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The present study, which is part of a wider inter-disciplinary research project on Medieval Rome funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, focuses on the archaeometric characterisation of glass tesserae from the apse mosaic of the church of S. Agnese fuori le mura, dated to the 7th century AD and never analysed until now. The main aims of the study are the identification of chemical compositions of glassy matrices and colouring/opacifying techniques by means of the combination of micro-textural, chemical, and mineralogical data. In S. Agnese tesserae, the results show the presence of glassy matrices and opacifiers/pigments, typical of both Roman and Late Antique/Early Medieval periods. The technological features identified (in particular, glassy matrices and opacifiers/pigments) allow us to discriminate not only new-production tesserae, i.e., those probably produced in the 7th century for the realisation of the S. Agnese mosaic, but also those obtained from recycling or re-using previous glass. This testifies to a quite complex "puzzle", unusual in other glass mosaics from the same city and coeval with S. Agnese, supporting further the potentiality of archaeometric studies on glass to uncover the technical and socio-cultural knowledge that underpins its manufacturing, use, re-use, and recycling in the Early Medieval Rome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The densification mechanisms of silicate melts under high pressure are of key interest in understanding the evolution of the early Earth and its present‐day internal structure. Here, we report Brillouin spectroscopy‐derived transverse acoustic wave velocities VS $\left({V}_{S}\right)$ from a basaltic glass at high pressures up to 163 GPa and ambient temperature to provide insight into pressure‐induced changes in its elasticity and, by extension, its density. We find that the pressure dependence of VS ${V}_{S}$ below 110–140 GPa follows a trend nearly tantamount to those of pyrolite and Fe‐ and (Fe,Al)‐bearing MgSiO3 glasses, indicating that the large compositional differences among these glasses do not exert variable acoustic wave velocity trends. However, at higher pressures we observe a small departure from the VS ${V}_{S}$ profiles of the Al‐poor compositions toward higher acoustic wave velocities to eventually become stiffer. This pressure‐induced steepening in VS ${V}_{S}$ is comparable to that of (Mg, Fe, Al)(Si, Al)O3 glass, and suggests a possible structural change toward a denser state caused by more rapidly changing Al–O coordination in network‐forming Al. Coupled with the high Fe content in basalt, this may render basaltic melt denser than surrounding minerals in the deep lower mantle, and may provide an additional mechanism for the existence of ultralow‐velocity zones. Plain Language Summary: Silicate melts are subject to different densification mechanisms from the counterpart solids. Although less dense at ambient/low pressures and for most of the mantle, it has long been speculated that at high enough pressures a density inversion may take place, where melts may become denser than the corresponding solids. This would have profound implications for the present‐day structure and dynamics of the Earth and its evolution through geological history. We have experimentally measured the sound wave velocities of a basaltic glass, which serves as a laboratory analogue to melt, up to 163 GPa. Through comparison of our sound wave velocity‐pressure profile to other glass compositions we observe a slight deviation in steepness above 110–140 GPa to a potentially stiffer and denser state. This pressure‐induced change may be the result of changes in the Al–O coordination environment. Extrapolated onto expected melt compositions in the lower mantle, which are enriched in both Al and heavy Fe, this may render dense pools of silicate melt gravitationally stable at the bottom of the mantle. Key Points: We have carried out acoustic wave velocity measurements of a basaltic glass up to 163 GPaThe VS‐pressure profile of basalt shows close similarities to other, more depolymerized glasses up to 110–140 GPa, where it becomes steeperThis anomaly is likely induced by changes in Al–O coordination [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand for high-performance dissimilar material joining continues to increase in fields such as aerospace, biomedical engineering, and electronics, the welding technology of dissimilar materials has become a focus of research. However, due to the differences in material properties, particularly in the welding between metals and non-metals, numerous challenges arise. The formation and quality of the weld seam are strongly influenced by laser process parameters. In this study, successful welding of high-borosilicate glass to a TC4 titanium alloy, which was treated with high-temperature oxidation, was achieved using a millisecond pulsed laser. A series of process parameter comparison experiments were designed, and the laser welding behavior of the titanium alloy and glass under different process parameters was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a universal testing machine as the primary analysis and testing equipment. The results revealed that changes in process parameters significantly affect the energy input and accumulation during the welding process. The maximum joint strength of 60.67 N was obtained at a laser power of 180 W, a welding speed of 3 mm/s, a defocus distance of 0 mm, and a frequency of 10 Hz. Under the action of the laser, the two materials mixed and penetrated into the molten pool, thus achieving a connection. A phase, Ti5Si3, was detected at the fracture site, indicating that both mechanical bonding and chemical bonding reactions occurred between the high-borosilicate glass and the TC4 titanium alloy during the laser welding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen fuel holds promise for clean energy solutions, particularly in onboard applications such as fuel cell vehicles. However, the development of efficient hydrogen storage systems remains a critical challenge. This study addresses this challenge by exploring the potential of high-strength novel materials, including glass, to maximize onboard hydrogen storage capacity. A mathematical approach was employed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of various high-strength materials for hydrogen storage. This study focused on capillary arrays as a promising storage medium and utilized mathematical modeling techniques to estimate the storage capacity enhancement achievable with different materials. The analysis revealed significant variations in storage capacity enhancements in different high-strength novel materials, with glass having promising results. Glass-based materials demonstrated the potential to meet or exceed US Department of Energy (DOE) targets for both gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen storage capacities in capillary arrays. By leveraging a mathematical approach, this study identified high-strength novel materials, including glass and polymers, capable of substantially improving onboard hydrogen storage capacity: 29 wt.% with 40 g/L for quartz glass and 25 wt.% with 38 g/L for Kevlar compared to 5.2 wt.% with 26.3 g/L from a conventional type IV tank. These findings underscore the importance of material selection in optimizing hydrogen storage systems and provide valuable insights for the design and development of next-generation hydrogen storage technologies for onboard applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sand‐casting molds suffer from surface defects and low strength. An organic–inorganic binder conversion process, wherein an organic binder is converted to an inorganic binder, has been proposed to increase the application temperature of the sand‐casting mold and simplify the manufacturing process for precision casting. However, the usable temperature of the typical SiO2–Na2O binder system is limited to approximately 1000°C owing to the low liquefaction temperature of the compound. The resulting glass phase (Na2SiO3) exhibits low viscosity, and the casting of large objects results in low strength. Therefore, in this study, we propose a SiO2–Na2O–ZrO2 ternary inorganic binder system; the addition of zirconia (ZrO2) into sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) as an inorganic binder was expected to increase the operating temperature of the mold and improve its mechanical properties. The results confirmed that the addition of ZrO2 improved the mechanical properties by preventing the formation of Na2SiO3. In addition, a higher sintering temperature corresponded to smaller and larger amounts of Na2SiO3 and Na2ZrSiO5, respectively, and thus a higher strength. Therefore, we expect our developed ternary inorganic binder system to be highly advantageous for producing molds for high‐temperature and precision casting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The industry has always strived to design "hard" and "crack-resistant" glass. However, simultaneously realizing these properties in oxide glasses has been rare. Although Al 2 O 3 -rich hard and crack-resistant oxide glasses have been reported in the last decade, they exhibit two significant technological challenges that hinder their translation from laboratory to industry: (1) high processing temperatures (>2000 °C) and (2) small glass-forming regions (near eutectic). The present study reports the structural design of a hard and high modulus glass with high crack initiation resistance designed in the peraluminous region of rare-earth containing MgO–Al 2 O 3 –B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 system. The glass can be processed at a temperature ≤1650 °C and exhibits Vickers hardness (H v) of 7.84 GPa (at 1.96 N load) and indentation crack resistance (ICR) of 26.5 N. These H v and ICR values are significantly higher than most commercial or non-commercial glasses (prior to thermal tempering, densification near T g , or chemical strengthening). The glass has been scaled up to successfully produce slabs of dimensions 100 mm × 100 mm × 8 mm at laboratory scale with optical transmission of 90 ± 2 %. The results presented here are scientifically intriguing and have considerable tangible implications, as they pave the path for the design and development of stronger glasses for functional applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of ab initio descriptors derived from density functional theory simulations is systematically investigated in comparison to traditional compositional descriptors for the ability to predict glass properties utilizing machine learning algorithms. Two datasets are used for this purpose: an extensive, publicly available database involving a wide range of oxide glasses, and a small in‐house dataset covering a broader collection of inorganic glasses from metallic to non‐metallic materials. For the larger dataset, it was demonstrated that ab initio descriptors offer a substantial reduction in input dimensionality while retaining nearly equivalent predictive performance when compared to the compositional descriptors. The combination of ab initio and compositional descriptors showed an improvement in prediction accuracy. For the smaller dataset, the ab initio‐derived descriptors performed significantly better than the compositional descriptors, providing a valuable tool to improve glass property prediction in settings where the availability of data is limited. Furthermore, ab initio‐derived descriptors are not only computationally inexpensive and allow extrapolation beyond the training composition space but also facilitate model interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Techniques preventing icing and ice accumulation on surfaces are required to solve snow- and ice-induced accidents and disasters. Recently, hydrophilic polymers have attracted attention as a passive anti-icing method. This study examined the ice-adhesion properties of the hydrophilic poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate] (PPEGMA) concentrated polymer brush (CPB). A custom-built apparatus was developed to obtain the ice-adhesion strength and visualize the dynamics of the ice-adhesion interface under tangential loading. The ice-adhesion interface for a PPEGMA-CPB-coated glass substrate was investigated by comparing it with the bare glass substrate. As a result, the CPB exhibited a low ice-adhesion strength of less than 100 kPa, the dependencies of which on the drive speed and temperature indicate a high-viscous liquid-like layer at the interface, even below the melting point of water, leading to the smooth onset of sliding due to its self-lubricity without any rupture events (including precursory events) observed for the bare glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass finds are a common feature of archaeological excavations in the context of World War One (WWI). In spite of this, only little attention is paid to this material category. The main aim of this article is therefore to explore the type of information that can be gained from the study of glass and to emphasise the importance and added value of well-developed research into material finds at WWI sites. The study itself is based on a traditional material culture study of the British Army's use of glass in the Ypres Salient, Belgium, during WWI. As a foundation for the study, 5 different archaeological glass finds were examined and statistically analysed. Combined with data from commercial archaeological research, this provided insights into the glass containers used and their contents, the spatial distribution of these objects and the chronological trends in their use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When photographing through a piece of glass, reflections usually degrade the quality of captured images or videos. In this paper, by exploiting periodically varying light flickering, we investigate the problem of removing strong reflections from contaminated image sequences or videos with a unified capturing setup. We propose a learning-based method that utilizes short-term and long-term observations of mixture videos to exploit one-side contextual clues in fluctuant components and brightness-consistent clues in consistent components for achieving layer separation and flickering removal, respectively. A dataset containing synthetic and real mixture videos with light flickering is built for network training and testing. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by the comprehensive evaluation on synthetic and real data, the application for video flickering removal, and the exploratory experiment on high-speed scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorotellurite glasses heavily doped with Er3+ are prepared in less demanding conditions as compared with fluoride glasses. Specifically, the effects of PbF 2 added in the system of AlF 3 –MgF 2 –CaF 2 –SrF 2 –BaF 2 –TeO 2 (AMCSBYT) are systematically studied on the correlation between glass structure and mid-infrared (MIR) luminescent properties of Er3+. These PbF 2 -modified glasses with an improved thermal stability and a noticeably reduced phonon energy as compared with telluride glasses exhibit an intense MIR emission at 2.72 μm and a long radiative decay lifetime. Calculation and analysis based on the Judd-Ofelt theory provide deeper insights into the interdependence of luminescent properties and glass structure. Numerical simulation is conducted for a MIR fiber laser based on the experimental data derived from the proposed glass. The 2.72 μm lasing output of 0.68 W is predicted with a slope efficiency of 3.38 %. It is expected that the performance of the fiber laser can be further optimized such that the output power can be increased over 1.0 W. The results emphasize the potential of the PbF 2 -modified fluorotellurite glass as a promising gain material for 2.72 μm fiber lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly proposed materials demonstrated outstanding and effective radiation shielding capabilities and promising mechanical properties. A series of (20-x) SrO-(73)B 2 O 3 -(5)TeO 2 -(1)ZnO-(1)Bi 2 O 3 doped with x-Dy 2 O 3 have been produced employing the traditional melt-quench process, with the concentration of Dy 2 O 3 varying from 0.05 to 1.5 mol%. This research examined glass samples' structural stability, mechanical and thermal characteristics, and radiation shielding capabilities. All of the glasses were amorphous, as confirmed by the X-ray examination, and the glass with the label SBTZBD6 had the maximum density because of the higher Dy 2 O 3 content. The insert of Dy 2 O 3 into the glass composition increased density values from 2.94 to 3.04 g/cm3 for SBTZBD1 and SBTZBD6 and improved mechanical properties such as Poisson ratio and elastic moduli. The hardness Vickers showed the maximum value at 1095.7 HV corresponding to Dy 2 O 3 1 mol%, indicating the influence of Dy 2 O 3 addition on the mechanical properties. The ability of the generated samples to shield against several forms of radiation, such as alpha, proton, neutron, and gamma radiation, was examined using SRIM and Phy-X software. The lowest HVL is 0.009 cm for SBTZBD6 at 0.02 MeV, the highest HVL was observed at 15 MeV with a value equal to 7.066 cm for the same sample. Dy 2 O 3 was used instead of SrO, significantly increasing the μ/ρ values and improving radiation shielding. However, it was discovered that fast neutron shielding experienced a reduction in energy loss per unit mass (mass stopping power) when SrO was replaced with Dy 2 O 3. However, the substitution also reduced energy loss per unit mass for alpha and protons and fast neutron shielding. To sum up, this study's glass samples are highly recommended for ionizing radiation shielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal oxides (HMOs) can enhance the physical, optical, and radiation shielding properties of glass. Through the comprehensive consideration of the absorption edge, the fast neutron removal cross-section, and transmittance of heavy metal oxides, the rapid determination of the shielding material system is achieved. Herein, B 2 O 3 –TeO 2 –BaO-MO (M = Bi, W, Cd, Mo) glasses are synthesized by the melt quenching method, and the effects of various heavy metal oxides on the glass performance are investigated. The physical and optical property results show that the addition of Bi 2 O 3 provides glass with greater stiffness, a more densified glass network, and a relatively wide indirect optical bandgap compared to other oxides. Subsequently, the photon attenuation behavior of the B 2 O 3 –TeO 2 –BaO-MO glasses was evaluated using the MCNPX, Phy-X and XCOM. Compared to the shielding materials in service, all the four metal oxide glasses exhibit excellent shielding capabilities against X-rays, gamma rays, and fast neutron. Particularly, due to the higher density and effective atomic number of Bi 2 O 3 , its modified glass will have more extra-nuclear electrons per unit volume, which increases the probability of collision with incident photons, and thus exhibits superior radiation shielding properties than other glasses. The Bi 2 O 3 -modified glass exhibits an average specific lead equivalent of 0.441 mmPb/mm in the medical X-ray energy range (0.03–0.08 MeV), and only requires a thickness of 0.8 cm to achieve complete protection against this incident photon, which far exceeded the specific lead equivalent requirement of 0.22 mmPb/mm for "protection devices against diagnostic medical X-radiation". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BP-PSO was used to obtain the optimal process parameters of magnetorheological polishing quartz glass. Specifically, the orthogonal experiments investigated the effect of process parameters on processing properties. A BP prediction model was constructed with process parameters as input and comprehensive evaluation Z as output. Based on the model, PSO was used to optimize process parameters, and experimental validation was conducted. It turns out that the relationship of MRR with workpiece speed is linear, with working gap and polishing disc speed are sinusoidal, and with yaw speed is quadratic. The relationship between Sa and four process parameters are quadratic. The R2 of the model is 0.9609. The error of the predicted Z is less than 3.45%. The optimal combination predicted is: workpiece speed 700r/min, working gap 3.1mm, yaw speed 115mm/min, and polishing disc speed 60r/min. The predicted Z is 39.96, the actual Z is 41.93, with an error of 4.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composites with continuous fiber reinforcement offer excellent fatigue properties but are tedious to characterize due to anisotropy and the interplay of fatigue properties, processing conditions, and the constituents. The global fiber volume content can affect both monotonic and fatigue strength. This dependence can increase the necessary testing effort even when processing conditions and constituents remain identical. This work presents an in situ edge observation method, enabling light microscopy during loading. As a result, digital image correlation can be employed to study local strains at cracking sites on the scale of fiber bundles. The geometric influence on fatigue damage is examined in non-crimp fabrics of glass and carbon fibers. Two epoxy resins (one modified by irradiation) are investigated to verify the geometric influence under changed polymer properties. The microscopy-based image correlation revealed that damage forms at very low global strains of only 0.2–0.3% in glass fiber-reinforced epoxy laminates. For carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy, laminate cracking was found to emanate mainly from regions containing stitching fibers. Across both reinforcements, irradiation treatment led to delayed cracks, emanating from interfaces. This detailed analysis of the damage formation is used as a basis for proposed applications of the in situ strain information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfide glass electrolytes with high ionic conductivities and formabilities are key materials for practical use in all‐solid‐state sodium secondary batteries. Both sealing and quenching are considered to be necessary for producing high‐alkali‐content sulfide glass electrolytes. In this study, the glass‐forming ability of sodium thiosilicate glasses is enhanced by adding a small quantity of SiO2. Consequently, high‐sodium‐content oxythiosilicate glass is synthesized without sealing and quenching processes under Ar atmosphere. The prepared Na4SiS4·0.200SiO2 (molar ratio) glass exhibits ionic conductivity of 4.0 × 10−5 S cm−1 at 25 °C, surpassing that of Na4SiS4 glass. The Na4SiS4·0.200SiO2 glass shows high reduction stability to sodium metal. The all‐solid‐state Na metal/Na4SiS4·0.200SiO2 glass/Na2.88Sb0.88W0.12S4/TiS2 cell shows a reversible capacity of 140 mAh g−1 for 5 cycles. The amount of H2S gas generated in Na4SiS4·0.0830SiO2 and Na4SiS4·0.200SiO2 glasses is one‐tenth that of the Na4SiS4 glass, suggesting increased chemical stability to humidity by incorporating oxygen in the structure. High‐sodium‐content oxythiosilicate glass with high ionic conductivity, high chemical stability against humidity, and high reduction stability is successfully prepared under ambient pressure without sealing and quenching processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a review on some important recent research, development, and innovations related to the nonconventional machining of glass material. Nonconventional machining processes were identified suitable for machining of glass, years ago, and from then to now various technological developments have made nonconventional machining a viable alternate to the conventional machining of glass material. In this article, we have mainly focused on three important nonconventional machining processes, namely, last cutting, ultrasonic machining, and electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM). Novel aspects, effects of process parameters, and salient features are discussed. Mainly, previous five years' work is reviewed. This review finally ends with a conclusion and important future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental erosion represents the gradual and irreversible depletion of dental hard tissues due to a chemical process, independent of bacterial influence. It has emerged as a notable clinical concern in recent years, primarily attributed to substantial lifestyle shifts resulting in the heightened intake and frequency of acid-containing foods and beverages. Apart from the extrinsic erosive agents derived from external sources, such as dietary habits or medication, intrinsic erosive agents may exist due to pathological reasons with the contents of the stomach including gastric juice, mainly composed of hydrochloric acid, being their sole source. Currently, bioactive materials are used in various forms for the prevention of dental erosion. Such materials include, among others, bioactive glasses (BAGs). BAGs are a type of glass that, when in contact with biological fluids, can elicit a specific biological response. When they come into contact with bodily fluids, they can initiate a series of processes, including the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on the glass surface. This bioactivity is particularly advantageous in medical and dental applications, where BAGs are used for bone regeneration, tissue repair, and dental restorative or preventive techniques. The aim of this literature review was to analyze and discuss the role of BAGs in protecting the tooth structures from dental erosion. The analysis of the existing literature regarding this topic indicated that the use of BAGs in preventive treatments against tooth erosion can be useful in dental practice. Further clinical evidence is necessary to confirm the effectiveness of the particular preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new pedestrian footbridge at Luxembourg Train Station is an integral component of the revamped platform canopies. Its unique undulating wave design, symbolic of motion, is mirrored in the canopies' roofs, creating asynchronous waves between platforms. As the footbridge aligns with the wave, it gracefully encompasses the translucent tube of the new structure. An integrated staircase fits beneath this architectural wave, with an elevator opposite for easy platform access. This translucent prism stands in stark contrast to the sweeping curves of the roofs and the footbridge itself. Prioritizing user comfort and safety, a translucent design was chosen, eliminating blind spots. The 100‐meter footbridge is constructed with an orthotropic steel deck, offering substantial spans with minimal height. The roof's central section serves to reduce sun exposure and conceal electrical wiring. The assembly process involved crane work during railway track closures over consecutive weekends, using a CC3800 crane with a maximum capacity of 650 tons [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, based on the principle of grating interferometer-based acoustic sensors, design guidelines for the grating interferometric module were obtained and analyzed considering various factors in order to obtain high sensitivity, and a glass-based grating interference component and its acoustic sensor device were developed. The key parameters of the grating interference structure were extracted, and their effects on the acoustic response sensitivity were quantified for multiple mechanisms. For the development of the acoustic sensor, the grating-on-convex-platform structure and the micromachining processes of the glass-based components were designed and developed. The developed acoustic sensor samples achieved high sensitivity. In particular, the sample suitable for low-frequency application obtained a sensitivity of 0.776 V/Pa @ 1 kHz, and the spectrum of its sensitivity was flat from 50 Hz to 8 Hz with a deviation less than 1.5 dB and a sensitivity of 0.408 V/Pa @ 20 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advantage of 3DCP technologies is the ability to fabricate free-form structures. However, printing openings in concrete structures are limited by the presence of overhanging sections. While various 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies have established methods for handling overhangs with temporary supports, many existing techniques for 3D concrete printing still rely on wooden planks and corbelling, which restrict the design flexibility and slope angles. The objective of this study is to develop a removable and sustainable support material with high printability performance. This support material serves as temporary support for overhang sections in 3D-printed structures and can be removed once the primary concrete has hardened sufficiently. This study observed that increasing the recycled glass content in the mixture raises both the dynamic and static yield stresses, with only mixtures containing up to 60% recycled glass remaining pumpable. Optimization of the mixture design aimed to balance high flowability and buildability, and the results indicated that a mixture with 60% recycled glass content is optimal. The effectiveness of the optimized support material was validated through the successful printing of a structure featuring a free-form opening and overhang section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthony Ellis (2011, 13) examines an excerpt from Thomas Elyot's Castel of Health (1541) in which he observes a doctor's conception about growing old: "old age equals the inception of 'bad humor' and calls for professional intervention." The depiction of senescence or biological aging in literature can be analyzed from the perspective of the abovementioned doctor who attaches negative attributes to senescence. This paper focuses on the effects of aging and ageism on Amanda Wingfield from The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and Ephraim Cabot from Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill. Both these aging characters are inclined to stick to their habits, lifestyles and preferences they have developed in their earlier years. Their fixation with their earlier lifestyle gives rise to hatred or indifferent attitude of the younger people around them. The paper examines the detachment and disengagement of the two characters from society and their loved ones due to ageism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confusing object detection (COD), such as glass, mirrors, and camouflaged objects, represents a burgeoning visual detection task centered on pinpointing and distinguishing concealed targets within intricate backgrounds, leveraging deep learning methodologies. Despite garnering increasing attention in computer vision, the focus of most existing works leans toward formulating task-specific solutions rather than delving into in-depth analyses of methodological structures. As of now, there is a notable absence of a comprehensive systematic review that focuses on recently proposed deep learning-based models for these specific tasks. To fill this gap, our study presents a pioneering review that covers both the models and the publicly available benchmark datasets, while also identifying potential directions for future research in this field. The current dataset primarily focuses on single confusing object detection at the image level, with some studies extending to video-level data. We conduct an in-depth analysis of deep learning architectures, revealing that the current state-of-the-art (SOTA) COD methods demonstrate promising performance in single object detection. We also compile and provide detailed descriptions of widely used datasets relevant to these detection tasks. Our endeavor extends to discussing the limitations observed in current methodologies, alongside proposed solutions aimed at enhancing detection accuracy. Additionally, we deliberate on relevant applications and outline future research trajectories, aiming to catalyze advancements in the field of glass, mirror, and camouflaged object detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work incorporates toxic arsenic-contaminated sludge (AsCS) obtained from ground-water filtration into a chemically durable borosilicate glass matrix to minimize arsenic contamination. Upto 25 wt% of AsCS-loaded borosilicate system found X-ray amorphous that ensures the successful glass formation. The optical absorption spectra reveal the utilization of AsCS to develop heat absorption property (NIR absorption ~ 1000 nm) into the borosilicate matrix. 3–5 wt% of AsCS was found suitable for developing a green colour glass for various purposes. Furthermore, green colour in glass can be turned yellow with the adoption of novel microwave heating, which reduces energy demand. From a structural viewpoint, the presence of tetrahedral boron (B4) and tetrahedral Fe3+ within the silicate glassy network collectively help to maintain a low thermal expansion coefficient and higher characteristic thermal properties (Tg,Td,, etc.) Further, the structural integration of iron (major component in AsCS) as bridging network helps to maintain the thermal and chemical durability of the system. Significantly lower leaching rate (7.47 *10–7 g. cm−2.h−1in 42 days) followed by a successful immobilization of toxic As, the glass becomes an alternative and most attractive material for AsCS immobilizing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the related engraving techniques of openwork and opus sectile carving as evidence, this paper demonstrates that glass production in the Eastern Mediterranean in late Antiquity was an example of cross-craft, involving aspects of specialised collaboration among glass producers. As such, it represents the interdependence required of inter-industry relations in terms not only of resources but fundamentally of skills. Beyond just glass, cold-worked carving in various media suggests relatively large-scale late Roman urban production was more likely defined by a transferrable skill set (in this case carving) as opposed to a material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts a new surface pretreatment method, Laser Surface Remelting (LSR). This experiment aims to establish a set of laser welding process parameters suitable for aluminum alloy and glass under this specific pretreatment. This experiment explores the impact of laser welding parameters on the welding strength between high borosilicate glass and aluminum alloy. The study specifically investigates the effects of four process parameters: defocus amount, laser power, frequency, and pulse width on the welding outcome. The results indicate that the welding quality between the aluminum alloy and glass reaches its optimum when the defocus amount is zero (i.e., when the laser converges at the interface between the glass and the metal) and the laser welding parameters are set to a power of 250 W, a welding speed of 1 mm/s, a welding frequency of 10 Hz, and a pulse width of 2.5 ms. The experiment also analyzes the fracture morphology under different parameters, summarizing the locations and causes of fractures, and establishing the relationship between the fracture location and the welding strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate luminescence near focal point during ultrafast laser microwelding in order to find the optimal processing position for sealing of two glass substrates. To quantitatively analyze the emission near the focal point during ultrafast laser microwelding, the focal position was shifted vertically by 0.01 mm increments from the boundary surface of the glass substrates. In addition, we extracted video frames at intervals of 0.1 seconds during processing and displayed the emission images near the focal point by decomposing them into the color components of RGB. As a result, the welding status can be determined based on the temporal changes in luminescence at each focal point position. Furthermore, it was found that the changes in the RGB components were largely influenced by the air between the glass substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorine (19F) NMR is emerging as an invaluable analytical technique in chemistry, biochemistry, structural biology, material science, drug discovery, and medicine, especially due to the inherent rarity of naturally occurring fluorine in biological, organic, and inorganic compounds. Here, we revisit the under-reported problem of fluoride leaching from new and unused glass NMR tubes. We characterised the leaching of free fluoride from various types of new and unused glass NMR tubes over the course of several hours and quantify this contaminant to be at micromolar concentrations for typical NMR sample volumes across multiple glass types and brands. We find that this artefact is undetectable for samples prepared in quartz NMR tubes within the timeframes of our experiments. We also observed that pre-soaking new glass NMR tubes combined with rinsing removes this contamination below micromolar levels. Given the increasing popularity of 19F NMR across a wide range of fields, increasing popularity of single-use screening tubes, the long collection times required for relaxation studies and samples of low concentrations, and the importance of avoiding contamination in all NMR experiments, we anticipate that our simple solution will be useful to biomolecular NMR spectroscopists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research presented in this paper analyzes the accuracy and applicability of analytical expressions to describe the electric field of a high-voltage glass insulator. The metal cap and the metal pin of the glass insulator are represented by coaxial cylindrical electrodes. The insulating materials between them are modeled as coaxial hollow cylinders. Analytical expressions for the electric field in these insulating materials are derived. Using these expressions, the spatial distribution of the electric field in the insulating materials was determined. Suitable software, based on the finite element method (FEM), was used to determine the spatial distribution of the electric field in dielectrics in the same space. Both analyses were performed under quasi-static conditions, and the results of the analytical expressions were compared with the FEM results. Discrepancies between the results of the two mentioned analyses were observed. The reasons for the observed discrepancies and the applicability of the presented analytical expressions are commented on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Non-conventional heavy metal oxide glasses have attracted great interest owing to their unique optical properties and their radiation shielding behavior. Non-conventional glasses of main chemical composition (100 − x) PbO–xBi2O3 where x = 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 were prepared through the conventional melting and annealing approach. X-ray diffraction measurements denoted the amorphous nature of the prepared glasses. The optical absorption in the UV–visible range recorded strong UV-near visible absorption spectra that correlated to trivalent Bi3+ ions. The optical band gap Eopt, Urbach energy ∆E, and the refractive index were identified for the prepared glasses employing the cognizant theories. The variations in the optical parameters have been associated with the increasing Bi2O3 and the doses of γ- irradiation. The photoluminescent properties of the prepared non-conventional binary Bi2O3–PbO glasses were recorded in the visible range after UV excitation and the color coordinates are located and distributed in the hue violet degree. FT-IR spectroscopic measurements before and after gamma irradiation were applied to investigate the structural changes in the binary heavy metal PbO–Bi2O3 glasses. FTIR data specified that the glass network is composed of different structural building units from BiO3/BiO6 and PbO3/PbO4 depending on the addition ratio between PbO and Bi2O3.

By employing the melt-quenching technique, the ZnO–SrO–B2O3–PbO (ZSBP) glasses have been successfully fabricated. The derivative of Absorption Spectra Fitting (DASF) method was used to study the energy band gap (Eg) of the glasses which decreases from 3.57 eV to 3.39 eV. The structural properties have been studied using the Raman spectroscopy. The glass transition temperature (Tg) decreases with increase in concentration of the lead oxide. The current study examines the radiation shielding properties at 30.80–444 keV. The addition of PbO to the glasses resulted in a proportionate increase in the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), suggesting a diminishing tendency in radiation transmission. At 30.80 keV, the MAC values are extremely high and range from 18.06 to 21.11 cm2/g. As density rises, the half value layer (HVL) decreases. In addition, the average HVL (HVL‾) decreases. The glass thickness required to reduce the radiation intensity to 90 %, 50 %, 25 %, and 10 % of its initial value is investigated at an energy of 35.80 keV. The T90 %, T50 %, T25 %, and T10 % values are 0.0020, 0.0132, 0.0264, and 0.0439 cm, respectively. The results suggest that a greater thickness of the radiation barrier is necessary to attain the necessary degree of attenuation.

Using electric fields to initiate the process of physical aging has facilitated measurements of structural recovery dynamics on the time scale of milliseconds. This, however, complicates the interesting comparison with aging processes due to a temperature jump, as these are significantly slower. This study takes a step toward comparing the results of field and temperature perturbations by providing data on field-induced structural recovery of vinyl ethylene carbonate at two different time scales: 1.0 ms at 181 K and 33 s at 169 K, i.e., 4.5 decades apart. It is found that structural recovery is a factor of two slower than structural relaxation in equilibrium, with the latter determined via dielectric relaxation in the limit of linear response. The relation between recovery and relaxation dynamics remains temperature invariant across the present experimental range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present the results of the analysis of Late Bronze Age (LBA) vitreous materials from three cemeteries on the island of Kefalonia, Greece (Mazarakata, Metaxata, and Kokkolata-Menegata). A multianalytical approach (EPMA, LA-ICP-MS, MC-ICP-MS [Sr-Nd]) was used to determine the composition and provenance of a group of 14 glass beads, a glass fragment, and a faience bead, all dating to the 14th-11th centuries BCE. Most of the beads were produced using a plant ash alkali with one having a mixed alkali composition. Identification of the colorants revealed that the blue glasses were colored using Cu, Co-Cu, or Co. Cobaltiferous alum from the Western Desert of Egypt imparted the blue color to the cobalt containing glasses. Trace element and isotopic analysis showed that all the relief plaques were made using imported Egyptian glass. The isotopic signature of one relief plaque, a triple rosette motif unique to Kefalonia (K13-4), suggests that there may be greater geological variation among the currently identified LBA Egyptian silica and alkali sources or possibly the use of new raw material sources in the region. Silica and plant ashes from different regions were exploited for the manufacture of two beads of Near Eastern origin. One bead (M18-3) was made from an alkali derived from plants likely growing in river valleys in zones MP-1 (northern Iraq) or MP-3 (southern Iraq) and silica from zone MP-2 (deserts in western Iraq/eastern Syria). The other bead was unique in composition characterized by high chromium, silica from northern Iraq (zone MP-1 N), and plant ash from the desert (zone MP-2). Similarities to raw materials used to produce glass at Alalakh may tentatively suggest a similar origin. A Mycenaean Group B faience bead (Co-Cu blue) included in the study was manufactured with an alkali and a source of cobalt that did not come from the Western Desert. Further identification of the alkali type and the source of the raw materials for this faience bead was not possible but similarities were found to Group B beads from Psara and Mesara in Greece.

Phosphate invert glasses (PIGs) exhibit excellent biocompatibility because of their high chemical durability and controlled ion releasability. PIGs are composed of short phosphate units such as ortho‐ and pyrophosphate. This structure makes it difficult to obtain clear glass using the melt‐quenching method. Our previous work reported that intermediate oxides (such as TiO2 and Nb2O5)‐containing PIGs exhibit good glass‐forming ability and ion dissolution controllability. This work used a liquid‐phase method to prepare PIGs at room temperature and pressure. Furthermore, TiO2 was used to control ion releasability for biomedical applications. Titanium‐containing PIGs were successfully prepared using a liquid‐phase method. Pyrophosphate and titania formed P‐O‐Ti bonds with an increasing TiO2 content in the glass, forming chain‐like structural units such as (‐O‐P‐O‐P‐O‐Ti‐O‐)n. The number of chain‐like structures increased with an increasing TiO2 content in the glass, improving the chemical durability. Hence, the ion releasability of titanium‐containing PIGs prepared using the liquid‐phase method can be controlled by the glass structure. Additionally, the PIGs exhibited good cell viability. Therefore, the PIGs are candidates for carriers of therapeutic inorganic ions for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The viscosities of Ce‐free and Ce‐bearing (∼1.3 mol%, ∼6.5 wt.% Ce2O3) soda lime silicate (window glass) melts were measured with respect to oxidation state. Experiments were performed isothermally using a concentric‐cylinder viscometer on melts equilibrated with successively reducing CO–CO2 gas mixtures within a gas tight vertical tube furnace at 1 atm. Viscosity measurement and sampling were performed at the end of each melt reduction step. Further, viscosities in the glass transition temperature range were estimated using the shift factor method applied to glass transition temperature values determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements on quenched glasses. The Ce speciation at each stepwise melt reduction was probed using Ce L3‐edge X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, while structural information upon Ce addition and reduction was provided by Raman spectroscopy. The viscosities of these materials remain constant at this level of Ce addition and do not vary significantly with redox state at high temperature. Conversely, viscosity values in the glass transition temperature range increase upon both Ce addition and reduction. Our analysis, based on the glass composition analyses obtained via electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), viscosity calculations, and observations of silicate structural changes, leads to the conclusion that the observed viscosity increase around the glass transition temperature is explained by the high ionic field strength of Ce ions as well as the polymerization behavior of the silicate matrix occurring during reduction of Ce. Because of its low concentration, resulting from its low solubility, Ce redox changes exert only minimal effects on the viscosity of this melt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous alumina films are isotropic and have no grain boundaries, which make them have smooth surfaces, excellent properties, and wide applications in protective coatings, catalysis, and microelectronics. However, high-quality alumina films were usually prepared by vapor-phase approaches which need expensive equipment and long production time. Additionally, amorphous films are long-range disordered, which makes the study of structure–property relationships challenging. Here, a simple sol–gel method is employed to obtain high-quality amorphous Al2O3 thin films. The microstructure, morphology, and mechanical properties of amorphous Al2O3 thin films were systematically investigated. All the Al2O3 thin films heat-treated at 600–800∘C are in amorphous state with ultrasmooth surface (Ra values about 0.29–0.43 nm) and high mechanical properties (elastic modulus ∼170 GPa, hardness ∼20 GPa). The mechanical properties (E and H) of Al2O3 films gradually increase with the increase of heat-treating temperature. Additionally, the Al coordination of the amorphous alumina films are analyzed by solid-state NMR and correlated with the mechanical properties. The results show that in amorphous alumina, the presence of tetrahedral Al ([4]Al) and octahedral Al ([6]Al) is helpful to improve the mechanical properties, while the five-coordinated Al ([5]Al) is not conducive to improve the mechanical properties. The results demonstrate that sol–gel method is an attractive alternative to time-consuming and expensive vapor-phase approaches and are useful for scale-up to applications and research of amorphous alumina films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]