Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why Flightless Birds are Condemned to Lay Eggs

Birds evolved very fast and are the only vertebrate group that never turned to ovoviviparity. While this is explainable as an evolutionary pressure for feathered flight and reduced size, their fast evolution apparently caused the disappearance of a significant proportion of genes. However posterior evolutionary trends of Aves to become flightless and with increased body sizes were not accompanied by an ‘expected’ turn to ovoviviparity, something known for a number of reptile taxa (e.g. some constrictor serpents). This impossibility is particularly noted in marine flightless birds from which penguins are certainly the best extant example having to endure seasonal extreme energy losses when coming ashore to lay eggs. This same limitation was most certainly the major cause for the extinction of the largest marine bird in the Northern Hemisphere – The Great Auk Pinguinus impennis. Here we discuss why ovoviviparism is probably an impossibility for birds while proposing lines of research that could prove, or disprove, our hypothetical and speculative view.
Changes in activities of tissues enzymes in rats administered Ficus exasperata leaf extract

This study evaluates the effects of methanolic extract of Ficus exasperata leaf on the activities of some enzymes in the serum, liver, kidney and heart of albino rats. Twenty four rats were sorted into four groups: Group A (control) received distilled water while rats in groups B, C and D were administered graded doses (100, 200 and 500 mg/kg bw) of methanolic leaf extract of Ficus exasperata respectively for 14 days. Activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and acid phosphatase (ACP) were determined in the serum and tissues. Results obtained showed that administration of graded doses of Ficus exasperata leaf extract to rats caused significant increase (p<0.05) in growth rate compared to the control. Rats administered 500 mg/kg bw of the extract recorded significant decrease in tissues levels of the enzymes accompanied with their elevation in the serum indicating toxicity at this dose. There was also a significant increase in relative organ weight in rats who received 500 mg/kg bw of the extract. Rats administered low and moderate doses (100 and 200 mg/kg bw) of the extract showed no significant alteration in enzyme activities in the serum and tissues as well as relative organ weight. The results suggest that intake of leaf extract of Ficus exasperata as a medicinal remedy is safe at lower dose and could help to promote growth. The extract might however be toxic to the organs when taken at high doses. Keywords : Transaminases, phosphatases, Ficus exasperata, liver, kidney, heart
Gestion de la chenille mineuse de l'épi du mil par des lâchers du parasitoïde Habrobracon hebetor Say au Niger

La chenille mineuse de l'epi du mil, Heliocheilus albipunctella De Joannis, est l'un des principaux ravageurs du mil en zone sahelienne. En 2015 et 2016, une demarche de lutte biologique de grande envergure a ete initiee par des lâchers du parasitoide antagoniste ectolarvaire Habrobracon hebetor Say dans les cinq regions du Niger. Des equipes incluant les organisations de producteurs ont ete mises en place pour la sensibilisation des agriculteurs, l'identification des zones d'infestation du ravageur et la mise en place de 9177 sacs de lâcher. Les surfaces couvertes ont ete estimees a 1 417 680 ha en 2015 et 1 521 330 ha en 2016 soit 21 % des surfaces en mil dans les regions concernees. Les evaluations menees au cours des deux annees ont permis de noter une augmentation des taux de parasitisme de la chenille mineuse de 168 a 1398 % dans les villages de lâcher par rapport aux villages temoins. L'enquete sur la perception a revele une appreciation positive de 77 % des repondants. Ils ont estime la mortalite moyenne des larves du ravageur a 76 % et les gains de rendement a 50 %.
CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY FROM ETHANOL EXTRACT AND FRACTIONS OF SABLO (ACALYPHA WILKESIANA) LEAVES, ON HeLa SERVICAL CANCER CELLS

Cancer is still one of the main health problems in the world. Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. In parts of the developing world, cervical cancer is the major cause of death in women of reproductive age. Conventional therapies to treat cancer are still unsatisfied, so needed an alternative therapy that is by consuming preparations of natural ingredients. One of the natural materials that have the potential to be developed as cancer drugs are sablo (Acalypha wilkesiana) leaves. This study was conducted to determine the cytotoxicity of extracts and fractions of sablo leaves against HeLa servical cancer cells with MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) Assay. The results showed that the ethanol extract, n-hexane fraction, ethyl acetate fraction and water fraction of Sablo leaves have cytotoxicity against HeLa servical cancer cells with IC50 value 98.91 µg/mL, 88.85 µg/mL, 79.84 µg/mL, and 102.47 µg/mL, respectively. The results of this study indicate that sablo leaves of ethyl acetate fraction is quite effective to inhibit the proliferation of HeLa servical cancer cells . Keywords: Sablo (Acalypha wilkesiana), HeLa servical cancer cells, Cytotoxicity, MTT Assay.
PHENOTYPIC TREND AND ESTIMATES OF GENETIC PARAMETERS FOR GROWTH TRAITS OF PHILIPPINE SWAMP BUFFALOES IN A NUCLEUS HERD, CAGAYAN PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) at Piat, Cagayan, Philippines established a breeding program to improve growth rates of Philippine swamp buffaloes. A total of 1,322 growth records from 220 animals taken at birth, 6, 9, 12 and 18 mos from 2002 to 2014 were analyzed in multi-trait genetic animal models that included additive direct effects only or both additive direct and maternal effects using ASReml 3.0 program to estimate variance components. Growth rates improved across the years but the response was most evident at 12 and 18 months as breeder bulls were selected based on weight at these two age categories. Improvement at weaning and pre-weaning weights (<12 mos.) did not follow the same trend as weights at 12 and 18 mos. This may be due to the fact that while direct heritability was moderate for weight at 18 mos. at 0.19, it was low for preweaning and weaning weights. Maternal heritability was higher for these traits at 0.21 for weight at 9 mos thus, selection for replacement breeders should include weights at 9 and 6 mos especially for the heifers. When the data set has increased, animals should be ranked and selected based on direct and maternal breeding values for growth traits.
Is The Hearing of Whales and Dolphins Fully Developed at Birth?: An investigation of the odontocete inner ear

Sound is an essential component of toothed whale and dolphin (odontocete) biology. The advanced hearing-dependent activities of precocial calves lead us to believe that hearing is fully functional by birth. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the ontogeny of cetacean ears. This thesis investigates the odontocete ear region (bones of the tympanoperiotic complex, TPC), particularly the organ of hearing (cochlea) in the inner ear. I used radiography to examine ossification in six odontocete foetuses, and micro-CT scans to reconstruct 3D cochlear models for four life stages (foetal, neonate, juvenile and adult) from four ecologically divergent species from New Zealand: Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), and Gray’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon grayi). Individuals ranging from newborns to adults showed no significant intraspecific differences in the size and shape of their cochlear canals (p= 0.998) and TPCs, but there were significant interspecific differences (p<0.001). Consistent with their phylogeny, M. grayi cochleae significantly differed from the three delphinid study species (p<0.05), while the cochlea of the three delphinids did not significantly differ from each other (p>0.05). No ecological parallels were apparent within cochlear structures. Radiographs of foetuses ranging from Stages 7-12 (of Štěrba et al., 2000 classification) did not show evidence of ossification. The more advanced Stage 11 G. melas foetuses, however, showed minor mineralisation of the TPC, and a cochlear canal could be seen in the largest foetus (69cm). Cochlear and TPC size and shape results suggest rapid prenatal development of hearing structures and are consistent with the hypothesis that calves have fully functional hearing abilities at birth.
Bacterial Immunoglobulin (Ig)-Receptors: Past and Present Perspectives

The new contributions of this paper include the identification of bacterial Ig receptors as valuable reagents for the detection of Ig molecules in species of wild, domestic and laboratory animals. It is important to detect antibodies as markers of infection and zoonotic diseases. The techniques used to investigate the binding of the bacterial Ig receptors with immunoglobulins present in different specimens were established techniques such as ELISA and immunoblot analyses. In addition, the affinity chromatography allowed for the purification of immunoglobulins and their fragments. The use of commercially available conjugates of enzyme labelled proteins L, A, G and SpLA is discussed.
Pollination services of Africanized honey bees and native Melipona beecheii to buzz‐pollinated annatto (Bixa orellana L.) in the neotropics

Africanized honey bees (AHBs) are the predominant flower visitors of many plants in the neotropics, although little evidence is available on their efficiency as pollinators on native crops. Annatto (Bixa orellana) is a buzz‐pollinated neotropical tree. We compared the pollination service provided by AHBs and native Melipona beecheii (Mb) to annatto in the Yucatan. As a result of the different abilities of both species to sonicate, a prediction of the present study is that AHBs on individual visits would result in less efficient pollinators on this crop. A higher frequency of AHBs on flowers (73.8%) compared with Mb (21.3%) was found. However, AHBs deposited significantly less pollen on the stigma and produced less fruits, with fewer seeds and weight, than Mb. A higher pollination index efficiency was obtained for Mb (0.9) compared with AHBs (0.6). AHBs did not sonicate annatto and gleaned the pollen released after Mb visits, which suggests that they act as commensals of the latter. By acting as commensals, AHBs, despite their high abundance, appear to marginally contribute to the pollination of annatto. Studies conducted under scenarios with a differential abundance of AHBs and efficient sonicating species are necessary to test this hypothesis on annatto and other buzz‐pollinated plants in the neotropics.
Genetic mapping in cotton

The genus Gossypium provides natural fiber for textile industry worldwide. Genetic improvement in cotton for traits of interest is not up to mark due to scarcity of adequate information about fiber production and quality. Use of DNA markers for overcoming the issues of selection associated with complex traits is the ultimate choice which may lead to initiate breeding by design. Numerous marker-trait associations have been identified for economical traits using linkage analysis in cotton. Currently there is need for developing high-density genetic maps using next-generation sequencing approaches together with genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Efforts have been started in this direction and several QTLs including fiber quality, yield traits, plant architecture, stomatal conduc- tance and verticillium wilt resistance were identified. This chapter narrates genetic diversity, QTL mapping, association mapping and QTLs related to fiber quality traits. The incorporation of various genomic approaches and previously described marker strategies will pave the way for increase in fiber production.
Current Approaches to Peripheral Nervous Tissue Regeneration – Mimicking Nature. A review

Reconstruction of functional peripheral nervous tissue is a challenging task. Complete recovery of lost sensory and motor functions can be rarely achieved due to the complex biochemical composition of the human body. Many approaches have been developed and applied with a different degree of success. The aim of this review is focused on the revision of today’s medical approaches to peripheral nervous tissue regeneration. Special attention is put on the most recent approaches that use solutions mimicking those elaborated by nature. The paper describes the anatomy of peripheral nerve tissue and deals with current understanding of biochemical processes involved in its development as well as in the body’s response to its damage. Next, the paper addresses new methods of nerve tissue reconstruction reflecting the anatomical and physiological basis of anatomical and physiological properties of peripheral nerves. In the final conclusions, recent breakthroughs in peripheral nerve regeneration are taken into accout to create an ideal approach to this field of tissue engineering.
Rooting major cellular radiations using statistical phylogenetics

Phylogenetics focuses on learning about evolutionary relationships between species. These relationships can be represented by phylogenetic trees, where similar species are grouped together as sharing a recent common ancestor. The common ancestor of all the species of the tree is the root of the tree. The root is fundamental to the biological interpretation of the tree, providing a critical reference point for polarising ancestor-descendant relationships and determining the order in which key traits evolved along the tree (Embley and Martin, 2006). Despite its importance, most models of sequence evolution are unable to infer the root of a phylogenetic tree. They are based on homogeneous continuous time Markov processes (CTMPs) that are assumed to be stationary and time-reversible, with the mathematical consequence that the likelihood of a tree does not depend on where it is rooted. As a result, the root of the tree cannot be inferred as part of the analysis. Other methods which are generally used to root evolutionary trees can be problematic. For example, the outgroup rooting method is susceptible to a long-branch attraction artefact. Paralogue rooting requires pairs of paralogous genes which underwent an ancient gene duplication event to be present in all species being analysed, and the number of such genes is limited. In this thesis we explore an alternative model-based approach, adopting a substitution model in which changing the root position changes the likelihood of the tree. We explore the effect of relaxing reversibility and stationarity assumptions and allowing the position of the root to be another unknown quantity in the model. We propose two hierarchical non-reversible models which are centred on a reversible model but perturbed to allow nonreversibility. The models differ in the degree of structure imposed on the perturbations. We also explore non-stationary models, and the combination of relaxing both the reversibility and the stationarity assumptions. The analysis is performed in the Bayesian framework using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. We illustrate the performance of the models in analyses of simulated datasets using two types of topological priors. We also investigate the effect of different topologies and branch lengths on the inference. Our results illustrate the usefulness of modelling nonreversibility and non-stationarity for root inference, and also demonstrate the sensitivity of the analysis to topological priors. We then apply the models to real biological datasets, the radiation of polyploid yeasts and the radiation of primates, for which there is a robust biological opinion about the root position. Finally we apply the models to an open question in biology: rooting the ribosomal tree of life.
Evaluation of anticancer and antimicrobial activities of the Polygonum maritimum ethanol extract

Paper description: Polygonum plants possess different biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic and neuroprotective effects. To the best of our knowledge, the antifungal effect of the Polygonum maritimum ethanol extract has not been evaluated. We examined for the first time the potential of the extract to modulate the effect of doxorubicin on hepatoma cell viability, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and expression of antioxidant enzymes. Our study provides new insight into the potential application of P. maritimum extract as a natural fungicide and as a potential adjuvant in chemotherapy against hepatocarcinoma. Abstract: Polygonum maritimum is a traditional herbal remedy that produces abundant flavonoid secondary metabolites. The ethanol extract of P. maritimum aerial parts ( POM ) was chemically characterized and tested for antimicrobial properties and cytotoxicity. Results of LC-MS/MS analysis showed high contents of gallic acid, epigallocatechin gallate and catechin, and significant amounts of quercetin-3-O-galactoside and quercetin-3-O-glucoside. Evaluation of the antifungal properties revealed that POM induced notable growth inhibition of Alternaria alternata (34.3%), Penicillium spp. (30.6%), Fusarium semitectum (20.2%) and Aspergillus spp. (19.6%). Evaluation of cytotoxicity against human hepatoma HepG2 cells included monitoring the effects of both POM alone and its combination with cytostatic doxorubicin (Dox). Cell viability, apoptosis and cell cycle distribution and the expression of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide-dismutases SOD1 and SOD2 and catalase) were determined. A dose-dependent decrease in cell viability was detected, but a remarkably stronger effect was obtained when POM and Dox were applied in combination as compared to individual treatments. IC 50 values were determined to be 393 μg/mL ( POM ) and 2.24 μg/mL (Dox) in combination, but 1153 μg/mL ( POM ) and 12.56 μg/mL (Dox) in a single treatment. The value of the Loewe index, determined for IC 50 ,was notably lower than 1 (LI=0.51), clearly indicating synergism of POM and Dox. Additionally, POM and POM +Dox induced early/late apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, POM increased, while Dox decreased the expression levels of SODs and catalase. The obtained results encourage further examination of the potential use of POM in modern phytotherapy. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS180423028J Received: April 23, 2018; Revised: June 6, 2018; Accepted: June 6, 2018; Published online: June 12, 2018 How to cite this article: Jovanovic M, Srdic-Rajic T, Svircev E, Jasnic N, Nikolic B, Bojic S, Stevic T, Kneževic-Vukcevic J, Mitic-Culafic D. Evaluation of anticancer and antimicrobial activities of the Polygonum maritimum ethanol extract. Arch Biol Sci. 2018;70(4):665-73.
E-Government from a Web 2.0 Prospective

Introduction “Web 2.0. refers to a supposed second-generation of Internet-based Services . that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. ” [Wikipedia] The proliferation of Web 2.0 has brought about drastic changes in the Internet culture worldwide. Today, users no longer only regard the WWW a globally distributed information-base, where they ‘surf’ for useful information; but also a timely information exchange platform for interactive communication. The operation of Web 2.0 is based on the philosophy of “evolution of knowledge”. Taking Wikipedia [1] an on-line encyclopedia as an example, any users can freely and openly contribute their ideas in the evolution process. Thus today information over WWW is practically owned by the users rather than by the information owners themselves as previously in Web 1.0. Under the Web 2.0 culture, Internet users increasingly form groups and communities on-line based on their common interests and interact among themselves. Typical channels for this purpose include MSM for on-line interaction [2]; Friendster for establishing friendships [3]; Weblog for knowledge and ideas sharing [4]. These e-communities, large or small, are comprised of users with diversified education and cultural backgrounds. An ensemble of e-communities in turn comprises an e-society. Similar to real world societies, any environments populated with people with different beliefs, interests and values of judgment would inevitably lead to disagreements, arguments or even confrontations. Different e-communities may adopt different ways to express their disagreements and some of them may choose to do it violently, e.g. mail-bombs, virus, etc. To prevent violence and vandalism in a real world society, the government pays a crucial role. It often endeavors to understand the problems and needs of its citizens in order to design suitable services and facilities to fulfill them. The same applies to an e-society, the e-Government should discover the same of its e-communities and e-citizens; analyze them and provide appropriate e-services and e-facilities to establish a healthy and harmonious living co-existing environment. How to understand the behavior of e-citizens? This lays down the objective of this article. The rest of this document introduces two key technologies, namely social network analysis and opinion mining for the said purpose.
Identification and Utilization of Polymorphic SSR Markers for Genetic Diversity Studies in Oil Palm

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) known for its rich source of perennial vegetable-oil in India and it belongs to the Arecaceae family with chromosome number 2n=32. To meet the edible oil requirement of the country, it is one of the best option due to its high oil yield (4-6 t/ha/year) potential as compared to other annual oil yielding crops (MaryRani, 2015). The oil palm produces five times more oil per hectare per year than the annual oil yielding crops. It has 16 pairs of chromosomes with a genome size of 1.8 Gb (Singh et al., 2013). International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 04 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Efectos de la exposición a estradiol en la gametogénesis avanzada de los mejillones

Among the pollutants described in the aquatic environment, several compounds are able to interfere with the endocrine system of animals, being able to affect aspects related to reproduction. These compounds are called endocrine disruptors, and include both natural and synthetic steroid hormones and industrial and personal care products. Despite the limited knowledge about the endocrine system of molluscs, the presence of steroid sex hormones in bivalve molluscs has suggested that these compounds can interfere with the regulation of their reproduction. The aim of the present work was to analyze the effect of the estrogenic hormone estradiol (E2) on mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis gametogenesis. For this purpose, two experiments were carried out using adult mussels in advanced stages of gametogenesis; in one of them, mussels were waterborne exposed to 20 ng/L and 2000 ng/L E2 for 2 and 10 days, and in the other one, mussels were injected with 20 ng/Kg and 2000 ng/Kg E2 and analyzed after 2 and 7 days. In both experiments, samples of the gonad were collected and their histopathological study was conducted, determining gamete developmental stages, gonad index, and analyzing