Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Litter decomposition and microbial characteristics in agricultural soil in Northern, Central, and Southern Germany

Abstract Decomposition of litter and soil organic matter are controlled by temperature, water availability, substrate quality, and soil microbial activities. How the decomposition process and soil microbial communities interact is, however, not well understood. Therefore, litter decomposition rates were studied in situ in comparable soil units, predominantly Luvisols, at three locations in northern, central, and southern Germany and abiotic factors and microbial characteristics were concurrently investigated at four times. The ash-free mass of Triticum, Secale, and Lolium litter remaining after 180 d of field exposure in litter bags was 68, 50, and 15% respectively. For Lolium litter, the highest decomposition rate occurred at the central German site. In contrast, the refractory Secale and Triticum litter was decomposed more rapidly at the northern and southern site where inorganic N was fertilised and plants with N2 symbiosis were predominant respectively. Rapidly degrading Lolium litter was extensively colonised by microorganisms at the early stages, by successively decreased. When looking at the whole investigation period, the microbial properties in the litter did frequently not differ significantly between the locations. However, the interactions determined between decomposition time, litter type and location indicated that microbial characteristics including metabolic-responsive biomass, carbon availability index, metabolic, and respiratory quotient varied site-specifically dependent litter quality. The refractory Titicum litter was most rapidly degraded in the microbiologically active soil, in contrast to N-rich Lolium litter.
Optimization of La(Fe,Co)13−xSix based compounds for magnetic refrigeration

The effect of Co on the magnetic, structural and magnetocaloric properties of the LaFe11.7−xCoxSi1.3 (x = 0, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6) and LaFe11.2−xCo0.7+xSi1.1 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2) compounds was investigated by x-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements. For LaFe11.7−xCoxSi1.3 series, the Curie temperature TC increases with increasing Co content. By varying x up to 0.6, the TC of LaFe11.7−xCoxSi1.3 alloys increases from 190 to 265 K and the peak of the isothermal entropy change −ΔSmax decreases from 28 to 15 J kg−1 K−1 under 5 T. Meanwhile, with Co concentration increasing from 0 to 0.2 in LaFe11.2−xCo0.7+xSi1.1 formula, TC passes from 270 to 294 K and −ΔSmax decreases from 16.5 to 13.5 J kg−1 K−1 under 5 T. Besides, for magnetic refrigeration systems using the Ericsson cycle, the entropy change must remain constant over the refrigeration range. So, we selected some alloys based on LaFe11.7−xCoxSi1.3 (x = 0.4, 0.5, 0.6) and LaFe11.2−xCo0.7+xSi1.1 (x = 0.1 and 0.2) compounds in order to form a composite material working in the 240–300 K temperature range. The optimal mass ratios of the constituents versus magnetic field were calculated. The obtained entropy change of the composite remains approximately constant within the temperature range 240–300 K.
Self-Assembly and Photovoltaic Property of Covalent-Attached Multilayer Film Based on Highly Sulfonated Polyaniline and Diazoresin

A novel multilayer film is assembled from highly sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) and diazoresin (DR) in aqueous solution via electrostatic attraction. Under UV irradiation, following the decomposition of diazonium group between the adjacent interfaces of the multilayer, the ionic bonds of the self-assembled film convert to covalent bonds and the film becomes very stable toward polar solvent or electrolyte solutions. Thus the photoelectric conversion property of highly sulfonated polyaniline containing film can be measured in conventional three-electrode photoelectrochemical cell, and a 0.5 mol/L KCl solution is used as the supporting electrolyte. The photocurrent spectroscopy responses coincide with the absorption spectrum of the self-assembly film, which means that the SPAN/DR film is responsible for the photocurrent generation, and the effects of bias voltage and photo intensity to the self-assembly film were also investigated in this article.
Spectrophotometric Determination of Some Antibacterial Drugs Using p-Nitrophenol

Abstract A simple, quick and sensitive spectrophotometric method for pipemidic acid, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin lactate is described, based on a reaction with p-nitrophenol in water medium, apparently by a charge-transfer mechanism, to yield 1:1 complexes with analytically useful maximum absorption at 404 nm, 407nm and 403nm. Optimum conditions for determination, linear calibration range and apparent molar absorptivities have been reported. The methods are highly accurate and have been successfully applied to the determination of pipemidic acid, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin lactate in tablets. The results are in good agreement with the official methods.
Avalanche photodiode detection with object scanning and image restoration provides 2–4 fold resolution increase in two‐photon fluorescence microscopy

High-quantum-efficiency photodetection, millisecond pixel dwell time stage scanning and image restoration by maximum-likelihood estimation are synergetically combined and shown to improve the resolution of two-photon excitation microscopy 2–4 fold in all directions. Measurements of the two-photon excitation point-spread function (PSF) of a 1.4 aperture oil immersion lens are carried out by imaging fluorescence beads with a diameter of one seventh of the excitation wavelength (830 nm) and subsequent deconvolution with the bead object function. The proposed method of resolution increase is applied to beads as well as to rhodamine labelled actin fibres in mouse fibroblast cells. As the resolution improvement is not based on the non-linear effect of two-photon excitation, the results imply a comparable resolution increase in single-photon excitation confocal microscopy. In the fibroblasts, we established a three-fold improvement in axial resolution, namely from 840 nm before, to 280 nm after restoration (full-width at half-maximum). Actin fibres with axial distances of 850 nm, otherwise difficult to discern, are fully separated. In the lateral direction, images of fluorescence beads of about 110 nm diameter are restored to the real dimensions of the beads with an accuracy of better than one pixel (41 nm).
The Safest Values of Low Density Lipoproteins in the Plasma

Background: We tried to understand the safest values of low density lipoproteins (LDL) in the plasma. Methods: Patients with plasma LDL values lower than 80 mg/dL were collected into the first, lower than 100 mg/dL into the second, lower than 130 mg/dL into the third, lower than 150 mg/dL into the fourth, and 150 mg/dL and higher into the fifth groups. Results: The study included 815 cases (477 females), totally. Parallel to the higher LDL values, the mean age, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides, high density lipoproteins (HDL), and white coat hypertension (WCH) were the highest in the fifth and smoking, hypertension (HT), and diabetes mellitus (DM) were the highest in the fourth groups. Whereas chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and chronic renal disease (CRD) were the highest in the first group in contrast to the lowest LDL and HDL values. Interestingly, FPG, triglycerides, HT, DM, COPD, CHD, and CRD were the lowest in the second group, significantly, and there was no difference according to the mean age and smoking between the first and second groups, significantly. Conclusions: The highest HT and DM parallel to the increased LDL and HDL and the highest COPD, CHD, and CRD in contrast to the lowest LDL and HDL values may show initially positive but eventually negative acute phase proteins functions of LDL and HDL in the metabolic syndrome. So the safest values of LDL were between 80 and 100 mg/dL in the plasma.
Physisorption and Chemisorption of Alkanethiols and Alkyl Sulfides on Au(111)

The energetics and kinetics of the adsorption of a variety of sulfur-containing hydrocarbons onto Au(111) have been explored using helium beam reflectivity and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. Simple alkanethiols as well as dialkyl sulfides, dialkyl disulfides, and other sulfur-containing organics were found to adsorb with a low coverage physisorption enthalpy about 20% greater than the heat of vaporization in the bulk. In contrast to the dialkyl sulfides that only physisorb, alkanethiols and dialkyl disulfides also interact chemically with the gold with a chemisorption enthalpy of 126 kJ/mol that is independent of alkyl chain length. The presence of sterically hindering substituent groups on the carbon atom adjacent to the sulfur atom produces, however, a reduction in the chemisorption enthalpy of up to 15%. Temperature-programmed desorption of nonequilibrated, high exposure layers of alkanethiols with eight carbon atoms or longer displayed a second, higher energy, chemisorption peak a.
Supercritical Fluid Extraction Of Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla): Process Kinetics and Scale-Up, Extract Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity, and Economic Evaluation

The extract of lemon verbena ( Aloysia triphylla ) was obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using laboratory and pilot scale equipments. The scale-up criterion selected (maintaining solvent to feed ratio constant) was successfully used for a 14-fold scale-up. The extract obtained in pilot scale was separated in three fractions, which were characterized as for their phytochemical profile, total flavonoids content, and antioxidant activity. The extracts obtained by SFE were compared to classical Soxhlet extraction method. Maximum yield obtained for SFE was 1.8%, and for Soxhlet, 7.1%. The chemical composition revealed different phytochemical profiles for SFE and Soxhlet extracts; the last ones presented more flavonoids, while SFE extracts were more concentrated in volatile compounds. The major compounds identified in the volatile fraction of the extracts were spathulenol, phytol and octadecatrienal. Some extracts presented pro-oxidant activity and others presented antioxidant activity. The SFE process was shown to be economically feasible for obtaining lemon verbena extracts; the minimum manufacturing cost (COM) obtained was US$ 1070.00/kg, with a payback time of 2 years.
On the importance of thermal creep in natural convective gas microflow with wall heat fluxes

Thermal creep occurs in gas microflow with wall heat fluxes. In this study, we investigate the creep effect on the steady natural convection in an open-ended vertical parallel-plate microchannel with asymmetric wall heat fluxes. The fully developed solutions for the velocity, pressure, temperature, flow rate, flow drag and heat transfer rate are derived analytically and presented for air at the standard reference state with complete accommodation. It is found that thermal creep has a significant effect. The effect is to unify the velocity and pressure and to elevate the temperature. Moreover, it tends to enhance the flow rate and heat transfer rate and to reduce the maximum gas temperature and flow drag. Its logarithm can be magnified by the decrease in the channel length and the increase in the Knudsen number.
First Example of a Universal and Cost-Effective Approach: Polymers with Tunable Upper Critical Solution Temperature in Water and Electrolyte Solution

We present a powerful universal and versatile approach for the synthesis of polymers that show a UCST in water. Up to now only a few polymers were known that show an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in water. This study establishes general requirements to obtain polymers with a UCST in water as well as electrolyte solution. It is demonstrated that old homo- and copolymer systems like poly(methacrylamide) and poly(acrylamide-co-acrylonitrile) can exhibit a UCST in water and how polymers with a tunable UCST can be synthesized by copolymerization of acrylamide and acrylonitrile, monomers that are industrially produced on large scales. Controlled increase of the UCST by copolymerization of acryamide with varying amounts of acrylonitrile was shown, and it could be varied between 6 and 60 °C. The hysteresis between the cloud point upon cooling and heating was very small with only 1–2 °C in most cases. The cloud points in pure water were similar to the cloud points measured in phosphate buffered saline.
Comparison between flipped classroom and team-based learning in a prosthodontic class at Tokushima University

Background: Active learning is a concept that allows students to study and learn actively by themselves to get knowledge. There are several methods of active learning, including flipped classroom (FC) and team-based learning (TBL). In FC, students are required to study before classes. In TBL, students study before the class, take the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (IRAT) and Group Readiness Assurance Test (GRAT), and then discuss Group Assignment Projects (GAPs) during class. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness between FC and TBL using longitudinal term-end examination data. Methods: Flipped classroom and TBL effectiveness was assessed from the results of the term-end examinations at the end of the semester from 2014 to 2017. The students were asked to answer questions on the favorable and unfavorable responses of FC and TBL. To check the difficulty of the term-end examinations, control dentists took the same examinations. The dentists were clinical prosthodontic residents who graduated within 3 years from undergraduate course. All prosthodontic residents attended the referential examinations. Results: The term-end examination score of FC and TBL did not show a statistical difference. Multi-way ANOVA showed that the referential examination scores by the dentists were significantly higher than that of the students (P < 0.0001). According to the students, the favorable responses of FC and TBL were on the study habit and the video contents, while the unfavorable responses were mainly on the study materials. Conclusions: There is no statistical difference between FC and TBL on term-end examination scores. There were no interactions between the test period and the participants (students or dentists), and the test period and class format.
PLOTSIZE AND SAMPLE NUMBER FOR NEUTRON PROBE MEASUREMENTS IN SMALL FIELD TRIALS

Soil water storage over a 2.85-m soil depth was measured from 200 aluminum access pipes, separated by 0.3 m in both directions, in a 1.2 × 15.0-m plot in dry and wet periods during 1988 and 1989. The objective was to determine the minimum plot size and number of soil water content measurements if measured with a neutron probe for small field trials. The minimum plot size representing the 15-m plot was found to be dependent on water storage variance and on the distance over which soil water storage measurements were spatially correlated. We concluded that a plot length of 5 m was needed to represent the mean and variance of the 15-m plot. Bootstrapping and temporal stability analysis were used to estimate the minimum number of observation tubes required to estimate the mean and variance of 1.2 × 5.0-m plots. Bootstrapping showed that at least 10 soil water storage measurements were required in the 5-m plot. Soil water storage distribution within the plot was found to be highly stable in time, especially for individual soil layers. Using temporal stability analysis, the number of required access pipes needed to estimate a plot-average soil water storage was further reduced to three. However, the variance of soil water storage was not conserved while reducing the number of measurement locations. We propose that a field study with small field trials should start with the maximum feasible plot size and number of measurement locations. In this initial phase, statistical techniques as proposed in this study can then be applied to reduce the required number of observations, using predetermined error limits.
Impact ionization and positive charge formation in silicon dioxide films on silicon

Positive charge formation and its possible relationship to impact ionization in silicon dioxide have been controversial issues for many years. In this study, band‐gap ionization due to the development of a high‐energy tail in the hot‐electron energy distribution is shown to occur in films thicker than 20.0 nm at fields higher than 7 MV/cm. This process is demonstrated to ‘‘directly’’ account for hole currents in the substrate circuit of n‐channel field‐effect transistors and for the observation of positively trapped charges accumulating at the substrate‐silicon/silicon‐dioxide interface at low injected‐carrier fluences (less than 0.001 C/cm2) before the onset of trap creation.
Molecular dynamics simulations of a branched tetradecasaccharide substrate in the active site of a xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase

Molecular dynamics simulations of the tetradecasaccharide XXXGXXXG in complex with the hybrid aspen xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase PttXET16-34 have been performed and analysed with respect to structure, dynamics, flexibility and ligand interactions. Notably, the charge state of the so-called ‘helper residue’ aspartate 87 (Asp87), which lies between the catalytic nucleophile [glutamate 85 (Glu85)] and general acid/base (Glu89) residues on the same beta strand, had a significant effect on PttXET16-34 active site structure. When Asp87 was deprotonated, electrostatic repulsion forced the nucleophile away from C1 of the sugar ring in subsite − 1 and the proton–donating ability of Glu89 was also weakened due to the formation of a hydrogen bond with Asp87, whereas the protonation of Asp87 resulted in the formation of a hydrogen bond with the catalytic nucleophile and correct positioning of the catalytic machinery. The results suggest that catalysis in glycoside hydrolase family 16, and by extension clan GH-B enzymes, is optimal when the catalytic nucleophile is deprotonated for nucleophilic attack on the substrate, whereas the ‘helper residue’ and general acid/base residue are both in their conjugate acid forms to align the nucleophile and deliver a proton to the departing sugar, respectively.
Water Adsorption Isotherms and Storage Stability of Freeze-Dried Bovine Colostrum Powder

Moisture adsorption isotherms of freeze‐dried bovine colostrum powder were obtained using the gravimetric method at three temperatures (15, 25, and 35°C) in the water activity range of 0.11–0.86. The moisture adsorption isotherms of freeze‐dried bovine colostrum powder showed a sigmoid isotherm curve typical of the type II BET classification shape. The Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller models were recommended to fit experimental data well. The shelf life of freeze‐dried bovine colostrum powder packaged in aluminium-laminated polyethylene pouches was evaluated for 243 days, and the storage stability was investigated when stored at 25°C and 50% relative humidity. A slight increase in moisture content, a linear increase in color difference, and a slight decrease in IgG concentration were found within 60 days storage under the above-mentioned conditions.
Crucial role of molecular curvature for the bend elastic and flexoelectric properties of liquid crystals: mesogenic dimers as a case study

Using a molecular field theory with atomistic modelling, we provide a complete description of the elastic and flexoelectric properties of the nematic phase formed by liquid crystal dimers which, depending on the parity of the number of atoms in the spacer, have either a bent (odd) or a straight (even) average shape. We can then estimate the flexoelastic ratio and make a direct comparison with the outcome of flexoelectro-optic measurements. Our results demonstrate the extreme sensitivity of the bend elasticity and flexoelectricity to the molecular structure, with dramatic differences between even and odd dimers. An unusually low bend elastic constant is predicted for the latter; we discuss the implications of this result for the high flexoelastic response and the existence of Blue Phases stable over a wide temperature range, which were both recently claimed for odd liquid crystal dimers.
Intercalation of Tris(2,2‘-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) into a Layered Silicate, Magadiite, with the Aid of a Crown Ether

Intercalation of the tris(2,2‘-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complex cation into a layered silicate (magadiite; the ideal formula is Na2Si14O29·nH2O) was investigated. Since the complex cation did not intercalate by a direct ion exchange reaction with the interlayer sodium ions in an aqueous medium, a crown ether, 15-crown-5, was added in the reactant to promote the ion-exchange reaction. Two possible reaction mechanisms were proposed for the present ion-exchange reaction: One is a two-step reaction, where 15-crown-5 was first intercalated into the interlayer space of Na−magadiite and exchanged with tris(2,2‘-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complex cation subsequently. The other is a one-step reaction, where 15-crown-5 forms complex ions with sodium ions deintercalated from the interlayer space and the tris(2,2‘-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complex cation is intercalated into the interlayer space to compensate the charge balance. The present success opens up new opportunities to introduce organic cations into the interl.
Initial decomposition of GaAs during rapid thermal annealing

A technique has been developed for direct, quantitative measurement of the amount of Ga and As evaporated from uncapped GaAs surfaces during rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The method involves collection of the evaporated molecules on a nearby copper film, followed by compositional analysis of the copper film using 5 MeV Rutherford backscattering. We have measured the rates of evaporation from uncapped GaAs surfaces during RTA in the temperature range 600–725 °C and found them to be in reasonable agreement with rates predicted from available measurements of the equilibrium vapor pressures of Ga and As.
Review of material properties of (Mo/W)Se2-layered compound semiconductors useful for photoelectrochemical solar cells

Molybdenum/tungsten dichalcogenides constitute a well-defined family of compounds which crystallize in a layer-type structure. These compounds have properties tailored for use as storage electrodes in rechargeable photoelectrochemical solar energy storage cells. These compounds find a wide range of applications in the field of catalysis and as lubricants at high temperatures and pressures. Among IV–VI semiconducting compounds, (Mo/W)Se2-layered compound dichalcogenides exhibit a hexagonal structure. The basic structural unit of such a compound is a sandwich of three planes: one plane of transition metal atoms between two halogen atoms. These sandwich-type structures are only loosely bound together through weak Van der Waals forces, and therefore, extremely anisotropic physical properties result. The material properties of the layered semiconductors, molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2), tungsten diselenide (WSe2) and molybdenum tungsten diselenide (Mo x W1 − x Se2), are prepared by different methods and presented in this review.
Detailed Electrochemical Model of Microphotosynthetic Power Cells

A detailed and interdisciplinary explanation of the operation of microphotosynthetic cells (μ-PSCs) from chemical reactions modeling to energy harvesting is provided in this article. The model includes the effect of photosynthesis and respiration of algae cells as well as the effect of irradiance, day and night cycle, temperature, and pH of the solution. It has an interdisciplinary explanation built on knowledge accumulated from different fields, such as chemical, biological, electrical sciences, and practical results. It covers the theory of the operation of μ-PSCs, the electrochemical model, the equivalent circuit representation of μ-PSCs, and energy harvesting from μ-PSCs. This article provides a simple but thorough insight into a better understanding and improvement of the μ-PSCs technology.