Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using boosted regression trees to explore key factors controlling saturated and near‐saturated hydraulic conductivity

Hydraulic conductivity at and near saturation is difficult to predict. We investigated, for the first time, the potential of boosted regression trees to identify the key factors that determine saturated and near‐saturated hydraulic conductivities in undisturbed soils with a global meta‐database of tension infiltrometer measurements. Our results demonstrate that pedotransfer functions developed from meta‐databases may strongly over‐estimate prediction performance unless they are validated against each individual data source separately. For such a source‐wise cross‐validation, we estimated the hydraulic conductivity at a tension of 10 cm (K10) and the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) with coefficients of determination of 0.36 and 0.15, respectively. The most important predictors for K10 were the average annual precipitation and temperature at the measurement location, which are key variables for pedogenesis and constrain soil management. More research is required for the in‐depth interpretation of their influence on hydraulic conductivity. The soil clay and organic carbon contents were also important predictors of K10, with hydraulic conductivity decreasing as organic carbon contents increased up to 1.5% and as clay contents increased between about 10 and 40%. The direction of the tension‐sequence with which the infiltrometer data were collected was also a significant predictor. Land use and bulk density were the most important predictors for Ks. The direction of the tension‐sequence and the soil texture class were also important, with both coarse and fine‐textured soils generally having larger Ks values than medium‐textured soils.
Fabrication and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities of BiVO4/Bi2WO6 composites

BiVO4/Bi2WO6 composite photocatalysts were synthesized by coupling a homogeneous precipitation method with hydrothermal techniques. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV-Vis diffusion absorption spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of methyl blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. The results reveal that BiVO4/Bi2WO6 composites exhibit higher photocatalytic activities than either pure Bi2WO6 or BiVO4. The 0.3BiVO4:0.7Bi2WO6 sample shows the best photocatalytic performance. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity is attributed to the improvement of light absorption, the excellent adsorbability, the narrow band gap and increasing separation rate of photo-generated charge carriers. The possible photocatalytic mechanism is discussed on the basis of the band structures of BiVO4 and Bi2WO6.
Model of molecular structure of the insoluble organic matter isolated from Murchison meteorite

Abstract– The molecular structure of the insoluble organic matter (IOM) from Murchison meteorite has been investigated by our group for several years using a large set of analytical methods including various spectroscopies (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy), high resolution electron microscopy, and thermal (pyrolyses in the presence or not of tetramethylammonium hydroxide) and chemical (RuO4 oxidation) degradations. Taken together, these techniques provided a wealth of qualitative and quantitative information, from which we derived 11 elemental and molecular parameters on the same IOM residue. In addition to the basic elemental composition, these parameters describe the distribution of the different types of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms as well as the size of the polyaromatic units. For this molecular structure, we therefore propose a model which fits with these 11 molecular quantitative parameters. Several cosmochemical implications are derived from this structure. Based on the fact that aromatic moieties are highly substituted and aliphatic chains highly branched, it can be anticipated that the synthesis of this IOM occurred through successive additions of single carbon units in the gas‐phase ending by a spontaneous cyclization for chain length ≥7 C. As a whole, these observations favor an organosynthesis in the solar T‐Tauri disk.
Isolation and HPLC Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Red Grapes

A simple fractionation method was developed to analyze phenolic compounds other than anthocyanins in red grapes using HPLC. The methanol extract of Concord and de Chaunac grapes was passed through a preconditioned C18 SEP-PAK and phenolic compounds other than anthocyanins were selectively fractionated with ethyl acetate. Anthocyanins were eluted with MeOH-HCl and analyzed by a spectrophotometric method. Phenolics other than anthocyanins were analyzed by HPLC. This technique is easy to use and convenient for phenolic analysis in both white and red grapes.
Breed effects for lactoferrin concentration determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

A calibration equation based on partial least squares using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data was derived to predict concentration of lactoferrin (Lf) in bovine milk. The concordance correlation coefficient of the calibration equation was estimated at 0.81 using 246 milk samples collected in the 2003-04 season from second-parity crossbred cows during late lactation. The calibration equation was then used to predict the concentration of Lf (pLf) in 9,742 milk samples from 814 Holstein-Friesian (HF), 955 Jersey (J) and 842 crossbred HF x J cows sampled on average 3.7 times during the 2007-08 season. A repeatability animal model was used to obtain breed effects and estimates of variance components for pLf. Concentrations of pLF (mg/L milk) were significantly (P <0.001) different between breed groups (HF = 163 ± 3.8, HF x J = 175 ± 5.0 and J = 193 ± 6.3). Heritability and repeatability of pLf concentration were 0.16 ± 0.036 and 0.35 ± 0.012, respectively. These results confirm previous studies showing that Lf concentration in milk can be predicted using FTIR spectroscopy and that there are significant breed differences and animal variation that can be exploited in a breeding program.
Ionic Liquids as Doping Agents in Microwave Assisted Reactions

The use of microwave (MW) irradiation as a tool for organic synthesis has been a fast growth area [1-8]. Several examples have shown that the application of MW irradiation re‐ duces the reaction time, increases the product yield and sometimes results in a different product distribution compared to conventional thermal heating method [1-6,9-20]. The rate acceleration observed in organic reactions using MW irradiation is due to material-wave in‐ teractions leading to thermal and nonthermal effects. The thermal effects result from a more efficient energy transfer to the reaction mixture, which is known as dielectric heating. This process relies on the ability of a substance (solvent or reactant) to absorb MW and convert them into heat. The reaction mixture is heated from the inside since the MW energy is trans‐ ferred directly to the molecules (solvent, reactants, and catalysts). This process is known as 'volumetric core heating' and results in a temperature gradient that is reversed compared to the one resulting from conventional thermal heating [1,9-14]. Nonthermal effects result in differences in product distributions, yields, and reaction times. They may result from the orientation effects of polar species in the electromagnetic field that makes a new reaction path with lower activation energy [9-14, 21-23]. It has been suggested [24] that MW activa‐ tion could originate from hot spots generated by dielectric relaxation on a molecular scale. Currently, thermal and nonthermal effects are being extensively studied mainly to verify the existence or not of nonthermal effects [21-23].
The role of organic amendments in soil reclamation: A review

Larney, F. J. and Angers, D. A. 2012. The role of organic amendments in soil reclamation: A review. Can. J. Soil Sci. 92: 19–38. A basic tenet of sustainable soil management is that current human activities are not detrimental to future generations. Soils are degraded by natural events (erosion) or industrial activity. A prevalent feature of degraded or disturbed soils is lack of organic matter compared with adjacent undisturbed areas. Organic amendments, such as livestock manure, biosolids, pulp and paper mill by-products, wood residuals and crop residues, are produced in abundance in Canada and could be widely used in soil reclamation. Biosolids production is ∼0.5 Tg yr−1(dry wt.); paper mill sludge generated in the province of Quebec was ∼2 Tg (wet wt.) in 2002. This review paper examines mechanisms through which organic amendments affect soil properties (physical, chemical, biological) and describes the role of organic amendments in reclamation, with emphasis on amendment types and application rates f.
Chemical properties in Entisol under pasture grass marandu fertilizer of liquid waste of bovine slaughter

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of liquid waste of bovine slaughter (RLF) on the chemical characteristics of a Entisol under pasture grass Marandu. We applied four levels of RLF (0, 37.5, 75, 112.5 m³ ha-1). The experimental design was randomized blocks. The soil samples were collected at 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40 cm, deep five replicates, which were analyzed in pH, available P and K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Al3+, CTCpH7,0, CTCeffective, organic matter content and potential acidity (H+ Al3+). We calculated the saturation of exchangeable bases (V%) and aluminum (m%). The applications of RLF in doses of 75 and 112.5 m³ ha-1 reduced the pH and level of Al3+. We observed increased of the value the V% at 0-10 cm and CTCeffective in 10-20 cm. The organic matter content had no significant increases for the implementation of RLF. The Mg2+ increased in the 30-40 cm layer at 112.5 m³ ha-1. The results suggest that application of 37.5 m³ ha-1 increases the pH and Ca2+ and K+ at a depth of 0-10 cm and the value of CTCpH7,0 to 30 cm. The pH, total bases, CTC, CTCpH 7,0 , saturation on base, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ were influenced by the depth with higher values in the 0-10 cm depth compared with other in all the treatments.
Trace elements evaluation of some medicinal herbs by instrumental neutron activation analysis

Abstract Instrumental neutron activation analysis has been used for the analysis of seven varieties of medicinal herbs generally used by the people of South Asian region. Twenty-one trace elements (essential, toxic and non-essential) were determined. This data should not only be helpful in establishing the base-line values in these medicinal herbs but also in correlating their role as therapeutic agents. A comparison of our data with literature values shows variation in trace element contents of same species of different origin which can be attributed to ecological and geographical variations to some extent; however an exact interpretation demands further extensive investigations.
Colloidal Science of Flotation

INTRODUCTION Flotation and the Flotation Process Colloidal Aspects of Flotation DYNAMICS OF PARTICLES AND BUBBLES IN FLOTATION Hydrodynamics Particle Settling Velocity Bubble Rise Velocity Water Velocity around Air Bubbles Motion of Particles in Flotation Bubble-Particle Interaction BUBBLE-PARTICLE ENCOUNTER INTERACTION Determination of Encounter Efficiency Motion of Particles Diverted by Bubbles Theory of Encounter Efficiency Experimental Investigations of Encounter Interaction BUBBLE-PARTICLE ATTACHMENT INTERACTION Contact Time Theories Properties of the Intervening Liquid Films van der Waals Forces Electrostatic Double-Layer Forces Non-DLVO Surface Forces Thinning of Intervening Liquid Films Rupture of the Intervening Liquid Thinning Film Experimental Studies of Thinning Liquid Films Three-Phase Contact Expansion Modeling of Attachment Efficiency STABILITY OF BUBBLE-PARTICLE AGGREGATES Force Analysis of Particle-Meniscus Stability Force Analysis of Bubble-Particle Stability Energy Analysis of Bubble-Particle Stability Strength of Bubble-Particle Aggregates FLOTATION FROTH Froth Structure Froth Drainage Macroscopic Processes in Froth FLOTATION KINETICS Kinetic Models for Flotation Effects of Particle Size in Flotation INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS Industrial Applications Index
Recent advances in understanding and improving photosynthesis

Since 1893, when the word “photosynthesis” was first coined by Charles Reid Barnes and Conway MacMillan, our understanding of the elements and regulation of this complex process is far from being entirely understood. We aim to review the most relevant advances in photosynthesis research from the last few years and to provide a perspective on the forthcoming research in this field. Recent discoveries related to light sensing, harvesting, and dissipation; kinetics of CO2 fixation; components and regulators of CO2 diffusion through stomata and mesophyll; and genetic engineering for improving photosynthetic and production capacities of crops are addressed.
Synthesis of Trisubstituted Imidazoles Using Lewis and Bronsted Acid Catalysts

An efficient and one-pot method for the preparation of trisubstituted imidazoles by condensation of benzil, different aldehydes and ammonium acetate in the presence of a catalytic amount of NiSO4.7H2O or H3BO3 under different conditions is reported. Key Words : T risubstituted imidazoles, Multi-component reactions, NiSO4.7H2O, H3BO3, one-pot reactions, solid acid catalysts.
Brand Building of Higher Education Institutions Case study: Islamic University of Gaza – MBA students’ perspective

على الرغم من أن مصطلح العلامة التجارية معروف في قطاع الأعمال ، الا أن تطبيقه في قطاع التعليم العالي يعد جديد نسبيا. لذلك، يهدف هذا البحث إلى دراسة نقاط التواصل المهمة في بناء العلامة التجارية لمؤسسات التعليم العالي من خلال دراسة نقاط التواصل المختلفة طوال مسيرة طلبة ماجستير إدارة الأعمال في الجامعة الاسلامية غزة. بناء العلامة التجارية القوية بامكانها تعزيز مكانة الجامعة و أن تكون أكثر جاذبية لطلابها الحاليين والمحتملين. تم اتباع المنهج التحليلي الوصفي في هذا البحث. تم جمع البيانات من خلال استبانة بعد تنقيحها ومراجعتها على عينة مكونة من 150 من طلبة الماجستير في إدارة الأعمال. تم جمع البيانات ومن ثم تحليلها باستخدام برنامج SPSS. تسلط نتائج هذه الدراسة الضوء على العوامل الرئيسية التي تؤثر على قرار الطلبة في مرحلة "ما قبل الانتساب الى الجامعة"، بشكل عام كان مجمل العناصر لهذه المرحلة له تأثير مرتفع بمتوسط يساوي 7.12 (71.22٪)، المجال الفرعي "سمعة الجامعة" كان له أعلى تأثير بمتوسط يساوي 7.92 (79.18٪). كان مستوى الرضا لمجمل عناصر مرحلة "أثناء الدراسة" محايد بمتوسط يساوي 6.16 (61.61٪)، المجال الفرعي "المصادر التعليمية" هو الأعلى بمتوسط يساوي 6.94 (69.38٪). بالاضافة الى ذلك، كان تقييم مرحلة "ما بعد التخرج" محايد بمتوسط يساوي 6.02 (60.23٪)، المجال الفرعي "التطور الوظيفي" هو الأعلى بمتوسط يساوي 6.46 (64.64٪). وأخيرا، مجمل بنود " نقاط التأثير" على بناء العلامة التجارية كان لها ادراك عالي من قبل المبحوثين بمتوسط يساوي 7.38 (73.81٪). أوصت الدراسة بتعيين مدير تنفيذي تسويقي للعلامة التجارية للجامعة، وأهمية تهيئة الشعور بالانتماء بين الطلبة والموظفين داخل الجامعة وخارجها، دعم الأنشطة اللامنهجية، و أيضا ضرورة تعزيز الحلقات الدراسية وحلقات العمل والمؤتمرات، من خلال خبراء مهنة مشهوريين، ضرورة التحسين من طرائق التدريس و المناهج الدراسية و هناك حاجة لاهتمام ملحوظ بالبحث العلمي، الضرورة لاعطاء الطلبة و الخريجين الفرصة للمشاركة و تنظيم الفعاليات و المشاركة في اجراءات القبول الجامعي و العملية الأكاديمية، الحاجة إلى متابعة وسائل الإعلام الاجتماعية ، والحاجة إلى دليل / مرشد جامعي لابراز الصورة الكلية للجامعة.
Study the relationship between the resistance and ESDD of a contaminated insulator a laboratory approach

The level of contamination on the surface of the insulator is represented by the Equivalent Salt Deposit Density. In the laboratory, two types of salts (NaCl, CuSO/sub 4/) with different amounts are used for studying the relationship between the resistance and ESDD of a contaminated insulator. From the results, it is seen that the resistance of the insulator decreases with increasing the values of Equivalent Salt Deposit Density.
Supramolecular Hydrogels Made of End-Functionalized Low-Molecular-Weight PEG and α-Cyclodextrin and Their Hybridization with SiO2 Nanoparticles through Host−Guest Interaction

As quite generally stated in the literature, low-molecular-weight (MW) poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (Mn less than 2K) and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) can lead to only crystalline precipitates (not hydrogels). However, in this study we found that: (1) adamantane monoend-functionalized low-MW PEG (Ada-PEG, Mn= 1.1 or 2K) and α-CD lead to hydrogels but not to crystalline precipitates and (2) β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) surface-functionalized silica nanoparticles (β-CD−SiO2) can be well dispersed in low-MW Ada-PEG and α-CD aqueous mixtures, resulting in hybrid hydrogels. The hydrophobic aggregation of Ada-PEG in case 1 and the further functionalization of β-CD−SiO2 with PEG chains due to the inclusion complexation between β-CD and the Ada group attached to PEG in case 2 were found to play a key role as a supra-crosslink that promoted the gelation of the inclusion complexes of α-CD and the low-MW Ada-PEG. The resultant native and hybrid hydrogels retained the basic characteristics of the supramolecular physical hydrogels, .
Study of hydrochemistry and pollution status of the Buriganga river, Bangladesh

The hydrochemistry and pollution status of tannery effluent as well as the Buriganga River were studied. The water quality parameters namely temperature, pH, salinity, TDS, EC, DO, COD, Cr, Cd, Ni, Cu and Zn of tannery effluent were 22.8-31.5 o C, 7.4-10.6, 3920-6280 mg/l, 4680-7220 mg/l, 7070-10810 μs, 0.3-1.1 mg/l, 1020-3800 mg/l, 7.7656 mg/l, 0.0198 mg/l, 0.2070 mg/l, 0.0304 mg/l and 0.3021 mg/l, respectively whereas in water of the Buriganga River were 22.0-31.6 oC, 6.2-7.8, 69-642 mg/l, 97-871 mg/l, 146-1309 μs, 1.1-4.1 mg/l, 140-800 mg/l, 0.0306-0.2163 mg/l, 0.0018-0.0162 mg/l, 0.0663-0.2486 mg/l, 0.0112-0.0238 mg/l and 0.0878-0.2948 mg/l, respectively. According to the statistical analysis Salinity, EC, TDS, COD, Cr, Cd, Cu and Zn show positive correlations with each other and negative correlations with Temp. and DO. Ecological risk factor shows that Cr is the highest risk metal for ecosystem. The hydrochemistry has been revealed that the water is not safe for aquatic lives. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 50(2), 123-134, 2015
APPLICATION OF PLATE HEAT EXCHANGERS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PORTABLE HIGH-PRESSURE HUMID GAS GENERATORS

The preliminary design and testing of a portable, high-pressure humidity generator based on a corrugated-plate heat exchanger (PHE) is described. It resulted in a very simple system, consisting of a bubbling pre-saturator followed by the PHE used as a condenser. The PHE does not need to be hosted in a liquid bath, resulting in a very compact design whose operation is largely independent from a specific bath - which may be available on site – used to condition the temperature of a circulating counter-flow fluid. Experimental tests were performed on a prototype in order to demonstrate the principle and validate at an early stage the system operation. The efficiency of the PHE as condenser was assessed over a temperature range from 0 °C to 65 °C by varying input and influence parameters, such as the dew point temperature, the gas flow rate and its pressure up to 0.5 MPa. The saturation temperature of the humid gas flow compared favourably with the dew-point temperature as measured by a chilled-mirror hygrometer calibrated against a primary humidity standard. The temperature deviations were below 0.02 °C, with a maximum deviation of 0.04 °C, over the whole range of investigated temperatures and pressures.
Chemical and Physical Properties of Emissions from Kuwaiti Oil Fires

After the Iraqi retreat from Kuwait in 1991, airborne sampling was conducted in the oil fire plumes near Kuwait City and ground-level samples were taken of the air within the city. For the airborne sampling, a versatile air pollution sampler was used to determine the SO 2 , elemental concentrations, the aerosol mass loadings and SO 4 2− and NO 3 concentrations. Striking differences between the black and white plumes were associated with high concentrations of NaCl and CaCI 2 measured in the white plumes and large numbers of carbon chain agglomerates in the black plumes. For the ground-based measurements, an annular denuder system was used to determine levels of SO 2 , SO 4 2− , trace elements, and mass loadings. Certain pollutant levels rose in the city during inversion conditions, when winds were too weak to continue moving the combustion products directly to the Persian Gulf, and the increased levels of Pb and certain trace elements were comparable to those in other large urban areas in Europe. This paper has been reviewed in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency9s peer and administrative review policies and approved for presentation and publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Lycopene Potentiates the Protective Effect of Aliskiren on Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy in Rats

Objective : The present study was designed to explore the combination therapy of lycopene with aliskiren in doxorubicin induced cardiomyopathy. Methods : Cardiomyopathy was induced in Wistar rats by i.p. administration of Doxorubicin (DOX) (15 mg/kg, single dose). Haemodynamic parameters (Systolic, diastolic blood pressure, Heart rate), heart weight, heart weight/body weight ratio, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), oxidative stress (TBARS) and antioxidant enzymes (Glutathione, SOD and catalase) as well as transmission electron microscopein heart tissue were carried out. Results : There was significant increase in blood pressure, serum, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), oxidative stress (TBARS) and significant decrease in heart weight, heart weight/body weight ratio and antioxidant enzymes in cardiomyopathic rats. Combined therapy of lycopene (2 and 4mg/kg) with aliskiren (100 mg/kg) treatment showed pronounced beneficial effect on above parameters. Furthermore lycopene with aliskiren significantly improves the antioxidant defense by increasing reduced glutathione, SOD, catalase, heart size and heart weight/body weight ratio. It is clearly observed from Transmission electron microscopic slides of DOX treated rats, there was swelling of mitochondria with disruption of cristae, rupture of nuclear membrane, condensation and margination of nuclear chromatins which were well protected by lycopene along with aliskiren treatment. Conclusion : Therefore, combination therapy of lycopene with aliskiren offers better treatment for DOX-induced cardiomyopathy than ALK alone.
Interlayer Structure and Dynamics of Cl-−LiAl2-Layered Double Hydroxide: 35Cl NMR Observations and Molecular Dynamics Modeling

35Cl NMR experiments and molecular dynamics modeling provide significant new insight into the structure and dynamics of the interlayer species in the layered double hydroxide (LDH) LiAl2(OH)6Cl·nH2O. The LiAl2 LDHs have wide ranging potential applications as catalysts, as filtration and exchange materials, and in drug and gene-therapy delivery systems, and many of these applications depend on the behavior of interlayer species. Room-temperature MAS and static 35Cl NMR data indicate that the Cl- environments vary significantly with hydration state. The fully hydrated paste form has three types of Cl-: surface Cl- that yields a sharp solution-like peak at 0 ppm, interlayer Cl- that yields a resonance dominated by uniaxial chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), and interlayer Cl- that yields a structureless peak that is not fully narrowed by MAS. The relative abundance of the CSA dominated peak increases with decreasing hydration and is the only resonance observed for fully dried samples. For the dehydrated sampl.