Publications related to Futures studies

Teacher-Mediated and Student-Led Interaction with a Physics Simulation: Effects on the Learning Experience

Computer simulations are often used as support material for science education, as they can engage students through inquiry-based learning, promote their active interaction in the experimentation phase, and help them visualize abstract concepts. For instanc ...

2024

Strong gravitational lensing's 'external shear' is not shear

David Richard Harvey, Mathilde Jauzac, Richard Massey

The distribution of mass in galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses is often modelled as an elliptical power-law plus 'external shear', which notionally accounts for neighbouring galaxies and cosmic shear along our line of sight. A small amount of externa ...

Oxford Univ Press2024

A review of time reversal-based methods applied to fault location in power networks

Mario Paolone, Farhad Rachidi-Haeri, Zhaoyang Wang, Reza Razzaghi

Electromagnetic time reversal (EMTR)-based methods have been applied to the problem of fault location in power networks since 2012. Over the past decade, considerable theoretical investigations have led to a continuous improvement of the EMTR method in ter ...

2023

Ecosystem Scenarios as Environmental Futures - Implications for Participatory Framework Designs Integrating Social Capital Formation and Natural Capital Preservation

Charlotte Gisèle Weil

In integrated ecosystem assessment projects, scenarios provide alternative images of environmental futures as orientation knowledge for opinion-forming and decision-making. Participatory scenario frameworks provide the methodological basis for ecosystem sc ...

Tamkang Univ2023

Expert perceptions of game-changing innovations towards net zero

Marc Vielle, Sigit Pria Perdana

Current technological improvements are yet to put the world on track to net-zero, which will require the uptake of transformative low-carbon innovations to supplement mitigation efforts. However, the role of such innovations is not yet fully understood; so ...

2023

Climatic and Economic Background Determine the Disparities in Urbanites’ Expressed Happiness during the Summer Heat

Gabriele Manoli, Rui Yin

Climate-change-induced extreme weather events increase heat-related mortality and health risks for urbanites, which may also affect urbanites’ expressed happiness (EH) and well-being. However, the links among EH, climate, and socioeconomic factors remain u ...

2023

Neuromechanical Simulations of Animats with Decentralised Control

Jonathan Patrick Arreguit O'Neill

The transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments represents a significant event in the history of evolution. For this transition to occur, animals had to adapt their morphology, physiology and locomotory skills to handle the challenges and interacti ...

EPFL2023

Nonlinear Frequency Conversion in III-Nitride Doubly Resonant Photonic Crystal Cavities

Jun Wang

Nonlinear frequency conversion processes, such as second-harmonic generation (SHG) and spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), are essential in many applications, including the generation of entangled photons. It's desirable to enhance these process ...

EPFL2023

The Pristine survey - XXI. Exploring the metal-poor boundary with ESPaDoNS

Pascale Jablonka

In this paper, we study high-resolution spectra of 19 stars that have metallicity estimates below -3.5 using at least two metallicity-sensitive photometric indices based on Pristine photometry. The purpose is to understand what kind of stars populate this ...

OXFORD UNIV PRESS2023

Automated image-based generation of finite element models for masonry buildings

Katrin Beyer, Radhakrishna Achanta, Bryan German Pantoja Rosero

To predict the response of masonry buildings to various types of loads, engineers use finite element models, specifically solid-element and macro-element models. For predicting masonry responses to seismic events in particular, equivalent frame models-a su ...

SPRINGER2023

Voltage-driven Chemical Reactions Enable the Synthesis of Tunable Liquid Ga – Metal Nanoparticles

Raffaella Buonsanti, Anna Loiudice, Pascal Alexander Schouwink, Krishna Kumar, Coline Marie Agathe Boulanger, Valery Okatenko, Alexander Nicolas Chen

Nanosized particles of liquid metals are emerging materials which hold promise for applications spanning from microelectronics to catalysis. Yet, the knowledge of their chemical reactivity is largely unknown. Here, we study the reactivity of liquid Ga and ...

2023

Current challenges in understanding the role of enhancers in disease

Bart Deplancke

Enhancers play a central role in the spatiotemporal control of gene expression and tend to work in a cell-type-specific manner. In addition, they are suggested to be major contributors to phenotypic variation, evolution and disease. There is growing eviden ...

NATURE PORTFOLIO2022

Assortment optimization using an attraction model in an omnichannel environment

Ralf Seifert, Andrey Vasilyev, Sebastian Maier

Making assortment decisions is becoming an increasingly difficult task for many retailers worldwide as they implement omnichannel initiatives. Discrete choice modeling lies at the core of this challenge, yet existing models do not sufficiently account for ...

2023

On the development of multi-physics tools for nuclear reactor analysis based on OpenFOAM (R): state of the art, lessons learned and perspectives

Carlo Fiorina

In the last two decades, the use of OpenFOAM as a multi-physics library for nuclear applications has grown from a sporadic use for exploratory studies to a widespread application for the analysis of innovative reactor concepts and highly complex problems. ...

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA2022

The microbiome of cryospheric ecosystems

Tom Ian Battin, Hannes Markus Peter, Susheel Bhanu Busi, Grégoire Marie Octave Edouard Michoud, Leïla Ezzat, Massimo Bourquin, Tyler Joe Kohler, Stylianos Fodelianakis

The cryosphere includes those parts of Earth where water or soil is frozen, such as snow, ice, glaciers and permafrost soils. Here, the authors present a global inventory of cryospheric microbial communities and their genetic repertoires. ...

Nature Portfolio2022

Quality criteria for multi-domain studies in the indoor environment: Critical review towards research guidelines and recommendations

Dolaana Khovalyg, Verena Marie Barthelmes, Matteo Favero, Giorgia Chinazzo, Mandana Sarey Khanie

The perception, physiology, behavior, and performance of building occupants are influenced by multi-domain exposures: the simultaneous presence of multiple environmental stimuli, i.e., visual, thermal, acoustic, and air quality. Despite being extensive, th ...

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD2022

TOPO-Loss for continuity-preserving crack detection using deep learning

Pascal Fua, Katrin Beyer, Radhakrishna Achanta, Bryan German Pantoja Rosero, Doruk Oner, Fernando Perez Cruz

We present a method for segmenting cracks in images of masonry buildings damaged by earthquakes. Existing methods of crack detection fail to preserve the continuity of cracks, and their performance deteriorates with imprecise training labels. We address th ...

2022

Understanding the mechanisms of non-thermal plasma treatments on seeds

Alexandra Waskow

The motivation driving plasma-seed treatment research is the renewed importance of sustainable, eco-friendly agriculture. There is a constant interest in finding alternatives to minimize resource use and environmental degradation, while ensuring healthy se ...

EPFL2022

Multi-centre classification of functional neurological disorders based on resting-state functional connectivity

Dimitri Nestor Alice Van De Ville, Jonas Richiardi

Background: Patients suffering from functional neurological disorder (FND) experience disabling neurological symptoms not caused by an underlying classical neurological disease (such as stroke or multiple sclerosis). The diagnosis is made based on reliable ...

ELSEVIER SCI LTD2022

Preliminary evidence that daily light exposure enhances the antibody response to influenza vaccination in patients with dementia

Jean-Louis Scartezzini

Enhancing lighting conditions in institutions for individuals with dementia improves their sleep, circadian rhythms and well-being. Here, we report first findings that exposure to brighter light during daytime may support the immune response to the annual ...

ELSEVIER2022