Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Environmentally-Friendly Coatings Toward Inhibiting the Microbially Influenced Corrosion (MIC) of Steel: A Review

Microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) is an electrochemical type of corrosion that is initiated, facilitated, or accelerated by bacteria and biofilms on the metal substrate. To inhibit MIC, coating methods have been widely used because of their effectiveness, ease of application, and low cost. Coatings used for MIC inhibition should have antibacterial and anticorrosive properties. Conventional coatings for MIC inhibition are based on heavy metals such as tin, copper, and zinc; these coatings are toxic to the environment. Recently, environmentally-friendly coatings were developed to inhibit MIC. Among these new coatings, studies have focused on conductive polymers, which have both antibacterial and anticorrosive properties. These conductive polymers have biocidal activity due to the positively charged nitro-groups in their chains. Moreover, due to their good redox properties, these polymers can passivate steel, imparting anticorrosive properties. The biocidal and anticorrosive properties of conductive polymers make them appropriate coatings for MIC inhibition. This study reviews the antibacterial and anticorrosive properties of different types of polymer coating concentrates in environmentally-friendly conductive polymers for inhibition of MIC of steels.
Growth of TiO2 nanorod arrays on reduced graphene oxide with enhanced lithium-ion storage

We demonstrate the synthesis of a sandwich-like nanocomposite by planting rutile TiO2 nanorods onto reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via a modified seed-assisted hydrothermal growth method. The synthetic process consists of functionalization of graphene oxide (GO), followed by hydrolytic deposition of TiO2 nanoparticles on GO and reduction, and finally hydrothermal growth of rutile TiO2 nanorods on RGO. The resultant nanocomposite, i.e. rutile TiO2 nanorod arrays on RGO (TONRAs–RGO), exhibits largely enhanced reversible charge–discharge capacity and rate capability compared to bare TiO2 nanorods (TONRs) due to its unique structure and superior conductivity. The rate performance of the nanocomposite is also better than that of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles. This study will inspire better design of RGO-based nanocomposites for high energy density lithium-ion battery applications.
INDUCTION OF OVULATION IN Liza ramada (RISSO, 1826) OUT OF SEASON

The present work was designed to determine the suitable hormonal requirements for induction of ovulation in the thin-lipped grey mullet ( Liza ramada ) reared in brackish water earthen pond out of season. On April 2014, eight groups of grey mullet (6 females / group) were collected and kept in aquaculture pond. The first group (G 1 ) did not receive the hormonal treatment. The mullets of the other seven groups were subjected to intramuscular injection of hormones as follows: G 2 , 4500 IU/Kg human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG); G 3, 3 mg melatonin (ML) /fish; G 4, 3 carp pituitary extract (cPE) / fish; G 5 , a combination of 4500 IU/Kg hCG + 3 cPE / fish; G 6 , a combination of 4500 IU/Kg hCG + 3mg/ ML fish; G 7 , a combination of 4500 IU/Kg hCG + 3 adrenal gland (AD) / fish; G 8 , a combination of 3 cPE + 3mg/ ML fish. The results after 24 hr. , of injection revealed that estradiol 17-β (E 2 ) level in the collected serum experimental mullets was increased (P < 0.05) with G 2 treatment. In the same trend, gonadosomatic index (GSI) was significantly (P < 0.05) increased with G 2 . The serum Progesterone (P) concentration and Progesterone/Estradiol 17- β ratio (P/E 2 ) were significantly (P < 0.05) increased with G 5 than other groups. The G 5 group showed oocytes maturation and ovulation superior to that of all other groups, with ripped oocyte and other different maturity stages in Liza ramada out of season. It could be concluded that, 4500 IU/kg of hCG and 3 cPE combination had successfully induced the oocyte maturation in Liza ramada fish reared in brackish water under captivity out of season and a higher dose would induce the ovulation and spawning.
Das erste Oxocobaltat des Typs A2CoIIO2: K2CoO2 = K4[OCoO2CoO]

Durch „Reaktion mit der Gefaswand” von aquimolaren Gemengen aus K2O und CdO in verschlossenen Co-Bomben entstanden wahrend 73 d bei 450°C dunkelrote Einkristalle von K2CoO2. Nach der Strukturaufklarung mittels Vierkreisdiffraktometer (MoKα, alle 1 567 Io(hkl) zur Verfeinerung, R = 3,25%, Rw = 2,67%) liegt eine monokline Elementarzelle vor. Strukturbestimmendes Merkmal sind planare, dimere [Co2O4]4−-Einheiten, wie sie analog bei Rb10[CoIO2]2[CoO4] [2] vorliegen. Der Madelunganteil der Gitterenergie, MAPLE, und die Verteilung der Ladungen werden berechnet und diskutiert. Die Gitterkonstanten nach Pulverdaten (Guinier-Simon) betragen: (Standardabweichungen in Einheiten der letzten Stelle in Klammern). The First Oxocobaltate of the Type A2CoIIO2: K2CoO2 = K4[OCoO2CoO] By “reaction with the cylinder surface” of intimate mixtures of K2O and CdO (molar ratio 1:1) in closed Co-Cylinders at 450°C during 73 d dark-red single-crystals of K2CoO2 were obtained. Structure solution and refinement (four-circle diffractometer-data, MoKα, 1 567 independent Io(hkl), none was omitted, R = 3.25%, Rw = 2.67%) result in a monoclinic unit cell containing anions [Co2O4]4− of two connected triangles similar to those of Rb10[CoIO2]2[CoO4]. MAPLE-values and Charge-distributions are given and discussed.
Magnetic field effect on phase separation process in a liquid mixture

In this work, the statistical properties of the frequency distribution curves and the autocorrelation functions of the scattered photons from a laser beam incident on a liquid mixture approaching its phase separation temperature under an applied magnetic field in a dynamic light scattering experiment were employed in the study of the physical behavior of the scattering centers within the samples and in the calculations of their associated diffusion coefficients, respectively. It was found that while approaching the phase separation temperature, cluster formation of molecules of the same species occurred within the mixtures. Increasing the magnetic field strength resulted in enhancement of the effect. Our sample liquid mixtures exhibited phase separation behaviour when an applied magnetic field is strong enough.
Hole Migration in DNA: a Theoretical Analysis of the Role of Structural Fluctuations

We have studied the effect of fluctuating structural distortions on the efficiency of hole migration in some DNA double strands. Standard molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of DNA embedded in water have been performed over a time intervals of 40 ps. The MD study was followed by quantum chemical calculations of time-dependent electronic coupling between all the pairs of adjacent bases and by the subsequent evaluation of the fluctuating effective electronic coupling between donor and acceptor (HDA) guanine bases. A convenient parametrization of the coupling in terms of the overlap between the localized wave functions was found by a large number of ab initio calculations. The MD results show that HDA undergoes large fluctuations and that its quadratic average is 1 order of magnitude larger than its mean value. Furthermore, the MD analysis shows that the base-pair couplings are due predominantly to the transverse motions of the DNA strands, while longitudinal motions are surprisingly ineffective.
A Simple and Inexpensive Method for Fabrication of Ultramicroelectrode Array and Its Application for the Detection of Dissolved Oxygen

Herein, we report a simple and inexpensive way for fabrication of ultra microelectrode arrays (UMEAs) and the relative characterization methods. The fabrication of UMEAs involves only a few steps of handwork. Since only metal wires and epoxy are used through the fabrication process, it is supposed to be a quite straightforward method for preparing UMEAs. A dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor based on UMEAs was constructed.
Structural and Electrochemical Properties of YbIII in Various Ionic Liquids

Solvation and ligand exchange reactions of ytterbium(III) as a model for the late trivalent f-elements have been studied in triflate and bistriflylamide ionic liquids (ILs) with the purpose of contributing to a wider understanding of f-element organometallic catalysis, as well as separation and nuclear fuel reprocessing, in ILs. Using the compounds [C 4 mpyr] 3 -[Yb(OTf) 6 ] and [C 4 mpyr][Yb(Tf 2 N)4] [C 4 mpyr = N-methyl-N-propylpyrrolidinium ; OTf = triflate, trifluoromethanesulfonate; Tf 2 N = bistriflylamide, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide] we were able to structurally characterize the local surroundings of Yb 3+ in the ILs [C 4 mpyr][OTf] and [C 4 mpyr][Tf 2 N] unequivocally. The formation of [C 4 mpyr] 3 [Yb(OTf) 6 ]-[C 4 mpyr][Tf 2 N] from a solution of Yb(Tf 2 N) 3 in [C 4 mpyr]-[OTf] shows that the stronger coordinating OTf- anion completely replaces the less Lewis basic Tf 2 N- anion in the first coordination sphere of the lanthanide ion. As expected, such a ligand exchange could not be observed for Yb(OTf) 3 in [C 4 mpyr][Tf 2 N]. The ion exchange in the lanthanide coordination sphere can be efficiently monitored by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV). CV measurements also indicate that Yb 3+ adopts a mixed OTf - /Tf 2 N - coordination environment when Yb(OTf) 3 is dissolved in [C 4 mpyr][Tf2 N ]. The measured half-wave potentials of the studied systems can be linked to the electron-donor properties of the metal cation.
Investigation of the pH dependence of the kinetics of quartz dissolution at 25 °C

The dissolution kinetics of two samples of commercial ground Fontainebleau sand consisting of > 99.6% quartz are studied at 25 °C in constant ionic strength conditions and in the pH range 4.5–10.5. The strong pH dependence of the reaction rate is attributed to changes in the surface speciation of quartz. The ionization of the surface silanol groups is investigated using potentiometric methods and the results are compared with literature data using a simple surface speciation model that accounts for the effects of the electrical double layer on the hydrogen ion activity. The surface speciation model produces titration curves in good agreement with the experimental data and offers an interpretation of the relationship between the density of ionized groups, [SiO–(s)], and pH.The rate constant, k+, for the dissolution reaction: SiO2(solid)+ 2H2O → Si(OH)4(aq) is determined from 25 experiments as: log k+=– 14.547 ± 0.162 + 0.361 ± 0.022 pH at 25 °C, ionic strength of 0.010 mol dm–3 and pH in the range 4.5–10.5. The constant, k+, is in units of mol m–2 s–1. The results are compared with the available literature data at 25 °C. Although there is general agreement between the experimental data and the surface speciation model concerning the pH dependence of the dissolution rates, the variation between the absolute values of the rate constants from different quartz samples is large. The pH dependence observed in this work and that of Brady and Walther, is consistent with a pK for the dissociation of surface silanol groups and surface density of terminal silanol groups of ca. 7.5 and 11 nm–2, respectively. A slope of ca. 0.33 obtained from the regression of pH and log k+ is predicted from the surface model. Similar gradients have been observed in other studies using quartz and also for a range of other silicate minerals for solution pH 7.
Engineering behavior of water treatment sludge

The engineering behavior of one iron and two alum coagulant water-treatment plant sludges was investigated. The behavior studied included plasticity characteristics, moisture-density relation, compressibility, and shear strength. Additionally, a hypothetical disposal landfill was analyzed and discussed to demonstrate possible applications of the developed data base. The test results indicate that the sludges are extremely plastic and highly compressible. The drained shear strength is high, but the undrained strength is very low. They are also highly sensitive and thixotropic. Compared with the iron sludge, the alum sludges are more plastic and compressible, and have higher undrained shear strength at the same solids content. The moisture-density relation of the iron sludge exhibits the typical one-hump shape, whereas that of the alum sludge shows no peak formation. The results of landfill analysis indicate that the required minimum solids content for maintaining a desired slope is higher for the iron sludge than the alum sludge.
Placement for Intercommunicating Virtual Machines in Autoscaling Cloud Infrastructure: Autoscaling and Intercommunication Aware Task Placement

Due to pay-as-you-go style adopted by cloud datacenters (DC), modern day applications having intercommunicating tasks depend on DC for their computing power. Due to unpredictability of rate at which data arrives for immediate processing, application performance depends on autoscaling service of DC. Normal VM placement schemes place these tasks arbitrarily onto different physical machines (PM) leading to unwanted network traffic resulting in poor application performance and increases the DC operating cost. This paper formulates autoscaling and intercommunication aware task placements (AIATP) as an optimization problem, with additional constraints and proposes solution, which uses the placement knowledge of prior tasks of individual applications. When compared with well-known algorithms, CloudsimPlus-based simulation demonstrates that AIATP reduces the resource fragmentation (30%) and increases the resource utilization (18%) leading to minimal number of active PMs. AIATP places 90% tasks of an application together and thus reduces the number of VM migration (39%) while balancing the PMs.
Alkaline and alkaline/oxidation pre-treatments of spruce wood: Part 1: Chemical alterations of wood and its digestibility under conditions of kraft cook.

A ser ies of comparable specimens of spruce wood were submitted to chemical pre-treatments. Chemical pre-treatments were carried out with diluted sodium hydroxide, or sodium hydroxide and then by hydrogen peroxide, or per-acetic acid. All pre-treatments modifi ed the chemical composition of wood and led to its weight loss. Th e pre-treatments resulted in a complete deacetylation, and partial delignifi cation of wood and did not cause apparent loss of cellulose. Chemical alterations of the pre-treated spruce wood were markedly refl ected in its improved digestibility under conditions of kraft cook. Th e obtained pulps were characterized with apparently reduced content of residual lignin, lower yield, moderate drop in DP, higher brightness and better optical properties (colour and lightness) of both unbleached and bleached pulps.
YOUTUBE WITHIN ESL CLASSROOM: EXPLORING AN INSTRUCTOR’S AND HER LEARNERS’ EXPERIENCES CONCERNING THE AUTHENTICITY OF LANGUAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USE

Purpose – This study was aimed to explore the experiences of an instructor and her learners concerning the authenticity of language and technology use in YouTube-aided ESL classroom. Methodology – A qualitative case study was employed involving an ESL instructor and seven learners from a higher learning institution in Malaysia. To achieve the objective, the experiences were uncovered through in-depth interviews and a series of journal entries. Findings – The findings demonstrate that the content of YouTube could be exploited to expose the learners to authentic English. In addition to that, the web 2.0 features of YouTube can familiarise the learners with the current technology application. Significance – This study is significant as it shares with the readers the experiences of an ESL instructor and the learners concerning the potential of YouTube in offering authentic materials and use of technology. By adopting an online video platform and not relying solely on textbook and other printed materials, ESL practitioners are anticipated to be more creative in delivering the subject. This is especially true in teaching today’s generation who is the digital native. Accordingly, it helps ESL instructors to be able to keep pace with the trendy technology in order to enhance teaching and learning as well as fulfilling current learners’ technological demand.
An Epitaxial Transparent Conducting Perovskite Oxide: Double-Doped SrTiO3

Epitaxial thin films of strontium titanate doped with different concentrations of lanthanum and oxygen vacancies were grown on LSAT substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique. Films grown with 5−15% La doping and a critical growth pressure of 1−10 mTorr showed high transparency (>70−95%) in the UV−visible range with a sheet resistance of 300−1000 Ω/◻. With the aid of UV−visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence, we establish the presence of oxygen vacancies and the possible band structure, which is crucial for the transparent conducting nature of these films. This demonstration will enable development of various epitaxial oxide heterostructures for both realizing opto-electronic devices and understanding their intrinsic optical properties.
Accumulation, speciation and uptake pathway of ZnO nanoparticles in maize

Engineered nanomaterials such as ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) will inevitably enter the environment because of the large quantities produced and their widespread application. Plants comprise a fundamental living component of terrestrial ecosystems; thus, understanding the interaction between ENMs and plants is important. In the present study we conducted an integrated study by employing a combination of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques to comparatively investigate the uptake of ZnO NPs and Zn2+ ions by maize in order to further elucidate plant uptake pathways of ZnO NPs. The results demonstrate that the majority of Zn taken up was derived from Zn2+ released from ZnO NPs, and Zn accumulated in the form of Zn phosphate. ZnO NPs were observed mainly in the epidermis, a small fraction of ZnO NPs were present in the cortex and root tip cells, and some further entered the vascular system through the sites of the primary root-lateral root junction. However, no ZnO nanoparticle was observed to translocate to shoots, possibly due to the dissolution and transformation of ZnO NPs inside the plants.
Influence of Fe, Cr and Al on hydrogen incorporation in orthopyroxene

Three series of enstatite crystals doped with different amounts of Fe, Cr or Al were synthesized under water-saturated conditions at 25 kbar. The OH-incorporation was studied by FTIR-spectroscopy on oriented crystal sections. Strongest absorptions (approximately 65 % of total absortion) occurred in all cases when n γ was parallel to the electric field vector E of the incident light, weakest absorptions were observed when n β was parallel to E. In addition to the O-H absortion bands of pure enstatite (at 3070 and 3361 cm −1 , respectively), IR spectra on orthopyroxenes containing trivalent cations reveal additional peaks between 3250 and 3350 cm −1 as well as above 3400 cm −1 , consistent with the generation of new hydrogen sites and a distortion of the polyhedral chains and cationic effects influencing the local electric field around the H bond. The amount of the incorporated OH correlates well with the concentration of trivalent cations in the crystal, consistent to the exchange mechanisms Fe 3+ + H + ⇔ 2 Mg 2+ and Cr 3+ + H + ⇔ 2 Mg 2+ . Comparison to natural samples from the Earth9s upper mantle strongly suggests that coupled substitutions involving Al 3+ dominate the H + incorporation.
MEMS PIEZOELECTRIC ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCER

ABSTRACT This paper presents the fabrication process and measurement results of microelectro-mechanical (MEMS) piezoelectric acoustic transducers. To increase the output sound pressure, a dome-shaped multi-layer diaphragm is designed and fabricated by adjusting the residual stress in the individual layers. Transducers work in either audio or ultrasonic frequency range if diaphragm is designed in different size. In the frequency range from 100 Hz to 7 kHz, the output sound pressure of audio transducers with 3 mm × 3 mm diaphragm is higher than 0.1 Pa. The maximum output reaches 1.1 Pa at 3.8 kHz. For ultrasonic transducers with 1 mm × 1 mm diaphragm, the maximum output is 1.26 Pa at resonant frequency of 54 kHz. All transducers show acceptable linearity over a wide range of input drive voltage.
PRENYLLIPIDS AND PIGMENTS CONTENT IN SELECTED ANTARCTIC LICHENS AND MOSSES

The content and relative composition of tocopherols, plastochromanol, plastoquinone and pigments in fifteen Antarctic species (five mosses and ten lichens) were analyzed by HPLC. Total tocopherols in mosses ranged from 90 mg/g (Warnstrofia sarmentosa) to 220 mg/g (Syntrichia magellanica), while in lichens it ranged from 0.89 mg/g in Caloplaca sp. to 45 mg/g in Placopsis contortuplicata. With the exception of Ochrolechia frigida, in all other mosses and lichens species, a-tocopherol accounted for more than 90% of total tocopherols. Plastochromanol was detected in four mosses and two lichen species; the highest level was found in Polytrichastrum alpinum (19.1 mg/g). The highest content of plastoquinone-9 (PQ-9) in mosses was found in Bryum pseudotriquetrum (42.6 mg/g), whereas in lichens it was 24.5 mg/g in Stereocaulon alpinum, and 23.17 mg/g in Umbilicaria antarctica. Pigment composition in mosses was typical for higher plants. Some lichen species lacked chlorophyll b, violaxanthin and b-carotene. Based on these results it is suggested that tocochromanols and carotenoid pigments are involved in the protection of mosses and lichens against the oxidative stress caused by the extreme Antarctic conditions.
Effect of gamma irradiation on chromate sorption over magnetite surface

Aqueous chromate sorption on suspended magnetite in the presence of gamma irradiation has been evaluated. Kinetics of chromate removal was evaluated using Lagergren's absorption model. Chromate removal with respect to the accumulated dose followed a Lagergren's pseudo-first-order kinetic model. A comparison of kinetics of chromate removal with respect to total accumulated dose for gamma irradiation experiment vis-à-vis with respect to time of treatment for different isothermal interactions has been undertaken. Rate constants indicate that the chromate removed per minute in isothermal equilibration at 80 °C is comparable to the chromate removed per kilogrey of gamma irradiation received. There is a redox interaction between the chromate and the ferrous of the suspended magnetite which was confirmed by X ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. This process reaches a saturation much before the consumption of entire ferrous ions of magnetite, indicating a passivating nature of the product. The effect of radiation on both chromate solution and dispersed magnetite to alter the redox process could be ascertained. Gaussian–Lorenzian peak fittings to the XPS data have been carried out to evaluate the chemical composition of the deposited chromium and the resultant change in the chemical composition of the iron in the oxide lattice. This indicated that the magnetite equilibrated with chromate under gamma irradiation resulted in a different surface composition as compared with the one obtained in absence of gamma irradiation. XPS data indicated the presence of hydroxyl group and oxide group attached to both iron and chromium moieties in case of irradiation, whereas only oxide group was seen with only temperature treatment.