Dropout dynamics in pulsed quantum dot lasers due to mode jumping

We examine the response of a pulse pumped quantum dot laser both experimentally and numerically. As the maximum of the pump pulse comes closer to the excited-state threshold, the output pulse shape becomes unstable and leads to dropouts. We conjecture that these instabilities result from an increase of the linewidth enhancement factor α as the pump parameter comes close to the excitated state threshold. In order to analyze the dynamical mechanism of the dropout, we consider two cases for which the laser exhibits either a jump to a different single mode or a jump to fast intensity oscillations. The origin of these two instabilities is clarified by a combined analytical and numerical bifurcation diagram of the steady state intensity modes.

On a Generalization of a Theorem due to Larcombe on the Sum of a 3F2 Series

MSC 2010: 33C20

Törlesztés válság idején a diákhitel törlesztésében bekövetkezett változások vizsgálata (Changes in Hungarian student loan repayments due to the crisis)

A 2008–2009-es pénzügyi válság hatására a magyarországi felsőoktatási hallgatók tanulmányait hitelekkel segítő Diákhitel Központ visszafizetési könnyítés lehetőségét ajánlotta fel a már törlesztési szakaszban lévő ügyfelei számára. Tanulmányunkban azt vizsgáljuk, hogy kik és hányan éltek a törlesztési mérséklés lehetőségével, és az emiatt elmaradó bevételek mennyire befolyásolhatják a Diákhitel Központ rövid és hosszú távú működését. Az derült ki, hogy az előírt törlesztéseikkel elmaradók nagyobb arányban kérték a mérséklést, mint a teljes törlesztői populáció. A törlesztési viselkedések változásának elemzése a válság hatásának érezhető visszahúzódását mutatja a 2010-es évben. Figyelmet érdemel az a tény, hogy a felsőfokú végzettséget szerző adósok törlesztési fegyelme nem elég erős. / === / After the world wide financial crisis in 2008/2009, the Student Loan Center in Hungary offered the following opportunity to its customers who were in the repayment period: they can pay a reduced amount of the installments for at most two years. In the present paper we study the group of customers who chose the opportunity of reduced installments. The effect of the delayed repayments on the short-term and long-term operations of the Center is also investigated. It turned out that the customers who already got into arrears asked for the reduction in a larger proportion than the whole population. The study of the customers in the repayment period shows that the impact of the financial crisis has decreased significantly. The disciplined repayment of the customers after graduation is not strong enough.

Tracking rates of ecotone migration due to salt-water encroachment using fossil mollusks in coastal South Florida

We determined the rate of migration of coastal vegetation zones in response to salt-water encroachment through paleoecological analysis of mollusks in 36 sediment cores taken along transects perpendicular to the coast in a 5.5 km2 band of coastal wetlands in southeast Florida. Five vegetation zones, separated by distinct ecotones, included freshwater swamp forest, freshwater marsh, and dwarf, transitional and fringing mangrove forest. Vegetation composition, soil depth and organic matter content, porewater salinity and the contemporary mollusk community were determined at 226 sites to establish the salinity preferences of the mollusk fauna. Calibration models allowed accurate inference of salinity and vegetation type from fossil mollusk assemblages in chronologically calibrated sediments. Most sediments were shallow (20–130 cm) permitting coarse-scale temporal inferences for three zones: an upper peat layer (zone 1) representing the last 30–70 years, a mixed peat-marl layer (zone 2) representing the previous ca. 150–250 years and a basal section (zone 3) of ranging from 310 to 2990 YBP. Modern peat accretion rates averaged 3.1 mm yr)1 while subsurface marl accreted more slowly at 0.8 mm yr)1. Salinity and vegetation type for zone 1 show a steep gradient with freshwater communities being confined west of a north–south drainage canal constructed in 1960. Inferences for zone 2 (pre-drainage) suggest that freshwater marshes and associated forest units covered 90% of the area, with mangrove forests only present along the peripheral coastline. During the entire pre-drainage history, salinity in the entire area was maintained below a mean of 2 ppt and only small pockets of mangroves were present; currently, salinity averages 13.2 ppt and mangroves occupy 95% of the wetland. Over 3 km2 of freshwater wetland vegetation type have been lost from this basin due to salt-water encroachment, estimated from the mollusk-inferred migration rate of freshwater vegetation of 3.1 m yr)1 for the last 70 years (compared to 0.14 m yr)1 for the pre-drainage period). This rapid rate of encroachment is driven by sea-level rise and freshwater diversion. Plans for rehydrating these basins with freshwater will require high-magnitude re-diversion to counteract locally high rates of sea-level rise.

Dynamic Behavior and Fatigue Life of Highway Bridges Due to Doubling Heavy Vehicles

An increase in the demand for the freight shipping in the United States has been predicted for the near future and Longer Combination Vehicles (LCVs), which can carry more loads in each trip, seem like a good solution for the problem. Currently, utilizing LCVs is not permitted in most states of the US and little research has been conducted on the effects of these heavy vehicles on the roads and bridges. In this research, efforts are made to study these effects by comparing the dynamic and fatigue effects of LCVs with more common trucks. Ten Steel and prestressed concrete bridges with span lengths ranging from 30’ to 140’ are designed and modeled using the grid system in MATLAB. Additionally, three more real bridges including two single span simply supported steel bridges and a three span continuous steel bridge are modeled using the same MATLAB code. The equations of motion of three LCVs as well as eight other trucks are derived and these vehicles are subjected to different road surface conditions and bumps on the roads and the designed and real bridges. By forming the bridge equations of motion using the mass, stiffness and damping matrices and considering the interaction between the truck and the bridge, the differential equations are solved using the ODE solver in MATLAB and the results of the forces in tires as well as the deflections and moments in the bridge members are obtained. The results of this study show that for most of the bridges, LCVs result in the smallest values of Dynamic Amplification Factor (DAF) whereas the Single Unit Trucks cause the highest values of DAF when traveling on the bridges. Also in most cases, the values of DAF are observed to be smaller than the 33% threshold suggested by the design code. Additionally, fatigue analysis of the bridges in this study confirms that by replacing the current truck traffic with higher capacity LCVs, in most cases, the remaining fatigue life of the bridge is only slightly decreased which means that taking advantage of these larger vehicles can be a viable option for decision makers.

Structural failures due to lack of bracing

The goal of the research is to provide an overview of those factors that play a major role in structural failures and also to focus on the importance that bracing has in construction accidents. A temporary bracing system is important to construction safety, yet it is often neglected. Structural collapses often occur due to the insufficient support of loads that are applied at the time of failure. The structural load is usually analyzed by conceiving the whole structure as a completed entity, and there is frequently a lack of design or proper implementation of systems that can provide stability during construction. Often, the specific provisions and requirements of temporary bracing systems are left to the workers on the job site that may not have the qualifications or expertise for proper execution. To effectively see if bracing design should get more attention in codes and standards, failures which could have been avoided with the presence and/or the correct design of a bracing system were searched and selected among a variety of cases existing in the engineering literature. Eleven major cases were found, which span in a time frame of almost 70 years, clearly showing that the topic should get more attention. The case studies are presented in chronological order and in a systematic way. The failed structure is described in its design components and the sequence of failure is reconstructed. Then, the causes and failure mechanism are presented. Advice on how to avoid similar failures from happening again and hypothetic solutions which could have prevented the collapses are identified. The findings shows that insufficient or nonexistent bracing mainly results from human negligence or miscalculation of the load analysis and show that time has come to fully acknowledge that temporary structures should be more accounted for in design and not left to contractors' means and methods of construction.