Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low power-consumption quantum cascade lasers

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are promising light sources for real time high-sensitivity gas sensing in the mid-infrared region. For the practical use of QCLs as a compact and portable gas sensor, their power-consumption needs to be reduced. We report a successful operation of a low power-consumption distributed feedback (DFB) QCL. For the reduction of power consumption, we introduced a vertical-transition structure in a core region to improve carrier transition efficiency and reduced the core volume. DFB-QCL epitaxial structure was grown by low-pressure OMVPE. The core region consists of AlInAs/GaInAs superlattices lattice-matched to InP. A first-order Bragg-grating was formed near the core region to obtain a large coupling coefficiency. A mesa-strip was formed by reactive ion etching and a buried-heterostructure was fabricated by the regrowth of semi-insulating InP. High-reflective facet coatings were also performed to decrease the mirror loss for the reduction of the threshold current. A device (5x500μm) operated with a single mode in the wavelength region from 7. 23μm to 7. 27μm. The threshold current and threshold voltage under CW operation at 20 °C were 52mA and 8.4V respectively. A very low threshold power-consumption as low as 0.44 W was achieved, which is among the lowest values at room temperature to our knowledge.
Theory of the almost-highest wave: the inner solution

This paper investigates the flow near the summit of steep, progressive gravity wave when the crest is still rounded but the flow is approaching Stokes's corner flow. The natural length scale in the neighbourhood of the summit is seen to be l =q2/2g, where g denotes gravity and q is the particle speed at the crest in a reference frame moving with the wave speed. We show that a class of self-similar smooth local flows exists which satisfy the free-surface condition and which tend to Stokes's corner flow when the radial distance r becomes large compared withl. The behaviour of the solution at large values of r/l is shown to depend on the roots of the transcendental equation \[ K \tan h K = \pi/2\surd{3}. \] The two real roots correspond to a damped oscillation of the free surface decaying like (l/r)½. The positive imaginary roots correspond to perturbations vanishing like higher negative powers of r. The complete flow is calculated by transforming the domain onto the interior of a circle in the complex plane and expanding the potential at the surface in a Fourier series. The computation is checked by an independent method, based on approximating the flow by a sequence of dipoles. The profile of the surface is found to intersect its asymptote at large values of r/l. This implies that the maximum slope slightly exceeds 30°. The computed value 30·37° is in close agreement with that obtained by extrapolating the maximum slopes of steep gravity waves, as calculated by previous authors. The vertical acceleration of a particle at the crest is 0·388g. In the far field, however, the acceleration tends to the value ½g corresponding to the Stokes corner flow.
Historical and Projected Changes in Temperature Extremes Over China and the Inconsistency Between Multimodel Ensembles and Individual Models From CMIP5 and CMIP6

Historical changes and possible future projections of temperature extremes in China, in terms of return values of annual extreme temperatures, are examined based on daily maximum and minimum temperatures from station observations and multiple models of the fifth and sixth phases of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). The observations suggest that increases in temperature extremes are largely attributable to the changing mean climate, while the varying natural variability also has an important impact, which depends on the index of the variability. The models simulate warm extremes reasonably well but underestimate the spatial heterogeneity and temporal trend of cold extremes in China. In comparison, Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models have higher skill in simulating temperature extremes in China, showing smaller biases and intermodel variability. MRI‐ESM2‐0 and NorESM2‐LM from CMIP6 and GFDL‐ESM2M and NorESM1‐M from CMIP5 are selected as reference models based on the better performance in reproducing observed temperature extremes in China. In the future, projections from CMIP6 multimodel ensemble (MME, represented as the multimodel median) and reference models all show a continued uptick in temperature extremes, with statistically significant increases in warm extremes mainly in the north and increases in cold extremes prominent in most parts of China. Different individual models, which have similar historical simulations, yield divergent future trends of temperature extremes, which may be associated with different climate sensitivities of models. In addition, MME usage should be treated with caution since its smoothing on spatial heterogeneity and possible information from poor models.
Planar Inductors Using NiZn Ferrite Thin Plates And The Application To High-freouency Dc-to-dc Converters

New structure planar inductors are developed for miniaturized DC-DC converters. A thin gap is introduced into the sandwich-structured planar inductors between a pair of magnetic plates, in one of which a meander coil is embedded. Due to the thin air gap introduced, the flux density in the magnetic plates becomes uniform, resulting in low iron loss. Planar inductors using NiZn ferrite thin plates are successfully applied to a 10-W-class buck converter operated at 2 MHz. The efficiency is higher than 82%, and the effective volume of the inductor is 0.2 cm/sup 3/ (1 cm square and 2 mm thick). >
On the Theory of Nonlinear Dynamics and its Applications in Vehicle Systems Dynamics

We present a brief outline of nonlinear dynamics and its applications to vehicle systems dynamics problems. The concept of a phase space is introduced in order to illustrate the dynamics of nonlinear systems in a way that is easy to perceive. Various equilibrium states are defined, and the important case of multiple equilibrium states and their dependence on a parameter is discussed. It is argued that the analysis of nonlinear dynamic problems always should start with an analysis of the equilibrium states of the full nonlinear problem whereby great care must be taken in the choice of the numerical solvers. When the equilibrium states are known certain linearizations around one chosen state may be applied carefully in order to facilitate or speed up the numerical solution of the dynamical problem. It is argued, however, that certain problems cannot be linearized. The applications of nonlinear dynamics in vehicle simulations is discussed, and it is argued that it is necessary to know the equilibrium states .
Properties of Precipitation and In-Cloud Vertical Motion in a Global Nonhydrostatic Aquaplanet Experiment

To gain insight into properties of in-cloud vertical motion and precipitation production in the tropics, three-dimensional outputs from an aquaplanet experiment using a 3.5-km mesh global cloud-system resolving model (GCRM) were analyzed.Probability distributions of precipitation and latent heating in the 10°N–10°S domain are evaluated in comparison with Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) observations. Despite biases of generally higher precipitation top height (PTH) and deficiencies near the melting level, the model reproduced the general morphology of the precipitation and total latent heating profiles. Relationship between PTH and cloud top height (CTH) in the simulated clouds reproduced clear contrast between deep and shallow convection in active and suppressed environments, respectively. The simulated in-cloud vertical velocities were on the order of O(0.1 m s-1) in anvil clouds and O(1 m s-1) in updraft cores, as in the range of those in previous observations. Focusing on relatively strong upward motion, the maximum in-cloud vertical motion (w_max) was defined in each column. Probabilities of w_max had double peaks (z = 1–4 and 7–12 km) with minima in the middle troposphere. Vigorous upward motions most frequently occurred in the upper troposphere as the active portion of well-organized convective systems. They were often surrounded by updrafts with w_max height in the lower to middle troposphere, forming a group of updraft regions (w_max > 1 m s-1) with horizontal scale of O(10 km). In the regions of compensating subsidence, updrafts tended to be capped below the middle troposphere and small in horizontal size. In both regions the updrafts were accompanied by cold pools of their characteristic horizontal scale.Finally, time evolutions of in-cloud updrafts were analyzed to explore the roles of in-cloud updrafts at different altitude. It was found that the updrafts with w_max height in the middle troposphere produced the heaviest surface precipitation, preceded by moisture transport in the lower to middle troposphere. This suggests that middle tropospheric updrafts most efficiently produced surface precipitation through tight linkage between dynamics and cloud processes, although their occurrence was rare.
On the busy period in the queueing system GI/G/1

A number of authors have studied busy period problems for particular cases of the general single-server queueing system. For example, using the now standard notation of Kendall [7], GI/M/1 was studied by Conolly [3] and Takacs [18]. Earlier work on M/M/1 includes that of Ledermann and Reuter [8] and Bailey [1]. Kendall [6], Takacs [17], and Prabhu [11] have considered M/G/1.
Intense dayside Joule heating during the 5 April 2010 geomagnetic storm recovery phase observed by AMIE and AMPERE

[1] When the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is northward, dawnward, or duskward, magnetic merging between the IMF and the geomagnetic field occurs near the cusp of the magnetosphere. While these periods are usually considered “quiet,” they can lead to intense, but highly localized, energy deposition into the dayside ionosphere. We identify such an occurrence during a series of two geomagnetic storms on 5 April 2010. Using data from the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE) for the first time as an input to the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) algorithm, we show that during the recovery phase of the first storm there is intense ionospheric Joule heating in the dayside polar regions. This is associated with an intense field-aligned current pair near the noon meridian that is associated with northward IMF and a strong IMF By component. AMIE outputs are used to drive the thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere electrodynamics general circulation model to demonstrate that the intense levels of Joule heating can lead to anomalous thermospheric density enhancements and traveling disturbances.
The clustering of blue and red galaxies at B ,...." 25.5 mag

Deep CCD imaging at the Isaac Newton Telescope provided a sample of '" 7000 faint galaxies, with B - R colours, to faint limits of B ~ 25.5 mag and R ~ 24.5 mag. The number counts of these galaxies are consistent with the previous galaxy number counts of Metcalfe et al. and Tyson, showing at faint magnitudes an excess above non-evolving predictions, consisting of galaxies with moderately blue colours of 0.0 -::;,B - R -::;, 1.5. The number of redder (B - R > 1.5) galaxies did not exceed the non-evolving prediction. We calculate the angular correlation function, w (8), of these faint galaxies, and compare with the predictions of new models which take into account the observed dependence of galaxy clustering properties on morphology and luminosity. In agreement with previous studies (e.g., by Roche et al.), the w (8) amplitude of faint galaxies in our data set is found to fall well below the predictions of models in which galaxy clustering remains stable in proper coordinates and the redshift distribution N(z) has a non~evolving form, suggesting that the faint galaxy N(z) is more extended than this and includes a high proportion of z > 1 galaxies. We find that a pure luminosity evolution model, with a steep luminosity function for late-type galaxies, a significant increase with redshift in the star-forming activity of Sab and Sbc spirals, and mild dust-reddening, gives a good fit to both the galaxy number counts and the w(8) results, as obtained from this data set and from other published CCD surveys. However, the peak in the faint galaxy colour distribution is closer to B - R ~ 0.8 than to the bluer colour of B - R ~ 0.4 predicted by our model (the reason for this discrepancy remains unclear). The w (8) amplitude of the redder (B - R > 1.5) galaxies in our sample appears to be higher than that of the bluer (B - R 23 is caused by the same blue galaxies that produce the excess in the number counts at these magnitudes. The colour dependence of w (8) is well fitted by our PLE model, in which, at B '" 25, almost all of the redder galaxies would lie at z < 1, while the bluer galaxy subsample would consist of both dwarf late-type galaxies at low/moderate redshifts and evolving L '" L * galaxies widely distributed in redshift from z '" 0.5 out to z '" 3, giving a much morp, extended N(z), and consequently a lower w(8) amplitude, for bluer galaxies. The stronger clustering of the redder galaxies suggests that galaxy clustering is approximately stable (e = 0) out to at least z'" 0.6, and therefore that the low w (8) amplitude of the full sample does not result simply from very rapid evolution of the clustering of all galaxies. These results may argue against models, such as merging-dominated models, in which the excess blue galaxies are confined to lower redshifts. The excess blue galaxies could only lie within a no-evolution N(z) if they belong to a separate
Projecting Monthly Natural Gas Sales for Space Heating Using a Monthly Updated Model and Degree-days from Monthly Outlooks

Abstract The problem of projecting monthly residential natural gas sales and evaluating interannual changes in demand is investigated using a linear regression model adjusted monthly. with lagged monthly heating degree-days as the independent variable. The relationship between sales and degree-day data for customers of Columbia Gas Company (serving the Columbus, Ohio, area) is studied for a 20-yr period ending in June 1990. Analysis of the phases of the monthly billed sales and the degree-day data indicated that monthly sales reports lagged degree-days and gas consumption by 15 days on average. Running 12-month regressions of Columbia Gas sales on 15-day-lagged degree-days show that lagged degree-days explain, on average, 97% of the variability in the monthly sales reports for the study years. Annualized trends in the regression coefficients indicate changes in consumption due to conservation and changes in price. Since 197475 the trends indicate declines of 50% in non-weather- sensitive sales per custom.
Relative contributions to the plasmon line shape of metal nanoshells

Nanoshells are mesoscopic particles consisting of a dielectric core coated with a metal shell, in particular gold or silver, of uniform nanometer scale thickness. This topology supports plasmon excitations with frequencies that are sensitively dependent on the relative radii of the nanoparticle's core and shell. The plasmon linewidth for this geometry is typically quite broad, nominally 100 nm or more in wavelength at plasmon resonance wavelengths in the near infrared. Several distinct physical mechanisms control the plasmon lineshape: phase retardation effects, including multipolar plasmon contributions; inhomogeneous broadening due to core and shell size distributions; and electron scattering at the shell interfaces. These mechanisms are examined in terms of their relative contributions to the plasmon line shape for nanoshells fabricated with diameters of 100-250 nm.
Forward Modeling of Hot Loop Oscillations Observed by SUMER and SXT

An example of hot active region loop oscillations observed by SUMER and SXT is presented. The hypothesis that a fundamental mode standing slow sausage (acoustic) wave is initiated by a footpoint microflare is tested and confirmed using a forward modeling approach. The oscillation is set up immediately after the heating pulse. The duration, temporal behavior, and total heat input of the microflare are estimated using the oscillation parameters. The rapid energy release is followed by cooling. The time-distance profile of the heating rate along the loop is recovered using the intensity and Doppler-shift time series. Hot loop oscillations are mainly observed in the Doppler shift. The absence of intensity oscillations in this and similar cases is explained. It is also found that the intensity oscillation, unlike the Doppler shift oscillation, undergoes half a period phase variation when the background intensity passes through its maximum, thus making it more difficult to detect.
Complete Recovery of Acanthamoeba Motility among Surviving Organisms after Contact Lens Care Disinfection

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a sight-threatening infection of the cornea which is extremely challenging to treat. Understanding this organism’s responses during contact lens contact and disinfection could enhance our understanding of how Acanthamoebae colonize contact lens cases, better inform us on contact lens care solution (CLC) efficacy, and help us better understand the efficacy required of CLC products. To explore this gap in knowledge, we used Acanthamoeba ATCC 30461 and ATCC 50370 trophozoites to examine Acanthamoeba behavior during and after CLC disinfection. Amoebae were added to sterile aluminum flow cells and flow cell solutions were changed to Ringer’s solution (control), or one of four CLCs based on biocides (PHMB, PAPB/Polyquad, Polyquad/Aldox, or Polyquad/Alexidine) for 6 h. Each flow cell solution was then changed to axenic culture media (AC6) for 12 h to determine the behavior of amoebae following disinfection. Distance, speed, and displacement were calculated for each organism. As compared to the control of one-quarter Ringer’s solution, each CLC significantly impacted Acanthamoeba motility in both the CLC and AC6 conditions. However, the amoebae challenged with the PHMB CLC traveled a significantly greater total distance than with the other three CLCs, indicating differences in effectiveness between biocides. Furthermore, amoebae regaining motility post-disinfection by CLCs were observed to travel considerable distances and thus could be considered dangerous to ocular health. We determined that while all CLCs produced a substantial or complete cessation of movement vs. the control condition during disinfection, those which relied on the Polyquad biocides were the most effective, and that any amoebae which survived disinfection were able to recover motility. Future examinations of these findings should include direct correlations between motility and viability, and how infectivity and motility may be related.
A probabilistic theory of electromagnetic wave scattering from a slightly random surface 2. Vertical polarization

The scattering of an electromagnetic wave from an infinite random surface is studied by the probabilistic method developed in a previous paper. For a vertical polarized plane wave incident on a slightly random and perfectly conductive surface a new stochastic wave solution involving multiple scattering is obtained. The stochastic solution is free from the divergence difficulty as in the small perturbation method but gives an anomaly such that for a grazing angle of incidence the coherent scattering almost disappears and instead the incoherent scattering becomes dominant. In terms of the stochastic solution, a number of statistical properties of the scattering are calculated concretely for a perfectly conductive surface, such as the complex amplitude of the coherent scattering, the variance of the electric field, the optical theorem describing the power relation between the coherent and the incoherent scattering, the angular distribution of the incoherent scattering, the scattering cross section per unit area, and the surface wave flow, which are all illustrated in the figures.
Medical Conditions and Preference of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Results from the China Healthcare Improvement Evaluation Survey

Purpose Although complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used around the world, there has been a lack of comprehensive understanding of major factors affecting patients’ decision to use CAM. This study aimed to describe the preferences of Chinese patients regarding what conditions they will use Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for and to determine the factors associated with these preferences. Patients and Methods This study used data from the China Healthcare Improvement Evaluation Survey in January 2021, a national cross-sectional survey conducted at 163 hospitals across 31 provinces. A convenient sampling method was used to conduct the patient satisfaction survey, and 28,993 patients in an ambulatory setting constituted our study sample on TCM use. A multiple-choice question regarding TCM listed nine medical conditions and asked the patient about what condition he/she and his/her family members would use TCM. In addition to descriptive statistics, we used a binary logistic regression model to investigate factors affecting the likelihood of patients’ decision to use TCM for multiple conditions. Results The majority of the surveyed patients (76.3%) would use TCM for the purpose of disease prevention, and more than half (67.3%) for multiple medical/health conditions, 34.0% for dealing with chronic diseases, 33.0% for common symptoms, 26.9% for rehabilitation, and 26.3% for sleeping disorder. Female and older patients, as well as patients with a higher education level, urban residency, and higher family income, were found to be associated with a higher probability of using TCM for multiple conditions than their counterparts (odd ratios [OR]>1, P<0.05). Conclusion This study reveals a preference for TCM in a large sample of Chinese patients, especially used for prevention. Generally, patients with a higher socioeconomic status had a more positive attitude toward TCM.
Assessment of Existing Gaps among Genders in Maize Value-Chain in Northern Nigeria

Equitable access to production resources, inputs, and technologies by men, women, and youth is a critical success factor for improved livelihoods of maize farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study was conducted to assess the existing gaps among different genders in the maize production value chain in selected northern States of Nigeria. A field survey was conducted in five major maize-producing States of Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, and Adamawa. Structured questionnaires were administered to 450 maize farming households across the five selected States using a simple random sampling technique. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) were in the study area. The Integrating Gender into Agricultural Value Chains (INGIA-VC) Analytical Framework was employed to develop the tools for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results showed that over 82% of the sampled farm households in each State were male-headed households, whilst only 18% were female-headed households. Male farmers cultivated an average 4.2 ha of farmland compared to 1.8 ha cultivated by female farmers for maize production. Male farmers have more access to other production inputs like fertilizers than female farmers. More female farmers (22%) than male farmers (7.6%) purchase improved seeds directly from seed companies. Maize productivity by male farmers was consistently higher (2–2.5 t ha-1) than female farmers that recorded an average of 0.24 t ha-1 across the States. The lower participation of female farmers in maize production compared to male farmers was attributed to the socio-cultural and religious restrictions placed on females that exclude them from public engagements in northern Nigeria. Awareness creation through the traditional rulers and mechanization of some practices will engender more women and youth participation in maize cultivation.