Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tephrochronology of the Toba tuffs: four primary glass populations define the 75‐ka Youngest Toba Tuff, northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Four primary glass populations, well defined by their Sr, Ba and Y concentrations, occur in the Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT), which was deposited during a supereruption of the Toba caldera complex in northern Sumatra 75 ka. Average concentrations of major and trace elements indicate a coherent, systematic variation of glass composition across populations. No clear pattern in the areal distribution of these four glass groups can be discerned. The multiple glass populations of the YTT easily distinguish it from the single homogeneous glass population of the Middle Toba Tuff (∼500 ka), as represented by its basal vitrophyre, and that of the Oldest Toba Tuff (∼800 ka), as represented by ash Layer D at the Ocean Drilling Program site 758 in the Indian Ocean.
A Coin-Sized Oxygen Laser Sensor Based on Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy Combining a Toroidal Absorption Cell

Laser gas sensors with small volume and light weight are in high demand in the aerospace industry. To address this, a coin-sized oxygen (O2) sensor has been successfully developed based on a small toroidal absorption cell design. The absorption cell integrates a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and photodetector into a compact unit, measuring 90 × 40 × 20 mm and weighing 75.16 g. Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is used to obtain the O2 spectral line at 763 nm. For further improving the sensitivity and robustness of the sensor, wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) is utilized for the measurement. The obtained linear correlation coefficient is 0.9994. Based on Allen variance analysis, the sensor achieves an impressive minimum detection limit of 0.06% for oxygen concentration at an integration time of 318 s. The pressure-dependent relationship has been validated by accounting for the pressure factor in data processing. To affirm its efficacy, the laser spectrometer underwent continuous atmospheric O2 measurement for 24 h, showcasing its stability and robustness. This development introduces a continuous online laser spectral sensor with potential applications in manned spaceflight scenarios.
Response of a coupled ocean/energy balance model to restricted flow through the Central American Isthmus

Prior ocean modeling work suggested that an open central American isthmus would cause a collapse of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation because of free exchange of low salinity water between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Geological data provide some support for this response, but the data also indicate that some North Atlantic Deep Water formation occurred before final closure of the isthmus. We previously postulated that this “early switch on” could reflect a more limited exchange of Atlantic waters with the Pacific. In this study we discuss model sensitivity experiments testing that hypothesis and interpret the response in terms of shifts between multiple steady states of the model. Two simulations are conducted with a version of the Hamburg large-scale geostrophic ocean model that is coupled to an atmospheric energy balance model. Constrictions of throughflow through the central American isthmus is mimicked by locally changing the frictional drag coefficient in the ocean model. Results indicate that modest levels of throughflow can maintain some level of thermohaline circulation. These results support the conjecture in our earlier study. However, the overturning cell is about 300 m shallower than in the control run, with deep water production nearly eliminated in the Labrador Sea. These latter responses should be testable with marine data.
From Exploration to Exploitation: Understanding the Evolution of Music Careers through a Data-driven Approach

We propose a data-driven methodology to analyze how music artists spread their interest (explore) and focus their attention (exploit) on distinct music topics (genres) while having peaks of success (hot streaks). Music topics are identified through community detection over a complex network modeling of artists, songs and their genres. Then, we analyze exploration and exploitation by measuring the entropy and quantifying it in three periods: before, during and after hot streaks. Results show artists explore topics before hitting their first hot streak and during their most successful period. After, they tend to reduce the range of topics by going deeper in a handful only. Such findings are relevant for identifying and nurturing creative talent in the music industry.
The Efficacy of Utilizing the Anatomage Table as a Supplementary Educational Resource in Osteology Instruction for First-Year Medical Students

Introduction Osteology is the detailed study of the structure of the bones. This study assesses the effectiveness of employing the 3D visualization tool Anatomage table as a learning adjunct to osteology training in first-year medical students by post-test evaluations related to the humerus, radius, and ulna bones. Method This study was conducted in first-year medical graduate students in the Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Raipur, India. Students included in the study were divided into two groups by simple random sampling after voluntary consent. The study group students, Group A, were taught osteology by traditional teaching and visualizing bone with a tool, an Anatomage table. The control group (Group B) is for traditional teaching. The study involved demonstrating each group's humerus, radius, and ulna bones, with sessions lasting 60 minutes. After each topic, a post-test was administered. A total of 94 students for the test for the humerus bone, 98 students for the radius bones, and 85 students for the ulna bones responded to the post-test conducted after sessions. Descriptive statistics were assessed using mean and standard deviation. Independent sample t-tests compare the mean marks obtained post-test by two groups of students. Results The results indicated that students in Group A scored higher mean marks than their counterparts in Group B across all three bone post-tests, but the significance of the differences varied. For humerus, mean marks obtained by students of Group A (Anatomage table teaching) (mean±SD: 4.00± 1.10) were higher than those of Group B (traditional teaching) (mean±SD: 3.63± 1.36). Still, we do not observe a statistically significant difference in mean marks of students of Group A vs. students of Group B (P=0.166, P>0.05). For radius, we observe statistically higher mean marks among students of Group A (mean±SD: 3.72±0.944) compared to students of Group B (mean±SD: 3.22±1.08) (P=0.021, P<0.05). Similarly, for ulna, we observe higher mean marks for Group A (mean±SD: 3.18.00±1.55) as compared to Group B (mean±SD: 3.13±1.21) but do not observe a statistically significant difference in mean marks of students of Group A vs. students of Group B (P=0.875, P>.05). Conclusion Including the Anatomage table for visualization during osteology sessions yielded benefits for all three sessions. Future studies could employ more extensive and diverse samples to validate the findings further and incorporate qualitative methods to gain insights into students' perceptions of both teaching methods.
A hybrid space approach for ensemble‐based 4‐D variational data assimilation

[1] A new scheme is developed to improve the ensemble-based 4-D variational data assimilation (En4DVar). In this scheme, leading singular vectors are extracted from 4-D ensemble perturbations in a hybrid space and then used to construct the analysis increment to fit the 4-D innovation (observation minus background) data. The hybrid space combines the 4-D observation space with only a gridded 3-D subspace at the end of each assimilation cycle, so its dimension can be much smaller than the dimension of the fully gridded 4-D space used in the original En4DVar. This improves the computational efficiency. With this hybrid space approach, the analysis increment can fit the 4-D innovation data in the observation space directly and also provide the necessary initial condition in the gridded 3-D subspace exclusively for the model integration into the next assimilation cycle, so the background covariance matrix can be and only needs to be constructed by the ensemble perturbations in the 3-D subspace. This reduces the rank deficiency of the ensemble-constructed covariance matrix and improves analysis accuracy as long as the observations are not too sparse. The potential merits of the new scheme are demonstrated by assimilation experiments performed with an imperfect shallow-water equation model and simulated observations.
A Simple Technique for Fine-Scale, Vertical Sectioning of Fresh Sediment Cores: RESEARCH METHOD PAPER

Biogeochemical processes occurring at the sediment-water interface and within the very near-surface sediments are known to affect or control what occurs above or below the sediment surface (see reviews ofNowell 1983· Jumars and Nowell 1984; Nowell and Jumars 1984; Grant and Mad~en 1986; Butman 1987; Rumohr et a! . 1987). Studies of these phenomena often require vertical sampling of the variables of interest over very fine (e.g., millimeter) spatial scales. Existing techniques for such fine-scale vertical sectioning of fresh sediment cores were developed primarily for studies of porewater chemistry (Craven et a! . 1986; Jahnke et a! . 1986; Reimers and Smith 1986) and of the distributions of meiofauna or microbes (Boaden and Platt 1971; Joint et a! . 1982; Palmer and Molloy 1986), where only very small samples (cores ::53.0 em in diameter) are required. Furthermore, in most cases, the verticalsectioning technique requires subcoring a much larger sediment sample (e.g., a box core) after it is taken. This potentially introduces error (contamination between layers) when sectioning at millimeter intervals, because near-surface sediments within the sample may mix vertically
Safety-Aware Perception for Autonomous Collision Avoidance in Dynamic Environments

Autonomous collision avoidance requires accurate environmental perception; however, flight systems often possess limited sensing capabilities with field-of-view (FOV) restrictions. To navigate this challenge, we present a safety-aware approach for online determination of the optimal sensor-pointing direction <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\psi _\text{d}$</tex-math></inline-formula> which utilizes control barrier functions (CBFs). First, we generate a spatial density function <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Phi$</tex-math></inline-formula> which leverages CBF constraints to map the collision risk of all local coordinates. Then, we convolve <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Phi$</tex-math></inline-formula> with an attitude-dependent sensor FOV quality function to produce the objective function <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Gamma$</tex-math></inline-formula> which quantifies the total observed risk for a given pointing direction. Finally, by finding the global optimizer for <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Gamma$</tex-math></inline-formula>, we identify the value of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\psi _\text{d}$</tex-math></inline-formula> which maximizes the perception of risk within the FOV. We incorporate <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\psi _\text{d}$</tex-math></inline-formula> into a safety-critical flight architecture and conduct a numerical analysis using multiple simulated mission profiles. Our algorithm achieves a success rate of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{88}-\text{96}\%$</tex-math></inline-formula>, constituting a <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{16}-\text{29}\%$</tex-math></inline-formula> improvement compared to the best heuristic methods. We demonstrate the functionality of our approach via a flight demonstration using the Crazyflie 2.1 micro-quadrotor. Without a priori obstacle knowledge, the quadrotor follows a dynamic flight path while simultaneously calculating and tracking <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\psi _\text{d}$</tex-math></inline-formula> to perceive and avoid two static obstacles with an average computation time of 371 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$</tex-math></inline-formula>s.
Lateral optical force optimisation based on periodic arrays of a single motif

Lateral optical forces (LOFs) exerted on metamaterials typically arise from the broken mirror symmetry in the system. It has been reported that a repeated pair of particles or circular motifs with different sizes or refractive indices can generate LOFs. Studies show that an optimised LOF could be large enough to manipulate the structure moving at a macroscopic scale. We demonstrate that this force can also be generated by a repeated single triangle motif. By adjusting the size and shape of the triangle, we can control the magnitude and direction of the LOF. The optimised structure parameters can be found by optimisation routines such as Bayesian optimisation combined with optical force calculation methods such as rigorous coupled-wave analysis.
Sensitivity of the Global Water Cycle to the Water-Holding Capacity of Land

Abstract The sensitivity of the global water cycle to the water-holding capacity of the plant-root zone of continental soils is estimated by simulations using a mathematical model of the general circulation of the atmosphere, with prescribed ocean surface temperatures and prescribed cloud. With an increase of the globally constant storage capacity, evaporation from the continents rises and runoff falls, because a high storage capacity enhances the ability of the soil to store water from periods of excess for later evaporation during periods of shortage. In addition to this direct effect, atmospheric feedbacks associated with the resulting higher precipitation and lower potential evaporation drive further changes in evaporation and runoff. Most of the changes in evaporation and runoff occur in the tropics and in the northern middle-latitude rain belts. Global evaporation from land increases by about 7 cm for each doubling of storage capacity in the range from less than 1 cm to almost 60 cm. Sensitivity is .
A versatile camera position measurement system for virtual reality TV production

A key component of any virtual production system is a means of measuring the precise position and orientation of each studio camera, so that the virtual scene can be rendered from the appropriate viewpoint. There are a number of systems already available that provide camera position data, but none fully address the requirements of a hand-held camera operating in a very large studio. A system designed specifically for this application is therefore being developed. The system works optically, using a number of markers in known positions. The markers may either be placed in the scene and viewed by the main camera, or placed out of shot (for example, on the ceiling) and viewed by a separate camera mounted on the main one. The computational requirements are not excessive, making the system amenable to real-time implementation using either a general-purpose workstation with a frame-grabber, or a small amount of dedicated hardware.
Litorina Sea shore displacement on the Island of Saaremaa, Estonia

Sedimentological and magnetic susceptibility analyses, and radiocarbon datings of six Holocene sequences (Ohtja, Kihelkonna, Vedruka, Vesiku, Lümanda, J empa) were used to elucidate the Litorina Sea development on the Island of Saaremaa, Estonia. The Litorina Sea beach formations are located between 20.5 and 15.5 m above the present day sea level. Spatial distribution of the Litorina Sea shore displacement was reconstructed. The onset of the Litorina Sea transgression in the study area is dated to 8200 cal yr BP. The measure of a single transgression was about 4.5–5.0 m.
Correction to ‘Historical DNA reveals the demographic history of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in medieval and early modern Iceland’

[ Proc. R. Soc. B 281 , 20132976. (22 February 2014; Published online 8 January 2014) ([doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.2976][2])][2] Concerns with the original article [[1][2]] were originally brought to light by Prof Einar Arnason and his concerns are outlined here [[2][3]]. Moreover, there were errors in
Effect of bias adjustment and rain gauge data quality control on radar rainfall estimation

Thirty major storms that passed over Goodwin Creek, a small research watershed in northern Mississippi, were analyzed to assess the bias between radar rainfall estimates at rain gauge locations and the gauge amounts. These storms, each contributing at least 10 mm of storm total rainfall, accumulated approximately 785 mm of rain, which corresponds to about half the average annual rainfall amount for the area. The focus of this study was to demonstrate the importance of (1) bias adjustment of the radar rainfall estimates and (2) the quality control of the rain gauge data used for bias adjustment. The analyses are based on Memphis Weather Surveillance Radar—1988 Doppler radar data, tipping‐bucket rain gauge data, and raindrop spectra information collected within the Goodwin Creek catchment. Because of measurement and rainfall estimation uncertainties, radar observations are often combined with rain gauge data to obtain the most accurate rainfall estimates. Rain gauge data, however, are subject to characteristic error sources: for Goodwin Creek, malfunctioning of the tipping‐bucket rain gauges was frequently caused by biological and mechanical fouling, and human interference. Therefore careful quality control of the rain gauge data is crucial, and only good quality rain gauge information should be used for adjusting radar rainfall estimates. By using high‐quality gauge data and storm‐based bias adjustment, we achieved radar rainfall estimates with root‐mean‐square errors (RMSE) of approximately 10% for storm total rainfall accumulations of 30 mm or more. Differences resulting from radar data processing scenarios were found to be small compared to the effect caused by bias adjustment and using high‐quality rain gauge data.
Identification of secondary metabolites containing a diketopiperazine core in extracts from myxobacterial strains with growth inhibition activity against a range of prey species

Myxobacteria produce a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites, and with a wealth of under-researched species they hold vast potential for undiscovered compounds. With the ever-increasing need for new antibiotics, the development of novel therapeutics is vitally important. Therefore, this study aimed to extract and elucidate antimicrobial metabolites from the following myxobacteria: Myxococcus xanthus CA010 and AB022; Corallococcus exiguus DSM 14696T; Myxococcus stipitatus DSM 14675T; and Corallococcus aberystwythensis AB050AT. Metabolite mixtures were extracted in acetone from XAD-16 resin incubated in liquid cultures and analysed using GC-MS. Bioactivity was identified using a growth inhibition assay against a panel of clinically relevant prey species including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and a fungus. Growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis was most affected by the metabolite mixtures and the mixtures from AB022 and AB050AT were effective against the most prey. GC-MS analysis revealed metabolites with roles in the synthesis and degradation of amino acids and fatty acids, but also identified compounds A and B with a diketopiperazine (DKP) core. With previously confirmed bioactivity of compound A, it is suggested that these DKP compounds are contributing to the antimicrobial activity observed. Furthermore, many compounds could not be identified and so these unknowns present further potential for novel bioactive compounds.
Forecasting of ionospheric critical frequency using neural networks

Multilayer perception type neural networks (NN) are employed for forecasting ionospheric critical frequency (foF2) one hour in advance. The nonlinear black‐box modeling approach in system identification is used. The main contributions: 1. A flexible and easily accessible training database capable of handling extensive physical data is prepared, 2. Novel NN design and experimentation software is developed, 3. A training strategy is adopted in order to significantly enhance the generalization or extrapolation ability of NNs, 4. A method is developed for determining the relative significances (RS) of NN inputs in terms of mapping capability.
Understanding the cultural identity of EFL learners from the eco-linguistics perspective: evidence from students in arts college before and after the COVID-19 epidemic period

The identity development process has individual and societal components and is inherently intertwined with one’s broader sociocultural milieu. The correlation between the personal and social aspects of an individual’s identity considerably influences their behavior within their environment. This study examines cultural identity changes among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students by conducting a questionnaire survey based on the anxiety/uncertainty management theory by Gudykunst (1995, 1998). The questionnaire was distributed twice: Study 1 used data from 483 students and Study 2 used data from 359 students. After each study, 20 students’ descriptions of Chinese and Western cultures were analyzed in NVivo. Guided by the ecological research paradigm, this study examines the impact of individual differences on cultural identity at the macro-, meso-, exo-, and micro- levels. The findings suggest that social context can influence an individual’s cultural identity, and cultural identity development accompanies being “oneself. ”
Identification of rare microbial colonizers of plastic materials incubated in a coral reef environment

Plastic waste accumulation in marine environments has complex, unintended impacts on ecology that cross levels of community organization. To measure succession in polyolefin-colonizing marine bacterial communities, an in situ time-series experiment was conducted in the oligotrophic coastal waters of the Bermuda Platform. Our goals were to identify polyolefin colonizing taxa and isolate bacterial cultures for future studies of the biochemistry of microbe-plastic interactions. HDPE, LDPE, PP, and glass coupons were incubated in surface seawater for 11 weeks and sampled at two-week intervals. 16S rDNA sequencing and ATR-FTIR/HIM were used to assess biofilm community structure and chemical changes in polymer surfaces. The dominant colonizing taxa were previously reported cosmopolitan colonizers of surfaces in marine environments, which were highly similar among the different plastic types. However, significant differences in rare community composition were observed between plastic types, potentially indicating specific interactions based on surface chemistry. Unexpectedly, a major transition in community composition occurred in all material treatments between days 42 and 56 (p < 0.01). Before the transition, Alteromonadaceae, Marinomonadaceae, Saccharospirillaceae, Vibrionaceae, Thalassospiraceae, and Flavobacteriaceae were the dominant colonizers. Following the transition, the relative abundance of these taxa declined, while Hyphomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae and Saprospiraceae increased. Over the course of the incubation, 8,641 colonizing taxa were observed, of which 25 were significantly enriched on specific polyolefins. Seven enriched taxa from families known to include hydrocarbon degraders (Hyphomonadaceae, Parvularculaceae and Rhodobacteraceae) and one n-alkane degrader (Ketobacter sp.). The ASVs that exhibited associations with specific polyolefins are targets of ongoing investigations aimed at retrieving plastic-degrading microbes in culture.