Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Air pollution control by electrical discharges

Air pollution caused by gas emission of pollutants produced from a wide range of sources including coal, oil and gas burning power plants, diesel engines, paper mills, steel and chemical production plants must be reduced drastically and urgently, as mandated by recent worldwide national legislation which recently are being reinforced increasingly by international agreements. Non-thermal plasmas in which the mean energy of the electrons is substantially higher than that of the gas offer advantages in reducing the energy required to remove the pollutants. The electrical energy supplied into the discharge is used preferentially to create energetic electrons which are then used to produce radicals by dissociation and ionization of the carrier gas in which the pollutants are present. These radicals are used to decompose the pollutants. There are two technologically promising techniques for generating non-thermal plasmas in atmospheric gas pressure containing the pollutants, namely electron beam irradiation and electrical discharge techniques. Both techniques are undergoing intensive and continuous development worldwide. This is done to reduce the energy requirement for pollutant removal, and therefore the associated cost, as well as to obtain a better understanding of the physical and chemical processes involved in reducing the pollutants. In the present paper only electrical discharge techniques are reviewed and emphasis is given to the more recent published work. The paper summarizes the chemical reactions responsible for the removal of the major polluting constituents of NO, NO/sub 2/ and SO/sub 2/ encountered in flue gases and exhaust emissions. The constructional features of the various types of electrical discharge reactors commonly employed in the removal of gas pollutants as well as pilot systems used in industrial plants are described briefly The results on the removal efficiency of the various pollutants including hydrocarbons and volatile compounds and their dependency on the type of discharge reactor, the type and the magnitude of the applied voltage (dc, ac and pulsed), the polarity of the voltage (de and pulsed), the effect of the pulse width, the initial concentration of the pollutants, the addition of ammonia, argon and other hydrocarbons, the gas flow rate, the residence time of the pollutants in the discharge reactor, the gas temperature and on the type of the gas constituents will be reviewed. The removal of pollutants using arc plasmas will be discussed. The specific energy density which is supplied in various forms of electrical discharges to reduce the pollutants is discussed. The energy required to remove the pollutants is expected to be one of the main considerations in selecting the technology to be used to remove the pollutants and therefore it is of prime importance.
Two-dimensional reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry : an approach for shotgun proteome analysis

Large-scale proteome analysis of complex biological mixtures requires high resolving power separations, high-throughput mass spectrometry and accurate detection, and bioinformatics tools. In the present work LC-MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry was combined for the first time with a two-dimensional separation based on reversed-phase chromatography at high and low pH for the analysis of the cytosolic proteome of Corynebacterium glutamicum. The proteome coverage achieved by this approach, 55%, is the highest reported up to day for this bacterium. A total of 1644 proteins including single-peptide based identifications were identified. The sample was also analysed by other conventional methods in the proteome analysis. The classical 2D-PAGE approach presents more limitations and delivered 166 different proteins including enzymes of the main metabolic pathways. Complementary results were found at peptide level for the LC-MALDI and 2D-PAGE approaches. Fractions collected during the first dimension at high pH were analysed by LC-MALDI MS and compared with the analysis carried out by LC-ESI-IT MS, which identified 745 proteins [1]. Further comparison with results found in literature confirmed that the two-dimensional reversed phase combination with LC-MALDI MS/MS is a promising tool in the proteome analysis. The MALDI based approach showed higher sensitivity than other approaches and was able to identify proteins over a larger dynamic range, based on the codon adaptation indexes of the proteins. An die Large-Scale Proteomanalyse von komplexen biologischen Mischungen sind eine Reihe von Anforderungen gestellt. Unter Anderem sind Trennungen mit hohem Auflosungsvermogen, High-Throughput Massenspektrometrie, prazise Massenbestimmung und Bioinformatik-Tools erforderlich. Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Evaluierung der Kombination aus LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF Massenspektrometrie mit einer zwei-dimensionalen Trennung basierend auf Reverse-Phase-Chromatographie bei hohen und niedrigen pH-Werten. Des cytosolischen Proteoms von Corynebacterium glutamicum wurde mit der Methode analysiert. Dies ermoglichte die Indentifizierung von 55% des Proteoms von Corynebacterium glutamicum und ist damit der nach momentanem Kenntnisstand effizienteste Ansatz. Insgesamt konnten 1644 verschiedene Proteine identifiziert werden. Konventionelle Methoden der Proteomanalyse erreichten deutlich schlechtere Ergebnisse. So erzielte der klassische 2D-PAGE-Ansatz bei deutlich mehr Einschrankungen nur 166 Proteinidentifikationen inklusive wichtiger Enzyme der Stoffwechselwege. Komplementare Ergebnisse konnten auf der Peptid-Ebene fur LC-MALDI und 2D-PAGE Ansatze gefunden werden. Fraktionen der ersten Dimension bei hohem pH-Wert mittels LC-MALDI MS wurden analysiert und mit Ergebnissen aus LC-ESI-IT MS [1] Untersuchungen verglichen. Es hat sich gezeigt, dass der MALDI-basierte Ansatz hohere Sensitivitat aufweist und in der Lage war Proteine uber eine weitaus grosere dynamische Reichweite bezogen auf den Codon Adaptation Index zu identifizieren.
CPP transport in Fe/Cr/Fe trilayers with mn impurities: an ab initio study

The influence of Mn impurities on the electric transport properties of Fe/Cr/Fe sandwiches has been investigated as a function of the thickness of the Cr layer by employing the Kubo–Greenwood equation. The electronic and magnetic properties of the Fe/Cr sandwich-structures have been evaluated within the screened Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker method for layered systems. In this article, two types of impurities are studied: atomic layers of Mn placed on top of the Cr layers, and spacers consisting of disordered CrMn alloys. In agreement with experimental findings it is found that the size of the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is not much affected by Mn impurities. However, Mn is known to transform the spin density wave (SDW) of Cr into a commensurate antiferromagnetic structure. These kinds of changes in the magnetic coupling are reflected in the GMR. The present results show that 5% of Mn in the spacer is sufficient to destroy the SDW.
Waste pyrolysis and generation of storable char

Sustainable cities require the generation of energy from waste that cannot be economically reused or recycled. This study focuses on slow pyrolysis that can generate a high yield of char along with liquid and gas products from waste. Char is high in energy content, storable and transportable with low cost so that it can be used as an intermediate medium for high efficiency energy conversion.
Barium‐strontium mobate crystals for optical information recording

Cerium-ion-doped barium-strontium niobate crystals are considered as a medium for information holographic recording. A brief account is given of the technology of crystal growth and of their optical and electrophysical properties. The laws of photoconductivity drop are established and the products of phenomenological parameters μβτ are determined. The photorefractive characteristics of the crystal are investigated; the dependences of efficient sensitivity and amplification coefficient on spatial frequency are established. A new effect of light anisotropic scattering by crystals is observed and its interpretation is given. Finally holographic characteristics of the crystal are presented. Cer-dotierte Barium-Strontiumniobatkristalle als Medien fur holographische Informationsauf-zeichnung werden untersucht. Es wird iiber die Technologie des Kristallwachstums sowie uiber deren optischen und elektrophysikalischen Eigenschaften berichtet. Die Gesetzmasigkeit des Photoleitungsabfalls und die Produkte der phanomenologischen Parameter μβτ werden bestimmt. Die Lichtbrechungscharakteristiken des Kristalls werden untersucht; dabei werden die Ab-hangigkeiten der wirksamen Empfindlichkeit und des Verstarkungskoeffizienten von der Ortsfrequenz bestimmt. Ein neuer Effekt der anisotropen Lichtstreuung durch Kristalle wird beobachtet und seine Erklarung gegeben. Schlieslich werden die holographischen Charakteristiken des Kristalls mitgeteilt.
An Investigation of Digestion Methods for Trace Elements in Bauxite and Their Determination in Ten Bauxite Reference Materials Using Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry

Trace elements from samples of bauxite deposits can provide useful information relevant to the exploration of the ore‐forming process. Sample digestion is a fundamental and critical stage in the process of geochemical analysis, which enables the acquisition of accurate trace element data by ICP‐MS. However, the conventional bomb digestion method with HF/HNO3 results in a significant loss of rare earth elements (REEs) due to the formation of insoluble AlF3 precipitates during the digestion of bauxite samples. In this study, the digestion capability of the following methods was investigated: (a) ‘Mg‐addition’ bomb digestion, (b) NH4HF2 open vessel digestion and (c) NH4F open vessel digestion. ‘Mg‐addition’ bomb digestion can effectively suppress the formation of AlF3 and simultaneously ensure the complete decomposition of resistant minerals in bauxite samples. The addition of MgO to the bauxite samples resulted in (Mg + Ca)/Al ratios ≥ 1. However, adding a large amount of MgO leads to significant blank contamination for some transition elements (V, Cr, Ni and Zn). The NH4HF2 or NH4F open vessel digestion methods can also completely digest resistant minerals in bauxite samples in a short period of time (5 hr). Unlike conventional bomb digestion with HF/HNO3, the white precipitates and the semi‐transparent gels present in the NH4HF2 and NH4F digestion methods could be efficiently dissolved by evaporation with HClO4. Based on these three optimised digestion methods, thirty‐seven trace elements including REEs in ten bauxite reference materials (RMs) were determined by ICP‐MS. The data obtained showed excellent inter‐method reproducibility (agreement within 5% for REEs). The relative standard deviation (% RSD) for most elements was < 6%. The concentrations of trace elements in the ten bauxite RMs showed agreement with the limited certified (Li, V, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ga, Sr, Zr and Pb) and information values (Co, Ba, Ce and Hf) available. New trace element data for the ten RMs are provided, some of which for the first time.
Roebling Medal Paper. Toward theoretical mineralogy: A bond-topological approach

Abstract The patterns of linkage of chemical bonds in space contain significant energetic information that may be used as the basis of a theoretical approach to the structure and chemical composition of minerals. This approach combines aspects of graph theory, bond-valence theory, and the moments approach to the electronic-energy density-of-states to interpret topological aspects of crystal structures, and allows consideration of many issues of crystal structure, mineral composition, and mineral behavior that are not addressed by established theoretical methods. The chemical composition of a mineral is controlled by the weak interaction between the structural unit and the interstitial complex. The principle of correspondence of Lewis acidity-basicity asserts that stable structures will form when the Lewisbase strength of the structural unit closely matches the Lewis-acid strength of the interstitial complex. This principle allows analysis of the factors that control the chemical compositions and aspects of the structural arrangements of minerals, and provides a mechanism to understand the relations between structure, the speciation of its constituents in aqueous solution, and its mechanism of crystallization. (H2O) groups in the structural unit limit the polymerization of the structural unit in one or more directions, controlling the polymerization of the structural unit. This is a major cause of structural diversity in oxygen-based minerals, and accounts for the systematic distribution in mineral species from the core to the surface of the Earth. The moments approach to the electronic-energy density-of-states provides a bond-topological interpretation of the energetics of a structure. When comparing structures, the most important structural differences involve the first few disparate moments of the electronic-energy density-of-states. We may classify chemical reactions according to the lowest-order moment of the electronic-energy density-ofstates that is conserved, which allows us to identify the principal structural changes that drive chemical change: (1) coordination number for discontinuous reactions, and (2) short-range order for continuous reactions. This relation between the bond topology of a structure and its enthalpy of formation from constituent oxides is indicated by a correlation between change in anion-coordination number and reduced enthalpy of formation for the reactions [6]Mgm[4]SinO(m+2n) = mMgO+nSiO2.
Cell wall esterified phenolic dimers: Identification and quantification by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection

An optimized high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure has been developed for the analysis and quantification of all of the known ferulic acid dehydrodimers, and the principle phenolic aldehydes and acids, found in the cell walls of higher plants. The HPLC system uses an ODS2 reverse phase column (5 μm particle size) eluted with a methanol, acetonitrile and water gradient with detection at 280 nm. In addition to providing baseline resolution of most components, the method employs a spectrometric detector which enables the precise identification of eluted components through the analysis of their spectral properties. Analysis of the cell wall phenolics of wheat straw stem (Triticum vulgare) was carried out using this method which is highly versatile and, for certain components, more sensitive than the current gas chromatography–mass spectrometry methodology.
The Interaction of Silicon Self-Interstitials and Substitutional Carbon in Silicon Based Heterostructures

The increasing drive to reduce the size of transistors to sub-100 nm dimensions for overall improved performance is ultimately limited by the control over the dopant profiles. Ultra-sharp profiles can be obtained by techniques like ion-implantation or lowtemperature epitaxy, making the primary challenge to control thermal diffusion of dopants during subsequent fabrication steps after the initial profile is formed. This work examines two approaches to obtain structures with sharp doping profiles: (1) reduce the dopant diffusivity through the incorporation of substitutional carbon; and (2) reduce the thermal budget of the preparation steps for silicon epitaxy creating additional growth flexibility for novel design of structures with sharp dopant profiles. This work’s contribution to the first approach include: (i) development of a new gas chemistry in the Princeton rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) reactor for increased substitutional carbon incorporation in low germanium concentration films, (ii) quantification of the substitutional carbon effect on the dopant diffusivities in and near SiGeC layers, (iii) discovery and understanding that substitutional carbon reacts directly with the silicon self-interstitial in a one-for-one “kick-out” like
Nanoliposomes and Their Applications in Food Nanotechnology

Food nanotechnology involves the utilization of nanocarrier systems to stabilize the bioactive materials against a range of environmental and chemical changes as well as to improve their bioavailability. Nanoliposome technology presents exciting opportunities for food technologists in areas such as encapsulation and controlled release of food materials, as well as the enhanced bioavailability, stability, and shelf-life of sensitive ingredients. Liposomes and nanoliposomes have been used in the food industry to deliver flavors and nutrients and, more recently, have been investigated for their ability to incorporate antimicrobials that could aid in the protection of food products against microbial contamination. In this paper, the main physicochemical properties of liposomes and nanoliposomes are described and some of the industrially applicable methods for their manufacture are reviewed. A summary of the application of nanoliposomes as carrier vehicles of nutrients, nutraceuticals, enzymes, food additives, and food antimicrobials is also presented.
Influence of Submerged-Cap Vinification on Polyphenolic Composition and Volatile Compounds of Barbera Wines

This study compared floating-cap and submerged-cap vinification techniques for making wine from the Barbera cultivar. The submerged-cap method led to less extraction of phenolics during fermentative maceration than the floating-cap method. After soft pressing (0.5 bars), both the press wine and the marcs had higher total anthocyanin concentrations with submerged cap than with floating cap (+68.6% and +79.8%, respectively). No differences were observed between two submerged-cap trials with different pumping-over cycles during fermentative maceration. Despite the lower extraction of anthocyanins and tannins, at racking off the submerged-cap wines had significantly higher concentrations of total anthocyanins and total flavonoids than the floating-cap wines. The higher losses of total anthocyanins in the floating-cap wines were likely partly due to the greater importance of the enzymatic oxidation reactions in the cap, but especially to the more important precipitations of potassium bitartrate, enhanced by the higher extraction of potassium from the skins during fermentative maceration. The submerged-cap wines were also richer in tannins. The differences between the trials became statistically significant only after the union of the free-run wine with the press wine. For total anthocyanins, tannins, and color, these differences remained significant during the first year of aging.
First-principles investigations of the solute–vacancy interaction energy and its effect on the creep properties of α-titanium

Abstract The solute–vacancy interaction energy in α-Ti is investigated systematically by making a supercell total energy calculation using the linear muffin-tin orbital within the atomic sphere approximation. The solutes studied cover most of the elements from the third to the fifth row in the periodic table. The results show that most of the transition-metal elements in the fourth row are repulsive to the vacancy. The simple metal elements and all the transition-metal elements in the fifth row are attractive to the vacancy. The interaction energy between the transition metal solute and vacancy in α-Ti does not exhibit a parabolic behaviour as expected by the d-band-filling mode that has been used to explain the trend of the interaction energy in Cu, Ag, etc. We consider that this deviation is related to the structural instability of some of the solutes in the hcp lattice. Based on the solute–vacancy interaction energy, the effects of the solutes on the creep properties of α-Ti alloys are discussed. On comparison of the calculation results and experimental information, a simple relationship between the solute-vacancy interaction and high-temperature creep properties of Ti alloys is found, that is those solutes attractive to the vacancy can improve the creep resistance, while those repulsive to the vacancy have no beneficial effect on the creep resistance. These results indicate that solute–vacancy interaction may be one of the important factors related to the creep properties of the α-Ti alloys.
Hydrogen Storage in VNx-Hy Thin Films

Vanadium or its alloy-based hydrides are intensively studied at the moment with regard to their use as hydrogen absorbents. Most experiments were carried out using “bulk” materials. This paper uses ion beam-assisted deposition technology (IBAD) to create thin-film nanocrystalline VNx-Hy hydrogen storages. The transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the initial stages of the film formation. The main mechanisms of the formation of intergranular pores in nanogranular structures have been established. The interrelation of the parameters of the IBAD and those of film structure has been shown. The obtained data allowed for the explanation of the mechanisms of hydrogen absorption and desorption by thin films. It was shown that the availability of branched network of intergranular pores allows VNx-Hy structures to accumulate hydrogen within a few minutes at a pressure of 0.5 MPa. Hydrogen in amount of up to 2.55 wt% is retained in the films of 3 μm thick at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The hydrogen desorption starts at 100℃.
NITROGEN MINERALIZATION OF IMMATURE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE COMPOST

Nitrogen (N) mineralization of a municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) blended with two soils of different textures (clay and sandy) and the emergence of ryegrass plants treated with different N fertilizers were studied. Compost-soil samples showed initially a strong immobilization of the mineral N present in the blends. Only after 12 weeks of incubation, positive mineralization was observed in both soils, although it was more intense in the case of the sandy soil. Mineralization process was modeled with a one pool equation, but only in the case of the sandy soil, the model fitted experimental data significantly. Plants showed at the initial emergence stages, differences in biomass and N-content related to the N immobilization observed in the soils treated with MSWC. It may be concluded that these composts must be applied to soils three months before sowing or before the time that a crop needs a continuous supply of N.
Optical activity as a test for dynamic chiral magnetic effect of Weyl semimetals

Recent angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements have identified an inversion symmetry breaking Weyl semimetal phase in TaAs and NbAs. In an inversion symmetry breaking Weyl semimetal the left and the right handed Weyl points can occur at different energies and the energy mismatch between the Weyl points of opposite chirality is known as the chiral chemical potential. In the presence of the chiral chemical potential, the nontrivial Berry curvature of the Weyl fermions gives rise to the \emph{dynamic} chiral magnetic effect. This describes how a time dependent magnetic field leads to an electrical current along the applied field direction, which is also proportional to the field strength. We derive a general formula for the dynamic chiral magnetic conductivity of the inversion symmetry breaking Weyl semimetal. We show that the measurement of the natural optical activity or rotary power provides a direct confirmation of the existence of the dynamic chiral magnetic effect in inversion symmetry breaking Weyl semimetals.
Short-Pulse Operation of a High-Power-Density Proton-Implanted Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Array

We report on a GaAs-based high-power-density vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diode (VCSEL) array with ion-implanted isolated current apertures. A peak output power of 40.6 W has been achieved from the VCSEL array with seven emitters under 100-ns-pulse operation. This is the first demonstration of a ten-watt-class output power for a VCSEL array with ion-implanted isolated current aperture configuration. The corresponding power-density is estimated to be 73.8 kW/cm2, which is three times greater than the record power-density of the short-pulse-operated oxide-confined VCSEL.