Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study of the Incidence of Speech Deviations among Visually Handicapped Children

This report has attempted to investigate the incidence of speech deviations among visually handicapped children. Two hundred and ninety-three children were surveyed and 33.8 per cent were found to have some sort of speech deviation. This statistic is four to five times higher than the incidence in public schools, depending upon which study is used for comparison. The largest category of deviations was “articulations. ” There was no statistical difference between the braille students and sight-saving students in terms of speech deviations. There was no statistical difference between the number of boys and girls in comparing speech deviations. More children had a diagnosis of retrolental fibroplasia than any other eye diagnosis. The incidence of retrolental fibroplasia has decreased significantly among the blind in the past five years. Consequently, it cannot be positively stated that there is a correlation between retrolental fibroplasia and speech deviations. It is interesting to note, however, that out of fourteen students having optic atrophy, thirteen had articulation problems. It is not known, unfortunately, how many out of the total number surveyed had optic atrophy. The mean age of the children with speech deviations is 10.1 years. From this investigation it cannot be generalized that approximately one-third of all blind children have speech deviations. Numerous factors alter the interpretation of such a generalization. Both the Michigan and Illinois schools are residential schools. Perhaps the incidence might be different in day school programs. Nevertheless, it can be said that the incidence of speech deviations in visually handicapped children is higher than most estimates of defective speech in public school surveys.
Antiplasmodial activity of compounds isolated from Elaeagnus umbellata

The study of the chemical constituents of the whole plant of Elaeagnus umbellata has resulted in the isolation and characterization of three coumarins, namely, 7-Hydroxy-chromen-2-one (1), 7, 8-Dihyroxy-chromen-2-one (2), 3-(2,2,3,4,5-Pentahydroxy-hexyloxy)-chromen-2-one (3) and an anthraquinone (4) together with β-sitosterol glucopyranoside (5) and lupeol (6). The structural elucidation of the isolated compounds was established based on spectroscopic studies. The in vitro antimalarial activity of compounds 1 to 4 againstPlasmodium falciparum shows partial suppression of parasitic growth. Key words: Elaeagnus umbellata, coumarins, anti-malarial activity.
Biodiversité spécifique ligneuse et terroirs : quelles relations ? Le cas de trois villages de la région de Ségou (Mali)

Les questions sur le devenir des parcs agroforestiers de la zone ouest-africaine entrent dans la problematique internationale du developpement durable. La biodiversite a ses niveaux specifiques et "agro-ecosystemiques" n'est pas statique. Elle apparait, au contraire, dynamique dans l'espace et le temps, s'inscrivant dans un processus global de construction des terroirs. Soumise aux changements agro-ecologiques et socio-economiques qui s'y operent, elle en est egalement la revelatrice. Un etat des lieux de ces parcs agroforestiers a ete entrepris par l'Icraf-Sahel (International Council for Research in Agroforestry), depuis 2002, dans la region de Segou (Mali). Il est prevu pour une quarantaine de villages representatifs de differents contextes ecologiques et socio-economiques. La methodologie allie la realisation d'inventaires par echantillonnage et l'utilisation d'un systeme d'information geographique (Sig). Cet article montre le lien entre la biodiversite des ligneux dans trois terroirs voisins et l'utilisation des terres par les paysans. Il montre notamment que l'histoire agraire est le facteur preponderant pour expliquer la composition floristique des groupes constitues par analyses statistiques. Enfin, quelques indicateurs permettent de reveler une dynamique en cours avec, en particulier, une extension de Faidherbia albida a partir de ses sites originels (les champs de case) vers l'ensemble du terroir agricole. (Resume d'auteur)
Oxidative Damage to Membranes by a Combination of Aluminum and Iron in Suspension-Cultured Tobacco Cells

Aluminum (Al) and ferrous iron [Fe(II)] are separately non-toxic to cultured tobacco cells in nutrient solution. However, Al and Fe(II) together cause the peroxidation of membrane iipids, the accumulation of Al and Fe, and the loss of viability [Ono et al. (1995) Plant Cell Physiol. 36: 115]. We investigated the cause-and-effect relationships of these various responses. In cells exposed to Fe(TT) or Fe(III)-EDTA, both the peroxidation of Iipids and the loss of viability were similarly enhanced by A1C13 in a dose-dependent manner. During exposure to A1C13, the accumulation of Al and the loss of viability became apparent rapidly and simultaneously at 8 h, whereas both the peroxidation of Iipids and the accumulation of Fe occurred at later times. However, lipophilic antioxidants protected cells efficiently not only from the peroxidation of Iipids but also from the loss of viability and the accumulation of Al and Fe. These results suggest that the peroxidation of Iipids in the plasma membrane that is caused by both Al and Fe leads to the accumulation of Al and Fe and the loss of viability.
Plant volatiles as key players in diverse ecological interactions

Since the colonization of land by plants and the beginning of their sessile life style, plants have been constantly con‐ fronted with adverse biotic and abiotic stresses. However plants are not merely passive victims of these stresses; they have evolved various resistance strategies that encompass physical, developmental and chemical attributes. Plants and herbivorous insects, for instance, have coexisted for more than 350 million years and have developed a series of mu‐ tualistic and antagonistic interactions that shaped the basic biochemistries and population genetics of both organisms (Gatehouse 2002). Based on this coexistence, Ehrlich and Raven (1964) coined the co‐evolutionary theory which suggests that the evolution of plant defense chemicals and the stepwise evolutionary responses to these chemicals by insects have led to the species diversity of both groups. As a result of these defense and counter‐defense processes, today more than 200,000 structurally diverse secondary metabolites of plant origin have been discovered (Mithofer and Boland 2012). Traditionally, secondary chemicals were once thought to be just metabolic wastes and detoxification products (Hartmann 1996). However, in his seminal paper entitled “The Raison d’Etre of Secondary Plant Substances”, Fraenkel (1959) presented the first evidence that most plant secondary chemicals had evolved to defend plants against insects and other natural enemies. Since secondary metabolism is usually dispensable for normal growth and development, its components can be continuously modified and adapted to the selection pressure of a continuously changing environment.
Targeting Oncogene-Induced Autophagy: A New Approach in Cancer Therapy?

Autophagy is a tightly controlled self-degradation process utilised by cells to sustain cellular homeostasis and to support cell survival in response to metabolic stress and starvation. Thus, autophagy plays a critical role in promoting cell integrity and maintaining proper function of cellular processes. Defects in autophagy, however, can have drastic implications in human health and diseases, including cancer. Described as a double-edged sword in the context of cancer, autophagy can act as both suppressor and facilitator of tumorigenesis. As such, defining the precise role of autophagy in a multistep event like cancer progression can be complex. Recent findings have implicated a role for components of the autophagy pathway in oncogene-mediated cell transformation, tumour growth, and survival. Notably, aggressive cancers driven by Ras oncoproteins rely on autophagy to sustain a reprogrammed mitochondrial metabolic signature and evade cell death. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the role of oncogene-induced autophagy in cancer progression and discuss how modulators of autophagic responses can bring about therapeutic benefit and eradication of a subset of cancers that are addicted to this ancient recycling machinery.
Occurrence of Fusarium langsethiae Strains Isolated from Durum Wheat in Italy

Surveys on the occurrence of type A trichothecenes in wheat, and particularly for the T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and information on the biology and epidemiology of the causative Fusarium species (i.e. F. langsethiae, F. sporotrichioides) are scarce in Italy, as compared to the more common type B trichothecene, deoxynivalenol and its producers. This 4-year monitoring of phytopathogenic Fusarium species on 183 seed lots of durum wheat shows wide distribution of F. langsethiae in Italy and the potential of several isolates of this fungus to produce high amounts of T-2 and HT-2 in wheat. Fusarium langsethiae was observed for approximately 48% of the analysed samples, with a maximum incidence for a single lot of 10.5%. Fusarium sporotrichioides was observed only in 2011, with an average incidence of 2% (range, 0–3%). A collection of F. langsethiae isolates representative of the main cultivation areas in Italy was established. These isolates showed great variability for their toxin production in vitro. Of 28 strains, all except one isolate can produce the T-2 and HT-2 toxins. HT-2 was generally in greater amounts than T-2, with an average concentration ratio for HT-2 to T-2 of 2.1 (range, 0.7–5.4). The artificial inoculation of wheat with three isolates of F. langsethiae produced no Fusarium head blight symptoms under field conditions. However, significantly higher incidence of F. langsethiae was seen on the kernels of inoculated plants, compared to the uninoculated controls.
Type of dietary fibre (soluble versus insoluble) influences digestion, faeces characteristics and faecal waste production in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.)

The physico-chemical properties of nutrients influence the physical characteristics of faeces and thus may affect waste removal efficiency. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of type of non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) on digesta viscosity, faeces recovery and nutrient digestibility in Nile tilapia. Insoluble (cellulose) and soluble (guar gum) NSPs were included separately and combined at a level of 8%, thereby formulating four experimental diets. The diets were assigned to 16 tanks with 35 fish each, with four replicates for each diet. Cellulose inclusion did not influence digesta viscosity, growth and digestibility of protein and starch and tended to increase faeces recovery (P=0.06). Guar gum inclusion increased digesta viscosity and reduced the growth and digestibility of protein, fat and starch (P<0.01). Faeces recovery was reduced by 42% in diets containing guar gum. There were interaction effects (P<0.05) between cellulose and guar gum for the growth and feed conversion ratio, indicating that cellulose alleviated the negative impact of guar gum. In conclusion, dietary soluble NSPs increase organic matter load in the culture system through a reduction in faeces recovery and nutrient digestibility, whereas insoluble NSPs improve the removal efficiency of particles by increasing faeces recovery.
Demonstration of BACE (β-secretase) phosphorylation and its interaction with GGA1 in cells by fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy

β-Secretase (BACE) carries out the first of two proteolysis steps to generate the amyloid-β peptides that accumulate in the senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Because most BACE activity occurs in endosomes, signals regulating its trafficking to these compartments are important to an understanding of AD pathogenesis. A DISLL sequence near the BACE C-terminus mediates binding of BACE to the VHS domains of Golgi-localized γ-ear-containing ARF-binding (GGA) proteins, which are involved in the sorting of proteins to endosomes. Phosphorylation of the motif's serine residue regulates BACE recycling back to the cell surface from early endosomes and enhances the interaction of BACE with GGA proteins in isolated protein assays. We found that BACE phosphorylation influences BACE-GGA interactions in cells using a new fluorescence-resonance-energy-transfer-based assay of protein proximity, fluorescence lifetime imaging. Although serine-phosphorylated BACE was distributed throughout the cell, interaction of GGA1 with the wild-type protein occurred in juxtanuclear compartments. Pseudo-phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated BACE mutants remained localized with GGA1 in the Golgi body, but the latter mutation diminished the two proteins' FRET signal. Because BACE phosphorylated at serine residues can be identified in human brain, these data suggest that serine phosphorylation of BACE is a physiologically relevant post-translational modification that regulates trafficking in the juxtanuclear compartment by interaction with GGA1.
THE EFFECT OF LARVAL DENSITY ON ADULT LONGEVITY OF A MOSQUITO, AEDES SIERRENSIS: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

SUMMARY (1) A 3-year field study of larval populations of Aedes sierrensis, a common North American tree-hole mosquito, produced no evidence for density-dependent larval mortality, but revealed that pupal weight of females was inversely correlated with larval density. (2) Sampling of a wild adult population indicated that, in general, larger adults lived longer than smaller ones. The interval between blood meals in nature was estimated as 8 days. (3) The total expectation of infective life (for transmission of a nematode, Dirofilaria immitis) for females was estimated within the range of larval densities observed in nature. As these estimates may be maximal at intermediate population densities, reduction of larval density may result in an increase in the capacity of the adult population to transmit disease. Accurate assessment of the longevity of adult female mosquitoes has long been recognized as prerequisite to quantification of the ability of a species to transmit disease (MacDonald 1957; Garrett-Jones & Grab 1964; Garrett-Jones 1964). In no case, however, has it been shown that intraspecific variation in adult longevity may be related in a simple fashion to larval density, and that this relationship has important epidemiological consequences. The present study shows that for a wild mosquito population (i) pupal size is inversely related to larval density and (ii) adult longevity is positively correlated with adult size. Equations describing these relationships are linked by an equation relating pupal weight to adult size, then used in conjunction with MacDonald's (1957) equation describing adult survivorship to explore the relationship between the total expectation of infective life of females arising from a given population and the larval density of that population. The treehole-breeding Aedes sierrensis (Ludlow) is an appropriate species for this kind of study because: (i) it is common and easily identified; (ii) as its larval habitat is confined, sampling is simplified; (iii) it is univoltine, allowing easy estimation of larval mortality; (iv) it is the only common mosquito inhabiting tree-holes throughout most of its range (Zavortink 1985); and (v) it is a vector of a nematode parasite of canids, Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy) (Weinmann & Garcia 1974; Walters & Lavoipierre 1982). Life history of A. sierrensis Aedes sierrensis is prevalent on the west coast of North America from southern California to British Columbia. Winters in this region are mild and wet, while summers are
Discrimination of some tunisian olive oil varieties according to their oxidative stability, volatiles compounds and chemometric analysis

Oxidation stability is a key property of olive oil quality and is affected by different antioxidant compounds whose levels may be influenced by several factors such as cultivar and place of production. Polyphenols, carotenoids, chlorophylls, fatty acids levels and some volatiles were correlated to oxidative stability in olive oils in five samples studied. Total polyphenols and saturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids (and/or oleic to linoleic acid ratio) ratio were shown to be the major parameters in oil antioxidant stability, according to analysis of variance and principal component analysis. The hexanal/E-2-hexenal ratio is a very important indicator of the freshness of the oils and can estimate their oxidation degree. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The present study gives information about the importance and the variability of some Tunisian olive oil varieties in both their quality (high oxidative stability) and good organoleptic properties which could be appreciated by consumers.
The Influence of Soaking and Germination on the Phytase Activity and Phytic Acid Content of Grains and Seeds Potentially Useful for Complementary Feeding

ABSTRACT: Phytic acid, a potent inhibitor of mineral and trace element absorption, occurs in all cereal grains and legume seeds. The possibility to increase phytase activity and/or reduce the phytic acid content by soaking and germination was investigated in a wide range of grains and seeds, but not found to be effective. Germination, but not soaking, increased phytase activity 3 to 5-fold in some cereal grains and legume seeds, while the influence on phytic acid content was insignificant in most materials tested. High apparent phytase activity was found in untreated whole grain rye, wheat, triticale, buckwheat, and barley. Their usefulness as sources of phytase in complementary food production should be further investigated.
The role of VPg in translation of calicivirus RNA

Molecular mechanisms of Norovirus replication remain for the most part undefined, primarily due to the lack of cell culture and small animal model systems. However, sequence comparisons and studies using cultivable caliciviruses have lead to the description of many features of the viral genome. Genomes are positive sense RNA, where the genome itself serves as mRNA for the production of viral protein. Additionally, viral RNA is covalently attached at the 5’ end to the viral protein VPg. VPg is required for infectivity of the RNA by transfection, and removal of VPg by proteinase K treatment reduces the ability of the RNA to be translated in vitro. Because of these data, and because viral RNA is presumably not translated by an IRES mechanism, it has been suggested that VPg plays a role in translation of viral RNA. Studies described herein were initiated to investigate the potential role for Norwalk virus (NV) VPg in this process. It was found that NV VPg binds translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) directly and in cell lysates, and is present in complexes with other eIFs including the cap-binding protein eIF4E, the large scaffolding protein eIF4G, the S6 ribosomal protein, and eIF2α, a component of the ternary complex. VPg also inhibits translation of reporter RNAs in vitro, suggesting that the interactions observed between VPg and eIFs are relevant to translation. Regions of VPg responsible for interactions with eIFs were mapped, and it was found that interaction between VPg and the 40S ribosome is most likely that which is responsible for translation inhibition of the reporter RNAs. VPg directly binds 40S ribosomal subunits by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and this interaction is likely mediated by the central domain of VPg, similar to binding properties observed for the universally conserved factor eIF1A. Finally, a recently discovered, cultivable murine norovirus – 1 (MNV-1) was used to ask if interactions between VPg and eIFs occur in infected cells. It was found that VPg of MNV – 1 coprecipitates with eIF4GI, the d subunit of eIF3, and eIF4E from infected cells, and that this VPg has similar binding properties as the NV VPg. Together the data support the hypothesis that VPg plays a role in translation of viral RNA during infection, and suggets a third mechanism of ribosome recruitment dependent upon protein-protein interactions between VPg and eIFs. These studies also highlight the possibility of using MNV – 1 as a molecular model for the study of human norovirus infection.
Increasing platform speed and the percentage of cows completingasecondrotationimprovesthroughputinrotary dairies

This study sought to improve milking efficiency in rotary dairies by modelling the effect of increasing platform speed on the percentage of cows requiring multiple rotations to complete milking, i.e. 'go-around' cows, and cow throughput. Milking data, including 376429 milking event records from 44530 cows, were collected from 62 commercial farms with rotary dairies in New Zealand. Average rotation time, a function of platform speed and rotary size, was 10.0 � 1.5 min, mean milking duration 383 � 129 s, and mean milk yield 11.9� 3.8 kg per milking session. Milking duration data were normalised using a log10 transformation. An estimate of the percentage of 'go- around' cows and potential throughput over a range of platfor ms peeds were made using the NORMDIST function of Microsoft Excel 2010. Results indicate that throughput continues to increase with increasing platform speed, despite a greater number of 'go-around' cows. If a potential shadow effect (whereby a 'go-around' cow may cause the following bail to be unoccupied) is considered, the optimum percentage of 'go-around' cows was ~20%. Accordingly, a change of operating practices in many rotary dairies is justified as the current target of 10% 'go-around' cows may limit throughput. In order to achieve greater cow throughput, platform speed should rather be set based on the capability of the operator attaching clusters. The difference between the current average rotation time and milking duration indicates that many dairies can increase platform speed and thus throughput. Furthermore, many work routines can be accelerated so faster platform speeds can be achieved without increasing labour requirements. The increased throughput potential of larger dairies is only realised when operated at fast platform speeds.
Microbial decomposition of fuel oil after compost addition to soil

The effects of adding straw and bark compost at different nitrogen levels to fuel oil contaminated soil was investigated using the CHCl3 fumigation-extraction method to measure the soil microbial biomass, The addition of these substrates decreased the percentage of extractable fuel oil, increased the percentage of fuel oil mineralized to CO2, but also increased the fraction of unrecovered fuel oil residues. The different N levels had no significant effects on fuel oil decomposition in the presence of the compost substrates. The addition of the compost substrates increased markedly the content of microbial biomass in contrast to the fuel oil addition which had no effect on the biomass level indicating toxic properties. Mikrobielle Zersetzung von Mineralol nach der Zugabe von Kompost zum Boden Die Auswirkungen der Zugabe von Stroh- und Rindenkompost zusammen mit verschiedenen Stickstoffmengen auf die mikrobielle Biomasse eines mit Mineralol kontaminierten Bodens wurde mit der Fumigations-Extraktions-Methode untersucht. Die Substratzugabe senkte den Prozentanteil von extrahierbarem Mineralol und steigerte den des zu CO2 mineralisierten Mineralols, aber erhohte ebenso den Prozentanteil der Fraktion der nicht-wiederfindbaren Mineralolruckstande. In Anwesenheit der Komposte hatten die verschiedenen N-Stufen keine signifikanten Auswirkungen auf den Mineralolabbau. Die Zugabe von Kompostsubstraten erhohte deutlich den Gehalt an mikrobieller Biomasse im Gegensatz zur Zugabe von Mineralol. Diese hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Biomassegehalte, was ein Hinweis auf die toxischen Eigenschaften von Mineralol ist.