Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of MSW Compost on Microbiological and Biochemical Soil Quality Indicators

This laboratory incubation study was conducted to evaluate the effect of municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) as a soil amendment on soil quality indicators, such as microbial biomass, and their activities. The MSWC was compared against cow dung manure (CDM), a traditional organic supplement. The comparative study was carried out in water regimes of 60% water holding capacity (WH) of soil and under waterlogged (WL) condition. MSWC was applied to an alluvial soil (Typic Fluvaquent) at the rates of 0, 2.5, 10, 20 and 40 and CDM at 0, 20 and 40 t/ha. Microbial biomass-C (MBC), glucose induced soil respiration (SR), urease and acid phosphatase activities in soil were analyzed following 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 days of incubation. The parameters studied were significantly higher in CDM-treated than in MSWC-treated soils. Increase in graded doses of MSWC from 2.5 to 40 t/ha substantially increased the MBC, SR, urease and phosphatase activities in the soil. In 60% WH regime, MBC and SR increased for the first 30 days of incubation and then declined. Under the WL regime, the MBC declined while SR increased from 15 days till 120 days of incubation. Urease and phosphatase activities of soil increased for up to 60 days during incubation in 60% WH regime and then decreased. Activities of both the enzymes under WL regime decreased progressively during incubation. There were no negative impacts on the soil quality indicators from high application rates of MSWC.
Extraction of heavy metals from contaminated soils: I. sequential extraction in surface soils and their relationships to DTPA extractable metals and metal plant uptake

Abstract This study was aimed to evaluate the quantity and bioavailability of five metals from five contaminated soils. A selective sequential fractionation procedure was used to separate the metals into six groups: water soluble, exchangeable, carbonate, Fe‐Mn oxide, organic, and residual. The residual fraction was the most abundant only for Pb in most soils, suggesting that Pb was probably more stable and less bioavailable in these soils. Lead, Cd, and Cu were not detected in the water‐soluble fraction of most soils. Although the greatest amounts of Zn and Cu in the non‐residual fraction were in general associated with the Fe‐Mn oxide fraction, and Ni with the organic fraction, an appreciable percentage of these metals were concentrated in the exchangeable or the carbonate bound fraction. As metal behavior in the environment is dependent upon its solubility and mobility in soils, the potential hazard of these metals in these contaminated soils was assessed in this study.
Effects of slope exposure, altitude and yield on coffee quality in two altitude terroirs of Costa Rica, Orosi and Santa Maria de Dota

This study assessed the effects of slope exposure, altitude and yield on several cup quality criteria of coffees from two altitude terroirs of Costa Rica, Orosi (between 1020 and 1250 m above sea level) and Santa Maria de Dota (between 1550 and 1780 m above sea level). East-facing slopes gave beverages with generally superior attributes, probably owing to better exposure to morning sunlight. These beverages were mainly more acid: at Orosi an acidity score of 2.73 out of 5 was obtained (3.64 for Santa Maria de Dota) for eastern exposures, as opposed to 2.36 on average (3.28 for Santa Maria de Dota) for other exposures. In addition, a positive relation was found between altitude and taster preferences in both terroirs. A negative relation was also found between yield and beverage acidity at Santa Maria de Dota, where some coffee trees produced up to 13 kg of coffee cherry. Coffees from Orosi were characterised by a floral flavour, which depended on slope exposure, whilst coffees from Santa Maria de Dota displayed a chocolate taste, which was more marked at high altitude. In both terroirs the caffeine, trigonelline, fat, sucrose and chlorogenic acid contents were not well correlated with the sensory characteristics. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
The Water Activity of Canned Foods

This work reports the aw values of a diversity of commercially canned foods (54 samples), including fruits and vegetables and cured and uncured meat products. The aw of canned fruit products (pieces in syrup, purees and juices) ranges between 0.950 and 0.992. Canned cured meats (i.e. deviled ham, meat and liver pastes, corned beef, cooked ham) have aw values in the range 0.970–0.984, while uncured canned meats display aw values above 0.982.
Time-setting of sound-objects: a constraint-satisfaction approach

This paper deals with the scheduling of “sound-objects”, hereby meaning predefined sequences of elementary tasks in a sound processor, with each task mapped to a time-point. Given a structure of sound-objects completely ordered in a phase diagram, an “instance” of the structure may be obtained by computing the dates at which each task should be executed. Time-setting the structure amounts to solving a system of constraints depending on (1) metric and topological properties of sound-objects , (2) contexts in which they are found, and (3) parameters related to the performance itself (“smooth” or “striated” time, speed, etc.). This may require relocating/truncating objects or delaying part of the sound-object structure. A constraint-satisfaction algorithm is introduced, the time complexity of which is O(n.k) in most cases, where n is the number of sequences and k the maximum length of a sequence. In the worst case it remains better than O(n 2 .k 3 ). Other fields of applications are proposed,
Dilute nonisovalent (II-VI)-(III-V) semiconductor alloys: Monodoping, codoping, and cluster doping in ZnSe-GaAs

A dilute nonisovalent semiconductor alloy, made of a III-V semiconductor component (GaAs) mixed with a II-VI semiconductor (ZnSe), can be viewed as the doping of a host semiconductor with a lower (higher) valent cation and a higher (lower) valent anion. We have investigated different doping types, i.e., monodoping, triatomic codoping, and cluster doping, in the ZnSe-GaAs system using ab initio pseudopotential plane-wave calculations. We find the following: (i) The acceptor dopant clusters are stabilized in a chemical potential range different from that of the donor dopant clusters. This explains the experimental observation that a nonisovalent alloy has a distinct carrier polarity. (ii) Cluster doping, e.g., (Zn-Se 4 ) 3 + or (Se-Zn 4 ) 3 + in GaAs, is predicted to be stable at extreme chemical potential limits, and also to contribute free carriers. (iii) Triatomic codoping is predicted to be thermodynamically unstable. (iv) Cluster doping produces shallower acceptor/donor levels than monodoping and triatomic codoping. (v) There is a strong attractive interaction between positively charged donors and negatively charged acceptors. Therefore, a high concentration of the charge-neutral dopant pairs exists in the alloy. This finding explains why free carriers in a nonisovalent alloy have a high mobility. (vi) Our results also explain the asymmetric dependence of the band gap on the alloy composition. Specifically. adding a small amount of Ga+As into ZnSe leads to a sharp drop in the band gap of the host crystal, whereas adding Zn+Se into GaAs does not change the band gap very much.
Contaminant diffusion, solubility, and material property differences between HDPE and PEX potable water pipes.

The objectives of this work were to identify differences between the composition, bulk properties, contaminant diffusivity and solubility for new high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe and crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) pipe, as well as determine which contaminant and polymer properties are useful for predicting contaminant fate in water pipe. Variations in PE pipe density ( 0.9371–0.9547 g/ cm3 ) , crystallinity (69–72%), crosslinking (60 and 76%), and oxidative induction time (33 to >295 min .) were detected. While numerically these differences seem minor, results show that slight material differences have a notable effect on contaminant diffusivity and solubility. Nonpolar contaminant diffusivity and solubility were best predicted by bulk density. Polar contaminants were more soluble and diffused faster through PEX than HDPE pipes because PEX pipes contained a greater amount of oxygen. For all materials, dipole moment and Log Kow were good predictors of contaminant fate and molecular volume was only use.
Self-diffusion of n-paraffins in NaX zeolite

Self-diffusion coefficients for intracrystalline diffusion of n-CnH2n+2 molecules (n= 1–18) adsorbed in NaX zeolite have been measured by means of the n.m. r. pulsed field gradient technique as a function of temperature (–150 to +220°C) and of sorbate concentration. While the self-diffusion coefficients decrease over two orders of magnitude, the activation energy remains constant with increasing pore-filling factor. Only for methane and ethane are significant changes in the activation energies observed. For the light paraffins (n⩽ 7) the pre-exponential factors of Henry constants and self-diffusion coefficients can be estimated from the activation energy of self-diffusion. For n 7 the pre-exponential factors of the self-diffusion coefficients of the sorbate (as well as of the liquid) obey the relation D(n)≈D(n0) exp[–0.3(n—n0)]. The concentration dependence of the self-diffusion coefficients can be described quantitatively using a modification of the free volume theory. In contrast to its original application to pure liquids where the mean jump lengths are assumed to be constant, the peculiarity of zeolitic diffusion is taken into account by equating the jump lengths with the cube root of the molecular free volume.Additional information about the microdynamics of diffusion is obtained by including the results of n.m. r. relaxation analysis. On the basis of these investigations, values for mean molecular jump lengths can be determined. They are in satisfactory agreement with the values estimated on the basis of the free volume theory.
Investigation on Methanol Spray Characteristics

The effects of opening pressure, ambient density, and nozzle diameter on penetration length and cone angle of methanol sprays were investigated. The methanol sprays schlieren photographs were recorded by a high-speed charge coupled device (CCD) camera. The methanol spray characteristics were analyzed. The methanol spray penetration length increases with the increase of the opening pressure. The methanol spray penetration and tip velocity decrease quickly with the increase of ambient density; on the contrary, they will increase with the increase of nozzle diameter. Between 12 and 18 MPa, the opening pressure has little influence on the spray angle and the angle remains nearly constant during the whole injection process. The spray cone angle increases with the increase of the ambient density or the nozzle diameter. Compared with diesel, the penetration of methanol is shorter and the cone angle of methanol is larger at the same experimental condition. The temporal evolution law of Hiroyasu was modified accor.
NMR spectroscopy: quantum‐chemical calculations

The first‐principles computation of nuclear magnetic resonance parameters, in particular chemical shift and spin–spin coupling tensors, is reviewed. After a brief nontechnical introduction into the methodology behind such calculations, selected applications from chemistry and biochemistry in solution and the solid state are highlighted. Special attention is called to cases wherein theory can help in structure determination and refinement, as well as in the interpretation of the observables. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2011 1 634–647 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.63
APPLICATION OF RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY TO OPTIMIZE COMPOSITE FLOUR FOR THE PRODUCTION AND ENHANCED STORABILITY OF LEAVENED FLAT BREAD (NAAN)

In this study response surface methodology (RSM) was used for suitable optimization of supplement and emulsifier for improving wheat flour protein without adversely affecting naan texture during storage. Flours of two Pakistani wheat varieties were supplemented with 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% gram flour and 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0% glycerol monostearate (GMS). Naans of composite flour were tested at 0, 12 and 24 h. The sensory evaluation top ranked the combination of 15 and 0.4% gram flour and GMS, respectively. The 15% level of gram flour was subdivided (10, 12.5, 15, 17.5 and 20%) to find out the exact combination with different levels of GMS to obtain naans with better texture. RSM analyzed the number of levels of gram flour and GMS by log-linear response functions giving 13.06% gram flour and 0.32% GMS as the suitable combination for acceptable texture of naans, which was verified by sensory evaluation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This optimization study has a great potential for practical application as the findings directly address solution of protein malnutrition without deteriorating the appeal and acceptability of the product. The optimized proportion of the supplement and the emulsifier could be recommended for incorporation into wheat flour at the national flour mills level in order to make up protein deficiency of the masses at a large scale. Food industry can also use this recipe in the formulation of supplemented and related food products. Following this approach, a wide range of food products can be had with some modifications. This work opens new venues for exploration in product development. Moreover, the successful application of response surface methodology involving central composite design in this study could induce its practical applications in similar future studies.
22.5% efficient silicon heterojunction solar cell with molybdenum oxide hole collector

Substituting the doped amorphous silicon films at the front of silicon heterojunction solar cells with wide-bandgap transition metal oxides can mitigate parasitic light absorption losses. This was recently proven by replacing p-type amorphous silicon with molybdenum oxide films. In this article, we evidence that annealing above 130 °C—often needed for the curing of printed metal contacts—detrimentally impacts hole collection of such devices. We circumvent this issue by using electrodeposited copper front metallization and demonstrate a silicon heterojunction solar cell with molybdenum oxide hole collector, featuring a fill factor value higher than 80% and certified energy conversion efficiency of 22.5%.
Decay of electrical charge on polyethylene films

The characteristics of the decay of the surface potential of corona-charged untreated polyethylene films 25 mu m thick in air have been investigated using a well-defined circular charging area and a high-resolution 80 mu m diameter induction probe. Distinct differences between the decay characteristics of negative and positive surface charges emerge. In the former case, the nature of the decay is shown to depend not only on the magnitude of the surface potential (700-3000 V) but also on the presence of the corona light. Corona light incident on the centre of the exposed area during charging subsequently leads to a much more rapid decay of charge in this region. In contrast, corona light has no effect on the subsequent decay of positive charges which appears to decay very much in accordance with known theories. The corona light is shown to be responsible for the so-called 'cross-over' phenomena which hitherto has been observed, notably by Ieda and co-workers (1967, 1968) after positive charging.
Noisy Gradient Meshes

Vector graphics is a powerful approach for representing scalable illustrations. These vector graphics are composed of primitives which define an image. Existing high-level vector graphics primitives are able to model smooth colour transitions well and can be used to vectorise raster images which feature large regions with constant or slowly changing colour gradients. However, when applied to natural images, these methods often result in many small gradient primitives due to high frequency regions present in the image. Working with many gradient primitives becomes a tedious process and thus a solution has to be found in which a high level of detail can be achieved while the underlying mesh remains simple. Procedural noise has been used for texture synthesis before, but it is rarely used in combination with vector graphic primitives. In this research, a gradient mesh is combined with a procedural noise function.
Packed Bed Reactor Technology for Chemical-Looping Combustion

Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) has emerged as an alternative for conventional power production processes to intrinsically integrate power production and CO2 capture. In this work a new reactor concept for CLC is proposed, based on dynamically operated packed bed reactors. With analytical expressions validated with a more detailed numerical model, it is demonstrated that a constant, very high temperature air stream can be generated efficiently using packed bed CLC reactors to drive a downstream gas turbine. The process consists of alternate oxidation and reduction cycles, intermittently alternated with short periods of mild fluidization of the bed after each cycle to level off temperature and concentration profiles. Oxygen carriers based on nickel, iron, and manganese oxide show the highest potential for use in packed bed CLC. Compared to the interconnected fluidized bed system proposed in the literature (Lyngfelt, A. ; Leckner, B. ; Mattisson, T. A fluidized-bed combustion process with inherent CO2 separation; application of chemical-looping combustion
Treatment and Decolorization of Dyes in an Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

Synthetic organic colorants, the majority of which are recalcitrant in nature, are used universally in many different manufacturing processes. The dyes are released into the environment in industrial effluents and are highly visible even at low concentrations ( 20 g/L) to inhibitory (IC\D50\N = 0.2 mg/L). Batch biodegradability assays indicated that the dyes were not readily utilized by the anaerobic microorganisms as a sole substrate. Decolorization of the dye tartrazine was investigated in a laboratory-scale anaerobic baffled reactor at a concentration of 250 mg/L. Reduction in COD of 50–60% and color reduction of about 95% was achieved. Initially the tartrazine was not readily decolorized; however, decolorization improved with acclimation of the biomass. An industrial wastewater from a food dye manufacturer was fed to a second laboratory-scale anaerobic baffled reactor at a concentration of 5% (volume-to-volume ratio) and then increased to 10%. Anaerobic degradation of the wastewater was efficient. Methanogenic activity was high; the organic content of the influent was reduced by about 70%, and color was reduced by almost 90%.
Direct Mechanochemical Synthesis of Nanocrystalline NiWO4

The possibilities of mechanochemical activation as a successful route for direct synthesis of NiWO4 have been studied. A stoichiometric mixture of NiO and WO3 in a 1:1 molar ratio was subjected to intense mechanical treatment in air using a planetary ball mill for different periods of time. The phase and structural transformations were monitored by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that 7.5 h of milling of the reagents leads to complete crystallization of single nanostructured phase NiWO4 at room temperature.
Modeling the Soil Shrinkage and Water Retention Curves with the Same Equations

Recent studies underlined the likeness of soil water retention (WRC) and shrinkage curves (ShC) with respect to their shapes. This paper aims at experimentally discussing the possible use of the same equations to fit them. The WRC (on the tensiometric range) and ShC were simultaneously determined on a series made of 28 undisturbed soil cores collected in surface horizons from a wide variety of soil types, with clay content ranging from 8.5 to 65% and of 30 repacked soil samples of various clay contents and mineralogies. The van Genuchten (VG) closed-form equation of WRC and the VG modified equation of ShC, with five and three parameters, respectively, were found to fit well to both curves, but they did not properly reproduce the observed linear parts and sloping ends of both curves, and the dissymmetric shapes of the ShC as well. The exponential shrinkage model XP fitted significantly better to both the WRC with five parameters and the ShC with eight parameters. It is shown that the transition points of the XP equations independently fitted on the ShC and WRC curves occur at the same gravimetric water content, thus illustrating the likeness of the curves with respect to their shape. The WRC was estimated with a reasonable accuracy from the water content of the ShC transition points plus some measured suction values.
The Ice/Water Interface: Density–Temperature Phase Diagram for the SPC/E Model of Liquid Water

The density–temperature diagram for SPC/E water at one bar pressure is studied with correct treatment of long-range potentials. The density maximum was obtained at temperature 240 K. The melting temperature for ice I h is estimated to be 225±5 K from the simulations of ice/water coexistence. A local order parameter for ice/water interface is discussed.
Investigation of Blade Tip Interaction With Casing Treatment in a Transonic Compressor: Part 1—Particle Image Velocimetry

A single-stage transonic axial compressor was equipped with a casing treatment (CT), consisting of 3.5 axial slots per rotor pitch in order to investigate the predicted extension of the stall margin characteristics both numerically and experimentally. Contrary to most other studies the CT was designed especially accounting for an optimized optical access in the immediate vicinity of the CT, rather than giving maximum benefit in terms of stall margin extension. Part 1 of this two-part contribution describes the experimental investigation of the blade tip interaction with casing treatment using Particle image velocimetry (PIV). The nearly rectangular geometry of the CT cavities allowed a portion of it to be made of quartz glass with curvatures matching the casing. Thus the flow phenomena could be observed with essentially no disturbance caused by the optical access. Two periscope light sheet probes were specifically designed for this application to allow for precise alignment of the laser light sheet at three different radial positions in the rotor passage (87.5%, 95% and 99%). For the outermost radial position the light sheet probe was placed behind the rotor and aligned to pass the light sheet through the blade tip clearance. It was demonstrated that the PIV technique is capable of providing velocity information of high quality even in the tip clearance region of the rotor blades. The chosen type of smoke-based seeding with very small particles (about 0.5 μm in diameter) supported data evaluation with high spatial resolution, resulting in a final grid size of 0.5 × 0.5 mm. The PIV data base established in this project forms the basis for further detailed evaluations of the flow phenomena present in the transonic compressor stage with CT and allows validation of accompanying CFD calculations using the TRACE code. Based on the combined results of PIV measurements and CFD calculations of the same compressor and CT geometry a better understanding of the complex flow characteristics can be achieved, as detailed in Part 2 of this paper.Copyright © 2008 by ASME