Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ocular Poloxamer-Based Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride In Situ Forming Gels

The purpose of this study was to develop poloxamer-based in situ gelling formulations of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (HCl) aiming at prolonging corneal contact time, controlling drug release, enhancing ocular bioavailability, and increasing patient compliance. The in situ forming gels were prepared using different concentrations of poloxamer 407 (P407) and poloxamer 188 (P188). Mucoadhesives such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) or hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) were added to the formulations to enhance the gel bioadhesion properties. The prepared formulations were evaluated for their in vitro drug release, sol–gel transition temperature, rheological behavior, and mucoadhesion force. The in vivo antimicrobial efficacy of selected ciprofloxacin HCl in situ gelling formulations was studied on infected rabbit's eyes and compared with that of the marketed conventional eye drops. The gelation temperature of the prepared formulations ranged from 28.00 to 34.03°C. Increasing the concentrations of P407, HPMC, and HEC increased the viscosity and mucoadhesion force of the preparations and decreased the in vitro drug release. Ciprofloxacin HCl in situ forming gel formulae composed of P407/P188/HPMC (18/13/1.5%, wt/wt), and P407/P188/HEC (18/13/0.5%, wt/wt) showed optimum release and mucoadhesion properties and improved ocular bioavailability as evidenced by an enhanced therapeutic response compared with the marketed conventional eye drops.
• EFFECT OF THERMO-DIFFUSION AND CHEMICAL REACTION ON CONVECTIVE HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER FLOW OF WALTER’S MEMORY FLUID OVER A VERTICAL PLATE

I n this paper an attempt has been made to study the effect of chemical reaction and radiation absorption on unsteady hydromagnetic free convective heat and mass transfer flow of an incompressible electrically conducting memory fluid past an infinite vertical plate in the presence of heat sink. The non-linear, coupled equations governing the flow, heat and mass transfer have been solved by a perturbation technique. The velocity, temperature, concentration and the rate of heat and mass transfer have been analyzed for different parametric variations.
Negative Thermal Expansion in Zincblende Structure: an EXAFS study of CdTe

To gain a deeper insight on the local origin of NTE in zincblende crystals, EXAFS measurements have been performed on CdTe, which has NTE properties intermediate between Ge and CuCl. In this work an accurate evaluation of the bond thermal expansion, parallel and perpendicular MSRDs and distribution asymmetry of the first shell of CdTe has been made, obtaining a good agreement between two different procedures of the data analysis (i) ratio method (ii) FEFF6-FEFFIT method. The values of the relevant parameters of CdTe were found intermediate between the corresponding values previously found for Ge and CuCl. The positive contribution to thermal expansion due to the bond stretching and the negative contribution due to the tension effects are disentangled and quatified in terms of the bond thermal expansion and the perpendicular MSRD, respectively, determined by the EXAFS analysis. A critical comparison of EXAFS and Bragg diffraction results; thermal expansion, thermal factors and correlation of atomic vibration, for the iso-structural crystals Ge, CdTe and CuCl has been performed. The correlation between several quantities measured by EXAFS and NTE properties is confirmed.
Self-wrinkling induced by the photopolymerization and self-assembly of fluorinated polymer at air/liquid interface

Here, we investigated self-wrinkling on the surface of photo-curing systems, which comprise an acrylate cross-linker and a fluorinated copolymer. Fluorinated copolymers with low surface energy can self-assemble at the air/acrylate interface to form the top layer of the photo-curing liquid resin. The mismatch in shrinkage caused by photopolymerization between the top and bulk layer leads to the formation of a wrinkled surface. Various factors including the concentration of fluorinated polymer, photopolymerization kinetics and mechanical performance of the photo-curing systems affecting the morphology of the wrinkling were investigated systematically. The quantitative relationship between the characteristic wavelength (λ), amplitude (A) and the thickness (ht) of the top layer was obtained, and a series of submicron wrinkling patterns with wavelength between 200 and 800 nm were successfully fabricated by tuning the content of the fluorinated polymer. Furthermore, the obtained wrinkling patterned surface possesses the ability to self-replenish to some extent, which was confirmed by water contact angle (WCA) measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) spectra. This feasible one-pot approach might provide an alternative way to fabricate a patterned surface with some functionalities.
A Study of Organic Sulfur Analysis in Coal Using Non-destructive Techniques

The Xinyu coal under study was received from Shanxi province, China. Raw coal and its extracted coals were investigated for distribution of various forms of organic sulfur and effects of solvent polarity on extraction organic sulfur from the coal during continuous extraction by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy combined with chemical analysis. The distribution and primary existent forms of organic sulfur in Xinyu coal is mercaptan/thioether (44.9%), thiophene (24.4%), sulfones sulfur (30.7%), and a small amount of sulfide. Carbon disulfide (CS2), dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), and propylalcohol (CH3CH2CH2OH) was applied to explore the applicability for the removal of sulfur compounds. The experimental results show that the CH3CH2CH2OH removal of mercaptan/thioether ability (51.1% → 35.8%) is markedly higher than others. CS2 has a higher selectivity of removing thiophene (24.4% → 19.6%) and sulfones sulfur (30.7% → 26.6%). CH2Cl2 has the extraction abilities for the sulfones and mercaptan, but the effect is not obvious. The results have guiding significance for the selection of the appropriate extractants using the gas chromatography technique coupled extraction to identify organic sulfur compounds species. Continuous extraction provides a way of non-destructive depth profilings with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which can improve the reliability and comprehensiveness of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.
289. The rheology of butter: I. Methods of measuring the hardness of butter

Trials with the Scott Blair apparatus for measuring hardness of butter by compression of a cylindrical sample showed a lack of reproducibility due to splitting or crumbling of the sample. Investigation of alternative methods led to the development of an apparatus in which the resistance of butter to cutting by a wire is measured. The method gives results which are in general agreement with those obtained with the Scott Blair apparatus, but are much more reproducible. The effect of wire diameter and thickness of block of butter have been determined, and conditions for temperature control of the sample before and during the determination have been investigated.
Carbon-13 solid-state NMR of soil organic matter - using the technique effectively

Solid-state 13C CPMAS NMR offers many options for characterizing carbon in soil organic matter (SOM). Its effectiveness, however, is often limited by a poor understanding of the techniques, and lack of hands-on access and training opportunities for students. Of nearly 250 modern NMR systems in Canada, approximately one is genuinely available for SOM studies, and there is poor communication between NMR operators and SOM users. While quantitative reliability can be addressed to some extent by multiple contact-time experiments or single-pulse (Bloch decay) spectra, it is also important to consider the effects of spectrometer background, spinning sidebands (especially with higher magnetic fields) and processing operations such as line-broadening, phasing and baseline correction. In many studies, more consideration needs to be given to instrument specifications, the type of information needed, and whether sample fractionation or pretreatment should be used. Structural information can be greatly enhanced by dip.
Extinction Studies of Propane/Air Counterflow Diffusion Flames: The Effectiveness of Aerosols | NIST

We have examined the fire suppression effectiveness of solid aerosols as suitable halon replacements. Experiments were performed in a counterflow diffusion burner, consisting of two I-cm i.d. tubes separated by 1 cm. Aerosols were delivered to propane/air flames in the air flow. Both sodium bicarbonate (NaHC03) and potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) powders were examined. The NaHCOl and KHCO? powders were separated into various size groupings (< 38 pm, 3845 pm, 45-53 pm, 53-63 pm, and 63-75 pm) using a commercial sieving system. The agent delivery system incorporated a variable orifice for gross adjustment of the delivery rate, and a variable frequency vibration unit for fine adjustments and to maintain powder flow. Light scattering using a modulated HeNe laser beam and a lock-in amplifier was used to monitor the amount of powder exiting the air tube and entering the flame. Extinction concentrations were determined for each agent sample as a function of the strain rate of the uninhibited flame. In general, suppression effectiveness increased with decreasing particle size or increasing strain rate for the size range studied. Potassium powders were -2.5 times by weight more effective than sodium powders. The suppression effectiveness of these powders as a function of particle size can be interpreted using a simplified model of the behavior of particles in counteflowing streams. BACKGROUND
Characterization of the Air Quality in Split, Croatia Focusing Upon Fine and Coarse Particulate Matter Analysis

The study presents statistical analysis of air quality parameters for a five-year period including PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter, d a < 2.5 µm) and PM10 (d a < 10 µm) concentrations measured at three stations in Split region, along with NO, NOx, NO2, SO2, and black smoke data. Average concentrations of PM2.5 at three different stations were 28.2, 19.9, and 14.3 µg m−3, whereas those for PM10 were 17.8, 25.8, and 15.2 µg m−3. Generally, high correlations between PM2.5 and PM10 (0.62 and 0.54 respectively) were determined between industrial and residential stations, while lower correlation (0.22 between PM2.5 and PM10) was observed at a station in traffic and industrial area. Contributions of different sources were determined using multivariate receptor modeling (principal component analysis and cluster analysis) and it was found that the major source of pollution was in accordance with the station position. Comparison of particle mass concentrations with those reported for different European cities indicate lower loading for PM in the Split Region.
Evolution of threading screw dislocation conversion during solution growth of 4H-SiC

Evolution of threading screw dislocation (TSD) conversion during the solution growth of 4H-SiC on a vicinal crystal of 4H-SiC(0001) was investigated by synchrotron X-ray topography. Selecting appropriate X-ray wavelength and g vector, we can change the penetration of X-ray, and the dislocation behaviors with the different depth were successfully observed. Evidently TSDs parallel to the c-axis having c-component Burgers vector were changed into defects on the (0001) basal planes with the same Burgers vector as the TSDs, propagating to the [112¯0] step-flow direction by advancing macrosteps during the solution growth. The TSD conversions stochastically took place during the growth. The conversion rate was almost uniform and finally almost all TSDs were converted to the basal plane defects. The conversion rate was low at the very early stage of the growth, which implies that the macrosteps were not formed at the initial stage of the solution growth.
cw OPERATION OF AN ORGANIC DYE SOLUTION LASER

A cw laser using a 2.5×10−4 M solution of rhodamine 6G in water containing a deaggregating agent (1.5% Triton‐X100) is described. The laser consists of a 4.5‐mm transverse‐flow hemispherical cavity excited longitudinally by the 5145‐A output of a 1‐W argon ion laser. With mirror reflectances of 97.5% and 99.5%, a 200‐mW threshold excitation was measured. Power output was approximately 30 mW at 597 nm with 960 mW excitation power.
Calculating the conductivity of natural waters

An algorithm is developed to compute the conductivity of lake and dilute ocean water from measured chemical composition at arbitrary temperature and pressure. The complex mixed electrolyte is considered as a sum of binary electrolytes rather than a sum of ions. Effects of ion association are included, and it is found that pairing effects are important in natural freshwaters. Bounds on the accuracy of the algorithm for specific classes of binary electrolytes are assessed and it is estimated that the algorithm has an overall accuracy of better than 2% for salinities less than about 4 g L−1. Comparison with seawater conductivities is much better than 1%, but predicted conductivities of some published analyses of river waters are about 3% too high. Some of this difference may be due to a lack of data on ion pairing effects between bivalent metals and bicarbonate, but also may result from uncertainties in the measured chemical composition and measured conductivity. An iterative procedure incorporating this algorithm is used to compute reference conductivity at 25°C and salinity from in situ measurements of conductivity in waters where only relative amounts of ions are known. It is found that the conversion to reference conductivity is reasonably independent (to within about 1%) of the ionic composition for most world river waters, but is somewhat different than that for KCl solutions. However, derived salinities are quite sensitive to the composition, and the ratio of ionic salinity to reference conductivity varies between 0.6 and 0.9 mg L−1 (µS cm−1)−1.
Settling behavior of specific acrylic particles in Bis-GMA based reactive slurries

Sedimentation is a limiting factor for the shelf life of filled paints and adhesive resins, and requires consideration when optimizing a resin's formulation for an end application. Static settling experiments have been performed using a bis-GMA-based photocurable resin system by varying some characteristics of the filler particles (size and composition) and of the resin (viscosity and composition). The recorded batch settling curves, mudline height vs. time, displayed the standard sedimentation shape. In particular, the mudline movement rate was constant in the initial period of sedimentation. The variations of this constant mudline velocity as a function of the settling conditions has been compared to sedimentation model predictions. A close correspondence has been obtained between the data and a model describing the sedimentation behavior of non-aggregated rigid spheres at high concentration in the Stokes regime. In particular, the constant mudline velocity is proportional to the square of the particle diameter. This result can be used as a way to limit the settling phenomenon in filled resin systems, by choosing a particle diameter as small as possible. As a validation of this result, no visually observable settling was seen in 50%-filled resin systems for a period more than 4 months at room temperature using 5.1-μm poly(methyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) particles as filler.
Ab initio potential energy surface and infrared spectra of H2-CO and D2-CO van der Waals complexes

A new four-dimensional intermolecular potential energy surface for the H2-CO complex with fixed intramolecular distances of H2 and CO is presented. The symmetry-adapted perturbation theory has been used to calculate the interaction energy. A large basis set of spdfg type has been used including bond functions. An analytical fit of the ab initio potential energy surface has the global minimum of −109.272 cm−1 at the intermolecular separation of 7.76 bohr for the linear geometry with the C atom pointing toward the H2 molecule. This potential has been used to calculate rovibrational energy levels of CO-para-H2 and CO-ortho-D2 complexes. The resulting dissociation energies are 23.709 cm−1 and 30.756 cm−1, respectively. The computed levels have been used to generate the infrared spectrum accompanying the fundamental vibrational excitation of CO. The transition energies predicted agree well with those observed by McKellar [Chem. Phys. Lett. 186, 58 (1991)].
Analysis of Electron Emission Degradation in Silicon Field Emitter Arrays

Degradation of electron emission characteristics in single-crystalline and polycrystalline silicon field emitter arrays and its mechanism have been studied. A critical biasing time tc at which the emission current started to be degraded dominantly was observed at a pressure of 5×10−7 Torr. The tc is shortened as the emission current increases. Also, the emission current repeatedly measured within tc with a complete relaxation after each measurement would not be degraded even though the total biasing time exceeded the critical time. The experimental results indicate that the degradation in silicon field emitters mainly originates from thermal instability of the silicon tips, especially a decrease in the effective emitting area rather than changes in the work function and geometrical factor.
Effect of chemical preservatives on shelf life of mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivated on cassava peels

Short shelf life is a major impediment to the processing and distribution of mushroom. The effect of chemical preservatives on some quality attributes of mushroom during storage was investigated. Mushroom were soaked in four preservatives at two concentrations for 10 mins, packaged, stored at 4 °C for 30 days and analysed at intervals for their microbial population, colour, firmness and weight loss. Sodium benzoate (0.05%, 0.1%) lost its preservative effect on all the micro-organisms enumerated after 3 days, and samples treated with 0.1% potassium sorbate had the lowest microbial load at the end of the storage period. Change in colour of the potassium sorbate (0.1%)-treated sample was lower than and significantly different from the citric acid (2%, 4%)-treated samples. The values of the firmness of the 4% citric acid preserved mushroom were significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) from other samples throughout the storage period. There was a significant negative correlation (r = −0.807, P < 0.01) between the firmness and weight loss of the preserved mushroom. Potassium sorbate (0.1%) and citric acid (4%) extended the shelf life of mushroom for 24 days.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) from Mixed MgO and Al2O3: LDH Formation Mechanism

The formation of MgAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) from physically mixed MgO and Al2O3 oxides upon hydrothermal treatment has been extensively investigated, and a formation mechanism has been proposed. We observed that the formation of LDH from the oxide mixture occurs upon heating at 110 °C. In general, LDH is the major component while the minor phases are mainly determined by the initial pH of the oxide suspension as well as the MgO/Al2O3 ratio. The neutrality in the initial suspension results in a minor Mg(OH)2 as the impure phase, while the alkalinity in the suspension keeps some MgO unreacted throughout the whole hydrothermal treatment. We suggest that MgO and Al2O3 be hydrated into Mg(OH)2 and Al(OH)3, respectively, in the initial stage for all samples. We further suggest that in the neutral condition Mg(OH)2 be quickly dissociated to Mg2+ and OH- which then deposit on the surface of Al(OH)3/Al2O3 to form a MgAl pre-LDH material. Al(OH)4-, ionized from Al(OH)3 in the basic solution, deposits on th.
Cost-effective aqueous-phase synthesis of long copper nanowires

This work describes a simple and aqueous-phase route for the synthesis of Cu nanowires (Cu NWs) having a long length of 140−180 μm, a high aspect ratio of more than 350, and long-term stability. High-quality Cu NWs were synthesized by reduction of CuCl2 with ascorbic acid in the presence of branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) in an aqueous solution at 90 °C. The synthesized uniform Cu NWs showed long-term stability without the formation of Cu oxides on the surface of the NWs after being stored at room temperature for 40 days. Interestingly, we found that Cl− in the reacting solution played a key role in the formation of long Cu NWs. We also investigated the influence of various experimental conditions including the weight ratio of BPEI/CuCl2, the pH of the reacting solution, and the reaction temperature on the length, morphology, and stability of Cu NWs.
Practical Synthesis of Functionalized 2‐Thioxoimidazolidine Derivatives

Abstract High‐yielding syntheses of an unpublished series of 2‐thioxo‐imidazolidin‐4‐ones 6 bearing an N‐ethoxycarbonyl and amidyl moieties an N1 and C5, respectively, are reported. These derivatives were obtained by intramolecular cyclization of 3‐ethylhydrazinoacetate 3,4‐dihydro maleimides 4 in the presence of ethyl or phenylisothiocyanate 2 under neutral conditions.
CAN MACHINE LEARNING IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF WATER LEVEL FORECASTS FOR INLAND NAVIGATION? CASE STUDY: RHINE RIVER BASIN, GERMANY

In a context where the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) expects a 23% growth of traffic in inland navigation in Germany by the year 2030, a higher efficiency and an optimized logistics in traffic management are required. The BMVI-funded project Digital Skipper Assistant (DSA) had the objective to develop a cloud-based application to support inland navigation, able to calculate best routes and Estimated Times of Arrival (ETA). Contributing to the DSA, this study investigates the competence of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict water levels up to 10 days ahead in some crucial gauges of the Rhine River Basin in Germany. A multiple-outputs model based on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks was implemented, adopting as inputs firstly the water level measurements at specific gauges. In a second work phase, the water level forecasts of the hydrological model chain of the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) were included as additional predictor into the model, highly improving the results (the coefficient of determination R 2 increased of about 20%). The LSTM model has been trained, validated and tested (respectively with 80%, 10% and 10% of the dataset) using the historical data and the BfG hindcasts from January 2008 until December 2015. The results of the model evaluation were very good (i.e. R 2 around 90% for 7-days prediction). Several tests have been run during the DSA field test (from July 2018 to December 2018) and the results were promising.
Macro- and trace-elements accumulation in Typha angustifolia L. and Typha latifolia L. organs and their use in bioindication.

The content of nutrients and heavy metals was indicated in different parts of Typha angustifolia and Typha latifolia, collected in lakes in western Poland. Three groups of metals were indicated, depending on the place of their accumulation. The cattail species studied differed significantly with their Cu, Pb, and Cd content, but were characterized by the same accumulation pattern in the leaves: Mn > Fe > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd, and in the rhizomes: Fe > Mn > Zn > Pb > Cu > Ni > Cd. The statistical results of this research suggest the possibility of using Typha latifolia in the biological analysis of contamination by Mn.