Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
1060nm VCSEL for inter-chip optical interconnection

The demand for the on board intra-chip optical interconnection as the "Green interconnect" have been growing so rapidly in order to catch up the speed of the performance development of high performance computing systems. In this report, our continuous study results expanding to intra-chip application in terms with power consumption and reliability are shown for the "Green" 1060nm VCSEL arrays developed by Furukawa Electric1. As the basic performance level, the clear eye opening up to 20Gbps was achieved with low power dissipation level of 160fJ/bit with voltage swing level of 130mVpp. This value would be considered as the same level of the 140fJ/bit in 10Gbps operation with 75mVpp. In the reliability test, our large scale FIT rate test had been reached up to 7.8E7 device hours and the estimated FIT rate of 30FIT/ch was obtained from no failure sample and confidence level of 90%. Our wear-out study was performed with high stress test of 170°C ambient temperature and estimated failure rate for 10years service time was 0.3FIT/ch for this mode. Our 1060nm VCSEL with low power consumption level of 140fJ/bit and high reliability of 30FIT/ch would be projected to a light source for intra-chip application.
Water–Fat Separated T1 Mapping in the Liver and Correlation to Hepatic Fat Fraction

(1) Background: T1 mapping in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver has been proposed to estimate liver function or to detect the stage of liver disease, among others. Thus far, the impact of intrahepatic fat on T1 quantification has only been sparsely discussed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of water–fat separated T1 mapping of the liver. (2) Methods: A total of 386 patients underwent MRI of the liver at 3 T. In addition to routine imaging techniques, a 3D variable flip angle (VFA) gradient echo technique combined with a two-point Dixon method was acquired to calculate T1 maps from an in-phase (T1_in) and water-only (T1_W) signal. The results were correlated with proton density fat fraction using multi-echo 3D gradient echo imaging (PDFF) and multi-echo single voxel spectroscopy (PDFF_MRS). Using T1_in and T1_W, a novel parameter FF_T1 was defined and compared with PDFF and PDFF_MRS. Furthermore, the value of retrospectively calculated T1_W (T1_W_calc) based on T1_in and PDFF was assessed. Wilcoxon test, Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman analysis were applied as statistical tools. (3) Results: T1_in was significantly shorter than T1_W and the difference of both T1 values was correlated with PDFF (R = 0.890). FF_T1 was significantly correlated with PDFF (R = 0.930) and PDFF_MRS (R = 0.922) and yielded only minor bias compared to both established PDFF methods (0.78 and 0.21). T1_W and T1_W_calc were also significantly correlated (R = 0.986). (4) Conclusion: T1_W acquired with a water–fat separated VFA technique allows to minimize the influence of fat on liver T1. Alternatively, T1_W can be estimated retrospectively from T1_in and PDFF, if a Dixon technique is not available for T1 mapping.
DMSP special sensor microwave imager sounder (SSMIS)

The United States Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) provides state-of-the-art tactical weather forecasts in support of a broad range of military missions. To enhance current capability, the Air Force will equip the block 5D-3 spacecraft with a Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) currently being designed and fabricated by Aerojet Electronic Systems Division in Azusa, California. Aerojet is responsible for the development of the sensor, the uplinkable flight processing software and the SSMIS ground processing software which includes the processing algorithms. The SSMIS will provide lower atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles with greatly enhanced spatial resolution compared to existing microwave sensors and provide twelve additional surface related environmental parameters including wind speed over the ocean and rain rates. In addition the SSMIS will provide temperature profiles of the upper atmosphere, adding a new capability to the DMSP. The SSMIS ground processing software will be installed at the Air Force Global Weather Center and at the Navy Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center. This paper will describe the hardware, software and the status of the SSMIS program.
MEFood: A Large-Scale Representative Benchmark of Quotidian Foods for the Middle East

Automatic food recognition systems have been receiving increasing attention in the research community with the advancements in inductive learning (e.g., classification in computer vision) due to their applicability in the healthcare and hospitality industry. However, food recognition is challenging due to its fine-grained nature and its high correlation with culture, geo-location, and language. To make food recognition systems feasible for the Middle Eastern region, we present a large-scale dataset (MEFood) of commonly consumed food items in the Middle East, thereby providing a dataset for current development and establishing a benchmark for future research. We have also thoroughly examined the MEFood dataset highlighting its challenging aspects and its real-world nature. Additionally, we have conducted a thorough experimental study benchmarking the mainstream computer vision and mobile networks on classification, runtime, and resource utilization metrics. Our results highlight that EfficientNet-V2 achieves performance closer to the best-performing individual model on the MEFood dataset while having the least resource utilization and minimal inference times. Finally, we have performed a thorough error analysis study to glean additional insights about the networks and MEFood dataset.
Enterocele Presenting as Anterior Rectal Prolapse: Resolution with Vaginal Repair

An enterocele is a pelvic hernia formed from the separation of endopelvic fascia, associated with the posterior or anterior vaginal fornix, and most commonly located in the posterior superior vaginal segment. Rectal prolapse is a debilitating condition in which the mucosa of the rectum protrudes circumferentially from the anus. Surgical repair is the recommended treatment for rectal prolapse, and though there are many different surgical options, there is no consensus on which approach is best. We present a case of anterior rectal prolapse due to enterocele which was treated by correction of enterocele with a vaginal approach and propose some clinical features and diagnostic techniques that may distinguish this entity from traditional rectal prolapse.
Effect of vacuum sintering conditions on the properties of Y3Al5O12 : Ce luminescent ceramics

The aim of this work was to study the effect of vacuum sintering conditions and cerium concentration on the optical, luminescent and thermal properties of yttrium-aluminum garnet based ceramics doped with Се3+ cations. Series of ceramic powders were synthesized and samples of luminescent ceramics having the composition Y3-хСехAl5O12 were synthesized where x was in the range 0.01 to 0.025 f.u. We show that the phase composition and grain size distribution of the ceramic powders do not depend on cerium concentration. Without sintering additives, an increase in vacuum sintering temperature from 1675 to 1800 °C leads to an increase in the optical transmittance of luminescent ceramic specimens from 5 to 55% at a 540 nm wavelength and an increase in the thermal conductivity of the samples from 8.4 to 9.5 W/(m ∙ K). It was found that an increase in cerium concentration leads to a shift of the luminescent band peak from 535 to 545 nm where as the width of the luminescent band decreases with an increase in vacuum sintering temperature from 1675 to 1725 °C.
Updated Colors for Cool Stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present updated colors for M and L dwarfs based on photometry from the third data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). These data are improved in quality and number from earlier results. We also provide updated equations for determining photometric parallaxes from SDSS colors of late‐type stars. Walkowicz et al. have recently presented new techniques for studying the magnetic activity of low‐mass stars, and their method relies on an accurate determination of SDSS color. We derive new relationships between SDSS colors and other common passbands and present updated formulas from Walkowicz et al. for determining the level of magnetic activity in M and L dwarfs.
Can the Bump Be Observed in the Early Afterglow of Gamma-Ray Bursts with X-Ray Line Emission Features?

Extremely powerful emission lines are observed in the X-ray afterglow of several gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The energy contained in the illuminatingcontinuum that is responsible for the line production exceeds 1051 ergs, much higher than that of the collimated GRBs, constraining the models that might explain the production of X-ray emission lines. In this paper, we argue that this energy can come from a continuous postburst outflow. Focusing on a central engine of highly magnetized millisecond pulsar or magnetar, we find that the afterglow can be affected by the illuminating continuum, and therefore a distinct achromatic bump can be observed in the early afterglow light curves. With the luminosity of the continuous outflow that produces the line emission, we define the upper limit of the time when the bump feature appears. We argue that the reason why the achromatic bumps have not been detected so far is that the bumps appear at too early a time to be observed.
High-Resolution Infrared Space Observatory Spectroscopy of the Unidentified 21 Micron Feature

We present Infrared Space Observatory SWS06 mode observations of the 21 μm feature in eight sources, including a first detection of the feature in IRAS Z02229+6208. The observed feature peak-to-continuum ratios range from 0.13 in IRAS Z02229+6208 to 1.30 in IRAS 07134+1005. The normalized spectra, obtained by the removal of the underlying continua and by scaling the features to the same peak flux value, show that all features have the same intrinsic profile and peak wavelength. There is no evidence for any discrete substructure due to molecular bands in the observed spectra, suggesting that the 21 μm feature is due to either a solid substance or a mixture of many similarly structured large molecules.
Webs of oppression: An intersectional analysis of inequalities facing women activists in Palestine

How can we understand the multiple, intersecting webs of oppression that Palestinian women activists face in their everyday organizing? With a long tradition of counter-hegemonic organizing, the Palestinian context presents opportunities and challenges for women pursuing activist causes in the public domain. Adopting an intersectionality framework, we uncover how gender, class and settler-colonized domination interact, engendering dynamics of oppression differentiated by activists’ social positions. Activists’ stories captured at interview reveal they were not victims across all categories of difference, experiencing forms of relative privilege, characterized as safeguarded, secured and sheltered. We connect relative privilege to the patchwork nature of Palestinian institutions, whereby women’s agency intermingles with a patchwork of historically constituted structures and conditions. Our fine-grained study contributes to literature on feminist and activist organizing and to theorizations of intersectionality by identifying forms of relative oppression and privilege as women actively resist hegemonic gendered structures in Palestine.
HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS OF BINARY STARS AND YELLOW STRAGGLERS IN THREE OPEN CLUSTERS : NGC 2360, NGC 3680, AND NGC 5822

Binary stars in open clusters are very useful targets in constraining the nucleosynthesis process. The luminosities of the stars are known because the distances of the clusters are also known, so chemical peculiarities can be linked directly to the evolutionary status of a star. In addition, binary stars offer the opportunity to verify a relationship between them and the straggler population in both globular and open clusters. We carried out a detailed spectroscopic analysis to derive the atmospheric parameters for 16 red giants in binary systems and the chemical composition of 11 of them in the open clusters NGC 2360, NGC 3680, and NGC 5822. We obtained abundances of C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Ca, Si, Ti, Ni, Cr, Y, Zr, La, Ce, and Nd. The atmospheric parameters of the studied stars and their chemical abundances were determined using high-resolution optical spectroscopy. We employ the local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmospheres of Kurucz and the spectral analysis code moog. The abundances of the light elements were derived using the spectral synthesis technique. We found that the stars NGC 2360-92 and 96, NGC 3680-34, and NGC 5822-4 and 312 are yellow straggler stars. We show that the spectra of NGC 5822-4 and 312 present evidence of contamination by an A-type star as a secondary star. For the other yellow stragglers, evidence of contamination is given by the broad wings of the Hα. Detection of yellow straggler stars is important because the observed number can be compared with the number predicted by simulations of binary stellar evolution in open clusters. We also found that the other binary stars are not s-process enriched, which may suggest that in these binaries the secondary star is probably a faint main-sequence object. The lack of any s-process enrichment is very useful in setting constraints for the number of white dwarfs in the open cluster, a subject that is related to the birthrate of these kinds of stars in open clusters and also to the age of a cluster. Finally, rotational velocities were also determined and their values were compared with those already determined for field giant stars.
Trends in smoking cessation: a Markov model approach

Intervention trials such as studies on smoking cessation may observe multiple, discrete outcomes over time. When the outcome is binary, participant observations may alternate between two states over the course of the study. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach is commonly used to analyze binary, longitudinal data in the context of independent variables. However, the sequence of observations may be assumed to follow a Markov chain with stationary transition probabilities when observations are made at fixed time points. Participants favoring the transition to one particular state over the other would be evidence of a trend in the observations. Using a log-transformed trend parameter, the determinants of a trend in a binary, longitudinal study may be evaluated by maximizing the likelihood function. A new methodology is presented here to test for the presence and determinants of a trend in binary, longitudinal observations. Empirical studies are evaluated and comparisons are made with the GEE approach. Practical application of the proposed method is made to the data available from an intervention study on smoking cessation.
Assessing the quadratic approximation to the log likelihood function in nonnormal linear models

SUMMARY A general and simple technique for finding a bound for the error in the quadratic approximation to the log likelihood function is proposed. This bound allows a likelihood interpretation for confidence regions constructed from the quadratic approximation. Applications are illustrated using logit and log linear models. The use of confidence regions based on the drop in log likelihood has wide appeal. The arguments supporting it include invariance, good second-order properties (Peers, 1971), and other criteria of a more heuristic nature including the central role played by the likelihood function in the various theories of inference. Yet, except in a few specific cases, computational difficulties prevent the assessment of the precision of maximum like- lihood estimates by means of the log likelihood function. This is one of the main reasons for the extensive utilization of approximations to the drop in log likelihood. In this presentation, it will be assumed that the data consist of n independent observations y = (y, y,,)' from a one-parameter family, and that the model being entertained expresses the parameter, Oi, associated with the ith observation as a given
Linear stability analyses of natural convection flows in a differentially heated square cavity with conducting horizontal walls

The stability of two-dimensional (2D) natural convection flows with respect to both two- and three-dimensional perturbations is investigated numerically. Several methods (Arnoldi’s method, preconditioned Newton’s iteration and preconditioned continuation method) are put together for this purpose and applied to natural convection in a differentially heated square cavity with conducting horizontal walls for a large range of Prandtl numbers. These methods are first validated by comparison with results reported in the literature for several Prandtl numbers for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional perturbations. They are then used to extend the stability of the 2D base flows to two-dimensional perturbations for other Prandtl numbers, and to investigate in detail the stability of these two-dimensional base solutions with respect to three-dimensional perturbations for a large range of Prandtl number. For Prandtl number equal to 1 the base solutions are more unstable to three-dimensional perturbations and t.
Sharp dimension transition in a shortcut model

Earlier studies of a parametrized class of models, the shortcut models, whose fractal dimension transitions between integer values, indicated that the transition occurs infinitely sharply at the parameter value p = 0, as the system size increases to infinity. In this work, we explain the cause as being due to the combinatorially large increase in the available number of paths connecting a pair of points as the path length is increased.
Paracelsus 10,000: An Observational Cohort Study About the Health Status of the Population of Salzburg, Austria. Rationale, Objectives and Study Design

Background/Aims: Paracelsus 10,000 is an observational cohort study with the objective to investigate the health status of the population in and around the city of Salzburg. The focus lies on common non-communicable diseases, mainly cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and metabolic diseases, and their risk factors. The aim of the study is to establish a large database enabling to study associations between life style, genetic factors and development of common diseases. Extensive phenotyping and biobanking constitute a basis for preventive measures, multi-omics and precision medicine. Methods: Inhabitants of the city of Salzburg and the surrounding areas were randomly selected and underwent a detailed investigation: The program included medical examinations, as well as assessments on mental disorders and life style including nutrition and physical activity. From all study participants biological samples were stored in a biobank at -80°C enabling future investigations of biomarkers and utilization of the whole spectrum of multi-omics. Results: Between the years 2013 and 2020, 10,044 participants, 5,176 women and 4,868 men aged between 40 and 77 years, completed a baseline assessment. Special emphasis was put on participants between 50 and 59 years old, representing an age group especially prone to changes in health status. In this group, 2,606 participants underwent an extended investigation program. Conclusion: The Paracelsus 10,000 study has the potential to gain new insight into the role of associations between genetic predisposition and life style factors for disease development in the Salzburg population. This report describes rationale, objectives and design of the study and provides insight into the main characteristics of the study cohort.
On the Geometry, Covering Factor, and Scattering-Emission Properties of QSO Broad Absorption-Line Regions

We analyze line profiles of the 40 broad absorption-line (BAL) QSOs measured by Weymann et al. (1991) to estimate the geometry, covering factor, and scattering-emission properties of the BAL regions (BALRs). If the line photons are not selectively destroyed, the ratio of emission to absorption equivalent widths in C IV 1550 A indicate that the BALR cannot completely envelope the continuum source. Detailed models of the C IV profiles formed in isotropic, conical, or disk-shaped winds strongly reinforced the requirement for generally low covering factors. Simultaneous modeling of the C IV and N V 1240 A profiles argues again for low covering factors, and shows further that the ∼1265 A bump near N V is generally not scattered Lyα flux, as previously suggested, but rather an unrelated emission line
Amplified Asymmetric Impact of ENSO Events on the Wintertime Pacific‐North American Teleconnection Pattern

El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as the strongest tropical interannual signature has the most prominent impact on wintertime Pacific‐North American (PNA) teleconnection pattern. ENSO exhibits an increasing asymmetry in recent decades. This study quantifies its extratropical asymmetric impact on the amplitude of the PNA pattern, using a normalized asymmetry index defined as a ratio of asymmetric versus symmetric anomalies for El Niño and La Niña. Relative to the ENSO asymmetry, the extratropical asymmetric impact is largely amplified especially downstream by up to 82%. Such an amplification is attributed to noticeable increases, 83.6% (68.9%), in asymmetry of Rossby wave source (RWS) anomalies over two key regions of North Pacific, in which anomalous divergence induced by nonlinear condensational heating feedback and anomalous synoptic eddy forcing are two major contributors. The former contributes 39.3% (47.5%) over the western (eastern) North Pacific through increasing asymmetric RWS anomalies, while the latter contributes 29.5% (21.3%) through decreasing symmetric RWS anomalies.
Pledging one’s trustworthiness through gifts: An experiment

Ethnographers have recorded many instances of tokens donated as gifts to attract new partners or strengthen ties to existing ones. We study whether gifts are an effective pledge of the donor’s trustworthiness through an experiment modeled on the trust game. We vary whether the trustee can send a token before the trustor decides whether to transfer money; whether one of the tokens is rendered salient through experimental manipulations (a vote or an incentive-compatible rule of purchase for the tokens); and whether the subjects interact repeatedly or are randomly re-matched in each round. Tokens are frequently sent in all studies in which tokens are available, but repeated interaction, rather than gifts, is the leading behavioral driver in our data. In the studies with random pairs, trustors send significantly more points when the trustee has sent a token. Subjects in a fixed matching achieve comparable levels of trust and trustworthiness in the studies with and without tokens. The trustee’s decision to send a token is not predictive of the amount the trustee returns to the trustor. A token is used more sparingly whenever salient — a novel instance of endogenous value creation in the lab.