Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MULTIPOTENT MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS ISOLATED FROM SUBCUTANEOUS FAT OF MAMMALS FOR THE STUDY OF Sarcoptes Scabiei/mange in vitro

t Sarcoptes scabiei / mange is a small, roundish, pale gray mite that lives in the epidermis of mammalian skin and causes scabies. Despite the fact that the mite biology is well studied and its interaction with the host is intensively investigated, the data analysis demonstrates the absence of a cell culture on which the Sarcoptes scabiei / mange could multiply in vitro. This hinders the development of modern effective methods of diagnosis of this disease, the study of the immune response after infection in order to create vaccines and evaluate the effectiveness of the use of drugs for the clinical treatment of mite-borne disease. In this regard, the search for a cellular system that would maintain the viability of Sarcoptes scabiei / mange in vitro is particularly relevant. We describe cellular systems represented by multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MMSCs) that can be used for these purposes. MMSCs were isolated from subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of cattle and humans. Bi-opsies were taken from healthy donors without clinical form of scabies. In MMSC of cattle and hu- man, isolated from SAT scabies mite ( Sarcoptes scabiei / mange ) was found. The MMSCs isolated from cattle were the most contaminated by mites: of 13 MMSC cultures on the 2nd passage 9 cul- tures (or 69 %) were contaminated. For human MMSCs, contamination with mites was only found in one culture among 6 cultures obtained (16 %). The mite was found in the form of small dark spherical extracellular components, not characteristic for MMSCs, the number of which increased during culture. A characteristic feature of scabies mite reproduction in MMSC culture isolated from both cattle and human SAT was the formation of nests in the form of clusters. In the culture, we identified presumably larvae and nymphs of the mite. During subculturing within 3 passages, the contaminated cattle and human MMSCs retained the same vitality as not contaminated, but the monolayer formed more slowly, i.e. on days 9-10 vs. day 7 in the control groups. After freezing the samples in which the mite was found, and storage in a Dewar vessel in liquid nitrogen for a week, followed by defrosting, it was found that the mite retained viability in all samples and well tolerated freezing-thawing. After thawing, the mite was detected on the 2nd passage in 7 of 7 analyzed MMSC cultures from cattle SAT and in the only MSCS culture derived from human SAT in which the mite contamination was found (100 %). Thus, it is shown that the MMSCs isolated by us from cattle and humans SAT, may represent a promising cellular system for studying in vitro Scabiei scabieis / mange . Possible contamination of MMSCs from SAT with scabies makes testing of these cultures mandatory in case of their use in cellular
Effects of silymarin on productive performance, liver function and serum biochemical profile in broiler Japanese quail challenged with dietary aflatoxins

Abstract A 2 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding silymarin (0, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg) in aflatoxin contaminated diets (0 and 2.2 mg/kg) on selected performance, blood and liver parameters in broiler Japanese quails using 480 7-day-old mixed sex birds up to Day 35 of age. Feed intake, daily weight gain (DWG) and European production index (EPI) in Days 7–35 of age were reduced by 5.56, 5.97 and 10. 97%, respectively, and mortality was increased in the birds fed on diets containing 2.2 mg/kg aflatoxin (p < .05). Mean ALT, alkaline phosphatase (ALK), uric acid in birds grown on aflatoxin contaminated diet were 28.32, 12.29 and 16.34% greater than those fed with control diet, respectively (p < .05). The birds fed with diets containing 1000 mg/kg silymarin showed greater DWG (6.35%) and EPI (12.89%) and lesser feed conversion ratio (6.6%) during Days 7–35 compared with control birds (p < .05). Mean ALT (37.46%), AST (16.90%) and ALK (27.67%) activity reduced in birds grown on diets containing 2000 mg/kg silymarin (p < .05). Mean serum concentration of phosphorous increased (13.44%) and glucose (GLU) decreased (10.37%) in the same birds compared with control quails (p < .05). A significant dietary silymarin × aflatoxin interaction observed for DWG, blood concentrations of ALT, AST, calcium, GLU, LDL, triglyceride and proportional weight of liver, testis and spleen in Day 35 of age. It was concluded that Supplementation of 1000 mg/kg silymarin into the contaminated diets alleviated the adverse impact of aflatoxins on bird’s performance. Highlights Diets contaminated with aflatoxins cause impaired growth and altered hepatic function in broiler quails. Inclusion of silymarin in diet, alleviate the adverse impact of aflatoxins on bird’s performance. Greater levels of silymarin (2000 mg/kg) relives the AF-induced intimidating alterations in the liver and blood parameters in quails.
A nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat receptor pair confers broad-spectrum disease resistance through physical association in rice

Rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is the most destructive fungal disease in crops, greatly threatening rice production and food security worldwide. The identification and utilization of broad-spectrum resistance genes are considered to be the most economic and effective method to control the disease. In the past decade, many blast resistance (R) genes have been identified, which mainly encode nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptor family and confer limited race-specific resistance to the fungal pathogen. Resistance genes conferring broad-spectrum blast resistance are still largely lacking. In this study, we carried out a map-based cloning of the new blast R locus Pizh in variety ZH11. A bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone of 165 kb spanning the Pizh locus was sequenced and identified 9 NLR genes, among which only Pizh-1 and Pizh-2 were expressed. Genetic complementation experiments indicated that Pizh-1 but not Pizh-2 alone could confer blast resistance. Intriguingly, both mutations on Pizh-1 and Pizh-2 by CRISPR-Cas9 abolished the Pizh-mediated resistance. We also observed that Pizh-1-mediated resistance was partially dependent on Pizh-2. Pizh-1 and Pizh-2 form a complex of NLRs through direct interaction. This suggests that Pizh-1 may function as the executor NLR and Pizh-2 as a ‘helper’ NLR that shares functional redundancy with other NLRs. Our current study provides not only a good tool for rice disease resistance breeding but also deep insight into NLR association and function in plant immunity. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Biotic signalling sheds light on smart pest management’.
Pattern‐based calibration of cellular automata by genetic algorithm and Shannon relative entropy

While cellular automata (CA) are considered an effective algorithm to model urban growth, their precise calibration can be challenging. The Shannon relative index (SRI) is an indicator of urban sprawl accounting for dispersion or concentration of built‐up/non‐built‐up areas. This study uses SRIs directly in the calibration of CA as patterns, applying a genetic algorithm (GA). Moreover, the kappa coefficient is used in the calibration process. CA was calibrated using data for 2001 and 2006 and validated using 2011 data to model urban growth in Shelby County, TN. Results indicate that the kappa coefficient achieves the highest value using the proposed method (89.48%) compared with a GA without patterns (86.15%, which underestimates 32.22 km2) or logistic regression (85.83%, which underestimates 36.76 km2). A more precise calibration of urban growth using the proposed method helps city planners to provide more realistic models for the future of the region.
Contraceptive use and quality of life among women of reproductive age, attending a general outpatient clinic in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Sexual and reproductive conditions account for 18.4% of the global burden of diseases, and of which a significant percentage occurs among women of reproductive age. The estimated unintended pregnancy rate in Nigeria was 59 per 1,000 women aged 15-49 years. The incidence of induced abortion was put at 33 per 1,000 women of reproductive age per year, and out of which 56% of unintended pregnancies were resolved by abortion.
Seasonal Flavonoid Profile and Kaempferitrin Content in the Leaf Extracts of Bauhinia forficata Subspecies forficata from Two Locations in Southeastern Brazil

The leaves of Bauhinia forficate L. (Fabaceae) are used in Brazilian folk medicine mainly as antidiabetic agent. They are rich in polyphenols, and kaempferitrin and other flavonoids are currently considered as basic chemical criteria for the quality and the effectiveness of extracts and phytopharmaceuticals derived from them. Aiming to expand the scope of current data of the chemical profile of B. forficate subsp. forficate, the present study employed HPLC-DAD and HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS to compare the flavonoid profile and kaempferitrin content in the leaves of specimens collected seasonally during one year, in two different locations in Southeastern Brazil: Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Sao Paulo (SP) states. The data showed a variation in the flavonoid profile and in the kaempferitrin content depending on the place of collection and the season of the year. The target compound, kaempferitrin, was found to be only a minor constituent in RJ (0.21 - 1.02 μg/mg), and was mostly absent or occurred as trace in SP location (0.00 - 0.12 μg/mg). Some degree of similarity was observed in the flavonoid profiles according to the region of collection. In agreement with some published reports, the low and quite variable kaempferitrin content as well the wide variability of the flavonoid profiles brings into question the dubious matter of using these compounds as chemical markers for this medicinal species.
Soil Organic Carbon, Aggregation, and Microbial Community Structure in Annual and Perennial Biofuel Crops

Agronomy Journa l • Volume 111, I s sue 1 • 2019 Soil organic carbon (SOC) losses during cellulosic biofuel crop production cycle can offset the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigative capacity of renewable fuels if substituted for conventional fossil fuels (Schmer et al., 2008; Liska et al., 2014). However, SOC can also increase depending on cropping systems and soil management practices (Adkins et al., 2016; Austin et al., 2017). Soil C sequestration is augmented under high crop biomass production systems, especially in association with no-tillage, which causes minimal soil disturbance and stabilization of newly added C (Fabrizzi et al., 2009; Nicoloso et al., 2018; Six et al., 2002). Crop selection and management also influence the residence time of SOC through changes in soil aggregate formation and stability. Carbon incorporated into soil aggregates, especially microaggregates, is protected from decomposition by the physical impediment of decomposers and by creating O2 and moisture conditions that limit decomposer activity (Six et al., 2002; Jastrow et al., 2007). Conditions that encourage the stabilization of macroaggregates (>250 μm diameter) increase the formation and stabilization of microaggregates within macroaggregates and the physical protection of SOC (Six et al., 2002). Macroaggregate formation and stabilization are facilitated by fine roots and hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which enmesh soil particles (Jastrow et al., 2007). Selecting crops with high belowground biomass and high affinity for AMF, such as perennial grasses, could aid in the stabilization of aggregates and SOC (Dondini et al., 2009; Liang et al., 2012; Jesus et al., 2015; Ontl et al., 2015; Tiemann and Grandy, 2015). Consideration of C inputs and SOC stability is especially important in the context of cellulosic biofuel because these cropping systems require the removal of large quantities of aboveground biomass that would otherwise be returned to the soil. Many studies have observed negative effects of annual row crop residue removal on a variety of soil properties, including SOC and soil aggregates (Wilhelm et al., 2004; Hammerbeck et al., 2012; Osborne et al., 2014; Villamil et al., 2015). Such Soil Organic Carbon, Aggregation, and Microbial Community Structure in Annual and Perennial Biofuel Crops
Diversity of Bacterial and Fungal Communities in Wheat Straw Compost for Agaricus bisporus Cultivation

The Agaricus genus represents the most popular edible mushroom in the world. Wheat straw often is used as the substrate for mushroom cultivation following pretreatment to degrade the lignocellulosic biomass in agricultural waste. In this study, we investigated the changes in bacterial and fungal microflora of wheat straw substrate during different phases of composting. We collected samples of the raw material (M1), phase I aerobic fermentation (F1, F2, F3), and phase II after-fermentation (AF1) for high-throughput 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing to analyze the microbial diversity in the substrate during composting. Our data revealed that among the five stages, 365 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared, with Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria being the predominant bacterial phyla. In addition, Thermobispora, Thermopolyspora, Ruminiclostridium, Thermobacillus, and Bacillus were the predominant genera in F3 and AF1, with the species Thermobispora bispora and Pseudoxanthomonas taiwanensis being predominant in F2. Both principal component analysis (PCA) and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plots showed that the bacterial communities of five stages could be distinguished from each other based on their composting time. The Shannon and Simpson indexes of F2 were lower than M1 (P < 0.05), and the clustering dendrogram showed that the bacterial communities in AF1 were similar to F3, with Micromonosporaceae, Streptosporaceae, Thermomonosporaceae, and Vulgatibacteraceae representing the differential bacterial families by linear discriminant analysis with effect size (LEfSe) analysis. The analysis of fungal communities showed that 384 OTUs were common among the five stages, with 1054 and 454 OTUs unique to M1 and AF1, respectively. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the two predominant phyla in all stages, and Chytridiomycota was predominant in F2, F3, and AF1 stages. PCA and NMDS plots showed that the clusters of F2 and AF1 were more dispersed than the other stages. No differences were observed in alpha diversity between the stages, and samples of F1, F2, and F3 were closer to AF1 in the clustering dendrogram. By LEfSe analysis, Mycothermus thermophilus, Gonapodya polymorpha, and Phaeophleospora_eugeniae were identified as the predominant fungal species in AF1.
Raman spectroscopic detection of carotenoids in cattle skin

Carotenoids, powerful anti-oxidants, play a significant role in protecting the skin from oxidation and help in balancing the redox status of skin. This study was aimed at investigating cattle skin to identify carotenoids in the lower epidermis (grain) and dermis (corium) layers for classification using Raman spectroscopy which is a powerful technique for the detection of carotenoids in cattle skin due to the strong resonance enhancement with 532 nm laser excitation. The spectral differences identified between these two layers were quantified by the univariate analysis of Raman peak heights and partial least squares (PLS) analysis. We compared the performance of the Raman spectroscopy method with the standard method, high performance liquid chromatography. The univariate analysis results demonstrated that the lower epidermis of the skin has a higher concentration of carotenoid than dermis using the carotenoid Raman peaks at 1151 cm−1 and 1518 cm−1. The carotenoid Raman intensity was linearly correlated with the total carotenoid concentration determined by standard HPLC methods. Partial Least Squares Regression analysis gives excellent results with R2 = 0.99. Our results indicate that Raman spectroscopy is a potential tool to determine carotenoids in cattle skin with high precision.
Geo-multivariate analysis of crop yield and soil properties of students industrial training farm in Ado Ekiti, Southwest Nigeria

ABSTRACT Relating crop yield to soil properties at the field scale is a tool in site-specific management planning for sustainable crop production. This study investigated the relationship between some soil properties and the yield of three crops (cowpea, maize and cassava + maize) grown on Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme Training Farm in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria using descriptive, multivariate and geostatistical techniques. Soil samples were collected from 0 - 20 cm depth at the centre of 184 grids from a 3.0 ha field to determine some soil physico-chemical properties. Crop yield was collected from demarcated areas in each grid. The descriptive statistics indicated that the soil properties and yield varied widely under the different crops. The cross-variograms showed moderate to strong spatial dependence for the soil properties. The multivariate principal component and hierarchal cluster analyses showed sand, clay, organic matter, bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, and available phosphorus as the minimum dataset for upscaling soil quality assessment program. The multivariate and geostatistical analyses revealed significant relationships between soil properties and crop yield. These findings will enable optimization of the farmer’s field through specific soil and nutrient management, reduce crop yield variability, and promote a safe environment.
Incursion of Helminthosporium leaf blight disease of wheat in comparatively cool hilly regions of Nepal

Helminthosporium Leaf Blight (HLB) caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana (Shoem.) and Pyrenophora tritici repentis (Died.) is the most problematic leaf spotting disease of wheat in warm plain regions of Nepal. Because of increasing temperature, erratic rainfall and changing weather conditions, the disease can also become devastating in vast mid-hill regions having comparatively cool temperature. Various levels of severity and intensity of HLB disease of wheat have been reported from different plain areas of Nepal; however, the confirm status of HLB disease of wheat in mid-hills and hills of Nepal is still lacking. Therefore, a study was carried out to identify the severity and intensity of HLB disease of wheat in five districts of mid-hill during 2012 and 2013 crop season. Field monitorings were carried out and diseased samples were collected twice at Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhading, Kathmandu and Nuwakot districts during the two crop seasons. The status of wheat crop and associated diseases under field conditions were observed and recorded. About 100 diseased leaf samples were collected from different fields of each site. The samples were than incubated under moist chambers for seven days at room temperature in laboratory of Plant Pathology Division, Lalitpur. After the incubation, the samples were studied under stereoscope microscope for the presence of leaf spotting pathogens. The condition of wheat crop at field was fair to good, and the leaf spotting disease symptoms were very low in most of the visited sites during first monitoring. The growth of the crop was still fair to good; however, considerable symptoms of leaf spotting diseases were observed in penultimate leaf and lower leaves in second monitoring. After heading stage, most of the wheat plants were infected with leaf spotting diseases; nevertheless, only scattered leaf spots were observed in single leaf and the total infected area in each leaf was petite. The intensity of leaf spotting disease was mild in popular wheat variety WK 1204. There was extensive growth of leaf spotting pathogens Bipolaris sorokiniana and Alternaria species on incubated leaf samples. More than 85% leaf samples were infected with devastating pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana followed by Alternaria spp. and Epicoccum sp. The presence of Pyrenophora tritici repentis was also noticeable. The results indicate that the leaf blight disease of wheat has been increased in areas having moderate temperature, and will be a problem in future for wheat growers of Kathmandu valley and similar mid-hills regions of Nepal.
Evaluation of Mobile Electronic Devices in Detecting Optic Disc and Visual Field Parameters in Patients with Glaucoma at a Tertiary Hospital in Northeastern Tanzania

Background: Glaucoma is a serious public health problem since it causes visual impairment impacting social, mental and physical health of an individual. Diagnosis and management of glaucoma continue to be a challenge due to few qualified personnel and high cost of the equipment. The use of portable Eye Examination Kit such as Smartphone and tablets can be used in glaucoma screening for taking high-resolution fundus photos for optic disc and visual field parameters, respectively. This study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of mobile electronic device to detect optic disc and visual field parameters for glaucoma in a resource limited setting. Objective: To evaluate the applicability of mobile electronic devices to detect optic disc and visual field parameters for glaucoma. Methodology: Across-sectional study was conducted at KCMC Eye department from October 2018 to June 2019. Study included 140 participants attending eye clinic of which 67 had glaucoma and 73 without glaucoma. Clinical and socio-demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using Stata 15. Glaucoma examination was made on the right eye and photo comparison made between those with and without glaucoma. PEEK Smartphone fundus photo examination was compared with the gold standard machine (Slit Lamp Biomicroscopy), Amsler grid chart installed on a tablet (Microsoft surface, internal storage 256 GB, 2013) and contrast sensitivity compared with Humphrey field analyser (i series, model 740117434, Carl Zeiss Meditec). Results: The kappa (k) agreement between Slit lump biomicroscopy fundus view image and PEEK Smartphone concerning the optic disc measurement was 0.92 with sensitivity and specificity of 90.32% (95% CI: 80.12 - 96.37) and 93.59% (95% CI: 85.67 - 97.89) with a p < 0.001 respectively. An agreement between Amsler grid and Humphrey Field Analyser was 0.67 with sensitivity of 33.33% (95% CI: 20.76 - 47.92) and specificity of 86.52% (95% CI: 77.63 - 92.83) with a p < 0.005. An agreement for contrast sensitivity and Humphrey Field Analyser was 0.51 with sensitivity of 48.91% (95% CI: 38.3 - 59.56) and specificity of 54.17% (95% CI: 39.17 - 68.63) and p value of 0.729. Conclusion: PEEK Smartphone fundus image specificity was almost in perfect agreement compared with Amsler grid and Contrast sensitivity. The PEEK Smartphone fundus view optic disc parameter for vertical cup to disc ratio has a potential to enhance detection of glaucoma and thus improve its management in resource-limited settings.
Effect of Various Farm Manures and Straw Containing Cattle Manure on Worm and Worm Manure Production

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of different combinations of farm manure and farm manure on earthworm proliferation and earthworm manure production quantity and property. Accordingly, 100% horse manure (H), 100% cattle manure (C), 100% straw cattle manure (SC), 90% horse manure + 10% hen manure (H/H), 90% cattle + 10% hen manure (C/H) and 90% straw cattle manure + 10% hen manure (SC/H ) six research groups were designed. The highest level of worm growth in the experimental period was in group H, followed by SC group. The lowest values were found in C/H group and C group. In the amount of worm manure produced, the highest value was found in H/H group and the lowest value was found in SC group. As a result, it was found that 100% H and 100% SC groups made a better contribution to the increase in worm growth.