Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MECANISMOS DE ANTIMUTAGENICIDADE DO COGUMELO Agaricus brasiliensis SOBRE LESÕES NO DNA INDUZIDAS IN VIVO E IN VITRO

Antimutagenicity studies in literature have shown that substances isolated from the Agaricus brasiliensis mushroom S. Wasser et al. (= A. blazei Murrill ss. Heinem.) reduce mutation frequency in bacteria. Also in vivo and in vitro studies on aqueous solutions from this mushroom have shown reduced frequencies of induced mutations, however these action mechanisms are still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protector effect of an aqueous solution of A. brasiliensis (AB 99/29 lineage) in Wistar rat bone marrow, peripheral blood, bladder, colon, and liver. Different experimental protocols (micronucleus test, comet assay, and aberrant crypt foci test) were used for a more extensive evaluation of the chemopreventive effect of A. brasiliensis. Animals were treated with an aqueous solution (60oC) and target organ agents (ENU, MNU, DMH, and DEN). Results indicated that A. brasiliensis aqueous solution did not have any mutagenic, genotoxic, or carcinogenic effects under test conditions. However an antimutagenic effect against ENU mutagenicity was seen in bone marrow cells, and there was a significant reduction in the number of DMH induced aberrant crypts per focus (4-6 crypts/focus) in the colon of animals post-treated with aqueous mushroom solution. Our results suggest that aqueous solution of A. brasiliensis (AB 99/29) may contain components which significantly reduce the frequency of micronucleated cells in Wistar rat bone marrow, and that they could have an effect on a post-initiation stage of the carcinogenesis process.
Deterministic extractors for small-space sources

We give polynomial-time, deterministic randomness extractors for sources generated in small space, where we model space s sources on (0,1)n as sources generated by width 2s branching programs: For every constant δ>0, we can extract . 99 δ n bits that are exponentially close to uniform (in variation distance) from space s sources of min-entropy δ n, where s=Ω(n). In addition, assuming an efficient deterministic algorithm for finding large primes, there is a constant η > 0 such that for any δ>n-η, we can extract m=(δ-δ)n bits that are exponentially close to uniform from space s sources with min-entropy δ n, where s=Ω(β3 n). Previously, nothing was known for δ ≤ 1/2, even for space 0.Our results are obtained by a reduction to a new class of sources that we call independent-symbol sources, which generalize both the well-studied models of independent sources and symbol-fixing sources. These sources consist of a string of n independent symbols over a d symbol alphabet with min-entropy k. We give deterministic extractors for such sources when k is as small as polylog(n), for small enough d.
Accommodating Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties in Educational Settings: Problems and Solutions

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) such as dyslexia and ADHD are very common: it is estimated that 10% of the world population has some kind of learning difficulty. Due to the challenges learners with SpLDs face in the teaching-learning process, such learners may not achieve the expected educational goals. Therefore, it is important to make necessary changes in the teaching-learning process to accommodate those learners. For this, education systems should recognise the importance of inclusive practices at policy level and teacher educators and teachers should have thorough understanding of inclusive practices. However, teachers’ lack of knowledge on SpLDs, lack of teacher training programmes which address the issue and lack of sustainable policy on inclusive practices are some key issues that education systems face in accommodating learners with SpLDs. Recently a teacher-training programme on SpLDs and inclusive practices was conducted in Sri Lanka. Questionnaire and interview responses collected in this programme also highlighted the above issues in addition to other issues such as teachers’ negative attitudes towards SpLDs, institutional barriers such as rigid examination systems and negative socio-cultural ideology towards SpLDs (Indrarathne, 2019). The same programme was then extended to India where similar findings were visible. In this presentation, I will discuss these findings in detail by highlighting the barriers to implementing inclusive practices and discuss possible solutions. During the presentation, I will do a short task to raise participants’ awareness on the features of different types of SpLDs. The participants will also be asked to share their experiences of inclusive practices in their contexts. They will then work in groups to discuss possible solutions before having a whole group discussion on possible future challenges in implementing inclusive practices.
MOLECULAR DIVERSITY OF nrDNA ITS REGION AFFECTED HETEROSIS IN SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annuus)

A study was conducted to specify mutations of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) in the nucleotides of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) and their molecular relationship with heterosis exhibited by the six A- lines and three R-testers of sunflower. The trail was conducted at the fields of the College of Agriculture, University of Anbar, Abu Ghraib during two seasons (spring and fall 2016). Parental lines were crossed according to lineΧtester crossing scheme to produce 18 single hybrids, genotypes were sown to assess their phenotypic performance in the fall season. Results of the molecular analysis of ITS sequencing showed that the rearrangement of single nucleotides had accumulated in a higher rate in the F1 hybrids compared with their ancestor inbreds. The total number of mutations was 268, and deletion mutations accounted for the largest proportion with 209 mutation (71 in lines and 138 in hybrids). In contrast, the transition mutations were 25 all occurred in the hybrids, however the number of transversions recorded 17only. Based on DNA sequence of the nrDNA ITS region the total genotypes were separated into two main groups in cluster analysis following the nearest neighbor method. There was a significant convergence between R2 and both A4ΧR2 and A6ΧR3 hybrids scoring higher values of similarity in context ITS sequence. To be specific, the hybrid A2ΧR3 exhibited the best desirable heterosis for days to 75% flowering and leaf area, while hybrid A5ΧR3 had the highest heterosis for head traits, height and area.
The Human Genome Project and Biology Education.

Within the last several years, biologists celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the Watson-Crick model of DNA and the fiftieth anniversary of the demonstration that DNA is the genetic material, discoveries that began a pervasive and ongoing revolution in biology and medicine. Nobelist Joshua Lederberg, for example, called the work of Avery`s group {open_quotes}the most important discovery in biology in the twentieth century. {close_quotes} This early work on DNA also contributed to a revolution in biology education, beginning in the 1960s. Like the biological revolution that is its counterpart, however, the educational revolution is incomplete, in part because the science continues to evolve, but primarily because scientists and science educators have not yet responded completely to the challenges of genetics and molecular biology. These challenges are made even more obvious by the scope and visibility of the Human Genome Project, the international project intended to map and sequence all human genes. Science educators face 4 challenges discussed in this article and using the Genome project as an example: teach for conceptual understanding; the nature of science; the personal and social impact of science and technology; the principles of technology.
Étude des protéines de liaison à l'ARN des familles PTB et ARE-BP au cours du développement chez le xénope

Mes travaux ont porte sur l'etude de deux familles de proteines de liaison a l'ARN, la famille des ARE-BP (AU-rich elements binding protein) et la famille des PTB (Polypyrimidine tract binding protein) au cours du developpement chez le xenope. L'etude de l'expression de cinq membres de la famille ARE-BP a mis en evidence une redondance d'expression tissulaire et temporelle entre quatre de ces ARE-BP (AUF1, KSRP, HuR et TIA1). A l'inverse, l'expression atypique de TTP a permis de suggerer son implication dans l'hematopoiese. Mes travaux sur la famille PTB (PTBP1, PTBP2, PTBP3) ont montre que chacun des paralogues presente une expression specifique ce qui suggere qu'elles aient des fonctions differentes lors du developpement. Des resultats du laboratoire montraient que l'inactivation de PTBP1 ou de EXOSC9, un composant de l'exosome ARN, entrainait des defauts de morphogenese de l'epiderme dorsal. Afin d'identifier l'origine moleculaire de ces defauts, j'ai realise l'analyse transcriptomique par sequencage a haut debit (RNA-Seq) des morphants PTBP1 et EXOSC9. J'ai produit des banques d'ADNc a partir des morphants ou d'embryons temoins et celles-ci ont ete sequencees au Genoscope. L'analyse d'une cible connue de PTBP1 a montre que des modifications minoritaires de l'epissage etaient detectees a partir de ces donnees. De plus ces defauts d'epissage ne sont pas retrouves dans les morphants EXOSC9, validant son utilisation comme crible additionnel permettant d'exclure les evenements d'epissage qui ne sont pas impliques dans le defaut d'epiderme. Une approche gene candidat a ete initiee afin de cibler l'analyse de transcrits impliques dans la morphogenese de l'epiderme dorsale.
Accelerated Article Partial Characterization of a Human Zinc-Deficiency Syndrome by Differential Display

The effect of the acrodermatitis enteropathica mutation (AE) on gene expression was investigated using differential display. Two differentially expressed cDNAs were partially characterized. The NA8 cDNA (HTllA anchor and HAP 8 random primer pair) was expressed in greater quantity in normal fibroblasts, was 249 bp, and hybridized to three mRNA species (2 kb, 1 kb, 0.8 kb). Northern blot analysis indicated that the relative amounts of the AE mRNA species were reduced by 73%, 75%, and 52%, respectively. The cDNA sequence exhibited 92-93% homology to the human cytochrome oxidase subunit II, as analyzed through the GenBank database. The AEG4 cDNA species (HT11G anchor and HAP 4 random, primer pair) was expressed in greater quantity in AE fibroblasts, was 197 bp, and hybridized to two mRNA species (9 kb, 4 kb). Northern blot analysis indicated that the 9-kb mRNA species was present equally in AE and normal cells, but the 4-kb mRNA species was only present in the AE fibroblasts. The cDNA sequence exhibited 92% homology to LINE1 human retrotransposons, as analyzed through the GenBank database. The functional relationship between the mutation and the reduced expression of cytochrome oxidase subunit II is unknown at this time and needs to be addressed. The increased expression of the LINE1 element in AE fibroblasts may be indicative of an insertion mutation affecting the mRNA of a protein involved in zinc transport, a prospect which requires further investigation.
Earnings Management through Capitalizing Operating Costs: Evidence from Accounting for Policy Acquisition Costs in the Insurance Industry

We examine whether managers of public insurers use reporting discretion in capitalizing policy acquisition costs to manage earnings, and the extent to which accounting standards that provide guidance in practice could deter insurers from managing earnings. The accounting standard, ASU 2010-26, establishes a higher threshold at which acquisition costs meet eligibility for deferral. We expect this guidance to reduce the discretion afforded to managers to categorize acquisition costs as an asset. We find empirical evidence that public insurers manage earnings through capitalizing acquisition costs before ASU 2010-26, which became effective in 2012, but not after 2012. We also find that this earnings management is achieved primarily through capitalizing discretionary rather than nondiscretionary acquisition costs. Furthermore, the capitalized acquisition costs are more significantly associated with contemporaneous stock returns and future insurance premiums in the period after ASU 2010-26, suggesting that the capitalization of acquisition costs under the ASU 2010-26 guidance is more value relevant for investors. Taken together, our empirical results indicate that public insurers manage earnings through capitalizing rather than expensing acquisition costs, and that accounting standards that limit such discretion can help reduce this pattern of earnings management and increase the value relevance of the accounting information.
Acerca de la informalidad urbana: una pirámide sobre la mejora de asentamientos informales y la creación de lugares

The cities of today are confronted with ever-increasing numbers of informal settlements. Notwithstanding four decades of national and international efforts to reverse the distressing state of affairs, slums have become the main housing type worldwide —slum formation nothing but increasing. The undermined and untapped potential that urban informality represents critically hinders human progress. Narrow approaches to slum upgrading and to informal dwellers produce insufficient and unsustainable results. The few comprehensive, multidimensional, and integral slum upgrading programs attest that a change of perspective is very much needed. To this effect, we have conceived a pyramid on the indispensable elements of slum upgrading: to illustrate our proposed methodology for attaining more sustainable, comprehensive, and humanized solutions vis-a-vis urban informality.
STUDI DESKRIPTIF KUALITATIF: PERSEPSI REMAJA TERHADAP PERILAKU MENYIMPANG

Remaja merupakan sosok yang dikenal dengan rasa ingin tahu yang besar dan dalam proses mencari identitas diri sehingga sangat berisiko untuk terjerumus kedalam perilaku menyimpang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran persepsi remaja terhadap perilaku menyimpang. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain deskriprif kualitatif. Partisipan yang didapatkan dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 4 orang (2 orang siswa dan 2 orang siswi) dengan menggunakan teknik purposive sampling sesuai dengan kriteria inklusi. Penelitian ini dilakukan di SMA Tri Bhakti Pekanbaru dengan menggunakan pedoman wawancara. Analisa yang dilakukan adalah analisa interaktif. Hasil penelitian ini menemukan gambaran dari persepsi remaja dan pengetahuan remaja terhadap perilaku menyimpang berdasarkan pertanyaan yang peneliti sampaikan. Hasil penelitian ini partisipan memberikan gambaran tentang fenomena perilaku menyimpang saat sekarang ini berdasarkan dari sudut pandang partisipan sebagai seorang remaja, perilaku menyimpang merupakan perilaku yang tidak baik dan sangat memprihatinkan, dapat merugikan diri sendiri dan orang lain, atau bersifat negatif. Partisipan juga memiliki pengetahuan yang baik terhadap perilaku menyimpang. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat digunakan bagi tenaga kesehatan dan tenaga pendidikan sebagai edukator dan konselor dalam memberikan edukasi pada remaja serta masyarakat untuk membantu remaja dalam mengatasi perilaku menyimpang di lingkungan sosial.
Characterization of Innate Immune Pathways in DNA Vaccine-Induced, Antigen-Specific Immune Responses: A Dissertation

The signatures of the Dissertation Defense Committee signifies completion and approval as to style and content of the Dissertation Immunology and Microbiology Program iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my mentor, Dr. Shan Lu, who has provided me with the support necessary to pursue a project that greatly interested me, and also allowed me to expand my intellect and development as a scientist during the last five years. I would also like to thank all of the members of the Lu Lab for their help and support on a daily basis. My time with you has been valuable, and I appreciate you as colleagues and treasure you as friends. Particularly, I would like to thank Dr. Shixia Wang for her guidance and expertise, and Dr. Aaron Wallace for his assistance in working through complex scientific questions. Importantly, I would also like to thank Cindi Callaghan for her assistance and organization. I would also like to thank Dr. Katherine A. Fitzgerald for her guidance and collaboration on many of the projects presented in this dissertation, and the members of her lab who contributed to the work described herein. I would also like to thank all members of my TRAC committee: your input throughout my time at the University of Massachusetts Medical School was invaluable for shaping the direction of my work and completing these studies. Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank my family, and also my friends both new and old, who have stuck with me throughout my studies. Your love and support during these last several years made this accomplishment possible. Thank you. iv Abstract A major advantage of DNA vaccination is the ability to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses. DNA vaccines are currently used in veterinary medicine, but their tendency to display low immunogenicity in humans has hindered their usage, despite excellent tolerability and safety profiles. Various approaches have been used to improve the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines. Recent human study data re-established the value of DNA vaccines, especially in priming high-level antigen-specific antibody responses. Data suggests that innate immune responses to the DNA vaccine plasmid itself contribute to the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines, however the underlying mechanisms responsible remain unclear. In this dissertation, we investigate the role of innate immunity in shaping antigen-specific adaptive immune responses following DNA vaccination. The current belief is that the cytosolic DNA sensing pathways …
Cellular events conditioned by the Np gene of Pisum sativum L. in response to reduced UV light, weevil oviposition, and bruchins

Approved: _______________________________________________________ William M. Proebsting In Pisum, the Np gene conditions two mitotic responses to bruchid weevil oviposition on the pod and to reduced UV light. Oviposition by the weevil results in tumorous or neoplastic growth under the egg. Biochemically active compounds, called bruchins, were isolated from two bruchid insects (Doss et al, 2000). Femtomolar concentrations of bruchin result in programmed cell death (PCD) and neoplasm formation on the pod at the application site. PCD is evident at the application site within four hours and a large (several mg) neoplasm in five to seven days. Low UV light results in growth of neoplasm, termed spontaneous neoplasm (SN), over the entire surface of the pod and, as with bruchin application, appears to begins with PCD followed by mitosis. Genotypes containing np/np do not develop SN and respond only weakly to bruchin. Both responses conditioned by Np initiate at the stomatal complex and are first detected by increased auto-fluorescence. In both cases, this is accompanied by increased peroxide/peroxidase activity first at the stomata, then radiating outward across the epidermal surface and into the mesophyll cells. Nuclei in the epidermis stained strongly for peroxide/peroxidase within 3 h of bruchin application. Nuclei in the mesophyll stained for peroxide/peroxidase by 24 h. Rose Bengal, which generates singlet oxygen, stimulated site-specific neoplasm formation on greenhouse grown pods. Lanthanum, an inhibitor of Ca influx, inhibited both ROS production and bruchin action. ZnCl2 inhibited ROS production and bruchin response less effectively than LaCl3. Epidermal cell death demonstrated hallmarks of apoptosis. TUNEL demonstrated the presence of oligonucleosomal fragmentation, which is associated with PCD. Pods treated with bruchin demonstrated progressive TUNEL staining. The first areas to test positive for endogenous nuclease activity were the subsidiary cells of the stomatal complex. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) found nuclear blebbing, chromatin condensation, mitochondrial swelling, changes in cytosol density and increased vacuolization. This work demonstrates that the bruchin and SN responses conditioned by the Np gene originate from similar cellular events: increased auto-fluorescence, increased peroxide/peroxidase, and PCD. Cellular Events Conditioned by the Np Gene of Pisum sativum L. in Rresponse to Reduced UV Light, Weevil Oviposition, and Bruchins.
Disciplinary Training and Professional Practices Effects on Soft Skills Development

At present, the development of soft skills or transversal skills has become a relevant issue for higher education institutions. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the discipline training and professional practices effect on the soft skills development of the UNIMINUTO Vicerectoria Regional Sur (VRBS) students. This research will be develop under a pragmatic paradigm and a quantitative model design based on an exploratory investigation. The participants will be 144 undergraduate students of UNIMINUTO Vicerectoria Regional Sur (VRBS) of the programs: social work, social communication, and psychology. For the analysis of the results, the results of the compeTEA test and the observations made were taken, which, when compared, showed the need to do a longitudinal investigation and allowed to identify the skills that should be developed by each program.
Abstracts of Articles Printed in NIPPON NOGEIKAGAKU KAISHI, Ampelopsin, a Major Antifungal Constituent from Salix sachalinensis, and Its Methyl Ethers, Antioxidative Activity of Milk from Cows Fed Herbs

This experiment was done to examine theffects of herb feeding on antioxidative activity in milk. Four Holstein cows in late lactation were fed for 14 days 1) basal diet consising of 43% hay, 14% beet pulp, and 43% concentrates mixture, 2) basal diet + lemongrass, 3) basal diet + peppermint, and 4) basal diet + basil in 94×4 Latin square design. Feeding amount of basal diet and each herb was 21 kg and 1 kg per day, respectively. Milk samples were collected one day before the last day and on the last day of each period. 6-Hydroxy-2, 5, 7, 8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (HTCA) equivalent concentrations were used as a parameter of antioxidative activity. HTCA equivalent concentrations in milk of the cows in control, lemongrass, peppermint, and basil treatment were 1.40 (mol/L). 2.05, 2.39, and 2.21, respectively. The HTCA equivalent concentration in milk was significantly higher in the peppermint treatment group than in the control as judged from Turkey's student test.
De l'analyse protéomique des graines d'arabidopsis thaliana vers une compréhension du processus de germination

To better understand the events associated with seed germination and to define markers for seed quality, the proteome of Arabidopsis seeds was analyzed. A proteomic approach was adopted because of thei importance of protein neosynthesis from stored mRNA in comparison to that from new transcriptions. In total 1272 proteins were resolved using the two-dimensional electrophoresis technique, of which 74 showed changes in abundance (up- or down-regulation) during germination sensu stricto or the radicle protrusion step. Of the total population of observed proteins more than 100 were subsequently identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. A number of these proteins had previously been identified in several plant species, a finding that underlines the useminess of using Arabidopsis as a model. Our approach also revealed previousiy unidentified proteins, associated either with the imbibed state or the dehydrated state of the seeds (e. G. Actin7, WD-40 protein, GAPDHc), whilst others were fondamental in cellular metabolism, such as AdoMet synthetase and methionine synthase.