Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial Activities of Neolignans Isolated from the Seed Endotheliums of Trewia nudiflora

Five neolignans including four new ones were obtained from the seed endotheliums of Trewia nudiflora L. Their structures were determined to be 9'-methyl americanol A(1), 9'-methyl isoamericanol A(2), 9'-ethyl americanol A(3), 9'-butyl americanol A(4), and americanin (5). Two acetylated products 3,4-diacetyl americanin (5a) and 3,4,9-triacetyl americanin (5b) had been prepared from compound 5. All of these compounds were investigated on antibacterial assays when carbenicillin sodium, streptomycin sulfate and rifampicin were used as positive controls. Compounds 4 and 5 exhibited antibacterial activities against gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis at the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 50μg/mL and 100μg/mE respectively, but 5a and 5b did not exhibit antibacterial activity at 200μg/disk.
THE EFFECT OF SLOPE AND RAMP LENGTH ON THE UPSTREAM PASSAGE PERFORMANCE OF POTAMODROMOUS CYPRINIDS NEGOTIATING LOW-HEAD RAMPED WEIRS

Low-head ramped weirs are one of the most common small engineered structures present in Iberian rivers. Fish passability of these obstacles, where water passes over but does not generate a waterfall, is primarily related to ramp length and slope. However, the relative contribution of these factors has seldom been investigated. This study aims to assess the upstream passage performance of a medium-size potamodromous cyprinid, the Iberian barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei), negotiating an experimental low-head ramped weir with varying ramp length (L), slope (S), and discharge (Q). A total of 4 configurations were initially tested contemplating different combinations of L (1.50, 3.00 m) and S (10, 20, 30 %), with a constant Q of 110 L.s. The configuration with the lowest number of successful upstream passages was then assessed for an additional Q of 55 L.s. Results suggest that both factors L and S, as well as Q, influenced passage performance of fish. While attraction efficiency increased with increasing L and S, the number of successful negotiations, and consequently passage efficiency, decreased upon increasing L, and peaked at the intermediate value of S. Regarding Q, although its reduction contributed to the presence of a smaller water column on the ramp, the number of successful passages increased significantly. However, both attraction and passage efficiencies registered lower values, suggesting that it is rather difficult to determine the most suitable combination of hydrodynamic conditions downstream and over the ramp for efficient fish passage. These results may be useful for designing appropriate passage structures for low-head instream obstacles.
Irrigation water quality and zinc on growth and yield of fenugreek ( Trigonella foenumgraecum L.)

A pot experiment was carried out to find out the influence of different Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) water and zinc (Zn) levels on growth and yield of fenugreek. The study involved 12 treatment combinations of four RSC levels of irrigation water (W1=1, W2=2.5, W3=5.0 & W4=7.5 mmol L-1) and three Zn levels (Z0=control, Z10= 10 & Z20= 20 mg kg-1 soil). Results revealed that the plant height, number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, test weight, seed yield and straw yield of fenugreek significantly decreased with all levels of RSC water and increased with increasing levels of Zn. Thus, application of 20 mg kg-1 Zn under 2.5 mM L-1 of RSC water was found to be superior with respect to growth and yield of fenugreek.
Homodyne High-harmonic Spectroscopy: Coherent Imaging of a Unimolecular Chemical Reaction

At the heart of high harmonic generation lies a combination of optical and collision physics entwined by a strong laser field. An electron, initially tunnel-ionized by the field, driven away then back in the continuum, finally recombines back to rest in its initial ground state via a radiative transition. The emitted attosecond (atto=10−18) XUV light pulse carries all the information (polarization, amplitude and phase) about the photorecombination continuum-to-ground transition dipolar field. Photorecombination is related to the time-reversed photoionization process. In this perspective, high-harmonic spectroscopy extends well-established photoelectron spectroscopy, based on charged particle detection, to a fully coherent one, based on light characterization. The main achievement presented in this thesis is to use high harmonic generation to probe femtosecond (femto=10−15) chemical dynamics for the first time. Thanks to the coherence imposed by the strong driving laser field, homodyne detection of attosecond pulses from excited molecules undergoing dynamics is achieved, the signal from unexcited molecules acting as the reference local oscillator. First, applying time-resolved highharmonic spectroscopy to the photodissociation of a diatomic molecule, Br2 → Br + Br, allows us to follow the break of a chemical bond occurring in a few hundreds of femtoseconds. Second, extending it to a triatomic (NO2) lets us observe both the previously unseen (but predicted) early femtosecond conical intersection dynamics followed by the late picosecond statistical photodissociation taking place in the reaction NO2→ NO + O. Another important realization of this thesis is the development of a complementary technique to time-resolved high-harmonic spectroscopy called LAPIN, for Linked Attosecond Phase INterferometry. When combined together, time-resolved high-harmonic spectroscopy and LAPIN give access to the complex photorecombination dipole of aligned excited molecules. These achievements lay the basis for electron recollision tomographic imaging of a chemical reaction with unprecedented angström (1 angström= 0.1 nanometer) spatial resolution. Other contributions dedicated to the development of attosecond science and the generalization of high-harmonic spectroscopy as a novel, fully coherent molecular spectroscopy will also be presented in this thesis.
Cyclophosphamide degradation by advanced oxidation processes

Cyclophosphamide is a hazardous cytostatic drug, which should be removed from wastewaters before disposals. Ozonation slowly inactivates this substance, requiring long reaction times to obtain degradation. In this paper, different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are studied for cyclophosphamide oxidative degradation in aqueous medium: ozone at several basic pH values, ozone/hydrogen peroxide at neutral and basic pHs with the addition of the peroxide at the beginning of ozonation. The influence of ozone concentration in the gas phase and gas flow is also discussed. Results show that, under the experimental conditions studied, the radical mechanism acting in the AOPs rapidly degrades cyclophosphamide. Additionally, second‐order rate constants kd and kOH were determined for direct (molecular) and indirect (radical) reactions. Finally, reactions were carried out with the aim of isolating and identifying some of the degradation products. From ozonation at pH 9, 4‐ketocyclophosphamide was identified as the main reaction product.
Is There an East-West Split in North American Natural Gas Markets?

This paper presents evidence concerning shared stochastic trends in North American natural gas (spot) markets, using monthly data for the period that natural gas has been traded on organized exchanges (from June, 1990 to January, 1996). In doing so, it uses the Engle and Granger (1987) approach for estimating bivariate cointegrating relationships as well as Johansen's (1988) maximum likelihood approach for estimating cointegrating relationships in multivariate vector autoregressive models. The results indicate that the east-west split does not exist.
Nanofluidics: Fundamentals and Applications in Energy Conversion

I TABLE OF CONTENTS . III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.VII CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW AND MOTIVATION.1 1.1. Grand Challenges of Materials for Enhancing Efficiency of Energy Conversion and Sustainability.1 1.2. A New Form of Nanocomposite Combining Nanoporous Materials and Functional Liquids.3 1.2.1. Nanoporous Composite: An Overview.4 1.2.2. Understanding the Energy Conversion Functionalities . 6 1.2.2.1. Energy Absorption.6 1.2.2.2. Field-responsive Actuation.11 1.2.2.3. Thermal-to-Electrical Energy Harvesting.12 1.2.2.4. Mechanical-to-Electrical Energy Harvesting . 13 1.2.3. Role of Nanofluidics . 14 CHAPTER 2. AN INTRODUCTION TO NANOFLUIDICS.16 2.1. Conventional Fluids vs. Nanofluids . 17 2.1.1. Conventional Treatment of Capillary Infiltration and Transport.17 2.1.2. Conventional Treatment of Electrical Double Layer.17 2.1. 3. Uniqueness of Nanofluids.18 2.2. Previous Nanofluidic Studies and their Limitations.20 2.2.1. Fluidics in Nanoporous Materials . 20 2.2.2. Fluidics in Nanotubes.21 2.2.3. Fluidics in Biological Channels . 22 2.2.4. Remaining Issues . 22 2.3. Modeling of Nanofluids . 23 2.3.1. Empirical Parameters Used in MD Simulation.24 2.3. 2. Computational Models and Derivation of Nanofluidic Quantities.26 2.3. 2.1. Infiltration Pressure.26 2.3. 2.2. Static Contact Angle . 29 2.3. 2.3. Shearing Stress.30 2.3. 2.4. Interfacial Potential Difference . 32 CHAPTER 3. NANOFLUIDIC INFILTRATION AND TRANSPORT – FUNDAMENTALS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ENERGY ABSORPTION AND DISSIPATION . 34 3.1. Nanofluidic Infiltration: Critical Infiltration Pressure and General Size and Geometric Effects.34 3.1.1. Spontaneous Infiltration vs. Pressure-Assisted Infiltration . 36 3.1.2. General Size and Geometric Effects.37 3.1. 3. Limitations of Laplace-Young Equation.38
ATRIBUTOS FÍSICOS, QUÍMICOS E BIOLÓGICOS DE LATOSSOLO VERMELHO DISTRÓFICO DE CERRADO SOB DUAS ROTAÇÕES DE CULTURA

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two crop rotations on soil physical, chemical and biological attributes of a dystrophic red Oxisol. A randomized block design with split plot arrangement was used, with six replications. The treatments were two crop rotations, common bean/soybean + Brachiaria grass/common bean (F/S+B/F) and common bean/maize + Brachiaria grass/common bean (F/M+B/F), and a savannah area (";cerradao";) as reference, with soil samples at depths of 0-2.5 cm and 15-17.5 cm. The samples were collected in September 2004, at the common bean flowering stage. The attributes evaluated were: bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, average geometric diameter, average weighed diameter, aggregation greater than 2.0 mm, organic carbon, total nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, and microbial quotient. The transition from ";cerradao"; to agricultural production, independent of crop rotation, increased soil bulk density and reduced total pore volume, macroporosity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and microbial biomass carbon. The rotation F/S+B/F reduced soil bulk density and macroporosity, and increasing microporosity, average geometric diameter, average weighed diameter, aggregation greater than 2.0 mm, organic carbon, and total nitrogen, as related to the F/M+B/F rotation. KEY-WORDS: Soil density; microbial biomass.
Elasticity and anisotropy of iron‐nickel phosphides at high pressures

Geochemical estimates indicate that around 90% of the planet's inventory of phosphorus is likely to be sequestered in the Earth's core. Iron phosphides such as scheirbisites (Fe3P) are commonly found in iron meteorites. Recently, melliniite (Fe,Ni)4P with 12.2 wt% phosphorus has been reported in iron‐meteorites. Using static electronic structure calculations, we predict that Fe4P is unlikely to dissociate into Fe3P and hcp Fe at inner core conditions. Among the different structural varieties of Fe4P, we find the cubic polymorph with P213 space group symmetry to be stable over a wide range of geophysically relevant pressures. We have determined the equation of state and the full elastic constant tensor of the stable (Fe,Ni)4P phase at pressures up to 400 GPa. Upon compression, Fe4P undergoes a ferromagnetic (fm) to nonmagnetic (nm) transition at 80 GPa. In nonmagnetic (Fe,Ni)4P, nickel incorporation results in reduction of the P‐ and S‐wave velocities. However, incorporation of nickel enhances the P‐ and S‐wave anisotropy.
Effect of Cadmium and Lead on Quantitative and Essential Oil Traits of Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.)

Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are particularly noteworthy metals that can pollute the air, soil and water contributing to serious environmental problems. Tests were done on concentrations of Pb and Cd; treatments tested in the experiment were as follows; Cd concentrations (10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 ppm) and concentrations of Pb (100, 300, 600, 900, 1200, 1500 ppm) and control. Tests were done on Mentha piperita L. in a greenhouse, arranged as a randomized complete block design with three replications. Rhizomes with uniform weight were planted in pots 30×50×35 cm. Plants were irrigated with Cd and Pb chloride after germination of all rhizomes. Results demonstrated that with increasing concentrations of Cd and Pb there was a decrease in fresh and dry weights, main stem height, leaf area per plant, leaf number, number of nodes per main stem and essential oil of peppermint compared to the control. Fresh weights were decreased at 100 ppm of Cd and 1500 ppm of Pb, 18.16% and 24.55%, respectively compared to the control at the first harvest. At the second harvest, these decreases were 15.24% and 32.72%, respectively. At the highest concentrations of Cd and Pb, dry weight of peppermint was dropped 22.92% and 39.01% at the first harvest. For the second harvest, decreased dry weights were 25.88% and 26.77% respectively. It seems that peppermint can tolerate waste water or soil polluted with medium range of Cd and Pb concentrations and the essential oil percentage was not affected by these concentrations.
Electronic structure and photovoltaic application of BiI3

Rapid recent improvement in photovoltaic efficiency in hybrid lead halide perovskite materials has provided the impetus for understanding other, related main-group halide systems. Here, we show that the closely related but less toxic bismuth iodide BiI3 can show promising optoelectronic properties. Layered binary BiI3 is used here as the active layer in planar solar cell architectures (efficiency approximately 0.3%). Experimental and computational studies of absolute band positions of BiI3 are also presented, to help in the rational design of device architectures that would allow efficient charge transfer at the interfaces.
Two-phase steady detonation analysis

Steady solutions to a set of two-phase reactive flow model equations are studied to test the hypothesis that observed deviations from Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) detonation states in porous solid propellants are manifestations of the two-phase nature of the flow. Shock jump relations are presented. A simple expression for a minimum detonation wave speed analogous to a CJ detonation for a single phase is given. The analogous CJ point is a sonic point. In the appropriate limit the minimum detonation velocity varies linearly with initial bulk density, and the corresponding detonation pressure varies with the square of initial bulk density. Non-ideal gas effects play an important role in determining CJ conditions. The effect of reaction zone structure is studied to determine its effect on detonation end states. 19 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.
INFLUENCE OF SOURCE, METHOD OF PLACEMENT AND SIMULATED RAINFALL ON THE RECOVERY OF 15N-LABELLED FERTILIZERS UNDER ZERO TILLAGE

The availability of fertilizer N to crop under zero tillage (ZT) versus conventional tillage (CT) is affected by immobilization, ammonia volatilization, denitrification or leaching. This study examined the relative importance of those four factors in influencing the availability of N to the crop and the recovery of applied 15N-labelled N in soil and plants. Field experiments were conducted at two sites in central Alberta to determine the influence of tillage, N source, method of N placement and simulated rainfall on the recovery of 15N-labelled fertilizers in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants and soil. A first experiment compared four soil surface broadcast N sources [urea, ammonium sulphate (AS), ammonium nitrate (AN) and potassium nitrate (KNO3)]. The N recovery in barley plants was KNO3> AN > AS > urea. With the exception of KNO3, plant N recovery was greater under CT than under ZT, particularly for urea. Immobilized N in soil was often less with KNO3 than the other N sources. There was apparen.
Investigation of ultra-thin titania films as hole-blocking contacts for organic photovoltaics

Ultra-thin (0.5–10 nm) plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposited (PE-ALD) titanium oxide (TiOx) films, deposited on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) contacts, are investigated as hole-blocking interlayers using conventional electrochemistry of select probe molecules, in blended heterojunction (P3HT:PCBM) organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and in conventional Al/TiOx/p-Si diode platforms. Even films as thin as 0.5 nm, which represent as few as 10 ALD cycles, begin to show hole blocking in the electrochemical experiments, and optimized rectification and power conversion efficiencies are seen for the diode and OPV platforms respectively at a thickness of ca. 3 nm. These results suggest a significant reactivity of the ALD precursors with the ITO substrate to form conformal films with properties which can normally only be achieved with much thicker TiO2 films created from chemical vapor deposition or sol–gel solution processing. The performance of these PE-ALD TiOx layers is highly dependent on thickness. Up to ca. 3 nm these PE-ALD films remain amorphous, whereas for thicker layers (10 nm) grazing incidence X-ray diffraction shows a transition to the anatase structure, with an increase in both leakage current and reduction in shunt resistance in PV platforms. TiO2 films can be quite attractive electron-selective, hole-blocking interlayers in both PV and photoelectrochemical energy conversion platforms, but need to be thin, owing to their lower intrinsic conductivities. PE-ALD TiO2 films appear to provide these capabilities, with strikingly optimized performance at very low thickness.
Kinetics of water absorption and soluble-solid loss of hot-air-dried carrots during rehydration

Summary Cubes of carrots dried at 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C were rehydrated at 20 and 95 °C. Kinetics of water gain and soluble-solid loss were monitored and described by Peleg model. Dry matter holding capacity, water absorption capacity and rehydration ability were derived to assess the rehydration process. It was found that leaching flow was higher for the samples dried at higher temperatures. Rehydration ability and dry matter holding capacity of the samples rehydrated at 95 °C were higher than those observed for the samples soaked at 20 °C. Swelling of carrots during rehydration neither depended on temperature of drying nor on the temperature of the water. The results indicate that the use of low drying temperatures is suitable for preserving the quality attributes of carrots after rehydration.
Sequestering Agents for Active Caps—Remediation of Metals and Organics

This research evaluated organoclays, zeolites, phosphates, and a biopolymer as sequestering agents for inorganic and organic contaminants. Batch experiments were conducted to identify amendments and mixtures of amendments for metal and organic contaminant removal and retention. Contaminant removal was evaluated by calculating partitioning coefficients. Metal retention was evaluated by desorption studies in which residue from the removal studies was extracted with 1 M MgCl2 solution. The results indicated that phosphate amendments, some organoclays, and the biopolymer, chitosan, were very effective sequestering agents for metals in fresh and salt water. Organoclays were very effective sorbents for phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene. Partitioning coefficients for the organoclays were 3000–3500 L g−1 for benzo(a)pyrene, 400–450 L g−1 for pyrene, and 50–70 L g−1 for phenanthrene. Remediation of sites with a mixture of contaminants is more difficult than sites with a single contaminant because metals and organic contaminants have different fate and transport mechanisms in sediment and water. Mixtures of amendments (e.g., organoclay and rock phosphate) have high potential for remediating both organic and inorganic contaminants under a broad range of environmental conditions, and have promise as components in active caps for sediment remediation.
Concentração de nitrato no perfil do solo fertigado com diferentes concentrações de fontes nitrogenadas

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of concentration of urea and potassium nitrate in the irrigation water on the concentration of nitrate in the soil solution and in saturation extract of soil at two depths of root system of Plaintans banana cv Terra Maranhao under fertigation. The experiment was carried out during the period of January to December, 2008 and followed a randomized block design with three replications in a 2 x 4 factorial scheme where treatments consisted of the use of two nitrogen sources (urea and potassium nitrate) under four concentrations (2.7; 4.0; 6.5 and 7.2 g L-1), applied by drip irrigation with three 4 L h-1 emitter per plant. Soil and soil solution samples were collected monthly in all treatments at depths of 0.30 and 0.60 m and nitrate concentration was determined in the soil solution and saturation extract. Results allowed to conclude that the increase of nitrogen fertilizer concentration in fertigation water caused an increase of nitrate ion concentration in the soil solution and in saturation extract for the two applied sources.
Thermal and Size Evolution of Sea Spray Droplets

Abstract : Sea spray droplets initially have the same temperature as the ocean surface from which they formed. In high latitudes, under a relatively cold wind, they therefore cool and evaporate, in effect enhancing the air-sea exchange of heat and moisture. With a future goal of investigating this enhanced exchange in mind, this report develops model equations with which to track the thermal and size (moisture content) evolution of a spray droplet from the time it is created until it comes to equilibrium with its environment. On testing the model against some of the scanty data available on the evolution of saline droplets, good agreement is found. The ambient humidity has little effect on the thermal exchange, and, analogously, the initial droplet temperature has negligible effect on the moisture exchange.
Photon Echo and Single Molecule Fluorescence Measurements of Organic Dyes

The extraordinarily short optical dephasing time of organic dye molecules in polymer hosts is known to be under 20 fs between 100 and 200 K. Short dephasing times suggest enormously broadened homogeneous linewidths on the order of 10 nm. Direct observation of single dye molecule fluorescence spectra shows a similarly broadened line, giving comparable dephasing times for room temperature measurements. While this single molecule linewidth agrees with that of the bulk sample, it is inaccurate to attribute this broadening to homogeneous mechanisms. Repeated single molecule fluorescence measurements permit determination of the homogeneous nature of this linewidth, as distinct from the inhomogeneous nature of dispersion in bulk samples. Spectral diffusion in single molecule spectra is evidenced by multiple peaks, visible despite broad spectra lines at room temperature. In the particular experiment discussed in this thesis, fluorescence from single organic dye molecules in thin polymethyl methacrylate films was studied with scanning confocal microscopy. Photon antibunching exhibited by the photon-pair correlation function g(2) ('r) at T = 0 confirms that single molecule emission spectra were obtained.