Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isotope analysis of oxygen in minerals using Nd/YAG laser-fluorination: the use of stainless-steel wool trap as a fluorine remover

Oxygen from a range of minerals has been liberated by fluorination under the radiation from a Nd/YAG laser, and the isotope ratio of oxygen measured with a conventional ratio mass-spectrometer. During the fluorination, generation of fluorine gas often takes place through the dissociation of chlorine trifluoride (CIF3) and interferes with the measurement of the isotope ratio later on. Using mercury on gold to remove the F2 also led to a loss of oxygen. A simple trap made of stainless steel wool has proved to be very effective at removing of fluorine without any measurable loss of O2. The minerals analysed include quartz, feldspar, hornblende, mica, garnet, pyroxene, olivine, and spinet. The accuracy and precision of the method was evaluated. There is good agreement with data obtained by conventional fluorination for the analyses of hornblende, garnet and spinel. In the case of quartz, feldspar and pyroxene, the laser method gave isotope ratios (18O/16O) lighter than the ratios obtained by the conventional method by less than 1‰, but its application to olivine and mica gave lighter isotope ratios by as much as 1∼2‰. The precision of this method is better than 0.3‰ for all the minerals investigated.
Total Suspended Solids and Flow Regime Effects on Periphyton Development in a Laboratory Channel

Flow regime and total suspended solids (TSS), along with chemical and biological parameters associated with urbanization and intensive agriculture/aquaculture, impact benthic organisms, which represents the food chain foundation in aquatic systems. We designed this experiment to begin the integration of physical flow regime effects along with chemical and biological indicators on periphyton, an important benthic organism indicator, towards a goal of using periphyton (live biomass containing chlorophyll a) and pheophytin (dead chlorophyll-containing biomass) in assessments of stream health. Physical flow regimes in a laboratory flume were created using multiple roughness conditions and an in-channel weir. Results suggested that one could model the hydraulic regime with a hydraulic model, HEC-RAS, to within 2% to 11% of measured velocity values. Thus, one may roughly but not precisely move computed velocities from the flume to the field. Significant interactions between biological response and hydraulic and TSS factors were observed, and the study suggested several indicators of periphyton-pheophytin response that are potentially relevant to ecological engineering applications featuring a channel. Increased mean velocities significantly reduced (P < 0.05) live periphyton and filament length. The 200 mg L-1 TSS level significantly reduced (P < 0.05) biomass and filament development. The effect of TSS was least where velocity was highest and depth was most shallow, which had the least effect on light absorption and resulted in the least sediment deposition. The intermediate TSS level (100 mg L-1) appeared to stimulate a growth response based on periphyton and filament length, although the effect was less noticeable where velocities were higher. Pheophytin tended to be highest in conditions resulting in lower periphyton values, consistent with the notion that regimes imparting physical stress would harbor the highest concentration of pheophytin. The periphyton/filament length ratio tended to be lowest in velocities less than 0.75 m s-1 except in the high TSS case, where both periphyton and filament length were low. Low velocities and low to moderate TSS would provide the most biomass for grazing organisms and would result in the most effective nutrient filtering due to long filament length. High periphyton/pheophytin ratios were associated with high TSS, velocities exceeding ~0.5 m s-1, or both. Sloughing could occur in systems with a pulsing velocity where the pulse period was long enough for growth to occur in the quiescent interval.
Ligand recognition by chloroperoxidase using molecular interaction fields and quantum chemistry calculations

We recently reported that chloroperoxidase (CPO) from Caldariomyces fumago showed atypical kinetic behavior for the oxidation of 4,6 dimethyl dibenzothiophene (DMDBT). In this work, we undertake the theoretical study of DMDBT docking into CPO's active site, in order to clarify its binding capacity and affinity using molecular interaction fields and quantum mechanical procedure. The results revealed that CPO has two substrate binding sites with similar affinities for DMDBT. This finding suggests that the atypical kinetic behavior of CPO for the oxidation of DMDBT might be due to the simultaneous binding of two DMDBT molecules during its reaction cycle. Finally, we extend these results to carbazole, a nitrogen-containing PAH, through experimental and theoretical studies.
Mutagenicity of environmental samples from an industrialized area of the Rio de la Plata Estuary using the salmonella/microsomal assay

Mutagenic characterization was applied to study the environmental compartments of a heavily industrialized area. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been previously detected in the environmental samples of different compartments. Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100 were used for screening the mutagenic activity of airborne particulate matter, sediments, surface waters, and industrial wastewaters. The tests were performed with and without S9 metabolic activation. Results of the tests showed mutagenicity in those assays with metabolic activation. Sampling points with higher activity reached a value of 25,258/44,106 His+ rev/g in airborne particulate matter samples and 8,549,500/5466 His+ rev/L water samples, for strains TA98 and TA100, respectively, and 15,128 His+ rev/g in sediment samples for TA98. Apparently, a strong mutagenicity in water and sediment samples is associated with sectors near point sources of pollution. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mössbauer, infrared, and X‐ray studies of Ti‐doped CoCr1.2Fe0.8O4 ferrites

The spinel samples Co1+xTixCr1.2–2xFe0.8O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) were investigated at room temperature using Mössbauer, X‐ray, and IR spectra. The Mössbauer spectra for x ≤ 0.1 showed only broad six‐lines patterns and for 0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.5 showed, in addition to the broad six‐lines patterns, a central paramagnetic phase C. The spectrum for x = 0.6 showed only paramagnetic phase C. The six‐lines patterns were analysed to two magnetic patterns attributed to Fe3+ ions on the tetrahedral A‐sites and to Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions on the octahedral B‐sites. The broader B‐site pattern appeared to be composite for x ≤ 0.3, thus it has been analysed to its multicomponents. The paramagnetic phase C was analysed to two quadrupole doublets due to Fe3+ ions at the A‐ and B‐sites. The obtained hyperfine interaction parameters have been studied and discussed as functions of the composition factor x. The cation distributions have been estimated and supported by X‐ray studies. Six absorption bands were observed in the IR spectra and attributed to Fe3+ ions on the A‐ and B‐sites, to Fe2+ and Co2+ ions, and to the energy of the sublattices. The IR bands revealed the existence of Fe2+ ions in the samples. The true and theoretical lattice parameters, the oxygen positional parameter, and the ionic radii, bonds, and edges of the A‐ and B‐sites have been determined from the X‐ray analysis. They were studied and discussed in dependence of x.
Impacto do exercício físico agudo no perfil metabólico pós prandial em adultos fisicamente aptos

The ability to rapidly remove triglycerides from plasma may contribute to reduce the rate of coronary disease. Physical activity is positively associated with a decrease in postprandial triglyceride levels, thus contributing effectively to the prevention and reduction of vascular disor- ders. The objective of this study was to analyze the course of postprandial triglycerides, as well as postprandial blood glucose, total cholesterol, total protein and hematocrit, after acute exercise in physically fit adults. Ten physically fit university students of both genders, with a mean age of 23.2 ± 1.9 years, were submitted to the collection of postprandial blood samples in two situations: control and exercise. In the control group, subjects remained at rest in the morning before the collection of postprandial blood. In the exercise group, the subjects performed a 20-meter shuttle run test, with gradual increases in intensity until exhaustion, in the morning before the collection of postprandial blood. A significant decrease of postprandial triglycerides was observed in the exercise group (p<0.05), whereas blood glucose, total cholesterol, total protein and hematocrit remained unchanged in this condition. We conclude that in physically fit adults acute physical exercise with a gradual increase in intensity until exhaustion was able to reduce postprandial triglyceride levels and may contribute to the prevention of atherosclerosis and the consequent development of associated cardiovascular diseases.
VARIATIONS IN ADAPTATION STRATEGIES OF WHEAT CULTIVAR REPLACEMENTS UNDER SHORT-TERM OSMOTIC STRESS

Wheat (Tritium aestival L.) production has increased substantially with wheat cultivar replacements, but little is known about how different-year released wheat cultivars maintain whole-plant water balance especially under drought stress. We investigated a series of indices of plant water balance under two water conditions to identify the mechanisms underlying this process in seedlings of four wheat cultivars released in Shaanxi Province, China, from the 1960s to the present decade. The newer cultivars maintained good water status under well-watered conditions by a high uptake of water by roots. The various cultivars released at different times, however, maintained whole-plant water balance differently under osmotic stress. The newer cultivars decreased water loss by decreasing foliar stomatal conductance and severely down-regulating TaPIP1-2, a gene encoding an aquaporin. The expression of root aquaporin genes was higher in the older cultivars than in the newer cultivars. Root hydraulic conductance was significantly and positively correlated with the relative expression of another aquaporin homologue, TaPIP2-1. The older cultivars maintained high levels of transpiration by a relatively high root hydraulic conductance or a large root surface area. The newer cultivars, with lower root hydraulic conductance, maintained water balance by synchronously decreasing foliar water loss. Wheat breeders should seek more effective solutions for improving the capacity of roots to take up water and for reducing foliar water loss to be able to cope with the expected lower availability of water resources for agriculture in the future.
Annihilation of threading dislocations in strain relaxed nano‐porous GaN template for high quality GaN growth

Porous GaN subjected to heat treatment under in-situ MOCVD chamber annealing at 850 °C for 3 minutes has shown significant annihilation of threading dislocations and improvement of its optical quality. Similar phenomenon is not observed for the porous GaN samples annealed at lower temperatures. The annealing was done in a mixed of N2 and NH3 ambient, which resulted in air-gap formation. Encounter of threading dislocations with the air-gap might cause them to bend horizontally and annihilate each other. Dark-field cross-section TEM image confirms the annihilation of threading dislocations within the porous/air-gap region. This dislocation density reduction causes a significant enhancement of the optical quality as shown by doubled Raman intensity of E2 phonon peak after the annealing as compared to the as-fabricated porous GaN. Because the fabricated porous GaN samples are already relaxed, no further strain relaxation is observed after annealing. Such a template is suitable for use in high quality GaN growth. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
DIPHASIC ACIDO-BASIC PROPERTIES OF ORGANOPHOSPHORUS ACIDS.

ABSTRACT The diphasic acldo-basic properties of three dialkylorgeno-phosphorus odds, namely di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (DEHPA),2-ethyl-hexylphosphonlc acid, mono-2-ethylhexyl ester marketed as PC 88A and di(2,4,4-trimethylpenty1) phosphinic acid marketed as CVANEX 272, and their ability to form aggregates have been investigated by diphasic acidimetry in presence of 1 mol.dm-3 NaC104 and computer simulation, A mathematical model, which is equivalent to the reality, is proposed.
Vacancy Formation and Oxidation Characteristics of Single Layer TiS3

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of pristine, defective, and oxidized monolayer TiS3 are investigated using first-principles calculations in the framework of density functional theory. We found that a single layer of TiS3 is a direct band gap semiconductor, and the bonding nature of the crystal is fundamentally different from other transition metal chalcogenides. The negatively charged surfaces of single layer TiS3 makes this crystal a promising material for lubrication applications. The formation energies of possible vacancies, i.e. S, Ti, TiS, and double S, are investigated via total energy optimization calculations. We found that the formation of a single S vacancy was the most likely one among the considered vacancy types. While a single S vacancy results in a nonmagnetic, semiconducting character with an enhanced band gap, other vacancy types induce metallic behavior with spin polarization of 0.3–0.8 μB. The reactivity of pristine and defective TiS3 crystals against oxidation was i.
Leaf analysis for monitoring the fertilizer requirements of peanut.

Abstract Glasshouse and field experiments with peanut crops show that concentration of Zn and B in the peanut plant leaf at pre‐flowering can be raised and the yield increased with the application of 20 Kg. Zn/ha and 1 Kg. B/ha, The proposed critical level for Zn and B in leaves for peanuts grown in the Punjab is 25 ppm.
NMR methods for studying membrane‐active antimicrobial peptides

NMR is a versatile tool for studying interactions between antimicrobial peptides and lipid membranes. Different approaches using both liquid state and solid state NMR are outlined here, with an emphasis on solid state NMR methods, to study the structures of antimicrobial peptides in lipid bilayers as well as the effect of these peptides on model membranes. Different NMR techniques for observing both peptides and lipids are explained, including 2H, 13C, 15N, and 19F labels, or natural abundance 1H, 13C, or 31P. Previous studies in the field are extensively reviewed in easily accessible tables. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 23A: 89–120, 2004.
A spectroscopy oriented configuration interaction procedure

A multireference configuration interaction (MR-CI) based method (Spectroscopy ORiented CI, SORCI) is proposed to calculate energy differences between several electronic states of possibly different multiplicity and which can be extended to fairly large molecules. It combines several well-known concepts in order to achieve efficiency, balance, generality, stability and accuracy: (a) the use of any kind of (preferably small) reference space and any kind of initial self-consistent field treatment, (b) the use of average approximate natural orbitals (AANOs) for the states of interest, (c) a variational treatment of the strongly interacting many electron states combined with second order multireference Moller–Plesset perturbation theory for the much larger weakly interacting remainder, (d) the concept of difference-dedicated CI developed and extensively used by Malrieu and co-workers that avoids contributions which are expected to cancel in energy differences, (e) the use of the resolution-of-the identity appr.
Evaluation of Hungarian Sporthorse mare performance tests

INTRODUCTION The BLUP method was used first by Árnason (1980) in horse breeding for Icelandic Toelter horses. Utilization of this method spread very quickly. Tav ernier (1988) wrote about the application of BLUP procedures in France and there was some information from the Swedish adaptation in Philipsson’s (2005) study. A German breeding estimation method developed by Me inardus (1988) is based on show jumping and dressag results. The results of further German works and de velopments for estimation methods can be found in L ührsBehnke et al. (2005) and Velsen-Zerweck – Bruns (19 98) studies. Importance of performance tests and po ssible utilization of its results are also reported by Lew czuk et al. (2004ab). For the improvement of breeding value estimation in Hungary, the application and correction (if it is necessary) of widely used methods is needed. Prelim inary analysis of Hungarian Sporthorse performance data were done by Posta et al. (2007). Our analysis was done in correspondence with The Association of Hung arian Horse Breeders and Horse Organization and The Assoc iation of Hungarian Sporthorse Breeders (MSLT). The aims of the study were breeding value estimation an d construction of breeding value indexes for the ev aluated traits in the performance test of Hungarian Sportho rse mares
The Effect of Using Different Interactive Modes of Activity to Improve the Acquisition of English Words for Young Learners

Most young learners show advanced-level incidental learning of English words when they are exposed to a certain form of the words many times, such as listening to the word and then seeing it in a picture that shows the meaning. However, the most important question here is whether young learners reach the same advanced level if the researcher reduces the time of exposure to different interactive modes level of activity. The current study attempts to determine whether evidence supports the use of interactive modes of activity in improving learners. To this end, the current research randomly allocated 144 participants. The first incidental mode was used in the present study as an incidental learning approach, whereby students were asked to learn English words based on repeated exposure to word forms. The second mode investigated the extent to which students were able to reconstruct vocabulary items based on exposure using a 2to 6-track incidental learning technique. In track 2, the participants were asked to provide complete words that they had previously learned on a test that contained only part of those vocabulary items. The findings of the present study reported that the students’ performance was better than before for the words they had prior knowledge about; the incidental learning was effective after using different interactive modes of activity. Furthermore, the present study found that repeating the form of the words several times to encourage students had a good effect initially, but that effect decreased over time.
Effective moisture diffusivity and rehydration characteristics of osmo- air dehydrated tomato

This study investigated the effect of osmotic dehydration on effective moisture diffusivity (EMD) and rehydration characteristics of osmo-air dehydrated tomato using a locally developed forced convection cabinet dryer. Sliced Hausa tomato variety of uniform 10 mm thickness were deseeded, blanched at 90oC and immersed in honey and sugar hypertonic solution under different levels of osmotic concentrations of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60oBx, temperature of 10oC, 20oC, 30oC, 40 oC and 50oC and duration of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 min. Samples were dried in a hot-air cabinet dryer at 65oC for 10 h to attain an equilibrium moisture content of 3%-5%, which was considered safe for long term storage. The experiment was designed using central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM) of Design expert software version 6.0. 6. Statistical analysis and regression models were done using the software at p ≤ 0.05 significance level. Results showed that EMD and rehydration ratio (RR) of Hausa tomato for all samples ranged between 1.40 × 10-9 to 4.19 × 10-8 m2 s-1 and 0.60 – 2.00, respectively. The maximum values EMD and RR of 3.42 × 10-8 m2 s-1 and 1.81 were achieved at osmotic concentration of 20oBx, osmotic duration of 42 mins and osmotic temperature of 50oC, respectively, through optimization with desirability of 83.6%. This would aid faster drying rate thereby preserving more of foods quality parameters with reduced energy consumption and saves time.
Higher prevalence of multidrug-resistant extended-spectrum β-lactamases producing Escherichia coli in unorganized pig farms compared to organized pig farms in Mizoram, India

Aim: The present study was conducted to record the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR), extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) producing Escherichia coli from pig population of organized and unorganized farms of Mizoram and to record the presence of ESBLs, non-ESBLs, and integrons. Materials and Methods: Fecal samples were collected from pigs under organized (n=40) and unorganized (n=58) farms of Mizoram. Samples were processed for isolation and identification of E. coli by conventional techniques, BD Phoenix™ automated bacterial system, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based confirmatory test. All the isolates were subjected to antimicrobial sensitivity test by disk diffusion assay and ESBLs production by double-disk synergy test (DDST). The ESBLs producing isolates were subjected to PCR for determination of ESBLs genes and all the isolates were screened for non-ESBLs genes and integrons by PCR. Results: A total of 258 E. coli was isolated and identified from organized (n=120) and unorganized farms (n=138). Majority of the E. coli isolates exhibited high level of resistance against amoxicillin (Ax) (81.78%), cefalexin (85.42%), co-trimoxazole (50.78%), sulfafurazole (69.38%), tetracycline (65.89%), and trimethoprim (TR) (51.94%). Statistically highly significant (p<0.01) variations in resistance among the isolates from organized and unorganized farms were recorded in case of Ax, ampicillin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, gentamicin, piperacillin, and TR. By DDST, 65.89% isolates were recorded as ESBLs producer, of which 82/120 (68.33%) and 88/138 (63.77%) were from organized and unorganized farms, respectively. A total of 29/258 (11.24%) isolates were positive for at least one ESBLs gene. blaTEM was most frequently (9.69%) gene, followed by blaCTX-M (5.04%) and blaCMY (0.78%). Altogether, 6 (5.00%), 4 (3.33%), and 2 (1.67%) isolates from the organized farms were positive for blaCTX-M, blaTEM, and blaCMY genes, respectively. Similarly, 21 (15.22%) and 7 (5.07%) isolates from the unorganized farms were positive for blaTEM and blaCTX-M genes, respectively. None of them were positive for blaSHV genes. Altogether 57 (22.09%), 9 (3.49%), 66 (25.58%), 78 (30.23%), 21 (8.14%), and 18 (6.98%) isolates were positive for tetA, tetB, sul1, sul2, aadA, and dfrla genes, respectively. The prevalence of non-ESBLs genes was higher in the E. coli isolates from the unorganized farms than organized farms. Conclusion: MDR and ESBLs producing E. coli are circulating among the pigs and their environment in Mizoram. Pigs under unorganized farms exhibited higher level of resistance against majority of the antimicrobials, including third-generation cephalosporins, which might be an indication of overuse or misuse of antibiotics under the unorganized piggery sectors in Mizoram.