Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution of water‐extractable copper in soil with time as a function of organic matter amendments and aeration

Variations in soil conditions can influence the speciation and hence availability of copper. We have followed the evolution of water‐extractability of both native and added copper in a clay‐loam topsoil over 5 months. The effects of addition of organic amendments, either leaf compost or lucerne straw, were studied. Soils were incubated under controlled conditions either moist and well‐aerated, or flooded. Other chemical properties were monitored (pH, redox potential, water‐extractable organic carbon, iron and manganese). Freshly added Cu was initially more soluble than native Cu, but the contrast decreased with time. Solubility was greater in flooded soils than in aerated samples. Solubility also increased with increasing pH, contrary to often‐reported trends. Although the extractability of added Cu increased with increasing dissolved organic carbon, as expected from the formation of complexes in solution, that of native soil Cu did not. Large, short‐lived flushes of Cu were associated with flushes of dissolved organic matter, particularly from decomposition of lucerne straw, but these relations were not always statistically significant when the entire data set was considered. The total amount of dissolved organic carbon is not a sufficiently sensitive probe to assess the extent to which Cu is solubilized by the formation of complexes in soil solution. The changing composition of soil and soil solution during incubation led to 10‐fold differences in the proportion of Cu that was water‐extractable. Single measurements of extractability can therefore never give an accurate estimation of mobility and availability of copper in soil.
Measurements of particle number size distributions and optical properties in urban Shanghai during 2010 World Expo: relation to air mass history

To investigate the air quality during 2010 World Expo, continuous measurements of particle number size distributions and optical parameters were performed at urban Shanghai from April to June 2010. Total particle number and volume concentrations in the size range 16–600 nm were 12 700±6200 cm−3 and 16±8 µm3/cm3, respectively. Meanwhile, the optical parameters, particle light-scattering coefficient b sp,532nm and absorption coefficient b ap,532nm were 210±140 Mm−1 and 26±20 Mm−1, respectively. Strong correlation (R=0.69) was observed between b sp,532nm and the number concentration of accumulation mode particles, especially in the specific size range 300–500 nm (R=0.87). Cluster analysis on air mass history was performed to explore the relationship between air mass origins and the optical as well as microphysical parameters. Back trajectories were classified into four major clusters. Air masses came from the west direction, in which continental aerosols were predominant, associating with the polluted cases during the summertime in Shanghai. In addition, the northern air mass showed the lower values of aerosol single scattering albedo ω 0,532nm, indicating the presence of smaller light-absorbing particles originated from the North China Plain.
Convergent loss of an EDS1/PAD4 signalling pathway in several plant lineages predicts new components of plant immunity and drought response

Plant innate immunity relies on NLR receptors that recognize pathogen derived molecules and activate downstream signalling pathways. We analyzed the variation in copy number of NLR genes across flowering plants, and identified a number of species with a low number of NLRs relative to sister species. Two distinct lineages, one monocot (Lentibulariaceae) and one dicot (Alismatales) encapsulate four species with particularly few NLR genes. In these lineages, loss of NLRs coincided with loss of the well-known downstream immune signalling complex (EDS1-PAD4). When we expanded our analysis across the whole proteomes, we were able to identify other characterized immune genes absent only in Lentibulariaceae and Alismatales. Additionally, we identified a small subset of genes with unknown function convergently lost in all four species. We predicted that some of these genes may have a role in plant immunity. Gene expression analyses confirmed that a group of these genes was differentially expressed under pathogen infection. Another subset of these genes was differentially expressed upon drought providing further evidence of a link between the drought and plant immunity.
Modeling for the Effect of In-Situ Bacteria Growth on Permeability Reduction of a Fractured Medium

This study simulates the effect of in-situ bacteria growth on the reduction of the effective permeability of a fractured medium. The authors use a power law for fracture length distribution and a fractional Brownian motion for hydraulic fracture aperture spatial distribution, which can be characterized by the length exponent (a) and the Hurst exponent (H), respectively. The typical ranges of 1.4 ≤ a ≤ 2.2 and 0.1 ≤ H ≤ 0.9 are considered. Nutrients are injected continuously for the growth of in-situ bacteria. The results show that in-situ bacteria growth reduces the permeability hyperbolically, but the backbone porosity does not change significantly. It also shows that the reduction of the permeability proceeds faster for smaller values of a and for larger values of H. } The fracture length distribution has a stronger effect on the speed of permeability reduction than the hydraulic fracture aperture spatial distribution. The time needed to reduce permeability is inversely proportional to the hydraulic gradient.
Syngas production via methane steam reforming with oxygen: plasma reactors versus chemical reactors

Steam reforming with oxygen (SRO) is a combination of non-catalytic partial oxidation and steam reforming of methane, industrially used for syngas production. There are several models of the chemical reactors used for this purpose but in the last decade a new direction has developed - plasma devices. The aim of the present paper is to make a comparative analysis between the autothermal reformers, including their improved variants, and the plasma reactors. The study is conceived in terms of advantages and disadvantages coming from the exploitation parameters, methane conversion, selectivity, energy efficiency and investment costs. Although SRO by means of chemical reactors may be the most efficient, plasma reactors represent an incisive approach by their simplicity, compactness and low price.
Transport of Humic-Coated Iron Oxide Colloids in a Sandy Soil: Influence of Ca2+ and Trace Metals

Understanding colloid release, transport, and deposition in natural heterogeneous porous media is a prerequisite for evaluating the potential role of colloids in subsurface contaminant transport. In this study, we investigate the influence of adsorbed humic acid, solution Ca2+ concentration, and adsorbed trace metals (Cu2+, Pb2+) on the transport and deposition kinetics of colloidal hematite particles (α-Fe2O3; 122 nm diameter) in a sandy soil matrix. A short-pulse chromatographic technique was used to measure colloid deposition rate coefficients and collision efficiencies (α). At pH 5.7, pure hematite was positively charged and deposited rapidly (α ≈ 1) even at low electrolyte concentrations (10-4 M CaCl2). Adsorption of humic acid to the hematite caused reversal of surface charge from positive to negative. As a result, colloid deposition rates were decreased by approximately 2 orders of magnitude (α ≈ 0.01). Deposition rates of humic-coated hematite colloids strongly increased with increasing Ca2+ conce.
Study of the Pressure Drop and Flow Field in Standard Gas Cyclone Models Using the Granular Model

A particle-laden flow inside solid gas cyclones has been studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The effects of high temperatures and different particle loadings have been investigated. The Reynolds stress (RSM) model-predicted results, in the case of pure gas, are within engineering accuracy even at high temperatures. Using the granular mixture model for the cases of particle-laden flow, discrepancies occurred at relatively high loadings (up to 0.5 kg/m3). Since the pressure drop is strongly related to the friction inside the cyclone body, the concept of entropy generation has been employed to detect regions of high frictional effects. Friction has been observed to be important at the vortex finder wall, the bottom of the conical-part wall, and the interface separating the outer and the core streams. The discrepancies between the present numerical simulation and the experimental results taken from the existing literature, which are caused by the mixture and turbulence models simplifying assumptions, are discussed in this paper.
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy of Liquids: Aqueous Solutions of Nickel and Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

Spectrochemical analyses of aqueous solutions containing nickel or the chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) C2Cl4, CCl4, CHCl3, and C2HCl3 were performed with the use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. A Nd:YAG laser operating at 60 mJ/pulse was focused onto the surface of the liquid. Elemental line intensities were monitored in the laser-produced plume as a function of analyte concentration to determine detection limits. The limits of detection for nickel in water were 36.4 ± 5.4 mgAL and 18.0 ± 3.8 mg/L for laser irradiation at 1.06 μm and 355 nm, respectively. Ablation of pure CHCs at 355 nm produced extremely intense plasma emissions that primarily consisted of spectroscopic features attributed to CN, C3, H, N, and Cl. The spectra were structurally identical for all the CHCs except for differences in the intensities of various emission lines. With the use of emission from neutral atomic chlorine as an identifier for CHC contamination of water, no detectable traces of these elements were observed in saturated aqueous solutions. The detection limits for the CHCs were well above the saturation limits of CHC in water.
Urease and Nitrification Retardation Properties in Natural Essential Oils and Their By‐products

Abstract A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted with the natural essential oil of peppermint (Mentha spicata, MS), dementholized oil (DMO), terpenes, and a chemical inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD), as coating materials for retardation of soil urea hydrolysis and nitrification. Retardation of nitrification was highest with DCD. The urea hydrolysis and nitrification processes were inhibited by all three natural products. Intensity of inhibition of both the processes increased with the level of application of the coating materials. With 0.50% level of coating, urea hydrolysis inhibition was in this decreasing order: DMO>terpenes>DCD>M. spicata oil; whereas at 1.00%, inhibition followed this order: terpenes>DMO>M. spicata oil>DCD. At 0.50% level of coating nitrification inhibition decreased in this order: M. spicata oil>DCD>DMO>terpenes; with 1.00%, the order was DCD>DMO>M. spicata oil>terpenes. All the three natural products (DMO, terpenes, and M. spicata oil) significantly retarded soil urease activity. These natural nitrification inhibitors significantly retarded Nitrosomonas. Nitrobacter, and total bacterial and actinomycete populations. Microbial activity retardation was more intense at a higher level of coating. We concluded that the different coating materials used could be used as potential retardants of urease activity as well as nitrification, unlike DCD, which is a potential retardant of nitrification and has little effect on the urea hydrolysis. The natural products, unlike chemical nitrification inhibitors, are less persistent, biodegradable, ecofriendly, and cheap.
Examining the educative practice with Geographic Information Systems through the teachers’ perspective

With the objective of analyzing the frequency of use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in secondary education’s Geography, the kind of programs used, the topics treated and the factors that will predict the teacher’s use of these tools; an online survey was conducted in course 2014-2015 with a sample of 146 teachers. The results showed a sporadic use of Web GIS, self-taught instruction, and that GIS are used to deal with complex spatial problems. As a result it is necessary to simplify the use of GIS, modifying the curriculum and adapting GIS software to increase its use.
One-Dimensional Double Helical Structure and 4-Fold Type (2 + 2) Interpenetration of Diamondoid Networks with Helical Fashion

We have prepared unique homochiral structures by the self-assembly of a modified amino acid derivative (terephthaloylmonoalanine, L-TMA) with metal ions such as Zn(II) and Cd(II). An L-TMA ligand and Zn(II) ions formed a left- handed, homochiral, double helical chain. However, while L-TMA and Cd(II) ions topologically formed a diamondoid Cd-L-TMA network with 4-fold type (2 + 2) interpenetration, Cd-L-TMA can be morphologically considered as a three-dimensional network of left-handed, double helices. The double helical structure of Zn-L-TMA originated from the self-assembly of individual helical chains by hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions, whereas the double helical structures of Cd-L-TMA were observed in an interpenetrating diamondoid net.
Influência da cobertura vegetal de inverno e da adubação orgânica e, ou, mineral sobre as propriedades físicas de uma Terra Roxa Estruturada

This study was carried out to assess the influence of Winter plant cover on the physical soil properties in a Structured Terra Roxa soil in the state of Santa Catarina. The plant cover consisted of an association of black oats (Avena stirgosa Schreb) with pasture turnip (Raphanus sativus L.) and organic fertilization with poultry manure and 2 mineral fertilization. Soil samples collected in August 1994 and January 1995, at depths of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm, from an experiment started in 1990, were analyzed. A decrease in the stability of aggregates greater than 4.76 mm and an increase in aggregate stability in diameters of 4.76-2.00 and 2.00-1.00 mm was found when organic fertilization was used. Organic fertilizer in the 0-10 cm soil layer increased macroporosity and decreased soil density, whereas the organomineral fertilizer reduced macroporosity and increased microporosity and soil density.
Recycling of Chicken and Duck Litter Ash as a Nutrient Source for Japanese Mustard Spinach

ABSTRACT Recycling combusted poultry litter ash as a soil amendment would potentially ameliorate problems normally associated with poultry waste management. We evaluated the effect of chicken litter ash (CLA) and duck litter ash (DLA) as nutrient sources for Japanese mustard spinach (Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis) grown on a sand dune soil. Chicken and duck litter were ashed at five temperatures: 200, 400, 600, 800, and 900°C and the resulting ash samples were applied at the rate of 100 kg phosphorus (P) ha−1. Laboratory analysis showed the highest P extraction with citric acid from CLA and DLA obtained at 600°C. Chicken litter ash was richer in P and potassium (K) than DLA but the later contained more calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). The amount of ammonium acetate soluble calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and K recovered increased with increasing temperature except for Ca and Mg at the highest temperatures, 800 and 900°C. Plants grown in pots with the CLA and DLA obtained at 400°C had the highest P concentration, yielding significantly more biomass with dense green leaf color but on average, the DLA amended soil had greater biomass. However, the P level was higher in CLA treated plants than DLA due to the higher available P level (citric acid soluble). Increases in electrical conductivity and pH of the soil were noted after harvest due to litter ash application. Our experiment demonstrated that poultry litter is potential source of P and other nutrients for horticutural crops.
Nanoscale ZnO/CdS heterostructures with engineered interfaces for high photocatalytic activity under solar radiation

Semiconductor based nanoscale heterostructures are promising candidates for photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications with the sensitization of a wide bandgap semiconductor with a narrow bandgap material being the most viable strategy to maximize the utilization of the solar spectrum. Here, we present a simple wet chemical route to obtain nanoscale heterostructures of ZnO/CdS without using any molecular linker. Our method involves the nucleation of a Cd-precursor on ZnO nanorods with a subsequent sulfidation step leading to the formation of the ZnO/CdS nanoscale heterostructures. Excellent control over the loading of CdS and the microstructure is realized by merely changing the initial concentration of the sulfiding agent. We show that the heterostructures with the lowest CdS loading exhibit an exceptionally high activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under solar irradiation conditions; microstructural and surface analysis reveals that the higher activity in this case is related to the dispersion of the CdS nanoparticles on the ZnO nanorod surface and to the higher concentration of surface hydroxyl species. Detailed analysis of the mechanism of formation of the nanoscale heterostructures reveals that it is possible to obtain deterministic control over the nature of the interfaces. Our synthesis method is general and applicable for other heterostructures where the interfaces need to be engineered for optimal properties. In particular, the absence of any molecular linker at the interface makes our method appealing for photovoltaic applications where faster rates of electron transfer at the heterojunctions are highly desirable.
Linear Viscoelastic Properties of Regular- and Reduced-Fat Pasteurized Process Cheese During Heating and Cooling

The rheology of process cheese during heating and cooling was examined by measuring the transient and dynamic linear viscoelastic properties of regular fat, lower moisture and an 80% reduced-fat, higher moisture pasteurized process cheese from 10 to 50°C. The dynamic (stress and frequency sweep) and transient (creep and recovery) rheological properties of the reduced-fat process cheese were found to be higher than that of regular-fat process cheese, indicating that fat content changed rheological properties more than moisture content. The temperature-dependent frequency dispersions of storage and loss moduli (dynamic mechanical spectra) were fitted with a power-law model, and master curves (at a reference temperature of 30°C) and shift factors were obtained by shifting the temperature-dependent frequency dispersion of dynamic mechanical spectra. The relaxation spectra (moduli, viscosities and relaxation times) of both cheeses were obtained from the master curves using the generalized Maxwell model and nonlinear regression. The viscosity distribution of corresponding Maxwell model elements were higher for the reduced-fat cheese by a factor of 1.6–4.7 compared to the regular-fat cheese, indicating that the higher moisture content in the reduced-fat process cheese did not loosen the protein matrix or soften the cheese even though higher moisture is recommended to cheese manufacturers in order to compensate for some textural defects in reduced-fat cheeses.
Combinatorial Pure Exploration with Full-Bandit or Partial Linear Feedback

In this paper, we first study the problem of combinatorial pure exploration with full-bandit feedback (CPE-BL), where a learner is given a combinatorial action space X \subseteq {0,1}^d, and in each round the learner pulls an action x \in X and receives a random reward with expectation x^T \theta, with \theta \in \R^d a latent and unknown environment vector. The objective is to identify the optimal action with the highest expected reward, using as few samples as possible. For CPE-BL, we design the first polynomial-time adaptive algorithm, whose sample complexity matches the lower bound (within a logarithmic factor) for a family of instances and has a light dependence of \Delta_min (the smallest gap between the optimal action and sub-optimal actions). Furthermore, we propose a novel generalization of CPE-BL with flexible feedback structures, called combinatorial pure exploration with partial linear feedback (CPE-PL), which encompasses several families of sub-problems including full-bandit feedback, semi-bandit feedback, partial feedback and nonlinear reward functions. In CPE-PL, each pull of action x reports a random feedback vector with expectation of M_x \theta , where M_x \in R^{m_x \times d} is a transformation matrix for x, and gains a random (possibly nonlinear) reward related to x. For CPE-PL, we develop the first polynomial-time algorithm, which simultaneously addresses limited feedback, general reward function and combinatorial action space (e.g., matroids, matchings and s-t paths), and provide its sample complexity analysis. Our empirical evaluation demonstrates that our algorithms run orders of magnitude faster than the existing ones, and our CPE-BL algorithm is robust across different \Delta_min settings while our CPE-PL algorithm is the first one returning correct answers for nonlinear reward functions.
Profiling Gas Leaks in Solidity Smart Contracts.

Nowadays, more and more applications are developed for running on a distributed ledger technology, namely dApps. The business logic of dApps is usually implemented within smart contracts developed through Solidity, a programming language for writing smart contracts on different blockchain platforms, including the popular Ethereum. In Ethereum, the smart contracts run on the machines of miners and the gas corresponds to the execution fee compensating such computing resources. However, the deployment and execution costs of a smart contract depend on the implementation choices done by developers. Unappropriated design choices could lead to higher gas consumption than necessary. In this paper, we (i) identify a set of 19 Solidity code smells affecting the deployment and transaction costs of a smart contract, and (ii) assess the relevance of such smells through a survey involving 34 participants. On top of these smells, we propose GasMet, a suite of metrics for statically evaluating the code quality of a smart contract from the gas consumption perspective. An experiment involving 2,186 smart contracts demonstrates that the proposed metrics have direct associations with deployment costs. The metrics in our suite can be used for more easily identifying source code segments that need optimizations.
Heat Pump Drying of Green Sweet Pepper

Thin-layer drying experiments under controlled conditions were conducted for green sweet pepper in heat pump dryer at 30, 35, and 40°C and hot air dryer at 45°C with relative humidities ranging from 19 to 55%. The moisture content of sweet pepper slices reduced exponentially with drying time. As the temperature increased, the drying curve exhibited a steeper slope, thus exhibiting an increase in drying rate. Drying of green sweet pepper took place mainly under the falling-rate period. The Page equation was found to be better than the Lewis equation to describe the thin-layer drying of green sweet pepper with higher coefficient of determination and lower root mean square error. Drying in heat pump dryer at 40°C took less time with higher drying rate and specific moisture extraction rate as compared to hot air drying at 45°C due to lower relative humidity of the drying air in a heat pump dryer though the drying air temperature was less. The retention of total chlorophyll content and ascorbic acid content was observed to be more in heat pump–dried samples with higher rehydration ratios and sensory scores. The quality parameters showed a declining trend with increase in drying air temperature from 30 to 45°C. Keeping in view the energy consumption and quality attributes of dehydrated products, it is proposed to dry green sweet pepper at 35°C in heat pump dryer.