Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carbon Nanoparticles decorated with cupric oxide Nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation in liquid as an antibacterial therapeutic agent

Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) decorated with cupric oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were prepared by laser ablation in water, and their antibacterial activity was examined. X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrated the presence of carbon phases and different CuO phases, and results were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared analysis. Energy- Dispersive spectra showed the presence of C, O, and Cu in the final product. Transmission electron micrographs revealed that the CNPs were 10–80 nm in size and spherical; after being decorated with CuO NPs, particles became 5–50 nm in size and uniform in shape. The absorption spectrum of decorated Nanoparticles indicated the appearance of a new peak at 254–264 nm in addition to the fundamental peak at 228 nm. We then examined the antibacterial activity of the decorated CNPs for both gram-negative and -positive bacteria using the agar-well-diffusion method. The mode of action was determined using acridine orange–ethidium bromide staining to detect reactive oxygen species, and bacterial morphological change was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that CNPs decorated with 43% CuO NPs had the highest antibacterial activity for gram-positive bacteria. The CNPs acted on the cytoplasmic membrane and nucleic acid of bacteria, which led to a loss of cell-wall integrity, increased cell-wall permeability, and nucleic acid damage. The results offer a novel way to synthesis Carbon nanoparticles decorated with cupric oxide nanoparticles and could use them as novel antibacterial agent in future for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.
[Red cell distribution width (RDW): its use in the characterization of microcytic and hypochromic anemias].

With the widespread use of cell counters we have now acquired new red cell indices complementary of the old ones, like the HDW and RDW (Red Cell Distribution Width) which detect the heterogeneity of red cell size and anisocytosis in the blood smear. We studied 90 patients with the following results. 1) in the control group of healthy volunteers (n = 50) RDW results were (mean +/- ES) 13.90 +/- 0.10% and MCV (mean +/- ES) 90 +/- 5 fl; 2) the iron deficiency patients (IDA) (n = 20) gave a MCV of (mean +/- ES) 68.60 +/- 1.77 fl. , and RDW (mean +/- ES) 20.20 +/- 1.21%; 3) the beta-thalassemic patients (n = 20) had an MCV of (mean +/- ES) 66.45 +/- 1.95 fl, and RDW (mean +/- ES) 17.08 +/- 0.40%. We compared the results of MCV between IDA and thalassemics and against the control group with the following results: control vs IDA and control vs thalassemic with significant differences with p < 0.01, and no significant difference when we compared IDA vs thalassemics. Then we compared the results of RDW between IDA and thalassemics and against the control group with the following results: control vs IDA and control vs thalassemic with significant differences with p < 0.001 and with significant differences when we compared IDA vs thalassemics p < 0.001. The statistical results were obtained with the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results show that RDW is a more sensitive indicator than MCV to establish the possible origin of microcytic hypochromic anemias and that both should be used together in early diagnosis.
Effect of Prenatal Zinc Supplementation on Birthweight

Although iron and zinc deficiencies are known to occur together and also appear to be high in Ghana, a few supplementation studies addressed this concurrently in pregnancy. In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 600 pregnant women in Ghana were randomly assigned to receive either a combined supplement of 40 mg of zinc as zinc gluconate and 40 mg of iron as ferrous sulphate or 40 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate. Overall, there was no detectable difference in the mean birthweight between the study groups, although the effect of iron-zinc supplementation on the mean birthweight was masked by a strong interaction between the type of supplement and the iron status of participants [F (1,179)=5.614, p=0.019]. Prenatal iron-zinc supplementation was effective in increasing the mean birthweight among anaemic and iron-deficient women but not among women with elevated iron stores in early pregnancy.
Ontogenic sources of variation in sexual size dimorphism in a viviparous lizard

To elucidate the developmental aspects of the evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD), an understanding of the sex‐specific ontogeny of body size is critical. Here, we evaluate the relative importance of genetic and environmental determinants of SSD in juvenile common lizards (Lacerta vivipara). We examined the prenatal and post‐natal effects of population density and habitat humidity on SSD, as well as the maternal effects of food availability, corticosterone level, humidity and heat regime during gestation. Analyses indicated strong prenatal and post‐natal plasticity in body size per se and yielded three main results with respect to SSD. First, SSD in juvenile common lizards matches qualitatively the SSD observed in adults. Secondly, SSD was influenced by none of the prenatal factors investigated here, suggesting poor sex‐biased maternal effects on offspring size. Thirdly, SSD was sensitive to post‐natal habitat humidity, which positively affected growth rate more strongly in females than in males. Thus, natural variation in SSD in juvenile common lizards appears to be primarily determined by a combination of sex‐biased genetic factors and post‐natal conditions. We discuss the possibility that viviparity may constrain the evolution of sex‐biased maternal effects on offspring size.
Adenosine A2A and Beta-2 Adrenergic Receptor Agonists: Novel Selective and Synergistic Multiple Myeloma Targets Discovered through Systematic Combination Screening

The use of combination drug regimens has dramatically improved the clinical outcome for patients with multiple myeloma. However, to date, combination treatments have been limited to approved drugs and a small number of emerging agents. Using a systematic approach to identify synergistic drug combinations, combination high-throughput screening (cHTS) technology, adenosine A2A and β-2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) agonists were shown to be highly synergistic, selective, and novel agents that enhance glucocorticoid activity in B-cell malignancies. Unexpectedly, A2A and β2AR agonists also synergize with melphalan, lenalidomide, bortezomib, and doxorubicin. An analysis of agonists, in combination with dexamethasone or melphalan in 83 cell lines, reveals substantial activity in multiple myeloma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell lines. Combination effects are also observed with dexamethasone as well as bortezomib, using multiple myeloma patient samples and mouse multiple myeloma xenograft assays. Our results provide compelling evidence in support of development of A2A and β2AR agonists for use in multi-drug combination therapy for multiple myeloma. Furthermore, use of cHTS for the discovery and evaluation of new targets and combination therapies has the potential to improve cancer treatment paradigms and patient outcomes. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(7); 1432–42. ©2012 AACR.
Neural Networks for Combinatorial Optimization: A Review of More Than a Decade of Research

It has been over a decade since neural networks were first applied to solve combinatorial optimization problems. During this period, enthusiasm has been erratic as new approaches are developed and (sometimes years later) their limitations are realized. This article briefly summarizes the work that has been done and presents the current standing of neural networks for combinatorial optimization by considering each of the major classes of combinatorial optimization problems. Areas which have not yet been studied are identified for future research.
Development of new AFM based methodologies for the quantitative magnetic characterization of nanoparticles for biomedical applications

v Riassunto . vii TABLE OF CONTENTS . ix LIST OF FIGURES . xiv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . xxiii PREFACE . xxv 1. BACKGROUND . 1 1.1 MAGNETIC PROPERTIES . 2 1.1.1 General properties of magnetic materials . 2 1.1.2 Paramagnetism . 3 1.1.2 Changes in magnetic properties with decreasing size . 8 1.2 MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS 15 1.2. 1 Drug delivery . 15 1.2. 2 Hyperthermia . 16 1.2. 3 Magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) . 18 1.2. 4 Cell labeling and magnetic separation . 20 1.3 CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES . 22 1.3. 1 Conventional techniques: Statistical magnetic characterization . 22 1.3. 2 «Single nanoparticle» characterization techniques . 24 1.3. 3 Limits of "existing" characterization techniques . 29 1.3. 4 Magnetic Force Microscopy: A possible solution? 29 2. STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS . 31 3. MAGNETIC FORCE MICROSCOPY . 34 OVERVIEW . 34 -
Towards mobile communities for cancer patients: the case of krebsgemeinschaft.de

This article describes mobile virtual healthcare communities as a solution for meeting cancer patients' needs for information and interaction. After a short introduction into the German healthcare system and its potential starting points for virtual communities, the authors focus on cancer patients. They analyse their situation through field studies and identify information and interaction needs. On this basis, requirements for user centric socio-technical system design for cancer patients are derived. Since no existing offers meet these prerequisites, the authors work on piloting a mobile virtual community for cancer patients in Germany. Some of the identified user needs hint at an extension of web-based services for overcoming internet-related boundaries. New technological possibilities like mobile services and mobile devices are influencing virtual communities. Subjects like ubiquitous community access, new possibilities of user identification and location related services are of special interest since they might allow real "anytime-anyplace" access to the community platform. But regardless of the vast (theoretical) technical possibilities of new mobile technologies for extending web-based services, only socially accepted, technically stable and economically feasible solutions can ensure sustainable success of mobile virtual healthcare communities.
SN 2003du: 480 days in the life of a normal type Ia supernova

Aims. We present a study of the optical and near-infrared (NIR) properties of the Type Ia Supernova (SN Ia) 2003du. Methods. An extensive set of optical and NIR photometry and low-resolution long-slit spectra was obtained using a number of facilities. The observations started 13 days before B -band maximum light and continued for 480 days with exceptionally good time sampling. The optical photometry was calibrated through the S-correction technique. Results. The ${\it UBVRIJHK}$ light curves and the color indices of SN 2003du closely resemble those of normal SNe Ia. SN 2003du reached a B -band maximum of 13.49 ± 0.02 mag on JD2 452 766.38 ± 0.5. We derive a B -band stretch parameter of $0.988 \pm0.003$, which corresponds to $\Delta m_{15}=1.02\,\pm0.05$, indicative of a SN Ia of standard luminosity. The reddening in the host galaxy was estimated by three methods, and was consistently found to be negligible. Using an updated calibration of the V and ${\it JHK}$ absolute magnitudes of SNe Ia, we find a distance modulus $\mu=32.79\pm0.15$ mag to the host galaxy, UGC 9391. We measure a peak ${\it uvoir}$ bolometric luminosity of $1.35(\pm0.20)\times10^{43}$ erg s -1 and Arnett's rule implies that $M_{^{56}{\rm Ni}}\simeq0.68 \pm0.14\,M_{\odot}$ of $\element[][56]{Ni}$ was synthesized during the explosion. Modeling of the ${\it uvoir}$ bolometric light curve also indicates $M_{^{56}{\rm Ni}}$ in the range $0.6{-}0.8\,M_{\odot}$. The spectral evolution of SN 2003du at both optical and NIR wavelengths also closely resembles normal SNe Ia. In particular, the $\ion{Si}{ii}$ ratio at maximum $\mathcal{R}$($\ion{Si}{ii}$) = $0.22\,\pm0.02$ and the time evolution of the blueshift velocities of the absorption line minima are typical. The pre-maximum spectra of SN 2003du showed conspicuous high-velocity features in the $\ion{Ca}{ii}$ H&K doublet and infrared triplet, and possibly in $\ion{Si}{ii}$ λ 6355, lines. We compare the time evolution of the profiles of these lines with other well-observed SNe Ia and we suggest that the peculiar pre-maximum evolution of $\ion{Si}{ii}$ λ 6355 line in many SNe Ia is due to the presence of two blended absorption components.
A Syntax-Free Approach to Japanese Sentence Compression

Conventional sentence compression methods employ a syntactic parser to compress a sentence without changing its meaning. However, the reference compressions made by humans do not always retain the syntactic structures of the original sentences. Moreover, for the goal of on-demand sentence compression, the time spent in the parsing stage is not negligible. As an alternative to syntactic parsing, we propose a novel term weighting technique based on the positional information within the original sentence and a novel language model that combines statistics from the original sentence and a general corpus. Experiments that involve both human subjective evaluations and automatic evaluations show that our method outperforms Hori's method, a state-of-the-art conventional technique. Because our method does not use a syntactic parser, it is 4.3 times faster than Hori's method.
Comparison of Devonian and modern fungi in plants

Forum 475 approach, because uncorrelated measurables would be preferable for the reconstruction of multiple signals. Second, isotope abundance can be measured for specific intramolecular positions of a metabolite (isotopomer distribution ; see the glucose formula in Fig. 1). For example, it has been shown that the abundance of 18 O and D varies among the intramolecular positions of the glucose units of cellulose (Betson et al., 2006; Sternberg et al., 2006). For 13 C, isotopomer abundance variation is very likely for cellulose, as it has been observed in plant glucose (Schmidt, 2003). Isotopomer variation reflects the fact that each intramolecular position of a metabolite has a distinct biochemical history; therefore, each isotopomer abundance can, in principle, carry an independent signal. For example, the oxygen and hydrogen atoms bound to carbon 2 of glucose exchange strongly with source water during cellulose synthesis (Sternberg et al., 2006; Augusti et al., 2006). Therefore, the respective isotopomer abundances can be expected to be independent of all leaf-level processes and to depend exclusively on source water isotope abundance. This may open a way to reconstruct the source water isotope abundance, allowing temperature reconstruction and resolving the complication of overlapping environmental and physiological influences. With the source water isotope abundance reconstructed, the work of Gessler et al. might then be used to detect a humidity signal. Along this strategy, several signals may be reconstructed using isotopomer abundances in tree rings. This strategy may allow the detection of adaptations of trees to environmental changes on time scales of centuries, a largely unaddressed question in global change research. References Augusti A, Betson TR, Schleucher J. 2006. Hydrogen exchange during cellulose synthesis distinguishes climatic and biochemical isotope fractionations in tree rings. isotope ratio of leaf and grain material correlates with stomatal conductance and grain yield in irrigated wheat. enrichment of organic matter in Ricinus communis during the diel course and as affected by assimilate transport. New Phytologist 174: 600 – 613. A. 2003. Carbon and oxygen isotope composition of organic compounds in the phloem sap provides a short-term measure for stomatal conductance of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). 2000. Linking stable oxygen and carbon isotopes with stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity: a conceptual model. Rhynie chert: a window into a lost world of complex plant–fungus interactions Using material from a block of 400-million-year-old Rhynie chert about half as big as a brick, Krings et al. (this issue; pp. 648 …
GeoTUI: a tangible user interface for geoscience

GeoTUI is a system designed for geophysicists that provides props as tangible user interface on a tabletop vision-projection system for the selection of cutting planes on a geographical map of a subsoil model. Our GeoTUI system allows the geophysicists to manipulate in the same action and perception space since the movement of the physical artifacts is done on the tabletop and thus constrained to two dimensions. Consequently, it combines the advantages of the spontaneous conditions of user interaction that the geophysicists are commonly used to in their classical paper/pen/ruler environment with the advantages of the use of powerful geological simulation software. We conducted an extensive user study in the workplace of the geophysicists that clearly revealed that using a tangible interaction performs better than using the standard mouse/keyboard GUI for the cutting line selection task on a geographical subsoil map. Consequently, it increases the efficiency for the real-world trade task of hypothesis validation on a subsoil model. Moreover, this geological user case is complex enough to confirm the hypothesis that in space-multiplex conditions, specialized devices perform better than generic ones.
Semantic-Aware Blocking for Entity Resolution

In this paper, we propose a semantic-aware blocking framework for entity resolution (ER). The proposed framework is built using locality-sensitive hashing (LSH) techniques, which efficiently unifies both textual and semantic features into an ER blocking process. In order to understand how similarity metrics may affect the effectiveness of ER blocking, we study the robustness of similarity metrics and their properties in terms of LSH families. Then, we present how the semantic similarity of records can be captured, measured, and integrated with LSH techniques over multiple similarity spaces. In doing so, the proposed framework can support efficient similarity searches on records in both textual and semantic similarity spaces, yielding ER blocking with improved quality. We have evaluated the proposed framework over two real-world data sets, and compared it with the state-of-the-art blocking techniques. Our experimental study shows that the combination of semantic similarity and textual similarity can considerably improve the quality of blocking. Furthermore, due to the probabilistic nature of LSH, this semantic-aware blocking framework enables us to build fast and reliable blocking for performing entity resolution tasks in a large-scale data environment.
Formulation and Optimization of Extended Release Matrix Tablets of Losartan Potassium Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

The aim of this research work was to formulate and systematically evaluate in vitro performance of extended release matrix tablets of Losartan potassium. Tablets were prepared by direct compression method, applying Response Surface Methodology (RSM) by incorporating a 3-factor, 2-level Box-Behnken statistical design. Independent variables are the release retardant polymers such as HPMC K4M (X1), ethyl cellulose (X2), and sodium carboxy methyl cellulose(X3) and dependent variables are the percentage drug release in 0.1N HCL for 2 hours (Y1) and in 6.8 Phosphate buffer up to 24 hours (Y2) were studied. The Validation and optimization of study with 17 confirmatory runs indicated high degree of prophetic ability of response surface methodology with mean percentage error (± SD) as 1.54 ± 2.87% and 2.27 ± 1.36% drug release in 0.1N HCL Original Research Article Reddy et al.; JPRI, 19(5): 1-12, 2017; Article no.JPRI. 36668 2 and buffer. The physical evaluation and in vitro release studies were performed on all the formulations and the data were fitted to different release kinetic equations. The optimized formulation depicted a release of 16.98% and 96.26% from 0.1N HCL and buffer solutions at 24 hours. Point prediction tool of design expert software (version 8.0.1), RSM, shows 17.71% and 95.72% validity of the predicted model for drug release from 0.1N HCL and buffer solutions respectively. The optimized formulation follows Higuchi model and first order release kinetics which shows non-fickian type of release. Applying RSM, with few runs, effective extended release formulation of Losartan potassium was developed.
High-field hole transport in silicon nanowires

We report on ensemble Monte Carlo hole transport simulations for small diameter silicon nanowires. The basis for the simulations is provided by band structure calculations using sp3d5s∗ tight-binding scheme. Principal scattering mechanisms considered are hole-bulk acoustic and optical phonon interactions. Both steady-state and transient hole transport characteristics are explored. For the silicon nanowires considered, the steady-state average hole drift velocity saturates due to optical phonon scattering. Acoustic and intersubband scattering mechanisms strongly prevent an oscillation in the hole velocity in the transient regime. Room temperature hole mean free path for the different silicon nanowires considered is evaluated to be less than 10 nm at various electric fields.
Recovery from deep-plane rhytidectomy following unilateral wound treatment with autologous platelet gel: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of treatment with autologous platelet-rich plasma mixed with thrombin and calcium chloride to form an autologous platelet gel (APG) on postoperative recovery from deep-plane rhytidectomy. STUDY DESIGN A prospective, randomized, controlled pilot study. SETTING An accredited ambulatory facial plastic surgery center. PATIENTS Healthy volunteer women (N = 8) undergoing rhytidectomy. INTERVENTION Unilateral autologous platelet-rich plasma wound treatment during standard deep-plane rhytidectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Staged postoperative facial photographs were graded in a blinded fashion by 3 facial plastic surgeon reviewers for postoperative ecchymosis and edema. Each facial side treated with APG that demonstrated less edema or ecchymosis than the non-APG-treated side was designated a positive response; otherwise, the response was equal (no difference) or negative (untreated side had less edema or ecchymosis). RESULTS Twenty-one positive and 21 equal responses were observed compared with 8 negative ones. Of 20 unanimous observations, 15 were positive, only 3 equal, and 1 negative. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with APG may prevent or improve edema or ecchymosis after deep-plane rhytidectomy. This trend is more apparent for ecchymosis than for edema, and is chiefly demonstrable in the early phases of recovery. These observations are consistent with previous reports of cell tissue culture and wound response to concentrated platelet product.