Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autoantibodies and Cytokines in Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder in which increased autoantibody production and enhanced secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines are the hallmark of the disease. A strictly controlled balance of antibody production and proinflammatory cytokines is the key to the healthy state. A slight tilt in this balance causes proinflam matory diseases. In RA there is an increased production of autoantibodies such as rheu- matoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA), anti-cartilage type II antibodies, and etc., which have a prominent clinical significance. Furthermore, there is increased secretion of proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF α ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 (IL-1) which have an impact of great magnitude on the RA disease progression and severity. A better understanding of the mechanism of auto antibody production and secretion of cytokines together with crosstalk between immune cells and cytokines can provide us a better insight into the disease pathogenesis as well disease prognosis and management.
DNA barcoding for authentication of the endangered plants in genus Aquilaria

Agarwood is a type of wood that is used in traditional Thai medicines and has been applied in several recipes; in particular, this wood is considered as a costly resinous non-wood product. However, the morphological characteristics of the plant in the genus Aquilaria are quite similar, and so the authentication steps need a botanical expert for the purposes of identification and then also require an efficient tool for species-level discrimination. DNA barcoding is an approved molecular technique which uses a short sequence as a barcoding region specific for identified species. In this study, we established the DNA barcoding sequences from six candidate of barcoding loci (ITS, mat K, rbc L, rpo C1, psb A - trn H intergenic spacer, and ycf 1) from three species of Aquilaria , and the outgroup ( Enkleia siamensis (Kurz) Nervling). The phylogenetic tree of each locus was reconstructed and the genetic distances were also determined using a maximum likelihood method. Our results showed that all samples in each locus were successfully amplified and sequenced with universal primers. The ITS was only performed with suitable markers for Aquilaria species identification, which were considered from ML phylogenetic tree reconstruction and the optimum length of genetic distance. Other cpDNA barcoding regions; mat K, rbc L, rpo C1, ycf 1and trn H- psb A, showed lower discrimination power, so these loci were deemed inappropriate for species identification. Notwithstanding, each barcoding locus can be suitable for genus discrimination in the Thymelaeaceae family. From our findings, DNA barcoding is able to be used as an efficient and reliable tool in Aquilaria species authentication, which can be applied for quality control in the agarwood in the global market.
Screening of allelopathic activity of common weed species occurring in agricultural fields

The investigation of allelopathic effects of different plant species is important to prevent serious crop losses that would arise. The usage of such materials as mulch, cover crops or residues will be useful to implement in integrated weed management strategies of agricultural fields. Therefore, this study was conducted to screen the allelopathic effect of selected plant species using seedlings growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) as an indicator. The sandwich method was used and 20 mg of dried plant material, resembling the leaf litter, from 27 species were placed in petri dishes. Twenty-eight treatments including the control treatment were arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). On the fifth day after the establishment of lettuce seeds, hypocotyl length (cm), radicle length (cm) and total height (cm) of seedlings were measured. The inhibitory percentage was calculated and a dendrogram with single linkage was developed. Results revealed that the lowest hypocotyl and radicle lengths with the highest inhibitory percentage were recorded for Ageratum conyzoides, Cassia occidentals and Clidemia hirta when compared to the control treatment (p<0.05). Weed species expressed varying degree of inhibitory effects on growth performances of lettuce seedlings. Further studies need to be carried out to explore the effects of allelopathy on crop plants. Key words: Inhibitory percentage, lettuce, seedling growth, hypocotyl, radicle.
VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF MATARAM UNIVERSITY IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/2015

Vocabulary is crucial to language learning in which lack vocabulary knowledge will make learner difficult to learn the language. Vocabulary knowledge is affected by the vocabulary learning strategies. The purpose of the present study was to identify the vocabulary learning strategies employed by postgraduate students and also try to explore the most and least vocabulary strategy used by Mataram university postgraduate students. The sample of this study was 40 postgraduate students of English department in FKIP Mataram University in academic year 2014/2015. Vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire was used in this study to identify students’ frequency of vocabulary learning strategies use. The result of the study showed that the research subjects used the vocabulary learning strategies in all five categories. The memory strategies (37.80) were the most frequently strategies by all subjects. Meanwhile determination strategies (mean=19.43) were determined as the second frequently used strategies followed by cognitive (mean=15.23), metacognitive (mean=13,26). The social strategies were determined as the least used strategies by all students with mean score of 11.00. In specific, looking at each item of category, the most vocabulary learning strategy used by postgraduate students was guessing from context (mean=3.33) which is part of determination category and the least vocabulary learning strategy used by postgraduate students was ask other people to discover the meaning of new vocabulary (mean=1.50)
Aflatoxin Contamination of Pistachio and Aflatoxicose: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of People in Damghan City, Iran

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites that produced mainly by Aspergillus species in pistachio nuts or other food products. They are toxic carcinogens and mutagens that cause a variety of adverse effects such as acute and chronic poisoning, inducing cancer initiation and congenital malformation in humans and animals. This study aimed to determine level of knowledge, attitude, and practices concerning aflatoxin contamination in pistachio and its pathogenicity among members of the general public in Damghan city, Iran. This descriptive cross sectional study enrolled 297 people from the population of Damghan city in Iran in 2019 through multistage cluster sampling. Data analysis was performed by SPSS version 16. In this study, 57% (n=162) of the participants were male and the mean age was 41.81±12.1 year. Majority (40.7%) of study subjects had very poor level of knowledge, but a positive attitude (68.7%) about the aflatoxin toxicity. Also, more than 85% of study participants sometimes or always had a good practice regarding prevention of aflatoxin contamination. A significant positive correlation was found between the level of education and the knowledge and attitude scores of the participants (p <0.001). Age and practice of subjects had a significant correlation (r = 0.149, p = 0.021). The findings of this study indicate a poor knowledge level of people in Damghan city. Therefore, strategies such as providing necessary training program in order to improve the level of knowledge, attitude and practices of individuals about aflatoxin should be considered.
THE EFFECTS OF VITAMIN C ON GLYCIDAMIDE-INDUCED CELLULAR DAMAGE AND APOPTOSIS IN MOUSE LEYDIG CELLS

Bu calismanin amaci, C vitamininin Leydig (TM3) hucrelerinde glisidamid kaynakli sitotoksisite, oksidatif stres ve apoptoz uzerindeki rolunu ortaya cikarmaktir. Leydig hucreleri 24 saat boyunca glisidamid (1, 10, 100 ve 1000 μM) ve / veya C vitamini (50 μM) ile muamele edilmistir. Deney suresinin tamamlanmasindan sonra, Leydig hucrelerinde hucre canliligi, laktat dehidrogenaz enzimi miktari, apoptoz-nekroz oranlari, hidroksil radikali, hidrojen peroksit ve lipit peroksidasyonu gibi oksidatif stres parametrelerinin seviyeleri belirlendi. Sonuclar glisidamid uygulamasinin yuksek konsantrasyonda (1000 μM) onemli olcude Leydig hucre canliligini azalttigini ve sitotoksisitenin arttigini gosterdi. Ayrica, glisidamid reaktif oksijen turlerinin ve lipid peroksidasyonunun uretimini onemli olcude arttirarak oksidatif hasara yol acmistir. Glisidamide maruz kalma, Leydig hucrelerinde erken apoptoz, apoptoz ve nekroz olusumunu artirmistir. Sonuc olarak, glisidamid lipit peroksidasyonuna ve Leydig hucrelerinde reaktif oksijen turlerinin olusmasina bagli apoptosise neden olmus, C vitamininin ise glisidamidin neden oldugu toksisiteye karsi iyilestirici bir rolu oldugu gosterilmistir.
An annotated checklist of the angiospermic flora of Rajkandi Reserve Forest of Moulvibazar, Bangladesh

This study was carried out to provide the baseline data on the composition and distribution of the angiosperms and to assess their current status in Rajkandi Reserve Forest of Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. The study reports a total of 549 angiosperm species belonging to 123 families, 98 (79.67%) of which consisting of 418 species under 316 genera belong to Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons), and the remaining 25 (20.33%) comprising 132 species of 96 genera to Liliopsida (monocotyledons). Rubiaceae with 30 species is recognized as the largest family in Magnoliopsida followed by Euphorbiaceae with 24 and Fabaceae with 22 species; whereas, in Lilliopsida Poaceae with 32 species is found to be the largest family followed by Cyperaceae and Araceae with 17 and 15 species, respectively. Ficus is found to be the largest genus with 12 species followed by Ipomoea, Cyperus and Dioscorea with five species each. Rajkandi Reserve Forest is dominated by the herbs (284 species) followed by trees (130 species), shrubs (125species), and lianas (10 species). Woodlands are found to be the most common habitat of angiosperms. A total of 387 species growing in this area are found to be economically useful. 25 species listed in Red Data Book of Bangladesh under different threatened categories are found under Lower Risk (LR) category in this study area.
Developing Primary Students’ Spoken Interaction Skill through Communicative Language Teaching

The English language is taught as early as the preschool stage and regarded as the second language in Malaysia. However, there are still students who are struggling to utter proper sentences when they reached Year 6. Thus, this action research aims to identify the effectiveness of implementing Communicative Language Teaching activities such as real-world situations role-play, peer interview, information gap filling, and other group/pair works in developing spoken interaction among primary school students. 8 low achievers of the Year 2 ESL students from a rural school in Sarawak are selected as the participants. The data is collected through pre-test and post-test, classroom observation and semi-structured interviews. The findings have shown that most of the students responded positively towards the implementation of the CLT activities and the spoken interaction in English among them has progressed significantly. Further research on this topic could include more students from other schools of various language proficiency to increase the reliability and validity of the research.
The teacher-parent nexus in the competency based curriculum success equation in Kenya

Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) is based on learners demonstrating the ability to apply the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they acquire as they progress through their education. Despite initial resistance, this curriculum is now under implementation in Kenya after a pilot study conducted across counties. Successful implementation of this curriculum requires the concerted efforts of teachers and parents. The purpose of this study is therefore to establish the CBC activities that require parental involvement, parents’ opinion towards this expectation, teachers’ perceptions of CBC and the challenges they experience in the implementation of the CBC. The study was anchored on Vygostsky’s social constructivism theory and employed an exploratory research design. A sample of 56 participants took part in the study. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires and in depth interviews, and analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that, parents were expected to work as co-educators with teachers and provide learning materials for practical sessions, but they were reluctant to do this. The teachers appreciated the sustained interest in learning brought about by CBC but cited numerous challenges like lack of materials, parental support, time, curriculum structure and class size among others. The study recommends that parents should be sensitized about their role in CBC, schools maintain optimum class sizes, the government provides adequate funding, and TSC improves staffing in public primary schools. In addition, talent schools should be established. Key words: Competency based curriculum, constructivism, optimum and parental involvement, teaching and learning, educational policy.
Estimativa da área foliar em Urochloa mosambicensis por dimensões foliares e imagens digitais

Objetivou-se avaliar a área foliar do capim-corrente (Urochloa mosambicensis), de forma não destrutiva, por meio de imagens digitais e verificar sua relação com as variáveis: produto do comprimento e largura máxima do limbo foliar e área foliar real, através de modelos de regressão (linear e potência). Foram coletadas, aleatoriamente, 96 lâminas foliares verdes do capim-corrente. Foram mensurados o comprimento e a largura de cada limbo foliar com uso de paquímetro digital, e a área foliar através do método gravimétrico. Cada lâmina foliar foi fotografada por uma câmera digital perfazendo a amostra de 96 imagens digitais com dimensão 4896 x 3672 pixels. Após transformação da imagem digital colorida em preto e branco foi calculada a área da cor preta da imagem por meio do software Image J. A correlação entre as duas áreas foliares (real e digital) foi da ordem de 0,9853. O modelo de regressão potência se mostrou mais eficiente para explicar a área foliar do capim-corrente, apresentando maior coeficiente de determinação (R² = 99,98%) e menores soma de quadrado de resíduo (SQR =161451,8) e critério de informação de Akaike (AIC = -203,084), quando comparado ao modelo linear. Os dois modelos apresentaram índice de Willmott semelhante. Imagens digitais podem ser utilizadas para estimar a área foliar do capim-corrente. O modelo potência é o mais adequado para explicar a relação entre a área foliar digital e a área foliar real, bem como a relação entre a área foliar digital e o produto do comprimento e largura da lâmina foliar de U. mosambicensis.
Abstract A29: Omics profile of two immortalized Brazilian glioblastoma cell cultures

Background: Glioblastomas are the most frequent and deadly brain tumors. Genomic alterations, as well as its high heterogeneity, are important features of these tumors. Despite the advances in the biology of these tumors, it is essential to develop models, such as primary tumor cell lines, that better mimic their genomic diversity and therapeutic behavior. We aimed to characterize the molecular profile of two (HCB2 and HCB151) established immortalized glioblastoma cell lines. Methods: Immortalized glioblastoma cell lines, HCB2 and HCB151, were established from Barretos Cancer Hospital patients diagnosed with glioblastoma. The cells were cultured with DMEM+10%BFS+1%PS and molecularly characterized, using arrayCGH, next-generation sequencing (Ion Torrent) and validated by Sanger sequencing, miRNA expression and CNV using the NanoString platform, and BD Lyoplate™ Human Cell Surface Marker Screening Panel using Accuri™ C6 flow cytometer. The tumorigenic capacity was further determined in vivo by the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, and its response to temozolomide-based chemotherapy was done by MTS. Results: The aCGH analysis showed that the most frequent events was the gain of chromosome 7 and loss of chromosomes 10, 13, and 17p. HCB2 exhibited mutations in the TERT gene, while HCB151 showed mutations in the TP53, PTEN, LZTR1, and TERT genes. The immortalized cultures present an unique miRNA profile. The CAM assay showed that HCB2 and HCB151 were able to form vascularized tumors, with HCB151 more aggressive than HCB2. In addition, both HCB2 (IC50>1000 µM) and HCB151 (IC50=783 µM) showed resistance to TMZ when compared to commercial glioblastomas cell lines (23-441 µM). Conclusion: The present findings showed that the immortalized glioblastoma cell lines showed classic genomic features of glioblastomas and exhibited a similar biologic behavior, suggesting that these cell lines are a good model for glioblastoma preclinical studies. Citation Format: Adriana Cruvinel-Carloni, Renato Jose da Silva-Oliveira, Viviane Aline Oliveira-Silva, Marcela Nunes Rosa, Lucas Tadeu Bidinotto, Gustavo Noriz Berdinarelli, Raul Torrieri, Adriane Feijo Evangelista, Olga Catarina Martinho, Vera Monica Goncalves, Carlos Clara, Gisele Caravina de Almeida, Rui Manuel Reis. Omics profile of two immortalized Brazilian glioblastoma cell cultures [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR International Conference held in cooperation with the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) on Translational Cancer Medicine; May 4-6, 2017; Sao Paulo, Brazil. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(1_Suppl):Abstract nr A29.
Heme Polymerization Inhibition by Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsley) A.Gray Leaves Fractions as Antiplasmodial Agent and Its Cytotoxicity on Vero Cells

Previous research revealed that the extracts and fractions of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsley) A.Gray leaves had antiplasmodial activity in vitro. For further development as an antiplasmodial agent, the mechanisms of action and safety of compounds are important to disclose. Heme polymerization inhibition is one of the main targets of antiplasmodial action. The aim of the study was to investigate the activity of T. diversifolia fractions in inhibiting heme polymerization and its cytotoxic effect on Vero cells. Heme polymerization inhibition assay from Bassilico and cytotoxic test on Vero cell using MTT method were conducted for three fractions (F5, F6, and F7) of T. diversifolia leaves. The inhibitory activity of heme polymerization expressed as IC50 and cytotoxicity effect expressed as CC50 were determined by probit analysis. The best heme polymerization inhibition activity was F5 with IC50 = 162.20 ± 57.81 μg/mL followed by F6 and F7 with IC50 216.30 ± 26.56 and 231.54 ± 44.26 μg/mL respectively. All the fractions had a low cytotoxic effect with CC50 for F5, F6, and F7 were over than 100, 34.81 ± 9.94 and 56.26 ± 6.73 μg/mL, respectively and the toxicity index fraction is below 10 or categorized as low selectivity. Conclusion: The fraction of T. diversifolia inhibited heme polymerization in vitro and had low cytotoxic effect on Vero cells but no selective toxicity. Further research using pure compounds may improve its selectivity.
Dynamic fault interaction during a fluid-injection induced earthquake: The 2017 Mw 5.5 Pohang event

The November 15th, 2017 Mw 5.5 Pohang earthquake (South Korea) has been linked to hydraulic stimulation and fluid injections, making this the largest induced seismic event associated with an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS). To understand its source dynamics and fault interactions, we conduct the first 3D high-resolution spontaneous dynamic rupture simulations of an induced earthquake. We account for topography, off-fault plastic deformation under depth-dependent bulk cohesion, rapid velocity weakening friction and 1D subsurface structure. A guided fault reconstruction approach that clusters spatio-temporal aftershock locations (including their uncertainties) is used to identify a main and a secondary fault plane which intersect under a shallow angle of 15°. Based on simple Mohr-Coulomb failure analysis and 180 dynamic rupture experiments in which we vary local stress loading conditions, fluid pressure, and relative fault strength, we identify preferred two fault plane scenarios that well reproduce observations. We find that the regional far-field tectonic stress regime promotes pure strike-slip faulting, while local stress conditions constrained by borehole logging generate the observed thrust faulting component. Our preferred model is characterized by overpressurized pore fluids, non-optimally oriented but dynamically weak faults and a close to critical local stress state. In our model, earthquake rupture “jumps” to the secondary fault by dynamic triggering, generating a measurable non-double couple component. Our simulations suggest that complex dynamic fault interaction may occur during fluid-injection induced earthquakes and that local stress perturbations dominate over the regional stress conditions. These findings, therefore, have important implications for seismic hazard in active geo-reservoir.
Interactions in binary and ternary mixtures of hydrogented fats

The objective of this study was to investigate the interactions that occur in binary and ternary mixtures of three commercially available hydrogenated fats (Frygill PF32, Fatgill PF38 and Fatgill PF42), by analyzing their physical and chemical properties. A ten-run design was used, corresponding to 3 individual samples, 3 binary blends and 4 ternary blends. Fatty acid composition, iodine and saponification values, softening and melting points, kinematic viscosity, hardness and solid fat content were analyzed. A special cubic multiple regression model was applied to some analytical data. Results showed that the estimated properties were not dependent on the three components interactions. The significant interactions, blends of Frygill PF 32 and Fatgill PF 42 and blends of Fatgill PF38 and Fatgill PF42, showed an antagonist effect to hardness and solid fat contents, typical of eutectic interactions of fats. The interactions were not significative for melting point, softening point, and viscosity, attesting a perfect mixing model.
ASIAN CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCES AND SPILLOVERS FROM A FOREIGN COUNTRY, A REGION AND THE UNITED STATES

This paper provides an overall picture on the influence of domestic and foreign shocks on the current account of selected Asian countries over the period 1978 to 2012. The present value model of the current account theory states that forward looking and consumption smoothing behaviour of economic agents can promote sustainable current account balances, as long as these are maintained by transitory unanticipated shocks to the current account. The unexpected transitory domestic and foreign shocks are sourced, respectively, from the domestic and foreign current account. Foreign shocks are developed from an Asian country, a region, and the US. Our empirical analysis of the impact of foreign and domestic current account shocks shows that unexpected domestic shocks, rather than unexpected foreign shocks, matter for the current accounts of Asian countries.