Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
KINETICS OF NI(II) SORPTION AND DESORPTION ON KAOLINITE: RESIDENCE TIME EFFECTS

Recent studies have shown that aging or increased residence time can reduce the availability of trace element cations sorbed to common soil minerals. Numerous explanations have been given to explain the observed residence time effect. However, most of these studies begin only with sorbed species and not surface precipitates. The formation of Ni2+ surface precipitates on common soil minerals has been observed in the laboratory by a number of researchers. Accordingly, the influence of residence time on the sorption/desorption kinetics of Ni2+ on kaolinite was examined. Nickel sorption kinetics were conducted at three aqueous concentrations (0.10, 0.50, 0.75 mM) of Ni2+ in the presence of 25 g L−1 kaolinite at pH 7.5. More than 99% of the Ni2+ was sorbed to the kaolinite surface at the end of 14 days for all aqueous concentrations of Ni2+. Adsorption was characterized by an initial fast reaction followed by a slower reaction. Both reactions followed first order kinetics. Based on previous spectroscopic studies, the fast reaction was attributed to chemisorption, whereas the slow reaction was attributed to nucleation and surface precipitation of a Ni-Al layered double-hydroxide (LDH). Desorption experiments were conducted on kaolinite samples after 14 days (short-term) and 20 weeks (long-term) in the presence of 1 mM oxalate at pH 6.0. Similar to adsorption kinetics, desorption kinetics were characterized by an initial rapid reaction followed by a slower reaction, both of which followed first order kinetics. For all surface coverages the total quantity of Ni2+ desorbed and the desorption rate coefficients (k1 and k2) were greater for the short-term than for the long-term experiments. It is suggested that the residence time effect observed for the slow desorption/dissolution reaction was caused by an increase in crystallinity of the LDH surface precipitate and, to a lesser extent, phase transformation into a Ni-Al phyllosilciate. In contrast, several processes may be responsible for the residence time effect observed for the fast desorption/dissolution reaction, including movement of weakly bound Ni2+ to a more strongly bound phase (eg, change in the type of surface complex), diffusion into micropores or intraparticle spaces, or an increase in crystallinity (eg, Ostwald ripening) of weakly precipitated Ni2+. The above results demonstrate and suggest potential mechanisms for the long-term natural attenuation of trace metal cations such as Ni2+ adsorbed to mineral surfaces.
VALUE CREATION IN FDIS: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM FOREIGN ACQUISITIONS BY FINNISH FIRMS

This study examines stock market reactions i.e. wealth creation in foreign manufacturing investments. In addition to empirically examining the wealth effects of investing firms, the study examines the impact of several investing firms and investment related factors on the wealth effects. The data of the study is based on 294 foreign acquisitions made by Finnish firms between 1986 and 2006. The results indicate that, on average, foreign acquisitions have significant value creating effects for investing firm shareholders, i.e., value creation of foreign acquisitions generally proves to be a fact. However, the value creation seems to depend significantly from the investing firm and their investment strategy related decisions. The most significant variables seem to be international and target country specific experience, target country of the investment, and the degree of ownership acquired.
Fabrication of photoluminescent liquid crystal device using an in situ self-assembled molecular layer of a pyrene derivative

An in situ self-assembled molecular layer of 1-pyrenesulfonic acid sodium salt as an alignment agent was formed on indium tin oxide substrates for vertically aligning liquid crystals (LCs). The thus-aligned LCs exhibited uniform vertical alignment under crossed polarisers. The electro-optical characteristic of the LC cell fabricated using this method exhibited better performance than those of conventional LC cells with a polyimide alignment layer. Because the proposed alignment method is a simple one and involves low concentrations of the alignment agent (0.05 wt%), it is highly cost-effective. Further, the pyrene derivative, when mixed with LCs, exhibited photoluminescence (PL) under ultraviolet light. Given that the proposed method resulted in highly vertically aligned LCs and the alignment agent exhibited PL, the method should find wide use in the fabrication of colour-filter-free LC displays.
Heuristically Adaptive Policy Reuse in Reinforcement Learning

Transfer learning can significantly improve the reinforcement learning process by leveraging prior knowledge from past learned tasks. However, how to select an optimal source task for reuse to improve a reinforcement learning agent is still challenging. In this paper, we propose a new Policy Reuse framework called Heuristically Adaptive Policy Reuse (HAPR) that facilitates efficient reuse of source policies, which is stored in a given Policy Library, by rapidly selecting the most appropriate policy only with its useful part. For the agent to reuse in successive tasks, HAPR is also capable of rebuilding the Policy Library to provide representative policies, whose quality is guaranteed by using KL-divergence to measure the irrelevance between policies. Our extensive experiments based on a grid-world domain show the efficiency and robustness of our method, compared with the state-of-the-art policy reuse approaches.
Estimation of kinetic parameters of phenol degradation by bacteria isolated from activated sludge using a genetic algorithm

BACKGROUND The main objective of this study was to examine the growth and phenol degradation kinetic parameters for bacteria isolated from activated sludge that could register growth on phenol as high as 1410 mg L-1. RESULTS Phenol-degrading bacteria of the Alcaligenes, Providencia, Acinetobacter and Aeromonas genera were prevalent in the activated-sludge tank. The degradation rate was affected by the phenol concentration; the B9-1 and B8-1 Alcaligenes faecalis strains showed rates of 0.037 and 0.038 g L-1 h-1 when exposed to up to 940 mg L-1 phenol, respectively. The B6-2, G1, and H1-1 A. faecalis strains showed rates of 0.036, 0.042 and 0.036 g L-1 h-1, respectively, when exposed to up to 1128 mg L-1, and Acinetobacter johnsonii D1 and A. faecalis D3 strains showed rates of 0.058 and 0.049 g L-1 h-1, respectively, when exposed to 1410 mg L-1 phenol. The growth kinetic parameters adjusted by genetic algorithm (GA) and the Haldane equation ranged within μm = 0.12–0.55 h-1, μmax = 0.07–0.29 h-1, Ks = 25–483.8 mg L-1, and Ki = 153.7–2582.6 mg L-1. CONCLUSIONS The high values of μmax, Ki, and YX/S adjusted by GA showed that the studied strains are able to tolerate and degrade higher phenol concentrations compared with levels reported for single bacterial strains. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Hyperbranched Polyglycidol on Si/SiO2 Surfaces via Surface-Initiated Polymerization

We demonstrate a new procedure to synthesize covalently linked hyperbranched polyglycidol brushes on Si/SiO2 surfaces via anionic ring-opening multibranching polymerization of glycidol at 110 °C. Optimization of the polymerization experiments by exploiting reinitiation cycles produced polyglycidol brushes with ellipsometric thickness values of up to 70 nm. 13C NMR spectroscopy analysis of cleaved polymer allowed the elucidation of the structure and degree of branching of the polymer.
Recent findings and prospects in the field of pure metals as negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries

In the race for better Li-ion batteries, research on anode materials is very intensive as there is a strong desire to find alternatives to carbonaceous negative electrodes. A large part of these studies is devoted to alloying reactions, which have been known for more than thirty years but that have regained great interest by downsizing particle sizes, moving to nano-textured/nanostructured composites, or designing new electrode concepts. It is not the scope of this review to retrace twenty-five years of research, but rather to highlight recent advances that have been made in the use of Sn or Si-based electrodes together with the remaining challenges to be addressed and issues to be solved prior to such electrodes being commercially implemented in Li-ion cells.
Synthesis of 4-substituted 3-hydroxy-and 3-amino-6H-1,2,6-thiadiazine 1,1-dioxides

Reaction of sulfamide with ethoxymethylene derivatives yielded 4-ethoxycarbonyl-, 4-cyano-, and 4-nitro-2H,6H-1,2,6-thiadiazine 1,1-dioxide. In some cases, the corresponding open chain sulfamidomethylene derivatives were isolated. Preparation of 4-amino- and 4-amino-5-methyl-2H,6H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-3-one 1,1-dioxide is also described. Reaction of sulfamide with ethyl 3,3-ethoxypropionate afforded 3,7-bis(etlioxycarbonylmethyl)perhydro-1,5,2,4,6,8-dithiatetra-zocine 1,1,5,5-tetroxide.
Ultraviolet-Fluorescence Microscopy of Paint Cross Sections: Cycloheptaamylose-Dansyl Chloride Complex as a Protein-Selective Stain

AbstractCycloheptaamylose-dansyl chloride complex, a new fluorochrome-specific for proteins, has been investigated as a stain to identify artists' paint media. Its selectivity and limitations are compared to those of the following commonly available fluorescent and nonfluorescent stains: lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl chloride, 5-tluorescein isothiocyanate, amido black, Sudan black, rhodamine B, and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein. The methods used to examine the characteristics of these stains were reflected visible light microscopy and ultraviolet-fluorescence microscopy. The known samples of artists' media analyzed with the stains were linseed oil, casein, tempera, glair, gelatin, rabbit skin glue, and acrylic emulsions.
Papain‐induced Oligomerization of α‐Amino Acid Esters

Oligomers of leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine were prepared enzymatically (using papain) from the respective methyl esters, with yields ranging from 51–96%. The effect of pH, buffer and salt concentration, and addition of alcohol on the oligomerization of leucine methyl ester was examined. The limits and potentialities of the enzymatic reaction as a method for obtaining monodisperse oligomers are discussed.
Antitumor activity of 2-amino-4,4α-dihydro-4α, 7-dimethyl-3H-phenoxazine-3-one against Meth A tumor transplanted into BALB/c mice

We examined the in vivo effect of 2-amino-4,4α-dihydro-4α,7-dimethyl-3H-phenoxazine-3-one (Phx) on Meth A carcinoma cells transplanted into BALB/c mice, in terms of both anti-tumor activity and side effects. Phx, which was synthesized by the reaction of 2-amino-5-methylphenol with bovine hemolysates, was administered i.p. at doses of 1 and 5 mg/kg to BALB/c mice transplanted with Meth A tumor cells. Phx exerted a strong antitumor activity to Meth A tumor growing in the mice as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) did. The antitumor activity of Phx at the dose of 5 mg/kg was comparable to that of 5-FU at the dose of 7.8 mg/kg. In contrast, unlike 5-FU, Phx did not cause leukopenia while showing a strong antitumor activity. The compound also produced little changes in body weight and no wasting of mice developed. These results show that Phx has strong anti-tumor activity, but exerts lower side effects and suggest that Phx is available for therapeutic purposes in the future.
Atomistic Modeling of the Electrode–Electrolyte Interface in Li-Ion Energy Storage Systems: Electrolyte Structuring

The solid electrolyte interface (SEI) forms as a result of side reactions between the electrolyte and electrode surfaces in Li-ion batteries and can adversely impact performance by impeding Li-ion transport and diminishing the storage capacity of the battery. To gain a detailed understanding of the impact of the SEI on electrolyte structure, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of the electrode/electrolyte interface were performed in the presence and absence of the SEI under applied voltages. The composition of the SEI was guided by a wealth of data from experiments and allowed to vary across the simulations. A novel computational approach was implemented that showed significant computational speedup compared to fully polarizable electrode simulations, yet, retained the correct qualitative physics for the electrolyte. A force-matching algorithm was used to construct a new force field for the pure electrolyte, LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate, which was developed from ab initio molecular dynamics simulation.
Men Doing Feminism in India An Introduction

Romit Chowdhury (chowdhury.romit@gmail.com) is a PhD student at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore; Zaid Al Baset (zaidalbaset@gmail.com) teaches Sociology at St Xavier’s College, Kolkata. Aiming to bring critical attention to men’s involvement in feminist social research in India, an introduction to a collection of essays on what it means to be a “man” and do “feminism. ” In what ways can men ally with feminist initiatives such that the critical edge of feminism is enhanced and not blunted? The current climate in which men’s role in feminist social movements seems to have garnered much public attention and the, as yet, unwritten history of men’s varied engagements with feminisms in Indian academia provide the political and theoretical provocation for this collection of articles. The intellectual fi eld of research on women and gender in India has largely been a women’s domain; historically the corpus of feminist literature in the region has had few male contributors. And yet, there have been some men in Indian higher education who have engaged with feminist thought and continue to employ feminist modes of inquiry in their academic and activist work. This special issue aims to bring critical attention to men’s involvement in feminist social research in India. To this end, we invited scholars who have researched problems of gender and sexuality to refl ect on what it means to be a “man” and do “feminism. ” We urged them to consider two broad questions: (1) In what ways, if at all, is the sex of the knower epistemologically signifi cant? (2) What part can men play in the production of feminist knowledge?
Determination of Differential Mobility Analyzer Transfer Functions Using Identical Instruments in Series

The differential mobility analyzer (DMA) is an important tool for determining particle size distributions. The physical performance of a DMA is quantified by the concept of the transfer function. Therefore, knowledge of the transfer function is important to interpret the mobility distributions recorded by a DMA. During a calibration workshop in preparation for the Aerosol Characterization Experiment 1 (ACE1) field campaign, the transfer functions of five types of different mobility analyzers (Vienna-type DMA short, medium, and long, CIT radial, and TSI long; CIT = California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA; TST = TSI Inc., St. Paul, MN) were experimentally characterized by height, width, and area of their transfer functions. Different particles size ranges between 3 and 200 nm were investigated. The transfer function was determined by scanning a DMA across the mobility distribution produced by another, identical DMA. Subsequently, the data were processed by a deconvolution algorithm assuming a triangular shape for the transfer function. For all DMA types, the area of the transfer function decreased with particle size, especially for ultrafine particles (d_p < 20 nm). The gradient with which this area decreases with particle size, however, is different for each of the DMA types investigated. The calibration provides an improved description of the performance of each DMA, particularly in the ultrafine size range.
in Neural

Despite achieving remarkable performance, deep graph learning models, such as node classiﬁcation and network embedding, suffer from harassment caused by small adversarial perturbations. However, the vulnerability analysis of graph matching under adversarial attacks has not been fully investigated yet. This paper proposes an adversarial attack model with two novel attack techniques to perturb the graph structure and degrade the quality of deep graph matching: (1) a kernel density estimation approach is utilized to estimate and maximize node densities to derive imperceptible perturbations, by pushing attacked nodes to dense regions in two graphs, such that they are indistinguishable from many neighbors; and (2) a meta learning-based projected gradient descent method is developed to well choose attack starting points and to improve the search performance for producing effective perturbations. We evaluate the effectiveness of the attack model on real datasets and validate that the attacks can be transferable to other graph learning models.
Vapor−Liquid Equilibria in Quaternary Mixtures of Dimethyl Ether + n-Butane + Ethanol + Water

The vapor−liquid equilibria, liquid densities, and liquid−liquid phase separation of the quaternary system dimethyl ether (DME) + n-butane + ethanol + water were determined at 293.15 K. The vapor−liquid equilibria were measured for mixtures with 0−70 wt % dimethyl ether, 0−40 wt % n-butane, 0−70 wt % ethanol, and 0−35 wt % water, depending on the presence of a second liquid phase. The experiments were carried out in a static vapor pressure apparatus. The UNIQUAC model was used to perform the necessary corrections of the measured vapor−liquid equilibrium data. On the basis of the Gibbs−Duhem equation and experimental data, a set of parameters for this model was calculated. Using the parameters in the UNIQUAC model, it was possible to describe the quaternary as well as some of the ternary and all six binary subsystems.
Dirac equation, spin and fine structure Hamiltonian

The Dirac equation is the starting point for relativistic quantum mechanics which evolved into the modern Quantum Field Theory. The purpose of this paper is to introduce it from a historical point of view and focus on two conspicuous applications. The first one is the explanation of the spin of the electron on a theoretical basis. The second is the derivation of the fine structure Hamiltonian that gives the relativistic corrections on the hydrogen atom.
Crystal defect-mediated band-gap engineering: a new strategy for tuning the optical properties of Ag2Se quantum dots toward enhanced hydrogen evolution performance

Crystal defects have been introduced into inherently narrow-band-gap and non-toxic Ag2Se quantum dots (QDs) via a facile and efficient thermal vibration approach during synthesis and studied by using electron holography and geometric phase analysis techniques. These crystal defects consequently demonstrated a solid possibility for tuning the optical band-gaps of Ag2Se QDs, and thereby enhancing the visible-light-driven water splitting and hydrogen evolution performance of Ag2Se QD-sensitized TiO2 photocatalysts.
Untersuchung schwacher Wechselwirkungen innerhalb von Biofilmen mittels 13C-Spektroskopie

The investigation of weak interactions within biofilms of P. aeruginosa SG81 and its isolates (EPS, alginate) show a strong relationship between the mechanical properties of the biofilm and the aqueous solvent (e.g. pH value, ionic strengh, presence of mono- or bivalent cations). Comparing the C-5 resonance lines of 13C- NMR spectra within a Li+ - concentration series with simulated spectra, a rapid decrease of the correlation time even at low ionic strengh is clearly observed. Therefore, the addition of monovalent counterions reduces the intramolecular electrostatic interactions between adjacent carboxyl groups within the polysaccharide. This results in a further entanglement of the macromolecule. Regarding bivalent counterions, significant differences with regard to the degree of interactions of the examined species (Mg2+, Ca2+) with the alginate could be observed. Mg2+ ions show rather weak and non-specific interactions towards bacterial alginates, whereas Ca2+ ions indicate a specific binding behaviour. In addition to this, a new model for the binding of Ca2+ ions to bacterial alginate was proposed on the basis of NMR- measurements in the presence of paramagnetic ions (Mn2+). Furthermore, the effects of stress factors (nutrient or oxygen depletion)on biofilm structure have been investigated in a long-term in vivo experiment. It was shown, that the mechanical stability of a biofilm under these environmental conditions is rapidly decreased due to the release of alginate lyase.
Comparative Evaluation of Zea mays (L.) and Ipomoea batatas (L.) as a Pharmaceutical Excipient

This investigation aims at comparing starches from two grains: Maize (Zea mays) and Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) grains. These grains are used mainly as foods and they contain high amount of carbohydrate. The presence of starch in these grains varies and thus their use as pharmaceutical excipients will vary to the degree of their starch functionality. The powders obtained were characterized for their particle size, particle size distribution. The organoleptic and physicochemical characterization such as viscosity, hydration capacity, swelling capacity, moisture sorption capacity, pH, flow rate and porosity, Carr's index and Hausner's ratio were evaluated. Maize starch showed the least Carr's index, Hausner ratio, porosity, moisture sorption capacity and the greatest flow rate. Sweet potato starch showed the highest hydration capacity and swelling capacity. The results obtained showed that between the two starches in relation to their flowability, maize starch possesses the best flow property. Compatibility of Etoricoxib with maize and sweet potato starch was evaluated by IR spectra and found that both Etoricoxib is compatible along with maize and sweet potato starch. This knowledge of starch properties will help to explain the behavior of these starches when used as tablet excipients.
The Institutionalization and Professionalization of Public Relations in Nigeria: Applying the Activity Theory Framework

Purpose Public Relations continues to struggle for a voice in Nigeria as it still fails to be recognized as a respectable profession and practice. The overall aim of the doctoral project on which this paper is based is a study of the tensions arising from the contradicting Public Relations (PR) understanding and practices of organizations, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and PR educators in Nigeria that are viewed as actors in this study. The findings of my pilot study indicate that these tensions relate to (1) organizations’ perceived practitioner incompetence, (2) predominant one way communication PR practices, (3) inter-profession jurisdictional battles, and (4) inconsistent PR education scope and curricula. More specifically, this paper will demonstrate how Engeström’s (2006) Activity Theory (AT) framework can be applied for studying the contradicting PR practices in Nigeria. Theoretical framework – The Interdependences and interactions between the actors and their environment, and professionalization processes within organizational contexts necessitate a complex theoretical framework that draws from neo-institutional theory and the sociology of professions. Research Design – Yin’s (2014) single case study with an embedded design is employed for the study, within which the AT framework is applied to critically analyze and discuss the interdependences, contradictions, tensions as well as their implications for each actor and the Nigerian PR environment they share. Contribution/originality – The study contributes an empirical holistic study of PR practices in Nigeria that goes beyond anecdotal evidence or focus on single actors. The study also introduces and demonstrates how Activity Theory (AT) could be applied to studying PR practices within specific contexts.