Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synergistic Effects of Low Pressure, Low Temperature, and CO2 Atmospheres Inhibit the Growth of Terrestrial Bacteria Under Simulated Martian Conditions

biological incubator. Bottom: The Mars Simulation Chamber (MSC) with the xenon-arc UV-VIS-NIR irradiation system installed. SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF LOW PRESSURE, LOW TEMPERATURE, AND CO2 ATMOSPHERES INHIBIT THE GROWTH OF TERRESTRIAL BACTERIA UNDER SIMULATED MARTIAN CONDITIONS. Andrew C. Schuerger and Wayne L. Nicholson, Dept. of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899; acschuerger@ifas.ufl.edu; Dept. of Microbiology, University of Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899; wln@ufl.edu.
Natural-abundance oxygen-17 magnetic relaxation in aqueous solutions of carbohydrates

The spin-lattice relaxation times, T1, of H217O have been measured for aqueous solutions of several pentoses, hexoses, di-, and trisaccharides as a function of the concentration at 25 °C. The coordination numbers, nh, and the rotational correlation times, τch, of water molecules around the sugars were estimated and compared with that of pure water, τc°. The value of τch⁄τc°=4.10 for glucose is largest, while that of τch⁄τc°=2.82 for ribose is the smallest, among these sugars. The value of nh (τch⁄τc°−1) was defined as the dynamic hydration number. The dynamic hydration numbers showed a good correlation with the mean number of the equatorial OH groups and the limiting diffusion coefficients.
High performance crosslinked polyimide based on main-chain type polybenzoxazine

A main-chain type polybenzoxazine with amic acid and benzoxazine groups as repeating units in the main chain, termed as poly(benzoxazine amic acid) (poly(BZaa)), has been synthesized. It has been prepared by a polycondensation reaction of primary amine-bifunctional benzoxazine with 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride using dimethylacetamide as the solvent. Poly(BZaa) can undergo a crosslinking reaction to form a crosslinked polyimide (cPI) at 300 °C. Additionally, a model reaction is designed from the reaction of 3-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[e][1,3]oxazin-6-amine with phthalic anhydride. The structures of the model compound are confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopies. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and FTIR are also used to study the crosslinking behavior of both the model compound and polymers. The thermal properties of the crosslinked polymers are also studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
POTENSI PIGMEN KAROTENOID BAKTERIUM ENDOFIT LAMUN Thalassia hemprichii SEBAGAI SUMBER SENYAWA ALAMI PENANGKAL RADIKAL BEBAS DPPH (1,1-Difenil-2-Pikrilhidrazil)

Karotenoid merupakan salah satu jenis pigmen yang penting bagi kesehatan manusia yang berfungsi sebagai antioksidan. Karotenoid merupakan pigmen kuning, orange sampai merah yang biasanya ditemukan dalam sayuran, buah-buahan serta bakteri dan fungi. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui aktivitas antioksidan dari pigmen karotenoid bakteri endofit lamun Thalassia hemprichii serta mengidentifikasi bakteri tersebut secara molekuler. Analisis pigmen dilakukan dengan menggunakan spektrofotometer UV 1601, uji antioksidan dengan metode DPPH dan identifikasi bakteri dilakukan dengan PCR 16S rDNA. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan pada bulan Oktober 2013 – April 2014. Sampel lamun didapatkan dari perairan Teluk Awur Jepara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa bakterium Th1 mempunyai pigmen kuning dengan tiga puncak panjang gelombang yaitu 460 nm, 439.5 nm, 417 nm sesuai dengan serapan panjang gelombang pigmen karotenoid yaitu 300-600 nm. Identifikasi bakteri secara molekuler 16S rDNA menunjukkan bahwa isolat Th1 mempunyai homologi 97% dengan Erythrobacter vulgaris . Aktivitas penghambatan pigmen bakteri Th1 yaitu 18,97%. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa pigmen karotenoid bakterium Th1 mempunyai potensi sebagai senyawa alami penangkal radikal bebas DPPH.
Structure and hyperfine interactions in multiferroic Aurivillius Bim+1Ti3Fem−3O3m+3 compounds prepared by mechanical activation

The aim of the study was to determine the structure and hyperfine interactions of Bim+1Ti3Fem−3O3m+3 multiferroic Aurivillius compounds prepared by mechanical activation process. X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy were applied as complementary methods. After the process of mechanical milling, desired Aurivillius phases were not formed, thus, thermal treatment needed to be applied. Heating the product of mechanical activation up to 993 K allowed to obtain Aurivillius phases with relatively large amount of non-reacted hematite. However, after the material was annealed at an elevated temperature of 1073 K, the content of not fully synthesized hematite was significantly reduced. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed that Aurivillius compounds remain in paramagnetic state at room temperature.
Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal Composed of Ordered Polymer Nanopillar Arrays with High Aspect Ratios Using Anodic Porous Alumina Templates

Two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals composed of ordered polymer nanopillar arrays were fabricated using anodic porous alumina templates. For the preparation of 2D photonic crystals with high aspect ratios, polymer pillar arrays, in which both ends of nanopillars were supported by supporting layers, were introduced. The diameter, interval and length of nanopillar arrays could be controlled by changing the preparation conditions of anodic porous alumina templates. The reflection properties of the ordered polymer nanopillar array obtained exhibited a stop band in the spectrum, which corresponds to the band gap in the 2D photonic crystals.
The Different levels of Self-Efficacy among a Sample of Students with Hearing Disabilities at Yarmouk University

The aim of the study was to investigate the differences of self efficacy among a sample of Jordanian students at Yarmouk University with hearing impairment in the light of the variables by gender and hearing impairment severity. The sample of the study consisted of (57) students “28 male, 29 female” selected by using purposeful sampling from Yarmouk University students. To collect data, a self efficacy measure was used. The results of the study indicated that levels of selfefficacy among hearing impaired students was moderate. Significant differences were found in levels of selfefficacy due to severity of impairment, in favor of simple hearing impaired students, while no significant differences were found due to gender. In the light of these results, the study recommends university personnel to provide more care for these students population in order to enable them face their future encounters and difficulties based on their abilities. Future research investigating other variables and other students population is needed.
Wettability of Heat-Treated Wood

Summary The aim of this work was to study the wettability and chemical composition of heat-treated wood. Heat treatment was performed at 240°C under inert atmosphere on four European wood species (pine, spruce, beech and poplar). Contact angle measurements before and after treatment indicated a significant increase in wood hydrophobicity. Advancing contact angles of a water drop were in all cases systematically higher for heat-treated than for untreated wood. Chemical modifications of wood after heat treatment were investigated using FTIR and 13C NMR analysis. FTIR spectra indicated little structural change which could be attributed either to carbon-carbon double bond formation or to adsorbed water. NMR spectra also revealed little chemical change except for the degree of cellulose crystallinity which was considerably higher in heat-treated wood and could explain the higher contact angles.
Trinuclear Cobalt(III) Complexes Containing Partial Cubane Co3O4 Core. Synthesis and Structure of [Co3(L)3(μ-OH)3(μ3-O)]Cl (L = ethylenediamine-N-acetate)

Three isomers of [Co3(edma)3(μ-OH)3(μ3-O)]+ (edma: ethylenediamine-N-acetate) containing a partial cubane Co3O4 core were prepared and the structure of one of the isomers was determined by the X-ray diffraction method. These isomers are stable at least for 5 days in their neutral aqueous solutions.
A simplistic model of cyclic heat transfer phenomena in closed spaces

Cyclic heat transfer inside closed spaces is investigated analytically using a simple heat transfer model. The model consists of a gas layer exchanging heat with two bounding parallel walls that pulsate against each other in the transverse direction. Correlations for the magnitude and the phase lag of the heat transfer are obtained. Also, an expression for the power loss due to the cyclic heat transfer is presented. It is shown that the loss approaches zero as the heat transfer process approaches either isothermal or adiabatic conditions. The power loss is shown to be a strong function of the phase angle between the bulk gas temperature and the heat transfer.
Using Synchrotron X-ray Scattering to Study the Diffusion of Water in a Weakly-hydrated Clay Sample

We study the diffision of water in weakly-hydrated samples of the smectite clay Na-fluorohectorite, The quasi one-dimensional samples are dry compounds of nano-layered particles consisting of 80 silicate platelets. Water diffises into a sample through the mesoporosity in between the particles, and can subsequently intercalate into the adjacent particles. The samples are placed under controlled temperature. They are initially under low humidity conditions, with all particles in a 1 WZ, intercalation state, We then impose a high humidity at one sample end, triggering water penetration along the sample length. We monitor the progression of the humidity front by monitoring the intercalation state of the particles in space and time. This is done by determining the characteristic spacing of the nano-layered particles in situ, from synchrotron wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements. The spatial width of the intercalation front is observed to be smaller than 2mm, while its velocity decreases with time, as expected from a diffusion process,
Preparation of Monodisperse ZnS Nanoparticles by Size Selective Photocorrosion

The size-distribution of ZnS nanoparticles (Q-ZnS) of 4.2 ± 0.6 nm was narrowed to 2.6 ± 0.2 nm by sequential irradiation with monochromatic light of 313 nm, 303 nm, and 297 nm to an air-saturated ZnS colloidal solution in the presence of sodium hexametaphosphate as a stabilizer and methylviologen as an electron acceptor.
Investigations on the Protein Constituents of Nerve Axoplasm

Studies made in the past on the proteins of nervous tissue have been carried out almost exclusively with the large masses of material available in the brain and spinal cord of vertebrates. Because of the great complexity of such material it has been impossible to determine the position of the proteins in the various histological components of the neuron. It is uncertain, for example, which of the proteins are characteristic of the axis cylinder on the one hand and of such structures as chromatin or Nissl substance of the cell body on the other. Recently, Schmitt and Bear (1935), realizing this situation, began studies of the proteins of crustacean peripheral nerve. This tissue was chosen both because it consists predominantly of axoplasm and because its low lipoid content allows direct extraction of the proteins without preliminary desiccation or lipoid removal. It was found that the largest part (about 65%) of the protein of the entire nerve (including connective tissue) is extracted in neutral salt solutions and that the properties of this soluble protein are in many respects similar to those described by previous investigators working with mammalian central nervous system, the most reliable results being those of McGregor (1917). Though the amount of this fraction agrees roughly with estimates of the relative amount of axis cylinder in crustacean nerve (Young 1936), it was still not certain that all the components of the conjugated protein present could be considered to be derived solely from axoplasmic protein, for it was demonstrated that in lobster nerve an alkali-soluble fraction similar to the“neurostromin” of Danilevsky (1891) and Shkarin (1902) is also present. The axoplasm of the giant nerve fibres of Loligo may be obtained merely by extrusion from a cut end. In this way it is possible to obtain the axoplasmic complex uncontaminated by foreign material. The present paper contains a preliminary account of the properties of the proteins of the axon as revealed by study with a special microtechnique of this extruded axoplasm.
Investigating the Antimicrobial Efficacy of a Lactococcal Bacteriocin for the Development of Microbiologically Stable Beer

Barley isolate Lactococcus lactis M30 produces an antimicrobial proteinaceous activity, which at least under laboratory conditions was shown to target beer spoiling lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus brevis BSH9. The aim of this study was to investigate the application of this antibacterial activity at various stages of the brewing process and in packaged beer. Lactococcus lactis M30 was shown to produce the antimicrobial activity during growth under specific conditions in fortified unhopped wort. However, this activity was lost during wort boiling and yeast fermentation. When the bacteriocin was added directly to beer it retained in vitro activity following pasteurisation, while it was also shown to inhibit growth in situ when pasteurised beer was challenged with low levels of the beer spoiling Lactobacillus brevis BSH9 culture. The capacity of the bacteriocin to prevent microbial spoilage of beer was tested at various temperatures over a period of seven weeks. Storage of bacteriocin-containing beer at 30°C or room temperature resulted in a decrease in antimicrobial activity over time, but when refrigerated or frozen, this beer retained sufficient activity to be effective against Lactobacillus brevis BSH9.
Autoradiographic Comparisons of Radionuclide Adsorption Between Subsurface Anaerobic Biofilms and Granitic Host Rocks

In high level nuclear waste repositories, the host rock is considered to be an important barrier to radionuclide migration by adsorbing metals at fluid rock interfaces. In granitic rock environments the surfaces of hydraulically conductive fractures are covered with mixed community biofilms. Biofilms were grown in situ on glass and rock surfaces in high pressure flow cells using groundwater sourced from a borehole 450 meters below sea level in the Äspö hard rock laboratory, Sweden. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), epifluorescence microscopy and energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed monolayer biofilms consisting of up to 2 × 104 bacteria/mm2 surrounded by an extensive extracellular matrix and carbonate precipitates that covered <10% of the total surface area of each glass slide. The total organic carbon (TOC) associated with each slide was 11 μg ± 1.1 μg of which approximately 40% was attributed to bacteria and the rest to the extracellular matrix. The adsorption capacity of these biofilms was compared to the capacity of granite rock from the same environment. Surfaces were immersed for 42 days in an anaerobic synthetic groundwater containing either 60Co (II), 147Pm (III), 241Am (III), 234Th (IV), 237Np (V) or 99Mo (VI) as radioactive tracers. Adsorption and distribution of the tracers was investigated using 2D autoradiography. Compared to the biofilm, the rock adsorbed 88% more 60Co, 87% more 99Mo, 40% more 241Am and 237Np and 12% more 234Th per unit area. The biofilm adsorbed 57% more 147Pm than the rock. The β-emitting daughter products 233Pa and 234Pa also adsorbed to both rock and biofilms. Comparisons between rock surfaces and rock surfaces covered in biofilms indicate that the biofilms form a barrier between the rock and the groundwater and slow down radionuclide diffusion to the rock. These results suggest that the differences in adsorption are related to the surface functional groups available and the chemical properties of the radionuclides. Biological suppression of subsurface radionuclide adsorption should be accounted for in performance safety assessment models.
Determination of polydatin by gold nanoparticle-enhanced chemiluminescence of silver nitrate and luminol

ABSTRACT A novel flow injection method for the determination of polydatin is reported based on the inhibition of silver nitrate, luminol, and gold nanoparticles chemiluminescence. Under the optimum condition, the decrease in chemiluminescence was proportional to the concentration of polydatin from 1.0 × 10−8 to 1.0 × 10−5 mol/L. The detection limit was 2.1 × 10−9 mo1/L and the relative standard deviation was 2.1% for the determination of 1.0 × 10−6 mol/L polydatin. This method was successfully employed for the determination of polydatin in Polygonum cuspidatum roots and human urine.
Arsenic Background Definition: Introduction and Objectives

1527 P Ann and *Fa Global attention has focused on the eects of arsenic exposure in recent years, largely as a result of the contamination of drinking water sources by natural geologic formations in Taiwan (Tsai, Wang and Ko, 1998), Bangladesh (Karim, Komori and Alam, 1997), Chile (Smith et al., 1998), Argentina (Hopenhayn-Rich, Biggs and Smith, 1998) and elsewhere. This, in turn, has led to an increased awareness of contamination resulting from widespread use by mankind that was uncontrolled for over 5000 years. The use of arsenic, such as in the production of tools and ornaments, pigments, cosmetics, the backing of mirrors, glass manufacture, tanning of hides, and a plethora of medicinal uses, has continued virtually throughout the history of civilization on all continents (Azcue and Nriagu, 1994), resulting in a legacy of dispersed contamination in the world's soils. In the modern era, from about 1920 to the present, the predominant source of arsenic contamination of soil is attributable to the development and widespread use of arsenical insecticides and herbicides (e.g. Woolson, 1975). In 1975, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) promulgated a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 0.050 mg/L for arsenic in drinking water (USEPA, 1975) based on the U.S. Public Health Service. The USEPA action considered an evaluation of the Taiwanese data, exposure assumptions for U.S.A. , as well as technical feasibility and economic impact. The USEPA considered raising the arsenic limit to 0.1 mg/L on the basis that no adverse health eects had been demonstrated from consumption of water containing this amount and more in the U.S. However, the 0.050-mg/L limit was not raised largely because of an apparent correlation in other countries between arsenic in drinking water and skin cancer. A reassessment of the carcinogenicity risk by USEPA's Risk Assessment Forum in 1988, including several follow-up studies of the Taiwanese population standard of 1962 did not result in a modi®cation of the established MCL (USEPA, 1988). The toxicological basis of human health risk from arsenic exposure, including a reference dose (RfD) and cancer slope factor (CSF) developed largely from the Taiwanese data set, is published in the most recent USEPA IRIS substance ®le on inorganic arsenic (USEPA, 1998). Recently, in response to the
Influencing Positive Student Behaviour Using the Endowment Effect.

Educators are constantly searching for methods to enhance student engagement. This study capitalizes on the endowment effect to increase student engagement. The endowment effect is a concept from behavioural economics that suggests individuals’ value something that they possess more than a similar item that is not possessed. To test the endowment effect, students in some sections are offered extra credit points for engaging in out-of-class activities while others are endowed (gifted) extra credit points that they must work to keep. The findings are that students endowed with points work harder to keep them, and this effect is especially pronounced among females and high performing students at significance levels of 1%. By making a simple no-cost change to the structure of a class, educators can tap into the power of the endowment effect to significantly enhance student engagement.
Conformational dependence of the electronic absorption by astaxanthin and its implications for the bathochromic shift in crustacyanin

The conformational dependence of the electronic absorption by astaxanthin is believed to be of relevance for the bathochromic shift that this carotenoid assumes upon binding to crustacyanin, the protein macromolecular complex responsible for the slate-blue colouration of lobster shell. Here, we report quantum chemical calculations suggesting that the bathochromic shift that can be attributed to changes in astaxanthin conformation brought about by binding to the protein in fact is rather small. In particular, by subjecting an exhaustive set of different astaxanthin conformations to time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and semiempirical configuration interaction singles (ZINDO/S) calculations, it is found that the bathochromic shift due to the protein-enforced coplanarity of the β-ionone rings with the polyene chain is considerably smaller (TD-DFT: 22-37 nm; ZINDO/S: 11–19 nm) than the >100 nm shift that recently [B. Durbeej and L. A. Eriksson, Chem. Phys. Lett. , 2003, 375, 30] (see ) was predicted to arise from a hydrogen-bond mediated interaction involving one of the astaxanthin C4 keto groups and a histidine residue of the surrounding protein. Moreover, the calculations suggest that the protein-induced bowing of astaxanthin about the center of the polyene chain is of no relevance for the observed bathochromic shift.
Regional Intestinal Absorption of FITC–Dextran 4,400 with Nanoparticles Based on β-Sitosterol β-D-Glucoside in Rats

ABSTRACT Nanoparticles (NP) are potential carriers for drug delivery to the targeted intestine. NP based on β-sitosterol β- D -glucoside (Sit-G) enhanced the colon-specific absorption of FITC–dextran 4,400 (FD-4), because the concentration-dependent increase of bioavailability appeared in only the colon. In a permeation study, the absorption enhancement in the colon was suppressed in the following conditions: (1) the addition of Sit-G NP to serosa; (2) a permeation study at 4°C; (3) the addition of endocytosis inhibitor, cytochalasin B. NP based on sitosterol, the aglycon of Sit-G, did not increase the FD-4 colonic permeation. The addition of Sit-G NP to the mucosal side induced a decrease of transepithelial resistance (TEER), but this phenomenon was suppressed by an inhibitor of Na + -dependent specific glucose transporter, phrolidzin, which did not affect FD-4 permeation. These findings suggested that absorption enhancement by Sit-G NP may not be due to opening of a tight junction, but might be related to endocytosis via glucose residue of Sit-G.