Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance, Immunity, Meat Composition and Fatty Acid Pattern in Broilers after Dietary Supplementation of Fermented Ginkgo biloba and Citrus junos

Dietary Fermented Ginkgo biloba (FGLP) and Citrus junos Probiotics (FCJP) was evaluated on growth performance, immunity, cecal microbiology, meat composition and fatty acid profile in broilers. A total of 150 one day old Ross 308 broilers were randomly allocated to the 5 treatments (5 replicated pen of 6 birds/pen): 1) Control (corn-soybean meal based basal diet), 2) FGLP1: Corn-soybean meal based basal diet+5% FGLP, 3) FGLP2: Cornsoybean meal based basal diet+10% FGLP, 4) FCJP1: Corn-soybean meal based basal diet+5% FCJP, and 5) FCJP2: Corn-soybean meal based basal diet+10% FCJP. A significant increase in weight gain during starter (0-21 days), finisher (22-35 days) and overall period (0-35 days) was exhibited in FGLP2 supplemented group compared to control and other treatment groups (P 0.05); however, among meat fatty acids, sum of SFA in thigh meat was diminished in FGLP group and sum of MUFA in breast meat was diminuted in FGLP and FCJP group compared to control (P<0.05). Sum of n-3 PUFA of breast and thigh meat was elevated after supplementation of FGLP and FCJP compared to control (P<0.05). To sum up, dietary FGLP and FCJP supplementation significantly improved performance and immunity, decreased SFA and elevated n-3 PUFA of broiler meat. Therefore, FGLP and FCJP probiotics could be supplemented as functional feed additives in broilers diet.
Effect of location on starch content and tuber texture characteristics in potato breeding lines and cultivars

ABSTRACT The texture of boiled potato tubers is one of the most important quality traits. The variation of tuber texture is usually examined in relationship with dry matter or starch content. The objective of the work was to examine variation and stability of texture and starch content in tubers grown in various environments. Both traits were evaluated for the set of potato breeding lines and 10 table potato cultivars. The lines were developed in the program of parental lines carried out in Młochów Research Center, Poland. The environments were represented by three locations, which differed in cultivation system as well as climatic and soil conditions. The traits were influenced by the effects of genotype, location and their interactions. The effect of location on texture was not explained by the changes in starch content. The calculated stability parameters indicated that unstable expression of both traits was more pronounced and more frequent in breeding lines than in the cultivars. The short period of selection used in the development of the parental lines is not conducive to select potato genotypes with stable expression of quality traits. The starch content was at most moderately related with various characteristics of tuber texture.
An analysis of metabolic characteristics of planktonic heterotrophic protozoans

Respiration rate data on 61 heterotrophic planktonic protozoans were compiled and analyzed as a function of body mass [wet mass (WM), dry mass (DM), carbon (C) or nitrogen (N)], temperature, measuring method (Cartesian divers, Warburg, and electrodes, among others), physiological condition (growing, starved or unspeci ﬁ ed) and taxon (amoebae, ﬂ agellates or ciliates). Stepwise multiple-regression analyses revealed that body mass was the most important parameter, followed by the physiological condition and temperature. The taxon-speci ﬁ c effects of body mass were detected for ciliates. Overall, the regression models explained 84% of the variance of the respiration data. Similar analyses could not be performed for the rates of ammonia excretion because of insuf ﬁ cient data. The comparison of the regression line of the respiration rates on WM and that of the ammonia excretion rates on WM, both of growing heterotrophic protozoans, yielded an O:N ratio of 7.2, which indicates protein-oriented metabolism. A comparison of the results of this study with the routine respiration rates of marine pelagic metazoans showed that the rates of growing protozoans were lower (0.71-fold) than those of crustaceans and ﬁ shes based on WM but were equivalent to those based on C mass.
Water content, fibres, and herbivory in leaves of two distinct and adjacent tree communities of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

(Water content, fibres, and herbivory in leaves of two distinct and adjacent tree communities of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest). The aims of the present study were to verify whether plants from Mussununga differ from those of Mata Alta in relation to herbivory, water content, and fibres, and to test whether plants with lower leaf water content and higher fibres are less attacked by chewing insects. The results indicated that leaf herbivory percentages and fibres were similar between the two communities, although individuals from Mata Alta showed higher leaf water content than individuals from Mussununga. Thus, the herbivory patterns found for these tree communities do not seem to not be influenced by water content and fibres. Other factors (e.g., chemical defenses and/or herbivores) may be acting as main drivers.
In vitro Antioxidant and Antibacterial Efficacy of Condensed Tannins Containing Tree Leaves Extract of Jammu Province

The present study was conducted to assess the antioxidant potential and antibacterial efficacy of lyophilized condensed tannins (CT) extract from locally available tree leaves (Acacia nilotica, Eugenia jambolana, Ficus religiosa, Leucaenea leucocephala and Psidium guajava) against bacterial species (viz. Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus). Antioxidant activity was determined by 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and total reducing power assays. Lyophilized CT extracts of P. guajava and E. jambolana showed significantly (P<0.05) higher antioxidant potential compared to standard ascorbic acid and other CT sources. Antibacterial efficacy was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) using micro dilution method. The MIC and MBC values of CT extracts were significantly (P<0.05) higher for F. religiosa and L. leucocephalla then that of A. nilotica, E. jambolana and P. guajava. The MBC value for S. enteritidis was lower than E. coli and. S. aureus. Lower MIC and MBC values against E. coli, S. aureus and S. enteritidis in CT extracts of different sources showed better results compared to E. faecalis which showed statistically non-significant difference among all CT sources. It may be concluded that all CT sources possess antioxidant and antibacterial efficacy and were found to be effective against E. coli, S. aureus and S. enteritidis except E. faecalis and the comparison among the CT sources, E. jambolana and P. guajava were found to be most potent CT source as well as potent alternative antioxidant and antibacterial agents.
Sex-related chemical differences in keratin from fingernail plates: a solid-state carbon-13 NMR study

Alpha-keratin of nails is formed of fibrillar keratins and globular keratin associated proteins. The diagnosis of systemic diseases and forensic argumentation from fingernails primarily requires a comprehensive examination of the α-keratin composition and structure, including their gender dependence in healthy subjects. Nail clippings were collected from 78 healthy volunteers (46 females and 32 males; mean age of 22.3 ± 3.5 years). The snippets were cleaned, pulverized, lyophilized and studied using solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR. The NMR spectra were deconvoluted into separate signals, the areas of which were then subjected to statistical analyses: cluster analysis, principal component analysis and tests for unpaired groups. With regard to the amino acid composition of the nail proteins, males have more Leu and Ala, and less Cys, Arg and Ile, than females. Furthermore, the α-keratin of males has more disulphide bonds, and more β-sheet and random coil secondary structures, but fewer α-helical regions. The higher content of disulphide bonds is possible in the α-keratin of males despite the slightly lower Cys content and it renders their fingernail plates stiffer than those of females.
The Use of Tetraspanin Based Peptides in the Prevention of Staphylococcus aureus Adherence to Human Skin

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the primary causative agents of skin and wound infections. As bacterial adherence is essential for infection, blocking this step can reduce invasion of host tissues by pathogens. An anti-adhesion therapy, based on a host membrane protein family, the tetraspanins, has been developed that can inhibit the adhesion of S. aureus to human cells. In Chapter 3, we show that peptides based on the EC2 domain of tetraspanins reduce the adherence of various strains of Staphylococcus aureus to host cells, and that the efficacy of these peptides correlates roughly with the expression levels of CD9 on each cell. We also show that one of these peptides, 800, reduces the quantity of viable adhered bacteria in a 3D model of a Staphylococcus aureus wound infection of human skin. Chapter 4 measures the expression levels of various tetraspanins on cells found in the skin by microscopy and flow cytometry, and explores some of the potential ways that interfering with tetraspanins using this peptide therapy could interfere with normal host function, such as cytokine production, wound healing and cell metabolism. No major effects are seen with the peptides, other than a small negative effect of peptide 800 on migration, which was not observed in the skin model measuring epidermal migration. Chapter 5 then looks at 2 ways that therapies could be improved for clinical use: combination therapy and drug delivery. Combining peptide 800 with flucloxacillin, an antibiotic only effective against MSSA, increased its efficacy in a cell line model, however, the opposite occurred in the 3D human skin model. Combining the peptide into nanoparticles using Nanocin™ increased the IC50 and t1/2 of the peptide, however in the skin model anti-adhesive effects were lost.
RELIABILITY OF NDVI DERIVED BY HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE AND UAV COMPARED TO IN-FIELD METHODS FOR THE EVALUATION OF EARLY CROP N STATUS AND GRAIN YIELD IN WHEAT

SUMMARY This study was aimed at comparing in-field parameters and remote sensing NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) by both satellite (SAT) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the assessment of early nitrogen (N) status and prediction of yield in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Six increasing N rates, i.e., 0, 40, 80, 120, 160, 200 kg N ha−1 were applied, half at tillering and half at shooting. Thus, when the crop N status was monitored between the two N applications, consecutive N treatments differentiated from each other by just 20 kg N ha−1. The following in-field and remote sensed parameters were compared as indicators of crop vegetative and N status: plant N% (w:w) concentration; crop N uptake (Nupt); ratio between transmitted and incident photosynthetically active radiation (PARt/PARi); leaf SPAD values, an indirect index for chlorophyll content; SAT and UAV derived NDVI. As reliable indicators of wheat N availability, in-field parameters were ranked as follows: PARt/PARi ≅ Nupt > SPAD ≅ N%. The PARt/PARi, Nupt and SPAD resulted quite strongly correlated to each other. At all crop stages, the NDVI was strongly correlated with PARt/PARi and Nupt. It is of relevance that NDVI correlated quite strongly to in-field parameters and grain yield at shooting, i.e., before the second N application, when the N rate can still be adjusted. The SAT and UAV NDVIs were strongly correlated to each other, which means they can be used alternatively depending on the context.
Construction of a Normalized Open Access Indicator (NOAI)

The issue of Open Access (OA) in research is attracting growing interest both within the scientific community and on the political scene. Some centers specializing in the production of science indicators now include OA indicators by institution. In its 2019 ranking, the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) provides a ranking of institutions according to their share of open access publications. This gives an idea of the degree of openness of institutions. However, the fact of not taking into account the disciplinary specificities and the specialization of the institutions makes the rankings based on the shares of the OA publications biased. We show that open access publishing practices vary considerably by discipline. As a result, we propose two methods of normalization of OA share; by WoS subject categories and by OST disciplines. Normalization corrects OA's share taking into account disciplinary practices. This allows a better comparability of different actors.
Genetic analysis of European common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) populations affected by ash dieback

Abstract European common ash is an important component of mixed forest ecosystems in Bavaria and is considered a valuable tree species under climate change. The first aim of the present study was to assess the genetic diversity within and between ash populations in Bavaria in comparison with neighboring regions. Because ash stands have been heavily attacked by ash shoot disease in the last few years, the second aim of the study was to detect genetic differences between susceptible and less susceptible trees (trees with defoliation up to 30%) within populations. Altogether 41 populations were investigated using nuclear and chloroplast microsatellites. The results showed high genetic variation within and high genetic differentiation between ash populations. Higher chloroplast microsatellite variation was detected instead populations from south-eastern Bavaria compared to other regions. The comparison of susceptible and less susceptible groups of individuals within each population revealed medium to high genetic differences in some cases. For the observed heterozygosity, higher values were found for the group of less susceptible trees compared to the group of all trees or to the group of susceptible trees within populations. This could be a first indication that individuals with a higher heterozygosity might be able to withstand ash dieback in a better way compared to homozygotic individuals. Within the group of less susceptible trees a relatively wide genetic base exists whereupon a future breeding programme can be built. Thus it is of utmost importance for the species to maintain less affected trees in order to keep the genetic potential for future adaptation processes within ash populations, seed production and regeneration.
Identifikasi Morfologi Beberapa Spesies Jamur Fusarium

The research was conducted to study the morphological difference based on macroscopic and microscopic appearance of several Fusarium spp. Fusarium spp. isolates were propagated onto Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) by using single-spore method. All isolates were observed macroscopically and microscopically to determine colony appearance, colony growth diameter and formation of macroconidia, microconidia and conidiophores. The results showed that colony appearance of all isolates was similar. Therefore they could not clearly be differentiated by one to another. On the other hand, microscopic observation showed that there was different conidiophore morphology of F. oxysporum and other Fusarium spp. Microscopic morphology among F. oxysporum isolates were difficult to differentiate. Microconidia were produced in false-head which was the characteristic feature of most F. oxysporum. In conclusion, microscopic morphology observation could only be able to differentiate Fusarium spp. isolates at species level, but not to formae speciales. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui perbedaan morfologi berdasarkan morfologi makroskopis dan mikroskopis beberapa isolat Fusarium spp. Isolat Fusarium spp. diperbanyak pada medium Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) dengan menggunakan teknik monospora. Semua isolat ini kemudian diamati secara makroskopis dan mikroskopis untuk mengetahui morfologi koloni, pertumbuhan koloni, bentuk makrokonidium dan mikrokonidium serta konidiofornya. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar isolat mempunyai morfologi koloni yang hampir sama, sehingga tidak bisa dibedakan dengan jelas satu dengan lainnya. Akan tetapi, pengamatan secara mikroskopis menunjukkan adanya perbedaan morfologi konidiofor pada isolat F. oxysporum dengan Fusarium spp. , sementara morfologi mikroskopis antara isolat Fusarium spp. sulit untuk dibedakan. Mikrokonidium yang dibentuk pada false-head merupakan karakter utama F. oxysporum. Dari hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa morfologi mikroskopis hanya dapat digunakan untuk membedakan Fusarium spp pada tingkat spesies, tetapi tidak pada tingkat forma spesialis.
Unveiling the chromatin fiber: epigenetics and spatial organization

The spatial organization of chromatin in the nucleus is important for proper regulation of gene expression. The cell-type specific transcription program is mainly controlled by distal regulatory elements, which can dynamically engage in longrange interactions with their target genes. These long-range interactions mostly occur within insulated genomic domains and are constrained by global organization of the chromatin, providing an extra layer of regulation. Genetic alterations can lead to disruption of spatial organization and consequently aberrant gene expression. In this review we will discuss the multiple layers of chromatin organization, how this organization changes during differentiation and in response to external stimuli and how its disruption can lead do aberrant gene expression and disease.
Analysis of metabolic mutants of Clostridium acetobutylicum by a global and quantitative systems biology approach

Clostridium acetobutylicum, a Gram-positive, strictly anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium is now considered as the model organism for the study of the complex metabolism of solventogenic Clostridia. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms involved in the induction ofsolventogenesis are not totally understood. A control strain and three single metabolic mutants with in frame deletion in key genes involved in acid/solvent formations, namely ΔadhE1, ΔadhE2, and ΔbukΔptb300, were analyzed by a system scale approach to better characterize the regulation of solvent formation in C. acetobutylicum from a physiological point of view.First of all, the control strain ΔCA_C1502Δupp was cultured in phosphate-limited chemostat under three different metabolic states, acidogenesis, solventogenesis, and alcohologenesis. Thecultures were analyzed by a quantitative transciptomic and proteomic approach, and finally associated with a fluxomic analysis, based on the reconstructed genome-scale model, iCac967 developed during the thesis. This study provided the number of mRNA molecules per cell for all genes under the three metabolic conditions as well as the number of cytosolic protein molecules per cell for approximately 700 genes under at least one of the three steady-state conditions. ΔadhE1 and ΔadhE2 were analyzed together to be compared to the control strain under same conditions in transcriptomic and fluxomic level. Under solventogenesis, only ΔadhE1 mutant exhibited significant changes showing decreased butanol production and transcriptional expression changes in numerous genes. In particular, adhE2 was overexpressed; thus, AdhE2 can partially replace AdhE1 for butanol production under solventogenesis. Under alcohologenesis, only ΔadhE2 mutant exhibited striking changes in gene expression and metabolic fluxes, and butanol production was completely lost. Therefore, it was demonstratedthat AdhE2 is essential for butanol production and thus metabolic fluxes were redirected towardbutyrate formation. Under acidogenesis, metabolic fluxes were not significantly changed in both mutants except the complete loss of butanol formation in ΔadhE2, but numerous changes in gene expression were observed. Furthermore, most of the significantly up- or downregulated genes under this condition showed the same pattern of change in both mutants. ΔbukΔptb300 was also analyzed to be compared to the control strain under same conditions in transcriptomic and fluxomic level. Under acidogenic conditions the primary metabolite was butanol and a new compound, 2-hydroxy-valerate was produced while under solventogenesis, increased butanol production was obtained compared to control strain under same condition and a very high yield of butanol formation was reached. Under alcohologenesis, the major product was lactate. Furthermore, at the transcriptional level, adhE2 known as a gene specifically expressed in alcohologenesis, was surprisingly highly expressed in all the metabolic states in the mutant.
Effect of ecological variables on the population dynamics of sympatric notobranchiid fishes

Effect of environmental variables on the population dynamics of two sympatric notobranchiid fishes, Epiplatys bifasciatus and E. spilargyreius in the seasonal Monai Stream of the Kainji Lake Basin in Nigeria were studied for 24 months. In all, 2,544 and 937 specimens of E. bifasciatus and E. spilargyreius were collected respectively. E. bifasciatus was more abundant of the two species throughout the study period. For both species, monthly abundance followed the same pattern; May to October (rainy season) was a period of low abundance while November to April (dry season) was a period of high abundance. Relative abundance was correlated with physical, chemical, and biological factors using regression analyses. The relationship between 12 environmental variables (temperature, transparency, conductivity, hydrology, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, sodium, CaCO3, chlorine) and abundance of the two species showed that E. spilargyreius abundance was strongly correlated with water conductivity (Pearson’s coefficient, r = 0.884, P<0.01) but correlated negatively with temperature (Pearson’s coefficient, r = -0.559 at P< 0.05). E. bifasciatus abundance had a slight positive correlation with alkalinity (r = 0.501 at P< 0.05). Three habitat types (vegetated pool, vegetated riffle, and marsh) were preferred by both species, whilst unvegetated habitats were avoided. E. spilargyreius was fairly specific in its habitat preference, with a significant positive correlation (r = 0.65, P < 0.05) to marshy habitat, whereas E. bifasciatus showed some flexibility in habitat-use.
Physical properties of egg shells: 3. An apparatus for estimating impact resistance of the shell

Synopsis A device is described for recording the maximum force imposed, by the impact of a falling steel rod, on egg shells. Maximum force occurred at the point of shell failure. Correlation between the maximum force during impact and shell thickness were highly significant but not considered adequate for predictive purposes. It was concluded that shell thickness accounted for only part of the variation in resistance of the shell to impact.
Genetic diversity analysis in American cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Genetic divergence was studied among 50 genotypes of American cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) using Mahalanobis D 2 statistic and principal component analysis. On the basis of D 2 statistic, 50 genotypes were grouped into 8 clusters and PCA identified six principal components which explained 81.99% of the total variability among the genotypes. Based on intra-and inter-cluster distance among the groups, it is suggested to make crosses between the genotypes of cluster VI (ARBH 1402) and cluster VII (HYPS 152), cluster I (SSGR 105) and cluster VIII (L 788), cluster I (SSGR 105) and cluster IV (L 799) and between cluster V (GJHV 497) and cluster VIII (L 788) for heterosis breeding. Divergence studies indicated that geographical diversity is always not necessarily associated with the genetic diversity. Multivariate analysis revealed the presence of maximum divergence among L 788, HS 294, MCU 5, HYPS 152 and GISV 267 reporting their parental eligibility in exploitation of hybrid vigour.