Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Animal Models of Obesity Characterized by Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for the Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) development, as the leading cause of chronic liver disease. NAFLD is intrinsically related to obesity disorders, especially insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Interaction between NAFLD and obesity still needs further clarification, and it is necessary to der temine the mechanisms of these disorders in animal models of disease. Such models are usually the result of genetic and/or nutritional modifications, considering metabolic and histological changes commonly seen in humans. Obesity induced in rodents occur mainly through HFD, HCD, FFD or genetic alterations like in Lep, Acox, KKy mod -els. These models are analogous to NAFLD development, since the increasing visceral fat is highly associated with the accumulation of fat in the form of triglycerides in the liver. Inflammatory markers such as TNF-alpha and IR are active in the predisposition of lipolysis. Hepatic inflammation during NAFLD can also be unleashed by oxidative stress. However, the mechanisms involved in the progression from NAFLD to NASH are not yet elucidated, as some models have shown unexpected outcomes such as severe malnutrition or obesity markers absence and IR after the use of Minimal-change dis - ease (MCD) therapies and drugs, respectively. Thus, it is important to evaluate different animal models of obesity able to induce the profile of NAFLD and NASH disease in humans, assessing their mechanisms of action. The aim of this chapter is to have a com parative analysis of animal models commongly used in the pathophysiology of obesity that present NAFLD/NASH.
Silk use during proecdysis in the spider Araneus cavaticus (Araneae: Araneidae)

Major ampullate (MaA) and minor ampullate (MiA) silk glands of juvenile Araneus cavaticus were examined by dissection at various times relative to ecdysis. Several days before ecdysis the single, larger pairs of MaA and MiA glands (termed 'primary' MaA and MiA glands) become non-functional and remain so until ecdysis. Nevertheless, proecdysial spiders are able to draw ampullate fibers due to the presence of smaller pairs of MaA and MiA glands (termed 'open secondary' MaA and MiA glands) which are functional at this time. It appears that these open secondary MaA and MiA glands are intended for use only during proecdysis. Thus, primary MaA and MiA glands and open secondary MaA and MiA glands are typically not used concurrently (a brief transitional period is an exception). The open secondary MaA and MiA glands functioning in one juvenile stadium become 'blocked secondary' MaA and MiA glands in the following stadium, during which they regress and are non-functional. (Glands referred to in the past as 'accessory' MaA and MiA glands are secondary MaA and MiA glands while in their more regressed form.) These blocked secondary MaA and MiA glands do not re-develop into functional open secondary MaA and MiA glands until the following stadium. Thus, a given pair of secondary MaA or MiA glands is only functional in every other juvenile stadium. However, because there are two sets of secondary MaA and MiA glands (each set consisting of one pair of secondary MaA glands and one pair of secondary MiA glands) which function alternately, the spider is able to produce ampullate fibers during the proecdysial portion of each stadium. Cuticular protuberances known as nubbins and tartipores exist in proximity to spigots in many spiders, including A. cavaticus. As defined herein, the former appear to be vestigial spigots. Tartipores, on the other hand, are formed because the new cuticle which develops beneath the old cuticle during proecdysis has to leave openings for the ducts of those silk glands that will function during proecdysis. After ecdysis, the 'collars' that had formed around these ducts remain in the new cuticle, in collapsed form, as tartipores.
Genetic diversity and distribution of indigenous soybean-nodulating bradyrhizobia in the Philippines

The diversity of indigenous bradyrhizobia from soils collected at 11 locations in the Philippines was investigated using PSB-SY2 local soybean cultivar as the host plant. Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) treatment for 16S rRNA, 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and rpoB housekeeping gene was performed primarily to detect the genetic variation among the 424 isolates collected. Then, sequence analysis of 16S rRNA, ITS region and rpoB gene was performed for the representative isolates. Majority of the isolates were classified under Bradyrhizobium elkanii, B. diazoefficiens, B. japonicum, Bradyrhizobium sp. , and few isolates were related to B. yuanmingense. Genetic variations observed through PCR-RFLP and sequence analyses of the ITS region and rpoB gene generally occurred in B. elkanii, suggesting an occurrence of gene transfer. Shannon’s diversity index showed varied results with a lowest score of 0.00 and highest at 0.98 indicating a very diverse population of bradyrhizobia across the country. Among all the factors considered in this work, soil management such as period of flooding and some soil properties provided major influence on the distribution and diversity of soybean bradyrhizobia in the country. Thus, it is proposed that the major micro-symbiont of soybean in the Philippines are B. elkanii for non-flooded soils, then B. diazoefficiens and B. japonicum for flooded soils. Importance Agriculture production in the Philippines has been and is currently heavily dependent on chemical inputs with mainly rice or corn mono-cropping that it rendered the soil acidic and unproductive. Legume research in the country are mainly focused on plant varietal improvements and very few are aimed at understanding the ecological niche of rhizobia present in the soil. Since soybean has mutual relationship with rhizobia, this legume is a good fallow crop or a rotation crop after rice and corn to help build up the nitrogen stock in the soil. The significance of this research is the better understanding of the ecological niche of indigenous soybean bradyrhizobia, particularly in a tropical archipelago like the Philippines. This work was conceptualized with the utmost goal to increase soybean yield by harnessing and evaluating the indigenous rhizobia in the soil to make production more sustainable and human-friendly.
An additional larval type in the genus Chironomus – the yama-type.

Recently, one of us (DSC) collected very similar larvae from Manipur, India. While the full details of this Indian species have yet to be clarified, it is clear that it is not in the genus Yama, but in Chironomus, although possibly a new subgenus. Under the current classification, this larva would be a salinarius-type, since it lacks lateral and ventral tubules. However, it is recognizably different from all other salinarius-type larvae, and indeed all other larval-types, in the greater length of the posterior prolegs (about 4 times longer than wide cf. about 2 times longer than wide) and the star-like arrangement of the anal tubules (Fig. 1).
Neurooncological Observation Cerebral neurocytoma without ganglion cell differentiation

Summary Neurocytomas are rare neuronal tumours, and are defined as tumours comprising cells with neuronal differentiation; they commonly arise in the ventricles. We report a case of a cerebral neurocytoma in a young man who presented with hemiparesis. The tumour was a radiologically a well-circumscribed large cyst with solid mass; the histopathology showed a well-differentiated lesion comprising uniform, round cells with perinuclear halos in a neuropil background, and immunohistochemically positive for neuronal markers (synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase and neurofilaments). We suggest that cerebral neurocytomas should be considered among the uncommon causes of a large intra-axial cystic mass with a solid component in young adults.
Endotoxin Tolerance. Explorative studies in humans.

The phenomenon of repeated exposure to endotoxin resulting in diminished release of proinflammatory cytokines is called endotoxin tolerance, in which there is a putative role for nitric oxide (NO). We investigated the effect of selective inducible NO-synthase (iNOS) inhibition during experimental human endotoxemia on the development of tolerance to various Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists ex vivo. Volunteers received 2 ng/kg Escherichia coli endotoxin in the absence (n=7) or presence (n=7) of the selective iNOS inhibitor aminoguanidine (bolus 5mM followed by a continuous infusion of 1.5 mmol/hr). At t=0, 2 and 4 hrs blood samples were drawn for ex vivo stimulation with different TLR agonists. Experimental endotoxemia did not induce tolerance to TLR-2 and -7 stimulation. In TLR-3, -4 and -5 stimulated whole blood, the pro and anti-inflammatory cytokine release was attenuated at t= 4 hrs, indicating that endotoxin-induced tolerance is not confined to subsequent TLR-4 stimulation alone. Aminoguanidine treated subjects also developed tolerance to TLR-4 stimulation. In contrast, tolerance to TLR-3 stimulation did not occur for IL-10, and tolerance in TLR-5 stimulated blood did not develop for both pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The role of NO in the development of tolerance is different for the various TLRs stimulated and proand antiinflammatory cytokines measured. Introduction Animals pretreated with a low-dose endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS), survive a subsequent challenge with a normally lethal dose of endotoxin. Similarly, whole blood of human volunteers after experimental endotoxemia 3-5 and of septic patients stimulated with LPS in vitro demonstrates an attenuated cytokine response. This phenomenon of repeated exposure to endotoxin associated with a diminished release of proinflammatory cytokines and improved survival is called ‘endotoxin tolerance’. Although endotoxin has been used to induce resistance against a subsequent identical insult, it has also been demonstrated that endotoxin tolerance provokes “cross-tolerance” against other forms of injury, such as ischemia-reperfusion injury. Various Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are involved in the recognition of different microbial products. Although TLRs do not exhibit specificity for a single microbial product, they are individually responsive to a limited group of molecules. Besides stimulation of TLR-4 with endotoxin, derived from the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, a wide variety of bacterial products, DNA and RNA viruses, fungi and protozoa play an important role through stimulation of other TLRs. For example, LPS and heat shock protein signal via TLR-4, Gram positive peptidoglycan via TLR-1 and 2, TLR-3 is implicated in the recognition of viral double-stranded RNA, TLR-5 recognizes bacterial
Degradation of proteinaceous material, ammonium accumulation and microbial dynamics in anaerobic digesters

Background: Biogas is a renewable energy carrier which is used for heat and power production or, in the form of purified methane, as a vehicle fuel. The formation of methane from organic materials is carried out by a mixed microbial community under anaerobic conditions. However, details about the microbes involved and their function are limited. In this study we compare the metagenomes of four parallel biogas reactors digesting a protein-rich substrate, relate microbiology to biogas performance, and observe differences in these reactors’ microbial communities compared to the original inoculum culture. Results: The biogas process performance during the startup phase of four parallel continuous stirred tank reactors (designated R1, R2, R3, and R4) co-digesting fish waste and cow manure was studied. The microbial composition of the inoculum (day 0) and the four reactors at day 59 was studied and compared using 454 FLX Titanium pyrosequencing. In the inoculum and the reactor samples, the Bacteria Clostridium and Syntrophomonas were highly abundant, and the dominating methanogen was the hydrogenotrophic Methanoculleus. Syntrophic prokaryotes frequently found in biogas reactors with high concentrations of ammonium and volatile fatty acids were detected in all samples. The species Candidatus Cloacimonas acidaminovorans of the candidate phylum Cloacimonetes (WWE1) increased in all reactors and was the dominating bacterium at day 59. In particular, this bacterium showed a very high abundance in R1, which distinguished this reactor significantly from the other reactors in terms of microbial composition. Methane production and the reactor slurry characteristics were monitored in the digestion period. Generally all four reactors operated stably and showed rather similar characteristics. The average methane production in the reactors varied between 0.278 and 0.296 L gVS, with the lowest production in R1. Conclusions: This study showed that four parallel reactors co-digesting manure and fish waste silage operated stably during a startup phase. Several important Archaea and Bacteria degrading the protein-rich substrate were identified. In particular, microorganisms involved in syntrophic methane production seemed to be important. The detailed characterization of the microbial communities presented in this work may be useful for the operation of biogas plants degrading substrates with high concentrations of proteins.
The Sexually Differentiated A*-3-Ketosteroid 58-Reductase of Rat Liver

A4-3-Ketosteroid 58-reductase was purified from male rat liver cytosol. The purification scheme consisted of column chromatographies on hydroxylapatite and DEAE-Sepharose, chromatofocusing, and Sephadex G-75 gel filtration followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. The column chromatography steps gave a 100-fold purification and resulted in a 90% pure preparation as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. Kinetic properties with 4androstene-3,17-dione as substrate were established for the enzyme, and its activity regarding three other A4-3-ketosteroids, testosterone, progesterone, and cortisol, was investigated. The relative rates of reduction of these steroids were 1.0, 0.8, 0.7, and 0.62, respectively. The electrophoretically purified 5B-reductase, with an M. of 38,000, was used for immunization of rabbits. The antiserum was shown to be monospecific as judged from immunoblotting of electrophoretically separated rat liver cytosolic proteins. Immunological reactive protein and enzymatic 58-reductase activity co-purified in the chromatographic steps. The sex difference in enzyme activity, 0.26 uersm 0.10 nmol of productlmg of proteins/min for males and females, respectively, was shown to be due to a difference in concentration of enzyme protein. The 58-reductase was calculated to constitute 1% of the total cytosolic proteins in male livers, whereas the corresponding figure for female livers was 0.3%.
Studies on promoter trap transgenic plants of Arabidopsis Thaliana

In o rder to identify and isolate genomic sequences that direct gene expression in the vascular tissues a 'p rom oter trapping' approach w as adopted . Populations of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana have been generated that contain a prom oter trap vector, comprising a prom oterless g u sA gene. The rationale is that the inserted gusA sequence is only expected to be activated w hen integrated dow nstream of a native gene prom oter, creating a functional gene fusion. Five transgenic Arabidopsis lines tha t w ere previously dem onstrated to exhibit GUS fusion activity in vascular tissues w ere selected for this study. The num ber of T-DNA inserts in these lines w as determ ined, and three of the five lines w ere found to contain single T-DNA copies. One line containing a single T-DNA insert, designated AtVS-1, w as selected for further study. Prom oterless g u sA expression in AtVS-1 w as analysed throughout developm ent, and a tem poral and spatial regulation of g u sA gene expression was observed. A putative aberrant root phenotype w as also revealed. A n inverse PCR strategy w as used to am plify genom ic sequences flanking the T-DNA left border in AtVS-1, to yield an IPCR p roduct of 1.45kb. The IPCR product was used as a molecular probe to identify hom ologous clones in wild-type genomic and cDNA libraries, w hich have been partially sequenced and show no similarity w ith o ther know n genes. AtVS-1 w as also used as a m arker line to analyse cellular organization in tw o em bryonic m orphogenesis m utants. These results dem onstra te the po ten tial of prom oter trapping as a m eans of creating functional tags to analyse genom ic sequences directing transgene expression in the vascular tissues, and to facilitate the isolation of those sequences.
SEARCH FOR RESISTANCE SOURCES TO BROWN ROT IN BRAZILIAN PEACH GENOTYPES

The brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola is the most important disease in Prunus species in places of hot and humid climate. The development of resistant cultivars is a priority of breeding programs located in humid regions. However, very few sources of good resistance level are known in spite of all the efforts. This work aimed to evaluate the reaction of peach genotypes to M. fructicola. The study was conducted during the 2012/13 season, using a completely randomized design, with two replications of five fruit per plot. Fruit at firm maturation stage (harvest point) of 174 genotypes, including, cultivars, selections and seedlings, were selected for absence of apparent damage and/or infection. These fruits were dipped for 1 min in 70% alcohol, followed by a 5 min immersion in a 0.5% solution of NaClO. After a 10 min rest period they were washed in distilled water and placed in plastic transparent boxes (24.0 x 23.0 x 10.0 cm), lined with moistened filter paper. The inoculation was made, by deposition of a 10ÂµL drop suspension of 25,000 conidia mL-1 of the pathogen using an inoculation syringe. Inoculated fruits were incubated at 25Â±1Â°C and 75% relative humidity for 72 hours. After this period, the samples were evaluated for disease incidence (% of diseased fruits) and disease severity (average diameter of lesions and sporulation). The results were compared with the average lesion of cv. âBolinhaâ, 0.9 cm (I=0.9). The seedlings C. 2008.174. 12 (Cascata 1062 A Marfim), C.2006. 45.4 (Olimpia A SB 26), C.2009. 77.14 (Cascata 1510 A Libra), C.2008. 161.126 and C.2008. 161.37 (Cascata 1062 A Maciel), C.2009. 173.33 and C.2009. 173.74 [(Olimpia A SB 26) OP] C. 2006 198.71 (Jubileu A Fu. Sou. Tao) and âSensaA§A£oâ showed the same level of resistance to brown rot as âBolinhaâ.
The Use and Abuse of Investor Suits – An Inquiry into the Dark Side of Shareholder Activism –

This paper builds on the wide-ranging policy discussion on shareholder activism in Europe. It seeks to define which shareholder actions are useful in reducing managerial agency costs and which could be interpreted as frivolous or abusive. We develop a typology, comprising of a number of Abuse Indicators which may assist courts, investors and management in identifying suits that create unjustified and opportunistic shareholder litigation costs. Investors' actions could be considered as abusive more often than not, if the actions are 1) filed by low-tier law firms that 2) represent professional and recurrent plaintiffs; 3) which hold a small rather than significant stake in the company's stock; 4) the complaints on which the suits rely are of a boiler-plate / carbon copy / formalistic nature; 5) the key motivation of the suits are expected side benefits rather than the desire to enhance the value of the issue in which the plaintiff invested; and 6) the suits are lacking institutional backing by shareholder associations or government agencies. Drawing on two unique datasets, which involve cases respectively in the Dutch Inquiry Proceeding (‘Enquêterecht’) and the Rescission Suit in Germany (‘Anfechtungs- und Nichtigkeitsklage’), we hold that Dutch Inquiry Proceedings initiated in the years 2002 through 2008, which often results in a court-induced settlement, involved mostly ‘useful’ shareholder interventions to reduce managerial agency costs whereas the bulk of the German Rescission Suits filed between October 2005 and January 2009 – prior to the reform of the law on rescission suits that has come into force in Fall 2009 – were abusive.
Metabolite profiling, antioxidant activity, and glycosidase inhibition property of the mesocarp tissue extracts of sugar date palm [Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb.] fruits

ABSTRACT Phoenix sylvestris is an underutilized seasonal fruit in West Bengal, India. Methanol extract and extracts after alkaline hydrolysis of the mesocarp tissue of full-mature edible fruits of P. sylvestris were analyzed by GC-MS following a metabolomics approach. The fractions were tested for their antioxidant and inhibitory properties against the two key enzymes involved in diabetes, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. Total 71 metabolites belonging to organic acids, amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, fatty acids, and phenols were identified in the methanol extract and in fractions after saponification. All the extracts and fractions showed high antioxidant, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase inhibitory activities. Sugars like raffinose (IC50 = 0.36 μM), sucrose (IC50 = 0.51 μM), trehalose (IC50 = 0.85 μM), and phenols like taxifolin (IC50 = 0.31 μM), benzoic acid (IC50 = 2.74 μM) inhibited only the enzyme α-amylase. Phenolic components which inhibited both the enzymes were caffeic acid (IC50 = 1.42 μM for α-amylase and IC50 = 1.8 μM for α-glucosidase), 3, 4-dihydroxy benzoic acid (IC50 = 0.23 μM for α-amylase and IC50 = 2.58 μM for α-glucosidase), and quinic acid (IC50 = 4.91 μM for α-amylase and IC50 = 4.95 μM for α-glucosidase). Ferulic acid (IC50 = 0.52 μM) and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (IC50 = 0.23 μM) inhibited only α-glucosidase. This study suggested that the metabolites present in the fruit mesocarp tissue showed the potential antioxidant activity and properties to inhibit the enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Further in vivo study is to be carried out to prove the efficacy of the fruits. Abbreviations: FM: crude methanol extract; SI: ethyl acetate extract after alkaline hydrolysis step I; SII: ethyl acetate extract after alkaline hydrolysis step II
Foliar Nitrogen Management for Improving Growth and Yield of Dryland Wheat

Abstract Foliar nitrogen (N) application is considered an important factor affecting phenology, growth, yield, and yield components of dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). A field experiment was conducted to study effects of foliar N on dryland wheat (cv. Prisabk-2004) at the Agronomy Research Farm, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan, during winter 2010-2011. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design using four replications. A plot size of 3 m by 4 m, having 8 rows, 4 m long and 30 cm apart was used. A total of 80 kg N ha−1 in the form of urea was applied. Out of 80 kg N ha−1, 70 kg N ha−1 was applied to the soil at sowing time, and the remaining 10 kg N ha−1 was applied in the form of foliar spray (2% N). The required foliar N was applied in various combinations (splits) at different growth stages viz. 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after emergence (DAE). Phenological development (days to anthesis and physiological maturity) was delayed, yield components and yield increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with foliar N over control (water spray without N). Wheat grain yield increased to the highest level (4427 kg ha−1) when 100 % foliar N was applied (no split) at 90 DAE, followed by 4050 kg ha−1 at 120 DAE, while the control (no foliar N) resulted in the lowest grain yield (2573 kg ha−1). We concluded from this study that 2 % foliar N application in a single split either at 90 or 120 DAE could improve wheat productivity under dryland condition.