Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF PROPOLIS EXTRACT: A BIOCHEMICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL APPROACH

Hepatoprotective efficacy of propolis extract (honeybee hive product, 200 mg/kg, p.o.) was studied against carbon-tetrachloride-(CCl 4, 0.15 ml/kg, i.p.) induced biochemical and histopathological changes. Silymarin, a known hepatoprotective drug was used as a positive control. Subchronic exposure to CCl 4 for 3 weeks (5 days a week) caused sharp elevation in the activity of liver enzymes i.e. , serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase. CCl 4 administration significantly decreased blood glucose level and increased serum proteins. Tissue biochemistry revealed significant reduction in total protein and glycogen contents, alkaline phosphates activity and adenosine triphosphatase along with significant increase in acid phosphatase activity both in liver and kidney. CCl 4 -induced oxidative stress was measured by estimating reduced glutathione level and amount of TBARS formed as an index of lipid peroxidation. Hepatorenal glutathione level showed marked depletion whereas lipid peroxidation was enhanced significantly. Posttreatment of propolis extract after toxicant administration reversed for five days alterations in blood and tissue biochemical variables including liver function test and markers of oxidative stress, which was similar to silymarin-treated positive control. Histopathological studies of liver and kidney showed improved cellular architecture after propolis therapy and confirmed its hepatoprotective efficacy. In conclusion, propolis extract is a natural product with hepatoprotective properties.
Structure and function of the human Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase enzyme family

The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of enzymes in humans is comprised of 17 proteins. PARP-1, the first member of the family, synthesizes a large, complex post-translational modification, poly(ADP-ribose). While PARP-1 and some other PARPs have been extensively functionally characterized, the enzymatic and cellular functions of many PARPs are unknown. This thesis presents work that seeks to characterize the enzymatic functions of the PARP family. First, experimental demonstration of the automodification capacity of each PARP is presented. We find that PARP enzymatic activity largely conforms to bioinformatic predictions of PARP activity. Then, we seek to provide a structural rationale for these enzymatic capabilities based on the analysis of extant and modeled crystal structures of each PARP. We present a structural hypothesis for catalytic differences among PARPs. Finally, we examine methods for the identification of cellular targets of PARP activity and functional interaction partners of PARPs. Together, these elements of PARP characterization will aid in the discovery of physiologically relevant targets and a mechanistic understanding of PARP enzymatic activity in the cellular context. Thesis Supervisor: Paul Chang Title: Linda and Howard Stern Career Development Assistant Professor of Biology
Toward High-Performance Wideband GNSS Antennas-Design Tradeoffs and Development of Wideband Feed Network Structure

Many Global Positioning System (GPS) services have been recently introduced that extend over a wide frequency range from 1.16 to 1.61 GHz. For reception, either a wideband or multiband receiver is required, which is typically challenging to design as it requires a wideband feed network and a wideband circularly polarized antenna. Here, we investigate a high-performance Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) patch antenna fed by a wideband feed network to provide circular polarization (CP) over the whole bandwidth. The feed of the developed CP patch antenna requires 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° sequential phase shift; an improved feed network with ±8° phase imbalance is designed to be used in the circularly polarized antenna. The manufactured antenna demonstrated a return loss better than 10 dB, axial ratio < 1.7 dB, and RHCP gain >4.8 dB over the entire GNSS band. The developed antenna was connected to a GNSS receiver which tracked up to 28 satellites and the C/N0 of the received GNSS signals was better than 50 dB. Such a high-performance antenna design targets precise localization market.
Seasonal dietary shifts enhance parasite transmission to lake salmonids during ice cover

Abstract Changes in abiotic and biotic factors between seasons in subarctic lake systems are often profound, potentially affecting the community structure and population dynamics of parasites over the annual cycle. However, few winter studies exist and interactions between fish hosts and their parasites are typically confined to snapshot studies restricted to the summer season whereas host‐parasite dynamics during the ice‐covered period rarely have been explored. The present study addresses seasonal patterns in the infections of intestinal parasites and their association with the diet of sympatric living Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in Lake Takvatn, a subarctic lake in northern Norway. In total, 354 Arctic charr and 203 brown trout were sampled from the littoral habitat between June 2017 and May 2018. Six trophically transmitted intestinal parasite taxa were identified and quantified, and their seasonal variations were contrasted with dietary information from both stomachs and intestines of the fish. The winter period proved to be an important transmission window for parasites, with increased prevalence and intensity of amphipod‐transmitted parasites in Arctic charr and parasites transmitted through fish prey in brown trout. In Arctic charr, seasonal patterns in parasite infections resulted mainly from temporal changes in diet toward amphipods, whereas host body size and the utilization of fish prey were the main drivers in brown trout. The overall dynamics in the community structure of parasites chiefly mirrored the seasonal dietary shifts of their fish hosts.
Correlation between the expressions of circular RNAs in peripheral venous blood and clinicopathological features in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background Recent studies have reported that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study evaluated the expression of preoperative peripheral venous blood circRNAs in HCC patients and their predictive ability for microvascular invasion (MVI). Methods Seven circRNAs (circMTO1, circ-10720, circZKSCAN1, cSMARCA5, circHIPK3, circSETD3 and ciRS-7) were screened from the literature as circRNAs with reported biological functions in HCC. The expression levels of seven circRNAs in preoperative blood samples and HCC tissues were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The correlations between the circRNA expressions in blood and the clinicopathological factors of HCC patients were analyzed. The risk factors of MVI were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The functional role of circSETD3 in cell migration and invasion was evaluated by wound healing and Transwell assays in vitro. Results The expressions of all seven circRNAs were measured in peripheral venous blood samples. The venous expression levels of circHIPK3 and circMTO1 were significantly associated with gender, while circ-10720 and circMTO1 levels were significantly correlated with gross vascular invasion. Furthermore, circMTO1 and cSMARCA5 levels were significantly associated with alpha-fetoprotein level and ciRS-7 was significantly associated with satellite nodules. Importantly, low venous circSETD3 expression was significantly associated with prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) level, MVI, gross vascular invasion, and liver capsule. Furthermore, venous circSETD3 expression had predictive ability for MVI. Knockdown of circSETD3 promoted cell invasion and metastasis in vitro. Conclusions CircRNAs were stably present in peripheral venous blood and associated with multiple clinicopathological characteristics of HCC patients. Venous circSETD3 was an independent risk factor of MVI and shows ability to predict MVI in HCC patients before surgery.
A new boosting-based software reliability growth model

Abstract A new software reliability growth model (SRGM) called RBoostSRGM is proposed in this paper. It can be regarded as a modification of the boosting SRGMs through the use of a reduced set of weights to take into account the behavior of the software reliability during the debugging process and to avoid overfitting. The main idea underlying the proposed model is to take into account that training data at the end of the debugging process may be more important than data from the beginning of the process. This is modeled by taking a set of weights which are assigned to the elements of training data, i.e., to the series of times to software failures. The second important idea is that this large set is restricted by the imprecise ε-contaminated model. The obtained RBoostSRGM is a parametric model because it is tuned in accordance with the contamination parameter ε. As a variation to this model, we also consider the use of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov bounds for the restriction of the set of weights. Various numerical experiments with data sets from the literature illustrate the proposed model and compare it with the standard non parametric SRGM and the standard boosting SRGM.
It’s the Situation and Your Disposition: A Test of Two Honesty Hypotheses

Research has documented substantial individual differences in the proclivity for honesty or dishonesty and that personality traits meaningfully account for variations in honesty–dishonesty. Research also shows important situational variation related to deception, as situations can motivate or discourage dishonest behaviors. The current experiment examines personality and situational influences on honesty–dishonesty in tandem, arguing that their effects may not be additive. Participants (N = 114) engaged in an experimental task providing the opportunity to cheat for tangible gain. The situation varied to encourage or discourage cheating. Participants completed the HEXACO-100 and the Dark Triad of Personality scales. Both situational variation and personality dimensions predicted honesty–dishonesty, but the effects of personality were not uniform across situations. These results were also supported using public data from an independent, multilab sample (N = 5,757). We outline how these results inform our understanding of deception, situational influences, and the role of disposition in honesty.
Alimentation, fertilité et bien-être des oiseaux reproducteurs domestiques : des liens complexes

Chez les oiseaux, comme toutes autres especes, la nutrition et plus particulierement le metabolisme energetique influence la fonction de reproduction. Les modeles d’oiseaux hyperphagiques ont permis de montrer l’effet negatif dans les deux sexes d’une suralimentation, alors qu’une restriction alimentaire pendant leur croissance augmente les taux de ponte et la duree de la periode fertile. Cependant les mecanismes qui sous-tendent les relations entre la nutrition, le metabolisme energetique et la fonction de reproduction sont mal connus. Ces changements du statut nutritionnel et metabolique peuvent etre transmis a l’axe de la reproduction (hypothalamus, hypophyse et gonades) aussi bien par les modifications des concentrations hormonales en insuline, adipocytokines, etc., que par celles des substrats energetiques eux memes : glucose, acides gras et acides amines. Nous rappellerons brievement ici les effets des differents composants presents dans l’alimentation et les consequences sur la reproduction. Les propositions d’utiliser un rationnement qualitatif seront egalement abordees : existe-t-il des methodes alternatives impliquant une restriction qualitative plutot que quantitative ?
Performance of Vanaraja birds under extensive system of rearing at different altitudes in Nagaland

Performance in terms of body weight, gain in body weight, age at first egg, egg production and mortality of Vanaraja birds was studied at three altitudes, i.e. altitude 1 (A1, 145 mt); altitude 2 (A2, 305 mt) and altitude 3 (A3, 1524 mt) above mean sea level (msl). The overall mean body weight was significantly (P<0.01) higher (2128.23±35.08 g/bird/month) at A3 followed by A1 (2067.57±34.07 g/bird/month) and the least at A2 (2050.83±29.37 g/bird/month); however, there was non - significant difference between A1 and A2. The mean age at first egg ranged between 187.87±2.04 to 189.10±1.81 days while the total egg production up to 252 days ranged between 34.27±1.70 to 36.63±1.90 numbers at the three altitudes; however, these values did not differ significantly. The mortality rate was also negligible (3.95±0.65) irrespective of altitudes. From the results, it can be concluded that Vanaraja birds can be successfully raised and can be a promising variety for sustaining eggs and meat under the agro climatic condition of Nagaland.
Abundance and spatial distribution of Mysis diluviana in Lake Ontario in 2008 estimated with 120 kHz hydroacoustic surveys and net tows

Mysids are an important component of Great Lakes foodwebs, both as a prey for fish and as a predator on zooplankton. We monitored mysid abundance in Lake Ontario using lake-wide hydroacoustics data and vertical net hauls collected 1–5 August 2008 during the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and New York State Department of Conservation forage fish survey. Acoustic volume backscattering strength was highly correlated with both density and biomass of mysids although the correlation with biomass was stronger. The slopes of these relationships were not significantly different from theory (0.10) indicating a linear relationship between abundance and backscattering strength. Size structure significantly affected the relationship between backscattering strength and density but not between backscattering strength and biomass. Average target strength for areas with small mysids was −91.9 dB per mysid, and in areas with both small and large mysids it was −88.2 dB per animal. Acoustic estimates for Lake Ontario calculated with these regressions provided a lake-wide estimate weighted by lake area within depth intervals, of 228 mysids m−2 (CV 17.6%) and 0.93 g dw m−2 (CV 12.9%). Density and biomass in 14 net hauls averaged 316 mysids m−2 (range 0 to 1113) and 1.35 g dw m−2 (range 0 to 3.89). Mysid biomass was 33% of the biomass of other crustacean zooplankton in the summer of 2008. As in 2005, areas of low mysid abundance were detected in the middle of the transects and along the north shore. Lakewide mysid abundance in the summer of 2008 was higher than in a similar acoustic survey in the summer of 2005 and in whole-lake autumn 2000–2007 net surveys, suggesting that mysids are persisting in Lake Ontario and abundant relative to other Great Lakes.
Reconceptualizing Determinants of Consumer Attitudes Toward Social Commerce Sites

Abstract With rising ownership of internet-enabled devices, consumers are increasingly relying on information derived from social media to guide their purchase decisions. Businesses, in response, are more aggressively utilizing social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook to promote their products and interact with customers. However, uncertainties still exist about the optimal way to design and leverage social commerce sites. This study develops and tests a theoretical model to understand how various antecedents of human-to-human interactivity on social networking sites (content source, content type, and posting frequency), influence perceived social presence and subsequently affects consumer attitudes to the site. This study also examines perceived usefulness of the SNS and perceived product risk as critical mediators of social presence’s effect on attitudes to the social networking site. The proposed conceptual model offers both theoretical insight and practical guidance to marketers by establishing the role of social interaction in effective digital marketing communications.
Status, Distribution, and Population Structure of Land Tortoises in European Thrace and Northwestern Anatolia

We examined a total of 47 (23♂♂, 23♀♀, and 1 juv.) individuals of T. g. ibera from Anatolian Thrace and 34 (23♂♂, 9♀♀, and 2 juv.) from European Thrace (ET) morphologically and morphometrictly. Furthermore, 12 (8♂♂, 3♀♀, and 1 juv.) individuals of T. hermanni boetgeri were examined. For morphological comparison 38 morphometric characters standardized by SCL were investigated. The ET ibera males differ from Anatolian Thrace males by: a shorter maximum gular scute length (ANOVA, F = 8.350, p < 0.01), pectoral suture length ( F = 12.397, p < 0.01), anal suture length ( F = 4.841, p < 0.05) and nuchal length ( F = 4.913, p < 0.05). The ET females differ from Anatolian females by a shorter pectoral suture length ( F = 4.396, p < 0.05) and anal suture length ( F = 5.373, p < 0.05). However, these morphometric differences could not be identified visually. The individuals were found at 168 ± 18.2 m (range: 40 – 385 m) and 176 ± 13.95 m (range: 58 – 367 m) altitudes in European Turkey and Anatolian mainland, respectively. The southernmost range of hermanni was in Şarkoy. We could not see hermanni further southern part of this border. The minimum age of ET population ranged from 4 to 13 with a mean of 8.7 ± 2.43 while the mean age was 8.7 ± 1.80 (range = 5 – 12) in Anatolian range. The minimum age ranged from 8 to 12 with a mean of 10.2 for T. h. boetgeri individuals. Carapacial scute abnormalities and tick infections were also recorded.
Lipids and fatty acid composition of Longissimus thoracis and Semitendinosus muscles in finishing Normand cows.

SUMMARY The study investigated the influence of dietary lipid (from linseed and rapeseed providing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. PUFA) and of antioxidant (vitamin E plus plant extracts rich in polyphenols) supplements on lipid and FA characteristics of Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles in 25 Normand (fat breed) cull cows for a 100d finishing period. Animals were randomly assigned to 5 isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets consisting in a concentrate/straw based diet (70/30) (C group) or the same basal diet supplemented with extruded linseed (L) alone (40g lipid/kg DM diet) (L group) or with antioxidants (vit E -250 UI /Kg + extract of plants rich in polyphenols 1%. LEP group) or with a mixture of extruded rapeseed (66) and linseed (33) (RL) (40g lipid/kg DM diet) alone (RL group) or with antioxidants (RLEP group). Beef samples collected 24 h post-mortem were homogenized in N2 liquid. Classes of their lipid were separated and analyzed by HPLC and the detailed FA composition of total lipids was analysed by GLC. Lipids of LT were 36% higher than that of ST (P<0.002) mainly due to the higher content of triglycerides. Dietary L and RL lipids did not modify beef lipid content but significantly increased in both tissues proportions of 18:3n-���������˚�� trans and CLA beneficial for human health. The addition of antioxidants reinforced their positive impact on the nutritional value of beef lipids.
Life history characteristics of Frankliniella occidentalis on cucumber leaves with and without supplemental food

The development time, fecundity, longevity, and resultant intrinsic growth rate of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) [Thysanoptera: Thripidae] encaged on a cucumber leaf were compared among seven types of food supplied: six pollen species and a mixture of milk powder and yeast. The rationale was to find a food source that offers the least benefit for thrips and could therefore be considered as a food source for the preventative introduction of thrips predators. With the exception of the mixture of milk powder and yeast, all the food sources tested offered a nutritional benefit for the thrips. The addition of pollen increased fecundity and reduced development time, mainly during the larval stage. Betula pubescens and Corylus avellana pollen also increased adult longevity. The nutritional benefit of Pinus sylvestris pollen was greater than that of the other five pollen species, as manifested by its significantly greater positive effect on fecundity. The other pollen species could not be ranked in terms of nutritional benefit to F. occidentalis. The negative effect of the milk powder plus yeast mix on the life‐table parameters of F. occidentalis probably only occurs in an encaged situation where thrips cannot escape from the unfavorable environment. The crude estimate of the intrinsic growth rate of F. occidentalis increased from 0.163 on the plain cucumber leaf to 0.240 when P. sylvestris pollen was added to the leaf. The differences in intrinsic growth rate mainly reflect the differences in fecundity among the food sources. Thus, the peak oviposition rate may be used as a measure of the nutritional benefit F. occidentalis can obtain by feeding on supplemental food sources. The positive effect of a supplemental food source on thrips does not necessarily mean it is unsuitable for the preventative introduction of thrips predators, because the supplemental food can also affect the population dynamics of the predator and the predator–prey interaction and, hence, the outcome of biological control.
Analysis of students’ critical thinking skills on social arithmetics with jumping task

This study describes critical thinking skills of students at MTsN Banyuwangi in solving social arithmetic problems based on jumping tasks. The critical thinking indicators used in this study are focus, reason, inference, situation, clarity, and overview. The data collection methods used are tests and interviews. The subjects studied further in this study were 6 students. The six students consisted of two students from each category of high, medium and low ability. This study used a qualitative approach with a type of descriptive research. The results show that students with high category critical thinking skills can fulfill 6 criteria of critical thinking, medium category students can meet focus, reason, inference, and situation criteria, while students of low category critical thinking can meet focus and situation criteria. Thus, it can be concluded that learning using the jumping task method helps the students’ critical thinking skills become better.
Coping and resilience are differently related depending on the population: A comparison between three clinical samples and the general population.

Different stressors trigger different coping strategies and resilience also varies across adversities. This study aimed to investigate the association between coping strategies and resilience outcomes in different stressful situations. Individuals living with HIV, with cancer, have children with cancer, or from the general population (N = 525) completed measures of resilience (the Brief Resilience Scale) and coping (the Situated Coping Questionnaire for Adults). We examined differences in resilience and in the use of coping strategies across samples with ANOVAs. We obtained highand low-resilience groups for each sample and conducted ANOVAs to study differences in coping strategies. Result showed that resilience was similar across samples, but differences emerged regarding coping strategies (e.g., HIV+ individuals were more likely to use emotional expression and isolation and less likely to seek help). HIV+ highand low-resilience groups used every strategy differently, except for problem-solving and thinking-avoidance. Cancer highand low-resilience groups differed only in rumination. Parents of children with cancer differed in rumination, self-blame, isolation, and positive thinking. General population groups differed in all strategies but help-seeking. In conclusion, different strategies were associated with resilience for each sample, interventions tailored for specific problems should therefore be implemented.