Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Catastrophic Rainfall of 14 July 2016 in the Catchment Basin of the Urbanized Strzyza Stream in Gdańsk, Poland

We analyzed the causes, the course, and consequences of the extreme precipitation events that occurred 14 July 2016 in the watershed of Strzyza Creek in Gdansk, Poland. Automated rain gauges located in Strzyza catchment registered a total precipitation lasting about 16 hours – from 129 to 160 mm of rain depth. More in-depth analysis based on rain data collected by Gdansk University of Technology (GUT) rain station was done. The course of rainfall was compared with existing rain models on the national range and also with local rain formula. The results showed that, according to the Chomicz classification, the rainfall can be qualified as torrential. Its course far exceeded the theoretical values calculated for the probability of occurrence 1% (return time: 100 years). Although the analyzed rain episode was characterized by extremely high instantaneous rainfall intensities, the duration of the most intensive middle stage of about eight hours caused the highest daily rain sum registered in Gdansk in the history of meteorological measurements. As a result, the rainfall caused two fatalities in the lower part of the Strzyza watershed. It was noted that this type of rain qualified as an extraordinary event at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries in areas located in the Mediterranean region. Rainfalls that currently occurr in this part of Europe are also characterized by proportionally higher parameters that should be considered as an indisputable effect of climate change on a global scale.
Effect of BAP (6-Benzyl Aminopurine) on In Vitro Shoot Growth of Curcumas

Curcuma sp has been widely investigated for its anti-cancer properties. Conventionally, vegetative propagation needs a long time to produce a large number of planting materials, so that it is necessary to find an alternative approach through in vitro propagation. The effect of BAP on the in vitro shoot formation of ‘temu putih’ and ‘temu putih’ has been investigated in this study. The experiment was a 4x2 factorial with 5 replications arranged in a completely randomized design. The first factor was the concentration of BAP i.e. 0, 1.5, 3, and 4.5 ppm. The second factor was the curcuma species consisting of ‘temu putih’ ( Curcuma zedoaria Roch.) and ‘temu mangga’ ( Curcuma mangga Val.). Each experimental unit consisted of 2 in vitro bottles, each of which planted with 1 explant bud. Analysis of variance was conducted on percentage of live explants, shoot height, number of roots, root length, wet weight, percentage of explants that sprouted, percentage of rooted explants and shoot color. Mean comparison was performed by the Least Significant Difference (LSD). The results showed that there was no interaction between BAP concentration and genotype on any variable observed. The shoot growth of ‘temu putih’ was significantly higher than ‘temu mangga’ in vitro. The best concentration of BAP for the growth of ‘temu putih’ and ‘temu mangga’ shoots was 1.5 ppm.
Fabrication and characterization of electrospun scaffolds for tendon reconstruction

Tendon injuries represent an unsolved clinical need. Electrospun bundles using blends of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and collagen (Coll) in different percentages were prepared by an ‘ad hoc’ crosslinking system to increase the mechanical properties and reduce the loss of collagen after ageing in a physiological environment. The mechanical properties and cell proliferation were tested. High-resolution xray tomography was also performed to investigate the morphologyof the bundles. Keywords—Electrospinning, tendon tissue engineering, x-ray tomography, cell viability.
THEORY AND MEASUREMENTS OF PHOTORESPONSE FOR THIN FILM PD2SI AND PTSI INFRARED SCHOTTKY-BARRIER DETECTORS WITH OPTICAL CAVITY

A model for the photoyield of Schottky -barrier detectors (SBDs) with optical cavity is presented that is in a very good agreement with the measured data obtained on two types of developed thin-film PtSi SBDs. According to this model the photoyield (Q.E.) of these thin-film SBDs of 1.0 and 2.0% at a wavelength of 4.0 μm is 17 and 32 times higher than the photoyield of a thick -film SBD with Q.E. of 0.06%. The improvement by a factor of 4.93 and 3.46 is attributed to the increase of optical absorptance, and the additional improvement by a factor of 3.45 and 9.25 is due to an increase in the internal photoemission due to scattering (reflection) of hot holes at the surfaces of the thin-film silicide. An improvement of the photoresponse by about a factor of 2.0 ís predicted by the model and has been experimentally verified. This improvement is due to use of a tuned optical cavity which includes an AR coating on the back side of the substrate and an optimum thickness of dielectric between the thin-film PtSi and the aluminum mirror.
Effect of packaging and storage on physico-chemical characteristics of osmotically dehydrated oyster mushrooms

Mushrooms treated with 15% NaCl (dipping in brine solution of concentration of 15% for 1 hour) and dried in cabinet tray dryer at 500C were packaged in LDPE, PET jars and aluminium laminated pouches for extending their storage life. Mushrooms packaged in aluminium laminated pouches were found best followed by those packed in PET jars and LDPE. However, with the advancement in storage period, there was decline in the sensory score whereas microbial count increased but within acceptable limits. The overall acceptability score decreased from an initial score of 8.08 to 7.46 after storage period of 90 days in LDPE pouches and minimum decrease in overall acceptability was recorded in samples packed in laminated pouches where the decrease was from 8.08 to 7.86 at the end of storage.
FACTORS AFFECTING COST ESTIMATION IN PLANT INSTALLATION PROJECTS IN KENYA, A CASE OF RICHFIELD ENGINEERING LIMITED

Cost overruns on infrastructure development projects during implementation continue to pose great challenges to developing countries. Research has found that, there are many factors that impede on successful completion of projects on time, budget, and quality. This study seeked to investigate on the factors that significantly contribute to inaccurate cost estimates on plant installation projects implemented by Richfield Engineering Limited and analyse their impact. The four variables were considered as significant in contributing to inaccurate cost estimates, namely; estimator knowledge and experience, scope assumptions, available time and cost models as significant contributors to cost variations.This study reviewed available literature and theories about project cost estimation thus theory of Learning Curve (LC), triple constraint theory, Complexity Theory and S-Curve theory. The descriptive research design was identified as the design of this study. The population of this study was 1000 REL employees and associates working in the area of projects operations and management. The study used a census sampling technique. Primary data was collected using interview and questionnaire and secondary data was collected by reviewing published materials. The data was presented in tables, charts and figures. The study lead to conclusions whether the identified variables and underlying factors contribute to inaccurate cost estimates in plant installation projects in Kenya. The results should enable planners to take stock of past performance and incorporate lessons learned on future projects planning and implementation.
Characterisation and research of the milk quality in Krk cheese manufacturing

Summary Physical-chemical composition and hygienic quality of milk are of crucial importance in cheese manufacturing. During 2007, a research was carried out with the aim to investigate manufacturing features and milk quality of Krk sheep and to describe technological procedure of manufacture and physical-chemical composition of Krk cheese. The milking capacity was checked according to AT method. Chemical composition was analyzed by infrared spectrometry and hygienic milk quality by fluoro-opto-electronic method, i.e. flow cytometry method. In 160 days of lactation, sheep produced in average 108 kg of milk (38 kg in lactating and 70 kg in milking period), 5.67 kg of milk fat and 4.12 kg of proteins. In the average, the milk contained: 19.49 % of dry matter, 8.29 % of milk fat, 5.99 % of proteins, 4.45 % of lactose and 11.32 % of dry matter without fat. Milking had a significant influence on: daily milk quantity, dry matter and milk fat share, milk freezing point and hygienic milk quality (log
Seedless synthesis of gold nanorods by using hydrogen peroxide as a weak reducing agent

Abstract A new seedless wet chemistry synthesis of gold nanorods by using hydrogen peroxide as the weak reducing agent is reported. A reduced concentration of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide is used in our experiment, and the synthesized gold nanorods exhibit tunable longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peaks ranging from 725 to 945 nm. The influence on gold nanorods growth by adjusting the amounts of sodium hydroxide, silver nitrate, sodium borohydride, and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide were investigated by the visible-near infrared spectroscopy. Under the proper experimental parameters, the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peaks can be tuned by varying the hydrogen peroxide amounts. Furthermore, it can be seen that the redshift of the longitudinal absorption peak of the prepared gold nanorods with increasing hydrogen peroxide amount is consistent with the increase tendency of the length-to-width aspect ratio obtained from the transmission electron microscopy images. The method provides a facile pathway to prepare gold nanorods with tunable longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peaks, which have potential applications in biomedicine and nanophotonics.
Probing the Dark-Exciton States of a Single Quantum Dot Using Photocurrent Spectroscopy in a Magnetic Field

We report on high-resolution photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent (PC) spectroscopies of a single self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) embedded in an n-i-Schottky device with an applied magnetic field in Faraday and Voigt geometries. The single-QD PC spectrum of neutral exciton (X$^0$) is obtained by sweeping the bias-dependent X$^0$ transition energy to achieve resonance with a fixed narrow-bandwidth laser through quantum-confined Stark effect. With a magnetic field applied in Faraday geometry, the diamagnetic effect and the Zeeman splitting of X$^0$ are observed both in PL and PC spectra. When the magnetic field is applied in Voigt geometry, the mixture of bright and dark states results in an observation of dark exciton states, which are confirmed by the polarization-resolved PL and PC spectra.
Effects of water content and N addition on potential greenhouse gas production from two differently textured soils under laboratory conditions

ABSTRACT GHGs production and emission may vary depending on soil physical properties, water management and fertilization. Two paddy soils characterized by different texture were incubated to evaluate the impact of flooding (permanent or intermittent) and N addition on potential N2O, CH4 and CO2 production and release into atmosphere and soil solution. Relationships with volumetric water content (VWC) and water filled pore space (WFPS) were evaluated. Overall, the finer clayey soil (CL) produced 58% more CH4 than the coarser sandy soil (SA) and showed an earlier sink to source transition; the difference was lower with N addition. Permanent flooding favoured the amount of dissolved CH4. SA produced more N2O emissions than CL under permanent flooding (31.0 vs. 3.7%); an opposite pattern was observed for dissolved N2O (16.4 vs. 52.7%). Fertilization increased N2O emissions under dry conditions in CL and under flooding in SA. Our findings showed that i) VWC had a larger influence on N2O and CH4 emissions than WFPS, ii) soil type influenced the gas release into atmosphere or soil solution and the timing of sink to source transition in CH4 emissions. Further investigation on timing of fertilization and drainage are needed to improve climate change mitigation strategies.
Characterization of Alkaline Protease from Thermoactinomyces sp.

Thermoactinomyces sp. was isolated from fermented composed sample. The bacterial isolate was identified according to the cultural, microbiological and biochemical characteristics. The bacterial cells secreted the extracellular protease in alkaline agar medium that contained 1% Hammerstein casein and liquid culture. The enzyme was partially purified 40-fold from culture filtrate by sequential steps including salting out with Ammonium sulfate precipitation (80% saturation) subsequently ion exchange chromatography with DEAE-cellulose column and then CMCellulose column which increased the specific activity of the enzyme up to 1880 U/mg proteins with 72% recovery. Characterization study of the partially purified enzyme was revealed that the enzyme had an optimum activity at pH of 10 and the activity was stable in the alkaline pH range from 8 to 12 for 30 min. Enzyme activity toward casein increased with increasing temperature and the maximal activity at 60 C. The enzyme was stable at temperature under 55 ̊C and approximately 75% of the activity abolished by incubation of the enzyme at 75  C for 30 min. Alkaline protease activity was completely inhibited by PMSF and DFP; while EDTA showed no inhibition on protease activity that is suggested that the enzyme is a serine protease.
Tropical/non‐tropical marine environments impact on the behaviour of carbon steel and galvanised steel

The aim of this study is to assess the main factors that affect the behaviour of carbon steel and galvanised steel in tropical and non‐tropical marine environments, identifying those factors that directly affect the behaviour. The results from the INNOVA (Chile) and MICAT/PATINA (Venezuela) projects will be used. These projects evaluated metals exposed to different marine environments using procedures outlined in ISO 9223/9226. The results show that temperature has no significant effect on the behaviour of the materials at the study sites in question (Venezuela being 10 °C warmer than Chile), independent of the tropical nature of the exposure environment, while it is precipitation (>600 mm) and chloride and SO2 content in the environment that mainly influence the behaviour of the carbon steel and the galvanised steel. In addition, an artificial neural network was generated to evaluate the corrosion rate of the studied metals, using meteoro‐chemical variables. The neural network for the carbon and galvanised steel was more precise for the exposure sites located in Chile.
Origin and temperature on the germination of beggartick seeds

Procedência das sementes e temperatura na germinação de picão-preto R E S U M O O comportamento invasivo do picão-preto (Bidens pilosa L.) em áreas de cultivo se deve à sua adaptação ecológica e regeneração agressiva, alicerçada na germinação das sementes. Objetivou-se, com a presente pesquisa, conhecer o efeito de diferentes procedências e temperaturas na germinação de sementes de B. pilosa. As sementes foram coletadas em Entre Rios do Oeste, PR, Botucatu, SP, Capão Bonito, SP, São Joaquim da Barra, SP, Sertãozinho, SP, Selvíria, MS, Barra do Garças, MT, Areia, PB e Manaus, AM e avaliadas quanto ao teor de água, massa de 1000 sementes, índice de velocidade de germinação e germinação conduzida a 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 e 45 oC e avaliada aos 60 dias. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 9 x 8 (procedências x temperaturas) com quatro repetições e as médias foram comparadas pelo teste de ScottKnott. A germinação, o vigor e a massa de sementes de B. pilosa dependem do local de procedência. Temperaturas superiores a 35 °C são letais às sementes. A temperatura de 15 oC permite a máxima germinação das sementes em menor tempo da quase totalidade das procedências.
Ab initio calculations of Raman and IR spectra of orthoenstatite and forsterite: lattice dynamics and modelling for planetary remote sensing

Raman spectra of orthoenstatite have been computed from first principles, employing the hybrid Hamiltonian WC1LYP (Wu and Cohen 2006). The calculated data show excellent agreement with the experimental data from literature with an absolute average difference of ~5 cm-1. The quantum mechanical simulation allowed the assignment of Raman features to specific vibrational modes. This enabled to assess quantitatively the contributions of internal (tetrahedral stretching) and external (tetrahedral chains and M1 and M2 cations) vibrations. Moreover, the mass substitution of 56Fe for 24Mg in the M1 and M2 sites and of 30Si and 18O for the 28Si and 16O sites, pointed out the relative contributions of the cations to each mode within different sites. The description of the Raman modes enabled to relate the major experimental peaks to specific structural vibrations, and to link the changes in crystal structure to those modes with pressure, temperature and composition.
Removal of copper, cadmium, and chromium from wastewater by modified wheat bran using Box–Behnken design: Kinetics and isotherm

ABSTRACT In this work, copper, cadmium, and chromium were removed using hydrochloric acid-treated wheat bran as an adsorbent. Experiments were carried out in batch adsorption mode. Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology was used to determine the effect of initial metal concentration, pH, temperature, and adsorbent dose on removal efficiency of copper, cadmium, and chromium. Analysis of variance results are shown for all the three heavy metal, and the effect of the parameters is discussed. The optimum initial metal concentration, pH, temperature, and adsorbent dose were found to be 90.58 mg/L, 6, 35.9°C, and 2.39 g, respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to be the best suitable model for adsorption rate. The isotherms of adsorption data were analysed using various adsorption isotherm models such as Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich, and Temkin isotherms. It was found that Langmuir and Temkin isotherms represent the equilibrium data for these heavy metal removals.
Phase Segregation Enhanced Ion Movement in Efficient Inorganic CsPbIBr2 Solar Cells

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells with mixed cations and mixed halides have achieved impressive power conversion efficiency of up to 22.1%. Phase segregation due to the mixed compositions has attracted wide concerns, and their nature and origin are still unclear. Some very useful analytical techniques are controversial in microstructural and chemical analyses due to electron beam‐induced damage to the “soft” hybrid perovskite materials. In this study photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence, and transmission electron microscopy are used to study charge carrier recombination and retrieve crystallographic and compositional information for all‐inorganic CsPbIBr2 films on the nanoscale. It is found that under light and electron beam illumination, “iodide‐rich” CsPbI(1+x)Br(2−x) phases form at grain boundaries as well as segregate as clusters inside the film. Phase segregation generates a high density of mobile ions moving along grain boundaries as ion migration “highways. ” Finally, these mobile ions can pile up at the perovskite/TiO2 interface resulting in formation of larger injection barriers, hampering electron extraction and leading to strong current density–voltage hysteresis in the polycrystalline perovskite solar cells. This explains why the planar CsPbIBr2 solar cells exhibit significant hysteresis in efficiency measurements, showing an efficiency of up to 8.02% in the reverse scan and a reduced efficiency of 4.02% in the forward scan, and giving a stabilized efficiency of 6.07%.
Combining Theory and Experiment for Multitechnique Characterization of Activated CO2 on Transition Metal Carbide (001) Surfaces

Early transition metal carbides (TMC; TM = Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo) with face-centered cubic crystallographic structure have emerged as promising materials for CO2 capture and activation. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof exchange–correlation functional evidence charge transfer from the TMC surface to CO2 on the two possible adsorption sites, namely, MMC and TopC, and the electronic structure and binding strength differences are discussed. Further, the suitability of multiple experimental techniques with respect to (1) adsorbed CO2 recognition and (2) MMC/TopC adsorption distinction is assessed from extensive DFT simulations. Results show that ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopies (UPS), work function changes, core level X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and changes in linear optical properties could well allow for adsorbed CO2 detection. Only infrared (IR) spectra and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) seem to additionally allow for MMC/TopC adsorp.
Développement de la photogrammétrie et d'analyses d'images pour l'étude et le suivi d'habitats marins

Dans un contexte de changement climatique et d’erosion de la biodiversite marine, la surveillance ecologique des habitats marins les plus sensibles est primordiale et necessite des methodes operationnelles de suivi permettant aux decideurs et gestionnaires d’etablir des mesures de conservation pertinentes et d’evaluer leur efficacite. TEMPO et RECOR sont deux reseaux de surveillance centres sur les herbiers de posidonie et les recifs coralligenes, les deux habitats les plus riches et sensibles de Mediterranee. L’objectif de cette these est de repondre aux besoins de la surveillance des habitats marins par le developpement de methodes d’evaluation de leur etat de sante, basees sur deux techniques d’analyses d’images cles : les reseaux de neurones convolutifs et la photogrammetrie. Les resultats montrent que les reseaux de neurones convolutifs sont capables de reconnaitre les principales especes des assemblages coralligenes sur des photos sous-marines issues de RECOR, avec une precision semblable a celle d’un expert taxonomiste. Par ailleurs, nous avons montre que la photogrammetrie permettait de reproduire en 3D un habitat marin avec une grande precision, suffisante pour un suivi de la structure de l’habitat et de la distribution d’especes a fine echelle. A partir de ces reconstructions, nous avons mis au point une methode de cartographie automatique des herbiers de posidonie, permettant de realiser un suivi temporel de la qualite ecologique de cet habitat sensible. Enfin, nous avons caracterise la structure 3D des recifs coralligenes a partir de leurs reconstructions photogrammetriques et etudie les liens avec la structuration des assemblages qui les composent. Ce travail de these a permis de developper des methodes operationnelles, aujourd’hui integrees aux reseaux de surveillance TEMPO et RECOR, et ouvre la voie a de futures recherches, notamment la caracterisation de l’activite biologique des recifs coralligenes grâce au couplage entre photogrammetrie, reseaux de neurones et acoustique sous-marine.