Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Comparison of Spectrophotometric and TLC-Densitometric for DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity Analysis of Three Medicinal Plant Extracts

In this research, Thin Layer Chromatography-Densitometry has proven to be a good method for analyzing 1, 1 diphenyl 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, since this approach displayed the similar trends with UV-Vis spectrophotometric method. Three medicinal plants collected from Semarang used to evaluate both methods. The IC50 value ranged from 25.26 - 4913.74 ppm shown by UV-Vis spectrophotometric and 24.74 – 4674.61 ppm using TLC-Densitometric. Meniran Dechlorophyllated (Phyllanthus niruri) provides the strongest antioxidant activity and the weakest de-chlorophylated parsley (Petroselinum crispum). The paired sample t-test points from a non-dechlorophylation extract using the TLC densitometry test significantly gives a lower IC50 value than the UV spectrophotometry method-has. The maximum increase of peak area under the UV light 365 nm up to 56.08 %. This evidence supports the presumption that the scavenging radical DPPH caused not only decreasing the maximum absorbance under UV light 516 nm but also increasing the absorbance under UV light ± 365 nm.
Molecular markers reveal genetic contamination of endangered freshwater pearl mussels in pearl culture farms in Japan

Phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial DNA (Cox2-Cox1) and nuclear DNA (ITS1) were performed on a critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel, Hyriopsis schlegeli, endemic to Lake Biwa, Japan, and a closely related Chinese species H. cumingii, which was introduced to Japan approximately 30 years ago. Using samples of typical H. schlegeli and H. cumingii, clear genetic differences between the two species were recognized in both molecular markers. Surveys of the genetic compositions of freshwater pearl mussels showed evidences of hybridization between the two species in culture farms in Lakes Kasumigaura and Biwa. Given that pearl culture farms are not completely isolated from natural water systems in Lake Biwa, these findings suggest that native H. schlegeli might be threatened by hybridization with H. cumingii. The wild population in Lake Anenuma, Aomori Prefecture, Japan would be the only remaining ‘pure’ population of H. schlegeli free from hybridization and therefore be very important for conservation, although it originated from escaped cultured mussels.
AFLP analysis on genetic relationship among Rheum tanguticum, Rheum palmatum, and Rheum officinale.

Objective To investigate the genetic relationship of three traditional medicinal rhubarbs(Rheum tanguticum,R.palmatum,and R.officinale.Methods Amplified fragment length polymorphism(AFLP) technology and NTSYSpc-2.11F software were used to study and analyze the affinity between 44 wild or cultivated medicinal rhubarbs from different provenances.Results The 1 255 bands were amplified by polymerase chain reactions with eight screened and reliable primers.Among them 1 209(96.2%) bands showed polymorphic.The 44 different rhubarbs were categorized into two groups by cluster analysis.R.tanguticum belonged to Group Ⅰ,while R.palmatum and R.officinale were clustered to Group Ⅱ. In addition,there were some specific bands among all amplification bands.This result indicated the rhubarbs originated from the different species and provenances had specific DNA bands and may be authenticated according to the characteristics.Conclusion Compared to R.tanguticum,the genetic relationship between R.palmatum and R.offcinale is closer.AFLP Technique is proved to be a very effective method to study the genetic relationships of medicinal rhubarbs.
«NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING» FOR STUDYING TRANSCRIPTOME PROFILES OF TISSUES AND ORGANS OF GARDEN PEA (Pisum sativum L.) (review)

Abstract The term «Next Generation Sequencing» refers to modern technologies that help to obtain information about the nucleotide composition of tens and hundreds of millions of sequences in one experiment. NGS technologies are used to solve a wide range of problems (genome sequencing, gene expression assays, development of molecular markers, metagenomic studies of microbial communi-ties, epigenetic studies etc.). One of the major applications of the NGS methods is concerned with analysis of gene expression by sequencing of transcriptome (the whole set of transcribed RNA). The review considers the approaches used for total gene expression analysis by «Next Generation Se-quencing» — RNAseq (RNA sequencing) and its modification MACE (Massive Analysis of cDNA Ends). In this modification, developed by GenXPro GmbH (Frankfurt am Main, Germany), for each cDNA molecule only a 100-500 bp fragment (which is adjacent to the 3´-end of the transcript or, in another version, to its 5´-end) is subjected to sequencing; thus, the resolution of the method is increased by several times. In this way, MACE can capture the transcripts with low expression level, which correspond to the key regulatory genes forming the basis of biological processes. Also the re-view describes functional analysis of RNA sequencing, including the identification of biological pat-terns based on the detection of differentially expressed genes. An important step of this work is a hi-erarchical clustering of detected transcripts in accordance with the principles of gene ontology. The genes and gene products interact with each other to form a structured regulatory network, but the identification and analysis of regulatory networks is a complex task that requires the development of mathematical methods and the accumulation of data on gene expression, localization of gene prod-ucts and their functional annotation. The review presents case studies of transcriptional profiles of the tissues and organs of pea (Pisum sativum L.), including those using the MACE technique. Thus, the use of NGS for gene expression studies is, at the moment, the optimal approach for studying the transcriptional profiles of any objects. The combination of NGS and potential of modern computa-tional biology opens up new opportunities for studying the transcriptomes, including those of non-model species, that ensures progressive advance in many areas of biological science. Keywords: plant genetics, «Next Generation Sequencing», RNA sequencing, gene expres-sion, garden pea.
Differential tolerance to high salt with regard to cell growth and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in calluses of the halophyte Suaeda maritima from Japan and Egypt

To determine the mechanism of regulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1) isozymes in halophytes at the cellular level, we isolated calluses from Suaeda maritima plants native to Japan and Egypt. Calluses from Egyptian S. maritima could grow in a high salt medium (~400 mM NaCl), whereas Japanese S. maritima calluses could not. The expression characteristics of SOD isozyme genes encoding two CuZn-SOD proteins, two Mn-SOD proteins, and one Fe-SOD protein in the two callus lines were analyzed. All SOD isozyme genes expressed in leaves were also expressed in both callus lines grown in normal medium and their expression levels were not affected by high salt. In-gel SOD activity assay after native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that both callus lines possessed a CuZn-SOD and an Fe-SOD as major SOD isozymes in normal medium. When calluses were grown on high salt medium, both SOD isozyme activities were decreased in Japanese calluses, while they were stable or slightly increased in Egyptian calluses. When calluses were incubated in normal medium with excess copper (Cu, ~100 μM), callus growth of both callus lines was less affected. In excess Cu, CuZn-SOD activity was greatly increased in both callus lines, while Fe-SOD activity was decreased in Japanese calluses and was stable in Egyptian calluses. Since both Fe-SOD and CuZn-SOD activities exhibited a positive association with growth tolerance to high salt, they may play a role in salt tolerance in callus cells. In addition, our results indicate that the Fe-SOD activity contributes to copper stress tolerance.
A Deep Learning Approach for Analyzing the Limit Order Book

T he a pp ro ve d or ig in al v er si on o f t hi s th es is is a va ila bl e in p rin t a t T U W ie n B ib lio th ek . D I P L O M A R B E I T A Deep Learning Approach for Analyzing the Limit Order Book ausgeführt am Institut für Stochastik und Wirtschaftsmathematik TU Wien unter der Anleitung von Univ.Prof. Dipl. -Math. Dr.rer. nat. Thorsten Rheinländer durch David Hirnschall, BSc Matrikelnummer: 01427610
The effect of random and systematic measurement uncertainties on temporal and spatial upscaling of N2O fluxes

• Every 30 mins for the year long data set we simulate a log-normal distribution of 10,000 potential chamber measurements (examples below) with an average flux based on the simulated flux (above) 3. Simulating N2O flux at the field scale • Fluxes of N2O from agricultural soils exhibit a high degree of unpredictable spatial variability • Flux chamber methods are able to observe some of the spatial variability in N2O fluxes present at the field scale; however, accounting for temporal variability is limited and large gaps may remain between measurement dates • Often N2O flux measurements made using chamber methods will vary by several orders of magnitude in areas less than 10 m2 • Any attempt to gap-fill between measurements is limited due to the large and unpredictable nature of the spatial variability
Courtship Behavior of the Seal Salamander, Desmognathus monticola (Amphibia: Caudata: Plethodontidae)

In this paper we describe the courtship behavior of the plethodontid salamander Desmogna- thus monticola. Three consecutive phases of courtship progression are apparent: a long period of orientation of the male to the female, a short period of persuasion of the female by the male (involving both tactile and chemical stimulation), and a very short period of tail-straddle walk, during which indirect sperm transfer is attempted. Comparison of our observations with those of two other authors suggests that the presence of certain male behavior patterns may vary geographically in this species. Courtship in D. monticola is compared with that of other congeneric salamanders, in anticipation of a formal phylogenetic analysis of behavioral evolution for the entire subfamily Desmognathinae.
Differentiation of Mitochondrial Gene of Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos (Corvidae) in East and South Asia

We examined the degree of intraspecific differentiation of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (Cytb) of the Jungle Crow, Corvus macrorhynchos, in East and South Asia. We determined partial sequences of Cytb (336 base pairs in length) for 41 individuals from this region. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on the Cytb sequences showed four obvious haplotype groups: 1) the Russian Far East and northern Sakhalin, 2) southern Sakhalin and the Japanese islands excluding the Ryukyus, 3) Amamioshima, the Ryukyus and 4) Laos. These Cytb clusters were fundamentally similar to the morphological differentiation and existing classification of Jungle Crow subspecies. Thus, we concluded that genetic material was probably interchanged among Jungle Crow groups even with geographic isolation due to the presence of a strait or gulf between land areas. In some cases, haplotypes and corresponding subspecies appear to be distinct even without the help of visible geographic barriers. Such subdivision probably occurred in Sakhalin because of the different ways in which this island was populated.
Seasonal foraging behaviour of Eastern Canada-West Greenland bowhead whales: an assessment of isotopic cycles along baleen

Eastern Canada-West Greenland (EC-WG) bowhead whales Balaena mysticetus migrate seasonally between northwestern Hudson Bay/Foxe Basin and Gulf of Boothia in summer and Hudson and Davis Straits in winter. Despite recent advances in knowledge of summer diet composition, determining seasonal variation in foraging behaviour of EC-WG bowhead whales remains a priority for understanding how annual metabolic requirements are met, as well as identifying factors driving seasonal habitat selection. We measured stable nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur isotope composition (δ15N, δ13C, and δ34S) along continuously growing baleen plates (n = 14) to assess alternative seasonal foraging hypotheses, namely winter fasting vs. year-round foraging. Synchronous δ15N and δ13C cycles, with periods of 15N enrichment corresponding to foraging on the summer grounds, were inconsistent with standard fasting predictions, although δ15N cycles could reflect changes in diet-tissue δ15N discrimination between periods of intense foraging throughout the open-water season and supplemental protein intake during winter/spring. Correlations between δ15N and δ34S values, potentially meditated through amino acid metabolism, support this interpretation. Reasonable agreement between baleen isotope oscillations and regional baseline δ15N and δ13C variation also indicated foraging occurs within isotopically distinct food webs across the summer and winter ranges. We conclude that EC-WG bowhead whales forage throughout their distribution, and conservatively interpret δ15N and δ34S cycles to reflect reduced food consumption during winter. Foraging outside of periods of peak productivity likely contributes to annual metabolic requirements and winter habitat selection.
CHARACTERIZATION OF WATER RETENTION PROPERTY OF GEOSYNTHETIC CLAY LINER

Geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) is used as hydraulic barrier in municipal solid waste landfill (MSWL) due to the very low hydraulic conductivity of bentonite component of GCL. The GCL is used in MSWL cover liner as an alternative to compacted clay liner. One of main function of the cover liner is to limit the infiltration of rainfall into the MSWL. GCL should be sufficiently hydrated before placement for the effective performance; however, the moisture content of GCL might vary due to the fluctuations in the temperature and rainfall within the landfill area. Hence, the efficiency of the GCL in terms of hydraulic conductivity under varied moisture content need to be established. The performance of GCL under varied moisture condition can be estimated from water retention curve (WRC) of GCL. WRC is a fundamental relationship between suction and its corresponding moisture content. In the present study, total suction of GCL at different moisture content is determined using dew point PotentiaMeter. WRC fitting parameters of GCL sample are obtained by fitting experimental data of WRC to Van Genuchten (1980) and Pham and Fredlund (2008) WRC models.
Estimated size of Black-capped Vireo populations in northern Coahuila, Mexico

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally listed the Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapillus Woodhouse) as endangered, effective 5 November 1987. At the time of listing, the total population in the United States and Mexico was assumed to be very low and fewer than 1,000 breeding pairs had been counted in North America (Marshall et al. 1985). Marshall estimated 48 to 131 pairs for northern Mexico. Low numbers were still being reported by Steed (1988). Sexton (pers. comm.) reported fewer than 1,000 pairs counted as recently as 1989. Unfortunately, these numbers have not been published in the archival literature. We report here the results of a census undertaken to estimate the size of the breeding population of Black-capped Vireos in northern Coahuila, Mexico.
Antioxidant status of various types of tea and coffee

As number of people worldwide including India have become much conscious about their health, there is overloaded research papers published on health effects of various food item. In India its difficult to get a home where tea or coffee is not consumed. They are offered as part of welcoming guests, besides using them in daily diet. Health effects of tea and coffee are always argued. Beneficial effects of tea and coffee are associated with their antioxidant properties. Temperature, time and variation in preparation can change the flavor of coffee and tea by affecting the rate of oxidation, which is the rate at which the oils, acids break down. Depending on how quickly this process happens, the aroma, flavor and texture of each cup can greatly differ. This also affects antioxidant properties as well. The present study focuses on various tea and coffee types and their antioxidant properties by two different methods viz Ferric reducing power assay and Phosphomolybdic method. Both the method have shown parallel results whereas, there is considerable difference between antioxidant levels varying with their type and preparation.
Gene Cloning, Nucleotide Analysis, and Overexpression in Escherichia Coli of a substrate-specific indole-3-acetyl-L-alanine Hydrolase from Arthrobacter Ilicis

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is an essential plant hormone and plays many important roles in plant growth and development. In plants IAA is found mostly as conjugates, thus studies of IAA-conjugated hydrolases may provide clues on the function and metabolism of IAA during plant growth and development. We studied an alanine-conjugated IAA hydrolase in bacteria Arthrobacter ilicis in order to clone IAA conjugate hydrolase genes. , and a gene coding for an IAA-Ala hydrolase was successfully cloned and sequenced without the need of protein preparation and analysis. The procedure involved the design of universal degenerate PCR primers for IAA amidohydrolases with similar sequence alignment to IAA amidohydrolases found in the GenBank database. Then, more pairs of specific PCR primers were generated based on degenerate PCR products. Real time PCR was performed to determine which PCR products were inducible under specific conditions. A colony screening procedure was performed later to screen a partial genomic DNA library. Based on this study, a gene with an ORF of 1218 nucleotides was found and then overexpressed in E. coli. The enzyme activity assay confirmed this gene as IAA-Ala hydrolase gene.
Identifying Factors Associated with Neonatal Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa using Machine Learning

This study aimed at identifying the factors associated with neonatal mortality. We analyzed the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) datasets from 10 Sub-Saharan countries. For each survey, we trained machine learning models to identify women who had experienced a neonatal death within the 5 years prior to the survey being administered. We then inspected the models by visualizing the features that were important for each model, and how, on average, changing the values of the features affected the risk of neonatal mortality. We confirmed the known positive correlation between birth frequency and neonatal mortality and identified an unexpected negative correlation between household size and neonatal mortality. We further established that mothers living in smaller households have a higher risk of neonatal mortality compared to mothers living in larger households; and that factors such as the age and gender of the head of the household may influence the association between household size and neonatal mortality.
m6A RNA methylation regulators contribute to progression and impact the prognosis of breast cancer

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most commonly modified form of mRNA. M6A RNA methylation regulators are proved to be expressed clearly in some cancers by plenty of studies. Moreover, they also are proved to be indirectly involved in the growth of cancers. However, it remains unclear that the role of m6A RNA methylation regulator in the prognosis of breast cancer (BRCA). The data that we used in this study is the mRNA expression data obtained from the corresponding clinical information and the Tumor Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. And the goal we used the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was to evaluate the difference in the expression of m6A RNA methylation regulators in the normal group and the tumor group, and analyze the correlation between m6A RNA methylation regulators. We identified two subgroups of BRCA (cluster1 and 2) by using the K-mean algorithm and analyzing the correlation between clinic information and subgroups. The LASSO regression model then was used to figure out three m6A RNA methylation regulators, namely YTHDF3, ZC3H13, and HNRNPC. The riskScore of each patient was calculated according to the regression coefficients of the three m6A RNA methylation regulators. Base on the riskScore, we divided the patients into two groups, the high-risk group, and the low-risk group. After analyzing, we found that the overall survival rate (OS) of the low-risk group was higher than that of the other group. We conducted a univariate and multi-factor independent prognostic analysis of riskScore and three m6A RNA methylation regulators, and found that riskScore has a significant correlation with BRCA. In conclusion, the m6A RNA methylation regulator is closely related to the development of BRCA, and the prognostic factor riskScore obtained from the regression of the expression of the three m6A RNA methylation regulators in the human body are likely to guide the individualization of BRCA patients A useful prognostic biomarker for treatment.
Measuring the levels of sources of ICT self-efficacy among the Humanities and Social Sciences undergraduates in Sri Lanka

Measuring the levels of sources of ICT self-efficacy of undergraduates in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) of universities especially in Sri Lanka has not been adequately explored. In this study, therefore it is aimed to make an effort to address this important issue. The main objective of this research study was to identify the levels of the factors that are affecting the ICT self-efficacy among the HSS undergraduates in Sri Lanka and the differences between the factors based on the university. The survey research design was employed and final year HSS undergraduates from four universities were selected randomly, out of ten universities where HSS streams are taught. The sample included 604 undergraduates. Data gathered through structured questionnaire was piloted and validated. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics. The results identified four factors affected with the efficacy level of the undergraduates. It indicated that the ICT Self-efficacy levels and ICT Anxiety were varying between less (22%) and highest (50%) across universities. Factors such as ICT Training (27%) and Library Support provided (32%) by the universities were also in the lowest level. The ICT Self-efficacy was low (29%) among students who used the library ‘rarely’ (< 2 per week) and average level of anxiety 47%. ICT Anxiety and ICT Self-efficacy were the most strongly correlated factors in the study (-0.144, p = 0.01). However, the gender was largely diluted and not correlated with self-efficacy. The introduction of effective Library Support and ICT Training would help reduce the higher levels of ICT Anxiety and improve the ICT Self-efficacy level among undergraduates. The study recommends conducting a cross-sectional, longitudinal research study to better understand the levels of ICT Anxiety, ICT Training and the Library Support.
Genetic Diversity Analysis of Jobs Tears Germplasm Resources by SSR Markers in Guizhou Provience

The genetic diversity of 22 Jobs tears germplasm were studied by simple sequence repeats(SSR)markers.11 SSR primers giving stable amplified band pattern detected 105 alleles among the lines tested.The average number of alleles per SSR locus were 9.55 with a range from 4 to 20.The value of polymorphism information content(PIC) for each SSR locus varied from 0.3048 to 0.9238 with average of 0.8255. The 22 germplasm were divided into 4 groups by UPGMA method based on SSR fingerprinting.The clustered results were similar to that based on geograph-ical resource and germplasmic genealogy.SSR marker could be an accurate and reliable method to study diversity of Jobs tears germplasm.SSR marker assisted genetic improvement of Jobs tears germplasm would be an important way to breed new Jobs tears cultivars.