Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volatile organic compound emissions in relation to plant carbon fixation and the terrestrial carbon budget

A substantial amount of carbon is emitted by terrestrial vegetation as biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC), which contributes to the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, to particle production and to the carbon cycle. With regard to the carbon budget of the terrestrial biosphere, a release of these carbon compounds is regarded as a loss of photosynthetically fixed carbon. The significance of this loss for the regional and global carbon cycles is controversial. We estimate the amount of VOC carbon emitted in relation to the CO2 taken up, based on our own enclosure and micrometeorological flux measurements of VOC emissions and CO2 exchange within the Mediterranean area and the tropical rainforest in Amazonia and on literature data. While VOC flux estimates are small in relation to net primary productivity and gross primary productivity, the amount of carbon lost as VOC emissions can be highly significant relative to net ecosystem productivity. In fact, VOC losses are of the same order of magnitude as net biome productivity. Although we must assume that large amounts of these reemissions are recycled within the biosphere, a substantial part can be assumed to be lost into longer‐lived oxidation products that are lost from the terrestrial biosphere by transport. However, our current knowledge does not allow a reliable estimation of this carbon loss.
L'assolement influence-t-il la qualité des paysages agricoles pour les oiseaux nicheurs ? Estimations à partir de bases de données nationales

Les pratiques d'assolement pourraient ameliorer la qualite des paysages agricoles pour l'avifaune, et plus generalement pour la biodiversite. Les relations entre avifaune et cultures sont habituellement abordees aux echelles locales (valeurs des differentes cultures comme habitat) et nationales (analyses de tendances), mais peu a celle du paysage. Nous avons confronte les donnees du Suivi Temporel des Oiseaux Communs sur environ 500 paysages de 400 ha a des donnees d'occupation du sol a haute resolution. Pour parametrer des modeles de reponse de l'avifaune, nous avons exploite les variations entre paysages distants (modeles synchroniques), et les variations de paysages suivis d'une annee a l'autre (modeles diachroniques). Nous avons observe d'une part que la valeur des cultures comme habitat ne prejuge pas des reponses a l'echelle du paysage, et d'autre part que les reponses synchroniques sont plus fortes que les diachroniques, et parfois contraires. Nous en deduisons une disjonction entre la qualite du paysage pour l'avifaune et l'effet immediat de son attractivite sous l'effet des cultures. Les reponses sont modestes et variables selon les contextes paysagers et geographiques. Elles sont plus marquees en contexte de bocage et concernent davantage les specialistes agricoles que l'ensemble de la communaute. La diversite des cultures est favorable ou neutre selon les cas. L'interet des modeles prenant en compte explicitement les interactions entre cultures nous permet de conjecturer que la valeur de chaque culture comme habitat n'est pas fixe et depend de leur combinaison. Les signaux detectes par cette etude correlative sont faibles et doivent etre interpretes comme tendances qui ne permettent pas de produire du conseil dans des situations particulieres. Si l'on considere les niveaux des filieres et des territoires, les resultats remettent en cause certains modeles simples utilises pour realiser des evaluations.
Dynamic Simulation of Reactive Batch Distillation Column for Ethyl Acetate Synthesis

A detailed mathematical dynamic model of reactive batch distillation column is formulated for ethyl acetate synthesis and presented in terms of differential and algebraic equations (DAEs). These DAEs are solved using fourth order Runge-Kutta method in MATLAB® to obtain the detailed column dynamics. The simulation results provide the dynamics of reboiler and distillate compositions, reboiler temperature, ethyl acetate purity in the accumulated distillate and conversion of the reactants. These results are analyzed to derive the optimum operating policy, i.e., reflux ratio and batch time.
Serum IRAP, a Novel Direct Biomarker of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes?

Insulin resistance (IR), currently called prediabetes (PD), affects more than half of the adult population worldwide. Type 2 diabetes (T2D), which often follows in the absence of treatment, affects more than 475 million people and represents 10–20% of the health budget in industrialized countries. A preventive public health policy is urgently needed in order to stop this constantly progressing epidemic. Indeed, early management of prediabetes does not only strongly reduce its evolution toward T2D but also strongly reduces the appearance of cardiovascular comorbidity as well as that of associated cancers. There is however currently no simple and reliable test available for the diagnosis or screening of prediabetes and it is generally estimated that 20–60% of diabetics are not diagnosed. We therefore developed an ELISA for the quantitative determination of serum Insulin-Regulated AminoPeptidase (IRAP). IRAP is associated with and translocated in a stoechiometric fashion to the plasma membrane together with GLUT4 in response to insulin in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue which are the two major glucose storage sites. Its extracellular domain (IRAPs) is subsequently cleaved and secreted in the blood stream. In T2D, IRAP translocation in response to insulin is strongly decreased. Our patented sandwich ELISA is highly sensitive (≥10.000-fold “normal” fasting concentrations) and specific, robust and very cost-effective. Dispersion of fasting plasma concentration values in a healthy population is very low (101.4 ± 15.9 μg/ml) as compared to those of insulin (21–181 pmol/l) and C-peptide (0.4–1.7 nmol/l). Results of pilot studies indicate a clear correlation between IRAPs levels and insulin sensitivity. We therefore think that plasma IRAPs may be a direct marker of insulin sensitivity and that the quantitative determination of its plasma levels should allow large-scale screening of populations at risk for PD and T2D, thereby allow the enforcement of a preventive health policy aiming at efficiently reducing this epidemic.
A Study of Hydraulic Fracture Conductivity and Its Dependence on Proppant Wettability

Abstract Engineering design of hydraulic fracturing proppants typically focuses on maximizing permeability retention under stress, resistance to high temperatures, and controlling properties such as specific gravity and particle size; less attention is paid to the proppant's wetting characteristics and their potential impact on the deliverability of a hydraulic fracture. The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of proppant wettability on the conductivity of hydraulic fractures through laboratory measurements. Results demonstrate a competing effect between permeability and wettability, the latter having a diminished impact on displacement efficiency at high permeability values.
Rotational propensities in the state selection of NH+3 by pulsed–field ionization

NH+3 ions have been prepared in unique vibration–rotation states v+2, N+, K+, by pulsed–field ionization of high Rydberg states of NH3, populated by two–colour multiphoton excitation. The selected states, ranging from v+3=0 to 7 and N+, K+ ≤ 4 are accessed via the B and C′ states as intermediates. The application of multichannel quantum defect theory to the understanding of the rotational propensities in the mass–analysed threshold ionization spectra is discussed. It is demonstrated that the interactions of the Rydberg pseudo–continuum both with bound Rydberg states and with other continua can be modelled.
Oil-Aging Mechanism on 52100 Steel with Hydrocarbon Oils Containing Tricresyl Phosphate (TCP)

Experience has shown that the lubrication behavior of steel bearings can be significantly improved by a pretreatment called oil aging. Neat tricresyl phosphate (TCP) is normally used for this process (1)—(4). In this study, however, two hydrocarbon-type oils, each containing one percent TCP, were used for oil aging 52100 steel specimens under a variety of experimental conditions. Each coating formed as a result of the oil-aging process was analyzed by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The results indicate that microscale oxidation of the base oil and preferential adsorption phenomena within the oil system components are necessary for the formation of a desirable coating, including a phosphate type of material. The absence of aromatics and polar contaminants in the lubricant is also a determinant factor for the formation of a phosphate coating. The nature of this phosphate and the mechanism of its formation are explained. Presented at the 39th Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, May 7–10.
The Formation of Rain by Coalescence in Very Shallow Cumulus

It is demonstrated theoretically that showers may be released by coalescence from shallow cumulus, only 1 km deep, lasting for one hour and having cloud-droplet spectra typical of those measured in clouds formed in clean, maritime air. In clouds formed in more heavily polluted continental air and which have higher concentrations of smaller cloud droplets, the coalescence process is delayed and retarded so that, under otherwise comparable conditions, the time required for shower formation is considerably increased. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1959. tb00022.x
Plasma sheath thickness in radio-frequency discharges

The radio‐frequency glow discharges of several kinds of gases were examined to measure the ion sheath thickness at the cathode electrode. At intermediate gas pressures around 0.05– 0.5 Torr, the sheath thickness d depends on the pressure P in the expression P1/2d=K0 for almost all of the discharges examined. It was also pointed out that the constant K0 value decreased linearly against a mass of the predominant ion in the plasma. The discrepancy between the sheath thickness measured in this work and by theoretical solution was discussed for the argon discharge.
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AGAINST MEN. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HOW DEFINITION, STUDY CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITY AFFECTS PREVALENCE

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important social problem, but historically the scientific research has focused mostly on the female victims. Several reviews exist on female victims, but no on male victims. The prevalence rates presented in the literature are very heterogeneous, which has been explained by variations in methodology, a lack of a clear recognized definition and a missing golden standard. This thesis reviews prevalence rates in studies on IPV with a male victim, and answers the following questions; (1) What are the total prevalence rates in relation to the different study characteristics and do we see any significant differences within these characteristics? (2) How does the definition of intimate partner violence and study characteristics affect the prevalence rate? (3) What type of relationship do we see between the quality of studies and prevalence rate? A systematic review has been carried out resulting in 49 relevant studies on male victims of IPV. The data from these 49 studies have been extracted based on the operationalization of “definition” in categories of type of violence, type of instrument and number of survey questions and in the operationalization of study quality based on a quality index by Looney et al. (2000). A students t-test and linear regression models was conducted to answer the research questions. This study finds that men are more often victims of psychological violence than physical violence, which is in contrast to female victims. The study also finds that the introduction of each of the definition-variables results in higher prevalence rates. This indicates, that factors related to the definition are important elements in the study of IPV prevalence in male victims.
Quality Characteristics of Wheat Germ Oil Obtained by Innovative Subcritical Butane Experimental Equipment

Subcritical butane extraction (SBE) was used to extract oil from wheat germ and was compared with conventional n-hexane extraction (CHE) and supercritical CO2 extraction (SC-CO2E) methods. By analyzing the extraction yield, composition of fatty acids and characteristic functional contents such as VE, phytosterols and phospholipids in wheat germ oil (WGO), the selective extraction characteristics of subcritical butane were evaluated. The results indicated that compared with SC-CO2E and CHE, SBE had no significant difference in oil yield, fatty acid compositions, acid value and peroxide value of WGO. However, the content of phytosterols in the oil extracted by SBE (2,326 mg/100 g) was higher than that extracted by CHE (921 mg/100 g) or SC-CO2E (1,381 mg/100 g). The VE content of WGO extracted by SBE (359 mg/100 g) was equivalent to that extracted by CHE (357 mg/100 g) and slightly less than that extracted by SC-CO2E (374 mg/100 g). And the content of phospholipids in WGO extracted by SBE (12.41 mg/g) was lower than that extracted by CHE (17.78 mg/g). In conclusion, SBE was able to retain the bioactive compounds in WGO when compared with CHE. Practical Applications Wheat germ oil is a type of functional oil enriched with bioactive compounds that have great latent capacity for further exploitation. However, conventional extraction methods of edible oil lead to oil oxidation and degradation or loss of bioactive components after desolvation and refinement (Pradhan et al. 2010). In addition, due to the shortcomings of supercritical CO2 extraction technology such as costly equipment investment, low productivity and high cost of production, subcritical fluid extraction technology can be applied to industrial production owing to its use of low pressure and room temperature for extraction. The present study demonstrates that subcritical butane has better extracting power for bioactive compounds in wheat germ oil than conventional n-hexane. Choosing subcritical butane extraction technology can help the fats and oils industry to improve the quality of high value-added oil while lowering production costs.
Flavonoids from the roots of Dioclea reflexa (Hook F.)

Reflevone ( 1 ), a new flavone, together with, mearnsetin ( 2 ), 7,4'-dihydroxyflavone ( 3 ) and two known phytosterols, β-sitosterol ( 4 ) and stigmasterol ( 5 ) were isolated from ethanol soluble part of the roots of Dioclea reflexa (Hook F.). Their structures were elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data involving 1D and 2D NMR, MS, IR and UV experiments. The crude roots extract showed significant activity with IC 50 = 5.18 µg/mL against the prostate cancer cell line. KEY WORDS : Phytochemical analysis, Dioclea reflexa , Fabaceae, Cytotoxic activity, Flavonoid Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2015 , 29(3), 441-448. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4314/bcse.v29i3. 12
EFFECTS OF ORGANIC AMENDMENTS APPLICATION ON GRAIN YIELD, LEAF CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT AND SOME MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN SOYBEAN CULTIVARS

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of organic amendments on grain yield, leaf chlorophyll content, and some morphological characteristics of three soybean cultivars in Mazandaran province located at north of Iran in 2006. Chemical fertilizer (75 kg ha−1 potassium sulfate and triple superphosphate), two levels of municipal solid waste, vermicompost and sewage sludge biosolid (20 and 40 Mg ha−1) enriched with%50 chemical fertilizers needed by soil were applied to soybean cultivars (‘032’ and ‘033’ promising lines and ‘JK’ cultivar). The experiment was carried out in split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Some important plant characters such as grain yield, leaf chlorophyll content, number of branches, number of nodes on the main stem, length of internodes, stem diameter, first pod height and plant height were determined. Results showed that application of 40 Mg ha−1 sewage sludge enriched with chemical fertilizers increased plant grain yield and stem diameter and application of 40 Mg ha−1 vermicompost enriched with half chemical fertilizer increased the number of nodes on the main stem, significantly. The maximum length of internodes, first pod height and plant height were obtained when the 40 Mg ha−1 sewage sludge and vermicompost enriched with half chemical fertilizer in ‘032’ line was used. Biomass, number of branches, stem diameter, number of nodes on the main stem of soybean cultivars had a positive and significant correlation with grain yield.
Soil remediation using in situ immobilisation techniques

The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficiency of different substrates to reduce the extraction of heavy metals concentration in a heavily contaminated soil. Two contaminated soils by Cu and Zn were used to evaluate the effectiveness of eight substrates (calcium carbonate, bentonite, kaolinite, charcoal, manganese oxide, iron oxide, zeolite, phosphate) to reduce metal availability and to study the change of metals speciation in different forms using sequential extraction technique (single step). Sequential extraction technique (single step, 0.11 M acetic acid, HONH3Cl, H2O2+NH4OAc, Aqua regia) was applied on contaminated soils after and before treatment to evaluate metals speciation. Results indicate that the most effective treatments in decreasing available metal concentrations were calcium carbonate, zeolite and manganese or iron oxide. Metal sequential fractionations indicate that the exchangeable fraction of Cu and Zn in contaminated soils can be transformed into unavailable forms after chemical remediation.
Efficient extraction of carboxylated spherical cellulose nanocrystals with narrow distribution through hydrolysis of lyocell fibers by using ammonium persulfate as an oxidant

An efficient and low-cost approach to prepare spherical cellulose nanocrystals (SCNCs) is presented through chemical hydrolysis of lyocell fibers in an ammonium persulfate (APS) solution. The as-prepared cellulose nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, laser light scattering particle analysis, wide angle X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and thermal gravimetric analysis. Effects of hydrolysis conditions, such as reaction time and temperature, and APS concentration on the morphology, microstructure, and thermal stability of cellulose nanoparticles are discussed. Moreover, it is found that under mild reaction conditions, cellulose nanoparticles are spherical particles with a narrow diameter distribution, and have a cellulose II polymorphic crystalline structure with surface carboxyl groups. The optimal hydrolysis time was found to be around 16 h for hydrolysis at 80 °C with a 1 M APS aqueous solution.
Determination of Mercury (Hg) in Sediment by a Sequential Injection (SI) System With Cold Vapor Generation Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (CVAFS) Detection After a Rapid and Mild Microwave-Assisted Digestion

A simple and rapid method has been developed for the determination of total Hg in drainage sediment. The method is performed by using a sequential injection (SI) system with cold vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVAFS) after a closed microwave assisted digestion. Digestion was carried out at a temperature of 140°C for 5 minutes using a mixture of 10% HCl + 50% HNO3 +40% H2O as digestion acid media. Stability experiment revealed that the extracted samples were stable in 24 hours. The SI–CVAFS system was well optimized. At optimized conditions, the detection limit of the method was 0.5 ng/g−1. Relative standard deviation (RSD) for the complete procedure by the analysis of the 10 digestions was 3.7%. The method was validated against 3 drainage sediment certified reference materials: GSD-2, GSD-9, and GSD-10 and successfully applied to the determination of Hg in the sediment of Pi River, China.
Sorption and Preconcentration of Vanadium, Chromium, Manganese, and Lead on Silica Gel Modified with (3‐Mercaptopropyl) Trimethoxysilane

Abstract 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, (CH3O)3SiCH2CH2CH2SH, loaded on silica gel was used as a preconcentration sorbent for V, Cr, Mn and Pb prior to their determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spetrometry (GFAAS). Surface characteristics and surface area of the silica gel before and after chemical modification were determined by elemental analysis. The retention and recovery of the analyte elements were studied by applying batch and column techniques. The experimental parameters, such as the effect of pH of the sample, shaking time in batch technique, flow rate of the eluent, the concentration of acid solution in the column section, and the amount of silica on retention and elution have been investigated. All elements were quantitatively (≥90%) recovered in the batch technique with R.S. D. values of 3.0 for vanadium, 1.8 for chromium, 1.7 for manganese, and 0.4 for lead. The same recoveries were obtained in the column techniques for all elements, while manganese in sea water could not be succesfully recovered. Detection limits of the method for vanadium, chromium, manganese, and lead are 1.1, 1.4, 1.3, and 0.8 ng, respectively.
Angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of ultrathin Al2O3 films grown by atomic layer deposition

Thin (45 nm) and ultrathin (4.5–1 nm) Al2O3 layers deposited on HF-stripped Si or thin SiO2 surfaces by atomic layer deposition were studied by angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, before and after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 800 °C for 15 min in N2 or annealing in a conventional furnace under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) (p=10−6 mbar) and N2 at the same temperature. Samples were characterized in terms of chemical defects and interfacial regrowth upon annealing. Chemical defects as Al–OH groups are evidenced from the O 1s spectra even after RTA. Interfacial regrowth, estimated from the Si 2p components intensity, was found (1) to occur upon every kind of annealing, (2) to be dependent on the initial Al2O3 thickness (the thicker the layer the greater the regrowth), and (3) to be significantly reduced on SiO2 surfaces as thin as 0.5 nm. In agreement with previous studies, we also consistently found the presence of an oxidized Si component at the Al2O3/substrate interface centered at 102 eV for wh.