Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electron Microscope Study of a BALB/c Leukemia Virus in Cell Culture Systems

A BALB/c leukemia virus, member of the MuLV group, was grown in 2 cell lines of BALB/c thymus origin. Virus release by budding was observed in young cultures but never in old, crowded monolayers. In one of the two cell lines, an active process of virus phagocytosis was demonstrated by the combined methods of ferritin tracing, lanthanum staining, and acid phosphatase localization. The results are discussed both in terms of maximum recovery of similar viruses from tissue cultures and in support of the hypothesis that viruses released by budding and phagocytized by other cells are not necessarily instrumental in the transmission of the infection by this agent.
Editing of tRNA

The term "RNA editing" was first coined more than a decade ago to describe the phenomenon of uridine insertion into trypanosomatid mitochondrial transcripts. Unlike mRNAs, transcripts of tRNA and rRNA genes are themselves converted into the functional entities they encode. RNA editing events represent additional steps in posttranscriptional processing and, like nucleoside modifications, they may occur at different stages in the pathway. To quantify RNA editing one usually compares the intensity of the bands on a sequencing (or primer extension) ladder that correspond to the edited and unedited versions of the RNA. The first example of tRNA editing in a mitochondrial (mt) system is that reported to occur in the ameboid protozoon Acantbamoeba castellanii. The observed nucleotide substitutions consisted of both purine-to-purine and pyrimidine- to-purine changes, suggesting a mechanism involving base or nucleotide replacement. More recently, it has been shown that nascent mRNAs present in stalled RNA polymerase complexes are substrates for editing by both cytidine and dinucleotide insertion. In a particular study the isolated RNAs were found to be edited to within 14 to 22 nucleotides of the stalled polymerase, suggesting that the insertional editing activity in Physarum is able to act quite close to the site of RNA synthesis. The most recently described mode of tRNA editing is that found in the mitochondria of metazoa.
Ecological immunology of fungal infections in Drosophila

Organisms face a constant risk of attack from parasites. While classic immunology has revealed numerous physiological and molecular mechanisms that underpin host immunity, the recently developed field of ecological immunology has attempted to understand the ecological and evolutionary causes that explain the diversity of such immune mechanisms. However, progress in the field has been hampered by the complex relationship between immunity and fitness as well as the methodological limitations of our experiments. There is an urgent need for eco-immunological studies that combine life history theory with experimentally tractable but ecologically realistic host and pathogen models. In this thesis, I tackle three novel aspects of host defence against parasites in an established model for insect immunity, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii, one of the most successful natural insect pathogens. In particular, I show in Chapter 2 that an immune and stress response gene, Turandot M, provides specific immunity against sexually transmitted fungal infections; but, this protective effect comes at a cost to life history in the absence of infection. In Chapter 3, I show that when exposed to the fungal pathogen, the fruit fly alters its temperature preference by seeking out cooler temperatures, which results in a dramatic shift in its life history strategy while simultaneously enhancing antifungal resistance, though not tolerance. Finally, I demonstrate in Chapter 4 that exposure to fungal parasites induces fitness-associated maternal effects on offspring meiotic recombination and life history, both of which have the potential to accelerate adaptive evolution. Taken together, these results demonstrate the benefits of integrating life history theory in eco-immunological research. They show that life history responses are an integral component of host defence against parasites, and that Drosophila-Metarhizium is a promising model system for ecological immunology
Mechanisms Behind the GABA-Mediated Field Potential in Hippocampus in the in vitro 4-aminopyridine Model of Epilepsy

Local field potentials (LFPs) mediated by GABAergic transmission have been recorded from resected human epileptic brain tissue, as confirmed by blockade of these events upon exposure to GABAergic transmission antagonists, and are generated through an unknown mechanism. To better understand the underlying causes of this abnormal synchronization of action potential firing of neurons it is therefore important to study the generation of GABAergic transmissionmediated LFPs. In the 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) in vitro model of epilepsy it has been previously established that one type of epileptiform LFP recorded in the hippocampus is generated by GABAergic transmission. Using a 60-channel perforated multi-electrode array (pMEA) I record LFPs and characterize the initiation and propagation of these events in mouse hippocampal slices. I found that LFPs initiated primarily in CA3. Most LFPs were of short duration and were restricted to CA3. I hypothesize that GABA-releasing interneurons in hippocampus are able to synchronize large groups of principal cells through depolarizing GABAergic transmission. Upon spike sorting of single unit activity I uncovered groups of neurons with interneuron characteristics, such as short action potential durations, that appeared to drive the propagation of the LFP from CA3 to DG. By utilizing juxtacellular and voltage clamp recordings and calcium imaging in combination with the pMEA, I also recorded low activity in granule cells during CA3restricted LFPs and high activity when LFPs propagated to DG. This also suggests interneuron entrainment driving propagation into DG. Therefore, long duration LFPs that propagated to DG from CA3 appeared to recruit GABAergic transmission-mediated mechanisms that allowed for depolarization of most granule cells.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor tractography of the corticopontocerebellar tract in the human brain

The anatomical organization of the corticopontocerebellar tract(CPCT) in the human brain remains poorly understood.The present study investigated probabilistic tractography of the CPCT in the human brain using diffusion tensor tractography with functional magnetic resonance imaging.CPCT data was obtained from 14 healthy subjects.CPCT images were obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor tractography,revealing that the CPCT originated from the primary sensorimotor cortex and descended to the pontine nucleus through the corona radiata,the posterior limb of the internal capsule,and the cerebral peduncle.After crossing the pons through the transverse pontine fibers,the CPCT entered the cerebellum via the middle cerebral peduncle.However,some variation was detected in the midbrain(middle cerebral peduncle and/or medial lemniscus) and pons(ventral and/or dorsal transverse pontine fibers). The CPCT was analyzed in 3 dimensions from the cerebral cortex to the cerebellum.These results could be informative for future studies of motor control in the human brain.
Psychometric Properties of the Malay Version of Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST-M)

Background: The Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) developed by the World Health Organization is designed to identify individuals at risk for alcohol use problems and provide brief intervention. Objectives: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the ASSIST in Malaysia’s official language, the Bahasa Malay, among a group of alcohol users. The study also aimed to assess the impact of alcohol on the quality of life of patients. Methods: The final version of ASSIST-M was administered to 51 patients who were identified as alcohol users and attended the outpatient psychiatric clinic during a three-month period from September to November of 2012. Patients completed ASSIST, ASSIST-M, Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), Malay version of The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-M), CAGE Assessment for Alcohol Abuse (CAGE), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief-Malay version (WHOQoL-Brief-M). Statistical procedures were performed to assess the reliability and validity of the ASSIST-M. Results: Factor analysis of ASSIST-M yielded one factor similar to the factor structure of the English version. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of ASSIST-M was 0.80. The parallel reliability of the ASSIST-M was high with the intra-class correlation (ICC) of 0.96 (P< 0.01). The test–retest reliability of the ASSIST-M after the 1-week interval was high with the ICC of 0.94(P< 0.01). The ASSIST-M was positively correlated with the AUDIT-M (r =0.67, p <0 .01) and the CAGE (r=0. 57, p < 0.01). ASSIST-M score showed a negative and statistically significant relationships with the physical (r= -0 .28, p < 0.01) and social relationship (r= -0.37, p<0.01) subscales of the WHOQoL-Brief-M. The optimal cutoff point for ASSIST-M for alcohol use disorder was more than 14 with the with a sensitivity of 84.21 %, specificity of 84.38 %, positive predictive value (PPV) of 76.19% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 90%. Conclusions/Importance: The ASSIST-M displayed a fair psychometric performance in assessing alcohol use disorder in Malaysia. Please click PDF below to download the full paper.
Imaging the translocations of CLIC4 and Epac1

Cells respond to extracellular cues via receptor signaling. In this manner, cellular behavior is under strict control of hormones, growth factors or neurotransmitters. Binding of a ligand to its cognate receptor triggers a cascade of intracellular signaling events leading to, for instance, activation of transcription factors, regulation of metabolic processes or changes in cell morphology. To regulate such ‘organized complexity’, molecular interactions in the cell are specific and regulated. Furthermore, these signaling pathways are strictly compartmentalized. This means that spatial restriction facilitates the coupling of a signaling component to its effectors, while it leaves other signaling compartments unaffected. Thus, compartmentalization adds to the specificity of signaling cascades. Signaling complexes are dynamically regulated, i.e. they can be assembled in response to extracellular signals. The dynamic targeting of a signaling molecule to a specialized compartment becomes manifest as a stimulus-induced translocation. In this thesis, we revealed and studied the translocations of two proteins: those of chloride intracellular channel 4 (CLIC4) and exchange protein directly activated by cAMP 1 (Epac1). Central in these studies were the microscopical techniques that allowed visualization of these translocations with maximal spatiotemporal resolution, most prominently via confocal imaging and measurement of FRET.
Lewin's CELLS

The ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students in advanced cell biology courses Extraordinary technological advances in the last century have fundamentally altered the way we ask questions about biology, and undergraduate and graduate students must have the necessary tools to investigate the world of the cell. The ideal text for students in advanced cell biology courses, Lewin's CELLS, Third Edition continues to offer a comprehensive, rigorous overview of the structure, organization, growth, regulation, movements, and interactions of cells, with an emphasis on eukaryotic cells. The text provides students with a solid grounding in the concepts and mechanisms underlying cell structure and function, and will leave them with a firm foundation in cell biology as well as a "big picture" view of the world of the cell. Revised and updated to reflect the most recent research in cell biology, Lewin's CELLS, Third Edition includes expanded chapters on Nuclear Structure and Transport, Chromatin and Chromosomes, Apoptosis, Principles of Cell Signaling, The Extracellular Matrix and Cell Adhesion, Plant Cell Biology, and more. All-new design features and a chapter-by-chapter emphasis on key concepts enhance pedagogy and emphasize retention and application of new skills. Thorough, accessible, and essential, Lewin's CELLS, Third Edition, turns a new and sharper lens on the fundamental units of life.
Structural and biochemical investigations into the neuro-endocrine system of the optic ganglia of decapod crustacea

The structural characteristics of the optical ganglia of ¿stacus leptodactylus are described by means of reconstructions based on serial paraffin sections. The structure of the central nervous system of Astacus leptodactylus conforms the pattern described for decapod Crustacea. The location of the medulla terminalis X organ appears to be variable, with exception of a number of neurohormonal cells that comprise the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone producing neurons. The medulla externa X organ is diffuse. The supraoesophageal ganglia contain laterodorsally a contralateral paired cluster of neurons, and medioventrally a neuron cluster, that have not been described earlier.
Multi-temporal avalanche debris mapping in the French mountains using synthetic aperture radar observations from Sentinel-1

Remote sensing of avalanche debris in mountain areas offers new opportunities to improve our understanding of avalanche activity and to evaluate the physical models of avalanche hazard forecasts. The location of avalanche debris and the estimation of their sizes are of great interest for studies dealing with the stability of the snowpack and also for studying the variability of natural avalanche activity, which could be related to climate change. In addition, time series of avalanche events, with relevant time and space resolutions, would be highly relevant to better identify avalanche risk zones and periods. Such time series would complement some other existing database mostly based on visual observations (for instance Enquête Permanente sur les Avalanches (EPA) database, Sensitive Avalanche Paths (SSA), and the CLPA database (Localization Map of Avalanche Phenomena)).
Control of Soft Egg Disease of Chum Salmon by Green Tea Extract

Soft egg disease (SED) is often observed during the incubation of salmonid eggs at hatcheries in Hokkaido, Japan. The SED causes softening of the egg membrane and reduces the internal hydrostatic pressure of the eggs. Thus, the mortality of diseased eggs is increased by unusual premature hatching and by the handling required for egg picking and transportation at hatcheries. The efficacy of immersing in green tea extract (GTE) including 43% tannin was examined for the control of SED of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). The internal pressure of the eggs was significantly higher in egg groups immersed in GTE solutions (tannin concentration: 700-2,800 ppm) for 30 or 60 min just after fertilization than that of untreated controls. Those GTE treatments also improved the survival rate of eggs during incubation. The present results suggest that GTE is effective to prevent SED in chum salmon eggs.
ANTIDIABETIC AND INSULIN SENSITIZING EFFECTS OF PADINA PAVONIA AND TURBENARIA ORNATA IN STREPTOZOTOCIN/NICOTINAMIDE DIABETIC RATS

Objective: The current study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and insulin sensitizing effects of two marine brown algae, Padinapavonia and Turbenariaornata. Materials and methods: Type 2 diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 120 mg/kg b.wt. nicotinamide 30 minutes before injection of 50 mg/kg b.wt. streptozotocin. Extracts of both Padinapavonia and Turbenariaornata were orally and daily administered at a dose level of 100 mg/kg b.wt. for 21 days to diabetic rats. At the end of the experimental period, blood, pancreas and adipose tissue samples were taken for the subsequent studies. Results: Both Padinapavonia and Turbenariaornata supplementation potentially ameliorated the elevated levels of glucose, AST, LDH and CK-MB and the lowered serum insulin levels of type 2 diabetic rats. Also, the tested algae increased the β-cell number in pancreata of diabetic rats. Both extracts were also found to alleviate the altered lipid profile and serum adiponectin level as well as the insulin resistance indices, HOMA-IR and QUICKI. In addition, both algae significantly upregulated adipose tissue adiponectin mRNA expression . Conclusion: These experimental findings demonstrated that both Padinapavonia and Turbenariaornata exhibit antidiabetic effects in a rat model of type 2 diabetes by their insulinotropic and insulin sensitizing effects. Key Words: Adiponectin, insulin resistance, brown algae, diabetes.
Regulation of SIRT1 protein in cancer metabolism and ribosome biogenesis

The deacetylase signalling enzyme SIRT1 has been subject of much research interest, in part due to its ability to promote the survival of cancer cells, and redundancy in non-cancer cell viability. The deacetylation and downregulation of p53 and the FOXO family of tumour suppressors has been identified among the downstream effects of SIRT1 in cancer. Importantly, the regulation of cancer cell survival upstream of SIRT1 has not been well characterised, creating the possibility of targeting SIRT1 via its endogenous regulatory mechanisms for anti-cancer therapeutic gain. This Thesis validates two putative anti-cancer targets that promote SIRT1 activity and have also been implicated in essential processes that are commonly aberrant in cancer: cellular metabolism and translational control. SIRT1 is a sirtuin, which are unique deacetylases due to their requirement for the redox metabolite NAD+ as a co-enzyme. The potential to promote SIRT1 activity via provision of NAD+ is analysed here by targeting the metabolic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A). LDH-A catalyses NAD+ production and promotes aberrant cancer metabolism by perpetuating the Anaerobic Glycolysis cycle. A link is found between cancer metabolism and SIRT1 activity, with LDH-A observed to suppress cancer cell apoptosis via a mechanism consistent with SIRT1 activation. SIRT1 is also subject to regulation by direct interaction with the protein AROS (Active Regulator Of SIRT1). AROS associates with and promotes SIRT1 pro-survival function in cancer cells. Here, AROS is found to specifically promote cancer cell survival, via a mechanism appearing to involve SIRT1 and downstream substrates. However, AROS regulation of SIRT1 is not as simple as originally thought, varying by cell context and substrate. Further to its role in directing SIRT1 activity, AROS also forms a binding interaction with the ribosomal protein RPS19. The effect of AROS upon RPS19 protein and function is analysed for the first time, revealing a role for AROS in 40S ribosomal subunit biogenesis. Beyond this, AROS is discussed as a regulator of translation, and the functional interplay between RPS19, AROS and SIRT1 is described. This provides a link between cancer associated anti-apoptotic signalling and ribosome biogenesis centred on regulation of SIRT1 activity, which could be exploited by anti-cancer therapeutics.
Iranian EFL Teacher Cognition: Tracing Cognitive Dissonance.

This paper is based on research with two groups of novice and expert teachers with and without TEFL Certificate (Standard Licensed and Alternatively Licensed) in contexts with prescribed methodology. It considers discord and tensions between teachers’ preformed beliefs, prior experiences and conceptions of teaching with the contextual obligations and teaching practices which may result in cognitive dissonance. In addition, it attempts to understand how teachers’ dispositions as indicated through teaching practices could affect them with various professional profiles such as expertise and teaching licensure. Associated with this, the article also studies how awareness and experience of dissonance in different teachers may be reflective of a ‘change provoking disequilibrium’ which may affect and shift their cognition and quality of their teaching. Cognitive Dissonance questionnaire (DARQ), class observation, and semi-structured interviews are used to help explain to what extent teachers experience and respond to dissonance during their field experiences and professional development.
Functional diversity indices reveal the impacts of land use intensification on plant community assembly

1. Functional diversity has been suggested as an important descriptor of an assemblage and as an indicator of ecosystem function. However, there has been little testing of recent functional diversity measures on field data and across environmental gradients of disturbance and productivity. This study tested how three recently developed measures of functional diversity behave in practice and what could be deduced about assembly rules operating in the systems studied.
Genome wide identification of genic and non-genic Microsatellites in Nilaparvata lugens Stål

The brown plant hopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Homopterous: Delphacidae) is one of the lethal pests in rice. In the present study, genome wide distributed Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) were identified and analysed. The screening of 1.2 Gb of BPH genome resulted in identification of 271785 SSRs. Out of these, 3231 SSRs were from genic region. Microsatellite distribution in genome was found to be 238.2 SSRs per Mb. Altogether the microsatellite motifs contribute only 7.45Mb of BPH genome. Trinucleotide repeats were most abundant representing 50.8% of total genomic microsatellites. Longer repeat motifs were found to be least abundant in the genome representing 1.1% and 0.5% for pentanucleotide and hexanucleotide, respectively. SSR markers identified from this study can be useful for diversity analysis and genetic map development of BPH.
Applied Demography for Biologists: with Special Emphasis on Insects

1. Introduction 1.1 Formalization 1.2 Elementary Characteristics of Populations 2. Life Tables 2.1 General Concepts 2.2 The Single Decrement Life Tables 2.3 The Abridged Life Table 2.4 The Multiple Decrement Life Table 2.5 Selected Properties of Model Life Tables 3. Reproduction 3.1 General Background 3.2 Per Capita Reproductive Rates 3.3 Reproductive Heterogeneity 3.4 Generalizations 4. Population I. Basic Concepts and Models 4.1 Background 4.2 The Stable Population Model 4.3 Population Projection 4.4 Fundamental Properties of Populations 5. Population II. Extensions of Stable Theory 5.1 Two-Sex Models 5.2 Stochastic Demography 5.3 Multiregional Demography 5.4 Demographic Theory of Social Insects: The Honeybee 5.5 The Unity of Demographic Population Models 6. Demographic Applications 6.1 Estimation 6.2 Curve Fitting 6.3 Mass Rearing: Basic Harvesting Concepts 6.4 Parasitoid Mass Rearing 6.5 Pros and Cons of Demographic Modeling
Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling on multilocus genotypes

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are used to solve complex problems in animal genetics. The MCMC samplers may mix slowly, making computation impractical. In this paper the behaviour of the whole locus sampler (L-sampler) in analysis of multilocus data was examined. To evaluate the mixing we monitored estimates for number of genes shared identical by descent between relatives. It was demonstrated in simulation study that linkage between loci may drastically reduce the efficiency of the L-sampler, leading to incorrect inference. Two samplers were considered to improve mixing of Markov chain: the multimeiosis sampler (MM-sampler) and the multilocus sampler (ML-sampler). It was concluded that MMand ML-samplers improve mixing but do not guarantee practical irreducibility. A situation causing bad mixing was identified and some tips to tackle the problem were given.