Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability of SiC Power Devices against Cosmic Ray Neutron Single-Event Burnout

High-energy neutrons produced by cosmic ray interactions with our atmosphere are known to cause single-event burnout (SEB) failure in power devices operating at high fields. We have performed accelerated high-energy neutron SEB testing of SiC and Si power devices at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANCSE). Comparing Wolfspeed SiC MOSFETs having different voltage (900V – 3300V) and current (3.5A – 72A) ratings, we find a universal behavior when scaling failure rates by active area, and scaling drain bias by avalanche voltage. Moreover, diodes and MOSFETs behave similarly, revealing that the SiC drift dominates the failure characteristics for both device types. This universal scaling holds for SiC MOSFETs from other manufacturers as well. The SEB characteristics of Si power IGBT and MOSFET devices show that near their rated voltages failure rates of Si devices can be 10X higher than that of comparable SiC MOSFET devices. Thus, Si devices are more susceptible to SEB failure from voltage overshoot conditions.
Flexural behavior of ultra‐high‐performance fiber reinforced concrete beams with low and high reinforcement ratios

In the study, the effects of using ultra‐high‐performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) on deflection and curvature ductilities, moment capacities, flexural stiffness, and cracking behaviors of beams were experimentally investigated. Eight singly reinforced beams with four tensile reinforcement ratios (0.009, 0.019, 0.028, and 0.043) were tested under four‐point loading to create a pure moment behavior in the mid region. The evaluations were made by comparing the UHPFRC beams and non‐fiber beams containing UHPFRC matrix without steel fiber. Straight micro‐steel fibers with volumetric ratio of 1.5% were used in the UHPFRC matrix. The results of study indicate that the use of UHPFRC for beams having especially high reinforcement ratios provides significant advantages in terms of the considered parameters. Especially high compressive strength and deformation capacity of the UHPFRC allow the use of high reinforcement ratios in beams which results in more economical sizes as long as the beam deflections ensure for both the serviceability and the ultimate limit states. In this study, however, the simplified numerical approach developed for the flexural design of fiber reinforced concrete was applied to the UHPFRC beams, as well.
Priming App Information Privacy Concerns in Mobile Ecosystems

In the course of experiential computing privacy is entering personal space. Due to the implementation of all kinds of sensors and computing in everyday life of users, their privacy is at high risk. The high risk of privacy is strengthened by the classification of mobile app download decisions in mobile ecosystems as low effort processes. The article follows the call of Dinev et al. (2015) to investigate the influences of behavioral economics on privacy decisions. The paper provides the development of an app information privacy concern and six independent experiments in the field of priming information privacy with altogether 1954 participants. The results support the assumption of app decision-making as low effort process and indicate the influence of priming on individuals' information privacy concerns. This research contributes to increasing importance of understanding individuals' behavior in digital ecosystems.
Analytical design model for a piezo-composite unimorph actuator and its verification using lightweight piezo-composite curved actuators

This paper describes an analytical design model for a layered piezo-composite unimorph actuator and its numerical and experimental verification using a LIPCA (lightweight piezo-composite curved actuator) that is lighter than other conventional piezo-composite type actuators. The LIPCA is composed of top fiber composite layers with high modulus and low CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion), a middle PZT ceramic wafer, and base layers with low modulus and high CTE. The advantages of the LIPCA design are to replace the heavy metal layer of THUNDER by lightweight fiber-reinforced plastic layers without compromising the generation of high force and large displacement and to have design flexibility by selecting the fiber direction and the number of prepreg layers. In addition to the lightweight advantage and design flexibility, the proposed device can be manufactured without adhesive layers when we use a resin prepreg system. A piezo-actuation model for a laminate with piezo-electric material layers and fiber composite layers is proposed to predict the curvature and residual stress of the LIPCA. To predict the actuation displacement of the LIPCA with curvature, a finite element analysis method using the proposed piezo-actuation model is introduced. The predicted deformations are in good agreement with the experimental ones.
High-Pressure Phase Transitions of Cubic Y2O3 under High Pressures by In-situ Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction

High-pressure phase transitions of cubic Y2O3 are investigated using in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell up to 36.3 GPa. The pressure-induced phase transitions of cubic Y2O3, which display apparent inconsistencies in previous studies, are verified to be from a cubic phase to a monoclinic phase and further to a hexagonal phase at 11.7 and 21.6 GPa, respectively. The hexagonal Y2O3 displays noticeable anisotropic compressibility due to its layered structure and it is stable up to the highest pressure in the present study. A third-order Birch–Murnaghan fit based on the observed pressure-volume data yields zero pressure bulk moduli of 180(3), 196(7) and 177(7) GPa for cubic, monoclinic and hexagonal phases, respectively.
Isomer effect in the total electron impact ionization cross section of cyclopropane and propene (C3H6)

The Deutsch-Märk (DM) formalism was used to calculate absolute total electron impact ionization cross sections for the two C3H6 isomers cyclopropane (-H2C-CH2-CH2-) and propene (H2C=CH-CH3). The agreement between the calculated cross sections and the experimentally determined cross sections (Nishimura H and Tawara H 1994 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 27 2063) is excellent in terms of the absolute magnitude for impact energies below 100 eV and satisfactory for higher impact energies. However, the DM calculation does not reproduce the slight isomer effect that was found in the experimental data: i.e. the measured ionization cross section for propene was found to be larger by a few per cent than the cross section for cyclopropane.
THE WOLF–RAYET CONTENT OF M31

Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars are evolved massive stars, and the relative number of WC-type and WN-type WRs should vary with the metallicity of the host galaxy, providing a sensitive test of stellar evolutionary theory. However, past studies of the WR content of M31 have been biased toward detecting WC stars, as their emission-line signatures are much stronger than those of WNs. Here, we present the results of a survey covering all of M31's optical disk (2.2 deg2), with sufficient sensitivity to detect the weaker-lined WN types. We identify 107 newly found WR stars, mostly of WN type. This brings the total number of spectroscopically confirmed WRs in M31 to 154, a number we argue is complete to ∼95%, except in regions of unusually high reddening. This number is consistent with what we expect from the integrated Hα luminosity compared to that of M33. The majority of these WRs formed in OB associations around the Population I ring, although 5% are truly isolated. Both the relative number of WC- to WN-type stars as well as the WC subtype distribution suggest that most WRs exist in environments with higher-than-solar metallicities, which is consistent with studies of M31's metallicity. Although the WC to WN ratio we find for M31 is much lower than that found by previous studies, it is still higher than what the Geneva evolutionary models predict. This may suggest that Roche-lobe overflow produces the excess of WC stars observed at high metallicity, or that the assumed rotational velocities in the models are too high.
Calendar and Question-List Survey Methods: Association Between Interviewer Behaviors and Data Quality

Insights are provided on the role of retrieval and conversational properties of Event History Calendars (EHCs) that promote higher quality retrospective reports than do standardized question-list (Q-list) methods. A verbal behavior coding analysis of 218 EHC and 197 Q-list interviews revealed significantly more behaviors in the EHC condition that indicated the use of timeline retrieval strategies and conversational engagement. Analyses of data quality measures demonstrate that there is not a significantly greater degree of interviewer variation on data quality in the EHC method. Better data quality was associated with a higher prevalence of retrieval cues, a greater degree of response openness, and lower levels of cognitive difficulty and rapport. The association of data quality and verbal behavior also interacted with method: retrieval cues and cognitive difficulty were directly associated with EHC response quality and indirectly associated with Q-list quality; rapport behaviors had a more detrimental effect on Q-list data quality.
Solving inverse problems for ordinary differential equations using the Picard contraction mapping

(1) On page 752, just below equation (19), the sentence `If x0 is not considered . are simply removed' should be replaced by `If x0 is not considered to be a variational parameter then the first row and column of the above matrix (as well as the first element of each column vector) are simply removed and the entries on the right side of the equation adjusted to (x-x0)gi, 0 i N. (2) We regret that faint lines in figure 1 on page 755 did not reproduce clearly in the paper edition of the journal. This arose from a technical problem with a new printing technology, using electronic files instead of conventional camera-ready hard copy. While this new technology yields improved printing of many figures, it failed to accommodate thin lines in the PostScript code of this particular figure. This problem was confined to the paper edition and a legible image appeared in the online edition of the journal. The correct figure is reproduced below. Figure 1. Graphical results for example 3, .
Digital Closed-Loop Control Strategy to Maintain the Phase Shift of a Multi-Channel BCM Boost Converter for PFC Applications

This paper presents a novel closed-loop digital control scheme to maintain proper interleaving operation of a multi-channel boundary-conduction-mode boost converter used in power-factor-correction applications. The proposed control scheme is suitable for implementation on a low-cost microcontroller. This is made possible by executing the control scheme at a constant sampling rate that is much slower than the maximum switching frequency of the converter. The performance of the control scheme is further improved by using an adaptive gain that scales with the on-time of the converter, which provides optimal phase-shift control and stability under all operating conditions. The digital closed-loop control scheme is validated experimentally on a three-channel 1-kW prototype ac–dc converter. The converter has an output voltage of 400 V and a universal input voltage range of 85–265 V. The prototype converter uses a low-cost microcontroller while demonstrating correct interleaving operation.
Designing a Rogowski Coil with Particle Swarm Optimization

Rogowski coils are inductive sensors based on Faraday’s and Ampère’s Laws to measure currents through conductors without galvanic contact. The main advantage of Rogowski coils when compared with current transformers is the fact that the core is air so they never saturate and the upper cut-off current can be higher. These characteristics make Rogowski coils ideal candidates to measure high-amplitude pulsed currents. However, there are two main drawbacks. On the one hand, the output voltage is the derivative of the primary current so it has to be integrated to measure the original signal; on the other hand, the transfer function is resonant as a result of the capacitance and the self-inductance of the coil. The solution is the use of a passive integration with a terminating resistor at the output of the sensor that splits the two complex poles and gives a constant transfer function for a determined bandwidth. The downside is a loss of sensitivity. Since it is possible to calculate the electrical parameters of the coil based on its geometrical dimensions, the geometry can be adapted to design sensors for different applications depending on the time characteristics of the input current. This paper proposes the design of Rogowski coils based on their geometric characteristics maximizing the gain-bandwidth product using particle swarm optimization and adapting the coils to the specific requirements of the application.
Exploring lane change safety issues for manually driven vehicles in vehicle platooning environments

Vehicle platooning, a beneficial feature of automated driving environments, is likely to affect the lane change behaviour of manually driven vehicles (MVs) because identifying proper gaps in vehicle platoons in the target lane will be more difficult than in the current non-platooning environment. These interactions between MVs and automated vehicles (AVs) could lead to a higher potential for unstable traffic flow, which is closely associated with traffic safety issues. The objective of this study was to investigate the lane change characteristics of MVs in AV platooning environments using driving simulator experiments. This research found that MV drivers tend to show more radical driving behaviour, as indicated by greater steering magnitude and steering velocity when they change lanes into the platooning vehicles' lane. Therefore, novel traffic operations strategies to manage MVs and AVs effectively are required to ensure traffic safety, which will be conducted by a future study.
Comparison of area spectra in loop quantum gravity

We compare two area spectra proposed in loop quantum gravity in different approaches to compute the entropy of the Schwarzschild black hole. We describe the black hole in general microcanonical and canonical area ensembles for these spectra. We show that in the canonical ensemble, the results for all statistical quantities for any spectrum can be reproduced by a heuristic picture of Bekenstein up to second order. For one of these spectra, the equally spaced spectrum, in light of a proposed connection of the black-hole area spectrum to the quasinormal mode spectrum and following Preprint hep-th/0304135, we present explicit calculations to argue that this spectrum is completely consistent with this connection. This follows without requiring a change in the gauge group of the spin degrees of freedom in this formalism from SU(2) to SO(3). We also show that independent of the area spectrum, the degeneracy of the area observable is bounded by CAexp(A/4), where A is measured in Planck units and C is a constant of order unity.
How do Practitioners Perceive the Relevance of Requirements Engineering Research?

Context: The relevance of Requirements Engineering (RE) research to practitioners is vital for a long-term dissemination of research results to everyday practice. Some authors have speculated about a mismatch between research and practice in the RE discipline. However, there is not much evidence to support or refute this perception. Objective: This article presents the results of a study aimed at gathering evidence from practitioners about their perception of the relevance of RE research and at understanding the factors that influence that perception. Method: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey of industry practitioners with expertise in RE. The participants rated the perceived relevance of 435 scientific papers presented at five top RE-related conferences. Results: The 153 participants provided a total of 2,164 ratings. The practitioners rated RE research as essential or worthwhile in a majority of cases. However, the percentage of non-positive ratings is still higher than we would like. Among the factors that affect the perception of relevance are the research's links to industry, the research method used, and respondents’ roles. The reasons for positive perceptions were primarily related to the relevance of the problem and the soundness of the solution, while the causes for negative perceptions were more varied. The respondents also provided suggestions for future research, including topics researchers have studied for decades, like elicitation or requirement quality criteria. Conclusions: The study is valuable for both researchers and practitioners. Researchers can use the reasons respondents gave for positive and negative perceptions and the suggested research topics to help make their research more appealing to practitioners and thus more prone to industry adoption. Practitioners can benefit from the overall view of contemporary RE research by learning about research topics that they may not be familiar with, and compare their perception with those of their colleagues to self-assess their positioning towards more academic research.
Study of lithography profiles developed on non-planar Si surfaces

A tested, verified, and calibrated lithography simulator, based on cellular automata, is used to study phenomena, the effects of which are becoming more pronounced as the integrated circuits (ICs) are pushed deeper into the nanometre region. Lithography profiles developed on non-planar Si surfaces, where a step or a sloped line is present, were studied. Numerical experiments that elucidate effects such as the resist surface roughness on the developed profiles, as well as the effect of defects located into the resist bulk, in the presence of non-planar Si surfaces, are also presented. These effects are expected to be more pronounced as the integrated circuits are pushed deeper into the nanometre region.
Diffusion of Cosmic Rays in the Expanding Universe. I.

We present an analytic solution of the diffusion equation for high-energy cosmic rays in the expanding universe. The particles are assumed to be ultrarelativistic, and they can have energy losses arbitrarily dependent on energy and time. The obtained solution generalizes the Syrovatsky solution, valid for the case when energy losses and the diffusion coefficient are time independent.
Sterile neutrinos for warm dark matter and the reactor anomaly in flavor symmetry models

We construct a flavor symmetry model based on the tetrahedral group A4 in which the right-handed neutrinos from the seesaw mechanism can be both keV warm dark matter particles and eV-scale sterile neutrinos. This is achieved by giving the right-handed neutrinos appropriate charges under the same Froggatt-Nielsen symmetry responsible for the hierarchy of the charged lepton masses. We discuss the effect of next-to-leading order corrections to deviate the zeroth order tri-bimaximal mixing. Those corrections have two sources: (i) higher order seesaw terms, which are important when the seesaw particles are eV-scale, and (ii) higher-dimensional effective operators suppressed by additional powers of the cut-off scale of the theory. Whereas the mixing angles of the active neutrinos typically receive corrections of the same order, the mixing of the sterile neutrinos with the active ones is rather stable as it is connected with a hierarchy of mass scales. We also modify an effective A4 model to incorporate keV-scale sterile neutrinos.
Does quantum field theory enforce the averaged weak energy condition?

The renormalized expectation value of a quantum stress-energy tensor generally violates the local positive-energy conditions of general relativity. It has been recently discovered that the averaged weak energy condition, which requires the positivity of energy only when suitably averaged along null geodesics, is satisfied in all quantum states of any scalar quantum field theory on Minkowski spacetime. The author shows that this averaged energy condition also holds on an arbitrarily curved two-dimensional background for a conformally-coupled scalar field, provided the background spacetime satisfies certain asymptotic regularity requirements. These results raise the intriguing possibility that the averaged weak energy condition might hold quite generally for quantum field theory in a four-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetime.
New statistical analysis of tunnel diode barriers

A new analysis of rare events in quantum tunnelling is applied to experimental data from semiconductor tunnelling devices. For single AlAs barriers in a proposed microwave detector diode, sub 0.1 nm precision must be achieved for both the average barrier thickness and the rms deviation of that thickness, if the specification of systems designers are to be met. In multibarrier tunnel systems the statistics of the thickest barrier determine the spread of electrical properties.
Negative quasi-probability as a resource for quantum computation

A central problem in quantum information is to determine the minimal physical resources that are required for quantum computational speed-up and, in particular, for fault-tolerant quantum computation. We establish a remarkable connection between the potential for quantum speed-up and the onset of negative values in a distinguished quasi-probability representation, a discrete analogue of the Wigner function for quantum systems of odd dimension. This connection allows us to resolve an open question on the existence of bound states for magic state distillation: we prove that there exist mixed states outside the convex hull of stabilizer states that cannot be distilled to non-stabilizer target states using stabilizer operations. We also provide an efficient simulation protocol for Clifford circuits that extends to a large class of mixed states, including bound universal states.
Comparing Chlorination and Chloramination for Controlling Bacterial Regrowth

The Greater Vancouver (B.C.) Water District compared chlorine and chloramine as secondary disinfectants and their effects on bacterial regrowth in a distribution system supplied with disinfected, unfiltered surface water. The selected section of the distribution system was divided into three areas; a control area that received no secondary disinfectant, an area that received free chlorine as the secondary disinfectant, and an area that received chloramine
Fault location and classification of combined transmission system: Economical and accurate statistic programming framework

An effective statistical feature extraction approach of data sampling of fault in the combined transmission system is presented in this paper. The proposed algorithm leads to high accuracy at minimum cost to predict fault location and fault type classification. This algorithm requires impedance measurement data from one end of the transmission line. Modal decomposition is used to extract positive sequence impedance. Then, the fault signal is decomposed by using discrete wavelet transform. Statistical sampling is used to extract appropriate fault features as benchmark of decomposed signal to train classifier. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used to illustrate the performance of statistical sampling performance. The overall time of sampling is not exceeding 1¼ cycles, taking into account the interval time. The proposed method takes two steps of sampling. The first step takes ¾ cycle of during-fault and the second step takes ¼ cycle of post fault impedance. The interval time between the two steps is assumed to be ¼ cycle. Extensive studies using MATLAB software show accurate fault location estimation and fault type classification of the proposed method. The classifier result is presented and compared with well-established travelling wave methods and the performance of the algorithms are analyzed and discussed.