Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Different Extraction Conditions on the Physical Properties, Conformation and Branching of Pectins Extracted from Cucumis melo Inodorus

The extraction of pectin involves the physico-chemical hydrolysis and solubilisation of pectic polymers from plant tissues under the influence of several processing parameters. In this study, an experimental design approach was used to examine the effects of extraction pH, time and temperature on the pectins extracted from Cucumis melo Inodorus. Knowledge of physical properties (intrinsic viscosity and molar mass), dilute solution conformation (persistence length and mass per unit length), together with chemical composition, was then used to propose a new method, which can estimate the length and number of branches on the pectin RG-I region. The results show that physical properties, conformation and the length and number of branches are sensitive to extraction conditions. The fitting of regression equations relating length and number of branches on the pectin RG-I region to extraction conditions can, therefore, lead to tailor-made pectins with specific properties for specific applications.
Biomass Production with Conservation Practices for Two Iowa Watersheds

Hydrologic modeling was used to estimate potential changes in nutrients, suspended sediment, and streamflow in various biomass production scenarios with conservation practices under different landscape designs. Two major corn and soybean croplands were selected for study: the South Fork of the Iowa River watershed and the headwater of the Raccoon River watershed. A physically based model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, was used to simulate hydrology and water quality under different scenarios with conservation practices and biomass production. Scenarios are based on conservation practices and biomass production; riparian buffer (RB), saturated buffer, and grassed waterways; various stover harvest rates of 30%, 45%, and 70% with and without winter cover crops; and conversion of marginal land to switchgrass. Conservation practices and landscape design with different biomass feedstocks were shown to significantly improve water quality while supporting sustainable biomass production. Model results for nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediments were analyzed temporally at spatial scales that varied from hydrologic response units to the entire watershed. With conservation practices, water quality could potentially improve by reducing nitrogen loads by up to 20%–30% (stover harvest with cover crop), phosphorus loads by 20%–40% (RB), and sediment loads by 30%–70% (stover harvest with cover crop and RB).
SOX2 is a promising predictor of relapse and death in advanced stage high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients with residual disease after debulking surgery

ABSTRACT The transcription factor SOX2 is a well-established and important stem cell marker. Its role in cancer biology remains unclear, but it has been proposed to also be a marker of cancer stem cells. We investigated the role of SOX2 protein expression in women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) to determine its potential prognostic and treatment predictive value. We constructed a tissue microarray of 130 advanced stage HGSOC tumors with an average of 6 cores each, stained for SOX2 protein expression and evaluated survival outcomes. We also treated two HGSOC cell lines with carboplatin and paclitaxel and measured SOX2 expression by RT-PCR and immunoblotting at different doses and time-points. Among patients with non-radical debulking surgery overall and progression-free survival were shorter for patients with SOX2 positive tumors (mean 26 vs. 39 months, log-rank test: p = .0076, and mean 14 vs. 19 months, p = .055, respectively). Knockdown of SOX2 in cell lines did not affect growth inhibition following chemotherapy treatment. Our results show that SOX2 has a strong prognostic potential among HGSOC patients with residual tumor tissue after debulking surgery and suggest that SOX2 expressing cells remaining after non-radical debulking surgery may constitute a subpopulation of cancer stem cells with greater tumor-initiating potential.
Characterisation of 30 microsatellite loci for the Tehuelche scallop, Aequipecten tehuelchus (d’Orbigny, 1842) and their use for estimating demographic parameters relevant to fisheries management

ABSTRACT Aequipecten techuelchus is an endemic scallop of the Argentine biogeographic province in the southwest Atlantic Ocean which supports a commercial fishery that has presented strong fluctuations since the 1960s. It is unclear if distinct localities constitute a single panmictic population. We used next-generation sequencing to obtain microsatellite loci that could be used to evaluate genetic diversity and differentiation among populations. We developed 30 polymorphic microsatellite loci, of which 13 meet the standard criteria required for population genetic analyses, including Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, not being linked and with a low frequency of null alleles. The described microsatellite loci were used to estimate relatedness and effective population size, and to test for recent and historic population bottlenecks. Our results suggest that the population of the Tehuelche scallop from San Román, Gulf of San José, Patagonia shows a relatively large effective population size, high levels of genetic polymorphism, low levels of inbreeding and no signs of recent or historic drastic population reductions. These preliminary results should be confirmed with larger sample sizes and the inclusion of other nearby populations.
ECS‐CP‐ABE: A lightweight elliptic curve signcryption scheme based on ciphertext‐policy attribute‐based encryption to secure downlink multicast communication in edge envisioned advanced metering infrastructure networks

As an integral part of the smart grid, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) implements two‐way communication to enable the smart grid achieving the desired performance improvements over the legacy grid. Integrating communication in addition to the inherited weakness of the power grid paves the way to countless number of security threats to target its communication networks, therefore ensuring secure data exchange is a key concern for AMI networks. In this regard, many schemes are proposed in the literature to secure this two‐way communication, however, very little effort has been focused on multicast transmissions carried out between the control center and a group of smart meters. In order to empower efficient, authentic, and confidential data exchange, this article proposes a new signcryption scheme for multicast downlink communication in edge envisioned AMI networks. The proposed scheme is constructed based on ciphertext‐policy attribute‐based encryption to attain secure fine‐grained access control for the multirecipient communication between the utility control center and a group of smart meters. The novelty of our scheme lies behind the fact that it is an elliptic curve cryptosystem that is pairing free, in opposite to most ABE schemes. Instead of the complex bilinear pairing operations, we exploited faster elliptic curve point multiplication operations to construct the proposed signcryption model. we demonstrate the strength of our protocol in defending against passive, collusion, reply, data modification, and signature forgery attacks. Simulation results prove the efficiency of our protocol in terms of messages size and computation complexity when compared with other schemes.
Pulmonary Function Improves in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis who Undergo Posterior Spinal Fusion Regardless of Thoracoplasty: A Mid-Term Follow-Up

Introduction The purpose of the present study was to determine, in a mid-term follow-up 5 years or more after surgery, the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and expiratory flow in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) who underwent posterior spinal fusion (PSF) with or without thoracoplasty. Methods The subjects were 134 patients with AIS who underwent PSF between 2004 and 2013. Forty-five patients agreed to participate in the study. We divided the patients into two groups as follows: 24 patients who underwent PSF with thoracoplasty from 2004 to 2010 in the TP group and 21 patients who underwent PSF without thoracoplasty from 2011 to 2013 in the non-TP group. We evaluated whole spine X-ray imaging and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in these patients. PFTs measured FVC, FEV1, peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximum expiratory flow at 50% FVC (V50), maximum expiratory flow at 25% FVC (V25), and the ratio of V50 to V25 (V50/V25). Results The main thoracic curves were 53.6 ± 10.1° before surgery, 19.8 ± 7.6° 1 week after surgery, 22.3 ± 8.3° 2 years after surgery, and 23.3 ± 7.6° at the most recent observation. Compared with preoperative values, FVC, FEV1, and % FEV1 were improved significantly at the most recent observation. No significant difference was observed between % FVC before surgery and at the most recent observation. Compared with preoperative values, PEF, V50, and V25 were improved significantly at the most recent observation. V50/V25 did not change significantly. The changes in PFT values in the TP group and the non-TP group were compared. No significant differences were observed in FVC, % FVC, FEV1, % FEV1, PEF, V50, or V25. Conclusions Regardless of whether thoracoplasty was performed or not, FVC, FEV1, and expiratory flow were improved 5 years or later after PSF.
Hedera crebrescens (Araliaceae) a newly identifi ed diploid taxon and triploid ivies from Hungary

Hedera crebrescens, a newly identified species in Hungary is described here. This diploid ivy is not identical with the diploid H. helix. It grows vigorously, is invasive, and has spread into most parts of the country and adjacent regions. We also present two triploid species of hybrid origin, which were known formerly as selected varieties of H. helix. Triploids differ from the presumed diploid and tetraploid parents based on their reproductive morphological traits and also based on their ecological demands.
Street morphology and travel by dockless shared bicycles in Beijing, China

Abstract App-based, dockless bicycle-sharing systems (DBSSs) have proliferated across cities in China since their inception in 2016, managed by the major Internet service providers and with central government support, in an effort to help grow nonmotorized transport. Although offering more generalized use and extended range, DBSS exhibits great variability in local use rate, suggesting that control of certain local environmental attributes could be instrumental in supporting more widespread bicycle use. This article is concerned with the relationship between street morphology defined at the street segment level and related shared bicycle use rate. Mobike trip data for a 10-day period in May, 2017 – 3.09-m trip records with origins and destinations – were accessed. Multilevel regression analysis shows that generated trips and travel distance are positively related to both betweenness and maximum convex hull radius but are negatively related to diversion ratio. All street morphological metrics show significant effects across spatial scales. Number of shared bicycle trips is positively associated with floor area ratio but negatively associated with intersection density. Land use mix is positively related to generated trips but negatively related to biking distance, while destination accessibility shows the inverse relationship. The results provide insight into where trips using DBSS are likely to be found, given the street pattern, but also how their wider and more generalized use could be promoted using urban planning.
Optimisation of process for pangasius surimi: effect of mince to water ratio on quality of surimi

Pangasius ( Pangasianodon hypophthalmus Sauvage, 1878) is an important food fish species in south-east Asian countries which is cultivated on a large scale throughout the region and has been introduced widely outside of its native range. Production of this species from India is also increasing tremendously. However, the species produced from Indian environment has meat discoloration issue which reduces its economic value. Therefore, there is need for alternate methods of its utilisation and surimi preparation from the species can be one of the best alternatives. Therefore, attempts were made in the present study to optimise the process of surimi preparation from pangasius. Effect of different mince to water ratios i.e., 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4 with 3 washing cycles on the quality of pangasius surimi was investigated. From the results, it was found that among the different mince to water ratios, 1:3 and 1:4 were better as these gave high gel strength and low expressible moisture to the surimi as compared to other ratios. SDS-PAGE study revealed disappearance of myosin heavy chain (MHC) in the surimi obtained with ratios of 1:3 and 1:4. Whiteness of surimi improved with increase in mince: water ratio. Sensory evaluation indicated highest overall acceptability for surimi obtained with mince:water ratios of 1:3 and 1:4. However, there was no significant difference between the quality of surimi obtained with mince: water ratios of 1: 3 and 1:4.
Effect of the dyeing process on thermal and dyeing properties of poly(butylene terephthalate) fibers

A medium- and low-temperature disperse dye was applied as a dyeing material for poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) fibers using a cost-effective and scalable approach. The relationship between the dyeing process and thermal or dyeing properties, such as the dye uptake percentage and color fastness properties, was systematically investigated. Interestingly, with the increase of the C. I. Disperse Red 167 concentration from 2% o.w. f. (on weight of fiber) to 5% o.w. f. and dyeing temperature, the dyed PBT fibers correspondingly gained better color strength (28.7), an indication of a suitable dye uptake of 93.15%. Furthermore, the incorporation of the dye into PBT fibers improved the decomposition temperature and melting or crystallization temperature, and the storage modulus was higher than that of undyed PBT fibers using this simple approach. Therefore, these promising results would be a significant component to enhance or regulate the significant thermal stability of PBT fibers in the dyeing field. Also, they would go a long way to support the idea that the present approach is useful for further industrialization of the dyeing process because of its low cost and suitability for a large-scale process.
Sox9 gene expression during ontogeny stages and various tissues of Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus (Borodin, 1897)

Sox9 is a protein-coding gene that plays a critical role during organogenesis and regulation of the male gonad development among vertebrates. Knowledge about the expression of Sox9 during larval development can help to complete the lack of the information on its possible function in sturgeon fishes. Due to the importance of the Persian sturgeon as a valuable candidate species for aquaculture and the importance of Sox9 gene in vertebrate evolution, in this study, Sox9 cDNA was characterized and the expression pattern during various ontogeny stages (unfertilized egg to 210 days post hatching - dph) and among ten different tissues (gill, pyloric, spleen, gonad, kidney, intestine, heart, skin, liver, muscle) was analyzed using RT-PCR method. Results indicated that Sox9 mRNA was not detect in unfertilized and fertilized egg. However, first expression was measured at 1 dph then Sox9 mRNAs decreased in a gradual manner during the 1 to 50 dph and declined to minimal level at 210 dph ( P <0.05). Also, Sox9 mRNA was present in most tissues with the highest expression in the gill and pyloric, weakly expression in the liver and gonad and no expression in the muscle. Our findings suggest that Sox9 was not applicable in sex determination in early developmental stages and probably it can be implicated in other developmental activities such as chondrogenesis.
Serological and molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep and goats in Kashan, Central Iran

Abstract Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common meat-borne parasitic infections worldwide. Consumption of raw or undercooked meat which contains Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts is an important route of human infection. In this study, we investigate the serological and molecular prevalence of T. gondii infection in sheep and goat samples in Kashan, Iran, from 2015 to 2016. Serological (IgG antibody) and molecular detections were performed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction on the sera and heart samples of sheep ( n 590) and goats ( n 590), respectively. T. gondii-IgG antibody was detected in 12.2% of sheep and 4.4% of goat samples. The parasite’s DNA was detected in 17.8 and 8.9% of sheep and goat samples, respectively. Practical applications The results of this study emphasize on the role of the sheep and goat as reservoirs of T. gondii infection. Hence, consumption of adequately cooked meat should be considered for prevention of T. gondii infection in humans.
PROTEIN ENGINEERING APPROACHES TO IMPROVING DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CANDIDA ALBICANS INFECTIONS

Title of Dissertation: PROTEIN ENGINEERING APPROACHES TO IMPROVING DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CANDIDA ALBICANS INFECTIONS Svetlana P. Ikonomova, Doctor of Philosophy, 2017 Dissertation directed by: Professor Amy J. Karlsson, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause infections that range from mild rashes to life-threatening bloodstream infections. The antifungal drug resistance of some Candida strains and the deficiencies in the current methods used to identify infection-causing species call for improvements in treatment and diagnosis of Candida infections. Towards improving therapeutics, the antimicrobial peptide histatin 5 (Hst-5) was studied. Hst-5 is a salivary peptide with strong antifungal activity against C. albicans. However, the pathogen produces a family of secreted aspartic proteases (Saps), some of which can degrade and inactivate Hst-5. Of the family, Sap2 and Sap9 have been previously shown to degrade Hst-5. Variants of Hst-5 with one or two amino acid substitutions were designed and tested to evaluate the effect on the proteolysis of the peptide by the Saps. The results showed that even a single amino acid substitution results in a significant reduction or enhancement of proteolysis by Saps. The K17R and K17L modifications led to significantly enhanced resistance to proteolysis to both Saps. The substitutions also had site-, residue-, and Sap-dependent effects and the proteases have preferences for certain amino acids at the substitution sites, such as leucine at the 13 residue by Sap9. The substitutions affect not only the cleavage at the substitution sites but also the degradation of the peptide as a whole. Some of the modifications (K11R, E16R, E16L) also led to enhanced antifungal activity. Furthermore, combination of two modifications (K11R-K17R) resulted in a peptide with both enhanced proteolytic resistance to Saps and enhanced antifungal activity, demonstrating its potential as an alternative therapeutic. Towards improving diagnostics, a purification-free method to immobilize singlechain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies was developed. Two biotinylation tags—the biotin carboxyl carrier protein or the AviTag minimal sequence—were genetically fused to scFvs to allow for in vivo, site-specific biotinylation by endogenous Escherichia coli biotin ligases during protein expression. scFvs with different frameworks and antigens were all successfully immobilized directly from cell lysates onto streptavidin-coated plates, and the immobilized scFvs maintained their functionality for over 100 days at 4 °C. The simplicity and robustness of this method make it a suitable approach to create diagnostic arrays and could be used to capture and identify Candida infections. PROTEIN ENGINEERING APPROACHES TO IMPROVING DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CANDIDA ALBICANS INFECTIONS
Ultrasonic-assisted extraction and antioxidant capacities of flavonoids from Camellia fascicularis leaves

ABSTRACT Ultrasonic-assisted extraction of flavonoids from Camellia fascicularis leaves was optimized using response surface methodology. The optimal extracting conditions of flavonoids were determined to be the ratio of liquid to raw material of 60 mL/g, ethanol concentration of 40%, extraction temperature of 72.3°C, and extraction time of 1.6 h, which contributed to the highest flavonoids yield of 4.765%. The crude flavonoids were purified through an AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin column, eluted with ethanol concentration of 40%, and purified flavonoids were obtained. In vitro antioxidant assay demonstrated that purified flavonoids showed significant antioxidant capacities in a concentration-dependent manner for scavenging hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical, and azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt radical. Overall, ultrasonic-assisted extraction was found to be an effective method of extracting flavonoids from C. fascicularis leaves, which might be explored as potential natural antioxidant.
Study on Growth and Phenotypic Characters of Different Clones of Poplar (Populus deltoides Marsh.) in Nursery

Poplar (Populus deltoides) a short-rotation commercial agroforestry tree, has received wide acceptance during the last three decades in India due to its fast growth habit, its compatibility with agriculture crops, and high industrial requirements. The species is widely grown in Indo-Gangetic region of the country comprising Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir also in some pockets of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh distributed on 312,000 ha out of which 60% is block plantation and 40% is bund plantation (ICFRE, 2012). The tree is harvested at a short rotation of 6-8 years, which provides a yield of 150-200 m 3 per ha (mean annual increment of 20-25 m 3 per ha per year) in block plantation and 12-20 m 3 per ha (mean annual increment of 2-3 m 3 per ha International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 12 (2017) pp. 1840-1848 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Conditions of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Philippines observed through the MEAT database and a reality of evaluation system and the community based management in two MPA cases

It is well recognized that the marine resources of the Philippines are increasingly and severely damaged by climate change and human interventions, including overfishing and destructive fishing. To manage its marine resources, the government has implemented marine protected area (MPA) systems, expecting the involvement of local communities in its management. Although over 1,600 MPAs had been established by 2014, it is reported that they are not effectively managed. The purpose of the study is to determine the current conditions of MPAs in the Philippines using the MPA Management Effectiveness Assessment Tool (MEAT) developed in 2010, and to identify how MEAT reflects reality through interviews at two MPAs. The MEAT data analysis shows that MEAT has not yet been fully utilized and its information is not representative of all the MPAs in the country. So far, as based on the information provided by MEAT, less than half of the MPAs are effectively managed and management effectiveness is not related to the age of the MPA or evenly distributed across regions. The field study, although limited by the fact that it is based on only two MPAs, raises the question as to whether or not local evaluation has been conducted as intended. Unlike the high expectations of communities as effective MPA management entities, local people in the two cases rely more on local government. The results suggest the necessity of further studies on monitoring the MEAT evaluation process and the importance of field studies regarding the effectiveness of community-based MPA management.