jimnoneill/paper-to-field-training huggingface dataset:
Modulation of rifampicin release from spray-dried microspheres using combinations of poly-(DL-lactide)

Field: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (Life Sciences)

Microspheres containing 20% w/w rifampicin (RIF) with smooth morphology have been readily prepared from combinations of low, R104 (Mw, 2000) and moderate, R202H (Mw, 9000), molecular weight poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) as a means to modulate drug release from either polymer when used alone. These have been characterized with respect to their drug loading, granulometry, in vitro drug release and thermal behaviour. Particle size distributions were Gaussian, whereby mean microsphere diameter was found to increase from 2.11 to 2.98 microns as the proportion of more viscous R202H increased, whilst > 95% of particles were < 10 microns, irrespective of the polymer blend used. Use of a reduced inlet temperature for spray-drying gave uncharacteristically high production yields in the range of 55.8-80.7% for the process. Encapsulation efficiencies were quantitative with the weight proportion of drug co-dissolved (p < 0.05), yielding microspheres of high and predictable RIF loading. In vitro drug release revealed a dramatic shift in release profile between 40 and 60% R104. Closer examination in this range showed the predicted pattern of increased release rate as the fraction of more hydrophilic R104 increased. However, disproportionate differences were evident between 44 and 48% R104. From the apparent temperature dependent drug release, the criticality of matrix composition was attributed to the coincidence of matrix softening with the dissolution medium temperature and consequent hydration, which, at a finite composition, resulted in a controlled auto-hydration mechanism. Dramatic dependence of release rate with dissolution methodology was accountable to the fact that drug release was considerably quicker where microspheres remained suspended and individualized with the USP paddle method as opposed to aggregated with the shaking bath methodology. In conclusion, the utility of blending racemic PDLLA to modulate drug release and the convenience of spray-drying as a technique to produce microspheres of predictable character have been demonstrated. The temperature-dependent release exhibited may have application in the site-specific delivery of drugs where local increased biochemical activity promotes drug release in response to an increased pharmacological need.
Proximal Gradient Algorithms Under Local Lipschitz Gradient Continuity

Field: Mathematics (Physical Sciences)

Abstract Composite optimization offers a powerful modeling tool for a variety of applications and is often numerically solved by means of proximal gradient methods. In this paper, we consider fully nonconvex composite problems under only local Lipschitz gradient continuity for the smooth part of the objective function. We investigate an adaptive scheme for PANOC-type methods (Stella et al. in Proceedings of the IEEE 56th CDC, 2017), namely accelerated linesearch algorithms requiring only the simple oracle of proximal gradient. While including the classical proximal gradient method, our theoretical results cover a broader class of algorithms and provide convergence guarantees for accelerated methods with possibly inexact computation of the proximal mapping. These findings have also significant practical impact, as they widen scope and performance of existing, and possibly future, general purpose optimization software that invoke PANOC as inner solver.
A facile microwave assisted synthesis and spectral characterization of substituted benzylidine carbazoles, pyrazolo[3,4-a]carbazoles and isooxazolo[3,4-a]carbazoles.

Field: Chemistry (Physical Sciences)

Aldol condensation between 1-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocarbazole 1 and benzaldehyde yielded 2-benzylidine-1-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocarbazole 2. Which on treatment with hydrazine hydrate in ethanol afforded substituted 4,5-dihydro-3-phenyl-2H- pyrazolo(3,4-a)carbazoles 3. The compound 2 on treatment with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in ethanol yielded 3-phenyl isooxazolo(3,4-a)carbazoles 4. Microwave irradiation of 2 with hydrazine hydrate and hydroxylamine hydrochloride in ethanol separately yielded the same products 3 and 4 respectively.
Intimate partner homicide in Norway 1990–2012: Identifying risk factors through structured risk assessment, court documents, and interviews with bereaved.

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

OBJECTIVE: To explore possible risk factors for intimate partner homicide by combining structured risk assessment based on information available in court documents and individual risk assessment provided through interviews with the bereaved. METHOD: The aim of this study was to scrutinize intimate partner homicide (IPH) situations and interactions within a retrospective, mixed methods design. All IPHs in Norway that had received a final legal judgment from 1990 to 2012 (N = 177) were included. Quantitative data was extracted through structured investigation of the court documents. Risk factors were identified from three validated risk assessment instruments. Qualitative data were retrieved from interviews with a sample of bereaved (n = 12). RESULTS: The IPH distribution was biased toward low socioeconomic status. Previous intimate partner violence (IPV) was identified in 7 out of 10 IPH incidents. Observed risk by the bereaved was infrequently communicated to health care, police, or support services. Individuals who did communicate risk found that professionals underestimated the reported risk and did not act on their warnings. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of IPHs did not occur without warning signs. To prevent IPH, structured risk assessments and knowledge of family and friends' perceptions of risk is essential. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) Language: en
Cyrtopodium paludicolum germination with two Tulasnella isolates

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

ABSTRACT Symbiosis between orchid seeds and mycorrhizal fungi has been reported to be a determining factor in the success of germination and protocorm development in vitro. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify by molecular analysis the mycorrhizal fungus associated with Cyrtopodium paludicolum, and to evaluate its efficiency in facilitating seed germination and development. Germination experiments were carried out using a fungus isolated from C. paludicolum (CH01) and Epidendrum secundum (M65), which has been successfully used a number of times in symbiotic germination. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with treatments of CH01, M65 as well as under asymbiotic conditions. The mycobiont CH01 was successfully isolated from Cyrtopodium paludicolum and identified as Tulasnella sp. Treatments with both fungi reached a higher germination percentage than under asymbiotic conditions, indicating no specificity in the relationship between Cyrtopodium paludicolum and the fungi. The results presented have the potential to advance research into the propagation and conservation of C. paludicolum, a native of the Cerrado biome.
Stabilization of Self-Assembled Monolayers of Carboxylic Acids on Native Oxides of Metals

Field: Chemistry (Physical Sciences)

Alkanoic acids adsorb weakly to the native oxide surface of aluminum. Treating the oxide surface first with an alkoxide of zirconium provides for strong subsequent adsorption of the alkanoic acid. The formation of an interfacial zirconium carboxylate gives rise to this strong adhesion. A combination of quartz crystal microbalance and ultrahigh-vacuum IR spectroscopic techniques were used to establish the stoichiometry and structural features of the interfacial zirconium carboxylate film.
e-Competencies 3.0

Field: Computer Science (Physical Sciences)

Europski odbor za normizaciju (CEN) objavio je 6. travnja ove godine prvu normu iz podrucja e‑kompetencija: EN 16234-1:2016 Okvir za e-Kompetencije – zajednicki europski okvir za ICT profesionalce u svim in‑ dustrijskim sektorima. Prvi dio - Okvir. Norma je rezultat dugogodisnjeg rada na usklađivanju nacionalnih okvira kom‑ petencija i zanimanja zemalja clanica i primjera najbolje prakse ICT industrije u Europskoj uniji.
Time to get real with qPCR controls: The frequency of sample contamination and the informative power of negative controls in environmental DNA studies

Field: Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)

Abstract Environmental (e)DNA methods have enabled rapid, sensitive and specific inferences of taxa presence throughout diverse fields of ecological study. However, use of eDNA results for decision‐making has been impeded by uncertainties associated with false positive tests putatively caused by sporadic or systemic contamination. Sporadic contamination is a process that is inconsistent across samples and systemic contamination occurs consistently over a group of samples. Here, we used empirical data and laboratory experiments to (i) estimate the sporadic contamination rate for each stage of a common, targeted eDNA workflow employing best practice quality control measures under simulated conditions of rare and common target DNA presence, (ii) determine the rate at which negative controls (i.e., “blanks”) detect varying concentrations of systemic contamination, and (iii) estimate the effort that would be required to consistently detect sporadic and systemic contamination. Sporadic contamination rates were very low across all eDNA workflow steps, and, therefore, an intractably high number of negative controls (>100) would be required to determine occurrence of sporadic contamination with any certainty. Contrarily, detection of intentionally introduced systemic contamination was more consistent; therefore, very few negative controls (<5) would be needed to consistently alert to systemic contamination. These results have considerable implications to eDNA study design when resources for sample analyses are constrained.
Skepticism: Balancing Dreams and Realities

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

My analysis of le Carre’s exploration of the interplay between appearances and realities implicitly employs a phenomenological approach, which is based on the assumption that our perceptions of reality are socially and culturally constructed.2 Le Carre’s plots illustrate that appearances are rarely what they seem to be. They show competing versions of reality in which individual and collective self-deception—opposite sides of the same coin—lead to disastrous outcomes for both individual and collectivity. A skeptical outlook, one that critically questions the taken-for-granted assumptions on which all socially constructed depictions of reality are based, is the most successful approach to counter such deceptions and to maintain personal stability and integrity. In chapter 8 I will argue that having skeptical individuals in intelligence organizations is perhaps the most effective means of protecting these organizations from the disastrous consequences of operations based on false assumptions and unrealistic evaluations of situations entailing collective illusions.
Integrated construction supervision as a tool to reduce the developer’s risks when implementing new and redevelopment projects

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

The article describes the importance of construction supervision by a Developer (EPCM Contractor) as an effective tool for reducing potential risks when implementing investment and construction projects. In general, the paper describes the practice of hiring construction supervisors, the need for an integrated, systemic approach to the work acceptance process. The proposed integrated verification supervision method includes Contractor’s laboratory data confirmation in order to optimize and improve the control functions. The method was analyzed using existing statistical techniques. The paper suggests ways for determining quality and quantity characteristics of sampling (verification supervision) from the general totality (Contractor’s initial supervision) while observing the representativeness condition.
The role of DNA sensing and innate immune receptor TLR9 in otitis media

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Otitis media (OM), a common infectious disease in children, is associated with bacterial middle ear (ME) infection. Tolllike receptors (TLRs) are important mediators of innate immune responses, and TLR9 specifically recognizes the unmethylated cytidine-phosphate-guanosine (CpG) motifs in bacterial DNA. Additional sensors of foreign DNA have recently been identified. The role of DNA sensing and TLR9 was investigated in a murine model of OM induced by non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). Expression of genes related to DNA-sensing pathways involved in innate immunity was assessed via DNA microarray, qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Middle ear responses to NTHi were examined in wild-type and TLR9−/− mice by histopathology and bacterial culture. Expression of TLR9 signaling genes was modestly up-regulated during OM, as was TLR9 protein in both ME mucosal cells and infiltrating leukocytes. However, genes known to be regulated by CpG DNA were dramatically up-regulated, as were genes involved in DNA sensing by DIA, Pol-III and AIM2. Toll-like receptor 9 deletion significantly prolonged the inflammatory response induced by NTHi in the ME and delayed bacterial clearance. The results suggest that DNA sensing via TLR9 plays a role in OM pathogenesis and recovery. Alternative forms of DNA sensing may also contribute to OM.
Correlation and Path Analysis for Yield and Yield Components in Blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper]

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

The experimental material was consisting of 31 Black gram genotypes, check as T-9, during kharif 2017. The experiment was laid out in Randomised Complete Block Design with 3 replications at field experimentation centre of Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences. The observations were logged on five randomly taken plants to each treatment and replication for 13 quantitative characters viz. days to 50% flowering, days to 50% pod setting, plant height, number of primary branches per plant, clusters per plant, pods per plant, pod length, seeds per pod, days to maturity, seed index, biological yield, harvest index and seed yield to estimate the variability, heritability and genetic advance as % mean, character association and path analysis. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean was recorded for seed yield per plant represents simple selection is effective to improve these characters. The correlations revealed that harvest index and plant height have the significant positive association with the seed yield per plant at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. The path analysis revealed that the harvest index, biological yield, days to 50 % flowering and seed per pod had shown the true relationship with seed yield by establishing the positive correlations and direct effects at both genotypic and phenotypic levels.
Design Study of Adjuvant Treatment and Prevention of Chilblain in Children with Ginger

Field: Health Professions (Health Sciences)

In rural areas of central and Western China, chilblain is a common seasonal skin disease among local children. Its symptoms are mainly skin redness, itching, peeling and even ulceration, which has a negative impact on children's body and psychology. Due to the lack of attention and scientific cognition on the treatment and prevention of chilblain, children with chilblain are prone to serious symptoms and have a high probability of recurrence. This study conducted field investigation and user visits, earnestly considered the multiple needs and scientific basis of users. This study combined with the different characteristics of treatment and prevention and redesigned the primary methods of chilblain disease treatment and the acceptability of various schemes for children in the initial stage of chilblain prevention and treatment. Using the local traditional methods and natural materials, this design tests and improves the treatment methods of local ginger soup and ginger juice smearing. Through the test of children's preferences, the application methods of ointment and the redesign of medicine bottles that can be accepted and used by children are added in the traditional treatment stage, as to design and produce new forms and carriers for chilblain treatment for children, more loved and accepted by children.
Griseofulvin and Filariasis

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

MCLJORAmeal was booked and she was discharged on June 23.She was readmitted on June 29 as the epigastric pain had continued and become more severe.She had vomited once.She was apyrexial and there was only moderate epigastric tenderness without signs of peri- tonitis.Over the next 48 hours, however, her pulse rate rose and she developed signs of a generalized peritonitis.At laparotomy on July I she was found to have gangrene of the middle 3 ft. of the small bowel and gross oedema of the mesentery due to thrombosis of the mesenteric veins.Good pulsation was felt in the mesenteric arteries.The infarcted bowel was resected.Intravenous heparin 10,000 units six- hourly and tetracycline were commenced im- mediately post-operatively.The heparin was discontinued on July 15 because the patient had three melaena stools.She made a good recovery and was discharged on August 10.Two months later she was symptom free, having one bowel action a day, and had maintained her weight.This case seems worth reporting be- cause it illustrates:(1) The duration of symptoms before infarction of the bowel occurs--in this case four weeks.(2) That with timely resection of in- farcted bowel and immediate post- operative anticoagulant therapy survival is possible.(3) That the condition may begin in the later weeks of pregnancy, and may in this case have contributed to the intra- uterine death.We are grateful to
Understanding the multiple factors governing social learning and the diffusion of innovations

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

What animals learn from social interactions with others can profoundly shape their behaviour across a range of ecologically relevant contexts. In recent years, there has been a call for better efforts to identify social learning in wild animals, followed by a surge in observational and experimental studies. Here, I review the range of contexts in which social learning has been documented in wild animals, and argue that that the use of social learning is restricted by its adaptive utility; including when there is opportunity for social interactions during sensitive developmental periods, when personal information is hard or risky to obtain, and when social information can outperform asocial learning. I conclude by highlighting the further potential for social learning to act as a mechanism by which populations can exhibit behavioural responses to changing environments, via the diffusion of innovations.
Potential roles of galectins in myeloid differentiation into three different lineages

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)

Abstract Little is known about the roles of galectins, a family of β-galactoside-binding lectins, in myeloid cell differentiation. In the present experiments, we used HL-60 cells as a model of myeloid cell differentiation. The HL-60 cells were differentiated into eosinophil-, monocyte-, and neutrophil-like cells by coculture with sodium butyrate under a mild alkaline condition, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, and dimethyl sulfoxide, respectively. Thus, the expression of galectins in HL-60 cells during differentiation into three different lineages was assessed. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that undifferentiated HL-60 cells expressed galectin-1, -3, -8, -9, and -10 (identical to Charcot Leyden crystal) mRNAs, and galectin-2, -4, and -7 were negligible before and after the differentiations. We failed to detect evident changes in the mRNA levels of galectin-1 and -8 during the diferentiations. However, during the eosinophilic differentiation, galectin-9 mRNA expression was gradually decreased, whereas galectin-10 mRNA expression was increased. During the course of monocytic differentiation, galectin-9 mRNA expression was down-regulated, whereas galectin-3 mRNA expression was up-regulated. Moreover, only galectin-10 mRNA expression was enhanced in the process of neutrophilic differentiation. These changes in galectin expressions were confirmed by Western blot and flow cytometry analyses. It is thus suggested that changes in the expressions of galectin-3, -9, and -10 are potentially important for myeloid cell differentiation into specific lineages.
Comment on cp-2023-9

Field: Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)

Abstract. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a naturally occurring atmospheric trace gas, a regulated pollutant and one of the main components determining the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere. Evaluating climate-chemical models under different conditions than today and constraining past CO sources requires a reliable record of atmospheric CO mixing ratios ([CO]) since pre-industrial times. Here, we report the first continuous record of atmospheric [CO] for Southern Hemisphere (SH) high latitudes over the past three millennia. Our continuous record is a composite of three high-resolution Antarctic ice core gas records and firn air measurements from seven Antarctic locations. The ice core gas [CO] records were measured by continuous flow analysis (CFA) using an optical-feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometer (OF-CEAS), achieving excellent external precision (2.8–8.8 ppbv, 2σ), and consistently low blanks (ranging from 4.1 ± 1.2 to 7.4 ± 1.4 ppbv), enabling paleo-atmospheric interpretations. Six new firn air [CO] Antarctic datasets collected between 1993 and 2016 CE at the DE08-2, DSSW19K, DSSW20K, South Pole, ABN, and Lock-In sites (and one previously published firn CO dataset at Berkner) were used to reconstruct the atmospheric history of CO from ~1897 CE using inverse modeling that incorporates the influence of gas transport in firn. Excellent consistency was observed between the youngest ice core gas [CO] and the [CO] from the base of the firn, and between the recent firn [CO] and atmospheric [CO] measurements at Mawson station (East Antarctica), yielding a consistent and contiguous record of CO across these different archives. Our Antarctic [CO] record is relatively stable from −835 to 1500 CE with mixing ratios within a 30–45 ppbv range (2σ). There is a ~5 ppbv decrease in [CO] to a minimum at around 1700 CE, during the Little Ice Age. CO mixing ratios then increase over time to reach a maximum of ~54 ppbv by ~1985 CE. Most of the industrial period [CO] growth occurred between about 1940 to 1985 CE, after which there was an overall [CO] decrease, as observed at atmospheric monitoring sites around the world and in Greenland firn air. Our Antarctic ice core gas CO observations differ from previously published records in two key aspects. First, our mixing ratios are significantly lower than reported previously, suggesting previous studies underestimated blank contributions. Second, our new CO record does not show a maximum in the late 1800s. The absence of CO peak around the turn of the century argues against there being a peak in Southern Hemisphere biomass burning at this time, which is in agreement with (i) other paleofire proxies such as ethane or acetylene and (ii) conclusions reached by paleofire modeling. The combined ice core and firn air CO history, spanning −835–1992 CE, extended to the present day by the Mawson atmospheric record, provides a useful benchmark for future atmospheric chemistry modeling studies.