Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long non-coding RNA NR_002794 is upregulated in pre-eclampsia and regulates the proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of trophoblast cells

Pre-eclampsia is a common complication during pregnancy, characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. The pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia is not fully understood. Studies on the maternal spiral artery have led scientists to consider that the ineffective infiltration of placental trophoblast cells may be a primary cause of pre-eclampsia. The present study aimed to investigate the differences in the profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) between the placentas of patients with pre-eclampsia and those of healthy pregnant women. The involvement of the differentially expressed lncRNAs in the biological activity of trophoblast cells was also assessed. A total of 26 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified between the pre-eclampsia and healthy groups. Upregulation of NR_002794 was found in tissues from patients with pre-eclampsia. In SWAN71 trophoblast cells, NR_002794 had suppressive effects on proliferation and migration, and resulted in an increased rate of apoptosis. Furthermore, lncRNA NR_002794 had no effect on the phagocytosis of trophoblast cells. The present study suggested that abnormal levels of NR_002794 may lead to atypical conditions in trophoblast cells, which may be associated with the failure of maternal spiral artery remodeling during pregnancy and, consequently, with the development of pre-eclampsia.
Soil patterns and foliar standards for two cocoa clones in the States of Espírito Santo and Bahia, Brazil

ABSTRACT: The objective of this research was to establish soil patterns and foliar standards for clonal crops of cocoa CCN51 and PS1319 in the Atlantic regions within the northern Espírito Santo and southern Bahia States. Samples were collected from September to October 2015, in 45 high productive plots, being 23 plots of clone CCN51 and 22 of clone PS1319. Sufficiency ranges for soil and foliar standards were recommended for cocoa clones CCN51 and PS1319 planted in the Northern Espírito Santo and Southern Bahia states. Differences in the contents of foliar macronutrients K, Ca, Mg, S and micronutrients Fe and Mn, were verified between clones CCN51 and PS1319. Differences reported for standards from different geographical regions confirmed that these standards need to be regional and specific for different cocoa clones.
Predictive Representations in Hippocampal and Prefrontal Hierarchies

As we navigate the world, we use learned representations of relational structures to explore and to reach goals. Studies of how relational knowledge enables inference and planning are typically conducted in controlled small-scale settings. It remains unclear, however, how people use stored knowledge in continuously unfolding navigation (e.g., walking long distances in a city). We hypothesized that multiscale predictive representations guide naturalistic navigation in humans, and these scales are organized along posterior-anterior prefrontal and hippocampal hierarchies. We conducted model-based representational similarity analyses of neuroimaging data collected while male and female participants navigated realistically long paths in virtual reality. We tested the pattern similarity of each point, along each path, to a weighted sum of its successor points within predictive horizons of different scales. We found that anterior PFC showed the largest predictive horizons, posterior hippocampus the smallest, with the anterior hippocampus and orbitofrontal regions in between. Our findings offer novel insights into how cognitive maps support hierarchical planning at multiple scales. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Whenever we navigate the world, we represent our journey at multiple horizons: from our immediate surroundings to our distal goal. How are such cognitive maps at different horizons simultaneously represented in the brain? Here, we applied a reinforcement learning-based analysis to neuroimaging data acquired while participants virtually navigated their hometown. We investigated neural patterns in the hippocampus and PFC, key cognitive map regions. We uncovered predictive representations with multiscale horizons in prefrontal and hippocampal gradients, with the longest predictive horizons in anterior PFC and the shortest in posterior hippocampus. These findings provide empirical support for the computational hypothesis that multiscale neural representations guide goal-directed navigation. This advances our understanding of hierarchical planning in everyday navigation of realistic distances.
Comparative palynology and seed morphology in annual pansies (Viola sect. Melanium, Violaceae): implications for species delimitation

Abstract This integrated study provides new insights into pollen and seed morphology and pollen heteromorphism of four closely related annual taxa of Viola sect. Melanium. The plant material, both fresh and dried, was collected in Italy and studied using light and scanning electron microscope. Palynological data for V. hymettia together with a detailed comparative analysis of seed morphology and micromorphology of the four species are reported for the first time. Results of this work highlight some pollen and seed features as useful diagnostic characters. The pollen size proves to be of diagnostic value to easily separate V. kitaibeliana, having the smallest pollen grains, from the others, especially from V. arvensis with the largest ones. Exine ornamentation is microreticulate, showing no relevant differences among species. We can partially confirm the diagnostic value of the prevailing pollen morph as it can be useful only for V. arvensis (five-aperturate) versus V. tricolor and V. hymettia (four-aperturate). The macro- and micromorphology of seeds provide additional useful distinguishing characters. Particularly, seed size was found to be a good delimitating character, especially to distinguish V. kitaibeliana (with the smallest seeds) from V. arvensis, and easy to be measured with no need of particular equipment.
SELECTION INDEX FOR WOOL IMPROVEMENT IN BARKI SHEEP

The present study was carried out to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters for some subjective and objective wool traits to develop a suitable selection index for wool improvement in Barki sheep. Over 937 fleeces were obtained from three Barki sheep flocks along the north western coastal belt of Egypt together with full pedigree information for those 937 animals descended from 74 sires and 896 ewes. After the first shearing, a composite wool sample was collected to represent the entire fleece of each animal. The greasy wool samples were subjectively assessed for kemp score, KS, greasy colour grade, GCG, handle grade, HG, lustre grade, LG, bulk grade, BLG and measured for staple length, STL. After scouring, the scoured colour grade, SCG was also assessed. SAS and MTDFREML statistical programs were used to generate analysis of variance and estimating genetic and phenotypic parameters as well as constructing selection indexes. Results indicated that Barki wool had higher than average kemp content (2.45), slightly softer handle (3.20) and lustrous (3.48) and of average compressibility (2.41) with an average staple length of 10.31cm. Barki wool appeared to be slightly less than average of whiter greasy colour (2.02) and slight improvement occurred after scouring (2.83). Flock had highly significant effect on all studied traits while sire within flock showed highly significant effect on KS, HG, LG and STL. Heritabilities were estimated for KS (0.73), GCG (0.03), HG (0.62), LG (0.47), BLG (0.13), SCG (0.09) and STL (0.58). KS had highly significant and positive genetic correlations with all studied traits, while phenotypically it was significantly associated with harsher and lustrous wool. Estimates of genetic and phenotypic parameters were used to construct selection indices using different combinations of the studied traits for wool improvement. The maximum accuracy of selection (RTI = 1.10) was obtained using the full index incorporating all studied traits. The present study recommended the utility of selection index included GCG, LG and STL (RTI = 0.84 with relative efficiency of 76.4%) since selection based this index would be adequate for wool improvement and its application would lead to maintain low level of kemp content and reasonable level of harshness, improve greasy and scoured colour with marked increase in wool luster and staple length which could be contributed to enhance wool quantity produced.
Bony lesions in early tetrapods and the evolution of mineralized tissue repair

Abstract. Bone healing is an important survival mechanism, allowing vertebrates to recover from injury and disease. Here we describe newly recognized paleopathologies in the hindlimbs of the early tetrapods Crassigyrinus scoticus and Eoherpeton watsoni from the early Carboniferous of Cowdenbeath, Scotland. These pathologies are among the oldest known instances of bone healing in tetrapod limb bones in the fossil record (about 325 Ma). X-ray microtomographic imaging of the internal bone structure of these lesions shows that they are characterized by a mass of trabecular bone separated from the shaft's trabeculae by a layer of cortical bone. We frame these paleopathologies in an evolutionary context, including additional data on bone healing and its pathways across extinct and extant sarcopterygians. These data allowed us to synthesize information on cell-mediated repair of bone and other mineralized tissues in all vertebrates, to reconstruct the evolutionary history of skeletal tissue repair mechanisms. We conclude that bone healing is ancestral for sarcopterygians. Furthermore, other mineralized tissues (aspidin and dentine) were also capable of healing and remodeling early in vertebrate evolution, suggesting that these repair mechanisms are synapomorphies of vertebrate mineralized tissues. The evidence for remodeling and healing in all of these tissues appears concurrently, so in addition to healing, these early vertebrates had the capacity to restore structure and strength by remodeling their skeletons. Healing appears to be an inherent property of these mineralized tissues, and its linkage to their remodeling capacity has previously been underappreciated.
Modélisation in vitro de la barrière hémato-encéphalique

La barriere hemato-encephalique (BHE) se situe au niveau des microvaisseaux cerebraux. Elle controle etroitement les echanges de molecules et de cellules entre les compartiments sanguin et cerebral. Par son role essentiel dans le maintien de l’homeostasie cerebrale, cette barriere est impliquee dans de nombreuses pathologies neurodegeneratives et represente un obstacle majeur a la delivrance cerebrale de medicaments. Afin de mieux comprendre les mecanismes cellulaires et moleculaires caracterisant la BHE, de nombreux modeles in vitro ont ete developpes a partir de cellules animales ou humaines, primaires ou transformees. L’objet de cette revue est de discuter differents modeles, et notamment les modeles dits statiques, afin de presenter les caracteristiques de certains d’entre eux.
Influence of malting on the nutritional characteristics of kunun-zaki

Kunun-zaki, a traditional fermented cereal beverage was produced in this study using various combinations of malted cereals (millet, sorghum singularly or in combination with rice) and, were evaluated for its nutritional composition using chemical, organoleptic and growth studies and as well as the analysis of blood samples of the sacrificed animals. The results obtained show that the weaning albino rats fed with laboratory diet and kunun-zaki produced by the addition of ground malted rice to millet for 14 days gained more weight (27.7 g) and was significantly different (p< 0.05) from the other products. A similar trend was observed in the lymphocyte count. The crude protein, crude fat and calcium contents of kunun-zaki produced with the addition of malted rice to millet were higher (0.74%, 0.53% and 88 ppm) than the other products. A similar trend was observed in the titratable acidity and pH (0.76% lactic acid, 4.78), respectively, at the end of fermentation period. Furthermore, kunun-zaki produced by the addition of ground-malted rice to millet was generally preferred organoleptically (aroma and taste) and was significantly different (p< 0.05) from the other products. This study has shown that use of malted cereals improved the nutritional quality of the kunun-zaki. Also, the elevated lymphocyte counts obtained in the blood samples of animals fed with kunun-zaki produced using combinations of malted cereals is indicative of its medicinal attributes, a concept widely believed by its numerous consumers.
Task Pricing Optimization Model of Crowdsourcing Platform

In this paper, we established a task pricing optimization model by the Logistic and anti-resolve thought to work out the problem of unequal spatial distribution and overall low of the task completion rate in the crowdsourcing platforms. Combining with the actual application information, we use scatter diagram, contour map, etc. to make a qualitative study and find that the reason why some of the tasks are not accepted is because the enterprise failed to take the total task quotas around the task into consideration while pricing the task. Then, combined with the influencing factors of traditional pricing model and results of qualitative analyses, the optimization model of crowdsourcing platform is built. Next, we select an ending project in an app of “make money” in China as the example to evaluate the effectiveness of our model. We applied the method of computer simulation to solve the model, and we find that, under the new pricing plan, the task completion rate has been significantly improved, which proves the conclusion of our qualitative analysis and the validity of the optimal model.
Antibiotic resistance in surface waters from a coastal lagoon of Southern Brazil under the impact of anthropogenic activities

Wastes arising from human activities can reach water bodies and contribute significantly to the presence of antibiotic resistant bacterial populations in aquatic environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cultivable antibiotic resistant bacterial populations from a coastal lagoon impacted by agriculture and urbanization activities. Water samples were collected in low and peak season and characterized regarding physicochemical variables, microbiological indicators and the presence of antimicrobial residues. In order to analyze the presence of resistant bacterial populations, the samples were grown in the presence of nalidixic acid, ceftazidime, imipenem and tetracycline. Genes associated with β-lactamic resistance (blaCTX-M-like, blaGES-like, blaOXA-51, blaOXA-23-like, blaSHV-like, blaTEM-like and blaSPM-1), class I integron and efflux systems (tetA, tetB, acrA, acrB, tolC, adeA, adeB, adeR, adeS, mexB, mexD, mexF and mexY) were analyzed by conventional in vitro amplification. Although antimicrobials residues were below the detection limit, resistant bacteria and resistance determinants - blaGES, class I integron, adeS, acrA, acrB, tolC, mexB, mexF - were present at almost all points, in both seasons and for all antimicrobials assessed. The high numbers of resistant bacteria counts observed after the antibiotic treatment were positively correlated to the urbanization effects on the Lagoon. Some resistant populations were even higher in the low season samples, indicating the importance of a systematic evaluation of antibiotic resistance on water resources.
Bacterial Contamination of Hospital Equipments in Two Tertiary Health Facilities in Central Nigeria and Their Corresponding Susceptibility to Antimicrobial Agents

Hospital is a major avenue for the spread of infectious diseases known as nosocomial infections. This study investigated the bacteria that colonize hospital equipments at the Federal Medical Centre and Nasarawa State University Clinic Keffi. Swab samples of different hospital equipments were collected and examined using standard microbiological techniques. Cultural features indicates the presence of the following bacteria; Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp. , Pseudomonas spp. , Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter spp. The mean bacterial load from NSUK clinic equipments (×104cfu/ml) were 0.32, 0.18, 0.19 and 0.1 for total viable, total coliform, total fecal coliform and staphylococcus aureus count respectively, while the mean bacterial load in FMC (×104cfu/ml) was 1.254, 0.347 and 0.283 for total viable count, coliform count and faecal coliform count accordingly. Frequency of occurrence of the bacteria isolates in FMC is in the order: Escherichia coli (50.0%)>Enterobacter spp. (30.0%)>Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. (20.0%)>Staphylococcus aureus (0.0%); while that of NSUK clinic is in the order: Escherichia coli (50.0%)>Pseudomonas spp. (30.0%)>Staphylococcus aureus (10.0%), while Klebsiella spp. and Enterobacter spp. were not isolated at NSUK clinic. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the bacteria showed Pseudomonas spp. to be completely susceptible to Augmentin, Gentamicin, Chloramphenicol and Ciprofloxacin (100.0% each), while E. coli showed some degree of susceptibility to Streptomycin (44.4%), Ciprofloxacin and Perfloxacin (33.3%), Gentamicin and Sparfloxacin (22.2%), Augmentin, Ofloxacin, Septrin and Chloramphenicol (11.1%), but completely resistant to Amoxicillin. Klebsiella spp. and Enterobacter spp. were resistant to all the antibiotics tested, except for Streptomycin which they displayed high susceptibility of 100.0% and 66.7% for Klebsiella spp. and Enterobacter spp. respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was found to be resistant completely against all the antibiotics tested. Hence, it is pertinent to embrace hand hygiene so as to minimize the risk of acquiring nosocomial infections due to contaminated hospital equipments.
The complete chloroplast genomes of Trollius farreri and Anemone taipaiensis (Ranunculaceae)

Abstract Ranunculaceae, with high morphological biodiversity and widely ecological amplitude tolerance, has been considered as a new good model for adaptive evolution study. In this study, two high-quality chloroplast genomes of Ranunculaceae were determined by next-generation sequencing technologies. The plastomes of Trollius farreri and Anemone taipaiensis exhibit a conserved quadripartite structure, with 160,612 bp and 160,214 bp in length, presenting similar GC contents (38% and 37.6%). The chloroplast genome of Trollius farreri contains 131 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA, and 36 tRNA genes, while the plastome of Anemone taipaiensis harbours 137 genes, including 93 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA, and 36 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic tree constructed with 21 plastomes of Ranunculaceae species indicates that Trollius farreri and Anemone taipaiensis are closely related to their congeneric species, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships are inconsistent with the current classification of Ranunculaceae.
The fast and the frugal: Divergent locomotory strategies drive limb lengthening in theropod dinosaurs

Limb length, cursoriality and speed have long been areas of significant interest in theropod paleobiology as locomotory capacity, especially running ability, is critical in not just in prey pursuit but also to avoid become prey oneself. One aspect that is traditionally overlooked is the impact of allometry on running ability and the limiting effect of large body size. Since several different non-avian theropod lineages have each independently evolved body sizes greater than any known terrestrial carnivorous mammal, ∼1000kg or more, the effect that such larger mass has on movement ability and energetics is an area with significant implications for Mesozoic paleoecology. Here using expansive datasets, incorporating several different metrics to estimate body size, limb length and running speed, to calculate the effects of allometry running We test both on traditional metrics used to evaluate cursoriality in non-avian theropods such as distal limb length, relative hindlimb length as well as comparing the energetic cost savings of relative hindlimb elongation between members of the Tyrannosauridae and more basal megacarnivores such as Allosauroids or Ceratosauridae. We find that once the limiting effects of body size increase is incorporated, no commonly used metric including the newly suggested distal limb index (Tibia + Metatarsus/ Femur length) shows a significant correlation to top speed. The data also shows a significant split between large and small bodied theropods in terms of maximizing running potential suggesting two distinct strategies for promoting limb elongation based on the organisms’ size. For small and medium sized theropods increased leg length seems to correlate with a desire to increase top speed while amongst larger taxa it corresponds more closely to energetic efficiency and reducing foraging costs. We also find, using 3D volumetric mass estimates, that the Tyrannosauridae show significant cost of transport savings compared to more basal clades, indicating reduced energy expenditures during foraging and likely reduced need for hunting forays. This suggests that amongst theropods while no one strategy dictated hindlimb evolution. Amongst smaller bodied taxa the competing pressures of being both a predator and a prey item dominant while larger ones, freed from predation pressure, seek to maximize foraging ability. We also discuss the implications both for interactions amongst specific clades and Mesozoic paleobiology and paleoecological reconstructions as a whole.
Prescribed fire effects on oak woodland advance regeneration at the prairie–forest border in Kansas, USA

Understanding the effects of fire on advance regeneration of oak (Quercus L.) species and their competitors is an important step in determining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating and restoring upland oak ecosystems. Our study aimed to understand how dormant-season prescribed fire affects advance regeneration of chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm.), black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.), and their major competitors at sites targeted for woodland restoration and management. We analyzed relationships between stem size and survival probability; determined the effect of fire temperature on survival probability; and compared how mortality, sprouting, and survival differed among species. For chinkapin oak, black oak, and bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis (Wangenh.) K. Koch), mortality was low and rate of sprouting was high after shoot dieback. Initial basal diameter was significantly related to survival probability after one fire for all species except chinkapin oak and black oak. Height was a significant predictor of survival probability for all species except chinkapin oak. Although sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) also responded to fire by sprouting, it did so at a much lower rate than oaks and hickory (20% versus 43%–68%). These data reveal that heavily invaded, fire-suppressed woodlands on the prairie–forest border region may not experience major structural and compositional shifts without repeated burning or mechanical treatments.