Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends in Adsorption Characteristics of Organic Molecules on Transition Metal Surfaces: Role of Surface Chemistry and Van Der Waals Interactions

The accurate description of interface characteristics between organic molecules and metal surfaces has long been debated in theoretical studies. A well-founded description of interface geometry and adsorption energy is highly desirable for these hybrid inorganic/organic interfaces. Using first principles calculations with the inclusion of five van der Waals functionals (vdW-DF family), benzene (C6H6) adsorption on seven transition metal surfaces is studied to explore the performance of these vdW functionals under varying surface chemistry. Our results reveal that vdW interactions are crucial for an accurate description of bonding on transition metal substrates. We find that vdW interactions increase adsorption energy on coinage metal surfaces (Au, Ag, Cu) by about 0.7 eV, while they lead to even larger increases in the adsorption energies on the reactive transition metal surfaces (Pd, Pt, Rh, Ni). Our calculations also reveal that changes in adsorption energies stemming from vdW functionals show significa.
The Effects of Crude Methanolic Extract of Commelina benghalensis Linn on the Expression of Apoptotic and Cell Division Cycle Genes in Jurkat T and Wil-2 NSCancer Cell Lines.

Commelina benghalensis Linn is used in traditional medicine in several Asian and African countries for the treatment of various ailments such as stomach irritations, burns, sore throat and feet, diarrhoea and as an anti-inflammatory agent. Recently, our laboratory showed that the crude methanolic extract of Commelina benghalensis L (CMECB) exhibits growth inhibitory and proapoptotic effects in Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cancer cell lines. In this study, the precise molecular mechanism(s) associated with CMECB-induced growth inhibitory and apoptosis inducing effects in Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cell lines were investigated. This was achieved by investigating the effects of the extract on the cell division cycle distribution profile as well as its effects on various cell division cycle and apoptosis regulatory genes. Ground stems of C. benghalensis L were extracted with absolute methanol to obtain a crude extract. To assess the effect of CMECB on cancer cell growth, experimental cell cultures were exposed to various concentrations (0 to 600 μg/ml) of CMECB for up to 72 hours. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in cell viability and inhibition of proliferation of experimental cell cultures as determined by the trypan blue dye exclusion assay and the Coulter counter method, respectively. Analysis of nuclear morphological changes in cells stained with Hoechst 33258 confirmed apoptosis as the mode of cell death that is associated with the growth inhibitory effects of CMECB in both the Jurkat T and Wil-2 NS cell lines. This assertion was based on the observed presence of nuclear morphological changes such as chromatin condensation and fragmentation and apoptotic bodies in cells exposed to CMECB. In order to get an insight on the pro-apoptotic mechanisms of CMECB, Western blot
Growth and characterization of α-phase Ga2−xSnxO3 thin films for solar-blind ultraviolet applications

Ga2−xSnxO3 thin films on m-plane (300) sapphire substrates were deposited by laser molecular beam epitaxy technology. Corundum-structured α-phase Ga2−xSnxO3 thin films with different Sn content were obtained at 850 °C in vacuum pressure of 5 × 10−5 Pa. The band-gap energy of the α-phase Ga2−xSnxO3 thin films, determined from the absorption spectrum, decreases linearly with increasing Sn content. A metal–semiconductor–metal structured solar-blind photodetector based α-phase Ga2−xSnxO3 thin films was fabricated, and excellent solar-blind ultraviolet characteristics were demonstrated. The ratio of I254/Idark was up to 1.40 × 102 and the responsivity increased to 9.55 × 10−2 A W−1. The results suggest that α-phase Ga2−xSnxO3 thin films are promising candidates for use in solar-blind photodetectors.
Hypolipemic and hypoglycemic effects of total triterpenoids from Psidium guajava leaves on type 2 diabetic rats

AIM: To investigate the effects of total triterpenoids from Psidium guajava leaves(TTPGL) on blood glucose and lipids in type 2 diabetic rats.METHODS: The diabetic rats were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at dose of 35 mg/kg and feeding with high-fat diet.The animals were divided into 5 groups: diabetic model control group(model),TTPGL treatment groups(with the doses of 60,120 and 240 mg/kg,respectively) and rosiglitazone treatment group(3 mg/kg). Another 12 normal SD rats were used as the normal controls.The rats received daily treatment for 6 weeks,and then the levels of fasting blood glucose(FBG),fasting insulin(FINS),triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TCH),free fatty acid(FFA),glycosylated hemoglobin(GHb) and glycosylated serum proteins(GSP) were measured.The protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ(PPARγ) in adipose tissues was detected by Western blotting.RESULTS: Compared with normal control group,the levels of FBG,GHb and blood lipids were increased in type 2 diabetic rats.The FINS,insulin sensitivity index,and the protein expression of PPARγ in adipose tissues were decreased.Compared with model group,the levels of FBG and GSP were decreased,and the FINS,insulin sensitivity index,and the protein expression of PPARγ in adipose tissues significantly increased in TTPGL treatment groups(with the doses of 120 and 240 mg/kg). The levels of serum TG,TCH and FFA were significantly lower in TTPGL treatment groups(P0.01 or P0.05) as compared with the model controls.CONCLUSION: TTPGL decreases the levels of blood glucose and lipids in diabetic rats.TTPGL also increases serum insulin level and improves insulin sensitivity.The action mechanism of TTPGL may be related to the increase in the protein expression of PPARγ.
A review of the agricultural use of sewage sludge : benefits and potential hazards

Application of sewage sludge on agricultural land may provide an economical way to dispose of the increasing amounts of sludge generated in the major metropolitan areas of South Africa. The major benefits of sludge application are: increased supply of major plant nutrients; provision of some of the essential micronutrients; and improvement in the soil physical properties. The benefits of sludge application may be limited by its potential health hazards, i.e. transmission of pathogenic organisms, accumulation of nitrates in ground water, soil and water contamination by highly toxic organic constituents of the sludge, and accumulation of toxic heavy metals in soil, water and crops.
Model-based pre-processing in Raman spectroscopy of biological samples

Model-based pre-processing has become wide spread in spectroscopy and is the standard procedure in Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. It has also been shown to give valuable contributions in Raman spectroscopy. Extended multiplicative signal correction is flexible enough to handle varying fluorescence background and take into account individual variations in baselines while still keeping enough rigidity through reference spectra and model fitting to avoid degenerate solutions and overfitting, when used correctly. We demonstrate the basic extended multiplicative signal correction method and some extensions, including a novel shift correction, on real Raman data to demonstrate effects on visual appearance, replicate variation and prediction. Comparisons with other standard correction methods are also shown and discussed. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Detecting changes in the benthic invertebrate community in response to increasing chloride in streams in Toronto, Canada

Salinization of streams is a growing ecological concern in urban areas. Winter application of deicers to roads (road salt) in cold climates strongly influences stream water chemistry. Total salt use and associated stream Cl– concentrations have increased in North American cities over the past few decades such that current elevated Cl– levels represent an evolutionarily novel stressor to freshwater biological communities. We investigated changes in stream Cl– concentrations between 2002 and 2012 in Toronto, Canada, and related Cl– concentrations to corresponding changes in benthic macroinvertebrates over the same period. Median stream Cl– concentrations in 2012 were almost 2× higher than the median concentrations in 2002, despite the mild winter in 2012. We used the strong relationship between field conductivity and laboratory Cl– concentrations (R2 = 0.93) to model summer Cl– values for 51 benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) sampling sites in 2002 and 2012. We investigated BMI community shifts with respect to Cl– with conventional metrics and Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN). Conventional metrics failed to show a coherent pattern of the change between 2002 and 2012, but TITAN results showed that the number of taxa sensitive to Cl– decreased and the number of taxa tolerant of Cl– increased between 2002 and 2012. We identified a BMI community threshold in 2002 with a range of ∼50 to 90 mg/L of Cl–, the level at which the community demonstrated the most taxa changes. The 50 to 90 mg/L threshold is below the Canadian Water Quality Guideline of 120 mg/L for chronic exposure to Cl–. Thus, Cl– may be having nonlethal effects on the BMI community.
Structure and Composition of Postsynaptic Densities

Communication between neurons within the brain occurs at chemical synapses and is fundamental for all brain functions. Modulation of the strength of communication is controlled by both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms and is termed synaptic plasticity. One postsynaptic structure postulated to regulate synaptic strength is the postsynaptic density (PSD), a large electron dense protein complex located just below the synaptic membrane. The PSD, which is composed of signaling, scaffold and cytoskeletal proteins, supports and organizes neurotransmitter receptors within the synaptic membrane in addition to bridging signaling with the actin cytoskeletal network. The protein composition and structure of PSDs is known to change in response to synaptic activity and several PSD proteins are implicated in neurological conditions characterized by synaptic dysfunction. However, there is a lack of information regarding the variability of PSD structure and composition from individual PSDs across the brain. In order to address this deficiency, PSDs were isolated from adult rat cerebella, hippocampi and cerebral cortices three brain regions with unique neuronal populations. The structure and composition of morphologically identified PSDs from these regions was then compared through immunogold analysis and electron tomography. Tomographic reconstructions revealed that while the majority of PSDs shared a similar dense protein organization, there were cerebellar PSDs which displayed a latticelike protein organization. PSDs from cortices and cerebellar were
Turkish Adult Efl Learners' Motivation, Participation And Performance In Collaborative Strategic Reading Classes

Bu calisma, Isbirlikci Stratejik Okuma (CSR) egitim metodunun Turkiye'deki universite ogrencilerinin okudugunu anlama motivasyonu, katilimi ve okudugunu anlama konusundaki performanslari uzerinde etkinligini arastirmayi amaclamaktadir. Calisma, 2017-2018 egitim-ogretim yilinda, Yalova Universitesi Yabanci Diller Yuksekokulu'nda haftalik sekiz saatlik okuma dersi alan 39 hazirlik sinifi B1 seviyesi universite ogrencisi ile gerceklestirilmistir. Katilimcilar, deney ve kontrol gruplari olarak iki gruba ayrilmistir. Deney grubundaki ogrenciler, yedi hafta boyunca CSR uygulamasiyla okuma dersleri islerken, kontrol grubundaki ogrenciler CSR ile ilgili bir calismada bulunmamis, ancak geleneksel ogretmen tarafindan yonetilen tum sinif okuma egitimi ile ders islemislerdir. Calismada yari deneysel arastirma modeli benimsemis ve ontest-sontestler, Okumaya Yonelik Motivasyon Olcegi (MRQ), ogrenci katilim olcekleri, ogrencilerin oz degerlendirme notlari ile ogrencilerin Isbirlikci Stratejik Okuma ogretimine iliskin algilari hakkinda bir anketi iceren enstrumanlar araciligiyla cok sayida veri toplanmistir. Eslestirilmis orneklem t-testi analizinden elde edilen istatistiksel sonuclar, CSR'in okumaya yonelik motivasyon gelisimini onemli olcude etkiledigini gostermistir. T-test sonuclari ayrica CSR ogretiminin okuma performansi uzerinde onemli etkisinin oldugunu ortaya koymustur. On test ve son test karsilastirmasi, okudugunu anlama ve ozetleme boyutlarinda istatistiksel olarak anlamli bulunmustur. Ayrica bulgular, ogrencilerin katiliminin yedi haftanin altisinda gruplar arasinda onemli olcude farkli oldugunu ortaya koymustur. Ayni zamanda, CSR uygulama anketi sonuclarina gore, ogrenciler CSR’i okudugunu anlama aktivitelerinde geleneksel yontemlere gore daha etkili bulmustur. Sonuclar, universite duzeyinde dil siniflarinda CSR uygulamasinin ogrencilerin motivasyonunu, katilimini ve performansini gelistirmede yardimci oldugu varsayimini dogrulamaktadir.
Application of Neural Networks in the Prediction of Surface Tensions of Binary Mixtures

In this work, an artificial neural network (ANN) has been utilized to predict the surface tension of binary mixtures at different temperatures and concentrations and at atmospheric pressure. It has been shown that a multilayer perceptron network (MLP) can be trained better than other types of ANNs, and it can therefore be used as a predictive tool to predict the thermo-physical properties. In the modeling procedure, 60% of the available experimental data has been selected as the training set; the remaining data has been used to test and validate the network. After training and testing, the artificial neural network has been used for the prediction of the surface tension of a number of other systems, for which a minimum imprecision of 1.8% has been obtained. The results obtained from the trained network have also been compared to those obtained from the Sprow and Prausnitz model [Sprow, F.B. , Prausnitz, J.M. , Surface tensions of simple liquid mixtures. Trans. Faraday Soc. 1966, 62a 1097–1104]. It has been .
Impact of Policy Options for Reducing Hospital Prices Paid by Private Health Plans

The authors analyze the spending impact of policy options to reduce hospital prices paid by private health plans, with various design choices and effectiveness levels for each approach. They estimate that price regulation could have the largest impact on hospital prices and spending but would likely face political challenges, while improving price transparency and competition could help reduce prices—but to a lesser extent than price regulation.
The Effect of Adding Fig Leaf Extracts by Thermal Method on the Physicochemical Properties and Oxidative Stability of Virgin Olive Oil

Given the importance of olive oil and vulnerable against oxidative spoilage, can be used fig leaf extract as an antioxidant to prevent corruption in the olive oil. This study examined the effect of adding fig (ficuscarica) leaf extract by thermal method to virgin olive oil on the physicochemical properties and oxidative stability it, in a randomized complete block design with three replications deals. Treatments include virgin olive oil contains fig leaf extract 5% extracted by thermal method at 80°C for one hour and control of virgin olive oil (no fig leaf extract), respectively. The results showed that the addition of fig leaf extract as antioxidants in virgin olive oil by thermal method thereby increasing total amount of polyphenol compounds, chlorophyll content and oxidative stability compared with virgin olive oil (Control). The polyphenolic compounds with peroxide and TBA inverse relationship, thus increasing the amount of polyphenol compounds can reduce peroxide and TBA are fig leaf extract containing samples compared to control samples.
Exploring the Nature of Resources and Relationships in a Multi-Stakeholder Collaborative Network

EXPLORING THE NATURE OF RESOURCES AND RELATIONSHIPS IN A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATIVE NETWORK Tracie Evans Reding, Ed.D. University of Nebraska, 2018 Advisor: Dr. Elliott Ostler Multi-stakeholder collaborative networks (MSCNs) centered around innovative problem solving have become increasingly popular. These collaborations seek to pool the resources of the various stakeholders in order to address their common issue. The importance of the collaboration members’ awareness of one another’s resources is the basis for this study. This study developed a new analytical method in which to quantify the resource awareness of members of an MSCN and how that relates to features of the network. The MSCN that was the focal organization for this study was as STEM Ecosystem. A perceptual framework was built upon literature from diverse areas including community asset mapping, collaborative innovation management, knowledge transfer, and social capital. The following variables were explored: the resource awareness of the members of a STEM ecosystem; the relationship between the resource awareness and the relational social capital of the ecosystem members; and the relationship between the resource awareness and the structural social capital of the ecosystem network. Quantitative data were collected using an electronic survey that was completed by 86 members of the STEM ecosystem. Data from the survey was analyzed using both traditional statistical methods as well as social network analysis methods. Analysis of the data demonstrated some significant findings and directions for further research are included.
Evaluation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplemented pomegranate seed using in vitro gas production technique.

The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of pomegranate seed including tannin content, and gas production characteristics using in vitro gas production technique. The treatment contained 0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 g yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) per kg of pomegranate seed based on DM (dry matter), respectively. CP, ADF, NDF, EE, ASH, TP (total phenolics) and TT (total tannin) contents in pomegranate seed were 12.2 %, 44.6 %, 62.3 %, 1.6 %, 12.1 %, 1.8 % and 0.8 %, respectively. At the early incubation time (2 h), the treatments 1 and 4 (treatment with Sc, 0 and 7.5 g.kg-1 DM, respectively) had the highest gas production volume among treatments, but after 4 h incubation the gas production volume in treatments 1 and 4 was the lowest (p < 0.05). The treatment 2 at the most incubation times had the highest gas production volume. It may be concluded that in vitro gas production parameters of pomegranate seed was improved with addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 2.5 g.kg-1 DM.
An accurate model for SARS-CoV-2 pooled RT-PCR test errors

Pooling is a method of simultaneously testing multiple samples for the presence of pathogens. Pooling of SARS-CoV-2 tests is increasing in popularity, due to its high testing throughput. A popular pooling scheme is Dorfman pooling: test N individuals simultaneously, if the test is positive, each individual is then tested separately; otherwise, all are declared negative. Most analyses of the error rates of pooling schemes assume that including more than a single infected sample in a pooled test does not increase the probability of a positive outcome. We challenge this assumption with experimental data and suggest a novel and parsimonious probabilistic model for the outcomes of pooled tests. As an application, we analyse the false-negative rate (i.e. the probability of a negative result for an infected individual) of Dorfman pooling. We show that the false-negative rates under Dorfman pooling increase when the prevalence of infection decreases. However, low infection prevalence is exactly the condition when Dorfman pooling achieves highest throughput efficiency. We therefore urge the cautious use of pooling and development of pooling schemes that consider correctly accounting for tests’ error rates.
Determinants of Short Birth Interval Among Married Women of Child Bearing Age in Becho Woreda, South West Showa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Background: Short Birth interval is the time duration less than 33 months between two consecutive live births. Short birth interval is one of the concerns of different countries of the world, because it can affect the overall economic, political and social aspects of a given country by increasing their fertility. Women in the developing world who have many children in quick succession place themselves and their children at enormous risks.Child bearing patterns-maternal age, birth order, and the interval between births-have an important influence upon the probability that a child will survive infancy and early childhood. Thus the study area has short birth interval below the national and WHO recommendation. Objective: To identify determinants of short birth interval among married women of child bearing age in Becho Woreda. Methods and materials : Community based case control study was conducted from July to October 2019. Cases (n=231) were women with short birth intervals less than 33 months), whereas controls (n=462) were women having history of birth intervals (33 to 59 Months) selected by systematic random sampling. Data were collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaires then cleaned, coded, entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 22. Frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and logistic regression were calculated and interpreted accordingly. Result: Result of this study revealed that 60.3% of respondents had information about short birth interval and 65.4% of respondents have utilized previous pregnancy plan. Age of mother at first child birth, the number of children, her educational level, wealth index, occupation of the mother, and duration of breast feeding and use of modern contraceptive were the determinant of optimum birth interval. Having no formal education [(AOR= 2.04, 95% CI; (1.49-2.78)], duration of breastfeeding for less than 24 months[(AOR=0.62, 95% CI; (0.45-0.84)], preceding child being female [(AOR=7.69, 95% CI; (5.24-11.30)], modern contraceptive use [(AOR=7.07, 95% CI: (5.03-9.94)], poor wealth index [(AOR=3.08, 95% CI; (1.85-5.14)] and Previous pregnancy plan [(AOR= 8.59, 95% CI; (6.02-12.18)] of respondents were independent predictors of short birth interval. Conclusion and recommendation : Educational status, duration of breast feeding, sex of the preceding child, modern contraceptive use and wealth index were markers of unequal distribution of inter birth intervals. Ministry of Health should work on women and their partner on creating awareness about the importance of modern contraceptive utilization, breast-feeding, and optimal birth interval. Keywords : Birth interval; Child bearing age; Determinants; South West Shoa DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/87-01 Publication date: March 31 st 2021
Band Structure Engineering of Carbon Nitride: In Search of a Polymer Photocatalyst with High Photooxidation Property

The electronic band structure of a semiconductor photocatalyst intrinsically controls its level of conduction band (CB) and valence band (VB) and, thus, influences its activity for different photocatalytic reactions. Here, we report a simple bottom-up strategy to rationally tune the band structure of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). By incorporating electron-deficient pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) monomer into the network of g-C3N4, the VB position can be largely decreased and, thus, gives a strong photooxidation capability. Consequently, the modified photocatalyst shows preferential activity for water oxidation over water reduction in comparison with g-C3N4. More strikingly, the active species involved in the photodegradation of methyl orange switches from photogenerated electrons to holes after band structure engineering. This work may provide guidance on designing efficient polymer photocatalysts with the desirable electronic structure for specific photoreactions.