Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scanning Electron Microscopy - Electron Beam Induced Current and Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy Studies of GaAs(In) Layers grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Electrically active defects in indium-doped (0.6%) GaAs layers grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on Si-doped (::::::lxl0 18 cm3 ) GaAs substrates have been studied by the combination of two techniques: Scann ing Electron Microscope Electron Beam Induced Current (SEM-EBIC) technique, and Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) . The epilayers studied were three microns thick . No electrically active defects were revealed by the EBIC micrographs in the top one micron of the epilayers, whereas a large number of nonpropagating misfit dislocations were observed at the epilayer / substrate interface. DLTS measurements made in the dislocation free top region of the epilayer showed the presence of three well known traps, which had previously been observed to also exist near the interface. It is concluded that these traps are not related to misfit dislocations.
Computational intelligence paradigm for job shop scheduling and routing in an uncertain environment

ABSTRACT Computational Intelligence (CI) is a more efficient paradigm for solving real-world problems in uncertain conditions. The traditional CI approaches are not capable to provide the complete and sufficient solutions for problems. Therefore, new techniques are necessary to efficiently solve these issues seriously. New techniques, such as Emergent Intelligence (EI), Multi-Agent System (MAS), etc., provide robust, generic, flexible, and self-organised to solve complex real-world problems. In this paper, we discuss Emergent Intelligence (EI) and its uniqueness in solving problems in an uncertain environment. We also discuss EI, Swarm Intelligence (SI) and MultiAgent System (MAS)-based problem-solving in an uncertain environment and compared their performance. We have considered two different problems: job shop scheduling using EI and MAS and route establishment for routing using MAS, SI and EI in an uncertain environment. Each problem is categorically analysed and solved step by step using MAS, SI and EI in a dynamic environment. We measure the performance of these three methods by varying the number of agents, tasks and time. Performance measures are compared and shown to demonstrate the importance of EI over MAS and SI for solving problems in an uncertain environment.
Characterization of MWLs from Tamarix ramosissima isolated before and after hydrothermal treatment by spectroscopical and wet chemical methods

Abstract To improve enzymatic hydrolysis, hydrothermal treatment was carried out on the shrub Tamarix ramosissima. Milled wood lignin (MWL) was isolated from T. ramosissima stems before and after hydrothermal treatment, and its chemical structure was characterized by carbohydrate analysis, elemental analysis, methoxy group determination, FT-IR spectroscopy, quantitative 13C NMR spectroscopy, 2D heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The analyses confirmed that T. ramosissima MWL is very rich in syringyl units. It was found that the main reaction responsible for the lignin degradation is the homolytic cleavage of aryl-ether bonds resulting in a reduced amount of β-O-4′ interlinkages and, as a consequence, in elevated amounts of β-β′ and β-5′ linkages. The MWL isolated from the pretreated solid residue was more condensed and had a lower molecular weight than the MWL isolated from untreated material.
Synthesis, Structure, DNA Binding, and Cleavage of a Zn(II) Complex Constructed by 4,4'-Bipyridine and Phenylacetic Acid

The structure of {Zn1(L1)2(L2)2·4H2O}n (a = 19.8462 (12) Å, b = 8.8249(5) Å, c = 15.7574(10) Å, α = 90º, β = 104.1700(10)º, γ = 90º, V = 2675.8(3) Å3, Z = 4, and space group C2/c) is synthesized and characterized by IR, elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography. Fluorescence analysis indicates that the complex can bind to CT-DNA. Gel electrophoresis assay demonstrates that the complex can interact with plasmid DNA by intercalation.
Ice‐Nucleating Particle Concentrations and Sources in Rainwater Over the Third Pole, Tibetan Plateau

The ice‐nucleating particles (INPs) modulate the microphysics and radiative properties of clouds. However, less is known concerning their abundance and sources in the most pristine and climatic sensitive regions, such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Here, to our best knowledge, we conduct the first investigation on INPs in rainwater collected in the TP region under mixed‐phase cloud conditions. The value of INP concentrations varies from 0.002 to 0.675 L−1 air over the temperature range from −7.1 to −27.5°C. This is within the INP spectra derived from precipitation under worldwide geophysical conditions and is also comparable with INP concentrations in the Arctic regions. The heat‐sensitive INPs account for 57% ± 30% of the observed INPs at −20°C and become increasingly important at higher temperatures, indicating biological particles as major contributors to INPs at temperatures above −20°C over the TP, especially on the day with additional input of biogenic materials carried by dust particles. Chemical analysis demonstrates that the rainwater components are mixture of dust particles, marine aerosol, and anthropogenic pollutants. Combined with the backward trajectory analysis, we show that dust particles transported from the surrounding deserts and originated from ground surface of TP may contribute to the heat‐resistant INPs at temperatures below −20°C.
Enhancing the solar still yield by increasing the surface area of water—A review

This article reviews different methods employed to enhance the yield of solar still by increasing the surface area of water. As the area of stacked water increases, there is a greater possibility of an increase in temperature of the water and hence the evaporation rate from the top layer of basin water. Wick materials—though there may be evaporation rate and have a good capillary effect to absorb the saline water, intolerable smell, and turbidity—contribute to increased operational and maintenance cost. Use of sponge materials increases the surface area of water; as salt is trapped in pores of the sponge, yield of fresh water was decreased. It is concluded that the surface area of water in the solar still can be improved by using sensible heat storage material such as salt or/and molten salt, encapsulated in cuboid boxes. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 815–822, 2016
Assessment of morpho-variability between bruchid tolerant AND SUSCEPTIBLE cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) accessions

Cowpea bruchid is a major constraint to cowpea production. Easy identification of resistant/tolerant accessions to bruchid infestation has been a major challenge in bruchid resistant breeding programmes. Hence, the study was aimed to evaluate variations in some morphological characters between some bruchid resistant/tolerant and susceptible cowpea accessions, correlating them with their bruchid tolerance status in the hope of identifying a pointer character(s) that can facilitate easy identification of bruchid tolerant among cowpea germplasm. Sixty accessions were collected and evaluated for bruchid tolerance. Accessions were then grouped into bruchid susceptible and bruchid tolerant. These accessions were planted in Randomized Complete Block Design with ten replicates. Morphological differences between groups were evaluated accordingly. Of the sixty accessions evaluated, fifty-two were susceptible while eight were bruchid tolerant. No qualitative differences were observed between bruchid susceptible and tolerant groups, however significant differences were observed in quantitative characters which include terminal leaflet length, terminal leaflet/width ratio, leaf petiole length, terminal leaflet petiole length (TLPL), leaf petiole length, pod length (PDL), pod width, total number of pods per plant, seed length (SDL), seed width (SDW), seed thickness (SDTK) and 100 seed weight (100SDW). Bruchid tolerance was significantly positively correlated with seed characters which include, SDL (r = 0.798, p < 0.01); SDW (r = 0.798, p < 0.01); SDTK (r = 0.758, p < 0.01); 100SDW (0.830, p < 0.01) and significantly negatively correlated with TLPL and PDL (p < 0.05). These characters can provide easy identification of bruchid tolerant among cowpea germplasm, hence requires further investigations.
COMPARISON OF THREE DIFFERENT DEGRADATION METHODS TO PRODUCE LIQUID EPOXIDIZED NATURAL RUBBER

ABSTRACT Epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) has a high molecular weight, which has limited its solubility and processibility. For many potential applications, such as adhesives and coatings, ENR needs to be degraded into shorter chain lengths to form liquid ENR (LENR). We compared three different methods of preparing LENR: mechanical milling, chemical degradation initiated by potassium peroxodisulfate, and photooxidation initiated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. All the methods break down the ENR via free radicals but at different rates and by different mechanisms. In the LENR produced by these methods, ketone, aldehyde, carboxylic acid, and ester and lactone groups were observed; however, a hydrofuranic structure was only formed with UV degradation. The oxirane group was not affected significantly during the degradation, indicating that the chain sessions occurred predominantly via the –C=C– bonds. Spectroscopic analyses revealed that the consumption of a double bond is related to the extent of degradation.
The Role of the Media in Shaping Attitudes Toward Corporate Tax Avoidance: Experimental Evidence from Ireland

This articles examines the role of the mass media in shoring up popular support for corporate tax avoidance, using the EU’s recent ruling against Apple Inc. in the case of Ireland. Using an original and novel survey experiment, we find that media frames play an important role in shaping attitudes toward Apple’s corporate tax avoidance, and attitudes towards whether the Irish state should challenge the EU ruling. We find that respondents exposed to treatments questioning the morality and fairness of Ireland’s facilitation of Apple tax avoidance are more likely to acknowledge the negative impact on Ireland’s EU neighbours. These results are largely robust to the inclusion of control variables for ideology, age, previous voting behaviour, and gender. These findings suggest that media frames are an important factor in shoring up popular support for those components of national growth regimes that are politically controversial, and play an important role in how business exercises its power over public policy. More broadly, our findings suggest that to understand popular support for national varieties of capitalism in Europe, we need to examine the role of the country-specific media.
Operational and scientific limb retrieval for the SCIAMACHY instrument

In this poster we present a comparison between limb retrieval results obtained by using the operational and a scientific processor for the SCIAMACHY instrument. The scientific processor uses as forward model, a Picard iteration model, and as inversion model, direct and iterative regularization methods. By contrast, the operational processor uses an approximate forward model with multiple scattering correction and the Tikhonov regularization with a constant value of the regularization parameter.
Modulated Fluorite-Type Structure of Materials from the (1−x)Y0.5Zr0.5O1.75−xY0.75Nb0.25O1.75 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) System

The microstructures of different high-temperature prepared oxides of the (1-x)Y 0.5 Zr 0.5 O 1.75 -xY 0.75 Nb 0.25 O 1.75 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) system have been studied by selected-area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The materials show a modulated fluorite-type structure mainly due to a partial or short-range ordering of the oxygen vacancies. The modulation is related to the pyrochlore-type structure in the Y 0.75 Nb 0.25 O 1.75 . A short-range ordering of the oxygen vacancies related to the C-type structure is observed in the Y 0.5 Zr 0.5 O 1.75 . Gradual transition from the pyrochlore to the C-type structures is established with the variation of the composition.
Effect of single and combined use of various organic amendments on wheat grown over green manured soil: I. Growth and yield attributes.

This field experiment was undertaken on already green manured soil for comparing the efficiency of various organic manures used as alone and in combination, for wheat production. Organic matter sources/treatments used in the study were: Farm Yard Manure (FYM), Poultry Litter (PL), Press Mud (PM) and Sewage Sludge (SS). The amount of each organic amendments used singly was 20 t/ha, while their combinations had 10 t/ha for each of the two amendments making a total of 20 t/ha in a treatment. The experiment was conducted on wheat cv. Bhakkar 2002 as test crop for two consecutive growing seasons (year 2004-05 and 2005-06). Results revealed that Application of all types of organic materials (FYM, PL, PM and SS) and their combinations improved the growth and yield attributes of wheat significantly over control in both the years. The highest biological and grain yield was obtained with the application of PL alone followed by FYM+PL and PL+PM, with a significant difference among them. Economic analysis revealed that the value of Cost-Benefit Ratio (CBR) was highest with FYM+PL followed by PM+SS and PL+PM. The lowest CBR values were recorded under FYM alone and FYM+SS. This was mainly due to smaller yield increase and additional income with these treatments.
A STDP-based Encoding/Decoding Algorithm for Associative and Composite Data

Spike-timing-dependent plasticity(STDP) is a biological process of synaptic modiﬁcation caused by the diﬀerence of ﬁring order and timing between neurons. In our separate work, we have rigorously shown that STDP in a network of neurons transforms periodic input patterns into a geometrical structure named memory plane
Regularized Joint Mixture Models

Regularized regression models are well studied and, under appropriate conditions, offer fast and statistically interpretable results. However, large data in many applications are heterogeneous in the sense of harboring distributional differences between latent groups. Then, the assumption that the conditional distribution of response Y given features X is the same for all samples may not hold. Furthermore, in scientific applications, the covariance structure of the features may contain important signals and its learning is also affected by latent group structure. We propose a class of mixture models for paired data (X, Y) that couples together the distribution of X (using sparse graphical models) and the conditional Y | X (using sparse regression models). The regression and graphical models are specific to the latent groups and model parameters are estimated jointly (hence the name"regularized joint mixtures"). This allows signals in either or both of the feature distribution and regression model to inform learning of latent structure and provides automatic control of confounding by such structure. Estimation is handled via an expectation-maximization algorithm, whose convergence is established theoretically. We illustrate the key ideas via empirical examples. An R package is available at https://github.com/k-perrakis/regjmix.
Antidepressant-like effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Valeriana prionophylla Standl. from Guatemala: Evidence for the involvement of the monoaminergic systems

Background: Previous studies carried out in our laboratories have shown that Valeriana prionophylla displays central effects in mice. The antidepressant effect of the Valeriana prionophylla was the most prominent effect. The goal of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of action of the antidepressant property of HEVp, and its effect when used chronically.Methods: Experiments were performed using the forced swimming test and the open field test. Female Swiss mice (25-30 g, 3 months) were divided into groups (N=8-10): negative control (saline), antagonist systems evaluated, HEVp and antagonist/HEVp. The treatments with NAN-190 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.), ketanserin (5 mg/kg, i.p.), prazosin (1 mg/kg, i.p.), yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p.), haloperidol (0.2 mg/kg, i.p.), pimozide (0.2 mg/kg, i.p.), SCH-23390 (0.05 mg/kg, i.p.), L-arginine (750 mg/kg, i.p.), bicuculline (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and phaclofen (1 mg/kg, i.p.) were administered 30 min before HEVp. The treatments with reserpine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) and PCPA (100 mg/kg, i.p.) were administered 4 hours and 4 days before the test, respectively. Sub-chronic treatment was administered for 15 days, and the test was performed on days 1, 7 and 15 of the treatment.Results: The anti-immobility effect caused by HEVp was significantly attenuated by treatment of the reserpine, PCPA, NAN-190, ketanserin, prazosin, yohimbine, L-arginine, bicuculline and phaclofen, but was not affected by haloperidol, pimozide and SCH-23390.Conclusion: The mechanisms involved in their effects indicate that HEVp produces antidepressant effects through pathways that involve interaction with L-arginine-nitric oxide, serotonergic and GABAergic systems, as well as interaction with the ? -adrenoceptors.
Solid Phase Extraction and Analysis of THC and Metabolites from Whole Blood using a Novel Automated Procedure using Liquid Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)

Solid Phase Extraction and Analysis of THC and Metabolites from Whole Blood using a Novel Automated Procedure using Liquid Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) In this study, solid phase extraction (SPE) is described using a novel automated procedure to isolate tetrahydrocannabininol and its metabolites from whole blood samples. SPE was performed on an automated system after samples of whole blood were precipitated with acetonitrile. The system was programmed to condition the SPE columns with methylene chloride, methanol,de-ionized (DI) water, and aqueous phosphate buffer (0.1 M pH 7). The samples were loaded by the robot after which the SPE columns were washed with DI water, aqueous phosphate buffer and dried also by the same unit.
High efficiency linear power supply with a preregulator controlled by keeping constant R/sub DS/ of MOSFET

In Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (SRRC) more than ninety linear power supplies with 100 ppm long-term stability are served for correction magnets. To increase the well-known efficiency problem of linear power supply, inside a customer-made bipolar linear power supply a homemade pre-regulator circuitry is in series in front of power stage. By using constant V/sub DS/ controlled pre-regulator, the power consumption of linear power supply itself could be reduced and the efficiency changes with respect to the output power. On the other hand, with constant R/sub DS/ controlled pre-regulator, the efficiency is even higher and is the ratio of load resistance and R/sub DS/. Design and performance of the pre-regulator circuitry are demonstrated.
Gold nanoparticles/Orange II functionalized graphene nanohybrid based electrochemical aptasensor for label-free determination of insulin

Nanocomposites, gold nanoparticles on Orange II functionalized graphene (AuNPs/O-GNs), were developed to modify the electrode surface for anchoring an insulin binding aptamer. The nanocomposites integrate the high electrical conductivity of graphene, and the easily functionalized surface chemistry of AuNPs along with excellent biocompatibility. The characterization using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed the successful synthesis of AuNPs/O-GNs. The determination of insulin by electrochemistry indicated the electrochemical aptamer sensor has good selectivity and high sensitivity at physiological conditions. The linear range was from 1.0 × 10−14 to 5.0 × 10−10 mol L−1 with a low detection limit of 6.0 × 10−15 mol L−1 (S/N = 3). The recovery of insulin in human blood serum samples was from 102.3% to 104.7%. The aptamer sensor provided a promising strategy for insulin detection in clinical diagnostics.
The in-situ Synthesis of LDH in the Pores of γ-Al_2O_3

The in situ surface synthesis of hydrotalcite in the pores of γAl2O3 was performed with urea as preciptator. A series of factors about surface synthesis of hydrotalcite, such as aging time, aging temperature, the mol ratio of the raw materials and the concentration of the raw materials was investigated. The samples were characterized by XRD, DTATG and IR. Experimental results show that as aging time reaches 6 h, the crystal structure of MgAlCO3LDH is near perfect. When the aging time is over 6 h, an inpurity phase of NH4Al(OH)2CO3·H2O will appear. Under the conditions of experiment, the particle size of LDHs increases with increasing aging time, and decreases with increasing the initial concentration of solution becomes biggel and the aging temperature.
Solvothermal Synthesis of Tunable Electroactive Magnetite Nanorods by Controlling the Side Reaction

A solvothermal process was designed to synthesize magnetite (Fe3O4) nanorods using iron pentacarbonyl (Fe(CO)5), oleic acid, and hexadecylamine as raw materials. In the preparation process, Fe(CO)5 was first decomposed and oxidized to form FeO. Meanwhile, Fe(CO)5 reacted with oleic acid to form iron oleate. In the system water derived from the reaction between oleic acid and hexadecylamine resulted in the hydrolysis of iron oleate to form the initial Fe3O4 nanorods. In the following process, the dissolution of FeO and decomposition of residual Fe(CO)5 as well as the hydrolysis of iron oleate provided the source for the growth of Fe3O4 nanorods, which led to the enlargement of the particles with time. By adjusting the reaction time or the amount of the added hexadecylamine, the length of uniform nanorods could be tuned from 63 to 140 nm. Furthermore, the as-prepared Fe3O4 nanorods showed excellent performance in electrochemical property and exhibited different magnetic property from spherical nanoparticles.
International Journal of Food Engineering Extraction of Polysaccharide From Zizyphus Lotus Fruits

In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction conditions of polysaccharides from the pulp of Zizyphus lotus fruit. A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used for experimental design and analysis of the results to obtain the optimal processing parameters. Ethanol concentration, extraction temperature, extraction time and water to raw material ratio were found to have a significant effect ( p < 0.05) on the yield of Zizyphus lotus polysaccharide. The 3-D response surface and contour plots, derived from the mathematical model, were applied to determine the optimal conditions. The optimum conditions were as follows: water to raw material ratio 22.04:1, ethanol concentration of 83.30 %, extraction time of 2.65 h, and extraction temperature of 66.31 °C. Under these conditions, the experimental percentage value was 17.35±0.07 %, which is in well close agreement with the value predicted by the model (17.29 %). The results of physicochemical analysis showed that the main sugar composition of Zizyphus lotus polysaccharide, purified by Sephadex G-75 gel permeation chromatography, was glucose followed by arabinose, mannose and rhamnose.