Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construction of a Full-length cDNA Library of the Diamondback Moth,Plutella xylostella

In order to understand the molecular mechanism of the pesticide resistance of diamondback moth,Plutella xylostella,we used the SMART (switching mechanism at 5 end of RNA transcript) technology to construct full-length cDNA libraries.The PowerScript reverse transcriptase was used to synthesize and anchor the first-strand cDNA.Following reverse transcription,LD-PCR was performed using a modified oligo (dT) and an anchor primer to enrich the cDNA population for full-length sequences.The unamplified cDNA library contained 2.6×10 6 independent clones,in which the recombinant clones with an average insert size of 1.6? kb was 96%. The titer of the amplified library was 2.4×10 10 pfu/mL.PCR analysis of 60 randomly selected clones showed that 65% of cDNA clones contained inserts of above 1.0? kb.From the cDNA library,a full-length ribosomal protein L27A cDNA with 5 and 3 untranslated regions was isolated.
Absence of Haematozoa in Chicks of Little Egret in the Camargue, Southern France

-High nest densities in colonial birds is assumed to favor the infection of individuals by parasites. Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) chicks (N = 187) were sampled before nest departure in six different colonies of the Camargue, southern France, to determine the prevalence of Haematozoa infection. The absence of blood parasites is discussed. Received 8 August 2001, accepted 25 August 2001.
Establishment and Analyses of SSR Marker Fingerprints on 12 Capsicum Hybrids in Guizhou Province

Digital fingerprints of 12 capsicum hybrids in Guizhou Province were established by using 15 polymorphic SSR markers screened from 75 SSR markers through capsicum genome.Using the fingerprint data of each marker to do respective clustering analysis,the results showed the ability of identifying hybrids of the two SSR markers,Hpms1-69 and Hpms2-281.Furthermore,the fingerprints dada of three-marker combinations of Hpms1-69,Hpms2-281 and other markers were used to do clustering analysis,and the results showed that about 30% of three-marker combinations could identify the 12 hybrids,and two combinations of Hpms1-69+Hpms2-281+CA514272 and Hpms1-69+Hpms2-281+BM61461 had excellent identifying ability.In addition,38 alleles of the15 SSR markers were detected among 12 capsicum hybrids,and the probability that two hybrids had same fingerprint was 3.63×10-12.It indicates that the established fingerprints with the 15 markers can be used to identify other capsicum varieties besides the 12 hybrids,and the 15 SSR markers can be used as core markers for establishing other capsicum varieties fingerprint.
Anatomical variants of the hepatic artery: An Australian perspective

Aims and Objective: This cadaver-based study aims to identify variants of the cystic artery within the Australian population. At the time of writing, original research in this area toward the Australian population has been limited. Methods: 200 cadavers were donated over 5 years to The University of Melbourne for surgical anatomy teaching. Each cadaver was meticulously dissected by experienced anatomists with particular attention to anatomical variants. The variants described where the origin of the cystic artery, number of vessels and relationship to Calot’s triangle. These were compared to global studies designed in a similar fashion. Results: 186 specimens demonstrated normal anatomy, and 14 demonstrated variant anatomy of the cystic artery. 96.0% originated from the right hepatic artery, 98.5% were single vessel, and 95.5% of specimens originated within Calot’s triangle. An extremely rare variation was encountered. Conclusion: The Australian population in this study demonstrates a constant albeit unique proportion of variation, dissimilar to some populations around the world. This is an important anatomical consideration for the Australian trained general surgeon attending to the international patient.
Deciduous Forests of Eastern north America

The author's purpose is stated to be: -(1) to give a broad and co-ordinated account of the entire deciduous forest, portraying first what is (or was) present in any geographic area and attempting to reconstruct the pattern of original forest; (2) to give data on composition and aspect of forest communities in all parts of the deciduous forest; and (3) to trace through geological time the development of the present pattern of forest distribution.
Host Defense Properties of Collagen VI. A novel concept in connective tissue innate immunity.

Rapid and powerful host defense mechanisms are essential in order to overcome harmful actions of pathogenic bacteria. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and proteins are vital effector molecules of the fast-acting innate immune system and exist virtually in all living organisms. They exert a broad spectrum of natural antibiotic activity, but also play important immunomodulatory functions in the host. During the past few decades, host defense molecules have gained remarkable attention as alternative treatments for bacterial infections due to the growing bacterial resistance to current antibiotics.This thesis sheds light on an intriguing and novel aspect of innate immunity in the context of connective tissues, where collagen VI emerges as a host defense molecule. Collagen VI is an extracellular matrix protein that forms complex microfibrillar networks in most connective tissues. The best studied form of collagen VI is a heterotrimer comprised of three α-chains, α1(VI), α2(VI) and α3(VI), where the majority of these α-chains are flanked by globular domains that share homology with von Willebrand factor type A (VWA) domains. The results presented in this thesis demonstrates that tissue-purified collagen VI exhibits a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by disrupting the bacterial membranes and causing leakage of intracellular components, which subsequently leads to cell death. Interestingly, the expression of collagen VI was upregulated in the airways of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients compared to healthy individuals. Upon airway epithelial damage in COPD, we found that collagen VI is exposed and serves both as an adhesive substrate and an antibacterial barrier for a number of pulmonary pathogens. In order to gain deeper insight into the antimicrobial nature of the collagen VI molecule, we identified and characterized cationic sequence motifs in the VWA domains of the α3(VI)-chain. These peptides showed a significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, some of them also displayed wound healing and anti-endotoxic properties in vitro.In conclusion, these data reveal for the first time in detail how extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen VI, provide host defense mechanisms against bacterial infections in connective tissues. These findings also suggest a novel role for collagen VI-derived peptides in innate immunity and provide templates for the development of peptide-based antibacterial therapies. (Less)
Ageing Population and Economic Growth: Evidence from Malaysia

This main purpose of this article investigated the impact of ageing population on economic growth in Malaysia. Annual time series data for 27-year duration (1990-2017) was used and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) was applied. This study will focuses on addressing role of ageing population in Malaysia by context that failed to receive much attention especially in employment sector. By using Romer [1] endogenous theory, the cointegration result revealed that exists a long run relationship exists between ageing population in Malaysia government development expenditure in education and economic growth. Our analysis recommends further investment in government expenditure in education sector to achieving higher human capital capability as a towards high income country and ageing phenomena.
Correlation of vascular endothelial growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 levels in serum and thyroid nodules with histopathological and radiological variables

BACKGROUND/AIM: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major cytokine in angiogenesis and has a role on aggressivity of various tumors. The expression of VEGF has been shown to increase in differential thyroid cancer. The aim of the study was to evaluate serum and intranodular VEGF (nVEGF) and VEGF receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) levels in patients with thyroid nodules and their relevance to ultrasonographic and pathological results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of eighty patients were included in the study. Thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsies were performed, and the levels of serum and nVEGF and VEGFR-1 were measured. Any possible correlations between serum and nVEGF, VEGFR-1, and biochemical/radiological variables were investigated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between serum VEGF (sVEGF), nVEGF, sVEGFR-1, nVEGFR-1 levels, number of nodules, size of nodules, and benign and malignant ultrasonographic features. sVEGF and nVEGF were higher in malignant or suspicious nodules than that in benign nodules, but did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.05). sVEGFR-1 and nVEGFR-1 levels were higher in hyperthyroid patients than that in euthyroid patients (P < 0.05 and P = 0.003, respectively). nVEGFR-1 level was higher in hypothyroid patients than that in euthyroid patients (P = 0.016). sVEGF level was found to be higher in hyperactive nodules than that in others. Both sVEGFR-1 (P = 0.008) and nVEGF levels (P = 0.01) significantly increased with increasing age. nVEGFR-1 decreased with increasing body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed the relationships of sVEGF, nVEGF, sVEGFR-1, and nVEGFR-1 levels with age, gender, BMI, and hyperthyroidism. To determine the role of VEGF/VEGFR-1 in thyroid nodules, further studies are required with a large number of patients.
TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF VARIOUS PSYCHOACOUSTIC MEASURES USING THE MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD PROCEDURE

Objective: Psychoacoustic abilities include the perception of frequency, intensity, and the temporal parameters of sound, which are necessary for speech perception. These abilities can be measured using adaptive and non-adaptive procedures. The maximum likelihood procedure (MLP) is an adaptive psychophysical procedure that is usually utilized in psychoacoustic tasks. The present study aimed to assess the testretest reliability of various psychoacoustic measures assessed using the MLP toolbox implemented in Matlab. Material and methods: A total of 20 participants with normal hearing sensitivity were selected for the study. The test–retest reliability of psychoacoustic measures was studied in terms of frequency difference limen, intensity difference limen, duration discrimination thresholds, gap detection thresholds, and modulation detection thresholds (4 Hz and 128 Hz). To check test–retest reliability all measures were assessed twice within a span of one day. Results: The results showed no significant difference in the various psychoacoustic measures obtained across the two sessions. The reliability of each measure was tested using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The results indicated that the test-retest reliability of various psychoacoustic measures assessed using the MLP toolbox was fair to good. Conclusions: It can be concluded that MLP is a reliable tool to assess various psychoacoustic abilities.
Amelioration of CCl4-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rabbits by Lepidium sativum Seeds

The current study aimed to evaluate the probable protective effect of Lepidium sativum seeds (LSS) against CCl4 induced hepatic injury in New-Zealand rabbits. Rabbits were randomly divided into two main groups; group-A (noninjured group, n=15) was divided to subgroups A1 (untreated control) and A2 and A3 which received 200 & 400 mg/kg bw of LSS, respectively, in their diet daily. Group-B (injured group, n=30) were subcutaneously injected with CCl4 (0.5 ml/kg bw) starting from day one of the experiment and were equally divided into 3 subgroups: B1 received normal standard diet and B2 & B3 received 200 & 400 mg/kg bw of LSS, respectively, in their diet daily. Five rabbits of all subgroups were decapitated 5 and 10 weeks after experimental running. Biochemical analysis revealed significant decrease in serum levels of transaminases, γ-GT, ALP, total bilirubin, cholesterol, triglycerides associated with significant increase in the serum levels of T protein and albumin of 200 and 400 mg/kg bw of LSS protected rabbits for 5 and 10 weeks as compared with CCl4 treated rabbits. Oxidative stress and depressed antioxidant system of the liver tissues were markedly obvious in the CCl4 treated group. LSS administration reversed these results towards normalization. Histopathological examination of LSS protected rabbits (200 mg/kg bw of LSS for 10 weeks) showed improvement of the histoarchitectural changes of the liver induced by CCl4 to the normal aspect, showing regenerating hepatocytes with no steatosis, discrete chronic venous congestion, and discrete inflammatory infiltrate. The current findings provide new evidence that LSS could reverse the hepatotoxic effects of CCl4 and repair the liver functions.
A FAUNA DE FORMIGAS EM POVOAMENTOS DE EUCALIPTO E MATA NATIVA NO ESTADO DO AMAPÁ

This survey of the ant fauna in a native forest and in three plantations of Eucalyptus of 6, 20 and 106 months of age was conducted in August 1992. Sampling consisted of two 100 m transects per area along which 10 pitfall traps were placed for 7 days, after which they were replaced for traps baits with sardines, crackers and sugar laid during one hour per day. In addition hand collecting was performed on soil, litter, trees and shrubs for five non consecutive hours in each area. A total of 121 species belonging to 5 subfamilies and 50 genera was collected. The calculated Hill indices have indicated that in the native area there was a lower dominance and a higher species diversity. In the eucalipt there was a tendency towards reduced dominance and increased diversity as the stands grew older.
Investigating the role of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein, Apollon, in the regulation of autophagy in breast cancer cells

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iii LIST OF TABLES. v LIST OF FIGURES . vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Autophagy. 1 1.1.1 Molecular mechanisms and machinery of autophagy. 2 1.1.2 Methods for measuring autophagy. 5 1.2 Autophagy in cell survival and cell death. 7 1.3 Autophagy and cancer. 9 1.4 Apoptosis and cancer . 11 1.5 The inhibitor of apoptosis protein family . 13 1.6 Apollon . 15 1.7 Autophagy and apoptosis. 17 1.8 Breast cancer, autophagy, and Apollon . 19 1.9 Objectives and hypothesis. 21 1.9. 1 Rationale . 21 1.9. 2 Hypothesis and specific aim . 22 CHAPTER 2: MATERIALS AND METHODS . 23 2.1 Cell culture and autophagy induction . 23 2.2 Construction and sequencing of hrGFP-LC3 plasmid . 24 2.3 Creation of stable SKBR3 hrGFP-LC3 cell line. 24 2.4 Short-interfering RNA (siRNA) . 25 2.5 RNA isolation, cDNA preparation, and quantitative real-time PCR. 26 2.6 Protein extraction and western blot analysis. 27 2.7 Cell growth assay. 29 2.8 Fluorescence microscopy. 29 2.9 Statistical analyses . 30 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS. 32 3.1 Autophagy is upregulated in MCF-7 GFP-LC3, SKBR3 and BT474 breast cancer cells during starvation . 32 3.2 siRNA suppresses Apollon expression in breast cancer cells. 37 3.3 Apollon knockdown does not affect cell growth or viability of SKBR3 or MCF-7 GFP-LC3 cells . 39 3.4 Apollon knockdown increases the number of MDC and/or GFP-LC3 puncta in MCF-7 and SKBR3 cells . 41 3.5 Apollon knockdown results in increased autophagic flux in MCF-7 GFP-LC3 breast cancer cells . 45 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION. 49 4.1 Interpretation of results . 49 4.1.1 Analysis of starvation-induced autophagy. 50 4.1.2 Generation of a polyclonal SKBR3 cell line stably transfected with hrGFPLC3 . 51 4.1.3 Apollon knockdown. 52
Balancing Safety and Exploration in Policy Gradient

Reinforcement Learning is a powerful framework that can be used to solve complex control tasks. Among the current challenges that reinforcement learning has to face, there are the inner difficulties of exploring the environment and doing it safely. Safe Reinforcement Learning is necessary for critical applications, such as robotics, where exploratory behaviours can harm systems and people, but it also lends itself to economic interpretations. However, safe algorithms often tend to be overly conservative, sacrificing too much in terms of speed and exploration. The latter, in particular, is of fundamental importance for a learning algorithm to gain informations about the environment. In this thesis, we will investigate the non-trivial tradeoff between these two competing aspects, safety and exploration. Starting from the idea that a practical algorithm should be safe as needed, but no more, we identify interesting application scenarios and propose Safely-Exploring Policy Gradient (SEPG), a very general policy gradient framework that can be customized to match particular safety constraints. To do so, we generalize existing bounds on performance improvement for Gaussian policies to the adaptive-variance case and propose policy updates that are both safe and exploratory.
Predictors for the clinical benefit of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in advanced gastroesophageal cancer: a meta-analysis of clinical trials.

BACKGROUND The overall objective response rate (ORR) of published clinical trials in advanced gastroesophageal cancer patients who received anti-program-death-1 (anti-PD-1) or program-death-legend-1 (anti-PD-L1) therapy was only 10%. This ratio is far away from satisfying. It is necessary to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from the treatment. This study aimed to identify the factors with which the patients would have a higher response rate to anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 therapy. METHODS The study was carried out according to the Cochrane handbook for systemic reviews of intervention. The comparisons were conducted according to the patients' characteristics to distinguish the factors with which the patients would have a higher response rate and better survival from the therapy. RESULTS One thousand and nine hundred ninety-eight patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer receiving anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L-1 therapy were enrolled totally. Both the anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L-1 therapy were significantly more efficacy in patients with high expression of PD-L1. Adenocarcinoma patients with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) were more likely to benefit from anti-PD-1 therapy. Patients with a better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status had a significantly higher ORR and disease control rate (DCR). The treatment also had a better performance in improving the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with high expression of PD-L1. CONCLUSIONS The expression level of PD-L1, MSI, and ECOG performance status could be the predictors of achieving clinical benefit from anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 therapy in advanced gastroesophageal cancer.
Construction of microRNA-144 plasmid and its effect on biological behavior of human hepatocellular carcinoma

【Objective】 The study was to construct microRNA-144(miR-144) eukaryotic expression vector and to detect the effect of miR-144 on the proliferation,apoptosis,migration,and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. 【Method】 After the construction of miR-144 expression plasmid and miR-144 antisense oligonucleotides,the effect of them on expression of miR-144 was confirmed by real-time PCR.The proliferation,apoptosis,migration,and invasion of HepG2 were detected by MTT assay and flow cytometry respectively. 【Result】 Overexpression of miR-144 could significantly inhibit the proliferation(P0.05) and promote the apoptosis of HepG2(P0.05). However,inhibition of miR-144 provides the opposite results.However,alteration of miR-144 could not influence the cell cycle(P0.05). 【Conclusion】 miR-144 could influence the biological behavior of primary liver cancer cell HepG2 and acts as a tumor suppressor.
WHITE-TAILED DEER UTILIZATION OF THREE DIFFERENT HABITATS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON LONE STAR TICK POPULATIONS*

Deer-use patterns as determined by pellet-group counts on sample plots in 3 different habitats in Oklahoma during 1973 and 1974 did not differ statistically, but biological trends were apparent. The meadow habitat received greatest deer-use in the early spring and the upland oak-hickory most during the summer of both years of the study. Abundance of Amblyomma americanum (L.) was highest in the upland oak-hickory habitat and lowest in the meadow habitat whereas the bottom oak-hickory habitat supported an intermediate population. The meadow received considerable deer-use; however, it did not support a significant tick population because of unfavorable ecological conditions. The bottom oak- hickory habitat had low deer-use but was second in tick abundance because microclimatic conditions there were the most favorable of the 3 habitats and allowed greater tick survival. The upland oak-hickory habitat reflected heavy deer-use through tick abundance but its climatic conditions were not as ideal for tick survival as those in the bottom oak-hickory habitat.
Effects of Dietary Energy and Protein Restriction on Nutritional Indices of Female White-Tailed Deer

Several physical and physiological indices have been used to assess white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) nutritional condition and habitat quality. We tested whether indices reflected inferred nutritional circumstances under controlled conditions of dietary protein and energy at 2 time scales. Our study used adult female deer that were captured in southern Texas and placed in captivity. We randomly assigned deer (n = 51) in the long-term study to 4 diet groups representing a factorial combination of 2 levels each of crude protein (CP) and energy for 6 months. We assigned deer (n = 31) in the short-term study to 6 diets (a factorial combination of 3 levels of CP and 2 levels of energy) for 60 days. At the end of the experimental periods, we sacrificed deer and assessed their nutritional status from serum (n = 11), ruminal (n = 3), fecal (n = 4), fat (n = 7), and carcass (n = 7) indices. Protein-energy interaction effects (P < 0.05) were observed for serum (calcium [Ca], phosphorus [P]), ruminal (neutral detergent fiber [NDF]), and fecal (NDF, dry matter) indices in both experiments. Six-month trials also had protein-energy interactions (P < 0.05) for serum (urea nitrogen, creatinine), ruminal digestible energy (DE), and fecal nitrogen. Sixty-day trials had protein-energy interactions (P < 0.05) for serum alkaline phosphatase, kidney mass (KM), relative KM, back fat depth, and eviscerated body mass (EBM). Nutritional indices in all categories (e.g., fecal, ruminal, carcass) varied (P < 0.05) by dietary protein status, dietary energy status, or protein-energy interactions. Multiple indices are recommended to assess deer herd condition and habitat quality. However, because multiple indices may not be available because of limited availability and resources, we provided variables in each index category that discriminate among nutritional levels.