Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Continuous pain report demonstrates time delay of pain ratings in Fibromyalgia

Background: Enhanced temporal summation (TS), measured through self-reported pain ratings, has been interpreted as indicative of central sensitisation in fibromyalgia. Greater TS in patients, however, has not been universally observed. It is also unclear whether increased pain report maintains beyond the TS period. Methods: In this study, we measured TS through continuously reported pain ratings. Fibromyalgia-diagnosed patients (n = 17) and matched pain-free controls (n = 13) rated painful transcutaneous electrical stimulation of various intensity levels in 18 one-minute-long blocks. Pain was rated on a 101-point visual analogue scale. The resulting continuous response was divided into TS (< 15s) and adaptation (15 - 60s) periods. Average pain values were extracted for each period alongside the timing of key events such as maximal pain ratings. The difference in temporal summation and adaptation measures between fibromyalgia and control participants was analysed using mixed-effects modelling. Results: The average pain ratings for TS and adaptation periods were not significantly associated with fibromyalgia diagnosis but were with stimulation intensity. The same was true for the magnitude of the maximal rating during TS and the slope leading to that peak rating. The presence of fibromyalgia, however, did predict the time of the maximal TS rating, as well as the value and the time of the maximal adaptation rating. Conclusions: Our study did not find homogeneously increased TS pain ratings. Instead, by utilising continuous pain data we demonstrate for the first time that the time of TS peak rating, as well as the magnitude and time of adaptation peak rating are linked to fibromyalgia diagnosis.
A cross-sectional study on the drug usage of insomnia in the Chinese medicine hospital in Long gang, Shenzhen

Abstract Introduction Insomnia was widely distributed among the population, and it was a risk factor for many diseases. To evaluate the condition of usage of drugs in Chinese hospital of Longgang, Shenzhen, we carried this cross-sectional research. We extracted the information of drug usage, symptoms of patients by R software (version 4.0.2) from Hospital Information System (HIS). The research was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000040703. Methods A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in Shenzhen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (Long Gang). Insomnia patients from Jan 1, 2016 to Nov 10, 2020 were included to cross-sectional study. We analyzed the basic information, the condition of drug usage and the relation of symptoms and drug usage by R software (version 4.0.2). Results Totally 9439 patients were included in the study. The average age of these patients was 45.81years (SD 13.97 years). Anxiety, dreaminess, dizzy, palpitation, headache, thirsty, weakness, chest distress, annoyance, abdominal distension, bad moods, difficulty falling asleep and bitter taste were core symptoms of insomnia. Totally 14256 times (67.65%) patients received drug prescription and more than one insomnia drug was administered in 8355 patients. The 10 most used drugs ranged from more to less were Estazolam(29.99%), Zaoren Anshen Capsule(15.50%), Oryzanol(14.82%), Diazepam(14.51%), Flupentixol and Melitracen(14.30%), Alprazolam(8.12%), Zolpidem Tartrate(5.29%), vitamin B6(4.76%), Sertraline(4.03%), Clonazepam(2.97%). Conclusion The drug usage for insomnia in the Chinese medicine hospital in Long gang, Shenzhen were mainly included benzodiazepine, nonbenzodiazepine, Chinese patent medicines, anti-anxiety and anti-depression drugs, oryzanol and vitamin B6. The usage of Oryzanol and vitamin B6 should be abused in Chinese medicine hospital, and the usage of Chinese medicine should be more rigorous evaluated. The nonbenzodiazepine should be promoted and broader understood in Chinese medicine hospital in Longgang, Shenzhen.
Microwave Spectra of Molecules of Astrophysical Interest. XV. Propyne

The microwave spectrum of propyne is critically reviewed for information applicable to radio‐astronomy. Molecular data such as the derived rotational constants, centrifugal distortion parameters, hyperfine coupling constants, electric dipole moment, and molecular structure are tabulated. The observed rotational transitions are presented for the astronomically interesting isotopic forms and the lowest lying vibrational state of propyne. Calculated rotational transitions are presented for the ground vibrational state of 12CH3 12C≡ 12CH, 13CH3 12C≡ 12CH, 12CH313C≡ 12CH and 12CH3 12C≡ 13CH, and for the vibrationally excited state ν10 of 12CH3 12C≡ 12CH.
Speech pause distribution as an early marker for Alzheimer's disease

Background: Pause duration analysis is a common feature in the study of discourse in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may also be helpful for its early detection. However, studies involving patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have yielded varying results. Objectives: To characterize the probability density distribution of speech pause durations in AD, two multi-domain amnestic MCI patients (with memory encoding deficits, a-mdMCI-E, and with retrieval impairment only, a-mdMCI-R) and healthy controls (HC) in order check whether there are significant differences between them. Method: 112 picture-based oral narratives were manually transcribed and annotated for the automatic extraction and analysis of pause durations. Different probability distributions were tested for the fitting of pause durations while truncating shorter ranges. Recent findings in the field of Statistics were considered in order to avoid the inherent methodological uncertainty that this type of analysis entails. Results: A lognormal distribution (LND) explained the distribution of pause duration for all groups. Its fitted parameters (mu, sigma) followed a gradation from the group with shorter durations and a higher tendency to produce short pauses (HC) to the group with longer pause durations and a considerably higher tendency to produce long pauses with greater variance (AD). Importantly, a-mdMCI-E produced significantly longer pauses and with greater variability than their a-mdMCI-R counterparts (alpha = 0.05). Conclusion: We report significant differences at the group level in pause distribution across all groups of study that could be used in future diagnostic tools and discuss the clinical implications of these findings, particularly regarding the characterization of aMCI.
Nonlinear optical properties of p‐substituted benzalbarbituric acids

A number of p‐substituted benzalbarbituric acid derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of p‐substituted benzaldehyde with barbituric acid, and their nonlinear optical properties were investigated by using the Kurtz powder test. p‐acetamidobenzalbarbituric acid derivatives were found to exhibit the relatively high second‐harmonic intensity and have the higher thermal stability.
Characterization, physicochemical and photo-stability of a co-crystal involving an antibiotic drug, nitrofurantoin, and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid

Pharmaceutical co-crystallizing ability of an antibiotic agent, nitrofurantoin, is screened with three isomeric monohydroxybenzoic acids. 1 : 1 co-crystal of nitrofurantoin-4-hydroxybenzoic acid has been prepared and structurally characterized. Further, the co-crystal displays superior physicochemical and photo-stability compared to nitrofurantoin.
Vertical ordering in multilayers of self-assembled Ge/Si(001) quantum dots

The effect of vertical ordering in multilayers of self-assembled Ge/Si(001) quantum dots was investigated by a combination of structural and optical characterizations via in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We show that the vertical ordering observed in quantum-dot multilayers is characterized not only by the alignment of islands along the growth direction but also by a reduction of the critical thickness. The better the vertical ordering, the more pronounced the reduction of the critical thickness is observed. Such an evolution of the critical thickness could be explained by elastic strain fields induced by buried islands and propagate through the spacer layers. An important result issued from this work is the realization of multilayers in which dots have equal size in all layers. Furthermore, experiments performed on the transformation of the island shape suggest that preferential nucleation induced by surface roughness may be the main mechanism responsible for the vertical ordering in quantum-dot multilayers.The effect of vertical ordering in multilayers of self-assembled Ge/Si(001) quantum dots was investigated by a combination of structural and optical characterizations via in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We show that the vertical ordering observed in quantum-dot multilayers is characterized not only by the alignment of islands along the growth direction but also by a reduction of the critical thickness. The better the vertical ordering, the more pronounced the reduction of the critical thickness is observed. Such an evolution of the critical thickness could be explained by elastic strain fields induced by buried islands and propagate through the spacer layers. An important result issued from this work is the realization of multilayers in which dots have equal size in all layers. Furthermore, experiments performed on the transformation of the island shape suggest that preferential nucleation i.
Synthesis and properties of novel photosensitive polyimides containing chalcone moiety in the main chain

Two chalcone-derivative isomers, 4,4'-diaminochalcone (4DAC) and 3,3'-diaminochalcone (3DAC), were synthesized and used as monomers together with tetracarboxylic dianhydrides to prepare novel photosensitive polyimides that contain a chalcone moiety in the main chain. The polyimides were characterized and their photochemical behavior was investigated as thin films and in solutions with the aid of ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. Compared with 4DAC-based polyimides, the 3DAC-based polyimides exhibited lower glass transition temperatures and higher photocrosslinking rates of the carbon-carbon double bond as well as higher photosensitivities obtained from the exposure characteristic curves, suggesting that an increase in the photoreactivity of the 3DAC-based polyimides might arise from the improved flexibility of their backbones. The polyimide from 3DAC and 6FDA (2,2-bis[3,4-dicarboxypheny]hexa-fluoropropane dianhydride) showed a photosensitivity of 33 mJ/cm 2 with a contrast of 1.5 upon light irradiation using a Xenon lamp.
Interactions between DNA and Synthetic Cationic Liposomes

The interaction between T2, T4, T5, T7, and λ bacteriophages double stranded DNA and cationic liposomes made up of one single synthetic cationic lipid, dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB), is quantitatively evaluated from a physicochemical point of view. The first step of the interaction is driven by the electrostatic attraction between DNA and bilayer; with probes being displaced from their DNA or bilayer sites. Under conditions of DODAB excess, at maximal DODAB adsorption on DNA, there are ca. 70 DODAB molecules adsorbed per nucleotide on DNA, a molar proportion (MP) that does not depend on DNA type. Above charge neutralization, there is DNA -induced liposomal rupture, as evaluated from dialysis of DNA/liposome mixtures where liposomes contain [14C]-sucrose in their internal compartment. In water, this DNA-induced leakage of radioactive liposomal contents suggests that the interaction DNA/cationic bilayer is not superficial. The DODAB/DNA interaction led to formation of globules as visualized fr.
Effect of Organic Acids on Aluminum Toxicity in Subsoils

Aluminum has long been recognized as a major limiting factor for root growth in acid subsoils, but little has been done to delineate toxic and nontoxic forms of soil-solution Al. In an effort to determine if the presence of organic acids in soil solutions affected Al phytotoxicity, short-term, split-root experiments were conducted with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) taproots as the growth indicator. Based on pure solution experiments, short-chain, carboxylic acids can be divided into three groups as Al detoxifiers: (i) strong (citric, oxalic, tartaric), (ii) moderate (malic, malonic, salicylic), and (iii) weak (succinic, lactic, formic, acetic, phthalic). The Al detoxifying capacities of these acids were positively correlated with the relative position of OH/COOH groups on their main C chain, positions that favored the formation of stable 5- or 6-bond ring structures with Al. In addition, analyses of soil solutions from several eluviated acid horizons (E, EB, BE) revealed the presence of several organic acids whose concentrations were generally higher in forested than in cultivated soils. Based on these concentrations, total solution Al (as measured by ICAP) was partitioned into monomeric Al (Al³⁺ + hydroxy-Al species) and complexed Al (Al-organic acid complexes). The latter accounted for 93 and 76% of the total solution Al concentrations of the two acid subsoils into which elongation rate of cotton taproot was studied. Root growth was significantly correlated with monomeric Al but not with total Al in soil solutions.
Nanoscale Phase Separation and High Photovoltaic Efficiency in Solution‐Processed, Small‐Molecule Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

Research relating to organic solar cells based on solution‐processed, bulk heterojunction (BHJ) films has been dominated by polymeric donor materials, as they typically have better film‐forming characteristics and film morphology than their small‐molecule counterparts. Despite these morphological advantages, semiconducting polymers suffer from synthetic reproducibility and difficult purification procedures, which hinder their commercial viability. Here, a non‐polymeric, diketopyrrolopyrrole‐based donor material that can be solution processed with a fullerene acceptor to produce good quality films is reported. Thermal annealing leads to suitable phase separation and material distribution so that highly effective BHJ morphologies are obtained. The frontier orbitals of the material are well aligned with those of the fullerene acceptor, allowing efficient electron transfer and suitable open‐circuit voltages, leading to power conversion efficiencies of 4.4 ± 0.4% under AM1.5G illumination (100 mW cm−2). Small molecules can therefore be solution processed to form high‐quality BHJ films, which may be used for low‐cost, flexible organic solar cells.
Cytopathological Studies Resulting in Cadmium Bioassay with Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)

Histopathological changes in various cellular constituents of gill, liver and kidney were studied in Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) after treatment with cadmium. The changes included fusion, vacuolization, necrosis, hypertrophy and formation of cellular debris in the gill; swellings in nuclei, vacuolization, necrosis and coagulation of cytoplasm in the liver; expansion of renal tubules and formation of cellular debris in the kidney. The changes in the tissue architecture have been discussed in reference to fish mortality.
Vibrational Properties of Calcium Phosphate Compounds. 2. Comparison between Hydroxyapatite and β-Tricalcium Phosphate

A comparison between Raman spectra of polycrystalline Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 and β-Ca3(PO4)2 is reported. Both compounds exhibit similar Raman spectra, which are dominated by the internal modes of the PO43- tetrahedra. However, several characteristic features of the Raman spectra allow us to establish a distinction between these two calcium phosphates. Besides the presence of peaks associated with vibrations of the OH- group in the Raman spectrum of hydroxyapatite, which are highly sensitive to sample crystallinity, other characteristic features such as the width of the PO43- internal bands can be used to distinguish between hydroxyapatite and β-Ca3(PO4)2.
Marked improvement in the stability of small molecule organic photovoltaics by interfacial modification using self-assembled monolayers to prevent indium diffusion into the active layer

This work describes a simple process to improve the stability of small molecule organic photovoltaics (OPVs) that use poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as the hole transport layer (HTL), without reducing the power conversion efficiency (PCE). We investigated the effect of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on the degradation of electrical properties caused by the diffusion of indium through the matrix commonly used in OPV devices. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiles suggested that the acidic PEDOT:PSS etched the indium from the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode, which resulted in indium diffusion into and chemical interaction with the active layer. Such behavior was responsible for the deterioration of the device. By inserting a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with carboxylic acid functional groups at the interface between the ITO and PEDOT:PSS layers, such diffusion could be significantly suppressed. The PCE of the pristine OPV diminished to zero at 49 days post-fabrication under ambient conditions. However, the PCE of the SAM-modified device was reduced by only 30% over the same period, and only to 48% after 98 days. Moreover, the SAMs improved the interfacial electrical properties between the ITO and PEDOT:PSS layers, which maintained the PCE of the device. Our findings suggest a simple approach to improve the stability of OPVs that utilize PEDOT:PSS as the HTL.
Controlling uni-directional wetting via surface chemistry and morphology

Inspiration from natural designs offers opportunities to develop novel functional materials having unique properties. An active area of research in this field is the construction of anisotropic nanostructured surfaces, which exhibit direction dependent wetting behavior. Here, we demonstrated the effects of surface chemistry and morphology on the directional wetting phenomenon. The nanofilms having directionality were fabricated at varying tilt angles (β) via oblique angle deposition (OAD) technique. The chemical modifications of engineered nanofilms were then carried out by using thiol molecules having different end groups (i.e., –CF3, –CH3, and –phenyl). We found that surface morphology and chemistry are extremely important parameters in the control of directional wetting. By this way, it was possible to manipulate the movement of a water droplet on the nanostructured surfaces. Such a control would have a great impact for several technological applications involving catalysis, tissue engineering, and biosensors.
Plasmon-Induced Photodegradation of Toxic Pollutants with Ag/AgI/Bi2WO6 under Visible-Light Irradiation

The Ag/AgI/Bi2WO6 photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by deposition-precipitation and photoreduction methods. The catalyst showed high and stable photocatalytic activity for the degradation of the RhB under visible light irradiation (λ>400 nm). On the basis of a new plasmonic photocatalytic mechanism, the photogenerated electron-hole pairs are formed in Ag nanoparticles (NPs) due to surface plasmon resonance under visible-light irradiation. Then, the photoexcited electrons at the Ag NPs are injected into AgI. On the other hand, the band position shows that AgI and Bi2WO6 have the matching band potentials in the AgI/Bi2WO6 heterostructure composites. So the photoexcited electrons is ultimately transfer to the Bi2WO6 conduction band (CB), photo-induced holes (hVB+) is transfer to the AgI valence band (VB) and the simultaneous transfer to compensative electrons from I- to the Ag NPS. This the result indicates that the high photosensitivity of noble metal Ag NPs due to surface plasmon resonance, which is not only improve the photocatalytic performance, but also offer a new idea for preparation of new photocatalysts .
Virgin olive oil - Chemical implications on quality and health

This paper provides a brief review of the most significant characteristics of olive oil. Processing, composition, authentication, sensory quality and health benefits are the examined aspects. In all these issues, the most recent challenges are described, most of them related to new environmental problems, emerging procedures of adulteration and new chemical features to detect them, and a deep knowledge of the relationship between olive oil consumption and the incidence of some diseases other than cardiovascular malfunction.
Novel Contaminant Transformation Pathways by Abiotic Reductants

Environmentally relevant abiotic reductants, such as zerovalent iron (ZVI) and minerals containing divalent iron (DVI), react predominantly by electron-transfer mechanisms with a variety of contaminant and probe compounds. Other reduction mechanisms involving activated forms of hydrogen (Hads or H–) have been suggested, but most evidence for these is only from systems containing noble metals that catalyze hydrogen activation (e.g., Pd). Here, 2-chlorophenylethanol and relatives of this aromatic halohydrin are used as probe compounds to show that ZVI can affect reduction by several novel pathways that are not observed with DVI minerals. These pathways include dechlorination by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution and epoxide ring opening by reduction. The former appears to be catalyzed by hydroxyl groups associated with oxides on actively corroding ZVI, and the latter can arise from hydride transfer (from NaBH4) or electron transfer (from ZVI).
Factors Affecting the Release of Propranolol Hydrochloride from Beads Coated with Aqueous Polymeric Dispersions

AbstractThe main objective of this study was to investigate the release kinetics and mechanism involved in the transport of an ionizable drug through polymeric films applied to drug-loaded beads. The influence of factors such as drug loading and membrane thickness on release kinetics were also investigated. Beads containing propranolol hydrochloride were coated with either of two commercially available aqueous polymeric dispersions, Aquacoat® or Sure lease®, using the Wurster-Process. Analysis of the drug release data suggest that the drug release followed zero-order release kinetics. The plots of drug release constants versus the reciprocal of membrane thickness were found to be linear for both polymeric dispersions. Increasing the osmotic pressure of the dissolution medium was found to decrease the mass of drug released at any given time for both Aquacoat® and Surelease® coated beads. Hence, drug release from these spherical membrane reservoir systems appeared to be diffusion controlled accompanied by o.
One-Dimensional Metal Oxide Nanotubes, Nanowires, Nanoribbons, and Nanorods: Synthesis, Characterizations, Properties and Applications

One dimensional nanomaterials have attracted much attention from academia and industry. A large series of devices have been created on the basis of 1D nanomaterials. Their applications have changed and will continuously change our daily life. In this paper, we will present a comprehensive review on the synthesis, structure characterization, properties and actual and future potential applications of one dimensional nanomaterials. Due to the large number of review papers on Carbon and ZnO nanomaterials, we will focus only on one dimensional nanostructures based on other important metal oxides than ZnO based 1D nanomaterials. Different general synthesis strategies have firstly been presented. A series of very promising and representative 1D metal oxide nanaomaterials, their synthesis and properties, will then be discussed. The applications of these 1D metal oxide nanomaterials in catalysis, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, in sensors development, in solar cells, in field effect transistor development, in Lithium batteries and in bio-based applications will be detailed.