Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategies for the Removal of Polysaccharides from Biorefinery Lignins: Process Optimization and Techno Economic Evaluation

The utilization of biorefinery lignins as a renewable resource for the production of bio-based chemicals and materials remain a challenge because of the high polysaccharide content of this variety of lignins. This study provides two simple methods; (i) the alkaline hydrolysis-acid precipitation method and (ii) the acid hydrolysis method for the removal of polysaccharides from polymeric biorefinery lignin samples. Both purification strategies are optimized for two different hardwood hydrolysis lignins, HL1 and HL2, containing 15.1% and 10.1% of polysaccharides, respectively. The treated lignins are characterized by polysaccharide content, molecular weight, hydroxyl content, and Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Preliminary techno-economic calculations are also carried out for both purification processes to assess the economic potential of these technologies. The results indicate that both protocols could be used for the purification of HL1 and HL2 hydrolysis lignins because of the minimal polysaccharide content obtained in the treated lignins. Nevertheless, from an industrial and economic perspective the acid hydrolysis technology using low acid concentrations and high temperatures is favored over the alkaline hydrolysis-acid precipitation strategy.
Defect Induced Band Gap narrowing of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles using Li + , Na + and K + Metal Ions as a Dopant

This paper mainly explain the lowering of band gap energy of synthesized ZnO nanoparticles (3.263eV) than their bulk counterparts (3.37 eV), which indicate the high conductivity than the bulk ZnO powder. Zn1-xLixO, Zn1-xNaxO and Zn1-xKxO (where x= 0.005, 0.01, 0.015 and 0.02 M for all dopants) doped ZnO nanoparticles and their solution was then characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer. All concentration of Li + doped ZnO nanoparticles was more narrowing the band gap of the undoped ZnO nanoparticles than Na + and K + doped ZnO nanoparticles. Both the size and concentration of dopants were affecting the band gap energy of ZnO nanoparticles. As the concentration and ionic radii of the dopants increases the optical band gap energy was also increasing. So the highest band gap energy was obtained by 0.015 and 0.02M K + doped ZnO nanoparticles. © 2016 Elixir all rights reserved. Elixir Materials Science 91 (2016) 38058-38062 Materials Science Available online at www.elixirpublishers. com (Elixir International Journal) Tizita Girma et al./ Elixir Materials Science 91 (2016) 38058-38062 38059 Instrument and materials Analytical balance, Oven, Volumetric flask, Measuring cylinder, Ultrasonic wave irradiation, Quartz cuvett, Hot plate and JENWAY 6705 UV-visible spectrophotometer
Experimental and numerical diagnosis of fatigue foot using convolutional neural network

Abstract Fatigue is an essential criterion for physiotherapy in injured athletes. Muscle fatigue mechanism also is a crucial matter in designing a workout program. It is mainly related to physical injury, cerebrovascular accident, spinal cord injury, and rheumatologic disease. The leg is one of the organs in the body where fatigue is visible, and usually, the first fatigue traces in the human body are shown. The main objective of the article is to diagnosis tired and untired feet base on digital footprint images. Therefore, the foot images of students in the age group of 20–30 were examined. The device is a digital footprint scanner. This device includes a plate screen equipped with pressure sensors and footprints in the image. A treadmill is used for 8 min to tire our test individuals. Therefore, six methods of k-nearest-neighbor classifier, multilayer perceptron, support vector machine, naïve Bayesian learning, decision tree, and convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture are presented to achieve the goal. First, the images are grayscale and divide into four regions, and the mean and variance of pressure in each of the four areas are extracted as features. Finally, the classification is accomplished using machine learning methods. Then, the results are compared with a proposed CNN architecture. The presented CNN method is outperforming other approaches and can be used for future fatigue diagnosis systems.
Going to sleep and going to school: Linking bedtime to student absenteeism

Educators continuously regard health as being a major driver of school attendance. While physical health factors have been explored in regards to reducing student absenteeism, no attention has been given to the role of bedtime. The present study explored associations between having a regular bedtime, the hour of going to sleep, and school start time to student attendance. Our findings indicate that a regular bedtime reduces kindergartners’ absences and decreases their likelihood of being chronically absent. However, the time of bed was not associated with absenteeism, nor was the start time of kindergarten each morning. Potential mechanisms involve school‐going routines and practices, and therefore we discuss how schools and communities can play an influential role in helping to address student absenteeism.
Increase in foot arch asymmetry after full marathon completion

ABSTRACT Long-distance running results in lowering of the foot medial longitudinal arch, but it is unknown whether the left and right arches decrease equally. This study aimed to determine whether foot arch asymmetry increases upon completion of a full marathon and to identify factors capable of explaining the degree of asymmetry of navicular height and navicular height displacement. The three-dimensional foot posture data of 74 collegiate runners were obtained using an optical foot scanner system before (PRE) and immediately after (POST) a full marathon. The navicular height and arch height ratio (normalised navicular height by foot length) of both feet significantly decreased from PRE to POST full marathon completion (44.3 ± 6.3 mm versus 40.8 ± 6.5 mm, 17.8 ± 2.5 versus 16.6 ± 2.7, respectively; p < 0.001, both). The asymmetry of the arch height ratio was significantly greater POST than PRE marathon. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the POST-race Asymmetry Index (AI) of navicular height was significantly predicted by the PRE-race AI of navicular height; navicular height displacement was predicted by PRE-race navicular height and the marathon time. Full marathon running induced increasing asymmetry and lowering of the medial longitudinal arch in runners.
Characteristics of Coal and Pine Sawdust Co-carbonization

All energy scenarios show a shift toward an increased percentage of renewable energy sources, including biomass. In this study, pine sawdust (PSD) was added to coals to make coke used for blast furnaces. The influences of PSD additive on coke quality, tar composition, and non-condensable gas components were evaluated during coal/PSD co-carbonization. The experimental results indicated that the addition of 5% PSD into coals did not have an evident effect on coke qualities, such as abrasion index (M10), fragmentation index (M40), coke reactivity index (CRI), and coke strength after reaction with CO2 (CSR). It was also observed that the tar and coke gas yields were remarkably increased when the mass fraction of PSD was increased from 0 to 10%. Moreover, the addition of PSD favors producing low-molecular-weight compounds and improving the quality of liquid tar.
Morphological mechanism allowing a parasitic leech, Ozobranchus jantseanus (Rhynchobdellida: Ozobranchidae), to survive in ultra-low temperatures

ABSTRACT Ozobranchus jantseanus is the largest metazoan known to survive in liquid nitrogen without pretreatment to date; however, the mechanism underlying this tolerance remains unclear. In this study, the first analyses of histological and morphological changes in normal, frozen, and dehydrated states were performed. Adults survived after direct placement in liquid nitrogen for 96 h, with a survival rate of approximately 86.7%. The leech could withstand rapid desiccation and its survival rate after rehydration was 100% when its water loss was below about 84.8%. After freezing, desiccation, and ethanol dehydration, the leech immediately formed a hemispherical shape. Particularly during drying, an obvious transparent glass-like substance was observed on surface. Scanning electron microscopy revealed many pores on the surface of the posterior sucker, creating a sponge-like structure, which may help to rapidly expel water, and a hemispherical shape may protect the internal organs by contraction and folding reconstruction in the anterior–posterior direction. A substantial amount of mucopolysaccharides on the surface and acid cells and collagen fibers in the body, all of which contained substantial polysaccharides, may play a key protective role during freezing. Our results indicate that the resistance of leeches to ultra-low temperatures can be explained by cryoprotective dehydration/vitrification strategies. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Growth promotion of a deep-sea bacterium by sensing infrared light through a bacteriophytochrome photoreceptor.

Photoreceptors are found in all kingdoms of life and bacteriophytochromes (Bphps) are the most abundant photosensing receptors in bacteria. Interestingly, BphPs have been linked to some bacterial physiological responses, yet most of the biological processes they regulate are still elusive, especially in non-photosynthetic bacteria. Here, we show that a bacteriophytochrome (CmoBphp) from a deep-sea bacterium Croceicoccus marinus OT19 perceives infrared light (wavelength at 940 nm) and transduces photosensing signals to a downstream intracellular transduction cascade for better growth. We discover that the infrared light-mediated growth promotion of C. marinus OT19 is attributed partly to the enhancement of pyruvate and propanoate metabolism. Further study suggests that CmoBphp plays a crucial role in integrating infrared light with intracellular signaling to control the bacterial growth and metabolism. This is the first report that deep-sea non-photosynthetic bacteria can sense infrared light to control growth through a bacteriophytochrome photoreceptor, thus providing new understandings towards light energy utilization by microorganisms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
SOx/NOx Removal from Flue Gas Streams by Solid Adsorbents: A Review of Current Challenges and Future Directions

One of the main challenges in the power and chemical industries is to remove generated toxic or environmentally harmful gases before atmospheric emission. To comply with stringent environmental and pollutant emissions control regulations, coal-fired power plants must be equipped with new technologies that are efficient and less energy-intensive than status quo technologies for flue gas cleanup. While conventional sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) removal technologies benefit from their large-scale implementation and maturity, they are quite energy-intensive. In view of this, the development of lower-cost, less energy-intensive technologies could offer an advantage. Significant energy and cost savings can potentially be realized by using advanced adsorbent materials. One of the major barriers to the development of such technologies remains the development of materials that are efficient and productive in removing flue gas contaminants. In this review, adsorption-based removal of SOx/NOx impuritie.
In situ microcosms deployed at the coast of British Columbia (Canada) to study dilbit weathering and associated microbial communities under marine conditions

ABSTRACT Douglas Channel and the adjacent Hecate Strait (British Columbia, Canada) are part of a proposed route to ship diluted bitumen (dilbit). This study presents how two types of dilbit naturally degrade in this environment by using an in situ microcosm design based on dilbit-coated beads. We show that dilbit-associated n-alkanes were microbially biodegraded with estimated half-lives of 57–69 days. n-Alkanes appeared to be primarily degraded using the aerobic alkB, ladA and CYP153 pathways. The loss of dilbit polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was slower than of n-alkanes, with half-lives of 89–439 days. A biodegradation of PAHs could not be conclusively determined, although a significant enrichment of the phnAc gene (a marker for aerobic PAH biodegradation) was observed. PAH degradation appeared to be slower in Hecate Strait than in Douglas Channel. Microcosm-associated microbial communities were shaped by the presence of dilbit, deployment location and incubation time but not by dilbit type. Metagenome-assembled genomes of putative dilbit-degraders were obtained and could be divided into populations of early, late and continuous degraders. The majority of the identified MAGs could be assigned to the orders Flavobacteriales, Methylococcales, Pseudomonadales and Rhodobacterales. A high proportion of the MAGs represent currently unknown lineages or lineages with currently no cultured representative.
Arctic and Midlatitude Stratospheric Trace Gas Measurements Using Ground-based UV-visible Spectroscopy

Arctic and Midlatitude Stratospheric Trace Gas Measurements Using Ground-based UV-visible Spectroscopy Annemarie Catherine Fraser Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Physics University of Toronto 2008 A ground-based, zenith-sky, UV-visible triple grating spectrometer was installed at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in the Canadian High Arctic during polar springtime from 2004 to 2007 as part of the Canadian Arctic ACE (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment) Validation Campaigns. From the solar spectra, ozone, NO2, and BrO vertical column densities (VCDs) have been retrieved using the DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) technique. This spectrometer, the UT-GBS (University of Toronto Ground-Based Spectrometer), was also deployed as part of the fourth Middle Atmosphere Nitrogen TRend Assessment (MANTRA) campaign in Vanscoy, Saskatchewan in August and September 2004. A near-identical spectrometer, the PEARL-GBS, was permanently installed at PEARL in August 2006 as part of the refurbishment of the laboratory by CANDAC (Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change). Since then, the instrument has been making continuous measurements, with the exception of during polar night. Vertical columns of ozone and NO2 can be retrieved year-round. During the 2007 sunrise campaign, differential slant column densities (DSCDs) of OClO and VCDs of BrO were also retrieved. Ozone and NO2 DSCDs and VCDs from the UT-GBS were compared to the DSCDs and VCDs from three other UV-visible, ground-based, grating spectrometers that also
A Simple Method for Simulating Dementia Onset and Death within an Existing Demographic Model

Background Dementia is a common disease that has an impact on both the affected individual and family members who provide caregiving. Simulation models can assist in setting policy that anticipates public health needs by predicting the demand for and availability of care. Objective We developed a relatively simple method for simulating the onset of dementia that can be used in combination with an existing microsimulation model. Methods We started with Socsim, a demographic microsimulation model that simulates a population with family kinship networks. We simulated dementia in the Socsim population by simulating the number of individuals diagnosed with dementia in their lifetime and the ages of onset and death from dementia for each of these dementia cases. We then matched dementia cases to the simulated population based on age at death, so for each individual, we simulate whether they develop dementia and, if so, their age at onset. This approach simulates dementia onset but does not alter the demographic model’s simulated age of death. Results We selected model dementia parameters so that the combined Socsim-Dementia model reproduces published dementia prevalence rates and survival times after diagnosis. Conclusions Adding simulation of dementia to a kinship network model enables prediction of the availability of family caregivers for people with dementia under a range of different assumptions about future fertility, mortality, and dementia risk. We demonstrated how to add simulation of dementia onset and death to an existing microsimulation model to obtain a method for predicting dementia prevalence in the context of another more detailed model. The approach we developed can be generalized to simulate other progressive health conditions that affect mortality.
Protective Role of 360° Laser Retinopexy in Patients with Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Purpose Visual impairment from retinal re-detachment could be debilitating. The aim of this review is to evaluate the role of 360° laser retinopexy on success rate of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair by a meta-analysis study. Methods The PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched comprehensively from the date of database inception to January 2021, evaluating the role of 360° laser retinopexy in visual and anatomical success rate of RRD repair. This review was conducted based on the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) protocols. Results Among 202 articles screened for eligibility, six studies were found to be eligible for inclusion in our final analysis. Our meta-analysis demonstrates that prophylactic treatment with circumferential laser photocoagulation has no significant effect on the initial rate of retinal re-detachment or final best-corrected visual acuity following pars plana vitrectomy repair of RRD. Subgroup analysis of studies (n = 3) with 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy, however, favors attachment rate in patients undergoing 360° prophylactic laser treatment. Conclusions Three hundred and sixty degree laser retinopexy appears to have favorable outcomes in patients undergoing 23-gauge retinal detachment repair. This protective effect, however, is not apparent with inclusion of 20-gauge vitrectomy studies.
How do people living with dementia perceive eating and drinking difficulties? A qualitative study

Abstract Background Eating and drinking problems are common among people living with later-stage dementia, yet few studies have explored their perspectives. Objective This study aimed to explore how people living with mild dementia understand possible future eating and drinking problems and their perspectives on assistance. Design Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Setting Community. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 people living with mild dementia. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results Five themes were identified: (i) awareness of eating and drinking problems; (ii) food and drink representing an individual’s identity and agency; (iii) delegating later decisions about eating and drinking to family carers; (iv) acceptability of eating and drinking options; and (v) eating and drinking towards the end of life. For people living with mild dementia, possible later eating and drinking problems could feel irrelevant and action may be postponed until they occur. Fears of being a burden to family and of being treated like a child may explain reluctance to discuss such future problems. People living with mild dementia might wish to preserve their agency and maintain good quality of life, rather than be kept alive at later stages by artificial nutrition and hydration. Conclusion For people with mild dementia, eating and drinking problems may seem unrelated to them and so get left undiscussed. Negative connotations regarding eating and drinking problems may hinder the discussion. The optimal time to discuss possible future problems with eating and drinking with people with mild dementia may need an individual approach.
A comparison on the biochemical activities of Fluorescein disodium, Rose Bengal and Rhodamine 101 in the light of DNA binding, antimicrobial and cytotoxic study

Abstract Biochemical activities of Fluorescein, Rose Bengal and Rhodamine 101 were studied by DNA binding, antibacterial and cytotoxic studies. DNA binding studies were done using spectroscopic, thermodynamic and molecular modeling techniques. Antibacterial activities were investigated against a gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and a gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Cytotoxic activities were studied against Wi-38 cell line. We observed these dyes bound to minor groove of DNA and structural diversity of dyes affect the phenomenon. No significant antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of these dyes were found in our observations. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
A convergent synthetic platform for polymeric nanoparticle for the treatment of combination colorectal cancer therapy

Abstract In biomaterials and drug delivery, the development of polymeric therapies capable of the synchronized release of several therapeutic agents remains an important challenge. In this article, we describe the development of polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) with precise molar ratios of Curcumin (CUR) and Methotrexate (MEX). The highly symmetric synthetic approach allows for the development of novel NPs-based combination therapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer. The fabricated CUR/MEX@PNPs were confirmed by transmission microscopy (TEM) and the size and polydispersity index were assessed through the dynamic light scattering (DLS). CUR and MEX were released slowly from the drug delivery without any burst impact. Furthermore, CUR/MEX@PNPs exhibited dose-responsive cytotoxic effects in CL40 and SW1417 cells, with a greater cell death ratio than that of free drugs. The drugs-loaded polymeric nanomaterials were more easily taken up by cancer cells in vitro, according to the cellular uptake analysis. The apoptotic features were confirmed by various fluorescence staining assay. The results of the fluorescent assay reveal that the nanomaterials remarkably induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. Further, the apoptosis cell death mechanism was displayed that these nanomaterials significantly induce apoptosis in the targeted cancer cells. Overall, the current investigation confirmed that CUR/MEX@PNPs could be used to successfully combat colorectal cancers in the immediate future. Highlights We have developed the Curcumin (CUR) and Methotrexate (MEX) encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles (CUR/MEX@PNPs). CUR/MEX@PNPs confirmed by the various analytical methods. CUR/MEX@PNPs enhanced the in vitro proliferation against the colorectal cancer cells. Biochemical analysis results reveals that CUR/MEX@PNPs induce apoptosis. The apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin-V-FITC and PI for flow cytometry. Graphical Abstract