Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A SIMPLE METHOD FOR DETERMINING UNSATURATED CONDUCTIVITY FROM MOISTURE RETENTION DATA

The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function for soil can be calculated directly from a moisture retention function and a single measurement of hydraulic conductivity at some water content. If the moisture retention function can be represented by ψ = ψc (&thetas;/&thetas;a)−b, where ψc is the air entry water potential, &thetas;, is the saturated water content, and b is an emperically determined constant, then the hydraulic conductivity is given by k = ks (&thetas;/&thetas;s)2b+3, where ks is the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Agreement of k calculated using this procedure with experimentally determined conductivities for five soil samples was found to be at least as good as with other calculation procedures.
MHD stagnation point viscoelastic fluid flow and heat transfer on a thermal forming stretching sheet with viscous dissipation

An incompressible steady two-dimensional forced convection with magnetic hydrodynamic (MHD) second-grade non-Newtonian (Viscoelastic) fluid flow on a stagnation point of a thermal forming stretching sheet has been studied. A parameter M which is used to represent the dominance of the magnetic effect has been presented in governing equations. The similar transformation, the perturbation expansion and an implicit finitedifference method have been used to analyse the present problem. The numerical solutions of the flow velocity distributions, temperature profiles, the wall unknown values of f �� (0) and � ’(0) for calculating the heat transfer of the similar boundary-layer flow are carried out as functions of the viscoelastic number k, the Prandtl number Pr, the dissipation parameter E and the magnetic parameter M. The effects of these parameters have also discussed. The value of k is an important factor in this study. It will produce greater heat transfer effect with a larger k or Pr and parameters M or E will reduce heat transfer effect. The non-Newtonian flow heat transfer effect is better than a Newtonian flow heat transfer effect. On a ´
Enhanced dispersion of lignin in epoxy composites through hydration and mannich functionalization

Lignin was used as a biobased fill material to create epoxy composites. Lignin was incorporated into diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A–based epoxy using hydration and Mannich functionalization. The effects of chemical functionalization on the interfacial chemistry of lignin are examined, and the corresponding changes in materials properties are examined. Several types of lignin–epoxy composites were formed through dissolution of lignin in aliphatic amine. Lignin–amine solutions were modified through hydration and the Mannich reaction and were used to cure the epoxy. The resulting composites exhibited two-phase microstructures containing lignin-rich agglomerates. Thermomechanical properties were examined using dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and fracture testing. Morphological and chemical changes were examined using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The hydrated lignin samples showed similar glass transitions and mechanical properties to the neat epoxy samples. Interactions between water and the Mannich functionalized lignin decreased the glass transition temperature and mechanical properties of the highly hydrated Mannich reacted lignin samples because of a plasticization effect. Fracture testing was conducted on the samples and showed that the yield strength and elastic modulus were similar to the neat epoxy, but the fracture toughness decreased in the lignin-containing specimen. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41263.
Pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics for single-phase developing flow of water in rectangular microchannels

Experiments were conducted to investigate the pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of single-phase flow of de-ionized water in single copper microchannels of hydraulic diameters 0.438 mm, 0.561 mm and 0.635 mm. The channel length was 62 mm. The experimental conditions covered a range of mass flux from 500 to 5000 kg/m2 s in the laminar, transitional and low Reynolds number turbulent regimes. Pressure drop was measured for adiabatic flows with fluid inlet temperatures of 30°C, 60°C and 90°C. In the heat transfer tests, the heat flux ranged from 256 kW/m2 to 519 kW/m2. Friction factors and Nusselt numbers determined from the measurements were higher than for fully-developed conditions, but in reasonable agreement with predictions made using published solutions for hydrodynamically and thermally developing flow. When entrance effects, experimental uncertainties, heat losses, inlet and exit losses, thermal boundary conditions and departure from laminar flow were considered, the results indicate that equations developed for flow and heat transfer in conventional size channels are applicable for water flows in microchannels of these sizes.
Selective Detection of Serotonin from the Interference by Ascorbic Acid and Uric Acid at Poly(thionine)-modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

In this communication, we are presenting the pre-liminary results of the electrochemical signal separation of5-HT by suppressing those of AA and UA on another typePTH modified GCE (PTHGCE) which is prepared by elec-trochemical deposition of PTH directly on the mechanicallypolished GCE. The electrochemical polymerization process of thionineby cyclic voltammetry (CV) in a phosphate buffer solution(PBS, pH 7.0) containing 0.5 mM thionine is shown inFigure 1. It is known that cationic monomers of thionine,essential for electrochemical polymerization of thionine, areformed at the potentials higher than 0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl.
Unusual 31P Chemical Shielding Tensors in Terminal Phosphido Complexes Containing a Phosphorus−Metal Triple Bond

Phosphorus-31 NMR data for one-coordinate phosphorus compounds are extremely scarce in the literature.1,2 Until recently, the only stable compounds with a terminal phosphorus atom involved in a triple bond were phosphaalkynes, RCtP,3,4 and the isoelectronic iminophosphenium cations, [RNtP]+. 5 The isotropic 31P chemical shift range for these compounds extends from 96 to -207 ppm. In general, phosphaalkynes and iminophosphenium ions are found to have their 31P chemical shifts at lower frequency (more shielded) compared to phosphaalkenes and iminophosphines, respectively. This trend is analogous to the relationship between 13C chemical shifts in alkynes and alkenes. Recently, the first terminal phosphido (P3-) complexes containing a phosphorus-metal triple bond were successfully synthesized.6,7 Surprisingly, 31P NMR signals in these complexes were found above 1000 ppm. Observation of such unusual 31P chemical shieldings suggests that phosphorusmetal triple-bonding schemes may differ substantially when compared to phosphorus-carbon and phosphorus-nitrogen triple-bonding schemes. Here we report the 31P chemical shielding tensors for the terminal phosphido (MtP) complexes Mo(P)[N(Bu)Ar]3 (1, Ar ) C6H5; 2, Ar ) 3,5-C6H3Me2) and M(P)(NN3) (NN3 ) [Me3SiNCH2CH2)3N]; 3, M ) Mo; 4, M ) W). The anisotropies are all in excess of 2000 ppm, which is by far the largest 31P chemical shielding anisotropy (CSA) ever observed. A typical solid-state 31P NMR spectrum8 of the terminal phosphido complexes obtained with magic-angle-spinning (MAS) is shown in Figure 1. In addition to the isotropic peak, a large number of rotational sidebands extend over a range of ca. 2000 ppm. From the rotational sideband intensities, it is possible to compute the principal components of the chemical shielding tensor.9,10 For complexes 1-4, orientations of the principal components of the 31P chemical shielding tensor are constrained by crystallographic symmetry. For example, complex 1 crystallizes in the space group I4h3d with its MotP bond lying along the crystallographic C3 axis.11 Therefore, the 31P chemical shielding tensor in 1 must be axially symmetric with the unique axis lying along the MotP direction. Similarly, complexes 2 and 4 crystallize in the space groups P63 and Pa3h, respectively; each complex has its MtP vector lying along a cystallographic C3 axis.6,7 The structure of 3, although not yet determined, is expected to be identical to 4. Our NMR results also confirmed that the 31P chemical shielding tensor in 3 is axially symmetric, suggesting the presence of an axis with C3 or greater symmetry.
Self‐limiting oxidation of Si nanowires

Achieving tolerances of the order of 1 nm for sub‐10 nm structures is both challenging and necessary for controlled experiments on such structures. Here the use of a self‐limiting oxidation reaction to yield silicon (Si) wires of less than 10 nm diam with a tolerance of ±1 nm over 0.5 μm. The final self‐limiting diameters were found to be controlled by oxidation temperature. For 30 nm initial Si column diameters, the asymptotic diameters were found to be 11 and 6 nm for dry oxidation at 800 and 850 °C, respectively. The mechanism of the self‐limiting reaction is not yet fully understood but the tiny radius of curvature is obviously a factor. In addition, there appears to be an anomalous loss of Si; this may be due to sublimation of SiO.
Location of Mn sites in ferromagnetic Ga1−xMnxAs studied by means of X-ray diffuse scattering holography

A three-dimensional image of the local neighbourhood of Mn atoms in a Ga 1-x Mn x As (x = 0.02) layer has been obtained by using X-ray diffuse scattering holography. The first and second nearest neighbours of the Mn atoms correspond to the local structure around Ga atoms in the zinc-blende GaAs structure. Accordingly, the Mn atoms are situated in substitutional positions.
Abrasion and impact resistance of concrete under Arctic conditions

This research program aims to investigate the mechanical properties, impact resistance, and abrasion resistance of steel fibers reinforced concrete under cold temperatures. The abrasion and impact resistance of steel fiber reinforced concrete were also evaluated before and after exposure to salt scaling. The studied parameters are the type of concrete (self-consolidated concrete and vibrated concrete), type of steel fibers (SFs) (coated and uncoated), SFs end conditions (needle, single-hooked ends and double-hooked ends), length of SFs (35 mm and 60 mm), volumes of SFs (0%, 0.35%, and 1%), saturation condition, coarse aggregate size (10 mm and 20 mm), coarse to fine aggregate ratio (0.7 and 2), and cement content (300 kg/m³ and 550 kg/m³). The mechanical properties of concrete were evaluated by conducting compressive strength, splitting tensile strength (STS) and flexural strength (FS) tests. The impact resistance was assessed by conducting two tests; drop weight test and flexural impact test. Meanwhile, the abrasion resistance of concrete was evaluated by performing rotating cutter test and sand blasting test. The results showed that salt scaled concrete specimens exhibited a considerable reduction in the impact and abrasion resistance compared to non-scaled concrete specimens. However, adding SFs (especially coated SFs) alleviated this reduction and contributed to improve the abrasion and impact resistance of salt scaled concrete surface. The results also revealed that decreasing the temperature below the room temperature (25ᴼC) contributed to enhancing the compressive strength, STS, FS, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance of concrete mixtures. In the meantime, the effect of cold temperatures in enhancing the mechanical properties and abrasion resistance was more pronounced in the saturated samples compared to unsaturated samples. The results also showed that despite the negative effect of cold temperature in increasing the brittleness of concrete, using SFs helped to alleviate the low temperature brittleness of concrete and improved its mechanical properties and impact resistance.
Offshore wind in Iceland : wind resource assessment in Faxaflói Bay

As the world demand for electricity increases, power producers need to find ways to meet this demand in a sustainable and renewable manner. Iceland’s electricity production is primarily from renewable resources such as hydropower and geothermal power, with an increased interest in wind in recent years. Electricity from a wind farm works well in conjunction with hydroelectricity and is more easily expandable than a geothermal power plant post construction. This thesis is a continuation of a previous project where optimal areas for offshore wind around Iceland were determined. This thesis builds a case study for an offshore wind farm in the Faxaflói bay, north of Reykjavík, by gathering cost data, using a software called WAsP to create a wind resource, and determine the LCOE of the project. Two different turbines were selected and compared. For a 200 MW wind farm made up by 4 MW turbines, the lowest LCOE calculated was 61.80 €/MWh. After modeling the resource, selecting the equipment and calculating the LCOE, two additional methods were used to validate the cost estimates used in the first LCOE calculation. Results show that cost estimations for the same wind farm can vary significantly depending on the method used, which highlights the uncertainty inherent in producing reliable cost estimates for a wind farm with limited data. In the discussion, multiple items are mentioned that once improved upon, would yield a more accurate analysis. Despite the uncertainties present in this work, the results indicate favorable conditions for a growing wind industry in Iceland.
Porous ZnO microtubes with excellent cholesterol sensing and catalytic properties

The controlled formation of porous ZnO microtubes via the formation of tubular hydrozincite under ambient conditions from bulk ZnO followed by calcination at 500 °C for 2 h is presented. The tubular structure is a hierarchical assembly of ZnO flowers to form uniform tubes, with ∼30 μm length, ∼2 to 7 μm width and ∼400 to 500 nm wall thickness, where the flowers are made of 3D assembled porous ZnO flakes. The surface area of the tubular ZnO structure is quite good (58 m2 g−1). The developed synthetic procedure is quite flexible, and we have also synthesized nanostructured ZnO of varying morphologies from bulk ZnO just by changing the synthetic conditions. The developed ZnO microtubes showed excellent microstructure-based sensing and catalytic properties. A novel biosensor based on the synthesized porous tubular ZnO exhibited high sensitivity (54.5 mA M−1 cm−2) and low LOD (limit of detection, 0.2 mM (S/N = 3)) of cholesterol at room temperature, superior to that of sensors made of other porous ZnO shapes synthesized by varying the conditions, as well as other sensors reported in the literature. It is superior even in comparison with a nano gold modified sensor. The tubular ZnO structure also showed superior catalytic activity (92%) for the synthesis of 5-benzyl-1H-tetrazole to that of other reported solid catalysts. Thus, it is expected that the developed porous tubular ZnO should find potential industrial application in the sensor as well as the catalysis field. Moreover, the synthesis from bulk ZnO makes the procedure cost effective.
Design of an AXI-SDRAM interface IP in a RISC-V processor

PreDRAC is a RISC-V based SoC developed with the collaboration of the BSC, CIC-IPN, IMB-CNM (CSIC) and UPC. On its first version, sent to fabricate on May 2019, it used a custom interface to access main memory through an FPGA. Access to memory is critical to the performance of a processor and a AXI-SDRAM interface IP to be integrated into a future revision of the chip has been designed. No specific area, power or performance constraints are defined for AXI-SDRAM interface as the first step is to obtain a functional design with the required verification setup to ensure its proper operation once fabricated on silicon. The design of the IP covers different aspects in the ASIC design flow: the initial RTL implementation, synthesis, verification at RTL and gate-level simulations and a final power analysis. Final results show that this IP can successfully be integrated with the preDRAC SoC, replacing the custom interface, and obtaining better performance. However, the AXI-SDRAM interface IP can be further improved both in terms of performance and power.
CAPACITY BUILDING NEEDS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM CONTRACTING ENTERPRISES IN KLANG VALLEY MALAYSIA

This study investigates the issues constraining the growth of small and medium-scale contracting firms, which can, in turn, reflect the small and medium-scale contractors’ needs that are corresponding to the needs or supports required by small and medium-scale contractors. The purpose of this study is to help SMCEs realise their own needs and also to assist government and policymakers to discover the approaches that should be executed and allocate scarce resources to the critical parts through needs identification and appraisal. A closed-ended questionnaire survey was deployed and the responses collected only reflect the construction players that are currently working in CIDB registered Grade 1 to Grade 6 contracting enterprises in the Klang Valley area. Five critical needs were identified through factor analysis. They are technical and technological needs, job accessibility needs, favourable fiscal and monetary policy needs, business development needs, and anti-corruption needs. Besides, this study reveals that the success of SMCEs can be perceived in the aspects of their business growth, profit growth and employment growth. Research studies on this topic are limited in the Malaysian construction industry. Therefore, this study provides guidance and references for SMCEs and policymakers concerning the capacity building needs and how their successes can be achieved so that SMCEs can be assisted in a way that they are capable to build their capabilities in today’s construction sector in Malaysia.
S,O-versus S,N-chelation in the reactions of the cis-diamminediaquaplatinum(II) cation with methionine and S-methylcysteine

The reactions of cis-Pt(NH)(HO) with S-methyl-L-cysteine (mecysH) and L-methionine (metH) have been followed by, H, C, N, and Pt NMR (the last two with ammine ligands substituted with N). With a small excess of platinum, and with pH maintained near 5, the chelate products Pt(NH)(mecys-S,N) and Pt(NH)(met-S,N) are formed. In each case, the different configurations about sulfur give two slowly interconverting diastereomers. In strongly acidic solution (pH ≤ 0.5), the initial product in the reaction with mecysH is Pt(NH)(mecysH-S,O) (two diastereomers), which slowly converts to the S,N-chelate. A similar reaction sequence occurs with methionine, but cis-Pt(NH)(metH-S) is also formed, in competition with Pt(NH)(metH-S,O). All of these complexes slowly lose ammonia on standing.
Comparison of two soil organic matter extractants and determination of the “Walkley–Black” correction factors for organic fractions from a volcanic soil

Two extractants (0.1 M NaOH and a mixture 0.1 M NaOH–0.1 M Na4P2O7) were used separately to recover organic matter from a volcanic soil under Corsican pine (Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. laricio Maire). The presence of pyrophosphate did not considerably improve the recovery; on the contrary, in the topsoil, the aqueous NaOH was even slightly more efficient than the mixture. A comparison between dry combustion and dichromate oxidation (Walkley–Black method) to measure the organic carbon (C) in the extracted (fulvic and humic) fractions and in the soil residue was accomplished. Dichromate oxidation did not allow the detection of the entire (dry-burnt) C in the extracted fractions. The correction factor to account for undetected C varied according to horizon, organic fraction, and extractant. An apparent complete oxidation with the Walkley–Black method occurred for the soil residues, but it could be due to magnetite interference.
Controlling of Nitriding Process on Reactive Plasma Spraying of Al Particles

Reactive plasma spraying (RPS) has been considered as a promising technology for in-situ formation of aluminum nitride (AlN) thermally sprayed coatings. To fabricate thick A lN coatings in RPS process, controlling and improving the in-flight nitriding reaction of Al particles is required. In this study, it was possible to control the nitriding reaction by using ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) powders. Thick and dense AlN coating (more than 300 μm thickness) was successfully fabricated with small addition of NH4Cl powders. Thus, addition of NH4Cl prevented the Al aggregation by changing the reaction pathway to a mild way with no explosive mode (relatively low heating rates) and it acts as a catalyst, nitrogen source and diluent agent.
A Versatile Preparation Route for Thin Free-Standing Liquid Single Crystal Elastomers

Thin films of nematic and cholesteric side-chain polymers containing reactive benzophenonc units cm be macroscopically oriented by electric/magnetic fields or surface interactions. After UV-irradiation, liquid single crystal elastomers (LSCEs) are formed. With this simple, new pathway, macroscopically ordered free-standing LSCE films are easily accessible having a thickness in the range of about 100 nm to 100 μm as outlined in Figure.
Is folding of β-lactoglobulin non-hierarchic? intermediate with native-like β-sheet and non-native α-helix

Abstract The refolding of β-lactoglobulin, a β-barrel protein consisting of β strands βA-βI and one major helix, is unusual because non-native α-helices are formed at the beginning of the process. We studied the refolding kinetics of bovine β-lactoglobulin A at pH 3 using the stopped-flow circular dichroism and manual H/2H exchange pulse labeling coupled with heteronuclear NMR. The protection pattern from the H/2H exchange of the native state indicated the presence of a stable hydrophobic core consisting of βF, βG and βH strands. The protection pattern of the kinetic intermediate obtained about one second after initiating the reaction was compared with that of the native state. In this relatively late kinetic intermediate, which still contains some non-native helical structure, the disulfide-bonded β-hairpin made up of βG and βH strands was formed, but the rest of the molecule was fluctuating, where the non-native α-helices may reside. Subsequently, the core β-sheet extends, accompanied by a further α-helix to β-sheet transition. Thus, the refolding of β-lactoglobulin exhibits two elements: the critical role of the core β-sheet is consistent with the hierarchic mechanism, whereas the α-helix to β-sheet transition suggests the non-hierarchic mechanism.
The reduction of chlorine on carbon in AlCl3-KCl-NaCl melts.

Using a rotating vitreous carbon disk electrode, the kinetic parameters for chlorine reduction in an AlCl3-KCl-NaCl (57.5-12.5-30 mol percent) melt were determined. It was found that the reduction of chlorine occurs according to two paths, with the first step probably being rate-determining.
Manipulation of Polyhydroxybutyrate Properties through Blending with Ethyl-Cellulose for a Composite Biomaterial

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is widely used as a biomaterial in medical and tissue-engineering applications, a relatively high crystallinity limits its application. Blending PHB with ethyl-cellulose (EtC) was readily achieved to reduce PHB crystallinity and promote its degradation under physiological conditions without undue influence on biocompatibility. Material strength of composite films remained unchanged at 6.5 0.6 MPa with 40% (w/w) EtC loadings. Phase separation between the two biopolymers was determined with PHB crystallinity decreasing from 63% to 47% for films with the same loading. This reduction in crystallinity supported an increase in the degradation rates of composite films from 0.39 to 0.81% wk−1 for PHB and its composite, respectively. No significant change in morphology and proliferation of olfactory ensheathing cells were observed with the composites despite significant increases in average surface roughness (Ra) of the films from 2.90 to 3.65 m for PHB and blends with 80% (w/w) EtC, respectively.