Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Review on Fate, Toxicity, and Remediation of Perchlorate

Several issues regarding the adverse impacts of the chemical—perchlorate—have been identified recently. Perchlorate is a persistent chemical, and remains in water and soil, thereby accumulating in plants and animals. Fetuses suffer the most from perchlorate contamination. There are ongoing debates about the impacts, toxicity and health effects of perchlorate. Many studies have been conducted on its ecotoxicity and its effects, but standards do not exist for perchlorate. This study aims to review the sources, impacts, fate, transport and remediation of perchlorate.
Determination of cadmium and lead in vegetables after activated-carbon enrichment by atomic absorption spectrometry

An enrichment method has been developed for the determination of cadmium and lead in vegetable matter by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry after preconcentration with 8-hydroxyquinoline or cupferron on activated-carbon. An enrichment factor of up to 100 was achieved by using both of the mentioned complexing reagents. The optimum lowest pH values were found as 4.8 and 4.4 with cupferron, and 5.3 and 5.8 with oxine, for cadmium and lead, respectively. The effect of decomposition procedures, such as dry and wet ashing, on the recovery were also studied and compared. The relative standard deviations were found to be 2% for cadmium (7 µg l–1 Cd) and 3% for lead (70 µg l–1 Pb). Vegetable samples from fertilized farmland and roadside areas of Elazig, Turkey were analysed by using the proposed method.
Toward the Chemistry of Carboxylic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Chemical Force Microscopy

The present article describes the immobilization of chemically shortened single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) onto atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips using a novel wet chemistry procedure. Preliminary results on the measurement of dissociation properties of carboxylic acid groups at the open end of the shortened SWNTs in aqueous solution by chemical force microscopy (CFM) are also described. The as-prepared long SWNTs were cut into short tubes by chemical oxidation, which produced −COOH groups at the open ends of the tubes. The shortened SWNTs were covalently attached to AFM tips by surface condensation between AFM tips modified with primary amino-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and the carboxylic groups at the exposed end of the tube. The nanotube orientation on the AFM tips was demonstrated using AFM force calibration mode. The dissociation properties of carboxylic groups at the end of SWNTs were investigated by measuring the adhesion force between SWNTs modified AFM tips and hydroxyl-term.
Autofluorescence lifetime measurements in images of the human ocular fundus

Measurements of the autofluorescence at the fundus prove to be an important tool in early diagnosis and in discovering the pathomechanism, e.g., in age-related macular degeneration. In addition to the action of lipofuscin in the aging process, flavines play an important role as prosthetic groups. As metabolic changes occur at cellular level, patient-specific optimized therapy should be possible according to endogenous fluorophores, before morphological alterations are manifest. As a first tool for the detection of dynamic autofluorescence, a laser scanner opthalmoscope will be presented permitting lifetime measurements at the living human eye-ground under extremely weak detectable light. Considering histograms of lifetimes after excitation at 457.8 nm and determined at the living human eye ground in parapapillary region, a lifetime (rho) approximately equal to 1.38nm was calculated most frequently in the long-wave emission range ((lambda) $GTR550 nm). This points to the main contribution of lipfuscin. If the emission range is extended down to 515 nm, components with longer lifetimes are additionally detectable. Lifetime measurements at a human fundus specimen confirmed the lifetime of 1.38nm in lipfuscin-rich pigment epithelium, whereas the mean lifetime of an intact fundus was 2.04ns. A comparison of lifetimes before, during, and after breathing 100% oxygen results in a quenching of the mean lifetime of 0.15ns by oxygen.
Analysis of Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity of Pt/C Catalysts for Actual PEFC MEAs

The dependence of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of Pt/C catalysts used in actual polymer electrolyte fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies (PEFC MEAs) on cell temperature, O2 partial pressure and catalyst loading has been investigated. Based on physical chemistry and electrochemistry points of view, the charge transfer coefficient (α) was demonstrated to vary with potential over a narrow range of 0.5–0.6. The double Tafel slope occurring at potentials above 0.8 V vs. RHE was considered to be caused by the effect of adsorption or reaction of oxygen-containing species sourced by water. As a result, the α was assumed constant at 0.5 irrespective of the potential, and used in the estimation of the ORR activity [A/cm2-Pt]. The ORR activity was observed to increase linearly with increasing temperature. It was also found to be dependent on O2 partial pressure (considered as O2 concentration) until it reached a plateau at an O2 concentration of 40%, and then remained almost constant. This finding implies that in gas-phase PEFC MEAs, adsorption of O2 as a reactant can influence and govern the electrochemical reaction. In addition, the ORR activity is demonstrated to be independent of the Pt/C ratio of the catalyst not only for Pt plate electrodes in liquid-phase systems, but also for MEA electrodes in the gas-phase system of actual single-cell PEFCs. The ORR activity was found to be almost constant at 2.6 × 10–6 A/cm2-Pt at 60°C for Pt/C ratios from 19.3 to 55.8 wt%.
NMR methods for intrinsically disordered proteins : application to studies of NS5A protein of hepatitis C virus

Intrinsically disordered proteins are characterized by a lack of a stable, 3D structure and fulfill their biological role as such. NMR spectroscopy is the method of choice for their atomic resolution studies, as X-ray crystallography is not amenable to them due to their highly dynamic character.However, NMR spectroscopic studies of these proteins are challenging, because of the high extent of signal overlap in the spectra, resulting from the absence of a hydrogen-bonding network that would lead to structuring and higher signal dispersion. A further problem is experimental sensitivity as often measurement time is limited due to their predisposition for proteolytic degradation. In the fist part of this thesis intrinsically disordered proteins are introduced. The second part focuses on NMR spectroscopy of IDPs, BEST-TROSY-type NMR methods are presented and are shown to be well suited for large IDPs, especially for those with high extent of residual structure. 3D BEST-TROSY experiments are presented for assignment, a proline-edited version for aiding amino acid-type identification, and the HETex-BEST-TROSY experiment that allows rapid measurement of solvent exchange rates. In the third part of this thesis NMR methods are applied for study of the entire intrinsically disordered region (domains 2 and 3) of NS5A protein of hepatitis C virus. The residual secondary structure in this protein fragment is analyzed. Comparison of NMR data on three protein constructs of different lengths together with SAXS data allows identification of transient long range interactions between different regions of this protein. Furthermore, the binding modes of this protein fragment to Bin1 SH3 domain are analyzed. Finally, the preliminary results obtained on investigation of phosphorylation of NS5A of HCV by certain kinases, reported to be biologically relevant, are presented
Sub-Parts-per-Million Spectrophotometric Determination of Phenol and Related Pesticides Using Diazotizedp-Aminoacetophenone

Abstract A spectrophotometric determination of phenol based on the coupling with diazotized p -aminoacetophenone in alkaline medium is described. The dye formed is measured at 475 nm against the reagent blank. Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range 0.6–6.0 μg per 25 ml of final solution (0.024–0.24 ppm). Molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity were found to be 3.13 × 10 5 liters mol −1 cm −1 and 0.0003 μg cm −2 , respectively. The method has been applied to the determination of phenol and phenol-liberating pesticides, i.e., carbaryl, propoxur, carbofuran, and fenthion, after their thin-layer chromatographic separation in environmental and biological samples. The method is free from of interference from various organic compounds and inorganic ions.
Rutile-type TiO2 formation by ion beam dynamic mixing

A compact dynamic mixing system with a bucket type electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source is used for the formation of oxide films. The oxygen ion energy can be varied between 1 and 25 keV with sufficient current density for the oxide film formation. Titanium oxide films were prepared by Ti evaporation and O2+/O+ ion beam bombardment onto Si wafers and quartz plates. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) of films prepared at about 3×10−3 Pa presents polycrystal rutile structure of TiO2 alone and the crystallization is influenced by ion energy and its arrival rate. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy of these films indicates that the film composition has stoichiometry of TiO2 with or without ion bombardment. The composition is greatly affected by the background cold O2 flow onto samples and at about 3×10−4 Pa the film shows the structure of TiO by ion bombardment.
Effects of Traditional and New Methods on Overcoming Lime-Induced Chlorosis of Grapevine

Vitis vinifera L. cv. Merlot clone R3 grafted on the hybrid Vitis riparia x Vitis rupestris 3309C rootstock was grown in pots containing either calcareous or noncalcareous soil. Three treatments were applied to the plants growing on the calcareous soil: soil application of EDDHA (iron chelate), groundcover with Festuca ovina grass cv. Aurora Gold, and soil application of vivianite (iron phosphate). Shoot growth was recorded and at veraison the chlorosis occurrence and mineral element concentrations of young leaves were analyzed. Grape yield and berry composition were checked at harvest, including soluble solids, titratable acidity, tartaric acid, anthocyanins, polyphenols, and stilbenes. All treatments alleviated chlorosis symptoms over the untreated vines growing on calcareous soil. Grape yield and soluble solids were not affected by the treatments, while acidity, anthocyanins, and polyphenols evolved differently according to treatment. trans -Resveratrol concentration was reduced by all treatments. The floor management with Festuca ovina seems to be an effective, sustainable method to overcome lime-induced chlorosis, as compared with chelate and vivianite application.
Photoreactivity of Polymers with Regioisomeric Cinnamate Side Chains and Their Ability To Regulate Liquid Crystal Alignment

Photoproduct distribution in films of cinnamate polymers was analyzed to reveal the contribution of both photoisomerization and photodimerization to LC alignment photoregulation. A polymethacrylate with o-cinnamate side chains displayed preferential formation of Z-isomer while the dimerization takes place more favorably for other polymers including poly(vinyl cinnamate). On the basis of the relationship between photoproduct distribution and liquid crystal photoalignment and on the reversibility of the photoinduced reorientation of a liquid crystal, it was concluded that the photoalignment results from the polarization photoisomerization of cinnamate residues in the same manner as that of photochromic moieties like azobenzenes, whereas the (2 + 2) photodimerization plays a role in enhancing the thermal stability of the homogeneous photoalignment.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Solidification of Pd-Ni Clusters with Different Nickel Content

Molecular dynamics simulation has been performed for investigating the glass transition of Pd-Ni alloy nanoparticles in the solidification process. The results showed that the Pd-Ni nanoparticles with composition far from pure metal should form amorphous structure more easily, which is in accordance with the results of the thermodynamic calculation. There are some regular and distorted fivefold symmetry in the amorphous Pd-Ni alloy nanoparticles. The nanoclusters with bigger difference value between formation enthalpies of solutions and glasses will transform to glass more easily than the other Pd-Ni alloy nanoclusters.
A fully-automated low-cost cardiac monolayer optical mapping robot

Scalable and high-throughput electrophysiological measurement systems are necessary to accelerate the elucidation of cardiac diseases in drug development. Optical mapping is the primary method of simultaneously measuring several key electrophysiological parameters, such as action potentials, intracellular free calcium and conduction velocity, at high spatiotemporal resolution. This tool has been applied to isolated whole-hearts, whole-hearts in-vivo, tissue-slices and cardiac monolayers/tissue-constructs. Although optical mapping of all of these substrates have contributed to our understanding of ion-channels and fibrillation dynamics, cardiac monolayers/tissue-constructs are scalable macroscopic substrates that are particularly amenable to high-throughput interrogation. Here, we describe and validate a scalable and fully-automated monolayer optical mapping robot that requires no human intervention and with reasonable costs. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we performed parallelized macroscopic optical mapping of calcium dynamics in the well-established neonatal-rat-ventricular-myocyte monolayer plated on standard 35 mm dishes. Given the advancements in regenerative and personalized medicine, we also performed parallelized macroscopic optical mapping of voltage dynamics in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte monolayers using a genetically encoded voltage indictor and a commonly-used voltage sensitive dye to demonstrate the versatility of our system.
Transcriptome and network analyses reveal key pathways and genes involved in response to carotenoid deposition in scallop muscle

Carotenoids are essential nutrients for humans and animals, and carotenoid content has become an important trait to evaluate the nutritional value of many cultured animals. Marine animals provide humans with diverse carotenoids, and developing carotenoid-enriched varieties has been the focus of marine animal breeding. Understanding the molecular mechanism of carotenoid deposition could benefit marine animal breeding for carotenoid content improvement. In the present study, transcriptomic analysis of adductor muscle was performed between Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) with white muscle (WM) and carotenoid-enriched orange muscle (OM). A total of 683 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with 302 and 381 genes being up- and down-regulated in OM scallop. Gene co-expression network analysis identified four carotenoid accumulation−related modules, including three up-regulated modules and one down-regulated module. The genes in up-regulated modules mainly participate in the pathways of translation and transcription (MEgreen), immune system (MElightyellow), and lipid metabolism (MEpink), while the down-regulated module is mainly enriched with genes involved in various metabolic pathways (MEturquoise). As the causal gene responsible for muscle coloration in scallop, PyBCO-like 1 is the hub gene of MEturquoise and showed strong connectivity with NR2F1A, a transcriptional factor involved in the regulation of retinoic acid. In addition, the up-regulated DEGs, including WDR3, RPP29, TBL3, RIOK2, and NOB1 from “ribosome biogenesis”, HSP70s and HSP702Bs from “antigen processing and presentation”, and ACOX1 from “PPAR signaling pathway” were identified as hub genes, indicating the potential regulatory role of these genes and pathways in response to carotenoid accumulation. Our data contribute to a deeper understanding of the regulatory and response mechanisms of carotenoid accumulation in marine animals.
Dicationic gemini nanoparticle design for gene therapy

Gene therapy is a medical technique whereby genetic defects can be repaired by inserting a normal or functional gene to replace or correct a faulty gene or repress an overexpressing gene. Hence, gene therapy can be used for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, such as cancer, viral infections, and dermatological diseases [1–4]. However, the therapeutic benefits from nucleic acid-based therapy are still unsatisfactory. Introducing nucleic acids into blood or topical application on the skin or mucosal surfaces encounters many barriers that alter their cellular biodistribution and intracellular bioavailability. Following administration, they rapidly degrade in biological fluids by extracellular nucleases before they can reach the surface of the target cells. This definitely influences their activity and interactionwith the cells, compromising the therapeutic outcome of nucleic acids. In addition, nucleic acids have very limited cellular uptake because of their hydrophilic nature and high molecular weight. A small fraction that can be taken up by the cells is usually internalized into vesicles (i.e., endosomes), which convert later into lysosomes. Accumulation and subsequent digestion of the nucleic acids inside the lysosomes preclude them from reaching their cytoplasmic or nuclear targets and is an important barrier to their efficacy. In addition, the nuclear membrane is an additional barrier for the efficient translocation of the plasmid DNA (pDNA) into the nucleus (Figure 23.1). The successful transfection with pDNA or other small nucleic acids (e.g., antisense oligonucleotides, short interfering RNA)must include packaging the DNA/RNA in a delivery system that can compact the nucleic acids and facilitate their transfer through the cell membrane. Many strategies have been investigated to increase the intracellular bioavailability of nucleic acids [5,6]. These delivery systems consist of two types: viral and nonviral. The former have been used in a majority of gene therapy clinical trials, but there is concern and evidence that their use can elicit a strong immune response [7–9]. Due to these events, emphasis over the past decade has begun to shift to the development of nonviral delivery systems. These delivery systems have significant advantages over viral systems, because they are safer to use and easier to prepare and can transfer larger-sized plasmids into cells. However, in order for nonviral delivery systems to be useful in gene therapy, they must have higher transfection efficiencies than have been realized to date. The focus of our research group over the last decade has been to design cationic nonviral systems that improve the efficiency of the gene delivery process.
Beneficial Approaches to Working With Migrant Students

ii Dedication . iii Acknowledgments. iv List of Tables . ix Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Statement of the Problem . 4 Nature of the Study . 6 Conceptual Framework . 7 Research Question . 8 Purpose of the Study . 8 Definitions of Terms . 9 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations . 10 Assumptions . 10 Limitations . 10 Delimitations . 11 Significance of the Study . 12 Summary . 14 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 16 Conceptual Framework . 20 Review of Research Literature and Methodological Literature . 23 Educating Migrant Students . 24 Language . 25
Hydrodynamic Voltammetry with Nanogap Electrodes

We study the influence of convective mass transport on faradaic currents detected under redox cycling conditions at nanogap electrodes embedded in a microchannel. We show that, unlike the case of microelectrodes, the limiting current in the nanofluidic device is not influenced by the sample flow rate in the microfluidic channel. This is due to both the hydraulic resistance of the nanochannel suppressing flow within the device and the inherently diffusion-based mass transport between microelectrodes separated by a 70 nm gap. These devices thus allow electrochemical measurements without the need for any flow velocity correction.
Observation of Coherence in the Photosystem II Reaction Center

Photosynthesis powers life on our planet. The basic photosynthetic architecture comprises antenna complexes to harvest solar energy and reaction centers to convert the energy into a stable charge separated state. In oxygenic photosynthesis, the initial charge separation event occurs in the photosystem II reaction center; the only known natural enzyme that uses solar energy to split water. Energy transfer and charge separation in photosynthesis are rapid and have high quantum efficiencies. Recently, nonlinear spectroscopic experiments have suggested that electronic coherence may play a role in energy transfer efficiency in antenna complexes. Here we report the observation of coherence in the photosystem II reaction center by two dimensional electronic spectroscopy. The frequencies of the observed coherences match exciton difference frequencies and/or known vibrational modes of the photosystem II reaction center. These observations raise questions about the possible role of electronic and/or vibrational coherence in the fundamental charge separation process in oxygenic photosynthesis.
Separation of pigments from Petunia's petals using thin layer chromatography.

Anthocyanins are a group of water –soluble pigments found in fruits, vegetables and flowers that give these plants their brilliant colors. The separation of the pigments present in different petals of Petunia hybrida was conducted utilizing thin layer chromatography (TLC). The pigments were extracted from different Petunia’s petals (purple, white and violet) with ethanol prior to being spoted on the TLC plate. The characteristic color of Petunia’s petals is due to a mixture of pigments.
The Chemistry of Secondary Porosity: Part 2. Aspects of Porosity Modification

The development of secondary porosity (porosity enhancement) in many sandstones is the result of aluminosilicate and/or carbonate dissolution. The dissolution of aluminosilicate minerals and subsequent porosity enhancement is a problem of aluminum mobility. Our experimental data demonstrate that it is possible to increase significantly the mobility of aluminum and to transport it as an organic complex in carboxylic acid solutions. These same carboxylic acid solutions have the capability of destroying carbonate grains and cements. Carothers and Kharaka have shown that concentrations of carboxylic acid anions range up to 5000 ppm over a temperature range of 80-200°C in some oil field formation waters. Our experiments show that acetic acid solutions at the same concentrations and over the same temperature range can increase the solubility of aluminum by one order of magnitude, whereas oxalic acid solutions increase the solubility of aluminum by three orders of magnitude. The textural relations observed in the experiments are identical to those observed in sandstones containing porosity enhancement as a result of aluminosilicate dissolution. A natural consequence of the burial of sedimentary prisms is the maturation of organic material. These maturation reactions result in the evolution of significant amounts of organic acids and carbon dioxide. The experiments suggest that the enhancement of porosity in a sandstone as a result of aluminosilicate or carbonate dissolution is the natural consequence of the interaction of organic and inorganic reactions during progressive diagenesis. The degree to which porosity enhancement develops depends on the ratio of organic to inorganic matter, the initial composition of the organics, the sequences, rates and magnitude of diagenetic reactions, fluid flux, and sand/shale geometry.