Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fatty acid status and dietary intake of children and their caregivers from three distinct communities

Background: Dietary fat intake particularly of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids play an important role in growth and development and influence the risk of nutrition related non communicable diseases. These dietary intakes are reflected in the red blood cell (RBC) fatty acid profile. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the fatty acid profile (%) of red blood cell membrane phospholipids in relation to the dietary intake of South African children aged 2 to 5 years, and of their mothers/caregivers from three communities, each with distinct dietary patterns. Method: In this cross-sectional observational study, approximately 105 children, aged: 2-5 years and their mother/caregivers were selected from three different geographical areas. These included; the urban community of De Aar (n=105), the urban coastal community Ocean View (n=93) and the rural community of Sekhukhune District (n=104). The red blood cell membrane total phospholipid fatty acid profile was determined by gas chromatography. A 24-hour dietary recall was done for each child and mother/caregiver as well as a sociodemographic questionnaire answered by each mother/caregiver. The mean and standard deviations of the RBC fatty acids were determined and compared through an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test followed by a Bonferroni post hoc test. Age and gender were controlled for in the children and age was controlled for in the mothers/caregivers. The median dietary intake (quartile range) was compared between communities by a KruskalWallis test. The relationship between RBC membrane total phospholipid fatty acid profile and dietary fatty acid intake was done by stratifying the data for the three groups combined into tertiles according to RBC fatty acid profile and comparing the median (quartile range) of the dietary fatty acid intake in the different strata. Results: In the children, the total dietary fat, SFA and PUFA and omega-3 intake of De Aar (34.2%, 11.9%, 5.9% and 0.2% of energy, respectively) and Ocean View (33.0%, 11.2%, 7.4% and 0.2% of energy, respectively) was significantly different to Sekhukhune (19.9%, 6.5%, 3.0% and 0.1% of energy, respectively). Eicosaipentanoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) mean intake in children in all three sites was lower than recommended. In children from De Aar the RBC membrane total phospholipids contained significantly higher SFA and trans-fat percentages, while children in Sekhukhune District had significantly higher PUFA, omega-6 and omega-3 percentages. The linoleic acid (LA) profile in children from Ocean View was significantly higher than in those
The Association Between University Sport Participation and Well-Being of Former Athletes in Mid-Adulthood: A Focus on Prior Concussions and Type of Sport Played

Sport-related concussions and collision sport participation have been associated with long-term cognitive, neurobehavioural, and psychiatric issues. However, research to date has primarily examined former professional male athletes. This thesis examined the association between sport participation and well-being in middle-aged male and female former university athletes, with specific focus on prior concussions and sport type. Former athletes reported fewer depressive symptoms, greater mental and physical health, and higher life satisfaction than non-athletes. Former athletes with a history of concussion reported more anxiety symptoms than athletes without a history of concussion. Sport type (i.e., collision, contact, non-contact) was not associated with self-reported well-being after controlling for concussion history, gender, and age. Results suggest former athletes in mid-adulthood generally report greater well-being than nonathletes. Furthermore, compared to research examining former professional male athletes, prior concussions and participation in collision sports at the university level are not associated with profound negative health outcomes.
A review on biological control of post-harvest fungal diseases of fruits

A number of physical and chemical treatments have been evaluated for controlling post-harvest diseases. The physical treatment includes heat therapy, low temperature storage and radiation, while chemical treatment includes the use of chemical agents like antibiotics, growth regulators, fungicides, oils, chemicals and vapour emitting compounds. Biopesticides and their use in the control of plant diseases has become a modern trend in agriculture practice, which is termed as biological control. Biocontrol agents are found to be belonging to different groups of plants and microbes besides, which have been reported to be highly potent economical and eco-friendly for the successful control of plant pathogens.
An Examination of the Effects and Possible Targets of Nitric Oxide on Olfactory Neurons in the Moth, Manduca Sexta

The gaseous messenger, nitric oxide (NO), has emerged as a key component of olfactory systems. Localization and imaging studies in the moth, Manduca sexta, suggest that NO may affect the excitability of olfactory neurons by modifying neuronal membrane properties through sGC-dependent mechanisms. This hypothesis was tested using a multidisciplinary approach, including two types of physiological recording techniques and immunocytochemical analysis of sGC antibody expression in the Manduca brain. The excitability of large populations or individual antennal lobe (AL) neurons was monitored with in vivo physiological recordings while various NO pharmacological agents were bath applied to the brain. To examine possible targets of NO, the binding site of sGC was blocked and the results were compared to NO blockade. Finally, sGC immunocytochemistry was used to also determine possible targets of NO. Two NO synthesis inhibitors and a sGC blocker were potent effectors of resting, baseline activity in the Manduca brain. Blocking NO synthesis caused significant decreases in AL neuron conductance. This conductance decrease led to changes in baseline activity, including the appearance of bursts in some neurons, and increased and decreased firing rates in other neurons. Further, the neurons had a decreased responsiveness and excitability to presynaptic input. Blocking the sGC binding site caused similar effects in most neurons, which indicates that NO likely acts through sGCdependent signaling to exert its effects in at least a subset of neurons. However, some neurons had different responses to NO and sGC blockade, which indicates that NO may act through other signaling mechanisms in some neurons. Further examination using
PROSES BELAJAR KELOMPOK SADAR WISATA (POKDARWIS) DALAM PENGEMBANGAN KAMPOENG EKOWISATA

Proses Belajar Kelompok Sadar Wisata (POKDARWIS) Dalam Pengembangan Kampoeng Ekowisata. Tujuan penelitian ini ialah menjabarkan proses belajar yang dilakukan anggota Kelompok Sadar Wisata (POKDARWIS) dalam kegiatan pengembangan Kampoeng Ekowisata. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis penelitian studi kasus. Teknik yang digunakan peneliti ialah dengan teknik pengumpulan data wawancara, observasi dan dokumentasi serta audiovisual menjadi pendukung dari proses pengumpulan data. Analisis data ini dimulai dengan tahap pengumpulan data menggunakan teknik observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi, tahap reduksi data, tahap penarikan kesimpulan dengan pemeriksaan kebenaran data, tahap pemaparan data. Hasil penelitian dari proses tersebut ialah masyarakat mendapatkan ilmu akan sadar wisata dan Sapta Pesona, pengembangan akan wahana wisata desa, dan membuka peluang bagi wisatawan untuk berkunjung ke Kampoeng Ekowisata
Diversity and characteristics of green natural fodders sold in the city of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, West Africa

In Burkina Faso, small ruminants of urban cities are generally fed during all the seasons with marketed green natural fodders. This study was carried out to understand the functioning of these fodders marketing in the city of Ouagadougou and to inventory fodder species used in order to establish their chemical composition and their intensity of infestation in gastrointestinal nematodes. Thus, Investigations were conducted in six sites in rainy season, in cold dry season and in hot dry season (march-may). Analysis of collected data revealed 15 species of green natural fodders marketed and composed of 8 gramineous and 7 leguminous. These species belong to 9 botanical families among which the Poaceae is the most dominant with 8 species and within which Pennisetum pedicelatum was the most available (25.2 %). Besides, parasitological analysis made did not find gastrointestinal nematode larvae’s (L 3) on the inventoried fodders. The chemical analysis indicate important average contents of organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) in gramineous (82.2 – 91.0 % and 6.5 – 17.4 %) and leguminous (83.8 – 90.6 % and 8.7 – 21.3 %). Therefore, all inventoried green fodders could improve the productions of small ruminants raised in all season through a good supplementation strategy.
EVALUACION DE LA CALIDAD DE LA CEPA DE Arfemia LAS CUMARAGUAS, PARAGUANA, VENEZUELA EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF THE STRAIN OF Artemia LAS CUMARAGUAS, PARAGUANA, VENEZUELA

Qrality evaluation tests were done on thc strain of ArtemIa I,as Cumaraguas, Paraguarra, Venezuela. in terms of cyst and naupliar (Instar 1) biomctrics, as wcll as percentage. efficicncy, rate and productivity of hatching. Bi-monthly sampling of cysts was carricd out from January to Scptcmber IYY 1. Simultaneously. temperature and salinity were measured. Averagc hydrated cyst diameter was 238,. 14 um (s.d. f 0.012). Average length of the nauplii (Instar 1) was 438.69 um (s.d. ? 0.028) and avcrage chorion thickness 1 1.36 um (s.d. + 0.012). Avcragc hatching pcrcentage and efficicncy wcrc 81.25% (s.d. + 3.27) and 203.505 naupliiig (s.d. ? 20.95). respectively. As to hatching rate, ‘f,,,, was observed at 24.14 hours sud the hatching synchrony was obtained at 10.7 hours. Ilatching productivity ranged from 184.3 to 354.53 mgig of cysts. Results rcveal the potentiality of Artemia irom Las Cumaraguas and its possible use in aquaculture.
Environmental and Metabolic Animal Physiology

Partial table of contents: Water and Ions (L. Kirschner). Temperature (C. Prosser). Hydrostatic Pressure and Adaptations to the Deep Sea (G. Somero). Feeding and Digestion (C. Prosser). Nutrition (J. Morris). Excretory Nitrogen Metabolism (J. Campbell). Design of Energy Metabolism (P. Hochachka). Respiration and Metabolism (W. Burggren & J. Roberts). Respiratory Functions of Blood (W. Burggren, et al.). Circulation of Body Fluids (A. Farrell). Index.
Detection of point mutations in the dystrophin gene

The dystrophin gene has been localised to Xp 21.1. Mutations of this gene can lead to the clinical manifestations of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD). In the majority of DMD and BMD patients the disease-causing mutation is a deletion detectable by southern analysis or multiplex PCB, however in 30% of patients no deletion is observed using these conventional tests. Using PCR amplification of eDNA it was possible to detect a deletion in the product of the dystrophin gene of one such individual affected with BMD. It was then necessary to characterise the mutation in order to determine whether this was the disease-causing mutation. The mutation was found to be a point mutation by genomic sequencing at the donor splice site consensus sequence of intron 19. This resulted in alternate splicing of exon 19, two mANA transcripts being produced one with exon 19 and the other without. This was determined sufficient to cause BMD in the family. It was then necessary to provide an easy and efficient diagnostic test in order to determine the carrier status of females and also to provide those females determined to be carriers with an accurate prenatal diagnostic test. A new technique, single strand conformation polymorphism, performed on genomic DNA provided evidence of conformational difference between the affected allele and the normal allele. Allele specific primers were also designed and optimised. These primers, 19FA and 19FC, only varied at one base, one being the "normal" allele primer and the other the "affected" allele primer. The amplified product using primers for the normal and the affected allele were then run on agarose gels and
RT-PCR technique and its applications.State-of the-art

The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is one of the most sensitive methods for the detection and quantitation of mRNA. It is widely used for quantification of mRNA levels and is useful tool for basic research, agriculture, medicine and biotechnology. Introduction of Real-time technique significantly improves rapidity, sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of RTPCR method. Real-time PCR detects and quantifies nucleic acids even from live and dead pathogens or cells. This review discusses the background, advantages and limitations of conventional and Realtime RT-PCR methods for quantitation of gene expression and its application in basic, agricultural and biomedical research.
Exploring the fold space preferences of ancient and newborn protein superfamilies

Protein evolution is a complex and diverse process, yielding an incredible assortment of biological functions and pathways occurring in the cells of living organisms. The way in which a protein's structure is constrained by its functional role and its notable conservation across even distant evolutionary relationships highlight structure as an important unit when considering the evolutionary dynamics of proteins. This thesis attempts to place the structural landscape of the protein universe within an evolutionary framework. We investigate potential evolutionary histories of protein superfamilies by introducing an age, which estimates when the ancestor of that superfamily first evolved. The range of ages of known protein superfamilies goes right back to those which evolved before the diversification of life into three major superkingdoms. The structures of these proteins are varied but those which have evolved more recently tend to be shorter and have a less elaborate globular packing. Protein structures sit within a complex global landscape of three-dimensional folds and we attempt to model the dynamics of this space using networks of folds. These networks consist of a structurally diverse core of folds with older ages, and neighbouring folds tend to be of similar ages. Moreover, there are a few pivotal folds which appear repeatedly as central in the landscapes, connecting together otherwise disparate portions of the space. Sequence profiles which capture patterns of conservation and variation amongst naturally occurring proteins within a superfamily can be compared to identify distant evolutionary relationships. The power of these profiles to detect such relationships is improved by seeding them with structural alignments. A landscape of evolutionary links crossing between different protein folds is presented.
Use of DNA-based methods for the identification of minute wasps of the genus Trichogramma.

Keywords: Trichogramma, DNA-based identification key, ITS 2, rDNA.SummaryThe phylogeny of the genus Trichograrnina is not clear. As a taxonomic tool, weare testing molecular techniques based on PCR followed by sequencing of rDNA internaltranscribed spacer (ITS). On the basis of these sequences we hope to construct a per-based determination key, using either specific per-primers, characteristic restrictionfragment length polymorphism (RFLP), or a combination of both, so an’ laboratorypossessing a PCR-machinecan identify Trichogram.ina species.INTRODUCTIONEgg parasitoids of the genus Trichograrnina
Proteomic analyses of kidney glomerular extracellular matrix in health and disease

Glomerular filtration is a vital physiological process removing waste products from the circulation and this process occurs across the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB). The cells and extracellular matrix (ECM), which form this barrier, are exposed to forces during ultrafiltration and special adaptation is required to withstand these forces. Dysfunction in cellular adhesion machinery or ECM assembly within the GFB causes loss of selective glomerular filtration, however, the mechanisms governing these processes are poorly understood. To this end we sought to characterise the glomerular ECM and adhesion machinery using high throughput mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics.MS of human glomerular ECM identified a highly complex extracellular niche, revealing the potential involvement of novel ECM proteins in glomerular development and disease processes. Furthermore we identified that glomerular cells in culture had distinct ECM proteomes and interestingly, coculture experiments demonstrated that the ECM proteome was influenced by cellular crosstalk and had a closer resemblance to glomerular ECM in vivo. Protein network analyses of in vivo and in vitro ECM datasets revealed a common core of highly connected structural ECM proteins that may be important for glomerular ECM assembly. To understand how this ECM proteome altered in disease, we studied mice with mild glomerular dysfunction. Here, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses identified alterations in ECM composition and 3D electron microscopy revealed striking ultrastructural changes in glomerular ECM. MS-based proteomics was next applied to the analysis of glomerular podocyte adhesion complexes, leading to the discovery that the actin cytoskeletal regulators and trafficking machinery are recruited to adhesions sites in an ECM-ligand dependent manner. Furthermore, these differences functionally altered cell shape and adhesion strength. These same analyses were applied to podocyte cell-cell junctions, revealing an unexpected overlap of cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesion machinery.Overall, these findings demonstrate for the first time the complexity of the glomerular ECM and adhesion signalling complexes and reinforce the benefits of global, unbiased experimental approaches. In addition the results suggest that glomerular ECM composition, organisation and adhesion signalling are context dependent, and therefore, represent potential therapeutic targets.
Engineering antibodies to study and improve immunomagnetic isolation of tumour cells

Cell separation based on antibody-targeted magnetic beads has been widely used in a number of applications in immunology, microbiology, oncology and more recently, in the isolation of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in cancer patients. Although other cell separation techniques such as size based cell filtration and Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting have also been in popular use, immunomagnetic cell isolation possesses the advantages of high throughput, good specificity and reduced cell stress. However, certain fundamental features of the cell-bead interface are still unknown. In this study, some of the key features of the cell-bead synapse were investigated in an effort to improve the efficiency of immunomagnetic cell isolation and reduce its dependence on high expressing cell surface markers. A clinically relevant antibody fragment (Fab) against tyrosine kinase receptor HER2 was applied to study the immunomagnetic isolation of HER2 expressing cancer cells. First, the minimum number of target proteins required on a cell for it to be isolated was determined. Second, the importance of the primary antibody affinity was investigated, using a series of Fab mutants with known kinetics and it was shown that despite starting with sub-nanomolar affinity, improving Fab affinity increased cell isolation. Third, the influence of the connection between the primary antibody and the bead was studied by comparing Fab bridged to the magnetic bead via a secondary antibody, Protein L or streptavidin; the high affinity biotin-streptavidin linkage increased isolation sensitivity by an order of magnitude. Fourth, the effect of manipulating cytoskeletal polymerization and cell membrane fluidity using small molecules was tested; cholesterol depletion decreased isolation and cholesterol loading increased cell isolation. The insights from these observations were then applied to isolate a panel of cell lines expressing a wide range of surface HER2. While the standard approach isolated less than 10% of low HER2 expressing cancer cells from spiked rabbit and human blood, our enhanced approach with the optimized cholesterol level, antibody affinity and antibody-bead linkage could specifically isolate more than 80% of such cells. The final part of this work focussed on developing an antibody clamp that could physically restrict the antigen within its binding site on the Fab and prevent antigen dissociation, using the HER2-Fab complex and the anti-myc peptide antibody 9E10. Work from this thesis provides useful insights into the molecular and cellular parameters guiding immunomagnetic cell isolation and can be used to extend the range of target receptors and biomarkers for tumour cell isolation and other types of cell separation, thereby enhancing the power and capacity of this approach.
Role of the PAS2 domain of the NifL regulatory protein in redox signal transduction

Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domains play a critical role in signal transduction in multidomain proteins by sensing diverse environmental signals and regulating the activity of output domains. Multiple PAS domains are often found within a single protein. However, the role of duplicate PAS domains in signalling is poorly understood. The NifL regulatory protein from Azotobacter vinelandii provides a typical example as it contains tandem PAS domains, the most N-terminal of which, PAS1, binds a FAD co-factor and is responsible for redox sensing, whereas the second PAS domain, PAS2, has no apparent co-factor and its function is unknown. NifL regulates the activity of the transcriptional activator, NifA, in response to changes in redox potential and fixed nitrogen status. Here, genetic and biochemical approaches were used to investigate the role of the PAS2 domain in the function of the NifL protein. Amino acid substitutions in the PAS2 domain were identified that either lock NifL in a form that constitutively inhibits NifA or that fail to respond to the redox status, suggesting that PAS2 plays a pivotal role in transducing the redox signal from PAS1 to the C-terminal output domains of NifL. A combination of biochemical experiments indicates that the isolated PAS2 domain is dimeric in solution. It was observed that PAS2 dimerisation is maintained in the redox signal transduction mutants, but is inhibited by substitutions in PAS2 that lock NifL in the inhibitory conformer. Limited proteolysis experiments suggest that the PAS2 substitutions influence conformational changes induced in response to the redox state of the FAD co-factor in the PAS1 domain. Further, mutagenic analysis of an inter-domain linker helix that connects the PAS domains of NifL suggests that this region of the protein is important in redox signalling. Overall, these results support a model for signal transduction in NifL, whereby redox-dependent conformational changes in PAS1 are relayed to the C-terminal output domains via changes in the quaternary structure of the PAS2 domain.
Temporal lobe epilepsy: a combined study with high field (7T) Magnetic Resonance Imaging and optical and ultrastructural histopathology

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to investigate the abnormalities of cortical lamination observed in temporal lobe specimens obtained during surgery for intractable TLE with hippocampal sclerosis. Specifically, we aimed 1) to correlate high-field ex-vivo MR imaging with histopathological analysis and 2) to evaluate the effect of tissue fixation on image contrast.