Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of dietary taurine level on visual function in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Dietary insufficiencies have been well documented to decrease growth rates and survival (and therefore overall production) in fish aquaculture. By contrast, the effects of dietary insufficiencies on the sensory biology of cultured fish remains largely unstudied. Diets based solely on plant protein sources could have advantages over fish-based diets, because of the cost and ecological effects of the latter, but lack the amino acid taurine. Adequate levels of taurine are, however, necessary for the development of a fully functional visual system in mammals. As part of ongoing studies to determine the suitability of plant-based diets, we investigated the effects of normal and reduced taurine dietary levels on retinal anatomy and function in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). We could not demonstrate any effects of dietary taurine level on retinal anatomy, nor the functional properties of luminous sensitivity or temporal resolution (measured as flicker fusion frequency). We did, however, find an effect on spectral sensitivity. The peak of spectral sensitivity of individuals fed a 5% taurine diet was rightward shifted (i.e., towards longer wavelengths) relative to that of fish fed a 0% or 1.5 % taurine diet. This difference in in spectral sensitivity was due to a relatively lower level of middle wavelength pigment (maximum absorbance ≈500 nm) in fish fed a 5% taurine diet. Changes in spectral sensitivity resulting from diets containing different taurine levels are unlikely to be detrimental to fish destined for market but could be in fishes that are being reared for stock enhancement programs.
Effect of seed ingestion by birds on the germination of understorey species in cloud forest

By dispersing seeds, frugivorous birds play a significant part in forest regeneration. However, there is scant information about the role of seed ingestion on the germination of cloud forest species. In this study, we evaluated whether the ingestion of the seeds of 3 woody understorey species ( Conostegia xalapensis, Miconia glaberrima, M. mexicana ) by frugivorous birds ( Arremon brunneinucha , and Chlorospingus flavopectus ) favors their percent and rate of germination. We compared the percent and rate of germination of seeds that had been ingested by birds and seeds extracted directly from their fruit. We also evaluated differences as a function of the species of bird that ingested the seed. The difference in percent seed germination was only significant for M. glaberrima ingested by A. brunneinucha ; although, in general, ingested seeds germinated faster than seeds that had not been ingested, with a significant difference for all species eaten by A. brunneinucha , and for C. xalapensis eaten by C. flavopectus . Our results highlight the potential of frugivorous birds to assist the regeneration of intermediate successional species. In addition, the interspecific variation in percent germination and in germination rate suggest that certain plant-disperser interactions are very important for ecosystem maintenance.
Diagnosis of Salmonella Enteritidis in tissues and intestinal content of experimentally infected chickens in Chile by Polymerase Chain Reaction

Salmonella Enteritidis is the most involved Salmonella serotype in Food-borne Illness in our country, being poultry products the main source in human infection. For this reason, its diagnostic and control becomes more and more important to avoid outbreaks that jeopardize public health. Bacteriological culture is the standard method used for the detection of S.E in animal tissues samples and takes at least 4 to 7 days to deliver results. To reduce diagnostic times, without reduce sensitivity and specificity, new and alternative methodologies have been developed and Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has taken a privileged place obtaining an important reduction of detection times and processing a great number of samples simultaneously. The objective of this work was to implement standard PCR test for the detection of S.E by using specific primers to detect invA gene. For this purpose, a first stage was performed in which the PCR technique was implemented using enrichment broth inoculated whit bacteria, followed by the establishment of the minimal detectable bacterial concentration that the technique was able to detect, obtaining a minimum of 101 CFU/ml. After, the implemented test was used to detect S.E in 53 samples of tissues and intestinal content of experimentally infected chickens that were positive to bacteriological culture and 126 negatives samples. In the first case all the samples are positive while in the second experience from the 126 negative samples, only 6 obtained amplification bands (4,8%), being 3 of them a pool of organs, and 3 intestine and intestinal content. Thus, it can be concluded that the implementation of standard PCR test for the detection of S.E in tissues and intestinal content samples from chickens was successful, with a high bacterial detection capacity and an execution time of 3 days, maximum (being 2 of them incubation un enrichment broth). This diagnostic test should be used as a complement for the traditional technique presently used.
Long Short-Term Memory Networks for Traffic Flow Forecasting: Exploring Input Variables, Time Frames and Multi-Step Approaches

Traffic flow forecasting is an acknowledged time series problem whose solutions have been essentially grounded on statistical-based models. Recent times came, however, with promising results regarding the use of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), such as Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTMs), to accurately address time series problems. Literature is, however, evasive in regard to several aspects of the conceived models and often exhibits misconceptions that may lead to important pitfalls. This study aims to conceive and find the best possible LSTM model for traffic flow forecasting while addressing several important aspects of such models such as the multitude of input features, the time frames used by the model and the employed approach for multi-step forecasting. To overcome the spatial problem of open source datasets, this study presents and describes a new dataset collected by the authors of this work. After several weeks of model fitting, Recursive MultiStep Multi-Variate models were the ones showing better performance, strengthening the perception that LSTMs can be used to accurately forecast the traffic flow for several future timesteps.
Polysaccharides from pectinase digests of green tea enhances host immune defence through toll-like receptor 4

ABSTRACT To develop new immunostimulatory ingredients, green tea polysaccharides were obtained by pectinase-assisted extraction. The present study investigated the immune stimulating and protective ability of polysaccharides from pectinase digests of green tea (PPGT) against infectious disease and the mechanisms involved. Macrophages stimulated with PPGT exhibited dose-dependent increases in nitric oxide, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production and phagocytosis. PPGT increased phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, nuclear factor-kappaB (NFκB) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation. The survival of mice infected with a lethal dose (1 × 107 CFU) of S. typhimurium was significantly extended by PPGT administration. Furthermore, PPGT induced production of cytokines (interleukin-12, interferon-γ, and TNF-α) in mice infected with a sub-lethal dose (1 × 105 CFU) of S. typhimurium. Furthermore, PPGT was significantly promoted natural killer cell and cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity. The above results lead to conclude that PPGT have a potent immune stimulating effect on immune cells via TLR4 pathway.
Dual-Iterative Hybrid Beamforming Design for Millimeter-Wave Massive Multi-User MIMO Systems With Sub-Connected Structure

The performance of the hybrid beamforming system based on the full-connected structure is close to that of the full-digital one in millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. However, due to the high complexity of circuit wiring in practical applications, it has been greatly restricted. This paper investigates the hybrid (analog/digital) beamforming design of a multiuser mmWave massive MIMO system with sub-connected structure. For this system, we focus on a sum-rate maximization probelm. Considering the joint design of the receiver, and transmitter, a two-stage design method is adopted. In the analog stage, the analog beamformer, and combiner are designed by the proposed piecewise dual joint iterative approximation (PDJIA) method, which not only can obtain closed-form solutions but also has linear property. Based on the criterion of avoiding the loss of information, the problem of digital beamforming is solved by exploiting the baseband piecewise successive approximation (BPSA) method, which can effectively increase the number of users served. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the state-of-the art MIMO hybrid beamforming design schemes, and more accurately approximates to that of the full-digital system.
Resource Mobilization and Financial Performance of Islamic Cooperative Societies in The South Western Nigeria

Resource mobilization is an integral part of Islamic cooperative societies through its products such as, share, savings, development levies, sales of stationeries, reserve, investment fund, zakat, sadaqah, takaful, waqf, sukuk, etc. This paper hereby examined the resource mobilization strategy as regards to its impact on the financial development of the ICSs in the south western Nigeria. Descriptive research methodology was employed in the analysis of data obtained from the randomly selected ICSs through their financial statement and their ‘key informants’. Three major checks were carried out, this include; members share capital in relation to the total assets of the ICSs, growth in savings rate and loan management of the societies. The result indicated a positive asset management, growth in savings and good loan management, which jointly determined economic development of the societies in the studied area. It was therefore recommended that ICSs should explore more means of funds mobilization such as waqf, sukuk, proper financial record keeping and government regulation mechanism to enhance their socio-economic development roles.
Hypomethylation in the promoter region of ZPBP as a potential litter size indicator in Berkshire pigs

Abstract In pigs, litter size is typically defined as the total number of piglets born (TNB) or the number of piglets born alive (NBA). Increasing pig litter size is of great economic interest as a means to increase productivity. The capacity of the uterus is a critical component of litter size and may play a central role in prolificacy. In this study, we investigated litter-size-related epigenetic markers in uterine tissue from Berkshire pigs with smaller litter size groups (SLGs) and larger litter size groups (LLGs) using genome-wide bisulfite sequencing (GWBS). A total of 3269 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified: 1566 were hypermethylated and 1703 hypomethylated in LLG compared to SLG. The zona pellucida binding protein (ZPBP) gene was significantly hypomethylated in the LLG promoter region, and its expression was significantly upregulated in uterine tissue. Thus, the methylation status of ZPBP gene was identified as a potential indicator of litter size. Furthermore, we verified its negative correlation with litter size traits (TNB and NBA) in whole blood samples from 172 Berkshire sows as a blood-based biomarker by a porcine methylation-specific restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PMP) assay. The results suggest that the methylation status of the ZPBP gene can serve as a valuable epigenetic biomarker for hyperprolific sows.
The crossover function of MutSγ is activated via Cdc7-dependent stabilization of Msh4

The MutSγ complex, Msh4-Msh5, binds DNA joint-molecule (JM) intermediates during homologous recombination to promote crossing over and accurate chromosome segregation at the first division of meiosis. MutSγ facilitates the formation and biased resolution of crossover-specific JM intermediates called double Holliday junctions. Here we show that these activities are governed by regulated proteasomal degradation. MutSγ is initially inactive for crossing over due to an N-terminal degron on Msh4 that renders it unstable. Activation of MutSγ requires the Dbf4-dependent kinase, Cdc7 (DDK), which directly phosphorylates and thereby neutralizes the Msh4 degron. Phosphorylated Msh4 is chromatin bound and requires DNA strand exchange and chromosome synapsis, implying that DDK specifically targets MutSγ that has already bound nascent JMs. Our study establishes regulated protein degradation as a fundamental mechanism underlying meiotic crossover control.
Indicadores estratégicos para uma operadora de plano de saúde suplementar sob a perspectiva dos gestores

In view of the competitive market in the supplementary health sector, it is extremely important to use strategic indicators for decision making that collaborate in obtaining competitive advantages and the permanence of the business in the market. The objective of this study was to identify strategic indicators for a supplementary health plan operator located in the interior of the state of São Paulo. This is an applied, exploratory, qualitative research that used the action research technique. To identify the indicators, we used the Cognitive Mapping methodology on the The Performance Prism model. From the concepts generated in the individual cognitive maps, it was possible to build a combined cognitive map, from which 59 key indicators were identified, classified according to the model's faces: strategy, processes, capacities and stakeholder satisfaction.
Effect of Plant Essential Oil on Growth Performance and Immune Function During Rearing Period in Laying Hens

The effects of plant essential oil (PEO) on the production performance and immune function of laying hens were evaluated to provide theoretical basis for promoting the natural plant extracts. Eight thousand 1-day-old healthy laying hens were randomly divided into a control group or PEO group, with four replicates per treatment and 1000 hens per replicate. The PEO diet was supplemented with 3g/kg plant extract. Diets were fed for 56 days. The tibia length and keel length were detected on an empty stomach at the end of the trial. Blood samples were collected on the 28th and 56th days to detect the level of C3, C4, IL-1, IL-2, IL-17 and immunoglobulin in the serum. The results showed that, compared with the control, PEO supplementation significantly increased the weight gain rate (WGR) at the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th week (p<0.05), and decreased the WGR at the 3rd and 6th week. The tibial length was significantly increased at the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th week (p<0.01), and also the keel length at the 5th and 7th week in PEO group. The concentration of IgG and IgM also significantly influenced with PEO supplementation, but there was no significant difference in the complements, C3 and C4, and the IL levels between days 28 and 56. Moreover, no significant difference was observed in body weight and immune organ on day 56. Therefore, we conclude that the addition of PEO could improve the production performance and immune function in laying hens.
Composition and identification of pollencollected by stingless bee (Heterotrigona itama)in forested and coastal area of Terengganu,Malaysia

The aim of this study was to determine the composition and identify the pollen foraged by Heterotrigona itama in coastal and forested area over a period of nine months. The sampling has been conducted started from June 2016 until February 2017. Pollen composition obtained from the pollen basket of H. itama in coastal area and forested area of Terengganu was observed and recorded using optical microscope. Up until February, H. itama in coastal area had collected 14 different type of pollen, however only 10 types of pollen have been successfully identified. The identified pollen were Antigonan leptopus, Amaranthus tricolor, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Cucumis melo, Ixora coccinea, Tridax procumbens, Biden pilosa, Turnera subulata, Ixora javanica and Portula grandiflora which was the dominant pollen that has the highest percentage. Meanwhile H. itama in forested area has collected 15 different type of pollen with only 7 types of pollen have been successfully identified. The identified pollen were dominated by Asystasia gangetica followed by Biden pilosa, Antigonan leptopus, Reullia brittonia, Amaranthus tricolor, Hibiscus sabdariffa and Portulaca grandiflora. This observation could be useful for plants and H. itama conservation purposes and also in planning a suitable beescape for Meliponiculture in Malaysia.
Long Non-Coding RNAs: Rising Regulators of Plant Reproductive Development

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert a multitude of functions in regulating numerous biological processes. Recent studies have uncovered a growing number of lncRNAs within the plant genome. These molecules show striking tissue-specific expression patterns, suggesting that they exert regulatory functions in the growth and development processes of plants. Plant reproductive development is tightly regulated by both environmental and endogenous factors. As plant reproductive development is a crucial aspect of crop breeding, lncRNAs that modulate reproductive development are now particularly worth regarding. Here, we summarize findings that implicate lncRNAs in the control of plant reproductive development, especially in flowering control. Additionally, we elaborate on the regulation mechanisms of lncRNAs, tools for research on their function and mechanism, and potential directions of future research.
Managing for Salmon Resilience in California’s Variable and Changing Climate

Author(s): Herbold, Bruce; Carlson, Stephanie M. ; Henery, Rene; Johnson, Rachel C. ; Mantua, Nate; McClure, Michelle; Moyle, Peter B. ; Sommer, Ted | Abstract: California’s salmonids are at the southern limits of their individual species’ ranges, and display a wide diversity of strategies to survive in California’s highly variable climate. Land use changes after statehood in 1850 eliminated important habitats, or blocked access to them, and reduced the abundance, productivity, and distribution of California’s salmon. Habitat simplification, fishing, hatchery impacts, and other stressors led to the loss of genetic and phenotypic (life history, morphological, behavioral, and physiological) diversity in salmonids. Limited diversity and habitat loss left California salmon with reduced capacity to cope with a variable and changing climate. Since 1976, California has experienced frequent droughts, as were common in the paleo-climatological record, but rare in the peak dam-building era of 1936–1976. Increasing temperatures and decreasing snowpacks have produced harsher conditions for California’s salmon in their current habitats than they experienced historically. The most likely way to promote salmon productivity and persistence in California is to restore habitat diversity, reconnect migratory corridors to spawning and rearing habitats, and refocus management to replenish the genetic and phenotypic diversity of these southernmost populations.
Immunology of the canine eye in health and disease: a concise review

The canine eye is an immune-privileged organ that is provided with systems to prevent and control the local immune response, which could have a detrimental impact. The entry of blood-derived antigens is hindered by the blood-ocular barriers and potential invading pathogens are tackled by local antimicrobial molecules. Despite the existence of numerous immune-competent cells, the anterior chamber of the eye is characterised by low responsiveness. This review is focused on the innate and adaptive immunity employed to control health and disease in the canine eye.
Droplet Digital PCR Based Detection of EGFR Mutations in Advanced Lung Cancer Patient Liquid Biopsies: A Comparison of Circulating Tumour DNA Extraction Kits

Background: Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene, EGFR, predict response or resistance to first generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer. These biomarkers can now be conveniently detected from liquid biopsies, however technical details of these assays are still being refined. Objective: To compare detection of four different non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) associated EGFR mutations from patient ctDNA isolated with five different ctDNA isolation kits. Methods: Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays detecting four EGFR mutations were developed. ctDNA was isolated with five kits from plasma samples, one pleural and one ascites fluid from nine NSCLC patients with known EGFR mutations. ctDNA fragment sizes and concentrations were also assessed. Results: Each kit isolated DNA from all samples which contained an expected dominant DNA fragment of ~ 170 base pairs. Normalised for plasma input, one kit produced ctDNA extracts which consistently enabled the highest copy number detection for all EGFR variants, and importantly was able to validate mutations in all patient samples. Other kits stood out in regards to cost economy as well as ease and speed of processing but were less efficient and one kit was found to be incompatible with ddPCR. Conclusion: This study demonstrated successful ctDNA isolation from plasma, pleural fluid and ascites by four of five ctDNA isolation kits. The QIAmp circulating nucleic acid kit produced consistently the most sensitive detection of EGFR variants. While other kits allow for lower volume plasma input down to 0.1 ml, are faster, more economical and simpler to use, they are challenged by very low ctDNA concentrations in plasma.
Effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on the Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Maize Varieties

Maize is one of Ethiopia’s major and strategic cereal crops, albeit the national average yield remains low. The study was conducted at Adi-gebaro farmers association of Tigray region in Ethiopia, from December 2016 to May 2017, to determine the combined effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on growth, yield and yield components of maize varieties under irrigation. The experiment was factorial with six rates of combined fertilizers [F1 (0+0+0) ha-1, F2 (100 kg N +32.25 kg P +10 t cattle manure) ha-1, F3 (0+0+10 t cattle manure) ha-1, F4 (150 kg N +43 kg P +15 t cattle manure) ha-1, F5 (100 kg N +32.25 kg P + 0) ha-1, F6 (50 kg N +21.5 kg P +5 t cattle manure) ha-1] and two varieties of maize (BH-543 and “Asgedom”/local). The design was Randomized Complete Block with three replications. The interaction effect between varieties and fertilizer rates was not significant. However, the differences between varieties and among fertilizer rates were significant (P<0.05) for growth, yield and yield component parameters. The highest grain yield 7.77t ha-1 was recorded with fertilizer rate of F4 followed by F2 and F5. Variety BH-543 exceeded the local variety by 1.21 t ha-1 or 21.34% in grain yield. It can be concluded that using combined fertilizer rate of F4 (150 kg N +43 kg P +15 t cattle manure) ha-1 and maize variety of BH-543 would be suitable for growing maize under irrigation at agro ecological conditions of Adi-gebaro.