Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sindy cherry tomato: A low potassium (K) demanding, high-quality and highly productive cultivar

Potassium (K) is one of the most abundant nutrient and has the greatest influence on fruit quality as it regulates the synthesis and translocation of photoassimilates in plants. K deficiency in tomato plants can compromise the quality and flavor of fruits. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of K doses on the production and quality of cherry tomato fruits in a hydroponic system. We cultivated the cherry tomato Hybrid Sindy for 120 days, from June to October, in an expanded clay sub irrigation system. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with four replicates. The treatments consisted of increasing concentrations of K (6, 8, 10 and 12 mmol L-1) in the nutrient solution provided during the fructification period. It was evaluated production, mean weight of fruits and bunch, total soluble solids contents, titratable acidity, pH, and contents of lycopene, β-carotene, and a chlorophyll. The contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, boron, iron, zinc, and manganese were also determined in the fruits and in the third leaf above the fourth fruit bunch. Six mmol L-1 of K in the nutrient solution was enough to ensure the production and quality of the Sindy hybrid cherry tomato. Nevertheless, higher K doses improved the contents of the bioactive compounds lycopene and β -carotene in the fruits.
Phytochemical screening, chromatographic profile and evaluation of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of three species of the Cyperaceae Juss. Family

Some species of the family Cyperaceae have been studied extensively for presenting bioactive compounds of pharmacological interest. Thus, the present research aimed to investigate the antimicrobial, antioxidant and chemical constituents of Kyllinga odorata Vahl, Oxycaryum cubensis Poepp. & Kunth and Rhynchospora nervosa Boeck. Hydroalcoholic extracts (1:1, v:v) of aerial and underground parts. These species were used for analysis of phytochemical prospection, quantification of total flavonoid and phenol content, and for evaluation of in vitro antioxidant activity against DPPH radical (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). The ethyl acetate and chloroform phase resulting from the liquid-liquid partitioning of the extracts of K. odorata, O. cubensis and R. nervosa were evaluated in in vitro antimicrobial assays and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD) identification of chemical substances. From the chromatograms obtained by HPLC-DAD, substances of great pharmacological importance were identified, such as: chlorogenic acid, myricitrin, catechin, apigenin, quercetin, luteolin, chrysin and rutin. The hydroalcoholic extract of the aerial parts of R. nervosa had the highest content of flavonoids (1.521 μg EQ/μg) and total phenols (5.020 EGA/μg), suggesting a direct relation with the excellent antioxidant activity of this species (IC50 = 122.11 μg/ml). It was evidenced that the chloroform phase of O. cubensis showed the best result, inhibiting the growth of Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the minimum inhibitory concentration of 15.6, 31.2 and 62 μg/ml, respectively. Key words: Cyperaceae, biological activities, natural products, medicinal plants.
Genetic diversity analysis of recombinant inbred lines of rice (Oryza sativa L.) using microsatellite markers

Estimation of genetic diversity is an important factor in germplasm conservation and characterization. In rice breeding programs, genetic diversity information on specific regions of genome can be very useful for the application of marker assisted selection (MAS) and for gene mapping. A total of 152 rice lines were considered for breeding programs using microsatellites (SSR) technique. The total number of polymorphic alleles was 206 with an average of 2 alleles per SSR locus. The PIC value for the SSR loci ranged from 0.479 to 0.5 with an average of 0.498. The highest PIC value was observed for primers RM60, RM6832, RM3838 and RM592. RM1, RM237, RM154 and RM84 had the lowest PIC values in a decreasing order. Nei’s gene diversity ranged from 0.479 to 0.5 with an average of 0.498. Using Shannon’s diversity index, a mean genetic diversity of 0.691 was obtained. The lowest diversity was found for RM1, RM237, RM246, RM154 and RM279 in an ascending order and 27 SSR markers had the highest value (0.693). Cluster analysis using the UPGMA method based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient classified all lines into three clusters. Association analysis by general linear model (GLM) method revealed that 62 SSR markers showed a significant association with 10 studied morphological traits. Twenty eight markers were associated with more than one trait. These may be further investigated in rice breeding programs to be introduced as informative and useful markers. Results showed the potential of SSR markers to identify rice lines at the DNA level. The information will help the selection of lines to serve for efficient rice breeding programs.
Within-Host Fine-Scale Evolutionary Dynamics of Infectious Bacterial Populations

Bacteria have a remarkable ability to adapt to numerous challenges in their environment and this evolutionary potential of bacterial pathogens has dire negative impact on human health. Understanding the fine-scale evolutionary dynamics of bacterial populations over the course of infections will help improve therapeutic strategies. In cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, lung infections caused by opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia multivorans, and Burkholderia dolosa are associated with high rates of mortality. In this thesis, I present a high-resolution view of the evolutionary dynamics of these three individual bacterial populations longitudinally sampled from CF patients. First, I analyzed the genomes of 233 P. aeruginosa isolates collected over the course of one year. This work revealed the expansion of two sub-lineages. I identified various mutations in these sub-lineages occurring in loci previously known to be associated with virulence and antibiotic resistance. Next, I investigated 111 B. multivorans isolates collected from a CF patient over the course of an early incident, chronic infection spanning one year, and after lungtransplantation. I employed a genome wide association study approach to find genetic variants associated with resistance to three antibiotic families. I observed that variants associated with
Innovative Hybridisation of Genetic Algorithms and Neural Networks in Detecting Marker Genes for Leukaemia Cancer

Methods for extracting marker genes that trigger the growth of cancerous cells from a high level of complexity microarrays are of much interest from the computing community. Through the identified genes, the pathology of cancerous cells can be revealed and early precaution can be taken to prevent further proliferation of cancerous cells. In this paper, we propose an innovative hybridised gene identification framework based on genetic algorithms and neural networks to identify marker genes for leukaemia disease. Our approach confirms that high classification accuracy does not ensure the optimal set of genes have been identified and our model delivers a more promising set of genes even with a lower classification accuracy
Impact of Four Common Hydrogels on Amyloid-β (Aβ) Aggregation and Cytotoxicity: Implications for 3D Models of Alzheimer’s Disease

The properties of a hydrogel utilized in 3D culture can influence cell phenotype and morphology, yielding striking similarities to cellular processes that occur in vivo. Indeed, research areas including regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, cancer models, and stem cell cultures have readily utilized 3D biomaterials to investigate cell biological questions. However, cells are only one component of this milieu. Macromolecules play roles as bioactive factors and physical structures. Yet, investigations of macromolecular biophysics largely focus on pure molecules in dilute solution. Biophysical processes such as protein aggregation underlie diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, which is hallmarked by accumulated neurotoxic amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates. Previously, we demonstrated that Aβ cytotoxicity is attenuated when cells are cultured within type I collagen hydrogels vs. on 2D substrates. Here, we investigated whether this phenomenon is conserved when Aβ is confined within hydrogels of varying physiochemical properties, notably mesh size and bioactivity. We investigated Aβ structure and aggregation kinetics in solution and in hydrogels (collagen, agarose, hyaluronic acid and polyethylene glycol) using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and thioflavin T assays. Our results reveal that all hydrogels tested were associated with Aβ cytotoxicity attenuation. We suggest that confinement itself imparts a profound effect, possibly by stabilizing Aβ structures and shifting the aggregate equilibrium toward larger species. It is likely that the milieu that exist within cells and tissues also influences protein-protein interactions; thus, we suggest that it is critical to evaluate whether protein structure, function, and stability are altered in 3D systems vs. ideal solutions and 2D culture.
Regionalization of environmental and anthropic variables associated to livestock predation by large carnivores in Mexico

Conflicts with humans are one of the main causes of the decline in populations of large carnivores, making it a crucial conservation issue worldwide. In Mexico, jaguar Panthera onca, puma Puma concolor and American black bear Ursus americanus are involved in livestock predation and are persecuted in retaliation. The sites where predation occurs are distributed throughout the country and differ not only in environmental characteristics, but also in social, economic and livestock management practices. However, due to the general focus of the studies carried out so far, the proposed mitigation measures are also general. It is necessary to consider conditions that encourage predation in the design of strategies to be more effective. In this study, environmental, anthropic and livestock management characteristics of livestock predation by large carnivores were analyzed for conflict regionalization. The variables most related to predation sites were identified, with a high percentage of them being livestock management practices. Based on these variables, we formed clusters of similar sites and analyzed their spatial distribution, which presented grouping patterns in the cases of predation by puma and black bear, in contrast to the jaguar clusters, which presented a dispersed distribution. Considering the characteristics of the clusters, we propose as mitigation measures the confinement of livestock, construction or improvement of corrals and improvement of management practices. The anthropic component and livestock management practices are closely related to the predation events and, therefore, their inclusion in the conservation programs of carnivores in Mexico is fundamental.
A Theory of Shared Understanding for Software Organizations

A Theory of Shared Understanding for Software Organizations Jorge Aranda Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Computer Science University of Toronto 2010 Effective coordination and communication are essential to the success of software organizations, but their study to date has been impaired by theoretical confusion and fragmentation. I articulate a theory that argues that the members of software organizations face a constant struggle to share and negotiate an understanding of their goals, plans, status, and context. This struggle lies at the heart of their coordination and communication problems. The theory proposes an analysis of organizational strategies based on four attributes of interaction that foster the development of shared understanding: synchrony, proximity, proportionality, and maturity. Organizations that have values, structures, and practices which facilitate these qualities find it easier to coordinate and communicate effectively. This argument has serious implications for traditional concepts in our literature. Project lifecycle processes and documentation are poor substitutes for informal but unscalable coordination and communication mechanisms. Practices and tools are valuable to the extent that they enable the development of shared understanding across our criteria. Co-location and group cohesion take advantage of the four criteria and therefore have direct advantages for software teams. Finally, growth is detrimental to the effectiveness of the organization because it hinders the use of small-scale mechanisms and it leads to an undesirable formalization.
Effect of salt stress on flowering, fructification and fruit nutrients concentration in a local cultivar of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.)

Salt stress is one of the major environmental constraints limiting agricultural productivity and influencing the concentration of bioactive compounds of vegetables. In this study, we assessed the effect of NaCl salt stress on flowering, fructification and fruit nutritional quality of a local cultivar of chili pepper. The experiment was carried out in a screen house as a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Three weeks old plants were submitted in pots containing a mixture of potting soil and sand, to five NaCl concentrations; 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mM NaCl by irrigation every two days for 94 days. Salinity retarded significantly flowering and fruit ripening, and reduced significantly the fruit number, as the NaCl concentration increased with no fruit obtained at 90 and 120 mM NaCl. Fruit size and fresh mass were also significantly reduced by salt stress. Capsaicinoids contents increased significantly for about 389% in comparison to the control at 60 mM NaCl, whereas vitamins B6, B12 and C contents decreased significantly with increasing NaCl concentration. Thus, salt stress retarded flowering and fruit ripening; reduced fruit number, size and mass; enhanced fruit tangy appearance and deteriorated fruit nutritional values in chili pepper. Key words: chili pepper, local cultivar, NaCl, capsaicinoids contents, vitamins contents, fruits growth, Benin.
Yerba mate aqueous extract improves the oxidative and inflammatory states of rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis.

Healthy and adjuvant-induced arthritic rats were treated for 23 days with daily doses of 400 and 800 mg kg-1 Ilex paraguariensis extract. This treatment (a) diminished the ROS levels in the liver and brain, (b) decreased oxidative protein and lipid damage in liver and brain, (c) increased the plasma antioxidant capacity, (d) increased the GSH levels and the GSH/GSSH ratio in both the liver and the brain, (e) almost restored the enzymatic activities linked to the metabolism of GSH-GSSG, and (f) reversed the modified activities of xanthine oxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase. The anti-inflammatory actions (firstly) and the antioxidant actions (in the second place) of the yerba mate constituents (e.g., chlorogenic acid derivatives) are the causes of these beneficial effects. Daily ingestion of traditional yerba mate beverages may be effective in attenuating the symptoms of inflammatory diseases, especially in older adults.
Cryopreservation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is not detrimental to their molecular and functional properties

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have emerged as a powerful platform for in vitro modelling of cardiac diseases, safety pharmacology, and drug screening. All these applications require large quantities of well-characterised and standardised batches of hiPSC-CMs. Cryopreservation of hiPSC-CMs without affecting their biochemical or biophysical phenotype is essential for facilitating this, but ideally requires the cells being unchanged by the freeze-thaw procedure. We therefore compared the in vitro functional and molecular characteristics of fresh and cryopreserved hiPSC-CMs generated from two independent hiPSC lines. While the frozen hiPSC-CMs exhibited poorer replating than their freshly-derived counterparts, there was no difference in the proportion of cardiomyocytes retrieved from the mixed population when this was factored in. Interestingly, cryopreserved hiPSC-CMs from one line exhibited longer action potential durations. These results provide evidence that cryopreservation does not compromise the in vitro molecular, physiological and mechanical properties of hiPSC-CMs, though can lead to an enrichment in ventricular myocytes. It also validates this procedure for storing hiPSC-CMs, thereby allowing the same batch of hiPSC-CMs to be used for multiple applications and evaluations.
Litter decomposing fungi in sal (Shorea robusta) forests of central India

Abstract. Soni KK, Pyasi A, Verma RK. 2011. Litter decomposing fungi in sal (Shorea robusta) forests of central India. Nusantara Bioscience 3: 136-144. The present study aim on isolation and identification of fungi associated with decomposition of litter of sal forest in central India. Season-wise successional changes in litter mycoflora were determined for four main seasons of the year namely, March-May, June-August, September-November and December-February. Fungi like Aspergillus flavus, A. niger and Rhizopus stolonifer were associated with litter decomposition throughout the year, while Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium cladosporioides, C. oxysporum, Curvularia indica, and C. lunata were recorded in three seasons. Some fungi including ectomycorrhiza forming occur only in the rainy season (June-August) these are Astraeus hygrometricus, Boletus fallax, Calvatia elata, Colletotrichum dematium, Corticium rolfsii, Mycena roseus, Periconia minutissima, Russula emetica, Scleroderma bovista, S. geaster, S. verrucosum, Scopulariopsis alba and four sterile fungi. Fungi like Alternaria citri, Gleocladium virens, Helicosporium phragmitis, and Pithomyces chartarum were rarely recorded only in one season.
Additional records of the Grant’s rockling, Gaidropsarus granti(Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Lotidae), from the Ionian Sea

Two specimens of the Grant’s rockling Gaidropsarus granti (Regan, 1903) were caught in the Ionian Sea, just south of the Strait of Messina (Italy) in December 2016. Their body colouration pattern is consistent with that reported in the literature for this species. These specimens were des-cribed and illustrated.
Seeding densities of the oat crop and the amount of grazing on the physical property and soil carbon

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two sowing densities of oat crop, managed in an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS), or the use of fallow during the winter period, on the soil physical properties, total carbon and soil carbon stock, in two years. A split-plot in a randomized block design, with additional treatment was used. It was found that the number of grazing in the year 2014 adversely affected the values of macroporosity and microporosity in the layer 0-0.05 m, besides the microporosity in the 0.1-0.2 m layer. The total porosity in the 0.1-0.2 m layer was positively influenced by the sowing density of oats only in the year 2014. The soil penetrometer resistance (SPR) had changes after winter 2015, at 0-0.05 m due to the number of grazing. During 2014, there were no changes in the total carbon and carbon storage of the soil. In 2015, the amount of grazing used, negatively affected the total carbon in layers 0-0.05 and 0.1-0.2 m. However, it positively affected the storage of carbon in soil in the layer 0.05-0.1 m. The adoption of the lower density of the oat crop with realization of a grazing tends to improve the physical properties, total carbon and soil carbon stocks.
Development of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)-Based Polymers as Proton Exchange Membranes and Challenges in Fuel Cell Application: A Review

Abstract Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a biodegradable, water-soluble membrane that has low methanol permeation and reactive chemical functionalities. Modification of these features makes PVA an attractive proton exchange membrane (PEM) alternative to NafionTM. However, the pristine PVA membrane is a poorer proton conductor than the NafionTM membrane due to the absence of negatively charged ions. Hence, modification of PVA matrixes whilst complying with the requirements of projected applications has been examined extensively. Generally, three modification methods of PVA membranes have been highlighted in previous reports, and these are (1) grafting copolymerization, (2) physical and chemical crosslinking, and (3) blending of polymers. The use of each modification method in different applications is reviewed in this study. Although the three modification methods can improve PVA membranes, the mixed method of modification provides another attractive approach. This review covers recent studies on PVA-based PEM in different fuel cell applications, including (1) proton-exchange membrane fuel cells and (2) direct-methanol fuel cells. The challenges involved in the use of PVA-based PEM are also presented, and several approaches are proposed for further study.
Simple and Robust Immobilization of a Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalyst Inside MOFs by Acid–Base Reaction

The first successful immobilization of a transition-metal catalyst inside MOFs by an acid–base reaction has been described. Simple absorption of a commercially available, amino-tagged, Hoveyda–Grubbs type ruthenium olefin metathesis catalyst inside an easy to make, Bronsted acidic MOF, (Cr)MIL-101-SO3H, yields a heterogeneous catalyst, which is stable even in very polar, “green” solvents, such as dimethyl carbonate and 2-propanol. The catalyst gives essentially ruthenium-free products upon simple filtration.
Quality characteristics and sensory profile of stirred yogurt enriched with papaya peel powder

Dietary fibre enriched food is gaining more popularity due to their numerous health benefits. In this study, papaya peel powder was prepared as a source of dietary fibre to be fortified in yogurt at different concentrations (1.5 and 3.0 % w/w). Papaya peel was dried at three different temperatures (45, 55 and 65°C) and the results showed that drying at temperature of 55 and 65°C was able to retain higher total dietary fibre content of 40.21 and 48.00 g/100 g, respectively, and was used for enrichment in yogurt. The quality characteristics in terms of viscosity, pH and colour (L*, a*, b*, chroma, hue angle and total colour difference) of stirred yogurt added with papaya peel powder stored at 4°C was investigated weekly up to 21 days. Sensory evaluation (9-point hedonic scale) was also conducted for the yogurt samples prepared. Results showed the viscosity of yogurt was higher when the amount of papaya peel powder added was increased. It also showed an increasing trend during 21 days of storage. The pH values of the samples prepared had no significant difference (P > 0.05) as the concentration of powder was raised. However, a notable reduction in pH was observed after storage. Colour parameters were also significantly affected (P < 0.05) by the addition of powder, with fortified samples exhibiting darker (lower L* value) and more yellowish (higher b* value) colour than the control sample. Nonetheless, the parameters remained unchanged during storage of 21 days. Sensory results revealed that the stirred yogurt with 1.5% concentration of papaya peel powder dried at 55°C received the highest sensory scores among other samples.