Search Results (164)

Bike-sharing initiatives play a crucial role in sustainable urban transportation, addressing vehicular congestion, air quality issues, and sedentary lifestyles. However, the connection between bike-sharing facilities and the advantages perceived by users remains insufficiently explored particular in post-industrial regions, such as Silesia, Poland. This study develops a multidimensional framework linking infrastructure elements—such as station density, bicycle accessibility, maintenance standards, and technological integration—to perceived benefits. Using a mixed-methods approach, a survey conducted in key Silesian cities combines quantitative analysis (descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and regression modelling) with qualitative insights from user feedback. The results indicate that the most valuable benefits are health improvements (e.g., improved physical fitness and mobility) and environmental sustainability. However, infrastructural deficiencies—disjointed bike path systems, uneven station placements, and irregular maintenance—substantially hinder system efficiency and accessibility. Inadequate bike maintenance adversely affects efficiency, safety, and sustainability, highlighting the necessity for predictive upkeep and optimised services. This research underscores innovation as a crucial factor for enhancing systems, promoting seamless integration across multiple modes, diversification of fleets (including e-bikes and cargo bikes), and the use of sophisticated digital solutions like real-time tracking, contactless payment systems, and IoT-based monitoring. Furthermore, the transformation of post-industrial areas into cycling-supportive environments presents strategic opportunities for sustainable regional revitalisation. These findings extend beyond the context of Silesia, offering actionable insights for policymakers, urban mobility planners, and Smart City stakeholders worldwide, aiming to foster inclusive, efficient, and technology-enabled bike-sharing systems. Full article

This paper presents an innovative approach to cultural heritage preservation through the development of an open framework that leverages RESTful APIs to make high-fidelity 3D models of cultural artifacts accessible to any application. Focusing on antique kitchenware utensils from the Nakhon Si Thammarat National Museum in Thailand, this research utilizes photogrammetry to create detailed 3D models, which are then made available on a web-based platform, accessible globally via standardized HTTP requests. The framework enables real-time access to 3D cultural content, overcoming the geographical and physical barriers that often limit access to cultural heritage. By integrating these 3D models into RESTful APIs, the project not only preserves delicate artifacts but also enhances their educational and cultural value through interactive accessibility. This system demonstrates the practical application of digital preservation technologies and sets a precedent for future initiatives aiming to digitize and disseminate cultural artifacts more broadly. The implications of this study extend beyond preservation to include enhanced global accessibility, enriched educational resources, and a more inclusive approach to cultural engagement. This project illustrates the transformative potential of digital technologies in preserving, accessing, and experiencing cultural heritage worldwide. Full article

We propose a novel approach to real-time anomaly detection at the Large Hadron Collider, aimed at enhancing the discovery potential for new fundamental phenomena in particle physics. Our method leverages the Latent Outlier Exposure technique and is evaluated using three distinct anomaly detection models. Among these is a novel adaptation of the variational autoencoder’s reparameterisation trick, specifically optimised for anomaly detection. The models are validated on simulated datasets representing collider processes from the Standard Model and hypothetical Beyond the Standard Model scenarios. The results demonstrate significant advantages, particularly in addressing the formidable challenge of developing a signal-agnostic, hardware-level anomaly detection trigger for experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. Full article

The ICARUS collaboration employed the 760-ton T600 detector in a successful three-year physics run at the underground LNGS laboratory. In 2021, ICARUS started its new operation at Fermilab, collecting a substantial amount of neutrino events from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) and the neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam off-axis. These were used to test the ICARUS event selection, reconstruction, and analysis algorithms. ICARUS successfully completed its commissioning phase in June 2022, moving then to data taking for neutrino oscillation physics, aiming at first to either confirm or refute the claim by the Neutrino-4 short-baseline reactor experiment. ICARUS will also perform measurements of neutrino cross sections in LAr with the NuMI beam and several Beyond Standard Model studies. After the first year of operations, ICARUS will search for evidence of sterile neutrinos jointly with the Short-Baseline Near Detector, within the Short-Baseline Neutrino program. In this work, preliminary results from the ICARUS data with the BNB and NuMI beams are presented, both in terms of the performance of all ICARUS subsystems and the capability to select and reconstruct neutrino events. Full article

The broken phase of the next-to-two-Higgs-doublet model (N2HDM) constitutes an archetype of extended Higgs sectors. In the presence of a softly broken ${\mathrm{Z}}_2$ symmetry throughout the scalar and Yukawa sectors, as the additional gauge singlet field does not interact with fermions, the model admits four variants of Yukawa interactions between the doublets and Standard Model fermions. We confront each type with experimental Higgs data, especially those from CMS and ATLAS detectors at the LHC. Interfacing the models with the state-of-the-art package $\mathtt{HiggsTools}$, we perform a statistical ${\chi }^2$ analysis to determine the best-fit points and exclusion limits at the $95\%$ and $68\%$ C.L.’s and identify SM-like Higgs measurements that affect each type the most. We further analyze the exclusion bounds on the additional Higgs bosons at the $95\%$ C.L., paying special attention to searches for hypothetical non-SM Higgs resonances decaying into a pair of bosons or fermions. We show regions where the additional Higgs bosons do not satisfy the narrow-width approximation utilized in most experimental searches. Full article

The CMS experiment at the LHC has advanced precision measurements of rare B-meson and charm decays, offering insights into phenomena beyond the Standard Model (SM). This paper highlights key results from Run 2 and Run 3 data, including the branching fraction and lifetime of $B_s\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$, angular analyses of $B^0\to K^{*0}{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$, the first observation of $J/\psi \to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$, and stringent limits on $D^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$. These findings provide tests of SM predictions while probing subtle hints of new physics. Full article

This paper highlights the complexity and urgency of addressing plastic pollution, drawing attention to the environmental challenges posed by improperly discarded plastics. Petroleum-based plastic polymers, with their remarkable range of physical properties, have revolutionized industries worldwide. Their versatility—from flexible to rigid and hydrophilic to hydrophobic—has fueled an ever-growing demand. However, their versatility has also contributed to a massive global waste problem as plastics pervade virtually every ecosystem, from the depths of oceans to the most remote terrestrial landscapes. Plastic pollution manifests not just as visible waste—such as fishing nets, bottles, and garbage bags—but also as microplastics, infiltrating food chains and freshwater sources. This crisis is exacerbated by the unsustainable linear model of plastic production and consumption, which prioritizes convenience over long-term environmental health. The mismanagement of plastic waste not only pollutes ecosystems but also releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide during degradation and incineration, thereby complicating efforts to achieve global climate and sustainability goals. Given that mechanical recycling only addresses a fraction of macroplastics, innovative approaches are needed to improve this process. Methods like pyrolysis and hydrogenolysis offer promising solutions by enabling the chemical transformation and depolymerization of plastics into reusable materials or valuable chemical feedstocks. These advanced recycling methods can support a circular economy by reducing waste and creating high-value products. In this article, the focus on pyrolysis and hydrogenolysis underscores the need to move beyond traditional recycling. These methods exemplify the potential for science and technology to mitigate plastic pollution while aligning with sustainability objectives. Recent advances in the pyrolysis and hydrogenolysis of polyolefins focus on their potential for advanced recycling, breaking down plastics at a molecular level to create feedstocks for new products or fuels. Pyrolysis produces pyrolysis oil and syngas, with applications in renewable energy and chemicals. However, some challenges of this process include scalability, feedstock variety, and standardization, as well as environmental concerns about emissions. Companies like Shell and ExxonMobil are investing heavily to overcome these barriers and improve recycling efficiencies. By leveraging these transformative strategies, we can reimagine the lifecycle of plastics and address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. This review updates the knowledge of the fields of pyrolysis and hydrogenolysis of plastics derived from polyolefins based on the most recent works available in the literature, highlighting the techniques used, the types of products obtained, and the highest yields. Full article

The possible consequence of an infrared (IR) fixed point in QCD for $N_f=2, 3$ in nuclear matter is discussed. It is shown in terms of d(ilaton)-$\chi$ effective field theory (d$\chi$EFT) incorporated in a generalized effective field theory implemented with hidden local symmetry and hidden scale symmetry that the superallowed Gamow–Teller transition in the doubly magic-shell nucleus ¹⁰⁰Sn recently measured at RIKEN indicates a large anomaly-induced quenching identified as a fundamental renormalization of $g_A$ from the free-space value of 1.276 to ≈0.8. Combined with the quenching expected from strong nuclear correlations “snc”, the effective coupling in nuclei $g_A^{\mathrm{eff}}$ would come to ∼1/2. If this result were reconfirmed, it would impact drastically not only nuclear structure and dense compact-star matter—where $g_A$ figures in $\pi$-N coupling via the Goldberger-Treiman relation—but also in search for physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM), e.g., $0\nu \beta \beta$ decay, where the fourth power of $g_A$ figures. Full article

Neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu \beta \beta$) provides a way to probe physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The upcoming nEXO experiment will search for $0\nu \beta \beta$ decay in ¹³⁶Xe with a projected half-life sensitivity exceeding ${10}^{28}$ years at the 90% confidence level using a liquid xenon (LXe) Time Projection Chamber (TPC) filled with 5 tonnes of Xe enriched to ∼90% in the $\beta \beta$-decaying isotope ¹³⁶Xe. In parallel, a potential future upgrade to nEXO is being investigated with the aim to further suppress radioactive backgrounds and to confirm $\beta \beta$-decay events. This technique, known as Ba-tagging, comprises extracting and identifying the $\beta \beta$-decay daughter ¹³⁶Ba ion. One tagging approach being pursued involves extracting a small volume of LXe in the vicinity of a potential $\beta \beta$-decay using a capillary tube and facilitating a liquid-to-gas phase transition by heating the capillary exit. The Ba ion is then separated from the accompanying Xe gas using a radio-frequency (RF) carpet and RF funnel, conclusively identifying the ion as ¹³⁶Ba via laser-fluorescence spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Simultaneously, an accelerator-driven Ba ion source is being developed to validate and optimize this technique. The motivation for the project, the development of the different aspects, along with the current status and results, are discussed here. Full article

The high speeds seen in rapidly rotating pulsars after supernova explosions present a longstanding puzzle in astrophysics. Numerous theories have been suggested over the years to explain this sudden “kick” imparted to the neutron star, yet each comes with its own set of challenges and limitations. Key explanations for pulsar kicks include hydrodynamic instabilities in supernovae, anisotropic neutrino emission, asymmetries in the magnetic field, binary system disruption, and physics beyond the Standard Model. Unraveling the origins of pulsar kicks not only enhances our understanding of supernova mechanisms but also opens up possibilities for exploring new physics. In this brief review, we will introduce pulsar kicks, examine the leading hypotheses, and explore future directions for this intriguing phenomenon. Full article

Smart sensors and networks have spread worldwide over the past few decades. In the industry field, these concepts have found an increasing quantity of applications. The omnipresence of smart sensor networks and smart devices, especially in the industrial world, has contributed to the emergence of the concept of Industry 4.0. In a world where everything is interconnected, communication among smart devices is critical to technological development in the field of smart industry. To improve communication, many engineers and researchers implemented methods to standardize communication along the various levels of the ISO-OSI model, from hardware design to the implementation and standardization of different communication protocols. The objective of this paper is to study and implement an unconventional type of communication, exploiting acoustic wave propagation on metallic structures, starting from the state of the art, and highlighting the advantages and disadvantages found in existing literature, trying to overcome them and describing the progress beyond the state of the art. The proposed application for acoustic communication targets the field of smart industries, where implementing signal transmission via wireless or wired methods is challenging due to interference from the widespread presence of metallic structures. This study explores an innovative approach to acoustic communication, with a particular focus on the physical challenges related to acoustic wave propagation. Additionally, communication performance is examined in terms of noise rejection, analyzing the impact of injected acoustic noise on communication efficiency. Full article

Primordial black holes (PBH), if survive to the present time, can be a fraction, or even the dominant form of dark matter of the Universe. If PBH evaporate before the present time, rare forms of dark matter like superweakly interacting or supermassive particles can be produced in the course of their evaporation. Stable remnants of PBH evaporation can also play the role of dark matter candidates. In the context of the modern standard cosmology, based on inflationary models with baryosynthesis and dark matter, which find their physical grounds beyond the Standard models of elementary particles (BSM), primordial black holes acquire the important role of sensitive probes for BSM models and their parameters. It makes PBHs a profound messenger of physics of Dark Universe. Full article

The standardized spectral mixture model combines the specificity of a physically based representation of a spectrally mixed pixel with the generality and portability of a spectral index. Earlier studies have used spectrally and geographically diverse collections of broadband and spectroscopic imagery to show that the reflectance of the majority of ice-free landscapes on Earth can be represented as linear mixtures of rock and soil substrates (S), photosynthetic vegetation (V) and dark targets (D) composed of shadow and spectrally absorptive/transmissive materials. However, both broadband and spectroscopic studies of the topology of spectral mixing spaces raise questions about the completeness and generality of the Substrate, Vegetation, Dark (SVD) model for imaging spectrometer data. This study uses a spectrally diverse collection of 40 granules from the EMIT imaging spectrometer to verify the generality and stability of the spectroscopic SVD model and characterize the SVD topology and plane of substrates to assess linearity of spectral mixing. New endmembers for soil and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV; N) allow the planar SVD model to be extended to a tetrahedral SVDN model to better accommodate the 3D topology of the mixing space. The SVDN model achieves smaller misfit than the SVD, but does so at the expense of implausible fractions beyond [0, 1]. However, a refined spectroscopic SVD model still achieves small (<0.03) RMS misfit, negligible sensitivity to endmember variability and strongly linear scaling over more than an order of magnitude range of spatial resolution. Full article

The latest results of Higgs boson searches beyond the Standard Model from the ATLAS and CMS experiments are reviewed. This includes searches for additional neutral, charged, and double charged Higgs-like bosons, searches for dark matter produced in association with a Higgs boson, and searches for new physics in Higgs boson production and decay processes. Interpretations are given within the hMSSM, a special parameterization of the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, in which the mass of the lightest Higgs boson is set to the value of 125 GeV measured at the LHC. Full article

The search for New Physics (NP) beyond the Standard Model (SM) has been a central focus of particle physics, including in the context of B-meson decays involving $b\to s\ell \ell$ transitions. These transitions, mediated by flavour-changing neutral currents, are highly sensitive to small NP effects due to their suppression in the SM. While direct searches at colliders have not yet led to NP discoveries, indirect probes through semi-leptonic decays have revealed anomalies in observables such as the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(B\to K\mu \mu )$ and the angular observable $P_5^{\prime }(B\to K^{\ast }\mu \mu )$. In order to assess the observed tensions, it is essential to ensure an accurate SM prediction. In this review, we examine the theoretical basis of the $B\to K^{(\ast )}\ell \ell$ decays, addressing in particular key uncertainties arising from local and non-local form factors. We also discuss the impact of QED corrections to the Wilson coefficients, as well as the effect of CKM matrix elements on the predictions and the tension with the experimental measurements. We discuss the most recent results, highlighting ongoing efforts to refine predictions and to constrain potential signs of NP in these critical decay processes. Full article