Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Histological and histochemical assessment of short-term events in peri-implant bone for osteoinductivity evaluation of functional-protective implant coatings

Utilization of functional-protective coatings for implants based on corundum ceramics seems promising from the point of view of stability, bioinertness, and low cost. In order to study the histo­logical criteria for evaluating the osteoinductive properties of functional protective coatings, 6 types of coatings were studied on an experimental animal model: 90 Wistar rats were implanted with 6 test types of implants with various combinations of surface treatment (sand-blasting, surface treatment with a plasma torch with simultaneous application of aluminum oxide, powdered titanium, etc.) with an exposure of 1, 2 and 4 weeks. After euthanasia, a histological exa­mination of decalcified bone with Masson-Goldner trichrome staining and TRAP-histochemical reaction for osteoclasts was performed. The obtained results de­monstrated significantly higher osteoinductive properties of functional protective coatings with a more pronounced roughness (Ra>10 μm) compared to an untreated titanium surface after 2 (p<0.01) and 4 (p<0.05) weeks of implantation. The corundum ceramic coating prevented the formation of implant wear particles, hence contributed to the stabilization of the newly formed bone. Therefore, the use of functional protective implant coatings based on corundum ceramics can increase the survival rate of conventional titanium implants, since the combination of factors such as surface roughness, mechanical stability, and chemical inertness of coatings with corundum ceramics provides better osteoinductive properties of implant materials.
Implementation Fidelity of Gender Based Violence Screening among Health Care Providers in the Health Care Facilities of Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Background: The Gender Based Violence (GBV) screening rate among health care providers is low despite the strategies to initiate GBV screening set by the Ministry of Health in Tanzania through implementation fidelity. This proposed study is an attempt to fill the gap by determining the GBV screening Implementation Fidelity, focusing on adherence to Protocols and Procedures in implementing GBV screening and factors affecting adherence to the implementation fidelity of GBV screening among the health care providers in the health facilities of Dodoma Region. Method: This was an analytical cross-sectional study; quantitative approach. A multi-stage sampling technique was applied to obtain 384 healthcare providers. The Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from healthcare providers in health facilities of the Dodoma Region. SPSS was used for the analysis of descriptive statistics to determine the level of adherence, and logistic regression for factors affecting adherence to GBV screening. Objective: The objective is to assess the implementation fidelity of GBV screening among healthcare providers in the healthcare facilities of the Dodoma Region. Results: Doctors and nurses who were not trained on GBV screening were 305 (79.4%). There is a low level of adherence to the implementation fidelity of GBV screening among the health care providers in the Dodoma Region, where by 16.4% (63) adhered to GBV screening. Those who were not trained were less likely to adherence GBV screening practices compared to those who were trained (AOR = 0.206, p < 0.0001). Nurses were less likely to adhere to GBV screening practices in reference to the doctors (AOR = 0.46, p = 0.037). Those who = 0.008) compared to those who agreed. Conclusion: The results show that most of the health care providers in the Dodoma Region do not adhere to the GBV screening; a low level of adherence indicates that most of the clients who are faced with Gender Based Violence are not identified and given appropriate management and referral. This study contributes to showing the situation analysis of how GBV screening is done in health facilities. Recom-mendation: It is recommended to address factors to improve the adherence of GBV screening including enough training to the health care providers.
Colour vision in stomatopod crustaceans: more questions than answers

Stomatopod crustaceans, or mantis shrimps, are known for their extensive range of spectral sensitivities but relatively poor spectral discrimination. Instead of the colour-opponent mechanism of other colour vision systems, the 12 narrow-band colour channels they possess may underlie a different method of colour processing. We investigated one hypothesis, in which the photoreceptors are proposed to act as individual wave-band detectors, interpreting colour as a parallel pattern of photoreceptor activation, rather than a ratiometric comparison of individual signals. This different form of colour detection has been used to explain previous behavioural tests in which low saturation blue was not discriminated from grey potentially because of similar activation patterns. Results here, however, indicate that the stomatopod, Haptosquilla trispinosa was able to easily distinguish several colours, including blue of both high and low saturation, from greys. The animals did show a decrease in performance over time in an artificially lit environment, indicating plasticity in colour discrimination ability. This rapid plasticity, most likely the result of a change in opsin (visual pigment) expression, has now been noted in several animal lineages (both invertebrate and vertebrate) and is a factor we suggest needing care and potential re-examination in any colour-based behavioural tests. As for stomatopods, it remains unclear why they achieve poor colour discrimination using the most comprehensive set of spectral sensitivities in the animal kingdom and also what form of colour processing they may utilise.
Bird-watching guide’s English module for promoting Balinese nature and culture

– There has been a discrepancy between visitors needs of guide service at a bird-watching site in Bali and the guides English competence. This article addresses the language learning needs of the guides and how they are analyzed to construct an English module for the bird-watching guides. The module can hopefully improve the guiding service, enhance the tourists’ experience and contribute to the conservation of culture via tourism activities. Observation and interview with 5 officers of the bird village and observations on the village’s vicinity revealed their necessities, lack and want in terms of the English learning, in relation to their occupation as guides. Beside knowledge about the heron population, the material also covers insight about Balinese’s traditional house, their prayer offerings, and their spiritual philosophy. Each chapter of the module encloses conversation and role-play, grammar focus, pronunciation drill, and reading section. The English material was then judged by the experts in language teaching and in Hinduism.
Biological activity validation of a computationally designed Rituximab/CD3 T cell engager targeting CD20+ cancers with multiple mechanisms of action

Abstract Background Bispecific T cell engaging antibodies (TEAs) with one arm targeting a cancer antigen and another arm binding to CD3 have demonstrated impressive efficacy in multiple clinical studies. However, establishing a safety/efficacy balance remains challenging. For instance, some TEAs have severe safety issues. Additionally, not all patients or all cancer cells of one patient respond equally to TEAs. Methods Here, we developed a next-generation bispecific TEA with better safety/efficacy balance and expanded mechanisms of action. Using the computer-aided antibody design strategy, we replaced heavy chain complementarity-determining regions (HCDRs) in one Rituximab arm with HCDRs from a CD3 antibody and generated a novel CD20/CD3 bispecific antibody. Results After series of computer-aided sequence optimization, the lead molecule, GB261, showed great safety/efficacy balance both in vitro and in animal studies. GB261 exhibited high affinity to CD20 and ultra-low affinity to CD3. It showed comparable T cell activation and reduced cytokine secretion compared with a benchmark antibody (BM). ADCC and CDC caused by GB261 only killed CD20+ cells but not CD3+ cells. It exhibited better RRCL cell killing than the BM in a PBMC-engrafted, therapeutic treatment mouse model and good safety in cynomolgus monkeys. Conclusions Thus, GB261 is a promising novel TEA against CD20+ cancers.
Water Molecules in the Carbon C60 Confined Space

Experimental scenario of the world being successful in planting water molecule at binary level in fullerene C70 is of utmost importance to pursue the theoretical properties of predictive triple water molecules and poly water molecules in Vander Waals confined space like fullerenes. Here, we present a paper in these lines of exploration of embedding triple water molecules in a Carbon confined space through the studies of behavior of three water molecules in Fullerene C60 by ab-initio methods. This heterogeneous system manifests cyclic hydrogen bonds which may be working with flipping actions. The unusual structural property of water trimers is reported. There exists a dipole moment of 0.9 ± 0.1 Debye which indicates the probable semiconductor properties.
Studies regarding the production of a novel yogurt using some local plant raw materials

In this study, we evaluated the effect of some Romanian local plant raw materials on the rheological, physicochemical, and sensory properties of natural yogurt. These plants were added as a 2% powder in the set yogurt recipe and the finished products obtained under the same conditions were compared to a control sample. By adding plant powders, the rheological properties of yogurt were improved, the syneresis was reduced, and the water holding capacity of the yogurt samples was increased. The highest values for rheological properties were obtained for yogurt with buckwheat flour (YBF) and the lowest values for the same parameters were obtained for control yogurt (YC). The lowest value of syneresis was obtained for YBF, followed by the yogurt with beetroot powder (YBP), and the yogurt with acorn flour (YAF). The best results from sensory and physicochemical point of view were recorded by the yogurt with added 2% buckwheat flour. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The results of the study lead to determining the formulation of a novel yogurt, with the best sensory acceptance, rheological, and physicochemical properties. Because of its universal popularity, there is a high economic importance in diversifying yogurt products. The use of local vegetable resources as raw materials for obtaining yogurt leads to their superior capitalization, as well as obtaining finished products with beneficial effects on the health of the consumers. Scientific impact of this study is by obtaining innovative products using domestic raw materials that not only improve consumer health, but also increase final product shelf life. Socio‐economic impact of the project is to increase consumer confidence in finished products and reduce losses by lowering the number of market returned products and by also increasing turnover.
Extracellular and Intracellular Biomineralization Induced by Bacillus licheniformis DB1-9 at Different Mg/Ca Molar Ratios

Biomineralization has become a research hotspot and attracted widespread attention in the field of carbonate sedimentology. In this study, precipitation of carbonate minerals was induced by Bacillus licheniformis DB1-9 bacteria, (identity confirmed with its phylogenetic tree), to further explore the biomineralization mechanisms. During experiments, lasting up to 24 days with varying Mg/Ca molar ratios and regular monitoring of conditions, ammonia and carbonic anhydrase are released by the bacteria, resulting in a pH increase. Carbonic anhydrase could have promoted carbon dioxide hydration to produce bicarbonate and carbonate ions, and so promoted supersaturation to facilitate the precipitation of carbonate minerals. These include rhombohedral, dumbbell-shaped, and elongated calcite crystals; aragonite appears in the form of mineral aggregates. In addition, spheroidal and fusiform minerals are precipitated. FTIR results show there are organic functional groups, such as C–O–C and C=O, as well as the characteristic peaks of calcite and aragonite; these indicate that there is a close relationship between the bacteria and the minerals. Ultrathin slices of the bacteria analyzed by HRTEM, SAED, EDS, and STEM show that precipitate within the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) has a poor crystal structure, and intracellular granular areas have no crystal structure. Fluorescence intensity and STEM results show that calcium ions can be transported from the outside to the inside of the cells. This study provides further insights to our understanding of biomineralization mechanisms induced by microorganisms.
Easily decomposable organic matter in paddy soil:Vi kinetics of nitrogen mineralization in submerged soils

Nitrogen mineralization process in the submerged soils was mathematically formulated by a new technique, and parameters in the formula were examined in relation to temperature and soil properties. Thirteen Japanese soils including manured and non-manured soils and 4 Philippine soils were used in this experiment with or without air-drying pretreatment. These soils were incubated anaerobically at 15,20,30, and 40°C for 12 weeks. It was found that the N-mineralization process could be expressed by the following formula which was composed of two first-order reactions (Ist term, quick reaction [q]; 2nd term, slow reaction [s]): where N is the amount of mineralized N, t is time of incubation, and N oq, N os, kq, and ks are parameters. In the soils without air-drying pretreatment, the N-mineralization under incubation at temperatures below 40°C only involved the slow reaction. The values of Noq and Nos (potentially mineralizable N) and total soil N (T-N) roughly regressed each other (Noq = 0–5% of T-N, Nos= 1.5–.
Systematic object-invariant in-hand manipulation via reconfigurable underactuation: Introducing the RUTH gripper

We introduce a reconfigurable underactuated robot hand able to perform systematic prehensile in-hand manipulations regardless of object size or shape. The hand utilizes a two-degree-of-freedom five-bar linkage as the palm of the gripper, with three three-phalanx underactuated fingers, jointly controlled by a single actuator, connected to the mobile revolute joints of the palm. Three actuators are used in the robot hand system in total, one for controlling the force exerted on objects by the fingers through an underactuated tendon system, and two for changing the configuration of the palm and, thus, the positioning of the fingers. This novel layout allows decoupling grasping and manipulation, facilitating the planning and execution of in-hand manipulation operations. The reconfigurable palm provides the hand with a large grasping versatility, and allows easy computation of a map between task space and joint space for manipulation based on distance-based linkage kinematics. The motion of objects of different sizes and shapes from one pose to another is then straightforward and systematic, provided the objects are kept grasped. This is guaranteed independently and passively by the underactuated fingers using a custom tendon routing method, which allows no tendon length variation when the relative finger base positions change with palm reconfigurations. We analyze the theoretical grasping workspace and grasping and manipulation capability of the hand, present algorithms for computing the manipulation map and in-hand manipulation planning, and evaluate all these experimentally. Numerical and empirical results of several manipulation trajectories with objects of different size and shape clearly demonstrate the viability of the proposed concept.
Sulfur(lone-pair)…π interactions with FAD in flavoenzymes

Abstract The interactions of π-systems with lone-pairs of electrons are known and have been described in biological systems, involving lone-pairs derived from metals, metalloids, sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen. This study describes a bibliographic survey of the disulfide-bound sulfur(lone-pair) interactions with π-systems residing in the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor of oxidoreductase enzymes (flavoenzymes). Thus, of the 172 oxidoreductase enzymes evaluated for gamma-S(lone-pair)…π(FAD) interactions, 96 proteins (56%) exhibited these interactions corresponding; 61% of 350 the constituent monomers featured at least one gamma-S(lone-pair)…π(FAD) interaction. Two main points of association between the S(lone-pair) and the isoalloxazine moiety of FAD were identified, namely at the centroid of the bond linking the uracil and pyrazine rings (60%), and the centroid of the uracil ring (37%). Reflecting the nature of the secondary structure in three prominent classes of oxidoreductase enzymes: glutathione disulfide reductases (GR; 21 proteins), trypanothione disulfide reductases (TR, 14) and sulfhydryl oxidases (SOX, 22), the approach of the gamma-S(lone-pair) to the FAD residue was to the si-face of the isoalloxazine ring system, i.e. to the opposite side as the carbonyl residue, for all GR and TR examples, and to the re-face for all SOX examples. Finally, the attractive nature of the gamma-S(lone-pair)…π(FAD) interactions was confirmed qualitatively by an examination of the non-covalent interaction plots.
Anatomical Evaluation of Mandibular Bone Cortex in Patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis: A Case-Control Study

Aims: To evaluate the mandibular bone cortical of patients with mucopolysaccharidosis on panoramic radiograph, through radiomorfometric indices. Study Design: Case-control study. Place and Duration of Study: Sample: Department of Diagnostic Imaging of the Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campus VIII, in the city of Araruna, PB, between January and December of 2015. Methodology: Panoramic radiographs of sixteen patients with mucopolysaccharidosis and 32 controls, organized by gender and age, composed the sample. The mandibular panoramic index, gonial index, antegonial index and mental index were evaluated. Pearson's Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney test were used to statistical analysis with a level of significance of 5.0%. Results: Mucopolysaccharidosis patients were mostly female (62.5%), with a mean age of 12.31 + 7.16 years, MPS VI (50.0%) being the most prevalent. Patients with mucopolysaccharidosis had higher values in the gonial (1.86+0.48), the antegonical (4.36+1.24) and the mental (5.24+1.21). However, only the antegoniac index presented a significant difference (P=0.047). Conclusion: The antegoniac index was higher in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis and the other radiomorphometric measures were similar to those observed in the control group. Apparently, mucopolysaccharidosis is not related to decreased bone to mandibular quality.
Characterization of Polymer Inclusion Membranes (PIMs) Containing Phosphonium Ionic Liquids as Zn(II) Carriers

Phosphonium ionic liquids (IL), i.e., trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride (Cyphos IL 101), trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinate (Cyphos IL 104), and tributyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride (Cyphos IL 167), were used as ion carriers in CTA or PVC-based polymer inclusion membranes (PIM). Up to now, the morphology and structure of PIMs with phosphonium ILs have not been characterized in detail. Thus, the following techniques were proposed in this paper—contact angle measurements, FT-IR, XRD, DSC, AFM, and SEM—to analyze the influence of PIM morphology on the efficiency of Zn(II) transport. CTA-based membranes appeared to be more hydrophilic, with a more expanded and rough surface that allowed better accessibility of the metal ions to the membrane. PVC-based PIMs were more hydrophobic and completely amorphous, and their surface showed less diversity, resulting in worse accessibility. Also, PIM stability after five cycles of transport processes was examined.
Morphological Diversity of Springtails in Land Use Systems

ABSTRACT: Springtails (Collembola) are soil organisms with wide morphological diversity and are sensitive to alterations in the soil, regardless of whether they are human-caused or not. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of land use on the morphological diversity of springtails and verify their relationships with soil physical, chemical, and microbiological properties. Samples were collected in the eastern region of Santa Catarina, in three municipalities: Joinville, Blumenau, and Timbo. They included the following land use systems [. ]
Rational Design 2-Hydroxypropylphosphonium Salts as Cancer Cell Mitochondria-Targeted Vectors: Synthesis, Structure, and Biological Properties

It has been shown for a wide range of epoxy compounds that their interaction with triphenylphosphonium triflate occurs with a high chemoselectivity and leads to the formation of (2-hydroxypropyl)triphenylphosphonium triflates 3 substituted in the 3-position with an alkoxy, alkylcarboxyl group, or halogen, which were isolated in a high yield. Using the methodology for the disclosure of epichlorohydrin with alcohols in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate, followed by the substitution of iodine for chlorine and treatment with triphenylphosphine, 2-hydroxypropyltriphenylphosphonium iodides 4 were also obtained. The molecular and supramolecular structure of the obtained phosphonium salts was established, and their high antitumor activity was revealed in relation to duodenal adenocarcinoma. The formation of liposomal systems based on phosphonium salt 3 and L-α-phosphatidylcholine (PC) was employed for improving the bioavailability and reducing the toxicity. They were produced by the thin film rehydration method and exhibited cytotoxic properties. This rational design of phosphonium salts 3 and 4 has promising potential of new vectors for targeted delivery into mitochondria of tumor cells.
Moringa oleifera leaf powder ameriorate neuronal degeneration in the entorhinal cortex of adolescent male alcoholic rats

Moringa oleifera is an important medicinal plant that has shown great promise in CNS conditions. However, the potential protective effect of M. oleifera in the entorhinal cortex (EC) of adolescent rats with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is still unknown. The effect of M. oleifera was therefore assessed in an adolescent model of AUD.Two groups of rats were orogastrically fed thrice daily with 5 g/kg ethanol (25% w/v), and 5 g/kg ethanol (25% w/v) plus M. oleifera (10 mg/kg body weight) respectively in diluted nutritionally complete diet (50%v/v). A control group was fed a nutritionally complete diet (50%v/v) made isocaloric with glucose. Cytoarchitectural study of the entorhinal cortex was examined with H&E. The extent of damage was assessed biochemically by determination of tissue levels of lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation. After 4 days of binge alcohol treatment, histologic and biochemical indices of degeneration in EC were significantly reduced by M. oleifera supplementation compared with the non-supplemented rats. In conclusion, M. oleifera attenuates alcohol-induced entorhinal degeneration in the rats by alleviating oxidative stress and reducing the expression of degenerative changes in the EC. Key words : Alcoholism, Medicinal plant, Nutraceuticals, Neuroprotection