Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of fermented milk products (kefir and yogurt) and probiotic on performance, carcass characteristics, blood parameters, and gut microbial population in broiler chickens

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the effects of fermented milk products and probiotic on performance, carcass characteristics, blood parameters, and gut microbial population in broiler chickens. A total of 480 one-day-old Ross 308 broilers were allocated to 30 floor pens in a completely randomized design with six treatments, five replicates, and 16 chicks (eight males and eight females) in each replicate. On the first day, the male and female chicks were weighed and divided by the feather sexing method so that the average body weight of chicks was approximately equal in each pen. Treatments consisted of six groups (including control): group 1 had a basal diet and normal drinking water, group 2 had a basal diet and probiotics (PrimaLac®) in drinking water as recommended by the manufacturer, group 3 had a basal diet and 2 % yogurt in drinking water, group 4 had a basal diet and 4 % yogurt in drinking water, group 5 had a basal diet and 2 % kefir in drinking water, and group 6 had a basal diet and 4 % kefir in drinking water. Chemical and microbiological characteristics of kefir and yogurt were measured after each production. The results showed that 4 % kefir, yogurt, and probiotic at the recommend level in water improved body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio compared with other groups (P<0.05). The results indicated that treatment had a significant effect on the carcass yield, intestinal length, thigh yield, and abdominal fat in male and female chickens (P<0.05). There were no effects on total bacteria population but the lactobacilli and coliform bacteria populations showed increasing and decreasing trends, respectively, with 4 % kefir, yogurt, and probiotic supplementation at 28 and 42 d (P<0.05). In addition, blood glucose and total protein increased when using a high levels of kefir, yogurt, and probiotic in water, while cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) concentrations were lower in 4 % kefir, yogurt, and probiotic at the recommended level. Consequently, the results of this study showed that the use of 4 % kefir, yogurt, and probiotic at recommended level in water had beneficial effects on the growth performance, intestinal bacteria population, and blood biochemical parameters in male and female broiler chickens.
Role of plant growth regulators on the growth and yield of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.).

A field investigation was carried out during 2014-15 and 2015-16 at the Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal to study the role of plant growth regulators on the growth and yield of coriander. The experiment consisting of 6 plant growth regulators along with concentration (GA3 25 and 50 ppm, NAA 50 and 75 ppm and IAA 10 and 20 ppm) making six treatment combinations altogether, replicated four times in Randomized Block Design. The study revealed that among the plant growth regulators, GA3 @ 50 ppm performed better than all the other growth regulators for plant height, number of primary and secondary branches per plant, number of umbels per plant, number of umbellets per umbel, number of seeds per umbel, seed yield, oleoresin and essential oil and took minimum number of days to 50% flowering and maturity followed by NAA @ 75 ppm.
The regulation and characterization of surfing motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

iii Lay summary . iv Preface . v Table of contents . viii List of tables. xi List of figures . xii List of abbreviations . xiii Acknowledgments . xiv Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 1.1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a serious threat . 1 1.1.1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenicity . 1 1.1.2 Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence . 3 1.2 The role of P. aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis . 5 1.2. 1 Cystic fibrosis lung environment . 6 1.2. 2 Acute to chronic infections . 7 1.2. 3 Pseudomonas diversity in CF isolates . 8 1.3 Bacterial motility . 9 1.3. 1 Swimming . 9 1.3. 2 Twitching . 10 1.3. 3 Swarming . 11 1.3. 4 Sliding . 12 1.3. 5 Surfing. 12 1.4 Pseudomonas antimicrobial resistance . 13 1.4. 1 Intrinsic resistance . 14 1.4. 2 Acquired resistance . 15 1.4. 3 Adaptive resistance . 15 1.4. 4 Biofilm-associated resistance . 16 1.5 Pseudomonas pangenome organization and gene regulation . 17 1.5. 1 Gac/Rsm cascade . 18 1.5. 2 Quorum sensing system . 19 1.5. 3 Stringent response . 22 1.5. 4 Chemotaxis . 23 1.6 Hypotheses and objectives . 24
Accuracy of BISAP score in prediction of severe acute pancreatitis

Objective: To determine the accuracy of BISAP score in comparison with Ranson’s score in detection of severe acute pancreatitis. Methods: This cross sectional study was performed in Emergency department and Surgery department of Dow university hospital from January 2015 to December 2015. A total of 206 patients were included. Those diagnosed with acute pancreatitis on the basis of epigastric pain, serum amylase levels more than 300 (more than 3 times normal) and meeting the inclusion criteria were subjected to investigations for Ranson’s and BISAP scoring. BISAP score was calculated at 24 hours and Ranson’s score both at 24 and 48 hours. A score of > 3 was used to label severe acute pancreatitis according to both scoring systems. Results: In our study accuracy to predict SAP by BISAP score was 76.2 % and Ranson’s score was 82.2%. On the basis of sensitivity, Ranson’s scores predicted SAP more accurately than BISAP scores (97.4% vs. 69.2%). Regarding specificity, both scores predicted SAP almost equally (78.4% vs. 77.8%). Conclusion: BISAP score is a valuable tool in predicting severe Acute Pancreatitis in early hours.
Anti-Adipogenic Activity of Fractions of Guazuma ulmifolia Leaf

: This study purposed to investigate the anti-adipogenic activity of the chloroform, ethyl acetate, and residual ethanol fractions of Guazuma ulmifolia leaf extract. The fractionation of ethanol extract was carried out by solvent-solvent partition using chloroform and ethyl acetate. Inhibition of fractions to the proliferation and differentiation of primary cultures of rat preadipocytes were tested to investigate the anti-adipogenic activity. Separation of ethanol extract yielded three fractions, i.e. fraction of chloroform, fraction of ethyl acetate, and fraction of residual ethanol. The results of anti-proliferation and anti-differentiation activity test showed that the highest activity was demonstrated by ethyl acetate fraction, followed by residual ethanol fraction and chloroform fraction. The highest total flavonoid content was also shown by the fraction of ethyl acetate. The fraction of ethyl acetate showed the highest anti-adipogenic activity and the highest total flavonoid content
Source memory for actions

Nicholas Lange Source memory for actions This thesis investigates source memory for performed and observed actions in recall and recognition tasks. The motor simulation account predicts that motor activation during action observation results in source misattributions of observed actions as self-performed. Alternatively, source judgements at test may be based on the evaluation of source features (source monitoring framework) or memory strength (relative strength account). Experiments 1, 2 and 3 in Chapter 2 test if the motor simulation account explains false memories of self-performance after observation. Interfering with participants’ ability to encode the motor trace during observation does not reduce participants’ propensity to falsely recall observed actions as performed, but increases it. Experiment 4 in Chapter 3 manipulates motor and visual interference at retrieval. Participants’ false recognition of observed actions as performed and performed actions as observed is not significantly affected by motor or visual interference. Experiments 5, 6 and 7 in Chapter 4 test if participants are better able to discriminate performed and observed actions if they generate the idea for the action they perform themselves. Participants’ source discrimination in a recall task improves if they generate the ideas for self-performed actions (Experiment 5 and 6), only if they do not also generate ideas for actions they observe (Experiment 7). Experiment 8 in Chapter 5 manipulates participants’ visual perspective of actions they observe. There is no evidence for a significant effect of visual perspective during observation on subsequent false memories of self-performance in a recognition paradigm. In my thesis I find no substantial support for a motor simulation account. While the results are broadly compatible with the source monitoring framework, model-based analyses show that participants’ performance may be based on items’ overall strength, in line with the relative strength account, rather than evaluation of source features.
European common frog (Rana temporaria) recolonized Switzerland from multiple glacial refugia in northern Italy via trans‐ and circum‐Alpine routes

The high mountain ranges of western Europe have had a profound effect on the recolonisation of Europe from glacial refugia. The Alps present a particularly interesting case, because they present an absolute barrier to dispersal to most lineages, obstructing recolonisation from multiple refugia in the Italian Alps. Here we investigate the effect of the European Alps on the the phylogeographic history of Rana temporaria across its range in Switzerland. Based on partial cytochrome b and COX1 sequences we find two mitochondrial lineages that occur roughly north and south of the alpine ridge bisecting Switzerland, with contact zones between them in the east and west. The northern haplogroup falls within the previously identified common western European haplogroup, while the southern haplogroup is unique to Switzerland. We find that the lineages diverged ~110 kya, approximately the onset of the last glacial maximum, indicative of origins in separate refugia. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the lineages originate from two refugia in northern Italy, and colonised Switzerland via trans- and curcum-alpine routes. Our results show that the European Alps is a semi-permeable barrier to dispersal for R. temporaria, and have contributed to the complex recolonisation history of Switzerland.
MitoFinder: Efficient automated large‐scale extraction of mitogenomic data in target enrichment phylogenomics

Thanks to the development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, target enrichment sequencing of nuclear ultraconserved DNA elements (UCEs) now allows routinely inferring phylogenetic relationships from thousands of genomic markers. Recently, it has been shown that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is frequently sequenced alongside the targeted loci in such capture experiments. Despite its broad evolutionary interest, mtDNA is rarely assembled and used in conjunction with nuclear markers in capture-based studies. Here, we developed MitoFinder, a user-friendly bioinformatic pipeline, to efficiently assemble and annotate mitogenomic data from hundreds of UCE libraries. As a case study, we used ants (Formicidae) for which 501 UCE libraries have been sequenced whereas only 29 mitogenomes are available. We compared the efficiency of four different assemblers (IDBA-UD, MEGAHIT, MetaSPAdes, and Trinity) for assembling both UCE and mtDNA loci. Using MitoFinder, we show that metagenomic assemblers, in particular MetaSPAdes, are well suited to assemble both UCEs and mtDNA. Mitogenomic signal was successfully extracted from all 501 UCE libraries allowing confirming species identification using COI barcoding. Moreover, our automated procedure retrieved 296 cases in which the mitochondrial genome was assembled in a single contig, thus increasing the number of available ant mitogenomes by an order of magnitude. By leveraging the power of metagenomic assemblers, MitoFinder provides an efficient tool to extract complementary mitogenomic data from UCE libraries, allowing testing for potential mito-nuclear discordance. Our approach is potentially applicable to other sequence capture methods, transcriptomic data, and whole genome shotgun sequencing in diverse taxa.
Almond Snacking for 8 wk Increases Alpha-Diversity of the Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Decreases Bacteroides fragilis Abundance Compared with an Isocaloric Snack in College Freshmen

ABSTRACT Background Changes in gut microbiota are associated with cardiometabolic disorders and are influenced by diet. Almonds are a rich source of fiber, unsaturated fats, and polyphenols, all nutrients that can favorably alter the gut microbiome. Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the effects of 8 wk of almond snacking on the gut (fecal) microbiome diversity and abundance compared with an isocaloric snack of graham crackers in college freshmen. Methods A randomized, controlled, parallel-arm, 8-wk intervention in 73 college freshmen (age: 18–19 y; 41 women and 32 men; BMI: 18–41 kg/m2) with no cardiometabolic disorders was conducted. Participants were randomly allocated to either an almond snack group (56.7 g/d; 364 kcal; n = 38) or graham cracker control group (77.5 g/d; 338 kcal/d; n = 35). Stool samples were collected at baseline and 8 wk after the intervention to assess primary microbiome outcomes, that is, gut microbiome diversity and abundance. Results Almond snacking resulted in 3% greater quantitative alpha-diversity (Shannon index) and 8% greater qualitative alpha-diversity (Chao1 index) than the cracker group after the intervention (P < 0.05). Moreover, almond snacking for 8 wk decreased the abundance of the pathogenic bacterium Bacteroides fragilis by 48% (overall relative abundance, P < 0.05). Permutational multivariate ANOVA showed significant time effects for the unweighted UniFrac distance and Bray–Curtis beta-diversity methods (P < 0.05; R2 ≤ 3.1%). The dietary and clinical variables that best correlated with the underlying bacterial community structure at week 8 of the intervention included dietary carbohydrate (percentage energy), dietary fiber (g), and fasting total and HDL cholesterol (model Spearman rho = 0.16; P = 0.01). Conclusions Almond snacking for 8 wk improved alpha-diversity compared with cracker snacking. Incorporating a morning snack in the dietary regimen of predominantly breakfast-skipping college freshmen improved the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03084003.
Ammonia volatilization in response to coated and conventional urea in maize crop field

The properly measurement of gas emissions and nutrient availability to crops using technologies such as polymer-coated urea are required to monitored the possible nitrogen (N) fertilizer pollution in the environment. This study aimed to evaluate N loss through ammonia volatilization from polymer-coated and conventional urea in maize field trials under two different environments. The study was carried out in Chapadão do Sul and Selvíria State of Mato Grosso do Sul evaluating the first and second harvest of maize plants. Nitrogen fertilizers were applied as polymer-coated, conventional urea and control plots were used as reference to evaluate N loss through volatilization (3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days after fertilizer application). The peak of ammonia volatilization was observed during the first three days after fertilizer application corresponding up to 44% of total N supplied. Polymer-coated urea had promising results showing less ammonia volatilization during the first crop. However, the same result was not observed for second crop.
Polymorphisms -455G/A and -148C/T and Fibrinogen Plasmatic Level as Risk Markers of Coronary Disease and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events

Some polymorphisms in genes codifying for fibrinogen have been correlated with plasma levels of this protein, and several studies reported their associations with acute cardiovascular events. In the present study, 118 subjects with unstable and stable coronary diseases were enrolled to determinate the associations among fibrinogen gene polymorphisms, plasma fibrinogen levels, and major cardiovascular adverse events in a sample of southwestern Mexico. The groups, including 81 control subjects, were matched for age, sex, body mass index, and sedentarism. Plasma fibrinogen levels and the polymorphisms 455G/A, -148C/T, +1689T/G, and Bcl I of the gene of fibrinogen were compared in all groups. Plasma fibrinogen levels (>465 mg/dl) were significant in patients with coronary disease. Fibrinogen plasma values > 450 mg/dl were associated with cardiovascular mortality during the follow-up analysis of the unstable coronary disease group (p = 0.04). The allelic loads of -455A and -148T were associated with plasma fibrinogen levels > 450 mg/dl (p < 0.003 and p = 0.03, respectively) and with coronary disease (p = 0.016 and p < 0.006, respectively). The follow-up of posterior events after an acute coronary event showed that the genetic load of the -148T allele was associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (RR = 1.8, 95%CI = 1.01‐3.35, p = 0.04). Fibrinogen plasmatic levels > 450 mg/dl and the fibrinogen polymorphisms -455G/A and 148C/T had association with MACE and coronary disease. This study suggests that these gene polymorphisms are associated with cardiovascular risk.
Hemispheric asymmetries in resting‐state EEG and fMRI are related to approach and avoidance behaviour, but not to eating behaviour or BMI

Much of our behaviour is driven by two motivational dimensions – approach and avoidance. These have been related to frontal hemispheric asymmetries in clinical and resting-state EEG studies: approach was linked to higher activity of the left relative to the right hemisphere, while avoidance was related to the opposite pattern. Increased approach behaviour, specifically towards unhealthy foods, is also observed in obesity and has been linked to asymmetry in the framework of the right-brain hypothesis of obesity. Here, we aimed to replicate previous EEG findings of hemispheric asymmetries for self-reported approach/avoidance behaviour and to relate them to eating behaviour. Further, we assessed whether resting fMRI hemispheric asymmetries can be detected and whether they are related to approach/avoidance, eating behaviour, and BMI. We analysed 3 samples: Sample 1 (n=117) containing EEG and fMRI data from lean participants, and Samples 2 (n=89) and 3 (n=152) containing fMRI data from lean, overweight, and obese participants. While in Sample 1 approach in women was related to EEG and fMRI hemispheric asymmetries, in Samples 2 and 3 this effect was not significant. Here, hemispheric asymmetries were neither related to BMI nor eating behaviour. Our study partly replicates previous EEG findings regarding hemispheric asymmetries and indicates that this relationship could also be captured using fMRI. Our findings suggest that eating behaviour and obesity are likely to be mediated by mechanisms not directly relating to frontal asymmetries in neuronal activation quantified with EEG and fMRI.
A video annotation learning approach to improve the effects of video learning

ABSTRACT Digital video has become a popular instructional media, which makes students more enthusiastic about the subjects they are learning. However, students may not be able to receive these benefits if the videos present the information they contain too quickly. To overcome this problem, this study proposed a video annotation learning system, by which learners can annotate and highlight the interesting or important contents to make them more memorable. A quasi-experiment was conducted on a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed learning approach. Eye-tracking technology was used to examine students’ learning process, and assess whether the use of annotations increased their attention. The findings reveal that the proposed approach could encourage students to concentrate more on the critical parts of the instructional video, and thus resulted in better learning performance than the conventional approach to using videos.
Revisions of Anatomical Descriptions of the Pharyngeal Jaw Apparatus in Moray Eels of the Family Muraenidae (Teleostei: Anguilliformes)

Fishes of the family Muraenidae (moray eels) comprise two subfamilies of highly specialized benthic forms. As first documented and described in two earlier papers, morays have a highly specialized raptorial feeding apparatus in which they move their upper pharyngeal jaws forward into the oral cavity to grasp prey and transport it back into the esophagus. Here I revisit the descriptive aspects of the second paper and compare them to my own investigations of the topographic anatomy of this apparatus. Regrettably, my observations of the relevant anatomical details and terminology differ markedly from those presented in that paper. Accordingly, I describe and illustrate my observations, compare them to previous descriptions, and discuss possible functional implications. In contrast to the earlier paper, I offer detailed argumentation and justification for my terminology and identification of relevant gill-arch muscles in muraenids. Based on my re-interpretation of the topographic anatomy of the pharyngeal musculature, three conspicuously different anatomical mechanisms of pharyngeal jaw protrusion and retraction are identified.
Influence of IAA, 28-homobrassinolide and 24-epibrassinolide on adventitious rooting in grapevine.

In this research, influence of auxin and brassinosteroids on rooting of American grapevine rootstocks (140 Ru and 41 B) was investigated. Hormones and their concentrations used were indole butyric acid (IBA); 0 (control), 1000, 1500, 2000 and 4000 ppm for 5-second dipping, and 22(S),23(S)-homobrassinolide (HBR) and 24epibrassinolide (EBR); 0 (control), 10, 0,25, 0,50 and 1,00 ppm for 10-minute dipping. In the cuttings allowed to grow and develop in a growth chamber, firstly the ratios of sprouting, rooting and healthy plant were calculated. Later, in the rooted and sprouted cuttings only, root development (root number, longest root length, root development scale, fresh and dry root weights, dry root ratio) and shoot development (primary shoot length, node number, shoot number, auxiliary shoot number) were determined. Applications of 5 second 1500 ppm IBA and 10 minute 1.00 ppm HBR were shown to stimulate rooting and healthy plant ratios in the rootstock 41 B. EBR, on the other hand, did not yield any success. Along with 1000 ppm IBA, 0.50 and 1.00 ppm HBR, all EBR treatments resulted in noticeable increase in the ratios of rooting and healthy plant in 140 Ru. Although 140 Ru had always better growth and development compared to 41 B, IBA applications did not have distinctly significant effects on root and shoot development of the two rootstocks. According to results of this study, it can be stated that brassinosteroids might be useful to induce rooting in grapevine rootstocks cuttings.