Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A direct technique for preparation of magnetically functionalised living yeast cells

A direct technique for preparation of magnetically functionalised yeast cells by using polyelectrolyte mediated deposition of magnetite nanoparticles is reported. We demonstrate that the cells preserve their viability after the magnetite deposition and show that the magnetic nanoparticles form a multilayered coating on the outer side of the yeast cell’s wall. We applied our technique to produce magnetically functionalised yeast cells expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of RAD54-GFP reporter and demonstrated that their fluorescence emission is not influenced by the presence of magnetite-polyelectrolyte composite coating. We show that the individual cells can be successfully manipulated by an external magnetic field which can be used for their deposition, holding and subsequent removal from microfluidic devices for genotoxicity and cytotoxicity biosensor applications. Our technique for direct magnetization of cells can find many other biotech applications including biosensors, bioreactors and bioseparation.
Synthesis and properties of polyimides-containing benzoxazole units in the main chain

A series of polyimide (PI) films were prepared from a diamine-containing benzoxazole unit (5,4′-diamino-2-phenyl benzoxazole) and five dianhydrides via two-step polymerization process. The PI films showed outstanding mechanical properties with tensile modulus up to 7.3 GPa without preorientation process. According to the results of thermal analysis, the glass transition temperature of the films was up to 412°C, and the films showed good thermodimensional stability. Thermal analysis and wide-angle x-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the PIs were semicrystalline. Excellent properties of these PIs were attributed to the benzoxazole group in the main chain and accordingly to the rigid-rod structure and high level of linearity of the polymer backbones. These results correlate with each other and contribute to our overall understanding of the effects of benzoxazole moiety on the properties of the PI films.
Post‐treatment of anaerobically treated medium‐age landfill leachate

This study focused on the removal of COD and NH4+ from medium‐age leachate. Experiments were performed in a laboratory‐scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), a membrane bioreactor (MBR), and using magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) precipitation. MBR and MAP were used for the post‐treatment steps for anaerobically treated leachate to increase the removal of organics and ammonium. The UASB reactor removed nearly all biodegradable organics and supplied constant effluent COD for all concentration ranges of influent leachate. Ammonium removal efficiency in the UASB reactor was relatively low and the average value was ∼7.9%. Integration of MBR to the effluent of UASB reactor increased the average COD removal efficiency from 51.8 to 65.6% and maximum removal efficiency increased to 74.3%. MAP precipitation was applied as a final step to decrease the ammonium concentration in the effluent of UASB+MBR reactors. The effect of pH and the molar ratio of MAP constituents on the removal of ammonium were evaluated. At optimal conditions (pH: 9.0 and Mg/NH4/PO4: 1/1.2/1.2), 96.6% of ammonium was removed and MAP provided additional COD and turbidity treatment. Consequently, the combined system of MBR and MAP precipitation could be used as an appropriate post treatment option for the anaerobically treated medium‐age landfill leachate. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2010
A molecular dynamic calculation of the structure of sodium silicate glasses

Molecular dynamic calculations of the structure of a series of sodium silicate glasses, a common soda–lime glass, a sodium borosilicate glass and a sodium–potassium silicate glass were made. Calculated radial distribution functions are in good agreement with existing x‐ray diffraction data and a previous MD calculation on silica glass. During the dynamical runs alkali and alkaline earth cations cluster around nonbridging oxygen atoms. In the borosilicate glass studied, the boron atoms enter the silica network and are tetrahedrally coordinated by oxygen. Other features of the simulated glasses include the coordination number of cations, the degree of inhomogeneity, the distribution of bridging and nonbridging oxygen atoms, the Si–O–Si bond angles, the ring structure, etc. Some preliminary diffusion studies will be presented.
Molecular interaction of dense water at high temperature

Experimental shockwave data of water were analyzed using intermolecular potentials based on quantum mechical ab initio calculations. A central pair potential obtained by averaging the ab initio result according to the Perram and White method was found to predict accurately the shockwave thermodynamic properties at temperatures between approximately 1300 and 3000 K. At higher temperatures, the theory overestimates the single‐shock pressures and temperature by 10% to 20%. This deviation is attributed to the shock‐induced ionization of water molecules. As a result of our calculations, we suggest the molecular interaction of water becomes simpler under a high‐temperature (≳1300 K) and high‐pressure (≳8 GPa = 80 kbar) environment, except for a small ionization correction, and it is possible to carry out reasonably reliable statistical mechanical calculations under such conditions. Similar comparisons are also presented using potentials developed by Stillinger and Rahman and by Watts.
Three Essays on European Union Advances Toward a Single Currency and Its Implications for Business and Investors

Three Essays on European Union Advances toward a Single Currency and its Implications for Business and Investors Charlotte Anne Bond Department o f Business Administration Old Dominion University Committee Chair: M ohammad Najand The first chapter examines the changes in various European currencies’ exchange rates through the time period 1980 through 1997. Specifically, we are interested to determine i f there is any affect to the volatility o f these exchange rates and specific events related to the advancement o f European Unification. In order to move to a single currency it is imperative that the separate currencies become less volatile to facilitate the move to a single currency. In this study, we examine whether this is the case and discuss which currencies appear to display this behavior. It is observed that o f the 14 currencies examined all but Ireland and Italy’s currencies see dramatic reductions in volatility. The second chapter examines the effects o f announcements concerning European Monetary Union on the exchange rate volatilities o f several European currencies. It is expected that when good news is portrayed in regard to a single currency, this will be considered bad news, thus eliciting a negative reaction. The currencies examined are the German mark, the Portuguese escudo, the Italian lira, the Greek drachma, and the Spanish peseta. In terms o f volatility, a reaction to good news should be a reduction in volatility, as bad news should cause an increase in volatility. In total there are 22 announcements examined from January 1990 through September 1997. The German mark is observed to experience greater increases in volatility than decreases as does the Italian lira. Portugal and Greece appear to react more strongly to positive news in that the decreases in volatility are on average greater than the increases. In the third chapter, the reactions o f volatility changes to the returns o f American Depository Receipts o f companies from European Union mem ber nations are examined. It is examined whether announcements regarding European M onetary Union create a notable change in the volatility o f returns o f these instruments. I f a single currency is viewed as good news for these companies, the volatility o f the returns o f these companies should decrease. If the advent o f a single currency is bad news, the volatility o f returns should increase. In total there are 10 announcements examined from January 1990 through September 1997. O f the 8 countries examined, Finland, France and the Netherlands display no notable reactions. Luxembourg witnesses the largest decreases in volatility around 6 o f the ten dates examined. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Selected Washing Processes Affect Thermal Gelation Properties and Microstructure of Mechanically Deboned Chicken Meat

Cooked mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDCM), washed with tap water, 0.5% sodium bicarbonate, sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2; ionic strength, 0.1), or 0.1M sodium chloride had increased (P lt;0.05) gel strength compared to unwashed MDCM. The selected washing solutions affected (P lt;0.05) lightness (HunterLab L values) of washed meat, and also had a slight (Plt;0.05) influence on water-holding capacity and textural properties. These differences were attributed to pH and washing solvent residue in the washed MDCM. Scanning electron microscopy revealed distinct differences between the washed and unwashed MDCM. The washed meat showed a fibrous protein network structure resulting from protein gelation.
Biosynthesis of Multi-component Polyhydroxyalkanoates by the Bacterium Wautersia Eutropha

~ ~ ~ The study addresses the effect of different conditions of carbon nutrition on synthesis of polyhydroxy- alkanoates by the bacterium Wautersia eutropha. In experiments with two wild-type strains (H16 and B5786) it has been first found that under mixotrophic growth conditions - CO2 + co-substrate (alka - noic acids) - bacteria can synthesize multi-component PHAs, consisting of short- and medium-chain- length monomers with carbon chains containing 4 to 8 atoms. It has been shown that PHA composition is determined by the type of the co-substrate. Fatty acids with odd number of carbons induce bacteria to synthesize four- and five-component PHAs with hydroxybutyrate, hydroxyvalerate, and hydroxyhex - anoate as major monomers and hydroxyhexanoate and hydroxyoctanoate as minor, occasionally occur- ring, ones. Fatty acids with even number of carbons induce synthesis of not only their respective mono- mers (hydroxyhexanoate and hydroxyoctanoate) but also hydroxyvalerate, making possible synthesis of four-component PHAs, containing hydroxybutyrate and hydroxyhexanoate as major components (up to 18 mol%). A family of short- and medium-chain-length four- and five-component PHAs has been synthesized and their physicochemical properties examined.
Collectively agreed wages in Finland

Collectively agreed wages in Finland are measured by indices which describe contributions of collectively agreed wage increases to increases in average wages. Statistics Finland, which produces the data, constructs the Index of Negotiated Wages and Salaries within the same methodological framework as the Index of Wage and Salary Earnings, which is the most important index describing developments in average wages. Statistics Finland does not utilize information on tariff wage levels in the description of collectively agreed wage developments. Because of a high degree of centralization and co-ordination, collectively agreed wage increases have been similar in various sectors of the economy. Wage drift in the whole economy has been relatively stable without any observed trends.
Bioremediation of volatile organic compounds in a continuous stirred tank bioreactor

The mass transfer of ethanol and toluene from air stream to liquid phase, and bioremediation of contaminated air streams containing either ethanol or toluene have been investigated using a stirred tank bioreactor. This investigation was conducted in six phases: 1) mass transfer experiments involving the transport of toluene and ethanol from contaminated air streams into the liquid phase, 2) study of air stripping effects of ethanol and toluene out of the liquid phase, 3) batch growth experiments to determine growth kinetic models and model parameters, 4) bioremediation of ethanol or toluene as the sole substrate to determine the capacity of Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) (ATCC 23973) growth on these substrates, 5) toluene removal from contaminated air streams using ethanol and benzyl alcohol as co-substrates, and 6) modelling the above studies using metabolic pathways to better understand the bioremediation process. Preliminary oxygen mass transfer studies showed that the presence of ethanol in the liquid phase enhances the overall oxygen mass transfer coefficients. Increasing the ethanol concentration from 0 to 8 g/L caused the oxygen mass transfer coefficients to increase from 0.015 to 0.049 s, and from 0.017 to 0.076 s, for impeller speeds of 450
Nitridation of GaAs surfaces using nitrogen through a hot tungsten filament

This letter reports the nitridation of GaAs surfaces using N2 through a hot tungsten filament. After nitridation, GaAs cap layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy to form GaAs/GaN/GaAs structures. For these structures, we determine the sheet nitrogen atom concentration by secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis. The sheet nitrogen atom concentration is proportional to the square root of the N2 pressure, indicating that N2 molecules are decomposed into nitrogen atoms to adsorb on the GaAs surfaces. The activation energy of this decomposition process is 3.6±0.4 eV.
Influence of hydrogenation and antioxidants on the stability of soybean oil biodiesels

This study examined the influence of hydrogenation and antioxidant activity of natural products derived from Mangifera indica on soybean biodiesel stability. Biodiesels were prepared with refined, semi-refined, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil and the stability was evaluated in a Rancimat apparatus. The biodiesel from partially hydrogenated soybean oil showed greater stability (11.9 h), exceeding the standard limit established by the Brazilian National Petroleum Agency (6 h). Gallic acid, tannic acid, and mango seed kernel extract were evaluated as antioxidants. The gallic acid showed higher antioxidant ability than the other products, increasing twofold the oxidative stability (20.8 h). The results indicate the importance of mango seed as a source of efficient antioxidants for biodiesel just like gallic acid. Practical applications: The results provide detailed information about: (i) the influence of hydrogenation on soybean biodiesel stability; (ii) the antioxidant activity of natural products derived from M. indica; (iii) and the importance of each phenolic constituent on the stability. Mango seed is an abundant waste product from fruit juice industry in Brazil and could be used for obtaining an effective antioxidant additive for biodiesel.
N,N,N′,N′‐Tetraoctyl Diglycolamide (TODGA): A Promising Extractant for Actinide‐Partitioning from High‐Level Waste (HLW)

Abstract N,N,N′,N′‐Tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) has been evaluated as an extractant for the partitioning of minor actinides from simulated high level nuclear waste solutions. Acid uptake studies suggested that TODGA is more basic (KH: 4.1) as compared to TRUEX and DIAMEX solvents viz. CMPO (KH: 2.0) and DMDBTDMA (KH: 0.32), respectively. TODGA molecules display a tendency toward aggregation in n‐dodecane at lower acidities. Effect of diluent on the distribution behavior of Am(III) was studied employing diluents of different dielectric constants. N,N‐dialkyl amides with different alkyl groups viz. dibutyl decanamide (DBDA), di(2‐ethylhexyl) acetamide (D2EHAA), di(2‐ethylhexyl) propionamide (D2EHPRA), di(2‐ethylhexyl) isobutyramide (D2EHIBA), dihexyl octanamide (DHOA) and dihexyl decanamide (DHDA) were evaluated as phase modifiers. Distribution behavior of various metal ions viz. Am(III), Pu(IV), U(VI), Eu(III), Fe(III), Sr(II) and Cs(I) was studied from pure nitric acid solution as well as from simulated high level waste solution.
Impacts of opencast coal mine and mine fire on the trace elements’ content of the surrounding soil vis-à-vis human health risk

Coal from its excavation, processing, and utilization creates environmental problems and health hazards. In these processes, the mobilization of potential organic and heavy metal contaminants affects the quality of soil and health of the inhabitants. Soil samples were collected from the nearby areas of an opencast coal mine (OCM) and a coal fire affected area (CFA) located in Jharia coalfield of Dhanbad, India. The control site was an abandoned land approximately 15 km away from the sources of contamination. These samples were analyzed for trace elements including Cr, V, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Zr, Ba, Th, and U. The soils of OCM were enriched with Cr and Ni and this is attributed to the mining activities in view of the absence of other sources of pollutants. In case of CFA, the soils were enriched with Cr, V, Ni, and Zn. However, the concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Zn in both the soils were well below the USEPA soil screening levels for human health risk assessment. The levels of Co and V exceeded the soil screening limits. Human exposure risks were evaluated for Co and V. The total intake of V concentration exceeded the EPA's reference dose, which may pose adverse health risks.
Scale Formation Due to Water Injection in Malaysian Sandstone Cores

Problem statement: Scale deposition is one of the most serious oil field problems that inflict water injection systems primarily when two incompatible waters are involved. Approach: This study was conducted to investigate the permeability reduction caused by deposition of calcium, strontium and barium sulphates in sandstone cores from mixing of injected Malaysian sea waters (Angsi and Barton) and formation water that contained high concentration of calcium, barium and strontium ions at various temperatures (60-90°C) and differential pressures (125-175 psig). The solubility of common oil field scales formed and how their solubilities were affected by changes in salinity and temperatures (40-90°C) were also studied. The morphology and particle size of scaling crystals formed as shown by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were also presented. Results: The results showed that a large extent of permeability damage caused by calcium, strontium and barium sulphates that deposited on the rock pore surface. The rock permeability decline indicates the influence of the concentration of calcium, barium and strontium ions. Conclusion: At higher temperatures, the deposition of CaSO4 and SrSO4 scales increases and the deposition of BaSO4 scale decreases since the solubilities of CaSO4 and SrSO4 scales decreases and the solubility of BaSO4 increases with increasing temperature. The deposition of CaSO4, SrSO4 and BaSO4 scales during flow of injection waters into porous media was shown by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs.
Effects of Totally Intravenous Thiopental Anesthesia on Cardiopulmonary and Thermoregulatory System in Donkeys

Abstract Emami, M.R. , Seifi, H. and Tavakoli, Z. 2006. Effects of totally intravenous thiopental anesthesia on cardiopulmonary and thermoregulatory system in donkeys. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 29: 13–16. This study was conducted on five donkeys (Equus asinus) to investigate the effects of thiopental Total Intra-Venous Anesthesia (TTVA) approach on heart, respiration, blood gas and body temperature of the donkey. Atropine-acepromazine-xylazine premedicated donkeys were anesthetized with 5% solution of thiopental 7 mg/kg and maintained for 100 min with a thiopental solution (8 mg/kg BWin 500 ml normal saline). Heart and respiratory rates increased and temperature decreased at 10 min post anesthesia. PaCO2 and bicarbonate increased resulting in decreased pH after anesthesia. There were no marked ECG changes. Animals were in sternal recumbency for 66±6.52 min after interruption of anesthetic infusion. Thus thiopental TTVA appeared to produce good surgical anesthesia of long duration in donkeys but the recovery period was too long.
Genetically-encoded photoswitches for controlling apoptosis

Light-Oxygen-Voltage (LOV) domains are flavoproteins that are part of photoreceptors found in plants, prokaryotes and algae. LOV domains act as biological switches in response sensors to oxygen, redox potential or light, making them ideal for use as an optogenetics tool. The protein-switch is activated by formation of a covalent adduct between the flavin cofactor and an internal cysteine residue, causing changes in the hydrogen bonding network in the core of the protein. This results in a conformational change in the LOV domain leading to undocking of an amphiphilic helix that is generally coupled to a catalytic or transcriptional activation domain. In this investigation the LOV2 domain of phototropin 1 from Avena sativa has been modified to control protein-protein interactions in apoptosis by incorporating the Bcl homology region 3 (BH3) of a key pro-apoptotic protein (Bid) to the mobile helix of AsLOV2 (J). The design, cloning, production and structure of these hybrid proteins (AsLOV-Bid1-4) are discussed and their photo-switching characteristics are examined using UV/Vis and CD spectroscopy. Half-lives of the proteins varied between 13 min and 7.5 min, with small deviation between UV/Vis and CD half-life measurements for each protein. A further investigation on the binding of AsLOV2-Bid proteins to Bcl-xL, the natural binding partner of Bid, has been conducted in the dark and light states using fluorescence anisotropy measurements. The results verified that AsLOV-Bid1-4 bound to Bcl-xL effectively in the light state with KD values at less than 300 nM. However, AsLOV-Bid2 also bound in the dark state with KD at 1 mM. A second LOV domain, YtvA from Bacillus subtilis is characterised using UV/Vis and CD spectroscopy. YtvA is a homodimeric photo-switch, with a longer relaxation half-life than Avena sativa LOV2, making it more suitable for use as an optogenetics tool. Here, investigations on amino acid residues key for the dimerisation of this protein were performed, before any hybrid proteins could be engineered. Residues V27 and I113, were replaced with aspartate residues by site-directed mutagenesis to explore the effects on the protein quaternary structure using size-exclusion chromatography. Comparing against standards mutant I113D is considered as monomeric, however further experiments need to be conducted to verify this.
Comparison of Microwave-Assisted Hydrodistillation and Hydrodistillation Methods for the Analysis of Volatile Secondary Metabolites

Abstract Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MWHD) and hydrodistillation (HD) were carried out for the analysis of volatile components in whole and ground fruits of Anethum graveolens. L. (dill seed) and Coriandrum sativum. L. (coriander seed). Fruits were distilled using a microwave oven modified to fit a Clevenger apparatus. The effect of microwave energy on the yield and composition of the essential oil was investigated against the classical hydrodistillation. Essential oils of all samples were analyzed by GC-FID and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In the whole dillseed oil, the amounts of cis. -isodihydrocarvone (from 7.5% to 10.9%) and carvone (from 45.7% to 69.3%) were increased by microwave energy while limonene (from 17.7% to 4.7%), myristicin (from 8.7% to 5.7%) and dill apiole (from 14.1% to 6.1%) were decreased. Grinding of the material also increased the amounts of main components except for myristicin and dill apiole. A decrease in the linalool content of the coriander oil (from 80.0% to 75.5%) was observed in the microwave-assisted hydrodistilled ground fruits. Microwave-assisted distillation appeared to increase the amounts of fatty acids, for example, tetradecanoic acid (from 2.8% to 8.8%) and hexadecanoic acid (from 1.9% to 6.0%) in coriander oil.