Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone, Growth Hormone and Prolactin Hormone Gene Polymorphism in Anatolian Water Buffalo

Abstract The purpose of this work was to identify GHRH, GH and PRL gene polymorphisms in Anatolian water buffalo by means of the PCR-RFLP method. A total of 126 buffalo were included in this study. PCR amplification gave a 451 bp band for the GHRH gene, a 221 bp band for the GH gene and a 156 bp band for the PRL gene. The PCR products were digested by HaeIII for the GHRH gene, AluI for the GH gene and RsaI for the PRL gene. The GH/AluI and PRL/RsaI polymorphisms were found to be polymorphic, while the GHRH/HaeIII polymorphism was not found in Anatolian water buffalo. The frequencies of GH-L (0.87) and PRL-A (0.55) alleles were found to be high in the examined Anatolian water buffalo. The chi-square test showed that the Anatolian water buffalo were in Hardy-Weinberg (HW) equilibrium for the GH gene while significant deviation was observed from HW equilibrium for the PRL gene. The present study is the first to examine GHRH/HaeIII, GH/AluI and PRL/RsaI polymorphisms in Anatolian water buffalo.
Label-Free Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor Used to Detect Serum Interleukin-10 in Patients with Endometrial Cancer

Our aim was to fabricate a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) silver nanostructure immune biosensor, and evaluate its efficiency in detecting serum interleukin-10 (IL-10) cytokine in endometrial cancer patients. A triangle silver nanostructure was designed with the use of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical method, fabricated by nanosphere lithography (NSL), modified by an 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and anti-human interleukin-10 monoclonal antibody. The fabricated LSPR sensor chip was taken to detect a gradient concentration of recombinant IL-10 protein, and characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and an atomic force microscope (AFM). Finally, the serum of endometrial cancer (n1 = 9) and benign uterine disease (n2 = 9) were respectively detected by the LSPR sensor and enzyme-linked immune-adsorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The LSPR biosensor could detect commercial IL-10 or IL-10 in serum samples within 30 min and the spectrum signal (∆λmax)of serum IL-10 in the endometrial cancer group was higher than the signal of the benign group (15.30 ± 6.22 nm vs 8.13 ± 2.57 nm, p = 0.009), which was consistent with that of ELISA (405.2±56.1 pg/ml vs. 162.2±57.4 pg/ml, p = 0.017). The LSPR triangle silver nanostructure biosensor provides a promising platform with attractive advantages for a serological diagnosis in endometrial cancer, but further optimization of this biosensor is necessary for its transfer to clinical application.
Molecular and biochemical characterization of rhizobia from chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

Author(s): Zafar, M; Ahmed, N; Mustafa, G; Zahir, ZA; Simms, EL | Abstract: © 2017, University of Agriculture. All rights reserved. There are various mechanisms through which plant’s growth and yield can be promoted by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that reside inside the soil. The use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and other supplements could be replaced by PGPR. There are various substances produced by the rhizosphere microorganisms that are important for growth promotion as they affect morphology of plants indirectly. Their nodulation activity, biofilm formation, root colonization were observed and characterized for solubilization of phosphate, production of indole acetic acid and fixation of nitrogen. It was found that ten out of seventeen isolates from chickpea had positive nitrogen fixing activity but at varying levels and the range of fixed nitrogen was 136.666 to 303.666 nmoles C2H2 reduced/h/mg protein. Bacterial isolate CM1 showed maximum nitrogen fixation ability. Thirteen isolates produced IAA in the range of 3.833-18.100 µg/mL. Bacterial isolate, CM1 produced maximum indole acetic acid. Among chickpea bacterial isolates, sixteen were positive in phosphate solubilizing ability while only one was negative. Range of phosphate solubilization among chickpea isolates was 4.533-12. 333µg/mL. Maximum value for phosphate solubilization was observed in CM4. Potential root nodulating bacteria were identified using 16S rRNA sequence analysis. CM1, CM2, CM3, CM5, CM6, CM11, CM15, CM24 and CM25 were identified as Mesorhizobium ciceri while CM4 as Mesorhizobium mediterraneum.
Women in Podcasting: We Should Tune In.

INTRODUCTION Since the early 2000s, podcasting, or audioblogging, has been gaining popularity as an easy and inexpensive way to disseminate information. In medicine, podcasts are increasingly used as an education tool, both in graduate medical education and for continuing medical education (CME). e 2019 Infinite Dial study found that the total number of Americans aged 12 or older who have ever listened to a podcast exceeded 50% for the first time ever. Despite this rise in podcast consumption, there are still important sex-based differences between podcast hosts and listeners. e 2019 Infinite Dial study also found that among monthly podcast listeners, women lag behind men, with 46% of listeners identifying as women and 54% identifying as men. Similarly, the role of podcast host has traditionally been held by white men and has been slow to change. In fact, in 2017, only about one-third of the top 100 podcasts on Apple were hosted or co-hosted by women. is commentary explores sex and gender differences in podcasting, including why it matters to have diverse representation, sociocultural barriers to acquiring technological expertise, the impact of voice preference, and future directions for women entering the podcasting sphere. In researching this commentary, the authors found a relative dearth of information regarding women in the podcasting space, specifically regarding medical podcasts. is furthers the idea that more investigation into this topic needs to be done and is a possible area for future research.
Diel Shifts in Microhabitat Selection of Steelhead and Coho Salmon Fry

AbstractDiel shifts in habitat selection of newly emerged steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss and Coho Salmon O. kisutch fry were investigated in three northern California coastal watersheds. Steelhead and Coho Salmon fry occupied shallow water near stream margins during both day and night; however, the proportion of fry within 0.5 m of the stream margin increased from 6% during the day to 44% at night. Similarly, the proportion of fry in 10 cm of water or less increased from 26% during the day to 76% at night. Reductions in depth and distance to stream margins were significant at all sites, suggesting that these behaviors are common attributes for steelhead and Coho Salmon fry in this region. These results also suggest that newly emerged fry are potentially vulnerable to becoming stranded due to reductions in stream stage and water surface area, particularly at night. Although our observations were undertaken to better understand the risks to salmonids from vineyard water use for frost protection, the results .
Characterization of Alginate from Sargassum duplicatum and the Antioxidant Effect of Alginate–Okra Fruit Extracts Combination for Wound Healing on Diabetic Mice

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood-glucose levels over a prolonged period that causes complications when an open wound is present. Alginate is an antioxidant and a good absorbent of exudates. Okra fruit contains flavonoids that can act as antioxidants. The antioxidant properties of extracts combination reduce blood-glucose levels significantly to accelerate the activities of wound-healing processes on diabetic mice. Alginate was characterized by Size Exclusion Chromatography-Multiple Angle Laser Light Scattering (SEC-MALLS), thermal stability and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR). The evaluation of wound healing on 36 male mice were divided into 12 groups including normal control (NC), diabetics control (DC), alginate (DA) and alginate–okra (DAO) groups in three different times by histopathology test on skin tissue. The results of SEC-MALLS analysis showed that alginate as single and homogeneous polysaccharide. The 1H-NMR spectrum showed that the mannuronate/guluronate ratio of the used alginate was 0.91. Alginate, okra fruit extract and their combination were classified as moderate and strong antioxidants. The numbers of fibrocytes, fibroblasts, collagen densities had significantly increased from three to seven days. In contrast, wound width, neutrophil, macrophages had significantly decreased at 14 days. The administration of extracts combination increased the re-epithelization of the wound area and wound-healing process on diabetic mice.
Advanced Graph Traversal used in Protein Interactions Network and Systems Biology

A methodological framework of graph traversal in Systems Biology is presented here. At present there is need to investigate system rather individual component. The proposed analysis generalizes the various idea of network representations of protein interactions. This approach highlights various methods used in construction of protein interaction graph or network using suitable algorithm. The network nodes represent protein residues. Two nodes are connected if two residues are functionally correlated during the protein interaction event. The analysis of the resulting network enables the importance of each protein for its interactions. Furthermore, the determination of the pattern of edge between residues yields insights into the function prediction of an interaction. This is of special interest to investigate intrinsically disordered proteins, since it is difficult to determine structural (three-dimensional) architecture of each proteins in protein interactions network. In present work various approaches for protein interactions network construction, models and methods along with graph theories has been discussed which can be used to reveal hidden properties and features of a network. Further effective algorithm for visualization of protein interactions is suggested. As construction of Biological network is dependent on various properties of graph. A holistic approach such as Systems Biology approach can better solve the problem. This network profiling combined with knowledge extraction will help biologist to explore hidden information in genome as well as in proteome.
AN LC-MS/MS BASED BIOANALYTICAL APPROACH TO RESOLVE PHARMACOKINETIC INVESTIGATION OF ACOTIAMIDE HYDROCHLORIDE AND ITS APPLICATION TO BIOEQUIVALENCE STUDY

Objective: Acotiamide, a prokinetic drug used to treat Functional Dyspepsia, which acts by modulating gastric motility. However, in this present study, a simple and accurate bioanalytical method was developed for the estimation of Acotiamide in human plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and validated according to US-FDA guideline. Methods: The method was developed in blank human blood plasma; propranolol was used as internal standard (IS). Protein Precipitation technique was followed for the extraction of the drug from the plasma sample. In liquid chromatography, the C18 analytical column (50 x 3 mm, particle size-5 μm) was used; as a mobile phase, 0.1% formic acid in Mili Q water, and ACN with methanol (1:1) used, at 0.50 ml/min flow rate. Detection was done by positive electrospray ionization (ESI) with a run time of 7 min in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Eight calibration concentrations were taken, ranging from 1.5625-200 ng/ml for Acotiamide. Different stability studies were performed and obtained results found within the acceptable range. Moreover, a comparative pharmacokinetic analysis was done in 24 healthy human volunteers in a single dose, randomized, crossover study. Results: The precursor to production reaction was; m/z 451.200 → 271.200 for Acotiamide and m/z 260.300 → 116.100 m/z for IS. The obtained calibration curve was linear, with a mean r2value 0.9953. Among the pharmacokinetic parameters, Cmax and Tmax were 25.71±2.31,23.61±2.32 ng/ml; 2.54±0.12, 2.43±0.21 h for reference and test samples, respectively. Conclusion: No major adverse events were noted in the clinical phase, the developed method was accurate and linear; obtained pharmacokinetic parameters hence represented.
Application of Endophytic Bacillus subtilis and Salicylic Acid to Improve Wheat Growth and Tolerance under Combined Drought and Fusarium Root Rot Stresses

In nature, plants are constantly exposed to a varied abiotic and biotic stresses or their combinations, limiting the productivity of major crops, including wheat. Combinations of drought and soil-borne Fusarium-instigated diseases are the most common combinations of stresses, significantly reducing wheat yield around the world. Here, were analyzed the potential of application of endophytic bacteria Bacillus subtilis (strain 10–4) together with the natural signal molecule salicylic acid (SA) to improve growth and tolerance of Triticum aestivum L. (wheat) plants under combined drought and Fusarium culmorum-instigated root rot (FRR) stresses. It was revealed that pre-sowing treatment with B. subtilis 10–4, SA, and B. subtilis 10–4 + SA, both under normal and combined drought conditions, notably reduced (by 50–80% or more) the incidence of FRR development in wheat plants, with the most notable effect for B. subtilis 10–4 + SA (wherein disease symptoms were almost absent). Moreover, B. subtilis 10–4, SA, and especially B. subtilis 10–4 + SA increased plant growth (root and shoot length, fresh and dry biomass) under normal (up to 20–50%), drought (up to 15–40%), FRR (up to 15–30%), and combined drought + FRR stresses (up to 20%), with the maximum effect for B. subtilis 10–4 + SA. Additionally, B. subtilis 10–4, SA, and B. subtilis 10–4 + SA decreased stress (drought, FRR, and combined drought + FRR)-instigated lipid peroxidation and osmotic damages of plant cells. The findings indicate that endophytic bacteria B. subtilis 10–4 alone and in a mixture with SA may be used as an effective eco-friendly agent to improve wheat growth and tolerance under the influence of drought, FRR, and combinations of these stresses.
EXPRESSION OF RECOMBINANT US9 PROTEIN OF BOVINE HERPESVIRUS TYPE1.1 (BOHV-1.1) IN INSECT CELL LINE AND EXAMINE ITS APPLICATION IN AN IMMUNO ASSAY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF BOHV-1.1 INFECTED CATTLE

In this study, a recombinant baculovirus expressing the US9 tegument protein of the Egyptian BoHV-1.1 Abu-Hammad strain (vAc-Us9) was constructed using Bac-to-Bac expression system. A coding fragment of 435bp of Us9 gene was cloned into pFastBac-1 expression vector then transferred into the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVs) for expression f BoHV-1 US9 tegument protein. The PCR analysis of the recombinant virus confirmed the successful transposition of the expression cassette into the recombinant bacmid. The expressed US9 protein in infected cell culture was assayed using Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) in addition to SDS-PAGE and western blot using crude cell lysate. The US9 protein expressed in infected cell culture supernatant as well as cell lysate were used as a coating antigen in an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to examine its sensitivity for the detection of the specific antibodies that generated against BoHV-1. The effectiveness of using of the expressed US9 protein as antigen for anti-US9 detection in serum samples infected with BoHV-1 was discussed in details.
Modeling Spatial and Temporal pCO 2 Variability at 49°N/16.5°W and 56.5°N/52.6°W in the North Atlantic Ocean

Numerical models have been employed in understanding and capturing spatiotemporal CO2 trends, inter seasonal to decadal variability, and the characterization of thermal (pCO2-T) and non-thermal (pCO2-nonT) components of surface ocean pCO2 and air-sea CO2 flux variability. We employed the MIT Ocean General Circulation Model and available data from two sub polar North Atlantic observatories at 49°N, 16.5°W and 56.5°N, 52.6°W to capture in situ pCO2 observations and deconvolute bio-physical controlling processes. The model suggests that the pCCO2 cycle is marked by a summertime minimum and wintertime maximum. The physical-chemical and biological response pattern of the model is in good accordance with the observed pCO2, pCO2-T and pCO2-nonT trends. Model outputs suggest that the CO2 cycle is governed by contrasting effects of seasonal cooling and warming on one side and spring and summer net biology activities on the other side. It also predicts year-round under saturation, indicating that the region is a weak to moderate sink for CO2.
On the Robustness of Network Community Structure Under Addition of Edges

Communities represent important functional modules in networked systems. A key goal in preserving such communities is understanding their robustness under perturbations. Previous research has studied the impact of node removals and edge removals on the community structure. However, the impact of edge additions on the robustness of the community structure is relatively unknown. Edge additions or false positive edges may simulate measurement errors or external exceptional events that threaten the functionality of networked systems. Here, we study the impact of edge additions on the community structure using Lancichinetti-Fortunato-Radicchi (LFR) benchmark networks. We show that, for a ﬁxed network size, the impact of edge additions is greater on networks with initially weak community structure than on networks with strongly clustered structures. In addition, we ﬁnd that the perception of the impact is also dependent on the community detection algorithm used to uncover communities. In particular, we found that modularity-based methods such as Leiden and Louvain are less a ﬀ ected than information-theoretic and message passing-based methods such as Infomap and Label Propagation. Our results demonstrate that edge addition can (a) signiﬁcantly impact the community structure of networks based on their initial conditions, and (b) the perception of the impact is dependent on the community detection algorithm used. We describe limitations, open challenges, and how this methodology can inform the design of resilient networked systems under edge additions.
Vascular Reactivity Response Characteristics to Hypoxia

Oxygen is a necessary part of our everyday lives and is important for normal eye function. Blood flow through the retinal vasculature supplies oxygen to the inner retina. The resistance of the retinal vessels can change, increasing and decreasing blood flow by dilation and constriction of the vessel. The response of retinal hemodynamics to vasoactive stimuli is termed vascular reactivity. To investigate vascular reactivity characteristics, a system that prospectively targets a certain level of oxygen is employed. We characterize how the retinal vessels respond over time to hypoxia as well as define vascular reactivity to different oxygen concentrations in healthy participants. We demonstrate that the vessels increase diameter fully after 6 minutes and flow after 10 minutes. The relationship between retinal hemodynamics and arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) is demonstrated in healthy humans. Future studies should investigate these changes in diseased models to better understand when the retinal vasculature response may be insufficient. You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
Trident SSD: A Trident Single-Shot Multibox Object Detector with Deconvolution

Scale variation is one of the key challenges in the object detection area, which limits the precision of detection methods like Single shot multibox detector (SSD). This paper proposes a detection method based on SSD, which focuses on handling scale variation and better detection performance of small objects. Our method, called TridentSSD, have an architecture with three branches, which are respectively responsible for detecting different scales of objects, solving the problem of scale variation while training. Then we augment small object branch with deconvolution module and feature fusion methods to improve precision, especially for small object detection. During training, we modify the original matching rules to generate training samples. Consequently, we can use objects of different scales to train the corresponding branches respectively. Finally, Experiments have done on both PASCAL VOC2007 and VOC2012 datasets. Results show that, with an input size of 300×300, our TridentSSD achieves better performance compared to the benchmark method SSD.
Sublethal Effect of Quinalphos on Selected Blood Parameters of Labeo rohita (Ham.) Fingerlings

The blood parameters, total erythrocyte count (TEC), total leucocyte count (TLC), hemoglobin (Hb), blood glucose and serum protein, and size and surface area of erythrocytes of Labeo rohita exposed to two sublethal concentrations i.e 1.12 mg·l and 0.22 mg·l of quinalphos were studied. There was a decrease in the serum protein level (-20.42 to -53.03%) over control (p < 0.05) in both concentrations from at least day 15 to day 45. The blood glucose level and TLC were elevated compared to control (13.20 to 33.56% and 10.88 to 41.68%, respectively) in two sublethal concentrations from day 15 to day 45. The Hb% decreased from -23.79 to - 38.33% and TEC decreased from -2.87 to -11.32% in both sublethal concentrations.
Evolutionary Computation for Adaptive Quantum Device Design

As noisy intermediate‐scale quantum (NISQ) devices grow in number of qubits, determining good or even adequate parameter configurations for a given application, or for device calibration, becomes a cumbersome task. An evolutionary algorithm is presented here which allows for the automatic tuning of the parameters of any arrangement of coupled qubits, to perform a given task with high fidelity. The algorithm's use is exemplified with the generation of schemes for the distribution of quantum states and the design of multi‐qubit gates. The algorithm is demonstrated to converge very rapidly, yielding unforeseeable designs of quantum devices that perform their required tasks with excellent fidelities. Given these promising results, practical scalability, and application versatility, the approach has the potential to become a powerful technique to aid the design and calibration of NISQ devices.
Concept mapping impact on self-efficacy for enhancing students’ motivation and performance in biology

The impact of students’ self-efficacy beliefs about their academic performance and motivation in all stages of their academic endeavour has been a major concern to many researchers. It contributes greatly to the overall total development and success of the student even at their progression to the next level in their educational development. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the effect of using concept mapping strategy as an intervention strategy on the development of students’ self-efficacy beliefs about their motivation and performance in biology. One hundred and twenty students from two different Senior High Schools in Ashanti Region of Ghana were involved in the experiment. Two instruments, namely students’ self-efficacy and motivation questionnaire as well as students’ achievement test were used in the data collection and the results were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation, one-way ANOVA and multiple regression statistics. The findings of the study indicated that effective regular use of concept mapping strategy has a strong and positive influence on students’ self-efficacy beliefs about their development which enhances their motivation to learn and performance in biology.