Ground Term Research Articles

Peculiarities of interpretation in the Islamic legal family

In this article, the author examines the issue related to the peculiarities of interpretation in the Muslim legal family. The author notes that there is no term in the Islamic legal doctrine that would be completely identical to the concept of «interpretation of law». The closest term in meaning is «ijtihad», the meaning of which can be defined as the activity of a Muslim jurist to resolve religious and legal issues in the absence of an unambiguous answer in the main sources of Islamic law - the Koran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. At the same time, the concept of Ijtihad is broader than the concept of interpretation of law, but interpretation is fully covered by Ijtihad. The author comes to the conclusion that the main characteristic features of interpretation in Muslim law are a special subject composition of interpreters, to whom a number of requirements are imposed (detailed knowledge of the provisions of the Koran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad; a high level of proficiency in Arabic; knowledge of the theory of cancellation; knowledge and ability to apply methods of deriving legal norms from primary sources; knowledge of issues on which authoritative Muslim scholars have agreement), a wide range of methods (qiyas, istislah, istishab, az-zarayi, istikhsan, etc.) and methods of interpretation (grammatical, logical, historical, systematic), a special sequence of actions in the process of interpretation, as well as attitude to the result of interpretation as to probabilistic rather than absolute knowledge.

Understanding the multiplet fine structures of MgO: Cr3+ with combination method of first−principles calculations and ligand field theory

The interpretative and predictive capabilities on the energy fine structures of transition metal ions in solids are explored by integrating the first -principles calculations with ligand-field (LF) theory. The charge-compensated site of MgO: Cr3+ is chosen as a case and the aim is to determine the energy-level fine structure and EPR g factor g// and g⊥. The approach involves initially computing all the required parameters for LF theory through first-principles calculations, and these parameters are subsequently fed into the LF model Hamiltonian, which fully incorporates interactions between different spectrum terms through the LF operator, spin-orbit coupling (SOC) operator and other relevant factors. The calculated zero-field splitting parameter D and g factors of the ground term A24(t23) are reasonably good agreement with the experimental observations. However, the energy levels of excited states are slightly underestimated compared to experimental values due to the underestimation of Racah parameters in the first-principles calculations, except the T24[t22(T13)e] term which is insensitive to Racah parameters for it is equal to 10Dq relative to ground term A24(t23) with possible minor corrections due to perturbations.

High-speed railway-induced ground and building vibration: Numerical validation of a spectral element analysis-based sub-model method

This paper proposes a spectral element method-based analysis procedure to study further the low-frequency responses of the ground and building induced by high-speed railways. Based on an existing scale model building test in Portugal, the properties of the track–ground submodel are calibrated to determine the moving perturbation on the ground surface. In modeling the soil–structure coupled subsystem, multi-objective optimization is employed to estimate the equivalent structural properties to mitigate computational inefficiency when using continuum elements. The accuracy of the numerical prediction is compared with the experimental records at several monitoring points in terms of ground and floor slab vertical vibrations induced by two types of high-speed trains. In addition to the analysis of possible factors related to systematic discrepancies, special attention is paid to investigating the influence of (a) the presence of frame structure as well as (b) the vehicle properties on ground motion in this particular case.

Chapitre 2. L’autonomisation des comités nationaux d’éthique de la recherche en Afrique : perspective historique et enjeux actuels

Since the 60s, and particularly after various scandals in the 90s, national research ethics committees in Africa have established themselves as key players in the field of international clinical research. Notably based on the principle of double ethical review, their existence has historically been aimed at preventing a form of ethical dumping, a temptation that still exists today on the part of some research promoters. While the international framework of “soft” law has favored their emergence and legitimacy, a legal and regulatory framework of “hard” law is also necessary at local level for each national research ethics committee, to ensure its proper functioning and the optimal fulfillment of its missions. The aim of this article is to analyze the similarities and differences between three national ethics committees in Africa, specifically the CNERS of Guinea, the CNERS of Benin and the CNESVS of Côte d’Ivoire, in terms of status, missions, legal or regulatory ground and, more generally, autonomy. This analysis will enable us, on the one hand, to take account of common logistical difficulties and, on the other, to go beyond differences in legal status and missions to define what enables this type of committee to fully exercise its role(s). Finally, this article proposes to model the various elements that contribute to the autonomy and resilience of a national research ethics committee, around a notion proposed on this occasion: the “circles of autonomy”.

Measurement of the main neutral species densities and temperatures in iodine plasmas using optical absorption techniques

Iodine is a promising propellant for future plasma thrusters used in space propulsion. It is therefore important to understand the basic physics and chemistry of low-pressure iodine plasmas. In the present work, optical absorption methods are used to measure the densities of iodine molecules, I2, and iodine atoms, I, the translational temperature of the atoms and the dissociation fraction. The plasma is generated in a long quartz tube by a capacitively coupled RF discharge, and the pressure is varied between a few Pa and a few tens of Pa. The translational temperature of the atom vapour increases both with RF power and with pressure and reaches 1000 K at 50 W and 25 Pa. The molecules appear to be efficiently dissociated, with a dissociation fraction found above 65%, on average along the line-of-sight, at 120 W and 5 Pa. The population of the upper, 2P1/2∘ , fine-structure level of the atomic ground term is found to be negligible, which confirms the existence of a high quenching rate, due to collisions with molecules and/or atoms. These measurements can be helpful for chemistry models of iodine plasmas.

Synthesis, characterization and anti-tubercular activities of copper(II) complexes of substituted 2,3-isatin bisthiosemicarbazones: An experimental and theoretical approach

Copper(II) acetate reacted with 2,3-isatin bisthiosemicarbazone (2,3 H2bitsc), 2,3-isatin bis-N1-methyl thiosemicarbazone (2,3 H2bitsc-N1-Me) and 2,3-isatin N1-phenyl thiosemicarbazone (2,3 H2bitsc-N1-Ph) in 1:1 (M: L) to form complexes of formula, [Cu(L)] (L = 2,3 bitsc 1, 2,3 bitsc-N1-Me 2, 2,3 bitsc-N1-Ph 3). The formation of bisthiosemicarbazone ligands and their complexes are supported by elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR (1H and 13C), ESR, and Mass. For complexes 1–3, two g values obtained are: g‖ = 2.24 (1), 2.17 (2), 2.26 (3) and g⊥ = 2.09 (1), 2.11 (2), 2.08 (3) which confirm axial symmetry. The square planar geometry is confirmed from higher g‖ values than g⊥ and presence g value of free electron in dx2-y2 ground term. Ligand to metal binding ratio of 1:1 is confirmed using UV–visible spectroscopy. The ligands (2,3 H2bitsc, 2,3 H2bitsc-N1-Me and 2,3 H2bitsc-N1-Ph) and complexes (1–3) were assessed for anti-tubercular (M. tuberculosis H37RV strain ATCC27294) and antibacterial (against E. coli and S. aureus) activities. The anti- tuberculosis activity of ligands (50 µg/mL-2,3 H2bitsc, 100 µg/mL-2,3 H2bitsc-N1-Me and H2bitsc-N1-Ph) gets enhanced on complexation with copper (25 µg /mL-1, 50 µg/mL 2 and 3). The minimal binding energies calculated through molecular modeling with mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl reductase (PDB ID: 2H7M) is −7.6 (2,3 H2bitsc), −7.3 (2,3 H2bitsc-N1-Me), −9.6 (2,3 H2bitsc-N1-Ph), −8.7 (1), −8.9 (2), and −10.7 (3) Kcal/mol. Higher negative binding energy indicates more stabilized structure in the docked state for 1–3 which supports the experimental data. The drug-protein binding study with human serum albumin (HSA) was used to explore effective transport of molecules to their target sites in 2,3 H2bitsc and its complex 1. A high binding constant of complex 1 (6.09 × 105 M−1) with respect to the ligand 2,3 H2bitsc (4.90 × 105 M−1) indicates its strong binding affinities with HSA.

Counterexample Driven Quantifier Instantiations with Applications to Distributed Protocols

Formally verifying infinite-state systems can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to reasoning about quantifiers. In particular, quantifier alternations in conjunction with function symbols can create function cycles that result in infinitely many ground terms, making it difficult for solvers to instantiate quantifiers and causing them to diverge. This can leave users with no useful information on how to proceed. To address this issue, we propose an interactive verification methodology that uses a relational abstraction technique to mitigate solver divergence in the presence of quantifiers. This technique abstracts functions in the verification conditions (VCs) as one-to-one relations, which avoids the creation of function cycles and the resulting proliferation of ground terms. Relational abstraction is sound and guarantees correctness if the solver cannot find counter-models. However, it may also lead to false counterexamples, which can be addressed by refining the abstraction and requiring the existence of corresponding elements. In the domain of distributed protocols, we can refine the abstraction by diagnosing counterexamples and manually instantiating elements in the range of the original function. If the verification conditions are correct, there always exist finitely many refinement steps that eliminate all spurious counter-models, making the approach complete. We applied this approach in Ivy to verify the safety properties of consensus protocols and found that: (1) most verification goals can be automatically verified using relational abstraction, while SMT solvers often diverge when given the original VC, (2) only a few manual instantiations were needed, and the counterexamples provided valuable guidance for the user compared to timeouts produced by the traditional approach, and (3) the technique can be used to derive efficient low-level implementations of tricky algorithms.

Type system for λσ-calculus with all de Bruijn indices

The λ-calculus was developed in the 30s as a mechanism of computing numerical functions. Its main operation is the β-conversion that performs the process of substitutions implicitly. In 1990 [1], Abadi, Cardelli, Curien, and Lèvy introduced an extension of λ-calculus, called λσ-calculus, using De Bruijn notation. The λσ-calculus is a calculus with explicit substitutions and its syntax contains just the natural number 1 and all the other natural numbers are encoded from the index 1 using closures with compositions of the shift operator (denoted by ↑). They showed that the λσ-calculus simulates the one-step β-reduction and it is confluent over its ground terms. In this work, we propose a variant of λσ-calculus with all De Bruin indices in its syntax, which we call λσdB-calculus and we adapt the proof of confluence of ground terms of λσ to the λσdB. We prove that λσdB enjoys the main properties of λσ: a) the subcalculus of substitutions is terminating and confluent, b) the full calculus simulates the β-reduction and c) it is confluent over ground terms, which are those without metavariables. Beside that, we define a system type for λσdB and we prove that the system is type checking decidable, soundness, equivalent with the the S1-system and with L1-system on σdB-nf.

An overview of corrosion behavior and contemporary management techniques of thermomechanically treated rebars in concrete structures

ABSTRACT The corrosion of reinforcement possesses a huge problem for our present infrastructure both in terms of human lives and monetary ground. Understanding the corrosion of thermomechanically treated (TMT) rebar in concrete structures is essential as it represents a large segment of reinforcement materials. In this review, we have tried to scrutinize this issue from different directions. The established corrosion model for rebar, especially for TMT rebar, has been examined. The main contributing factor for rebar corrosion is how passivation occurs and its disintegration in contact with aggressive ions. The effects of composition, microstructure, concrete-rebar interface, concrete type, and corrosion media on this phenomenon have been analyzed. We have realized that the exact time of chloride ion attack determines the effectiveness of the passive layer in inhabiting the corrosion initiation. A combination of suitable alloying and controlled thermomechanical treatment ensures corrosion resistant rebar. Concrete also plays an important role in corrosion prevention as it helps passivation step and stops aggressive ions from reaching the rebars. Finally, we have discussed some recent trends in corrosion management technologies and their effectiveness.

Evaluating the performance of the twin tunnel complex in soft soil subjected to horizontal ground shaking

Tunnel construction in soft soil necessitates a thorough evaluation of soil behavior, embedment depth, ground heaves, and tunnel distortions, especially in earthquake-prone areas. This study presents a numerical parametric investigation of an unconventional tunnel complex formed by combining the closely located twin tunnels. The complex is subjected to varying horizontal ground vibrations, and the influence of lining thickness, embedment depth, and interface conditions on seismic-induced thrusts, shear forces, bending moments, tunnel distortions, and ground heaves is assessed. The applicability of analytical solutions from existing literature for singular tunnels is examined through detailed analyses of different embedment ratios. The study reveals that increased tunnel flexural rigidity leads to higher seismic-induced bending moments in the tunnel complex. Comparison of full-slip and no-slip interface conditions shows that the former exhibits reduced overall tunnel distortions. Furthermore, a comparison is made with a conventional-shaped rectangular tunnel complex. The results indicate that the twin tunnel complex behaves more rigidly under a constant embedment ratio and input motion amplitude. It also results in lower ground heaves and suffers lesser induced lining forces during seismic events, making it a superior performer in comparison. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the behavior of twin tunnel complexes in soft soil under seismic conditions, showcasing their advantages over conventional shaped tunnels in terms of tunnel distortions, ground heaves, and overall structural response.

Limitations on the D-Parameter in Ni(II) Complexes.

A number of hexacoordinate, pentacoordinate, and tetracoordinate Ni(II) complexes have been investigated by applying ab initio CASSCF + NEVPT2 + SOC calculations and Generalized Crystal Field Theory. The geometry of the coordination polyhedron covers D4h, D3h, D2h, D2d, C4v, C3v, and C2v symmetry. The calculated spin-Hamiltonian parameters D and E were compared to the available experimental data. The limiting values of the D-parameter in the class of Ni(II) complexes are identified. Magnetic anisotropy in Ni(II) complexes, expressed by the axial zero-field splitting parameter D, seriously depends upon the ground and first excited electronic states. In hexacoordinate complexes, the ground electronic term is nondegenerate 3B1g for the D4h symmetry; D is slightly positive or negative. In tetracoordinate systems, D is only positive when the electronic ground state is nondegenerate 3A or 3B; this diverges on the τ4 path when oblate bisphenoid approaches the prolate geometry and a level crossing with 3E occurs. In pentacoordinate systems, D could be extremely negative when approaching a trigonal bipyramid (Addison index τ5 ∼ 1, ground state 3E″). In pentacoordinate Ni(II) complexes with the D3h and C3v symmetry of the coordination polyhedron, the ground electronic term is orbitally doubly degenerate which causes the D-parameter stays undefined. It is emphasized that one has to inspect compositions of the spin-orbit multiplets from the spin states |MS⟩ and check whether the weights confirm the expected spin-Hamiltonian picture: with D > 0, the ground state contains a dominant part of |0⟩ (close to 100%) whereas with D < 0 the spin-orbit doublet is formed of |±1⟩ with high weights (approaching 50 + 50%). The calculations show that the situations are not black and white, and the mixing of the states might be more complex especially when the rhombic zero-field splitting parameter E is in the play. In the case of the 3E ground term, six spin-orbit multiplets are formed by mixing six |MS⟩ states from the ground and quasi-degenerate excited states.

Substituted 2,5 thiophene dicarboxaldehyde bisthiosemicarbazones and their copper(II) complexes: Synthesis, structure elucidation, HSA binding, biological activities and docking studies

Reaction of copper (II) acetate with 2,5 thiophenedicarboxaldehyde bisthiosemicarbazone (2,5 H2bttsc, 1H2L), 2,5 thiophenedicarboxaldehyde-N1-methyl bisthiosemicarbazone (2,5 H2bttsc-N1-Me, 2H2L) and 2,5 thiophenedicarboxaldehyde -N1-phenyl bisthiosemicarbazone (2,5 H2bttsc-N1-Ph, 3H2L) in 1:1 (M:L) molar ratio yielded complexes of stoichiometry, [Cu(L)] 1-3 (1L, 1; 2L 2; 3L 3). All the complexes are characterized using elemental analysis FTIR, Mass and ESR spectroscopy. The two distinct g values, g‖ = 2.40 (1), 2.15 (2), 2.20 (3) and g⊥ = 2.08 (1), 2.07 (2), 2.12 (3) indicate axial symmetry for the complexes. The greater g‖ value than g⊥, confirms the presence of free electrons in dx2-y2 ground term in square planar geometry. The ligands (1H2L - 3H2L) and their complexes (1–3) were tested for DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging, FRAP ferric reducing, and CUPRAC cupric reducing antioxidant capacity assays. In general, all the ligands and their metal complexes exhibited moderate antioxidant potential, however 3H2L has shown best Cu2+ reducing activity (7.34 μg TE/ml) and ABTS radicals scavenging activity (IC50, 16.95) amongst all. Ligands (1H2L - 3H2L) and their complexes (1–3) were also evaluated for anti-tuberculosis activity against M. tuberculosis H37RV strain. It has been observed that with the increase of hydrophobicity of ligand due to substituent present at N1 atom, anti-TB activity increased (H, MIC = 6.25 µg/ml < Me, MIC = 3.12 µg/ml < Ph, MIC = 1.6 µg/ml). Molecular modeling studies have shown considerable intermolecular interaction of these compounds with minimum binding energy −5.8 (1H2L), −5.8 (2H2L), −9.6 (3H2L), −6.9 (1), −6.6 (2) and −9.6 (3) Kcal/ mol, which also supports the experimental data. Pharmacokinetics (effective transport of molecule to their target sites) was studied using drug-protein binding study of molecules with human serum albumin (HSA) was performed using UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The ligand 2H2L and complex 2 showed strong binding interactions with HSA having binding constant values of 4.24 × 105 M−1 and 4.92 × 105 M−1 respectively.

Pickled eggs: GenerativeAIas research assistant or co‐author?

Pickled eggs: Generative<scp>AI</scp>as research assistant or co‐author?

A study on how to link OKRs model with incentive compensation

As an emerging tool of Management by Objectives, the Objective-Key Results (OKRs) model has been widely used in management practice in recent years; however, the academic community has not reached a consistent conclusion on whether OKRs should be linked to incentive compensation. The author argues the benefits of the linkage in terms of the common ground of the two concepts, the importance to employees' sense of fairness, and the strengthening effect on key indicators. From a practical point of view, the author believes that OKRs need to take advantage of KPIs in the process of application, using employees' personal KPIs as the basis for determining goals and employees' self-evaluation and score correction as indicators to measure the degree of completion, and the combined KPI+OKR model formed will be able to realize the linkage with incentive pay and play an important reference role in employees' future merit evaluation and promotion. Therefore, this paper proposes a scheme by elaborating the theory, focusing on two aspects, namely goal setting and result measurement, to optimize and improve the operation process of OKRs; and supplemented with practical cases to fully illustrate the promotion of OKRs to employees' initiative and the guiding effect of OKRs on employees' self-growth.

Possible Violation of the Spin-Hamiltonian Concept in Interpreting the Zero-Field Splitting.

The majority of experimental data in electron spin resonance and molecular magnetism are interpreted in terms of the spin-Hamiltonian (SH) formalism. However, this is an approximate theory that requires a proper testing. In the older variant, the multielectron terms are used as a basis in which the D-tensor components are evaluated by employing the second-order perturbation theory (PT) for nondegenerate states; here, the spin-orbit interaction expressed via the spin-orbit splitting parameter λ serves for the perturbation. The model space is restricted only to the fictitious spin functions |S, M⟩. In the case of the orbital (quasi) degeneracy of the ground term, the PT tends to diverge and the subtracted D, E, and g parameters are false. In the second variant working in the "complete active space" (CAS), the spin-orbit coupling operator is involved by the variation method resulting in the spin-orbit multiplets (energies and eigenvectors) The multiplets can be evaluated either by applying ab initio CASSCF + NEVPT2 + SOC calculations or by using semiempirical generalized crystal-field theory (with the one-electron SOC operator depending upon ξ). The resulting states can be projected onto the subspace of the spin-only kets in the way that the eigenvalues stay invariant. Such an effective Hamiltonian matrix can be reconstructed using six independent components of the symmetric D-tensor from which the D and E values are obtained by solving linear equations. The eigenvectors of the spin-orbit multiplets in the CAS allow determining the dominating composition of the spin projection─cumulative weights of |±M⟩. These are conceptually different from those generated by the SH alone. It is shown that in some cases, the SH theory works satisfactorily for a series of transition-metal complexes; however, sometimes it fails. The ab initio calculations on the SH parameters are compared with the approximate generalized crystal-field theory conducted at the experimental geometry of the chromophore. In total, 12 metal complexes have been analyzed. One of the criteria that assesses the validity of SH is the projection norm N for spin multiplets (this has not to be far from 1). Another criterion is the gap in the spectrum of the spin-orbit multiplets that separates the hypothetical (fictitious) spin-only manifold from the rest of the states.

Electron-Impact Excitation and Dissociation of Heavy Rare Gas Heteronuclear Ions via Transitions to Charge Transfer States

Heteronuclear diatomic rare gas molecular cations feature excited electronic terms with charge transfer character located several eV above the ground term. The role of such terms in collisions involving heteronuclear ions is studied theoretically under conditions typical of the plasma-based sources of UV and IR radiation. Calculations were carried out for processes of dissociative excitation, dissociative recombination and electron impact bound–bound excitation in Ar/Xe and Kr/Xe plasmas using the recently developed semiclassical approach combined with the ab initio data for potential energy curves and oscillator strengths of electronic transitions. The approach consistently describes the contributions from the entire rovibrational manifold to the processes studied. The cross sections of the processes mentioned are calculated for wide ranges of gas temperatures and electron energies. We show that the processes considered are quite effective when they are accompanied by transitions to charge transfer terms. For the range of electron energies typical of active media of UV and IR radiation sources the cross sections exceed those reported for the processes usually considered to involve transitions between the ground and first excited electronic state. The excitation of charge transfer electronic terms can play an important role in the kinetics of rare gas mixture plasmas.

The Origin of the Magnetic and Electric Dipole Moments of Ni2+ in NiCr2O4

The energy level schema of the ground term of the nickel ion in NiCr2O4 was calculated. The parameters of the interaction with the electric field were determined, and the distribution pattern of the electric dipole moments over different positions of nickel in the unit cell was calculated. The model of the NiCr2O4 magnetoelectric structure at T &lt; Tc was constructed taking into account the data on neutron scattering and the results of the electric polarization measurements. The origin of the magnetodielectric effect was attributed to the peculiarities of the ground state of the nickel ion.

Copper(II) complexes of fused ring selenosemicarbazones: Synthesis, structure elucidation, biological activity and molecular modeling

Reaction of copper(II) acetate with cyclohexanoneselenosemicarbazone (Hcysesc), 5-chloro isatinselenosemicarbazone (5-ClHIstsesc), 1-methyl isatinselenosemicarbazone (1-MeHIstsesc), 3-indole selenosemicarbazone (3-HInsesc), 3-acetylindole selenosemicarbazone (3-AcHInsesc and 2-naphthaldehyde selenosemicarbazone (2-Hnaphsesc) in 1:2 (M: L) molar ratio yielded complexes of stiochiometry, [Cu(L)2] 1–6 (L = cysesc 1; 5-ClIstsesc 2; 1-MeIstsesc 3; 3-Insesc 4; 3-AcInsesc 5; 2-naphsesc 6). All the complexes are characterized by IR, Mass and ESR spectroscopy. Two well defined g values (g‖ and g⊥) in ESR spectrum of complexes 1–4, 6 indicate axial symmetry, whereas symmetry around copper(II) metal in complex 5 is confirmed by three different g values (g1, 2.095; g2, 2.15; g3, 2.26), which supports rhombic distortion. The value of g‖ obtained is greater than g⊥, which is greater than ge, in 1–4, 6 is in well agreement in dx2-y2 ground term of square planar geometry. The value of empirical factor f for complexes 1–4, 6 lies in the range, 102–135 cm indicating a square planar geometry with small distortion, where as in complex 5 value (f = 146 cm) is in conformity of tetrahedral geometry with larger distortion. All the compounds (selenosemicabazones and their complexes) are tested for DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging, FRAP ferric reducing and CUPRAC cupric reducing antioxidant capacity assay and all the compounds have shown good antioxidant capacity in general. Best results are obtained for H1L with FRAP, 6.75 ± 0.01 μg TE/ml and CUPRAC, 9.52 ± 0.07 μg TE/ml. All the compounds are also tested for their anti-tubercular activity against M. tuberculosis H37RV strain ATCC27294. Ligands, H1L, H3L, H6L and complex 6 have shown highest anti-TB activity (MIC = 1.6 µg/ml) which is similar to the standard drugs (Isoniazid, Ethambutol). anti-TB activity of H2L and H5L (MIC = 12.5 µg/ml and 25 µg/ml) increased on complexation with copper(II) (MIC = 1.6 µg/ml, 2; 12.5 µg/ml, 6). Experimental results are supported by molecular modeling studies, where a considerable intermolecular interaction of these compounds with the active site of amino acid of enoyl reductase from M. tuberculosis has been observed with minimum binding energy −6.2, −7.3, −7.7, −7.4, −7.2, −8.7 Kcal/mol for H1L, H2L, H3L, H4L, H5L, and H6L and −7.2, −9.4, −8.6, −9.3, −9.9, and −10.6 Kcal/mol for copper complexes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 exhibited respectively.

Ground first: against the proof-theoretic definition of ground

This paper evaluates the proof-theoretic definition of ground developed by Poggiolesi in a range of recent publications and argues that her proposed definition fails. The paper then outlines an alternative approach where logical consequence relations and the logical operations are defined in terms of ground.

Following laser-induced plasma stoichiometry with atomic absorption spectroscopy

Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to measure the absolute vanadium and titanium masses present as neutral atoms in the plume formed by laser ablation of a titanium alloy sample. At delays between two and twenty microseconds, the absolute masses and temperatures were measured with time-resolved Boltzmann plots under pure helium and an 80:20 He/O2 mixture. The Boltzmann plots, which include the ground term (in contrast to emission-based measurements), produced high-quality estimates of the plasma composition. Under helium, the metal vapors persisted beyond the longest ∼20 μs delays measured. The V:Ti stoichiometry was approximately as expected from the nominal sample composition at all times under He. However, under He:O2, the atomic vapor disappeared entirely in under 10 μs and the stoichiometry became more enriched in vanadium at increasing delays. This enrichment is interpreted in terms of the difference in first oxide bond energies of the two metals. There was evidence of loss of metal even under helium within the investigated 20 μs window.