Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The accretion–ejection coupling in the black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1836−194

We present the results of our quasi-simultaneous radio, sub-mm, infrared, optical and X-ray study of the Galactic black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1836 194 during its 2011 outburst. We consider the full multi-wavelength spectral evolution of the outburst, investigating whether the evolution of the jet spectral break (the transition between optically-thick and optically-thin synchrotron emission) is caused by any specific properties of the accretion flow. Our observations show that the break does not scale with the X-ray luminosity or with the inner radius of the accretion disk, and is instead likely to be set by much more complex processes. We find that the radius of the acceleration zone at the base of the jet decreases from � 10 6 gravitational radii during the hard intermediate state to � 10 3 gravitational radii as the outburst fades (assuming a black hole mass of 8M⊙), demonstrating that the electrons are accelerated on much larger scales than the radius of the inner accretion disk and that the jet properties change significantly during outburst. From our broadband modelling and high-resolution optical spectra, we argue that early in the outburst, the high-energy synchrotron cooling break was located in the optical band, between � 3.2×10 14 Hz and 4.5×10 14 Hz. We calculate that the jet has a total radiative power of � 3.1×10 36 ergs s −1 , which is �6% of the bolometric radiative luminosity at this time. We discuss how this cooling break may evolve during the outburst, and how that evolution dictates the total jet radiative power. Assuming the source is a stellar-mass black hole with canonical state transitions, from the measured flux and peak temperature of the disk component we constrain the source distance to be 4–10 kpc.
Optomechanical Dynamics in Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Author(s): Gerke, Stephen Adair | Advisor(s): Chang-Hasnain, Constance J | Abstract: Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have emerged as one of the most numerous and diverse categories of semiconductor laser, serving applications in telecommunications, imaging, ranging, and sensing. Improving the behavior of these devices, while extending them into new application spaces, is currently one of the most active fields of optoelectronics research. Concurrently, improvements in micro-optics, micro-mechanics, and low-noise experimentation have produced a field of cavity optomechanics studying the forces of confined light to excite or cool mechanical systems. This thesis explores the interaction of those fields by observing optomechanical forces acting on the MEMS-supported high-contrast grating (HCG) reflector in VCSELs. The unique properties of the HCG as a lightweight, ultra-high-reflectivity mirror enable optomechanical forces to be more salient in these devices than in typical distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) VCSELs. Through optical, electrical, and microscopy characterization methods, we demonstrate the use of radiation pressure to drive the mirror through current modulation and self-oscillation, notably producing a large amplitude oscillation resulting in broad-spectrum self-swept light. By demonstrating optomechanical effects in a single device, we simplify the traditional cavity optomechanics experiment and open a new design space in which to obtain the ingredients necessary for feedback-based optomechanical damping. Looking to both the applications of passive cavity optomechanics and those of wavelength-swept VCSELs, we highlight applications for these phenomena and design and fabrication changes to further explore and harness optomechanical forces in VCSELs. Additionally, we show the development of the first physics-based compact model of VCSELs, which enables simultaneous design of VCSELs and circuits to enhance VCSELs’ performance in communications, ranging, and optomechanics.
Running head : Linking Different Types of Crime 1 Linking Different Types of Crime using Geographical and Temporal Proximity Tonkin

In the absence of forensic evidence (such as DNA or fingerprints), offender behavior can be used to identify crimes that have been committed by the same person (referred to as behavioral case linkage). The current study presents the first empirical test of whether it is possible to link different types of crime using simple aspects of offender behavior. The discrimination accuracy of the kilometer-distance between offense locations (the intercrime distance) and the number of days between offenses (temporal proximity) was examined across a range of crimes, including violent, sexual and property-related offenses. Both the intercrime distance and temporal proximity were able to achieve statistically significant levels of discrimination accuracy that were comparable across and within crime types and categories. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations made for future research.
Observing and Forecasting Vog Dispersion from Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii

AbstractEmissions from Kīlauea volcano, known locally as “vog” for volcanic smog, pose significant environmental and health risks to the Hawaiian community. The Vog Measurement and Prediction (VMAP) project was conceived to help mitigate the negative impacts of Kīlauea’s emissions. To date, the VMAP project has achieved the following milestones: i) created a custom application of the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (HYSPLIT, hereafter Vog model) to produce statewide forecasts of the concentration and dispersion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfate aerosol from Kīlauea volcano; ii) developed an ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer array to provide near-real-time volcanic gas emission rate measurements for use as input into the Vog model; iii) developed and deployed a stationary array of ambient SO2 and meteorological sensors to record the spatial characteristics of Kīlauea’s gas plume in high temporal and spatial resolution for model verification; and iv) developed web-based tools to .
Applicability of the PROSPECT model for Norway spruce needles

The potential applicability of the leaf radiative transfer model PROSPECT (version 3.01) was tested for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) needles collected from stress resistant and resilient trees. Direct comparison of the measured and simulated leaf optical properties between 450–1000 nm revealed the requirement to recalibrate the PROSPECT chlorophyll and dry matter specific absorption coefficients k ab(λ) and k m(λ). The subsequent validation of the modified PROSPECT (version 3.01.S) showed close agreement with the spectral measurements of all three needle age‐classes tested; the root mean square error (RMSE) of all reflectance (ρ) values within the interval of 450–1000 nm was equal to 1.74%, for transmittance (τ) it was 1.53% and for absorbance (α) it was 2.91%. The total chlorophyll concentration, dry matter content, and leaf water content were simultaneously retrieved by a constrained inversion of the original PROSPECT 3.01 and the adjusted PROSPECT 3.01. S. The chlorophyll concentration estimated by inversion of both model versions was similar, but the inversion accuracy of the dry matter and water content was significantly improved. Decreases in RMSE from 0.0079 g cm−2 to 0.0019 g cm−2 for dry matter and from 0.0019 cm to 0.0006 cm for leaf water content proved the improved performance of the recalibrated PROSPECT version 3.01. S.
The Relationship Between Preschool Teachers’ Tendency of Liking Children and the Levels of Professional Burnout

The aim of this study is to examine the differentiation state of preschool teachers’ liking of children and their professional burnout according to their personal characteristics and the predictive state of their professional burnout related to the teaching profession of the teachers’ liking of children. 225 preschool teachers that were determined randomly on a voluntary basis from Ümraniye district on the Anatolian side and Küçükçekmece district on the European side of Istanbul participated in the study in the 2014-2015 academic year. The data were collected using a personal information form developed by the researcher, the “Barnett Liking of Children Scale” developed by Barnett and Sinisi (1990) and the “Maslach Burnout Inventory” developed by Maslach and Jackson (1981) and adapted into Turkish by Çam (1989)Ergin (1992). The data obtained were analyzed using the statistical package. The teachers’ level of personal accomplishment demonstrates significant differences according to gender, the institution of employment and work efficiency, and depersonalization level demonstrates significant differences according to the institution of employment and work efficiency. While the level of the teachers’ emotional exhaustion shows significant differences according to the willing professional choice and the opinion on work efficiency, it does not show significant differences according to the institution of employment. The teachers’ burnout level demonstrates significant differences according to the institution they work in, the state of the willing professional choice and the opinion on work efficiency. The teachers’ tendency of liking children shows significant differences according to gender, marital status, the number of children, the opinion on work efficiency, the institution they work in and the state of the willing professional choice. The differences observed between the scores obtained from the teachers’ personal accomplishment and depersonalization scales are not significant. The teachers’ tendency of liking children demonstrates a significant relationship with depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment and burnout.
Nonlinear stability and statistical mechanics of flow over topography

The stability properties and stationary statistics of inviscid barotropic flow over topography are examined. Minimum enstrophy states have potential vorticity proportional to the streamfunction and are nonlinearly stable; correspondingly, canonical equilibrium based on energy and enstrophy conservation predicts mean potential vorticity is proportional to the mean streamfunction. It is demonstrated that in the limit of infinite resolution the canonical mean state is statistically sharp, that is, without any eddy energy on any scale, and is identical to the nonlinearly stable minimum enstrophy state. Special attention is given to the interaction between small scales and a dynamically evolving large-scale flow. On the β-plane, these stable flows have a westward large-scale component. Possibilities for a general relation between inviscid statistical equilibrium and nonlinear stability theory are examined.
Large daytime signals of N 2 O 5 and NO 3 inferred at 62 amu in a TD-CIMS: chemical interference or a real atmospheric phenomenon?

Abstract. Dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) and the nitrate radical (NO3) play important roles in atmospheric chemistry, yet accurate measurements of their concentrations remain challenging. A thermal dissociation chemical ionization mass spectrometer (TD-CIMS) was deployed to an urban site in Hong Kong to measure the sum of N2O5 and NO3 in autumn 2010 based on the signals of NO3− at 62 amu which has also been adopted in previous studies reported in literature. To our surprise, very large signals of N2O5 + NO3 were frequently observed at 62 amu in the daytime, with equivalent N2O5 + NO3 mixing ratios in the range of 200–1000 pptv. To investigate this unusual phenomenon, various interference tests and measurements with different instrument configuration were conducted. It was found that peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) contributed to measurable signals at 62 amu, and more importantly, this interference increased significantly with co-existence of NO2. Nitric acid (HNO3), on the other hand, had little interference to the detection of N2O5/NO3 via the NO3− ion in our TD-CIMS. According to the test results, the interference from PAN and NO2 could have contributed to 30–50% of the average daytime (12:00–16:00, local time) N2O5 + NO3 signal at our site. On the other hand, evidence exists for the presence of elevated daytime N2O5, in addition to the daytime signal at 62 amu. This includes (1) daytime N2O5 measured via the I(N2O5)− cluster ion with an unheated inlet, which was subjected to minimum interferences, and (2) observation of elevated daytime ClNO2 (a product of N2O5 hydrolysis) during a follow-up study. In view of the difficulty in accurately quantifying the contribution from the interferences of PAN and NO2 and untested potential interfering chemicals in the real atmosphere, we caution the use of 62 amu in the TD-CIMS for measuring ambient N2O5 in a high NOx environment like Hong Kong. Additional studies are needed to re-examine the daytime issue using other measurement techniques.
BMP 2 promotes proliferation and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via mTORC 1 pathway

Bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP2) is a secreted protein that highly expressed in a variety of cancers and contributes to cell proliferation, migration, invasiveness, mobility, metastasis and EMT. However, its clinical significance and biological function in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remain unknown up to now. Up‐ regulation of BMP2 was first observed in NPC cell lines by a genome‐wide transcriptome analysis in our previous study. In this study, BMP2 mRNA was detected by qRT‐PCR and data showed that it was upregulated in NPC compared with non‐cancerous nasopharynx samples. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in NPC specimens revealed that high BMP2 expression was significantly associated with clinical stage, distant metastasis and shorter survival of NPC patients. Moreover, overexpression of BMP2 in NPC cells promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasiveness and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mechanistically, BMP2 overexpression increase phosphorylated protein level of mTOR, S6K and 4EBP1. Correspondingly, mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin blocked the effect of BMP2 on NPC cell proliferation and invasion. In conclusion, our results suggest that BMP2 overexpression in NPC enhances proliferation, invasion and EMT of tumor cells through the mTORC1 signaling pathway.
Power and Robustness in Product-Moment Correlation

The power of statistical tests based on four popular product-moment correlation coefficients was examined when relatively small samples (10 ≤ N ≤ 100) are drawn from bivariate populations of several different distributional shapes. Analytical procedures for deter mining theoretical power under conditions of bivariate normality are presented for the Pearson (r P), Spearman (r s), point-biserial (r pb), and phi (r fp) coefficients. A monte carlo study supported previous conclusions that t as a test of H 0: p = 0, with r P estimating p, is robust over a wide range of non-normality; however, frequent use of r s leads to greater power under identical distri butional assumption violations. The proportion of power due to Type III errors was also specified both analytically and empirically, and revealed the relative invulnerability of most statistical tests to directional misinterpretation.
A Robust Bootstrap Test for Mediation Analysis

Mediation analysis is central to theory building and testing in organizational sciences. Scholars often use linear regression analysis based on normal-theory maximum likelihood estimators to test mediation. However, these estimators are very sensitive to deviations from normality assumptions, such as outliers, heavy tails, or skewness of the observed distribution. This sensitivity seriously threatens the empirical testing of theory about mediation mechanisms. To overcome this threat, we develop a robust mediation method that yields reliable results even when the data deviate from normality assumptions. We demonstrate the mechanics of our proposed method in an illustrative case, while simulation studies show that our method is both superior in estimating the effect size and more reliable in assessing its significance than the existing methods. Furthermore, we provide freely available software in R and SPSS to enhance its accessibility and adoption by empirical researchers.
MAGAT Gel Dosimetry Validation in RapidArc^TM Treatment Using Cone-beam CT

This study presents the three-dimensional (3D) measurement of the dose distribution delivered using the RapidArc^TM technique and MAGAT polymer gel with cone-beam CT (CBCT) as the dose reading tool. 3D verification of clinical prostate quality assurance (QA) plan was performed and analyzed. The MAGAT normoxic polymer gel consisted of methacrylic acid (monomer purity ＞ 98%), gelatin from procine skin (type A, Sigma Aldrich), and tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium choloride (THPC) (80% solution in water). A linear accelerator (Varian) with CBCT was used for radiation delivered and CBCT as dose reader. Corresponding QA plans of RapidArc^TM plans of two prostate cancer cases were selected for dose comparison measurements. 3D gamma comparisons, dose profiles, and 3D volumes were used for evaluation. The dose response curve of the MAGAT polymer gel was acquired as x = 9.79y-13154 with R^2 = 0.9794, where y is the CT number and x is the radiation dose in cGy. The 3D gamma analysis was performed using comparisons of volumes in 90% and 80% isodose between treatment planning system calculation and gel phantom measurement for the prostate cases. In the 90% isodose covered volume, 96.3% of points were within 5%/5 mm (dose difference/distance to agreement) and 91.2% of points were within 3%/3 mm. In the 80% isodose volume, the pass rates were 98.7% and 96.1%, respectively. Excellent 3D dose measurement quality for the RapidArc^TM delivery technique was achieved with the MAGAT polymer gel and CBCT scan.
Synchronizing 10Be in two varved lake sediment records to IntCal13 14C during three grand solar minima

Abstract. Timescale uncertainties between paleoclimate reconstructions often inhibit studying the exact timing, spatial expression and driving mechanisms of climate variations. Detecting and aligning the globally common cosmogenic radionuclide production signal via a curve fitting method provides a tool for the quasi-continuous synchronization of paleoclimate archives. In this study, we apply this approach to synchronize 10Be records from varved sediments of Tiefer See and Lake Czechowskie covering the Maunder, Homeric and 5500 a BP grand solar minima with 14C production rates inferred from the IntCal13 calibration curve. Our analyses indicate best fits with 14C production rates when the 10Be records from Tiefer See were shifted for 8 (−12∕ + 4) (Maunder Minimum), 31 (−16∕ + 12) (Homeric Minimum) and 86 (−22∕ + 18) years (5500 a BP grand solar minimum) towards the past. The best fit between the Lake Czechowskie 10Be record for the 5500 a BP grand solar minimum and 14C production was obtained when the 10Be time series was shifted 29 (−8∕ + 7) years towards present. No significant fits were detected between the Lake Czechowskie 10Be records for the Maunder and Homeric minima and 14C production, likely due to intensified in-lake sediment resuspension since about 2800 a BP, transporting old 10Be to the coring location. Our results provide a proof of concept for facilitating 10Be in varved lake sediments as a novel synchronization tool required for investigating leads and lags of proxy responses to climate variability. However, they also point to some limitations of 10Be in these archives, mainly connected to in-lake sediment resuspension processes.
Belief Shocks and the Macroeconomy

I study the role of shocks to beliefs combined with Bayesian learning in a standard equilibrium business cycle framework. By adapting ideas from Cogley and Sargent (2008b) to the general equilibrium setting, I am able to study how a prior belief arising from the Great Depression may have influenced the macroeconomy during the last 75 years. In the model, households hold twisted beliefs concerning the likelihood and persistence of recession and boom states, beliefs which are only gradually unwound during subsequent years. Even though the driving stochastic process for technology is unchanged over the entire period, the nature of macroeconomic performance is altered considerably for many decades before eventually converging to the rational expectations equilibrium. This provides some evidence of the lingering effects of beliefs-twisting events on the behavior of macroeconomic variables.
Consistency in Simple vs. Complex Choices Over the Life Cycle

Employing a variant of GARP, we study consistency in aging by comparing the choices of younger adults (YA) and older adults (OA) in a 'simple', two-good and a `complex' three-good condition. We find that OA perform worse than YA in the complex condition but similar in the simple condition. Working memory scores correlate significantly with consistency levels. Finally, OA are more prone to use simple heuristics than YA, and this helps them behave consistently in the simple condition. Our findings suggest that the age-related deterioration of neural faculties responsible for working memory is an obstacle for consistent decision-making.
Planning for agglomeration economies in a polycentric region: Envisioning an efficient metropolitan core area in Flanders

To some degree, metropolitan regions owe their existence to the ability to valorize agglomeration economies. The general perception is that agglomeration economies increase with city size, which is why economists tend to propagate urbanization, in this case in the form of metropolization. Contrarily, spatial planners traditionally emphasize the negative consequences of urban growth in terms of liveability, environmental quality, and congestion. Polycentric development models have been proposed as a specific form of metropolization that allow for both agglomeration economies and higher levels of liveability and sustainability. This paper addresses the challenge of how such polycentric development can be achieved in planning practice. We introduce 'agglomeration potential maps' that visualize potential locations in a polycentric metropolitan area where positive agglomeration externalities can be optimized. These maps are utilized in the process of developing a new spatial vision for Flanders' polycentric 'metropolitan core area', commonly known as the Flemish Diamond. The spatial vision aspires to determine where predicted future population growth in the metropolitan core area could best be located, while both optimizing positive agglomeration externalities and maintaining its small-scale morphological character. Based on a literature review of optimum urban-size thresholds and our agglomeration potential maps, we document how such maps contributed to developing this spatial vision for the Flemish metropolitan core area.