Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in Maternal Lifestyle during Ramadan Altered Placental Development

People born with low birth weight are at a greater risk of developing later life diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer. Recent studies have pinpointed the placenta as a critical factor involved in developmental programming. Changes in maternal lifestyle or dietary habits can alter placental development and increase the risk of developmental programming of adult diseases. Saudi people, including pregnant women, change their lifestyle and eating habits during the holy month of Ramadan. Previous studies found that the exposure to Ramadan lifestyle reduces placental weight; however, effects on other placental aspects remained unknown. We aimed to further examine the effects of exposure to Ramadan lifestyle on full-term placental morphometrics, histology and gene expression of key glucose transporters. To examine this, fresh placentas were collected from 60 healthy Saudi women. Samples were equally classified into two groups; not exposed to Ramadan lifestyle (control) or exposed to Ramadan lifestyle in the first. Placental weight, length and breadth were recorded and placental surface area was calculated. Placental tissue was processed and stained with eosin and hematoxylin for histological examination. Apoptosis was assessed using TUNEL assay. The gene expression of the glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT3 was evaluated. The results show that women exposed to Ramadan lifestyle have more elongated placentas with less central cord insertion. Placental weight and surface area were significantly lowered in women exposed to Ramadan lifestyle. Placental length was not affected but the breadth was significantly smaller in than control. Placentas exposed to Ramadan lifestyle had fewer and less-developed syncytial knots and thicker syncytiotrophoblast cells. Apoptosis was detected in placentas exposed to Ramadan lifestyle. GLUT1 mRNA expression was unaltered, but GLUT3 was increased compared to control group. These findings suggest that changes in maternal lifestyle during Ramadan can alter placental structure at morphometric, histological and molecular levels. These structural changes are indication of placental adaptations for a suboptimal maternal environment. Such adaptations have been linked to adult diseases in various populations worldwide. Further studies are required to evaluate the possible link between exposure to Ramadan lifestyle and the risk of developing adulthood chronic diseases in the Saudi population.
Association between Nod-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome and gouty nephropathy

Crystalized deposits of monosodium urate activate the Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, resulting in kidney damage. The present study investigated whether the NLRP3 inflammasome is associated with the progression of hyperuricaemia and gouty nephropathy. Adult male patients were recruited at the Affiliated Baoan Hospital of Shenzhen and divided into three groups of 15 patients each: The control group, the hyperuricaemia group and the gouty nephropathy group. General characteristics and organ function indicators were also measured for each patient. NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck like protein (ASC) and caspase-1 mRNA and protein expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were detected. The expression of certain downstream inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 were also assessed in plasma. The results demonstrated that the concentration of uric acid and creatinine were increased in the hyperuricaemia and gouty nephropathy groups compared with the control group. NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 mRNA and protein expression, and IL-1β and IL-18 expression were increased in the hyperuricaemia and gouty nephropathy groups compared with the control group. In addition, ASC and caspase-1 mRNA and protein expression, and IL-1β expression were higher in the gouty nephropathy group compared with the hyperuricaemia group. In conclusion, the present results supported the hypothesis that the NLRP3 inflammasome signalling pathway is associated with gouty nephropathy leading to initiation of the inflammatory response and causing renal damage.
Penurunan Kadar Lignin pada Fermentasi Limbah Kayu Mahoni Menggunakan Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Limbah Kayu Mahoni merupakan limbah pertanian jenis kayu keras yang mengandung lignoselulosa (lignin, selulosa, hemiselulosa) yang cukup tinggi. Selulosa sangat berpotensi untuk didegradasi oleh Phanerochaete chrysosporium menjadi glukosa. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui pengaruh lama fermentasi dan penambahan serbuk Kayu Mahoni terhadap penurunan kadar lignin pada fermentasi limbah Kayu Mahoni menggunakan kapang Phanerochaete chrysosporium . Penelitian dilakukan dengan cara mengeringkan dan mengecilkan ukuran limbah Kayu Mahoni, kemudian melakukan proses fermentasi limbah Kayu Mahoni dengan Phanerochaete chrysosporium dengan rentang waktu 9, 11, 13, 15, dan 17 hari, dan penambahan limbah serbuk Kayu Mahoni sebanyak 5, 6 dan 7%. Sebelum dan sesudah proses fermentasi dilakukan analisa kadar lignin. Hasil terbaik dari penelitian yaitu penurunan kadar lignin sebesar 85,33 % diperoleh pada lama fermentasi 17 hari dan penambahan serbuk Kayu Mahoni sebanyak 5 %. Mahogany wood waste is a type of hard wood agricultural waste containing lignocellulose which is quite high. In mahogany wood waste also contains lignin which is quite high, so the level of lignin must be reduced so that the cellulose can be used as glucose. Phanerochaete chrysosporium is a type of mold that is able to degrade lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose simultaneously. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fermentation time and the addition of mahogany wood waste to the reduction of lignin content in the fermentation of mahogany wood waste using Phanerochaete chrysosporium molds. The study was conducted by drying and reducing the size of mahogany wood waste, then fermentation of mahogany wood waste with Phanerochaete chrysosporium with a span of 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 days, and the addition of mahogany wood waste 5, 6 and 7%. Before and after the fermentation process, lignin levels were analyzed. The best results from this study were obtained at 17 days of fermentation and the addition of 5% mahogany wood powder, obtained a decrease in lignin content of 85,33 %.
Établissement des axes embryonnaires au cours du développement du poisson zèbre

La definition des axes embryonnaires au cours du developpement du poisson zebre s’effectue au stade blastula. L’embryon consiste alors en une couche de cellules recouvrant le vitellus. Les cellules, initialement toutes identiques, vont progressivement acquerir une identite propre en fonction de leurs coordonnees spatiales (dorsoventrale et antero-posterieure) dans l’embryon. Ces coordonnees sont definies via deux gradients d’activite de molecules secretees appartenant a la superfamille des TGFβ : les bone morphogenetic protein (BMP, pour l’axe D/V) et les facteurs activine et nodal (pour l’axe A/P). Ces gradients d’activite sont finement regles par des facteurs secretes agissant comme des inhibiteurs. L’activite des BMP est controlee au niveau de son expression via les FGF (FGF8) ainsi que par noggin et chordin qui se fixent sur les BMP et les empechent de stimuler leur recepteur specifique. Pour les facteurs activine et nodal, l’activite est reglee par un autre TGFβ (antivin) qui agit comme un inhibiteur competitif de la fixation de ces ligands sur leur recepteur. Les recherches actuelles et futures visent a examiner les interactions entre ces voies ainsi qu’avec d’autres voies de signalisation impliquees lors de l’embryogenese precoce : les Wnt et les retinoides.
Onset and maturation of Asian summer monsoon precipitation reconstructed from intra-annual tree-ring oxygen isotopes from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract We present a long-term seasonal tree ring cellulose oxygen isotope (δ18Oc) time series created by analyzing four segments (S1, S2, S3, and S4) per year during the period of 1951–2009 from southeastern Tibetan Plateau. This intraseasonal δ18Oc reveals the onset and mature phase of the summer monsoon precipitation in this region. Analysis indicates that the δ18Oc of S1 has the strongest correlation with precipitation during the regional monsoon onset (29–33 pentads, May 21–June 10, r = −0.69), and the δ18Oc values for S2, S3, and S4 correlate strongly with June, July, and August precipitation, respectively. Combined δ18Oc of S2, S3, and S4 shows the most robust correlation (r = −0.82) with the mature-phase monsoon precipitation (June-July-August, JJA), passing rigorous statistical tests for calibration and verification in dendroclimatology. These results demonstrate the feasibility in using long-term intraseasonal δ18Oc to reconstruct the Asian summer monsoon's intraseasonal variations.
Regulating Valencia orange crops with CEPA (2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid) - preliminary studies

The effects of chemicals on fruitlet thinning of Valencia oranges were studied in two experiments at Loxton, South Australia. In the first experiment 50 p.p.m. 245T, 2000 p.p.m. N.A. A. and 250 or 1000 p.p.m. CEPA all caused significant thinning but 245T had phytotoxic effects. In the second experiment with several concentrations of CEPA, both 524 and 1048 p.p.m. caused significant leaf and fruitlet drop, whereas 262 p.p.m. caused a significant reduction of 55 per cent in mature fruit yield without any significant leaf fall.
Abstract PR07: SNF5 is an essential executor of epigenetic regulation during differentiation

Nucleosome occupancy controls the accessibility of the transcription machinery to DNA regulatory regions and serves an instructive role for gene expression. Chromatin remodelers, such as the BAF complexes, are responsible for establishing nucleosome occupancy patterns, which are key to epigenetic regulation along with DNA methylation and histone modifications. Some reports have assessed the roles of the BAF complex subunits and stemness in murine embryonic stem cells. However, the details of the relationships between remodelers and transcription factors in altering chromatin configuration, which ultimately affects gene expression during cell differentiation, remain unclear. Here for the first time we demonstrate that SNF5, a core subunit of the BAF complex, negatively regulates OCT4 levels in pluripotent cells and is essential for cell survival during differentiation. SNF5 is responsible for generating nucleosomedepleted regions (NDRs) at the regulatory sites of OCT4 repressed target genes such as PAX6 and NEUROG1, which are crucial for cell fate determination. Concurrently, SNF5 closes the NDRs at the regulatory regions of OCT4 activated target genes such as OCT4 itself and NANOG. Furthermore, using loss and gain of function experiments followed by extensive genome-wide analyses including gene expression microarrays and ChIP-sequencing, we highlight that SNF5 plays dual roles during differentiation by antagonizing the expression of genes that were either activated or repressed by OCT4, respectively. Together, we demonstrate that SNF5 executes the switch between pluripotency and differentiation. This abstract is also presented as Poster A39 . Citation Format: Jueng Soo You, Daniel D. De Carvalho, Chao Dai, Minmin Liu, Kurinji Pandiyan, Xianghong Zhou, Gangning Liang, Peter A. Jones. SNF5 is an essential executor of epigenetic regulation during differentiation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr PR07.
Whole‐body cryotherapy accelerates isometric muscle recovery in motocross riders following simulated motocross heats

Motocross (Mx) is the off‐road mechanical sport most commonly practiced around the world. Riders practice training and competitions on motorcycles. It requires some specific physical and cognitive abilities. Mx racing is composed of successive heats. Whole‐body cryotherapy (WBC) appears to be an interesting way to recover faster between the successive heats which composes each race. The aim of this study is to determine whether WBC can be used between Mx heats to accelerate rider's muscular recovery. Eighteen riders performed a series of physical tests (isometric, concentric, and maximal strength, reaction time, and recovery perception); try to mimic Mx competition using a 25 minutes simulated Mx heat followed by a recovery condition (CONT or WBC); and repeated physical tests. WBC had better recovery in isometric strength for up/low limbs. CONT had better recovery in explosive strength for low limb. No difference in maximal strength or reaction time between the before exercise, the after exercise, and after recovery. The WBC group had a better recovery perception after recovery than the CONT group. WBC exposure seems to accelerate isometric muscle recovery after a simulated motocross exercise.
Identification of the putative cytoplasmic donor of a CMS system in Brassica juncea

Chloroplast (cp) and mitochondrial (mt) DNA restriction profiles of a cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) line of Brassica juncea and its maintainer line were compared and found to be markedly different. Comparison of cpDNA restriction profiles of fifty different species of genus Brassica and some allied genera showed that the cpDNA profiles of CMS lines were similar to that of B. tournefortii for twenty different restriction endonucleases. This CMS system is thus not of spontaneous origin as reported earlier, but is alloplasmic in nature. Comparison of restriction profiles of mtDNA of B. tournefortii and CMS lines revealed some differences which might either be due to changes in DNA pattern during the transfer, or, due to the cytoplasm coming from a B. tournefortii line different from the one used in this study.
Selective Formation of Para-Xylene by Methanol Aromatization over Phosphorous Modified ZSM-5 Zeolites

Phosphorous modified ZSM-5 zeolites were synthesized by incipient wetness impregnation. Their performances for the methanol to aromatics conversion (MTA) were subsequently evaluated and the relationship between the catalyst structure and performance was focused on. The obtained results indicated that the introduction of phosphorous resulted in the modification of the catalyst structure characteristics and acidic properties, i.e., the reduction in the external surface area and micropore volume, the narrowing of the pore size, and the decrease in the quantity and strength of acid sites. As a result, the P/HZSM-5 catalyst exhibited the enhanced selectivity for the para-xylene (PX) in xylene isomers and xylene in aromatics, and their increase degrees were intensified with the increasing P content. The selectivity of PX in X increased from 23.8% to nearly 90% when P content was 5 wt. %. Meanwhile, the selectivity of xylene in aromatics was enhanced from 41.3% to 60.2%.
Culturable Surface and Endophytic Bacterial Flora of the Maturing Seeds of Rice Plants (Oryza sativa) Cultivated in a Paddy Field

The endophytic bacteria in the seeds of rice plants (Oryza sativa, cultivar Kinuhikari) cultivated on an experimental plot adjacent to a paddy field were studied as the seeds matured by comparing them with the bacteria on the surface of the seeds. Endophytic and surface bacteria were isolated using a nutrient broth and a diluted nutrient broth agar medium. The isolates were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Three genera (Paenibacillus, Acidovorax and Pantoea) and 2 genera (Stenotrophomonas and Rhizobium) were specific to the inside and to the surface of the seeds, respectively. Six genera (Bacillus, Curtobacterium, Methylobacterium, Sphingomonas, Xanthomonas and Micrococcus) were common to both the inside and the surface. As the seed matured, the flora of culturable endophytic bacteria changed in a different manner from that of culturable surface bacteria. More isolates tolerant of high osmotic pressure were found among the endophytes than among the surface bacteria, especially at the later stages of the maturation process. An increasing number of endophytic isolates exhibited amylase activity at the later stages.
Harmful Algal Blooms and Tourism: The Economic Impact to Counties in Southwest Florida

The most recent red tide bloom in the summer of 2018 served as a wake up call to many in the Gulf region of Florida. The algal bloom decimated the coast, killing off scores of fish and marine life. As beaches were forced to close, tourists and residents alike were no longer producing usual economic activity on the shorelines. This, however, has happened before. We consider four major blooms from the past twenty years, two in 2005, one in 2006, and the aforementioned bloom in 2018. All lasted for over three months and had significant impacts on the economy. We examine the effects of two industries, the lodging and restaurant sectors, to determine the magnitude of losses in taxable sales caused by red tide. Using a difference-in-differences model, we compare taxable sales in counties affected by red tide to those that were unaffected. We find that affected counties produce 5-7 percent and 1.5-2.5 percent less in the lodging and restaurant sectors, respectively. If red tide blooms become more frequent and persistent, losses for coastal businesses could also continue to grow. Policy and strategy to mitigate economics losses must take into consideration the harmful effects of these algal blooms.
Examining Effects of Physical Education and Fine Arts Education on Mental Skills

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of physical education and fine arts education on mental skills for University students. The study included 344 university students fulfilling The Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool completely. Obtained data were statistically analyzed with t test. While there was no significant difference in self-confidence and activation between genders (p>0.05); goal setting, commitment, stress reactions, fear control, relaxation, focusing, refocusing, imagery, mental practice and competition planning significantly differed between genders (p<0.05 and p<0.001). Students studying physical education were not significantly different from those studying fine arts in terms of goal setting, self-confidence, commitment, stress reactions, fear control, relaxation, activation, focusing, refocusing, imagery and mental practice (p>0.05). The students with five-year or longer history of doing sports got significantly higher scores for goal setting, self-confidence, commitment, activation, focusing, refocusing, imagery, mental practice and planning competition than those with one-four-year history of doing sports (p<0.05 and p<0.001). In conclusion, physical education and fine arts education had similar effects on mental skills. However, gender and history of doing sports had different effects on mental skills. Physical education and fine arts education had positive effects on mental skills, especially self-confidence. It can be recommended that students studying physical education should be offered information about arts and that students studying fine arts should be given information about sports. In addition, people receiving informal education about sports should be supported in terms of stress and relaxation.
Minimax estimation of smooth densities in Wasserstein distance

We study nonparametric density estimation problems where error is measured in the Wasserstein distance, a metric on probability distributions popular in many areas of statistics and machine learning. We give the first minimax-optimal rates for this problem for general Wasserstein distances, and show that, unlike classical nonparametric density estimation, these rates depend on whether the densities in question are bounded below. Motivated by variational problems involving the Wasserstein distance, we also show how to construct discretely supported measures, suitable for computational purposes, which achieve the minimax rates. Our main technical tool is an inequality giving a nearly tight dual characterization of the Wasserstein distances in terms of Besov norms.
The interplay between colonization history and gene flow in passively dispersing zooplankton: microsatellite analysis of rotifer resting egg banks

Zooplanktonic organisms that disperse passively as diapausing eggs often exhibit surprisingly strong population subdivision given their high colonization ability. Here we attempt to disentangle the impacts of colonization history and gene flow on these organisms by studying the population genetic structure of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. The resting egg banks of B. plicatilis in fourteen salt lake populations in the Iberian Peninsula were examined using seven microsatellite loci. A remarkably high degree of geographical structuring was found (Fst=0.43), with a significant pattern of isolation by distance. Microsatellite loci were in genetic equilibrium, ruling out inbreeding as an important force in population structuring. Comparisons are drawn with previously published phylogeographical data. Surprisingly, introgression of nuclear genes was detected in neighbouring populations with divergent mtDNA haplotypes. These results stress the long lasting impact of colonization history and the modulating effect of gene flow at local scales in these organisms.
Cytoplasmic free Ca2+ dynamics in single tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) protoplasts subjected to chilling temperatures

Protoplasts were isolated from leaves of tomato seedlings (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Marmande) at the 2nd to 4th true leaf stage and were loaded with the calcium binding tetra[acetoxymethyl + ] ester of the fluorescent stilbene chromophore, Fura 2. Although the loading efficiency of the dye in these protoplasts was low, many protoplasts loaded only in the cytosol were always obtained. Changes in the cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca 2+ ] cyt ) were determined in single protoplasts in a temperature-controlled perfusion chamber by use of fluorescence photometry microscopy after excitation at 340 and 380 nm. When the protoplasts were subjected to chilling temperatures (10-15°C) by a circulating solution, the [Ca 2+ ] cyt increased in 64% of the analysed protoplasts. Depending on the initial resting level of [Ca 2+ ] cyt , three main types of kinetics were obtained in these protoplasts: (1) In 21% of the protoplasts, [Ca 2+ ] cyt increased to a maximum within 10-20 s from the start of temperature decrease, followed by a fast decrease; (2) in 11% of the protoplasts, the [Ca 2+ ] cyt both increased and decreased somewhat slower; and (3) in 32% a constant increase of [Ca 2+ ] cyt was obtained 1 min after the start of temperature decrease.