Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL AND ITS SOCIO‐ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SEEDS OF DISCORD

Given that there is a certain level of environmental uncertainty associated with the products of biotechnology (BT) in addition to the possibilities of negative impacts arising from trans‐boundary movements of genetically modified organisms (GMO), the urgency for an international agreement to regulate trade in GMOs was recognized. The Biosafety Protocol is such an international environmental agreement. This protocol is charged with designing a comprehensive international regulatory approach to the protection of biodiversity and to establish rules to manage the environmental risks of trans‐boundary movements of GMOs. Corresponding author. Email: Frank G. Muller@Sympatico.ca The Protocol has major implications both for the technology addressed in the Protocol and for international trade. It is the first major international agreement to use the “precautionary principle” explicitly to allow the restriction of trade in products because they were produced using a specific technology, namely BT. This paper intends to provide a critical socio‐economic assessment of the central issues addressed in the Protocol with regards to agrobiotechnology and biodiversity.
Enhancing Anaerobic Treatment of Wastewaters Containing Oleic Acid.

Seven anaerobic sludges were screened in order to obtain the most suitable methanogenic inoculum for the anaerobic t reatment of wastewaters containing long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). The selection was made on the basis of the toxicity of a model compound, oleate, to acetoclastic methanogens in different sludges. The effects of three biological factors, sludge origin, specific acetoclastic methanogenic activity and sludge adaptation to lipids, and a physical factor, specific surface area of sludge, on the degree of toxicity were investigated and compared. Values of the fifty percent inhibition concentration (IC50) of oleate obtained from 40°C batch toxicity tests ranged from 0.26 to 3.34 mM for the various sludges examined. It was found that the toxicity of oleate to anaerobic sludges did not depend on the three biological factors. Instead, it was closely correlated to the specific surface area of sludge. Suspended and flocculent sludges, which have higher specific surface area, suffered much more from inhibition than granular sludges. The results presented in this Chapter therefore indicate to use granular sludges as appropriate inocula for reactors treating lipids (fats, oils and greases) wastewaters, to decrease the toxic impact from their hydrolysis products—LCFA.
Morphology of cold-drawn nylon 66.

A nylon 66 composed of uniformly sized spherulites approximately 50 μ in diameter was examined before and after cold drawing by light and electron microscopy of thin sections and by low-angle x-ray diffraction. Spherulites retained their identity through drawing, but the spherulites elongated less than the bulk specimen indicating that relative motion of spherulities must have occurred. The observation of dilations (0.3 μ long) at interspherulitic boundaries support this contention. The thin-section electron micrographs indicated that the spherulites were composed of radiating lamellae approximately 95 A. thick. After drawing, the lamellae were preferentially oriented both parallel and perpendicular to the draw direction. Lamellae parallel to draw had thinned to approximately 70 A. While lamellae perpendicular to the draw had apparently thickened to 150 A. Three low-angle x-ray diffraction patterns yielded quantitative agreement with the electron-micrograph data. The pattern form the undrawn nylon was a diffuse ring corresponding to a 95 A. spacing. On the drawn specimen, with the beam parallel to draw, a ring corresponding to the 150 A. spacing was obtained, while with the beam perpendicular to draw two arcs were recorded at spacings of 70 and 150 A. The drawing was done at room temperature and proceeded by neck formation and propagation, yielding a 4:1 draw ratio.
Potential of Hull-less Barley Malt for Use in Malt and Grain Whisky Production

ABSTRACT J. Inst. Brew. 115(2), 128–133, 2009 Hull-less (or husk-less) barley is possibly one of the most impor-tant developments in barley in recent years. This study looked at the potential of hull-less barley for use by the Scotch whisky industry. By modifying the malting conditions for hull-less bar-ley, it was possible to provide good alcohol yield as well as sig-nificant improvements in processing characteristics. The bio-chemistry controlling the germination of hull-less barley was consistent with established knowledge about ‘normal’ hulled barley except that care is needed to ensure the consistency of feedstock, particularly since hull-less barley may be prone to embryo damage during harvesting in the field. Our results indi-cated that the new batches of hull-less barley studied, produced malt that gave much improved mash filtration rates in compari-son with previous batches of material. These experiments demonstrated that by changing the malting conditions, to give a much shorter steeping cycle (8 h), it is possible to reduce water usage substantially in the malting industry, since only one ‘wet’ cycle was used, and also reduce germination times since opti-mum alcohol yield was achieved on day 4 germination rather than day 5 for conventional husked barley. This could save costs in terms of water, energy and time for the malting industry. The study also confirmed the potential of hull-less barley for provid-ing significant benefits for Scotch whisky distillers, both in terms of higher alcohol yields, and increased throughput, by showing that it is possible to overcome some of the filtration issues that have been previously associated with hull-less barley. This study indicated that the new material was better suited than previous batches to both malt and grain distilling, both in terms of enzyme development and potential distillery performance, and further showed that viscosity problems associated with grain distillery co-products can be significantly reduced when using hull-less barley malt in the grain distillery. These would be sub-stantial potential benefits for the Scotch whisky distilling indus-try.
Comparison of Enamel Acid Etching And Er, Cr: Ysgg Laser Etching on The Shear Bond Strength of Stainless Steel Orthodontic Brackets (an in Vitro Study)

Objective: This laboratory study examined the influence of laser irradiation of enamel etching at 3 different power settings with an erbium, chromium: yttrium, scandium, gallium, garnet (Er, Cr: YSGG) hydrokinetic laser system on the shear bond strength of orthodontic appliances and compared these with that of acid-etching. Materials and methods: 64 maxillary premolars, extracted premolars for orthodontic purposes were used in this study, teeth were randomly divided into four groups. In Group 1, the buccal enamel surface was etched with 37% phosphoric acid (3M ESPE), In groups 2, 3, and 4, erbium, chromium-doped: Yttrium scandium-gallium-garnet (Er, Cr: YSGG) laser was used for etching, under the following specifications: Group 2 (1.0 Watt/20 Hz, 15 s), Group 3 (1.5 Watt/20 Hz, 15 s), and Group 4 (2.0 Watt/20 Hz, 15 s). After teeth surface preparation, standard edgewise stainless steel premolar brackets were bonded; 1 tooth in each group was not bonded and was examined under a scanning electron microscopic. Bonded teeth were then stored in normal saline at 37 c for 24 hours. Teeth were then debonded using the universal testing machine, SBS and ARI index scores were measured. Result: Both the 1-Watt and 2-Watt laser irradiations showed fewer bond strengths compared with other irradiations. There was no significant difference in shear bond strength with 1.5-Watt lasing group compared to acid etching group, the evaluation of adhesive-remnant-index scores demonstrated a statistically significant difference in bond failure site among the groups. Generally, more adhesives left on the bracket surface with laser irradiation than with acid etching. Conclusion: Etching obtained with an Er, Cr: YSGG laser (operated at 1.5Watt for 15 seconds) is comparable to that obtained with acid etch and could be a feasible alternative to acid etching
Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of polyphenylene sulfide composites based on organic clay modified by benzimidazolium salt

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)/organic clay nanocomposites were prepared by simple melt blending. A synthesized benzimidazolium salt was used to modify the sodium montmorillonite in order to improve the compatibility with the PPS. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PPS/organic clay composites were investigated by differerntial scanning calorimetry(DSC). It was observed that the crystallization peak temperature of PPS/organic clay composites was higher than pure PPS at various cooling rates. Several models such as the Ozawa and Mo equation were used to characterize the nonisothermal cooling crystallization kinetics of the PPS/organic clay composites. The results indicated that the Ozawa equation was not successful, while the Mo equation was successful to describe the nanoisothermal ctystallization kinetics of PPS/organic clay nanocomposites. The results also indicated that organic clay not only served as heterogeneous nucleating agents for PPS crystallization at lower content but also restricted the mobility and diffusion of PPS chains at higher content. These results were further supported by the crystallization activation energy of the samples determined by the Kissinger method.
Oxidant Generation and Lung Injury after Particulate Air Pollutant Exposure Increase with the Concentrations of Associated Metals

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis that particulate air pollutants are associated with metals that have a capacity to transport electrons and that biologic activity of the particulates can correlate with the concentrations of these metals. The metals studied were titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper. Measurements included (1) oxidized products of deoxyribose catalyzed by particulates, (2) induction of a neutrophilic alveolitis after particulate instillation, (3) increments in airway reactivity after particulate instillation, and (4) mortality after exposures to both dusts and a microbial agent. Employing 10 different dusts of either natural or anthropogenic origin, in vitro generation of oxidized products of deoxyribose increased with ionizable concentrations of all metals, except for titanium, associated with the particles. After tracheal instillation of dust into rats, both the neutrophil influx and lavage protein increased with ionizable concentrations of these same m.
Washing and caustic leaching of Hanford tank sludge: Results of FY 1997 studies

Sludge washing and parametric caustic leaching tests were performed on sludge samples tiom five Hanford tanks: B-101, BX-1 10, BX-112, C-102, and S-101. These studies examined the effects of both dilute hydroxide washing and caustic leaching on the composition of the residual sludge solids. ` Dilute hydroxide washing removed from <1 to 25% of the Al, -20 to 45% of the Cr, -25 to 97% of the P, and 63 to 99% of the Na from the Hdord tank sludge samples examined. The partial removal of these elements was likely due to the presence of water-soluble sodium salts of aluminate, chromate, hydroxide, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate, either in the interstitial liquid or as dried salts.
Modeling the removal of reactive red 120 on pistachio husk.

In this study, the adsorption of reactive red 120 (RR 120) on pistachio husk, and the modeling of the adsorption was investigated. Characterization of the pistachio husk was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The pH zpc of pistachio husk was found to be pH 8.5. Increasing the initial pH value decreased (p < 0.01) the amount of dye adsorbed. However, increasing the initial dye concentration from 50 to 900 mg/L at pH 1 increased (p < 0.01) the equilibrium dye uptake from 20.83 to 182.10 mg/g. Results indicated that this adsorbent had great potential for the removal of RR 120 dye. The logistic model was found to be the most suitable of the kinetic and equilibrium models tested to describe the adsorption of the dye. The parameters determined from the logistic model were well correlated with the initial dye concentration, and were seen to increase with the increasing initial dye concentration, but this was not observed from pseudo-second order kinetics.
A revisit to model the Cr i triplet at 5204-5208 Å and the Ba ii D2 line at 4554 Å in the Second Solar Spectrum

Abstract In our previous attempt to model the Stokes profiles of the Cr i triplet at 5204-5208 Å and the Ba ii D2 at 4554 Å, we found it necessary to slightly modify the standard FAL model atmospheres to fit the observed polarization profiles. In the case of Cr i triplet, this modification was done to reduce the theoretical continuum polarization, and in the case of Ba ii D2, it was needed to reproduce the central peak in Q/I. In this work, we revisit both these cases using different standard model atmospheres whose temperature structures closely resemble those of the modified FAL models, and explore the possibility of synthesizing the line profiles without the need for small modifications of the model atmosphere.
A Cascade Aza‐Cope/Aza‐Prins Cyclization Leading to Piperidine Derivatives

The cascade aza-Cope/aza-Prins cyclization of homoallylamines to give substituted piperidines has been explored. The use of glyoxalic acid as the carbonyl component afforded bicyclic structures as a result of the internal carboxylate anion trapping the intermediate cation. The unimolecular bis-, tris-, and tetrakis(homoallylamine)s efficiently delivered the appended bis-, tris- and tetrakis(piperidine-4-ol)s (tripod and crucifix shape, respectively) as new entities. The latter compound served as an excellent ligand in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction to synthesize incrustoporin.
Production of Cultured Cottage Cheese Dressing by Bifidobacteria

Fermentation conditions for the production of cultured cottage cheese dressing by bifidobacteria were determined by using freeze-dried concentrates of Bifidobacterium infantis. Cream dressing was fermented by addition of different amounts of inoculum of freeze-dried, milk-based media containing bifidobacteria. The use of milk-based media containing increasing percentages of UF retentate powder to replace lactose as a protective additive increased titratable acidity developed in cream dressing after 6 and 16 h of fermentation because of the increased buffering capacity. The supplementation of cream with a tryptic casein hydrolyzate did not reduce acidification times. The bacterial population of bifidobacteria was higher in cultured dressing that contained no salt than in that with added salt. In cultured dressing with added salt, the number of bifidobacteria decreased, pH declined, and titratable acidity increased. Finally, milk-based medium containing 12% ultrafiltered retentate powder at 3% inoculum can be used to acidify dressing (14% fat content) containing bifidobacteria at pH as low as 4.5 in <10 h. Cultured cottage cheese dressing with bifidobacteria may be a way of making β-galactosidase available to lactose-deficient consumers. Moreover, the lactose content of dressing acidified to pH 4.5 decreased by 72%, the glucose and galactose content increased, and the lactase activity appeared to be uncoupled from growth and lactic acid production.
Black perspectives for a green future: hydrothermal carbons for environment protection and energy storage

This perspective review paper provides an overview on recently developed carbon material technology synthesised from the hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) approach, with a particular focus on the carbon formation mechanism, perspectives on large scale production, nanostructuring, functionalisation and applications. Perceptions on how this technology will be developed especially with regard to application fields where the use of HTC-derived materials could be extended will also be introduced and discussed.
Characterization and evaluation of curcumin loaded guar gum/polyhydroxyalkanoates blend films for wound healing applications

The present paper explores the ‘in situ’ fabrication of guar gum/polyhydroxyalkanoates-curcumin blend (GPCC) films in view of their increasing applications as wound dressings and antibacterial materials. Curcumin is incorporated to assess its bactericidal activity and to enhance the production and accumulation of the extracellular matrix in the healing process. In order to characterize the nature of the polymer network in the blend, FTIR/ATR spectra analysis and TGA are performed. The results reveal that the rigidity of the guar gum/PHBV blend improves with the increase of PHBV content due to the formation of non-covalent interactions, especially H-bonds, between these molecules. Electron microscopy analyses reveal the homogenecity of the blends and surface roughness of the blended films, favoring cell attachment and cell proliferation compared with the film without curcumin. The anti-microbial study demonstrate that the bactericidal activity is more effective against Gram-positive strains than Gram-negative strains. Results of the in vivo wound healing study in an animal model demonstrates that the developed curcumin loaded guar gum/PHBV blend film shows markedly enhanced wound healing compared to the control one.
Temperature and pH-dependent swelling and copper(II) adsorption of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) copolymer hydrogel

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide-co-maleic acid) (P(NIPAM-AM-MA)) hydrogel has been synthesized by free radical polymerization. The incorporation of functional monomer in the hydrogel was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). Swelling measurements and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were employed to investigate the volume phase transition of P(NIPAM-AM-MA) hydrogel. P(NIPAM-AM-MA) shows higher swelling ratio and LCST than poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) (P(NIPAM-AM)). The adsorption behavior of copper(II) (Cu2+) ions on P(NIPAM-AM-MA) hydrogel is temperature and pH-dependent. The adsorption isotherm is well fitted by the Freundlich model and the adsorption kinetics can be described by the pseudo-second order equation. In 20 mL of CuSO4 solution containing 4 mg Cu2+, the adsorption capacity reaches 24.4 mg g−1 dry hydrogel at 30 °C and pH = 5. After the volume phase transition, the Cu2+-loaded P(NIPAM-AM-MA) hydrogel can release almost 90% of absorbed water containing few heavy metal ion. Synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to study the effect of temperature and Cu2+ ions on the microstructure of P(NIPAM-AM-MA) hydrogel. The occurrence of volume phase transition increases the size of cross-linked domains and mass fractal dimension, while the presence of Cu2+ ions has an opposite effect. The adsorbed hydrogel can be easily regenerated by hydrochloric acid and reused in the following adsorption process. This pH and temperature sensitive hydrogel may be used for water purification and enrichment of heavy metal ions.
Elektronenmikroskopischer Beitrag zur Histologie des Skelettmuskels kleiner Säugetiere

Mit Hilfe des elektronenmikroskopischen Bildes von Muskeldünnschnitten wird versucht, widerspruchsvolle Anschauungen in der Muskelhistologie zu klären. Bilder von Muskelfasern junger und ausgewachsener Versuchstiere entscheiden die Frage über die morphologische Selbständigkeit der Muskelfibrillen. Ein binnenzelliges Fadensystem zwischen den Fibrillen und seine Beziehungen zur Z-Scheibe werden bestätigt. Grundmembranen und Mittelmembranen im Sinne von Faserüberbrückungen erweisen sich als irrtümliche Annahmen. Durch den Nachweis von Rostebenen in der Filamentanordnung der Fibrillen wird die Bandform der frühen Elektronenbilder mechanisch isolierter Fibrillen geklärt. Das Schnittbild der meisten sarkoplasmatischen Muskelkörner erweist ihre Zugehörigkeit zu den Mitochondrien. Bei der Kontraktion geht die komplizierte Bandstruktur der ruhenden Faser in einen Zustand über, in dem im Schnitt zwischen den dunklen Z-Scheiben (Kontraktionsbändern) nur noch Myofilamente einheitlicher Dicke erkennbar sind. Die „A-Substanz“ scheint sich über die ganze Länge des Segments einheitlich mit den Filamenten zu verbinden, wobei die Doppelbrechung in Q reduziert wird. Verschiedene Argumente sprechen für eine Anreicherung von Phosphor im Bereich von Z. Das Muskelsegment mit dem angrenzenden Fadensystem wird als funktionelle Einheit aufgefaßt, in der sich die anaerobe Phase des Muskelstoffwechsels abspielt. Das Sarkolemm nimmt mit dem Wachstum der Tiere an Dicke zu und ist an den Faserenden verstärkt. Die Theorien der Muskelfaser-Sehnen-Verbindung werden kritisch geprüft. Zirkulär oder spiralig verlaufende episarkolemmale kollagene Fibrillen umschnüren das Faserende. Sie bewirken bei der Kontraktion mit der Muskelverdickung eine sich automatisch verfestigende Verbindung, die eine Kraftübertragung vom gesamten Querschnitt des Faserendes gewährleistet. Die Ausscheidung von fibrillärem Protein durch Fibroblasten und die Entstehung quergestreifter kollagener Fibrillen aus diesem Protein außerhalb der Fibroblasten wird demonstriert. Weitere Zellen des interstitiellen Bindegewebes lassen sich durch Besonderheiten der Protoplasma-Strukturen und der Zellbegrenzung differenzieren. Zur Teilkörpertheorie der Muskel- und Bindegewebs-Fibrillen wird kritisch Stellung genommen.
β-Cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide–magnetic nanocomposite for targeted delivery and pH-sensitive release of stereoisomeric anti-cancer drugs

β-Cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide–magnetic (MGC) nanocomposite as an innovative drug carrier was the first to be developed via an effective layer-by-layer-assembly method. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and epirubicin hydrochloride (EPI) as model drugs were loaded onto the MGC via π–π stacking, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The MGC exhibits remarkably higher loading capacity for DOX (909.09 mg g−1) and EPI (781.25 mg g−1) than magnetic graphene oxide (MG). The release profiles of the drugs are pH-sensitive which would control the release in the acidic cytoplasm of cancer cells. Furthermore, cellular uptake using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled MGC proves successful internalization of MGC into the cytoplasm of MCF-7 cells. The fluorescence images demonstrate that MGC/DOX, to a certain extent, displays a more excellent delivery and superior release than MGC/EPI, due to the chiral selective function of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The pure MGC shows no obvious cytotoxicity while drug loaded MGC reveals significantly high potency for killing MCF-7 breast cancer cells, suggesting that multi-functionalized MGC is an efficient nanoplatform for targeted delivery and controlled release of stereoisomeric anticancer drugs for biomedical applications.
Incense Smoke: Characterization and Dynamics in Indoor Environments

Burning incense in houses and temples for religious functions is especially common in Asia. Smoke from burning incense is a source of indoor aerosols, and extracts from this smoke are mutagenic in the Ames Salmonella test. This paper describes characterization of the smoke in terms of particle size, shape, concentration, density, and chemical composition. Our data showed that aerosols from incense smoke were spherical droplets with a count median diameter of about 0.13 μm and mass median aerodynamic diameter of 0.28 μm. The particle density was 1.06 ± 0.08 g cm−3. Aerosols produced from incense are therefore similar to other aerosols formed by condensation, such as environmental tobacco smoke found indoors. The aerosol concentration profiles and size distributions within a room during typical burning cycles were monitored. The air ventilation rate in the room was also measured by the SF6 tracer gas method. Respirable aerosol concentrations up to several hundred μg m−3 were produced by burning one to three.