Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Responses of Bupalus piniarius to plant quality variation generated by larval feeding

Outbreaks of folivorous insects often result in complete host plant defoliation. Insects on defoliated plants may suffer higher mortality, slower growth or reduced fecundity as a result of induced host plant resistance and depletion of preferred resources. This thesis focuses on effects of defoliation-mediated variability in host plant quality on the pinefeeding insect Bupalus piniarius (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). B. piniarius prefers to feed on mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) needles throughout the larval period. Depletion of the preferred resource caused by defoliation negatively affected larval performance, i.e. larvae on current-year needles suffered higher mortality and resulted in lighter pupae than conspecifics on branches containing both current-year and mature needles. There was no support for the induced resistance hypothesis. On the contrary, larvae feeding on previously defoliated branches performed better than those feeding on non-defoliated branches suggesting induced host susceptibility. Crowding associated with high population densities enhanced larval performance. Ovipositing females showed a distinct preference for mature needles. When confined to current-year needles, females responded with reduced realised fecundity and frequently placed their eggs in an unsafe manner, i.e. on needle scales and stacked in several layers on top of each other. Due to their misplacement some eggs fell off the plant. Only a small fraction of larvae hatching from eggs on the ground was able to recolonise the host tree. In order to estimate possible errors in forecasts of B. piniarius population changes due to random weather events, effects of low temperature and delayed mating on realised fecundity were studied in the laboratory. At 10 °C B. piniarius oviposition was almost completely arrested. Females that experienced 10 °C for four days had lower fecundity and increased longevity compared with females raised at constant 20 °C. Four days delayed mating at 20 °C had no effect on fecundity but affected fertility, i.e. 30% of eggs were laid before mating. It is concluded that defoliation-mediated variation in host plant quality can significantly influence B. piniarius population dynamics under outbreak conditions.
Student perception of usefulness and ease using Kahoot, a free web-based tool in a tertiary education setting

Kahoot is a free web-based application, which allows tertiary educators to incorporate gamified learning environments in tertiary teaching and learning. However, there is a shortage of literature on student acceptance and effective use in a learning environment. Therefore, this paper added system interactivity, task-technology and learning-game conflict factor into the Technology Acceptance Model to investigate students intention and usage of Kahoot. Structural Equation Modelling SEM using LISREL was employed to analyze data collected from 250 randomly selected university students. The questionnaires were carried out at the end of the semester, after their final examinations. The results revealed that system interactivity has positive influence (β = 0.311, p = 0.000) on perceived usefulness of Kahoot, while task-technology fit has influence (β = 0.173, p = 0.001) on Kahoot usage. Furthermore, findıngs show that learning-game conflict has (β = 0.096, p = 0.031) positive influence on student behavioral intention. The findings serve as a guide for planning, designing and implementing Kahoot to foster university students’ knowledge acquisition. Discussion and conclusion were provided.
International Journal of Bio-Pharma Research

Marine environments are natural endowments, known to be “treasured hideouts” of novel molecules of biologically dynamic chemical species of potent activity, lingered largely uncharted, prospecting vibrant applications in pharmaco-dynamics and drug kinetics. Bioprospecting of marine microbes has discerned many astonishing milestones in pharmacology, drug designing, and therapeutics. Marine Bacillus are known to produce structurally diverse versatile secondary complexes such as lipopeptides, polypeptides, macrolactones, polyketides and coumarins showcasing a wide array of biological bustles, ranging from antimicrobial, antialgal and anticancer in nature, heavy metal detoxification, carotenoids production to biocontrol agents and biopesticides. In this respect, species of Bacillus aquimaris, isolated from the coastal water of Burmanallah, South Andaman and phenotypically characterized by routine biochemical tests. The antibacterial activity of its methanolic extract was assessed by agar well diffusion assay confirming the presence of active metabolites exemplified by LC-MS peaks, thereby, warranting a ‘multiplex of approach’ for applicative advances and pharma-settings.
Mms1 & Mms22 Mediate Genome Stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mms1 and Mms22 are important mediators of genome stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion mutants of both genes display decreased viability in the presence of a number of known DNA damaging agents as well as agents that perturb DNA replication. Here I present a detailed analysis of Mms1 and Mms22 function in stabilizing DNA replication forks. I find that mms1∆ and mms22∆ strains accumulate spontaneous DNA damage and have an increased rate of mutation during a normal cell cycle. Additionally, treatment with genotoxic agents causes defects in induced recombination as well as inhibiting the ability of cells to efficiently recover from DNA damage. Genetic interaction data support a model where Mms1 and Mms22 function with components of the replication fork. Accordingly I observed that the enrichment of key replication fork proteins at regions proximal to replication origins is decreased in mms1∆ and mms22∆ cells during replication stress. Furthermore, I monitored DNA replication in wild-type and mms1∆ strains and found that mms1∆ strains exhibit irregular fork progression under conditions of replication stress. I therefore concluded that Mms1 and Mms22 function at replication forks. Lastly, I uncovered that Mms1 is regulated by Rtt101-dependent ubiquitinmediated proteolysis. Mms1 degradation is likely necessary for its function as overexpression of iii Mms1 results in decreased cell viability both during a normal cell cycle, and during treatment with DNA damaging agents. I found that Mms1 and Mms22 operate at sites of DNA replication to promote the stability of the genome, especially under conditions of DNA damage and replication fork stress.
Dendritic cells mitoses in thoracic duct lymph of immature rabbits

Abstract It is known that dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient professional antigen-presenting cells and mitosis is a fundamental process. However, DCs mitoses in thoracic duct lymph (TDL) are not studied. The aim of the research was to prove the author’s hypothesis that there are DCs mitoses in thoracic duct lymph of immature rabbits. In urethane-anesthetized “Chinchilla” rabbits (50 adult rabbits, 2.500-3.000 kg – group 1 and 15 immature rabbits 400-500 g – group 2) thoracic duct, cisterna chyli, was accessed with the original method and punctured with original glass micropipettes. Lymph (0,011 ml from every rabbit) was transferred as smears to microscopic slides, stained with Giemsa and studied by light microscopes. DCs mitoses (1-4) were only in Prophase stage. Various stages of usual mitoses were revealed in central lymph of thoracic duct of immature rabbits (range to 16-25 mitoses in every smear). The DCs had one distinct long cytoplasm protrusion in one pole and one stubby protrusion near the opposite pole. There were no any mitoses in thoracic duct lymph of adult rabbits. The data suggest that significant changes of DCs mitoses, numerous usual mitoses and cytokines of TDL are parallel. So the data allow detect explicit combination of cytokines and/or other substances in TDL which control DCs mitoses and usual mitoses. The research results make it possible to plan a new approach to the creation of cancer vaccines, others medication for transplantology and as a model for studying mitoses in the fields of biology, pharmacology and experimental medicine.
A Review on Pathogenic Escherichia coli in Malaysia

| Pathogenic / diarrheagenic Escherichia coli is a major foodborne pathogen worldwide, thus of great public health concern. These E. coli can be found in human, animals and environment, including soil and water. Infections caused by pathogenic E. coli may occur due to direct contact with infected animals and contaminated environment as well as consumption of contaminated or undercooked food and untreated water. This review highlights the occurrence of pathogenic E. coli in Malaysia.
Immunohistochemistry And Hormonal Investigation For Spermatogenesis Restoration In Degenerated Testes Of Rats After Bone Marrow Stem Cells Transplantation

Stem cell therapy is considered an important and innovative tool for applied research in andrology, especially in infertility; therefore, it was later adapted as potential therapeutic agents. This study aimed to evaluate rat mononuclear bone marrow cells' ability to recover testis cells in cyclophosphamide (CTX)-treated rats and to assess its effects on hormonal and histopathological changes. The bone marrow cells were harvested from femurs and tibias of rats and purified by a Histopaque gradient. Mononuclear bone marrow cells transplantation was performed by intravenous injection of cells in cyclophosphamide-treated animals. Three weeks after transplantation, blood samples were collected and analyzed for hormonal assay. In addition, the testes were collected for histological and histopathological determination. The results depicted that the serum levels of all tested hormones were significantly different among the three experimental groups G1 (control, healthy animals), G2 (CTX induced infertility and untreated) and G3 (CTX induced infertility and treated with stem cells). FSH and LH levels were significantly increased in G2 (CTX) compared to G1 and G3. Total and free testosterone levels were slightly higher in G3 compared to G2. Mononuclear bone marrow cell transplantation promoted cellular reorganization of the seminiferous epithelium. Also, spermatogenesis regeneration was improved. In conclusion, bone marrow stem cells can regenerate the damaged testicular elements and hence restore hormonal regulation in cyclophosphamide treated rat. Therefore, the treatment of male infertility and testosterone deficiency could be therapeutically treated by using stem cells.
Comparative study on machine learning algorithms for early fire forest detection system using geodata.

Forest fires have caused considerable losses to ecologies, societies and economies worldwide. To minimize these losses and reduce forest fires, modeling and predicting the occurrence of forest fires are meaningful because they can support forest fire prevention and management. In recent years, the convolutional neural network (CNN) has become an important state-of-the-art deep learning algorithm, and its implementation has enriched many fields. Therefore, a competitive spatial prediction model for automatic early detection of wild forest fire using machine learning algorithms can be proposed. This model can help researchers to predict forest fires and identify risk zonas. System using machine learning algorithm on geodata will be able to notify in real time the interested parts and authorities by providing alerts and presenting on maps based on geographical treatments for more efficacity and analyzing of the situation. This research extends the application of machine learning algorithms for early fire forest prediction to detection and representation in geographical information system (GIS) maps.
Qualitative phytochemical and GC-MS analysis of some commonly consumed vegetables

The aim of this research work is to unveil the phytoconstituents of some commonly consumed leafy vegetables which are Talinum triangulare (water leaf), Telfairia occidentalis (fluted pumpkin) and Occimum gratissimum (scent leaf). Freshly harvested vegetables were separately processed into fine powder. 15 g, each of the vegetable powder samples was extracted with methanol. Phytochemical and GC-MS analysis was carried out on the samples using standard procedures. The analysis showed that methanolic leaf extract of fluted pumpkin contains tannins, saponins, phenolics, proteins, anthraquinone and alkaloids with the presence of tannins and saponins being more abundant. However, enquiry into the phytoconstituents of Talinum triangulare leaf indicated that all phytochemicals investigated were reportedly present with saponins and alkaloids being more abundant. For O. gratissimum leaf, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, phenolics, proteins, anthraquinone and alkaloids were reportedly present. However, like T. occidentalis, tannins and saponins were more abundant. GC-MS analysis carried out on the methanolic leaf extract of T. occidentalis revealed that nine compounds were present. The five most abundant of the nine compounds include n-Hexanoic acid (35.23%), 9, 12, 15-octadecatrienal (12.4%), imidazolidinedione-5-methyl (10.96%), L-Proline, 5-oxo-, methyl ester (9.76%) and 3- [Prop-2-enoyloxy] tetradecane (8.96%). Meanwhile, O. gratissimum showed the presence of only phenol-2-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl) (90.73%) as the major constituent, while eight (8) compounds were found present in the methanolic leaf extract of T. triangulare (water leaf) and the five more abundant of the eight include pentanoic acid (28.28%), DL-proline,5-oxo-methyl-buthylester (24.89%), 3 pyridinecarboxyaldehyde, O-cetyloxine (E) (21%), Z-dodecanol (12.68%) and 4-pyridinol (4.61%). Findings from this research further support the claim on vegetables as repositories of nutraceuticals.
Association of pigmentation and melanocortin-one receptor genotype with susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss in college-aged music students

Approximately 13% of the American population between the ages of 20-69 have signs of noise-induced hearing loss. Noise exposure at least partially causes hearing loss by generating free radicals in the ear, which damage cells. Eumelanin is an antioxidant that scavenges the free radicals and may protect the ear from noise-induced damage. Eumelanin is also a polymer that depicts hair and eye color and sensitivity to sunlight. Production of eumelanin is partially regulated by the gene, melanocortin-one receptor; individuals with single nucleotide polymorphisms in this gene have reduced eumelanin expression. The purpose of this study was to measure the extent to which pigmentation, e.g. hair and eye color and sunlight sensitivity, is associated with noise-induced hearing loss, and measure the extent to which single nucleotide polymorphisms in the melanocortin-one receptor gene are associated with noise-induced hearing loss. To accomplish this goal, we used a phased approach design and first evaluated hearing loss and pigmentation in 155 student musicians. This data was used to measure the association of pigmentation and noise-induced hearing loss. Then, buccal cells were collected in 111 student musicians with low to moderate levels of sunlight sensitivity so that we could measure single nucleotide polymorphisms in the melanocortin-one receptor gene. According to two multifactor analyses of variance, no association was found between noise-induced hearing loss and pigmentation (F(82,72) = 0.707, p = 0.936), nor melanocortin-one receptor genotype (F(79,39) = 0.488, p = 0.996). Despite our statistically insignificant results, we were able to detect a trend of increased thresholds in individuals with pigmentation indicating decreased levels of eumelanin. Also, one single nucleotide polymorphism, rs2228479, did show enough of an association with noise-induced hearing loss to warrant further investigation. Our inability to detect significant effects may have been due to an unexpected decrease in audiometric thresholds compared to previous measurements in this population. In this study, we used ER-3A inserts to evaluate hearing, which are more reliable for measuring thresholds between 4000 and 8000 Hz compare to TDH-39’s, which were used in previous analyses. It is also possible that we would have detected a stronger association of melanocortin-one receptor genotype and noise-induced hearing loss if we had sequenced the entire gene. Therefore, further research is required to evaluate the effects of noise exposure on student musicians using more sensitive audiometric criteria. Also, the association of melanocortin-one receptor genotype and noise-induced hearing loss should be evaluated with the entire melanocortin-one receptor sequence.
Oxidative and Antioxidative Stress Linked Biomarkers in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the axial skeleton, leading to joint disability. Our study aims at investigating the change of oxidative and antioxidative stress linked biomarkers in AS. Methods. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases till May 2020 were searched. Only articles published in English were included. Two reviewers screened relevant studies, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale independently. Either random or fixed effect model was adopted base on the heterogeneity testing by I 2 statistic. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of oxidative and antioxidative markers were calculated. p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. A total of 22 studies including 931 AS patients and 917 healthy controls met the selection criteria. Significantly increased levels of all oxidative stress markers except myeloperoxidase, and significantly decreased levels of total antioxidant status ( SMD = − 1.19 , 95% CI -2.35 to -0.03, p = 0.044 ) and paraoxonase 1( SMD = − 1.01 , 95% CI -1.78 to -0.24, p = 0.010 ) in serum were observed in AS patients when compared with healthy controls. However, there were no significant differences of all oxidative and anti-oxidative stress biomarkers in erythrocytes. Additionally, the levels of malondialdehyde ( SMD = 0.51 , 95% CI 0.21 to 0.81, p = 0.001 ) and advanced oxidation protein products ( SMD = 0.95 , 95% CI 0.58 to 1.31, p < 0.001 ) in serum were significantly higher in active patients when compared with inactive AS patients. Conclusion. This meta-analysis demonstrated an overall increase of oxidative markers and decrease of antioxidative markers in AS, suggesting that oxidative stress may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AS.
Sociospatial characteristics and genetic structure of white-tailed deer in the central Appalachians of West Virginia

We compared sociospatial and genetic structure of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in a nonmigratory, high density population inhabiting a forested environment in the central Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia during 1999-2001. We delineated groups based on home range overlap and verified these classifications based on visual observations. We then used pair-wise genetic measures to evaluate the spatial and genetic relationships of female deer. Our results suggest that home range locations were not random across the landscape of our study area, but were clumped into groups of spatially tolerant individuals sharing common ancestry. Adjacent groups displayed considerable overlap with one another, patterns of home range position within these spatial groups were not apparent, and older does did not demonstrate home range exclusivity. We conclude that some sociospatial tendencies observed in low density populations may not occur at high population densities.
Dynamics of weed seed bank and its management for sustainable crop production

The seed bank is the resting place of weed seeds and is an important component of the life cycle of weeds. Seed banks are the sole source of future weed populations of the weed species both annuals and perennials that reproduce only by seeds. For this reason, understanding fate of seeds in the seed bank can be an important component of overall weed control. When weed seeds enter the seed bank, several factors influence the duration for which seeds persist. Seeds can sense the surrounding environment in the seed bank and use these stimuli to become dormant or initiate germination. Soil and crop management practices can directly influence the environment of seeds in the soil weed seed bank and can thus be used to manage seed longevity and germination behavior of weed seeds. Among the factors responsible for low crop production, weeds are considered as the major limiting factors. Therefore, weed control with minimum cost and less adverse effect on environment is of prime importance. Weed infestation reduces the grain yield; this reduction can be accomplished by managing the soil weed seed bank
Development of Bioformulation and Its Application against Management of Thrips and Root Rot Disease of Mulberry, Morus alba

Microorganisms are a rich source of new metabolites with a wide variety of biological activities and some of them display significant practical applications. Earth is the planet of insects, as they are found in almost every corner of the earth. There exist more than one million insect species than any other animal species comprising 72.8% of all animals (Dillon and Dillon, 2006). One of the major features of insects is their extraordinary diversity in terms of numbers and morphological forms. In addition to their ability to survive in different ecological conditions, insect gut is a reservoir of complex microbial communities. These contribute to the host nutrition, growth, development and physiology. Apart from that they also play a key role for the stimulation of International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 3 (2017) pp. 2438-2449 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
LEIDIANE ALENCAR DE OLIVEIRA LIMA INTOXICAÇÃO POR METILMERCÚRIO PROMOVE RESPOSTA À METALOTIONEÍNA E DANO CELULAR EM GLÂNDULAS SALIVARES DE RATOS

Environmental and occupational mercury exposure is considered a major public health issue. Despite being well known that MeHg exposure causes adverse effects in several physiologic functions, MeHg effects on salivary glands still not completely elucidated. Here, we investigated the cellular MeHg-induced damage in the three major salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual) of adult rats after chronic, systemic and low doses of MeHg exposure. Rats were exposed by 0.04 mg/kg/day over 60 days. After that, animals were euthanized and all three glands were collected. We evaluated total Hg accumulation, metallothionein I/II (MT I/II), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and cytokeratin 18 (CK18) immune expression. Our results have showed that MeHg is able to disrupt gland tissue and to induce a protective mechanism by MT I/II expression. We also showed that cell MT production is not enough to protect gland tissue against cellular structural damage seen by reducing marking of cytoskeletal proteins as CK18 and α-SMA. Our data suggest that chronic MeHg exposure in low-daily doses is able to induce cellular damage in rat salivary glands.
Physiologic and biochemical properties of probioticaly valuable lactic acid bacteria allocated from gasterointestinal tract of chickens

On the basis of the conducted researches physiological and biochemical properties of probioticaly valuable lactic acid bacteria allocated from a gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of chickens are defined and analysed. The allocated bacteria are checkedon compliance of their properties to the requirements imposed to probiotic substances. According to the resultsof the carried-out analysis lactic acid bacteria strains with the greatest probiotic potential are selected.