Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Tool for Molecular Imaging: The Microvolumetric β Blood Counter

Radiotracer kinetic modeling in small animals with PET allows absolute quantification of physiologic and biochemical processes in vivo. It requires blood and tissue tracer concentrations as a function of time. Manual sampling, the reference method for blood tracer concentration measurements, requires fairly large amounts of blood besides being technically difficult and time-consuming. An automated microvolumetric β blood counter (μBC) was designed to circumvent these limitations by measuring the blood activity in real time with PET scanning. Methods: The μBC uses direct β-particle detection to reduce its footprint and is entirely remote controlled for sampling protocol selection and real-time monitoring of measured parameters. Sensitivity has been determined for the most popular PET radioisotopes (18F, 13N, 11C, 64Cu). Dispersion within the sampling catheter has been modeled to enable automatic correction. Blood curves obtained with the μBC were compared with manual samples and PET-derived data. The μBC was used to estimate the myocardial blood flow (MBF) of mice injected with 13N-ammonia and to compare the myocardial metabolic rate of glucose (MMRG) of rats injected with 18F-FDG for arterial and venous cannulation sites. Results: The sensitivity limit ranges from 3 to 104 Bq/μL, depending on the isotope and the catheter used, and was found to be adequate for most small-animal studies. Automatic dispersion correction appears to be a good approximation of dispersion-free reference curves. Blood curves sampled with the μBC are well correlated with curves obtained from manual samples and PET images. With correction for dispersion, the MBF of anesthetized mice at rest was found to be 4.84 ± 0.5 mL/g/min, which is comparable to values found in the literature for rats. MMRG values derived from the venous blood tracer concentration are underestimated by 60% as compared with those derived from arterial blood. Conclusion: The μBC is a compact automated counter allowing real-time measurement of blood radioactivity for pharmacokinetic studies in animals as small as mice. Reliable and reproducible, the device makes it possible to increase the throughput of pharmacokinetic studies with reduced blood sample handling and staff exposure, contributing to speed up new drug development and evaluation.
The spectrofluorimetric determination of magnesium with NN′-bis-salicylidene-2,3-diaminobenzofuran

NN′-Bis-salicylidene-2,3-diaminobenzofuran, SABF, has been synthesised and is proposed as a stable and inexpensive spectrofluorimetric reagent for determining magnesium in the range 0·1 to 6 µg (2 × 10–3 to 1 × 10–1 p.p.m.). The method is both rapid and sensitive, and has a detection limit of about 10–3 p.p.m. in 50 per cent. aqueous methanol at an apparent pH of 10·5. The orange fluorescence (545 mµ) of the 1 : 1 complex is excited at 475 mµ and can be measured within 15 to 45 minutes of mixing the solutions. Few other ions yield a fluorescence with the reagent and those that do, or that interfere in other ways, may be tolerated in 100-fold molar proportions by simple addition of masking agents. The fluorescent magnesium-SABF complex can be extracted quantitatively into isobutyl methyl ketone without interference from 2000-fold amounts of calcium, thus providing an extremely useful method for determining magnesium in technical materials, etc. To demonstrate this, nine municipal water samples and fourteen blood plasma samples have been analysed successfully for magnesium by the proposed method in a 50 per cent. aqueous methanol medium.
Studies of SiOx anodic native oxide interfaces on InSb

We have investigated a method for passivation of InSb by vacuum deposition of SiOx on native oxide layers grown by wet anodization. We show that this multilayer dielectric approach results in improved passivation properties. Results of high resolution Auger spectroscopy reveal important information on the layer structure and composition of this passivation film. Specifically, we report the experimental observation of SiO2 formation at the SiOx anodic oxide interface. The interfacial reaction is limited to a thin layer, about 10 nm thick. The SiOx oxidation proceeds by reduction of the native oxide and formation of elemental In and Sb. The electrical features observed in the C–V curves (such as flat‐band voltage, hysteresis, low‐frequency‐like response in the inversion region, and other deviations from the ideal curves) are explained in view of the oxidation states of In and Sb, observed at the oxide layers and at their interfaces. These correlations were used for characterization of the desired interlayer.
Conceptual Model for Connected Vehicles Safety and Security using Big Data Analytics

The capability of Connected Vehicles (CVs) connecting to a nearby vehicle, surrounding infrastructure and cyberspace presents a high risk in the aspect of safety and security of the CV and others. Data volume generated from the sensors and infrastructure in CVs environment are enormous. Thus, CVs implementations require a real-time big data processing and analytics to detect any anomaly in the CVs’s environment which are physical layer, network layer and application layer. CVs are exposed to various vulnerabilities associated with exploitations or malfunctions of the components in each layer that could result in various safety and security event such as congestion and collision. The safety and security risks added an extra layer of required protection for the CVs implementation that need to be studied and refined. To address this gap, this research aims to determine the basic components of safety and security for CVs implementation and propose a conceptual model for safety and security in CVs by applying the machine learning and deep learning techniques. The proposed model is highly correlated to safety and security and could be applied in congestion and collision prediction.
Effect of Synthesis Conditions on the Structure and Curing Characteristics of High-Urea Content PUF Resin

Phenol-urea-formaldehyde (PUF) resins of high urea content were prepared at different hydroxyl/phenol (OH/P) mole ratios and formaldehyde/(phenol + urea) [F/(P + U)] mole ratios. The effect of synthesis parameters including OH/P and F/(P + U) mole ratios on the structure, composition, and curing characteristics of PUF resins were investigated by using both liquid 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The NMR analysis indicated that an increase in the OH/P mole ratio and/or F/(P + U) mole ratio decreased the amount of unreacted urea and monosubstituted urea, and promoted the formation of polysubstituted urea. The DSC results showed that the higher OH/P mole ratio and/or F/(P + U) mole ratio of PUF resins resulted in a lower curing temperature. The F/(P + U) mole ratio of PUF resins seemed to have a more significant accelerating effect on the curing reaction than the OH/P mole ratio.
Initial Test Results of the Omron Face Cue Entry System at the University of Missouri-Rolla Reactor

The University of Missouri-Rolla Reactor facility is testing, in collaboration with Omron Transaction Systems, Inc., the Omron Face Cue facial recognition system for access control to its restricted area. The installation of this system is the first of its kind at a security-relevant facility in the U.S. and within the research reactor community. The Face Cue is an on-demand device based on facial recognition and storage technology. The image processing methodology is as follows: (1) facial position detection, (2) background elimination, (3) facial features discrimination via application of a wavelet transform. The extracted facial feature values are compared to the data archived in its database and access is provided upon meeting the authorization criteria. The current test phase consisted of assessing the functionality of the Face Cue during daily use and in terms of its robustness (flexibility) as a function of the following physical parameters: (1) subject's distance away from the Face Cue, (2) ambient lighting conditions, (3) subject's facial orientation, (4) subject's facial expression and (5) peripheral facial features/modifications. The system has operated at nearly 100% reliability during several test intervals with approximately 7,000 entry attempts to date.
Visual degradation in Leonardo da Vinci's iconic self-portrait: A nanoscale study

The discoloration of ancient paper, due to the development of oxidized groups acting as chromophores in its chief component, cellulose, is responsible for severe visual degradation in ancient artifacts. By adopting a non-destructive approach based on the combination of optical reflectance measurements and time-dependent density functional theory ab-initio calculations, we describe and quantify the chromophores affecting Leonardo da Vinci's iconic self-portrait. Their relative concentrations are very similar to those measured in modern and ancient samples aged in humid environments. This analysis quantifies the present level of optical degradation of the Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait which, compared with future measurements, will assess its degradation rate. This is a fundamental information in order to plan appropriate conservation strategies.
Synthesis and Stability of a Nanoparticle-Infiltrated Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrode

Nanoparticulate catalysts infiltrated into solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes can significantly enhance cell performance, but the stability of these electrodes has been an open issue. An infiltration procedure is reported that leads to stable scandia-stabilized zirconia (SSZ) cathode electrode performance. An SSZ cathode, infiltrated with 50-150 nm lanthanum-strontium manganate electro-catalyst particles, is shown to be voltage-stable for over 500 h of operation at 650°C, at a controlled current density of 150 mA/cm 2 . This demonstrates the potential viability of nanoparticulate-infiltrated electrodes for commercial SOFCs, and illustrates the functional stability of nanoparticulate catalysts in the demanding environment of SOFC electrodes.
Controlled experimental research and model design of double-layer high-frequency vibrating screen machine

The double-layer high-frequency vibrating screen machine is widely used in the tobacco industry, and its controllability of vibration has a great influence on the screening quality of cut tobacco. In this paper, we obtain the factors affecting the motion characteristics of the vibrating screen by theoretical derivation and experimental measurement of the motion parameters of the double-layer high-frequency vibrating screen machine, and determine the relationship between various factors and the amplitude of the vibrating screen. We also studied the properties of material motion. Through the overall research, we found that in the controllable process of realizing the high-frequency double-layer vibrating machine, we need to pay attention to the quality of the rotor of the motor, the angular velocity, and the radius of gyration, and also need to consider the number of spring piece and the rigidity of the spring piece. Also, the quality of the material will affect the movement of the screen.
NMR lineshapes arising from a pair of nonequivalent homonuclear spins in magic-angle-spinning experiments

Abstract The two 15 N nuclei of cis -azobenzene- 15 N 2 dioxide (1) are slightly nonequivalent in the solid state. The 15 N NMR line-shapes of 1 under conditions of magic-angle spinning (MAS) are shown to be sensitive to the spinning rate. Significant line broadening and distortions from normal MAS lineshapes are observed even when the spinning rate is much larger than the 15 N- 15 N dipolar coupling. MAS lineshapes are calculated using average-Hamiltonian theory and compared with experiment. Over a spinning rate range of 1.2 to 6.0 kHz, the agreement between simulated and observed MAS lineshapes is reasonably good. Average-Hamiltonian theory indicates that the detailed 15 N NMR MAS lineshapes are dependent on the relative orientation and magnitude of the two 15 N chemical-shift (CS) tensors as well as the orientation of the CS tensors with respect to the 15 N- 15 N dipolar vector. The 15 N CS tensors of 1 were characterized by analyzing the NMR lineshape of a static powder sample.
Polymer–agro-waste composites for removal of Congo red dye from wastewater: adsorption isotherms and kinetics

AbstractComposites of sawdust and sugarcane molasses with styrene-maleic acid copolymer [(SD-SMA) and (SM-SMA)] were successfully synthesized by suspension polymerization and used as adsorbents for removal of Congo red (CR) dye from aqueous solution. The surface morphology of composite beads was observed under scanning electron microscope, which revealed highly porous surface. Maximum 20 wt. % sawdust and 10 wt. % sugarcane molasses loading were achieved in respective composite. Adsorption of CR was performed in batch process. The effect of initial solution concentration, amount of composite dose, and biomaterial content into the composite were investigated to test the adsorption efficiency and adsorption capacity of these composite beads at pH 7. Adsorption efficiency of 90 and 48% was observed in 2 h using SM-SMA and SD-SMA composites, respectively. The equilibrium data was analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models. Adsorption onto SD-SMA composites followed the.
Effect of Cross-Linking Agents on Physicochemical, Textural Properties and Microstructure of Canned Soy Protein Isolate-Yellow Alkaline Noodles Prepared by Retort Processing

Soy protein isolate-yellow alkaline noodles (SPI-YAN) prepared by partial substitution of wheat flour with SPI were treated with cross-linking agents namely microbial transglutaminase (SPI-MTG), ribose (SPI-R) and the combination of both (SPI-R-MTG). SPI-YAN were either unprocessed (UP), thermally processed at 121C for 30 min (P), or thermally processed and followed by 3 weeks storage at ambience (PS). The thermal, storage treatments and formulation had an impact on the physicochemical properties of SPI-YAN. pH and textural parameters of P-noodles were lower than those of UP-noodles, while PS-noodles showed higher water absorption, thickness, but lower textural parameters. For P and PS-noodles, SPI-R showed the highest retort cooking loss, water absorption, redness and yellowness, but the lowest in pH values, while SPI-MTG exhibited the lowest retort cooking loss, thickness, yellowness, but the highest textural parameters. Scanning electron microscopy images indicated an enhanced network microstructure of SPI-MTG and SPI-R-MTG following thermal processing and/or storage. Practical Application Thermal processing of canned noodles causes damage to overall structure and affects sensory appeals. The present work describes the effects of cross-linking agents (microbial transglutaminase [MTG] and ribose) on the physicochemical and physical properties of canned soy protein isolate-yellow alkaline noodles prepared by retort processing, and their impacts during storage. The main finding is that the use of MTG maybe helpful in improving retorted noodles' texture during thermal processing. This information can further stimulate the application of MTG in preserving the texture and edibility of canned noodles.
Chain extension of poly(ethylene terephthalate) with bisphenol‐A dicyanate

Chain extension of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with bisphenol-A dicyanate (BADCy) was studied using an internal mixer under reactive blending conditions. The reaction between PET and BADCy was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and chemical titration. With increasing amount of BADCy introduced, the modified PET gave rise to higher torque during stirred in an internal mixer, higher viscosity (η′), and higher storage modulus (G′). Measurement of intrinsic viscosity showed that BADCy indeed extended the molecular weight of PET. DSC analysis represented that Tm and Tc of the modified PET were shifted to low temperatures. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
On the Relation Between Noise Spectra and the Distribution of Time Between Steps for Single Molecular Motors

A large class of molecular motors (kinesin, dynein, myosin, RNA-polymerase, helicase, F1-ATPase, etc.) consists of enzymes that proceed by successive steps of fixed size. We hereby address the relation between the statistics of the time between steps and the power spectrum of the enzyme's displacement in the presence of strong instrumental noise. From the recordings of the noisy signal of an enzyme, an algorithm is provided to deduce its step size and to characterize the distribution of its stepping probability.
Periodic Density Functional Theory Study of Propane Dehydrogenation over Perfect Ga2O3(100) Surface

Propane dehydrogenation over perfect Ga2O3(100) was studied in detail by periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It was found that the initial C−H bond activation mainly follows a radical mechanism that the two-coordinated surface oxygen site (O(2)) abstracts a hydrogen atom from propane with the formation of propyl radical and hydroxyl group (O(2)H). Physically adsorbed propyl radical can easily form propoxide or propylgallium intermediate. Subsequently, propene is formed by a second H abstraction from propyl, propoxide, or propylgallium by surface oxygen and Ga sites. H abstraction by O(2) site always has low energy barrier. However, it is difficult for the hydrogen atoms in the hydroxyl groups to leave the surface in the form of either H2 or H2O. In addition, propene formed through H abstraction by oxygen site has high adsorption energy and is prone to further dehydrogenation or oligomerization, leading to fast deactivation of the catalyst. On the other hand, the formation of H2 from GaH.
Nota científica: compostos bioativos em pequenas frutas cultivadas na região sul do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul Scientific note: bioactive compounds in small fruits cultivated in the southern region of Brazil

Summary The nutritional value is one of the main factors that fuels the growing interest in fruit consumption, but the properties and beneficial activities to human health of many fruits of smaller national expression have still not been properly defined. These foods possess different bioactive compounds and thus the objective of this work was to evaluate the total bioactive compound contents, more specifically the phenols, anthocyanins and carotenoids, in Surinam cherries (Eugenia uniflora L.), pindo palm (Butia capitata), blackberry (Rubus spp.) cv. Tupy and cv. Xavante, blueberry (Vaccium ashei) cv. Blue Powder and cv. Delite and loquats (Eribrotia japonica). The fruits were collected during the 2006 harvest from the Embrapa Temperate Climate orchard (Pelotas/RS). The samples were collected and immediately frozen at –80 °C in an ultra-freezer until the moment of analysis. The total phenol contents of cherry purple, red and orange Surinam, pindo palm, blackberry cv. Tupy and cv. Xavante, blueberry cv. Powder Blue and cv. Delite and loquat were 420.8; 239.2; 201.8; 328.6; 645.5; 731.4; 816.9; 750.5 and 55.8 mg of gallic acid.100 g –1 , respectively. With respect to the anthocyanin contents, the values were 138.7; 96.4; 4.1; 0.0; 47.7; 45.2; 128.0; 72.0 and 0.0 mg of cyanidin 3-glycoside.100 g–1 of fruit, respectively. The carotenoid contents were 90.6; 153.0; 60.7; 28.0; 9.1; 6.0; 1.4; 10.8 and 24.0 µg of β carotene.g –1 of fruit, respectively. It was observed that amongst the fruits studied the richest source of phenolic compounds was the blackberry, and the richest source of anthocyanins was the purple Surinam cherry. The red Surinam cherry was the fruit presenting the highest carotenoid content.
Synthesis and physical studies of azamitosene and iminoazamitosene reductive alkylating agents. Iminoquinone hydrolytic stability, syn/anti isomerization, and electrochemistry

The synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo [1,2-a] benzimidazole-5,8-diones (azamitosenes) was carried out in conjunction with the design of potential DNA cross-linkers activated by reduction (reductive alkylation). Iminoquinone derivatives of azamitosenes (iminoazamitosenes) were synthesized as reductive alkylating agents exhibiting low oxygen toxicity. The iminoazamitosenes are hydrolytically stable in neutral buffers and undergo buffer-catalyzed syn/anti isomerization at the imino center. Electrochemical and oxygen reactivity studies in aqueous buffers indicate the change from quinone to iminoquinone is accompanied by an increase in reduction potential and a decrease in oxygen reactivity of the corresponding reduced species. It is concluded that iminoazamitosenes would exhibit low oxygen toxicity during cellular reductive alkylation
Spindle-like Lanthanide Orthovanadate Nanoparticles: Facile Synthesis by Ultrasonic Irradiation, Characterization, and Luminescent Properties

A general and facile ultrasonic irradiation method has been established for the synthesis of the lanthanide orthovanadate LnVO4 (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) nanoparticles from an aqueous solution of Ln(NO3)3 and NH4VO3 without any surfactant or template. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as kinetic decays were employed to characterize the as-prepared products. Ultrasonic irradiation has a strong effect on the morphology of the LnVO4 nanoparticles. The SEM and TEM images illustrate that the as-formed LnVO4 particles have a spindle-like shape with an equatorial diameter of 30−70 nm and a length of 100−200 nm, which are the aggregates of even smaller nanoparticles of 10−20 nm. The results of XRD confirm the formation of a well-crystallized LnVO4 phase with a tetragonal.
Multi-elemental analysis of fertilizer using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy coupled with partial least squares regression

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been applied for the multi-elemental analysis of fertilizer. With a set of 11 fertilizer samples containing different levels of phosphorus and potassium, it was identified that the line intensity of the analyte does not follow a straightforward correlation with the element concentration with the presence of matrix effects. Instead, the line intensity of a given analyte element is not only related to that analyte, but also to other elements present in the samples. Further analysis reveals the correlations among the line intensities of the main components. Based on the correlation analysis, a set of calibration models were generated for phosphorus and potassium with the method of partial least squares (PLS) analysis, which is known as a multivariate calibration method. The prediction accuracy and reproducibility of these PLS models were then validated using independent LIBS measurements. The results show that the predicted concentrations with these models provided by LIBS measurements are in good agreement with the reference concentrations, which confirms that the LIBS technique has good potential for the in situ rapid determination of the main elements present in fertilizer.
Is Nonprofit Organizational Success Related to A Charismatic CEO? An Exploration of the Relationship between Organizational Performance and the Perception of the CEO

Executives of non profits rely on the support of volunteers and funders. Having the ability to influence these types of stakeholders can be key to the organization’s success. Many nonprofits are at risk for having to operate under significant budgetary constraints. This has become even more evident as states have reduced financial support for nonprofits in the wake of the Great Recession. The purpose of this paper is to help understand the relationship between organizational performance and the perception of CEO charisma.