Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clever teachers, clever sciences: preparing teachers for the challenge of teaching science, mathematics and technology in 21st century Australia

This research report examines current practices and innovations within the area of initial teacher training for science, mathematics and technology teaching students in universities across Australia. It covers both primary and secondary teacher education. Data is drawn through literature reviews, case studies and surveys covering 36 participating Australian universities. A high standard of teacher education was found. Suggestions are made for future innovation and research regarding teacher education in the fields of science, mathematics and technology. It is anticipated that the study will allow educators to see successful practices and innovations within other universities, and as such encourage the dissemination of high quality teacher education.
Canopy microclimate and berry composition: The effect of bunch exposure on the phenolic composition of Vitis vinifera L cv. Shiraz grape berries

Studies on the effect of light exposure on specific phenolic compounds of berries from Shiraz vines grown in a hot climate are reported. Berries that had developed on bunches receiving high levels of ambient light generally had the highest relative levels of quercetin-3-glucoside and a lower proportion of their malvidin anthocyanins as the coumarate derivative, compared to berries that had developed on bunches in shaded canopy conditions. The response of total anthocyanin levels to treatment conditions was variable and depended on the degree of bunch shading and the resultant berry temperature. It appears that a high degree of bunch exposure in hot climates is not conducive to optimal anthocyanin accumulation in berries. The interactive effects of light and temperature on berry phenolic content and concentration are discussed.
Vanadium nitride/carbon nanotube nanocomposites as electrodes for supercapacitors

Nanostructured vanadium nitride/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (VN/CNTs) composites for pseudo-capacitor applications were obtained via the sol–gel synthesis of organic or inorganic vanadium oxide precursors followed by temperature programmed ammonia reduction. Nitrogen adsorption and impedance spectroscopy measurements showed that the incorporation of CNTs during VN synthesis allows VN/CNTs nanocomposites to be obtained with higher porosity, narrower pore size distribution, better conductivity and improved electrochemical properties compared to VN without CNTs. In particular, cyclic voltammetry using three-electrode cells in KOH shows that the contribution of the redox peaks is increased when VN is associated with the carbon nanotubes. As a consequence, a capacitance increase was measured in the two-electrode system. Another important advantage of using VN/CNTs composites is their high capacitance retention (58%) at high current density (30 A g−1) compared with VN (7%), resulting in an enhancement of the energy density at high power. All these positive aspects were significantly more marked when CNTs were incorporated during VN synthesis compared to a material resulting from the physical mixture of VN with CNTs. TEM, XPS and Raman analyses point out that the enhanced electrochemical performance observed with the VN/CNTs composite could be related to an intimate contact between VN and the CNT network, a homogeneous distribution of VN on CNTs and the presence of an open mesoporous texture favouring the access of the electrolyte to the active material surface.
Mechanistic Models of Ammonia Release from Liquid Manure: a Review

Abstract Mechanistic models of ammonia (NH 3 ) release from liquid manure in 30 available publications are reviewed. They include models of NH 3 release in animal houses, from slurry applied fields, from constructed manure stores, from an anaerobic lagoon and from flooded rice and soil systems. The models are decomposed and their general structure is synthesized as a core model combined with some submodels. The theoretical bases of the models are compared. The general model structure, core model and different submodels are discussed. The core model is a model of convective mass transfer. Determination of the convective mass transfer coefficient is essential for modelling NH 3 release. This coefficient ranges from 11·7×10 −3 to 1·3×10 −6 m/s as investigated in laboratory and field experiments. It usually suffices to express it as a function of air velocity at the manure surface and air or manure temperature. Determination of the gaseous NH 3 concentration at the manure surface is also essential. This concentration can be calculated using some submodels, which may include Henry's constant, dissociation constant, pH change coefficient, manure production by animals, NH 3 generation in manure and NH 3 diffusion in manure. The Henry's constant found in the reviewed reports has nine different definitions and units. It is in a state of confusion and a standard Henry's constant is needed. For NH 3 in animal manure, the dissociation constant ranged from one-sixth to one-fifth of that for NH 3 in water. The pH change coefficient describes a dynamic change of pH in the surface manure as influenced by the releases of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and NH 3 . The manure production submodel is still insufficiently developed. The submodel of NH 3 generation in manure is usually neglected. The submodel of NH 3 diffusion in manure is based on Fick's law of diffusion.
Effect of heat transfer on the reduction of the detailed chemical kinetics mechanism in a homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion engine

In homogeneous charge compression ignition engines, the ignition takes place in the absence of any external source, initiated by the autoignition of the well-mixed in-cylinder charge. The heat loss from the hot combustion gases to the surroundings causes the thermal conditions in the cylinder to deteriorate. These conditions are governed by the interaction of the chemical processes with the temperature and pressure changes in the cylinder. As a result, the heat release rate and the heat transfer inside the combustion chamber play significant roles in the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion mode. The use of detailed chemical kinetics mechanisms in predictive combustion models increases the simulation time, which makes the utilization of these mechanisms questionable. As a result, reduced mechanisms of smaller sizes are required. However, in developing a reduced chemical kinetics mechanism from the detailed chemical kinetics mechanism, it is not common to consider the role of heat transfer, and this is needed to focus on only the kinetics aspects of homogeneous charge compression ignition. The objective of this work is to investigate the effect of heat transfer (through the boundaries of the combustion chamber) on the development of the reduced mechanisms from the detailed mechanisms. A single-zone combustion model is used to simulate the homogeneous charge compression ignition engine. Insignificant species and reactions of the detailed GRI-Mech 3.0 mechanism are eliminated by employing a two-stage reduction process based on a directed relation graph with error propagation and principal-component analysis methods respectively. Several different operating conditions are considered. The results demonstrate that the reduction process based on the directed relation graph with error propagation is hardly affected by considering the heat transfer. However, taking into account the heat transfer slightly influences the reduction process based on the principal-component analysis. Simulation outcomes from the generated mechanisms under adiabatic conditions and non-adiabatic conditions agree closely with the results obtained from the detailed mechanism. The differences in the crank angle when 50% of heat is released, the peak pressure and the maximum heat release between the original mechanisms and the reduced mechanisms are less than 1° crank angle, 1% and 1% respectively. Therefore, for a chemical mechanism reduction strategy, considering the heat transfer component will lead to only a minor effect on the generated reduced mechanism.
Ultrahigh barrier coating deposition on polycarbonate substrates

The use of polycarbonate film substrates enables fabrication of applications, such as flexible display devices, lighting devices, and other flexible electro-optical devices, using low cost, roll-to-roll fabrication technologies. One of the limitations of bare polycarbonate material in these applications is that oxygen and moisture rapidly diffuse through the material and subsequently degrade the electro-optical devices. This article summarizes recent results obtained at GE Global Research to solve the oxygen and moisture diffusion issue. It will be shown that through the application of thin, dense, plasma-based inorganic coatings one can significantly reduce the oxygen and moisture permeation rate through polycarbonate films. However, as a result of defects that are commonly present in these inorganic coatings there is a limit to the performance of such barrier coatings. To further improve the barrier performance, advanced barrier coatings comprising both inorganic and organic materials have been developed. Both modeling and experimental results will be presented that explain why these hybrid material barrier coatings are capable of reaching ultrahigh barrier performance.
Measuring the chlorophyll content in leaves by near infrared analysis

Chlorophyll content in leaves is one of the important internal information for predicting plants growth status. In this study, we use near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy technique to predict chlorophyll content in pepper leaves. Calibration models were created from spectral and constituent measurements, chlorophyll content measured by a SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter, 74 samples served as the calibration sets and 16 samples served as the validation sets. Partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR) analysis technique were used to develop the prediction models, and four different mathematical treatments were used in spectrums processing: smoothing, baseline correction, different wavelength range, first and second derivative. When we use PLS analysis and select spectra with second derivate, we can get high correlation efficient and low RMSEC value, but big difference between RMSEC and RMSEP. The best calibration model when we delete four outlier samples, when we process spectra with second derivate at full wavelength, we can get highest correlation coefficient (r=0.97537), a relative lower RMSEC value (2.33), and a small difference between RMSEC (2.33) and RMSEP (5.49). Result showed that NIR technique is a non-destructive way; it can acquire chlorophyll content in pepper leaves quickly and conveniently.
Effectiveness of Dicalcium Phosphate Compared with Superphosphate for Wheat Grown on Acidic Sandy Soils

Abstract The effectiveness of dicalcium phosphate (DCP) was compared with the effectiveness of superphosphate in a greenhouse experiment using two sandy acidic soils from southwestern Australia. Fertilizer effectiveness was determined using yield of dried shoots of 46-day-old spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) plants.The DCP was about one-third as effective as superphosphate for yellow sand and one-fifth as effective for red sand; thus, about three to five times the amount of phosphorus (P) as DCP was required to produce the same yield as P added as superphosphate. Per unit of applied P, the P concentration in dried shoots was larger for soil treated with superphosphate than for soil treated with DCP. Critical P, the P concentration that was related to 90% of the maximum shoot yield, was about 0.70% (dry weight basis) for both sources of P and both soils.
Energy transfer rates and population inversion investigation of 1G4 and 1D2 excited states of Tm3+ in Yb:Tm:Nd:KY3F10 crystals

In this work we present the spectroscopic properties of KY3F10 (KY3F) single crystals activated with thulium and co-doped with ytterbium and neodymium ions. The most important processes that lead to the thulium up-conversion emissions in the blue and ultraviolet regions were identified. A time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy technique was employed to measure the luminescence decays and to determine the most important mechanisms involved in the up-conversion process that populates 1G4 and 1D2 (Tm3+) excited states. Analysis of the energy-transfer processes dynamics using selective pulsed-laser excitations in Yb:Tm:Nd, Tm:Nd, and Tm:Yb KY3F crystals show that the energy transfer from Nd3+ to Yb3+ ions is the mechanism responsible for the enhancement of the blue up-conversion efficiency in the Yb:Tm:Nd:KY3F when compared with the Yb:Tm system. A study of the energy transfer processes in Yb:Tm:Nd:KY3F crystal showed that the 1G4 excited level is mainly populated by a sequence of two nonradiative energy tra.
A Novel Method for Bacterial UTI Diagnosis Using Raman Spectroscopy

The current state of the art on bacterial classification using Raman and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) for the purpose of developing a rapid and more accurate method for urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis is presented. SERS, an enhanced version of Raman offering much increased sensitivity, provides complex biochemical information which, in conjunction with advanced analysis and classification techniques, can become a valuable diagnostic tool. The variety of metal substrates used for SERS, including silver and gold colloids, as well as nanostructured metal surfaces, is reviewed. The challenges in preprocessing noisy and complicated spectra and the various methods used for feature creation as well as a novel method using spectral band ratios are described. The various unsupervised and supervised classification methods commonly used for SERS spectra of bacteria are evaluated. Current research on transforming SERS into a valuable clinical tool for the diagnosis of UTIs is presented. Specifically, the classification of bacterial spectra (a) as positive or negative for an infection, (b) as belonging to a particular species of bacteria, and (c) as sensitive or resistant to an antibiotic are described. This work can lead to the development of novel technology with extremely important benefits for public health.
Precise Determination of Silicon Isotopes in Silicate Rock Reference Materials by MC‐ICP‐MS

A HF‐free sample preparation method was used to purify silicon in twelve geological RMs. Silicon isotope compositions were determined using a Neptune instrument multi‐collector‐ICP‐MS in high‐resolution mode, which allowed separation of the silicon isotope plateaus from their interferences. A 1 μg g‐1 Mg spike was added to each sample and standard solution for online mass bias drift correction. δ30Si and δ29Si values are expressed in per mil (‰), relative to the NIST SRM 8546 (NBS‐28) international isotopic RM. The total variation of δ30Si in the geological reference samples analysed in this study ranged from ‐0.13‰ to ‐0.29‰. Comparison with δ29Si values shows that these isotopic fractionations were mass dependent. IRMM‐17 yielded a δ30Si value of ‐1.41 ± 0.07‰ (2s, n = 12) in agreement with previous data. The long‐term reproducibility for natural samples obtained on BHVO‐2 yielded δ30Si = ‐0.27 ± 0.08‰ (2s, n = 42) on a 12 month time scale. An in‐house Si reference sample was produced to check for the long‐term reproducibility of a mono‐elemental sample solution; this yielded a comparable uncertainty of ± 0.07‰ (2s, n = 24) over 5 months.
Ceramic Fuel Cells

A ceramic fuel cell in an all solid-state energy conversion device that produces electricity by electrochemically combining fuel and oxidant gases across an ionic conducting oxide. Current ceramic fuel cells use an oxygen-ion conductor or a proton conductor as the electrolyte and operate at high temperatures (>600°C). Ceramic fuel cells, commonly referred to as solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), are presently under development for a variety of power generation applications. This paper reviews the science and technology of ceramic fuel cells and discusses the critical issues posed by the development of this type of fuel cell. The emphasis is given to the discussion of component materials (especially, ZrO2 electrolyte, nickel/ZrO2 cermet anode, LaMnO3 cathode, and LaCrO3 interconnect), gas reactions at the electrodes, stack designs, and processing techniques used in the fabrication of required ceramic structures.
Short‐range order in glycerol. A molecular dynamics study

A molecular model has been constructed for glycerol and has been applied to a study of clusters and condensed phases by molecular dynamics simulation. Each molecule is regarded as a flexible polar complex of nine mass points (CH and CH2 groups are treated as ‘‘united atoms’’). Periodic arrays stabilize in a close approximation to the observed glycerol crystal structure, with identical extended molecules connected by infinite chains of hydrogen bonds. By contrast the stable and supercooled liquids display a variety of asymmetrical molecular conformations and an irregular network of hydrogen bonds. Detailed examination of the various atomic pair correlation functions reveals considerable overlap of intramolecular and intermolecular features, implying intrinsic ambiguity in the interpretation of x‐ray and neutron diffraction measurements designed to determine the short‐range order of liquid glycerol.
Structural flexibility of carbon nanotubes

We report high resolution electron microscope (HREM) observations and atomistic simulations of the bending of single and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes under mechanical duress. Single and multiple kinks are observed at high bending angles. Their occurrence is quantitatively explained by the simulations, which use a realistic many‐body potential for the carbon atoms. We show that the bending is fully reversible up to very large bending angles, despite the occurrence of kinks and highly strained tube regions. This is due to the remarkable flexibility of the hexagonal network, which resists bond breaking and bond switching up to very high strain values.
Accuracy of XRPD QPA using the combined Rietveld–RIR method

QPA (quantitative phase analysis) of polycrystalline materials using XRPD (X-ray powder diffraction) can be performed using the combined Rietveld and reference intensity ratio (RIR) methods, providing an estimate of both the crystalline and the amorphous phase in a mixture. Although the accuracy of estimates of the phase composition of simple ternary or quaternary mixtures is generally very good, uncertainties remain and bias the accuracy of phase determinations in complex systems such as pyroclastic rocks, which may contain two or more zeolite species, a number of other phases (generally up to four or five), and glass. The contribution of the incoherent scattering, biasing accuracy, in the glass determination has been discussed in an earlier work on the modal analysis of pyroclastic rocks [Gualtieri (1996). Powder Diffr. 11, 97–106]. In this work, the assumption of the crystal structure, the influence of the spike addition, background and atomic (thermal) displacement parameters are discussed. It is shown that the structure-model assumption no longer holds for systems containing complex phases such as zeolites, as the accuracy is degraded and, as far as the influence of the added spike is concerned, there is an underestimation of the glass content with increasing amounts of added spike.
Simultaneous membrane transport of two active pharmaceutical ingredients by charge assisted hydrogen bond complex formation

Using permeation through a model membrane in a Franz diffusion cell, we have demonstrated that acidic and basic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in deep eutectic ‘liquid co-crystal’ form can be held tightly together, even in solution, via strong hydrogen bonds or partially ionized interactions, providing simultaneous transport at rates much higher than solutions of their corresponding, commercially available crystalline salts, albeit at rates that are lower than the neutral forms of the individual molecules. It was also shown that the deep eutectic APIs do not have to be premade, but hydrogen-bonded complexes can be formed in situ by mixing the corresponding API–solvent solutions. To understand the behavior, we have extensively studied a range of nonstoichiometric mixtures of lidocaine and ibuprofen spectroscopically and via membrane transport. The data demonstrates the nature of the interactions between the acid and base and provides a route to tune the rate of membrane transport.
Enhanced Photocatalytic Water Splitting Properties of KNbO3 Nanowires Synthesized through Hydrothermal Method

Potassium niobate (KNbO3) nanowires were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy indicated the nanowires are well-crystallized with orthorhombic structure. High resolution transmission electron microscopy showed the KNbO3 nanowires grew along the [110] direction. The photocatalytic water splitting results over KNbO3 nanowires showed that the rate for H2 evolution from aqueous CH3OH solutions was up to 5.17 mmol/h/gcat. To the best of our knowledge, the photocatalytic water splitting activity of the prepared nanowires is the highest in all KNbO3 materials.
Predictive Control of a Decentralized Supply Chain Unit

In a supply chain system, it is very important to forecast the changes in the market in order to maintain an inventory level that is just enough to satisfy customer demand. However, demand forecasting is responsible for the so-called “bullwhip effect”, the exaggeration of demand fluctuation toward upstream nodes. In this study, we present a minimum variance control (MVC) approach to solve this problem. First, customer demand trends are described by a general ARIMA model. The customer demand forecast is used to determine two inventory targets: inventory at hand and inventory on the road. The changes in inventory level are predicted using a model of material balance and information flow. The order policy is obtained by minimizing the errors between predicted inventory levels and set points and using a function that penalizes large changes in orders. Two controller parameters, the penalty cost factor and the relative weight between the changes in inventory and absolute inventory, are used to optimize the ex.
Iron and Phosphate Dissolution during Abiotic Reduction of Ferrihydrite‐Boehmite Mixtures

Excessive phosphorus loss from soils poses a threat to surface-water quality. Soils comprise assemblages of multiple minerals, with Fe- and Al-oxides being important for phosphate sorption. Our objective was to measure reductive dissolution of an Fe-oxide and sorbed orthophosphate as affected by the presence of an Al-(hydr)oxide mineral. Aqueous suspensions containing 0.5 g ferrihydrite kg{sup -1} and up to 0.7 g boehmite kg{sup -1} and KH2PO4 added at 750 mmol kg{sup -1} of ferrihydrite were abiotically reduced at pH 6.0 for 72 h using 0.5% H2(g) in the presence of a Pt catalyst. A sharp decrease in zero-order Fe(II) dissolution rate coefficients was observed between 0 and 0.008 g kg{sup -1} of added boehmite, whereas net Fe(II) dissolution was essentially null for boehmite additions {ge} 0.02 g kg{sup -1}. Although net dissolution of PO{sub 4} occurred over time in the absence of boehmite, a net uptake occurred in the presence of boehmite. Auxiliary experiments suggested that Al(III) dissolved from boehmite decreased Fe(II) dissolution during reduction by sorbing to the ferrihydrite surface and blocking electron transfer. Because PO{sub 4} was taken up in excess of the maximum boehmite sorption capacity in systems with {le} 0.008 g boehmite kg{sup -1}, results suggestedmore » the formation of Al-phosphate or an Al(III)-PO{sub 4} complex on ferrihydrite surfaces. Phosphorus K-XANES spectroscopy of samples collected during reduction of a 1:1 ferrihydrite/boehmite mixture showed no consistent change in sorbed PO{sub 4} associated with Fe(III) versus Al(III). « less