Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ionic solvation in water + co-solvent mixtures. Part 6.—Free energies of transfer of single ions from water into water + dioxan mixtures

The method used earlier to calculate the free energy of transfer of the proton from water into aqueous mixtures, ΔG0t(H+), and thereby to separate ΔG0t(HX) to produce ΔG0t(X–), has now been applied to water + dioxan mixtures. Values of ΔG0t(X–) are then used to produce values for ΔG0t(M+) and ΔG0t(M2+) from ΔG0t(MX) and ΔG0t(MX2). To determine ΔG0t(H+), values for Kc=[(dioxan, H+)solv]/[H+solv][(dioxan)solv] are measured using the previously described spectrophotometric technique. All values for ΔG0t(M+) and ΔG0t(M2+) are negative in water-rich conditions; values for ΔG0t(X–) for most X– are positive, increasing with increasing [dioxan]. Contrary to the results obtained with water + alcohol mixtures where alkoxide ions are produced from added OH–, ΔG0t(OH–) in water + dioxan is in the place expected in the order of X– on structure breaking and forming properties alone. The change in the proton affinity of conjugate bases is computed for the transfer of a range of acid + base systems from water into water + dioxan; this is used to separate ΔG0t for the ion into “non-electronic” and “electronic” components. The variation of the latter with solvent composition suggests that dielectric effects of the solvent make only minor contributions compared with the structural effects.
Self-assembling resorcinarene capsules: solid and gas phase studies on encapsulation of small alkyl ammonium cations

The self-assembling process of unsubstituted resorcinarenes (1, 2 and 3) to dimeric capsules encapsulating small tetra-alkyl ammonium cations 4–7 has been studied in solid and gaseous states by X-ray crystallographic and mass spectrometric methods. Hydrogen bonding and cation-π interaction as well as the proper encapsulation in the empty cavity of the capsule appear to be the most important interactions in the capsule formation process. Competitive mass spectrometric studies clearly indicated preference of the tetramethyl ammonium cation (4) over tetraethyl ammonium cation (6) and especially tetrabutyl ammonium cation (7). The crystal structures of altogether eight dimeric capsules of resorcinarenes 1–3 with cations 4 and 5 were determined. In the solid state, the alkyl chain length of the host affects the crystal packing significantly. However, ethyl resorcinarene (2) is the only host, which binds the spherical halide anion (Cl− or Br−) in between the lower rim alkyl chains.
Optimal fractional‐order controller design using direct synthesis method

: In this study, an optimal fractional-order controller is proposed for a type of fractional-order model utilising the direct synthesis method. In that respect, the fractional counterpart of the second-order integer transfer function is selected as a closed-loop reference transfer function. The stability region of the fractional-order closed-loop reference transfer function is given via a theorem and related lemmas. Considering that a unity feedback loop is used, the parameters of the fractional-order closed-loop reference transfer function are specified based on the integral square error performance index within the specified stability region using a genetic algorithm. The time-domain characteristics of the optimal fractional-order closed-loop reference transfer function are compared with those of the optimal second-order integer closed-loop reference transfer function. The fractional- and integer-order controllers that are designed based on optimal closed-loop reference transfer functions are implemented on a real-time system. The performance of the fractional-order controller outperforms that of the integer counterpart on the integral square error criterion. Moreover, the simulation and practical results are consistent with each other.
Home Energy Management and Monitoring Using Ubidots Platform

This paper introduces a practical design for home energy management and monitoring. It has been assumed that the home has a 12 VDC power source and with variable generation power. The virtual house has loads that consisting of four lamps, each with a power of 10 watts and operated on 12VDC. The home can be operated in two modes. The first mode is the grid-tied mode, in which the energy is imported or exported the power to/from the grid depending on whether the home source generation power is greater than or less than its load. The second mode is called the island mode, in which the home depends on its power supply to feed its loads with the required power. The transition between the two operating modes of the home is controlled fully by the Arduino UNO microcontroller according to the main grid status and home status (generation and load demand). The assumption that was set in the designed system is that the maximum current that a home source can supply is 3A. Therefore, when the current that a home needs is more than this value, it imports energy from the main grid and less than that value, it exports energy to the grid. The data of the grid voltage and load current of the home were transferred by the Arduino UNO microcontroller to the Node MCU using RF (HC-12) module. The cases of the main grid and the home power source are monitored in real-time using the Ubidots platform. These cases data raised to the Ubidots platform by using the Wi-Fi- ESP8266 included in the Node MCU board. All cases were tested in practice and the Ubidots platform showed a quick response in updating the data as well as its security
Research on Application of Improved YOLO V3 Algorithm in Road Target Detection

Due to the lack of average accuracy and missed detection in the process of real road scene target detection through YOLO V3 network, the improvement scheme is put forward. The K-means clustering algorithm is used to replace the K-means clustering algorithm in the original network to analyze the anchor number and aspect ratio of the Udacity data set, in order to make the obtained parameters more suitable; in addition, in order to improve the performance of the road target detection algorithm, the existing network output is upgraded, and a 104 × 104 feature detection layer is added, and the feature map output by 8 times sampling can be output by 2 times up sampling, and 4 the feature maps of down-sampling are stitched together, and the 104 × 104 feature maps obtained can effectively reduce the disappearance of features. Through the experimental results, we can see that compared with the improved YOLOV3 algorithm, the average detection accuracy of the improved algorithm for road target detection is quite high to 3.17%, and the missing detection rate is reduced by 5.62%.
A versatile method for the preparation of rigid submicron hollow capsules containing a temperature responsive shell

This paper presents a novel method for the preparation of temperature responsive and hollow polymer microcapsules consisting of a rigid cross-linked primary layer on the hollow core and temperature responsive shell. Temperature responsive and perfect core–shell structured magnetic polymer particles were prepared first by a two step seed emulsion polymerization process. i) Divinylbenzene (DVB) cross-linked magnetic@P(DVB) particles were obtained by the emulsion polymerization of DVB using potassium persulfate (KPS) as an initiator in the presence of an oil-in-water magnetic emulsion. ii) The magnetic@P(DVB) composite particles were then functionalized by the precipitation polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) with functional co-monomer aminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride (AEMH) and cross-linker N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA). 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (V-50) was used as an initiator. Core–shell magnetic@P(DVB)@P(NIPAm-AEM) particles were then treated with concentrated HCl. The treatment with HCl dissolved the iron oxide nanoparticles from the magnetic core to form hollow P(DVB)@P(NIPAm-AEM) particles. The hollow structure of temperature responsive P(DVB)@P(NIPAm-AEM) particles prepared was confirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) results prove that the P(DVB)@P(NIPAm-AEM) hollow microcapsules are submicron in size with a narrow size distribution, cationic surface charge and most importantly, volume phase transition above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of P(NIPAm-AEM) shell. This volume phase transition behaviour of the P(NIPAm-AEM) shell can be utilised as an on/off switch in controlling the permeability of biomolecules or drugs into/from the hollow capsules.
Independent Directors, Board Leadership Structure and Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from Jordan

This study seeks to further light on the financial performance of Jordanian industrial companies, especially from 2015 to 2019. The study aims to examine the impact of the independence of the board of directors and the leadership structure represented by the (CEO duality) on corporate financial performance. The study reported that there is a positive and significant relationship between the independence of the board of directors and the financial performance of companies, and a significant negative relationship between the duality of the CEO and financial performance. This study contributes to previous literature by beginning to address knowledge gaps about the role of the company's board and leadership structure on the performance of companies in emerging markets, especially in light of mixed and inconclusive results. These results indicate that the separation of the position of CEO and president is necessary to improve the financial performance of companies and this view was considered as the main recommendation of this study.
Study of resonant microstrip antennas on artificial neural networks

This paper presents a new model based on the backpropagation multilayered perception network to find accurately the bandwidth of both electrically thin and thick rectangular microstrip antennas. This proposed neural model does not require complicated Green's function methods and integral transformation techniques. The method can be used for a wide range of substrate thickness and permittivities and is useful for the computer-aided design of microstrip antennas. The results obtained by using this new method are in conformity with those reported elsewhere. This method may find wide applications in high-frequency printed antennas, especially at the millimeter-wave frequency range.
Steuerbares Alitieren zur Erhöhung der Zunderbeständigkeit von Eisen- und Nickelbasiswerkstoffen

Kurzfassung Das Alitieren ist ein thermochemisches Randschicht-Behandlungsverfahren, um die Zunderbeständigkeit von Eisen- und Nickelbasiswerkstoffen zu erhöhen. Die mit diesem Verfahren erzeugten aluminiumhaltigen Randschichten gewähren einen lang anhaltenden Schutz durch Ausbildung einer dichten und fest haftenden Oxidschicht bei erhöhter Temperatur. Das Alitieren erfolgt bislang vielfach durch nicht-regelbare Prozesse, wie z.B. dem Pulverpackalitieren. Eine Regelbarkeit und deutlich bessere Reproduzierbarkeit der Alitierergebnisse lässt sich durch ein CVD-Verfahren ermöglichen, wobei die Zugabe des aktivierenden Stoffes von außen erfolgt. In dem vorliegenden Beitrag wird gezeigt, dass sich mit dem gasförmigen Aktivator Chlorwasserstoff (HCl) sehr gut Alitierschichten auf Nickel- und Eisenlegierungen durch direkte Einleitung des Gases in den Reaktionsraum erzeugen lassen. Für die Erzielung optimaler Schichtdicken bei einer vertretbaren korrosiven Anlagenbelastung hat sich das Alitieren mit Wasserstoffüberschuss erwiesen, wobei es nicht auf das genaue Gasmischungsverhältnis von H2 zu HCl ankommt; jedoch sollten Verhältnisse von etwa 4:1 bis 2:1 eingestellt werden. Ohne Wasserstoffzugabe bzw. bei zu geringem Chlorwasserstoffanteil in der Prozessatmosphäre werden die Alitierschichten bei gleicher Prozessdauer signifikant dünner. Eine einmalige Zugabe von Chlorwasserstoff erzeugt den gleichen Alitiereffekt wie ein kontinuierlicher Durchfluss, da das Chlorid nicht in der Alitierreaktion verbraucht wird. Es wird gezeigt, dass auf Eisenbasislegierungen aufgrund eines höheren Diffusionskoeffizienten generell dickere Aluminidschichten als im Falle des Nickels erhalten werden, obwohl deren Oxidationsbeständigkeit geringer als die der Nickelaluminidschichten erscheint.
Effect of Intimate Partner Violence on Maternal and Birth Outcomes of Pregnancy among Antenatal Clinic Attendees in Delhi: A Prospective Observational Study

Context: Violence against women is a major public health problem and a violation of their human rights. Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy has been linked to various adverse maternal health outcomes and birth outcomes. Aims: The aim of this study is to assess the magnitude of maternal complications and adverse birth outcomes in relation to IPV. Settings and Design: Prospective observational study was conducted from April 2015 to May 2018 in the antenatal clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Delhi. Subjects and Methods: Sample of 1500 pregnant women (≤20 weeks gestation) were recruited and followed up at regular intervals, up to the birth outcome. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25. Value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Prevalence of IPV at baseline was 29.7%. Significantly higher proportion of IPV victims (47.2%) had poor weight gain during the pregnancy. Subjects reporting violence at any of the study contacts had a higher incidence of preterm delivery (12.7%), and a significantly higher incidence of low birth weight in the newborns (32.1% vs 22.3%) (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The findings reveal that IPV during pregnancy is common and significantly associated with adverse maternal and birth outcomes. The findings stress need for research and development of a screening tool to identify violence early in pregnancy and thus prevent its consequences.
Decentralised Edge Authentication in the Industrial Enterprise IoT Space

 Abstract — Authentication protocols based on public key infrastructure (PKI) and trusted third party (TTP) are no longer adequate for industrial scale IoT networks thanks to issues such as low compute and power availability, the use of widely distributed and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems, and the increasingly sophisticated attackers and attacks we now have to counter. For example, there is increasing concern about nation-state-based interference and future quantum computing capability. We have examined this space from first principles and have developed several approaches to group and point-to-point authentication for IoT that do not depend on the use of a centralised client-server model. We emphasise the use of quantum resistant primitives such as strong cryptographic hashing and the use multi-factor authentication.
The effect of pro-, pre- and synbiotics on the health of mink, morphometric parameters of their digestive tract, and microbiological analysis of its contents

The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of selected feed additives (pro-, preand synbiotics) on the health of mink, morphometric parameters of their digestive tract, and microbiological identification of its contents. The observations were made on pastel mink assigned to the following dietary treatments: group I – standard farm feed without supplements, group II – probiotic-supplemented feed, group III – prebiotic-supplemented feed, and group IV – synbiotic-supplemented feed. The feed additives were found to affect the growth and weight gains of the mink. Body weight at winter fur priming ranged from 1.45 to 2.54 kg in females and from 2.70 to 4.20 kg in males. During the rearing period (weaning to slaughter), the highest weight gains were observed in the group receiving prebiotics – on average 760 g in females and 1970 g in males. Analysis of the morphometric parameters of the digestive tract showed highly significant differences between means for the groups, except for the weight of the lungs and spleen and the length of the stomach. The mean concentration of total bacteria in the intestinal contents was similar in groups II and III (8.5-9.4 x 10 CFU/g), higher in group IV, and highest in the control group (5.9 x 10 CFU/g). Among the bacteria identified, Corynebacterium was dominant in all groups. The total fungal count in the intestinal contents was lowest in the mink receiving prebiotics. The dominant fungi were Candida, particularly Candida glabrata. The proportion of fungi of this genus varied between groups from 84.5% to 89.5%. The other fungi identified in the digesta were Rhizopus spp. and Aspergillus spp.
RNA Interference (RNAi) and Response of Plant Cells to Double Stranded RNA (dsRNA)

The phenomenon of RNA interference was first discovered in a nematode worm Caenorhaditis elegans, where double stranded RNA (dsRNA) bring about specific gene degradation of mRNA which results in gene silencing. RNAi mechanism in plants gives different types of small RNAs (sRNAs) including siRNAs, miRNAs, ta (trans-acting)siRNAs, and pha (phased)-siRNAs. siRNAs are generated from various Double stranded RNA molecules(dsRNAs) i.e., dsRNA derived from RNA virus replication, dsRNAs synthesized by plant endogenous RNAdependent RNA polymerase, dsRNAs of natural sense and antisense transcripts, and single-stranded RNAs that form hairpin-loop secondary structures (Baulcombe 2004; Voinnet et al., 1999; Rosa et al., 2018). These dsRNA molecules are recognized and cleaved by Dicer like proteins present in the cell to generate siRNAs. After cleaving of dsRNA into siRNA, the siRNA duplex molecules move into RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), where Argonaute (AGO) protein plays a major role. The RISC complex cleaves the siRNA duplex, where one strand retains and serves as guide strand. The guide strand serves as a recognition molecule to identify the cognate mRNA molecule which is translating into protein. The guide strand International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 9 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Effect of milk fermented with Lactobacillus sp. in modulation of intestinal permeability in high fat diet fed mice

Consumption of high fat diet (HFD) is known to disturb the gut microflora, which is a source of endotoxins. Its increase in plasma is related to increased intestinal permeability. In the present study, effect of milk fermented with L. casei NCDC-19 in reference to intestinal permeability/integrity was evaluated using Swiss Albino mice. Permeability was determined using FITC-dextran 4000 Da through measurement of fluorescence in blood plasma. HFD feeding resulted in a significant increase in intestinal permeability. A positive effect of dietary supplementation of probiotic fermented milk on intestinal permeability was observed. Expression of two important genes related to intestinal permeability was determined by qRT-PCR. Reduced expression of tight junction proteins was observed in HFD fed group which confirms the increased permeability. Occludin was found up-regulated significantly as result of probiotic fermented milk. A similar trend of up-regulation of ZO-1 was seen in probiotic FM/skim milk fed groups. Present study suggests a positive effect of probiotic fermented milk on intestinal permeability in HFD fed conditions.
NOVEL POLYETHYLENIMINE NANOGELS AS POTENTIAL GENE CARRIERS PRODUCED VIA PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN SURFACTANT-FREE AQUEOUS SOLUTION

Cationic polymer nanogels, positively-charged submicrometer polymeric particles that swell in water, have attracted an increasing research attentions in recent years because of their potential applications as gene carriers. In this paper, we report a novel method to synthesize polyethylenimine (PEI) nanogels with sizes ranging from 80 nm to 200 nm via UV irradiation at room temperature in aqueous solution without adding any kind of surfactants. The morphology of the nanoparticles is determined to be spherical. The nanogels are of high stability, high transfection efficiency, low toxicity and low immunogenicity, as having been confirmed by in vivo tests with mice as an animal model, and by in vitro tests with human lung and liver cancer cells as well.
Tuning of Crystal Phase and Luminescence Properties of Eu3+ Doped Sodium Yttrium Fluoride Nanocrystals

We demonstrated an emulsion based wet chemical method for preparing Eu3+ doped cubic NaYF4 and hexagonal Na(Y1.5Na0.5)F6 nanocrystals. Here, we report the control of the crystal phase as a function of the Y3+/F- ratio and pH of the solution. It was found that cubic NaYF4 and hexagonal Na(Y1.5Na0.5)F6 nanocrystals were prepared at 1:4 and 1:8 Y3+/F- ratios, respectively. The hexagonal Na(Y1.5Na0.5)F6 and cubic NaYF4 phases appeared in the pH range of 6−7 and 2−3, respectively, indicating that the pH of the solution also plays an important role in tuning the crystal structure. The mechanism related to crystal phase control is proposed and discussed. It was also found that the emission intensity of the peak at 614 nm (5D0 − 7F2) for Eu3+ ions and decay time are sensitive to the crystal structure, which is again controlled by the Y3+/F- ratio and pH of the solution. Again, it is seen that the interlayered water molecules strongly influence the photoluminescence of Eu3+ ions up to 300 °C, which was confirmed b.
X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence studies of zinc oxide films grown on silicon substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering

Thin polycrystalline ZnO films were grown on silicon substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering using zinc oxide targets. The quality of the ZnO layers was assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence measurements. The XRD studies and Raman studies revealed that the ZnO films crystallize in the wurtzite structure. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra consisted of a narrow near-band-edge ultraviolet band and a broad defect-related green band with peak positions at 380 and 516 nm, respectively. The main goal of the work was to define the growth conditions to prepare zinc oxide films with adequate properties to be used in electroluminescent devices. The films exhibited the best surface appearance with a 40:1 argon/oxygen flow rate, a total pressure of 1.5×10−3 mbar, and a substrate temperature of 230 °C. The structural and luminescence properties improved noticeably with the thermal annealing processes at 800 °C for 1 h.
Synergic Effect of Curcuma longa L. Extract with Antimicrobials against Cuban Helicobacter pylori Isolates

AimsHelicobacter pylori is a bacterium that colonizes the gastric mucosa and is the main cause of gastritis as well as ulcer and gastric cancer. Due to the clinical significance and international increase in H. pylori multidrug resistance, it is necessary to search for new strategies improving eradication rates. Natural compounds have been demonstrated to have antimicrobial effect and the ability to restore the efficacy of conventional drugs. The objective of this work was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of Curcuma longa L. (Cu) against H. pylori isolates.Materials & MethodsThe minimum bactericidal concentration of the extract was determined by means of the MTT assay; also, the combination and dose reduction indices for levofloxacin (LVX), metronidazole (MET), and rifampicin (RIF) antimicrobial agents were determined by checkerboard format. Interaction analysis was performed using the CompuSyn program.FindingsAbout 90% of H. pylori isolates studied (9/10) were sensitive to the hydroalcoholic extract. Synergism was observed in more than 50% of Cu-LVX, Cu-MET, and Cu-RIF combinations. Additionally, for different concentrations of the extract, reduction rates in antimicrobial agents were determined to be between 0.5 and 360 times.ConclusionsThe hydroalcoholic extract of turmeric showed a good potential to be used as an antimicrobial agent in the treatment of H. pylori infection, either alone or in combination with antibiotics used, suggesting the renewal of the effectiveness of conventional antimicrobials in reducing the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance.