Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrodeposition of Oligothiophene-Linked Gold Nanoparticle Films

The electrodeposition and characterization of conducting thin films of gold nanoparticles bridged with oligothiophene linkers are reported. Gold nanoparticles capped with the conjugated phosphines 5-diphenylphosphino-2,2‘:5‘,2‘ ‘-terthiophene (dcore = 1.7 ± 0.3 nm) and 5-diphenylphosphino-3‘,4‘-ethylenedioxy-2,2‘:5‘,2‘ ‘-terthiophene (dcore = 1.8 ± 0.4 nm) have been prepared. Electrochemical oxidation of these particles results in the deposition of thin films consisting of intact nanoparticles linked by oligothiophene moieties, in which the π−π* absorption of both the conjugated linker and the plasmon band are red-shifted relative to individual nanoparticles. Conductivities of both the unlinked and linked particles are measured and the latter are shown to have substantially higher conductivities than unlinked particles or gold nanoparticles linked by saturated alkyl chain linkers.
Selenium Content of Australian Foods: A Review of Literature Values

The aim of this study was to review the published literature values for the selenium content of Australian foods. A secondary aim was to compare the results for Australian foods with food composition data from international sources to investigate the extent of geographical variation. Published food composition data sources for the selenium content in Australian foods were identified and assessed for data quality using established criteria. The selenium content is available for 148 individual food items. The highest values found are for fish (12.0–63.2 μg/100 g), meats (4.75–37.9 μg/100 g) and eggs (9.00–41.4 μg/100 g), followed by cereals (1.00–20.3 μg/100 g). Moderate levels are seen in dairy products (2.00–7.89 μg/100 g) while most fruits and vegetables have low levels (trace—3.27 μg/100 g). High selenium foods show the greatest level of geographical variation, with foods from the United States generally having higher selenium levels than Australian foods and foods from the United Kingdom and New Zealand having lower levels. This is the first attempt to review the available literature for selenium composition of Australian foods. These data serve as an interim measure for the assessment of selenium intake for use in epidemiological studies of diet–disease relationships.
The removal of fluoride ion from aqueous solution by a cation synthetic resin

The removal of fluoride ion in aqueous solution by using an aluminum-formed synthetic resin, Amberlite IR-120 (MERCK, USA), was studied in this research. The experimental results indicated that the removal efficiency was influenced significantly by solution pH and the optimum operating pH was found to be in the range of 5–7. The removal of fluoride by Amberlite IR-120 resin was increased with the presence of sulfate ions in aqueous solution. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms can adequately describe the equilibrium behaviors of the adsorption processes. The surface reaction-limiting kinetic model can adequately describe the removal behaviors of fluoride ion by Amberlite IR-120 in batch systems. Results for column experiments indicate that the utilization of contact bed and the removal capacities improved with increasing empty bed contact time (EBCT). The Bed-Depth-Service-Time (BDST) model can describe the removal behavior of fluoride in the column adequately, indicating that the removal rate was possibly determined by the surface reaction step.
A Boundary Distance-Based Symbolic Aggregate Approximation Method for Time Series Data

A large amount of time series data is being generated every day in a wide range of sensor application domains. The symbolic aggregate approximation (SAX) is a well-known time series representation method, which has a lower bound to Euclidean distance and may discretize continuous time series. SAX has been widely used for applications in various domains, such as mobile data management, financial investment, and shape discovery. However, the SAX representation has a limitation: Symbols are mapped from the average values of segments, but SAX does not consider the boundary distance in the segments. Different segments with similar average values may be mapped to the same symbols, and the SAX distance between them is 0. In this paper, we propose a novel representation named SAX-BD (boundary distance) by integrating the SAX distance with a weighted boundary distance. The experimental results show that SAX-BD significantly outperforms the SAX representation, ESAX representation, and SAX-TD representation.
A 1-year study of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry

Samples of rectal faeces were collected immediately after slaughter from 400 cattle each month for a 1-year period and from 1000 each of sheep, pigs and poultry over the same period. Samples were examined for Escherichia coli O157 by enrichment culture in buffered peptone water with vancomycin, cefixime and cefsulodin followed by immunomagnetic separation and culture of magnetic particles onto cefixime tellurite sorbitol MacConkey agar. E. coli O157 was isolated from 752 (15.7%) of 4800 cattle, 22 (2.2%) of 1000 sheep and from 4 (0.4%) of 1000 pigs, but not from any of 1000 chickens. Of the cattle sampled. 1840 (38.4%) were prime beef animals, 1661 (34.6%) were dairy animals being culled and the status could not be determined for the other 1299 (27%) animals. E. coli O157 was found in 246 (13.4%) of the 1840 beef cattle and 268 (16.1%) of the 1661 dairy cattle. The monthly prevalence of E. coli O157 in cattle was 4.8-36.8% and was at its highest in spring and late summer. Seventeen of the 22 isolates from sheep were also made over the summer period. All E. coli O157 isolates from sheep and 749 (99.6%) of the 752 E. coli O157 isolates from cattle were verocytotoxigenic as determined by Vero cell assay and DNA hybridization, eaeA gene positive, contained a 92 kb plasmid and were thus typical of strains causing infections in man. In contrast isolates from pigs were non-toxigenic, eaeA gene negative and did not contain a 92 kb plasmid and would, therefore, be unlikely to be a source of infection for man.
Koadsorptionsgleichgewichte von Kraftstoffdämpfen an feuchten Aktivkohlefiltern

Kraftstoffdampf-Ruckhaltesysteme in PKWs enthalten gewohnlich einen Aktivkohlefilter an dem die fluchtigen Kraftstoffkomponenten adsorbieren. Kurz vor Durchbruch dieser Stoffe wird die Zufuhr der Dampfe unterbrochen und der Filter mithilfe von Umgebungsluft regeneriert. Da die Luft feucht ist, wird untersucht, ob im langjahrigen Betrieb Wasser auf dem Filter kumuliert und so die Beladekapazitat und Funktionsfahigkeit beeintrachtigt wird. Die Kosorptionsgleichgewichte von Wasser und n-Pentan auf Aktivkohle wurden gemessen. Die Gemischbeladungen weichen nur wenig von den Summen der Reinstoffbeladungen beider Komponenten ab. Auch bei extremer Vorbefeuchtung der Kohle ist nur eine geringe Reduktion der Pentanbeladungskapazitat zu beobachten. Fuel vapor retaining systems in cars normally are using activated carbon filters to prevent vapors from being emitted to the environment. For regeneration of these filters air is soaked from the ambient and after being loaded with organic vapors sent to the engine. As this air is wet, water can adsorb and cumulated on the filter over the years and may reduce the sorption capacity of the filter for organic vapors. Coadsorption measurements of n-pentane vapor-humid air mixtures on pre-wetted activated carbon have been performed. The mass of the coadsorbate pentane-water mixture nearly equals the sum of the pure component adsorbates. The loading capacity of the activated carbon for n-pentane is not significantly reduced by the pre-adsorption of water.
Enhanced Dielectric and Ferroelectric Properties of Donor (W6+, Eu3+) Substituted SBT Ferroelectric Ceramics

In recent years, there has been a tremendous interest in ferroelectric materials from perspective of their potential applications in electronic devices such as non-volatile random access memories (NvRAMs), pyroelectric infrared detectors and optical switches [1-4]. On account of their read-write speed, non volatility, low operating power and radiation hardness, NvFRAMs are promising candidates for substituting silicon based electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash EEPROMs. The materials for memory applications are required to possess the following properties: a large remanent polarization (Pr), a low coercive field (Ec) and sufficient fatigue endurance against repetitive polarization switching etc. [5]. Among ferroelectrics, lead zirconate titanate PbZr1-xTixO3 (PZT) has been investigated extensively and has been found to be the most promising material for NvFRAM applications. However, apart from Pb toxicity, PZT suffers from serious degrading problems such as fatigue, ageing and leakage current that hinder the usability of this material in devices [6-10]. Among them fatigue is an important reliability issue for NvRAM devices which is defined as a decrease in switchable polarization with increasing number of polarization reversals [11]. During the search for an alternate ferroelectric material for these applications, it was found that bismuth oxide layered structures (BLSFs) originally synthesized by Aurivillius [12] are the most suitable candidates due to their relatively high Curie temperature (Tc), low dielectric dissipation and anisotropic nature originating from their layered structure [13-15]. The Aurivillius family of layered bismuth-oxides encompasses many ferroelectric materials, a fact which was known since the pioneering work of Smolenskii [16] and Subbarao [17], more than forty years ago. SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT), which is an n=2 member of the Aurivillius family of layered compounds, proved to be a versatile material for multifarious applications. Since Araujo et. al. [18] reported the fatigue-free behavior of SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT), it has gained importance among Pb-free ferroelectric memory materials [19-28]. Araujo recognized the inherent advantage of BLSFs over other ferroelectric materials on account of the fact that the former have intermediate bismuth oxide layers between the ferroelectric units [29].
Experimental estimation of gas-transport properties of linear low-density polyethylene membranes by an integral permeation method

In recent years, we have investigated gas-transport phenomena in coextruded linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) membranes. For the most part, coextruded LLDPE membranes were investigated because of their excellent mechanical properties, which explain their extensive use in the packaging industry. Because of the small thickness of coextruded LLDPE membranes, significant errors can be involved in the determination of the diffusion coefficient of gases in the membranes by the time-lag method. To obtain more precise transport parameters for LLDPE membranes, we determined the permeability and diffusion coefficients for O-2, CO2, He, and N-2 from 298 to 348 K by employing an alternative method recently developed. The results indicate that the procedure used in this study for determining the diffusivity of gases in membranes was precise and more efficient than a method based on the evaluation of the time-lag parameter. With respect to permeability, the coefficients obtained in this work agree satisfactorily with those obtained by the time-lag method. In general, the permeability and diffusivity results are in satisfactory agreement with the literature values reported for semicrystalline polyethylene membranes.
Characterization and Quantification of Poly(ADP-Ribose) in Cells and Tissues by Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is a nucleic-acid like biopolymer of various chain lengths with a linear or branched structure which is synthesized by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs). PARPs are involved in various biological processes such as genomic maintenance, cell cycle progression and regulation of cell death. Moreover, PARP inhibitors are currently being evaluated in cancer therapy, either as radioand chemosensitizers, or as monotherapeutic agents following the concept of synthetic lethality. A detailed analysis of the physiological role of PAR requires both an accurate knowledge of its structure and a reliable method for its quantification. This thesis reports the development of a sensitive, precise and accurate bioanalytical method, based on chromatography-coupled isotope-dilution tandem mass spectrometry, to characterize and quantify PAR with femtomol sensitivity and unequivocal chemical selectivity. To this end, PAR is extracted from cells, purified via solid-phase extraction, and hydrolyzed to specific monomeric units which are then subjected to mass spectrometric analysis. Non-radioactive C,N-labeled PAR was synthesized and used as an authentic chemical standard to account for technical variability during sample preparation and mass spectrometric analysis. Using this method, it is now possible to quantify PAR in different human cancer cell lines, in primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and in mouse tissue both under physiological conditions as well as upon induction of genotoxic stress. This work also demonstrates several potential biological applications of this method. First, LCMS/MS analysis revealed that DNA-damaging sulfur and nitrogen mustard derivatives robustly induce PARP activation in a dose-dependent manner in a human cancer cell line. Second, ex vivo pharmacodynamic studies were performed in order to define pharmacodynamic properties of clinically relevant PARP inhibitors in freshly isolated PBMCs. Third, poly(ADP-riboyl)ation was analyzed in a spectrum of different mouse tissues which revealed tissue-dependent differences in basal and DNA damage induced PAR levels. Finally a mouse model of systemic inflammation was characterized with regards to its poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation status. In conclusion, this study reports a novel mass spectrometric method for quantifying cellular PAR levels that will be instrumental for in-depth investigations on the metabolism of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation.
Polymerisation of methyl methacrylate with tert‐butyllithium and triisobutylaluminium in toluene: mechanism of initiation and termination by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionisation time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS)

The polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) using triisobutylaluminium/tert-butyllithium in hydrocarbon at 0°C and −78°C has been investigated by matrixassisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS). Although the system gives extremely good control over molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution, initiation of polymerization can be complicated by formation of small amounts of tert-butyl isoprenyl ketone (1), and termination of polymerization can occur by end cyclisation of the end unit of 3. Both complications in initiation and termination can be avoided by suitable reaction conditions. Incorporation of 1 is suppressed by increasing the alkylaluminium content and by higher temperature. Termination by cyclisation has been found to occur over much longer time scales than propagation and can therefore be avoided by controlled termination after the appropriate reaction time.
CORE-SOFTENED POTENTIALS AND THE ANOMALOUS PROPERTIES OF WATER

We study the phase diagram of a system of spherical particles interacting in three dimensions through a potential consisting of a strict hard core plus a linear repulsive shoulder at larger distances. The phase diagram (obtained numerically, and analytically in a limiting case) shows anomalous properties that are similar to those observed in water. Specifically, we find maxima of density and isothermal compressibility as a function of temperature, melting with volume contraction, and multiple stable crystalline structures. If in addition a long range attraction between the particles is included, the usual liquid–gas coexistence curve with its critical point is obtained. But more interestingly, a first order line in the metastable fluid branch of the phase diagram appears, ending in a new critical point, as it was suggested to occur in water. In this way the model provides a comprehensive, consistent and unified picture of most of the anomalous thermodynamical properties of water, showing that all of them .
Electrocatalytic properties of hybrid palladium–gold/multi‐walled carbon nanotube materials in fuel cell applications

Multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) supported Pd–Au nanoparticles for electrooxidation of formic acid (FA) are prepared and compared with Pd/MWCNTs in this study. The nanocatalysts are prepared by a polyol method, and characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TGA), SEM, and field emission transmission electron microscope (FE‐TEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is used to examine the catalytic activity towards FA electrooxidation. Controlling the contents of the precursors (PdCl2 and HAuCl4·4H2O), the different weight ratios of Pd–Au can be synthesized to form the various solid solution structures of Pd–Au. TEM image results indicate the average diameter of Pd–Au solid solution particles is about 10–30 nm. The results of electrochemical analysis show that the Au (10 wt.%)/[Pd/MWCNTs (1:9)](90 wt.%) hybrid catalysts exhibit the highest catalytic activity and better stability than that of Pd/MWCNTs in FA electrooxidation. The promoting of Pd‐based catalyst with Au to form solid solution improves the performance of the catalyst in FA electrooxidation. The newly synthesized electrocatalyst is promising for application in direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC).
Dynamics and Phase Transition in Adsorbed Monolayers of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate/Dodecanol Mixtures

The coadsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/n-dodecanol mixtures from aqueous solution is theoretically and experimentally studied and compared with the adsorption of the single components. The results of the surface pressure adsorption kinetics are combined with imaging of the surface by Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). First-order phase transition with subsequent formation of condensed phase domains can occur in the adsorbed monolayers of the mixtures over a large range of usual measuring conditions. A simple theoretical model is developed for the description of the adsorption of the surfactant mixtures. The approach is based on the calculation of the surface pressure isotherm of the mixture from the corresponding dependencies of the single components, also including condensation (aggregation) of one component in the adsorbed monolayer. The approach can be used to calculate the dynamic surface pressure for the diffusion adsorption mechanism. The results obtained by the application of the theoretica.
Sensory evaluation of fermented milks: vocabulary development and the relations between sensory properties and composition and between acceptability and sensory properties

Methodology for sensory profiling of fermented milks has been studied. A vocabulary of sensory attributes has been developed which encompasses most of the difference between samples. Principal Component Analysis, incorporating factor rotation, allowed simplification of the variability between samples to five Principal Components capable of clear interpretation. Sensory mapping was found to be a useful tool for categorizing fermented milks. The acceptability of the fermented milks was successfully modelled, by Partial Least Squares Regression, in terms of a limited number of key attributes. The model explained 88.4% of the variance. The relations between sensory attributes and the composition of the fermented milks were considered using Multiple Linear Regression. Although a number of statistically significant relations were derived they were of poor to modest value for purposes of prediction.
Neutron diffraction study of artificial CoO‐NiO superlattices

Neutron diffraction measurements were made on artificial superlattices of CoO‐NiO, (CoO)m(NiO)n×l prepared on the (0001) surface of α‐Al2O3. (111) layers of CoO and NiO, each less than 2 nm thick (2≤m,n≤8), were stacked alternatively to a total thickness of less than 70 nm (m+n≤15,l≤25). A well‐defined magnetic Bragg peak indexed as (1/2 1/2 1/2) was observed for all the samples, and a magnetic structure of type FCC2 with the spin axis lying in the (111) planes grown was suggested. The temperature dependence of the magnetic peak intensity revealed a sharp, single magnetic transition. The Neel temperature was found to vary as a linear function of n/(m+n).
Structure, energy and solute segregation behaviour of [110] symmetric tilt grain boundaries in yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia

Yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia bicrystals with [110] symmetric tilt grain boundaries are systematically fabricated by the diffusion bonding method. It is revealed that the grain-boundary atomistic structures, excess energies and solute segregation behaviours are strongly dependent on the macroscopic geometries of the boundaries. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy combined with lattice statics calculations suggests that the grain-boundary structures are characterized by the accumulation of coordination-deficient cation sites at their cores, whose densities have a clear correlation with excess energies and amounts of solute segregation. The orientation dependence of grain-boundary properties in cubic zirconia can thus be linked and understood via local grain-boundary atomistic structures with the characteristic miscoordinated cation sites.
Formation, structure and physical properties of a series of α-MoO3 nanocrystals: from 3D to 1D and 2D

A variety of α-MoO3 nanostructures, including 1D nanobelts, 2D nanolayers and 3D nanoparticles, were prepared via three methods: sintering AMT, sintering aggregates of AMT with PEGs, and oxidating MoO2. Our results suggested that the surface structures of the α-MoO3 crystals obtained can be controlled by preparation conditions, including sintering temperatures, sintering times and starting materials. Several rough rules were given to explain the influence of the preparation conditions. Also, this work provided a paradigm for the structural regulation of α-MoO3 crystals from 3D to 1D to 2D. Furthermore, the electron structures, photoluminescence performances and photocatalytic properties of the α-MoO3 crystals were investigated. It was found that they were highly dependent on surface features of the α-MoO3 crystals. For instance, the binding energies of Mo 3d3/2 and Mo 3d5/2 increased corresponding to a decrease in surface area of particles, induced by a structural transformation from 3D to 2D. Also, their photoluminescence intensity was greatly enhanced compared to that of commercial α-MoO3. More importantly, fascinating photocatalytic properties of the as-obtained α-MoO3 crystals were also associated with their morphologies and surface areas, for example, the smaller nanoparticles and larger surface areas of the catalysts and the higher photodegradation percentage of methylene blue. Interestingly, the photocatalytic efficiency of all the as-obtained α-MoO3 crystals was much better than commercial α-MoO3. A possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism was proposed. Overall, these results not only enhance our understanding of the relationship between structures and properties of inorganic nanomaterials but also could be potentially useful for new crystal design and growth of inorganic nanomaterials.
The Microwave-assisted Hydrogenation of 9,10-Diphenylanthracene over Pd/C

Abstract Palladium/activated carbon (Pd/C) catalyzed hydrogenation of 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA), used as a coal-related model compound, was investigated under microwave irradiation. The effects of reaction temperature, pressure, and time on DPA yield were studied. The results show that DPA hydrogenation proceeds at much lower temperatures and hydrogen pressure under microwave irradiation than those by conventional heating and Pd/C mainly promote ipso hydrogenation of DPA. The related mechanism was discussed.