Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The in vitro evaluation of some South African plant extracts for minimum inhibition concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration against selected bacterial strains

Bacterial infections are one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. The major challenge in anti-bacterial treatment is the development of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. This then reduces the number of drugs available for treating bacterial infections. In this study, antimicrobial activity of nine South African crude plant extracts were investigated for the first time against Escherichia coli (E.coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Ps aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the crude plant extracts were determined. Four plant extracts showed good inhibition effects against all four bacteria used which are Lippia javanica (0.25±0.00 to 1.13±0.29 mg/ml); Ziziphus mucronata leaf (0.44±0.00 to 1.00±0.00 mg/ml); Erythrina lysistemon (0.44±0.00 to 1.08±0.00 mg/ml) and Schkuhria pinnata (0.5±0.00 to 1.34±0.00 mg/ml). Similarly, gentamycin (positive control) had inhibitory effects ranged from 0.92±0.29 to 2.00±0.00 mg/ml against all four bacteria used. For the bactericidal effects, four plant extracts that showed bactericidal effects against three bacteria used (E.coli, S. aureus and E. faecalis). The plant extracts are Lippa javanica (0.25±0.00 to 1.00±0.00 mg/ml); Ziziphus mucronata leaf (0.25±0.00 to 2.00±0.00 mg/ml); Erythrina lysistemon (0.5±0.00 to 2.00±0.00 mg/ml) and Schkuhria pinnata (0.5±0.00 to 2.00±0.00 mg/ml. Furthermore, none of the plant extract showed bactericidal against Ps. aeruginosa. The results of this study suggests that four plants that demonstrated inhibition effect and bactericidal effects which supports their used in the traditional medicine treatment of various aliments.
Synergistic Effects of B-F/B-S and Nitrogen Vacancy Co-Doping on g-C3N4 and Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction Mechanisms: A DFT Study

Nonmetallic co-doping and surface hole construction are simple and efficient strategies for improving the photocatalytic activity and regulating the electronic structure of g-C3N4. Here, the g-C3N4 catalysts with B-F or B-S co-doping combined with nitrogen vacancies (Nv) are designed. Compared to the pristine g-C3N4, the direction of the excited electron orbit for the B-F-co-doped system is more matching (N2pz→C2pz), facilitating the separation of electrons and holes. Simultaneously, the introduced nitrogen vacancy can further reduce the bandgap by generating impurity states, thus improving the utilization rate of visible light. The doped S atoms can also narrow the bandgap of the B-S-Nv-co-doped g-C3N4, which originates from the p-orbital hybridization between C, N, and S atoms, and the impurity states are generated by the introduction of N vacancies. The doping of B-F-Nv and B-S-Nv exhibits a better CO2 reduction activity with a reduced barrier for the rate-determining step of around 0.2 eV compared to g-C3N4. By changing F to S, the origin of the rate-determining step varies from *CO2→*COOH to *HCHO→*OCH3, which eventually leads to different products of CH3OH and CH4, respectively.
Binding Immunoglobulin Protein (BIP) Inhibits TNF‐α–Induced Osteoclast Differentiation and Systemic Bone Loss in an Erosive Arthritis Model

The association between inflammation and dysregulated bone remodeling is apparent in rheumatoid arthritis and is recapitulated in the human tumor necrosis factor transgenic (hTNFtg) mouse model. We investigated whether extracellular binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP) would protect the hTNFtg mouse from both inflammatory arthritis as well as extensive systemic bone loss and whether BiP had direct antiosteoclast properties in vitro.
Significant contribution of organics to aerosol liquid water content in winter in Beijing, China

Abstract. The aerosol liquid water (ALW) content (ALWC), an important component of atmospheric particles, has a significant effect on atmospheric optical properties, visibility and multiphase chemical reactions. In this study, ALWC is determined from aerosol hygroscopic growth factor (GF) and particle number size distribution (PNSD) measurements and is also simulated by ISORROPIA II, a thermodynamic equilibrium model, with measured aerosol chemical composition data taken at an urban site in Beijing from 8 November to 15 December 2017. Rich measurements made during the experiment concerning virtually all aerosol properties allow us not only to derive the ALWC but also to study the contributions by various species for which little has been done in this region. The simulated ALWC including the contribution of organics and the calculated ALWC are highly correlated (coefficient of determination R2=0.92). The ALWC contributed by organics (ALWCOrg) accounts for 30 %±22 % of the total ALWC during the sampling period. These results suggest a significant contribution of organics to ALWC, which is rather different from previous studies that showed negligible contributions by organics. Our results also show that ALWC correlates well with the mass concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) (R2=0.66, 0.56 and 0.60, respectively). We further noted that accumulation mode particles play a key role in determining ALWC, dominating among all the aerosol modes. ALWC is an exponential function of ambient relative humidity (RH), whose strong diurnal variation influence the diurnal variation of ALWC. However, there is a 3 h lag between the extremes of ALWC and RH values, due to the diurnal variations in PNSD and aerosol chemical composition. Finally, a case study reveals that ALWCOrg plays an important role in the formation of secondary aerosols through multiphase reactions at the initial stage of a heavy-haze episode.
The IMAGE-2006 Mosaic Project

This report details the data ingestion, data organisation, and main processing steps adopted for generating the IMAGE2006 mosaic products. Chapter 1 describes the received data and the way it has been ingested and organised. Chapter 2 presents a detailed analysis of the footprints of the received imagery. Chapter 3 details the procedure used for cloud detection. Relative geometric and radiometric accuracy is studied in Chap. 4. The generation of a cloud mask is indeed fundamental for the generation of a mosaic minimising cloud cover. The mosaicing methodology is presented in Chap. 5. The produced mosaics are described in Chap. 6.
Protecting Personal Information Online: A Survey of User Privacy Concerns and Control Techniques

Users struggle to protect personal information while completing transactions requiring a modicum of trust in today's e-business environment. E-businesses argue that they need personal information to tailor user interactions and provide targeted marketing. Users argue that e-business takes too much personal data without their permission. As a result, users have developed mechanisms to protect their personal information. This paper discusses survey results that suggest a relationship between two types of user privacy concerns and how users control personal information.
Impact of Natural and Synthetic Plant Stimulants on Moringa Seedlings Grown under Low-Temperature Conditions

Low-temperature results in various physiological and metabolic disturbances in cells of plants which are sensitive to low-temperatures. Moringa is getting popularity as a field crop because of its multipurpose usage. There is no information available about effects of low-temperature (14-18°C) on moringa seedlings and its mitigation. Present study was conducted to test the performance of moringa seedling grown in wire house under low-temperature conditions in response to foliar application of moringa leaf extract (3% solution), hydrogen peroxide (5 ml L-1), ascorbic acid (50 mg L-1) and salicylic acid (50 mg L-1). Seeds of six moringa accessions [Local landrace grown at Agronomic Research Area, Z.A Hashmi Hall, Firdous Colony. Exotic landrace grown at Lalazaar Colony, Department of Agronomy and Agronomic Research Area. ] were collected and grown in polythene bags filled with equal ratio of compost, sand, silt and clay. All foliar treatments were applied twice; first round at the seedling age one month and second round at the seedling age two months. Foliar application of moringa leaf extract significantly enhanced number of branches (92%) and leaves (39%), leaf total chlorophyll contents (73%), leaf phenolic contents (53%) and membrane stability index (57%) of moringa seedlings compared to control. Healthy and vigorous growth of moringa seedlings with higher concentration of antioxidants ensured the defensive potential of moringa leaf extract against low-temperature condition.
Solubility Enhancement and Precipitation Inhibition of Poorly Water Soluble Compounds Utilizing Hot Melt Extrusion Technology

ii Acknowledgement.iv List of Tables.vii List of Figures.ix Chapter 1: Introduction.1 Chapter 2: Investigate the Phase Diagram of Drug-Polymer Solid Dispersions.22 Chapter 3: Soluplus as a Polymeric Carrier for Solubility Enhancement of Poorly WaterSoluble Compound.38 Chapter 4: Influence of Formulation Factors and Processing Parameters on KetoconazoleSoluplus Melt Extrudates Using Response Surface Methodology.64 Chapter 5: Solubility Enhancement and Precipitation Inhibition of Paclitaxel Using Hot Melt Extrusion Technology.83 Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusions.100 Bibliography.103 Vita.130
Characterization and Application of New Apatitic Materials Synthesized from Hahotoé-Kpogamé Phosphate Rock

Aims: Phosphorus and phosphate are broadly used in many areas ranging from advance researches to manufacturing companies for regular use purposes. In Togo, the raw phosphate is exploited and exported to serve as an ingredient in chemical fertilizers, detergents, phosphoric acid synthesis, etc. The aim of the present work is an investigation of alternative valuation of the raw phosphate of Hahotoé-Kpogamé in Togo. Methodology: The study consists of the transformation of the raw phosphate into hydroxyapatite by dissolution followed by a precipitation. The hydroxyapatite thus obtained can be used, for example as a conditioning matrix of industrial waste, as a catalyst support, or for the depollution of water etc. The characterization was carried out by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Thermogravimetric Analysis coupled to Thermal Differential Analysis and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. Results: These analyses revealed that the materials are predominantly of non-stoichiometric hydroxyapatite and minority of phosphate tricalcium and impurities. The synthesized materials (calcined and uncalcined) were applied as adsorbent and as coadsorbent of a photocatalyst (TiO2) for methylene blue removal. The study of the adsorption of the methylene blue was carried out in a batch mode. The adsorption of methylene blue on the synthesized materials gave a low yield (15 to 20%). However, used as in the mixture with titanium dioxide, the adsorption rate of methylen blue was increased significantly (57% of removal rate with 0.5 g synthesized materials + 2 g of TiO2 P25). Conclusion: uncalcined hydroxyapatite obtained from raw phosphate can be used as an efficient co-adsorbent of titanium dioxide leading to an alternative valorization of this natural phosphate.
Identification of the function of the carboxy terminus of AFAP-110 in regulating AFAP-110's self-association, cell localization and the integrity of actin filaments

Identification of the Functions of the Carboxy Terminus of AFAP-110 in Regulating AFAP-110’s Self-association, Cell Localization and the Integrity of Actin Filaments Yong Qian The actin filament associated protein of 110 kDa (AFAP-110) is a SH2/SH3 binding partner for Src. It has two SH2 binding motifs, one SH3 binding motif, one proline rich motif, two PH domains and one serine/threonine substrate region at its amino terminus and has been hypothesized to function as an adapter protein that mediate the effects of different signal proteins upon actin filaments. In this report, we demonstrated: 1) AFAP-110 has the ability to self-associate through carboxy terminal interactions. Analysis of the carboxy terminus of AFAP-110 reveals a leucine zipper motif. Expression of carboxy terminus as a fusion protein (GST-cterm) can affinity absorb AFAP-110 from cell lysates, and the integrity of leucine zipper motif in GST-cterm is required for the affinity absorption. FPLC confirm AFAP-110 exists in multimeric forms from monomer to tetramer in vivo; 2) Src transformation changes the profile of AFAP-110’s self-association i vivo and abrogates the affinity absorption of AFAP-110 by GST-cterm in vitro, which is independent of tyrosine phosphorylation; 3)AFAP-110 directly binds to actin filaments through its carboxy terminus. Analysis of the carboxy terminus of AFAP-110 reveals that there are two homologies with consensus actin binding domains (ABD-1 and ABD-3) between amino acids 593-637. 4) AFAP-110 has an intrinsic ability to modulate the integrity of actin filaments and to induce the formation of lamellipodia and changes in cell shape, which may be regulated by the leucine zipper motif. Taken together, these results indicate that AFAP-110 may position itself upon actin filaments through the carboxy terminal region, and the leucine zipper motif may play a regulatory role in affecting the actin filament integrity and the formation of lamellipodia in response to different cellular signals that include Src. In addition, we mapped two monoclonal antibody reactive epitopes within AFAP110. Mab 4C3 recognized an epitope within the SH3 binding motif of avian AFAP-110 and did not efficiently react with mammalian homologoes of AFAP-110. Mab antiAFAP-110 recognized an epitope within the carboxy terminus of AFAP-110, which is conserved across the species. These two monoclonal antibodies provided useful tools to study AFAP-110.
Solving the iron quantification problem in low-kV EPMA: An essential step toward improved analytical spatial resolution in electron probe microanalysis—Olivines

The relatively recent entry of field emission electron microprobes into the field of microanalysis provides another tool for the study of small features of interest (e.g., mineral and melt inclusions, ex-solution lamellae, grain boundary phases, high-pressure experimental charges). However, the critical limitation for accurate quantitative analysis of these submicrometer- to micrometer-sized features is the relationship between electron beam potential and electron scattering within the sample. To achieve submicrometer analytical volumes from which X-rays are generated, the beam accelerating voltage must be reduced from 15–20 to ≤10 kV (often 5 to 7 kV) to reduce the electron interaction volume from ~3 to ~0.5 μm in common geological materials. At these low voltages, critical Kα X-ray lines of transition elements such as Fe are no longer generated, so L X-ray lines must be used. However, applying the necessary matrix corrections to these L lines is complicated by bonding and chemical peak shifts for soft X-ray transitions such as those producing the FeLα X-ray line. It is therefore extremely challenging to produce accurate values for Fe concentration with this approach. Two solutions have been suggested, both with limitations. We introduce here a new, simple, and accurate solution to this problem, using the common mineral olivine as an example. We also introduce, for the first time, olivine results from a new analytical device, the Extended Range Soft X-ray Emission Spectrometer.
Affinity of Serum Albumin and Fibrinogen to Cellulose, Its Hydrophobic Derivatives and Blends

This work describes the preparation of spin-coated thin polymer films composed of cellulose (CE), ethyl cellulose (EC), and cellulose acetate (CA) in the form of bi- or mono-component coatings on sensors of a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Depending on the composition and derivative, hydrophilicity can be varied resulting in materials with different surface properties. The surfaces of mono- and bi-component films were also analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and large differences in the morphologies were found comprising nano- to micrometer sized pores. Extended protein adsorption studies were performed by a QCM-D with 0.1 and 10 mg mL−1 bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 0.1 and 1 mg mL−1 fibrinogen from bovine plasma in phosphate buffered saline. Analysis of the mass of bound proteins was conducted by applying the Voigt model and a comparison was made with the Sauerbrey wet mass of the proteins for all films. The amount of deposited proteins could be influenced by the composition of the films. It is proposed that the observed effects can be exploited in biomaterial science and that they can be used to extent the applicability of bio-based polymer thin films composed of commercial cellulose derivatives.
Screening of antimicrobial peptides from hemolymph extract of tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta against urinary tract and wound infecting multidrug-resistant bacteria

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an evolutionarily conserved component of the innate immune response and they were found among all classes of life forms. In the present study AMPs were extracted from the hemolymph of Antheraea mylitta and fractionated by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Antimicrobial activity was tested against three clinically isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, such as urinary tract infecting Escherichia coli, wound infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus pumilus. Fraction I (comprised of three different peptides of varying mass) did not inhibit the growth of any of these clinical isolates, whereas, fraction III inhibited the growth of B. pumilus without affecting the growth of gram-negative isolates. Fraction II exhibited bactericidal effects against P. aeruginosa and E. coli, whereas, B. pumilus was not susceptible. Scanning electron microscopic study revealed that serious structural alterations of cell morphology and disruption of the outer membrane, that facilitates the release of cytoplasmic content through holes and channels in E. coli, treated with this isolated peptide. Our results indicate that the peptide from the isolated fraction could be used as potent alternative antimicrobial compounds for the treatment of MDR E. coli andP. aeruginosa infections.
An Enhanced Energy Efficiency Tree-Based Hierarchical Routing Based on Additional Connections

Instrumented is defined as a key characteristic in the upcoming smart cites, which demands a higher Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) performance. Tree-based Hierarchical Routing (THR) is a routing protocol for WSNs static scenarios. THR hierarchically maps WSN area into a routing tree. However, fixed topology and hierarchical architecture leads to unbalanced energy overhead distribution and inflexible routes selection. To uniformly distribute routing energy overhead, reduce routing hops and extend network life cycle, we designed an enhanced THR routing protocol based on additional connections such as Neighbors, Brothers and Nephews. Based on these connections, three actions were introduced which are Shortcut, Overhead Balancing and Adoption. A simulation for different network loads on OMNet++4.1 is issued, and realized this THR routing in Chipcon SmartRF04? EB embedded boards based on Zigbee in a point-to-point topology. According to the simulation results and experiment data, this proposal obviously improved the latency performance, reduced energy overhead and extended the network’s life cycle.
Performance Evaluation of Optimized Link State Routing Protocol over TCP Traffic in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) is a wireless network without infrastructure. Optimized Link State Routing protocol (OLSR) is a proactive MANET routing protocol used in (MANET). In this paperthe performance of OLSR protocol is evaluatedby considering the three routing aspects: scalability, network load and mobility. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffics are used over the designednetwork. The performance metrics delay, routing overhead, and throughput are used in the performance analysis. OPNET Modeler 14.5 is used as a simulator. The simulation results show that by increasing the number of nodes the OLSR floods the network with a high amount of routing traffic. It is found that the variationsin the number of nodes and thenetworkspeeddo not significantly affect the performance of OLSR in terms of end-to-end delay and throughput. This is because OLSR builds and maintains consistent paths resulting in low delay and high throughput.
Compensating for distance compression in virtual audiovisual environments

Virtual environments are increasingly being used for various applications. In recent times, with the advent of consumer grade systems, virtual reality has reached a critical mass and has exploded in terms of application domains. Extending from games and entertainment, VR is also applied in military training, remote surgery, flight simulation, co-operative work, and education. While all of these applications require careful design with respect to the interaction and aesthetics of the environment, they differ in their requirement of veridical realism: the impression of suspending disbelief to the point where perception in the environment is equal to the real world. At the same time, research in human centred disciplines have shown predictable biases and `errors' in perception with respect to the environment intended by the designer. This can be a challenge when certain perceptual phenomena prohibit the applicability of VR due to a discontinuation in what is rendered and what is actually perceived by the observer. This thesis is focused on a specific perceptual phenomenon in VR, namely that of distance compression, a term describing the widespread underestimation of distances that occur in VR relative to the real world. This perceptual anomaly occurs not only in visual based virtual environments, as compression has been observed and studied in auditory only and audiovisual spaces too. The contribution of this thesis is a novel technique for reducing compression, and its effectiveness is demonstrated in a series of empirical evaluations. First, research questions are synthesized from existing literature and the problem is introduced and explained through rigorous review of previous literature in the context of spatial audio, virtual reality technology, psychophysics, and multi-sensory integration. Second, the technique for reducing distance compression is proposed from an extensive literature review. Third, the technique is empirically tested through a series of studies involving human participants, virtual reality hardware, and bespoke software engineered for each study. Finally, the results from the studies are discussed and concluded with respect to the research questions proposed.
Modelling the Effects of Farnesol and CO2 on the cAMP Pathway Regulating Morphogenesis in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is reported to be the predominant cause of invasive fungal infections. Morphogenesis is named as one of the main factors making this organism an effective pathogen. Among several different signaling cascades governing morphogenesis in C. albicans, the cAMP pathway is reported to be the most crucial, with most signals being regulated through the adenylyl cyclase, Cyr1p. Here we present two mathematical models which investigate the roles of a quorum sensing molecule, farnesol, in inhibiting the cAMP pathway and CO2 in activating it: Model 1, where farnesol directly degrades cAMP and Model 2, where farnesol triggers the dissociation of the complex Cyr1p~CO2, a vital agent in cAMP production. Throughout our analysis, we demonstrate that Model 2 performs a more effective mechanism in inhibiting the cAMP pathway compared to that of Model 1. Finally, we suggest that if we could design a therapeutic molecule to treat fungal infections caused by C. albicans, the molecule should target Cyr1p~CO2 instead of cAMP.