Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study on Antioxidant Potentials of Some Leafy Vegetables Consumed Widely in India

The antioxidant activities with respect to the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-radical scavenging activity and reducing activity were assessed and compared for seven edible leafy vegetables (Enhydra fluctuans, Glinus oppositifolius, Amaranthus sp.1, Amaranthus sp.2, Amaranthus spinosus, Ipomoea aquatica and Corchorus sp.) widely consumed in India, especially West Bengal state. Phytochemical analysis of these vegetables revealed the presence of phenolics (gallic acid equivalents 2.87–61.85 mg/g), flavonoids (quercetin equivalents 2.75–406.98 mg/g) and tannins (tannic acid equivalents 7.39–32.52 mg/g). Two of the samples, E. fluctuans and Corchorus sp. exhibited remarkable DPPH radical scavenging activities (>70%) with significant IC50 values of 65.04 and 128.95 μg/mL, respectively. Extracts of these two species were also found to possess significant Fe3+-reducing activities. The constituents of the extracts were separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and the positions of the antioxidative active fractions were determined using TLC bioautography followed by spraying with DPPH solution. The study suggested E. fluctuans and Corchorus sp. to be potential sources of antioxidative compounds. Practical Applications Concerns regarding the use of synthetic antioxidants as preservatives in the food industry, because of their toxicity and harmful health hazards, have resulted in the limitation of their usage in the food industry. This has necessitated urgent search for novel antioxidative compounds of natural origin for use as food supplements as well as preservatives in the food industry. Many of the fruits and vegetables consumed daily possess significant antioxidant activities and are good sources of natural antioxidative compounds. The selected seven leafy vegetables, all of which are widely consumed in India, were studied with respect to their relative antioxidative potentials. Accordingly, E. fluctuans followed by Corchorus sp. were found to have the best potential as sources of natural antioxidative compounds for uses in nutraceutical and food industry.
Modulation of Drug Release from Natural Polymer Matrices by Response Surface Methodology: in vitro and in vivo Evaluation

Purpose The present work aimed at challenging the efficacy of natural gums, karaya and locust bean gum, as matrix-forming polymers for the formulation of sustained-release tablets of diltiazem, a model drug. Methods Central design composite was adopted for the formulation and optimization of tablet formulations. The two gums have been selected as independent variables. The dependent factors chosen were the amount of drug released in 1st hour (Y1), amount of drug released after 12 h (Y2), diffusion exponent (Y3), and time for half of the total drug released (T50%) (Y4). Wet granulation approach was used for the formulation of tablets. FT-IR, DSC, in vitro dissolution, swelling-erosion investigations, SEM, and stability studies were carried out. Results and Discussion It was evident that the release pattern from the prepared formulations was significantly influenced by the quantity of gum(s) in the tablet. FT-IR and DSC results confirm drug–polymer compatibility. Polynomial equations were used for the prediction of quantitative impact of independent factors at different levels on response variables. After ANOVA analysis, the significant factors were considered for constrained optimization to get the optimized formula. The optimized formula generated by the response surface methodology was evaluated both for in vitro and in vivo properties. The optimized formula and a sustained-release marketed product were subjected to in vivo studies in rabbits and the results of the t-test demonstrated insignificant variation in pharmacokinetic parameters among the two formulations, confirming that the prepared tablet showed sustained-release profile. Conclusion The results indicated that karaya and locust bean gum can be effectively used to formulate sustained-release tablets.
Heat Transfer: A Practical Approach

Part 1 Fundamentals: basic concepts of thermodynamics and heat transfer heat conduction steady heat conduction transient heat conduction numerical methods in heat transfer forced convection natural convection boiling and condensation radiation heat transfer heat exchangers mass transfer. Part 2 Applications: heating and cooling of buildings refrigeration and freezing of foods cooling of electronic equipment property tables and charts (SI units and English units) about the software.
Double layer properties of Au(111)/H2SO4 (Cl) + Cu2+ from distance tunneling spectroscopy

We performed a series of distance tunneling characteristics measurements for the system Au(111)/0.05 M H2SO4 + 1 mM Cu2+ in the absence and in the presence of small amounts of chloride to understand if it is possible to map the liquid part of the double layer perpendicular to the electrode surface. We found that we probed the double layer in a distance range where we do not penetrate into the inner Helmholtz layer. Nevertheless, the tip is sufficiently close to the metal surface to address adlayer features showing sensitivity toward long-range-ordered structures. The bias between the scanning tunneling microscope tip and the sample drops in the inner Helmholtz layer, and strong electronic overlap exists between the adsorbed layer and the metal surface. A detailed analysis showed that our approach is capable of detecting molecular contributions to the electronic structure of ordered adlayers. At larger distances from the surface, the average barrier height was found to be about 1 eV, practically independen.
The 9th Magnitude CEMP star BD+44°493: Origin of its Carbon Excess and Beryllium Abundance

Abstract We performed a chemical abundance analysis of the very bright (V = 9.1) carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star BD+44°493, which is the first star found with metallicity [Fe/H] < −3.5 and an apparent magnitude V < 12. The star is classified as a CEMP-no” subgiant, and its abundance pattern implies that a first-generation faint supernova is the most likely origin of its carbon excess. We set an very low upper limit on this star's beryllium abundance, which demonstrates that high C and O abundances do not necessarily imply high Be abundances.
Predicted hygroscopic growth of sea salt aerosol

Organic species in sea salt particles can significantly reduce hygroscopic growth in subsaturated conditions, an important uncertainty in the radiative effect of aerosol particles on the atmosphere. This hygroscopic behavior is predicted with a numerical model of the the organic-water, electrolyte-water, and organicelectrolyte interactions in complex mixtures of organic species and inorganic ions. The results show a 15% decrease in hygroscopic growth above 75% relative humidity for particles that include as little as 30% organic mass. Organic compositions of 50% organic mass reduce hygroscopic growth by 25%. This prediction relies on particle chemical composition estimated from measurements of insoluble organic species in marine-derived particles and of soluble organic species measured in seawater. Twenty insoluble and four soluble organic species are used to represent the behavior of sea salt organic composition. The hygroscopic growth is strongly sensitive to the organic fraction that is soluble or slightly soluble, although variations among different soluble or insoluble species are small above the sodium chloride deliquescence point. Interactions between organic and electrolyte species depend primarily on the “salting out” behavior of NaCl with alkanes, carboxylic acids, and alcohols, although interactions with other inorganic ions in sea salt were estimated to cause small changes in the hygroscopic growth. The predicted growth factors for sea salt with < 30% organic species are consistent with growth factors measured for ambient marine-derived particles by another group [Berg et al., 1998; Swietlicki et al, 2000; Zhou et al, 2001]. This coincidence suggests that the less-hygroscopic particles could indicate the presence of marine organic compounds, although multiple combinations of inorganic and anthropogenic organic species would also satisfy the measured behavior.
A note on the use of field beans (Vicia faba) in lamb finishing diets

Two feeding experiments with housed lambs of the Spanish Manchega breed were carried out over 2 years with the aim of assessing the suitability of field beans in lamb finishing diets. In the 1st year field beans were compared with soya-bean meal as a protein source in a factorial experimental design with the proportion of maize in the diet being 0·15, 0·25 or 0·35. In the second experiment the effect of replacing soya-bean meal and sunflower meal by inclusion of field beans at proportions, 0, 0·1, 0·2, 0·3 and 04 of the diet was studied. All diets were isoenergetic and isoproteic. The composition of the diets had no significant effects on the average daily gain or the food conversion ratio in either experiment. Results from experiment 2 showed that the increasing amount of field beans in the basal diet did not affect protein, fat and water content of a loin sample of meat, or fatty acid composition of kidney fat.
Interfacial Science: An Introduction

1. Introduction 2. Capillarity and the mechanics of surfaces 3. Adsorption and the thermodynamics of surfaces 4. The gas-liquid interface: adsorption, films and foams, aerosols 5. Insoluble monolayers and Langmuir-Blodgett films 6. The liquid-liquid interface: emulsions membranes 7. The surfaces of solids 8. The gas-solid interface: adsorption catalysis 9. The liquid-solid interface: adsorption colloids 10. Biological interfaces
An Abrasion, a Prosthetic Shoulder, and a Cat with a Licking Tendency: Case Report and Literature Review of P. multocida Joint Seeding

Pasteurella multocida is a pathogen well known for its zoonotic transmission, most commonly by cats and dogs. When bacteremia ensures from an infection, patients with foreign objects present in their bodies, including prosthetic joints and mesh implants, become vulnerable to seeding. There have been multiple documented cases in which P. multocida bacteremia has resulted in infection of both native and prosthetic joints. Furthermore, cases have been documented in which patients with P. multocida bacteremia have developed meningitis and neurological complications. Here, we present a patient with multiple comorbidities including multifactorial immunocompromise, advanced age, and multiple prosthetic joints who developed prosthetic joint infection and spinal osteomyelitis after the development of Pasteurella bacteremia. Aggressive treatment was undertaken given her risk factors, and a combination of antibiotics and surgery was utilized, with the patient making a full recovery.
The turnover of organic carbon in subsoils. Part 2. Modelling carbon turnover

A new model, RothPC‐1, is described for the turnover of organic C in the top metre of soil. RothPC‐1 is a version of RothC‐26.3, an earlier model for the turnover of C in topsoils. In RothPC‐1 two extra parameters are used to model turnover in the top metre of soil: one, p, which moves organic C down the profile by an advective process, and the other, s, which slows decomposition with depth. RothPC‐1 is parameterized and tested using measurements (described in Part 1, this issue) of total organic C and radiocarbon on soil profiles from the Rothamsted long‐term field experiments, collected over a period of more than 100 years. RothPC‐1 gives fits to measurements of organic C and radiocarbon in the 0–23, 23–46, 46–69 and 69–92 cm layers of soil that are almost all within (or close to) measurement error in two areas of regenerating woodland (Geescroft and Broadbalk Wildernesses) and an area of cultivated land from the Broadbalk Continuous Wheat Experiment. The fits to old grassland (the Park Grass Experiment) are less close. Two other sites that provide the requisite pre‐ and post‐bomb data are also fitted; a prairie Chernozem from Russia and an annual grassland from California. Roth‐PC‐1 gives a close fit to measurements of organic C and radiocarbon down the Chernozem profile, provided that allowance is made for soil age; with the annual grassland the fit is acceptable in the upper part of the profile, but not in the clay‐rich Bt horizon below. Calculations suggest that treating the top metre of soil as a homogeneous unit will greatly overestimate the effects of global warming in accelerating the decomposition of soil C and hence on the enhanced release of CO2 from soil organic matter; more realistic estimates will be obtained from multi‐layer models such as RothPC‐1.
Effect of partially immobilizing sorption on permeability and the diffusion time lag

The gas permeability and diffusion time lag may exhibit varying degrees of pressure dependence for glassy polymers. The sorption isotherm appears to consist of contributions from both Langmuir and Henry's law terms in such systems. This “dual sorption” theory advanced in the literature pictures gas held by the Langmuir mode as being completely immobilized. In the present paper, this model is extended to accommodate different degrees of partial immobilization of gas sorbed by this mode using two different formulations. One uses a transport expression based on concentration gradients while the other is based on chemical potential gradients. The predictions are that: (1) total immobilization results in a constant permeability with a time lag which strongly decreases with pressure; (2) no immobilization results in a constant time lag with a permeability which decreases strongly with pressure; and (3) incomplete immobilization results in both the permeability and time lag decreasing with pressure but neither as strongly as in the other limiting cases. The differences which may arise by the two formulations of the model are discussed.
Preparation of drug-loaded microspheres of linear and star-shaped poly(D,L-lactide)s and their drug release behaviors

Linear (1-arm) and star-shaped (4-, 6-, and 16-arm) poly(D,L-lactide)s (PDLLs) were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization in bulk of D,L-lactide monomer. Hydroxyl end-group compounds and stannous octoate were used as the initiator and catalyst, respectively. The intrinsic viscosity and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PDLLs decreased steadily as the branch arm number increased for similar molecular weights. However, the intrinsic viscosity and Tg values of the linear PDLL were less than the star-shaped PDLL for similar each PDLL arm lengths. Ibuprofen, a poorly water soluble model drug was entrapped in the PDLL microspheres. All drug-loaded PDLL microspheres were prepared by the oil-in-water emulsion solvent evaporation method, were spherical in shape, and had a smooth surface with fine dispersibility. In vitro drug release behaviors indicated that the drug release from the microspheres with higher branch arm number was faster than from those with lower branch arm number. Moreover, the drug release from the star-shaped PDLL microspheres was slower than that of the linear PDLL microspheres for similar PDLL arm lengths. The drug release behavior could be adjusted through both the branch arm number and arm length of PDLL. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Changes in Hippocampal Plasticity in Depression and Therapeutic Approaches Influencing These Changes

Depression is a common neurological disease that seriously affects human health. There are many hypotheses about the pathogenesis of depression, and the most widely recognized and applied is the monoamine hypothesis. However, no hypothesis can fully explain the pathogenesis of depression. At present, the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurogenesis hypotheses have highlighted the important role of plasticity in depression. The plasticity of neurons and glial cells plays a vital role in the transmission and integration of signals in the central nervous system. Plasticity is the adaptive change in the nervous system in response to changes in external signals. The hippocampus is an important anatomical area associated with depression. Studies have shown that some antidepressants can treat depression by changing the plasticity of the hippocampus. Furthermore, caloric restriction has also been shown to affect antidepressant and hippocampal plasticity changes. In this review, we summarize the latest research, focusing on changes in the plasticity of hippocampal neurons and glial cells in depression and the role of BDNF in the changes in hippocampal plasticity in depression, as well as caloric restriction and mitochondrial plasticity. This review may contribute to the development of antidepressant drugs and elucidating the mechanism of depression.
An Expeditious Coumarin Synthesis via a “Pseudocycloaddition” Between Salicylaldehydes and Ketene

Abstract A variety of salicylaldehydes effected tandem nucleophilic addition onto ketene, leading to corresponding coumarins in good yields under mild conditions. This “pseudocycloaddition” represents a very mild variant of the historic Perkin synthesis of coumarin (which remains of key interest in both perfumery and several emerging areas). GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Risk Factors That Influence Surgical Decision-Making for Patients with Low-Risk Differentiated Thyroid Cancer with Tumor Diameters of 1–4 cm

Background There are several controversies between thyroid lobectomy and total thyroidectomy for surgical management of low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) with a tumor diameter of 1–4 cm. Patients and Methods In this study, we explore the factors related to selection of type of surgical procedure for 103 low-risk DTC patients with a tumor diameter of 1–4 cm. Results Among 103 low-risk DTC patients with tumor diameters of 1–4 cm, 43 patients underwent total thyroidectomy and 60 patients underwent thyroid lobectomy based on postoperative pathology. A ROC curve showed that the optimal diagnostic threshold for selecting surgical modality was a tumor diameter of 2.15 cm. For these low-risk DTC patients, the sensitivity and specificity for predicting thyroid lobectomy when tumor diameter <2.15 cm while total thyroidectomy when tumor diameter ≥2.15 cm are 46.5% and 78.3%, respectively. There were significant differences between the selection of type of surgical procedure in patient groups with 1) tumors with multiple foci group vs a single focus (P<0.05), and 2) tumor diameter of ≥2.15 cm vs <2.15 cm (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between gender and age groups (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that tumors with multiple foci and diameter ≥2.15 cm were the primary risk factors for implementation of total thyroidectomy (P<0.05). Conclusion The diameter and multifocal nature of low-risk DTC tumors are the primary factors related to preferred surgical modality. This study revealed that thyroid lobectomy is more applicable to patients with tumor diameter <2.15 cm and a single focus, whereas, total thyroidectomy was preferred in patients with tumor diameter ≥2.15 cm and/or multiple foci.
Coadsorption of ferrocene-terminated and unsubstituted alkanethiols on gold: electroactive self-assembled monolayers

Self-assembled monolayers provide an ideal system for disentangling the fundamental events in interfacial electron transfer. Coadsorption of ferrocene-terminated alkanethiols with unsubstituted n-alkanethiols on evaporated gold films yields stable, electroactive self-assembled monolayers. Monolayers containing low concentrations of alkanethiols linked to ferrocene by a polar ester group (FcCO{sub 2}(CH{sub 2}){sub n}SH, Fc = ({eta}{sup 5}-C{sub 5}H{sub 5})Fe({eta}{sup 5}-C{sub 5}H{sub 4})) show thermodynamically ideal surface electrochemistry in 1 M HClO{sub 4}, indicating the ferrocene groups to be homogeneous and noninteracting. Higher surface concentrations or use of alkanethiols linked directly to the nonpolar ferrocene group (Fc(CH{sub 2}){sub n}SH) lead to broadened electrochemical features, indicating interactions among ferrocene groups or inhomogeneous sites. Longer chain lengths and lower ferrocene surface concentrations result in slower electron-transfer kinetics with the ferrocene groups. A fraction of the thiols in a monolayer exchange with thiols in an ethanol solution, but much of the monolayer remains unequilibrated after 10 days.
RLOC: Terrain-Aware Legged Locomotion Using Reinforcement Learning and Optimal Control

We present a unified model-based and data-driven approach for quadrupedal planning and control to achieve dynamic locomotion over uneven terrain. We utilize on-board proprioceptive and exteroceptive feedback to map sensory information and desired base velocity commands into footstep plans using a reinforcement learning (RL) policy. This RL policy is trained in simulation over a wide range of procedurally generated terrains. When run online, the system tracks the generated footstep plans using a model-based motion controller. We evaluate the robustness of our method over a wide variety of complex terrains. It exhibits behaviors that prioritize stability over aggressive locomotion. Additionally, we introduce two ancillary RL policies for corrective whole-body motion tracking and recovery control. These policies account for changes in physical parameters and external perturbations. We train and evaluate our framework on a complex quadrupedal system, ANYmal version B, and demonstrate transferability to a larger and heavier robot, ANYmal C, without requiring retraining.
Parking planets in circumbinary discs

The Kepler space mission has discovered about a dozen planets orbiting around binary stars systems. Most of these circumbinary planets lie near their instability boundaries, at about three to five binary separations. Past attempts to match these final locations through an inward migration process were only shown to be successful for the Kepler-16 system. Here, we study ten circumbinary systems and attempt to match the final parking locations and orbital parameters of the planets with a disc-driven migration scenario. We performed 2D locally isothermal hydrodynamical simulations of circumbinary discs with embedded planets and followed their migration evolution using different values for the disc viscosity and aspect ratio. We found that for the six systems with intermediate binary eccentricities (0.1 ≤ ebin ≤ 0.21), the final planetary orbits matched the observations closely for a single set of disc parameters, specifically, a disc viscosity of α = 10−4 and an aspect ratio of H∕r ~ 0.04. For these systems the planet masses are large enough to open at least a partial gap in their discs as they approach the binary, forcing the discs to become circularised and allowing for further migration towards the binary – ultimately leading to a good agreement with the observed planetary orbital parameters. For systems with very small or large binary eccentricities, the match was not as good as the very eccentric discs and the large inner cavities in these cases prevented close-in planet migration. In test simulations with higher than observed planet masses, a better agreement was found for those systems. The good agreement for six out of the ten modelled systems, where the relative difference between observed and simulated final planet orbit is ≤10% strongly supports the idea that planet migration in the disc brought the planets to their present locations.
Estimating the effects of dispersed organic polymers on the sorption of contaminants by natural solids. I. A predictive thermodynamic humic substance organic solute interaction model

Application du concept de Flory-Huggins pour developper un modele de prediction de l'association compose organique hydrophobe/polymere humique. Ici on utilise la dialyse pour determiner, plus particulierement, le potentiel d'association de l'acide humique au 2,5,2'-PCB, a l'α-chlordane, au 1,4-DCB et au 1,2,4-TCB