Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exfoliation et réempilement d'oxydes lamellaires à base de manganèse et de cobalt pour électrodes de supercondensateurs

La forte progression demographique mondiale induit une demande d’energietoujours en hausse. Ceci se traduit par un fort developpement de nouvelles energiesrenouvelables qui necessitent, de par leur nature intermittente, des dispositifs de stockagede l’energie. Parmi eux les supercondensateurs permettent un stockage electrostatique decharges (supercondensateurs a base de carbones actives), mais certains systemes, ditspseudocapacitifs, font en outre intervenir des reactions redox rapides de surface.L’association des deux systemes permettent d’acceder a des proprietes interessantes, enparticulier pour le systeme MnO2/carbone active. Cependant, les oxydes de manganese sontd’excellents materiaux pseudocapacitifs mais assez peu conducteurs electroniques.L’objectif de ce travail est d’ameliorer cette conductivite en les associant avec des oxydes decobalt conducteurs. Pour cela, une approche « architecturale » de synthese de materiaux aete choisie. En partant d’oxydes de Mn et de Co lamellaires, ceux-ci sont exfolies pourobtenir des nanofeuillets de nature differente. S’ensuit une etape de reempilement pouraboutir a un materiau lamellaire alterne. L’analyse structurale et morphologique desmateriaux prouve que des nanocomposites tres finement divises sont obtenus. Lesproprietes electrochimiques obtenues pour ces nanocomposites s’averent meilleures quecelles des materiaux initiaux, tant en densite d’energie qu’en puissance. Cette strategieoriginale est prometteuse et ouvre la voie a des reempilements de differente nature,notamment le graphene.
Development of Novel Nanocatalysts for Green Chemical Processes

5 1. LITERATURE REVIEW . 17 1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF ENERGY RESOURCES . 17 1.2 BIOMASS AND BIOREFINERIES . 18 1.2. 1 Biomass . 18 1.2. 2 Biorefineries . 21 1.3 CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS TO BIOFUELS AND CHEMICALS . 24 1.4 CATALYTIC SELECTIVE OXIDATION REACTIONS OF BIOMASS-DERIVED CHEMICALS . 26 1.4.
The self-tracker's journey : situated engagement and non-engagement with personal informatics systems over time

Almost one quarter of adults fail to meet physical activity guidelines: activity tracking systems promise a solution, by supporting people to be more active by quantifying their steps and utilising behaviour change techniques. Results on the effectiveness of these technologies sometimes show benefits, but little is known about how people use them over a longer time and what impact they might have on one’s physical activity even after they have been abandoned. Relying on rich, explorative, qualitative research, this thesis examines use and non-use, of activity trackers over time and the influence they have on users’ attitudes and behaviours. Firstly, a longitudinal mixed-method study, lasting over one year, was conducted with new tracker users to understand use and behavioural impacts over time. Secondly, a comparative interview study with existing and previous users in two, culturally and physically different, urban settings allowed us to uncover further contextual factors. A combined bottom-up thematic analysis of the data from all 98 participants revealed the steps of “the self-tracker’s journey”, from initial motivations and use, to engagement over time, and the affective and behavioural outcomes of use. Therefore, this thesis makes three contributions to knowledge, to design, and to research practice, respectively. Firstly, our knowledge contribution shows (a) how positive outcomes from use can come beyond the period of use, providing a better understanding of phases of tracking. It also shows (b) how there can be negative outcomes, especially when people become over reliant or obsessed with their tracker. Secondly, our findings have implications for how tracking systems should be designed to better support tracking over time, while avoiding negative consequences. Thirdly, this thesis contributes to research practice by highlighting the importance of considering context of use, use over time, and impacts beyond use of these technologies and engagement with data per se.
Measurement of sparkover voltage and time lag characteristics in CF3I–N2 and CF3I– air gas mixtures by using steep‐front square voltage

A square pulse voltage is useful for studying electrical discharge physics or very fast transient overvoltage issues. This paper describes sparkover voltages and time lag (V– t) characteristics of CF3I gas, which has very low environmental effects and high dielectric strength, and its mixtures with nitrogen gas or air in a very short time range below a microsecond. They are measured by using a steep‐front square voltage with a rise time of 16 ns and a peak value of 200 kV. Pure CF3I gas has 20% higher dielectric strength than SF6 gas. The V– t characteristics of CF3I–N2 or CF3I– air gas mixtures, which contain 60% CF3I gas, are equivalent to those of pure SF6 gas at the same total pressure. A quantitative evaluation of V– t characteristics by the equal‐area criterion is also performed. The equal‐area parameter which is obtained by applying a voltage high enough to make the formative time lag dominant should be chosen. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 157(2): 1–7, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20325
Physical activity levels and suggestions for its promotion among university students

Introduction: Physical activity not only has positive effects on health, but is also linked to various aspects of life. Physical activity is considered one of the main components that contribute to a healthy lifestyle and general improvement in health including physical strength, muscle endurance and flexibility. A variety of evidences show that regular physical activity is beneficial to health and strong scientific research exists that reported decreased mortality rate with an optimal level of physical activity. This study was designed to evaluate the physical activity status of university students and their suggestions to promote physical activity. Material & Methods: From January to October 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,916 university students, studying at different universities in Faisalabad. The aim was to measure the levels of physical activity according to the pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Participants were enrolled in the study using convenient sampling. The questionnaire used in this study consisted of three sections, with the first part recording the demographics of the participants, the second part an International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the third part containing several suggestions for promoting physical activity. Logistic regression analysis was used for factors influencing physical activity behaviour. Confidence interval (CI=95%) and odds ratio (OR) were calculated and P-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The findings of our study revealed that 2469 (84.6%) of the students out of 2916 were physically active. Of 2916, 1541 (52.8%) participants were moderately active, while 928 (31.8%) participants were highly active. Overall 92.20% male were physically active compared to females 81.70%. Moreover, our study found that the most preferred suggestion for the promotion of physical activity proposed by the students (n=1011, 34.7%) was a provision of physical and social environments that encourage and allow safe and pleasurable physical activity. The least preferred suggestion by the students (n=735, 25.2%) was the addition of at least thirty minutes of exercise as part of the curriculum. Conclusion: This study found that the physical activity profile of most students was between moderate and high. The top-ranked suggestion for the promotion of physical activity among the students was a provision of physical and social environments that encourage and allow safe and pleasurable physical activity.
Biological properties of calcium phosphate biomaterials for bone repair: a review

Bone defects are a common disease threatening the health of many people. Calcium phosphate (CaP) is an ideal bone substitutive material that is widely used for bone repair due to its excellent biological properties including osteoinductivity, osteoconductivity and biodegradability. For this reason, investigation of these properties and the effects of various influencing factors is vital for modulating calcium phosphate during the design process to maximally satisfy clinical requirements. In this study, the latest studies on the biological properties of CaP biomaterials, including hydroxyapatite (HA), tricalcium phosphate (TCP), and biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP), have been summarized. Moreover, recent advances on how these properties are altered by different factors are reviewed. Considering the limited mechanical strength of CaP materials, this study also reviews CaP composites with different materials as improvement measures. Finally, perspectives regarding future developments of CaP materials are also provided.
Phosphorus uptake and availability and short-term seedling growth in three Ontario soils amended with ash and biochar

Abstract: Phosphorus (P) can be a limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems and adding biochar or wood ash can increase plant-available P. We added wood ash and biochar to microcosms containing three acidic Ontario soils planted with red pine or sugar maple seedlings and observed seedling growth responses, as well as amendment-induced changes in soil P pools, microbial P, and enzyme activity. Neither ash nor biochar consistently increased seedling growth; instead sugar maple and red pine seedlings often had opposing responses to the same amendment–soil combination. Overall, these results indicate that it is important to carefully consider both the chemical and physical characteristics of the soil and the ash or biochar, as well as the nutrient requirements of the target tree species, to effectively use these amendments to reduce P limitation.
Skills, employment, income inequality and poverty: theory, evidence and an estimation framework

This paper: (1) explains the meaning of 'skills' and some of the theories about the relationships between skills, employment and earnings; (2) investigates the likely impact on income inequality and poverty of improving the skills of the population in the UK; and (3) presents a new framework to assess the impact on income inequality and poverty of future changes to the distribution of skills and qualifications. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) commissioned this paper as part of its programme on the future UK labour market, which aims to understand the links between people's skills, the labour market and household income to develop coherent strategies to minimise future poverty and inequality in the UK.
Fiscal Decentralization, Regional Income Inequality, and the Provision of Local Public Goods: Evidence from Indonesia

The objective of this paper is to clarify the potential joint determination between fiscal decentralization, regional inequality, and the provision of local public goods in Indonesia. Using provincial-level data over the period 2001-2014, we estimate the simultaneous equation model (SEM) to circumvent the possibility of interdependence between the interest variables. The result reveals that fiscal decentralization is associated with lower regional income disparity but not vice versa. The result confirms that regional income inequality and the provision of public goods are simultaneously determined. The result provides no evidence of interdependence between fiscal decentralization and the provision of local public goods.
Encapsulation of CdS/ZnO Hybrid Nanoparticles in Zeolite Y and its Photocatalytic Studies

The recent development of nanoparticles in commercial media has great attention due to uniformity and stability of the materials. In our present investigation cadmium sulfide (CdS), a direct bandgap semiconductor material has well defined optoelectronic properties in the applications of photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalytic and nonlinear optics. Zeolite which offers a perfect host material for the production of highly uniform nanoparticles with apparently circulated provisions and inhibiting the aggregation of nanoparticles and also helps in the protection from the attack by water and other reactive compounds. In order to stabilize the CdS nanoparticles and to prevent their aggregations, CdS is sheltered within the zeolite Y material. This novel assembly was synthesized by ion exchange method. In order to increase the photocatalytic activity of CdS, ZnO nanoparticles were incorporated into the zeolite Y assembly. The photocatalytic activity of the CdS/ZnO-Y towards the degradation of methyl orange was investigated under the visible light; it follows pseudo first order kinetics. After incorporation the composite loaded assembly (CdS/ZnO-Y) exhibits a superior photocatalytic activity due to the suppressed recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers due to the synergy between the two semiconductor species. The as synthesized sample was characterized by UV DRS, FTIR and PL techniques.
PENERAPAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN INKUIRI UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR SISWA SMA NEGERI 1 KEMBANG TANJONG PADA MATERI KEANEKARAGAMAN HAYATI

Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui penerapan model inkuiri dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa SMA Negeri 1 Kembang Tanjong pada materi keanekaragaman hayati. Metode penelitian menggunakan desain one group pre-test post-test yang dilakukan pada siswa SMA Negeri 1 Kembang Tanjong kelas X MIPA 3 berjumlah 30 siswa.Pengumpulan data menggunakan metode (1) pengamatan, (2) tes hasil belajar dan (3) dokumentasi serta (4) serta angket respon siswa. Analisis data menggunakan deskriptif kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Mengunakan instrumen penelitian berupa Rencana Pelaksanaan Pembelajaran (RPP), Lember Kerja Siswa (LKS) dan tes hasil belajar berupa soal tes. Tahapan model inkuiri dalam kegiatan pembelajaran terdiri dari orientasi masalah, merumus masalah, mengajukan hipotesis, mengumpulkan data, menguji hipotesis dengan mengalisis data serta membuat kesimpulan. Berdasarkan tahapan tersebut model inkuiri memiliki kesesuaian dengan materi keanekaragaman hayati. Hasil belajar setelah penerapan model Inkuiri pada materi keaneragaman Hayati terjadi peningkatan dengan peroleh N-gain tinggi serta kendala yang ditemukan penelitian sudah dicari alternatif solusi. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penerapan model inkuiri pada materi keanekaragaman hayati pada SMA Negeri 1 Kembang Tanjong dapat meningkatkan Hasil Belajar. Kata kunci : Model Inkuiri: Hasil Belajar, Keanekaragaman Hayati
Effect of Roasting Temperature and Time on the Chemical Composition and Oxidative Stability of Argan (Argania spinosa L.) Oils

The effect of roasting on the chemical composition and oxidative stability of oils extracted from argan (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) kernel is studied, observing changes in the characteristics of oils from unroasted and roasted kernels. Argan kernels are roasted at different temperatures (150, 175, and 200 °C) and times (10, 30, and 50 min), in an electric air roaster, prior to oil extraction using the Abencor system. Phosphorus content (PC) of oils increases significantly when roasting temperature and time increases. Roasting facilitates the transfer of phenolic compounds to argan oil. However, only minor changes in characteristics such as peroxide value and carotenoid content of argan oils occurs when roasting temperature and time are raised. The amount of γ‐tocopherol still remains over 85% of the total tocopherols after roasting at the harshest conditions (200 °C, 50 min). However, the content of each tocopherol (α, γ, and δ) gradually decreases when roasting temperature and time increases, certainly due to their thermal degradation. The oxidative stability of argan oil improves when the roasting temperature and time rise. Simultaneously, significant augmentations (p < 0.05) are observed in the specific extinction coefficients in oils prepared at high roasting temperature. The color intensity of oils increases markedly over 175 °C roasting temperature. Practical Applications: This research shows the importance of roasting for producing edible argan oils since its composition, quality and stability are influenced by the conditions of this process. Energy transfer by convection avoids the direct heat of the flame onto the argan kernel and allows the possibility that less polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed. Furthermore, roasting parameters (temperature and time) should be quantitatively controlled to obtain a desired quality of edible argan oils. These results may help to improve roasting processing for edible argan oil extraction. The effect of roasting temperature and time has been studied with a view to obtain oils of high quality in relation to their physicochemical properties. In the extraction process of edible argan oil, the kernel roasting is the key step that improves the quality and stability of the product.
Binding properties between curcumin and malarial tubulin: molecular-docking and ab initio fragment molecular orbital calculations

Curcumin can bind to tubulin and inhibit the formation of tubulin polymer, which contributes to the formation of microtubule. Binding sites of curcumin on the αand β-tubulin heterodimer were predicted by a molecular docking study to ascertain probable causes for the observed anti-microtubule effects of curcumin. However, the specific interactions between curcumin and the tubulins have yet to be elucidated at an electronic level. We here investigated the binding properties between curcumin and αor β-tubulin of Plasmodium falciparum, using ab initio fragment molecular orbital (FMO) calculations, in order to reveal the preferable binding sites of curcumin on these tubulins. The results were compared with those for some microtubule destabilizing drugs evaluated by the same method to confirm the efficiency of curcumin as an inhibitor to the tubulins. Our ab initio FMO calculations might provide useful information for proposing novel therapeutic agents with significant binding affinity to both the αand β-tubulins.
Effect of Organic Manure and Mineral Fertilizers on Wheat Growth and Soil Properties

Sustainable crop management relies on the combined use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with manures (control, farmyard manure, sesbania and cluster bean) as main split and mineral fertilizer rates (control, 40-30, 60-45, 80-60, 90-70 and 120-90 kg N-P 2 O 5 ha -1 ) as sub-split. The manures significantly influenced shoot dry weight, N, P and K uptake and soil properties. Conversely, the rates of mineral fertilizers did not have any effect on soil properties, however, significantly enhanced the shoot dry weight and N, P and K uptake. The combined use of manures and mineral fertilizers had a significant effect on shoot P uptake. Farmyard manure was the best manure amendment with 13% reduction in bulk density and 51% increase in organic matter content over control. Incorporation of farmyard manure increased the shoot dry weight and N, P and K uptake, respectively by 8, 14, 11 and 8% over control. Among rates of mineral fertilizers, recommended rate of mineral fertilizer (120-90 kg N-P 2 O 5 ha -1 ) was the best treatment with corresponding increase of 26, 81, 56 and 55% in shoot dry weight, N, P and K uptake over control. Integration of farmyard manure with recommended rate of mineral fertilizer enhanced shoot P uptake by 17% as compared to solo application of mineral fertilizers. Through this study, it was concluded that farmyard manure at 6 tons ha -1 coupled with mineral fertilizer rate of 120-90 kg N-P 2 O 5 ha -1 was the best source for sustainable soil health and wheat production.
Effect of phenolic acids on the formation and stabilization of soil aggregates

ABSTRACT To examine the effects of phenolic acids, which are generated by the decomposition of cell walls in plant residues, and other constituents on the stability of soil aggregates, phenolic acids and carbohydrates were mixed into three different types of soil. After a 1-month incubation, the plot containing soil mixed with phenolic acids showed the greatest mean weight diameter of all the soils. In the treated soils, before incubation, the decline of saturated water permeability during continuous water percolation was mitigated in the plot containing soil mixed with phenolic acids compared with that in the other plots. Soil aggregates were synthesized with the addition of phenolic acids and carbohydrates using two methods (mixing and surface brushing) and were incubated for 153 days. The aggregate stability was greatest in the plots surface-brushed with phenolic acids for Andosol and gray lowland soil, whereas the aggregate stability was most stable in the plots mixed with phenolic acids for yellow soil. This difference in the effectiveness of application methods is rationalized by the densities of the active Al and Fe contents, the carbon content, and the specific surface area of the soils. The phenolic acids also affected sandy soil. In a similar experiment using a gray lowland soil, mixing a portion of p-coumaric acid into synthetic aggregates was found to shift the molecular weight distribution of substances to larger molecular weights, as determined by size exclusion chromatography of the liquid extracted from the aggregates, which was likely accompanied by an increase in aggregate stability. The effects of fungi and bacteria on soil long-term stability were not greater than those of phenolic acids. Our findings and previous results show that microorganisms aid in soil-aggregate formation during the early stages, and phenolic acids not only aid in the formation of aggregates but also strongly stabilize them.
Geoenvironmental applications of geosynthetics

The Keynote Lecture focuses on the use of geosynthetics for geoenvironmental applications that are linked with landfills, mining applications and ponds for environmental protection. The Keynote Lecture gives insight into the different applications and the corresponding design theories, regulations and standardization when appropriate, from all over the world. Special attention is given to Europe. The questions of geopipes and geomembranes under high loads are addressed, as in landfill and mining applications high loads can be encountered. The topic of geomembrane protection is then discussed, mainly though large laboratory and field tests. The question of the geomembrane protection in case of geomembrane wrinkles is also discussed. Quality assurance and leak detection are then addressed as those points are crucial for the use of geosynthetics. Geosynthetic barrier field performance including use of GCLs in landfill caps, bottom liners temperature and GCL shrinkage are presented. A detailed review of the modelling of advective flow through composite liners based on analytical solutions, empirical equations and numerical modelling for the quantification of leakage both for liquid and gas flow is then given. Migration and attenuation through GCLs is then discussed prior to a discussion of equivalence of composite liners based on elements presented in the previous sections. Modelling for soil liners and composite liners is presented.