Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The policy-driven boom and bust in the housing market: Evidence from Mongolia

This paper examines the effects of a mortgage interest rate subsidy on boom and bust in the housing market by exploiting the Housing Mortgage (HM) program implemented in Mongolia. Main results are (i) the recent housing boom occurred from 2012Q2 to 2014Q1, while the housing bust lasted four years, (ii) both house-specific factors and macroeconomic variables have a significant influence on the housing price dynamics, (iii) mortgage interest rate semi-elasticity and real household income elasticity for Mongolia are estimated as -3.0 and 1.4, respectively, and (iv) dynamic analysis of the estimated VECMs suggests that the policy intervention in the mortgage market (i.e., introducing an interest rate subsidy on mortgage loans for buying residential properties with below 80 square meters) has driven the recent housing boom in Mongolia.
Synthesis and plasmonic properties of monodisperse Au–Ag alloy nanoparticles of different compositions from a single-source organometallic precursor

Monodisperse Au–Ag alloy nanoparticles of different compositions are prepared through the mild decomposition of the bimetallic precursor [Au2Ag2(C6F5)4(OEt2)2]n in an organic solvent using hexadecylamine (HDA) as a stabilizing ligand. The effects of different reaction parameters on the size and composition of the nanoparticles, such as the metal : HDA ratio, the use of H2 reducing gas or the solvent (toluene, THF or mesitylene), have been studied through TEM, HRTEM, EDS, UV/Vis and 19F NMR spectroscopy. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) displayed by the spherical Au–Ag nanoparticles can be tuned as a function of the metal composition.
Numerical Computation of pH and Buffer Capacity in Complex Mixtures of Acids, Bases and Ampholytes

This study was aimed to simplify the pH calculation for complex mixtures of acids, bases andampholytes; the theoretical concept on pH calculation was renovated. A new algorithm was proposed tostate that buffer capacity (b) could be simultaneously achieved with pH. To validate the method, the buffersystems of Na2HPO4/NaH2PO4 and Na2HPO4/citric acid were employed. Acid and base titration was doneon the buffer systems using HCl and NaOH, respectively. It was demonstrated that only the charge balanceequation (CBE) was necessary and sufficient to successfully compute b. To achieve the desirable accuracy,the pH interval used in such algorithm should be 10-4 for general calculation; between 10-4 and 10-2 for 8significant-digits calculation; between 2 x 10-10 and 4 x 10-4 for 16 significant-digits calculation. Visual BasicSource Code written in Microsoft AccessTM for demonstrating computation of pH and b of pure water wasalso illustrated. Key Words: pH; Buffer capacity; Computational prediction; Algorithm
Measurement of nitrous oxide emissions from grassland soil using photo‐acoustic infra‐red spectroscopy, long‐path infra‐red spectroscopy, gas chromatography, and continuous flow isotope‐ratio mass spectrometry

Abstract This study evaluated the performance of photo‐acoustic infra‐red spectroscopy (PAIRS) for measuring nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes in the field, in comparison with long‐path infra‐red spectroscopy ('Hawk'), gas chromatography (GC), and continuous flow isotope‐ratio mass spectrometry (CF‐IRMS). The N2O flux measurements from fertilized and grazed grassland were made simultaneously by the different methods, before and after water application. Before irrigation, mean N2O fluxes ranged from 3 to 20 g N ha1 day1 for the PAIRS and GC measurements, but were undetectable with the Hawk. Within 2 hours of irrigation, mean fluxes increased to 740, 640, and 270 g N ha‘1day1, based on GC, PAIRS, and Hawk measurements, respectively. After about 24 hours, irrigation had reached its full effect and N2O fluxes had increased to 1,050,710, and 410 g N ha1 day1. The GC measurements were consistently higher than the PAIRS measurements. However, a second experiment, comparing the PAIRS analyzer with continuous flow isotop.
Existence of a Hydroperoxy and Water (HO2‚H2O) Radical Complex

The structure, vibrational spectrum, and binding energy of HO2·H2O are predicted using ab initio molecular methods. Theory predicts that the HO2·H2O complex is bound by 6.9 kcal mol-1. The equilibrium structure and rotational constants of the complex have been determined. The OH stretching frequency of the HO2 is red-shifted by 296 cm-1 from the isolated molecule. Its infrared intensity is also enhanced by 22 times that of the monomer.
Beer Fermentation Control Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry - Results of a Pilot Study

Beer fermentation - a time consuming part of the production process - is typically terminated based on the degradation of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione below the odour threshold. Presently no on-line control of both analytes is available. As a consequence, fermentation is often carried out longer than necessary, thus decreasing productivity. In this pilot study, an ion mobility spectrometer using a UV-lamp as an ionisation source and a GC column (30°C constant) for pre-separation were used for the rapid determination of both analytes from the headspace of beer wort, during and after fermentation. Samples were heated to 60°C. Results from such analyses were available after a few minutes without further sample treatment or pre-concentration. Detection limits were below the odour threshold (ng/L range in the gas phase corresponding to the μg/L range in the liquid phase). Results were validated by comparison with the brewery's standard GC-MS method. When applied on-line and in-situ, as a routine test in a brewery, it will help to ensure low levels of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione in the product on the one hand and will increase productivity by saving time during fermentation on the other (up to one day in large breweries and even more than one day in smaller ones) by obtaining on-line data of the relevant analytes. After optimisation of the method, further odour or taste relevant analytes could be determined simultaneously.
Simulation of In0.65Ga0.35 N single-junction solar cell

The performances of In0.65Ga0. 35N single-junction solar cells with different structures, including various doping densities and thicknesses of each layer, have been simulated. It is found that the optimum efficiency of a In0.65Ga0. 35N solar cell is 20.284% with 5 × 1017 cm−3 carrier concentration of the front and basic regions, a 130 nm thick p-layer and a 270 nm thick n-layer.
Influence of substrate nature and growth conditions on the morphology of thin DMOAP films

We report some preliminary results on the morphology of thin N,N -dimethyl-n-octadecyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilyl chloride (DMOAP) films. When deposited on a glass substrate, DMOAP forms a mono- or multi-layer structure parallel to the substrate. The surface topography of the film is probed by atomic force microscopy. In general, the free surface of such a film is not flat and smooth. Islands and holes are formed on the free surface of the films when a sufficiently flat substrate is used. The thin film surface topography depends strongly on the nature of the bare substrate, the curing conditions, and the immersion time of the substrate in the DMOAP solution. The film is always rougher than the bare substrate used. Annealing roughens the surface of the alkoxysilane thin films deposited on a glass substrate. For films on glass plates covered with an indium tin oxide layer, annealing has minor effects. The surface topography affects the microstructure of homeotropic smectic samples.
Radiation from Buoyant Turbulent Diffusion Flames

Abstract The relationship between the radiant fraction, X R, of the total heat release rate from buoyant turbulent diffusion flames and a fuel's laminar flame smoke point is refined and extended to include: additional hydrocarbon fuels, fuel dilution with nitrogen and a range of oxygen/nitrogen ambient environments. Correlation of the data allows one to predict X R in terms of the: (1) fuel smoke-point laminar flame height, l 3, (or corresponding heat release rate Q SP ), (2) adiabatic stoichiometric flame temperature, T ad of the supplied reactants, and (3) stoichiometric oxidant to fuel mixture mass ratio S. The existence of such a general correlation for S ≥ 12 suggests that the buoyant flame radiation is effectively controlled by only these three reactant properties. The present correlation does not apply for S < 12 because of the increased importance of gaseous radiation for reduced 5. The above correlation of turbulent flame ;XR with the laminar-flame smoke point is achieved by consistently referrin.
Synergistic Effect of Phosphorus-Containing Montmorillonite with Intumescent Flame Retardant in Polypropylene

Phosphorus-containing montmorillonite (P-MMT) was successfully prepared via intercalating resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (RDP) into montmorillonite (MMT) layers, and was utilized as a synergistic agent in the polypropylene/melamine pyrophosphate/pentaerythritol (PP/MPP/PER) intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system. The synergistic effect of P-MMT and IFR was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetry (TG), limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 test, cone calorimeter test (CCT), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that P-MMT could significantly improve the thermostability and flame retardancy of the PP/IFR composite. When 2.0 wt% P-MMT replaced the same amount of IFR in the composite, both the onset decomposition temperature (T onset) and the maximum-rate decomposition temperature (T max) of the PP/IFR composite were increased by more than 14°C. Meanwhile, the LOI value was increased from 29.5% to 32.5%, the UL-94 rating was enhanced from V-1 to V-0, and the heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (THR), and mass lose rate (MLR) were decreased dramatically, which proved that P-MMT had a good synergistic effect with IFR in flame retardant PP.
Deuterium Migration Mechanism in Chiral Thiolactam Formation by Neutron Diffraction Analysis

The single-crystal neutron diffraction revealed that in the process of photo-induced β-thiolactam formation from N,N-dibenzyl-1-cyclohexenecarbothioamide a deuterium atom bonded to the benzyl carbon atom is transferred to the intramolecular cyclohexene carbon to occupy the equatorial position of the produced cyclohexyl ring.
Removal of Lead and Nickel Ions Using Zeolite Tuff

The capacity of Jordanian zeolite tuff for the removal of lead and nickel ions from aqueous solutions has been investigated under different conditions, namely zeolite particle size, initial solution pH, initial metal ion concentration, slurry concentration and solution temperature. Equilibrium data obtained have been found to fit both the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. It has been found that this zeolite (phillipsite) tuff is an efficient ion exchanger for removing both lead and nickel ions. Its removal capability is considerably higher for lead ions than for nickel ions under all conditions tested; however, the actual exchange capacities are far below the theoretical values. The finer the zeolite particles used, the higher the metal exchange capacity. An initial solution pH of 4·0 is favourable for obtaining high metal removal. © 1997 SCI.
Absorption of Carbon Dioxide into Ionic Liquid of 2-Hydroxy Ethylammonium Lactate

Abstract Absorption of carbon dioxide into organic solvents such as DMA, NMP, DMSO, and DMF with the 2-hydroxy ethylammonium lactate (HEAL) ionic liquid was investigated using a batch stirred tank with a plane of gas-liquid interface in a range of 0–2.0 kmol/m3 of HEAL and 298–318 K at 101.3 kPa. The absorption of CO2 was analyzed with the film model accompanied by the zwitterion mechanism of CO2 with HEAL. The proposed model fits the experimental data of the enhancement factor due to the ready, chemical absorption of CO2 in different solvents, temperatures, and HEAL concentrations. The reaction rate constant of CO2 with HEAL was correlated linearly with the solubility parameter of the solvent.
EVALUACIÓN DE TRES HONGOS LIGNOLÍTICOS Y DE Aspergillus niger COMO ALTERNATIVA PARA EL TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES DEL CURTIDO DE PIELES

In order to evaluate the capacity of chromium and color removal of the white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor and the deuteromycete Aspergillus niger , using chromium salts and tanning wastewater, the tolerance to two chromium salts using the inhibitory minimum concentration test (IMC) was studied. According to the results, significant differences (p P. chrysosporium was the most tolerant microorganism with IMC of 30,000 mg L -1 for chromium sulfate and 7,500 mg L -1 for dichromate of potassium. The effect of the dilution of residual on the capacity of biodecoloration and the formation of biomass were evaluated using a 22 experimental design. P. chrysosporium displayed greater capacity of decoloration associated with the amount of biomass with values of 39% and 16 mg L -1 in 10 days of evaluation. When supplementing this microorganism with carbon and nitrogen sources it was observed that both nutritional conditions could be used without significant differences (p>0.0001) between treatments. From these results the microorganisms were immobilized in polyurethane foam to carry out the experiments of treatment capacity of residual to the 100% by 10 days at 25o C, observing that the immobilized viable biomass removed 97% of CrT, 97% of Cr(III), 85% Cr(VI), 12% DQO and 67% of color. These parameters were correlated positively with the amount of biomass immobilized and the enzymatic activity type LiP (0.2 U L -1 ) and MnP (7 U L -1 ). The immobilized and inactivated biomasses, and the foam as unique support, were also efficient concerning the previous parameters but in smaller proportion. Micro EDX analysis indicated that both the viable and inactive biomasses present important adsorptive characteristics that favored the expressed total chromium removal in atomic percentage.
Flux-mediated doping of SrTiO3 photocatalysts for efficient overall water splitting

SrTiO3 is a photocatalyst that is well known for its activity for the overall water splitting reaction under UV light irradiation. In this study, the effects of SrCl2 flux treatments and Al doping on the photocatalytic properties of SrTiO3 were investigated. The SrTiO3, which showed an apparent quantum efficiency of 30% at 360 nm in the overall water splitting reaction, the highest value reported so far, was prepared by SrCl2 flux treatments in alumina crucibles. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry revealed that the flux-treated SrTiO3 consisted of well-crystalline particles with a cubic shape reflecting the perovskite-type structure. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy revealed that Al ions from the alumina crucibles were incorporated into the SrTiO3 samples. The SrTiO3 that was treated with SrCl2 flux in Al-free conditions showed a marginal improvement in photocatalytic activity despite the high crystallinity and the clear crystal habit. Doping SrTiO3 with Al improved the photocatalytic activity even without SrCl2 treatment. These results suggested that Al doping was a principal factor in the dramatic improvement in the water splitting activity of the flux-treated SrTiO3. The effects of flux treatments and Al doping on the morphology and water splitting activity of SrTiO3 were discussed separately.
Effect of Chromium and Lead on Yield, Chemical Composition of Essential Oil, and Accumulation of Heavy Metals of Mint Species

A pot culture experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of increasing levels (30.0 and 60.0 mg kg−1 soil) of chromium and lead on the yield, chemical composition of essential oil, and phytoaccumulation of heavy metals of three mint species (Mentha arvensis, M. piperita, and M. citrata). The fresh herbage yield of M. arvensis was not significantly affected by the application of chromium and lead, but its essential oil yield was significantly decreased by the application of chromium and lead as compared to the control. The fresh herbage, root yield, and essential oil yield of M. piperita were significantly increased and those of M. citrata were decreased by the increase in the levels of chromium and lead applications. The levels of α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, β-myrcene, limonene, menthone, and isomenthone in M. arvensis and M. piperita oil and of sabinene, pinene, and linalyl acetate in M. citrata oil were considerably affected by the application of chromium and lead to soils as compared to control plants. The concentrations of chromium in shoots and roots of mint species significantly increased as the levels of chromium in soil increased. The increases in the levels of lead in soil enhanced the concentrations of lead in the shoots and roots of mint species as compared to the control. The accumulations of chromium and lead were greater in the roots than in the shoots in all the three species of mint. Mentha piperita was found to be the most suitable crop for cultivation in the chromium- and lead-contaminated soils, followed by M. arvensis and M. citrata.
Influence of Biosolids Application on Some Soil Physical Properties

Abstract Biosolids land application is a widely accepted option throughout the world because of its beneficial effects on soil chemical and physical properties and crop yield. These effects—especially those pertaining to soil physical properties—have not been adequately studied in Mediterranean conditions. In a 3‐yr field experiment, conducted in a clay loam (Typic Xerochrept) in central Greece, the influence of biosolids application on cotton yield and some physical soil properties was studied. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks with four biosolids rate (0, 10, 30, and 50 ton ha−1 yr−1) and four replicates. We found that after 3 yr of biosolids application, organic matter content, water retention capacity, available water, and infiltration rate significantly increased, whereas bulk density and aggregate instability index decreased. Soil physical properties affected by the SS addition were significantly correlated with organic matter content. Organic matter content was positively correlated with cotton yield, water retention capacity, available water, and infiltration rate and negatively correlated with bulk density and aggregate instability index.
Automatic gender detection in Twitter profiles for health-related cohort studies

Objective Biomedical research involving social media (SM) data is gradually moving from population-level to targeted, cohort-level data analysis. Though crucial for biomedical studies, SM user's demographic information (e.g., gender) is often not explicitly known from profiles. Here we present an automatic gender classification system for SM and we illustrate how gender information can be incorporated into a SM-based health-related study. Materials and Methods We used two large Twitter datasets: (i) public, gender-labeled users (Dataset-1), and (ii) users who have self-reported nonmedical use of prescription medications (Dataset-2). Dataset-1 was used to train and evaluate the gender detection pipeline. We experimented with machine-learning algorithms including support vector machines (SVMs) and deep-learning models, and released packages including M3. We considered user's information including profile and tweets for classification. We also developed a meta-classifier ensemble that strategically uses the predicted scores from the classifiers. We applied the best-performing pipeline to Dataset-2 to assess the system's utility. Results and Discussion We collected 67,181 and 176,683 users for Dataset-1 and Dataset-2, respectively. A meta-classifier involving SVM and M3 performed the best (Dataset-1 accuracy: 94.4% [95%-CI: 94.0%-94.8%]; Dataset-2: Dataset-2: 94.4% [95%-CI: 92.0%-96.6%]. Including automatically-classified information in the analyses of Dataset-2 revealed gender-specific trends-proportions of females closely resemble data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health 2018 (tranquilizers: 0.50 vs. 0.50; stimulants: 0.50 vs. 0.45), and the overdose Emergency Room Visit due to Opioids by CDC (pain relievers: 0.38 vs. 0.37). Conclusion Our publicly-available, automated gender detection pipeline may aid cohort-specific social media data analyses (https://bitbucket.org/sarkerlab/gender-detection-for-public).
Performance Characteristics of Diffusion Gradients in Thin Films for the in Situ Measurement of Trace Metals in Aqueous Solution

The technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) provides an in situ means of quantitatively measuring labile species in aqueous systems. By ensuring that transport of metal ions to an exchange resin is solely by free diffusion through a membrane, of known thickness, Δg, the concentration in the bulk solution, C b , can be calculated from the measured mass in the resin, M, after time, t, by C b = MΔg/DAt, where D is the molecular diffusion coefficient and A is the exposure surface area of the membrane. If sufficiently thick (∼1 mm) diffusion layer is selected, the flux of metal to the resin is independent of the hydrodynamics in solution above a threshold level of convection. Deployment for 1 day results in a concentration factor of ∼300, allowing metals to be measured at extremely low levels (4 pmol L -1 ). Only labile metal species are measured, the effective time window of typically 2 min being determined by the thickness of the diffusion layer. Because metals are quantified by their kinetics of uptake rather than the attainment of equilibrium, any deployment time can be selected from 1 h to typically 3 months when the resin becomes saturated. The measurement is independent of ionic strength (10 nM-1 M). For Chelex-100 as the resin, the measurement is independent of pH in the range of 5-8.3, but a subtheoretical response is obtained at pH <5 where binding to Chelex is diminished. The effect of temperature can be predicted from the known temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient and viscosity. The application of DGT to the in situ measurement of Cd, Fe, Mn, and Cu in coastal and open seawater is demonstrated, and its more general applicability as a pollution monitoring tool and for measuring an in situ flux, as a surrogate for bioavailability, is discussed.
Synthesis of Ultrafine Ceria Powders by Mechanochemical Processing

The synthesis of ultrafine cerium dioxide (CeO2) powders via mechanochemical reaction and subsequent calcination was studied. Anhydrous CeCl3 and NaOH powders, along with NaCl diluent, were mechanically milled. A solid-state displacement reaction—CeCl3+ 3NaOH → Ce(OH)3+ 3NaCl—was induced during milling in a steady-state manner. Calcination of the as-milled powder in air at 500°C resulted in the formation of CeO2 nanoparticles in the NaCl matrix. A simple washing process to remove the NaCl yielded CeO2 particles ∼10 nm in size. The particle size was controlled in the range of ∼10–500 nm by changing the calcination temperature.
Concept Maps in Chemistry Education.

This article presents and illustrates a proposed application of concept maps in chemistry teaching in high schools. The students were provided with the "concept lables" necessary for map building in three different ways. The analysis of the students' maps at different stages of the learning process led to the recognition of the three types of cognitive events which seem to correspond to the same number of restructuring stages in the conceptual organization. This can enable the teacher to characterize the changes produced in the learners' conceptions by teaching / learning activities. Three examples of the use of concept maps in chemistry teaching are reported and discussed with reference to: atomic structure, oxidation-reduction and thermodynamics.