1. Introduction
A Q-switched fiber laser with a small core diameter could directly provide a high intensity-density output of 1-100 MW/cm² without external focusing components. Such a high intensity density is quite useful for micromachining, nonlinear optics studies and biomedical applications. Like most of the conventional bulk Q-switched lasers, Q-switched fiber lasers have …

ABSTRACT
Better knowledge of internal soil moisture and piezometric responses in the process of rainfall-induced shallow slope failures is the key to an effective prediction of the landslide and / or debris flow initiation.  To this end, internal soil moisture and piezometric response of 0.7 m-deep, 1.5 m-wide, 1.7 m-high, and 3.94 m-long semi-infinite sandy slopes rested on a bi-linear …

Reflux esophagitis is a chronic recurrent disease, and can be assessed in severity by Los-Angles classification.  Reflux esophagitis patients with Los-Angles grades C and D (RE-CD) were elucidated as having poor healing rates compared with those having grades A and B. Accordingly, use of a long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) was recommended by the Geneva consensus for those patients with RE-CD …

The electronic pocket dictionary is a typical South East Asian phenomenon and it is especially popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Electronic pocket dictionaries are sold in most consumer electronic shops and are frequently seen in classrooms. This study set out to uncover factors that motivate students' use of electronic pocket dictionaries and to assess their implications for …