Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exopolysaccharides as Antimicrobial Agents: Mechanism and Spectrum of Activity

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are metabolites synthesized and excreted by a variety of microorganisms, including lactic acid bacteria (LAB). EPS serve several biological functions such as interactions between bacteria and their environments, protection against hostile conditions including dehydration, the alleviation of the action of toxic compounds (bile salts, hydrolyzing enzymes, lysozyme, gastric, and pancreatic enzymes, metal ions, antibiotics), and stresses (changing pH, osmolarity), and evasion of the immune response and phage attack. Bacterial EPSs are considered valuable by the food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries, owing to their health-promoting benefits and rheological impacts. Numerous studies have reported the unusual antimicrobial activities of various EPS against a wide variety of pathogenic microbes (bacteria, virus, and fungi). This review aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activities of different EPSs, mainly against foodborne bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. The mechanism of EPS action against these pathogens as well as the methods used to measure antimicrobial activities are critically reviewed.
Probiotics Bacillus licheniformis Improves Intestinal Health of Subclinical Necrotic Enteritis-Challenged Broilers

Necrotic enteritis infection poses a serious threat to poultry production, and there is an urgent need for searching effective antibiotic alternatives to control it with the global ban on in-feed antibiotics. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary Bacillus licheniformis replacing enramycin on the growth performance and intestinal health of subclinical necrotic enteritis (SNE)-challenged broilers. In total, 504 1-day-old Arbor Acres male chickens were selected and subsequently assigned into three treatments, including PC (basal diet + SNE challenge), PA (basal diet extra 10 mg/kg enramycin + SNE challenge), and PG (basal diet extra 3.20 × 109 and 1.60 × 109 CFU B. licheniformis per kg diet during 1–21 days and 22–42 days, respectively + SNE challenge). Results showed that B. licheniformis significantly decreased the intestinal lesion scores and down-regulated the Claudin-3 mRNA levels in jejunum of SNE-infected broilers on day 25, but increased the mucin-2 gene expression in broilers on day 42. In addition, B. licheniformis significantly up-regulated the mRNA levels of TRIF and NF-κB of SNE-challenged broilers compared with the control group on day 25 and TLR-4, TRIF compared with the control and the antibiotic group on day 42. The mRNA expression of growth factors (GLP-2 and TGF-β2) and HSPs (HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90) were up-regulated in B. licheniformis supplementary group on days 25 and 42 compared with group PC. LEfSe analysis showed that the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_UCG_010 was enriched in the PG group; nevertheless, Clostridiales_vadinBB60 and Rnminococcaceae_NK4A214 were in PA. PICRUSt analysis found that the metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, amino acid metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism pathways were enriched, whereas energy metabolism, membrane transport, cell motility, and lipid metabolism were suppressed in B. licheniformis-supplemented groups as compared with the PC control. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of B. licheniformis alleviated the intestinal damage caused by SNE challenge that coincided with modulating intestinal microflora structure and barrier function as well as regulating intestinal mucosal immune responses.
Phenotypic Robustness of Epidermal Stem Cell Number in C. elegans Is Modulated by the Activity of the Conserved N-acetyltransferase nath-10/NAT10

Individual cells and organisms experience perturbations from internal and external sources, yet manage to buffer these to produce consistent phenotypes, a property known as robustness. While phenotypic robustness has often been examined in unicellular organisms, it has not been sufficiently studied in multicellular animals. Here, we investigate phenotypic robustness in Caenorhabditis elegans seam cells. Seam cells are stem cell-like epithelial cells along the lateral edges of the animal, which go through asymmetric and symmetric divisions contributing cells to the hypodermis and neurons, while replenishing the stem cell reservoir. The terminal number of seam cells is almost invariant in the wild-type population, allowing the investigation of how developmental precision is achieved. We report here that a loss-of-function mutation in the highly conserved N-acetyltransferase nath-10/NAT10 increases seam cell number variance in the isogenic population. RNA-seq analysis revealed increased levels of mRNA transcript variability in nath-10 mutant populations, which may have an impact on the phenotypic variability observed. Furthermore, we found disruption of Wnt signaling upon perturbing nath-10 function, as evidenced by changes in POP-1/TCF nuclear distribution and ectopic activation of its GATA transcription factor target egl-18. These results highlight that NATH-10/NAT-10 can influence phenotypic variability partly through modulation of the Wnt signaling pathway.
Interleukin-6 Trans-signaling: A Pathway With Therapeutic Potential for Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a sight-threatening neurovasculopathy, is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged adults (Zhang et al., 2010; Hendrick et al., 2015). DR is characterized by pathologic vascular proliferation, oxidative damage, and inflammation within the retina (Tang and Kern, 2011; Antonetti et al., 2012; Klaassen et al., 2013). The progression of DR is highly correlated to the duration of diabetes (Fong et al., 2004). While restoring glycemic control and regulating other systemic factors are important for slowing DR development, limited therapeutic options are available once symptoms progress, and these are primarily aimed at treating late-stage disease (Fullerton et al., 2014; Do et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2015; Gardner and Sundstrom, 2017). The number of DR patients is expected to increase over the coming decades. Currently, the only recommended treatments for advanced retinopathy are laser photocoagulation or anti-VEGF injections, but a substantial proportion of patients are resistant to these treatments. Laser photocoagulation can control pathological neovascularization, but it may lead to complications, such as impaired central vision, nocturnal diminution of vision, and blindness. The beneficial effects of anti-VEGF injections are usually transient, as the treatment does not promote tissue repair, and repeated injections increase the risk of intraocular infection. Furthermore, despite receiving anti-VEGF injections, a small proportion of patients with macular edema still show persistent disease (Lavine et al., 2017; Roy et al., 2017). Moreover, neither treatment targets early-stage disease. Another study examined the effect of candesartan, an angiotensin-II receptor antagonist, on patients with type 1 diabetes and found a moderate 18% reduction in incidence of retinopathy with no effect on the progression of existing retinopathy (Group and Chaturvedi, 2002). Therefore, new therapies to prevent retinal injury and enhance repair represent a critical unmet need.
A Profound Membrane Reorganization Defines Susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum Infected Red Blood Cells to Lysis by Granulysin and Perforin

Malaria remains one of the most serious health problems in developing countries. The causative agent of malaria, Plasmodium spp. , have a complex life cycle involving multiple developmental stages as well as different morphological, biochemical and metabolic requirements. We recently found that γδ T cells control parasite growth using pore-forming proteins to deliver their cytotoxic proteases, the granzymes, into blood residing parasites. Here, we follow up on the molecular mechanisms of parasite growth inhibition by human pore-forming proteins. We confirm that Plasmodium falciparum infection efficiently depletes the red blood cells of cholesterol, which renders the parasite surrounding membranes susceptible to lysis by prokaryotic membrane disrupting proteins, such as lymphocytic granulysin or the human cathelicidin LL-37. Interestingly, not the cholesterol depletion but rather the simultaneous exposure of phosphatidylserine, a negatively charged phospholipid, triggers resistance of late stage parasitized red blood cells towards the eukaryotic pore forming protein perforin. Overall, by revealing the molecular events we establish here a pathogen-host interaction that involves host cell membrane remodeling that defines the susceptibility towards cytolytic molecules.
Intraflagellar Transport Proteins as Regulators of Primary Cilia Length

Primary cilia are small, antenna-like organelles that detect and transduce chemical and mechanical cues in the extracellular environment, regulating cell behavior and, in turn, tissue development and homeostasis. Primary cilia are assembled via intraflagellar transport (IFT), which traffics protein cargo bidirectionally along a microtubular axoneme. Ranging from 1 to 10 μm long, these organelles typically reach a characteristic length dependent on cell type, likely for optimum fulfillment of their specific roles. The importance of an optimal cilia length is underscored by the findings that perturbation of cilia length can be observed in a number of cilia-related diseases. Thus, elucidating mechanisms of cilia length regulation is important for understanding the pathobiology of ciliary diseases. Since cilia assembly/disassembly regulate cilia length, we review the roles of IFT in processes that affect cilia assembly/disassembly, including ciliary transport of structural and membrane proteins, ectocytosis, and tubulin posttranslational modification. Additionally, since the environment of a cell influences cilia length, we also review the various stimuli encountered by renal epithelia in healthy and diseased states that alter cilia length and IFT.
Development of ESAT-6 Based Immunosensor for the Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Early secreted antigenic target of 6 kDa (ESAT-6) has recently been identified as a biomarker for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis. We propose a stable and reusable immunosensor for the early diagnosis of tuberculosis based on the detection and quantification of ESAT-6 via cyclic voltammetry (CV). The immunosensor was synthesized by polymerizing aniline dispersed with the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and Ni nanoparticles, followed by surface modification of the electroconductive polyaniline (PANI) film with anti-ESAT-6 antibody. Physicochemical characterization of the prepared materials was performed by several analytical techniques, including FE-SEM, EDX, XRD, FT-IR, Raman, TGA, TPR, and BET surface area analysis. The antibody-modified Ni-rGO-PANI electrode exhibited an approximately linear response (R2 = 0.988) towards ESAT-6 during CV measurements over the potential range of -1 to +1 V. The lower detection limit for ESAT-6 was approximately 1.0 ng mL-1. The novelty of this study includes the development of the reusable Ni-rGO-PANI-based electrochemical immunosensor for the early diagnosis of tuberculosis. Furthermore, this study successfully demonstrates that electro-conductive PANI may be used as a polymeric substrate for Ni nanoparticles and rGO.
Tribological and mechanical properties of self-lubrication epoxy composites filled with activated carbon particles containing lubricating oil

A self-lubrication composite incorporating activated carbon particles containing lubricating oil (AC-oil) was fabricated in an epoxy resin matrix. Pure EP and AC/EP composites were also fabricated for comparison. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted to examine the oil absorption rate of AC-oil. The fracture surfaces and the worn surfaces of the pure EP and its composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that the content of AC-oil particles was of significance for the tribological and mechanical properties of the AC-oil/EP composites, and the oil absorption rate of the AC-oil was about 21%. The best tensile and tribological properties of the AC-oil/EP composites were obtained at an AC-oil content of 1 wt% and 10 wt%, respectively. Compared with pure EP, the wear resistance of the AC-oil (10 wt%)/EP composites increased 3.21 times and the friction coefficient decreased by 25.7%. The tensile strength of the AC-oil (1 wt%)/EP composites increased by 38.6% and 28.3%, respectively, when comparing with the pure EP and AC/EP composites. The solid–liquid two-phase self-lubrication mechanism was also discussed according to SEM and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis of the worn surfaces and the counterpart surfaces.
Dietary Patterns and Their Associations With the FTO and FGF21 Gene Variants Among Emirati Adults

Purpose: To examine the dietary patterns and their associations with the FTO and FGF21 gene variants among Emirati adults. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, healthy adult male and female Emiratis (n = 194) were recruited from primary health care centers in Sharjah, UAE. Participants completed a 61-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. In addition, a saliva sample was obtained for the genetic analysis. Genotyping was performed for FTOrs9939609(A>T), FTOrs9930506(A>G), FGF21 rs838133 (A > G), and FGF21 rs838145 (A > G). Dietary patterns were derived using the principal component analysis. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association of dietary patterns with genetic variants. Results: Three dietary patterns were identified: “Western”: consisting of fast food, sweets, and processed meat; “Traditional Emirati” rich in vegetables, traditional Emirati-mixed-dishes and whole dairy; while whole grains, low-fat dairy, and bulgur were components of the “Prudent” pattern. Subjects carrying the A allele of the FTO rs9939609 were 2.41 times more likely to adhere to the Western pattern compared to subjects with genotype TT (OR:2.41; 95%CI:1.05–5.50). Compared with subjects with A/A, those carrying the G allele of the FTO rs9930506 were more likely to follow a Western diet (OR: 2.19; 95%CI: 1.00–4.97). Participants carrying the risk allele (A) of the FGF21 rs838133 were twice more likely to adhere to the Traditional pattern as compared to subjects with genotype GG (OR: 1.9, 95%CI: 1.01–3.57). Conclusions: The findings of this study suggested associations among specific FTO and FGF21 gene variants with dietary patterns among Emirati adults. These findings could be used to inform evidence-based targeted nutrition preventive recommendations, especially those aiming to limit intake of western type foods.
Factors Affecting Mobile Banking Loyalty in Thailand

An extensive inquisition on service quality has been a significant subject matter for centuries and has now developed in a manner of self-service technology (SSTs). SSTs service quality has a complex influence on the behaviour of customers in terms of interaction with banking organisations that involve activities of M-banking to establish and develop more significant customer satisfaction, loyalty, and service results. This study would like to examine technological based services impact based on SSTs service quality, goal framing theory, and customer loyalty in the M-banking service of a developing country. 698 M-banking’s users have been collected through the online survey. Structural Equation Modelling was applied, and the results indicate positive and significant relationships among proposed indicators, including SSTs service quality, goal framing theory, and customer loyalty. The findings can help the banking industry to improve and provide necessary insights for the Banking industry, especially in the developing country like Thailand.
Content-Based Instruction: A Novel Second/Foreign Language Curricular Approach

Behaviorism has not only been challenged in the theory of education but also in the theory of language learning and teaching. Content-based instruction (CBI) is one of the language education approaches that counters the approaches that are rooted in behavioral precepts and bases itself into the principles of communicative language teaching (CLT). This paper discusses the content-based instruction and its underlying theoretical principles. CBI is a curricular approach in second and/or foreign language (L2/FL) education that advocates for negotiation of meaning through a target language (TL) communication and dialogue in class (Brinton, Snow, & Wesche, 2003; Larsen-Freeman, 2000; Lyster, 2007). First, it is attempted to understand how content-based instruction is conceptualized. Second, major program models used in the CBI approach in various L2 and FL educational contexts are reviewed through the Met’s (1999) continuum of CBI. In fact, Met (1999) presented a continuum as an effort to rationalize the complexity of the CBI approach. By putting language-driven program models on one side and content-driven on the other, she showed the powerful diversity in which CBI has been adopted all over the world. Finally, a critical comparison between CBI approach and a traditional L2/FL learning one is made by discussing benefits and drawbacks and/or challenges of each of the approaches. The CBI and traditional L2/FL approaches are analyzed with an aim to present a balanced view of their applications and implications. It is concluded that although there may be challenges, CBI does have potential to be adopted in various educational settings.
Plasmon-enhanced strong visible light photocatalysis by defect engineered CVD graphene and graphene oxide physically functionalized with Au nanoparticles

The strong visible light photocatalytic activity of defect-controlled CVD graphene (GR) and graphene oxide (GO) hybrids through physical functionalization with Au atoms has been demonstrated here. Control of in-plane defects in GR was achieved by controlling the pre-treatment of substrates during the CVD reaction, and post-growth functionalization was achieved using a physical sputter deposition approach. Quantitative analysis of the defect density, oxygenated functional groups on GR and nature of the interaction of Au with GR and GO was performed using several analytical tools. The defect-mediated strong interaction of the Au NPs with GR and GO and enhanced visible absorption was evidenced from surface plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy studies. As compared to the pristine GR with a photocatalytic efficiency of ∼30%, Au-functionalized defective GR and GO films exhibited catalytic efficiencies of 70% and 85%, respectively, for the first time. The pseudo first-order rate constant of degradation with visible light was found to be ∼10−3 min−1. This is believed to result from the superior charge transfer in graphene-based plasmonic hybrids aided by enhanced light absorption. Our results open up doors for the efficient visible light photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis applications of graphene-based 2D layered materials.
MODERN TEACHING TECHNOLOGIES СУЧАСНІ ПЕДАГОГІЧНІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ

The introduction of cloud technologies in the educational process is a priority for domestic education. The selection of appropriate services that can be used to improve the educational process remains a key issue in solving these problems. The authors note the possibility of using cloud services in all areas of education and emphasize the availability of online set of tools for processing graphics files, which provides users with corresponding software for creating and designing graphics files, provision of server storage space, as well as access to all saved assets at any time from any device with Internet access. The article describes the experience of using cloud services in the educational process of training computer science teachers of Zhytomyr
Isolation and Functional Analysis of Arabidopsis Stress-Inducible NAC Transcription Factors That Bind to a Drought-Responsive cis-Element in the early responsive to dehydration stress 1 Promoter

Lam-Son Phan Tran,a Kazuo Nakashima,a Yoh Sakuma,a Sean D. Simpson,b Yasunari Fujita,a Kyonoshin Maruyama,a Miki Fujita,c Motoaki Seki,c Kazuo Shinozaki,cd and Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozakiade1 a Biological Resources Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8686, Japan bGenesis Research and Development Corporation, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand c Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, RIKEN Tsukuba Institute, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan d Core Research for Evolution Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan e Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
A Critical Study of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Classification Techniques

Data mining, a field that can uncover patterns from large repositories, has numerous applications such as building predictive models which can be extremely beneficial in the healthcare industry. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a hormonal disorder which is largely prevalent among women of reproductive age. In order to help in the diagnosis of PCOS, classification techniques such as Naïve Bayes, Decision Tree and Neural Networks can be applied to classify real time PCOS data based on an established training set. In this paper, an attempt has been made to compare the accuracies and other performance measures of the prior mentioned data mining techniques to predict whether a person is likely to have PCOS or not through.
Análise da integridade da região abaixo da superfície no torneamento de materiais endurecidos com ferramentas de PCBN e metal-duro

Along a mechanical component manufacturing steps, manufacturing processes directly affect the microgeometric surface condition and material properties in the subsurface layers. Phenomena such as the formation of white layer, plastic deformation and shear carbides, for example, directly impact on component performance, especially as the fatigue life, as the affected areas are prone to nucleation and propagation of cracks. Hardened steels have been employed in the manufacture of gears, bearings, dies and other critical components of engineering, which require high wear resistance, which makes it relevant to the study of surface integrity. Hard turning has become an alternative to grinding, reducing costs and time. Due to the high cost of the tools, PCBN and ceramics, for example, and the consequent development of coating and reduction grains technologies, carbide tools has emerged as an economically viable alternative to this type of operation. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the surface integrity to the AISI 4340, AISI 52100 and AISI D2 steels in six hardness values, machined with PCBN and carbide ultrafine grains tools. First were evaluated 2D and 3D roughness of the machined surfaces and it was found that hardness up to 50 HRC, both cutting tools showed similar behavior in terms of surface finish. However, above this value, the machining with carbide tool showed higher instabilities, generating surfaces with low functional performance. This behavior is associated with the geometry of the tool, the elevation of the components of the machining force and microstructural characteristics of materials. Subsequently, the microstructural changes were analyzed and it was found that the hardness is not decisive factor in the behavior of the machined surfaces, but the microstructure. Another feature observed in almost all tests is that the layer subject to change is too thin, a result that is associated with the cutting parameters and geometries of the tools. About materials, AISI 4340 and AISI 52100 steel showed white layer by phase transformation and the steel AISI D2 carbides shear. In the three materials was observed the occurrence of plastic deformation. Regarding the performance of cutting tools, the biggest changes were observed for steels from 55 HRC, machined metal-hard tool.