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Abstract During the milling process of palm oil, the degree of palm fruit ripeness is a critical factor that affects the quality and quantity of the oil. As the palm fruit matures, its chlorophyll level decreases, and since chlorophyll in oil has undesirable effects on hydrogenation, bleachability, and oxidative degradation, it’s important to monitor the chlorophyll content in palm oil during the milling process. This study investigated the use of light-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (LICF) for non-invasive and real-time monitoring of chlorophyll content in diluted crude palm oil (DCO) located at the dilution and oil classification point in palm oil mill. An LICF probe was installed at the secondary pipe connected to main DCO pipeline, and the system communicates with a computer located in a separate control room via a Wi-Fi connection. Continuous measurements were recorded with an integration time of 500 ms, averaging of 10, and a time interval of 1 min between each recording during the oil mill’s operation. All data were stored on the computer and in the cloud. We collected 60 DCO samples and sent them to the laboratory for American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) measurement to compare with the LICF signal. The LICF method achieved a correlation coefficient of 0.88 with the AOCS measurements, and it also provided a direct, quantitative, and unbiased assessment of the fruit ripeness in the mill. By incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and cloud storage, this LICF system enables remote and real-time access to data for chemometrics analysis.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a frequent cause of acute infections. The primary virulence factor that has been linked to clinical disease is the type III secretion system, a molecular syringe that delivers effector proteins directly into host cells. Despite the importance of type III secretion in dictating clinical outcomes and promoting disease in animal models of infections, clinical isolates often do not express the type III secretion system in vitro. Here we screened 81 clinical P. aeruginosa isolates for secretion of type III secretion system substrates by western blot. Non-expressing strains were also subjected to a functional test assaying the ability to intoxicate epithelial cells in vitro, and to survive and cause disease in a murine model of corneal infection. 26 of 81 clinical isolates were found to be type III secretion negative by western blot. 17 of these 26 non-expressing strains were tested for their ability to cause epithelial cell rounding. Of these, three isolates caused epithelial cell rounding in a type III secretion system dependent manner, and one strain was cytotoxic in a T3SS-independent manner. Five T3SS-negative isolates were also tested for their ability to cause disease in a murine model of corneal infection. Of these isolates, two strains caused severe corneal disease in a T3SS-independent manner. Interestingly, one of these strains caused significant disease (inflammation) despite being cleared. Our data therefore show that P. aeruginosa clinical isolates can cause disease in a T3SS-independent manner, demonstrating the existence of novel modifiers of clinical disease.

The title compound, C20H19Cl2N5O2S, was obtained from the reaction of 4-chlorobenzoyl isothiocyanate with diethylenetriamine. The imidazolidine ring is slightly twisted with an N—C—C—N torsion angle of 15.4 (4)°, while the thiourea moiety maintains its trans–cis geometry. The molecule is stabilized by intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonds. The crystal structure features N—H...O, N—H...S and C—H...O hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions between benzene rings with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.607 (3) Å.

Lupeol, a naturally occurring lupane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid, is widely distributed in various edible vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants. Notably, it is found in high concentrations in plants like Tamarindus indica , Allanblackia monticola , and Emblica officinalis , among others. Quantitative studies have highlighted its presence in Elm bark, Olive fruit, Aloe leaf, Ginseng oil, Mango pulp, and Japanese Pear bark. This compound is synthesized from squalene through the mevalonate pathway and can also be synthetically produced in the lab, addressing challenges in natural product synthesis. Over the past four decades, extensive research has demonstrated lupeol's multifaceted pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antibacterial effects. Despite its significant therapeutic potential, clinical applications of lupeol have been limited by its poor water solubility and bioavailability. Recent advancements have focused on nano-based delivery systems to enhance its bioavailability, and the development of various lupeol derivatives has further amplified its bioactivity. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in understanding the pharmacological benefits of lupeol. It also discusses innovative strategies to improve its bioavailability, thereby enhancing its clinical efficacy. The aim is to consolidate current knowledge and stimulate further research into the therapeutic potential of lupeol and its derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being exceptionally regulated financial institutions, risk management practices (RMPs) of Islamic banking (IBs) have always remained under the limelight due to their impact on financial performance (FP) and the influence of digitalization (DT). This study aims to investigate the impact of RMPs on FP through the mediating effect of DT. To analyze the linkage between these constructs, we created an index for RMPs, five unique proxies (mobile [MB_DEA], big data [BD_DEA], Internet of Things [IoT], cloud computing [CC_DEA], and social media [SM_DEA]) of DT, and Tobin's Q as a proxy of FP and operationalized the theory of contingency. The data between 2009 and 2020 was collected from Indonesian and Malaysian IBs and was analyzed using the two‐step generalized method of moments (GMMs) technique. The empirical findings represent that RMPs and DT have a significant positive effect on FP. Simultaneously, RMPs have a significant positive effect on two proxies of DT (MB_DEA and SM_DEA), and an insignificant positive effect on the remaining three proxies of DT (BD_DEA, IoT_DEA, and CC_DEA). Simultaneously, DT as a mediator plays a significant role between RMPs and FP. This study contributes to systematizing the RMPs of IBs by integrating digitalization which eventually will increase the financial portfolios of IBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been shown that amphiphilic polymers (AP) (Pluronic F108 and polyvinylpyrrolidone) increase the activity of rose bengal (RB) in the photogeneration of 1O2 in vitro and in vivo conditions. In particular, in the presence of AP, the intensity of luminescence of 1O2 generated by exited RB increased. Perhaps RB forms loosely bound complexes with AP, which promotes disaggregation of the dye. According to x-ray diffraction data, the degree of crystallinity of pluronic decreases during crystallization from joint solutions with RB and a large period in the packing of its crystallites is disrupted. This may indicate the localization of the dye in the intercrystalline amorphous regions of pluronic due to complexation RB + F108. In vitro experiments showed that the phototoxicity of the dye against A549 lung carcinoma cells increases in the presence of F108 and PVP. Under photodynamic exposure to model wounds in rats using the RB + F108 complex as a PS, there was an increase in reparative processes in the wounds, while pluronic F108 weakened the negative impact of RB on microvessels and prevented the development of a local hemorrhagic reaction. Thus, the photosensitizing systems based on RB + AP complexes are promising for treating local foci of oncological and non-oncological nature using PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims. High fat diet (HFD) can lead to liver injury, through oxidative stress and inflammation. The use of natural compounds with antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties can have a protective potential. We aimed to investigate the effects of Cornus mas (CM) and gold nanoparticles phytoreduced with CM (GNPsCM) on hepatic alterations induced by HFD in rats. Methods. Female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, HFD, HFD +CM and HFD + GNPsCM. The high fat diet was administered for 32 weeks and CM and GNPsCM were administered for 4 weeks after the HFD period. The high fat diet induced oxidative stress in liver, with lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant capacity, inflammation and minimal histological alterations. Results. The administration of CM and GNPsCM reduced lipid peroxidation produced by HFD and increased antioxidant potential in liver homogenates, while increasing inflammatory markers. Histological alterations were slightly improved by the intervention of compounds, and hyaluronic acid content of the liver without statistical significance as compared to HFD group. Conclusion. These findings support the potential of these treatments in addressing liver oxidative stress, mitigating liver damage induced by a high-fat diet. This investigation sheds light on the oxidative stress dynamics and histological alterations associated with high-fat diet-induced liver injury, contributing to our understanding of potential therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a frequent cause of acute infections. The primary virulence factor that has been linked to clinical disease is the type III secretion system, a molecular syringe that delivers effector proteins directly into host cells. Despite the importance of type III secretion in dictating clinical outcomes and promoting disease in animal models of infections, clinical isolates often do not express the type III secretion system in vitro. Here we screened 81 clinical P. aeruginosa isolates for secretion of type III secretion system substrates by western blot. Non-expressing strains were also subjected to a functional test assaying the ability to intoxicate epithelial cells in vitro, and to survive and cause disease in a murine model of corneal infection. 26 of 81 clinical isolates were found to be type III secretion negative by western blot. 17 of these 26 non-expressing strains were tested for their ability to cause epithelial cell rounding. Of these, three isolates caused epithelial cell rounding in a type III secretion system dependent manner, and one strain was cytotoxic in a T3SS-independent manner. Five T3SS-negative isolates were also tested for their ability to cause disease in a murine model of corneal infection. Of these isolates, two strains caused severe corneal disease in a T3SS-independent manner. Interestingly, one of these strains caused significant disease (inflammation) despite being cleared. Our data therefore show that P. aeruginosa clinical isolates can cause disease in a T3SS-independent manner, demonstrating the existence of novel modifiers of clinical disease.

Currently, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are considered an ideal delivery system due to their physiological stability, high bioactivity, and controlled release of biological component. Our primary objective was to comprehend the behavior of gold nanoparticles obtained with specific natural compounds in the gastrointestinal tract. We investigated the conduct of GNPs synthesized with natural compounds from Cornus mas L. (GNPsCM) or Sambucus nigra (GNPs-E) fruits, during the oral, gastric, and intestinal phases of the in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Additionally, we assessed their antioxidant capacity, phenolic content, and their potential to mitigate damages caused by nitro-oxidative stress after each phase of in vitro digestion. Results indicated that both GNPs-CM and GNPs-E maintained stability throughout simulated digestion, with some observed differences between them. Upon measuring antioxidant capacity, the GNPs-CM exhibited the lowest percentage of inhibition from hydrogen donor measurements (12.08%) after the simulated intestinal phase. Conversely, the GNPs-E displayed the highest inhibition percentage (65.3%) after the simulated oral phase. Concerning phenolic content, GNPs-CM showed a polyphenol content of 39.53 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/L, decreasing during gastrointestinal phases. GNPs-Eexhibited a polyphenol content of 100.99 mg GAE /l, also decreasing during gastrointestinal phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, in our paper, there will be about foreign direct investments (FDI) and their pair, the direct investments abroad (DIA), both viewed as a single general flow. That is why our view will(first) be world-wide level before going to individual regions, countries and capital sections, as in detail. Our whole series of studies upon FDI was inspired by the UNCTAD’s “World Investments Report” number of 2016 (WIR 2016). It publishes a data table containing foreign direct investments (FDI) and direct investments abroad (DIA) amounts of all the 215 such reporting countries in each year of the 1990-2015 interval. Our results were: (1) the FDI-DIA capital movement is enough important world-wide in absolute numbers, but just a minority of the total of 215 countries (about 35) keeps the capital majority on both FDI&DIA flow senses; (2) the international invested capital divides into “cooperation capital” and “long-way flows” according to their -- projected, versus not – later comeback to the issuer(country); the previous flows stay proper to neighbouring and/or traditional investment partner countries; the latter involve the Third World and great international investor countries. Countries group into 16 multi-country regions – i.e., some of them (6 countries) stay out of regions as naturally, e.g. laying on islands, while important actually is here their role played for FDI-DIA in the international context; regions might be of three types according to FDI&DIA behaviour;(3)moreover, countries and regions group into international capital sections, as autonomous capital markets, be it as another general trend: there are three of them resulting – “Eurasia”, “The US & partners” and “Japan in Pacific” with 55-56%, 37-38% and 7-8% as respectively for their parts in total world capital directly invested during the 1990-2015 study reference time interval (a quarter of century). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the development of an observational video coding tool, the Rehabilitation Observation Measure of Engagement (ROME), to quantify engagement in rehabilitative settings at the person (internal state of an individual) and between-system (interaction between individuals) level. Forty-nine children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (29 males; Age: M = 9.28 yrs, SD = 3.08 yrs) and their interventionists were videotaped during different activities. Construct validity was examined by correlating the ROME with the Engagement vs. Disaffection with Learning Survey and the Pediatric Rehabilitation Intervention Measure of Engagement – Observation questionnaire. Inter- and intra-rater reliability were examined using two independent raters. The ROME's responsiveness to change was examined by comparing scores across activities. For construct validity, results showed a positive correlation for person-level engagement (r = 0.444, p = 0.003). No relationship was found between-system-level engagement. High intrarater (91.8%) and interrater (96.1%) reliability was found. The ROME's responsiveness to change was supported by children exhibiting lower engagement scores during repetitive shaping activities. These findings provide evidence that the ROME is a reliable tool to objectively examine the construct of engagement within rehabilitation and is valid for quantifying person-level engagement. It provides information that cannot be extracted from questionnaires and can help guide intervention decisions. Behavioral characteristics, including engagement, of the agents involved in rehabilitation are largely unstudied, although engagement is expected to benefit motor learning. The Rehabilitation Observation Measure of Engagement (ROME) is an observation measure that uses predefined codes and can be used universally, as it is not limited to specific language or cognitive levels. The ROME is a reliable tool for objectively measuring the role of the construct of behavioral engagement during rehabilitation and valid for examining person-level engagement. The ROME may be used as a measure of client and service provider process, of intervention quality, or as a decision guide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]