Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maastrichtian–Rupelian paleoclimates in the southwest Pacific – a critical re-evaluation of biomarker paleothermometry and dinoflagellate cyst paleoecology at Ocean Drilling Program Site 1172

Abstract. Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions based on isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (isoGDGT) distributions from the Eocene southwest (SW) Pacific Ocean are unequivocally warmer than can be reconciled with state-of-the-art fully coupled climate models. However, the SST signal preserved in sedimentary archives can be affected by contributions of additional isoGDGT sources. Methods now exist to identify and possibly correct for overprinting effects on the isoGDGT distribution in marine sediments. Here, we use the current proxy insights to (re-)assess the reliability of the isoGDGT-based SST signal in 69 newly analyzed and 242 reanalyzed sediments at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1172 (East Tasman Plateau, Australia) following state-of-the-art chromatographic techniques. We compare our results with paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatologic reconstructions based on dinoflagellate cysts. The resulting ∼ 130 kyr resolution Maastrichtian–Oligocene SST record based on the TetraEther indeX of tetraethers with 86 carbon atoms (TEX86) confirms previous conclusions of anomalous warmth in the early Eocene SW Pacific and remarkably cool conditions during the mid-Paleocene. Dinocyst diversity and assemblages show a strong response to the local SST evolution, supporting the robustness of the TEX86 record. Soil-derived branched GDGTs stored in the same sediments are used to reconstruct mean annual air temperature (MAAT) of the nearby land using the Methylation index of Branched Tetraethers with 5-methyl bonds (MBT'5me) proxy. MAAT is consistently lower than SST during the early Eocene, independent of the calibration chosen. General trends in SST and MAAT are similar, except for (1) an enigmatic absence of MAAT rise during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum and Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum, and (2) a subdued middle–late Eocene MAAT cooling relative to SST. Both dinocysts and GDGT signals suggest a mid-shelf depositional environment with strong river runoff during the Paleocene–early Eocene progressively becoming more marine thereafter. This trend reflects gradual subsidence and more pronounced wet/dry seasons in the northward-drifting Australian hinterland, which may also explain the subdued middle Eocene MAAT cooling relative to that of SST. The overall correlation between dinocyst assemblages, marine biodiversity and SST changes suggests that temperature exerted a strong influence on the surface-water ecosystem. Finally, we find support for a potential temperature control on compositional changes of branched glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGMGTs) in marine sediments. It is encouraging that a critical evaluation of the GDGT signals confirms that most of the generated data are reliable. However, this also implies that the high TEX86-based SSTs for the Eocene SW Pacific and the systematic offset between absolute TEX86-based SST and MBT'5me-based MAAT estimates remain without definitive explanation.
Users' perceptions of usability and aesthetics as criteria of pre- and post-use preferences

This study focuses on a better understanding of user preferences based on perceived usability and perceived aesthetics. For this, previous studies on the relationships among perceived usability, perceived aesthetics, user performance and user preference are reviewed with the consideration of occurrence of actual use, and their findings are summarised and analysed in terms of relationships of interest, variable measurements, experimental domains, participant types, usability/aesthetics manipulations, and performance measures. The study also considers possible reasons of conflicting findings for the relationship between perceived usability and perceived aesthetics after actual use. A conceptual model for user preferences is constructed to show the processes of users' preference-making before and during/after actual use and to emphasise mutual influences and feedback loops in user experience. Finally, several suggestions for future research are made to confirm or clarify existing findings by considering various influential factors. [Received: 09 October 2009; Accepted: 21 July 2010]
Referential Terms for Homeless Populations: National Surveys of Adults With Lived Experiences, Researchers, Providers, and Policymakers

Over the past three decades, increased sensitivity and attention to the potential importance of language when describing and referring to marginalized and vulnerable groups in society have occurred. In some sectors of the healthcare field, a shift away from using certain terms has happened; for example, some prefer “patient” to “consumer,” “client,” “customer,” or “user” (Deber, Kraetschmer, Urowitz, & Sharpe, 2005). This shift is partly due to a movement towards patient-centered care and respect for personal preferences around healthcare approaches.
Heat transfer enhancement using double taper microchannel

A three-dimensional numerical study on the combined effect of height as well as width tapering on the thermal performance of double taper microchannel is presented in this paper. The channel inlet width is considered as 300 µm, taper ratio on sidewalls and bottom wall are varied from 0 to 1 and 1 to 3.9, respectively. The thermal resistance ratio, average bottom wall temperature, temperature difference ratio, and pumping power ratio of the channel are evaluated for various flow rates, height, and width tapering. Results showed higher reduction of wall temperature with combined effect height as well as width tapering compared with straight channel. The optimal size of the micro channel to minimize the pumping power and average wall temperature on the constraint of heat flux and footprint area is found. The reduction in average bottom wall temperature is 17.34%, and pumping power ratio is 0.44 (56% power reduction) noted, respectively, at Reynolds number 340. Finally, optimal dimension of double taper microchannel is evaluated for better thermo-hydraulic performance.
Anycast Routing Algorithm Based on Hybrid Strategy

To solve problem of the routing optimization and load balance in the selection of multimedia server,this paper is aimed to design an anycast routing algorithm based on hybrid strategy that combined ant colony optimazition algorithm with differential evolution algorithm,during the process of route discovery,considering not only the status of link,such as bandwidth,delay,but also introducing the server status,to discover a combination of the server and path which meet the requirement and achieve or near to the best.And then guiding the users’ request to the best server.
The Possible Protective Role of Bilirubin on Oxidative Stress Related Morbidity in Preterm Infants

Abstract Aims: To evaluate the effect of bilirubin levels in the first week of life on the frequency of oxidative-stress related morbidity. Methods: We included all preterm infants with a gestational age less than 32 weeks. The mean total serum bilirubin of the first week of life was measured and compared between infants with and without oxidative stress related morbidity. Results: A total of 116 preterm infants were included. Univariate analysis showed that mean ± SD TSB levels were statistically significantly lower in infants with chronic lung disease (95 ± 31.4micromole/l vs 119 ± 31micromole/l, p = 0.019), necrotizing enterocolitis (94.4 ± 29micromole/l vs 118 ± 31micromole/l p = 0.044) and patent ductus arteriosus (104 ± 33micromole/l vs 120 ± 30micromole/l p = 0.018). However, when adjusted for gestational age, there were no longer statistically significant differences observed. Conclusion: Elevated bilirubin levels in the first week of life are not protective against the oxidative stress related morbidity in very preterm infants.
Hard-Switching Losses in Power FETs: The Role of Output Capacitance

For certain field-effect transistors (FETs) in soft-switching operation, the large-signal behavior of their output capacitance (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${C}_\text{o}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) has shown to deviate considerably from the datasheet values. This can have a significant effect on hard-switching losses if the value of output charge is also different for a given voltage. In addition, standard hard-switching tests are incapable of fully setting apart the contributions from <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${C}_\text{o}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, whereas existing methods tailored to characterize <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${C}_\text{o}$</tex-math></inline-formula> losses in soft-switching operations subject <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${C}_\text{o}$</tex-math></inline-formula> to a fundamentally different charge–discharge process, and hence, might not predict the correct behavior for hard switching. To address this, first, we analyze and establish the particular charge–discharge conditions that <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${C}_\text{o}$</tex-math></inline-formula> undergoes in hard-switching circuits by considering a half bridge at no-load conditions. We show that the channel of the switching device incurs a fixed energy loss during the turn-<sc>on</sc> process, which is separated into co-energy and stored energy components of the top (complementary) and bottom (switching) devices, respectively. Exploiting this, a new measurement technique is developed to obtain output-charge versus voltage curves of devices subjected to actual hard switching. The experimental results for commercial Si, SiC, and GaN devices indicate that the effective charge-capacity of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${C}_\text{o}$</tex-math></inline-formula> for hard switching can considerably vary from the values based on datasheets or Sawyer–Tower circuit; this could greatly undermine efficiency and thermal optimizations in the design phase of power converters.
Correlation of Surface Plasmon Resonance Wavelength (SPR) with Size and Concentration of Noble Metal Nanoparticles

Surface plasmon resonance SPR basically refers to collective oscillation of conduction electrons. Having the intrinsic property of sensing the surface properties, SPR have already received tremendous attention in the field of biomedical, Nano sensors, photovoltaics etc. Scientific data have also revealed that it is also highly characterized by the structure, type and dimension of the host nanoparticles, which eventually can lead us to a systematic correlation between different physical attributes of the host nanoparticles and SPR. In this work, we try to make a simplistic approach of correlating size, shape of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) with their corresponding peak wavelength. It has also been attempted to bring the concentrations in the same frame. The computed results and the observed results are compared and matching up to a considerable extent has been shown in this work. It is envisioned that this small-scale correlation will help in giving a first insight towards characterization of Au and AgNPs just based only on SPR peak.
5.1.2 Using the Systems Engineering Process to Explain Baseball's Rising Fastball

The systems engineering process, called the SIMILAR Process, is used to help explain baseball's perceptual illusion of the rising fastball. This Systems Engineering process is comprised of the following seven tasks: State the problem, Investigate alternatives, Model the system, Integrate, Launch the system, Assess performance, and Re‐evaluate. This Systems Engineering Process is not sequential. The functions are performed in a parallel and iterative manner. In this paper this process is not used to design a new system, but rather it is used to understand an existing system.
Towards the Underlying Theories of Small Firm Growth: A Literature Review

As a pre-condition for the economic growth of a country, the concept of firm growth has emerged as a critical strategic issue for small businesses from the strategic management perspective. While some literature reviews have been conducted on small firm growth, a comprehensive review of theories emphasizing the association of intangible resources with the growth of small firms has not been conducted. This study aims to provide a literature review of extant theoretical perspectives of small businesses literature. For the review, materials are collected and extracted from various online databases, and results are analysed using classifier variables. Five theories of firm growth, namely, the resource-based theory, knowledge-based theory, dynamic capabilities theory, upper echelon theory and resource-dependency theory, are selected to review, associating the present research aim. The theories are compared using key attributes and outcomes. A clear direction towards an optimum theory to underpin the small firms’ growth has been provided from a resource-management perspective. By validating various theoretical perspectives to explain small business growth, the present study provides first-hand insights for managers to formulate strategies and creates a cornerstone for future empirical studies.
A summary review of displacement damage from high energy radiation in semiconductors and semiconductor devices

High energy radiation produces defect complexes in semiconductor materials which reduce minority carrier lifetime, change majority carrier density, and reduce mobility. Most of the experimental data on semiconductors and semiconductor devices has been taken using high energy neutrons. Recent research has shown that this data can be extrapolated to other high energy radiation such as protons, electrons, alpha particles and gamma rays by normalizing to the energy going into atomic processes. Minority carrier lifetime is the most sensitive electronic property of silicon in the neutron environment. The degradation of minority carrier lifetime results in changes in semiconductor device properties such as current gain, storage time, saturation voltage and sink current. Carrier removal is the next most important characteristic of displacement damage and it causes a decrease in carrier mobility and an increase in resistivity. The dependence of these basic semiconductor properties on neutron fluence is introduced into device models such as SPICE and the resulting radiation inclusive model permits quantitative determination of device parameters as a function of neutron fluence. <<ETX>>
Circularly polarized monopole antenna using short‐circuited sleeve strip for UHF RFID reader

A coplanar waveguide (CPW)‐fed circularly polarized (CP) monopole antenna for ultra‐high frequency radio frequency identification reader is presented. This antenna consists of a meandered monopole, a short‐circuited sleeve strip, and a 50‐Ω CPW feedline. By adding the short‐circuited sleeve strip to the meandered monopole, the proposed antenna can produce CP characteristics. The measured results show that the proposed antenna can reach a 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 6.5% (900–960 MHz) and a 10‐dB return loss impedance bandwidth of 20.8% (794–979 MHz). The measured gain variation is from 1.58 to 2.1 dBic in the 3‐dB AR bandwidth. A prototype of the proposed antenna has a simple structure and compact size of 80 × 80 × 1.6 mm3. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:957–961, 2014
Microbiome and Gestational Diabetes: Interactions with Pregnancy Outcome and Long-Term Infant Health

Microbiota composition is progressively being connected to different physiologic effects, such as glucose metabolism, and also to different pathologies, such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM is a public health concern that affects an important percentage of pregnancies and is correlated with many adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. An increasing number of studies are showing some connections between specific microbial composition of the gut microbiota and development of GDM and adverse outcomes in mothers and neonates. The aim of this review is to analyze the available data on microbial changes that characterize healthy pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by GDM and to understand the correlation of these changes with adverse maternal outcomes; this review will also discuss the consequences of these maternal gut microbiome alterations on neonatal microbiota composition and neonatal long-term outcomes.
Challenges and Opportunities for Academic Journals to Serve the Older Population in Western Pacific Region

Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research held its inaugural international editorial board virtual meeting on September 16, 2021, to brainstorm ideas for sustainable growth. This special article summarizes the key concepts obtained from the webinar proceedings, with further development of ideas from ensuing discussions occurring after the meeting. From the initial discussion points provided by eight editorial board members, including six presenters, email discussions further enriched these ideas to construct the current special article. The key points discussed were: impactful research and impact factors, international and Asian perspectives, and challenges to sustainable growth. The editors noted the existing gap between the impact factor and research impact as a challenge for the growth paths of regional journals. However, they agreed that persevering with impactful research would ultimately translate into parallel and gradual gains in impact, which is, therefore, consistent with the organic growth of the journal. Acknowledging challenges in navigating between unique Asian perspectives and international outlooks, the editors encouraged academic journals to serve as bridges linking international evidence with the richness of local perspectives. For sustainable growth, the editors suggested that journals may be forged into the academic ecosystems of the region, diversify value streams, and establish themselves as reputable brands in disciplines. By combining these discussions, we proposed the “IMPACT” strategy for journals on the growth path in the region, which stands for IMmersive user experience encompassing authors, reviewers, and readers; Pasteur’s quadrant use-inspired research; Asia-Pacific context; Collaborative; and Translation to practice and policy.
A Metric to Evaluate and Synthesize Distributed Compliant Mechanisms

Compliant mechanisms with evenly distributed stresses have better load-bearing ability and larger range of motion than mechanisms with compliance and stresses lumped at flexural hinges. In this paper, we present a metric to quantify how uniformly the strain energy of deformation and thus the stresses are distributed throughout the mechanism topology. The resulting metric is used to optimize cross-sections of conceptual compliant topologies leading to designs with maximal stress distribution. This optimization framework is demonstrated for both single-port mechanisms and single-input single-output mechanisms. It is observed that the optimized designs have lower stresses than their nonoptimized counterparts, which implies an ability for single-port mechanisms to store larger strain energy, and single-input single-output mechanisms to perform larger output work before failure.
High performance Q-band 0.15 mu m InGaAs HEMT MMIC LNA

A monolithic three-stage pseudomorphic InGaAs high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) low-noise amplifier is discussed. The amplifier exhibits state-of-the-art low noise and gain performance at Q-band frequencies. It exhibits 22 dB of gain with 3-dB noise figure from 41 to 45 GHz. From 35 to 50 GHz, it has a flat gain response of over 22 dB gain across the Q-band range. The amplifier uses 0.15- mu m-gate-length GaAs-based pseudomorphic HEMTs with on-chip matching circuits and bias circuits. The chip size is 2.3 mm*1.0 mm. <<ETX>>
Complete polarisation control of GaAs gain-guided top-surface emitting vertical cavity lasers

Complete polarisation control is demonstrated in circular gain-guided top-surface emitting vertical cavity lasers by etching a line near the cavity aperture. The etch orientation determines the dominant polarisation state of emission by modifying the spontaneous emission coupling into each polarisation state. This is sufficient to pin the polarisation in monomode and multimode devices.
A neural network based postattack damage assessment system

Key elements of an automated damage assessment (ADA) will include ground-based sensors to survey and measure postattack damages, communication networks to link sensors, a survival recovery center (SRC), a runway repair team (or robots) for rapid response, and advanced signal processors to perform the 'search and optimization' processes for the 'best' airbase recovery plan. To meet the USAF ADA requirements, ITT Avionics has proposed the development of a hybrid signal processor. The system will consist of algorithmic processors and neural networks. To improve DA performance, key DA functions are implemented by neural networks. Due to the intrinsic nature of distributed processing power, the neural network not only provides the high throughput required for DA but it also achieves fault tolerance and graceful degradation, which are extremely important for the Rapid Runway Repair program. <<ETX>>
Compact filtering power divider with improved out‐of‐band performance

A compact equal power divider (PD) with filtering function and improved out‐of‐band performance is proposed in this article. The proposed PD is based on the conventional Wilkinson PD and two filtering cells. The filtering cell is composed of four λ/4 stepped‐impedance resonators (SIRs). Using the edge and quasi‐lumped coupling topology, a compact PD with improving passband selectivity can be achieved. Meanwhile, by appropriately adjusting the impedance and electric length ratios of SIRs, the stopband can be extended to 39.2 GHz with a rejection level of 20 dB, which is 25 times of the fundamental frequency. The predicted results on S‐parameters are compared with the measured ones and good agreement is achieved. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2274–2277, 2015
THE FRAGILITY IN THE BUILDING DELIVERY SYSTEM THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION FAILURES

Today, there are many construction failures in many parts in Japan. This is attributed to the fact that there are some problems in the building construction system. The authors assume that the quality assurance system in construction is composed of four levels. The first level is “law” such as the building standard law. The second level is “standard” such as JIS, JAS, JASS, or the standard specification. The third level is “plans in a particular project” such as drawings, particular specifications, working drawings, construction plans, or working instructions. The fourth level is “the technology/skill of the engineer/craftsman”. The quality is to be assured by the complementary relationship among these four levels. These days, projects are getting bigger and more complicated, the procurement system is diversifying, and the technology is advancing. However, “law” doesn't correspond to these changes, and “plans in a particular project” which formerly complemented “law” are not enough now. Therefore, this study focuses on the following aspects.1. Clarify the quality assurance system from the view points of the four levels.2. Clarify the actual conditions of the quality assurance system.3. Clarify the mechanism of the construction failures by using descriptive models.