Theoretical Sensitivity Research Articles

Optimizing profit in a controlled environment: Assessing the synergy between preservation technology and cap-and-trade policy

Practicing environmentally sound supply chain management in emerging economies has become popular globally in recent days. Maintaining the inventory with proper care of the environment and optimizing profit is a challenge for any business scale (retailing or wholesaling). In this paper, products' deteriorating nature is revealed with a proper handling technology, mostly known as preservation technology for a retailing business, which needs capital investment to work smoothly and control the product degradation. Besides, managing carbons is another crucial attribute that needs equal attention as preservation technology. Carbon can emit through the holding of products in retailing houses. Transportation is a prominent process in supply chain management, and carbon emission is a common problem in this process. Thus, the holding of products and transportation of products is considered a source of carbon emission in the anticipated model. In an efficient way to restrict the emissions, a cap-and-trade policy is plugged in this proposed study, showing some significant outcomes. Based on the cap, two distinct cases have been studied in this proposed model where case I (when the cap is less than the allocated emissions) and Case II (when the cap is greater than the allocated emissions). Separate numerical examples for two different cases have been discussed. Moreover, some interesting theoretical developments and sensitivity analysis are presented to validate the robustness of the proposed model.

Exploring user’s experience of push notifications: a grounded theory approach

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a holistic understanding of the user experience of push notifications, and the challenge brands face in managing them effectively.Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory (GT) approach was chosen to analyze the subjective interpretations of the 21 participants in the study. Unstructured interviews were conducted with the help of a set of nine intentionally developed push notifications prototypes.FindingsPush notifications are a powerful communication tool with great scope to deliver value to the user that would consequently increase brand attachment. However, the risk of mismanagement due to inappropriate timing of message delivery, lack of perceived value, inappropriate content or excessive frequency of messaging can make them intrusive, annoying and unwelcome, thus reducing brand attachment.Research limitations/implicationsGT has the ultimate goal of building a theory based on the data obtained. To improve theoretical sensitivity throughout the analysis related theories have been considered to obtain a deep and broad understanding of the phenomenon under study.Practical implicationsThe design of user experience with push notifications is both a tactical decision focused on timely content and a strategic decision that may influence users’ brand attachment.Social implicationsA better understanding of user experience with push notifications is strongly needed since users receive an average of 63 push notifications per day being eventually disruptive and distractive.Originality/valueA user experience model of push notifications is proposed and expressed in a set of tentative hypotheses contributing to the scarce and fragmented literature on this subject.

Spare parts demand forecasting method of modern enterprises based on digital twin model

Accurate forecast of spare parts demand is of great significance for modern enterprises to provide accurate support and improve market competitiveness. In most studies, mathematical laws are used to forecast, without enough consideration of the actual operation of equipment and the fact that the accuracy of spare parts demand forecasting is not high, which cannot adapt to the new characteristics of complex equipment use environment and fierce market competition in modern enterprises. The digital twin model can be used to forecast the demand for spare parts more accurately and guide modern enterprises to carry out accurate support. By analyzing the current spare parts demand of modern enterprises, the paper puts forward the forecasting ideas of spare parts demand based on the digital twin model by using the digital twin model of equipment maintenance management in modern enterprises. In the digital twin model, the theoretical demand forecasting model of spare parts based on life distribution of replaceable units is introduced, and the sensitivity coefficient system of spare parts demand of replaceable units to operation and environment is constructed. The digital twin model is used to feedback train the sensitivity coefficient to obtain the reliable spare parts demand rules. Based on the theoretical demand and sensitivity coefficient of spare parts, the forecasting method of spare parts demand is given, and the spare parts demand forecasting model is established. Through case analysis, the feasibility and accuracy of the forecasting model are verified.

Sociocultural reflexivity study of the development of social participation among Thai adults with depression

ABSTRACT Reflexivity is essential for a grounded theory study to systematically collect and analyze data and develop rigour and credibility. This study aimed to provide reflexivity in a Thai sociocultural context that influences the social participation of the Thai adults suffering from depression, employing Alvesson and Skolberg’s reflexivity through constant comparative methodology. The study used reflexive notes from the reflexive stance of the primary researcher in her doctoral study for assisting the construction of a substantial theory in the development of social participation among Thai adults with depression. Krengjai, or mutual dependence in social life and coexistence, revealed a linkage reciprocating support and challenged rebounding social participation. The reflexivity of krengjai showed limitations and appropriateness for social participation among Thai adults with depression. In conclusion, krengjai’s reflexivity encouraged the researcher’s and grounded theory study’s moral and theoretical sensitivity.

Construction of a conceptual model of comprehensive care for Indonesian children with human immunodeficiency virus

PurposeTo construct a conceptual model of comprehensive care for Indonesian children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Design and MethodsA qualitative constructivist grounded theory design. Purposive sampling was used to interview 12 children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus and 8 family members with the age of the children ranged from 9 to 18 years, and 23 health professionals, including general practitioners, paediatric specialists, nurses, midwife, and nutritionist from public health centres and provincial hospitals in East Java, Indonesia. Data was analysed using constant comparative coding methods, theoretical sensitivity, memo writing, and diagramming to facilitate the development of the substantive theory. ResultsExploring the perspectives of the participants has revealed the need to enhance the delivery of comprehensive care across the continuum, because HIV care and services for children was sub-optimal. Understanding children's needs and preferences forms the foundation of the development of a framework for the comprehensive care of children with HIV consisting of child-centred care and social support, delivered by integration and coordination of care through a healthcare service. ConclusionsThe conceptual model provides new knowledge and has the capacity to bring together optimal care across the continuum addressing the challenges of fragmentation of care for children and their families. Practice implicationsThe model informs that children with HIV not only need pharmacotherapy, but also other care interventions depending on their individual needs, preferences, and age. Implementing the model may help to resolve such problems, to improve collaborative practice and enhance children's participation, thereby promoting children's health outcomes.

Quantification of hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy: Calculating relative sensitivity factors for 1.5‐ to 10‐keV photons in any instrument geometry

A method for the rapid determination of theoretical relative sensitivity factors (RSFs) for hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) instruments of any type and photon energy has been developed. We develop empirical functions to describe discrete theoretically calculated values for photoemission cross sections and asymmetry parameters across the photon energy range from 1.5 to 10 keV for all elements from lithium to californium. The formulae describing these parameters, in conjunction with similar practical estimates for inelastic mean free paths, allow the calculation of a full set of theoretical sensitivity factors for a given X‐ray photon energy, X‐ray polarisation and instrument geometry. We show that the anticipated errors on these RSFs are less than the typical errors generated by extracting X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) intensities from the spectra and thus enable adequate quantification for any XPS/HAXPES experiment up to 10 keV. A spreadsheet implementation of this method is provided in the supporting information, along with example RSFs for existing commercial instruments.

Partial Discharge Detection Based on Optimization of Optical Probe and Sagnac Interference

Partial discharge (PD) measurement is necessary for insulation diagnosis and usually a required item of the maintenance procedure for most high voltage equipment assets. optical fiber sensor (OFS) provides an innovative and nondestructive approach to convert PD-induced acoustic signal into optical parameter, but the optical probe is challengeable since it is the key component to pick up the extremely weak PD-induced acoustic signal. A universal three-dimensional skeleton-type fiber probe is designed. To optimize the specific parameters of the optical probe, the multi-parameter sensitivity model of tiny skeleton-type optical fiber probe is proposed and established, involving in the material, physical height, radius, and the sensing fiber length. A skeleton-type probe with a wingding length of 60 m, the skeleton height of 12 mm, and peek material is designed for PD ultrasonic sensing. Theoretical modeling, mathematical simulation, sensitivity calibration, and comparative PD tests with regard to the sensing probe and the corresponding specific optical PD measurement system. PD results show that the average detection amplitude of the developed optical fiber sensor is 1.27 times that of commercial piezoelectric transducer (PZT). The flexible installation and the enhanced sensitivity make the Sagnac ultrasonic sensing system an excellent approach to detect and locate weak PD signals inside the power apparatus.

Simulation of Magnetic Resonance Sounding With a Delayed Adiabatic Pulse

Magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) is used to identify groundwater by exciting and measuring the nuclear magnetic resonance of hydrogen nuclei in subsurface aquifers. However, the MRS response is particularly weak and has a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); therefore, signal enhancement methods, such as adiabatic pulses, are essential for MRS applications with strong interference. The key challenges of utilizing this novel method are to increase the MRS signal response and sensitivity for field measurements. In this letter, we report an improved transmitting mode of a commonly used adiabatic half-passage (AHP) pulse by combining this pulse with an earlier fixed frequency off-resonant pulse of short duration, thereby increasing the theoretical MRS sensitivity. Simulation results demonstrate that the novel approach could be used to further improve the signal responses, i.e., in terms of the SNR and potential resolution, for MRS exploration of high-noise environments.

Replication of period-doubling route to chaos in coupled systems with delay

In this study, replication of a period-doubling cascade in coupled systems with delay is rigorously proved under certain assumptions, which guarantee the existence of bounded solutions and replication of sensitivity. A novel definition for replication of sensitivity is utilized, in which the proximity of solutions is considered in an interval instead of a single point. Examples with simulations supporting the theoretical results concerning sensitivity and period-doubling cascade are provided.

Optimal Operating Temperature of Miniaturized Optically Pumped Magnetometers

In recent years, significant developments have occurred in the field of optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs), which are widely used in biomagnetic measurements. In this study, we propose a temperature optimization model for a single-beam miniaturized atomic magnetometer. Based on this model, we find that there is an optimal operating temperature for each individual vapor cell, under which the OPM achieves optimal performance. We construct a single-beam zero-field modulation OPM to prove this model. The sensitivity of the magnetometer reaches 18 fT/Hz <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1/2</sup> (close to the theoretical sensitivity) when we adjust the temperature of the vapor cell through our model, and a detection bandwidth of more than 160 Hz is achieved. It is also discovered that the system bandwidth is reduced when the temperature is increased, whereas the sensitivity of the system does not show notable variation during this process. Our model enables a quick definition of the best working temperature for each individual magnetometer, ensuring the best performance at the lowest operating temperature. This model is especially advantageous for miniaturized OPMs and can also be further applied to arrayed integration for biomagnetic measurement in the future work.

Estructura para el diseño de situaciones de aprendizaje desde un enfoque socioepistemológico

A position is proposed about the structure for the design of learning situations based on the socioepistemological theoretical approach, taking as a premise the experience as a teacher and researcher of the paper’s author. To present the proposal, a learning situation focused on proportionality is presented as an example, it considers the models of proportional reasoning, as part of theoretical sensitivity, and the dosage of a medication, as a context of significance. The structure of learning situations is configured in light of a series of moments that allow students to build knowledge based on their previous knowledge. The proposal seeks that students problematize mathematical knowledge through an exercise in creating conjectures, which ends in a process of knowledge consolidation. This experience seeks to be a contribution to the redesign of the School Mathematical discourse through a didactic proposal that can be used by mathematics teachers in the creation of their own situations.

Rules, Power and Trust

The aim of this PhD project was to explore the multi-level interplay between the interorganizational structures and interpersonal relations in building project organizations. In the first two studies, quantitative approaches were used to validate assumptions about how interorganizational structures are shaped by actors and how interpersonal relationships affect the effectiveness of project teams in the construction industry. These two studies were integrated in a third qualitative case study that explored the interplay between inter-organizational structures and interpersonal relationships in long-term partnerships. The third study sampled three cases of strategic partnerships which are characterized as longterm, highly integrated and collaborative relationships. To gain theoretical sensitivity in this thirdstudy, a conceptual framework was developed using the concepts from the first two studies. The major finding across the three studies is that the way integration in the supply chain develops is highly dependent on the interaction between project actors. The way actors use the interorganizational rules of a project organization, influences the level of trust and no-blame culture that emerges through interaction. In turn, the level of trust can influence the rules of actors. More specifically, dominant actors seem to able to change the rules of the system. When a dominant actor uses his power position to change the rules of the social system, it can make other actors lose their commitment to the partnership. This research shows that successful long-term and close collaboration between firms continuously requires careful consideration of how the organizational structures are designed and used and their effect on relationships between actors. One should not assume that integrated contracts and integrative practices that have been shown to work in one project, will automatically lead to close and long-lasting relationships between actors in another project.

Refractive index sensing by asymmetric dielectric gratings with both bound states in the continuum and guided mode resonances

Guided mode resonances (GMRs) and bounded states in the continuum (BICs), both supported by dielectric gratings, can realize ultrahigh Q-factors and strong localized field enhancements, beneficial to high-performance sensing applications. In this paper, based on GMR theory and numerical simulations, we systematically investigate the relationship between different order GMRs and BICs/quasi-BICs in Si-based dielectric gratings with symmetric, singly, and doubly asymmetric profiles. The introduction of broken-symmetry in adjacent gaps or Si nanobeams brings about new GRM and symmetry-protected BIC and can transform the fundamental BIC into a resonant state with finite Q-factor as high diffraction orders. A Friedric-Wintgen BIC is also achieved under normal incidence by breaking symmetries of both gaps and Si nanobeams. Further, the asymmetric dielectric gratings with high Q-factor quasi-BICs are designed as a refractive index sensor. Although the Q-factor and localized electric field penetrating into the vacuum are greatly improved with the decreasing asymmetry parameter, the sensitivity is almost unchanged while the FOM demonstrates an inverse square dependence on the asymmetry parameter. To further improve the sensitivity, we construct an asymmetric dielectric grating with a low fill factor and a big period, which manifests an excellent sensing performance with a near theoretical sensitivity limit of ∼1506 nm/RIU and an ultrahigh FOM of ∼5000.

A Framework to Identify Antigen-Expanded T Cell Receptor Clusters Within Complex Repertoires.

Common approaches for monitoring T cell responses are limited in their multiplexity and sensitivity. In contrast, deep sequencing of the T Cell Receptor (TCR) repertoire provides a global view that is limited only in terms of theoretical sensitivity due to the depth of available sampling; however, the assignment of antigen specificities within TCR repertoires has become a bottleneck. This study combines antigen-driven expansion, deep TCR sequencing, and a novel analysis framework to show that homologous ‘Clusters of Expanded TCRs (CETs)’ can be confidently identified without cell isolation, and assigned to antigen against a background of non-specific clones. We show that clonotypes within each CET respond to the same epitope, and that protein antigens stimulate multiple CETs reactive to constituent peptides. Finally, we demonstrate the personalized assignment of antigen-specificity to rare clones within fully-diverse uncultured repertoires. The method presented here may be used to monitor T cell responses to vaccination and immunotherapy with high fidelity.

High performance FIR thermometry on the basis of the redshift of CTB by dual-wavelength alternative excitation in Eu3+:YVO4.

Compared with the forbidden 4f transition of rare earth ions, the strong absorption of the charge transfer band (CTB) enabled fluorescence thermometry to have high luminescence efficiency. Based on the temperature induced redshift of CTB, a high performance fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) thermometry performed by dual-wavelength alternative excitation was studied. By way of the rising and falling edges of CTB in Eu3+ doped YVO4, monochrome sensitivity as a function of excitation wavelength was studied in the range of 303-783 K. The excitation wavelength with the highest positive monochrome sensitivity was determined, as well as that with the negative one. The optimum FIR temperature sensing strategy is proposed, and the theoretical highest relative sensitivity (Sr) is calculated to be 1.86% K-1, with the lowest uncertainty (ΔT) of 0.1 K at 783 K.

The Processing of Negation and Polarity: An Overview

Negation is a universal component of human language; polarity sensitivity (i.e., lexical distributional constraints in relation to negation) is arguably so while being pervasive across languages. Negation has long been a field of inquiry in psychological theories and experiments of reasoning, which inspired many follow-up studies of negation and negation-related phenomena in psycholinguistics. In generative theoretical linguistics, negation and polarity sensitivity have been extensively studied, as the related phenomena are situated at the interfaces of syntax, semantics and pragmatics, and are thus extremely revealing about the architecture of grammar. With the now long tradition of research on negation and polarity in psychology and psycholinguistics, and the emerging field of experimental semantics and pragmatics, a multitude of interests and experimental paradigms have emerged which call for re-evaluations and further development and integration. This special issue contains a collection of 16 research articles on the processing of negation and negation-related phenomena including polarity items, questions, conditionals, and irony, using a combination of behavioral (e.g., rating, reading, eye-tracking and sentence completion) and neuroimaging techniques (e.g., EEG). They showcase the processing of negation and polarity with or without context, in various languages and across different populations (adults, typically developing and ADHD children). The integration of multiple theoretical and empirical perspectives in this collection provides new insights, methodological advances and directions for future research.

Terahertz toroidal metasurface biosensor for sensitive distinction of lung cancer cells

Abstract Lung cancer is the most frequently life-threatening disease and the prominent cause of cancer-related mortality among human beings worldwide, where poor early diagnosis and expensive detection costs are considered as significant reasons. Here, we try to tackle this issue by proposing a novel label-free and low-cost strategy for rapid detection and distinction of lung cancer cells relying on plasmonic toroidal metasurfaces at terahertz frequencies. Three disjoint regions are displayed in identifiable intensity-frequency diagram, which could directly help doctors determine the type of lung cancer cells for clinical treatment. The metasurface is generated by two mirrored gold split ring resonators with subwavelength sizes. When placing analytes on the metasurface, apparent shifts of both the resonance frequency and the resonance depth can be observed in the terahertz transmission spectra. The theoretical sensitivity of the biosensor over the reflective index reaches as high as 485.3 GHz/RIU. Moreover, the proposed metasurface shows high angular stability for oblique incident angle from 0 to 30°, where the maximum resonance frequency shift is less than 0.66% and the maximum transmittance variation keeps below 1.33%. To experimentally verify the sensing strategy, three types of non-small cell lung cancer cells (Calu-1, A427, and 95D) are cultured with different concentrations and their terahertz transmission spectra are measured with the proposed metasurface biosensor. The two-dimensional fingerprint diagram considering both the frequency and transmittance variations of the toroidal resonance dip is obtained, where the curves for different cells are completely separated with each other. This implies that we can directly distinguish the type of the analyte cells and its concentration by only single spectral measurement. We envisage that the proposed strategy has potential for clinical diagnosis and significantly expands the capabilities of plasmonic metamaterials in biological detection.

Sensitive Near-Infrared Refractive Index Sensors Based on D-Shaped Photonic Crystal Fibers.

We report a numerical study of D-shaped photonic crystal fiber based plasmonic refractive index sensor with high resolution and sensitivity in the near-infrared region. D-shaped photonic crystal fiber is formed by side polishing one part of photonic crystal fiber. It has a polishing surface where plasmonic gold layer is coated to modulate the resonant wavelength and enhance the refractive index sensitivity. Several D-shaped photonic crystal fiber plasmonic sensors with various distances from the photonic crystal fiber's core to the polishing surface and gold thicknesses are designed and their characteristics are analyzed by the finite element method. The simulation results indicate that distance from the photonic crystal fiber's core to the polishing surface causes modifications in the loss intensity, the resonant wavelength, and the refractive index sensitivity of D-shaped photonic crystal fiber plasmonic sensor. Mass production of refractive index sensors were achieved using a simple fabrication process, whereby the D-shaped photonic crystal fiber is grinded where distance from the photonic crystal fiber's core to the polishing surface is less than one layer thickness and then coated with the gold layer. For the refractive index sensing applications, the maxima theoretical resolution and sensitivity of D-shaped photonic crystal fiber plasmonic sensor reach 2.98 × 10 6refractive index unit and 6,140 nm/refractive index unit in range of 1.30-1.37, respectively. We also report an initial fabrication of the D-shaped photonic crystal fiber following the standard stack-and- draw method to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed device by using our in-house equipments. The proposed D-shaped photonic crystal fiber plasmonic sensor design in this work would be useful for the development of cheap refractive index sensors with high sensitivity and resolution.

On the robustness of model-based algorithms for photoacoustic tomography: Comparison between time and frequency domains.

For photoacoustic image reconstruction, certain parameters such as sensor positions and speed of sound have a major impact on the reconstruction process and must be carefully determined before data acquisition. Uncertainties in these parameters can lead to errors produced by a modeling mismatch, hindering the reconstruction process and severely affecting the resulting image quality. Therefore, in this work, we study how modeling errors arising from uncertainty in sensor locations affect the images obtained by matrix model-based reconstruction algorithms based on time domain and frequency domain models of the photoacoustic problem. The effects on the reconstruction performance with respect to the uncertainty in the knowledge of the sensors location are compared and analyzed both in a qualitative and quantitative fashion for both time and frequency models. Ultimately, our study shows that the frequency domain approach is more sensitive to this kind of modeling errors. These conclusions are supported by numerical experiments and a theoretical sensitivity analysis of the mathematical operator for the direct problem.

Sensitivity study of ring-shaped electrostatic sensor based on nonparametric estimation

In this paper, aiming at the problem of the electrostatic sensor signal satisfying the gaussian distribution, the non-parametric kernel estimation method is introduced, and the electrode induction model of the electrostatic sensor is finally fitted by combining the goodness of fit and the simulation data samples. This model satisfies the gaussian distribution and the electrostatic signal satisfying the gaussian distribution is given in the theory. Maxwell simulation software was used to simulate the theoretical sensitivity of the electrostatic sensor and the axial and radial spatial sensitivity characteristics of different sensor parameters were obtained. Within a certain range, the relative permittivity of the insulating tube is also discussed. Finally, an insulating tube with a relative permittivity of 3 is selected as the material of the insulating tube. Finally, the experiment is carried out on the experimental equipment and the conclusions obtained in the article are confirmed.