Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Various Sources of PM2.5 and their Impact on the Air Quality in Tainan City, Taiwan

ABSTRACT The recent deterioration of Taiwan's air quality is partly due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). With several studies pointing out a direct link between PM2.5 and the global disease burden, plans are underway to reach the standard of an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 15 µg m–3 in Taiwan by 2020. Subsequently, environmental protection bureaus in all cities should assess PM2.5 emission sources and implement control strategies. This study focuses on analysis of PM2.5 sources within Tainan City in an effort establish the contribution of large-scale pollution sources within the city as well as those from neighboring counties and cities. During this study, the top nine largest emission sources in Tainan City were investigated: (1) the Chemical manufacturing industry, (2) the iron and steel industry, (3) the power industry, (4) manufacturing of coal-based products, (5) diesel vehicles, (6) two-stroke scooters, (7) catering, (8) construction/road dust, and (9) open burning. Three important pollution sources in the central region of Taiwan were investigated as well, including: (1) the Taichung Power Plant, (2) the Formosa Petrochemical Corporation (FPCC) Sixth Naphtha Cracking Industry, and (3) the Dragon Steel Company in Taichung City, Changhua County, and Yunlin County, respectively, all of which are located on the windward side of Tainan City. The Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) was used to simulate the impact of the mentioned sources on Tainan’s air quality. The results for the monthly contributions from the different sources averaged over a one year period indicated that diesel vehicles are the largest source, emitting up to 1.06 µg m–3, followed by the Taichung Power Plant, which had 0.87 µg m–3 the construction industry and road dust emissions, with 0.80 µg m–3, and with open burning of waste having the lowest contribution. These results can be applied to facilitate the development of follow-up air quality control strategies.
A review of polystyrene bead manipulation by dielectrophoresis

Exploitation of the intrinsic electrical properties of particles has recently emerged as an appealing approach for trapping and separating various scaled particles. Initiative particle manipulation by dielectrophoresis (DEP) showed remarkable advantages including high speed, ease of handling, high precision and being label-free. Herein, we provide a general overview of the manipulation of polystyrene (PS) beads and related particles via DEP; especially, the wide applications of these manipulated PS beads in the quantitative evaluation of device performance for model validation and standardization have been discussed. The motion and polarizability of the PS beads induced by DEP were analyzed and classified into two categories as positive and negative DEP within the time and space domains. The DEP techniques used for bioparticle manipulation were demonstrated, and their applications were conducted in four fields: trapping of single-sized PS beads, separation of multiple-sized PS beads by size, separation of PS beads and non-bioparticles, and separation of PS beads and bioparticles. Finally, future perspectives on DEP-on-a-chip have been proposed to discriminate bio-targets in the network of microfluidic channels.
Liposomal Nanoformulation of Piperlongumine for Improved Aqueous Solubility and Enhanced Anti-tumour Activity In-vitro

Piperlongumine (PL) is an alkaloid isolated from the Piper species, which can induce apoptosis in cancer cells but has little inhibitory effect on the growth of normal cells. However, its poor aqueous solubility has largely limited its therapeutic applications. To address this issue, we developed liposomal nanoformulations for PL (nanoPLs) in this study. The optimized nanoPLs exhibited a small average diameter in the range of 100-160 nm and narrow size distribution as well as high encapsulation efficiency. NanoPLs also demonstrated excellent storage stability at 4°C for 12 weeks. The apparent solubility of PL in NanoPLs was improved up to 312 folds than in PBS. NanoPLs also markedly increased the cytotoxicity of PL to human prostate cancer PC-3 cells when compared to free PL. NanoPLs represent promising and convenient injectable formulations of PL for further preclinical and clinical investigation.
Theoretical study of some structures of titanium(IV) complexes derived from 2-, 3- and 4-hydroxyl-benzoic acids

Complexes of fluoride titanium(IV) using hydroxyl benzoic acids as ligands are known for their great interest for care of the teeth, of the oral cavity or of dentures. Their activity is closely linked to the stability of their geometry. In this paper, we studied the structures of Ti(IV) complexes derived from hydroxyl-2-benzoic acid, hydroxyl-3-benzoic and hydroxyl-4-benzoic acids by molecular modelling. Calculations by molecular mechanics, Extended Huckel Theory (EHT) calculations have enabled access to the values of steric energy, bond lengths and bond angles, torsion angles, charges, coordinates of the atoms and the total energy values. The data obtained using molecular modelling are in the same range of those obtained in literature. Both data showed an octahedral structure around the metal ion of Ti(IV) complex with a small distortion.
Flow-induced errors in airborne in-situ measurements of aerosols and clouds

Abstract. Aerosols and clouds affect atmospheric radiative processes and climate in many complex ways and still pose the largest uncertainty in current estimates of the Earth’s changing energy budget. Airborne in-situ sensors such as the Cloud, Aerosol, and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) or other optical spectrometers and optical array probes provide detailed information about the horizontal and vertical distribution of aerosol and cloud properties. However, flow distortions occurring at the location where these instruments are mounted on the outside of an aircraft may directly produce artifacts in detected particle number concentration and also cause droplet deformation and/or break-up during the measurement process. Several studies have investigated flow-induced errors assuming that air is incompressible. However, for fast-flying aircraft, the impact of air compressibility is no longer negligible. In this study, we combine airborne data with numerical simulations to investigate the flow around wing-mounted instruments and the induced errors for different realistic flight conditions. A correction scheme for deriving particle number concentrations from in-situ aerosol and cloud probes is proposed, and a new formula is provided for deriving the droplet volume from images taken by optical array probes, reducing errors by up to one order of magnitude. Shape distortions of liquid droplets can either be caused by errors in the speed with which the images are recorded or by aerodynamic forces acting at the droplet surface caused by changes in the airflow around the instrument. These forces can lead to the dynamic breakup of droplets causing artifacts in particle number concentration and size. Furthermore, an estimation of the critical breakup diameter, as a function of flight conditions is provided. Experimental data show that flow speed at the instrument location is smaller than the ambient flow speed. Our simulations confirm the observed difference and reveal a size-dependent impact on particle speed and concentration. This leads, on average, to a 25 % overestimation of the number concentration of particles larger than ~10 μm} diameter and causes distorted images of droplets and ice crystals if the flow values recorded at the instrument are used. With the proposed correction scheme both errors are significantly reduced by a factor 10. Although the presented correction scheme is derived for the DLR Falcon research aircraft (SALTRACE campaign) and validated for the DLR Falcon (A-LIFE campaign) and the NASA DC-8 (ATom campaign), the general conclusions hold for any fast-flying research airplane.
APPLICABLE LIGHT-WEIGHT CRYPTOGRAPHYTOSECURE MEDICAL DATA IN IOT SYSTEMS

Different applications require different level of s ecurity where the scarce of resource plays effective role. In ord er to protect the private medical data in the internet of things (IoT ) field, the search for the optimal encryption algorithm is a mu st. Electronic sensors are used to collect medical data from the p ati nt’s body acquiring its transmission to the healthcare system s curely. It is essential to ensure trust and data secrecy from the s arting point-sensors throughout the medical treatment to p revent any unauthorized access or unneeded interruption. Thus, data encryption from the beginning sensors is necessary but facing all limitations in computing complexity, power consumpt ion and communication bandwidth, where the normal available crypto-algorithms are considered heavyweight is com pletely unpractical. This work study several realistic ligh tweight encryption algorithms suitable for IoT medical syst ems. The paper outlines a comparison between ten applicable cryptographic algorithms resulting fair analysis in terms of memory utilization and speed. The investigation ded uc s the optimal candidate algorithm for the proposed health care system considering the balance between the optimal require ment and the
Development of reverse transcription loop mediated isothermal amplification assay for visual detection of Grapevine fleck virus (GFkV)

Grapevine fleck virus (GFkV) produces a ubiquitous disease, latent in grapevine causing simple or complex infections with other more dangerous viruses. The aim of the present study is to detect GFkV through application of reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay; its efficiency has been contrasted with other procedures such as Double antibody sandwich ELISA (DAS-ELISA) and RT-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The coat protein (CP) gene of the virus is basically used for designing the primers. Using hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB) Dye, RT-LAMP was placed in a water bath after the optimization was done. In order to detect GFkV easily and rapidly, a new immunocapture (IC)-RT-LAMP assay was developed as well; it was further compared with other assays. The results show RT-LAMP is an advantageous method because it is highly sensitive, quite cheap, user-friendly, and safe; in addition, it is performed quickly by visual detection and does not require RNA extraction (in IC-RT-LAMP).
Targeting the NO/cGMP/CREB Phosphorylation Signaling Pathway in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common form of senile dementia. Recently, scientists have put significant effort into exploring the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathological processes leading to the disease. A vast number of studies have focused on understanding the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway, which culminates with the phosphorylation of the transcription factor cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) through the increase of the second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase. This book chapter provides an overview of the progress being made in modulating the hippocampal synaptic transmissions, which are critical for learning and memory, by targeting the different components of the NO/cGMP/CREB phosphorylation signaling pathway. Furthermore, a description of recent research on this pathway through the use of phosphodiesterase inhibitors is emphasized.
Nitrification of the lowermost stratosphere during the exceptionally cold Arctic winter 2015–2016

Abstract. The Arctic winter 2015–2016 was characterized by exceptionally low stratospheric temperatures, favouring the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) from mid-December until the end of February down to low stratospheric altitudes. Observations by GLORIA (Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere) on HALO (High Altitude and LOng range research aircraft) during the PGS (POLSTRACC–GW-LCYCLE II–SALSA) campaign from December 2015 to March 2016 allow the investigation of the influence of denitrification on the lowermost stratosphere (LMS) with a high spatial resolution. Two-dimensional vertical cross sections of nitric acid (HNO3) along the flight track and tracer–tracer correlations derived from the GLORIA observations document detailed pictures of wide-spread nitrification of the Arctic LMS during the course of an entire winter. GLORIA observations show large-scale structures and local fine structures with enhanced absolute HNO3 volume mixing ratios reaching up to 11 ppbv at altitudes of 13 km in January and nitrified filaments persisting until the middle of March. Narrow coherent structures tilted with altitude of enhanced HNO3, observed in mid-January, are interpreted as regions recently nitrified by sublimating HNO3-containing particles. Overall, extensive nitrification of the LMS between 5.0 and 7.0 ppbv at potential temperature levels between 350 and 380 K is estimated. The GLORIA observations are compared with CLaMS (Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere) simulations. The fundamental structures observed by GLORIA are well reproduced, but differences in the fine structures are diagnosed. Further, CLaMS predominantly underestimates the spatial extent of HNO3 maxima derived from the GLORIA observations as well as the overall nitrification of the LMS. Sensitivity simulations with CLaMS including (i) enhanced sedimentation rates in case of ice supersaturation (to resemble ice nucleation on nitric acid trihydrate (NAT)), (ii) a global temperature offset, (iii) modified growth rates (to resemble aspherical particles with larger surfaces) and (iv) temperature fluctuations (to resemble the impact of small-scale mountain waves) slightly improved the agreement with the GLORIA observations of individual flights. However, no parameter could be isolated which resulted in a general improvement for all flights. Still, the sensitivity simulations suggest that details of particle microphysics play a significant role for simulated LMS nitrification in January, while air subsidence, transport and mixing become increasingly important for the simulated HNO3 distributions towards the end of the winter.
Radiative and Non-Radiative Recombination Pathways in Mixed-Phase TiO2 Nanotubes for PEC Water-Splitting

Anatase and rutile mixed-phase TiO2 with an ideal ratio has been proven to significantly enhance photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity in water-splitting applications due to suppressing the electron–hole recombination. However, the mechanism of this improvement has not been satisfactory described yet. The PEC water oxidation (oxygen evolution) at the interface of TiO2 photoanode and electrolyte solution is determined by the fraction of the photogenerated holes that reach the solution and it is defined as the hole transfer efficiency. The surface and bulk recombination processes in semiconductor photoanodes majorly influence the hole transfer efficiency. In this work, we study the hole transfer process involved in mixed-phase TiO2 nanotube arrays/solution junction using intensity-modulated photocurrent and photovoltage spectroscopy (IMPS and IMVS); then, we correlate the obtained hole transfer rate constants to (photo)electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PEIS) measurements. The results suggest that the enhanced performance of the TiO2 mixed-phase is due to the improved hole transfer rate across the TiO2/liquid interface as well as to the decrease in the surface trap recombination of the holes.
CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: EVIDENCE FROM EASTERN EUROPEAN LISTED COMPANIES

The goal of this paper is to investigate the relationship between corporate governance quality and capital structure of a firm. Survey sample consists of 799 listed companies in 9 Eastern European countries. OLS regression is done with book and market leverage as dependent variables and a corporate governance index constructed by the authors serves as the main explanatory variable. Other control variables, mostly positions and ratios from financial statements, are also used. The regression models with market leverage as dependent variable have larger explanatory power than models with book leverage. The results of the survey reveal negative relation between corporate governance index and market leverage, which means the higher level of corporate governance, the lower level of debt. Other existing empirical findings from other countries show various conclusions – some similar, some – contrary to this survey, and some have inconclusive results.
Effect of high hydrostatic pressure and reducing sodium chloride and phosphate on physicochemical properties of beef gels

ABSTRACT The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment (100–200 MPa, 10 min, 20°C) combined with sodium chloride and sodium phosphate on the physicochemical properties of beef gels was investigated. The water content, cooking losses, color, protein composition by SDS-PAGE analysis and texture parameters of beef gels were determined. The beef gels treated with high pressure at 150 MPa showed a synergistic effect in the increased water content and the decreased cooking losses compared with the unpressurized gels. The L*, a* and b* color values of beef gels were slightly decreased under HHP treatment at 100–200 MPa. In the SDS-PAGE analysis, the staining intensity of the α-actinin protein band was decreased in pressurized samples. The cohesiveness, adhesiveness, gel strength and modulus of elasticity were improved after HHP treatment. Application of high pressure treatment (150–200 MPa) before heat treatment would be beneficial for the manufacturing of low salt and/or low phosphate meat products for a healthy diet.
Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor and anti-oxidant compounds from orthosiphon stamineus benth using FTIR based metabolomics

Plant is well known as an excellent source for bioactive compounds. Metabolomics was reported as a potential tool to accelerate plant acitive compounds identification. In this research, FTIR-based metabolomics method was used to identify active compounds with α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activity in aerial parts of Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) extract and its fractions. Chemical profile of OS methanolic extracts and hexane, chloroform, butanol, and water fractions were analyzed using infrared spectroscopy. OS extracts and fractions showed inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase enzymes with IC50 value 154.07±30.60-465.83±85.34 µg/mL and antioxidant activity with IC50 value 7.41±0.02-19.35±0.09 µg/mL. Butanol fraction was the fraction with the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and moderate antioxidant activity with IC50 value between 154.07±30.60 µg/mL and 10.84±0.54 µg/mL, respectively. The correlation between the biological activity and chemical composition data were analyzed using Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures (OPLS). Based on the VIP (variable influence on projection), the coefficient value of the respective OPLS models, and IR database of compounds previously identified in OS, it was suggested that methoxy flavonoid (sinensitin and 5,6,7,3’-tetramethoxy-4’-hydroxy-8-C-preny-lflavone), diterpenes (orthosiphols, orthoarisins, neoorthosiphols, staminols, and staminolactones) and triterpenes (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, hydroxybetulinic acid, maslinic acid, α-amyrin and β-amyrin) were identified as responsible compounds for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Meanwhile phenolic (rosmarinic acid), methoxy flavonoid (eupatorin, sinensetin, 5-hydroxy-6,7,3’,4’-tetramethoxyflavone, salvigenin, 6-hydroxy-5,7,3’-trimethoxyflavone and 5,6,7,3’-tetramethoxy-4’-hydroxy-8-C-prenylflavone), diterpenes (orthosiphols, orthoarisins, neoortho-siphols, staminols, and staminolactones) and triterpenes (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, hydroxybetulinic acid, maslinic acid, α-amyrin and β-amyrin) were identified as responsible compounds for the antioxidant activity.
Peer Review) THE CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF STARCH FROM SAGO BARUK PITH (Arenga microcarpha)

Sago Baruk ( Arenga microcarpha ) is one of endemic crop type of Archipelago of Sangihe Talaud, North Sulawesi and potential as source bioactivities including antioxidant. The objectives of this research were to determine the chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of starch sago baruk which was sequentially extracted with water and filtrate. The sago trunks pith was sequentially extracted with water and filtrate at room temparature for 1 hour. After that, starch of sago baruk were analyzed for their chemical composition (moisture, fat, protein, ash crude fiber and charbohydrate) and total phenolic and tannin condensed content. Antioxidant activity of each sago flour were evaluated in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity. After that, the starch was characterized by IR spectroscopic technique. The sequential extraction result indicated percentage yield of starch I and starch II were 41.39% and 38.21%. The chemical characteristics of starch I revealed that percentage protein, ash, crude fibre and fat were below 1% than starch II especially protein and fiber crude. The starch I had highest total phenolic and tannin condensed content than starch II and starch K. The starch I also showed the highest free radical scavenging activity in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical than starch II and starch K. The result also showed that starch I has strongest total antioxidant capacity than starch II and starch K at all concentration level. Antioxidant activity of three starch increased with the increase in concentration of the samples. The three starch showed of hidroxy (OH), carbonyl (C=O), ether (C-O) and aliphatic group (C-C). It is concluded that starch sago baruk especially the starch I are very rich in antioxidant substituens.
The temperature dependence of the surface tension of water

IAPS issued a release on the temperature dependence of surface tension of an ordinary water substance in 1976. The equation for the surface tension recommended in the release is used also in the revised release, that was published in 2014. But since then, there have been many changes. Many new measurements have been published, also in the supercooled water region. A new temperature scale has appeared (ITS-90). That is why we have created a new correlation for the temperature dependence of surface tension of water. Our correlation is based on the theory of a critical point. We analyzed all existing experimental data, including the new experiments from the supercooled water region.
Clinically relevant nanodosimetric simulation of DNA damage complexity from photons and protons

Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE), the ratio of doses between radiation modalities to produce the same biological endpoint, is a controversial and important topic in proton therapy. A number of phenomenological models incorporate variable RBE as a function of Linear Energy Transfer (LET), though a lack of mechanistic description limits their applicability. In this work we take a different approach, using a track structure model employing fundamental physics and chemistry to make predictions of proton and photon induced DNA damage, the first step in the mechanism of radiation-induced cell death. We apply this model to a proton therapy clinical case showing, for the first time, predictions of DNA damage on a patient treatment plan. Our model predictions are for an idealised cell and are applied to an ependymoma case, at this stage without any cell specific parameters. By comparing to similar predictions for photons, we present a voxel-wise RBE of DNA damage complexity. This RBE of damage complexity shows similar trends to the expected RBE for cell kill, implying that damage complexity is an important factor in DNA repair and therefore biological effect.