Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ozone Therapy in Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients: Clinical Evolution and Oxidative Stress Behavior in Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients Treated with Ozone Therapy over 20 Years

Retinitis pigmentosa is characterized by bad night vision, decrease of visual field and/or acuity. The aim of this article is to assess ozone therapy's efficacy in these patients, treated twice a year over 20 years. Forty patients received ozone via the rectal way, during 20 sessions as the only treatment, with repetition of this cycle every 6 months, and 16 received other medical treatments (control group). A significant decrease of the visual field in the control group in respect to the ozone group was observed after 20 years of treatment. In the ozone group, 50% of patients improved their visual field, accompanied with homeostasis in redox state. It is recommended to apply ozone therapy at 6-month intervals in order to maintain visual capabilities. The opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the International Ozone Association, the editors, Editorial Board, or Taylor & Francis. Readers are to make their own decisions with regard to the work presented. These medical articles are enclosed, as in the past, as a service to the members of the IOA interested in medical applications.
Electrocatalytic Properties of Heme Proteins in Layer‐by‐Layer Films Assembled with SiO2 Nanoparticles

Electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties of heme proteins, including myoglobin (Mb), hemoglobin (Hb), and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), in layer-by-layer films assembled with SiO2 nanoparticles were investigated at pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrodes. The stable layer-by-layer {SiO2/protein}n films showed a pair of well-defined, nearly reversible cyclic voltammetric peaks at about −0.25 V (vs. SCE) at pH 5.5, characteristic of the protein heme FeIII/FeII redox couples. The proteins in the films displayed good electrocatalytic activities toward various substrates such as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, trichloroacetic acid, and nitrite, and showed a potential applicability in fabricating the new kind of biosensors without using mediators. Electrochemical parameters of the protein films such as apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ks) and formal potential (E°′) were estimated by square-wave voltammetry and nonlinear regression analysis. The influencing factors like the number of bilayer and the pH of external solution were also investigated.
Effect of intercalated hydrotalcite on swelling and mechanical behavior for poly(acrylic acid-co-N-isopropylacrylamide)/hydrotalcite nanocomposite hydrogels

A series of nanocomposite hydrogels were prepared from acrylic acid (AA), N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), and intercalated hydrotalcite (IHT) by photopolymerization. The influence of the intercalating content of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) in HT on the swelling and mechanical properties for poly(AA-co-NIPAAm)/IHT nanocomposite hydrogels was investigated. The results showed that the higher the content of the AMPS-HT was, the higher the swelling ratio of the gels and the higher the content of the intercalating agent was, the lower swelling ratio. It was also demonstrated that the swelling ratio of the gel was not affected by the counterion in HT. The gel strength and crosslinking density were not enhanced by adding AMPS-HT into the gel composition, but the maximum effective crosslink density and shear modulus of the nanocomposite hydrogels were increased with an increase of the content of the intercalating agent in HT. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1572–1580, 2005
A Comparative Study on the Removability of Different Ozone-Produced Oxidants by Activated Carbon Filtration

A comparative study about the removability of four potentially harmful ozone-produced oxidants (free bromine, bromamines, free chlorine and chloramines) by activated carbon filtration was performed under identical conditions in small-scale filter experiments. Removability was high and similar among the oxidants with the exception of chloramines which showed the least removability. Results proved activated carbon filtration to be very efficient in removing the dominating brominated oxides formed during the ozonation of natural and most artificial seawaters. In contrast, removability of chloramines, sometimes present in ozonated bromide-free artificial saltwater, was shown to be significantly lower. To improve removal of persistent chloramines by activated carbon filtration, a comparative evaluation of 3 different activated carbon types was conducted. Granulated activated carbon on coal basis was suggested to be the most cost-effective carbon for removing chloramines as it possessed highest removal capacity, while being the cheapest of the carbons tested.
Silver and Indium Oxide Codoped TiO 2 Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Metallic silver and semiconductor indium oxide codoped titania nanocomposites were prepared by a one-step sol−gel-solvothermal method in the presence of a triblock copolymer surfactant (P123). The resulting Ag/In 2O 3−TiO 2 three-component systems mainly exhibited an anatase phase structure, high crystallinity, and extremely small particle sizes with metallic Ag particles well-distributed on the surface. Compared with pure anatase TiO 2, the Ag/In 2O 3−TiO 2 systems showed narrowing of the band gap due to the change in the band position caused by the contribution of the In 5s5p orbits to the conduction band. By tuning loadings of Ag or In 2O 3 and molar ratios of titanium source to the surfactant, size and dispersion of the product particles can be controlled. As-prepared Ag/In 2O 3−TiO 2 nanocomposites were used as the photocatalysts to degrade dye rhodamine B (RB) and methyl ter-butyl ether (MTBE) in the liquid phase. At 2.0% Ag and 1.9% In 2O 3 doping, the Ag/In 2O 3−TiO 2 system exhibited the highest .
Gold nanocluster-enhanced peroxynitrous acid chemiluminescence for high selectivity sensing of nitrite

Peroxynitrous acid (ONOOH) produced by online mixing of nitrite and acidified hydrogen peroxide could induce weak chemiluminescence (CL). A stronger chemiluminescence was observed in the presence of gold nanoclusters (Au NCs). This novel CL system was developed as a flow-injection method for the nitrite determination directly and conveniently. This method was achieved in acidic medium, which greatly improved its selectivity. The CL mechanism of the peroxynitrous acid–gold nanocluster system was investigated using CL spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and radical scavengers. The enhanced CL could be attributed to the catalysis of Au nanoclusters. The proposed method has been applied to determine nitrite in water samples with good accuracy and precision.
Stereoselective synthesis of the polar part of mycestericins E and G

Abstract5-O-(t-Butyldimethylsilyl)-3-deoxy-3-C-hydroxymethyl-1,2-O-isopropylidene-3-(methoxycarbonylamino)-α-d-xylofuranose IV has been proved to be an appropriate building block in the stereoselective synthesis of methyl (4S)-4-[(1′R)-1′-acetoxy-4′-oxobutyl]-3-benzyl-2-oxooxazolidine-4-carboxylate III representing the polar part of the naturally occurring mycestericins E and mycestericins G.
New features in space-charge-limited-photocurrent transients

Abstract We present a theory of space-charge limited photocurrent transients generated by an instantaneous light pulse, in which the realistic absorption profile of the photogenerated charge is taken into account. This theory allows us to explain the following features, all observed experimentally but not predicted by the standard space-charge-limited-current theory: (a) the appearance of an initial current spike related to the screening of the electric field in the generation region; (b) a stronger light intensity dependence of the transit time and current caused by a decrease in the effective sample thickness; (c) the appearance of another kink in the space-charge-limited photocurrent transient related to the full charge reservoir extraction, which may be useful for investigation of the recombination losses in the generation region of, for example, hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells.
n-La2Ti2O7/p-LaCrO3: a novel heterojunction based composite photocatalyst with enhanced photoactivity towards hydrogen production

Heterojunction based photocatalytic systems are known for their inbuilt ability to separate photogenerated charge carriers. In view of this, a series of La2Ti2O7/LaCrO3 heterojunction based photocatalysts are prepared by a solid state method and the activity is measured for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 400 nm). The prepared photocatalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, BET surface area and photoelectrochemical measurements. The XRD, HRTEM and photoelectrochemical measurements support the formation of the heterojunction. The mechanism for the enhancement of the photoactivity is established with the help of photoelectrochemical measurements and Mulliken electronegativity concepts. The synergetic effect of both La2Ti2O7 and LaCrO3 successfully retards electron hole recombination, resulting in enhanced activity of the heterojunction system.
N,N-Diethyl-p-phenylenediamine effectiveness in analysis of polysulfides and polythionates in water

Environmental context. The importance of hydrogen sulfide as well as some of the reduced sulfur species such as polysulfides as environmental pollutants is a result of their toxicity, unpleasant odour, and their reactivity with metals and metallic ions found in various environmental samples. Although known to be popular, the effectiveness of N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine and other related compounds in the spectrophotometric analysis of such sulfur compounds in water as well as in other environmental samples has not been fully investigated. Our results show that although the quantification of simple sulfides in the environmental samples may be easily accomplished spectrophotometrically by using N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine, the level of difficulty in analysing such compounds may increase with their increasing sulfur chain. Abstract. The analysis of polysulfides, polythionates and other sulfur species likely to be found in poorly aerated environmental samples such as water is presented. In-depth spectrophotometric testing carried out using N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine shows that the well known acidification-and-purge method is not sufficiently suitable for the analysis of polysulfides and other low oxidation-state sulfur compounds that contain a sulfur chain longer than two. Further, this study finds that the use of chromium(II) which acts as a reducing agent to the sulfur-containing compounds improves the spectrophotometric analysis of the polysulfides and polythionates in water, but only slightly. The extent of reduction of polysulfides and polythionates to sulfide by chromium appears dependent upon the oxidation state of sulfur as well as the chain length in the polysulfidic compounds.
Selective Determination of Mercury(II) Ion in Water by Solvent Extraction Followed by Reversed‐Phase HPLC

Abstract A selective determination method for mercury(II) ion in water by reversed‐phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. A water sample of 5 mL was put into a 10‐mL centrifuge tube with a stopper. Then, 1 mL of 2‐mol/L (M) acetate buffer solution of pH 5.5 was added into the centrifuge tube. After mixing the contents, 1 mL of 0.5 M tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBA‐Br) solution and 0.3 mL of 1‐octanol were added. A mercury ion was extracted into an organic layer by shaking the contents for 10 min. The organic layer of 8 µL was injected into a C18 column with an eluent of methanol/water/0.5 M TBA‐Br (65:31:4, v/v), and the effluent was monitored at 255 nm. The detected mercury compound was estimated as [(TBA+)2 · HgBr4 2−]0. The correlation coefficient of the calibration curves (metal concentration vs. peak area), obtained with 5 mL of mercury standard, was more than 0.999 over the range of 10 ng/mL (ppb) to 10 µg/mL (ppm). The detection limit of Hg ion in a 5‐mL solution was 0.8 ppb, which corresponded to three times the standard deviation of the blank peak area. Reproducibilities (RSD) of peak areas for 5‐, 0.5‐, and 0.05‐ppm Hg ion were 1.8%, 0.6%, and 0.6%, respectively (N = 5). Recovery tests were carried out by the presented HPLC method with spiked river water samples. The recoveries for 5‐, 0.5‐, and 0.05‐ppm Hg ion were 99.5%, 102.9%, and 99.8%, respectively. Effects of foreign ions on the method were investigated with 0.2‐ppm Hg standard and 55 metal ions. Tolerance limits of Be(II) and Sc(III) were 20 ppm, and those of Bi(III) and Pd(II) were 40 ppm. The other metal ions of 100 ppm, or more, did not interfere with the determination of mercury(II) ion.
Preparation and Characterization of a Metal-Complexing Imprinted Polymer for Improved Quercetin Recognition

This paper describes the rational design and testing of a new metal-complexing imprinted polymer with enhanced selectivity for Quercetin (Quercetin is a kind of flavonoid which is an important active ingredient of Chinese herbs.). The complex of Quercetin and Cu(II) (Qu-Cu) was used as a template molecule and the mixed solution of methanol and tetrahydrofuran was used as the porogenic solvent. UV–visible spectra was useful to assess the rational ratio of Quercetin to Cu(II). And the evaluation of the various polymers by binding assays revealed that the optimal ratio of the functional monomer to the template was 4:1. The effect of porogenic solvent on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and equilibrium binding experiments. MIPs were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR). The adsorption behavior for substrates indicated that compared with Quercetin’s structural analogs (Rutin and Naringenin), MIPs exhibited significant adsorption selectivity for Qu in the presence of Cu(II). The separation factors were 5.38 and 7.23, respectively.
Targeted Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Conformational Change-Application to the T ↔ R Transition in Insulin

Abstract A novel method to calculate transition pathways between two known protein conformations is presented. It is based on a molecular dynamics simulation starting from one conformational state as initial structure and using the other for a directing constraint. The method is exemplified with the T ↔ R transition of insulin. The most striking difference between these conformational states is that in T the 8 N-terminal residues of the B chain are arranged as an extended strand whereas in R they are forming a helix. Both the transition from T to R and from R to T were simulated. The method proves capable of finding a continuous pathway for each direction which are moderately different. The refolding processes are illustrated by a series of transient structures and pairs of O, ψ angles selected from the time course of the simulations. In the T → R direction the helix is formed in the →last third of the transition, while in the R → T direction it is preserved during more than half of the simulation period.
Postulated electrocyclic reactions leading to endiandric acid and related natural products

It is postulated that racemic endiandric acid is formed from a phenyl polyene acid (2; n= 0) in three successive electrocyclic reactions: this is supported by the additional isolation from E. introrsa of the related racemic acids (7; n= 1) and (8).
Correlations of Static Balance and Star Excursion Balance Test With Selected Anthropometric Variables in Inter-University Archery Players

Archery is considered as a static sport that requires strength and endurance of the upper body, especially the arms, waist and shoulder. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the static balance and star excursion balance test in 93 purposely selected Indian national archery players (51 male and 42 female) aged 16-25 years and to search their correlations with selected anthropometric variables. The samples were collected from various archery academies in Mumbai, Maharashtra. An adequate number of controls (n = 101, 51 males, 50 females) were also taken from the same place for comparison. A total of six anthropometric variables i.e. height, weight, BMI, % body fat, biceps skinfold and triceps skinfold; and two balance tests such as standing balance test and star excursion balance test (both left and right legs) were measured on each subject. In results, One way ANOVA showed significant between-group differences (p<0.001) in all variables except left standing balance test among these four sets of population. In Indian national archery players, static balance test (both left and right legs) had significant negative correlations (p<0.035 – 0.001) with triceps skinfold, whereas star excursion balance test (both left and right legs) had significant negative correlations (p<0.010–0.005) with weight only. From the findings of the present study it might be concluded that standing balance test had strong association with triceps skinfold. Also, star excursion balance test showed strong association with weight in Indian national archery players. The data presented in the present study carry immense practical application and may be useful in future investigation on player selection, talent identification and training program development in archery.
Second order temperature jump boundary condition for nano/microscale and hypersonic rarefied gas flow simulations

In the literature, the combination of the second order slip and the second order jump conditions was mostly employed with the Burnett and BGK Burnett equations for hypersonic gas flows. In this paper, we will investigate both the first order and the second order slip/jump conditions, in which the combination of the second order slip and the second order jump conditions is implemented to work with the Navier-Stokes-Fourier equations for low speed nano/micro-scale and hypersonic rarefied gas flows such as the pressure driven backward facing step and 90-degree bend nano/micro-channels, the lid-driven micro-cavity, and hypersonic gas flow over the flat plate. The simulation results show that the combination of the second order slip condition and the second order jump condition predicts better surface pressure and gas temperature than those of the first order slip and jump conditions in all cases studied in comparing with experimental and DSMC data.
Dynamics of polypropene and propene‐ethylene copolymers at temperatures above ambient

Several applications of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to studying polyolefin mobility at temperatures ranging from room temperature to above the polymer melt are described. 13C NMR can be used with magic-angle spinning and high-power proton decoupling to determine the fraction of mobile polymer in polypropene and to characterize the nature of the polymer chain motions as a function of sample temperature. Similar techniques can be used to characterize the local motions of complex copolymer systems such as heterophasic ethylene-propene copolymers. The practicality of low-speed magic angle spinning to observe quantitative high-resolution NMR spectra of neat, molten polymer samples is also described.
Clearing the Air: The Impacts of Ambient Air Pollution on Environmental Equity

The field of environmental equity investigates how environmental risk factors such as air pollution are associated with socioeconomic status (SES). This thesis examines current levels of inequity across income groups of the health risk caused by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, in New York City (NYC) and surrounding areas, and identifies emission control measures that can improve equity in this region. Results show that inequity persists in NYC, with low-income populations facing greater health risk than their higher-income counterparts. Adjoint sensitivity analysis was used to identify emission control measures that carry the greatest influence on the current levels of environmental inequity. It was found that emission reductions have positive impacts on public health, but the impact on environmental equity depends on the average income where the reduction occurs. By considering the impacts on public health and environmental equity together, major improvements can be yielded through one air quality management strategy.
Factors Limiting the Cathodic Current on Painted Steel

The cathodic properties of painted steel specimens exposed to air-saturated artificial sea water have been examined. The painted steel was cathodically polarized by galvanic coupling to freely exposed steel. Both the magnitude of the cathodic current and the change with time were found to depend on the paint used. The cathodic current is most probably limited entirely by the paint film resistance. Themagnitude of the resistivity was found to vary from 10 9 Ω-cm to 10 13 Ω-cm
The Spectrum of Molecular Oxygen

This is a critical review and compilation of the observed and predicted spectroscopic data on O2 and its ions O2−, O2+ and O22+ The ultraviolet, visible, infrared, Raman, microwave, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra are included. Each electronic band system is discussed in detail, and tables of band origins and heads are given. The microwave and EPR data are also tabulated. Special subjects such as the dissociation energy of O2, perturbations, and predissociations are discussed. Potential energy curves are given, as well as f‐values, Franck‐Condon integrals, and other intensity factors. A summary table lists the molecular constants for all known electronic states of O2 and O2+ Electronic structure and theoretical calculations are also discussed.
Role of interfacial nitrogen in improving thin silicon oxides grown in N2O

We have used chemical depth profiling, with a depth resolution of 10 A, in conjunction with x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to study the composition and chemical bonding in thin silicon oxides grown in N2O with both a conventional furnace and a rapid thermal annealer (RTA) process. The nitrogen profiles of RTA and furnace oxides differ, with the RTA oxides showing an increase in nitrogen concentration at the interface and the furnace oxides showing a more uniform nitrogen distribution. The percentage of nitrogen at the interface also differs, and correlates with a reduction in interface state generation under current injection for increased nitrogen concentration. The chemical environment for the nitrogen changes with distance from the interface, and this is attributed to an increasing number of nitrogen—silicon bonds near the interface.
Spectrophotometry determination of Congo red in river water samples using nanosilver

A spectrophotometric procedure for the anionic diazo dye Congo red was proposed based on nanosilver catalyzed oxidation by potassium iodate in a hydrochloric acid medium. The calibration graph is linear for 0.8–240 mg L−1, and the detection limit is 0.6 mg L−1. Most foreign ions do not interfere with the determination, except for Cu(II), Fe(III), and Cr(VI). The interferences of Cu(II) and Fe(III) could be eliminated by masking with ethylene diamine tetraacetate, and that of Cr(VI) by reducing to Cr(III) with ascorbic acid. The typical features of this procedure are that it is sensitive for Congo red, and the determination could be carried out at room temperature. It had been used for the determination of Congo red in the Ganjnameh river water sample.