Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of Inhibition of HepG2 Cell Proliferation by a Glycoprotein from Hizikia fusiformis

Hizikia fusiformis, a brown alga that is widely consumed in Korea, Japan, and China, possesses a number of potentially beneficial compounds, including antioxidants and anticoagulants. However, the molecular mechanisms of H. fusiformis in hepatoma cells have not been elucidated. This study investigated the antiproliferative effect and mechanism of action of a glycoprotein from H. fusiformis (HFGP) in HepG2 human hepatoma cells. In an MTS assay, 25 HFGP inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells by . HFGP caused the dose-dependent growth inhibition of HepG2 cells by inducing apoptosis and a sub-G1 phase arrest. The antiproliferative activity of HFGP was confirmed based on the expression of several apoptosis-related proteins, which was assessed by Western blot analysis. The expressions of Fas, Fas-associated death domain protein, Bax, and Bad was significantly up-regulated in HFGP-treated cells, and HFGP induced the translocation of Bax to mitochondria and the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol. Therefore, HFGP might be useful in the treatment of liver cancer.
High temperature-induced oxidative stress in Lens culinaris, role of antioxidants and amelioration of stress by chemical pre-treatments

Abstract Six varieties of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) – Asha, Subrata, IPL 406, IPL 81, Lv and Sehore – were exposed to temperatures ranging from 30–50°C which resulted in retarded germination and seedling growth at higher temperatures. Tolerance index and membrane stability tests revealed Sehore and Lv to be susceptible to elevated temperatures while IPL 406, IPL 81, Asha and Subrata were tolerant. Catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase showed an initial increase before declining at 50°C, while peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities declined at all temperatures. Lipid peroxidation significantly increased in all varieties. In the tolerant varieties, there was an initial decrease in accumulation of H2O2 followed by an increase from 40°C onwards; however, in the susceptible varieties, accumulation was enhanced at all high temperatures. Ascorbate and glutathione also showed initial increase followed by a decline. Total antioxidant activity was at a maximum at 35–40°C in the tolerant varieties and at 30°C in the susceptible ones. Oxidative stress induced by high temperature was ameliorated by treatment with salicylic acid, abscisic acid or CaCl2, of which salicylic acid was the most effective.
The role of nitrogen in a simple scheme to scale up photosynthesis from leaf to canopy

A simple analytical scheme, involving the distribution of nitrogen, to scale up photosynthesis from leaf to canopy is proposed. The scheme is based on the assumption that there are two pools of nitrogen in leaves: nitrogen in photosynthetic, degradable structures (N p ) and nitrogen in non-photosynthetic and non-degradable structures (N s ). The rate of photon-saturated photosynthesis, F m , is assumed to be proportional to N p and is distributed inside the canopy similarly to photon flux density (PFD). Prior assumptions of an optimum distribution of nitrogen are not a prerequisite. Calculations made with the scheme lead to development of the hypothesis that the canopy can be treated as a 'big leaf on the time scales involved in acclimation of photosynthesis to PFD. Simulations using parameters for tree species with different requirements for PFD show that shade-tolerant species may have denser canopies than sun-demanding species because of smaller amounts of non-photosynthetic structural nitrogen and/or supporting tissue in their leaves.
Endophytic Bacteria and Their Potential Applications

The authors wish to acknowledge the European Commission for their support to the ENDEGRADE project (EU PROJECT: QLK3- CT2000-00164). DvdL and ST are presently being supported by Laboratory Directed Research and Development funds at the Brookhaven National Laboratory under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Rapid species identification of eight sympatric northern Australian macropods from faecal-pellet DNA

Abstract Context. Conservation of vulnerable and endangered species requires a comprehensive understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements, so as to implement effective management strategies. Visual scat surveys are a common non-invasive method for monitoring populations. However, morphological similarity of scats among sympatric species presents a problem for accurate identification. Visual misidentifications of scats can have major impacts on the accuracy of abundance and distribution surveys of target species, wasting resources and misdirecting management and conservation actions. DNA identification of scats can overcome this issue, while simultaneously providing a rich source of genetic information for population and dietary studies. Aims. We developed a simple and reliable method to identify morphologically similar macropod scats from eight sympatric species in north-eastern Australia, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of a portion of the mtDNA ND2 gene. Methods. We identified a short (275-bp) polymorphic region of ND2, which is easily amplifiable from degraded DNA, developed a primer set, and identified a set of three restriction endonucleases (AluI, BstNI and HphI) which, in combination, can discriminate among the eight target species. So as to test the effectiveness of this protocol, we collected 914 macropod scats from 53 sites in the north-eastern Australia. Key results. In total, 406 of these scats were extracted, with 398 (98%) containing amplifiable macropod DNA. All 398 scats were subsequently identified to species by using our RFLP protocol. Sequencing of a subset of these samples confirmed the accuracy of the test. Species identification of scats by using DNA identified eight species of macropods, five of which were outside their documented distributions, one of which was ∼400 km. Conclusions. Our PCR–RFLP method is a simple and efficient means to identify macropod scats to species, eliminating the need for sequencing, which is costly, time-consuming and requires additional laboratory equipment. Implications. The method allows for rapid and non-invasive assessment of macropod species and is particularly useful for surveying populations across multiple sites.
Forest Variable Estimations Using TanDEM-X Data in Hyrcanian Forests

Abstract The objective of this study was to estimate forest variables using TanDEM-X interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data acquired over the Shastkalate forest of Gorgan in northern Iran. Inventory variables, including diameter at breast height, tree height (Lorey’s mean tree height), basal area and volume, were collected from 112 circular sample plots with a size of 0.1 ha. Interferometric phase height and coherence were computed from TanDEM-X data. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to develop models describing the relationship between field-derived forest variables and the InSAR based statistical metrics. The validation was carried out using the leave-one-out cross-validation method. The estimation accuracy results in terms of relative RMSE for Lorey’s mean tree height, basal area and volume were 11.0, 34.1, and 37.8%, respectively, whereas the corresponding figures for R2adj were 32.0, 10.0, and 16.0%, respectively. The results were good enough for estimating forest variables and it was concluded that TanDEM-X could be used in Hyrcanian hardwood forests.
The status of cereal stem-borer and legume pod-borer research in Zimbabwe

This paper highlights the current status of knowledge of the ecology and control of the maize stalk-borer, Busseoia fusca (Fuller). Migration has been shown to be an important parameter in the proliferation of the pest. Control measures advocated to the farmers consists of a combination of stover disposal and the application of chemicals. Synthetic pheromones have a place in the integrated pest management of B. fusca in Zimbabwe. Since most of this information is based on work carried out in the commercial sector, future investigations will aim at defining the extent of B. fusca infestations and magnitude of losses in yields incurred in the communal areas.
Modeling and Fault Categorization in Thin-Film and Crystalline PV Arrays Through Multilayer Neural Network Algorithm

Categorization of PV faults is an essential task for improving the efficiency and reliability of a photovoltaic (PV) system. Output characteristics of a solar (PV) system can be severely affected under various fault conditions including short circuit, module mismatch, open circuit, and multiple faults under shading conditions. Such PV faults can potentially be analyzed through the PV characteristic curve analysis using a multilayer neural network with a scaled conjugate gradient algorithm (SCG). This paper presents an extensive investigation for categorization, i.e., classification of the above-mentioned PV faults using the SCG algorithm. The major contribution of the presented research work is the categorization of PV faults in sixteen different classes considering polycrystalline and thin-film PV technologies with two different configurations, including SP and TCT. The fault classification is achieved with high accuracy of 99.6% and a fast-computational time of 0.08 sec. The results are validated through the plot of the Confusion Matrix and Region of Convergence (ROC) with their performance evaluation in MATLAB. The achieved accuracy and fast computational time prove the effectiveness of the multilayer neural network-based approach for classification of the PV faults to increase power output, efficiency, and lifespan of PV systems.
Movement of Water in Plants

Symbiosis of ants and plants. -RIDLEY,'3 as director of the botanic gardens at Singapore, has had exceptionally good opportunities to examine the socalled "myrmecophilous plants" of the eastern tropics, and he has reported his studies of more than a dozen such cases of symbiosis. His observations appear to have been carefully made and accurately recorded, and must be regarded as a considerable contribution to our knowledge of the relationship existing between these two organisms, even if we do not agree with all his interpretations of the facts. A very considerable number of such plants afford a convenient sheltering home for the ants, either within hollow organs, such as thorns or stems, or within the leaves or flowers. The ants, however, obtain no food from the plant, nor do they benefit it in any way. Examples of this class are Dischidia Raglesiana and several species of rattan. In Goniothalmus Ridleyi it seems likely that the ants effect pollination while nesting in and about its flowers. In the second class of myrmecophilous plants, there seems to be a relationship which is mutually advantageous between many epiphytic ferns and orchids, whose roots afford an excellent shelter, and the insects that, in constructing their nests, bring up considerable quantities of soil and heap it about the base of the plants. To this class belong Thamnopteris nidus-avis, Platycerium biforme, and a considerable number of orchids. A third class consists of two small trees, Macaranga triloba and M. Griflithiana, whose hollow stems are pierced and tenanted by ants. In both species the stipules are persistent and possess glands which secrete waxy granules that the ants gather and use as food. In return for this shelter and food, RIDLEY declares that the ants protect the trees from the attacks of caterpillars, although his only evidence seems to be that the trees tenanted by ants were not damaged by caterpillars, while certain others had their leaves somewhat eaten. He concludes that "the hollow stem, the retention of the stipules for some time after their original function of protecting the bud has ceased to be necessary, and the production of food bodies, are all modifications which can have no other function than that of attracting the ants and retaining their services as guards. "-GEO. D. FULLER.
A Comparison among Emotional Memory, Emotional Styles, and Anxiety Sensitivity between Individuals with Substance Use Disorder and not Addicted People

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Background: Emotions play an important role in the tendency to abuse substances but the roles of emotional memory, emotional styles, and anxiety sensitivity in addiction have not been clarified in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to study the emotional memory, emotional styles, and anxiety sensitivity among individuals with substance use disorder. Methods: In a prospective study, 30 patients with substance use disorder and 30 normal participants were selected by convenience sampling method from addicts who were hospitalized and outpatients who were admitted to addiction treatment camps of Ahar City. The emotional memory (verbal) test, the emotional styles questionnaire, and Anxiety Sensitivity IndexRevised (ASI-R) were used for data collection. Results: Multivariate analysis of variance showed that there is a significant difference between the levels of emotional memory (verbal positive, negative, and neutral) and the components of emotional styles (concealing, adjusting, and tolerating) among addicted and normal individuals. However, in anxiety sensitivity, the differences between addicted and normal individuals are not significant. Conclusion: Based on these findings, it can be concluded that emotional memory and emotional styles can be influential factors in the tendency toward substance use.
Closing the Gap through Enhanced, Family-Centered Approaches to Care Navigation: Increasing Successful Referrals for Developmental Delays with Colorado Project LAUNCH.

Increasing numbers of young children are now routinely screened for developmental delays during well-child visits in primary care settings which support early identification of developmental delays. Unfortunately, research indicates that there is often a gap between the number of children who receive an abnormal screen and the number who successfully follow through with a referral for further evaluation. This article highlights how, with support from Colorado Project LAUNCH, care navigation services in South Adams County, Colorado, have evolved over the past 4 years to address these issues and successfully reduce the referral gap. Competencies for Prenatal to 5 (P-5) ProfessionalsTM For more information see page 4, or visit www.zerotothree. org/p-5 Copyright 2020 ZERO TO THREE. All rights reserved. For permissions requests, visit https://www.zerotothree. org/permissions.
Design and development of telemedicine based heartbeat and body temperature monitoring tools

Body temperature and heart rate monitoring based on telemedicine is an electromedical device served to determine the condition of the heart rate per minute (BPM) and the patient’s body temperature in realtime remotely. The purpose of this study is to design the heart rate and body temperature monitor based on telemedicine uses the Internet of Things (IoT). The system allows unlimited distance monitoring by utilizing the internet as a medium for sending the data. The body temperature and heart rate monitoring system uses DS18B20, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi temperature sensors and finger sensors as data processing and transmission microprocessors, LCD Character displays the results of heart rate readings and body temperature per minute. The results of heart rate measurements and body temperature are sent to the database via microservice and displayed on a web page in the form of numerical data and responsive plot graphics on desktops and mobile phones. Based on the measurement and comparison to standard apparatus, the average error of BPM measurement is 0.72%, with a maximum permissible tolerance of ± 5%. While in the body temperature parameter the average difference is 0.3 ° C with a maximum permitted tolerance of ± 1 °C.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE SURVIVAL AND GERMINATION OF RESTING SPORES OF THREE CHAETOCEROS (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) SPECIES 1, 2

Resting spores (hypnospores) of Chaetoceros diadema (Ehrenberg) Gran, Chaetoceros vanheurckii Gran, and Chaetoceros didymus Ehrenberg were collected from a large plastic enclosure moored in Saanich Inlet, B.C., Canada. The effects of combinations of temperature and irradiance on the germination of these resting spores were investigated. Nutrient uptake, carbon fixation, and changes in the photosynthetic capacity of the germinating spores were also examined. Resting spores germinated optimally at combinations of temperature and irradiance similar to those in the environment during sporulation. They did not germinate at irradiances 1.3 μEin m−2 s−1 or temperatures >25.3° C. Nitrate, phosphate and silicate were taken up after the resting spores had germinated and resumed vegetative growth. Chlorophyll a fluorescence in vivo, and the DCMU‐induced increase in in vivo fluorescence also increased after the resting spores had germinated. Resting spores began to fix carbon as soon as they were placed in light. Spores remained viable for at least 645 d. The length of time between first exposure to light and germination did not change during this period; however, the percentage of viable resting spores decreased markedly. None of the Chaetoceros spores germinated after 737 d of storage at 2–4° C in darkness.
Orchestrating Platform Ecosystems: The Interplay of Innovation and Business Development Subsystems

In this paper, we analyze how to orchestrate platform ecosystems in order to ensure the commercialization of constant flows of innovations. We focus on platform-owners and how they orchestrate the coupling process between the innovation part of the ecosystem and the business development part of the ecosystem. We apply a life-cycle perspective, analyzing how these two subsystems are dynamically aligned through this coupling process. Three emblematic case studies illustrate platform-owners’ choices regarding the management of this coupling process. Existing accounts of ecosystem orchestration are quite scarce in the academic literature and do not systematically acknowledge that innovation and business development are subsystems. By considering the two parts of ecosystems, our paper contributes to a more fine-grained understanding of platform ecosystem orchestration.JEL Code: L190
Quantification and Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistance in Greywater Discharged to the Environment

In disenfranchised communities, untreated greywater (wastewater without sewage) is often environmentally discharged, resulting in potential human exposure to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB), including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers. We sought to examine the abundance of ARB, specifically ESBLs, and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in greywater from off-grid, pastoral Bedouin villages in Southern Israel. Greywater samples (n = 21) collected from five villages were analyzed to enumerate fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli. ESBL producers were recovered on CHROMagar ESBL and confirmed by VITEK®2 (bioMerieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France) for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Total genomic DNA was extracted from greywater samples and quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to determine relative abundance (gene copies/16S rRNA gene) of class 1 integron-integrase intI1, blaTEM, blaCTX-M-32, sul1, and qnrS. The mean count of presumptive ESBL-producing isolates was 4.5 × 106 CFU/100 mL. Of 81 presumptive isolates, 15 ESBL producers were recovered. Phenotypically, 86.7% of ESBL producers were multi-drug resistant. Results from qPCR revealed a high abundance of intI1 (1.4 × 10−1 gene copies/16S rRNA), sul1 (5.2 × 10−2 gene copies/16S rRNA), and qnrS (1.7 × 10−2 gene copies/16S rRNA) followed by blaTEM (3.5 × 10−3 gene copies/16S rRNA) and blaCTX-M-32 (2.2 × 10−5 gene copies/16S rRNA). Results from our study indicate that greywater can be a source of ARB, including ESBL producers, in settings characterized by low sanitary conditions and inadequate wastewater management.
Deficient Expression of DGCR8 in Human Testis is Related to Spermatogenesis Dysfunction, Especially in Meiosis I

Introduction DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 8 (DGCR8) contributes to miRNA biogenesis, and defects in its expression could lead to defects in spermatogenesis. Methods Here, we assess gene and protein expression levels of DGCR8 in the testicular biopsy specimens obtained from men with obstructive azoospermia (OA, n = 19) and various types of non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) including maturation arrest (MA, n = 17), Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS, n = 20) and hypospermatogenesis (HYPO, 18). Also, samples of men with NOA were divided into two groups based on successful and unsuccessful sperm recovery, NOA+ in 21 patients and NOA− in 34 patients. Results Examinations disclosed a severe decrease ﻿in DGCR8 in samples with MA and SCOS in comparison to OA samples (P < 0.001). Also, the results showed DGCR8 has significantly lower expression in testis tissues of NOA− group in comparison to NOA+ group (p<0.05). Western blot analysis confirmed that the DGCR8 protein was not expressed in SCOS samples and had a very low expression in MA and HYPO samples. Discussion The results of this survey showed that DGCR8 is an important gene for the entire spermatogenesis pathway. Moreover, DGCR8 gene plays an important role in the diagnosis of NOA subgroups, and also the expression changes in it might contribute to SCOS or MA phenotypes. This gene with considering other related genes can also be a predictor of sperm retrieval.
Importance of lake characteristics in structuring parasite communities of salmonids from insular Newfoundland

Metazoan parasites of Salmo salar and Salvelinus fontinalis were studied at eight sites in insular Newfoundland. The locations included water bodies of various sizes ( 100 ha) and depths ( 5 m). Nine of 14 parasite species were salmonid specialists and generally had wider geographic distributions than the remaining generalists, with one exception (Echinorhynchus lateralis). The distributions of Crepidostomum farionis, Sterliadochona ephemeridarum, and E. lateralis appeared to be facilitated by the widespread distribution of intermediate hosts. Larval digeneans (Apophallus imperator, Diplostomum sp., and Tetracotyle sp.) were typically associated with shallow medium-sized lakes. Species using limnetic copepods as intermediate hosts (Philonema agubernaculum, Eubothrium salvelini, and Diphyllobothrium sp.) were most often found in fishes inhabiting the deeper lakes. Small ponds had low parasite richness (R = 5); medium and large lakes had similar richness (R = 9–11). Jaccard's ind.
Bayesian Melody Harmonization Based on a Tree-Structured Generative Model of Chord Sequences and Melodies

This article describes a melody harmonization method that generates a sequence of chords (symbols and onset positions) for a given melody (a sequence of musical notes). A typical approach to melody harmonization is to use a hidden Markov model (HMM) that represents chords and notes as latent and observed variables, respectively. This approach, however, does not consider the syntactic functions (e.g., tonic, dominant, and subdominant) and hierarchical structure of chords that play vital roles in traditional harmony theories. In this paper, we propose a unified hierarchical generative model consisting of a probabilistic context-free grammar (PCFG) model generating chord symbols associated with syntactic functions, a metrical Markov model generating chord onset positions, and a Markov model generating a melody conditioned by a chord sequence. To estimate a musically natural tree structure, the PCFG is trained in a semi-supervised manner by using chord sequences with tree structure annotations. Given a melody, a sequence of a variable number of chords can be estimated by using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method that partially and iteratively updates the symbols, onset positions, and tree structure of chords according to the posterior distribution of chord sequences. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperformed the HMM-based method and a conventional rule-based method in terms of predictive abilities.