Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and characterization of silver substituted strontium phosphate silicate apatite using solid-state reaction for osteoregenerative applications

ABSTRACT Strontium phosphosilicate is one of the fastest-growing apatite in bone regeneration application due to the presence of strontium and silica components in the parent materials. However, bacterial infections cause setbacks to the bone regeneration process often leading to surgical revisions, and is a big issue that needs to be addressed. Silver on this front has proven to be a great substituent as seen in the case of calcium phosphate–based ceramics that addresses the bactericidal properties of a biomaterial. Apatite strontium phosphosilicate substituted with a stoichiometric amount of silver as a dopant was synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The phase formation was characterized by XRD and FT-IR coupled with morphological features visualized using Electron Microscopy. Antibacterial properties were investigated quantitatively using Colony-forming unit method against both Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria. Cytotoxicity assay was performed against MG-63 Cell lines and it showed excellent biocompatibility at 25ug/ml with optimal doping of 2% silver. Further, apatite seeding and formation were characterized after immersion in simulated body fluid solution which showed apatite phase formation initiated after 4 days of treatment characterized by XRD and FT-IR studies. This apatite formation was also visualized and confirmed using SEM.
A glimpse of the genetics of young‐onset Parkinson’s disease in Central Asia

Knowledge of the genetic background of many human diseases is currently lacking from genetically undiscovered regions, including Central Asia. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country where the genetic studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been emerging since it had become a member of the International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium. Here we report on the results of whole‐exome sequencing (WES) in 50 young‐onset PD (YOPD) cases from Kazakhstan.
Seaweed polysaccharide mitigates intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli through NF-κB pathway suppression in porcine intestinal epithelial cells.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanism of seaweed polysaccharide (SWP) on intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction induced by E. coli in an IPEC-J2 model. A preliminary study was done to screen optimum SWP concentrations by cell viability, cytotoxicity, apoptosis and proliferation evaluation. The regular study was conducted to evaluate the protective effects of SWP against E. coli challenge via the analysis of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), tight junction proteins, NF-κB signalling pathway, proinflammatory cytokines and the E. coli adhesion and invasion. Our results show that 4 h E. coli challenge down-regulated tight junction proteins expression, decreased TEER, activated NF-κB signalling pathway and increased proinflammatory response, which indicates that the E. coli infection model was well-established. Pre-treatment with 240 μg/ml SWP for 24 h alleviated the 4 h E. coli -induced intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction, as evidenced by the up-regulated expression of Occludin, Claudin-1 and ZO-1 at both mRNA and protein level and the increased TEER of IPEC-J2 cells. Pre-incubation with 240 μg/ml SWP for 24 h inhibited the activation of the NF-κB signalling pathway by 4 h E. coli challenge, including the decreased mRNA expression of TLR-4, MyD88, IκBα, p-65, as well as the reduced ratio of protein expression of p-p65/p65. Also, pre-treatment with 240 μg/ml SWP for 24 h decreased proinflammatory response (IL-6 and TNF-α) induced by 4 h E. coli challenge and decreased the E. coli adhesion and invasion. In conclusion, SWP mitigated intestinal barrier dysfunction caused by E. coli through NF-κB pathway in IPEC-J2 cells and 240 μg/ml SWP exhibited better effect. Our results also provide a fundamental basis for SWP in reducing post-weaning diarrhoea of weaned piglets, especially under E. coli -infected or in-feed antibiotic-free conditions.
A continuous and clean one-step synthesis of nano-particulate Ce1−xZrxO2 solid solutions in near-critical water

Gram-scale quantities of microcrystalline powdered CeO2–ZrO2 solid solutions can be produced continuously in a near-critical water flow reactor at ca. 300 °C and 25 MPa; rapid hydrothermal co-precipitation leads to nano-particulate Ce1−xZrxO2 (x = 0 to 1), the composition of which is merely determined by the initial concentrations of Ce4+ and Zr4+ ions in the starting solution.
Metal ion binding by humic acid : Application of the NICA-Donnan model

A Donnan-type model for nonspecific binding of electrolyte ions has been combined with the non-ideal competitive adsorption (NICA) model for specific binding to produce a model for ion binding to humic substances. The model considers site heterogeneity, non-ideality, multicomponent competition, and electrostatic interactions. The NICA-Donnan model was fitted to data for H, Ca, Cd, Cu, and Pb binding by a purified peat humic acid. The model fits were good and covered a wide range of pH and free metal concentrations. The parameters from these single metal data sets were then used to predict the competitive effect of Ca on Cd and Cu binding at various pHs. These predictions agreed well with the experimental data although there were some small but systematic differences. The new NICA-Donnan model also predicted reasonably well the increase in Cd and Cu binding on changing from a 0.1 M KNO3 background electrolyte to 0.01 M KNO3. A shortcoming of the model is that in some cases it significantly underestimated t.
Dynamic Lithium Intercalation/Deintercalation in 18650 Lithium Ion Battery by Time-Resolved High Energy Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction

Atime-resolvedinsituhighenergysynchrotronX-raydiffraction(HESXRD)techniqueisemployedtostudythelithiation/delithiationofcathode/anodeinacommercial18650batteryunderrealworkingcondition(currentrateis4C). Thephasesandtheirchangesinboththecathodeandanodeareidentiﬁedsimultaneously. Fortheanodecomponent,duringthechargeprocess,aswellastheLi x C 6 phase, a lithium-rich phase close to LiC 6 phase and a series of intermediate phases between the Li 0.5 C 6 and LiC 6 phases are observed. A distinct lithium intercalation/deintercalation mechanism is proposed for the cathode. The transforms of LiFePO 4 into the FePO 4 consists three periods with different components of phases, i.e., LiFePO 4 + lithium-deﬁcient solid solution phases (period I ), FePO 4 + LiFePO 4 phases (period II ), and FePO 4 + lithium-rich solid solution phases (period III ). The changes in both the andode and cathode during the discharge process are just inversed to those occurrs during the charge process. The present work indicates that dynamic lithiation/delithaition process under real working condition is different from those at the thermodynamic state, and the in situ HESXRD is one of the most promising technique to monitor such kind of dynamic lithium behavior. The charge/discharge process in both the cathode and anode of a commercial 18650 lithium ion battery has been studied by in situ HESXRD technique under a current of 4.4 A (4 C). The results of the identiﬁcation of phases and their changes on the graphite anode provide further evidences to the conclusion we reported previously 38 that the intercalation/de-intercalation process under high current den- sity follows a non-stage mechanism. With a shorten exposure time, a more distinct lithium intercalation/deintercalation mechanism in cathode is proposed in which the lithation/delithiation of lithium com-prises three periods, i.e., LiFePO 4 + lithium-deﬁcient solid solution phases (period I ), FePO 4 + LiFePO 4 phases (period II ), and FePO 4 + lithium-rich solid solution phases (period III ). The above mechanisms observed in the present work are different from those reported in the literature, and they can be ascribed to the lithium behaviors in the dynamic non-equilibrium state under high current density we applied, being contrastive to those in the thermodynamic equilibrium state. The in situ HESXRD technique, as shown in this work, is proved to be a very promising powerful tool for the studies on battery under real working condition.
Multidimensional quantum propagation with the help of coupled coherent states

A previous initial value coupled coherent state (CCS) representation is applied to Gaussian wave packet propagation on multidimensional Henon Heiles potentials. Solutions of the time-dependent integro-differential Schrodinger equation are obtained in a basis of trajectory guided Frozen Gaussian Coherent States, with Monte Carlo sampling to ensure a unique capability for propagating multidimensional wave functions. Results, which are obtained for up to 14 D, are compared with those derived by the Herman–Kluk semiclassical initial value representation (IVR) wave packet method.
The effect of the type of surgery performed due to prostate cancer on preoperative patient anxiety, a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE Anxiety level in prostate cancer patients is common due to the increase in the incidence of prostate cancer diagnosis. We aimed to search for answers to the following questions such as whether there is preoperative anxiety in patients who will be operated for prostate cancer, what are the risk factors that may cause disease-induced anxiety and the type of surgery especially does robotic surgery reduce patient anxiety. METHOD The patients who were taken into operation were divided into 2 groups as Open Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy-Group 1 and Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy-Group 2. Age, active surveillance history, preoperative prostate spesific antigen (PSA) level, prostate biopsy pathology result, time between prostate biopsy and operation, state and trait anxiety scores of these patients were recorded. RESULT The study was conducted with a total of 149 patients; 61 patients in Group 1 and 88 patients in Group 2. The presence of active surveillance history, time between prostate biopsy and operation and state and trait anxiety levels were not found to be significant between both groups. However, it was concluded that the patients in Group 2 were significantly younger and operated with lower PSA and Gleason scores. The type of surgery had no effect on anxiety levels. CONCLUSION Preoperative information about the surgical procedure was found to be an effective factor in reducing anxiety. Regardless of the type of surgery we recommend that patients' anxiety should be reduced by explaining the surgical procedure to patients enough and in a way that they can understand.
Smartphones for Remote Symptom Monitoring of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a complex and heterogeneous condition, and there are many gaps in the medical community’s scientific and practical understanding of the disease. Closing these gaps relies on objective data about symptoms and signs, collected over long durations. Smartphones contain sensor devices which can be used to remotely capture behavioral signals. From these signals, computational algorithms can distill metrics of symptom severity and progression. This brief review introduces the main concepts of the discipline, addressing the experimental, hardware and software logistics, and computational analysis. The article finishes with an exploration of future prospects for the technology.
Pregnancy outcomes among women with class III obesity with normal early glucola

Abstract Background Because obese women are at increased risk for insulin resistance and development gestational diabetes (GDM), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends early GDM screening in this population. For obese women with a normal early 1-hour 50 g oral glucose challenge test (eGCT), the risk of developing GDM later in the pregnancy is unknown. Thus, we aimed to assess the risk of developing gestational diabetes based on the value of a normal eGCT. Study Design Retrospective cohort of non-anomalous singleton pregnancies with maternal body mass index (BMI) ≥40 at the time of entry to prenatal care at a single institution from 2013 to 2017. Pregnancies with abnormal early 1-hour 50 g glucose challenge test (eGCT), multiple gestation, late entry to care, type 1 or 2 diabetes, and missing diabetes-screening information are excluded. Primary outcome was development of GDM. Secondary outcomes include fetal growth restriction, macrosomia, gestational age at delivery, large for gestational age, delivery BMI, total weight gain in pregnancy, induction of labor, shoulder dystocia, and cesarean delivery. Bivariate statistics compare demographics, pregnancy complications and delivery characteristics of women who had an eGCT≤ 100 mg/dL (low-normal eGCT) and women who had an eGCT of 101–134 mg/dL (high-normal eGCT). Regression models used to estimate odds of primary outcome. Results Of 169 women, 66(39%) had a low-normal eGCT, and 103(61%) had a high-normal eGCT. Women in the low-normal eGCT group were more likely to use recreational drugs (p = 0.03), other baseline demographics did not differ. The rate of GDM was low in this population (5.3%), with no difference in the rate of GDM between with a low-normal eGCT (1.5%) and high-normal eGCT (7.7%) (p = 0.09). The median neonatal birthweight was higher in the high-normal GCT group (3405 g) as compared to the low-no GCT (3285 g) (p = 0.03). Conclusions Among women with class 3 obesity, the specific value of an early normal GCT was not associated with developing gestational diabetes mellitus later in the pregnancy. Larger studies are needed confirm these findings.
A review of ASTM D7979 for the analysis of Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in Non-potable water by Co-solvation with methanol and using liquid Chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry.

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances are large class of man-made compounds known in the media as "forever chemicals". In 2015, ASTM International published ASTM D7979, for the analysis of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in non-potable water samples. This method extracts the substances by co-solvation with methanol and measures targeted compounds using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry. ASTM D7979 is a performance-based method that analyzes 31 compounds plus 14 isotopically labeled surrogates. The minimum reporting limit is approximately 10 ng/L with an analytical range of 10 - 200 ng/L for most compounds. Expected recovery of surrogates and spiked matrices is 70 - 130%. Samples containing high suspended solids can be analyzed with minimal interferences and potential loss of analyte. The method is consistent with ASTM and EPA's sustainable development goals by using reduced volumes of sample, solvent, and minimizing hazardous solvents and sample preparation materials while maintaining data quality and detection limits that are suitable for the intended use. This paper covers the rationale, outlines some of the challenges associated with analysis of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, and describes the steps taken by the ASTM Committee D19 task group to develop, optimize, and validate this unique method. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Strategies for chemical modification of graphene and applications of chemically modified graphene

Graphene's unique thermal, electric and mechanical properties originate from its structure, including being single-atom thick, two-dimensional and extensively conjugated. These structural elements endow graphene with advantageous thermal, electric and mechanical properties. However, the application of graphene is challenged by issues of production, storage and processing. Therefore, the stabilization and modification of graphene have attracted extensive interest. In this review we summarize the strategies for chemical modification of graphene, the influence of modification and the applications in various areas. Generally speaking, chemical modification can be achieved via either covalent or non-covalent interactions. Covalent modifications often destroy some of the graphene conjugation system, resulting in compromising some of its properties. Therefore, in this review we focus mainly on the non-covalent modification methodologies, e.g. π–π stacking interactions and van der Waals force, because the non-covalent modifications are believed to preserve the natural structure and properties. We also discuss the challenges associated with the production, processing and performance enhancement. Future perspectives for production of graphene in large size with fewer defects and under milder conditions are discussed along with the manipulation of graphene's electric, mechanical and other properties.
Maternal supplementation with Bacillus altitudinis spores improves porcine offspring growth performance and carcass weight

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding Bacillus altitudinis spores to sows and/or offspring on growth and health indicators. On day (D) 100 of gestation, twenty-four sows were selected and grouped as: control (CON), fed with a standard diet; and probiotic (PRO), fed the standard diet supplemented with B. altitudinis WIT588 spores from D100 of gestation until weaning. Offspring (n 144) from each of the two sow treatments were assigned to either a CON (no probiotic) or PRO (B. altitudinis-supplemented) treatment for 28 d post-weaning (pw), resulting in four treatment groups: (1) CON/CON, non-probiotic-supplemented sow/non-probiotic-supplemented piglet; (2) CON/PRO, non-probiotic-supplemented sow/probiotic-supplemented piglet; (3) PRO/CON, probiotic-supplemented sow/non-probiotic-supplemented piglet and (4) PRO/PRO, probiotic-supplemented sow/probiotic-supplemented piglet. B. altitudinis WIT588 was detected in the faeces of probiotic-supplemented sows and their piglets, and in the faeces and intestine of probiotic-supplemented piglets. Colostrum from PRO sows had higher total solids (P = 0·02), protein (P = 0·04) and true protein (P = 0·05), and lower lactose (P < 0·01) than colostrum from CON sows. Maternal treatment improved offspring feed conversion ratio at D0–14 pw (P < 0·001) and increased offspring body weight at D105 and D127 pw (P = 0·01), carcass weight (P = 0·05) and kill-out percentage (P < 0·01). It also increased small intestinal absorptive capacity and impacted the haematological profile of sows and progeny. There was little impact of pw treatment on any of the parameters measured. Overall, the lifetime growth benefits in the offspring of B. altitudinis-supplemented sows offer considerable economic advantages for pig producers in search of alternatives to in-feed antibiotics/zinc oxide.
Reactive extraction of 6-aminopenicillanic acid with aliquat-336: Equilibrium and kinetics

On a etudie l'extraction reactive de l'acide 6-aminopenicillanique d'une solution tampon aqueuse a l'aide d'un echangeur d'anions liquide, le chlorure d'ammonium trialkylmethyl (Aliquat-336) dans du n-butyl acetate comme solvant. La constante d'equilibre d'extraction et le coefficient de partage augmentent avec le pH jusqu'a une valeur limitante du pH, au-dela de laquelle l'extraction diminue en raison de la coextraction de OH - et des anions tampons ainsi que de la decomposition hydrolytique de 6-APA. Les donnees experimentales peuvent etre exprimees a partir d'un modele d'equilibre qui tient compte du comportement ideal des deux phases liquides. La coextraction de l'anion tampon dans de faibles conditions de pH s'avere negligeable. Il apparait que la vitesse d'extraction mesuree dans une cellule agitee de surface interfaciale constante depend du transfert de matiere interfacial des especes reactives et de la reaction interfaciale par l'entremise de la concentration de 6-APA dans les phases aqueuse et organique respectivement.
Towards an information semantic interoperability in smart manufacturing systems: contributions, limitations and applications

ABSTRACT One of the paradigms of Industry 4.0 is the quick answer of companies over changes on customer’s necessities. This can only be achieved when an efficient vertical and horizontal integration occurs across manufacturing systems. However, thousands of heterogeneous information must be exchanged across the process and semantic interoperability obstacles are identified for an effective communication. This research aims to identify the main bibliographical references that deal with horizontal and vertical integration to support a semantic interoperable manufacturing system. Also, it is proposed a preliminary approach to support a semantic interoperable horizontal and vertical integration across Smart Manufacturing Systems. A total of 732 articles were found and applying exclusion criteria the number went down to 31. A classification based on the subjects that each article contained was applied resulting in seven main works for the research themes. According to the analysis of the main works, the preliminary architecture was proposed using the semantic web approach and the formal rules. Although this research does not evaluate the performance of the solution proposed, it was evident that this field has new perspectives on future research opportunities to cope with the semantic information interoperability in multiple integration levels of manufacturing systems.
Using Integrative Biology to Infer Adaptation from Comparisons of Two (or a Few) Species

Phylogenetic comparative methods represent a major advance in integrative and comparative biology and have allowed researchers to rigorously test for adaptation in a macroevolutionary framework. However, phylogenetic comparative methods require trait data for many species, which is impractical for certain taxonomic groups and trait types. We propose that the philosophical principle of severity can be implemented in an integrative framework to generate strong inference of adaptation in studies that compare only a few populations or species. This approach requires (1) ensuring that the study system contains species that are relatively closely related; (2) formulating a specific, clear, overarching hypothesis that can be subjected to integrative testing across levels of biological organization (e.g., ecology, behavior, morphology, physiology, and genetics); (3) collecting data that avoid statistical underdetermination and thus allow severe tests of hypotheses; and (4) systematically refining and refuting alternative hypotheses. Although difficult to collect for more than a few species, detailed, integrative data can be used to differentiate among several potential agents of selection. In this way, integrative studies of small numbers of closely related species can complement and even improve on broadscale phylogenetic comparative studies by revealing the specific drivers of adaptation.
Construction of Bond‐Centered Wannier Functions for Silicon Valence Bands

Bond-centered Wannier functions are constructed for the valence bands of silicon by a direct superposition of the Bloch functions whose phases are chosen on physical grounds. The Bloch functions are calculated using the linear muffin-tin orbitals method within the local density approximation. The resulting four Wannier functions per unit cell are equivalent to one another. Each is localized on a bond-center, has the Γ1 symmetry of the D3d group, and falls off exponentially. Bindungszentrierte Wannierfunktionen fur die Valenzbander von Silizium werden durch direkte Uberlagerung der Blochfunktionen konstruiert. Die Phasen der Blochfunktionen werden aufgrund physikalischer Uberlegungen gewahlt. Die Blochfunktionen werden unter Verwendung der Linear-Muffin-Tin-Orbital (LMTO)-Methode innerhalb der lokalen Approximation der Dichtefunktionaltheorie berechnet. Die resultierenden vier Wannierfunktionen pro Einheitszelle sind aquivalent. Jede ist an einem Bindungszentrum lokalisiert, hat die Γ1-Symmetrie der D3d-Gruppe und fallt exponentiell ab.