Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative comparison of river inflows to a rapidly expanding lake in central Tibetan Plateau

The recent rapid expansion of inland lakes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are a good indicator of the consequences of climate change. Quantifying the hydrological cycle of the lake basin is fundamentally important to understand the causes of lake growth. However, the hydrological processes of the TP interior are very complex and difficult to investigate because of the lack of observations. This is especially true for estimating the lake changes when run‐off inflows are affected by small lakes located in the flow routes within drainage areas. We used an integrated hydrological model, in combination with glacier melt and lake retention models, to analyse the run‐off inflows to Lake Siling Co, the largest endorheic lake in Tibet. It includes four subdrainage basins: Zhajiazangbu, Zhagenzangbu, Alizangbu, and Boquzangbu. Lake Siling Co was characterized by considerable increases during warm season from 1981 to 2012, due to the increased run‐off from Zhajiazangbu accounting for about 51–62% of the total run‐off inflows. Moreover, the dramatic increases exhibited during cold seasons were related to the increased retention water released from the small lakes within Zhagenzangbu and Alizangbu. Of the studied subdrainage basins, Boquzangbu contributed the least during both warm and cold seasons. On average, the annual amount of evaporation from lakes within the drainage area was about 2 times greater than that of glacier melt run‐off. Our results suggest that the retention effects of lakes on river inflows should receive more attention, because understanding these effects is potentially crucial to improved understanding of lake variations in the TP.
Implosion dynamics of long-pulse wire array Z pinches

Recent improvements in Z-pinch wire array load design at Sandia National Laboratories have led to a substantial increase in pinch performance as measured by radiated powers of up to 280 TW in 4 ns and 1.8 MJ of total radiated energy. Next generation, higher-current machines will allow for larger mass arrays and comparable or higher velocity implosions to be reached, possibly extending these results. As the current is pushed above 20 MA, a conventional machine design based on a 100 ns implosion time results in higher voltages, hence higher cost and power flow risk. Another approach, which shifts the risk to the load configuration, is to increase the implosion time to minimize the voltage. This approach is being investigated in a series of experimental campaigns on the Saturn [C. Deeney et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 3576 (1999)] and Z [R. B. Spielman et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 2105 (1998)] machines. In this paper, both experimental and two-dimensional computational modeling of the first long implosion time Z experiments will be presented. The experimental data shows broader pulses, lower powers, and larger pinch diameters compared to the corresponding short pulse data. By employing a nested array configuration, the pinch diameter was reduced by 50% with a corresponding increase in power of >30%. Numerical simulations suggest that load velocity is the dominating mechanism behind these results.
Automatic generation of linear programming problems for computer aided instruction

The paper presents a method for generating random linear programming problems with a previously selected type of solution. The user can choose a problem whose solution is unbounded, bounded for minima, maxima or both, unique or multiple, with given structure, at wish. Initially, the feasible solution of the LPP is generated as the sum of a linear space, a cone, and a polytope, depending on the desired properties of the solution. With the aim of obtaining a simple set of constraints, the generators of these three structures are selected as random vectors with integer simple components, the range of which can be given. Next, an objective function that satisfies the required conditions, i.e. leads to a solution of the desired type, is obtained. The generating algorithms have been implemented in Mathematica and some illustrative examples are given to clarify the generation process. With this tool, a LPP can be generated, according to the instructor requirements, where this is a human or an expert system. They can control student progress and generate a sequence of problems covering all possible cases, in steps of increasing difficulty. Combining this tool with another (also produced by the same authors) that solves the problems and explains the whole process, step by step, a computer aided module for learning LPP, which is completely autonomous, can be easily obtained.
Elasticity and piezomagnetism in pentagonal and icosahedral quasi-crystals: a group-theoretical study

The maximum number of independent third-order elastic and second-order piezomagnetic constants required by the seven pentagonal point groups 5, 5, 10, 52, 5m, 52m, and 10m2 and the two icosahedral point groups 235 and 2/m35 that represent the symmetries of quasi-crystals in two and three dimensions are obtained in this paper. The non-vanishing and independent tensor components needed by each of these nine point groups with fivefold rotations are identified and tabulated. The results of this group-theoretical study are briefly discussed and summarized.
Numerical solution of the Abel integral equation: application to plasma spectroscopy

A direct interpolation method using spline functions is suggested for the inversion of the Abel integral equation. The continuous derivatives of these functions allow a better resolution of the first derivative involved in the integral. The exact calculation of the integral is presented for a polynomial of degree p. The method is easy to apply: the programme presented is very short and the results are very accurate.
Preliminary study on the performance of biomorphic silicon carbide as substrate for diesel particulate filters

This paper presents the results of a preliminary experimental study to assess the performance of biomorphic silicon carbide when used for the abatement of soot particles in the exhaust of Diesel engines. Given its optimal thermal and mechanical properties, silicon carbide is one of the most popular substrates in commercial diesel particulate filters. Biomorphic silicon carbide is known for having, besides, a hierarchical porous microstructure and the possibility of tailoring that microstructure through the selection of a suitable wood precursor. An experimental rig was designed and built to be integrated within an engine test bench that allowed to characterizing small lab-scale biomorphic silicon carbide filter samples. A particle counter was used to measure the particles distribution before and after the samples, while a differential pressure sensor was used to measure their pressure drop during the soot loading process. The experimental campaign yielded promising results: for the flow rate conditions that the measuring devices imposed (1 litre per minute; space velocity = 42,000 L/h), the samples showed initial efficiencies above 80%, pressure drops below 20 mbar, and a low increase in the pressure drop with the soot load which allows to reach almost 100% efficiency with an increase in pressure drop lower than 15%, when the soot load is still less than 0.01 g/L. It shows the potential of this material and the interest for advancing in more complex diesel particle filter designs based on the results of this work.
Factors affecting the reproductive performance of barbary partridges in cereal croplands of Northwestern Morocco: the role of timing of breeding and vegetation cover at fine-scale

In Morocco, the barbary partridge (Alectoris barbara) is the major game species, highly valued by the nation’s hunters. Until recently little was known about factors affecting reproductive parameters of this species on cereal croplands in North Africa. In 2018, 51 nests were found and analyzed across two agricultural areas of Northwestrn Morocco (AGR1 and AGR2). In this work, I assessed the relevance of a set of environmental and anthropogenic variables in predicting the clutch size and number of chicks hatched per nest, by means of generalised linear mixed models (GLMM). The average clutch size and hatching success per nest were 12.26 (± 0.57) and 9.26 (± 0.95), respectively. In the two sites, clutch-size increased as the date advanced, but was significantly larger in AGR1 (13.17 ± 0.84, n = 26) than in AGR2 (11.20 ± 0.70, n = 25). The number of chicks hatched per nest increased over time but also with the increase of the vegetation cover at fine-scale. Barbary partridge reproductive parameters were neither affected by landscape nor anthropogenic variables. I discuss these findings and their ecological, and future research implications. I recommended to pursuit the investigations, while considering imperatively the age/sex ratios and predation pressure.
Silicon dioxide microcantilever with piezoresistive element integrated for portable ultraresoluble gaseous detection

Surface-stress sensing microcantilevers with on-chip signal readout are demanded for on-the-spot ultrasensitive biological/chemical detection. For enlarging the bending of the cantilever under surface stress induced by specific reaction, a novel SiO2 cantilever is developed which features much lower Young’s modulus than conventional Si or SiNx cantilevers. Thin single-crystalline-silicon piezoresistors are integrated with the SiO2 cantilevers for electric readout. For improving resolution, the piezoresistors are fully encapsulated by SiO2. Thus, the piezoresistors with SiO2 isolation show much lower leakage-related noise than those with p-n junction isolation. Following the description of microfabrication process, this letter gives the sensing model and discusses the thermal mechanism of the piezoresistive SiO2 cantilever. With a specific self-assembled monolayer functionalized on the cantilever surface, on-chip detection for the vapor of trinitrotoluene is performed with a resolution of about 20ppt (part.
A Three-dimensional View of Molecular Hydrogen in SN 1987A

SN 1987A is the only young supernova (SN) in which H2 has been detected in the ejecta. The properties of H2 are important for understanding the explosion and the ejecta chemistry. Here we present new Very Large Telescope/SINFONI observations of H2 in SN 1987A, focusing on the 2.12 μm (1,0)S(1) line. We find that the 3D emissivity is dominated by a single clump in the southern ejecta, with weaker emission being present in the north along the plane of the circumstellar ring. The lowest observed velocities are in the range of 400–800 , in agreement with previous limits on inward mixing of H. The brightest regions of H2 coincide with faint regions of Hα, which can be explained by Hα being powered by X-ray emission from the ring, while the H2 is powered by 44Ti. A comparison with ALMA observations of other molecules and dust shows that the brightest regions of H2, CO, and SiO occupy different parts of the inner ejecta and that the brightest H2 clump coincides with a region of very weak dust emission. The latter is consistent with theoretical predictions that the H2 should form in the gas phase rather than on dust grains.
Ground beetles (Carabidae) of field margin habitats

The aim of this study was to identify the role of field margin habitats in preserving the diversity and abundance of ground beetle assemblages, including potentially entomophagous species and those with conservation status in Poland. Research material was collected in 2006–2007 in four types of margin habitats – a forest, bushes, ditches and in two arable fields. Insects were captured into pitfalls, without preservation liquid or bait added to the traps. Traps were inspected twice a week, between May and August, and one sample was a weekly capture. In field margin habitats the most abundant species were Limodromus assimilis, Anchomenus dorsalis, Pterostichus melanarius and Carabus auratus. A lower abundance of species was noted on fields, with dominant Poecilus cupreus and P. melanarius. The group of zoophagous carabids found in our study includes 30 species from field margin habitats, i.e. 37.5% of all captured Carabidae taxa and 58.3% of all specimens. The share of aphidophagous species was 84.9% among bushes, 86.7% near ditches, and 88.0% in the forest habitat. Several species captured during the study are under protection in Poland. These include the partly protected Carabus convexus, which also has the status of near threatened species, the partly protected Calosoma auropunctatum, and Broscus cephalotes. Considering all the investigated field margin habitats, ground beetles were most numerous in the oak-hornbeam habitat, defined as bushes, formed predominantly by Prunus spinosa, Crataegus leavigata, Sambucus nigra and Rosa canina. Thus, this habitat was the most important reservoir/refugium for the ground beetles.
Carrier Dynamics in Quantum Dots: Modeling with Master Equations for the Transitions between Micro-States

We present a theoretical model for capture, inter-level relaxation and recombination of excitons to describe time-resolved experiments on (uncoupled) semiconductor quantum dots. Such zero-dimensional system is fundamentally different from any other higher dimensional semiconductor structure (bulk, quantum wells, quantum wires) because the properties of individual dots are independent of the ensemble average. Master equations for the transitions between micro-states provide an adequate modeling, while conventional rate equations for the ensemble averaged occupation probabilities fail. We apply our theory to two types of real quantum dots with fast and slow inter-level relaxation constant, respectively.
Multi-user rate and power analysis in a cognitive radio network with massive multi-input multi-output

This paper discusses transmission performance and power allocation strategies in an underlay cognitive radio (CR) network that contains relay and massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO). The downlink transmission performance of a relay-aided massive MIMO network without CR is derived. By using the power distribution criteria, the kth user’s asymptotic signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is independent of fast fading. When the ratio between the base station (BS) antennas and the relay antennas becomes large enough, the transmission performance of the whole system is independent of BS-to-relay channel parameters and relates only to the relay-to-users stage. Then cognitive transmission performances of primary users (PUs) and secondary users (SUs) in an underlay CR network with massive MIMO are derived under perfect and imperfect channel state information (CSI), including the end-to-end SINR and achievable sum rate. When the numbers of primary base station (PBS) antennas, secondary base station (SBS) antennas, and relay antennas become infinite, the asymptotic SINR of the kth PU and SU is independent of fast fading. The interference between the primary network and secondary network can be canceled asymptotically. Transmission performance does not include the interference temperature. The secondary network can use its peak power to transmit signals without causing any interference to the primary network. Interestingly, when the antenna ratio becomes large enough, the asymptotic sum rate equals half of the rate of a single-hop single-antenna K-user system without fast fading. Next, the PUs’ utility function is defined. The optimal relay power is derived to maximize the utility function. The numerical results verify our analysis. The relationships between the transmission rate and the antenna number, relay power, and antenna ratio are simulated. We show that the massive MIMO with linear pre-coding can mitigate asymptotically the interference in a multi-user underlay CR network. The primary and secondary networks can operate independently.
Consumption and Wealth in the Long Run: An Integrated Unobserved Component Approach

The ratio of consumption to total household wealth (i.e., tangible assets plus unobserved human wealth) is commonly calculated from the estimation of a log-linear version of the household intertemporal budget constraint as a cointegrating relationship between consumption, assets and earnings (i.e., the variable "cay"). The evidence in favor of a stable cointegrating relationship between these variables in the US is weak however. This paper follows an alternative empirical approach using an unobserved component model applied to US data over the period 1951Q4-2016Q4. The regression of consumption on assets and earnings is augmented with an unobserved stochastic trend, i.e., an integrated component. The results strongly support the presence of such an unobserved component in the consumption equation. We provide evidence that this component is related to financial liberalization which, by relaxing liquidity constraints of consumers, has permanently increased the consumption-to-wealth ratio over the sample period. We calculate an alternative "cay" variable, i.e., the stationary part of the consumption-to-wealth ratio, and find that its predictive ability for future (excess) stock returns is comparable to that of the standard "cay" variable.
A 9.8–30.1 GHz CMOS low-noise amplifier with a 3.2-dB noise figure using inductor- and transformer-based gm-boosting techniques

A 9.8–30.1 GHz CMOS low-noise amplifier (LNA) with a 3.2-dB minimum noise figure (NF) is presented. At the architecture level, a topology based on common-gate (CG) cascading with a common-source (CS) amplifier is proposed for simultaneous wideband input matching and relatively high gain. At the circuit level, multiple techniques are proposed to improve LNA performance. First, in the CG stage, loading effect is properly used instead of the conventional feedback technique, to enable simultaneous impedance and noise matching. Second, based on in-depth theoretical analysis, the inductor- and transformer-based gm-boosting techniques are employed for the CG and CS stages, respectively, to enhance the gain and reduce power consumption. Third, the floating-body method, which was originally proposed to lower NF in CS amplifiers, is adopted in the CG stage to further reduce NF. Fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS technology, the LNA chip occupies an area of only 0.2 mm2 and measures a maximum power gain of 10.9 dB with −3 dB bandwidth from 9.8 to 30.1 GHz. The NF exhibits a minimum value of 3.2 dB at 15 GHz and is below 5.7 dB across the entire bandwidth. The LNA consumes 15.6 mW from a 1.2-V supply.
Desired Versus Existing CSR Practices: A Research Perspective

Background. The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is nowadays widely recognised as important in a globalised economy. Companies often inform the public about initiatives they are involved with in relation to CSR but it is unclear whether such declarations are in synergy with the every-day business reality. Research aims. The research problem is related to whether the declarations of companies concerning activities in the area of CSR overlap or are in synergy with their espoused business practice. Methodology. Empirical research in the form of a questionnaire was conducted among 385 companies operating in Poland. The key questions verifying their activity level in the CSR area concerned: (1) involvement in pro-social endeavours, (2) participation in voluntary initiatives, and (3) creating (or modifying) legal regulations concerning the improvement of working and social conditions. The respondents’ answers were categorized based on the form of ownership, the number of employees as well as the source of capital. Key findings. The general conclusion indicates that the companies’ declarations about CSR are not fully reflected in their real business activities.
Analysis of human knee osteoarthritic cartilage using polarization sensitive second harmonic generation microscopy

Osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent joint diseases in the world. Although the cause of osteoarthritis is not exactly clear, the disease results in a degradation of the quality of the articular cartilage including collagen and other extracellular matrix components. We have investigated alterations in the structure of collagen fibers in the cartilage tissue of the human knee using mulitphoton microscopy. Due to inherent high nonlinear susceptibility, ordered collagen fibers present in the cartilage tissue matrix produces strong second harmonic generation (SHG) signals. Significant morphological differences are found in different Osteoarthritic grades of cartilage by SHG microscopy. Based on the polarization analysis of the SHG signal, we find that a few locations of hyaline cartilage (mainly type II collagen) is being replaced by fibrocartilage (mainly type I cartilage), in agreement with earlier literature. To locate the different types and quantify the alteration in the structure of collagen fiber, we employ polarization-SHG microscopic analysis, also referred to as _-tensor imaging. The image analysis of p-SHG image obtained by excitation polarization measurements would represent different tissue constituents with different numerical values at pixel level resolution.
Testing Parameter Stability in Quantile Models: An Application to the U.S. Inflation Process

This paper considers parameter instability tests in conditional quantile models. I suggest tests for quantile parameter instability based on the asymptotically optimal tests of Lee (2008) both in parametric and semiparametric set-up. In parametric models, Komunjer (2005)'s tick-exponential family of distributions is used as the underlying distribution, in which the test has asymptotically correct sizes even when the error distribution is misspecified. I apply our test statistic to various quantile models of the U.S. inflation process such as Phillips curve, P-star model, and autoregressive models. The test result shows an evidence of parameter instability in most quantile levels of all models. The semiparametric test rejects the stability even in more recent period with moderate economic volatility. Phillips curve model and autoregressive model have asymmetric test results across quantile levels, implying the asymmetric response of inflation to economic shocks.
Learning a Semantic Prior for Guided Navigation

Learning generalizable agents that can adapt to unseen environments remains an open problem in reinforcement learning. We consider visual navigation and address this problem by utilizing latent semantic regularity in human-designed 3D environments, aiming for generalization across scenarios that are visually diverse but semantically consistent. During training, the agent learns subpolicies to reach different semantic concepts, such as ‘move towards the kitchen’, and a prior distribution over their pairwise relationships, such as ‘kitchen is close to dining room’, in the form of a probabilistic graphical model. When testing on new scenarios, the agent dynamically updates its belief of the underlying semantic relationships during exploration and plans its route accordingly towards the final target in an interpretable manner. Our guided navigation method outperforms strong baselines which do not explicitly plan using the semantic content.
Influence of the position of deep levels on generation‐recombination noise

Power spectral density due to deep traps has been calculated in a junction field effect transistor (JFET) by a numerical procedure. Distribution of potential, density of carriers, and occupation factors were evaluated for any point of the structure. Different effects were found depending on the depth of the trap considered, such as spectra different from the pure Lorentzian shape or anomalous behavior of the noise amplitude with reverse voltage applied. The explanation of these effects may be useful for the characterization of midgap levels produced in JFETs under irradiation stress. Good agreement is achieved with the experiment.