Raman random lasing in Ba(NO3)2 powder

Random lasing in Raman active material – barium nitrate powder – has been registered in two temporal regimes: nanosecond and picosecond. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in Ba(NO3)2 for picosecond excitation has been shown to have much lower threshold and spectrum containing more components than for nanosecond excitation opposite to the case of a bulk medium. In picosecond regime SRS intensity increased with temperature decreasing and redistributed in favor of the higher order components. SRS pulse duration in picosecond regime was estimated to be in the range 16.5-22 ps. High conversion efficiency of SRS in barium nitrate powder in picosecond regime and its larger stability under laser impact than for bulk samples gives possibility to use it as an active material in Raman converters.

Acceleration sound design for vehicles using distortion products

When considering the acoustic design of automobiles, low-frequency sounds can increase the excitement levels for users. However, there are several problems accompany an increase in the low-frequency levels of an engine sound. For example, it is difficult to create a balance between silence and excitement when a sound's different order components are changed. It is also difficult to generate heavy bass engine sounds in practical scenarios. Thus, the application of distortion products in the auditory system of the cochlea is considered. Distortion products are perceived when two or more sounds with slightly different frequencies are played simultaneously. This study was conducted to examine the possibility of achieving powerful engine sounds using distortion products. At first, the relationship between different combinations of complex sounds and the pitch perception of distortion products was investigated. As a second step, the application of distortion products to the acceleration sound was also considered. The results suggested the possibility of synthesizing a low-frequency component using distortion products inside a cochlea.

Improvement of sound atmosphere in the compartment of construc-tion machine

Noise inside the compartment of construction machine makes the operator feel annoyed and exhausted due to the unwanted component of noise. This paper deals with the treatment of sound inside the compartment of construction machine to make the sound atmosphere desirable for the operator. The main cause of annoyance due to the exposure of noise is the peaky engine order components. This paper provides the method to reduce annoyance for the operator inside by the reduction of peaky components.

Performance and characterization of the FinEstBeAMS beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory

FinEstBeAMS (Finnish–Estonian Beamline for Atmospheric and Materials Sciences) is a multidisciplinary beamline constructed at the 1.5 GeV storage ring of the MAX IV synchrotron facility in Lund, Sweden. The beamline covers an extremely wide photon energy range, 4.5–1300 eV, by utilizing a single elliptically polarizing undulator as a radiation source and a single grazing-incidence plane grating monochromator to disperse the radiation. At photon energies below 70 eV the beamline operation relies on the use of optical and thin-film filters to remove higher-order components from the monochromated radiation. This paper discusses the performance of the beamline, examining such characteristics as the quality of the gratings, photon energy calibration, photon energy resolution, available photon flux, polarization quality and focal spot size.

A Fast Linear Semi-Lagrangian Advection Scheme Coupled with Spectral (bin) Microphysics to Simulate an Idealized Super Cell Storm in WRF

A new, computationally efficient Semi-Lagrangian advection (SLA) scheme was used to simulate an idealized supercell storm using WRF coupled with Spectral (bin) Microphysics (SBM). SLA was developed to make complicated microphysical schemes more computationally accessible to cloud resolving models. The SLA is a linear combination of Semi-Lagrangian schemes of the first and the second order. It has relatively low numerical diffusion, a high level of mass conservation accuracy, and preserves the sum of multiple advected variables. In addition to idealized tests, comparisons were made with standard WRF higher-order, non-linear advection schemes. Tests of the SLA were performed using different weighting coefficients of γ for the combination of the first and second order components. The results of SLA on grids of 1 km, 500 m, and 250 m agree well with those of the standard WRF advection schemes, with results most similar to simulations with 250 m grid spacing. At the same time, the advection CPU time required by the SLA was 2.2 to 3 times shorter than the WRF advection schemes. The speed-up occurred in part because of the utilization of the same advection matrix for the advection of all hydrometeor mass bins. The findings of this work support the hypothesis that cloud microphysical simulation is more sensitive to the choice of microphysics than to the choice of advection schemes, thereby justifying the use of computationally efficient lower order linear schemes.

The Taxonomy of Empathy: A Meta-definition and the Nine Dimensions of the Empathic System

The conceptual diversity in the definition of empathy has resulted in descriptions of a highly heterogeneous collection of related phenomena, causing confusion as to what empathy actually is. Some of this heterogeneity arises due to disparate viewpoints across different disciplines. Capturing this transdisciplinary construct and arriving at a clear and unambiguous overarching definition of empathy will help provide a clearer outline of the fundamental dimensions of empathy, and will facilitate greater consistency in research and discussion of empathy across and between a range of disciplines. An inductive conceptual content analysis of the existing definitions of empathy was undertaken to distil the common higher order and lower order components of empathy definitions that have been used in the literature since 1980. A total of 146 definitions of empathy were sourced from a sample of 506 publications. Nine overarching dimensions were identified within the 146 definitions, including empathy as a catalyst, function, process, outcome, affective state, cognitive state, involving self and other, leading to a behaviour, and occurring in a specific context. The resultant meta-definition of empathy is “the ability to experience affective and cognitive states of another person, while maintaining a distinct self, in order to understand the other.” The results reveal empathy as a complex series of processes that we argue should be considered an “empathic system” given its multidimensional nature.

The Use of Repeatable Components in Hybrid Models to Enhance Software Project Management Success

The management of software project development requires a dynamic and reactive environment to meet shorter time-to-market demands to address competition efficently in the software industry. This scenario requires the use of effective and robust methodologieswhere opportunities are not lost due to delays and failures in timely software project deliveries.The Agile Manifesto in 2001 which introduced 4 values and 12 principles was designed to develop and manage software projects in a more suitable and effective way to improvethe success rates of software projects. But, increase in overall success rates are still not significant with failure rates remaining plauteaued at about 30% over the last 10 years. Hybrids methodologies seem to have worked better as agile hybrid management methodshave shown more promise when compared to pure agile methods with an overall success rate increase of 16%. There is evidence too that by combining agile methodologies with traditional methodologies, there would be a further increase in success rates. Whilst many hybrid methodologies have been suggested and researched, the gaps in the literature review reveal there is a lack of hybrid models that have been empirically developed and studied as second order components. To build a robust hybrid model, it is important to gather the relevant information and careful consuideration must be given to the design of the questionnaireto fit second order components and models must incorporate and provide for the use repeatable ways to test models once the data is collected.This paper presents a review of the current gaps in hybrid methodologies and proposes a questionnaire design that supports the research methodology and empirical study to be undertaken with second order components (Constructs).Further it looks at the design approach in questionnaires which incorporates the use of repeatable constructs and the measures used and emphasizes this as an important ingredient for developing and testing hybrid models in research studies.

Transfer Function Coefficients Calculation of the High Pass Frequency-Dependent Second-Order Components Using Special Phase Frequency Response Values

In this work, adjustable second-order digital frequency-dependent components that are used in robotic systems are considered. The obtained approximations of the PFR dependence on the ripple level allow us to find the digital filter transfer function denominator coefficients' values that result contributes to a more rapid rearrangement of their responses in robotic systems.