Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF CULTURE CONDITIONS FOR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF MARINE - DERIVED FUNGUS ASPERGILLUS FLOCCULOSUS 01NT.1.1.5

The biosynthesis of compounds with antibiotic activity produced by marine fungi, strongly depends on their growth conditions. A good understanding of the role of culture conditions in the biosynthesis of metabolites may lead to better exploitation of microbial metabolites. In this study, the influence of culture conditions including incubation period, initial pH and salinity on antimicrobial activity and secondary metabolites production of marine fungus 01NT.1. 1.5 was investigated. This isolate, obtained from sponge Stylissa sp. in Nha Trang Bay, exhibited a broad spectrum of in vitro antimicrobial activity to Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19111, Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 19433 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. According to morphological characteristics and sequence analysis of 28S rDNA, the fungus was identified as Aspergillus flocculosus. The results indicated that antimicrobial activity and metabolite amount were highest when the fungus was cultivated in rice medium with incubation period of 20 days. The optimum salinity of 35 g/L and initial pH of 6.0 were found for the maximum antibiotic production. The colony growth, antimicrobial activity and production of secondary metabolites of the strain A. flocculosus 01NT.1. 1.5 varied depending on salt concentrations and initial pH of medium. Particularly, extract of this fungus only showed activity against C. albicans when it was cultured in medium with 30-35 g/L salinity and initial pH 4.0-8.0. The results indicate that salinity and initial pH along with cultivation period are important factors inﬂuencing antimicrobial activity and secondary metabolites of A. flocculosus 01NT.1. 1.5, and might be for other marine fungi.
Is there a way to protect human immune cells against nanocytotoxicity?

ABSTRACT The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) prepared by chemical reduction with sodium hypophosphite as a reducing agent and sodium hexametaphosphate as a stabilising agent were highly cytotoxic against human cells (U-937 and HL-60). The aim of the study was to determine the impact of selected antioxidants: ascorbic acid (AA), gallic acid (GA), scavenger (trolox (TX)) and Ag+ chelator (N-acetylcysteine, NAC) on viability, modulation of inflammatory response and apoptosis index of cells treated by AgNPs. Selected protectants added individually or together affects the viability of cells treated by AgNPs (1 mg/L). The mixtures assuring the most efficient defense against AgNPs were: AgNPs + TX + AA, AgNPs + GA + AA, AgNPs + TX + GA + AA and AgNPs + TX + GA + AA + NAC which synergistically interact in the mixture. The greatest reduction in IL-6 and TNF-α levels was found for the mixture containing AgNPs + TX + GA + AA. Mixture of this composition exhibited also the strongest anti-apoptotic effect. Highly cytotoxic AgNPs may not damage human cells if cytoprotectants are present.
Bulk chemical characteristics of soluble polar organic molecules formed through condensation of formaldehyde: Comparison with soluble organic molecules in Murchison meteorite

Carbonaceous chondrites contain up to 2 wt% organic carbon, which is present as acid and solvent insoluble solid organic matter (IOM) and solvent soluble organic matter (SOM). The extraterrestrial organic matter should record chemical processes occurred in different environments in the early history of the Solar System, and the role of parent body aqueous alteration in the synthesis or subsequent modification of IOM and SOM still requires accurate constraints. We conducted hydrothermal experiments to simulate the synthesis of organic molecules during aqueous alteration on small bodies. Bulk chemical characteristics of soluble organic matter synthesized from formaldehyde in aqueous solutions were studied to compare them with that of chondritic SOM. We found that the redox state of synthesized organic molecules depends on temperature; the molecules become richer in hydrogen at higher temperatures. This can be explained by a cross-disproportionation reaction between organic molecules and formic acid, which occurs as a side reaction of the aldol condensation and works more effectively at higher temperatures. Comparison of the bulk chemical characteristics between the synthesized molecules and SOM extracted from the Murchison meteorite with methanol shows that the soluble organic molecules in Murchison are more reduced than the synthesized molecules. Considering the temperature condition for aqueous alteration on the CM parent body that is lower than or equivalent to the experimental temperatures, the reduced nature of Murchison organic molecules requires a reducing environment for them to be formed during hydrothermal alteration or imply that processes other than hydrothermal alteration were responsible for their synthesis. In case of hydrothermal synthesis, reducing conditions might be established by the interaction between water and iron-bearing silicates or metals on the parent body.
Convenient preparation of CsSnI3 quantum dots, excellent stability, and the highest performance of lead-free inorganic perovskite solar cells so far

A novel convenient and efficient approach to produce CsSnI3 QDs through a one-pot synthesis is employed to largely enhance the PCE of lead-free perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). The CsSnI3 QD-based device has the maximum PCE of 5.03%, which is the highest performance for all-inorganic lead-free PVSCs reported so far.
Optimisation of train speed to limit energy consumption

The speed profile of a train plays an important role in energy consumption and resulting costs. The industrial objective of this work is thus to develop a method to reduce the energy consumed by a train over a journey by playing on the driver commands (traction and braking forces) while respecting punctuality constraints. First, a rigid body approach (Lagrangian formalism) is introduced to characterise the dynamics of the train. In particular, the aerodynamic (including the wind effect), traction, and braking forces are taken into account, and a special attention is paid to the vertical and lateral characteristics of the track as they play a key role in the train dynamics. Second, a model for energy consumption and recovery (thanks to dynamic braking) is introduced. Experimental measurements of a high-speed line are then used to estimate the parameters on which the two previous models are based and to validate their predictive capacities. The optimisation problem under constraints is finally solved using an evolutionary algorithm where the constraints are implemented using an augmented Lagrangian formalism. The performance of the proposed method in terms of speed optimisation and energy consumption reduction is compared to measurements associated with commercial trains.
The analysis of fat-soluble vitamins in dairy cow milk by high performance liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and vitamin A precursor β-carotene are essential nutrients for the human body. The analysis of these compounds is difficult due to low levels (ppt - ppm), and physical and chemical similarity to other compounds present in foods. Traditionally, the determinative step uses high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to either ultraviolet-visible (A, D, E and β-carotene) or fluorescence (A and E) detection. The work described in this thesis demonstrates that HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) is a viable alternative due to its superior selectivity and sensitivity, reducing the need for time-consuming sample preparation, and enabling the analysis of several vitamins in a single analytical method. High performance liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-MSn) and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) methods were developed to measure the levels of vitamin D3 in fortified commercial cow’s milk (2 μg/100 ml), unfortified commercial and fresh cow’s milk (0.01-0.05 μg/100 ml). An additional solid phase extraction step enabled the lower levels (<0.1 μg/100 ml) to be measured. 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 was also measured, although the extraction procedure was not fully optimised for this compound. A single HPLC-MSn method suitable for the analysis of all trans-retinol (vitamin A), α- tocopherol (vitamin E) and β-carotene in cow’s milk was also developed. This method was used to measure the effects of different supplementary feeding regimes on the fatsoluble vitamin content of milk from pasture-fed dairy cows. Typical levels were all trans-retinol, 45 μg/100 ml; α-tocopherol, 150 μg/100 ml; and β-carotene, 12 μg/100 ml. The results from the feeding experiment showed reductions in the levels of β-carotene and α-tocopherol in milk due to the feeding of Partial Mixed Rations, most likely due to reduced intake of pasture, which was the major source of these compounds in the cows’ diet.
Polymer Capsules for Enzymatic Catalysis in Confined Environments

Catalysis is at the base of a series of biological and technological application processes. In recent years, the tendency has developed to carry out catalyzed reactions within confined structures, thus forming systems called micro or nanoreactors. Compartmentalized structures are cavities delimited by a wall where specific functions are introduced with a defined concentration and in the desired sites. These containers are generally referred to as nano or microcapsules, assuming the function of reactors in the presence of chemical reactions. Among the various types of existing structures, one of the most interesting is represented by systems made with polymers. This review aims to highlight some of the current advances in the use of functionalized structures that are useful for catalysis reactions, paying particular attention to polymer capsules and enzymes. The built-up methods used for the production of polymer capsules, as well as the aspects that influence membrane permeability and reactivity to environmental conditions, are discussed. Recent advances on biocatalysis confined in polymeric capsules are illustrated, and the strengths and weaknesses of the principal nanoreactors are considered.
Supplementary material to "The Reading Palaeofire database: an expanded global resource to document changes in fire regimes from sedimentary charcoal records"

Abstract. Sedimentary charcoal records are widely used to reconstruct regional changes in fire regimes through time in the geological past. Existing global compilations are not geographically comprehensive and do not provide consistent metadata for all sites. Furthermore, the age models provided for these records are not harmonised and many are based on older calibrations of the radiocarbon ages. These issues limit the use of existing compilations for research into past fire regimes. Here, we present an expanded database of charcoal records, accompanied by new age models based on recalibration of radiocarbon ages using INTCAL2020 and Bayesian age-modelling software. We document the structure and contents of the database, the construction of the age models, and the quality control measures applied. We also record the expansion of geographical coverage relative to previous charcoal compilations and the expansion of metadata that can be used to inform analyses. This first version of the Reading Palaeofire Database contains 1681 records (entities) from 1477 sites worldwide. The database (DOI: 10.17864/1947.319) is available from https://researchdata.reading. ac.uk/id/eprint/319.
The role of iron in Enterococcus faecalis biofilm formation

13 Chapter 1: Introduction and literature review 15 1.1 Emergence of Enterococci 15 1.2 Enterococcus biofilm associated infections 15 1.3 Enterococcus biofilm formation 16 1.3. 1 Quorum sensing systems 16 1.3. 2 Surface attachment 19 1.3. 3 Microcolony formation 20 1.3. 4 Biofilm growth and maturation 21 1.4 Role of transition metals in infection 23 1.5 Host-pathogen competition for iron 24 1.6 Putative iron acquisition systems in Enterococci 25 1.7 Role of iron in Enterococcus physiology 27 1.8 Oxidative stress resilience in Enterococcus physiology 28 1.9 Significance of this study 30 Chapter 2: Extracellular electron transfer powers E. faecalis biofilm metabolism 32 2.1 Statement of contribution 32 2.2 Abstract 33 2.3 Introduction 34 2.4 Materials and methods 36 2.5 Results 44 2.5. 1 Iron supplementation augments E. faecalis biofilm and alters biofilm architecture 44 2.5. 2 E. faecalis biofilm biomass augmentation is a biofilm-specific phenotype 46
Use of Constrained Mixture Design in the Optimization of a Method Based on Extraction Induced by Emulsion Breaking for the Determination of Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn from Palm Oil by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

In this study, it was developed a method for Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn determination in palm oil samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) after ultrasound-assisted emulsification and extraction induced by emulsion breaking (EIEB). Optimization of the method was carried out by a constrained mixture design. The developed method has presented limits of detection (LOD) between 0.012 and 0.057 mg L, limits of quantification (LOQ) between 0.039 and 0.19 mg L and precision was expressed as repeatability (%RSD, n = 10) between 1.8 and 3.2% for the five studied metals. Method accuracy was assessed by the application of recovery tests (87 to 113%) and by comparison of concentration values with the dry ashing method, showing good agreement with the standard method. The developed methodology allows operational simplicity, multi-sample treatment, and low cost when compared with some methods based on decomposition. It was applied in palm oil samples collected in the Bahia State (Brazil). The concentrations (in mg L) found in the samples were: 3.93-13.9 Ca, 0.37-2.26 Mg, > LOQ-0.32 Mn, 1.77-8.57 Fe and 0.38-2.54 Zn.
Polyaniline (PANI)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite as a counter electrode for dye solar cells.

Polyaniline (PANI)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) based transparent counter electrodes have been fabricated for dye sensitized solar cells as an alternative to the expensive platinum (Pt) counter electrodes. Here, the graphene oxide (GO) added during the polymerization of PANI will subsequently reduce to rGO. The concentration of graphene oxide (GO) was varied in PANI matrix to optimize the performance of dye solar cell (DSC). With 1% GO addition in PANI, 9.68% current density was increased, consequently, 13.9% photocurrent density was found to be increased as compared to pure PANI. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) disclosed that the incorporation of 1% GO in PANI caused the double-layer capacitance to increase by 10 times compared to pure PANI. This implies that graphene is capable of enhancing the specific surface area and catalytic capacity of PANI. Optical transparency of PANI-1% GO counter electrode was found to be ∼67% between the wavelengths of 500 to 600 nm. Such transparency enables the construction of bifacial DSCs. Although the photo conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSC with PANI-1% GO counter electrode is still not comparable to the one with Pt counter electrode but it is sufficient to be considered as the replacement as it exhibits good photovoltaic performance and optical characteristics together with an exceptionally low cost material.
Controllable Synthesis of One-Dimensional MoO3 /MoS2 Hybrid Composites with their Enhanced Efficient Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Properties.

One-dimensional MoO3 /MoS2 hybrid composites were synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis, and flexible MoO3 /MoS2 /PVDF nanocomposites could be prepared in a controlled fashion by combining the MoO3 /MoS2 composites with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix. The MoO3 /MoS2 /PVDF hybrids with a low filler content (20 wt %) exhibited distinct microwave absorption properties in the range of 2-18 GHz. The minimum reflection loss can reach -38.5 dB at 8.7 GHz, and the reflection loss was less than -10 dB in the frequency range from 3.03-11.02 GHz with an absorber thickness of 2.0-5.0 mm. The MoO3 /MoS2 /PVDF nanocomposites exhibited better absorption properties than pure MoO3 and MoS2 . The possible microwave absorption mechanism was also discussed in detail.
Response Ranking with Multi-types of Deep Interactive Representations in Retrieval-based Dialogues

Building an intelligent dialogue system with the ability to select a proper response according to a multi-turn context is challenging in three aspects: (1) the meaning of a context–response pair is built upon language units from multiple granularities (e.g., words, phrases, and sub-sentences, etc.); (2) local (e.g., a small window around a word) and long-range (e.g., words across the context and the response) dependencies may exist in dialogue data; and (3) the relationship between the context and the response candidate lies in multiple relevant semantic clues or relatively implicit semantic clues in some real cases. However, existing approaches usually encode the dialogue with mono-type representation and the interaction processes between the context and the response candidate are executed in a rather shallow manner, which may lead to an inadequate understanding of dialogue content and hinder the recognition of the semantic relevance between the context and response. To tackle these challenges, we propose a representation[K]-interaction[L]-matching framework that explores multiple types of deep interactive representations to build context-response matching models for response selection. Particularly, we construct different types of representations for utterance–response pairs and deepen them via alternate encoding and interaction. By this means, the model can handle the relation of neighboring elements, phrasal pattern, and long-range dependencies during the representation and make a more accurate prediction through multiple layers of interactions between the context–response pair. Experiment results on three public benchmarks indicate that the proposed model significantly outperforms previous conventional context-response matching models and achieve slightly better results than the BERT model for multi-turn response selection in retrieval-based dialogue systems.
Development and Characterization of Buccal Film: Tacrolimus as A Model Drug

Buccal drug delivery has become a relevant route of administration. It has got various advantages, masking the firstpass metabolism being the primary one, thus ensuring increased drug bioavailability at the site of action. Tacrolimus,an immunosuppressant, calcineurin inhibitor is the drug of choice. Oral tablet suffers from high first pass metabolismand topical formulations such as ointments readily washout from the site of application. Tacrolimus formulated asmucoadhesive buccal film provided prolonged effect than topical formulations. Films (F1 & F2) were prepared bysolvent casting technique. Chitosan being the best mucoadhesive polymer with wound healing properties increased theretention time of the film at the wound site. HPMC ensured good film property. Propylene glycol was used as plasticizerand citric acid as salivary stimulator and cross linker. The compatibility of drug in the formulation was confirmed byFTIR. Formulated films were subjected to various evaluation parameters, and all the physical parameters were withinthe acceptable limits. In vitro release was found to be better for F1. Ex vivo studies of F1 using goat mucous showed apermeation of 76.5%.
Isotopic signature of core-derived SiO2

Abstract We apply an experimentally based thermodynamic model of Si+O saturation for the core to determine the saturation level of these elements under the conditions when the core formed. The model limits the bulk Si content of the core to between 0.4 and 3.1 wt% depending on the pressure, temperature, and oxygen content of the metal when it segregated from silicate. With knowledge of the core’s Si content, the measured 30Si content of the silicate Earth, and the experimentally determined metal-silicate fractionation factor, we can calculate the core’s δ30Si, which is between –0.92 to –1.36‰. SiO2 cycled through the core and then released into the mantle might be trapped in inclusions in diamond formed in the lower mantle. These would be characterized by significantly lighter δ30Si values of –1.12 ± 0.13‰ (1σ), compared to bulk silicate earth values of –0.29‰ and a potentially key indicator of mass transfer from the core to the mantle.
New Bifunctional Metal–Organic Frameworks and Their Utilization in One-Pot Tandem Catalytic Reactions

Two new metal–organic framework (MOF) compounds were synthesized by a room temperature slow diffusion reaction. The compounds, [Cd3(C8H3SO7)2(C10H8N4)3(C3H7NO)2](C3H7NO)2·(CH3OH)4, I, and [Cd3(C8H3SO7)2(C12H10N4)3(C3H7NO)2](C12H10N4)·(C3H7NO)2, II, have comparable structures formed by Cd-sulfoisopthalate layers cross-linked by bipyridyl linkers forming three-dimensional structures. The compounds have both Lewis acidic (Cd metal centers) as well as basic (azine, free pyridine, and uncoordinated sulfo oxygens) sites, and they exhibited good catalytic activity for one-pot tandem deacetalization–Knoevenagel condensation reactions. The compounds exhibit catalytic activity both in the presence of a solvent as well as in solvent-free conditions. Compound I also exhibits good proton conductivity at room temperature.
Reverse engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK strains for growth in synthetic glycerol medium and the characterization of glycerol positive promoters

In the past decade, the use of biodiesel as a fuel was considered as an alternative to reduce reliance on fossil resources and the resulting greenhouse effect. During biodiesel production, glycerol is generated as a by-product in excess. The economy of biodiesel industry is thus expected to benefit from the valorization of glycerol. One of the valorization avenues is employing glycerol as a substrate in microbial bioprocesses. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a popular cell-factory in industrial biotechnology and a suitable chassis in synthetic biology. This status is the result of many factors, such as the vast knowledge available regarding the physiology and genetics of this species, the intense experience with this organism in industrial fermentations, S. cerevisiae’s robustness under process conditions, and the ease to genetically engineer this microorganism. Using glycerol as a carbon source for growing S. cerevisiae would bring about several assets for yeast-based bioprocesses. On one hand, glycerol does not trigger Crabtree effect in S. cerevisiae, which is in favor of bioprocesses aiming at high biomass production or biomass-associated products. On the other hand, glycerol is more reduced than sugars, which would be an advantage for the production of small-molecule compounds with a high degree of reduction. One of the main objectives of this thesis was to better understand glycerol utilization in S. cerevisiae and identify the underlying determinants for the better growth of certain strains on glycerol. The major focus was set on improving strains of the popular CEN.PK strain family. Another goal of the thesis was to provide thoroughly characterized S. cerevisiae promoters for the given cultivation conditions. Such information is required for achieving optimal metabolic engineering outcomes if glycerol is to be used as the sole carbon source.