Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase and Carbohydrate in Bean (Vigna unguiculata) Exposed to Crude Oil

Bean seedlings were used to study carbohydrates (glucose and starch) and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity in bean roots exposed to different crude oil fractions [Whole Crude (WC), Water Soluble Fraction (WSF) and Water Insoluble Fraction (WIF)] at different percentages of soil contamination. Equal amount of seedlings in each group were harvested after 7, 14 or 21 days post germination and used for analysis. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were employed to statistically analyze data that were obtained. The study reveals higher glucose and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity in the WSF than in whole crude oil (WC) and WIF during 21 DPG when compared with control. Greater decrease in starch was observed in WSF than in WC and WIF at 21 DPG when compared with control. The decline of growth observed in the reduction in the number of leaves, root length and plant height observed in WC, WSF and WIF when compared with control may be related to the carbohydrates and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in bean roots.
A combination of Green Tea and Melatonin Consumption Improve Plasma Lipid Profiles in Adults

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The green tea prepared with leaves of Camellia sinensis is particularly rich in antioxidants, which seems to have a crucial role in atherogenesis. Melatonin also participates in many physiological functions and exhibit antioxidant activity.The aim of our investigation was to evaluate the effects of green tea drinking and melatonin on the lipid profile in 36 subjects. The lipid profile included the measurement of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), apolipoprotein A-I, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein (a). The measurements were performed at the beginning of the study, and after 3 weeks of drinking 1 L of water, and after 4 weeks of drinking 1 L of green tea daily plus 3mg/day melatonin at night. Tea was prepared every day at the same conditions of temperature, time of infusion, and concentration. After drinking green tea plus melatonin a significant beneficial improvement in the lipid profile of subjects was observed. Our data suggest that drinking green tea plus melatonin have beneficial effects protecting against the risk for cardiovascular disease by improving blood lipid levels.
Evaluation of the nutritional profile and antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase activities of Padina gymnospora (Phaeophyceae)

The use of cholinesterase inhibitors and antioxidants is currently considered as an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). There is also a growing trend to use nutraceuticals for cognitive impairment. Since natural product-based drugs offer better hope for the treatment of AD, the present study was aimed at evaluating the nutritional profile of the brown seaweed Padina gymnospora and investigating the antioxidant and inhibitory effect of different solvent extracts of P. gymnospora on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzymes. The nutritional profile of P. gymnospora includes large amounts of carbohydrate, protein, lipid, proline, chlorophyll, fibre, minerals, fatty acids and amino acids, along with antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. Antioxidant activities of various solvent extracts of P. gymnospora were assessed by the DPPH scavenging assay, nitric oxide scavenging assay, reducing power assay and FRAP assay. Acetone extracts showed significant DPPH radical and nitric oxide scavenging activity with IC50 values of 402 ± 9.12 and 441 ± 48.16 µg ml–1 respectively and aqueous extracts had better reducing potential. Among the different solvent extracts, the acetone extract showed the highest inhibitory activity with IC50 values <150 µg ml–1 for both AChE and BuChE. Qualitative phytochemical screening of P. gymnospora revealed the presence of flavonoids and cardiac glycosides. Overall the results suggest that the seaweed Padina gymnospora may be a good nutraceutical candidate for discovering drugs against AD.
Erosion and Restoration of Two Headwater Wetlands Following a Severe Wildfire

Wildfire can damage headwater wetlands, yet the value of post-fire restoration treatments in channels has been contested. Staff from the White Mountain Apache Tribe, students from the local Cibecue Community School, and researchers from the U.S. Forest Service collaboratively recorded channel responses over 13 years at two headwater wetlands lying within watersheds that were severely burned by the Rodeo-Chediski wildfire (Arizona, U.S.) in 2002. One site, Turkey Spring, was left largely untreated for 11 years following the fire, while the second site, Swamp Spring, was treated in 2005 by placing large rock riffle formations and vegetation transplants to prevent further incision and stimulate wetland development. The treatment was soon followed by cessation of channel incision and reestablishment of native wetland vegetation, while headcutting caused extensive erosion at the untreated site for eight years. Radio-carbon dating indicated that the eroding soils at Turkey Spring were over 8,000 years old. This study demonstrates that headwater wetlands in this region are vulnerable to extreme incision events following high severity wildfires, but that such impacts can be partially and gradually reversed. Targeted treatments of incising channels may be warranted to conserve wetlands, soils and associated values that have established over thousands of years.
The evolutionary history of central African rain forest plants: phylogeographical insights from sister species in the climber genus Haumania (Marantaceae)

We sought to test the refuge hypothesis as a major driver of genetic differentiation to explain the development of distinct phytogeographical domains in tropical Central African rain forest. To address this aim, we studied the phylogeographical pattern of a pair of sister plant species, Haumania danckelmaniana and H. liebrechtsiana (Marantaceae), distributed across the two phytogeographical domains: Lower Guinea and Congolia.
Radioactive waste: The problem and its management

Radioactive waste, arising from civilian nuclear activities as well as from defence-related nuclear-weapon activities, poses a formidable problem for handling and protecting the environment to be safe to the present and future generations. This article deals with this global problem in its varied aspects and discusses the cause for concern, the magnitude of the waste involved and various solutions proposed and being practised. As nuclear power and arsenal grow, continuous monitoring and immobilization of the waste over several decades and centuries and deposition in safe repositories, assumes great relevance and importance.
The relationship between speaking test administration tools and item types

This article examines the relationship between test administration tools and item types. It firstly examines the difference in the test administration tools such as paper-based test, computer-based test, and web-based test, in particular, dealing with speaking test. The difference is relevant to item or task types. Based on the considerations of Bachman and Palmer (1996) and Chapelle and Douglas (2006) on test development, and Weir's (2005) definition of context validity, the application of computer technologies to test administration needs to be considered an important construct affecting test takers' performance. To investigate the item type difference among current speaking tests and its relationship with computer technology in administrating the tests, twelve test takers, five proctors, and two computer lab administrator participated in the phone interview and e-mail survey. Six popular speaking tests (TSE, PELT, IELTS, MATE, iBT TOEFL, ESPT) were selected to be analyzed. The data were analyzed in terms of item types, computer technology use, and test-takers perceptions. The implication is suggested for students, teachers, and language testers.
Probing Interaction of Genome and Methylome by Targeted Bisulfite Sequencing

DNA methylation at CpG dinucleotides in mammalian cells is recognized as an epigenetic mechanism that plays a major role in mammalian development via gene expression regulation. Techniques in DNA methylation profiling have been advancing in the past decades. I have developed the second-generation of bisulfite padlock probe (BSPP) method, which does not require multiple steps of standard library preparation. This method is high-throughput and more scalable for quantification of DNA methylation at single-base resolution. The library-free method greatly reduces sample-preparation time and cost and is also compatible with automation. These developments have fulfilled the key requirements of a DNA methylation assay, including cost effectiveness, minimum sample input requirements, accuracy, and throughput. I have performed this technique to compare with other assays performed by different research groups for locus-specific DNA methylation analysis on the same samples set. BSPP assay showed a high correlation with other assays that have highest accuracy and is at the top with other assays based on the throughput. Genetic variants have an impact on local DNA methylation patterns by influencing methyltransferase recognition sequences or altering the DNA binding affinity of cis-regulatory proteins. To study this interaction, I have characterized CpG methylation state of 96 individuals from 22 nuclear pedigrees consisting of 52 parent-child trios using BSPP. I used the DMR330k probe set to quantify DNA methylation level at a set of 411,800 CpGs. Next, I have employed three independent approaches, including mid-parent offspring (MPO), methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL), and allele-specific methylation (ASM) analysis, to investigate the influence of genetic polymorphisms on DNA methylation variation. MPO analysis identified 10,593 heritable CpG sites, among which 70.1% were SNPs that present in CpG sites. With mQTL analysis, 49.9% of heritable CpG sites were identified where regulation occurred in a distal cis-regulatory manner while ASM analysis was only able to identify 5% of heritable CpGs. This finding suggested that mQTL analysis do not identify all the cis-regulartory SNPs associated with heritable CpG methylation, and ASM analysis has even less power. I have extensively proved that in addition to regulating the mean of DNA methylation, genetic polymorphisms are also associated with the variability of DNA methylation levels. I have identified hundreds of CpG clusters in human genome for which the degree of DNA methylation variability was associated with genetic polymorphisms. This finding supported the previous studies showing that genetic variants have the influence on phenotypic plasticity such as gene expression or DNA methylation.
Sensitivity of sturgeons to environmental hypoxia: a review of physiological and ecological evidence

In this essay, three lines of evidence are developed that sturgeons in the Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere are unusually sensitive to hypoxic conditions: 1. In comparison to other fishes,sturgeons have a limited behavioral and physiological capacity to respond to hypoxia. Basal metabolism, growth, feeding rate, and survival are sensitive to changes in oxygen level, which may indicate a relatively poor ability of sturgeons to oxyregulate. 2. During summertime, temperatures >20°C amplify the effect of hypoxia on sturgeons and other fishes due to a temperature oxygen "squeeze" (Coutant 1987). In bottom waters, this interaction results in substantial reduction of habitat; in dry years, sturgeon nursery habitats in the Chesapeake Bay may be particularly reduced or even eliminated. 3. While evidence for population level effects due to hypoxia is circumstantial, there are corresponding trends between the absence of Atlantic sturgeon reproduction in estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay where summertime hypoxia predominates on a system-wide scale. Also, the recent and dramatic recovery of shortnose sturgeon in the Hudson River (4-bid increase in abundance from 1980 to1995) may have been stimulated by improvement of a large portion of the nursery habitat that was restored from hypoxia to normoxia during the period 1973-1978.
Natural enemies of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Togo and Cote d'Ivoire, and other insects associated with coffee beans

A search for natural enemies of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), was conducted in Togo and Cote d'Ivoire. Several strains of the fungal entomopathogens Paecilomyces farinosus (Holm ex SF Gray) Brown and Smith and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin were found in each country. This is the first report of P. farinosus infecting coffee berry borer. Leptophloeus sp. near punctatus (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae) was observed preying on coffee berry borer larvae for the first time. Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) was the most abundant coffee berry borer parasitoid found in Cote d'Ivoire followed by Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Both species also occur in Togo, although in very low numbers, together with another parasitoid, Prorops nasuta Waterston (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae). Other insects emerging from coffee beans are also reported.
Impacts of climate change on national biodiversity population trends

Climate change has had well-documented impacts on the distribution and phenology of species across many taxa, but impacts on species’ abundance, which relates closely to extinction risk and ecosystem function, have not been assessed across taxa. In the most comprehensive multi-taxa comparison to date, we modelled variation in national population indices of 501 mammal, bird, aphid, butterfly and moth species as a function of annual variation in weather variables, which through time allowed us to identify a component of species’ population growth that can be associated with post-1970s climate trends. We found evidence that these climate trends have significantly affected population trends of 15.8% of species, including eight with extreme (> 30% decline per decade) negative trends consistent with detrimental impacts of climate change. The modelled effect of climate change could explain 48% of the significant across-species population decline in moths and 63% of the population increase in winged aphids. The other taxa did not have significant across-species population trends or consistent climate change responses. Population declines in species of conservation concern were linked to both climatic and non-climatic factors respectively accounting for 42 and 58% of the decline. Evident differential impacts of climate change between trophic levels may signal the potential for future ecosystem disruption. Climate change has therefore already driven large-scale population changes of some species, had significant impacts on the overall abundance of some key invertebrate groups and may already have altered biological communities and ecosystems in Great Britain.
Purification and characterization of the pectin lyase produced by Rhizopus oryzae grown on orange peels

Potentiality of Rhizopus oryzae to utilize orange peels under solid state fermentation conditions to produce macerating fluid with high cellulolytic and pectinolytic activities were confirmed in this work. Addition of NH 4 NO 3 and NH 4 Cl to the fermentation medium improved the macerating potentiality due to an increase in enzyme levels. The pectin lyase (PL) secreted by R. oryzae under these conditions was also purified to electrophoretic homogeneity using ammonium sulphate fractionation and 2-step-column chromatography. The purified PL expressed its maximum activity at 50 °C and pH value of 7.5, showed good stability in the pH range of 7 to 9.5 and its midpoint of thermal inactivation (T m ) was 70 °C after 45 min of exposure. Presence of Ca 2+ enhanced the activity and thermal stability of the purified PL, ions of Mg, Na and K showed a stimulatory effect and ions of Zn, Co, Mn and Hg showed an inhibitory effect on the enzyme activity. K m was calculated to be 3.87 mg/ml, V max was 297 U/ml and the molecular mass was 31 kDa.
Influence of morphology on winter residence and recruitment in juvenile coal tits (Parus ater) after the post-fledging period

Abstract We studied the role of early developed phenotypic characters associated to body size (i.e., tarsus, wing, and tail length) together with body mass in the determination of the winter residence and recruitment of juvenile coal tits (Parus ater) captured after the post-fledging period. From morphological variables and by means of multivariate analysis, we obtained an index of overall body size, an index of relative tarsus length, and an index of body condition independent of body size. Tarsus index and to a lesser extent condition index, but not overall body-size index, were associated to recruitment. The tarsus index was also positively associated with the probability of individuals becoming residents within the study area during winter, which turned out to be the key factor determining recruitment of juveniles in our coal tit population. However, effects of the tarsus index on juvenile recruitment appeared to be a complex function acting at different stages during the individual’s first winter. The tarsus index seemed to be indirectly related to recruitment by favouring winter residence in large individuals, but among resident individuals recruitment was low for very large ones, resulting in individuals of intermediate tarsus lengths having overall higher recruitment rates. The body-condition index also influenced recruitment indirectly by favouring residence in individuals with intermediate values. Our results suggest that conditions during early growth of phenotypic characters may have an influence on individual fitness extending after the post-fledging period by influencing social factors crucial to recruitment such as winter residence.
Biochemical Genetics of Ccenorhabditis elegans

Summary. A new method of isolating mutants of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is described. This method utilises the fluorescence of the nematode as the phenotype. 15 mutants belonging to four genes obtained using this technique have been characferised. Mutants in two of these genes are shown to have blocks in tryptophan catabolism. It is suggesfcd that this method could be used to obtain mutants corresponding to blocks in other metabolic pathways with fluorescent end products.
Assessing diversity among traditional Greek and foreign eggplant cultivars using molecular markers and morphometrical descriptors

Eggplant is a widely cultivated vegetable crop of great economic importance. Its long lasting history of domestication, selection and breeding has led to the development of numerous cultivars with variable traits. In the present study, we assessed the diversity levels within and among eleven Greek and foreign cultivars, using 22 morphological descriptors and two different classes of molecular markers (retrotransposon microsatellite amplified polymorphism-REMAP markers and nuclear microsatellites). Our results, in accordance with other studies in the field showed: a) the limited levels of genetic polymorphism within the cultivars; b) the high morphological and genetic divergence existing among them as indicated by the genetic distance values calculated, which could be attributed to selection, inbreeding and bottleneck effects; and c) the lack of concordance among morphological descriptors and molecular markers. Despite these, our analysis showed that the utilization of combinations of markers is an effective method for the characterization of plant material providing also useful diagnostic tools for the identification and authentication of the selected Greek cultivars.
Caracterización trófi ca de Orestias (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae) en el Parque Nacional Lauca Trophic characterization of Orestias (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae) in the Lauca National Park

Fish exhibit a wide diversity of feeding behaviors, sometimes associated with specifi c morphologies, which may refl ect adaptations to exploit the resources depending upon where they live. In isolated aquatic systems, fi sh provide a good model to study species trophic relationships. The present study evaluates the diet of fi ve species of Orestias which inhabit eight different sites of the Arica and Parinacota Region,Lauca National Park, Chile. We analyzed 177 stomachs of Orestias chungarensis, O.laucaensis, O.parinacotensis, O. piacotensis and Orestias cf agassii. For the analyses we used quantitative descriptors of number of prey items and frequency of occurrence. We analyzed the richness and abundance of prey,diet overlap by species and by location. We analyzed diet composition using an analysis of correspondence (DCA). The diet of Orestias consisted of zooplankton and macroinvertebrates associated with macrophytes such as Cladocera (Chydorus, Daphnia, Alonella), Ostracoda (Cyprinotus). Amphipoda (Hyalella), Mollusca (Biomphalaria) and Insecta (Chironomus). The variation in prey richness and diet amplitude observed among the studied populations of Orestias may refl ect an opportunist trophic strategy of these species, consuming the prey species which are most frequent, thus no showing trophic differentiation among them.
Electrolux addisoni, a new genus and species of electric ray from the east coast of South Africa (Rajiformes: Torpedinoidei: Narkidae), with a review of torpedinoid taxonomy

A new genus and species of sleeper ray, Electrolux addisoni (Family Narkidae), with two dorsal fins is described from two adult males (total lengths 50 and 52 cm) caught on a shallow reef off the east coast of South Africa. Electrolux is distinguished from other genera of Narkidae by its prominent spiracular papillae, the morphology of its nostrils, nasal curtain, mouth, jaws, chondrocranium, basibranchial skeleton, pectoral and pelvic girdles, and unique and complex colour pattern. It has higher vertebral, pectoral radial, tooth and intestinal valve counts than other narkids and reaches a greater size than all species with the possibly exception of Typhlonarke aysoni . Taxonomic definitions are provided for the electric rays, for the family Narkidae, and for Electrolux, as well as keys to families of electric rays and to the genera of Narkidae. The systematics of the narkid genus Heteronarce is reviewed and the genus validated. Members of the Narkidae may include the smallest, or at least the shortest, living chondrichthyans (Temera hardwickii and an undescribed species of Narke). Electrolux addisoni is a reef-dweller that eats polychaete worms and small crustaceans, and has been photographed and videotaped by divers while actively feeding in the daytime. The conspicuous dorsal colour pattern may be aposematic, as the ray was seen to make a possible threat display when closely approached. Electrolux addisoni is recorded from four localities along an approximately 310 km. strip of coastline from Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape Province, to just north of Durban, kwaZulu-Natal inside the 50 m isobath. This conspicuous, active ray is known only from a few diver records from reefs reported over approximately two decades, and its conservation status needs to be critically assessed.