Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioavailability to Earthworms of Aged DDT, DDE, DDD, and Dieldrin in Soil

A study was conducted to determine the bioavailability of several pesticides that have persisted for various periods in soils in the field and the laboratory. Based on the concentrations or the percentages of the compound in soil samples that were found in the earthworm Eisenia foetida, ca. 30, 12, 34, and 20% of DDT, DDE, DDD, and a total of the three compounds were bioavailable in a soil treated in the field with DDT 49 years earlier. Only 28 or 43% of dieldrin aged for 49 years was bioavailable based on concentrations in E. foetida or percentages of the compound assimilated by the worms, respectively. Comparably low percentages of DDT, DDE, and DDD but not dieldrin were assimilated by the worms from samples of soil from a waste-disposal site receiving the insecticide ca. 30 years earlier. Aging for 190 days in Kendaia loam in the laboratory markedly reduced the availability to E. foetida of DDT and DDE but not DDD. The amounts of aged or unaged DDT, DDE, and DDD but not dieldrin that were removed from .
Surface Second Harmonic Generation: A New Technique for Surface Studies

Surface probing and characterization play an essential role in the progress of surface science and technology (1) . For this purpose, a large number of experimental methods have been developed, but they are often limited in their applicabilities. New surface probes are always in great demand. Among the existing techniques (1) , many involve emission, adsorption, or scattering of massive particles; only a few rely on optical probing. The optical methods have, in general, the advantages of being nondestructive, capable of in-situ remote sensing with high spatial and tc mporal resolution, and applicable to any interface accessible by light. The difficulty of these methods oft en lies in the lack of surface specificity and sensitivity. Linear optical absorption and reflection, for example, can be employed for sur­ face studies only if the dominant bulk contribution to the signal can be discriminated against (2) . The same is true with light scattering. Recent advances in lasers and optical detection systems have led to the invention of several novel surface tools. Laser-induced desorption (3) , photo acoust ic spectroscopy (4) , and photothermal deflection spectroscopy (5) have been developed for spectroscopic studies of adsorbates and sur­ face states. Resonance fluorescence (6) and multiphoton ionization (7) have been used to measure energy redistribution in molecules scattered or desorbed from a surface. V arious surface nonlinear optical effects have also been seriously considered for surface studies. Stimulated Raman gain
The Effect of Magnetic Field on Growth, Development and the Yield of Spring Wheat

A pot experiment carried out in a greenhouse in 1999-2000 was aimed at finding the effect of a constant magnetic field on the root system and green tops, as well as on yield of spring wheat. In all cases there was observed a slight stimulating effect of the factors examined. The growth dynamics were weakened. The plants were shorter, and so were their culms and ears. Moreover, the effect of a magnetic field on the crop of spring wheat and its structure was small.
Improvement of microwave power from a virtual cathode oscillator and its repetitive operation using a metal mesh anode

A virtual cathode oscillator with a stainless‐steel mesh anode of various transparencies and wire diameters was studied experimentally for the enhancement of microwave power and its repetitive operations. The maximum microwave power observed was about 20 MW at 12 GHz for a diode voltage of 250 kV and an electron beam current of 39 kA using an anode mesh with wire diameter of 0.22 mm and a transparency of 67%. The microwave emission was enhanced by decreasing the mean angle of beam scattering when a mesh of smaller wire diameters was used in the anode. The increased transparency of the fine mesh also contributed to the enhancement of the microwave emission. Use of the mesh anode afforded the operation in several repetitive shots. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(2): 1–10, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.10259
One step preparation of quantum dot-embedded lipid nanovesicles by a microfluidic device

Synthetic carriers that mimic “natural lipid-based vesicles” (such as micro/nanovesicles, exosomes) have found broad applications in biomedicine for the delivery of biomolecules and drugs. Remarkable advantages of using synthetic carriers include control over the lipid composition, structure and size, together with the possibility to add tracer molecules to monitor their in situ distribution via fluorescence microscopy. Over the past few years, new methods of vesicles production have been developed and optimized, such as those based on microfluidic techniques. These innovative approaches allow us to overcome the limitations faced in conventional methods of liposome preparation, such as size distribution and polydispersity. Herein, a Microfluidic Hydrodynamic Focusing (MHF) device has been used for the production of lipid-based vesicles with different lipid combinations that resemble natural exosomes, such as phosphatidylcholines (PC), cholesterol (Chol), dicetyl phosphate (DCP) and ceramide (Cer). Thanks to a fine control on fluid manipulation, the MHF device allows preparation of vesicles with controlled size, a relevant feature in the emerging field of carrier-assisted cell-delivery. Interestingly, PC/Chol/Cer vesicles exhibit low polydispersity and high stability up to 45 days. Later, quantum dots (QDs) were successfully embedded in these vesicles through the same preparation process. The development of QD-embedded lipid nanovesicles by MHF devices has never been described previously.
Ureidotriazine-Based Supramolecular Copolymers

Ureidotriazine-Based supramol. polymers were prepd. from hydroxyterminated poly(ethylene butylene)s by cyanoethylation with acrylonitrile, redn. to the amine-terminated polymer, conversion to the isocyanate with phosgene, and finally reaction with trialkoxyphenyldiaminotriazine. The polymers were characterized for the morphol. , discotic liq. cryst. melting temp. , and their blends.
High surface area titania photocatalytic microfluidic reactors

In this work a simple method is described for depositing a robust yet highly porous film of anatase titania nanoparticles with a very high surface area onto the inside walls of microfluidic devices. A very high loading of 66 g of titania per liter of reactant solution was achieved. The effectiveness is demonstrated of this deposition method by producing functionalized microfluidic reactor devices and using them to photocatalytically degrade air-saturated methylene blue solutions. Experiments were performed with and without the addition of gaseous oxygen to the microreactors. The addition of oxygen dramatically enhanced the degradation rate. This highlights the necessity for supplying additional oxygen to microsystems during photocatalysis since dissolved oxygen can be rapidly depleted within the small confined space inside microreactors. With additional gaseous oxygen, the conversion rate for the photodegradation reaction of 0.1mM methylene blue at a flow rate of 12 μl min−1 was 10.6 % s−1. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
Assessing BTEX Biodegradation Potential at a Refinery Using Molecular Biological Tools

A microbial survey of hydrocarbon‐impacted groundwater and vadose zone at a Midwestern refinery employed molecular biological tools to elucidate the microbial processes involved in bioremediation occurring in the subsurface. qPCR analysis of bio‐traps incubated in groundwater indicated that a large and diverse microbial community was present throughout the site and suggested that mechanisms of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) biodegradation included aerobic oxidation, sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, and possibly Fe+3 reduction. To assess the role of vadose zone microorganisms in hydrocarbon attenuation, RNA was extracted from soil core samples, and reverse transcriptase‐qPCR (RT‐qPCR) analysis indicated that microbial activity in the vadose zone generally increased with depth, likely supported by hydrocarbons and methane volatilizing from the groundwater. Stable isotope probing (SIP) with 13C6‐benzene provided direct evidence of benzene biodegradation in six of the eight wells studied. The highest levels of 13C were detected in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) extracted from the two monitoring wells closest to the river. The influx of nutrients and oxygen coming from the river may help to maintain a robust population of hydrocarbon degraders in these wells. While qPCR analysis indicated that microorganisms with the genetic potential for hydrocarbon biodegradation were ubiquitous at the site, RT‐qPCR and SIP results were used to refine the site conceptual model by identifying areas where that genetic potential was actively being expressed and locations where biodegradation was lagging.
Structure of 2-(2,4-dimethoxybenzoyl)furan-3-carboxylic acid

C 14 H 12 O 6 cristallise dans P2 1 2 1 2 1 avec a=18,48, b=9,52, c=7,55 A, Z=4; affinement jusqu'a R=0,061. Une liaison hydrogene interne entre un groupement carboxyl O−H(1) et cetonique O(1) provoque une deformation des angles exocycliques du cycle furane sur C(8) et C(1). La molecule est tordue autour de la liaison C(1)−C(7) de telle sorte que O(2) et O(5) sont separes de 2,811 A, legerement plus que la somme de leurs rayons de van der Waals
Functional polymers for colloidal applications. V. Novel behavior of polymeric emulsifiers in emulsion polymerization

The polymeric emulsifier poly(dodecyl acrylate-co-acrylic acid) [i.e., the sodium salt (PDA)] and monomeric emulsifier sodium dodecyl glutarate (SDG) have been synthesized. PDA and SDG are used as emulsifiers in the emulsion polymerization of styrene with both the water-soluble initiator potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) and the oil-soluble initiator 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN). The PDA/K2S2O8 system showed a bimodel distribution of particle sizes (2 and 0.05 μm). A bimodel particle distribution was also found for the PDA/AIBN system, but the distribution for the large particles was wide (0.1–10 and 0.07 μm). The SDG/K2S2O8 system displayed only one kind of particle size (0.05 μm), but the SDG/AIBN system also showed a bimodel distribution of particle sizes (0.05 and 5 μm). These bimodel distribution results for the PDA/K2S2O8, PDA/AIBN, and SDG/AIBN systems indicate that the polymerization sites are both in oil droplets and in micelles (polymer aggregates). This mechanism is interpreted in terms of the formation of polymer aggregates, which is supported by the results of pyrene solubilization, pyrene fluorescence, surface tension, and pyrene excimer experiments. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Development of Taste Masked Formulation for Bitter Drug

The objective of this work was to develop a taste masking method for oseltamivir phosphate and formulate the taste masked product into a suitable formulation. A preliminary screening was done using various ion exchange resins, inclusion complexes and solid dispersions. Through this screening, ion exchange method using a polacrilex resin, Tulsion 335 was selected. The process was optimized for drug: resin ratio to get maximum drug loading. A 1:2 ratio of drug: resin was selected. Taste evaluation was carried out by panel method. Drug resin complex (DRC) was evaluated for drug content and formation of complexation by FTIR. The resultant DRC was formulated into dry suspension using xanthan gum, poloxamer 403, sucrose, methyl and propyl paraben and flavor. The dry mixture had satisfactory flow properties and showed negligible sedimentation when reconstituted and allowed to stand for 24hrs.
Health impact of dietary neoformed Maillard products in young healthy adults: occurrence in heat-treated foods and bioavailability

Dietary Maillard products (MP) may exert both a positive and a negative health impact (1) . Neither the bioavailability nor the global health effect in healthy subjects of MP produced in common heat-treated foods in the Western diet are known, which impedes the evaluation of the related risk (2) . The aim of the present study was to: quantify the exposure to MP, including carboxymethyllysine (CML), ﬂuorescent MP (FMP) and acrylamide, in a normal diet with conventional cooking methods, including grilling, roasting and frying and in a diet of steam-cooked food; assess the contribution of different foods to total exposure; evaluate CML and FMP bioavailability. Sixty-two non-smoking healthy volunteers were assigned randomly to 4 weeks on a normal diet (high MP) and a steam-cooked nutritionally-equivalent (low MP) diet in a cross-over design. MP content was evaluated chemically in the complete diet and in some speciﬁc foods, as well as in faeces, plasma and urine. CML was quantiﬁed using GC–MS/MS (3) and FMP were determined from the parallel factor analysis decomposition of 3-D spectra derived from diluted samples (biological samples and mixed meal supernatant fractions) or directly from the mixed meal utilizing a front-face acquisition mode (4) . With the normal diet 500 m g acrylamide and 6mg CML were absorbed, but replacing conventional cooking by steam cooking or minimal processing resulted in a 2-fold–5-fold decrease in absorption. The same ﬂuorophore composition was observed in the meals, the faeces and the urine, but not in fasting plasma. A comparison of the biological levels after the two diets indicated a 10–15% absorption rate and approximately 100% CML and FMP urinary excretion rates. De novo synthesis of CML and FMP from absorbed dietary substrates was suggested by the 10% decrease ( P < 0.001) in plasma protein-bound CML and FMP after the steam-cooked diet compared with the normal diet. The metabolic impact of endogenous exposure to MP is presented elsewhere (5) . The present study is the ﬁrst to quantify precisely the dietary exposure to various MP derived from a normal diet, as well as the lowering effect of steam cooking. The biovailability of the most common MP is also clearly demonstrated for food prepared con-ventionally. Correlations between biological MP levels and metabolic variables suggest a rapid and signiﬁcant negative bioactivity of such compounds. It can be concluded that steam cooking is an efﬁcient way of reducing exposure and improving many metabolic variables, including insulin resistance index, TAG and long-chain n -3 fatty acids. The speciﬁc MP involved and the mechanism remain to be elucidated.
Conducting Domain Walls in Lithium Niobate Single Crystals

Ferroic materials play an increasingly important role in novel (nano)electronic devices. Recently, research on domain walls (DWs) receives a big boost by the discovery of DW conductivity (DWC) in BiFeO3 and Pb(ZrxTi1‐x)O3 ferroic thin films. Here, it is demonstrated that DWC is not restricted to thin films, but equally applies to millimeter‐thick wide‐bandgap, ferroic single crystals, such as LiNbO3. In this material transport along DWs can be switched by super‐bandgap illumination and tuned by engineering the tilting angle of DWs with respect to the polar axis. The results are consistently obtained using conductive atomic force microscopy to locally map the DWC and macroscopic contacts, thereby in addition investigating the temperature dependence, DW transport activation energies, and relaxation behavior.
Isothermal oxidation kinetics of unstabilized polypropylene in the molten state

This article is devoted to the elaboration of a nonempirical kinetic model for the thermal oxidation of molten unstabilized polypropylene (PP), which occurs typically at 170–250°C, a current temperature range for PP processing. The validity of the kinetic model has been successfully checked with the kinetic curves of mass changes and ketone group buildup of quasihomogeneously oxidized PP films (≈40 μm thick) at 190, 200, and 230°C in atmospheric air. The orders of magnitude of the model parameters, determined with the kinetic model as an inverse method, are physically reasonable. Large differences obtained between some rate constant values determined in this study for PP and published elsewhere for polyethylene are tentatively explained. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Clogging Mechanism of Stormwater Filter Media by NaCl as a Deicing Salt

Abstract The effect of NaCl deicing salt on compost-included stormwater filtration media (SFM) has not been studied so far. This article presents results of an experimental and analytical study conducted to understand the mechanism of permeability reduction in two SFM caused by the application of a common deicing salt (NaCl). The two SFM used were made up of clayey silty sand with and without added compost (15% by mass). Constant-head flow experiments were conducted applying NaCl at two different concentrations. Permeability of SFM without compost reduced by an average of 19.1%, while the permeability of SFM with compost reduced by an average of 93.7%. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests and chemical analyses were conducted on representative samples of the media, both before and after salt application. MIP results showed that median pore sizes enlarged, while permeability reduced. This is counterintuitive, as we usually expect that permeability reduction would be caused by pore-size reduction. MIP r.
Carbonaceous hydrogels based on hydrothermal carbonization of glucose with chitin nanofibers

Carbonaceous hydrogels can be generated with good mechanical strength by hydrothermal carbonization of glucose dissolved in a dilute (0.08%, w/v) chitin nanofiber viscose. Carbonaceous nanoparticles were observed along the surface of the nano-fibrous structure of the hydrogels. The carbonaceous materials also cross-link the entangled nanofibers and lead to durable 3D hydrogel formation. Hydrothermal carbonization of 0.2 M glucose with chitin nanofibers at 180 °C for 4 h resulted in a carbonaceous hydrogel with optimal strength and 99.3% water content.
Coating silver nanoparticles on poly(methyl methacrylate) chips and spheres via ultrasound irradiation

Ultrasound irradiation is used for anchoring silver nanoparticles with an average size of ∼ 51 nm onto the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA chips (2 mm diameter), and silver nanoparticles with an average size of ∼ 20 nm onto the surface of the PMMA spheres (1–10 μm). The sonochemical reduction was carried out under argon atmosphere at room temperature. The silver nanoparticles were obtained by the irradiation of a mixture containing the PMMA, silver nitrate, ethylene glycol, ethanol, water, and 24% (wt) aqueous ammonia for 2 h, yielding a PMMA-nanosilver composite. By controlling the atmosphere and reaction conditions, we could achieve the deposition of silver nanoparticles onto the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate). The silver-deposited PMMA chips (loaded with 0.01–1.0 weight percent silver) were successfully homogenized in melt by extrusion and then injection molded into small, disc-shaped samples. These samples were analyzed with respect to their directional spectral optical properties in UV, VIS, and IR spectroscopy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007
Comparison of Human Lung Dosimetry Models: Implications for Risk Assessment

In this study we have compared several human lung dosimetry models and predicted particle burdens in the lungs and lymph nodes of humans with working lifetime exposures to airborne particulates. The focus of this study was the clearance and retention of poorly soluble particles in the alveolar (gas exchange) region of the lungs. The models evaluated include those developed for exposure to radioactive particles and coal mine dust and a rat-based overload model extrapolated to humans. Results show that the predicted mean particle burden in the lungs varies by as much as two orders of magnitude among the different models. These findings indicate that risk estimates for particle-related lung diseases in humans could differ considerably depending on the choice of lung dosimetry model. Further evaluation is needed to investigate which kinetic model features best predict human lung particle burdens over a range of particle sizes, types and exposure levels and to investigate issues of variability and uncertainty.
Influence of electrode material and electrode distance on bioelectricity production from sago‐processing wastewater using microbial fuel cell

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are hybrid bioelectrochemical devices, which generate electrical energy through the oxidation of organic matter catalyzed by bacteria. In this research, the influence of electrode distance and different electrode materials on power production and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal using raw sago‐processing wastewater were studied. Effect of electrode distance on MFC performance was carried out by varying it as 10, 12 and 15 cm. This study revealed that electrode distance of 10 cm resulted in increased power production with a voltage of 900 mV (millivolts), current of 9.0 mA (milliamps) at 100 Ω and COD removal of 94% compared to electrode distance of 12 and 15 cm. Graphite electrodes were good in power production compared to aluminum, stainless steel, and iron electrodes. Biofilm examination on the anode showed the presence of gram‐negative rod (E. coli) bacteria which might have contributed for power production. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 32: 390‐395, 2013
Diuretic Activity and Cytotoxic Study of Various Extracts of Ganoderma lucidum

Ganoderma lucidum has been in practice traditionally for a multitude number of human diseases. In vivo study in BALC/c mice was conducted for the investigation of diuretic potential of this mushroom. The diuretic property was studied against Furosemide 40mg/kg, a standard drug. The results of aqueous extract of Ganoderma lucidum at doses 300 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg were 1.8 ±0.45ml and 2.1 ± 0.11ml respectively i.e slight increase; while the results of methanolic extract at doses 300 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg were 3.4± 0.27 ml and 5.1±0.11mli.e the most promising result compared to control which resulted as 1.48 ± 2.44ml, while for positive control was recorded as 5.32± 0.44ml. It was also observed that the aqueous extract killed the brine shrimp with percentage lethality/mortality of 60%, 50% and 43.33% at a concentration of 1000, 100 and 10ppm respectively and the methanol extract percentage mortality/lethality was 70%, 60% and 50% at concentrations of 1000, 100 and 10ppm respectively. It concludes that methanolic extract has more diuretic capability and not having any significant cytotoxicity.
Development and Characterization of Fast Dissolving Mucoadhesive Microsphere of Nebivolol Hydrochloride Using Modified Methacrylate Polymer

Fast dissolving mucoadhesive microsphere containing Nebivolol Hydrochloride (NBH) preparation feasibility has studied to improve drug residence time on sublingual mucosa and drug dissolution rate. Two new mucoadhesive carriers, Eudragit® L100 (EuLNa) and Eudragit® S100 (EuSNa) sodium salts, both characterized by a fast intrinsic dissolution rate, have been selected. Microspheres containing Nebivolol Hydrochloride were prepared using EuLNa and EuSNa by spray drying and optimization of the amount of two polymers was performed using 3 2 factorial design. The morphology and physical state of the microsphere and the effect of the microsphere composition on the Nebivolol Hydrochloride release and mucoadhesion were investigated. NBH loaded into the microsphere was found to be in the amorphous form at all EuLNa/EuSNa copolymer ratios. The formation of solid solutions improved the dissolution rate and the apparent drug solubility. The mucoadhesive properties were affected by the ratio amount of two polymers. The delivery system made of 150 mg EuSNa and 400mg of EuLNa appears to be the most promising because it contains the perfect bend of two polymers amount able to confer mucoadhesive properties and increase apparent drug solubility.