Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LOWER COST METHODS FOR IMPROVED OIL RECOVERY (IOR) VIA SURFACTANT FLOODING

This report provides a summary of the work performed in this 3-year project sponsored by DOE. The overall objective of this project is to identify new, potentially more cost-effective surfactant formulations for improved oil recovery (IOR). The general approach is to use an integrated experimental and computational chemistry effort to improve our understanding of the link between surfactant structure and performance, and from this knowledge, develop improved IOR surfactant formulations. Accomplishments for the project include: (1) completion of a literature review to assemble current and new surfactant IOR ideas, (2) Development of new atomistic-level MD (molecular dynamic) modeling methodologies to calculate IFT (interfacial tension) rigorously from first principles, (3) exploration of less computationally intensive mesoscale methods to estimate IFT, Quantitative Structure Property Relationship (QSPR), and cohesive energy density (CED) calculations, (4) experiments to screen many surfactant structures for desirable low IFT and solid adsorption behavior, and (5) further experimental characterization of the more promising new candidate formulations (based on alkyl polyglycosides (APG) and alkyl propoxy sulfate surfactants). Important findings from this project include: (1) the IFT between two pure substances may be calculated quantitatively from fundamental principles using Molecular Dynamics, the same approach can provide qualitative results for ternary systemsmore » containing a surfactant, (2) low concentrations of alkyl polyglycoside surfactants have potential for IOR (Improved Oil Recovery) applications from a technical standpoint (if formulated properly with a cosurfactant, they can create a low IFT at low concentration) and also are viable economically as they are available commercially, and (3) the alkylpropoxy sulfate surfactants have promising IFT performance also, plus these surfactants can have high optimal salinity and so may be attractive for use in higher salinity reservoirs. Alkylpropoxy sulfate surfactants are not yet available as large volume commercial products. The results presented herein can provide the needed industrial impetus for extending application (alkyl polyglycoside) or scaling up (alkylpropoxy sulfates) of these two promising surfactants for enhanced oil recovery. Furthermore, the advanced simulations tools presented here can be used to continue to uncover new types of surfactants with promising properties such as inherent low IFT and biodegradability. « less
Factors Affecting Implementation and Sustainability of the Walk with Ease Program for Adults with Arthritis in Community Organizations Receiving Short-Term Grants

Background. The Arthritis Foundation’s evidence-based Walk with Ease (WWE) program improves symptoms, function, and psychosocial measures among adults with arthritis, and is feasible for widespread adoption and implementation in community organizations. This study examines barriers and facilitators to WWE implementation and sustainability among a subset of organizations receiving year-long grants to implement WWE. The research aims were: 1) identify factors affecting the implementation and plans for sustainability of WWE, 2) identify major barriers to implementation and sustainability, and solutions that grantees have employed to overcome these barriers, and 3) determine what minimum resources would improve grantees’ likelihood to sustain the program post-grant. Methods. Five grantees that had begun yearlong WWE grants in April 2017 were selected for interviews: three Early Success Cases (ESCs) (>30% of goal participants reached by 6-mo. progress report) and two Early Delay Cases (EDCs) (no participants reached by 6-mo. progress report). One interviewer conducted semi-structured interviews with program managers from these grantees. The interviewer then transcribed and coded for themes using an integrated approach based on the Planning for Sustainability Framework and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Grantees’ responses were grouped by reported likelihood to sustain the program (“definitely will” vs. “hope to”) and by ESC/EDC status to identify differences in barriers and facilitators between these groups. Results. Three grantees indicated they “hoped to sustain” the WWE program after funding ends, while two grantees indicated they “definitely will”. The strength of WWE’s evidence-base, it’s potential to supplement other programs, and strong, developed community partnerships facilitated implementation and confidence for sustainability. Rigid program design (3x/week instructor-led), difficulties recruiting and retaining volunteer leaders, and organizational upheaval impeded implementation; organizational upheaval especially was a a major reason for early delays experienced by EDCs. While all grantees experienced barriers to WWE implementation, most barriers that ESCs experienced had concrete solutions while some barriers experienced only by EDCs, like organizational upheaval and competing staff priorities, did not. Organizations reported a variety of resources that would improve likelihood of sustainability. Notably, many of these resources were non-financial and could be provided by an outside advocacy organization or through community partnerships. Implications. WWE is effective and relatively easy to implement in community organizations. Reducing the rigidity of WWE’s program design, improving its ability to supplement other programs for participants with diseases other than arthritis, and promoting development of sustainable community partnerships during a grant period can promote the program’s successful implementation and sustainability in communities.
Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital in the Dominican Republic

To present clinical and demographic characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted to Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago in the Dominican Republic, we analyzed electronic medical records of all hospitalized patients clinically admitted as viral pneumonia through March - April 2020. Of 374 patients, 150 (40.1%) laboratory-confirmed, were included in this study. Most of the patients were men (104/69.3%) with a median (IQR 44-66) age of 54 years. Hypertension (83/55.3%) and Diabetes Mellitus (49/32.7%) were the most common comorbidities, whereas fever (120/80%), cough (79/52.7%), and fatigue (60/40%) were the most common presenting symptoms. Twenty eight (18.7%) patients required admission to the intensive care unit, of them, 26 patients (17.3%) required mechanical ventilation. The overall mortality rate was 10.7%. These findings indulge information that could contribute to stratify patients at higher risk of complication.
Interpreting Mendelian-randomization estimates of the effects of categorical exposures such as disease status and educational attainment

Mendelian randomization has been previously used to estimate the effects of binary and ordinal categorical exposures - e.g. type 2 diabetes or educational attainment defined by qualification - on outcomes. Binary and categorical phenotypes can be modelled in terms of liability, an underlying latent continuous variable with liability thresholds separating individuals into categories. Genetic variants typically influence an individual's categorical exposure via their effects on liability, thus Mendelian randomization analyses with categorical exposures will capture effects of liability which act independent of exposure category. We discuss how groups where the categorical exposure is invariant can be used to detect liability effects acting independently of exposure category. For example, associations between an adult educational attainment polygenic score (PGS) and BMI measured before the minimum school leaving age (e.g. age 10), cannot indicate the effects of years in full-time education on this outcome. Using UK Biobank data, we show that a higher education PGS is strongly associated with lower smoking initiation and higher glasses use at age 15. These associations were replicated in sibling models. An orthogonal approach using the raising of the school leaving age (ROSLA) policy change found that individuals who chose to remain in education to age 16 before the reform likely had higher liability to educational attainment than those who were compelled to remain in education to 16 after the reform, and had higher income, decreased cigarette smoking, higher glasses use and lower deprivation in adulthood. These results suggest that liability to educational attainment associates with health and social outcomes independent of years in full-time education. Mendelian randomization studies with non-continuous exposures should be interpreted in terms of liability, which may affect the outcome via changes in exposure category and/or independently.
Phosphorus Source Effects on Soil Organic Phosphorus: A 31P NMR Study

The nature of organic phosphorus (Po) in animal waste and in soil is important from both plant nutrition and environmental perspectives. The objectives of this study were (1) to monitor the nature of Po in different animal wastes and biosolids using solution state 31P NMR spectroscopy and (2) to understand the nature of Po as affected by crop P removal in soil amended with different animal wastes and biosolids under greenhouse conditions. Two types of stockpiled cattle (Bos taurus) manure (CM1 and CM2), solid turkey (Meleagris gallopava) litter (TL), solid hog (Sus scrofa) manure (HM), and aerobically digested biosolids (SS) were used. Two kg of Wabash silt loam soil was amended with 0 or 150 mg P kg−1 from the P sources. Seven harvests of corn (Zea mays L.) were collected, each 35 days after sowing. Organic P was extracted with 0.4 M NaOH from soil samples collected before cropping and after the seventh harvest, as well as from each P source. 31P NMR analysis suggested that sugar phosphomonoester was present in all P sources and was the dominant constituent of both CM1 and CM2. Phosphomonoester was detected in large amounts in TL, HM, and SS. Prior to crop P removal, the application of all P sources caused the relative content of sugar phosphomonoester to be greater than the control. Crop P removal resulted in reductions in the relative content of sugar phosphodiesters and phosphodiester in CM1‐ and CM2‐amended soils, respectively. Phosphomonoester was also decreased in TL‐, HM‐, and SS‐amended soils in response to cropping.
NOTCH3 variants are common in the general population and associated with stroke and vascular dementia: an analysis of 200,000 participants

Background Cysteine-altering NOTCH3 variants identical to those causing the rare monogenic form of stroke, CADASIL, have been reported more common than expected in the general population, but their clinical significance and contribution to stroke and dementia risk in the community remains unclear. Methods Cysteine-altering NOTCH3 variants were identified in UK Biobank whole-exome sequencing data (N=200,632). Frequency of stroke, dementia and other clinical features of CADASIL, and MRI white matter hyperintensity volume were compared between variant carriers and non-carriers. MRIs from those with variants were visually rated, each matched with three controls. Results Of 200,632 participants with exome sequencing data available, 443 (~1 in 450) carried 67 different cysteine-altering NOTCH3 variants. After adjusting for age, sex, and ancestry principal components, NOTCH3 variant carriers had increased risk of stroke (OR: 2.33, p=0.0003), and vascular dementia (OR: 5.03, p=0.007), and increased WMH volume (standardised difference: 0.52, p<0.001), and white matter ultrastructural damage on DTI-PSMD (standardised difference: 0.71, p<0.001). On visual analysis of MRIs from 47 carriers and 148 matched controls, variants were associated with presence of lacunes (OR: 4.83, p<0.001) and cerebral microbleeds (OR: 3.61, p<0.001). WMH prevalence was most increased in the anterior temporal lobes (OR: 6.92, p<0.001) and external capsule (OR: 12.44, p<0.001). Conclusions Cysteine-changing NOTCH3 variants are common in the general population and are risk factors for apparently "sporadic" stroke and vascular dementia. They are associated with MRI changes of SVD, in a distribution similar to that seen in CADASIL.
Modelling of Fluid Fragmentation by Molecular Dynamics

In the present work, numerous molecular dynamics simulations of fragmentation of expanding Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluids have been performed. Two types of expansion were considered: that of Holian and Grady, and that of Blink and Hoover. Much larger systems were investigated in comparison with the previous authors (up to 0.54 million particles) and much more initial conditions. The previous authors studied systems with less than 15 000 particles. Statistical and thermal properties of fragments were investigated. The results are compared with simple fragmentation models and it is found that they often do not agree with them in the Blink-Hoover expansion but agree well with the Grady’s model in the Holian-Grady expansion. In this work, the upper part of the binodal and two points on the solid – liquid branches of the phase diagram of the two-dimensional LJ-spline fluid is obtained by Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo method. This result has been never obtained earlier. LJ-spline (spline approximated to zero) and LJ-cut fluids (with cut off potential) are studied in detail.
The Electrodeposition of Al3Ti from Chloroaluminate Electrolytes

The electrochemistry of Ti(2) in 2:1 AlCl[sub 3]:NaCl and the electrodeposition of metastable aluminum-titanium alloys containing up to 28 atom percent Ti are reported. Ti(2)/Ti(3) was studied by chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry, cyclic voltammetry, and convolution voltammetry during the electrochemical dissolution of titanium. It was concluded that Ti(2)/Ti(3) behaves reversibly in this electrolyte and that, at low current densities, titanium dissolves to form Ti(2). The dissolution follows Faraday's law for Ti(2) concentrations approaching 75 mmol/liter, through concentrations up to 325 mmol/liter can be obtained at dissolution current efficiencies less than 100%. Single-phase Al[sub 3]Ti with the ordered face-centered cubic L1[sub 2] structure is deposited under conditions where the Ti partial current is not diffusion limited. Current transients and microscopic analysis of the early stages of potentiostatic deposition suggest that Al[sub 3]Ti forms by instantaneous three-dimensional nucleation at potentials where the growth process is under mixed kinetic and diffusion control.
Within‐vineyard variability in vine vegetative growth, yield, and fruit and wine composition of Cabernet Sauvignon in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Background and Aims Spatial and temporal variability of vine vigour within a vineyard block, associated with variation in soil physical and chemical properties, affects yield, and fruit and wine composition. The objectives of this study were to measure this variability and possible causes for a commercially important vineyard area in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Methods and Results Three vigour classes, and measurement of vine nutrient and water status, vegetative growth and canopy attributes, yield, fruit ripening profiles, and grape and wine composition over two seasons characterised vigour variability of Cabernet Sauvignon vines growing on the ‘Gimblett Gravels’ area of Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Vine nutrition and growth differed between vigour zones with extreme nitrogen deficiencies recorded. Vigour did not affect vine phenology. Normalised Difference Vegetative Index measurements quantified vigour differences. High vigour vines showed a higher yield, but fruit ripeness, wine anthocyanins and phenolics, and some sensory attributes were significantly reduced. Excessively leafy canopies associated with high vigour were responsible for these effects. Conclusions Soil-induced vine nutrient deficiencies, rather than differences in vine water status, influenced vine vigour. Measures of vegetative growth and canopy attributes suggested negative implications of excessive shading with high vine vigour. Significance of the Study This study showed the relative significance of nutrition in affecting vine vigour on sandy gravel soils. A good correlation between remotely sensed vigour zones, and grape and wine composition permit on-ground zonal management to minimise the negative effects of spatial variability.
KARAKTERISASI TEPUNG UBI KAYU MODIFIKASI YANG DIPROSES MENGGUNAKAN METODE PRAGELATINISASI PARSIAL

This research was aimed to characterize modified cassava flour processed through partial pregelatinisation method compared to sawut cassava flour as a control. The results showed the application of partial pregelatinization method produced cassava flour that has different characters compared to sawut cassava flour. The characters were different in the term of color reaction complex with iodine (redish purple compared to blue), the microscopic apearance of starch granules (swelling condition compared to not swelling/native condition), gelatinization temperature (87.0 o C compared to 75.0 o C), maximum viscosity (965 BU compared to 900 BU), whiteness degree (86.20% compared to 78.76%), water absorption (2.36 g/g compared to 0.13 g/g), water solubility (0.25 g/ml compared to 0.13 g/ml), amylose content (32.67% compared to 15.32%), and odour (3.85 compared to 2.37). Key words : Modified cassava flour, pregelatinisation method, sawut
Reduced state sequence detection of partial response continuous phase modulation

A reduced state sequence detector (RSSD) which combines decision feedback with Viterbi decoding is proposed for partial response continuous phase modulation (CPM). This detector can successfully be used for both binary and high-level partial response CPM schemes. This detector is analysed by means of minimum Euclidean distance and by simulations of the symbol error probability. It is shown that the phase states in the receiver trellis of the maximum likelihood detector for partial response CPM can be exchanged by decision feedback in the metric calculations. This can be achieved without sacrificing minimum Euclidean distance of the first error event or symbol error probability. This RSSD is most attractive for narrow-band CPM schemes and at most about 2 dB in increased energy efficiency as compared with MSK is possible. Further reductions in number of states is possible, especially for high-level CPM schemes, by reducing the number of correlative states. For the most frequently used CPM schemes this can be done with a very small degradation in error performance. In this class of schemes, a complexity reduction of at least a factor five to ten is possible.
Dough characteristics of wheat flour milled from wheat grains stored in spike form

Summary This study compares the effects of storage form (grain and spike) of wheat as well as grain moisture content (12%, 14% and 16%), storage time (0, 3, 6 and 9 months) and temperature (10, 20 and 30 °C) on rheological (farinograph and extensograph) characteristics of dough obtained from stored wheat. While water absorption, stability and degree of softening of wheat stored in spike form were 61.2%, 15.8 min and 25.9 Brabender unit (BU), these values of wheat stored in grain form were 60.8%, 14.1 and 29.1 BU, respectively. Resistance to extension and dough energy of wheat stored in grain form were significantly higher than those of wheat stored in spike form, while extensibility was significantly lower. Storage in spike form had a positive effect on all farinograph and extensograph characteristics of wheat stored under nonoptimal storage conditions such as high grain moisture content, high temperature and long storage time.
Laboratory Study of pH at the Air–Ice Interface

A good understanding of pH at the air–ice interface is required in order to better understand phenomena occurring on frozen media. In this study, we used glancing-angle laser-induced fluorescence in conjunction with the surface- and pH-sensitive fluorescent dyes harmine and acridine to investigate pH at the air–ice interface. We followed changes in the surface region pH due to the freezing of water samples containing HCl, HNO3, or NaOH. Freezing leaves the surface pH largely unchanged with respect to the prefreezing pH, indicating that protons are not strongly excluded during freezing. Exclusion of chloride to the ice surface on freezing was inferred via the enhanced quenching of the acridine fluorescence lifetime upon freezing samples containing HCl. Changes in surface pH due to the deposition of HCl(g) to frozen water surfaces were smaller than those seen on liquid surfaces, for the same acid loading.
From Conventional to Biological Removal of Iron and Manganese in France

Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), in reduced and ionized forms, are present in groundwater, in the anoxic hypolimnion of lakes and impoundments in a state of eutrophication, and in rivers polluted by acid mine drainage or certain types of industrial wastes. In the latter two cases, Fe(II) and Mn(II) are generally removed as part of a treatment line that is more complex than the specific processes examined here. Groundwater, therefore, is
Palynological Classification of Seedless Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) Cultivars

A palynobiometric, scanning electron microscopy study of 67 seedless cultivars and hybrid grape forms was made. Dimensions of the most important pollen aperture complex elements were established. The cultivars were classified into four groups according to the surface microrelief in the mesocolpium zone, into four groups according to apocolpium and into five groups according to the shape of their pollen colps. Three groups were differentiated according to the polar axis/equatorial diameter ratio. In terms of the polar axis, equatorial diameter, mesocolpium, and colp length values, the cultivars were classified into three groups for each character, and by the dimensions of the apocolpium and the colp width and dept — into two groups.
Efeito da aplicação de compostos orgânicos de cama de frango nas propriedades químicas de um Latossolo Vermelho Escuro cultivado com sogro granífero [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

The objective of this research work was to evaluate the effects of limestone doses, types and doses of organic composts, and recommended mineral fertilization, on chemical properties in a Thypic Haplorthox soil at Jaboticabal, Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was used a completely randomized design, in a factorial arrangement (2x2x3)+, with two doses of limestone (C2,5 and C5,0 t ha-⊃), two doses of organic composts (3 and 6 t ha-⊃), three types of organic composts (broiler litter of pine sawdust, rice hull and peanut hull) and recommended mineral fertilization, with 3 replications, totaling 39 plots. , in greenhouse conditions. Limestone favored the elevation of pH, contents of calcium and bases saturation, and decreased H+Al. Types and doses of organic composts favored elevation of pH, sum of bases, cation exchange capacity and bases saturation, decreased H+Al, and supplied P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn. Additional keywords: soil fertility; liming; composting.