Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of different light intensities on growth rate in Mentha arvensis

Mentha arvensis was used as plant models as it can respond typically to different environmental conditions by marked alterations in growth rate. Among the environmental factors affecting growth rate, light eternally at an improper level. In nature, the intensities are overhead of the saturation point and might high enough to inhibit the growth during substantial of the day. Such information is rudimentary to the evaluation of physiological studies and this parameter is less studied on M. arvensis. Thus, this study describes the growth response of M. arvensis to different light intensities. In order to determine the effect of different light intensity on their growth rate, (50%, 70% and 100 %) of full ambient light (FAL) were introduced to the plant after they were grown using stem. The treatment were introduced after a month of germination. Furthermore, to observe their growth rate, few parameters were taken as the fresh and dry weight, plant height, number of leaves and branches were measured for each treatment. As a consequence, the 100% of FAL treated plants showed the highest mass for fresh (3.3275 g) and dry weight (0.932 g). However, 50% of FAL treated plant showed the highest result for the plant height, number of leaves and branches, compared to 70% and 100% of FAL treatment. Therefore, Mentha arvensis is best grown under low light intensities.
Jet A-1 Bacterial Contamination: a Case Study
of Cultivable Bacteria Diversity, Alkane
Degradation and Biofilm Formation

Bacterial contamination during fuel storage can lead to fuel biodegradation (biodeterioration) or infrastructure problems (i.e., microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), biofouling, etc.). Jet A-1 storage tank samples were screened, and 23 morphologically distinct bacterial strains were isolated. 6 isolates revealed biofilm initiation capacity. For 12 isolates the alkane monooxygenase gene (alkB) was successfully detected. The 12 alkB-possessing isolates were 16S rDNA sequences identified as belonging to Bradyrhizobium, Sphingomonas, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Methylobacterium and Lelliottia genera. In addition to possessing enzymatic equipment (AlkB) required for alkane oxidation, 10 out of 12 isolates were able to use Jet A-1 and n-tetradecane as their sole carbon source and energy. Biofilm initiation capacity and the ability to grow on different hydrocarbons highlights once again that fuel bacterial contamination can lead to serious fuel and storage system alterations. In contrast, their adaptation to high concentrations of hydrocarbons highlights the potential use of our isolates for bioremediation processes.
Hybrid discrete‐continuum solvation methods

Hybrid discrete‐continuum approaches for solvation have been widely applied for diverse problems in chemistry suck as pKa calculation in aqueous and nonaqueous solvents, activation free energy barriers for ionic processes in solution, and surface reactions. A special version of this approach, the cluster‐continuum quasichemical model, has also been used for establishing a single‐ion solvation free energy scale in different solvents compatible with the tetraphenylarsonium tetraphenylborate assumption. The use of discrete‐continuum solvation methods can lead to meaningful improvement with respect to pure continuum solvation models for modeling diverse chemical process in solution. In the case of pKa calculations, there are cases where the root mean squared error is as large as 7 pKa units with pure continuum solvation model and becomes around 1 pKa unit with the hybrid approach. For complex reactions in solution, errors as large as 10 kcal/mol for activation free energies with the pure continuum approach can be substantially reduced with the inclusion of explicit solvent molecules. A discussion of the theory of hybrid discrete‐continuum methods is also presented and further development is expected in the coming years.
Phytate, iron, zinc, and calcium content of common Bolivian foods and their estimated mineral bioavailability

Abstract There is a scarcity of information on mineral and phytate content in plant‐based foods in Bolivia. This study aimed to analyze iron, zinc, calcium, and phytate content and estimate the mineral bioavailability of foods consumed in Chapare, Bolivia. Minerals and phytate were analyzed, and bioavailability was estimated in 17 food samples. Leafy vegetables and green legumes had the highest mineral content, followed by pseudocereals. Estimated mineral bioavailability was low for cereals, dry legumes, pseudocereals, and flaxseeds foods mainly due to phytate content. But estimated zinc bioavailability for black cornmeal, yellow corn, and dry peas was moderate. Strong correlations (p < 0.01) were found between the three minerals, while phytate correlated negatively to iron, zinc, and calcium. To get an overview of the estimated mineral bioavailability of plant‐based diets, we have included foods, from the same area, analyzed in a previous study where the evaluated diet covers 80% of RNI for iron and zinc, but <40% of calcium. In conclusion, leafy vegetables and green legumes had the highest contents of minerals and the lowest phytate content of the foods analyzed in the study. The usage of processing strategies and dietary diversification to reduce phytate content would significantly improve estimated mineral bioavailability in plant‐based diets.
Biosorption Cr(VI) using Biofilm Streamer

Water contamination is one of the main environmental problem presently. One of the contaminants that become serious problem in aquatic ecosystems is Cr(VI) which is toxic for living organisms. Therefore, technology to solve this problem is urgent. Biosorption is one of the alternative technologies that inexpensive and environmentally friendly. The present study analyzed the biosorption of Cr(VI) using streamer biofilm. Biofilm is a predominant habitat for most microbes in aquatic ecosystems. The sample of biofilms used in this study was streamer biofilm collected from the river. The results show that the streamer biofilm had ability to adsorb Cr(VI). The adsorption of Cr(VI) are fitted well to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The maximum adsorbed amount of Cr(VI) is estimated to be around 8.33 mg/g and the adsorption equilibrium constant is around 0.02 L/mg. The results of the present study indicate that the streamer biofilm is a promising alternative biosorbent for the biosorption of water pollutant such as Cr(VI).
Laboratory preparation questionnaires as a tool for the implementation of the Just in Time Teaching in the Physics I laboratories: Research training

The implementation of the JiTT (Just in Time Teaching) strategy is presented to increase the previous preparation of students enrolled in the subject Physics Laboratory I offered at the Industrial University of Santander (UIS), Colombia. In this study, a laboratory preparation questionnaire (CPL) was applied as a tool for the implementation of JiTT combined with elements of mediated learning. It was found that the CPL allows to improve the students’ experience regarding the preparation of the laboratory and the development of the experimental session. These questionnaires were implemented in an academic manager (Moodle) and a web application (lab.ciencias.uis.edu.co) was used to publish the contents essential for the preparation of the student before each practical session. The most significant result was that the students performed the experimental session with the basic knowledge to improve their learning experience.
HOW SINGLE TAXES IMPACT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE TAXATION

As a result, the original purely economic-oriented cooperation gave birth to a community named the European Union, which is now cooperating in a number of areas, not excluding the tax policy issues. This paper results from works which point out the tax convergence in the EU. The aim of this paper is to quantify the impact of the tax mix and tax competition on the convergence of tax systems in the EU. The empirical part of the paper makes use of the panel regression with fixed-effects for the 28 EU countries between the years 1965 and 2011. Two designed models report a statistically significant positive impact of all determinants on the effective tax burden. On the basis of final values, tax competition and property taxes have been assessed as the most important determinants of tax convergence. All models meet diagnostic tests and are econometrically robust. The obtained results can be considered as relevant with sufficient information capability.
Composition and mass size distribution of nitrated and oxygenated aromatic compounds in ambient particulate matter from southern and central Europe – implications for the origin

Abstract. Nitro-monoaromatic hydrocarbons (NMAHs), such as nitrocatechols, nitrophenols and nitrosalicylic acids, are important constituents of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and humic-like substances (HULIS). Nitrated and oxygenated derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs and OPAHs) are toxic and ubiquitous in the ambient air; due to their light absorption properties, together with NMAHs, they are part of aerosol brown carbon (BrC). We investigated the winter concentrations of these substance classes in size-resolved PM from two urban sites in central and southern Europe, i.e. Mainz (MZ), Germany, and Thessaloniki (TK), Greece. The total concentration of 11 NMAHs (∑11NMAH concentrations) measured in PM10 and total PM were 0.51–8.38 and 12.1–72.1 ng m−3 at the MZ and TK sites, respectively, whereas ∑7OPAHs were 47–1636 and 858–4306 pg m−3, and ∑8NPAHs were ≤90 and 76–578 pg m−3, respectively. NMAHs contributed 0.4 % and 1.8 % to the HULIS mass at MZ and TK, respectively. The mass size distributions of the individual substances generally peaked in the smallest or second smallest size fraction i.e. <0.49 or 0.49–0.95 µm. The mass median diameter (MMD) of NMAHs was 0.10 and 0.27 µm at MZ and TK, respectively, while the MMDs of NPAHs and OPAHs were both 0.06 µm at MZ and 0.12 and 0.10 µm at TK. Correlation analysis between NMAHs, NPAHs, and OPAHs from one side and WSOC, HULIS, sulfate, and potassium from the other suggested that fresh biomass burning (BB) and fossil fuel combustion emissions dominated at the TK site, while aged air masses were predominant at the MZ site.
ASSESSMENT OF ANTICANCEROGENIC EFFECT OF Tamarix nilotica ON HUMAN LUNG CANCER CELL LINE

Samples of Tamarix nilotica were collected from Wadi Gharandal, South Sinai, Egypt in March 2015 by Desert Research Center (DRC). Plants was extracted by Ethyl acetate. Possibility of anticancer activity of crude extract was assessed against human lung carcinoma (A549) cell lines to identify the best extraction solvent. Results showed the extract of plant was significantly active against the human lung carcinoma (A549). Cytotoxic activity onA549 andWi38 cell lines by Neutral red assay indicated that T. nilotica ethyl acetate crude extract did not affect normal cell lines (Wi38). In contrast, it induced cyto-toxicity on cancer cell lines (A549) as shown by a more intense decrease in cell viability on human cancer cell lines. Flow cytometry-basedcell cycle distribution showed that the percentage of A549 cells arrest at G2/M phase was markedly increased after treatment which confirmed the cytotoxic effect on cancer cells So, these results indicated that T. nilotica has antiproliferative effect. Analyses of apoptotic cells by (AO/EtBr) immunofluorescence double staining indicated that the crude extract showed an increase of apoptosis. Regarding the control, the nuclear region of viable cells was uniformly green in color, whereas, early apoptotic cells were orange with bright dots corresponding to nuclear chromatin fragmentation. Late apoptotic cells showed intensive red nucleus. Cells treated with T. nilotica extract exhibited characteristic changes of apoptosis e.g. fragmentation and formation of apoptotic bodies,The expression levels of the apoptosis-related genes p53, Bcl-2 and BAX in (A549) were assessed by quantitative real time PCR to determine the ability of T. nilotica to induce apoptosis in cancer cells (A549), compared with untreated group. Our results indicated that the expression levels of p53 and Bax were increased, whereas that of Bcl-2 was decreased. The results suggest that T. nilotica could be considered good natural source of anti-cancer agents.
Soybean hulls as a low‐cost biosorbent for removal of methylene blue contaminant

Methylene blue is a cationic dye used for dyeing cotton, wool, and silk. This dye can cause impacts when reaching water resources due to the reduction of sunlight infiltration, besides the health problems if ingested. Therefore, the complete removal of this contaminant in industrial effluents is indispensable. Currently, soybean hulls residues are used in animal feed supplementation; however, since soybean oil production is large, expressive quantities is discarded in landfills. Thus, the present study aim is to evaluate the adsorption capacity of methylene blue onto soybean hulls as an alternative use of this agroindustrial residue. The material was characterized through morphological and chemical analysis which showed porosity, heterogeneity, and functional groups that favor the adsorption. Due to the mainly negative charge of the surface, the pH did not affect the cationic dye uptake, enabling a wide pH range. After the adsorption studies, the best experimental conditions were at temperatures of 298 K, mass of 0.025 g, and contact time of 180 min, resulting in the maximum adsorption capacity of 169.90 mg g−1. When compared with other low‐cost biosorbent and activated carbons, it can be perceived a potential applicability of soybean hulls in wastewater treatment as an alternative use.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHITOSAN AND SOME ESSENTIAL OILS AS MAIZE GRAIN EDIBLE COATING FILMS ON THE GROWTH OF Escherichia coli AND Staphyllococcus aureus AND SOME MYCOTOXINS PRODUCED BY Fusarium verticilloides AND Aspergillus flavus.

Composite film designed as new innovative transparent edible film coating grains was prepared by casting film-forming colloidal emulsions covering maize grains which was based on chitosan and / or cinnamon, basil and dill oils or extracts added to chitosan HMW (high molecular weight). Chitosan individual coating film succeeded as antibacterial and detoxifying agent, the reduction rate of E.coli growth was the highest followed by Fumonisin B1 then aflatoxin B1production at the same(Minimum Inhibitory concentration( MIC). In case of Staphyllococcus aureus: Cinnamon extract at its both tested concentrations showed the best results (79.9 and 75.46 successively in inhibiting Staphyllococcus aureus growth) followed by chitosan at concentration 0.5% which realized (74.29%) growth inhibition. All tested EOs individual coating films succeeded at their MICs as antibacterial and detoxifying agents. The composite coating films are more effective as antibacterial than detoxifying agents except the film composited of chitosan and cinnamon oil which was highly succeeded as antibacterial and detoxifying agent in case of E.coli ,AflatoxinB1 and fumonisinB1the inhibition ratios were 94.145%, 91.217% and 90.01% respectively . Also, the composite film of chitosan and cinnamon extract inhibited E.coli, AflatoxinB1 and fumonisin B1 being: 97.943%,87.259% and 88.370% respectively. Synergistic Effects are more dominant in Bacterial growth inhibition than mycotoxins inhibition whereas, The antagonistic effect was often appeared in case of mycotoxins inhibition except the compound of chitosan and cinnamon oil, which gave the best results in the inhibition of mycotoxins.The composite film of chitosan and basil oil exhibited the highier inhibition ratio onE.coli growth being 98.418% . It is clear from the obtained results that the usage of composite film of chitosan and cinnamon oil can be used effectively to cover and preserve maize grains during storage.
Quantification of nitrous acid (HONO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in ambient air by broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) between 361–388 nm

Abstract. This work describes a state-of-the-art, incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) instrument for quantification of HONO and NO2 mixing ratios in ambient air. The instrument is operated in the near-ultraviolet spectral region between 361 and 388 nm. The mirror reflectivity and optical cavity transmission function were determined from the optical extinction observed when sampling air and helium. To verify the accuracy of this approach, Rayleigh scattering cross-sections of nitrogen and argon were measured and found in quantitative agreement with literature values. The mirror reflectivity exceeded 99.98 %, at its maximum near 373 nm, resulting in an absorption pathlength of 6 km from a 1 m long optical cavity. The instrument precision was assessed through Allan variance analyses and showed minimum deviations of &pm;58 pptv and &pm;210 pptv (1σ) for HONO and NO2, respectively, at an optimum acquisition time of 5 min. Measurements of HONO and NO2 mixing ratios in laboratory-generated mixtures by IBBCEAS were compared to thermal dissociation cavity ring-down spectroscopy (TD-CRDS) data and agreed within combined experimental uncertainties. Sample ambient air data collected in Calgary are presented.
Cross-Section Generation Using TXT2NTAB Code for Uncertainty Propagation with Burnup Dependence

Abstract One of the challenges of studying the neutronics of reactors is to generate reliable parameterized libraries that contain information to simulate the core in all possible operational and transient conditions. These libraries must include tables of cross sections and other neutronic and kinetic parameters and are obtained by simulating all the segments in a transport code. At the lattice level, one can use branch calculations to change “instantaneously” the feedback parameters as a function of burnup. When using random sampling for the lattice calculations, one can obtain statistical information about the output parameters and use it in a core simulation to characterize the accuracy of data estimating uncertainties when simulating a heterogeneous system at different scales of detail. This work presents the methodology to generate NEMTAB libraries from data obtained in the SCALE code system to be used in PARCS simulations. The code TXT2NTAB is used to reorder the cross-section tables in NEMTAB format and generate another NEMTAB of standard deviation. With these libraries, the authors perform a steady-state calculation for a light water reactor to propagate several uncertainties at the core level. The methodology allows obtaining statistical information of the most important output parameters: multiplication factor keff, axial power peak Pz, and axial peak node Nz.
Improving ex-vivo expansion of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells using acellular fetal membranes

iv Declaration. viii Preface . x Acknowledgement . xii Publications and presentations arising from the thesis . xiv Conference proceedings. xv Awards and scholarships . xviii Table of contents . xx List of figures . xxiii List of tables. xxv List of abbreviations . xxvi Chapter 1 . Introduction . 3 1. 1. Stem cells: Definition and types . 3 1. 2. Placenta-derived MSCs . 6 1. 3. MSC-based therapies: Current status . 7 1. 4. The MSC niche . 11 1.4. 1 Extracellular matrix (ECM) . 14 1.4. 2 Extracellular vesicles (EVs) . 15 1. 5. Decellularised extracellular matrix . 16 1.5. 1 Decellularisation Methods . 18 1.5. 2 Sterilization methods . 20 1. 6. Fetal membranes: Naturally-derived biomaterials . 23 1.6. 1 Structure and properties of term fetal membranes . 24 1.6. 2 Stem cells in fetal membranes . 25 1.6. 3 Historical application of fetal membranes as biomaterials . 26 1. 7. Applications of decellularised fetal membranes . 27 1.7. 1 Growth surfaces to enhance stem cell properties . 28 1.7. 2 Scaffolds and cell delivery . 32 1. 8. Thesis outline . 35 Chapter 2 . The effect of solubilised, decellularised fetal membranes on the growth of DMSCs . 41
Molecular level separation of crude oil/water emulsion on carbon nanotube surface induced by weak interaction: a molecular dynamic simulation study

Abstract Huge π-conjugated system of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) endows the two-dimensional carbon-based nanomaterials with special affinity towards aromatic organic compounds such as asphaltenes. Based on the special bonding structure, functional CNTs was designed and used for demulsification of crude oil/water emulsion and the treatment of emulsified oily wastewater in our previous study. Despite the macro bottle tests and micro-scale polarizing microscope were used to observe the separation process, the nanoscale or molecular scale demulsification mechanism was still not well understood. Therefore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to study the adsorption and separation behaviors of crude oil/water emulsion on the CNT surface. It was interesting to found that the oil and water was gradiently separated on the CNT surface due to their different spreading velocity resulted from the different affinity and interaction energy between various molecules (water, heptane and asphaltenes) and the CNT material. The demulsification mechanism of CNT was put forward as follows: when oil droplets approach the CNT surface, the water molecules rapidly spread and flow over the CNT surface, while the saturates slowly spread along CNT surface and the molecules with π-conjugated system (such as asphaltenes) were restricted due to their strong interaction with the CNT material. Because of their enormous difference of spreading velocity and time on CNT surface, the oil molecules were stayed and accumulated on CNT surface and thereby separated from the water molecules. The results obtained in this work provides a deep insight into the oil-water separation behaviors when using carbon-based nanomaterials to demulsify the crude oil-water emulsion and the treatment emulsified oily wastewater. Graphical Abstract
Performance of the dye‐sensitized solar cells fabricated using natural dyes from Ixora coccinea flowers and Cymbopogon schoenanthus leaves as sensitizers

In this study, the chlorophyll and anthocyanin natural dyes were extracted from Cymbopogon schoenanthus leaves and Ixora coccinea flowers, respectively. Thereafter, these dyes were used as sensitizers in the TiO2‐based dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Ten solvents were used for solubilizing the dyes. Amongst the 10 solvents, the ethanol showed the highest absorption spectra for the anthocyanin and chlorophyll molecules. Temperature significantly affected the yield of the natural dyes. It was seen that an optimal extraction temperature of 70°C and 80°C results to higher anthocyanin and chlorophyll yields, respectively. However, an extraction temperature above 70°C and 80°C has shown a sharply decrease in the anthocyanin and chlorophyll concentrations, respectively. Also, the solution of acidic extraction, especially with a pH value of 4, increased the dyes concentrations. As seen in the results, the chlorophyll‐sensitized DSSCs had 0.23% conversion efficiency (ƞ), short‐circuit current (Isc) of 0.9 mA/cm–2, open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.51 V, and 49.13% fill factor (FF). Meanwhile, the anthocyanin‐sensitized DSSCs showed 0.16% ƞ, 0.4 mA/cm–2 Isc, 0.53 V Voc, and 75.93% FF.