Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Preparation Procedures and Storage Parameters on Quality Retention of Salad‐cut Lettuce

Piece-size reduction, which is required in preparing lettuce for salads, shortens storage life of cut lettuce as compared to uncut head lettuce. Cellular fluids, released during cutting, are removed by rinsing with water, followed by centrifugation to remove added surface moisture. Extended centrifugation can cause desiccation of product, which may be beneficial under certain conditions. Other methods of water removal, such as blotting or forced air did not seem practical. During storage green pigmentation decreased in salad-cut lettuce. Optimum cold storage was obtained by packaging the cut-lettuce in pouches that had been slightly evacuated and contained a small amount of carbon monoxide.
Phase Equilibrium in the System MgO‐H2O at High Temperatures and Very High Pressures

Phase equilibrium in the system MgO-H2O was investigated from 500° to 1450° C at 5 to 40 kbars by a quenching technique using a piston-cylinder apparatus. Brucite decomposed to periclase plus vapor at 810° and 10 kbars, 945° and 20 kbars, 1000° and 32 kbars, and 975°C and 40 kbars. The slope of the decomposition P-T curve became steeper with increasing pressure, infinite at 32- kbars and 1000C, and then negative above 32 kbars. The extrapolation of this curve to lower pressures agrees well with data of other workers who used hydrothermal techniques.
Specific Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes for Advanced Polymer Nanocomposites

A novel approach to chemically functionalize multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for making advanced polymeric nanocomposites with liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) is presented. In this approach, two types of chemical moieties (i.e., carboxylic and hydroxyl benzoic acid groups) are selectively introduced onto the sidewalls of the MWCNTs. Fourier transform IR and Raman spectroscopy are used to examine the interaction between the functionalized MWCNTs and the LCP. The strong interaction between the functionalized MWCNTs and the LCP greatly improved the dispersion of MWCNTs in the polymer matrix as well as the interfacial adhesion. The dispersion of the MWCNTs in the LCP matrix is observed by optical microscopy and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy. As a result, the addition of 1 wt% MWCNTs in the LCP resulted in the significant improvement (41 and 55%) in the tensile strength and modulus of the LCP.
Direct Ink‐Jet Printing of Ag–Cu Nanoparticle and Ag‐Precursor Based Electrodes for OFET Applications

The field of organic electronics has seen tremendous progress over the last years and all‐solution‐based processes are believed to be one of the key routes to ultra low‐cost roll‐to‐roll device and circuit fabrication. In this regard a variety of functional materials has been successfully designed for inkjet printing. While orthogonal‐solvent approaches have frequently been used to tackle the solubility issue in multilayer solution processing, the focus of this work lies on printed metal electrodes for organic field‐effect transistors (OFET) and their curing concepts. Two metallic inkjet‐printable materials are studied: i) a silver‐copper nanoparticle based dispersion and ii) a soluble organic silver‐precursor. Photoelectron spectroscopy reveals largely metallic properties of the cured materials, which are compared with respect to OFET performance and process‐related issues. Contact resistance of the prepared metal electrodes is significantly larger than that of evaporated top‐contact gold electrodes. As direct patterning via inkjet printing limits the reliably achievable channel length to values well above 10 μm, the influence of contact resistance is rather small, however, and overall device performance is comparable.
Sc(OTf)3: A Highly Efficient and Renewable Catalyst for Michael Addition of Indoles to Nitroolefins in Water

A catalytic amount of scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate [Sc(OTf)3] (2.5 mol%) was used to catalyze the Michael addition of indoles to nitroolefins in water to afford the corresponding 3-alkylated indoles in good to excellent yields. The short reaction times, excellent yields, and renewability of the catalyst are noteworthy.
Multiple secondary interaction arrangement in the crystal structure of cis -dichlorobis(thiourea-S)-zinc(II)

In our series of investigations into the structural and thermal behaviour of metal thiourea (tu) complexes, the single-crystal X-ray structure of dichlorobis(thiourea-S)-zinc(II) is redetermined at higher accuracy to R = 0.0315 proving the space group Pnma. Half of the complex molecule is in the asymmetric unit, the Zn and the two Cl atoms lie on the mirror plane. The structure analysis shows tetrahedral coordination of the Zn cation, the coordination sphere of the chloride anions and the extended hydrogen bond network. A chloride ligand is situated in the middle of the sandwich formed by bilayers of the complex molecules. We previously characterized the Cd analogue, allowing a structural comparison between the non-isostructural complexes: Mtu2Cl2 (M = Zn, Cd). Also the thermal properties of the complexes and their behaviour in chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) processes are briefly correlated with the structure and bonding.
Influence of the cropping pattern on aflatoxin contamination in preharvest Kharif (monsoon) maize crop (Zea mays)

Aflatoxin contamination in three varieties of maize (Zea mays L), viz Diara composite, M9 and Suwan composite, under various cultivation rates and planting densities was examined during the 1987 and 1989 Kharif (monsoon) crops. Cultivation rates comprising single line weeding (SLW) with one spading, SLW with two spadings and SLW with three spadings did not have significant effects on aflatoxin production in the preharvest standing crop. Of the three planting populations, the toxin level was highest under 56000 plants ha−1 followed by 83000 plants ha−1, and 67000 plants ha−1 in Aspergillus flavus inoculated plots (I1) and uninoculated plots (I0), respectively. The variety M9 was most susceptible to A flavus infection and supported higher aflatoxin production under I1 condition. Aflatoxin concentration was lowest in Diara composite. Correlation analysis showed a positive and highly significant relation between A flavus incidence and aflatoxin contamination (r = +0.73, P < 0.01).
ICLOCS2: Solve your optimal control problems with less pain

: ICLOCS2 is the new version of ICLOCS (pronounced ‘eye-clocks’) and is a comprehensive software suite for solving nonlinear optimal control problems (OCPs) in Matlab and Simulink. The toolbox builds on a wide selection of numerical methods and automated tools to assist the design and implementation of OCPs. The aim is to reduce the requirements on the experience of the user, by providing a ﬁrst port of call to solve a variety of OCPs. ICLOCS2 may not be the fastest solver for some problems, but it might work where other solvers fail.
Analysis of conjugated polymer nanotubules formed by template wetting nanofabrication

Semiconducting and optoelectric conjugated polymers have potential in micro and nano-electronic applications. Their widely tunable physical conformations and orientations make these polymers ideal material for engineering small scale devices. The polymers have been incorporated into several electronic devices including light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and field-effect transistors. Widespread adoption of these materials will not be a reality until the issues of poor device performance, short lifespans, and device degradation are resolved. Nanostructures have been demonstrated to have improvements in molecular ordering and electronic transport. In the work presented here, tubular nanostructures of conjugated polymers fabricated by the template wetting nanofabrication process are analyzed for their structural and electronic properties. Analysis focused on the optical absorbance of these materials and the effects of confinement, filtration, and solvent choice have on disordered and ordered polymers. Other analyses include the effects of polymer blending, orientation, and solvent evaporation determined from vibrational spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mobility characteristics. Improvements in optical bandgap of MEH-PPV and P3HT ranging from -0 . 12 eV to 0.05 eV, respectively, were found for nanotubes cast chloroform. The improvements in bandgap from all solvents were found to be, on average, 0.08 eV for MEH-PPV and 0.05 eV for P3HT. Enhancement due to nanostructuring of P3HT were
Centimetre-Long Carbon Nanotubes from Ethanol Decomposition

Centimetre long carbon nanotubes were successfully grown from ethanol decomposition in chemical vapor deposition by using iron as the catalyst and silicon as the substrates. Ethanol is found to be a good carbon source to produce clean and long carbon nanotubes. Scanning electronic microscopy images show that the carbon nanotubes are up to 4 cm long. Atomic force microscopy and Raman spectrum were performed. The surface morphology was also studied using scanning electronic microscopy, and possible growth mechanism is discussed.
Effects of water recycling in hydrothermal carbonization of loblolly pine

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a process to densify, homogenize, and stabilize diverse biomass feedstocks. The water requirements of HTC need to be assessed to determine commercial feasibility. This current research work focuses on the effects on HTC of using recycled process water for multiple process cycles. Loblolly pine was treated in hot, compressed water at 200, 230, and 260°C for 5 min with a 5:1 water:biomass mass ratio. Liquid product was separated and recycled for reuse in HTC, nine cycles at 200 and 230°C and five cycles at 260°C. The solid products (biocarbon) were characterized by their mass yields, higher heating values (HHVs), and equilibrium moisture content (EMC), whereas in the liquid samples, total organic carbon (TOC) content and pH were determined. With successive recycling, biocarbon mass yield increases by 5–10% above the yield recorded for the initial cycle at each temperature investigated, whereas biocarbon HHV is essentially unchanged. The aqueous TOC is increasingly concentrated with the number of cycles and reaches an equilibrium. The EMC results suggest that the effects of recycling process water on hydrophobicity of the biocarbon are negligible. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 33: 1309–1315, 2014
Swirl-inducing inlet for passive micromixers

This paper proposes a swirl-inducing inlet as a simple and effective method to improve fluid mixing in passive micromixers in the range of Re > 20. A pair of antisymmetric barriers are placed in the mixer inlets to generate angular momentum in the flow and induce a swirling flow structure. It can be applied as a small modification to many conventional passive mixers that have counter-inlets such as the T-shaped channel. In this paper, we show the effectiveness of the proposed inlet through numerical simulations of the mixing process in two representative passive micromixers: the T-shaped micromixer with rectangular cross section and the three-dimensional serpentine micromixer with L-shaped repeating units. The simulations show that the proposed inlet can successfully generate a strong swirling flow and provide considerable mixing improvement in both types of micromixers tested at Re = 20–150, where the mixing is enhanced by greater than a factor of two based on the mixing index.
Effects of electroacupuncture on the expression of microvascular endothelial ICAM-1 and P-selectin in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion

目的 探讨电针对脑缺血再灌注大鼠脑内微血管内皮组织的保护作用及其相关机制. 方法 采用大脑中动脉线栓法制备脑缺血再灌注模型,应用免疫组化法观察脑缺血再灌注后及经电针刺激百会、水沟穴对大鼠缺血脑区微血管内皮细胞间黏附分子-1(ICAM-1)、P-选择素(P-selectin)表达水平的影响. 结果 实验大鼠在脑缺血再灌注后,其缺血侧脑基底核区微血管内皮细胞ICAM-1、P-选择素表达水平明显增加,与正常组、假手术组比较,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.01);电针治疗组大鼠缺血侧脑基底核区微血管内皮细胞ICAM-1、P-选择素表达水平均较模型组显著降低,差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.05). 结论 电针穴位治疗可降低大鼠缺血侧脑基底核区微毛细血管ICAM-1、P-选择素表达水平;早期电针穴位治疗对脑缺血再灌注损伤具有治疗作用,可能是通过抑制脑缺血再灌注区炎性反应来实现的。
CRYSTAL AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND SOLID STATE NMR STUDIES OF BIS(5,5-DIMETHYL-2-OXO-1,3,2-DIOXAPHOSPHORINAN-2-YL) SELENIDE

Abstract The structural investigation of the phosphoroorganic selenium-containing title compound C10H20O6P2Se (1) was carried out. The structure of 1 has been determined by X-ray analysis and correlated with the solid state NMR studies, its purity and identity was confirmed by elemental analysis. The following crystal data were found: triclinic, P1, a = 5.6557(6) A, b = 10.2717(8) A, c = 13.761(1) A, α = 105.580(7)β, p = 90.992(7)°, γ = 101.745(8)°, and Z = 2. Two six-membered rings in the molecule of 1 are in the chair conformation. The selenium atom which bridges the rings is situated axially with respect to both rings. The exocyclic oxygens are, consequently, in equatorial positions.
Neonatal development of the rat visual cortex: synaptic function of GABAa receptor α subunits

Each GABAA receptor consists of two α and three other subunits. The spatial and temporal distribution of different α subunit isomeres expressed by the CNS is highly regulated. Here we study changes in functional contribution of different α subunits during neonatal development in rat visual cortex. First, we characterized postsynaptic α subunit expression in layer II‐III neurons, using subunit‐specific pharmacology combined with electrophysiological recordings in acutely prepared brain slices. This showed clear developmental downregulation of the effects of bretazenil (1 μm) and marked upregulation of the effect of 100 nm of zolpidem on the decay of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs). Given the concentrations used we interpret this as downregulation of the synaptic α3 and upregulation of α1 subunit. Furthermore, the effect of furosemide, being indicative of the functional contribution of α4, was increased between postnatal days 6 and 21. Our second aim was to study the effects of plasticity in α subunit expression on decay properties of GABAergic IPSCs. We found that bretazenil‐sensitive IPSCs have the longest decay time constant in juvenile neurons. In mature neurons, zolpidem‐ and furosemide‐sensitive IPSCs have relatively fast decay kinetics, whereas bretazenil‐sensitive IPSCs decay relatively slowly. Analysis of α1 deficient mice and α1 antisense oligonucleotide deletion in rat explants showed similar results to those obtained by zolpidem application. Thus, distinct α subunit contributions create heterogeneity in developmental acceleration of IPSC decay in neocortex.
Effects of high hydrogen dilution at low temperature on the film properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium

The effects of hydrogen dilution of up to 54:1 (=H2:SiH4) on hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium (a-SiGe:H) was investigated at a low substrate temperature, while keeping the optical gap (Eopt) constant. It was found that deterioration of the film properties, when substrate temperature decreases, can be compensated by the high hydrogen dilution method. As the substrate temperature decreases from 230 to 180 °C, the high photoconductivity, high photosensitivity, and low silicon dihydride content of a-SiGe:H can be maintained with a high hydrogen dilution ratio of 54:1, although these properties becomes worse with conventional low hydrogen dilution ratios. Probably, hydrogen radicals substitute for the surface reaction energy lost by decreasing the temperature. Besides, a-SiGe:H films deposited under higher hydrogen dilution have more germanium and less hydrogen content than those of the conventional films, despite having the same Eopt. One possible explanation for why Eopt can be kept constant is the s.
Deactivation of Cu-SSZ-13 by SO2 exposure under SCR conditions

A deactivation study of Cu-SSZ-13 has been conducted using SO2 exposure under SCR conditions and examining its effect on different reactions involving NH3-SCR. Several reactions, including NH3 storage/TPD, NO/NH3 oxidation, standard SCR, fast SCR and SCR with 75% NO2, as well as NH3–NO2 storage/TPD, were investigated at a temperature range of 100–400 °C after exposing the catalyst to 30 ppm SO2 under SCR conditions at 300 °C for 90 min. The catalyst was characterized using XRD, BET, ICP-SFMS and H2-TPR. The BET surface area and pore volume decreased after the sulfur treatment presumably due to blocking by sulfur and/or ammonium–sulfur species. It was found that sulfur was not uniformly deposited along the monolith channel. The deposition occurred from the inlet towards the outlet, as evident from ICP-SFMS measurements. Part of the sulfur was removed after an SCR experiment up to 400 °C. However, this removal was observed only in the inlet half of the sample and not in the outlet. Ammonia TPD experiments revealed that the sulfur poisoning resulted in additional sites that were capable of adsorbing ammonia, resulting in increased ammonia storage. Moreover, standard SCR was significantly deactivated by SO2 poisoning under SCR conditions. Due to the site-blocking effect of the ammonium–sulfur species, fewer copper sites are likely available for the redox SCR cycle. Furthermore, the effect of sulfur poisoning on NH3 oxidation and NO2-SCR as well as N2O production in various SCR reactions were observed. Finally, it was found that the conditions for the sulfur poisoning were critical in which SO2 deactivation under SCR conditions (NH3 + NO + O2 + H2O) was more severe compared to SO2 poisoning in O2 + H2O alone.
Increased Concentrations of Breath Hydrogen Gas in Japanese Centenarians

Purpose: It has been demonstrated that hydrogen gas and hydrogen-rich water may act as a therapeutic antioxidant. Hydrogen gas produced by intestinal fermentation is believed to have some preventive effects on age-related diseases. This study was performed to determine whether intestinal production of hydrogen gas could be associated with longevity. Methods: The hydrogen gas concentrations in the breath, reflecting the intestinal production of hydrogen gas, were measured by a portable breath hydrogen analyzer in twenty-six centenarians who were local residents (6 men, 20 women; age, 102 (2) years (mean (SD)) and 16 offspring (7 men, 9 women; 70 (5) years) who lived in the same household. For comparison, the breath hydrogen gas concentrations were also measured in 14 healthy controls (8 men, 6 women; 37.3 (17.4) years) and 15 elderly people with type 2 diabetes (4 men, 11 women; 79 (6) years). Results: The hydrogen concentrations in the centenarians (59.4 (62.6) ppm) were significantly ( p<0.05) higher than those in the healthy controls (17.7 (19.6) ppm) and in the elderly diabetic patients (23.2 (19.0) ppm), but there was no significant difference between the centenarians and their offspring, living in the same home (37.8 (27.2) ppm). Conclusion: Increased intestinal production of hydrogen gas might contribute to longevity in Japanese centenarians, and it is presumably related to the diet and gut microbiota.
Rhizosphere characteristics, heavy metal accumulation and growth performance of two willow (Salix × rubens) clones

High-biomass tree species holds promise for a clean up of metal contaminated soils. Root and fungal activities modify soil characteristics that are important factors for the phytoextraction process (metal availability and toxicity). In a rhizobox experiment, two clones of Salix × rubens derived from contaminated and non-contaminated sites were tested for growth performance and metal (Cd, Pb and Zn) accumulation on a polluted Calcaric Cambisol. The largest metal concentrations in leaves were 66.7 mg Cd/kg, 12.8 mg Pb/kg and 1090 mg Zn/kg. The results indicate that metal tolerance and accumulation of S. × rubens may be a constitutive rather than an adaptive property. Soil pH did not differ among rhizobox compartments. However, acid neutralization capacity was decreased in rhizosphere. DOC in rhizosphere was increased by 37% and seemed to enhance labile fraction of Pb and Zn, whereas Cd was not affected. The replenishment of labile metals from less labile soil fractions was efficient enough to almost compensate the plant uptake. S. × rubens can effectively induce chemical changes in the rhizosphere is very promising for a clean up of metal-polluted soils.
Crop Residue Effects on Organic Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Concentrations and Loads in Runoff Water

Degraded soil surface conditions favor surface runoff, thus enhancing sediment and nutrient losses. This study examined the effect of crop residues on carbon (C), nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (TP), and total dissolved P (TDP) losses by surface runoff in an agricultural loamy soil with degraded structure. Runoff and sediment yield were made over 1‐m2 plots using a rainfall simulator with constant 65 mmh−1 intensity. Four successive rainfall applications were performed, the first three ones 25 mm each and the last one 65 mm. Added corn straw varied between 0 and 4 tha−1 in the five studied treatments. Organic C, N, and TP concentrations in runoff showed a trend to decrease because of the effect of corn straw on soil losses. However, TDP concentration increased with increasing crop residue in the lower two rainfall events. Sedimentary P constituted the major proportion of P in runoff. After 140 mm of cumulative rainfall, nutrient losses were as follows: organic C from 137.7 to 792.7 kgha−1, N from 16.65 to 88.82 kgha−1, TP from 1.72 to 7.87 kgha−1, and TDP 57 to 87 gha−1. Total losses of the studied nutrients were correlated with soil losses.
Peptide−Polymer Bioconjugates via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Their Solution Aggregation into Hybrid Micro/Nanospheres for Dye Uptake

Peptide−polymer hybrid bioconjugates containing poly(methyl methacrylate) chains attached with oligopeptide molecules were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using designed peptide-initiators. These initiators were synthesized from newly designed peptides with 2-bromoisobutyric acid via a standard coupling reaction. ATRP of methyl methacrylate was conducted using Br-terminated peptide as macroinitiator and copper(I) chloride/N,N,N′,N′′,N′′-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the catalyst system in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at an elevated temperature (90 °C). The peptide−polymer bioconjugates with controllable molecular weights and low polydispersities (PDI < 1.35) were obtained. We devised a simple solution approach in assembling the peptide−polymer bioconjugate molecules into hybrid micro/nanospheres in different organic solvents as confirmed from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) results. The .