Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Casuarina equisetifoliaExtract Loaded Phytosomes: Optimization, Characterization andIn vivoEvaluation of Antidiabetic and Antihyperlipidemic Activities in Wistar Rats

Herbal extracts have brilliant in-vitro activity but less in-vivo action in light of their macromolecular size and poor lipid solubility bringing about poor absorption and low bioavailability. These issues can be corrected by designing novel drug delivery systems. Phytosomes provide better absorption and bioavailability when compared to conventional herbal extract.This paper deals with the preparation, optimization and characterization of Phytosome of plant extract and in vivo assessment of antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic activity for improved therapeutic efficacy having sufficient stability.Preliminary distinctive strategies were utilized to get ready Phytosome and antisolvent precipitation method was chosen. The formulation was guided by a full factorial design to study the effect of Independent variable on various dependent variables and resulted in an optimised product. Response contour plots were generated for each response factor to predict a phytosomal composition that yields phytosome formulation having least particle size and maximum entrapment efficiency.Mean particle size, entrapment efficiency and Span value were found to be 295 ± 0.53nm, 82.43 ± 1.65% and 0.34 ± 0.14 respectively. Zeta potential was found to be 19.35mv, indicating the formation of stable formulation. In vitro release study described that the drug release follows the Korsmeyer- Peppas kinetic model. The results proved that Phytosomes of Casuarina equisetifolia extract exhibited more antidiabetic potential and antihyperlipidemic properties as compared to crude Casuarina extract.Phytosomes of Casuarina equestifolia extract was successfully formulated having good entrapment efficiency and physico-chemical characterization of the optimized product, confirming the formation of stable formulation. In vivo antidiabetic activity confirmed better potential of the optimised formulation. Consequently, it has been presumed that Phytosomes of Casuarina equisetifolia extract serve as a useful novel drug delivery system and provide more therapeutic efficacy than conventional plant extracts.
Binary medical image compression using the volumetric run-length approach

ABSTRACT Image compression has become an inevitable tool along with the advancing medical data acquisition and telemedicine systems. The run-length encoding (RLE), one of the most effective and practical lossless compression techniques, is widely used in two-dimensional space with common scanning forms such as zigzag and linear. In this study, an algorithm which takes advantage of the potential simplicity of the run-length algorithm is devised in a volumetric approach for three-dimensional (3D) binary medical data. The proposed algorithm, namely 3D-RLE, being different from the two-dimensional approach that utilizes only intra-slice correlations, is designed to compress binary volumetric data by employing also the inter-slice correlation between the voxels. Furthermore, it is extended to several scanning forms such as Hilbert and perimeter to determine an optimal scanning procedure coherent with the morphology of the segmented organ in data. The algorithm is employed on four datasets for a comprehensive assessment. Numerical simulation results demonstrated that the performance of the algorithm is 1:30 better than those of the state-of-the-art techniques, on average. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
The Effect of Oat Bran on the Dough Rheology and Quality of Chinese Steamed Bread

Abstract The present study investigates the effects of incorporating oat bran (OB) into Chinese steamed bread (CSB). Different levels (5%, 10% and 15%) of OB were used to replace wheat flour in the manufacture of CSB. The rheological properties of the dough were measured (water absorption (WA), development time, mixing tolerance, extensibility and stickiness). The addition of OB significantly increased WA, development time and stickiness, whereas decreased extensibility of dough. The physical properties of CSB were determined using specific volume, loaf height, moisture, and texture analysis. The nutritional quality of the bread was also analysed using an in vitro digestion method mimicking intestinal digestion. The results illustrated that the incorporation of OB into wheat flour decreases specific volume and softness of CSB. The addition of OB decreased the glycaemic response of steamed bread. This study illustrates the potential addition of OB to improve the nutritional quality of CSB.
Optimization of ultrasound-assisted aqueous extraction of polyphenols from Psidium guajava leaves using response surface methodology

ABSTRACT The ultrasound-assisted aqueous extraction of polyphenols from Psidium guajava leaves was investigated using response surface methodology. The total polyphenols yield was significantly affected by the process parameters (ultrasonic power, extraction time, and temperature) and the experimental polyphenols yield at optimal conditions (390.68 W, 38.38 min, 63.23°C) was well agreed with the predicted value (59.82 mg GAE/g). Meanwhile, the aqueous extracts had strong scavenging activity to DPPH. The HPLC analysis showed that gallic acid was the main phenolic component in guava leaves. It was also found that this ultrasound procedure could be successfully applied in industrial production.
Kinetic Study and Optimization of the Most Influential Factor on Batch-Extraction of Gingerol from Fresh Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Rhizomes by Using n-Hexane as a Solvent

A solvent extraction of 6- gingerol from fresh ginger rhizome chips using n-hexane has been successfully carried out. This study aimed to investigate the effects of temperature, feed size, and feed mass on the yield of gingerol, to observe the kinetics of gingerol extraction process using n-hexane as a solvent, to find the most influential parameters in the gingerol extraction process and to determine the optimum conditions of the gingerol extraction process. The experiment was carried out for 60 minutes using two feed mass ( 50 and 75 g), two temperature (60 and 70 oC) and two chips sizes (100 and 25 mm3) using 350 mL n-hexane. The second-order kinetics model was used to study the extraction kinetic parameters. The quick method was used to evaluate the most influential extraction parameters with respect to the yield of gingerol. Feed mass was found to be the most influential parameter in the gingerol extraction process. The optimum extraction conditions were found to be at 60 °C, ginger rhizome chips with 25 mm size3, feed mass was 109.7g and 350 mL n-hexane, which resulted in crude extract with gingerol content of 517.11 ppm.
Nanometric Fe-Substituted ZrO2on Carbon Black as PGM-Free ORR Catalyst for PEMFCs

In this contribution, we demonstrate the presence of high-spin Fe 3 + in Fe-substituted ZrO 2 (Fe x Zr 1 − x O 2 − δ ), as deduced from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption ﬁne structure (NEXAFS), and 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements. The activity of this carbon-supported Fe x Zr 1 − x O 2 − δ catalyst toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was examined by both rotating (ring) disk electrode (R(R)DE) method and single-cell proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). DFT calculations suggest that the much higher ORR mass activity of Fe x Zr 1 − x O 2 − δ compared to Fe-free ZrO 2 is due to the enhanced formation of oxygen vacancies: their formation is favored after Zr 4 + substitution with Fe 3 + and the oxygen vacancies create potential adsorption sites, which act as active centers for the ORR. H 2 O and/or H 2 O 2 production observed in RRDE measurements for the Fe 0.07 Zr 0.93 O 1.97 is also in agreement with the most likely reaction paths from DFT calculations. In addition, Tafel and Arrhenius analyses are performed on Fe 0.07 Zr 0.93 O 1.97 using both RRDE and PEMFC data at various temperatures. Advances in Modern particle size analyses of ZrO 2 nanoparticles in the by transmission the 0.07 Zr 0.93 O 1.97 catalyst is subjected to further rigorous electrochemi- cal characterization in thin-ﬁlm R(R)DE and single-cell PEMFC measurements, including determination of the apparent activation energy and the Tafel slope. RRDE measurements at various electrode loadings are conducted to determine the hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) yield characteristics of the Fe 0.07 Zr 0.93 O 1.97 catalyst. Finally, the structural and electronic features of the Fe-substituted ZrO 2 surface is investi- gated by ﬁrst-principles simulations. recent theoretical effects of Fe substitution on the catalyst’s elec- tronic structure, on the formation of surface oxygen vacancies, and on the interaction with reactive oxygen species. Our DFT-based results provide additional new insights that support the interpretation of our experimental ORR data.
pH-Dependent Multistate System Generated by a Synthetic Furanoflavylium Compound: An Ancestor of the Anthocyanin Multistate of Chemical Species

The multistate of chemical species generated by 4′-hydroxy-3,2′-furanoflavylium is similar to that of anthocyanins and related compounds. This furanoflavylium multistate system was fully characterized by UV–visible and NMR spectroscopy, allowing determination of the respective equilibrium and rate constants. In contrast to the multistate generated by flavylium cations derived from anthocyanins and related compounds, the furanoflavylium multistate is characterized by much slower hydration and tautomerization (pyran ring opening–closing). In addition, the cis–trans isomerization of the chalcones of this system (2′-hydroxyaurones) is extremely slow when compared with anthocyanins. The observed similar order of magnitude for tautomerization and isomerization rate constants leads to peculiar kinetics from the flavylium cation (pH = 1) to the stable trans-chalcone (higher pH values). The hemiketal appears and disappears during the first stages of the kinetics, which gives the intermediate cis-chalcone (pseudo-equilibrium). This last species disappears in a much slower process, as fully characterized by 1H NMR, to give the final trans-chalcone.
Modified rice husk and activated carbon filters for the removal of organics and heavy metals in water

Discharge of untreated industrial effluents containing heavy metals and organics is hazardous to the environment because of their toxicity and persistent nature. At the same time, agricultural waste poses disposal challenges, which can be converted into value added products like adsorbents that could serve as tools for contaminants abatement. Previous findings proved that, adsorption was a sustainable, economical and lucrative separation technique for the removal of such contaminants. This thesis presents the fabrication of a filter for the removal of organics and heavy metals in water which was prepared from treated rice husk and modified activated carbon (AC). The analysis of AC via Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and scanning electron microscopy evidenced porosity of 707 m2/g as surface and a pore volume of 0.31 cm3/g. The elemental and thermogravimetric analysis proved that AC contain 48.7% carbon, while the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows that the surface contains functional groups such as O-H, C=C, C-O, C-O-C and C-H. The experimental results were fitted with fixed-bed adsorption models to understand the adsorbate-adsorbent relationship. Fixed-bed adsorption studies show that, the highest adsorption capacity of 248.2 mg/g and 234.12 mg/g for BPA and phenol respectively was obtained at 250 mg/L concentration and 9 mL/min flow rate. The results also revealed 73 % and 87 % as the highest removal capacity for heavy metal Pb and Cd respectively at 20 mg/L concentration and 9 mL/min flow rate. For sustainability, regeneration of the spent AC was carried out in a microwave which showed 75% yield after five cycles, while the rice husk was eluted with 0.1M hydrogen chloride and 37.8% efficiency was achieved after three successive cycles. The UV lamp incorporated in the filter shows total inactivation of E. coli after 7 minutes.
Furosemide:Triethanolamine Salt as a Strategy To Improve the Biopharmaceutical Properties and Photostability of the Drug

With the purpose of enhancing the biopharmaceutical properties of the furosemide, a pharmaceutical salt was obtained and characterized by combining the drug and triethanolamine. The solid system was prepared using different techniques such as kneading, grinding, and slow evaporation. It was characterizated by X-ray powder diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the same pharmaceutical compound in solid state was obtained through the different preparation techniques. The crystalline structure was fully elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The salt formation was confirmed by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, which revealed the transference of the OH proton of the drug to triethanolamine. Besides, the solubility studies demonstrated an increase in the drug solubility attributed not only to a pH change but also to a soluble salt formation in solution. In ad.
ANALISIS KEMAMPUAN LITERASI STATISTIS DALAM MATERI VARIABILITAS

Abstrak Artikel ini memuat penelitian mengenai kemampuan literasi statistis dalam materi variabilitas. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mendeskripsikan kemampuan literasi statistis dalam materi variabilitas baik secara umum ditinjau dari hasil akhir kemampuan literasi statistis mahasiswa maupun secara khusus ditinjau dari setiap indikator dengan tiga kategori kemampuan literasi statistis mahasiswa yaitu tinggi, sedang, dan rendah. Subyek penelitian melibatkan 67 orang mahasiswa calon guru pendidikan matematika. metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu studi kualitatif secara deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan instrumen tes uraian dan wawancara. Tehnik analisis data dengan tehnik Miles and Hubberman. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kemampuan literasi statistis mahasiswa pada kategori tinggi mampu menyelesaikan semua permasalahan yang disajikan dengan memahami data, menginterprestasikan data, dan mengkomunikasikan data dengan tepat. Mahasiswa kategori sedang menunjukkan kemampuan literasi statistis dalam indikator memahami data hanya terdapat pada soal nomor 1, menginterprestasikan data mengkomunikasikan data sudah dapat melakukannya dengan tepat. Sedangkan untuk mahasiswa kategori kemampuan rendah masih belum mampu memahami data, menginterprestasikan data, dan mengkomunikasikan data sehingga banyak melakukan kesalahan. Peneliti menyarankan agar penelitian selanjutnya memperhatikan model pembelajaran dalam perkuliahan statistika deskriptif untuk meningkatkan kemampuan literasi statistis.
Exploring Baltic Sea cyanobacteria for small-molecule inhibitors of microRNA function: a project description

Cyanobacteria constitute a rich source of biologically active and structurally diverse compounds. The pharmacological potential of these compounds resides among others in their ability to control the proliferation and growth of cancer cell lines and potent disease-causing microbial agents. Despite recent scientific advances, the way these compounds interact with the body’s molecular structure are still unclear and science still has to discover how the cyanobacterial metabolites interact with cell structures and how cells react to them. In this project, we will study yet unexamined cyanobacterial metabolites, especially the compounds which act as chemical ligands for microRNA (miRNA) -binding sites, making them promising regulators (inhibitors) of gene networks that are involved in various diseases. We will first develop a stable cell line that constitutively expresses a unique miRNA reporter system. Then, we will conduct a screen on chemical compounds discovered in Baltic cyanobacteria to identify small molecules with inhibitory activity and specificity to MIR92b-3p, which has a significant impact on liver cell behavior in humans. We assume that a successful MIR92b-3p inhibitor will bind to the precursors of MIR92b-3p miRNA, disabling the action of either of the two processing enzymes involved in the biogenesis of any miRNA in a cell (Drosha or Dicer), thus affecting the MIR92b function. The discoveries made with these inhibitory chemical molecules could provide insight into the role of the MIR92 pathway in liver diseases and cancer, and possibly, if promising results appear, they may facilitate a strategy for treating some human diseases in the future.
Ligand Binding to Copper Nanocrystals: Amines and Carboxylic Acids and the Role of Surface Oxides

Dispersions and inks based on copper nanoparticles have raised extensive interest for printed electronics as copper holds promise for attaining high electric conductivity at low cost. Here, we use the decomposition of copper formate in oleylamine to produce a nanocolloid consisting of ∼4 nm copper nanocrystals, a size that is ideal to study the binding of ligands to nanocopper. Using solution 1H NMR spectroscopy, we demonstrate that oleylamine binds to the surface of as-synthesized copper nanocrystals, thus stabilizing the dispersion by steric hindrance. We find that addition of a carboxylic acid to a purified nanocolloid induces an exchange between the originally bound oleylamine and the carboxylic acid as the surface-bound ligand. We provide evidence that the carboxylic acid dissociates upon binding to the copper nanocrystals. As such a process requires an amphoteric surface, a characteristic of a metal oxide but not of an elementary metal, we argue that ligand binding is determined by residual surface .
TRANSDERMAL OF ATENOLOL VIA MICROEMULSIONS

Objective: Developing novel non-ionic microemulsions (MEs) for transdermal of atenolol as satisfactory alternative drug delivery systems for the oral route. Methods: Seven MEs were developed then checked for encapsulation of atenolol using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-spectroscopy) (), isotropy, droplet sizes, rheological properties and transdermal flux using Franz diffusion cell. Furthermore, two MEs with best flux values were selected for bioavailability evaluation after transdermal application over rat’s skin. Results: The results showed that the MEs complies with colloidal systems properties. Also, the developed MEs were stable throughout the study, ideal viscous systems with droplet sizes below 500 nm and isotropic. Besides, FTIR-spectra could reveal the structure of the MEs and encapsulation of atenolol inside the dispersed phase. Moreover, the flux values of atenolol in MEs through rat’s skin varied with different factors such as atenolol concentration, MEs’s composition, and zetapotential. The highest flux value of the developed systems was 243.5±16.3 µg. cm-2. h-1. Furthermore, the in vivo results showed that using the two tested microemulsions maximum plasma levels of atenolol 5.22±0.43 and 4.06±0.15 mg. ml-1at 8.18 and 3.64 h respectively could be achieved. Conclusion: The developed microemulsions can be promise formulations for transdermal administration of atenolol as alternative for oral tablets.
Physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Competitive and recreational sports participation in hot environments carries a risk of exertional heat stroke and often leads to decrements in performance, increased numbers of medical encounters and participants who are unable to complete the activity. Intensity of activity, acclimatization, hydration, medications and supplements, recent alcohol use, nutrition, sleep hygiene, exposure to air conditioning or night cooling, excessive sport equipment or clothing, malignant hyperthermia, and recent viral illness have all been implicated in the genesis of heat related collapse and exertional heat illness. Administrative decisions are required to modify or cancel competitions in hot environments that put athletes at undue risk. In general, elite athletes tolerate heat better than recreational and sub elite athletes.
Docking analysis provide structural insights to design novel ligands that target PKM2 and HDC8 with potential use for cancer therapy

ABSTRACT The search of protein targets involved in cancer has gained importance in the later years since cancer remains of the leading causes of death in the world. Histone deacetylase 8 (HDC8) play a key role in epigenetic regulation in cancer diseases. In addition, pyruvate kinase (PKM2) has been also identified overexpressed in cancer diseases.Since both targets are involved in cancer diseases, their crystal structures are available and their chemical moiety pharmacophores have been identified, we propose to design some drugs that could target both proteins. These bi-target compounds were submitted to theoretically ADMET analysis and docking studies in order to select the best-scored compounds. From the docking studies, it was possible to elucidate the residues that are involved in their binding recognition of PKM2 and HDC8. Such knowledge is of relevant importance since it will permit the design of new compounds that could effectively target and modulate these proteins that are critically involved in the pathology of cancer. Finally, the computational techniques permitted to select the most favourable compounds (A_4, A_7, A_10, D_6 and D_17), bringing new therapeutic perspectives by using these potential drugs.
Antagonistic fungi in the soil after Daucus carota L. cultivation

Field and laboratory studies determined the effect of intercrop plants (rye, buckwheat, white mustard and sunflower) used in carrot cultivation on the occurrence of Clonostachys spp. , Albifimbria spp. , Trichoderma spp. and Penicillium spp. in the soil and their antagonistic activity. Rye and white mustard were the most effective in limiting the occurrence of soil-borne fungi. Those plants caused an increase of the population of the studied antagonistic fungi. Buckwheat and sunflower promoted the development of antagonists a little worse. The antagonistic activity of the aforementioned fungi was the highest after using rye and white mustard and slightly after buckwheat and sunflower. Those fungi were the most effective in inhibiting the growth of Altenaria dauci, A. radicina and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum pathogenic towards carrot.
Label-free isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from breast cancer patients using parallel multi-orifice flow fractionation (p-MOFF)

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which are detached from primary cancer and circulate in peripheral blood, are known to cause the metastatic cancer. Therefore isolation of CTCs can serve as a powerful tool for cancer prognosis, diagnosis of minimal residual disease, assessment of tumor sensitivity to anticancer drugs, and personalization of anticancer therapy. In this paper, we introduce the parallel multi-orifice flow fractionation (p-MOFF) device which is connected by four single MOFF channel for the isolation of CTCs from whole blood of the metastatic breast cancer patients. For the experimentation of feasibility, we separated over 90% of human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7, MDA_MB_231 cells), and eliminate 90.80 % of WBCs from individual experiment at 600 μL/min inlet flow rate and 240 μL/min outlet flow rate. Based on this result, we have attempted to isolate CTCs from whole blood under the same conditions. Then we identify CTCs using immune staining method. Because our devices do not require any labeling processes (e.g. EpCAM antibody), heterogeneous CTCs can be isolated regardless of EpCAM expression.