Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Onset of freezing in residential air-to-air heat exchangers

Mechanical ventilation of residences, with heat recovery in air-to-air heat exchangers, is an increasingly common practice. When this technique of ventilation is used in cold climates, however, freezing can occur in the air-to-air heat exchanger and substantially reduce its performance. A laboratory investigation was conducted to determine the indoor and outdoor environmental conditions that lead to freezing. In a cross-flow, counterflow, and enthalpy-type cross-flow heat exchanger, respectively, freezing was observed when the inlet temperature of the cold airstream was below -7 to -3/sup 0/C, approximately -6/sup 0/C, and -8 to -12/sup 0/C, for a typical range of indoor humidities. These results are in fair agreement with the theoretical predictions presented in this paper and with data from two field studies conducted with similar heat exchangers. Data from a previous laboratory study of a counterflow heat exchanger and tabulated data supplied by ASHRAE, however, indicate that freezing is initiated at significantly lower cold airstream temperatures, particularly when the warm airstream is humid. 10 refs., 7 figs.
Hazardous effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on testicular function in mice

It has been reported that titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) show toxicity in organs such as liver, lung, and intestine. There is, however, only a limited number of reports regarding the effect of TiO2 NPs on the male reproductive system. We examined the effect of TiO2 NPs on testicular function using mouse model. TiO2 NPs (Aeroxide P25) were evenly dispersed in disodium phosphate solution by sonication. Mice were treated intravenously with TiO2 NPs (0, 2, or 10 mg/kg body weight) once per week for four weeks followed by sacrificing nine days after the last injection. The sperm head numbers and two sperm motion parameters, motile percent (MP) and progressive percent (PP), in the cauda epididymis were evaluated. TiO2 NPs significantly reduced the sperm head numbers in the cauda epididymis and testis, further, the motility ratios of both MP and PP. These results indicated that TiO2 NPs may possess hazardous effects on testicular function in mice.
A novel technique to make foam shells with high sphericity and wall uniformity for cryogenic laser fusion targets

A new technique to make low‐density, low‐atomic‐number foam shells was developed for use in cryogenic laser fusion targets. Shells with sphericity > 99% and wall uniformity > 97% were fabricated by a density matched emulsion method using cross‐linked copolymerization in the oil phase of the emulsion. The diameter, wall thickness and density of the shells ranged in 100–1500 μm, 10–150 μm, and 90–310 mg/cm3, respectively. Some foam shells exhibited a membrane on the outer surface, which could be used as the protective layer to prevent liquid fuel from boiling off. The foam shell was transparent when it was saturated with liquid deuterium. This enables us to characterize distribution of the liquid fuel in the shell using an optical interference technique.
Rate coefficients for the gas-phase reaction of isoprene with NO3 and NO2

Rate coefficients for the gas-phase reaction of isoprene with nitrate radicals and with nitrogen dioxide were determined. A Teflon collapsible chamber with solid phase micro extraction (SPME) for sampling and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC/FID) and a glass reactor with long-path FTIR spectroscopy were used to study the NO3 radical reaction using the relative rate technique with trans-2-butene and 2-buten-1-ol (crotyl alcohol) as reference compounds. The rate coefficients obtained are k(isoprene + NO3) = (5.3 ± 0.2) × 10−13 and k(isoprene + NO3) = (7.3 ± 0.9) × 10−13 for the reference compounds trans-2-butene and 2-buten-1-ol, respectively. The NO2 reaction was studied using the glass reactor and FTIR spectroscopy under pseudo-first-order reaction conditions with both isoprene and NO2 in excess over the other reactant. The obtained rate coefficient was k(isoprene + NO2) = (1.15 ± 0.08) × 10−19. The apparent rate coefficient for the isoprene and NO2 reaction in air when NO2 decay was followed was (1.5 ± 0.2) × 10−19. The discrepancy is explained by the fast formation of peroxy nitrates. Nitro- and nitrito-substituted isoprene and isoprene-peroxynitrate were tentatively identified products from this reaction. All experiments were conducted at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure in nitrogen or synthetic air. All rate coefficients are in units of cm3 molecule−1 s−1, and the errors are three standard deviations from a linear least square analyses of the experimental data. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 57–65, 2005
Atmospheric Nitrate Deposition and Enhanced Dissolved Organic Carbon Leaching

Atmospheric NO] deposition has the potential to disrupt litter decomposition in temperate forests by suppressing enzymes responsible for lignin degradation. A reduction in phenol oxidase activity could potentially trigger an increase in soluble phenolic compounds, which in turn are known to decrease the activity of cellulolytic enzymes like β-glucosidase. Our study investigated whether the inhibition of lignin degradation by experimental NO - 3 deposition could increase soluble phenolics in soil, suppress β-glucosidase activity, and potentially explain a greater export of dissolved organic C (DOC) from northern hardwood ecosystems. We found no evidence that the suppression of phenol oxidase by NO - 3 additions increased soluble phenolics in mineral soil, nor did we find a strong nverse relationship between soluble phenolics and β-glucosidase activity. It appears that reductions in mineral soil lignolytic activity induced by experimental deposition are not responsible for greater DOC export from soil.
The Photooxidation of Hexabromorhenate(IV) in Ethanol

Irradiation (λ > 285 nm) of [ReBr6]2 − in aerated or deoxygenated ethanol yields ReO4 −, in contrast to other coordinating solvents, in which the observed reaction is photosolvation. Spectral changes imply that photooxidation occurs by an initial photosolvation, followed by reduction of coordinated ethanol in a secondary photochemical reaction.
Project Survey: Data-driven dialogue generation in therapy

Data-driven conversational dialogue generation has recently been brought to researchers attention and effort, with the purpose of generating human-like conversations that are engaging to the user. Conversational open-domain dialogue is different from task-oriented dialogues whose main purpose is task completion, often in narrow and speciﬁc domains. The goal of this project is to train a conversational backbone, which can be transferred to therapy dialogues with a speciﬁc focus on generating follow-up questions relevant to the context. Therapeutic dialogues tend to have a pattern of relatively long monologues by the patient followed by considerably shorter responses of a therapist. This pattern highlights the importance of gaining an understanding of the patients monologue content in order to generate the appropriate response, which will be part of this project.
Two stage intermittent aeration membrane bioreactor for simultaneous organic, nitrogen and phosphorus removal

A submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) was operated in 2-stage intermittent aeration for simultaneous removal of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus. The system consists of two reactors with a total volume of 0.27 m 3 (1st reactor 0.09 m 3 and 2nd 0.18 m 3 ). Real domestic wastewater was used as influent to the system. Membrane used for this experiment was hollow fiber polyethylene membrane with pore size of 0.1μm and effective surface area, 4 m 2 . The membrane was submerged in the 2nd reactor for suction type filtration. Experiment was carried out in two phases varying the time cycles of aeration and non-aeration. SRT was maintained at 25 days and HRT, 16–19 hours. MLSS concentration in the reactors was in the range of 2,700–3,400 mg/l. The MLSS internal recycling ratio was maintained at 100% of influent flow rate. When time cycles of aeration and non-aeration were set at 30/90 min and 60/60 min in reactor 1 and 2, the removal of BOD and COD was 98.3% and 95.6%, respectively. A relatively low nitrogen and phosphorus removal was observed in this condition (73.6% as T–N and 46.6% as T–P). However, with 60/60 min intermittent aeration conditions for both reactors, the removal rate of nitrogen and phosphorus for two weeks steady state were enhanced to 91.6% as TN and 66% as TP, respectively. Further a high organic removal (98% BOD and 96.2% COD) was achieved too. In these conditions, the membrane of flux declined from 0.1 m/d to 0.08 m/d and suction filtration was at 10–12 kPa for a month long operation period.
Noninvasive Ultrasound Assessment of the Normal Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter in Healthy Adults: an Islamabad-based Pakistani Population Study

Abstract Aim: The noninvasive B-mode transocular ultrasound (TOU) measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is becoming popular to monitor intracranial pressure (ICP). Different studies report varied values for normal ONSD. Our primary aim was to find the TOU-measured normal ONSD in healthy adult Pakistanis living in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Methodology: One hundred healthy adult volunteers participated in this cross-sectional study, conducted at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (P.A.E.C.) General Hospital, Islamabad. Each eye was scanned for the optic nerve (ON) via TOU using a B-mode 7-15 MHz linear probe. The investigators measured ONSD in a transverse plane three millimeters behind the retina. They recorded an average of three readings as a mean ONSD value for both eyes. Results: The overall normal mean ONSD was 4.80±0.26 mm with a minimum of 4.25 mm and a maximum of 5.20 mm. The mean ONSD for the age group of 20-35 years was 4.79±0.27 mm and for 36-50 years, it was 4.81±0.24 mm (p = 0.7952), for the male eye it was 4.83±0.26 mm and for the female eye was 4.75±0.25 mm (p = 0.1238), and for the right eye was 4.79±0.27 mm and for the left eye was 4.80±0.26 mm with (p = 0.2434) and (r = 0.9455). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean ONSD of the four ethnic groups (p = 0.7141). Conclusion: The normal mean optic nerve sheath diameter in the studied healthy adult Pakistanis, as measured through noninvasive B-mode transorbital ultrasound is 4.80±0.26 mm.
Quantitative composition of volatile constituents in cultivated strawberries, Fragaria ananassa cv. senga sengana, senga litessa and senga gourmella

The volatile components of cultivated strawberries Fragaria ananassa cv. Senga Sengana, Senga Litessa and Senga Gourmella were studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Employing standard-controlled aroma separation by combined vacuum distillation-liquid-liquid extraction, as well as prefractionation on silica gel, the aroma substances of freshly harvested and deep-frozen strawberries from two growing seasons were quantitatively determined by gas chromatography. Methyl and ethyl butanoate, methyl and ethyl hexanoate, trans-2-hexenyl acetate, trans-2-hexenal, trans-2-hexen-1-ol as well as 2,5-dimethyl-4-methoxy-3(2H)-furanone were identified as main volatile components. In comparison to Senga Litessa and Senga Gourmella, Senga Sengana showed higher amounts of aroma compounds. In general, deep-freezing resulted in decreases of the concentrations of most of the aroma substances, but higher amounts of 2,5-dimethyl-4-methoxy-3(2H)-furanone were found in deep-frozen berries than in the freshly harvested ones.
Physical Characterization of Hygroscopicity in Pharmaceutical Solids

The terms hygroscopic and hygroscopicity are widely used in the pharmaceutical literature to describe the moisture uptake of materials. Water vapor, an ever present component of the environment, can have profound, and often detrimental, effects on physicochemical processes of interest to the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries, such as crystallization of lyophilized cakes, direct compaction, powder caking, coating and packaging material permeability, and solidstate stability. In terms of solid dosage forms and excipients, knowledge of moisture adsorption phenomena will give useful information for selecting excipients, such as disintegrating agents, direct compression carriers and binders, as well as humidity control during production and storage. The objectives of this chapter are to review basic concepts of water–solid interactions, to present approaches taken to characterize such interactions, on empirical, surface energy, and molecular structural levels, and to identify risks/solid-state issues encountered in the pharmaceutical industry that arise from these interactions.
Effect of FYM and N levels on spinach yield, N-use efficiency and soil fertility in potato-spinach sequence.

A field study was conducted at shimla during 2002-03 to 2004-05 to work out the farmyard manure (FYM) and N requirement of spinach and its effect on soil fertility in potato – spinach sequence. residual effect of 30 t FYM, 150 kg N, 83 kg P and 43.7 kg K/ha applied to potato resulted in saving of 25 kg n/ha in spinach. however, application of recommended FYM (10 t/ha) was essential to achieve potential yield of spinach. The partial factor productivity (PFP) of applied n in spinach showed a declining trend with increasing n rates but showed an improvement when FYM was applied. The mean values of PFP in the absence and presence of FYM were 0.29 t and 0.42 t/kg N, respectively. agronomic and physiological efficiencies also increased in the presence of FYM. nutrient balance and NPK status of soil improved over three years period.
Free Radical Polymerization of N-Vinylformamide and Novel Comb-structure Polyelectrolytes

This thesis summarizes experimental and theoretical studies on N-vinylformamide (NVF) free radical polymerization and the synthesis and evaluation of cationic grafted copolymers for flocculation purpose. The free radical polymerization of N-vinylformamide was studied in bulk and aqueous solution processes. The molar heat of reaction for NVF polymerization was measured to be 79.4 kJ/mo! The polymerization kinetics, including the conversion versus time, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, was examined systematically. Significant "gel effect" was observed in bulk and solution polymerization when the monomer concentration was over 40wt% (5.63 moI/L). A semi-empirical model based on the free volume theory was proposed to describe both the bulk and solution polymerizations. It was also confirmed that amide group provided crosslinking points that formed PNVF gel during NVF free radical polymerization. The subsequent acidic and basic hydrolysis to convert PNVF to PV Am was also studied systematically. The effect of temperature, polymer/acid (or base) ratios and polymer concentrations were examined. Two methods were used to synthesize cationic grafted copolymers for flocculation purposes. In the first method, NVF monomer was copolymerized with two cationic poly dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (polyDMAEMA) methyl chloride macromonomers to produce a series of comb-grafted copolymers with different cationic contents. One cationic macro monomer had a molecular weight of 14,100 (50 repeating units) and the other had a molecular weight of 28,200 (100 repeating units). The copolymerization reactivity ratio (rl) of the comonomer pair (NVF(M 1)-macromonomer(M2» was determined to be 3.82 and 6.39 for the two macromonomers with 50 and 100 repeating units. The flocculation performance of the graft copolymers was tested on a Ti02 aqueous dispersion model system. The graft copolymers were found to be more III effective in flocculation than their random linear counterparts. In the second method, poly diallydimethyl ammonium chloride (polyDADMAC) was grafted onto polyacrylamide (PAM) using a mini-mixer in melts with an organic peroxide, Lupersol 130. This process resembled reactive processing usually carried out at a larger scale in extruders to handle highly viscous polymer reactions. The grafting was confirmed and successful. However, severe gelation problem with PAM that occurred during the process hampered the grafting efforts. Parallel to these studies based on experimental data, a theoretical model was derived to describe the bivariate distribution of molecular weight and branching density for comb-grafted copolymers. This model was based on the random grafting of pre-formed side chains onto backbones (grafting-onto) mechanism. However, it is also applicable to the comb polymers synthesized by grafting-from and grafting-through mechanisms as long as the inclusion of the branching point is a random process.
Mesoscale modeling and computational simulation studies of the self-assembly of heterogeneous colloidal systems.

Over the last two decades researchers have advanced the field of colloidal synthesis by developing new synthesis techniques. Colloidal particles are known to self-assemble into various unique architectures. However, there is still no simple rule relating system condition and particle type to achievable self-assembled structures. The goal of this thesis was to use simulation methods to further develop an understanding of how tailoring interparticle interactions and system parameters (such as temperature and concentration) leads to self-assembled structures. The applicability of one specific colloidal system - nanotetrapods - for use as nanoelectronic circuit elements is investigated. The electrical response for MESFET and JFET nanotetrapods was determined through Technology Aided Design Tools, and it was determined that nanotetrapods have the potential to be utilized as circuit elements. Monte Carlo simulations provide insight into how proper tuning of particle-particle and particle-substrate interactions result in the assembly of ordered arrays of electrically gated nanotetrapods. We used lattice energy calculations and normal mode analysis (NMA) to investigate the thermodynamic and mechanical stability of binary, ionic colloidal crystals with size ratio 1.0 : 0.8. Based on these methods, theoretical predictions were made regarding the stable crystal structure as a function of potential interaction parameters. We found the normal mode results are in agreement with lattice energy results, and were compared to molecular dynamics simulations to determine the capacity for self-assembly. We found that not all predicted structures are kinetically accessible. Additionally, we investigated the self-assembly of colloidal crystals for one specific interaction parameter as a function of density and temperature, and found that, in addition to the theoretically predicted crystal structure, a second entropically stabilized crystal structure formed at higher temperatures. The extension of NMA to finite temperature systems was developed without having to couple to slower simulations. Using the Lennard-Jones model, kinetic energy was introduced into the system by randomly displacing particles in a crystal. Temperature was related to these displacements through the equipartition theorem. Upon comparison with published work on the Lennard-Jones spinodal, we determined that NMA reasonably predicts the limit of mechanical stability at low temperatures, but overestimates it at higher temperatures.
16.0% Efficient Thin-Film CdS/CdTe Solar Cells

High efficiency cadmium sulfide (CdS)/cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells have been developed using ultrathin CdS films having a thickness of 50 nm. CdS films deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO)/#1737 glass substrates by the metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique, and CdTe films subsequently deposited by the close-spaced sublimation technique were used for the fabrication of CdS/CdTe solar cells. A photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 16.0% under Air Mass (AM) 1.5 conditions has been measured by the Japan Quality Assurance Organization.
A cold chromium distillation procedure for radiolabeled sulfide applied to sulfate reduction measurements

The separation and detection of extremely small amounts of radiolabeled reduced sulfur species for the determination of very low sulfate reduction rates (SRR) with the 35SO42− radiotracer was improved by optimization of the entire distillation and detection process. By reducing the amount of background radioactivity, the threshold from which turnover of radiotracer can be detected was lowered considerably. Reduction of the background radioactivity was achieved by (1) reducing cross‐contamination between distillations by modifying the distillation setup, and (2) preventing an unidentified 35S‐containing compound that greatly contributes to the background from reaching the final trap by lowering the distillation temperature. These improvements allow the measurement of low SRR, shorter incubation times, and the use of less radiotracer. Experiments with pure sulfur minerals and a variety of sediments verified that the efficiency of the new method is equal to the hot single‐step chromium reduction method, but with a greatly improved reproducibility.
Comparison of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectra of Azo Dye Sudan III on Several Substrates

ABSTRACT On several substrates, including dried silver-coated filter paper, electro-polishing aluminum foils, and anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanometer array templates, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of Azo Dye Sudan III molecules were studied, and high-quality SERS spectra were obtained, which indicated that electro-polishing aluminum foils and AAO nanometer array templates were also active SERS substrates. A number of additional modes were presented, as well as some split peaks, which were especially obvious on electro-polishing aluminum foil and AAO nanometer array template. The enhancement mechanisms were discussed and the enhancement factors G were calculated as 104, 106, and 105, respectively.
Determination of Transport Parameters of Synthetic Membranes by Hyperfiltration Experiments Part II: Membrane Transport Parameters Independent of Pressure and/or Pressure Difference

Employing the transport relationships of the solution-diffusion model, the Kedem and Spiegler, or the finely-porous membrane model, and the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, the corresponding transport parameters have been determined from hyperfiltration experiments for homogeneous ion exchange membranes and asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes annealed at 90 °C and 85 °C. The transport relationships reproduce the measured values of salt rejection r and volume flux q equally well except the solution-diffusion model relationships which yield large deviations between calculated and measured values of r at larger salt concentrations and volume fluxes. The analysis demonstrates that a considerable amount of convective salt flow contributes to the total salt flux also across asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes. In addition to actual transport parameters, partition and diffusion coefficients of NaCl within the membrane are derived from the original transport parameters which agree substantially with corresponding values from the literature. Furthermore, transport parameters have been evaluated for the CA-90 membrane and a 0.5 M NaCl brine solution using different definitions of the mean salt concentration. Cs. This analysis suggests that the concentration profile in the membrane actually exists at high pressures, as required by the finely-porous membrane model.