Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on finely divided wood. Part 1. Extraction of lignin with neutral solvents

Previous work on extraction of lignin and cellulose from wood, ground in various ways, and other attempts to isolate 'native lignins' are reviewed. Present opinions about the state of lignin in wood are summarized. Possible methods of disintegration and suitable neutral solvents for extraction of lignin are discussed in connection with experience gathered in the present investigation. It was found that by grinding wood, dispersed in a non-swelling liquid, in a vibrational ball mill it is possible to extract 50per thousand or more of the lignin from spruce ( Picea excelsa ), providing the charge to the mill is small enough. A 'standard method' is presented: Wood is reduced to pass a 20 mesh screen, pre-extracted to remove resins etc., ground 48 hrs. in a Lampen mill (12 g. charge) and 48 hrs. in a vibrational ball mill (6 g. charge), using toluene for dispersion, and extracted with aqueous dioxane. After evaporation of the solvent, the lignin is dissolved in aqueous acetic acid, precipitated into water, dried, dissolved in C 2 H 4 Cl 2 -EtOH (2 + 1 by volume), precipitated into ethyl ether, washed, and dried. A faintly cream-colored, ash-free powder, 'milled wood lignin' (M.W.L.), is obtained. The molecular weight of M.W.L. from spruce is about 11000 (weight average) or about 60 phenyl-propane units. Lignincarbohydrate complexes, extractable from milled wood with dimethylformamide, are slightly soluble in dioxane and contaminate M. W.L. , which contains a small amount of sugars. These sugars are the same as in hemicellulose and occur in the same proportions. Determinations of the contents of phenolic hydroxyl groups and ultraviolet light absorption studies indicate similar structures of M.W.L. , and lignin derivatives isolated under mild conditions. Determination of p -hydroxy-benzyl alcohol groups gave a value half of that of Brauns' native lignin but double that of wood, and it is concluded that the value of M.W.L. is equal, or close to, that of proto-lignin. It is suggested that M.W.L. is a very useful material for lignin chemists.
Drug Controlled Release and Biological Behavior of Poly(D,L-Lactide-Co-Glycolide) Microspheres

Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA, 75/25) microspheres loaded with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were prepared using the W/O/W emulsification solvent evaporation technique. The cytotoxicity in vitro of PLGA microspheres was investigated and the BSA release from PLGA microspheres was also studied. Scanning electron micrographs showed that the PLGA microspheres were regular and the surface was smooth. BSA release typically began with an initial burst and then became steady. Analysis of the PLGA microspheres cytotoxicity showed that they had no cytotoxic effect and behaved very similar to the negative control of polystyrene. The hemolysis rate of the PLGA microspheres was 0.148%, suggesting it had no potential to induce hemolysis. The results show that PLGA microspheres may provide a useful controlled release protein drug system for used in pharmaceutics.
Identification of Survival-Associated Gene Signature in Lung Cancer Coexisting With COPD

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer often coexist, which is associated with a worse prognosis. Thousands of biomarkers related to the survival of lung cancer have been investigated. However, those which can predict the survival of lung cancer coexisting with COPD are currently lacking. The present study aimed to identify novel gene signatures to predict the survival of patients with lung cancer coexisting COPD. Method: RNA-sequence data of lung cancer and control accompanying with matched clinical information were retrieved from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Differently expressed genes (DEGs) associated with lung cancer coexisting COPD were screened. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to identify survival-associated DEGs and to construct survival-associated gene signature. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and calibration plots of the nomogram were performed to test the predictive accuracy of the gene signature. qPCR was performed to validate the genes in the prognostic signature. Results: Sequence data from 70 patients with lung cancer coexisting COPD, 127 with lung cancer alone and 108 control tissues were included for analysis. A total of 2424 DEGs were identified when comparing lung cancer coexisting COPD with controls. The biological process was primarily associated with DNA-binding transcription activator activity, peptidase inhibitor activity, endopeptidase inhibitor activity, et al. KEGG pathways were mainly enriched in neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, cell cycle, and Staphylococcus aureus infection. A survival-associated gene signature consisting of CEACAM5, RASAL1, CSTL1, CNGB1, and SLC4A3 was identified and represented as risk score. The high-risk score group had significantly worse survival than the low-risk score group (P < 0.001). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.943, 0.773, 0.888 for predicting overall survival at 1-, 3-, and 5-year, respectively. The risk score was an independent predictor of survival, independent of clinical factors. High conformity of the actual survival and the nomogram–predicted probability of survival by applying the risk score. Upregulation of the five genes in patients with lung cancer coexisting COPD were confirmed by qPCR in an independent cohort. Conclusion: Our study constructed and validated a novel prognostic gene signature for predicting survival of patient with lung cancer coexisting COPD, which may contribute to the clinical treatment decisions.
Stereological Analysis of Aggregate Distribution in Contaminant Barrier Concrete

The distribution of large aggregate particles in concrete is a significant determinant of concrete strength, durability and wave/fluid transmission characteristics. These characteristics are important with respect to the performance of concrete containment systems for interim storage of radioactive waste. Even distribution of aggregate particles within concrete matrix promotes spatial uniformity of concrete characteristics and minimizes the weakness that can develop in aggregate-deficient portions. The internal heterogeneity of concrete can be assessed destructively through standard load testing or indirectly through imaging and stereological analysis of obtained images. In this paper, an indexing methodology is developed and applied to the analysis of the areal and volumetric distribution of aggregates in samples extracted from hardened concrete grout for waste storage. Analyses of 301 mm mini-slices that were reconstructed into 4 full slices on the basis of a fixed aggregate diameter of 16.93 mm indicate a statistical goodness of fit χ2 value of 4, which is below the 5% significance level (18.3). This result indicates no significant unevenness in the spatial distribution of aggregate particles in the concrete grout. The results demonstrate that this stereologically based approach is useful in quality assurance assessments of emplaced concrete.
Influência do glicerol no metabolismo energético de tilápias nilóticas

Aquaculture in recent years, as opposed to stagnation of extractive fish production, has developed increasingly and may be benefited from the current excess of glycerol in market, using it as a dietary source of energy to fish, alternatively to conventional sources. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of starch substitution by glycerol in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) diet on energy metabolism. It was determined the weight, hepatosomatic index, plasma, muscle and liver concentration of protein, glucose and triglycerides, as well as the activities of hepatic malic, glycerol kinase and glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase enzymes. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four treatments (0, 5, 10 and 15% inclusion of glycerol in the feed) and six repetitions. We used 48 male sexed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with initial average weight and length of 37.7 g ± 10.6 g and 13.02 ± 1.09 cm, respectively. The fish were randomly divided into 4 circular tanks of fiberglass, with a total capacity of 100L each. The diet was provided for 60 days, ad libitum, twice daily and were isoenergetic with 4500 kcal of gross energy and isoproteic with 36% of crude protein. The results were analyzed using the software SAEG, according to F test at 5% significance. The levels of glycerol in the diet did not influence the performance variables studied. There was no significant difference between treatments for muscle and plasma glucose. Treatment with 0% glycerol showed higher hepatic glucose compared to treatment with15%. There was no significant difference in protein concentrations evaluated. Levels of glycerol in the diet did not influence the amount of plasma triglycerides. Treatment with inclusion of 15% of glycerol in the diet resulted higher levels of muscle and liver triglycerides. Treatments with 10 and 15% glycerol showed higher activity of G6PD enzyme, compared to the treatment with 5% of glycerol, however, there was no significant difference among treatments on malic enzyme activity (P>0,05) . It was concluded that Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is able to metabolize dietary glycerol , which is a potential source of energy in diet over the starch.
Supported metals in catalysis

# Preparation of Supported Metal Catalysts (G Mul & J A Moulijn) # Theoretical Description of the Metal-Oxide Interface by First Principle Methods (N Lopez & F Illas) # Characterisation of Supported Metal Catalysts by Spectroscopic Techniques (M Fernandez-Garcia & J A Anderson) # Determination of Dispersion and Supported Metal Crystallite Size (J A Anderson et al.) # Recent Progress in Supported Metal Catalysed C1 Chemistry (A Guerrero-Ruiz & I Rodriguez-Ramos) # Supported Metal Catalysts in Reforming (M Day) # Supported Metals in the Production of Hydrogen (J L G Fierro & M A Pena) # Supported Metals in Vehicle Emission Control (A Martinez-Arias et al.) # Catalysis for Fine Chemicals Manufacture (R P K Wells & P Johnstone)
Temperature dependent electrical characterisation of Pt/HfO2/n-GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) Schottky diodes

This paper reports an improvement in Pt/n-GaN metal-semiconductor (MS) Schottky diode characteristics by the introduction of a layer of HfO2 (5 nm) between the metal and semiconductor interface. The resulting Pt/HfO2/n-GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) Schottky diode showed an increase in rectification ratio from 35.9 to 98.9(@ 2V), increase in barrier height (0.52 eV to 0.63eV) and a reduction in ideality factor (2.1 to 1.3) as compared to the MS Schottky. Epitaxial n-type GaN films of thickness 300nm were grown using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). The crystalline and optical qualities of the films were confirmed using high resolution X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements. Metal-semiconductor (Pt/n-GaN) and metal-insulator-semiconductor (Pt/HfO2/n-GaN) Schottky diodes were fabricated. To gain further understanding of the Pt/HfO2/GaN interface, I-V characterisation was carried out on the MIS Schottky diode over a temperature range of 150 K to 370 K. The barrier height was found to increase (0.3 eV to 0.79 eV) and the ideality factor decreased (3.6 to 1.2) with increase in temperature from 150 K to 370 K. This temperature dependence was attributed to the inhomogeneous nature of the contact and the explanation was validated by fitting the experimental data into a Gaussian distribution of barrier heights. (C) 2015 Author(s).
Pushing the Cycling Stability Limit of Polypyrrole for Supercapacitors

Polypyrrole (PPy) is a promising pseudocapacitive material for supercapacitor electrodes. However, its poor cycling stability is the major hurdle for its practical applications. Here a two‐prong strategy is demonstrated to stabilize PPy film by growing it on a functionalized partial‐exfoliated graphite (FEG) substrate and doping it with β‐naphthalene sulfonate anions (NS−). The PPy electrode achieves a remarkable capacitance retention rate of 97.5% after cycling between −0.8 and 0 V versus saturated calomel electrode for 10 000 cycles. Moreover, an asymmetric pseudocapacitor using the stabilized PPy film as anode also retains 97% of capacitance after 10 000 cycles, which is the best value reported for PPy‐based supercapacitors. The exceptional stability of PPy electrode can be attributed to two factors: 1) the flexible nature of FEG substrate accommodates large volumetric deformation and 2) the presence of immobile NS− dopants suppresses the counterion drain effect during charge–discharge cycling.
Dose rate effects on array CCDs exposed by Co-60 γ rays induce saturation output degradation and annealing tests

The experimental tests of dose rate and annealing effects on array charge-coupled devices (CCDs) are presented. The saturation output voltage (VS) versus the total dose at the dose rates of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, 10.0 and 50 rad(Si)/s are compared. Annealing tests are performed to eliminate the time-dependent effects. The VS degradation levels depend on the dose rates. The VS degradation mechanism induced by dose rate and annealing effects is analyzed. The VS at 20 krad(Si) with the dose rate of 0.03 rad(Si)/s are supplemented to assure the degradation curves between the dose rates of 0.1 and 0.01 rad(Si)/s. The CCDs are divided into two groups, with one group biased and the other unbiased during 60Co γ radiation. The VS degradation levels of the biased CCDs during radiation are more severe than that of the unbiased CCDs.
Kinetic, thermodynamic, and structural transitions in order-disorder alloys and bulk metallic glass-forming alloys

The temperature dependence of equilibrium viscosity or relaxation time reflects an intrinsic property of glass-forming liquids known as fragility. The change in viscosity or relaxation time with temperature exhibiting an Arrhenius-like dependence is classified as being ”strong”; whereas a non-Arrhenius temperature dependence of viscosity or relaxation time is classified as ”fragile”. The origin of large differences in fragility of different substances has not been well understood. This work addresses the following questions about the origin of fragility: how differ strong liquids from fragile liquids, why the fragility of a substance changes under some circumstances, and how the fragility change is related to the changes in thermodynamic properties and structures. First, the glass transitions of the crystalline order-disorder Fe50Co50 and (FeCo)100−xAlx systems are studied. It is found that the thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors of the order-disorder systems mimic an ideal strong liquid with a critical point. With the support from the simulation results for liquid systems, a unified picture of an underlying lambda transition is proposed for understanding strong and fragile classifications. The second approach to understanding fragility is to directly investigate a strong-fragile transition in a strong bulk metallic glass-forming liquid. Electrostatic levitation and the synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques enable the in-situ studies of the structural changes of the metallic liquid over a wide temperature range in the supercooled liquid region. These experimental findings show that the dynamic strong-fragile crossover is associated with sudden structural changes and thermodynamic anomalies, suggesting a weak first-order liquid-liquid transition in the system.
Comparison of small-scale and field-scale saturated hydraulic conductivity : A tale of cores and drains

approved: John S. Selker Saturated hydraulid conductivity (Ks) is a central soil physical property in determining water movement and contaminant transport through soils; hence modeling this system requires an accurate determination of K. Decimeter-scale KS measurements employing cores or infiltrometers are used frequently, but field-scale KS values are required to encompass the full range of operational flow processes. The objective of this study was to determine the utility of small-scale measurements in describing field-scale permeability. Four tile-drained fields in the Willamette Valley, Oregon; were studied for drainage rate and contaminant transport from field-applied chemicals to ground water and surface water. Decimeter-scale Ks was measured using 137 cm3 undisturbed soil cores collected at depths of 30, 60, 90 and 120 cm. Field-scale KS is estimated using a classic solution to the time-dependent non-linear Boussinesq equation developed by Polubarinova-Kochina (P-K) for the shape and evolution of a water table draw down in response to parallel horizontal drains overlaying an impermeable layer. Piezometers were installed along a perpendicular transect crossing two drains to observe water table fluctuations. These data were fitted to the P-K model to determine K. Key observations included a good fit of the observations to the model, and a dramatic permeability increase, exceeding 10 fold, seen at the field-scale compared to the decimeter-scale. This indicates that transport through soils will occur much faster than estimated using decimeter-scale measurements of Ks. The P-K approach is a practical, low cost method to obtain field-scale permeability. Comparison of Small-Scale and Field-Scale Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: A Tale of Cores and Drains
Geometry, Energy, and Some Electronic Properties of Carbon Polyprismanes: Ab Initio and Tight-Binding Study

We report geometry, energy, and some electronic properties of [n,4]- and [n,5]prismanes (polyprismanes): a special type of carbon nanotubes constructed from dehydrogenated cycloalkane C4- and C5-rings, respectively. Binding energies, interatomic bonds, and the energy gaps between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) have been calculated using density functional approach and nonorthogonal tight-binding model for the systems up to thirty layers. It is found that polyprismanes become more thermodynamically stable as their effective length increases. Moreover, they may possess semiconducting properties in the bulk limit.
Use of open‐top chambers to study the effect of climate change in aquatic ecosystems

The aim of this research was to explore the possibility to use inexpensive open‐top chambers (OTCs) as passive artificial warming devices in experimental aquatic studies. Our results show that OTCs give a significant temperature increase compared with the control. The measured increase (up to an average of 2.3°C) corresponds with predicted climatic warming. Due to their open top, the light quantity and quality is only minimally reduced. We found that OTCs are especially suited for studying the effect of climate change in small waters as the vertical temperature gradients remain unchanged. They can also easily be transported to remote environments. We discuss other advantages and disadvantages of these devices for aquatic studies and compare them with other warming devices.
The electronic structure of small nickel atom clusters

The ground state electronic structure of small nickel atom clusters (Nin, n=1–6) has been calculated using the ab initio effective core potential self‐consistent field (SCF) method in a Gaussian expansion basis. The electronic configuration of the nickel atoms in the clusters is found to be very close to 3d94s1. The ground state electronic configurations for Nin generally have n unpaired 3d electrons in molecular orbitals (MO’s) spanning the same irreducible representations as the 4s atomic orbitals while the n 4s electrons fill their MO’s in accord with a simple three‐dimensional Huckel model with overlap. Exceptions to this description are found in the cases of linear systems where the 3d holes prefer δ over σ symmetry and in octahedral Ni6 where a different preferred set of 3d holes is obtained. The SCF ground state wave functions correspond roughly to a model in which the 3d electrons can be viewed as weakly interacting localized 3d9 units. The clusters are bound together primarily by the 4s electrons.
Postoperative Delirium in Older Inpatients: A survey of Nursing Staff Knowledge

Background: Postoperative delirium is common in the elderly and is associated with poor outcome. However, its diagnosis is often missed or delayed. Nursing staff is at the frontline and plays a crucial role in the early detection and management of delirium. This study was designed to explore the knowledge and attitudes of nursing staff about delirium in the scope of an educational program implementation. Subjects and Methods: Qualitative and quantitative analyses conducted in four surgical wards and one intensive care unit in an Academic Hospital in India. A questionnaire was administered to 121 nurses and nursing assistants and semi structured interviews were conducted. Results: A total of 89 questionnaires were completed (response rate of 73.55%). Regarding symptoms, most of the nursing staff knew about disorientation and incoherent speech. However, few knew about acute onset and fluctuation, and the hypoactive form of delirium was virtually unknown. Regarding risk factors, while many knew about dehydration, drug use and the use of physical restraints, few knew about sensory impairment and infection. The staff globally knew about the main prevention measures, but knowledge on patient management was especially poor. Finally, no respondent knew about or used the Confusion Assessment Method. The qualitative analysis revealed a trivialization of delirium onset among older inpatients and the continuity of preconceived ideas on delirium, its diagnosis and its risk factors. Conclusion: This study provides a clearer understanding of staff learning needs and identifies potential issues to be addressed in order to increase future intervention efficacy.
Fractions of Tinospora cordifolia Stem Extract Demonstrate Insulin Secreting Activity In Diabetes Induced Wistar Rats

The objective of the present investigation is to screen two fractions of alcoholic stem extract of Tinospora cordifolia for antidiabetic activity in the diabetes induced Wistar rats. The animals were fasted overnight and diabetes was induced by a single intra-peritoenal (ip) injection of a freshly prepared solution of Streptozotocin (STZ)-55 mg/kg body weight in 0.1 M citrate buffer (pH 4.5). Rats whose serum glucose level measured in the range of = 287- 395 mg/dl were designated as diabetic and selected for experiment. Ethyl acetate soluble fraction (F1) and basic fraction (F4) are orally fed to diabetes induced rats with two different doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight during the tenure of the experiment. Though both fractions showed significant hypoglycemic effect, glycosylated hemoglobin, triglycerides, cholesterol, blood urea, liverglycogen, LDL, VLDL and HDL. F4 performed better and demonstrated antidiabetic properties by enhancing insulin secretion. Present data suggest that the both fractions of T. cordifolia alcoholic stem extract have potential to be used for antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic properties.