Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Silicon Doping Performed by Different Diffusion Sources Aiming Co-Diffusion

In this work several diffusion sources are investigated, aiming at simultaneous phosphorus and boron doping of silicon from different diffusion sources. This challenging process step is called co-diffusion. In the context of this work boronand phosphorus-doped silicate glass (BSG and PSG) as solid diffusion sources and phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3) as gaseous precursor for phosphorus diffusion are investigated. The combination of solid and gaseous diffusion sources leads to a high flexibility in adjusting sheet resistances on the one hand and to a simplification of process flows on the other. In this work the sheet resistance of p-doped areas is varied in the range of Rsh = 50 – 300 Ω/sq by varying composition and thickness of the solid diffusion sources. The deposition of these solid diffusion sources is carried out by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using two different process equipments. The excellent passivation capability of the highly p-doped silicon surfaces has lead to dark saturation current densities J0 = 29.6 fA/cm. In the case of silicon n-doping with gaseous diffusion sources, the variation of sheet resistance is possible by adjusting the gaseous composition in the ambience during diffusion. The sheet resistance has been varied in the range of Rsh = 50-500 Ω/sq. In the case of n-doping the measured dark saturation current densities have been J0 = 58.6 fA/cm and thus show the high potential of these diffusions for implementation in process sequences of high efficiency silicon solar cells.
NOMA Superiority Condition for Rayleigh Fading Channels

(Kabul): 06.06. 2021 ABSTRACT Non-orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) is a new generation multiple access technique in which multiple users simultaneously share the same frequency band. In the implementation of NOMA, the choice of user pairs that will use the same frequency is a determining factor for the NOMA superiority condition due to Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) mechanism on the receiver. However, performance of NOMA depends on SIC mechanism which relies on the order of the user in a NOMA cluster. In the literature, it has been shown that utilizing distance based order of the users for user pairing outperforms over the random pairing and an analytical boundary distance is derived for NOMA superiority condition for a path loss based channel model. In this study, the path loss based NOMA superiority condition respect to the Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA) was investigated in terms of the spectral efficiencies for Rayleigh channel model in a cellular uplink and the results were compared with an analytical boundary value derived for a path loss based channel model in the literature. In addition, the effect of power ratio of the users on the NOMA superiority condition is investigated and accuracy of the derived analytical model is validated with numerical results for both channel models. The results reveal that the NOMA superiority condition based on distance changes depend on the assumed channel model, but assuming the channel as Rayleigh fading or path loss based channel does not make a significant difference. In addition, it is observed that the accuracy of the derived NOMA superiority condition changes with the power ratios for both channel models and the gap between numerical and analytical results is larger in Rayleigh channel compared to path loss based
Identification of growth cessation in dinosaurs based on microscopy of long bone articular surfaces: preliminary results

Abstract As applied to bone, ‘determinate growth’ identifies an upper limit to size and the point when normal endochondral ossification ceases. This contrasts with ‘indeterminate growth’, which proceeds through the entire life of the animal. In this study, a non-destructive method, epi-illumination surface microscopy of the articular surfaces of long bones, is applied for the first time in 40 taxa of non-avian dinosaurs to determine cessation of endochondral growth. Thereby, the presence or absence of articular vascular channels between the endochondral bone and the cartilage is assessed. As articular vascular channels are the major source of nutrients for continued longitudinal growth, atrophy or loss of those channels would preclude continued growth of bone. We correlated our findings with published histological data and bone length measurements. We found articular vascular channels in all assessed dinosaur groups, but some individuals showed a loss of detectable articular vascular channels – what we interpret as evidence of longitudinal skeletal growth cessation. This observation contrasts with the hypothesis of continuous indeterminate growth in dinosaurs, at least for the taxa identified here, in which channels have been documented as closed or closing over. The new method introduced here provides a phylogenetic tool for definitively distinguishing new ‘dwarf’ species from juveniles of known species. Furthermore, this study confirms the rarity of skeletally mature dinosaurs discovered to date and indicates that we have only begun to witness the full extent of dinosaur growth. Bruce M. Rothschild [spondylair@gmail.com], Carnegie Museum, 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Florian Witzmann* [florian.witzmann@mfn.berlin], Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
Extracting technology of total flavones from Selaginella tamariscina (Beauv) spring

Objective:To compare the total flavonoid contents extracted by laboratory and industrial methods for preparing total flavonoids from Selaginella tamariscina(Beauv) spring(TFST),and to explore the differences in qualities of the total flavonoids by the preparation methods.Methods:The content of total flavonoids was determined by ultraviolet-visible(UV) absorption spectroscopy,and that of amentoflavone was by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The chemical composition of total flavonoids in TFST was analyzed.Results:There were no significant differences between laboratory and industrial preparation methods for TFST.Conclusion:The quality of industrial production fits the standard,and the methods provide a basis for industrialized production.
Patients' Preference Regarding Laser Photocoagulation or Cryoretinopexy for the Treatment of Retinal Pathology

Purpose: High-risk peripheral retinal pathology can be prophylactically treated with both laser photocoagulation (laser) and cryoretinopexy (cryopexy). We sought to identify a possible preference by patients toward one modality and any underlying association. Methods: A single-center survey was conducted of patients with peripheral retinal pathology who received both laser and cryopexy at Associated Retinal Consultants (Royal Oak, Michigan). The main outcome measure was the preferred treatment modality. Results: Patients reported more pain after cryopexy (46%) than laser (11%). Most patients felt it was easier to recover from laser (52%) than cryopexy (13%). Overall, patients preferred laser (60%) to cryopexy (25%), with a minority (15%) having no preference. There was a negative relationship between a patient’s likelihood of preferring cryopexy and the number of applications (P = .009). Conclusions: Most patients preferred laser (60%) to cryopexy. If cryopexy is performed, minimizing the number of freezes may improve the patient’s experience and recovery.
Investigating E-Learning Readiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Malaysian ESL Teachers: What are the Limitations of Current Scales?

The quick spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe has seriously affected all aspects of individuals’ lives including the educational sector. In response to this pandemic in Malaysia, the government implemented a Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18 March 2020, where the whole country was put on lockdown. Yet, the teaching and learning activities had to continue during this period, a process that was carried out through a full reliance on e-learning. This paper attempted to investigate the level of e-learning technological readiness among English language teachers to utilize e-learning in teaching during the MCO in Malaysia. A total of 68 English language teachers responded to an online cross-sectional survey that measured technological skills readiness based on Chapnick’s (2000) e-learning readiness model. Results showed that during the MCO in Malaysia, English language teachers were technologically ready to use e-learning in teaching. However, these findings contradict the latest reports that highlight a number of challenges faced by Malaysian teachers in conducting online classes. This inconsistency could be attributed to the limitations identified in the existing e-learning surveys and questionnaires that deal with extremely limited aspects of technological readiness. Hence, this research stresses the urgent need to develop up-to-date scales that can comprehensively address the various aspects of the advanced technological skills that should be mastered by teachers and educators, especially in this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0).
Padovan and Perrin generalized quaternions

In this study, we investigate the Padovan (or Cordonnier) and Perrin generalized quaternions. We obtain the new identities for these special quaternions related to matrix forms. We also introduce Binet‐like formulae, generating functions, several summation, and binomial properties concerning these quaternions.
Novel computer‐aided lung cancer detection based on convolutional neural network‐based and feature‐based classifiers using metaheuristics

This study proposes a lung cancer diagnosis system based on computed tomography (CT) scan images for the detection of the disease. The proposed method uses a sequential approach to achieve this goal. Consequently, two well‐organized classifiers, the convolutional neural network (CNN) and feature‐based methodology, have been used. In the first step, the CNN classifier is optimized using a newly designed optimization method called the improved Harris hawk optimizer. This method is applied to the dataset, and the classification is commenced. If the disease cannot be detected via this method, the results are conveyed to the second classifier, that is, the feature‐based method. This classifier, including Haralick and LBP features, is subsequently applied to the received dataset from the CNN classifier. Finally, if the feature‐based method also does not detect cancer, the case study is healthy; otherwise, the case study is cancerous.
Political discourses, ideologies, and online coalitions in the Brazilian Congress on Twitter during 2019

The aim of this research is to describe the pattern of interactions of Brazilian legislators on Twitter during 2019 in the construction of political discourses. Based on 20,076 replies during 2019, posted on Twitter by 514 Brazilian legislators, we conducted descriptive analysis of legislators’ Twitter profiles, social network analyses from their interactions, and content analysis of the messages. We found that (1) there are large disparities between legislators in the use of Twitter; (2) the pattern of interactions depicted five clusters defined by political affinities; (3) each cluster had different features regarding their composition and impact; (4) the centrality of the legislators within the network was positively associated with public endorsement on Twitter; and (5) the topics of messages within the clusters reinforce discourses aligned to political ideologies. We argue that the pattern of interactions on Twitter allows to identify online coalitions that reinforce particular discourses within the Brazilian parliament.
The Effect of Ramadan on the Indonesian Sharia Stock Index

As the most prominent Muslim majority country globally, Ramadan is a viral religious celebration in Indonesia. This study aims to determine the effect of the month of Ramadan on the performance of Islamic stocks in food and beverage companies. This study uses the event study method with a paired sample t-test as a test instrument. Sharia stock performance uses variable returns, abnormal returns, trading volume activity, and variability of securities returns from 2013-2020 during Shaban, Ramadan, and Syawal. This study indicates that the return variable and trading volume activity have a significant difference at the moment and after the month of Ramadan. In contrast, the other tests have no difference. Directly, during the month of Ramadan, the level of public consumption increases along with increasing needs. Indirectly, the traditions of the month of Ramadan also affect performance in the capital market. This phenomenon will affect sentiment in stock transactions based on the festive atmosphere brought by the month of Ramadan.
Effect of vertical velocity profile approximations on estimates of dam breach discharge using surface velocities

In order to investigate the relationship between water surface velocity and breach hydrograph, a series of dam breach experiments with a generalised landslide dam were conducted in an open channel of 50 m × 4 m × 2 m. The large‐scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) technique was applied to measure the time history of water surface velocity during the dam breach process, and the hydrography was obtained by integrating the surface velocity along the water depth. The influence of different vertical velocity profile approximation and suspended sediment concentration on the peak breach discharge were analysed and discussed. The results showed that the water depth over the breach crest can be described as a function of water surface velocity using d¯t=k22u¯surf2/k1g . A simple formula based on surface velocity and breach width for the estimation of breach discharge was further proposed and verified.
Climatology of Air Temperature in Belterra: Thermal Regulation Ecosystem Services Provided by the Tapajós National Forest in the Amazon

Abstract The Tapajos National Forest (Flona Tapajos) has been providing important ecosystem services to society since the creation of this Conservation Unit in the Amazon. This study analyzed two climatic series from Belterra to identify possible effects on the thermal regime in the municipality as a function of the proximity of the Flona Tapajos and the consolidated grain production center in western Para. Two climatological normal datasets from the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) were analyzed (1961-1990 and 1981-2010). Analysis of variance was used to compare averages, extremes (minimums and maximums), and thermal amplitudes. Average temperature was 24.6 °C in the first semester (1961-1990) and 25.2 °C (1981-2010), with maximums of 29.4 °C and 29.9 °C, and minimums of 20.6 and 21.2 °C, respectively. There were no statistical differences in these comparisons. In the second semester the averages increased to 25.2 °C and 26.0 °C, and were statistically different, with maximums of 31.2 °C and 31.6 °C and minimums of 20.4 °C and 21.2 °C, indicating different thermal regimes during 1981-2010. Additionally, from October to December the nights were warmer. The Flona Tapajos may have experienced a reduction in provision of ecosystem services, and the increase in minimum temperatures could be associated with grain production activities in the region.
The high-speed railway opening and audit quality: Evidence from China

Abstract This study examines the effect of the high-speed railway operation on audit quality proxied by absolute abnormal accruals. Auditing is a complex activity that relies heavily on professional judgement and sufficient evidence. Auditors usually need to conduct on-the-spot investigations and face-to-face conversations to obtain auditing evidence. In this process, transportation plays an important role. From the perspective of geography, this paper examines the impact of the high-speed railway implementation on audit quality. It finds that the high-speed railway operation significantly improves audit quality. The results are robust to parallel tests and when using the Big Eight auditors to proxy for audit quality. Further analyses suggest that this effect is more pronounced in firms audited by non-local auditors and firms located in non-first-tier cities. Taken together, these results suggest that the opening of high-speed railways is effective in improving audit quality.
A dual‐power‐path charge pump for solar‐energy harvesting

A 5‐stage linear charge pump with dual power paths for solar‐energy harvesting, implemented in a standard CMOS 180‐nm technology, is proposed. The dual power paths are implemented by normal‐VTH and low‐VTH MOSFETs. The low‐VTH MOSFET path reduces the minimum input voltage to 132.5 mV under no‐load condition, and another path formed by both low‐VTH and normal‐VTH MOSFETs achieves output current up to 11 mA at 0.3 V supply. With proposed arrangement of normal‐VTH and low‐VTH MOSFETs, reversion loss due to the leakage current of low‐VTH MOSFETs in off‐state is minimized to achieve peak power‐conversion efficiency of 85%.
Improving the Accuracy of Hybrid Meta-GGA Density Functionals by Range Separation

The Minnesota family of exchange–correlation functionals, which consists of meta generalized gradient approximations (meta-GGAs) and global-hybrid meta-GGAs, has been successful for density functional calculations of molecular structure, properties, and thermochemistry, kinetics, noncovalent interactions, and spectroscopy. Here, we generalize the functional form by using range-separated hybrid meta-GGA exchange. We optimize a functional, called M11, with the new form against a broad database of energetic chemical properties and compare its performance to that of several other functionals, including previous Minnesota functionals. We require the percentage of Hartree–Fock exchange to be 100 at large interelectronic distance, and we find an optimum percentage of 42.8 at short range. M11 has good across-the-board performance and the smallest mean unsigned error over the whole test set of 332 data; it has especially good performance for main-group atomization energies, proton affinities, electron affinities, .
Influence of process parameters on microstructural evolution, solidification mode, and impact strength in joining of stainless steel thin sheets

ABSTRACT Incorrect selection of process parameters corresponds to 45 % of the entire weld imperfections. Selection of process parameters becomes even more critical when the joining is reduced to micro-level. The current experimentation and computational work emphasise the influence of process parameters on joint characteristics of AISI316L and AISI310 thin sheets. Thin sheets fabricated by a micro-plasma arc welding process at different process parameters (PP) PP1 (~524 J/cm), PP2 (~629 J/cm), and PP3 (~733 J/cm) are experimentally analysed to study the variation in microstructural morphology, mode of solidification, and impact toughness. The dependence of the temperature gradient (G) and solidification velocity (R) on the process parameters are also established. Microscopic images confirm the presence of equiaxed and cellular structure depending on the G/R ratio. As the cooling rate decreases, the transformation from δ-ferrite ⟶ γ-austenite is restricted, which changes the δ-ferrite percentage for different weld conditions. Elemental analysis is used to evaluate the Creq/Nieq ratio that predicts the solidification mode using the Schaeffler diagram. The outcome of the present investigation indicates that the highest G/R and maximum G*R corresponds to enhanced joint behaviour due to favourable changes in the metallurgical properties.
The effect of acarbose on the gut microbiota: an evidence-based review

Acabose is wildly used in various disease treatments and could interact with the gut flora, while the gut flora plays a significant role in human body. This means that acarbose is able to be utilized to improve the efficacy and patient experience by measuring and regulating intestinal flora to achieve precise medicine intake. Moreover, it is also capable to be employed for treating and preventing more other diseases by targeting the gut flora to open up new uses. Based on this hypothesis, we summarized the reasons, methods and results of the interactions between acarbose and intestinal flora, as well as ways for health promotion according to existing experimental results and literature reviews.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary analysis of a highly recombinant begomovirus, Cotton leaf curl Multan virus, and associated satellites

Abstract Cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV) and its associated satellites are a major part of the cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) caused by the begomovirus species complex. Despite the implementation of potential disease management strategies, the incessant resurgence of resistance-breaking variants of CLCuMuV imposes a continuous threat to cotton production. Here, we present a focused effort to map the geographical prevalence, genomic diversity, and molecular evolutionary endpoints that enhance disease complexity by facilitating the successful adaptation of CLCuMuV populations to the diversified ecosystems. Our results demonstrate that CLCuMuV populations are predominantly distributed in China, while the majority of alphasatellites and betasatellites exist in Pakistan. We demonstrate that together with frequent recombination, an uneven genetic variation mainly drives CLCuMuV and its satellite’s virulence and evolvability. However, the pattern and distribution of recombination breakpoints greatly vary among viral and satellite sequences. The CLCuMuV, Cotton leaf curl Multan alphasatellite, and Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite populations arising from distinct regions exhibit high mutation rates. Although evolutionarily linked, these populations are independently evolving under strong purifying selection. These findings will facilitate to comprehensively understand the standing genetic variability and evolutionary patterns existing among CLCuMuV populations across major cotton-producing regions of the world.
Ideal ratio mask estimation using supervised DNN approach for target speech signal enhancement

The most challenging process in recent Speech Enhancement (SE) systems is to exclude the non-stationary noises and additive white Gaussian noise in real-time applications. Several SE techniques suggested were not successful in real-time scenarios to eliminate noises in the speech signals due to the high utilization of resources. So, a Sliding Window Empirical Mode Decomposition including a Variant of Variational Model Decomposition and Hurst (SWEMD-VVMDH) technique was developed for minimizing the difficulty in real-time applications. But, this is the statistical framework that takes a long time for computations. Hence in this article, this SWEMD-VVMDH technique is extended using Deep Neural Network (DNN) that learns the decomposed speech signals via SWEMD-VVMDH efficiently to achieve SE. At first, the noisy speech signals are decomposed into Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) by the SWEMD Hurst (SWEMDH) technique. Then, the Time-Delay Estimation (TDE)-based VVMD was performed on the IMFs to elect the most relevant IMFs according to the Hurst exponent and lessen the low- as well as high-frequency noise elements in the speech signal. For each signal frame, the target features are chosen and fed to the DNN that learns these features to estimate the Ideal Ratio Mask (IRM) in a supervised manner. The abilities of DNN are enhanced for the categories of background noise, and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the speech signals. Also, the noise category dimension and the SNR dimension are chosen for training and testing manifold DNNs since these are dimensions often taken into account for the SE systems. Further, the IRM in each frequency channel for all noisy signal samples is concatenated to reconstruct the noiseless speech signal. At last, the experimental outcomes exhibit considerable improvement in SE under different categories of noises.