A step to the decentralized real-time timekeeping network

The composite time scale(CTS) provides an accurate and stable time-frequency reference for modern science and technology. Conventional CTS always features a centralized network topology, which means that the CTS is accompanied by a local master clock. This largely restricts the stability and reliability of the CTS. We simulate the restriction and analyze the influence of the master clock on the CTS. It proves that the CTS's long-term stability is also positively related to that of the master clock, until the region dominated by the frequency drift of the H-maser(averaging time longer than ~10~5s).Aiming at this restriction, a real-time clock network is utilized. Based on the network, a real-time CTS referenced by a stable remote master clock is achieved. The experiment comparing two real-time CTSs referenced by a local and a remote master clock respectively reveals that under open-loop steering, the stability of the CTS is improved by referencing to a remote and more stable master clock instead of a local and less stable master clock. In this way, with the help of the proposed scheme, the CTS can be referenced to the most stable master clock within the network in real time, no matter whether it is local or remote, making democratic polycentric timekeeping possible.

Physical activity volume,frequency,and intensity:Associations with hypertension and obesity over 21 years in Australian women

Background:Optimal patterns of accrual of recommended levels of physical activity(PA)for prevention of hypertension and obesity are not known.The overall aim of this study was to investigate whether different patterns of accumulation of PA are differentially associated with hypertension and obesity in Australian women over 21 years.Specifically,we investigated whether,for the same weekly volume of PA,the number of sessions(frequency)and vigorousness of PA(intensity)were associated with a reduction in the occurrence of hypertension and obesity in women.Methods:Data from the 1973-1978 and 1946-1951 cohorts of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were analyzed(n=20,588;12%-16%with a Bachelor's or higher degree).Self-reported PA,hypertension,height,and weight were collected using mail surveys every 3 years from 1998/2000 to 2019/2021.Generalized Estimating Equation models with a 3-year lag model were used to investigate the association of PA volume(metabolic equivalent min/week)(none;33-499;500-999;≥1000,weekly frequency(none;1-2 times;3-4times;5-7 times;≥8 times),and the proportion of vigorous PA to total volume of PA(none;0%;1%-33%;34%-66%;67%-100%)with odds of hypertension and obesity from 2000 to 2021.Results:The cumulative incidence of hypertension was 6%in the 1973-1978 and 23%in the 1946-1951 cohort;27%of women in the 1973-1978;and 15%in the 1946-1951 cohort developed obesity over the period.Overall,a higher volume of PA was associated with reduced odds of hypertension and obesity.When the volume of PA was considered,the odds of hypertension did not vary according to the frequency or intensity of PA.However,increased proportion of vigorous PA to the total volume of PA was associated with a small additional reduction in the risk of obe sity.Conclusion:PA volume appears to be more important than the pattern of accumulation for the prevention of hypertension and obesity.Incorporating more sessions,particularly of vigorous-intensity PA,may provide extra benefits for the prevention of obesity.

Experimental Analysis of Radial Centrifugal Pump Shutdown

Centrifugal pumps are widely used in the metallurgy,coal,and building sectors.In order to study the hydraulic characteristics of a closed impeller centrifugal pump during its shutdown in the so-called power frequency and frequency conversion modes,experiments were carried to determine the characteristic evolution of parameters such as speed,inlet and outlet pressure,head,flow rate and shaft power.A quasi-steady-state method was also used to further investigate these transient behaviors.The results show that,compared to the power frequency input,the performance parameter curves for the frequency conversion input are less volatile and smoother.The characteristic time is longer and the response to shutdown is slower.The quasi-steady-state theoretical head-flow curves match the experimental head-flow curves more closely at low flow rates when the frequency conversion input is considered.Moreover,in this case,the similarity law predicts the hydraulic performance more accurately.

Determining rock crack stress thresholds using ultrasonic through-transmission measurements

The crack initiation stress threshold is widely used in excavation industries as rock spalling strength when designing deep underground structures to avoid unwanted brittle failures.While various strain-based methods have been developed for the estimation of this critical design parameter,such methods are destructive and often requires subjective interpretations of the stress–strain curves,particularly in rocks with pre-existing microcracks or high porosity.This study explore the applicability of non-destructive ultrasonic through-transmission methods for determining rock damage levels by assessing the changes in transmitted signal characteristics during loading.The change in velocity,amplitude,dominant frequency,and root-mean-square voltage are investigated with four different rock types including marble,sandstone,granite,and basalt under various stress levels.Results suggest the rate of signal variations can be reliably used to estimate crack closure and crack initiation stress levels across the tested rocks before failure.Comparison of the results between the conventional techniques and the new proposed methods based on ultrasonic monitoring are further discussed.

Strong shock propagation for the finite-source circular blast in a confined domain

The circular explosion wave produced by the abrupt discharge of gas from a high-temperature heat source serves as a crucial model for addressing explosion phenomena in compressible flow.The reflection of the primary shock and its propagation within a confined domain are studied both theoretically and numerically in this research.Under the assumption of strong shock,the scaling law governing propagation of the main shock is proposed.The dimensionless frequency of reflected shock propagation is associated with the confined distance.The numerical simulation for the circular explosion problem in a confined domain is performed for validation.Under the influence of confinement,the principal shock wave systematically undergoes reflection within the domain until it weakens,leading to the non-monotonic attenuation of kinetic energy in the explosion fireball and periodic oscillations of the fireball volume with a certain frequency.The simulation results indicate that the frequency of kinetic energy attenuation and the volume oscillation of the explosive fireball align consistently with the scaling law.

MEMS Huygens Clock Based on Synchronized Micromechanical Resonators

With the continuous miniaturization of electronic devices,microelectromechanical system(MEMS)oscillators that can be combined with integrated circuits have attracted increasing attention.This study reports a MEMS Huygens clock based on the synchronization principle,comprising two synchronized MEMS oscillators and a frequency compensation system.The MEMS Huygens clock improved shorttime stability,improving the Allan deviation by a factor of 3.73 from 19.3 to 5.17 ppb at 1 s.A frequency compensation system based on the MEMS oscillator’s temperature-frequency characteristics was developed to compensate for the frequency shift of the MEMS Huygens clock by controlling the resonator current.This effectively improved the long-term stability of the oscillator,with the Allan deviation improving by 1.6343105 times to 30.9 ppt at 6000 s.The power consumption for compensating both oscillators simultaneously is only 2.85 mW·℃^(-1).Our comprehensive solution scheme provides a novel and precise engineering solution for achieving high-precision MEMS oscillators and extends synchronization applications in MEMS.

High-Precision Doppler Frequency Estimation Based Positioning Using OTFS Modulations by Red and Blue Frequency Shift Discriminator

Orthogonal Time Frequency and Space(OTFS) modulation is expected to provide high-speed and ultra-reliable communications for emerging mobile applications, including low-orbit satellite communications. Using the Doppler frequency for positioning is a promising research direction on communication and navigation integration. To tackle the high Doppler frequency and low signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) in satellite communication, this paper proposes a Red and Blue Frequency Shift Discriminator(RBFSD) based on the pseudo-noise(PN) sequence.The paper derives that the cross-correlation function on the Doppler domain exhibits the characteristic of a Sinc function. Therefore, it applies modulation onto the Delay-Doppler domain using PN sequence and adjusts Doppler frequency estimation by red-shifting or blue-shifting. Simulation results show that the performance of Doppler frequency estimation is close to the Cramér-Rao Lower Bound when the SNR is greater than -15dB. The proposed algorithm is about 1/D times less complex than the existing PN pilot sequence algorithm, where D is the resolution of the fractional Doppler.

Performance analysis of the tight combination of GPS, BDS, GALILEO, and QzsS mixed frequencies signals

With the gradual development and modernization of satellite navigation systems,using observation information from multi-GNss has become one of the hot-spot issues in recent years.Multi-system loose combinations form double-difference observation equations within their respective systems,and the positioning effect is improved.However,the interchangeability and compatible interoperability between global navigation satellite systems(GNSS)cannot be truly realized.At the same time,when the number of visible satellites decreases abruptly,the positioning performance deteriorates sharply.This paper focuses on the GNsS multi-system tight combination relative positioning technique,gives a mathe-matical model of multi-system tight combination relative positioning considering differential inter-system bias(DISB),and analyzes the time-varying characteristics of DISB at overlapping and non-overlapping frequencies among GPS/Galileo,GPS/BDS,and GPS/QZSS in terms of receiver brand,tem-perature,and receiver restart.The GNsS tight combination relative positioning performance is verified by static data from Curtin University and dynamic data measured at Taiyuan University of Technology.The results show that compared with loose combination,the ambiguity-fixed rate increases from 62.18%to 97.60%for static data and from 74.97%to 99.53%for dynamic data when the elevation mask angle is 50°,resulting in a significant improvement in positioning performance.

Reproductive height determines the loss of clonal grasses with nitrogen enrichment in a temperate grassland

Tall clonal grasses commonly display competitive advantages with nitrogen(N)enrichment.However,it is currently unknown whether the height is derived from the vegetative or reproductive module.Moreover,it is unclear whether the height of the vegetative or reproductive system regulates the probability of extinction and colonization,and determines species diversity.In this study,the impacts on clonal grasses were studied in a field experiment employing two frequencies(twice a year vs.monthly)crossing with nine N addition rates in a temperate grassland,China.We found that the N addition decreased species frequency and increased extinction probability,but did not change the species colonization probability.A low frequency of N addition decreased species frequency and colonization probability,but increased extinction probability.Moreover,we found that species reproductive height was the best index to predict the extinction probability of clonal grasses in N-enriched conditions.The low frequency of N addition may overestimate the negative effect from N deposition on clonal grass diversity,suggesting that a higher frequency of N addition is more suitable in assessing the ecological effects of N deposition.Overall,this study illustrates that reproductive height was associated with the clonal species extinction probability under N-enriched environment.

Physics package based on intracavity laser cooling ^(87)Rb atoms for space cold atom microwave clock

This article proposes a new physics package to enhance the frequency stability of the space cold atom clock with the advantages of a microgravity environment. Clock working processes, including atom cooling, atomic state preparation,microwave interrogation, and transition probability detection, are integrated into the cylindrical microwave cavity to achieve a high-performance and compact physics package for the space cold atom clock. We present the detailed design and ground-test results of the cold atom clock physics package in this article, which demonstrates a frequency stability of 1.2×10^(-12) τ^(-1/2) with a Ramsey linewidth of 12.5 Hz, and a better performance is predicted with a 1 Hz or a narrower Ramsey linewidth in microgravity environment. The miniaturized cold atom clock based on intracavity cooling has great potential for achieving space high-precision time-frequency reference in the future.

Research on modeling and self-excited vibration mechanism in magnetic levitation-collision interface coupling system

The modeling and self-excited vibration mechanism in the magnetic levitation-collision interface coupling system are investigated.The effects of the control and interface parameters on the system's stability are analyzed.The frequency range of self-excited vibrations is investigated from the energy point of view.The phenomenon of self-excited vibrations is elaborated with the phase trajectory.The corresponding control strategies are briefly analyzed with respect to the vibration mechanism.The results show that when the levitation objects collide with the mechanical interface,the system's vibration frequency becomes larger with the decrease in the collision gap;when the vibration frequency exceeds the critical frequency,the electromagnetic system continues to provide energy to the system,and the collision interface continuously dissipates energy so that the system enters the self-excited vibration state.

Long-term operation optimization of circulating cooling water systems under fouling conditions

Fouling caused by excess metal ions in hard water can negatively impact the performance of the circulating cooling water system(CCWS)by depositing ions on the heat exchanger's surface.Currently,the operation optimization of CCWS often prioritizes short-term flow velocity optimization for minimizing power consumption,without considering fouling.However,low flow velocity promotes fouling.Therefore,it's crucial to balance fouling and energy/water conservation for optimal CCWS long-term operation.This study proposes a mixed-integer nonlinear programming(MINLP)model to achieve this goal.The model considers fouling in the pipeline,dynamic concentration cycle,and variable frequency drive to optimize the synergy between heat transfer,pressure drop,and fouling.By optimizing the concentration cycle of the CCWS,water conservation and fouling control can be achieved.The model can obtain the optimal operating parameters for different operation intervals,including the number of pumps,frequency,and valve local resistance coefficient.Sensitivity experiments on cycle and environmental temperature reveal that as the cycle increases,the marginal benefits of energy/water conservation decrease.In periods with minimal impact on fouling rate,energy/water conservation can be achieved by increasing the cycle while maintaining a low fouling rate.Overall,the proposed model has significant energy/water saving effects and can comprehensively optimize the CCWS through its incorporation of fouling and cycle optimization.

Analytical solution to incident angle quasi-phase-matching engineering for second harmonic generation in a periodic-poled lithium niobate crystal

Phase matching or quasi-phase matching(QPM)is of significant importance to the conversion efficiency of second harmonic generation(SHG)in artificial nonlinear crystals like lithium niobate(LN)crystal or microstructured nonlinear crystals like periodic-poled lithium niobate(PPLN)crystals.In this paper,we propose and show that the incident angle of pump laser light can be harnessed as an alternative versatile tool to engineer QPM for high-efficiency SHG in a PPLN crystal,in addition to conventional means of period adjusting or temperature tuning.A rigorous model is established and analytical solution of the nonlinear conversion efficiency under the small and large signal approximation theory is obtained at different incident angles.The variation of phase mismatching and walk-off length with incident angle or incident wavelength are also explored.Numerical simulations for a PPLN crystal with first order QPM structure are used to confirm our theoretical predictions based on the exact analytical solution of the general large-signal theory.The results show that the narrow-band tunable SHG output covers a range of 532 nm–552.8 nm at the ideal incident angle from 0°to 90°.This theoretical scheme,fully considering the reflection and transmission at the air-crystal interface,would offer an efficient theoretical system to evaluate the nonlinear frequency conversion and help to obtain the maximum SHG conversion efficiency by selecting an optimum incident wavelength and incident angle in a specially designed PPLN crystal,which would be very helpful for the design of tunable narrow-band pulse nanosecond,picosecond,and femtosecond laser devices via PPLN and other microstructured LN crystals.

Effect of electrical parameters and slag system on macrostructure of electroslag ingot

To investigate the influence of electric parameters and slag system on the solidification quality of electroslag ingot during electroslag remelting,different power supply modes,current strengths and remelting slag systems were used to conduct electroslag remelting experiments on 304L austenitic stainless steel,and the macrostructure of electroslag ingots was analyzed.The results indicate that the depth of the metal pool decreases with the reduction of remelting frequency in the low frequency power supply mode.The effects of different power supply modes,such as low-frequency,direct current straight polarity(DCSP),and direct current reverse polarity(DCRP),on reducing the depth of the metal pool increase in that order.By reducing the remelting current strength in the same power supply mode,the depth of metal pool is reduced.When compared to the binary slag system of 70%CaF2+30%Al2O3,the ternary slag system of 60%CaF2+20%Al2O3+20%CaO is more effective in reducing the depth of the metal pool during remelting.Utilizing the 60%CaF2+20%Al2O3+20%CaO ternary slag system results in a shallower and flatter metal pool,with columnar crystal growth occurring closer to the axial crystal.This effect is observed for both low frequency and direct current(DC)power supply modes.

A comparative study of data-driven battery capacity estimation based on partial charging curves

With its generality and practicality, the combination of partial charging curves and machine learning(ML) for battery capacity estimation has attracted widespread attention. However, a clear classification,fair comparison, and performance rationalization of these methods are lacking, due to the scattered existing studies. To address these issues, we develop 20 capacity estimation methods from three perspectives:charging sequence construction, input forms, and ML models. 22,582 charging curves are generated from 44 cells with different battery chemistry and operating conditions to validate the performance. Through comprehensive and unbiased comparison, the long short-term memory(LSTM) based neural network exhibits the best accuracy and robustness. Across all 6503 tested samples, the mean absolute percentage error(MAPE) for capacity estimation using LSTM is 0.61%, with a maximum error of only 3.94%. Even with the addition of 3 m V voltage noise or the extension of sampling intervals to 60 s, the average MAPE remains below 2%. Furthermore, the charging sequences are provided with physical explanations related to battery degradation to enhance confidence in their application. Recommendations for using other competitive methods are also presented. This work provides valuable insights and guidance for estimating battery capacity based on partial charging curves.

A flexible ultra-broadband multi-layered absorber working at 2 GHz-40 GHz printed by resistive ink

A flexible extra broadband metamaterial absorber(MMA)stacked with five layers working at 2 GHz–40 GHz is investigated.Each layer is composed of polyvinyl chloride(PVC),polyimide(PI),and a frequency selective surface(FSS),which is printed on PI using conductive ink.To investigate this absorber,both one-dimensional analogous circuit analysis and three-dimensional full-wave simulation based on a physical model are provided.Various crucial electromagnetic properties,such as absorption,effective impedance,complex permittivity and permeability,electric current distribution and magnetic field distribution at resonant peak points,are studied in detail.Analysis shows that the working frequency of this absorber covers entire S,C,X,Ku,K and Ka bands with a minimum thickness of 0.098λ_(max)(λ_(max) is the maximum wavelength in the absorption band),and the fractional bandwidth(FBW)reaches 181.1%.Moreover,the reflection coefficient is less than-10 dB at 1.998 GHz–40.056 GHz at normal incidence,and the absorptivity of the plane wave is greater than 80%when the incident angle is smaller than 50°.Furthermore,the proposed absorber is experimentally validated,and the experimental results show good agreement with the simulation results,which demonstrates the potential applicability of this absorber at 2 GHz–40 GHz.

Ab initio potential energy surface and anharmonic vibration spectrum of NF_(3)^(+)

Potential energy surfaces(PESs), vibrational frequencies, and infrared spectra are calculated for NF_(3)^(+) using ab initio calculations, based on UCCSD(T)/cc-p VTZ combined with vibrational configuration interaction(VCI). Based on an iterative algorithm, the surfaces(SURF) program adds automatic points to the lattice representation of the potential function, the one-dimensional and two-dimensional PESs are calculated after reaching a convergence threshold, finally the smooth image of the potential energy surface is fitted. The PESs accurately account for the interaction between the different modes, with the mode q_(6) symmetrical stretching vibrations having the greatest effect on the potential energy change of the whole system throughout the potential energy surface shift. The anharmonic frequencies are obtained when the VCI matrix is diagonalized. Fundamental frequencies, overtones, and combination bands of NF_(3)^(+) are calculated, which generate the degenerate phenomenon between their frequencies. Finally, the calculated anharmonic frequency is used to plot the infrared spectra.Modal antisymmetric stretching ν_(5) and symmetric stretching ν_(6) exhibit a phenomenon of large-intensity borrowing. This study can provide data to support the characterization in the laboratory.

Enhancing quantum temporal steering via frequency modulation

Various strategies have been proposed to harness and protect space-like quantum correlations in different models under decoherence.However,little attention has been given to temporal-like correlations,such as quantum temporal steering(TS),in this context.In this work,we investigate TS in a frequency-modulated two-level system coupled to a zero-temperature reservoir in both the weak and strong coupling regimes.We analyze the impact of various frequency-modulated parameters on the behavior of TS and non-Markovian.The results demonstrate that appropriate frequency-modulated parameters can enhance the TS of the two-level system,regardless of whether the system is experiencing Markovian or non-Markovian dynamics.Furthermore,a suitable ratio between modulation strength and frequency(i.e.,all zeroes of the 0th Bessel function J_(0)(δ/?))can significantly enhance TS in the strong coupling regime.These findings indicate that efficient and effective manipulation of quantum TS can be achieved through a frequency-modulated approach.

Wave field structure and power coupling features of blue-core helicon plasma driven by various antenna geometries and frequencies

This paper deals with wave propagation and power coupling in blue-core helicon plasma driven by various antennas and frequencies.It is found that compared to non-blue-core mode,for blue-core mode,the wave can propagate in the core region,and it decays sharply outside the core.The power absorption is lower and steeper in radius for blue-core mode.Regarding the effects of antenna geometry for blue-core mode,it shows that half helix antenna yields the strongest wave field and power absorption,while loop antenna yields the lowest.Moreover,near axis,for antennas with m=+1,the wave field increases with axial distance.In the core region,the wave number approaches to a saturation value at much lower frequency for non-blue-core mode compared to blue-core mode.The total loading resistance is much lower for blue-core mode.These findings are valuable to understanding the physics of blue-core helicon discharge and optimizing the experimental performance of blue-core helicon plasma sources for applications such as space propulsion and material treatment.

A Selective‑Response Hypersensitive Bio‑Inspired Strain Sensor Enabled by Hysteresis Effect and Parallel Through‑Slits Structures

Flexible strain sensors are promising in sensing minuscule mechanical signals,and thereby widely used in various advanced fields.However,the effective integration of hypersensitivity and highly selective response into one flexible strain sensor remains a huge challenge.Herein,inspired by the hysteresis strategy of the scorpion slit receptor,a bio-inspired flexible strain sensor(BFSS)with parallel through-slit arrays is designed and fabricated.Specifically,BFSS consists of conductive monolayer graphene and viscoelastic styrene–isoprene–styrene block copolymer.Under the synergistic effect of the bio-inspired slit structures and flexible viscoelastic materials,BFSS can achieve both hypersensitivity and highly selective frequency response.Remarkably,the BFSS exhibits a high gage factor of 657.36,and a precise identification of vibration frequencies at a resolution of 0.2 Hz through undergoing different morphological changes to high-frequency vibration and low-frequency vibration.Moreover,the BFSS possesses a wide frequency detection range(103 Hz)and stable durability(1000 cycles).It can sense and recognize vibration signals with different characteristics,including the frequency,amplitude,and waveform.This work,which turns the hysteresis effect into a"treasure,"can provide new design ideas for sensors for potential applications including human–computer interaction and health monitoring of mechanical equipment.