Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exclusive End Functionalization of all-trans-Poly(fluorene vinylene)s Prepared by Acyclic Diene Metathesis Polymerization : Facile Efficient Synthesis of Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers by Grafting Poly(ethylene glycol)

Facile, exclusive end functionalization of poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorene-2,7-vinylene) (PFV), prepared by acyclic diene metathesis polymerization using Ru(CHPh)(Cl)2(IMesH2)(PCy3) [IMesH2 = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-2-imidazolidinylidene], has been achieved by treating the vinyl groups in PFV chain ends with Mo(CHCMe2Ph)(N-2,6-Me2C6H3)[OCMe(CF3)2]2 followed by Wittig-type cleavage with 4-Me3SiOC6H4CHO; precise synthesis of ABA type amphiphilic triblock copolymers has been accomplished by grafting PEG into both the PFV chain ends.
Effect of alkyl chains length on properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals with the keto group attached to the molecule core

In order to contribute to better understanding of the molecular structure–physical property relationship, properties of ferroelectric liquid crystalline materials derived from the lactic acid with the keto group in the molecular core have been studied. These compounds differing only by the length of the chiral and non-chiral alkyl chains exhibit the paraelectric SmA* and the ferroelectric SmC* phases over 150 K broad temperature range down to the room temperature. Temperature dependences of spontaneous polarization, tilt angle, layer spacing, helix pitch length and dielectric permittivity have been compared and discussed for all studied compounds. The effect of the alkyl chains length on mesomorphic properties has been established and discussed in comparison to that of similar materials.
Mineral Nitrogen Associated Changes in Growth and Xylem-N Compounds in Amazonian Legume Tree

In nodulated young Inga edulis plants, nodule and plant growth, nitrogen (N) in xylem sap and tissues total contents of amino acid, ureide, and nitrate were determined in response to nutrition with nitrate, ammonium, or no mineral N. Additionally, the amount of soluble sugars in the different plant tissues was quantified. It was found that mineral N improved plant growth in height and diameter especially with ammonium. However, nitrate dramatically reduced nodule dry weight on a root dry weight basis and impaired N organic transport by xylem sap. Additionally, a higher amount of amino acids was observed in the roots and nodules of plants fed with mineral N but sugar levels remained constant. Although nitrate inhibited symbiosis, data support the idea that I. edulis is able to use both molecular and mineral nitrogen during the life cycle.
Comparative study of the bond strength to human and bovine dentin in three different depths.

The aim of this study was to compare the bond strength to three different depths of remaining human and bovine dentin, through shear bond strength test, and to establish a possible relationship among the depths of the substrates to contribute for the replacement of human dentin in bond strength tests. Forty-eight human teeth (H) and forty-eight bovine teeth (B), freshly extracted, stored in distilled water and frozen at -18 ° C for at most four weeks were used in this study. 240-, 400-, 600and 800-grit sandpapers were used to expose the dentin and standardize the smear layer at 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0mm of dentin thickness. Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus adhesive system was used following the manufacturer’s instructions, on a standardized area of 4mm, followed by the incrementally application of Z100 resin composite (3M). The shear bond test was performed in the Instron Universal machine at cross-head speed of 0.5mm/min. Statistical analysis was performed by between H (0.5mm) and B (2mm) substrates. Bovine substrate can be used for laboratory studies of bond strength as indicative of the initial performance of new products, although the differences related to human substrate should be observed.
60 nm Bandwidth, 17 nJ Noiselike Pulse Generation from a Thulium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser

We report on the generation of high-energy noiselike pulse in a passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber ring laser based on the nonlinear polarization evolution technique. A newly developed heavily thulium-doped germanate glass fiber was used as the gain medium. By properly rotating the polarization controllers, the 17.3 nJ noiselike pulse with 60.2 nm spectral bandwidth was obtained at the fundamental pulse repetition frequency of 6.37 MHz. Correspondingly, the maximum average output power was 110 mW. The direct output of high-energy noiselike pulse from the thulium-doped fiber laser provides a good candidate of pulse source for some important applications such as the supercontinuum generation at mid-infrared wavelength range and optical metrology.
Magnetite as a heterogeneous electro Fenton catalyst for the removal of Rhodamine B from aqueous solution

This paper deals with the investigation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye removal characteristics of the heterogeneous electro Fenton (EF) process using laboratory prepared Fe3O4. Throughout the experiment graphite–graphite electrolytic systems with the electrodes having a surface area of 25 cm2 were used. Removal efficiencies of Fe3O4 prepared at various Fe2+:Fe3+ ratios were found to be close to the same range and Fe3O4 with 2:1 ratio was selected for further experiments. The effects of solution pH, catalyst concentration, voltage, electrode spacing etc. on dye removal efficiency were analysed to determine the optimal operating conditions. The experiment results indicated that 97.3% of RhB was removed within 180 min of electrolysis from a solution containing 10 mg l−1 of RhB at pH 3 with a catalyst concentration of 10 mg l−1, an applied voltage of 8 V and an inner electrode spacing of 4 cm. It was also found that addition of anions negatively affected the efficiency of the electrolytic system and followed the order CO32− ∼ Cl− > SO42− > NO3− > HCO3−. The reusability of magnetite highlights the practical applicability of heterogeneous EF process over homogeneous EF processes. Also, compared to the Fenton process, the optimal catalyst concentration required for the EF process was much less. From the present study, it can be concluded that heterogeneous EF process using Fe3O4 is an alternative method for dye removal from aqueous solution.
Preparation and properties of polymer solid electrolytes using poly(vinyl alcohol) and thermally resistive poly[arylene(1,3-imidazolidine-2,4,5-trione-1,3-diyl)] as matrix polymers

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and heat-resistive poly[arylene(1,3-imidazolidine-2,4,5-trione-1,3-diyl)] (poly(parabanic acid), PPA) with a T[sub g] of 350 [degrees]C dissolve alkali metal salts such as Li[CF[sub 3]SO[sub 3]], LiBF[sub 4], LiClO[sub 4], and NaBF[sub 4] in high concentrations (1.0-1.5 g/g of the polymer). Complex impedance analysis of the polymer electrolytes thus obtained gives normal patterns usually observed for polymer electrolytes. The PVA-based polymer electrolytes have the electric conductivity ([sigma]) of 10[sup [minus]5.5[minus]]10[sup [minus]3.5] S cm[sup [minus]1] at 20 [degrees]C and at 1 g of Li salt/g of PVA, whereas the PPA-based polymer electrolytes exhibit the [sigma] value of 10[sup [minus]7][minus]10[sup [minus]5.5] S cm[sup [minus]1] under the same conditions. Temperature dependence of the [sigma] value obeys Arrhenius type equation for both types of polymer electrolytes; the activation energies are in the range 50-107 kJ mol[sup [minus]1]. The PPA-lithium salt polymer electrolytes exhibit good heat resistance at 170 [degrees]C and [sigma] value of about 10[sup [minus]2] S cm[sup [minus]1] at 170 [degrees]C. IR spectrum of the PVA-Li[CF[sub 3]SO[sub 3]] composite shows absorption bands originating from PVA and Li[SF[sub 3]SO[sub 3]] and no apparent shift of the [nu](OH) band of PVA is observed. [(n-C[sub 4]H[sub 9])[sub 4]N]Y (Y = BF[sub 4], PF[sub 6]) shows relatively lowmore » solubility in PVA (ca. 0.25 g/g of PVA). T[sub g] of PVA and PPA is lowered by making the composite with the lithium salt. 15 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab. « less
Three Dimensional Biomechanical Analyses of Non-Contact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuree Mechanisms in Female Volleyball Using Motion Matching Technique

Volley ball is one of the non-contact sports that is not characterized with injuries to a high extent, specially for ACL injury. Although it has been proved that volleyball female players are exposed to injuries to a medium extent due to sudden movements and shock absorbing in jumps. One of the common injuries in this field is anterior cruciate ligament injuries which have been proven one of the most dangerous injuries in all sports. Methods for analyzing the mechanisms of injuries in sports from video sequences of injury situations are so far limited to a simple visual inspection, which has shown poor accuracy. This is why this study was performed to investigate whether a new model-based image-matching technique could successfully be applied to estimate kinematical characteristics of three typical anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury situations in female volleyball. The researcher contacted the sports medicine committee in the volleyball international federation for obtaining injury video incidences from international championships for some world ranked female national teams for the purpose of biomechanical analysis. Videos have been imported to the program Posers 4, where a skeleton model and a model of the surroundings were matched to the background image frame by frame. When the match was considered satisfactory, joint angles as well as velocity and acceleration of the center of mass were calculated. The researcher concluded that the model-based image matching technique can be used to extract kinematical characteristics from videotapes of actual ACL injuries, and may provide valuable information on the mechanisms for ACL injuries in sports . Finally the researcher recommends conducting further studies on other injury incidences for the aim of prevention.
Dependence of the Gapon Coefficient on Exchangeable Sodium for Mineralogically Different Soils 1

The traditional nonthermodynamic Gapon exchange selectivity coefficient (KG) for Na-Ca exchange has previously been shown in the literature to be relatively constant for only a restricted range of Na equivalent fractions (NNa 0.40) in the exchanger. This relationship was developed for a heterogeneous group of soils. A linear Langmuir-type plot of the traditional Gapon equation for Na-Ca exchange data of mineralogically different soils, clay minerals, and an exchange resin was used to demonstrate the applicability of a constant KG for NNa values >0.40 for some soils. The results demonstrate that, in general, low CEC soils are more likely to demonstrate a constant KG for NNa values >0.40 than are high CEC soils. The data show that a constant KG for NNa values >0.40 was obtained for Georgia kaolin, illite, and several soils of low CEC. However, the plot failed to predict the KG and the CEC for soils, clay minerals, and an exchange resin of high CEC. These high CEC materials exhibited a NNa dependent KG. Using solution ion concentration instead of single-ion activity affected the magnitude of the KG but did not affect the degree of constancy of the KG for NNa values >0.40. The relationships are of practical importance in the reclamation of sodic soils with an equivalent fraction of Na in the exchanger phase (NNa) of >0.40. Additional Index Words: corrected Gapon exchange coefficient, sodium adsorption ratio, thermodynamics of cation exchange. View complete article To view this complete article, insert Disc 5 then click button8
Carbon Dioxide Solubility Enhancement through Silicone Functionalization: “CO2-philic” Oligo(dimethylsiloxane)-substituted Diphosphonates*

Abstract Carbon dioxide has received significant attention as a potential environmentally benign medium to replace hazardous organic compounds, but is a relatively poor solvent. The addition of siloxane substituents provides an attractive and inexpensive means to solubilize a wide variety of compounds in CO2. By synthesizing and testing a family of gem-diphosphonate ligands that have been rendered CO2-philic by incorporation of a number of related, discrete dimethylsiloxane oligomers, we show that small variations in substituents have a significant effect on the CO2-philicity of the ligand. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of the effect of siloxane substituent size, branching, and position on the affinity of a ligand for CO2. In addition, we present a general approach to the preparation of novel gem-diphosphonate ligands.
Effect of alkaline pH on the stability of halogenated DBPs

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of alkaline pH on the stability of halogenated disinfection by‐products in the absence of chlorine residuals. The results showed that the concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs) and dihaloacetic acids (DHAAs) increased substantially under alkaline pH conditions without chlorine residuals. The hydrolysis of unstable THM and DHAA intermediates could be important pathways leading to the increases of THMs and DHAAs. The hydrolyzable THM and DHAA intermediates accounted for approximately 20% of the unknown total organic halogen (UTOX) formed by chlorine. The formation of trihaloacetic acids (THAAs) stopped in the absence of chlorine residuals. The UTOX‐to‐TOX ratio decreased with increasing pH value and time in the absence of chlorine residuals. Total organic chlorine (TOCl), total organic bromine (TOBr), and total organic iodine (TOI) were dehalogenated through base‐catalyzed reactions. The stability of TOCl, TOBr, and TOI was in the order of TOCl > TOBr > TOI.
Common Paranormal Belief Dimensions

— Several measures of paranormal belief have been developed and employed by researchers of published work. Despite this, there is considerable debate about the nature and structure of paranormal belief. Particularly, authors remain uncertain about which belief subsets should be included within paranormal scales. The current study extended existing research by exploring shared variance across different paranormal measures. An extensive literature review was undertaken in order to identify measures of paranormal belief. The independent scale items were then combined to produce a 124-item composite measure. This was distributed in paper form and electronically via the Internet. Respondents were recruited face to face, by email, and by post. In total, 1,481 respondents completed the measure: 548 the paper version and 933 online. Exploratory factor analysis (principal components analysis) was performed, and a nine-factor structure emerged. This contained item clusters measuring belief in: Hauntings, Other Life, Superstition, Religious Belief, Alien
Low autocorrelation binary sequences : statistical mechanics and configuration space analysis

Binary sequences with low off-peak autocorrelations play an important role in several communication engineering applications. The problem of finding such sequences is equivalent to the problem of determining the low-energy configurations of a specific spin model with long-range 4-spin interactions. Using a simulated annealing procedure, the statistical mechanics of this spin model, which exhibits frustration without disorder, is analysed in detail. Comparison is made with predictions based on a simple «ergodicity assumption» which moreover may be used to derive an estimate for the true ground-state energy. Our results are consistent with the occurrence of an «ergodicity-breaking» phase transition at a finite temperature. For long sequences, the energy minima found with the simulated annealing p Des suites binaires avec faible autocorrelation jouent un role important dans divers problemes de communication. Le probleme de trouver de telles suites est equivalent au probleme de la determination des configurations de faible energie dans un modele particulier de spin avec interactions a 4 spins de longue portee. Utilisant une methode de recuit simule, nous analysons en detail la mecanique statistique de ce modele de spin, qui presente des frustrations mais pas de desordre. Nous comparons nos resultats avec des predictions basees sur une hypothese simple d'ergodicite qui, de plus, conduit a une estimation de l'energie de l'etat fondamental. Nos resultats suggerent l'apparition d'une transition de phase du type «brisure d'ergodicite», a temperature finie. Pour des suites longues, les minima d'energie trouves par la methode de recuit simule different d'un facteur 2 de l'energie du fondamental conjecture, ce qui indique que les configurations d'energie minimale sont extremement isolees dans l'espace de configuration. Enfin les minima trouves par le recuit simule ne semblent pas presenter de structure ultrametrique non triviale
Syntheses, Structures, and Photoluminescence of Four d10 Metal−Organic Frameworks Constructed from 3,5-Bis-oxyacetate-benzoic Acid

A new multicarboxylate ligand, 3,5-bis-oxyacetate-benzoic acid (H3BOABA), was designed and introduced to construct novel metal−organic framework materials with potential luminescent properties. Four complexes, Zn2(BOABA)(OH)·H2O (1), Zn4(BOABA)2(4,4′-bipy)2(OH)2·H2O·0.5CH3CH2OH (2), Cd3(BOABA)2(H2O)6·6H2O (3), and Cd4(BOABA)2(phen)4(OH)2·H2O (4), were synthesized hydrothermally and characterized. 1 features an unusual 5-connected 46.64 uninodal net with both the dinuclear Zn(II) unit and the BOABA ligand being the square pyramidal nodes. 2 presents an interesting three-dimensional (3,8)-connected network constructed from pillared undulate layers, which shows large one-dimensional channels with dimension of 11.97 × 13.82 A along the a axis. The self-assembly between the Cd(II) ions and the BOABA ligand leads to a bilayer motif 3, whereas the presence of the auxiliary phen ligand results in a new compound 4 with monolayer construction based on tetranuclear [Cd4(OH)2]6+ clusters. Photoluminescence studies re.
Spectroscopic methods for medical diagnosis at terahertz wavelengths

Terahertz (THz) radiation lies between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. THz radiation excites intermolecular interactions and is non-ionising making it a viable tool for medical imaging. This thesis describes the development and validation of spectroscopic methods for diagnosis of tissue pathologies at THz wavelengths. Theoretical techniques were developed to determine the origin of the contrast seen in THz images of biological tissue. Specific biological tissues investigated in this thesis were colonic tissues with the aim of determining the origin of contrast between healthy and diseased tissue in THz images. This thesis investigates the interaction of THz radiation with matter using simple tissue phantoms made from five biologically relevant materials: water, methanol, lipid, sucrose and gelatin. Phantoms are designed to imitate the spectroscopic properties of tissue at specific wavelengths where physical properties of the phantom, such as concentration and homogeneity, can be accurately controlled. The frequency-dependent absorption coefficients, refractive indices and Debye relaxation times of the pure compounds were measured and used as prior knowledge in the different theoretical methods for the determination of concentration. Three concentration analysis methods were investigated, a) linear spectral decomposition, b) spectrally averaged dielectric coefficient method and c) the Debye relaxation coefficient method. These methods were validated on phantoms by determining the concentrations of the phantom chromophores and comparing to the known composition. Two-component phantoms were made comprising water with methanol, lipid, sucrose or gelatin. Two different three-component phantoms were created; one with water, methanol and sucrose and a second with water, gelatin and lipid. The accuracy and resolution of each method was determined to assess the potential of each method as a tool for medical diagnosis at THz wavelengths. Finally, the spectroscopic methods were applied to measurements of ex-vivo colon tissues containing cancerous and dysplastic regions. Statistical analysis of the reflected time-domain waveforms demonstrated good distinction between healthy and diseased tissues with an estimated sensitivity of 89.2% and specificity of 78.3%.
Coating of SiC Powder with Nano YAG Phase

SiC-YAG(Y3Al5O12) ceramic composite powders were prepared by co-precipitation coating method. Mechanism of co-precipitation coating of SiC powders with Y3+ and Al3+ precursors was investigated. If the concentration of [OH-] ion in the solution is controlled within the range between critical values for heterogeneous nucleation and homogeneous nucleation, Y3+ and Al3+ precipitation precursors can be coated on the surface of SiC particles. Y3+ and Al3+ precipitation precursors transform into YAG phase after calcining at 1000 ℃ without the formation of YAM and YAP phases. The formation temperature of YAG phase is about 600 ℃ lower than that of conventional powder mixing method. The effect of pH value of the solution and precipitant titration rate on coating quality of SiC-YAG composite powders was also studied. The results show that co-precipitation coating can be realized at a final pH of 9 and a precipitant titration rate of 5 ml·min-1.
Les Signaux Post Mortem (SPM) de l’apoptose endothéliale : des acteurs du remodelage vasculaire

Immunosuppression regiments improved steadily the incidence of acute rejection with minimal positive effects on chronic rejection. The latter is characterized by a transplant vasculopathy (TV) similar to native atherosclerosis, accompanied with fibrosis throughout the vascular wall of the allograft. The pathophysiology associated to TV arose from pionnering work of Russell Ross in 1977. He proposed the 'Response to Injury' hypothesis revealing that endothelium injury initiated by immunological and non immunological factors favors a vascular repair response through neo-intima thickening at the sites of cellular injury. However, when endothelial insult is maintained, apoptosis ensues and the vascular repair process perpetuates. Since inhibition of endothelial apoptosis prevents TV development in vivo, we hypothesized that endothelial apoptosis regulates the vascular repair process through a paracrine program active on the cellular components of the vessel wall. We have generated an in vitro experimental system to induce endothelial apoptosis in absence of necrosis. Using a multifunctional and comparative proteomic approach, we have identified 27 post mortem signals (PMS) specifically exported by apoptotic endothelial cells. Some of these PMS display anti-apoptotic function (TCTP and EGF), whereas CTGF was identified as a fibrogenic factor, recapitulating the cellular events associated to the development of TV. Interestingly, 16 of these SPM did not contain a peptide signal, suggesting that non conventional secretion mechanisms could be favored during the effector phase of apoptosis. We demonstrated that activated caspase-3 regulates the exosomal secretion pathway associated to the export of nanovesicles TCTP , anti-apoptotic and biochemically different from apoptotic blebs. Finally, the overall proteomic data generated a new hypothesis suggesting that in response to apoptotic stress, the cell exports different mediators (soluble and vesicular) by non conventional mechanism through the fusion of endocytic organelles and autophagic vacuoles with the plasma membrane, releasing their content into the extracellular milieu. This mechanism should be regulated during the effector phase of apoptosis favoring a vascular repair response only when cellʼs demise reaches a point of no return. Therefore, these PMS could be used both as biomarkers of apoptosis or as biopharmaceutical targets to decrease the incidence of chronic vascular repair.