Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in early 2020, museums closed their doors and shifted online. Building on recent advancements in digital technologies, they utilized virtual reality (VR) and other technologies to engage visitors and enhance their virtual museum experiences. Nevertheless, museums' VR efforts concentrate on singleton (individual) visits, even though visiting a museum is inherently a social experience. This research illuminates the social dimensions of the virtual museum through a non-holistic approach to explore the impact of social presence on the narrative construction of artifacts in a virtual art museum named "Soul versus Souls," deployed on the Spatial.io metaverse platform. The authors utilized a quasi-experimental approach to control the variables and translate conceptual definitions into operational terms that can be measured and observed. They assessed the museum narrative based on visit style (visitors' movement patterns), visit time (duration of the visit), and visitor narration (self-reflection and non-verbal interactions). The authors employed protocol analysis, observations, and retrospective interviews to document and analyze the findings. The experimental findings suggest that smaller groups facilitate focused conversations, which enhance engagement with the artifacts, while larger groups may introduce distractions that hinder narrative construction.
This paper presents a novel fractional-order photoacoustic model for semiconductor media subjected to laser excitation, formulated within the framework of multi-temperature thermoelasticity and variable thermal conductivity. The proposed model addresses key limitations of classical heat conduction theories by incorporating Caputo fractional time derivatives. Additionally, spatially variable thermal conductivity allows for modeling heterogeneous material properties and realistic thermal gradients. The governing equations couple thermoelastic displacement, thermodynamic and conductive temperature fields, and carrier concentration, capturing the dynamic interactions among thermal, mechanical, and electronic subsystems. Using the normal mode analysis technique allows for analytical and numerical exploration of wave propagation characteristics. Silicon is used as the reference medium in simulations, and results are presented for varying fractional orders and thermal conductivity profiles. The proposed formulation provides a more comprehensive description of memory-dependent thermal transport and coupled thermoelastic–carrier wave propagation in semiconductor materials, offering potential applications in optoelectronic devices, laser-based material diagnostics, and micro-scale thermal management technologies. These findings demonstrate the improved physical accuracy and predictive capabilities of the proposed model, making it highly applicable to modern semiconductor technologies.
The manuscript introduces a novel Swastik-shaped 8-Port MIMO configuration boasting exceptional isolation and gain characteristics. Its adaptable design allows for easy expansion to accommodate 16, 32, or 64 radiating elements, while a low-profile substrate helps reduce costs. Through meticulous iteration and optimisation, the shape of each radiating element is refined, leveraging variations in the ground layer length and radiating patch radius to achieve optimal performance. Employing orthogonal placement of two radiating patches with opposing isolation responses facilitates the selection of the most effective design structure. Performance optimisation includes the strategic integration of stubs. Fabrication and testing validate the design’s authenticity, showcasing a multiband response spanning 5.3, 7.3, 8.3, and 9 GHz. Notably, the optimal structure achieves a peak S11 of −23.9 dB and a bandwidth of 1.10 GHz, alongside over 60 dB of isolation and an 8 dB gain response, surpassing existing designs. Diversity parameters were checked to check the suitability of the design as a MIMO antenna. All responses lie within the acceptable spectrum. The challenge for most other available structures is to achieve an expandable design by optimising and balancing isolation, gain, and multiband performance, which the proposed design addresses. The proposed design is compared with other suitable designs, and their effectiveness is identified. These attributes render the proposed configuration ideal for Wi-Fi networks and short-range radar applications, marking a significant advancement in MIMO technology.
In this work, an infinite-thick circular plate of finite thickness under thermomechanical loading, utilizing the modified couple stress thermoelastic diffusion (MCSTD) theory with the non-local and Moore–Gibson–Thompson (MGT) heat equations, has been investigated. The governing equations for two-dimensional problems are derived initially. Initially, the plate is considered unstrained and unstressed at uniform temperature. The governing equations are non-dimensionalized and simplified using potential functions. The combined Laplace and Hankel transforms are employed to simplify the problem into an ordinary differential equation. The arbitrary constants are determined by applying the loading conditions on the boundary surface. A particular type of uniformly distributed normal force and a uniformly distributed thermal source are taken to depict the utility of the approach. The physical quantities like displacements, stresses, temperature field, mass concentration, and chemical potential field are solved semi-analytically in the Laplace–Hankel transform domain. Numerical inversion techniques are employed to retrieve the resulting quantities for the original space–time domain.
Ship airwakes, or turbulent airflows produced by the ship’s superstructure, introduce significant challenges to helicopter operations on naval ships. The landing deck may experience unstable aerodynamic conditions because of these airwakes, reducing operational safety. In this study, passive flow control methods were developed to reduce the impact of airwakes on the landing deck. Their effectiveness was evaluated using numerical simulations. Turbulence energy, recirculation zones, and reattachment lengths were the main subjects of the study. The aerodynamic performance of two distinct modifications at the hangar’s rear edges was evaluated using a 1/50 scale model of the NATO-GD. It was found that these modifications improved flow stability, with reattachment length and recirculation zones reduced by up to 79
