Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Structural Variation on the Photocatalytic Performance of Hydrothermally Synthesized BiVO4

Highly crystalline monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 powders are synthesized from aqueous Bi(NO3)3 and NH4VO3 solutions over a wide range of pH by a hydrothermal process. BiVO4 powders with various morphologies, surface textures, and grain shapes are selectively synthesized by adjusting the pH. The dependence of the Raman peak position and intensity on the synthesis conditions indicates that the symmetry distortions in the local structure of the synthesized BiVO4 are affected by the preparation conditions. These variations in the local structure result in the modification of the electronic structure of BiVO4, which results in a blue‐shift in the UV‐vis absorption spectrum of hydrothermally synthesized BiVO4 in comparison with a well‐crystallized sample prepared by homogeneous coprecipitation. The photocatalytic activities for O2 evolution from an aqueous AgNO3 solution under visible‐light irradiation are strongly dependent on the pH used in the synthesis. The differences in the photocatalytic activities between BiVO4 samples prepared under various conditions is attributed to the degree of structural distortion, leading to differences in the mobility of photogenerated holes formed in the valence band, which consists of Bi 6s and O 2p orbitals.
Kinetics of metastable N2(A3Σu    + , v) molecules in high-pressure nonequilibrium plasmas

Absolute, time-resolved populations of N2(A3Σu +, v = 0–5) vibrational levels in high-pressure ns pulse discharge plasmas are measured by Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS). The diffuse plasma is generated by a repetitively pulsed, double dielectric barrier, ns discharge across a 10 mm gap in a plane-to-plane geometry, at pressures of up to 400 Torr. The results of TDLAS measurements in nitrogen and in H2–N2, O2–N2, and NO–N2 plasmas are compared with kinetic modeling predictions, identifying the mechanisms of N2(A3Σu +) generation and decay during the discharge pulses and in the afterglow. Comparison with the modeling predictions indicates that electron impact dissociation of N2 from the ground electronic state significantly underpredicts the yield of N atoms. The present data suggest that N2 dissociation in the plasma also occurs during the energy pooling process in collisions of two N2(A3Σu +) molecules. The results also show that high-pressure, high repetition rate, volume-scalable ns pulse discharges can be used for efficient generation of atomic species for plasma chemical and plasma catalysis syntheses. In an NO–N2 mixture, it is shown that the N2(A3Σu +) decay is controlled by the rapid energy transfer to NO, resulting in its electronic excitation and UV emission (NO γ bands). The diagnostics used in the present work can be used for the accurate characterization of both high-pressure, low-temperature gas discharge plasmas and high-temperature nonequilibrium flows generated in pulsed facilities such as shock tubes and expansion tunnels.
Recovery of platinum (IV) from aqueous solutions using 3-aminopropyl(diethoxy)methylsilane functionalized bentonite

Abstract Platinum, naturally found in a few parts of the world, is one of the most widely used precious elements and its recycling from waste components is very important due to demand. However, not as much attention has been given toward its recovery from aqueous solutions. This present study is aimed at recovering platinum (Pt(IV)) from aqueous solutions such as mining wastewaters using bentonite functionalized with 3-aminopropyl(diethoxy)methylsilane (APDEMS). The study exploited the novelty of using a cost-effective natural mineral, bentonite, as a support base to which amine groups, that have a high affinity for Pt(IV), could be anchored. The approach involved characterizing the natural and functionalized bentonite. Adsorption experiments were conducted in batch mode under varying conditions, namely: adsorbent dosage, pH, initial concentration, and competing ions. The data were fitted using various kinetic and isothermic models to understand the adsorption mechanism. The results showed that >85% of Pt(IV) in solution was recovered at a dosage of 10 g L−1 of the adsorbent at pH 2, within 90 min of contact. The adsorption of Pt(IV) increased by >5% in the presence of other ions, most likely due to synergistic effects. The adsorption of Pd(II), Ir(III), Rh(III), Os(III), and Ru(III) was also enhanced along with that for Pt(IV). Adsorption was found to proceed via the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo second-order kinetic model, implying monolayer coverage and chemisorption, respectively. The successful synthesis of APDEMS-functionalized bentonite and its efficiency in adsorbing Pt(IV) from aqueous solutions make it a potential adsorbent for application in the mining industry. Graphical Abstract
Improvement of Soil Health through Residue Management and Conservation Tillage in Rice-Wheat Cropping System of Punjab, Pakistan

In South Asia, soil health degradation is affecting the sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS). Indeed, for the sustainability of the soil quality, new adaptive technologies, i.e., conservation tillage and straw management resource conservation, are promising options. This investigation was focused on the interaction of tillage and straw management practices and their effects on Aridisols, Yermosols soil quality, and nutrients dynamics with different soil profiles within RWCS. The long-term field experiment was started in 2014 with the scenarios (i) conventional tillage (SC1), (ii) residue incorporation (SC2), (iii) straw management practices (SC3 and SC4) and conservation tillage (SC5). Conservation tillage practice (SC5) showed significant impact on properties of soil and availability of nutrients in comparison with that of conventional farmers practice (SC1) at the studied soil depths. The SC5 showed significant results of gravitational water contents (25.34%), moderate pH (7.4), soil organic-matter (7.6 g kg−1), total nitrogen (0.38 g kg−1), available phosphate (7.4 mg kg−1), available potassium (208 mg kg−1) compared to SC1 treatment at 0 to 15 cm soil depth. Whereas, DTPA-extractable-Cu, Mn, and Zn concentration were significantly higher, i.e., 1.12 mg kg−1, 2.14 mg kg−1, and 4.35 mg kg−1, respectively under SC5 than conventional farmer’s practices, while DTPA (diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid) extractable Fe (6.15 mg kg−1) was more in straw management practices (SC4) than conventional and conservation tillage. Therefore, conservation tillage (SC5) can surge the sustainability of the region by improving soil assets and nutrients accessibility and has the potential to minimize inorganic fertilizers input in the long run.
Experimental study of an oxygen plasma cutting torch: II. Arc–material interaction, energy transfer and anode attachment

A study of arc–material interaction and energy transfer in the case of plasma cutting is presented. A fast CCD camera moving with the torch is used to estimate the anodic arc root location inside the kerf. Temperature measurements on the cut-front surface and on the kerf edges are performed by infrared pyrometry. Temperature fields inside the workpiece obtained with inserted thermocouples are compared with the theoretical results of an analytical model to estimate heat conduction losses QHCL (W) dissipated in the plate. For various sets of operating parameters (voltage, inlet oxygen pressure and cutting speed), a complete energy balance of the process is performed with the calculation of the device efficiency on the basis of the various power terms implicated in the cutting tool: the power lost above the workpiece, heat conduction losses, the power involved in melting steel, the energy released by chemical oxidation reactions, the power available for cutting and losses under the plate in the extinguishing plasma.
Increased brain volume from higher cereal and lower coffee intake: shared genetic determinants and impacts on cognition and metabolism

Abstract It is unclear how different diets may affect human brain development and if genetic and environmental factors play a part. We investigated diet effects in the UK Biobank data from 18,879 healthy adults and discovered anticorrelated brain-wide gray matter volume (GMV)-association patterns between coffee and cereal intake, coincidence with their anticorrelated genetic constructs. The Mendelian randomization approach further indicated a causal effect of higher coffee intake on reduced total GMV, which is likely through regulating the expression of genes responsible for synaptic development in the brain. The identified genetic factors may further affect people’s lifestyle habits and body/blood fat levels through the mediation of cereal/coffee intake, and the brain-wide expression pattern of gene CPLX3, a dedicated marker of subplate neurons that regulate cortical development and plasticity, may underlie the shared GMV-association patterns among the coffee/cereal intake and cognitive functions. All the main findings were successfully replicated. Our findings thus revealed that high-cereal and low-coffee diets shared similar brain and genetic constructs, leading to long-term beneficial associations regarding cognitive, body mass index (BMI), and other metabolic measures. This study has important implications for public health, especially during the pandemic, given the poorer outcomes of COVID-19 patients with greater BMIs.
Corporate Liquidity: Evidence from Islamic and non-Islamic Countries

This study examines whether and how Islam has bearings on corporate liquidity (cash holdings). A review of 34,895 non-financial firms from 68 countries (12 Islamic countries and 56 non-Islamic countries) for the period 1996 -2011 reveals that cash is lower in Islamic countries than in non-Islamic countries. The positive effect of growth opportunities on cash is also weaker in Islamic countries than in non-Islamic countries, thereby indicating lower propensity to hoard cash for upcoming growth opportunities in the former than in the latter likely because corporate governance is stakeholder-based such that shareholder wealth maximization is not the corporate objective in Islamic countries. Furthermore, the negative effect of debt issuance on cash is stronger in Islamic countries than in non-Islamic countries, thereby signifying higher effectiveness of debt in reducing agency cost in the former than in the latter.
Development of a Method for Controlling Trans Fatty Acids in Meals—MCTM

The objective of this study was to develop a method for controlling trans fatty acids in meals (MCTM). The method was developed in a Brazilian restaurant after collecting and analyzing data regarding the meal preparation process. The critical points where trans fatty acid are added or form during preparation were determined and corrective actions were suggested. The method is presented in stages and contains forms with instructions for data collection and analysis and a glossary. This method is an effective tool for assisting foodservices in preparing healthier meal choices.
An Automated Iridium‐Strip Heater for LA‐ICP‐MS Bulk Analysis of Geological Samples

In this paper we describe a flux‐free fusion technique for the highly precise LA‐ICP‐MS bulk analysis of geological samples. For this purpose we have developed an automated iridium‐strip heater with temperature and melt time control. To optimise the homogeneity of the fused glasses and to reduce possible depletion of volatile elements during melting, we undertook experiments with basaltic rock and glass powders using different melting temperatures (1300–1700 °C) and melting times (5‐80 s). Major and trace element microanalysis was performed using EPMA and LA‐ICP‐MS. Homogeneous glasses were obtained for temperatures ≥ 1500 °C and melting times ≥ 10 s. High loss (20‐90%) of highly volatile elements (e.g., Cs, Ge, Sn, Pb) was observed for high melting temperatures (≥ 1600 °C) and long melting times (80 s). Standard melting conditions (1600 °C, 10 s) represent a compromise, as the glasses were homogeneous with respect to major and trace elements and, at the same time, were not depleted in elements with condensation temperatures (at a pressure of 10−4 bar) higher than about 900 K (e.g., Zr, Hf, Ba, Sr, REE, U, Mo, Ni, Rb, Ga). Several international geological reference materials with SiO2 ranging between 47% m/m and 59% m/m were prepared using our standard melting conditions (1600 °C, 10 s) and subsequently analysed by LA‐ICP‐MS. These samples also include the new Brazilian basaltic reference material BRP‐1. Matrix‐matched calibration of the LA‐ICP‐MS data was performed using the basaltic reference glasses KL2‐G, ML3B‐G, BCR‐2G and BHVO‐2G. Most analytical data agreed within uncertainty at the 95% confidence level with the GeoReM preferred values published in the GeoReM database for reference materials of geological and environmental interest. To demonstrate routine bulk LA‐ICP‐MS analyses of geochemical and cosmochemical samples using the whole rock fusion technique, we also present trace element data for ocean island basalts from Lanai (Hawaii) and of Martian meteorites.
Dimensionless Analysis of HSDM and Application to Simulation of Breakthrough Curves of Highly Adsorbent Porous Media

The homogeneous surface diffusion model (HSDM) is widely used for adsorption modeling of aqueous solutions. The Biot number is usually used to characterize model behavior. However, some limitations of this characterization have been reported recently, and the Stanton number has been proposed as a complement to be considered. In this work, a detailed dimensionless analysis of HSDM is presented and limit behaviors of the model are characterized, confirming but extending previous results. An accurate and efficient numerical solver is used for these purposes. The intraparticle diffusion equation is reduced to a system of two ordinary differential equations, the transport-reaction equation is discretized by using a discontinuous Galerkin method, and the overall system evolution is integrated with a time-marching scheme. This approach facilitates the simulation of HSDM with a wide range of dimensionless numbers and with a correct treatment of shocks, which appear with nonlinear adsorption isotherms and with large Biot numbers and small surface diffusivity modulus. The approach is applied to simulate the breakthrough curves of granular ferric hydroxide. Published experimental data is adequately simulated.
The Combinative Effect of Organizational and Technological Eco-innovations in R&D-intensive Companies

This study aims to investigate the influence of organizational and process eco-innovations on the introduction of product eco-innovations in R&D-intensive companies. We covered theory gaps by empirically demonstrating to what extent non-technological and technological eco-innovations are related. We used the Survey method to investigate a sample of Brazilian manufacturers from the electrical and electronics sectors, and we processed the data through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings of this study evidenced that non-technological eco-innovations are able to influence technological eco-innovations, both Environmental Management and Sustainable Development ISSN 2164-7682 2020, Vol. 9, No. 4 http://emsd.macrothink. org 61 process and product, suggesting that the organizational eco-innovation strategy leads to sustainable technological path dependence in R&D-intensive companies. Additionally, findings demonstrated that the association between organizational and product eco-innovation is stronger whether mediated by process eco-innovation, so the result confirms an evolutionary perspective regarding the differentiated types of eco-innovation. We conclude that by investing in eco-innovative R&D projects, new environmental systems, teams' formation, information flow, and trends monitoring, the company creates a path dependence for technological eco-innovation of process and products.
Effect of Anisaldehyde as Corrosion Inhibitor for Aluminium in Sulphuric Acid Solution

The inhibition effect of anisaldehyde on the corrosion of aluminium in sulphuric acid was investigated by weight loss method and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses. The effect of different inhibitor concentrations was studied at varying temperature (308, 313 and 318 K). It was found that the percentage of inhibition efficiency (% I.E.) increases with increase of inhibitor concentration and decreases with increase in temperature. The values of activation energy and half-life were found to be higher in inhibited acid solution compared to uninhibited acid solution, while that for the rate constant reduced from uninhibited to inhibited acid solution. The negative values of Gibbs free energy of adsorption confirmed the spontaneity of the process. Other thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy and entropy were also evaluated and discussed. The investigation of adsorption isotherm model indicates that the inhibitor fitted to Langmuir isotherm model. Result of SEM analysis shows how the inhibitor reduced the acid attack on the aluminium surface, and FTIR analysis result of the corrosion product proves the formation of thin layer of inhibitor molecules on aluminium surface.
Verification of MPACT for the APR1400 Benchmark

This paper describes benchmark calculations for the APR1400 nuclear reactor performed using the high-fidelity deterministic whole-core simulator MPACT compared to reference solutions generated by the Monte Carlo code McCARD. The methodology presented in this paper is a common approach in the field of nuclear reactor analysis, when measured data are not available for comparison, and may be more broadly applied in other simulation applications of energy systems. The benchmark consists of several problems that span the complexity of single pins to a hot full power cycle depletion. Overall, MPACT shows excellent agreement compared to the reference solutions. MPACT effectively predicts the reactivity for different geometries and several temperature and boron conditions. The largest deviation from McCARD occurs for cold zero conditions in which the fuel, moderator, and cladding are all 300 K. Possible reasons for this are discussed. Excluding these cases, the ρ reactivity difference from McCARD is consistently below 100 pcm. For single fuel pin problems, the highest error of 151 pcm occurs for the lowest fuel enrichment of 1.71 wt. % UO2, indicating possible, albeit small, enrichment bias in MPACT’s cross-section library. Furthermore, MOC and spatial mesh parametric studies indicate that default meshing parameters and options yield results comparable to finely meshed cases. Additionally, there is very good agreement of the radial and axial power distributions. RMS radial pin and assembly power differences for all cases are at or below 0.75%, and all RMS axial power differences are below 1.65%. These results are comparable to previous results from the VERA progression problems benchmark and meet generally accepted accuracy criteria for whole-core transport codes.
In Science we (should) trust: expectations and compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic

The magnitude and nature of the COVID-19 pandemic prevents public health policies from relying on coercive enforcement. Practicing social distancing, wearing masks and staying at home are voluntary and conditional on the behavior of others. We present the results of a large-scale survey experiment in nine countries with representative samples of the population. We find that both empirical expectations (what others do) and normative expectations (what others approve of) play a significant role in compliance, beyond the effect of any other individual or group characteristic. In our survey experiment, when empirical and normative expectations of individuals are high, compliance goes up by 55% (relative to the low expectations condition). Similar results are obtained when we look at self-reported compliance among those with high expectations. Our results are driven by an asymmetric interaction with individuals’ trust in government and science. Holding both expectations high, the effect of trusting science is substantial and significant in our vignette experiment (22% increase in compliance), and even larger in self-reported compliance (76% and 127% increase before and after the lockdown). By contrast, trusting the government only generates modest effects. At the macro level, the country-level trust in science, and not in government, becomes a strong predictor of compliance.
Combining Ability and Genetic Components of Yield Characteristics, Dry Matter Content, and Total Carotenoids in Provitamin A Cassava F1 Cross-Progeny

Cassava is an important root crop in sub-Saharan Africa, largely cultivated for its starchy edible roots. Biofortified cassava varieties with enhanced provitamin A carotenoid content (PVAC) developed through conventional breeding provide a solution for vitamin A deficiency among vulnerable communities. The aim of this study was to use diallel analysis of six provitamin A cassava genotypes to determine the combining ability, genetic components, heritability, and heterosis of the most important yield characteristics and total carotenoids. Genetic variability for measured characteristics were evident. Fresh root yield was mainly determined by non-additive genetic effects, while dry matter content and total carotenoids were determined by additive effects. Total carotenoids were negatively correlated with fresh root yield, indicating that selection for higher provitamin A content could reduce yield. Mid and higher parent heterosis was seen in some of the crosses for fresh root yield, dry matter content, and total carotenoids. Narrow sense heritability was moderate for fresh root yield and dry matter content, and was high for total carotenoids. This study indicated that yield and dry matter content can be improved in provitamin A cassava but that increased provitamin A content may carry a yield penalty.
Laser-induced color centers in silica

Color centers contributing to the optical absorption spectrum of synthetic silica glass in the near infrared to vacuum UV range are reviewed. Intrinsic defects related to oxygen deficiency are characterized: E'-centers, oxygen vacancies, divalent silicon and defects related to oxygen excess: oxygen dangling bonds, peroxy radicals, interstitial oxygen and ozone molecules. The optical properties of common impurities/dopants in synthetic silicas used in laser optics are discussed.
Impact of the Menu Labeling Act Upon the Market Value of Foodservice Firms

The Menu Labeling Act (MLA), which requires restaurants to provide customers with nutritional information, has encountered implementation difficulties for more than 8 years, owing to the imposition of administrative costs on restaurant firms. By investigating the market value of 46 restaurant firms that publicly trade in the United States, this research analyzes the impact of MLA-related announcements on the market value of foodservice firms. Announcements associated with restrictions tend to reduce restaurant market value by 0.29% per day (market value is defined as the number of shares times the share price), whereas announcements related to flexibility increase such market value by 0.80%. The final guideline and compliance date announced by the Food and Drug Administration has provoked significant negative effects on restaurant market value. Meanwhile, the congress’ proposed opposition act has elicited great positive effects. This study provides important implications for policy makers and practitioners in the food service industry.