Optimized virtual reality-based Method of Loci memorization techniques through increased immersion and effective memory palace designs: a feasibility study

Virtual Reality - For most, an improvement in memory would always be desirable, whether from the point of view of an aging individual with declining memory, or from the perspective of someone...     

Composition–structure–property relationships of transparent Ca–Al–Si–O–N oxynitride glasses: The roles of nitrogen and aluminum

We explore the formation and composition–structure–property correlations of transparent Ca–Al–Si–O–N glasses, which were prepared by a standard melt-quenching technique using AlN as the nitrogen source and incorporating up to 8 at.% of N. Their measured physical properties of density, molar volume, compactness, refractive index, and hardness—along with the Young, shear, and bulk elastic moduli—depended roughly linearly on the N content. These effects are attributed primarily to the improved glass-network cross-linking from N compared to O, rather than the formation of higher-coordination AlO₅ and AlO₆ groups, where ²⁷Al magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance experimentation revealed that aluminum is predominately present in tetrahedral coordination as AlO₄ units. Yet, several physical properties, such as the refractive index along with the bulk, shear, and Young's elastic moduli, increase concomitantly with the Al content of the glass. We discuss the incompletely understood mechanical–property boosting role of Al as observed both herein and in previous reports on oxynitride glasses, moreover suggesting glass-composition domains that are likely to offer optimal mechanical properties.     

Group processes and interoperability: A longitudinal case study analysis of the UK's civil contingency response to Covid-19

Our case study explored a Local Resilience Forum's (LRF) civil contingency response to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. We undertook 19 semistructured ethnographic longitudinal interviews, between March 25, 2020 and February 17, 2021, with a Director of a Civil Contingencies Unit and a Chief Fire Officer who both played key roles within their LRF. Within these interviews, we focused on their strategic level decision-making and how their relationship with national government impacted on local processes and outcomes. Using a form of grounded theory, our data describe the chronological evolution of an increasingly effective localized approach toward outbreak control and a growing resilience in dealing with concurrent emergency incidents. However, we also highlight how national government organizations imposed central control on aspects of the response in ways that undermined or misaligned with local preparedness. Thus, during emergencies, central governments can undermine the principle of subsidiarity and damage the ways in which LRFs can help scaffold local resilience. Our work contributes to the theoretical understanding of the social psychological factors that can shape the behaviour of responder agencies during a prolonged crisis. In particular, the implications of our analysis for advancing our conceptual understanding of strategic decision-making during emergencies are discussed.     

Cation field-strength effects on ion irradiation-induced mechanical property changes of borosilicate glass structures

We examine the impact of the glass network-modifier cation field strength (CFS) on ion irradiation-induced mechanical property changes in borosilicate (BS) glasses for the ternary M₂O–B₂O₃–SiO₂ systems with M = {Na, K, Rb} and the quaternary [0.5M₍₂₎O–0.5Na₂O]–B₂O₃–SiO₂ systems with M = {Li, Na, K, Rb Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba}. ¹¹B nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments on the as-prepared BS glasses yielded the fractional population of four-coordinated B species (B^[4]) out of all {B^[3], B^[4]} groups in the glass network, along with the fraction of B^[4]–O–Si linkages out of all B^[4]–O–Si/B bonds. Both parameters correlated linearly with the (average) CFS of the M⁺ and/or {M⁽²⁾⁺, Na⁺} cations. Both the nanoindentation-derived hardness and Young's modulus values of the glasses reduced upon their irradiation by Si²⁺ ions, with the property deterioration decreasing linearly with increasing M^z+ CFS, that is, for higher M^z+⋅⋅⋅O interaction strength. The irradiation damage of the glass network also increased linearly with the fraction of B^[4]–O–Si linkages, which are the second weakest in the structure after the M^z+⋅⋅⋅O bonds. Our results underscore the advantages of employing BS glasses with high-CFS cations for enhancing the radiation resistance for nuclear waste storage.