Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
N-Type Cu2O by Electrochemical Doping with Cl

Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) is naturally p-type, which has prevented an efficient Cu 2 O solar cell. n-Type doping of Cu 2 O is demonstrated during electrochemical deposition by adding a chlorine (Cl) precursor to the aqueous solution. Current-voltage characterization reveals that the resistivity of undoped Cu 2 O by electrochemical deposition is ∼ 40 MΩ cm, while that of electrochemically doped Cu 2 O with Cl is significantly reduced to as low as ∼7 Ω cm. X-ray diffraction confirms that the films are pure Cu 2 O. Photocurrent measurements verify that Cl-doped Cu 2 O is n-type. The solution-based doping method is particularly suitable for low-cost, large-area, and high-throughput fabrication of Cu 2 O solar cells.
Study on Prompt Methane Hydrate Formation Derived by Addition of Ionic Liquid

Aims: The objective of this study is to establish the fundamental model on methane hydrate formation and to accelerate the rate of methane hydrate formation with a small amount of ionic liquid and to investigate the effect of ionic liquid on hydrate formation. Study Design: Experimental study containing modeling. Place and Duration of Study: The present study was held between April 2010 and February 2012 at Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Materials Engineering Science, Osaka University. Methodology: Methane hydrate formation was modelized based on the driving force, fugacity difference before and after hydrate formation. BMIM-hexafuorophosphate (BMIMPF6) was adopted as a representative of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (BMIM) salts. The temperature dependence of methane hydrate formation rate was investigated and activation energy of hydrate formation was evaluated for the pure water and BMIM-PF6 aqueous solution systems. Research Article American Chemical Science Journal, 2(3): 100-110, 2012 101 Results: An addition of small amount of BMIM-PF6 is able to accelerate the methane hydrate formation. The pseudo-first order reaction model is applicable to the methane hydrate formation in both the pure water and BMIM-PF6 aqueous solution systems. The activation energies of methane hydrate formation are large negative values in the both systems, that is, the methane hydrate formation process is considered to be composed of the precursory hydration and succeeding hydrate formation. A very small amount of BMIMPF6 seems to change the interfacial energy between guest molecules and precursor or initial hydrate particles without the change of the activation energy for overall methane hydrate formation.
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Nicotinic receptors are cation-permeable ion channels activated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The muscle-type receptor mediates all fast synaptic excitation on voluntary muscle. We review both the structure and the function of muscle/Torpedo receptor, and the function of several mutants. Recent developments both in knowledge of structure and in analysis of single-channel records are beginning to throw light on the role of single amino acid residues in the molecular events (the binding of an agonist and the gating of the channel) that lead to channel opening. In the nervous system, nicotinic channels mediate the majority of fast excitation only in autonomic ganglia, but are also present at presynaptic locations. Issues of receptor classification and subunit composition are particularly relevant for neuronal channels because of the numerous subunit combinations possible and because relatively few selective competitive antagonists are available, a situation that may improve with the characterization of alpha-conotoxins. Inherited mutations in nicotinic channels give rise to rare congenital forms of human disease (myasthenia for muscle and epilepsy for neuronal receptors). Keywords: acetylcholine; channel; ion channel; single channels; structure; function; proteins
Effect of Phosphorus Precipitation Chemicals on Characteristics and Agricultural Value of Municipal Sewage Sludges

Abstract In a two-year pot experiment with spring barley, Al sludge caused a decrease in grain yield compared to a P fertilized treatment without sludge on acid sandy clay soil only. Fe+Al sludge 2 and AVR sludge decreased the grain yield on organic soil, whereas Fe+Al sludge 1 sludge gave good results on all soils. Precipitated, quick lime stabilized sludges and Ca sludge were on a par with P fertilization. Increases in P, Ca, Al and Fe contents of sludge treated soils affected the element contents of grains less than the contents of straw. Sludges precipitated with Al and Fe increased the content of these elements in straw. The uptake of P by the total barley yield was highest when Fe+Al sludge 1 was applied, irrespective of soil type. P uptake was lowest with Al sludge on mineral soils and with Fe+Al sludge 2 on organic soil. Uptakes of Al and Fe were dependent on these elements being added in the soils with sludges. The proportion of grains on the total uptake of Al was about one-tenth and that of Fe .
Correction of topographic artefacts of ToF‐SIMS element distributions

Images of time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) element distributions at the sample surface may be distorted when dealing with topographically structured samples and an oblique primary ion beam angle. This distortion becomes problematic if topographic feature heights exceed the primary ion beam diameter. Such topographic features may stem from initial topography, but they can also be introduced through differential sputtering of the sample during depth profiling. Current ToF‐SIMS software cannot take sample topography or differential sputtering into account. Instead, it assumes a flat surface and the same constant sputter rate for the whole sample which results in laterally and vertically distorted element distributions in depth profiles. Both of these negative effects are demonstrated using a thin layer system. We propose an algorithm to correct both kinds of defects for 2D and 3D ToF‐SIMS element distributions by combining them with topographic information. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Combined Thermal and High Pressure Treatment on Bacillus Species

High pressure processing (HPP) is effective in preserving the organoleptic attributes of many food products but there are concerns about the microbiological safety of this technique. HPP can inactivate some microorganisms in their vegetative form, but as others can be resistant to pressures as high as 1200 MPa the use of HPP may be limited to pasteurization applications only. This, together with the high cost of the equipment has limited its use in food manufacturing. We have used Pressure-Assisted Thermal Sterilization to inactivate Bacillus spores and found that the use of moderate pressure and elevated temperature resulted in a significant decrease in the decimal reduction time (D-value) of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus stearothermophilus.
Preparation of cellulose derivatives via ring-opening reactions with cyclic reagents in lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide

Etude de la reactivite des groupes hydroxy vis a vis des reactifs cycliques. Les epoxydes ne reagissent pas. Les anhydrides et les lactomes reagissent en presence de triethylamine. La 1,3-propane sultone reagit avec l'ion Ct present. La ∈-coprolactone reagit pour donner un ω-hydroxy ester de cellulose par un mecanisme d'addition elimination
Separation of Lignin from Pine-Nut Hull by the Method of HBS and Preparation of Lignin-PEG-PAPI

By the method of high boiling solvent (HBS), HBS-lignin has been separated from pine-nut hull with 1,4-butanediol solution as solvent, and characterized by GPC, IR, 1HNMR and TG. The optimal conditions are described as: the ratio of solid raw material to solvent (g:mL) in 1:12, the amount of catalyst in 6%, the reaction time for 2 hrs, reaction temperature at 200°C, and 90% of 1,4-butanediol as the solvent, and the yield of lignin up to 70%. The hydroxyl value of obtained HBS-lignin is about 197.2mgKOH/g. Furthermore, the HBS-lignin replaces the partial PEG400 to employ the synthesis of lignin-PEG-PAPI. The experimental results indicate that mechanical properties and solvent resistance of lignin-PEG-PAPI are apparently improved with comparison to the PEG-PAPI.
Inland Concentrations of Cl2 and ClNO2 in Southeast Texas Suggest Chlorine Chemistry Significantly Contributes to Atmospheric Reactivity

Measurements of molecular chlorine (Cl2), nitryl chloride (ClNO2), and dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) were taken as part of the DISCOVER-AQ Texas 2013 campaign with a High Resolution Time-of-Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-CIMS) using iodide (I-) as a reagent ion. ClNO2 concentrations exceeding 50 ppt were regularly detected with peak concentrations typically occurring between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 am. Hourly averaged Cl2 concentrations peaked daily between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. , with a 29-day average of 0.9 ± 0.3 (1σ) ppt. A day-time Cl2 source of up to 35 ppt∙h−1 is required to explain these observations, corresponding to a maximum chlorine radical (Cl•) production rate of 70 ppt∙h−1. Modeling of the Cl2 source suggests that it can enhance daily maximum O3 and RO2• concentrations by 8%–10% and 28%–50%, respectively. Modeling of observed ClNO2 assuming a well-mixed nocturnal boundary layer indicates O3 and RO2• enhancements of up to 2.1% and 38%, respectively, with a maximum impact in the early morning. These enhancements affect the formation of secondary organic aerosol and compliance with air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter.
Composition dependence of the work function of Ta1−xAlxNy metal gates

It is shown that the work function of Ta1−xAlxNy depends on the electrode and gate dielectric compositions. Specifically, the work function of Ta1−xAlxNy increased with SiO2 content in the gate dielectric, reaching as high as 5.0eV on SiO2; the work function was nearly 400mV smaller on HfO2. In addition, the work function decreased with increasing nitrogen content in the Ta1−xAlxNy metal gate. Increasing Al concentration increased the work function up to about 15% Al, but the work function decreased for higher Al concentrations. Chemical analysis shows that Al–O bonding at the interface correlates with the observed work function values.
Overview of qPCR Molecular Probes

In recent times, varieties of modified synthetic oligonucleotides conjugated with reporter molecules have been employed in hybridization‐based assays. These methods have broad applications in both basic molecular biology research and in clinical diagnostics and screening because they have high specificity to a target nucleic acid sequence. The development of the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process has improved the performance and utility of these hybridization‐based assays. In this unit, we discuss the main principles of the design and synthesis of the qPCR probes. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Label-Free Aptamer Nanogold Resonance Scattering Method for Trace Alkaline Phosphatase Coupling the Adenosine Triphosphate Reaction

In pH 8.5 Tris-HCl buffer solutions, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) catalyzed the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) substrate to form adenosine diphosphate (ADP) that can be terminated by addition of H3PO4. The unhydrolyzed ATP molecules react specifically with the DNA1 of double strand DNA (dsDNA) to produce a stable G-quartet and a single stranded DNA2 (DNA 2) that can protect nanogold (NG) to form stable NG-DNA2 conjugates. In the presence of salt, the unprotected NGs were combined to form large aggregates that exhibited a resonance scattering (RS) peak at 590 nm. Under the chosen conditions, when ALP increased, the ATP decreased, the formed DNA2 decreased, that is, the NG-DNA2 decreased, and the NG aggregations increased that caused the RS peak to be enhanced linearly at 590 nm. The enhanced RS intensity ΔI was linear to ALP content in the range of 0.2–7.83 µM, with a detection limit of 0.1 µM ALP. This enzyme-catalyzed aptamer-nanogold RS method was applied to analysis of real samples, and the results were in agreement with those of a fluorescence method.
Gas chromatography and spectral method application for the study of the Bulgarian yoghurt flavour

Gas chromatography was applied for the analysis of the volatile components responsible for the flavour of Bulgarian yoghurt. The identification of the components contained in the head space method samples was made in accordance with the relative retention time on phases of different polarity. The basic investigations were made on a fixed Carbowax-400 phase and its advantages before the remaining fixed phases are emphasised. A volatile aromatic substances concentrate was obtained by means of distillation. Afer preparatory division identification was made with the help of UR and NMR spectroscopy. As a result of the investigations it was proved that the basic volatile components participating in the formation of the flavour of the Bulgarian yoghurt are: acetaldehyde, acetone, ethanol, butanone-2, diacetyl, and ethylacetate.
DDX Profiles in Agricultural Fields Used for Cucurbit Production in Sakarya, Turkey

DDT (2,2-bis(chlorophenyl)-1,1,1- trichloroethane) and its metabolites DDD (2,2-bis(chlorophenyl)-1,1 -dichloroethane) and DDE (2,2-bis(chloraphenyl)-1,1 –dichloroethylene) have half-lives in soil measured in years or decades and are classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). In this study, p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDD, and p,p′-DDE residues were investigated in select agricultural fields of Sakarya Province, Turkey, where Cucurbitaceae have been grown for many years. Total squash and pumpkin production in Sakarya is approximately 3% of total cucurbit production of Turkey but little is known about the concentrations of DDT, DDD, and DDE in these agricultural soils. Thirty-three soil samples were collected from agricultural fields in different counties of Sakarya. p,p′-DDT was detected in all soil samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.23 ng/g to 123 ng/g soil (dry weight). The concentrations of p,p′-DDT metabolites ranged from nondetectable (<0.06 ng/g) to 120 ng/g for p,p′-DDD and from nondetectable (<0.03 ng/g) to 294 ng/g for p,p′-DDE. The highest total DDX (sum of p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDD, and p,p′-DDE) concentrations among the soil samples was 428 ng/g in a sample collected from Karasu County. Further research in this field was conducted to measure p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE, and p,p′-DDD concentrations at multiple locations as a function of soil depth. p,p′-DDT concentrations were measured from 52 ng/g to 1935 ng/g at 0–60 cm depth. The highest DDX concentration was observed at a location where plants have been actively grown since 1987. The lowest DDX concentrations were observed where crops have not been grown since 1987. Our data proved that soil DDX levels at the field gradually increased as a function of how extensively the field has been used for cucurbits production. However, it is not certain whether the application of p,p′-DDT was terminated or if there may still be illegal usage in agricultural soils.
Flame Retardant Properties of Two Different Synthetic Process of Ammonium Polyphosphates

Ammonium polyphosphate (APP) produced by non-P2O5 process and traditional P2O5 process were used in the intumescent flame retardant (IFR) polypropylene (PP) composite (IFR-PP). The composite was tested by limited oxygen index (LOI) and UL-94. TGA and SEM were used to study the decomposition processes. Results showed that when the ratio of APP-II/ pentaerythritol/melamine is 3/1/1, the LOI value is 33.1, and all composite could reach UL-94 V0 rating. The results showed that APP by non-P2O5 process had similar IFR properties as APP of traditional P2O5 process
Visible light-driven novel g-C3N4/NiFe-LDH composite photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity towards water oxidation and reduction reaction

Exploiting the advantage of a layered architecture, layered graphitic carbon nitride (CN) and NiFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) have been coupled in the present investigation to design a series of highly efficient novel CNLDH composites for visible light-induced photocatalytic H2 and O2 evolution. The syntheses of these composites were carried out using a facile weight impregnation method while varying the wt% of CN on LDH. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of these composites were characterized by various physicochemical techniques. The results indicate a tuned-in band gap energy within the range of pure LDH to pure CN. In addition, the remarkable quenching of the PL signal and prolonged photogenerated charge lifetime confirmed by TRPL spectra demonstrates the excellent photocatalytic activity of these composites. The activity could be ascribed to the dispersion of exfoliated CN over the brucite layer of LDH, in which strong energy transfer takes place in terms of charge carriers. The visible light-induced photocatalytic H2 and O2 evolution study resulted in an enhancement in the activity of the CNLDH10 composite with a H2 evolution rate of 1488 μmol 2 h−1 and O2 evolution rate of 886 μmol 2 h−1. The high photocatalytic activities of these composites may be due to good dispersion of exfoliated CN over the brucite layer of edge-shared MO6 octahedra, higher life time of charge carriers, low PL intensity, appropriate band gap energy and enhancement in photocurrent density.
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Hydrophobic Peptides

Hydrophobic peptides, especially those with acid-labile protecting groups, are difficult to characterize using mass spectrometric methods. We have developed a new procedure for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometric analysis of such samples. Hydrophobic peptides, which are insoluble in aqueous solutions, are dissolved in chloroform and combined with matrixes prepared in chloroform or chloroform/methanol solutions. The use of a common solvent for the matrix and the analyte improves the analyte isolation step in MALDI mass spectrometry. The lack of acidic solutions previously used for electrospray ionization or MALDI mass spectrometry of hydrophobic peptides extends this methodology to cyclic or protected hydrophobic peptides. Conventional peptide matrixes, such as 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and sinapinic acid, as well as 3-indoleacrylic acid are shown to be suitable for hydrophobic peptides. Cyclic hydrophobic peptides and linear hydrophobic peptides with b.
Terahertz and far-infrared response of Ba x Sr1− x TiO3 films

Here, we report on the experimental study of terahertz (THz) and far-infrared dielectric response of polycrystalline Ba x Sr1− x TiO3 (x = 0.5, 0.7, and 0.8) films of 0.3−1 µm thicknesses deposited on a sapphire. THz and far-infrared transmission measurements were performed in 100–420 K temperature range covering the vicinity of T C of their bulk prototypes. We identified all polar optical phonons observed in bulk samples below 400 cm−1 of the same composition including soft and central modes and found some additional features, which we assigned to the depolarizing field effect coming from the structural inhomogeneity and unreleased strain.
Highly vibrationally excited O2 molecules in low-pressure inductively-coupled plasmas detected by high sensitivity ultra-broad-band optical absorption spectroscopy

Inductively-coupled plasmas in pure O2 (at pressures of 5–80 mTorr and radiofrequency power up to 500 W) were studied by optical absorption spectroscopy over the spectral range 200–450 nm, showing the presence of highly vibrationally excited O2 molecules (up to vʺ = 18) by Schumann–Runge band absorption. Analysis of the relative band intensities indicates a vibrational temperature up to 10,000 K, but these hot molecules only represent a fraction of the total O2 density. By analysing the (11-0) band at higher spectral resolution the O2 rotational temperature was also determined, and was found to increase with both pressure and power, reaching 900 K at 80 mTorr 500 W. These measurements were achieved using a new high-sensitivity ultra-broad-band absorption spectroscopy setup, based on a laser-plasma light source, achromatic optics and an aberration-corrected spectrograph. This setup allows the measurement of weak broadband absorbances due to a baseline variability lower than 2 × 10−5 across a spectral range of 250 nm.
Cobalt (II) Complexes with Tri‐ and Tetradentate Schiff Bases Derived From 2‐Furyl Glyoxal and Some Amines

Coordination compounds of cobalt (II) with four new schiff bases of furyl glyoxal, 2-furyl-methyl-2′-carboxylato ketoanil (2 FMCKA), 2-furyl glyoxal ethyenediimine (2 FGED), 2-furyl giyoxal-2′-sulphonic acid anil (2 FGSAA) and 2-furyl glyoxal-2′-chloro-4-nitro anilimimine (2 FGCNA) were prepared and characterised with the help of elemental analyses, magnetic measurements, infra-red and electonic spectral data. Various ligand field parameters such as 10 Dq, B & C, F2 & F4, f2 & f4, h, B° etc. and transition energies ν1;, ν2 & ν3, were calculated with the help of electronic spectral data. The ν(C=N) bands in the IR spectra of all the ligands are lowered in complexation indicating nitrogen coordination of the ligands. All these studies indicate that cobalt(II) ion is in a distorted octahedral environment.
Postharvest Damage of Mangosteen and Quality Grading Using Mechanical and Optical Properties as Indicators

Postharvest damage in fresh mangosteens at wholesale level in Thailand was investigated from April to October 2004. A total of 37.1% of the production yield was rendered inedible by damage during this period; damages included fruit cracking, hardened rinds, rough surfaces, translucent flesh, gummosis and decay. This study focused on a method of predicting damage based on the color of the skin of the affected mangosteen. As a first step, diameter, height, weight, and volume of large, medium, small, and undersize mangosteens were measured. The term, dimension ratio, was introduced as a sizing parameter identifying conventional trade size. The coefficient of static friction of the glossy- and rough-surface mangosteens on plexiglass, plywood, and galvanized steel sheet varied from 0.31 to 0.46. The color of sound and defective fruits was measured in terms of their tristimulus values X, Y, and Z. The corresponding chromaticity coordinates of a mangosteen, x and z, depended on the maturity stage of the fruit while y depended on the type of fruit surface. A ratio was proposed to test the accuracy of predicting internal defects from the color variation between two spots on the surface of the same fruit. The highest percentage of correct prediction was 67.4% with a color ratio of X1 (pink blush color on yellow ground color) to X2 (pink color) that was greater than 1.25.
Light-scattering study of the sol-gel transition in silicon tetraethoxide

Etude par diffusion lumineuse de la taille et de la position relative des polymeres formes au cours de la polymerisation dans le melange eau/ethanol du tetraethanolate de silicium. Formation de polymeres a structure fractale; interpenetration des polymeres caracterisee par une longueur d'ecran au-dela de laquelle les relations internes d'un polymere sont masquees par celles entre polymeres distincts. Developpement des agregats et des vides au-dela du point de gel
Raman investigation of vitreous and molten boric oxide

Raman data have been obtained for vitreous and molten B2O3 from −196 to 1594 °C. A ΔH° of 6.4±0.4 kcal/mole boroxol was obtained from the temperature dependence of ratios of integrated Raman intensities. This heat is thought to correspond to the transformation of BO3 triangles in boroxol rings, to BO3 triangles in a random network. Vitreous B2O3 is composed predominantly of boroxol rings, but the boroxol ring concentration decreases with increasing temperature in the melt, and becomes small at temperatures above 1600 °C.