Physics Education Technology Project (PhET) simulation gives students the opportunity to explore and experiment with scientific phenomena in a safe, virtual setting. This study investigated the effects of PhET improvement on the retention ability of grade six learners in state of matter (SOM). To achieve the aim of the study sixty-four grade six learners were considered from four randomly selected primary schools in Umkhanyakude District in KwaZulu-Natal province. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test approach. Data were collected using the Phase Change of Matter Test (PCMT) administered during the pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test phases. Participants in the control group were taught using the traditional teacher-centered approach, while the experimental group was exposed to the SOM PhET simulation. The reliability coefficient of 0.75 was determined using Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean, median, standard deviation, and range, to summarize the pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test scores for both groups. A paired samples t-test was also conducted for each group to compare the pre-test and post-test scores, as well as the post-test and delayed post-test scores, to assess whether there was a significant improvement in retention following the intervention. The findings indicated that using PhET as an intervention effectively enhanced conceptual understanding of SOM. There was a statistically significant difference in the retention ability after treatment with a PhET simulation, compared to the control group. Based on the findings, it is recommended that students actively interact with simulations rather than merely observing demonstrations. When students engage directly with these tools, they achieve a deeper understanding and improved learning outcomes.

Nanoparticles form a link between molecular and bulk state ofmatter and exhibit size dependent physical and chemical properties. In the present work we aimed to prepare zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method using sodium sulfide (Na2S.x H2O) as sulfur source and Zinc acetate dihydrate ((CH3COO)2Zn.2H2O) as a source of zinc . Characterization was performed by UV–Vis Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) , Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray Diffraction revealed that the Prepared ZnS nanoparticles comprise a Cubic structure and the average grain size of ZnS is 6.41 nm. UV–Vis spectrum exhibits quantum confinement effect by a very sharp peak around 345 nm remarkably blue shifted compared to its bulk counterpart. The optical band gap of the ZnS nanoparticles was found to be as 4.5 ev which is blue shifted from that of bulk ZnS (340 nm, Eg = 3.7 eV) , TEM micrograph depicts the spherical particles which are agglomerated with size 7.9 nm .

Chemical sensors are tools able to detect organic and inorganic molecules in the three states of matter with different mechanisms of interaction. Each molecule interacts in a different way with sensing materials, producing dissimilar changes in its intrinsic properties. In recent years, chemical sensors have been widely used in arrays for devices known as electronic noses (ENs). They showed great potentiality to be applied in various fields, like health, environmental monitoring and food quality and identity. One of these devices, called Small Sensors System (S3) produced by NASYS, a spin-off of University of Brescia, is equipped with innovative chemical sensors that analyse volatile compounds. They are designed and constructed at SENSOR Laboratory (University of Brescia) and are different from the other metal oxide semiconductor (MOX) sensors available on the market because of their nanometric dimensions. This brings numerous advantages since nanomaterials have an extraordinary length-to-width ratio, that enhances sensing capability and long-term stability for prolonged operation. In addition, the three-dimensional network formed by the nanowires increases the adsorption surface and the catalytic activity, improving the response and decreasing the threshold up to few ppm concentrations. The ability to connect to Internet makes S3 an Internet of Thing (IoT) device. This allows to send and storage data in the cloud and to use S3 remotely. Indeed, S3 has a dedicated user-friendly Web App whereby users can analyse data on-line using different techniques, from univariate and multivariate statistical analysis to Artificial Neural Networks. S3 system has shown the capability to be a useful tool in agri-food field. Among the whole applications, it has been successfully used to recognize the authenticity of food and to individuate food pathogens and microbiological contamination as described in the following sections.

A topological superconductor is a new state of matter that attract a lot of interest for its potential application in quantum computers. However, there is no single material known to host this state of matter. In this thesis, combinations of superconductors and semiconductors are investigated experimentally with the goal to engineer such a topological superconductor. The materials chosen combine spin-orbit interaction, superconductivity and onedimensionality. Then, under influence of a magnetic field, the hybrid superconductor semiconductor system is predicted to become topological. First, the theoretical background of the experiments is presented, with special attention to the superconducting quantum interference in semiconducting Josephson junctions. In addition, a description of the different materials used and the fabrication of the devices, is provided. In the first experiment we explore hole transport through GeSi core-shell nanowires. Electronic measurements reveal two transport channels only, which underlines the onedimensionality of the nanowire. On top of that, high-quality induced superconductivity is observed in both the tunneling and open regime, and evidence for strong spin-orbit interaction is presented. Then, we switch materials to a two-dimensional electron and hole gas in an InAs/GaSb double quantum well. The spin-orbit interaction is studied by measuring the difference between the densities of electrons with opposite spin orientation. Two types of spin-orbit interaction are identified by tuning the magnitude of one of them, with an applied electric field. InAs quantum wells are known to exhibit enhanced conduction at their edges. We find supercurrent through these edges in Josephson junction devices using superconducting quantum interference measurements. The interference pattern reveals a flux periodicity of h/e. Interestingly, while this periodicity is observed in the trivial regime, it was considered a signature of topological superconductivity before. We argue and show that nonlocal processes lead to the h/e effect in our devices. The correlated occurence of enhanced edge conduction and the h/e periodicity is confirmed in Josephson junctions made of InSb flakes. The final experimental chapter considers a superconducting quantum interference device, fabricated in an InAs quantum well. This geometry allows for control of the superconducting phase difference of the Josephson junction, potentially reducing the magnetic field needed for the device to become topological. Unfortunately, in the measurements we do not observe signatures of topological superconductivity. At last, we describe what device geometry and material combination could be used to do reach the topological regime. In addition, we discuss ideas for future research of the othermaterial systems used in this thesis.

Interacting electrons on material lattices can build up strong quantum correlations, which in turn can lead to the emergence of a wide range of novel and potentially useful magnetic and electronic material properties. Our understanding of this physics, however, is severely limited by the exponential growth in complexity with system size, which leads all classical methods to fall fundamentally short. In this thesis, I show how artificial lattices of conduction band electrons in semiconductors, so-called quantum dot arrays, can be used to directly emulate and therefore elucidate such Fermi-Hubbard physics. To this end, I focus on two approaches. A top-down approach allows to scale easily, but lacks to ability to control or measure individual sites. A bottom-up approach on the other hand utilizes the small devices employed by the community for qubit experiments, in which the control of individual sites is both a blessing and a curse. We address the issue of control to the point where mapping to relevant models is possible and efficiently calibrating larger devices becomes feasible. These results open up the inherently well-suited and scalable platform of quantum dots to emulate novel quantum states of matter.

Research shows that students’ misconceptions interfere with students’ learning of scientific concepts. Meanwhile, the significant effects of students’ misconceptions on their achievement has been a concern for teachers who strive to find ways of dealing with the misconceptions. This study was conducted to explore Cambodian students’ misconceptions of states of matter (Solid, liquid, and gas), which main aimed to investigate what type of misconceptions which they held in the concept of characteristics of solid, liquid, and gas. Data was collected using a 15 multiple-choice two-tier test which was administered on 330 junior high school students in Kampot province, Cambodia. In this test, students’ responses were categorized into three: correct answer, misconception, and incorrect answer. Data analysis through descriptive statistics showed the frequencies of each students’ misconceptions. Students’ responses to the items revealed that 20 misconceptions were held by less than 50% of the students whereas 4 misconceptions were held by more than 50% of the students who took the test. Interviews with some of the students revealed the nature of students’ understanding of the concept of states of matter. Two main conclusions were derived to explain these results: 1) students tend to attribute macroscopic view to microscopic view and 2) students believe matter exist unless they see.

Aun con sus dificultades y limitaciones, el aprendizaje por indagación está considerado uno de los enfoques didácticos más idóneos para aprender ciencia haciendo ciencia. A fin de ponerlo en práctica en educación infantil, se diseñó una propuesta didáctica basada en secuencias de pregunta-predicción-comprobación. La propuesta se implementó con 83 niños de 2 a 4 años. El propósito era utilizar el aprendizaje por indagación para la iniciación a la ciencia en esta etapa educativa. El tópico elegido fue el de los cambios de estado del agua, del chocolate y de un polo flash. Se apreció una evolución de las ideas y capacidades de los niños para formular predicciones y comprobarlas experimentalmente. Se concluye que es posible aprender sobre la relación entre «calentar» o «enfriar» y las transformaciones entre el sólido y el líquido. Muchos llegan a caracterizar cada producto según su estado. Como implicaciones, se estiman pertinentes las actividades manipulativas acompañadas de preguntas y requerimiento de predicciones desde el inicio de educación infantil.

Similar to their charge, electrons also posses an intrinsic magnetic moment called spin. Whenmoving through an electric field, electrons experience and effective magnetic field in their restframe which will interact with the spin and influence its direction. This spinorbit interaction creates a measurable shift in the splitting of atomic energy levels and in the energy bands of solid state systems. Recently it has been proposed that systems with strong spin-orbit interaction can be used to engineer novel topological states of matter which are predicted to host non-abelian quasi particles. These could generate robust quantum states which are protected against decoherence. The research in this thesis focuses on indium antimonide (InSb) nanowires which combine exceptionally strong spin-orbit interaction with large g-factors and high electron mobilities. This makes them one of the most promising systems for realizing topological qubits based on Majorana zero modes (MZM).

The purpose of this essay is approached an theorical and practical study about plasma as waste treatment tool than offer benefits in front of other methods as incineration. The main composition of treatment residue is vitroceramic materials which it has had industry application as raw material. Plasma has been considerated “fourth state of matter” set up for ionized gas and some neutral particles. One way for obtaining this state consist of gas ionization using high potential power supply in order of 20 KV (Kilovoltios), 102 grados de temperature and pressure of 1000 Torr. This work has studied all requirements to produce plasma and give design planning for gas ionization, using Helium and Oxygen as raw matter, close to power supply which generate an arc electrical into a test driver analized for spectrophotometer. The kind of waste has been choose according to Colombia problematic, it involves management, disposition and treatment of dangerous wastes whose residue involves dioxins and toxics compounds in the air.

Sa1165 - Qualitative Evaluation of the Composition of Refluxate by 24-Hour Multichannel Esophageal Intraluminal Impedance and pH-Monitoring and its Relationship to Extraesophageal Reflux Disease

There once was a harsh competition between different computer memory technologies, and now we cheer triumph for the Random Access-Memory (RAM) devices, -- cheap, fast, tiny, stable. The competing Magnetic Bubble Memory had faded away as magnetic bubbles are undesirably large and pretty much not robust, manifesting both low data density and high operational costs. However, what we do possess now are nanosize objects of topological nature, magnetic skyrmions, which are protected from continuous field variations and take very little energy cost to be moved. Thus, skyrmions are considered as promising information carriers for future memory devices and ultradense data storage, while skyrmion phases in bulk materials are interesting from fundamental point of view in exploring topological states of matter. In this thesis, I develop and advance several effective theoretical approaches, diverse both in their methods and use, which were of appeal for several skyrmionic experiments in our lab (LQM/EPFL). We were and are primarily interested in the open issues in the applied field of skyrmionics, which may be taken under the umbrella of creation, stabilization and control of magnetic skyrmions under electric fields, mechanical strains, thermal gradients, etc. For the goals achieved and yet to be achieved, the magnetoelectric insulator Cu2OSeO3, which uniquely responses to all the above mentioned fields, is a highly advantageous candidate. Magnetoelectric here means that the spins of a magnetic material are coupled to external electric fields, while insulating properties are very advantageous to preserve both the state and the very existence of skyrmions by eliminating the Joule heating. The novel results in this thesis are calculations for both individual and arrayed skyrmions under electric fields, mechanical strains and uniform pressures, and thermal gradients. Furthermore, several fundamental questions were addressed by developing an extended formalism for calculation skyrmion-pocket phase diagrams, studying the topologically-governed crossover between skyrmions and magnetic bubbles, and discussing the possible role of merons (half-skyrmions) in skyrmion phase formation. The result with the most immediate appeal is probably the theoretical and experimental study of skyrmion lattices in electric fields, with a direct demonstration of writing and erasing of the full skyrmion phase under electric fields of few Volts per micrometer, as compatible with modern microelectronic devices.

Thomas-Fermi theory is an approximate method, which is widely used to describe the properties of matter at various hierarchical levels (atomic nucleus, atom, molecule, solid, etc.). Special development achieved using Thomas-Fermi theory to the theory of extreme states of matter appearing under high pressures, high temperatures or strong external fields. Relevant sections of physics and related sciences (astrophysics, quantum chemistry, a number of applied sciences) determine the scope of Thomas-Fermi theory. Popularity Thomas-Fermi theory is related to its relative simplicity, clarity and versatility. The latter means that result of the calculation by Thomas-Fermi theory applies immediately to all chemical elements: the transition from element to element is as simple scale transformation. These features make it highly convenient tool for qualitative and, in many cases, quantitative analysis.

The most important parameter associated with a superconductor is its critical temperature. In general, critical temperatures are very low- about 140K or less. So far, there exists no superconductor with a critical temperature comparable to normal environmental temperatures. There are other related issues like quenching, critical pressure, critical current density. Research on superconducting compounds reveals the existence of less known states of matter with entirely different sets of properties. Large-scale commercialization requires superconductors to have reasonably high critical temperatures. Thus it is necessary to investigate High Temperature Superconductors to understand their lattice behaviour and why their superconductivity cannot be explained by previous theories. Keywords- lattic; distortions; critical; superconductor; ceramic; effect; superfluid; cuprate; transition; electrons; magnetic; perovskite

This paper provides a state of matter on the study of Latin American Freemasonry from the U.S. academy. In general there has been no interest for this study because the focus has been on Freemasonry of the United States, the United Kingdom and continental Europe, mainly France. This is because some scholars have regarded Freemasonry in Latin America as different, displaying it with the lens of otherness and providing a cultural otherness based on the difference. However, in the last two decades, a generation of scholars, already established in their respective universities, began to venture to publish on Freemasonry, directing thesis and promoting the study of this organization from the university halls. This has allowed the development of new trends for the study of Freemasonry in Latin America as well as creating opportunities for exchange and dialogue between Latin American scholars and scholars from the United States.

List of illustrations Preface 1. The plasma universe 2. Plasma basics 3. Plasma confinement 4. The waving plasmas 5. The radiating plasmas 6. Supplementary matter Select bibliography Index.

Beyond emotion: Broader lessons from the states of matter.

Electronic states in band insulators and semimetals can form nontrivial topological structures which can be classified by introducing a set of well defined topological invariants. There are interesting experimentally observable phenomena tied to these topological invariants which are robust as long as the invariants remain well-defined. One important class manifesting these topological phenomena in the bulk and at the edges is the time reversal invariant topological band insulators first discovered in HgTe in 2007. Since then, there have been enormous efforts from both the experimental and the theoretical sides to discover new topological materials and explore their robust physical signatures. In this thesis, we study one important aspect, i.e., the electromagnetic response in the bulk and at the spatial boundaries. First we show how the topological action, which arises in a time reversal invariant three dimensional band insulator with nontrivial topology, is quantized for open and periodic boundary conditions. This confirms the Z2 nature of the strong topological invariant required to classify time-reversal invariant insulators. Next, we introduce an experimentally observable signature in the response of electronic spins on the surface of these materials to the perpendicular magnetic field. We proceed by considering electromagnetic response in the bulk of topological Weyl semimetals in a systematic way by considering a lattice model and we address important questions on the existence or absence of the Chiral anomaly. In the end, we show how a topological phase in a one dimensional system can be an energetically favourable state of matter and introduce the notion of self-organized topological state by proposing an experimentally feasible setup.

Detecting Strangeness -4 Dibaryon States

We discuss materials which owe their stability to external elds. These include: 1)external electric or magnetic elds, and 2) quantum vacuum uctuations in these elds inducedby suitable boundary conditions (the Casimir e ect). Instances of the rst case include theoating water bridge and ferrouids in magnetic elds. An example of the second case is takenfrom biology where the Casimir e ect provides an explanation of the formation of stackedaggregations or \rouleaux" by negatively charged red blood cells. We show how the interplaybetween electrical and Casimir forces can be used to drive self-assembly of nano-structuredmaterials, and could be generalized both as a probe of Casimir forces and as a means ofmanufacturing nanoscale structures. Interestingly, all the cases discussed involve the generationof the somewhat exotic negative pressures. We note that very little is known about the phasediagrams of most materials in the presence of external elds other than those represented bythe macroscopic scalar quantities of pressure and temperature. Many new and unusual statesof matter may yet be undiscovered.

UCI Chem 1P General Chemistry (Fall 2012) Lec 09. General Chemistry Preparation for General Chemistry -- Organic Compounds -- Instructor: Eric Potma, Ph.D. Description: UCI Chem 1P is a preparation go General Chemistry that covers: units of measurement, dimensional analysis, significant figures; elementary concepts of volume, mass, force, pressure, energy, density, temperature, heat, work; fundamentals of atomic and molecular structure; the mole concept, stoichiometry; properties of the states of matter; gas laws; solutions concentrations. Course may be offered online. Slides: 00:05- Organic Compounds 02:54- Midterm 1 04:25- Organic Molecules, Covalent Bonds 06:29- Organic Chemistry 07:25- Why Carbon? 09:45- Alkanes 10:24- Common Bonding Patterns 14:29- Condensed Structural Formulas 17:25- Condensed Structural Formulas, Slide 2 21:56- Line Structures 25:15- Line Structures: Practice 27:41- Line Structures: Practice, Slide 2 31:01- Line Structures: Writing Formulas 34:00- Line Structures: Writing Formulas, Slide 2 35:42- An Exam Example 39:09- Bee Pheremones 40:10- Indigo 41:10- Steroids 42:02- The Pill 42:32- The Pill for Men 43:00- See You on Friday!