Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microstructure and dielectric properties of silicon nitride films deposited by electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapor deposition

The microstructures and dielectric properties of silicon nitride (SiNx) films have been investigated. These films were prepared by permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapor deposition by varying the substrate temperature between 56 and 400 °C and microwave power between 65 and 520 W. It exhibits a fractal structure with fractal dimension Df=1.45 or fractal-like structures for the films deposited without additional heating. When the substrate temperature is raised above 200 °C, the uniform dense structure can be obtained. The frequency dependence of the dielectric constant (e′) in the frequency range 5–106 Hz for the films deposited below 100 °C follows a three fractional power law of (e′−e∞′)∝ωni−l (i=1, 2, and 3). The exponents ni are n1=0.73–0.93, n2=0.95–0.98, and n3=0.87–0.99 in the frequency range of 5–102 Hz, 102–104 Hz, and 104–106 Hz, respectively. The frequency dependence of e′ also follows a single power law of (e′−e∞′)∝ωn−1 with n=0.95–0.82 for the films deposited in t.
Improved performance of the superconducting cavity maser at short measuring times (atomic frequency standards)

Measurements on a superconducting cavity maser oscillator are presented which show a frequency stability of parts in 10/sup 15/ for times from 1 second to 1000 seconds. A phase noise of approximately -80 dB/f/sup 3/, where f is frequency, is shown. The measured stability at a 1 second interval is 10 times better than that of a hydrogen maser, and phase noise at 8 GHz is more than 20 dB below that of a multiplied quartz crystal oscillator. <<ETX>>
The influence of the electrical field on structures dimension measurement in electrostatic force microscopy mode

SIKORAElectrotechnical Institute, Division of Electrotechnology and Materials Science, ul. M. Sklodowskiej-Curie 55/61, 50-369 Wroclaw, Poland; e-mail: sikora@iel.wroc. plElectrostatic force microscopy (EFM) is one of important tools for diagnostic of surface electricproperties on micro- and nanoscale. Its usefulness can be particularly seen when the developmentof new devices or materials is considered and its electric behavior is to be investigated. Due tothe accessibility to both the height and the electrosta tic distribution in two-dimensional data matrix,one can easily correlate the topography and electric properties of the surface. It is common thatexperienced AFM users pay attention to the presen ce of artifacts, but generally only the influenceof the height signal on the EFM signal is consider ed. In the article, the infl uence of the electrostaticforce on the measurement accuracy of structure dimensions will be shown. Also, the way ofavoiding the misinterpretation of data will be proposed.Keywords: atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), dimensionsmeasurement accuracy.
Identification of nano-scale films for THz sensing

There is a continued interest in the terahertz (THz) spectral range due to potential applications in spectroscopy and imaging. Real-time imaging in this spectral range has been demonstrated using microbolometer technology with external illumination provided by quantum cascade laser based THz sources. To achieve high sensitivity, it is necessary to develop microbolometer pixels using enhanced THz absorbing materials. Metal films with thicknesses less than the skin depth for THz frequencies can efficiently absorb THz radiation. However, both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show that the maximum THz absorption of the metal films is limited to 50%. Recent experiments carried out using a series of Cr and Ni films with different thicknesses showed that absorption up to the maximum value of 50% can be obtained in a broad range of THz frequencies. A further increase in absorption requires the use of resonant structures. These metamaterial structures consist of an Al ground plane, a SiO2 dielectric layer, and a patterned Al layer. Nearly 100% absorption at a specific THz frequency is observed, which strongly depends on the structural parameters. In this paper, the progress in the use of thin metal films and metamaterial structures as THz absorbers will be described.
Collective Electron Ferromagnetism. II. Energy and Specific Heat

A treatment of collective electron ferromagnetism on the basis of FermiDirac statistics was developed in a previous paper (Stoner 1938 a , referred to as I). The problem considered was that of the magnetic characteristics associated with electrons in an energy band of standard form (in which the energy density of states is proportional to the square root of the energy), and subject to interchange interaction effects which involve dependence of the energy on the magnetization. The distribution of states is specified by a parameter e, giving the maximum electron energy at absolute zero in the absence of the magnetization dependent part of the interchange interaction energy.
Kinematic analysis of spiral structures in the local disk

We present a method, based on the kinematic analysis of the Galactic disk stars near the Sun, to clarify whether the internal motions of the stellar system in spiral arms follow those expected in the density wave theory. The method is based on the linear relation between the phases of spatial positions and those of epicyclic motions of stars, as predicted by the theory. The application of the method to the 78 Galactic Cepheids near the Sun, for which accurate proper motions are available from the Hipparcos Catalogue, has revealed that these Cepheids show no correlation between both phases, mainly because of the large uncertainties in their spatial motions. This implies that previous studies for the calibration of the wave parameters using a similar sample to ours lack a clear physical basis: the currently available data of the Cepheids are still inaccurate to assess the presence of density waves in the solar neighborhood. We show the required accuracy for the astrometric data of the Cepheids to clarify the issue and future prospects are outlined.
Surface Acoustic Waves on a Sphere –Analysis of Propagation Using Laser Ultrasonics–

Using the laser ultrasonic method, we investigated the distribution of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on a sphere excited by a line source. Experimental results revealed that the SAWs were confined within a narrow path due to the balance of the diffraction and convergence effects. Moreover, the distribution had unique divergent, collimating and focussing forms, which had been predicted theoretically. These results were generally in good agreement with the results calculated using the approximate Green's function. It was shown that the distribution of SAWs is well defined by the half-aperture angle of the source and by the product of the wavenumber and the radius of the sphere.
Ferrimagnetic resonance in garnet films at large precession angles

Perpendicular ferrimagnetic resonance in (111) oriented epitaxial garnet films is excited by strong rf drive fields causing large foldover effects. The precession angle of the magnetization is derived from the measured change of Faraday rotation of linearly polarized light passing through the films. Precession angles of over 60° have been observed. Measurements of the steady‐state precession angles are in good agreement with calculations on the basis of Gilbert equations. The transient behavior of the precession, however, is slower than calculated. Conditions to achieve large precession angles are given.
Stochastic Resonance in a Bacterium Growth System with Time Delay and Colored Noise

The phenomenon of stochastic resonance in a bacterium growth system that is with two different kinds of time delays and is driven by colored noises is investigated. Based on the extended unified colored noise theory and the method of the probability density approximation, the Fokker–Planck equation and the stationary probability density function are derived. Then via the theory of adiabatic limit, the analytical expression of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is obtained. The different effects of the time delays existed in the nonlinear system and the noise correlation times on the stationary probability density and the signal-to-noise rate are discussed respectively. Finally, numerical simulations are offered and are consistent with approximate analytical results.
Cross‐language study of age perception by elderly listeners

Recent studies show that perception of speaker's age is influenced by a listener's familiarity with the speaker's language. However, these results were based on young adult listeners. The current study examines whether language familiarity influences the perception of speaker's age in elderly listeners. The vowel stimuli was prepared from the sustained vowel /i/ collected from 30 native speakers of American English and 30 native speaker of Japanese. The sentence stimuli was taken from the reading of the North Wind and the Sun by these 60 speakers (in their native language). Fifteen elderly native speakers of English (mean age 73.5 years, range from 67 to 84 years) listened to both stimuli types and estimated the age of speakers. Correlation between perceived age and chronological age was moderate for the sentence stimuli, but weak for the vowel stimuli. Correlation between perceived age and chronological age was stronger when the listeners judged sentence stimuli in their native language than when they ju.
Evidence of Plasmons in Secondary Electron Emission Spectra

New secondary electron emission spectra have been obtained by a rapid analyzer, which presents the full spectra in the range from 0 to 100 eV in 1 msec on an oscilloscope. The spectra show distinct peaks corresponding in energy to the volume and surface plasmons: for Al at 15.2 eV; ${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ at 31, 22.5, and 17.5 eV; and KCl at 13.6, 9, and 7 eV. It is suggested that these groups of secondary electrons originate from plasmon decay.
All-optical memory based on a two-mode diode laser with optical feedback

In this paper we numerically demonstrate that an optical memory can be based on a two-mode laser diode with optical feedback and injection in the short external cavity regime. For modelling this system we use a two-mode extension of the Lang-Kobayashi rate equations with gain saturation and optical injection. The parameters chosen are consistent with the simultaneous oscillation of the two modes in the free running laser, which is possible for frequency spacings greater than approximately 500 GHz at optical frequencies around 200 THz. For certain values of the system parameters, we have found a hysteresis loop between single-mode equilibrium states for increasing and decreasing feedback strength. Our simulations show that injected optical pulses can switch the system between single mode equilibrium states when the feedback parameters are fixed in this bistable region, demonstrating the function of the optical memory. This system has attractive features such as the absence of a holding beam and the symmetry between the two states of the memory element. These properties along with the external cavity length of 1 cm make the system an interesting candidate for optical integration.
Simultaneous depth determination of multiple objects by focus analysis in digital holography

Focus analysis techniques from computer vision are applied to digital holography to determine the depth (range) of multiple objects and their surfaces from a single hologram capture. With this method the depths of objects can be determined from a single hologram capture without the need for manual focusing and without prior information on object location. Variance and the Laplacian of Gaussian are analyzed as focus measures, and techniques are proposed for focus plane determination from the focus measure curves. The algorithm is described in detail and demonstrated through simulation and optical experiment.
Dietary Strawberries Improve Serum Metabolites of Cardiometabolic Risks in Adults with Features of the Metabolic Syndrome in a Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial

Dietary strawberries have been shown to improve cardiometabolic risks in multiple clinical trials. However, no studies have reported effects on serum metabolomic profiles that may identify the target pathways affected by strawberries as underlying mechanisms. We conducted a 14-week randomized, controlled crossover study in which participants with features of metabolic syndrome were assigned to one of the three arms for four weeks separated by a one-week washout period: control powder, 1 serving (low dose: 13 g strawberry powder/day), or 2.5 servings (high dose: 32 g strawberry powder/day). Blood samples, anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and dietary and physical activity data were collected at baseline and at the end of each four-week phase of intervention. Serum samples were analyzed for primary metabolites and complex lipids using different mass spectrometry methods. Mixed-model ANOVA was used to examine differences in the targeted metabolites between treatment phases, and LASSO logistic regression was used to examine differences in the untargeted metabolites at end of the strawberry intervention vs. the baseline. The findings revealed significant differences in the serum branched-chain amino acids valine and leucine following strawberry intervention (high dose) compared with the low-dose and control phases. Untargeted metabolomic profiles revealed several metabolites, including serum phosphate, benzoic acid, and hydroxyphenyl propionic acid, that represented improved energy-metabolism pathways, compliance measures, and microbial metabolism of strawberry polyphenols, respectively. Thus, dietary supplementation of strawberries significantly improves the serum metabolic profiles of cardiometabolic risks in adults.
Computational test bench and flow chart for wavefront sensors

The wavefront reconstruction diagram has come to supply the need in literature of an ampler vision over the many methods and optronic devices used for the reconstruction of wavefronts and to show the existing interactions between those. A computational platform has been developed using the diagram’s orientation for the taking of decision over the best technique and the photo sensible and electronic structures to be implemented. This work will be directed to an ophthalmological application in the development of an instrument of help for the diagnosis of optical aberrations of the human eye.
Environmental disclosures in the non-financial reporting of energy companies. Creating a reliable business image or impression management?

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to determine whether and what impression management techniques are used by Polish listed energy-sector companies in their non-financial reporting to possibly create not a true but an embellished image of their oper-ations. Methodology/approach: The research entailed examining the non-financial annual reports published (in Polish) by eight large, listed companies. Both quantitative content analysis, to determine the scope of environmental disclosures, and qualitative content analysis, which focused on the visual and narrative style, were applied. The word count method was also applied concerning the positive (good) and negative (bad) wording used in the reports. Our linguistic analysis took into account both the semantic and inflexion aspects of Polish idiomatic expressions. Findings: We found that the companies exploited various manipulation techniques, both in the visualisation and the narrative used in their non-financial reports. Perfect graphics, blameless narrative style, or dynamic text organisation are among the top positive aspects. At the other end of the scale are aspects such as excessive wording, unnecessary repetitions of various keywords, or the intentional omission of adverse vocabulary. While both sets of techniques are more likely to be applied by bigger enti-ties, smaller companies do not seem to care as much for such details. Research implications/limitations: This research provides a valuable contribution to a better understanding of how companies employ modern narrative-oriented infor-mation management techniques relating to readers’ perceptions of non-financial state-ments. This may lead to enhancing formal requirements concerning the quality of non-financial disclosure in corporate reporting. The research was limited to only eight (all) energy companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange for the financial years 2017–2020. Thus, there is a need to investigate whether other listed companies use impres-sion management techniques in non-financial reporting. Originality/value: This article is the first publication to show how Polish large energy-sector joint-stock companies manage their environmental impression in non-financial reporting. The analysis extends the knowledge on creating a business operations image that is favourable to stakeholders by companies with a high environmental impact. This is of particular importance considering the non-financial reporting obligation that such entities have to meet as per Directive 2014/95/EU.
Energy Transformations and Meridional Circulations associated with simple Baroclinic Waves in a two-level, Quasi-geostrophic Model

The changes in geostrophic kinetic energy predicted by the “2 — ½ dimensional” quasi-geostrophic vorticity equations without friction are shown to be compatible with the mechanical energy equation. The second-order effects on a zonal current due to the presence of very simple unstable baroclinic waves are then analysed, using a two-level model of finite lateral width without friction or heat sources. In addition to the poleward transport of sensible heat and the creation of kinetic energy by these waves, it is shown that they are accompanied in this model by a weak meridional circulation. This circulation consists of an indirect cell in middle latitudes with direct cells to the north and south. The possible importance of this mechanism in providing appropriately distributed sources and sinks of relative zonal momentum (and therefore in prescribing the distribution with latitude of the surface zonal winds) is demonstrated with the aid of Widger's observations of the horizontal momentum transfer by eddies during January 1946. Finally it is shown that about 95 per cent of the perturbation energy in the unstable waves of this type comes from the “potential energy” of the basic current, the small remainder coming from the kinetic energy of that current. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1954. tb01123.x
Investigation of diffractive optical element fabricated on diamond film by use of focused ion beam direct milling

A novel method of direct transfer of microstructure into diamond films is presented. A diffractive optical element (DOE) with continuous relief and six annuli was directly fabricated on the diamond films by use of focused ion-beam milling (FIBM). The diamond film was coated via hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) on a substrate of fused silica. It is shown by the measurement results of Raman spectrum, transmission, and the refractive index of the diamond film before and after the FIBM that little diamond compound is transferred to the graphite during the FIBM, and the influence of the FIBM on the optical properties of the film can be ignored. The surface roughness of the DOE with an R a value of 2.374 nm is derived by use of an atomic force microscope (AFM) in a partial square area of 1×1 μm 2 . By the two-dimensional (2-D) profile and three-dimensional (3-D) topography of the DOE it is shown that the surface is smooth and neat, and the relief depth and annulus width of the DOE are in accordance with the design.
Audiovisual multisensory integration

Over the last 50 years or so, a large body of empirical research has demonstrated the importance of a variety of low-level spatiotemporal factors in the multisensory integration of auditory and visual stimuli (as, for example, indexed by research on the ventriloquism effect). Here, the evidence highlighting the contribution of both spatial and temporal factors to multisensory integration is briefly reviewed. The role played by the temporal correlation between auditory and visual signals, stimulus motion, intramodal versus crossmodal perceptual grouping, semantic congruency, and the unity assumption in modulating multisensory integration is also discussed. Taken together, the evidence now supports the view that a number of different factors, both structural and cognitive, conjointly contribute to the multisensory integration (or binding) of auditory and visual information.
Suppression of the vorticity production by the unsteady rarefaction waves in the blast-bubble interactions

Interactions between a blast wave and an isolated density-inhomogeneity were investigated numerically. A blast wave that consisted of a leading-edge shock wave followed by rarefaction waves impinged on a spherical light-gas bubble that models the density-inhomogeneity. As a result, it was found that the baroclinically produced vorticity on the bubble/atmosphere interface was suppressed significantly by the presence of the rarefaction waves when the shock strength was weak. The rarefaction waves became less influential as the shock strength was increased.
New Perspectives for Nonlinear Depth‐Inversion of the Nearshore Using Boussinesq Theory

Accurately mapping the evolving bathymetry under energetic wave breaking is challenging, yet critical for improving our understanding of sandy beach morphodynamics. Though remote sensing is one of the most promising opportunities for reaching this goal, existing depth‐inversion algorithms using linear approaches face major theoretical and/or technical issues in the surf zone, limiting their accuracy over this region. Here, we present a new depth‐inversion approach relying on Boussinesq theory for quantifying nonlinear dispersion effects in nearshore waves. Using high‐resolution datasets collected in the laboratory under diverse wave conditions and beach morphologies, we demonstrate that this approach results in enhanced levels of accuracy in the surf zone (errors typically within 10%) and presents a major improvement over linear methods. The new nonlinear depth‐inversion approach provides significant prospects for future practical applications in the field using existing remote sensing technologies, including continuous lidar scanners and stereo‐imaging systems.
Micro- and macro-scale characterization of the microstructure and scratch resistance of the 5083-anodic aluminum oxide film

This paper focuses on the thickness, microstructural, and scratch resistance of the sulfuric oxide layer of 5083-aluminum alloy for different anodizing durations/reaction times (RT = 30, 60, and 90 min). The thickness and the microstructure analyses were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and ImageJ post-processing software. The scratch resistance was investigated using macro- and micro-scratch tests. Experimental results revealed that the oxide layer was covered by larger-sized microcavities and a thicker oxide layer for 90 min RT. Moreover, the area, which was covered by microcavities percentage, was decreased for 60 min RT and increased for 90 min RT. Besides, using the macro-scratch test, and when increasing RT, no micro-cracks were detected inside the scratch mark. Nerveless, the increasing of the normal load was shown that the oxide layer was more resistant to scratch. Finally, the 5083-aluminum alloy oxide layer had a high-scratch resistance such as a weak penetration depth and a low friction coefficient.