Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectral Target Detection using Physics-Based Modeling and a Manifold Learning Technique

Identification of materials from calibrated radiance data collected by an airborne imaging spectrometer depends strongly on the atmospheric and illumination conditions at the time of collection. This thesis demonstrates a methodology for identifying material spectra using the assumption that each unique material class forms a lower-dimensional manifold (surface) in the higher-dimensional spectral radiance space and that all image spectra reside on, or near, these theoretic manifolds. Using a physical model, a manifold characteristic of the target material exposed to varying illumination and atmospheric conditions is formed. A graph-based model is then applied to the radiance data to capture the intricate structure of each material manifold, followed by the application of the commute time distance (CTD) transformation to separate the target manifold from the background. Detection algorithms are then applied in the CTD subspace. This nonlinear transformation is based on a random walk on a graph and is derived from an eigendecomposition of the pseudoinverse of the graph Laplacian matrix. This work provides a geometric interpretation of the CTD transformation, its algebraic properties, the atmospheric and illumination parameters varied in the physics-based model, and the influence the target manifold samples have on the orientation of the coordinate axes in the transformed space. This thesis concludes by demonstrating improved detection results in the CTD subspace as compared to detection in the original spectral radiance space.
High speed photometry of faint cataclysmic variables – VI. Car2, V1040 Cen, Hα 075648, IL Nor (Nova Nor 1893), HS Pup (Nova Pup 1963), SDSS J2048−06, CSS 081419−005022 and CSS 112634−100210

We have observed eight faint cataclysmic variable stars photometrically. The nova-like Car2 was extensively sampled but showed little variability. V1040 Cen was observed near the end of a dwarf nova outburst and possessed dwarf nova and quasi-periodic oscillations. Hα 075648 has strong large amplitude flickering and a possible orbital modulation at 3.49 h. The correct identification for the nova remnant IL Nor (Nova Nor 1893) has been established. HS Pup (Nova Pup 1963) has a possible orbital period of 3.244 h. SDSS J2048−06 is a low-mass transfer dwarf nova that in quiescence shows slow variations at 7.67 h (though poorly sampled with our observations) and an orbital modulation at 87.26 min. The dwarf nova CSS 081419−005022 has an orbital period of 1.796 h and the eclipsing dwarf nova CSS 112634−100210 has an orbital period of 1.8581 h.
A dual‐band semi‐circular patch antenna for WiMAX and WiFi‐5/6 applications

A semi‐circular patch antenna (SCPA) is designed for WiMAX and WiFi‐5/6 communications. The footprint of the proposed SCPA is only 30 × 40 × 1.575 mm3, which is composed of a semi‐circular patch and a partial ground plane. The main strength of this work is that the estimated wide dual‐frequency span of 2.39–3.75 GHz and 5.39–7.18 GHz are contributed with two sharp resonances at 2.77 and 6.46 GHz, respectively. The proposed SCPA has been practically tested after fabrication. The measured results confirm that the designed antenna achieved the bandwidth necessity for WiMAX 1.5 (2.5–2.69 GHz), WiMAX 2 (3.4–3.6 GHz), WiFi‐5 (5.15–5.85 GHz) and WiFi‐6 (5.925–7.125 GHz). In the two resonance frequencies of 2.77 and 6.46 GHz, the designed antenna achieved a gain of 2.558 and 4.109 dB, respectively. In addition, the SCPA also manifests good radiation properties and achieves an average efficiency of more than 90%. A professional version of the 3D electromagnetic simulator is utilized to examine the effect of diffident parameters and model the tested antenna.
K-Distribution and Multi-Frequency Polarmetric Terrain Radar Clutter

A multivariate K-distribution, well supported by experimental data, is proposed to model the statistics of fully polarimetric radar clutter of earth terrain. In this approach, correlated polarizations of backscattered radar returns are characterized by a covariance matrix and homogeneity of terrain scatterers is characterized by a parameter . As compared with C-, L- and P-band polarimetric SAR image simultaneously measured by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on Mt. Shasta, it is found that appears to decrease from C- to P-band for both the forest and burned areas.
Restrictions on the lifetime of sterile neutrinos from primordial nucleosynthesis

We analyze the influence of decaying sterile neutrinos with the masses in the range 1-140 MeV on the primordial Helium-4 abundance, explicitly solving the Boltzmann equations for all particle species, taking into account neutrino flavour oscillations, and paying special attention to systematic uncertainties. We show that the Helium abundance depends only on the sterile neutrino lifetime and not on the way the active-sterile mixing is distributed between flavours, and derive an upper bound on the lifetime. We also demonstrate that the recent results of Izotov & Thuan [arXiv:1001.4440], who find 2sigma higher than predicted by the standard primordial nucleosynthesis value of Helium-4 abundance, are consistent with the presence in the plasma of sterile neutrinos with the lifetime 0.01-2 seconds. The decay of these particles perturbs the spectra of (decoupled) neutrinos and heats photons, changing the ratio of neutrino to photon energy density, that can be interpreted as extra neutrino species at the recombination epoch.
Handling vacuum regions in a hybrid plasma solver

In a hybrid plasma solver (particle ions, fluid mass-less electrons) regions of vacuum, or very low charge density, can cause problems since the evaluation of the electric field involves division by charge density. This causes large electric fields in low density regions that can lead to numerical instabilities. Here we propose a self consistent handling of vacuum regions for hybrid solvers. Vacuum regions can be considered having infinite resistivity, and in this limit Faraday's law approaches a magnetic diffusion equation. We describe an algorithm that solves such a diffusion equation in regions with charge density below a threshold value. We also present an implementation of this algorithm in a hybrid plasma solver, and an application to the interaction between the Moon and the solar wind. We also discuss the implementation of hyperresistivity for smoothing the electric field in a PIC solver.
OTS 44: Disk and accretion at the planetary border

We discover that the very low-mass brown dwarf OTS 44 (M9.5, similar to 12 M-Jup) has significant accretion and a substantial disk, which demonstrates that the processes that accompany canonical star formation occur down to a central mass of a few Jupiter masses. We discover in VLT/SINFONI spectra that OTS 44 has strong, broad, and variable Pa beta emission that is evidence for active accretion at the planetary border. We also detect strong Ha emission of OTS 44 in a literature spectrum and determine an Ha EW of -141 angstrom, which indicates active accretion. Both the Pa beta and H alpha emission lines have broad profiles with wings extending to velocities of about +/- 200 km s(-1). We determine the mass accretion rate of OTS 44 based on H alpha to 7.6 x 10(-12) M-circle dot yr(-1). This result shows that OTS 44 has a relatively high mass-accretion rate considering its small central mass. This mass rate is nevertheless consistent with the general decreasing trend found for stars of several solar masses down to brown dwarfs. Furthermore, we determine the properties of the disk surrounding OTS 44 through radiative transfer modeling of flux measurement from the optical to the far-IR (Herschel) by applying a Bayesian analysis. We find that OTS 44 has a highly flared disk (beta > 1.2) with a mass of 9.1(-5.5)(+1.7) x 10(-5) M-circle dot, i.e. similar to 0.1 M-Jup or 30 M-Earth. We show that the ratio of the disk-to-central-mass of about 10(-2) found for objects between 0.03 M-circle dot and 14 M-circle dot is also valid for OTS 44 at a mass of similar to 0.01 M-circle dot. Our observations are in line with an isolated star-like mode of the formation of brown dwarfs down to 0.01 M-circle dot.
Use of global sensitivity analysis and polynomial chaos expansion for interpretation of nonreactive transport experiments in laboratory‐scale porous media

In this work, we show how the use of global sensitivity analysis (GSA) in conjunction with the polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) methodology can provide relevant information for the interpretation of transport experiments in laboratory‐scale heterogeneous porous media. We perform GSA by calculating the Sobol indices, which provide a variance‐based importance measure of the effects of uncertain parameters on the output of a chosen interpretive transport model. The choice of PCE has the following two benefits: (1) it provides the global sensitivity indices in a straightforward manner, and (2) PCE can serve as a surrogate model for the calibration of parameters. The coefficients of the PCE are computed by probabilistic collocation. The methodology is applied to two nonreactive transport experiments available in the literature, while considering both transient and pseudo steady state transport regimes. This method allows a rigorous investigation of the relative effects and importance of different uncertain quantities, which include boundary conditions as well as porous medium hydraulic and dispersive parameters. The parameters that are most relevant to depicting the system's behavior can then be evaluated. In addition, one can assess the space‐time distribution of measurement points, which is the most influential factor for the identifiability of parameters. Our work indicates that these methods can be valuable tools in the proper design of model‐based transport experiments.
Factors that Influence Consumer Purchase Intention towards Online Travel Packages Available on E-Marketplace during New Normal

The tourism industry has recently been affected by worldwide Covid-19 Pandemic. One of the fundamental aspects of developing the tourism sector through the e-marketplace is a digital technology and mobile phones. The factor that influences purchase intention toward online package available on E-Marketplace during new normal. To evaluate the hypotheses, Partial Least Squares Smart Software (PLS) was created. In a survey of 221 Internet users, the empirical findings indicate that travel plans online are decided primarily by the Online Word of Mouth (WOM), Subjective Norm, Perceived Relative Advantage, Attitude, Perceived Risk, Destination Trust, Perceived Behavioural Control. The theoretical frameworks and the practical consequences of this study are explored, and further research guidelines are discussed.
Nature of intranight optical variability of BL Lacertae

We present the results of extensive multiband intranight optical monitoring of BL Lacertae during 2010-2012. BL Lacertae was very active in this period and showed intense variability in almost all wavelengths. We extensively observed it for a total for 38 nights; on 26 of them, observations were done quasi-simultaneously in B, V, R and I bands (totalling 113 light curves), with an average sampling interval of around 8 min. BL Lacertae showed significant variations on hour-like time-scales in a total of 19 nights in different optical bands. We did not find any evidence for periodicities or characteristic variability time-scales in the light curves. The intranight variability amplitude is generally greater at higher frequencies and decreases as the source flux increases. We found spectral variations in BL Lacertae in the sense that the optical spectrum becomes flatter as the flux increases but in several flaring states, deviates from the linear trend suggesting different jet components contributing to the emission at different times.
Oscillatory processes in solar flares

Electromagnetic (radio, visible-light, UV, EUV, x-ray and gamma-ray) emission generated by solar and stellar flares often contains pronounced quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs). Physical mechanisms responsible for the generation of long-period QPP (with periods longer than 1 s) are likely to be associated with MHD processes. The observed modulation depths, periods and anharmonicity of QPP suggest that they can be linked with some kind of MHD auto-oscillations, e.g. an oscillatory regime of magnetic reconnection. Such regimes, of both spontaneous and induced nature, have been observed in resistive-MHD numerical simulations. The oscillations are essentially nonlinear and non-stationary. We demonstrate that a promising novel method for their analysis is the empirical mode decomposition technique.
Pre-main-sequence isochrones – III. The Cluster Collaboration isochrone server

JMR is funded by a UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) studentship. EEM acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Award AST-1008908. The authors would like to thank Emanuele Tognelli for the updated set of Pisa models and John Stauffer for sharing his catalogue of Kron photometric measurements of Pleiades members. The authors would also like to thank the referee for comments which have vastly improved the clarity of the manuscript. This research has made use of data obtained at the Isaac Newton Telescope, which is operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group (ING) in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Institutio de Astrofisica de Canarias. This research has made use of archival data products from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation. This research has made use of public data from the SDSS. Funding for the SDSS was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Participating Institutions, the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Japanese Monbukagakusho, the Max Planck Society and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The SDSS was managed by the Astrophysical Research Consortium for the Participating Institutions.
Integrating Wireless Sensor Network with Li-Fi Wireless Communication Technology based on NOMA Technique: A Survey

Li-Fi stands for Light-Fidelity, is a creating department of Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) that gives more noteworthy information transmission using obvious light as a medium rather than conventional radio frequency electromagnetic radiation with the ability to employ surplus users since it uses a wide range of spectrum bandwidth. Recently the implementation of wireless sensors has been increased in the design of high-performance buildings. On the other side, the main challenge in using Wireless Sensor Systems (WSNs) is that the sensor nodes have restricted power in their essential power capacity unit, this power may be rapidly exhausted in case the sensor node remains operational for extended periods of time also data transmission is a significant challenge in WSNs. Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) is a novel encoding technique proposed for next-generation wireless communications. NOMA may send many symbols utilizing the same time, frequency and coding resource but dividing them in the power domain and differentiating them based on the various power levels of distinct symbols, which are subsequently demultiplexed at the receiver using an interference cancellation approach. Since the main requirement of WSNs are high connection, low latency, energy savings, and ultra-high data rates, we give an overview of Li-Fi technology and a study of its performance over WSNs aided by the NOMA technique in this survey article.
CHANDRA HETG OBSERVATIONS OF THE COLLIDING STELLAR WIND SYSTEM WR 147

We present an extended analysis of deep Chandra HETG observations of the WR+OB binary system WR 147 that was resolved into a double X-ray source (Zhekov & Park). Our analysis of the profiles of strong emission lines shows that their centroids are blueshifted in the spectrum of the northern X-ray source. We find no suppressed forbidden line in the He-like triplets which indicates that the X-ray emitting region is not located near enough to the stars in the binary system to be significantly affected by their UV radiation. The most likely physical picture that emerges from the entire set of HETG data suggests that the northern X-ray source can be associated with the colliding stellar wind region in the wide WR+OB binary system, while the X-rays of its southern counterpart, the WN8 star, result from stellar wind shocking onto a close companion (a hypothesized third star in the system).
MUSTANG 3.3 mm CONTINUUM OBSERVATIONS OF CLASS 0 PROTOSTARS

We present observations of six Class 0 protostars at 3.3 mm (90 GHz) using the 64 pixel MUSTANG bolometer camera on the 100 m Green Bank Telescope. The 3.3 mm photometry is analyzed along with shorter wavelength observations to derive spectral indices (Sν ∝ να) of the measured emission. We utilize previously published dust continuum radiative transfer models to estimate the characteristic dust temperature within the central beam of our observations. We present constraints on the millimeter dust opacity index β between 0.862 mm, 1.25 mm, and 3.3 mm. βmm typically ranges from 1.0 to 2.4 for Class 0 sources. The relative contributions from disk emission and envelope emission are estimated at 3.3 mm. L483 is found to have negligible disk emission at 3.3 mm, while L1527 is dominated by disk emission within the central beam. The βdiskmm ⩽ 0.8–1.4 for L1527 indicates that grain growth is likely occurring in the disk. The photometry presented in this paper may be combined with future interferometric observations of Class 0 envelopes and disks.
Organic molecular thin films for nanoscale information memory applications

According to Moore law, the silicon semiconductor transistor based information system is facing its physical limitations due to fluctuations of random charge and leakage current. Molecular electronics is becoming more and more attractive owing to the advantages of easy molecular structure variability, flexibility, low-cost and compatibility with bioelectronics. In this handbook chapter, we reviewed the recent research progress of molecular electronics, especially the studies on nanoscale information memories, from the viewpoints of structure-property relationship. Two kinds of molecular systems including redox dendrimeric thin films and self-assembled molecular monolayers are discussed in detail. The investigation and application of other molecular thin films such as polymers, charge transfer salts and Langmuir-Blodgett layers are also briefly introduced. We suggest that two promising molecular systems have the most potentials for using as building blocks in nanoscale information storage. One is single-molecule-based memory device with sub-10 nm characteristics built on self-assembled monolayer. Multimode information storage is the other powerful way to make breakthrough in the challenging area of nanoscale data storage. This relies on further experimental and theoretical advances. Moreover, a big foreseeable obstacle is how to bridge the big gap between such novel system and the current bit world.
Estimation of the ultrasonic time-of-flight for evaluating the axial force acting on bolt/nut assemblies under various mechanical and thermal conditions

The ultrasonic testing method is a prospective technique adopted for measuring the axial force acting on a bolt; the method is a nondestructive testing method employed for structural health monitoring. In ultrasonic testing, the ultrasonic time of flight (ToF) is obtained, and the axial force is computed using the mathematical relationship between the ultrasonic ToF and the axial force acting on the bolt. Therefore, it is essential to accurately compute the axial force from the ToF. However, existing theoretical equations do not reflect actual scenarios that bolt/nut assemblies may encounter under varying mechanical and thermal conditions. Therefore, the practical application of this method in engineering practices is limited. Establishing a mathematical relationship by considering mechanical and thermal deformation could serve as a fundamental solution for providing more accurate axial force measurement results in ultrasonic testing. In this study, we proposed calibration equations that could be applied to various types of bolts, which are primarily used in mechanical components. The calibration coefficients obtained from the experiments were substituted into the theoretical equations to improve the estimation accuracy of the ultrasonic ToF. Additionally, we compared the experimental results acquired using various types of bolts: M8, M10, M12, and M14, with the results obtained from the theoretical equations using the calibration coefficients. It was verified that it could make the axial force measurement of the bolt accurate as a calibration of the change of the ToF by the bolt deformation from the mechanically stressed region and the thermal conditions with 8.8% error. We expect that the theoretically and experimentally verified calibration equations can improve the reliability and robustness of mechanical components.
Polyctenidae (Hemiptera: Cimicoidea) species in the Afrotropical region: Distribution, host specificity, and first insights to their molecular phylogeny

Abstract Polyctenidae bugs are rarely studied, hematophagous, and highly specialized ectoparasites of bats. There are only 32 described species worldwide, including six species in the Afrotropical region. Knowledge on these parasites is limited, and most studies are restricted to the New World polyctenid species. Here we report additional records of Adroctenes horvathi from Kenya and South Africa, as well as Hypoctenes faini from Rwanda. We present an updated list of published polyctenid records in the Afrotropical region indicating their host specificity and their geographical distribution. We report global infection patterns and sex ratio of polyctenids based on previously published data, including Old and New World species. Lastly, we demonstrate the first molecular phylogeny of Polyctenidae, showing their phylogenetic relationship with the closely related family Cimicidae.
Impact of Automated Parcel Stations on E-Commerce’s Last-Mile Delivery

As technology develops and advances, last-mile delivery is deemed to be a crucial component of online trading. The use of automated parcel stations (APS) sustenance sustainable last-mile delivery among SMEs and e-commerce users. Thus, it is essential to ensure APS is able to increase efficiency, reduce shipping and labour costs as well as offer free, convenient delivery and return processes. This study aims to understand the challenges of APS usage and propose a mitigation strategy for better use of APS in Malaysia towards enhancing last-mile delivery services among SMEs and e-commerce users. Keywords: Automated parcel station, last-mile delivery, e-commerce, sustainable supply chain management eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i21. 3673