Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbial activity in contrasting conditions of soil C and N availability in a tropical dry forest

Abstract: We studied the relationships between soil nutrient availability and microbial biomass and activity of two contrasting soil conditions in a tropical deciduous forest in western Mexico. Hilltops have higher pH, water, dissolved organic C, and ammonium concentrations than hillslopes. Our main hypothesis was that soil microbial biomass, microbial activity and bacterium species richness would be higher in soils with high availability of nutrients. Fifteen soil cores, 0–5 cm depth, were taken in the dry, early rainy and rainy season, from each of the ten replicate plots in hilltop and hillslope positions located on three contiguous small watersheds. We measured moisture, C, N and P availability, potential C mineralization, net nitrification, microbial biomass and culturable heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria in composite samples from each plot. Microbial biomass, species richness of culturable heterotrophic bacteria and C mineralization were significantly higher on hilltops than on hillslopes. Net nitrification was, in contrast, significantly higher on hillslopes than on hilltops and counts of culturable nitrifying bacteria were also significantly higher in the rainy-season samples. Hilltops and hillslopes had low similarity in composition of culturable heterotrophic bacterial species, particularly during the rainy season. The results suggested that C and N availability and seasonal changes in soil moisture are important controlling factors for some soil culturable-bacterial species, which may affect both C mineralization and nitrification in these tropical deciduous forest soils.
Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Chronic Airway Diseases

Introduction: The global burden of chronic airway diseases represents an important public health concern. The role of oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of these diseases is well known. The aim of this study is to evaluate the behavior of both inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with chronic bronchitis, current asthma and past asthma in the frame of a population-based study. Methods: For this purpose, data collected from the Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases (GEIRD) Study, an Italian multicentre, multicase-control study, was evaluated. Cases and controls were identified through a two-stage screening process of individuals aged 20-65 years from the general population. Out of 16,569 subjects selected from the general population in the first stage of the survey, 2259 participated in the clinical evaluation. Oxidative stress biomarkers such as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), 8-isoprostane and glutathione and inflammatory biomarkers such as Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FENO) and white blood cells were evaluated in 1878 subjects. Results: Current asthmatics presented higher levels of FENO (23.05 ppm), leucocytes (6770 n/µL), basophils (30.75 n/µL) and eosinophils (177.80 n/µL), while subjects with chronic bronchitis showed higher levels of GSH (0.29 mg/mL) and lymphocytes (2101.6 n/µL). The multivariable multinomial logistic regression confirmed high levels of leucocytes (RRR = 1.33), basophils (RRR = 1.48), eosinophils (RRR = 2.39), lymphocytes (RRR = 1.26) and FENO (RRR = 1.42) in subjects with current asthma. Subjects with past asthma had a statistically significant higher level of eosinophils (RRR = 1.78) with respect to controls. Subjects with chronic bronchitis were characterized by increased levels of eosinophils (RRR = 2.15), lymphocytes (RRR = 1.58), GSH (RRR = 2.23) and 8-isoprostane (RRR = 1.23). Conclusion: In our study, current asthmatics show a greater expression of the inflammatory profile compared to subjects who have had asthma in the past and chronic bronchitis. On the other hand, chronic bronchitis subjects showed a higher rate of expression of oxidative stress biomarkers compared to asthmatic subjects. In particular, inflammatory markers such as circulating inflammatory cells and FENO seem to be more specific for current asthma, while oxidative stress biomarkers such as glutathione and 8-isoprostane appear to be more specific and applicable to patients with chronic bronchitis.
Physical Activity Promotion: A Systematic Review of The Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals

Physical activity (PA) is a cost-effective and non-pharmacological foundation for the prevention and management of chronic and complex diseases. Healthcare professionals could be viable conduits for PA promotion. However, the evidence regarding the effectiveness and benefits of the current forms of PA promotion are inconclusive. Healthcare professionals’ perceptions on key determinants impact on the optimum promotion of PA were explored in this review. Thirty-four (34) studies were identified after systematically searching seven databases for peer-reviewed articles published within the last decade. PA advice or counselling was the most recorded form of PA promotion, limited counselling time was the most reported obstacle while providing incentives was viewed as a key facilitator. There is widespread consensus among healthcare professionals (HCPs) on some aspects of PA promotion. Utilisation of all PA promotional pathways to their full potential could be an essential turning point towards the optimal success of PA promotional goals. Hence, strategies are required to broaden chronic disease treatment methods to include preventive and integrative PA promotion approaches particularly, between frontline HCPs (e.g., GPs) and PA specialists (e.g., EPs). Future studies could explore the functionality of GP to EP referral pathways to determining what currently works and areas requiring further development.
Enzymatic synthesis of medium-chain triacylglycerols by alcoholysis and interesterification of copra oil using a crude papain lipase preparation

We have examined the possibility of producing analogs of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) from copra oil, i.e. a triacylglycerol mixture with a high content of medium-chain fatty acid moieties (C6-C10). A two-step enzymatic process was used in which copra triacylglycerols were first split with papain lipase by alcoholysis with an alkyl alcohol and then subjected to interesterification with the alkyl esters recovered using papain lipase. Effects of temperature, water activity/content, substrate ratio, biocatalyst amount, and alcohol chain length were also investigated. On the one hand, the sn-3 stereoselectivity of the lipase in the alcoholysis of copra oil with butanol has permitted a direct enrichment of caproic, caprylic and capric moieties in the synthesized butyl esters. Thus, in the batch reactor, the reaction led to about 31% conversion of the oil after 24 h, and the content Of C6-C10 acids in the synthesized esters increased from about 16% in the starting oil to almost 42%. A similar enzymatic alcoholysis in a packed-bed column bioreactor gave 31% conversion of the oil after 120 min of reactor residence time. The reaction was also very selective because the C6-C10 fatty acyl groups represented about half of the newly formed butyl esters, whereas they accounted for only 16% of total fatty acids in the starting oil. On the other hand, the transesterification of the alkyl esters recovered (highly enriched in C6-C10 fatty acyl groups) with native copra oil directly led to an increase in the content of MCT in the oil, from 18 mol-% at the beginning of the reaction to 61 mol-% of MCT after a time period of 72 h in the batch reactor. (Resume d'auteur)
Experimental and mensurative data on the abundance of primary producers and consumers from intertidal habitats in Canada

Our data set describes the abundance of seaweeds and invertebrates found in rocky intertidal habitats on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. One subset of data resulted from a manipulative experiment that tested the effects of macroalgal ecosystem engineers (Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus spp.) on the richness, diversity, and composition of understory communities along the environmental stress gradient that occurs across elevations because of tides. Abundance data for all understory taxa are provided for 120 quadrats that characterized two macroalgal canopy treatments (canopy vs. no canopy) and three elevation zones (high, middle, and low). Another subset of data resulted from a mensurative study done regionally based on four locations spanning 350 km of coastline. Data from that study describe the abundance of seaweeds (including the canopy-forming species mentioned above) and invertebrates found at three elevation zones (high, middle, and low) for a total of 1170 quadrats. Both the manipulative experiment and the mensurative study revealed that intertidal macroalgal canopies affect the structure of benthic communities at high and middle elevations (where the canopies ameliorate the otherwise harsh conditions during low tides) but have no effects at low elevations (where conditions remain mild during low tides due to short aerial exposures). Because of its taxonomic amplitude and coverage of a wide environmental stress gradient, our data set is potentially useful to address in novel or infrequent ways other broad ecological issues, such as abundance–occupancy relationships, species co-occurrence, species abundance distributions, dominance and rarity, spatial scales of population and community variability, and distribution of phylogenetic diversity.
Phosphatases and the utilization of organic phosphorus by Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viceae

Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viceae strain TAL 1236 growing on different organic phosphorus compounds as sources of phosphate exhibited phosphatase activities. The strain was able to produce both acid and alkaline phosphatases. However, its ability to produce alkaline phosphatase was much higher. When cellular phosphate fell to 0.115% of cell protein, cellular and extracellular phosphatase activities were promoted. Mg2+, Co2+ and Ca2+ enhanced slightly the activity of alkaline phosphatase more than acid phosphatase. However, Mn2+ and Fe2+ activated acid phosphatase rather than alkaline phosphatase. It may be concluded that Rh. leguminosarum plays an important role in the release of phosphorus from its organic compounds through the action of phosphatases which can be slightly activated by a range of cations.
Root hydrotropism of an agravitropic pea mutant, ageotropum

We have partially characterized root hydrotropism of an agravitropic pea mutant, ageotropum (from Pisum sativum L. cv. Weibull's Weitor), without interference of gravitropism. Lowering the atmospheric air humidity inhibited root elongation and caused root curvature toward the moisture-saturated substrate in ageotropum pea. Removal of root tips approximately 1.5 mm in length blocked the hydrotropic response. A computer-assisted image analysis showed that the hydrotropic curvature in the roots of ageotropum pea was chiefly due to a greater inhibition of elongation on the humid side than the dry side of the roots. Similarly, gravitropic curvature of Alaska pea roots resulted from inhibition of elongation on the lower side of the horizontally placed roots, while the upper side of the roots maintained a normal growth rate. Gravitropic bending of Alaska pea roots was apparent 30 min after stimulation, whereas differential growth as well as curvature in positive root hydrotropism of ageotropum pea became visible 4–5 h after the continuous hydrostimulation. Application of 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid or ethyleneglycol-bis-(β-aminoethylether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid was inhibitory to both root hydrotropism of ageotropum pea and root gravitropism of Alaska pea. Some mutual response mechanism for both hydrotropism and gravitropism may exist in roots, although the stimulusperception mechanisms differ from one another.
Oxidative stress as a life‐history constraint: the role of reactive oxygen species in shaping phenotypes from conception to death

Summary 1. Oxidative stress is usually defined as an imbalance arising when the rate of production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) exceeds the capacity of the antioxidant defence and repair mechanisms, leading to oxidative damage to biomolecules, but the concept can be expanded to include the disruption of reduction : oxidation (redox) reactions involved in cellular signalling. In this review, we consider how the need to circumvent oxidation may shape the phenotypes of organisms throughout their life and that of their offspring, underpinning a diverse range of life-history trade-offs. 2. A recent explosion of interest in this field has shown that both ROS production and the capacity of animals to deal with it change from early development through to adulthood, and vary with environmental conditions and lifestyle. Oxidative stress may both stimulate and be caused by reproduction, although direct evidence of either process is surprisingly weak. Many forms of secondary sexual traits may signal the individual’s oxidative balance to potential mates, but the underlying mechanisms are still debated. 3. Germline cells may be especially vulnerable to oxidative stress, leading to transgenerational effects on offspring viability and possible consequences for the evolution of mate choice. 4. Both antioxidant defences and the ability to repair oxidative damage tend to decline with old age, contributing to cellular and whole organism senescence. This increasing vulnerability to oxidative stress, although little studied, appears especially marked in sexually selected traits. 5. Challenges for the future include the incorporation of longitudinal approaches into experiments that analyse oxidative balance over an individual’s lifetime (preferably under near-natural conditions), the exploration of the genetic basis for trade-offs involving oxidative stress, the assimilation of current redox signalling knowledge, and the study of the consequences of heritable oxidative damage to germline DNA.
Sensorial characterization and consumer preference analysis of smoked mackerel (Scomber japonicus) fillets.

The aim of this work was to develop a list of descriptors to evaluate smoked mackerel fillets combining brine salting with cold smoking at 22 or 28oC by the conventional sensory profile method and to analyze their consumer acceptance. The samples were investigated by eight descriptive panelists for aroma and flavor attributes before further evaluated by sixty-five consumers for acceptance levels. The trained panel was efficient since judges managed to point out the differences between products, indicating a consensual and discriminative panel performance. Samples treated at 28oC were scored higher in aroma descriptors than at 22oC, while these last ones showed high values in flavor descriptors. Consistent with the descriptive panel, the evaluation by the consumers showed the smoked mackerel samples were comparable to the commercial liquid smoke salmon being no significant difference (p>0.05) found in acceptability scores. The sample smoked at 22oC was the favorite according to the preference consumer test. The results obtained in the present study were highly positive and encouraging that both developed products were accepted by the consumer and had higher preference or equivalent to the one commercial product.
Low Cost ISR Development for Quadcopter

Research organizations all over the world are finding and developing more and more application areas for UAV’s. The prominent areas where UAV’s have marked their presence include largely military, air force and upper atmosphere exploration. Presently the technology involved in military application Quadcopter is inaccessible and secret, thus in this paper attempt has been made t o develop such a UAV that has most of the functionality of a military grade UAV but can be constructed using off the shelf components. The emphasis is on development of low cost, reliable, accurate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology (ISR). The use of a specialized technology for control transmission will make it fail proof and snoop safe. The epilogue for the paper i s a complete comparison of a low level and high level off shelf technology and the concerned development platform.
Health-Related Aspects of Beer: A Review

Beer is consumed worldwide and is a universally popular beverage. This is due to its sensory, nutritional, and medicinal properties. Surveys have shown that light to moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages (including beer) with relatively low alcohol contents can provide various favorable impacts on humans' health, including nutritional benefits, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic effects, reduction of cardiovascular disease (cardioprotective effect), hypolipidemic effect, immune system stimulation, anti-osteoporosis effect, and reducing risk of dementia. On the contrary, consumption of these beverages in excessive amounts results in some heath disorders, such as allergy induction, increase in the plasma concentration of uric acid, mutation and cancer induction, increase in the risk of dementia, obesity, and some social misbehaviors. Health-related aspects of beer (both positive and negative impacts) have been comprehensively reviewed in this article.
Gaz à effet de serre et stockage du carbone par les sols : inventaire au niveau du Brésil

L’un des defis majeurs de ce XXI e siecle sera sans nul doute le rechauffement global et ses consequences : ces changements climatiques dus a l’augmentation des concentrations atmospheriques des gaz a effet de serre. Le Bresil a ratifie la Convention cadre des Nations unies sur les changements climatiques et doit donc fournir un inventaire annuel des gaz a effet de serre, qui doit comprendre les flux de CO 2 pour la categorie 5D intitulee « Emissions ou sequestration de CO 2 par le sol dues au changement d’affectation des terres et a leur gestion ». Ces flux sont estimes a partir des changements des stocks de carbone au cours d’une periode de 20 ans. Pour calculer ces flux, il est donc necessaire d’etablir les stocks de C dans les sols du Bresil. Ces travaux, menes en etroite cooperation entre la France et le Bresil, ont permis l’obtention des premieres estimations : le Bresil precolombien stockait 36 400 millions de tonnes dans les 30 premiers centimetres des sols du Bresil ; en 1995, ces stocks etaient reduits a 34 400 millions de tonnes. Entre 1990 et 2000, les pertes annuelles dues aux changements d’affectation des terres, a leur gestion et au chaulage totalisaient en moyenne 7,2 millions de tonnes de CO 2 par an.
Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Potential of Pearled Barley (Hordeum vulgarae.)

Abstract Two barley varieties, Falcon and AC Metcalfe, were separated by pearling into seven fractions. Each fraction was subsequently extracted with 80% methanol. Total phenolic content of the extracts so obtained was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and ranged from 0.51 to 6.26 and 0.17 to 4.16 mg ferulic acid equiv/g defatted material, respectively. In both barley varieties, the outermost fraction (F1) yielded the highest phenolic content. The extracts were evaluated for their efficacy in scavenging of peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). IC50 value, an indicator of efficacy of a test extract in reducing radical concentration by 50%, ranged from 3.51 to 3.71 mg/mL and 0.27 to 0.51 mg/mL for peroxyl radical for Falcon and AC Metcalfe fraction extracts, respectively. The corresponding values for hydroxyl radical ranged from 0.51 to 3.30 mg/mL and 0.68 to 3.75 mg/mL. Metal chelation activity was determined using the 2,2′-bipyridyl competition assay. Effectiveness of phenolic extracts in inhibiting radical-induced supercoiled DNA breakage was also evaluated. Finally, the potential of phenolic extracts in inhibiting the growth of Caco-2 human adenocarcinoma cells was determined. Barley fractions showed a high level of antiproliferative activity toward inhibition of Caco-2 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells. Percentage inhibition of cancer cells rendered by Falcon and AC Metcalfe barley fraction extracts ranged from 14% to 74% and 21% to 57%, respectively, at 0.5 mg/mL concentration. The results indicate that barley fractions tested possess significant antioxidant and antiproliferative activities.
Further Studies With Hens Producing a High Incidence of Non-Calcified or Partially Calcified Egg Shells

Abstract Two experiments were conducted in which physical and chemical comparisons were made between hens producing a high or low percentage (40 and 4, respectively) of ultra-thin shell (UTS) or shell-less (SL) eggs to obtain information related to the cause of shell-less eggs. No difference was observed in the weight of the hen, egg, ovary or oviduct or in serum calcium or sodium between the UTS-SL hens and control hens. The hens producing a high incidence of shell-less and ultra-thin shell eggs (UTS-SL hens) consumed 2.6 grams less feed per hen per day, and the specific gravity of hard shell eggs was only slightly lower than that of controls. The mixed excreta of the UTS-SL hens contained significantly less sodium and potassium, and 15% more calcium than did the control hens. Tibia weight, breaking strength and ash was significantly greater in the UTS-SL hens. No difference was observed in calcium content of the isthmus and magnum but the uterus of the UTS-SL hens contained a significantly higher percent calcium than that of the control birds. Percent fat in the uterus was significantly increased. Percent fat was significantly increased in the liver (Exp. 1) of UTS-SL birds in Experiment 1 and numerically lower in Experiment 2. It was concluded that the inability of the UTS-SL hens to continuously produce eggs with normal shells is not due to a failure of the hen to absorb calcium from the digestive tract, transport it to the blood, bone or uterus but to the hens inability to utilize calcium at the actual site of egg shell formation or premature expulsion.
Effect of Delta-Opioid Receptor Over-Expression on Cortical Expression of GABA(subscript A) Receptor α1-Subunit in Hypoxia

Recent studies show that both delta-opioid receptors (DOR) and GABA receptors play a neuron-protective role in the mature cortex. Since we have observed that DOR over-expression renders the cortex more tolerant to hypoxic stress, we asked whether DOR over-expression affects GABA receptors expression in the cortex under hypoxia. As the first step, we investigated the expression of GABA(subscript A) receptor α1-subunit (GABA(subscript A) Rα1, the most abundant α-subunit of GABA receptors in the adult brain) in the mouse cortex with transgenic DOR over-expression after hypoxia. The results showed that GABA(subscript A) Rα1 expression was lower in the transgenic than wild-type cortex, suggesting that DOR over-expression induces an inhibitory effect on GABA(subscript A) receptor expression. Hypoxia for 1-3 days significantly increased GABA(subscript A) Rα1 expression in the wild-type cortex, which may be an adaptive strategy for protecting the cortex against hypoxic stress. Interestingly, such increase was not found in the transgenic cortex with DOR over-expression. This may represent an interactive regulation in the transgenic cortex to efficiently balance energy production and consumption for better adaptation to hypoxic environment. Since DOR over-expression increases cortical tolerance to hypoxia, an increase in GABA receptors expression (an energy-costing process) may not be necessary in the cortex with DOR over-expression.