Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of in vitro salt tolerance in Cucumis prophetarum L., a Crop Wild Relative

Salinity is the major abiotic factor that limits plant growth and productivity. In this study, we present an in vitro propagation protocol for Cucumis prophetarum L. a crop wild relative to cucumber and compare the effect of salinity on C. sativus and C. prophetarum. Results showed that Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg L-1 Kin and 0.5 mg L-1 NAA was the optimal medium for shoot proliferation and root induction, respectively. Interestingly, C. prophetarum plants showed better growth responses than C. sativus under salinity stress. Furthermore, increased salinity level decreased lipid peroxidation content and increased proline content in C. prophetarum, but C. sativus showed opposite responses. In addition, C. sativus microshoots accumulate more Na than C. prophetarum. In conclusion, this study showed that C. prophetarum is more salt tolerant than C. sativus, this could be used in further work to improve salt tolerance traits in cucumber.
Partial characterization of esterases from Fusarium culmorum grown in media supplemented with di (2-ethyl hexyl phthalate) in solid-state and submerged fermentation

Laboratory of Biotechnology, Research Centre of Biological Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Ixtacuixtla, Tlaxcala C.P. 90062, México. Licenciatura en Biología (BSc student), Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Tepic, Nayarit, México. Licenciatura en Biotecnología (BSc student), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca de Lerdo, Estado de México, México. Licenciatura en Ciencias Ambientales (BSc student), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca de Lerdo, Estado de México, México. Licenciatura en Químico Farmacéutico Biólogo (BSc student), Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, México. Ingeniería Bioquímica (BSc student), Instituto Tecnológico Superior de los Ríos, Tabasco, México. Ingeniería en Sistemas Ambientales (BSc student), Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México. Doctorado en Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, México. Licenciatura en Biología (BSc student), Facultad de Estudios Superiores-Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México. 10 Ingeniería en Biotecnología (BSc student), Universidad Politécnica de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México.
Body weight changes throughout the menstrual cycle and their effect upon the components of body composition

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu. Recommended Citation Query, Lovina M. , "Body weight changes throughout the menstrual cycle and their effect upon the components of body composition" (1984). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3332.
Development of a spheroid model to investigate drug-induced liver injury

Drug induced liver injury is a major problem for the pharmaceutical industry and health services. Yet 30-40 % of human hepatotoxins go undetected during in vitro studies. Hence, more predictive in vitro liver models are a critical requirement for preclinical screening of compounds demonstrating hepatotoxic liability. 3D liver spheroids show promise as a novel model to investigate drug-induced liver injury with preliminary studies indicating the ability of spheroids to detect hepatotoxins as well as displaying an enhanced functional lifespan compared to 2D monocultures. The aim of this thesis was to develop an improved in vitro model to investigate drug-induced liver injury. A viable C3A spheroid model with a lifespan of 32 days was successfully optimised. A characterisation of the spheroid model was performed, revealing direct cell-cell contacts, 3D morphology and cellular polarisation, hence recapitulating corresponding features of human liver tissue. Subsequently, liver-specific functions were investigated in the C3A spheroids and were found to display zonation, functional transporters, CYP enzyme activity, albumin production, urea synthesis and functional mitochondria. After validating the biology of the model, the ability of the spheroids to detect hepatotoxins was examined. The C3A spheroid model correctly identified 66.6 % of hepatotoxins to have a risk of liver injury, a higher predictive value than a 2D model. As hepatocytes only represent 60 % of the cells in the liver it was predicted that including non-parenchymal cells in the C3A spheroid model would cause increased sensitivity to hepatotoxins. Indeed when C3A spheroids were co-cultured with endothelial cells or immune cells they correctly predicted more compounds to have a risk of human hepatotoxicity, improving their predictivity to 91.6 % and 83.3 % respectively. It has been established that novel biomarkers of liver injury HMGB1, keratin 18 and miR-122 have enhanced sensitivity when compared to current clinical diagnostic markers, however they have not been extensively analysed in vitro. It was determined that keratin 18 could be quantified from the C3A spheroid model and provides important mechanistic insight into the mechanism of cell injury occurring. Mitochondrial damage is implicated in up to 50 % of human hepatotoxins. It was hypothesised that by analysing mitochondrial function in more detail one could reveal the mechanism of action by which a compound might be causing toxicity. Mitochondrial dysfunction could be successfully analysed in the C3A spheroids, which were found to be more sensitive to mitochondrial toxins than 2D cells. To conclude; C3A spheroids act as a human-relevant in vitro model with the potential to be incorporated into an initial drug safety screen, replacing 2D models with poor sensitivity and specificity. Results suggest that the inclusion of non-parenchymal cells may be advantageous to liver models. Furthermore the analysis of endpoints including clinical biomarkers and mitochondrial function may improve the sensitivity of the drug screen.
Mapping of the locus associated with tolerance to high manganese in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

Rapeseed germplasm tolerant to high levels of manganese (Mn 2+ ) is becoming increasingly important in areas where oilseed rape is grown on acidic soils. Although rapeseed germplasm tolerant to high Mn 2+ is available currently there are no molecular marker(s) associated with tolerance to high Mn 2+ which may facilitate the introgression of this trait into sensitive material. This study was conducted to develop a molecular marker associated with tolerance to high Mn 2+ . We phenotyped 200 individuals from an F2 population derived from doubled haploid (DH) parental genotypes Mutu-2 (98-6) (Mn-tolerant) and RSO94-67 (Mn-Sensitive) using a full nutrient solution culture with a Mn 2+ concentration of 125 μM. Genetic variation for tolerance to high Mn 2+ in this intercross population was determined on 8-11 day old seedlings by visual and digital analysis of the percentage of chlorosis occurring on the margins of the cotyledons. The visual scores and digital image analysis were strongly positively correlated. The scoring of the F2 population showed a 3:1 tolerant to sensitive segregating ratio which confirmed that tolerance to high Mn 2+ may be controlled by a single locus. We have genotyped a subset of this population comprising 92 individuals, using Diversity Array Technology (DArTTM) markers and mapped a major locus associated with tolerance to high Mn 2+ in the Mutu-2 (98-6)/RSO94-67 population. A suite of DArT markers were identified that map approximately 13.7 centimorgans from the Mn 2+ tolerance locus. We are further saturating and validating this locus with molecular markers, enabling marker assisted selection for breeding rapeseed cultivars for tolerance to high Mn 2+ .
Leadership that scales: a phenomenological inquiry into facilitated peer-grouping coaching

The global marketplace, with its complexity, immediacy, and ubiquitous disruptions places almost impossible demands on its leaders and its leadership ranks. For many years, a top, perennial contender for the “what keeps CEOs up at night” list has been a severe lack in both the quantity and quality of effective leaders. The war for talent has been figuratively bloody and literally protracted. Leadership development and coaching modalities abound, but demand appears to be much greater than the supply of effective and measurable solutions. Nowhere does there appear to be a scalable approach to accelerate into this demand curve. This descriptive phenomenological inquiry explores the lived experiences of 16 leaders who participated in an experimental Facilitated Peer-group Coaching experience (FPC). FPC is a coaching methodology where participants work on both their own leadership development and the development of their peers. Participants learn to coach and develop each other with the assistance of a trained facilitator. Subjects in this study responded to 20 face-to-face interview questions designed to identify their thoughts, perceptions, feelings and perspectives. The findings and conclusions of this study revealed five developmental fields that catalyze and empower leadership growth. These fields include creating community, self-exploration and illumination, the community mirror, leadership development, and organizational business results. Those fields comprise an ecosystem that presents opportunities for global organizations, coaches and coaching organizations, and academic scholarship.
Sunrise in the city: disentangling drivers of the avian dawn chorus onset in urban greenspaces

Urban systems are known to have a number of effects on avian diversity, density, and morphological and behavioral traits. However, no study to date has simultaneously examined the wide range of urban variables in relation to the avian dawn chorus, a complex behavioral phenomenon. Previous studies investigating adjustments of the dawn chorus onset in urban settings have mainly been confined to relationships with noise and light levels. In addition to noise and light levels, in this study we included other potentially related environmental characteristics describing vegetation structure, urban infrastructure, and human activity, all of which have been shown to be drivers of bird diversity in urban areas. We conducted dawn chorus surveys at 38 Los Angeles urban greenspaces and used a classification and regression tree analysis to identify specific urban scenarios that best explained timing differences in the dawn chorus onset. Our results show that light level was the most important determinant of the dawn chorus onset time, in which, counter-intuitively, bird communities in greenspaces with higher light levels had later onsets. In addition, noise was an important factor for the chorus onset in greenspaces with higher light levels. Although our results differ from those of previous studies, these findings highlight the importance of noise and light levels in explaining dawn chorus onset variation, indicating the need for further research in untangling this complex and ecologically important phenomenon. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
An attempt to replicate a dissociation between syntax and semantics during sentence comprehension reported by Dapretto & Bookheimer (1999, Neuron)

Does processing the meanings of individual words vs. assembling words into phrases and sentences rely on distinct pools of cognitive and neural resources? Many have argued for such a dissociation, although the field is lacking a consensus on which brain region(s) support lexico-semantic vs. syntactic processing. Although some have also argued against such a dissociation, the dominant view in the field remains that distinct brain regions support these two fundamental components of language. One of the earlier and most cited pieces of evidence in favor of this dissociation comes from a paper by Dapretto & Bookheimer (1999, Neuron; DB). Using a sentence meaning comparison task, DB observed two distinct peaks within the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG): one more active when comparisons relied on lexico-semantic cues, and another – when they instead relied on syntactic cues. Although the paper has been highly cited over the years, no attempt has been made, to our knowledge, to replicate the original finding. We here report an fMRI study that attempts to do so. Using a combination of three approaches – whole-brain, group-level ROIs, and individual functional ROIs – we fail to replicate the originally reported dissociation. In particular, parts of the LIFG respond reliably more strongly during lexico-semantic than syntactic processing, but no part of the LIFG (including in the region defined around the peak reported by DB) shows the opposite response pattern. We hypothesize that the original result was a false positive, possibly driven by one participant or item given the use of a fixed-effects analysis and a small number of items (8 per condition) and participants (n=8).
Short-term effect of different green manure on soil chemical and biological properties

The use of different legume species, as green manure, may affect differently soil biological and chemical properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of four legumes species used as green manure on soil biological and chemical properties in short-term. We evaluated the following legume species: Crotalaria, Cajanus, Mucuna and Canavalia. The study was arranged in a completely randomised design with four replicates. The plants were incorporated into the soil (0-20 cm) by harrow and the chemical and biological properties were evaluated 30 and 60 days from the incorporation. Soil chemical and biological properties showed different trends according to legume species used. Soil P and K contents were highest in plot with Crotalaria, while soil Ca content was highest in plot with Mucuna. Soil microbial biomass was higher in plot with Mucuna as compared with others green manure species. Fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis was higher in plots with Mucuna and Canavalia than the others plots. Our results supported the hypothesis that different types of legume used as green manure affect differently the biological and chemical properties of soil. In this case, Mucuna was more effective to improve soil biological properties, while Crotalaria seems to be more efficient in the improvement of chemical properties.
BIOFERTILIZERS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

The use of biofertilizers has become a great hope for Egyptian agriculture, particularly in the field of production of medicinal plants, especially when the economic and environmental points of view are considered, since they reduce the environmental pollution and production costs, in addition to improving the quality. Therefore, the influence of using locally isolated nitrogen fixing bacteria as biofertilizers were studied. The isolates used were three representative strains of either Azotobacter and Azospirillum (two isolates of Azotobacter out of 60 isolates, these isolates were Az. NP7- Az. PR1, and one isolate of Azospirillum out of 60 isolates, this isolate was As. Pp1 ) which were screened for their activity in nitrogen fixing and stimulation effect by used root exudates of black-cumin plants and used for further inoculation studies as biofertilizers. These isolates were isolated at random from rhizosphere and rhizoplane of black-cumin, parsley and fenugreek cultivars at the different stages of growth. The effect of inoculation with N 2 -fixing bacteria ( biofertilizer ) on growth plant characteristics of tested medicinal plants ( Nigella sativa , Trigonella foenum- graecum and Petroselinum sativum ) plants were studied. Inoculation was conjugated with the application of four doses of mineral N, i.e. 0, 50%, 75% and one full dose ( 100% ) from the recommended doses. Results obtained showed that the application of biofertilizers ( N 2 -fixers ) produced better growth and reduced the N requirement in many medicinal plants such as Nigella sativa , Trigonella foenum and Petroselinum sativum compared with untreated plants.
Determinants of canopy gap characteristics in rehabilitating coastal dune forests

This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/avsc.12380 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. DR. VÍCTOR ROLO (Orcid ID : 0000-0001-5854-9512) Article type : Research article
CAF-1 p150 and Ki-67 Regulate Nuclear Structure Throughout the Human Cell Cycle

The three-dimensional organization of the human genome is non-random in interphase cells. Heterochromatin is highly clustered at the nuclear periphery, adjacent to nucleoli, and near centromeres. These localizations are reshuffled during mitosis when the chromosomes are condensed, nucleoli disassembled, and the nuclear envelope broken down. After cytokinesis, heterochromatin is re-localized to the domains described above. However, the mechanisms by which this localization is coordinated are not well understood. This dissertation will present evidence showing that both CAF-1 p150 and Ki-67 regulate nuclear structure throughout the human cell cycle. Chromatin Assembly Factor 1 (CAF-1) is a highly conserved three-subunit protein complex which deposits histones (H3/H4) 2 heterotetramers onto replicating DNA during S-phase of the cell cycle. The N-terminal domain of the largest subunit of CAF-1 (p150N) is dispensable for histone deposition, and instead regulates the localization of specific loci (Nucleolar-Associated Domains, or “NADs”) and several proteins to the nucleolus during interphase. One of the proteins regulated by p150N is Ki-67, a protein widely used as a clinical marker of cellular proliferation. Depletion of Ki-67 decreases the association of NADs to the nucleolus in a manner similar to that of p150. Ki-67 is also a fundamental component of the perichromosomal layer (PCL), a sheath of proteins that surrounds all condensed chromosomes during mitosis. A subset of p150 localizes to the PCL during mitosis, and depletion of p150 disrupts Ki-67 localization to the PCL. This activity was mapped to the Sumoylation Interacting Motif (SIM) within p150N, which is also required for the localization of NADs and Ki-67 to the nucleolus during interphase. Together, these studies indicate that p150N coordinates the three-dimensional arrangement of both interphase and mitotic chromosomes via Ki-67.
Phytochemical discovery of antifeedant, antimicrobial and antimalarial principles.

This thesis examines the phytochernical discovery process from temperate and tropical trees. Thirty extracts of wood and bark of hardwood trees from Eastern North Amen'ca were examined for insect control and antimicrobial activities. Nine of the bark extracts and four of the wood extracts showed significant growth reducing effects against Ostnnia nubilalis at 0.5%. whereas only two bark extracts and one wood extract showed significant antifeedant effect against Sitophilus oryzae at the same concentration. Slower growing tree species were more biologically active than fast growing ones. Isolation of the bioactive compounds in one of the active species. Pmnus serotina. showed that naringenin. its derivative Cmethoxynaringenin. and eriodictyol were responsible for the antifeedant effects Antimicrobial activity of the hardwood trees was also tested against eight strains of bacteria and six strains of fungi. Eighty-six percent of the bark extracts were active against methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus; 71 % against Bacillus subtilus and 79% against Mycobacterium phlei. The bark extract of Juglans cinema was active against Pseudomonas aetuginose 1 87, Salmonella typhiumurnim, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The wood extracts were less active: 72% were active against S. aumus (methicillin-sensitive), 36% against B. subtjlus and 43% against M. phlei. Results €rom antifungal tests indicated that 36% of the extracts were active against at least one fungal strain and that bark extracts were more active than wood extracts. The bark extract from Juglans cinerea had the broadest spectrum of activities against Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Cryptococcus neofonnans, Tichophyion mentagmphytes, Microsponrm gypseum, and Aspergillus fumigatus. In general. the extracts were more active against gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacteria and against filamentous fungi than yeast-like fungi. The study also demonstrated a correlation between frequency of traditional medicinal use by the First Nations people and antimicrobial activity of extracts indicating that the traditional knowledge encornpasses an understanding of aspects of chernical ecalogy. Tropical trees have been used as a source of traditional remedies for malaria. Bioassay-g uided isolation of active principles of the traditionally used antimalarial plant. Lansium domesticum from Bomeo (Indonesia) was undertaken. Six novel triterpenoids were identified and three derivatives were prepared. All nine cornpounds were tested for in vitm antimalarial activities against chloroquine sensitive (D6) and chloroqu ine resistant w2) Plasmodium falcipa~m clones. Four of these compounds exhibited high activity comparable to quinine. In vivo studies were conducted using mice infected with Plasmodium bergheii in a 44ay suppression test. The results indicated that methyl 15. acetoxyiansiolate produced parasiternia clearance level of 50%. It was concluded that the
Efficacy of propionic, benzoic and tartaric acids in preventing biosynthesis of aflatoxins in poultry feed

Singh, R. , Mandal, A.B. and Biswas, A. 2017. Efficacy of propionic, benzoic and tartaric acids in preventing biosynthesis of aflatoxins in poultry feed. Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 17: 157-164. A poultry feed was prepared using conventional feed ingredients which is free from aflatoxins. The moisture content of the feed was adjusted at 11, 13, 15 and 17%, respectively. The feeds with each level of moisture were then mixed with propionic, benzoic or tartaric acid each at various concentrations of 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45 and 0.50%, respectively. Samples were taken in a 500 ml conical flask in duplicate, inoculated with fresh spores mould (Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL 2999) producing aflatoxins, incubated at room temperature for a period of one month and then analysed for the presence of aflatoxins (AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 and AFG 2 ). The results showed that at 11 % moisture level in feed, aflatoxin biosynthesis did not occur in any of the treatments. However, with the increase in moisture content in feed from 11 to 17%, there was increase in production of the aflatoxins. Complete inhibition of aflatoxins synthesis at 13% moisture level was achieved at 0.25% propionic or 0.30% benzoic or 0.40% tartaric acid concentration. The biosynthesis of any of the aflatoxins was completely inhibited at 0.50% propionic or benzoic acid in feed containing 15% moisture. However, propionic or benzoic or tartaric citric acid at 0.50% level in feed, failed to completely inhibit the synthesis of any of the four fractions of aflatoxins in feeds containing 17% moisture level, though with the increased concentrations of acids, the biosynthesis of total as well as individual fractions of aflatoxins decreased. It is thus concluded that the production of aflatoxin at 13% moisture level in poultry feed can be completely inhibited by adding propionic acid @ 0.25% or benzoic acid @ 0.30% or tartaric acid @ 0.40%. However, the level of organic acids varied with incresing level of moisture in the diet. Further, propionic acid was more efficaceous than benzoic or tartaric acid in inhibiting the synthesis of aflatoxins.