Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical and Flame-Retardant Properties of a Series of Polyimides Containing Side Chained Bulky Phosphaphenanthrene Units

Among the multitude of polymers with carbon-based macromolecular architectures that easily ignite in certain applications where short circuits may occur, polyimide has evolved as a class of polymers with high thermal stability while exhibiting intrinsic flame retardancy at elevated temperatures via a char-forming mechanism. However, high amounts of aromatic rings in the macromolecular backbone are required for these results, which may affect other properties such as film-forming capacity or mechanical properties; thus, much work has been done to structurally derivatize or make hybrid polyimide systems. In this respect, flexible polyimide films (PI(1–4)) containing bulky 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) units have been developed starting from commercial dianhydrides and an aromatic diamine containing two side chain bulky DOPO groups. The chemical structure of PI(1–4)) was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The optical properties, including absorption and luminescence spectra of these polymers, were analyzed. All polyimides containing DOPO derivatives emitted blue light with an emission maxima in the range of 340–445 nm, in solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, chloroform, and N,N-dimethylacetamide, while green light emission (λem = 487 nm for PI-4) was evidenced in a thin-film state. The thermal decomposition mechanism and flame-retardant behavior of the resulting materials were investigated by pyrolysis-gas-chromatography spectrometry (Py-GC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDX maps and FTIR spectroscopy. The residues resulting from the TGA experiments were examined by SEM microscopy images and FTIR spectra to understand the pyrolysis mechanism.
Updated results on the galaxy–halo connection from satellite kinematics in SDSS

We present new results on the relationship between central galaxies and dark matter haloes inferred from observations of galaxy abundances and satellite kinematics in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR7. We employ an updated analysis framework that includes detailed mock catalogues to model observational effects in SDSS. Our results constrain the colour-dependent conditional luminosity function of dark matter haloes, as well as the radial profile of satellite galaxies. Confirming previous results, we find that red central galaxies live in more massive haloes than blue galaxies at a fixed luminosity. Additionally, our results suggest that satellite galaxies have a radial profile less centrally concentrated than dark matter but not as cored as resolved subhaloes in dark-matter-only simulations. Compared to previous works using satellite kinematics by More et al., we find much more competitive constraints on the galaxy–halo connection, on par with those derived from a combination of galaxy clustering and galaxy–galaxy lensing. This improvement stems from also modelling the abundance of galaxies as well as a larger sample size and more realistic observational uncertainties. We compare our results on the galaxy–halo connection to other studies using galaxy clustering and group catalogues, showing a reasonable agreement between these different techniques. We discuss future applications of satellite kinematics in the context of constraining cosmology and the relationship between galaxies and dark matter haloes.
Particulate Matter Emission Factors for Dairy Facilities and Cattle Feedlots during Summertime in Texas

Particulate matter (PM) emissions from dairies and feedlot sources require regular emission factor update. Likewise, development of simple measurement technique to accurately measure pollution concentration is warranted to limit the impact of air pollution and take necessary actions. During June of 2020, a dairy facility from central Texas and a feedlot from the Texas Panhandle region, titled as Dairy B and Feedlot C, respectively, were chosen for measurement of PM emissions in the state of Texas to represent dairy facilities and cattle feedlots PM emission rates. Four stations, each assigned with an EPA-approved Federal Reference Method (FRM) sampler, Texas A&M University (TAMU) designed sampler and handheld non-FRM AEROCET (MET One Instruments) sampler for collocation, were selected within each sampling locations. Drones were also utilized mounted with a handheld AEROCET sampler for simultaneously sampling at a certain height. PM2.5 emissions of Dairy B were all below 24-h PM2.5 standard of 35 μg m−3 as specified by National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) even at the 98th percentile. The PM ratio between regulated PM10 to PM2.5 was determined to make an estimate of relative percentage of coarser particles to fine particles in both feedlot and the dairy representative animal facilities. The maximum mean emission factor determined using AERMOD for PM2.5 and PM10 was found to be 0.53 and 7.09 kg 1000-hd−1 d−1, respectively, for the dairy facility while 8.93 and 33.42 kg 1000-hd−1 d−1, respectively, for the feedlot. A conversion factor and correlation matrix were developed in this study to relate non-FRM sampler data from the handheld AERCET samplers with FRM samplers. Cheaper handheld samplers (AEROCETs) may play a potential role in quick and relatively instant measurement of PM emissions to initiate necessary preventive actions to control PM emission from dairy facility and feedlot sources.
Split-Ubiquitin Two-Hybrid Screen for Proteins Interacting with slToc159-1 and slToc159-2, Two Chloroplast Preprotein Import Receptors in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

The post-translational import of nuclear-encoded chloroplast preproteins is critical for chloroplast biogenesis, and the Toc159 family of proteins is the receptor for this process. Our previous work identified and analyzed the Toc GTPase in tomato; however, the tomato-specific transport substrate for Toc159 is still unknown, which limits the study of the function of the TOC receptor in tomato. In this study, we expand the number of preprotein substrates of slToc159 receptor family members using slToc159-1 and slToc159-2 as bait via a split-ubiquitin yeast two-hybrid membrane system. Forty-one specific substrates were identified in tomato for the first time. Using slToc159-1GM and slToc159-2GM as bait, we compared the affinity of the two bait proteins, with and without the A domain, to the precursor protein, which suggested that the A domain endowed the proproteins with subclass specificity. The presence of the A domain enhanced the interaction intensity of slToc159-1 with the photosynthetic preprotein but decreased the interaction intensity of slToc159-2 with the photosynthetic preprotein. Similarly, the presence of the A domain also altered the affinity of slToc159 to non-photosynthetic preproteins. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) analysis showed that A domain had the ability to recognize the preprotein, and the interaction occurred in the chloroplast. Further, the localization of the A domain in Arabidopsis protoplasts showed that the A domain did not contain chloroplast membrane targeting signals. Our data demonstrate the importance of a highly non-conserved A domain, which endows the slToc159 receptor with specificity for different protein types. However, the domain containing the information on targeting the chloroplast needs further study.
A Hubble Space Telescope Survey for Novae in M87. II. Snuffing out the Maximum Magnitude–Rate of Decline Relation for Novae as a Non-standard Candle, and a Prediction of the Existence of Ultrafast Novae

The extensive grid of numerical simulations of nova eruptions from the work of Yaron et al. first predicted that some classical novae might significantly deviate from the Maximum Magnitude–Rate of Decline (MMRD) relation, which purports to characterize novae as standard candles. Kasliwal et al. have announced the observational detection of a new class of faint, fast classical novae in the Andromeda galaxy. These objects deviate strongly from the MMRD relationship, as predicted by Yaron et al. Recently, Shara et al. reported the first detections of faint, fast novae in M87. These previously overlooked objects are as common in the giant elliptical galaxy M87 as they are in the giant spiral M31; they comprise about 40% of all classical nova eruptions and greatly increase the observational scatter in the MMRD relation. We use the extensive grid of the nova simulations of Yaron et al. to identify the underlying causes of the existence of faint, fast novae. These are systems that have accreted, and can thus eject, only very low-mass envelopes, of the order of 10−7–10−8 M⊙, on massive white dwarfs. Such binaries include, but are not limited to, the recurrent novae. These same models predict the existence of ultrafast novae that display decline times, t2, to be as short as five hours. We outline a strategy for their future detection.
Gas heating effects on the formation and propagation of a microwave streamer in air

The development of microwave plasma streamers at 110 GHz in atmospheric pressure air is numerically investigated taking into account the intense gas heating and its effects on the plasma formation and dynamics. The simulations are based on an implicit finite difference time domain formulation of Maxwell's equations coupled with a simple plasma fluid model and a real gas Euler equation solver. The numerical results show how the formation of a shock wave due to the large microwave power absorbed by the plasma and converted into gas heating strongly modifies the streamer elongation and dynamics. A microwave streamer filament stretches along its axis because of ionization-diffusion mechanisms in the enhanced electric field at the streamer tips. The change in the gas density distribution associated with the formation of shock wave due to gas heating strongly modifies the ionization and diffusion mechanisms and tends to limit the on-axis microwave streamer elongation by enhancing resonance effects. The simulati.
Collective oscillations of a classical gas confined in harmonic traps

Starting from the Boltzmann equation, we calculate the frequency and the damping of the collective oscillations of a classical gas confined by a harmonic potential. Both the monopole and quadrupole modes are considered in the presence of spherical as well as axially deformed traps. The relaxation time is calculated using a Gaussian ansatz which explicitly accounts for the occurence of quadrupole deformations in velocity space. Our approach provides an explicit description of the transition between the hydrodynamic and collisionless regimes. The predictions are in very good agreement with the results of a molecular-dynamics simulation carried out in a gas of hard spheres. @S1050-2947~99! 02312-4#
Use It or Lose It? A Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Resistance Training Cessation (Detraining) on Muscle Size in Older Adults

This review aimed to explore the effect of resistance training cessation (detraining) on muscle size in older adults. Five databases were searched to find eligible studies. Their methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro checklist. The data were pooled in a random-effects meta-analysis. Six studies, with eight groups, were included in the review. Resistance training interventions lasted from 9 to 24 weeks. The detraining duration was from 12 to 52 weeks. Studies were classified as being of fair or good methodological quality. Compared to the baseline data, muscle size significantly increased following the resistance training intervention (Cohen’s d: 0.99; 95% confidence interval: 0.63, 1.36). Compared to the post-resistance training data, there was a significant decrease in muscle size following training cessation (Cohen’s d: −0.83; 95% confidence interval: −1.30, −0.36). In subgroup analyses, there was no significant decrease in muscle size following 12–24 weeks of training cessation (Cohen’s d: −0.60; 95% confidence interval: −1.21, 0.01). There was a significant decrease in muscle size following 31–52 weeks of training cessation (Cohen’s d: −1.11; 95% confidence interval: −1.75, −0.47). In summary, resistance training increases muscle size in older adults. In contrast, training cessation is associated with a decrease in muscle size. However, the loss of muscle size might be related to detraining duration, with greater muscle loss occurring during longer duration detraining periods. Future studies are required to establish the time course of muscle size changes during detraining in older adults.
COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS IN A PARTIALLY IONIZED MEDIUM. I. NEUTRAL RETURN FLUX AND ITS EFFECTS ON ACCELERATION OF TEST PARTICLES

A collisionless shock may be strongly modified by the presence of neutral atoms through the processes of charge exchange between ions and neutrals and ionization of the latter. These two processes lead to exchange of energy and momentum between charged and neutral particles both upstream and downstream of the shock. In particular, neutrals that suffer a charge exchange downstream with shock-heated ions generate high-velocity neutrals that have a finite probability of returning upstream. These neutrals might then deposit heat in the upstream plasma through ionization and charge exchange, thereby reducing the fluid Mach number. A consequence of this phenomenon, which we refer to as the neutral return flux, is a reduction of the shock compression factor and the formation of a shock precursor upstream. The scale length of the precursor is determined by the ionization and charge-exchange interaction lengths of fast neutrals moving toward upstream infinity. In the case of a shock propagating in the interstellar medium, the effects of ion–neutral interactions are especially important for shock velocities <3000 km s−1. Such propagation velocities are common among shocks associated with supernova remnants, the primary candidate sources for the acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays. We then investigate the effects of the return flux of neutrals on the spectrum of test particles accelerated at the shock. We find that, for shocks slower than ∼3000 km s−1, the particle energy spectrum steepens appreciably with respect to the naive expectation for a strong shock, namely, ∝E−2.
Cold dark matter and the LHC

The recent determination of the dark matter density in the universe by the WMAP satellite has brought new attention to the interplay of results from particle physics experiments at accelerators and from cosmology. In this paper we discuss the prospects for finding direct evidence for a candidate dark matter particle at the LHC and the measurements which would be crucial for testing its compatibility with the cosmology data.
The black hole masses of Seyfert galaxies and quasars

The central black hole masses of a sample of 30 luminous quasars are estimated using Hβ full width half-maximum (FWHM) measurements from a combination of new and previously published nuclear spectra. The quasar black hole mass estimates are combined with reverberation-mapping measurements for a sample of Seyfert galaxies in order to study active galatic nucleus (AGN) black hole masses over a wide range in nuclear luminosity. The link between bulge luminosity and black hole mass is investigated using two-dimensional disc/bulge decompositions of the host galaxy images, the vast majority of which are high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations. It is found that black hole mass and bulge luminosity are well correlated and follow a relation consistent with that expected if black hole and bulge mass are directly proportional. Contrary to the recent results of Wandel, no evidence that Seyfert galaxies follow a different relation to quasars is found. However, the black hole mass distributions of the radio-loud and radio-quiet quasar subsamples are found to be significantly different, with the median black hole mass of the radio-loud quasars a factor of three larger than their radio-quiet counterparts. Finally, utilizing the elliptical galaxy fundamental plane to provide stellar velocity dispersion estimates, a comparison is performed between the virial Hβ black hole mass estimates and those of the correlations of Gebhardt et al. and Merritt & Ferrarese. With the disc geometry of the broad-line region adopted in this paper, the virial Hβ black hole masses indicate that the correct normalization of the black hole versus bulge mass relation is , while the standard assumption of purely random broad-line velocities leads to . The normalization of provided by the disc model is in remarkably good agreement with that inferred for our quasar sample using the (completely independent) correlations.
Genome Mining Reveals High Biosynthetic Potential of Biocontrol Agent Bacillus velezensis B.BV10

The present study demonstrates the biocontrol potential of a plant growth-promoting bacterial strain using three different approaches: (i) an in vitro evaluation of antagonistic activity against important phytopathogenic fungi; (ii) an evaluation under greenhouse conditions with strawberry plants to assess the control of gray mold; and (iii) an in silico whole genome sequence mining to assign genetic features such as gene clusters or isolated genes to the strain activity. The in vitro assay showed that the B.BV10 strain presented antagonistic activity, inhibiting the mycelial growth in all the phytopathogenic fungi evaluated. The application of the Bacillus velezensis strain B.BV10 under greenhouse conditions reduced the presence of Botrytis cinerea and increased the mean fruit biomass. The genome of B.BV10 was estimated at 3,917,533 bp, with a GC content of 46.6% and 4088 coding DNA sequences, and was identified as B. velezensis. Biosynthetic gene clusters related to the synthesis of the molecules with antifungal activity were found in its genome. Genes related to the regulation/formation of biofilms, motility, and the important properties for the rhizospheric colonization were also found in the genome. The current study offers a comprehensive understanding of the genomic architecture and control activity of phytopathogenic fungi by the B. velezensis strain B.BV10 that may substantiate the industrialization of this strain in the future.
Compression Performance and Failure Analysis of 3D-Printed Carbon Fiber/PLA Composite TPMS Lattice Structures

Triply periodic minimum surface (TPMS)-based lattice structures have gained interest for their outstanding capacity to absorb energy, their high load-bearing capacity, and their high surface-to-volume ratio. This study considered three TPMS cell topologies, including Diamond, Gyroid, and Primitive. The FDM process was used to print the lattice structures with two materials: pure polylactic acid (PLA) and carbon fiber-reinforced PLA (PLA + CF). The influence of carbon fiber (CF) incorporation, unit cell type (topologies) and size, and relative density (RD) on mechanical properties and failure patterns were explored comprehensively under uniaxial compression testing. The results demonstrate a change in the compressive modulus (0.09 to 0.47 GPa), compressive strength (2.98 to 13.89 MPa), and specific energy absorption (SEA) (0.14 MJ/m3/g to 0.58 MJ/m3/g) due to the influence of CF incorporation, cell type and size, and RD. Results indicate that the Diamond structure outperformed both Primitive and Gyroid structures in terms of compressive modulus and strength, and SEA. All the CF-based TPMS structures showed a higher compressive modulus. Compressive strength and energy absorption capacity were both slightly enhanced in most PLA + CF-based Diamond structures. On the contrary, Gyroid and Primitive structures showed better performance for pure PLA-based structures in terms of compression strength and specific absorption energy.
Theoretical issues in Numerical Relativity simulations

In this thesis we address several analytical and numerical problems related with the general relativistic study of black hole space-times and boson stars. We have developed a new centered finite volume method based on the flux splitting approach. The techniques for dealing with the singularity, steep gradients and apparent horizon location, are studied in the context of a single Schwarzschild black hole, in both spherically symmetric and full 3D simulations. We present an extended study of gauge instabilities related with a class of singularity avoiding slicing conditions and show that, contrary to previous claims, these instabilities are not generic for evolved gauge conditions. We developed an alternative to the current space coordinate conditions, based on a generalized Almost Killing Equation. We performed a general relativistic study regarding the long term stability of Mixed-State Boson Stars configurations and showed that they are suitable candidates for dark matter models.
Mortality Risk Factors for Coronavirus Infection in Hospitalized Adults in Brazil: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented high morbidity and mortality, with associated high socioeconomic costs. Brazil ranks third in the number of COVID-19 cases, behind only India and the United States. Objective: To analyze risk factors for mortality in adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in Brazil. Methods: Observational retrospective cohort study including data from all Brazilian states and regions. The study included information from 468,226 in-hospital patients from all regions of Brazil from 1 January 2021 to 31 July 2021. Data from the influenza epidemiological surveillance system were used. The participants were adults hospitalized with COVID-19. A Cox regression model was used to analyze factors associated with mortality in adults with COVID-19. Results: The in-hospital mortality lethality was 37.5%. The risk factors associated with COVID-19 mortality were older age, with a linear increase with increments in age, male sex, black or mixed race, low education level, comorbidities, use of ventilatory support, and living in the southeast, north, or northeast regions of the country. Conclusions: Our results illustrate the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and reinforce that policies and practices to deal with this disease should focus on groups and regions with higher risk, whereas public policies should promote nonpharmacological measures and vaccination in the Brazilian population.
Degradation of Patulin in Pear Juice and Apple Juice by Ascorbic Acid and the Combination of Ascorbic Acid and Ferrous Iron

Patulin (PAT) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by certain species of Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. on apples and pears. In this study, we investigated the effects of ascorbic acid and the combination of ascorbic acid and ferrous iron on degradation of PAT in 100% pure pear juice and apple juice using high-performance liquid chromatography UV detector (HPLC-UVD). The addition of 2 different levels of ascorbic acid (143 or 286 μg/mL) into pear juice or apple juice containing 0.08 or 0.4 μg/mL of PAT showed 87.7–100% and 67.3–68.7% of PAT degradation rates, respectively, after 24 h incubation at 25 °C. Moreover, the addition of both ascorbic acid (143 or 286 μg/mL) and ferrous iron (0.033 or 0.11 μmol/mL) into pear juice or apple juice containing the same level of PAT exhibited higher PAT degradation rates (100 and 75–94%, respectively) than the addition of only ascorbic acid after 24 h incubation at 25 °C. Our data demonstrated that ascorbic acid plus ferrous iron as well as ascorbic acid were highly effective on degradation of PAT in pear juice and apple juice and that addition of both ascorbic acid and ferrous iron produced higher PAT degradation rates than addition of only ascorbic acid.