Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total-dose tolerance of the commercial Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS process

MOSFETs fabricated in the commercial Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS process were characterized with respect to the effects of total dose irradiation. Gate oxide threshold voltage shifts at 70 krad (Si) for both minimum geometry 0.70 /spl mu/m/0.35 /spl mu/m NMOS and PMOS transistors biased for worst-case shifts were less than 70 mV. Off-state field leakage currents for isolated NMOS transistors were near 1 pA at 50 krad (Si), but became large at 100 krad (Si). The effect of a post-irradiation high temperature anneal was to lower these leakage currents to less than 10 pA. PMOS transistors exhibited less than 10 pA leakage for doses up to 150 krad (Si). Measurements on edgeless annular NMOS transistors showed only minor increases in leakage current with total dose up to 2 Mrad (Si), indicating that the increased leakage observed in standard NMOS transistors is the result of field leakage associated with inversion in the bird's beak region at the transistor/field oxide interface. Measurements on field-oxide transistor test structures biased for worst-case threshold voltage shifts showed the transistors inverted between 25 and 50 krad (Si) for 3.3 V operation. Measurements on ring-oscillators biased dynamically during irradiation showed less than a 10% change in gate delay and in power up to 2 Mrad (Si) total dose, suggesting that for actual digital circuits applications, functionality and performance may be able to be maintained to doses substantially above 50 krad (Si) with the application of hardness-by-design techniques to mitigate field-oxide inversion.
Preparation of Zirconium Hydrogen Phosphate Coatings on Sandblasted/Acid-Etched Titanium for Enhancing Its Osteoinductivity and Friction/Corrosion Resistance

Background Sandblasted/acid-etched titanium (SLA-Ti) implants are widely used for dental implant restoration in edentulous patients. However, the poor osteoinductivity and the large amount of Ti particles/ions released due to friction or corrosion will affect its long-term success rate. Purpose Various zirconium hydrogen phosphate (ZrP) coatings were prepared on SLA-Ti surface to enhance its friction/corrosion resistance and osteoinduction. Methods The mixture of ZrCl4 and H3PO4 was first coated on SLA-Ti and then calcined at 450°C for 5 min to form ZrP coatings. In addition to a series of physiochemical characterization such as morphology, roughness, wettability, and chemical composition, their capability of anti-friction and anti-corrosion were further evaluated by friction-wear test and by potential scanning. The viability and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells on different substrates were investigated via MTT, mineralization and PCR assays. Results The characterization results showed that there were no significant changes in the morphology, roughness and wettability of ZrP-modified samples (SLA-ZrP0.5 and SLA-ZrP0.7) compared with SLA group. The results of electrochemical corrosion displayed that both SLA-ZrP0.5 and SLA-ZrP0.7 (especially the latter) had better corrosion resistance than SLA in normal saline and serum-containing medium. SLA-ZrP0.7 also exhibited the best friction resistance and great potential to enhance the spreading, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. Conclusion We determined that SLA-ZrP0.7 had excellent comprehensive properties including anti-corrosion, anti-friction and osteoinduction, which made it have a promising clinical application in dental implant restoration.
Utilising the Virtual Learning Environment to Encourage Faculty Reflection and Improve the Student Learning Experience

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are the most frequent form of faculty performance in the classroom, though they tend to be used as summative rather than formative evaluations. In this chapter, a project involving the use of a virtual learning environment for formative, weekly SETs is explored from both the student and faculty point of view at a rural university college in the United Kingdom. This project encouraged student participation in creating the learning environment and faculty reflection on how to improve the student experience. From the student perspective, the weekly anonymous evaluations were useful for providing feedback; however, students tended to only respond if they were not satisfied with the faculty member. The exception to this was that some students were more motivated to complete the evaluation forms if they believed the faculty member was utilising their feedback. From the faculty perspective, the feedback was not as detailed as they had expected, and some questioned whether it was worth the effort of conducting formative evaluations if the response rate was so low. Others used the feedback for reflective purposes, and it was found that those that reflected on their work at higher levels tended to receive a greater year-on-year increase in their end of year teaching evaluations.
The effects of bending on plasmonic modes in nanowires and planar structures

Abstract In this work, we investigate the effects of bends on the surface plasmon resonances in nanowires (NWs) and isolated edges of planar structures using electron energy loss spectroscopy experiments and theoretical calculations. Previous work showed that the sharp bends in NWs do not affect their resonant modes. Here, we study previously overlooked effects and analyze systematically the evolution of resonant modes for several bending angles from 30° to 180°, showing that bending can have a significant effect on the plasmonic response of a nanostructure. In NWs, the modes can experience significant energy shifts that depend on the aspect ratio of the NW and can cause mode intersection and antinode bunching. We establish the relation between NW modes and edge modes and show that bending can even induce antinode splitting in edge modes. This work demonstrates that bends in plasmonic planar nanostructures can have a profound effect on their optical response and this must be accounted for in the design of optical devices.
A General Mode Matching Technique applied to Bandpass Radomes

A new method based on the mode matching technique and the ﬁnite element method (FEM) is presented. The method can handle a general thick frequency selective structure (FSS), that consists of an arbitraryn umber of aperture layers and dielectric layers. An aperture layer consists of a conducting plate with a periodic arrayof apertures. The order and the thickness of the layers can be arbitrary. The aperture can have arbitrary cross-section, and these cross-sections can be changed stepwise. The apertures can also be ﬁlled with a dielectric material. The method for the bandpass radomes is based on general mode matching technique and cascade coupling. The ﬁelds outside the FSS and inside the dielectric layers are expanded in Floquet modes. Inside the aperture layers the ﬁelds are expanded in waveguide modes, which are calculated with FEM. Bya mode matching technique, a scattering matrix is calculated for every boundarysurface and a propagation matrix is calculated for everyla yer. These matrices are cascade coupled to form a scattering matrix for the complete FSS. The method has been veriﬁed bycomparison with other methods and measurements. (Less)
Construction delays causing risks on time and cost - a critical review

There is an increase in the number of construction projects experiencing extensive delays leading to exceeding initial time and cost budget. This paper reviews 41 studies around the world which surveyed the delay factors and classified them into Groups. The main purpose of this paper is to review literature, each of which have categorized the causes that are responsible for time delays and cost overrun in projects. The collected list has 113 causes for delays categorized in to 18 different groups. Most of the researches have analysed the responses from the Questionnaire survey. The collected data are used to rank the problem. The data are further used to investigate and analyse Important Index, Frequency Index, Severity Index, Relative Important Index, Relative Importance Weight, Weighted Average, Mean, Standard Deviation and Variance. The collective comparison has revealed that the ranking given by all the researchers is not the same. Further each and every study has different rank ratings for the different group of the delays. This review paper attempts to provide an updated compilation of the earlier studies on ranking of the delay causers, which are never similar and constant for universal projects. It is concluded that a separate study is required for identifying the factors causing delay for projects operated in Sabah, East Malaysia.
Upper Extremity Joint Moment and Force Predictions when using a Joystick Control

This paper discusses the application of digital human models (DHM) to examine computer generated forces necessary to move specific joysticks by using roof bolter virtual operators to predict the forces experienced on the operator’s upper extremities. Using DHM and simulations of static movements, investigators analyzed predictions of joint moment and joint force effects on virtual operator’s right wrist, elbow and shoulder and compared them to different body dimensions and work postures. This study exemplifies the ease of estimating upper extremity loads on equipment operators using virtual operators and computer models of equipment and work environment. As expected, comparing results of percentage of joint force and moment reduction using the electronic control and of the mechanical control showed that the electronic control had lower joint forces and joint moments over the mechanical control. The average predicted value of the joint moment on the wrist was 1.84 Nm, elbow 7.85 Nm and shoulder 14.55 Nm and of the joint force on the wrist was 5.06 N, elbow 4.56 N, and shoulder 3.67 N. Because the data illustrates low-level forces to move a joystick, inadvertent actuation of the control is addressed. Regardless of the findings, research is still needed on joysticks in real world situations such as an epidemiological assessment of equipment operators in the field before final recommendations and conclusions can be drawn.
AETIOPATHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION ON SMALL BOWEL PERFORATION AND ITS MANAGEMENT AT M.K.C.G. MEDICAL COLLEGE, BERHAMPUR - A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background: Gastrointestinal perforations constitute one of the commonest surgical emergencies encoun-tered by surgeons in India. Gastrointestinal perforation can occur at any anatomical location from the upper oesophagus to the anorectal junction, the most common site being the small intestine. Small bowel perforation can be secondary to many factors, the most common being inﬂammation, infection, obstruction, trauma, or invasive surgery. Early operative procedures are highly beneﬁcial to patients as small bowel perforation has high mortality and morbidity. Aims and objectives: To study various causes and clinical features of small bowel perforations and various surgical procedures undertaken with its impact on mortality and morbidity at M.K. C.G. Medical College and Hospital, Berhmpur, Odisha. Materials and methods: All the patients of small bowel perforation of both sexes and of different ages, who were admitted in the Department of General Surgery of M.K. C.G. Medical College and hospital, Berhampur, Ganjam, Odisha during the period between July 2018, to June 2020 (including 6 months of follow up period) were included in this study. Results: Out of 52 patients in our study group,41 patients (78.84%) were male with mean age of presentation 35.76 years. Abdominal pain and distension were the most common mode of presentation(100%) followed by vomiting (44.23%), fever(36.5%) and constipation (32.7%). Perforation due to duodenal ulcer was found to be the most common aetiology(69.25%) followed by trauma (19.25%), TB (3.85%), Malignancy (3.85%) while Typhoid & Chron’s disease being the least common causes(1.9%). Majority of patients were managed by toileting & simple closure of the perforation (80.77%) while 13.47% patients required resection & anastomosis,3.84% patients by drainage only and 1 patient (1.9%) requiring ileostomy. Conclusion: Duodenal perforation is the most common cause of small intestinal peforation. Smoking and consumption of alcohol & NSAIDS are the most important risk factors for small bowel perforation. Patients mainly presented with abdominal pain and distension with features of peritonitis. Xray abdomen suggested of pneumoperitoneum in most of the patients. Resuscitation followed by closure of perforation with omental patch was the most common management procedure done.
Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients based Bacterial Foraging Optimization with DNN-RBF for Speaker Recognition

Objectives: To improve the accuracy and to reduce the time complexity of the Speaker Recognition system using Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coeﬃcients (MFCCs) and Bacterial Foraging optimization (BFO) with DNN –RBF. Method: The MFCCs of each speech sample are derived by pre-processing the audio speech signal. The features are optimized with BFO algorithm. Finally, the probability score for each speaker is generated to identify the speaker. Then the features are classiﬁed towards the target speaker using DNN-RBF. For the proposed MBFOB speaker recognition function, the TIMIT read corpus is used. It contains a total of 6300 phrases, 10 phrases each. Findings: the identity of user is validated in the ﬁelds of authentication and surveillance for recognition of speaker. By using the audio speech signal, features are extracted. This paper suggests an MBFOB solution based on Mel-frequency Cepstral Coeﬃcients and DNN-RBF with BFO, for the identiﬁcation of speakers. The speech utterance from the TIMIT data corpus is preprocessed to obtain MFCC feature vectors DNN-RBF is used for the purpose of classifying the speaker and the feature vectors in the output layers are optimized with Bacterial Foraging optimization. Finally, the scores for each speaker are calculated to identify the speaker. Diﬀerent output metrics like EER, DCF, Cavg and accuracy are used to test the proposed speaker recognition technique. The execution time of this proposed method is found to be lesser than the other existing methods. The experimental ﬁndings are contrasted with other current methods and it shows the eﬃciency of our approach. Novelty: A novel MFCC-based Bacterial Foraging Optimization with Deep Neural Network-Radial Basis Function (DNN-RBF) for identiﬁcation of exact speaker is proposed in this study.
Synthesis of droop compensated pulse forming networks for generating flat top, high energy pulses into variable loads from pulsed transformers

It is shown that a flat-top, constant-power, long-output pulse can be obtained from a droop-compensated OFN (pulse forming network)-driven pulsed transformer. It is shown that such transformers are highly efficient, and seem particularly feasible for high-voltage, long-pulse applications. Examples are given for generating 100 GW, high-energy pulses (250-1000 kJ) into variable resistive loads from a 20 kV PFN. <<ETX>>
Linking Travel Behavior and Location in Chengdu, China

This study uses geographically weighted regressions and multilevel models to understand the implications of location and attitudinal characteristics for travel behavior in Chengdu, China. In particular, the estimated distance traveled and the mode choice of nonmotorized versus motorized vehicles for work- and school-related trips were examined by using a recent household trip diary data set. The results suggest that location characteristics may be influential in the prediction of travel behavior but cannot be fully captured by simple categorization such as inner ring location versus peripheral location. Variations in travel behavior can be related to socioeconomic and location variables in ways that vary by location in a complex manner. Policy makers should therefore reconsider the role that location and attitudinal implications may play in meeting travel demand in rapidly developing cities like Chengdu.
Environmental principles applicable to green supplier evaluation by using multi-objective decision analysis

The recent shift from buying products to purchasing sets of services makes the re-use of recovered materials, parts and products desirable. In response to heightened governmental regulations and rising public awareness of the effect of industrial production on the environment, many organizations are now undertaking major initiatives to transform their supply chain processes. In contrast with the reverse logistic models, the green supply chain (GSC) is a broad concept that refers to a variety of methods by which companies work with their suppliers to improve the environmental performance of their products or manufacturing processes of the suppliers, customers or both. Two primary goals of GSC include: (1) consistently meeting specified environmental performance criteria among the participants in the supply chain, and promoting responsible corporate environmental behaviour among all the players in the chain of products and services, and (2) helping suppliers to recognize the importance of resolving environmental issues and support them in installing their own improvement initiatives. The emergence of GSC is one of the most significant environmental developments in the past decade, offering the opportunity for companies to align their supply chains in accordance with environmental and sustainability goals. GSC provides information and technical assistance to small- and medium-sized businesses that lack the resources of large companies, and can monitor and measure progress to facilitate environmental enhancement. The number of products produced entirely of recyclable materials will increase in the future, and organizations will have to make supply chain decisions within the context of growing environmental concerns and responsibilities. This study presents an innovative method using simple and efficient procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of projects supplying GSC concept. Specifically, a multi-objective decision making process for GSC management (GSCM) is presented to help the supply chain manager in measuring and evaluating suppliers’ performance based on an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) decision-making method. In addition, to reduce subjective bias in designing a weighting system, a fuzzy logic process is used to modify the AHP.
Dynamic modelling of masonry buildings: Storey mechanism model as a simple alternative

The dynamic behaviour of a four-storeyed masonry building model subjected to simulated earthquake loading has been investigated. The observations of damage propagation during shaking tests indicated the storey mechanism action of model building. Since the predominant effect of the first natural mode of vibrations has been also observed, the idea of simple mathematical modelling has been followed in the calculations. Two simple analytical models have been compared when evaluating the dynamic response of the model building: a four degrees of freedom shear system and an equivalent single degree of freedom system. Three hysteresis rules have been taken into account for modelling the non-linear behaviour of the model. Satisfactory correlation between the measured and calculated response has been obtained in most cases.
New European Discovery of Splachnum pensylvanicum (Bryophyta, Splachnaceae) in Lithuania, with Taxonomic Notes and a Review of Its World Distribution

Splachnum pensylvanicum (Brid.) Grout ex H.A. Crum is recorded for the first time in Lithuania and it is its fourth discovery at a third locality in Europe. It was found for the first time in 2000 in Kamanos mire, the largest peatland complex in the northern part of this East Baltic country. Targeted investigations at this site in 2017 resulted in the discovery of 14 populations and it is apparently the largest and most abundant locality of the species in Europe. Splachnum pensylvanicum is briefly described and illustrated along with some taxonomic notes and a detailed description of its habitat requirements. The global geographical distribution of S. pensylvanicum is reviewed and mapped. It is a Euro-Eastern North American temperate species and deeply penetrates into the Neotropics at montane stations in Venezuela and SE Brazil in South America.
Bayesian classification of surface-based ice-radar images

This paper deals with the application of the Bayes classification procedure to discriminate types of sea ice based on images obtained from surface-based marine radars. The data sets were digitized images obtained from a dual-polarized Ku -band radar (16 GHz) and a like-polarized S -band radar (3 GHz) at a site located on the northern tip of Baffin Island, Canada. The images were first range-compensated, and statistical properties of different ice types were then determined. The observed histograms for different ice types were approximated by continuous density functions. The images were classified by maximizing the a posteriori probabilities obtained from Bayes's rule. The results reported herein suggest that there is sufficient information in the reflectivity to classify the different forms of ice using decision-theoretic pattern recognition techniques.
Prevalence, species composition, and associated risk factors of small ruminant gastrointestinal nematodes in South Omo zone, South-western Ethiopia

Objective: This study was conducted to generate data on the prevalence, species composition, and factors associated with small ruminant nematode infection in the South Omo zone, in South-western Ethiopia. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study through fecal nematode parasite examination was conducted. Simple floatation test and coproculture, followed by Baermann technique, were used for nematode egg and third-stage larvae (L3) separation and identification. The McMaster method was used to calculate the egg per gram of feces (EPG). Results: From a total of 242 sheep and goats examined, 72.34% were infested with single or mixed nematode parasites. District, “Kebele”, species, body condition score, and age were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with nematode infestation. Simple logistic regression analysis indicated that nematode infestation in Bena-Tsemay district (78.33%) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher by a factor of 0.54 (OR 95% CI: 0.30–0.96) than Hamer district (66.39%). Among the species, caprine (79.43%) was significantly (p < 0.05) infested than ovine (62.37%) by a factor of 0.45 (OR 95% CI: 0.25–0.81). Moreover, infestation on poor (79.12%) and medium (70.96%) body conditioned animals was higher by a factor of 2.94 (OR 95% CI: 1.41–6.26) and 1.76 (OR 95% CI: 0.88–3.53) than on good body conditioned animals (63.79%). Likewise, infestation in age groups of 1–3 years (78.66%) and >3 years (84.40%) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher by a factor of 4.83 (OR 95% CI: 2.31–10.46) and 8.23 (OR 95% CI: 3.98–17.75) than younger age groups (41.37%), respectively. A moderate parasitic burden was observed on 52.90% of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN)-infested animals with significantly (p < 0.05) higher EPG in females than males. Furthermore, mixed infestation of Trichostrongylus axei and Eimeria (6.19%), Haemonchus contortus and Eimeria (5.78%), and Trichostrongylus vitrines and Eimeria (5.78%) were dominantly identified. On the contrary, T. axei (15.70%), Eimeria (8.67%), H. contortus (7.43%), and Trichostrongylus colubriformis (7.02%) were dominant single infestations. Conclusion: The current study revealed the highest prevalence of GIN in the study area, which needs strategic control, needs to enhance community awareness toward GIN control and prevention, and to implement further investigation into anthelminthic efficacy to solve the problem.