Degree Of Uniformity Research Articles

Enhanced Size Uniformity for Near-resonant Planets

Super-Earths within the same close-in, compact planetary system tend to exhibit a striking degree of uniformity in their radius, mass, and orbital spacing, and this “peas-in-a-pod” phenomenon itself serves to provide one of the strongest constrains on planet formation at large. While it has been recently demonstrated from independent samples that such planetary uniformity occurs for both configurations near and distant from mean motion resonance, the question thus remains if the strength of this uniformity itself differs between near-resonant and nonresonant configurations such that the two modes may be astrophysically distinct in their evolution. We thus provide in this work a novel comparative size uniformity analysis for 48 near-resonant and 251 nonresonant multiplanet systems from the California Kepler Survey catalog, evaluating uniformity both across systems and between planetary pairs within the same system. We find that while multiplanet configurations exhibit strong peas-in-a-pod size uniformity regardless of their proximity to resonance, near-resonant configurations display enhanced intra-system size uniformity as compared to their analogous nonresonant counterparts at the level of both entire systems and subsystem planetary pairs and chains. These results are broadly consistent with a variety of formation paradigms for multiple-planet systems, such as convergent migration within a turbulent protoplanetary disk or planet–planet interactions incited by postnebular dynamical instabilities. Nevertheless, further investigation is necessary to ascertain whether the nonresonant and near-resonant planetary configurations respectively evolve via a singular process or mechanisms that are dynamically distinct.

Reconstruction of the blade model of the Francis GAMM runner using a smoothed numerical blade

The blade of a hydraulic turbine is the critical element of the energy conversion process in a hydroelectric plant; therefore, numerous blade reconstruction techniques are based on stacking cross-sections along the flow streamlines generated inside the runner passage. The uneven distribution along the spanwise direction causes surfaces with a lower degree of uniformity and continuity, especially in highly twisted and re-flexed blades. To solve this problem, the researchers often stack many cross-sections, causing a proportional increase in the number of parameters and points that define each section, which is detrimental when performing hydrodynamic optimization or numerical machining of the runner. In consequence, in this paper, we created the Smoothed Numerical Blade (SNB), a blade that is computationally cheap and defined with the lowest number of well-defined cross-sections placed orthogonality on a grid instead of following the fluid trajectory. The quantitative and qualitative analysis developed in the model test of the Francis GAMM turbine shows that the runner created by SNB achieves a high degree of smoothness and continuity on the blade surfaces, thereby maintaining the GAMM turbine performance of the original parameters.

Cooperative Formation Control for Multiple AUVs With Intermittent Underwater Acoustic Communication in IoUT

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) system has played an important role in complex Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT). As we know, single AUV is inefficient in collecting data in large-scale IoUT. In order to improve the timeliness of data, this paper uses multiple AUVs with specific formation shape to collect sensory data. However, the intermittent and unreliable characteristics of underwater acoustic communication between AUVs seriously affects the performance of formation control. To solve this issue, this paper mainly investigates formation control problem of leader-follower structured AUVs with state prediction estimation under the condition of unreliable underwater acoustic channel. Firstly, a novel formation control law derived from backstepping sliding mode method is proposed, and then a suitable Lyapunov functional is constructed to prove sufficient stability conditions. Secondly, Gaussian prediction model considering time delay and packet dropout has been designed to estimate the intermittent communication channel. Moreover, a new metric named formation uniform degree (FUD) is proposed to measure the degree of queue uniformity in a quantitative manner. Finally, extensive simulation results compared with traditional methods based on ideal channel model demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed formation control method.

Automated software and hardware complex based on an eddy current sensor for studying the properties of thin films

The variety of existing thin-film structures used in modern science and technology is described. The design of a miniature eddy current transducer was developed and improved. Methods for determining the properties of films were presented. The main design parameters of the developed transducer are described and a scheme of operation complex is presented. The results of scanning electrically homogeneous and inhomogeneous films are presented. It was possible to establish the degree of uniformity of the conductivity of the film by constructing histograms that display the number of points with different electrical conductivity.

Synergy of cold development and electron-beam exposure for Si nanotip patterning in quantum-electronic devices

We demonstrated an effective method for lithographic patterning of a fanout-shaped Si nanotip array with nanometer-scale feature size/pitch by using a combination of overdose exposure, cold development, and layout design. We optimized process conditions of electron-beam exposure onto poly(methyl methacrylate) resist and methyl isobutyl ketone development temperature (10 to −5 °C) to produce dense Si nanotips with large gradient fanout patterns. A circular array of Si nanotips with a minimum feature size/pitch of 15/30 nm with a high degree of pattern fidelity, uniformity, and reproducibility were demonstrated. Based on the platform of the Si fanout-shaped nanotip array, we have successfully produced an array of self-organized germanium quantum-dots/Si3N4 barriers, which are self-aligned with Si nanotips as coupling barriers or electrodes for implementing advanced quantum-electronic devices.

Three Models of US State-Level Charity Regulation

Abstract The existence of federal oversight of charitable organizations in the United States implies a degree of uniformity to US charity regulation. However, charity regulation is far from uniform across the country. States differ significantly in their adoption or non-adoption of various state-level regulatory requirements, creating not one but many different regulatory environments for charities. The complexity and diversity of these regulations has made it difficult for sector stakeholders, such as researchers, regulators, practitioners, information intermediaries, and donors, to understand the nature and significance of state-level charity regulation from a comparative perspective. To address this problem, this article employs latent class analysis to identify three distinct models of state-level charity regulation: broad regulation, limited regulation, and asset oversight. Subsequent analysis identifies relationships between a state’s economic, social, and political characteristics and its model of charity regulation, suggesting new avenues of research for understanding regulatory model emergence. Many additional practical applications of the typology are also discussed.

Preparation of diamond/SiC composites by the liquid silicon infiltration method and their microstructure and properties

Diamond/SiC composites have long been recognized as advanced materials for thermal management as they exhibit excellent thermal and mechanical properties. The objective was to investigate and understand the phase composition, diamond graphitization behavior, microstructure, and properties of diamond/SiC composites developed following the liquid silicon infiltration process. The results revealed that the incorporation of α-SiC particles increased the degree of uniformity of the microstructure of the diamond/SiC composites. The acoustic mismatch model was used to analyze the samples before and after diamond graphitization to evaluate the interfacial thermal resistance of the composites. The results indicated that the interfacial thermal resistance of the graphitized composites was 11.9 times higher than the interfacial thermal resistance of the un-graphitized composites. Finally, the correlation between the diamond content of the composites and their thermal and mechanical properties was investigated.

Passive acoustic emissions application to a segregation prone mixture in a V-blender

Powder mixing is an important manufacturing step in many industries. The quality of the end product critically depends on mixing the powders to a specified degree of uniformity. Segregation due to particle size has been observed in V-blenders. Vibrations from passive acoustic emissions were measured during rotations of a V- blender using both glass beads and starch granules of different sizes. The vibrations from particle collisions with the V-shell lid, measured by an accelerometer attached to the lid, provided information about particle movement within the V-shell. The vibrations identified “left-right” segregation by 50 rotations, with the smaller particles segregated into the outer arm and the larger particles into the inner arm. This pattern was attributed to a trajectory segregation mechanism. The profile created from the vibrations of the passive acoustic emissions also identified the point at which the mixture becomes stable, which is important in optimizing mixing processes.

On the comparison of diversity of parts of a distribution

The literature on diversity measures, regardless of the metric used (e.g., Gini-Simpson index, Shannon entropy) has a notable gap: not much has been done to connect these measures back to the shape of the original distribution, or to use them to compare the diversity of parts of a given distribution and their relationship to the diversity of the whole distribution. As such, the precise quantification of the relationship between the probability of each type p i and the diversity D in non-uniform distributions, both among parts of a distribution as well as the whole, remains unresolved. This is particularly true for Hill numbers, despite their usefulness as ‘effective numbers’. This gap is problematic as most real-world systems (e.g., income distributions, economic complexity indices, rankings, ecological systems) have unequal distributions, varying frequencies, and comprise multiple diversity types with unknown frequencies that can change. To address this issue, we connect case-based entropy, an approach to diversity we developed, to the shape of a probability distribution; allowing us to show that the original probability distribution g 1, the case-based entropy curve g 2 and the c {1,k} versus the curve g 3, which we call the slope of diversity, are one-to-one (or injective), i.e., a different probability distribution g 1 gives a different curve for g 2 and g 3. Hence, a different permutation of the original probability distribution g 1(that leads to a different shape) will uniquely determine the graphs g 2 and g 3. By proving the injective nature of our approach, we will have established a unique way to measure the degree of uniformity of parts as measured by D P /c P for a given part P of the original probability distribution, and also have shown a unique way to compute the D P /c P for various shapes of the original distribution and (in terms of comparison) for different curves.

The Final Strongholds of the Infinitive: (Silent) Modals in Romanian and Southern Italy

Romanian and the Romance and Greek varieties of the extreme south of Italy show various degrees of diachronic and diatopic microvariation in the loss and retreat of the infinitive, whilst displaying at the same time a high degree of overall structural uniformity in their parallel preservation of the (bare) infinitive in: (1) restructuring contexts; (2) infinitival relatives; and (3) negative imperatives. On the surface, there is nothing a priori to suggest that these three contexts should be connected in any way. Yet the discussion below demonstrates how these three uses can be reduced to a single structural explanation which views the infinitive as a reduced clausal constituent (viz. v-VP) generated in a monoclausal structure selected in all cases by a modal, temporal or aspectual auxiliary which is phonologically overt in (1), but oscillates between overt and covert phonological realizations in (2) and (3) in accordance with crosslinguistic variation. The result is a unified analysis which allows us to capture the distribution of (bare) infinitival complementation in all the relevant varieties quite simply in terms of a so-called restructuring configuration in line with Hill’s (2013a,b, 2017) intuition that the Romanian (and more generally Balkan) bare infinitive instantiates a monoclausal structure selected by a T-related auxiliary.

Additive problems with almost prime squares

We show that every sufficiently large integer is a sum of a prime and two almost prime squares, and also a sum of a smooth number and two almost prime squares. The number of such representations is of the expected order of magnitude. We likewise treat representations of shifted primes p-1 as sums of two almost prime squares. The methods involve a combination of analytic, automorphic and algebraic arguments to handle representations by restricted binary quadratic forms with a high degree of uniformity.

The magnetic field design of a solenoid for the cold-cathode Penning ion source of a miniature neutron tube

A high-yield and beam-stable neutron tube can be applied in many fields. It is of great significance to the optimal external magnetic field intensity of the cold-cathode Penning ion source (PIS) and precisely controls the movement of deuterium (D), tritium (T) ions and electrons in the source of the neutron tubes. A cold-cathode PIS is designed based on the solenoidal magnetic field to obtain better uniformity of the magnetic field and higher yield of the neutron tube. The degree of magnetic field uniformity among the magnetic block, double magnetic rings and solenoidal ion sources is compared using finite element simulation methods. Using drift diffusion approximation and a magnetic field coupling method, the plasma distribution of hydrogen and the relationship between plasma density and magnetic field intensity at 0.06 Pa pressure and a solenoid magnetic field are obtained. The results show that the solenoidal ion source has the most uniform magnetic field distribution. The optimum magnetic field strength of about 0.1 T is obtained in the ion source at an excitation voltage of 1 V. The maximum average number density of monatomic hydrogen ions (H+) is 1 × 108 m−3, and an ion-beam current of about 14.51 μA is formed under the −5000 V extraction field. The study of the solenoidal magnetic field contributes to the understanding of the particle dynamics within the PIS and provides a reference for the further improvement of the source performance of the neutron tube in the future.

The Variations in Tracheid Length of Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco Wood in Relation to Cambium Age, Site, and Growth

This study investigated the variations in tracheid length of Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco from three sites in Croatia in relation to cambium age, within- and between-site differences, and growth rate. Tracheids are the main structural element in P. menziesii wood, varying in length following different patterns that should be precisely determined. After the maceration procedure, earlywood tracheid length (EWTL), latewood tracheid length (LWTL), annual growth ring tracheid length (RTL), earlywood ring width (EWW), latewood ring width (LWW), and annual ring width (ARW) were measured in selected annual growth rings. The significant effect of annual growth rings and zone interaction for EWTL and LWTL, as well as of annual growth rings, trees, and sites for RTL, was determined. The results conclude on the differences between the trends in EWTL and LWTL from pith toward the bark. In addition, the correlation analysis between the tracheid length and different growth patterns was investigated, and very weak or no association between the variables was detected. This research contributes to better understanding the degree of wood uniformity of P. menziesii from the technological perspective, as well as the variability factor in the optimization of forest management with favoring overall wood quality.

Optical Coherence Tomography of Tumor Spheroids Identifies Candidates for Drug Repurposing in Ovarian Cancer.

Multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTs) are indispensable models for evaluating drug efficacy for precision cancer therapeutic strategies as well as for repurposing FDA-approved drugs for ovarian cancer. However, current imaging techniques cannot provide effective monitoring of pathological responses due to shallow penetration and experimentally operative destruction. We plan to utilize a noninvasive optical imaging tool to achieve in vivo longitudinal monitoring of the growth of MCTs and therapeutic responses to repurpose three FDA-approved drugs for ovarian cancer therapy. A swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system was used to monitor the volume growth of MCTs over 11 days. Three inhibitors of 2-Methoxyestradiol (2-ME), AZD1208, and R-Ketorolac (R-keto) with concentrations of 1, 10, and 25 µM were employed to treat ovarian MCTs on day 5. Three-dimensional (3D), intrinsic optical attenuation contrast, and degree of uniformity were applied to analyze the therapeutic effect of these inhibitors on ovarian MCTs. We found that 2-ME, AZD1208, and R-keto with concentration of 10 and 25 µM significantly inhibited the volume growth of ovarian MCTs. There was no effect to necrotic tissues from all concentrations of 2-ME, AZD1208, and R-keto inhibitors from our OCT results. 2-ME and AZD1208 inhibited the growth of high uniformity tissues within MCTs and higher concentrations provided more significant inhibitory effects. Our results indicated that OCT was capable and reliable to monitor the therapeutic effect of inhibitors to ovarian MCTs and it can be used for the rapid characterization of novel therapeutics for ovarian cancers in the future.

Multi-camera imaging to characterize jet and liner uniformity on the Plasma Liner Experiment (PLX).

At Plasma Liner Experiment, a set of 36 coaxial plasma guns are deployed quasi-uniformly over a 9 ft diameter spherical chamber and are used to form a high-Z spherically compressive plasma liner. Simulations indicate that for the concept to ultimately achieve optimal target density and temperature, a high degree of timing uniformity is required between all guns. To aid in quantifying and correcting gun-to-gun nonuniformities, a key diagnostic will consist of up to six fisheye-view CCD cameras positioned inside the main chamber such that each has all plasma guns within its view. The individual cameras can be triggered at different times to determine each plasma jet's muzzle velocity and structure for different operating conditions. This camera array is currently under development, and the implementation needs and challenges for this camera array are discussed here. Additionally, we detail the analysis methodology for determining jet-to-jet uniformity deviations and how we can correct them, thereby improving overall liner uniformity.

ТЕХНИКО-ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ КЕРАМИКИ АНДРОНОВСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ С ПОСЕЛЕНИЯ ФИРСОВО-15 (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ РАСКОПОК 2020 Г.)

The paper presents the results of the technical and technological analysis of Andronovo ceramics obtained during the rescue excavations in 2020 at the multi-time settlement of Firsovo-15. The composition of the raw materials and molding masses of 18 samples was studied. It was found that most of the vessels were made of medium-hard plastic clays. In total, two recipes for composing molding masses have been identifi ed: clay + chamotte + organic solution, clay + chamotte + organics. Comparison of the data obtained with the result of earlier studies of the materials of the monument allows us to speak of a high degree of uniformity of the Andronovo ceramic complex of the Firsovo-15 settlement. A comparative analysis of the results with the available information on the technology of making ceramics of other Andronovo settlements of Altai demonstrates some originality of the studied complex. It consists in a small variety of recorded recipes, as well as in the presence of the only one type of mineral impurity in the studied sample. The results obtained indicate that the population who left this site had stable traditions in the selection of raw materials and the composition of molding masses, as well as its cultural unity.

A study on the Evenness Improvement of Influent Flow rates Distributed to Parallel-arrayed Grit chambers using CFD simulation technique

Objectives : The objectives of this study are to assess the degree of uniformity of the flow rate flowing into four grit chamber for actual waste water treatment and to to improve hydraulic structure of the existing distribution channel.Methods : Mobile ultrasonic flow meter was used to measure each flow rate flowing into four grit chambers, and the CFD technique was used to suggest several hydraulic structure improvements for enhancing flow rate evenness.Results and Discussion : From the results of the actual measurement using ultrasonic flowmeter and CFD simulation, The flow rates distributed to four grit chamber through the existing complicated open channels (four outlets) showed a severe unevenness. It was revealed that the flow rate passing through the outlets 1 and 4 at both right anf left ends showed a difference of more than 20% compared to those through outlets 2 and 3 installed in the center.Conclusion : As a result of examining the data of the water level, flow rate, and distribution percentages passing through the 4 distribution channels using the CFD simulation, it was found that case 4 (the case to install the orifice walls on both sides) had the most even flow rate distribution effect. However, as a result of comparing the water levels in case 4 and case 6, the case installing both orifice walls make relatively higher head loss.

Ultra-wideband, polarization-insensitive flexible metamaterial absorber base on laser printed graphene using equivalent circuit design method

In this paper, an ultra-wideband, angle and polarization-insensitive laser assisted graphene metamaterial absorber is presented. The design consists of double graphene resistive layers with the combination of three dielectric substrates. The graphene imbedded nano-magnetic material Fe3O4 has been synthesisedby laser direct writing technology, which demonstrates a high degree of uniformity with deviations less than 6% for different designed values of sheet resistance. Numerical simulation and analytical studies were carried out in order to analyze the absorption mechanism. The measured results confirm that the absorber operates from 1.32 to 17.9 GHz with over 90% absorptivity. The absorber achieves 173% fractional absorption bandwidth with a thickness of 0.068λL.

Correlating Nanoscale Structures with Electrochemical Properties of Solid Electrolyte Interphases in Solid-State Battery Electrodes.

Here, we investigate the nonlinear relationship between the content of solid electrolytes in composite electrodes and the irreversible capacity via the degree of nanoscale uniformity of the surface morphology and chemical composition of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. Using electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), changes of the chemical composition and morphology (Li and F distribution) in SEI layers on the electrodes as a function of solid electrolyte contents are analyzed. As a result, we find that the solid electrolyte content affects the variation of the SEI layer thickness and chemical distributions of Li and F ions in the SEI layer, which, in turn, influence the Coulombic efficiency. This correlation determines the composition of the composite electrode surface that can maximize the physical and chemical uniformity of the solid electrolyte on the electrode, which is a key parameter to increase electrochemical performance in solid-state batteries.

Deviation from equidistance for one-dimensional sequences

For a finite sequence (x_i)_{i=1}^N in the unit interval, we introduce the gap ratio function which measures the size of the maximal gap length relative to all other gap lengths. This function (asymptotically) captures a lot of information about the degree of uniformity of the sequence. We discuss connections to the theories of dispersion, discrepancy, pair correlation statistics and covering numbers. Furthermore, we explicitly calculate the gap ratio function for some important classes of uniformly distributed sequences.