Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag and Fe2O3 co-doped ZnO nanostructure under visible light irradiation

ABSTRACT In this study, undoped ZnO and Ag\Fe2O3-doped ZnO nanostructures were successfully fabricated for photodegradation of Methyl Blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation. XRD patterns confirm appeared of Ag\Fe2O3 phases and polycrystalline structure of ZnO with a wurtzite hexagonal phase. EDX spectra compatible with XRD results and confirm appeared peaks energy of Ag, Fe2O3, ZnO elements. FESEM results showed agglomeration of irregularly shaped nanoparticles (NPs), decreasing with increasing doped concentration which leads to appearing of Nanorod, Nanosheet, and cluster of small NPs. UV-Visible spectra revealed Ag and Fe2O3 doped leads to shift in ZnO spectra band and increased absorption in a visible light region. The photocatalytic activity showed significantly enhanced with degradation percentages 96.6%, 95.1%, 92.6%, and 92.7% for doped ZnO, as compared to 73.8% for undoped ZnO. This marked enhanced in photocatalytic activity attribute to increased hydrophilicity, surface area which can improve separation of charge carriers, and photogenerated efficiency. Graphical abstract Graphical abstract of photocatalytic activity of Ag and Fe2O3 co-doped ZnO nanostructure
Design Process for the Containment and Manipulation of Liquids in Microgravity

OF THESIS Design Process for the Containment and Manipulation of Liquids in Microgravity In order to enhance accessibility to microgravity research, the design process for experiments on the ISS must be streamlined and accessible to all scientific disciplines, not just aerospace engineers. Thus, a general design and analysis toolbox with accompanying best practices manual for microgravity liquid containment is proposed. The work presented in this thesis improves the design process by introducing a modular liquid tank design which can be filled, drained, or act as a passive liquid-gas separation device. It can also be pressurized, and used for aerosol spray. This tank can be modified to meet the design requirements of various experimental setups and liquids. Furthermore, rough simulations of this tank are presented and available to the user for modification. The simulation and design methodology for other general cases is discussed as well. After reading this thesis, the user should have a basic understanding of how liquids behave in microgravity. She will be able to run simple simulations, design, build, test, and fly a liquid management device which has been modified to suit the requirements of her specific experiment. The general tank design can be manufactured using 3-D printing, traditional CNC milling, or a combination thereof. The design methodology and best practices presented here have been used to design tanks used in experiments on the International Space Station for Budweiser and Lambda Vision. Both tanks functioned nominally on orbit. While the specific data from these experiments cannot be presented due to proprietary restrictions, using this thesis as a design guide for new experiments should yield favorable results when applied to new tank designs. If the reader has any questions or would like an updated design process, the author’s preferred contact information can be found using the Orcid iD: 0000-0002-2617-2957 .
Raman lasing in optofluidic microbubble resonator

Raman lasing has been realized in different kinds of whispering gallery mode microresonators because of its high quality factors and relatively small mode volumes. The non-linear coefficient of carbon disulfide is much larger than that of silicon dioxide. In this paper, we fabricate a high quality factor silica microbubble resonator. In addition, we report on the realization of Raman lasing in an empty silica microbubble resonator. Moreover, Raman lasing in carbon disulfide filled optofluidic microbubble resonator at pump wavelengths of 950 nm is also implemented.
Combination of "Shenqi Fuzheng Injection" and EP chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of "Shenqi Fuzheng Injection" combined EP chemotherapy for the treatment of small cell lung cancer.Methods Fifty-six cases were randomized into two groups: treatment group in which 28 cases were treated by combined "Shenqi Fuzheng Injection" and EP chemotherapy,and control group in which 28 cases were treated by EP chemotherapy,with a course of 14 days.The clinical efficacy,QOL,blood and lymphocyte subpopulation were detected.Results ① The overall effective rate was 64.3% in the treatment group and 53.6% in the control group,without significant difference between the two groups(P0.05). ② The effective rate of QOL was 89.3% in the treatment group and 64.3% in the control group,with a significant difference between the two groups(P0.05). ③ In treatment group,no significant differences were found in CD3+,CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ between before and after treatment(P0.05);there were differences in the indexes in control group(P0.05). After treatment,there were significant differences in the levels of CD3+,CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ between the two groups(P0.05,P0.01). ④ There were significant differences in reduction of WBC,hemoglobin and blood platelet between the two groups(P0.05). Conclusion "Shenqi Fuzheng Injection" is effective to alleviate the inhibitory action of EP Ehemotherapy on hematopoiesis and improve the QOL and cellular immune function in patients with small cell lung cancer.
IL-17A and TNF-α Exert Synergistic Effects on Expression of CXCL5 by Alveolar Type II Cells In Vivo and In Vitro

CXCL5, a member of the CXC family of chemokines, contributes to neutrophil recruitment during lung inflammation, but its regulation is poorly understood. Because the T cell-derived cytokine IL-17A enhances host defense by triggering production of chemokines, particularly in combination with TNF-α, we hypothesized that IL-17A would enhance TNF-α–induced expression of CXCL5. Intratracheal coadministration of IL-17A and TNF-α in mice induced production of CXCL1, CXCL2, and CXCL5, which was associated with increased neutrophil influx in the lung at 8 and 24 h. The synergistic effects of TNF-α and IL17A were greatly attenuated in Cxcl5−/− mice at 24 h, but not 8 h, after exposure, a time when CXCL5 expression was at its peak in wild-type mice. Bone marrow chimeras produced using Cxcl5−/− donors and recipients demonstrated that lung-resident cells were the source of CXCL5. Using differentiated alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells derived from human fetal lung, we found that IL-17A enhanced TNF-α–induced CXCL5 transcription and stabilized TNF-α–induced CXCL5 transcripts. Whereas expression of CXCL5 required activation of NF-κB, IL-17A did not increase TNF-α–induced NF-κB activation. Apical costimulation of IL-17A and TNF-α provoked apical secretion of CXCL5 by human ATII cells in a transwell system, whereas basolateral costimulation led to both apical and basolateral secretion of CXCL5. The observation that human ATII cells secrete CXCL5 in a polarized fashion may represent a mechanism to recruit neutrophils in host defense in a fashion that discriminates the site of initial injury.
Identification of normal modes responsible for ferroelectric properties in organic ferroelectric CBDC

Structure and dynamics of hydrogen bonded organic ferroelectric CBDC (1-cyclobutene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, C6H8O4) have been investigated using inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy and first principles lattice dynamics. Vibrational modes of O–H–O bending, related with two different types of hydrogen bonds, inter and intra-molecular, are manifested as two sets of doublets in the range of 900–1400 cm−1 in the INS spectrum. First principles density functional theory (DFT) is used to assign these doublets to out-of-the-plane and in-plane vibrations of these two types of O–H—O bending modes. Correlating structure and dynamics we find that although the local structures of the hydrogen bonded protons are similar, their medium range order may influence their vibrational frequencies. Vibrational modes of non-hydrogen bonded protons also are assigned separately in the spectrum. Comparing the calculated and the experimental INS spectra it is predicted that hydrogen bonded O–H bonds are more anharmonic than non-hydrogen bonded C–H bonds. From the calculated Born effective charge tensor it is predicted that inter-molecular hydrogen bonds contribute more to the ferroelectric polarisation of CBDC than intra-molecular ones. A large LO-TO splitting of the O–H stretching mode at 2471 cm−1 is identified with the mode that has significant contribution to the ferroelectric polarisation. As this mode is sensitive to long range Coulomb interactions and is responsible for ferroelectric properties of the material, vibrational spectroscopy combined with DFT calculations is proposed as a characterisation tool to investigate ferroelectric properties in the CBDC molecular crystal.
Study of microstructure and wear properties of novel aluminium-modified fly ash composite

Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) were prepared by compocasting route by melting AA 1200 aluminium alloy in a stir casting furnace and adding 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt. % (weight percentage) of modified fly ash (FA). Modified FA was synthesized by treating FA with graphite and magnesium powder in the ratio of 1:1:2.5 at 650°C in nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of modified FA showed peaks of MgO, MgO3Si, Mg2Si and SiC in addition to the peaks of SiO2, Al2O5Si and AlPO4 present in FA. Tapped density of the modified FA was found to be 0.69 g/cm3. Optical microscopy studies on the cast composites showed segregation of modified FA particles at the grain boundaries. Hardness measurement showed that the hardness of the composite increased with increase in the amount of modified FA. Pin-on-disc wear studies revealed that the wear rate of the composite increased with the increase in the amount modified FA. At 8 wt. % modified FA, the wear rate was found to decrease drastically. The increase in wear rate was correlated to the improper bonding between the particles and the matrix phase due to segregation of particles as confirmed by optical microscopy. The wear process was slowed down with increasing amount of reinforcement due to the prevalent abrasive wear mechanism as the particles dislodged during wear process.
Anisotropy of nonlinear behavior of unidirectional CFRP under strain-rate loading

Based on the relations of the algebra of resolvent operators, the Volterra correspondence principle and the Rabotnov non-linear relation, a model allowing for the description of strain anisotropy of unidirectional composites under time-varying loading was developed. Using the experimental data of unidirectional CFRP specimens subjected to compressive loading at various angles to the direction of reinforcement and various strain rates as an example, the correctness of the proposed approach was shown. By applying the fundamental relations of the hereditary mechanics and the anisotropic elasticity theory, a series of interrelated material functions of the material was obtained and the mechanical behavior under various loading conditions was described.Based on the relations of the algebra of resolvent operators, the Volterra correspondence principle and the Rabotnov non-linear relation, a model allowing for the description of strain anisotropy of unidirectional composites under time-varying loading was developed. Using the experimental data of unidirectional CFRP specimens subjected to compressive loading at various angles to the direction of reinforcement and various strain rates as an example, the correctness of the proposed approach was shown. By applying the fundamental relations of the hereditary mechanics and the anisotropic elasticity theory, a series of interrelated material functions of the material was obtained and the mechanical behavior under various loading conditions was described.
An automatic metrology using the laser displacement sensor for the corrugation height of corrugated plate

As one of the main indicators for characterizing the quality of a corrugated plate, the accurate acquisition of corrugation height is great important for guaranteeing the safety operation of heat exchangers. However, the traditional metrologies could not satisfy the measurement requirements of high precision and real-time due to the complex surface morphology of corrugated plate. In this paper, a preliminary study of application of the laser displacement sensor to the automatic on-line measurement of the corrugation height has been verified experimentally. To improve the measurement accuracy and efficiency, the data processing is divided into two parts: the measuring error analysis and the data fitting. An empirical correction model is established on the evaluation test to correct the errors caused by the incident angle at each measurement point. After that, by giving a segmentation to the cross sectional data from the geometrical characteristics of measured plate, the regression models of each interval data are established by the Least Square Method. Finally, the corrugation height of each subsection interval can be estimated from the difference between the minimum and maximum depth of each piecewise regression model. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed metrology can improve the measuring speed effectively and is suitable to the practical measurement occasion.
Water Saving in CSP Plants by a Novel Hydrophilic Anti-Soiling Coating for Solar Reflectors

In this work, results of the outdoor exposure campaign of a newly developed hydrophilic anti-soiling coating for concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) mirrors are presented. The material was exposed for nearly two years under realistic outdoor conditions and the influence of two different cleaning techniques was evaluated. Mirror samples were analyzed during exposure and their reflectance and cleanliness were measured. The performance of the anti-soiling coated mirror samples was compared to conventional uncoated silvered-glass mirrors. The coatings showed appropriate anti-soiling and easy-to-clean behavior, with a mean cleanliness gain of 1 pp and maximum values under strong soiling conditions of up to over 7 pp. Cleanliness of the coated samples stayed higher throughout the whole campaign before and after cleaning, resulting in lower soiling rate compared to the reference material. Taking into account these values and supposing a threshold for cleaning of 96%, the number of cleaning cycles could be decreased by up to 11%. Finally, the coated material showed negligible degradation, not exceeding the degradation detected for the reference material.
Characterisation of biocomposite film made of kefiran and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)

This study was carried out to characterize the physical, mechanical and barrier properties of kefiran-carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) biocomposite films in function with CMC content. Films were prepared by combining these two biopolymers and adding glycerol as plasticizer. Film-forming solutions of different ratios of kefiran to CMC were cast at room temperature. Increasing CMC content from 0 to 50 % (v/v) increased the tensile strength and extensibility of the composite films; however, with further CMC addition these mechanical properties decreased. The water-vapor permeability (WVP) of the films first decreased and then increased with CMC addition. The microstructure of the films was observed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic-force microscopy. The morphology study of the films showed rougher surfaces with increasing CMC amounts. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) curves showed a single Tg, and addition of CMC at all levels increased the glass-transition temperature of films. These results indicated that these two film-forming components were compatible, and that an interaction existed between them.
A 0.168pm2/0.1 1pm2 Highly Scatable High Performance embedded DRAM Cell for 90165-nm Logic Applications

A high performance embedded DRAM cell has been developed in 90nm tcchnology using a pass transistor with standard 2.2nm gate oxide and trench capacitor. This device offers 25% on-current improvement with 1.5V wordline boosted voltage, and reduces the cell size by 10%. Measured data retention of >200p is ideal for 200+MHz random access cycle embedded DRAM macro with a concurrent refresh mode. The scalability of the cell to 0.1 lpm’ in 65nm node is also demonstrated.
Rapid one pot synthesis of mesoporous ceria nanoparticles by sol-gel method for enhanced co2 capture

The capture and storage of CO2 have been suggested as an effective strategy to reduce the global emissions of greenhouse gases. Hence, many studies have been carried out to develop highly efficient materials for capturing CO2. Herein, the CO2 capture performance of mesoporous ceria nanoparticle (MCN) was described. The MCN was synthesized under mild conditions through a sol-gel method using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant and further undergone a calcination process at 673 K for 3 h. The prepared MCN possess high surface area (76.0 m2 g-1) which is around 9-fold higher than that of commercial CeO2 (8.7 m2 g-1), indicating that the organic modification using CTAB is an effective way of preparing a porous structure. The MCN exhibited high CO2 uptake of 213.8 µmol g-1 at 298 K and 1 bar. The prepared MCN using sol gel has shown a rapid and cost-effective method compared to the hydrothermal method.
Investigation of singularities inherent to Mueller matrix images of biological crystals: diagnostics of their birefringent structure

In this work, we have theoretically grounded conceptions of singularities observed in coordinate distributions of Mueller matrix elements for a network of human tissue biological crystals. Found is interrelation between polarization singularities of laser images inherent to these biological crystals and characteristic values of above matrix elements. We have determined criteria for statistical diagnostics of pathological changes in the birefringent structure of biological crystal network by using myometrium tissue as an example.
Development of natural fibre reinforced polystyrene (NFRP) composites: Impact resistance study

The prevalent global issue on environmental pollution and the growing desire for polymer based composite materials has given rise to increasing research in the production of composite containing natural organic fillers. This study describes the optimization of impact strength of plastic composites developed from polystyrene and natural fibre wastes(sawdust and rice husk) using 3-level-factoral-design via hand lay-up method studying the effect of filler concentration (15 – 45 %), filler size (20 – 100 µm) and alkaline treatment concentration (2 – 6 %) on the impact strength of polystyrene fibre reinforced composite. Models were developed using response surface methodology to predict impact strength of the composite as a function of the process variables investigated. The optimization of the process parameters show that the optimum condition for obtaining high impact strength are 15% filler concentration, 100 µm filler size and 4% alkaline (NaOH) concentration in saw dust filled composite while a filler concentration of 15%, filler size of 31µm and an alkaline concentration of 2% for the rice husk filled composite. The recycled polystyrene in combination with wood dust and rice husk has produced a polymer composite with moderate impact strength applicable in various applications.
Aerobic Trainer with Physiological Monitoring for Exercise in Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Patients

An aerobic exercise trainer, which can be used by both paraplegic and quadriplegic patients, is described in this paper. The aerobic trainer uses a Monarch bicycle ergo-meter which has been modified with a seat whose height is electrically adjustable, a special high back seat for back support, and break-away attachments to the pedals. Further, by incorporating sensors into the bicycle crank, timing is provided for a digital computer to stimulate the appropriate muscles in the paralyzed limbs to elicit pedaling by paraplegic and quadriplegic subjects. By stimulating the muscles in a sequence derived from electromyographic studies of nonparalyzed individuals pedaling the same bicycle ergometer, smooth control could be achieved enabling safe exercise for paraplegic and quadriplegic subjects. Further, by incorporating blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature monitoring, the system can be made safer for applications such as home use. The maximum and minimum resting and exercising blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperatures, as well as the limit of exercise that can be accomplished, are stored on a plug-in cartridge. The cartridge can either be a “read only” program, in which case the maximum limits of exercise are set, or can be an EEPROM. With the EEPROM, the user is given the option of using the cartridge to collect data during experimental sessions for play back at a later date. The applications of this design for rehabilitation medicine of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients are described.
High accuracy nondestructive measuring of the thickness of transparent solid and liquid films

Polymer nanocomposite films can be made impenetrable to air, light, aromatic substances, steam. This stipulates their wide use for packaging, primarily food products. Such films thickness control is an important technological moment of their manufacturing, and it must be non-contact and non-destructive. Most of films made of nanocomposite polymers are transparent to visible and infrared light. In this article a new method of the data processing aimed to determine the film thickness from the angle dependence of the laser beam reflection coefficient by the film is offered. The offered procedure and the experimental technique realizing it permit to decrease the thickness determination uncertainty to 150 nm while measuring the film thickness in the range from 0,01 mm to 1,0 mm.
Utilization of Molecular Testing in Thyroid Cytology

Abstract While benign and malignant diagnoses rendered by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) are quite accurate, there remains a group of indeterminate lesions that are diagnostically challenging and difficult to preoperatively assign to a specific biologic behavior. These indeterminate lesions make up approximately 30% of thyroid FNAC and include atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS), suggestive of follicular neoplasm (SFN), and suggestive of malignancy. With increasing knowledge about molecular mechanisms used in cancer, and lack of definitive cytologic characterization of indeterminate lesions, utilization of molecular techniques has become an attractive option to clinicians. The best available commercial tests today are miRInform (Asuragen) and Afirma (Veracyte), a 4-gene panel and gene expression classifier that are used to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of malignancy, respectively. Afirma test performs best in AUS/FLUS cases, but should be considered only if surgery is an option and only after repeat FNAC diagnosis of AUS/FLUS or SFN. Either or both molecular tests may be utilized in SFN cases, to confirm a benign or malignant clinical impression, and/or extent of surgery. Both of these molecular panels, however, are associated with significant false-positive and false-negative results. We believe that molecular testing can contribute to patient management, as an ancillary tool, in selected AUS/FLUS and SFN cases, but has no significant benefit to patients with lesions suggestive of malignancy. Molecular studies should not be ordered indiscriminately as a reflex test, and their results must not outweigh clinical judgment.