Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Hydrodistillation, Microwave Hydrodistillation and Solvent Free Microwave Methods in Analysis of the Essential Oils from Aerial Parts of Haplophyllum Robustum Bge. by GC/MS Method

The genus Haplophyllum, which belongs to the Rutaceae family, includes 18 species in Iran. In this study, after collecting plant material, botanical identification and suitable drying, the essential oils from aerial parts of Haplophyllum robustum Bge. were extracted by three different isolation techniques, conventional hydrodistillation (HD), microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and solvent free microwave extraction (SFME) and analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The main components of three essential oils were sabinene (28.9%-31.5%), β- phellandrene (11.0%-14.6%), 1,8- cineole (7.2%-11.0%), 3,5- dimethoxy toluene (5.1%-14.2%), β- pinene (7.3%-8.9%) and terpinene-4-ol (5.8%-6.2%). Higher amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes such as 1,8-cineole, Camphor and terpinene-4-ol were present in the oil of MAHD and SFME (21.1% and 21.0%, respectively) in comparison with HD (19.0%). However, HD oil contained more monoterpene hydrocarbons such as sabinene, β- phellandrene, β- pinene (72.6 %) than SFME and MAHD extracted oils (67.9% and 62.8%, respectively). MAHD and SFME offered substantial advantages over conventional HD. A similar extraction yield was achieved at significantly shorter extraction time when using MAHD and SFME instead of HD. Also microwave irradiation significantly reduced the extraction time and did not adversely influence the composition of the essential oil. MAHD and SFME is also more environment-friendly than HD. Compared with many solvent extraction techniques, such as Soxhlet, solvent extraction, and accelerated solvent extraction, MAHD and SFME is a modern, green, and rapid approach
Palladium nanoparticles supported by alumina nanofibers synthesized by electrospinning

Palladium nanoparticles supported by alumina nanofibers have been successfully synthesized by electrospinning using palladium chloride incorporated into a solution of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and aluminum acetate. Palladium agglomerate sizes and the surface morphology of the electrospun nanofibers were determined by transmission electron microscopy. Palladium nanoparticles appeared to be well dispersed within the electrospun nanofiber structure. X-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman scattering spectroscopy techniques were used to identify the crystalline form and distinguish between oxidized and metallic palladium particles after heating and hydrogenation.
Application of evolutionary algorithm for cast iron latent heat identification

In the paper the cast iron latent heat in the form of two components corresponding to the solidification of austenite and eutectic phases is assumed. The aim of investigations is to estimate the values of austenite and eutectic latent heats on the basis of cooling curve at the central point of the casting domain. This cooling curve has been obtained both on the basis of direct problem solution as well as from the experiment. To solve such inverse problem the evolutionary algorithm (EA) has been applied. The numerical computations have been done using the finite element method by means of commercial software MSC MARC/MENTAT. In the final part of the paper the examples of identification are shown.
Motherhood Choices of women attending Antenatal Care in a Tertiary Level Hospital in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Introduction: Human reproduction is the primary responsibility of women, so the choices they make in this regard will continue to shape obstetric practice in different parts of world. Methods: During the 2months period of the study of women attending antenatal care in the study centre, pretested, structured partly pre-coded questionnaires were used to sample a cross section of suitable consenting women’s motherhood preferences and the reasons for such choices. Results: Out of the 452 women in the study population, 96.7% preferred to deliver vaginally, positing that it was the natural route of delivery. A mere 14.4% of the respondents would demand labour anaesthesia, while the majority (67.6%) were not sure they would demand labour analgesia. Eighty-nine (20.3%) of the mothers would not accept a medically indicated caesarean section even as the only safe option for delivery, and 10 (2.3%) would not mind if their babies died in the course of such refusal. Among those who would refuse caesarean section, a vast majority (66.3%) felt it was against God’s plan for human procreation. Age, parity and booking status of the women did not influence their refusal of caesarean section, whereas women with lower levels of education (p=0.033) and those who engaged in less skilled occupations were more likely to decline medically indicated caesarean section (p= 0.000). Over half (55.0%) of the mothers preferred to have 4 children, while only 24.7% of the women felt 3 or less children were appropriate. Conclusion: Nigeria is a pronatalistic society where the majority of mothers prefer to deliver 4 or more children. Due to cultural and religious misconceptions, some Nigerian women decline medically indicated caesarean section with adverse maternal and perinatal consequences. The need for continued effort toward the education of the girlchild and public enlightenment on the need for Nigerians to embrace time tested maternity care interventions have become imperative.
Exome Sequencing of Plasma DNA Portrays the Mutation Landscape of Colorectal Cancer and Discovers Mutated VEGFR2 Receptors as Modulators of Antiangiogenic Therapies

Purpose: Despite the wide use of antiangiogenic drugs in the clinical setting, predictive biomarkers of response to these drugs are still unknown. Experimental Design: We applied whole-exome sequencing of matched germline and basal plasma cell-free DNA samples (WES-cfDNA) on a RAS/BRAF/PIK3CA wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer patient with primary resistance to standard treatment regimens, including inhibitors to the VEGF:VEGFR2 pathway. We performed extensive functional experiments, including ectopic expression of VEGFR2 mutants in different cell lines, kinase and drug sensitivity assays, and cell- and patient-derived xenografts. Results: WES-cfDNA yielded a 77% concordance rate with tumor exome sequencing and enabled the identification of the KDR/VEGFR2 L840F clonal, somatic mutation as the cause of therapy refractoriness in our patient. In addition, we found that 1% to 3% of samples from cancer sequencing projects harbor KDR somatic mutations located in protein residues frequently mutated in other cancer-relevant kinases, such as EGFR, ABL1, and ALK. Our in vitro and in vivo functional assays confirmed that L840F causes strong resistance to antiangiogenic drugs, whereas the KDR hot-spot mutant R1032Q confers sensitivity to strong VEGFR2 inhibitors. Moreover, we showed that the D717V, G800D, G800R, L840F, G843D, S925F, R1022Q, R1032Q, and S1100F VEGFR2 mutants promote tumor growth in mice. Conclusions: Our study supports WES-cfDNA as a powerful platform for portraying the somatic mutation landscape of cancer and discovery of new resistance mechanisms to cancer therapies. Importantly, we discovered that VEGFR2 is somatically mutated across tumor types and that VEGFR2 mutants can be oncogenic and control sensitivity/resistance to antiangiogenic drugs. Clin Cancer Res; 24(15); 3550–9. ©2018 AACR.
Effect of different light curing methods on mechanical and physical properties of resin-cements polymerized through ceramic discs

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the polimerization ability of three different light-curing units (quartz tungsten halogen, light-emitting diodes and plasma arc) and their exposure modes (high-intensity and soft-start) by determination of microhardness, water sorption and solubility, and diametral tensile strength of 5 dual-curing resin cements. Material and methods A total of 720 disc-shaped samples (1 mm height and 5 mm diameter) were prepared from different dual-curing resin cements (Duolink, Nexus, Bifix-QM, Panavia F and RelyX Unicem). Photoactivation was performed by using quartz tungsten halogen (high-power and soft-up modes), light-emitting diode (standard and exponential modes) and plasma arc (normal and ramp-curing modes) curing units through ceramic discs. Then the samples (n=8/per group) were stored dry in the dark at 37ºC for 24 h. The Vickers hardness test was performed on the resin cement layer with a microhardness tester (Shimadzu HMV). For sorption and solubility tests; the samples were stored in a desiccator at 37ºC and weighed to a constant mass. The samples were weighed both before and after being immersed in deionized water for different periods of time (24 h and 7 days) and being desiccated. The diametral tensile strength of the samples was tested in a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Data were analyzed statistically by nonparametric Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests at 5% significance level. Results Resin cement and light-curing unit had significant effects (p<0.05) on microhardness, diametral tensile strength, water solubility and sorption. However, no significant differences (p>0.05) were obtained with different modes of LCUs. Conclusion The study indicates that polymerization of resin cements with different light-curing units may result in various polymer structures, and consequently different mechanical and physical properties.
Metabolism of cysteine is modified during the acute phase of sepsis in rats.

In vivo cysteine metabolism during the inflammatory state has been studied minimally. We investigated cysteine metabolism (i.e. taurine, sulfate and glutathione formation) using a single dose of [35S] cysteine in septic rats that had been injected with live Escherichia coli into the tail vein and in control, pair-fed rats. Cysteine metabolites were separated by ion exchange chromatography, and radioactivity was counted in the different fractions. Radioactivity incorporated in tissue proteins was also measured after protein precipitation. [35S]Sulfate production was significantly lower in septic rats than in pair-fed rats. [35S]Taurine contents were significantly lower only in kidneys, spleen and gastrointestinal tract of septic rats. The higher production of [35S] taurine in the livers (the major site of taurine production) of septic rats could have a protective effect against oxidation. Glutathione concentrations were also significantly greater in liver, spleen, kidneys and gastrocnemius muscle of septic rats, presumably in order to combat oxidative stress induced by sepsis. [35S]Cysteine incorporation in glutathione was significantly higher in spleen and kidneys but not in liver of septic rats compared to pair-fed rats. This could be explained by the fact that, in liver, a greater amount of labeled glutathione had been utilized for host defense, or by a high level in glutathione turnover. Finally, [35S]cysteine incorporation into protein, in septic rats, was significantly greater than in pair-fed rats in spleen, lung and particulary in whole plasma proteins other than albumin, which mainly represent the acute-phase proteins. These data suggest an increased requirement for cysteine during sepsis in rats.
Anthocyanin Levels in Nine Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Cultivars: Influence of Planting Date and Relations among Analytic, Instrumented, and Visual Assessments of Color

Leaf samples collected from field plots of nine lettuce cultivars established in the early (ES) and late (LS) summer of 2002 and 2003 in Celeryville, Ohio, were subjected to spectrophotometric measurement of anthocyanin concentrations or color analysis based on colorimeterandspectroradiometerreadingsandhumanpanelistratings.Interactionsamong year (Y), transplanting date (TD), and cultivar (C) main effects for anthocyanin concentra- tion were significant as a result of shifts in response magnitude but not direction. Anthocyanin levels were higher after LS than ES transplanting regardless of Y and C. The effects of TD were pronounced in 2002, when differences in average daily temperature between ES and LS transplantings tended to be larger. Also, regardless of Y and TD, anthocyanin levels followed the pattern 'Impuls' > 'OOC 1441' > 'Valeria' > 'OOC1426' > 'Lotto' > 'SVR 9634' > 'OOC 1434' = 'OOC 1310' > 'Cireo'. Treatment-based color differences were also evident in colorimeter and spectroradiometer readings. Also, panelists differentiated samples grown in 2003 based on red color intensity. Correlations between analytic and instrumented and human panelist-based measures suggest instrumented assessments of red coloration may serve as proxies for direct measures of anthocyanin levels or human panelist ratings, particularly if the aim is to establish color differences between major experimental groups and assign quantitative, repeatable values to red color intensity.
Effect of Signal Intensity on Measurement of Ganglion Cell Complex and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Scans in Fourier-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

PURPOSE We determined the effect of Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) signal strength index (SSI) and cropping on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell complex (GCC) scan repeatability and measurement thickness. METHODS Eyes were enrolled in the longitudinal Advanced Imaging for Glaucoma Study. At each visit, three repeat scans from the optic nerve head and macular protocols were obtained. Each measurement was associated with an SSI value from 0 to 100. Measurements with similar SSI scores were grouped to calculate repeatability defined as pooled standard deviation. Within-visit analysis was used to determine how measured thickness changed in relation to change in SSI level. RESULTS The study included 1130 eyes of 569 patients. Cropped images yielded significantly worse repeatability and they were excluded from subsequent analyses. The within-visit repeatability for RNFL and GCC measurements were significantly better with higher signal strength, and optimal cutoffs were SSI ≥ 37 and ≥ 44, respectively. The coefficient of variation was <1.8% for RNFL scans with SSI ≥ 37 and < 2% for GCC with SSI ≥ 44. For scans above the cutoff SSI, higher SSI's were correlated with thicker RNFL among normal (slope = 0.056 μm/SSI unit, P < 0.001) eyes and glaucoma suspect and perimetric glaucoma (GSPPG) eyes (slope = 0.060 μm/SSI unit, P < 0.001), but not for perimetric glaucoma (PG) eyes. No significant correlation was found for GCC. CONCLUSION Repeatability of RNFL and GCC thickness measurements may be improved by excluding images with cropped anatomic features and weak signal strength below recommended SSI cutoffs. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE Measurement precision and image quality of inner eye structure by advanced imaging modality are important for clinical diagnosis and tracking of glaucoma disease.
Inorganic zinc and the intestinal absorption of ferrous iron.

The effect of inorganic zinc on the absorption of inorganic iron (Fe+2) from a solution was assessed in two studies on healthy male volunteers. In the first study coadministration of 344 mumol of zinc had no effect (p less than 0.5) on the absorption of 842 mumol of radiolabeled Fe, assessed by the area under plasma Fe increment time curve during the 3 (AUC3) and 6 (AUC6) h postadministration (Fe alone AUC3 = 176.4 +/- 39.3; AUC6 = 387 +/- 101; Fe + Zn AUC3 = 180 +/- 33.1; AUC6 = 396 +/- 73.1 mumol.h-1.L-1), total plasma content of 59Fe, and whole-body retention of 59Fe. In the second study only the plasma appearance of Fe was monitored. After administration of 421 mumol of Fe alone, the AUC3 and AUC6 were 167 +/- 21.2 and 429.4 +/- 57 mumol.h-1.L-1, respectively; these were reduced to 56.4 +/- 17 and 119 +/- 34 (p less than 0.002) by 421 mumol Zn and further reduced by 1048 mumol Zn to 33 +/- 15 and 43.4 +/- 23.8 mumol.h-1.L-1 (p less than 0.001), respectively. It is concluded that Zn can impair the intestinal absorption of Fe.
The development of search filters for adverse effects of surgical interventions in medline and Embase

Abstract Background Search filter development for adverse effects has tended to focus on retrieving studies of drug interventions. However, a different approach is required for surgical interventions. Objective To develop and validate search filters for medline and Embase for the adverse effects of surgical interventions. Methods Systematic reviews of surgical interventions where the primary focus was to evaluate adverse effect(s) were sought. The included studies within these reviews were divided randomly into a development set, evaluation set and validation set. Using word frequency analysis we constructed a sensitivity maximising search strategy and this was tested in the evaluation and validation set. Results Three hundred and fifty eight papers were included from 19 surgical intervention reviews. Three hundred and fifty two papers were available on medline and 348 were available on Embase. Generic adverse effects search strategies in medline and Embase could achieve approximately 90% relative recall. Recall could be further improved with the addition of specific adverse effects terms to the search strategies. Conclusion We have derived and validated a novel search filter that has reasonable performance for identifying adverse effects of surgical interventions in medline and Embase. However, we appreciate the limitations of our methods, and recommend further research on larger sample sizes and prospective systematic reviews.
Diet in midpuberty and sedentary activity in prepuberty predict peak bone mass.

BACKGROUND An average daily calcium intake of 1300 mg is recommended for North American adolescents aged 9-18 y. However, questions remain about these recommendations. OBJECTIVE We assessed whether there is a stage of puberty when dietary calcium is more strongly related to peak bone mass, as indicated by young adult bone mass (YABM); whether dietary calcium intake > 1000 mg/d in adolescence is associated with higher YABM; and whether race affects any of these associations between dietary calcium and YABM. Secondarily, we evaluated relations between sedentariness and YABM. DESIGN In a retrospective cohort study, we recruited 693 black and white women aged 21-24 y who had participated in the 10-y National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study and measured YABM with the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Dietary calcium and sedentary activity data, gathered through 3-d food records and self-reports of television-video viewing at 8 annual examinations, were averaged over 3 pubertal stages. Complete data were available from 161 black and 180 white females. Multiple regression, controlling for race, weight, and height, was applied to assess diet and activity relations with YABM. RESULTS Dietary calcium was most strongly associated with YABM in midpuberty. Calcium intake > 1000 mg/d was associated with higher YABM, but this association was not significant at all skeletal sites. Race did not affect the observed relations between calcium and YABM. Sedentary activity in prepuberty was inversely associated with YABM. CONCLUSIONS Interventions should focus on ensuring adequate calcium intake in midpuberty and on minimizing sedentariness in prepuberty.
Crystallization in amorphous lactose-maltodextrin mixtures

Solutions of maltodextrins (MD) with the dextrose equivalent (D.E.) 9-12 and D.E. 23-27 were mixed with lactose solutions at different ratios. Freeze-dried amorphous solids of lactose and lactose-MD were prepared from solutions containing 20% total solids. The ratios of lactose and MD were 90:10, 80:20, and 70:30 (w/w). Crystallization rate of amorphous lactose was followed from changes in water sorption properties. Freeze-dried amorphous materials were stored over saturated salt solutions over the range 11.4 to 76.1% relative humidity (RH) in vacuum desiccators at room temperature (20±2°C) for 25 days. Changes in weight were followed at intervals. The glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the amorphous materials were measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) following storage over P2O5 and over saturated salt solutions (11.4-44.1% RH) in vacuum desiccators. At low RH (11.4-44.1% RH) all materials showed typical sorption behavior of food systems up to a RHdependent steady state water content. Lactose crystallization was affected by MD at all ratios at high RH (54.5-76.1% RH) and the rate of crystallization decreased with increasing MD concentration. The amorphous lactose-MD mixtures (70:30) inhibited crystallization up to 54.5% RH. The Tg of the amorphous mixtures increased with increasing MD concentration. The mixtures of lactose-MD D.E. 9-12 (70:30) showed the highest Tg. The lactose-MD D.E. 23-27 (90:10) showed similar Tg to amorphous lactose being the lowest Tg for the mixtures. The amorphous lactose-MD D.E. 9-12 (90:10) showed similar Tg to the amorphous lactoseMD D.E. 23-27 (70:30) but the inhibition of crystallization of lactose was different. MD D.E. 23-27 was a better inhibitor of crystallization of lactose than MD D.E. 9-12. Thus the crystallization of lactose was not dependent only on Tg but it was also affected by the molecular weight of the system.
Protective effect of metformin on D-galactose-induced aging model in mice

Objective(s): Metformin (Met), an antidiabetic biguanide, reduces hyperglycemia via improving glucose utilization and reducing the gluconeogenesis. Met has been shown to exert neuroprotective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study investigated the possible effect of Met on the D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging in mice. Materials and Methods: Met (1 and 10 mg/kg/p.o.), was administrated daily in D-gal-received (500 mg/kg/p.o.) mice model of aging for six weeks. Anxiety-like behavior, cognitive function, and physical power were evaluated by the elevated plus-maze, novel object recognition task (NORT), and forced swimming capacity test, respectively. The brains were analyzed for the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Results: Met decreased the anxiety-like behavior in D-gal-treated mice. Also, Met treated mice showed significantly improved learning and memory ability in NORT compared to the D-gal-treated mice. Furthermore, Met increased the physical power as well as the activity of SOD and BDNF level in D-gal-treated mice. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the use of Met can be an effective strategy for prevention and treatment of D-gal-induced aging in animal models. This effect seems to be mediated by attenuation of oxidative stress and enhancement of the neurotrophic factors.
Identification and mitigation of non-line-of-sight conditions using received signal strength

Various applications, such as localisation of persons and objects could benefit greatly from non-line-of-sight (NLOS) identification and mitigation techniques. However, such techniques have been primarily investigated for ultra-wide band (UWB) signals, leaving the area of WiFi signals untouched. In this study, we propose two accurate approaches using only received signal strength (RSS) measurements from WiFi signals to identify NLOS conditions and mitigate the effects. We first explore several features from the RSS which are later demonstrated as very effective in identifying and mitigating NLOS conditions. After that, we develop and compare two major optimization problems based on a machine learning technique and hypothesis testing according to different user requirements and information available. Extensive experiments in various indoor environments have shown that our techniques can not only accurately distinguish between LOS/NLOS conditions, but also mitigate the impact of NLOS conditions as well.