Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of selected wild ulam/vegetables consumed by indigenous Jakun community in Taman Negara Johor Endau Rompin (TNJER), Malaysia

This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of selected wild ulam/vegetables consumed by indigenous Jakun Community in Taman Negara Johor Endau Rompin (TNJER), Malaysia. Five ulam/vegetables were collected from TNJER, Malaysia namely Dillenia suffruticosa (pucuk simpuh), Amischotolype griffithii (tebu gogok), Paederia foetida (pucuk sekentut), Gnetum gnemon (pucuk empeng), and Barringtonia macrostachya (pucuk putat). Total phenolic content (using Folin-Ciocalteu) and total flavonoid content (using aluminium chloride colorimetric), as well as antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3 -ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assays were determined spectrophotometrically. For the phytochemical study, D. suffruticosa showed the highest value of total phenolic content (93.87±0.10 μg gallic acid equivalent/mL) while B. macrostachya displayed the highest value of total flavonoid content (115.06±21.54 μg rutin equivalent/mL) as compared to all samples tested. For the antioxidant activity, G. gnemon showed the lowest EC50 value in DPPH assay with the value of 3.92±1.52 μg ascorbic acid/mL, indicated the strongest antioxidant potential. Meanwhile, D. suffruticosa showed the highest scavenging activity using ABTS assay (EC50 value, 7.93 μg/mL). In conclusion, ulam/vegetables of TNJER are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidant which can be a great potential for use in complementary and alternative medicines as well as functional food applications.
Mixotrophic protists and a new paradigm for marine ecology: where does plankton research go now?

Many protist plankton are mixotrophs, combining phototrophy and phagotrophy. Their role in freshwater and marine ecology has emerged as a major developing feature of plankton research over recent decades. To better aid discussions, we suggest these organisms are termed “mixoplankton”, as “planktonic protist organisms that express, or have potential to express, phototrophy and phagotrophy”. The term “phytoplankton” then describes phototrophic organisms incapable of phagotrophy. “Protozooplankton” describes phagotrophic protists that do not engage in acquired phototrophy. The complexity of the changes to the conceptual base of the plankton trophic web caused by inclusion of mixoplanktonic activities are such that we suggest that the restructured description is termed the “mixoplankton paradigm”. Implications and opportunities for revision of survey and fieldwork, of laboratory experiments and of simulation modelling are considered. The main challenges are not only with taxonomic and functional identifications, and with measuring rates of potentially competing processes within single cells, but with decades of inertia built around the traditional paradigm that assumes a separation of trophic processes between different organisms. In keeping with the synergistic nature of cooperative photo- and phagotrophy in mixoplankton, a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach will be required to tackle the task ahead.
Secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi isolated from Casuarina equisetifolia and their bioactivities.

【Objective】To isolate and identify endophytic fungi from branches and fruits of Casuarina equisetifolia Forst. , and screen active endophytic fungi with antibacterial and antioxidant activities. 【Method】Endophytic fungi from branches and fruits of C. equisetifolia were isolated by the tissue block separation method, and identified by combining colony observation with molecular biology. The antibacterial activities of secondary metabolites produced by endophytic fungi against different bacteria were determined using TLC-bioautography and their antioxidant activities were determined using the multi-orifice plate-DPPH coloration method. 【Result】Twelve strains were isolated and identified from branches and fruits of C. equisetifolia. There were significant difference between endophytic fungi isolated from branches and fruits.
Response of Beef Cattle Fecal Microbiota to Grazing on Toxic Tall Fescue

Consumption of E+ tall fescue has an estimated annual $1 billion negative impact on the U.S. beef industry, with one driver of these costs being lowered weight gains. As global agricultural demand continues to grow, mitigating production losses resulting from grazing the predominant southeastern United States forage grass is of great value. Our investigation of the effects of E+ grazing on the fecal microbiota furthers our understanding of bovine fescue toxicosis in a real-world grazing production setting and provides a starting point for identifying easy-to-access fecal bacteria that could serve as potential biomarkers of animal productivity and/or FT severity for tall fescue-grazing livestock. ABSTRACT Tall fescue, the predominant southeastern United States cool-season forage grass, frequently becomes infected with an ergot alkaloid-producing toxic endophyte, Epichloë coenophialum. Consumption of endophyte-infected fescue results in fescue toxicosis (FT), a condition that lowers beef cow productivity. Limited data on the influence of ergot alkaloids on rumen fermentation profiles or ruminal bacteria that could degrade the ergot alkaloids are available, but how FT influences the grazing bovine fecal microbiota or what role fecal microbiota might play in FT etiology and associated production losses has yet to be investigated. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples from weaned Angus steers grazing toxic endophyte-infected (E+; n = 6) or nontoxic (Max-Q; n = 6) tall fescue before and 1, 2, 14, and 28 days after pasture assignment. Bacteria in the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla comprised 90% of the Max-Q and E+ steer fecal microbiota throughout the trial. Early decreases in the Erysipelotrichaceae family and delayed increases of the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families were among the major effects of E+ grazing. E+ also increased abundances within the Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and Proteobacteria phyla and the Clostridiaceae family. Multiple operational taxonomic units classified as Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae were correlated negatively with weight gains (lower in E+) and positively with respiration rates (increased by E+). These data provide insights into how E+ grazing alters the Angus steer microbiota and the relationship of fecal microbiota dynamics with FT. IMPORTANCE Consumption of E+ tall fescue has an estimated annual $1 billion negative impact on the U.S. beef industry, with one driver of these costs being lowered weight gains. As global agricultural demand continues to grow, mitigating production losses resulting from grazing the predominant southeastern United States forage grass is of great value. Our investigation of the effects of E+ grazing on the fecal microbiota furthers our understanding of bovine fescue toxicosis in a real-world grazing production setting and provides a starting point for identifying easy-to-access fecal bacteria that could serve as potential biomarkers of animal productivity and/or FT severity for tall fescue-grazing livestock.
Development of heat treatments for two species of Samoan fruit flies (Bactrocera spp., Diptera: Tephritidae)

Of the seven species of Bactrocera fruit flies found in Samoa, only two (B. kirki (Froggatt) and B. xanthodes (Broun)) are of economic importance. These species attack a range of fruit, including papaya (Carica papaya), breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), eggplants (Solanum melongena) and citrus. The presence of these two species limits export market access for Samoan produce. Eggplants and breadfruit infested with the eggs of B. kirki and B. xanthodes, respectively, were treated using a high-temperature forced-air (HTFA) protocol to heat the fruits to core temperatures of 40oC, 42oC, 44oC or 46oC. No B. xanthodes pupae emerged from fruit treated at 42oC or greater. Pupae of B. kirki were found from fruit treated at temperatures up to 44oC, but failed to survive treatments at 46oC. The HTFA protocol previously approved for treatment of other Pacific fruit flies (fruit core temperature to 47.2oC for 20 min) works without modification for treatment of the two combinations of fruit flies and commodities tested. However, less intense HTFA treatments are worth investigating, if required to enhance fruit quality.
Reward prediction errors create event boundaries in memory

We remember when things change. Particularly salient are experiences where there is a change in rewards, eliciting reward prediction errors (RPEs). This feature of memory may be useful because it can help us find greater rewards and avoid lesser ones in the future. How do RPEs influence our memory of those experiences? One idea is that this signal directly enhances the encoding of memory. Another, not mutually exclusive, idea is that the RPE signals a deeper change in the environment, and leads to the mnemonic separation of subsequent experiences from what came before, thereby creating a new latent context and a more separate memory trace. We tested this in four experiments in which participants learned to predict rewards associated with a series of images within visually-distinct “rooms. ” High magnitude RPEs indicated a change in the underlying distribution of rewards. To test whether these large RPEs created a new latent context, we first assessed recognition priming for sequential pairs that contained or did not contain a high-RPE event, as well as out-of-sequence pairs (Exp. 1: n=27 & Exp. 2: n=83). We found evidence of recognition priming for both sequential pair types, including the pair with the high-RPE event, indicating that the high-RPE event is bound to its predecessor in memory. Given that high-RPE events are themselves preferentially remembered (Rouhani et al, 2018), we next tested recognition priming for pairs that had one item in between them (i.e. the pairs were either across a high-RPE event or not), where none of the tested items were high-RPE items (Exp. 3: n=85). Here, sequential pairs across a high-RPE no longer showed recognition priming whereas pairs within the same latent reward state did, providing initial evidence for an RPE-modulated event boundary. We then investigated whether RPE event boundaries disrupt temporal memory of those events (Exp. 4). After reward learning, we asked participants to order and estimate the distance between two events that had either included a high-RPE event between them, or not. We found (n=49) and replicated (n=77) worse sequence memory for events across a high-RPE event. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that high-RPE events are both more strongly encoded and act as event boundaries that interrupt the sequential integration of events. We captured these effects in a variant of the Context Maintenance and Retrieval model (CMR; Polyn, Norman & Kahana, 2009), modified to incorporate RPEs into the encoding process.
Growth, Yield and Chemical Composition Response of some Legume Crops to Inoculation with Non-rhizobial Endophytic Bacteria from Melilotus indicus (L.) All. Nodules

Two field experiments were carried out during two successive seasons of 2015 and 2016, to study the growth response and yield as well as chemical composition of some legume plants vis. , cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata L. cv Kaha 1), common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Nebraska), peas ( Pisum sativum L. cv. Master B) and fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum L., cv. Giza 3) to inoculation with non-rhizobial endophytic bacteria, strains ,vis. , Enterobacte r sp . (strain No.1), Pseudomonas sp . (strain No.2) and Pseudomonas sp . (strain No.3 ) which were isolated from root nodules of Melilotus indicus (L.) All. Results showed that almost all treatments increased all vegetative growth parameters tested, vis. , shoot minerals, nitrogen content and total carbohydrate and seeds minerals, total protein, total carbohydrate and total yield (seeds and green yield) of the four tested legumes. Further, the three bacterial strains used in this study showed high growth promoting activities. They gave high production of IAA and showed highly antagonistic activity against some phytopathogenic fungi. Therefore, the best results were obtained with treatments T2 for cowpea and fenugreek and T4 for common bean and pea. So, it could be recommended to use these bacterial strains as inoculants for cowpea, fenugreek, common bean and pea crop legumes.
Impact of a phytogenic feed additive on growth performance, feed intake, and carcass traits of finishing steers

Abstact: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a phytogenic feed additive (Digestarom [DA]; Biomin, Getzersdorf, Austria) on growth performance, feed intake, carcass traits, fatty acid composition, and liver abscesses of finishing steers. One hundred twenty Angus × Charolais crossbred steers (488 ± 26.5 kg) were used in a 110-d feeding experiment. Steers were blocked by weight and randomly assigned to 12 pens with 10 steers per pen. Each pen was allocated to one of three diets. Each diet contained 86.5% barley, 10.0% barley silage, and 3.5% vitamin and mineral supplement on a dry matter (DM) basis. The diets contained 0, 0.05, and 0.1 g DA/kg complete diet (DM basis), to achieve average daily DA intakes of 0 (control), 0.5 (LowDA), and 1.0 g (HighDA) per steer. Diets were prepared once daily and provided ad libitum. Two pens per treatment were equipped to record individual feed intake behavior. Steers were weighed every 28 d and carcass traits and liver scores were recorded at slaughter. Dry matter intake (average: 9.34 kg/d) did not differ (P > 0.05) among diets. Average daily gain tended to increase linearly as DA increased (control: 1.82; LowDA: 1.87; and HighDA: 1.95 kg/d; P < 0.09), but gain:feed ratio was not affected. Supplementation of DA affected longissimus muscle area quadratically (P = 0.05) with the largest area observed for LowDA. However, dressing percentage decreased linearly in response to increasing level of DA (P < 0.01). Total abscessed livers were not affected, whereas proportion of severe liver abscesses was numerically lower with DA (30.8% and 42.5% for LowDA and HighDA) compared to the control (50%).
Dopaminergic control of postnatal mammalian spinal network function is predominantly inhibitory

Abstract At birth, descending pathways are still maturing and spinal networks function at a lower excitability state characterized by spontaneous activity. The effects of monoamines, however, are typically examined when spinal networks are in high excitability states when drug-evoked locomotor activity is induced. A gap in our knowledge is how monoamines affect neonatal spinal networks under more physiological, low-state, conditions. Here, we explored receptor and cellular mechanisms mediating dose-dependent control of dopamine on spinal motor networks of the neonatal mouse in vitro. During a low excitability state, low concentrations of dopamine suppressed spontaneous activity by acting on D2, D3, D4 and α2-adrenergic receptors in parallel. Network inhibition was reproduced by blocking dopamine reuptake and metabolism to augment endogenous dopamine levels. Activation of D2 receptors hyperpolarized a subset (33%) of ventral interneurons, but not motoneurons. Similar proportions of descending commissural and V3 interneurons were hyperpolarized indicating that D2 actions are not localized to particular classes of interneurons consistent with the kernel of the locomotor central pattern generator being distributed across several interneuronal classes. High concentrations of dopamine produced excitatory effects mediated mainly by a D1 receptor-mediated increase in motoneuron excitability. High concentrations of dopamine also increased spinal network activity by co-activating D1 and D2 receptors. Our data indicate that the actions of neuromodulators are codependent on their receptor targets and the network state. Under low excitability states, our findings also explain how receptor and cellular mechanisms contribute to the diverse, concentration-dependent control of spinal networks in the neonatal mouse. Significance statement Monoaminergic neuromodulation of neural networks is dependent not only on target receptors but also on network state. We studied the dose-dependent control of spinal networks of the neonatal mouse, in vitro, during a low excitability state characterized by spontaneous network activity. Spontaneous activity is an essential element for the development of networks. Under these conditions, we defined converging receptor and cellular mechanisms that contribute to the diverse, dose-dependent control of spinal motor networks by dopamine, in vitro. These experiments advance understanding of how monoamines modulate spinal motor function under dynamically changing excitability conditions.
Transcriptome Sequencing and Expression Analysis of Genes Related to Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Leaves of Malus ‘Profusion’ Infected by Japanese Apple Rust

Anthocyanins play many roles in plants, including providing protection from biotic and abiotic stresses. Japanese apple rust (Gymnosporangium yamadae Miyabe ex G. Yamada) causes serious diseases in plants of the genus Malus and results in reduced fruit production and quality. However, few studies have been done to unravel the molecular mechanisms of anthocyanin formation in rust-infected apple leaves. To identify new regulatory genes in apple leaves that may be involved in regulating rust-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis, we measured anthocyanin content and sequenced the transcriptomes of rust-infected and uninfected tissues of Malus ‘Profusion’ leaves. Significant color changes and anthocyanin enrichment (especially cyanidin-3-galactoside chloride) occurred in infected tissues, whereas no significant color change and a low anthocyanin level were observed in uninfected tissue. We identified 10,045 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in these two tissue types, including 6021 genes that were upregulated in the infected tissue and 4024 genes that were downregulated. We also identified five structural genes that are putative regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis. In addition, 56 MYB genes, 36 bHLH genes, and one WD40 gene were identified among the obtained DEGs. According to the phylogeny of the amino acid sequences of transcription factors known to be involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis, one MYB gene (MYB114-like) and two bHLH genes (bHLH33 and bHLHA-like) may relate to anthocyanin biosynthesis in rust-infected apple leaves. These data will provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin accumulation upon rust infection.
DNA barcoding confirms species substitution of Parastromateus niger (black pomfret) using exotic species Piaractus brachypomus (Red Bellied Pacu)

Species substitution is a case of fraud practised by the fish dealers for acquiring additional profit. During a fishery survey in the local markets of Kerala state (South India), some ‘alien’ fishes were encountered which were traded along with Parastromateus niger as ‘black pomfrets’. Samples of these two groups were collected for morphological and molecular characterization (viz. COI gene). COI sequences of P. niger corroborated with the same in NCBI while morphological and molecular characters of ‘alien’ fishes corroborated with an exotic fish Piaractus brachypomus. Molecular analysis carried out using additional COI sequences of ‘pomfret’ and ‘piranha’ fishes acquired from NCBI confirmed the speciation of ‘alien fishes’ as P. brachypomus. This study reports the illegal trade of P. brachypomus as a species substituent for P. niger in Kerala and recommends the enforcement of strict laws for preventing food frauds as it could bring up serious economic breakdowns in fisheries sector.
Phytotoxicity of Filtrate Extracts of Fungal Pathogens on Selected Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivars

The phytotoxic effect of culture filtrates of selected fungal pathogens on the morphology and anatomy of different tomato cultivars was evaluated in this study. Four tomato cultivars namely; Roma Savanna, Riogrande, Roma VF and Tropimech were treated with 21 days old culture filtrates of fungal pathogens namely; Alternaria triglochinicola, Aureobasidium pullulans, Pythium ultimum and Sclerotium rolfsii grown on Potato Sucrose Broth (PSB). These fungal filtrates were extracted using water, dichloromethane (DCM) and ethylacetate (EA). Healthy leaves excised from two months old tomato plants were inoculated by dipping their petioles in 20ml of each fungal filtrate for 3 days and observed for the appearance of disease symptoms. A. pullulans accounted for the highest necrotic and chlorotic leaf tissue area on all the studied tomato cultivars. The aqueous extracts were more biologically active, inducing the highest occurrence of mean total leaf necrosis (14.69%) and chlorosis (57.21%), compared to ethyl acetate (6.04% necrosis and 7.03% chlorosis) and dichloromethane (6.57% necrosis and 4.02% chlorosis). Filtrate extracts of A. pullulans showed significantly higher negative effect (P≤0.05) on anatomical features such as the thickness of epidermis, cortex and diameter of the vascular bundle of all the tomato cultivars. Further isolation and identification of phytotoxic compounds synthesized by the studied fungi are required for a better understanding of their mechanisms of disease initiation and yield reduction.
Jogo eletrônico para aprendizado e metaforização de algoritmos recursivos

O aprendizado de algoritmos recursivos em programacao de computadores e problematico, pois sua execucao e resolucao nao se dao de maneira natural a forma de pensamento com que as pessoas sao treinadas e acostumadas desde cedo. Assim como em outros topicos de algoritmos, utilizam-se metaforas para fazer paralelos entre o abstrato e o concreto para ajudar na compreensao do funcionamento de algoritmos recursivos. Porem, as metaforas classicas usadas nessa area, como calculo de fatorial recursiva e o jogo Torres de Hanoi, podem confundir mais ou serem insuficientes. Neste trabalho, foi produzido um jogo eletronico para computador para auxiliar alunos dos cursos de informatica no aprendizado de algoritmos recursivos. Ele foi projetado para possuir caracteristicas de um jogo comum, com narrativa e elementos de jogabilidade classicos e comuns a esse tipo de produto. O auxilio ao ensino acontece atraves da metaforizacao, ou seja, atraves da apresentacao de situacoes de jogo que remetem a algoritmos recursivos. Para tal, foram projetadas e imbuidas no jogo quatro metaforas validas relacionadas a teoria, alem de outras referencias menores ao tema.