Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bulgaria: The basis for the formation of strategic alliances of the type 'East-West' in the process of preparation for joining the EU

Strategic alliances of the type 'East-West' gain wider currency in Bulgaria. The process of their formation has begun in 1989, when market economy has been introduced. First West European investments entered our country at the same time, but their amount was quite small. After that, economic and political instability of our country which have lasted for several years already, as well as bankruptcy of some banks, start to hamper investment processes. Thus, foreign investors fall away from Bulgaria. After the foundation of the Currency Board, investment environment in our country improves. Stabilization of financial institutions is noticeable. A legal base promoting FDI is created. Amount of investment increases. Foreign investors prefer mostly alliances of the type 'East-West'. The following research concentrates on: assessment of the state and the trends in FDI, which are the basis for formation of strategic alliances of the type 'East-West' in Bulgaria; clearing up the problems concerning FDI in the process of preparation for joining the EU.
Reconhecimento de placas veiculares utilizando deep learning : análise da influência de dados sintéticos no processo de reconhecimento

The Automatic License Plate Recognition has been the subject of several studies, given its applicability in real situations: toll collection, identification of vehicles in parking lots or even for safety issues in vehicle control that cross borders between countries. The work developed here consists of retraining both a plate recognition model and a deep neural network for object detection, using synthetic plates databases in the Brazilian standard with variations of rotation, size and noise. Thus, the influence of the use of synthetic plates on the accuracy of systems responsible for locating real plates, segmenting the characters and recognizing them was evaluated and in the tests performed there was an increase in accuracy (considering a system trained with real plates) of three stages: character segmentation, letter recognition and number recognition (2.54 %, 1.09 % and 2, 49 % respectively). It stands out the accuracy of 62.47 % (in the number recognition step) obtained by a neural network trained exclusively with synthetic data and tested on real plates.
Comparison of Electroluminescence Intensity and Photocurrent of Polymer Based Solar Cells

Mass production of organic donor–acceptor bulk heterojunction photovoltaic systems, based on blends of conjugated polymers and fullerenes, will be realized by high throughput coating and printing technologies. This requires novel quality control techniques preceding the state of the art for vacuum based photovoltaic technologies. In this article we demonstrate that electroluminescence imaging of organic solar cells has the potential to visualize the photocurrent distribution signifi cantly faster than standard laser beam induced current mapping (LBIC) techniques. Here, we demonstrate that the emission of the polymer-fullerene charge transfer complex is related to the short circuit current of the solar cell in agreement with the assumptions of the detailed balance theory. In recent years huge improvements in the understanding of optical devices based on conjugated polymers have been made. Continuously higher effi ciencies are reported for the transformation of electricity into light [ 1 ] as well as for the transformation of light into electricity. [ 2 ] Recently, the principles of light generation (as known for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs)) and light conversion (as known from organic solar cells (OPV)) were put in relation by the detailed balance limit. [ 3–6 ] It was shown that the electroluminescence radiation in bulk heterojunction solar cells is not the sum of the recombination radiation of the single components. Instead, spectral analysis of the electroluminescence (EL) of OPV cells with different semiconductors cleared that a new electronic state, formed between a donor and an acceptor molecule, and referred to as charge transfer state (CTS), is responsible for the EL radiation. The CT state is energetically lowered compared to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the acceptor. Therefore the emission spectrum is redshifted relative to the emission from the pristine semiconductor components. In the case of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6,6]phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT–PCBM), the peak emission of the CT state is located at wavelengths around ∼ 1.2 μ m. [ 3 ] For another polymer with even lower bandgap, poly[2,6(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b ′ ]dithiophene)alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) the peak emission is located at 0.9 μ m. [ 7 ]
Anisotropic scaling of three‐dimensional intensity data

Three-dimensional diffractometer data collected from single crystals of large and anisotropic mosaic spread were shown to suffer from severe systematic errors. The application of anisotropic scaling of the structure factors in the refinement process proved to be very useful in correcting these errors, yielding more accurate parameters, comparable to those obtained from high- quality crystals.
Spatial distribution of carbon sources and sinks in Canada’s forests

Annual spatial distributions of carbon sources and sinks in Canada’s forests at 1 km resolution are computed for the period from 1901 to 1998 using ecosystem models that integrate remote sensing images, gridded climate, soils and forest inventory data. GIS-based fire scar maps for most regions of Canada are used to develop a remote sensing algorithm for mapping and dating forest burned areas in the 25 yr prior to 1998. These mapped and dated burned areas are used in combination with inventory data to produce a complete image of forest stand age in 1998. Empirical NPP age relationships were used to simulate the annual variations of forest growth and carbon balance in 1 km pixels, each treated as a homogeneous forest stand. Annual CO2 flux data from four sites were used for model validation. Averaged over the period 1990–1998, the carbon source and sink map for Canada’s forests show the following features: (i) large spatial variations corresponding to the patchiness of recent fire scars and productive forests and (ii) a general south-to-north gradient of decreasing carbon sink strength and increasing source strength. This gradient results mostly from differential effects of temperature increase on growing season length, nutrient mineralization and heterotrophic respiration at different latitudes as well as from uneven nitrogen deposition. The results from the present study are compared with those of two previous studies. The comparison suggests that the overall positive effects of non-disturbance factors (climate, CO2 and nitrogen) outweighed the effects of increased disturbances in the last two decades, making Canada’s forests a carbon sink in the 1980s and 1990s. Comparisons of the modeled results with tower-based eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem exchange at four forest stands indicate that the sink values from the present study may be underestimated.
An overview of fertilizer‐P recommendations in Europe: soil testing, calibration and fertilizer recommendations

The procedure for applying phosphorus (P) fertilizer to soil can be divided into three consecutive steps: (i) Measurement of soil‐P availability, (ii) calibration of the soil‐P fertility level and (iii) estimation of the recommended P dose. Information on each of these steps was obtained for 18 European countries and regions with the aim of comparing P fertilizer recommendation systems at the European scale. We collected information on P fertilizer recommendations through conventional or grey literature, and personal contacts with researchers, laboratories and advisory services. We found much variation between countries for each of the three steps: There are more than 10 soil‐P tests currently in use, apparent contradictions in the interpretation of soil‐P test values and more than 3‐fold differences in the P fertilizer recommendations for similar soil‐crop situations. This last result was confirmed by conducting a simple experimental inter‐laboratory comparison. Moreover, soil properties (pH, clay content) and crop species characteristics (P responsiveness) are used in some countries in the calibration and recommendation steps, but in different ways. However, there are also common characteristics: soil‐P availability is determined in all countries by extraction with chemical reagents and the calibration of the soil‐P test values, and the fertilizer recommendations are based on the results from empirical field trials. Moreover, the fertilizer recommendations are nearly all based on the amount of P exported in the crops. As long as rational scientific and theoretical backgrounds are lacking, there is no point in trying to synchronize the different chemical methods used. We therefore call for a mechanistic approach in which the processes involved in plant P nutrition are truly reproduced by a single standard method or simulated by sorption‐desorption models.
Determination Of The Characterizing Parameters Of Rough Surfaces For Solar Energy Conversion

Selective optical properties can be achieved by a suitable surface roughness. Characteristic parameters describing the roughness of the surface profile are the rms-roughness, the rms-slope, and the autocorrelation length. The relation between these parameters and the spectral reflectance of the considered surface is known approximately from the scalar scattering theory. Due to the dimensions of the investigated surface profiles the roughness measurements require scanning electron microscopy for surface imaging. For the statistical evaluation the image data are processed in a computer system, which performs the Fourier-transformation of the whole image. The square of the Fourier transform yields the spectrum of the spatial frequencies from which the autocorrelation function and the correlation length can be derived by inverse Fourier-transformation. The scanning electron microscope causes a systematic imaging error, which can be corrected by approximating the image signal as a superposition of the surface height and its slope. The results are compared with the results of spectral measurements of the specular as well as the hemispherical reflection in the IR-rage applying the scalar theory mentioned above for copper-oxide and chromium absorber coatings.
Effect of ozone and storage temperature on postharvest diseases and physiology of carrots (Daucus carota L)

Effects of ozone and storage temperature on carrots and two postharvest pathogens— Botrytis cinerea Pers. and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum de Bary—were investigated. Pathogen-inoculated and uninoculated whole carrots were exposed to an ozone concentration of 0 (control), 7.5, 15, 30, or 60 μl·liter -1 . Treatment chambers were flushed with a total flow rate of 0.5 liters·min -1 (air and ozone) for 8 h daily for 28 days. The experiment was repeated twice at storage temperatures of 2, 8, and 16C. The residual ozone concentration (ozone supplied-exhausted and reacted ozone) increased with ozone supply concentration but was less at higher storage temperatures. A 50% reduction of daily growth rates of both fungi at the highest ozone concentration indicated that ozone was fungistatic. Carrot respiration rate, electrolyte leakage, and total color differences increased with ozone concentration. Ozone-treated carrots were lighter (higher L* values) and less intense (lower chroma values) in color than control carrots. Postharvest physiologist. Watery soft rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) and gray mold (Bot- rytis cinerea) are common postharvest diseases of carrots. Until recently, growers used the fungicide benomyl to control these storage rots. The manufacturer's withdrawal of benomyl as a postharvest fungicidal dip on carrots has necessitated a search for alternatives; ozone is one potential candidate. Ozone is the tri-atomic form of oxygen that is unstable and decomposes either spontaneously or after it comes in contact with oxidizable surfaces. Ozone's high oxidation potential (Lide, 1991) makes it an effective disinfectant for poultry hatcheries, poultry chill water, water treatment plants, soft-drink bottling plants, and aquaria water (Guinvarch, 1959; Rosenthal and Wilson, 1987; Sheldon and Brown, 1986; Torricelli, 1959; Whistler and Sheldon, 1989; Yang and Chen, 1979). Since ozone can be easily and economically generated on site, transportation and storage costs are not incurred. Unlike CO 2 and N, which are two gases com- monly used in storage, ozone has a characteristic odor. For this reason, harmful levels of ozone can be instantly detected and avoided by workers. Ozone can be applied as a gas or as ozonated water. Reported differences on the effectiveness of ozone as a storage disinfectant may be due to differing application methods or measurements of ozone concentration, treatment period, and pathogen and product sensitivity to ozone. Gibson et al. (1960) and Rice et al. (1983) concluded that ozone is an effective agent for controlling microbial and fungal pathogens in stored produce such as cheese, strawber- ries, raspberries, currants, bananas, and potatoes. Continuous exposure to 0.05 ppm ozone (gas) effectively killed Escherichia
The turbulent drag reduction by graft copolymers of guargum and polyacrylamide

Commercial guargum is known to be a shear stable drag reducing agent. However, the aqueous solutions of guargum start degrading within 8 hrs. of their preparation and after 65 hrs. , they degrade completely. In the present investigation, the graft copolymers of guargum and polyacrylamide have been prepared. It has been shown that the purification and grafting enhance the drag reduction effectiveness and biodegradation resistance considerably in guargum.
A Novel Hydrogen Peroxide Biosensor Based on the Synergistic Effect of Gold‐Platinum Alloy Nanoparticles/Polyaniline Nanotube/Chitosan Nanocomposite Membrane

Based on the immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in chitosan(CS) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with the Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) / polyaniline nanotube (nanoPAN) nanocomposite film, a novel hydrogen peroxide biosensor was constructed. The modified processes of GCE were monitored by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Au-PtNPs/nanoPAN/CS had a better synergistic electrochemical effect than did AuNPs/nanoPAN/CS or PtNPs/nanoPAN/CS. The amperometric response of the biosensor towards H2O2 was investigated by successively adding aliquots of H2O2 to a continuous stirring phosphate buffer solution under the optimized conditions. Because Au-PtNPs have unique catalytic properties and good biocompatibility, and especially Au-PtNPs and nanoPAN have synergistic augmentation for facilitating electron-transfer, the biosensor displayed a fast response time (<2 s) and broad linear response to H2O2 in the range from 1.0 to 2200 μmol L−1 with a relatively low detection limit of 0.5 μmol L−1 at 3 times the background noise. Moreover, the biosensor can be applied in practical analysis and exhibited high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability.
H2 dissociation over Ag/Al2O3: the first step in hydrogen assisted selective catalytic reduction of NOx

Hydrogen assisted selective catalytic reduction of NOx over Ag/Al2O3 with either hydrocarbons or ammonia as reducing agents is an emerging technology for lean NOx reduction. Herein, we present a density functional theory study of H2 dissociation over a representative set of sites present on the Ag/Al2O3 catalyst. Whereas H2 dissociation over supported Ag ions and oxidized Ag surfaces is found to be facile, dissociation over metallic Ag, defect free Al2O3 and alumina-supported Ag is associated with high barriers. The results are rationalized by analysis of the electronic structure.
Polymer‐Water Interaction of Maltodextrins. Part I: Water Vapour Sorption and Desorption of Maltodextrin Powders

Polymer-water interactions of a low DE maltodextrin and its Pn fractions are investigated by water vapour sorption and desorption measurements. The interpretation of the isotherms was done by the application of the three parameter Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer equation and by the Flory-Huggins theory. The polymer-water interactions of the maltodextrin and its fractions exhibit strong dependence on Pn. The monolayer water content, the water uptake up to aw 0.95, the hysteresis effect, the water content of the transition powder-gel under sorption conditions and the ability to form gels decrease with decreasing Pn. The water uptake above aw 0.95, the monolayer sorption enthalpy and solubility increase with decreasing Pn. The participation of molecular different fractions of the maltodextrin in polymer-water interaction depends on the polymer concentration. Shelf live conditions for the maltodextrin are derived. Polymer-Wasser-Wechselwirkung von Maltodextrinen. Teil 1: Wassersorptions- und Desorptionsverhalten von Maltodextrinpulvern. Die Polymer-Wasser-Wechselwirkungen eines Maltodextrins mit niedrigem DE-Wert einschlieslich seine Pn-Fraktionen werden durch Aufnahme von Wassersorptions- und Desorptionsisothermen untersucht. Die dreiparametrige Guggenheim-Andersen-de Boer-Gleichung und die Flory-Huggins-Theorie wurden zur theoretischen Interpretation der Isothermen herangezogen. Die Polymer-Wasser-Wechselwirkungen des Maltodextrins und seiner Fraktionen stehen in enger Beziehung zum Pn.Der Wassergehalt fur monomolekulare Bedeckung, die Wassersorption bis zu aw 0.95, der Hysteresis-Effekt, der Wassergehalt fur den Ubergang vom Pulver zum Gel unter Sorptionsbedingungen und die Gelbildungsfahigkeit nehmen mit abnehmenden Pn ab. Die Wassersorption oberhalb aw 0.95, die Sorptionsenthalpie fur monomolekulare Bedeckung und die Loslichkeit nehmen mit abnehmendem Pn zu. Die Beteiligung der molekular verschiedenen Fraktionen des Maltodextrins an den Polymer-Wasser-Wechselwirkungen hangt von der Polymerkonzentration ab. Lagerungsbedingungen fur Maltodextrine werden abgeleitet.
Ne diffraction from Cu(110)

Experimental results of diffraction of thermal energy (64 meV) Ne atoms from the (110) face of copper are presented. Diffraction is observed up to fifth order and strong selective adsorption features were measured. The bound state energy levels are fitted using the shifted Morse hybrid potential. Diffraction intensities extrepolated to zero kelvin are fitted using the so called modified corrugated Morse potential (MCMP) which is a realistic soft potential. The potential is found to be more corrugated and steeper in its repulsive part than in the Cu(110)/He case. This shows that attractive forces play an important role in the corrugation of the potential Presentation des resultats experimentaux de la retrodiffusion d'atomes de neon d'energie thermique sur la face (110) du cuivre. La diffraction est observee jusqu'au cinquieme ordre ainsi que le phenomene de resonance avec les etats lies
EXPLOITATION OF AGRI-FOOD SOLID WASTES FOR RECOVERY OF HIGH ADDED-VALUE COMPOUNDS: THE CASE OF GRAPE POMACE AND ONION PEELS

Large quantities of both liquid and solid wastes are produced annually by the food processing industry. These waste materials contain principally biodegradable organic matter and their disposal creates serious environmental problems. The waste loads at the processing plant can be significantly reduced through the use of new or modified processing methods or through in-plant treatment and reuse and a variety of processes are being developed towards this direction, aiming at converting the waste materials into bio-fuels, food ingredients and other added-value bio-products. The scope of the present study was an examination on the possibilities of using non-toxic, cheap and readily available means of recovering phenolics from red pomace and onion peels. On such a basis, the solvent systems tested were composed of ethanol, a bio-solvent that can be obtained after fermentation of the sugar-containing raw materials and distillation. In the case of red grape pomace, simple media composed of 60% ethanol were shown to be ideal for recovery of extracts with increased polyphenol concentration and antiradical activity. Higher ethanol content (90%), however, was more effective for pigment extraction. For onion peels, extracts with high flavonol recovery and a reducing power were obtained with a similar medium (60% ethanol/ 0.1% HCl), while optimisation of the extraction conditions with regard to temperature and time, afforded higher yield and more active extracts.
Gated Mesoporous SiO2 Nanoparticles Using K+‐Stabilized G‐Quadruplexes

The K+‐induced formation of G‐quadruplexes provides a versatile motif to lock or unlock substrates trapped in the pores of mesoporous SiO2 nanoparticles, MP‐SiO2 NPs. In one system, the substrate is locked in the MP‐SiO2 NPs by K+‐ion‐stabilized G‐quadruplex units, and the pores are unlocked by the elimination of K+ ions using Kryptofix [2.2. 2] (KP) or 18‐crown‐6‐ether (CE) from the G‐quadruplexes. In the second system, the substrate is locked in the pores by means of K+‐stabilized aptameric G‐quadruplex/thrombin units. Unlocking of the pores is triggered by the dissociation of the aptamer/thrombin complexes through the KP‐ or CE‐mediated elimination of the stabilizing K+ ions. In the third system, duplex DNA units lock the pores of MP‐SiO2 NPs, and the release of the entrapped substrate is stimulated by the K+‐ion‐induced dissociation of the duplex caps through the formation of the K+‐stabilized G‐quadruplexes. The latter system is further implemented to release the anti‐cancer drug, doxorubicin, in the presence of K+ ions, from the MP‐SiO2 NPs. Preliminary intracellular experiments reveal that doxorubicin‐loaded MP‐SiO2 NPs lead to effective death of breast cancer cells.
Sorption of Iron and Copper on Sand Bentonite Fly ash Mixtures

Compacted clay liners are low cost and effective liners which are promising for retention of metal ions. An attempt has been made, in this paper, to study the possibility of using a mixture of fine sand with bentonite or fly ash for retention of metal ions. The retention behaviour of the mixtures for metal ions of copper and iron has been studied at neutral pH. But it is not easy to carry out the retention capacities at different pH conditions. The surface adsorption of metal ions is essentially by surface complexation which varies considerably with pH of the solution. The effect of pH on retention capacities of sand fly ash or sand bentonite mixtures for copper and iron, was brought out by using Visual Minteq ver. 3.0 software, as it considers surface complexation as an important phenomenon. Experimental results have shown that fine sand with 20% bentonite retained higher amount of copper and fine sand with 10% fly ash retained higher amount of iron respectively. The effect of pH for mixture of sand with 20% bentonite for surface complexation of copper and for mixture of sand with 10% fly ash for iron has been brought in this paper.