Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective role of onion and garlic on physicochemical alterations and toxicity of heated soybean oil

Fresh and soybean oil heated with or without onion or garlic were analyzed for their physicochemical and toxicological properties. Darkened appearance, off flavors, rancid taste and significant reduction of iodine value was obtained for the heated oil. Acid value, peroxide value, viscosity and concentration of malondialdehyde of the thermooxidized soybean oil were also significantly elevated (P indicators as well as reduction in loss of ascorbic acid and tocopherol. Rats fed with diet containing heated oil for a period of four weeks showed significant elevation (P aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) starting from the second week to the end of the experimental period. This might be as a result of cellular damage caused by peroxides and other lipid oxidation products which allowed the enzymes to leak out from the tissues. The levels of these enzymes were maintained close to the control in rats fed with diets containing heated oil with garlic and onion indicating their protective role in lipid oxidation.
Antioxidant Effect of Spirulina in Long Evans Rat

Spirulina , a naturally occurring micro algae, was suspended in water and administrated orally to streptozotocin induced diabetic and nondiabetic rats at a dose of 400 mg per kg body weight. The animal of the control group was administrated extract of Spinacea oleracea (locally known as Palong Shak). Thirty days after the oral administration all the rats were sacrificed for the determination of super oxide dismutase. Spirulina increased the level of oxidative stress responsive enzyme Super oxide dismutase (SOD) in erythrocyte by 17.5% (p<0.0005) in diabetic rats suggesting that the herb may have antioxidant properties. Key words: Diabetes Mellitus, Spirulina, Rat Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 6(1): 43-45, 2007 (June) The full text is of this article is available at the Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. website
Crenarchaea and phytoplankton coupling in sedimentary archives: Common trigger or metabolic dependence?

The concentrations of chlorins (chlorophyll transformation products indicative of phytoplankton production) and crenarchaeol (a marker for Crenarchaea abundance) are significantly positively correlated (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient rs > 0.75) in four core records from freshwater (Lake Baikal) and marine settings (Southern, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans). This suggests a close relationship between Crenarchaea abundance and phytoplankton production. Degradation and transport mechanisms, as well as a common environmental trigger, may in part account for our observations, but these mechanisms alone cannot fully explain them. Instead our findings point to a metabolic dependence of Crenarchaea on resources released by phytoplankton, such as organic carbon or ammonium.
Control region haplotype variation in the central Mediterranean common sole indicates geographical isolation and population structuring in Italian stocks

Nine common sole Solea vulgaris samples from five fishery Management Units (MUs) of the central Mediterranean exhibited differences in a control region sequence marker. Parsimony network showed two low-divergent haplotype phylogroups. The former predominated in samples from the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Adriatic and north-western Ionian Seas (MUs 9, 10, 17, 18 and northern part of 19, respectively), whereas the latter was abundant in the south-western Ionian (southern part of MU 19). The geographical clustering of maternal lineages accounts for population structuring and indicates geographical isolation of common sole stocks in the Mediterranean. Several life-history traits of common sole and hydro-geographical features of the basin might support this pattern of differentiation. Haplotype frequency differences were detected among samples either from different MUs or within the same MU. This situation indicates the presence of partially subdivided or nearly panmictic population units, whose exploitation should be based on appropriate bio-ecological features. The usefulness of control region sequence marker enhances the routinely use of the genetic stock structure analysis in low-dispersal demersal marine resources.
Plasma concentrations of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, Δ4-androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone and oestradiol-17β in the crabeating monkey (Macaca fascicularis) from birth to adulthood

Plasma testosterone, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), delta 4-androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and oestradiol-17 beta concentrations of crab-eating macaques after birth were analysed by RIA. The profiles of plasma testosterone and DHT exhibited four phases: (1) a neonatal phase (0 to 3-4 months of age) with considerable synthetic testicular activity; (2) a phase of 'infancy' (generally up to 29 months of age) during which the values of both androgens were low; (3) a prepubertal phase (generally up to 43 months of age) when circulating values oscillated with wider individual variations, and (4) a pubertal phase when the concentrations increased in parallel and concomittantly with the onset of meiosis and the establishment of spermatogenesis. The testosterone values continued to increase, reaching adult values at about 5-6 years of age, whereas DHT levels tended to stabilize from 4-5 years. Relatively high androstenedione values during the neonatal phase decreased progressively until puberty, then increased again slowly up to the adult stage when they plateaued at about neonatal levels. The DHA levels were high during the first months, decreased at about 1 year, remained stable during infancy and prepuberty and then declined again during puberty. At about 5 years, the values were 28% of those in neonates. There was no evidence of an adrenarche before the first signs of sexual maturity were observed. Oestradiol-17 beta concentrations were high at birth and until 3 months, then decreased and remained steady from 1 year of age until adulthood, except at the onset of puberty (27-30 months of age) when high values were again noted. Our results show that, during the neonatal period, the testis exhibited considerable secretory activity.
Chronicles of Dolos and Apate in Plant microRNAs

Not all transcribed eukaryotic RNAs are precisely protein-coding, some seem to be non-functional and are the results of spurious transcription, while many others play pivotal roles in specific regulation of gene expression and direct translation. The regulation in the shape of gene silencing occurs at two stages of transcriptional and post-transcriptional. In transcriptional layer, either an RNA-directed DNA methylation and/or chromatin remodeling can be modulated by non-protein coding RNAs in the nucleus. In post-transcriptional regulation, sequence-specific regulation of complementary target mRNAs is remaining the principal cause. miRNA-mediated gene regulation machinery that triggers the regular transcription of mRNAs is evolutionarily ancient and is the topic of this review.
Effects of cowpea, crotalaria and sorghum crops and phosphorus fertilizers on maize productivity in semi-arid West Africa

Cowpea and sorghum grain crops, fertilized with 26 kg of phosphorus (P) per ha from either a P-soluble (SP) or a slightly P-soluble fertilizer (Kodjari, a natural rock phosphate (RP) indigenous to Burkina Faso), and cowpea and crotalaria (Crotalaria retusa) green manure crops, either unfertilized or fertilized with 26 kg P/ha from RP; were studied for their effects as preceding crop treatments for maize. The experiment was conducted in semi-arid West Africa (SAWA) at Farako-Bâ in Burkina Faso in 1983–86. Nitrogen (N) and soluble P fertilized and unfertilized subtreatments, applied to maize the following year, allowed the effects of the preceding crop treatments in improving soil fertility and the direct effects of P and N fertilizers applied to the maize crop to be assessed. Maize productivity was increased both by P fertilization and by soil improvements following cowpea and crotalaria; N fertilization in excess of 60 kg N/ha was not beneficial. Cowpea grain crop treatments, especially when fertilized with a P-soluble source, maximized maize yields, whereas cowpea and crotalaria green manure treatments were either similar to the cowpea grain treatment fertilized with RP or were intermediate between the latter and the sorghum treatment fertilized with SP. Sorghum, regardless of the source of P-fertilizer used, appeared not to be a suitable preceding crop for maize in SAWA.
Espectro trófico de peces concurrentes al área de crianza Playa Chipana(21°19'S -7000 W) delnorte de Chile

A total of 361 fishes incluiding Odonthestes regia. Paralabax humeralis Isacia conceptions, Cilus gilbeti Menticirrhus ophicephalus, Sciaena deliciosa and Scomber japonicus were colleted in the nursery area Plata Chiapa (21°19 S)
Effect of Dietary Minerals and Pigment on Somatic Growth of Juvenile Green Sea Urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis

This study investigated the effects of dietary minerals and pigments in prepared diets on the somatic growth performance of wild and hatchery-reared juvenile green sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, by two feeding trials. In the first feeding trial, a modified Bernhart-Tomerelli salt mix (BT) at 0, 1.5, 3, 6, and 15% dry mass and a Shur-Gain/Maple Leaf Foods mineral mix at 3 and 6% dry mass were used to test for mineral effects. Pigment effects were tested by incorporating 1.25% Algro™ to the prepared diets (i.e., 250 mg of beta-carotene per kilogram of diet). Sea urchins (13–15 mm of initial test diameter [TD]) collected from the wild were fed the prepared diets over 154 d. The sea urchins that were fed the pigmented diets had significantly greater test growth than those fed the nonpigmented diets, and mineral concentration in the pigmented diets was directly related to juvenile size at the end of the feeding trial. A sample of juveniles from each treatment group was sacrificed to determine test, gonad, and gut yields and ash concentrations. Ash concentrations in the test and gonad were higher for juveniles fed pigmented diets than for those fed nonpigmented diets with similar mineral concentration, suggesting an interaction between minerals and pigments within the juvenile sea urchins. The second feeding trail used two size cohorts of hatchery-reared juveniles ranging from 1–2 mm and 2–3 mm of initial TD to compare the growth of sea urchins fed either the pigmented diet with 15% BT (i.e., the best diet in the first feeding trial) or kelp, Laminaria longicruris, over 159 d. Growth performance was similar for both cohorts, indicating no size effect, but the juveniles fed the prepared diet were significantly larger at the end of the feeding trial than those fed kelp. This suggests that prepared diets with pigment and high mineral concentration can outperform kelp, and be utilized for juvenile green sea urchins to increase test growth.
ENRICHMENT OF EGGS AND POULTRY MEAT WITH BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES BY FEED MODIFICATIONS AND EFFECTS ON THE FINAL QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT

In developed countries nutrition of people is assured. Therefore, consumers are not longer interested only in the nutritive value of their food but in the content of natural substances exhibiting special health effects. This has led to the development of functional foods. Already in the late 1980ies first attempts have been made by enriching chicken eggs with omega-3 fatty acids which have proven beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. Meanwhile, enrichment procedures have been extended to other components and as well to poultry meat. Enriching both eggs and poultry meat with health promoting substances is quite easily achieved. In general, enrichment of eggs is more pronounced than enrichment of poultry meat due to the higher fat content of eggs. When enriching eggs and poultry meat with health promoting substances it has to be considered that a negative impact on quality features may occur. This is mainly proven for n-3 fatty acids due to increased liability to oxidation and for CLA due to the increase in toughness of poultry meat. But, the functional food approach is an interesting issue for egg and poultry meat production as functional eggs and functional poultry meat may contribute significantly to the intake of health promoting substances in humans.
A latitudinal gradient of beta diversity for exotic vascular plant species in North America

Determining relationships between the ranges of introduced species and geographical and environmental factors is an important step in understanding the mechanisms and processes of the spread of introduced species. In this study, I examined the beta diversity and latitude relationship for all naturalized exotic species of vascular plants in North America at a continental scale. Beta diversity was calculated as the absolute value of the slope of the relationship between the natural logarithm of the Simpson index of similarity (lnS) and spatial distance between pairs of state‐level exotic floras within four latitudinal zones examined. Relative contributions of spatial distance and environmental difference to species turnover between exotic floras were examined. I found that beta diversity decreased monotonically from low to high latitudes: beta diversity for the southernmost zone was shallower than that for the northernmost zone by a factor of 2.6. Regression models of lnS in relation to spatial distance and environmental (climatic and topographical) difference for each latitudinal zone demonstrated that the explanatory power of these variables diminishes monotonically with latitude: the explained variance in lnS is 70.4%, 62.1%, 53.9%, and 33.9%, respectively, for the four latitudinal zones from south to north. For the southernmost zone, 58.3% of the variance in lnS is explained by climate variables and topography, and spatial distance explains only 2.3% of the variance. In contrast, for the northernmost zone, more than half the amount (22.5%) of the explained variance in lnS is attributable to spatial distance, and the remaining (18.9%) of the explained variance is attributable to climate variables and topography.
Secreted virulence factors in lethal illness due to Staphylococcus aureus

Approved: ____________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________ Title and Department ____________________________________ Date 1 SECRETED VIRULENCE FACTORS IN LETHAL ILLNESS DUE TO STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS by Adam Russell Spaulding A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Microbiology in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa
Simulated post-fire temperature affects germination of native and invasive grasses in cerrado (Brazilian savanna)

Background: Although fire is an important factor in determining cerrado vegetation, information about its effect on seed banks is sparse. Cerrado fires are rapidly moving surface fires with low residence time, producing only short-term heating of the uppermost centimetres of the soil. However, the reduction in vegetation cover and deposition of ashes increases the daily amplitude of soil temperature by as much as 35 °C. Aims: To assess the effect of post-fire daily soil temperatures on the germination of one alien and nine native grasses. Methods: Seeds were stored at alternating temperatures of 45 ºC/10 ºC (10 h/14 h) for 7 d or 30 d, simulating two different storage times in the soil seed bank before the onset of the rainy season. Germination was monitored over 30 d. Results: The variation in temperature had a significant effect on the rate of seed germination in some species, either enhancing it (Aristida setifolia) or reducing it (Schizachyrium sanguineum). Increased storage time reduced the viability of S. sanguineum and Echinolaena inflexa. The invasive Melinis minutiflora had the highest germination rate and it also showed the best toleration of post-fire conditions (45 ºC/10 ºC) after 7 d, with significant reduction in the germination time after 30 d. Conclusions: Fire seems to have a significant effect in the early life of cerrado grasses. Some native species responded positively to temperature oscillation, suggesting that they should be better prepared to compete with alien species after a fire, with more of their seeds germinating and/or at a more rapid rate.
RNA interferente: una herramienta y un novedoso mecanismo de regulación génica

In the last 7 years our vision about the relevance of RNA molecules in cell Biology has changed dramatically driven by the recent discoveries on a new field known as RNA interference (RNAi). RNA molecules were originally envisioned as simple messengers in charge of transporting the genetic information from the nucleus to ribosomes, in order to produce proteins. Nowadays, the discovery of a new class of tiny RNA molecules (known as microRNAs or miRNAs) and the complex machinery associated to them uncovered new roles for RNA molecules in the selective repression of messenger RNAs (mRNA) in a wide variety of organisms including mammals. miRNAs can simultaneously repress the expression of several mRNAs involved in a complex signal transduction cascade. In plants, a single miRNA determines the shape and size of leafs, while in Drosophila one miRNA regulates the size of the adult fly, by controlling the balance between apoptosis and cell division in this organism. All these new discoveries changed the linear simplistic view of DNA makes RNA and RNA makes proteins. The finding of hundreds of miRNAs explains why genomes have many sequences that do not result in open reading frames (do not produce proteins). Associated to ribosomes, scientists have found a new multiproteic complex in charge of sequestering the mRNAs associated to its miRNA. In this review we highlight the recent findings on RNAi, trying to keep pace with this rapidly moving field. We speculate also on possible uses of RNAi in Medicine as therapeutic tools in the fight against viral infections, cancer and other diseases.
Molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter and Yersinia enterocolitica isolates from pigs reared in conventional and antibiotic free farms from different geographic regions

presentation Daniel A. Tadesse, Peter B. Bahnson, Julie A. Funk, W.E. Morgan Morrow, and Wondwossen A. Gebreyes. (2008). Molecular Epidemiology and Characterization of Virulence Gene in Yersinia enterocolitica Isolated from Swine. 95 Annual meeting of International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). August 3-6, 2008 Columbus, Ohio. T1-12. Accepted for oral presentation. Gebreyes, W. A. , P. Pancholi, M. Marcon, K. Stevenson, and D. A. Tadesse. (2007). Characterization of Multi-Drug Efflux Genes in Acinetobacter baumannii. 47th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Abstract C2-1510. Poster presentation. Daniel A. Tadesse, Julie A. Funk, Peter B. Bahnson, W. E. Morgan Morrow, Siddhartha Thakur and Wondwossen A. Gebreyes. (2007). Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profile of Campylobacter isolated from conventional and antibiotic free swine farms in three geographic locations. 7 International Symposium on the Epidemiology and Control of Foodborne Pathogens in Pork. Verona, Italy, May 9 11. Oral presentation. Patchanee, P., Tadesse, A. D. , & Gebreyes, W. A. (2007). Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of multi-drug resistant Salmonella serotype Heidelberg isolated from
Update of sporadic microphthalmos and coloboma

The majority of patients with microphthalmos and colobomas have genetic disor- ders. This is a survey of non-inherited, sporadic microphthalmos. Such cases may occur in the Goldenhar, CHARGE and VATER associations ; it may also be due to teratological agents, for instance maternal ingestion of drugs, maternal infection, fever or irradiation. In these cases it is possible that neural crest cell development is abnormal. Some drugs, for instance retinoic acid are regulators of Hox genes which control an ordered sequence of differentiation; coloboma or microphthalmos may appear if deregulation occurs. Large choristomas of the anterior segment of the eye may be associated with microphthalmos or anophthalmos. Encephaloceles or orbital tumours may deform the growing eye and are another cause of non-inherited microphthalmos.
An efficient method for mutant library creation in Pichia pastoris useful in directed evolution

Abstract The yeast Pichia pastoris is being increasingly used as a host for expressing enzymes on a large scale, but application in directed evolution requiring efficient expression of libraries of mutants is hampered due to the time-consuming multistep procedure which includes an intermediate bacterial host (Escherichia coli). Here we introduce a fast and highly simplified method to produce gene libraries in P. pastoris expression vectors. For the purpose of illustration, Galactomyces geotrichum lipase 1 (GGL1) was used as the catalyst in the enantioselective hydrolytic kinetic resolution of 2-methyldecanoic acid p-nitrophenyl ester, the gene mutagenesis method being saturation mutagenesis. The phosphorylated linear plasmid which is integrated in the yeast genome was obtained by combination of partially overlapped fragments using overlap-extension PCR. An intermediate bacterial host is not necessary, neither are restriction enzymes. This method is also applicable when using error-prone PCR for library creation in directed evolution.
Comparação entre análises para permanência no rebanho de vacas Nelore utilizando modelo linear e modelo de limiar

Heritability and expected progeny difference (EPD) for stayability based on progeny records of 4,180 sires from the Programa de Melhoramento Genetico da Raca Nelore were estimated. Bayesian analyses for threshold and linear models were performed using the software multiple trait Gibbs sampler for animal model. Gibbs size chain of 225,000, burn-in of 25,000 and thinning interval of 1,000 cycles were considered for implementation purpose. The heritability estimated by linear model (.065) was lower than for threshold model (0.158). The heritability estimate for transformed continuous threshold scale was . 13±. 05 which is close to the heritability estimate for threshold model. The high rank correlation between the solutions from both models (97%) suggests the stayability analysis under Bayesian perspective does not influence the rank of the animal EPD. Therefore linear model analysis for transformed threshold stayability data, which has a reduced processing time, should be used.
Development of microbubbles in polydimethylsiloxane as a screening tool for correlating the metastatic potential of cancer cells via their morphology, motility, and clonogenic potential

Developing new methods that can determine the metastatic potential of cells as it relates to the progression of malignant cancers is a key step towards achieving more effective diagnosis and therapeutic treatments of cancer. In vitro methods, such as three dimensional cell cultures, developed to recapitulate the cellular microenvironment have been crucial for the investigative studies of in vivo cell behavior. These 3D cell cultures provide a unique cellular organization that has been shown to exhibit characteristics that are significantly different from standard 2D cultures. In this thesis work, we have developed a novel gas expansion molding (GEM) technique that creates microbubble wells that we exploit for cell culture. Microbubble (MB) wells are spherical structures formed in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with 100 μm opening and 250 μm diameter. GEM can form homogeneously sized MB wells over a large area, however, there are key parameters that must be considered. We have done extensive studies to verify the key design parameters that affect microbubble formation efficiency (MBFE) and size. These factors include (1) the geometry of the mold features, (2) the spatial arrangement of the mold openings, (3) PDMS curing temperature, (4) wafer hydrophobicity, (5) the