Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CONTRAST ENHANCEMENTUSING NON-SUBSAMPLED CONTOURLET TRANSFORM WITH HISTOGRAM EQUALIZATION FOR ULTRASOUND IMAGES

--E nhancement of contrast in an image is a vital process of image processing, it increases the intensity of image pixels. By enhancing the contrast of an image, the quality of the image will be increased . The anticipatedtechniqueis the combination of non-subsampled contourlet transform and bilateral filter. The key contribution of this paper is the usage of a weighted mean separated sub-histogram equalization technique for increasing the contrast of medical ultrasound images. The performance of the proposed technique provides improved contrast enhancement features when related with the existing methods such as contourlet transform and Histogram Equalization in terms of structural similarity index matrix, PSNR and Absolute Mean Brightness Error.
Colloidal Interaction between a Rigid Solid and a Fluid Drop

We present results of a theoretical study of the effect of surface deformation on a macroscopic system composed of a solid surface interacting with a fluid drop through electrostatic double-layer forces. The analysis involves numerically solving a Laplace equation suitably modified to describe the shape of a liquid drop subjected to a repulsive double-layer force. The latter is evaluated in nonlinear mean-field theory. Some analytical results are also given. The results indicate that although deformation need not be significant on the macroscopic scale, its effect on the interaction is significant and modifies the picture usually presented in DLVO theory. The decay length of the exponential repulsion deviates marginally from the Debye length, dependent on the interfacial tension of the drop. More significantly, at separations where the double-layer force becomes comparable to the internal pressure of the drop, the net force between the two bodies, the local radius of curvature of the drop, and the amount of deformation grow abruptly. The results of this work are relevant to emulsion stability, micelle, vesicle, and cell interactions, and recent experiments on bubble-particle interaction.
Revisiting Energy Consumption-economic Growth Hypothesis: Do Slope Heterogeneity and Cross-sectional Dependence Matter?

In this paper, the long-term nexus between energy consumption and economic growth is investigated using a panel data of 80 countries from World Bank data base for the period 1970 to 2017. In order to check for the issues of endogeneity, slope heterogeneity, and cross-sectional dependence present in errors of panel data, the study applied cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CSARDL) and cross-sectional augmented distributed lag (CS-DL) models to examine the long-term impact of energy consumption on economic growth. The empirical results revealed that energy consumption has a positive and significant long-run effect on economic growth and that cross-sectional dependence, slope endogeneity and heterogeneity are issues that should be on the watch when dealing with panel data of developing and developed countries’ analysis. Furthermore, the outcomes indicated that the impact of energy consumption on economic growth is stronger in less developed countries than in advanced economies. Technological progressions that give rise to the advancement of clean and efficient energy and substitution of low-quality fuels with high quality fuels are some of the possible channels that weaken the link between energy consumption and economic growth in advanced economies. Importantly, from a policy perspective, based on the study findings, energy conservation policies aimed at promoting environmental quality may worsen economic growth in developing countries, thereby adversely affecting their long-run economic growths.
Influence of different 2,4-D concentrations on antioxidant contents and activities in sweet basil leaf-derived callus during proliferation

The potential of sweet basil callus cultures as a source of natural antioxidants was investigated. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) leaves were cultured on a semi-solid nutrient medium supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1 or 2 mg/l 2,4-D under a light illumination regime (20 µmol m -2 s -1 for 16 h and 8 h in the dark daily) at 25°C for 4 weeks. All the media used, except the plant growth regulator-free medium, could induce formation of green compact callus. After 4 weeks, callus cultured on the medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l 2,4-D had the highest fresh weight. Antioxidant content analysis showed that this callus culture had the highest levels of β-carotene, ascorbic acid, phenolics and flavonoids (0.08 mg/gFW, 0.64 mg/gFW, 6.54 mg gallic acid/gFW and 7.38 mg rutin/gFW, respectively) after 1 week of callus proliferation. An evaluation of antioxidant ability suggested that changes in reducing power, ascorbic acid content, DPPH free radical scavenging activity, phenolics and flavonoids contents in sweet basil leaf-derived callus might all be interlinked.
Predicting Big-Five Personality Traits Relation with Employees' Job Engagement in Government Sector in Egypt

The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between personality five traits and employee Engagement of the employee in the public sector in Egypt. The study applied standardized questionnaire in developing two scales; one to measure the personality trait was adapted from (Goldberg, 1993) and Rich (2006). Correlation, regression and coefficient analysis conducted to investigate the effect of Big-Five personality on employees’ JE and its dimensions. The result of this research study shows that there were positive relationships between Big-Five personality traits and EE dimensions. The traits of personality as Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience were significantly related. Open to experience significant positively to physical engagement. However, Neuroticism not significant with emotional engagement. Agreeableness and open to experiences are significant with emotional engagement. Extroversion and neuroticism moderately and significantly with congintive enagement.
The effects of surface modification on the speciation of metal ions intercalated into aluminosilicates

Microporous aluminosilicates, including clay minerals and zeolites, are ion-exchange materials. In their most common forms, they have the ability to incorporate cationic species within their matrices. Because of this property, microporous aluminosilicates have been proposed as storage media for hazardous waste. In this paper the authors use X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to examine the structure of cations held within smectite clay minerals and to determine how modification of the surface of the clay using an organic monolayer affects the coordination of the stored cation. The effects of hydrothermal and thermal processing on the coordination of the ions contained within these systems are also investigated. The presence of the monolayer changes the surface of the clay from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. It inhibits the interlayer ions from exchanging freely into environmental water and reduces the leach rate of cations out of the clay by approximately a factor of 20. Significant changes are observed when these coated samples are treated under hydrothermal and thermal conditions. Reductions of uranium (VI), in the form of uranyl, and cupric ions occur. In addition, the uranium aggregates, forming small particles that appear similar to UO{sub 2}. Comparable conglomeration occurs with lead cations and with the reduced coppermore » species. « less
Synthesis and characterization of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) grafted sodium alginate hydrogel beads for the controlled release of indomethacin

Graft copolymers of sodium alginate (NaAlg) with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone were prepared using azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The graft copolymers (NaAlg-g-PVP) were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Polymeric hydrogel beads of NaAlg and NaAlg-g-PVP were prepared by crosslinking method using glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinker in the hydrochloric acid catalyst (HCl) and these beads were used to deliver anti-inflammatory drug, indomethacin (IM). Chemical stability of the IM after encapsulation into beads was confirmed by FTIR. Preparation conditions of the NaAlg-g-PVP beads were optimized by considering the percentage entrapment efficiency, particle size, swelling capacity and their release data. In vitro release studies were performed in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2) for the initial 2 h, followed by simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.4) for 4 h. Effects of GA concentration, exposure time to GA, drug/polymer (d/p) ratio, and concentration of HCl on the release of IM were discussed. It was observed that IM release from the beads decreased with increasing GA concentration and exposure time. IM release also decreases with increasing d/p ratio and HCl concentration. The highest IM release was obtained to be 77% for beads crosslinked with 0.027M GA. Swelling experiments were also performed to compute molecular mass between crosslinks of the beads. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Human blood analysis by IR and Raman spectroscopy

Both Raman and infrared spectrum measure vibrational transitions in molecules, so they can detect structure and clinical medical character of material in molecule level. Since human blood keeps in close touch with tissue, it may have some symptoms in the blood when functional disorder happens. For this reason, people have already developed a lot of methods to investigate the feasibility of using it to diagnose and therapy, especially in the orientation of non-invasive measurement. In this paper the principles of two kinds of spectra were analyzed and discussed first, involving the advantages and disadvantages in actual research. Then, according to different composition and research direction of human blood, we introduced the research progress of this field at present. Finally the difficulty we met and the expectation in the future are discussed.
Mechanical properties of free-standing single layers of metallic nanocrystals

Mechanical properties of free-standing single layers of Pt nanocrystals with particle diameters of 1.5 nm and 3.0 nm were examined via AFM by fitting force–indentation curves. It showed that the Young's moduli of Pt membranes were in the range of 1–10 GPa and fracture strengths were in the range of 1–30 MPa.
Nitrogen-15 in apple nutrition investigations

Young apple trees growing in pots of soil were treated with N-15 labelled potassium nitrate or urea at different times of year. Over periods of several months whole trees were harvested and divided into their component tissues for total N and N-15 analyses; the latter were carried out using an emission spectrometer. Following treatments in mid-October 1972 and harvest in the following February, about 16% of N-15 from soil-applied nitrate and almost 47% of that from leafapplied urea was recovered in the trees. A later harvest in May 1973 showed that by then one-third to one-half of this fertiliser N had been translocated to the new leaves. Soil applications of nitrate were also made in March or August 1973 and the maximum recoveries of fertiliser N were about 40% and 60% respectively, much of which was in the leaves. In the fruit from the March-N trees, seeds and flesh were almost equally labelled but in that from the August-treated trees the seeds contained no excess N-15, although there was a considerable concentration in the flesh. Urea foliar sprays were also made in June or August 1973. The distributions of isotope were very similar following these treatments, in that the greater part remained in the leaves. The results are discussed in relation to previously published work on N in apple trees, with particular emphasis on the advantages in using N-15 to follow unambiguously the movement of N between the tissues of the tree.
UNIFORM-SIZED MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMERS FOR BISPHENOL A

A uniform-sized molecularly imprinted polymer for bisphenol A (1) has been prepared by a multi-step swelling and thermal polymerization method using 4-vinylpyridine (4-VPY) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as a functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions between 1 and 4-VPY-EDMA materials could play an important role in the recognition of 1. The 1-imprinted 4-VPY-EDMA materials selectively recognized the template molecule among the phenolic estrogenic and xenoestrogenic compounds tested.
Linear augmented cylindrical wave method for nanotubes electronic structure

In this review paper, the main ideas and results of application of the linearized augmented cylindrical wave (LACW) method for the electron properties of the single-walled, double-walled, embedded, and intercalated nanotubes are summarized. We start with the simplest case of the achiral single-walled (n, 0) and (n, n) tubules having small translational unit cells. Then, the electron properties of chiral (n, m) nanotubes having very large translational cells are discussed with account of tubules possessing rotational and screw symmetries. Based on the LACW and Green's function techniques, the ab initio numerical approach to calculating the electron local densities of states of the substitutional impurities in the nanotubes is presented. The relativistic version of LACW theory is described and applied to calculating the effects of spin–orbit coupling on π-bands of the cumulenic (C)n and polyynic (C2)n carbynes and armchair tubules. The approach of the cylindrical waves applied for the description of nanotubes permits to reproduce their geometry in an explicit form that offers the great advantages. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Electronic structure and charge ordering in magnetite: implications for the Fe3O4 (001)–water interface

Electronic structure calculations on atomistic models of magnetite (Fe3O4) provide valuable insight into the structure and properties that dictate the behaviour of magnetite under environmental conditions. The charge ordering in the bulk oxide controls the reactivity of the exposed surfaces, but it has been difficult to measure experimentally or predict theoretically. We use spin-polarised density functional theory to calculate the structure of bulk Fe3O4 and its (001) and (111) surface terminations. We then present an ab initio thermodynamics approach to determine the most energetically favourable clean and hydroxylated surface terminations of Fe3O4 (001). We present results on molecular water adsorption and heterolytic dissociation at both quarter- and half-monolayer coverage for Fe3O4 (001). Our calculations suggest that the tetrahedral (001) surface termination is the most energetically stable across all oxygen chemical potentials, and that water molecules preferentially dissociate at the surface. The calculated hydroxylated and hydrated surface terminations, as obtained from careful consideration of the charge ordering in the bulk, serve as a strong basis for future studies of the electrical double layer at the mineral–water interface.
Modeling helicoid to spiral-ribbon transitions of twist-nematic elastomers

Nematic Elastomers (NEs) possess very interesting properties stemming from the interaction between liquid crystal order and rubber elasticity. For such materials, thermally induced phase transition from the isotropic to the nematic phase may induce very large distortions, which in turn can affect the overall configuration of a macroscopic specimen. The behavior of NEs can be well modeled within the theory of finite elasticity with distortions; here, we test a theoretical model against fancy shapes formation; in particular, we deal with the many different shapes that a thin, slender bar, made of NE, may assume as a consequence of its chiral symmetry during solvent evaporation and subsequent heating. Our goal has been to replicate with numerical experiments the phenomena of shape formation in chiral NEs, and our results constitute a noteworthy assessment of the physical model underlying the numerical solutions.
Intercalation of Water into Anhydrous Vanadyl Phosphate Studied by the Infrared and Raman Spectroscopies

Abstract The course of intercalation of water into α1-VOPO4 and its monohydrate has been studied by infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The mechanism of hydration has been proposed on the base of these measurements. No formation of vanadyl phosphate monohydrate was observed during hydration of the anhydrous form under ambient conditions. The vanadyl stretching band appears to be especially sensitive to atoms coordinated to the vanadium within an octahedral arrangement in the host lattice structure. During the intercalation its position at 1035 cm−1 in the anhydrous form changes to 995 cm−1, typical for mono- and dihydrates. The additional peak at 1017 cm−1 occurring in the initial stages of intercalation has been explained by the random stacking of intercalated and nonintercalated layers in the sample.
Combining ability and gene action of four seed yield contributing characters in onion (Allium cepa L.)

For the improvement of onion seed yield mode of gene action is essential to know. Significant D indicated additive variations were greater in magnitude except umbel diameter and significant H1 indicated dominant variation for scape height and umbel diameter. Significant F indicating the presence of dominant genes only in number of umbel. H­2 component is non-significant for all the characters except scape height. Non-significant h2 suggested dominance effect over all loci in the heterozygous phase was not important for number of umbel, scape height and umbel volume. Ratio [(4DH1) 1/2 + F] / [(4DH1) 1/2 – F] is greater than one for umbel volume indicated presence of an excess of dominant genes in the parents. For all the characters, ratio h2/H2 smaller than one indicated the involvement of at least one group of dominant genes. Parent P4 observed as good general combiner, F1 (P3 ´ P4, P1 ´ P2, P1 ´ P4, P1 × P5 and P1 × P3) and reciprocal crosses (P2 ´ P1, P3 ´ P1 and P4 ´ P1) for different traits recorded as the good specific combiners. So, this parent, F1 and reciprocal crosses need to special consideration for the improvement of onion yield.
SIMULTANEOUS LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF PHENOBARBITAL, PHENYTOIN AND CARBAMAZEPINE IN HUMAN SERUM - AN APPLICATION TO THERAPEUTIC DRUG MONITORING.

Summary A rapid, sensitive and specific reverse phase-HPLC method with UV detection was developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation of three antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) phenobarbital (PB), phenytoin (PHT) and carbamazepine (CBZ) in human serum. Chromatography separation was carried out using Phenomenex, Luna C18 (250 x 4.6 mm, 5µ) as a stationary phase and the mobile phase consisted of 25mM disodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and acetonitrile (68:32, v/v) with isocratic flow rate of 1 ml/ min. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.5 - 50µg/ml for all the three drugs. The method was convenient for estimation of phenobarbital (PB), phenytoin (PHT) and carbamazepine (CBZ) with absolute recoveries of 97.65±1.47, 98.13±0.56 and 99.67± 3.37 respectively. The method requires 11 minutes for analysis with good peak resolution and the LLOQ was 0.5µg/ml. The method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, selectivity, and stability. The developed method was simple, convenient, and suitable for the analysis of AEDs in human serum. The method has been successfully applied for the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of AEDs in epileptic patients.
Effect of natural particles on the transport of sorbing organic compounds in saturated porous media

Colloidal particles are ubiquitous in the subsurface and are particles with a size ranging between less than 10-8 m and 10-5 m (Stumm, 1977). Their introduction in groundwater can originate from various sources (McDowell-Boyer et al., 1986; Mills et al., 1991; Pelley and Tufenkji, 2008) such as detachment from the soil matrix (e.g., clay and silicate particles), mineral precipitation from supersaturated solution (e.g., iron oxides), leaching from landfills (e.g., dissolved organic carbon) and from industrial waste deposits (e.g., engineered nanoparticles). These particles can act as carriers for sorbing organic compounds such as hydrocarbons and organo-chlorinated compounds, resulting in the enhancement of their mobility in the subsurface. In this study, the influence of colloidal particles on the transport of sorbing organic compounds through saturated porous media is investigated by column experiments. The test particles and organic compound are lignite particles (brown coal) and lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane), respectively. The results are analyzed with the help of numerical modeling in order to understand the processes involved in the separate and associated transport of the particles and lindane. The transport of lindane without particles can be described by advective-dispersive transport coupled to linear three-site sorption, one site being in local equilibrium and the others undergoing first-order kinetic sorption. The transport of particles without lindane can be described by advectivedispersive transport coupled to reversible attachment and irreversible straining. As lindane sorbed strongly onto lignite particles, its transport was controlled by the behavior of these particles. In the presence of mobile particles, the total concentration of lindane is increased, that is, lindane is transported not only in aqueous solution but also sorbed onto the smallest, mobile particles. The models developed to simulate separate and associated transport of lindane and the particles reproduced the measurements very well and showed that the adsorption/desorption of lindane to the particles could be expressed by a common first-order rate law, regardless whether the particles are mobile, attached, or strained. The properties of lindane are similar to those of compounds that are found in petroleum-contaminated sites since lindane is manufactured using benzene. Therefore, the results of this study are of relevance for the understanding of unexpected fast transport of hydrocarbons in aquifers of these sites, where particle facilitated transport could significantly contribute to their overall mass flux in groundwater.
Solvent-free one-pot synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives by the ‘Click’ reaction of alkyl halides or aryl boronic acids, sodium azide and terminal alkynes over a Cu/Al2O3 surface under ball-milling

A one-pot procedure for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives by a three-component coupling of alkyl (benzyl) halides or aryl boronic acids, sodium azide and terminal alkynes over copper(II) sulfate supported on alumina (Cu/Al2O3) under ball-milling in the absence of any solvent and additive has been developed. The product was isolated by simple washing of the crude reaction residue with ethanol followed by evaporation of the solvent. No chromatographic purification is required. The catalyst is recycled for subsequent reactions. The azides are produced in situ and thus this procedure avoids the handling of hazardous azides. This protocol offers broad scope for access to a variety of diversely substituted 1,2,3-triazoles. The use of no hazardous organic solvent, the use of ball-milling, and cost efficiency, recyclability of the catalyst up to eight runs without appreciable loss of activity and high yields of products make this procedure greener.