Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DIRECT CONFIRMATION OF THE ASYMMETRY OF THE CAS A SUPERNOVA WITH LIGHT ECHOES

We report the first detection of asymmetry in a supernova (SN) photosphere based on SN light echo (LE) spectra of Cas A from the different perspectives of dust concentrations on its LE ellipsoid. New LEs are reported based on difference images, and optical spectra of these LEs are analyzed and compared. After properly accounting for the effects of finite dust-filament extent and inclination, we find one field where the He i λ5876 and Hα features are blueshifted by an additional ∼4000 km s−1 relative to other spectra and to the spectra of the Type IIb SN 1993J. That same direction does not show any shift relative to other Cas A LE spectra in the Ca ii near-infrared triplet feature. We compare the perspectives of the Cas A LE dust concentrations with recent three-dimensional modeling of the SN remnant (SNR) and note that the location having the blueshifted He i and Hα features is roughly in the direction of an Fe-rich outflow and in the opposite direction of the motion of the compact object at the center of the SNR. We conclude that Cas A was an intrinsically asymmetric SN. Future LE spectroscopy of this object, and of other historical SNe, will provide additional insight into the connection of the explosion mechanism to SN then to SNR, as well as give crucial observational evidence regarding how stars explode.
BROADBAND EMISSION SPECTRA FROM THE CYGNUS X-3 JET IN THE SOFT SPECTRAL STATE

In order to understand the main observational characteristics of the Galactic X-ray binary Cygnus X-3, we propose a radiation model in which high-energy electrons accelerate in the dissipation zone of a jet and produce nonthermal broadband emissions. Broadband spectral energy distributions are computed to compare the AGILE and Fermi LAT data with the multi-band data during soft X-ray spectral states. By fitting observations at different locations of the jet, we find that the emission region is rather compact and should be located at a distance of about one orbital radius. Our results can explain the current multi-frequency observations and also predict the TeV band emission. The model could be tested by a polarization measurement at IR band, and/or by a correlation study between the GeV and TeV bands once very-high-energy observations are available.
Detection of electronic nematicity using scanning tunneling microscopy

Electronic nematic phases have been proposed to occur in various correlated electron systems and were recently claimed to have been detected in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) conductance maps of the pseudogap states of the cuprate high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (Bi-2212). We investigate the influence of anisotropic STM tip structures on such measurements and establish, with a model calculation, the presence of a tunneling interference effect within an STM junction that induces energy-dependent symmetry-breaking features in the conductance maps. We experimentally confirm this phenomenon on different correlated electron systems, including measurements in the pseudogap state of Bi-2212, showing that the apparent nematic behavior of the imaged crystal lattice is likely not due to nematic order but is related to how a realistic STM tip probes the band structure of a material. We further establish that this interference effect can be used as a sensitive probe of changes in the momentum structure of the sample's quasiparticles as a function of energy.
ENSEMBLE VARIABILITY OF NEAR-INFRARED-SELECTED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

We present the properties of the ensemble variability V for nearly 5000 near-infrared active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected from the catalog of Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei (13th Edition) and the SDSS-DR7 quasar catalog. From three near-infrared point source catalogs, namely, Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), Deep Near Infrared Survey (DENIS), and UKIDSS/LAS catalogs, we extract 2MASS-DENIS and 2MASS-UKIDSS counterparts for cataloged AGNs by cross-identification between catalogs. We further select variable AGNs based on an optimal criterion for selecting the variable sources. The sample objects are divided into subsets according to whether near-infrared light originates by optical emission or by near-infrared emission in the rest frame; and we examine the correlations of the ensemble variability with the rest-frame wavelength, redshift, luminosity, and rest-frame time lag. In addition, we also examine the correlations of variability amplitude with optical variability, radio intensity, and radio-to-optical flux ratio. The rest-frame optical variability of our samples shows negative correlations with luminosity and positive correlations with rest-frame time lag (i.e., the structure function, SF), and this result is consistent with previous analyses. However, no well-known negative correlation exists between the rest-frame wavelength and optical variability. This inconsistency might be due to a biased sampling of high-redshift AGNs. Near-infrared variability in the rest frame is anticorrelated with the rest-frame wavelength, which is consistent with previous suggestions. However, correlations of near-infrared variability with luminosity and rest-frame time lag are the opposite of these correlations of the optical variability; that is, the near-infrared variability is positively correlated with luminosity but negatively correlated with the rest-frame time lag. Because these trends are qualitatively consistent with the properties of radio-loud quasars reported by some previous studies, most of our sample objects are probably radio-loud quasars. Finally, we also discuss the negative correlations seen in the near-infrared SFs.
Fast pulse sequences for dynamically corrected gates in singlet-triplet qubits

We present a set of experimentally feasible pulse sequences that implement any single-qubit gate on a singlet-triplet spin qubit and demonstrate that these new sequences are up to three times faster than existing sequences in the literature. We show that these sequences can be extended to incorporate built-in dynamical error correction, yielding gates that are robust to both charge and magnetic field noise and up to twice as fast as previous dynamically corrected gate schemes. We present a thorough comparison of the performance of our new sequences with that of several existing ones using randomized benchmarking, considering both quasistatic and $1/f^\alpha$ noise models. We provide our results both as a function of evolution time and as a function of the number of gates, which respectively yield both an effective coherence time and an estimate of the number of gates that can be performed within this coherence time. We determine which set of pulse sequences gives the best results for a wide range of noise strengths and power spectra. Overall, we find that the traditional, slower sequences perform best when there is no field noise or when the noise contains significant high-frequency components; otherwise, our new, fast sequences exhibit the best performance.
IoT-Based Water Monitoring Systems: A Systematic Review

Water quality monitoring plays a significant part in the transition towards intelligent and smart agriculture and provides an easy transition to automated monitoring of crucial components of human daily needs as new technologies are continuously developed and adopted in agricultural and human daily life (water). For the monitoring and management of water quality, this effort, however, requires reliable models with accurate and thorough datasets. Analyzing water quality monitoring models by utilizing sensors that gather water properties during live experiments is possible due to the necessity for precision in modeling. To convey numerous conclusions regarding the concerns, issues, difficulties, and research gaps that have existed throughout the past five years (2018–2022), this review article thoroughly examines the water quality literature. To find trustworthy peer-reviewed publications, several digital databases were searched and examined, including IEEE Xplore®, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. Only 50 articles out of the 946 papers obtained, were used in the study of the water quality monitoring research area. There are more rules for article inclusion in the second stage of the filtration process. Utilizing a real-time data acquisition system, the criteria for inclusion for the second phase of filtration looked at the implementation of water quality monitoring and characterization procedures. Reviews and experimental studies comprised most of the articles, which were divided into three categories. To organize the literature into articles with similar types of experimental conditions, a taxonomy of the three literature was created. Topics for recommendations are also provided to facilitate and speed up the pace of advancement in this field of study. By conducting a thorough analysis of the earlier suggested methodologies, research gaps are made clear. The investigation largely pointed out the problems in the accuracy of the models, the development of data-gathering systems, and the types of data used in the proposed frameworks. Finally, by examining critical topics required for the development of this research area, research directions toward smart water quality are presented.
A DEEP CHANDRA ACIS STUDY OF NGC 4151. I. THE X-RAY MORPHOLOGY OF THE 3 kpc DIAMETER CIRCUM-NUCLEAR REGION AND RELATION TO THE COLD INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

We report on the imaging analysis of ∼200 ks sub-arcsecond resolution Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS-S) observations of the nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151. Bright, structured soft X-ray emission is observed to extend from 30 pc to 1.3 kpc in the southwest from the nucleus, much farther than seen in earlier X-ray studies. The terminus of the northeastern X-ray emission is spatially coincident with a CO gas lane, where the outflow likely encounters dense gas in the host galactic disk. X-ray emission is also detected outside the boundaries of the ionization cone, which indicates that the gas there is not completely shielded from the nuclear continuum, as would be the case for a molecular torus collimating the bicone. In the central r < 200 pc region, the subpixel processing of the ACIS data recovers the morphological details on scales of <30 pc (<0.″5) first discovered in Chandra High Resolution Camera images. The X-ray emission is more absorbed toward the boundaries of the ionization cone, as well as perpendicular to the bicone along the direction of a putative torus in NGC 4151. The innermost region where X-ray emission shows the highest hardness ratio is spatially coincident with the near-infrared-resolved H2 emission and dusty spirals we find in an Hubble Space Telescope V − H color image. The agreement between the observed H2 line flux and the value predicted from X-ray-irradiated molecular cloud models supports photo-excitation by X-rays from the active nucleus as the origin of the H2 line, although contribution from UV fluorescence or collisional excitation cannot be ruled out with current data. The discrepancy between the mass of cold molecular gas inferred from recent CO and near-infrared H2 observations may be explained by the anomalous CO abundance in this X-ray-dominated region. The total H2 mass derived from the X-ray observation agrees with the recent measurement by Storchi-Bergmann et al.
Electrostatic potential in the holographic Schwinger effect with a deformed AdS background

The electrostatic potential is important for the pair production in the holo- graphic Schwinger effect. In this paper, we analyze the electrostatic potential in a deformed AdS background and investigate the effect of deformation parameter which may be useful to test of AdS/QCD. In the case of zero temperature we find that larger value of the de- formation parameter leads to a smaller value of separation length of the test particles on the probe. Also we find a finite maximum of separation length in presence of modification parameter.
Normality conditions of structures in coarse geometry and an alternative description of coarse proximities

We introduce an alternative description of coarse proximities. We define a coarse normality condition for connected coarse spaces and show that this definition agrees with large scale normality defined in [3] and asymptotic normality defined in [7]. We utilize the alternative definition of coarse proximities to show that a connected coarse space naturally induces a coarse proximity if and only if the connected coarse space is coarsely normal. We conclude with showing that every connected asymptotic resemblance space induces a coarse proximity if and only if the connected asymptotic resemblance space is asymptotically normal.
A SUCCESSFUL BROADBAND SURVEY FOR GIANT Lyα NEBULAE. I. SURVEY DESIGN AND CANDIDATE SELECTION

Giant Lyα nebulae (or Lyα “blobs”) are likely sites of ongoing massive galaxy formation, but the rarity of these powerful sources has made it difficult to form a coherent picture of their properties, ionization mechanisms, and space density. Systematic narrowband Lyα nebula surveys are ongoing, but the small redshift range covered and the observational expense limit the comoving volume that can be probed by even the largest of these surveys and pose a significant problem when searching for such rare sources. We have developed a systematic search technique designed to find large Lyα nebulae at 2 ≲ z ≲ 3 within deep broadband imaging and have carried out a survey of the 9.4 deg2 NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Boötes field. With a total survey comoving volume of ≈108 h−370 Mpc3, this is the largest volume survey for Lyα nebulae ever undertaken. In this first paper in the series, we present the details of the survey design and a systematically selected sample of 79 candidates, which includes one previously discovered Lyα nebula.
Fluorescent H2 Emission Lines from the Reflection Nebula NGC 7023 Observed with IGRINS

We have analyzed the temperature, velocity, and density of H2 gas in NGC 7023 with a high-resolution near-infrared spectrum of the northwestern filament of the reflection nebula. By observing NGC 7023 in the H and K bands at R ≃ 45,000 with the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrograph, we detected 68 H2 emission lines within the 1″ × 15″ slit. The diagnostic ratio of 2-1 S(1)/1-0 S(1) is 0.41−0.56. In addition, the estimated ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) is 1.63−1.82, indicating that the H2 emission transitions in the observed region arise mostly from gas excited by UV fluorescence. Gradients in the temperature, velocity, and OPR within the observed area imply motion of the photodissociation region (PDR) relative to the molecular cloud. In addition, we derive the column density of H2 from the observed emission lines and compare these results with PDR models in the literature covering a range of densities and incident UV field intensities. The notable difference between PDR model predictions and the observed data, in high rotational J levels of ν = 1, is that the predicted formation temperature for newly formed H2 should be lower than that of the model predictions. To investigate the density distribution, we combine pixels in 1″ × 1″ areas and derive the density distribution at the 0.002 pc scale. The derived gradient of density suggests that NGC 7023 has a clumpy structure, including a high clump density of ∼105 cm−3 with a size smaller than ∼5 × 10−3 pc embedded in lower-density regions of 103–104 cm−3.
Color-flavor locked superconductor in a magnetic field

We study the effects of moderately strong magnetic fields on the properties of color-flavor locked color superconducting quark matter in the framework of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. We find that the energy gaps, which describe the color superconducting pairing as well as the magnetization, are oscillating functions of the magnetic field. Also, we observe that the oscillations of the magnetization can be so strong that homogeneous quark matter becomes metastable for a range of parameters. We suggest that this points to the possibility of magnetic domains or other types of magnetic inhomogeneities in the quark cores of magnetars.
GALACTIC CEPHEIDS WITH SPITZER. I. LEAVITT LAW AND COLORS

Classical Cepheid variable stars have been important indicators of extragalactic distance and Galactic evolution for over a century. The Spitzer Space Telescope has opened the possibility of extending the study of Cepheids into the mid- and far-infrared, where interstellar extinction is reduced. We have obtained photometry from images of a sample of Galactic Cepheids with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) and Multiband Infrared Photometer for Spitzer instruments on Spitzer. Here we present the first mid-infrared period–luminosity relations for Classical Cepheids in the Galaxy, and the first ever Cepheid period–luminosity relations at 24 and 70 μm. We compare these relations with theoretical predictions, and with period–luminosity relations obtained in recent studies of the Large Magellanic Cloud. We find a significant period–color relation for the [3.6] − [8.0] IRAC color. Other mid-infrared colors for both Cepheids and non-variable supergiants are strongly affected by variable molecular spectral features, in particular deep CO absorption bands. We do not find strong evidence for mid-infrared excess caused by warm (∼500 K) circumstellar dust. We discuss the possibility that recent detections with near-infrared interferometers of circumstellar shells around δ Cep, ℓ Car, Polaris, Y Oph, and RS Pup may be a signature of shocked gas emission in a dust-poor wind associated with pulsation-driven mass loss.
Poly-drug use among female and male commercial sex workers visiting a drop in centre in Mombasa County, Kenya

The relationship between commercial sex work and drug use is complex and the two exacerbate each other. In Kenya, Mombasa County has one of the highest populations of drug users and commercial sex workers. Despite documentation of drug use among sex workers, most of the studies are based on self-reported history which is prone to social desirability and memory recall biases. It is in this context that we sought to establish actual drug use is this sub-population. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine self-reported and confirmed drug use among 224 commercial sex workers accessing services at Mvita Drop-in. Actual drug use was determined qualitatively using 6 panel plus alcohol Saliva Test kit. The overall prevalence of self-reported and confirmed current use for at least one drug was 98% and 99% respectively. Regardless of the technique used, alcohol and tobacco products were the most consumed substances. Alcohol use increased significantly with age (P = 0.03). Risk of cigarette use and testing positive for cotinine was higher among those age 18 to 35 years compared to >35years at P = 0.001 and P = 0.002 respectively. Poly-drug use was common with 98% testing positive for more than one drug. The reason for drug use was sex work related pressure (88%) with 60% of the respondents reporting they cannot transact this business without drugs. Almost every commercial sex worker is a poly-drug user. We recommend targeted interventions for commercial sex workers.
Energy Resolution studies for NEXT

This work aims to present the current state of simulations of electroluminescence (EL) produced in gas-based detectors with special interest for NEXT --- Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC. NEXT is a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment, thus needs outstanding energy resolution which can be achieved by using electroluminescence. The process of light production is reviewed and properties such as EL yield and associated fluctuations, excitation and electroluminescence efficiencies, and energy resolution, are calculated. An EL production region with a 5 mm width gap between two infinite parallel planes is considered, where a uniform electric field is produced. The pressure and temperature considered are 10 bar and 293 K, respectively. The results show that, even for low values of VUV photon detection efficiency, good energy resolution can be achieved: below 0.4 % (FWHM) at $Q_{\beta\beta}=$2.458 MeV.
The “Mainstreaming” of Online Teaching and Conflicted Faculty Perceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic heavily accelerated the adoption of online education. Technology adoption literature indicates that individuals are motivated to adopt technology as a result of various factors including social influence, performance expectations, effort expectations, and the conditions that facilitate their use. These factors are mediated by the degree of voluntariness of technology adoption and risks and rewards associated with adopting online learning. Given the pandemic experience, faculty members were forced to adopt online teaching, removing the voluntary nature of technology adoption. This study surveys a national sample of faculty to understand faculty perceptions of online teaching and reports on perceived changes in perceptions resulting from the pandemic and future intentions to teach online. In contrast to prior literature, findings indicate that faculty tend to have positive perceptions of knowledge outcomes associated with online teaching, and although there are areas for improvement, most faculty members intend to teach online again post-pandemic.
Algebraic ranks of CAT.0/ groups

In [26], Prasad and Raghunathan introduced the notion of the algebraic rank, rank.G/, of a group G . (See Section 2 for the definition.) Ballmann and Eberlein proved that if  is the fundamental group of a complete Riemannian manifold M of bounded nonpositive sectional curvature and of finite volume, then rank. / is equal to the geometric rank of M (see Ballmann and Eberlein [2]). By combining this with the rank-rigidity theorem, we have that, for a complete Riemannian manifold M of bounded nonpositive sectional curvature and of finite volume, if  M does not have an Euclidean factor and  D 1.M / has higher algebraic rank, either (1)  is a lattice in a semi-simple Lie group of higher rank, (2) it has a finite-index subgroup which splits as a direct product, ie,  is a virtually product, or (3) it acts on a product without being a virtual product.
Learning to design without prior data: Discovering generalizable design strategies using deep learning and tree search

Building an AI agent that can design on its own has been a goal since the 1980s. Recently, deep learning has shown the ability to learn from large-scale data, enabling significant advances in data-driven design. However, learning over prior data limits us only to solve problems that have been solved before and biases us towards existing solutions. The ultimate goal for a design agent is the ability to learn generalizable design behavior in a problem space without having seen it before. We introduce a self-learning agent framework in this work that achieves this goal. This framework integrates a deep policy network with a novel tree search algorithm, where the tree search explores the problem space, and the deep policy network leverages self-generated experience to guide the search further. This framework first demonstrates an ability to discover high-performing generative strategies without any prior data, and second, it illustrates a zero-shot generalization of generative strategies across various unseen boundary conditions. This work evaluates the effectiveness and versatility of the framework by solving multiple versions of two engineering design problems without retraining. Overall, this paper presents a methodology to self-learn high-performing and generalizable problem-solving behavior in an arbitrary problem space, circumventing the needs for expert data, existing solutions, and problem-specific learning.
Is macroturbulence in OB Sgs related to pulsations?

Abstract As part of a long term observational project, we are investigating the macroturbulent broadening in O and B supergiants (Sgs) and its possible connection with spectroscopic variability phenomena and stellar oscillations. We present the first results of our project, namely firm observational evidence for a strong correlation between the extra broadening and photospheric line-profile variations in a sample of 13 Sgs with spectral types ranging from O9.5 to B8.