A Thz single-polarization-single-mode (spsm) photonic crystal fiber based on epsilon-near-zero material

© COPYRIGHT SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only. To overcome the crosstalk happening between two degenerately fundamental modes of a fiber in Terahertz (THz) regime, a novel photonic crystal fiber (PCF) that yields a wide range of single-polarization-single-mode (SPSM) propagation with large loss differences (LDs) is designed. The method used to realize this SPSM PCF is to deposit an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material in four selected air holes in the cladding, which ends up with four ENZ rings. These ENZ rings introduce significant LDs between the wanted (X-polarized) and unwanted (Y-polarized and high order) modes. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the LDs between the wanted and unwanted modes vary with the thickness of ENZ rings. With a very short length (4 cm) of the proposed PCF, pure SPSM propagation, i.e., the unwanted modes are 20 dB lower than the wanted mode, can be achieved from 1 to 1.2 THz

High birefringent ENZ photonic crystal fibers

© 2018 IEEE. A novel photonic crystal fiber (PCF) design that has a simple circular air hole configuration is reported that yields a very high birefringence. The enhanced birefringence is achieved by filling a select number of the air holes in its cladding with an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material to break the index symmetry of its X- A nd Y-polarization states. Comparisons of initial numerical simulations based on ideal ENZ materials and then those based on realistic ones demonstrate that the high birefringence property is still maintainable with currently available ENZ materials

A Controllable Plasmonic Resonance in a SiC-Loaded Single-Polarization Single-Mode Photonic Crystal Fiber Enables Its Application as a Compact LWIR Environmental Sensor.

Near-perfect resonant absorption is attained in a single-polarization single-mode photonic crystal fiber (SPSM PCF) within the long-wave infrared (LWIR) range from 10 to 11 μm. The basic PCF design is a triangular lattice-based cladding of circular air holes and a core region augmented with rectangular slots. A particular set of air holes surrounding the core is partially filled with SiC, which exhibits epsilon near-zero (ENZ) and epsilon negative (ENG) properties within the wavelength range of interest. By tuning the configuration to have the fields of the unwanted fundamental and all higher order modes significantly overlap with the very lossy ENG rings, while the wanted fundamental propagating mode is concentrated in the core, the SPSM outcome is realized. Moreover, a strong plasmonic resonance is attained by adjusting the radii of the resulting cylindrical core-shell structures. The cause of the resonance is carefully investigated and confirmed. The resonance wavelength is shown to finely shift, depending on the relative permittivity of any material introduced into the PCF's air holes, e.g., by flowing a liquid or gas in them. The potential of this plasmonic-based PCF structure as a very sensitive, short length LWIR spectrometer is demonstrated with an environmental monitoring application

On the development of creep damage constitutive equations: modified hyperbolic sine law for minimum creep strain rate and stress and creep fracture criterion based on cavity area fraction along grain boundaries

Abstract: This paper reports 1) the latest development and application of modified hyperbolic sine law for minimum creep strain rate and stress for both low Cr and high Cr steels, and 2) the development of creep fracture criterion based on cavity area fraction along grain boundary for high Cr steel. This work is part of the fundamental development of creep damage constitutive equations which were identified through a critical literature review. In the former the application of the new law results in an improved fitting; in the latter, a new creep fracture criterion based on cavity area fraction along grain boundary was derived and quantitatively calibrated using the latest detailed cavity nucleation and growth kinetics models for high Cr steel. Furthermore, this paper revealed the trend of nucleation rate coefficient with stress, and the trend of creep life time coefficient with stress, which provide reliable and universal prediction capabilities. This paper contributes to the specific knowledge on the minimum creep strain rate and stress function, the development of a scientific sound and novel creep rupture criterion based on the cavity area fraction along grain boundary for high Cr steel, and the provision of creep damage/life prediction tools

Identifying sediment discontinuities and solving dating puzzles using monitoring and palaeolimnological records

Palaeolimnological studies should ideally be based upon continuous, undisturbed sediment sequences with reliable chronologies. However for some lake cores, these conditions are not met and palaeolimnologists are often faced with dating puzzles caused by sediment disturbances in the past. This study chooses Esthwaite Water from England to illustrate how to identify sedimentation discontinuities in lake cores and how chronologies can be established for imperfect cores by correlation of key sediment signatures in parallel core records and with long-term monitoring data (1945–2003). Replicated short cores (ESTH1, ESTH7, and ESTH8) were collected and subjected to loss-on-ignition, radiometric dating (210Pb, 137Cs, and 14C), particle size, trace metal, and fossil diatom analysis. Both a slumping and a hiatus event were detected in ESTH7 based on comparisons made between the cores and the long-term diatom data. Ordination analysis suggested that the slumped material in ESTH7 originated from sediment deposited around 1805–1880 AD. Further, it was inferred that the hiatus resulted in a loss of sediment deposited from 1870 to 1970 AD. Given the existence of three superior 14C dates in ESTH7, ESTH1 and ESTH7 were temporally correlated by multiple palaeolimnological proxies for age-depth model development. High variability in sedimentation rates was evident, but good agreement across the various palaeolimnological proxies indicated coherence in sediment processes within the coring area. Differences in sedimentation rates most likely resulted from the natural morphology of the lake basin. Our study suggests that caution is required in selecting suitable coring sites for palaeolimnological studies of small, relatively deep lakes and that proximity to steep slopes should be avoided wherever possible. Nevertheless, in some cases, comparisons between a range of contemporary and palaeolimnological records can be employed to diagnose sediment disturbances and establish a chronology

Adaptive Douglas-Peucker Algorithm With Automatic Thresholding for AIS-Based Vessel Trajectory Compression

Automatic identification system (AIS) is an important part of perfecting terrestrial networks, radar systems and satellite constellations. It has been widely used in vessel traffic service system to improve navigational safety. Following the explosion in vessel AIS data, the issues of data storing, processing, and analysis arise as emerging research topics in recent years. Vessel trajectory compression is used to eliminate the redundant information, preserve the key features, and simplify information for further data mining, thus correspondingly improving data quality and guaranteeing accurate measurement for ensuring navigational safety. It is well known that trajectory compression quality significantly depends on the threshold selection. We propose an Adaptive Douglas-Peucker (ADP) algorithm with automatic thresholding for AIS-based vessel trajectory compression. In particular, the optimal threshold is adaptively calculated using a novel automatic threshold selection method for each trajectory, as an improvement and complement of original Douglas-Peucker (DP) algorithm. It is developed based on the channel and trajectory characteristics, segmentation framework, and mean distance. The proposed method is able to simplify vessel trajectory data and extract useful information effectively. The time series trajectory classification and clustering are discussed and analysed based on ADP algorithm in this paper. To verify the reasonability and effectiveness of the proposed method, experiments are conducted on two different trajectory data sets in inland waterway of Yangtze River for trajectory classification based on the nearest neighbor classifier, and for trajectory clustering based on the spectral clustering. Comprehensive results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can reduce the computational cost while ensuring the clustering and classification accuracy

ZNF750 is a lineage-specific tumour suppressor in squamous cell carcinoma.

ZNF750 controls epithelial homeostasis by regulating epidermal-differentiation genes, a role underscored by its pathogenic mutations in esophageal squamous cell cancers (SCCs). However, the precise role of ZNF750 in SCC cell biology remains unclear. In this study, we report that ZNF750 is exclusively deleted, mutated and underexpressed in human SCCs, and low ZNF750 expression is associated with poor survival. Restoration of wildtype, but not mutant ZNF750 protein uniquely inhibited the malignant phenotypes of SCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, ZNF750 promoted the expression of a long non-coding RNA (TINCR), which mediated both cancer-inhibition and differentiation-induction effects of ZNF750. In addition, ZNF750 potently suppressed cell migration by directly inhibiting the transactivation of LAMC2. Together, our findings characterize ZNF750 as a crucial SCC-specific suppressor and uncover its novel anticancer-associated functions

Wave attenuation at a salt marsh margin: A case study of an exposed coast on the Yangtze estuary

To quantify wave attenuation by (introduced) Spartina alterniflora vegetation at an exposed macrotidal coast in the Yangtze Estuary, China, wave parameters and water depth were measured during 13 consecutive tides at nine locations ranging from 10 m seaward to 50 m landward of the low marsh edge. During this period, the incident wave height ranged from <0.1 to 1.5 m, the maximum of which is much higher than observed in other marsh areas around the world. Our measurements and calculations showed that the wave attenuation rate per unit distance was 1 to 2 magnitudes higher over the marsh than over an adjacent mudflat. Although the elevation gradient of the marsh margin was significantly higher than that of the adjacent mudflat, more than 80% of wave attenuation was ascribed to the presence of vegetation, suggesting that shoaling effects were of minor importance. On average, waves reaching the marsh were eliminated over a distance of similar to 80 m, although a marsh distance of >= 100 m was needed before the maximum height waves were fully attenuated during high tides. These attenuation distances were longer than those previously found in American salt marshes, mainly due to the macrotidal and exposed conditions at the present site. The ratio of water depth to plant height showed an inverse correlation with wave attenuation rate, indicating that plant height is a crucial factor determining the efficiency of wave attenuation. Consequently, the tall shoots of the introduced S. alterniflora makes this species much more efficient at attenuating waves than the shorter, native pioneer species in the Yangtze Estuary, and should therefore be considered as a factor in coastal management during the present era of sea-level rise and global change. We also found that wave attenuation across the salt marsh can be predicted using published models when a suitable coefficient is incorporated to account for drag, which varies in place and time due to differences in plant characteristics and abiotic conditions (i.e., bed gradient, initial water depth, and wave action).