9,844 research outputs found
Symbolic and cued immersion: paratextual framing strategies on the Doctor Who Experience Walking Tour
This article employs autoethnographic reflections to contribute towards debates concerning film-induced tourism by analysing the officially endorsed Doctor Who Experience Walking Tour around filming locations from the BBC series in Cardiff Bay, Wales. Approaching this tour as an example of paratextuality, the article pursues two arguments. First, it reflects upon the attempts used within the tour for encouraging connection between participants and the locations visited from the perspective of immersion. However, noting preceding positions, it is recognized that the tour constructs forms of imaginative immersion. The terms symbolic and cued immersion are subsequently introduced to consider the strategies that the tour employs to position fans and engage them with its frequently quotidian spaces. Second, the article explores the links between the tour’s immersive strategies and its institutional context, arguing that these assist in reinforcing core brand values regarding BBC Worldwide
SARS-CoV-2: Tale of a Microscopic Murderer
Independent Study
Research in progress for BIOL1406: Biology for Science Majors I
Faculty Mentor: Amina Tassa, Ph.D.
I am delighted to introduce Josiah Garner’s “SARS-CoV-2: Tale of a Microscopic Murderer.” This independent study assignment explores the impact of a novel, deadly, and worldwide virus. The assignment also examines the fast development of vaccines to control the spread and reduce the symptoms of the virus.
Josiah’s paper focuses on the early history of the emergence of COVID-19, the world response, and vaccine development. He demonstrates critical thinking skills and effectively utilizes various research methods to obtain and communicate his information. Josiah skillfully analyzed the information about the novel virus SARS-CoV-2 and current vaccines. After devoting substantial time to gathering scientific research about the virus, he shaped it into a story about the discovery of the virus, the spread of the pathogen, and the worldwide response to the emerging health crisis. Josiah worked diligently online, at the college’s library, and via Zoom meetings to perfect his research paper. He has taken a difficult but timely subject and summarized its complexity through his research story
Using quantum theory to reduce the complexity of input-output processes
All natural things process and transform information. They receive
environmental information as input, and transform it into appropriate output
responses. Much of science is dedicated to building models of such systems --
algorithmic abstractions of their input-output behavior that allow us to
simulate how such systems can behave in the future, conditioned on what has
transpired in the past. Here, we show that classical models cannot avoid
inefficiency -- storing past information that is unnecessary for correct future
simulation. We construct quantum models that mitigate this waste, whenever it
is physically possible to do so. This suggests that the complexity of general
input-output processes depends fundamentally on what sort of information theory
we use to describe them.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Characterization of the probabilistic models that can be embedded in quantum theory
Quantum bits can be isolated to perform useful information-theoretic tasks,
even though physical systems are fundamentally described by very
high-dimensional operator algebras. This is because qubits can be consistently
embedded into higher-dimensional Hilbert spaces. A similar embedding of
classical probability distributions into quantum theory enables the emergence
of classical physics via decoherence. Here, we ask which other probabilistic
models can similarly be embedded into finite-dimensional quantum theory. We
show that the embeddable models are exactly those that correspond to the
Euclidean special Jordan algebras: quantum theory over the reals, the complex
numbers, or the quaternions, and "spin factors" (qubits with more than three
degrees of freedom), and direct sums thereof. Among those, only classical and
standard quantum theory with superselection rules can arise from a physical
decoherence map. Our results have significant consequences for some
experimental tests of quantum theory, by clarifying how they could (or could
not) falsify it. Furthermore, they imply that all unrestricted non-classical
models must be contextual.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figure
Guaranteed energy-efficient bit reset in finite time
Landauer's principle states that it costs at least kTln2 of work to reset one
bit in the presence of a heat bath at temperature T. The bound of kTln2 is
achieved in the unphysical infinite-time limit. Here we ask what is possible if
one is restricted to finite-time protocols. We prove analytically that it is
possible to reset a bit with a work cost close to kTln2 in a finite time. We
construct an explicit protocol that achieves this, which involves changing the
system's Hamiltonian avoiding quantum coherences, and thermalising. Using
concepts and techniques pertaining to single-shot statistical mechanics, we
further develop the limit on the work cost, proving that the heat dissipated is
close to the minimal possible not just on average, but guaranteed with high
confidence in every run. Moreover we exploit the protocol to design a quantum
heat engine that works near the Carnot efficiency in finite time.Comment: 5 pages + 5 page technical appendix. 5 figures. Author accepted
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The microstructure and microtexture of zirconium oxide films studied by transmission electron backscatter diffraction and automated crystal orientation mapping with transmission electron microscopy
A detailed characterization of nanostructured thin zirconium oxide films formed during aqueous corrosion of a nuclear-grade zirconium alloy (Zircaloy-4) has been carried out by means of two novel, ultra-high-spatial-resolution grain mapping techniques, namely automated crystal orientation mapping in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and transmission electron backscatter diffraction (t-EBSD). While the former provided excellent spatial resolution with the ability to identify tetragonal ZrO<sub>2</sub> grains as small as ∼5 nm, the superior angular resolution and unambiguous indexing with t-EBSD enabled verification of the TEM observations. Both techniques revealed that in a stress-free condition (TEM foil prepared by focused ion beam milling), the oxide consists mainly of well-oriented columnar monoclinic grains with a high fraction of transformation twin boundaries, which indicates that the transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic ZrO<sub>2</sub> is a continuous process, and that a significant fraction of the columnar grains transformed from stress-stabilized tetragonal grains with (0 0 1) planes parallel to the metal–oxide interface. The TEM analysis also revealed a small fraction of size-stabilized, equiaxed tetragonal grains throughout the oxide. Those grains were found to show significant misalignment from the expected (0 0 1) growth direction, which explains the limited growth of those grains. The observations are discussed in the context of providing new insights into corrosion mechanisms of zirconium alloys, which is of particular importance for improving service life of fuel assemblies used in water-cooled reactors
Zach’s Ladder: Librarians Helping Future Librarians Climb to New Heights
This session details the MLIS career development program entitled Zach’s Ladder. Jessica C. Garner and Lisa Smith, two librarians at the Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University, created a roundtable group designed for MLIS Students or anyone interested in earning their MLIS. Participants had opportunities for open discussion about current trends in libraries and librarianship. Librarians who are working in the field were invited to share their experience in a conversational setting. Presenters will share the steps taken to design the program, recruit participants, and invite librarians to speak . Participants of the program will also share their vie
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