining that central government tools governing subnational agency problems can have knock-on effects making subnational governments' industrial specialization choices smart or unsmart.

The function of oneiric miniatures in the inner plot of F.M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”

INTRODUCTION. This study examines the structural interaction of the oneiric component of the novel poetics of Crime and Punishment with the plot of the entire work. The aim of the study is to define the role of oneiric miniatures in the main character’s image development. For this purpose, the series of dreams of the protagonist is singled out as a separate poetological construct, which shows compositional overlap with the strong position of the first dream.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The comprehensive study of F.M. Dostoevsky’s work is based on hermeneuticinterpretation, structural-semantic, phenomenological methods, the method of holistic analysis with the use of motive analysis techniques. Special attention is paid to the hermeneutic opposition of the first and second dreams in terms of the bipolar psychologism of Raskolnikov’s image. In the concept of Dostoevsky’s bipolar poetics of the text, the cycle of oneiric miniatures is analyzed as the basis of the internal plot, revealing the discourse about the hero’s “new word” full of understatement.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. The analysis of the conversation with Razumikhin about “great sadness” shows the non-coincidence of the concepts of “truly great people” and “nonordinary” (in the context of his article) in the hero’s autoreflection. The image of a horse from the first dream allegorically correlates with the picture of nomadic life, which the hero observes in the finale of the work, as well as with the dream of biblical Egypt, symbolizing salvation from spiritual slavery and loneliness. The subtextual image of the prophet Moses is interpreted as an image of merging with the people, etymological parallels of the name “Rodion” with the Egyptian origin of the name “Moses” are given. The surname “Raskolnikov” and the name “Sonya” are also interpreted in a Gnostic way about the “mistake” in the creation of the world and its imperfection.CONCLUSION. The existential error in Raskolnikov’s own speculative theory is deduced from the analysis of the hero’s dream cycle as a projection of an internal plot into an external one. This approach is the key to interpreting the evolution of Raskolnikov’s image from tragic alienation to vitalistic awakening.

A relativistic approach to teaching electrodynamics: Deriving Maxwell's equations from first principles

This paper presents a novel methodology for teaching classical electrodynamics based on special relativity theory. Traditional approaches often rely heavily on empirical laws, potentially obscuring the fundamental unity of electromagnetic phenomena. We demonstrate how the core principles of electrodynamics, including Maxwell's equations, can be derived from just two fundamental postulates: the principle of relativity and Coulomb's law. By consistently applying relativistic reasoning, we show how key concepts such as the Lorentz force, Biot-Savart law, and electromagnetic induction emerge naturally. This approach provides a logically coherent framework for understanding electrodynamics, emphasizes its inherently relativistic nature, and resolves apparent paradoxes that arise in non-relativistic treatments. We discuss the pedagogical advantages of this method, including its potential to foster deeper conceptual understanding and develop students' theoretical reasoning skills. The paper also addresses practical aspects of implementing this approach in higher education physics curricula and its implications for physics education research.

Relativity and the Magnitude of Velocities

In modern physics, relativity is primarily understood through the framework of Einstein’s theory. According to the special theory of relativity (STR), Galilean relativity serves as a very accurate approximation at low velocities, where ‘relativistic effects’ can be neglected. However, at high velocities, these effects become significant and are accurately described by STR. This paper challenges this understanding, arguing that the opposite is true. In Galilean relativity, the relativity of time is substantial and cannot be ignored. Thus, relative time is more negligible in STR than in Galilean relativity. By comparing Galilean relativity and STR through physical, mathematical, and specific examples, two conclusions are drawn: first, the current categorization of relativity theories based on velocity magnitude is artificial and inaccurate; second, the relativity of time can be ignored in special relativity, while it remains significant and cannot be overlooked in Galilean relativity.

Preface: Numerical Modelling of Fibre-Reinforced Materials and Structures

This special issue contains selected papers on “Numerical Modelling of Fibre-reinforced Materials and Structures” presented at ACCM 2021, the Fifth Australasian Conference on Computational Mechanics, which was successfully held in Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia, in December 2021. The selected papers published in this special issue reported advanced computational methods and modelling technology in the niche area of fibre-reinforced materials and structures. Fibre reinforcement has demonstrated effectiveness in strengthening the high performance and durability of materials and structures. The research and development of high-performance fibre-reinforced materials and structures have been increasing, which has also seen growing interest and adoption in engineering practice with greatly enhanced structure safety and infrastructure resilience. The papers collected in this special issue present advanced theory, algorithm, numerical simulation, and/or novel application of computational techniques to the problems associated with fibre-reinforced materials and structures.

Thermodynamics and dynamic stability: extended theories of heat conduction

Abstract The stability of homogeneous thermodynamic equilibrium is analyzed in heat conduction theories in the framework of nonequilibrium thermodynamics, where the internal energy, the heat flux and a second order tensor are thermodynamic state variables. It is shown, that the thermodynamic conditions of concave entropy and nonnegative entropy production can ensure the linear stability. Various special heat conduction theories, including Extended Thermodynamics, are compared in the general framework.

The Particle of Haag's Local Quantum Physics: A Critical Assessment.

Rudolf Haag's Local Quantum Physics (LQP) is an alternative framework to conventional relativistic quantum field theory for combining special relativity and quantum theory based on first principles, making it of great interest for the purposes of conceptual analysis despite currently being relatively limited as a tool for making experimental predictions. In LQP, the elementary particles are defined as species of causal link between interaction events, together with which they comprise its most fundamental entities. This notion of particle has yet to be independently assessed as such. Here, it is captured via a set of propositions specifying particle characteristics and then compared to previous particle notions. Haag's particle differs decisively with respect to mechanical intuitions about particles by lacking, among other things, even an approximate independent space-time location. This notion is thus found to differ greatly even from those of relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, which have been applied to the known elementary particles.

DIFFERENCES IN FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT RESULTS OF BASIC PHYSICS 2 STUDENTS IN OFFLINE AND ONLINE LECTURES ON SPECIAL RELATIVITY THEORY MATERIAL

The research was motivated by the Galodo disaster that occurred in Tanah Datar district. This disaster has an impact on the implementation of basic physics 2 lectures at UIN Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar which must be carried out online using the Zoom application. The research was conducted on two different campuses, namely 2nd semester students at UIN Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar and UIN Imam Bonjol Padang. This study aims to determine whether there are differences in the results of formative assessments of students who conduct online and offline lectures by chatting with lecturers, teaching methods, and teaching media. This research was analyzed using a quantitative approach with a control group posttest only design. The instrument used is a formative question on special relativity material in essay form. The results of the study were analyzed using an independent sample t test which resulted in a 2 tailed sig value (0.269) > 0.05 which indicates that there is no difference in the results of students' basic physics formative assessment between students who conduct online and offline lectures on special relativity theory material. The average formative score of students is also not much different in both samples. The use of appropriate lecture methods, strategies, and media needs to be improved in basic physics 2 lectures.

The problem of the relations between the science and the subject-matter of education in the higher education of librarians and bibliographers

The subject-matter of education is one of the main elements of the didactic system. The correct determination of the main subject-matter of education enables the achievement of educational goals. Education and higher education are closely interconnected. However, one of the main problems in professional pedagogy—the relationship between science and the subject-matter of education—has not yet been fully resolved. This problem is particularly urgent in the training of skilled librarians and bibliographers because library and bibliography sciences are relatively young and rapidly developing. The author asserts that it is necessary to create a special theory of higher education in librarianship and bibliography, which would allow for the improvement of this field according to the latest tendencies in the development of library and bibliography sciences, informatics, and the science of the book. It is essential to analyze the logical structure of these sciences, to identify their main components and methods that influence the construction of corresponding branches of education. The author proposes a preliminary solution to this problem.

EXPERIMENT TO DETECT THE ABSOLUTE VELOCITY OF EARTH IN THE UNIVERSE

A number of experiments have been carried out to measure the velocity of earth in the space but absolute velocity of earth could not be detected. One of the most famous Michelson and Morley experiment was conducted in the year 1887 to detect the motion of earth with reference to luminiferous aether a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves but unexpected results were obtained. The experiment has given negative results, MMX type experiments have been repeated so many times with steadily increasing sensitivity from 1902 to 1930 and more recently in the year 2009 by optical resonator but all the experiments confirmed the negative results of MMX. Albert Einstein submitted his special theory of relativity in the year 1905 and stated that there is no medium like aether for propagation of light waves and there is no absolute velocity in the universe, all the motions are relative. Relative velocity of earth has been measured by various methods and observations such as stellar parallax, position of stars and planets, satellite laser ranging, GPS and CMB radiation. Second postulate of STR states that velocity of light is constant in all inertial frames of reference, there is no effect of motion of source of light or observer on the speed of light. As the velocity of light is a universal Constant hence any velocity with reference to speed of light will be absolute velocity. On the basis of second postulate of STR absolute velocity of earth in the universe can be determined by experiment based on the laser light beams. A laser beam may be directed on the fixed screen and movement of laser spot due to motion of earth may be observed. The displacement of laser spot with passage of time may be observed to determine the velocity of earth. In the present article it is explained how the velocity of earth may be detected by measuring displacement of laser spot. The displacement of laser spot from its normal position will determine the absolute velocity of earth in the universe.

Distribution of control during bimanual movement and stabilization

In two-handed actions like baseball batting, the brain can allocate the control to each arm in an infinite number of ways. According to hemispheric specialization theory, the dominant hemisphere is adept at ballistic control, while the non-dominant hemisphere is specialized at postural stabilization, so the brain should divide the control between the arms according to their respective specialization. Here, we tested this prediction by examining how the brain shares the control between the dominant and non-dominant arms during bimanual reaching and postural stabilization. Participants reached with both hands, which were tied together by a stiff virtual spring, to a target surrounded by an unstable repulsive force field. If the brain exploits each hemisphere’s specialization, then the dominant arm should be responsible for acceleration early in the movement, and the non-dominant arm will be the prime actor at the end when holding steady against the force field. The power grasp force, which signifies the postural stability of each arm, peaked at movement termination but was equally large in both arms. Furthermore, the brain predominantly used the arm that could use the stronger flexor muscles to mainly accelerate the movement. These results point to the brain flexibly allocating the control to each arm according to the task goal without adhering to a strict specialization scheme.

Pions from higher-dimensional gluons: general realizations and stringy models

In this paper we revisit the general phenomenon that scattering amplitudes of pions can be obtained from “dimensional reduction” of gluons in higher dimensions in a more general context. We show that such “dimensional reduction” operations universally turn gluons into pions regardless of details of interactions: under such operations any amplitude that is gauge invariant and contains only local simple poles becomes one that satisfies Adler zero in the soft limit. As two such examples, we show that starting from gluon amplitudes in both superstring and bosonic string theories, the operations produce “stringy” completion of pion scattering amplitudes to all orders in α′, with leading order given by non-linear sigma model amplitudes. Via Kawai-Lewellen-Tye relations, they give closed-stringy completion for Born-Infeld theory and the special Galileon theory, which are directly related to gravity amplitudes in closed-string theories. We also discuss how they naturally produce stringy models for mixed amplitudes of pions and colored scalars.

The geometry of the constant gravitational field

The complete title of this paper should be “The geometry of the constant gravitational field or how to switch from the mechanical Lagrangian to a geometric Lagrangian” and in this abstract we sketch why. To begin with, let us say that Einstein managed to integrate the constant gravitational field in the special theory of relativity, obtaining a metric whose geodesics are locally parabolas. The existence of a similar metric deduced from the considerations of Newtonian mechanics is somehow obstructed by the Lagrangian involved in the description of the constant gravitational field. Therefore, we need to explain how the mechanical Lagrangian above which is not suitable for a metric description of the constant gravitational field can be switched into a geometrical Lagrangian having the same geodesics and suitable for the metric description of the constant gravitational field. The geometric method found by us is related to a parabolic type of transformations. A consequence of the previous method can be applied for the study of bending of light rays in a constant gravitational field.

‘The ghost I expected to see’: Vernon Lee, the Gothic, and the Spectrality of Perception

Vernon Lee considered the conventional ghost story to be in rather bad taste and, in her own Gothic fiction, evoked ghosts that are never directly apprehended, but are perceived as agential bodies nonetheless. The distinctive ghosts that Lee creates haunt by exploiting the mechanisms of perception that she studied and theorised throughout her career. I analyse Lee’s depictions of perception in three stories, ‘Oke of Okehurst’, ‘Amour Dure’, and ‘The Image’, through the lens of philosopher Alva Noë’s theory of perception as ‘a kind of skilful bodily activity’. Noë argues that we make sense of the world by using our sensorimotor knowledge – ‘a knowledge of the way sensory stimulation varies as a function of movement’. Lee’s ghosts draw on this sensorimotor knowledge of characters and readers, allowing her to convey a potentiality for agency without depicting unambiguously supernatural events. Using mirror neuron studies and cognitive readings of how works of art transport their audiences into virtual environments, I argue that this sensorimotor engagement builds up a cognisance of Lee’s haunting figures as agential bodies that occupy space, acted upon by the material world and, in turn, acting upon it. Lee used these ghosts to adopt speculative perspectives on perception and cognition more broadly, such as questioning the stability and reliability of perception, and suggesting a loss of identity involved in all acts of perception. These perspectives are excluded from her studies and essays but are explored in the fictional space that the Gothic opens up; in her gothic stories, Lee exploits the uncanny aspects of cognition, suggesting and experimenting with queerer and more speculative theories than the objective studies she also pursued could accommodate.

Pythagorean triples using the relativistic velocity addition formula

In the special theory of relativity, there is an unusual formula for addition of velocities. We will use this formula to generate Pythagorean triples. We define a Pythagorean triple in the usual manner as a triple of positive integers (a, b, c) such that a2 + b2 = c2. The numbers a and b are called legs, and c is called the hypotenuse. Later, we will allow b to take on the value of any integer. A primitive Pythagorean triple is a Pythagorean triple for which a, b and c are relatively prime.

Evolution = Exchange

Darwin’s theory of natural selection raises two critical questions: What is ultimately being selected? Why is it inevitably being innovative? In response, the five key theories of evolution begin with species, genes, organisms, systems, processes. And they lead to a sixth key theory that begins with exchange. Specifically, I re-configure Darwin-Peirce-Einstein’s special theories of evolution-semiosis-relativity in a radical theory of exchangesignificationvalue. In this context I suggest that the relative signifying relations of exchange are both exuberantly innovative and restrictively selective and they drive the process of evolution. Instead of beginning with a post hoc theory of restrictive selection, therefore, I begin with an ad hoc theory of exuberant innovation. Every so-called thing in this so-called universe is actually no-thing more and no-thing less than a co-incidental articulation of the long evolutionary history of the relative signifying relations of exchange—beginning with energymass  massenergy. In fact, time itself can be understood as the rhythmic syntax of exchange. While some recent general theories of evolutionary history begin with energy flows, quantum bits, emergent complexities, etc., I suggest that the dynamic of exchange evolves nature, the practice of exchange evolves culture, the syntax of exchange evolves history. Here we arrive at the proof that is to be demonstrated: Evolution = Exchange.

Revisiting the Matter of Time Dilation in Special Relativity

There are different interpretations of the Lorentz transformations of the Special Theory of Relativity (SR) concerning the relative rates of two clocks that are moving at constant relative rectilinear velocity (Einstein’s definition of conditions necessary for SR). [It is common to talk in terms of how one observer “views” another clock that is moving at constant velocity relative to them. This carries an implication of visual observation. That is a limitation avoided in this contribution by the use of “as determined”, without specifying the means employed, but wherever “as viewed” does occur, it is to be considered as “as determined”]. One opinion, which is the settled opinion among physicists, holds that the clocks are “actually” going at different rates. Another opinion holds that it is merely a matter of how observers determine the clocks’ rates to be related, with the clocks in fact going at the same rate. The differences in these interpretations are resolved analytically. Five arguments are presented [excluding an inference from the first postulate]. The clocks are determined to have the same rates, i.e. there is no “time dilation” under SR conditions. The related opinion – that the clocks are going at the same rate, but are determined by observers to be going at different rates - is seen to be consistent. Experimental reports, which directly conclude that the clocks are going at different rates, are shown to be seriously flawed, or to not even comply with Einstein’s definition of SR

PORTABLE MUON TELESCOPE FOR COSMIC RAY MONITORING

A portable muon telescope for monitoring of cosmic rays has been developed, based on GM counters shielded with lead adsorbers. The triple coincidence mode of operation results in a relatively good spatial resolution allowing to measure the cosmic ray flux, its east-west anomaly and also to detect the consequences of the special theory of relativity. The apparatus is suitable for long term observations of the cosmic ray flux and due to its simple and robust construction can also be used also for educational purposes.

Mathematical modeling of solar cells: novel approaches based on Special Trans Function Theory

Mathematical modeling of solar cells: novel approaches based on Special Trans Function Theory

Understanding Lorentz Utilizing Galilei: The Emergence of a Friendly Extended Special Relativity Theory that Admits Relativistic Multi-Particle Entanglement

Special relativity theory stems from the Lorentz transformation of signature (1,3). The incorporation into special relativity of the Lorentz transformations of signature (m,n) for all m,n∈ℕ (n = 3 in physical applications) enriches the theory. The resulting enriched special relativity is a friendly extended special relativity that admits multi-particle entanglement, as demanded by relativistic quantum mechanics. The Lorentz transformation of signature (m,n) admits a novel physical interpretation induced by the intuitively clear interpretation of the Galilei transformation of signature (m,n) for all m,n > 1. In this sense we understand Lorentz utilizing Galilei in m temporal and n spatial dimensions, resulting in the emergence of multi-particle entanglement that the enriched special theory of relativity admits. Remarkably, it turns out that, for any m,n∈ℕ, the group of Lorentz transformations of signature (m,n) is the symmetry group that underlies any multi-particle system that consists of m n - dimensional entangled particles.