Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Quantitative Approach to Calculating the Energetic Heterogeneity of Solid Surfaces from an Analysis of TPD Peaks: Comparison of the Results Obtained Using the Absolute Rate Theory and the Statistical Rate Theory of Interfacial Transport

We present a comparison of the quantitative information obtained about the energetic heterogeneity of silica-supported nickel catalysts by an analysis of an experimental TPD peak using the absolute rate theory, in the form of the Wigner−Polanyi equation, and the statistical rate theory of interfacial transport. A new method of evaluating the desorption energy distribution, based on an improved condensation approximation approach and applicable to thermodesorption kinetics in both the above approaches, has been developed for this purpose. To make the comparison, a literature report of a study of adsorption equilibria in the hydrogen/SiO2−Ni system is used together with a TPD study of our own sample of the catalyst. The use of the Wigner−Polanyi approach resulted in the recovery of energy distribution functions showing the solid surface to be more energetically heterogeneous than it is when one uses the SRTIT approach on the same data. The broader surface energetic heterogeneity calculated using the Wigner−.
Sequential inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass-spectrometric quantification of radioactive strontium-90 incorporating cascade separation steps for radioactive contamination rapid survey

Radioactive strontium-90 scattered by a nuclear power plant accident was specifically quantified by conventional inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass-spectrometry (ICP-QMS) preceded by on-line chelate column separation (based on lab-on-valve) and oxygen reaction (designated the cascade step). The proposed system overcomes the isobaric interference of 90Zr, whose soil concentration exceeds that of 90Sr by more than six orders of magnitude. In addition, the system requires no ultimate mass spectrometry or radioactive 90Sr standards. The radioactive 90Sr standard was replaced with the stable isotope 88Sr as a pseudo-standard. The modified ICP-QMS system yielded a precise, reproducible sharp 90Sr peak in the ICP-MS profile. The elution time of 90Sr was highly reproducible (RSD = 0.5%). After implementing the cascade-step, the detection limit (DL) was 2.3 Bq L−1 (equivalent to 0.46 ppq as 90Sr). Analysis of microwave-digested soil yielded a DL of 3.9 Bq kg−1 (equivalent to 0.77 ppq as 90Sr). The 90Sr from environmental contaminated soil samples collected from areas at a distance of 10 and 20 km from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant ranged from 52 Bq kg−1 to 73 Bq kg−1, with no statistical difference between the proposed and general methods at 95% confidence level. The proposed method offers an attractive alternative use for ICP-other ionization mass spectrometry as an enrichment or purification step, thereby expanding the scope of ICP-mass-spectrometric analysis.
Elastic mapping of heterogeneous nanostructures with ultrasonic force microscopy (UFM)

Ultrasonic force microscopy (UFM) is an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-related technique originally introduced to study the surface elastic properties of stiff materials. We report elastic images of heterogeneous nanostructures with a lateral resolution of the order of a few nanometres. One of the main intentions of this paper is not only to show the capability of UFM to allow one to image surface elastic properties of stiff materials but also to show that UFM can be applied to relatively soft materials with reproducible and interpretable results. The samples presented were chosen over a wide range of stiffness values (with Young's modulus E = 0.1-400 GPa): very stiff silicon carbide fibres embedded in a mullite matrix, less stiff carbon fibres embedded in an epoxy matrix and relatively compliant rubber inclusions in a polymethylmethacrylate matrix. A discussion of the conditions required to obtain unambiguous data is also provided. Results obtained using the more traditional force modulation mode are also presented and compared with the UFM images of the same samples.
Cloud point extraction and concentration of carbaryl from natural waters

An improved procedure is proposed for determination of the pesticide carbaryl in natural waters based on double cloud point extraction. The clean up step was carried out only with Triton X-114 in alkaline medium in order to avoid the use of toxic organic solvents as well as to minimise waste generation. Cloud point preconcentration of the product of the reaction of the analyte with p-aminophenol and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was explored to increase sensitivity and improve the detection limit. Linear response was achieved within 10 and 500 µg L−1 and the apparent molar absorptivity was estimated as 4.6 × 105 L mol−1 cm−1. The detection limit was estimated as 7 µg L−1 at the 99.7% confidence level and the coefficient of variation was 3.4% (n = 8). Recoveries within 91 and 99% were estimated for carbaryl spiked water samples. The results obtained for natural water samples were in agreement with those achieved by the batch of spectrophotometric procedure at the 95% confidence level. The proposed procedure is then a simple, fast, inexpensive and greener alternative for carbaryl determination.
Supervised and Semi-Supervised Learning for Failure Identification in Microwave Networks

Automated failure-cause identification in communication networks allows operators to reduce service unavailability. Once the most likely failure root-cause is identified, appropriate countermeasures can be effectively put in place (e.g., by choosing an in-field intervention vs. a remote equipment reconfiguration). In this article, we describe a successful application of Machine Learning (ML) for automatic failure identification in microwave networks based on the real-field data. On microwave links, different heterogeneous causes (e.g., adverse atmospheric conditions, or obstacles) lead to service unavailability and produce not easily-distinguishable degradation effects on the transmission parameters. Hence, failure identification is traditionally accomplished by domain experts via direct inspection of transmission-parameter logs. As a first contribution, we identify six categories of failure causes in microwave networks and show that supervised ML enables very accurate failure identification, hence significantly simplifying failure troubleshooting. Comparing various ML algorithms, we find that up to 93% classification accuracy is obtained using real-field labeled datasets with 2513 points. One main hindrance to the application of supervised learning is that, in real network deployments, limited amount of labeled data is available for training, as manual labeling is performed by domain experts based on their knowledge and experience. On the other hand, collecting unlabeled data is relatively simple as network management systems retrieve large amounts of unlabeled information automatically. As a second contribution, we investigate an automated labeling procedure, based on autoencoders-like Artificial Neural Networks, to combine the knowledge of the few manually-labeled data with large unlabeled data. Results show that our data augmentation based on autoencoders can slightly improve failure-cause identification only when Artificial Neural Networks or Support Vector Machines are used, while accuracy slightly decreases when adopting Random Forest.
Synthesis and structural confirmation of natural 1,3-diarylpropanes

1-(4-Hydroxy-5-methyl-2-methoxyphenyl)-3-(2"-hydroxy-4",5"-methylenedioxyphenyl) propane (7), 1,3-diarylpropane isolated from Iryanthera laevis, 1-(4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4"-hydroxyphenyl)propane (2, broussonin B) and 1-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4"-hydroxyphenyl)propane (1, broussonin A), isolated from Broussonetia papyrifera Vent. (Moraceae), and 1-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(4"-hydroxyphenyl)propane, a synthetic product prepared by catalytic hydrogenation of 4-O-benzyl-2,4-dimethoxychalcone, were synthesized. The synthetic pathway employed in this work involved the catalytic hydrogenation of chalcones obtained by base condensation of acetophenones and benzaldehydes.
Droplet-Phase Synthesis of Nanoparticle Aerosol Lipid Matrices with Controlled Properties

Nanoparticle lipid matrices are being recently explored for controlled drug delivery applications. The degree of crystallinity of the lipid matrix governs drug loading capacity and release rates. Current methods of preparing nanoparticle lipid matrices, like high-pressure homogenization and solvent-emulsification evaporation, offer limited or poor control over lipid crystallinity. The present work explores a droplet-phase aerosol synthesis method to prepare nanoparticle aerosol lipid matrices (NALM). Control of evaporation rate was used to achieve control over crystallinity of NALM. NALM were synthesized in an aerosol reactor using precursor solutions of stearic acid in organic solvents with widely different vapour pressures, resulting in different rates of evaporation. Mean mobility diameter, measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), ranged from 94–127 nm, with a unimodal distribution and geometric standard deviation of 1.7–1.9. Aerodynamic diameters measured using gravimetric analysis of samples collected in a micro-orifice cascade impactor, ranged from 423–608 nm. Relatively higher peak intensities and peak areas in X-ray diffractograms, and higher melting enthalpies in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms were obtained for NALM synthesized under lower evaporation rates, using lower vapour pressure solvents, similar to that of bulk stearic acid. In contrast, NALM synthesized at higher evaporation rates, using higher vapour pressure solvents consistently showed a lower degree of crystallinity, evidenced by blunt X-ray diffraction peaks and lower melting enthalpies in DSC analysis. These results suggest the formation of non-equilibrium crystal structures within NALM, under the influence of faster evaporation rates, leading to a lower degree of crystallinity. The work demonstrates proof of concept of droplet-phase aerosol synthesis for preparing nanoparticle lipid matrices and for achieving control over their crystallinity.
Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity & Phytochemical Analysis of Cassia siamea

Nature has been a source of medicinal agents for thousands of years and an impressive number of modern drugs have been isolated from natural sources, many based on their use in traditional medicine. Various medicinal plants have been used for years in daily life to treat disease all over the world. Millions of rural households use medicinal plants in a self-help mode. Cassia siamea is an ornamental tree of the family Caesalpiniaceae having ethno-medicinal importance. Ethanolic, methanolic and aqueous extracts of leaves of Cassia siamea were investigated for its antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (2065), Bacillus subtilis (2063), Staphylococcus aureus (2602), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2036), Micrococcus luteus-(2103), Aspergillus niger (NCIM-920) , Fusarium moniliform (NCIM-1099) , Candida albicans (NCIM-3102) , Aspergillus flavus (NCIM-540) and Alternaria alternata (NCIM-718) The ethanolic and methanolic extract showed effective inhibitory activity as compared to aqueous extract. Results of phytochemical investigations of leaves of C. siamea indicates the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, amino acids, terpenoids and steroids in all the three solvents. While glycosides were present in methanol and ethanol, and anthraquinones were present in ethanol and water.
Manipulation of Spin Polarization Using NV Ensemble in Diamond for Precision Displacement Detection With an Adjustable Sensitivity

Magnetic sensing based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have been considered by scientists to be a promising candidate for highly sensitive, integrated solid-state quantum sensors. In this paper, a displacement detection system is presented relying on the quantum magnetic effect of NV ensemble under a microwave (MW), which consists of a fluorescence microscope system and a bundle of movable current-carrying coils. The fluorescence microscope system is responsible for efficient fluorescence excitation and collection to identify the energy level splitting of electron spin. Moreover, the current-carrying coils are responsible for creating a gradient magnetic field with high linearity. Measurement by experiment, the theory sensitivity limit of the proposed device can up to 2.713 nm/Hz<sup>1/2</sup>, and the noise sensitivity is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$51.93~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/Hz<sup>1/2</sup> when the coils carry the current 0.1 A. The response of fluorescence intensity (PL) to displacement can be up to 0.493%/mm for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\vert + 1\rangle $ </tex-math></inline-formula> sublevel with a measurement range of 12.57 mm and 0.419%/mm for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\vert - 1\rangle $ </tex-math></inline-formula> sublevel with a measurement range of 13 mm. Through experimental verification, the sensitivity and response can increase proportionally with the current, while the measurement range is inversely reduced. In view of this, the proposed displacement detection system can be used in displacement detection applications of different precision.
Cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether: livingness enhancement by dialkyl sulfides

Etude de la polymerisation de l'isobutyl vinyl ether amorcee par l'acide triflique ou par AlEtCl 2 en presence de sulfure de dialkyle pour stabiliser les extremites de chai←nes cationiques. L'augmentation de la concentration et la diminution de l'encombrement de sulfure entrai←nent un ralentissement de la reaction et une diminution de la polydispersite du polymere
Systematic Memory MDS Sliding Window Codes Over Erasure Channels

Memory maximum-distance-separable (mMDS) sliding window codes are a type of erasure codes with high erasure-correction capability and low decoding delay. In this paper, we study two types of systematic mMDS sliding window codes over erasure channels, <italic>i.e.,</italic> scalar codes defined over a finite field <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$GF(2^{L})$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and vector codes defined over a vector space <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$GF(2)^{L}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. We first devise an efficient heuristic algorithm to produce an mMDS sliding window scalar code over relatively small <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$GF(2^{L})$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Then, we investigate a special class of mMDS sliding window vector codes whose encoding/decoding are achieved by basic circular-shift and bit-wise XOR operations, and propose a general method to generate such mMDS vector codes. Our complexity analysis shows that the proposed vector codes yield much lower encoding/decoding complexity than the scalar codes. The theoretical and numerical results also demonstrate that mMDS sliding window codes dominate MDS block codes in terms of decoding delay and erasure-correction capability.
A New Grid Interactive 11-Level Hybrid Inverter Topology for Medium-Voltage Application

Multilevel inverter (MLI) has wide applications due to its numerous advantages. An improved configuration of eleven-level MLI suitable for medium-voltage range has been proposed in this article. The proposed topology contains two half-bridge submodules, one flying capacitor MLI, and one full bridge submodule. A simple method of capacitor voltage balancing has been demonstrated with less ripple. The study about the effectiveness of proposed MLI has been justified by loss calculation to find the efficiency and voltage ripple analysis of the capacitor. The comparative assessment in terms of switch count, driver count, capacitor requirement, device peak inverse voltage, total standing voltage (TSVp.u), cost function, etc. for the developed hybrid inverter (HI) topology has been presented to establish the utility of the proposed HI. This topology has been checked for its operation under various operating conditions, including frequency and modulation index variation, overmodulation range, and also with motor load. The grid connectivity option of the proposed HI has been verified to ensure the suitability for application with renewable energy sources.
PFST-LSTM: A SpatioTemporal LSTM Model With Pseudoflow Prediction for Precipitation Nowcasting

Precipitation nowcasting is an important task, which can serve numerous applications such as urban alert and transportation. Previous studies leverage convolutional recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to address the problem. However, they all suffer from two inherent drawbacks of the convolutional RNN, namely, the lack of a memory cell to preserve the fine-grained spatial appearances and the position misalignment issue when combining current observations with previous hidden states. In this article, we aim to overcome the defects. Specifically, we propose a novel pseudo flow spatiotemporal LSTM unit (PFST-LSTM), where a spatial memory cell and a position alignment module are developed and embedded in the structure of LSTM. Upon the PFST-LSTM units, we develop a new sequence-to-sequence architecture for precipitation nowcasting, which can effectively combine the spatial appearances and motion information. Extensive empirical evaluations are conducted on synthetic MovingMNIST++ and CIKM AnalytiCup 2017 datasets. Our experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed PFST-LSTM over the state-of-the-art competitors. To reproduce the results, we release the source code at: https://github.com/luochuyao/PFST-LSTM.
Comparison between Experimental Determination and Calculation of Elastic Properties of Nickel-Base Superalloys between 25 and 1200 °C

The elastic coefficients Sij of the single crystalline nickel base superalloy MAR-M002 mod. are determined as a function of temperature by the resonance method of Forster. The orientation–independent Sij are evaluated by the linear regression method. The application of averaging concepts allows the calculation of the elastic properties of the quasi-isotropic polycrystalline superalloys MAR-M247 and MAR-M200 at elevated service temperatures. The computed polycrystalline moduli of elasticity are compared with measured values.
A bonanza of angelfish (Perciformes: Pomacanthidae) in the Mediterranean: the second documented record of Holacanthus ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

The second record of the Queen angelfish, Holacanthus ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758), is hereby documented for the Mediterranean, through a single individual spearfished within Maltese coastal waters. Considerations on the potential introduction pathway for the species, which is popular in the aquarium trade, are made.
Influence of temperature, molecular weight, and polydispersity of polystyrene on interfacial tension between low-density polyethylene and polystyrene

In this work, the influence of temperature, molecular weight, and polydispersity of polystyrene on interfacial tension between low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polystyrene (PS) was evaluated using the pendant drop method. It was shown that interfacial tension between LDPE and PS decreases with increasing temperature for all LDPE–PS pairs studied. The temperature coefficient (∂γ/∂T) (where λ is interfacial tension and T is temperature) was higher for lower molecular weight and larger polydispersity of PS. The interfacial tension between LDPE and PS at a temperature of 202°C increased when the molecular weight of polystyrene was varied from 13,000 to 30,000. When the molecular weight of PS was further increased, the interfacial tension was shown to level off. The effect of polydispersity on interfacial tension between PS and LDPE, at a temperature of 202°C, was studied using PS with a constant-number average molecular weight and varying polydispersity. The interfacial tension was shown to decrease with increasing polydispersity. However, the influence of polydispersity was lower for PS of higher molecular weight. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 2423–2431, 1999
Enhanced photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO2 nanosheets/graphene composite films

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on TiO2 nanosheets (TiO2-NSs)/graphene nanocomposite films were fabricated, and the effects of graphene on the microstructures and photoelectric conversion performance of the as-fabricated DSSC were investigated. The graphene loading clearly influences the textural properties (including specific surface areas, porosity and pore volume) and the optical absorption properties. Moreover, the charge transfer and transport versus the charge trapping and recombination is also affected by the graphene loading. As a consequence, the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the TiO2-NSs/graphene nanocomposite film electrodes can be improved to a great extent upon graphene loading, dependent on the loading amount of graphene. A moderate amount of graphene ( 0.75 wt%) largely lowered the DSSC performance. Higher graphene loading not only impaired the crystallinity of the TiO2-NSs, but also shielded the light adsorption of the dyes and reduced the number of photogenerated electrons.
Fullerene nanostructure-induced excellent mechanical properties in hydrogenated amorphous carbon

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films were deposited by dc-pulse plasma chemical vapor deposition. The structure of as-prepared films, characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectra, and x-ray photoelectron spectra, is considered as nanocomposite thin films with C60 and fullerene crystalline nanoparticles embedded in amorphous sp2 and sp3 carbon matrices. The high hardness and high elastic recovery of as-prepared films are attributed to the unique structure that C60 and fullerene nanocrystalline grains (soft) dispersed in amorphous carbon phase (hard) to form a network structure, which restrains the dislocation migration, assists the stress relaxation, and hence, enhances the mechanical properties of the films.
Trends in surgical volume and in-hospital mortality among United States cirrhosis hospitalizations

Background In the aging population of patients with cirrhosis in the United States, there is a potentially increased need for surgical procedures. However, individuals with cirrhosis have increased perioperative risk relative to patients without cirrhosis. We sought to quantify temporal trends in cirrhosis surgical procedures and in-hospital mortality in relation to surgical procedure type, elective admission status and compensated vs. decompensated status. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of cirrhosis hospitalizations between 2005 and 2014 using the National Inpatient Sample. Surgical procedures of interest included cholecystectomy, hernia repair, and major abdominal, orthopedic and cardiovascular surgery. We plotted trends in volume and in-hospital mortality by procedure type, and used linear regression to test the significance of trends. Results While the number of cirrhosis hospitalizations increased over time, the number of surgeries per 1000 admissions decreased (b=-1.454, P<0.001). When stratified by elective admission status, elective major orthopedic surgeries significantly increased over time (b=177.9; P<0.001). In-hospital mortality rates for most surgeries were significantly higher in the non-elective vs. elective setting (each P<0.001). In patients with compensated cirrhosis, there was a significant increase in the number of orthopedic (b=272.4; P<0.001) and hernia repair surgeries over time (b=191.1; P<0.001). Overall, there was significantly greater in-hospital mortality among patients with decompensated cirrhosis (each P<0.05). Q. Please mention the exact P-value unless <0.001 Conclusions Despite an increasing number of cirrhosis hospitalizations, the decreasing relative number of cirrhosis surgeries may indicate progressive surgical risk aversion. Future cirrhosis surgical risk scores should consider surgical procedure type, elective/non-elective status, and decompensation status.