Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surface characteristics, reliability, and failure mechanisms of tin/lead, copper, and gold metallizations

In this paper, surface characteristics, microstructure, reliability and failure mechanisms of tin/lead, copper and gold metallizations for conductive adhesive joining have been studied. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) have been used to analyze Sn37Pb, copper and gold metallizations. The analyzes show that copper and nickel may be present as impurities on the gold plated surface. The tin and lead oxides present on the Sn37Pb plated surface were found to be 74 /spl Aring/ and 26 /spl Aring/, respectively. The microstructures were studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). The chemical analysis of the consisting compounds were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The conductive adhesive joints were exposed to constant humidity treatment at 85/spl deg/C, 85% RH up to 2000 h. The mechanical and electrical performance were measured using a shear tester and an Ohmmeter after various humidity treatment times. After the 85/spl deg/C/85% RH treatment, an increase in electrical resistance of the copper joints was found with increasing testing time due to the formation of Cu/sub 2/O. Also, there was a decrease in mechanical strength and an increase in electrical resistance due to oxidation of Pb. The best electrical performance was observed on the gold metallization after the constant humidity test.
Self-Consolidating Concrete for Prestressed Applications—Phase II: Bridge Construction and In-Place Performance

Prior to statewide acceptance of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) in precast, prestressed bridge member production, the Alabama Department of Transportation sponsored an investigation of the material to be performed by the Auburn University Highway Research Center. Two parts of that research are presented in this report: an extension of an earlier laboratory investigation of fresh stability test methods to quantify the unique fresh behavior of SCC, and a field investigation of as-built material and long-term structural behavior in the first full-scale SCC girders produced and placed in an in-service bridge in Alabama. During the laboratory investigation, the Visual Stability Index, Sieve Stability, and Surface Settlement tests correlated most strongly to multiple measures of hardened concrete uniformity; a testing protocol utilizing these test methods is recommended. In the field investigation, the utilized SCC exhibited slightly increased time-dependent creep and shrinkage, at least in representative cylinders. Long-term SCC-girder prestress maintenance was found to be practically identical and at least as conservatively predictable as in companion, geometrically identical vibrated-concrete (VC) girders. Full-scale elastic responses to the weight of the cast-in-place deck and to service-level live loads were also practically identical in the SCC and VC girders, and SCC performed more conservatively than expected of VC of the same elastic stiffness. Use of cylinder-measured mechanical and time-dependent property results led to conservative predictions of full-scale behavior, and use of design properties led to highly conservative predictions. Based on these results, SCC is an acceptable alternative to VC for precast, prestressed girders when using current design and production procedures.
Are Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration Models Reliable Across South American Ecoregions?

Many remote sensing‐based evapotranspiration (RSBET) algorithms have been proposed in the past decades and evaluated using flux tower data, mainly over North America and Europe. Model evaluation across South America has been done locally or using only a single algorithm at a time. Here, we provide the first evaluation of multiple RSBET models, at a daily scale, across a wide variety of biomes, climate zones, and land uses in South America. We used meteorological data from 25 flux towers to force four RSBET models: Priestley–Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT‐JPL), Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM), Penman–Monteith Mu model (PM‐MOD), and Penman–Monteith Nagler model (PM‐VI). ET was predicted satisfactorily by all four models, with correlations consistently higher ( R2>0.6 ) for GLEAM and PT‐JPL, and PM‐MOD and PM‐VI presenting overall better responses in terms of percent bias ( −10
Investigating Controls on Barrier Island Overwash and Evolution during Extreme Storms

Over short periods of time, extreme storms can significantly alter barrier island morphology, increasing the vulnerability of coastal habitats and communities relative to future storms. These impacts are complex and the result of interactions between oceanographic conditions and the geomorphic, geological, and ecological characteristics of the island. A 2D XBeach model was developed and compared to observations in order to study these interactions along an undeveloped barrier island near the landfall of Hurricane Florence in 2018. Beachface water levels during the storm were obtained from two cross-shore arrays of pressure sensors for comparison to model hydrodynamics. Aerial drone imagery was used to derive pre-storm and post-storm elevation data in order to quantify spatially varying erosion and overwash. Sediment grain size was measured in multiple locations, and we estimated spatially varying friction by using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. The high spatial and temporal resolution of satellite imagery provided an efficient method for incorporating pre-storm spatially varying land cover. While previous studies have focused on the use of spatially varying friction, we found that the utilization of local median grain sizes and full directional wave spectra was critical to reproducing observed overwash extent.
PLANT COLLECTION IN BOGOR BOTANICAL GARDEN AS A SOURCE OF FUNCTIONAL FOOD

Plant collection in Bogor Botanical Garden (BBG) has various potentials, one of which is as a food source. However, not all food produced from plants can be claimed as functional foods. This study analyses the potential of plants kept in the collections of BBG as functional foods and medicine sources with nutritional and health values. Literature studies have been carried out related to nutrition value and active substances owned by these plants, while data related to health claim was based on the results of ethnobotany studies, especially the use of medicinal plants by 28 ethnics in Indonesia. The results suggest 168 species of the BBG collection which can be claimed as a source of functional food which can be categorized into seven main categories. Among these plants are species classified as threatened or endangered such as Mangifera casturi, Vanilla planifolia, Pterocarpus indicus, Borassus flabellifer, Cycas rumphii, Dillenia philippinensis, and Litchi chinensis. Key words: BBG, functional food, threatened species
The Impact of Covid-19 on the Economy of Selected Asian Countries

This study aims to discuss the impacts of Covid-19, which emerged in China in December 2019 and has affected the whole world in a short time, through some selected Asian countries. Covid-19 is not only an epidemic that has an impact on health but also an epidemic that has deeply shaken the country's economies and pushed them into crisis. Like all countries of the world, Asian countries have been affected by this outbreak. The countries that made up the sample of our study (South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and Taiwan) responded very quickly to Covid-19 and were cited as examples all over the world due to their success at the beginning of the outbreak. In this study, it was discussed how these epidemiologically successful countries react economically. Comparative analysis method and descriptive analysis method were used in the study. The study discussed the effects of Covid-19 on GDP, unemployment, inflation and foreign trade
Stochastic seismic response of multiply‐supported secondary systems in flexible‐base structures

A formulation has been proposed for the transfer function of a secondary system response while the primary system is supported on a compliant soil and the excitation comprises of translational ground motion at its base. For this purpose, the earlier formulation of the authors for the fixed-base case, which exactly considers the interaction between the two sub-systems and is based on the use of their individual modal properties, has been extended. Also, the concept of modifying the input excitation for the interaction accelerations (associated with the soil-structure interaction) has been used. An example P-S system and three example earthquake excitations have been considered to illustrate the proposed formulation and to estimate the expected response peak amplitudes in the secondary system. This study shows that 'detuning' of the tuned systems may occur in case of significant soil-structure interaction. Further, for the reasons of both safety and economy, ignoring the interaction effects in designing the secondary systems may not always be justified.
Optimal robust formation control for heterogeneous multi‐agent systems based on reinforcement learning

In this article, a reinforcement learning (RL)‐based robust control strategy is proposed for uncertain heterogeneous multi‐agent systems to achieve optimal collision‐free time‐varying formations. Without using any global information, a fully distributed adaptive observer is developed to estimate both dynamics and states of the reference and disturbance systems. The observer parameters are found by an observed model‐based or a model‐free off‐policy RL algorithm. Using the internal model principle, a novel optimal robust formation control strategy is developed based on another proposed off‐policy RL algorithm. The algorithm addresses the nonquadratic optimization problem when the system model is completely unknown. Taking the bushfire edge tracking and patrolling task for an unmanned aerial vehicle‐unmanned ground vehicle heterogeneous system as an example, the effectiveness and robustness of the developed control strategy are verified by simulations.
Discussion of “Design of Level Ground Laterals in Trickle Irrigation Systems” by Zayani Khemaies and Hammami Moncef

Theoretical Background of the Paper’s Eq. (16) About the paper’s Eq. (16), Khemaies and Moncef state, “For the design purpose, we shall assume hereinafter that the mean pressure head (hm) is tantamount to the nominal pressure. This statement holds true for the mean (qm) and nominal discharges. Therefore, applying the theorem of the mean value yields hm ¼ 1
A Self-Learning Based Preference Model for Portfolio Optimization

An investment in a portfolio can not only guarantee returns but can also effectively control risk factors. Portfolio optimization is a multi-objective optimization problem. In order to better assist a decision maker to obtain his/her preferred investment solution, an interactive multi-criterion decision making system (MV-IMCDM) is designed for the Mean-Variance (MV) model of the portfolio optimization problem. Considering the flexibility requirement of a preference model that provides a guiding role in MV-IMCDM, a self-learning based preference model DT-PM (decision tree-preference model) is constructed. Compared with the present function based preference model, the DT-PM fully considers a decision maker’s bounded rationality. It does not require an assumption that the decision maker’s preference structure and preference change are known a priori and can be automatically generated and completely updated by learning from the decision maker’s preference feedback. Experimental results of a comparison show that, in the case that the decision maker’s preference structure and preference change are unknown a priori, the performances of guidance and fitness of the DT-PM are remarkably superior to function based preference models; in the case that the decision maker’s preference structure is known a priori, the performances of guidance and fitness of the DT-PM is approximated to the predefined function based model. It can be concluded that the DT-PM can agree with the preference ambiguity and the variability of a decision maker with bounded rationality and be applied more widely in a real decision system.
Hardware Efficient Clock Synchronization Across Wi-Fi and Ethernet-Based Network Using PTP

Precision time protocol (PTP), a state-of-the-art clock synchronization protocol primarily designed for wired networks, has recently gained attention in the wireless community, due to the increased use of the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLAN) in real-time distributed systems. However, all the existing WLAN-based PTP designs either incorporate software timestamping (TS) delivering poor clock synchronization accuracy, or hardware (HW) TS providing better synchronization accuracy at the cost of a significant amount of HW overhead. Moreover, the performance of the existing PTP solutions is mostly evaluated in single-hop wireless networks, while the performance across wired and wireless networks is taken for granted. In this article, a new software-defined-radio-based approach to implement PTP is introduced and validated for the IEEE 802.11 WLAN. Instead of using a dedicated HW clock, the solution utilizes the timing synchronization function clock, an existing clock in the IEEE802.11 standard for synchronization between access point and WLAN stations. The performance of the proposed solution is first investigated within a single-hop WLAN and then across wired–wireless networks. Experimental results unveil that 90% of the absolute clock synchronization error falls within 1.4 $\mu \mathrm{s}$.
Entrepreneurs as scientists: A pragmatist approach to producing value out of uncertainty

Building on pragmatism, we advance an entrepreneur-as-scientist perspective and depict entrepreneurs as engaging in causally inferential action by forming beliefs, testing these beliefs, and responding to the feedback received. However, this sequence of entrepreneurial actions arrives with a set of companion doubts, namely doubt about product-market fit because the entrepreneurs’ beliefs are self-chosen, doubt about feedback validity from false positives or false negatives, and doubt about over- and underfitting in responses to feedback. We discuss the rationality of heuristics deployed by the entrepreneur to overcome these doubts. Our insights contribute to the micro-foundations of entrepreneurial action and strategy by explaining how entrepreneurs generate the information to produce value out of uncertainty.
Frontier Markets and Sustainable Entrepreneurial Competences: An Exploratory Study of the Impact of a New Industry in Guatemala

There is growing interest among scholars and policy makers to develop sustainable entrepreneurial competences in pre-emerging, frontier markets characterized by limited access to advanced capital, high protectionism, and weak formal institutional environments. To become internationally competitive, these markets need to radically rethink their long-standing, embedded practices, which have often been linked to socioeconomic inequality. Our study, grounded in corporate entrepreneurship, is an exploratory analysis of why and how well-established firms, operating in the financial service industry, created more equity-based businesses practices to enter the new industry of mobile banking. The firms in our study needed a combination of both economic incentives and social pressures to do so but, in the process, developed new entrepreneurial competencies. Successful firms were those that significantly altered their embedded practices and engaged in fostering new informal relationships with previously overlooked stakeholders, particularly customers from indigenous backgrounds. Our multi-case, inductive research design offers theoretical and practical insights regarding how incorporating internal and external corporate entrepreneurial factors in an underserved market setting, such as the frontier market of Guatemala, not only fosters socioeconomic equality but also creates international attractiveness and competitiveness.
The impact of COVID-19 on the learning and achievement of vulnerable canadian children and youth

Many children and youth in Canada are identified as vulnerable due to educational, environmental, and social factors. They are more likely to be negatively affected by events that cause significant upheaval in daily life. The changes imposed by COVID-19, such as physical distancing, school closures, and reductions in community-based services all have the potential to weaken the systems of support necessary for these children to learn and develop. Existing inequities in educational outcomes experienced by vulnerable children prior to the pandemic have been greatly exacerbated as cracks in our support structures are revealed. Many children and youth have experienced disengagement, chronic attendance problems, declines in academic achievement, and decreased credit attainment during the pandemic, with the impact far deeper for those already at-risk. This chapter examines what is known to date regarding the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable children and youth and provides recommendations to guide postpandemic planning. Vulnerable children, youth, and their families require access to reliable high-speed internet, effective and inclusive learning spaces, and a range of coordinated social services. All stakeholders need to develop and fund initiatives that address these critical areas to ensure that educational opportunities for all children and youth can be realized.
Potential and Realized Impact of Astroglia Ca2 + Dynamics on Circuit Function and Behavior

Astroglia display a wide range of spontaneous and behavioral state-dependent Ca2+ dynamics. During heightened vigilance, noradrenergic signaling leads to quasi-synchronous Ca2+ elevations encompassing soma and processes across the brain-wide astroglia network. Distinct from this vigilance-associated global Ca2+ rise are apparently spontaneous fluctuations within spatially restricted microdomains. Over the years, several strategies have been pursued to shed light on the physiological impact of these signals including deletion of endogenous ion channels or receptors and reduction of intracellular Ca2+ through buffering, extrusion or inhibition of release. Some experiments that revealed the most compelling behavioral alterations employed chemogenetic and optogenetic manipulations to modify astroglia Ca2+ signaling. However, there is considerable contrast between these findings and the comparatively modest effects of inhibiting endogenous sources of Ca2+. In this review, we describe the underlying mechanisms of various forms of astroglia Ca2+ signaling as well as the functional consequences of their inhibition. We then discuss how the effects of exogenous astroglia Ca2+ modification combined with our knowledge of physiological mechanisms of astroglia Ca2+ activation could guide further refinement of behavioral paradigms that will help elucidate the natural Ca2+-dependent function of astroglia.
Experiences With General Education: How Sense of Community Shapes Students’ Perceptions

General education (GE) classes are designed to reflect the mission and goals of the university and to help students become more well-rounded, career-ready, and civically-minded post-graduation. Students’ perceptions of these courses have a significant influence on their capacity to succeed, and ultimately to get the most out of their college experience. Using results from an email questionnaire sent to students at a private university in the western United States, we analyze the relationships between perceptions of the GE experience, sense of community, and academic year, and we find that sense of community is positively associated with perceptions of GEs. These results also show freshmen having a higher sense of community than juniors or seniors, and that scholastic class in school is negatively associated with satisfaction with GEs. Furthermore, we find that seniors generally have a lower perception of the importance of GEs in their lives when compared to freshmen.
Electroplated rf MEMS capacitive switches

RF microswitches are newly designed and fabricated with various structural geometry of transmission line, hinge, and movable plate formed by using electroplating techniques, low temperature processes, and dry releasing techniques. In particular, Strontium Titanate Oxide (SrTiO/sub 3/) with high dielectric constant is investigated for high switching on/off ratio and on capacitance as a dielectric layer of a micromechanical capacitive switch. Achieved lowest actuation voltage of the fabricated switches is 8 volts. The fabricated switch has low insertion loss of 0.08 dB at 10 GHz, isolation of 42 dB at 5 GHz, on/off ratio of 600, and on capacitance of 50 pF, respectively. These switches also have high current carry capability due to the use of electroplated Au or Cux.
Formation of ice particles through nucleation in the mesosphere

Abstract. Observations of polar mesospheric clouds have revealed the presence of solid ice particles in the upper mesosphere at high latitudes; however, their formation mechanism remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated the formation process of ice particles through nucleation from small amounts of water vapor at low temperatures. Previous studies that used classical nucleation theory have shown that amorphous solid water particles can nucleate homogeneously at conditions that are present in the mesosphere. However, the rate predictions for water in classical nucleation theory disagree with experimental measurements by several orders of magnitude. We adopted a semi-phenomenological model for the nucleation process, which corrects the evaluation of the molecular cluster formation energy using the second virial coefficient, which agrees with both experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. To calculate the nucleation process, we applied atmospheric conditions for the temperature, pressure, numerical density of dust grains, and cooling rate. The results indicate that homogeneous water nucleation is extremely unlikely to occur in the mesosphere, while heterogeneous nucleation occurs effectively. Dust grains generated by meteor ablation can serve as nuclei for heterogeneous nucleation. We also showed that the ice can form directly in a crystalline state, rather than an amorphous state.