Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Facile fabrication of a robust and corrosion resistant superhydrophobic aluminum alloy surface by a novel method

This work reports a novel method involving anodic oxidation and a self-assembly process for controllable fabrication of a robust superhydrophobic aluminum (Al) alloy surface. The superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle of 157.5 ± 0.5° and a sliding angle of 3 ± 0.7° is derived from its hierarchical micro-nanostructure and the assembly of low surface energy fluorinated components on it. Furthermore, the transformation from superhydrophilicity to superhydrophobicity can be achieved by adjusting the modification process for the constructed surface. The anti-scratch tests show that the superhydrophobic surface has good mechanical stability. It maintains superhydrophobicity after mechanical abrasion against P400 grit SiC sandpaper for 0.4 m and P800 grit sandpaper for 0.8 m, at the applied pressure of 3.60 kPa. The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests show that the as-prepared superhydrophobic surface has excellent corrosion resistance. In addition, the as-prepared superhydrophobic surface has self-cleaning ability and good long-term stability. It is believed that the facile fabrication process offers an effective and promising application for fabricating a robust, anticorrosive and large scale superhydrophobic Al alloy surface.
Studies on the effect of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe) upon the growth, productivity and quality of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) production

ABSTRACT Studies have been conducted on the effect of the aerosol and soil heavy metal pollution upon the growth, development and quality of Lavandula angustifolia Mill, in field experiments, during the period of 1989-1992. Cultivars Hemus and Druzhba, which were used as experimental material, were grown in three different environments. The first was at a distance of 400 m from Non-Ferrous Metals Combine (NFMC near Plovdiv), on heavily polluted soils; the second was at 3 km from NFMC, on less polluted soils, and the third control plot was at 9 km from NFMC, in the experimental field of Agricultural University in Plovdiv. At different growth stages of the lavender plants, fresh herbage yield, height, amount of branching, essential oil content, and GC analysis of the oils were determined. In addition, heavy metal content in the soils, plant roots, stems, leaves, racemes, essential oils and the wastes from the distillation were also determined. It was found that soil and air heavy metal pollution did not aff.
Analysis of Aflatoxin B1 in Corn Using Capillary Electrophoresis with Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the quantitation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in corn. The instrumentation can be assembled easily from readily available components and takes advantage of the native fluorescence of AFB1. Corn was extracted and aflatoxins were isolated using either silica column or affinity column cleanup procedures. Following cleanup, the analysis of each sample required 15 min: 10 min for the electrophoresis and 5 min for rinsing the capillary. The CE method was compared to an established HPLC method for the determination of AFB1 in corn. The limit of detection by CE was 0.5 ppb, with a useful range of 1−100 ppb of AFB1 in spiked corn. Recovery of AFB1 averaged 85% over the range of 1−50 ppb (89% by HPLC). Forty naturally contaminated corn samples examined by using both methods showed good agreement (r2 = 0.969). The reported CE method is suitable for the routine analysis of corn samples as an alternative to HPLC. Keywords: Mycotoxins; aflatoxin B1; capillary electro.
Electrochemical properties of yolk–shell and hollow CoMn2O4 powders directly prepared by continuous spray pyrolysis as negative electrode materials for lithium ion batteries

Yolk–shell and hollow CoMn2O4 powders are prepared directly by spray pyrolysis from aqueous spray solutions with different concentrations of sucrose. Phase pure tetragonal CoMn2O4 powders without impurity phases are prepared even without post-treatment. The powders prepared from a spray solution with a low sucrose concentration of 0.1 M have a hollow structure. The single and double-shelled yolk–shell powders prepared from spray solutions with 0.4 and 0.7 M sucrose, respectively, have high discharge capacities of 519 and 573 mAh g−1 in the voltage range of 0.01–3 V, respectively, after 40 cycles at a high discharge rate of 800 mA g−1. However, the thick- and thin-shelled hollow powders prepared from spray solutions without and with 0.1 M sucrose have low discharge capacities of 418 and 276 mAh g−1 after 40 cycles, respectively. The discharge capacities of the yolk–shell powders are as high as 579, 530, and 443 mAh g−1 at discharge rates of 1600, 2400, and 3200 mA g−1 after 40 cycles, respectively.
Kinetic Study of Non-Isothermal Crystallization in Se 90-x Zn 10 Sb x (x = 0, 2, 4, 6) Chalcogenide Glasses

Crystallization and glass transition kinetics of Se90-xZn10Sbx (x = 0, 2, 4, 6) chalcogenide glasses prepared by conventional melt-quenching technique were studied under non-isothermal condition using a differential scanning Calorimeter (DSC) measurement at different heating rates 5, 7, 10 and 12°C/min. The glass transition temperatures Tg, the crystallization temperatures Tc and the peak temperatures of crystallization Tp were found to be dependent on the compositions and the heating rates. From the dependence on the heating rates of Tg and Tp, the activation energy for glass transition, Eg, and the activation energy for crystallization, Ec, are calculated and their composition dependence is discussed. The activation energy of glass transition Eg, Avrami index n, dimensionality of growth m and activation energy of crystallization Ec have been determined from different models.
Stability of Hydroxylated (1̄11) and (1̄01) Surfaces of Monoclinic Zirconia: A Combined Study by DFT and Infrared Spectroscopy

We report the structure and stability of hydroxylated (111) and (101) surfaces for a water coverage ranging from 0.25 to 1. For the (111) surface water dissociated at low coverage (θ = 0.25), whereas both dissociated and molecular species coexisted at higher coverage. For the (101) surface molecular adsorption was only observed at the highest coverages (θ = 0.75 and θ = 1). The calculated adsorption energy for (111) ranged from −1.20 to −0.83 eV for θ = 0.25 and θ = 1, respectively. For the (101) surface the adsorption energies ranged from −1.50 to −1.21 eV for θ = 0.25 and θ = 1, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-fold coordinated hydroxyl groups were present in our models. Their structure, energetics, and vibrational frequencies were calculated by ab initio techniques and agreed with in situ infrared spectroscopic measurements. The simultaneous presence of hydroxyl groups of different coordination was concluded from both theoretical and experimental results.
Synthetic methodology effect on the microstructure and thermal properties of poly(n-butyl acrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) synthesized by nitroxide mediated polymerization

In this work, we report the synthesis of poly(n-butyl acrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) copolymers by the nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) technique, using N-tert-butyl-N-(1-diethylphosphono-2,2-dimethylpropyl)nitroxide (SG1) as a control agent and 2-methylaminoxypropionic-SG1 alkoxyamine (BlocBuilder®) as the initiator. The copolymers are synthesized either by batch or semi-batch processes and the gradient profile is examined via the determination of the instantaneous fraction of monomer incorporated in the copolymer. A control of the molar mass together with low molar mass distribution (Mw/Mn < 1.4) is observed. The dependence of the copolymer glass transition temperature with conversion was followed by differential scanning calorimetry. The copolymers are investigated by carbon nuclear magnetic resonance and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) NMR sequences to study the effect of the monomer addition mode on the microstructure of copolymers. The thermomechanical properties of gradient copolymers are finally reported to establish the effect of the composition on the mechanical behaviour of the copolymers.
Solubilization of Acrylic and Vinyl Polymers in Nanocontainer Solutions. Application of Microemulsions and Micelles to Cultural Heritage Conservation

This study reports the physicochemical investigation of oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsions and micellar solutions formulated to solubilize acrylic and vinyl polymers. Three different four-component systems formed from (i) water, p-xylene, sodium dodecylsulfate, and 1-pentanol; (ii) water, propylene carbonate, sodium dodecylsulfate, and 1-pentanol; and (iii) water, p-xylene, Tween-20, and 1,2-ethandiol, and one five-component system (water, p-xylene, commercial nitro-diluent, sodium dodecylsulfate, and 1-pentanol) have been studied. The o/w microemulsions or micellar solutions (system ii) have been characterized by quasi-elastic light scattering experiments to obtain the hydrodynamic radius and the polydispersity of the microemulsion or micelle droplets. The application of these microemulsion or micellar systems as solubilizing agents for acrylic and vinyl polymers from works of art (mainly wall paintings) and monuments (stones) has been investigated. Acrylic and vinyl polymers have been extensively used in.
Economic Impact Analysis of 4-H Youth Livestock Projects Using IMPLAN

4-H, like all Extension programs, must answer the charge to demonstrate its long-term impact. This article introduces the idea of using IMPLAN, a software program that can be used to estimate economic impacts, to evaluate the impact of 4-H livestock projects. An example is provided based on data from a real county 4-H program. Using IMPLAN enables 4-H to describe the estimated economic impact from one of its largest project areas. Agents can and should use IMPLAN results to help communicate the value of 4-H to state legislators, county commissioners, and key stakeholders.
Kinetic Analysis of the Temperature Dependence of the Template-Directed Formation of Oligoguanylate from the 5′-Phosphorimidazolide of Guanosine on a Poly(C) Template with Zn2+

A kinetic study of the temperature dependence of the template-directed formation of oligoguanylate (oligo(G)) on polycytidylic acid (poly(C)) from the 5′-phosphorimidazolide of guanosine (ImpG) has been carried out in the presence of Zn2+ at 40–80 °C. It is surprising that a large amount of oligo(G) was formed at 40–60 °C and a small amount of oligo(G) was detected even at 80 °C. The rate constants of the template-directed formation of oligo(G) were determined at 40–60 °C, and the same trend, the rate constants increase with the chain length, was observed as that at lower temperatures. Besides, second-order rate plots of the hydrolyses of ImpG and oligo(G) were consistent with pseudo-second-order processes in the presence of 0.04 M Zn2+. The apparent activation energy determined from the Arrhenius plots decreases in the order hydrolysis of oligo(G) > formation of 4-mer ≈ formation of 3-mer ≈ hydrolysis of ImpG > formation of 2-mer. The kinetic analysis and computer simulations demonstrate the importance o.
Study on the Capacitance Performance of Graphene

In this paper, the electrochemical performance of the supercapacitors with graphene as their materials was studied. Graphite oxide were prepared by modify Hummers method. Then graphene were obtained that GO as the precursors rapidly exfoliated at the temperatures of 400°C under nitrogen atmosphere. The capacitance can reach to 342 F·g−1 at the current density of 1000 mA·g−1. The graphene exhibited an enhanced storage capacity as electrode material in Supercapacitors.
Click Chemistry on Surfaces: 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions of Azide-Terminated Monolayers on Silica

Monolayers of 11-azido-undecylsiloxane were prepared on powdered silica and on silicon wafers by the substitution of 11-bromo-undecylsiloxane and were subsequently coupled with three substituted acetylenes R−C⋮C−R‘ (R, R‘ = C6H13, H (1); COOCH3, H (2); COOC2H5, COOC2H5 (3)) to yield 1,2,3 triazoles via the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. The pathway and yield of the surface reactions were monitored by infrared spectroscopy and ellipsometry. No reaction was observed with 1, whereas 2 and 3 react quantitatively both on powdered silica and on flat wafer surfaces at a temperature of 70 °C without catalytic activation. Thus, the unique properties of this reaction in solution (high selectivity, quantitative yields, no byproducts, simple reaction conditions) seem to be transferable to surface-bound reactants and might provide access to a range of novel, functionalized surfaces by analogy to the Sharpless click chemistry concept for solution-phase synthesis.
Nonisothermal Cold Crystallization Kinetics of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Clay Nanocomposite

The nonisothermal cold crystallization behavior of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and PET/clay nanocomposite was performed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Three different kinetics models, namely, the Avrami analysis modified by Jeziorny, the Ozawa model, and a method developed by Mo, were used for the data analysis. The Avrami analysis modified by Jeziorny could gratifyingly describe the primary nonisothermal crystallization stage of PET and PET/clay nanocomposite. The Ozawa analysis failed to provide an adequate description of the nonisothermal cold crystallization of PET and PET/clay nanocomposite. The method developed by Mo was successful in describing the nonisothermal process of PET and PET/clay nanocomposite. It was also concluded that the clay in PET decreased the cold crystallization temperature and the crystallization degree of PET matrix, but did not apparently change the dependence of crystallization peak temperature on heating rate used and the cold crystallization rate of PET matrix.
Infrared spectroscopy of ethanol clusters in ethanol–hexane binary solutions

Temperature and concentration dependent infrared spectra were recorded for binary solutions of ethanol–hexane, ethanol–carbon tetrachloride, and ethanol–cyclopentane. The temperature range covered was 198 K to 298 K; concentrations ranged from 0.45 mole percent to 4.0 mole percent ethanol. Changes in the OH stretch frequency are consistent with the formation of ethanol clusters (EtOH)n, where n ranges from 2 to 6. The geometry, OH stretch frequency and proton chemical shift for 14 different ethanol clusters ranging from monomer to hexamer in cyclic and linear arrangements were investigated using density functional methods (B3LYP/6-31+G*). These clusters include both gauche and anticonformers of the monomer unit. The OH stretch frequency calculations were compared to experimental Fourier transform infrared measurements made as a function of concentration and temperature for dilute ethanol in hexane binary mixtures. Analysis of the O–H stretch frequency data (3100 to 3700 cm−1) indicate the presence of smal.
Molecular simulations of in-plane stiffness and shear modulus of double-walled carbon nanotubes

Material properties of in-plane stiffness and shear modulus of double-walled carbon nanotubes are predicted through molecular simulations via the Materials Studio® developed by Accelrys in the manuscript. Elastic rod theory is employed to directly link the strain energy stored in carbon nanotubes under axial compression and torsion from the molecular simulations to their material properties. Length dependence of the material properties is reported for double-walled carbon nanotubes. In addition, van der Waals effect on the difference of the material properties between double- and single-walled carbon nanotubes is investigated. The diminishment of such difference at large sizes of carbon nanotubes is also revealed from the simulations.
Arrays of holes fabricated by electron-beam lithography combined with image reversal process using nickel pulse reversal plating

A critical issue in fabricating arrays of holes is to achieve high-aspect-ratio structures. Formation of ordered arrays of nanoholes in silicon nitride was investigated by the use of ultrathin hard etch mask formed by nickel pulse reversal plating to invert the tonality of a dry e-beam resist patterned by e-beam lithography. Ni plating was carried out using a commercial plating solution based on nickel sulfamate salt without organic additives. Reactive ion etching using SF6/CH4 was found to be very effective for pattern transfer to silicon nitride. Holes array of 100 nm diam, 270 nm period, and 400 nm depth was fabricated on a 5×5 mm2 area.
Isolation of a New Phlorotannin, Fucodiphlorethol G, from a Brown Alga Ecklonia cava

powder (4.0 kg) was extracted using 80% MeOH toprovide the oily material (1.0 kg). The extract was partition-ed between water and ethyl acetate. The obtained ethylacetate fraction was successively column chromatographedusing celite and then sephadex LH-20 to give 11 fractions.The eighth fraction was further purified by using Prep-LC(LC-9104, JAI) system, yielded compound
Operations management techniques for resource optimization in health care structures

this paper focuses on the identification of improvement opportunities through process analysis inside sanitary services, and the case of the radiology department of a primary public hospital in Rome is reported. At first, an exhaustive study of the internal processes in the analysed department was performed in order to identify bottlenecks and service level loss causes. Secondly, in order to gain a better resource exploitation and to increase the department productivity, a method for optimizing resource management through patient scheduling and shift management was identified: patients have been divided among inpatients (already hospitalized) and outpatients (who are admitted to the hospital just for the exam and do not require an overnight stay) and a higher resource utilization has been reached leveraging on a flexible management of the formers preparation. Moreover, service lead times have been analysed with reference to patient characteristics and exam typology and, basing on the classification of exams, the patient scheduling is solved with a linear programming approach. The methodology does not include the application of state-of-art Operations Management techniques and, for an industrial context, it may appear extremely simple; however, as far as the optimization of sanitary services is concerned, the adoption of the described criteria has demonstrated that increases in service capacity and reductions of the overtime for physicians and nurses are easily reachable. This analysis has anyway required an appropriate statistical investigation on time variability per each exam typology in the radiology department on top of a deep understanding of the several complex processes inside the hospital system. The criteria can be straightforward extended to different departments, or applied in the radiology departments of other hospitals for a comparative analysis, as is already planned for the next step of the research.
Facile synthetic route to polymerizable hindered amine light stabilizers for transition‐metal‐catalyzed olefin copolymerization

This work describes a facile method by which a polymerizable hindered amine light stabilizer, 4-(10-undecylidene)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, was prepared in a single-step procedure by means of a Wittig reaction. The monomer was successfully copolymerized with ethylene with a rac-[dimethylsilylenebis(4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)]zirconium dichloride/methylalumoxane catalyst system. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1350–1355, 2004
Mass Transfer Between Flowing Fluid and Sphere Buried in Packed Bed of Inerts

The equations describing fluid flow and mass transfer around a sphere buried in a packed bed are presented, with due consideration given to the processes of transverse and longitudinal dispersion. Numerical solution of the equations was undertaken to obtain point values of the Sherwood number as a function of the Peclet and Schmidt numbers over a wide range of values of the relevant parameters. A correlation is proposed that describes accurately the dependence found numerically between the values of the Sherwood number and the values of Peclet and Schmidt numbers. Experiments on the dissolution of solid spheres (benzoic acid and 2-naphthol) buried in packed beds of sand, through which water was forced, at temperatures in the range 293 K to 373 K, gave values of the Sherwood number that were used to test the theoretical results obtained. Excellent agreement was found between theory and experiment, including the large number of available data for naphthalene‐air, and this helps establish the proposed correlation as “general” for mass transfer between a buried sphere and the fluid (liquid or gas) flowing around it. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 65‐74, 2004
Influence of holes on neutral trap generation

Using a newly proposed method for estimating the neutral trap density, generation characteristics of the neutral trap during various stress types have been investigated. From the analysis of the trap-generation kinetics, two types of trap generation closely related to holes have been identified. At the first stage of stress application, holes interact with the pre-existing structural origins of the neutral traps, then the neutral traps are generated. Influence of hole energy on this type of trap generation is also identified. After that, as holes pass, they also create the structural origins of the traps. The holes interact with these structural origins and the neutral traps are generated as a secondary effect. Thus, the increase in the neutral trap density shows up clearly with increase in the hole fluence. The stress-strength dependence of the increase in the neutral trap density can also be interpreted in terms of the influence of hole energy on the trap generation.
Sequential Electrodeposition of Platinum-Ruthenium at Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes for Methanol Oxidation

Sequential electrodeposition of Pt and Ru on boron-doped diamond (BDD) films, in 0.5 M H2SO4 by cyclic voltammetry, has been prepared. The potential cycling, in the aqueous solutions of the respective metals, was between 0.00 and 1.00 V versus Ag/AgCl. The catalyst composites, Pt and PtRu, deposited on BDD film substrates, were tested for methanol oxidation. The modified diamond surfaces were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy-X-ray fluorescence-energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy. The scanning Auger electron spectroscopy mapping showed the ruthenium signal only in areas where platinum was electrodeposited. Ruthenium does not deposit on the oxidized diamond surface of the boron-doped diamond. Particles with 5–10% of ruthenium with respect to platinum exhibited better performance for methanol oxidation in terms of methanol oxidation peak current and chronoamperometric current stability. The electrogenerated •OH radicals on BDD may interact with Pt surface, participating in the methanol oxidation as shown in oxidation current and the shift in the peak position. The conductive diamond surface is a good candidate as the support for the platinum electrocatalyst, because it ensures catalytic activity, which compares with the used carbon, and higher stability under severe anodic and cathodic conditions.