Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
P(HEMA-co-EA) as host polymer for flexible dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) electrolyte

An electrolyte is the main component of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) which influences the efficiency of the DSSC. In order to prevent leakage problem and adhesive problem, new solid-state polymer electrolyte proposed rather than using a liquid electrolyte. For this research, new copolymers using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and Ethyl Acrylate (EA) monomers are randomly copolymerized via UV-cure polymerization method with different ratio of each monomer (10,30,50,70,90) towards development as a solid-state electrolyte in flexible DSSC. In this study, the best ratio of the copolymer HEMA-co-EA will be the host polymer for electrolyte in DSSC. The most promising characteristics as a host in polymer electrolytes are due to its smooth cross-sectional surface and lowest glass transition temperature. Therefore, a best ratio of p(HEMA-co-EA) will be stirred with sodium iodide (NaI), Tetrahydro folic acid (THF) and iodine crystal for 24 hours to form a homogenous solution of an electrolyte. This p(HEMA-co-EA) will incorporate with different weight ratios of sodium iodide (NaI). This research reported that after 1500 s only three ratios of new host polymer p(HEMA-co-EA) were successfully copolymerized completely. All three ratio will be characterized by physical appearance, FTIR, DSC and XRD. By naked eyes, only 3 ratios of monomer (50HEMA:50EA, 70HEMA:30EA and 90HEMA:10EA) gave brittle structure which proved the copolymerization process completely success. For FTIR, those three ratios show the breakdown of a double bond at the HEMA monomer structure proved the complete copolymerization process. DSC shows that all three ratio shows the glass transition temperature (Tg) and only 50HEMA:50EA gave melting temperature (Tm) at 192.49°C and XRD confirmed the phase structure and crystallinity of three ratios. All these characterizations show that HEMA and EA monomers can be successfully random copolymerize with a three suitable ratio of each monomer and been used as an electrolyte for flexible DSSC.
SILVER NANOPARTICLES FROM TRIANTHEMA PORTULACASTRUM: GREEN SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTICANCER PROPERTIES

ABSTRACT Objective: In this study, silver nanoparticles (SNPs) were synthesized using an aqueous extract of Trainthema portulacastrum and silver ions (Ag+) which have been proven against certain pathogenic bacterial strains and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line. Methods: The bio fabricated nanoparticles were confirmed by surface plasmon resonance which were characterized by biophysical measures utilizing the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray, and transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, particle size analyzer, and X-ray diffraction. Antibacterial efficacy against Enterobacter aerogens, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermis, and Bacillus subtilis. The effect of SNPs tested against HepG2 and NIH/3T3 cell line exhibits a dose-dependent toxicity. Results and Conclusion: The SEM and TEM images confirmed the presence of spherical and hexagonal shape (0.3-4 μm) of nanocrystalline particles with the size range of 11.5-29.2 nm. The average particles size of SNPs is 190.3±17.0 nm. Antibacterial activity was carried out by agar well diffusion method against different pathogenic bacteria of which B. subtilis showed a significant zone of inhibition 8.66 mm and 12.0 mm for aqueous plant extract and synthesized SNPs. The effect of SNPs tested against HepG2 and NIH/3T3 cell line exhibits a dose-dependent toxicity. In case of HepG2, the cell viability was decreased to 50% (IC50) at the concentration of 173.8±0.84 μg/mL. From the results, it can be concluded that the SNPs fabricated using green synthesis method will be a promising candidate in the biomedical field, due to its high bioactive properties. Keywords: Silver nanoparticles, Trainthema portulacastrum, Antibacterial activity, Cytotoxic activity.
Performance Assessment of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile Restoration Experiment on Dead matte Twelve Years after Planting—Structural and Functional Meadow Features

Following the restoration of natural conditions by reducing human pressures, reforestation is currently considered a possible option to accelerate the recovery of seagrass habitats. Long-term monitoring programs theoretically represent an ideal solution to assess whether a reforestation plan has produced the desired results. Here, we report on the performance of a 20 m2 patch of Posidonia oceanica transplanted on dead matte twelve years after transplantation in the Gulf of Palermo, northwestern Sicily. Photo mosaic performed in the area allowed us to detect 23 transplanted patches of both regular and irregular shape, ranging from 0.1 to 2.7 m2 and an overall surface close to 19 m2. Meadow density was 331.6 ± 17.7 shoot m−2 (currently five times higher than the initial value of 66 shoots m−2), and it did not show statistical differences from a close by natural meadow (331.2 ± 14.9). Total primary production, estimated by lepidochronology, varied from 333.0 to 332.7 g dw m2/year, at the transplanted and natural stand, respectively. These results suggest that complete restoration of P. oceanica on dead matte is possible in a relatively short time (a decade), thus representing a good starting point for upscaling the recovery of the degraded meadows in the area.
Design and Implementation Procedure of a High-Gain Three-Input Step-Up 1 kW Converter

The use of different sources to energize a load is convenient in many applications, particularly those where two or more renewable energy sources are employed, such as energy harvesting, hybrid vehicles, and off-grid systems. In these cases, a multi-input converter is able to admit sources with different characteristics and, if necessary, select the output power of each source. Several topologies of multi-input converters have been proposed to this aim; however, most of them are based on multistage designs, which decreases efficiency and increases control complexity, particularly when more than two sources are used. In this work, a three-input step-up converter, easy to control in open loop condition, is analyzed. A designed procedure is described, and experimental results are presented for a 1 kW power converter. The implemented converter results in a higher voltage gain and less storage element, keeping high efficiency compared to similar topologies. Using the procedure here proposed, this converter that was initially designed for photovoltaic applications is enabled to be used in medium- and high-power applications, for example, when renewable energy sources are used.
Low-Latency, Three-Phase PMU Algorithms: Review and Performance Comparison

Phasor Measurement Units are the most advanced instruments for power network monitoring, since they allow phasors, frequency and rate of change of frequency (ROCOF) to be measured in predetermined time instants with respect to an absolute time reference. The employed estimation algorithm plays a key role in overall performance under off-nominal conditions; the challenge to be faced is combining high steady-state accuracy with fast responsiveness in dynamic conditions, small reporting latency and reduced computational burden. Under regular operation, AC power networks are weakly unbalanced three-phase systems. Based on this consideration, the recent literature has proposed native three-phase estimation algorithms that effectively exploit this property to accurately identify the positive sequence synchrophasor, frequency and ROCOF. In this respect, the present paper describes three among the most promising three-phase algorithms based on the Space Vector transformation. By means of numerical simulations, it compares the achieved performance in terms of response time and estimation error both under steady-state and dynamic conditions. All the considered approaches enable a flexible design that allows balancing accuracy and responsiveness. For this analysis, the reporting latency has been limited to about one and half nominal cycles, i.e., 30 ms at 50 Hz; the P-class algorithm suggested by IEC/IEEE Std 60255-118-1 has also been included as comparison benchmark.
Production of fruit wine using a wild strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from fresh palm wine for sustainable food security

The problems of post-harvest losses in the developing world have been of severe concerns especially when food security for the citizenry cannot be guaranteed. Thus, new means of the conversion of some of the periodic produce to novel stable products is an exceptional development. In this study, we carried out the production of wine from citrus fruits (Citrus sinensis) and Pineapple fruits (Ananas Comosus) using wild strains of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Saccharoymces cerevisiae was isolated from fresh palm wine and identified using microscopic examination, morphological and biochemical characteristics. Pure yeast isolates were inoculated into sterile volumes of 200 ml and 500 ml of the orange and pineapple juice respectively and incubated for eight days. At regular intervals, we assessed some of the intrinsic properties of wine, such as pH, sulphur dioxide, titratable acidity (TA). From the results obtained, all the parameters measured were within the permissible limits for fruit wine. The mean pH values of orange and pineapple juice in 200ml and 500ml were between 4.45± 0.16 and 4.86±0.50; while the mean Sulphur dioxide SO (ppm) were 18.36±0.20 - 39.49±3.68 respectively. The titratable acidity (TA) obtained was between 0.63±0.11 - 1.03±0.59, respectively. This study had shown that our strain of wild type of yeast could be used for producing homebrew fruit wine and may not present any hazard to the consumers.
Examining the Focus of SoTL Literature—Teaching and Learning?

Although the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) claims to focus on student learning, some have argued that SoTL studies often adopt a narrow view of learning and focus more on teaching than on learning. In this paper, we explore whether teaching is the primary focus of recent articles published from 2013-2017 in three international, self-identified SoTL journals: Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal (TLI), The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ijSOTL), and The Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL). Based on our analysis of the 299 empirical articles, we argue that they portray SoTL as a field focused primarily on teacher activity rather than student learning, despite efforts to broaden its scope.
Inferring bivariate association from respondent‐driven sampling data

Respondent‐driven sampling (RDS) is an effective method of collecting data from many hard‐to‐reach populations. Valid statistical inference for these data relies on many strong assumptions. In standard samples, we assume observations from pairs of individuals are independent. In RDS, this assumption is violated by the sampling dependence between individuals. We propose a method to semi‐parametrically estimate the null distributions of standard test statistics in the presence of sampling dependence, allowing for more valid statistical testing for dependence between pairs of variables within the sample. We apply our method to study characteristics of young adult illicit opioid users in New York City.
Improvement of the stainless steel electropolishing process by organic additives

Abstract The influence of organic additives on the process of surface electropolishing of AISI 304 type steel was determined. Additives were selected in initial potentiodynamic tests pursuant to the plateau analysis on the current/potential curves. The assessment of the operational effectiveness of additives consisted in determining the relationship between surface gloss after electropolishing and the mass loss of the sample and in determining surface roughness. The applied electropolishing bath consisted of a mixture of concentrated acids: H3PO4 and H2SO4, and the following organic additives were used: triethylamine, ethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and glycerol. The best electropolishing result, i.e. low roughness and high gloss of stainless steel surface with a relatively low mass loss of the sample at the same time were obtained for baths containing triethanolamine.
Public Officials’ Knowledge of Advances and Gaps for Implementing the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in Chile

The United Nations calls on the international community to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) that considers the complex interrelationships between fisheries and marine and coastal ecosystems, including social and economic dimensions. However, countries experience significant national challenges for the application of the EAF. In this article, we used public officials’ knowledge to understand advances, gaps, and priorities for the implementation of the EAF in Chile. For this, we relied on the valuable information held by fisheries managers and government officials to support decision-making. In Chile, the EAF was established as a mandatory requirement for fisheries management in 2013. Key positive aspects include the promotion of fishers’ participation in inter-sectorial Management Committees to administrate fisheries and the regulation of bycatch and trawling on seamounts. Likewise, Scientific Committees formal roles in management allow the participation of scientists by setting catch limits for each fishery. However, important gaps were also identified. Officials highlighted serious difficulties to integrate social dimensions in fisheries management, and low effective coordination among the institutions to implement the EAF. We concluded that establishing clear protocols to systematize and generate formal instances to build upon government officials’ knowledge seems a clear and cost effective way to advance in the effective implementation of the EAF.
Structural and mechanical characterization of polyurethane-CaCO3 composites synthesized at high calcium carbonate loading: An experimental and theoretical study

Due to its exceptional biocompatibility, Polyurethane (PU) reinforced with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is a composite material with significant biomedical applications. However, much of the currently known mechanical and chemical information regarding composites has been obtained at low and moderate CaCO3 content levels. This study employs experimental and theoretical tools to evaluate the structural, morphological, and mechanical properties of pristine polyurethane, and when doped with CaCO3 at 25 and 50 wt. %. In the experiments the samples are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectrophotometry (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile and flexural mechanical tests, while theoretical calculations are performed to evaluate the carbonate-polymer interaction. The XRD and FT-IR results indicate that CaCO3 is at the calcite phase and that PU-CaCO3 materials exhibit a broadening of bands related to the NH2 group. This result is explained using theoretical calculations that demonstrate a weak interaction between those molecules with the CaCO3 surface, where the molecule-calcite interaction occurs primarily through the NH2 molecular link. With respect to mechanical behaviour, the results show less fracture resistance and greater stiffness for the materials containing CaCO3, compared to those containing only PU. These results are explained in terms of the stress concentration due to CaCO3 within the polymer. Finally, the results detailed in this paper show that a high calcium carbonate loading is suitable for increasing the rigidity and decreasing the fracture toughness of the biomaterial, in association with a reduction of the plastic region.
Numerical Analysis of Welded Branch Tube Operating in Creep Range

Pressure components used in energy and resources industries may be subjected to various damages including plasticity and creep. Life prediction of such components is an important consideration for engineers who design, build, or operate them. This paper aims to present a comprehensive study to investigate the problem of creep life assessment of a complex welded component containing multiple zones with different material properties unlike almost all of the previously developed methods that have been based on the secondary creep condition alone that cannot be considered as a true representative for the creep behaviour of materials. Thus, the necessary information to estimate the life of a branch tube based on the primary, secondary, and tertiary creep conditions are presented. Results confirm the experimental data from the literature producing the most conservative life.
Novel multi-stage aluminium production: part 1 – thermodynamic assessment of carbosulphidation of Al2O3/bauxite using H2S and sodiothermic reduction of Al2S3

A novel multi-stage Al production through a carbosulphidation of Al2O3, followed by a sodiothermic reduction of Al2S3, was proposed. In Stage-1, alumina (or bauxite) is reduced to Al2S3 in the presence of carbon and H2S. In Stage-2, Al2S3 is reduced to Al through reactions with Na or NaH. The thermodynamic analysis predicted Al2S3 to be the main intermediate Al-compound when H2S is reacted with Al2S3 and C at 1000-2000°C at 1 atm. Al2S3 formation was predicted to be low at 1100-1300°C at 1 atm (0.1 moles/mole Al2O3) but increased with increasing temperature (0.96 moles/mole Al2O3 at 1800°C). The thermodynamic analysis of sodiothermic reduction predicted that Al metal can be extracted from Al2S3 below 800°C at 1 atm. The Na2S produced can be hydrolysed to form H2S and NaOH. H2S can be re-used and the Na can be reproduced from NaOH and put back into the process.
Accelerating Deep Neural Networks implementation: A survey

Recently, Deep Learning (DL) applications are getting more and more involved in different fields. Deploying such Deep Neural Networks (DNN) on embedded devices is still a challenging task considering the massive requirement of computation and storage. Given that the number of operations and parameters increases with the complexity of the model architecture, the performance will strongly depend on the hardware target resources and basically the memory footprint of the accelerator. Recent research studies have discussed the benefit of implementing some complex DL applications based on different models and platforms. However, it is necessary to guarantee the best performance when designing hardware accelerators for DL applications to run at full speed, despite the constraints of low power, high accuracy and throughput. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are promising platforms for the deployment of large ‐ scale DNN which seek to reach a balance between the above objectives. Besides, the growing complexity of DL models has made researches think about applying optimization techniques to make them more hardware ‐ friendly. Herein, DL concept is presented. Then, a detailed description of different optimization techniques used in recent research works is explored. Finally, a survey of research works aiming to accelerate the implementation of DNN models on FPGAs is provided.
Usability evaluation of assignment and monitoring information learning system of internship students based on SMS Gateway with Raspberry Pi

There are obstacles in the delivery of information during pre-engineering activities at the Vocational High School. There needs to be a system that makes it easy to deliver information from schools to students who carry out internship. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the evaluation of the usefulness of the task information learning system and the monitoring of student labor based on the SMS gateway with raspberry pi. The instrument used in usability testing is the Computer Usability Satisfaction Questionnaires: Psychometric Evaluation and Instructions for Use questionnaire developed by IBM for software usability measurement standards. The instrument for testing usability aspects with the Computer System Usability Questionnaires (CSUQ) questionnaire developed by IBM uses a Likert scale as a measurement scale. The data for the trial were 20 respondents consisting of adaptive normative subject teachers, internal engineering committee and smartschool developers. Based on the results of testing the quality of software developed on the usability aspect has a percentage of 85% or has a high quality scale and based on alpha cronbach calculations has a calculation result of 0.851 or has a “good” category. The SMS Gateway system with Raspberry Pi for Internship Assignment and Monitoring meets the usability aspect and is suitable for use.
Elektronenbeugung an natürlichen Flächen organischer Einkristalle

An natürl ichen Flächen frei gewachsener Einkristal le organischer Subs tanzen mit langen Kohlens tof fke t ten (Paraf f ine n-C:i0H62 und n-C'3l H&i, Stearinsäure, Cetylpalmita t ) werden Elektronen gebeugt. Dabei ergeben sich sehr eindeutige Befunde über den Feinbau der Kristal le in den der Oberfläche nächsten Atonischichten. Die Elekt ronenbeugung erweist sich dabei als Verfahren, welches die S t ruk tu rbes t immung erheblich beschleunigt und an Sicherheit erhöht . Außerdem werden dabei Wege angegeben, auf denen an Kristal len großmolekularer Substanzen die Atomgruppen oder Radikale festzustellen sind, welche die Oberfläche bilden. Weiterhin wurden experimentel l begründete Hinweise d a f ü r erhalten, d a ß bei Substanzen, die in verschieden stabilen Modifikationen au f t r e t en können, in der Oberfläche der instabilen Form von vornherein die stabile Form vorliegen kann . Schließlich werden die inneren Potent ia le der un te rsuchten Kris tal lgi t ter mitgeteil t .
Examining Soil Erosion Responses to Grassland Conversation Policy in Three-River Headwaters, China

Soil erosion in the Three-River Headwaters (TRH) region has continued to intensify in recent decades due to human activities and climate change. To reverse this situation, the Chinese central government has launched the Subsidy and Incentive System for Grassland Conservation (SISGC). As a sign of the effectiveness of SISGC implementation, the dynamic changes of soil erosion can provide timely feedback for decision makers and managers. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was used to simulate the spatial distribution of soil erosion before and after SISGC implementation, and Mann–Kendall (MK) test to reveal the effect of policy implementation. The results showed that: (1) the soil erosion in the TRH was mainly mild (83.83% of the total eroded area), and the average soil erosion rate and the total erosion were 13.63 t ha−1 y−1 and 323.58 × 106 t y−1 respectively before SISGC implementation; (2) SISGC implementation has curbed soil erosion. After SISGC implementation, the total soil erosion decreased by 3.80%, which showed obvious differences between grassland types; (3) The influences of SISGC were mainly because it has increased vegetation cover, further decreasing soil erosion. However, soil erosion in Alpine grassland has deteriorated, indicating direct targeted policymaking should be on the agenda. Furthermore, SISGC should be continued and grassland-type-oriented to restore the grassland ecosystem.