Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adsorption Behavior of Methylene Blue Dye by Novel CrossLinked O-CM-Chitosan Hydrogel in Aqueous Solution: Kinetics, Isotherm and Thermodynamics

The chemical cross-linking of carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CM-chitosan), as a method for its modification, was performed using trimellitic anhydride isothiocyanate to obtain novel cross-linked O-CM-chitosan hydrogel. Its structure was proven using FTIR, XRD and SEM. Its adsorption capacity for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) dye from aqueous solution was studied. The effects of different factors on the adsorption process, such as the pH, temperature and concentration of the dye, in addition to applications of the kinetic studies of the adsorption process, adsorption isotherm and thermodynamic parameters, were studied. It was found that the amount of adsorbed MB dye increases with increasing temperature. A significant increase was obtained in the adsorption capacities and removal percentage of MB dye with increasing pH values. An increase in the initial dye concentration increases the adsorption capacities, and decreases the removal percentage. It was found that the pseudo-second-order mechanism is predominant, and the overall rate of the dye adsorption process appears to be controlled by more than one step. The Langmuir model showed high applicability for the adsorption of MB dye onto O-CM-chitosan hydrogel. The value of the activation energy (Ea) is 27.15 kJ mol−1 and the thermodynamic parameters were evaluated. The regeneration and reuse of the investigated adsorbent was investigated.
Changing trends and perceptions of sea turtle egg consumption in Redang Island, Malaysia

Sea turtles have been exploited at unsustainable rates globally. In Malaysia, their populations have faced serious declines because of diverse anthropogenic stressors including turtle egg consumption. Redang Island, off the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is an important rookery for green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Southeast Asia. The local community has depended on turtle eggs as a food and livelihood source for decades. Owing to the precipitous decline in sea turtles, the main nesting beaches became legally protected in 2007. Some turtle egg consumption continues despite the protection measures and long-term awareness raising. In our study, we assess the prevalence, motivations, demographic factors, and perceptions influencing turtle egg consumption and conservation. Through semi-structured interviews, we surveyed 73 respondents in Redang village. The interviews show that turtle egg consumption has decreased since the initiation of protection measures, making the eggs expensive and difficult to access. Using binary logistic regression, we found that the respondents’ education level and occupation were significant predictors. Education level was negatively correlated with age. People with higher levels of education (younger people) were less likely to eat turtle eggs, possibly on account of changing cultural beliefs and taste preferences, as well as increasing awareness. Those working in the tourism industry were less likely to consume eggs. The growth in tourism has served as an alternative to livelihoods that were dependent on the consumptive use of natural resources such as fishing and turtle egg collection. Further, tourism has catalyzed a shift from consumptive to nonconsumptive uses of sea turtles. Many locals perceived the protection of beaches as important, without which they claimed that turtle populations would go extinct. This research shows that addressing sea turtle conservation requires a multi-targeted approach of regulating sea turtle egg collection, providing economic alternatives such as tourism and long-term awareness raising.
Proteome-wide identification of lysine succinylation in the proteins of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver leaves revealed its involvement in energy metabolism

The lysine succinylation, evolutionarily conserved portant regulatory role in physiology of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Large succinyl groups conjugated to lysine residues resulted in changes in structure and charge of the proteins and affected the function of these proteins. However, little information was available about the lysine succinylation in the Eucommia ulmoides, an important traditional Chinese herb with multiple active substances. In this study, we performed lysine succinylome analysis to determine the potential regulatory role of lysine succinylation in growth and development of E. ulmoides by LC-MS/
Comparison of Traffic Flow Models with Real Traffic Data Based on a Quantitative Assessment

The fundamental relationship of traffic flow and bivariate relations between speed and flow, speed and density, and flow and density are of great importance in transportation engineering. Fundamental relationship models may be applied to assess and forecast traffic conditions at uninterrupted traffic flow facilities. The objective of the article was to analyze and compare existing models of the fundamental relationship. To that end, we proposed a universal and quantitative method for assessing models of the fundamental relationship based on real traffic data from a Polish expressway. The proposed methodology seeks to address the problem of finding the best deterministic model to describe the empirical relationship between fundamental traffic flow parameters: average speed, flow, and density based on simple and transparent criteria. Both single and multi-regime models were considered: a total of 17 models. For the given data, the results helped to identify the best performing models that meet the boundary conditions and ensure simplicity, empirical accuracy, and good estimation of traffic flow parameters.
Effect of cold storage on the pupal development of two pollinators, Eristalinus aeneus and Eristalis tenax

Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli) and Eristalis tenax (L.) (Diptera: Syrphidae, Eristalini) are important pollinator species that can be artificially reared and commercialised. To achieve better control over the pupal development time and adult emergence, cold storage techniques are suitable tools. Insects were reared under controlled conditions: 25 ± 1 °C, 50% r.h. , and L12:D12 photoperiod. Pupae of both species were stored at 5 °C at the beginning (early treatments) or at the end (late treatments) of their development for various periods of time (5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 days). Development stopped completely at 5 °C in both treatments, but in general, pupae stored at the beginning of the pupal stage provided better results in terms of survival (adult emergence) and quality of the adults (general morphology). The cold tolerance of E. tenax was lower than that of E. aeneus, with their pupal developmental time successfully extended up to 18 and 23 days, respectively, without compromising survival and morphology. The number and types of morphological alterations due to cold storage were recorded.
Evaluation of the Differences in the Expression of Biogenic Amine-Related mRNAs and Proteins in Endometrioid Endometrial Cancer

Biogenic amines, such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, histamine, dopamine, and serotonin are important neurotransmitters that also regulate cell viability. Their detection and analysis are helpful in the diagnosis of many diseases, including cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the expression profile of the biogenic amine-related genes and proteins in endometrioid endometrial cancer compared to the control group. The material consisted of endometrial tissue samples and whole blood collected from 30 endometrioid endometrial cancer patients and 30 cancer-free patients. The gene expression was determined by the mRNA microarrays and validated by qRT-PCR. Protein levels were determined in the serum by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Overexpression of histamine H1–H3 receptors and early growth response 1 and silencing of calmodulin, the histamine H4 receptor, and the dopamine D5 receptor have been reported in endometrioid endometrial cancer. The obtained results indicate disturbances in the signaling activated by histamine and dopamine receptors, which could potentially contribute to the progression of endometrioid endometrial cancer.
Assessment of Some Risk Factors among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Background: Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart diseases. This condition could results from a buildup of plaque inside the arteries, which decrease blood flow to the heart and raises the risk of a heart attack. The World Health Organization estimates that coronary heart disease prominent cause of death worldwide, and a number of well-characterized factors, including advanced age, genders, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking and others contribute to Coronary heart disease risk development. Objective: To assess of some risk factors of patients with coronary heart disease. Patients and Methods: Hospitals based case-control study was conducted at Iraqi center for heart diseases in Ghazi Al-Hariri hospital / Medical City, Ibn-AL-Bitar cardiac surgery hospital and Ibn-AL-Nafees hospital during the periods from the 1st of November 2016 to the 30th of June 2017. A convenient sample was taken from each hospital. Typical questionnaire was used to interview 300 individuals, 100 (cases) and 200 (controls). The data collection included demographic characteristics and some risk factors of coronary heart disease. The participants were diagnosed by qualified physician and confirmed by specific laboratory and clinical tests including electrocardiogram (ECG) with the healthy controls that matched the age groups and genders. Results: This study offered that the percentage of age group is higher among (60-69) years were (12.0 %) in the cases, the number of males and females were (50, 16.7%), for each of them, according to marital status most of cases were married and educational levels the majority of cases were among institutes, colleges and above, while the occupation status were (11.3%) among house wife finally, the residence was high as (21.0%) in the urban areas, most of the risk factors were significantly associated with coronary heart diseases (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our outcomes indicated there were a significant association of modifiable risk factors (smoking, family history, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, taken meals contained high quantity fat and physical activity) for heart disease among patients with coronary heart disease.
Design Methodologies For Dual-band Modulated Metasurface Antennas

This paper presents two different design methodologies to cope with the somehow unexplored design of dual-band modulated metasurface (MTS) antennas with circular shape. In the first approach, one overlays two different modulations. Each modulation is appropriately chosen to provide a broadside beam for one of the bands and a very weak radiation for the other frequencies. The second approach builds on the active region modulated MTS concept, recently applied to broadband designs. In this case, the periodicity of the modulation at the central region of the aperture is selected to radiate at the high frequency band. In turn, a larger periodicity in the outer annular region provides the broadside beam at the low frequency band. Both approaches are compared and their advantages and drawbacks, discussed.
Anemia among Children Aged 1 month -12 Years at Al-Wahda Hospital, Derna-Libya

Anemia is one of the main public health issues among children in the world. The causes of anemia are multifactorial, but iron deficiency is the most common one. There are direct proportions between iron and body mass. The paper aimed at determining anemia prevalence in children aged 1-144 months in Al-wahda Hospital in Derna city during the first quarter of 2017, as well as determining the type of anemia. A sample of 129 children aged 1-144 M was tested for hemoglobin levels to diagnose anemia. Mean corporal values were measured to determine the type of anemia, and data were collected based on independent variables such as age and sex. The frequency was created, and comparisons were tested using chi-square. Anemia prevalence of overall sample was 65.11%. It was significantly higher in children aged (1-3 months) than those aged (4-6 months), and (7-144 months) (p =.001). Significant differences were found in anemia prevalence among boys and girls, where prevalence was higher in girls than in boys (P=.008). Prevalence of Microcytic hypochromic anemia was higher (69.4 %) compared to Normocytic normochromic (28.57%), and Macrocytic hyperchromic anemia (2.38%). Prevalence of anemia of the overall sample is considered as sever based on World Health Organization anemia classification. In addition, increased anemia prevalence in children less than 3 months shud be taken care of the Libyan government to prevent and control anemia in pregnant women. The high prevalence of Microcytic hypochromic in the overall sample was observed. Further estimation of iron and ferritin should do, and further evalution is needed to identify the causes of anemia in children under 12 years.
Effects of different inorganic: organic zinc ratios or combination of low crude protein diet and mixed feed additive in weaned piglet diets

Abstract Thirty-six weaned piglets with an initial body weight (BW) of 8.43 ± 0.40 kg (28 days of age, ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) were randomly assigned to 6 treatments for a 2-week feeding trial to determine the effects of different inorganic zinc (IZ), organic zinc (OZ) or combination of low crude protein diet (LP) and Mixed feed additive (MFA) on diarrhea score, nutrient digestibility, zinc utilization, blood profiles, organ weight, and fecal microflora in weaned piglet diet. The pigs were individually placed in 45 × 55 × 45 cm stainless steel metabolism cages in an environmentally controlled room (30 ± 1°C). The dietary treatments included a negative control (NC), positive control (PC; zinc oxide, 1,000 mg/kg), T1 (IZ : OZ, 850 : 150), T2 (IZ : OZ 700 : 300), T3 (IZ : OZ, 500 : 500), and T4 (LP + MFA [0.1% Essential oils + 0.08% Protease + 0.02% Xylanase]). The daily feed allowance was adjusted to 2.7 times the maintenance requirement for digestible energy (2.7 × 110 kcal of DE/kg BW0.75). This allowance was divided into two equal parts, and the piglets were fed at 08 : 30 and 17 : 30 each day. Water was provided ad libitum through a drinking nipple. The diarrhea score was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in NC treatment compared with other treatments. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N), and gross energy (GE) was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the T2 treatment compared with the PC and NC treatments in week 1. In week 2, the ATTD of DM, N, and GE was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the NC treatment compared with other treatments. The T3 treatment had significantly higher (p < 0.05) ATTD and apparent ileal digestibility of zinc than the PC and T1 treatments. The Escherichia coli count in feces was significantly decreased in the T4 treatment compared with the NC and T2 treatments. The Lactobacillus count in feces was significantly increased in the T4 and T1 treatment compared with the T2 and T3 treatments. In conclusion, IZ : OZ 500 : 500 levels could improve nutrient digestibility and zinc utilization in weaned piglets, Moreover, MFA in LP diets could be used as a zinc alternative.
Iron and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants: A Narrative Review

Iron is critical for brain development, playing key roles in synaptogenesis, myelination, energy metabolism and neurotransmitter production. NICU infants are at particular risk for iron deficiency due to high iron needs, preterm birth, disruptions in maternal or placental health and phlebotomy. If deficiency occurs during critical periods of brain development, this may lead to permanent alterations in brain structure and function which is not reversible despite later supplementation. Children with perinatal iron deficiency have been shown to have delayed nerve conduction speeds, disrupted sleep patterns, impaired recognition memory, motor deficits and lower global developmental scores which may be present as early as in the neonatal period and persist into adulthood. Based on this, ensuring brain iron sufficiency during the neonatal period is critical to optimizing neurodevelopmental outcomes and iron supplementation should be targeted to iron measures that correlate with improved outcomes.
Chiral Resolution, Absolute Configuration Assignment, and Genotoxicity Evaluation of Racemic 3,4-Dihydroquinazoline as a Novel Anticancer Agent

If a new drug candidate will be a mixture of enantiomers, both enantiomers should be separately studied for at least latent genotoxicity as early as possible since the thalidomide tragedy. Our group has recently reported that KCP-10043F (OZ-001) as a racemate (±)-3,4-dihydroquinazoline derivative strongly represses the proliferation of human A549 lung cancer cells by caspase-mediated apoptosis via STAT3 inactivation. To investigate the possible teratological effects of the two enantiomers of a racemic KCP-10043F, therefore chiral resolution of (±)-KCP-10043F was performed and subsequently followed by a series of chemical processes to afford the corresponding chiral diastereomers. By using 1H NMR anisotropy method, the absolute configuration (+)-KCP-10043F and (−)-KCP-10043F could be assigned as S and R configuration, respectively. The bacterial reverse mutation test (Ames test) for racemate (±)-KCP-10043F and its two enantiomers exhibited that all three stereoisomers were found to be nongenotoxic against five bacterial strains with/without metabolic activation. In addition, (R)-(−)-KCP-10043F displayed almost equal anticancer activity to (S)-(+)-KCP-10043F against three cancer cell lines. Based on these overall results, racemate KCP-10043F (OZ-001) could be used for our ongoing preclinical and clinical studies without the expensive asymmetric process and/or chiral separation.
Quasiparticle self-consistent GW band structures of III-N, II-IV-N 2 semiconductors and band offsets

by ATCHARA PUNYA The group-III nitrides and their alloys are among the most intensively investigated semiconductors for optoelectronic and electronic applications. However, there are some problems such as high cost in Indium, phase segregation and phase separation of InN and GaN in their alloys. Thus, in this dissertation, we use the first-principles calculations to quantitatively predict the properties of a new family of II-IV-N2 semiconductors. The main objectives of this study are to facilitate identifying the materials once they are first synthesized and to help understand which ones may be appropriately used for specific technical purposes. First, we use the new technique called Quasiparticle Self-consistent GW (QSGW ) to re-investigate the properties beyond the fundamental band gaps of III-N semiconductors, which ones may view as the closest relative of II-IV-N2 semiconductors. We present the Rashba Sheka Pikus Hamiltonian parameters, which describe the valence band maximum splittings and effective masses. Next, the II-IV-N2 semiconductors were proposed as heterovalent ternary compounds by replacing the group III elements of III-N semiconductors alternately by a group II elements, such as Mg, Zn, and Cd and a group IV elements, such as Si, Ge, and Sn. Their electronic band structures are reported comparing with available experimental results. Finally, we study band offsets between ZnGeN2, ZnSnN2, ZnO, and GaN by using DFT-LDA including quasiparticle corrections. Almost all of the band offsets among them are staggered except between ZnGeN2/ZnSnN2, and the potential benefits for photovoltaic cells are pointed out.
Genomic Comparison of Conjugative Plasmids from Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli Encoding Beta-Lactamases and Capable of Mobilizing Kanamycin Resistance Col-like Plasmids

Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli are important human pathogens that frequently contain plasmids, both large and small, carrying antibiotic resistance genes. Large conjugative plasmids are known to mobilize small Col plasmids, but less is known about the specificity of mobilization. In the current study, six S. enterica and four E. coli strains containing large plasmids were tested for their ability to mobilize three different kanamycin resistance Col plasmids (KanR plasmids). Large conjugative plasmids from five isolates, four S. enterica and one E. coli, were able to mobilize KanR plasmids of various types. Plasmids capable of mobilizing the KanR plasmids were either IncI1 or IncX, while IncI1 and IncX plasmids with no evidence of conjugation had disrupted transfer regions. Conjugative plasmids of similar types mobilized similar KanR plasmids, but not all conjugative plasmid types were capable of mobilizing all of the KanR plasmids. These data describe some of the complexities and specificities of individual small plasmid mobilization.
A Thermodynamically Consistent Model of Quasibrittle Elastic Damaged Materials Based on a Novel Helmholtz Potential and Dissipation Function

In the paper, a thermodynamically consistent model of elastic damaged material in the framework of small strain theory is formulated, describing the process of deterioration in quasibrittle materials, concrete in particular. The main goal is to appropriately depict the distinction between material responses in tension and compression. A novel Helmholtz energy and a dissipation potential including three damage parameters are introduced. The Helmholtz function has a continuous first derivative with respect to strain tensor. Based on the assumed functions, the strain–stress relationship, the damage condition, the evolution laws, and the tangent stiffness tensor are derived. The model’s predictions for uniaxial tension, uniaxial compression, uniaxial cyclic compression–tension, and pure shear tests are calculated using Wolfram Mathematica in order to identify the main features of the model and to grasp the physical meaning of an isotropic damage parameter, a tensile damage parameter, and a compressive damage parameter. Their values can be directly bound to changes of secant stiffness and generalized Poisson’s ratio. An interpretation of damage parameters in association with three mechanisms of damage is given. The considered dissipation potential allows a flexible choice of a damage condition. The influence of material parameters included in dissipation function on damage mode interaction is discussed.
Whistleblowing advocacy: Solidarity and fascinance

What role does difference play in relationships between partners in solidarity? In this article we add to debates on difference-in-solidarity by proposing fascinance as a critical aspect of intersubjective relations in solidarity networks. We build upon extant feminist and affect theory scholarship in doing so. Our novel approach is informed by our analysis of in-depth empirical data from a special case of solidarity – whistleblowing advocacy groups – and by Bracha Ettinger’s concept of the matrixial borderspace. Whistleblower support is a critical factor in enabling disclosures about organisational wrongdoing to come to light. Examining the experiences of workers in advocacy groups, we find that difference-in-solidarity is multi-faceted, compelling compassion while simultaneously generating ambivalence and tendencies towards exclusion. Where such contrary affects are enabled to co-exist, and where boundaries between self and other begin to be troubled, the impetus for people to work towards a common cause is enhanced. Our specific contribution is to add a matrixial perspective to debates on difference-in-solidarity: the concept of fascinance represents a powerful aspect of connection between self and other that is at once elusive, affectively felt, and invokes earlier experiences of interdependency between infant and mother. Our study also provides a unique examination of the difficulties and affordances that can accompany whistleblowing advocacy work.