Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Serum Alpha-Amylase and Glycogen Synthase in the Anti-Diabetic Potential of Terminalia catappa Aqueous Leaf Extract in Diabetic Wistar Rats

Background: The endocrinal abnormalities in diabetes mellitus as one of the numerous metabolic disorders is associated with derangement in exocrine functions of the pancreas and ultimately influences blood glucose regulation. Aim: The study was aimed at assessing the role of alpha-amylase and glycogen synthase in anti-diabetic potential of Terminalia catappa in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty five (35) Wistar rats were assigned to 5 groups of 7 animals each. Group 1 served as the control administered distilled water at 5ml/kg bodyweight and group 2 was a non diabetic group given orally, 130/kg body weight of aqueous leaf extract of Terminalia catappa. Groups 3, 4 and 5 received a single dose of 150mg/kg body weight of alloxan solution intraperitoneally to induce diabetes and rats with blood glucose levels ≥200mg/dl after 72 hours were considered diabetic. This was followed by oral administration of 5ml/kg bodyweight of distilled water, 130mg/kg body weight of Terminalia catappa leaf extract orally and subcutaneous administration of insulin, 0.75U/kg body weight to groups 3 (diabetic), 4(diabetic + extract) and 5 (diabetic + insulin) respectively. Results: The results showed significant (P<.05) increase in serum level of alpha-amylase and glycogen synthase in both non-diabetic extract treated and diabetic groups when compared to control. But these enzymes significantly (P<.05) reduced in diabetic extract and insulin treated groups when compared to the diabetic group. Conclusion: Therefore the hypoglycaemic potential of Terminalia catappa leaf extract could be attributed to its ability to reduce alpha-amylase level while lowered glycogen synthase might be secondary to reduction in blood glucose.
Photocatalytic reduction of uranyl: Effects of organic ligands and UV light wavelengths

Although previous studies demonstrate the photochemical reduction of uranyl (UO22+) in the presence of various organic compounds, the actual roles of organic molecules as ligands and electron donors during the photoreaction are poorly understood. In this study, photochemical reduction of uranyl is examined with respect to organic ligands as electron donors and complexing agents, the role of titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles as a photocatalyst, and the influence of UV light irradiation with emission peaks in the UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C ranges. Organic compounds with different binding affinities to uranyl such as acetate, ethylenediaminetetracetate (EDTA), oxalate, and hydroquinone were selected. Uranyl solutions prepared with one organic compound in a 1:8 molar ratio were irradiated under anoxic and acidic conditions (O2 < 1 ppm, pH 2.5). Uranyl removal by UV irradiation was better than 70 percent in the presence of oxalate and acetate, followed by hydroquinone (∼ 45 %) and EDTA (∼ 10 %). Uranyl removal was nearly constant at the UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C regions in the presence of acetate and oxalate whereas greater removal was observed in the EDTA and hydroquinone solutions exposed to UV-C and UV-A, respectively. These results reveal that uranyl reduction is mediated primarily by TiO2 nanoparticles and is highly dependent on the electron-donor compound. Addition of acetate enhances the uranyl photoreaction in hydroquinone solution. Dissolved EDTA species act as good electron donors at limited EDTA concentrations (1:2 to 1:4 uranyl to EDTA ratios) but at higher concentrations (for example, 1:8), uranyl-EDTA complexes such as [(UO22+)HEDTA]− compete for the surface sites on the TiO2 nanoparticles, hindering the photoreduction of uranyl. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the dried TiO2 powder shows that more than 70 percent of uranium partitioned into the solid phase is present as reduced forms with oxidation states (V) and (IV). The U4f spectra of U partitioned to the solid phase from the photoreaction with acetate reveal the predominance of U(IV) over U(V), whereas U(V) is the dominant oxidation state as a result of the photoreduction with EDTA. Our results suggest that formation of uranium-ligand complexes plays a critical role in controlling the reactivity of uranyl species and the stability of reduced uranium species in the course of the photoreaction.
Electrodeposition of Superconducting Rhenium with Water-in-Salt Electrolyte

Superconductive rhenium films were electrodeposited from a water-in-salt type electrolyte with superhigh concentration of LiCl. Rhenium free electrolytes were also studied with linear sweep voltammetry to further understand the effects of LiCl salt concentration on the ion activity and side reactions. The morphology, crystallographic structures and superconductivity of the electrodeposited Re films were characterized. The hydration of LiCl resulted in a depletion of free water molecules and a decrease of proton reduction. While cracks were ubiquitously observed in films electrodeposited from traditional electrolyte, such cracks are eliminated when water-in-salt is used. An increased critical temperature of 6 K with an improved stability was observed for the Re film deposited from this new type of electrolyte. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is not changed in any way and is properly cited. For permission for commercial reuse, please email: oa@electrochem.org. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0261816jes]
Chronic Consumption of Fructose Dysregulates Genes Related to Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Prostate Tissue

Fructose is commonly used as a taste enhancer in many processed foods. Excessive fructose consumption is highly associated with obesity and development of cancer particularly prostate cancer. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical and molecular changes in the prostate tissue of rats treated with 20% fructose for six months. A total of 18 rats weighted 200-250 g were divided into two groups, where each group consisted of 9 rats. Control group is given normal diet, while the treated group was given normal diet and 20% fructose in drinking water. After six months of treatment, both groups were sacrificed for further analysis. Body weight, blood pressure and glucose were measured. Lipid profiles were determined using quantitative colorimetric assay. Transcripts level of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), leptin (LEP), angiopoietin 1 (ANGPT1), microRNA (miR)-34a, miR-10b and miR-192 were determined using quantitative PCR, while the protein levels of 11β-HSD1 and leptin were determined using ELISA. The results showed that 20% fructose diet significantly increased blood glucose level as compared to the control (p<0.05). The transcript levels of LEP and miR-192 were significantly lower in the fructose-treated group as compared to the control (p<0.05). There was a significant linear relationship between prostate LEP and serum LDL/VLDL level as well as between the level of prostate LEP and serum total cholesterol level (p<0.05). Thus, our results showed that chronic consumption of fructose could down-regulate LEP and miR-192 expression in prostate tissue, and promote higher accumulation of fat in the tissue. Additionally, downregulation of miR-192 has been reported to be associated with the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. Thus, it can be concluded that long-term fructose diet leads to higher blood glucose level and down-regulation of LEP and miR-192 expression in prostate tissue.
Colorimetric detection of cadmium in water using L-cysteine Functionalized gold–silver nanoparticles

Abstract A new simple colorimetric assay was developed for the selective and sensitive detection of cadmium (II) in water samples using L-cysteine functionalized gold–silver nanoparticles. The gold–silver nanoparticles were synthesized by reducing HAuCl4 and AgNO3 in aqueous medium and were further functionalized with L-cysteine. The formation of homogeneous gold–silver nanoparticles was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, particle size distribution, and ultraviolet–visible absorption methods. In the presence of cadmium (II), the aggregation of functionalized gold–silver nanoparticles caused by the interaction between cadmium (II) and L-cysteine resulted in a naked-eye visible color change of L-cysteine functionalized gold–silver nanoparticles from orange–yellow to green, which can be monitored by a simple ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer. Under the optimal conditions, the absorbance ratio at 600–435 nm (A600/A435) was linear to the concentration of cadmium (II) from 0.4 to 38.6 μM, and the limit of detection of cadmium (II) was 44 nM. Interference measurements showed that the method exhibited good selectivity. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of cadmium (II) in environmental water samples. The results indicated that this simple, selective, and sensitive sensing system has good potential for practical applications.
Production of particulate brown carbon during atmospheric aging of residential wood-burning emissions

Abstract. We investigate the optical properties of light-absorbing organic carbon (brown carbon) from domestic wood combustion as a function of simulated atmospheric aging. At shorter wavelengths (370–470 nm), light absorption by brown carbon from primary organic aerosol (POA) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed during aging was around 10 % and 20 %, respectively, of the total aerosol absorption (brown carbon plus black carbon). The mass absorption cross section (MAC) determined for black carbon (BC, 13.7 m2 g−1 at 370 nm, with geometric standard deviation GSD =1.1) was consistent with that recommended by Bond et al. (2006). The corresponding MAC of POA (5.5 m2 g−1; GSD =1.2) was higher than that of SOA (2.4 m2 g−1; GSD =1.3) at 370 nm. However, SOA presents a substantial mass fraction, with a measured average SOA ∕ POA mass ratio after aging of ∼5 and therefore contributes significantly to the overall light absorption, highlighting the importance of wood-combustion SOA as a source of atmospheric brown carbon. The wavelength dependence of POA and SOA light absorption between 370 and 660 nm is well described with absorption Ångström exponents of 4.6 and 5.6, respectively. UV-visible absorbance measurements of water and methanol-extracted OA were also performed, showing that the majority of the light-absorbing OA is water insoluble even after aging.
Interação entre salinidade e biofertilizante de caranguejo na cultura do milho

O biofertilizante de caranguejo podera atenuar o efeito do estresse salino sobre o crescimento e as trocas gasosas do milho. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o crescimento inicial e as trocas gasosas do milho (Zea mays L .) irrigado com aguas salinas em solo com biofertilizante de caranguejo. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 5 x 2 com cinco repeticoes. Os fatores corresponderam a cinco niveis de salinidade da agua de irrigacao: 0,8; 1,5; 3,0; 4,5; e 6,0 dS m -1 e com e sem aplicacao de biofertilizante caranguejo no solo, aplicado de uma unica vez, em cinco repeticoes. Foram avaliadas as seguintes variaveis: altura de plantas, numero de folhas, diâmetro do colmo, area foliar, materia seca da parte aerea, fotossintese, transpiracao, condutância estomatica e temperatura da folha. O aumento do estresse salino no solo decorrente da irrigacao com aguas salinas provoca reducao na altura de plantas, numero de folhas, diâmetro do colmo e area foliar, sendo menos afetada com a presenca do biofertilizante de caranguejo. A irrigacao com aguas salinas provoca reducao na fotossintese, na condutância estomatica e na transpiracao em plantas de milho, sendo menos afetada com a presenca do biofertilizante de caranguejo.
The role of digitally native, nonprofit news media in the future of American journalism: an exploratory study

Unprecedented changes in journalism practices have been occurring since the 21 century ushered in the digital age. Newsgathering methods, means of information delivery, and consumer habits have altered dramatically because of technological advances, causing a disruption in the traditional business model. Newspapers, historically the key instrument for investigative and public affairs reporting in the United States, have been the media sector facing the biggest decline in revenue and circulation. While the audience is migrating to traditional news outlets online, the advertisers are not. Free services such as eBay and Craig’s List have contributed to a nearly 50% drop in revenue for newspapers. Therefore, the once profitable news industry is no longer as attractive to corporate owners with commercial interests. The response has been severe budget and staff cuts. An estimated 30% of traditional journalism jobs have been eliminated. In response to the fiscal crisis, 60 nonprofit news organizations have formed, mostly online, with the mission of performing public service journalism. Hearings on the future of news have been held by a U.S. Senate committee, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission, which is researching whether these digitally native nonprofit news outlets should be eligible for government funding, similar to the public broadcasting system. The purpose of this exploratory study was to gain a better understanding of how these digitally native nonprofit journalists view their role in the future of public service journalism and determine whether government financing is appropriate or even desired by the leaders of these organizations. Findings suggest that the leaders view their role as necessary to democracy because they provide information about public affairs, serve as a
Gluten viscoelasticity: Rapid method for classification of soft-like wheat genotypes

Background and objectives: Standard empirical methods to assess wheat quality are difficult to perform, interpret, time consuming and require a large amount of sample. A rapid uniaxial compression instrument based on measuring height of gluten during compression and recovery is reported. The objective of this study was to determine in a set of soft‐like wheat genotypes from Brazil the best conditions to extract the gluten and analyze the efficiency of the method separating categories based on gluten viscoelastic properties. Findings: The independent variables evaluated were as follows: (a) technological quality categories and gluten extraction method; (b) amount of 2% NaCl solution (w/v) added for dough formation; (c) mixing time; and (d) washing time. The results were submitted to analysis of variance and means compared by protected LSD test ( p < 0.05). The best conditions for gluten extraction and analysis were obtained with 4.4 ml of 2% NaCl solution, mixing for 20 s, and washing for 3 min. Elastic recovery of gluten showed a strong correlation ( r ) with standard methods used to classify wheat (dough strength r = 0.988, stability r = 0.963). Conclusions: The elastic recovery was able to separate the gluten samples in three categories efficiently and may be a useful tool in breeding programs and flour mills quality control. Significance and novelty: A novel method for determining elastic recovery of gluten from soft‐type wheat genotypes was developed. The set of samples had high correlation of gluten elastic recovery with key quality parameters. Advantages of the test include rapid analysis time (less than 5 min) and small sample size (10 g of flour).
Physico-chemical attributes and organoleptic assessment of guava (Psidium guajava L.) cultivars grown in eastern Uttar Pradesh

A study was conducted to evaluate the different guava cultivars for their physico-chemical composition and organoleptic assessment during the year 2012-2013. Results of study indicated that Gorakh Bilas Pasand cultivar proved to be superior on the basis of physical characters (Length-7.64 cm, Breadth-7.79 cm , Weight-240.60 g, Number of seeds per fruit-251 etc.) followed by Lucknow-49. However, Lucknow-49 was found noteworthy in respect of chemical composition (TSS-13.00 oBrix, Acidity-0.50%, pH-5.86, Vitamin C-300.36 mg/100g etc). In organoleptic assessment, it was found that â€˜liked very muchâ€™ rating was provided by consumer to Lucknow-49. On the basis of overall findings, it was concluded that â€˜Lucknow-49â€™ was superior in most of characters studied and might be one of the promising cultivars for quality fruits under eastern Uttar Pradesh conditions.
Atomic mobility in Titanium grade 5 (Ti6Al4V)

Titanium grade 5 (Ti6Al4V) is a modern material that can be found in a wide spectrum of applications, from medicine to aircraft industry. The commercial alloy is a mix of a body centered cubic structure (BCC_A2) and a hexagonal closed packed structure (HCP_A3). It is obvious, that heat treatment of the alloy will change a ratio between BCC_A2 and HCP_A3 and, as a consequence, properties of a material. Information about mobility of atoms in both crystal structures allows simulations and predictions of structures? behavior during the heat treatment and diffusion. In this work the atomic mobility in liquid, BCC_A2, and HCP_A3 phases of ternary alloy Al ? Ti ? V were obtained based on available literature information. Comparison between simulations and experiments shows a good agreement, hence it can be concluded that proposed set of kinetic parameters can be used for predictions and simulations of Titanium grade 5 heat treatment.
Expression of Sodium-Iodide Symporter Depending on Mutational Status and Lymphocytic Thyroiditis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Copyright c 2018, the Korean Thyroid Association. All rights reserved. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Expression of Sodium-Iodide Symporter Depending on Mutational Status and Lymphocytic Thyroiditis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Antioxidant and antihypertensive activities of wonderful cola (Buchholzia coriacea) seed protein and enzymatic protein hydrolysates

The aim of this work was to produce wonderful cola protein hydrolysate fractions with in vitro antioxidant properties coupled with blood pressure-reducing ability when orally administered to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Wonderful cola protein isolate (WCI) was hydrolyzed with pancreatin to produce a hydrolysate (WCH), which was subjected to ultrafiltration separation using 1, 3, 5, and 10 kDa molecular weight cut-off membranes to obtain <1, 1–3, 3–5 and 5–10 kDa peptide fractions, respectively. The <1 and 1–3 kDa fractions had higher contents of arginine when compared to the 3–5 and 5–10 kDa peptides. The WCH and <1 kDa peptide fraction had significantly (p < 0.05) better DPPH radical scavenging (55–67%) and metal chelation (83–93%) activities but lower hydroxyl radical scavenging power (10–32%) than the WCI (46, 46 and 63%, respectively). The <1 kDa had significantly (p < 0.05) higher in vitro inhibition (80%) of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity while the 5–10 kDa was the most active inhibitor (90%) of renin activity. All peptide fractions so produced had better systolic and diastolic blood pressure-lowering effects than WCH and WCI. However, the <1 kDa fraction produced significantly (p < 0.05) stronger systolic (−33 mmHg) and diastolic (−30 mmHg) blood pressure reductions 6 h after oral gavage to SHRs. Thus, wonderful cola proteins contain encrypted bioactive peptides that may be used to formulate antioxidant and antihypertensive products.
Multi-residue method for trace pesticide analysis in soils by LC-QQQ-MS/MS and its application to real samples

ABSTRACT A method for the simultaneous determination of 30 pesticides residues in soil was developed and validated. Among the studied agrochemicals, there are herbicides (auxines, sulfonylureas, fops, imidazolinones), fungicides (azoles) and insecticides (organophosphorus) widely used in extensive agricultural activities in Uruguay. Five methods with different extraction times, type and amount of solvent, as well as the possibility of a clean-up step were compared in terms of percentage of recovery and repeatability. The final method was based on the extraction of the pesticides’ residues from soil using two successive solvent extraction steps. First, the soil was extracted with methanol in an orbital shaker for 4 h. Secondly, the solid residue was re-extracted overnight with ultrapure water. The methanolic extract was concentrated under vacuum, whereas the aqueous solution was passed through an OASIS HLB® cartridge, eluted with an appropriate solvent and concentrated under nitrogen stream. Both extracts were finally combined and analysed by LC-QQQ-MS/MS using the Document SANTE/11,945/2015 criteria. Recovery percentages at 1 and 10 μg kg−1 for the studied compounds were in the range 70106% with relative standard deviations below 19 %. The quantification was performed using matrix-matched calibration curves as some compounds presented very strong signal suppression. Residuals of the matrix-matched calibration curves were below 20% for all the validated analytes. The quantification limit was1 μg kg−1. The method also allows the screening of 11 pesticides in soil. Sixty-five real samples collected from regions where the use of pesticides is intensive were analysed. Quinclorac, tebuconazole, penoxsulam and clomazone were the most frequently pesticides detected.
Controlled disassembly of a DNA tetrahedron using strand displacement

In this study, we assembled a DNA tetrahedron containing single stranded extensions in the middle of the struts. Using these extensions as toeholds, the tetrahedron can be disassembled by nucleic acid triggers via strand displacement. The release mechanism is sequence specific, is functional in biological fluids such as serum and urine, and the kinetics of the disassembly process can be controlled by different molar ratios of the release strand. Such DNA nanostructures that respond to external stimuli have potential use in biosensing and drug delivery, and we demonstrate a proof-of-concept of this approach for microRNA detection.
Facile Synthesis of Unique Bismuth Vanadate Nano-Knitted Hollow Cage and its Application in Environmental Remediation

Abstract Hierarchical bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) nano-knitted hollow cages have been synthesized by simple hydrothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared, UV-Vis, and Raman. The photodegradation efficiency of BiVO4 nanocage for universally used methylene blue dye. The BiVO4 hollow nanostructure demonstrated better photocatalytic competence in dye degradation as compared to the commercial TiO2 powders (P25). The excellent dye degradation can be certified to the high crystallisation of monoclinic BiVO4 and hollow nanostructure, which leads to high surface area and small bandgap energy of 2.44 eV.
Process for a cyclohexanedimethanol using raney metal catalysts

Disclosed is a process for a cyclohexanedimethanol by hydrogenation of a cyclohexanedicarboxylate ester in the presence of a Raney metal catalyst doped with rhenium. The process is useful for the preparation of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol from dialkyl esters of 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate or dialkyl terephthalates. When Raney nickel is used as the catalyst, the process produces CHDM having a high trans content.