Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 192Arg Variant of the Human Paraoxonase (HUMPONA) Gene Polymorphism Is Associated With an Increased Risk for Coronary Artery Disease in the Japanese

Abstract Recent reports have suggested that polymorphisms in the human paraoxonase (HUMPONA) gene may be a genetic risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) in white populations. However, this association has not yet been confirmed in other ethnic populations. We studied 75 Japanese patients with CAD, whose coronary lesions were confirmed by angiography, and 115 Japanese control subjects with no history of CAD and a normal resting electrocardiogram. The assays for genotyping the two polymorphisms in the HUMPONA gene (192Arg/Gln and 55Leu/Met) were based on changes in restriction enzyme digestion patterns. For codon 192, the frequencies of the Arg-coding allele (B allele) in both patients and control subjects were much higher than those from published results of whites (.26 to .31), and the difference between patients (.74) and control subjects (.59) was statistically significant (P=.002). The patient group had a higher proportion of Arg/Arg (B/B) homozygotes (52.0% vs 32.2%, P=.006). For codon 55, the.
A quadratic linear-parabolic model-based classification to detect epileptic EEG seizures

The two-point central difference is a common algorithm in biological signal processing and is particularly useful in analyzing physiological signals. In this paper, we develop a model-based classification method to detect epileptic seizures that relies on this algorithm to filter EEG signals. The underlying idea is to design an EEG filter that enhances the waveform of epileptic signals. The filtered signal is fitted to a quadratic linear-parabolic model using the curve fitting technique. The model fitting is assessed using four statistical parameters, which are used as classification features with a random forest algorithm to discriminate seizure and non-seizure events. The proposed method was applied to 66 epochs from the Children Hospital Boston database. Results show that the method achieves fast and accurate detection of epileptic seizures, with a 92% sensitivity, 96% specificity, and 94.1% accuracy.
New insights into the Symbiodinium life cycle and strain interactions

Symbiodinium is a dinoflagellate that establishes a mutualistic relationship with a range of marine invertebrates. The symbiosis between Symbiodinium spp. and corals is of particular ecological and socio-economical importance. Over the last decades, corals have been suffering increasingly from anthropogenic stressors. In order to predict the resilience of corals in a changing environment, detailed knowledge on the symbiotic partners and their complex interactions is vital. Two critical gaps in the knowledge on Symbiodinium biology and ecology are: i) incomplete information on its life history, especially on its sexual reproduction and ii) lack of information on direct cell-cell interactions, which are commonly found in free-living dinoflagellate species. This study aimed at addressing these two aspects in cultures of Symbiodinium spp. grown ex situ. For this, a collection of clonal cultures was established. Based on light/ epifluorescence microscopy and crossing experiments between different strains from this collection, several new life cycle stages could be identified and first direct observational evidence for a sexual life cycle in Symbiodinium spp. could be found. Experiments on cell-cell interactions revealed different interactions at the interand intra-cladal level and between different life cycle stages. In one pair of interacting strains, the effects of direct cell-cell contact on growth characteristics were studied by flow cytometry. Generally, strain interactions had positive effects on growth rates but negative effects on carrying capacity. However, the strains in the co-culture were not affected equally by the presence of the competing strain.
ON THE RESULTS OF USING INTERACTIVE EDUCATION METHODS IN TEACHING PROBABILITY THEORY

The impact of a complex of interactive computer algebra system (CAS) based methods with usage of supplementary education materials (e.g., interactive presentations, computer modeling patterns and supplementary home tasks prepared in CAS Mathematica) on the education outcomes in the subject “Probability theory and mathematical statistics” was estimated. A comparative analysis of education outcomes for two groups of third-year students of engineering specialization taught in Bauman Moscow State Technical University was carried out. Group I of 72 students was taught in the year 2016-17 using teaching methods including only lectures and seminars, without usage of supplementary interactive materials. A written control work was chosen as a tool of examination; its results were used as a means of assessment of education outcomes achieved by the students in the first module “Probability theory” of the semester course. The results demonstrated by Group I proved not to be satisfactory for achieving the aims of education: successful continuation of learning the next modules, and further usage in professional practice. After detailed analysis of the students’ works and interviewing them, the basic difficulties in understanding and interpretation of the tasks were clarified. Consequently, Group II of 70 students taught in the year 2017-18 in the same specialization as Group I, was provided with new variants of home tasks and supplementary sets of interactive materials to study on lectures and seminars, as well as for independent study at home. The students of Group II have demonstrated significantly higher outcomes as compared to the students of Group I. Key words: CAS – computer algebra system, CAS Mathematica, education outcomes, education statistics, mathematical education, probability theory, teaching methods.
Preliminary evaluation of breeding perspectives of Ukrainian sweet cherry cultivars: nutraceutical properties and self-incompatibility

Stone fruits consumption is expected to rise worldwide, since consumers pay more and more attention for their health. Therefore, natural foods having enhanced functional properties may be popular in the future. The increased consumption of fresh fruits has several health-promoting effects. Because of their high antioxidant capacity, fresh fruit reduce the risk of several degenerative diseases (i.a. cancer, stroke, cardiovascular diseases) (Liu, 2003; Scalzo et al., 2005; Dauchet & Dallongeville, 2008). Among stone fruits, sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is one of the most popular fruit containing considerable levels of ascorbic acid and polyphenolics (Serrano et al., 2005; Usenik et al., 2008). One of the most important polyphenolics in sweet cherry is anthocyanin. Fruits’ anthocyanin content can be easily assessed from the red colour intensity of fruit peel and flesh. Some cultivars produce dark red or black fruits due to high contents of anthocyanins, while others contain only limited quantities from this compound. Comparing the antioxidant power of cultivars with differently coloured fruits may increase the popularity of formerly important traditional cultivars. Most commercial sweet cherry cultivars are selfincompatible, which require another cultivar with different Sgenotype for economically acceptable fruit set. Currently, 41 cross-incompatibility groups (CIG) are known (I-XLI) (Gisbert et al., 2008; Marchese et al., 2007; Schuster et al., 2007; Stanys et al., 2008; Tobutt et al. 2004). The members of such CIGs will not give eligible fruit set if interplanted in an orchard without another compatible cultivar. Different lengths of both introns in the S-RNase alleles have been successfully used to identify S-alleles in sweet cherry genotypes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Sonneveld et al., 2001, 2003;Wiersma et al., 2001). Sweet cherry displays great phenotypic and genetic diversity in Eastern Europe including Ukraine. Some cultivars were traditionally popular in the member states of the former Soviet Union (‘Tavrichanka’, ‘Melitopolskaya’ or ‘Valeriy Chkalov’ etc.) and hence were intensively used in breeding programs during the past decades. Since many fruit characteristics of these cultivars are still unknown (e.g. anthocyanin content, antioxidant properties), their inclusion into modern breeding programs may hold opportunities. In the present study we characterized some nutraceutical properties of eight Ukrainian cultivars and compared them to Preliminary evaluation of breeding perspectives of Ukrainian sweet cherry cultivars: nutraceutical properties and self-incompatibility
Flavonoids Differentially Influence Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities from Native and Introduced Lespedeza Roots

Military training can create disturbances that facilitate invasive plant establishment. Introduced plant species’ interactions with soil microbial communities through root exudates often aid plants in colonizing new locales. This study tested the hypothesis that rhizosphere bacterial communities associated with the native legume, Lespedeza virginica, and the non-native legume, Lespedeza cuneata, respond differently to plant-exuded molecules. Bacterial communities collected from coexisting populations of the two species were grown in the presence of four separate flavonoids at four concentrations. Following 96 hours of incubation, DNA was recovered from the enrichment cultures and analyzed using next-generation sequencing. In cultures receiving a flavonoid, L. virginica enrichments were characterized by a greater operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness and exhibited a dose-response relationship to one of the flavonoids. The L. cuneata enrichments were characterized by a decreased OTU richness. Bacterial genera containing known pathogenic taxa occurred at a significantly greater relative frequency in L. cuneata enrichments than in the L. virginica enrichments. However, calculation of a species diversity index indicated greater OTU diversity in the L. cuneata enrichments across all four flavonoid treatments. These results indicate the rhizosphere microbial communities of co-existing L. cuneata and L. virginica legumes exhibit different responses when exposed to plant communication molecules. DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising, publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial products. All product names and trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners. The findings of this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents. DESTROY THIS REPORT WHEN NO LONGER NEEDED. DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE ORIGINATOR.
Effect of low-temperature storage on the life history parameters and voracity of Hippodamia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

For biological control it is necessary to store mass-reared biological control agents when the demand is low. The objective of this study is to increase their shelf life without significantly reducing their fitness. The ladybird Hippodamia variegata is a widespread and voracious aphidophagous predator, with an important role in decreasing the abundance of pest aphids in many parts of the world. We investigated the effect of storage at three temperatures: constant 1Â°C, constant 6Â°C, and an alternating thermal regime of 12Â°C/0Â°C (the higher temperature for 12 h and the lower one for another 12 h). They were exposed to each of the temperature regimes for either 15, 25, 35, 45 or 60 days. We recorded survival, pre-oviposition period, fecundity and voracity of adult H. variegata following storage. The survival of adult beetles significantly declined with increasing storage duration at all three temperatures. Storage at 6Â°C up to 35 days and at 12Â°C/0Â°C up to 45 days had no significant effects on the fecundity of the ladybirds, but storage for longer significantly decreased fecundity. Beetles stored at 1Â°C for any of the durations had significantly lower fecundities. Prolonged cold storage caused an increase in the pre-oviposition period at all storage temperatures. Generally, 6Â°C and 12Â°C/0Â°C are the best temperatures for storing the ladybirds as they had the least negative effect on their fitness. The results of this research can help in improving the quality of H. variegata stored for use as biological control agents in the following season.
Mechanical Activation of Valvular Interstitial Cell Phenotype: A Dissertation

During heart valve remodeling, and in many disease states, valvular interstitial cells (VICs) shift to an activated myofibroblast phenotype which is characterized by enhanced synthetic and contractile activity. Pronounced alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA)containing stress fibers, the hallmark of activated myofibroblasts, are also observed when VICs are placed under tension due to altered mechanical loading in vivo or during in vitro culture on stiff substrates or under high mechanical loads and in the presence of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1). The work presented herein describes three distinct model systems for application of controlled mechanical environment to VICs cultured in vitro. The first system uses polyacrylamide (PA) gels of defined stiffness to evaluate the response of VICs over a large range of stiffness levels and TGF-β1 concentration. The second system controls the boundary stiffness of cell-populated gels using springs of defined stiffness. The third system cyclically stretches soft or stiff twodimensional (2D) gels while cells are cultured on the gel surface as it is deformed. Through the use of these model systems, we have found that the level of 2D stiffness required to maintain the quiescent VIC phenotype is potentially too low for a material to both act as matrix to support cell growth in the non-activated state and also to withstand the mechanical loading that occurs during the cardiac cycle. Further, we found that increasing the boundary stiffness on a three-dimensional (3D) cell populated collagen gel resulted in increased cellular contractile forces, αSMA expression, and collagen gel (material) stiffness. Finally, VIC morphology is significantly altered in response to
Interleukin -10 – 1082A/G single nucleotide polymorphism and risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Southwestern population of Nigeria

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic, multifactorial disease caused by genetic, dietary and environmental interactions with alterations in the pattern of cytokine expression. Association between interleukin (IL)-10 polymorphism and T2DM is not known in Black Af-ricans. This study therefore investigates the relationship between IL-10 -1082A/G polymorphism and risk of T2DM in Southwest Nigeria. Methods: 100 patients with T2DM and 105 healthy controls were enrolled. Anthropomet-ric indices were measured and fasting blood sample was obtained from all subjects. Plasma glucose and lipid profile were estimated by standard laboratory procedures. IL-10 (-1082A/G) gene polymorphism was genotyped using Allele Refractory Mutation detection System-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ARMS-PCR) technique. Odds ratio analysis (95%CI) was used to determine association between genotype and diabetes mellitus in studied subjects. Results: T2DM patients had the highest frequency of IL 10 -1082G/G genotype (58.3%) while -1082AG frequency was highest (63.1%) in non-diabetics. Non- significant associations between IL 10 -1082 gene polymorphism and T2DM risk (for AG genotype: OR=0.95, 95%CI =0.19-4.2, p = 0.95; for GG genotype: OR=0.49, 95%CI = 0.10-2.41, p = 0.38) were recorded. Fasting plasma glucose, 2hours post-prandial, total cholesterol and triglyceride were all significantly elevated in IL 10 -1082G/G than AG and AA genotypes in T2DM subjects (p<0.001). Expression of A allele was higher in controls than DM patients . Conclusion: This case-control study did not find a significant association between IL 10-1082A/G polymorphism and T2DM; however further studies with larger sample size and IL-10 plasma level meas-urement will be recommended to validate this observation.
EDUCATIONAL POTENTIAL OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS: GENDER AND CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS

The social media technologies are blurring the boundaries between formal and informal/non-formal learning and provide new educational opportunities. Recent work shows that online social networks provide various kinds of educational support, such as social learning, informal/non-formal education, information, interaction, and collaboration. The aim of this research was to analyze the gender and cross-country differences in the perception of the educational opportunities provided by Facebook. The educational opportunities have been specified as a global factor that manifests along four dimensions: information, collaboration, personal development, and professional development. The model has been tested on two samples of university students, one from Romania and the other from Lithuania. An analysis of invariance has been carried on that shows that the educational opportunities model is invariant across groups. The results showed that female students have a higher perception of the educational opportunities provided by Facebook. Keywords: cross-country differences, educational opportunities, gender differences, invariance analysis, online social networks.
Effects of 1-MCP and dynamic controlled atmosphere on apple fruit rot caused by Fusarium avenaceum

SUMMARY Fusarium species are increasingly detected as the causal agents of decay of stored apple fruits. Fusarium avenaceum is particularly significant due to its predominant occurrence among Fusarium species in stored apple fruits and its ability to produce mycotoxins. Treatments with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and different storage conditions affect the aggressiveness of F. avenaceum and development of fungal-caused decay in stored apple fruits. In this study, apple fruits (cv. ‘Granny Smith’) were treated with 1-MCP, and artificially inoculated with F. a venaceum . The isolate used for inoculation, originating from apple fruit, was identified based on morphological characteristics and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a species-specific primer pair (FA-ITSF and FA-ITSR) for F. avenaceum . After inoculation, treated and untreated fruits were stored at room temperature and cold-stored under dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA). Diameters of necrotic lesions were measured after 7, 14 and 21 days of incubation on fruits stored at room temperature, while necrosis diameters on DCA-stored fruits were measured immediately at the end of storage period (143 days), and after 7, 14 and 21 days of additional incubation at room temperature. The results show that treatment with 1-MCP inhibits the development of F. avenaceum on apple fruits during storage under DCA. However, after storage, i.e. during incubation at room temperature, no significant difference between 1-MCP-treated and untreated fruits was observed. On fruits stored at room temperature only, no difference between 1-MCP-treated and untreated fruits was observed. However, 1-MCP-treated fruits stored at room temperature only developed significantly smaller necrosis lesions compared to 1-MCP-treated and DCA stored fruits. It infers that both 1-MCP treatment and DCA storage inhibit fungal decay caused by F. avenaceum on apple fruits. However, the effects do not persist after storage.
Effects of Fusarium avenaceum and Rhizoctonia solani on the growth of soybean in saline soils1

Abstract: Soybean (Glycine max) acreage on the Canadian Prairies has increased rapidly in recent years. Production has expanded into semiarid regions where irrigation and drainage problems often result in the accumulation of salts in the soil. Fusarium avenaceum and Rhizoctonia solani are the two dominant pathogens in the disease complex that cause root rot and seedling blight of legume crops on the Canadian Prairies. The effects of F. avenaceum or R. solani in combination with soil salinity on soybean root rot were evaluated under greenhouse and mini-plot conditions. As expected, inoculation with F. avenaceum or R. solani consistently reduced seedling emergence and increased root rot severity in soybean. At high soil electrical conductivity values and inoculum densities, seedling emergence decreased and root rot severity increased in soybean in both trials with F. avenaceum and R. solani. Twenty short-season soybean cultivars that were well suited for production in Alberta were evaluated for their reactions to inoculation with F. avenaceum or R. solani in a saline soil (21.1 dS m-1). High seedling emergence was observed for cultivars 900Y61, P002T04R, 900Y01, TH27005RR, P001T34R, and 900Y81 in the non-inoculated control, for P002T04R and 900Y61 in the F. avenaceum treatment, and for 900Y61, 900Y81, and 900Y71 in the R. solani treatment. Root rot severity was low for cultivars NSC Portage and 900Y61 in the non-inoculated control and P002T004R in the F. avenaceum treatment. The cultivar 900Y61 also consistently had lower disease severity over the trials in the mini-plot test.
Validity and reproducibility of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire for the assessment of riboflavin intake in Malaysian women in Selangor

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) specifically developed for the assessment of riboflavin intake among Malaysian women in Selangor. Methods: The study was carried out in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), which consisted of 204 healthy women (102 Chinese and 102 Malay) aged between 19 and 45 years. The FFQs were interviewer-administered, which were completed twice; at the beginning of the study (FFQ-1) and two weeks thereafter (FFQ-2). A two-day 24-hour dietary recall (24DR) was interviewer-administered as the standard criteria method. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed ranks test, Spearman correlation coefficient (SCC), intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots to determine the validity and reproducibility. Results: Median riboflavin intake derived from 24DRs was significantly higher than FFQ-2 (p<0.01). Both FFQ-1 and FFQ-2 correlated significantly (p<0.01) with 24DRs with r-value of 0.264 and 0.227, respectively. As for reproducibility between FFQs, SCC value was statistically significant (p<0.01) at 0.545 whereby ICC value was 0.752, which considered as good. Most data points fell between the limits of agreements and were found closer to the horizontal line in the middle. However, the plots showed no linear trend existed between FFQ and 24DR over the range of mean riboflavin intake. Conclusion: The newly developed FFQ were found to be valid and relatively reproducible in the assessment of riboflavin intake among Malaysian women in Selangor.
A PEG 4000-degrading and hexavalent molybdenum-reducing Pseudomonas putida strain Egypt-15

The objectives of this work were to isolate and characterise a heavy metal-reducing bacterium with the capability to degrade another xenobiotic; an organic pollutant. Six molybdenum-reducing bacteria from soil that can reduce sodium molybdate into the colloidal molybdenum blue (Mo-blue) were isolated. One of these isolates identified as Pseudomonas putida strain Egypt-15 was capable of growing on PEG 4000. The optimal conditions for Mo-blue production were 34 °C, pH 6.5, 20 mM molybdate, and glucose as the electron donor. The optimum concentration supporting the growth on PEG 4000 was between 600 and 800 mgL-1. PEG degradation showed a lag period of about two days and 75 % degradation of PEG 4000 was achieved on day six at 800 mgL-1. Growth on PEG 4000 at 800 mgL-1 modelled according to the modified Gompertz model gave a maximum specific growth rate of 2.216 d-1 and a lag period of 1.45 days. Growth on PEG was optimum at 30 °C and pH 7.5. The dual ability of this bacterium to detoxify molybdenum and degrade PEG is novel and will be very useful for bioremediation.