Target Concept Research Articles

Design-oriented study on target station for spallation neutron source at KOMAC

A neutron-production target system, composed of targets, moderators, reflectors, and shielding, has been conceptually designed for the future MW-class spallation neutron source based on a high-intensity proton accelerator at KOMAC. For targetry, we tentatively adopted a fixed-metal target concept; tantalum-clad tungsten plates in a water-cooled target shroud made of stainless steel. In the thermal analysis and stress calculations using ANSYS, the von Mises stress was found to exceed the yield stress of SS316L at the edges of the structure for a 500-kW proton beam on target. Relatively high stress at edges seems to be a stress concentration that could be reduced by minor design modifications. Preliminary calculation results for a conservative design of target shielding show that radiation dose after the outermost shielding could be lower than 10 upmuSv/h in a 500-kW operation condition, implying that the design could be optimized to reduce construction costs without loss of shielding performance.

Metaphors in selected Blackpink’s song lyrics

The primary goal of this research was to examine metaphors in selected Blackpink song lyrics. The study's objectives are to identify the types of metaphors syntactically based on Abdul Wahab (1986) and to analyse the metaphorical meanings of selected Blackpink song lyrics using Lakoff and Johnson's source and target (1980). A descriptive-qualitative approach is used in this study. The metaphors used in Blackpink's song lyrics were the data. The researcher applies Abdul Wahab's theory of syntactical types of metaphor to the identified data and analyses it using Lakoff and Johnson's concept of source and target in metaphor. Subjective nominative metaphor, objective nominative metaphor, predicative metaphor, and sentence metaphor were the four types of metaphor used in five selected Blackpink song lyrics. The writer finds that the phrase metaphor is the type of metaphor most commonly used in Blackpink's songs, followed by the objective metaphor of the predicative metaphor and subjective metaphor. Each of the types of metaphors collected in the following study contains abstract terms with real meanings.

Arbeitsschutz „im Huckepack“ – ein alternatives Konzept zur Ansprache von Unternehmen auf Sicherheit und Gesundheit bei der Arbeit

Occupational safety “piggybacked” – an alternative concept for addressing companies on occupational health and safety. Part I: Theoretical foundation Background: Employers are obliged to implement occupational safety measures. However, implementation rates are rising only very slowly. Reservations about the issues and official requirements are widespread among entrepreneurs. Objective: There is still a great need for statutory accident insurance organisations to successfully address entrepreneurs so that they can ensure the health and safety of their workers. Method: Based on findings from cognitive and learning psychology, an alternative approach, known as the “piggyback” method, was developed. Results: By linking the health and safety topics with positively evaluated contextual stimuli, the reservations can be circumvented and a first positive change in attitude can be achieved. For a sustainable change in behaviour, a deeper dive into the issues is necessary. Conclusions: The “piggyback” method can be used especially to reach entrepreneurs who have shown little motivation for implementation so far. The concept can be applied to different fields of prevention, but still requires further testing and evaluation. Ethical aspects must also be taken into account during implementation. Keywords: occupational health and safety– information processing – entrepreneurs – targeting concept

An advanced stratified decision-making strategy to explore viable plastic waste-to-energy method: A step towards sustainable dumped wastes management

Dumping waste and dumping sites pose significant environmental issues with serious implications for human health, the environment, and wildlife. Dumping grounds can also cause difficulties such as leaching, which occurs when waste chemicals seep into the soil and damage groundwater resources. The vast quantity of dumped waste plastic is a major source of energy in the form of gas, fuel, and electricity. The selection of the most appropriate waste-to-energy (WtE) technology affects the dumped waste because it allows for reduced greenhouse gas emissions, diverts dumpsites, generates energy, supports the circular economy, and lowers post-recycling pollution. This complex selection problem requires careful consideration of uncertainties from multi-perspective analysis, vague information, and imprecision in decisions. The stratified fuzzy multi-criteria decision making approach is suitable for addressing different states of events, uncertain data, and sustainable choice selection. Hence, we improved the intuitionistic analytical hierarchical process with a stratified targeting concept for multi-level criteria importance and coupled it with weighted aggregated sum product assessment for ranking WtE techniques. The preferences of experts are characterized using intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations. An empirical study on dumped plastic waste and dumpsite management discovered that plasma technology becomes a more feasible option by satisfying stratification and is more effective in clearing landfills by recovering energy. The comparative analysis, sensitive analysis, and Spearman’s rank correlation validate the proposed methodology, and this method seems to be a new dimension to handle ecological issues.

Colloidal Drug Delivery of Simvastatin for Prolonged Drug Release and Increased Bioavailability

Hyperlipidemia is the major cause of atherosclerosis in which the lipid level in the blood plasma increases which leads to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in the blood stream. Antihyperlipidemic drugs are used to reduce the high level of lipids and lipoproteins in the blood. HMG CoA reductase (Statin drugs) are the most potent group of antihyperlipidemic drugs and it works by inhibiting the Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase enzyme in the cholesterol synthesis. The most commonly used drug for decreasing low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is simvastatin. I is more efficacious as compared to Atorvastatin in increasing high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. Simvastatin (SIM) is lipophilic in nature and is a perfect candidate for a novel colloidal drug delivery system (CDDS). CDDS delivers the drug to its target site to enhance the control release and to achieve the maximum therapeutic effect. This concept of targeting includes the nanoparticulate system such as Liposomes, Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), Polymeric nanoparticles, Niosomes, Nanoemulsion and Metallic nanoparticles.

Use of LANSCE Spallation Neutrons to Drive a Fusion Prototypic Neutron Source

A high-power neutron-producing spallation source is one option for meeting the mission of a fusion prototypic neutron source (FPNS). The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory is uniquely suited to host such a source. A target concept has been developed that satisfies the initial goals established for an FPNS, as has a beam transport design that satisfies beam-on-target requirements for the concept. We discuss the potential impact of pulsed beam operation on radiation-induced changes in microstructure, as well as the ingrowth of calcium in steel alloys at a rate well beyond that expected in a fusion reactor first wall. A preliminary thermomechanical assessment shows the need to modify the target design to reduce temperatures and stresses in the tungsten target.

Construction Safety Risks of Metro Tunnels Constructed by the Mining Method in Wuhan City, China: A Structural Equation Model-Fuzzy Cognitive Map Hybrid Method

A hybrid method based on the structural equation model (SEM) and a fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) was developed to study the influences of the construction safety risks (CSR) of metro tunnels constructed by the mining method on the project risk (PR). An SEM was used to identify and verify the correlations between the CSR and PR. An FCM was developed adopting the verified standardized causality and path coefficient in the SEM. On this basis, predictive reasoning and diagnostic reasoning were performed in the framework of an FCM to simulate the CSR and PR. The feasibility of the developed method was validated based on the construction project of a metro tunnel in Wuhan City, China. The results show that (1) the cause concept node C2 (tunnel excavation) shows the strongest positive correlation with the target concept node CT (PR). According to their risks, the construction stages are ranked in descending order as C2 (tunnel excavation), C1 (advanced support), C6 (auxiliary measures), C4 (structure waterproofing), C3 (primary support), and C5 (secondary lining). (2) The target concept node CT is most sensitive to changes in the cause concept nodes C2 and C1. (3) Close attention should be paid to key risks, such as X9 (over-excavation and under-excavation) and X8 (unreasonable determination of excavation footage and sequence) in stage C2. Originality and significance: (1) A hybrid method that can simulate the dynamic interaction between the CSR and PR is proposed. (2) A new perspective for the dynamic evaluation of a PR is provided. (3) The method can be used as a decision-making tool for controlling the PR.

Analysis of Cyber Security Threats of the Printing Enterprise

The topic of scientific works on the implementation of modern technologies and systems of automated management of the enterprise, its resources and technical means is analyzed, and the insufficient completeness of research on the features of the integrated approach to the design and deployment of innovative means of production order support. Based on the determined factors of the operation of the enterprise in the latest conditions of the fourth industrial revolution, directions for the formation of strategies for the introduction of the elements of Industry 4.0 in modern printing enterprises, as well as information protection systems, are determined with electronic document circulation. The mechanisms of decision of tasks of management informative risks considered in complex control system by printeries in the conditions of vagueness and at co-operation of elements of control system between itself. The necessity of using a web portal for the formation of printing orders is substantiate, the main components are define and the levels of access to them described. The paper examines the use of classic and gray fuzzy cognitive maps to solve the problem of cyber security risk assessment of the intelligent management system of a printing enterprise. It is demonstrate that the average estimate of local risk, which is formed using an ensemble of two heterogeneous fuzzy cognitive maps, decreases compared to the use of individual cognitive maps. In order tî better, highlight the results of the research, an example of the application of the proposed methodology for assessing the risks of ensuring the integrity of telemetric information in the industrial network of the intelligent technological process management system of a printing enterprise given, with the continuity of the technological process of manufacturing printing products. In addition to the classic FCM, the paradigms of two variants of the FCM extension were also use in the study, namely, the gray FCM, which used to solve the problem of assessing cyber security risks of intelligent management systems of printing enterprises. An analysis of the possibility of building FCM ensembles to increase the effectiveness of risk assessment using several options for formalizing the expert’s knowledge and experience performed. A fragment of the enterprise management system was consider and an analysis of possible directions of attacks on the printing enterprise by malicious software was perform. These are attacks such as replacing the executable files of server and ARM software, overwriting PLC projects during system operation, and refusing to service the equipment. Based on the formed list of attack vectors and the consequences of their implementation, the task of analyzing the risks of cyber security of a printing enterprise, taking into account the impact on the system of possible internal threats, was considered, using the cognitive modeling apparatus as a modeling tool. The scenario of cognitive modeling of the influence of an internal criminal who exploits the vulnerabilities of the software and hardware components of the control system using the given variants of FCM construction is considered. The average assessment of local risks, which formed using an ensemble of cognitive maps, is better from the point of view of dispersion of assessments of the state of target concepts than the use of individual FCMs. The spread of estimates of the state of ensemble concepts is smaller than the spread of estimates of their gray values using the GFCM, on average by 1.4–1.8 times, which indicates a decrease in the influence of the subjectivity factor on the results of risk assessment. The performed scenario modeling showed that the use of the specified means of protection and organizational measures allows reducing the assessment of local risks by 12–18%, which is a significant indicator. This technique allows obtaining a qualitative and quantitative assessment of risk indicators, taking into account the entire set of objective and subjective factors of uncertainty.

Creating Implicit Measure Stimulus Sets Using a Multi-Step Piloting Method.

The effect of arbitrary stimulus selection is a persistent concern when employing implicit measures. The current study tests a data-driven multi-step procedure to create stimulus items using a combination of free-recall and survey data. Six sets of stimulus items were created, representing healthy food and high sugar items in children, adolescents, and adults. Selected items were highly representative of the target concepts, in frequent use, and of near equal length. Tests of the piloted items in two samples showed slightly higher implicit measure-behavior relations compared to a previously used measure, providing preliminary support for the value in empirically based stimulus selection. Further, the items reported as being the most associated with their target concepts differed notably from what one may expect from the guidelines or population consumption patterns, highlighting the importance of informed stimulus selection.

Two kinds of average approximation accuracy

AbstractRough set theory places great importance on approximation accuracy, which is used to gauge how well a rough set model describes a target concept. However, traditional approximation accuracy has limitations since it varies with changes in the target concept and cannot evaluate the overall descriptive ability of a rough set model. To overcome this, two types of average approximation accuracy that objectively assess a rough set model’s ability to approximate all information granules is proposed. The first is the relative average approximation accuracy, which is based on all sets in the universe and has several basic properties. The second is the absolute average approximation accuracy, which is based on undefinable sets and has yielded significant conclusions. We also explore the relationship between these two types of average approximation accuracy. Finally, the average approximation accuracy has practical applications in addressing missing attribute values in incomplete information tables.

Constructive Cognitive Assessment of Learning in a Course on the Computational Cognition in Psychology Students

<p style="text-align: justify;">Learning evaluation is a complex task, and this study illustrates the Constructive Assessment of Learning as a complementary alternative to evaluate the computational cognition schema construction. The authors designed a mental representational task under the Chronometric Constructive Cognitive Learning Evaluation Model. Control and experimental groups performed a conceptual definition task based on the Natural Semantic Network technique (NSN). They defined ten target concepts related to computational cognition theory, using verbs, nouns, and adjectives as definers. Afterward, the participants rated the conceptual quality of each definer one by one, on a scale of one to ten; the higher the rating, the greater the quality of the definer to define the target concept. The results indicate that the NSN technique was sensitive to measuring and discriminating cognitive changes in knowledge structures produced by the specific learning of computational cognition theory. In contrast, the learning of broad psychology subjects produced general cognitive changes without organization related to the specific learning of the evaluated course. Data showed more sophisticated cognitive change patterns on the evaluated schema in the experimental group than in the control group. The findings of this study suggest that cognitive assessment techniques can be helpful in the formative assessment of learning and provide clear indicators of students' knowledge management skills.</p>

Recent Developments in Tacrine-based Hybrids as a Therapeutic Option for Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial, irreversible, and age-related neurodegenerative disorder among the elderly. AD attracts attention due to its complex pathogenesis, morbidity and mortality rates, and the limitations of drugs used in the treatment of AD. Cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists are used in the clinic. While tacrine, donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine are cholinesterase inhibitors, memantine is a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist. However, these drugs could not delay the progress of AD. The traditional clinical approach which is the one drug-one target concept is not entirely effective in the treatment of AD. Also, it is of high-priority to develop potent and novel anti-AD drugs by the design concept of multitarget directed ligands (MTDLs) which combine pharmacophores interacting with different pathways in AD. This article provides an overview of the noteworthy structural modifications made to tacrine to develop novel candidates for anti-Alzheimer drugs. Due to the complex pathology of AD, multifunctional tacrine-based ligands targeting different hallmarks, β-amyloid, tau protein, N-methyl-Daspartate receptor, cholinesterases, monoamine oxidases, secretases, have been studied. Here, tacrinebased derivatives including heterocyclic structures such as dihydroxypyridine, chromene, coumarin, pyrazole, triazole, tetrahydroquinolone, dipicolylamine, arylisoxazole were reported with promising anti-AD effects compared to tacrine. In vitro and in vivo assays showed that new tacrine-based hybrids, which are selective, neuroprotective, and non-hepatotoxic, might be considered as remarkable anti-AD drug candidates for further clinical studies.

Amelioration, inclusion, and legal recognition: On sex, gender, and the UK's Gender Recognition Act

Amelioration, inclusion, and legal recognition: On sex, gender, and the <scp>UK</scp>'s Gender Recognition Act

SUWAN: A supervised clustering algorithm with attributed networks

An increasing area of study for economists and sociologists is the varying organizational structures between business networks. The use of network science makes it possible to identify the determinants of the performance of these business networks. In this work we look for the determinants of inter-firm performance. On one hand, a new method of supervised clustering with attributed networks is proposed, SUWAN, with the aim at obtaining class-uniform clusters of the turnover, while minimizing the number of clusters. This method deals with representative-based supervised clustering, where a set of initial representatives is randomly chosen. One of the innovative aspects of SUWAN is that we use a supervised clustering algorithm to attributed networks that can be accomplished through a combination of weights between the matrix of distances of nodes and their attributes when defining the clusters. As a benchmark, we use Subgroup Discovery on attributed network data. Subgroup Discovery focuses on detecting subgroups described by specific patterns that are interesting with respect to some target concept and a set of explaining features. On the other hand, in order to analyze the impact of the network’s topology on the group’s performance, some network topology measures, and the group total turnover were exploited. The proposed methodologies are applied to an inter-organizational network, the EuroGroups Register, a central register that contains statistical information on business networks from European countries.

Heat Pipe-Based DEMO Divertor Target Concept: High Heat Flux Performance Evaluation

The use of heat pipes (HP) for the DEMO in-vessel plasma-facing components (PFCs) has been considered because of their high capacity to transport the heat from a heat source to a heat sink by means of the vaporization and condensation of the working fluid inside and their ability to enlarge the heat transfer area of the cooling circuit substantially. Recent engineering studies conducted in the framework of the EUROfusion work package Divertor (Wen et al, 2021) indicate that it is possible to design a heat pipe with a capillary limit above 6 kW using a composite capillary structure (wherein axial grooves cover the adiabatic zone and the condenser, and sintered porous material covers the evaporator). This power level would correspond to an applied heat flux of 20 MW/m2, rendering such a design interesting with respect to a divertor target concept. To validate the results of the initial engineering analysis, several experiments have been conducted to evaluate the actual performance of the proposed heat pipe concept. The present contribution presents the experiment’s results regarding the examination of the operating limits of two different designs for an evaporator: one featuring a plain porous structure, and one featuring ribs and channels.

"Neuro-Fiber Mapping": An Original Concept of Spinal Cord Neural Network Spatial Targeting Using Live Electrostimulation Mapping to (Re-)Explore the Conus Medullaris Anatomy.

Spinal cord (SC) anatomy is often assimilated to a morphologically encapsulated neural entity, but its functional anatomy remains only partially understood. We hypothesized that it could be possible to re-explore SC neural networks by performing live electrostimulation mapping, based on "super-selective" spinal cord stimulation (SCS), originally designed as a therapeutical tool to address chronic refractory pain. As a starting point, we initiated a systematic SCS lead programming approach using live electrostimulation mapping on a chronic refractory perineal pain patient, previously implanted with multicolumn SCS at the level of the conus medullaris (T12-L1). It appeared possible to (re-)explore the classical anatomy of the conus medullaris using statistical correlations of paresthesia coverage mappings, resulting from 165 different electrical configurations tested. We highlighted that sacral dermatomes were not only located more medially but also deeper than lumbar dermatomes at the level of the conus medullaris, in contrast with classical anatomical descriptions of SC somatotopical organization. As we were finally able to find a morphofunctional description of "Philippe-Gombault's triangle" in 19th-century historical textbooks of neuroanatomy, remarkably matching these conclusions, the concept of "neuro-fiber mapping" was introduced.

Conceptual Engineering, Conceptual Domination, and the Case of Conspiracy Theories

ABSTRACT Using the example of recent attempts to engineer the concept of conspiracy theory, I argue that philosophers should be far more circumspect in their approach to conceptual engineering than we have been – in particular, that we should pay much closer attention to the history behind and context that surrounds our target concept in order to determine whether it is a site of what I have elsewhere called ‘conceptual domination’. If it is, we may well have good reason to avoid engineering. In their recent ‘What is a Conspiracy Theory?’, M. Giulia Napolitano and Kevin Reuter argue that the disagreement between generalists and particularists in the literature on conspiracy theories is best characterized as a set of dueling conceptual engineering projects. While I agree with their turn to this metaphilosophical literature, I give a very different account of its applicability. Particularists, on my account, are better read as aiming to diagnose the ways in which many discussions of the concept of conspiracy theories are a form of conceptual domination, where this broader context should then prompt us to abandon or block any concept of conspiracy theory that treats its referents as inherently defective. Broader metaphilosophical lessons are drawn.

PAC-learning with approximate predictors

Approximate learning machines have become popular in the era of small devices, including quantised, factorised, hashed, or otherwise compressed predictors, and the quest to explain and guarantee good generalisation abilities for such methods has just begun. In this paper, we study the role of approximability in learning, both in the full precision and the approximated settings. We do this through a notion of sensitivity of predictors to the action of the approximation operator at hand. We prove upper bounds on the generalisation of such predictors, yielding the following main findings, for any PAC-learnable class and any given approximation operator: (1) We show that under mild conditions, approximable target concepts are learnable from a smaller labelled sample, provided sufficient unlabelled data; (2) We give algorithms that guarantee a good predictor whose approximation also enjoys the same generalisation guarantees; (3) We highlight natural examples of structure in the class of sensitivities, which reduce, and possibly even eliminate the otherwise abundant requirement of additional unlabelled data, and henceforth shed new light onto what makes one problem instance easier to learn than another. These results embed the scope of modern model-compression approaches into the general goal of statistical learning theory, which in return suggests appropriate algorithms through minimising uniform bounds.

Cognitive model of the ESG transformation of the organization

A universal model of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) transformation is proposed as a basis for developing an organization’s ESG strategy. Fuzzy cognitive logic technologies were used as the instrumental base of the study. A fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) of the organization’s ESG transformation has been developed with a substantiation of a set of parameters (concepts) in the environmental, social and managerial spheres. Based on the static analysis of the fuzzy cognitive model (FCM) and the calculation of its system indicators, it was determined that the factors of the level of ESG-corporate culture, ESG-motivation and integration into the practice of corporate management methodology of strategic management have the greatest positive impact on the target concepts and on the process of ESG transformation as a system. The system experiences a significant negative impact from the factor of resistance to changes in the organization. Collectively, these factors are identified as the main control actions for the organization’s ESG transformation.

Discussions on liquid bismuth target use as an alternative for astatine-211 production

Astatine-211 is an alpha emitter that has been identified as a good candidate for targeted alpha therapy. There is an increasing demand on this radionuclide. Very intense beam from linac being put in operation nowadays could be used to meet this demand. This document presents the design exploration of concepts of liquid bismuth targets dedicated to astatine-211 production. Three concepts are presented and analyzed: a capsule, a fluid loop and a windowless fluid loop. Structural and thermal sizing were performed using mechanical Finite Element models (ANSYS Workbench) and Computational Fluid Dynamic models (FLUENT). Production rates were assessed accordingly. Feasibility and expected performances are discussed in conclusion.