Measurement of high-temperature strains in superalloy and carbon/carbon composites using chemical composition gratings

This is a text file associated with Ref. [11] from R. Siew, "Practical automated glass selection and the design of apochromats with large field of view," App. Opt. 55, pp. 9232 - 9236 (2016). It lists the lens prescription for the Zemax lens file of Ref. [10] in the above manuscript.  This lens represents a re-optimized state of the prior lens "AUTO GLASS FINISHED.zmx".  The design form is based on the design by A. Yang, X. Gao, and M. Li, "Design of apochromatic lens with large field and high definition for machine vision," App. Opt. 55, 5977 - 5985 (2016)

Quantum Neuronal Sensing of Quantum Many-Body States on a 61-Qubit Programmable Superconducting Processor

Classifying many-body quantum states with distinct properties and phases of matter is one of the most fundamental tasks in quantum many-body physics. However, due to the exponential complexity that emerges from the enormous numbers of interacting particles, classifying large-scale quantum states has been extremely challenging for classical approaches. Here, we propose a new approach called quantum neuronal sensing. Utilizing a 61 qubit superconducting quantum processor, we show that our scheme can efficiently classify two different types of many-body phenomena: namely the ergodic and localized phases of matter. Our quantum neuronal sensing process allows us to extract the necessary information coming from the statistical characteristics of the eigenspectrum to distinguish these phases of matter by measuring only one qubit. Our work demonstrates the feasibility and scalability of quantum neuronal sensing for near-term quantum processors and opens new avenues for exploring quantum many-body phenomena in larger-scale systems.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures in the main text, and 13 pages, 13 figures, and 1 table in supplementary material

Experimental quantum computational chemistry with optimised unitary coupled cluster ansatz

Simulation of quantum chemistry is one of the most promising applications of quantum computing. While recent experimental works have demonstrated the potential of solving electronic structures with variational quantum eigensolver (VQE), the implementations are either restricted to nonscalable (hardware efficient) or classically simulable (Hartree-Fock) ansatz, or limited to a few qubits with large errors for the more accurate unitary coupled cluster (UCC) ansatz. Here, integrating experimental and theoretical advancements of improved operations and dedicated algorithm optimisations, we demonstrate an implementation of VQE with UCC for H_2, LiH, F_2 from 4 to 12 qubits. Combining error mitigation, we produce high-precision results of the ground-state energy with error suppression by around two orders of magnitude. For the first time, we achieve chemical accuracy for H_2 at all bond distances and LiH at small bond distances in the experiment. Our work demonstrates a feasible path towards a scalable solution to electronic structure calculation, validating the key technological features and identifying future challenges for this goal.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures in the main text, and 29 pages supplementary materials with 16 figure

How do urban residents use energy for winter heating at home? A large-scale survey in the hot summer and cold winter climate zone in the Yangtze River region

The increasing demand for improving indoor thermal environment in the hot summer and cold winter climate zone (HSCW) in the Yangtze River region in China poses enormous challenges in terms of energy policy and design solutions for this unique region. A comprehensive understanding of people’s habits and behaviors involving winter heating is imperative for decision making for urban heating infrastructure investment strategies that significantly impact the decarbonization of heating. However, there are little studies of a large-scale survey to gain such knowledge acrose the region. The aim of this study is to develop a rigorous survey method in order to obtain reliable data for analysis. Five municipal/capital cities across the upper, middle and downstream Yangtze River were surveyed based on 30 randomly generated locations in each city. A total of 8481 valuable samples were obtained in the survey conducted in the winter from November 2017 to March 2018. It is revealed that air conditioning/air source heat pumps are the predominant systems, accounting for 63% and 58% for bedroom and living room heating respectively. The use patterns of heating are diverse featuring ‘part-time-part-space’ systems in accordance with the occupancy patterns. There is significant evidence of the habit of opening a window to provide a gap for fresh air irrespective of whether the heating is in use. Two-step cluster analysis is employed to subdivide occupants’ heating-related behaviors into three clusters to characterize households. This study fills the knowledge gap of winter-heating-related behaviors. The research outcomes will benefit building energy simulations for energy prediction and help policy makers making decisions on providing strategic guidance in terms of winter heating solutions in this region

A New Approach for Estimating Rock Discontinuity Trace Intensity Based on Rectangular Sampling Windows

Trace intensity is defined as mean total trace length of discontinuities per unit area, which is an important geometric parameter to describe fracture networks. The probability of each trace appearing in the sampling surface is different since discontinuity orientation has a scatter and is probabilistically distributed, so this factor should be taken into account in trace intensity estimation. This paper presents an approach to estimate the two-dimensional trace intensity by considering unequal appearing probability for discontinuities sampled by rectangular windows. The estimation method requires the number of discontinuities intersecting the window, the appearing probability of discontinuities with both ends observed, one end observed, and both ends censored, and the mean trace length of discontinuities intersecting the window. The new estimator is validated by using discontinuity data from an outcrop in Wenchuan area in China. Similarly, circular windows are used along with Mauldon’s equation to calculate trace intensity using discontinuity trace data of the same outcrop as a contrast. Results indicate that the proposed new method based on rectangular windows shows close accuracy and less variability than that of the method based on circular windows due to the influence of finite sample size and the variability of location of the window and has advantage in application to sampling surfaces longer in one direction than in the other such as tunnel cross sections and curved sampling surfaces such as outcrops that show some curvature

Nicotine is a risk factor for dental caries: An in vivo study

Background/purpose: Streptococcus mutans is an important pathogen in the development of dental caries. Many studies have focused on the relationship between nicotine and S. mutans in vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nicotine on the growth of S. mutans and its cariogenic potential in vivo. Materials and methods: Sixteen male Specific-pathogen-free Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups (nicotine-treated and nicotine-untreated group) and infected with S. mutans. The S. mutans suspension was treated with 1 mg/mL nicotine in the nicotine-treated group. The Keyes method was used to evaluate sulcal caries of rats, and dental plaque on molar teeth was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: Incidence of sulcal caries was higher in nicotine-treated group compared to nicotine-untreated group (42.7 ± 1.7 vs 37.3 ± 4.9, P = 0.009). Severity of caries increased with nicotine treatment. The slightly dentinal caries scores and moderate dentinal caries scores were higher in the presence of nicotine (P < 0.001). Increased number of S. mutans cells attached to dental surface was observed under SEM in the nicotine-treated group. Conclusion: Nicotine would promote the attachment of S. mutans to dental surface, and further increase the incidence and severity of dental caries. Therefore, nicotine might be a risk factor for smoking-induced caries. Keywords: Dental caries, Streptococcus mutans, Nicotine, Rat

Number and function of bone-marrow derived angiogenic cells and coronary flow reserve in women without obstructive coronary artery disease: a substudy of the NHLBI-sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE).

In women with ischemia and no obstructive coronary artery disease, the Women's Ischemic Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) observed that microvascular coronary dysfunction (MCD) is the best independent predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. Since coronary microvascular tone is regulated in part by endothelium, we hypothesized that circulating endothelial cells (CEC), which reflect endothelial injury, and the number and function of bone-marrow derived angiogenic cells (BMDAC), which could help repair damaged endothelium, may serve as biomarkers for decreased coronary flow reserve (CFR) and MCD.We studied 32 women from the WISE cohort. CFR measurements in response to intracoronary adenosine were taken as an index of MCD. We enumerated BMDAC colonies and CEC in peripheral blood samples. BMDAC function was assessed by assay of migration of CD34+ cells toward SDF-1 and measurement of bioavailable nitric oxide (NO). These findings were compared with a healthy reference group and also entered into a multivariable model with CFR as the dependent variable.Compared with a healthy reference group, women with MCD had lower numbers of BMDAC colonies [16 (0, 81) vs. 24 (14, 88); P = 0.01] and NO [936 (156, 1875) vs. 1168 (668, 1823); P = 0.02]. Multivariable regression analysis showed strong correlation of CFR to the combination of BMDAC colony count and CD34+ cell function (migration and NO) (R(2) = 0.45; P<0.05).The BMDAC function and numbers of BMDAC colonies are decreased in symptomatic women with MCD and are independently associated with CFR. These circulating cells may provide mechanistic insights into MCD in women with ischemia