Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant activities of Rapana venosa meat and visceral mass during simulated gastrointestinal digestion and their membrane ultrafiltration fractions

Summary Rapana venosa (Rv) is an abundant marine snail resource with high content of protein. The antioxidant activities of Rv meat and visceral mass during simulated gastrointestinal (GI) digestion and their membrane ultrafiltration fractions were evaluated. Results indicated that visceral mass possessed stronger antioxidant activities than meat. The simulated GI digestion increased the hydroxyl radical scavenging activity while decreased the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity and reducing power. After membrane ultrafiltration, there were three fractions, that is molecular weight (MW) > 10 kDa, MW 3.5–10 kDa and MW 10 kDa and MW 10 kDa showed the highest reducing power for meat and visceral mass, respectively. Rv hydrolysates exhibited significantly higher hydroxyl radical scavenging activity than the positive control vitamin C (Vc) and may serve as useful ingredients for application in food industry nutritional products.
Impact of Leptin Receptor Gene SER343SER Polymorphism on Obesity in Jeddah City

Obesity is being described as a global epidemic because its prevalence globally in both the developed and the developing countries.Obesity is an excessive accumulation of body fat result from an interaction of genetic and environment factors. And from genetic factors leptin receptor gene which plays an important role in the regulation of body weight, regulation of energy and fat storage. Genetic variations of leptin receptor gene may play a role in the pathophysiology of human obesity. In this study, the association between the OB-R gene polymorphism and obesity in Jeddah city population was evaluated by determine the distribution of alleles frequency of the leptin receptor SER343SER polymorphism in 150 volunteers (71 males & 79 females) from Jeddah population. Each gender was divided into three groups according to BMI (underweight, normal "control" and obese). Genotypes were determined for all subjects by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Cut followed by restriction enzyme.When comparing between genotype and body mass index (BMI), results demonstrated that there is a higher significant difference (P=0.000). This significant was observed when the genotype CC was compared with either TT or TC genotypes. In contrast, there was a significant increase in CC genotype (OR= 12.8, 95%CI: 1.15 -142.58, P= 0.03) compared to TT genotype in males which suggests that genetic polymorphisms (SER343SER) of leptin receptor gene may play a role in underweight males. (Sabah A. Linjawi and Rewaa A. Al-Sayed. Impact of Leptin Receptor Gene SER343SER Polymorphism on
Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) By-Product: Kinetic Analysis of Key Process Parameters and Characteristics of the Hydrolysates Obtained

ABSTRACT In this study, kinetic evaluation of enzymatic hydrolysis of catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) by-product meat was conducted. The effects of key factors such as type of proteases (neutrase, papain, and bromelain), enzyme to substrate ratio (E/S), substrate concentration, and extent of hydrolysis on process efficiency, properties and functionalities of hydrolysates were evaluated. The results demonstrated that, for catfish shredded meat, bromelain and papain had higher affinity than neutrase. Kinetics parameters Vm and Km of neutrase, papain, and bromelain were 4.486, 9.060, and 18.249 μM/min and 35.433, 6.582, and 7.034 g/l, respectively. Optimal E/S ratios of neutrase, papain, and bromelain were estimated to be 0.92, 2.76, and 3.31 mg/g. At optimal E/S, the highest possible substrate concentrations were found to be 108.4 g/l for neutrase, 36.2 g/l for papain, and 135.8 g/l for bromelain. Both kinetics study and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis showed that bromelain and papain had higher proteolytic activity toward catfish protein than neutrase. A significant increase in antioxidant activity of hydrolysates was observed with neutrase and papain hydrolysate, but not with bromelain. The results could be helpful for industrial processors to develop an efficient process for catfish by-product valorization.
Perianth colour dimorphism is related to germination properties and salinity tolerance in Salsola vermiculata in the Arabian deserts

We investigated the dimorphic perianth colour of Salsola vermiculata and its association with seed germination percentage, interactions with temperature, light, salinity and recovery from prior salinity exposure. Seeds with and without pink and yellow perianth were incubated at three thermal regimes, two photoperiods, and five salinity levels. Germination recovery after salinity exposure was observed on seeds that failed to germinate during the salinity study. The germination percentage and rate were signiﬁcantly related to the perianth colour, the presence of perianth wings, thermal regimes and photoperiod. The presence of a perianth wing significantly reduced germination percentage and germination rate in both the pink and the yellow morph, but the yellow morph exhibited a higher germination percentage. Perianth wing removal increased germination in saline conditions. With the perianth removed, germination recovery was higher for the pink morph than for the yellow one. We suggest that by providing two different strategies for balancing germination with dormancy during favourable conditions, the presence of two morphs makes S. vermiculata more successful in highly unpredictable desert environments.
PREVALENCE AND PREDISPOSING FACTORS TO INTESTINAL PARASITIC INFECTIONS IN HIV/AIDS PATIENTS IN FAKO DIVISION OF CAMEROON

Background Understanding the epidemiology of intestinal parasitic infections is essential for the effective management of HIV infection in areas where intestinal parasites are also endemic. Data on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in people living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon are scarce. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections, as well as assess the predisposing factors for the infections in HIV/AIDS patients in Fako division of Cameroon. Methods Stool specimen was collected from consented participants and examined for ova, cysts, larvae or oocytes using the Kato-Katz, Formalin-Ether Concentration, Modified Ziehl-Neelsen and Modified field staining techniques. Statistical analyses performed included the Chi-square test and logistic regression. Results At the end of the study, 300 participants were enrolled, the majority being females 236 (78.6%). The participants were between 21–70 years (mean±SD=40±10) of age. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 82.6% (95% CI: 78.4–87.0). The prevalence of infection was associated with age, being more prevalent in the age group 51–60 years (p=0.032). Intestinal protozoa were more prevalent than intestinal helminthes (74.3% vs 11.3%). The parasites isolated included: Cryptosporidium parvum (44.0%), Blastocystis hominis (25.0%), Microsporidium spp. (21.0%), Entamoeba histolytica (7.3%), Ascaris lumbricoïdes (4.3%), Isospora belli (4.3%), Trichuris trichiura (2.3%), hookworm (2.7%), Hymenolepis nana (1.3%), Strongyloïdes stercoralis (0.7%), Cyclospora cayetatensis (3.7%) and Giardia lamblia (3.3%). The predisposing factors for infection with intestinal parasites included poor educational background (OR=0.33, p=0.02), unskilled worker (OR=0.27, p=0.04), a well as source of drinking water (OR=2.6, p=0.03), and living with cats as pets (OR=3.06, p=0.01). Conclusions A very high prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was observed in people living with HIV/AIDS. Routine screening for intestinal parasites should be instituted as part of HIV care in Fako division of Cameroon to improve the management of HIV/AIDS.
Seasonal Dynamics in Botanical Composition of the Rangelands of Gambella, Southwestern Ethiopia

Systematic assessment on seasonal dynamics in botanical composition of the herbaceous and woody layers of Gambella rangelands of southern Ethiopia was undertaken. The study was conducted during the consecutive wet and dry seasons of 2013/14 in the two districts (Itang and Jikawo). The representative sites per district were three wet season and one dry season grazing areas. A total of 38 herbaceous species belong to 12 families were identified, of which 36.84%, 15.79%, 36.84% and 10.53% grasses, legumes, forb and sedges botanical group respectively.There were a significant variation between seasons, species and their interaction at p 0.05). The woody layer was consisted of 12 species, which included species of 6 trees and 6 shrubs, contributing each 50% of the botanical group. Botanical composition and related parameters of the woody layer did not show a marked variations (p>0.05) between seasons. This is due to the dominance of evergreen browse species Acacia hockii,Acacia seyal and Balanites aegyptiaca . Accordingly, suggesting that evergreen trees and shrubs play a vital role as a source of fodder in the tropics when the herbaceous layer dried up and deteriorate
Precise correlation and metagenomic binning uncovers fine microbial community structure

Bacteria and Archaea represent the invisible majority of living things on Earth with an estimated numerical abundance exceeding 1030 cells. This estimate surpasses the number of grains of sand on Earth and stars in the known universe. Interdependent microbial communities drive fluxes of matter and energy underlying biogeochemical processes, and provide essential ecosystem functions and services that help create the operating conditions for life. Despite their abundance and functional imperative, the vast majority of microorganisms remain uncultivated in laboratory settings, and therefore remain extremely difficult to study. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing are opening a multi-omic (DNA and RNA) window to the structure and function of microbial communities providing new insights into coupled biogeochemical cycling and the metabolic problem solving power of otherwise uncultivated microbial dark matter (MDM). These technological advances have created bottlenecks with respect to information processing, and innovative bioinformatics solutions are required to analyze immense biological data sets. This is particularly apparent when dealing with metagenome assembly, population genome binning, and network analysis. This work investigates combined use of single-cell amplifed genomes (SAGs) and metagenomes to more precisely construct population genome bins and evaluates the use of covariance matrix regularization methods to identify putative metabolic interdependencies at the population and community levels of organization. Applying dimensional reduction with principal components and a Gaussian mixture model to k-mer statistics from SAGs and metagenomes is shown to bin more precisely, and has been implemented as a novel pipeline, SAG Extrapolator (SAGEX). Also, correlation networks derived from small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences are shown to be more precisely inferred through regularization with factor analysis models applied via Gaussian copula. SAGEX and regularized correlation are applied toward 368 SAGs and 91 metagenomes, postulating populations metabolic capabilities via binning, and constraining interpretations via correlation. The application describes coupled biogeochemical cycling in low-oxygen waters. Use of SAGEX leverages SAGs deep taxonomic descriptions and metagenomes breadth, produces precise population genome bins, and enables metabolic reconstruction and analysis of population dynamics over time. Regularizing correlation networks overcomes a known analytic bottleneck based in precision limitations.
Additive Genetic and Environmental Contributions to the Longitudinal Association between Violent Victimization and Depression

The present study analyzed unique and common additive genetic and environmental influences on self-reported violent victimization and major depression across 8 years of life. Young adults (Mage = 20.14, SD = 3.94), including 473 full-sibling pairs and 209 half-sibling pairs (N = 1,364) from the Child and Young Adult Sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were analyzed to examine the association between violent victimization and depression from late adolescence to young adulthood, estimate how much additive genetic and environmental factors account for variation in liability for single and repeat violent victimization and major depression, and compare the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on the covariance in liability between single and repeated victimization and major depression. Cross–lagged models revealed that while victimization was associated with an increased risk for depression during late adolescence, major depression was more strongly and consistently associated with increased risk for future victimization across young adulthood. Biometric models revealed that 20% of the association between single victimization and major depression was accounted for by common additive genetic influences, while 30% of the association between repeat victimization and major depression was accounted for by common additive genetic influences. Results and implications are discussed.
DIET, BREEDING SUCCESS, AND NEST-SITE SELECTION OF THE SHORT-TOED EAGLE (CIRCAETUS-GALLICUS) IN NORTHEASTERN GREECE

ABsTR^CT. --Forty-eight pellets of short-toed eagles (Circaetus gallicus) collected uring 1988-90 in northeastern Greece were examined to determine the eagle's food habits. The main prey were reptiles (87.2% by frequency of occurrence) followed by birds (6.9%) and rodents (5.9%). The most common prey species were Montpellier snake (Malpopolon monspessulanus, 29.4%), grass snake (Natfix natfix, 20.6%), lizards (Lacerta spp., 18.7%), and European glass lizard (Ophisaurus apodus, 11.8%). Short-toed eagles preferred to nest in old pines (Pinus brutia, 80% and P. nigra, 20%). Nest trees had a mean height of 12.7 q2.9 m, d.b. h. of 43.5 +_ 10.9 cm, and age of 85 +_ 21.4 yr. The average distance between neighboring active nests was 2200 m (range 640-3250 m). Short-toed eagles' mean breeding success was 0.86 fledged young/
To be or not to be a valid genus: the systematic position of Ophyra R.‐D. revised (Diptera: Muscidae)

Ophyra Robineau‐Desvoidy is one of the better‐studied genera of the family Muscidae (Diptera). The larvae of species of this genus feed on highly decomposed organic matter of various origins, and may reveal predatory behaviour as they mature. These feeding habits, combined with the widespread distribution and close association with human dwellings of some species, give the genus commercial and medico‐legal importance. However, the systematic position of Ophyra has been a matter of debate for many years. Ophyra has been considered by muscid workers to be either a valid genus or a junior synonym of Hydrotaea Robineau‐Desvoidy. A lack of agreement about the systematic position of Ophyra has led to serious errors, particularly in the applied literature. Recent molecular and morphological studies provided contradictory information on the validity of the genus and its subfamilial classification. We revise the systematic position of Ophyra herein by means of molecular phylogenetic reconstruction. Our results are incongruent with opinions on the systematic position of Ophyra based on previously published molecular phylogenies, although they correspond with the concept of the genus based on adult morphology. All analyses of the concatenated dataset revealed Ophyra as monophyletic and placed within a paraphyletic Azeliini. Depending on the phylogenetic approach, Ophyra was placed within either a monophyletic, paraphyletic or polyphyletic Hydrotaea, yet always closely related to a certain group of species. We conclude that Ophyra, as currently defined, should not be considered a valid name, yet a detailed reconstruction of the genus Hydrotaea awaits future studies with greater increases in both taxon sampling and the number of molecular markers.
IDENTIFIKASI BAKTERI Escherichia coli PADA CINCAU HITAM YANG DIJUAL DI PASAR CIKURUBUK TASIKMALAYA

Escherichia coli merupakan flora normal didalam usus manusia dan akan menimbulkan penyakit bila masuk kedalam organ atau jaringan lain, Escherichia coli dapat mencemari makanan melalui udara dan lalat sebagai vektor yang hinggap pada cincau hitam saat dijual. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi bakteri Escherichia coli pada cincau hitam yang dijual di Pasar Cikurubuk Tasikmalaya. Penelitian dilakukan dengan metode deskriptif yaitu mengidentifikasi Escherichia coli dengan cara uji biokimia. Dari hasil penelitian diperoleh positif adanya bakteri Escherichia coli sebanyak 1 sampel cincau hitam dengan persentase hasil (16,66%) yaitu dari pedagang 2, sedangkan yang tidak terdapat bakteri Escherichia coli sebanyak 5 sampel cincau hitam dengan persentase hasil (83,33%) yaitu dari pedagang 1, 3, 4, 5 dan 6. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang telah dilakukan dapat ditarik kesimpulan bahwa terdapat pencemaran bakteri Escherichia coli pada cincau hitam yang dijual di Pasar Cikurubuk Tasikmalya.
Sexually dimorphic cardiac adaptation is mediated by Cre expression, independent of estrogen-receptor-α expression

Mounting evidence suggests that estrogen signaling plays a critical role in the heart. Although a role for estrogen regulation of cardiac biology is hypothesized, the precise requirement for estrogen signaling is complicated by the complex signaling capacities of estrogen and its likely role in many, if not all of the diverse cell types of the mammalian heart. To more carefully understand the role and mechanism of estrogen signaling in cardiac myocytes, the contractile cells of the heart, I studied the expression, localization, transcriptional activity, and signaling activity of estrogen-receptors in isolated cardiac myocytes. I found Estrogen Receptor (ER) expression restricted to Estrogen Receptor-α (ERα) in cardiac myocytes. Full length ERα primarily localizes to nuclei in cardiac myocytes where it is competent to activate transcription. Truncated, alternate isoforms of ERα have differential transcriptional activity in cardiac myocytes and primarily localize to nuclei. Neither full length nor truncated ERα isoforms are competent to activate MAPK or PI3K signaling in cardiac myocytes. Together these data support a role for ERα at the level of transcription in cardiac myocytes. 2.
Morphology of Reimeria ovata (Hust.) Levkov & Ector in comparison with similar Reimeria species

Abstract Reimeria ovata (Hust.) Levkov & Ector was found during field research conducted from 2013 to 2015 on the Wołosaty stream and its selected tributaries. Valves measured in the studied material are narrower than valves described in the currently available literature and have more striae per 10 µm. Specimens of R. ovata observed under a light microscope were morphologically very similar to those of R. sinuata, particularly in the case of small individuals. The precise distinction between these two species was only possible under SEM. R. ovata has been found in cold, oligotrophic waters, highly saturated with oxygen, with alkaline or circumneutral pH, but never in large numbers. The aim of this work was to identify the new locations of R. ovata and to determine morphological and ecological characteristics of this species.
Computational modeling of miRNA-mediated gene regulation in consideration of miRNP binding information from AGO-bound CLIP-Seq data analysis

As our knowledge of the eukaryotic genome structure and organization has evolved, a new family of small non-coding regulatory RNAs, called microRNAs (miRNAs), has emerged. 20 years after their first discovery, our comprehension of these molecules and their interactions is still limited yet. Bound to an Argonaute (AGO) containing ribonucleoprotein complex (miRNP), miRNAs were suggested to form a requisite post-transcriptional regulation layer controlling many cellular processes. Recent CLIP-Seq technologies allowed for the first time, the determination of miRNP target sites of a whole transcriptome with high specificity. This doctoral thesis aimed to quantitatively elucidate basic miRNP:target interaction paradigms, to examine how these are impacted by genetic variance, and finally, to develop a novel computational approach to qualitatively model global miRNA-mediated regulation by means of novel information extracted from available AGO-bound CLIP-Seq libraries.
Resistance of stored product insects to insecticides

Frequent infestations of storage facilities and stored plant products with insect pests require various control measures including the most important insecticide treatments. The fumigant phosphine is most frequently used along with contact insecticides of the group of organochlonnated compounds and carbamates and the more recent organophosphates and pyrethroids. There are various causes of unsatisfactory effects of insecticide treatments one of which is the resistance of some insect populations. It is the most significant limiting factor for continuing insecticide application which may cause serious economic and ecological consequences and affect human health. Worldwide test reports on the susceptibility of populations of various stored product insects show that resistance to phosphine is generally low and most frequently occurs in the species Tribolium confusum and T. castaneum, as well as Sitophilus oryzoe Rhyzopertha dommica and Plodia interpunctella. A growing number of populations highly resistant to this fumigant primarily populations of R. dommica have been detected in Australia over the past several years while in Asia (China India and the Philip pines) and parts of Africa and Central America the problem of resistance is even more evident primarily due to local conditions that are favorable for reproduction of those insects. In Serbia and Montenegro, however, changes in the susceptibility of stored-product insect pests to phosphine or any other fumigant have not been investigated. Reports concerning contact insecticides indicate a highest global frequency and severity of resistance to pyretroids, applied independently or in combination with piperonyl butoxide, and especially to deltamethrin, cyfluthrin and cypermethrin as found in T. castaneum and 5 oryzoe. Regarding organophosphates, fenitrothion has been found to cause the highest levels of altered susceptibility in some populations of Oryzae philus surinamensis. High levels of resistance to pirimiphos-methyl have been reported mostly for populations of S. oryzoe, Acanthosceitdes obtectus and O suinamensis, while corresponding resistance to malathion has been observed in P. interpunctella and T. castaneum. Far lower levels of resistance have been found to chiorpyriphos-methyl and dichlorvos. In Serbia and Montenegro, the laboratory of the Pesticide and Environmental Research Centre is the only one engaged in comprehensive tests of the susceptibility of several populations of Sitophilus granarius to different contact insecticides currently in use Low levels of resistance of some populations to pirimiphos-methyl and high resistance to deltamethrin have also been detected Cross-resistance has been observed in some populations of this insect species.
Ecology and Applications of Freshwater Epiphytic Diatoms — Review

Abstract Epiphytic diatoms perform a variety of ecological functions. Diatoms are important primary producers and sources of oxygen which can modify the chemistry of the surrounding aquatic environment. They may live attached to plant surfaces with the help of extracellular polymeric substances and compete with plants for resources (e.g., light, nutrients). Thus, they represent an excellent model system for studies on interactions between epiphytes and their host plants under different environmental conditions. Further, the practical usage of epiphytic diatoms in biomonitoring begs questions concerning substrate specificity, diatom biodiversity, and species delimitations. This review focuses on specific aspects of freshwater epiphytic diatom ecology as adaptations for epiphytic way of life, epiphyte-host relationships, and implications for biomonitoring.