Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase relationship of PD pulses in dielectric liquids under ac conditions

Partial discharge pulse phase analysis carried out on a mineral oil and a perfluoropolyether with point-to-plane electrodes provided further and additional evidence that discharge epochs tend to be concentrated in the vicinity of the alternating voltage peaks at discharge inception in lieu of the voltage zeros characteristic of normal cavities occluded in solid and liquid-impregnated solid insulating systems. Relatively large positive polarity discharge pulses, having an associated charge transfer of /spl ges/15 pC with a recurrence rate of at least one per every ten consecutive cycles, appear initially on the positive half-cycle; with further increases in applied voltage both their number and magnitude continue to exceed those of negative polarity over the negative half-cycle. This behavior is to be distinguished from that commonly observed with high sensitivity measurements, which clearly indicate that early discharge onset in liquids is characterized by the occurrence of minute highly intermittent negative polarity pulses. The increase in charge transfer of the discharge pulses with applied voltage is suggestive of the development of longer more intense streamers in the dielectric liquids at the more elevated electrical fields. Also the results infer that discharges or streamers form and propagate more readily in the mineral oil than in the electronegative perfluoropolyether.
What Is Robotics? Why Do We Need It and How Can We Get It?

Robotics is an emerging synthetic science concerned with programming work. Robot technologies are quickly advancing beyond the insights of the existing science. More secure intellectual foundations will be required to achieve better, more reliable, and safer capabilities as their penetration into society deepens. Presently missing foundations include the identification of fundamental physical limits, the development of new dynamical systems theory, and the invention of physically grounded programming languages. The new discipline needs a departmental home in the universities, which it can justify both intellectually and by its capacity to attract new diverse populations inspired by the age-old human fascination with robots.
High aspect ratio wrinkles on a soft polymer

Instability of a stiff thin film attached to a compliant substrate often leads to the emergence of exquisite wrinkles with length scales that depend on the system geometry and applied stresses. These patterns have vast potential applications including in tissue engineering, flexible electronics and the semiconductor industry. However, one of the limiting factors in the usage of these patterns is the low amplitude/wavelength ratio that can be achieved using the current surface engineering techniques. Here, we present an effective method that allows the creation of wrinkles with an amplitude/wavelength aspect ratio as large as 2.5 on a soft polymer. In this method, first, the surface of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is pre-patterned using an Ar ion beam. Then, an amorphous carbon film gets deposited on the pre-patterned polymeric surface using glancing angle deposition (GLAD). We show that the amplitude of the created patterns can be varied between several nm to submicron size by changing the carbon deposition time, allowing us to harness patterned polymeric substrates for a variety of applications. Specifically, we demonstrate a potential application of the high aspect ratio wrinkles for changing the surface optical band gap.
Relationship Between the Ratio of Large and Small Starch Granules Determined by Gravitational Field‐Flow Fractionation and Malting Quality of Barley Varieties

Abstract The ratio of large and small barley starch granules was determined by gravitational field‐flow fractionation (GFFF) under optimized conditions. The optimization was aimed to reach the elution of both large and small starch granules in the focusing elution mode and long‐term reproducibility. Kernels of twelve spring and winter barley varieties grown in three testing stations during three years were used for isolation and size determination of starch granules, i.e., monitoring was conducted with 108 samples. The two‐row winter varieties had the highest ratios of large and small starch granules A/B. On the other hand, the two‐row varieties of spring malting barley had the lowest ratios A/B. The ratios of large and small starch granules A/B of six‐row winter varieties were between the previous groups. The obtained relationship between the ratio of large and small starch granules and malting properties for this set of barley varieties is opposite to previous expectations, assuming that spring malting barley varieties have higher ratios of large and small starch granules than winter ones. GFFF was shown as a suitable technique for the determination of the ratio A/B starch granules. From the point of view of the results obtained in this study, it is evident that not only the ratio A/B of large and small starch granules is important for malting properties, but other factors are also important, e.g., activity of hydrolytic enzymes.
A General Correlation for Accurate Prediction of the Dew Points of Acidic Combustion Gases in Petroleum Industry

A general correlation has been proposed for the first time for accurate prediction of the acidic combustion gases dew points to mitigate the corrosion potential in pollution control and energy recovery equipments. Acidic combustion gases can cause rapid corrosion when they condense on the surfaces of the heat recovery and flue gas treatment equipments. The most important acidic gases, namely, SO3, SO2, NO2, HCl, and HBr, are considered in this investigation. The presented correlation can be used for accurate prediction of the flue gas acid dew point temperatures over wide ranges of acid and water vapor concentrations in oil and gas industries.
Optimization of Process Parameters for the Preparation of CaO/CaSO4/Coal Fly Ash Sorbent for Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Removal: Part II

A two-step optimization strategy was employed to optimize the surface area of sorbent prepared from coal fly ash, calcium oxide (CaO) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) for flue gas desulfurization. In the first step, a 3 level full factorial design of experiment was used to develop a regression model equation to correlate the significant experimental sorbent preparation variables to the surface area of the resulting sorbent. The three experimental sorbent preparation variables studied are hydration period (x 1), ratio of CaO to fly ash (x 2) and amount of CaSO4 (x 3). In the subsequent step, response surface methodology was used to identify the experimental sorbent preparation variables that maximize the surface area of the sorbent. Through this two-step optimization strategy, it was found that at a hydration period of 10 hrs and drying temperature of 100°C, optimum surface area of 67.0 m2/g could be attained by using 5 grams of CaO, 13.7 grams of fly ash, and 7.4 grams of CaSO4 in the preparation mixture. The prediction was verified with experimental runs.
THE MEASUREMENT OF FOAM‐LACING

An index of foam-lacing can be obtained by calculating the ratio of ultra-violet light (230 nm) absorbed by the material in the foam to that absorbed by the whole beer. Alternative procedures are described, the first of which is intended for quality control purposes with all beers or for the investigation of the science underlying lacing. The second method is suitable for assessing the lacing property of bottled or canned beer.
Economic evaluation of membrane potential for ethylene/ethane separation in a retrofitted hybrid membrane-distillation plant using unisim design

Since ethylene/ethane separation by cryogenic distillation is one of the most energy intensive processes, it can be economically interesting to combine it with energy efficient membrane technology. The effect on the viability of different process configurations in relation to the ethylene permeance (2.8 × 10–6–2.8 × 10–5 mol/(m2 s kPa)) and ethylene/ethane selectivity (3–1000) of the membrane is investigated using Honeywell’s Unisim Design Suite R390. Results are compared to conventional distillation. In addition, the membrane feed pressure, permeate pressure, and membrane surface area have been optimized to obtain the highest possible cost savings. It is concluded that the series configuration is the most beneficial with savings of 16% on the total annualized costs. Hybrid membrane–distillation technology is interesting for membranes having ethylene permeances and selectivities beyond 2.8 × 10–5 mol/(m2 s kPa) and 30, respectively. Increasing the membrane feed pressure toward its critical pressure (Pc = 4850 kPa) is always beneficial, and the optimal permeate pressure increases to 2050 kPa with increasing ethylene permeance. For material scientists, it is advised to focus on increasing membrane selectivity once an ethylene permeance of 1 × 10–5 mol/(m2 s kPa) is obtained, since higher permeances beyond this point yield less additional cost savings compared to increments in selectivity.
Well-defined orthogonal surface wrinkles directed by the wrinkled boundary

In this report, we systematically investigate the as-formed wrinkles to act as a novel boundary to direct the surface wrinkling for controllable fabrication of hierarchical wrinkling patterns. Here the wrinkled boundary is the highly aligned wrinkling patterns, formed in the O2 plasma-exposed region (denoted as D1) when a uniaxially strained polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is subjected to the first selective O2 plasma treatment (OPT) via a copper grid. Subsequently, a stiff crust with the tunable composition is fabricated on the whole PDMS including the O2 plasma-unexposed region (denoted as D2), by means of the second OPT and/or additional film deposition (e.g., polystyrene and Pt). The subsequent solvent swelling or heating induces wrinkles in the D2 region, which are highly oriented perpendicular to those in the D1 region. The physics underpinning the experimental phenomenon is elucidated by our theoretical analysis based on Koiter's elastic stability theory and finite element simulations. Additionally, we demonstrate that the wavelengths of the well-organized orthogonal wrinkles can be independently tailored via the exposure duration and the additionally deposited film thickness.
Liquid-liquid two phase flow and solvent extraction in the squeezing regime with on-chip separation of phases

The focus of this study is on mass transfer of segmented flow within a microfluidic device, in particular with on-chip separation of phases by capillary forces. The tested initial concentrations c0 were not of influence. The overall mass transfer coefficient increased with increasing flow rate. It is recommended to focus further efforts on separating the phases. Also recommended subsequent experiments are outlined.
Ultrasensitive detection of bisphenol A in aqueous media using photoresponsive surface molecular imprinting polymer microspheres

Photoresponsive surface molecular imprinting polymer (SMIP) microspheres were synthesized on silica microspheres by surface polymerization using a water-soluble azobenzene-containing 4-[(4-methacryloyloxy)phenylazo]benzenesulfonic acid as the functional monomer. The SMIP microspheres displayed good photoresponsive properties and specific affinity towards bisphenol A (BPA) with high recognition ability (maximal adsorption capacity: 6.96 μmol g−1) and fast binding kinetics (binding constant: 2.47 × 104 M−1) in aqueous media. Upon alternate irradiation at 365 and 440 nm, the SMIP microspheres could quantitatively bind and release BPA. Analytical application of the SMIP microspheres for the detection of trace BPA concentration in mineral water and tap water has been carried out successfully, and therefore a simple and quick detection method for trace BPA in the environment was established.
Lanthanide Complexes with a Calix[8]arene Bearing Phosphinoyl Pendant Arms

The phosphinoyl-substituted macrocyclic receptor B8bL8, derived from p-tert-butylcalix[8]arene, was synthesized and its structure was studied in solution. According to temperaturedependent 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopic data, the calix[8]arene adopts a so-called in–out cone conformation. To investigate the influence of the narrow rim substitution, interaction with trivalent lanthanide ions, LnIII (Ln = La, Eu, Tb, Lu), was probed by MS, UV/Vis and NMR spectroscopic titrations. Although both 1:1 (in the presence of triflate) and 2:1 (in the presence of nitrate) Ln:B8bL8 complexes could be isolated in the solid state, the major species present in methanol is the 1:1 complex, irrespective of the anion. NMR spectroscopic data point to a common conformation for the 1:1 complexes in solution, the lanthanide ions being coordinated by four of the eight phosphinoyl arms, with a coordination sphere completed by methanol molecules or by nitrate ions, as ascertained by IR and MS spectra. The ligand displays a weak absorption at 360 nm that can be assigned to an intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) state, which is very sensitive to coordination. Photophysical data of the EuIII 2:1 complex point to both metal ion sites providing a very similar chemical environment for the lanthanide ions, with no coordinated water, which is contrary to what is observed for the 1:1 complex. The use of optical electronegativity to predict the energy of the charge-transfer states in the lanthanide systems with inequivalent ligands is discussed and extensive analysis of the vibronic satellites of the Eu(5D0->7FJ) transitions ascertains conclusions drawn on the EuIII coordination.
Thermal‐ and Sun‐Promoted Generation of Silver Nanoparticles Embedded into Poly(vinyl alcohol) Films

Nanocomposites based on poly(vinyl alcohol) and silver nanoparticles were efficiently prepared by sun- and thermal-promoted reduction processes. Uniaxial drawing of the Ag/PVA nanocomposites favoured the anisotropic distribution of silver particles, providing oriented films with polarisation-dependent tunable optical properties. These dichroic properties were more pronounced for nanocomposites produced by sun exposition, which provided more compact and interacting metal clusters. The results obtained suggest the nanocomposite films could find potential applications as colour polarising filters, radiation responsive polymeric objects and smart flexible films in packaging applications.
New generation polymeric nanospheres for lysozyme adsorption

Novel hydrophobic nanospheres with an average size of 100 nm utilizing N-methacryloyl-(l)-tryptophan methyl ester (MAT) as a hydrophobic monomer were prepared by surfactant free emulsion polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and MAT. MAT was synthesized using methacryloyl chloride and l-tryptophan methyl ester. Specific surface area of the nonporous nanospheres was found to be 1914 m2/g. Poly(HEMA–MAT) nanospheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Average particle size, size distribution, and surface charge measurements were also performed. Elemental analysis of MAT for nitrogen was estimated as 1.95 mmol/g polymer. Then, poly(HEMA–MAT) nanospheres were used in the adsorption of lysozyme in batch system. Using an optimized adsorption protocol, a very high loading of 1075 mg lysozyme/g nanosphere was obtained. The adsorption phenomena appeared to follow a typical Langmuir isotherm. It was observed that enzyme could be repeatedly adsorbed and desorbed without significant loss in adsorption amount or enzyme activity. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Fabrication of a superhydrophobic graphene surface with excellent mechanical abrasion and corrosion resistance on an aluminum alloy substrate

A superhydrophobic graphene film with excellent mechanical abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance was successfully deposited on Al alloy using a spin-coating method. The surface structure morphology, chemical composition, wettability, mechanical abrasion and corrosion resistance were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements, wear tester and electrochemical workstation. It was found that the static water contact angle on the as-prepared surface was as high as 153.7 ± 2°. Furthermore, the as-prepared surface exhibited excellent mechanical abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance, which were studied by Tafel curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It is expected that this simple and versatile methodology for preparing a graphene-reinforced coating can open up a new avenue, especially for multi-functional engineering materials, and be conveniently extended to other metal substrates.
Collisional quenching of N2(A3∑+u; v= 0, 1) by N atoms, ground state N2 and a pyrex surface

The rate constants for the collisional quenching of lumped v= 0 and v= 1 states of N2(A3∑+u) by ground state N atoms and by N2 molecules, and the probability of deactivation on at Pyrex surface have been measured in a virtually static system at 300 K and at a pressure between 1 and 6 Torr using gas titration, mass spectrometry, isothermal calorimetry and photoionization. The values of the three constants found were respectively (3.5 ± 1.7)× 10–11 cm3 atom–1 s–1, (4.5 ± 1.2)× 10–17 cm3 molecule–1 s–1 and (1.8 ± 1.2)× 10–5.
Evaluation of InAs quantum dots on Si as optical modulator

The potential of using InAs quantum dots, epitaxially grown on a Si substrate, as an optical modulator have been investigated. By exploiting the quantum-confined Stark effect across the quantum dot layers we were able to increase the absorption in the dot layers at a chosen wavelength. This resulted in the first demonstration of an extinction ratio of 5.1 dB at 1310 nm with a reverse bias of 20 V. Higher extinction ratios of 8.6 dB at 7 V and 21.6 dB at 20 V bias were observed at a wavelength of 1355 nm.
Optimization of PTS2-EGFP Expression in CHO and Vero Cells

Received: 26/Sep/2006, Accepted: 22/May/2007 Objective: Reporter gene transfer to mammalian cells receives a great deal of attention due to its importance for molecular biology, embryology and developmental biology studies. Among DNA transfer technologies to eukaryotic cells, lipofection is known as the most widely used because of its easy handling procedure, low cell mortality and the natural pathway it undertakes. Materials and Methods: In this study we have examined the transfectability of two cell types: CHO and Vero cells via Lipofection in four different treatments, with combination of exposure duration, 3 and 6 hrs, and different plasmid DNA concentration, 0.5 and 1μgs. A fusion protein expression vector, pUcD2. PTS2EGFP was used to direct the EGFP protein to peroxisomes after expression of related cDNA. An SPSS analysis was preformed after counting the positive cells. Results: optimum gene expression was found when using 1 μg DNA treated for three hrs for CHO cells, and 1 μg DNA treated for six hrs for Vero cells. Conclusion: The result suggests that CHO lipofection efficiency is significantly increased by both the DNA concentration and exposure time increment; however, an increase in exposure time has less significant effect on low DNA concentration conditions. The same results have been observed for Vero cells. Optimum expression was obtained with highest DNA concentration.
A Distributed Reactivity Model for Sorption by Soils and Sediments. 10. Relationships between Desorption, Hysteresis, and the Chemical Characteristics of Organic Domains.

Phenanthrene sorption and desorption equilibria were measured for 10 natural sorbents having significantly different geological ages and organic matter compositions. Three geologically young peats, one humic acid, three geologically old shales, and samples of kerogen isolated from each of the shales were examined. Elemental analyses and solid-state 13C-NMR spectra reveal that the oxygen/carbon (O/C) atomic ratios of the soil organic matter (SOM) as sociated with the samples decrease with increased age and, thus, apparently with diagenetic alteration. The sorption affinities of these materials for phenanthrene as well as their respective isotherm nonlinearities and hysteretic behaviors were found to correlate inversely with the O/C atomic ratio; samples containing more physically condensed and chemically reduced SOM matrices exhibited greater solute affinity, more nonlinear sorption equilibria, and more pronounced hysteresis. Observed relationships between the chemical and structural characteristics of ass.
Evidence for the passivation effect in (NH4)2Sx‐treated GaAs observed by slow positrons

We applied slow positrons to the as‐etched GaAs and/or the (NH4)2Sx‐treated GaAs. The results show that a thin oxide film is easily formed on the surface of as‐etched GaAs as soon as the etched surface is exposed to air for several minutes before the measurement. On the other hand, the monolayer of chemisorbed sulfur atoms in the (NH4)2 Sx‐treated GaAs is effective in protecting the clean surface from the adsorption of oxygen atoms. The mean diffusion length of positrons is not affected by the conditions of the surface treatment. This implies that the centers for the trapping of a positron are not created below the free surface by those treatments.
Off-stoichiometry in Co2FeSi thin films sputtered from stoichiometric targets revealed by nuclear magnetic resonance

Co2FeSi is predicted to be a half-metallic ferromagnet with an extraordinary high magnetic moment and Curie temperature. However, a low tunnel magneto-resistance ratio, a lower spin polarization and a lower magnetic moment were experimentally observed in thin film samples. Consequently, thin Co2FeSi films of different groups were studied using spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). NMR probes the local hyperfine fields of the active atoms, which strongly depend on the local environment. NMR is thus able to reveal the next neighbouring shells of the 59Co nuclei in the Co2FeSi thin films. As expected, our NMR study shows the main resonance line corresponding to 59Co nuclei in the L21 environment but also additional resonance lines at the high frequency site of the main line with a spacing between adjacent resonance lines of 32 MHz. The additional resonance lines correspond to 59Co with more Fe next neighbours than expected for the L21 type ordering, which is interpreted as the formation of an off-stoichiometric film yielded by sputtering from a stoichiometric target. The analysis of the NMR data and a comparison with off-stoichiometric bulk samples reveals the composition of the thin films to be about Co2Fe(Si0.92Fe0.08). This off-stoichiometry might explain the observed deviations from the expected behaviour.
Photonic crystal hydrogel beads used for multiplex biomolecular detection

A microfluidic device was used to generate droplets of monodispersed silica nanoparticles in poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylates (PEG-DA), which were then polymerized into hydrogel beads by UV irradiation. The nanoparticles in the beads were assembled into ordered lattices and locked in the network of the hydrogel. Therefore, the beads showed photonic crystal features, whose reflection peaks were used as the coding elements of biomolecular carriers. And huge coding capacity could be gained by changing the volume fraction of the silica nanoparticles in the droplets. The beads provided homogeneous water surroundings so that some shortcomings in bioassay introduced by the presence of solid surface of carriers could be avoided. Their application in oligonucleotide detection demonstrated potential advantages of hydrogel beads as encoded carriers in multiplex biomolecular detection.