Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Second growth : the promise of tropical forest regeneration in an age of deforestation

For decades, conservation and research initiatives in tropical forests have focused almost exclusively on old-growth forests because scientists believed that these pristiner ecosystems housed superior levels of biodiversity. With Second Growth, Robin L. Chazdon reveals those assumptions to be largely false, bringing to the fore the previously overlooked counterpart to old-growth forest: second growth. Even as human activities result in extensive fragmentation and deforestation, tropical forests demonstrate a great capacity for natural and human-aided regeneration. Although these damaged landscapes can take centuries to regain the characteristics of old growth, Chazdon shows here that regenerating or second-growth forests are vital, dynamic reservoirs of biodiversity and environmental services. What is more, they always have been. With chapters on the roles these forests play in carbon and nutrient cycling, sustaining biodiversity, providing timber and non-timber products, and integrated agriculture, Second Growth not only offers a thorough and wide-ranging overview of successional and restoration pathways, but also underscores the need to conserve, and further study, regenerating tropical forests in an attempt to inspire a new age of local and global stewardship.
Selected specific rates of reactions of transients from water in aqueous solution. III. Hydroxyl radical and perhydroxyl radical and their radical ions

Rates of reactions of OH and HO/sub 2/ with organic and inorganic molecules, ions and transients in aqueous solution have been tabulated, as well as the rates for the corresponding radical ions in aqueous solution (O/sup -/ and O/sub 2//sup -/). Most of the rates have been obtained by radiation chemistry methods, both pulsed and steady-state; data from photochemistry and thermal methods are also included. Rates for over one thousand reactions are listed.
Unraveling a Membrane Protein

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an elegant technique in which a roving microscopic needle tip provides images of the surfaces of objects beneath it. In a Perspective, Forbes and Lorimer discuss how AFM can be applied to the step-wise unfolding of membrane proteins such as bacteriorhodopsin ( Oesterhelt et al.). When the AFM tip becomes attached to points on the protein exposed on the membrane surface, the protein unfolds, helix by helix, as the tip is withdrawn.
Composition of the Leaf Essential Oil of Cinnamomum verum (Lauraceae) from Fiji Islands

Abstract The leaf essential oils of Cinnamomum verum of the family Lauraceae of Fijian origin have been analyzed by GC and GC-MS. This paper reports the characterization of thirty one components of the Fijian C. verum leaf essential oil, of which eugenol (86.02 %), (E)-caryophyllene (5.70 %) and linalool (2.30 %) were the major constituents. From the Indian C. verum leaf essential oils, only nine components were previously reported.
Space syntax and spatial cognition: or why the axial line?

Space syntax research has found that spatial configuration alone, represented and measured ina specific manner, explains a substantial proportion of the variance between aggregate humanmovement rates in different locations in both urban and building interior space. Althoughit seems possible to explain "how" people move on the basis of these analyses, thequestion of "why" they move this way has always seemed problematic since the analysiscontains no explicit representations of either motivations or individual cognition. One possibleexplanation for the predictive power of the method is that the way people understandtheir environment and decide on movement behaviours is somehow implicitly embedded inspace syntax analysis. This paper explores the contribution made by space syntax theories andresearch to our understanding of environmental cognition, and addresses the question ofwhy the axial representation is so empirically successful. On the basis of a review of some ofthe relevant findings of space syntax research, it proposes that "cognitive space", defined asthat space which supports our understanding of configurations more extensive than ourcurrent visual field, is not a metric space, but topological or pre-topological in nature. Ahypothetical process for deriving a non-metric space from the metric visibility graph involvingexploratory movement is developed. The resulting space is shown to closely resemble theaxial graph. Recent research using simulation agents with vision confirms that axial movementpatterns follow from a simple random movement rule combined with a forward facingvisual field. It is argued that the social effects of spatial configuration in structuring communicationand transaction between individuals is based on co-presence in space, and that copresenceis determined by the local visual field and the way that configuration brings movementroutes through that field, are thus largely exosomatic in nature.
Tuning palladium selective oxidation catalysts via mesoporous supports

Surfactant templating provides a facile route to mesoporous materials with tuneable architectures, whilst simultaneously allowing control over complementary macro and micro porosity. The impact of these varying physical properties, on both catalyst synthesis and during catalytic reactions, was one principal area of investigation. Catalyst series were prepared on mesoporous SBA-15, SBA-16 and KIT-6, meso-macroporous SBA-15, true liquid crystal templated SBA-15 and a commercial low surface area silica support. Additionally two mesoporous alumina series, with mesoporosity akin to SBA-15, were produced. The catalytic activity of the materials was screened for the selective oxidation of allylic alcohols, which represents a class of industrially relevant chemical upgrading reactions. Nanoparticulate palladium is widely recognised as an able catalytic species, although the active site nature is still debated with both metallic and oxidic surfaces proposed. Further insight into the active species was another major area of investigation. Extensive characterisation confirmed successful support synthesis and mesopore stability after palladium impregnation. Irrespective of support, decreasing metal loading elevates dispersion (particles sizes are typically less than 2nm), which correlates with the increase of surface PdO content. In relation to the silica supports these trends escalate via support transition in the order of: Pd/low surface area commercial silica < Pd/true liquid crystal templated SBA-15 < Pd/SBA-15 < Pd/mesomacroporous SBA-15 < Pd/KIT-6 ≈ Pd/SBA-16. Initially increasing support surface area is critical and later rising mesopore accessibility dictates. Catalytic activity, for cinnamyl and crotyl alcohol selective oxidation, reveals significant rateenhancements with PdO content, with turnover frequencies providing compelling proof of a PdO active species. Alumina supports, even with lower surface areas than equivalent silicas, allow further gains in metal dispersion, surface oxidation state and resulting catalytic activity. In conclusion, tuning the physical and chemical properties of the support is paramount if highly active catalysts are to be produced.
Creation Of Information Technologies For Sign Language Modeling And Learning

In the article a conception is developed and new information technology is proposed for sign language modelling on the base of human spatial model. For the transmission of movements of the real human-informant of sign language on a spatial model technology of motion capture is used. The algorithm of synchronization of vocal information with its visualization on the human face is developed. Efficiency of the developed information technology is shown on realization of Ukrainian sign language. The proposed approach is carried by universal character and can be used for the modelling of other sign languages .
Preparation, Characterisation and Modification of Ammonium Tartrate Templated Organosilicate Nanotubes

ABSTRACT Silica nanotubes have been prepared by room temperature sol-gel chemistry, using crystalline ammonium tartrate as the tube-forming template. In this study, hybrid organosilicates have been prepared by incorporating methyltriethoxysilane (MTES), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) precursors during sol formation. The synthetic conditions have been systematically studied and a range of hybrid organosilicate tubes prepared. The physical characteristics of the materials were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the aging of the tubes due to slow post-gelation condensation reactions was investigated. The morphology of the nanotubes changes when organosiloxanes are incorporated as precursors. Two methods of labeling the nanotubes, fluorescein labeled tubes and rhodamine B-dextran encapsulated in silica nanotubes, were demonstrated. The adsorption of enzyme proteins on nanotube walls is readily observed by SEM.
Reinforcement of nanostructured reduced graphene oxide: a facile approach to develop high-performance nanocomposite ultrafiltration membranes minimizing the trade-off between flux and selectivity

The salient features of a nanostructured carbonaceous material like graphene or graphene oxide have provided innovative alternatives for the development of nanocomposite membranes with better selectivity without having a compromise in throughput, which as a result have a promising role to play in desalination and water purification. Here, nanostructured reduced graphene oxide (nRGO) is synthesized from graphite powder and characterized. Using non-solvent induced phase inversion technique, a series of nanocomposite ultrafiltration (UF) membranes are developed by in situ impregnation of the as synthesized nRGO in polysulfone (Ps) polymer matrix with variation of nRGO from 1 to 8 w/w%. The physicochemical features and transport properties offered by the membranes are evaluated. Structural characterization of the Ps–nRGO composite UF membranes is done by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The variation in porous morphology of the membranes upon impregnation of nRGO is evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Variation in skin surface topography is analyzed by atomic force microscopy. The change in surface hydrophilicity is evaluated by contact angle studies. The thermal and mechanical properties of the membranes are assessed by thermogravimetric analysis and tensile strength measurements, respectively. The studies reveal that an optimum loading of nRGO (2 w/w%) in the Ps matrix resulted in membranes with elimination of the trade-off between the flux and selectivity that exists with the conventional UF membranes. In addition, the optimum loading of nRGO resulted in membranes with improved thermal and mechanical stability. Thus, nRGO as an emerging potential nanofiller can lead to the development of an ideal membrane with desirable attributes.
Heat inactivation of electron transport reactions in photosystem II particles

Heat inactivation of diphenylcarbazide (DPC)-supported 2,6-dichloroindophenol (DCIP) photoreduction by photosystem II (PS II) particles and non-oxygen-evolving PS II core complex isolated from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. cv. Kyoho) was suppressed under annealing conditions, and accelerated in the presence of EDTA or high concentration of divalent cations. After heating at 45°C for 10 min, half-maximal annealing effects occurred at 35°C. Minimum acceleration was observed in the presence of 1 mM Mg2+, implying the existence of a cation-specific site in the vicinity of the PS II reaction center. The acceleration depended on the temperature at which EDTA was added to PS II particles. Half-acceleration by EDTA occurred at 35°C. Glutaraldehyde stabilized PS II particles against heat inactivation of PS II photochemical reactions.
Field Study of Enhanced TCE Reductive Dechlorination by a Full‐Scale Whey PRB

This study evaluates the efficiency of a full‐scale, 81 m‐wide permeable reactive barrier (PRB) configured by injection of dairy whey in the downgradient region of a contaminant source zone to enhance the in situ biodegradation of high concentrations (102 to 103μg/L) of chlorinated ethenes (CEs). Ten biannual whey injections were completed in a 3.5‐year pilot phase and 1.5‐year operational phase. Improved and sustained dechlorination was observed at extraction/injection and downgradient wells in the fully‐operational phase, when dried whey masses were increased from 13.6 kg to 230–360 kg, whey slurry volumes were increased from 2300 L to 307,000–480,000 L, and extraction/injection well loops were employed for the application of whey. At extraction/injection wells, CEs decreased to low (≤10 μg/L) or undetectable levels. At downgradient wells, average trichloroethene concentrations decreased, by as much as 100% (from ≤384.2 during the pilot phase to ≤102.6 μg/L during the operational phase), while average cis‐dichloroethene concentrations decreased by as much as 57.5% (from ≤6466.1 to ≤4912.2 μg/L). Downgradient vinyl chloride averages either increased by as much as 63.8% (from ≤859.6 to ≤1407.9 μg/L) or decreased by 64.0% (from 1375.4 to 880 μg/L). Downgradient ethene + ethane averages increased by as much as 73.2% (from ≤1145.3 to ≤1347.1 μg/L). On the basis of the 2008 average market price, the estimated material cost of whey is $1.96/kg organic carbon or, for the configuration of an 81 m PRB by biannual application of 300 kg whey, $325/year. Carbon substrate cost comparisons and implications for efficient in situ treatment design are discussed.
Plasma resonance enhancement of Raman scattering by pyridine adsorbed on silver or gold sol particles of size comparable to the excitation wavelength

Intense Raman scattering by pyridine molecules adsorbed on silver or gold aqueous sol particles of dimensions comparable to the wavelength is reported. The degree of intensity enhancement is strongly dependent on the excitation wavelength, with a sharp resonance Raman maximum for excitation at the wavelength of the Mie extinction maximum of the metal particles, and for the silver sols the Raman maximum is shown to follow the extinction maximum to longer wavelengths with increase in particle size. A new resonance Raman phenomenon is thus proposed which is the Raman component of resonant Mie scattering, and in which the polarizability of the metal particles is modulated by the vibrations of the adsorbed molecules. These observations confirm that surface plasma oscillations are involved in the intense Raman scattering already reported for molecules adsorbed at roughened silver surfaces. The metal dielectric function requirements for resonant Mie scattering enable the optimum excitation wavelength for plasma resonance-enhanced Raman studies at the surface of other metals to be estimated.
Surface Morphology and Electron Transport Properties of Composite Films by Poly-N-vinylcarbazole/Polyaniline

Poly-N-vinylcarbazole/polyaniline (PVK-PANI) composites are synthesized by varying target loading concentrations of aniline (0.025 - 0.1 M). The surface morphology of the composites is studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The temperature-dependent DC conductivity of PVK-PANI composite films was studied at the temperature range of 300 - 500 K. The data suggest that the conductivity increase with an increase in aniline concentration in the composite with an increase in temperature. Further based on the conductivity behavior we can suggest that the PVK-PANI composites show a semiconducting behavior with a positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR). The enhanced conductivity and the positive TCR of the PVK-PANI composite films may be due to the strong interaction between PANI and PVK in the composite films.
Temperature‐dependent Raman scattering studies of polycrystalline BiFeO3 bulk ceramics

This work reports the temperature-dependent Raman scattering study of mutiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) bulk ceramics in a wide temperature range of 93–843 K. The polycrystalline samples are sintered at four different temperatures and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and optical microscopy. The microstructure shows remarkable changes in terms of grain size and domain pattern as the sintering temperature increases. The DSC curves show prominent exothermic peaks at 645 K, the antiferromagnetic–paramagnetic phase transition temperature. The Raman spectra of all the four specimens reveal strong anomalies in the vicinity of the Neel temperature, which can be attributed to the multiferroic nature of BFO. The Raman scattering studies also reveal considerable spectral changes at a temperature range of 140–200 K in all the specimens, which can be inferred to a further spin–reorientation transition exhibited in BFO at a cryogenic temperature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Planar-localized surface plasmon resonance device by block-copolymer and nanoimprint lithography fabrication methods

The authors report on the integration of delocalized surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) and localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) on a single device. The submicron SPR device was fabricated with nanoimprint lithography (NIL). Gold nanoparticles for LSPR generation were created and deposited via three methods and analyzed with rhodamine 6 G and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Compared to drop-cast and thin film annealing methods, gold nanoparticles fabricated from a diblock-copolymer NIL template produced the most significant effect on the charge-transfer component of the SERS enhancement mechanism due to near-field interactions at the 10 nm inter-particle separation region. The authors also report a 26% enhancement of optical resonance with an integrated SPR-LSPR plasmonic device consisting of a two-dimensional submicron aluminum grating fully coupled with gold nanoparticles measuring 20.4 nm in diameter in a water medium. If the 2D aluminum grating were coupled to an optimized nanoparti.
ABNORMALITIES OF NITRIC OXIDE‐MEDIATED VASORELAXATION IN A RAT MODEL OF METABOLIC SYNDROME: INVOLVEMENT OF PEROXYNITRITE FORMATION

1 We reported previously that nitric oxide (NO)‐mediated relaxation is impaired, despite an increase in NO production from the endothelium, in the thoracic aorta of SHR/NDmcr‐cp (SHR‐cp) rats, an animal model of the metabolic syndrome. In the present study, we investigated whether telmisartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, can improve abnormal vasorelaxation responses. 2 Treatment with telmisartan (10 mg/kg per day, p.o.) for 8 weeks reduced elevated blood pressure in SHR‐cp rats, but did not affect the increased bodyweight, serum triglyceride and glucose levels. Telmisartan restored impaired acetylcholine‐induced relaxation. Both increased endothelial NO synthase protein expression in aortas and 3‐nitrotyrosine content, evidence of peroxynitrite formation, were significantly suppressed by telmisartan. Serum levels of thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances, an index of oxidized lipids, were significantly decreased. 3 These results suggest that telmisartan can reduce the decline in NO bioavailability caused by peroxynitrite formation in the aortas of SHR‐cp rats. We propose that antagonism of angiotensin II action may be effective in preventing vascular endothelial dysfunction in metabolic syndrome.
Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Fixation and Bio‐oil Production of a Microalgal Consortium

In this study, a microalgal consortium was cultivated with different CO2 supplements: ambient air (0.03% CO2), 10 and 30% (v/v) CO2. It was found that the growth rate of the cultures supplemented with 30% CO2 was the highest among the others. The biomass and lipid productivity for the microalgal consortium with 30% CO2 were 21.1 and 4.8 mg L−1 day−1 (27.6% of dry weight, dw). The ability of CO2 fixation under 30% CO2 supplementation was found to be 0.0271 g CO2 L−1 day−1, which is higher than in the ambient air supplementation. Then, the microalgal consortium was cultivated with exhaust gas (19% CO2) from a power generator supplied by biogas from chicken manure. It was found that the growth of the microalgae supplemented with exhaust gas was higher than in the ambient air. The biomass and lipid productivity for the microalgal consortium with exhaust gas were 25.82 and 5.2 mg L−1 day−1 (16.96% of dw) and the most dominant algal species observed were Acutodesmus (Scenedesmus) sp. , A. dimorphus (Turpin) Tsarenko and Scenedesmus obliquus (Turpin) Kutzing, respectively. Moreover, it could be revealed that the ability of CO2 fixation under supplementations with exhaust gas increased 1.3-fold compared with ambient air. Therefore, the microalgal consortium has high potential for both CO2 reduction and bio-oil production, simultaneously.
Etude des fautes d'empilement dans les kaolinites partiellement désordonnées. I. Modèle d'empilement ne comportant que des fautes de translation

By the use of a model with two kinds of stacking faults it is possible to explain quantitatively X-ray powder diffraction patterns of disordered kaolinites. The first kind of defect consists of random translations which limit coherent scattering regions in all hk directions except h = k = 0. The second kind consists of shifts between layers of ± nb/3 (n integer) which limit coherent scattering only in hk directions with k ≠ 3n. The comparison of calculated patterns with experimental (02,11) and (20,13) bands gives the proportions of different kinds of layer displacements in two disordered kaolinites.
Dilatometric Investigations of Graphite Electrodes in Nonaqueous Lithium Battery Electrolytes

A relatively uncommon technique known as in situ electrochemical dilatometry can be used to record the macroscopic expansion (dilatation) and contraction of graphite samples during charge/discharge in cation‐containing nonaqueous electrolytes. Several electrolytes based on solvent mixtures such as ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate, pure propylene carbonate (PC), and PC with additional solvents (ethylene sulfite or chlorethylene carbonate) have been investigated. The dilatometer yields a clear distinction between solvated lithium intercalation/deintercalation occuring in pure PC (relative expansion of the order of >100%) and the corresponding unsolvated processes occuring in the other electrolytes (theoretical relative expansion of the order of 10%). Exfoliation of graphite due to solvated lithium intercalation may destroy the graphite sample. The penetration of electrolyte into pores or fissures of the exfoliated sample can also be monitored by dilatometry. Hence, dilatometry provides relevant information concerning the feasibility of a given electrolytic solution for rechargeable lithium‐ion cells with graphite as the negative electrode. Limitations and advantages of the electrochemical dilatometer and specific experimental features of the instrument are addressed. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.