Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SnO2-Nafion ® nanocomposite polymer electrolytes for fuel cell applications

Fuel cells are capable to exploit the combustion of hydrogen to convert chemical energy into electricity. Polymer electrolyte fuel cells based on Nafion membranes are able to work in a relatively low temperature range (70–90oC) but require operating relative humidity (RH) close to 100%. To develop proton-exchange membranes with adequate performances at low RH, an attractive strategy consists of the incorporation of inorganic fillers into the host Nafion polymer. Here, we report on the incorporation of SnO 2 nanopowders with high acidic properties as fillers in Nafion-based polymer electrolytes. Nanometre-sized sulphated SnO 2 particles have been synthesised and incorporated in Nafion polymer membranes. Morphological and vibrational properties of the oxides and membranes, as well as their electrochemical behaviour, have been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-Raman and infra-red (IR) spectroscopies and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The nanocomposite electrolytes have been used to form a membrane-electrodes assembly with commercial Pt-based catalysts and tested in hydrogen fuel cells.
Is Professional Commitment The Reason For Turnover Intentions of IT Professionals?

Compared to others, professionals share distinguish workplace characteristics: one such is the high commitment to the professions over to working organizations. Information Technology (IT) professionals demonstrate higher turnover rates compared to others: their commitments to the profession has been suspected as a source of turnover. Considering their job satisfactions the present study aimed to investigate the influence of professional commitment on IT professionals’ turnover intentions. Data were collected from a sample of software engineers from Sri Lank using a survey questionnaire. The results of the structural equation model analysis concluded that professional commitment weakens IT professionals’ turnover intentions, which is partially mediated by job satisfaction. Professional commitment stimulates IT professionals’ job satisfaction. The findings challenge the presumption that IT professionals leave their organizations due to high commitments to the profession. Few factors were identified as significant in their job satisfactions: supervision, co-workers and work design. Pay and promotions were the least influencing job satisfaction factors. Managers may employ few strategies in their retention strategies: facilitate professional advancement needs within organizations, closely monitor supervision activities occurs and provide challenging and meaningful jobs. The study contributes to the turnover literature through empirical evidence on the influence of professional commitment on knowledge workers’ turnover intentions.
Effect of different milking systems on the yield and quality of milk from crossbred dairy cows

This research work was carried out to compare and evaluate the effect of electrical milking machine (T1), hand milking (T2) and manual milking machine (T3) on the quality and quantity of milk produced by crossbred dairy cows. Fifteen freshly calved crossbred dairy cows were randomly allotted to three treatment groups adopting switch-over design. The milk composition, revealed no significant difference in the fat per cent, but significant (P<0.01) difference in Solid-Not-Fat, Specific Gravity and Protein. There was no significant difference in the average daily milk yield obtained by different milking methods. The Somatic Cell Count was more in the milk obtained by hand milking followed by manual machine and electrical milking machine (5.145 ± 0.080, 5.791 ± 0.093 and 5.152 ± 0.094 somatic cells/ml). The Total Viable Count of milk was significantly (P<0.01) higher in hand milking (T2) (456.867 ± 37.838 x 103cfu/ml) than in T1 and T3 (280.70 ± 30.428 and 312.93 ± 29.705 x 103cfu/ml). The study reveals that the quality of milk is considerably reduced by hand milking compared to machine milking.
Degradable polyesters as biomaterials

The block copolymer poly(ethylene succinate)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) gave fibres that degrade rapidly and no tensile strength remained after 10 days of degradation, whereas fibres of the block copolymer poly(ethylene succinate)-b-poly(tetramethylene glycol) degraded more slowly and the tensile strength was lost after 170 days. The surface composition and the crystallinity of the poly(ethylene succinate) block are probably the properties that determine the rate of degradation. The results also show that it is possible to obtain degradable materials which are thermoplastic elastomers and that the rate of degradation can be varied by changing the polyether composition. The decrease in tensile strength seems to follow a three-stage curve, where a plateau value is maintained for a certain time and then decreases rapidly to zero. This behaviour makes these block copolymers interesting as materials for degradable sutures. Aus dem Blockcopolymer Poly(ethylensuccinat)-b-poly(ethylenglycol) konnen Fasern hergestellt werden, die schnell abbauen und nach 10 Tagen keine Festigkeit mehr aufweisen. Fasern aus dem Blockcopolymer Poly(ethylensuccinat)-b-poly(tetramethylenglycol) werden langsamer abgebaut und verlieren ihre Festigkeit erst nach 170 Tagen. Die Zusammensetzung der Oberflache und die Kristallinitat der Poly(ethylensuccinat)-Blocke bestimmen die Abbaugeschwindigkeit. Die Ergebnisse zeigen auch, das es moglich ist, abbaubare thermoplastische Elastomere herzustellen, und das die Abbaugeschwindigkeit durch Anderung der Zusammensetzung des Polyetherteils variiert werden kann. Der Abbau der Festigkeit erfolgt nach einem Dreistufenprozes, wobei uber eine bestimmte Zeit ein Plateauwert erhalten bleibt, wonach die Festigkeit schnell auf Null abfallt. Auf Grund dieses Verhaltens sind die Blockcopolymere als Materialien fur abbaubare chirurgische Nahfaden interessant.
Occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Toxoplasma in surface waters in the area of Cracow

Despite some knowledge on the risks from exposure to intestinal parasitic protozoa such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Toxoplasma, no occurrence studies of these protozoa were conducted in Cracow area. Therefore, the purpose of the work was to examine the presence of Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Toxoplasma in surface water samples including intakes and recreational waters. The study showed that the vast majority of water samples were positive for Cryptosporidium sp. , and some of the samples were positive for Giardia intestinalis. None of the tested water samples showed the presence of Toxoplasma. Given the limitations of the research methods used and the limits of detection, these results indicated that the concentration of protozoan cysts/oocysts may range from <1 to dozens oocysts/cysts per liter of water. These concentrations are comparable to the values given in reports of major worldwide outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis or giardiasis, which indicating a need to further investigate Cracow’s surface waters.
Design of a ratiometric reporter to improve the dynamic range and sensitivity of a bacterial biosensor

For applications from biosensor generation to synthetic biology, the ability to accurately and quantitatively generate input-output data from biological systems over a wide dynamic range is becoming increasingly important. This study has demonstrated that a simple approach utilising multiple promoters, recognising the same transcriptional activator but with differing affinities, linked to compatible reporter genes can achieve this goal. This simple system highlights that even for complex promoters with multiple binding sites we can use the ratio of two reporters to obtain accurate and reproducible input-output data for reporters contained on a high copy number plasmid without the need for any background subtraction or accurate determination of cell number. It has also demonstrated that the precise promoter strengths are not too crucial to the design, provided they are significantly different, as taking the ratio of either the high affinity/low affinity or medium affinity/low affinity channels give similar improvements over any single channel alone. The modularity of this system means that it should be possible to exchange the IPTG inducible promoter and hence place the ntr C* gene under the regulation of any environmentally important promoter. It should also be possible to simply construct different strength promoters for the same transcriptional activator by standard DNA synthesis techniques, therefore allowing direct ratiometric detection of specific active transcription factors. Finally, there is considerable interest in the biosensor field in the use of immobilised cells for field based applications. In these cases, determining the exact number of viable cells present at the time of use may be problematic and obtaining high signal levels may also be essential. In this regard, the use of ratiometric reporters from constructs on high copy number plasmids could alleviate many of these potential problems and significantly simplify the required biosensor detection equipment.
Chemical-Kinetic Analysis on PAH Formation Mechanisms of Oxygenated Fuels

The thermal cracking and polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation processes of dimethyl ether (DME), ethanol, and ethane were investigated with chemical kinetics to determine the soot formation mechanism of oxygenated fuels. The modeling analyzed three processes, an isothermal constant pressure condition, a temperature rising condition under a constant pressure, and an unsteady condition approximating diesel combustion. With the same mole number of oxygen atoms, the DME rich mixtures form much carbon monoxide and methane and very little non-methane HC and PAH, in comparison with ethanol or ethane mixtures. This suggests that the existence of the C-C bond promotes the formation of PAH and soot.
Fingerprinting of Land Use–Related Chemical Patterns in Street Sediments from Kolkata, India

This article presents a fingerprinting study of the street sediments in the city of Kolkata, India. Street sediment samples were taken along a transverse running from north to south through Kolkata. Their chemical compositions reflect diverse land uses of the surrounding districts such as industry and urban and residential dwelling. In addition to the impact of geogenic sources on patterns of chemical elements in the sediments, various anthropogenic sources were identified: construction materials, traffic, coal combustion, metal processing, and diffuse distributed pollution sources. In these sediments, allowable concentrations are exceeded for various heavy metals with respect to existing limiting values of soils. Although leaded petrol was officially phased out in India in 2000, street sediments still show high Pb concentrations of up to 850 mg/kg. The results also show that some elements, such as Al, Ti, and Ca, which are generally accepted to indicate geogenic sources, can also be attributed to anthropogenic sources.
Sobrecarga de ferro em ratos sadios

ACHTSCHIN, C.G. Iron overload in healthy rats. 2010. 63f. Dissertation (Master s Degree) – Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 2010. The aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of different dietary Fe concentrations on blood parameters (hemogram, lipid profile) and hepatic parameters (mineral concentration, fatty-acid profile, apoptosis) in healthy rats. Fe depositions in the spleen and bone marrow were also assessed using histological analyses. Wistar young rats (n = 40) were fed control diets (35 mgFe/kg) or diets with Fe overload (350, 750 and 1500 mgFe/kg). After 90 days of experiment, no alterations in the lipid profile and serum transaminases, and fattyacid profile in the liver were observed. On the other hand, the consumption of diets with Fe overload (G750 and G1500) led increased hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) when compared to the control. In addition, a higher Fe concentration (G350, G750 e G1500 in Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and G1500 in histological sections) and presence of apoptotic bodies (G750 e G1500) were observed in the liver of animals with Fe overload (hepatic Fe x apoptosis, r = 0.749, p = 0.000). The results indicated that the liver is a compartment responsive to dietary Fe overload. The significant association with the apoptotic process suggests that the alterations caused by an overload of the mineral should be assessed in more detail under these experimental conditions.
Simple determination of formaldehyde in fermented foods by HS-SPME-GC/MS

Summary We describe an automatic method to detect formaldehyde (FA) in some fermented foods. This method is based on derivatisation with 2,2,2-trifluoroethylhydrazine (TFEH) and consecutive headspace solid-phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. FA in food reacted for 30 min at 40 °C with 2,2,2-TFEH in a headspace vial, and the formed FA-TFEH derivative was simultaneously vaporised and adsorbed on 85-μm carboxen–polydimethylsiloxane. Under the established condition, the limit of detection was 0.1 μg kg−1 by using 1.0-g solid food and 1.0-mL liquid food, and the relative standard deviation was less than 10% at FA concentrations between 0.050 and 0.500 mg kg−1. The concentrations of FA in several traditional Korean foods including gimchi, watery radish gimchi, soybean paste, red pepper paste, soy sauce and bean-paste soup were measured. All food samples had detectable levels of FA (0.104–13.05 mg kg−1).
Hormonal Actions and Interactions in Proximal Tubule Cells Associated with the Development of Chronic Kidney Disease

As the first tubular segment of the kidney between the Bowman’s capsule and the loop of Henle, the proximal tubule is exposed to initial glomerular filtrates. Proximal tubule cells (PTCs) have a variety of functions including 1) reabsorption and intracellular processing of glomerular-filtered substances such as proteins, peptides, glucose, amino acids, uric acid, sodium, potassium, phosphate, bicarbonate and water via apical membrane receptors, transporters, and channels; 2) uptake of substances such as protein-bound compounds via basolateral membrane transporters, followed by metabolism or secretion to the urinary space; and 3) synthesis of bioactive substances that are released to peritubular capillaries (Fig. 1).
Study on the extinction coefficient of spherical aerosol particles

Based on Mie scattering theory, this paper introduces the basic principle of aerosol light scattering and the basic calculation method of the polarization characteristics of scattering light. The spherical aerosol model is widely applied for the convenient and simple theoretic calculation, using the scattering theory by introducing the scattering amplitude matrix to combine incident radiation with scattering light. In scattering theory, aerosol extinction parameter has very important role for improving the precision of the laser radar, remote sensing detection and so on. We have mainly discussed the relationship between the spherical particle radius and extinction coefficient, and relationship between refractive index of the particles and extinction coefficient, respectively. It is concluded that extinction coefficient as a function of particles’ radius gradually oscillate approaching to 2 with the increasing of particle radius, and extinction coefficient curves as a function of refraction index have completely symmetric. The first major maximum of extinction coefficient also has obvious changes with different particles radius or refractive index.
Photo-oxidative PIM-1 based mixed matrix membranes with superior gas separation performance

We have studied mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) consisting of a zeolite imidazolate framework-71 (ZIF-71, Zn(cbIm)2) and polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) with and without ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for various gas separations. Well compatible MMMs are formed between ZIF-71 nanoparticles and PIM-1. The incorporation of ZIF-71 considerably enhances the gas permeability without compromising the gas pair selectivities of O2/N2, CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4. The PIM-1 comprising 30 wt% of ZIF-71 exhibits a 154% increase in CO2 permeability. Excellent agreement is found between the measured permeability and the Maxwell prediction. FESEM and PAS confirm the formation of an ultrathin dense layer at the membrane surface after the UV treatment. The photo-oxidative PIM-1 has CO2/CH4, CO2/N2 and O2/N2 selectivities of 34.1, 29.8 and 6.7, respectively, while the UV-treated MMMs possess much higher permeabilities compared to those of photo-oxidative PIM-1 with comparable gas pair selectivities. Under mixed gas tests, the UV treated PIM-1 containing 20 wt% ZIF-71 has a CO2 permeability of around 2000 barrers and a CO2/CH4 selectivity of 32. This performance outperforms that of PIM-1 and UV treated PIM membranes. The UV-PIM-1/ZIF-71 membranes have superior separation performance with both high permeability and selectivity for CO2/CH4 or other gas pair separation.
Antibiotic consumption surveillance in rehabilitation facilities – a new task according to § 23 of the German Infection Protection Act. Data from rehabilitation facilities in the Rhine-Main area, 2016–2018

Background: Multidrug-resistant pathogens are a major health problem in many countries. In Germany, in accordance with the German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy (DART), the surveillance of antibiotic consumption in acute care hospitals and rehabilitation facilities was made mandatory by the Infection Protection Act in 2011 and 2017. Whereas comparable reference data for acute care hospitals are available, such data is lacking for rehabilitation facilities. Therefore, the Rhine-Main network on MDRO (Multi Drug Resistant Organisms) has offered to evaluate the antibiotic consumption of the network's rehabilitation facilities. Antimicrobial consumption (if possible already given as daily defined doses, DDD) and patient days from 2016–2018 were requested. Materials and methods: By October 31, 2019, nine clinics, including a facility for early neurological rehabilitation, reported their consumption of antibiotics (mostly already as DDD) and patient days from 2016–2018. The information from the clinics was entered in an Excel table and the DDD calculated if necessary. In order to compare the facilities, the DDD/100 patient days (pd) were calculated for the individual active substances. Results: Antibiotic consumption in general rehabilitation facilities decreased slightly from 4.8 DDD/100 pd to 4.4 DDD/100 pd from 2016 to 2018. In early neurological rehabilitation, antibiotic consumption increased from 10.2 DDD/100 pd to 13.1 DDD/100 pd in the same period. Among the most commonly used antibiotics, cefuroxime came first, followed by ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin in third place. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first antimicrobial consumption data from rehabilitation facilities in Germany. Antibiotic consumption in general rehabilitation facilities is less than 10% of the consumption in normal/regular wards of acute care clinics, and the consumption in neurological early rehabilitation was approximately 10% of the consumption in intensive care wards within acute care clinics. Reserve or broad-spectrum antibiotics were rarely or not used at all in the rehabilitation facilities. Despite this overall positive situation, antibiotic stewardship should also be introduced in rehabilitation facilities, possibly with the support of the regional MDRO networks.
Properties and metabolic diversity of microbial communities in soils treated with steam sterilization compared with methyl bromide and chloropicrin fumigations

Abstract The effects of steam sterilization (SS) on soil microbial properties including metabolic diversity of the microbial communities were examined in a greenhouse compared with those of two fumigants, methyl bromide (MB) and chloropicrin (CP). The numbers of fungi decreased in all the treatments. Nitrifiers, both ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, were severely affected by the SS and CP treatments, resulting in their virtual disappearance. The decrease in the levels of microbial biomass C and N after the treatments suggested that the SS and CP treatments eradicated the microorganisms more effectively than the MB treatment and that the influence of the former persisted until the end of the experiment, 4 months after the treatments. Accumulation of NH4-N was observed after the SS and CP treatments mainly due to the partial decomposition of the dead microorganisms and the marked decrease in the number of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria. The richness and average well color development (AWCD) values in the microbial communities after the SS treatment were evaluated by the carbon substrate utilization method using Biolog ECO MicroPlates. The values decreased markedly immediately after the treatment but showed a rapid recovery, while those after the CP treatment continued to decrease until the transplanting of tomato seedlings. The effect of the MB treatment on the soil microbial communities was less pronounced. The growth of the tomato plants was promoted by the SS and CP treatments due to the increase in the N supply at the initial stage of tomato growth.
On the Fermi-level pinning of InN grown surfaces

We report on the observation of ambipolar transport characteristics of InN:Mg nanowires at room temperature, providing unambiguous evidence that the Fermi level is fundamentally unpinned on the grown surfaces of InN. Such behavior, however, was not observed in Si-doped InN nanowires, which is explained by Si-dopant surface segregation and the resulting accumulation of electrons. Furthermore, this suggests that defects and incorporation of impurities on the grown surfaces of InN are the primary causes of the commonly measured accumulation of electrons and Fermi-level pinning.
Graphene oxide powders with different oxidation degree, prepared by synthesis variations of the Hummers method

Graphene oxide (GO) powders with different oxidation degree estimated through the relative intensity of the infrared absorption bands related to oxygen containing groups were prepared through variations of the Hummers method. The GO powders were analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy, Energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, UV-VIS spectroscopy and Electrical Resistance measurements. Several square micron GO sheets with low wrinkling were obtained. Oxygen to carbon ratio is around 0.2 in all the samples although a strong variance in the relative intensity of the oxygen related infrared bands is evident. Thus, the oxidation degree was estimated from the FTIR measurements using the quotient between the C-O related bands area to the total area under the spectra. FTIR shows presence of hydroxyl (-OH), epoxy (C-O-C), carboxyl (-COOH) and carbonyl (CO) moieties and evidence of intermolecular interactions between adjacent groups. These interactions influence the exfoliation degree, the absorbance of the GO suspensions, as well as the electrical resistance, while the crystalline domain sizes, estimated from XRD and Raman do not show a noticeable behavior related with the composition and molecular structure. The results indicate that the electrical resistance is influenced mainly by the surface chemistry of the GO powders and not only by the O/C ratio. The control of the surface chemistry of GO powders would allow their use as additives in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells with enhanced photoconversion efficiency. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.