Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrocarbon Degradation and Microbial Survival Improvement in Response to γ-Polyglutamic Acid Application

To improve the environmental sustainability of cleanup activities of contaminated sites there is a need to develop technologies that minimize soil and habitat disturbances. Cleanup technologies, such as bioremediation, are based on biological products and processes, and they are important for the future of our planet. We studied the potential of γ-poly glutamic acid (PGA) as a natural component of biofilm produced by Bacillus sp. to be used for the decomposition of petroleum products, such as heavy naphtha (N), lubricating oil (O), and grease (G). The study aimed to assess the impact of the use of different concentrations of PGA on the degradation process of various fractions of petroleum hydrocarbons (PH) and its effect on bacterial population growth in harsh conditions of PH contamination. In laboratory conditions, four treatments of PGA with each of the petroleum products (N, O, and G) were tested: PGA0 (reference), PGA1 (1% PGA), PGA1B (1% PGA with Bacillus licheniformis), and PGA10 (10% PGA). After 7, 28, 56, and 112 days of the experiment, the percentage yield extraction, hydrocarbon mass loss, geochemical ratios, pH, electrical conductivity, and microorganisms survival were determined. We observed an increase in PH removal, reflected as a higher amount of extraction yield (growing with time and reaching about 11% in G) and loss of hydrocarbon mass (about 4% in O and G) in all treatments of the PGA compared to the reference. The positive degradation impact was intensive until around day 60. The PH removal stimulation by PGA was also reflected by changes in the values of geochemical ratios, which indicated that the highest rate of degradation was at the initial stage of the process. In general, for the stimulation of PH removal, using a lower (1%) concentration of PGA resulted in better performance than a higher concentration (10%). The PH removal facilitated by PGA is related to the anionic homopoliamid structure of the molecule and its action as a surfactant, which leads to the formation of micelles and the gradual release of PH absorbed in the zeolite carrier. Moreover, the protective properties of PGA against the extinction of bacteria under high concentrations of PH were identified. Generally, the γ-PGA biopolymer helps to degrade the hydrocarbon pollutants and stabilize the environment suitable for microbial degraders development.
Baryonic pinching of galactic dark matter halos

High resolution cosmological N-body simulations of four galaxy-scale dark matter halos are compared to corresponding N-body/hydrodynamical simulations containing dark matter, stars and gas. The simulations without baryons share features with others described in the literature in that the dark matter density slope continuously decreases towards the center, with a density {rho}{sub DM}{proportional_to}r{sup -1.3{+-}}{sup 0.2}, at about 1% of the virial radius for our Milky Way sized galaxies. The central cusps in the simulations which also contain baryons steepen significantly, to {rho}{sub DM}{proportional_to}r{sup -1.9{+-}}{sup 0.2}, with an indication of the inner logarithmic slope converging. Models of adiabatic contraction of dark matter halos due to the central buildup of stellar/gaseous galaxies are examined. The simplest and most commonly used model, by Blumenthal et al., is shown to overestimate the central dark matter density considerably. A modified model proposed by Gnedin et al. is tested and it is shown that, while it is a considerable improvement, it is not perfect. Moreover, it is found that the contraction parameters in their model not only depend on the orbital structure of the dark-matter-only halos but also on the stellar feedback prescription which is most relevant for the baryonic distribution. Implications for dark matter annihilation atmore » the galactic center are discussed and it is found that, although our simulations show a considerable reduced dark matter halo contraction as compared to the Blumenthal et al. model, the fluxes from dark matter annihilation are still expected to be enhanced by at least a factor of a hundred, as compared to dark-matter-only halos. Finally, it is shown that, while dark-matter-only halos are typically prolate, the dark matter halos containing baryons are mildly oblate with minor-to-major axis ratios of c/a=0.73{+-}0.11, with their flattening aligned with the central baryonic disks. « less
Oral pioglitazone HCl-loaded solid lipid microparticles: Formulation design and bioactivity studies

Pioglitazone hydrochloride (PGZ) is a hypoglycemic drug used to treat type 2 diabetes with a short biological half-life and poor oral absorption. The current study was conducted to prepare oral PGZ-loaded lipid microparticles (PGZ-LMPs) for improving PGZ’s solubility and oral bioavailability and maintaining its sustained release. The Design-Expert program was employed to design and analyze various PGZ-LMP formulations. The microparticles were prepared by the solvent injection technique using cetyl alcohol and surfactants. The developed formulations were characterized in vitro for particle size, loading efficiency, and PGZ release. The DDSolver software was employed to investigate the mechanism of the drug release and the appropriate kinetic model for describing PGZ release from LMPs. The optimized formulation was characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and was subjected to an in vivo preclinical study to evaluate and confirm its antidiabetic activity. The optimized formula had a mean particle size of 4.73 ± 0.06 nm and a smooth, spherical structure. PGZ-LMPs exhibited excellent homogeneity with a PDI of 0.27 ± 0.06 and showed a high EE% of 71.3% ± 1.293. The FT-IR and DSC analyses confirmed that PGZ was encapsulated in the LMPs and there was no interaction between the excipients and PGZ. PGZ was perceived to be released from the optimized formulation after 8 hours ( Q 8 = 70.53 ± 0.503). By comparing the Makoid–Banakar equation to other models ( R 2 = 0.9666) by DDSolver, it proved to be the best model for fitting and describing PGZ release from LMPs ( p < 0.05). Finally, the in vivo study on diabetic albino Wistar rats confirmed that the optimized PGZ-LMP formulation resulted in higher therapeutic effectiveness and a prolonged duration of action than the marketed product and control groups.
Superluminous Transients at AGN Centers from Interaction between Black Hole Disk Winds and Broad-line Region Clouds

We propose that superluminous transients that appear at central regions of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) such as CSS100217:102913+404220 (CSS100217) and PS16dtm, which reach near- or super-Eddington luminosities of the central black holes, are powered by the interaction between accretion-disk winds and clouds in broad-line regions (BLRs) surrounding them. If the disk luminosity temporarily increases by, e.g., limit–cycle oscillations, leading to a powerful radiatively driven wind, strong shock waves propagate in the BLR. Because the dense clouds in the AGN BLRs typically have similar densities to those found in SNe IIn, strong radiative shocks emerge and efficiently convert the ejecta kinetic energy to radiation. As a result, transients similar to SNe IIn can be observed at AGN central regions. Since a typical black hole disk-wind velocity is ≃0.1c, where c is the speed of light, the ejecta kinetic energy is expected to be ≃1052 erg when ≃1 M⊙ is ejected. This kinetic energy is transformed to radiation energy in a timescale for the wind to sweep up a similar mass to itself in the BLR, which is a few hundred days. Therefore, both luminosities (∼1044 erg s−1) and timescales (∼100 days) of the superluminous transients from AGN central regions match those expected in our interaction model. If CSS100217 and PS16dtm are related to the AGN activities triggered by limit–cycle oscillations, they become bright again in coming years or decades.
Rocket Extreme ultraviolet Grating Spectrometer (EGS): calibrations and results of the solar irradiance on February 8, 2002

The rocket Extreme ultraviolet Grating Spectrograph (EGS) instrument is flown onboard a sounding rocket as an underflight calibration for the Solar Extreme ultraviolet Experiment, or SEE, onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite. The first calibration flight took place from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on February 8, 2002. Both pre-flight and post-flight calibrations are performed in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range from 26.5 nm to 117.2 nm and the far ultraviolet (FUV) range from 120 nm to 196 nm in order to determine an accurate quantum throughput (QT) for the EGS instrument. These calibrations are performed using Beam Line 2 (BL2) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility III (SURF-III). This QT determination has an uncertainty of about 6% for the EUV region and around 3.5% for the FUV region. Once the QT for the instrument is found from the calibrations, it is applied to the solar spectrum obtained during the flight in order to get the absolute spectral irradiance with an uncertainty of approximately 10%. This rocket spectrum is then applied to the SEE EGS to obtain absolute irradiance values for the satellite instrument and to calibrate it for changes, such as degradation, that have occurred since its own pre-flight calibrations. This calibration transfer is done by scaling the SEE EGS solar spectrum at the time of the rocket flight to the rocket spectrum to get the same irradiance values, which produces a scaling factor that can be applied to other SEE EGS measurements. The rocket EGS is planned for an annual calibration flight to track the long-term changes of SEE EGS.
An early-type galaxy with an inner star-forming disk

Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are composed of two distinct populations: high-mass and low-mass, which are likely to be built via gas-poor merging and gas-rich merging/accretion, respectively. However, it is difficult to directly associate low-mass ETGs with gas-rich processes, because currently they are gas poor with no signs of ongoing star formation. We report a discovery of an ETG (SDSS J142055.01+400715.7) with Mstellar=10^10 Msun that offers direct evidence for gas-rich merging as the origin of low-mass ETGs. The integrated properties of the galaxy are consistent with a typical low-mass ETG, but the outer and inner regions show distinct dispersion- and rotation-dominated kinematics, respectively. There are some tidal features surrounding the galaxy. These two facts suggest very recent galaxy merging. Furthermore, the inner disk harbors on-going star formation, indicating the merging to be gas rich. This type of galaxy is rare but it may be a demonstration of the role the transient phase of gas-rich merging plays in making a low-mass ETG.
Self-Triggered Adaptive Dynamic Programming for Model-Free Nonlinear Systems via Generalized Fuzzy Hyperbolic Model

For nonlinear systems, a novel adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm of self-triggered control (STC) strategy is proposed. This is a novel attempt to introduce self-triggering into the ADP algorithm. First, an identifier based on a generalized fuzzy hyperbolic model (GFHM) is established, which only uses input–output data to reconstruct the unknown system, thus reducing the requirements for system dynamics. Then, the critic neural network (NN) adjusts continuously, while actor NN updates the control strategy only at triggering instants. The event-triggered control (ETC) reduces the use of control resources and improves the anti-interference capability. However, it requires dedicated hardware to monitor whether triggering rules are violated, which is not feasible on most general-purpose devices. Hence, we propose a novel technique, which uses the current state of the device to determine the state measurement at the next moment, calculate the control law, and then abandon persistently monitoring of the plant. This technique is called STC. Finally, the closed-loop system is guaranteed to be ultimate uniform boundedness (UUBs). Furthermore, a simulation example is given.
Clash of discrete symmetries for the supersymmetric kink on a circle

We consider the $N=1$ supersymmetric kink on a circle, i.e., on a finite interval with boundary or transition conditions which are locally invisible. For Majorana fermions, the single-particle Dirac Hamiltonian as a differential operator obeys simultaneously the three discrete symmetries of charge conjugation, parity, and time reversal. However, no single locally invisible transition condition can satisfy all three. When calculating sums over zero-point energies by mode number regularization, this gives a new rationale for a previous suggestion that one has to average over different choices of boundary conditions, such that for the combined set all three symmetries are obeyed. In particular it is shown that for twisted periodic or twisted antiperiodic boundary conditions separately both parity and time reversal are violated in the kink sector, as manifested by a delocalized momentum that cancels only in the average.
The null space problem I. complexity

The Null Space Problem (NSP) is the following: Given a $t \times n$ matrix A with $t < n$, find a sparsest basis for its null space (a null basis). We show that columns in a sparsest null basis correspond to minimal dependent sets of columns of A. Sparsest null bases are characterized by a greedy algorithm that augments a partial basis by a sparsest null vector. Despite this result, (NSP) is NP-hard since finding a sparsest null vector of A is NP-complete. We prove that the related problem of finding a sparsest null basis with an embedded identity matrix is NP-hard too. Finally, we study the zero–nonzero structure of sparsest null bases.
A submillimeter polarization analysis of Frosty Leo

We present a polarimetric investigation of the protoplanetary nebula Frosty Leo performed with the Submillimeter Array. We were able to detect, in the low continuum level (peak at 14.4 mJy beam$^{-1}$), a marginal polarization at $\sim2.6\sigma$. The molecular line investigation based on the CO $J=3\rightarrow2$ emission shows a peak emission of 68.1 Jy beam$^{-1}$ km s$^{-1}$ and the polarization detection in this CO line is also marginal, with a peak at $\sim3.8\sigma$. In both cases, it was therefore not possible to use the electric vector maps (B-field) to accurately trace the magnetic field (B-field) within the PPN. The spatio-kinematic modelling realised with the different velocity channel maps indicates three main structures: a distorted torus accompanied by a bipolar outflow or jet aligned with its axis and a flattened spherical "cap". The comparison of the CO polarization segments with our model suggests that the polarized emission probably arises in the first two components.
Hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic energy spectra from large eddy simulations

Direct and large eddy simulations of hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic turbulence have been performed in an attempt to isolate artifacts from real and possibly asymptotic features in the energy spectra. It is shown that in a hydrodynamic turbulence simulation with a Smagorinsky subgrid scale model using 5123 mesh points, two important features of the 40963 simulation on the Earth simulator [Y. Kaneda et al., Phys. Fluids 15, L21 (2003)] are reproduced: a k−0.1 correction to the inertial range with a k−5∕3 Kolmogorov slope and the form of the bottleneck just before the dissipative subrange. Furthermore, it is shown that, while a Smagorinsky-type model for the induction equation causes an artificial and unacceptable reduction in the dynamo efficiency, hyper-resistivity yields good agreement with direct simulations. In the large-scale part of the inertial range, an excess of the spectral magnetic energy over the spectral kinetic energy is confirmed. However, a trend toward spectral equipartition at smaller scal.
Worldsheet correlators in AdS3/CFT2

The AdS3/CFT2 correspondence is checked beyond the supergravity approximation by comparing correlation functions. To this end we calculate 2- and 3-point functions on the sphere of certain chiral primary operators for strings on AdS3 × S3 × T4. These results are then compared with the corresponding amplitudes in the dual 2-dimensional conformal field theory. In the limit of small string coupling, where the sphere diagrams dominate the string perturbation series, beautiful agreement is found.
Asymptotic spectral stability of the Gisin-Percival state diffusion

Starting from the Gisin-Percival state diffusion equation for the pure state trajectory of a composite bipartite quantum system and exploiting the purification of a mixed state via its Schmidt decomposition, we write the diffusion equation for the quantum trajectory of the mixed state of a subsystem $S$ of the bipartite system, when the initial state in $S$ is mixed. Denoting the diffused state of the system $S$ at time $t$ by $\rho_t(\mathbf{B})$ for each $t\geq 0$, where $\mathbf{B}$ is the underlying complex $n$-dimensional vector-valued Brownian motion process and using It{\^o} calculus, along with an induction procedure, we arrive at the stochastic differential of the scalar-valued moment process ${\rm Tr}[\rho_t^m( \mathbf{B})], \,\,\, m=2,3,\ldots$ in terms of $d\,\mathbf{B}$ and $d\,t$. This shows that each of the processes $\{{\rm Tr}[\rho_t^m( \mathbf{B})], t\geq 0\}$ admits a Doob-Meyer decomposition as the sum of a martingale $M^{(m)}_t(\mathbf{B})$ and a non-negative increasing process $S^{(m)}_t(\mathbf{B})$. This ensures the existence of $\underset{t\rightarrow\infty}{\lim}\, {\rm Tr}[\rho_t^m( \mathbf{B})]$ almost surely with respect to the Wiener probability measure $\mu$ of the Brownian motion $\mathbf{B}$, for each $m=2,\, 3,\, \ldots$. In particular, when $S$ is a finite level system, the spectrum and therefore the entropy of $\rho_t (\mathbf{B})$ converge almost surely to a limit as $t\rightarrow \infty$. In the Appendix, by employing probabilistic means, we prove a technical result which implies the almost sure convergence of the spectrum for countably infinite level systems.
Porphyrin Polymers Bearing N,N′-Ethylene Crosslinkers as Photosensitizers against Bacteria

The appearance of microbes resistant to antibiotics requires the development of alternative therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases. In this work two polymers, PTPPF16-EDA and PZnTPPF16-EDA, were synthesized by the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin and its Zn(II) complex with ethylenediamine, respectively. In these structures, the tetrapyrrolic macrocycles were N,N′-ethylene crosslinked, which gives them greater mobility. The absorption spectra of the polymers showed a bathochromic shift of the Soret band of ~10 nm with respect to the monomers. This effect was also found in the red fluorescence emission peaks. Furthermore, both polymeric materials produced singlet molecular oxygen with high quantum yields. In addition, they were capable of generating superoxide anion radicals. Photodynamic inactivation sensitized by these polymers was tested in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. A decrease in cell viability greater than 7 log (99.9999%) was observed in S. aureus incubated with 0.5 μM photosensitizer upon 30 min of irradiation. Under these conditions, a low inactivation of E. coli (0.5 log) was found. However, when the cells were treated with KI, the elimination of the Gram-negative bacteria was achieved. Therefore, these polymeric structures are interesting antimicrobial photosensitizing materials for the inactivation of pathogens.
Equivalence of coefficients extraction of one-loop master integrals

Now, there have been many different methods to calculate one-loop amplitudes. Two of them are the unitarity cut method and the generalized unitarity cut method. In this short paper, we present an explicit connection between these two methods, especially how the extractions of triangle and bubble coefficients are equivalent to each other.
Nonlinear Differential Games-Based Impact-Angle-Constrained Guidance Law

The problem of intercepting a maneuvering target at a prespecified impact angle is posed in nonlinear zero-sum differential games framework. A feedback form solution is proposed by extending state-dependent Riccati equation method to nonlinear zero-sum differential games. An analytic solution is obtained for the state-dependent Riccati equation corresponding to the impact-angle-constrained guidance problem. The impact-angle-constrained guidance law is derived using the states line-of-sight rate and projected terminal impact angle error. Local asymptotic stability conditions for the closed-loop system corresponding to these states are studied. Time-to-go estimation is not explicitly required to derive and implement the proposed guidance law. Performance of the proposed guidance law is validated using two-dimensional simulation of the relative nonlinear kinematics as well as a thrust-driven realistic interceptor model.
THE ΩDE-ΩM PLANE IN DARK ENERGY COSMOLOGY

The dark energy cosmology with the equation of state w=const. is considered in this paper. The ΩDE-ΩM plane has been used to study the present state and expansion history of the universe. Through the mathematical analysis, we give the theoretical constraint of cosmological parameters. Together with some observations such as the transition redshift from deceleration to acceleration, more precise constraint on cosmological parameters can be acquired.
A Nonisolated High Step-Down DC–DC Converter With Low Voltage Stress and Zero Voltage Switching

This article introduces a general method to modify the traditional buck converter to become a high step-down dc–dc converter, which has a lower voltage gain without changing the voltage stress of switches. From the analysis, an auxiliary circuit is proposed to implement this method. In addition, triangular conduction mode operation is also analyzed to derive zero-voltage switching (ZVS) model of the modified buck converter, which is beneficial for high-frequency applications. Coupled inductor, which is established from two inductors of auxiliary circuit and buck converter, is employed to improve both steady-state and dynamic response performances. By analyzing the influence of coupling coefficient, and the rate between two inductances into inductor current ripple, transient response, and ZVS model, a suitable coupling structure is recommended to employ in the proposed converter. As a result, the design considerations are presented to get the maximum benefits of coupled inductor for this proposed converter. Finally, a prototype of 48 W is built and tested to verify its feasibility.
Inflation in uplifted supergravities

We present a model of slow roll inflation in the context of effective supergravities arising from string theories. The uplifting of the potential (to generate de Sitter or Minkowski vacua) is provided by the D-term associated with an anomalous U(1), in a fully consistent and gauge invariant formulation. We develop a minimal working model which incorporates eternal topological inflation and complies with observational constraints, avoiding the usual obstacles to implementing successful inflation (the η problem and the initial condition problem among others).