Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioacessibilidade de compostos bioativos e potencial antioxidante de polpa de juçara em pó (Euterpe Edulis).

RESUMO A juçara é uma fruta nativa do Brasil que possui alto teor de compostos bioativos. O beneficiamento desses frutos para obtenção da polpa vem sendo realizado como alternativa de exploração comercial da palmeira. A secagem por spray drying é uma técnica com o intuito de conservar a polpa e facilitar sua utilização como ingrediente em diversos produtos. Entretanto, a bioacessibilidade dos compostos bioativos da juçara após o processamento deve ser avaliado Desse modo, este trabalho objetivou avaliar a bioacessibilidade de compostos fenólicos totais, antocianinas e capacidade antioxidante da polpa de juçara em pó submetida à digestão (oral-gástrica-entérica) e fermentação colônica, utilizando microbiota intestinal humana. A influencia do pó de juçara na contagem de microrganismos e na produção de gás amônio foi determinada após a fermentação colônica. Os conteúdos iniciais de antocianinas e compostos fenólicos totais foram de 6.970,40 mg/100 g e 14.084,65 mg/100 g, enquanto que após a digestão in vitro (intestino delgado), os valores foram de 1.693,31 mg/100 g e 15.640,37 mg/100g, respectivamente, indicando uma degradação das antocianinas e um aumento do teor de compostos fenólicos. A capacidade antioxidante, determinada pelo método ABTS, após digestão in vitro (intestino delgado), aumentou 83,71%, após a fermentação colônica. A fermentação da polpa de juçara (intestino grosso) resultou em aumento da capacidade antioxidante (ABTS: 3.232,17 μmol de Trolox/g) e manutenção da contagem de Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus e Clostridium após fermentação por 48 h, enquanto Escherichia coli manteve-se constante. O pó de juçara apresentou elevada propriedade bioativa, com potencial utilização como ingrediente, adicionando propriedades funcionais aos alimentos. Mais estudos são necessários para determinar a influencia dos compostos bioativos na modulação da microbiota intestinal.
Thermal stability of lignin in ground pulp (GP) and the effect of lignin modification on GP’s thermal stability: TGA experiments with dimeric lignin model compounds and milled wood lignins

Abstract For ground pulp (GP) utilization in wood fiber composites as reinforced material, its thermal behavior is relevant. The contribution of lignin to thermal performance of GP from Pinus densiflora was the focus of the present study. Dimeric lignin model compounds and isolated milled wood lignins (MWLs) from three sources were submitted for thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The temperatures leading to 1% weight loss (T per 1% WL) for the material were determined. The thermal stability of β-O-4 models was the lowest. Among the MWLs, the abaca MWL with its high β-O-4 content was the least thermostable. An acetylated nonphenolic β-O-4 lignin model compound showed that acetylation improves the thermal stability of this type of dimeric models. The acetylation of benzylic OH groups in β-O-4 linkages is especially relevant for the thermal resistance, which was also shown based on pre-acetylated benzylic OH groups in the GP before the total acetylation.
Reducing the Gap between the Activation Energy Measured in the Liquid and the Glassy States by Adding a Plasticizer to Polylactide

The kinetic fragility of a glass-forming liquid is an important parameter to describe its molecular mobility. In most polymers, the kinetic fragility index obtained from the glassy state by thermally stimulated depolarization current is lower than the one determined in the liquid-like state by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, as shown in this work for neat polylactide (PLA). When PLA is plasticized to different extents, the fragility calculated in the liquid-like state progressively decreases, until approaching the value of fragility calculated from the glass, which on the other hand remains constant with plasticization. Using the cooperative rearranging region (CRR) concept, it is shown that the decrease of the fragility in the liquid-like state is concomitant with a decrease of the cooperativity length. By splitting the fragility calculated in the liquid, in two contributions: volume and energetic, respectively, dependent and independent on cooperativity, we observed that the slope of the fragility plot in the glass is equivalent to the energetic contribution of the fragility in the liquid. It is then deduced that the difference between the slopes of the relaxation time dependence calculated in both glass and liquid is an indicator of the cooperative character of the segmental relaxation when transiting from liquid to glass. As the main structural consequence of plasticization lies in the decrease of interchain weak bonds, it is assumed that these bonds drive the size of the CRR. In contrast, the dynamics in the glass are independent on plasticization structural effects.
Effects of hydrostaticity on the structural stability of carbonates at lower mantle pressures: the case study of dolomite

ABSTRACT We have conducted high pressure far-infrared absorbance and Raman spectroscopic investigations on a natural iron-free dolomite sample up to 40 GPa. Comparison between the present observations and literature results unraveled the effect of hydrostatic conditions on the high pressure dolomite polymorph adopted close to 40 GPa, i.e. the triclinic Dol-IIIc modification. In particular, non-hydrostatic conditions impose structural disorder at these pressures, whereas hydrostatic conditions allow the detection of an ordered Dol-IIIc vibrational response. Hence, hydrostatic conditions appear to be a key ingredient for modeling carbon subduction at lower mantle conditions. Our complementary first-principles calculations verified the far-infrared vibrational response of the ambient- and high pressure dolomite phases.
Evaluation of rainwater harvesting performance for water supply in cities with cold and semi-arid climate

In this study, the performance of rainwater harvesting (RWH) was assessed in terms of potential applicability for rainwater saving and non-potable water supply. Rainwater collecting from roofs of buildings was simulated in two cities with cold and semi-arid climate, namely Qazvin and Sanandaj. Rainfall statistics, information on the storage tank size, building roof areas and water demand (non-potable) were obtained. Buildings with roof areas of 100 m2 to 300 m2 were considered for the present study. It can be concluded that for cities located in cold and semi-arid climates, at least 60% of non-potable water can be supplied from roofs with a large area, a minimum 16% and maximum 70% for a low roof area, a minimum 8% and maximum 44% of the days per year from harvested rainwater. It is also found that for cities located in cold and semi-arid climates, it is possible to achieve at least 70% of non-potable water from large surface roofs. For the studied cities, with increasing tank size (1,000 to 5,000 L) rainwater saving was tangible for the same roof areas.
Chemometric analysis of the Raman spectra for determination of the composition of bones with different porosity

The results of application of the Raman spectroscopy method for evaluation of porosity influence on the process of bone fabric demineralization and for evaluation of component composition of bone grafts with different porosity in the process of their treatment are presented. The comparison has shown the difference in intensities of spectral lines of the mineralized samples on the wavenumbers 960 cm−1 and 1070 cm−1, corresponding to hydroxyapatite phosphate ion and carbonate ion, as well as of the demineralized samples on the wavenumbers 1000 cm−1 (phenylalanine aromatic ring) and 1167 cm−1 (GAG). The coefficients were implied and the two-dimensional analysis, showing the pore size influence on the demineralization process. This is due to the fact that the demineralization process doesn’t include acid mixing, so the areas of its non-uniform concentration appear in its interaction with the samples, particularly in the small-pored areas
3D Printing for Fast Prototyping of Pharmaceutical Dissolution Testing Equipment for Nonstandard Applications

Purpose of the research was to assess feasibility of fused deposition techniques (3D printing) for development of analytical equipment dedicated for specific dosage forms and for nonstandard applications. Dissolution profiles as well as 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the buccal tablets during hydration in dissolution medium were analyzed. The principal result of the study was the first working example of rapid 3D prototyping of dedicated, MRI-compatible dissolution equipment for mucoadhesive buccal tablets. Rapid prototyping techniques were found to be a fast, inexpensive way to develop a dedicated dissolution testing setup.
Active Heat Transfer Enhancement by Interface-Localized Liquid Dielectrophoresis Using Interdigitated Electrodes

We introduced an active heat transfer control between graphene and water using interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). Oppositely charged co-planer electrodes embedded on a graphene surface created a non-uniform electric field. Resulted interface localized liquid dielectrophoresis (LDEP) perpendicular to surface enhanced the water/graphene coupling and decreased the interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) substantially. We correlated the theoretical calculations of average electric field strength near surface with the Kapitza values measured at the corresponding electrode configurations. We obtained a unified linear variation of Kapitza as a function of average electric strength independent of electrode size and charge. By increasing the electric field strength, we measured up to 96% decrease of Kapitza near electrodes. Since the IDEs generated electric field was only interface localized, it required lower electrode charges than any parallel plate capacitor systems. We showed that ITR remains dominant in heat transfer behavior for systems as big as 100nm such that interface localized electric field can at least double the heat removal by eliminating the ITR of graphene/water interface. By converting the hydrophobic few-layer graphene to super-hydrophilic condition with ultra-low Kapitza, current results are important for graphene-based materials considered for the solution of the thermal management problem of current and next generation micro/nano-electronics.
The Heterogeneous Effects of Large and Small Minimum Wage Changes: Evidence Over the Short and Medium Run Using a Pre-Analysis Plan

This paper advances the use of pre-analysis plans in non-experimental research settings. In a study of recent minimum wage changes, we demonstrate how analyses of medium- and long-run impacts of policy interventions can be pre-specified as extensions to short-run analyses. Further, our pre-analysis plan includes comparisons of the effects of large vs. small minimum wage increases, which is a theoretically motivated dimension of heterogeneity. We discuss how these use cases harness the strengths of pre-analysis plans while mitigating their weaknesses. This project's initial analyses explored CPS and ACS data from 2011 through 2015. Alongside these analyses, we pre-committed to analyses incorporating CPS and ACS data extending through 2019. Averaging across the specifications in our pre-analysis plan, we estimate that relatively large minimum wage increases reduced employment rates among low-skilled individuals by just over 2.5 percentage points. Our estimates of the effects of relatively small minimum wage increases vary across data sets and specifications but are, on average, both economically and statistically indistinguishable from zero. We estimate that medium-run effects exceed short-run effects and that the elasticity of employment with respect to the minimum wage is substantially more negative for large minimum wage increases than for small increases.
BIOCOMPABILITY TEST OF HARUAN FISH (Channa striata) BONE HYDROXYAPATITE TO FIBROBLAST CELL AS PERIODONTAL POCKET THERAPY (In Vitro Study on BHK-21 Fibroblast Cell with Hydroxyapatite of Haruan Fish Bone (Channa striata) as Bone Graft Material)

Background : Periodontitis is an inflammation of the soft tissues and hard tissues that support the tooth characterized by periodontal pocket formation, recession to resorption of alveolar bone. So far, alveolar bone resorption caused by periodontitis can be treated with bone graft therapy. Xenograft is a type of bone graft that has many advantages such as can be obtained from natural materials, low in price and has minimal virus transmission. Hydroxyapatite of haruan fish bone is a type of xenograft material that has never been applied in medical field. Objective : This study aims to analyze the biocompatibility of haruan fish bone hydroxyapatite (Channa striata) against BHK-21 fibroblast cells via viability. Method : This was a laboratory experimental study with posttest only control group design, using MTT assay method and BHK-21 fibroblast cell viability was calculated using optical density formula. Results : The concentrations of 0,2109 mg/ml, 0,4218 mg/ml 0,8437 mg/ml, 1,6875 mg/ml, 3,3375 mg/ml and 6,75 mg/ml were biocompatible against fibroblast cells BHK-21 whereas at concentrations of 54 mg/ml, 27 mg/ml and 13,5 mg/ml were toxic to BHK-21 fibroblast cells. One Way Anova test and Bonferroni test showed concentrations of 54 mg/ml, 27 mg/ml and 13,5 mg/ml had significant differences to other concentrations. Conclusion : Hydroxyapatite of haruan fish bone (Channa striata) at some concentration is biocompatible against BHK-21 fibroblast cells.
Simulation of electron energy loss spectra with the turboEELS and thermo_pw codes

For some materials like noble metals, electron energy loss spectra have a complex structure that makes them difficult to analyze without the help of ab initio calculations. Various theoretical approaches can be used for this purpose, among which the time-dependent density functional perturbation theory (TDDFPT) which has been widely used to study plasmons in a number of bulk and surface systems. In the present paper we present a comparison of the results and performance of two different numerical implementations of TDDFPT: the Sternheimer and Liouville-Lanczos methods. The former approach is implemented in the thermo_pw module and the latter one in the turboEELS code of the QUANTUM ESPRESSO package for electronic structure calculations. In the present paper a comparison is made for bulk bismuth, a semimetal, taking into account spin-orbit coupling, as well as for bulk gold, a noble metal. We show that for these two examples, both codes gives identical results and the turboEELS code has a better performance than the thermo_pw code, and point out in which cases the usage of thermo_pw alone or of both codes can be advantageous.
Mg induced compositional change in InGaN alloys

Tunnel junctions are indispensable elements of multi-junction solar cells. The fabrication of InGaN tunnel junctions requires the growth of degenerately doped n- and p-type layers. While highly doped n-type InGaN films have been demonstrated, the growth of degenerately p-doped InGaN films and the fabrication of high indium fraction InGaN tunnel junctions is still to be demonstrated. We present an investigation of the effect of Mg doping on the InGaN crystal properties over a large range of Mg fluxes and InN mole fractions in the range from 30% to 40%, using multiple characterization techniques. InGaN thin films were grown on GaN/sapphire templates and doped with Mg using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). We have found that the Mg concentration in the film increases linearly with the Mg beam equivalent pressure (BEP) at first, followed by a saturation at ∼4 × 1021 cm−3 similar to the Mg doping behavior reported for GaN. The growth rate of the alloy changes by more than 50% with the changes in the surface availability of Mg. These effects can be explained through the saturation of the atomic sites available for incorporation in the case of Mg concentration saturation and by the passivation of the free nitrogen radicals in the case of the growth rate variation. The incorporation of In and Ga depends on the flux ratio (ΦIn + ΦGa)/(ΦMg) at the growth surface and it is shown that the decrease of this ratio below a threshold of ∼2000 causes the almost complete loss of In and the formation of a new quaternary wide band gap semiconductor alloy (InGaMg)N.
Nitrate N influences the accumulations and subcellular distributions of Cd and Zn to mediate the Cd/Zn interactions in dwarf Polish Wheat (Triticum polonicum L.) seedlings

ABSTRACT Nitrate (NO3 –) assimilation and transport play important roles in Cd transport. Transcript profiling indicated that several NO3 − metabolism-related genes were involved in Cd/Zn interactions in roots of dwarf Polish Wheat (DPW). In this study, the effects of NO3 − on Cd and Zn accumulations and subcellular distributions in DPW under Cd, Zn, and Cd + Zn applications with lack or supply of NO3 − were investigated. Compared with lack of NO3 –, supply of NO3 − enhanced the Cd accumulation and the NO3 − uptake in roots under Cd application; it reduced the Zn accumulation and the NO3 − uptake in roots under Zn application; it did not affect the Cd accumulation and the NO3 − uptake, but reduced the Zn accumulation in roots under Cd + Zn application. Supply of NO3 − increased the Cd concentration in soluble fraction (including vacuole) to enhance the Cd capacity in roots under Cd application; it reduced the Zn concentration in soluble fraction under Zn application, and in all fractions under Cd + Zn application. Under lack or supply of NO3 –, application of Zn inhibited the Cd accumulation in roots with reducing the Cd concentration of soluble fraction, but promoted in shoots with increasing the Cd concentration of organelle fraction; application of Cd promoted the Zn accumulation in roots, but inhibited in shoots (except of supply of NO3 –). These results indicated that NO3 − influenced the subcellular distributions of Cd and Zn to affect their accumulations, although the affections were different.
Toxicological Effects of Silver Nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on Different Physiological Parameters of Tadpoles, Polypedates maculatus

The effects of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on the growth, metamorphosis, innate immune parameters and enzyme profiles of tadpole, Polypedates maculatus were studied. Chronic exposure to Ag-NPs for 60 days at 1 mg l-1 and 5 mg l-1 concentrations caused 10% and 50% mortalities respectively alongwith slow growth and delayed metamorphosis as compared to 0.1 mg l-1 treatment and control (0 mg l-1). The non-specific immune parameters and certain enzyme activities like alkaline phosphatase (ALP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) varied significantly in a dose dependent manner. The accumulation of silver in the tadpole tissues of treated groups ranged from 0.0966±0.0025 μg g-1 to 0.4718±0.0126 μg g-1 as compared to tissues in control group (0.0758±0.0019 μg g-1). Hence Ag-NPs had significant detrimental effects on growth and other associated physiological parameters of tadpole, Polypedates maculatus when administered at higher concentrations (>1 mg l-1) for longer durations. Thus the toxicity studies of Ag-NPs have to be conducted on wider ranges of target and non-target species to assess their environmental impacts. Furthermore, these results suggest that silver nanoparticles induce a dose-dependent toxicity in physiological parameters of tadpoles, which hinders normal development.This study was aimed to enhance our insight on the health and environmental impact of silver nanoparticles. This study pointed out the adverse effects of Ag-NPs in tadpole species and all applications involving silver nanoparticles should be given special attention and promoted only after detailed studies.
The Comparison of Inflammatory Cytokines between Spinal and General Anesthesia following Changes in Ischemic Reperfusion due to Tourniquet during Lower Limb Surgery

Methods In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 34 patients with lower limb surgery admitted at the orthopedic ward of Imam Reza Hospital, Birjand, Iran, were selected by the available sampling method. They were randomly divided into two groups as follows: general anesthesia (n = 17) and spinal anesthesia (n = 17). Venous blood samples were taken from the patients of both groups at baseline (before the use of tourniquet) and 12 and 24 hours after reperfusion. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrotizing factor-α (TNF-α), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and ferritin were measured and recorded. The data were analyzed using independent t-test, chi-square, and repeated measure at the significant level of 0.05. Results The results showed that hs-CRP and IL-6 significantly increased during the study (p < 0.001); however, the mean changes of TNF-α and ferritin were not significant during the study. Moreover, none of the inflammatory cytokines indicated significant differences between these two study groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion According to the results, the use of tourniquet can lead to inflammation, and the inflammation is similar in both groups.
Rivaroxaban Modulates TLR4/Myd88/NF-Kβ Signaling Pathway in a Dose-Dependent Manner With Suppression of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in an Experimental Model of Depression

Depression is a common mental illness leading to upset or anxiety, with a high incidence rate in the world. Depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and behavior. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the direct oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (RVX), in the model of depression induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS) in rats. Fifty-six male Wister rats were randomly divided into seven experimental groups (8 rats/group); Group 1: Control group given vehicle per oral (p.o.), Group 2: RVXL-control group (received rivaroxaban 20 mg/kg/day, p.o.), Group 3: RVXH-control group (received rivaroxaban 30 mg/kg/day, p.o.), Group 4: chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) group, Group 5: FLX-treated CUMS group (received fluoxetine 10 mg/kg/day, p.o.), Group 6: RVXL-treated CUMS group (received rivaroxaban 20 mg/kg/day, p.o.), and Group 7: RVXH-treated CUMS group (received rivaroxaban 30 mg/kg/day, p.o.). The rats received the drugs from the first day of the experiment and continued till 4 weeks—the duration of the study. The following were measured: monoamine neurotransmitters, malondialdehyde (MDA), total nitrite/nitrate (NOx), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). A forced swimming test (FST) was done. Furthermore, histological changes and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoexpression were evaluated. CUMS showed a significant decrease in hypothalamic neurotransmitters, hippocampal GSH, SOD, BNDF, and VEGF-A with a significant increase in hippocampal MDA, NOx, NF-kβ, Myd88, TLR4, TNF-α, and GFAP immunoexpression. RVX showed significant improvement in all parameters (p -value < 0.0001). In conclusion, RVX in a dose-dependent manner possesses potent ameliorative effects against depression by reducing the oxidative stress and inflammatory process, through the regulation of the TLR4/Myd88/NF-kβ signaling pathway.