Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eugenia uniflora L.: potential uses as a bioactive plant

ABSTRACT: Natural products extracted from plants have always played an important role in the discovery of bioactive substances. This work carried out a review of the literature on the bioactive activities of Eugenia uniflora L. (Surinam cherries), as a potential plant in the various uses, be it medicinal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, insecticide and protective. In the literature, studies were found to confirm the antibacterial activity of E. uniflora leaves extract on Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. The presence of antioxidant compounds as total phenolics, such as anthocyanins and flavonoids, induction in the protection of plants by phytoalexins, as well as insecticidal and anthelmintic effects by the use of the extract of the E. uniflora tree. Although these different potential biotics of E. uniflora have already been reported, further studies are still needed on the use of natural products extracted from E. uniflora for employment for different purposes.
Relationship between Reproductive Factor and Breast Cancer in Mazandaran Cohort: A Case-Control Study

J Babol Univ Med Sci; 22; 2020; PP: 65-71 Received: Apr 5 2019, Revised: Jun 22 2019, Accepted: Nov 13 2019. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Identification of cancer risk factors in the community and prevention planning in high-risk groups can be helpful in cancer prevention program. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between reproductive factors and breast cancer in the Tabari population-based cohort study in a case-control design. METHODS: This case-control study was performed on the enrolment phase of the Tabari population-based cohort. Patients with breast cancer were considered as case group (51) and non-cancerous individuals (204) as a control group. The two groups were matched based on age category and oral contraceptive pill (OCP) intake. The studied variables included breast cancer history, demographic and reproductive factors. FINDINGS: Mean age of first pregnancy (22.76±4.99 vs. 20.8±4.16, p=0.005), mean age at first birth (23.57±4.94 vs. 21.66±4.07, p=0.006) and age of marriage (22.24±5.75 vs. 19.54±4.92, p=0.001) in the case group were significantly higher than the control group and the number of pregnancies (3.76±2.22 vs. 4.67±2.76, p=0.032) and number of children (3.27±1.97 vs. 4.16±2.44, p=0.019) in the case group was significantly less than the control group. According to multivariate analysis, the odds of incidence of breast cancer in people with first pregnancy over 22 years was 2.76 times more than (p= 0.027) those with first pregnancy age below 22 years. CONCLUSION: “Age at first full-term pregnancy” is one of the major risk factors for breast cancer in the area.
Growth and Haematological Response of Clarias gariepinus to Garlic (Allium sativum) Supplemented Diet

This study investigated the growth and haematological response of Clarias gariepinus to different concentration of garlic supplemented diet for a period of 12 weeks. This study was carried out in 2011 in the premises of Fisheries Department, Delta State University, Asaba, Nigeria. The experimental diet was formulated to contain 0% (control), 0.5%, 1% and 3% garlic. Fish were sorted into four groups based on the diet and were fed 3% live body weight. Diets which contain garlic did not show a significant effect (P = 0.06) on the weight of C. gariepinus. However, fish fed diets containing garlic had a higher (P <0.001) total length compared to the control. Nevertheless, fingerlings fed 0.5% concentration of garlic in diet exhibited greater growth in terms of weight and length compared to fingerlings in all other treatment groups and the control. At the end of the experiment, the total red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) of fish in the garlic supplemented groups were greater (P <0.05) compared to the values prior to the commencement of the experiment and to the control. However, catfish fed 0.5% garlic diet were observed to have a higher value of RBC, PCV and Hb than the other concentrations. Increment in plasma protein was noted in catfish fed garlic supplemented diet than the control. This study demonstrates that garlic supplemented feed stimulates increment in both total length and haematological indices of fish. Supplementation of fish feed with garlic is therefore of high benefit in aquaculture as it boosts the ability of C. gariepinus to resist diseases.
Post-harvest evaluation of maize genotypes for resistance to maize weevil (sitophilus zeamais) and larger grain borer (prostephanus truncatus) infestation.

Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) is a major maize (Zea mays L.) storage insect pest in the tropics which reduces the quantity and quality of maize. The objective of this study was to determine maize weevil damage on selected inbred lines and hybrids. Twenty eight inbred lines and 22 hybrids, with two checks (MTPO701-reistant and Duma 41-susceptible) were used in this experiment. Thirty unsexed adult insects were introduced into 250 ml glass jars with grains of the lines and hybrids at room temperature. The experiment was arranged in a randomised complete block design. Assessment of grain damage was done at 10, 60 and 120 days after maize weevil infestation. Each category of storage period was replicated four times and experiment set at the same time. Data was collected on per cent weevil damage, grain weight loss and number of live and dead weevils on each inbred line. Percent weight loss among inbred lines and hybrids at 10, 60 and 120 days differed significantly (P<0.05). Weight loss at 10 days was less than 1%. The selection of the resistant genotypes was based on percent weight loss after 60 days. The lines, KEN2/TZL2.2. 5# and LEPOOL-1/TZL2-2-1, showed resistance to maize weevil damage at 60 and 120 days of storage and could be stored up to 4 months. KEN2/TZL2-2-5# showed consistency in resistance to maize weevils at all storage periods. Weight loss on the susceptible check Duma 41 and resistant check MTPO701 was 10.98 and 5.05, respectively. KH631Q emerged as the most resistant among the 22 hybrids evaluated and was found to be consistent in all the
Therapeutic Effect of Varenicline on Depression Among Cigarette Smokers with Methadone Maintenance Therapy

behavioral effects of antidepressants, such as cell proliferation in the hippocampus. Clinical and pre-clinical evidence suggests that drugs that target nicotinic acetylcholine receptors may be an important approach to treating depression [3]. Abstract Introduction: Varenicline is an effective drug approved for smoking cessation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Varenicline on depression in smokers treated with methadone. Methods: The present study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial that was performed on 60 smokers aged 18-60 years old who were referred to addiction treatment clinics who had a primary diagnosis of major depression based on the DSM-5 criteria. Both groups were treated with Citalopram tablets 20 mg daily for the treatment of depression. For the group of varenicline for 6 weeks, the first three days 0.5mg, followed by 1mg daily and the control group was given the same placebo. Both groups were evaluated using BDI-II by a psychiatrist before the intervention, 3 and 6 weeks after treatment. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the depression scores in the Varenicline group and the control after intervention were 19.74±6.36 and 21.39±6.4 respectively, and the estimated effect size was 0.259, that according to the Cohen table was lower than the mean. There was no significant difference between the mean depressions scores in the Varenicline group before intervention 29.85 and in the control group were 30.32. At 3 and 6 weeks after treatment, the depression score in the Varenicline group was lower than that of the other drug effects; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Varenicline is a relatively effective drug for smokers with depression who are treated with methadone.
OxyR senses reactive sulfane sulfur and activates genes for its removal in Escherichia coli

Reactive sulfane sulfur species such as hydrogen polysulfide and organic persulfide are newly recognized as normal cellular components, involved in signaling and protecting cells from oxidative stress. Their production is extensively studied, but their removal is less characterized. Herein, we showed that reactive sulfane sulfur is toxic at high levels, and it is mainly removed via reduction by thioredoxin and glutaredoxin with the release of H2S in Escherichia coli. OxyR is best known to respond to H2O2, and it also played an important role in responding to reactive sulfane sulfur under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. It was modified by hydrogen polysulfide to OxyR C199-SSH, which activated the expression of thioredoxin 2 and glutaredoxin 1. This is a new type of OxyR modification. Bioinformatics analysis showed that OxyRs are widely present in bacteria, including strict anaerobic bacteria. Thus, the OxyR sensing of reactive sulfane sulfur may represent a conserved mechanism for bacteria to deal with sulfane sulfur stress.
Laboratory Evaluation of Entomopathogenic Fungi for the Control of Khapra Beetle (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and Their Effects on the Beetles' Fecundity and Longevity

ABSTRACT The khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), is an important pest of stored wheat worldwide. The current study assessed the efficacy of five Iraqi isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, including Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Cordycipitaceae) isolate Bb25, Lecanicillium attenuatum (Petch) Zare & Gams (Cordycipitaceae) isolate La90, Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin (Clavicipitaceae) isolate Ma42, Isaria fumosorosea (Wize) (Clavicipitaceae) isolate P10 and Chaetomium globosum (Kunze) (Chaetomiaceae) isolate CHG20, compared to a commercially produced B. bassiana strain GHA (Mycotrol® ESO). We also assessed the effects of fungal infection on the fecundity and longevity of adult female beetles under laboratory conditions of 30 ± 2°C and 65 ± 5% RH. Beauveria bassiana isolate Bb25 and M. anisopliae isolate Ma42 had the highest virulence compared to L. attenuatum isolate La90, C. globosum isolate CHG20, I. fumosorosea isolate P10 and Mycotrol® ESO. Abbott-corrected mortality of T. granarium after exposure to either B. bassiana or M. anisopliae, at 106 conidia ml–1, varied according to the beetle's developmental stage. First, second and third instars were more susceptible compared with fourth, fifth instars and adults at 10 d post-treatment. Beauveria bassiana isolate Bb25 and M. anisopliae isolate Ma42 caused about 50% reduction in total fecundity and about 20% reduction in longevity of the female adults. The results demonstrate that the two Iraqi isolates of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae have potential as a biological control agents of T. granarium; however, further studies under commercial storage conditions are required.
Proteolysis in the Beyaz (White) Cheese Produced From Various Milk

The aim of this study was to investigate proteolysis development and peptide changes during the storage period of Beyaz (White) cheese which is produced from various types of milk, such as sheep, goat and cow milk. Three types of cheese were produced using goat, sheep and cow milk, and all analyses were performed in duplicate. Proteolytic changes were observed in cheese on the 1st day, 3rd, 6th, and 9th month. The total protein was investigated through using water-soluble nitrogen, soluble nitrogen in 12% Trichloroacetic acid (TCA), soluble nitrogen in 5% Phosphotungstic acid (PTA), and free amino acids. Proteolytic changes and peptide formations were observed during maturation by HPLC. While the total protein was 14.33% in sheep Beyaz cheese on the 1st day, this value decreased during the maturation period and reduced to 6.9% in the 9th month. These values were 13.55 and 7.95 for cow cheese and 16.30% and 7.95% for goat cheese, respectively. The water-soluble protein value increased during the maturation period. The value was 1.41% in sheep cheese on the 1st day, and increased to 6.24% in the 9th month. These values were 2.16% and 4.92% for goat cheese, and 1.79% and 8.53% for cow cheese, respectively. 12% TCA soluble nitrogen had been 0.211% at the beginning and was 0.51% in the 9th month. The ripening value based on 12% TCA changed between 9.41%-47.22%. 5% PTA soluble nitrogen changed between 0.075%- 0.25 %. The ripening value based on 5% PTA changed between 3.34-23.14. Changes in concentration of total free amino acids during cheese ripening were tracked. In water soluble extracts of cheese, the presence of free amino groups in all ripening stages was detected. It is observed that amino acids and smaller peptides-have concentration significantly (P<0.05) increased during ripening. The total free amino acid was found as 0.24 mg lysine g-1 in sheep cheese, 0.215 mg lysine g-1 in goat cheese and 0.208 mg lysine g-1 in cow cheese at the end of ripening period.
Interactions between dosage compensation complex components Msl-1, Msl-2 and NURF component NURF301 with long non-coding RNA gene hsrω

Hyperactivity of the single X-chromosome in male Drosophila is achieved by establishing a ribonucleoprotein complex, called Dosage Compensation Complex (DCC), on the male X chromosome. Msl-1 and Msl-2 proteins, involved in the initiation and establishing of DCC on male X chromosome, are very crucial component of this complex. In the present study, it has been found here that a long non-coding RNA gene hsrω genetically interacts with Msl-1 as well as Msl-2 and suppresses the lethal phenotype of Msl-1 or Msl-2 down-regulation in its up-regulated background. Additionally, it is also found here that an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler, NURF301, also interacts with hsrω in same manner. General lethality caused by Act-GAL4 driven global expression of NURF301-RNAi and the male-specific lethality following Msl-1-RNAi or Msl-2-RNAi transgene expression were partially suppressed by over-expression of hsrω, but not by down regulation through hsrω-RNAi. Likewise, eye phenotypes following ey-GAL4 driven down-regulation of NURF301 or Msl-1 or Msl-2 were also partially suppressed by over-expression of hsrω. Act-GAL4 driven global over-expression of hsrω along with Msl-1-RNAi or Msl-2-RNAi transgene substantially restored levels of MSL-2 protein on the male X chromosome. Similarly, levels and distribution of Megator protein, which was reduced and distribution at nuclear rim and in nucleoplasm was affected in the MT and SG nuclei, is also restored when hsrω transcripts are down-regulated in Act-GAL4 driven Msl-1-RNAi or Msl-2-RNAi genetic background. NURF301, a known chromatin remodeler, when down-regulated shows decondensed X chromosome in male larvae. Down-regulation of hsrω results in restoration of chromosome architecture without affecting the level of ISWI protein-another chromatin remodeler protein, known to interacting with hsrω.
DIRECT ORGANOGENESIS FROM SHOOT TIP EXPLANTS OF Juniperus polycarpos L.: OPTIMIZING BASAL MEDIA AND PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON PROLIFERATION AND ROOT FORMATION

Juniper is a valuable tree species in forestry and rejuvenate wild natural habitat of Iran. However, sexual propagation of mentioned juniper is difficult, which necessitate to use micropropagation as biotechnological tools to propagate juniper in vitro. To develop micropropagation direct organogenesis experiments into shoot proliferation and roots formation, the effects of six culture media including Murashige and Skoog (MS), Woody Plant Medium (WPM), Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH), Olive media (OM), Driver and Kuniyuki Walnut (DKW), and Momeni and Ganji-Moghadam (MG) supplemented with various concentration of kinetin (KIN), BA (benzyl adenine), IBA (Indole 3-butaryic acid), and NAA (naphthalenecetic acid) were investigated. It was found that hormone concentration, basal media and their interaction had significant effect on shoot proliferation. The all of media except DKW equally displayed survival % when shoot tip used as explant. Explants inoculated with different concentrations of KIN and BA except to 1mgL-1 BA failed to show any detrimental effect of the culture for survival and also media × PGRs (plant growth regulators) was ineffectual. When 5 mgL-1 KIN and 5 mgL-1 BA were used, highest results obtained for shoot number and shoot length, respectively. In direct organogenesis, the use of OM medium supplemented with 5 mgL-1 KIN or 5 mgL-1 BA was promising for shoot number and elongation using shoot tips explants. Our experiments showed that J. polycarpos is a difficult species to induce adventitious roots under in vitro conditions. So, when IBA and NAA were added to media induced any adventitious roots in explants and thus was ineffective. Our study is first in vitro propagation of J. polycarpos, we have been able to achieve much success for shoot proliferation. However, the results of this pioneering study provide a foundation for further research regarding the in vitro regeneration of J. polycarpos.
Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Imaging Reveals Mutation Status-independent Lack of Imatinib Penetration into Liver Metastases of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is an enabling technology for label-free drug disposition studies at high spatial resolution in life science- and pharmaceutical research. We present the first extensive clinical matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) quantitative mass spectrometry imaging (qMSI) study of drug uptake and distribution in clinical specimen, analyzing 56 specimens of tumor and corresponding non-tumor tissues from 28 imatinib-treated patients with biopsy-proven gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). For validation, we compared MALDI-TOF-qMSI with conventional UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS-based quantification from tissue extracts and with ultra-high resolution MALDI-FTICR-qMSI. We introduced a novel generalized nonlinear calibration model of drug quantities based on focused computational evaluation of drug-containing areas that enabled better data fitting and assessment of the inherent method nonlinearities. Imatinib tissue spatial maps revealed striking inefficiency in drug penetration into GIST liver metastases even though the corresponding healthy liver tissues in the vicinity showed abundant imatinib levels beyond the limit of quantification (LOQ), thus providing evidence for secondary drug resistance independent of mutation status. Taken together, these findings underline the important application of MALDI-qMSI for studying the spatial distribution of molecularly targeted therapeutics in oncology.
Effect of metallic additives on in situ combustion of Huntington Beach crude experiments

The economics and applicability of an in-situ combustion process for the recovery of crude oil are dictated to a large extent by the nature and the amount of fuel formed during the process. The aim of this work is to use combustion tube studies to determine on a quantitative basis, how the nature and the amount of fuel formed could be changed by the presence of metallic additives. These experiments follow from the qualitative observations on the effect of metallic additives on the in-situ combustion of Huntington Beach crude oil made by De los Rios (1987) at SUPRI. He performed kinetic studies on the oxidation of Huntington Beach crude in porous media and showed that the nature of the fuel formed changed when metallic additives were present. Combustion tube runs were performed using the metallic additives: ferrous chloride (FeCl{sub 2{center dot}}4H{sub 2}O), zinc chloride (ZnCl{sub 2}) and stannic chloride (SnCl{sub 4{center dot}}5H{sub 2}O). Unconsolidated cores were prepared by mixing predetermined amounts of an aqueous solution of the metal salt, Huntington Beach crude oil, Ottawa sand and clay in order to achieve the desired fluid saturations. The mixture was then tamped into the combustion tube. Dry air combustion tube runs weremore » performed keeping the conditions of saturation, air flux and injection pressure approximately the same during each run. The nature of the fuel formed and its impact on the combustion parameters were determined and compared with a control run -- an experiment performed with no metallic additive. 30 refs., 33 figs., 6 tabs. « less
Inception in visual cortex: in vivo-silico loops reveal most exciting images

Much of our knowledge about sensory processing in the brain is based on quasi-linear models and the stimuli that optimally drive them. However, sensory information processing is nonlinear, even in primary sensory areas, and optimizing sensory input is difficult due to the high-dimensional input space. We developed inception loops, a closed-loop experimental paradigm that combines in vivo recordings with in silico nonlinear response modeling to identify the Most Exciting Images (MEIs) for neurons in mouse V1. When presented back to the brain, MEIs indeed drove their target cells significantly better than the best stimuli identified by linear models. The MEIs exhibited complex spatial features that deviated from the textbook ideal of V1 as a bank of Gabor filters. Inception loops represent a widely applicable new approach to dissect the neural mechanisms of sensation.
Napping between scylla and charybdis of N1 and N3: latency to N2 in a brief afternoon nap can be reduced by binaural beating

ABSTRACT Afternoon nap is regarded as a potent behavioral strategy minimizing sleepiness and fatigue. The benefits of afternoon naps require the accumulation of, at least, 3 min of stage 2 sleep. However, there are practical disadvantages of nap longer than 10–15 min, such as greater length of time consumed by the nap, appearance of slow wave sleep causing greater sleep inertia right after the nap, and possible detrimental impact of such nap on subsequent nocturnal sleep. We previously found that a binaural beat treatment that is a dichotic presentation of two almost equivalent pure tones with slightly different frequencies led to a reduction of latency to stage 2 sleep. To replicate this result and to examine whether such reduction leads, in turn, to the earlier appearance of slow wave sleep, we asked 23 and 21 healthy volunteers to nap in the afternoon for 30 and 20 min, respectively. Almost half of volunteers showed latency to stage 2 longer than 17 min, but most of them responded to the treatment by its reduction. The following occurrence of slow wave sleep reduced level of alertness self-assessed right after the nap. We concluded that latency to stage 2 sleep might be experimentally challenged by binaural beating.
PENGARUH GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE TERHADAP KINERJA KEUANGAN BANK UMUM SYARIAH TAHUN 2015-2017

Penelitian ini dilakukan pada bank umum syariah di Indonesia periode 2015-2017, dengan tujuan untuk menguji pengaruh good corporate governance yang dilihat dari sisi dewan komisaris independen dan komite audit independen terhadap kinerja keuangan yang diukur dengan rasio Return On Equity (ROE). Penelitian ini termasuk penelitian kuantitatif, dengan menggunakan sampling jenuh yang berjumlah 38 bank umum syariah. Sumber data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder berupa laporan tahunan (annual report), dengan teknik analisis datanya menggunakan regresi linear berganda. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa dewan komisaris independen dan komite audit independen secara simultan berpengaruh terhadap kinerja keuangan, namun secara parsial dewan komisaris independen berpengaruh negatif, sedangkan komite audit independen berpengaruh positif. Hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa banyaknya jumlah anggota dewan komisaris independen menghadirkan kompleksitas tersendiri dalam hal pelaksanaan tugas dan tanggungjawab dewan komisaris, sedangkan banyaknya anggota komite audit independen akan mengoptimalkan fungsi pengawasan terhadap proses akuntansi serta keuangan, sehingga akan memberikan peningkatkan pada kinerja perusahaan