The utility of first-principles methods in the study and prediction of binary alloys is showcased by three detailed studies. In particular, the T = 0K cluster expansion methodology in conjunction with finite temperature statistical modeling by a Monte Carlo method is used to study two systems of practical interest, Mg-Li (magnesium-lithium) and Rh-W (rhodium-tungsten). Also, an empirically-informed, high-throughput approach to crystal structure prediction is shown by a study of the Pt$_8$Ti (the Pietrokowsky phase) phase and a broad and detailed analysis of binary Mg-X phases in 39 systems (X=Ag, Al, Au, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hf, Hg, In, Ir, K, La, Li, Pb, Pd, Pt, Mo, Na, Nb, Os, Rb, Re, Rh, Ru, Sc, Si, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tc, Ti, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr). These results are presented in the form of three publications (the first two are in print, and the third is nearing submission) co-authored with Gus Hart and Stefano Curtarolo.

Hannah Arendt has been widely criticized for conceiving a theory of action and the public realm as devoid of any ethical restraints. This paper suggests that such criticism, as well as proponents of Arendt’s theory, fails to deal with her theory on its own terms and argue that her own notion of manifesting principles as the purpose of action, provides an account of political action that is ethically oriented towards our common world. Although such an account does not determine the rectitude of political judgement nor direct action towards ethically preconceived goals, it distinguishes political from practical reasoning as a distinct sphere of normativity that accords with the necessary conditions of Arendt’s theory of action. This paper suggests that the necessary conditions for a valid notion of action and thus a valid political normativity are (1): the performativity of action, (2): the autonomy of action and (3): action as the generative source of our common world. This paper concludes by suggesting that a proper critique or defence of Arendt’s theory of action should proceed by first engaging with the relationship between her notion of principles and the necessary conditions of a political normativity. Such an endeavor would refrain from shackling action according to the precepts of moral philosophy that either deny or downplay the importance of these conditions.

Yes / Concrete with smart and functional properties (e.g., self-sensing, self-healing, and energy-harvesting) represents a transformative direction in the field of construction materials. Energy-harvesting concrete has the capability to store or convert the ambient energy (e.g., light, thermal, and mechanical energy) for feasible uses, alleviating global energy and pollution problems as well as reducing carbon footprint. The employment of energy-harvesting concrete can endow infrastructures (e.g., buildings, railways, and highways) with energy self-sufficiency, effectively promoting sustainable infrastructure development. This paper provides a systematic overview on the principles, fabrication, properties, and applications of energy-harvesting concrete (including light-emitting, thermal-storing, thermoelectric, pyroelectric, and piezoelectric concretes). The paper concludes with an outline of some future challenges and opportunities in the application of energy-harvesting concrete in sustainable infrastructures.

Previous experimental studies have reported wave-like transport of heat in a small number of material systems, such as superfluids like helium II and crystal solids like bismuth. This phenomenon was henceforth referred to as 'second sound'. These rare observations of second sound are partly due to the challenge of obtaining accurate theoretical predictions. In this work, we use an ab-initio framework to study phonon hydrodynamics in 3D crystal fluorides and alkali hydrides, including sodium fluoride (NaF), lithium fluoride (LiF), lithium hydride (LiH), and sodium hydride (NaH). Moreover, we predict the existence of phonon hydrodynamics regime in bilayer graphene systems, including AA-bilayer graphene and AB-bilayer graphene. First, we obtain the second and third-order interatomic force constants using first-principles calculations, which are based on density functional theory (DFT). Secondly, we calculate the lattice thermal conductivity and phonon scattering rates by solving the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). Thirdly, we apply Guyer's condition to show the phonon hydrodynamics regime based on the average Normal, Umklapp, and Boundary scattering rates. Finally, we examine the effect of different pseudopotentials on the thermal, electronic, and mechanical properties as well as the phonon hydrodynamics regime. In addition, we report the effect of isotopes on the lattice thermal conductivity and phonon hydrodynamics regime. Our calculations predict the existence of the second sound in NaF at 15 K and 8.3 mm characteristic length, consistent with previous experimental work. Based on Guyer's condition, the hydrodynamic window was determined in terms of characteristic lengths (~10² - ~10⁸ nm) and temperatures (up to ~80 K) for fluorides and alkali hydrides. On the other hand, second sound in 2D materials has been predicted to exist at much higher temperatures relative to 3D materials. We report the existence of a second sound for AA-bilayer graphene and AB-bilayer graphene above room temperature at a characteristic length of ~100 nm.

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Yes / Traditional concrete, primarily employed for structural purposes, ensures the safety and reliability of infrastructure due to its excellent mechanical and durability properties. However, with the increasing scale of infrastructure, coupling of multifactorial and harsh service environment, expanding usage spaces, escalating demands for construction-environment harmony, and ever-rising human habitat standards, traditional concrete proves inadequate in meeting the sustainable requirements during construction and service phases, thus prompting its development towards multifunctionality. Electricity, the invisible force that propels modern civilization, has given rise to the emergence of electricity-based multifunctional concrete when combined with tangible concrete that carries human civilization. Through the structure–function integration and function-intelligence integration, this innovative composite material demonstrates excellent intrinsic properties as a structural material, including mechanical performances and durability, and superior electrical properties, such as conductivity, inductance, capacitance, impedance, thermoelectricity, piezoelectricity, among others. It, therefore, holds significant promise across various engineering applications, such as structural health monitoring, traffic detection, energy conversion/storage, de-icing and snow melting, building heating, electromagnetic protection, cathodic protection, grounding, and electrostatic protection. The ongoing research on electricity-based multifunctional concrete establishes a fundamental material framework for the transformation of infrastructure, offering a method to enhance safety, durability, functionality, and resilience of infrastructure. This review summarizes the relevant research progress on electricity-based multifunctional concrete, focusing on its design, composition, underlying principles, properties, and applications in infrastructures. Current technical challenges and future perspectives toward applying electricity-based multifunctional concrete in infrastructures are also discussed. / National Science Foundation of China (51978127, 52178188, and 51908103), the Provincial-Municipal Joint Fund (Youth Fund) of Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2023A1515110437), and the Major Science and Technology Research Project of the China Building Materials Federation (2023JBGS10-02). / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 17 Nov 2025.

This thesis explores selected principles of environmental protection. First, a general introduction to the topic of legal principles is given. It is followed by a description of the approach taken in international environmental law and the environmental law of the European Union. Subsequently, this paper focuses on a theoretical analysis of these selected principles: (i) principle of sustainable development, (ii) preventative principle, (iii) precautionary principle, (iv) polluter pays principle, (v) principle of the highest value, (vi) principle of a high level of protection and finally, (vii) principle of access to information and of public participation. The main attention is paid to the situation in the Czech Republic. The aim was to provide an analysis of the principles of environmental protection in statutory provisions, and of their application by the Czech courts (the Supreme Administrative Court in particular). However, also a brief comparative description of the Austrian approach to the discussed topic is given. Finally, the research results are discussed and conclusions concerning the effectiveness of the environmental principles application are drawn. In order to improve the current situation, several recommendations de lege ferenda are listed. The principles of environmental protection...

Although Internet booking system has reached its peak in the recent years many previous researches say there is always a growing interest in the role and nature of design in HCI principles. Small difference can create a large impact in the business of Internet booking system. The future of any online booking system will be heavily depended on how easy and how friendly the system is designed. In our thesis, we are going to suggest what aspects of usability principles are important in making the user interface of current flight booking systems to reach a high degree of usability. For the above purpose we will find usability flaws in the current user interface design of flight booking systems and highlight the potential factors or aspects that make user interface more acceptable to users. To reach this purpose we will use a case study and analyze using an explanation building technique. The empirical data was collected through satisfaction questionnaire which was based on nine “preset tasks” which are designed depending on various usability principles. In our thesis, we will create an understanding on the aspects of usability principles used to make a user interface more acceptable to the users. This understanding will lead future researches in the betterment of interface design of flight booking system.

Purpose: Family firms (FF) reveal a considerable heterogeneity in their innovation behavior. Due to the successful long-term preservation of their innovation capacity via special resources and routines, multi-generational FF are of special interest in terms of learning from good practices. Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to ascertain principles for successful innovation behavior in long-term successful FF and to contribute to bridging the theory-practice gap. Design/method/Approach: Results are generated by analyzing innovation and innovation processes in five cases of long-term successful FF. On the basis of these good practice cases, the " rules of the game" of innovating are re-constructed using fine and system analyses based on narrative interviews with the FF CEOs. Findings: Intense reflection on the innovation characteristics of the five good practice cases along with a critical examination of the literature on innovation in FF were used to derive practical suggestions for FF in the form of 11 principles for FF taking a proactive interest in innovation. Practical implications: The 11 generated principles of successfully innovative FF were validated by FF CEOs who confirmed the practical relevance of these principles as valuable guidelines for successful innovation. Owners and managers may reflect on these principles against the background of the innovation behavior of their firms and adapt them to their contextual conditions. Originality/value: These principles serve as tangible suggestions for developing adequate innovation management strategies for individual FF. Furthermore, two FF CEOs were invited to comment on the viability of principles based on their comprehensive practical experience.

Most large enterprises are facing numerous challenges concerning their information systems, IS, and information and communication technology, ICT. Today, many enterprises employ a considerable number of applications that often have redundant functionality. There is also a large diversification in the ICT products and technologies employed. Further, integration costs are a major issue in almost all acquisition projects and many enterprises experience a lack of data quality and information security. The list of IS/ICT management challenges can be made much longer. At most enterprises, IS/ICT decisions are made by autonomous business units. In order to change the situation described above and build a more cost-effective IS/ICT environment, all business units need to make consistent IS/ICT decisions. Distributed and consistent decisions can only be made if the decision maker knows which decisions to make and why he/she needs to make them. The latter can be described by the target architecture for the whole enterprise IS/ICT, the information needed to conduct the business and its relationship to the business processes and business organization together with the benefits that the target architecture provides to the business. Which decisions to make are formulated into architectural principles, i.e. rules that express how your enterprise needs to design and deploy IS/ICT. The present thesis is a composite thesis including eight papers. The first four papers describe the reference model for IS/ICT management responsibilities that is one of the outcomes of the present research. Two different surveys have been performed in order to find out what the major IS/ICT management challenges are. The first survey was answered by 62 Swedish Chief Information Officers, CIOs, from large private enterprises as well as municipalities. The second survey was answered by twelve CIO’s from the European electric power industry. In the fifth paper, one of the IS/ICT management responsibilities, i.e. data quality, is used to illustrate how the IS/ICT manager’s responsibilities can be decomposed into measurable units. Over 70 respondents were used in order to perform an enterprise- wide measurement of the data quality at a Swedish insurance company. The last three papers are devoted to architectural principles. Architectural principles are introduced and guidelines on how to define and manage them are proposed in the sixth paper. The guidelines have been used in a review of Vattenfall’s architectural principles. In the last two papers, architectural principles and the reference model are combined in a methodology for assessing the enterprise architecture. The methodology has been used in two different case studies, one at Vattenfall and one at Scania. In both case studies multiple information systems were assessed from many different viewpoints resulting in that many respondents were interviewed. / QC 20100908